[OP] Of the Good and Bad / AceLu One shots and Drabbles

Twenty

Twenty years of age can be lucky for some, and unlucky for others. It can be worth celebrating, or worth mourning. Worth almost everything, or worth absolutely nothing.

This was the tale of two brothers who carried the mysterious Will of D. in their brave spirits, who sought freedom until the end, and traveled wherever their guts told them to.

Here kneeled before a gravestone was the King of the Great Pirate Era, the proud man himself. This man had set sail at 17 with only one goal in mind, and achieved it without any delay. Pirate or marine, it was truly outstanding, and a real shock for many.

But deep inside of this young adult, was a hole that would never be fixed again. A hole that almost kept him from his dream, a hole that almost sucked him in and swallowed him completely. Despair had drilled a hole through him. The despair of losing a loved one. The despair of being weak and unable to protect him. It was a pitfall for pretty much anyone. Luckily, this man managed to crawl out of it. Barely. But he still remains affected 'til this day. If only the great King of the Pirates were strong enough back then.

"I'm not gonna die! Ever!!"

...

"Thank you... for loving someone like me..!"

His heart twisted at the voice. He blinked the memory away along with his tears, "Ah," the man noticed his watery eyes. "Sorry.. I know you don't like it when I cry.

"But... I think it'd be okay. Just for today," He told the stone, chuckling as his voice became squeaky at the end.

"I hope you saw what I had accomplished," The man poured sake evenly into three cups, "I came here to renew our brotherhood. In these 3 years.. all of us achieved great things. And our accomplishments shall be divided evenly with the sake. A cup per year." He explained, raising his bowl.

"Toast to brotherhood! And our success!" He shouted and gulped down the bowl of sake. Just as he finished, a strong gust wind blew on the bright green grass. An orange hat that had rested on the stone, fell off.

The young man quickly caught it with a stretch of his arms. "That was close!" He let out a breathily sigh. The air was dancing around him, it was chilly but assuring.

"You're here, aren't you? You hear me!" He laughed in astonishment as he held the hat firmly in his grip.

The wind softened. It was like the breeze was speaking to him. The young man looked at the orange hat in his hands, the red beads, and the two blue faces attached to it, "Tell me, have you been alright? Have you been treated well?" The wind blew as hard as it could on the smiling face. The young King of the Pirates couldn't help but break into tears of joy. He experienced every emotion, from joy to pain; all at once. He couldn't control his emotions. There was so much he wanted to know and tell him. But the young man only hugged the hat.

"You mind if I borrow this for a while?" He said with a sniffle, as he wiped his tears off his face. The happy face was dangling once again, and the King of the Pirates bowed down in thanks.

"You know," he started, "I've gotten quite attached to hats. I swore I'd wear yours once I'd given Shanks his straw hat back." He teasingly told the force around him, and he could feel that it was laughing along. But then after a while, it was gone. Time was up. And the man was once again, left alone with his torment and agony.

"You'll never catch up to me, you know I'll always be 3 years ahead of you!"

He snickered at the thought, "Well.. I guess it seems that I'm all caught up. We're both 20 now, aren't we?"

There was no response. He hadn't expected one. Only for now, were they both twenty.

However, one was destined to move forward while the other was cursed to stay back.

His wretched and scarred little heart felt like breaking again. His bottom lip quivered at an unsteady pace, much like his uncertainty for his future. But it was this very unsureness that drove him to where he was today. He knew that he had to live his life out for the sake of himself and him. The King of the Pirates held his tears in this time, he secured the orange hat onto his head. Still, he was glad he was able to communicate with his older brother as Luffy made one final promise. "Don't worry, Ace. Your hat is safe with me. I will return it to you next time. Until we meet again."