Warning: Major spoilers for those who haven't read up to chapter 574. Depending on if you care or not, you might wanna do that.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. If I did... well certain people wouldn't be dead, and they and others would definitely make more appearances.

This was also beta'd by my dear Rahkshi Sister, who I spoiled 574 for. Oops.

His brother was fire, passionate and hot and forever burning away like his quick temper would suggest. Since they'd first met, Luffy had regarded Ace as a raging fire, of anger, resentment, and outright hatred for anyone that badmouthed his father or wished for the death of the boy they didn't even know existed. His brother was strong and a fighter, and didn't give up if he could help it, and even then he would still be angry about it and hold an immense grudge against whoever had angered him. His brother was fire and didn't back down even when his opponent was stronger or he was picking a fight he knew he couldn't win, just like a fire trying to burn damp wood or a spark trying to burn down a stone mansion. Ace was a determined flame that was invincible and unfaultable to Luffy, his older brother that wouldn't be beaten and who had stood up for him and Sado whenever it counted.

So it was impossible, was unthinkable, that that fire could be put out at all, let alone in the blink of an eye. And to protect him, Luffy, who was there to save Ace. It wouldn't register, he simply couldn't wrap his mind around it. His brother was gone, killed by Admiral Akainu right in front of him, his blood mixing with his own and causing Luffy's heart to skip a few beats as he wrapped his arms around his heavily bleeding brother. After that it just became too hard to think about, too painful, and his chest hurt like his heart was crumbling into a fine dust, never to be put back together.

His brother was fire! You couldn't just put out the flames like that! Fire was immortal, always existing in one way or another and there was no way that Ace was gone!

Luffy didn't think he'd ever stop crying, and his chest hurt all the more when he thought of how he'd ever tell Sado of what had happened to Ace, if he ever reunited with their other brother again.

At that moment, as he stared out over the ocean from port, tears streaming down from seemingly lifeless eyes, he felt more alone than he ever had in his entire life, separated from every family member, every member of his nakama, who'd ever mattered.

The loneliness felt like it was grinding the dust that was left of his heart to nothing, and there would be no rising from the ashes this time, not without his brother.