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Part 11 of Ideas of March 2018 , Part 1 of Wildfire Riot: Tall Tales and Spin Offs
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Serial (Time) Killers, Fix it by time travel, Don’t Forget These Fics, One Piece Fanfics, From Ghibli to Star Wars, Library, cauldronrings favs ( •̀ ω •́ )✧
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Published:
2018-08-26
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2018-09-23
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4,551
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2/2
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Wildfire Hearts

Summary:

Only from fire can fire be made.

Many times in his life, Portgas D. Ace has watched his world burn. This time he has the chance to build something new, something better, from the ashes of his past failures.

Flung from the searing heat of Akainu's deathblow to the raging inferno that had stolen Sabo's life, Ace is determined to change his past. Even if it means raising his younger self to be proud of his lineage, Ace will never let Luffy suffer through Marineford again.

Portgas D. Ace stages a riot against the future, and the wildfire he sets will consume the world.

Chapter 1: Fire Burns

Summary:

Fire burns, causing a change of state in all it touches. Portgas D Ace dies, and he burns.

Grey Terminal burns, and Portgas D Riot walks out of the flames.

Notes:

You know, for some reason I keep thinking this should be a trashy discount aisle romance novel.

... I think it's the title. The title kinda says 'unrepentant purple prose' to me. Hm.

Yes, I like it. Best title idea ever. Good job me. ♥

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

=/=

Fire burns. Fire is stubborn about clinging to life, lurking in sparks and embers until a touch of wind sends it blazing up again. There is fire in the earth, warming the roots of the trees. There is fire under the waves, escaping in bubbles of steam. There is fire in the sky, in the sun’s rays and the lightning carried by the clouds.

There is fire in a human heart.

The body of Portgas D Ace burned. Not on a pyre or a funeral barge, but on the deck beside the body of his chosen father. On his knees by their bodies, Marco doubled over with the force of his sobs. With every breath the Phoenix cursed Akainu and the Marines. With every wretched gasp Marco understood to the depths of his soul the hatred and rage that drove some Morganeers to inhuman malice.

Marco’s brother would never have a proper sendoff. All that was left of Ace, by the time they got to the island where fallen Whitebeard Pirates were laid to rest, was his hat and his knife. They only had even that much because Ace had been stripped of his personal belongings before the execution.

So Marco wept, and Ace burned.

/.../

Grey Terminal burned.

Ace woke up with a roar, voiceless and agonized. Explosions drove the flames higher as caches of black powder and oil were consumed by the blaze that covered the shantytown.

Another scream answered him, high and thin and desperate. The air rippled, discoloured by pressure as that scream drilled rage and denial into every mind within hearing distance. The flames hung frozen as the world paused, bowing down to the Will of a Conqueror.

Ace was the fire consuming the dump where he had grown up, still reeling from the blow that had killed him. Ace was a child desperately fighting to keep his little brother alive as an adult man who was so much older and stronger was determined to kill them.

This nightmare again. The reason why Ace had worked so hard to master the power of his fire. The day he had lost Sabo, the day he had almost lost Luffy. This nightmare that would never let Ace go. The only reason Luffy had lived back then was because Dadan...

... Where was Dadan?

The fire swirled in confusion, drawing back from the paths the people of Grey Terminal were using to try and escape. The guards waiting outside the fire to kill the fleeing ‘vermin’ raised their guns as the first figures escaped from the flames. Those guns exploded in their hands as the fire lashed out, daggers of flame cutting through the barrels and searing into the flesh of their palms.

Strangers in cloaks stepped up and started leading the escaping people away. Ace’s attention flickered over a tall man with facial tattoos who seemed to be in charge of the evacuation. Familiar not familiar who was he?

Not important. Where was Dadan?

There was fire in the trees, in the forest on the Mountains. A blaze set by more of the hired soldiers from High Town as they tried to burn out the Bandit nest. Dadan was up there with her men, frantic and fighting with a savagery Ace had only seen once before. Machete in one hand, wood axe in another, Curly Dadan killed a man with every swing. My boys where are my boys they’re supposed to be home soon no I won’t let you where are my boys I won’t let you touch them won’t let you take them no no no ACE! LUFFY!

