The Return Of Joyboy!

Ace introduced his brothers to his crew. The Spades were left gaping like a fish, trying to find the right words to speak, but none were getting any.

"Crew, meet my brothers," Ace spoke and pointed at his brothers. Then, he went on to introduce everyone one by one.

Cyra pouted at that. "You never spoke about us to your crew?" Ace grinned.

"They didn't ask!" Ace blamed his crew members.

"Come on, Ace!" Cyane shook his head, "You could get a good excuse than this." Ace shamelessly grinned at that.

From the corner of his eyes, Sabo could see the division commanders surrounding them. All looking at them with curious gazes. He could see Luffy smiling at them and the commanders trying to approach them. Sabo didn't like attention but he guessed it couldn't be helped.

"How did you find us?" The first question landed on their plate to answer. Sabo sighed and from the corner of his eyes, he can already see Ace glaring at the commanders, for indulging in their conversation.

"Shanks told us that Ace was on Moby Dick," Cyane replied with a nonchalant shrug. At least a part of his answer is correct. The commanders felt that they won't get any more answers from the teen so the next question was presented.

"How do you know shanks?" It was Izo, the 16th Division commander who asked. He could see Luffy beaming up to answer, to which he gave Luffy a go-ahead signal.

"Shanks is my friend!" Cyra chirped, bouncing on his place, and was about to climb the mast when Ace caught him quickly. He knew what Luffy would do. Being a Monkey, he would try to dangle upside down from it, leading his hood to fall down. Luffy frowned at first but then he realized the mistake he was about to make, so he pouted innocently.

"How did you get here so fast? Why didn't we spot you?" It was Speed Jiru who asked. Before Sabo could speak, Cyra spoke up, "Mom!"

Ace and Sabo shared a look. Ace took Luffy and hugged him and whispered or bribed him with meat and Sabo answered the raised eyebrows of the commanders. "Cyra's Mom helped us with her submarine."

"If you are here, then where is Cole?" It was Thatch who asked, making Luffy and Sabo stifle a peal of laughter. Ace was feeling himself getting red. Whether it was from anger or embarrassment they didn't know.

"It's none of your business," Cyane spoke changing from a laughing teen to a teen with ice dripping from his voice. The pirates surrounding them shivered at the plain display of coldness.

"How do you know Ace?" Another commander asked, which was Haruta. He would have enough guts to speak after the icy voice, that Cyane was giving.

Sabo gave a tight smile, which was the only thing visible from the cloak hiding his face and eyes perfectly. "I sincerely warn you not to ask anything which we don't want to answer." The commanders were frozen and even Ace's crew, Spades, were a bit terrified. But Sabo doesn't care.

Sabo could shout out of his lungs that Ace is their brother and he would forever be there for him, but the commanders didn't need to know. They didn't need to make their head gears turn at the very revelation that Ace is their brother. He couldn't let this questioning go on and it really feels frustrating. He checked the horizon and could feel an Island nearing.

Cyane felt Ace looking at him and he himself was feeling weary with the commanders getting into their personal space. Sabo nodded once at Ace, who turned to Deuce and muttered something quietly.

Sabo looked at Luffy and pointed at the Island. Years of staying together had led them to understand each other in a way that no one can. He can easily tell how Luffy's slow nod before had meant potential danger, how Ace's uneasiness and lack of complete anger while being surrounded by enemy pirates meant something more than what Ace is showing. How the brothers huddled together meant a lack of a safe place in the unknown territory they were standing.

Cyra recoiled back to the mast, stretching his limbs enough to catch Ace and Cyane and reach the Island a bit faster. They rocketed to the nearby Island in a serious mood, which was so unlike Luffy. Whenever they would be rocketed by their little brother, there would be sounds of laughter following them, but the lack of it only gave them an edge over the inner musings that they were about to encounter.

