Written for the tumblr event In Memoriam: Ace

Because it's been ten years since he died in the manga and we're still sad.

Kneeling on the platform, high up enough to overlook the main plaza of Marineford, Ace had to acknowledge his crew was going to have a hard one with this.

Man, the marines really went all out. Ace would be flattered if he wasn't forced to just sit and helplessly wait for them to try and execute him.

These manacles really were uncomfortably tight, he mused as he tried to twist his wrists a little to relieve the ache. Seastone too, which sucked and made him feel annoyingly nauseous.

The back of his neck itched as he saw his executioners-to-be approach.

He would really like a rescue right now. He would even accept the ribbing he'd get for needing a rescue like a damsel in distress without too much fuss. For a few hours anyway, after that he made no promises.

Too bad that was obviously gonna be a tough order, even if the whole fleet showed up.

Fuck, he had really gotten himself in a big spot of trouble, hadn't he?

With the numbers present and the fact that Sengoku and Gramps were both on the platform with him, the marines might just actually succeed at killing him. Ace had no doubt his Pops would make them regret it, but it would suck if he wouldn't be around to see it happen.

Shit.

Ace was still staring with a sullen frown at the whole frickin' army that was standing between him and rescue when he noticed that Sengoku had taken a den den mushi to hand. Huh. Did the old man want to give his people a speech?

Curious, Ace turned his head. He may as well listen to whatever the Marine Fleet Admiral had to say about him.

"Men, I have something crucial to tell you all," Sengoku spoke into the receiver. Ace could hear his words being echoed by other den den mushi all over the island. "Something about the true meaning of Portgas D Ace meeting his end here today!"

Dark, severe eyes met his upturned ones. "Ace, tell me the name of your father."

Ace blinked. "My father is Whitebeard," he replied, somewhat nonplussed. Surely everyone watching this would know that, right? It was not like their crew was ever subtle about what they called Pops. What was Sengoku playing at?

"He is not!" Sengoku said sternly, much to Ace's surprise.

He frowned, a little insulted. "Uh, yes he is," he corrected as contemptuously as possible. "He's the only father I have." Despite the fact that he might die in the next fifteen minutes or so, he smirked up at the Fleet Admiral. "Really, are you sure you're properly prepared for this, if you don't even know that?"

"Lying won't change the truth," Sengoku proclaimed, confusing Ace even further. The marine continued before the pirate could express his displeasure at the old man's contrariness. How dare he ask and then deny the answer. Ace knew better who his father was than any stupid marine.

"Back then, we searched as though our lives depended on it," Sengoku stated darkly. "We searched for the island on which possibly existed a living sin of this earth: the child of that man. Based on nothing but the tiniest of leads from Cipher Pol, we investigated all new-born children, all children who were yet to be born, and all of their mothers, but ultimately found nothing."

Sengoku inhaled deeply. "Or so we thought," he said, voice booming over the plaza. The scorn was clear in his tone. "But out of pure obstinacy, your mother had risked her life to perform a certain trick with regard to your birth. And it was this trick that deceived our eyes."

"In the South Blue, there lies an island by the name of Baterilla. Your mother's name was Portgas D Rouge. She performed a feat that we could never have hoped to imagine. And out of devotion to her child bore you in her womb for a full twenty months. And when the birth finally came, her strength all but spent, she left this world as you entered it. One year and three months from the father's death, a child was born bearing the most accursed blood to be found in this world. That child is you. Do not claim you are not aware! Your father is none other than pirate king Gold Roger!"

A beat of silence, probably for dramatic effect. Ace broke it without remorse. "That's the most bullshit story I've ever heard," he said with deadpan incredulity. "And with a crew like mine that's saying something, old man."

"Are you truly pretending you do not know who your father is? Your attempts to disguise the truth do not fool us! Two years ago you chose to take your mother's name. You had risen with frightening speed and remarkable power to notability as Captain of the Spade Pirates. It was then that we finally realized that Roger's blood still lived on!"

"And I'm calling bullshit!" Ace yelled. "What the fuck are you making up stuff about Roger for?! Aren't my own crimes not good enough for you?! What do you even want, saying crazy stuff like that?!"

"But Whitebeard who came to the same realization just as we did," Sengoku continued, speaking loudly over Ace's shouting. "He chose to take in the son of his old rival onto his own ship, so that he might raise him to be the next pirate king-"

"Are you even hearing yourself talk?! You sound like a batshit conspiracy theorist! If you're gonna lie at least make it believable!"

