One Piece of a Song

Wake Me Up (Ace)

~In loving memory of Avicii~

Feeling my way through the darkness
Guided by a beating heart
I can't tell where the journey will end
But I know where to start

His body was completely numb as Ace fell into his brothers arms. Akainu had punched straight through him, tearing away a section of the man's spine and rendering him entirely pain-free. He supposed Akainu had done him some form of kindness in that regard...

The sounds of battle and the rest of the world was drowned out as a soft sound—almost like a familiar humming—penetrated his ears. With a sigh, Ace closed his eyes to darkness and let his mind drift off with that sound.

His eyes remained closed as that humming steadily grew louder and louder, the smooth cadence of that familiar hum eventually mixing with the sounds of seagulls and crashing waves.

How long had he be wandering without sight of his destination? Ace wasn't exactly sure, but he knew that if he didn't open his eyes he would be wandering forever—always just out of reach of that beautiful humming.

With a deep breath, the man opened his eyes.

They tell me I'm too young to understand
They say I'm caught up in a dream
Well life will pass me by if I don't open up my eyes
Well that's fine by me

Light illuminated the world around him so suddenly and so intensely that Ace had to close his eyes again.

Ah, but it was that familiar, gentle rocking of the ground beneath him and the salty sea breeze blowing through his hair that coaxed his eyes back open. Long, dark eyelashes blinked away at the discomfort and Ace could only stare in awe at what he saw.

He was standing in the crow's nest of the Moby Dick, the beautiful blue sea stretching out endlessly around him in every direction. The ocean spray and the crests of waves glowed like diamonds, sparkling in the light of the golden sun shining above him.

With a gasp and a grin, Ace wasted no time in shambling down from the crow's nest and running to sit at the very bow of the ship, crossing his legs and running a hand along his head to hold back his hair.

A deep chuckle came from behind the boy, followed by a large hand resting warmly upon his shoulder.

Ace looked back and gave an enormous smile, his freckled cheeks almost obscuring his vision.

"Oyaji!"

A sweet, boyish laugh spilled from Ace's lips as Whitebeard pulled him into a warm hug. Ace smiled into his father figure's chest—no longer covered in intense wounds and scars of battles long past. He wasn't stupid, he knew the implications of Whitebeard's being here, but at that moment he didn't care. He had his father back, and that's what mattered.

"Oi, oi! Don't I get a hug too?"

Ace blinked in surprises at the sudden voice and craned his neck to look past Whitebeard and to the man standing on the deck behind him.