☞︎︎︎Hear my Heart, The Beat of Drums ᵒⁿᵉ ᵖⁱᵉᶜᵉ✔︎

Hear My Heart, The Beat of Drums

[One-shot AU where Luffy unlocks Gear 5 at Marineford and saves Ace]

Ba-dump!

Akainu's fist flew towards them.

Ba-dump! Ba-dump!

Ace stood in front of Luffy, shielding him with his body. A guilt-ridden and teary-eyed smile rested on his expression. His eyes silently saying 'I'm sorry' to Luffy.

Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Ratata dum!

Luffy stared wide-eyed in horror as Akainu's magma fist came closer - nearly piercing Ace's upper body. Unknowingly, he had awakened and activated a strong form of observation haki and for a brief few seconds, Luffy watched as the magma fist pierced his older brother's form. With an unconscious use of 'foresight' he watched his precious brother's body fall forward into his arms. He saw Ace's eyes closing for the final time as his soul was ripped away from him.

Something awakened in him.

His heartbeat seemed to grow louder and it carried an unusual beat. Luffy could hear it; it was all he could hear. Something warm and strange bubbled up from within him and out of nowhere, a burst of laughter spilled out from his lips as his mouth widened into a blinding joyful grin.

"Ahaha~"

The giggles spilled out of him and the sound of his heartbeat increased until those nearby could hear it. The sound of drums echoed throughout the battlefield and soon enough, everyone instinctively turned towards the source. The drums continued to play louder and louder until it was all that could be heard in such a chaotic battlefield.

Time slowed down and everyone, with shocked and baffled gazes, watched as Luffy effortlessly moved in front of his brother, taking the magma fist for him.

"LUUFFFY!!" shouted Ace in horror. He couldn't believe it. Even after throwing himself in the line of fire, his baby brother somehow switched back their positions and took the fist to the chest instead of him.

"Heh," Akainu sneered. He didn't care which brat he got. They were both demon spawns that deserved to rot in death. Pulling his arm back, he watched with glee as Strawhat seemed to wobble on his feet. He smirked seeing the hole in his chest and Garp's cry of anguish in the background was music to his ears. He always hated that old man that claimed to be a hero even though he could never deliver 'Absolute Justice'.

Ba-dump!

Woosh!

The sound of drumbeats continued - appearing to be louder than before.

An unknown aura appeared in the battlefield; its appearance planting a sense of awe and fear in the hearts of many.

And then...it happened.

"LUUFFFY!!" Ace cried out again, reaching out to his brother. However, he suddenly stopped when he noticed something wrong. His eyes widened and lump formed in his throat as he watched his brother undergo some kind of transformation.

Akainu watched in shock as the hole in Strawhat's chest closed up on its own. He, along with everyone else, were shocked senseless when bubbling laughter spilled out of Strawhat's lips, echoing throughout Marineford. They saw the boy's hair turn a blinding shade of white and gain a texture akin to rising smoke. Laughter continued to fall out of the boy's mouth as his entire outfit turned a similar colour and a strange smoke pattern wrapped around his body before positioning itself behind him.

Wisps of steam began to rise from the boy's skin and when the boy's eyes opened up once again, they were no longer a shade of dark brown. They were blood red.