"So you're back?" Gramps greeted her two days after she had left for East Blue.
Annagi sighed, emptying the pack that was now filled with empty vials and folk remedies for negative pregnancy side effects that the mountain bandits had given her.
"I'm back." She plopped down on a chair.
"Did you meet who you needed to?"
"Yeah. Garp was there too."
Gramps tensed. "What did you do?"
"Nothing. I was completely calm," she lied. "But I did get to hear some stories about Ace that he didn't tell me. I'm glad I went. I feel closer to him."
The hallucination of Ace had disappeared in a moment she wasn't looking in Dadan's house, never to materialize for the remainder of her stay. In the moments that she was left alone, Annagi had wandered all over Dawn Island, reliving the stories that Ace had told her in life. Seeing how he lived as a child, gave her such insight into how he became the man he was. She wandered Grey Terminal and the forests, fighting the residents of both. She slept in the still intact pirate tree house that Ace, Sabo, and Luffy had made in childhood and sat on the cliff that looked out at the ocean on the very spot that Ace had done when he mourned his friend. It was on that spot that she vowed to them that she would never back down and would see their dreams come true.
"The Spade Pirates are waiting at your house," Gramps wanted to change the subject from Ace. He needed her to move on. "It's a delegation. They all couldn't come. Said they couldn't find a fast enough ship to bring them all."
"I guess I should be going then," Annagi got up, leaving the pack with Gramps. "I'll see you in a few days Gramps."
"What are you planning?"
"Nothing, Gramps," she answered, walking out the door. "Just carrying out our captain's will."
Annagi walked back to her house. Ace and his pirates had made it for her. She reminisced about the good times they had constructing it. After the house was built, it was the last time she had been able to talk to the Spade Pirates. In the year she sailed with them, they became so close, only to part as they went on to the New World.
The young woman pushed the door to her house open. She was not prepared for the sight she saw. Eight of the strongest men in Ace's crew were lounging in her living room, apparently taking a nap. She slammed the door behind her, causing them to look in her direction. Immediately jumping up, they tackled her into one massive group hug.
"Guys! I missed you so much!" She was being squished in all direction, but she didn't mind. "I didn't think you'd come…"
"When the Queen of Spades requests an audience, nothing else is of import," a tall gentleman dressed in formal clothing, top hat included, voiced.
"What the hell were you doing at Marineford?" another man piped up, his white cowboy hat askew.
"You didn't need to see that, Anna," a tanned, tough guy wearing polka-dotted pants told her sympathetically. "You shouldn't have been there."
"And then you went back with Ace's brother!" another man, wearing a black shirt with a white spade on it scolded her. "How could you be so reckless?!"
Before the others could speak up, Annagi broke away from them and looked at the floor like a child being chided by angry parents.
"I couldn't help it," she told them quietly. "You call me the Queen of Spades, but deny me the right to protect my captain? To be included among your ranks? Just like you all left me here two long years ago."
They were all quiet. It was their turn to feel guilty. After she said it, Annagi wished she could take it back. She knew that it wasn't their faults.
"Sorry guys!" she apologized as lighthearted as she could sound. "I know it was stupid!"
They each hugged her and whispered their condolences on Ace's death in her ear before going back to sitting on the chairs and couches in the room, leaving Annagi standing there.
"So why call this meeting, Anna?" a voice came from a large den den mushi on the coffee table.
"You guys listening on the other end?" Annagi asked, knowing the rest of the crew was there. "Alone?"
"Yeah," was the reply.
"I guess I should begin then. Once again, thanks for being here. I know you might not consider me your first mate anymore –" She began before being interrupted by a chorus of contention, all saying that she would always be their vice captain.
She continued on, knowing exactly what she wanted to say; it had been ruminating in her mind throughout her stay on Dawn Island. "I don't know what experiences you've had since you entered the New World. You've been a part of Whitebeard's crew for two years now. I understand that your allegiance lies with him as well and you need to honor his wishes. But, no matter what Jolly Roger you sail under, you've always been Spade Pirates. When we bleed, we bleed in Spades. Now, we have no captain. Our captain was taken from us. His life was stolen. But he lives on. He lives on in all of us. He lives on in the crew he created. We are his legacy. We carry his will. All our captain wanted was for everyone to know his name based on his merit, not his blood. All our captain wanted was freedom: true freedom. Two simple things that we tried to make possible, for his sake. His name was our name, his freedom meant our freedom. As long as the fire within him lives on in all of us; as long as his will lives on, Portgas D. Ace will never die! I, Aruna D. Annagi, swear to you, Spade Pirates, that this world will never forget his name. I swear to you, I will carve out freedom from this rotting world to make his dream come true. Blackbeard and the Navy – no, the World Government – will pay. I will become divine retribution. Blackbeard will be hunted for the rest of his days. I will see justice end; the world government will not sully this world with their corrupt justice any longer. I will not see another die in the name of their Justice. Tonight, Vengeance is born. I called you all here in hopes that you feel the same as I; in hopes that you will carry his will into this new era. You are my trusted friends, my family, my brothers, my fellow Spade Pirates. What say you?"
