when one looks back to their childhood, one remembers the vivid springs of laughter, climbing trees and reaching out for the stars, and making flower crowns in fields of flowers. but when [name] looked back at her youth, it was void of those colorfu...
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chapter 048. the end of an era
[ thank you...for loving me! ]
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"fire pillar!"
a fire pillar slams into the ground and the far reaches of the sky.
"ace-san! luffy-kun! [name]-san!" jinbe shouts with a wide smile on his face.
"[name]! grab on!" luffy reaches out without hesitation, his hand finding hers like it's the most natural thing in the world. his fingers squeeze hers tightly, and then he wraps an arm around her shoulders, determined now that it's his turn to do the protecting. the pillar of fire did its job — now it's his.
a second later, luffy's feet slam into the ground along with [name]'s, while ace lands next to them both in a flurry of his flames. mr. 3 isn't as lucky as he slams into the pavement and doesn't look like he'll be moving anytime soon.
at long last, ace has been set free.
at last, after what felt like an eternity of struggle and desperation, ace is free. it's a small thought at first, barely noticeable beneath the chaos, but then it hits [name] all at once — no, not small. huge. overwhelming. ace is free. and the weight of everything she had been holding onto suddenly slips off her shoulders like a crumbling mountain.
almost instantly...the coating on her shattered arm vanishes into thin air, leaving behind the damage she had done to her own body.
he doesn't speak. he doesn't need to. he just moves. gently, but firmly, he pulls her up from the ground, lifting her until she's balanced over his shoulders, her arms loose around his neck. her body is weak, trembling with fatigue, and he's careful with every step, every touch.
"hold on tight," he whispers softly, and for once, she doesn't argue. she nods, resting her cheek against his back, eyes fluttering closed.
she's done enough.
now...he was going to protect her.
"watch out!" a marine screams, "he's dangerous!"
"can you still fight, luffy?!"
"of course!" luffy energetically shouts, shuffling [name] closer to his back, an overprotective grip on her legs in his arms. she felt safe, so she allowed herself to close her eyes and take deep breaths. "i still have my legs!"
ace chuckles from beside him, flames flickering lazily around him like they're an extension of his mood. "keep a good hold on little miss for me, will ya? she did just save both of our necks, after all!"
