#i think sabo would hate being king. I think he hates everything about the situation he is in | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

yonkokraven · 2 months

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I was bored and made an AU, how would things change if the government stopped giving importance to the East Blue? What if two Opposing Marines disagree with the idea?

I introduce you:

The Scorching Crew AU.

warning: is an AU focused on Luffy x Uta + Ace and Sabo + strawhats. The world of One Piece will be touched on from a darker perspective, so, if you hold your stomach and know The Blue Lagoon: enjoy the introductory arc:.

-The world government ordered to keep a distance from the East Blue as it considered the chaos that was the rest of the world a higher priority, but there are two people (who would obviously never work together) who have their sights set on that sea: Garp and Akainu

-Garp doesn't trust Akainu one bit, not after Ohara, Aokiji was perplexed for days until he finally told him what happened: Children, families, everything fell under an attack by Akainu (except the well-known girl who escaped)

-Akainu does not talk to anyone, not even to his daughter, his mission is clear: eliminate all evil above and under the seas, and no matter how weak the East Blue is, he does not forget it: that's where Roger came from, and a little bit of information. known by now: that's where Xebec came from. He will not allow under any concept to underestimate that sea again and for another demon to terrorize the world.

-Garp goes more often to the kingdom of Goa, meeting Shanks at one of his stops warning him not to even think about approaching Luffy again, Shanks ignores him, the boy is happy when he is with him and when he is with Uta even more so.

-Reluctantly Garp sometimes stays, carefully watching Shanks' every word, and during one of his walks to visit Ace on the mountain, Luffy and Uta follow him.

-Garp doesn't find out, and goes to patrol other islands. Luffy and Uta run free through the forest (of course, Ben Beckmann wouldn't leave them unsupervised, always at a safe distance) and at one point, they meet Ace and Sabo in one of their escapes.

-Ace is cruel to Luffy like in canon, nothing that Uta can't moderate with a couple of hits (and one just in case to Sabo). From a distance, Benn pieces together the coincidences. Garp walking to the woods every afternoon during his visit and returning hours later? At first the crew's bet was that he might have a brother or sister, but not another hidden grandson.

-Luffy and Uta at one point take them to Makino's bar, Ben is good at faking surprises, and he didn't tell the captain anything, Shanks' immediate reaction upon learning the name of Garp's other "grandson" was a laugh. It wasn't possible that some idiot named his son after the Pirate King's sword, right?

-As time passes, the villagers go home, Luffy, Uta, Ace and Sabo still stay, and the more time passes, the paler Shanks gets, he is an alcoholic, but not to the point of seeing his father figure in the form of a child... no, it's not him, Roger didn't have freckles. Was it possible?

-Uta is having a good time, so Shanks doesn't see anything wrong with her staying as long as she doesn't leave the village while he's gone (Yes, not only did she leave, she did the stupid thing of confronting a bear with the three other children)

-Some time passes, and while the four of them were having lunch peacefully among Shanks' crew, Luffy demonstrates his greatest talent: being someone with a bottomless stomach. Ace, Sabo and Shanks spit out their drinks when they see Luffy's arm stretching abnormally.

-The situation of the mountain bandits is very different, and Ace claims to hate Luffy, but when he almost cuts Higuma in half with a metal rod, that hatred seems like a ghost.

-Shanks loses his arm in the same way, and while his crew cauterizes him, Uta is there with Luffy apologizing over and over again for chasing the bandits.

-Ace feels conflicted, Sabo, Luffy and Uta sleep, He just enjoys the breeze, drinking some orange juice when Shanks sits next to him, Ace didn't say a word when Shanks talked for hours about Roger "He knows." the child thinks.

-Sabo and Ace stop coming to the village, Shanks says it's time to leave after his stump heals, and Uta for the first time doubts what to do and tries to hide it. Shanks knows, Benn knows, Yasopp knows, everyone on the crew knows.

-Luffy says that he will become strong and be the Pirate King on his own, Shanks smiles and says that when the time comes he must prove that he is strong for such a feat, giving him his hat as a promise to see him in the distant future.

-Uta stops before getting on the ship, she wants to go to the sea, she wants to go with her father, but why can't she keep walking? Shanks knows, and sits with her for a moment on the dock.

-He listens to her, and smiles, using Conqueror's Haki on himself to not cry when she tells him her perspective "You want to go to the sea, but you don't want to go with us" and Uta cries, hugs him and apologizes. Shanks knows this is the best choice, the grand line is not a game.