Landing on their legs, with minimal damage was a blessing for them with Luffy's reckless moves. But it would have to do if they want to be away from a manipulative pirate captain. The Island was a bit too similar to the forests of Dawn Island, with its large animals. The Island was mostly covered in forest with no signs of human life, which would be good for restocking food for the Whitebeards, meaning it would give them time to settle whatever damage had already happened.

The walk to the edge of the forest was quiet but comfortable.

At the end of the shoreline, Luffy spoke, "Let's race till we see any food!"

And with that they were off, running with the winds and the mountain tracks, which they had literally grown into. The excited energy burnt within them, as they hunted animals and feasted on them. With Ace getting his fill after who knows how long, they were down for discussion. They have already discarded their capes and thrown them in his bag pack, which he has been needing to keep 'cause with Luffy troubles always came, which means medicines. Though, Sabo would not have any other way.

"What do you feel about the Whitebeards?" Sabo enquired Ace carefully, who was scowling and trying to find his own answers. If Ace would be being himself, then there was no doubt that the moment he would question regarding the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace would have been spitting curses at the old man. Yep, the damage is done. Sabo thought rubbing his temples.

"...I don't know." Ace was looking at the ground all the while and Sabo would give Luffy a point at keeping quiet and paying attention for once. "I only wanted to gauge my strength. I-I want to.. surpass my Dad." Ace looked at Sabo with eyes filled with determination, which was crumbling ever slowly. Sabo could always read Ace like an open book and he is really thankful for that. "That's the only reason I wanted to fight with Whitebeard."

"Did you get a fair fight?" Luffy's face was expressionless. His straw hat titling in just the right angle, making the ever-cherry boy look serious to the degree that no one thought he was capable.

Ace shook his head and scowled. "I had only fought with Jimbei for a day or two without a break, and right when my fight was over, the Whitebeard Pirates were standing before me, ready to accept my challenge." Ace bit his lips, glaring at the ground. "I was tired and injured but I wanted to fight..."

"And you lost." Sabo finished it. Ace nodded at that. Ace had lost in an unfair fight. He was tired, exhausted, and probably hungry if he fought Jimbei for a day or two. And that's truly cheap coming from Whitebeard.

"Do you want to be his son, Ace?" Sabo asked his next question. He needed to be slow with Ace, or his firecracker of the brother will burst off in anger and he won't get any answer. "Do you want to be in his crew?"

There was some hesitation before Ace shook his head. The hesitation was a clear answer, to what Sabo had been looking for from Ace.

"Do you want to be free and sail without anyone telling you what to do or not?" Sabo played with his words carefully. He needs to break Ace out of his trance before it's too late.

"I want to be free. I want to make a name for myself." The fire in Ace's eyes was back, though a bit dimmer.

Sabo turned to Luffy and Luffy nodded. Luffy could use his conqueror's haki in many ways which many can't. Luffy let out a burst of King's haki on Ace, who was looking completely confused, but it was required. Ace was out like a candle the next moment.

"I was right then, huh?" Sabo asked Luffy.

"Yep, the Old White Banana Moustache man had been using Conqueror's haki on Ace to make him join his crew," Luffy stated and Sabo felt a burning anger course through him. They sat there in silence, as much silence on the part of Luffy, who started playing with the beetles which were coming towards him.

Ace woke after five minutes and was glaring at him and Luffy. "Why did you do that, asshole?" Ace specially told to Sabo, as he was the one to tell Luffy to do what he did. Ace knew he was in for a worst headache due to it.

Sabo rubbed his temples. "Now, now, wait for a second." Sabo caught Ace's fists and saw Luffy not paying attention to their conversation, which was frankly expected. "How do you feel about joining the Whitebeard Pirates right now?"

Ace scowled at him. "Why will I join that crazy bastard's crew?" Sabo grinned and saw the gears of Ace's ant-sized brain- which Sabo really claimed to be not present there- turn slowly and realization struck him hard.

