The storm raged with ferocity, tearing through the night as waves crashed violently against the jagged cliffs of a small, desolate island. In the midst of nature's chaos, within a humble cottage perched precariously on the edge of a cliff, a woman lay in labor. Her face was twisted with pain, her breath coming in short, desperate gasps. She gripped the bedposts with trembling hands, her body wracked with the relentless agony of childbirth.
Portgas D. Rouge, the mother of a child destined to carry the greatest legacy the world had ever known, fought against the unforgiving tides of fate. Her body trembled not just from the physical torment of labor, but from the immense weight of what her son would inherit—the bloodline of the legendary pirate, Gol D. Roger. As the contractions intensified, she squeezed the side of her bed and whispered, her voice hoarse with desperation, "Please, let him live. Please."
Outside, the storm intensified, the night stretching endlessly, but inside, Rouge's eyes burned with an unyielding will. Her son—the son of the Pirate King—would survive, no matter the odds.
With one final, agonized scream, the world changed forever. Ace was born.
Her heart soared with love and relief, but quickly, it faltered. Rouge's strength began to wane, the toll of her battle with life too great to bear. Her breath slowed as she felt her life force slipping away. But there was one last task to complete.
The soft, fragile cry of her newborn son filled the room. Rouge managed a faint smile, her tears mingling with sweat as she gazed lovingly at Ace. "Live, my son... live freely..." she whispered.
And then, the door creaked open.
Monkey D. Garp entered, his face tight with emotion. "Rouge... I'm here," he said, his voice cracking as he stood at the threshold. He couldn't bear to look directly at her, knowing the sacrifice she had made. She had given everything for this moment, for the boy in his arms.
With a final, feeble smile, Rouge's vision blurred. "Promise me... you'll raise him... Garp. He... he must live," she urged.
Garp stepped forward, his hands shaking as he gently took the child from her arms. His voice was a solemn vow. "I swear, Rouge. I'll raise him as my own."
But it was too late. As Garp looked down at the baby in his arms, Rouge exhaled one last breath, her life extinguished in the storm's fury.
---
Ace's consciousness drifted, fragmented and untethered, lost in an endless sea of memories—memories of the past and memories of lives long forgotten. They collided in a chaotic whirl, leaving him disoriented. **Traveled through time?** he wondered, unable to make sense of it all.
He could see everything, but he couldn't touch. His presence was not truly alive, yet not completely gone. He was adrift, a ghost, unable to alter the course of events. The weight of his death haunted him, his soul echoing with the agony of his final moments at Marineford.
For years, Ace had wandered, unable to interact, merely an observer of the world that moved on without him. It was a painful existence, one that gnawed at him, especially today.
From the shadows, Ace watched his brother, Monkey D. Luffy, rush into battle. His fiery spirit was undeniable, his resolve as strong as ever. Luffy laughed, his friends unwavering in their faith, their joy palpable despite the danger that loomed.
But Ace... Ace felt the crushing weight of the past. He saw the cruel fate that had led him to Marineford, rushing to save Luffy, shouting those final words: *"I'm glad I was born! I'm glad I met you all!"*
Yet now, those words seemed hollow. His death, his sacrifice... it all felt like a waste. *What was the point?* Ace thought bitterly. *I died for nothing.*
The scene unfolded before him like a cruel film. He saw himself, charging forward, only to fall to the spear. His life ended in a moment of reckless love, and yet, now all he felt was the sting of regret.
*"I was an idiot,"* he whispered, his voice barely audible in the emptiness. *"I could have lived. I could have... done something different."*
The world stretched before him—pirates, Marines, allies, enemies—all of it seemed so insignificant now. He was powerless to change anything, to make amends. *If only I had made different choices...* he thought. *If only I had lived.*
Luffy's face swam before him, his younger brother's determination as bright as ever. Ace's heart ached as he watched him sail on, unburdened by the past. Luffy would never understand. He would never know what it felt like to be caught in the shadow of another's legacy, to die before his time.
But despite the darkness that clouded his heart, there was still a flicker of hope. **Could it still change?**
Ace had seen it all—the rise and fall of empires, the victories of the Straw Hat Pirates, and the eventual discovery of the One Piece. He had watched the world unfold, yet his death remained an unalterable part of its story. **Could he change his fate?**
The thought stirred something deep within him. *Perhaps I can't return, but maybe… maybe I can stop this from happening to someone else.*
And so, a new resolve began to take root. Ace might not be able to relive his life, but there was one thing he could still do—**he would not let this be the end of his story.**
*"Not yet,"* Ace thought, his voice stronger now, as the world around him began to shift. **Something was about to change.**
---
Unfamiliar memories began to flood his mind again—fragments of lives past, moments that didn't belong to him but felt somehow familiar. Each memory twisted and intermingled, leaving him lost, and yet... more connected to the world than ever before. Could this be his second chance? Could it be that time, in all its complexity, had offered him another path?
In the chaos of these shifting memories, Ace's resolve solidified. He would find a way, one way or another. He wouldn't just watch anymore. He would make a difference. And maybe, just maybe, he could change the course of fate itself.