No. Wait… that was... that was wrong! The bandit camp was safe! Dadan was supposed to be here, in Grey Terminal! Ace needed Dadan’s help to save Luffy!

Don’t touch my brother! LUFFY!

Reeling in confusion, Ace screamed, chest burning with pain and rage and heartbreak. Sabo had died in this fire. Ace refused to let it take Luffy too!

When Ace was a skinny, malnourished, touch-starved ten year old, Bluejam had been a terrible monster. As an adult with three years on the Grand Line under his belt, Bluejam was nothing.

“KEEP YOUR FLITHY HANDS OFF!” The other pirate’s face caved in with a wet crack as Ace re-formed out of the flames. Ace staggered, blood dripping from the hole in his gut and sizzling as it hit the heated stone under his feet. Bluejam went all the way down with the first blow, and Ace stomped down hard on Bluejam’s neck to make sure he would stay down. “Don’t ever, touch my little brother.”

Chest heaving, Ace spat to the side, ignoring the way the spittle was mostly blood and sparks. He was pulling on the fire around him, drawing it into himself at the same pace he might eat after starving for a while. It was all backwards. Ace had made flames from his body before, but he had never turned it around to make new parts for his body out of normal fire. Still, he kept doing it, because it was saving his life. The organs and bone destroyed by Akainu’s blow were being repaired, flesh and blood filling in faster than he was loosing them. Give it another five minutes and Ace would be able to live without needing a fire the size of an entire city as makeshift life support. Another ten minutes and Ace would be entirely healed.

“... brother?” The tiny voice behind him was rough from screaming and inhaling too much smoke. Ace spun, and stared into grey eyes that were far too familiar for comfort. Too old for the young face they were part of, tired and worn down after a too-short lifetime of being told that they were a monster deserving of nothing but death and torment. Skinny arms, scraped raw and covered in burns, winched tight around their little brother’s too-limp body.

There was blood on Luffy’s face.

Breath hitching in his too-tight throat, eyes burning with tears, Ace swallowed hard and carefully knelt down by the past versions of himself and his precious baby brother. “Hey. You’re Ace, right?”

“Who are you?” The smaller Ace growled, pulling Luffy closer and shoving back with his heels to try and put more space between them. “You came out of the fire! Why do you look like me? Who are you?”

“Hey... little brother, it’s okay.” The choice was an easy one to make. There was no telling how this had happened, but Ace was not going to waste his second chance. Three years of bullshitting his way through Marine Bases for shits and giggles came in handy now as he came up with a tragic back-story for his new lease on life. “The name’s Portgas D Riot. And I’m your big brother.”

“... what?” The boy looked shocked, but his grip on Luffy never loosened. “Why are you here now?”

“It took me this long to find you. I was only eleven when you were born.” Formerly-Ace-now-Riot shook his head and sighed, not wanting to grab Ace without permission. Especially not when he knew how badly the kid would take being touched by a stranger. It was hard to hold back from pulling them both into his arms, because they needed to get out of the blaze now. Even if Riot could keep the fire from burning them, Ace and Luffy still needed to be able to breathe, and the heat was dangerous to such small bodies. “Please, Ace, I’ll explain everything later, but we have to go. I need to get you and... and our little brother somewhere safe.”

Ace swallowed, the movement harsh and dry. Grey eyes flickered down to Luffy and then back up to Riot, clearly suspicious but also clearly desperate. “You... promise you won’t hurt Luffy?”

“I swear, Ace. I swear on our mother’s grave. I won’t let either of you get hurt.” Riot held out his hands, praying that it would be enough because he was not going to risk using Haki on kids this young. “Please.”

“... okay.” Ace leaned forward, eyes closing as his exhaustion and the stress caught up to him all at once. Riot moved without hesitation, scooping the kids up into his arms in a tangle and racing for the nearest exit into the woods. Now that Ace trusted him enough to save them, Riot had a place to start making amends.