The small room was silent. There was no noise coming from the den den mushi. Annagi stood in front of them, the picture of confidence. She was always so good at hiding her nervousness with a facade of poise. The others looked the gentleman; he arose, unsheathing his sword. Annagi stood firm.
"I told you when the Queen of Spades beckons we are at her whim," He gripped his sword, holding the hilt on top of his heart. "After the death of the captain, command falls to the first mate. Ace made it clear that you were still his first mate. We already deliberated and unanimously agreed that you are now in command of the Spade Pirates."
"I'm not ordering you as commanding officer to join me." Annagi didn't want to force anyone on the most dangerous journey they would ever take. "If that's the case, I'll disband the Spade Pirates."
The man groaned in frustration. "Will you listen for one second, Anna? We knew you were planning something like this when we voted you captain. Ace wouldn't back down at the death of a companion, and we sure as hell won't insult his memory by not avenging his death."
Annagi shook her head. "There is no Captain of the Spade Pirates. Ace is our one and only captain. No one will take his place. Does this mean you're all in?"
"There's no one else we'd want to carry out vengeance with other than you, Vice-Captain." A clamor of voices echoed through the den den mushi.
"What's our breakout move then?" It was the man in the white cowboy hat that asked the question on all of the pirates' minds.
"This will be a two front war. As much as I hate to say it, Blackbeard we'll have to save for last. There's too many people chasing after him right now, and as we are, there is no way we're strong enough to take care of his overpowered crew not to mention himself. I can't believe that bastard's got two devils' fruit powers. First on our agenda is to delegitimize the Navy and the World Government. We're one crew, against an organization with endless resources and manpower. We fight using guerrilla tactics, but more importantly, we need public opinion on our side. That means casting aside our name as Spade Pirates and fighting under this banner of Vengeance. We have to find and publicize any ill gotten gains of the Navy, any unsavory laws by the government. At the moment, we have the upper hand."
The man in the spade shirt arched his eyebrow. "How so?"
"Because the Navy is disorganized and undermanned now." It was the man wearing the yellow headband and polka-dotted pants turn to speak up. "The top of the food chain is off chasing the big guns like Blackbeard into the New World. That means the idiots down the ladder will make plenty of mistakes for us to exploit."
"First of all, we need to announce ourselves to the world." The gentleman stated.
The conversation went on for an hour. The lively debate on how they would make their first mark was like home to Annagi. She felt as if they were on their ship again, sailing the seas and arguing about who would be the one to watch the ship at the next port.
They finally decided in a more nonviolent approach of defacing the closest marine outpost with their objective. That led to another heated discussion about what they would write.
"They need to know we're doing this for Ace." The den den mushi blurted out.
"How about drawing an Ace of Spades playing card?" A short man in a turban suggested.
"Perfect!" Annagi responded. She couldn't believe that Ace's crew would accept her requests so willingly.
"What about the main message?" The cowboy asked.
"How about 'A world founded on injustice never lasts. When Justice is corrupted, Vengeance is born.'?" Annagi answered after a bout of silence as the room brainstormed.
They now had their message. The pirates in her house celebrated with a party into the night. Annagi watched them as they drank and ate, feeling nostalgic and hollow. The scene was so familiar, but it was missing the key piece: Ace in the middle of the crowd, some cut of meat in his hand in a dead sleep. It was bittersweet; each pirate doing the best they could at feigning some form of the past, as a tribute to their dead, to cheer up their widow of the lot. Annagi appreciated the gesture, knowing that Ace had really been a great man to have assembled great men to his side.
"Duke, Bronco," Annagi addressed the gentleman and the cowboy. "This is a blitz. Duke, make sure the others don't get carried away and kill anyone that comes at us. We don't need bodies to smear our mission. Bronco, get our message written as quickly as possible, the sooner we're out of there, the better our chances of not dropping bodies."
