Chapter Text
The Holy Land of Mariejois held many secrets. More than probably even the Celestial Dragons' greatest enemies expected. Having lived here for almost all her life, she was privy to some of them, though she knew there were many more hidden away from her as well.
After all, she was a mere slave. She wasn’t supposed to know anything. But she’d long since learned to fade into the background, hide her wrinkled face in the crowd of other weary, miserable faces.
She was tired. She didn’t believe in freedom. Didn’t believe in hope. There was no such thing as happiness for her. She was nobody, her name long forgotten. She’d never really been someone to begin with. Even back at home, she’d been average. She’d never cared. Never had great ambitions. No dreams.
It was the only reason she was still alive after decades of serving her cruel masters. Decades of suffering, and yet she couldn’t even bring herself to be angry at them anymore. There was no disgust left in her to feel. She was empty.
She hadn’t cared five years ago, when they first brought her to clean the rooms holding their secret treasures. What was there to care about? Even if they held the most powerful weapons or the truth about this world, what was she supposed to do with it? She didn’t hold any desires. There was only one thing she wanted, and that was entirely out of her reach. Trying to take or even look at any of the treasures would only mean her death.
But yesterday, she’d overheard one of the secrets. She’d been hidden in the shadows, clearing dust from the corners, and nobody had paid any attention to her. Why would they? She never resisted, never listened, never cared, never even made a noise.
So here she was. Doing something she’d never done, opening one of the treasure chests in a room she was assigned to clean. They’d gotten careless, hadn’t even stationed a guard at the door, and now, she could get her wish. The one thing she truly wanted. It was right in front of her, in the form of a star-shaped fruit. Golden swirls made it look unnatural, almost magical.
The hoshi-hoshi no mi.
A devil fruit that could supposedly make any wish come true. Just one, after that you were simply cursed to never swim again. But that was alright with her. She only had one wish left in her anyways.
It tasted foul in her mouth. Even eating the rotten garbage her masters often fed her was better than this. And yet, she ate it all, every last bite, and every time her jaw closed, an old, unfamiliar feeling rose in her chest.
Hope. She was hoping.
She closed her eyes. She didn’t need to say it. She just needed to will it into existence. She vaguely remembered stories of genies who twisted your words when you wished for something, but she knew the fruit was not evil like that. It would only grant her a wish that she truly wanted.
A second chance. Not for herself. She had never done anything to deserve it. Had seen others suffer and closed her eyes to keep herself alive. Had never tried to run, or fight, or keep her dignity.
But there were others. Above all her daughter, her biggest treasure, who’d tried to fight back against their owners and had paid with her life for it. She deserved another chance. And so did so many others.
This world was cruel. The Celestial Dragons and their marines had taken so many lives, guilty and innocent alike. So had the pirates roaming the sea. And there were illnesses and natural disasters. So many causes of death. So many families, friends, lovers, separated forever. So many lives still missed to this day.
That was her wish. To give a second chance at life to everyone whose life had ended too early. To everyone who was still missed dearly to this day. Let them have another chance, just a chance, to spend time with the ones they loved.
Nothing happened immediately around her, but she knew her wish had been granted. She would probably be found out and killed, but that didn’t matter. She slid into the shadows, making her way to the spot where her daughter had been shot.
Maybe she could get one last look at her.
New World
The ship was swaying underneath him, and for a second, he wondered why the hell he was on the ground. Had he passed out drunk?
No. He remembered. He’d been stabbed in the back. By one of his oldest friends, no less. But reaching for his back, there was nothing there. Not even a scratch. Had it just been a dream? A really weird nightmare?
Confused, Thatch got up and stumbled out onto the deck of the Moby Dick, right into the disbelieving stares of his family.
West Blue, Ohara
The entire island was empty and in shambles, vegetation overtaking every trace of human life. Before she could form any coherent thought, the archaeologist in Nico Olvia analysed her surroundings, determining it couldn’t have been too long ago that this place had been inhabited. Maybe roughly 20 years. The population had left in a hurry, like a natural disaster had struck, rather than slowly dying out.
Wait. This was Ohara. She’d been here just now, she’d just lost consciousness for a moment… right?
Robin! Where was she? Looking around, all Olvia saw were professor Clover and a few of the other archaeologists, all looking around in a daze similar to the one she felt.
Heavy footsteps announced the arrival of a giant, and Olvia felt relief flooding her. Saul! He had to know where Robin went! Maybe she was even with him! Surely, together they could find her and figure out what was happening. After all, it seemed like they even survived a Buster Call of the World Government when they really shouldn’t have.
...Had they survived it?
Calm Belt, Impel Down
“Dude, the fuck? You just appeared out of thin air like woo here’s some light and poof, there’s a huge fishman here now! Are you real? Am I insane? What’s going on, man?”
A great question. Tom surveyed the cell. There were three guys here he’d never seen, and that was about everything he knew. Weirdly enough, he didn’t feel like he was bleeding out anymore. Aside from the fact that he was stuck in the cell he'd been sure he was about to die in, he was feeling pretty good, actually.
“Pretty sure I’m real. Would love to know what’s going on, too.”
Why was he stuck here? This didn’t seem right. He needed to go home. He needed to make sure Franky and Iceburg were okay.
But it didn’t look like he would get to do that anytime soon.
East Blue, Shimotsuki village
Kuina rubbed the back of her head. It didn’t hurt, but she felt like it should. She’d just stumbled and fell down the stairs, after all.
Perhaps she should go to bed and sleep. She’d been up so late training again, no wonder she was tired enough to be so clumsy. But she couldn’t let that pipsqueak Zoro overtake her! She would become the greatest swordsman in the world one day! This was no time for sleep. She didn’t feel tired anymore, anyway.
She’d just go grab a bamboo sword from the dojo real quick, and be ready for Zoro’s 2002nd challenge whenever he’d surely try for it.
Why the hell was her father staring at her like she was a ghost?
North Blue, Flevance
She woke up on top of rubble. It was quiet around her. Why was it so quiet? Just now, there had been raging flames and gunshots in the air. But now there were no sounds. Just the wind quietly whispering in her ear. Telling her to go find the ones she loved.
“Mom,” she called out. “Dad? Law? Is anyone here?”
Nobody answered. But her limbs were strangely light. Her chest didn’t hurt. She could move, just like before she got Amber Lead Syndrome.
Stumbling through the rubble, Lami kept calling out into the silence. Nobody was around. Why was nobody around? The entire city was empty.
But after a few minutes, her shouts were answered. “Lami? Law? Are you there?”
She didn’t know where her brother was, yet, but Lami happily jumped into the open arms of her parents. They would find Law soon, too, and then they’d be a happy family again, just like before her illness!
East Blue, Cocoyashi village
The wind was tickling her face, bringing the smell of fresh mikans to her nose. Ah. Home.
She sat up in alarm. Arlong! He’d been threatening Nojiko and Nami! They had to be safe! She had to make sure they were safe! She didn’t understand why she was alive, but her own life didn’t matter. Her daughters, she needed to protect her daughters-
A loud thud interrupted her frenzied thoughts.
“Bellmère?”
A young woman that looked startingly like Nojiko was staring at her, mouth agape.
“Yeah?” She wasn’t sure if that woman was related to Nojiko or it was Nojiko but older, but they had to actually talk to figure it out.
But the woman threw herself forward, right into Bellmère’s arms, and sobbed.
There was no doubt left in Bellmère’s mind as she closed her arms around Nojiko. She was holding her daughter. Her daughter who looked much older and had gotten quite a few tattoos. That only left the question where her other troublemaker of a daughter had disappeared to, but Nojiko would probably tell her the moment she was calm enough to speak.
South Blue, Baterilla
There were three people stacked in the hospital bed, and as they all simultaneously flailed about and tried to figure out their surroundings, Rouge was roughly pushed out of the bed and hit the ground.
Ouch. Other than the spots where she hit her knee and scraped her hand on the wooden floor, she felt fine, though. Gone was the bone-deep exhaustion that had accompanied her through the last months of her pregnancy, no trace left of the unspeakable pain of giving birth after twenty months of carrying her child.
Shouldn’t she have died? How much time had passed? Where was her boy? Had Garp already taken him away? She needed to know!
More than anything else, she needed to know if she’d succeeded. Ace needed to be safe, or everything would’ve been in vain. Scrambling to her feet, she stormed out of the room to locate a doctor or another staff member. They’d be able to tell her where her baby had been taken.
She didn’t understand, but this was a miracle. A chance for her to actually spend time with her boy. She wouldn’t let it go to waste.
East Blue, Logue Town
It was a nice day out, and the streets of Logue Town were bustling with activity. Peaceful activity. Normal activity.
This was not the day of his execution.
Roger let out a hearty laugh. He had no idea what was going on, why he felt so great when really he should’ve been dead – when he had died, cold steel bringing the end of his life that his illness had been trying to take for so long – but he was not one to dwell on questions he couldn’t answer.
The winds of fate were once again blowing in his favour, and Roger would do what he always had, set sail and see where they would take him.
And right now, they were telling him to go find his family, so he broke the wooden chains on his wrists cleanly in half and set out to do just that.
Chapter 2
Summary:
Dead people are suddenly alive again all over the world. Some of them find their loved ones, others start by reading the newspaper.
Notes:
here we are, the first actual chapter! hopefully it answers some of the questions you had after the prologue!
I'll be switching perspectives a lot, so hopefully I'll be able to incorporate what lots of recently revived characters are up to, but this chapter does show where the focus will be
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
As Thatch walked out on deck, everyone in his immediate vicinity fell quiet almost instantly, all staring at him like they couldn’t quite believe their eyes. As the seconds ticked by, more and more members of the crew noticed the sudden silence, turned to look, and fell quiet as well, until the only sounds left were the wind in their sails and the waves crashing against the ship.
Okay. What the hell. This wasn’t normal. Even for a prank, this was too weird.
On instinct, he looked around, trying to see if they were staring at someone or something else, but no. They were staring at him.
Thatch did remember dying. It didn’t make sense for him to still be here, and he certainly didn’t feel like a ghost. But people didn’t just return from the dead. Not even on the Grand Line. Which was presumably why everyone was staring at him. Thatch would stare, too, if a dead guy just showed back up like nothing happened.
“Um,” he started when he realized nobody else was going to say anything, “does anyone have any idea what happened? Or did I just hallucinate getting stabbed?”
There was no immediate answer, which probably meant nobody really knew anything. Thatch could see Marco and Pops exchange one of their trademark ‘we’re not talking but somehow communicating’ looks, and then Marco stepped forward.
“You did get stabbed,” he confirmed, “about three months ago.”
What? Everything still looked the same, so Thatch had assumed it was just the next morning.
While his mind was still reeling from that information, Marco walked around him. “There’s a hole in your clothes where you got stabbed.” Right after revealing that information, Marco grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled it up. Thatch could feel his hand pressing against his back a few times in various places, which vaguely seemed like some kind of medical examination, so he didn’t question what was going on out loud. Everyone else was still staring, waiting for what Marco would say next, though some murmuring was picking up.
“There’s no trace of the injury that killed you, but all of your old scars are still there.” Marco dropped the shirt, and walked back over to Pops. “He feels real and alive. It could still be some kind of impostor or an illusion, but if it is, it’s incredibly convincing. There are devil fruits that let you perfectly impersonate someone, but we could rule those out if we ask him something only he could know.”
Oh. They were still questioning if he was real. Of course they were. You didn’t just believe your dead friend was back alive, it would leave you open to all sorts of dangerous attacks and tactics. Thatch could only hope they’d ask him something he actually did know. His memory was kind of shit sometimes, and it would suck getting thrown off the ship as an impostor just because he forgot some random past event.
“Hey Thatch,” someone yelled from the crowd, and Thatch quickly identified him as Riley from the 9th division, “what’s my favourite food?”
Perfect. That was easy. “Fried tofu. Any seasoning is fine, but you like it the most when it’s spicy.”
Riley nodded decisively to let everyone know that answer had been correct. “Alright,” Marco conceded, “all I have left is that he’s some kind of dream or hallucination that directly draws from our collective memories. Which I’m not sure how to test for. Or that he’s real.”
“I feel pretty real?” Thatch offered. “But I guess I’d be saying that if I wasn’t real, too.”
“Thatch,” Pops called out to him, “come over here, my son.” Seeing no reason to refuse, Thatch followed the instruction. Once he reached Pops’ chair, he was picked up. Pops held him up at arms’ length, critically examining him. Were they just leaving this whole situation to Pops’ judgement now?
Apparently. “He’s real,” Pops decided out loud. “I can’t tell you how, but he’s alive again. We got him back.” As the crew behind him erupted into loud cheers, Thatch was pulled into a crushing hug by his father.
Pops’ hugs were the best, so Thatch would never complain even on a regular day as he was squeezed a little too tightly, but any and all thoughts of even jokingly mentioning it were wiped from his mind when Pops spoke again. “I’m sorry.” The old man’s voice was laced with regret, uncharacteristically quiet and weak. “As your father, it’s my responsibility to protect you, but not only did I fail, I didn’t even notice you were in danger until it was too late.”
“Nonsense,” Thatch interrupted the teary apology, “you can’t go around suspecting your own sons of being traitors for no reason. The trust you put in all of us is my greatest pride, don’t let that asshole ruin our family’s bonds.” He’d trusted Teach right up until the moment he’d rammed a knife into his back. All those years, decades even that Teach spent on the Moby – longer than Thatch himself, even! – just being a friendly if slightly weird crewmember… Thatch wouldn’t blame anyone for not anticipating his betrayal.
“I won’t,” Pops promised as he hugged Thatch even more tightly, “I love all of you dearly. I know you’re nothing like him, don’t worry.” Thatch felt a giant hand gently ruffle his hair, before Pops finally released him from the hug. Still teary-eyed but smiling brightly, Pops set him back down.
As soon as his feet touched the deck, Thatch was assaulted from all sides by other crewmembers all trying to hug him at once.
He’d never once before questioned if their crew was too big, but as he was passed from person to person and untold amounts of tears and snot soaked his clothes, he did have to pose the question to himself. He loved them and was happy they’d missed him so much, of course, but still. This wasn’t even everyone. Thatch didn’t see Izou, or Haruta, or Ace, or most of his own division anywhere.
Though that last part was rectified after someone finally got the idea to run to the kitchen to let the hardworking chefs know their division commander was back from the dead.
While Thatch was dogpiled by every single cook on the Moby Dick, he barely even noticed the nurses running up to Pops. But he did realize when suddenly the deck was much emptier than before, as everyone rushed inside. Sadly, nobody on top of him was willing to move or even pay enough attention to know what was going on.
It was Jozu who eventually took pity on Thatch, pulling him out of the cook pile. “It seems like you’re not the only one back from the dead. Apparently quite a few members we’ve been missing just reappeared in the infirmary, perfectly fine just like you.”
There was no holding Thatch back after hearing that information. Just like everyone else, he sprinted inside, trying to see if his dearly missed friends were truly back home where they belonged.
The hospital was overflowing. While usually that wouldn’t be due to any sort of happy occasion, for once, it was. There were so many people here, most of them claiming to have died, just like Rouge.
It was absolute chaos. Rouge felt a twinge of sympathy for the head doctor trying to keep order and perhaps giving answers to all the questions she was bombarded with. But one thing Rouge realized immediately even as she didn’t ask anything herself – she didn’t know this doctor. The hospital was the same she’d died in, but the head doctor had been an old man, who’d had the job ever since Rouge could remember.
Time had passed. The new head doctor eventually claimed to have gotten the position four years ago, which meant at least four years had passed since Rouge’s death.
Whatever had happened to Ace, he wasn’t here anymore. Garp must’ve taken him away years ago.
Would it be worth it to stay in the hospital until things had calmed down a little? Would she get any answers?
As the first woman burst through the door, holding a baby that couldn’t be older than a month, claiming her little daughter that had been murdered by the marines had simply poofed back into her arms, Rouge decided that was her cue to leave.
This would take too long. Not that it didn’t lift an immense guilt off her shoulders to see mothers, expecting or carrying their children, rushing to the hospital in ecstasy to let the doctors confirm what they were already feeling in their heart: the babies were all back alive and perfectly healthy, along with the pregnant women that had been killed while the marines had been trying to find and kill Ace. It did, it really did.
But Rouge had created that misery in the first place by hiding her pregnancy. Her boy wasn’t here, either. It was not her place to share their joy.
So she slipped out of a window with practiced ease, and wandered into town instead.
Her hometown still looked as it always did, though at this point, most everyone had noticed something had happened. Dead people had been reappearing all over the place, some hugging the family who’d missed them for years, others still looking around confused, or asking for their loved ones. A few things had changed, too, Rouge noticed the old bakery had gotten a new logo, and her favourite café had been replaced by a souvenir shop.
Thankfully, though, newspapers were still sold as they always were, and the clerk simply handed her one without even asking for money. Did she know him? He looked sort of familiar…
Two things on the newspaper immediately caught her eye. The first was the date. 1522.
She remembered the island of Baterilla celebrating the beginning of the year 1502 just last night.
More than 20 years had passed since her death. Her boy was an adult by now.
And he was still alive.
“Commander of the 2nd Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, ‘Firefist’ Portgas D. Ace taken into custody and handed over to the Navy Headquarters by newly appointed Warlord of the Sea, Marshall D. Teach! Marines announce plan for execution!” the newspaper read.
Above the headline were two photos, one of a disgustingly grimy looking man, and one that for a second she thought depicted herself. Her eyes, her nose, her freckles dusted across her face. And yet, the smile on his lips spoke equal parts of fun and danger, and the black hair framing his face made it undeniable he was Roger’s, as well.
Tears started welling up in her eyes. He’d made it, he’d survived, he’d become an adult, he’d grown strong. Rouge’s sacrifice hadn’t been in vain. Garp had kept his promise. And yet…
Ace was about to die.
They were going to kill him. She couldn’t let that happen.
“Looks to me like your boy inherited your tendency to do stupid, risky shit, but none of your stealth capabilities to get out of it unscathed.” Rouge looked up at the store clerk, blinking. She knew that voice. Definitely.
“…Max?”
“Took you long enough. Weren’t we supposed to be childhood friends?”
“You lost all of your hair! How the hell was I supposed to recognize you? I thought I saw you like, a few weeks ago!”
“Yeah, well, not all of us die and then mysteriously come back to life. Some of us just live and get older like a regular person. Though you’ve never been regular, anyway.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” While she was happy to see her old friend, now was not the time to catch up. “This is today’s newspaper?”
“Yup. Arrived just this morning.”
“Do you have a shovel?”
Max sighed, a familiar, long-suffering sigh, but he didn’t ask, just went to the back to get a shovel.
Good. Rouge had no time to waste.
“Uh, can you break my cuffs, too?”
Roger looked to the side, for the first time noticing that he wasn’t alone on the execution platform. Not his fault, though. The guy next to him looked like a gangster, with green hair and lots of piercings, but he had basically zero presence. A boring guy. No will in him.
Still, he reached out to crush his handcuffs. Nothing wrong with being nice to a stranger, one executed man to another.
“Thanks.” The guy shook his hands out, relief clear on his face. “Man, I have no idea how I’m alive. They cut my head right off. I didn’t even do anything that bad, they just wanted to make an example of me, as a warning to the other gangs in town. I wonder how much time has passed… Wait, aren’t you that famous pirate? When did they catch and execute you?”
What a load of boring questions.
“Dunno.”
“Please. It had to be after me. It was 1500 when I was killed. I had a kid on the way, I need to know how much time I missed with them.”
Now that was something Roger could sympathize with. Finally a good question. Was Ace or Ann born yet? Could Rouge protect their kid? How much time had Roger missed with them?
Shit, why was he so bad with numbers? He didn’t usually care what year it was… No, wait. He remembered. He’d wanted to start a new era, and what better time to do it than the start of a new century? “Pretty sure it was 1500, too,” he told the guy, “but no idea what year it is now.”
“Maybe it hasn’t been long, then…”
“Hey!” A rude voice suddenly interrupted them from below. “What do you think you’re doing on the execution platform? Get down immediately!”
Roger looked down to see the familiar white of a marine uniform. Ah.
Some things never changed.
A grin spread on his face. “Of course, officer~” He grabbed the gangster guy and jumped. Pain shot up his legs as he landed roughly on the ground, but it only made him grin more. Alive. He was really, truly alive, and the pain proved it. Time to cause some chaos. He whirled around, punching the unsuspecting marine straight into the face, catapulting him across half the plaza.
Good. His strength and haki were still just as they always used to be. Better than the last few months or years, even. No trace of that stupid illness.
The guy he was carrying started to wriggle out of his hold. “Uh, not to be ungrateful or anything, Mr. Gold Roger, sir, but I’d love to go home and see how my family is doing. Surely you can manage on your own…?”
Roger waved him off. He didn’t have time to waste with such a coward.
Whistling, Roger started walking in a random direction. Even after all these years that he hadn’t been home, the streets of Logue Town still felt familiar. Everything was bustling with activity as it always had, and still the darker, criminal sides of the city were creeping through the shadows and side alleys.
A lifetime ago, Roger had been an orphan on these streets, stealing food to survive. Fighting against adults to get stronger, so he could one day leave and become free.
If he looked with just his eyes, nothing much had changed since then, but the atmosphere was different. There was excitement crackling through the air, a sense of adventure, of journeys starting rather than ending.
It truly was a new age.
And now Roger would be able to experience it himself.
The only question was, what should he do? When he’d come to, it felt like voices had told him to use this second chance to spend lost time with his loved ones, and that felt right, but how? Should he set sail for Baterilla? Or try to find his crew first?
Wait. If time had passed since his execution, any time at all, then Shanks and Buggy should have their own crews by now. They were strong, after all, even if they were young, strong enough to make a name for themselves in East Blue. Maybe the newspaper would tell him about their adventures!
Excited about the conclusion, Roger quickly grabbed a newspaper from a nearby stand, hurrying his steps before someone would notice he’d stolen it. He’d pay, but he didn’t actually have any money on him. The dead didn’t need money.
He quickly stopped in his tracks when he actually looked at the newspaper.
There he was. Ace. His son. The spitting image of Rouge. Grinning happily.
Even as he read the article, a million questions kept popping into his mind, though. When had his son become a pirate? Where was Rouge? Why didn’t his son use his name? What was up with that ‘Firefist’ nickname? Did it mean Ace fought like Garp but with fire somehow? Why on earth was he part of Whitebeard’s crew and not his own captain? And wasn’t the second division Oden’s?
And most importantly, why the fuck did the Navy think they could kill his son?
But he could find answers to all of these questions later. The voices inside of him had told him what to do, and now Roger had a concrete goal. There was no stopping him.
Not even half an hour later, Roger had a stolen bag full of stolen food, dropped on a stolen boat as he unfurled the sails to let the winds carry him towards Reverse Mountain.
His heart sang at feeling the familiar rocking of the waves and the salty wind blowing through his hair, and the sea sang back, elated that its king had returned to it after 22 long, long years.
Roger grinned, just as excited and determined as he’d been more than 50 years ago, when he’d set out for the first time.
The world wouldn’t know what hit it.
Notes:
thank you to everyone who left kudos, commented on or bookmarked last chapter, and I hope this fic continues to make you excited!
Chapter 3
Summary:
News travel. Despite everything, there are still preparations for war. Old marines talk to their wayward familys.
Notes:
thank you so much to everyone who commented on the last chapter! I'm really overwhelmed by how much support this fic has gotten <3
I had to take some liberties with rouge since we know absolutely nothing about her, but I hope I can manage to strike a good balance between making her capable but not overpowered
also sorry ace' part got so dark. boy has issues and part of the dialogue is directly taken from canon so blame oda, not me
anyway, enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It was, by all accounts, a normal day. Laboon was howling at the Red Line, though thankfully not smashing his head against it anymore. The News Coo brought the morning paper, and Crocus had settled at his usual table, leisurely reading through it as he enjoyed his breakfast.
These days, very little of it phased him. Wars were fought, rookies rose to prominence, but it was all the same, and it had very little to do with Crocus himself. The days of him adventuring through the Grand Line himself and being at least acquainted with most everyone important were long over.
He still enjoyed keeping up with everything though. Especially recently. Reading about the Strawhat Pirates kicking Crocodile out of Alabasta or destroying Enies Lobby was great fun. They should reach Sabaody soon. Maybe they’d meet Rayleigh there. But most certainly they would throw the New World into chaos along with the other Supernovas. Crocus had met most of them when they entered the Grand Line, and while they were all interesting in their own ways, Crocus was definitely rooting for Luffy and his friends.
But the upcoming meeting of the Supernovas on Sabaody was what the newspapers were talking about yesterday. Today, it seemed even the navy was intending on ringing in a new era.
They’d essentially declared war on Whitebeard. It was insane, and Crocus couldn’t understand what they were thinking at all.
It was pretty obvious that the World Government didn’t actually have the will or the power to dismantle the system of the Four Emperors. Even just taking on one of them would mean putting most of their forces on the line, with no guarantee for success. And Whitebeard hadn’t been doing all that much, recently.
He was getting old. From what Crocus heard, he was sick, too. Why wouldn’t the navy just wait a few more years for him to die on his own? He had some strong brats on his crew, sure, but nobody quite as powerful as himself. If Whitebeard died, the other emperors would at least try to take over his territory, giving the marines an easy chance to strike.
It made no sense to fight Whitebeard now. Firefist himself was a strong rookie and could definitely evolve into a real problem if you gave him a couple more years, but then, fighting Whitebeard would hurt the marines now, for sure. It wasn’t just a maybe for the future.
Sengoku would usually choose the safer option. So, was it the government’s doing? Were they afraid of the D. in Firefist’s name? But if that was the case, why let another D. into the ranks of the Seven Warlords? And hadn’t Teach also been a Whitebeard pirate? Were they sure this wasn’t some kind of trap?
There had to be something Crocus was missing, he concluded. Something that wasn’t printed in the paper, because the government paid them not to print it, or just never told them.
He put the paper down, rubbing at his eyes. Since when did they hurt just from reading? He was getting old, too.
Laboon started howling at a different pitch, and Crocus looked up just in time to see a tiny fishing boat shoot out of the river of Reverse Mountain.
What idiot would try to traverse Reverse Mountain in a boat like that? You had to be insane!
But the boat didn’t break. Whoever this was had the devil’s luck.
Crocus stepped closer to the cliff, trying to actually get a look at the madman, when a laugh suddenly rang over the waves.
Ah, he thought, it’s the idiot I chose to follow.
Just for a second, before he realized that was impossible. Roger was long dead. Was Crocus dreaming? Starting to hear things in his old age?
But then the guy turned to him, a familiar grin on his face, and Crocus’ heart ached. Shit, he missed his old captain so much. Crocus was happy staying at his lighthouse post his whole life, taking care of Laboon and all the idiots who crashed on their way over Reverse Mountain – as long as they behaved themselves. He liked the solitude he had a lot of the time. But Roger had made him want to leave, had awoken his curiosity and sense for adventure, had made him want to see the world and meet the people living in it. Roger had made him want to stop waiting around and instead seeing if he could do something. He hadn’t found the Rumbar pirates, but he’d had the time of his life, for sure.
“Yo, Crocus! It’s been a while!”
The greeting was so casual and so Roger, Crocus almost believed it was him. “You’re dead,” he called back, “so what the hell are you doing here?”
“Well, I just woke back up on the execution platform like two hours ago,” maybe-Roger shrugged off the question of his death as he steered the little boat towards the cliff where Crocus was standing. “No clue what revived me, but there was some other guy there who came back to life too. Anyway, I need to go to Impel Down to save my son I never told you about, do you have a better ship I could use? And maybe a log pose?”
In that moment, it dawned on Crocus. This was no impostor. Anyone with any semblance of intelligence would’ve thought of something that at least sounded like it made some sort of sense. Or would’ve at least tried to act confused about it. But not Roger.
His captain really was back from the dead.
“Come up here, you moron. I’ve got a ship I use to get supplies, it’s no Oro Jackson but it should do. But you’re not stepping foot on it before I check you over!”
“I feel great! There’s no way I’m still sick!”
Despite his complaints, Roger jumped up to Crocus and didn’t make any moves to actually resist an examination. Crocus took the chance to pull him into a hug. Damn, what a day, and it wasn’t even noon yet.
He had a feeling he could say goodbye to his peace and quiet for a while.
With a shovel casually slung over her shoulder, Rouge strolled back to the hospital. She needed to get off Baterilla and into the Grand Line, that was the first step. Usually it wouldn’t be a problem, but her devil fruit powers weren’t working at all.
Well. Roger had said devil fruits got reincarnated once you died, and Rouge had died, so it only made sense the power had left her body. Still, it was inconvenient.
But that was what the shovel was for. Maybe. If part one of her plan had worked, but part two hadn’t. It was a big maybe, for sure.
Rouge had never been a pirate herself, not really anyway, not in the traditional sense, but she’d married one, so she’d figured it was fine to bury her treasure and make a map for it. She’d given the map, along with a letter, to Garp, and told him to give it to Ace when he turned 18.
Ace was 20 now, so in theory, he should’ve gotten the letter. There was a possibility he’d made it to Baterilla and dug up the treasure chest, in which case obviously there would be nothing for Rouge to unearth.
But there was also a good chance Garp hadn’t respected her wishes or Ace simply hadn’t felt it was worth the effort to come here for a chest left to him by parents he’d never met.
She would just have to dig to find out. So she went to the tree by the cliff behind the hospital, and started digging where she knew she’d buried everything she wanted to leave for Ace.
It took her way too long to get to the chest. The revival had healed all the side effects of her extended pregnancy, but it hadn’t given her back the muscles she’d lost over a year of not exercising at all and barely even moving.
You couldn’t win it all. She had to be grateful she was alive at all.
With great effort, she pulled the chest out of the ground. It was entirely untouched. Ace hadn’t been here.
She’d be disappointed, if it wasn’t so potentially helpful to her.
First, there was some money. Not all that much, because not working for a year and being sick for most of it had drained her savings, but any amount was helpful. Next, two swords. Carefully treated and wrapped so they wouldn’t rust over the years. One belonged to her. It was a good sword, and it had saved her life many times. Though of course, it was nothing compared to Roger’s sword. That was one of the finest blades in existence. Roger had loved it dearly, and he’d insisted on trying to give it to Ace somehow.
She had to wonder if Ace could fight with a sword at all. If he’d grown up with his parents, they’d have taught it to him as a matter of course, but they hadn’t, so who knew. Garp was more of a fistfight guy, so maybe Ace had learned from him instead.
But she could find that out later. She grabbed the more extensive letters she’d left here – just in case Garp decided to read the other letter despite promising not to, she’d kept it short – and the few small trinkets with sentimental value she’d hoped Ace might appreciate, and then only another, smaller treasure chest was left.
This was the moment of truth. Had her plan worked?
She took a deep breath and opened the chest. It contained her devil fruit.
She could’ve jumped with joy. All the hours of trying to get Roger to explain how the reincarnation process worked when he clearly couldn’t remember it properly had paid off. The fruit she’d left here had absorbed her powers, and stored them for 20 years.
With a grimace, she bit into it.
Yup, still just as disgusting as the first time. She shuddered, but forced herself to swallow it down. Finally, her body felt like it should again, ready to shift at will.
She was truly back now. Her ticket off the island was secured, as was her way over the Red Line, and hopefully even across the Calm Belt.
Now all she needed to do was pack supplies and she was ready to go. She’d need food and water, at least a little, a change of clothing, and a log pose just in case.
And also a plan. She wasn’t like her husband. If she tried to fight the navy on her own, she’d just lose. It wouldn’t help Ace at all if she just died again trying to save him. She needed help. Part of her hoped the miracle hadn’t been contained to just Baterilla and Roger was also back and on his way to save their son, but she couldn’t rely on that.
But the newspaper already told her who she needed to ally herself with. Everyone expected Whitebeard to start a war over his captured crewmember, including the World Government, and while she’d never met the man herself, Roger’s stories of him certainly made him out to be the kind of guy who’d do something like this.
The only challenge would be to find the pirate and his flagship, but while Rouge may not have been as strong as her husband, she knew her way around the world as well.
A smile tugged on her lips as the plan took more and more form in her mind.
She would definitely save Ace.
They didn’t wait until the evening to throw a party. Why would they? They were happy now, so they’d party now. As a pirate you could just do whatever you wanted.
Thatch spent a good chunk of the party in Pops’ lap, until he took a nurse’s suggestion to use his vantage spot to drink Pops’ sake to keep him from drinking too much. Pops was not very amused. Called him a cheeky brat and kicked him off.
Worth it though.
The rest of it he spent talking to everyone he knew, both the ones who’d missed him and the ones Thatch had to miss, sometimes for years. He went looking for Izou, but was told he’d set out to meet with some of their allies just this morning, just like Haruta.
Even Marco, his supposed best friend, only spent a short time at the party before mysteriously disappearing. Something was definitely off.
Not wanting to ruin the mood of the party, Thatch eventually managed to excuse himself – the old loo comment still worked – and went to look for Marco. If he wasn’t partying anyway, there was no mood to ruin. Surprisingly, he wasn’t in the infirmary, or in the navigation room, or even his own cabin.
Thatch found him in the communication room, surrounded by den-den mushi. Granted, Haruta wasn’t on board, but still… weird. There were other members of the 12th division who could be on standby.
Marco’s expression was grim, too, right until he saw Thatch and managed to plaster a casual smile on his face. If Thatch hadn’t known it was fake, he might’ve even believed it to be genuine.
“Why aren’t you at the party? It’s for you.” Marco’s voice was light, but Thatch could tell it was forced.
“Why aren’t you? Not happy me and a bunch of your other dead friends are back?”
Something like guilt crossed Marco’s face. “You know that’s not it… Someone has to keep working, is all.”
Thatch sighed. He did know it wasn’t because Marco wasn’t happy to have him back, his immediate reaction this morning had been proof of that. “What are you not telling me?”
“What makes you think we’re hiding anything?”
“Less commanders than usual are on board. Besides, nobody has bragged to me yet how you killed Teach.” Which probably meant the asshole was still alive. Pops knew no mercy when it came to his family. If he couldn’t protect Thatch, he would’ve at least avenged him. Right?
Marco grimaced, and Thatch knew he’d hit the nail on the head. “Teach… ran away with the devil fruit you found. We assume that’s why he killed you, but by the time we found your corpse, Teach wasn’t even a speck on the horizon anymore.”
Okay, hearing about your own corpse was definitely weird. Even with Thatch alive right in front of him, Marco didn’t seem to like talking about it, either. “And?” Thatch prompted. His death had been three months ago or so, surely they’d at least tried looking for Teach, right?
Marco only looked defeated. Tired. “Teach was a member of the 2nd division, so Ace took his Striker and went after him on his own. He was so angry… There was no reasoning with him. He didn’t even take a den-den mushi. For months, we barely heard anything. Something about Teach attacking Drum. Ace clashing with the marines in Alabasta right before his little brother defeated Crocodile and unveiled his plans to stage a coup there. Until this morning, when we got this.”
A newspaper was thrown to Thatch, and he caught it on reflex. His stomach sank as he read the headline.
Oh. No wonder everyone was busy contacting their allies. No wonder Marco was out of his mind with worry instead of celebrating.
Not even bothering to read the whole article, Thatch threw the newspaper aside to pull Marco into a hug. “Your boyfriend is an idiot, but it’ll be fine. We’re going to save him. Pops would never let him die.”
Marco snorted, but let himself sink into the hug. “If you think Pops is going to let you anywhere near danger anytime soon, you’re delusional.”
“He’ll have to. If Ace is willing to risk his life to avenge me, the least I can do in return is risk my life to save him.”
“You just called him an idiot for it. Have you considered you’re an idiot, too?”
“You love me anyway. And Ace, too. Have you considered why you love so many idiots?”
“Trust me, I’ve been wondering about that for years.”
“Asshat.”
He was cold.
Nobody had bothered to treat the wounds Teach had inflicted on him. The seastone was digging into his wrists and ankles. Blood was still sluggishly dripping to the ground from somewhere Ace couldn’t see with how chained up he was.
Everything hurt, but it was the cold that bothered him.
He could still feel a chill, even with his devil fruit, so he liked to bundle up on winter islands, but he hadn’t been truly cold in years.
He hated the feeling.
He wanted to go back home. Have a drink with everyone on the Moby Dick, and fall asleep cuddled up to Marco. Surrounded by warmth.
But he might never get to experience that again, and it was entirely his own fault.
Why couldn’t he be stronger? Ace had trained his entire life to become strong so he could be free and do whatever he wanted, but it hadn’t been enough. Not even enough to protect his family. Pops would be so disappointed.
The thought stung, and yet Ace was hoping it was true. Pops should be disappointed that Ace was weak. He should be mad Ace had disobeyed his orders.
He shouldn’t come save Ace.
But he would.
Everyone would come, and so many of them would die. Ace’ existence truly was a curse, bringing death and misery to everyone around him. It’d be better if he died here, why couldn’t they see that?
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the elevator.
Even Ace, who hadn’t been here long, knew that not many people came down to level 6. But today, there had been activity. People randomly appeared who declared to have died in their cells, before promptly being dragged off. Since then, it had been quiet. At least on the side of the guards. All the other prisoners were whispering about it. Some even claiming to have seen those people die right on front of them.
But that was bullshit. Dead people never came back to life. If anything, the guards had drugged the food to let them all hallucinate. Wouldn’t be the worst thing they’d done, for sure.
It wasn’t a guard that stepped out from the elevator and made a beeline to Ace’ cell, though.
It was Garp.
Well, there was one parental figure that was definitely disappointed in him. “Now look what you’ve gotten yourself into…”
Ace knew. He knew he’d messed up, and now he was putting gramps on the spot. There was nothing left of his usual jovial nature. He was speaking quietly, something Ace hadn’t even known Garp could do.
He strained to look up at his grandfather, to see his conflicted face. In the end, Ace had brought him nothing but trouble, too. Not that Garp had done more than the bare minimum to keep Ace alive and make him strong, but still.
Now that he was in the place closest to hell on earth, Ace had nobody else to rely on.
“Kill me.”
His voice was raw, and weaker than he would like, but Ace held eye contact with his grandfather the entire time to let him know he meant it. He needed to die here. Now. Before his family could stage a rescue. Garp was the one responsible for letting Ace live past infancy in the first place, the least he could do was help Ace die how he wanted to.
But Garp, the stubborn old man, shook his head. “It’s too late for that. Nothing will stop Whitebeard now. We’ve already angered the ruler of the seas.”
There would be war. It was inevitable, and it was entirely Ace’ fault. Ace bit his lip.
“But who knows. With all the chaos going on outside right now, they just might delay your execution or call it off entirely.”
…What? Chaos that was so great they might try to put off war with Whitebeard himself? They might even let the pirate king’s son live? What the hell was going on in the world while Ace was stuck here?
Wait. “The dead people? There are really dead people coming back to life? And not just in here?”
If that was true, then Thatch… Maybe even Sabo…
Garp didn’t answer immediately, and Ace realized it had gone very, very quiet around them. Everyone was listening in, which meant he’d likely not get any clear answers.
“I’ll call Makino. If the bandits have any news, I’ll let you know.”
That was an answer useless to everyone but Ace, but to him it meant the world.
Holy shit. After all these years, right when Ace was about to die, Sabo might be alive again. Ace would hate Sabo having to mourn him, but at least this meant even if Ace died, Luffy wouldn’t be left alone. He’d still have a brother. That was an insane weight off Ace’ chest.
Garp left soon after, leaving Ace to the cold cruelty of Impel Down.
He was still in pain. He was still scared for his family. He was still so, so cold.
But stupid gramps had gone and given him a ray of hope in hell.
Everyone was calling it a ‘miracle’.
Sengoku couldn’t really blame them; he was struggling to find another word to describe what had happened. Dead people coming back all over the world? Unprecedented. Incredible.
Sadly, for him, it only meant more work. Some countries, especially poor and war-torn ones, were reporting very high numbers of resurrected people, and it would fall on the government and by extension the navy, to try and distribute resources to them to make sure they didn’t immediately die again.
It would be a mammoth task, right when they were otherwise busy, and that was just the regular civilians.
The government had a habit of killing people that were inconvenient or knew too much, and while Sengoku didn’t always like that approach, it was at least effective.
Or it had been. Now there was a possibility all these people were back. In fact, at least a few of them were almost certainly back just by law of probability. He’d already ordered a ship to investigate Ohara, as well as multiple other places. He’d still have to look through a lot of old reports later to make sure they didn’t forget a single one.
It would be a mess, and yet it wasn’t even the worst part of this whole situation.
Just a few minutes ago, the base in Logue Town had contacted HQ. It was just a report from a seriously injured marine who could barely speak, but according to him, Gol D. Roger himself had appeared on the very platform they’d executed him on 22 years ago, alive and chipper, and terrifyingly strong as he’d always been.
If that was true, they were in deep trouble.
Could they even go through with the execution? What was the point of eradicating Roger’s legacy if they had Roger himself to deal with? And since Firefist had gone and joined Whitebeard, would his execution lead to the worst case scenario of an alliance between Roger and Whitebeard?
They couldn’t risk that. They needed to be smarter about this.
If they played their cards right, maybe they could get Roger and Whitebeard to fight. If they offered to release Firefist if Whitebeard turned Roger over to them in return, would he take it? Could they perhaps just pressure Roger himself to turn himself in again if they let his son live?
But they didn’t even know if he was truly back. Just one guy had seen him so far, and it wasn’t like Roger to just disappear quietly. Logue Town was still standing in its entirety. So perhaps whatever conditions this ‘miracle’ had – the Elder Stars seemed to know what had caused this mess but wouldn’t tell him, though he had a feeling even they didn’t know the exact conditions to be returned to life – just excluded Roger. Sengoku was certainly hoping for it.
He'd have to prepare for either possibility though, meaning even more work.
A knock on the door made him stop his incessant pacing and sit down at his desk again. He’d told everyone he didn’t want any interruptions after the news from Logue Town unless it was really important, so he prepared himself for the worst when he called for the person to come in.
An intelligence officer with a den-den mushi in hand entered. “I’m really sorry to interrupt, sir, but someone has been calling every den-den mushi in HQ using outdated marine code and demanding to speak to you. He claims his code name is Corazon.”
All rational thoughts were instantly deleted from Sengoku’s brain. “Give me that den-den mushi and then get out of here immediately,” he demanded. Could it really be…? His hands were shaking as he took the snail. “Rice,” he spoke into the transponder the moment the intelligence officer shut the door behind him.
“Cakes,” the snail replied, morphing into a familiar face and imitating a familiar voice.
Hope was starting to rise in Sengoku’s chest. “Is it really you, Rocinante?”
“Hey dad,” came the answer from the smiling den-den mushi, “I’m still on Minion Island, but it’s been quite some time, eh? Sorry about all the trouble I caused.”
Sengoku swallowed as tears started to cloud his eyes. “Forget about that, just come home, okay?” Technically there should probably be an investigation into what Rocinante had done on his last mission before they let him return, but Sengoku was absolutely willing to brush all of that under the rug in order to see his son again. He’d bet nobody would notice in all the current chaos, anyway.
“I was planning on it. But before that, I’d like to go to Flevance. There’s still a wall around it, but if any people there were revived, they’ll be cured of the illness they died from. But the neighbouring countries might still be afraid of them, so it would probably be best to relocate them somewhere else where they can start a new life.”
Right. Flevance was one of the government’s greatest failings, and it was much more prominently on Rocinante’s mind than it had been on Sengoku’s own. It would be worth it to see if they could make up some of that guilt. “I can send you a ship. An unmarked one, if you think the survivors might not trust you otherwise. It’s probably better if you take your time coming here anyway. Your brother is supposed to be here soon, and we don’t need him to see you.”
“Couldn’t get rid of him, huh?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I’m sure. I missed a lot. But you can tell me when I’m home. It’ll be safer that way. And I imagine you’re busy right now, Fleet Admiral.” The snail followed this up with a hissing sound and some flailing, which let Sengoku know his clumsy son had set himself on fire again.
For once, he decided to say nothing to that. “That’s quite the understatement. But I promise to make some time for you whenever you return.”
Honestly, once all this had blown over, he might just retire. He was getting too old for all this stress.
“Thanks. Then I’ll see you, dad.”
“Yeah. See you, son.”
As he hung up the transponder and the snail went to sleep, Sengoku could feel the first tears slipping from his eyes.
Work aside, whatever happened was a goddamn miracle, no doubt about it.
Notes:
hope you liked the chapter! things are slowly starting to move~
Chapter 4
Summary:
The world is expecting a war to happen even as they celebrate the miracle, and people start moving all over the world.
Notes:
I hope y'all enjoy this new chapter!
I keep rereading flashbacks for this fic and damn I love one piece but also wow it's complicated as hell lmao
Chapter Text
A week after the fact, it was slowly starting to settle in that this miracle was actually reality, and all the dead people would really stick around. They’d gotten a second chance.
Marco wished he had the time to be happy about it, but he really didn’t. So far, there had been no mention of Ace’ execution even being delayed. Their network let them know the marines were struggling to pull their forces together at Marineford, so it wasn’t unlikely they’d announce a delay eventually, but for now, Marco had to assume they were still planning on killing Ace on schedule.
They absolutely needed to prevent that. No way would they get a second miracle. If they lost Ace now, he’d be staying dead for sure.
According to the World Economic Times, there had already been tests. People killed now didn’t return, whether they’d been revived once or had never died before. The paper didn’t specify who’d tested it on whom, but Marco figured it were probably slaves or prisoners, both always readily available as test subjects for the World Government.
At least they, along with Morgans, were hard at work trying to figure out the conditions that let you be revived. Time was the one they figured out first. The closer your death was to the present, the more likely your revival. Most people were from the past 50 years or so, with the longest time between death and rebirth they’d found so far being 82 years.
Most people who’d died that long ago were staying dead, though. As was everyone who’d died of old age. And everyone over 80 in general. This miracle was apparently only for those who’d lost their life too early.
It was a second chance, plenty of the revived claimed, to spend with their loved ones.
That was the unifying first thought almost all of them had, and the paper speculated that might be one of the conditions as well. You had to have a loved one still alive, someone who wanted you back.
It was why Flevance was almost entirely empty despite the miracle. Ohara reportedly had no returnees, but Marco took the report with a grain of salt. Nico Robin was still alive, so it was likely there were at least a few, but the government hadn’t been fast enough to apprehend them. Marco assumed the CP were hard at work trying to locate them.
Good. Every ounce of government focus and manpower anywhere else was a win for them. They needed every little advantage they could get.
In general, the preparations were going well, most of their allies willing to follow Pops without question. A few were hesitating a little, though Marco couldn’t blame them. Squard especially, who’d gotten his entire dead crew back, didn’t love the idea of risking their lives again immediately, even if he wanted to help save Ace.
They’d figure that out, though. The marines might not be able to fight with all their forces, either. It would be fine. Marco would make sure of it. He wouldn’t lose Ace.
The door to the communication room opened without a warning, and Izou stepped in.
So he was back. The slightly smudged make-up told Marco he’d already gone to see Thatch, so he didn’t ask about that. “How’d it go?”
“Pretty good. Andre and Whitey Bay both agreed to help us out. They’ll meet up with us as soon as possible, and take different routes so they can confuse the marines and destroy as many scouting ships on the way as possible.”
“That’s good to hear.” Marco immediately pulled out their list of allies and noted down what those two were currently doing. Hopefully they would make it on time.
He could hear Izou sigh. “With those good news, don’t you think it’s time you took a break? When was the last time you showered? Or shaved?” Marco didn’t answer. There was no point in outright lying and no point in telling the truth when Izou had already decided the answer was ‘too long ago’. “What about sleep? Have you even eaten anything?”
“Of course I’ve eaten. Thatch is back, remember? I had three meals a day, every day.” Not only had Thatch been obstinate about feeding him, crucially, you could work while eating. Couldn’t really do that while showering or sleeping, and Marco had no time to waste.
“Well, I’m back, too, which means you’re going to shower, shave and sleep, too. If you wanna go to war for your boyfriend, fine, but you should be rested enough to make it through that war alive, and also in a state that won’t make said boyfriend break up with you on the spot with how gross you look and smell.”
Marco could argue this. Ace had grown up in a jungle, he wouldn’t care. Not to mention Marco would probably smell like sweat and blood and gunpowder by the time they got to Ace regardless of how much he showered beforehand. Also Ace would probably be smelling even worse after being imprisoned for weeks. But he knew when an endeavour was pointless, so he wisely didn’t try.
“And you?” he asked instead.
“Me?”
“Are you going to war, too?”
Izou gasped in offense. “Why wouldn’t I?” He sounded actually a little upset Marco had even posed the question.
But this wasn’t about whether Izou cared about Ace or not, or if he was willing to lay his life on the line to follow Pops. Marco wouldn’t have asked about these things, he knew the answer to them. “You don’t want to go to Wano?” Understanding dawned on Izou’s face as Marco shook the newspaper at him. “If these conditions are really everything that’s necessary, Oden has returned to life a week ago. If he sees Wano in its current state, what’s stopping him from fighting Kaidou again? All on his own?”
Of course, they had received absolutely no news from Wano, as per usual, but the possibility was definitely there. If they hadn’t been so occupied saving their current 2nd division commander from certain death, Marco would’ve already gone to Pops to argue they needed to at least check on their previous one to make sure he didn’t immediately get himself killed again.
Izou bit his lip. “We don’t know for sure if Lord Oden is back. And even if he is, he’s strong. At least Kawamatsu and Ashura Doji are still alive and on Wano, as well. Ace is the one who’s definitely in danger.”
It sounded more like Izou was trying to convince himself than anything else. He was obviously torn. “Why don’t we try to contact Inuarashi and Nekomamushi? They’re not the most subtle, but we could still ask them to go to Wano and gather some information. Let Oden know what happened outside of Wano while he was dead if they do find him.”
“I think that’s a really good idea, actually. Why don’t I go and do that, and you go get some sleep?” Izou smiled, and Marco gave up on trying to distract him.
“Alright, alright, you win. I’ll go to bed.” It was evening, anyway, and there would be significantly less to do during the night. Still, Marco planned on getting up early tomorrow to keep things going.
He couldn’t waste too much time. Ace was suffering every second right now. There was no way Marco could just relax and be happy while his boyfriend was in hell.
Night was falling when Rouge finally spotted a marine ship. Her wings were hurting from flying all week with few breaks. With Baterilla already being somewhat close to the Red Line, crossing it hadn’t been all that difficult, but the Calm Belt was a bigger issue.
Why? Just fly over it! Those sea kings won’t even notice you! That was what an idiot would say. The sea kings weren’t the problem. The problem was the lack of wind. Without wind, it was almost impossible to fly, and certainly not over such a long distance. She’d run out of energy first even if she managed to keep herself in the air somehow.
But thankfully, the marines now had ships that could cross over, and specific routes they followed, meaning it was only a matter of time until Rouge managed to locate one of them crossing it in the right direction.
Landing on the mast, she allowed herself a few minutes of rest. With night falling, it was tempting to just sleep through the night, but it wasn’t time for that just yet. She needed to see if anyone had any worthwhile intel on this ship. Soon she’d be in the New World, but it would be no easy task to find Whitebeard on her own. If the marines were still following him or at least had a good guess, perfect. If not, maybe they at least knew some spots she could check out where he was likely to currently hide.
First, she stashed her belongings away in a random barrel while nobody was looking, then she tried to locate the cabin of the commanding officer of the ship. Sadly, it seemed like he was still awake and sitting at his desk when Rouge peeked through the porthole, so she’d have to put that off a little longer. Making her way back to the main deck, she figured it might be a good idea to listen to the night watch gossip.
The first guy she found was just complaining about dinner having been his least favourite food. The next guy was talking about how creepy it still felt to cross the Calm Belt, especially at night. Even as the sea stretched out endlessly in all directions in monotone darkness with no movement in sight, the sea kings were still lurking beneath the surface. Rouge could feel their presence, mighty and old, strong enough and ready to crush this warship with their fangs if they did notice it.
Better not think about that too much. This was by far the safest way to cross. Accidents happened, but rarely.
Rouge moved on to the next pair of guards, and finally there was a worthwhile conversation.
“-believe they fucked up so badly,” was the first snippet she heard. “I mean, they talk big about being gods and all that and then they let something like this happen. Literally nobody on earth hasn’t heard about it by now.”
“I’m not complaining about it. Getting Millie back is definitely the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“No, no, this is great, even if it means a bunch of work for us, but who knows how that fruit really works? If you can bring back the dead, what else can you do? If the government loses control of it and the wrong person gets their hands on it, it could be the end of the world! You really think those Celestial Dragons already have it back like they say they do? I bet they’re lying.”
“Hey, shhh! Not so loud! What if the wrong person listens?”
“We’re in the Calm Belt, man. Danny thinks the same thing, and who else could possibly listen right now? That seagull over there?”
Both marines had a good laugh at the suggestion as Rouge squawked at them.
She loved her devil fruit so much. Nobody ever suspected the seagulls for anything other than maybe stealing some food. They were ubiquitous, part of the environment basically everywhere you went, the constant companion of any sailor.
Other than maybe the suke-suke no mi, no other fruit was better for gathering intel. And that one didn’t let you fly, so Rouge had no desire to seek it out. It had been a roll of the dice the first time she ate the fruit, but Rouge had always been a lucky girl. Eating it to find out what it was had definitely been the right choice.
Still, she didn’t push her luck, and decided not to follow the two night guards.
Maybe it was time to sneak inside. Find some info nobody expected a seagull to look for. And also the kitchen. That was a little risky, cooks often had very little patience for thievery – she couldn’t count how many of them had tried to cook her – but if a bunch of people were in there, maybe she could steal a marine uniform in the meantime and get her meal that way.
Either way, she wouldn’t go hungry tonight, even if her provisions were basically empty by now. She just had to be careful not to fall asleep in her food and draw attention to herself that way. Would be stupid if she got caught because of it.
Sadly, that was a real possibility. It wouldn’t be the first time.
The sun was slowly rising above the horizon, painting the sky a beautiful mix of red and orange.
“I’m bored.”
“I know.”
“Nothing’s biting. I don’t like fishing I decided.”
“You’re the one who’s eating all the food. You fish.”
“I want sea king meat… Why are there no sea kings around?”
Crocus was about to go insane. Why had he agreed again to accompany Roger? He felt like a babysitter. He didn’t remember Roger being so annoying.
Though, to be fair, this was admittedly much more monotonous than any journey they ever had before. Usually, they’d sailed around on a huge ship full of people, looking for adventure on any island they could find, and picking fights if they crossed anyone out at sea who was up for it.
But now they were stuck on a small boat with basically no privacy, and they were avoiding anyone and anything. They didn’t have the time to wait for the log pose to set on multiple islands, if they sailed through the Grand Line like that, the war would be over by the time they arrived at Marineford.
Crocus wasn’t in possession of an eternal pose to Marineford or Impel Down, but he did have one for Water 7, which was somewhat close, so for now, that was where they were heading. Even then, they were short on time. The marines just had to try and execute Roger’s son literally on the other side of the world from where he was executed.
If the weather was against them, they might just end up too late. It was no wonder Roger was getting antsy. He’d never been good at hiding his worry. If there were anyone he could punch right now, he’d be unstoppable, but all he could do was stare at the sea and hope the wind carried them fast enough.
Roger let himself fall over backwards, fishing rod laying uselessly at his side. “You said Iceburg probably has an eternal pose to Impel Down or Marineford, right? What do we do if he doesn’t?”
Crocus raised his eyebrows. “You’re thinking about a backup plan? You?” Usually, they’d been lucky if Roger even had one plan, let alone two.
“Well, Rayleigh isn’t here to do it for me.” Fair. Rayleigh probably would’ve come up with multiple better plans than what either of them could produce, so it was no wonder Roger had come to rely on him to do it. “And this second chance is something special. I can’t waste it. Maybe I have to be better this time.”
“You could start by learning some patience. The weather isn’t up to you.” Crocus sighed. “If there’s no eternal pose, we could always take the sea train to Enies Lobby. It’s risky since someone could notice, but Enies Lobby is practically empty these days since a rookie recently destroyed it. They’ll probably rebuild it but right now they have more important stuff to do. Meaning as long as we get through the Gates of Justice somehow, we could reach either Impel Down or Marineford from there.”
“Tom finished his sea train?! That’s so cool! I definitely wanna ride on it!”
“I just said it’s risky! We decided on stealth, remember?” True stealth would probably be impossible, but they needed to keep Roger hidden for as long as possible. The marines were expecting Whitebeard, but they had no idea if Roger would come. If they had the Oro Jackson and their former crew, they could just roll up to Marineford, but it was just the two of them in a grocery boat that was already heavily protesting the Grand Line storms it was weathering.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.” Crocus wasn’t so sure about that. “Oh look, it’s the News Coo!”
Roger jumped up excitedly, waving the bird over. Really, even after all these years, Crocus had no idea how they always found boats out in the open.
It was their one source of news though, so he paid for it while Roger ripped the paper right out of the bird’s bag. “They’re delaying the execution,” he announced before Crocus even had the time to count the change properly.
Curious, Crocus skimmed over the article as well, and indeed, the marines were pushing the execution back by a week. “We should manage, then. You can stop being so restless.”
“Nah, let’s still be there on the day they originally were gonna do it.”
“…Do you think they’re lying?”
“No idea, but Ed would figure it out if they are, so I don’t know what the point would be. But it’s better to just get Ace out of Impel Down before they’re expecting it, right?”
Would that be better? Crocus honestly didn’t know. If something went wrong, they’d have time, but they’d also be on their own… “And? How do you plan to get into Impel Down? It’s the best guarded prison in the whole world.”
Roger just laughed. “Bust the door open, of course!”
Why had Crocus expected anything else?
“My deepest apologies, Queen Otohime.” Jinbei bowed his head, both out of respect and because he didn’t want to look her in the eyes for this. “I know my position as a Warlord is important to the entire island. I know it’s securing the peaceful lives of the former slaves. I am truly sorry for acting so selfishly, but I simply cannot accept this.”
The throne room of the Ryugu Palace was oddly quiet as Jinbei’s voice reverberated through it. The entirety of Fishman Island had been celebrating during the past week, ecstatic about the return of their queen.
Jinbei himself had rushed home to see if the queen truly was back, only to find his brother by choice there as well. Just as the celebrations had started to die down, Fisher Tiger had made it home from where he was revived, and now the party was in full swing again.
He didn’t like to be the bearer of bad news in such joyful times, but this matter couldn’t wait. “I hold great respect for Whitebeard, and Ace is a dear friend of mine, I can’t fight a war against them. But I’ll go talk to the World Government, to make sure they’re aware this is my personal decision, rather than a sign of Fishman Island not wanting to cooperate with them. I can’t guarantee they’ll understand, but I’ll try to make them put the consequences on me, and not fishmen in general.”
Even averting his eyes, Jinbei could feel the sad gaze of Queen Otohime on him. “I understand. I know it’s not an easy choice for you to make. I wish I could help you somehow…” The sorrow in her voice was almost unbearable.
Next to her, King Neptune sighed. “Do not blame yourself, Jinbei. This island and all fishmen owe Whitebeard a great debt. Even if our end goal is to achieve peace and understanding with humanity, turning our backs on those humans who have shown us kindness cannot be the correct way. We can’t abandon our honour because of a conflict among humans.”
“Thank you for allowing my selfish wish, your majesty.”
When Jinbei turned from Neptune to Otohime, she was still looking at him with those deeply sad eyes. “I don’t like that you’ll have to bear the consequences by yourself. Is there nothing we can do to help?”
Such kindness. Jinbei had never forgotten how Otohime always considered everyone’s feelings even when they were hindering her goal, he’d tried to emulate her, even, but it was still incredible to experience it first-hand. His memory paled in comparison to reality.
He shook his head in response. “I’ll be fine.” Then, after a moment of consideration, he continued. “I do have a favour to ask of you. Could you please not tell brother Tiger about any of this? He’s only just returned. I’d like it if he could just be happy for a while.”
They exchanged a look. “We’ll honour your wish,” King Neptune replied, “but he will find out eventually if you don’t return.”
“Then I will simply have to return.”
Jinbei bowed again and took his leave.
Despite his words, he wasn’t quite sure if he’d be able to just come back. Of course he wanted to, he wanted to use this miracle to spend time with his brother after so much had been robbed from them. He wanted to see Queen Otohime achieve her dream. He wanted to show Tiger all the progress they’d made.
But after having spent so many years sailing the surface, he knew this couldn’t be avoided. There would be a new era soon, and while he hoped it would be a more peaceful one, eras never changed smoothly without conflict.
One way or another, there would be war.
Jinbei traced the familiar hallways of the Ryugu Palace to lead him back to the celebrations, but he spotted someone lurking in the shadows right outside.
A few steps later he identified the figure. He couldn’t help the fond smile spreading on his lips.
“The party is for you, you know? No need to stand outside all by yourself. Though I guess at this point, most guests will be too drunk to notice your absence…”
“Like you didn’t sneak off, as well.” Tiger offered him a wry smile. “I’m honoured, really, but I feel this is… a bit much, maybe. I’m not the hero everyone thinks I am. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do now. I don’t want to get in the Queen’s way again.” He took a swig from the sake bottle in his hand.
“You’re still officially dead. If you want, you can just live a peaceful life here. Nobody from the surface will find you. And if that gets boring, the Sun Pirates are still sailing the seas. We’ll always welcome you back.”
“I saw Macro earlier. He wouldn’t even look me in the eyes.”
Understandable, he probably wasn’t proud of what he’d done in the time since Tiger’s death. “But he still came to see you.” That shouldn’t be underestimated. Jinbei hadn’t been able to keep their mismatched crew together, but everyone would come running for Tiger. Well, everyone who could. “Arlong is in prison,” Jinbei provided without being asked. “He spent some years living on the surface, all the way out in East Blue. He was terrorizing the villagers and paid off the navy to make sure none of us would hear about it. Only recently a rookie pirate defeated him and laid open all of his crimes.”
There was still a part of Jinbei that didn’t like the idea of his little brother’s freedom being taken away, but he knew it was better this way. Arlong had done enough harm already.
No child on the island he’d abused would grow up without hating fishmen.
Jinbei couldn’t blame them for it.
“I see.” Tiger took another swig from his bottle, and for a moment, silence fell over them. “Do you know what happened to Koala?”
The question was oddly quiet, almost as if Tiger wasn’t even sure if he wanted to ask, or perhaps know the answer.
“She left her home island a few years back. Nobody really knows where she went. But she left out of her own volition, she wasn’t captured again or anything like that.”
Jinbei had made sure she was included in the pardon the Sun Pirates had received in exchange for his Warlord position. Just in case the Celestial Dragons decided their earlier deal wasn’t worth being kept. Maybe Koala hadn’t really been a member, but she’d travelled with them. For a short while, she’d been one of them.
And while he had no idea how Tiger would see it now that he was back alive, Jinbei had always considered Koala’s life as the last thing Tiger had protected. Therefore he’d protected her in his honour.
Another swig from the bottle, another silence. “Well, as long as she’s free, that’s good enough, I guess.” He slung an arm over Jinbei’s shoulder, pressing the bottle into his hand.
“Let’s have a drink to freedom, old friend.”
Chapter 5
Summary:
Roger and Rouge each make it to the first important stop on their journeys to Ace.
Notes:
thanks for all the support again last chapter, and I hope you enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
With an uncharacteristic sigh, Garp put down the receiver of the transponder snail.
Kill me.
Nothing, huh? Dadan and the bandits, along with Makino, had searched the entirety of Goa. The port, every boat they could find, High Town, Grey Terminal, all of the boys’ usual spots in the jungle. They’d found nothing. Not a single trace of Sabo. Nobody had even seen him.
It didn’t make sense. Why wouldn’t he return? Maybe Garp hadn’t known him well enough to count as someone who missed him for the miracle, maybe his biological parents didn’t care, but Ace and Luffy definitely did. Sabo should be back.
But it was hard to tell where to even look. Everyone returned right where they died, which included boats as places, but the ship Sabo had died on didn’t exist anymore, it had burned and then sunk with him.
Could it be possible that he’d simply returned out at sea and hadn’t been able to make it back to shore?
That would be too cruel. Garp didn’t believe it.
He had to find something. Anything.
Kill me.
Ace’ execution was getting closer and closer with every passing day, and Garp needed to do something. He wanted to go punch someone. Maybe some unsuspecting pirates trying to make use of the general chaos around the world. Maybe the guards at Impel Down who were hurting his grandson and keeping him locked up. Even Garp himself wasn’t sure which one sounded better right now.
Sadly, Sengoku knew him too well. His old friend was well aware Garp had a tendency to do stupid things without really thinking them through, especially when someone he cared about was in danger. Of course he knew, more than once, it had been Sengoku himself who’d triggered that response. Garp knew he meant well. But damn it, being confined to desk duty sucked.
Kill me.
Garp would get restless doing paperwork on a normal day, but now it was hell.
He couldn’t get Ace’ words out of his head. The desperation in his eyes as he begged for death.
Garp knew his parenting methods weren’t exactly conventional. None of his boys had been shy about yelling at him for it. But now, for the first time, he was starting to get the feeling he’d failed.
Now, any upstanding marine would’ve said he’d failed the moment Dragon started his revolution, and even more when Ace and Luffy set sail to raise a Jolly Roger. But at least they’d all grown up strong, and followed the paths they believed in. As long as they didn’t regret their choices, it wasn’t up to Garp to stop them.
In order to live as you want in this world, you need to be strong.
That, at least, Garp had taught his boys. They didn’t choose the path he wanted for them, but they were still supposed to be happy.
Kill me.
They weren’t supposed to want to die.
But what the hell was Garp supposed to do about it? He couldn’t just punch these thoughts out of Ace. He couldn’t stop the war, either. Couldn’t even go and free Ace. Good old Senny would notice and stop him before he’d even made it halfway to Impel Down.
In the end, Garp was helpless. Ace had chosen his path, and now he was facing the consequences. Piracy was a crime punishable by death. Even if that wouldn’t be what he’d be executed for. Those stupid Five Elder Stars had always been dead set on killing him, and all Garp had managed was delay it by 20 years.
At this point, Ace would probably need a miracle.
They’d just had one, of course, but even now, despite the report of some soldier with a broken face, all islands around Logue Town and towards the beginning of the Grand Line were still standing. Even Sengoku was getting antsy with the lack of news. Of course he had plans for if Roger did show up for the war, but it would be nice to know if he was on his way or still well and truly dead.
Take care of my kid for me, will ya?
“Do it yourself,” Garp grumbled into the empty room.
Though, given Garp’s track record and Ace’ feelings towards Roger, realistically, they should probably just leave it to Newgate. At least he would definitely show up and do everything he could to keep Ace alive.
The winds had carried them over the waves faster than even Roger had expected. Almost as if the weather itself wanted him to get to his destination.
But the sea was cruel, and it switched moods rapidly. Especially on the Grand Line. It was part of the adventure, that way it never got boring. A good storm always kept the crew on their toes when they were about to get complacent. Roger never really minded.
However, right now, as another wave crashed over their tiny boat, Roger was sorely missing the Oro Jackson. Such a beautiful ship, fast and sturdy, perfect for sailing all around the world.
This nameless boat was not built for the Grand Line, not really.
She was trying her best, Roger could tell, but her sails were starting to rip, and her mast was making some very concerning noises. It held, for now, but there was no telling how long it would stay that way.
Just a little longer. They were close, he could feel it.
“I see lights up ahead,” Roger yelled over the howling storm, “it’s Water 7!”
Another wave, and Roger imbued the mast with armament haki to ensure it wouldn’t be cracked in half.
Crocus was still struggling to hold the rudder, but they were making steady progress towards the city of water.
Until a strong gust hit the ship from behind, accelerating it more than either of them had expected. They hit something – probably rocks, but it was impossible to know – with way too much force, and both men where catapulted into the sea as their boat keeled over.
Beneath the waves, it was quiet, but no less tumultuous. Forcing his eyes open in the salty water, Roger could see the poor boat sink, a giant hole gaping open in her hull.
She was lost to the sea, no doubt about it. But she’d bravely carried them to where they needed to be, so it wasn’t in vain.
Crocus was thankfully better off, already swimming back up towards the surface.
For a moment, Roger just let himself float in the swirling currents. The sea was unpredictable, but it wasn’t impossible to understand. If Roger just listened to it, he could hear its voice.
The sea itself didn’t listen to anyone, wouldn’t calm down no matter who told it to. But beneath its rage, there was a whisper of safe passage. A way out. You just had to find the right current.
Ah. There it was.
Roger resurfaced as well, a confident grin on his face as he started swimming. He could hear Crocus curse behind him, but he was following Roger without question even as he didn’t head straight toward the island.
20 minutes later, Roger heaved himself out of the water and onto the docks of Water 7. Totally drenched and a little exhausted, but otherwise perfectly fine. He helped Crocus up, too, who was wheezing quite a bit.
“Getting old, huh?”
“Shut the fuck up, not everyone got to skip 22 years. You owe me a boat, now.”
“What? How is this my fault? It was an accident during a storm, and you were the one steering!”
“I wouldn’t have ever sailed here if it wasn’t for you. It’s your son we’re saving, remember?”
“Okay, but I don’t have any money. I left a bunch on Laugh Tale, a bunch with Rouge, and some is still on the Oro Jackson. One we obviously can’t get to, the other was probably spent years ago, and I don’t know where the last is. So…”
“You’re a pirate! Just steal some!”
“You’re a pirate, too! Steal it yourself!”
Roger heard Crocus sigh even over the howling wind.
