Mist of Memories

by HeroR

Guilt, regret, if left alone these feelings will consumed even the strongest of souls. That is the reality the Strawhats face as they go into their captain's memories to save their precious crewmate. To free their captain's from his guilt, they must first understand the depths of his pain and loss.

36. Heroic Effort

Here is the next chapter for those who did not die of dehydration in the last chapter. I also want to thank my beta Mon Esprit Libre who checked this chapter by themselves because Cana-Puff is on vacation.

I also want to make this comment, and sorry if this comes across as bragging. I knew that last chapter would be big given that the entire story has been building up towards it and it is such a powerful moment in the series. However, the amount of feedback I got last week surprise me. In the twenty-four hours after I posted the last chapter I got 75 reviews, making it my most reviewed chapter ever. I mean, wow. You only get that kind of overwhelming feedback in the bigger fandoms. So, thank you all for your support and I am happy that I did Ace's death justice. Also, thanks to you all, this story is now number two in this fandom and broke the 1.4 thousand mark. A while ago, one of my reviewers made the claim that this story would reach 1.6 thousand reviews. I thought the claim was highly unlikely. Now, however, it is a real possibility. I still cannot completely wrap my mind around it.

Now before I pat myself on the back too hard, to the chapter.

---

Chapter 36: Heroic Effort

---

The Strawhats were left in a state of shock after the memory collapsed. It was the last thing they had expected.

"What happened?" Brook asked as he looked around the void. "Was this the mist's doing?"

"No... I think...I think Luffy suffered a mental collapse," Chopper surmised as he wiped his tear-stained eyes and crossed his arms, trying to clear his mind.

"A what?" Usopp asked in confusion.

"Most likely, it was a combination of physical exhaustion, fever, and mental distress that pushed Luffy over the edge. Luffy's body could no longer handle the stress and shut itself down in order to protect itself," Chopper said after some thought.

"In other words, Luffy had a complete system shut down after he saw Ace died," Robin simplified. "Luffy was pushed to keep going only by his desire to save his brother. With his motivation to stay conscious and fight lost, Luffy had no reason to fight the demands of his own body and was forced to rest."

The remaining Strawhats were silent as they took in their crewmates' words.

"In a way, it is good that it happened that way," Chopper said after a moment of thought. "If he remained awake, he may have done something regrettable in his grief and hurt himself even more."

Zoro remained silent. He could half-imagine Luffy charging Akainu in grief-stricken rage and being melted.

Usopp's face scowled as a bitter question formed in his mind. It was so vile and heartless that he didn't want to ask it. But he knew he would have no peace if he didn't ask.

"Does...does that mean that Luffy was saved in two different ways because Ace died?" Usopp asked softly as he trembled. "If he had kept going until Ace was safe, if he kept pushing himself until the end...would he have any strength left?"

The Strawhats looked at Usopp. They had never even considered that question.

Chopper bit his lip as he thought of the answer. He didn't like what his conclusion was. "There is...a high chance that Luffy's mind collapsing at that point saved his life. I can never be completely certain since I didn't examine Luffy after the war. But given the condition that Luffy was in, he definitely pushed himself past all of his physical limits. If he had gone a few minutes longer...there is a high possibility that he could had exhausted himself to the point of death, or slipping into an irreversible coma."

There was another long pause.

"What a bitter thing to know," Franky muttered as the other Strawhats nodded. In more than just one way, Ace saved their captain's life that day at the cost of his own.

"I can understand what Luffy's going through," Nami whispered as she wrapped her arms around herself in an effort to comfort herself. "He must be thinking it's all his fault that Ace died. Ace...he was fatally wounded shielded Luffy from a blow meant for him."

She inwardly shivered as she remembered how Arlong brutally murdered her mother after he mocked the love she had for her and Nojiko. To think that Luffy experienced the same pain made her physically ill. She wouldn't wish that kind of agony on anyone, not even Arlong.

Franky slumped over. "I know better than anyone how hard it is to forgive yourself when you blame yourself for someone's death. It's a soul-crushing feeling that stays with you every time you wake up and haunts you before you go to sleep." He fought not to cry as he thought of Tom. "I've carried around my guilt and couldn't even think of forgiving myself for almost ten years. During those years, even when I was happy, I felt guilty because I kept thinking...why do I deserve to be happy? I killed the person I admired the most. I shouldn't be smiling. I deserve to suffer."

Brook stared into the empty void. "Forgiveness is possibly the hardest thing to obtain. When we do try to forgive ourselves, we feel guilty and think that we should be punished. That we deserve the pain we are in."

"It doesn't help that Luffy's body gave at the worst possible moment," Sanji murmured somberly as he clenched his hand into a fist. "Luffy would have to dodge that damn magma fist in almost all situations. That Akainu bastard isn't that fast. If Luffy could had just moved a little..."

"I'm sure Luffy knows that better than anyone," Nami whispered in a hoarse voice.

Zoro remained quiet. He was too lost in his own thoughts. He fully understood now. Just as the ball of light said, even the strongest person could be brought to their knees by grief. In Luffy's case, he had never forgiven himself.

"That...that coward," Usopp hissed. He was shaking in both rage and grief. "Why did that bastard go after Luffy? He couldn't fight… He couldn't even move... He was no threat to anyone..."

Brook also sneered. "It was a dishonorable act, going after someone who was defenseless. There was no point to it. He purposely disengaged from an enemy to attack a helpless person."

Robin wrapped her arms around himself. "He did it on purpose. Akainu was a superior fighter, but Ace still posed a danger to him given that all of Whitebeard's commanders seemed to be about equal with the admirals. Even with that burnt arm, Ace could have still given Akainu a hard time on top of the other pirates and the commanders."

Nami paled as she listened to the older woman. "Are you saying that he purposely attacked Luffy because he knew Ace would shield him?"

Robin said nothing for several seconds. "At the most, killing Luffy would have been a grave moral blow for Ace and would have weakened him mentally, made him reckless, and therefore easier to kill. We have seen for ourselves that Akainu is a master of mental manipulation."

Brook's eyes, if he had any, darkened as he listened to Robin talk. "So, in either case, that man took advantage of the bond Luffy and Ace shared. He knew they would give their lives for one another and used their love against them."

Robin's silence was the only answer the Strawhats needed.

"It was a heartless and cruel, yet effective, tactic. Not only did his plan kill Ace, but it broke Luffy mentally," Sanji growled under his breath. "What was their greatest strength, he made into their greatest weakness."

Robin's thoughts immediately went to Crocodile and how he used the love of a country to tear it apart and nearly destroy it.

Zoro hissed as he balled his fists. He wanted to find that admiral and slice him to shreds. Even then, it wouldn't be even half as painful as what he did to Luffy. The long-term damage that man did was beyond measure.

"Dammit, why didn't Ace keep running!?" Franky suddenly screamed in frustration as he slammed his fists together, causing a loud clunking sound to reverberate across the void. His shoulders were stiffened and he was seething in rage. "If he didn't stop...if he had ignored that asshole, they could had escape together! Instead, he let a few words taunt him to his grave! How...how could Ace be so selfish!?"

"Ace was always protective of his loved ones, especially if they were being bad-mouthed. Hearing the man he regarded as his father and savior being torn apart by a marine was something he could not ignore," Robin said, "especially after he mocked Whitebeard for dying for his sons, people who laid down their lives to save him. If it was Shanks being belittled in the same situation, Luffy would have acted much the same."

