Hello! Love your blog! Wondering if I could request Ace/Sabo (individually) when they see that their long time marine friend (who they developed feelings for) chooses them over their duty, (like if they were ordered by an admiral to execute them in battle, and they refuse?) I honestly just really like star crossed lover trope with a happy ending haha...
I got a little carried away writing Ace's part and ran out of steam but if you would still like me to write the Sabo one just drop me an ask!
Garp had tried time and time again to convince both Ace and Luffy to become marines. He'd never made any headway in convincing them but you were a different case. Ace had always been clear about his intentions to set sail as a pirate and you'd been equally vocal in your desire to become a marine, but when you eventually parted ways in pursuit of your dreams it was amicable.
You two ran into each other multiple times over the years, both coincidentally and on purpose. You often spent time together in tiny port towns, catching up with each other. Garp went out of his way to ensure that you were never assigned any missions involving the Whitebeard pirates and Ace's crewmates knew better than to engage you in a fight.
You're currently assigned to the transport ship they use to escort high level criminals when news of Ace's capture spreads. You're there when Blackbeard tosses Ace, bloodied and unconscious, into the brig, his grating laughter ringing in your ears as you fight back the urge to launch yourself at him.
Not only are you one of Garp's protégés, a status that places you far above the average recruit, but you are strong in your own right, known by your peers as a competent, powerful rookie who is destined to rise through the ranks. It's why no one sees it coming when you creep into the brig in the middle of the night, knocking out the guards before they can even realize what's going on, and free Ace from his shackles. He's still a mess from his fight with Blackbeard and drifting in and out of consciousness but you manage to carry him to the deck, dodging past patrolling guards until you make it to the small ship tied to the side.
You've settled Ace into the boat and for a moment you think that you might be able to make a clean getaway but the abrupt, piercing shrill of the alarm dashes your hopes. You rush to lower the boat but before you can release the clamps there are dozens of marines on the deck. The vast majority of them are visibly shocked and confused though there are some who are already glaring at you, weapons clutched in white knuckled grips. The vice admiral currently in charge of the transport ship, a friend of Garp's who had agreed to take you on as a favor, steps forward, looking sad even as he unholstered his flintlock.
"You know there’s no going back.”
You do. You’re fully aware that once you leave this ship, your career is over and you will be labeled a traitor, worse than even the most villainous scum locked up in the depths of Impel Down. But you also know that if you step back down, let this blow over as a brief lapse in judgment, that they will kill him, and you can’t watch him die.
You give one last salute, coat flapping in the wind, and then the small ship you’re on crashes down onto the sea below, skipping over the waves as you use your devil fruit to propel it forward. By the time the first cannon is fired you’re already out of range and the other ship quickly disappears into the darkness.
You're familiar with Whitebeard's territory and quickly set a course to the nearest island under his protection. It'll be another day and a half till you get there, sooner if you forgo rest and use your devil fruit to keep the ship moving at top speed, but you've put plenty of distance between you and the transport ship so for now you're focused on patching Ace up to the best of your abilities. You'd had the foresight to stash some supplies on board before enacting your rescue plan and you're thankful that you did because Ace's wounds are extensive and he'd been given no medical treatment after his capture.
The sun is just barely starting to rise, painting the sky in shades of pink, orange, and yellow. Your adrenaline has faded and you're exhausted but unwilling to sleep and you've preoccupied yourself with tending to Ace's more superficial injuries. You're so focused on cleaning a series of small cuts on his face that you don't even notice that he's begun to stir and it's not until you glance up at his eyes, which are open and trained on you, that you realize he's finally awake. You instinctively move to pull back but he catches your hand in his, weaving his fingers between yours and trapping your palm against his cheek.
"Hey." His smile is more tired and worn than it usually is but it's no less sincere and you take a moment to just look at him, this man you've loved since you were children, who you just came very close to losing.
There's no hesitation when you move to kiss him and Ace responds just as easily, free hand cupping your face as he moves his thumb to brush away some of the tears that now fall freely from your eyes. Later you two will need to talk about your feelings for each other, feelings that have largely remained unspoken over the years you've known each other. You will have to discuss what your new status as fugitive entails, how to deal with Blackbeard who remains at large, and a myriad of other things that will ripple out into the world as a consequence of your actions. But for now it is just the two of you, out on the open sea.
