"Who gave you permission to run, you filthy brats?!!" Bluejam sneered. Luffy and Ace gritted their teeth. They tried to escape, but the pirates surrounded them. The fire surrounded them, with the howling wind, which was making the fire lick them painfully. Their best option was to escape Bluejam, right now. But how was the question.
Bluejam was about to ask about the brat's treasure when his eyes caught the flicker of a shiny thing. He squinted his eyes and they landed on the chain smallest the brat wore. His eyes sparkled at the straw hat boy, who was wearing a silver-colored chain with a deep red colored pearl. Bluejam's eyes widened at that.
'How the hell this kid got hold of such a pretty jewel? It should be mine.' Bluejam thought. It was one of the prettiest jewels he had ever seen. After all, he was a pirate, and looting treasure was what he loved, even at the cost of his own life. These jewels cannot belong to East Blue. They can only belong to the Grand line. Who were these kids? He could bet that even the King of Goa, would not have such jewels within his grasp.
"Where do you brats got that precious jewel?" Bluejam licked his lips greedily. It was hanging outside of Luffy's t-shirt, due to running and thrashing.
Ace hated how the pirate's greedy eyes lurked on his brother's treasure. He hated how they were so close to them. The fire was increasing and the assholes cared about treasures in their last moments. He hated it.
"Such extravagant jewel can be found in Grand Line only," Bluejam's eyes darkened at the kids.
"Who are you?" Bluejam uttered the word.
"Captain, isn't he the kid who keeps on asking-" The pirate, who was speaking with fingers pointed at Ace, got a kick to his mouth. Ace can't wait to hear the end of their sentence. No way. The more they knew, the more danger he will bring to his brothers. He can't do that. He is the older brother and he is supposed to protect them.
"Piss off!" Ace shouted. "I will kill you, fuckface!" Ace even forgot that he was spitting slang in each of his sentences before Luffy. He was supposed to be a good brother. A part of him was saying him to mind his words, but another part of him was saying to shut the hell out of the pirates.
Luffy understood the situation they were in. He felt the negativity coming from the pirates. They were insane and had already lost their minds. And they did hurt them so they deserved every inch of their fury. They had helped the Noble to take Sabo from them. They had left many people to burn in the trash heap alive. They have taken away those people's treasures and homes.
Ace launched at Bluejam, kicking, and punching him. Luffy was handling the rest of the pirates, pushing them into the fire to meet their dead ends. But the place gave little to no space for them to fight. He stood behind Ace to protect his back, like Ace was doing with him. They fought together, protecting each other's backs.
Bluejam was sprouting nonsense about wanting the treasure and was trying his best to get near Luffy. But Ace was not about to give up. He would protect his brother even if it means he needs to die. He will protect Sabo and Luffy with his life, if possible. But Bluejam refused to leave him alone. He started babbling about how he will get rich with his brother's treasure and take his revenge on the Nobles. He even told that Sabo was just like them, to which he received growls from Ace.
Luffy bit the hands of the pirate who was capturing him. But got attacked by a sword, breaking his pipe, and creating a nasty wound on his forehead.
"Luffy!!!" Ace shouted.
"I'll kill you!! Die, bastard!" The pirate said as he raised his sword high up in the air.
"Don't you dare touch Luffy!!!" Ace yelled, as he kicked Bluejam aside and ran to Luffy's side. He failed to notice some pirates kissing the ground and some hitting the fire. His eyes were focused only on Luffy. His brother was holding his wound and squirming on the ground, crying in pain. The lightning crackled nearby and the raging of the waves was heard by everyone.
Luffy saw Ace standing beside him, he felt relief wash over him. His brother was strong, he will handle the rest. But he can't give up, he tried to stand up on his feet, taking deep breaths. The rainwater stung his wounds, and they burned, but the wound was closing, albeit very very slowly. He gritted his teeth. Luffy saw Bluejam's greedy eyes lying on Ace. He couldn't forgive these pirates.
"What did you just do, little urchin?" Bluejam tried to kick Ace but miserably failed. He took out his gun from his pocket and pointed it at him. Ace didn't pale, he wasn't afraid of death. But the thought of leaving Luffy all alone in this fire scared him.
Luffy saw how close the gun laid to Ace's head. He couldn't allow anyone to point their gun at his brother. He will erase them from the whole universe if they dared to try it.
"Stop!!" Luffy shouted. Bluejam felt himself losing his balance and that was when an axe clanked with his sword.
"Give it up already, you stinking sea monsters!!" A curly orange-haired woman holding an axe had attacked him. "Get your hands off our Ace!!!"
Luffy struggled to get up to Ace. His one eye closed, due to blood that seeped through his wound. Dogra tried to hold him down and check his injuries, but Luffy wanted his brother. Both of his brothers. Dogra asked about the whereabouts of Sabo, to which Ace replied he was safe while Luffy cried.
A gust of wind made its way to the fire, clearing the fire which surrounded them. Luffy turned from Dogra's grip to look around. He saw the hooded figure, he saw his Dad, standing there above Bluejam. He can feel the fury coming from his Dad. He saw his Dad kick the pirate on the ground. Dragon turned around and winced. He saw Luffy and Ace covered in dirt and wounds. He freaking saw the blood dripping from Luffy's head. His gaze shifted to Dadan, who stopped in her tracks and looked at him with a questioning gaze.