“Hang on, little brother.” Riot sucked in flame as he ran, building up his reserves in anticipation of the next few days. “Big brother’s here now. I’ve got you.”

/.../

The day after the fire was mostly taken up by arguments between Riot and Ace. Luffy just watched them go at it, head swiveling and eyes wide as he looked from his-Ace to an even bigger Ace who was actually Riot. It took some careful editing of the truth, but Ace eventually consented to believe that Riot was his older brother. Luffy required no convincing after the first hug. Riot knew that he was going to take care of Ace and Luffy in order to give them the happy childhood Riot had always wanted more of for himself. Mostly this involved hugging Luffy whenever he did or said something cute, and making exaggerated sad faces at Ace when Riot’s miniature doppelganger refused cuddles.

Two days after the fire, Riot allowed the kids to convince him to stay at their tree house while they went to check on the bandits. Riot knew what was going to happen. He knew what they were going to learn when they got there, but there was nothing kind about hiding the truth from them. Riot knew how much it hurt to lose a brother. The age you were when it happened did nothing to soften the blow. All Riot could do was be there when the boys came back.

So he was there.

Riot was there when Luffy stumbled out of the bushes, sobbing too hard to see his path and clutching Ace’s hand in a death grip as the other boy pulled him forward. Riot was there when Ace never broke stride, barreling into Riot’s chest at full speed. Riot’s arms closed around both boys, Ace’s back shaking as he ground his forehead into Riot’s collarbone. “... Ace?”

“... Sabo’s... my brother... Sabo’s dead.” Voice cracking around the truth, Ace sobbed. Once, a harsh, guttural noise, and then he howled. The same raging storm of grief and agony that Riot remembered suffering through while tied to a tree. Luffy’s tears turned into wailing, and both boys clung to Riot with all their strength.

“I’m here. Ace, Luffy, I’m here.” He could remember losing Sabo as a child, and Thatch as an adult. Riot grit his teeth against old pain, his tears silent as he held his little brothers close and let them grieve. They needed this, and they needed to feel safe enough for this. Riot could give them this much. “Big brother is here for you.”

/.../

A week after the fire, after the worst of the raging grief had eased, Ace looked up at Riot and asked the question that would change everything. “Do we need to stay here?”

“Eh?” Riot tilted his head in confusion, not moving from where he was butchering their fourth alligator of the day but pausing his work to look up at his little brother’s scowling face. “What do you mean?”

“You must’ve had a life before coming here. You know what’s out there. You said you’ve been to the Grand Line.” Ace always sounded like he was accusing Riot of something when they talked. It was one of the most adorable things Riot had even seen. Seas and shells, no wonder Pops had done nothing but laugh when Riot was first recruited. It was the cutest fucking thing when that little freckled face scowled at him. Riot tamped down on the urge to giggle and just raised a brow at his brother. Ace huffed and crossed his arms. “You can’t really want to stay here.”

“You... want to leave Dawn Island.” Riot actually put down his knife and sat back on his heels to consider the new concept. It had never occurred to him that he could take Ace and Luffy away from their home island before they turned seventeen. Riot twisted to look around Ace at where their youngest brother was sitting. “What about you, Luffy? What do you want?”

“... Wanna be a pirate. Wanna be free.” Luffy rocked a little on the stump he was seated on, clapping his feet together and staring at his toes. “I’ll miss Makino, but I hate bandits and Sabo is...”

“Fucking Celestial Dragons.” Riot spat to one side, going back to preparing their meat with a vengeance. “Only thing on the seas worse than the shitty fucking Marines is them and their gods damned slavers...”

Ace blinked like Riot had said something new, and then grinned. It was a dark expression, sly and far too evil for his tiny body. “Shitty Gramps will probably arrest you if he finds out you’re here.”

Freezing under the surge of sheer existential dread, Riot could feel every muscle in his body lock up. Oh shit no he had forgotten about Garp.

“Pack your bags!” The boys cheered and Riot knew the grimace on his face was probably communicating exactly how pants shittingly terrified he was over the idea of Garp the Fist finding out Riot was going to steal his grandsons. “We need to leave right now.”