"He also kept that mentality of never running until the end," Zoro muttered as he thought of Ace staring down Porchemy and then Bluejam. "I don't completely understand it, but it seemed like Ace was always afraid of turning his back to an opponent."

"Because people would think he was a coward?" Usopp asked.

"No, because he was afraid that if he ran, he would have lost something dear to him," Zoro said. He paused for a second. "In all the cases that we have seen where he refused to run, Luffy was behind him."

The Strawhats stared at the swordsman in shock.

"Are you saying, moss head..." Sanji started to say.

"I think Ace didn't run because he was afraid if he left a strong enemy at their backs, Luffy would have been hurt or killed," Zoro stated. "But we may never know the truth."

The Strawhats reflected on Zoro's words. It seemed right, even if it was just a theory. Zoro was never a people person like Luffy, but the swordsman did have a talent for reading people in his own way.

"What now?" Chopper asked for everyone. "How are we supposed to help Luffy overcome this?" After suffering such a deep emotional wound, was it even possible to recover?

Brook lowered his head. "Getting Luffy-san to move on from such a tragedy will be a tough task. Going through such trauma would destroy most people. Having given up so much, and then the person he went to save died saving his life. If I had a heart, it would weep in sorrow for Luffy-san."

Nami shook her head. "What kind of twisted god or deity would do that to a person?" She didn't want to say it out loud, but it would almost been merciful for Luffy to die in that war zone.

Brook continued to stare somberly into the void. "It was almost like fate itself was taunting Luffy the entire time. Fate created the situation where Ace was captured and Luffy would be without us. Then, after so much struggle, and just how close Luffy-san was to succeeding..."

"Where the hell is Luffy?" Sanji suddenly asked, hating how helpless he felt. He wanted, needed, to kick something. "We can't help him if we can't even find him."

As if granted Sanji's wish, the mist suddenly enveloped them again and they were standing in an enclosed area that was dark and gray. Only lights on the sides of the steel walls gave any illumination.

"What is this place?" Brook asked. He had never seen this location before.

"An underground tunnel?" Sanji suggested.

Nami shook head. "No, I hear waves. Water is definitely on the other side of these walls."

"Could be a tunnel under the sea," Zoro stated.

Chopper's ears perked. "Do you hear that?"

Everyone stopped talking and they could hear some kind of mechanical noise in the distance.

"An engine?" Franky questioned.

"No...it's sounds like breathing machine," Chopper said.

The Strawhats followed the sounds down the cold, empty hallway. The sounds became louder and the Strawhats also heard a slow beeping sound in the distance. After a moment of walking, they reached an opened door that took them into a large room that was filled with many devices and some medical equipment.

"This must be the infirmary," Chopper said as he scanned the room.

From what the young doctor could see, the infirmary was fitted with the latest medical equipment and technology. Most of the stuff in the room was advanced even by today's standards. Whoever owned this room had to be a top-notch doctor, not to mention rich.

A part of Chopper envied the room. He could perform miracles with this kind of equipment. At the same time, he hated this infirmary. It was too cold and impersonal for his taste. It looked more like a medical lab than a room for healing the sick.

Usopp suddenly inhaled deeply as he stared at one of the medical beds that were against the further wall. "Lu...Luffy..." he all but whispered. For some reason, it felt wrong to shout.

The Strawhats turned to see what Usopp was talking about and they saw that Luffy was indeed lying in one of the medical beds, still as a corpse.

"Luffy..." Nami said softly as she walked towards her captain's side.

The rest of the crew followed her and they all soon surrounded their captain in a tight semicircle.

Luffy was covered to his shoulders with a thin blanket, but the Strawhats could tell that he was wrapped in bandages up to neck. Even his forehead was wrapped with several layers of bandages.

Luffy's face was extremely pale and sickly, looking like he hadn't seen the sun in weeks. His cheeks, however, were a bright red, showing that he was still fighting off a fever. By the way his eyes were shrunken into his face and the hallows of his cheeks, Luffy had lost a lot a weight, showing that he had not been eating while asleep. He had to be unconscious for more than a couple of days to reach such a state.

The thing that upset the crew the most, however, was the breathing mask that covered their captain's mouth and the IVs that were hooked all over his body. A heart monitor was also connected to Luffy, which explained the beeping sound in the room. His heartbeats were very slow and somewhat sluggish.

Everyone on the crew was highly disturbed seeing Luffy like this. The only time that any of them had seen Luffy so messed up that he needed assistance breathing was when he was severely sick with Root Fever.

He looked so fragile, like a small child. Luffy didn't look like himself at all. Even when Luffy was beaten within an inch of his life, he still had the appearance of someone strong, even through he looked much younger when he was asleep. Now, it seemed just breathing on him or speaking too loud would kill him. That in any minute, Luffy would simply stop breathing and fade away in his sleep.

Chopper couldn't stop himself from going into doctor mode and examined Luffy. Out of habit, he reached to touch Luffy, but his hooves went right through him. Chopper remained undaunted. Even if he couldn't touch his captain, he still had a key eye for physical damage. He knew Luffy's body better than anyone. He knew where to look for to see how badly his captain was hurt.

"He's in a state of near-death," Chopper whispered as he finished his quick examination. "All this equipment is the only reason why Luffy simply hasn't slipped away. It appears that the doctor here is given Luffy fluids, vitamins, and blood thinners to keep his heart beating. Luffy also seems to be getting heavy doses of antibiotics. If he does have an infection, that would explain why he still has a fever."

Chopper frowned as he realized that none of the IV bags appeared to contain anesthesia or painkillers. Even if Luffy was in a coma, the doctor should still give Luffy at least some measure of pain control. It wouldn't be good to have a patient wake up in pain and hurt themselves struggling.

He also didn't like that the doctor had left Luffy unattended. What if Luffy stopped breathing or had a heart attack? Comatose or not, a patient should never be left alone. Especially not Luffy. Not after what he had been through.

"It is not surprising, given what happened to him," Robin said, breaking Chopper out of his thoughts. She was staring at her comatose captain with a somber expression. It looked like she wanted to cry.

"How are we even seeing this?" Usopp asked softly as he continued to look at Luffy. He felt numb seeing his friend like this. "Luffy's not even conscious."

"It is most likely a recomposed memory using bits of previous information from other memories. There is also the chance that Luffy was at least semiconscious at this time," Robin surmised. "A person who is in a coma does not wake all at once, despite popular belief. They slowly ease themselves back into consciousness. If they are lucky."

Nami wished Robin didn't add that last part.

"But that still doesn't make any sense," Usopp said as he kept staring at his captain. "We've been through several memories where Luffy wasn't completely conscious, and those memories were all black or extremely hazy since Luffy's eyes were closed."

Sanji bit down on his cigarette. "Maybe...could it be Haki?"

Franky turned his head towards the cook. "Can Haki really allow you to see the outside world even when you're asleep?"

"I'm not completely sure, but I think I have heard of this. In people with particular strong Observation Haki, they can see outside their own bodies even when they're asleep," Sanji stated. "Most people mistake this as an out-of-body experience. It's particularly common with those who had unknowingly awakened their Haki and have no control of it."