Bluejam hated the fat woman and the hooded figure who stood there in front of him. He felt himself losing his balance but he could care less. All he could think about was the treasure, which was about to his. Dadan and Dragon saw the blood coming from the pirate, they saw how he was wounded but was on his two feet only due to the madness in his eyes. How dare the rascal hurt their boys? That was the only fuming thought in their heads.
Dragon passed Sabo to Ace, who took him in his arms and checked his wounds. Sabo was bleeding. Luffy neared his brothers getting out of Dogra. He was crying but was happy that his brothers were both safe and alive, with him. Sabo wasn't responding and by the looks of him, he looked unconscious. Even Luffy could tell that much.
"I'm Dadan the Bandit! And for better or worse, I happen to be the guardian of these here brats! You cannot touch these brats," Dadan yelled at Bluejam and stood in front of her brats. "Run for it!"
"I won't run," Ace declared, balling his fists. He placed Sabo carefully in the hands of Dogra. His pipe danced on his fingers, listening to his commands. Dragon raised an eyebrow at that. He couldn't let Ace fight here in the fire. But the trait was so similar to Roger. He couldn't help but stand beside Ace. He will watch the kid fight and if anything goes wrong, he will gladly interfere and help him.
"What d'you think you're saying, Ace m' boy?!!" Dadan yelled. All she wanted was for Ace, Sabo, and Luffy to get the hell out of this place. She would never admit that she cared for them, but that be damned, all she wanted was for them to be safe above everything. "You can't face this guy! Bluejam's strength isn't just for show, you know!! He is beyond the level, a kid like you has hope of taking down!!"
"Shut up!" Ace snapped, "They know." Ace didn't want to take a chance. These rascals were trying to connect, and he can't let them do that.
Dadan paled at the word and glanced at Bluejam's greedy eyes. She traced the line of sight, which ended in Luffy's shirt. The chain. Dragon cursed at himself for not foreseeing it. He just wanted to give his son something rare and seems like, it called trouble. Dadan glared at Dragon, who didn't give any reaction at that.
Dadan cannot let Ace be in danger. She cannot afford it.
"I'll finish it. I won't let you go easily, bastard!" Ace growled at Bluejam, his hands turning a shade of grey as he punched Bluejam. Bluejam staggered on his feet and the fire licked him completely. But the madness in Bluejam was there, it seemed never-ending. He came out of the fire, looking like a Zombie. Dragon felt impressed at it. The kid was using haki without knowing.
"Dogra! Magra! Take Luffy and Sabo and run!" Dadan ordered. But Luffy tried his best to squirm out of their grip. Luffy yelled that he won't leave without Ace. He yelled that he trusted Ace to kick Bluejam's ass. Ace felt a confidence bubble within him, giving him a newfound energy. Adrenaline rushed in his body as he prepared for his new attack.
Dadan took a deep breath and looked at Ace, who nodded at her. Ace lifted his pipe high in the air and Dadan her axe, they ran forward with a war cry, the fire didn't touch them, it didn't harm them coz of Dragon, who did his best to keep the fire away from Ace and Dadan. He was carrying Sabo and Luffy in his arms and ready to pick up Ace at the end of the fight. They needed to get out of here. Ace and Dadan attacked Bluejam, who already looked like losing, together. Bluejam got a hit on his head from the pipe and the axe made him bleed in his gut. The fire engulfed Bluejam, not allowing him to escape anymore.
Ace turned back and smirked. Luffy squirmed free of Dragon's arms, who pouted, and ran to Ace to hug him. Ace hugged him back with a smile on his face. He carefully removed the hair strands which were falling on his eyes, tugging them beyond his ears.
"You ok, Lu?" He asked checking the wound, which was just a tiny speck now. Luffy nodded and snuggled closer to Ace's chest saying he was scared. Ace ruffled his hair sightly trying to comfort his brother and for the first time not scolding him for crying and acting like a crybaby.
Dadan and the other bandits were quiet. They haven't ever seen this part of Ace. They were happy to see Ace showing affection. They really were, but they needed to get out of the blazing inferno.
Dragon cleared his throat and without a warning picked up Ace and Luffy. Ace squeaked at it but didn't complain much. He was already injured and tired and hungry. Dragon cleared the path for the bandits and them to reach the hideout.
.
On the other side, people were crying, feeling helpless, they found no way to escape the hellish fire, which was increasing every damn second. They were praying to every God in the universe, with only one thing in mind, which was survival. But what they saw next, surprised them, made them happy, and gave them a glimmer of hope. A path was made. A path where there was no fire. They believed that some kind of explosion just opened up a clear path. People ran to the only safe place they could see and at the end of it was a ship. The path lead straight to the coast. It was a miracle for them.
The nobles didn't know that the fire they had lit, had fueled another fire, whose fruit will be born after some years. The ship which pulled at the coast that night, provided remnants of the Gray Terminal an opportunity to fight the injustice, which had befallen on them. It provided them with a way to fight for their freedom.
"Those who wish to join us in a battle for freedom, board our ship!!" The voice gave the people hope. It gave their hearts a way to fight against those who snatched them away from their homes, and their livelihoods. They cheered and merrily came aboard, joining the Revolutionary Army and fighting together for their cause.