"Conqueror's haki. The Will Of The King." Sabo looked at Ace, who uttered the words with horror-filled eyes. Sabo gave a sharp nod to him.

"You know it right, what I and Luffy were meaning to say now?" Luffy was also looking at him with a serious understanding- as much it can for him- leaving the small group of beetles he had managed to gather in his shirt.

"Bloody hell! That bastard, asshole! Motherfucker!" The colorful swear words from Ace continued on, making Sabo cover Luffy's ear. The little shit was giggling. Seriously, Ace can even make a sailor blush with his vast colorful vocabulary.

"That Asshole was forcing me into submission, while I was starving, hungry, and wounded." Ace gritted his teeth. Ace cradled his hands on his temples, with a fierce ache raging in it. They all have learned and experienced the effects of Conqueror's Haki from the best people. The King's haki can make people do what the Conqueror orders and that was a lesson that was engrained deep within them since they were twelve. How could he not feel that?

"You were challenging Whitebeard for a one-on-one Captain's match to gauge your strength and he set Jimbei on you and used that to ambush you when you were tired," Sabo stated his point. "How did the Whitebeard know when to come? They could have waited for you to recover, to heal, to eat, if they wanted to give you a fair fight. But no! They refused it."

"They are pirates. I know, they can use dirty tricks but using King's haki to force me into submission? I won't forgive that." Ace clenched his jaws and looked in the direction in which Moby Dick was. Ace was pissed. No, he was beyond pissed. He had just fucking spent one and a half fucking days fighting Jinbei and had won, and then the Whitebeard Pirates had the fucking audacity to dock right on the beach Ace was fighting.

Ace was lost for words. The first days on the crew were not at all exciting. The Whitebeards showed their true colors by kidnapping him, and then beating up his crew. Then, the worst of all using King's haki to make his Will crumble slowly. Denying him to even leave the ship, even when he clearly told them that he doesn't want to join them. All he wanted to be is free and make a name for himself. He can't let Whitebeard take his freedom away from him. He won't let the bastard win. The old and canny enough pirate must have been hitting him with his Will since the moment he had asked him to be his 'son'.

A part of Ace wanted to blame himself for being weak. But he shoved that part in the promise of getting more stronger. He won't let it happen ever again.

Shanks had told that Whitebeard was a good pirate, who followed pirate rules. But where did those fucking rules go when they attacked him? Beat his crew? Kept them separated until his brothers came aboard. He is not a feral animal to be trapped in someone's chains or be branded by another's name and claimed as theirs. Even when he was a revolutionary, he was given the freedom to do whatever he wanted. Dad never minded it. He just warned them when they took hard missions. He permitted them to sail as one, to enjoy the freedom the sea gave them. Yeah, he had someone from whom he was required to take permission, but that someone never branded him or forced him to do things.

Dragon merrily gave him a hand when he was in need. When he could have lost Sabo and maybe Luffy. He gave him a way to be stronger. To fight against the world. He had not raised any eyebrows at his dreams, hadn't been upset or thrown him off due to his rude behavior and hell he showed him the truth about his biological Dad, whom he would have hated forever otherwise. He had helped him see the truth and not question his existence to the limit he used to do.

He doesn't want another person to call Dad. He already has Roger and Dragon and they give them a good amount of freedom and love.

He won't be branded as anybody's slave. He will be free and not under anyone. That's what they all have sworn since they were kids. He will defeat the Yonko one day if not this day. He will become strong enough to do that. He swears.

Portgas D. Ace was not a hostage for his crew to follow and join the Whitebeards. Not some sort of wild animal forced into being a tame pet. He was free and will be until he fucking dies. And while he wouldn't for sure want to become King of the Pirates, he'll still fight Luffy because that was what Luffy expected. Ace still planned on becoming strong.

Maybe he would become an Emperor of The Sea if not Pirate King. But he would not be a part of someone else's crew. That he was bloody hell sure.