Warm Memories and Brotherly Bonds

Chapter 9: The Nobles Insidious Plan

*Luffy*

Luffy just stood there gapping at his older brother, who continued to grin at him as if he had just told a funny joke.

"But... you're dead..." Luffy said quietly, more to himself than to Ace.

"Pretty much," Ace answered brightly.

Luffy blinked a few times, trying to make sense of this. Ace was dead... he knew that. But he was here with him... so that could only mean...?

"AHHHHH!" he screamed out in panic, gripping his head as he stared around him in horror. "THAT MEANS I'M DEAD TOO?!"

What had he done? How'd this happen?

"Oh-no my crew will kill me if I died!" he kept crying out. He died before he could become the King of the Pirates? He couldn't believe this! "Sabo is going to be disappointed with me for dying too!"

"Luffy...?" Ace said, but Luffy wasn't paying attention.

"So this is the great beyond?" Luffy asked himself, staring around him, "Oh, this all sucks! After those two years training with Rayleigh too! Well, they better at least have some good meat up here! Oh wait... what if I'm in hell? Then that means that there can't be! WAHHHHH! You mean I'm in Hell?!"

"IDIOT!" Ace yelled and bonked him hard on the head to snap him out of it.

"OWW!" Luffy howled, glaring at Ace, "THAT HURT!"

"Dammit Luffy you aren't dead!" Ace shouted at him, for a moment this was just like how they used to argue ever since they were little kids. It was so familiar that Luffy had to stop—unable to stay angry with him.

For a few minutes, the two just stood there looking at each other. A light breeze swept over the training site, ruffling their hair as they continued to gaze long and hard. Finally, Luffy blinked.

"I'm not?" he asked as Ace shook his head, the smile still tugging at his lips.

"No, you aren't," he said seriously as he gently bumped his knuckles against Luffy's forehead—silently telling him what an idiot he was being. "It's a long story..."

"But I don't like long stories," Luffy whined, still not understanding any of this.

Ace only grinned wider, and seeing that smile made Luffy feel as if his insides were being squeezed. "I know you don't," Ace admitted happily, "But you'll enjoy this one. Let me explain..."

*Straw Hats*

The Straw Hats meanwhile were following the memory of the two boys through Trash Mountain, looking for Sabo. Ace kept picking up scraps of metal and pieces of lumber every few feet—just anything he thought might be useful to repair their base. While Luffy wandered a little behind him, still looking for that telescope.

As Usopp watched, he had an idea to make a special telescope for the Sunny when he got back—one that could see for endless miles around in all directions. But just as he was getting around to designing it, Ace suddenly dropped everything he was holding and pulled Luffy down to the ground.

"Ace—what?" Luffy cried out startled.

"Shhhh," Ace hissed, forcing his head down. "Stay quiet."

"What's going on?" Chopper asked, not liking the tense look on Ace's face.

"Don't know," Zoro said, his hand on his sword, though there wasn't any need. He just felt more in control of the situation with his swords with him, "But I'm guessing that Ace heard it too."

"Voices," Sanji added softly, his head turned in one direction. "Over there..."

Whether or not Luffy did as he was told, or he heard something as well, he stayed quiet as the two boys crawled up the mounds of junk and cautiously peered over it. At the bottom of the mountain was Sabo... and he was completely surrounded and outnumbered.