Fuck, okay. Maybe not right now right now, since according to his memory they still had something like four weeks until Garp actually showed up to check on them. Thanks to Ace having Riot to come to for comfort while he grieved, the boy had never gotten tied to a tree. They had bought themselves some preparation time, but leaving as soon as possible was the goal here.

Riot was going to need the sea’s biggest head start to avoid Garp when he realized his grandsons were missing.

/.../

He hated having to do it, but it was necessary. The only good news was that the scars left on his back and chest had left the Whitebeard Jolly Roger an unrecognizable twisted smear of boiled ink and scar tissue. Even if the likelihood of an East Blue back alley ink shop having any idea what Whitebeard’s flag looked like was a slim to none chance, Riot still knew it was a good thing that Pop’s Jolly Roger was wrecked. Riot was simply refusing to take the risk of someone noticing the damaged tattoo and trying to puzzle it out. It would put his little brothers in danger, and Riot would sacrifice everything to keep them safe.

So even though it broke something inside him, Riot had a new tattoo layered over the old one. It extended further than Whitebeard’s Mark had, covering the scars and working with the remains of Riot’s old allegiance. It was impossible to leave the past behind entirely though, so he picked the phoenix image knowing full well what it meant to the ‘him’ Riot had killed off in order to make way for his little brothers. The firebird covered most of Riot’s back, curling around his ribs on a field of hibiscus flowers and ocean waves to taper down his stomach.

The finished product was art and Riot cheerfully and with great relief took immense pleasure in forgoing any and all shirts for the rest of their journey.

/.../

Two years later, Riot was the Captain of a pirate crew again and he was still not entirely sure how. He was sure, however, that he had given Ace and Luffy some really interesting views on how to recruit their own future crews. Which Riot had decided would still happen even if he had to drop the little shits off on Dawn Island himself the day they each turned seventeen.

So there. Causality could suck salt.

/.../

“Hi!” Pirate Bars are not usually a place where one encountered children. Pirate Bars in the New World are absolutely the last place people should allow their children to hang out. Marco blinked at the contents of his tankard and wondered if it had been spiked with seastone powder. The Phoenix looked down into wide dark eyes all but shining with excited curiosity. “You’re that bluebird Niichan has a crush on!”

Thatch spat out his drink, choking on his giggles as the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates seated nearby started hooting with amusement. Marco was going to make all of these idiots pay for witnessing this. He was the First Division Commander. He had the power to make them all sorry.

“I don’t think you’re supposed to be in here, yoi.” Marco told the kid, hoping he would just take the hint and go away so he could start the bar fight his brothers were sorely asking for. 

The kid blinked in innocent incomprehension, and the door to the bar crashed open. “Portgas D Luffy!”

“Oops.” The kid looked like he was contemplating hiding behind Marco’s chair when a strong hand clamped down on the back of his vest and lifted him straight off the floor without any apparent effort. “Hi, Niichan!”

“Luffy, what have I told you about speaking with other pirate crews?” The long-suffering tone was at odds with the colourful body tattoo and the aggressively orange hat. Marco was still trying to find his brain, because his libido had taken one look at the artistically tattooed musculature on shameless display and punted his higher thought process out of the way to wolf whistle aggressively. Marco would break his own rule about not sleeping with random admirers more often if they all looked like this. Silver-grey eyes turned to Marco as the dangling boy in the stranger’s grip giggled, and the man sighed. “Hey, sorry about him bothering you. The little shit’s too friendly for his own good sometimes.”

“He was no trouble, yoi.” Marco was impressed with his own poker face right now. He had never dealt well with speaking to people who attracted him. As long as Marco kept his eyes up he should fine... oh no the man had freckles and they were adorable someone help him. Shifting in his chair, Marco leaned back and nodded at the kid. “Might want to keep a better eye on him though. Kids can get into bad trouble out here.”

