Chapter 9: The Straw Hat of Promises [2]
Ace smirked, dark amusement settling upon his features. These thugs were a complete joke. He couldn't even call them a warm-up anymore. "Well, come on, losers," he taunted, beckoning the adults in front of him with his finger.
The men snarled but didn't dare to make any moves against Ace which only amused him further.
It seemed that the Grey Terminal thugs finally learned not to underestimate the two raven-haired teenagers who had popped up out of nowhere a couple of months ago. These guys were new residents in the Grey Terminal, and, because the old populace had either died in the fire or escaped and never returned, they never had a chance to hear about the original three demon brothers.
Ace wasn't a frequent visitor during the years after the fire. Even if he came here, he didn't bother anyone, mostly wandering around and searching for clues. When his little brother came back, there was no reason for him to come here at all, especially with Luffy's obvious reluctance to approach the Goa Kingdom.
At first, Ace couldn't fathom why, but then it clicked—his little brother had been taken in that place. The fact that he found the straw hat in the trash thrown out of the city and some slip-ups from Luffy confirmed this theory.
After almost a year since his return, Luffy finally felt comfortable enough to visit the Grey Terminal without freezing in fear the moment Goa Kingdom's wall came into view. And so two brothers wreaked havoc on the outskirts of that place regularly from then on. The thugs were less than thrilled when they became punching bags for two bored kids.
Ace cracked his knuckles, grinning wide and sharp and more than slightly unsettling, and took a single step forward. To match this, the thugs took one step back before turning around and fleeing.
Ace cackled. "Did you see that, Luffy?" he asked, observing the runaways with a cocky smirk. "They ran like–"
A scream in pain behind interrupted his boasting. Ace immediately spun around, ready to rip anyone into shreds if they touched even a single strand of hair on his little brother's—
A man was lying on the ground, his leg bent at an unnatural angle, a bloody bone sticking out. Luffy straightened up, twisting his metal Bo staff around his back and into his other hand as he stepped closer to the downed thug.
With a sneer, the man lifted a pistol and aimed at Luffy.
Ace's breathing hitched.
A shot rang out.
Luffy jerked his head slightly to the side, letting the bullet graze only the tip of his hair. He spun his staff and plunged its end straight into the thug's chest.
Blood splattered. The man clutched at the place where the staff pierced his chest, blood seeping between his fingers. After a moment, he made a gurgling sound, his arms fell limply to his sides, and light left his eyes. Luffy yanked his staff out, quickly moving away to avoid blood spurting on him.
And he did all that with a composed, detached face, cold and remorseless eyes, and with no hesitation in his smooth movements.
Ace's blood ran cold as his brain processed what he had seen.
His little brother killed a man.
Luffy blinked when he noticed the other teen staring. "What's wrong?" he asked, clearly confused by Ace's reaction.
Ace's heart shuddered. Maybe this wasn't even Luffy's first kill, signs sure pointed at it.
Angry shouts came from behind and Ace turned instinctively to look. The guys who ran away previously were returning with their friends in tow. He tsked, grabbed Luffy by his hand, and led him back to the forest, acutely aware that he didn't respond to his brother yet.
Luffy followed without complaint. Ace could feel his eyes drilling into the back of his head.
"Is this about that guy?"
Ace stopped walking. All he could think about was the image of the dead man and Luffy standing next to him with a completely empty face and dead eyes. He wasn't naïve. He knew that becoming a pirate meant that sometimes they would need to kill, but this picture was wrong on so many levels.
"Luffy," Ace turned around, meeting Luffy's wary gaze, "you killed a human."
His little brother was way too young to know what it meant to kill another human. Should have been too young.
"He had a gun, Ace, and aimed it at you first. I had to stop him," Luffy said. Cautiously, but not less unremorseful.
"I'm not angry, I'm worried." Ace put his hands on the younger boy's shoulder and tried to ignore the flinch from the touch. Luffy didn't move away and so he didn't let go. No matter how much he didn't want to know, he had to ask. "Luffy, did you… Did you, perhaps, have to kill someone before?"
The silence that followed screamed louder than any voice could.
"Luffy…" Ace's throat constricted.
Luffy shifted, looked down. "They made me do things…"
"Come on, my little pet, you know what to do."
The voice sounded so soft, it was cloying and terrifying. A hand petting his hair felt wrong and he wanted it gone.
"Kill it. Or die."
Luffy flinched when nails dug into his scalp, just for a brief moment, before the hand continued to gently stroke his head again.
"You don't want to die, do you? If you die, you'll die as my pet. You'll never be free. You'll never see your family again."
Luffy wanted to live. He wanted to see his brothers again. But his hands kept shaking and he couldn't muster enough strength in them.
"Do you want to be my pet forever? Of course, you don't. You were quite vocal about it before your lessons on manners."
The kid he was pinning down to the floor stared at him with those empty, dead eyes. He didn't even fight when Luffy wrapped his fingers around his neck.
"Come on, little pet. You can do it. I believe in you and you want me to keep believing in you, right?"
The hand kept petting him and that sweet voice kept urging him. Tears smeared the kid's face and as Luffy blinked more dropped down.
"Kill it, little pet. Who knows, I might let you go one day if I'll be satisfied with your performance. Think about your family. They must be missing you."
Luffy clenched his teeth. If… If he could be free one day, go home, and see Ace and Sabo again… He wanted it. He wanted to be free. He had to do anything to survive to that day.
"That's it, pet. That's how you do it."
Luffy blinked the last tears from his eyes and tightened his grasp on the other boy's throat.
"Good boy."
Luffy couldn't stop the sneer from twisting his features at the memory. He already swore to live his life to the fullest in the stead of those he killed and eventually achieve his dream. It was his way to honor them, even if he couldn't remember everyone anymore.
The first one, however, haunted him every time he closed his eyes.
Ace was still staring. The mix of overwhelming sadness, fury, and guilt numbed Luffy's senses. Some of it still seeped through his skin and curled inside him, making his chest feel hollow.
"Is it bad to kill someone if you want to survive?" he asked in a voice barely above the whisper. "Or to protect a person you care about?"
"No." The word seemed to be punched out of Ace. Luffy didn't protest when his brother pulled him for a hug. "I'd do the same. You're more important to me than anything else, even my own life."
Luffy pushed away slightly from Ace, just enough that he could glare at him. "Don't talk like that! You can't die, Ace. You've got to promise me," he insisted. He already lost one brother, he wasn't sure he would be able to keep going if he lost Ace too. "Promise me that you will never die."
Ace gently smacked Luffy's head. "Idiot," he scolded, but it was soft and affectionate. "How could I leave my little brother all on his own? Remember this, Luffy: I'm not going to die!" He pinned Luffy with a stern gaze. "You should worry about yourself. I'm stronger than you, after all."
"You're not!" the boy shot back immediately.
Ace's expression soured and Luffy couldn't help but smirk. He went through hell, but at least he could kick Ace's ass now.
The teen huffed in indignation. "Says the cheater with the Devil Fruit and his mystery power," he grumbled. "While I," he emphasized as he dramatically pointed at himself, "am only a normal person."
"Uh-huh." Luffy rolled his eyes. "Says the loser."
"You little shit!" Ace growled, trying to sound angry, but there was a smile on his face that he failed to keep out of his tone. He pulled his brother in for a daily dose of hair ruffles.
Luffy laughed, fighting to free himself, but not putting much effort to make it happen.
Ace let him go after a thorough treatment. "Come, let's get something to eat," he said. "And we can spar some more after that."
Luffy grinned with contentment. "Sure!"