“Whatever. Let’s count ourselves lucky that nobody is out and about because of the storm, and let’s get to Iceburg. It’s not like there’s a shortage of ships on this island. We can just borrow one.”
“But I want to take the sea train!”
The hit to his head was totally unjustified. The sea train sounded so cool, and it had been Tom’s dream. That alone made it worth witnessing. It had taken so long to build that Roger had died before getting to see it.
But in this lifetime, he’d definitely ride on it.
T-Rex was squeaking nervously, trying to hide himself in Iceburg’s pocket. He couldn’t blame the little mouse, a storm like that was already worrying to humans, it must be ten times worse for such a small creature that didn’t really understand what was going on.
All he could do was pet T-Rex to reassure him everything would be fine. It was just a regular storm, no Aqua Laguna, it would pass soon.
By tomorrow, the sun would hopefully shine again, and the shipwrights of the Galley-La company could take up their work again. In this storm, Iceburg had sent them all home. So shortly after the worldwide miracle, they didn’t need to risk unnecessary work accidents. Safety before punctuality.
Just as T-Rex finally calmed down a little and snuggled into Iceburg’s hand, a loud knock on the door startled both of them.
Before Iceburg could react in any way, the door was slammed open to reveal Paulie. “Mr. Iceburg, I’ve caught two very sketchy individuals! I don’t know if they’re from the government again, but they were trying to sneak into your house, I bet they were up to no good!”
Iceburg couldn’t see the two people Paulie was talking about, but he heard an offended gasp. Paulie had a rope in one hand, so Iceburg would guess the two intruders were attached to that. Hopefully they weren’t from the government, or they might get in trouble for treating them this way.
“Excuse me,” a voice thundered from behind the wall, “do I look like I work for the government? Are you blind? We’re obviously pirates! I got a cool coat and everything!”
“Like a pirate trying to break into someone’s house is any better,” Paulie fired back, “I won’t let you hurt Mr. Iceburg, or steal anything from him, you scum!”
“I don’t need you to let me do anything! I do whatever I want. You really think these pathetic ropes could hold me?”
Another voice sighed as Paulie spluttered.
“These are grade A ropes from the Galley-La company! They hold through any storm! You can’t just rip through them!”
That bold claim was directly followed by the sound of ropes being torn, and Iceburg tensed as Paulie stumbled backwards into his room. He hadn’t been wrong; those were good ropes. No regular person should be able to just tear them with just their muscle strength.
After that whole exchange, Iceburg really didn’t know who he’d expected to come into his office on this stormy afternoon, but it certainly hadn’t been the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger himself.
Roger strode into the room, towering over them as he dripped rain water all over the carpet. His hair was sticking to his face, but his moustache was somehow still holding itself up, as if it was given the energy to do so from the bright grin below it.
Paulie tried positioning himself in front of Iceburg, fists raised and more rope in hand, but Iceburg put a hand on his shoulder. “Calm down. I doubt they’re here to harm us. They may be pirates, but they’re old friends of my teacher.”
“Don’t worry, if we wanted to harm you, you wouldn’t be conscious anymore!” Roger laughed heartily, as if it was funny joke and not a thinly veiled threat. Maybe it really was just meant as a joke? “We’re just here to ask some questions and maybe favours, too.”
Finally, Crocus entered behind Roger, shrugging off Paulie’s ropes. “Sorry for the intrusion. We’re trying not to let anyone know this dunce is back among the living, so we couldn’t exactly tell the front desk our names and ask for an appointment. Sorry about your carpet, too. We shipwrecked a little away from the island so now we’re kind of stuck here with nothing except these wet clothes.”
“You don’t sound like you’re very good at being pirates,” Paulie commented, but he lowered his ropes. Then he turned to Iceburg, speaking more quietly. “Who are these people?”
“Oh, that’s the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and Crocus, his doctor and the lighthouse keeper of the Twin Capes.”
Within seconds, Paulie was hiding behind Iceburg. “Why didn’t you say that first? What if they’re mad at me now? They could totally obliterate me!”
Iceburg shrugged. “They won’t.” Thunder rumbled, and Iceburg took the time to pet T-Rex again. Then he turned to their guests. “So what can I do for you? Do you perhaps want some dry clothes?”
“That would be very appreciated,” Crocus answered, shivering slightly.
“But what we really want is a ship and an eternal pose to Impel Down!” Not a hint of shame or restraint in Roger’s voice as he asked for two very expensive items out of the blue, with no mention of having anything to offer in return.
It was nice to know he hadn’t changed at all since Iceburg had last seen him.
“Why don’t you go bring them something dry to wear, Paulie?”
Iceburg waited until Paulie closed the door behind him before he answered. “I am in possession of both of the things you ask for. Though I do have to admit I’m curious as to why you need them, or what I’d get out of giving them to you. You’re friends of Tom, but I’m not him. I’m the mayor of Water 7, and head of Galley-La. I can’t just go hand out freebies to pirates.” The government was already not happy about his involvement in hiding the Pluton blueprints, and Tom had paid with his life for his relation to Roger. Iceburg had no intention of following in his master’s footsteps in that regard.
“We’re going to save my son,” Roger announced, “and according to what Crocus told me, Tom should be there, too, so we’ll bring him back with us while we’re there.”
He said it like it was easy. As if he could just go to arguably the worst place on earth and bring back a long-dead father who may or may not be alive again – and a son, which was news to Iceburg. As if success was certain. He didn’t even seem to doubt Iceburg would provide him with what he needed to get there now that he’d made his proposal.
It was honestly kind of laughable. Yes, with a ship and an eternal pose, they could probably get to Impel Down. And then? Iceburg had thought about it, too, the moment he’d realized everyone was coming back to life and Tom might be in that hellish prison. But Impel Down was impenetrable. Made of sea stone, guarded more tightly than any other place on earth, easily reachable from Marine HQ – nobody had ever successfully infiltrated it and left alive.
It would be insane to even try.
Iceburg only had the one eternal pose, and it had been incredibly pricy.
He’d been a teenager the last time he’d seen either of these men.
And yet, somehow, as Roger grinned at him expectantly, Iceburg wanted to trust him.
If anyone could do it, it would be him.
She’d been lucky. So damn lucky, it was insane. This really shouldn’t have worked as well as it did.
But here she was.
Rouge had jumped on the first scouting ship looking for Whitebeard and his fleet, and while they didn’t find him, they found a ship belonging to someone named “Thunder Lord” McGuy. That guy had promptly sunk the navy scouting vessel with some lightning, but that wasn’t Rouge’s problem.
She could just follow McGuy’s ship, and boom. He’d led her straight to the Moby Dick, along with a whole fleet of pirate ships.
Rouge circled above the scene a few times. It was truly an incredible view, dozens of unique ships sailing together as the setting sun dyed the sky orange.
And all of them had come together to save Ace.
Honestly, just seeing this took a huge burden off her heart. Rouge hadn’t been able to meet Ace, couldn’t raise him or teach him anything. Roger couldn’t, either. But despite that, Ace was still loved.
That was really all she could’ve ever hoped for 20 years ago.
Deciding that being sneaky would for once be more of a hindrance than a help, she swooped down, landing on the deck of the Moby Dick and transforming back into her human form right in front of two men who were busying themselves with cleaning swords.
Perhaps not the safest place to land, as she immediately had two swords pointed at her.
Well, Rouge could still work with this. She smiled and raised her hands. “Sorry to startle you, but I’m not an enemy. I’m here to help, actually.”
The men looked at each other, clearly unsure of how to proceed. “Uhhhhh…” One of them turned around, scanning the crowd. “Commander! Commander Vista! Some lady just fell out of the sky and says she wants to help!”
A tall man with an impressive moustache made his way over to them after that, so Rouge assumed this was Vista. A commander. There were two swords at his hip, but he didn’t make the effort to draw them. Either he felt safe because he was home, surrounded by his crew, or he was confident enough in his own strength that he didn’t feel the need to be overly cautious.
Being a commander, he was probably strong. And famous. Rouge had never heard of him, though. She’d missed 20 years, after all. There was little she could do to gather all the info of what happened in that time, especially since she’d spent most of her time since she’d been revived airborne.
It made her feel out of her element, to be directly talking to people stronger than her with almost zero prior knowledge, but she smiled through the insecurity. “I apologize for just showing up out of the blue, commander Vista, but if at all possible, I’d like to talk to your captain. I meant it when I said I want to help.”
Vista mustered her for a moment. “You fell out of the sky?”
“I landed,” Rouge clarified. “My devil fruit lets me fly. It’s a model of the tori-tori no mi.” Giving out information that wasn’t 100% necessary always made you seem trustworthy, like you had nothing to hide.
After another moment passed, Vista shrugged. “Well, I don’t see the harm in letting you talk to Pops. Follow me.”
As Rouge did as she was told, she could hear the two guys talking behind her.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“Yup. She’s a total hottie.”
“Stop being horny all the time! I was thinking she looks a whole lot like Ace!”
“Well, Ace is a hottie, too… literally.” A beat of silence. “Ow!”
And that was all Rouge heard of that conversation. On one hand, it sent an excited shiver through her body. It wasn’t just her imagination! Ace really looked like her, and people who knew him recognized the similarities even when they didn’t know the connection between them. On the other hand, shit. Ace was 20. In theory a perfectly acceptable age for someone to find him hot, but in practice it felt like Rouge had held him in her arms maybe two weeks ago as a newborn. She really wasn’t sure how to feel about this.
“That’s a really nice sword you have there.”
Oh. Right. Vista. She didn’t have the time to space out. She needed to smile and look like she felt at ease. “I’m aware. You recognize it?”
Since it didn’t exactly fit in her backpack, Rouge had attached Ace – the sword – to her belt along with her own sword. Hers wasn’t ranked, but she’d lovingly dubbed it ‘Ann’. All good swords needed a name, after all. Still, she was pretty sure Vista wasn’t talking about Ann. Which was a shame, she could tell him plenty of stories of what she’d done with her sword.
“I do. And I have to say, I’m really curious how you got it. But more importantly, can you fight with it?”
Vista sounded really, really hopeful as he posed the last question. He was walking ahead of her through a corridor below deck, but his head was turned, and his eyes were sparkling.
Ah. So he didn’t just fight with swords, he was a true swordsman. Always looking for a challenge. Too bad Rouge couldn’t really live up to the sky-high expectations Roger’s sword on her belt had set.
“I like to think I’m pretty decent at swordplay, but this sword doesn’t belong to me, and I doubt I can live up to its fame. I’m just holding on to it for now.”
“I see.” Vista’s disappointment was almost tangible. “Oh well. Here we are.” He stopped in front of a large door, and raised his hand to knock on it. “Pops? We have a visitor.”
“Come in,” a rumbling voice called from inside, and Vista pushed the door open.
The room they entered was large, but it needed to be to fit the large man currently sitting at the large table with maps and other assorted documents spread all over it.
On the wanted posters Rouge had seen, there had been more hair and less medical equipment, but the crescent moustache was unmistakable even 20 years later. This was Edward Newgate. Whitebeard. The strongest man in the world.
He was looking at Rouge, but for once she couldn’t quite figure out what someone was thinking of her. “Vista, you said we had a visitor, but it looks like you brought a thief on board.”
…Eh? While ‘thief’ was probably the most accurate job description for her, she hadn’t expected Whitebeard to know about her profession. Or that it would be a problem.
But Whitebeard just smiled. “Is that not what you’re known for? I hear they never caught you, despite the riches you accumulated over the years. From what I know, even the Pirate King’s treasure wasn’t out of your grasp, Diamant Rouge.”
So, in other words, Roger had told him about her so that was how he knew who she was? He should know then why she was here, and if she interpreted the twinkle in his eyes right, he absolutely did and was just messing with her.
“Just because I’m a thief and could absolutely steal all your treasure doesn’t mean I’m here to do it.” Not waiting for a reaction from Whitebeard, Rouge turned to Vista, who was starting to look pretty confused. “I’m sorry, I realized I didn’t even introduce myself earlier. My name is Portgas D. Rouge, I’m Ace’ mother. The newspaper said you guys would start a war for him, so I figured if I want to save him, here’s the best place to start.”
“Can you fight?” There was concern in Whitebeard’s voice, but it was entirely unnecessary. She’d be fine.
“I’m no legend, but I can hold my own. Though I’m much better at gathering information and surveying the enemy than I am at direct combat.”
“So do you have any information on what your late husband is up to currently, if anything?”
Rouge shrugged. “A few rudimentary visits to marine ships told me some guy swears up and down he got punched in the face real hard by my darling, but otherwise, nobody’s heard of him or seen him anywhere and that’s weird and they don’t like it. I’ll agree it’s weird, but he probably just found someone who helps with keeping him out of trouble.”
To Rouge, this sounded amazing. Roger was most likely on his way, and if he had someone with him, he’d probably even make it on time! But Whitebeard rubbed his temples. “There’s no way that dumbass is going to look for us and agree on any sort of plan. We can’t even know where he’ll go exactly. How on earth is one supposed to plan a rescue with such a big unknown?”
Well. Fair. “If he went to Marineford, he could make a huge dramatic appearance which he’d love. But honestly, I don’t assume he even thought of that. Ace is in Impel Down right now, so that’s where he’ll go. I think.” It wasn’t like even Rouge could always understand the weird ways in which Roger’s mind worked. She just loved to see the outcome.
Whitebeard hummed thoughtfully. “You’re probably right. He’s not the type to wait for a date someone else has set, either. We should try to reach Impel Down as soon as possible to make sure. We’re close to the Red Line already, so it’s time to start coating the ships…” He trailed off, scribbling something down on the paper in front of him.
Silence fell over the room as for a few minutes, nobody really said anything. Whitebeard was clearly adjusting whatever plans he had, and Rouge was desperate to ask for details, but she’d be interrupting. Now probably wasn’t the time.
It was Vista who eventually spoke up. “Pops? It’s getting late, should I get Rouge dinner and a place to sleep? And you need to rest, too.”
“I’m fine. But yes, we should show hospitality to our guest.”
“I’ll sick the nurses on you if you don’t go to bed. You know they know no mercy.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Watch me.”
“Get out, you insolent brat!”
Vista left the room giggling, and Rouge followed after him. Through a maze of corridors, Vista first led her to the mess hall and kept her company through dinner. It was a wild affair, loud and rambunctious, but even to an outsider, it was obvious that everyone enjoyed each other’s presence.
The food was amazing, too. Rouge was very glad to know Ace had been eating well.
Once they were done with the food, Vista once again led her through a bunch of corridors, and at this point, Rouge had to admit she was lost. All navy vessels were built roughly the same, so they were easy to navigate, but this ship was huge with no apparent system to the floor plan.
“I’ve been wondering where you could sleep,” Vista started out of the blue, “the nurses have a few rooms they share, but they’re pretty packed and they switch shifts in the middle of the night so it’s not the greatest.” He stopped in front of a door that didn’t look different from any other door they’d passed to Rouge. “But here is fine, I think. These are the commanders’ bedrooms, so you’ll have some quiet and your own tiny bathroom. And if you need anything, my room’s across the hall and two doors down, but everyone else can help you out, too.”
It took a second for Rouge to catch the implication. “This is Ace’ room?”
“Yeah. He’s not here, so it’s empty. There’s not all that much in there anyway, so I doubt he’d mind.” Vista opened the door without waiting for any sort of agreement from Rouge, and since she was curious, she went inside with him.
At first glance, the room really did seem bare-bones, just as Vista had said. Just a bed, a desk with a chair, and a large box to store clothes and other personal items, that was it.
Vista turned on a lamp standing on the desk and then bid his goodbyes. Rouge thanked him, and then the door fell shut and she was alone.
She took a deep breath. This had gone well. She was at her destination, for now. She could save Ace from here.
Still, she was nervous in a way she hadn’t been before reaching this ship. Even just from the few interactions she’d had, it really hammered home that she didn’t know anything about Ace at all. Who were his best friends, how had he joined, how long had he been here, what did he do in his everyday life? Everyone on this ship knew these things except for her.
No. She shook her head. That was the wrong train of thought. She needed to think more positively. Ace had people who cared about him, and now Rouge had the chance to get to know them, and then Ace himself once they’d rescued him.
She could probably learn a few things about him before then, too. Looking around, now with the lights on, Rouge noticed the wall above Ace’ bed wasn’t empty.
There were two wanted posters there. One framed, the other hastily taped to the wall.
She stepped closer, only to see herself.
Oh.
That was her wanted poster. Carefully framed even as the picture was washed out and the paper was frayed at the edges. But you could still read the text. Wanted, dead or alive. Portgas D. Rouge, 5.5 million berries.
Tears started welling up in her eyes. It was such a little thing, but for the first time, she had some confirmation that Ace cared about her at all. That when she’d finally meet him, he wouldn’t just be uninterested and shrug her off for the family he already knew.
Maybe it wouldn’t be perfect. Maybe it would be awkward. Maybe it would take time before he could truly see her as a mother.
But now she had hope he might want to. That was really all she could ask for.
Wiping at her eyes, she turned to look at the other poster. It wasn’t Roger’s. It seemed much newer, explaining why it hadn’t been treated with the same care. A boy who looked too young to have his face printed on a wanted poster happily waved at her from the photo. The smile reminded her of Roger a little.
Monkey D. Luffy, 30 million berries.
The name told her Ace probably knew him through Garp, but that was about it. Just from the photo, he seemed like a good guy, though.
Once she finally met Ace, she’d ask about this boy. Clearly he meant something to Ace, so it would be a good conversation starter.
With that thought, Rouge went to sleep in Ace’ bed, dreaming of the moment she’d finally get to hold her son again.
Notes:
btw rouge's nickname is supposed to be french since her name is as well
(special thanks to my friends on discord who helped me figure that one out!!)
Chapter 6
Summary:
On their way to war, the Whitebeard Pirates get to know Rouge a little.
Notes:
this chapter is the first focused only in one place, but we'll get a few of those from now on, hope you still enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The sun was just rising above the horizon, turning the bubble coating on their fleet into an iridescent spectacle. Marco’s wings hurt from his long scouting mission, but the sight alleviated the pain a little. It was simply breath-taking. Counting the ships, Marco realized more had arrived since he’d left yesterday morning. Just about everyone was here now.
Still, it was weird that the coating was already being done. There was no hurry, was there? From what they could tell, the marines were serious about the delay. The global miracle was taking up time and resources, and they genuinely didn’t want to face Whitebeard without their full force assembled at Marineford.
Worry creeped up on Marco. Had something unexpected happened?
“That’s a really neat devil fruit you have there.”
Marco almost fell out of the sky.
It took a few forceful flaps of his wings and some frantic whirling around of his head until he located a seagull that was smirking at him in a way that seagulls usually wouldn’t.
“Uh,” he answered smartly, “you too?” Because that had to be it, right? Marco didn’t remember any of their allies having a seagull devil fruit, but what else could it be?
“Thank you.” Now that Marco was paying attention, the seagull definitely sounded like a woman. Very much not like a regular seagull that could somehow talk. “I’m sorry for startling you like that. Even if it was funny. Though, to be fair, I didn’t really expect meeting anyone up here either, certainly not a mythical zoan user.”
…Who was this? None of their allies should be surprised to see him, he came and went pretty often. And honestly, their enemies shouldn’t be surprised, either, Marco was well-known as the second-in-command for often travelling on his own.
“Mind if we land? I just got back from a pretty long mission.” Hopefully she’d just turn back when they got to the ship, and Marco could figure out if she was someone to worry about or not.
“Oh! Of course. Sorry, I didn’t mean to hold you up, long-distance flights can be exhausting, I know. Really wasn’t great getting here. I was just stretching my wings, anyway, since I woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep.”
They dove down to the Moby together, landing carefully so they wouldn’t slip on the bubble coating on the deck.
When Marco turned to look at the woman who had indeed transformed back into a human, his brain reeled to a halt. “You look just like,” he blurted out before he could stop himself, but his thoughts caught up to his words pretty quickly. She really did look exactly like the wanted poster in Ace’ room. “You are Ace’ mother.”
Marco knew very little about Ace’ mom. Ace could only tell him that she’d died giving birth to him, and Pops could only supply that she’d been a thief in South Blue. But she had carried Ace for 20 months, she had a D in her name, and she’d been crazy enough to marry Roger, so just showing up on the flagship of a famous pirate right after being resurrected didn’t feel like something she wouldn’t do.
“Right.” She beamed at him. “Portgas D. Rouge. It’s a pleasure to meet you, um…”
Of course, she’d been dead 20 years. Marco had been part of the crew already then, but he’d been barely known compared to other crewmembers like Oden. “Marco. I’m the first division commander and also-“ Ace’ boyfriend, he almost finished, but decided against it in the last second. “-the head of medical staff,” he tacked on instead. “Let me know if there’s anything you need in that regard.”
Shit. He was hopefully doing a good job of keeping his face impassive, but internally, his mind was racing.
He was talking to Ace’ mom. Out of the blue. She had no idea he was dating her son. Hell, Ace had never even talked to her before! While Marco absolutely had planned to do all the couple stuff with Ace eventually, meeting the parents had never been on the list. After all, Ace told him they were both dead before they even got together. Marco didn’t know his parents, either. They just had Pops, and that was that.
But now the dead were back, and Marco was entirely unprepared.
He knew that despite having never met her, Ace really cared about his mother. He’d be so nervous and excited to see and talk to her.
Maybe Marco shouldn’t tell her about their relationship. Leave it to Ace if he wanted her to know or not. After all, there was no way to know if she’d approve of it or not. Maybe she couldn’t really say anything about Marco being a pirate with a massive bounty considering his was still dwarfed by Roger’s, but he was still a guy twice Ace’ age. If she didn’t like that, it wouldn’t be the best way to start a healthy mother-son relationship.
He couldn’t risk ruining this for Ace.
After everything that happened and would still happen, Ace deserved some happiness with the mother he’d missed all his life.
“Actually… It’s not the most common condition and it’s not too severe so it’s fine if you have nothing, but do you have something against narcolepsy? I didn’t really have the time to stop by a pharmacy.”
That meant the narcolepsy was genetic. Interesting. “We do, in fact, have a surplus of narcolepsy medication because someone forgot to take his with him when he rushed off on his own.”
“Someone?”
“Ace.”
Understanding dawned on Rouge’s face. “Oh no, he got that from me. It does run in our family, I should’ve thought of that…”
“Ah, it’s not very severe with him, either. It just means he tends to fall asleep in his food a lot when he forgets to take his meds. Not that he really cares even if that does happen, he’ll just go right back to eating the moment he wakes up.”
Rouge clasped her hands together and raised them to her chest. “That’s adorable.”
Most people thought it was weird, and maybe a little disgusting. But Marco smiled when he remembered it. “I think so, too.” It was one of the many quirks that made his boyfriend so lovable.
Suddenly, Rouge was much closer to him without Marco even having noticed her move. The bright smile on her face reminded her of Ace whenever he was about to start a story about his little brother. “I think we’ll get along great,” she announced.
Well. At least it seemed Marco had made a good first impression…?
Deuce was about to fall asleep. Night shift was minutes away from being over, and they’d been barely doing anything anyway. They were stocked up and prepared for the fallout of the upcoming war as much as they could. The marines had lost their trail completely, so for now no more injuries from fighting their scouts.
Really all that was left to do was wait.
Today they’d apparently make the dive to Fishman Island to get to Paradise. And then maybe they’d have to wait for the execution to happen. Or maybe they’d head straight to Impel Down for a surprise attack.
Pops wanted to go for Marineford, but apparently there was some sort of condition that meant they’d have to go to Impel Down. Pops had been tight-lipped about it to the regular crewmembers, but Deuce had a guess.
After all, if someone disregarded all of their and the marines’ plans and just attacked Impel Down, they’d have to follow suit and hope for the best.
The door to the infirmary opened, and Marco stepped inside. “Good morning, commander,” Deuce greeted, “did everything on your mission go well?”
“Yeah.” He started opening a cabinet and pulled out a box of pills. Ace’ narcolepsy meds…?
A woman walked through the door behind Marco, looking around curiously. She smiled when her eyes met Deuce’, and he felt like he was getting hit over the head because it was so achingly familiar and yet so deeply missed. Deuce was sure he’d never met her before, but could she be…?
“This is what Ace uses,” Marco explained as he handed the medication over to Rouge. “Let me know if it seems like they don’t work for you, or there’s any side effects that you don’t get with your usual medication.”
“Is that- Are you-“ Deuce interrupted before the woman could answer anything. Because she had to be, right? Deuce had seen the poster in Ace’ room.
Marco grinned. “Yup, that’s Rouge, Ace’ mother.”
She gave Deuce a friendly wave.
Huh. Wild.
“Why don’t you talk to her a little? I still have to go report to Pops, and also talk to the allies who arrived since I left, and coordinate a bunch of stuff…”
Deuce sighed. “Just don’t forget to eat and sleep, too, or commander Thatch will get mad at you again.”
“Yeah, yeah.” With that very unconvincing agreement, Marco was out the door again, and Deuce turned his full attention to Rouge. “Sorry if it seemed like he was trying to pawn you off to me. He doesn’t mean anything by it, he’s just super worried about Ace. As our second-in-command, he’s got a lot on his shoulders, too.”
Honestly, Deuce couldn’t really imagine how Marco felt right now. The worry, yes, of course, that was the same for him. Deuce hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since the news of his idiot captain being captured had reached them. Of course, he’d fight in the war as well. If he could do literally anything to save Ace, he would. But Deuce wasn’t delusional. He wasn’t all that strong, he wouldn’t be a key figure in this war.
The same couldn’t be said for Marco. He was a centerpiece of all their plans, and one mistake from him could tip the war in the favour of the marines. It could cost Ace’ life. Not the kind of pressure anyone wanted to be under.
“I understand.” Despite her words and the smile on her face, Rouge still looked disappointed. “I was hoping maybe he’d tell me a little more about Ace, but saving him is more important. We can always talk later.”
Ah, damn. Deuce really wanted to go to bed, but there was no way he could do that now. “If you want, I’ll tell you about him?”
Immediately there were sparkles in Rouge’s eyes. “You’d do that? Do you know him well?”
“Of course. I’m his best friend, and I used to be his first mate back before we joined the Whitebeards. My name’s Deuce, by the way.”
“Deuce… A fitting companion for Ace. Sounds almost like fate brought you together.”
Deuce could feel heat rushing to his cheeks. He was so used to his name now, he hadn’t even really thought about how it matched Ace’s when he’d introduced himself. “It’s not- it’s not the name I was born with. Ace was actually the one who named me. He saved my life and gave me a new name and purpose, and I’ve been following him ever since.”
Damn, it was kinda embarrassing to explain this to Ace’ mother, of all people. His mother who’d died giving birth to him. Deuce had sworn to dedicate his life to Ace, to live and die for him, and yet here he was, perfectly fine and safe whilst Ace was on the brink of death.
But Rouge just seemed happy to hear that, an earnest smile on her face as she sat down on an empty bed. “It’s good he has someone looking out for him. Thank you, Deuce.” Okay, shit, he was definitely blushing now. “But that’s the first time I hear anything about him having his own crew.”
“Yeah, he set out on his own and formed the Spade Pirates. He got pretty famous just from that, but then he challenged Pops when we got to the New World, and eventually he realized he wanted to stay here. It’s… a long story.” A long story of plenty of humiliating defeats and a whole lot of internal conflict that Deuce didn’t think he had the right to just tell. “He’s happy here, though, and the rest of us are, too.” Until Teach had ruined everything. “Still, while I love Pops, Ace will always be my captain.”
An unreadable expression crossed Rouge’s face. It almost reminded Deuce of how Ace got whenever he drifted off into stupid, self-deprecating thoughts. But it passed too quickly to really know. “You all call Whitebeard ‘Pops’.”
It wasn’t phrased as a question, but it was still obviously one. “Yeah, because he calls all of us his children.” Which would definitely become really awkward if Ace’ biological father was also back from the dead and would show up out of the blue like his mother. “I mean, most of us don’t have any parents, or they’re shitty like mine, so it’s really nice… It’s a found family, it’s not like you’re not allowed to have other parents or anything.”
The smile remained on Rouge’s face even as her eyes shone with a deep sadness that Deuce didn’t know how to address. “It’s alright. There’s no need to justify it. I know we let our boy grow up as an orphan. I was hoping he’d find himself a family that could actually be there for him. I’m really grateful to you and Whitebeard and everyone who made sure Ace wasn’t alone.”
Deuce scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, not really sure how to answer. “It’s no problem…?”
The sadness disappeared as Rouge giggled. “Sorry, I made things awkward for you. Why don’t you tell me some funny inconsequential stories about Ace instead of all this serious stuff?”
Well. Deuce definitely had a lot of stories to tell. More than enough to fill a day. And thanks to Ace being… Ace, basically all of them were funny.
Seeing Fishman Island was a treat every time. With it being their territory, the Whitebeard Pirates probably made the trip more often than any other crew, but even they visited only sparingly, since the journey was always dangerous, no matter how much experience you gathered.
Thatch was still trying to comprehend how close he’d come to never being able to see it again.
He’d been dead.
But it had come so suddenly, and he didn’t remember anything of it, and not that much time had passed since, so it didn’t feel quite real. More like he’d just been out cold for a while. He could’ve easily spent three months laying in the infirmary fighting his injuries, and the result for him would’ve been the same.
It was only the way his family acted around him that really let him know it had really happened.
Izou clinging to his side whenever possible, Marco not even trying to say anything when Thatch forced him to eat, Pops not very subtly keeping Thatch away from doing anything that could possibly count as dangerous or would leave him on his own for any extended periods of time, all the compliments on his food from everyone at every meal… and of course Ace’ absence, and all the war preparations everyone was busy with because Ace had failed in his quest to avenge Thatch.
Just the thought made Thatch’s stomach churn with a mixture of gratitude and guilt.
If Thatch hadn’t gotten himself killed, if he’d paid more attention, noticed a little earlier that something was off… He definitely could’ve defended himself against Teach. Even if the man was stronger than he’d let them know, Thatch could’ve at least held him off long enough to make a commotion and have Pops notice and interfere.
Logically, he knew that was bullshit. He hadn’t been on a battlefield or even a mission, he’d been home, and slightly tipsy to boot. Nobody could or should be constantly vigilant when surrounded by family. It was entirely Teach’s fault for betraying their trust.
And yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling of guilt whenever he thought of Ace in Impel Down or about the upcoming war.
Perhaps because it made him happy, in a twisted way. Not that anyone in his family was hurting or would get hurt, but… it was nice seeing the proof that they cared. They loved him.
Ace especially. When he’d joined, he’d been so aggressive, unwilling to accept his defeat or even the slightest bit of help from them. He’d reminded Thatch of an injured animal, backed into a corner and baring his teeth to chase away anyone who might hurt him further.
That’s why Thatch had reached out to him, feeding him and coaxing him out of his corner so they could heal him, figuratively and literally.
Not that he’d managed it on his own, the whole family had helped, with a big chunk of the credit of course going to Pops and Marco, and even that asshole Teach.
But it had been so worth it. Once Ace had opened up to them, he’d revealed a brilliant, joyful personality, and a loyalty few others possessed. Thatch still felt honoured to be considered someone Ace loved and trusted.
Ace wasn’t someone who could love half-heartedly or just a little bit. He either loved with his entire being and would go to the ends of the earth for someone, or he didn’t love them at all.
Some people might say it was stupid to love so much, or that it led Ace to do stupid things without properly thinking them through, and maybe they were even right, but clearly those people had never been loved like that, or they’d recognize it as the treasure it was.
Thatch would reciprocate the best he could. He’d save Ace, and make sure he got to see the sunlight shimmering on the bottom of the ocean again, too. On their way home.
Maybe by then Pops would’ve gotten over himself and actually let Thatch leave the ship so he could properly enjoy the beauty of Fishman Island.
Though not a whole lot of people were doing that right now. Usually at least half the crew would rush off the ship fighting for some space in the Mermaid Café, but this time only those who needed to leave the ship for last-minute restocking had actually left. Pops, Marco and Namur were having a talk with King Neptune – and Queen Otohime, thanks to the miracle.
The atmosphere among those who’d stayed behind was tense. The next time they’d resurface, whether it was at Marineford or Impel Down, there would be war.
They’d gathered everyone. Their supplies were stocked up. Their swords were sharpened, and their guns and cannons loaded. Those who couldn’t fight were left behind.
Even Thatch couldn’t quite keep up his usual cheerful attitude. Now didn’t feel like the time for one of his jokes, even as he passed a few faces on deck that looked way too tense. He didn’t even really know where he was going, until he spotted the woman with the red hibiscus flower in her hair, staring at Fishman Island in fascination.
The news of Ace’ mother arriving on the Moby had spread like wildfire, but Thatch hadn’t really seen her up until now. Her hair was long and strawberry blonde, and she was wearing more clothes than you’d ever see Ace with, but other than that, they really looked alike.
“You’re not going to visit Fishman Island?” Thatch asked as he approached. “Have you been here before?”
Rouge shook her head. “No. I can fly, so I’ve always crossed the Red Line that way if I had to.” Which made a lot of sense, it was simply easier and less dangerous. If they had business in Paradise, Marco was always the first one they considered sending for this exact same reason. “It looks beautiful, though. I heard it’s a wonderful place filled with kind and interesting people.”
“It is,” Thatch agreed. “But you still don’t want to go? We still have some time left before we set sail again.”
“Right now doesn’t feel like the time for sightseeing. It wouldn’t do any good to ruin the experience of discovering such a fascinating island with a bad mood. I’ll go see it on the way back.”
Thatch smiled. “Vista told me you’re a thief, but it looks like you got the right spirit for a pirate. Adventures without your family just aren’t the same!” Maybe most pirates in the world didn’t think of it like this, but it was an obvious consensus among the Whitebeard crew. “Ace has been there before and made some friends, so he can show you around.”
A look crossed Rouge’s face that Thatch couldn’t identify. Perhaps she looked like Ace, but their personalities clearly differed quite a bit. Rouge was soft-spoken, and Thatch got the definite feeling that she wasn’t telling him everything she was thinking. Not necessarily like she was hiding things, but just not wearing her heart on her sleeve like Ace did.
“I hope so,” she answered.
As a beat of silence passed, Thatch realized a little belatedly that he hadn’t even introduced himself. People generally knew who he was, but he probably couldn’t expect that from someone who’d been dead for 20 years.
Well. It would be a good opportunity to let her know what had happened exactly to lead to Ace’ current situation. The newspapers never specified why Ace and ‘Blackbeard’ were fighting in the first place, just that they had and who’d won.
Rouge deserved to know, though. That her son hadn’t just chosen the wrong opponent or conceitedly overestimated himself. Ace was a good guy, and Thatch was proud to call him his little brother.
He’d make sure Rouge would get to know him, too.
Notes:
next chapter, the action is gonna start~
Chapter 7
Summary:
Luffy finally makes it to Impel Down in order to save Ace, and, as he tends to do, immediately allies himself with the first weirdos he comes across.
Roger finds his son much sooner than expected.
Notes:
I promised you action and while there's technically not really any fighting yet we're getting there! At least most everyone is now here~
Enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The sails of their newly acquired boat were hanging motionless ever since they’d entered the Calm Belt. They didn’t have any dials or anything to propel them forward, so they had to go old school and paddle.
Crocus didn’t seem too happy with it, but Roger welcomed the exercise. He’d been stuck on tiny boats for way too long. Finally he got to do something. Besides, Iceburg had already given them a boat, some food and equipment and even a sword for Roger, they couldn’t really ask for more.
Roger had swung the sword around a few times while they still had wind, and found it was decent. Certainly no Ace, but it would do until he’d saved Ace and could ask him if he had any idea where Ace was.
Was this confusing? No. This was hilarious. Roger was very proud of his naming choices. All the jokes he’d be able to make once he finally had both his Aces…
“Stop grinning to yourself like an idiot and pay attention, we’re almost there.”
Oh. Crocus was right. Impel Down was up ahead. It was still pretty small in the distance, but they were basically there already. Roger grabbed the binoculars Iceburg had so generously given them to get a better look.
“There’s a bunch of warships…”
“Well, it’s no surprise. It’s a high security prison, and they have to suspect Whitebeard might attack it. Of course they wouldn’t just leave it unguarded for you to stroll right into it. I really don’t know what you expected or how you even plan to get in…”
“Oh! The door’s opening! That’s my chance!”
Without missing a beat, Roger handed the binoculars to Crocus and jumped into the ocean.
“I don’t think that’s a-“ was all he heard before he dove beneath the still water surface.
He didn’t care if he didn’t have a plan. There was a chance, a literal opening, and sitting around to wait and plan would only waste the perfect opportunity that was presented to them.
It wasn’t like either of them really knew the layout of Impel Down anyway, they couldn’t properly plan past the gates no matter how long they tried. Swimming past a few navy ships in the Calm Belt was far from the most dangerous thing he’d ever done. Probably wouldn’t even reach the top 20. He’d be fine.
His biggest advantage was definitely that nobody expected anyone to do this. Of course the marines had lookouts, but they were looking for ships in the distance, not a tiny head popping up now and then to get some air.
If they were real smart, they’d have lookouts in the water, but that would require fishmen and honestly Roger didn’t know but really he knew there still wasn’t a single fishman enlisted in the navy even 22 years later. He had nothing to worry about in that regard.
The actual problem was the door. It was huge and empty and people were watching that. Not even the navy would be stupid enough to open the door to their most important prison and have nobody stand guard, even if technically nobody should even be able to come this far.
Mildly annoying, but Roger could deal. That was what haki was for. All he had to do was wait for the moment with the least amount of people looking – easy to determine with observation haki – and then knock out the rest with conqueror’s.
When the number of watchful eyes was down to four, Roger decided it wouldn’t get better than that and sent out bursts of conqueror’s haki specifically to target them and nobody else.
Of course, he could’ve just tried to knock out everyone, but there were at least two or three decently strong presences on those ships who might be able to withstand it and would instantly know something was up. Not the best for a stealth mission.
But his plan worked, Roger actually managed to slip inside without anyone seeing him. Eventually someone would notice the passed out guards, but Roger planned on being deep inside the prison by then.
Once inside, he hid in the first corner he could find, sensing a group of people up ahead. Peeking from his somewhat safe spot, he saw quite a few guards and one really tall one that had to be Magellan. Hm. Shit. That was the one guy Crocus had told him to not fight. Haki couldn’t defend against poisonous gas. Not that Roger didn’t think he could win – of course he could – but it would take a careful fight, and that would take too long.
Thankfully, they were all standing at a door to the side, and it didn’t take long for that door to open. A woman in handcuffs stepped out, and Roger couldn’t help but stare a little. He had no idea who that was, but damn she was pretty. Not as beautiful as his Rouge, of course, but Roger had eyes, he could admit this lady was up there as well.
The guards were all definitely thinking exactly the same thing, and it made them pay way less attention than they probably should have as they guided the lady to the elevator.
They completely missed the pair of arms stretching out from under the lady’s huge cape, and the boy pulling himself up to a beam supporting the ceiling.
Roger saw him, though.
Saw him wave to the lady as everyone went into the elevator, and then saw him jump down from the ceiling and dash further into the prison.
The hat on his head looked very familiar, too. What an interesting development.
Roger grinned as he followed the boy. Infiltration of Impel Down: success. Never let anyone say ever again that Roger couldn’t do stealth.
Finally. After all that travelling and hiding from the marines on their ship, Luffy had made it into Impel Down. He could find and save Ace now!
Not that he had any idea where to go. But it couldn’t be that hard! He just had to find a staircase and go down. Ace’ vivre card was pointing down, and Hancock had said he was probably on the lowest level.
Luffy stuffed the vivre card back into his hat and started running. If he just kept going, he’d find the stairs for sure!
“Hey! Hey, stretchy boy, wait!”
There was a voice calling out behind him, and Luffy whirled around immediately, fists ready to strike if a guard had spotted him.
But the man running up to him was wearing a pirate’s coat, so he couldn’t be a guard. He didn’t look like he was trying to fight Luffy, either, so Luffy relaxed a little.
“Hey,” the old man grinned when he caught up to Luffy, “you got in here with that pretty lady, yeah? Thanks for opening the door for me, made getting in a lot easier.”
Oh. He was just being polite. “You’re welcome.”
Luffy turned around again to keep running like earlier, but the old man followed him. “Wait, wait. Do you have any idea where you’re going? I need to go down somehow to save my son, but I’ve never been here before and it’s not like there’s maps of this place…”
So they were similar! “I need to go down, too! I’m here to save my brother, and Hancock said he’s all the way down. I was just looking for the stairs.”
“Let’s go together, then,” the guy suggested.
“Okay,” Luffy agreed, “you seem like a good guy. But don’t hold me back! I can’t wait for you or bail you out when you get in trouble! My brother is more important!”
For some reason, the old man found that really funny. “Don’t you worry, brat. I’m strong. I’ll help you save your brother while I’m here.”
“Then let’s go.” Luffy needed to go back to saving Ace. The old man seemed cool, but he couldn’t lose focus!
But he didn’t get far before the old man grabbed his collar and pulled him into a tiny corner on the side. “Hey,” he complained, only to be shushed.
“Someone’s coming from that direction!”
When Luffy strained his ears, he could hear footsteps. So the old man had been right. Luffy held his breath as the guards passed without noticing them.
“You’ve got good ears,” Luffy said once the guards had passed and they squeezed back out of their hiding place.
Once again, the old man laughed. “It’s not like I heard them.”
“You’re weird.”
That only made him laugh harder, until Luffy shushed him. They were supposed to be quiet and not get caught! “Sorry, sorry,” the old man whispered. “You’re a funny guy, is all. I like you.”
“Okay. Let’s keep going.”
They reached some cells, and people were staring at them running by, but Luffy ignored them. Ace wasn’t here. They still hadn’t found the stairs.
“Hey, stretchy boy,” the old man started conversationally while they were still running, “that’s a nice hat you got there.”
Yes! It was a really nice hat! “I got it from Shanks,” Luffy proudly announced, “and I promised to give it back to him when I’m a great pirate! It’s my treasure!”
“So Shanks gave it to you…”
“That’s what I just said, old man! Maybe your hearing isn’t so good after all?”
“My hearing is fine! I’m not that old, you brat! I just said that because I thought that hat was Shanks’ and I wondered how you got it!”
“Oh? So you know Shanks?” Luffy forgot they were supposed to be quiet, but this was exciting.
“Of course! I’m the one who-“
All of a sudden, the old man stopped dead in his tracks. He didn’t finish his sentence, either.
Luffy slowed to a halt as well, tilting his head. “What’s up, old man?”
But he didn’t get an answer. The old man started running again, a really serious expression on his face. Almost like he was angry for no reason. Weird.
The old man rushed past Luffy and around a corner. What the hell was going on? Did he need to poop or something?
Curious, Luffy went after him. It wasn’t like he knew where he was going, anyway.
There were footsteps thundering down the hall. Way too loud to be guards just on patrol. They never hurried, they liked to bask in everyone’s misery and add to it.
So either something had happened to alert the guards, or these were intruders or escapees.
Interesting. Maybe Buggy could use whatever commotion was going on to escape. Those morons hadn’t even checked if he was a devil fruit user, so if there was a chance he could get out unnoticed, he was free to go and try. These chains wouldn’t hold him.
But as the footsteps grew louder, a heavy feeling laid itself on Buggy’s chest. As if a pressure was making the air heavier and more difficult to breathe in. One of Buggy’s cellmates groaned and grabbed at his head.
Buggy knew this feeling. Conqueror’s haki, barely kept under control. The guy who wasn’t busy trying to not pass out scrambled backwards to hide in the corner furthest from their cell’s bars.
Even if he didn’t understand why, he could probably instinctually feel there was something very, very dangerous approaching.
Usually, Buggy would be trying to hide behind him. He didn’t face people that strong, he wasn’t insane. And yet, all he could do right now was stand frozen in the middle of the cell as the familiar feeling wrapped itself around him.
It couldn’t be. There was only one man in the world whose haki felt like this. So powerful and yet so absolutely non-threatening. Never ever directed at Buggy, only floating around him in a protective rage. But that man was dead, and even if he’d been revived, why would he be here? He should be at the other end of the world. There was no way he’d actually come for Buggy, right?
The seconds ticked by impossibly slowly and yet way too fast for Buggy to sort his thoughts, right up until Roger appeared in his field of vision. Alive and breathing and fixating his way too intense gaze on Buggy. “It’s really you,” Roger breathed out, “they got you somehow. But don’t worry, now that I found you, I’ll go get a key somehow and get you out of there.”
Buggy let out a shuddering breath. Of course his dumbass of a former captain hadn’t even known he was in here. Who knew what the hell he was up to, he had a shit record of telling his apprentices anything, and then he’d gone and left them behind. “At least pretend you’re here to save me,” Buggy yelled because really he had no idea what to think or feel right now, and he accentuated his confused anger with a detached fist to Roger’s face.
Even though he hit him with as much force as he could muster, Roger looked more confused than hurt. “Sorry? Crocus said he saw you just a few months ago with your crew, looking for old John’s treasure. I thought you were doing just fine, so I figured I’d visit you and Shanks when I’m done here…”
There was no malice in his voice, only honesty, and Buggy could feel any bitterness that had accumulated over the years of grief just evaporate.
He detached his other hand to let his shackles clatter to the ground, and then split up his body to fit through the bars of his cell.
The moment he was whole again, he threw himself against the chest of the only man who’d ever been something like a father to him. Strong arms wrapped themselves around him instinctually, and Buggy allowed himself to sink into them as they gently supported him.
Tears sprung into his eyes without him being able to do anything about it. But fuck, he’d been on edge without a break for two whole weeks, constantly trying to come up with a scheme that would let him escape, forcing himself to not think about the possibility that he might be stuck in this hellish prison until his death, which might end up being much sooner than he wanted it to be.
Roger was here now, though. And while that probably meant Buggy was about to get caught up in some stupid crazy bullshit, for the first time since the doors of Impel Down had closed behind him, Buggy felt safe.
“Oh, you’re not… Did… Did I interrupt some kind of plan?”
When Buggy looked up, Roger looked almost sheepish. He snorted. “Just a plan to get the hell out of here. But that’s okay, you can be my new escape plan.” Seriously, there was probably no better way out of here than with Roger’s help. Sure, it would probably end up including a much bigger commotion than Buggy would like, but whatever. Roger never lost. And he wouldn’t let anyone hurt Buggy.
Everything would be fine. It always was when Roger was on your side, no matter the odds.
The only question was, what were they going to do now? “So… If you’re not here for me, what are you doing here?” Roger was known to be unpredictable and do stupid shit on occasion, but even he wouldn’t go to Impel Down just for shits and giggles, right?
“Well, I didn’t know you were in here, but I still came here to save my son!”
Buggy frowned. What? “Shanks isn’t here.” Chaos due to the miracle and lack of outside info aside, Buggy would’ve heard if Shanks had been caught and brought to Impel Down. He was an emperor these days, news would spread fast if he’d gotten arrested.
“You’re Shanks’ dad?”
That voice was familiar. Way too familiar. Just from those few words, the casual disinterest was grating on Buggy’s nerves. He whirled around to find Monkey D. Luffy standing there, staring at them while picking his nose.
“Well, not really but-“
“What the hell are you doing here?” Buggy shrieked, pointing accusingly at the offending spectator. Shit, now that brat had basically seen him cry into his dad’s shirt!
“Oh, you know him?” For some reason, Roger seemed delighted to hear this. “That young lad broke in to save his brother, so we’re going down to level 5 together. Isn’t he a fun guy?”
“No,” Buggy grumbled. That stupid kid had kicked him in the nuts and then his stupid navigator had tied his body parts together and the both of them had commenced what was probably the second worst section of Buggy’s life so far. He’d almost gotten eaten twice thanks to those shitty kids! But Roger was not one to just change his opinion of someone once he’d decided he liked them, so Buggy just sighed in resignation. “Do you even know who that is?”
Honestly, even Buggy wasn’t sure what piece of information he was asking for that Roger should know about. The fact that Luffy was a rookie pirate just starting to get rapidly famous? That he’d recently burned down Enies Lobby for some reason and definitely wasn’t just some kid who needed help? That he was the precious little ‘anchor’ Shanks had been talking about for like a decade? The D in his name? Or the ‘Monkey’ in front of it that designated him as ‘somehow related to Garp’?
“I’m Luffy,” strawhat introduced himself before Roger could answer or Buggy could start listing any of what he just thought about. “I’m the man who will become Pirate King!”
The stunned look on Roger’s face before he started laughing was almost worth taking the strawhat brat along. Almost.
Rouge hated the Calm Belt. What asshole marine had thought it was a good idea to build their prison here? Couldn’t they do it literally anywhere else? A New World storm was easier to fly through than this windless bullshit.
Though she supposed that was probably why they’d built it here.
For a moment, she let herself rest on top of the prison building. The doors were open, and she saw two guards just laying on the ground.
It would be so easy to just fly in right now. But she really shouldn’t do it on her own. It sure seemed like there was another intruder ahead of her, but in the masses of people her observation haki was picking up below her, she couldn’t tell if it actually was her husband and not just some other crazy person. Better to coordinate with Whitebeard once she returned to his ship.
But her haki picked up on another presence quite a bit away. Even with her bird eyes, she could only see a tiny speck on the horizon. Weird. The marines wouldn’t have a boat with only a single person on it, they had huge warships with large crews, like the ones right in front of the prison.
With a sigh, Rouge jumped off the roof, flapping her wings with as much force as she could muster to get over to that boat and check it out.
It was absolutely worth the effort. There was a familiar figure in the boat, looking very done as he observed Impel Down from afar with a pair of binoculars.
“Crocus,” Rouge happily greeted as she landed on the boat, transforming back into her human form. The old doctor started horribly, dropping the binoculars into the ocean and instantly reaching to pull them back out.
She absolutely loved doing this to people. It was hilarious.
“Rouge. Hi. Can you not do that? One of these days I’ll have a heart attack for real.”
“And it’ll be Roger’s fault, not mine. He’s in there?”
Crocus sighed. “Yup. Hasn’t been long, though. Maybe ten minutes? I’m honestly impressed the whole place doesn’t seem to have descended into chaos already… But it’s not like I know what the inside looks like right now.”
Ah, the faith he had in his captain… inspiring.
“Guess that means we don’t have all that much time. We have to get in before Roger causes too much of a ruckus and they shut the doors to keep him in…”
“We?”
“I got here with Whitebeard. They’re hiding close by.” She didn’t specify how they were hiding in a flat stretch of open sea, but Crocus didn’t ask.
“The Gates of Justice are opening,” he said instead.
Rouge ripped the binoculars from his hand immediately. And true, the gates opened, and a ship passed through. It couldn’t be someone who’d been called because of Roger, though. Even if he’d gotten noticed immediately, you couldn’t make it from Marineford to Impel Down in ten minutes.
A group that were very obviously pirates and not marines disembarked from the ship, and Rouge’s blood froze as she recognized their leader.
‘Blackbeard’ Marshall D. Teach.
She’d seen his picture in the newspaper next to Ace’, and she’d definitely been planning on getting revenge on him somehow at least since Thatch had told her exactly what he’d done.
What on earth did he want here? Hadn’t he caused enough misery already?
It didn’t matter, she decided. She had to get back to Whitebeard and let him know what she’d seen. Rouge on her own probably couldn’t win against him either – she knew too little. Teach hadn’t stolen that powerful devil fruit for nothing, and Ace who’d known him had lost to him.
But Rouge wasn’t the only one wanting to get back at him. How unfortunate for Teach that she’d brought with her a whole crew of powerful pirates who’d jump at the opportunity to take revenge for their family.
Years ago, Roger had told her those with a D in their name were often subject to fate more than others, but today it seemed like fate had abandoned Teach.
Notes:
perhaps now is a good time to let you know, while this fic is tagged "everyone lives", teach is not included in that. he doesn't count. fuck him.
Chapter 8
Summary:
Roger, Luffy and Buggy start making their way through Impel Down, but not everything goes as smoothly as it could.
Notes:
sorry to say, but updates will probably slow down a bit
I've started writing for kinktober (won't do a prompt every day, but still, I'll do a few) and those fics I gotta get out at the right date
still, I'll keep updating this fic throughout october, too, so don't worry! it's still the main fic I'm writing, it'll just be a little slower is all
hope you enjoy this chapter!
Chapter Text
Heels clacked over stone as Boa Hancock turned her back on him and stalked to the elevator, and the sound rang in Ace’ ears way too loudly.
His heart was beating rapidly, sweat forming all over his body even as chills froze his body to the core.
He wanted to believe she was lying. That she hadn’t come here because Luffy asked her to, that she hadn’t brought him to this hell, that Luffy wouldn’t voluntarily walk into a prison when all he’d ever wanted his whole life was to be free.
But Ace knew Luffy, better than anyone else.
He absolutely would do something so stupid. He’d convince the Pirate Empress to help him somehow, and he’d do whatever he could to save Ace.
He shouldn’t have. It was too dangerous, and Ace wasn’t worth the risk.
Years ago, Ace would’ve understood. Luffy didn’t want to be alone, and Ace was really the only one around who could alleviate that loneliness. Gramps was never there, Luffy wasn’t supposed to go home to Makino, and Dadan and the bandits were okay, but Luffy never really liked mountain bandits in general, even if he did warm up to them.
But now Luffy had others. A whole crew. Even from the short time Ace had spent with them in Alabasta, he knew Luffy loved and cherished them, and they cared about him a great deal in return.
Even without Ace, Luffy wouldn’t be lonely. He could still achieve his dream and be happy. And free.
There was no point in putting all of that on the line for Ace.
Especially since Ace probably wasn’t even Luffy’s only brother anymore. It really was 50/50 if Luffy had at all considered that Sabo could be alive again, but Ace was clinging onto that hope like nothing else. But if he really was back, then they couldn’t go and both die on him immediately afterwards. Sabo would never forgive Ace for not keeping their little brother safe.
“Ace? Are you alright? What did she say?”
Ace jerked his head up to Jinbei, who sounded very concerned. Ace only answered when he was sure all the guards had left. “She smuggled in my idiot little brother.” Ace bit his lip, drawing blood. Not that it really mattered, his mouth already tasted like blood and bile. “That moron is gonna get himself killed for no good reason.”
For a moment, Jinbei was quiet. “No good reason? Wouldn’t you do the same for him?”
Ace gasped, offended. “Of course I would,” he replied way too loudly. But he couldn’t help it! He’d told Jinbei all about how cute and amazing Luffy was and how much Ace loved him, how could Jinbei question if Ace would try to save him from dying?!
“Now, I haven’t met Luffy, so I can’t say anything about his chances for success, but it sounds to me like you at least agree trying to save your brother is worth risking death, so you have no ground to judge or stop him.”
Ace hung his head. “It’s not the same.” It was a weak defense, but how was he supposed to explain this to Jinbei? If Luffy died saving Ace, he’d just be throwing away his dream. If Ace died saving Luffy, at least his life would’ve been good for something in the end.
It wasn’t something he could say out loud, though, so Ace remained quiet as cold dread settled into his bones from all the different ways his brain conjured of how Luffy could meet his end in the pits of this hell.
Roger laughed.
For a second, Buggy felt like he’d travelled back in time. Like he was back on the Oro Jackson, that annoying redhead beside him, as Roger decided on the next crazy adventure they would go on that would almost get Buggy killed. It was like, after all these years, he’d finally returned home again.
“Intruders spotted! They’ve freed a prisoner! It looks like it’s-“
And then that moment was over, and Buggy remembered where he was. He spun around on reflex, detaching one of his hands to hit the guard that just spoke in the face. The annoying strawhat brat clearly had the same idea, punching out the other guard by stretching out his arm.
Well, shit. They got spotted, and the guy he’d hit still had a den-den mushi in his hand, so clearly the prison authorities now knew about them. Though, at the very least, they hadn’t been able to relay who it was exactly that had broken in.
“We should probably get moving before more of them get here,” he suggested, and for once, both Roger and Luffy actually easily agreed with him.
“Just real quick though,” Roger held them up, “I don’t like that they called you a prisoner. You’re a pirate, so you’re free. They don’t get to decide otherwise.” That… really wasn’t something Buggy cared about all that much right now, but it seemed to actually bother Roger. “Here.”
Buggy could only stand there, dumbfounded, as Roger took off his captain’s coat and wrapped it around Buggy’s shoulders. It felt heavy, and kind of wet, making Buggy shiver. But it smelled like the ocean, and it was much flashier than the prisoner’s clothing he was wearing, so Buggy didn’t complain, just silently squeezed his arms through the wet sleeves to put in on properly. “Thanks,” he mumbled.
“Come on, guys! You’re taking too long! I’m leaving you behind!”
Oh no. That idiot strawhat wasn’t standing next to them anymore. He was just running ahead without a plan. Of course he was. This was gonna give him a headache for sure.
“Get back here!” Buggy started sprinting after him, and reached out with a detached hand to grab the brat by the collar of his shirt. “You don’t even know where you’re going!” He turned to Roger. “Where exactly are we supposed to go?”
Roger just shrugged, and Buggy had the sudden urge to strangle him. “Down.”
Of course. It would be too nice if they were looking for someone on level 1. “I know how to get down one floor at least, so neither of you just run off! This place is a labyrinth, you’ll just get lost.”
He knew his warning would probably fall on deaf ears, but whatever.
“So which direction is it?” Luffy yelled from where he was slowly moving forward, even with Buggy’s hand attached to him.
“Just go right! There should be a spiky forest meant for torture if you keep going in that direction!”
Which would hopefully hold Luffy up if he did manage to escape Buggy’s grasp.
“Torture?” Uh-oh. They were moving after Luffy now, but Roger’s tone had gone dark, and his haki was rolling off of him in waves again. “They tortured you?”
It was sweet, really, how much that seemed to piss Roger off, but him being pissed like this probably wouldn’t help. “I’m fine. They tried, of course, but not me specifically, just a bunch of prisoners at once. And all the torture methods on this floor just involve sharp things, so I’m immune.” It was probably for the best to not let Roger dwell on the topic, and besides, Buggy had some questions anyway. “So if it’s not me or Shanks, who the hell is that son you were talking about, and how come I’ve never heard of you having one?”
Theoretically, it was of course possible for Roger to have a son, at least an adopted one, before he’d taken in Shanks and Buggy, who’d just left home as an adult, but… Wouldn’t Roger have talked about him? If he cared at all – which he clearly did considering he’d just broken into Impel Down first thing after getting revived – then wouldn’t he have said something? Literally anything?
“Oh, well, I just didn’t have him last time I saw you.” Roger’s voice was infuriatingly non-chalant for a topic so important. “I only married his mother after I disbanded the crew, and I never met him since I died before he was even born, but he’s still my son so I’m going to save him. His name is Ace.”
“Ace?” It couldn’t be, right? Not that Ace.
“It’s a great name, right? I picked it out, and Rouge loved it!”
Buggy’s head was reeling. “You got with Diamant Rouge?!” Now, this wasn’t technically the most surprising revelation in the world. They’d met her before, and even back when he was a kid, Buggy could see his captain was head over heels for her. It was just, it had seemed so obvious that any interest she’d shown back had been a ploy while she was waiting for an opportunity to run off with their treasure. Which she had. But then apparently a couple years later she’d married him?
Roger only shot him a proud grin as an answer and Buggy decided he didn’t need to know the details. He was getting distracted. “Okay but back to your son. Ace. Not by coincidence Portgas D. Ace? Firefist? The one whose capture was plastered all over the newspaper? Whitebeard’s Second Division Commander? That guy?”
“Yeah! Like his mom, Portgas D. Rouge! Though I have no clue what he’s doing with Eddie. But taking Oden’s place isn’t a bad start for a pirating career! He’s got all the time in the world to grow stronger and go further than that.”
Well, provided the marines didn’t just execute him as they were planning. Maybe they’d even do it ahead of time if they realized Roger was here to save him.
And still Buggy was left with questions. He didn’t bother asking why Roger didn’t go to Whitebeard to coordinate efforts to save Ace. It would obviously be the best, smartest decision, but not a very Roger thing to do. He just didn’t think he needed help, except maybe from Rayleigh or for very specific purposes like reading the poneglyphs.
Which brought Buggy to another point. “And you didn’t tell anyone about him?” Because okay, Buggy understood why Roger didn’t see the need to seek him out and tell him about this son of his. The crew had been scattered, and Buggy was only 15. Not exactly who you’d look for to take care of a kid, he could admit that. But he could’ve sought out Rayleigh and told him. Hell, maybe he did, and it was just that Rayleigh never bothered to let Buggy know. At least from what Roger said, it didn’t sound like he’d told Whitebeard. That had been his first suspicion, that Roger’s brain just went ‘oh someone to protect and possibly raise a child? Eddie loves doing that I’ll ask him’ but clearly that wasn’t the case. And even Roger wouldn’t just tell absolutely nobody, right?
“I told Garp to take care of him!”
Okay, Buggy took back his earlier thoughts. Roger should’ve just told Whitebeard.
“Are you insane? Why on earth would you tell Garp of all people?” The guy was a marine! He clearly wasn’t doing jack shit right now to help Ace! And Buggy didn’t know what Garp was really like as a guardian of any kind, but he imagined he’d be careless, irresponsible and quite possibly just overall incompetent.
Roger pouted. “Garp’s cool, you know? And he’s not a criminal, so I figured he’d be perfect just in case Ace would grow up and not want to be a pirate. Though I guess that didn’t end up mattering.” He followed it up with a laugh as Buggy sighed. That made some degree of sense, though Roger had never cared about him or Shanks being raised by pirates and having the choice of a non-criminal life.
Did that mean Garp had managed to raise a pirate somehow?
…Wait. Garp. Monkey D. Garp.
A terrible suspicion was dawning on Buggy. Had Garp raised two pirates?
“Hey, Strawhat,” Buggy yelled to the boy still running quite a bit in front of them, “that brother of yours, what’s his name?”
“Huh? It’s Ace! Anyway I found the spiky forest you were talking about! Where do we go now?”
Of course. Of fucking course. At least they only needed to go save one guy.
And Roger was actually stunned into silence for once. You needed to appreciate a rare sight like that.
Stay positive, even though this was turning out to be an absolute mess, as expected. There were a billion ways for this to get worse, and he’d be thankful for every second they went without any of that happening.
They made it to level 2 with surprising ease. There was a hole in the middle of the spiky forest that you could just jump through. Very convenient.
The spiky forest itself posed no problem. Roger could easily crush the sharp grass under his feet, keeping his boots coated in armament haki. Young Luffy could not, but Buggy carried him through the obstacle, solving that problem in an instant.
Sadly, this was as much as Buggy knew about getting further down, but they’d managed the first big step, now they just needed to find some stairs to go down further. This would definitely work out great!
“Hey Luffy, so Ace is really your brother?”
“Yeah! We swore on cups of sake!”
Incredible. This couldn’t be a coincidence, it had to be fate at work. What an interesting kid he’d stumbled upon. He seemed strong, too. Sure, he still had a long road ahead of him if he didn’t even know haki, but he was very young, probably even younger than Ace. His age was just beginning. He was sure to rise up in the following years, and honestly, Roger got goosebumps imagining that he’d actually be around to see it. He hadn’t really made future plans yet on what he’d do after saving Ace, but following Luffy’s journey was definitely something to look forward to.
And aside from that, here was his first real chance to learn something about his son. Crocus had told him some basics on their journey, how Ace had his own crew when he passed the Twin Capes, how he got famous and turned down a Warlord position, and then inexplicably joined Whitebeard. That was all nice and good, but Crocus had only met him for like half an hour. The newspapers weren’t very reliable. But Luffy had to be close to Ace to be his sworn brother.
“So is he a good brother?”
“Yeah, he’s the best! That’s why I gotta save him! He saved me a lot back when we were kids!”
Of course! Roger could feel pride rising in him. His son knew what was important, and would fight for his family.
He wanted to ask more questions, he really, really did, but in that moment, they were unkindly reminded of the fact that they were going through hell right now, as monsters started attacking them.
The three of them didn’t really have a problem dealing with them, especially with Roger doing most of the work. It had been a while since he got to fight, and he was honestly itching for more.
Still, not every opponent would be quite this easy to defeat, and it was as good a sign as any to get moving and find the stairs. Standing around and talking was for later.
They didn’t find the stairs all that quickly, but Roger found something else instead – another familiar presence. It wasn’t as easy to pick up as Buggy’s since Roger hadn’t spent as much time around him, but he was actively looking for Tom, and had been since they first entered the prison. There were quite a few presences to go through though, making it hard to find a specific one unless you were close to it. But finally they were close enough.
“Let’s go over here, boys,” he called out as he took the next left turn out of nowhere.
“Why? Did you see the stairs?” Luffy asked.
“Why am I put in the same category as the brat?” Buggy grumbled at the same time.
“Because-“ Wait. A lot of time had passed. Math wasn’t his strong suit. “How old are you?”
“37.”
“37?! Holy shit.” Roger looked, actually looked at Buggy’s face, and. Yeah. He did look like he could be 37. In a way, logically, his brain had known that time had passed – the world was different, Crocus’ hair had gone grey, there was a picture of his adult son he’d never met in the newspaper – but nothing made it feel real like looking into the face of his son that he’d watched grow from small child into just barely starting adulthood, now suddenly looking like a real, full-on adult. “I missed like half your life.”
Just like he’d missed half of Shanks’ and all of Ace’ life so far. The thought stung, but Buggy just shrugged it off. He must’ve come to terms with Roger never being part of his life again, so of course he wasn’t bothered.
At least Roger was here now, he had to focus on that. Not everyone got a second chance like this. He would make the time he had count, not lament what he’d missed.
The seastone was draining all of his energy.
Galdino barely even had the presence of mind to think about his hopeless situation, he didn’t care for the loud voices suddenly echoing through the hall.
“There you are! Found you.”
“You- What are you doing here?”
“Getting you out, duh. And some others, too, while we’re at it.”
Insane. Whoever that was had to be insane. Galdino couldn’t see from inside his cell who it was, as they weren’t standing in front of his own cell but rather a little away, maybe two cells over. Still, their voices were loud and clear. No care at all.
“Uh, I’ll figure out how to open the door and your handcuffs, I’m sure… Maybe I can break it open?”
“It’s obviously seastone, moron,” a third voice chimed in, “I took a key off the guards earlier, we can try if it fits.”
Seriously, how unprepared could these people be? At least one guy seemed to have something resembling a brain, though Galdino found that questionable just based on the fact that the person was trying to escape Impel Down, a famously impossible task.
Some rattling followed. Then a curse. And finally, a click.
“The key is for the cuffs,” a resigned voice announced, “but the door needs a different one.”
“We’ll figure it out! Maybe another guard will have the right one!”
Hopeful. So much hope in such a hopeless place. It had to be insanity. And yet, Galdino couldn’t help but be intrigued by it. It was the only thing breaking up the monotony of hell.
He struggled to his feet. Stumbled over to the bars of his own cell. Almost faceplanted into them, seastone and lack of movement over the past months leaving him with basically zero strength. “I can help you with that,” he rasped, voice sore from lack of water. “Just take of my cuffs and I’ll make you a key for any lock.”
It was uncharacteristically stupid of him to try and join these people, to even draw their attention to him, but he couldn’t help it. Something about that hopeful voice told him it was right. That there was indeed hope.
Perhaps the prison time was getting to him, but now it was too late.
“Sounds suspiciously too good to be true,” the second, more rational voice answered, but still, soon after three people were standing in front of his cell.
A clown wearing an overly large captain’s coat over a prison uniform, a tall guy with a moustache that Galdino thought he’d seen the face of before, and the actual reason he was here in the first place, Strawhat Luffy.
Just his luck. How come the loud kid hadn’t said anything?
“Oh,” he now pointed at Galdino, “you’re… uh… you’re the wax guy!”
Annoyance hit Galdino like a truck. “I almost killed your crew! At least pretend you remember me, you brat!”
Strawhat only laughed it off. “But you didn’t!”
Ugh. This would be going nowhere. Galdino turned to the other two. The clown now looked contemplative. “Wax?”
“Yes. My devil fruit, the doru-doru no mi, lets me create anything out of wax. Including keys. I just have to get these seastone cuffs off first.”
“Hmmmm,” tall moustache guy hummed contemplatively, and suddenly a shudder ran down Galdino’s spine. It felt like he was being judged, inside and out, in a way that shouldn’t be possible by a stranger. As Galdino slowly turned to look into the eyes that were tearing him apart with their gaze, he suddenly remembered where he’d seen that particular face before.
He’d never met the man in front of him, but his face had been plastered all over every newspaper regularly when he’d been a kid.
It was Gold Roger, the Pirate King.
And the stories about him clearly weren’t exaggerated at all. Yes, Galdino had judged him to be an idiot earlier, but even he could tell what a dangerous man was standing right in front of him. Sir Crocodile was nothing compared to him. Now that Galdino had caught his attention, he’d be entirely at his mercy.
“It’s fine,” Gold Roger eventually judged, “he’s our best option. Could really come in handy!”
The clown seemed to take his word for it, and moved to remove Galdino’s seastone cuffs. His hands were floating through the bars to do so, but after the earlier shock of talking to literal Pirate King who’d been dead for over 20 years, a strange devil fruit barely even registered in Galdino’s brain.
The cuffs fell off, and instantly Galdino felt better than he had since he’d been taken in by the marines.
Now was not the time to be hopeless. He had Gold Roger right here with him. If there was anyone that could grant Galdino a chance to escape, it would be him. He’d make sure to get on the guy’s good side. Even once they were out, that might end up being useful.
First step, get out of this cell. With the wax expertly moulded in his hands, that was no problem. Second step, follow everyone to the other guy they’d come here to free.