“This little shit can take care of himself.” Shaking Luffy for emphasis, the freckled stranger rolled his eyes. The man was still holding his little brother off the floor with one hand. It was impressive. Marco was both impressed and valiantly trying not to think about how much weight the freckled man could lift in a different setting. “It’s the bar I was worried about.”

“Aw, Niichan.” The kid pouted, crossing his arms as his toes swung through the air. “I just wanted to meet the bluebird! Does he really look like the one on your back?”

“How the hell should I know? Not like I’ve ever seen his Zoan transformation.” Thumping the kid back down on his feet, the older brother shoved the smaller’s head down into an approximation of an apologetic bow. “Sorry for interrupting you drink.”

“Sorry!” The kid chirped, still laughing despite the hand pushing his head forward. Man, that was one happy kid. Marco relaxed a little. No kid could be that honestly happy with someone who was hurting them. The manhandling was more playful than rough, but it was reassuring to see the kid grinning through it all.

“Luffy getting in trouble again?” The new arrival was an identical, smaller version of the man Marco was still subtly enjoying the sight of. Minus the tattoos and about ten years of age. Must be another brother.

“Ah!” The smaller kid wiggled free and bounced over to the older child. “Ace is mean!”

“Ace isn’t the one who gets kidnapped every week because he can’t stay out of other people’s business.” The preteen snorted and thumped the younger boy on the head. “Now come on, Niichan’s taking us hunting and you’re wasting daylight in this stupid bar with a bunch of has-beens.”

Thatch started choking again and Marco tried to figure out if a twelve year old had really just insulted the strongest pirate crew in the world to their faces.

“Ace, stop being an instigating little shit.” The tattooed man, whom Marco still had no name for, grabbed both of his younger brothers and dragged them bodily out of the bar. Marco stared at the red and gold firebird that stretched across the man’s back and firmly reminded his libido that drooling in public was inappropriate. Even if the man was all of Marco’s private fantasies come to life and already wearing Marco’s sigil. The door was kicked open in a reversed mirror of how the man had arrived in the first place. “I swear to the Seas that the two of you do this deliberately just to see me get into fights. I think we’re going to do some Gramps style training...”

The door slammed shut just as the boys started protesting the oddly labeled punishment.

Thatch finally managed to catch his breath and paused, face creasing in thought. “Aren’t the animals on this island the ones resistant to Haki?”

/.../

“You’re an interesting man, Wildfire Riot.” Whitebeard examined the young Captain glaring up at him from where he stood in front of his crew. The other Captain’s younger brothers whom Marco had spoken about were standing just behind their older brother with bared teeth. “From an East Blue no-name to a potential Warlord in only a year.”

“If you know that much you know that I also told the Marines to fuck off.” Despite being confronted with the Strongest Man in the world, Riot was relaxed. Not insolent, simply unconcerned, as if he knew that he had nothing to fear from Whitebeard. The younger Captain grinned and tipped his hat. “Speaking of which, Whitebeard. Care to tell me why you’ve decided to ambush me?”

“Well, it’s come to my attention that you have an interest in my First Division Commander.” Whitebeard grinned wide as his first child whipped around to stare at him in horror. “What are your intentions towards my son, Wildfire brat?”

“Pops!” Marco’s attempt to interfere was thwarted, as he was dog piled by his siblings. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to see Marco embarrassed and they all very much wanted to see this play out.

Riot blinked. Looked from Whitebeard’s grin to the scrum between Marco and the rest of the Commanders. Gave his delighted little brothers a warning look. Turned back to Whitebeard and raised his chin with convincing gravitas. “All due respect, sir, but the fact that I want to bang Marco the Phoenix like a screen door in a hurricane is none of your goddamned business. And frankly, the fact that you decided to waylay my crew and potentially terrorize my little brothers on a whim does not endear you to me.”

Marco wheezed, collapsing under the weight of his brothers and hiding his face in his hands. What the fuck had he done to deserve this? Who even said something like that to someone’s father?

On his part, Whitebeard’s eyes were wide with surprise.

“What’s your problem now?” Riot crossed his arms with a grumpy scowl. “I answered your stupid question.”