Zoro's eye widened. He experience something similar to that when he was training with Mihawk. Being able to control his Haki while he was asleep was almost a requirement since Mihawk wasn't above attacking him when he was asleep or resting. It didn't happen often, but there were times where he swore he was outside his body looking at himself. Now that he thought about, he may had even experienced something like this when he was recovering at Thriller Bark.

"So, Luffy-san is unconsciously using his Haki to look at himself while he's in a coma," Brook said. "That's how we are able to see all of this and not just hear sounds." He half-imagined Luffy's soul sticking out of his body, much like his own technique.

"How's Strawhat?" someone asked.

The Strawhats turned to see two people walk into the room. They were both dressed in the same baggy white uniform, which looked strangely familiar. Their faces were shadowed, most likely because Luffy only had vague recollection of them.

One of the men had a cap that read 'Penguin' while the second man had long, stringy hair and sunglasses.

Penguin checked the monitors and Luffy's IVs. "Looks like no change."

"He's been like this for two weeks now," the man with sunglasses sighed. "I wonder if Strawhat will ever wake up."

"Two weeks!" Nami exclaimed in shock.

It usually took Luffy only a couple of days to recover from being hurt. Even after all those weeks and all this medical attention, not only was Luffy still unconscious, but also he still needed all this equipment to stay alive.

"Strawhat pushed himself past his natural limit. I'm surprised the kid isn't dead, especially after getting nailed by Akainu. I mean, the guy burnt a freaking hole into Strawhat's chest," Penguin said as he took notes.

"A hole?" Sanji whispered as he glanced down at Luffy's covered chest. His one visible eye widened. "I see... It was that magma bastard that gave Luffy that giant scar."

"That would explain how Luffy got scarred," Chopper said in thought. "Akainu literally melted his skin. It's also possible that Luffy's healing ability was compromised by all the damage he took during the war, so the wound didn't heal properly."

"Not only did that guy kill Luffy's brother, he forever marked him as well," Zoro said softly as he fingered his own chest scar.

No wonder that scar seemed to be so symbolic to Luffy. It also explained why Luffy grabbed his chest and grimaced in pain whenever Akainu's name was mentioned. Did Luffy always think of his brother's murderer when he looked at his own chest?

Zoro also couldn't help seeing the bitter irony in Luffy's wound. That bastard admiral had struck Luffy in the same place as Ace. Luffy, the weaker brother, had survived an injury that had killed Ace within minutes.

No, that wasn't completely correct. Luffy lived because Akainu's attack didn't penetrate completely through his body since Luffy had no scar on his back. If it had, Luffy's insides would have been melted much like his brother's.

"Yeah, burnt right through Jinbei. Would had killed him, too, if it wasn't for his fat. Still, if Jinbei hadn't acted as a shield, that wound would had been fatal to Strawhat," the man with the sunglasses said as he got closer to examine Luffy. "Still, that attack cooked his insides nicely. This place smelt like a burnt tire for over a week. If Boss wasn't such a great doctor, Strawhat would have undoubtedly joined his brother."

The pirate with the sunglasses reached for the covers and started to pull them down.

The memory suddenly broke and swaged, catching the Strawhats off-guard. Within a matter of seconds, they were back at Marineford. The entire memory was badly fuzzed, almost to the point that the crew could barely see was happening. The colors were also off. The scene was tinted red and kept moving every couple of seconds. It was like they were seeing a bad transponder snail video.

"What...what's happening?" Usopp asked. He didn't want to see this place ever again.

They were standing around Luffy, who was in the same position they left him in the last memory. His head was pointed skywards and his eyes were rolled back so only white, unseeing orbs were visible. He wasn't screaming anymore, but his mouth was still opened like he was. Blood was dripping down the sides of his mouth from his ruptured vocal cords.

It was a disturbing site. He was drenched in blood that was both his own and his brother's. Luffy looked the way he did when he was fatally poison by Magellan, except now he really appeared to be dead.

Around Luffy, there was a lot of crying and moans of grief. The Whitebeard Pirates and their allies were all shattered from the death of their friend and comrade. After everything they gave, their loved one still died.

Jinbei had his hands over his eyes and was sobbing in a way that the Strawhats had never seen before from him. He appeared almost as broken from Ace's death as Luffy was.

"Is this a memory?" Nami asked after taken everything in. Despite herself, her eyes fell onto Ace's body. Seeing the once-strong, lively young man laying face down in a puddle of his own blood made her stomach clutch. It was another reminder on how life could suddenly disappear. "Why is everything so...off...and how are we seeing this?"

"I think a part of Luffy's consciousness was still active after his mind collapse. What we are seeing is maybe more of a flashback or a waking dream more than an actual memory," Robin said. "Luffy is remembering these events while he is lying in his medical bed."

"Still active?" Franky repeated in confusion.

"In other words, it's like the lights are on, but no one's home," Sanji explained.

Chopper nodded. "I think that is precisely what's happening."

"Strawhat-boy!" someone screaming got the crew's attention. They turned to see Iva staring at Luffy in horrified panic. He seemed to realize what happened to Luffy and the danger he was now in.

The yells were soon followed by what sounded like boiling lava. The Strawhats saw Akainu rushing Luffy. The crew could see the bloodlust in the man's eyes, making him appear more than human.

"It's Akainu!" one of the pirates screamed.

"Now, you are next, Strawhat!" Akainu declared as he raised his arm to kill Luffy.

"He's already defeated! He's not even conscious anymore!" Brook screamed in rage. He was ready to draw his sword.

"Brook, you can't do anything," Zoro said in a harsh voice as he grabbed the fellow swordsman's hand. He too wanted to kill that magma bastard, but nothing could be done, no matter how passionate he was. These were events that had already happened.

Brook gritted his teeth as he stalled unsheathing his sword. Akainu was an honorless man. What kind of marine kills a person who has been completely defeated?

Akainu arm descended on Luffy, but Marco quickly blocked the deathblow with his winged arm. Blue flames erupted around Luffy as the First Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates protected him.

Akainu sneered at the zoan user.

"I won't let you kill him!" Marco yelled. He glared hatefully at the admiral. The fire in his eyes matched the flames surrounding him.

He had already lost his fellow commander and friend. He would be damned if he let this man take away the last flame of Ace's will. The same flame that Ace laid his life to protect.

Jinbei rushed towards Luffy's side and shook the unconscious rubberman fiercely. "Luffy-kun, Luffy-kun! Pull yourself together!"

Nothing he did made Luffy even twitch. He was completely gone to them.

"Get out of my way!" Akainu screamed as his magma grew stronger.

Marco refused to yield as he pushed back even harder. "This fight...isn't over yet!" he yelled to his comrades.

The grieving pirates in the area lifted their heads towards Marco.

"Get Ace's bother out of here, Jinbei!" Marco screamed towards the fishman.

"Understood!" Jinbei yelled as he lifted Luffy like he was a ball and ran as fast as he could away from Akainu.

"Strawhat's survival was Ace's final wish!" Marco yelled to his fellow pirates as he continued to glare at Akainu. "That is the life, the 'determination', that allowed Ace to live!"

"Commander...Marco..." a pirate muttered.

The Whitebeard Pirates and their allies wiped their tears and the fire returned to their eyes. The crew all felt their renewed dedication. They still had something to fight for. Something to protect.

"We will absolutely protect him in Ace's place!" Marco declared as he pushed against Akainu. "If we let him die, IT WILL BE THE WHITEBEARD PIRATE GREATEST SHAME!"