"You are the only one who does not see his actions for what they were! We were unable to lay a finger on you from that moment forth. You were being protected by Whitebeard himself. And if we were allow you to roam free for long enough you would slowly but surely obtain the necessary calibre to stand at the summit of a new era of piracy. That is why it is absolutely imperative that we take your head here today! Even if that means going to war with Whitebeard himself!"

"You are absolutely bugfuck nuts," Ace spat. "Fucking hell, do they offer basic biology lessons at the marine academy or what?! Well, obviously not-"

"Stop denying the truth! Your denial and pretence of ignorance will not sway our justice!"

"You're the one who's denying the truth, you batshit crazy old man! I'm not Roger's son! He was dead long before I was born, and don't you dare come with that bullshit story about my mom again! Biology doesn't work that way! And I don't even look like him, you demented imbecile!"

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"Ah, it does my heart good to see our firecracker so lively," Vista commented with a grin as they charged up the marine plaza as sneakily as they could. Most of the marines' open-mouthed attention was fixated on the top of the scaffold, where Sengoku's speech had devolved in a petty argument with his own death row prisoner. So much for the professionalism of the marines.

"Ace has to be really getting on Sengoku's nerves if he hasn't even noticed us coming yet," Haruta replied, amazed laughter dancing under the words. "They're arguing like little kids! Remind me to get records of this later, because there is no way I'm gonna let either of them live this down!"

"Would serve the asshole right, making up a crazy story like that," Blenheim grunted in agreement. "Ace is right to yell at him."

"Less talking more making the most of our opportunity," Izou scolded. "Their distraction won't last forever!"

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Garp carefully avoided looking at either of the bickering pair next to him.

Maybe I should have told Ace who his other parent is, he mused, munching on a cracker as he tracked the small party of Whitebeard commanders as they advanced across the island and sabotaged a whole lot of stuff on the way. It would have made this farce a little more dignified. On the other hand, this was quite entertaining, and who was he kidding, he had never cared about dignity anyway.

Careful not to draw Sengoku's attention, he turned his back on the two. Because honestly, he really did want his silly brat of a grandson to live, so he would stand aside like Sengoku had ordered but no more than that. Instead he laughed and laughed and laughed till his stomach ached.

Behind him, the shouting rose in volume.

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If Ace hadn't been bound with seastone, his rage would have manifested as a massive warning flare with how pissed off he was getting. Not only did these assholes want to execute him, they couldn't even get their facts right when they did!

"Fuck you!" Ace yelled, rolling and delivering a hard kick to the infuriating old marine's shins. It was in no way a graceful roll, but the way the Fleet Commander staggered and swore under his breath was very rewarding. Ha, and people had thought him kicking over trees for practice was silly! He bet most couldn't make the old marine swear like that even with haki!

The fact that he himself was left flailing on the ground like a stranded fish didn't matter to Ace at this point. Instead he aimed another kick at the marine's face while it was still in range. It didn't hit but instead the silly slipper they'd given him flew off and hit the crazy marine's forehead with a satisfying thwack! which was almost just as good. "Fuck you and every goddamn marine here! I'm not getting executed unless it's for my own crimes!" Ace declared with bold defiance, and Sengoku boggled because no prisoner had ever dared say something like that before. Especially not once they were up here. "Quit dragging the old Pirate King into this you senile old coot, he's got nothing to do with me!"

Sengoku's expression was downright thunderous. "You have no choice! Submit to your fate at let us remove your cursed blood from this world!"

"Like hell I will! Just try it, you demented old lunatic!"

At that point, they were interrupted by the awkward sound of someone clearing their throat while suppressing their amusement. Ace and Sengoku looked up just in time for Sengoku to catch a clawed foot to the face and go flying off the scaffold. Gramps was nowhere in sight.

"Good job distracting them, yoi," Marco said with a smile, twirling a key around his finger. "Ready to get out of here?"

Ace grinned up at him, wide and wild and probably looking faintly ridiculous to the Phoenix looming over him, beat up as he was with his arms still shackled behind his back and a shoe missing. "Hell yeah!"

Let's be honest, Sengoku's speech had to sound so, so ridiculous to any uninformed listener and I bet the only reason why people believed it at all is because of the way Ace reacted. Well, and the Marine Uniform of Truth and Authority™ of course. :)

I'll leave it up to you to decide whether Ace survives in this ¯\_(ツ)_/¯