-as the redhead's pirates leave the port, Luffy takes Uta's hand without taking his eyes off the pirate flag "We will see them again." On the ship, the captain can't stand it, he sits on the steps and covers his face, his first officer and his crew sharing that bittersweet feeling "We will see them again."

Right?

-Garp comes back a week later, he didn't know what was worse, that he basically now had to take care of Shanks' daughter, or that Luffy was swinging around the town like a monkey with long limbs "Son of a..." Makino and The Mayor covers both children's ears just in time.

-Garp drags Luffy into the forest, one thing is a hyperactive child, another is a hyperactive child with devil fruits, better hidden than in the hands of slavers.

-Dadan didn't have a pleasant day, but when she saw that at least Uta understood some basic human behavior, she was able to fall asleep. (No one tells her that the girl already stole a couple of weapons from the gang)

-The Gray terminal event happens differently, Sabo was never taken back to the city, but he was involved in the fire helping other people go towards the forest (obviously not in the direction of his gold reserve, the house from the mountain or the village)

-Blue Jam does not forget those who try to rob him, as in canon, Ace does not back down, the mountain bandits repel the pirates, but Ace stays behind, Uta throws him a gun, and Ace shoots.

-Ace is covered in bruises, Sabo has his hands burned, including one forearm, Luffy and Uta luckily did not receive much damage. Dadan is furious with the four, but doesn't say anything when he sees that Ace didn't change his horrified face. Dandan is just there being a support for one of her unofficial children, singing him to sleep, like when he was a baby.

-Akainu sails through the East Blue, guarding the celestial dragon (as much as it irritates him to do so) burning every pirate ship he sees, novice or not.

-Upon arriving in the kingdom of Goa, Akainu observes the outskirts, the ashes of an obviously intentional fire, the bones of people who he does not know if they were criminals or not, he becomes enraged.

-Garp sails as fast as possible to Goa, only a day late and Akainu goes to the only island he wouldn't have to go to in the East Blue.

-Garp calls Dadan and Makino when they are within reach, he asks them to keep the children in the village, as far away from the Kingdom as possible, he will arrive in one day, but not to let any marine see Uta, Luffy and Ace.

-Dadan yells at the children to come down from the tree house... there is no response.

-The forest is very large, and the bandits divide themselves and walk carefully. "Please, not today," Dadan prays every ten meters.

-Sabo, Uta, Ace and Luffy leave satisfied with looting food from the city, very easy since everyone was focused on the Celestial Dragon parade.

-Akainu sees four children walking away with a couple of bags, and the presences along the forest seem simply irregular to him, there is no smoke to indicate camps, who is hiding there?

-Dadan obviously scolds them, explaining how dangerous it was for the children to go to the city with the visit of the celestial dragon, no one dares to answer when Luffy asks what a slave he is.

-Dadan takes them after dinner to the village through the forest, Makino has already prepared 4 temporary beds for the children in a safe place, but along the way, a chill runs down his spine. Why? If this path is safe...

-Dogra and the rest of the Dadan Family regroup and eat, Magra opens the door thinking it was Dadan, she did not expect that the last thing she would see was a man almost three meters tall.

-Dogra is the last, and can only cry while Akainu asks him about the children, Akainu eliminates him, but now his conviction changes, he would not save the children, or at least not all of them, after all, the daughter of a demon cannot exist.

-Makino and Dadan were talking when they saw the explosion, the forest mysteriously erupted that should never have happened.

-Akainu walks between the fire of the trees and the magma under her feet, she would get answers one way or another, and the girl would not be able to hide.

-Luffy is the first to wake up due to the murmuring of the villagers, accidentally stepping on Ace who instinctively moves his hand to hit Luffy but instead hits Sabo, Uta wakes up due to the argument, but when they see through the window, their home in the great distance being burned, they just remain silent until Makino enters "Take your things, we have to go"

-Makino and Dadan go to the only boat in the village, Akainu with his observation haki as he leaves the forest, feels the panic in the movement of the villagers "They are here"

-Luffy forgot something, he felt the night wind in his hair, and without bothering to warn anyone he turned back to the bar and ran to look for the hat. Uta follows him, Makino follows them.

-Fire and magma consume the windmills, the vice admiral's voice is clear: "where is Akagami's daughter?"