He was a little surprised to see a giant fishman, but he didn’t let it show, just opened the door to his cell. Sure, he looked a little scary, but even his enhanced natural strength would be less than Gold Roger’s, so really it didn’t matter.
As soon as the door was open, Gold Roger surged forward and pulled the fishman into a hug. “Tom, I’m so glad you’re okay! Iceburg said you probably died in here, but I knew you’d be back, too!”
Tom laughed. “Can’t say I have any idea what’s going on, I just woke back up in here. But I take it that means Iceburg is doing okay?”
“Yeah! We met him in Water 7, he’s the mayor now or something. He gave us a ship and stuff to get here, so we could get you out.”
“I’m so glad he’s doing well. I left my boys behind in such a terrible way, I couldn’t help but worry about them every second since I came to. Did you see Franky, too?” It looked slightly weird, to see such a scary looking fishman be so emotional, but Galdino smartly kept his mouth shut about it.
“Nope, no idea what he’s up to these days. There was just some guy with ropes that I’ve never seen before, nobody else.”
“I see…”
“Franky’s my shipwright now!” All eyes turned to Strawhat. “He built my ship, the Thousand Sunny, and we’re going to sail to the end of the Grand Line with it!”
“That’s his dream! He built his dream ship, that’s… thank you, little one. Did you name the ship? It doesn’t sound like a name Franky would come up with.”
“Nah, I wanted to call it Bear! Polar Bear! Lion! But Ice guy suggested Thousand Sunny, and everyone liked it better. He helped build it, so it makes sense that he’d know better, shishi.” Strawhat was laughing without a care in the world, and Galdino stopped listening to him.
It irked him a little, but from his quick judgement, Galdino had to conclude that the smartest guy of this group was probably the weird clown. Which really said a lot about Galdino’s current situation.
“So, now that we got the fishman you wanted to free, we can go and break out, right? What’s the plan for that?”
Was that… pity in the clown’s eyes?
“Sorry, man, but Tom was just the first stop. We’re going to save captain’s son, so we’re going aaalll the way down into this hell. And you’re stuck with us now, Mr. Keys, whether you like it or not.”
Captain? Did that mean the clown was…? No wait, son? The Pirate King had a son? This situation was getting crazier by the second, not giving Galdino the time he needed to get a clear head and formulate a plan of action.
“Intruders spotted! They’ve freed more prisoners!” Ah shit, the guards. “All of you, put your hands up! You’re trapped here, resistance is futile!”
Ignoring their command, Gold Roger unsheathed his sword at the same time as Strawhat stretched his arms backwards, and Galdino reacted just in time to throw up a wall of wax before the guards started firing.
Just what on earth had he gotten himself into…?
Marco paced up and down in the communication room. Everything was quiet. Too quiet. Even under the sea, you could usually hear or at least feel currents, but not in the Calm Belt. Rouge was still out, scouting, and Namur was waiting for her on the surface to bring her back down into their ship’s bubble safely.
Usually, scouting would be Marco’s job, since he was the only one on the crew capable of true flight. But he’d had to admit that a seagull would draw way less attention than a phoenix.
That didn’t mean he had to like waiting. Ace was so close. They could see the walls of Impel Down. If they could just smash one of those walls… But it was seastone, all of it. No way in other than the doors on the surface.
Marco wasn’t the only restless one, either. Izou was tapping his foot, Vista was twirling his moustache so much he’d already pulled a few hairs out of it, and Thatch was fucking whistling, which only served to grate on everyone’s nerves.
“Puru puru puru,” one of their snails started up, and Haruta grabbed the receiver, shushing everyone in the room.
It was a black one, telling them it had picked up on a call, presumably from or to Impel Down. Everyone waited in tense silence as marine codes were rattled off.
“Fleet Admiral,” the black snail eventually spit out between a fair bit of static, “this is Vice Warden Hannyabal. We’re not sure how they got in, but Impel Down is currently dealing with two intruders. They’ve freed a few prisoners, too. We’ve identified them as the rookie, ‘Strawhat’ Monkey D. Luffy-“ Ace’ brother? Why, no, how was that kid in there? “-and, well. Um.”
“Get to the point,” Sengoku cut in.
“The other one, from what we can tell, is the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.”
For a few seconds, the black snail was quiet. Marco could hear Pops groan and mutter “That idiot” under his breath.
“We’ll be on our way immediately. Get Head Warden Magellan, and do your best to hold them up until we arrive. Do not, under any circumstance, let Roger succeed. If he reaches level 5 and we’re not there yet, this is your official order to execute Portgas D. Ace on the spot, understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
The click as the call ended reverberated through the silent room.
Dread crept up Marco’s spine. They were so close, so close, but would they be able to do anything? Would they be fast enough to stop Roger from going to level 5, to warn him about what the guards had been ordered to do?
If they lost Ace just because Roger couldn’t be bothered to think anything through…
Pops gently placed a hand on Marco’s back, and everyone turned to their captain, waiting for his orders.
“We’re surfacing,” he announced. “Remember, we planned for this possibility. Keep a calm head and act swiftly, especially those of you who’ll be going inside. We will definitely bring Ace back home!”
“Yes!”
Tension turned to determination, and Marco felt his nerves settle as he focused on the battle ahead of them.
“Be careful in there, son,” Pops told him as everyone already got up to leave and relay the orders to the rest of the crew. “I’m entrusting Ace’ safety to you. It won’t be easy, but in just a few hours, our family will be truly whole again.”
Warmth spread through Marco’s chest. It almost felt like Pops was speaking that outcome into existence. And Marco trusted him to be right, more than anyone else in the world.
“Of course. You don’t do anything stupid while I’m away, either.”
“Gurararara, when have I ever done something stupid?”
Marco chose not to answer that. He would just have to hope he’d be back out by the time reinforcements from Marineford arrived.
Chapter 9
Summary:
As the ever-growing party makes their way down, Impel Down dissolves more and more into chaos.
Notes:
even tho early shifts were killing me again, here we are with the next chapter! hope you enjoy~
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Things were going great, considering everything.
To be fair, they’d thrown the concept of stealth out of the window entirely, just fighting whatever or whoever jumped at them. Roger took care of all the big monsters, even if young Luffy insisted he could take them as well, and left everyone else to deal with the masses of regular guards.
Buggy could obviously deal with them easily, and Tom, while not being a fighter, still could rely on his natural strength as a fishman to take care of himself. The funny wax man with the three on his head was the only one who was lacking the physical strength to just beat up the guards, but his devil fruit still gave him the edge over them. Most importantly, the wax seemed to be tough enough to shield him from most attacks as long as he saw them coming. Perhaps he was kind of a shady guy, but now that they were taking him along, Roger would make sure he got back out with them. After all, he was helping them for no other reason than gaining his own freedom. A good deal for both sides, and Roger was not one to leave someone once he got his side of the bargain.
So far, nothing had even really slowed them down. They’d run into an awakened zoan user, but other than his awakening, he really didn’t have much going for him.
The stairs to level 3 were a little harder to find than the hole to jump through for level 2, but they managed, and got through there, even as they were heavily guarded by two more awakened zoan users.
Level three was a desert, but Roger dashed into it without a second thought, Luffy right at his side and everyone else following close behind. Tom and the wax man were struggling a bit with the heat, but aside from that, they made progress no problem. Impel Down didn’t seem as impenetrable as everyone said, really.
They even heard someone singing from one of the cells! Not that bad of a place, apparently.
Luffy and to Roger’s immense surprise, the wax guy ran off to go help the singer, but as Roger set to follow them, Buggy grabbed his shoulder. “Don’t you think this is going a little too smoothly?”
“You think?” It was such a pessimistic suggestion, Roger wanted to dismiss it out of hand, but it kind of sounded like the sort of concern Rayleigh would have, so Roger didn’t just wave it off. “It kind of seems to me like they just don’t have much they can do against us. Though I’m sure Magellan is waiting for us further down to stop us, but I’ll deal with him, too!”
“Maybe,” Buggy agreed. “But even if so, would they just let us waltz in here, get Ace, and leave? It would look like a complete failure for the Navy, they won’t just let us do whatever. Like, we were spotted a while ago, but it takes a bit to get reinforcements on ships and sail them here from Marineford. If we keep going like this, we’ll be all the way down and back out before they even get here. It’s too good. Too easy. Can’t even twist it in the newspaper to make the government look good somehow. So if they can’t stop us, what can they do?” Buggy paused for dramatic effect. “They could just kill Ace before we get to him.”
Roger’s blood froze even in the heat of level 3.
Shit. The guards had den-den mushis, as long as just one guy was left with Ace and someone could call him to kill Ace, they absolutely could do that.
“Sure, it’s not the big public execution they planned, but it’s better than just letting you get away with everything you want,” Buggy continued seamlessly. “Not to mention, Whitebeard may blame you an equal amount to them if you get Ace killed. You know how he gets when someone in his crew is murdered. If this whole debacle somehow leads to you and Whitebeard seriously fighting, that’s the best thing ever for the marines. They can just pick up the weakened loser, and whether they get the King or an Emperor, they’ll look great to the general public.”
“I do have to say, this doesn’t sound like needless worry,” Tom agreed.
Roger could only nod. He hadn’t thought of any of this, but none of it sounded totally stupid to him. Most importantly, it was all very complicated and considering stuff like reputation and future consequences, meaning it was exactly the kind of thoughts that Sengoku would have.
“So what do we do?” Roger didn’t see a good way to deal with the problem immediately. “We can’t just not go further. Ace won’t be saved that way, and eventually the marines will be here.” Not that Roger would say no to a fun fight with Garp and Sengoku, but he’d rather have it when he knew Ace was safe.
Buggy grimaced. “It would be best if we could disable their communication system, then we could do whatever. The problem with that is that I have no idea where their communication room is.”
“Well, that’s not very helpful then.”
Buggy threw him a dirty look. “I wasn’t finished! The second best solution is, we split up. Let’s be real, the only one here they think of as a real threat they can’t deal with is you.” He poked Roger in the chest. “So, you’re gonna slow down and pretend to struggle a little. Don’t go doing something stupid like actually losing, just pretend it’s taking you a while. Meanwhile I’ll take our key master and the brat and go back to trying this stealthily. But even if they do know we’re going ahead, they probably won’t take us all that seriously.”
That was so smart! Roger felt pride swell in his chest, and he gave Buggy a supportive pat on the back. “I’ll leave it to you, then! You’ve always been the smart one!”
(Somewhere far away, out on the open sea, Shanks suddenly felt inexplicably slighted.)
Buggy handed him a den-den mushi. “Took two of these from the guards. Won’t work if we do manage to disable communication, but if we don’t, I’ll call you once we-“
They were interrupted in their planning by a giant sphinx yelling about ramen or something. Perfect. Roger could pretend to struggle against it a bit if he didn’t use conqueror’s haki.
“Tom, can I count on you to make sure he remembers the plan?”
Okay, rude. Roger could remember a simple plan like this by himself. “You’ve been getting way too cheeky, brat!”
Buggy just stuck his tongue out at him. “Wrong. I’ve always been cheeky.”
That drew a hearty laugh from Tom. “Don’t worry, boy, I’ll keep an eye on your old man for you.”
“Thanks.” And with that, Buggy ran off, collecting Luffy, wax man, and some other guy who was doing pirouettes instead of walking on the way.
Roger sheathed his sword to give the sphinx a fighting chance, and turned around to face it.
Tom was still laughing. “Looks like little Buggy has grown up to be quite dependable, eh?”
“Yeah.” Roger grinned, jumping to the side to dodge a swipe of the sphinx’s paw while it was yelling something about ramen. “Though he takes more after Rayleigh than me. But that’s probably for the better!”
Both he and Tom laughed, and put their attention to the sphinx still yelling something about noodle dishes.
“Bon-chan!”
“Straw-chan!”
Really, Buggy wasn’t usually one to judge, but the scene in front of him was definitely what you’d call bizarre. Strawhat and whoever he’d freed were hugging while spinning around, seemingly endlessly, calling out each other’s nickname while crying. Presumably happy tears…?
“Okay, quick question, who the fuck is that and what is going on?”
Next to him, wax guy sighed. “That’s Mr. 2, he used to be a member of Baroque Works, like me. Though I don’t know how they’re friends, either. Last time I checked we were still enemies after Strawhat destroyed the entire organization.”
Well, whatever. That kid could probably make friends out of anyone. Not Buggy though. He was immune. He knew the tricks of Ds, he wouldn’t fall for them a second time. They only brought danger with them. Even getting Buggy to volunteer to go all the way down to level 5 of Impel Down for some guy he’d never met, now without his strong protector. The things he did for his captain… His back still kinda hurt from that slap.
Buggy looked at wax guy. “So if he’s Mr. 2, you’re Mr. 3? That’s the reason for the hairstyle?”
“Well, yeah, though I guess that name’s kind of obsolete. You can call me Galdino. I just got kind of used to the hair and it’s not like I could properly cut it in here, so I left it.”
“I’m Buggy. At least the style is unique. Flashy. I like it.”
“Ah… thanks. Aren’t you warm in that coat?”
“No. It’s wet for some reason so it’s keeping me cool.”
An awkward silence followed, while Strawhat and his friend were still doing their weird reunion dance in the background.
“Enough,” Buggy finally snapped, “we’re here for a reason! I don’t wanna keep standing here out in the open!” Roger could only pretend to struggle for so long, especially against that strong but stupid sphinx.
“Right,” Strawhat agreed thankfully, “I’m so happy I met you again, Bon-chan, but I need to go save my brother!”
‘Bon-chan’ pulled a tissue out from… somewhere, drying his tears and cleaning up his smudged make-up a little. “Oh, what a wonderful story… You’re here to save your brother. I’ve got to go further down, too, since I’m looking for my hero, why don’t we go together?”
“Yeah! Let’s go!”
Great. Another weirdo added to the party.
At least that weirdo knew how to get to level 4 without having to find stairs, though, leading them to another hole in the ground. Buggy debated yelling back to Roger about it, but decided against it. More than fighting the sphinx, finding a way to go down would hold him up pretty reliably.
“Woah, the heat coming up from down there is insane,” Galdino noted once they reached the hole. At least one guy here seemed just as unwilling to jump down as Buggy felt. Honestly, he couldn’t help but feel sort of a kinship with Galdino, even though they’d only just met.
“Ace’ vivre card still points down, though! So we gotta go!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Buggy grumbled. It wasn’t just the heat, though, there were probably lots of guards waiting for them down there, too. They’d seemingly left level 3 mostly to all kinds of monsters, which presumably meant Magellan and the other important staff were waiting for them further down. Sneaking past them wouldn’t be easy. “I’m not getting paid enough for this.” Actually, he wasn’t getting paid at all. There was no treasure here to get, and freedom didn’t have a price.
But then Buggy spotted something. On Strawhat’s arm, that couldn’t be…?
“Huh? You want to get paid?”
Strawhat sounded so curious, as if that was a foreign concept to him. “I’m a pirate, I’m always looking for treasure!” Really, it should be obvious. But fine, if Strawhat didn’t care for it, probably didn’t even know he had the key to go on an amazing treasure hunt for an even better treasure… well, never let it be said that pirates were the good guys. “You’re not my friend, so I don’t feel like helping you get your brother, but if you give me that bracelet on your arm, I might reconsider…”
“Oh, okay, you can have it!” Strawhat didn’t even hesitate, just slid the armband off and handed it to Buggy. Not the slightest hint of doubt or mistrust in his face.
What the hell. What the fuck. How was this guy a pirate? Buggy had never before felt this bad ripping someone off. He still pocketed the armband, though. “No, no, no, kid. You can’t do it like this. You have to wait for the other person to complete their part of the deal. I could just run off with this now.”
“But you won’t, so it’s fine!”
No, he wouldn’t, but that was entirely due to his own reasons. If it weren’t for Roger, Buggy would absolutely bail on Strawhat if necessary. This already felt like running to his death with the strongest rear-guard one could ask for, it would be ten times worse with just this merry little band of relative weaklings.
Knowing he wouldn’t get anywhere explaining this to Strawhat, Buggy just sighed and jumped down to the next level of hell.
It was hot on level 4. Way hotter than level 3. But Luffy could handle it. He could handle anything for Ace. The vivre card was still pointing down, but they were getting closer, he could feel it!
Now if only they would keep moving.
Level 4 was swarming with guards, so Buggy and wax man had pulled him on top of a block of cells, and were now keeping him quiet and in place while they kept talking and talking without getting anywhere.
“Can’t you transform into Magellan with your fruit and confuse everyone?” wax guy asked, but Bon-chan shook his head.
“Sweetheart, I’d have to touch his face first, and even then I wouldn’t get his devil fruit or his clothes, so everyone could easily tell who the real one is.”
“What about your wax? Can’t you use it to stop him from moving? It’s not like we need to defeat him or knock him out, we just need to get past,” Buggy suggested.
“It’s too hot. My wax is melting. It’s not going to slow him down much, certainly won’t stop him. The heat is just too much. How are you fine in that coat? Are you sure it’s still wet?”
“No. It’s dry. I’m being grilled, but I’m not taking it off. Leave me alone.”
This sucked. The door to the stairs was right there. Literally in front of them. It was open, too. They just had to get past the guys standing in front of it, and they were basically already where Ace was being held. Why couldn’t they just go?
“But what if we stole some guard uniforms? Maybe we could sneak past like that.”
Luffy had enough. Clearly nobody had a good idea. It was time to act!
He wriggled himself free from their grasp and jumped out into the open, charging straight ahead towards that Magellan guy who was standing in his way. Activating Gear 2nd, Luffy catapulted himself into the air to avoid the small fry guards’ attacks.
He only had one target, the rest could be dealt with by the others.
“You moron,” he heard Buggy and wax guy shriek in perfect synchrony behind him, “this couldn’t be a trap more obviously!”
Luffy paid them no mind. He just let his arm stretch as quickly as he could. “Gomu Gomu no Jet Pistol!”
His fist reached Magellan’s stomach with a very satisfying feeling of impact, pushing the man back slightly and making him hunch over. However, he didn’t fall. And before Luffy could realize what exactly was happening, pain erupted from his hand, like nothing he’d ever felt before, even when punching much harder things than some guy.
He let his hand snap back, surveying Magellan and noticing the weird purple ooze where Luffy had punched. Okay, so that was what hurt him, but it wasn’t like this guy was like Crocodile and Luffy couldn’t hurt him. It was just that he’d hurt himself, too. Maybe it would be fine if he just pulled his hand away faster? Might lessen the impact but could be worth trying.
“You’ve made a mistake, coming here alone, Strawhat Luffy,” Magellan announced, but Luffy just punched him again. In the face this time. He tried to dodge, but wasn’t quite fast enough to outspeed Luffy, perfect.
Less perfect was the weird purple ooze now dripping all over the guy’s body as he started to look slightly pissed. No safe places to hit, then, but if necessary, Luffy could just punch him despite the feeling of his hands burning up.
He would get to Ace no matter the cost.
Magellan wasn’t having the greatest of days. He hated nothing more than having his toilet time interrupted, and now this brat had punched him in his still gurgling stomach. Rude.
He couldn’t let it get to him too much. For the first time in his career, Impel Down was under siege. Perhaps it was only two intruders who’d freed a few prisoners, but with Gol D. Roger among them, underestimating them would be the worst mistake Magellan could make. Really, at this point, it felt like all they could do was try to hold out until reinforcements from Marineford arrived.
But they wouldn’t go down without a fight, and certainly not to this rookie. If Roger was lost or held up, this was the perfect time to round up the rest of them.
Perhaps level 4 still looked mostly calm, but it was a false calm, the storm already raging through the upper levels. This was not the time to hesitate or show mercy. He brought out his hydra immediately, aiming it at the rubber man jumping desperately around the room trying to dodge it. If Magellan hit a few of his own men in the process, unfortunate, but it couldn’t be helped.
Strawhat was fast, but it was only a matter of time before Magellan would hit him. There was no way he could live a full dose of poison.
Magellan only barely noticed something from the corner of his eye in the last second before it exploded in his face, burning the skin on his cheeks as everything was clouded in smoke. He didn’t have time to retaliate in the general direction of the explosive’s trajectory, as he was hit with a big load of a sticky substance, covering him entirely.
“Strawhat and the escapees are running away,” Hannyabal’s voice sounded through the smoke, “after them, men!”
As he was wiping the sticky substance – wax, it was wax – off of him, Magellan heard footsteps rushing past him. “Nonsense, they’re heading for the stairs! Don’t lose focus just because you can’t see!”
Magellan managed to get the wax out of his eyes, and saw four figures retreating down the stairs. Fools. In an enclosed space like that, Magellan couldn’t miss.
Except, he missed the stairs entirely with his poison wave, as the moment he tried to release it, the entire prison shook.
“What was that?” he bellowed, and for a few seconds, only silence followed from everyone else, equally as clueless, until one guard with a den-den mushi in hand stumbled forward, face pale.
“Sir,” he squeaked out, “the guards left at the door just relayed that Whitebeard is here, and the first of his men have entered the prison.”
As if on cue, the ceiling crumbled, and the sphinx they’d left on level 3 crashed through, falling into the boiling pot that kept level 4 at its torturous temperature. And with it, Gol D. Roger and a fishman also fell, though they landed on their feet on the bridge.
“Well, that was disappointing,” Roger casually remarked, “I kinda hoped it would be stronger.” He looked around. “Oh well, maybe someone here will be a bigger challenge.”
Like it was all a game to him. Magellan hated declaring defeat before anything was decided, but he had to admit this wasn’t looking good for them. It was definitely the time for drastic measures.
“All the guards in the levels above us will fight their hardest against the intruders, even if all they can do is stall them. Everyone right here, we don’t have the time to go after the small fry. We’re going to fight Roger, whatever it takes. Go call level 6 and tell them to release Shiryu, he can deal with the little pests on his way up if he runs into them. We need every bit of help we can get, no matter the risk. But on the honour of Impel Down, we’re not just going to let these pirates do whatever they want! This prison is known as an impenetrable fortress for a reason!”
“Aye aye, sir!”
Roger barely paid the guards any mind, conqueror’s haki not focused enough to knock them out, but strong enough to paralyze them with fear as he slowly walked over to Magellan.
Amateurs. Magellan righted himself, wiping the last soot and wax from himself. He couldn’t be done in that easily. Perhaps he wasn’t used to fighting people stronger than him, mostly because they were brought here already defeated and chained in seastone, but he could hold his own.
A lazy grin made its way on Roger’s face. “You’re Magellan, right? I heard you’re the least boring guy in here. Wanna prove that to me?”
“I’ll prove to you you can’t just do whatever you want without consequences.”
Roger unsheathed his sword as Magellan summoned his poison hydra, and with a laugh from the Pirate King, the battle began.
The doors to the most impenetrable prison on the planet were gaping wide open, and as pissed as Marco was at Roger for rushing in thoughtlessly, he absolutely didn’t mind taking this chance.
There were still guards waiting for them inside, but they were prepared for that, and this didn’t seem to be the full force. Figured, if they were busy with Roger. At the very least, the man was a great distraction. As long as he didn’t move past level 4 before Marco got there, they could work with him.
Which was a big if. If he got Ace killed, Marco would send him to his grave right afterwards.
“Jozu, I’ll leave clearing the entrance to you. Haruta, you know what to do?”
“Obviously.”
“Hey Marco,” Thatch cut in, “you’re not really gonna make me stick around the entrance like Pops said, right? Not when that bastard Teach is right here.”
His expression was dark, showing he was dead-set on getting revenge. Marco didn’t really want to let Thatch fight Teach of all people, the trauma of cleaning his corpse for his burial still too fresh in his mind, but he also knew arguing with Thatch now would only waste precious time.
“Our first priority is Ace, not Teach,” Marco reminded his brother. “But no, I’m not going to tell you to stay when you’re not going to listen to me anyway.” He didn’t even pay attention to the offended eye roll that got him, just turned to Ace’ mother. “Rouge, can you carry someone while flying?”
She nodded. “Sure, as long as it’s not for hours and it’s a regular-sized person.”
“Good. Take Izou, then. We’re gonna skip all the fighting up here and go as straight to Ace as we can. Stop Roger hopefully when we run into him.” He’d be impossible to miss for sure. They just had to get down as fast as possible.
Rouge laughed a little awkwardly. “Ah, yeah… Sorry about him.” But she transformed into her hybrid form and picked up Izou. Following suit, Marco transformed and grabbed Thatch with his talons.
“Let’s go.” He flapped his wings, lifting Thatch up and carrying him right over the guards, Rouge and Izou following close behind.
Good. They were moving now. Marco could feel his senses sharpen as it settled in that they were right in the middle of the big battle now. It was do or die now, with everything on the line. And Marco would do everything in his power to make sure they were successful and their family would be whole again, just like Pops said.
Just wait for us, Ace. We’ll get you out of here and back home in no time at all. You only have to hold on a little while longer, so stay alive until I get to you. Please.
Notes:
really why do I keep ending up having to write fights I don't like this
Chapter 10
Summary:
Luffy desperately tries to reach Ace, but without Roger, things don't go quite as smoothly anymore.
Notes:
don't got much to say this time, so just enjoy reading! we're getting closer and closer to ace!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“We made it to level 5!”
Luffy’s sandals crunched in the snow as he bounced over it. Weird goo guy hadn’t followed them, so they were free to go get Ace! They just had to find him.
Luffy reached up to get the vivre card from his hat, though he ended up clumsily knocking his hat off. His fingers just didn’t seem to move like he wanted ever since he touched the purple goo. Well, whatever. If he lost feeling in his hands to save Ace, that would absolutely be worth it.
For now, he did manage to get the vivre card out. “Oh, it’s still pointing down. I thought this was the lowest level.”
“There’s rumours all the worst criminals are kept in level 6!” Bon-chan provided, happily twirling around. “Looks like it’s true for your brother! I bet Ivankov is there, too, so I’m going with you no matter what awaits us!”
“I just hope it’s not as insanely cold there. This sucks, especially right after all that heat. We’ll freeze to death if we stay here too long.”
“Cold?” Wax guy was shivering, and now that Luffy paid attention to it, Bon-chan was moving around frantically in order to keep warm. There was snow everywhere. “Damn, it’s really cold here!”
“It took you this long to notice? How thick is your skull?” Buggy shook his head, trying to calm down after his screeching. “Let’s just move on. I’m fine since I got this coat, but you’ll really freeze, especially if you don’t move around.”
Wow, it was really cold. So cold. Nothing to warm up, except… “Give me that coat!” Luffy jumped on Buggy, the only one who seemed somewhat okay with the miserable temperature.
“What?! No way! This is my coat, find a guard and get your own! Not my fault you didn’t bring one!”
“Watch out!”
Both Luffy and Buggy barely moved out of the way in time as a sword sliced the air where they’d just been.
Immediately, all thoughts of the cold or ways to warm up were wiped from Luffy’s mind. There was a guy there, wearing a uniform just like goo guy, and he’d attacked them. An enemy, and not just a regular guard, Luffy could tell. He was strong. Another obstacle on the way to Ace.
The guy swung his sword again without a word, and he would’ve cut right through Luffy if he didn’t roll out of the way.
Getting careless in a fight against him would definitely not end well. Luffy activated gear 2, knowing he’d need the speed against someone like this.
“Be careful, Straw-chan,” Bon-chan called out to him, “that guy’s dangerous, and he knows no mercy! He’ll have fun trying to kill you!”
With a glance, Luffy confirmed that everyone but him had brought some distance between them and sword guy. Good. Luffy could handle him. He wouldn’t let anyone stop him, certainly not some murderous prison guard. It was too bad Zoro wasn’t here, he’d probably really enjoy a fight with a good swordsman like that.
But now he was Luffy’s opponent. Luffy was ready to dodge his next attack, but as he went to throw a punch in return, it didn’t work properly. His hand wouldn’t ball itself into a proper fist no matter how hard he tried, and his entire arm didn’t stretch as much as he wanted it to.
“Got poison on your hands, didn’t you, boy? Too bad, I was kind of hoping for an exciting fight.”
“Sorry, but it’ll be over in a flash,” Luffy countered, “I don’t need my arms to beat you.”
He still had his legs, and they were working perfectly fine. No arms necessary to fight. Sanji never used them, Luffy would just have to emulate his fighting style. No problem.
They absolutely had a problem. A huge problem.
Buggy had honestly hoped with Magellan on level 4 and level 5 seemingly empty except for the prisoners frozen almost to death, that they could just run through this last obstacle of vast cold and then be on their merry way back out, but of course things didn’t go that smoothly. Nothing ever did for Buggy.
Running into Shiryu when they’d left Roger behind was just Buggy’s luck.
“What should we do? Straw-chan is clearly outmatched!”
As annoying as Buggy found Bon Clay, he had to agree. Both combatants were still standing, but Shiryu seemed barely fazed by the hits and kicks assaulting him, while Strawhat’s blood was already dripping into the snow below him.
“How would I know? I didn’t plan for Shiryu! I thought he was safely imprisoned or dead or whatever!” There wasn’t a lot of information reaching level 1 from all the way down here, and Buggy had never planned on ever setting foot in this hellscape, so he didn’t keep up with news about it beyond big headlines, which were sparse since the world government didn’t really want people to know what was going on in here. A whole giant torture chamber just didn’t make you look like the good guys to most regular people.
“Can’t you fight him?” Galdino asked, as if that was actually a possibility. “You seem like a loser to me, but I thought you were a member of Gold Roger’s crew, aren’t you supposed to be strong?”
Right. Yeah. That was an expectation Buggy was absolutely not able to live up to. “I was an apprentice there when I was a kid! Just because I grew up around a bunch of crazily strong monsters doesn’t mean I became one, too! I never had any ambitions like that, why do you think you never heard of me before?”
Buggy was really quite happy nobody knew of his past, or else they’d probably have hunted him down just for the sake of eradicating Roger’s legacy, and they wouldn’t have been stupid enough to lock him up in level 1 without seastone cuffs in that case, if they’d let him live at all.
Fame and power were for Shanks, Buggy was quite happy with just wealth, thank you very much.
“STRAW-CHAN!”
Ah, shit. Buggy had hoped maybe the crazy kid that was definitely on track to become a monster like captain or Shanks could just take out Shiryu for them, but it didn’t seem like it, what with all the blood seeping from his chest. Actually, the kid would probably die if they didn’t stop that bleeding immediately.
Really, they should just run.
Sure, Buggy didn’t love leaving others behind to save his own life, but he’d done it before, and he would do it again. Strawhat wasn’t part of his crew or even his friend or anything, Buggy had no obligation to him.
Roger wouldn’t be happy, but Buggy could always claim the stupid moron just ran off and got himself killed out of Buggy’s sight.
Buggy wanted to run. He wanted to run so, so badly.
Running was the only choice that would basically guarantee at least the three of them survived. Everything else was riskier.
He hated every instance in his life where he was forced to watch excruciating, brutal fights, just because Roger always, always refused to run even as he pushed the rest of the crew to do just that.
“Make me a wax sword. I’ll distract him,” Buggy said, then turned to Bon Clay. “You go and grab Strawhat and run as fast as you can.”
Sometimes he hated himself, too.
He blamed Roger’s influence and the misplaced faith he clearly had in Buggy, and Strawhat’s stupid trusting nature, and also the treasure key he’d given Buggy. If not for all of that, Buggy probably would’ve turned tail and ran.
It would’ve certainly been easier, but here he was, getting handed a wax sword by Galdino to go and try to save Strawhat. “Um, I can make my wax hard and sharp, you can absolutely cut him with this, but I doubt it’s as good as actual steel, so it could break if you try to block his hits…”
“Whatever. That guy can probably cut through steel, anyway.” It wasn’t like Buggy knew how to use armament haki, not even on himself, much less on a weapon. “Just run. I’ll catch up with you later.”
Galdino nodded, clearly relieved he wouldn’t have to do anything as he happily fled the scene. Honestly, Buggy was a little jealous. He didn’t want to stay behind with all the crazy people.
“Hey,” he called out, making Shiryu turn towards them, “you’re Shiryu of the Rain, right? I hear you’re a good swordsman, so face me in a duel!”
Shiryu didn’t look impressed, but Buggy did his best to force his legs to stop trembling as he walked closer as casually as he could. He needed to look confident. You couldn’t put on a show if you looked insecure. And this was a show. Buggy wouldn’t really fight, there was no point. But he was good at putting on a show, so that was what he would do.
“I don’t have time for your games, clown.”
“Oh, so you’ve heard of me? That’s right, I’m Buggy the Clown, famed pirate captain. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” It was hard to tell, but Buggy was pretty sure Shiryu was starting to get a little annoyed. Good. Anger made anyone more predictable and sloppier.
“Don’t be flattered, I was just talking about your ugly nose.”
“Huh? Who’s got a red, round nose? Take that back, or I’ll kill you!” Fury laced itself into Buggy’s voice on reflex. Maybe it was stupid, but at least it made everything more believable, no better way to get over your inhibitions than a healthy dose of righteous anger. “Just stop being such a coward and fight me already! Or are you scared you’ll lose to a clown?”
Shiryu surged forward, drawing his sword, just like Buggy knew he would. He rolled to the side, just glancing over to Bon Clay for a second to make sure he was sprinting towards Strawhat and picking him up.
Alright. Everyone else was on their way to run. Now all Buggy needed to do was stall for a little and then find a way to run himself.
Which was easier said than done, but not impossible.
Buggy knew exactly three things about Shiryu. One, he was strong. Two, he was at least a little insane. Three, he was a swordsman. And it was the last fact that gave Buggy a chance. That and that he would bet everything he had on the fact that Shiryu knew jack shit about Buggy. In fact, he was kind of betting his life on it right now, but he’d rather not think about that too much.
As Shiryu kept trying to slice him, all Buggy could do was frantically dodge. There was probably a way to redirect Shiryu’s attacks even if the wax sword wouldn’t let him outright block, but Buggy had always been more of an explosives guy than a sword guy, so he’d never paid attention when Rayleigh had tried to explain it to him.
“Seems to me like you’re the coward, all you do is dodge.”
“It’s called strategy, moron. I’m a pirate, I don’t need to play by your rules of how a swordfight should go. As long as I win, all’s well.”
Technically, none of that was a lie. Though Buggy’s strategy was incredibly barebones, and his definition of winning was a bit of a stretch. But the one who got what he wanted in the end was the winner, not whoever knocked the other down.
How long had it been since the start of the fight? 30 seconds? Maybe even a minute? Buggy had no idea, but it would have to be enough either way. All he needed was for the others to be far away enough that Shiryu would find it too annoying to go after them and instead go upstairs to find people to murder on the upper levels.
Buggy was feeling out of breath from all the dodging already. Man, he wasn’t used to moving around like this. How did people voluntarily do this all the time? This sucked. Swordsmen were all stupid. Shooting cannons was so much easier and flashier.
Just this once, though, Buggy grabbed the hilt of his sword tightly and swung it at his enemy with everything he had.
Only to completely miss as Shiryu easily sidestepped his attack, and retaliated by cutting right through Buggy’s chest.
Buggy immediately faceplanted into the bloody snow where Strawhat had gotten hurt earlier, hoping it would obscure the fact that no new blood was being spilled along with the red coat. He held his breath as his ears picked up on the tell-tale sound of a sword being sheathed.
“What a moron.”
Snow was crunched under boots, and Buggy couldn’t help but grin.
Yeah, Shiryu was definitely a moron.
The mood on the ship was tense.
Nervous energy was radiating off most their soldiers, and Sengoku couldn’t really blame them. Sure, they’d been preparing for war, but they weren’t ready yet. Not everyone had arrived, and now all their plans had been thrown off, to the point where they weren’t sure if they’d even arrive on time for any kind of war. Not to mention, their opponent might not even be the one they’d expected.
To Sengoku, Roger was the preferred enemy. He was much less likely to have elaborate plans to counter the marine forces, and most importantly, he was basically alone. Yes, he’d managed to team up with Garp’s problem child of a grandson in a process that Sengoku could only describe as somehow, and could probably motivate a few prisoners in Impel Down to fight with him if he freed them, but that was it. In the short time since he’d been revived, Roger clearly didn’t manage to find and reunite his scattered crew, much less any old allies.
But plenty of his soldiers, especially the younger ones, would be much more intimidated by Roger.
It made sense. Whitebeard, for all of his status and incredible power, was and had always been real. A human being with flaws and limits and weak spots one could exploit, even if it was anything but easy to do so.
Roger, on the other hand, was a legend. You had to be at least 40 to have had a chance to fight him, and even then, most young recruits wouldn’t have been put on any assignment in Roger’s general vicinity, as they’d just faint from his haki anyway. It was really only the old guard like Sengoku himself that really remembered Roger, who saw his rise and fall as it happened.
Yes, they knew just as well as anyone that Roger was terrifyingly powerful and often completely unpredictable, but they also knew he was kind of an idiot at times who left the thinking ahead to Rayleigh. Without the Dark King, who was as smart as he was powerful, without Scopper Gaban to cover his back, without Kozuki Oden to solve the world’s mysteries for him, Roger wasn’t even half as scary as he’d been 20 years ago.
It was rational to think like this, and Tsuru seemed to think along the same lines as he did, still perfectly calm. Sengoku would like to believe it was the same for Garp, who was happily and noisily munching on some rice crackers, but he was probably just looking forward to fighting Roger again. Possibly hoping Firefist would be freed and escape in the chaos Roger was sure to cause right this moment.
As long as he kept it at just hoping and actually fought Roger seriously, Sengoku wouldn’t say anything about it.
“Fleet Admiral Sengoku, sir, we’ve received news from Impel Down!”
A young soldier had burst through the door of the charting room without knocking, something Sengoku would usually scold him for, but that wasn’t important right now. “How are things over there?”
“Gold Roger has advanced to level 4, but Head Warden Magellan is still fighting him. It seems like he’ll be able to delay him quite a bit. Blackbeard who we’ve been missing has been spotted in Impel Down as well, though nobody is sure what he’s doing there as of now, he hasn’t fought or freed anyone yet. Most importantly, Whitebeard and his core crew have arrived and are currently engaging in battle with our ships guarding the prison as well as infiltrating it. According to our men, they approached underwater through the help of bubble coating and surfaced right in front of the entrance, so there was no stopping them from getting inside.”
Well, shit.
Even with nothing decided yet, they had to consider the worst case scenario before even arriving at the scene. It wouldn’t be long until they reached Impel Down, but at this point, if Roger and Whitebeard wanted to ally themselves even temporarily, there would be little to nothing they could do.
“What about Boa Hancock? Where is she?”
“Right behind the Gates of Justice, currently. We’ve contacted her, but she told us in very clear words she was willing to fight with us in a war against Whitebeard, but we can’t expect her to fight against Whitebeard and his crew with just a Vice Admiral to help.”
Of course. The warlords were unreliable like that. They weren’t just soldiers to command, they each had their own personality and demands that needed to be met if they were expected to cooperate. And really, while Hancock was strong, she probably wouldn’t last long against Whitebeard anyway.
“That’s alright. She can join the fight when we arrive.” Sengoku took a deep breath. “Tell the guards at Impel Down we’re on our way and almost there. The condition of Roger making it past level 4 still stands, but add another to kill Firefist if the Whitebeard Pirates reach Roger and don’t immediately start fighting against him. Don’t even try to keep the transmission safe, it’s better if they overhear it.”
“Yes, sir!”
As the soldier saluted and left, Sengoku could hear the rice cracker crumble in Garp’s fist. He sighed. “You know we can’t just let them get away with this.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Garp grumbled, trying to lick the crumbled rice cracker out of his hand instead of looking at Sengoku. As if Sengoku liked giving the orders to kill Garp’s family. If they weren’t all criminals, he wouldn’t be doing this.
“Let’s just hope Roger and Whitebeard get into a custody battle over Firefist instead of deciding to both be his dad,” Tsuru cut through the heavy atmosphere in the room.
It worked like a charm, Garp was instantly back to his usual, bellowing laughter, a sound so familiar it eased Sengoku’s mind immediately, even if it was just a little off.
“Can I join? I feel like I have a good case for getting custody.”
“Absolutely not. Besides, I feel like you lost that battle years ago when he became a pirate.”
“Aw, come on Senny, you’re no fun.”
“For once, I agree,” Tsuru answered before Sengoku could, “why don’t you just offer him his grandson back if he manages to defeat both Whitebeard and Roger? Who knows, maybe that’ll motivate him enough to actually do it.”
Sengoku snorted. “Fine. If you manage to defeat both Whitebeard and Roger personally, we’ll try to make Ace a Warlord again, how does that sound?”
“The brat’s just gonna refuse again even if you do! How stupid do you think I am? Stop using me and fight Whitebeard yourself!”
“I don’t think you want me to honestly answer that question. If you’re not gonna be useful, stop eating my rice crackers!”
Laughter rang through the room, careless and familiar, the same it had been for decades, even as they were heading for war.
Roger jumped out of the way of the poisonous hydra yet again.
This fight kind of sucked. He was mostly just dodging, because regular attacks would get Roger poisoned, but all of his really cool ranged attacks where he wouldn’t have to touch Magellan would just instantly knock the guy out.
And then nobody would be left for Roger to pretend to struggle against. He’d already knocked out the Vice Warden on accident earlier. The asshole had tried to attack him from behind while Roger was busy with Magellan, and he’d thrown a real punch on reflex, knocking him into the boiling pot that kept level 4 as hot as it was.
Roger was pretty sure someone had fished the poor guy back out, but he certainly wasn’t going to get back up anytime soon, meaning Roger would have to stretch this fight against Magellan for however long it took for Buggy and the rest to get Ace and then call him.
Which they hadn’t yet, so he’d have to keep up the façade of not being able to win against Magellan.
The one thing Roger could do to attack back was using the sword Iceburg had so nicely given him. Imbued with just a little armament haki it could slice through the poison without harm to itself or Roger, and without doing too much damage to Magellan. The guy was bleeding already, but it was mostly superficial wounds. Hopefully he could keep going like this for a while and all his insane devil fruit stuff didn’t exhaust him too much.
Jumping around another hydra head, Roger sprinted forward, slicing at Magellan again. Sure, he could just keep dodging, but that would be boring, and it irked Roger already to be wasting so much time and letting this guy believe he had any sort of chance against him.
But this time, his sword got stuck, and Roger had to let go of it if he didn’t want to get doused in poison. Such an obnoxious devil fruit. He could get away in time, but his sword was lost, completely covered in poisonous goo and already corroding from the acid contained in it. Yikes.
“That was a gift, you know? Now I’ll look ungrateful since I lost it the first time I really used it!”
Magellan growled. “You can just die, then you won’t have to worry about that.” He definitely sounded a little out of breath, though, even if he’d barely moved around compared to Roger.
“Ah, I was wondering why nobody greeted us. This explains it.”
Roger whirled around, only now noticing the group of people casually strolling towards him and Magellan. From the way they looked, they were obviously pirates, not prison guards. And the guy who’d spoken somehow seemed familiar, where had Roger seen him before…?
“Here I am, on my way to complete a crucial step of my plan to become Pirate King, and who do I meet? His majesty himself, risen from the grave. If that’s not fate, I don’t know what is.” Weird black mist started swirling around his hands. “You don’t mind if I usurp your throne right here and now, do you?”
Hah. As if. Roger grinned. “You know, someone else told me the same thing today already, and I think I like him much better than you, so you’ll have to give up on that goal, I fear.”
“Zehahaha, sorry if I made it sound like you had any sort of choice in the matter. I’m Blackbeard, and I take for myself whatever I want no matter who stands in my way.”
A shudder ran down Roger’s spine as he realized where he’d seen the guy’s face before. It was in the newspaper. Next to Ace. “You.” Cold anger washed over him. Barely thinking, he turned back around to Magellan. With a single punch, he sent advanced armament haki his way, crushing him from the inside out without even touching him. He wouldn’t be interrupting this fight. Roger faced Blackbeard again. “You’re the one who brought Ace here.”
To his credit, Blackbeard immediately noticed he was in trouble, raising his hands in a placating way. “Well, yeah, but that was nothing personal. I just needed someone to trade for a Warlord position, and Commander Ace just so happened to pursue me. I quite like him actually, would’ve loved it if he took the offer to join my crew instead.”
“I don’t care.” Roger’s fury was reaching a point where any regular guards still standing were passing out, though Blackbeard and his crew remained unaffected. “You can try to take my title, that’s fine with me. Could turn out to be fun, even. But whatever your reasons, if you hurt my family, I’ll never forgive you.”
“Wha- Family?”
“Roger,” Tom called out, just standing around now that the guards around him were all passed out, “remember the plan.”
Right. He was supposed to stall. He couldn’t just take these guys out, nobody else was left. “I know.” He gave a quick nod to Tom. “How unfortunate for you, ‘Blackbeard’. Right now I’m waiting for a call that’ll tell me Ace is free. I’ll make every second until then a living hell for you.” He paused, cracking his knuckles and levelling Blackbeard with a stare that conveyed he was dead serious about his threats.
“And once I get it, you die.”
Paradise. Bon Clay was in paradise.
He’d made it. After all this time suffering in level 3 and then fighting his way through the deeper levels, he was here, in level 5.5.
Ivankov, his idol, the person who’d inspired him like nobody else, was just one room over, performing one of their legendary shows. They’d invited Bon Clay personally to stay with them and have a good time.
But here he was, watching doctors injecting his friend with an antidote and wrapping him in a ridiculous amount of bandages after they stitched him back together and gave him a blood transfusion. Twirling Straw-chan’s hat in his fingers idly as he was lost in thought.
He’d been barely able to do anything. Even when gravely injured from his fight with Shiryu, Straw-chan had insisted on fighting alongside Bon Clay against the wolves roaming level 5, and eventually even succeeded in knocking them out when it seemed like they were being overwhelmed.
Meanwhile Bon Clay had been useless against Shiryu. Had known he couldn’t do anything, and in his mind, even considered leaving his friend behind. He was such a coward! But he’d gotten away with just surface-level injuries, while Straw-chan was badly hurt and passed out and nobody told Bon Clay how bad it truly was. Was he fighting for his life right now? Even if he didn’t die, would he be able to move his arms again when he woke up?
“You don’t want to go enjoy the party? Maybe they get a little wild sometimes, but I promise everyone here is nice. They won’t bite unless of course you want them to.”
Oh, it was the person who’d led them here again. Inazuma. They seemed perfectly calm, smiling at Bon Clay as they took a sip from their wine glass.
“I don’t mind wild. Weird and eccentric is kind of my whole thing. I’d love to join, usually. But…” His gaze automatically returned to Straw-chan, and Inazuma’s face morphed into one of pity and understanding.
“Your friend will be fine. The antidote we gave him is working, and we stopped all his bleeding. He just needs to rest. In a few hours or maybe tomorrow, he’ll wake back up, and then he’ll be on the road to a complete recovery, with maybe a few scars on his chest.”
Okay. That was a relief. Bon Clay let himself exhale to try and get rid of some of the tension in his body. “But his brother… He came here to save him. Now’s his chance to go and do that and then get out of this hell. He doesn’t have the time to recover first. I could be fine here, but he needs to be free.”
“True. This is unprecedented. Impel Down has basically fallen into the hands of pirates at this point. It would be the perfect chance to leave for anyone, something like this is never going to happen again. Security will only tighten on those that stay behind.” Inazuma pensively swirled the wine he was carrying.
“I’ll go.” Bon Clay abruptly stood up. His mind was made up. His injuries were only minor, he’d be fine. “I’ll save-“
“ACE!”
Startled, Bon Clay looked at Straw-chan, who was wide awake, sitting upright in the bed Ivankov had provided for him.
Straw-chan blinked, looking around with obvious confusion on his face until he found Bon Clay. “Bon-chan! You’re okay!” It was a miracle! Straw-chan would be fine!
And then his stomach growled. “You guys got any food? I’m starving!”
Notes:
cut dialogue from sengoku's part:
garp: you know, if roger is ace' dad and whitebeard is ace' dad and I'm ace' grandfather, which of them is my son?
sengoku: that's not how it works
tsuru: I don't understand why you want to expand your family to include even more criminals
sengoku: right, there's enough of those. though if you manage to make either of them call you their father, I'll buy you a year's supply of rice crackers
garp: does it have to be now when we fight? because I could definitely get roger to call me daddy later
sengoku&tsuru: ...GARP!(I'm sorry)
Chapter 11
Summary:
As Rouge, Marco, Thatch and Izou make it to Roger, they all agree on one thing: it's time for Teach to die.
Hannyabal decides that's not enough.
Notes:
at this stage I would like to remind everyone that this is a fic where everyone lives except teach. might get just a little graphic, too.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
It was eerie, running through Impel Down like this.
Once they got past the guards at the entrance by flying over their heads as they were distracted with the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates, there was no more resistance. Just prisoners in their cells, yelling at them to release them, as well as the bodies of guards and monsters littering the floor.
To find the way down, all they had to do was follow the path of destruction Roger had left behind.
In a way, Rouge was happy to see it. After all, it was real, tangible proof that Roger had returned from death just like her, and he’d come to save their son just like she had. She couldn’t wait to meet him again. Seeing him slowly get overtaken by his illness, watching him sail away and then reading about his execution in the newspaper, it had torn her apart, but now her broken heart was piecing itself back together by the minute as it anticipated seeing Roger again.
On the other hand, Roger clearly had way too easy of a time blasting through the prison. It couldn’t be too long until he advanced past level 4, not even knowing that action would lead to the order to kill Ace before either of them could ever properly meet him.
Rouge would urge her companions to go faster every time that thought made itself known in her brain, but in reality they were already running faster than her. Rouge was the only one a little out of breath from the exercise, which she blamed on herself just not having been able to work out while pregnant. Also they were just taller than her. It wasn’t fair.
At the very least, Thatch and Izou started sweating when they reached the heat of level 3. Only Marco was entirely unbothered, probably because of his phoenix abilities. Rouge was happy with the stealth capabilities her fruit provided, but she’d be lying if she said she wouldn’t take the mythical zoan fruit as well.
“That hole doesn’t look like it’s supposed to be there,” Thatch commented as they all slithered to a halt in front of a giant hole in the ground that looked extremely unsafe and recent, with sand slowly falling down its edges and the floor creaking and shaking under their feet as they got too close.
Peering over the edge, Rouge could see a bridge over a giant boiling pot, multiple blocks of cells, a giant knocked-out sphinx, lots of guards scattered across the ground, and…
There he was. Rouge’s heart skipped a beat as she felt the familiar presence that she’d thought she’d lost forever. Roger. Her husband. The love of her life. The one man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with, no matter what.
For a moment, she felt nothing but love as she watched Roger in his element, fist coated in haki as he fought an entire group of people at once, landing a nice blow right into one guy’s face.
And then that love turned to hate the second she realized who it was that Roger had been punching. Blackbeard. Marshall D. Teach. Traitor to the Whitebeard Pirates. The reason her boy was suffering in this hellish prison.
Fury overtook Rouge in an instant, and she jumped through the hole in the ground with no plan in mind. She didn’t need one. There was only one thing she could possibly do in this situation.
Before Teach even had the chance to properly get back up from Roger’s punch, Rouge was in front of him. Swooping in from above, she drew Ace from her hip and swung it, just once, to slice a giant gash open on Blackbeard’s chest.
Perhaps this wasn’t her sword, perhaps she wasn’t worthy of it, perhaps this could’ve gone wrong in a million ways, but she didn’t care. For this one action of poetic justice, the sword would have to accept her as its wielder, no matter how out of her league it was. What she lacked in skill she could make up in will in this one moment.
Rouge had never been one to draw joy from violence, but she wouldn’t deny the satisfaction she felt hearing the scream that tore itself from Blackbeard’s mouth.
Roger could only watch in awe as his wife dropped from the sky like a storm, wielding his sword like it belonged to her, cutting up the man who’d made their son suffer.
Oh, she was so beautiful, hair waving around wildly, wings spread elegantly behind her, the wrath of a mother on her face.
It was enough to make Roger fall in love all over again.
He didn’t have to worry about her getting hurt in retaliation either, because right after her, three more people entered the fray just like Rouge had by jumping down from the ceiling.
Roger recognized two of the three. Izou, one of Oden’s retainers, who was sniping anyone in Blackbeard’s crew who moved a single muscle, and Marco, Ed’s first and favourite brat, who was mainly carrying the other two right now. Izou seemed like he barely aged, and Roger couldn’t help but wonder if he’d died at some point in the last 20 years. At least Marco seemed just fine, stubble making him seem properly older, and devil fruit still intact.
The last guy Roger was pretty sure he’d never seen before, but he assumed it was another member of Whitebeard’s crew who’d joined more recently. At least he was pretty certain he’d remember someone with such a cool pompadour, but then, if he’d changed his hairstyle since then, it was entirely possible Roger just couldn’t place him right now. Edward just had too many kids on his ship, Roger couldn’t be blamed if he didn’t remember every single one of them.
Pompadour guy took over from Rouge, a blade in each hand as Marco practically threw him at Blackbeard. Teach was looking worse for wear by the second, and while Roger knew he was supposed to stall, he couldn’t really bring himself to be upset about this development, either.
Once he was certain the Whitebeard brats had the situation under control, Roger allowed himself to focus on Rouge.
When she turned to him, there was a dazzling smile on her face, just like Roger remembered.
“Rouge,” he whispered, for once at a loss for words. What could he say, more than 20 years later, when they’d both been so sure they’d never see each other again?
It seemed she equally failed to come up with the proper words, but it didn’t matter as she dashed forward, throwing herself into Roger’s arms, who caught her easily. One second they were just staring into each other’s eyes, drinking in the features of the other, the next their lips were already connected.
Her lips were so soft, Roger frankly just forgot where he was and what he was supposed to be doing right now. This was all he ever needed in his life.
Except of course it wasn’t that simple. They were still in Impel Down, Blackbeard and his crew, while having taken hefty damage, were not dead, and their son was still imprisoned somewhere below him because Buggy still hadn’t called.
Despite that, as their lips parted, Roger took the time to properly look at his wife. Her hair, unruly and messy, framing her beautiful face. Her freckles dusting her cheeks. Her lips upturned in the happiest of smiles. Her gorgeous brown eyes filled with love, making Roger once again wonder what he’d done to deserve being the lucky one she looked at like that.
“Rouge,” he repeated reverently, “my love. Sorry I left you on your own for so long. You don’t look a day older than when I last saw you.” It wasn’t just flatter, it was simply true. She looked exactly the same, as if barely any time had passed for her at all. But it couldn’t be. Devil fruits were supposed to be gone if you were revived, and yet Rouge still had hers, the same one she’d always had. Or had she just gotten it again? As much as Roger had hoped that Rouge would make it, that she’d manage to protect Ace and live with him to raise him, he’d known there was a chance she’d die trying. That was why he’d asked Garp to save Ace if it came to that.
The sad smile on Rouge’s face gave Roger all the confirmation he needed. “I’m a little over a year older now.”
There was no way to stop the wave of guilt washing over Roger. She didn’t need to say how she’d died, he already knew it was in order to protect Ace. Yes, there’d been a bounty on her head that had absolutely nothing to do with Roger, but she could handle herself against some bounty hunters and standard South Blue marine soldiers. But the world government using their full force to locate his wife and child was an entirely different matter. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, darling.” Her smile was genuine, without a hint of resentment or regret. “I chose to die so our son could live. Holding him in my arms was the happiest moment of my life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. And we’ve got a second chance, now, we just have to make the most of it.”
“Right.”
Dwelling on the past wouldn’t help anyone. They had to make the future right.
Roger, as much as it pained him, forced himself to look away from Rouge and pay attention to the other people around him.
Tom was crouching next to a very sickly looking horse laying on the ground, petting it without paying attention to its passed out rider. He was one of the Blackbeard Pirates, but he hadn’t really put up any fight, so Roger didn’t really care for him. Poor horse, though.
Izou was still shooting at the rest of the Blackbeard Pirates, who were trying their best to fight him while their captain was rolling around on the ground, screaming in pain. As he deserved.
Meanwhile Marco and pompadour guy were helping Izou half-heartedly while having some kind of argument.
“Absolutely not,” he could hear Marco say, “forget it. You’re not fighting Teach, you’re going to get Ace. You should be glad I even took you this far against Pops’ orders and gave you a chance to get a hit in. That’s going to have to be enough.”
“But I want my revenge!”
“Revenge for killing you. Like hell I’m going to let you fight against your murderer. You’re not dying on me again.”
“It wasn’t a fight,” pompadour guy protested, “he stabbed me in the back while I was drunk! I’ll be fine, you don’t need to be such a mother hen!”
“Thatch,” Izou cut in, “just give up and go save Ace. You know he’ll be happiest to see you. And by the time you’re both back, we’ll have dealt with Teach. We don’t have the time to argue this out, so it’s Marco’s word that counts.”
Thatch pouted, but he did sheathe his swords.
Wait. They were gonna fight Blackbeard? “Hey,” Roger called out, “I was in the middle of fighting that guy! Don’t just butt in!”
Marco swiftly kicked the winged guy on Blackbeard’s crew into the ground so hard that he stopped moving, then turned to Roger. “Sorry, but this is our fight. Teach used to be a member of our crew, and he betrayed us by killing one of our own in the pursuit of power. We can’t let an outsider kill him.”
…What? A traitor? On Ed’s crew? That didn’t sound right. Sure, his crew was larger, but they’d always been just as close to one another as Roger’s own crew. A family. Even Oden had never stopped referring to Whitebeard as his older brother after he’d jumped ship, and all the kids always called him ‘Pops’.
But Marco’s expression told Roger he wasn’t lying. Slowly, the story started to make some sort of sense. ‘Blackbeard’ – which really did sound like what a traitor to Whitebeard without a lick of creativity would call himself – had killed Thatch. Stabbed him in the back, as they’d just said. Of course they were pissed. Hell, it was entirely possible that Ace had been trying to get revenge for his fallen comrade before he’d been captured.
Roger honestly couldn’t imagine what that would feel like. His entire crew had always been loyal, and he’d placed all of his trust in them. A betrayal would hurt more than he could fathom, but he could see the pain and anger clear on Marco’s face.
In that case, he didn’t mind standing down. Roger had caused pain like Teach had caused pain to his family, he’d leave the killing to those whose family had been killed by him.
“So I’ll go get Ace, too, then?” There really wasn’t anything else left to do. All the guards including Magellan were laying on the ground unconscious.
“Oh no, no, no, no, sweetheart, you’re staying right here,” Rouge killed that idea before he could even move a single step towards the stairs. “We overheard a marine transmission earlier. If they see you in level 5 before reinforcements from Marineford arrive, a guard stationed by Ace’s cell will kill him.”
Oh. A cold shiver ran down Roger’s spine when he realized just how close he’d come to disaster. Never in his life had he been so glad to have stuck to a plan. If he’d just blasted through the prison like he wanted to, Ace would be dead by now.
“Shit,” he breathed out, “thank fuck Buggy made me stall because he said they might do something like that.”
“Buggy?” Thatch echoed.
“One of Roger’s former apprentices,” Izou supplied before turning to Roger. “So where is he now? We heard Ace’ little brother was with you, too.”
“They went ahead. Buggy said he’d call me when they get Ace free, so I’ve been waiting for that. It’s been a while, though. No idea what’s taking so long.”
Everyone looked around, trying to figure out what was happening. “Maybe they ran into trouble in level 5? It’s not like we know everything that’s down there.”
Hm. Since Buggy was with them, Roger had just assumed they’d be fine without him. He couldn’t remember if there was anything or anyone particularly dangerous supposed to be in here, the one thing Crocus had warned him about was Magellan’s poison, but he was right here. Hopefully none of them had gotten poisoned while they got past him…
“Let’s just go see for ourselves,” Rouge decided. “I’ll go with Thatch, we can look for Buggy and Luffy while we’re on our way to Ace.” She sheathed Ace, then handed it to Roger. “Sorry I didn’t manage to pass on your sword to our son, but with how things turned out, it’s probably best back in your hand anyway. Make sure not to get into too much trouble while I’m away with Thatch, alright?”
The two of them made to leave, while Roger pouted. “And what am I supposed to do now?” Blackbeard’s crew was barely alive at this point, as were all the guards. He didn’t want to just stand around doing nothing! He wanted to help save Ace!
“You can go back up if you’re bored.” Marco shrugged. “Pops is up there, but you can find someone to fight once the ships from Marineford arrive, I’m sure.”
Back up? No way! Ace was down, the opposite direction! Roger couldn’t just leave everything to these brats, even if they were all grown up now. It was a matter of principle.
He barely noticed the approaching presence before he heard the tell-tale sound of steel clashing against steel. Roger whirled around to the staircase leading to level 5 to see both Thatch and Rouge with their swords drawn, staring down another guard.
Perfect. Roger could tell the guy was strong just from his haki and the way he held his sword. He knew what he was doing. And he was ready to kill. “Leave him to me,” he shouted, “you two can go ahead!” That way Rouge would be safe, and Roger had something to do.
Once Roger drew his sword and jumped at the guard, that was all that was needed to distract him from his previous two opponents, so they could slip past him without any problems.
“Finally,” the guard drawled, “a real challenge. I’ve been bored to death for too long in here. Killing the rubber kid and the clown was a nice quick fix, but not enough. Entertain me a little, will you?”
For just one second Roger could feel panic creeping up on him, but he shook it off quickly. He had to remember that 22 years had passed. Buggy wasn’t the weak, scared kid he used to be anymore. He was strong now. There was no way he’d die this easily. He wouldn’t let anything happen to Luffy, either. Besides, that kid had fate on his side, Roger could feel it. There was no need to worry.
He grinned. “Trying to rile me up, eh? Sorry, but I’m not that easy to trick. If you want, though, I’ll treat you like someone who actually killed one of my crewmembers, but I’ll be the only one having fun in that case.”
He got his answer in the form of a sword swung at his face. Fine. Roger could speak that language, too.
The Gates of Justice were finally in sight.
Sakazuki felt his fingers twitch in anticipation. Now it wouldn’t be long. They could bring the revived Pirate King to justice once more, and his hellspawn with him. It was the perfect chance to snuff out that legacy once and for all. Show the world justice was the most powerful force, miracle or not.
Pirates didn’t deserve a second chance. Once you made the choice to stray from the path of justice, you wasted any chance you had.
“Sir, we’ve received word that the flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates has surfaced right in front of Impel Down,” a young soldier that Sakazuki couldn’t be bothered to remember informed him, “Whitebeard and all 15 of his division commanders excluding of course Firefist seem to be on board, and they’ve essentially taken over Impel Down already from what we can tell. Our forces stationed around Impel Down are still fighting them, though. We have no information yet if they plan on allying themselves with Gold Roger.”
Whitebeard. That would make the fight more difficult, but they were prepared for him. They could get rid of him as well, and end the bygone era once and for all. That old man was already living on stolen time, all they needed to do was give him the last push into his grave. He’d terrorized the seas too long already.
“So what’s the plan?”
Even if Sakazuki deemed Sengoku to be a little too soft in places, there was no doubt he was a strategical genius and dedicated to justice. He’d already foreseen that fighting the war at Impel Down was a possibility they had to be prepared for, even if it was less ideal for them compared to Marineford. Still, this exact scenario hadn’t been on the list, so everyone was still waiting for specific orders. The entire deck was listening to the conversation to figure out what exactly they’d be doing.
“They only have the one ship there, we assume because getting an entire fleet through the Calm Belt underwater was too difficult to achieve in such a limited time. Admiral Aokiji will attempt to lock them in place, and you should attack the Moby Dick rather than any individual. The Warlords along with Admiral Kizaru will take care of the commanders. With the pirates’ limited forces, they will probably attempt to flee the moment they recover or lose Firefist, so our first priority is cutting off their escape route. With the guards taken out, they could attempt to bunker down in Impel Down since it is a fortress made to last, but we’ll have the upper hand in a battle of attrition. If you see any chance to turn Whitebeard and Gold Roger against each other as was detailed in meetings before, that plan still stands. With both of them present, it’s very likely things won’t go as planned, so be ready for new orders depending on the situation.”
“Understood.” His blood was starting to boil as the war got closer and closer by the second. “Make sure everyone is ready and on task. This is not the time for cowardice. Justice will prevail today, but we’re the ones who have to make it happen!”
Everyone erupted into cheers. It hadn’t really been Sakazuki’s intention to hold a motivational speech, but if the ship’s crew was more ready to fight now, all was well.
Next to him, he could hear someone chuckle, and the sound immediately grated on his nerves. “What’s so funny, Doflamingo? If you have something to say, out with it.”
Ugh, he hated the Warlords. They were a necessary evil to further justice, but really their existence was a disgrace. If it were up to Sakazuki, he’d just get rid of them and find another way to keep the Four Emperors in check. It had the added bonus that they wouldn’t annoy him anymore, too.
“Oh, nothing,” Doflamingo drawled, “I absolutely agree, justice will prevail. I’m just excited to see what sort of justice it will be, is all.”
“Absolute justice,” Sakazuki responded without missing a beat, “the only true justice.”
Sadly, this only made Doflamingo laugh harder.
He better be useful in this war, or Sakazuki was ready to make him have an unfortunate ‘accident’ just like they were planning for Moria, consequences be damned.
With Thatch and Rouge on their way to Ace and Roger busy with Shiryu, Marco could focus fully on Teach.
The traitor was already looking pretty beaten up, which was kind of a shame, Marco would’ve loved to do it all himself. But Thatch had just as much of a right to fight Teach as Marco did, if not more, and at least the other two were Ace’ parents, so Teach was taking all this pain as a direct consequence to his actions.
Still, he wasn’t dead yet, and that just wouldn’t do. As long as he was still alive, Teach would undoubtedly try to cause their family more harm, which Marco would never allow. Teach really was pure evil. Pops had always been lenient when it came to his sons going against his orders or breaking the ship’s rules. They were pirates, after all. None of them were fans of rules and enforcing them when it wasn’t strictly necessary. And Pops especially always saw through the reasons behind people’s actions, and believed they could grow to overcome their faults and issues if you supported them rather than punishing them.
There was only one single rule on their ship that you couldn’t expect mercy for if you broke it – don’t kill another crewmember. It really wasn’t hard, in more than 30 years on the crew, Marco had never once even considered breaking that rule, even in his most rebellious phases as a teen.
But Teach had received all that love and support for decades, and still chosen to break the golden rule. There was no possibility for him to grow past this.
Marco would make absolutely sure he wouldn’t live to ever lay his hands on Ace or Thatch or any of their family members ever again.
In front of him, Teach was struggling back to his feet, bleeding heavily but eyes still focused. This fight wasn’t over yet.
“Looks like you lost a couple teeth since I last saw you, Teach,” Marco addressed him, disdain dripping from his voice. “Could it be you overestimated yourself a bit? Did you really think we’d let you get away with everything you’ve done?”
“I’ll make it happen,” Teach wheezed in response, “whether you like it or not, Commander.”
Darkness swirled around him, and Marco could feel it pulling at him, lifting him off his feet with the same inescapable force of a wave crashing over the deck during a storm. And just like a wave, it rendered Marco completely incapable of calling upon his phoenix flames.
That feeling of helplessness when he couldn’t rely on the powers that had become a part of him, along with the dangerous gleam in Teach’s eyes, sent a shiver down Marco’s spine.
No matter how pathetic he looked, Teach couldn’t be underestimated as an opponent. Ace hadn’t lost to him for no reason. Even with all the damage he’d taken, Marco couldn’t risk anything. Part of him wanted to draw this fight out, just to make it more painful for Teach, but he now realized that would be stupid. It would only serve to give Teach an opening to exploit.
Thankfully, while the darkness took away his devil fruit powers, it didn’t take his haki. It might have been more effective with his claws, but as they collided from Teach pulling him in, Marco managed to land a decent kick into Teach’s stomach.
Teach didn’t let Marco go and retaliated with a hit to the side of Marco’s head. With his powers still nullified, the damage didn’t heal, and Marco actually felt dizzy.
Shit, that had been a hard punch. Since when was Teach so physically strong? Since when was he so good at armament haki? How did he hide this from them for so long?
They both tumbled a little, Teach whimpering in pain, until a gunshot rang out and the bullet whizzed right between them. It almost hit Marco, but instead ended up shooting a tooth right out of Teach’s mouth.
Marco felt his powers return the moment Teach started screaming, and he knew his chance had come. Without hesitation, he jumped forward, grabbing Teach’s head and smashing it into the ground with as much force as he could muster. He heard a satisfying crack as Teach hit the floor, and he knew it wasn’t entirely from the stone floor being split open.
This was it. The opportunity to end it.
Teach was still conscious, but with Marco towering over him, true panic started seeping into his features. “W-wait, Marco,” he choked out, “you wouldn’t actually kill me, right? We’re brothers! Think of all the time we spent together… And Thatch is fine, too, no reason to be so angry!”
Maybe it was supposed to tug at Marco’s heartstrings, but that failed entirely. Marco felt nothing but hatred for the man laying at his feet.
“I’m honestly disgusted by the thought that I ever called you my brother.” With those words, Marco transformed his left leg and brought it down on Teach’s face. The coward wailed as Marco’s talons dug themselves into his skin, but Marco only applied more pressure, letting his talons close until they hit Teach’s skull and then some.
A tortured scream rang through level 4 of Impel Down, not a rarity in this place, until the moment when it stopped abruptly as Teach’s skull cracked and Marco sank a talon directly into his brain.
When Marco lifted his foot, all signs of life were gone from Teach’s face. He was dead.
Perhaps it was a little satisfying, but more than anything, Marco felt relief. Now Teach would never be able to hurt his family anymore. They were safe from him.
“Yikes,” Izou commented next to him, “that was brutal. You made his already ugly face even uglier.”
