Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

Beta'd by: Animelover0818

Warnings: Mention of character death.

World Changing

What was the point?

By having Demon's Blood, defined by the World Government, one does not have the right to live.

But, if the father paid the price so his crew wouldn't have to—so his child wouldn't have to—what was the point?

On the platform that has taken both pirate and criminal lives, Portgas D. Ace, son of the former Pirate King, denounced his blood father and instead called Whitebeard his father. So why, if he was such a threat in the making—if he was going to be his father—did he seem so ashamed of the fact that his father was the Pirate King? If he was so horrible and didn't deserve to live, why did he hate the blood in his own veins so much?

Why wasn't he allowed to be free from his father's sins?

Just because he chose a life of piracy, didn't mean he was going to become his father, didn't mean that he was going to demolish the Government. If anything, he seemed content among Whitebeard's crew, letting Luffy instead do more damage than he ever done.

Ace and Luffy... they didn't deserve it.

No one deserves to die for merely existing.

It shouldn't be a crime.

But in the Government's eyes, no, in the eyes of those who rule the Government, you must destroy a threat before it even exists.

"I-I'll become strong enough so that it doesn't happen again! I owe that to my comrades." Coby stammers at his feet with his fist clenched. "I owe that to Ace and Luffy." He feels tears run down his cheeks. "I owe that to the world!"

"Bwahaha! I know that, boy." Garp clasps a large hand on his shoulder. "I know."

Coby doesn't stop clenching his eyes shut nor does he stop his fists from trembling as the former Marine walks past him, leaving the Government behind.

But before the footsteps vanish entirely, they stop.

"You're as stubborn as that brat," a pause that has Coby's eyes wide and watery, not daring to glance up. "You'll change the world as much, too. Bwahaha!"

"So don't go slacking off on your training, you hear me? Just because I'm not around to make sure you're not messing around doesn't mean I won't know about it!"

Coby straightens and salutes with his vision blurred with tears.

"Yes, sir!"

"Bwahaha! Good! You take care now." Blearily, he sees Garp wave while walking away, turning his back on the Government like he should have done years ago.

Staring after where the former War Hero disappeared to, Coby realizes, albeit belatedly, that he's just been given the order to fix what's been broken for years every since the Pirate King was executed or maybe even before then.

"I'm going to be Pirate King!"

Coby smiles, tears wet and itchy on his cheeks.

"Yeah."

We'll change the world together.