-The screams of the villagers can be heard from the port, Sabo can't stand it and goes to look for Luffy "he's our brother, Ace!" and Dadan tries to stop them, fails, but he follows them.

-Wrong direction, Sabo's eyes meet those of the vice admiral, the man's cold eyes contrast with the hell that surrounds him "Where is Akagami's daughter?"

-Dadan hugs Ace so he doesn't see his face, and holds Sabo while he trembles and makes the best lie of his life "to the northwest of the island"

-Akainu turns and leaves, Ace hugs Sabo, who is in pain from a kick from the vice admiral that burned his skin.

-They force Ace to stay with the mayor and Sabo, while he goes in search of Makino and the two remaining children.

-The fire blocks people's way, and makes them take secondary roads in the village, so when Luffy already had his hat, the path they had to use to get to the port was to use the Northwest of the village to go around it.

-The mayor evacuates the people, Ace carries Sabo, hoping that Luffy and Uta are okay.

-The vice admiral notices the girl's two-color hair, he does not doubt it, nor makes a mistake, he advances at a determined pace.

-Dadan runs to the bar, and remembers Garp's greatest advice "if Luffy can't sleep, throw salt water at him, sea water weakens devil fruit users to the extreme, but a little salt water is enough to put the user to sleep without harming him"

-Luffy, Makino and Uta surround the village, and Dadan runs through the place with a bucket of salt water, Luffy or Uta's minds do not remember well what happened, but they remember the sound of the thud.

-The vice admiral attacked, and Makino pushed the children in time, although some magma fell on her shoulder, the blow did not melt her thanks to Dadan's bucket of salt water, which hit the admiral's head hard and also wet his body.

-Dadan yells at the children to run and take Makino, while he throws a knife from the bar at Akainu "Not at my children, you damn dog"

-Luffy and Uta help her walk, and Makino does her best not to fall until they reach the small ship.

-The ship moves away, with two children, a woman dying towards the unknown.

-The news inevitably reaches the rest of the world, Shanks can't believe it, and immediately calls Garp

-Garp does not answer, he just looks stunned at the disaster that is the place where he grew up, Akainu did this, got on his ship and left.

-Ace yells at him, yells at him until he has no breath left "This is what the marines do!?" and Garp doesn't speak, he just listens and lets the words echo in his head.

-Uta and Luffy are hungry, they spend four days at sea, they are not sure if they see things or not, but something bigger than an island was swimming in the distance. Makino stopped breathing on the third day.

-The tides take them away, and on the sixth day, they see an island in the distance and the tide is suddenly calm.

-They land on the island and Luffy hunts, it is difficult for him, he is weak, the animals are bigger, he hits hard, again and again until he succeeds.

-Uta is next to Makino at all times, waiting for her to wake up, she doesn't speak when she touches her chest and doesn't feel her heart, she just cries, and she cries until Luffy comes back. They both cry until the next day.

-Shanks returns to the east blue, and on the shores of Logue Town, he mutilates Akainu

-Dragon arrived with a storm, Shanks with the rough sea, Shanks shouts at Garp, Dragon shouts at Garp, the mountain in ashes trembles in this encounter.

-Shanks doesn't think twice: Ace and Sabo won't stay there, Ace wants to look for Luffy and Uta, Sabo too, Dragon proposes something to cover more ground, but only Sabo agrees to go with him, and he will meet Ace again as soon as possible or even when they hear something about his brother and the annoying singer who is always with him.

-Garp does not stop them, Garp will also look for the children and one more thing: Take Akainu to hell itself, and if that is not possible, to Impel Down.

-Luffy and Uta recover over time, they eat little, but each other's company means they have to be strong. Luffy trains, Uta is not left behind, both do not mature in a certain way no matter how many years go by.

-The clothes no longer fit for both of them in the third year, and they are not going to dig up Makino to loot his clothes. They quickly get used to the improvised loincloths made from their old clothes.

-Uta bleeds one day, Luffy doesn't understand why.

-two years later, Luffy sees Uta walking with something in her arms "Where did you get it from?" She says something that seems simple "I felt a lot of pain one moment and the next it appeared" but there are no other humans on the island "Uta, is that a baby?"

-Ace became stronger, more than he should for someone his age, the search for the East Blue ended in a few months, now he and Shanks (now officially an emperor) were in charge of reviewing the West blue, Sabo and the revolutionaries of the North Blue, and Garp from South Blue.