They had been sailing for a full day. The sun dusked, and they were now in darkness save for the stars. It was only a matter of time before the Marine post would be in their sights and seconds later that they would rush in amid the confusion.
"Noted." Duke fixed his cravat, before making sure his sword was fastened tightly at his side.
"Don't worry; I'll get the job done. They won't be able to scrub it out for days." Bronco ran his hand around the front brim of his hat. "But are you sure you should be coming?"
Annagi had told them about her pregnancy, much to the surprise and joy of the crew. Though since then, they had been acting as if she was glass figurine.
"I'm fine, Bronco," she spoke, a hint of annoyance dripped from her mouth. "Someone's got to be there to save you if you fail."
The man was indignant. "Fail?!" He almost bellowed.
Annagi laughed. "Just joking! But there's no way I'm putting you all in danger while I'm sitting safe somewhere. I'm happy to be looking after everyone again."
"Alright, children, let's stop this teasing." Duke was always the one to mediate spats if he wasn't in them. "We're here. We're outnumbered. Let's focus."
They were spotted earlier than anticipated. A bright light was trained on them as they entered the port. Since the cutter wasn't flying a jolly roger, there was no reason for the marines too treat them as hostile.
"You sure, you're ok?" Annagi asked the navigator, the man in the white turban. "You'll have to defend the ship against stragglers."
"Vice-captain," he replied with a smirk. "I got this."
"Then here we go boys!" Annagi pulled up her scarf over her mouth, and jumped onto the pier.
For a plan that had little preparation, the landing worked like a dream. Luck was on their side. The pirates needed the fort to be manned by grunts, rather than commissioned officers, and with the exception of five ensigns, it was the perfect setting for a blitz with a small group.
"I got the ensigns," Annagi ran at the front, going for the ranking officers on site, occasion sweeping a few grunts off their feet.
Her skirmish with Garp reawakened her battle sense. She was aware that her team had the upper hand, dispatching the recruits and seaman like they were flies. Moving from one to the other, Annagi used her voulge with the precision of a surgeon, knocking them out, before slashing the justice insignia on the backs of their coats. She saw Bronco already halfway done with their message, and her ears made the distinction of the weapons of her crew and the marine soldiers. Even though the battle was one-sided, it made her blood course madly throughout her body.
Every marine was an enemy; it took a great deal of restraint to not rip them to shreds to feel better. Killing marines who had no part of the terror she felt and the horror she saw at Marineford would not be satisfying in the long run. The senseless killing she saw there ironically kept her in check; she didn't want to become the monsters wearing human skin and marine uniforms.
As she pushed back the marines coming at her, she couldn't help but remember Ace. He rarely showed mercy on a battlefield when the enemy threatened the lives of his crew. She never had the stomach for killing and was satisfied that her revenge could work without killing mountains of marines and becoming like them. Becoming stronger would mean that she wouldn't have to kill those that were stronger; being able to overwhelm an enemy without endangering their life was what she needed to do. The exceptions to that belief were Blackbeard and Akainu; she'd take their lives with a smile on her face, making sure she would be the last thing they saw. Roger's right hand man Rayleigh would be able to help her. She needed to get back after this.
"Let's go!" Bronco roared as he ran back to the ship.
Back at the ship, Annagi inspected her crew; there weren't any injuries, just a few minor scrapes. She was surprised that the new world had strengthened them this much. "Seems like our captain whipped your sorry asses into shape. I remember when something like this would have done a bit of damage."
"I seem to remember that the Queen of Spades was a little delicate," Duke shot back playfully.
"I am not delicate!"
Morning had just broken before they reached the spring island of Annagi's residence. Annagi faced Ace's men once again standing on the pier.
"We have to meld into the shadows. We wage a war of information. Uncover their dirty little secrets and expose their injustice. As for hostile pirates, or pirates taking advantage of innocents, one warning is enough. Splitting up and covering as much ground as you can would be best. We'll meet again in two months' time at Ace's resting place. Let's hope our vengeance works. I'll see you soon. Give my regards to the rest of the crew." Annagi reminded them, getting off the ship.
"And what will you do?" Bronco raised his voice as the ship pulled out.
"Get stronger! I can't let you guys catch up to me!" Annagi waved goodbye, wondering what training Silvers Rayleigh had in store for her.