“He deserved it.” Really, while this wasn’t Marco’s first kill, it was the first time he killed someone he hadn’t always considered to be his enemy. Not that he regretted it, far from it, but it still felt weird.
“Oh, absolutely,” Izou agreed. “Couldn’t have done it better myself. This’ll be a nice present for Ace and Thatch when they get here.”
Marco snorted at the thought of Izou wrapping a ribbon around Teach’s dead body to present to Ace and Thatch. “With how distracted he was, you probably could’ve just shot him, you know?”
“Oh, sure, but I wanted to let you have the kill, I’m fine with just a cool assist. It’s your boyfriend who suffered because of him, not mine.”
Hm, no, Marco didn’t buy it. “Only because you never got over yourself to confess to Thatch before he was murdered. I’m still waiting on that, actually. Didn’t learn your lesson?”
“Shut up. I’ll tell him if we save Ace and both live past today, okay?”
“I’ll hold you to that.” Marco grinned. “So you were aiming to kill and just missed?”
“Shut up,” Izou grumbled again, “it’s not my fault you two were moving so erratically. Everything worked out perfectly, so let’s just pretend I planned it like that, okay?”
“Fair enough. Did the fruit part work, too?”
Izou just smirked, reached into his kimono, and pulled out the newly reincarnated yami-yami no mi.
Now there was something they could actually gift to Thatch later, provided he wanted it. It was a terribly creepy power, the feeling of just having his phoenix powers taken away still sticking with Marco. It was like seastone, but less tangible, leaving you with little if any ways of getting your powers back. But if Thatch decided to eat it, Marco wouldn’t mind. It wasn’t really the power, just who wielded it and how, that decided if it was scary or not.
“Good. So what now?” Looking around, Roger was still fighting Shiryu. Right now, neither seemed to have the upper hand, but Marco knew Roger wasn’t really being serious. It certainly looked like he was enjoying the fight – and Shiryu did, too – but there was a distinct lack of conqueror’s haki. Back in the day when Roger had fought Pops, it had always been rolling off of Roger in waves, just casually knocking out anyone who wasn’t prepared for it and scaring away all wildlife, but now there was nothing.
Marco was genuinely a little surprised Roger was capable of sticking to a plan even in the heat of battle, and even without Rayleigh around. Impressive.
Those two could probably be left like that until Ace was rescued. With all the guards and prisoners knocked out, that meant the only one else still standing was the fishman that was petting the collapsed horse the old man on Teach’s crew had brought with him.
Just as Marco went to go over to him and figure out who he was – he didn’t seem to be a threat of any kind, but it was still better to know – he heard a quiet, rasped voice from somewhere below.
“Head Warden Magellan is down,” the voice reported, “and I can’t reach the units at the entrance, either. We’ve lost the battle for this prison before reinforcements arrived.”
It took Marco a second too long to realize what was happening.
The voice didn’t pause as Marco frantically sprinted to the edge of the bridge and jumped. “This is Vice Warden Hannyabal, currently the highest authority in Impel Down. Execute Portgas D. Ace right now!”
Marco’s leg connected with Hannyabal’s face the moment he finished his last sentence. The Vice Warden flew across the room, once again unconscious, but Marco only scrambled to get the den-den mushi he’d been holding.
It was asleep. The person on the other side had already hung up.
Too late. He was too late.
Panic crept up Marco’s spine, urging him to jump up and run down to level 5 to go find Ace himself, to save him, do literally anything, but he couldn’t move a muscle. He wouldn’t make it on time, anyway.
He was too far away. He’d gotten so far, he’d killed Teach, stopped Roger, sent Thatch and Rouge ahead, but it hadn’t been enough.
In the end, none of it had mattered. Ace was executed in this very moment, and there was absolutely nothing Marco could do about it.
“This is Vice Warden Hannyabal,” the den-den mushi in the guard’s hand announced, “currently the highest authority in Impel Down. Execute Portgas D. Ace right now!”
It was followed by the little snail doing its best to replicate the sound of a crash, and then the click as the guard hung up.
Cold dread settled into Ace’ bones. He really was going to die. Right now.
Gramps still hadn’t told him if he heard anything about Sabo.
At the very least, Ace was sure Pops was here. Not to discredit his little brother and his ability to cause chaos, but there was no way Luffy had cleared out the entirety of Impel Down on his own. Even level 6 had shook earlier, which he assumed was Pops using his devil fruit somewhere above him.
Even if they didn’t manage to get Ace out, they’d take Luffy back with them. He could survive.
The guard took position outside of his cell, undoing the safety on his rifle and pointing it at Ace.
“You’re a bunch of cowards,” Jinbei spat next to him, “you lose a fight, and this is what you resort to? You truly are the worst kind of human.” His voice was full of disdain, but Ace could see him straining against his chains, desperately trying to get free so he could do something to help. It was fruitless, of course, but still nice to know.
“Yeah,” a voice from another cell called out, “cowards!”
“If you lost control of the prison, at least let us out, you assholes!
Someone was laughing maniacally. “Hell yeah, kill him! Whitebeard and his brats all deserve death and worse!”
Somehow, that last comment made him smile. At the very least, he’d die as one of Pops’ sons. With his cursed existence, what more could he ask for than that honour?
The guard ignored all of them, keeping his eyes only on Ace. “Portgas D. Ace. You’ve been sentenced to death. Do you have any last words?”
He did. Now that his life was over, Ace suddenly thought of a million things he still needed to say. “Jinbei,” he gasped out, “tell everyone I’m sorry, okay? I brought this on myself, so nobody should feel responsible. I know I messed up and I only ever caused my family trouble, but, but I’m still so grateful they tried to save me! I-“
“Enough,” the guard cut him off, and there was nothing left for Ace to do except look down his executioner’s barrel as tears started prickling in his eyes.
His entire life, he’d wondered if he should’ve been born, but now that he was about to die, he realized he really wanted to keep living. He wanted to go home to his family. Just as he’d promised, he’d lived his life without regrets, but he’d die with one, because he wouldn’t be there to see it when Luffy fulfilled his dream.
Still, somehow, Ace couldn’t help but smile. Even though he couldn’t see them, he knew his family was here for him.
Even if Ace didn’t deserve it, they loved him. That alone had made his life worth living.
A loud bang reverberated through level 6, and a wave of heat and pain hit Ace’ chest before everything turned silent.
Notes:
...please don't be mad?
Chapter 12
Summary:
Everyone meets up in level 6. Buggy finally calls Roger.
Notes:
the chapter is a little shorter this time, but I've been busy and I didn't wanna let you guys wait too long after that cliffhanger
I'm proud that nobody ended up guessing what actually happened there at the end, it felt obvious to me since it was my plan all along to include that scene, so I really kept it super vague in hopes of not giving it away, and it worked~
enjoy this one, you deserve it after the last!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Ace‘ hearing returned with a ringing in his ears, smoke burning in his lungs.
He coughed, desperately trying to get air into his lungs. To breathe.
Which, notably, only living people did. Not dead ones. Whatever happened, Ace wasn’t dead. Something had exploded, and it had hurt him, his face and chest still aching from that – and wasn’t that weird, that he could be burned, when he was made of fire? – but it hadn’t killed him.
“Dude, don’t you think that was overkill? I can’t even see anything anymore with all that smoke!”
The voice was not one Ace recognized, but it didn’t belong to the earlier guard, at least, and it was accompanied by footsteps, and even Ace could feel two people approaching with his observation haki, even if he couldn’t see them either.
“Shut up,” someone else replied, and this voice did feel like Ace had heard it before, but he couldn’t place it at all. “I didn’t have time to think of anything else, and it’s not like they let you keep your weapons in here! The Muggy Ball was all I had, okay? Be amazed I managed to smuggle it in and hide it at all!”
“That’s great and all, but you totally hit the guy we’re trying to save, too!”
“Eh, he’ll be fine. He’s a tough guy. Now make a key so we can get him out.”
“You say that like it’s easy! I can’t even see the keyhole with all this smoke, you dipshit!”
The two voices kept arguing like little kids without really going anywhere, so Ace turned to Jinbei instead. “You good?” he asked, knowing if that explosion had hit him, it would’ve hurt Jinbei, too.
“I’m alright. Perhaps a few minor burns, but nothing that would kill me or even leave a scar. Your fire hurt me much more.”
Ace laughed a little sheepishly. He really hadn’t gone easy on Jinbei during their big fight. But he was really glad he’d gotten such a good friend out of it. Life worked in weird ways like that sometimes.
As the smoke started to clear, Ace managed to make out a guy with a three on his head who was busy trying to open the lock on the door to their cell. Who the hell was that guy? If someone were to save him, he’d expected someone from his crew, or maybe Luffy who kept doing the impossible, not some random prisoner he’d never met before.
Ace did recognize the other guy standing in front of his cell when the smoke cleared a little more, but it really didn’t help his confusion at all. “You’re… the guy I had a party with that one time?”
The clown with a captain’s coat over his prisoner’s uniform smiled at him. “Yup, that’s me. Buggy. Long time no see, I guess. We’re here to save you or whatever.”
He really didn’t sound all that invested for just having done something so insane and impossible as getting into the lowest level of Impel Down. “…Okay? Why?”
Buggy shrugged. “To get out of here? Obligation to my former captain? Your little brother paid me to do it? Pick whichever you like best.”
“Luffy? What happened to him? Where is he?” That was the only thing Ace cared about from what Buggy had said. He needed to know if his idiot little brother was still alive despite this impossibly stupid stunt he’d pulled sneaking in here.
“We, uh, kinda lost him on level 5 and couldn’t find him again so we just went here instead. I’m sure he’s fine, though.”
Ugh, that was just like Luffy to run off and get lost. Now they’d have to go search for him on their way back up. But as long as he wasn’t dead, Ace was fine with it. He’d put up with any antics Luffy got up to.
The door finally clicked open, and the guy with the three on his head started to work on the seastone chains holding Ace.
It was quick work once he managed to make the right key out of what looked like wax, and as the last cuff fell off, Ace could feel the flames of his devil fruit flicker to life in his chest again.
Finally, the cold was starting to melt away.
“Hey, free Jinbei too, okay? He’s only in here because of me, we need to get him back out, too.”
Wax guy went over to Jinbei without complaint. “Sure, can’t hurt having a Warlord with us while we get out of here.”
When they were both free and stepping out of their cell, another voice made itself known. “That’s a funny wording, Mr. 3. By that logic, wouldn’t two Warlords be better? Be useful for once and set me free, too, and maybe I’ll even help you get out of here.”
Mr. 3 startled so much he almost fell over, and instantly put up a wall of wax in between him and who Ace now recognized as Sir Crocodile. “Nope,” Mr. 3 replied, “forget it. I’m not here. You don’t see me.”
It was silly, and Ace could definitely see Crocodile getting pissed off by it, but Mr. 3 looked genuinely scared.
“Wasn’t he your boss or something? I thought you were a Baroque Works agent,” Buggy questioned.
“Well, yeah, but he tried to kill me the last time I saw him! He’ll just do it again if I set him free! Let’s just leave him and go!”
Yeah, not unlikely. From what Ace had heard, Crocodile was a cruel man. If he wasn’t an asshole, Luffy wouldn’t have beaten him up and gotten him in here.
All of a sudden, more prisoners started yelling at Mr. 3 to let them out, leaving the poor guy pretty scared as he was clearly unwilling to help out all of these terrifyingly strong, legendary pirates, most of whom would probably murder him for funsies the moment their chains came off.
But even in all that chaos, Ace noticed two more people running down the stairs to level 6, and his heart started beating faster with hope as he recognized one familiar presence. Could it really be…?
It was. Thatch, who’d been dead, who Ace had mourned, had gone on a whole revenge quest for, one of his first friends on the Moby who’d done so much for Ace when he’d done nothing to deserve any of it, that exact Thatch came sprinting down the stairs to level 6. And when he spotted Ace outside of his cell, free of chains, his face split into a huge grin.
“Ace!”
Before Ace could wrap his head around the situation, his legs started moving on their own, running towards the friend he’d missed so dearly. Thatch met him halfway, catching Ace as they collided. “It’s you. It’s really you. The miracle was really real, you’re alive. I- I-“
Tears were starting to form in Ace’s eyes, and he couldn’t help it. But it was fine because Thatch was here, warm and alive and breathing, gently holding Ace and patting his hair. Nothing else mattered. Sure they were surrounded by an audience of booing prisoners, but who cared?
“Shhh, it’s okay. I’m back now. Sorry I just died on you out of the blue.”
Ace vehemently shook his head. What a stupid thing to say! “That obviously wasn’t your fault!” Like Ace wanted to hear Thatch apologize when he’d been the one slaughtered by a supposed friend!
It made perfect sense, but Thatch still laughed a little. “I know. Everyone keeps telling me. They… also told me about what you did while I was dead.” Ah. Ace could feel himself tensing up. He’d tried to avenge Thatch, and failed, and now Teach was still out there somewhere, while Thatch had to risk losing his own life again just in order to save Ace. “Thank you.”
Huh? No scolding? No nothing? This wasn’t what Ace had expected at all.
“I’m really honoured you chose to leave home and put yourself in danger just so I could rest in peace. Didn’t quite work out because I’m still kicking instead of resting, but hey, it’s the thought that counts!”
It felt almost too good to be true, to not have any fault recognized, but Ace wanted to just play along for now. He’d been so hopeless for so long, it felt great to just smile and joke a little. “We can still make it happen, you know? You just go lay down somewhere, and I’ll shoo away anyone who tries to bother you. That way you can rest in peace.”
They both snickered at the mental image of Ace being a guard dog for sleeping Thatch for a moment, until Mr. 3 interrupted their little reunion. “Can we go now?”
“Right, yeah,” Thatch agreed, “we don’t have forever. Talking will be better once we’re safe. Just one more really important thing.” Somehow, Thatch’s expression turned a mixture of expectant and excited, a little like when he was waiting for someone to fall for one of his pranks, but less devious. “Obviously the whole family is here, but you’ll never guess who else we brought!”
Thatch let go of Ace to step to the side, doing a dramatic twirl with his arms to direct Ace’s attention to the other person who’d come down the stairs with him.
At first glance, it hadn’t been anyone Ace recognized, so he genuinely hadn’t paid them any attention. Thatch was obviously more important as his dead but revived friend. The moment Ace actually took in the features of the woman still standing by the staircase though, that felt like an entirely wrong assessment.
He opened his mouth. Closed it again. His brain incapable of reaching any conclusion other than the obvious one and yet categorically denying that it could be the truth.
“Mom?”
Rouge had quietly watched as Ace and Thatch reunited. She hadn’t been able to shake the feeling that she shouldn’t interrupt. That it wasn’t her place to.
After all, this was only the second time she’d ever seen her son, and 20 years had passed since the first. She didn’t know the grown man in front of her, and he certainly didn’t know her either. Nobody could really remember their birth, after all. Of course Ace would be more invested in the friend he’d spent time with and only lost recently. She couldn’t blame him. It was nice just like this, watching his happy face from the sidelines.
Oh, he had such an adorable smile. The newspaper photo absolutely didn’t do the real version any justice.
But then Thatch went and turned Ace’s attention to her, and Rouge froze in place.
Ever since she’d woken up in her deathbed, Rouge had been looking forward to this moment, but now that it was here, she couldn’t help the anxiety rising in her chest.
Ace obviously recognized her from the wanted poster in his room, but he wasn’t saying anything. What if he didn’t care after all? What if he was mad that she left him alone? What if he didn’t want her help? What if he didn’t want to talk to her? What if she’d just disrupt the found family he so dearly loved?
“Mom?”
His voice sounded so lost, the word unfamiliar on his lips.
Part of Rouge was vibrating with happiness. Her son had just called her ‘mom’ for the first time! She wanted to jump with joy!
But another part didn’t like the insecurity in her boy’s voice and body language. It triggered all her motherly instincts, overriding the anxiety and finally letting her take a first step towards Ace.
“Yeah.” She tried her best to give him a comforting smile to put him at ease. “I’m so happy I get to finally meet you properly.”
Ace froze like a startled deer. “M-me too.” He scratched the back of his head, eyes shifting to the side where Thatch stood.
Wow, this was awkward. Poor Ace was completely caught off-guard, and it probably didn’t help that so many people were watching. Rouge wanted to reach out to him, to comfort him somehow, but in the end, she was too afraid that maybe he’d flinch away from the touch.
Just as Rouge was about to suggest maybe they should just talk later and leave for now, the ceiling started to crumble.
Now acting entirely on instinct, Rouge grabbed Ace’ arm and pulled him away from the obvious danger. At the same time, Ace had reached for her as well, pushing her backwards in a panic.
A giant foot crashed through the ceiling behind Ace, but all Rouge could think about was how warm he felt. Perhaps level 6 wasn’t quite as frosty as level 5, but it was still cold. And yet Ace was warm to the touch, no signs of him having spent weeks in this horrible place. He was just as warm as he’d been right after he’d been born, screaming out his desire to live.
Somehow, she knew in her heart that everything would be alright.
Ace, meanwhile, frantically turned around to observe what had caused the ceiling to break. After the giant foot followed a regular-sized boy, whose face split into an impossibly wide grin when he spotted them.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE! I FOUND YOU!”
“What the hell, Luffy?!” Maybe it was a weird thing to fixate on in this situation, but… her boy could swear. Who’d taught him that? It certainly hadn’t been Rouge. “The stairs are right there! What if you’d hit mom?”
Luffy tilted his head to the side. “Why would I care if I hit someone who’s dead?”
As he was speaking, he started running towards Ace, but each of his steps ended up a little shorter than the last as he visibly shrunk to less than half of his previous size.
The little rubber boy seemed completely unbothered by this development, only launching himself into Ace’ arms, wrapping his little rubbery limbs around him and giggling happily.
Ace, though, looked pretty baffled. “Why… How are you so small? You’re tiny! Just as, no, smaller than when I first met you! Are you okay?” Some worry seeped into his voice at the end. Really, this small form couldn’t be healthy or comfortable for a teenage boy to live in, so it was understandable.
Luffy laughed. “It’s how I get from my gear 3! I’ll be back to normal in a bit. But it’s cool, right? I can get huge now! I’ve thought of a bunch of new techniques so I can kick your ass next time we fight!”
“Never,” Ace replied, but now that the worry was subsiding, a wonderful smile spread on his face. “I’m so mad at you right now, you can’t just go and risk your life for me, not when the situation is this dangerous and you’re all on your own, look how hurt you got you’re covered in bandages… But damn you’re too cute.” He pressed Luffy closely to his chest, rubbing their cheeks together in a very blatant show of affection that Luffy made a face at.
“I’m not cute,” he protested, “I’m cool! And I do what I want! There’s no way I’ll ever let my brother die! I’ll make you keep your promise, even if it kills me!” For such a small guy, his voice was very loud, and his expression very determined.
Ace’ smile turned soft, and he gently patted Luffy’s hair. “Nobody said anything about breaking my promise. I’m fine, see? Got my crew right here to back me up when I need help.” He gestured over to Thatch with his head. “There’s no need to worry.”
Luffy nodded, happy tears shining in his eyes.
It was a sweet reunion, really. Just like the one with Thatch had been. Rouge could tell Ace had grown up to be an incredibly loving person who was loved just as dearly in return.
It was everything she could’ve ever asked for, and yet she could feel the sting of knowing Ace’ reaction to her had been so very different compared to those he really cared about.
She had a long way to go if she really wanted to call herself his mother.
Marco would’ve very much liked to be able to turn his brain off, but he couldn’t.
It kept bombarding him with despair, conjured images of Ace’s dead body, everything he could’ve done differently from Thatch’s murder up until now to prevent this, Pops’ sad and disappointed face when eventually they’d have to leave without Ace, and that pesky little flame of hope that told him Ace wasn’t dead and he should just stop being a coward and start moving again to check, so he could have his heart broken with certainty that time.
The active brain also meant that he was aware of his surroundings and his haki worked just fine, so he noticed Izou coming up behind him without having to turn.
Izou didn’t immediately say anything, instead reaching into Marco’s pocket. Marco tensed, but he didn’t look away when Izou held his hand right in front of Marco’s face.
“He’s not dead, so stop moping and get moving, you moron.”
Right there, in Izou’s hand, was Ace’ vivre card. Marco had checked the item over and over every day since Ace left, and he could perfectly remember the shock and pain seeing it burn on that fateful day when he fought Teach. Since then, it had slowly whittled away at itself, getting smaller and smaller. Right now, there wasn’t much left. It had shrunk even since the time Marco had looked at it right before their raid on Impel Down started.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
Ace was alive. He could still be saved. Marco was wasting time being this stupid.
He jerked around, transforming into his full phoenix form and flying himself and Izou back up onto the bridge. No more waiting here. They needed to get past Roger and Shiryu and find Ace before it was really too late.
Maybe as long as they dodged all attacks that were flung around, neither of the combatants would actually care about them slipping by and leaving.
Before Marco could test that theory, the den-den mushi Roger was carrying in his shirt pocket finally began to ring.
Roger easily switched to fighting one-handed as he pulled out the snail with his left hand. “Buggy? Is that you? How’s it going and why did it take so long?”
The snail rolled its eyes while Marco felt like he was on hot coals. Those were valid questions and he needed the answers now. “Yeah, yeah, it’s me. We’re on level 6, Ace is free. Just took a while to get here because we ran into Shiryu and got separated from Strawhat, so we spent some time searching for him, but now we’re all here.”
It sounded too good to be true. Ace was just fine? As free as you could be in Impel Down, even? “They said they were gonna execute Ace! Didn’t they do that?” he interrupted the conversation.
“Well, they tried. I shot the guy a second before he could kill Ace. Pretty clutch of me, I gotta say.”
Buggy was obviously bragging, but Marco didn’t care one bit. “Yes,” he breathed out, “thank you so much.” He barely remembered Buggy besides him having a funny nose and being the kid who always used to stand next to Shanks back in the day, never would he have imagined ever feeling so grateful to the clown, but right now he owed the world to him.
“We’re coming back up as soon as we can,” Buggy continued instead of answering what Marco had said, “Ace spent a bunch of time hugging it out with pompadour and Strawhat, and now there’s a bunch of revolutionaries here who for some reason believe their leader is going to come save Ace, too, and at this point I’m really too tired to ask who else has some kind of stakes in this kid, so I have no idea why because I didn’t ask. I’ll try to get them all to finally move, though.”
“So,” Roger cut back in as he parried a blow from Shiryu, “that means the plan can go in the trash now? I can stop holding back? I’m so tired of this.”
On the other end of the line, Buggy snickered. “Yeah, they got nothing they can get you with now. I’m honestly amazed you held on this long. Go wild, captain.”
“Hell yeah. We’ll be waiting for you up here, so hurry up, okay?”
Without waiting for an answer, Roger hung up. Just as Marco was about to ask if Buggy could hand the den-den mushi to Ace so Marco could make 100% sure he was alright. Hear it from Ace himself. But apparently he’d have to be patient just a little longer. Marco looked back to the vivre card. No changes in size. If anything, it maybe even looked a tiny bit bigger again.
He could wait, then.
“Hey,” Roger called out as he danced around another attack, “what’s your name?”
So he didn’t even know who he was fighting? Marco wasn’t sure why he’d expected anything else.
Shiryu didn’t look too pleased at not being recognized, either. Though Marco couldn’t tell right now if he’d already been a name worth recognizing back when Roger had been alive. Probably not. And Roger wasn’t exactly the type to do research.
“It’s Shiryu.”
“Shiryu. It was a pleasure crossing blades with you. You’ve got a lot of potential. I’m always up for it if you ever want a rematch.” A grin crossed Roger’s face. “But now I have something more important to do.”
With one elegant, powerful strike, Roger cut Shiryu’s sword in two and sliced him open.
That was it. Impel Down had fallen entirely. There was nobody left.
They were free to go.
Notes:
next chapter, ace and roger finally meet for the first time!
Chapter 13
Summary:
Marco impatiently waits for his boyfriend.
Roger gets to see his son for the first time.
Ace reunites with his father.
Notes:
...so it's been a while, but work has been keeping me busy, and I'm unapologetic about the fact that I've used a lot of my free time playing the animal crossing update/dlc instead of writing XD
don't expect faster updates either tbh, not only am I not done and work isn't letting up for at least another week, starting next friday I'll be busy with brilliant diamond so that's that I guess
but I will still be writing and updating so do not worry! it'll just stay slower for a while, which honestly is more my regular upload speed anyway, the start of this fic was insanely fast for me, there was never a chance I could keep that up until the end lmao
enjoy~
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Marco was a patient man. He didn’t mind waiting. If the wind didn’t blow, he’d just relax and wait happily. Eventually, the wind would pick back up to carry them to their next exciting adventure. He only smiled fondly at the members of their crew who were hanging on the railing, desperately searching for the next island to alleviate their boredom.
Right now, though, he wished he could do anything but wait.
He needed to see Ace, as soon as possible.
But, logically, there was no need to rush. Ace had been freed from his cell, and he was with Thatch, Rouge, his brother and, for some reason, the Revolutionary Army. Perhaps some safety measures were still in place in level 5, but all the big guns were taken out. Ace would be able to handle smaller obstacles by himself, and even more so with Thatch by his side to protect him.
Marco could go down to level 5, and follow Ace’ vivre card to make sure they wouldn’t miss each other in the vast snow. He could. But if he went, Roger would go, too, and there was a chance Shiryu or Magellan or Hannyabal or someone from Teach’s crew could get back up and do something that would ruin everything.
The smartest choice was to wait, so Marco did, but oh, he hated it.
Every second felt like it stretched to infinity.
He forced himself to turn away from the staircase. If he didn’t do something, he’d go insane. Roger was clearly also debating just blindly running into level 5 despite missing any way to guarantee he’d actually find Ace, but Marco would leave that to Izou. He could deal with Roger, maybe catch him up on what happened to Oden after Roger’s death.
Marco instead turned to the fishman who was with Roger, who was currently trying to get the horse one of Blackbeard’s men had been riding on to stand back up, with little success. Still, the fishman kept trying, murmuring encouraging words.
When he noticed Marco approaching, he called out to him. “Hey, can you give me a hand here? I get you hate these guys, but this is just a horse. I’d feel bad just leaving the poor thing here.”
Well. Why not?
There was no way this horse was dangerous. It couldn’t even stand, despite its lack of obvious injuries. Marco shrugged. “It looks sick, so I can’t promise anything, but I can try healing it a little if you want.” He wasn’t a vet, but his flames worked on any living creature. Just from a short glance, whatever was ailing this poor creature would be way out of the range of his healing abilities, but maybe he could give it enough energy to at least walk out of the prison.
“You’d do that?” The fishman beamed. “Thank you! Marco, right?”
“Yeah.” Marco knelt down next to the horse. It was wheezing like it had trouble breathing, so Marco gently brushed its mane out of the way and let his flames brush over its neck, hoping it would help a little.
“I’m Tom. That’s a nifty ability you have there. Can it heal anything?”
Tom. A fishman named Tom. Marco vaguely felt like he’d heard that somewhere before. Maybe he’d be able to remember if his brain wasn’t so busy checking every other second if he could feel Ace coming up the stairs yet, but right now he came up empty.
This totally wasn’t good enough as a distraction. Marco could barely keep his eyes on the stupid horse.
“It has its limits. If I knew what’s wrong with this horse maybe I could do more, but I have no idea.” Though judging by how bad the horse looked, it probably had multiple things wrong with it.
Not that Marco didn’t appreciate kindness towards animals, but this was probably a waste of time. That horse looked like it was on death’s door.
And once again his thoughts circled back to Ace and the vivre card that was still burning in his hand, so much smaller than it used to be. How hurt was Ace? What had they done to him? Could Buggy’s word really be trusted?
The moment Marco’s observation haki picked up on a large number of people approaching, he immediately left Tom and the horse behind.
He didn’t care right now. Didn’t care that Izou would tease him later about how eager and desperate he looked, sprinting towards the stairs. It didn’t matter.
Only Ace mattered.
There he was, running up the stairs with a legion of people behind him, carrying his little brother. A smile on his face.
After months of the world feeling tilted and wrong, in just that one moment, everything was alright again. Marco jumped forward, past Roger who was already starting to say something, and pulled Ace into the tightest hug he could manage, tight enough to feel his heartbeat and his chest expanding with each breath, proving Ace was really, truly still alive.
With Luffy still clinging to Ace’ back and Rouge watching, Marco decided to forgo the make-out session he craved right now, but he didn’t just let Ace go, either.
“You idiot,” Marco choked out, “I thought I lost you when Hannyabal gave the order for your execution. Don’t you dare ever worry me like that again.”
“Sorry.” Ace let himself lean against Marco, but his voice was pained.
Alarmed, Marco pulled back a little, surveying Ace. Shit, he was hurt everywhere. Slight burns all over his face and chest. Bruises littering his body. Deep, dark wounds on his wrists and ankles, still bleeding. Probably where he’d been chained with seastone, meaning it wouldn’t be easy to heal.
Ace’ eyes were turned downwards, guilt clear on his face. “I should’ve been stronger. I should’ve listened to Pops. I-“
“Nonsense,” Marco cut him right off. He knew that wouldn’t exactly convince Ace, but now wasn’t the time for in-depth discussions on blame. “You’re safe, and we’ll go home. That’s all that matters. Teach is taken care of, too, so you don’t have to worry about anything anymore, okay?”
Finally, Ace looked at him, surprise obvious on his face. “Really?”
Marco simply stepped to the side, giving Ace free view of Teach’s mangled corpse laying in plain sight. “No idea what he wanted here, but there was no way I’d let him near you again.”
“Hey,” Thatch cut in, “I wanted the last hit! What about my revenge?”
“Or Thatch, for that matter,” Marco added without acknowledging his complaint.
Ace smiled, fond and gentle, making Marco’s heart melt. “Mother hen.” It was an insult without any fire behind it, easily betrayed by the happiness and relief radiating off Ace as he looked at Marco with love and gratitude in his eyes.
Roger very much did not appreciate Marco taking all of Ace’ attention.
Here he was, meeting his son for the very first time after a miracle and an invasion of hell on earth, and Ace didn’t even notice him, only looking at the stupid pineapple man. This just wasn’t right. Ace should be hugging Roger, happy to finally meet his father!
Well, never let it be said Roger didn’t know how to draw attention to himself.
“Ace!” he bellowed, striding over to his son with a wide grin on his face. “I cleared out the whole prison basically on my own just for you! Pretty great for a rescue mission straight out of the grave, wouldn’t you say?”
There. Loud and fun, perfect to make Ace finally turn and look at him. It worked exactly as Roger intended. Ace tore his gaze away from Marco and let it land on Roger, eyes widening in recognition a second later. No introductions necessary, then. After all, Roger was a famous guy, wanted posters all over the world. Even if they hadn’t been active anymore, Garp could’ve easily taken one and given it to Ace once he was old enough to ask about his dad.
The next second, for a reason Roger couldn’t understand, things started going wrong.
Ace didn’t stop at recognition, but it wasn’t shock or happiness replacing it. He tensed up completely, gritting his teeth as he glared at Roger. He even instinctively took a tiny step backwards, as if he was afraid.
But that couldn’t be, right? Roger even turned around, seeing if there was anything behind him that would make Ace react like that, even if his haki didn’t pick up on anything. But his eyes only saw the usual cells and passed out guards. Nothing out of the ordinary, so Ace had to be reacting to Roger himself. Just what was going on? He had no idea how to proceed now.
If Ace would just say something, Roger could work with that, even if it wasn’t complete joy. But his son was frozen in place, looking like he wanted to run to the other end of the world and yet not moving an inch in any direction.
Seconds of silence stretched as everyone seemed just as confused as Roger as to what was happening. It was Marco who finally broke it, acting like nothing out of the ordinary was going on, though he kept a hand on Ace’ arm. “Aren’t you giving yourself too much credit? You went in here, ruining all of our plans, and just your presence was enough to make the marines order Ace’ execution. You’re damn lucky you didn’t get him killed just by coming here.”
Okay, rude. Any rescue would’ve been risky. Roger had done most of the work, and he’d even begrudgingly let others grab the glory of saving Ace so he could stick to the plan and make sure Ace would live! He’d done a good job!
“Huh? Is that old man someone important?” Luffy looked between Ace, Marco and Roger, confusion plain on his face.
That finally shook Ace out of his stupor. His face morphed into a grin, and for a second, all Roger could see was Rouge, revealing one of her master plans that would get her a huge chunk of someone else’s treasure.
“Nah,” Ace replied, perfectly casual, “he’s just some guy. Don’t worry about it.”
“Oh. Okay!”
Luffy took his word for it without a second of doubt, and next to them, Thatch and Marco burst out laughing. Even Izou was definitely shaking with laughter, even if he was hiding it behind the sleeve of his kimono.
Edward would really need to learn how to raise his brats better. None of them had any respect.
Before Roger could figure out something smart to say that would make them shut up, a voice interrupted the scene. “Yo, can you all hear me?”
Where did that come from? Roger quickly scanned his surroundings and figured it must’ve been the den-den mushi clinging to the wall, filming them.
“Who wants to know that?” The snail was part of the prison. Roger immediately let his hand grab Ace’ hilt. He wouldn’t leave any enemy standing. No more risk now that Ace was right here with him.
“Looks like you can! Great! I can’t hear you back, but I can see you which is enough. Hi Ace!”
“Hi Haruta,” Ace replied despite having just heard that his voice wouldn’t reach, and he happily waved at the snail.
Okay. Not an enemy then. Roger still kept his eyes on the snail as he made his way over to Rouge, who attached herself to his arm instantly. “So who’s that Haruta guy?” It wasn’t a name Roger had ever heard before, but he was kind of out of the loop currently.
“One of Whitebeard’s division commanders. 12th I think but it could be 11th too.”
12? There had not been 12 divisions last Roger heard. Just how big was Edward’s crew that they needed so many divisions? Could they even fit all these people on the Moby Dick? How would you even remember all those names?
But Haruta continued before Roger had a chance to voice any questions or concerns. “I’m proud to announce the prison is currently entirely in our hand with no resistance to speak of. We’ve taken over their communications, and of course, I destroyed the mechanism to open the Gates of Justice, so even though reinforcements from Marineford have arrived, for now they’re stuck behind their own stupidly huge doors. Still, in the interest of safety, it is suggested you all make your way up to the safe haven of our flagship so we can get the hell out of here.”
“Got it!” Ace flashed a smile to the transponder snail and gave it a thumbs up, and Roger could see the three Whitebeard boys nod as well.
He could feel just the tiniest twinge of disappointment at hearing the marines might not be able to make it – he’d really been looking forward to fighting Garp, especially since he hadn’t been able to go all out against the Impel Down guards, and either way none of them had been a real challenge.
Still, a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like Rayleigh reminded him that this was technically better. Safer. Ace was already hurt, he didn’t need to fight any more currently.
“Let’s go then!”
Even as Ace followed Roger’s suggestion and started moving along with the rest of their mismatched rescue team, he very pointedly didn’t look in Roger’s direction.
There was definitely something off in the way he acted, but Roger was absolutely clueless what was going on. Wasn’t Ace happy to see his parents for the first time? Was he just trying to joke around or was he mad or something? Puzzled, Roger looked to Rouge, who shook her head.
“I don’t know either,” she answered his silent question. “It was a little awkward when we met, but he didn’t react to me like that.” There was a deep frown on her face as she watched Ace carry his little brother to the stairs leading up to level 3, so Roger bent down to kiss the wrinkles on her forehead away. It didn’t work entirely, but the gentle smile blooming on her lips made his efforts worth it regardless. “We shouldn’t let it get to us too much. Ace never expected to meet us, and he was completely taken by surprise. He didn’t exactly have a good time recently, either. Let’s give him some time.”
Right. It made sense. Ace had been trapped in this hell, of course he wasn’t just fine. Maybe he took more after his mother, too, taking some time to warm up to people, rather than just knowing immediately who he did or didn’t vibe with like Roger.
“Yeah. I can get my hug when I’m not squeezing an open wound!”
Rouge nodded. “Even if it’ll take a while, we’ll be a family, I’m sure.”
And who was Roger to doubt the words of his endlessly wise wife? The future was looking bright, now that he had one again. It was just a matter of getting there.
What the hell.
What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck.
Ace’ heart was beating wildly in his chest, anxiety rising in his throat. He barely noticed his feet moving, didn’t hear the screams of the prisoners to take them with them as they left. The only thing that kept him grounded was Luffy’s weight against his back, warm and wiggly and familiar, as if Ace was just carrying him home to Dadan’s after a long day in the jungle with one too many fights for him to want to walk by himself.
It would be lovely to pretend that was the case, but the overwhelming presence of that man was impossible to ignore.
Why on earth was Roger here? What happened to revive the dead was supposed to be a miracle, not a nightmare! The world didn’t need that demon back.
Ace certainly would’ve preferred it if he stayed dead.
Even as he was running towards freedom, it felt like he was only getting more restricted with every step, his dream crumbling right under his feet without him being able to do anything against it.
Everyone would know. Roger would call Ace his son, and any chance Ace had ever had to be known as anything else to the world would be destroyed. Nobody would care that Ace wanted nothing to do with him. Nobody would listen to him when he told them Whitebeard was his father.
If Pops even wanted him back, with all the trouble Ace had caused.
No. Ace tried to shake off that last thought. Pops would probably be mad and scold him for being stupid and reckless and weak, but he wouldn’t kick Ace out. After all, he was an amazing father, much better than Ace deserved. It would be incredibly disrespectful to even think he’d just discard one of his sons just because they caused more trouble than they were worth.
Still, Ace couldn’t help but be a little nervous how Pops would react when he saw Ace again. Even if he wasn’t all that angry, he’d definitely be disappointed. How could he not, when Ace had gone against his direct orders, promising to restore his honour, only to completely fail and risk everyone’s lives in an insane rescue mission? There was no way to spin this in a favourable way for Ace. He’d just have to own up to it when he faced Pops.
On level 2, they reunited with Haruta, who jumped Ace with a big grin on his face. “There you are! Look, I got you your stuff!” He plonked Ace’s orange cowboy hat back on his head where it belonged, giving him back a sliver of a sense of normalcy, and he was carrying Ace’ bag, too.
“Good job,” Marco praised, and Haruta threw up a peace sign in response.
“Obviously. I always do a good job.” His voice was incredibly smug and casual. “Anyway, Ace, I was so bored without you or Thatch around, but don’t think I let that time go to waste, I’ve been scheming. You won’t believe some of the stuff I’ve come up with. It’s gonna be so fun! The rest of the crew won’t know what hit them.”
Ace couldn’t help but get a little caught up in the very welcome distraction. “Sounds great, I’m in, no matter what it is.” Which, granted, was a slightly risky promise to Haruta of all people, but whatever. Maybe he was in over his head, but the result would definitely be something wild if Haruta talked it up like this. Worth experiencing even if there were potential downsides.
“Oooohhhh, you’re gonna do something fun? Can I join?” Of course Luffy wouldn’t pass up the opportunity either, even though he knew even less than Ace what he was getting himself into.
Haruta regarded him with a comically serious look. “I don’t know. It’s a risky plan. Can you keep a secret?”
“Absolutely not!” Luffy was smiling brightly as he revealed his inability to keep quiet or lie with no hesitation.
For a moment, Haruta just blinked at him in surprise, before he burst out laughing. “That’s amazing! I’ll definitely find a place in our plan for you, then.”
“Be careful,” Ace warned his little brother, “knowing him, that means he’s gonna lie to you and make you the scapegoat for all of his chaos.”
“But is it still gonna be fun?”
“It’s gonna be hilarious for sure. It always is.” There was a reason Ace and Haruta got along so well.
“Then I don’t mind!”
It seemed like Ace would have to keep a close eye on his brother to make sure Haruta didn’t end up using him a little too much. Luffy, as strong as he was, was a little too trusting sometimes, especially when people didn’t have any really evil ulterior motives.
Nobody except for Ace was allowed to take advantage of that. That was an older brother privilege.
“Alright, kids,” Marco intercepted, “it’s time to stop talking about fun and face the real world.”
That was such a Marco way to announce they’d reached the exit, Ace had to snort. He let his steps slow down, taking a moment to appreciate the natural light pouring in from the wide-open doors. The salty scent of the sea was slowly wafting into the murky, stale prison air, and Ace could literally taste freedom on his tongue.
The light outside was blinding for a moment even though the sky was slightly overcast, but the moment Ace’ eyes got used to the light, he could see his entire family. As many as possible had crammed themselves onto the small dock in front of Impel Down, with plenty more hanging on the Moby’s railing.
Despite their obvious excitement, it was dead silent, like they were waiting for something to happen.
Ace loosened his grip on Luffy’s legs, who took the hint and slid off Ace’ back, silently staring up at Whitebeard.
Pops was standing in front of everyone else, eyes observing Ace as he tentatively took a few steps forward. “Ace,” he started, voice serious, “my son, are you alright?”
Just those few words felt like they lifted an immense weight off Ace’ chest that he hadn’t fully realized was even there. My son. No words would ever make him as happy as those two out of Pops’ mouth.
He didn’t sound angry at all. Only worried.
“I’m fine.”
Immediately, Pops turned slightly to the left. “I wouldn’t say fine,” Marco’s voice announced from behind Ace, “but nothing that won’t heal, as far as I can tell.”
“I see.” Pops let out a relieved sigh. “You really worried your old man quite a bit, Ace.”
It was clearly said in good humour, but Ace still felt himself choking up. “I’m sorry! I went off on my own even though you told me not to! I didn’t listen to your warnings and got myself into this huge mess because I just wasn’t strong enough-“
“What are you talking about?” Pops actually sounded genuinely confused, even though he had to know exactly what Ace meant. “I told you to go after Teach. That was my mistake. I underestimated him, and you had to pay the price for it.”
“Huh?” Ace blinked, confused. That was decidedly not what had happened.
But Marco stepped up next to him, smiling. “Really, I should’ve said something when I heard him give the order. Sorry I didn’t.” And following him, a bunch of others also affirmed that they’d witnessed the exchange. Even Thatch, who promptly got hit over the head by Izou for lying so obviously when he hadn’t even been alive at the time.
So none of them blamed Ace for anything he did, at all? They were willing to absolve him completely, just like that?
Pops knelt down, gently smiling down at Ace. It reminded him of their first meeting, when Pops had reached out his hand and offered to let Ace become his son for the first time. Ace had been such an idiot back then, turning it down without knowing what incredible treasure he was denying himself. “I’m truly sorry I let you get hurt like that, I have failed as your father. Will you be able to forgive me?”
No. No, that just wasn’t right. Ace couldn’t let that stand. “Don’t say that! You’re the best father I could ever ask for!” Suddenly, just standing around felt unbearable. Nothing could hold Ace back as he dashed forward, throwing himself into the waiting arms of his father.
Pops easily caught him, picking Ace up to pull him into a suffocating hug. “I’m so happy to hear that.” His big thumb ruffled through Ace’ hair. “Welcome home, my son.”
It was like the tension in the air was snapped in half as the rest of the crew erupted into ear-shattering cheers. Tears started welling up in Ace’ eyes. He was so damn lucky he got to call all these idiots his family. “I’m so glad I’m finally home again,” Ace admitted, silent enough that only Pops would be able to hear it over all the commotion the others were causing, but that was enough.
Dammit, maybe Ace was crying a little. But it felt so damn good to be held like this. For a moment, Ace could forget everything. He didn’t need to worry about Roger. Didn’t need to think about the consequences of this entire mess. Didn’t need to look cool in front of Luffy. He could just cling to his father, and let him handle everything, just like a little kid would.
Of course, Ace was still Ace, and his life would never allow for anything so simple, so it remained only a small moment of relief.
“Pops,” Jozu’s calm voice cut through the euphoria, “I hate to interrupt, but…” He nodded to the side, and Pops turned to look what he meant.
From his vantage point high up in Pops’ arms, Ace could see clearly what Jozu was talking about.
The Gates of Justice were opening, slowly revealing an entire fleet of navy warships.
Notes:
gonna try to cram all the action into next chapter, but depending on how much I end up writing out, I might have to split it into two parts
either way, look forward to the big clash with the navy next time!
Chapter 14
Summary:
Finally, Roger and Whitebeard clash with the marines, and a daring escape plan is set into motion.
Notes:
alright, none of you expected me to rewrite all of marineford, right? right? good cuz this one chapter is all you get lmao
enjoy your action one last time before things slow down~
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
…What?
Roger’s brain came to a screeching halt the moment he heard Ace call Whitebeard his father. The best one, even.
That just wasn’t right. Not to say Ed was a bad father, all his brats seemed to love him, and they all took the crew as family concept very seriously. Even Oden had never stopped referring to Edward as his older brother after jumping ship. Honestly, Roger had known for Ace to be a member and even a division commander of that crew, he’d have to be integrated into the family somehow. It only made sense.
But why did Ed have to claim him as his son? He could’ve easily been a grandson or a nephew or something else that didn’t just replace Roger.
Like hell Roger would just take that insult. Ace was his son, wearing the name Roger gave him, and the D. that meant he had the power to bring forth the dawn of the world and do what Roger didn’t have the time to complete. Even if Ace took his mother’s name, that was fine. He was theirs. Even if he wanted to call other people his family, too, how could Roger mind? There was no greater joy than finding people out on the vast ocean and claiming them as your own, of course he wanted his son to experience that the same way Roger had.
But this? Ace hugging his old rival of all people and calling him his father with complete disregard for Roger standing right there as well? This was unacceptable.
“Hey,” he growled, and all the funny people who Luffy had brought up with them cleared a path for him immediately, letting him stalk over to where Whitebeard was still holding Ace, even if they were looking in the other direction right now. “Ace is my son. You can’t have him.”
It was second nature to draw Ace as he glowered up at Whitebeard, who was infuriatingly still holding Ace out of his reach.
Looking at him, Edward had gotten older, no trace left of his hair other than his – admittedly cool – moustache, face full of wrinkles that hadn’t been there last time Roger had seen him. He’d gotten weaker, too, which was weird to even think, though of course nothing about his presence felt close to weak even now. Still, his personality clearly hadn’t changed at all as he blatantly refused to look at Roger, instead letting his gaze land on Ace. His eyes were shining with love and care, nothing to indicate he’d rise to Roger’s bait even just a little bit.
A few seconds ticked by silently.
“No.”
It was quiet, but Ace’ words were clearly audible over the complete lack of noise the Calm Belt and stunned audience provided.
Finally, Edward turned to face Roger, a smug grin on his face. “You heard him. He’s not yours. Deal with it.”
Anger surged through Roger’s entire being. Old friend or not, nobody took away Roger’s family. Ace was coated black and crackling with conqueror’s haki without Roger even having to think about it or move a muscle, and then he had Murakumogiri pointed at him in a way it hadn’t been in a long, long time. Not since God Valley.
As if that would stop Roger. He’d won back at God Valley, and he’d win now.
But he did stop. Not because of Edward’s threat, and certainly not because of the approaching navy battleships they were all currently ignoring. It was because Ace clutched Edward’s shoulder, shuffling to try and hide himself in the crook of his arm, as if he wanted Edward to protect him. From Roger.
Ace’ eyes were blown wide, his entire body shivering.
He was afraid of Roger.
Any and all will to fight immediately dissipated from Roger’s body. He didn’t understand. Why would Ace be scared? Roger hadn’t been threatening him, none of his anger had been directed at Ace at all.
“It’s not,” he started without really knowing where he was going with that sentence, “I didn’t mean to…”
Murmurs started picking up in the crowd, and some people started moving as well. Roger thought he heard a shout from the deck of the Moby Dick to start manning the cannons and fire as soon as the first battleship got into their range.
It was one voice that stood out to him, though, if only because of what it said only served to agitate him further. “I’m so confused. I thought Dragon vas Ace-boy’s father?”
What the hell? “NO,” he bellowed at the guy with the comically big head standing next to Luffy, “I don’t know whoever the fuck that is, but he’s not Ace’ father and if he tries to claim otherwise he can take that up with me!”
Everyone around the funkily dressed man tensed up, and Roger could feel their hostility rise. Not that he cared about all the small fry.
Only Luffy laughed. “No, Dragon’s just my dad. I thought Ace’ dad was Gold Roger, but I guess it’s this big guy now. Whitebeard or whatever.”
Ah. Luffy’s father. With them being brothers, it was an honest mistake to make. Nothing but a misunderstanding. No reason to stay mad at the guy with the giant purple afro. Or that Dragon person.
But what now? Roger let his eyes meet Rouge’s, hoping to find an answer on how to proceed with her help, but all he got from her was worry, confusion, and sadness. She didn’t know how to handle this situation, either, only serving to make Roger more uneasy. Rouge was one of those people who always knew what to do, always had plans for every single way something could go wrong. If there was no obvious answer to get from the flow of things for Roger, and no logical conclusion Rouge could come to, how were they supposed to do anything at all?
In a way, Roger was grateful when a loud bang interrupted everything.
Strong presences were tickling at the back of his mind, and Roger knew how to react to those. It was only natural that excitement rose in his chest and his lips wanted to form a grin regardless of the current situation.
Perhaps Roger didn’t know how to approach Ace, but he did know how to kick marine ass while looking cool and having fun.
“I’ll protect you, Ace. You’ll see.”
He didn’t get an immediate answer, Ace shifting his eyes away from him more the more Roger looked at him, so Roger figured he wouldn’t get one and moved on. Words weren’t what Roger was good at anyway. He’d simply show Ace he meant what he’d said. Maybe he’d get over whatever his problem was if he saw Roger was on his side and fighting for him.
Roger jumped up on the Moby Dick without asking for permission – usually he would but he definitely wasn’t in the mood to right now – casually strolling over to the side the battleships were approaching. There were quite a few, spreading out already to cage the Moby in, but Roger didn’t have to wonder which one he should focus on for more than a few seconds.
A cannonball came straight at his face from one of them, and finally Roger couldn’t contain his giddy grin at all anymore, pushing the emotional mess inside of him to the side.
With a carefree laugh, Roger caught the cannonball one-handed, whirling around and sending it straight back to the one who’d thrown it at him in the first place. It was Roger’s favourite manoeuvre, if only because Garp absolutely hated it.
Garp punted the cannonball into the sea, already yelling, and Roger gathered haki in his legs to jump over to his ship.
They collided fist to sword, haki crackling between them, just like always, and Roger could see his own grin mirrored on the face of his old friend as they continued their eternal scuffle as if no time had passed at all since they last met. Both of them were pushed back from the initial clash, Garp hitting the door that led under deck, while Roger landed on the railing, only being saved from falling overboard by a convenient rope hanging down from the sails that he grabbed on to.
Finally a fight worth having.
The sky itself split in two.
Even if it had been daunting and sprung on them out of the blue, Coby had been determined to fight in this war. Not to be the hero, not to take down Whitebeard himself or anything like that, he knew full well his dream of standing on that level was still a dream in the far distance, but he’d wanted to contribute.
Win or lose, he wanted to be able to say he’d laid his life on the line for his dream, that he’d done what he could. He’d thought he’d been prepared for it.
But then the pirate king himself just invited himself over to their ship, and Coby’s knees gave out from under him just feeling the pressure the man exerted. All he could do was fall on his ass and stare up at a legend from history books as Coby tried to scramble backwards, only to hit Helmeppo’s legs as his friend was standing around uselessly as well.
Who could blame them? Gold Roger was every bit as intimidating as the stories made him out to be, if not more so. Open shirt and windswept hair, he was laughing like a maniac as he stood alone on the railing of a battleship packed with the marines’ strongest soldiers. Just from that first impression, Coby could absolutely believe this was the man who’d conquered the Grand Line all those years ago, and started a new age while laughing at his own execution.
“Garp! It’s been forever, hasn’t it? Feels like I saw you a couple weeks ago, but you’ve gone all wrinkly on me! Tell me you haven’t lost your touch, I’ve been dying for a good fight!”
Coby’s respect for Garp once again skyrocketed as he only laughed back. “Roger! You really made it back from the grave! How come we didn’t hear from you at all, that’s not like you! But don’t worry, I’ve had 20 years of dealing with the mess you left behind, I’m more than ready to kick your ass into oblivion!”
Both of them jumped forward simultaneously, once again colliding with a force that made the ship creak worryingly beneath them.
“Oh, you know how it is, I got lucky is all!” They matched each other blow for blow even as they were talking. It almost felt like a practiced dance, if that dance included fists into someone’s face and blood hitting the floor sooner rather than later. “And even I can focus when it’s important. Like when you guys think you can imprison or kill my son! You’re damn lucky Buggy grew into a young man smart enough to prevent the worst, or nobody in your prison or on any of your ships would be still alive by now.”
A shiver ran down Coby’s spine. He wanted to have faith his superiors could prevent such a massacre, but the pirate king was dead serious about that threat. At the same time, his mind was reeling. Son? What son? And what Buggy? The only one with that name Coby had ever heard of was the pirate Luffy had defeated right after Coby had joined the navy, but there was no way Roger could be talking about that clown, right?
“Like it’s my fault when your son makes bad decisions and gets himself caught! For the record, I tried raising him to be an upstanding marine, but that boy has never listened to even one thing I ever told him!”
“Of course not! That’s my boy, after all! But he still turned out great, so thanks!” Coby’s mind was swirling with all the implications of this, but the brief pause Roger made didn’t cover enough time for him to make any sense of what they were talking about. “Oh, but he doesn’t like me much, what’s up with that? That better not have been you giving him weird ideas!”
“Huh? Like I could do something like that on purpose! He decided that all on his own! And even if I did, it would only be fair! It’s the fault of that red-haired menace you raised that my sweet little grandson started talking about becoming pirate king instead of following in my footsteps like he should!”
“Oh, you mean Luffy? He’s your grandson? Sorry, but that boy’s fate was always piracy, with or without Shanks, I can feel it. Love him though, what a good kid. If you want, I can keep an eye on him for you. He’s already brothers with Ace so I wouldn’t mind adopting him!”
Even with the fear still coursing through his body, Coby wanted to jump up and join the conversation. Luffy really was an amazing person, even the actual pirate king himself could see it! Coby would love to tell him about the sweet little adventure they had back in East Blue together, how Luffy freed him from Alvida and inspired him to follow his own dream even as it would mean becoming enemies. Somehow, he got the feeling Roger wouldn’t mind listening to it.
But Garp was clearly not amused, and Coby would probably die trying to interrupt their fight. “YOU KEEP YOUR GRUBBY PIRATE HANDS AWAY FROM MY GRANDSON!”
Everything dissolved into an even faster and more brutal flurry of punches and strikes and Coby’s head was starting to spin just trying to follow the motions.
No, wait. His head was spinning because someone was shaking him.
“The ship is on fire!” That was Helmeppo’s voice. He sounded so panicked. What could he even be talking about when clearly a legendary battle was taking place right in front of them?
…Wait.
“The ship is what?!”
“On fire!”
Coby finally tore his eyes away from Roger and Garp, and he could see Helmeppo was right. It wasn’t consuming the entire ship yet, but the sails and a few other places were burning.
Looking out over the water, it wasn’t hard to figure out why, either. Tiny little flames were creeping across the waves towards all of their ships, settling onto their hulls or sails and creating tiny holes to settle into that were steadily growing larger as the fire spread and spread, eating away at their one way to stay alive in the Calm Belt.
It had to be Firefist’s doing. Coby’s eyesight wasn’t good enough to make out anyone’s face over on the Moby Dick, but the flames were coming from there, and nobody else would be able to do it.
To be fair, two ships over, Admiral Akainu was essentially employing the same strategy, trying to sink the ship of the Whitebeard Pirates as they were desperately trying to force away the chunks of magma raining down on their home, while also trying to stop Admiral Aokiji from freezing them in place.
Everywhere Coby looked, there was fighting. Cannons fired without pause, and devil fruit abilities were swirling all over the calm waters.
The war had well and truly started.
Coby swallowed. He really didn’t have a place here, did he? Not yet, anyway. He couldn’t do much, if anything. He’d need to become much, much stronger. Train even harder.
But he had enough of just sitting around and looking, too. He needed to do something. Luffy was here, too, fighting a few ships over. Even if he was too far away, Coby thought he could hear his unmistakable laugh ring in his ears.
“Let’s do what we can to put out the fire. We have to make sure our best fighters don’t lose the ground they stand on. We can’t win like that.”
Perhaps it was a small task, but it was something they could do. Helmeppo nodded, and off they went to find buckets they could fill with water.
Buggy was not ashamed in the slightest to admit that he hightailed it back into Impel Down the moment the first marine cannons fired.
Not that he intended to stay here, but he wasn’t stupid or insane like all these people outside. Sure, there were times when he’d fight the marines, it was simply part of a pirate’s life, but as any East Blue pirate with a little, even just a tiny bit of intelligence knew, whenever the marines trying to fight you included Garp, it was time to run instead.
And this wasn’t just Garp, it was also Sengoku and all three Admirals and a few other scary people like Tsuru. Plus the Seven Warlords. Or, well, five of them. One was already dead in here for some reason, while another one was fighting on their side. Still, the point stood. Buggy didn’t want to fight even one warlord. No thank you.
Impel Down wasn’t called an impenetrable fortress for nothing. Its seastone walls easily stood tall against any stray attacks that hit it. Hiding in here until the Whitebeards managed to slip away was the smartest choice.
Which was probably why Galdino was here, too. That man had some brains. And a very useful ability, too. Crocodile was a moron for trying to kill him.
Really, the only downside was that they couldn’t go too far inside, or they’d miss their chance to go back out, but if they stayed too close to the door, they might get hit with stray attacks because nobody was paying attention or cared if the prison got hit.
So they’d settled right in front of the hallway that led to level 1, which meant they could hear the prisoners scream. Hopefully none of them would notice they were here. That would be annoying.
Everything shook. Confusion and fear rose inside level 1. Someone started calling for help.
Please. That was probably just Whitebeard, who didn’t care one way or the other for these prisoners. They’d be fine.
“Do you think they’ll win?” Galdino’s voice was barely a whisper, but he was clearly genuinely concerned.
Buggy could only snort. “It’s captain and Whitebeard out there. Of course they’ll win.” Sure they were outnumbered, but numbers didn’t mean anything to people like them. They completely disobeyed rational thought. Buggy knew first-hand what they were capable of, had seen the destroyed islands they left in their wake when their crews had been threatened.
“But don’t we only have that one ship to escape with? What if it gets destroyed? Any ship can burn, no matter who stands on it.”
Hm. That was true. Seeing the Moby Dick again had felt unreal after all those years, though at that point Buggy had been quite numbed with things that reminded him of the past as he’d already run into Roger and some of Whitebeard’s commanders. Honestly, it couldn’t be just a regular ship, it had to be made from Adam’s wood, or else it would’ve never survived the New World this long, but all wood could burn. Rayleigh had always scolded him not to blow anything up without safety precautions so he wouldn’t set the Oro Jackson on fire. And the marines had that crazy magma guy on their side.
“Okay, so what if the Moby can burn? You gonna do something about it or what?”
“No! I’m just saying! You’re the one who has all the faith, so shouldn’t you have a solution?”
“Hey! You two arguing over there! Let us out!”
Shit. Buggy and Galdino froze. Now the dumb prisoners had noticed them. How inconvenient.
They threw each other a look, each contemplating in which direction to run.
“Come on, clown! We’ll be nice and help out, too~”
“Hey, are you insane? Didn’t you listen earlier? The guys from down the hall told us he’s a member of the pirate king’s crew! Don’t make him angry or he’ll kill you mercilessly!”
“Yeah! Apparently he punched the pirate king in the face, and then Gold Roger apologized to him. He’s serious business!”
“Look, he’s even wearing Gold Roger’s captain’s coat!”
Shit. Shit, shit, shit. While technically everything they said was true, Buggy never wanted any of that fame that came with being associated with Roger. That had just gotten too dangerous after he’d passed away and the hunt for everyone involved with him had started.
Though Roger was back now, and that man couldn’t keep a secret whether he tried to or not. Knowing Buggy’s luck, him being a former apprentice on the Oro Jackson would be printed all over the newspaper tomorrow. Right below all the fudged info about the war currently going on outside.
Maybe at the very least he should make use of it now. Not that he could live up to any of the expectations placed on him, but Buggy knew how to put on a show and then book it before the audience realized they’d been tricked.
He strutted forward to the prison cells, letting Roger’s coat dramatically swish in the air. “Listen up, small fry, I am Captain Buggy the Clown,” he started off without knowing where he was even gonna go with this whole thing. “There’s a war going on right outside of the gates in this very moment! Captain Roger and the Whitebeard Pirates are fighting together against all of the major marine forces and the Seven Warlords! It’s a battle that will go down in history!”
Silence settled over the cells, every criminal inside hanging on Buggy’s lips. He couldn’t deny it, that sort of attention felt pretty great, so he kept going with confidence. “You’re in this inescapable hell without any guards right now, but are you sure this is the moment to escape? Do you have what it takes to survive in the chaos outside? Are you brave enough to even try?”
“Yeah!”
“Just tell us what to do and we’ll help!”
“I’ll fight for my freedom!”
“Just tell us what to do, Captain Buggy!”
“Captain Buggy!”
“What’s your master plan, Captain Buggy?”
Whoops. He didn’t have one. At all. Why was he like that? Now it felt like he’d just been digging his own grave.
Until, at the last second, an idea crossed his mind.
“This is a fortress,” he announced. “You guys are way too weak to fight in this war, but it’s not going to be fought until the end, anyway! Lay down cover fire for the Moby Dick and open a path for them to escape through by attacking the navy’s ships, and your way out of here is set! If you got the courage for it, step forward now and we’ll set you free!”
Honestly, Buggy had no idea if Whitebeard would be willing to let some random prisoners on his flagship, but he didn’t mention that as the deafening cheers of support drowned out his worries for this makeshift plan. Galdino still looked about as convinced as Buggy felt, but he did start to create keys that would set the prisoners free.
It wasn’t like he had a better plan.
Marco was a little stunned when the cannons from inside Impel Down started firing, especially when they started firing at the marines, but he wasn’t one to question good fortune in a dire situation.
Everything was quickly turning into a huge mess. Wherever Marco looked, he found one of his brothers battling it out with marines.
Ace, at the very least, was on the Moby, right next to Pops, probably the safest place one could be that wasn’t far away from this war. Which they honestly needed to make happen for all of them, soon. Pops was doing his best to avoid getting their ship frozen or burned while Ace was – in an admittedly very beautiful manner, Marco adored his firefly flames – setting the navy ships on fire, but this was not a battle they could draw out forever.
Meanwhile Marco was darting all around the battlefield, jumping in wherever he saw someone in over their head, taking multiple attacks from Kizaru and these weird Kuma lookalikes to make sure his family wouldn’t get hit. It gave him a decent overview of what was going on, which wasn’t looking too great for them, even if they could hold their own for now.
He'd been tasked by Pops to keep an eye on Ace’ little brother, too, who insisted on fighting despite being injured, right after telling Whitebeard not to tell him what to do and claiming he’d beat him up, too, if it weren’t for the fact that Ace liked him.
Truly, those two were brothers plain for everyone to see. Marco hadn’t been surprised at all when his captain took a liking to the spunky young boy claiming he’d become king soon.
Thankfully Luffy seemed to be doing well in dismantling one of the marine ships, largely due to Jinbei sticking with him and subtly directing him towards the one that was filled with the least amount of truly dangerous foes.
That was the one the Impel Down cannons were targeting as well, and with all the damage done by them and Luffy’s giant limbs, it looked to be the first vessel to sink, very soon.
“Pops,” Marco called out, getting a nod in return as his father saw the sinking ship as well. It was time to go.
As Pops gathered the powers of his devil fruit into his hands, Marco turned away. Time was ticking now, they needed to get everyone on the Moby Dick as quickly as possible and set their escape plan into motion before things would get really dicey.
First, Marco landed on the prison’s dock. “We’re about to leave, anyone who wants to come with us, be on the ship in a minute or we’ll leave you behind!” Two seconds later, the air shattered behind Marco. Maybe it was less than a minute, then, but whatever, he could see Buggy and some prisoners hurry towards the door already.
Flapping his wings harshly to lift himself back into the air, Marco made his way over to the sinking ship, yelling to Jinbei to get Luffy onto the Moby as well. The boy threw one last punch that finally split the ship in half, then brightly grinned at Jinbei and wrapped an arm around him while he stretched the other all the way to the Moby’s railing to rocket them both over.
Marco heard the crash from where he stood.
He had a feeling it would be up to him to pull a bunch of splinters out of both of them later.
For now, he landed on the mast of the sinking navy ship, eyes sweeping over the soldiers scrambling for the emergency boats to see if any of them would pose a threat when the Moby would sail past them, but it looked like most were either weak or injured.
As the Moby started picking up speed, the water was rumbling beneath the battlefield. Pops had been very, very careful with his powers for the entire fight, but that last attack had been all-out, and the sea was quickly receding from under all ships, gathering up into a giant tsunami wave behind Impel Down.
A wave the Moby was heading straight towards.
Was that plan insane? Absolutely, but it wasn’t the first time they needed an exit quicker than their flagship could provide, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. Marco smirked. They’d be just fine.
Something that couldn’t necessarily be said for the navy.
But he didn’t have the time to gloat. The one guy who could still feasibly ruin their getaway had noticed and figured out the plan from what it looked like, so Marco had to intervene.
He let himself fall from the mast, turning into a ball of blue fire for a moment as he concentrated his haki into his leg before smacking into Aokiji with as much force as he could muster, cracking the ice he was standing on spectacularly, stopping him short from freezing their escape tsunami.
“Ahhh, please don’t make this difficult, now, I don’t want to write a report later why I couldn’t stop your escape, it’ll be such a nuisance…” Aokiji said as he redoubled his efforts to freeze the sea below him and spread the ice as far as he could.
“I love being a nuisance. Shouldn’t you know that by now?”
A deep sigh. “Sadly, I do.”
Marco allowed himself a single glance to the side to see the Moby Dick reaching the tsunami wave perfectly on time, but just that one moment of distraction was fatal as he felt ice spread on his leg.
Aokiji had grabbed him and frozen him in place rather than trying for the wave again. Marco forced his phoenix fire to burn as hot as it could, keeping him from freezing over completely, but he couldn’t get his leg free, no matter how much he pulled or tried to crack it.
Uh-oh.
“Thankfully, I don’t need to stop all your friends from escaping. As long as I keep you here, they’ll have to come right back.”
The lazy smirk on Aokiji’s face was absolutely infuriating, mostly because his words hit the nail on the head. Pops would turn the ship back around the moment he realized Marco hadn’t made it on time, and Ace would fight tooth and nail to not be left out of any rescue mission for Marco, putting himself in danger again like the sweet, lovable moron he was.
There was no way Marco could let that happen. He still had a few seconds. Really, he only needed to get free, even if he missed the ride on the Moby, he could fly home on his own. He just couldn’t afford to get caught.
He flapped his wings desperately, did what he could to crack the ice with his haki, and swiped at Aokiji’s face with his free talon, all to no avail. Panic crept in his chest as time stretched to a halt, his mind racing to find a solution but coming up with nothing at all.
Out of nowhere, a hand closed itself around his throat from behind, and Marco felt like he was being torn apart.
At the same time, the ice began to crack, and a deep, primal fear settled into his bones as he felt the enormous, old presences lurking right beneath the thin sheet of ice.
Marco locked eyes with Aokiji, seeing his feelings mirrored back at him.
“I don’t like where this is going.”
Pathetic.
Ace bit his lip until he drew blood, but he stubbornly ignored the calls for all devil fruit users to get below deck as they approached the tsunami wave that would carry them away from Impel Down and the Calm Belt at a speed no navy vessel would be able to match.
He hadn’t been able to do anything. Pops had kept him from engaging in any direct combat when even Luffy had run off and fought by himself, and Ace’ big firefist attack had been blocked by a wall of ice, not harming the battleship it had targeted in the slightest.
All he’d managed to do was keep the small fry too busy putting out small fires on their ships to use their full capacity of cannons to attack the Moby. Pops would tell him it had been an important strategical move to make him feel better about it, but Ace knew that was just a lame excuse. He could’ve done more. Way more. If only he wasn’t so damn weak…
Really, he should follow Jozu and Blamenco and hide inside of the ship, but Marco wasn’t back yet. Without knowing Marco was safe, Ace couldn’t bring himself to turn his back to the battlefield. What was taking him so long? Surely he’d distracted Aokiji long enough now. Pops was gazing worriedly over to him, too, just as unwilling as Ace to seek shelter until their entire family was back together and safe. Luffy was attached to Ace’ side, but his eyes were on the giant wave, sparkles in his eyes.
“Both of you really should get to the infirmary as soon as possible. I can’t believe you’re still standing with all these injuries!”
“I’m fine,” Ace brushed over the well-meaning concerns from his best friend.
“I’ve had worse,” Luffy said, waving Deuce off. It drew a sigh from the lips of his former first mate who grumbled about terrible, irresponsible brothers. He made no move to try and force Ace under deck, though. He knew exactly why Ace wouldn’t go.
As the tsunami wave caught the Moby Dick, Buggy dropped Roger on the deck to the cheers of the prisoners he’d freed. The clown had zero problems hurrying under deck the moment his feet were once again connected to the rest of his body, not keen on being swept away by a giant wave.
Roger though rushed over to Pops, not even paying attention to the ship being lifted beneath his feet. “You were gonna leave me behind!” He accusingly pointed a finger at Pops, only to be met with a snort.
“Of course. It’s not my fault if you rush off without asking about the plan. Bring your babysitter next time and this won’t happen, but I’m not filling in for him.”
“Rayleigh isn’t my babysitter!”
In the back of his mind, Ace got hung up on the fact that Pops had never mentioned Rayleigh by name, so it was actually Roger calling him that and admitting that’s what he was, but he couldn’t let himself laugh at it because predominantly, he was filled with dread.