-Ace heard Shanks' nostalgia about Roger on the way, and it is already routine for him to just stay silent and contain his boiling anger.

-Shanks' subordinate gangs gather at the entrance to the grand line with Shanks, and say that they have not found either of them, not even in the records of the Sabaody slavers.

-Ace does not feel comfortable in these meetings, a captain named Linaria (who did not even reach her 20s and already has a great reputation) occasionally approaches him and encourages him, praising him for his strength and reward, Ace lets her speak, his heart feels warm when he listens to her.

-Sabo is divided, the search and the revolution do not let him rest, the cruelty of the world changes him, makes him strong but takes a part of him.

-Shanks and Ace talk, Shanks tries to be as soft as possible and not break down while saying what he never thought would say "it's possible that they..." Ace doesn't let him finish and hits him, saying that he will swim even in the calm belt or to the territory of the emperors if necessary to find them.

-Shanks freezes and asks out loud "did no one in the fleet check the calm belt?" He asked his crew and subordinates.

-Ace calls Sabo, two years without speaking and Sabo only listens in silence "We only have the calm belt left"

-Luffy hunts, already accustomed to using the spears that Uta learned to make despite the usefulness of his fruit, Uta and he take turns hunting, someone must take care of Maki after all.

-A ship on the horizon approaches, the Night Butterfly Pirates disembark quickly, and its captain can't be lucky when she sees Luffy, Uta, and the little baby. "Call Shanks!" It's her quick reaction when she sees that Luffy doesn't let them get close.

-Shanks and Ace were tied to the mast after almost breaking the Red Force's rudder to fight to steer the ship as fast as possible towards the calm belt.

-Benn calls Dragon and Garp, Dragon takes a few minutes alone to cry with relief, Garp flies his ship over the Calm Belt from the south blue to the grand line immediately.

-Shanks cries, a mixture of sadness, relief and joy when he sees Luffy and Uta, although Luffy when nothing has changed says "I shouldn't see you until I'm the pirate king", the redhead bursts out laughing, but when he sees the little girl Maki almost fainted.

-Ace is no different, he hugs his younger brother and cries until he sees Maki, almost drowning his brother by squeezing Luffy tightly around the neck.

-Uta cries with relief once they are on the ship, and they exchange stories with Ace and Shanks, when the redhead heard that they named the girl Maki, in honor of Makino, he almost needed Benn to take his blood pressure, the children were there from the beginning, in this island completely alone, and somehow their personality didn't change much even with so much pain they both experienced.

-Luffy is surprised when Garp comes onto the deck of Shanks' ship, and he doesn't speak, he just hits him with an attack so precise that it defies physics (his arm curved and he redirected the blow to hit Garp squarely)

-Garp listens to Luffy tell him that if being a marine means doing what that person (Akainu) did, he will never be one. Garp doesn't debate, he has no right to force him into anything when he couldn't protect him, and simply says "I'm glad you're okay."

-back on the Grand Line, Shanks' fleet gathers in the New World, Luffy and Uta sing to Maki at the party.

-Ace tells Luffy that now he is a pirate, but Luffy is not, in fact he is the only one of the brothers not to have a reward, and tries to tell him to live a normal life, but Luffy says that he will be the pirate king , Uta also wants to be a pirate, and he won't change his mind.

-Shanks tries to reason with both of them, but manages to get them both to promise not to start their journey for four years, and Luffy agrees, saying that he wants to return to East Blue and start there.

-Ace tells him that the kingdom of Goa is no longer the same, and the villages around the island no longer exist after what the vice admiral did, that does not change anything for Luffy, he knows how to hunt, Uta too, and they will live with Dadan

-Luffy freezes when Ace tells him that Dadan died that day, and the house no longer exists.

-Shanks says that they will help him build a place and get them things to live there, Ace looks at him and Shanks looks back at him "this is not the time"

-Dragon can't go to East Blue, Sabo can't look Ace or Luffy in the face, so he assigns two apprentices to supervise them both (not really being there for the revolution, but to become strong)

-Shanks' carpenter finishes the cabin quickly, Ace says that he will stay a year to help Luffy and Uta, and Linaria says that she will wait for him at sea.

-Luffy is strong, Uta is the same, and despite having no idea what Haki is, he gives Ace a great fight every week.