All the Strawhats saw it. In the Whitebeard Pirates' eyes, an aura of unbreakable resolve formed. Their grief from before lessened and the pirates were ready to fight again. It was as their commander said. It wasn't over yet.

Zoro was left stunned from the sight. Their aura was very similar to the one that emitted from his crew when Kuma offered their lives for Luffy. It was like Luffy became one of them.

The pirates erupted with loud war cries. They were just as energetic as they were when they declared that they would save Ace.

Luffy remained unaware of any of this as Jinbei carried him to safety.

"Luffy-kun, hang in there!" Jinbei encouraged the comatose boy.

The pirates' renewed spirit did not impress Akainu. "I thought I said I would not let either of them escape!" He suddenly erupted with magma and knocked Marco off his feet.

The blast was so powerful that Jinbei felt it. He covered Luffy with his body.

Akainu ran towards Luffy. "Strawhat!"

Sanji felt the urge to intercept the admiral. Memory or not, his captain was defenseless. Unlike Kuma, he felt nothing but pure malice from the admiral.

"Akainu-san, behind you!" a marine suddenly screamed in horror.

A shadow suddenly engulfed Akainu and he froze in place. For the first time, the Strawhats saw a look of absolute terror cross the admiral as all the color drained from his face. It was like death itself was behind him.

"Whitebeard..." Usopp whispered when he saw the giant of a man loom behind Akainu.

For a second, a chill ran down all the Strawhats' spines. Whitebeard's face was blank and calm, but they felt his rage, his sorrow, his need for revenge. There was nothing to compare it to. Luffy's fury was like a mere temper tantrum in comparison. Even Shanks' glare when the bandits threatened Luffy was a pale comparison.

Akainu slowly turned around just as Whitebeard raised his fist. Without a word, the mighty pirate smashed Akainu into the ground with a quake fist, tearing up the pavement.

The more timid members of the Strawhats cringed as they watched the admiral being warped into the ground. The human body simply didn't deform like that.

The members of the crew who had darker personalities watched the entire scene with grim satisfaction. They knew Akainu would live through his ordeal, which was tragic. At least, however, they knew he got some punishment for killing Ace and mentally debilitating their captain. It was nowhere near enough, but would do for now.

Whitebeard was ruthless as he kept smashing Akainu further into pavement, making it appear like the admiral was melting.

"The Old Man is pissed!" someone screamed.

"Understatement," Sanji whispered, unable to say anything else.

Whitebeard suddenly jumped away from Akainu, giving the admiral time to lift himself off the ground. He barely had time to roll away as Whitebeard attempted to smash his skull in with a quake kick. It was somewhat frightening to see such a large man move with so much agility while in the air.

Whitebeard was merciless as he charged after the magma user and raised his bisento over his head. He attempted to cut the admiral in half, but Akainu pushed himself out of the way. Once he was in position, Akainu pummeled Whitebeard with magma punches, but Whitebeard simply tanked them with his arm. Despite the fury of the magma attack, Whitebeard's arm was barely even singed.

"He's blocking magma with his bare flesh!" Franky yelled in awe. Whitebeard really was a monster. What was this guy like at his peak?

Akainu ran in and engaged Whitebeard in hand-to-hand combat. He landed several powerful blows, but the old pirate was able to keep pace and block him. With one swing, Whitebeard knocked Akainu away from him, sending the admiral rolling across the ground like a rag doll.

Zoro felt the blow and his bones hurt. If Akainu were a normal man, his bones would have been shattered into powder. Whitebeard didn't even use his ability. It was almost unbelievable that one man could be so powerful.

Chopper was left completely speechless. Even Rayleigh couldn't fight an admiral like this. Whitebeard was beating Akainu like he was a child. But he was an admiral. They were nearly unbeatable.

Akainu was on his knees as he attempted to catch his breath. He obviously was not used to being beaten like this. The attack dog of the marines was, for the first time, the one being hunted.

Whitebeard slowly approached Akainu, ready to finish off the man who dared to kill one of his children.

Akainu glared at Whitebeard. His face was a mix of fear and defiance as he sneered at the old pirate.

Whitebeard raised his fist for another quake punch, but Akainu suddenly jumped up and threw a magma punch at Whitebeard's face. Whitebeard tilted his head to avoid the blow, but he was just a little too slow. Akainu's magma punch hit the left side of Whitebeard's face, causing it to instantly melt upon impact.

All the Strawhats gasped in shock and horror.

"He...he melted part of his face!" Nami screamed as she covered her mouth with her hands. How was Whitebeard still functioning? His brain couldn't have remained undamaged from that attack.

Despite the lost of half of his face, Whitebeard did not seem particular bothered. Instead, he ruthlessly grabbed Akainu by his shirt's collar and lifted him off the ground. The magma user was more than a little scared as he stared into Whitebeard's one amber eye that seemed to be burning into his soul.

Akainu was thrown into the air and before he landed, Whitebeard nailed him on the side with a quake punch so powerful that all the Strawhats heard Akainu's rib crack. The admiral was gushing blood out of his mouth as he fell.

Robin darkly mused if Whitebeard had ruptured one of Akainu's lungs.

The ground split as Whitebeard's last quake went into full effect. The entirety of Marineford was spliced in half and Akainu was sent tumbling into the fissure along with several marines who were standing nearby. The main building of Marineford was broken in two and began to descend into ground like it was in quicksand.

Despite his injured and dying state, this was by far Whitebeard's most powerful earthquake. It was like he wanted all the marines to feel the wrath he held because of them. They may have killed Ace, but he was going to make sure they paid the price in full for it.

"Damn you...Whitebeard!" Akainu screamed in rage as he disappeared into the earth. The fissure closed on him, burying the admiral along with dozen of other marines.

"He...he buried that guy alive!" Usopp screamed in shock. How the hell did Akainu live through that? Was he immortal?

"In his rage over Ace, he nearly destroyed the entire island," Zoro whispered.

He had to admire that man's love for his sons. Too bad his anger was not enough to kill that bastard. Maybe it was better that way. If Akainu was dead, Luffy would never been given the chance to fight him. Ace may have been Whitebeard's son, but Luffy was his brother first. He owed that bastard an ass-kicking.

The memory abruptly broke apart and stuttered violently. It took a couple of seconds, but the memory eventually put itself back together.

The crew was standing close to Jinbei, who had stopped running and was staring at something in the distance. His expression was a mix of rage and hatred. He was literally shaking as he held Luffy in his arms.

It didn't take the Strawhats long to realize why Jinbei was so upset. Even in the half composed, fuzzy memory, the crew could see Blackbeard standing in the distance. The treasonous pirate was standing above Whitebeard on a building with a smug grin. The small pirate crew could feel Whitebeard's rage, which was even brighter than when he confronting Akainu. The old pirate truly despised the man in front of him.

Zoro squinted his eye as he realized that Blackbeard's crew had increased in size. One of the new pirates were so huge that he was actually leaning against the Marine Headquarters building like he was a kid playing peek-a-boo.

"Blackbeard..." Sanji hissed. "How did this shit head get here? He shouldn't have gotten past the Gates of Justice."

Sengoku had the same question as he glared at the Blackbeard Pirates.