Where was Marco?
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore, leaving the relative safety of Pops’ chair that he could hold onto and rushing towards the railing, eyes searching for Marco and widening when he realized why he hadn’t made it back yet.
“He’s frozen in place!”
Before he could figure out what to do about it, Luffy was next to him, stretching his arm out towards Marco. Further and further, longer than Ace had ever seen him do it, right up until his hand reached its goal, securely grabbing Marco’s throat.
One second, Ace was highly amused that his boyfriend looked like a panicked chicken when held like this, the next, Luffy was toppling over the railing as the force of the tsunami Pops had created was accelerating the Moby at an insane speed, while the ice Marco was stuck in remained stubbornly where it was. Ace grabbed his little brother just barely in time, planting his feet on the deck as firmly as he could to keep them both from being pulled into the sea by the force of rubber being stretched past its limits.
It only lasted a second, then all of a sudden, the ice around Marco and Aokiji began to crack. Nobody could do anything but watch in awe as sea kings several times bigger than Impel Down surfaced, dwarfing humans and giants and everything they’d built with ease.
Yeah. Disturbing them was a terrible idea. That was why Pops had only done it when they were about to leave.
But right now their appearance was a blessing. With the ice cracked, Marco was free, and suddenly there was nothing but the weight of a phoenix with a chunk of ice on his leg on the other side of Luffy’s arm.
Needless to say, it snapped back. Hard.
Marco crashed into the brothers with enough speed to catapult all three of them to the railing on the opposite side of the deck, cracking it.
Ace felt dizzy, and somehow all he could think was that this could be the perfect romantic trope out of one of Deuce’ cheesy novels, Marco landing right on top of him without either of them trying for it as they escaped a life or death situation. Ace definitely wanted to kiss him and hold him close right now, heart beating in happy relief, but the whole thing was kind of ruined by Luffy being squished between them.
Not that Ace would’ve had time for a kiss either way.
The tsunami wave crashed over them, and Ace felt all of his strength being sapped away instantly. His eyes stung from the seawater as his boyfriend and little brother were washed away from him and no amount of trying to struggle let him move his body and save them or keep them close.
Until Ace’ back hit a warm, soft wall that kept him steadily in place, and Marco and Luffy next to him, too.
Now it was only a matter of holding his breath until the water released the Moby Dick again, spitting it out quite a bit away from where it had been swallowed. Ace looked up with a dizzy head to see the moment they reached the edge of the Calm Belt and wind caught in their sails again.
They’d made it. They’d gotten away. No navy vessel in sight anywhere, only the endless expanse of the sea.
Ace was free again.
Luffy fell to the floor next to him, giggling happily.
Cheers spread all over the deck as everyone realized their daring escape had gone off without a hitch, and Ace couldn’t help but smile at the sight of his happy family.
Crazy bastards, they’d really done it. Saved a hopeless guy like him and gotten away with it.
“Are you boys okay?”
Ace froze.
How come he hadn’t noticed until now just who was holding him? For just a moment there, he’d felt safe, when Roger was right behind him.
“Don’t touch me!” Ace jerked forward, away from Roger, batting away the arm that had kept him from being swept overboard.
“But… You can’t swim, right?”
Ace grit his teeth. Obviously he couldn’t swim since eating his devil fruit. That didn’t mean he wanted Roger to save him.
Earlier, Ace hadn’t been able to say or do anything, brain frozen in fear, but now his anger was overriding it, giving him the ability to say what he’d wanted to from the start.
“I don’t care! I don’t want anything to do with you! Leave me alone!”
“Ace…” Roger took a tentative step towards him, arms raised in a placating gesture, but Ace was having none of that.
A lifetime of suffering, loneliness and hate was coiling in Ace’ gut, burning away at his insides until it felt tangible, a strength he could draw on as he stepped forward as well to meet Roger with a well-placed foot into his balls.
It was oddly satisfying to see Roger’s face contort in pain, and even more adrenaline-inducing when he actually crumpled to the floor, holding his crotch.
Ace decided he liked looking down on Roger.
“I hate you. The only father I’ll ever need is Whitebeard. If it were up to me, I would’ve left you with the marines so they can chop your head right back off. Would’ve been even better if you never came back at all, your existence has never done anything but cause me trouble.”
With that, he turned around and bent down to grab Luffy by the collar and burn off the chunk of ice still clinging to Marco’s legs, before dragging both of them away from a stunned Roger.
“Ace, where-“ Marco started just a few steps away.
“The infirmary. That’s where you want us, right?”
Marco didn’t ask anything else, but Ace could feel the stares of his family on him after his outburst.
“Yikes, right in the family jewels.” Thatch winced when they passed him. “Was that really necessary?”
“He’s caused enough trouble with those,” Ace grumbled back, unrepentant, as he finally made his way under deck so Deuce and Marco could cover him in bandages like they’d clearly been wanting to for a while.
Notes:
to those who expected ace to punch roger, I hope this is a satisfactory replacement
Chapter 15
Summary:
In the direct aftermath of the battle, choices are made, emotions are finally spilled, and the future is being decided.
Notes:
hohoho here we are, we got rid of all of the pesky action, it's time to finally write all the scenes that kickstarted this fic!
note the rating change, at one point we'll get a little steamy~
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Well, this could’ve gone better.”
“You don’t say.”
Sengoku really had to hand it to his two best friends, they knew how to sum up a situation.
They were left standing on a damaged ship, surrounded by a few creepily frozen seakings and the smell of sizzling or burnt seaking meat. If Garp suggested eating one, Sengoku was more than willing to throw him overboard. This was not the time.
If Sengoku looked at it positively, this was not a complete failure. Impel Down was still standing, and the number of escapees was relatively low, most of them having been from level 1. The majority of the really terrifying people Sengoku wanted to never see again were still in there, safely locked in their cells.
The navy’s losses were much lower than they’d anticipated, too. Not zero, but you could never fight a war with zero losses. Some soldiers had died fighting the pirates, but most actual deaths were those in the lifeboats from their sinking ship, who hadn’t been able to fight back against the giant seakings and ended up as their meal before someone strong enough could reach them. All in all, though, more soldiers would be returning home than if they’d staged the planned execution at Marineford and fought all of Whitebeard’s forces directly.
And… no, that was really it. There was no way to brush this up as a victory.
Gol D. Roger was back alive, and he’d strolled right into their most guarded fortress, freed everyone he’d wanted to free, then left entirely unscathed. He’d made a fool out of them.
Portgas D. Ace was free, their only bargaining chip against Roger and Whitebeard lost.
Along with him, Jinbei was gone as well. He was a pirate unlikely to cause much trouble for regular folks, but Sengoku didn’t like the idea of him not being tied to the government anymore. Level-headed as he seemed, he was always carrying the legacy of Fisher Tiger, and that was a debacle they never needed repeated.
Ivankov and every member of the Revolutionary Army had escaped, too, and that would spell more trouble than Sengoku had the patience to imagine right now.
They’d lost their newly appointed warlord, which would make him look like the wrong choice, though from what they’d been able to tell, he’d planned to betray them anyway, so that wasn’t a huge loss.
But crucially, they had absolutely nothing to show for all these failures. No big names in custody or dead. Nothing to use as a distraction to cover up the mistakes. Morgans would have a field day.
“We have to pursue them!” Sakazuki came storming over, face literally steaming with rage. “Their ship is damaged; we can catch up to them! Whitebeard took a few nasty hits, too. He’s weaker now than he’s ever been. This is our chance! Just a little more and we can finally get rid of him!”
Right. That tsunami wave had given the Moby Dick a head start they could never replicate, so they’d completely lost sight of it, but did that really matter? There was only one way back to the New World.
Before he answered, Sengoku saw Tsuru turn, and he followed her line of sight to see a few lower-ranked soldiers pushing each other, only to finally be pushed aside by Commodore Smoker, who was looking like he was about to have an aneurysm, too, just like Sakazuki.
Sengoku couldn’t wait to hear what good news he had for them as he rushed over.
“Sir, none of those cowards wanted to be the one to tell you, but HQ is under attack. The fleet Whitebeard gathered has surfaced at Marineford inside the bay, and our forces there are being quickly overwhelmed.”
Tsuru hummed. “What a smart ploy. They attack only when they know we’re here and their comrades are running from us, forcing us to go back, because we simply cannot let them take all the weapons and information stored there, or even just destroy the place to show off their total victory. But by the time our main forces get there, they’ll probably be long gone.”
“We can’t just give up pursuing Whitebeard,” Sakazuki cut in. “I’m not turning back around now!”
Sengoku rubbed his temples. “Calm down. We’re not going to just let them do whatever they want. Tsuru, you take your usual crew and stay here. Make sure order is brought to Impel Down again, and nobody else escapes. Sakazuki, take whichever two ships have sustained the least damage, and head straight for Sabaody. Kuzan and Borsalino will accompany you, and Garp, too. Bring down Whitebeard if at all possible. I’m taking the rest of the ships back to Marineford to chase away Whitebeard’s allies. Any wounded soldiers will come with me, you take only the ones still fit to fight.”
“What, I’m going, too?”
And why on earth did Garp sound surprised by that? “Of course. Roger is still with them. How about this time you actually try to capture him instead of just having fun fighting and distracting him?”
“So maybe I was having fun fighting him,” Garp said, but his face remained unusually serious. “I was still going all out. I had to. He wasn’t this strong last time I fought him.”
A cold shiver ran down Sengoku’s spine. “Are you saying he’s somehow even stronger than he used to be?” How or why would that even be the case? He’d been dead, no time to train or do anything.
“And you’re sure you’re not just getting old and weak?”
If that disrespect for a superior hadn’t been directed at Garp, Sengoku might have thought of admonishing Smoker for it, but if anyone deserved it, it was Garp. That man didn’t care in the slightest about showing respect for those higher in rank than him, he really had it coming.
“I’ll show you old and weak, you white-haired brat!” Garp huffed. “But I don’t mean he’s stronger than ever. He’s been this strong before. Just not last time I fought him. He was weaker, then. But now he’s back to being as strong as he always was.”
Okay. So just as strong and annoying as he’d always been. They could deal with that. Probably.
“Alright. Just do what you just did, then. The most important part is that Roger doesn’t support Whitebeard.”
Getting both of them at once would be asking too much. Right now, they had to focus on one. Roger had shown absolutely no chinks in his armour, while Whitebeard had clearly struggled even just defending himself and Firefist. He was the one getting old.
Sakazuki had been right. Bringing down Whitebeard would be their one chance to still turn this around in their favour.
With Ace gone, murmurs spread over the deck of the Moby Dick. Rouge could definitely hear some snickers from the crowd, too.
She wasn’t amused in the slightest. Perhaps she could’ve laughed about Roger’s face as he got kicked in the nuts, but not after what Ace had said. What a terrible implication that had been. Maybe Ace hadn’t meant it like that, didn’t really think that his existence was just a way that Roger had caused trouble for everyone. It was too vague, too heated for any clear conclusions. But she couldn’t just brush it off, either. No, her intuition told her there was at least something to that statement she shouldn’t ignore.
Whitebeard, on the other hand, was terribly amused, openly laughing at Roger, much to her husband’s chagrin.
“It’s not funny! What the hell did you tell him about me?”
“Me? Nothing. He never wanted to hear anything. In fact, he made a point of leaving whenever I tried.” Whitebeard was still cackling as he took a swig of sake from a giant cup he’d poured himself, but Rouge didn’t think he was lying. “And yes, it was definitely funny.”
“You wanna fight, huh?”
Alright, time to intervene.
“POPS!”
A voice so shriek Rouge almost fell from her perch on the mast drew all attention to a nurse storming across the deck. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? How often do we have to tell you alcohol doesn’t mix well with your medication? Look at you, you’re hurt all over! Why are you just sitting here? You need medical attention right now!”
“It’s not a victory if you don’t drink to it,” Whitebeard simply said. “I’m fine as is.”
“Absolutely not! You’re coming with me right now, and I don’t wanna hear a single argument!”
Rouge looked, actually looked, at Whitebeard. A decent chunk of his moustache was burned off, and all over his arms and exposed chest, there were blistering burns. She wasn’t a doctor, but she knew enough to see that this was no laughing matter.
How had she not noticed before?
Usually, Rouge prided herself on her observational skills, but she realized she’d relied on her haki too much, had gotten too used to being around people who didn’t even know it existed and made no effort to control their voices.
If someone was this hurt, their presence should scream in pain, maybe even panic. But Whitebeard was entirely calm, exuding nothing but strength and joy. It had lulled Rouge in, making her not even think to look, and judging by the shocked faces of Whitebeard’s crew, she hadn’t been the only one unaware.
Now plenty of them were rushing over to their father, though, and while the old man rolled his eyes at his fussing children, he did let them drag him under deck to treat his wounds.
Rouge finally hopped down from the mast, walking over to Roger, who was sitting on the deck kind of dumbfounded. “That was that magma guy, right? Is he really that strong?”
“He’s an admiral, I’m sure he’s strong.”
“Yeah, but… that strong?”
“Sweetheart, how would I know? You’re not being very specific. All I know is that at least half of those magma attacks were actually aimed at Ace, so maybe show some gratitude to Whitebeard instead of just trying to fight him constantly. From what I can tell, Ace likes him and this crew, and they’ve taken good care of him while we couldn’t.”
Roger still looked ready to argue, so Rouge simply let herself plop down in his lap and pressed her lips to his. Just a few moments of soft touch, and Rouge could feel Roger exhale deeply before the tension sagged out of his body and he pulled her closer. She smiled. “We’ll figure things out together, okay?”
“You’re not the one he kicked in the nuts.” Roger was clearly just saying it to be petulant, so Rouge responded in kind.
“That’s because I don’t have any, dear. Strategical advantage.”
Roger huffed out a laugh. “Right. You’re perfect. My Rouge. I still can’t believe I actually get to hold you again. I always knew fate was on my side, but you’re the best proof I got.”
Flattery, Rouge would tell any other man, will get you nowhere with me. But this was Roger, and he didn’t mean to flatter, only ever said what came to his mind with utmost honesty. His love was as direct as it was pure, and while that overwhelmed Rouge sometimes, she wouldn’t trade it for the world.
“And how do you imagine I’m feeling right now? I had to read a newspaper that announced they chopped your head clean off in front of a cheering crowd, and then just keep living and pretend I’m fine! I missed you so much and now you’re just… back, like nothing ever happened, and I… Are you still sick, Roger?”
She needed to know. Damn, she was getting emotional sitting out in the open while Ace’ crewmembers were bustling around, sailing and repairing the ship where they could, but she needed an answer now. If she was just going to lose him again in a couple of months, she didn’t want to go a single second longer hoping she could just have him by her side permanently, couldn’t bear the thought of planning a future only to have it smashed to pieces just like last time.
“No. I won’t leave you again, I promise. And this time I’ll make sure to protect you, too. Nobody is ever going to kill you again.”
With a relieved sigh, Rouge cuddled closer to her husband, the last bit of tension and worry leaving her. Roger would live. As long as he was alive, they could work out whatever problems would come up. Together.
Still, the smile on her face was bittersweet. “Nobody killed me the first time, either. The government was looking for your child, killing all children and expecting mothers on Baterilla just to be safe, so I hid my pregnancy and carried Ace for 20 months, for over a year after your execution, so nobody would ever hunt or even just suspect him again. When I finally gave birth I just… didn’t have any energy left. I only got to hold him for a few minutes before I died. But Garp was there to pick him up like you said, so I knew he’d at least have a chance at life.”
“Oh Rouge.” Roger’s arms curled around her protectively, as if he could retroactively shield her from the pain.
“You do know that’s bullshit, medically speaking? Nobody should be able to just do that.”
“Crocus! I didn’t know you were here, too!” Roger beamed up at his doctor, and Rouge smiled at him as well, despite the harsh words. How long had he and Buggy been standing there and listening? So much for being attentive. “Don’t just go an accuse my wife of lying, though, I know she did exactly what she said she did!”
Crocus sighed. “No, I believe her. I’m just saying she’s really non-chalant about doing something impossible.”
“I decide what is or isn’t possible when it comes to protecting my boy. It’s as easy as that.”
“The human body really doesn’t work like that.”
“It does if I say so.”
Her words were final, and Crocus only shook his head as Roger laughed. “I really don’t know what you expected from them,” Buggy commented.
“I don’t know. Nothing.”
“So what happened to the ship Iceburg gave us?” Apparently Roger had decided they’d dwelled on the topic of medical possibilities too long already.
Crocus shrugged. “I abandoned it when the Gates of Justice opened. Figured this would be safer and less tedious to get back. Also that you’d just go with them, and leaving you alone with Whitebeard around just seemed like a terrible idea. Can’t let you die now when we’re finally so close to Sabaody.”
“What about Sabaody?”
“Rayleigh’s there,” Buggy said. “Pretty sure we’re going there now, so he can finally be the one responsible for you again.”
“Oooooh!” Roger’s eyes lit up like a kid being handed his favourite candy. How could an adult man be so cute? It would always remain a mystery to Rouge. “Alright, come here, you two.” Roger let go of Rouge to grab Buggy and Crocus and pull them down to their level. Both of them yelped in surprise, but didn’t resist as Roger forcefully included them in their hug on the ground. “First of all, yeah I miss Rayleigh just like I missed you guys, so I’m happy to see him again. But you gotta stop acting like I can’t survive without him! I’m not a baby! Maybe he makes better plans than me, but Buggy’s been doing a great job at that, too! So there was never anything to worry about!”
Buggy wriggled in the embrace next to her, but notably didn’t split his body up to escape Roger’s hold. “You really gotta stop comparing me to Rayleigh, I’m nothing like him!”
“Right!” Roger agreed with a laugh. “You’re your own man! Your own captain with your own crew and your own adventures! More independent than Rayleigh ever was! You really gotta tell me everything you’ve been up to all these years!”
Having learned her lesson about not paying attention to who was listening, Rouge definitely noticed a bunch of not very well hidden Impel Down prisoners whose eyes were sparkling as they whispered Buggy’s name in awe.
Still, she decided against letting her husband know that he was talking up Buggy to his admirers – not like he’d stop, if anything, he’d probably just try to do it even more, regardless of what Buggy seemed to want.
Rouge just settled in, listening to the merry conversation between reunited crewmates.
The infirmary was bustling with activity, medical staff treating everyone who got injured in their fight with the marines.
Ace made sure to look around the room and commit every single face to memory. The least he could do was remember which of his friends got hurt trying to rescue him. Though most of them were smiling regardless, and waving at Ace when they noticed him looking.
Luffy had been dragged off by a nurse the second they entered, and now he was getting all of his bandages reapplied while having his blood drawn to test for any lingering poison in his body. Though he didn’t notice any of it, happily snoring away. Dumbass had exhausted himself too much, just like he always did when they were kids. Ace had to make sure he’d be fed the moment he’d wake up, to make sure he healed quickly.
But he would heal. Ace would never stop feeling guilty about his little brother having to come save him, but as long as Luffy didn’t die trying, it was fine. He knew his complaints that Luffy shouldn’t fight in wars so far out of his league would only ever fall on deaf ears, anyway.
“This is gonna hurt a bit.”
That was all the warning Ace got before Marco started disinfecting his wounds. He gritted his teeth, not keen on showing any signs of pain, but he couldn’t help a hiss when Marco reached the deep cuts on his wrists.
Something dark crossed Marco’s face, and Ace instinctually wanted to pull his hands away, hide the ugly injury, but while Marco’s grip was gentle, it was too firm for Ace to do much unless he really tried.
What was he supposed to say? Ace’ tongue felt heavy with apologies and unspoken emotions, but the treatment had been entirely clinical, with only the most necessary communication from Marco, who in general didn’t look happy. Ace couldn’t really place his expression. Was he angry at Ace after all?
All Ace wanted was to hold his boyfriend close and let his warmth seep into him, injuries be damned, but at this point he was too afraid to ask. What if Marco changed his mind and just saw him as an irresponsible, troublemaking kid now? Whatever illusions he had of Ace being cool and capable and strong must’ve been thoroughly destroyed.
“If we just let these heal, they’ll scar, probably pretty noticeably.”
The absolute mystery of what was going on in Marco’s head was driving Ace insane.
“I don’t mind scars?” It was the only thing Ace could offer as an answer, but Marco shook his head.
“I’m not letting it scar.”
Blue flames sprouted from Marco’s hands as he ever so gently wrapped them over the wound on Ace’ left wrist. They flickered over the rough edges of the myriad of cuts all blending together into one giant miserable mess of blood and half-attached flesh, soothing the pain with their warmth as they slowly started the process of healing.
Ace let himself soak up the feeling. Marco’s flames were so unlike Ace’ own, but they connected seamlessly with the wild and intense fire burning beneath Ace’ skin, calming it down.
In theory, it was just another medical process. Marco was working to heal him just like before. But those flames felt so delicate and caring, somehow Ace couldn’t convince himself anymore that Marco was mad or disappointed. Even less so when Marco spoke again.
“If you want to keep your battle scars or those from stupid stunts you pulled, that’s alright with me. But you don’t need a reminder of being shackled on your skin. You deserve better than that.”
Ace felt his throat constrict and tears prick at his eyes as Marco’s gentle voice washed over him. Every word, every motion as Marco moved around his left wrist and to his right, it was all filled with so much tenderness and love. If Ace tried to answer with just a single word now, he knew he’d just start bawling his eyes out. So he just nodded and watched as Marco healed his wrists as much as he could before kneeling down and giving his bruised and bloodied ankles the same treatment.
All the spots that had been the main source of pain, restriction, and cold over the course of his imprisonment were now tingling with warmth.
He didn’t deserve this. Why was nobody angry at him? Where was the blame, the resentment? The questions about Roger’s involvement? Why was he treated with such care, receiving nothing but support, when he felt like he deserved to be beaten down further?
“Marco,” he whispered, and he knew the emotional mess inside of him was spilling out just with this one word when Marco’s head snapped up, gaze immediately turning worried.
Fuck, what was Ace doing? As if Marco hadn’t worried about him enough already.
Slowly, Marco let go of Ace’ ankle and rose from his kneeling position, hand moving to cup Ace’ cheek. A thumb rubbed gentle circles into his skin, and the first tear slipped from Ace’ eyes without him being able to do anything about it.
Marco didn’t point it out, though, he only leaned forward wordlessly, capturing Ace’ lips with his own.
Maybe he didn’t deserve this, but Ace didn’t have the strength to resist it, either. He let his eyes fall shut, and grasped Marco’s shoulders to pull him closer and let himself be surrounded by the warm love that was Marco.
The tears were falling freely now, fuelled by guilt and relief and shame and gratitude and confusion and fear and love.
When the first quiet sob escaped Ace, Marco moved back to let him breathe, but Ace couldn’t just do that. He’d stayed quiet for too long already, now that his eyes were spilling his emotions all over the place his tongue needed to follow.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I’m so sorry I just left. I should’ve stayed home. I know. I belong here, I’m not supposed to just do stuff on my own. But I risked everything just because I was stupid and didn’t know my own limits and-“
“Hey,” Marco interrupted him, his voice quiet but leaving no room for Ace to intercept. “It’s okay. It really is. Everyone understands why you left. Do you know why?”
Ace drew a blank, so he shook his head.
“Because we all wanted to go. We were all hurt, we were all angry, we all wanted to avenge Thatch and make Teach pay and let the world know nobody who dares act like this after receiving Pops’ love and wearing his mark gets away with it. We didn’t follow you and drag you back because deep down every single one of us knew you were right.”
“But I’m the only one who actually left. And look how it went. I only ended up causing more trouble for everyone without achieving anything.”
Marco sighed, face still so close to Ace’s that he could feel the breath on his own lips. “Sometimes you need to do something regardless of whether or not you can actually do it. Next time, just try to come home even if you fail. Or even better, wait for me to get over my stupid rational thoughts and take me with you.”
“You’d come with me?” Ace couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice. Marco was always so responsible, reminding Ace of what was the most logical action that would benefit the crew most. It was hard to imagine him ignoring Pops and just following along with Ace’ whims.
Marco huffed. “You bet I spent the first three days or so mad that you just rushed off on your own without listening to anyone, and every following day mad at myself for not just saying ‘fuck it’ and jumping on the Striker with you.”
“…I’ll ask next time if you wanna come with?”
“Good. That’s all I need. Even if it ends up worse somehow, at least we’ll fuck up together.”
Ace let out an ugly snort, and Marco grinned as well before moving to kiss Ace’ tears away. It felt so good, so natural, so carefree, Ace couldn’t help but giggle. Then he did the one thing he really felt like doing, which was pull Marco in for more kisses.
He’d missed this so much. Especially in Impel Down but even before that.
In that moment, Ace vowed to himself he wouldn’t just leave by himself ever again. He wasn’t made to be alone. No wonder everything went wrong.
Marco happily responded, basically settling in Ace’ lap as they held each other close, right up until they heard someone very pointedly clear their throat right next to them and they jumped apart, suddenly remembering they were in a crowded room full of people.
“Not to interrupt your reunion make-out session, Commander Marco, but Pops is being uncooperative and we need your help,” Rebecca, one of the nurses, said with an impressively straight face.
Pops. Immediately a lingering sense of guilt returned. “He got hurt protecting me…”
“It’s Pops. He’ll be fine.” Marco ruffled his hair as he made to get up. “Sorry, gotta go. You’ll manage without me, right?”
“Of course.”
Ace kept his eyes on Marco’s back until the door closed behind him. Only afterwards did he let his eyes sweep over the room, to see everyone either flushed and pointedly not looking at him, or giggling. At least Luffy was still asleep, or Ace would’ve never lived this one down.
“Well, sweet as that was, you’re not gonna get around getting bandaged up,” Deuce announced, making Ace groan.
The entire room erupted into laughter.
That evening, Marco fell into his bed dead tired. Regardless of what he’d told Ace, this war had taken its toll on Pops.
Marco was the last person who wanted to admit it to himself, but he knew better than anyone that Pops’ health had been rapidly declining before he’d deemed it necessary to fight the navy’s strongest forces. Knew what it meant when Pops had ripped out all of his IVs before they surfaced.
Pops had been prepared to die today, more than he’d been prepared to live. And so, Marco had prepared himself as well, no matter how much even the thought of losing his father had hurt.
But they were off the battlefield now, Ace was with them again, and Pops was still alive. For now.
It had taken a couple of hours of treating Pops’ wounds and getting him on all sorts of medication, but he was stable. He had a chance to heal, at least. Still, whether Pops lived or died, Marco would absolutely kill Akainu for what he’d done. Marco was used to treating horrible injuries on his family, but he didn’t want to see or smell that much burnt flesh ever again.
He was just about to drift off from exhaustion, when a quiet knock on the door startled him back awake. “Huh?” he called, not bothering to give a coherent answer.
The door opened slowly, revealing a sheepish looking Ace. Someone had wrapped most of him in bandages, but there was a nervous smile on his face as he entered and closed the door behind him, fiddling his thumbs without saying anything.
“Shouldn’t you be in the infirmary?”
Ace averted his eyes. “I was cold,” he eventually mumbled.
Marco frowned. Ace’ devil fruit should keep him from being cold. Was there residue seastone on him somewhere? A tiny piece stuck in a wound maybe? Or was this just a leftover effect from the long-term seastone exposure in the cold of level 6?
There was no way to know for sure right now, so Marco simply lifted his blanket to invite Ace in.
For now, it would be best to just keep Ace warm, and look for something that could cause the cold feeling only if it persisted.
Ace smiled, relieved, and instantly hurried over to climb into Marco’s bed and cuddle up to him.
He definitely felt as physically warm as always, which was a good sign. It also helped Marco relax immensely. He hadn’t even realized how used he’d gotten to sleeping with a giant furnace in his bed until from one day to the next, it had been gone. But here Ace was, and things were right again.
Marco couldn’t resist a short goodnight kiss, that Ace quickly turned into a much longer, deeper goodnight kiss. And who was Marco to deny him that? After all that time alone, of course he was starved for love. In a way, he’d always been desperate for it, but now it was more prevalent and obvious than ever before. Of course Marco had to indulge him, respond to every kiss with as much fervour and need as Ace was showing, to let him know he was loved just as strongly as he loved Marco.
Only when Ace started grinding their hips together did Marco reach out to stop him. “Ace, you’re hurt everywhere. You shouldn’t be doing anything that could aggravate or reopen your wounds.”
“Please?” Ace’ voice was quiet, and his expression vulnerable in a way even Marco didn’t get to see often. “It was so cold in Impel Down, and I just can’t get rid of that chill. I just wanna feel warm again.”
Marco had never been good at saying no to Ace. He had no idea why he’d thought now would be an exception.
Accepting his fate, Marco pulled Ace as close as he could, then turned both of them around so he was on top of Ace, chests still pressed together. “Alright. But let me do all the work, okay? You just lay back and let me warm you up.”
Ace nodded, relaxing his body into Marco’s bed, doing nothing but loosely holding onto him as Marco started kissing him again.
He took it slow that night. Very, very slow. Marco kissed every bit of visible skin and let his blue flames seep through Ace’ bandages whenever he winced at a touch, long before he moved to the spots where Ace truly wanted his mouth and hands.
But there wasn’t a single complaint, as if Ace knew Marco needed this, needed to convince himself Ace was with him again, hurt but alive. Breathing. Warm. Needy underneath Marco’s touches just as he’d always been.
Marco didn’t bother to count how many times he told Ace he loved him that night, only paid attention to the pleased noises his hands and words elicited from his boyfriend.
When he did finally join their bodies together, both of them were already practically incoherent, incapable of doing much but holding each other close and panting out each other’s name despite barely having any breath left, but in that moment, calling out to Ace and hearing him answer simply felt more important to Marco than something as mundane as air in his lungs.
There was only Ace and the warmth he emitted and the pure love singing in Marco’s veins.
It was all Marco ever needed.
They reached their climax together, pressed so close to one another it was impossible to tell which of their tangled limbs belonged to whom. Not that it mattered, when Marco didn’t see any need to ever let go of Ace ever again.
Marco let himself drop onto the pillow next to Ace, who greeted him with a dopey grin. That’s how it should be, pure happiness and bliss, that was the best look on Ace.
It didn’t last long. “Thank you,” Ace said, darkness already creeping back into his voice. “You know, the entire time I was locked up in level 6, I thought I didn’t want you to come save me. I thought I’d rather die than risk all of your lives. I was serious about it, even asked Gramps to kill me before you could have a chance to save me.”
A shiver ran down Marco’s spine at the admission, and he pulled Ace closer again, holding him as tightly as he dared to with his injuries, as if that would diminish just how close Marco had come to losing him.
“But when that guard aimed at me, telling me I’d really die…” Ace swallowed. “Maybe it’s selfish, but I could only think about how much I want to keep living. I… I’m so glad you saved me. I know I’m more trouble than I’m worth a lot of the time, and especially now that that guy is back alive, but I really… I just want to stay here. With you. With Pops. With everyone. So I… Yeah I already said it at the start, but thank you.”
Part of Marco wanted to deflect immediately and tell Ace he really didn’t need to thank him or anyone, but he thought better of it. Such immense gratitude should be expressed.
“Of course we did. We all want to keep living with you at our sides as well. Especially me, I can’t even imagine my life without you anymore. So, thank you for telling me all of that. Even if it’s just words, you made me really happy.”
Ace smiled his most blinding smile in response, and not even ten seconds later, he was asleep in Marco’s arms, entirely unaware of the excited swarm of butterflies he’d just set free in Marco’s chest.
Typical.
Marco pressed one last kiss to Ace’ forehead, then settled in next to his boyfriend, content to just watch him sleep, finally looking perfectly relaxed.
…He got all of three minutes of that, before someone else knocked on his door.
Marco just resigned himself to not getting any sleep tonight.
“One second to put on pants,” he called out as he wriggled out of Ace’ hold, knowing full-well he could shoot a cannon through the wall right now and his boyfriend wouldn’t even turn around in his sleep, much less actually wake up.
Once he’d put on pants as he’d said, plus a shirt for good measure, he opened the door to find Deuce standing there, who immediately wrinkled his nose. “You reek of sex.”
“That’s because I had sex. Five minutes earlier and whatever medical emergency brought you here would’ve given you the pleasure of hearing us.”
Deuce didn’t look very amused. Kid still had to learn that sometimes, this kind of humour was all you had as a doctor mainly treating your own family.
“Pops’ condition got worse.”
Marco took a deep breath. He’d been expecting that exact sentence. He was prepared.
But it sure didn’t feel like it when they rushed to Pops’ room together.
When Whitebeard closed his eyes that evening, he genuinely didn’t expect to open them ever again, regardless of all the prior effort his children had put into keeping him alive.
Perhaps it wasn’t the exact death he’d wished for – no battlefield in sight, no dramatic, inspiring words on his lips – but all things considered, it wasn’t so bad. He felt calm, all the pain was very dull, and he was surrounded by his family.
Most importantly, they’d been successful. Ace was free. He was safe, and he would heal. Whitebeard could rest easy, without regret, knowing he hadn’t failed his son. And as much as Ace would protest it, Roger would make sure to keep him alive, so there was no need to be worried about him anymore.
Plans for the future were laid out as well. Whitebeard had made sure Marco knew everything he did, and would be prepared for whatever the family decided they’d do once he was gone. Knowing them, it was sure to be chaotic and fun.
Almost a shame, that he wouldn’t be able to see it, but he knew his time was over. It had been coming to an end for a while now. It was time to pass the torch to the next generation, and let them create their own age. Whitebeard had made sure to teach all of his children as much as he could, and he knew they’d do well. Sengoku would certainly regret it if he didn’t retire soon.
Waves were rocking the Moby Dick, and Whitebeard couldn’t help but feel content that he’d start his last journey on his trusted ship, who’d carried him and his crew through the craziest adventures. She’d taken some damage today just like him, but she’d continue to keep his family safe through even the wildest of New World weather phenomena. Her voice promised it to him right then.
A sudden warmth spread through Whitebeard’s chest. Soothing and familiar, he knew exactly what was happening even in his barely conscious state.
Marco. His sweet little boy who’d grown into such a wonderful young man. Seeing him experience the world for the first time with wide eyes and a huge smile had been one of the greatest joys in Whitebeard’s life. Marco’s boundless curiosity and incessant questioning had given him a whole new appreciation for a world that Whitebeard himself had started to see as an evil, lonely place. Back then, Whitebeard had undoubtedly saved Marco, but in a way, his first son had saved him in turn.
Sadly, Marco had also picked up Whitebeard’s stubbornness somewhere along the way. Whitebeard had already told him earlier that there was no need to try and keep him alive, but Marco had ignored him and tried anyway, and even now his blue flames were fighting to keep Whitebeard’s old heart beating.
It didn’t work like that, though. The flames could only use what energy someone had to live, and Whitebeard’s energy reserves were basically empty.
Even as he could once again hear mumbled voices and see vague shapes in flickering lights, he could feel his heartbeat get weaker every time the muscle contracted to pump blood through his body.
“Pops? Can you hear me?”
A blurred face appeared in front of him, blocking out most everything else, and Whitebeard was glad his son had such a distinct, pineapple-shaped head, making him easy to recognize even when mostly delirious.
“Listen, Pops!” And Whitebeard didn’t really feel like it, wanted to tune out everything and just rest, but Marco’s voice was so insistent he couldn’t help but focus on it. “Ace just told me he’s glad we saved him! He wants to keep sailing with us!”
Oh. Whitebeard couldn’t feel his face, but he felt like smiling. For Ace, who’d been so reluctant to join, who’d always struggled with feeling worthy of others, to say that so openly and directly… Finally they’d gotten through his thick skull, huh.
What a wonderful gift to have received right at the end.
His vision faded, leaving him with darkness and his children’s voices, and the ever-fading sound of his own heartbeat.
“But!” Now Marco’s voice sounded shrill and panicked, too loud in Whitebeard’s ears. Couldn’t he be quiet? Despite his annoyance, Whitebeard felt the urge to reach out and comfort his son. Too bad he didn’t really feel like he had any arms. “Pops, he’s just gonna blame himself again if you die now! He’ll go right back to thinking he has no place in this family! So you better tough it out until the next big battle that gives you an excuse to kick it, you hear me? Don’t you dare die on me right now, Pops!”
No matter how loud it was, the voice faded as well.
All that was left was the heartbeat.
Each one quieter, the silence in between stretching longer.
Ace was such a moron. An old man dying would never be his fault.
For a moment, there was only quiet.
Come on, stupid heart. We’re not that weak. We just saved our dumbest son, we can’t immediately let him do something stupid again. You’ve beaten for this family for decades, you can keep beating for them just a little longer.
Another moment of silence.
And then another beat. And another one.
Good. Satisfied, Whitebeard let himself drift into the darkness. Just for a moment.
He did open his eyes again, hours later, as the first rays of the sun were shining through the portholes. What he found was Marco, Tate, Deuce, and Rebecca, all sprawled out over his bed or the floor, sleeping peacefully.
He really was blessed with wonderful, caring children.
The rest of the ship was still mostly asleep, from what he could tell. The deck was almost empty save for a few presences, but the kitchen was already bustling to prepare breakfast, so it couldn’t be too long until everyone would wake up and the relative quiet would end.
Whitebeard smiled. It was the presence standing right in front of his door, full of doubt, that had woken him up.
“Don’t just stand there. The door’s open, come in.” A few seconds passed, but then the door did open, and Ace slipped through quickly. “What’s got you so hesitant? I don’t remember you ever taking so long to simply enter, even back when you were still trying to sneak in here to kill me.”
Ace flushed, grimacing at the thought of his 100 failed assassination attempts. Too bad it was so fun teasing him with them. He’d never get rid of that story.
“I had a really bad feeling when I woke up alone, is all. Felt like I should go see you.”
Ah. Sometimes Whitebeard forgot just how good Ace’ intuition truly was. Once he’d finetune that into proper haki, he’d be quite the terrifying foe. Possibly very annoying, too. Whitebeard would just have to make sure to set him on the right path, so he’d annoy the right people.
But now was not the time to talk about any of that.
“Sorry to steal your boyfriend for the night. To be fair, it’s not my fault the nurses have decided it’s his job to wrestle alcohol out of my hands. Can you believe they wouldn’t even let me celebrate our big victory?”
Ace frowned. “You’re not supposed to drink too much. Especially not when you’re hurt.”
“And you don’t even know why that is, so you don’t get to lecture me on it, brat.”
“But… you’re fine, right?”
“Gurararara, of course! Don’t go underestimating your old man like that. I can still throw you in the water, cheeky brat.”
The relieved smile Ace beamed at him with was truly adorable. What a good kid. Suck it, Roger, I’m keeping him for sure. He’s too cute.
“I know you’re the strongest, Pops! Guess you’re right, it was stupid to worry.” Ace finally made his way over to Whitebeard’s bed, sitting on the edge. “I also… wanted to say thank you. For saving me. And for still calling me your son even now…”
“You are my son, Ace. For as long as you want me as your father, that will never change. And it’s a father’s responsibility to protect his children. Nothing makes me happier than knowing I managed to help you.”
“I still feel like I owe you more than I could ever give back, no matter how much I fight in your name.”
“You don’t. You owe me nothing.” Whitebeard smiled at the puzzled look on his son’s face. “Maybe if you have children of your own one day, you’ll understand.”
That didn’t seem to be a satisfactory answer for Ace, but ‘you’ll get it later’ never seemed to click with young people, even if it was simply the truth.
Whitebeard ruffled his son’s hair for a moment, then both their attention was drawn to Marco who was leaning against the side of Whitebeard’s bed and was just starting to stir from his sleep. He blinked blearily against the morning light, looking thoroughly unhappy with it for a few seconds, before he turned around, eyes landing on Whitebeard and Ace, which promptly made him look even more unhappy.
“Both of you are supposed to be in bed.”
“Son, I am in bed.”
Ace quickly threw his legs up on the bed. “So am I.”
Marco just groaned, letting his head fall backwards against the bed while Whitebeard and Ace snickered at having won an argument about bedrest for once.
“You really don’t need to worry so much,” Whitebeard addressed his first son, “I heard you, and I do plan on listening to you. Just this once.” Ace looked confused, but Marco smiled, understanding perfectly what his father meant. That was enough. “Now, I don’t think breakfast is quite ready yet, but why don’t the two of you get out on deck until then? There might just be another early bird there that Ace would love to talk to without her annoying add-on attached to her.”
It took Ace an embarrassing amount of time of more confusion until his face lit up in understanding, and his body went taut with nerves and excitement.
He didn’t move on his own, so Marco got up and pushed him out of the door, but he threw one last look to Pops, a smile full of relief and gratitude. Even without words, Whitebeard understood. Of course Marco was happy for himself as much as for Ace that he got to keep his father a little longer.
Ah damn, all his brats were just too cute, how would he ever be able to leave them alone…?
Notes:
next chapter, ace and rouge actually get to talk!
Chapter 16
Summary:
It's time for Ace to talk to his mother. Neither of them is truly prepared.
Notes:
I know you've been all waiting for this moment, so I hope you enjoy~
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
“Wait! Wait, wait, wait! Marco, stop, wait!”
“What for?” Thankfully, Marco did stop pushing Ace down the hall toward the deck for a moment, looking both slightly annoyed and a little confused. “I thought you always wanted a chance to talk to your mom?”
Of course! Of course Ace had always wanted to see her, to get to know the first person who’d ever loved him, but… “I didn’t think I’d ever actually get to! I’m not prepared!” She’d been dead, after all. That had been the first thing Ace had heard of her, once he’d been old enough to understand what a mother was, and Dadan had claimed she wasn’t his. Ace had asked Gramps, and before Ace could even get his hopes up, before ever hearing her name or what she looked like or what kind of person she was, he’d been told she was dead. Ace would never have a mother.
He’d learned to live with it, had found other family that meant just as much to him as a mother could have, but in the end, he knew he had always been and would always be without a mother.
Except, of course, whatever miracle had happened had suddenly brought dead people back to life, and now all sorts of harsh, undeniable truths had simply been changed.
Ace was barely through the processing of his shackles being gone, hadn’t even started really on Thatch being back and Teach being dead, he was still left wondering about Sabo, and if he took too much time to think about anything, his brain would come up with ways Roger could ruin his life, and now he was supposed to find words to talk to his mother?
“I don’t think you need to prepare much. Just take a few deep breaths and talk to her. What could go wrong?”
Everything. Like Ace knew. Maybe you were supposed to talk to your mother in a specific way and he just didn’t know because he’d never really known people with mothers?
That sounded stupid, though. A stupid worry. He should try and stick to more realistic ones to bring up to Marco. “She could start talking about Roger. I mean, what do I do then? I don’t wanna lie and say I like him, but I don’t want to fight with her either…”
Because among the very few things that Ace knew about his mom was that she liked Roger. Married him, even. It didn’t feel right to Ace. He’d asked Gramps this, too, once he’d been older and knew how children were made and that men could force women into it, and that had resulted in a prompt hit to his head. Garp, for as little as he knew about Rouge, was adamant that it had all been her choice, from start to finish.
It was nice, in a way, to know that at least one person really was happy that a child of Roger existed, but inconvenient considering the child didn’t want to be Roger’s.
Marco only considered it for a moment before shrugging. “Just change the topic. You’re fantastic at that when it comes to Roger. You could even just straight up tell her you’d rather not talk about him. Or… how about this? I’ll stay out of earshot but somewhere you can see me, and if it seems like she insists on talking about Roger, just wave me over and formally introduce me as your boyfriend. That will have her distracted for sure.”
Ace snorted. Some of the tension was already leaving his body. “You haven’t told her yet? I thought she came with you.”
“I wanted to leave it up to you whether you tell her about us or not. And I didn’t talk to her much in general, it just… seemed wrong, when I knew you still hadn’t gotten the chance to. But from what I can tell, she seems like a really nice, fun person. You’ll get along great if you just actually properly talk to her.”
Ah, Marco, always thinking of Ace first before himself. Ace couldn’t help but smile a little.
Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and nodded. Okay. He’d do it. He’d go and talk to his mother, just like he’d always wanted to.
Ace made it out on deck for all of a second before he jumped backwards into the relative safety of the Moby, just peeking around the edge.
There she was.
Rouge was facing the sea, just standing at the railing by herself, eyes closed as a smile graced her lips.
She had a red hibiscus in her hair just like yesterday, but the long, strawberry blond waves had been tied into a ponytail then and were now simply left open for the wind to dance through them.
Maybe Ace couldn’t do this after all.
Yesterday, his mother had looked like a fighter. Simple shirt, simple pants, combat boots, a sword hanging in her belt. He’d gotten glimpses of her during their encounter with the marines, but only because he’d actively tried. She hadn’t done something that would draw everyone’s attention. Most of the time, she’d been up on navy ships’ masts, cutting ropes and sails, but one time Ace had spotted her fighting a marine woman who also had a sword.
Now, though, her face was peaceful, boots changed for sandals and practical clothing for a long, blue dress. She was the perfect picture of elegance and grace, and everything inside of Ace screamed at him to not approach her. He was nothing like that, could never measure up to her, he was just a weak moron who knew nothing except how to fight and even that he wasn’t the best at.
“Ace,” Marco’s voice cut through the whirlwind of thoughts in his head, “what is it now? She’s right there.” Even if maybe it sounded like he was getting a little annoyed, there was a supportive hand on Ace’ back, letting him know that Marco was only pushing because he thought Ace himself wanted to get over himself.
Ace bit his lip. There was no point in listing his exact thoughts to Marco, he’d probably just try and debunk all of Ace’ negative statements about himself one by one.
“What if… what if she’s disappointed?”
She’d given up everything, her life, to let him live.
Ace had wondered forever if she’d still think it was worth it if she could see him, see the kind of person he’d grown up to be. He had no idea what he’d do if she decided it hadn’t been. He wouldn’t be able to bear it.
“She won’t be.” Marco’s voice was gentle but firm as he pulled Ace into a hug and pressed a kiss onto his forehead. “She has no reason to be.”
Ace relaxed into the embrace. “You’re biased.”
“Am I?” Marco laughed. “I’m pretty sure I’ve seen you at your worst. But I’ve also seen you grow from there, so I’m confident in my judgement that she’ll love you. Also, I told her you fall asleep in your food sometimes and she seemed positively delighted, like it was the best thing ever, so I think there’s not much you could say that would make her not love you.”
“What the hell are you telling her about me?!” Ace huffed, but Marco clearly didn’t see a problem.
“If you don’t want her entire perception of you to just be embarrassing stories we tell her, guess you’ll have to go and talk to her yourself.”
“You’re the worst, you know that?” Despite his words, Ace only cuddled closer to his boyfriend. “Give me a kiss for good luck?”
Marco complied easily, tilting Ace’ chin up and gently pressing their lips together for a moment. “Alright. Now off you go!”
With a slight push, Ace was now out in the open. He swallowed. Marco was right. It was time to stop being such a coward. Why was this so hard? Ace wasn’t usually afraid. Setting out to sea all by himself, challenging Whitebeard to a fight, stepping through the inescapable doors of Impel Down, everything had been easy to do despite fear coiling deep in his gut. But now his legs felt like lead, completely stuck to the floor.
“Come on. You always wanted to thank her for everything she’s done for you, didn’t you? Now you can finally do it.”
Ace nodded, and as Marco took off to fly up the mast to stay in sight as a possible distraction just as promised, Ace finally took a step towards his mother.
Rouge was what one would call a morning person. She tremendously enjoyed watching the sunrise, breathing the fresh morning air and seeing the world slowly wake up. Keeping a regular sleep schedule helped with her narcolepsy as well. Besides, sailors of all kinds loved to drink themselves stupid in the evening and during the night, so the hours when they were all still soundly asleep and the night watch dead on their feet from exhaustion were the best for running off with their treasure.
Still, as nice as this morning on the open sea was, she couldn’t deny that she wasn’t really seeing any of it. Her thoughts were swirling around everything that happened yesterday. Overall, it had gone great. She had Roger back, permanently, and they’d met and saved their son.
But the future was so uncertain. What was Ace truly like? Would he want them in his life? Did he hate both of them or just Roger? It seemed like Ace wanted to stay with Whitebeard, which she couldn’t blame him for, but that meant Rouge and especially Roger couldn’t simply stay with him in the long run. For now, sure, Whitebeard would let them tag along, but they weren’t members of his crew. Was Rouge supposed to just go back to her old thieving ways? Or would she stay with Roger? And what would he do? Did he want to settle down with her somewhere, or was he itching to get his crew and ship back and sail the seas again? Now that he had the time to live, would Roger want to bring about the Dawn of the World himself?
There were too many unknowns. Hell, she didn’t even know where they were going. She’d assumed Sabaody so they could return to the New World, but they’d sailed through the night. Even with the ship being slowed a little by the damage it sustained, they should be there already. They should at the very least see the Red Line by now. But there was only open sea in all directions.
Her observation haki notified her of two people coming on deck, and even though she hadn’t met either of them for an extended period of time, she immediately recognized them as Ace and Marco.
All thoughts of the far future were wiped from her mind instantly as she turned around to see Marco spread his fiery wings and fly up the mast, while Ace slowly started walking towards her.
Oh, he looked so nervous. He’d definitely inherited his poker face from Roger and not her.
Rouge couldn’t deny her nerves starting to rise as well, she’d been looking forward to this talk so much and imagined so many ways it could go wrong, but still, she smiled. Hopefully it would put Ace at ease a little. “Good morning,” she greeted once Ace was close enough to hear her without her raising her voice.
Still, he startled, freezing in place for a moment before answering. “Good morning.”
He didn’t immediately start talking, so Rouge saved them both from an awkward pause. “I’m glad to see you’re up. Are you sure it’s okay to walk around outside? You’re hurt…” Her gaze worriedly swept over Ace’ bandaged torso. She’d seen yesterday just how injured her boy was, how his wounds had been left to fester untreated in that hellish prison.
“I’m fine,” he quickly waved her off. “If I wasn’t fit to walk around, Marco would drag me back to the infirmary kicking and screaming no matter what. I heal quickly, and he used his powers to deal with the worst of it, so you don’t have to worry about me at all. I’ll be good as new in a couple days!”
“Sounds like he’s taking good care of you.”
Curiously, that made Ace blush. “Yeah- yeah, he does. As a doctor! And also just in general, I guess.”
Hm, interesting. She hadn’t been able to glean much from the first commander aside from a general fondness for her son, but from the looks of it, Ace definitely had a crush on him.
Sometimes she hated how perceptive she was, because she had absolutely no idea how to feel about this information. Her brain was still trying to process that the little baby she’d held in her arms had grown into the young man now standing in front of her in what felt like weeks but had been twenty years, she really didn’t need to think about what adult thoughts he did or didn’t have and whether or not he acted on them.
No, she would tuck that thought away and focus on something else.
“I hope your little brother is doing well, too.”
“Oh, yeah! Moron got himself all hurt but he’s sleeping it off, so he’ll be just fine. I bet he’ll be up the moment he smells breakfast. I already told Thatch he needs to take Luffy into account and cook more, but I’m not sure he really understood how much Luffy eats…”
That made Rouge giggle. “Well, he’ll see once your brother starts eating. I’m sure he’ll make more if he realizes it’s not enough. He seemed intent on making sure everyone ate enough while I was sailing with him.”
“He always does! Thatch is great like that.” Ace beamed with pride. “Um… don’t you mind, though?”
Rouge tilted her head, genuinely not sure what he was talking about now. “Mind what?”
“That I’m calling him my little brother, and everyone here my family, even though we’re not related…”
Ah. He hadn’t said it, but he thought she might feel like she’d been replaced. “No. You really don’t need to worry about that. I’m very happy you didn’t have to be alone even when we left you as an orphan.” She smiled at her son. “Actually, I’ve been wondering ever since I realized how much time has passed between my death and rebirth… Do you have a mother?”
Perhaps that wasn’t the best way to phrase the question, as Ace seemed stumped on what to answer. “Uhhh, you?”
“Ah, sorry, that’s not what I meant. Biologically speaking, I’m your mother, of course. Gave birth to you and named you and all that. Just… I’m not sure if that’s enough. I never held you when you were upset, never sang you to sleep, never cooked you a meal, never took care of you when you got hurt, never listened to your worries, never really did anything a mother should do. I’d still love to truly become your mother if you’ll let me even though you’re all grown up now.” And he really was grown up. Standing right in front of her, she had to look up to him. “I just want to know if you had someone else take that role in your life. I’d be happy to know you were well taken care of while I couldn’t do it.”
“Of course I want you to be my mom!” Ace blurted out, but quickly realized he’d been too loud, stopping for a moment and fiddling with his red bead necklace. He’d already worn it yesterday despite having been imprisoned, so she had to wonder if it was just an accessory he liked to fiddle with or if it had any significance. “I just don’t know how that would go? I only ever had Dadan, and she wasn’t really all that motherly? I guess it would be more like Makino, but she only visited sometimes so I’m not sure…”
Rouge’s heart was flying high just from that first admission that he did want her – sorry Roger, but she’d take it and figure out what made Ace hate him later – but she wasn’t sure what to make of this new information. Well, at least she had two names to start with. Dadan and Makino. They must be important to Ace in some way.
“Every mother and every child is a little different, so it’s not like we need to follow some script, we can just do what feels best for us. Why don’t you tell me how it was with Dadan first? We can go from there.”
“Um, well. You don’t know at all what happened after Gramps – Garp, I mean – took me away from Baterilla, right?”
She shook her head. “No. I’ve talked with Deuce, and he told me how you two met and some other stories of your adventures, but nothing before that.”
“Okay. Basically, Gramps dropped me with a group of mountain bandits close to his home village-“ mountain bandits?! “-and Dadan was their leader. She never really wanted kids-“ oh no “-and she didn’t really know what she was doing, either-” of course not why would she “-but Gramps just left me with her and told her she had to take care of me or he’d stop overlooking her crimes and throw her in jail for the rest of her life.” Blackmail?! “So, yeah, Dadan never really seemed too happy when she had to take care of me, but she always let me into the jungle to hunt my own food-“ he had to hunt his own food as a child?! “-which was pretty fun. Especially when Gramps dropped Luffy there too when he was seven and we became brothers.”
Rouge could feel her eyebrow twitch, but she kept a smile on her face. “Really? Is that all Garp did?”
“Ah, he did come visit every couple of months to check on me. And by that I mean try to train me into a marine soldier with his stupid fists of love. Obviously didn’t work though.”
That’s it. Garp is a dead man walking.
Nobody would get away with hurting her child, for whatever reason. She couldn’t believe she’d trusted a man like that with her baby.
“Did- did I say something wrong?”
Rouge snapped out of her thoughts to look at Ace, who was biting his lip and looking at his feet. “No, no, of course not! Everything’s fine.”
Why didn’t he look convinced? “But you got angry.”
Oh. She was sure she hadn’t let her face slip, so he must’ve picked it up with haki. Maybe he’d inherited her affinity for observation, or Whitebeard had taught him the basics. Either way, she couldn’t simply lie.
“Not at you, don’t worry. I was just hoping you’d grow up somewhere a little more… safe.”
Ace shrugged. “It’s not like Gramps had much of a choice. Any baby from Baterilla was suspicious on principle. I wasn’t allowed to go to the quaint seaside village where Luffy grew up at first because the nice, law-abiding citizens there might want me dead if they figured out who I am.”
His voice turned bitter at the end, and while Rouge was absolutely not convinced this absolved Garp of hitting her baby boy, things were starting to make a little sense.
More than a little, actually. While it was perhaps misplaced anger, she could easily see a child getting angry at their father if he was not only entirely absent, but also the reason the child couldn’t live a normal life and had to hide. Nobody should hate Ace because of Roger, but if he’d met people who did, of course Ace would want nothing to do with him.
She could slap herself for not realizing it sooner. She’d known the government wanted Ace dead before he was even born, of course just knowing that would influence him growing up, even if they hadn’t managed to get him.
It wasn’t like she wasn’t angry either, she’d just directed it all towards the government. The navy. Cipher Pol. The Celestial Dragons. The ones really at fault. But they were all far away and difficult to grasp for a child. A singular person was easier to focus your resentment on. Especially when that person was dead and had no way of proving your assumptions wrong.
“I’m sorry. I really tried to avoid you having to go through that…”
Ace vehemently shook his head. “No, don’t apologize! You already…” For a moment, he trailed off, then looked at her directly. “Can I say something I’ve always wanted to tell you?
“Of course.”
Rouge watched with curiosity as Ace straightened up, face set in determination. He pressed his arms flush to his sides, then bowed deeply to the point where his upper body was basically horizontal.
“Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me! You sacrificed your life to let me live, and I couldn’t be more grateful! I’ll be forever in your debt! I don’t know if I can ever repay you, any offer I could make feels too humble and worthless, but I’ll do my best to make sure what you did wasn’t in vain!”
…Out of all the things Rouge had imagined her son to grow up to be, painfully polite hadn’t been on the list, she had to admit. Where the hell had he gotten that from? Not from her or Roger, and certainly not from the bandits and pirates he’d lived with his entire life, right? For a few seconds, an awkward silence spread after Ace’ shout of thanks, but he kept his bowed position, his hat very slowly sliding off his neck to the side.
“Um, you’re welcome…? But you really don’t need to repay me with anything. That’s not how it works. You don’t owe your parents anything, after all, we’re the ones who decided to bring you into this world without asking you. As long as you’re alive and happy, that’s all I could ever ask for as your mother.”
Slowly, Ace rightened himself again, pushing his hat back behind his head. Tears were shining in his eyes as he nodded. “I am. I’m really happy here.”
A wave of relief the size of an Aqua Laguna washed over Rouge. Even if not everything had gone as she’d hoped, even if Ace had to suffer without her being there for him, all was well.
Ace had found his place here, on this ship, with these people. He was happy.
There was no way she could possibly be selfish enough to take him away from here. Whatever she’d do once they reached land, Ace would stay with his family.
“I’m so glad.” Even if this meant she might not be able to stay with him, she didn’t have to force or fake her smile. Truly, this was the best possible outcome. Even just hearing these words come out of Ace’ mouth with full honesty was enough to make her tear up a little, too. “I… I guess I’m still new to this whole being a mother thing, but… would it be alright if I hugged you? Now feels like a good moment to me, but it’s okay if you don’t want to.”
Great, now Rouge herself was making things awkward, too, even though she’d wanted to avoid that. But her instincts were screaming at her to offer comfort despite knowing Ace wasn’t currently upset, and while she wanted to simply go and hug him, what if that made him uncomfortable? What if he was still too injured? What if he wasn’t used to hugs? What if he didn’t want one from her so shortly after meeting her for the first time?
“Uh, no, a hug is okay.” Ace even took a step forward, arms half-raised, but he stopped himself mid-motion, clearly unsure of how to proceed.
Rouge met him halfway, wrapping her hands around his torso as gently as she could. She was barely tall enough to rest her head on his shoulder even if she stood on her tiptoes, but she did so anyway, letting herself enjoy the feeling of his warmth. For a second, she wondered if he had a fever and should be in bed, until she remembered he could literally turn to fire, so a raised body temperature compared to a regular human probably wasn’t cause for concern.
It took a moment, but then Ace wrapped his arms around her shoulders as well, squeezing pretty tightly at first before quickly easing off the pressure, holding her carefully instead, like he might break her.
Tears were dripping down Rouge’s cheeks before she knew it or could name the feelings overflowing in her chest, but her focus was on Ace, who was trembling in her arms.
A small sob escaped him. “Sorry I’m such a crybaby, I’m just- I’m just so happy I got to meet you, I never thought I-“ He broke off, another sob interrupting whatever he’d meant to say.
Rouge gently rubbed his back. Maybe Ace was an adult now and she’d missed all of his childhood, but she wouldn’t get a better chance to be a proper mom to him. He sounded like a little lost boy, so Rouge would treat him with all the gentle care she’d give to a child. Her child.
“Shhh, it’s okay, my little angel. There’s nothing wrong with crying, look, I’m doing it too.” Not that Ace could see her face, but he could hear her teary voice. “I’m your mom, so you don’t ever have to worry about looking strong in front of me, okay? I want to know when you’re upset so I can help you. It’s not going to make me any less proud of you.”
She could feel Ace nod, even as he was still trying to control his sobs.
This just wouldn’t do. Even if it was at least partially from happiness or relief, hearing her boy cry broke her heart. She needed to calm him down.
Not trusting her own voice to be steady enough to sing, she instead started humming. It was an old song, a lullaby her own mother had often sung to her when she’d been too upset to sleep as a little kid. Ace startled at the sound, but he didn’t let go or move away.
She quickly lost track of time, not caring how long they simply stood there, holding each other close as Rouge hummed in tune with the waves crashing against the hull of the ship.
So this was what it felt like to truly be a mother. What a wonderful, exciting, scary feeling.
She wouldn’t trade it for the world.
Notes:
originally I was gonna have two other conversations this chapter, but this is logn enough on its own, and in the end, I feel it deserves its own chapter without anything to detract from it! we'll see, next chapter might end up a little short because of this split but who knows, maybe it won't be short at all you never know with me lmao
Chapter 17
Summary:
The sun rises, and the next day starts for everyone.
Whitebeard gets another visitor.
Izou finally gets the courage to talk to Thatch... sort of.
Kuzan isn't happy with the general situation.
Notes:
sorry this took so long, but I was writing a bunch of other stuff haha
I'd like you all to know this is now officially the most popular thing I've ever written by every stat ao3 measures, so thank you!! (and if you wanna bridge the wait until the next update, go read my other stuff if you haven't already ;) )
hope you enjoy the chapter~
Chapter Text
After his sons left, Whitebeard only got a few minutes of quiet before the next idiot stood in front of his door.
This one didn’t hesitate for a second, and he certainly didn’t think to knock as he kicked open the door with a bang. Deuce, Tate, and Rebecca startled awake, heads instantly drawn to the noise.
Of course. Roger could never be quiet.
“What brings you here so early in the morning? Looking for a fight?”
Rebecca reached for Murakumogiri before Whitebeard could, while Deuce – sweet, precious Deuce – placed himself between Roger and his father, glowering at the former with what Whitebeard could only assume was his best impression of an angry Ace.
“Nah, I just wanna talk,” Roger waved him off.
As inadvisable as it probably was, Whitebeard would’ve rather fought him. It was too early in the morning for talks. Especially since Roger didn’t immediately start talking, meaning he probably wanted to speak privately. It never ended well when he did, last time he’d taken Whitebeard’s little brother and never brought him back. If he wanted Ace this time, Whitebeard would just throw him overboard.
Still, with how stubborn Roger was, trying to kick him out without talking would just cause a headache for everyone involved, so Whitebeard sighed and told his kids it was fine to leave them alone.
“Fine, we’ll leave,” Tate said, “but we’ll stay close by. Call if you need anything. And absolutely no alcohol!” Her gaze was stern as she looked at Whitebeard first, and then at Roger. “You better not give him any, either, or I’ll throw you overboard personally.”
As she left the room with Deuce and Rebecca, Roger pouted. “None of your kids have any respect,” he complained before the door was even properly shut behind them.
“Of course, they’re my kids after all, gurararara!”
Roger huffed, but didn’t say anything, just leaned back against the wall, quietly mustering Whitebeard.
Oh no. Roger was annoying on the best of days, but never was he more annoying than when he got like this. A quiet and serious Roger always spelled trouble.
Well, as long as he wasn’t talking, Whitebeard wouldn’t ask. He had no need for any conversation at all.
“I heard your voice fade last night.”
Yup. Terrible start. He really didn’t need this.
“I’m fine.” Even if there was no real point in lying, Whitebeard didn’t need pity from his old rival. He hadn’t offered any when the situation had been reversed 20 years ago, either. A pirate’s life ended when it ended, and most never made it to 70.
“Is the magma guy that strong? Crocus said he’s an admiral, but I didn’t really pay attention.”
When did Roger ever pay attention? Honestly, Whitebeard was surprised he noticed anything at all when he’d been so clearly focused on fighting Garp. “He’s not weak. But he’s still just a brat with an annoying devil fruit.”
Silence followed for a minute, Roger’s eyes burning themselves through Whitebeard’s skin with their intensity until he finally turned them to the ground. “You’re sick.”
Whitebeard decided he liked Roger better when he was loud, stupid, and oblivious. His hand twitched to grab his sake cup, but someone had removed that from its usual spot while he’d been asleep. Damn his worried kids.
“So what? My kids still need me, so I’ll stick around. You’re not getting rid of me that easily. I can’t just let you have Ace.”
The distraction worked like clockwork, Roger crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t blow up like Whitebeard had hoped for. “Ace doesn’t know me. He’ll like me when he does!”
Maybe, but Whitebeard had a feeling Roger gravely underestimated how stubborn Ace could be if he didn’t want to like someone. None of them had ever done anything to him, and it had still taken three months of constant love and support and 100 failed assassination attempts to get him to understand they really meant him no harm and only wanted to help, to offer him a home when he so clearly needed one.
Roger, unwillingly, had a huge negative impact on Ace’ life. Who knew if it was actually too big?
“He might just not give you a chance.”
“Why not?”
At this point, Whitebeard was getting more and more stunned that Roger was still calm. Ace rejecting him clearly bothered Roger, and yet he didn’t blow up, he didn’t whine or demand a solution. Almost like he was mature or something.
So, Whitebeard took it as a serious question, giving it some thought before he answered. “It’s not like I know what exactly he thinks. You’ll find Ace is fantastic at keeping secrets and refusing to talk about things he dislikes talking about. He’s nothing like you. I guess if there’s anything in your favour right now, it’s that the worst thing you did has been somewhat remedied.”
“But I haven’t done anything to Ace. Right? I’ve been dead.”
“He blames you for the death of his mother.”
This was the one easy answer. If Rouge had fallen for just about any other man and had a child with him, she wouldn’t have died. Whether or not that was in any way Roger’s fault was arguable, but the point still stood. The result was the same.
Judging by the pained look on Roger’s face, that argument wasn’t new to him. “She’s back now, but that doesn’t mean she gets back all the time she lost with Ace. It’s not perfect, but it’s not like I can do anything about it. That’s not helpful.” Roger huffed. “I guess it doesn’t matter all that much why he hates me. All of it happened while I was dead. The real question is, how do I make him like me?”
A very Roger way of thinking about it, for sure. “And why would I help you with that?”
“Because you’re my friend?”
Friend? Were they friends? Whitebeard didn’t recall ever calling Roger that. What a terrifyingly annoying prospect, to be counted among Roger’s friends.
Roger pouted. “Don’t look so disgusted! You know it’s true! I know you love hanging out with me, and fighting me and partying with me!”
Ugh.
“You consider people your friends too easily. But even if we were friends, you’re not my family. Ace is. If he wants nothing to do with you, I’ll help him and not you.”
Really, despite his clear words, Whitebeard was torn on the issue. On one hand, just being in Roger’s vicinity clearly distressed Ace. If he directly asked, really there was no other choice than to just kick Roger off the ship at the next possible location. Even if it wasn’t ideal, since presumably their relation would soon be public knowledge, Ace would feel supported and safe, and it would give him a clean cut. He’d never have to see Roger again, as long as his pops had anything to say about it.
On the other hand, though, that wouldn’t really do anything to help Ace with his issues. As long as he hated Roger so completely, he wouldn’t stop hating himself, either. Not to mention it might cause problems with his mother. Reaching some form of understanding would probably be the healthier solution for Ace. But could Roger be trusted with that…? He was a selfish guy who didn’t usually compromise on anything, if he kept insisting on something, even just being called Ace’ father, that Ace was unlikely to ever accept, he might just draw out the conflict, and only serve to make Ace more miserable without achieving anything in the end.
When it came down to it, he’d have to talk with Ace and leave the choice to him.
“Hmph. You’re still mad about Oden, aren’t you?”
“Of course.”
“It’s not my fault he went back to Wano and died. He’s probably back anyway, so it’s all good, right? And it’s not like I took him against his will. I’m not gonna force Ace to leave, either, if you’re worried about that. He’s his own man, he can make his own decisions. And he’s already strong enough that he doesn’t really need me or you, anyway.”
Whitebeard raised his eyebrows. That was certainly an interesting assessment at the end. “We just had to save him from Impel Down, or he would’ve been executed.”
“Happens to the best of us.” Roger shrugged. “Maybe a little more experience won’t hurt, but he’s got a good logia and advanced conqueror’s haki, almost nobody can touch him.”
Okay, where the hell was Roger getting this? “…Ace doesn’t know how to use his conqueror’s haki, certainly not the advanced version.”
“Of course he does. He kicked me in the nuts with it. You think I leave my most precious parts unprotected just like that? No, I learned my lesson on that long ago. I had kids on my ship.”
Whitebeard blinked, and then burst out laughing.
With Ace already having awakened all forms of haki without having any clue what he was doing before he even met them, Whitebeard had figured it would be best to only teach him the very basics of what it was, and let him figure out the rest on his own. Since it came to him so naturally, Whitebeard had figured all the regular training would only box in his thinking and hinder him in the long run. He was better off just learning slowly through experience fighting stronger opponents.
Leave it to Ace to not figure anything out when fighting a life or death revenge battle, and then get it completely right for a petty kick in the nuts.
There was a reason Whitebeard loved that brat so much, and it was exactly this. Never a boring day with him around.
“You know what? You’re right. I bet he could kick your ass, and I’d love to see it.”
Izou stood silently in the kitchen’s doorway, watching the coordinated chaos as breakfast was prepared. It looked like madness to him, but somehow, more and more plates and pots with ready, delicious food were stacked on the counter, ready to be carried to the mess hall.
Thatch was in the middle of it all, his hands swiftly cutting up some ham while he directed everyone else, automatically speaking up whenever something went wrong elsewhere, answering questions on how to proceed without even being asked.