-The guardians of the revolutionaries arrive, Zoro and Kuina, who perceive Ace's Haki and immediately join the training "join my crew" says Luffy after seeing each training session of those two with stars in his eyes.

•○•○•○•○•○•○•○●○●○●○

Well, this is the beginning of the AU (and we haven't even gotten to the Alvida arc) I haven't yet touched on how Luffy's other future Nakamas are, and the biggest differences, what do you think?

The main idea is to take the story to a perspective of a Luffy not only surviving, but slightly more alert to the events to come. Who will join his crew? How did Akainu's presence affect the East Blue Nakamas? What happened to Akainu?

I plan to answer it over time, I ask you if you can share and comment to see how much support the AU can receive

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anakinthetrashking · 3 years

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listening to Ocean Soul again and thinking about Ace, bc... well yeah.

and I'm like ok, yeah, the way the WB pirates got Ace to join their crew was decidedly *not great*

although I think you do see a lot of fans who actually kinda vibe with it?

like for one it's faster in fiction with little to no drawbacks bc *it's fiction*,

but I was thinking about how Ace Sabo and Luffy all agreed on finding Freedom on the seas and I think they all look for different types of freedom, ya know?

specifically I'm thinking about the difference between Ace and Sabo, like if the WB pirates tried to do the same to Sabo it just. wouldn't work at ALL. he already escaped from people calling themselves his parents and I think that it would really rub Sabo the wrong way. Sabo loosing his memories, I think as a child that was freedom for him. I think if he knew what he was missing with Ace and Luffy, he would have stopped at nothing to get his memories back, and would have willingly given up that "freedom"

in that way, both Ace AND Sabo were kind of, forcefully given freedom?

and here's where it gets a bit more complicated? I think a lot of people think freedom and it's the idea that you can do whatever you want whenever you want to and either there are no consequences or they're minor or don't matter? and that sort of freedom is completely unreachable. I mean there's consequences to EVERYTHING, some good, some bad, some big, some small. but you can't be so completely independent that suddenly what you do has no effect on anything or anyone else. that's just not how things work.

Sabo, Sabo with his amnesia, is freed from the cage of his family and his life and his name. he's able to use his name (first, but no last name) without being constantly reminded of his family. I like to think the time spent with Ace and Luffy was able to rewrite some of the brain connections of his name and his family.

then, being taken in by revolutionaries gives him the *freedom* to do what I think he would have wanted to do anyway, and that's to make changes in the world and help people on a greater scale. the ASL bros all seem to naturally help people whenever, wherever, and whatever the cost. ALSO, it seems like all three of them seem to make small changes or do small deeds that reverberate outward to make bigger waves if change. (I'm talking, changing one country or one person's situation vs like, the entire world) Ace and Luffy do things just as they come? luffy especially, there's no "I'm doing this bc it's going to make these things change" he's just like, ok this is the block in front of me right now and I'm going to punch it. Ace plans a Little more. that's just how and who they are. it makes sense for Sabo as a character to take that a step further and find freedom in the revolutionary way, which is planning to make these changes and domino effect, etc. he's very big picture.

ok well I meant this to be mostly about Ace but Ace and Sabo really do go together huh.

anyway. Ace, Ace, Ace. he went to sea partially carrying Sabo's dream bc he thought he was dead.... I think, that he partially found his freedom while growing up with Luffy, because while it's sort of implied that he's searching for freedom on the seas specifically, I think for Ace, it's more that he's searching for Acceptance. he keeps going back and forth between running from his parentage, to running right towards it (asking people what they would think if the Pirate King had a kid... oh Ace...) he keeps saying IM NOT, IM NOT, IM NOT! but then asks people about it??? anyhow, Luffy offered him acceptance and unconditional love, and began to sort of loosen the "chains" of his parentage. he can't run from it as much as he tries, because it just is. but Luffy couldn't release him from it because he's just one kid! one snotty little brother!

but Whitebeard... I mean, that's one of the people that Ace thought would hate him the MOST. and for him to say it doesn't matter who Ace's parents are, and to offer unconditional love? and have it be parental love?