One of the pirates, the one with the top hat from what the Strawhats could see, laughed at Sengoku's question. "I apologize. It is quite simple. Before the Blackbeard Pirates sailed to Impel Down, I hypnotized the marines in the control room and gave them the order that all battleships approaching the Gates of Justice were to be allowed to pass. It seems this helped others as well."

Brook's jaw dropped. "Then...Luffy-san and the others were only able to reach Marineford because of Blackbeard. Without him, they would have been trapped in the Tarai Current."

"This...this is some kind of joke right?" Franky growled. Was fate really screwing with Luffy?

Blackbeard laughed at the stunned marines as they started to realize the extent of his betrayal.

"For a pirate, an enemy of the government, breaking into Impel Down would have been impossible since the Gates of Justice would never open," Blackbeard said. "That's why I increase my reputation and became one of the Warlords of the Sea. But now, I no longer need that rank!"

"So, your goal was to free those guys!?" Sengoku yelled in outrage.

Blackbeard laughed. "Indeed, that was my plan all along! That was all I wanted!"

"Free those guys? What're they talking about?" Nami asked.

"I cannot really see the new members of the crew that well even with my ability, but I do know that giant behind the Marine Headquarters is San Juan Wolf, known as the Colossal Battleship. He is the largest giant known to exist," Robin stated. "I heard that he was erased by the World Government for committing unspeakable crimes."

"That means he must have been on Level 6," Nami said.

Robin nodded. Using her powers, one of her eyes fell onto one member of the Blackbeard Pirates who appeared to be wearing an Impel Down uniform. Upon looking at the man, she recognized who he was. She remembered researching that man when she was studying Blackbeard when she was with the Revolutionaries. She also realized the full implication of him being part of the Blackbeard Pirates given what she knew now. At that moment, everything fell into place.

"Robin-chan, what's wrong?" Sanji asked as he saw the color leave Robin's face.

Robin took several deep breaths as she prepared to tell her crew what she discovered. Some times, it was a curse knowing too much. "One of the new members of the Blackbeard Pirates is a man known as Shiliew of the Rain. He was the Chef Guard of Impel Down whose strength was equal to that of the warden."

"You mean he's as strong as Magellan!? The guy who had Jinbei and Crocodile running for their lives!?" Usopp screamed in disbelief.

"But why is a person who protects Impel Down with Blackbeard?" Chopper asked, completely lost.

"It is rumor, but from what I remember, Shiliew was stripped of his position and sentence to death because he abused his power and murdered many prisoners," Robin explained.

Franky snorted. "I didn't know there was such a thing as abuse of power in a place known as Hell."

"I guess even Hell have its rules," Brook said.

Zoro stared at the archaeologist. "There's more to it. Blackbeard didn't just release him with the other prisoners, didn't he?"

Robin folded her arms. "Remember when we surmised that Blackbeard and his crew were most likely defeated by Magellan since he was still chasing after Luffy and the others?"

"Yeah, I remember that," Usopp said with a nod.

Nami's eyes widened as she followed Robin's line of thinking. "You think it was this guy who helped the Blackbeard Pirates."

"I am almost certain of it," Robin said in a grave voice. "There is no other way Blackbeard could have cured Magellan's poison on his own. Someone who knew Magellan and his ability helped them."

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Usopp shouted as he held out his hands. "That doesn't make any sense. You said yourself that Shiliew was stripped of his position and locked away. How could he help Blackbeard?"

"It is just a theory, but I surmised that Shiliew was most likely imprisoned on Level 6 for his crimes against Impel Down. When Luffy and the others rioted, and Blackbeard broke into Impel Down, they stressed the defenses of the prison to its limit. Even Magellan could not quell the riots on all levels and deal with Luffy's group and Blackbeard. Most of the jailers would have been outmatched by either group," Robin said. "It is then possible to conclude that Shiliew took advantage of the chaos and offered his assistance since he was as strong as the warden. Magellan, being desperate to keep order and stop the jail break, released Shiliew, who then betrayed him to the Blackbeard Pirates."

All the Strawhats stood in silence as Robin finished her theory.

If Brook had a heart, it would have been beating rapidly as he asked the question the entire crew was thinking. "Are you saying that it was because of the breakout Luffy-san led that Blackbeard was able to penetrate Impel Down and free those Level 6 prisoners?"

Robin said nothing for several seconds. "If Luffy never went to Impel Down, Blackbeard would have been stopped by Magellan. They would also had to face the full power of Impel Down. Because Magellan was chasing Luffy and the forces of Impel Down were scattered and disorganized, it gave Blackbeard an opening that he would never have even with the rank of Warlord."

All the air was sucked from around the Strawhats as they took in everything. It felt like the entire world had just dropped them on their heads.

Zoro growled as he turned his eye back towards the Blackbeard Pirates. It would appear that Luffy truly was a pawn for that bastard. Because of several twists in fate, Luffy was made to become Blackbeard's greatest ally.

No, not just Luffy, but Ace as well. Because of this war, it dragged Whitebeard out into the open, weakened him, and gave Blackbeard the chance to kill his former captain. Also, because Whitebeard's forces were weakened by the war as well, they couldn't stop the treasonous pirate from taking over Whitebeard's territories and becoming the new Emperor. Both Luffy and Ace were used by fate. Did destiny choose Blackbeard to rule this age?

Zoro shook his head viciously. No, he refused to accept that. He refused to believe that fate was that screwed up. Luffy and only Luffy was worthy to rule this era. If fate dictated otherwise, then screw it. He would defy destine.

"Now do you get it!?" Blackbeard mocked, getting the crew's attention again.

Sengoku could only tremble in indignation. Just like everyone involved with Blackbeard, the marines and himself were nothing but his fodder.

"None of that matters!" Whitebeard shouted with a stained, but still strong voice. "Teach!" He slammed his arm against the air, causing a massive quake that knocked dozens of marines into the air.

The Blackbeard Pirates were blasted off the building they were standing on as the quake punch kept moving through the island. Despite the power behind the quake, the rogue pirates walked out of the rubble relatively unharmed.

"You aren't holding back!" Blackbeard humored with a chuckle. "Well, I guess that's to be expected."

"You are the one person I will never call son, Teach," Whitebeard growled. "You broke the iron rule on my ship. You killed a member of the crew!" He pointed his bisento at his former son. "So that Fourth Division Commander Thatch may rest in peace, I will take this fool's life and settle the score!" He grimaced in pain as he finished his declaration.

"He...he's at his limit," Chopper whispered. "He's dying..."

"After all those wounds, even he wouldn't be able to live through this. He is still a human," Sanji said. "It's a miracle that he can even stand."

"Old Man!" one of the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates yelled.

Marco went into his full phoenix form and was ready to fly to his captain's side.

"Marco!" Whitebeard yelled, stopping his First Commander from flying to his aid.

"Old Man!" Marco screamed in distress as he went back to his human form.

"Stay out of this!" Whitebeard ordered as he continued to glare at Blackbeard. "Let us finished this, Teach!"

Blackbeard laughed at his former captain. "Fine by me!" Darkness began to engulf his body and spread across the war torn battlefield like a fog. "This is the power of the Devil Fruit I stole after killing Thatch! The mightiest power, the Dark Dark Fruit!"

"That's why!?" Brook yelled in outraged. "He killed his fellow crewmate over a Devil Fruit! For a single fruit...he..." He reached for his sword.