It was mesmerizing, and Izou could probably watch it forever. Thatch was so perfectly in his element. The entire scene, hectic as it was, radiated happiness, home, and warmth.
This was how it was supposed to be. It felt right, like nothing else, and yet, the hollow pain in his chest hadn’t quite subsided.
He’d lost this, once. He couldn’t simply forget the pain, the terrible emptiness and regret of not having been able to do anything to save Thatch. In all honesty, Izou barely remembered the past months. Everything had blurred together, colours faded and sensations dull, his body moving mechanically whenever necessary. It felt like he’d been submerged in water, until suddenly he was pulled up just as quickly and unexpectedly as he’d been drowned, and now he was disoriented from it all. The sun was shining like it should and he could breathe again, but a seed of doubt remained.
How long would he get this time until it was all reversed again?
And if he didn’t get long, wasn’t that all the more reason to stop piling up more regrets in that time?
Izou quietly slipped away, opting to go to the mess hall and get out of the way. Thatch wouldn’t have time until everyone was sated, and it would be a waste to not eat his food while it was still warm.
Surprisingly though, Thatch joined him at his table right as breakfast started, with people still trickling into the mess hall.
Izou raised an eyebrow at him, but he did take the plate offered to him. “You’re already done in the kitchen?”
“The others can take it from here without me. I’m hungry, so I’m eating now.”
“Hm, yeah, I imagine it doesn’t help seeing and smelling all that delicious food in the kitchen. Thank you for always getting up early to prepare it for the rest of us.”
“You’re welcome.” Thatch smiled, cutting up some bacon before stuffing it into his mouth. “But you really don’t have to tell me every day. Everyone does, it’s kind of weird.”
He felt like he really had to, though. “I just realized I didn’t tell you enough, is all.” ‘When you were dead and I couldn’t say it anymore’ was left unspoken, but Thatch clearly heard it anyway. “It’s the truth, after all, but I had no idea if you really knew, or if you thought I took everything you do for granted.”
Izou slowly started to eat as well, and for a moment, they simply had breakfast in companionable silence.
“Don’t worry,” Thatch started back up out of nowhere, “I’ve always known. Even if you didn’t say it. Like, when you’re all tired and grumpy after night watch, you always come by anyway to eat. It takes you forever to finish, but you look super relaxed even if the night wasn’t quiet, and it always brings a smile to your face. Really, there’s no better reward for getting up early.”
A flush crept up Izou’s cheeks. Thatch had been watching him that closely? Did he do that with everyone? Or did he like watching Izou the same way Izou liked watching him?
Thankfully, Thatch continued on his own, relieving Izou from having to come up with an answer. “I guess you have a point, though. You can’t know if your feelings reached someone if you don’t tell them. There’s some things I came way too close to never being able to say.” He put his fork down on his empty plate, looking directly at Izou. “I love you.”
A few seconds passed, and then Izou choked on his bacon.
He quickly downed the rest of his coffee, gasping for breath. “We’re in the mess hall,” he hissed, “surrounded by people!”
Thatch only shrugged. “I don’t think this is news to anyone. Vista has been pestering me to confess ever since I came back, and I’m pretty sure the whole kitchen staff had bets going on for years.”
Well, Marco had been pestering Izou, too, and he was well aware of the knowing looks from his own division whenever Thatch was around or Izou talked about him in any way. That still didn’t mean privacy wasn’t necessary, though.
Whatever. “You’re the worst, you know that?” With a sigh, Izou scraped together everything that was left on his plate, stuffing it into his mouth all at once. He got up, lifting one hand to use the sleeve of his kimono to hide his stuffed cheeks, while grabbing Thatch’s arm with the other to pull him out of the mess hall.
“Uh, Izou? Are you mad or something?” Thatch asked when they were away from the crowds. Izou didn’t answer, mostly because he was still chewing. He’d never understand people like Ace who could eat that much at once.
He dragged Thatch all the way to his cabin, and finally, when the door fell shut behind them, his mouth was free to answer. It had taken him too long already, he could see the uncertainty in Thatch’s eyes. As if there was anything to worry about.
“I love you, too.”
More words than that weren’t necessary, not when they’d both already known it. They’d known for years, but they’d been so comfortable as they were, in the end, neither had ever said anything until it had been too late. Only with grief and regret raging in his chest had Izou realized what he should’ve done long ago.
In an instant, Thatch’s tense expression morphed into a smile, and he wrapped his arms around Izou, holding him like the most precious treasure.
Later, Izou couldn’t remember anymore which of them moved forward to seal their lips together, but he supposed it didn’t matter. As long as they finally shared a kiss, slow and tentative, all was well.
Even if it was their first, it already felt familiar, their bodies fitting together naturally.
The kiss tasted like eggs and bacon from their breakfast more than anything else, but Izou didn’t mind. Thatch expressed his love through the food he made, so really, this was perfect. Exactly how it should be.
How it should’ve always been. How it almost failed to ever be.
Tears stung in Izou’s eyes. “I missed you. So much. I-“ His throat constricted, making him unable to finish.
“Sorry,” Thatch mumbled back, pulling Izou even closer so he could bury his face in Thatch’s shoulder. “I never meant to leave you alone. But for what it’s worth, thanks for avenging me.”
“Sorry, Marco’s the one who actually killed him. I did shoot one of his teeth right out of his mouth, though.”
“Too bad I didn’t see that. I bet you looked so cool, like you always do when you snipe to cover all our backs.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere with me.” That was a complete lie. Even though the tears were slowly rolling down his cheeks by now, warmth rose in Izou’s chest at Thatch’s words.
“Really? Then how about this?” Thatch started pressing little kisses to Izou’s temple, and then moved downward to kiss away his tears.
Izou let himself lean into the touch. “That might work.” Still, he moved away after a short while. They were already in Izou’s cabin, and the topic had come up, so he guessed now was the time. “I did take something back for you.” Before Thatch could ask, Izou turned to his desk, picking up the box that sat on it since yesterday, and handing it to Thatch. “It’s yours. But if you don’t want it, we can hide it or just throw it into the ocean.”
Thatch quietly opened the box, looking at the yami-yami no mi for a minute, then closed it again. “I don’t know,” he settled on. “It’s creepy, and dangerous, and it’s just gonna remind me of that bastard. But I don’t want to risk another power-hungry asshole finding it, either.” He bit his lip, and Izou wondered if he’d made a mistake showing it to Thatch. He almost looked afraid of the fruit. “Can you keep it for me while I think about it?”
“Of course. Take all the time you need.”
“Thanks. Though honestly, I’d much rather keep kissing you than think about any of that right now.”
Izou smiled. “I think that can be arranged.” He carelessly threw the box aside, and pulled Thatch down into another kiss.
Man, he’d been such an idiot depriving himself of this for years for no reason. He was sure everyone would tell him exactly that once they went back to the mess hall, but really, that was only more reason to stay here for a while longer, with just Thatch, and ignore the rest of the world.
Kuzan reclined on a sun lounger he’d fashioned for himself out of ice, scanning the horizon.
The sun was already rising above the Red Line, and still not a single ship from Whitebeard’s fleet was in sight. Nobody had noticed anything on their way to Sabaody Archipelago, either. Had their ship really been damaged that much? Were they thrown off course more than they’d expected by their own tsunami wave? Or were they waiting just out of sight, because they’d been somehow informed that the navy had surrounded the archipelago and was essentially just waiting for them?
Really, that would probably be the best option. If there were still no news in a couple of hours, Kuzan would go by himself to take a look. If he could find them, all was well. If not… Ah, that would be a headache. A bother just thinking about it.
He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, a News Coo was sitting on his arm rest, offering him a newspaper.
As he pulled out some change for it, he realized that was bad. They hadn’t really achieved anything yet, but there was already a newspaper out. While there surely had been some money flowing to Morgans last night, there was no way they could fudge the facts enough to not make this whole thing look like a huge disaster.
Sengoku had mumbled something about retiring yesterday, and Kuzan could only hope he wouldn’t actually take responsibility for all this like that.
Right now, aside from himself, he couldn’t think of anyone but Sakazuki who’d be considered as Sengoku’s replacement if he did retire. And that just couldn’t be allowed to happen. Sakazuki would use their failure as a reason to make the whole organization even more brutal and aggressive, which would then only increase the number of their enemies, pirates and revolutionaries alike.
Which in turn meant Kuzan would actually have to try to get the position himself. He’d have to work just to get a job he didn’t really want in the first place, and then only do more work once he managed to get it, since it would then fall on him to clean up this mess somehow.
Ugh. No, no, that sounded horrible. He’d definitely ask Sengoku to just keep going for a while longer. He’d even do his best to look for Whitebeard if he had to, and not just lay around and wait.
Once that resolve was settled in his mind, he finally took the newspaper, ready to see what the official story would be.
But before he could actually read anything, a soldier came running up to him. “Admiral Aokiji, we’ve just received a report that the Moby Dick has been sighted!”
Oh? This was no time for the newspaper, then. “Where are they?”
The soldier gulped. “They’re approaching Pucci, apparently.”
That was the opposite direction.
Kuzan could feel his beautiful lounger starting to melt as a heatwave hit from the ship next to theirs. So Sakazuki had received the report, as well.
Great, just great.
There went his chances to get in a nap before he had to do anything today. The temptation to just skip out on the terrible meeting they were about to have was strong, but even just constantly refreezing his lounger would require a bunch of effort, so he might as well just get it over with.
Maybe Sengoku would have a good solution for them, but at this point, Kuzan seriously doubted it.
Chapter 18
Summary:
The newspaper is delivered all over the world, containing... interesting information.
Notes:
all things considered, I got this done pretty quickly! hope you enjoy~
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Before he even opened his eyes, Rayleigh was greeted by a terrible pounding in his head.
He’d slept too long. His mouth was dry as hell, and he was starting to get sober. That was unacceptable. Even with the sun shining through the window and blinding him, he peeled himself out of bed and stumbled down the stairs to Shakky’s bar. He needed to get alcohol into his system before his brain could start thinking properly.
It had been a while since he needed the numbing this badly, and he was well aware of Shakky’s disapproving looks at the amount of alcohol he downed every day for the past weeks, but still, every morning, he found a glass of whiskey waiting for him.
She knew. If Rayleigh allowed himself to think clearly, he’d only start hoping. Hoping against chances slimming every day without news, that he’d get to partake in the miracle that had swept over the world.
Roger was not the stealthy type, and he could never stay out of trouble. Even if the marines tried to cover up his return, it should be impossible.
If he invoked his logical brain, then he’d conclude that Shakky must’ve been doing more research than just reading the newspaper, too. She had contacts to informants around the world, and yet she’d never mentioned anything to Rayleigh, never said a word, so she had nothing. Or at least nothing much that would actually confirm anything.
If she still hadn’t found anything, was there even still a chance?
The thought stung, burrowing pain deep inside the hole Roger’s absence had left. Over the past 20 years, he’d learned to live with it, sometimes managed to forget it even without anything alcoholic in his system. He’d healed and moved on, and now he couldn’t help but wonder if that had been a mistake.
People were supposed to come back if you missed them. Had he not missed Roger enough anymore?
He was lying to himself, of course. These thoughts burned in his head even with the alcohol, but at least it numbed the pain of thinking them a little. It let him breathe and fall asleep at night. He needed it.
But this morning, there was no whiskey waiting for him.
The only thing on the bar counter was a newspaper.
Shakky was quietly doing accounting off to the side, not acknowledging him. They didn’t need to talk for her message to get across. That silent understanding and their mutual agreement to never cross each other’s boundaries made their marriage work. By traditional measures, both of them were horrible spouses, but neither of them had lived a traditional life. Despite that, just Shakky’s silent presence helped ease his nerves. He trusted his wife like nobody else in this world, and if she thought he should read this newspaper while as sober as he could be, then he’d adhere to her judgement, no questions asked.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly stepped toward the counter, trying to keep his brain from going into overdrive.
There were only so many topics important enough for Shakky to do this, and of course his heart wanted one specific one – he wanted news of Roger, any news at all, but it wasn’t like that was the only option. It could be about Luffy and his crew as well, if they’d gotten in over their heads again despite Kuma’s efforts, Rayleigh would want to know as well.
He closed his eyes for the last step, then opened them once more to look at the newspaper.
Rayleigh was greeted by his captain’s grin, bright and lively as it had always been.
It blurred almost immediately as tears welled up in his eyes. “You idiot,” he whispered, “what are you doing?” The newspaper would probably tell him, if he could read it, but the tears were flowing freely by now, and he had to take off his glasses and hold the newspaper away from himself so he wouldn’t get tears and snot all over it. The headline said something about Impel Down and Whitebeard, though, and Rayleigh couldn’t help the smile spreading on his face even through the tears.
Of course Roger was exactly where the biggest trouble in the world was right now. He should’ve seen it coming.
“You’re supposed to take me along when you do crazy shit like that, don’t you remember?”
Shakky’s arms closed around him, and he let her hold him until the tears subsided. Feeling a little shaky on his legs but more at peace than, well, for a long, long time by now, he sat down to read the paper, gratefully taking a glass of cold, clean water from Shakky.
The carriage granted her some shelter from the cold outside, and Robin took a deep breath. She’d been on edge constantly ever since being separated from her crew, always having been surrounded by people. Suffering people, and those wanting to harm those people. Danger and fear were floating in the air of Tequila Wolf, not giving Robin the opportunity to relax for even just a second.
It was a familiar feeling, one she’d carried with her for most of her life, ever since Ohara burned and she was branded as the Devil Child.
Returning to the mindset that kept her alive was frighteningly easy, and yet it hurt more than she could’ve ever anticipated. Now that her mind knew comfort and trust and safety, the warm laughter over a shared dinner, it missed those things with a force that threw even Robin off.
But damn, as much as she liked some of the prisoners she’d met at Tequila Wolf, none of them came close to her crew.
What were they doing now? Kuma had sent them all away from Sabaody as well, she was sure, but where to? Was she the only one stuck in an awful place that reminded her too much of memories she’d like to forget and fears she’d tried to suppress all her life, and the others were in better, safer locations? Or were they in danger?
Worry gnawed at her. What if one of them needed help? Zoro would get lost without anyone to help him, and he was still hurt from taking all of Luffy’s pain on Thriller Bark. Usopp would be afraid, and panic would lead to him getting caught in one of his lies. Chopper trusted too much, he might get taken advantage of by horrible people. Sanji would fall for any lady, no matter her intentions with him. Brook was back to loneliness after having just met someone he could connect with after 50 years, he would be hurt regardless of where he was. Franky would probably blow something up on accident. Nami could get caught stealing without anyone to bail her out of the trouble it would cause.
And Luffy… Luffy surely already had walked straight ahead into terrible danger, fully aware of the consequences but unwilling to back down, as he always did, but this time, nobody would come to help him with the fallout.
Every single member of their crew would struggle on their own, if in different ways. They all needed each other. Robin relished in being needed by her friends as much as she enjoyed being able to rely on them no matter what. But split up, there was too much to worry about.
She had to get back to them. Thankfully she still had Rayleigh’s vivre card to lead her straight back to Sabaody.
No matter what the Revolutionary Army would offer her, that would remain her priority.
It didn’t take long for one of them to join her. He’d introduced himself as Joe earlier, but that was such a common name, there was a decent chance it was just a cover. She didn’t begrudge him for it, after all, she knew how to keep herself safe and hidden, and you couldn’t just go around giving every stranger your name. There was too much at stake for the revolution, and Robin hadn’t exactly proven herself trustworthy to anyone but her crew, the revolutionaries would be right to be careful.
Still, Joe smiled at her. “I’m glad you at least decided we could escort you out of this country. I understand your decision to go back to your crew, but please let me tell you something first. Two things, actually.”
She was sure it would be an effort to get her to change her mind, and she’d take everything with a grain of salt. “Since I’ll be stuck here with you for a while, sure, go ahead.”
“Right, uh, if you ever need a moment of privacy, I can get out. But I think you’ll want to hear it. First off, you must’ve noticed the miracle of dead people coming back to life. Tequila Wolf has been affected more than most other places after all, with how many people regularly die under the extreme working conditions. According to our information, a single person wished for it using a devil fruit that had been hidden away unused in Mariejois for centuries.”
Oh, that was interesting indeed. That miracle had been worldwide, doing more than just inciting a revolt in this bridge country full of slaves. And the revolution had spies all the way at the top, getting them information like this. Robin had to wonder if they knew who it was and just didn’t want to compromise their identity, or if they didn’t know either.
“As for the exact conditions to be revived, the person simply had to die of something other than old age, and must still be missed by someone who was alive at the time of the miracle. How much of the feeling is needed we’re unsure as it’s hard to define, but plenty of our members have been revived, so personally, I’ve been able to reunite with more than one old friend.”
Oh. Oh. Joe hadn’t said it, but she knew what he was getting at.
Her mother. Professor Clover. Saul. If what Joe was saying was actually the truth, they could have been affected by the miracle.
They could be alive.
As long as Robin counted as a person deserving of that miracle, they had to be alive.
No. Even if it was all the truth, there was no guarantee. The government would’ve come to the same conclusion as she had just now weeks ago, and immediately sent someone to Ohara to check and kill anyone on the island.
She kept her face and heart guarded. “You mean you have information on the inhabitants of Ohara?”
Joe nodded. “Exactly! We of course went to check immediately, and only found Cipher Pol agents doing the same. The island itself was completely deserted. Thanks to that, the newspapers have reported no revivals. But we kept looking, and eventually found a ship a few days away from it. Here.”
He handed her a photograph and Robin took it with shaking hands.
Just as Joe had said, it depicted the deck of a ship. Most of it was taken by Saul, as the boat didn’t necessarily seem to be made to accommodate for giants. But Saul wasn’t bothered, in fact, he was laughing. Derishishishi, she could practically hear from the silent photograph.
Her own lips instinctually twitched in response, eager to laugh along with him. She kept it at bay though, not wanting to give too much away.
In front of and next to Saul, familiar faces were crammed into the frame. In the middle of it all were her mother and Professor Clover, looking at a piece of paper, though she couldn’t make out what it showed, even when she squinted. She could only see their reactions to it, a mixture of happiness and relief.
“We showed them your bounty poster since we figured they’d want to know you’re at least still alive, even though at the time, we didn’t yet know exactly where you were,” Joe explained.
Damn. Was this real? It looked real. Tinkered photos had their tells, and besides, how would they even know what all the archaeologists looked like? Not all of them had been famous. It couldn’t be an old photo either – Saul had never met Professor Clover, he’d been a marine.
It could still be fake, though. Somehow. Maybe with the help of another devil fruit. You never knew. Believing something that simply felt too good to be true was foolish and only opened you up for hurt.
She needed more information. “Where are they now?”
“On Baltigo, or rather, on the way there. While none of them agreed to our offer to join our ranks, saying their research was for the sake of science and not war, they knew Cipher Pol was looking for them and that they were not equipped to handle it on their own. I’m sure our leader will try to convince them searching for the truth is equal to waging war in this world, but we’ll have to see whether or not that will convince them.”
Probably not, even if he was telling the truth. Robin could at least understand the sentiment, gunshots ringing in her ears and a flag burning above her flashing in her vision. To know the truth meant a constant war, and her crew was willing to fight it for her.
She had to get back to them. This just seemed too much like he was telling her exactly what she was hoping to hear to gain her trust.
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
That question stumped Joe for a moment. So the photograph had been his only proof, huh? He must’ve thought it would convince her to at least come to their base and talk to their leader, but she knew manipulation tactics too well to be convinced to go on a journey to an unknown destination this easily.
In the end, Joe just shrugged. “I guess you don’t. We could set up a call, but that would put all of you at risk. I don’t have a white den-den mushi with me, sadly. You will simply have to decide whether you trust us or not.”
Robin hummed. She didn’t, but people never exactly liked it when you told them directly.
For a minute, they sat in silence, until Joe realized he really wasn’t getting more of an answer. He pointedly cleared his throat. “Um. Well. This bridge is long, so take your time. In the meantime, I have something else for you. Sadly, I don’t know where most of the Strawhat Pirates are, but this is today’s newspaper. I think you’d like to read it.”
He pulled out a rolled up newspaper from his cloak, and Robin took it as well, placing the photo next to her for the moment.
Her gaze was drawn to the picture first. Three men were on it, and there, to the left, was her captain. Arm stretched to punch something outside the frame, he looked perfectly fine, even as he was obviously in the hallways of Impel Down, the one place he’d fought so hard to keep her away from.
Next to him was, apparently, the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger himself, grinning wildly into the camera.
This time, Robin couldn’t suppress the fond smile. Of course Luffy would do something like this the moment they took their eyes off him.
She had no doubt Luffy had already declared to Roger he’d become the Pirate King, with or without him alive. Robin could only hope the man took it in stride.
How had this happened, though? She settled down to read, even if she knew she could trust this information even less than what Joe told her. Maybe she could at least extrapolate a little of the truth, and figure out what to do next once she knew what Luffy was up to.
“Boss! Boss, Anchor made it into the paper again! And it’s real crazy this time!”
Shanks perked up immediately. He hated being awake early enough to be there for the News Coo delivery, it meant he hadn’t partied properly last night, but with Kaidou potentially already on the move to attack Whitebeard’s territory while the old man was busy saving Anchor’s brother, they really couldn’t afford to spend their days partying and getting drunk right now. If at all possible, they wouldn’t get into a direct conflict, but showing up unprepared could prove fatal for the entire crew. Shanks was often careless, sure, but he wouldn’t risk his friends’ lives out of pure stupidity. Not when the danger was this obvious.
“This time? Wasn’t destroying Enies Lobby already pretty crazy?”
Really, what could Luffy have done? He better not have tried rescuing his brother by himself – as much faith as Shanks had in the boy he met all those years ago and made a promise with, even Luffy couldn’t grow that strong that quickly. And Shanks absolutely couldn’t imagine him pulling off a successful stealth mission.
“I’d say this tops Enies Lobby.” Roux grinned at him. “He got himself a new bounty, too.”
Oh? 300 million was already impressive for Luffy’s very short pirating career, but normal standards never seemed to apply to little Anchor.
“He wasn’t by himself this time, though. I wouldn’t be surprised if half his bounty increase is just for presumably having connections to the really big names now,” Yasopp pointed out.
Okay, just what on earth had happened?
Benn smiled as he held out the newspaper to Shanks. “Anchor isn’t even the only one you’ll want to read about.” There was a gentle, knowing look in Benn’s eyes that made Shanks instantly reach out to take the paper from him without asking any further questions.
‘Pirate King Gold Roger resurrected! Raids Impel Down in a terrifying alliance with Whitebeard!’
Indeed, there he was. Grinning like everything in the world was alright, just like the last time Shanks had seen his captain, on top of the execution platform.
You had to enjoy life to the fullest, because death was always right around the corner, even for the strongest. Shanks had learned that from Roger what felt like an eternity ago, but apparently, some people just got to cheat death and keep having fun.
Shanks would complain about it being unfair, if he wasn’t so goddamn happy to see Roger causing chaos again.
And Luffy was right next to him, exuding the same chaotic energy, making Shanks’ heart ache knowing he was missing out on all of the fun those two clearly had. He knew they’d get along splendidly, after all, he hadn’t given Luffy his hat for his strength or intelligence, it had been the obvious resemblance to Roger, their shared dream.
On the other hand, dealing with both of them at once if you wanted to stick to any sort of plan was probably the worst experience in the world.
Shanks wouldn’t even try, but leave it to the most stubborn person in the world to attempt exactly that. Not that Shanks knew what was actually going on, but Buggy was right there, on the front page, wearing Captain’s coat over a prisoner uniform, and yelling at Roger and Luffy, presumably to absolutely no avail.
The picture seemed surreal somehow, two eras of his life colliding just like that when it should’ve been impossible.
Just how did that happen, anyway? Anchor had gone to save his brother, okay. Terrible, irresponsible choice, but okay. Kind of expected. Very Luffy-like. But what on earth was Roger doing there? Had he just met Luffy and decided to help him? He couldn’t have actually made an alliance with Whitebeard, right? That old man would rather die than ask for help, and that went double for Roger. With Buggy in the prison uniform, it was possible he’d been imprisoned and Roger had come to save him, but how would he have known? Even Shanks hadn’t heard anything.
Maybe reading the article would give him some kind of answer, but Yasopp shoved a bunch of bounty posters at him, and with just one hand, he couldn’t exactly hold them separately from the newspaper.
Anchor’s new bounty poster was right on top, still using the same photo, but the amount below had increased to 400 million.
Captain’s was below, with a cropped version of the newspaper photo rather than his old one, while the amount was the same as his last bounty. They’d gone and spelled his name ‘Gold Roger’ now, as if that would help them. It wouldn’t be long now until the whole world would learn the meaning of D.
There were a few others in the stack, and Shanks knew he should review them all – he saw Jinbei’s bounty being reinstated, there had to be others that were important as well. But he could only look at Buggy’s.
Shanks burst out laughing, startling his crew, then flopped down on the ground. He had to read this article immediately. It obviously was full of shit, but oh, at least it was bound to be hilarious.
Ace still felt somewhat disoriented, to be honest.
His mother was back from the dead, and she was right here, talking to Ace. She’d even implied she was proud of him. And then she’d hugged him.
Obviously, Ace had been hugged before, but none of them had felt quite like this one. Luffy wrapped his rubbery arms around you so tightly you couldn’t breathe. Sabo had hugged with hesitation, like he didn’t know what he was doing. Dadan’s hugs were few and far between, with both of them pretending they didn’t like it. Gramps’ hugs were usually accompanied by a hit to the head and some yelling, as well as the dread that Ace couldn’t run away from him anymore. Pops hugged bone-crushingly tight, and Ace wouldn’t trade that for anything in the world. Deuce hugged casually and often.
The only one who came somewhat close was Marco, who held him gently, arms wrapped around him to protect and reassure.
But Rouge… his mother held him with such care, as if he might break if she applied any more pressure, as if he was still a baby, as if he was the most precious treasure in the world.
Part of Ace absolutely melted, and he wanted to cry more and beg her to never let him go, while another part of him wanted to squirm away and tell her he didn’t deserve this and she was only setting herself up for disappointment if she gave him her love unconditionally like this.
In the end, he simply remained as he was, listening to her hum a song that made him feel weirdly at home, even though he was sure he’d never heard it before.
It was strange, but… nice. Yeah. Nice. Was this what it felt like to actually have a mother?
If so, he could get used to it.
“I think the bell for breakfast rang a while ago,” Rouge eventually mumbled after her humming subsided.
Had it? Ace hadn’t heard it, but to be fair, he also hadn’t paid attention. “We should go get some. Can’t have a good day if you didn’t have breakfast.” He also needed to see if Luffy had been woken up by the food, and how he was doing.
“Very true,” his mother agreed as she reluctantly let go, and they began their way over the deck to get to the mess hall. Not all that far behind them, Ace could hear the sound of Marco’s sandals lightly landing on the deck, signalling that he had stayed close by even once it seemed like the talk was going well, just in case. Which was sweet, really, but also kind of embarrassing. He must’ve seen all of it, including the hug that lasted forever.
Marco made no effort to catch up to them, though, and an awkward silence spread between Ace and his mother. Should he say something? And if so, what? Just talk about the breakfast? Talk more about himself? Ask her something?
Fuck. Usually Ace gave absolutely no shits about how to approach others or what they might think of him – enough people liked him when he was just himself, so why bother worrying? If there was anything that would lead to him being hated, it was way more likely to be his heritage than anything he could say or do.
But this was his mother. Ace wanted her to like him. So, so badly. He couldn’t afford to mess this up.
All that thought process did was making his mother start the conversation again when Ace failed to decide on anything. “So, do you know how to fight with a sword?”
Ace blinked. “A sword? Uh, it depends.”
“On what?” His mother looked puzzled, but Ace could only shrug.
“Your standards. If you give me a sword, I can do damage with it. But Vista asked me the same question when I joined, and I said ‘sure I guess’ and showed him and he got very offended that I called it sword fighting when I was just swinging it around like a pipe. I still don’t really get what his problem was, the only real difference between a pipe and a sword is that one is sharp while the other isn’t, but if you hit someone real hard with it, they get hurt, so it’s all the same in the end. When I explained that to him, he called me a heretic and just left.”
Rouge shook her head much in the same way Vista had back then. “He’s right. You’re a heretic. I can’t believe it.”
Shit. Ace tensed, trying to suppress the wave of ‘good job now you’ve gone and fucked it all up’ that immediately washed over him. “I don’t even know what that is,” he blurted out, not sure how to defend himself against an insult that sounded more like what Sabo’s father would’ve hurled at him rather than the trusty swear words of a pirate.
“It’s alright.” His mother huffed out a laugh. “I’m not serious, not really.” Not really? So she had been a little serious? “A heretic is a non-believer, or someone who practices wrong. Usually religion, but I guess you can apply it to the way of the sword as well.”
So his mom was one of those sword people, too? Like Vista and Hawkeye and the one guy Luffy had bragged about when they met in Alabasta? Zoro, the first one to get a bounty after Luffy.
Maybe Ace should’ve let Vista teach him proper sword skills. It would’ve made his mom happy. But he hadn’t even known until yesterday that his mom owned a sword, much less how much she cared about it. “Sorry,” he said despite his mom’s reassurance. Even if she wasn’t truly upset, clearly he was different from her, not turning out like she hoped he would.
“You have your own way of fighting, most people wouldn’t bother with a sword after they get a logia, and I doubt Garp could’ve taught you anything worthwhile in that regard, anyway. We can just blame him. But if you want, I can teach you.”
“Sure,” Ace agreed without missing a beat. Did he care about swords? No. Not even the tiniest bit. But it would be a great way to spend time with his mom, and learn about something she cared about. Besides, Ace needed to get stronger anyways. He was far from strong enough, his fight against Teach had shown him that very clearly. He needed to become much, much stronger if he didn’t want to be a burden to his family. Learning a new skill would help him. “We can start whenever you want!”
His mom smiled at his enthusiasm. “Let’s have breakfast first, at least. And I think I’d rather check with your doctor friends before I put you through any training. Both Marco and Deuce seem very protective of you, I’d hate to get on their bad side.”
“Noooo, mom, don’t ask them, they’ll say no until I don’t even have a scratch left, we’ll never start!”
She beamed at him, and Ace belatedly realized he’d just casually called her mom out of nowhere. Was that what made her so happy? Should he continue doing it?
“I’ll ask them. But I’m sure if you give them your cutest puppy dog eyes, they won’t be able to resist all that long, and let you get back to training the moment it’s safe enough. Or do they have hearts of steel?”
Ace shook his head. “Not usually, but they’re overprotective as hell. I bet they won’t let me do anything for a while now.”
They’d arrived at the mess hall, an unusual noise level from in there slowing their steps a bit so they could keep talking, and Marco used that as an excuse to catch up to them and inject himself into the conversation. “Well, someone has to make sure you don’t hurt yourself more than necessary, and I doubt it’s going to be you, so really you should be grateful to us, don’t you think?”
“But I wanna train with mom!” Ace pouted, looking up at Marco with the best pleading look he could do. His mom was right, this was obviously the way to go.
It worked instantly. Ace could see Marco having an internal debate with himself, torn between being responsible and sticking to his doctor instincts, or indulging Ace.
“I’ll give you another check-up later, and we’ll see,” Marco wormed himself out of a clear answer, “but eating should come first, even you need that to heal properly. Plus I wanna find out what the hell is going on in there.”
“I wasn’t gonna skip breakfast, duh.” He’d never do that. Ever. What could possibly be more important than breakfast? Even training could wait.
“I know. Just making sure.”
With that, the three of them entered the mess hall, and they were greeted by pure chaos.
Multiple people were yelling. Rakuyo was going around the room with the most annoyingly smug grin Ace had ever seen on his face, collecting money from just about everyone. Luffy sat next to the buffet, stuffing insane amounts of food into his mouth as a gaggle of cooks – not including Thatch – watched him in fascination. Roger was there, too, but thankfully he was off in a corner, with the fishman that had been in Impel Down as well, and they were arguing with Blamenco, over what Ace could only assume was the horse laying on the floor. Ace decided he didn’t need to ask any questions about that. Not too far away from Roger, the clown who’d saved Ace – Buggy – was also laying on the floor, sobbing. The weird guy with the three on his head sat next to him, patting his head, while a group of people that Ace didn’t recognize – the escaped prisoners, maybe? – were yelling close by, all hunched over what seemed to be a bounty poster.
Ace shared a look with Marco. Meals weren’t usually quiet on the Moby Dick, per se, but this was extreme even for their standards.
They approached Jozu, the one source of calm in this storm. “What the hell happened?”
“Good morning to you, too.” Jozu smiled, clearly not actually upset by the lack of a greeting. “Two things happened. We got the newspaper, and a lot of updated or reinstated bounty posters. Yours got raised but I don’t know who has it.” He then turned to Rouge. “There was one for you as well. You can go get it, but I’d recommend waiting until they figure out the horse situation. Whatever it is. I didn’t ask.”
Probably for the best. Jozu was one of their quietest members, but if Roger somehow managed to piss him off… the mess hall would be destroyed.
“As for the general chaos,” Jozu continued seamlessly, “Thatch confessed to Izou, right in the middle of breakfast, and then Izou dragged him off.”
“Finally,” Marco said, “took them way too long already.”
Ace only looked between them in confusion. “Confessed? Like what?”
Jozu raised his eyebrows at him. “His love? Didn’t you see it? I thought everyone knew.”
What? “They weren’t together already? I thought they were married!”
Next to him, Marco burst out laughing, and even Jozu couldn’t help but laugh a little. “They’ve been basically married for a decade,” Marco confirmed, “but no, they weren’t together up until now. Believe me, not for lack of us trying to get them to make a move.”
Huh. Okay. That didn’t really clear anything up, but as long as they were happy now, whatever. “So what’s up with that, then?” Ace pointed at Buggy, still crying on the floor, now curled up into a ball.
“He’s upset over his new bounty. And also the news story. It’s not exactly… accurate.”
Well, of course not. The truth would make the marines look bad, after all, couldn’t have that.
“Ace! Ace, look, my bounty went up!” Luffy jumped over to them, though it was quite impressive he could still jump with how round he currently was, and shoved his poster into Ace’ face.
At first glance, it seemed to be the same, but the amount did indeed increase. “400 million! That’s a lot! Look at you go! Just don’t go anywhere quite as dangerous next time, okay?”
“I’ll go wherever to save you,” Luffy countered, stuffing some more meat that he’d stolen from Jozu’s plate into his mouth, “and look, you got a new one, too!”
Luffy shoved another poster at him, this time with Ace’ own name and face plastered on it. The photo was new, taken during his imprisonment. He was glaring at the camera, so it looked a lot more menacing than his last, but he’d liked the carefree grin better. ‘Portgas D. Ace, 650 million berry’, it read. Nice. He still had a decent gap to Luffy, couldn’t let his little brother catch up to him that easily.
…Wait.
“They didn’t change the name.”
There was no way they still didn’t know, right? Roger hadn’t exactly been quiet.
“Get the clown’s bounty poster,” Jozu offered instead of an explanation.
Luffy reached out across the room immediately, not even questioning anything, ripping the poster from the former prisoners.
‘Wanted, dead or alive. Gold Buggy, 550 million berry.’
“What the fuck?” The clown was supposed to be his brother? They looked absolutely nothing alike. That couldn’t be true. Jozu had already basically said it wasn’t, earlier. But then what the hell was going on?!
Jozu shrugged. “I don’t know who grabbed the paper, but that’s their story. They were prepared for Whitebeard to come save you, they weren’t prepared for Gold Roger coming to save his own son that he’d kept hidden all this time as well. Obviously they also-“
“GOLD ROGER WAS THERE?!”
Luffy spit meat all over them, his expression one of pure shock.
…So he still hadn’t figured it out?
“…Yes?” Jozu answered gently. “He’s still here. Right over there. Weren’t you with him for the prison break?”
“The old man?” For just a moment, Luffy looked stunned, but soon his face was set in determination. He somehow managed to shrink back to his usual size in seconds as he sprinted over to Roger. “Hey, old man, why didn’t you tell me you’re the Pirate King?”
“Uh…”
“I’M GONNA BE KING OF THE PIRATES!”
The entire mess hall fell silent almost instantly at the bold declaration, looking over to see Roger blink in surprise. “You already told me that…”
“But I didn’t know who you were then. Aren’t you supposed to be dead? There can only be one Pirate King, this is so inconvenient,” Luffy just straight up complained to him without giving him a chance to answer. “Whatever, I’ll just beat you up and surpass you, then I’ll be King anyway!”
At that, cheers and whistles rung through the mess hall. “Hell yeah, show him!” “Do it, Ace’ little brother!” “I’ll take a photo of you when you win and send it to Morgans!”
“Hey! How weak do all of you think I am? Don’t underestimate me, you brats!”
Roger only received laughter in response.
Luffy, meanwhile, paused. Actually froze as his face morphed in revelation. Then he turned back around. “Ace, isn’t he your dad?”
It should bother Ace. It really, really should. He didn’t ever want that to be stated so openly, with people around that he didn’t know. But Luffy was Luffy, there was just no helping it. Ace could do nothing but facepalm and groan in exasperation.
Leave it to Luffy to take away the edge of even the scariest scenario Ace could ever imagine.
He really loved his little brother endlessly.
Notes:
I was so excited to give Buggy his own D... he would've hated it so much... but then I remembered they censored Roger's name... damn the world government and their propaganda!
Chapter 19
Summary:
Roger and Buggy have a little talk.
Two brothers do what they've always done, and it's great fun. Theft is committed.
One more tiny journey, and finally a father is reunited with his son.
Notes:
I know it's been a month, but I didn't really have much of an idea of what exactly to write this chapter, so I just kept working on other stuff. at least this turned out longer than I thought it would, so you get a decent chunk!
hope you enjoy, this is a fun chapter!
Chapter Text
Roger ate breakfast mostly by himself. Ace had dragged Luffy away, trying to explain to him why Whitebeard was his father now, and after getting himself something to eat, had pointedly settled down in the corner furthest away from Roger. Rouge had looked torn with her own plate in hand, looking between Roger and Ace, but Roger had waved her off to go sit with their son. She’d been so excited and nervous last night about how things would turn out with Ace, there was no need to drag her away from him when they clearly got along. And if Ace was really mad at him for taking away his mother, then keeping her away from him wouldn’t help Roger at all.
Yes, it irked Roger that he was excluded from his own family, but he didn’t know what to do about it. Sure, he could just grab his food and follow them, but Ace would probably either leave or try to fight him again. So he stayed away, for now.
Tom eventually relented and carried the horse outside again, after Blamenco gave him some fresh veggies to feed it with, and after that, he did join Roger at his table. Buggy also picked himself up from the ground, sitting down next to Roger. He still looked miserable. Why was he even so upset?
Regardless, Roger patted him on the back and took a guess. “It’s okay, I’m sure next time they’ll raise your bounty some more and you’ll get closer to Shanks!”
His efforts only got him an exasperated groan. “Who said anything about me wanting a bounty like Shanks? Can you imagine how many bounty hunters are gonna be after my head just with this? I definitely don’t need four billion, that would be so annoying! All I want is to look for treasure in peace!”
Hm, Roger had five billion, and he only ever had fun with bounty hunters. Well, they did sometimes show up when you were just trying to have a party, so he guessed he could see the point, somewhat, but wouldn’t it get boring? A low bounty still gave you bounty hunters, but weaker ones who weren’t as fun.
“Well, what’s the problem, then? You don’t wanna be my son either?”
Honestly, Roger couldn’t imagine that was it. Even if Buggy and Shanks had never called him ‘dad’ and he hadn’t pushed the idea on them, he’d always seen them as his kids, and he thought they saw him as a father figure as well. But maybe… He’d had to leave them behind before they were really adults…
“Stop moping, moron.” Buggy pulled at his cheek, exasperated. “Don’t extrapolate your family problems to me. I ain’t happy that everyone will only know me as your son from now on, but it’s not like that’s gonna make my reputation worse, I just gotta figure out how to capitalize on it without dying. Also I haven’t even told my crew aside from Mohji and Cabaji that I ever sailed on your ship, so that’s gonna be awkward as hell.”
Okay. Relief flooded through Roger. Buggy still liked him, just as he always had, he just wasn’t great at saying what he meant. And if he didn’t want to specify what exactly upset him, Roger wouldn’t push. Besides, there was something very interesting there that he could easily ask about. “Oh? Who are they? Part of your crew, right? Are they cool?” Crocus had told him a little about Shanks’ crew, mostly just from what he’d read in the paper over the years, but he knew very little about Buggy’s crew. Apparently they were basically a circus, but that was the extent of Crocus’ knowledge.
“Of course they’re cool!” Buggy huffed, clearly offended. “Mohji is a beast tamer and Cabaji is an acrobat. They’re my right- and left-hand men respectively, been part of my crew for years now, and they’re super flashy!”
Roger nodded. “I wouldn’t have expected anything less from your crew.” He was glad to see Buggy perking up a little again. It was reassuring to hear he’d gathered a loyal crew he clearly loved, after all, that was the most important thing for a pirate. Buggy always had this weird obsession with treasure that Roger couldn’t understand, but he didn’t have to. Buggy could be and do whatever he liked. Still, a pirate’s life without a good crew had to be miserable.
Damn, Roger missed all his idiots. He’d definitely have to go find them eventually.
Once Buggy got started, there was no stopping him. “They’re all great! Mohji has a huge lion, his name is Richie and he’s not the brightest but we all love him, and he scares away weaklings with just one look. Plus he’s great for pest control on the ship. Oh, and recently this lady called Alvida started sailing with us. She's obsessed with being the prettiest woman in the world which is a little weird, but her devil fruit powers are pretty useful since they deflect just about any attack.”
Roger’s eyebrows shot up, and he instantly slung an arm around Buggy’s shoulder, grinning. “A pretty lady, eh?” His boy was really growing up. Roger still remembered the days of him and Shanks making faces at just the idea of girls or romance or kissing.
Though he was still shoved away instantly as Buggy rolled his eyes. “It’s not like that, and she’d swing her iron mace into your face for even suggesting it. Women can just be regular crewmates. Not like you’d know, since no self-respecting woman ever wanted to join your crew.”
Wow. No respect even from his own kid. “I got a woman to marry me, you know? And she’s the most wonderful woman in this world, so nothing else matters.”
Roger let his gaze drift across the room, to Rouge. She was so beautiful, freckles adorning her face, blonde hair falling over her shoulders in elegant waves, a lovely smile gracing her lips.
“She’s asleep in her food,” Buggy dryly pointed out.
“I’d love to lick it off later.”
An empty tray was smashed onto his head from behind with frankly unnecessary force. “This is not what I want to think about before I even had coffee.”
Roger leaned back, grinning up at his assailant. “Morning, Crocus.”
“Morning. I’m going to get myself food, and by the time I’m back here, you better be talking about something else.”
Crocus didn’t wait for an answer, just left.
“So?” Buggy turned to face Roger with a mischievous grin. “Are we gonna be nice, or are we gonna start talking about something else that is even more horny?”
For a moment, Roger considered it. Crocus was always so funny when he got annoyed, especially early in the morning when he was cranky. The doctor hadn’t slept enough - he never slept much the night after a battle, always treating the injured and fretting over the possibilities. None of the few members of their crew had really been injured, even Buggy was only suffering from slight malnutrition after his stay in Impel Down, but the same couldn’t be said for Whitebeard’s crew. And sure, they had their own medical staff, and sure, they weren’t technically Crocus’ responsibility, but that wouldn’t stop him. It never had before. Crocus was a great doctor, that was why Roger had picked him in the first place.
It would still be funny to traumatize him with how much Buggy had grown up since he was a little boy on the Oro Jackson.
Wait. No. Crocus had lived those 20 years. If anything, Roger would be the one traumatized by this conversation.
“Let’s be nice,” he decided.
A quiet moment followed, as Roger, despite his decision, had been derailed from his train of thought and didn’t know what to make the next topic. What had the previous topic been again?
Tom was the one to eventually break the silence. “I saw we’re approaching Pucci earlier.”
“Pucci?” Roger raised an eyebrow. “I thought we were going to Sabaody. Don’t they wanna get back to the New World?” Nothing against Paradise, of course, but the New World was where the true fun was.
“That Blamenco guy told me they wouldn’t be able to coat the Moby Dick before the marines would get to Sabaody, so the plan is to stay in Paradise and lay low until the marines need their forces elsewhere and can’t justify keeping them all in one place, and then get back to the New World,” Tom explained.
“Can’t they just fight off the marines? That would be quicker.”
Crocus, having just returned with a full tray, rolled his eyes at Roger’s question. “Even if they could, they’d just risk damaging the ship more, and the weaker members of the crew dying. It’s not like they’re the Revolutionary Army, they don’t need to win an all-out war against the government. They were just ready to fight one to get Firefist back, which they already have, so further conflict is unnecessary.”
“I still think it’s boring and kinda cowardly,” Roger grumbled. He was keenly aware that this wasn’t his ship, and he wasn’t the captain of this crew, otherwise he would’ve already complained at length about just running away from the battle.
In fact, if he hadn’t felt the need to make sure Rouge and Ace were okay, Roger would’ve just stayed behind. He didn’t get to finish his fight with Garp yet!
“Well, I’m happy we’re going to Pucci,” Tom said, “it’s one of the islands we’ve connected to Water 7 with the sea train, after all. Adventures and the New World aren’t for me, but this way I can easily go home.”
“The sea train!” Roger instantly jumped out of his seat. “Let’s go! I wanna see it! I wanna ride on it!” He’d missed his chance once, he wouldn’t miss it again. “I’ll go with you to Water 7, Tom!”
Crocus just shook his head, exasperated. “You do remember you lost both the sword and the ship Iceburg gave you?”
“Who cares? He gave those to us so we could bring Tom back. And I’m gonna bring him Tom. He won’t mind. Besides, who expects things back after giving them to a pirate?” Roger grinned, knowing Crocus had no counterargument.
It was time for a fun day trip to Water 7!
Ace grumbled under his breath as he walked through the familiar hallways of the Moby Dick.
Stupid Marco.
First off, Ace had been genuinely scared earlier at breakfast, and that asshole had only laughed at him! Laughed! Ace had believed his mother had passed out! Maybe even died again! For a moment, he’d thought the miracle was just… over, as quickly as it happened.
But no, it turned out his mother just also had narcolepsy. Which Marco knew about. And instead of telling Ace immediately, the bastard had just laughed at his shocked reaction. As if Ace was at fault for always scaring people when his narcolepsy set in around someone for the first time! He totally didn’t have it coming!
At least it was kind of nice knowing he had something in common with his mom. All this time, he’d acted just like her, without ever realizing it. Anyone who knew her would’ve picked up on it. Somehow, that made his heart feel warm. All he ever had to compare himself to were stories of Roger, but now he had his mom, right here, and if he noticed a similarity, he could feel pride rather than disgust.
Now if only Ace could go and train with his mother so he could get to know her better and become even more like her! But no, stupid Marco told him to wait. Ace felt perfectly fine. Sure, his wrists and ankles and chest still hurt, but he didn’t care. He’d fought while feeling way worse. Like, say, back when he’d still challenged Pops. Teach and those guards didn’t compare even to a casual slap from the strongest man in the world. Ace could take way more than this.
“Come on, pineapple man! I wanna fight!” Luffy was at least still always on Ace’ side, also itching to train. “Now that I’m with Ace again, I want my 100 fights! I need to show him I’m stronger than him now!”
Ace hit him over the head. “You’re still a little weakling compared to me! I’ll crush you 100-0 like I always have.”
Luffy tried to lunge at him, but before Ace could even try to deflect his attack, Marco pulled Luffy back. “Stop this. You still have residual poison in your body. Really, you should be in bed for a week at minimum.”
“I’m fine.”
The deep sigh escaping Marco’s throat at Luffy’s statement felt achingly familiar. “Why don’t you two do something else to catch up? We’ll be in Pucci at least until tomorrow for some repairs, so you could visit town. It’s known as the Gourmet City, aren’t you interested? I thought you would be.”
“Gourmet? What’s that? Can you eat it?”
“Sort of? It’s not a specific type of food, but if you call something gourmet, it means the food is really, really good. This island is known for its amazing food.”
What? Ace hadn’t known that! Why did nobody ever tell him the truly important things? A look over to Luffy confirmed his mouth was watering just like Ace’s.
In between them, Marco was smiling like he’d already won.
“Ace… There’s gourmet meat in this town…”
“Yeah…” As much as Ace wanted to be obstinate about fighting, as much as he wanted to start training with his mom… Gourmet meat… It sure sounded like something he needed to try… An opportunity he wouldn’t get again anytime soon… “I think we should definitely go check out this gourmet meat, it would be a waste not to.”
His mother would understand… right? Ace wasn’t supposed to train with her anyway. Oh! But maybe she could come with them! Since she was his mom, Ace wouldn’t mind sharing some of his gourmet meat with her.
Perfect. Perfect Plan.
There was no holding the brothers back as they sprinted on deck, leaving Marco behind.
Ace spotted his mother, out on deck like she said she’d be, and instantly skidded to a halt.
Why did his plans never ever work out? This one was so simple!
But it was the same as always. Why did he even wonder? The problem was Roger. It was always Roger. This time, specifically, he was also just standing on deck, right next to Ace’ mom, and talking to her.
Ace grit his teeth. Shit.
What now?
He didn’t get a choice, or even a chance to think about it, as Luffy didn’t stop like Ace had, just running straight to the plank leading off the ship, where Ace’ parents were.
“Oh, Luffy, good to see you,” his mom greeted him, “how’d your check-up go?”
Damn it. Ace couldn’t just let Luffy talk to his mom unsupervised, who knew what sort of embarrassing childhood stories he’d just blab about without a second thought! There had already been some close calls during breakfast. Not to mention, his mom was smiling, happy to see both of them, and Ace felt guilt pooling in his stomach at even just the thought of turning away from her.
But Roger was just. There. Right there. Smiling like he didn’t have a care in the world, one hand casually resting on Rouge’s waist.
Ace absolutely didn’t want to get closer or interact with him in any way. He’d much rather just pretend Roger didn’t exist.
What this resulted in was Ace just stalking closer very slowly and awkwardly, dragging his feet over the deck, glaring at Roger all the while. Except for when he felt his mom’s gaze drift from Luffy to him, then Ace put a smile on his face for her in record time.
“Pineapple says I can’t fight Ace yet, like I’d listen to boring rules like that.”
Roger laughed, and Ace could feel his hackles rise. There was nothing to laugh about. Luffy just wanted to have a good time, and Marco was worried about them both, both perfectly understandable viewpoints. Ace would kill anyone trying to make fun of either of them. Especially Roger. How dare he?
Flames were already threatening to spill past the boundaries of Ace’ skin as Roger answered. “Have fun if you’re gonna do that! But if you want, you could come with us, too! We’re taking Tom home to Water 7 with the sea train he built.” His head turned toward Ace. “We could make it a family trip!”
“You’re not family,” Ace hissed.
At the same time, a rubbery arm wrapped itself around Ace. “Ace and I are gonna explore the town! Did you know there’s gourmet meat here? It’s supposed to be really yummy!”
Turning to his brother, Ace saw the sparkles in his eyes and drool dripping from his mouth. He absolutely hadn’t picked up on the tense atmosphere, his thoughts were only on the promised meat. And there would be absolutely nothing that could deter him from his goal.
In a way, Ace was grateful for it. He didn’t have to figure out if he wanted to go on this trip with his mom (he did) and Roger (he didn’t), or how to answer at all. He just had to give his mother an apologetic smile, who waved him off. “You haven’t seen each other in a while, right? It’ll be a great opportunity to catch up with each other, just the two of you.”
Ace nodded. “Yeah.” At least it didn’t seem like his mom was upset at all that they wouldn’t get to train like Ace had hoped.
“Water 7 has good meat, too! You should try it while you’re there!” Luffy, despite still talking and having his arm wrapped around Ace, was already moving off the ship. “Oh, and say hi to Ice guy from me if you see him! And granny Kokoro! And Chimney! And the rope guy! And the Franky family!” By the time he was done yelling names, he’d reached the end of the plank, and Ace was really starting to feel the pull from the rubber arm.
“Guess I’ll see you later?” Ace offered as he slowly stumbled toward the plank as well.
“Sure. Have a nice day with your brother!”
“Leave the town standing!”
Ugh. Why was Roger still so chipper and acting so overly familiar? Hadn’t he heard Ace earlier? But even then, Ace should’ve made his position more than clear yesterday. Was Roger just stupid or had he just decided to not care at all what Ace wanted?
Sadly, Ace didn’t get the time to retort, as Luffy’s rubber arm finally reached its maximum stretch capacity, and Ace was pulled over the railing with a snap.
He crashed into the pavement of the docks pretty harshly, but not harshly enough that he couldn’t get up again instantly to push Luffy over for pulling this stupid stunt for the millionth time.
Luffy just laughed Ace’ retaliation off, and Ace rolled his eyes, but a delicious smell wafted over from the town, and both brothers decided that was more important.
Pucci was a gorgeous town surrounded by lush fields. Its colourful, well-maintained buildings spoke of a rich populace, without breaching into the extreme, almost stifling luxury of High Town.
But more than anything, it really was the food that stood out. Bars and restaurants were lined up one after the other, and each of them advertised its own unique dish. Even the streets were filled with food stands, ready to sell you a little snack on the go.
Oh, it was almost impossible to settle for one place, but Ace and Luffy let their noses guide them, expertly following the smell they’d caught earlier at the docks to the most delicious meat sizzling on a restaurant’s grill.
Decision made without words, they found themselves an empty table, expectantly grinning at the waiter who came over to hand them two menus.
Luffy didn’t even look at them. “One of everything you have!”
“Manners, Luffy,” Ace chided. “I’ll also take one of everything you have, please.”
To his credit, the waiter took the order better than most others Ace had seen. He didn’t exactly keep a straight face, but he didn’t protest or question anything either, just nodded. “Very well, sirs. Is that just for food or drinks as well?”
“Nah, just some juice is fine.”
Ace glanced at the menu, seeing a variety of alcoholic drinks listed. Some sounded pretty good, but he wasn’t here to get drunk. “A mixed fruit smoothie for me, please.”
The waiter noted down their orders and quickly left them alone, though he did throw some questioning gazes over his shoulder as he made his way to the kitchen.
Oh well, they usually got weirder reactions. Soon the guy would see they were absolutely serious about eating everything they ordered.
It was so, so easy to fall back into his old dynamic with Luffy while they waited for their food. Even as they were regaling each other with tales of their adventures, of the places they’d seen, the battles they fought and the friends they made, it felt just as it had when Ace had left more than three years ago. Like they were still just kids dreaming up stories. Like home.
Time passed in a flash, and soon the table between them was stacked with empty dishes that had really contained some of the most delicious food Ace had ever eaten. He needed to buy some at the market later so his mom could have a taste.
He really was so glad he was alive.
“Hey Luffy?”
“Hm?” Luffy lifted his head to see Ace over the towers of dishes between them.
“You know how the miracle works, right? Have you thought about it at all?”
“Nah, how does it work? I think Hancock explained it to me but I wasn’t listening, that was when I was focused on saving you.”
Okay, so he hadn’t thought about it at all. He also hadn’t explained yet how he knew Boa Hancock and why the fuck she’d been helping him, but whatever, that wasn’t the important part here, even if it made Ace curious. “The miracle brings back dead people. As long as someone still misses them, they come back to life exactly where they died. Do you know what that means?”
For a moment, Luffy’s face remained confused, completely clueless. But then his eyes slowly widened, and his mouth formed a perfect ‘O’.
“Sabo.”
It was just a whisper, completely uncharacteristic for Luffy. Ace nodded.
“Gramps visited me in prison and told me he’d call Makino and Dadan, and that he’d tell me if they called back with any news. He didn’t come again though, and I didn’t exactly get a chance to talk to him when we fought the marines since Pops wouldn’t let me go…” Not that Ace had wanted to go see Garp since that was where Roger had been, but he might’ve gone anyway for news about Sabo.
“Sabo’s alive!” Luffy jumped up, throwing his hands into the air and knocking a few plates off the table in the process. He didn’t care though, smile spreading impossibly wide even as tears shimmered in his eyes.
Ace couldn’t help the fondness rising in his chest. Luffy had grown so much, but he was still Ace’ sweet crybaby little brother. “Yeah, probably. But he’s still ten, so I guess he can’t set out for another seven years. Dadan won’t let him again.”
“Ten…” Luffy let himself fall back into his chair, face once again stunned. “I’m his big brother then?”
“Yup. He’ll be tiny compared to you!”
Oh, Ace couldn’t wait to see him again. It would be so fun to tease him with his height. And with the fact that even Luffy could demolish him in an instant now.
But most of all, Ace just wanted to see him. He wanted the hole in his heart to fill out.
He wanted to be sure again, death or distance, nothing could break their bond.
They were three brothers, now and forever.
“Excuse me, are you done now? Would you like the bill or do you need even more food?”
Ah, Ace had almost forgotten where they were. “The bill, please.”
As the waiter turned, Ace threw a look to Luffy, who was already grinning. Good. Just as always.
A moment later, the brothers were out of the restaurant, the angry waiter hot on their heels.
“Luffy, wait,” Ace gasped, “don’t forget your manners!”
“Right!”
Both of them stopped, turned, and bowed down in perfect synchrony. “Thank you for the food! It was really delicious!”
And with that, they were off.
Laughter rang through the streets of Pucci as they made their escape, two reunited brothers that would hopefully soon be three.
As it should be.
To the people of Pucci, it was an ordinary day. Sure, there were whispers floating around, the obvious arrival of the Moby Dick after the big headlines this morning stirring rumours of all kinds, but since nobody was attacking, and they were in fact buying some repair materials from the local shops, it didn’t matter much.
At the train station, it was very much business as usual. People were milling about, many carrying luggage, while others were waiting for their loved ones to arrive with the train.
Tom couldn’t describe the pride swelling in his chest when the Puffing Tom rolled into the station. Ten years in, and it still worked perfectly. It was truly Tom’s greatest creation.
If Tom said that out loud, Roger would probably disagree and claim that spot belonged to the Oro Jackson - which, to be fair, was also a work Tom was immensely proud of, a sturdy and beautiful ship in her own right - but Tom remained quiet, and Roger’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the sea train.
“That’s so cool! It really goes over the water even though it’s a train!” His voice was laced with pure awe.
Crocus hummed in agreement next to them. “It’s truly remarkable. When you sail the Grand Line, you get used to seeing all sorts of fantastical sights, but this isn’t a natural phenomenon, nor does it have anything to do with devil fruits. You just built it.”
“Well, of course. I’m a shipwright, that’s what we do. We use our hands to build something, and hope it will last against nature’s wrath.”
Tom could probably just stand there and stare forever, but they did need to board the train to get to Water 7, so the group of four made their way across the platform. There were definitely quite a few stares directed at them. Partially that could probably be attributed to Roger, whose face had been printed all over the newspaper just this morning, but Tom drew the looks in as well. He was, after all, a fishman, and with his size and the colour of his skin, there was no hiding it. The people of Water 7 had gotten used to him for the most part over the decades, but aside from maybe a few pirate crews like Roger’s and Whitebeard’s, the rest of the surface wasn’t so kind to his people.
A train attendant, a young lass that could not yet be 20, stepped forward to see their tickets, her face impassive but her body nonetheless blocking the entrance as her gaze lingered on Tom. Or rather, on what he was carrying. “Do you intend to just take that horse with you…?”
“Yes,” Rouge replied immediately, “is that going to be a problem? We asked the station staff earlier, and they assured us it would be fine as long as we bought a ticket for it and made sure it caused no further trouble.”
That was absolutely not true. They’d asked the station staff, who’d told them they needed to leave the horse here until next week when the train would come with a special animal transport compartment. It was sensible, but Tom didn’t want to leave Lilly alone when she was so sick. She had nobody but him, after all.
And yes, he’d named her. Nobody had bothered to ask her previous owner if she already had a name, but that didn’t matter. He clearly hadn’t treated her right anyway.
“There’s a special transport for animals regularly…”
“Please,” Rouge cut the train attendant off, “this horse is very sick, and we’re trying to see a vet in Water 7 that was recommended to us. We don’t know if our dear Lilly will last another week, we can’t wait!”
She sounded ready to cry, and Tom had to wonder how an honest man like Roger had ended up with such a flawless liar.
The train attendant clearly bought it. “Fine. But if the horse makes a mess, you’re cleaning it up. This is an exception.”
“Of course! Thank you so much!”
They were allowed to board, and quickly found themselves a few seats at the back of the waggon. It had some empty space next to it, presumably meant for luggage, that he could lay Lilly down on.
As they settled in, a whistle blew outside, and huffing and puffing, the train started moving, away from the station and out into the open sea. Unperturbed by waves and wind, it carried them and its other passengers safely across the ocean.
Roger was quick to open the window, sticking his head outside so he could see Tom’s dream in action. Tom couldn’t help the fond smile spreading on his lips, and looking away from Roger for a second, he found the same expression mirrored on Rouge’s and Crocus’ faces as well.
Thankfully the weather was bright and sunny, so Roger could enjoy the wind in his face, and the trip went by quickly and uneventfully.
When Tom finally set foot on Water 7 again, he almost didn’t recognize his home.
They’d built an entire fancy station for the sea train, and even beyond that, the whole island had been cleaned up. The city was bustling with life, people were out and about, trade and leisure of all kinds happening on every street and every canal at all times.
So the Puffing Tom had brought hope back into this town, just like it was supposed to.
It was a giant weight off Tom’s heart, to know he’d managed to change his home for the better, even if he hadn’t lived to see it.
Truly, the entire city was a delight to see, so they took the long way to dock 1, where Iceburg usually spent his days, watching over the shipwrights of the Galley-La company, but even if he wasn’t there, someone would probably know where he was.
During their tour of the city, Roger kept a close eye on the food stands. Rouge bought him a snack more than once, that he all ate much slower and more contemplative than Tom was used to seeing. Roger didn’t offer any explanation to his slightly weird behaviour, right up until he got himself some Mizu Mizu Meat and his eyes lit up in delight.
“This is it,” he announced. “Rouge, let’s buy some more of this and bring it home for the boys! They’ll love it for sure, it’s the perfect souvenir, don’t you think?”
Ah. It had been news to Tom that Roger had a wife and a son – aside from the boys he had on his ship – but Roger had always been a man full of surprises, so this hadn’t shocked him much.
“You’re right, that’s a great idea.” Rouge went and bought everything the stand had, to the delight of its owner, then handed it all to Roger.
Tom wasn’t quite sure how good of an idea that was, and if any meat would make it to the boys, but if it did, it would be a testament to Roger’s restraint, because Tom could already see him eye the meat with clear temptation.
Still, by the time they made it through the floodgate and to the upper part of town, the meat had remained untouched. Tom would be impressed, if his attention wasn’t taken away by dock 1.
There were multiple ships currently being built, and at least a hundred shipwrights working in unison. Sounds of hammering and sanding mixed with shouted commands and laughter.
What a wonderful place. Iceburg had done a fantastic job building this up from nothing.
“Sorry, but the general public is forbidden from entering here,” a man with sunglasses and a strand of hair sticking out from his almost shaved head informed them not long after they simply climbed over the fence to look at the ships.
Rouge stepped forward again, probably already with a new lie ready that would let them do whatever they wanted, but Tom put a hand on her shoulder. “We’re here because we’re looking for Iceburg. Is he here?”
“Mr. Iceburg is busy. He doesn’t- wait.” The guy took off his sunglasses, looking up at Tom. “Are you Tom? From Tom’s Workers?”
“Yes? That’s why-”
“It’s such an honour to meet you! My name is Lulu, I’m one of the foremen here!” Lulu reached out and grabbed Tom’s hand, shaking it vigorously. “As a shipwright, I’ve been looking up to you my entire life! You’re my idol! The sea train truly is a technological marvel unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, you’re a true visionary, I can’t believe I got to meet you in person! Oh!” He hit himself on the head, which caused his strand of hair to peak out from the other side of his head. “You’re here to see Mr. Iceburg! Of course you are! I’ll go get him, wait just a second!”
And with that, Lulu sprinted off, quickly weaving through the coordinated chaos.
Their group remained standing at the entrance, now with plenty of eyes on them as the workers slowed down what they were doing to stare at them. Tom could hear his name being whispered more than once.
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Even if people had recognized his work in the past, he’d spent his life living at the edge of the city, and he’d been content there. Tom had no idea how to act now that everyone was staring at him like he was some sort of celebrity. He’d much rather just shove Roger in front of him to let him have all that attention, he’d probably enjoy it.
But before Tom could do something silly like try and hide behind a man that was half his size, Lulu returned.
Tom put down Lilly, figuring he should have his arms free for this. Someone was following Lulu hastily, and Tom’s attention was fully taken by the young man.
Iceburg had changed. Last time Tom had seen him, he’d been a lanky adolescent, but now his shoulders had filled out. His long hair had been cut short, and his practical work clothes had been switched for an expensive suit. Tom hadn’t really known what to expect when he heard that Iceburg had become the mayor, when he’d seen this huge company spreading all over the city, because it didn’t really fit his memory of his son. Yes, Iceburg had always been more mature than Franky, and better at connecting with other people, but he’d still been rowdy, still a lonely outcast who’d relied on Tom.
Now, that was clearly not the case anymore. Iceburg had become a successful businessman, a leader in his own right, who clearly commanded the respect of every worker on the dock.
Still, Iceburg was his boy. Even with all the changes, Tom could see the boy he’d raised in the man before him.
In the end, Iceburg ignored the eyes of all his employees, running straight into his father’s arms with tears streaming down his face.
“It’s you, Tom, it’s really you! You’re back, they got you out of that horrible place, I… I didn’t know, I wasn’t sure, I’m sorry-” His words devolved into incoherent sobs, and Tom pulled him close, stroking his back.
“It’s alright, there’s nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who should apologize for just leaving you alone. But look at you, I can see everything you’ve built, and I couldn’t be more proud of you.”
Iceburg looked up at him, smiling through his tears. “Thank you. I wouldn’t have ever amounted to anything without you, and I should’ve told you way earlier. I’m not… proud of everything that I’ve done since you died, but this? I really tried everything I could to make sure all your work to save this city wasn’t in vain. I actually have some more plans, and if you could look them over maybe it would- no, too fast, too fast. Sorry. That can wait.” Iceburg took a deep breath. “Sorry, Franky isn’t here, you just missed him by a couple weeks.”
“I know. He’s out pursuing his dream, sailing his dream ship to the end of the world, just as he always wanted. I heard it can fly.”
“That’s maybe… not entirely correct.” Iceburg huffed a laugh. “It’s more that it can catapult itself into the air over a decent distance, but it has no mechanism to sustain that flight for longer than the initial burst of acceleration propels it, so I’m not sure if you can define it as true flight. But regardless, the Thousand Sunny is a fantastic ship that was great fun to build. I checked it over, so you don’t have to worry Franky will just sink on his journey due to a rookie mistake while designing or building the ship.”
Tom laughed, a deep, hearty laugh. Deep down, his boys really hadn’t changed at all, had they? “I’m sure Franky will be reassured he has a piece of you with him through the ship.”
As expected, Iceburg blushed, clicked his tongue, rolled his eyes, and looked away. Still as unwilling as ever to express the affection Tom knew he held for his little brother in all but blood. “Who knows what that idiot is thinking. Not me.”
“Of course, of course.” Tom ruffled his son’s hair, which finally made him step back to fix it again, and wipe the tears from his face while he was at it.
Taking a few deep breaths, he finally turned to look at the rest of the group. “Thank you so much for bringing him back. I can’t believe you actually did it.”
Roger only laughed. “No need to thank us, we would’ve gone one way or the other, and I owed Tom anyway for the Oro!”
Crocus stepped forward, handing what seemed to be an Eternal Pose to Iceburg. “Here. Sorry to say, but that’s the only thing we can actually give back, we left the ship behind when we caught a ride with Whitebeard, and the sword…”
“Got doused in poison and mostly disintegrated!”
“Yeah. So that’s that.” Crocus shrugged. “But Roger’s shit at keeping anything, so really you should be glad you got anything back, personally I expected we’d return with nothing except Tom.”
Iceburg huffed. “I’ll take what I can get, I guess.” He turned to Rouge. “And you are…?”
“Rouge. It’s nice to meet you.”
“She’s my wife,” Roger proudly proclaimed, and the shock on Iceburg’s face was pretty comical.
“Such a beauty! Congratulations!” But he quickly got over it, and turned to the final member of the group. “Should I ask about the horse…?”
“That’s Lilly! She’s a little sick, but we rescued her, so I’ll be taking care of her,” Tom explained.
“Alright. We can build her a nice stable. It shouldn’t be a problem. We need to get you a house, anyway.” Iceburg nodded, then yelled into the crowd. “Tilestone, go get a vet!” At his command, a large man ran off. “You can stay with me for now, of course. The rest of you are invited for now, too, if I can offer you tea or anything…”
“No thank you,” Crocus said before anyone else could react, “we have a train to catch.”
“Eh? Can’t we stay a bit?” Roger was pouting.
“No. If we don’t catch the last train to Pucci, we’re stuck here until tomorrow. Remember, Whitebeard is leaving there tomorrow if he gets any word at all that the navy is moving away from Sabaody. And we have absolutely zero clue where they’re going.”
“Ugh, you’re right. It sucks not just having a ship myself to go wherever I want whenever I want.”
“Yeah, about that,” Tom injected himself into the conversation, “I have been wondering… Where is the Oro? Why don’t you have her?”