I mean the DIFFERENT in how Ace acts before and after joining the Whitebeard pirates? he's so relaxed? he's settled, in a sense? I mean he's certainly not the paradigm of mental health, but he's so balanced! he's still got issues but they aren't plaguing him every second of the day- he isn't worried over people finding out about who he is all the time, bc the people that matter the most know!! and they accept and love him??? acceptance and love are what gave him freedom from what he viewed as a dangerous cage and chains of his parentage, but now are just part of who he is and that's ok?? he's not attacking people and egging them on to hate him for the reasons he gives them before they can find out about his parents?

and yeah he uses a different name, but he also takes on WB's mark? And just ahdksjs parallels between that and the Sun Pirates ahdkwiwk

and he's trying to make someone else king?? like freedom doesn't mean you have to be the top dog??? putting others before yourself can be freedom???

everyone has a different meaning of freedom?????

IM CRYING ABOUT ACE IN THIS CHILI'S TONIGHT

Lyrics from Ocean Soul that give me Ace Feels(tm):

One more night to bear this nightmare

Crying for me was never worth a tear

My lonely soul is only filled with fear

Long hours of loneliness between me and the sea

Losing emotion, finding devotion

As I always wished to be - one with the waves

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marcoacesabo · 6 years

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Oh god I just read your Cinderella story and I'm so in love with it. I hope you will continue it to the happy end for Ace.

The kingdom is in an uproar. People all over town are gossiping about the mysterious stranger that the princes are looking for. Supposedly both wish to ask him for courtship and then later marriage should he choose it, trying to find the man before the other can.

It’s like a treasure hunt, a race to find the prize. Ace pities the poor sap, he truly does. Being thrust into a political war would be stressful for anyone. After all, both men would be kings and both had different countries they needed to rule which made it impossible to simple court someone with real repercussions.

Say like an assassination of the one they wanted to possible war over who got him and anything in between.

Prince Sabo had a home advantage, seeing as the young man that captivated him lived somewhere in his kingdom but Prince Marco was resourceful.

Or so they say, personally, he hadn’t seen much of the manhunt too busy cleaning and being locked at away at home. In fact, the only reason he learns about it is due to his stepmother demanding he goes food shopping about a week after the ball.

As he walks through the village to the marketplace he learns that the kingdom has split into three groups. The first were the ones pretending to be this mysterious man, the second was the ones who believe the man would choose Prince Sabo and the last were the ones that believe he would choose Prince Marco.

Ace hears about it while he’s buying some bread. He doesn’t mean to, as he doesn’t care at all about the princes’ search but the ladies standing in front of the nut bread his stepmother adores speak loudly as they eagerly try to guess who the young man was.

“He danced with them all night. Oh, have you ever seen someone as graceful?” One asks, voice dreamy. Hands clasp around her basket, she swoons.

“I haven’t ever seen someone dance that lovely. I can see why the princes are so head over heels. Did you see him smile at Prince Sabo?” her companion replies. She fans her face while crocking one of her hips- Ace starts to tap his foot impatiently. He can’t waste too much time while shopping otherwise his step-brothers would be insufferable if his late to lay out their clothes.

Though they don’t notice too caught up in their conversation “I’ve never seen a young man look at someone with so much passion”

“Then clearly you did not see Prince Marco’s face. Why the captivation in his expression was almost enough to make me blush!”

“Clearly Prince Sabo had a far better chance then Prince Marco. He’s much younger-”

Ace clears his throat “I’m terribly sorry for interrupting ladies, but I need to get a loaf of breed”

The women turn to look at him, taking time to notice his rags, before scoffing. They raise their chins, acting like birds with ruffled feathers. Ace fought to keep his polite smile at the superior sneers on their faces. For women of the middle class, they sure were acting rather mighty.

“Why do they let you into the village?” One accuses, her mouth twisted down. Ace wants to scowl, wants to yell back, wants to punch her in her self-righteous face, but doing so will only give her more firepower so instead, he silently sidesteps her and gets his bread. He doesn't make sure it’s the good bread, wanting to get away from the situation as fast as he can.

The other woman retreats from him like he is carrying a deadly contagious illness as he reaches for the loaf her face clouded over in hate. He doesn’t pay them attention keeping his stare straight as he places the bread in his basket. He walks away but not before hearing one complain.

“The prince should just get rid of all the street crawlers already.”

It makes Ace’s teeth clench as he tries to wrestle his rage into control. He’s not a street crawlers, he has a home, he has a roof over his head no matter how unpleasant it, but that doesn’t mean anything to people when they see him. His step-mother makes sure of that.