Zoro also felt his heart filled with anger. For a mere ability, he stole the life of one of his comrades. He was the worst kind of scum.

Nami said nothing as she folded her arms. Blackbeard was a real pirate. He used, betrayed, and killed those around him to get his way. This was the reason why she hated pirates.

"Have a good taste!" Blackbeard yelled as Whitebeard started to sink into the darkness.

Whitebeard didn't even flinch as the darkness attempted to suck him in like quicksand.

His focus remained squarely on Blackbeard, who was arrogantly laughing.

"Hey, Old Man, Thatch is dead and so is Ace. I had always respected and admired you from the bottom of my heart. But now, you've grown old. So rusty you couldn't save a single underling from execution! Even though I made sure to let Ace live after our battle on Banaro Island," Blackbeard mocked.

Usopp's felt hot tears burn his eyes as he clutched his fists so tightly that his palms started to bleed. That bastard turned his commander in to die and then mocked his captain for failing to save him. This man was no real pirate. No real man of the sea acts this way. He was a complete, irredeemable monster, who worse than Kuro. He was also, indirectly, insulting Luffy since Ace died shielding him.

Whitebeard prepared to use his ability to blow Blackbeard away.

"Now, now, that won't work!" Blackbeard yelled in a taunting voice as he held out his hand. Darkness filled his palm. "All abilities are useless against me!" He used his powers to pull himself towards Whitebeard and stall his quake punch with his hand.

Much like what happened to Luffy when he faced Blackbeard, Whitebeard lost his ability.

"Well, Old Man, what do you think of my darkness?" Blackbeard asked with an arrogant grin. "I can even suck in Devil Fruit powers, making the user defenseless! In other words, you can't make earthquakes anymore!"

Before Blackbeard could get another word in, Whitebeard ruthlessly slammed his bisento into Blackbeard's shoulder, nearly cleaving the other pirate in half. Blackbeard screamed in anguish as he fell onto the pavement.

"That hurts..." Blackbeard mourned as he clutched his bleeding wound. He rolled on the ground in pain. "That hurts, damn you!"

"After all that shit, he's crying over just that," Sanji mocked as he puffed on his cigarette.

"As I said, the Dark Dark Fruit takes in all damage. Blackbeard was a fool to believe that Whitebeard would be defenseless without his ability," Robin said as her eyes darkened.

Brook nodded. "One does not become known as the strongest in the world by being depended on a Devil Fruit."

Franky sneered. "Whitebeard should have beheaded that bastard with that move."

Whitebeard wasted no time pinning Blackbeard hands with his bisento and foot and grabbed the man by his neck. Now Blackbeard was the one defenseless.

"Overconfident...careless. Those are your biggest weaknesses!" Whitebeard came closed to sneering. "You have become too reliant on your ability."

"Oh the irony," Nami mummer as she recalled how Blackbeard bragged about defeating those fruit users who depended on their powers.

Whitebeard's hand glowed as he prepared to use his powers.

"At that range, Whitebeard's earthquake will tear Blackbeard's body apart!" Chopper exclaimed.

Even though he hated the man for everything he done, he would never be comfortable seeing someone being killed. It was against his nature as someone who dedicated his dream to preserving life.

"We're not that lucky. That bastard lives through this, after all," Zoro said coldly.

Blackbeard realized the same thing as Chopper as he started to panic and struggled in Whitebeard's death grip. "S...Stop it... Old Man, stop it! I'm your son, aren't I!? Are you really going to kill your own son!?"

Brook sneered as he listened to Blackbeard beg for his life. "How dare he..."

"You despicable coward," Zoro hissed. That bastard couldn't even face death with dignity.

Whitebeard showed no mercy as he released a giant earthquake right on top of Blackbeard. The blast left a carter of dust as Blackbeard screamed in anguish.

The Whitebeard Pirates cheered, thinking that their father had avenge their comrades' deaths. The celebration, however, was too soon. Despite taking a full earthquake to the face, Blackbeard was still alive. Although, he was badly wounded from the ordeal.

"He maybe a coward, but he's certainly durable," Franky said as he crossed his arms.

"If Whitebeard was at full strength, there would be nothing left of that pile of shit," Sanji said.

Robin said nothing as she stared at Blackbeard's trembling form. A man who carries the Will of D who feared death? She had never seen one before. All those she had met or known with that initial were fearless and faced death with dignity and acceptance. This man did not accept his end. Instead, he coward and beg when he believed he was going to die. Something was very wrong here.

The Whitebeard Pirates and the ally pirates all yelled for their father to finish the traitor off.

Whitebeard stood perfectly still as Blackbeard fought for breath. After a moment, the mighty pirate slowly approached his former son with deliberate steps.

Blackbeard's eyes were wide with panic and fear as he saw his death approaching. All his self-confidence, arrogance, and bluster had vanished. He was like a cornered rat.

Some of the Strawhats shivered as they felt Whitebeard's murderous rage.

"Hurry and kill that bastard!" Franky yelled at Whitebeard, unable to contain himself.

He knew it was impossible, but he still wanted to see Blackbeard get what was coming to him. Such a coward didn't deserved to draw breath, especially after seeing how Ace faced his end.

"Yo...you monster!" Blackbeard screamed in terror as he fell on his back. He was sweating hard and seemed close to having a panic attack. "You should be dead!"

Whitebeard prepared another quake punch. Even from the broken memory, the Strawhats felt its power. It was much stronger than the last one. If Blackbeard was hit, the quake would undoubtedly shatter every bone in his body.

"Can't you just die already!" Blackbeard screamed as Whitebeard prepared to crush him. He pulled out one of the many pistols he had on his belt and fired at his former captain at point-blank range.

Whether fate intervened or Blackbeard got extremely lucky, that one bullet was enough to knock Whitebeard off base and stop his quake punch.

"KILL HIM, YOU GUYS!" Blackbeard ordered as he fired continuously at Whitebeard.

With the order given, all the Blackbeard Pirates ganged on up Whitebeard and shot at him mercilessly. Those who had no guns used swords and other sharp weapons to hack away at the old pirate.

The scene was terrible. Blood flew everywhere as Whitebeard could only stand and take all of their attacks. He was too weak to move or dodge any of it.

The Strawhats could only stand in shock at the brutal scene. They knew it was Blackbeard who gave the killing blow to Whitebeard, but they didn't know that his entire crew had joined in on the murder. That cowardly bastard couldn't even kill Whitebeard on his own.

Blackbeard's laughter overwhelmed the gunfire as the Whitebeard Pirates and the ally pirates could only watch their captain and father be killed before their eyes. They didn't move to jump in, however. Even if it meant watching him die, they would obey their captain's final order.

Zoro had to admire them. If it was him, he would had ran in to defend his captain, his orders be damned.

Brook teared up at the vicious loss of life. The fact that someone could laugh as they committed murder filled every bone in his body with rage.

It was impossible to say how long the massacre lasted. All the Strawhats knew that is only stopped because the Blackbeard Pirates ran out of bullets.

"I'm out of bullets. Hey, someone give me another gun!" Blackbeard ordered as he dropped his empty pistol.

"There is no need," Shiliew said. "Whitebeard has lost consciousness. I am sure he would fall over if you so much as poke him."

"It is not you..." Whitebeard said in a clear voice, startling everyone.

"What, he's still alive!?" Usopp yelled in disbelief.