“Uh…” Roger was sweating profusely, and Tom pulled him into a headlock.
“Roger. Where is the Oro Jackson? Did you lose her?”
“I didn’t lose her. I died! Taro and Donquino have her, they’re taking great care of her! I just don’t know where they are! I’ll find them again, and the Oro with them!”
“You better.” Tom let him go, still with a stern look on his face. “See you, then.”
Even if they were something like friends, Roger’s visits never lasted, and Tom never expected this one to be different. After all, Roger was a man of the sea, always drawn to adventure by its call. Tom could never imagine him staying in one place for long. There was always something for him to do.
“Yeah,” Roger agreed easily. “Let’s make our second chances count, and have a good time with our boys! If I see your other boy out there, I’ll tell him you made it home safe.”
“Thank you. And… good luck with your son.” Tom was not convinced Roger had any chance there, but knowing him, he’d try endlessly regardless. So all everyone else could do was hope it worked out somehow.
“Thanks!”
With an easy wave, the three of them were off, and Tom knew he probably wouldn’t see any of them outside of newspaper stories for years. But that was the way of this world, and the fate of any shipwright who befriended their clients. All of them left, always.
Tom turned to Iceburg once Roger, Rouge and Crocus were out of sight. “So, how about we find a good place for Lilly to rest, and then you can show me around a little? Maybe show me those plans of yours you’ve been talking about? I’m sure I’ve missed a lot, I’d love to see whatever you’re willing to show or tell me.”
Iceburg smiled up at him. “Oh, there’s way more than you think. I’ll cancel all my appointments for today.”
“...And that’s okay? You seemed busy.”
“It’s fine. I can leave Paulie in charge. And my men are all capable, I don’t need to supervise everything they do.” There was clear pride in his voice, and Tom figured that was as good a place to start as any.
“Why don’t you introduce me to some of them, then?”
Chapter 20
Summary:
Buggy wallows in his misery a little.
Whitebeard is forced to stay in bed and deal with complicated issues, even though he doesn't really want to do either.
Roger and Ace have similar ideas with wildly differing results.
Notes:
sorry this one took so long!
but more importantly THANK YOU!! we reached 1000 kudos on this fic, which is a number I never dreamed of actually achieving! so a big thanks to all 1000 of you, and also the 100+ people who left kudos in the two months I didn't update haha
without further ado, enjoy~
Chapter Text
Buggy opted to stay behind. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to see Tom off, but he really needed some time to himself.
And by that, he meant he really needed to find a secluded spot to hang himself over the railing like a wet rag and wallow in his misery a little before figuring out what the fuck he was supposed to do now. How was he going to survive? Would his crew be targeted alongside him? How would he keep them safe? Should he just go back to the East Blue? Nobody of importance – except Garp, but Buggy had learned to avoid him – would be there, so it was relatively safe. In fact, most people there would probably just hand him their money after hearing he was related to Roger.
Ugh, but he’d just gotten his final clue to Captain John’s treasure! He could totally figure out its hiding spot now and pick it up, if he just made it there alive! It would add to the legend of Captain Buggy so nicely, while also making him rich! The parties he could throw…
But his bounty was too high. What was the navy even thinking? They knew damn well they were just making shit up, did they actually plan on paying up such an insane amount of money just to show off they totally could get to Roger after all?
For fuck’s sake, Buggy really didn’t want to be the sacrificial pawn the government needed for their propaganda.
He wouldn’t let that happen. Absolutely no way. Sure, maybe he wasn’t as strong as people would now think he was, but he was very, very good at running away. Especially from his problems. If they wanted to kill him, they’d have to catch him first!
…Which, now that he thought about it, they already had caught him once, even without putting all that much effort into it, more by chance than anything else. That plan might not be the most reliable.
Straight out of Impel Down, a shudder ran down Buggy’s spine at the thought of being brought back. He’d seen all the hells now, and he felt not even the slightest desire to experience any of them as a prisoner. No thank you.
But then what? For now, Buggy was safe, but he couldn’t exactly stick with Whitebeard forever. He didn’t need another captain, and he definitely didn’t need another father.
He also really didn’t need to open up another round of custody dispute between Roger and Whitebeard. That was the last thing he wanted to get caught up in right now. None of that was even remotely his business and he’d decided to ignore it even happening. They could figure that out without him.
Sure it was a family matter, and one that he was technically a part of, but come on. He’d love to count adopted family as real, it was all he ever had after all, but since his extended adopted family now included Garp – fucking Garp! – and also apparently Dragon the Revolutionary, Buggy was allowed to be a little hypocritical and just not count any relation he had through Roger to anyone. For his own sanity.
Maybe this would eventually result in Roger getting himself kicked off the Moby, and Buggy could stick with him for a while. Bring him to Rayleigh, and ask for help when they got there. Maybe Rayleigh would have a good idea on how to deal with this whole mess.
Sticking with Roger also had its downsides though, namely that the man attracted trouble like nobody else Buggy knew. Even Shanks was better at avoiding it, and that was saying something, because Shanks was always in some kind of trouble as well.
He really needed to get back to his crew. Even if he made a plan now, in the end, he was kind of powerless to do anything as of now. No ship, no crew, no money, he could barely even call himself a pirate.
Though, he had the escapees from Impel Down. They were idiots, but they worshipped him for some reason, so it was something like a makeshift crew. And Galdino was a decent guy, too, Buggy wouldn’t mind if he kept tagging along indefinitely. In that sense, Buggy was doing better than Roger, who right now just had Crocus and maybe Rouge.
Besides, Buggy did still have pieces of Mohji’s and Cabaji’s vivre cards. Tiny as they were to be concealed in his hair, they let him know his officers were doing just fine, and they’d lead him right back to them, if he ever got the chance to decide where he wanted to go. Currently, they were pointing east, meaning his crew had probably made their way to Sabaody and was now stuck there, with the navy surrounding the island.
Buggy could only hope those bastards wouldn’t get pissed at Whitebeard and Roger not showing up, and instead round up everyone on the island. Or if they did, they could just take all the Supernovas. Most of them would probably fail in the New World anyway, but it would be a nice publicity stunt. Failed to get the old generation, but snuffed out the new one before they could get really going, that would definitely help their image. Even if they wouldn’t get Strawhat and Firefist, who’d probably become the worst of the worst, but hey. No point mentioning that and ruining the mood. Frankly, Buggy didn’t care, as long as they didn’t take his crew.
He had to wonder if Whitebeard had a secure way to call Rayleigh. Or Shakky, at least. As much as it hurt his pride to ask for help from his old crew, he’d do it if it meant they’d keep his crew safe from this big mess. Which was technically their fault anyway for picking Buggy up and giving the navy an opportunity to use him like this.
Or he could just call his own crew, but he didn’t want to draw attention to them just in case the navy did manage to overhear… Even if he talked to Shakky, he’d have to be so careful what he said, to make sure she got it but nobody else…
Ugh, whoever figured out how to listen in on den den mushi calls was a genius but also the most annoying person on earth.
“You good? Got seasick?”
Buggy startled horribly. Picking himself up and whirling around, he found two of the Whitebeard commanders, holding hands and all snuggled up on each other while looking at him curiously.
Ew, they better not have come here for privacy reasons. This was Buggy’s spot now.
“What? Hey, I’ve been a pirate longer than either of you! You think I’d get fucking seasick during good weather while we’re at harbour?”
Pompadour raised his arms in a placating gesture. “Calm down, I was just kidding. And you were hanging over the railing…”
“It’s a great position to wallow in your misery. You should try it sometime.”
Neither of them looked very convinced. “So what’s got you so down, then?” Izou asked.
“Didn’t you read the newspaper?” Buggy had been under the impression that everyone had at least heard the contents by now, even if they didn’t read it themselves.
But their first response was a definite blush. Ugh, they’d come here for privacy reasons, hadn’t they? Why did they have to be so obvious? This was none of Buggy’s business!
“We were, uh… busy,” Thatch offered, making Buggy groan. He didn’t need to know this!
Part of him wanted to just tell them some made up nonsense in retaliation and see how long it would take them to figure out he’d lied, but he genuinely couldn’t come up with anything more absurd than the truth. “Well, according to the newspaper, I’m now the son of the Pirate King, and also my bounty is higher than either of yours. So, you know. I’m kinda dead.”
“Well damn,” Thatch said very unhelpfully, “at least it’s kinda funny if you think about it?”
It was, admittedly, a little funny. Buggy having sailed with Roger for basically his entire childhood had never been exactly a secret, but the navy only decided to make a big deal out of it when they failed to execute Roger’s actual son. Before today, they’d never cared,
Still, Buggy wasn’t in a mood to laugh when his life was on the line for this sick joke, and at least Izou took it seriously. “Do you need help? You could stay at one of our islands until things blow over. Or even fly our flag for protection. Pops wouldn’t mind, you’re the one who made sure Ace got out of Impel Down alive after all.”
Buggy’s eyes went wide at the proposition. Fly Whitebeard’s flag? That absolutely would solve his problem. Nobody in their right mind would ever attack someone with Whitebeard’s mark. Especially not after even the marines hadn’t gotten away with taking one of his commanders.
Sure, Buggy already had Roger’s name attached to him, but Roger was just one guy. A guy who could defeat just about anyone, sure, but he’d have to notice and get there first, and right now he didn’t even have a ship. Whitebeard on the other hand had a whole fleet spread all over the New World that regularly travelled all five seas. For a pirate, there was probably no life safer than one associated with Whitebeard. Buggy could definitely go search for treasure in peace!
All he would have to do was raise Whitebeard’s flag over his own.
So easy, and yet Buggy cringed at the thought. He’d never wanted to raise any flag but his own ever again.
He knew, twenty years ago, if he’d gone to Whitebeard for help, he could’ve gotten the same offer, as a courtesy to Roger and on account of Buggy counting as one of the orphaned children of the sea Whitebeard loved to pick up, rather than as an acknowledgement of anything he could do or had done.
Nothing had really changed since then, except that now Roger was back alive again, and with Ace screaming at him that Whitebeard was his father, of course Roger would take it as a second betrayal if Buggy raised Whitebeard’s flag.
With his weird overestimation of Buggy’s strength, there was no way Roger would accept that Buggy actually needed help, and definitely not from anyone that wasn’t Roger himself.
Of course, to avoid that whole drama, Buggy could just go to Shanks and ask him for help, or even just raise his flag without asking. Not like that old softie would do anything about it, and he owed Buggy anyway for the whole devil fruit fiasco.
The problem with that was that Buggy would rather die than ever use Shanks’ flag.
Even if he knew Shanks was way out of his league these days, Buggy still had his pride. He didn’t need that red-haired moron.
Really, that was just the general problem. Buggy probably needed help, but he didn’t want it. He didn’t want to owe anyone, and he didn’t want to become involved with any of the powerful crews, and he didn’t want to rely on anyone, and he didn’t want any responsibilities from alliances!
He just wanted his old life back.
It was such a mistake to come to the Grand Line again. He hated this sea and everything it brought with it, except the money that could be made here.
Maybe he really should go back to the East. Just grab his crew and Captain John’s treasure and then hightail it back home. Or wait a little bit while inconspicuously sticking with Roger or Whitebeard until things calmed down and some other big headline distracted everyone from him.
Buggy was rudely taken out of his thoughts by a finger poking his nose and Thatch’s face way too close to his own. “You still with us, buddy?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Buggy slapped his hand away, glaring. Nobody should ever touch his nose! People only did that to make fun of him. “I’ll think about your offer, okay?”
“Sure! No worries!”
Ugh, this guy was too nice. And loud.
With a sigh, Buggy turned around and left. No point staying in his hiding place if he’d been found anyway. And he had a feeling Thatch and Izou would be happier on their own, if the smooching noises behind him were anything to go by.
Despite everyone insisting he should rest, Whitebeard spent his morning working. Well, coordinating things from his bed, because Marco had gone to sleep again, and Tate threatened to go wake him if Whitebeard tried to get up.
The boy really needed his rest after barely sleeping for so long, so Whitebeard was tied to his bed. Such a devious strategy. Who’d taught her that? She’d been such a sweet girl growing up…
Well, for now, he let it slide, since there was enough to do even like this, and his presence wasn’t needed anywhere else.
It seemed like the marines were camping out around Sabaody instead of following them to Pucci. Objectively the better move, at least in the short term, since it essentially cut them off from their territory. They had to go through Sabaody to get back to the New World, and if Kaidou or Big Mom made any moves, they’d have to try and force their way through.
But for today, everyone could rest, restock and repair the Moby. If they did still have to fight the navy, it was better like this, with time to prepare and get things in order.
So now it was really just a waiting game. Would they be forced to try and go back first, or would the navy be forced to leave its station at Sabaody first because they were needed elsewhere? Could they do something to increase their odds? Perhaps cause a distraction somewhere close that they wouldn’t be able to ignore, and then use that time window to coat their ships and go back home?
A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts before he could fully consider that plan.
It was Rakuyo who entered, carrying a regular den den mushi in one hand, and their one white one in the other.
An important call, then. All other communication would have to be on hold while the white snail was removed from the communication room.
Rakuyo didn’t look all that distressed though, only a smidge uncomfortable. “Hey Pops, are you feeling a bit better?”
Worrywart. Seriously, who’d raised all these kids to care so much and express it all the time?
“I’ve had worse. Don’t listen to the medical division, you know they always blow things out of proportion. I think they get a kick out of forcing people to stay in bed.”
Rakuyo huffed. “You’re the one who keeps saying we all have to listen to them for our own good, you old hypocrite.”
“That’s because you’re all kids. Now tell me whose call you’re just keeping on hold this entire time.”
Whitebeard could definitely hear Rakuyo mumble “I’m 46” under his breath. As if that would mean he wasn’t a brat anymore. But he properly answered the question, so Whitebeard would just ignore it. “Haruta is handling all communications as per usual, mostly with our allies right now, but, well… We thought you should be the one to talk to Squard. We didn’t exactly know what to say…”
Ah. Yes, that was a delicate matter, and yet another problem just waiting to blow up in their faces. “That was the right call. Don’t worry, I’ll talk to him.”
“Thanks.” Rakuyo handed him both transponder snails, and quietly excused himself.
Whitebeard was left by himself, picking up the receiver just laying next to the regular den den mushi. “Squard. I heard everything went well on your side. Are you and your crew alright?”
The snail smiled with the familiar face of his son on the other end. “Yeah. We’ve got some minor injuries, but as you predicted, very few soldiers were left behind at Marineford, and we left before anyone could return, all as planned. You were the ones who had to fight the full force of the navy, so are you okay? How’s Ace doing?”
There was no doubt in Whitebeard’s mind that Squard really called to ask something else, but here he was, making sure his family was fine before anything else. Pride basically flooded Whitebeard as he remembered how angry, hopeless and distrusting Squard had been when they first met. That boy who’d lost everything really had made good use of the second chance Whitebeard had given him.
“Our med bay is packed, but overall we essentially got away scot-free. Ace is holding up well, too, considering the circumstances. You know him, he’ll bounce back if he’s just given some time. I heard he’s already been trying to get cleared by Marco to start training again.”
Squard let out an amused huff at the other end of the line. “Sounds like him.” The transponder snail wore a fond smile for a moment, until it morphed into something more serious. “So, I know this is probably kind of stupid to ask, but we got the newspaper a while ago…”
Ah. There it was. Of course Squard would take issue with what had been reported. Even if he was smart enough to know it was probably not true, he still couldn’t know what the actual truth was. “I didn’t make an alliance with Roger,” Whitebeard intercepted before Squard could even pose the question, “and I’m not planning to, either. The marines fabricated that to justify their defeat.”
“Right. Yeah. I thought so.” Relief definitely shone through in Squard’s voice, meaning he hadn’t been quite certain despite his words. A short pause followed. “But he is back, right?”
“Yes, he’s been resurrected.” No point lying about that with it already printed everywhere. Roger was sure to cause trouble again soon, too. He always did.
The difficult part came now. Was there anything Whitebeard could say that would justify taking along the man who’d killed everyone Squard cared about, without giving away Ace’ secret to him? A lot of people knew now, sure, but not the general public, so it still felt wrong to talk about it without asking Ace for permission first. Especially in a case like this, where it might cause conflict between Ace and someone who should be his brother.
On the bright side, as long as Roger was in Whitebeard’s sight, he could step in should Squard try and do something stupid like get revenge. No offense to his son, but that was a fight he’d lose, and the last thing his recently revived crew needed was a dead captain.
“But the marines would’ve said something if they caught or killed him,” Squard said.
Of course they would have. Even with Ace escaped and no real damage to Whitebeard’s crew, they could’ve counted it as a victory if they got Roger again. The question was what Whitebeard should tell Squard. He could theoretically lie and tell him he didn’t know where Roger was, that he’d escaped separately from them. Then maybe as long as they didn’t meet up with Squard, he’d never have to know.
It was always a risk, though, and Whitebeard didn’t enjoy lying to his family. It could erode the trust his son placed in him.
“Leaving him there would’ve been more of a hassle than taking him with us, so we gave him a ride. He left to bring an old friend he freed from Impel Down back home, but knowing him, he’ll be back later tonight and demand we take him with us at least to Sabaody.”
In general, that was where Whitebeard planned to kick off everyone who wasn’t part of his crew. The revolutionaries had already asked to be taken there as well, which was no surprise. Sabaody was a hub and a meeting point, of course they had some sort of base or contacts there. And with the big lawless district and rich trade and travel opportunities, so it was as good a place as any for the freed level 1 prisoners to start whatever new life they wanted.
If it weren’t for Ace, that would absolutely be the last stop for Roger, too. Everyone would be happier with Roger sticking with Rayleigh instead of them. Hell, even now, it might be best to kick him off there if things with Ace didn’t get any better soon.
The silence in the room started to stretch, and staring at the transponder snail didn’t exactly give Whitebeard much of a clue what his son was thinking. He sighed. “Maybe it would be best if you kept your distance until we get rid of him?”
“No.”
Ah damn. Why did all of his sons have to be so stubborn? “Squard…”
“I can’t just let that bastard live happily ever after with his son or whatever! He’s a menace!”
“He is,” Whitebeard agreed, “but you’re no match for him.”
“I know. I know, but I have to at least try, or I won’t be able to face my crew.”
“You won’t be able to face your crew if you’re dead, either.”
Perhaps that was a little harsh, but it was the truth nonetheless. Roger was the type to hit hard first and ask questions later, if at all. If Squard just rushed in guns blazing, Roger might just kill him before anyone had a chance to interfere or even warn Roger Squard was their ally and therefore off-limits if he wanted to stay around Ace.
Squard didn’t immediately reply, but Whitebeard could see the conflicting emotions on his face even conveyed through the den den mushi truly doing its best to contort its face. “Pops, please.”
Ugh. Squard didn’t specify, but he didn’t need to. Please let me do this. Help me. Take my side. Make sure I get out of this stupid plan unscathed. Even left unsaid, Whitebeard heard his son’s plea.
He sighed. When had he ever been able to say no to one of his kids asking for help? Never. As their father, he simply couldn’t. “Alright. You’ve got our vivre cards, so you shouldn’t have any problems finding us. Just promise me you won’t attack on sight. There’s more to the current situation than I can tell you on a call.”
“…Fine. We’ll be on our way, then. See you soon, Pops.”
“May your journey be safe through storm and clear skies.”
“May wind and waves let us meet again.”
With a clack, Squard hung up, and the transponder snail went to sleep.
Whitebeard rubbed his temples. Was this a good idea? Talking things out with all parties at the table could prove to settle this old grudge, but the attempt could also end up making everything worse.
Too much was on the line here, and it was all too complicated for Whitebeard’s liking.
Damn Roger and his tendency to do inexplicable things. Why have a son and then die on him immediately? Why kill Squard’s crew in the first place?
Perhaps he’d had a reason, though Squard had always insisted there’d been none. Even before losing his crew, he’d never been the most confident captain, and once he’d seen what other crew was laying anchor in the same port, he’d told them to keep their distance – no need to anger pirates with billions on their heads. All they’d done was restock and wait for the log pose to set, when Roger had stormed the ship and killed every single one of them, leaving only Squard alive, and only because his first mate threw herself into an attack that would’ve cut his head clean off if it had hit him as intended.
Now, Roger was certainly no saint, but still this sounded nothing like him, so Whitebeard had always wondered if there was more to the story. But the first time he heard it, Roger was long dead, and so he’d figured it was better not to pry too much and focus on letting Squard heal. At that point, truth and closure were so far out of reach, it was better to mourn and start over from nothing, a clean cut to leave it all behind.
Back then, Whitebeard could’ve never anticipated the current predicament. This was sure to turn into a huge mess, one way or the other. Whitebeard was a pirate, not a diplomat.
Still, he’d try talking to Ace and Roger before Squard arrived. Hopefully that would prevent the worst.
On the way back, the sea train got caught in a minor storm, and Rouge had to pull her husband from the window to close it so no rain would get in. They’d already tested their luck once with the train staff today, that was enough.
It also meant Roger had nothing to do except sit still, meaning his gaze was constantly drawn to the large bag of meat he’d bought earlier.
Rouge had honestly expected him to snack on it at least a little, but so far, his determination had held strong against the obvious temptation. Once again, he turned away. “I really should’ve gotten myself some snacks, too. This sucks.”
Crocus just shook his head, exasperated. “This is still more than enough, you know? I’d say it’s too much for one person if that person wasn’t related to you.”
“But it needs to be enough for Luffy, too. Kids don’t appreciate your presents nearly as much if there’s a jealous sibling hanging over their shoulder. Trust me, I learned this the hard way. I’m pretty sure Buggy is still mad I only gave Shanks a hat and not him, even now that Shanks doesn’t have the hat anymore.”
“Buggy just holds petty grudges over everything,” Crocus countered.
“Still. Shanks was angry too when I got Buggy new knives ‘cause I saw them on sale somewhere. Besides, more is better, right? The more meat there is, the more likely that Ace will come to like me!”
There was absolute conviction Roger’s voice, and Rouge couldn’t help but smile. Such simple logic, but so very Roger. Getting him food was definitely the way to his heart, but Ace… He did seem to be excited about Pucci’s gourmet meat, but still…
“I wonder if that’ll be enough…”
She didn’t even realize she said that out loud until Roger slung an arm over her shoulder, a bright grin on his face to reassure her. “Of course it’s gonna work, nobody can resist the allure of meat!” As if she was the one who needed to be cheered up, when Ace had been so eager to get to know her while completely rejecting Roger.
She could only hope her son would be able to see what a truly kind man Roger was at his core.
“Right,” Rouge agreed, “we should stay positive. Even if this probably won’t be enough, it should at least be a good start. Ace just has to get to know you. Or at least we can maybe figure out a little better why he reacted like that.”
“Ed already told me a bit when I asked, but I don’t know how much it helps. I mean, if it was just that he thought I was evil for some reason, that would be easy, but since some of the stuff he’s angry about really did happen exactly as he thinks it did, I can’t really set anything right, I just have to try to make up for it.”
Rouge hummed, trying to sort her thoughts. “I don’t think anything that happened is your fault. Maybe you chose to live your life the way you did, but I don’t think Ace is really upset about any of that. He more or less followed in your footsteps and became a pirate, and he’s incredibly supportive of Luffy becoming the next pirate king, even if that’s going to throw the world into more chaos. Maybe if he could start blaming the people who tried to kill him before he was even born instead of you, that would help.”
“Okay, but how do we get him to do that?”
That was the million berry question, wasn’t it? Rouge had no idea if Ace would listen if they tried to explain anything.
“I doubt it’s gonna be easy,” Crocus said. “I mean, I get where you’re coming from, but if you wanna be fair, you gotta admit you did actively try to be as annoying as possible even after your death, Roger. Personally I think it’s pretty fun, even if the marines keep showing up every other month to try and arrest me and I have to hide out in Laboon’s stomach if I don’t want to fight a whole warship of them. It’s probably not as fun for a little kid to be hunted like that.”
Ace certainly hadn’t sounded like he’d been having all that much fun, at least not before Luffy was also banished into the mountains with him for his piracy aspirations.
And Crocus wasn’t done making his point yet. “I guess you can’t really know since you were, you know, dead and all, but they really went all out hunting everyone down who was in any way associated with you, Roger. They didn’t stop at the crew like they usually do – Tom was in Impel Down because he built your ship. Nobody even tries to look for the shipwrights of the Moby Dick or the Red Force or the Queen Mama Chanter, because there’s really no point. But you made yourself the face of global piracy on the day of your execution, and the world government responded accordingly by trying to wipe out everyone and everything even vaguely connected to you.”
“The world needed a new era!”
“And your son needed a father.”
“You know better than anyone else that I would’ve died anyway!”
Roger was getting agitated now, and Rouge flinched as he raised his voice, but Crocus remained calm.
“I do. Does Ace?”
“Of course he-” Roger stocked. “I don’t know? Everyone knew… Hm, I can’t remember telling Garp about it, so probably not? But Ed knows for sure, he could’ve told Ace, but then he did say Ace never asked and didn’t want to hear anything…”
Oh. Rouge had just assumed Garp already knew, so she hadn’t told him about Roger’s illness either.
If Ace really didn’t know, that was a crucial piece of information he was missing. Things definitely started to make more sense now.
“So from his perspective, it would look like you just abandoned him in favour of putting on a big show and starting the age of piracy for no good reason,” Rouge concluded. “Especially since Garp does know for sure that he didn’t actually catch you and you just turned yourself in all of a sudden.”
You could basically see realization dawn on Roger. “Shit. No wonder he thinks your death is my fault, if I could’ve lived, there would be no excuse to just leave you on your own, I should’ve done everything I could to protect you-“
“Hey.” Rouge grabbed his face, effectively ending Roger’s monologue. He was just talking about what-ifs, but when she looked into his eyes, there was real guilt there. “Your illness wasn’t your fault. I knew I wouldn’t get long with you when I married you, and I chose to do it anyway. I knew all of the risks and I still wanted you, I wanted a child with you. I could’ve walked away at any point, but I didn’t. You hear me? I love you, Roger, and that made it all worth it. I regret nothing.”
It was sweet that Ace might be upset on her behalf, really, she was honoured, but it was entirely unnecessary. If she hadn’t been willing to die for it, she’d never have gotten with Roger in the first place.
“Rouge…” Roger’s voice was barely more than a whisper, but they were so close together, it didn’t matter. “I promise you on my pride as a pirate, I won’t let you suffer like that again. I’ll stay by your side through hell and high water. We have a future, and it will be a bright one.”
Roger had a way with his words that drew Rouge in almost against her will, that made her not just pay attention but believe him even when she knew he had little to no basis for his words. It was as if he could simply speak that future into existence, bending fate to his will with nothing but the fire in his eyes.
It was only natural for their lips to meet from there, and Rouge let herself sink into Roger’s embrace. His comforting arms around her blocked out the storm outside of the train’s window and the rest of reality with it.
Right up until Crocus loudly cleared his throat. “You guys realize I’m still here, right?”
Rouge felt a blush creep into her cheeks as Roger threw his friend a dirty look.
Thankfully, they reached Pucci not too long after that, so Rouge could cool herself with the clean evening air. The storm had stopped short of the coast, nothing but a dark wall of clouds in the distance, illuminated in a glowing orange by the setting sun.
As she made her way through the crowd at the station, Rouge could hear Roger grumble behind her. “Why’d you have to interrupt us? That was so unnecessary, couldn’t you tell we were having a moment?”
Crocus didn’t seem to care, though. “Just don’t have a moment when I have no way of escaping the situation! Why did you have to get so sappy in the first place anyway? Now that was unnecessary!”
“You just don’t get it! When you have a wife, sometimes you just get overwhelmed with how much you love her, and then you gotta have a moment! …But I guess you wouldn’t know since you’re single.”
Even as Roger yelped in pain from some act of violence Crocus had committed after that comment, Rouge couldn’t help but smile.
She was way too in love with Roger.
“I really think you should offer some side dishes.”
“Nah.”
“At least add more diverse seasoning!”
“Nope.”
“Please just take this knife and fork. Ace. Please.”
“Not necessary.”
“Why are you like this…?”
Ace only huffed in amusement as Thatch threw his hands up into the air, hopefully giving up for good this time.
It wasn’t like Ace didn’t appreciate the chef giving him tips, and he knew Thatch was right when looking at it from a general angle, but he was also missing the point.
The truth was that Ace was no chef, and he had no aspirations to ever be one. As much as he liked to eat, cooking felt tedious. It took too long, and the finer details of it would always escape Ace, and even if he did notice the effects, it just wasn’t worth the effort when he ended up gulping it all down in one go anyway.
But Ace wanted to share something with his mother. The trip today that she sadly didn’t go on, for starters, so he’d bought some of the gourmet meat on Pucci’s market after they’d shaken off the waiter.
It was a little more than just a souvenir, though. Ace had spent most of his life eating meat without cutlery, roasted over an open fire, with little to no spices, and no side dishes other than what he found in the jungle or the occasional bowl of rice Dadan pushed his way.
Obviously a full-course meal would be better and more impressive, but it wouldn’t be Ace’s.
This was something Ace could make entirely by himself, though, and it was good, even if it wasn’t as refined as it could be.
All the proof Ace needed was Luffy hanging over his shoulder, mouth watering as he kept asking to eat the one slice of meat Ace had made, while the rest of the kitchen was full of other food – including meat, of course – made by actual chefs that Luffy could also be eating.
And yet he was here, trying to grab the meat Ace had made, because even though Luffy now also had a better cook on his crew, this meal was still home to him as much as it was home to Ace.
In hindsight, Ace really should’ve gotten a slice for Luffy, too, to avoid this exact scenario, but he’d been so excited about his idea he hadn’t considered anything else.
Oh well. “This is for mom, Luffy,” he explained for the hundredth time, but this time, he grabbed his brother by the shirt and threw him on the ground. Not that it even hurt Luffy, he bounced back onto his feet immediately like the rubber boy he was. “If you wanna eat my cooking, I’ll make something for you later, okay? Mom should be here soon if the train is on time, I can’t let this get cold now.”
Ace just started walking out of the kitchen, and Luffy grabbed some random stuff to eat before following him, eyes still suspiciously on the gourmet meat Ace was carrying. Good thing Ace had spent seven years living with Luffy, he knew all his tricks, and would never let his guard down. He’d lost too much of his food to Luffy to make such a foolish mistake ever again.
He made it out on deck with the meat still safely on the plate, and kept warm by the tiny flames Ace summoned around it.
It wasn’t perfect, the meat would dry out if he kept this up for too long, but if it was for just a few minutes, it would help keep the meat hot and ready to be eaten even in the slightly chilly evening air.
Of course, even when his mom did arrive just a little later, there was still the glaring problem of Roger also returning.
Ace had anticipated this, but he hadn’t come up with a solution to prevent it. The best he could do was simply try and ignore his existence completely. Clearly talking to Roger had no effect, he either hadn’t realized Ace just wanted him to disappear, or he didn’t care.
But Ace would not let Roger ruin this.
“Welcome back, mom! I hope you had a delightful trip!” He could hear Luffy snicker behind him, like he always did when Ace brought out his polite speech, but of course Luffy wouldn’t get it. You had to be polite when presenting a gift! Besides, if he was using words Makino taught him, there was no way he’d fail to say anything, or accidentally say something rude while he was looking for words. “Luffy and I had a great time, but since you weren’t there, I thought it appropriate to get you a souvenir.”
“Oh?” His mother beamed at the words, making Ace feel giddy. She liked it! It had been a good idea! “That’s so nice of you!”
Now she only needed to like what Ace made. “Here!” He presented her the plate with the meat. “It’s gourmet meat I bought on the trip, but I cooked it by myself, just like I did back when we lived in the jungle when I was hunting to feed myself and Luffy.”
Was this weird after all? He wasn’t sure anymore and Luffy’s “Feed me now, Ace” didn’t exactly help. “Um,” Ace tacked on, “obviously there’s a whole dinner in the mess hall so if you want something that’s not just meat…”
“I’ll eat it if you don’t want it!” Luffy once again intercepted, and Ace, again, had to slap away his grabby fingers reaching for the meat.
Thankfully, the little exchange only made his mom chuckle.
“Well, Luffy, if you want it so badly, it must be good, yes? Then of course I want it as well.” She took the plate from Ace with a smug smile directed at Luffy. “Maybe next time you want something, you should pretend it’s bad and nobody would want it, to make it easier for you to get it for yourself.”
As Luffy tried to wrap his mind around that logic, Ace could practically see the question marks pop up around his head. “Sorry, I think any lessons on proper deception are wasted on him…”
“Yes, probably. But he’s cute when he’s trying to think, don’t you agree?”
True. Luffy was sitting on deck, his arms crossed and head tilted to the side, the most adorable confused expression on his face. He pursed his lips, then shook his head. “I can’t tell you it’s bad. Ace made it. What if I told you he can’t cook meat and then you don’t like him anymore? He’d be sad.”
Ace’ cheeks instantly heated up at Luffy stating his desire for his mom to like him so plainly, but he didn’t have it in him to be mad. In his own way, Luffy was doing his best to be considerate, and really, what had Ace ever done to deserve such a sweet little brother?
“I’d still like Ace even if he wasn’t good at cooking meat,” Rouge said, finally taking a bite, “but you’re right, this is good. Thank you for preparing this for me, Ace, I really appreciate it.”
Ace beamed. Yes! She liked it! Success!
“Does that mean you can make my meat now?” Luffy’s eyes were sparkling, legs bouncing with impatience.
“She’s not even done eating! If you’re so hungry, go to Thatch, he’ll give you something to tide you over.”
Up to this point, Ace had been gaining hope that his plan to just ignore Roger might actually work, but of course he wasn’t actually that lucky. That man could never stay quiet or just realize he wasn’t welcome and leave. He always needed attention on him.
“No need to worry,” he loudly announced, “I also brought meat as a souvenir from our trip! The best Mizu Mizu Meat I could find in Water 7! And there’s enough for both of you, so no need to fight over it!”
Roger looked extremely proud of himself as he presented a large bag filled with meat, and of course, Luffy immediately zeroed in on it to start stuffing himself.
There were times to expect loyalty from your family, and then there were times when Luffy was presented with meat, and you just had to accept he forgot everything else.
The one way Ace could hope to drag Luffy away from Roger’s bribes would be to present him with other meat, but Ace hadn’t bought any. That was turning out to be a bigger mistake than he could’ve ever anticipated. Was it too late now to go to the kitchen and get something for Luffy?
He didn’t have the time, as Roger pushed the bag of meat closer to him. “Come on, it’s for you, too. I know it looks a little weird, but this is the juiciest meat you can find anywhere in the world!”
“I don’t want it. I’m not taking anything from you, no matter what.”
“Ace…” Ah damn, why did his mom have to sound so disappointed?
And why did Roger have to keep getting closer to him? Ace wanted to back away, but couldn’t bring himself to move backward or run. “Ace, there’s a lot of stuff you don’t know, that I probably should’ve told Garp about, but I can explain, okay?”
“I don’t care,” Ace hissed. As if an explanation would change anything.
“Please, Ace, at least listen to what he has to say,” his mother pleaded.
Ace really, really didn’t want to, but he didn’t move away, and he didn’t want to tell his mother no, so he was stuck doing nothing, which Roger took as encouragement to keep going and gently put his hands on Ace’ shoulders.
They were heavy, and warm, and Ace couldn’t stand it. Whatever Roger started to say, it didn’t reach his ears.
“Let go of me!” he snapped, and he still couldn’t move away, but he didn’t need to as his upper body turned to fire on reflex, sending a pillar of flames upwards, hot and sudden enough to make Roger stumble backwards and let Ace breathe a little. “I don’t want your meat, and I don’t want your explanations, either! Just leave me alone!”
Roger was stunned into blissful silence, while Rouge looked between her husband and son, clearly conflicted. Ace hated the pained look on her face, but he didn’t know what to say, so for a few seconds, they stood there in awkward silence.
“Are we fighting now?” Luffy, bless him, probably hadn’t listened at all. He was still chewing on two bones in his mouth, looking excited at the prospect of exercise. “If you’re fighting the old man, I’m joining in!”
“We’re not fighting. Remember, Marco said no fighting today.”
“I don’t need to listen to pineapple, he’s not my doctor or even my crewmate.”
“Well, you lost your doctor, didn’t you? He’d tell you to rest too otherwise.”
That had been the wrong thing to say. Any excitement was instantly gone from Luffy’s face, and he snapped his mouth shut. For a moment, Ace expected him to start crying, like he always had when Ace thoughtlessly hurt him, but it looked like his crybaby little brother had grown up quite a bit in the years they’d spent apart.
The lack of tears didn’t really help. Luffy was still an open book.
Fuck.
How had Ace managed to fuck up everything so quickly. His eyes darted to his mother, but he had no idea how to fix what she was clearly still upset about, so he turned back to Luffy.
“Sorry,” he said before Luffy could really get angry at him or turn away, “I didn’t think that one through. Chopper’s a smart little reindeer, I bet he’s already back on Sabaody, eating cotton candy in the amusement park and waiting for you to come back so you can continue your adventure. How about I make you that meat I promised now, and then we go to sleep so we can train all day tomorrow? That way, you’ll be stronger when you see your crew again.”
Luffy thankfully perked up again quickly. “And if pineapple says no again tomorrow?”
“We’re just not gonna ask tomorrow, then he can’t say no. Easy.”
“Ohhh, that’s so smart! Alright, let’s go eat so I can kick your ass tomorrow!”
“Nobody said anything about you kicking my ass! I’m still way stronger than you, you’ll see!”
Ace just let Luffy drag him off towards the kitchen, even though his stomach churned at the idea of just leaving without setting things right with his mom.
What if he’d messed up now? Would she think he was unreasonable and not worth the trouble? If she had to pick a side, would it be Roger’s?
Probably. Ace still didn’t really know her.
And now he’d spend the whole night wondering if he ever would.
Chapter 21
Summary:
In order to get along with Ace, both Rouge and Roger seek advice from those Ace already loves.
Rouge's plan ends in quality time with Ace and Luffy.
Roger's plan somehow leads to Ace getting punched right through the chest.
These things happen.
Notes:
so it's been what, three months? sorry ^^; I've been writing a bunch of other stuff, and this chapter is LONG. it took a while to write all of this, I'm not the fastest writer...
BUT! we've now officially passed 100k words!
I can't believe I now have two fics that are that long... and the end isn't even in sight... wild.
hope you all enjoy!!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
The sun was only just peeking above the waves on the horizon, but when Marco flew up to the mast to take a breath of fresh air after spending another night taking care of Pops, someone was already occupying his usual space.
Rouge sat there, partially transformed, letting the fresh breeze blow through her feathers.
Well, as tired as he was, he’d wanted a chance to talk to her regardless, after seeing Ace upset yesterday. Marco hadn’t been there for it, but things had blown up exactly in the way Ace feared they would, and it really didn’t take much explanation to understand.
Though hopefully nothing was quite unsalvageable yet, even if Ace had sounded like it.
“Hm, I’m not sure how I feel about you in my favourite spot.” Marco made sure to smile at Rouge as he landed next to her, talons grasping the yard while the rest of him transformed into his human form.
“Am I interrupting your private time? I can leave, but I’d like to point out this ship has plenty of other perfectly serviceable masts with very comfortable looking yards, and I was here first.” With the way Rouge was letting her legs dangle casually, she really didn’t look like she was at all willing to leave, though it wasn’t like Marco actually wanted her to leave.
Still, he huffed. “This one is the highest. That’s why I like it best. And I’ve spent years trying to convince the entire crew that it’s a personal preference and has nothing to do with any bird instincts from my devil fruit possibly taking over my habits. Your presence here is going to set this debate back at least a decade.”
That drew a laugh from Rouge, at least. “Sorry. You can tell them I used to live on a hill, so I’ve liked high places before ever eating my fruit, if it helps. Though the wind does feel nice in my feathers… so who knows.”
“The truth isn’t relevant to the discussion. I can’t lose the debate now.”
“I wish you the best of luck in that endeavour.”
It was a losing battle, they both knew. Marco would have to learn to live with the teasing.
“Thank you. I’m willing to share the luck, if you think you need some of it, too.”
Instantly, her smile fell. After all, jokes aside, she had a pretty complicated problem at her hands, with stakes much higher than some teasing. “I’ll take it, but I’m pretty sure I need more than just luck.” She sighed. “I assume you heard what happened?”
“Yeah, Ace told me.”
Which was a very nice way of putting it, considering Ace had spent like three hours pacing and panicking while mumbling to himself, and Marco had to parse from that how things went down.
Rouge sighed again. “I’ll admit I don’t really know what to do. I want to be Ace’ mother, but he’s an adult I barely know, and it’s not like I’ve got any idea of how to be a mom in the first place. I guess the obvious first step is to spend time with him and get to know him better, but…”
“While Ace wants to do that with you, he doesn’t want Roger there. At all,” Marco finished for her. “You could just let him have his way and try not to even mention Roger? Perhaps it’s not a real solution, but he’d start trusting you more, and eventually would probably be more willing to talk to you instead of just blowing up.”
Of course, Marco could also tell her in quite a lot of detail what exactly Ace’ problem with Roger was – he was the one who held Ace late at night when he felt lonely and insecure, when he doubted his right to even live in this world because of his heritage – but it would be an extreme betrayal of trust. Ace struggled with showing vulnerability, but he’d opened up to Marco. There was no way he could simply give away Ace’ secrets.
Whether or not Ace wanted his mother to know about his feelings and trauma was his choice, and he’d have to tell her himself.
Until or unless he did, they’d have to find another way to keep going.
“That’s the conclusion I came to as well,” Rouge admitted, “but it… feels wrong. Roger was so excited when he found out we were going to be parents. He was so upset he wouldn’t be able to see our child even once, and still left because it would be safer for us. I can’t… If we’re going to be a family, it has to include him as well.”
Well. That was probably the polar opposite of what Ace would say he wanted. Great. “You probably don’t want to tell Ace that so directly.”
Because Marco knew. He knew Ace would take it to mean his mother had chosen Roger over him, and they couldn’t ever be a family.
“You know him better, so I’ll take your advice on that,” Rouge said. “You don’t also happen to have a solution? Anything that I or Roger can do? Maybe there’s a way to get him to listen… You two seem really close, so I just thought…”
While she trailed off, her eyes didn’t leave Marco, and for a moment, he felt like she was watching his every move. Was she onto them? Did she already suspect they were dating?
He really didn’t want to have that conversation with her while Ace wasn’t there.
“I’ve been supporting Ace since he joined, first as a doctor after he lost to Pops, and then pretty soon as a friend, too. Though it took a while for him to accept any support at all.” Marco hummed thoughtfully. “I guess that’s one thing you’ll definitely have to factor in – time. Ace never liked Roger, so you can’t expect him to change his mind from one day to the next, regardless of what you do.”
There. Conversation safely back on topic, with some hopefully helpful advice. Rouge was still mustering him, but she didn’t press further on their connection, so maybe Marco had just imagined it.
“Gotta take it step by step, yeah, that makes sense. I guess no matter what, the first step is always getting to know him better, and gaining his trust. I just have to figure out how.”
“I don’t think you’ll really have a hard time.” Ace made friends easily if none of his issues got involved, and he really wanted to connect with Rouge. “He’s been really looking forward to learning swordplay from you, even though until two days ago, he never considered that for a second. That’s the kind of power you have. Oh, but don’t tell him I told you that.”
Rouge smiled. “Fine. Your secret is safe with me. As long as you tell me what you think Roger should do now, Mr. Ace expert.”
“Uhhh, well, that’s a lot harder.” It had taken three months and a hundred murder attempts to get Ace to accept Pops, just because of a vague association with Roger as his rival, what would it take for Ace to actually give Roger himself a chance? “Be patient, I guess? Maybe try some kind of compromise?”
That drew a long sigh from Rouge. “Roger isn’t good at either of those things.”
Yeah, well.
Nobody said this was gonna be easy.
Roger would have to fucking try, or Marco would eventually consider his chance as passed and kick him off the ship, just to give Ace some peace of mind.
“Ace! Let’s go fight now!”
Luffy was bouncing around, so full of energy as if he’d never gotten hit by a bunch of deadly poison and had his chest cut open, and it eased Ace’ mind considerably.
Ace was definitely still feeling the consequences of his time in prison, but they were at a point where he could brush them aside if necessary, and of course showing Luffy that he was still stronger was absolutely necessary. As was training with his mom, provided she still wanted to after what happened yesterday.
“Pops wanted to talk to me, so I’ll go do that, but you can wait for me up on deck. I gotta get clearance from Marco, too, but don’t worry, it’s not like he’s gonna say no. I’ll kick your ass into oblivion.”
“As if! I’ll show you how much stronger I’ve become! Don’t make me wait too long or I’ll count it as you giving up!”
“I’d never give up a fight against you! Get that idea right out of your head!”
But Luffy just stuck out his tongue before running off toward the deck, while Ace took a turn towards Pops’ cabin. He honestly had no idea what Pops wanted from him. He’d just have to see, and hope it wasn’t Roger-related.
Pops did call him in immediately after he knocked, and he was looking better compared to yesterday already, even if he was lacking the energy and speedy recovery that Luffy had. Still, his eyes were as lively and loving as ever, and Ace instantly felt more at ease.
“Morning Pops. Feeling better already?”
“Much better. I’ll go out on deck and get a drink once Marco’s asleep, I’ve been playing his game too long. Can’t let him think I’ll just do whatever he says now.”
Ace grinned. “I don’t think he ever thought that.”
For all his faith in their captain, Marco knew him better than anyone. Even Ace was aware Pops would get up the moment he wanted to, regardless of what Marco thought was best for him.
“Probably not,” Pops agreed with a laugh, “but I’m getting bored here. What’s the point of having such a big family if I can’t spend my time with all of them?”
“Well, I’m here now. I did promise Luffy to go fight him soon, though… Can’t let him think I’m throwing.”
Pops reached down to ruffle his hair. “You go have fun with your brother and don’t worry about your old man. I’ll come watch you throw him around as soon as I think Marco is deep enough asleep to not notice. But before that, there’s something important I need to talk to you about.”
As Pops’ expression turned serious, Ace grimaced. “It’s about Roger, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Of course. Of fucking course. With his family still coddling him after his trip to Impel Down and the newspaper covering up their relationship, Ace had been trying to fool himself into thinking everything except his relationship with his mother would be fine and completely unaffected by Roger, but of course that was just wishful thinking. His life would never be that easy.
He'd just have to deal with it somehow, and hopefully Pops would be willing to help him. “So what is it?”
For once, Pops actually seemed a little unsure, and it took him a few seconds to answer. “Squard is coming to meet up with us. If the weather’s favourable, he should be here around noon, so considering we’re in Paradise, I’m expecting him in the evening.” Shit. Squard. “Judging by your expression, you’re aware of the grudge he holds against Roger.”
“Yup.” That had been one hell of an awkward conversation. Squard had been drunk and crying and ranting, but very much under the impression that Roger couldn’t possibly have done anything to Ace considering he died before Ace was even born. Ace hadn’t corrected him, just tried to comfort him as best he could, before going to bed with a sense of guilt and shame.
What a friend he was, too much of a coward to tell Squard he was related to the monster that killed his entire crew.
And now that monster was here, travelling with people Squard called his family, all because of Ace.
Pops reached out to pull Ace to his side. “Nothing that happened is your fault. You weren’t even born.” Ace let himself rest against Pops’ large body, making sure not to put any pressure on the bandages still covering most of his torso, but he didn’t reply. “Maybe this will turn out well in the end. After all, Squard could never properly move on. Now he has a chance to figure out why Roger did what he did. I’m planning on asking Roger, too, before Squard gets here. And to make sure he doesn’t just attack Squard again if there’s some serious grudge involved.”
Hmph. As if Roger needed a reason to murder a bunch of people. “He probably just did it for fun,” Ace grumbled.
“Ace… Regardless of what you think of Roger, I really doubt that. Though I guess if he did, I can just throw him overboard, and even your mother won’t be able to say anything against it. One problem less to deal with.”
That at least made Ace snort. “As if it’s gonna be that easy.”
Pops hummed in agreement. “It’s probably gonna be a whole mess. I doubt either of them is just going to calmly listen to me and talk it out. But hopefully we can at least get them to attempt it. Even then, though, I doubt Squard will be happy with Roger being here, so we might have to explain to him what he wants…”
Ah. Of course.
“Everyone knows anyway.” There was no hiding it anymore, it would only be a matter of time until Squard figured it out, too. “Better to just get it over with.” Squard would probably hate him, but Ace couldn’t blame him for it. He had a better reason than most people who hated Ace for his heritage.
“The world at large still has no idea,” Pops reminded him. “But there’s definitely a chance he’ll find out, and I think it will be better if he hears it from us directly. Though if you don’t want to see his immediate reaction, I can tell him for you.”
Ace quickly shook his head. Pops meant well, of course, he wanted to shield Ace from the ugly truth, but he’d been running from it for too long already, and it had never truly helped. He knew how much he was hated anyway. “I’ll do it.” Really, he should’ve told Squard a long time ago, when he first told Ace about what happened to his first crew. “But… it would be nice if you were there for it.”
Last time, Ace had failed despite knowing what he should do, but with Pops there, he wouldn’t. He’d set an expectation now, and while it sucked to disappoint himself, it would be unacceptable to disappoint Pops. No, with Pops there, he could do anything. No matter how much he hated it.
“Of course. I’ll support you as much as you need.”
Years ago, before he’d met Pops, Ace would’ve been offended at even just the suggestion that he needed support, especially for something simple like talking to someone, but there wasn’t a trace of that left. He took it for what it was, for a gift of genuine love that he was still sure he didn’t truly deserve but couldn’t turn down regardless. “Thanks, Pops. You’re the best, you know that?”
“I recall you telling me two days ago, but it’s always nice to hear.” His tone was light, but his eyes were brimming with pride and happiness.
Ace still couldn’t quite understand why Pops liked being his father so much, but it was plain to see that he did, and in turn, Ace could also feel happiness and pride rising in his chest.
“I’ll tell you every day, then.”
“Gurararara, I know even if you don’t tell me. Just say it whenever you feel like it.”
Ace shrugged. “I feel like it a lot, though. Just saying.”
Now Pops picked him up off the ground, pulling him into one of his trademark bone-crushing hugs. Ace simply let it happen. Even if Pops was pressing right into some of the burns from Buggy’s explosion and a bruise on his ribcage from Teach that the Impel Down guards had kept kicking for fun to see what colour it would turn next, Ace would rather feel that pain than miss out on this hug.
Pops’ love was worth everything.
Eventually, Ace was set back down, and he couldn’t quite help wincing as his ribcage properly expanded again.
Pops didn’t miss it. “You should go see Marco before he goes to bed.”
Ugh. Not only did he have to be cold and alone all night because his boyfriend was still working, now he was also supposed to go see him so he wouldn’t be allowed to have fun all day?
He’d planned on it anyway, but Pops’ gaze was enough to stifle any complaint he had, and any budding ideas of maybe skipping out on it were cut off before they could grow into proper consideration.
“I know. Don’t worry, I feel fine, and Marco’s gonna heal me up even more!”
Pops just shook his head, a fond smile on his lips. “Alright. Just listen to what he says, and tell him to go to bed once he’s done with you. No more working for him until he’s slept.”
Ace grinned, knowing Marco wouldn’t be happy to hear that. “Got it!”
And off he went, straight to Marco’s cabin. There was a chance he was still in the infirmary since Ace hadn’t seen him at breakfast, but he’d rather check the cabin first. Going to the infirmary held the possibility of running into Deuce instead, and risking another check-up. Two separate opinions meant double the chance of not getting cleared, and with direct orders to go to Marco, Ace would do whatever he could to evade Deuce until Marco had already told him he was fine to train today.
Thankfully when Ace burst open the door to Marco’s cabin, he was already in there, right in the middle of taking off his pants.
…Nice.
Ace closed the door behind him, not saying anything as he simply appreciated the view. He knew Marco had heard him coming, but he hadn’t looked up or acknowledged Ace yet, so he was clearly just enjoying putting on a show.
Also indicated by Marco righting himself and finally turning to Ace, rather than moving to grab the pyjama shorts already laid out on his bed.
“You know, a decent person would knock, or at least apologize for interrupting.”
Ace smirked. “It doesn’t look like I was really interrupting anything to me. More like I came in at just the right time.”
“I guess it could’ve been worse.” Marco smirked right back at him. “I don’t mind showing off. But you’ll have to live with just looking today, I fear.”
Despite Marco’s words, Ace crossed the remaining distance between them, hugging Marco close, though he made no move to indicate he wanted to go further than a hug for now. “Really? I was kinda hoping you’d help me warm up again, I was so cold without you…”
Now Marco was frowning, his concerned doctor frown, and Ace knew if there’d been a tiny chance of sexy times, he’d just ruined it.
“You’re still cold? That should be impossible.” He quickly removed himself from Ace’ embrace, giving him a once-over. “Is the cold feeling stemming from a particular place? Can you still use your powers without issues? Maybe there’s a trace of seastone trapped in a wound somewhere.”
Ace just shrugged. “My fire works fine. I don’t feel bad, either. I’m not cold right now. It was just last night for some reason.”
For a moment, Marco mustered him. “Alright. But I’m still giving you a check-up right now. And if you want we can go to the infirmary so I can take a closer look at your injuries, too.”
“Nah. You’re going to bed right after this. Captain’s orders. And I’m gonna go do my fights with Luffy, can’t let him wait too long.”
As expected, Marco didn’t look too pleased with being told to sleep, even if he’d clearly already been planning on it, and he seemed just as displeased with Ace declaring he’d go fight Luffy. “Who says you’re cleared for sparring already?”
“You?” Ace put on his best hopeful face.
“Ace. You just got out of prison two days ago, you were really hurt, and you’ve barely had time to recover.”
“…Please? I don’t wanna disappoint Luffy, and what if Mom still wants to teach me how to use a sword after all? I can’t say no to her. And I really do feel fine!”
His pleas definitely didn’t leave Marco unaffected. “Let me have a look at you first,” he still insisted, but Ace knew he’d basically already won, so he sat down on Marco’s bed and let him change his bandages while trying his best not to show any signs of pain.
Marco did take his sweet time healing Ace again, too, but Ace would never complain about that.
There was just something about Marco’s flames dancing over his skin that he couldn’t get enough of. They felt like gentle caresses, pure warmth, all of Marco’s love and care, literally sinking right into Ace and settling deep inside of him, healing more than just the injuries on the surface.
It would almost be a shame once Ace was fully healed, because then he wouldn’t get to experience this anymore.
All he could do was enjoy it in the moment, until Marco deemed it had been enough.
With a deep sigh, Marco regarded him critically. “Alright. Fine. You can go fight your brother now, if you want to so badly.”
Ace jumped up, ready to thank Marco and dart out of the room, but Marco held him back. “But.”
“But?”
“You’re going to be careful. Try and use your observation haki or logia abilities to dodge hits, don’t just carelessly take them to prove a point to your brother. If any of your injuries start bleeding again, you stop immediately, you hear me? I don’t care if that ruins your perfect record or anything. And you’ll tell your mother that your wrists are the part of your body that’s the worst off currently, so while it’s fine to teach you the motions, no actual sparring where you’d have to block strikes until further notice. Understood?”
“I don’t need-“
“You need to listen to me, or I’m going to revoke my clearance altogether.”
Hmph. Ace knew perfectly well how to take care of himself. But Marco’s gaze was stern, and he wasn’t kidding about revoking his clearance, either. Mother hen. Couldn’t he see Ace needed to get stronger? He couldn’t afford a debacle like his fight with Teach ever again, and waiting around wouldn’t help.
“Fine. I’ll do my best to not get hurt. Happy?” Training observation haki wasn’t a terrible idea, anyway, he was way worse at it than armament. And just doing his best didn’t have to mean he couldn’t ever get hit. If it happened, it happened. He’d find a way to not bleed from it.
“Very.” Marco pressed a gentle kiss to Ace’ forehead. “Have fun, then.”
“Obviously. This is gonna be great! Thanks Marco, and sleep well!”
And with that, Ace was finally out the door, ready to find Luffy again.
The deck was pretty lively when Luffy stepped out into the sun. They were now far away enough from Pucci to truly experience the Grand Line fun, so while it was nice and warm under blue skies, several members of the crew were busy shovelling snow off the side of the ship. A couple were still having fun throwing snowballs at each other even as the snow was rapidly turning to mush in the rising temperatures.
Luffy was tempted to join in. He couldn’t see Bon-chan or Jinbei anywhere on deck even though they’d been done with breakfast much quicker than Luffy, and Ace was still talking to his dad and then that pineapple man he liked.
First things first though, he took off his hat and pulled out Rayleigh’s vivre card. The little slip of paper started slowly moving, but more to the left than straight ahead.
So they weren’t really on the way to Sabaody, then.
Ace had said they’d go there next, but only once the marines left.
Of course, Luffy wanted to protest, he wanted to see his crew as fast as he could, but how? The creepy guy with the light and the one with the paws who’d sent them all away were now both on Sabaody again, along with the ice guy Robin was so scared of, and the magma guy who’d hurt Ace’ dad. And Gramps.
If he went to see his crew now, he’d just lose them all over again immediately.
Maybe this time they wouldn’t just be sent away.
As the captain, he couldn’t be that selfish. It was his job to protect them all.
He needed every single one of them by his side to become Pirate King. He couldn’t afford to lose even one of them. They were all crucial to his dream, the best crew he could ever ask for, but right now, it was Luffy who was the weak link.
If he couldn’t protect them, he’d never fulfil his true dream.
He needed to become stronger.
And he spotted just the right guy to help him with that until Ace would show up.
“Hey, old man! Fight me!”
Ace’ not-dad was hanging over the railing by himself, not doing anything, so there was no way he’d mind some fun, right?
Sadly, all he did was minimally turn his head in Luffy’s direction. “Ah… Sorry, I’m not in the mood to fight…” He heaved a monumental sigh before turning back to face the sea again.
Luffy hadn’t imagined the Pirate King to be such a boring guy.
“Come on, man! I gotta pass the time until we get to Sabaody with training, and Ace is still busy talking to his dad or whatever, I’m bored. You said you’d fight me yesterday!”
All that did was make him cry.
“You’re so lucky… Ace loves you. I wish he’d want to train with me later… He didn’t even eat the meat I brought for him. What better gift could there be? How much does he have to hate me if he won’t even take free meat from me? I couldn’t imagine turning that down… He does like meat, right? It’s not because he doesn’t like it or doesn’t care, right?”
“Ace loves meat. He just hates you,” Luffy happily informed him. Maybe if he answered all the questions Roger had, he’d agree to fight him?
But he just cried harder. “But I want him to like me! Why can’t he like me? What makes me so different from you, huh?”
“I’m his brother. You’re not. Also, Ace doesn’t like crybabies.”
“A man’s tears are no shame.” Still, Roger sniffled, trying to blink the tears away. “Just don’t tell him, he doesn’t need to think of his dad as a crybaby.”
“You’re not his dad.”
…And Roger was right back to crying. “You really know how to kick a man when he’s down, you know that? I am his dad. Whitebeard’s never stopped me before.”
Luffy just shrugged. “I don’t really get it, anyway. Ace used to say you’re his dad, but now he’s saying it’s the other old guy with the funnier moustache.”
“My moustache is obviously better in every way!” Roger suddenly whirled around. “Wait, Ace used to call me his dad?”
“Yeah, when we were kids.”
“So was it Eddy giving him weird ideas after all? Was it? Did Ace say anything else back then?”
He was now grabbing Luffy’s shoulders, hard enough to squish the rubber underneath his hands. Not very nice. Luffy hadn’t been planning on leaving. “How would I know? Ace just said he hated you and told me to never talk about it.”
Roger instantly deflated again. “I just don’t get it… It’s like he loves everyone but me! You all get his love and all I get is anger and disrespect. How am I supposed to know what to do to make him like me when he just likes everyone except me right from the start?”
“Ace didn’t like me at first. He even tried to kill me!”
Luffy couldn’t help the grin spreading on his face, meeting Ace had been so much fun! A real adventure! Meanwhile Roger was so surprised he even forgot to keep crying.
“Seriously? But then what did you do?”
“Kept following him around and asking him to be my friend! It wasn’t easy because he kept trying to lose me in the jungle, but I had nobody else, and Ace was so strong and cool, so I didn’t give up.”
“And then he just started liking you?”
“Yup! He saved me from a pirate who was trying to get me to spill where Ace’ and Sabo’s treasure was, and then we became brothers!”
“Hmmmm…” Roger crossed his arms, looking thoughtful for a moment. Then he suddenly smiled. “Thanks, Luffy! You’ve been a real help!” He clapped Luffy on the back, and took off to the inside of the ship.
“Hey,” Luffy called after him, “what about my fight?”
“I’ll fight you later, I promise!”
Once Ace was gone, Whitebeard took a moment to breathe.
With Ace’ permission, he could talk to Squard. But right now, hearing Roger’s side of the story was way more important. After all, Whitebeard knew full well how Squard felt, and he could hazard a pretty good guess on how he’d act upon seeing Roger.
Roger was a total mystery though, and depending on what he’d say, what Whitebeard would do could change drastically.
Ideally, they’d have that talk up on deck just in case Whitebeard needed to throw Roger overboard, and without Ace present, but while Ace would be with Marco for a while and Roger was currently on deck, as long as Ace was with Marco, notably, Marco wasn’t asleep yet.
Sometimes, Whitebeard almost regretted teaching him observation haki, because now he could check where any given person was on their ship, and crucially, if they went away from the bed they should be resting in.
Such an annoying skill.
Sadly, by the time Marco was asleep and out for the count, Ace would be up on deck, sparring with his brother or training with his mother.
No good solution.
The choice was taken from him when Roger’s loud presence started getting louder, meaning he was heading straight towards Whitebeard’s cabin without any prompting.
Well, if he did have to throw him into the sea, the Moby would have to forgive him for breaking her walls once more.
Just like yesterday, Roger didn’t bother to knock as he entered, but this time, he didn’t waste a second to announce why he was there. “Hey Eddie, I’ve got some questions you gotta answer me! It’s about Ace so it’s important!”
Why did he have to yell that? Whitebeard’s head was already starting to hurt. But whatever Roger wanted to know presented a great opportunity, so he’d take it.
“I don’t see why I should tell you anything about Ace. It’s none of your business.” Roger’s expression quickly turned a little angry, but Whitebeard continued before he could complain. “How about you answer some of my questions first? If I like your answers enough, I might just help you out and tell you what you want to know.”
Roger’s eyes narrowed. “What kind of questions?”
Perfect. Now they could get into it, and Whitebeard hadn’t really promised anything in return.
“Another one of my sons is going to meet up with us, probably later today. His name is Squard.”
Roger tilted his head to the side, confusion plain on his face. “And?”
“The name doesn’t ring any bells?”
“No. Should it?”
Great, just great. So much for hearing Roger’s side of the story.
“It really should.”
“Well, it doesn’t. Who is he?”
Whitebeard sighed. “A pirate captain. Of the Maelstrom Spider Pirates.” Still absolutely no recognition sparked. “He became one of my allies while you were dead, and spent some time as a member of my crew as well. But the crew he’s leading now is his second one, because his first crew was wiped out completely. By you.”
“Hm. Well. That’s awkward.” Roger didn’t even have the decency to look guilty or ashamed. “I killed a bunch of crews though, if they deserved it. No idea why I’d leave the captain alive. Maybe I didn’t think it was important or something?”
Deep breaths. He had to take deep breaths.
“Well, it’s important now, because unfortunately for you, Squard is friends with Ace. You better choke up a damn good reason for what you did, because Squard claims you attacked without warning or provocation, and Ace will take his side when he comes here.”
Roger pouted. “How is that fair? I totally don’t remember that guy, and I never just attacked random pirate crews for no reason. Maybe to rob them if we were low on funds, but not to kill them all. He could just be making all of that up!”
No, Squard’s grief and anger were definitely real. “I highly doubt that. His crew recently returned from the dead as well, so he has them to back up his story.”
“What? So it’s all good then if they’re back. I don’t even know who they are, so it’s not like I’ll kill them again. I don’t care. Unless he shows up here and I remember why I hate him, then who knows. Maybe I’ll finish the job.”
Something inside of Whitebeard snapped. “You are not going to harm my son while you’re a guest on my ship.” He knew the anger in his chest was flowing off of him in waves of conqueror’s haki, and it would alert all of his kids, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. “If you so much as raise your sword against Squard, you’ll have to consider me and every member of my crew your mortal enemy, do you understand?”
Roger didn’t even flinch, his own haki rising to meet Whitebeard’s.
They were locked in a standstill, equals in terms of will, until one of them either backed down or reached for a weapon.
Whitebeard wouldn’t move an inch. He wouldn’t provoke a fight with Roger if he didn’t have to, but he wouldn’t budge on his position either. All of his sons were under his protection, always. That was non-negotiable.
Besides, if Roger had any sense at all, he’d understand exactly what Whitebeard meant when he’d said every member of his crew.
After all, Roger was well aware Ace was a part of that crew.
Right now, for better or for worse, Ace only truly held a grudge against a dead man. If Roger hurt or worse, killed Squard, he had nobody but himself to blame for Ace hating him.
If Whitebeard interpreted the frustration in Roger’s eyes correctly, he’d come to the same conclusion.
“Fine. I’ll protect myself and mine if he attempts revenge, but I won’t harm him while I’m sailing on your ship. As I said, if I don’t remember him, I’ve got no reason to anyway.”
Whitebeard allowed himself the tiniest sigh of relief as the tension in the room slowly dissipated. “Maybe ask your crew if they remember anything. They might know more than you. And if they don’t, figure out a nice way to tell Squard you have no clue who he even is.”
“I don’t think there’s a nice way to say that… But sure, I’ll go ask Crocus and Buggy later, I don’t see why not.”
Yeah, there was no way Squard would accept Roger just not remembering, no matter how he phrased it. But maybe the clown kid would come through again. “Good enough, I guess. Then you can ask me about Ace now, if you still want to.”
“Obviously! That’s why I’m here in the first place! So tell me, did Ace come here already wanting you to be his dad? Or did he at least like you instantly?”
Well, this wasn’t a secret, some of it had even been in newspapers, so Whitebeard could answer. “Not at all. He came here to fight, ready to kill me. Tried about a hundred times before he accepted my offer to become my son, but he hasn’t regretted that choice even once since then.”
Surprisingly, Roger didn’t seem upset by any of this. “So you had a bunch of fights with him?”
“Well, calling them fights might be a bit generous… I was mostly just throwing him overboard to get him to cool his head a little.”
“A fight’s a fight,” Roger waved him off.
Now he was definitely making a face like he had an idea, and Whitebeard didn’t really like it. Most of the time, Roger’s ideas didn’t end well, and he didn’t have Rayleigh here to reign him in. Would this be a problem? Maybe. Would it be a headache? Almost definitely.
“Don’t do anything stupid.”
“Hey! I wasn’t about to do anything!”
“You were making a face like you would.”
“My face was perfectly normal!” Roger huffed. “Whatever. That’s all I really needed to know. Oh, but can you tell me where that other brat is right now? The one with the mask that Ace is friends with?”
Whitebeard raised his eyebrows. “Deuce? What do you want from him?”
“Just gotta ask him something real quick.”
Well, if it would keep Roger busy, sure. “He’s in the infirmary. But I believe he also doesn’t like you on Ace’ behalf, so I can’t guarantee you’ll get any answers from him.”
Roger grinned confidently. “I’ll manage, thanks.” He turned to leave, but as he was halfway through the door, he stopped and turned back around. “…How do I get to the infirmary again? Your ship’s too big.”
Whitebeard huffed a laugh. “I’ll have you know the Moby is perfect in every way, including in size. Nothing wrong with a big girl.”
Still, he took pity on Roger, and explained how he could find his way to the infirmary. Knowing him, it wouldn’t be a bad idea if he knew where it was anyway.
When Rouge returned to the deck after getting a late breakfast, Ace was already out, sparring with his younger brother.
Or, well, she wasn’t quite sure if it was sparring. Right now, he’d managed to tie one of Luffy’s legs around the mast. Luffy was trying to get it free, but it looked like he was only adding to the complexity of the knot.
She couldn’t understand all the words, but they were yelling at each other and laughing.
For a moment, she just watched.
Ace looked so carefree and happy, like a kid just playing around. There were still bandages on him, way too many of them, but he seemed entirely unbothered by them.
When he was with his little brother, there was nothing for him to worry about. As Ace took pity on Luffy and untied him, they started another round, and even from afar, it was easy to see just how well they knew each other. Luffy’s body moved in a way no other person on earth could possibly achieve, but Ace saw it coming, and adapted to whatever he hadn’t seen before in the blink of an eye. In turn, Luffy clearly anticipated Ace’ movements as well, to the point where it looked like a practiced performance rather than the spar it was.
It was proof of time spent training and growing together, of familiarity and a bond that couldn’t be broken even after three years spent apart.
Rouge wanted to get there, too. She wanted to be so familiar to Ace, wanted to be able to make him forget all his troubles and just let him have fun, but she knew she was still far from it.
The moment she’d make herself known, Ace would get nervous, and yesterday’s debacle would be at the forefront of his mind again. Just her presence would ruin it all.
But she wanted to connect with him, and Ace wanted the same, even if he’d prefer having Roger out of the picture. If she didn’t keep trying, they’d never get there.
She’d be patient and compromise, as Marco had said. For now, while Ace was upset from yesterday and with Luffy around, she’d do what she could to reassure him. It had been a promise, after all, and breaking it would shatter Ace’ trust in her. But afterwards, if she could get him alone, she’d try talking to him about Roger. Without him there, and without any sort of condition that Ace would have to talk to him or get along with him, maybe he could talk to her openly, or she’d get a chance to talk.