“Maybe it’s because he’s old.” Picking at his ear, the smallest of the Portgas D brothers offered up his explanation as the rest of the Anarchy’s crew nodded along.

“Yeah, his hearing is probably going.” The middle child added, lacing his hands behind his head as he smirked at the Whitebeard Commanders. “People start loosing their memory when they start loosing hair, don’t they?”

A deep, agonized sound of suffering escaped from Marco as he covered his entire head with his arms. He should never have let Thatch see him check out Wildfire’s ass. Never.

“Are we done?” Riot demanded loudly over the sound of the Whitebeard pirate crew loosing their collective shit. “Because if your son isn’t up to dicking me down I’ve got meat to eat.”

Despite himself, Whitebeard was impressed. The brat had guts.

=/=

Notes:

Spoiler: Marco is totally up for dicking Riot down.

For the original tumblr prompt Pi Anon asked: "For self-indulgently tropey ideas - Time travel in either direction, big Ace meets little Ace? Could be in TWFF (in which case depending on the timeline, little Ace and Luffy might even be the same age) or in canonverse or some other happy AU. I'll be Pi Anon!"

Chapter 2: Spelling Mistakes

Summary:

Izo asks a simple question.

Unfortunately the answer is more complicated that he can imagine, and Riot has trauma.

That's okay, the Anarchy knows how to deal with it.

Notes:

Ace might be a little stressed about seeing Whitebeard again. Just a bit. A smidgen.

He's dealing with it.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

=/=

“So... how drunk does one have to be to misspell their little brother’s name?” It was not a question that Izo had expected to garner such a visceral reaction. He had expected a funny story, something to break the ice and start a conversation with Marco’s new admirer and potential future boyfriend. He had not expected the snarl that rumbled up out of Wildfire’s throat, savage and drilling feral threat right into the hindbrain of everyone in hearing distance.

Izo froze, and those of his brother’s standing nearby pulled back, uneasy and staring warily at the young Captain. The Anarchy crew turned as one, gazes locking on to the group nearest to their Captain like they were looking for a reason to throw down.

Marco slid in front of Izo with a frown, but before another word could be spoken Wildfire’s younger brothers hit his waist and clung.

“I was twelve. My mother was dead. My little brother was gone.” Riot breathed in. Held it. Released the air with a growl. Wildfire looked down at his little brothers, gaze softening as the potential for violence drained out of the air. “Yeah, I was drunk, but the S has a meaning. The rest is none of your business.”

Turning away from the Whitebeards, the young Captain moved back to his crew. The small arms wrapped around Riot’s waist did nothing to impede his stride. Obviously this was not the first time the man’s younger brothers had employed hugs as a method for defusing potential fights.

Marco sighed in relief as the tension faded from the air and then cocked his head at Izo in question. “Izo?” 

“It seems I touched a sore spot.” The okama grimaced, because there were just some issues that no one with a lick of empathy ever poked at. Izo had caused offense in asking about the tattoo, and he would apologize properly for his misstep once Riot had finished calming down. “Leave it, Marco. This is on me.”

“If you say so, yoi.” Marco turned back to watch as Riot was all but smothered under affection from his crew. Maybe it had to do with how young Riot was, but Marco could not recall ever seeing another pirate crew tangle themselves into a massive puppy pile as a comfort tactic. It was effective, Marco had to admit that, but he also tried to imagine doing something like that with Pops and could not manage to get over the reflexive embarrassment.

Pops would roll with it, but Marco and the rest of his brothers were a bit too conscious of their father’s dignity to ever flop all over Whitebeard the way the Anarchy’s lookout and navigator were currently sandwiching all three Portgas D’s between them. Marco shook himself, forcing his eyes away from Wildfire and ignoring the knowing look on Izo’s face. The First Commander was not pining over someone who had already actively hit on him.

Stop being ridiculous, Marco, and go make sure your brothers are behaving themselves.

=/=

Notes:

This was supposed to be a oneshot. I refuse to make up pirate crew wholesale for a oneshot. So the Anarchy's crew members shall continue on unnamed.

So there. XP