"He much have taken hundreds of bullets on top of the injures he has already," Nami said, just as shocked as Usopp. "There's no way he still can be breathing!"

"Is it willpower that's allowing him to clings to life?" Chopper asked in a harsh voice.

Blackbeard looked ready to wet himself when he heard Whitebeard's voice. "You're still alive!"

Whitebeard was obviously at his end as he fought for each of his breaths. Still, his body would not fold. "The man Roger is waiting for...at the very least, Teach, is definitely not you. You are not one of them."

"What...what's he talking about?" Chopper whispered.

Almost no one on the crew had an answer.

Robin, however, understood what Whitebeard was saying and her eyes widened. Whitebeard knew about the Will of D. Was it possible that Roger himself told him something? What more, Blackbeard was not a real man of D? How was that possible? He was different from them given his malice and overall cowardly personality, but he still had the D within his name. What was he?

"Just like there are those who carry on Roger's will...I am sure someone will appear to carry on Ace's will, someday," Whitebeard said almost like he was speaking to himself. "Even if you extinguish his bloodline, there is no way that their flame will ever burn out. It has been passed down since ancient times... And in the future...someday...someone will appear, carrying the history all those decades on their back, and challenge this whole world to a fight." He took a breath. "Sengoku, you guys in the World Government, all fear that immense battle engulfing the world that will eventually come."

Sengoku's expression remained blank.

"I do not care myself...but as soon as someone finds that great treasure, the entire world will be turned upside-down," Whitebeard said. "And someone will find it."

Now Sengoku looked pissed. His eyes were wide with horror as he realized what Whitebeard was about to do.

"Is...is he talking about the One Piece?" Franky asked softly. Nothing Whitebeard was saying made sense. Was this the babbling of a dying man?

Robin was frozen as she took in every word Whitebeard said.

"That day will definitely come sooner or later." Whitebeard took a huge breath as he prepared his final declaration. "ONE PIECE DOES EXIST!"

Everyone on the crew felt chills run down their spines as they heard Whitebeard's proclamation. At that very moment, he had rendered everything the marines had done up to that point almost meaningless. They had this execution for Ace to not only extinguish the last of Roger's bloodline, but to also act as a warning to any future pirate. But, much like what happened with Roger, it backfired.

By Whitebeard proclaiming One Piece's existence, it was no longer a fairytale told among pirates. It was a real, obtainable object, waiting for the right person to find it and claim the right to become the new Pirate King. The spark that the marine had hoped to extinguish had turned into a full-blown fire before their eyes. Without throwing another punch, Whitebeard had gotten the marines back for killing Ace by making his death and this entire war worthless. It was poetic justice at its best.

Blackbeard laughed happily upon hearing of One Piece's existence. "Those are some magnificent last words!"

Zoro sneered when he heard Blackbeard's words and cocky laugh. His hands were literally shaking as he grabbed the hilt of his sword. It was just as he suspected. That bastard was aiming to become the Pirate King. Such a cowardly, treasonous, bastard doesn't deserve the right to be called king of anything.

"It was a good voyage," Whitebeard whispered in a serene voice. He sounded at peace despite not being able to kill Blackbeard and avenge his sons.

With his final words said, Whitebeard closed his eye and exhaled slowly. He then became perfectly still. All was silence as everyone realized what had happened.

"H..he died...while still standing!" Blackbeard yelled in disbelief.

True, even in death, Whitebeard's body refused to fall. As the wind blew, it knocked his coat from his shoulders, revealing his back. Upon his back, there was not a single scar or wound, showing that he never once retreated or turned his back throughout his entire lifetime. The Whitebeard mark stood proudly on his back, showing his pride to the world.

The Strawhats were left speechless. Not even death could steal away Whitebeard's presence. He was indeed worthy of all the praise, fear, and respect he gained throughout his life. They now truly understood why Ace loved this man and called him his father. If there was any kind justice in the afterlife, those two were reunited again.

Zoro felt the inkling of tears build in his eye. One could only dream of dying the way Whitebeard did. It was a death fitting of a warrior and pirate.

Sanji felt himself shake at the injustice of the entire situation as he watched the Blackbeard Pirates surround Whitebeard's body like vultures. Whitebeard gave his life to save Ace, but in the end Ace still died and he was murdered by the hands of his former son. What kind of messed up world allowed something like this to happen?

Robin lowered her head in respect. She wished she had met him. Not only to learn more about the Will of D and the history he carried, but because he was a man who would understand her, just like he had understood Ace.

The remaining Strawhats didn't bother to hide their emotions as they openly wept for the fallen pirate. They never once met Whitebeard, and yet, through Luffy's memories, they had all come to respect the man. He wasn't just an immortal god that one heard about from stories and legends. They now saw him for the real man he was. A man who fought, bled, cried, and died for his sons. It made what Blackbeard did all the more bitter and twisted. That man wasn't fit to take Whitebeard's place as Emperor.

The memory suddenly jumped; bring the Strawhats out of their collective mourning. Jinbei was running again to the bay with a comatose Luffy in his arms. His eyes were red, showing that he has been crying. Just like Luffy, he could not change anything.

"Jinbei, hurry and take Ace's brother to safety!" Vista ordered as he ran beside the ex-Warlord. His eyes were also puffy, but he kept going, willing himself to fulfill his captain's final order.

"Of course," Jinbei answered as he dried his tears. He could mourn for both Ace and Whitebeard once Luffy was safe.

"Don't let the pirates escape!" someone yelled from the pirates' backs.

"Destroy every last one of them!" someone else ordered as cannons were fired.

Brook shook as he grabbed his cane so hard that his bone cracked. "The marines have won. Ace and Whitebeard are dead and the pirates are retreating. Why...why are they still trying to kill everyone? Does more blood have to shred before this insanity stops?"

"The marines are filled with bloodlust," Robin said in a knowing voice. It was an aftereffect of any big battle.

Nami shook her head. "It's just like Alabasta all over again."

"Except now there's no one like Vivi-chan to talk sense into any of them," Sanji growled.

"Luffy-kun, hang in there! We need you alive!" Jinbei's yelled, getting the crew's attention. He was staring down at Luffy's limp, unconscious body. "In this world where Ace is no longer present... For tomorrow...and the day after... You must stay strong! YOU MUST LIVE!"

Luffy remained unresponsive in Jinbei's arms.

Robin felt herself inhale deeply. For some reason, Jinbei's words to her captain reminded her of Saul's words to her as they were running from the Buster Call. About how she must live for the sake of the scholars who were being killed by the World Government and carry on their legacy. Much like how she was the last flame of Ohara, Luffy was the last flame of Ace.

Chopper stared at Luffy's pain-filled face and wished that someone would close Luffy's eyes and mouth. It wasn't right to leave Luffy in that kind of state. The look of eternal anguish etched across his captain's face was more than he could bear.

There was some shouting from the bay area, but the pirates couldn't stop. They had to escape or they would all be killed. No matter what, they were going to fulfill their captain's last order.

Just as things couldn't get any worse, it naturally did. The ground around Jinbei and the other pirates suddenly erupted and magma flew into the air.

"That bastard's back!" Franky shouted as he clutched his fists. Hasn't there been enough tragedy? "How did he get back up so soon after Whitebeard beat the pissed out of him and buried him!?"

"No kidding! He should have been laid out!" Usopp yelled.