If Ace listened to her, if he heard the full story, maybe he’d be a bit more willing to accept Roger.
On the other end of things, she’d also have to start wearing down Roger a bit. He too had been quite upset yesterday, but his quiet brooding had already given way to whining in the morning, so by the time night would fall, it would likely be fine to tell him staying stubborn wouldn’t help.
At the very least, Roger would probably have to get used to the idea of sharing the title of Ace’ father with Whitebeard.
It seemed like Whitebeard had earned it, after all, and Ace would be unlikely to ever choose Roger over him. In the end, Rouge couldn’t blame him for it. And there was no harm in more than two parents, right? Even if Ace had never called her his mother, Rouge didn’t mind sharing the spot with Dadan.
They could absolutely make this work somehow.
With that determination set, Rouge watched in amusement as Luffy grabbed one of the buckets filled with soapy water for mopping the deck, and emptied its contents over Ace, which didn’t achieve much except making Ace squawk in indignation, and then jumping on Luffy to wrestle him to the ground.
When it looked like he had his brother pinned, Rouge started making her way over to them.
“I’d say that’s a win for Ace, but Luffy gets points for creativity.”
Luffy struggled in Ace’ grip. “No way! I haven’t lost yet!”
“Yes you have! That’s what you get for this nonsense! What the hell was that even about?”
“Water puts out fire! It totally makes sense! It worked on Crocodile, too! I gotta be able to hit you somehow!”
Ace huffed. “Just learn haki.” But he let Luffy go, getting up.
Up close, he looked totally drenched, and none too pleased about it.
Luffy sprung up as well, confusion on his face. “Haki? That thing Hammock and her friends used? What would that even do?”
“This.” Coating his fist in armament haki, Ace swiftly hit his brother over the head. And then he set himself on fire, drying off the water in one big cloud of steam.
“Ow! Why did that hurt? You’re not strong like Gramps, it shouldn’t hurt!”
“Hey, I’m strong, too,” Ace instantly complained. “But it hurts you because of the haki. You can hit through the effects of someone’s devil fruit with it. If you knew how to use it, you could hit me and any other logia you encounter. And anyone who knows it can hurt you despite your rubber body. Strength alone can’t do that.”
It took three seconds of silence before Luffy gasped. “Gramps can use haki? It’s not because it’s his fists of love?”
While the brothers were bantering, anger started coiling deep in Rouge’s gut.
Seriously? Garp hadn’t just hit them as kids, he’d used haki? On children? And then, rather than explaining to them that truly strong enemies they’d have to face would come equipped with the same power and teaching them the basics, he’d had the gall to claim it was his love that made him hurt them?
Shaky long-term plans aside, the first thing Rouge would do whenever she’d have to leave the Moby Dick behind would be to pay Garp a visit.
That man would never know happiness again for the rest of his life.
“Uh, mom? Is something wrong? You’re giving off a really murderous vibe…”
“If Ace said something rude, he didn’t mean it! He’s just stupid sometimes!”
Before Rouge could say anything to that, Ace hit Luffy over the head again. “You’re the last person who gets to call me stupid! It’s definitely your fault she got mad!”
“Huh?! I didn’t do anything!”
Rouge quickly raised her hands, trying to placate them before they could start fighting each other again. “Neither of you are at fault, don’t worry. I’m not angry at you at all.”
“Really?” Now that Ace turned to fully face her, his insecurity shown through. “Not even because of yesterday?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m not… happy about how things went, but I’m not mad at you. I’m sure you have your reasons, and I don’t want to pressure you into anything. It’s not like I can force you to like Roger, anyway.” Ace flinched the tiniest bit even just from hearing the name, so there was a long road ahead of them in that regard. “It’s not like that should keep us from training together though, right? I’ve been looking forward to it.”
“You did?”
Oh, he sounded so hopeful. Even through the disbelief, his eyes were starting to sparkle.
“Of course. Even before you were born, I’ve always imagined this as one of the things I’d love to do if I did get to see you grow up. I didn’t think I’d ever get to, but now that I do, I’m really excited!” It wouldn’t be quite the same as she’d imagined, she’d imagined him still being a kid, playing with wooden swords rather than an adult who was already an accomplished fighter without a sword, but in the end, those kinds of details didn’t matter. Having kids never turned out exactly how you imagined it, anyway, that was part of the fun.
Ace beamed. “Let’s do it then! We can start right now if you want! Do I need to go get a sword or something?”
“Hey, wait!” Luffy jumped between them. “What about my fights? I don’t wanna share with anyone but Sabo! I should get a hundred! Even if I’m sharing, it should be at least fifty! We’re only at nine! How am I supposed to get stronger like this? I haven’t won a single fight yet!”
“You’re not gonna win no matter how often we fight.” Ace crossed his arms. “Don’t be greedy. I’ve fought you a billion times, but I’ve never trained with mom before. We can fight later today, maybe after lunch or something.”
“Hmph.” Luffy crossed his arms as well, looking thoroughly unhappy.
It really was adorable, how much Ace tried to indulge his little brother, even when he was being slightly annoying. “Why don’t you join us?” Rouge smiled at Luffy. “If you want to get stronger, this could be a good idea, and I don’t mind at all.”
But Luffy shook his head. “I don’t need to know how to fight with swords. That’s what I have Zoro for.”
Rouge had no idea who this Zoro person was, though from the sounds of it, probably a member of Luffy’s crew? Though she still wasn’t sure why having a swordsman on your crew meant you didn’t have to know how to use swords yourself. Most crews had multiple swordsmen.
“You can… watch, if you want?”
“That’s boring. I’ll find a way to train by myself.”
And by that, he clearly meant right where he was, because he started punching the air basically instantly.
Alright.
“Sorry about him. He doesn’t mean anything by it, that’s how he’s always been. He won’t even learn to navigate on his own. Makes a big brother worry, but his crew seems pretty reliable, he does know how to pick them.”
Pride clearly shone through as Ace was talking.
“Well, if he’s happy like that, it’s fine. Wanna get started?”
“Sure,” Ace agreed eagerly. “So… how do we start?”
He actually looked a bit lost, his right hand raised as he looked around, possibly to locate a sword to start training with.
“Well, is there any specific type of sword you’d like to learn to use? Or a particular style?”
Rouge didn’t really expect Ace to have a preference considering he probably didn’t even know all that much about swords in general, but she figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask. Ace just shrugged. “I don’t know. Whatever you use? Or whatever you think is best.”
“Why don’t you pick up a couple different ones to see which one feels the best in your hands? Every sword has unique attributes that make them fit for different styles of battle, but you’re strong enough to go for a heavy longsword, or agile enough to pick a machete and focus more on speed than raw power. Though perhaps a good middle ground like a cutlass or a sabre would be best.”
Of course, Rouge was hoping Ace would want a cutlass. It would be such a shame if he learned to wield a blade and still couldn’t properly use his namesake.
She could tell him about it, of course, but she was kind of banking on Ace having no clue what type of sword Roger used, because he’d be the type to choose something else purely out of spite even if a cutlass felt best to him.
As of right now, he only looked adorably confused, and Rouge smiled as she pulled him to the side. “Don’t worry, you don’t need to remember all these words, or even decide instantly. Just try a couple. In the end, it’s all about what feels best for you.”
There were a few barrels of swords on deck that Vista had assured her they could use – they didn’t belong to anyone in particular, and were used for training anyway, as well as for surprise attacks or as a quick replacement if someone’s sword broke. While they weren’t the highest grade swords, they were perfectly serviceable, so just right for a beginner.
Ace looked at the swords for a moment, and eventually just pulled one out at random. “So how do I know if it feels good or bad to use?”
“Just take a few of them and swing them around a few times. You’ll see the difference in weight matters a lot, as does the form of the sword. I’d recommend picking one that you can swing with relative ease, so you won’t tire out too quickly. And it’s up to you whether you’d like a one-handed or a two-handed blade, though I’m much better at two-handed combat. If you pick a sword that you can still swing one-handed in a pinch though, you’re giving yourself more options to get out of that pinch. Considering you don’t even need a weapon in your other hand and can just use your fire, at least having the option wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
“Okay.” Ace still seemed a bit indecisive, but he took out a couple swords of different shapes and sizes, and swung them around one by one, always trying it with one and with both hands.
It definitely did look like he was swinging a pipe most of the time, and he didn’t even pay attention to always having the sharp side of the sword face in the direction of his swing.
He was definitely a long way off from being a swordsman.
Ace seemed to do slightly better with short, one-handed swords, though he swung those like a hunting knife, which Rouge took to mean he could indeed use the knife strapped to his shorts, though this was still pretty different from actual sword fighting, and not even really suited to the size of the swords he was using.
In the end, Ace settled on a sabre, which was close enough to a cutlass that Rouge counted it as a win.
“I think I like this one? But I’m still not quite sure what it’s supposed to feel like… This is just kind of around the same length and weight as one of the bigger pipes I used.”
“That’s fine! Let’s just use it for today, and if it turns out you don’t like it, you can always try something else, too. There’s no rush. Let’s start with the correct stance, okay? Show me how you’d hold yourself and the sword if you were to get ready to fight.”
Ace nodded and got into position. Rouge instantly noted that he positioned his legs pretty much perfectly, with his weight evenly distributed, ready to move in any direction at any time, while still standing solidly enough to block a hit. Maybe he wasn’t a swordsman, but Ace was already an experienced fighter, and it showed.
She still had to adjust his grip on the sword itself, but it wasn’t much. “Perfect,” Rouge praised after giving Ace another once-over, and quickly pulled out Ann. “Let’s get to actually training, then!”
There was a definite blush on Ace’ face, and he was clearly trying to suppress a proud smile. So cute.
“Uh, mom? Can we, like, just start with the motions before we do any sparring? And keep it at that today?”
Rouge frowned. She’d planned on showing Ace the motions first, sure, but it would help if he could get a feeling for the impact of blocks and strikes, too. He’d been so eager, she really hadn’t expected her son to ask for something that would slow them down. “Why? Because you don’t want to take away any of Luffy’s remaining matches?”
“Nah, I’d fight him a hundred times regardless.” Ace’ tone was light, but his face was turning a little grumpy. “Marco just said I’m not supposed to strain my wrists too much, that’s all.”
Oh. Of course! The seastone cuffs had been on his wrists. After the long-term exposure, obviously the wounds would take time to heal. Why hadn’t she thought of that? “He’s right, sorry, I should’ve taken that into account. It’s a good thing Marco’s looking out for you!” She wouldn’t have forgiven herself if she hurt Ace further.
“Marco’s just an overprotective mother hen,” Ace grumbled.
Clearly, she still had a lot to learn as a mother, if the guy Ace had a crush on was doing a better job than her. Ace probably hadn’t meant it like that, but still.
Baby steps, she had to remind herself.
Rouge would become Ace’ mother in time. For now, she’d just enjoy the time she had with him.
Roger made his way through the Moby Dick in large strides, doing his best to remember the correct way to the infirmary. Thankfully it wasn’t too far away from the main deck, for easy access after fights.
If he still walked past it the first time, well, it wasn’t his fault the door didn’t look different from the other doors.
Regardless, he found it pretty quickly all things considered, and as he threw the door open, he instantly had everyone’s attention, including Deuce’. Like Eddie had said, the guy scowled at him. Good. Even if it was inconvenient for Roger right now, Ace needed some unquestioningly loyal people by his side. People who would follow him no matter what, no matter how strong the opponent, no matter how irrational or stupid the goal or the way to get there was. Those were the best kind of people.
One of the nurses stepped forward. “Do you need something? We’ll help you if you do, but if you don’t, I’ll have to ask you to leave. Our patients need rest, and for that reason, it should remain quiet in here.”
Roger could totally be quiet if he wanted to, just for the record. He simply didn’t want to, usually.
“I just wanted to have a chat with Deuce. Don’t care where.”
All eyes now turned to the man in question, who didn’t look too happy with the attention. “Who said I wanted to have a chat with you?”
“Nobody,” Roger freely admitted, “in fact, Eddie said you probably don’t wanna talk to me. But I’m not giving you a choice.” He grinned, and simply grabbed Deuce by his collar to pull him outside.
Deuce struggled against his grip, but he was way too weak to even slow Roger down. Nobody else attempted to help him, either.
“If you hurt him, Pops will murder you,” another nurse called after them, but that was it.
Seriously, what did all these people think of him? If he wanted to hurt someone, he’d just outright do it. He said chat, so he meant chat.
Deuce eventually stopped struggling while Roger dragged him to the nearest quiet corner he could locate, though he was still glaring at Roger when he was let go. “What do you want?”
So hostile. Sadly he’d have to train a lot if he ever wanted to appear actually threatening, and it didn’t seem like he was doing that. “Chill. I just need to know if Ace ever tried to kill you when you first met.”
Now, Deuce was definitely confused by the choice of question. And surprised enough to actually answer. “Um, no?”
Hm. That threw a wrench in Roger’s plan, and muddied his conclusion. “Not even a little bit?”
“How would you even try to kill someone a little bit? I’m not Pops, if Ace wanted me dead at any point, I’d be dead.”
Maybe that was the reason Ace hadn’t tried? Too easy?
Now that he’d started talking, Deuce continued without giving Roger a chance to reply. “If you want to know so badly, I actually tried to kill Ace when we first met. Because he had food, and I was starving. And I’d figured out he was your son, so I thought ‘oh, it’s not much of a loss if I kill him. I’m doing the world a favour, actually. We don’t need that legacy to continue.’ I changed my mind, obviously, because Ace is so much more than his relation to you. He’s so much better than you could ever be, and honestly, you don’t deserve calling yourself his father. You’re damn lucky this is Pops’ ship, because if we were still on the Spadille, I would’ve long since pushed you into the sea to let you drown.”
What a good kid. Roger gave him a pat on the back. “I’m glad Ace has a friend like you. Now all you gotta do is get strong enough to make good on those threats, because I don’t take weaklings seriously, and you know Ace isn’t ever gonna pick weak opponents either.” He grinned, and turned to leave. “Thanks for the help, kid, I really appreciate it!”
“I wasn’t trying to help you!”
Roger just laughed and gave him a little wave. This was great. His plan would work for sure, Deuce had given him the last confirmation he needed. If Ace was three for three, he’d definitely go four for four, too.
He walked out on deck to find Ace training with Rouge, swinging a sabre as she demonstrated next to him.
While Ace maybe didn’t look quite as fluid and graceful as his mother did yet, his attempts weren’t half bad. If he kept at it, he could definitely become a great swordsman one day. Then Roger could give him Ace when he didn’t need it himself anymore. That had been the plan, anyway.
As he made his way over to them, it was actually Luffy who noticed Roger first.
“Hey, old man! I’m bored! Fight me now!”
Ace bristled the instant he turned around, and quickly placed himself between Luffy and Roger. He didn’t say anything, but he looked ready to fight, too.
Great!
“Sure, let’s go ahead! But I won’t go easy on you.”
Ace outright growled at him like an enraged animal, and proceeded to set his hands on fire. “If you hurt Luffy even a little bit, I’ll kill you!”
Just as planned! Roger couldn’t help but grin. “Why don’t you try? I can take on both of you at once, no problem.”
Ace’ eyes narrowed, but he did turn to Luffy, and after a second of wordless communication between brothers, both of them sprung forward at the same time.
Roger didn’t have any problems blocking the rubber fist and the fire fist at once, and he still had the time to send a reassuring smile to his wife. He knew what he was doing. It might take a while, but Ace would definitely like him eventually. This was the first step.
He’d get there for sure. This was no time to wallow in his misery, he had to get up and take action.
For now, Roger kept haki out of his punches as he more or less just observed. Any idiot would be able to tell that the brothers were totally in tune with each other. They were used to fighting opponents who were bigger and stronger than them together, and it showed.
Ace at least was pretty adept at armament haki, and his fire burned hot enough that it absolutely would’ve burned Roger to a crisp if he didn’t use haki to protect himself. Good. Ace was serious about this.
Still, he was also in control. None of the flames reached the Moby’s wood or Luffy’s skin. Even as Luffy jumped back and outside of Roger’s view as Ace obstructed him, and then threw a punch right through Ace’ torso into Roger’s gut, the flames danced out of the way before they could hurt Luffy.
Since it was such a creative move that Roger would’ve never been able to see coming without observation haki, he just let it hit him, though it didn’t really hurt.
Even if they were still warming up, punches like that just wouldn’t fly in the New World. Not enough power behind them.
It was strange that Ace didn’t use any advanced versions of haki when Roger had personally witnessed that he could, but at least, the more he fought, the more Roger could feel the pressure of Ace’ conqueror’s haki. It was steadily building, and while it obviously wouldn’t knock out Roger, most other people wouldn’t fare quite as well. Still, nobody else reacted even the tiniest bit, so Ace had it focused on Roger and Roger alone.
Impressive. Roger had given his crew headaches for years because he couldn’t properly focus his haki, especially not when he was angry, which Ace clearly was right now.
Luffy did something strange that made his body give off steam and let his punches hit a little bit harder, and just for a second as he set it up, Roger could feel the will of a conqueror from him, too.
What an interesting pair of brothers. If they kept training and getting stronger, in just a couple of years, Roger would be eating his words of being able to take both of them at once.
The future was looking bright.
Now, to knock them down just a couple of notches-
“Ship approaching from 1 o’clock!”
The atmosphere on deck shifted immediately as the call rang from the crow’s nest, and everyone was up and arming themselves within seconds, before the guy on watch even had the chance to elaborate.
If it was the navy, at least Roger could have some fun.
…Wait. What if it was that Squard guy? He’d totally forgotten to talk to Buggy and Crocus! Shit. Welp, he’d just have to live without an explanation then.
“They’re flying a Jolly Roger,” the watch continued to shout, “but it’s not one I’ve ever seen before!”
Okay, good. The watch would recognize the flag of their ally. So it wasn’t the Squard guy. Phew. But then who was it? Even straining his eyes, Roger couldn’t see more than the vague outline of the ship, and he didn’t have binoculars on hand.
The moment with Ace and Luffy was totally ruined though, as Ace turned away from him, disengaging completely.
“Everyone, get ready to fight!” Ace bellowed, and it occurred to Roger after a moment of confusion that Ace was a division commander, and therefore it was his job to take charge when Whitebeard wasn’t around, and everyone would actually listen to him. “Man the cannons, but don’t shoot until they do! Saber, you go tell Pops!”
As some guy hurried under the deck and everyone got ready to fight, Rouge approached their group. “Should I go and scout? I can just fly over.”
“Sure, Marco’s asleep, but he’d usually do that. Just don’t land, we don’t want them to think we’re attacking when we’re not. If they’re just some rookies, chances are they’ll leave us alone and change course the moment they recognize our flag. But as long as we don’t know who they are, we don’t know how dangerous they are. Even a rookie could have eaten a dangerous fruit.”
“I know, dear.” Rouge smiled, and reached out to ruffle Ace’ hair. “I’ll be careful. I’ll just take a quick look, and be back in a minute. But thank you for worrying about me.”
Ace flushed, averting his eyes. “Just stay safe,” he said.
Next to him, Luffy snorted, not even trying to cover his mischievous grin. “You’re becoming a real momma’s boy.”
Ace pointedly stepped on his foot. “No I’m not!” he hissed.
Rouge chuckled, but then turned around and took flight, towards the ship on the horizon. Roger kept his eyes trained on her.
Hopefully this was really just some rookie crew. Even if it would be boring, he didn’t like the idea of his wife flying towards danger all on her own.
Why hadn’t she offered to take him with her? Together, they could take on the world without worrying about anything.
But now all he could do was wait.
Notes:
hope you liked it, and sorry for the chapter summary lol
Chapter 22
Summary:
With the mystery ship approaching, Ace watches in worry as everyone tries to figure out who it is.
Nobody could've guessed the answer.
Notes:
alright woo the chapter didn't take as long this time! I made it a bit shorter so the update wait wouldn't be as long (and so I could end it exactly where I wanted to end it hehe :3 )
as for the approaching ship, um, please do read the end notes once you've read the chapter, because a last minute change had to happen that I didn't plan for ^^;
enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Ace watched in worry as his mother’s figure on the horizon got smaller and smaller, until she reached the ship.
Something felt off.
It seemed like the ship was facing right towards them, yet it wasn’t approaching, at least not at a noticeable speed. With the sun out and the wind decent, there was no reason to just let your ship float. On the Grand Line, even in Paradise, times to make good progress in easy weather were rare, so why weren’t they using it?
Ace squinted. There was a symbol on the sail, but it was just too far away for him to make it out. The sails were black, though, and the symbol white, that much he could tell, so a Jolly Roger like Sammy had announced was very likely.
Now his mom was too far away to even make her out on the horizon. Damn.
They were steering in the direction of the other pirate ship now, at least, Ace could feel the Moby shift towards the new course.
Next to Ace, Blamenco also stepped up to the railing, and Ace was glad to not be the only commander on deck anymore, that meant he was free to go and do something reckless if necessary, while Blamenco could be in charge of keeping order.
Ace was even more grateful when he saw Blamenco pull a small telescope out of his cheek pouch to take a better look at the ship on the horizon. “Wow, that ship looks like a wreck,” he commented, before handing the telescope to Ace. “I’ve never seen that Jolly Roger, either, but feel free to take a look yourself.”
Without wasting a second, Ace ripped the telescope from Blamenco’s hand, pressing it to his right eye and searching for the ship on the horizon.
As Blamenco said, it was a wreck. Even with the telescope, it was impossible to tell how serious the damage actually was, but part of the figurehead was broken off, and it looked like a couple sails were missing – they’d probably sewn together ripped sails to make the ship keep sailing somehow.
Still, their symbol was intact, proudly displayed on the main sail, and it wasn’t one Ace had ever seen before, either. “The horns make it look a bit like Kaidou’s flag,” he observed out loud, “but it’s definitely not his. Maybe it’s a small, allied crew? Or they’re trying to profit off his reputation without the risk of actually flying his flag.”
If it was either of these scenarios, Ace was very much hoping for the second one. Losers who didn’t even have the pride to make their own symbol would be easy to deal with. Obviously they wouldn’t struggle against an allied crew of Kaidou’s without Kaidou himself or any of his officers on board either, but the last thing they currently needed was to give Kaidou an excuse to attack them.
Good thing they’d decided to only fire if the other crew opened fire first. Neither some Paradise losers nor allies of Kaidou should want to attack Whitebeard out of nowhere for no reason.
Ace raised the telescope a little to see a seagull that had to be his mom circling above the ship, just in time to see her dip down and land, even when she’d said she wouldn’t.
What was she thinking? Even if the deck was empty, it could be a trap!
Ace gripped the telescope probably a bit more harshly than was necessary, heart beating out of his chest as for a minute or so, no more movement could be seen on the other ship.
Haruta was trying to establish communication with the help of their signal flags, but got no response.
Everything screamed at Ace to jump into his Striker and go over to the ship himself, but he was painfully aware that he hadn’t seen it since he’d lost the fight with Teach, so it was either destroyed, still on Banaro Island, or somewhere Teach had put it, and regardless, probably lost forever.
As Luffy pulled at the telescope to take a look, too, Ace considered taking the risk of a Gomu Gomu no Rocket to catapult them both over, but then he saw his mom take flight again, back toward their ship, and he let go of the telescope so Luffy could have it.
“Oh, I’ve seen that flag before!”
Ace and Blamenco both whirled to look at him. “Really?”
“Where?”
One, two, three seconds of silence. “No idea!”
Of course. Ace sighed. Why had he expected anything else? “Well, try to remember if it was someone you liked or someone you had to beat up, at least. Would be good to know.”
Once Luffy figured it out, that would be enough. Stupid as he seemed sometimes, Luffy had a way of knowing people. If it was someone he hated, Ace had no problem sinking the ship the moment they were close enough, and if it was friends of Luffy, Ace would trust them as well.
As Luffy was trying to remember, Rouge returned, transforming back as soon as she landed.
“Nobody on that ship is conscious,” she started before Ace could even ask, “though they’re not dead, either. I had to check. From what I could tell, they’re all incredibly malnourished, and with the way their ship is damaged, they might not have been able to steer or navigate properly, after a storm or a sea king attack. If it’s a trap, it’s a very convincing, elaborate one. I couldn’t feel a single aware presence over there with my observation haki, so honestly, I think they just got overwhelmed by the Grand Line.”
Not unlikely. It happened a lot, though usually more towards the start of it. To have gotten so far only to be overwhelmed now… well, maybe they’d gotten lucky on the first stretch, or extremely unlucky now.
If it wasn’t a trap, and it might be someone Luffy knew, and if those guys just needed some food and maybe medical attention… Well, there was only one choice. They were strong enough to deal with any consequences anyway.
“It looks like they’re out cold and essentially shipwrecked,” Ace announced to the whole deck, “let’s get them some food and water, and see if we can help!”
Aside from food, they’d need doctors, too. It had only been maybe an hour since Marco went to sleep, so Ace would go and take the unenviable task to wake Marco himself. He’d be grumpy as hell, but he’d be even grumpier if someone they could’ve helped would die because he wasn’t there to do anything.
Crocus was in the infirmary, helping out where he could.
Things had calmed down now with nobody in critical condition anymore – aside from maybe Whitebeard himself, though Crocus couldn’t be sure, because nobody would tell him anything – but after such a battle, everyone was tired, and there was always some menial task that needed to be done while most of the staff was busy cleaning up and documenting everything.
Perhaps he was still considered a member of a rival crew, but as long as Whitebeard treated them with hospitality, Crocus would do his job as a doctor as best as he could.
Though he did almost stab someone’s eye with a needle when the door was thrown open with a bang.
“Pirate ship approaching,” the man in the doorway announced, “scout says it’s full of malnourished people close to death. We don’t know the crew but we’re helping.”
An unknown crew?
Crocus couldn’t help but wonder as he quickly gathered emergency equipment and hurried to deck with everyone else. It had to be relative rookies. He saw a lot of crews pass Twin Capes, and he’d long since gotten used to reading about their deaths in the newspaper, but maybe this time he could still help before it got to that.
No amount of speculation could’ve led him to the correct conclusion.
His eyes recognized the flag without a moment’s delay, but his brain refused to believe it. It just couldn’t be.
He took off his glasses, rubbing at his eyes, then looked again.
Everything remained the same.
“Still gonna be a couple minutes till we reach them,” Roger informed him. When had his captain even approached? He hadn’t noticed it at all. “They’re barely moving. Guess it’s not their fault if they’re unconscious, but they totally ruined my bonding time with Ace.”
Crocus barely listened. Right now, he couldn’t care less. He needed to get over to that ship and confirm that it was indeed manned by the right crew, and that they were still alive.
He’d waited 50 years without ever knowing for sure, and now it was right in his grasp, he didn’t have the patience to wait even a second longer.
“It’s the Rumbar Pirates.”
It felt unreal, saying it out loud. It was a hope that died so long ago Crocus had forgotten what it even felt like.
“The ones you were looking for?”
Even Roger sounded surprised, but Crocus had no time to appreciate the rarity of that.
He couldn’t just keep standing here while they approached.
Thankfully, the Whitebeard Pirates had spare weapons laying on deck like any good crew should, and Crocus rummaged through a few barrels until he found a harpoon. Rope was even easier to find and bind together to a length that would do.
Perfect.
It only took him a few seconds to tie the rope to the harpoon, and then he was off to the railing.
The distance between the ships had shrunk significantly, just enough that Crocus should be able to reach.
Gathering every ounce of haki he could muster in his right arm, he threw the harpoon as hard as he could, straight into the mast of the Rumbar Pirates’ ship. Then all he had to do was pull the rope taut and secure the other end to the Moby Dick, and then he could sprint over the rope.
He didn’t care that this looked like he was trying to attack, nor did he care that people were yelling after him. Roger could explain to them why he was acting like he was.
Crocus just needed to know.
He almost fell off the damn rope when a sudden gust of wind hit him, but he managed to stumble the last meters onto the deck.
A couple people were strewn about, and Crocus rushed to the one closest to him.
He knew that face. There was no doubt about it. His name was Murphy, he’d been fantastic at playing saxophone and imitating Laboon’s noises with it.
Ripping open his shirt, Crocus could see that he was barely more than skin and bones, and his skin was cracked in multiple places from dehydration, but there was nothing to indicate injury or further illness.
If they got some food and water into him, he’d be just fine.
With a sigh of relief, Crocus checked everyone else for vital signs as well, already sorting them in his mind by who was off the worst and who would need to be treated first or instantly carried over to the Moby to get access to their full medical facilities.
On the upper deck, he finally found Yorki, one hand still in the steering wheel to lock it in place even as he was passed out like everyone else.
Crocus quickly realized he was the one that was the worst off, his breathing shallow and his heartbeat weak. His body had reduced every function it could to keep him alive, but there wouldn’t be much time left until it shut down completely.
Like a true captain, he’d probably eaten the least of their limited supplies, if anything.
Carefully picking him up – and shit, Yorki really weighed practically nothing right now – Crocus hurried back towards the Moby, hoping it was close enough by now that Crocus could safely get over. Yorki desperately needed food and water in him right now, even if he wouldn’t wake up to eat and drink it.
Everything felt hazy.
Yorki thought he remembered waking up and being given water to drink through a straw by a beautiful lady, but that had to have been a dream. They were out at sea, his mouth still felt terribly dry, and he was likely about to kick it.
Honestly, he should’ve been dead already.
The plan to get through the Calm Belt to maybe find treatment had completely and utterly failed, a sea king had gotten to them and flung their ship a couple miles through the air. Even if Yorki had passed out from crashing back down and the ship had been almost beyond repair, somehow, nobody had died.
It was truly strange. They should’ve all been dead. But when they woke back up, the ship had been stranded on a tiny island in the Calm Belt, and they were better than before.
Maybe living that crash was somewhat reasonable, even if it really wasn’t, but how on earth had it cured their illness?
That made no sense at all.
But none of them had an explanation, and there was nobody else around, so they’d set to repairing their ship as best as they could, scraping together any fruit and fresh water that they could find on the island, and set sail again.
In a stroke of luck, they’d drifted to an island close to the edge of the Calm Belt, but unfortunately, it had been the edge bordering the Grand Line, so they were once again stuck in that crazy sea, and they’d left their Log Pose with Brook and the crew that hadn’t gotten sick, so now they were sailing aimlessly, fighting through storms and snow and heat, having found nothing but wide open sea.
Such a shame.
When he’d woken up, suddenly without that horrible pain and itchiness on his skin, seeing his crew healthy and happy, he’d really hoped he’d be able to see Brook again.
It couldn’t have been too long. If only they could’ve gotten just a bit luckier and found a populated area to repair their ship and stock back up on supplies, they could’ve caught up to them, and continued their journey together.
In the end, it just wasn’t meant to be.
Tears stung his eyes at the thought, and somehow, that was what pulled him out of his daze.
Where the hell was his body getting the fluids for that? If there was enough water for tears, why couldn’t his body use it for saliva instead, his mouth felt like sandpaper!
Blinking his eyes open, Yorki realized that he wasn’t on his position on the deck anymore. He was laying in a bed in an unfamiliar room. Next to him, there actually was a gorgeous nurse in a sexy outfit.
Had the others managed to find land while he’d been passed out?
He tried to get up, but quickly found he was tied to the bed. Opening his mouth to complain or at least ask a question, he failed to manage more than a weak croak, and then the entire room tilted, enough that he would’ve fallen out of the bed if he hadn’t been tied to it.
Alright. He didn’t need to ask anymore.
At least the pathetic noise had alerted the nurse to him being awake. She wasn’t bothered at all by all of the constant tilting, and simply smiled at him, offering him another bottle of water with a straw inside.
Yorki drained it in its entirety and then another just like it before he finally felt like he wouldn’t scratch his throat open just by attempting to speak.
“Thank you,” he said first, because he’d been raised with manners before he’d decided to throw it all away and become an outlaw. “Dear lady, may I ask where I am?”
The nurse raised her eyes at him for some reason, but she did answer his question. “You’re on the Moby Dick, the flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates.” Oh. Pirates. So they hadn’t found land, but managed to cross the way of another ship instead? “We’re on the open sea right now, on the way from Pucci to Sabaody.” Unfortunately, these locations meant absolutely nothing to Yorki. They had to have been thrown way off course by that sea king, or steered completely wrong when trying to get back to where they left the Grand Line.
The ship tilted suddenly again, but the nurse showed off some impressive sea legs as she took his heartbeat and blood pressure without issue.
“Storm outside?”
“Yes, but it’s just a small Paradise one. No need to worry. It should be over soon.”
What was a paradise storm? Such a strange term. But he had more pressing things to ask.
“How’s my crew? Are they alright?”
“Yes.” With just that one simple word, she took an insane weight off Yorki’s chest. “Everyone was starving and dehydrated, but by now, most of them have woken up, and nobody is in critical condition anymore.”
“What a relief. We’ll be forever in your debt. There’s not much treasure on our ship for me to offer you, but perhaps I can repay your crew another way? I know it doesn’t look like it, but up until recently, we’ve sailed the Grand Line pretty successfully, so maybe some of our experiences could prove helpful for your further journey.”
She mustered him with a strange sort of pity.
For a moment, it looked like she was about to say something, but then she shook her head and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Just wait here a minute.”
She left, leaving Yorki alone in the small room, with only two still unconscious members of his crew as company.
Alright, he had no idea what that had been about. No explanation he could come up with really made any sense. He hadn’t said anything strange, had he? Why wouldn’t she simply tell him if he had?
At least it didn’t take long for the door to open again, and this time, a familiar face stepped through it.
A familiar face of a man who should be many, many miles away, taking care of Laboon until they’d made the round trip. A familiar face full of unfamiliar wrinkles and framed by thin, white hair that had been bushy and black just a couple months ago.
“Hey.” It couldn’t be the same face, even as it greeted him with a familiar voice.
“Hello.” No, there were other, more plausible explanations. “Sorry if this is a strange question right out of the gate, but do you happen to have a son or maybe grandson named Crocus? I know the guy is all, and you look an awful lot alike.”
The man sighed. “Yorki. I am Crocus.”
No way.
“Is this some kind of practical joke? What would you even be doing here? This is a pirate ship, you’re not a pirate. You can’t leave Laboon by himself, he’s too small to fend for himself in the Grand Line. And you’re way older than Crocus. What, did you get hit by a devil fruit that makes you age or something?”
“No. I’ve just grown old. I haven’t seen you in more than 50 years.”
The expression of the man who claimed to be Crocus was dead serious, but Yorki’s head was spinning. That couldn’t be the truth.
“That’s nonsense. I’m not even 40 yet, forget 50. What are you saying, that I time travelled? You think there’s a devil fruit for that?”
“There is a devil fruit that lets you travel to the future, but you didn’t. You died.”
He… died?
“I’m not Brook, Crocus. If I died, I’d stay dead. So what’s really going on? What are you not telling me?”
Crocus hit him in the head with a stack of newspapers.
“Look at the date, and read the headlines. Lots of people returned from death recently, though most of them didn’t die quite as long ago as you did.”
Stunned, Yorki took the papers. Indeed they were dated to 1522, when Yorki had spent his entire life living in the 1400’s. Each headline reported on revived people all over the world, and how it was probably the work of a devil fruit stolen from the land of the gods.
If this was some kind of prank or hallucination, it was really getting too elaborate.
“If… If it’s really been that long, what about Brook? Did he and the others make it? Are they with Laboon? Did they fulfil our promise?”
“No.” Just like a single word could uplift a person, it could also completely crush them. “In all of those years, no Rumbar Pirate has ever been to the Twin Capes again. I didn’t hear anything, so about 28 years ago, I joined a pirate crew to go look for you. At that point, Laboon was an adult, he could take care of himself.”
Oh. Laboon had to be huge by now. A real island whale. Yorki couldn’t imagine it.
“On my journey, all I found out was that you tried to escape the Grand Line a couple of months after setting sail. Never if you made it out, just that you tried. I only heard from Murphy about an hour ago that you did so because of an illness, and that those of you who didn’t contract it continued on.”
“It shouldn’t have taken them 50 years… Maybe they got stuck somewhere? Most of the second half of the Grand Line is still unexplored, we have no idea what they could’ve run into, maybe if we go look there we’ll find them…”
He knew it was a desperate, foolish idea, not the most rational conclusion.
Once again, Yorki was met with pity. “A pirate named Gol D. Roger reached the last island the Log Pose points to 37 years ago. There, he found out that the last island from the myths is somewhere else, and spent the rest of his life looking for it. I joined him on his final voyage, and I was there when he found the treasure everyone has been looking for forever.”
“You… you made the round trip? All the way? Seriously?”
Crocus grinned. “Yep. My captain got crowned as Pirate King for it. He was sick, though, to the point where I couldn’t help him.” The grin quickly faded into a mixture of guilt and nostalgia. “He let himself be executed 22 years ago, and used the publicity to send everyone out to sea to hunt for One Piece themselves. Since everywhere got filled with rookies, the old guard retreated to the New World, and by now, just about every island there is under the control of the four emperors. They’re strong pirates, each with enough power and influence to face the world government if necessary. Whitebeard’s one of them, and he did just start a war with the navy to retrieve one of his commanders, so if they show up here, that’s why.”
Yorki’s head was spinning. That was so much at once. “Uh, sorry for your loss?”
“It’s fine. He’s back, anyway. The point is, the world has changed. If the other half of your crew was still alive and intending to fulfil their promise, someone would’ve found them by now. The reality is probably that they died to the Grand Line not long after you.”
That couldn’t be. He refused to believe it. “Brook… Brook would’ve come back. Even if he died.”
“50 years is more than enough time to die twice over on the Grand Line.”
Yeah, of course it was. But back on that island, when he’d first woken up, Yorki had known what he had to do, and that was to go see Brook again.
He couldn’t be dead. He had to be stuck somewhere, and Yorki would be the one to find him.
Maybe if he believed in it hard enough, it would become the truth.
The setting sun illuminated the storm clouds in the distance in a spectacular display of colour, and Roger laid himself on the deck to dry.
The waves crashing over the deck had left him soaking wet, but that was par for the course as a pirate. He actually loved storms like this one – strong enough to throw everything around and force the crew to work together, but not quite so dangerous that a ship like the Moby Dick or the Oro Jackson would be at risk of sinking.
With more people than usual busy taking care of the Rumbar Pirates, Roger had volunteered to help out with sailing through the stormy weather instead.
The Moby was different from the Oro, but a big guy called Atmos had taken the reigns and directed Roger to where he was needed the most, and from there, it had been easy, almost natural to fall into a rhythm with the Whitebeard Pirates up in the rigging with him in a concerted effort to keep the ship going without ripping the sails.
Now that the storm had passed, they were all laying on deck together, camaraderie floating between them as if it had always been there.
That was the magic of a Grand Line storm.
And still, Roger’s heart ached, because while these were all fine men he’d already agreed to grab a beer with later, they weren’t his crew.
Even to Roger, it had been over a year since their last adventure together, and while he’d enjoyed his time with Rouge, he’d been missing the rest of his family every day. At least Crocus had assured him they were all still alive, but they were spread all over the world.
Would he ever be able to get them all back together? Would they even want to?
In 20 years, they had to have found new lives for themselves. Hell, Roger had only been alive for one, and he had a wife and a son to consider now. He couldn’t be the only one.
Buggy and Shanks had their own crews now, they definitely wouldn’t join him again.
The old life he’d had was well and truly over, even if he’d been revived.
He took a moment to breathe in the pain of that truth, and then he grinned.
All that meant was that he was free to build a new life in its stead. Maybe parts of his old one could be incorporated, so it wasn’t like he had to start from scratch again.
It was sure to be exciting. An all-new adventure.
He sat up, looking around. The deck was getting busy again.
Ace had dragged Luffy off to the stern of the ship to finish their 100 fights, so Roger would leave them to it. He could ask Ace to fight him again tomorrow. Crocus was obviously still taking care of the Rumbar Pirates, and he’d already kicked Roger out for being in the way earlier. And he’d already relayed to Ed what he knew about the Rumbar Pirates before the storm.
So what to do now? Should he go look for Buggy or Rouge, or get some beer for himself and his new buddies?
He turned around a little when he heard someone approach, though it was just a guy he’d never seen before.
“It’s really you,” the guy said, “you’re just sitting here, Gold Roger.”
“Gol D. Roger,” he corrected automatically. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t be sitting here?”
All he got as an answer was a sword to his throat.
Hm. He doubted it had anything to do with his choice of seating space. Peering over to the side a little, Roger could see another ship dock to the Moby, right behind the Rumbar Pirates’ one.
Whoops. He’d totally forgotten about this.
“So you’re that Squard guy, I’m assuming?”
“Correct.”
Notes:
so. uh. does it make sense for the rumbar pirates to be here?
not really, I'll be honest.
but. when I planned this part of the fic and when I wrote the ending of the last chapter, I fully planned for the ship to be the other half of the rumbar pirates. the ones that died with brook.
that makes total sense. they'd be revived on their broken ship in the florian triangle which is between water 7 and sabaody, so it's not far from the route of pucci to sabaody either. luffy took like all the food from thriller bark so they'd be hungry real quick even if they did find it abandoned in the mist.
that was the plan. so why change it?
well, as I was looking up for this chapter what the ship looked like exactly, I read a fun fact about it: franky repaired it, and then gave it to lola and her crew.
so. the half of the rumbar pirates that died with brook? they're just fine. they've got a working ship full of food and people who can tell them what happened, and even that brook is sailing with the strawhats now to fulfil their promise.
if I'd know that I would've included them in chapter 1 and never set up this encounter.
oops.
so, uh, yeah, I just changed it to the yorki half and rolled with it. at least I could write him be subtly gay for brook so that's a win?
Chapter 23
Summary:
An old grudge long buried with a dead man is finally dug up again, and the truth comes to light.
Yorki, meanwhile, goes to ask the one question he desperately needs answered.
Notes:
woo after five months this is back! in that time, I wrote a chapter for a fic I didn't update for seven years, so really, you guys are getting the short waiting times lmao
hope you enjoy!
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
Thankfully, Whitebeard made it on time.
Well, almost. Squard was pointing his sword at Roger, clearly seething with anger, but he’d somewhat kept his promise of not just blindly attacking. No blood had been spilled, so Roger had no reason to defend himself.
This could maybe still be salvaged.
“Squard. It’s good to see you made it here unscathed through the storm.”
Whitebeard’s footsteps were heavy, and he’d made no effort to conceal himself, so Squard didn’t startle. He only turned a little to return the greeting, though, keeping Roger in his sight and his sword pointed at his throat. “Pops, I’m happy- what happened to your moustache?”
Ah. Whitebeard had honestly done his best to forget about the atrocious look of his half burned off moustache – his proud namesake, scorched by some marine brat! What a disgrace. Scars he could wear with pride, but this? He could only hope it would grow back soon. Most of his kids had enough tact to not mention it to him, but he could still hear them giggling behind his back every now and then.
“I’d rather not talk about it.” He took a deep breath. “There are more important matters to focus on currently.”
“Right.” Squard nodded. “Tell me what you wanted to say, so I can get to killing him.”
“Like you could,” Roger said with an eyeroll from where he was still sitting on the ground.
Whitebeard had to take a deep breath.
This was still salvageable. Maybe.
“I will.” Squard gripped his sword tighter, then raised it slowly. Roger’s eyes followed the motion as his hand moved to the handle of his own sword.
Or maybe there had never really been anything to salvage.
“Squard,” Whitebeard tried again, urging his son to calm his head and stop, but his words didn’t reach Squard. All of his focus was on Roger, his voice screaming with grief and hatred, even if his face remained stone-cold.
Of course, Whitebeard could stop him. Squard was a formidable fighter, but he was beside himself right now, and his raw strength never even came close to what Whitebeard could achieve. All common sense dictated Whitebeard should stop Squard. After all, Roger would defend himself if Squard attacked, and things would only escalate from there.
In all honesty, there was basically no outcome of this where Squard would get his revenge as he wanted and be satisfied.
At best, Roger would leave due to the threat of a serious fight against Whitebeard and his crew, at worst, they’d have to actually fight him. He was more or less alone currently, but the reality was, none of Whitebeard’s kids could take him as of right now. Whitebeard would have to do it himself, and while he felt fine enough to walk around, that was very different to fighting Roger at the height of his strength.
For Ace’ sake, Marco had asked him to wait until the next big fight to give him an excuse to kick it, but somehow, he knew dying from fighting Roger would not actually be any better for Ace than it would’ve been if he’d died rescuing him.
And yet. There were fights you had to fight, and sides you had to choose, no matter the consequences.
Squard was his son. His family. He’d suffered so much, and even if Roger claimed not to remember anything, Whitebeard believed Squard when he said he’d lost everything to Roger.
If Squard needed this, then he needed his father at his side to help him.
So, Whitebeard remained where he was, unmoving, as Squard slowly raised his sword and then brought it back down in one swift motion towards Roger’s throat.
Metal clashed with metal, a familiar and yet deeply unsatisfying sound.
Squard had known Roger wouldn’t simply let himself be killed, but he’d still hoped deep down that he’d get to hear his blade slice through flesh, so that the next time he woke up during the night with that sound in his ear, it would bring himself back to this moment, not to Roger slicing though his crew.
It couldn’t just happen, but to Squard’s immense surprise, Roger hadn’t even gotten up or drawn his sword.
Someone else had blocked the blow for him.
“Now, I don’t know what happened here, but surely we can resolve it without you beheading my husband, right?”
Despite her fighting stance and the clear effort the woman had to put into blocking Squard’s strike, she was smiling at him, and her voice was friendly.
His first instinct was to yell at her and ask why the hell she thought she had the right to come between him and the revenge he’d been desperately wishing for during the last few decades, but she’d basically already answered that. She didn’t know who he was, and was defending Roger because she was married to him.
Squard had never heard of Roger having a wife, but it really didn’t matter.
“Step aside,” he growled, “this has nothing to do with you. Roger needs to pay for what he did himself.”
It had been Roger by himself who’d ruined Squard’s life. Just him. Not even his crew had done anything. In fact, when Squard had been on the ground, bleeding and in pain despite Mae’s attempt to shield him from Roger that cost her her own life, he vaguely remembered Silvers Rayleigh pulling Roger away, telling him he’d done enough.
For years, Squard had wished Rayleigh had simply let his captain finish the job, but once Pops finally helped him recover, that was what had let Squard bury his grudge alongside Roger, rather than trying to go after anyone connected to him.
He didn’t need to fight this woman, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t if she didn’t get out of his way.
“Mom,” a frantic voice cut in before the woman could answer or move, “don’t fight him! Please!”
Ace came rushing towards them, and on instinct, Squard took a step back. Shit, he hadn’t meant to fight Ace’ mother! He was pretty sure she’d been dead, too! Looking at the woman who was now relaxing a bit, she really did share a lot of similarities with Ace.
…Wait. She was Ace’ mother.
She was Roger’s wife.
“So, what exactly happened?” she asked.
Squard looked between them, trying to process the information.
It couldn’t be… right?
Roger finally got up. “Apparently I killed his whole crew back in the day. Totally don’t remember it though.”
He might as well have pierced Squard right through the heart. All his grief and suffering, and Roger couldn’t even remember he’d done it? He truly cared that little? Were the lives of his crew really that insignificant?
Before Squard could even move, Pops had already slammed Murakumogiri’s staff on Roger’s head with more force than Squard could’ve managed. “At least have some tact, you moron.”
The pained expression on Roger’s face soothed Squard’s rage minimally, but it was just a drop of water onto a hot stone.
With Roger occupied by Pops, Squard turned to the next best target.
Ace was just standing there, guilt so obviously written on his face that Squard didn’t even need to ask if the conclusion he’d come to was correct.
“And when exactly were you gonna tell me that monster is your father?!” Squard couldn’t help the anger spilling into his voice. Someone who he’d thought of at not just a friend but family, related to the one person who’d taken everything from him?
Ace flinched. “I- I was about to, that’s why he’s here in the first place-“
“Now? Now you think is a good time? Because you can’t avoid it anymore? Don’t you think I would’ve deserved to fucking know from the start?”
Across from him, Ace just averted his eyes. “I know, I just… couldn’t-“
“So what? You were just never gonna tell me? You’d just keep pretending, and snicker behind my back about how I still haven’t figured out my brother is actually not my family but that of my worst enemy?”
“Now you’re going too far,” Ace’ mother tried to interject, but Squard didn’t pay her any mind. He just jumped on Ace, fist ready to strike.
Unlike any other time they fought, Ace only moved his arm up to block, not making any attempt to actually fight back.
All of a sudden, a shiver ran down Squard’s spine as every sense he had screamed DANGER at him.
“You let go of my-“ Roger started, sword drawn and closer than Squard ever wanted that demon to be. Squard could do nothing but ready himself for death.
It was only by the grace of Pops quickly pulling Roger back that Squard got to live another day. “You do NOT attack my son,” Pops all but growled at Roger.
And then he grabbed Squard, too, pulling him away from Ace. “And YOU are going to calm down and actually listen to what Ace has to say. You can hate Roger all you want, and I will support you no matter what, but Ace is not responsible for something that happened before he was even born. Think for a moment before you irrevocably ruin your relationship with your brother.”
Pops’ grip on him was firm, just barely shy of hurting Squard.
There was no way he wasn’t angry right now, but unlike Squard, he still had himself perfectly under control.
With a shuddering breath, Squard tried to follow the order he’d been given.
Calm down and think.
Think of what he’d done. Even with his mind clouded by anger, looking at the misery on Ace’ face still hurt. That was his baby brother. He was supposed to be grinning like an idiot, eating and then falling asleep.
The memories they shared still brought a sting of betrayal with them, but now it mixed with guilt.
If Squard didn’t blame the members of Roger’s crew, why would his son be different?
He fell quiet, looking at Ace. Pops had said to listen.
“Sorry,” Ace said, “I know I should’ve told you the moment you told me what happened to your crew. It’s just… I didn’t want to lose you as a friend, even if I knew you had a good reason to hate me. I don’t know if it helps any, but trust me, I don’t want to be related to him either. I hate him. The only father I ever wanted is Pops, but there’s nothing I can do about my blood.”
Oh.
Squard felt like hitting himself. Of course. Pops was the father they all chose. This was the home they all found together, to be free of all the burdens of their life before.
“It’s- It’s not your fault,” he managed, and Pops let go of him.
Ace shook his head. “He’s still here because of me. For some reason, he now suddenly wants to be my dad instead of just offing himself again. And mom wants him to be part of the family, too, so I can’t just kick him to the curb like I want to.”
Looking at it from Ace’ perspective, yeah, having Roger as his father had to suck. Especially since he couldn’t have been around much due to being dead. Anyone would rather have Pops.
And Ace had to be telling the truth, too, just judging by how little Roger seemed to want to hear it.
Shit, Squard was still pissed, but he’d directed it at the wrong guy. “Not like you can do anything about what he does. Sorry for just attacking you like that. It should’ve been him.”
“Great,” a new voice cut in before either Ace or Roger could say anything more. Squard turned to see Marco, still looking calm and steady as always. “Now that we’ve got that cleared up, why don’t we sit down like adults and try to figure out what exactly happened back then so there’s no doubts or misunderstandings anymore?”
Even now, Squard wanted to jump Roger and choke him. Why did Marco have to sound so damn reasonable?
The air in the room was so heavy with tension, Buggy could barely breathe.
Roger had pulled him here without a proper explanation, just saying something about Buggy maybe remembering what had happened years and years ago. He’d even dragged Crocus away from the recovering Rumbar Pirates, so he had to be damn serious about whatever it was.
A serious Roger was never a good sign.
Worse, still, was the other side of the table.
There was a guy Buggy was only tangentially aware of – Squard if he remembered correctly, one of Whitebeard’s allies, but one who hadn’t been around back when Buggy had still interacted with Whitebeard’s crew somewhat regularly – glaring daggers at Roger.
Aside from him, Whitebeard and all sixteen commanders were present.
That was what made Buggy want to run.
What could they possibly want to talk about that would require every single commander, including those with other duties like the cook and the doctor? There was nothing.
No, they weren’t needed for the talking.
They were here because there was a good chance the talking would lead to a fight, and they wanted all hands on deck to fight Roger.
There was nothing in the world Buggy wanted to be less than caught up in an actual, serious fight between the Whitebeards and his former captain.
Sure, they’d fought a couple of times back in the day, and Buggy had his fun, but those fights had always been… friendly, for lack of a better word. Nobody had tried to take anyone’s life, and Buggy had only fought the other apprentices, none of the actual heavy hitters.
Back then, Marco and Jozu had loved riling him and Shanks up while casually teaching them some new moves.
Today, Buggy would just straight up die if either of them decided to fight him.
Even Roger wouldn’t be in the best position. With how injured Whitebeard was, Buggy was fairly confident Roger could take him if push came to shove, but there were sixteen other pretty strong people who could support him, while Roger only had Crocus, who retired 20 years ago, and Buggy. So really he only had Crocus and maybe a distraction.
Besides, Ace was sitting on Whitebeard’s left in his position as the Second Division Commander. Even if Roger could win this, Buggy didn’t want to be around him after the fight went down.
No, either way, it would be a nightmare.
Buggy would have to do everything in his power to avoid that. They weren’t fighting yet.
“So, uh, why exactly are we here?” he asked when it seemed like everyone was settled, but nobody made a move to start or explain anything.
It was the Squard guy who answered. “Your captain murdered my entire crew unprovoked. I’m willing to listen if he has some kind of explanation because Pops asked me to, but so far, all he’s managed is that he doesn’t remember anything.”
Oh shit.
The guy was clearly burning with the desire for revenge, and honestly, Buggy couldn’t even blame him. In fact, it was kind of amazing that he was sitting here at all, listening to an explanation he may or may not even get. Buggy would’ve just tried everything he could to murder whoever killed his crew. Even if it was someone like Roger that he couldn’t win against, there were always ways to get to someone. Poison. Destroying the ship of a devil fruit user to let them drown. Setting them up to fight with someone who could actually take them on and then strike when they were exhausted.
Buggy glanced at Crocus, to confirm what he was dreading. He totally didn’t remember Squard either, just like Roger and Buggy.
“Well,” Crocus finally took it upon himself to answer, “while it usually wasn’t unprompted, Roger’s killed more than one crew. When exactly was that? Even if nobody remembers, we kept a log book. Pretty sure Rayleigh still has it.”
Good thinking. Rayleigh wasn’t exactly easily reachable since he didn’t come home for months at a time on occasion, but they could always call Shakky and try, and they were close to Sabaody anyway. If Squard could be patient until then…
Though he didn’t exactly look like he wanted to be patient.
“26 years ago. March 29th, 1496. On Oriko Island, in the port of Dondane.”
Buggy tried his best to remember. He knew Oriko, it was at the beginning of the Grand Line, one of the first islands the log pose pointed to after Reverse Mountain. They’d been there more than once, he was pretty sure. Had anything happened there when he was 11? Or 10 actually since it was before his birthday that year.
“That would’ve been right before I joined the crew, sorry,” Crocus said, which meant all eyes were on Buggy now.
Right before Crocus joined the crew. So that had been when Roger had just found out about his disease, and they were going back through Paradise so Roger could try and convince Crocus to come with them and treat him.
Roger understandably hadn’t been in the greatest mood, what with his death now hanging over his head without knowing if he could be cured or the disease could be slowed down, but that still didn’t mean he’d randomly killed anyone he came across.
In fact, the only crew he’d killed on that trip was-
Ah.
He remembered.
“That was Shanks’s fault,” he loudly announced.
Not a second later, Crocus hit him over the head none too gently.
“Hey! What the hell was that for?!”
“When you say it’s Shanks’ fault, half the time it’s actually your fault, so there’s at least a 50% chance you deserved it.”
Rude. Things were Shanks’ fault way more often than Buggy’s own, so that math couldn’t be correct.
From across the table, Whitebeard sighed. “Care to enlighten the rest of us what you mean by that? Before someone goes and has a friendly chat with the Red-Hair Pirates?”
Buggy was pretty sure Whitebeard meant something more like ‘all-out war between two of the four emperors’ when he said ‘friendly chat’, so, yeah, Buggy should probably cough up the whole story.
“So we were on our way back to the Twin Capes, so Roger could get Crocus to join the crew, and, well, we weren’t really doing anything else. We stopped at that port just to restock. Everyone was busy doing that, and we didn’t really want to help, so we were just bored. And then Shanks had the great idea to sneak onto the other pirate ship in the harbour and knock out a guard or two while taking their treasure so he could, ya know, prove he’s an adult and totally capable because he’s eleven now and therefore not a baby anymore.”
That was not true. Buggy had been the one to suggest they go steal the treasure, and he’d wanted to keep it for himself, but Shanks had agreed to go with him so he could brag about it afterwards. Not that it really mattered, both of them had wanted to go, and both of them went.
“Obviously the plan wasn’t to kill anyone, who knows if we even could’ve done it, probably not. Anyway, we made it on board unnoticed and found the treasure they had-“ which hadn’t even been all that much, definitely not worth it in hindsight “-then Shanks complained that it was way too easy and he didn’t even get to fight anyone. Of course someone heard him and found us with the stolen treasure in hand.”
Now that part was absolutely true. Buggy really should’ve just gone on his own, but back then he’d thought it would be better to have backup in case he got noticed.
“So Shanks had his fight, except there were like, three people or so? It was kinda dark and I don’t remember, honestly, but regardless, it didn’t look like we were winning so I booked it and ran to get an adult to bail us out. Roger was the first one I saw, so I dragged him back with me, and by the time we made it back to Shanks, he was injured, and, well. You know the rest, I guess.”
Roger had always been unstoppable when he was angry, and he’d never been angrier than when any harm came to his apprentices. Buggy had only seen the beginnings of that particular bloodbath before carrying Shanks out, while that moron had insisted he was fine without help.
In all honesty, Buggy hadn’t expected a single guy on that crew to survive, but apparently one of them had, and here they were.
Silence filled the room for a moment, as Buggy waited for a reaction of any kind.
“I remember.” Roger’s tone was dark, and Buggy wanted to cry. All that anger from back then was resurfacing as if it had never been gone. This was bound to turn into a bloodbath again. “You got some nerve complaining to me when I came onto your ship to find my kid in a pool of his own blood.”
Shit, Buggy had really hoped Roger wouldn’t actually remember that part, because it'd honestly looked a lot worse than it had been.
Squard jumped up in his chair. “Don’t you fucking dare blame my crew! Didn’t you listen? Your brat was looking for a fight! Maybe teach your damn kids not to sneak onto pirate ships and attack the people there if you don’t want them to get hurt!”
“I don’t give a shit!” Roger mirrored him, bending over the table so his face was right in front of Squard’s. “Anyone who’s ready to kill a kid deserves to die!”
Shit, fuck, no!
Buggy lurched forward as well, trying to pull Roger back, struggling fruitlessly for a moment until Crocus came to his help. “Chill,” he hissed, “it wasn’t that bad! He was bleeding a bunch, but he was fine as soon as we got the blood flow to stop.”
“They probably just hit an artery on accident,” Crocus supported him. “It happens.”
“Like I care about the details! If you hurt my boys, you die!”
Buggy’s arms were starting to hurt from the effort of restraining Roger, but he was pretty sure that wasn’t included in Roger’s previous statement. “And they did! Once is enough. If Shanks wants any more beef with them, he can start it himself. He doesn’t need you protecting him like that!”
Was it potentially dangerous to drag Shanks into this? Absolutely, but Shanks definitely wouldn’t attack Whitebeard over a minor injury decades ago that had been his own fault anyway, and Buggy was reasonably sure that with some time to think about it, Whitebeard also wouldn’t attack another emperor over a mistake he made as a kid. Especially not when Roger had still been the one to actually flip and kill Squard’s crew.
Not that Buggy worried about Shanks at all. No way. If he got attacked by an emperor, he had it coming anyway.
At least, Roger finally stopped struggling and arguing, so Buggy had the attention to spare to look at Squard and the Whitebeards.
Unlike Buggy’s idiot, Squard hadn’t needed to be restrained, but he was still glaring daggers at Roger, even as Whitebeard was quietly talking to him, large hand gently resting on Squard’s back.
“I know you’re still angry. I’m not asking you to let it go or get over it. But you’ve got your reason. You’ve got your crew back, too. Under normal circumstances, that’s more than you could’ve ever asked for. Succumbing to your anger now isn’t going to help, it’ll likely just make things worse.”
Squard grit his teeth, while Buggy breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Thank fuck. Whitebeard was calm and rational about this. If he wasn’t set on fighting Roger, the chances for that were a lot slimmer than if both were raring to go. As long as Roger didn’t escalate it, they would be fine.
For a while, nobody said anything as Roger and Squard were silently glaring at each other.
In the end, Squard sat back down first.
“I’m still not happy with him being here,” he grumbled.
“Trust me, nobody is,” Ace assured him.
“He won’t stay indefinitely,” Whitebeard added.
From the corner of his eye, Buggy could see Roger scowl. For a second, he wondered if Roger would see this as enough reason to start a fight. But he just crossed his arms and sat down with a huff.
“Well, I wasn’t planning to stay forever anyway. I have my own crew.”
Like a little kid.
With a deep, relieved breath, Buggy deflated back into his own chair.
Crisis averted.
“Since we’re all already here,” Crocus started back up just a couple of seconds later – and Buggy wanted to throttle him for that, couldn’t he tell it was time for them all to get the fuck out of this room? “The captain of the Rumbar Pirates has regained consciousness. He’s missing half his crew, so he wanted to ask some questions. It’s been fifty years, but you’ve been out at sea for most of that time…”
Well, Buggy figured, at least this meant nobody had to make a closing statement or just awkwardly leave. It wasn’t like they’d really reached an agreement or anything.
“I don’t mind,” Whitebeard replied, “though I can’t promise anything. That’s an awfully long time.”
As Crocus stood up to get Yorki, so did Ace. “Luffy said he recognized their flag, even if he couldn’t remember where he’d seen it before. I’ll go get him, maybe he actually knows something.”
“That’s a good idea,” Whitebeard agreed. “Go get your mother, too. And you,” he addressed Buggy, “go get that Baroque Works guy you picked up in Impel Down. Both of them had professions that involved information gathering on the Grand Line. They could be of help.”
Part of Buggy didn’t really love the idea of leaving Roger unsupervised with just Squard and the Whitebeards, especially without Ace in the room.
But another, bigger part just wanted to run from this awful, awful conversation. He’d done enough to avoid disaster. If anything happened from here on out, it really wasn’t his problem.
And so he fled.
“You look stressed,” Yorki observed as Crocus returned. His captain had dragged him away without much explanation, but he’d promised to ask Whitebeard for a talk while they were there. It had taken much longer than anticipated, but Yorki still felt a little too dizzy to risk braving the huge ship by himself when he had no idea where to go.
“You have no idea.” Crocus sighed. “But that’s not your problem, and it turned out better than it could have, anyway. Whitebeard agreed to listen to your questions, at least, even if it didn’t really seem like he knows anything.”
“I have to try.”
Yorki knew. He couldn’t quite understand the time that had just passed in the blink of an eye, and he knew nothing about this strange future he’d suddenly found himself in, but that didn’t matter.
Every single member of his crew that had died with him had returned, despite all that time. You were only supposed to return if you were still missed, which was why most people who’d died that long ago just didn’t come back.
It had to be Brook. Or someone else from his crew. It just had to be. There was nobody else.
Unless maybe Laboon counted? But nothing in the papers Crocus made him read had ever said anything about animals. Only people.
Yorki simply wouldn’t accept even the possibility that Brook might be dead. His devil fruit had to have saved him.
Shaking his head, Crocus nonetheless helped him up and supported him as they slowly made their way through the ship.
When Crocus finally opened a door in what seemed to be an endless labyrinth of corridors and stairs – had they gotten lost or was the ship really this huge? – Yorki was out of breath. Maybe it had been a little early for him to leave bed, after all, but he wouldn’t turn back now. Whether the truth would crush him or elate him, or whether there was nothing to know at all, waiting would always be worse than knowing.
The room they entered was filled with a variety of people who couldn’t be more different from each other. Before entering, Yorki hadn’t been sure if he’d recognize the captain with Crocus’ simple description of ‘the biggest guy’, but even compared to the other tall people in the room, a man with a half burned off moustache stood out from them all.
“Captain Whitebeard.” Yorki bowed his head. “I must thank you for saving myself and my crew when you had no obligation to us at all. We don’t have much to repay you with, but we will forever be in your debt.”
“There’s no need for that. My brats decided to help before I was even informed of your ship being sighted, and once I heard of you being desperately awaited for 50 years, I couldn’t possibly throw you off the ship without reason.”
Right, Crocus must’ve relayed their story.
“Still,” he said as Crocus started nudging him towards a chair so he could stop holding Yorki up, “all that really means is that my thanks need to extend to your crew.”
“It’s chill,” a young man with a very stylish cowboy hat told him. Yorki wasn’t quite sure what the phrase meant, but at least it sounded like an assurance. “You wanted to ask about the rest of your crew, right? Luffy was the only one who said he recognized your flag aside from Crocus, so maybe if you jog his memory a little, he can figure out where he knows it from.”
He nodded towards the boy standing right next to him, a young lad with a bright grin. He couldn’t have been out at sea for too long, but maybe he’d heard something before becoming a cabin boy or apprentice to this crew.
It wasn’t much, but it was a hope, so Yorki would take it.
“Right. Half of my crew escaped the virus that was killing us, and they went on ahead. They wanted to make the round trip across the Grand Line, but at some point must’ve been stopped. Maybe they even all died. But one of them had a devil fruit that would let him come back from that. Even if he couldn’t make it all the way around or back to the Twin Capes, he has to still be alive somewhere. He’s not the type to give up either, so he must still be looking for a way to deliver our song-“
“AH!” the boy suddenly yelled, pointing at Yorki. “You’re Brook’s friends!”
“Yes!” Pure joy overcame Yorki, and he stumbled to his feet, towards the boy – Luffy, that was his name – who held all the answers Yorki could want. He almost fell over, but he managed to grab Luffy’s shoulders. “You know Brook? You met him?”
“Yup! He’s so cool, and he always makes skull jokes which are really funny since he’s a skeleton!”
“Wait,” Yorki interrupted him, “what? No, he’s not… What do you mean a skeleton?”
Brook had always been thin, but not to the point where calling him a skeleton would be warranted. Could this some kind of crazy coincidence of a similar person also named Brook?
“I mean he’s a skeleton! But he can talk and sing and play all kinds of instruments, and he also has a huge afro and he’s friends with Laboon!”
It had to be his Brook. That confirmed it. “Brook’s… a talking skeleton?” It didn’t quite register in his mind, but Luffy didn’t seem to be making it up.
“Yeah, he said something about dying and then trying to come back but he got lost. ‘Cause it was all misty in the, uh, that place we went to… the Flop Triangular?”
Silence followed for a couple seconds until a man wearing a top hat spoke up. “Do you perhaps mean the Florian Triangle?”
“That’s what I said,” Luffy insisted. “Brook was stuck there, and then he got his shadow stolen, but we got it back.”
“What, you fought Moria?” The young man with the cowboy hat seemed delighted by that information.
The name meant nothing to Yorki, though. It didn’t matter. Brook was alive, even if he was a skeleton. That meant Yorki could go and find him. “Do you know where Brook is right now?” He couldn’t be with this crew, or else everyone would know him.
“No idea.”
And just like that, Yorki’s hopes were crushed. “He’s not still in that Florian Triangle?”
Luffy shook his head. “Of course not! We took him with us so he could go to the end of the Grand Line and back to Laboon! But that bear guy sent him flying, so he could be anywhere.”
Oh. Once again, Yorki wasn’t quite sure of the phrase used, but he understood enough. Nobody knew where Brook was, even though he wasn’t stuck as he had been for most of the years Yorki had been dead.
He sat back down. “Thank you anyway. I’m happy knowing Brook is alive somewhere. If he’s a talking skeleton, surely we’ll hear about him somewhere and then we can meet him again. We’ll just… look for him.”
“If you wanna see him, he’ll come back to Sabaody.”
“…What?”
“Before we got separated, we promised to meet back up there,” Luffy happily explained, “we all got one of these vivre cards from Rayleigh, so we can find our way back from anywhere.” He pulled a plain piece of paper out of the rim of his straw hat, proudly showing it to Yorki.
Before Yorki could ask any sensible questions, like how a piece of paper could possibly help someone find the way, someone straight up launched himself across the table.
He hadn’t said anything the entire time, so Yorki hadn't paid him any attention, but now he was frantic. “You had Rayleigh’s vivre card in your hat the entire time? And Ace’ too! What else is in there, huh? You got Shanks’ vivre card, too, you brat?”
The man tried to make a grab for the hat as well as the paper, but Luffy quickly got both out of his range by stretching his arm and neck.
…So that boy was a devil fruit user.
“Get away from me, old man! I need this card to get back to my crew. You can’t have it! Or the hat!”
“It’s my hat, I can have it if I want to!”
“No! It belongs to Shanks! I’m gonna give it back to him when I’m a great pirate! Get your own hat!”
The conversation was making less and less sense to Yorki, but he didn’t need to follow it anymore, anyway. He had everything he could hope for.
All he needed to do was get to this place called Sabaody, and he could meet Brook again.
Even as chaos broke out around him, he could only smile.
He’d do whatever it took to reach his destination.
Finally, the future was looking bright again.
Notes:
finally I could get that squard roger backstory out of my brain... y'all have no idea how long I've been sitting on this... I have some other options in my brain still, but this one fits the needs of this fic pretty well hehe