Still, even if he isn’t a street crawler it’s not right. It’s not right that the people who are homeless are being treated like this like they are sub-human and all beacuse of some people believed themselves better.

Ace heard rumors that Prince Sabo plans of getting rid of them, and people rejoice over the fact of making their kingdom clean. It makes him sick to know people think other people as nothing more than trash.

Ace hates the prince for it. He hates that his comments can make others believe they have the right to treat people that look like him this way. Like they don’t matter. Like it’s okay to act as if though they are dirt underneath their feet.

He pays his bread, the vendor making sure to bite all of his coins assuming Ace was using fakes- he hadn’t even checked anyone else's and Ace wants to punch him too- but he’s away from the stand and move on.

It’s fine. He thinks Someday I’ll be far away from here. Someday.

He wanders to the fruit stand, looking for some apples when a large carriage stops in the middle of the road. Its wood is white and the designs are a dazzling gold yellow, obviously from up class. Ace like everyone wonders why it’s there, but he rolls his eyes goes back to his fruit even when people excited crowd around the carriage.

He is counting the coins he needs to pay for them when someone shouts “You! The one with the freckles!”

Confused Ace turns, seeing as he is the only one that spots freckles in the town and comes face to face with an eager man waving at him from the carriage. He is wearing a blue suit, with a purple stash across his shoulder the Whitebeard symbol stitched proudly on it.

This marks him as a royal family member. What on earth could he possibly want from Ace?

“I saw you at the ball! I must speak with you!”

Ace’s face pales. Oh no, someone recognizes him. Someone knew he was at the ball. He just shouted it for the whole town to hear. If his step-mother caught wind of this, what she would do-

He’s running before he can think of better of it. The royal man screams at him to wait but Ace can barely hear him over the sound of his blood roaring in his ears. He turns into a dirt street, dropping some of his food but not caring in the least.

He hears rapid footsteps of people running after him and he knows it’s the knights the royal brought with him. The sound of their clacking armor makes Ace’s heart pound in fear. The world is a blur as he runs as fast as he can, his panicked mind not making sense of the familiar streets, everything just blending together.

Why was this happening? How did that man remember his features?

Luffy swore no one would know. He said the magic would morph peoples memories, made them not be able to remember his face even if they looked at him directly. That’s why he had not been worried about his face being exposed, why a simple change of the last name had been all he needed.

So why now?

“Stop in the name of Prince Thatch!” A man yells at his back, closer than before and Ace nearly screams.

Not good, not good not good. He thinks to turn a sharp corner, hoping to shed some seconds off of his pursuers. Maybe it’s due to this that he crashes into a warm body and they both go down.

Ace hits the floor hard, while people start shouting. There is a bit of dust, making him shut his eyes as his lungs burn from the full sprint he was doing.

There is a soft clack, as his glass boat slips out of his apron pocket- he’s gone to carrying it around for the fear that his stepmother may discover it while he is away in his room.

“Prince Sabo! Are you alright?”

“How dare you, you street crawler! Filth like you should not be anywhere near the Prince-”

“Someone has attacked the Prince! Men defend-”

“Kill the street crawler where he stands-!”

“Silence!” Some shouts, his voice has so much command that even Ace straightens under it. He opens his eyes to gasp at the sight of the man he danced with, the one with the wavy hair holding his boat.

He is staring at Ace in wonder before he breathes “Is that really you, Sir Portgas?”

Just then the knights following him catch up and they start shouting “Please do not attempt to run anymore! We mean you no harm! Prince Thatch only wishes to bring you back to meet his brother Prince Marco. You two danced at the ball he has been searching for you...Sir Portgas?”

The knight's voice dies in confusion as the squad comes to halt before the other royal guards. Ace looks just as helpless as he does. A few seconds of silence is broken by the panting form of Prince Thatch who finally caught up. “Please..come with me..my borther..he wants to meet you..”

“I’m sorry,” Prince Sabo says loudly standing from his crouch to stand protectively in front of him “But Sir Portgas is a little busy right now. Please send my regards to prince Marco. ”

Oh, Ace thinks numbly I’m the poor sap stuck between the princes.

Somehow he can hear a distant but satisfied shi shi shi.

#MarcoAceSabo #Cinderella Ace #Prince Sabo #Prince Marco #Fairy God Brother Luffy #Politics in the kingdoms #Ace is not ready for it #Cinderella with a twist because I can #my-muses-in-op

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