From a giant volcanic hole, Akainu came rising out like a reborn demon. He was bleeding badly, but the intense look of hate did not diminish at all. If anything, he appeared even more dedicated as his eyes fell onto Luffy.

Zoro gave a low growl as he fingered his swords. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to lunge at the man.

"I said I would not let him escape," Akainu hissed. "Why don't you just give up on life already, you imbeciles?"

Jinbei glared at Akainu as he held Luffy tighter.

"Hand the son of Dragon over to me!" Akainu demanded as his body burn with magma.

Brook narrowed his eyeholes in anger. "At least address Luffy-san by his name. He's more than what his father is."

Chopper couldn't stop himself from shivering as he stared at the magma user. To think anyone could hate Luffy this much not because of what he had done with his life, but because of the blood that flowed through his veins.

What has Luffy ever done to deserve any of this? He has done nothing but good despite being a pirate. He saved Nami and Usopp's villages, his own kingdom, Alabasta, Sky Island, and the people who had their shadows stolen by Moriah. Did none of that count for anything? It was just like Robin said. In the eyes of the world, Luffy was a monster, regardless of his heart.

Chopper couldn't stop himself from crying as the full realization of that fact hit him.

"Akainu...he's not dead!?" one of the pirates exclaimed in disbelief.

"My thoughts exactly," Nami said as she felt her heart pound in her chest. Of all the admirals, this man scared her the most.

"Jinbei!" Akainu yelled at his former ally.

"I cannot obey that order," Jinbei sneered. "I have already decided to protect this man even if it cost me my life!"

Nami felt tears form in her eyes. Even if she knew this information, hearing the dedication in Jinbei's voice was more than she could handle. In her eyes, he was already one of them.

"Then, I will not ask again!" Akainu yelled as he raised his fist, ready to melt everyone in the area.

The Whitebeard Pirates and the ally pirates rushed in front of Jinbei and shielding Luffy from the admiral.

"Protect Ace's brother!" a pirate yelled.

"That was an order from the Old Man!" another pirate yelled.

"Yeah! Ace's family is our family!" someone shouted.

Chopper teared up. "Those guys..."

"We're indebted to all of them," Zoro said in a tight voice. He felt like such a failure that he wasn't there to help guard Luffy's life. Luffy was their responsibility.

"What do you mean, 'family'," Akainu sneered. "I'm fed up with hearing that!"

"Get used to it, bastard!" Sanji yelled at the admiral.

"You sacrifice Fire Fist Ace and Whitebeard, the one you call your father. You do not have any brains to do anything but flee," Akainu mocked.

"Oh, we're so kicking this guy's ass one day," Franky growled.

Robin said nothing, but her eyes darkened in anger. They all owed that man and he would pay one day for mocking and using the bonds of family.

The pirates were more than a little pissed by Akainu's words and they shot at the logia user. Naturally, it did not work, given his Devil Fruit's defense. Even if the bullets were imbedded with Haki, it did nothing against the admiral.

"Get out of the way, you cowards!" Akainu yelled as he raised his fist.

Brook growled. "You're the one trying to kill a defenseless man and you dare call them the cowards!?"

"Move it, Jinbei!" someone screamed.

Iva suddenly jumped over the crowd of pirates with his big head. Inazuma was also there, and he used his ability to cut up the pavement to provide a shield for the pirates.

"I will not let you lay one hand on Strawhat-boy!" Iva screamed.

"I will, without fail, kill Dragon's son!" Akainu shouted.

"Hell Wink!" Iva yelled as his attack blasted Akainu away. When he landed he glanced at Luffy, given the boy a concerned look. "If anything else were to happen to Strawhat-boy now while I'm here, I will never be able to show my face to Dragon again!"

"I feel the same way," Inazuma said as he prepared for battle.

Akainu was really pissed now. "I have no time for the likes of you! Both of you, get out of my way!"

"He has two Revolutionary officers in his sights and all he can think about is killing Luffy," Sanji said in disbelief. "What the hell is wrong with this guy?"

"Akainu was given the title Red Dog for a reason. He pursues anyone he sees as evil like a rabid dog," Robin said in a cold voice. "He is unreasonable, uncompassionate, and merciless. He will chase Luffy until either he is dead or Luffy is dead."

Chopper gasped as he shook in fear.

"In other words, this guy is completely nuts," Franky summarized. To think, this nutcase was now running the freaking marines.

"Bring it on!" Iva shouted. "Right now, I'm burning much hotter than you are!"

Akainu sneered at the Revolutionary leader.

Before the fight could happen, a powerful earthquake shook the battlefield, knocking several people off their feet. The quake was nearly as powerful as one of Whitebeard's.

"That's the Quake Quake Fruit!" Usopp yelled as he watched the memory tremble. "But Whitebeard is dead!"

"Blackbeard..." Zoro hissed as he turned towards the source of the quake.

The memory was too fuzzy to see much except Blackbeard's silhouette, who was standing tall against the backdrop of Marineford.

Blackbeard's laughed reverberated across the war torn battlefield as he tested his new ability. "The gravity of darkness that returns all to nothingness and the power of earthquakes that destroys everything, I've obtained it at last! Now, nobody can match me! I am the strongest!"

"Arrogant fool," Sanji growled. "You can have the power of ten Devil Fruits and it wouldn't make you invincible."

Brook trembled as the need to avenge both Luffy and Ace nearly overtook him. He would repay that man for all the pain he caused. A heartless, ruthless man like him didn't deserve to roam the sea.

Blackbeard laughed again, filling the Strawhats' ears. "Hey, did you all hear that!? Let the whole world know this! Peace-loving, boring commoners! Marines, pirates, and the World Government! The future of this world has been decided! Yes, for now on, THIS IS MY ERA!" He laughed in triumph.

The laughs of his crew could also be heard as Marineford was torn apart.

The Strawhats all felt themselves shake in rage and intense sorrow. Never before in their lives had anyone made their blood boil like this. The added fact that they knew that Luffy and Ace were the keys to Blackbeard's rise left them all feeling bitter and numb. It was like some cruel joke that fate itself had orchestrated.

Franky completely lost his temper and raised his arms, ready to fire a laser at Blackbeard and his crew. Memory or not, he wouldn't let this injustice stand. He had seen enough in his own life.

"Let it go, Franky," Zoro said in a controlled voice.

"But..." Franky growled as his arms trembled. He knew he couldn't change anything, but he had to do something. He just couldn't stand here anymore.

"Let it go," Zoro repeated as he looked at his crewmate. "There will be another day."

Franky sneered one last time before he reluctantly put his arms down. Angry tears ran down his eyes.

"Remember this feeling," Zoro said to his crew, who continued to glare at the Blackbeard Pirates. "Remember this anger and keep it locked within your hearts. When the day comes, we will release our fury on all of them. We will avenge our captain. Until then, keep that rage sealed away."

No one on the crew spoke or turn their eyes away from the Blackbeard Pirates, but they all took Zoro's advice and buried their anger. There would be a day, but it wasn't now.

The memory chose that moment to scatter and the Strawhats were once again cast into chaos as Luffy's shattered mind attempted to recompose itself. It took longer than before, but the fading memory returned and the Strawhats watched Jinbei run towards the bay.

"Jinbei, hand over Dragon's son!" Akainu screamed from the back of the fishman.

Jinbei ran even faster as he approached the wall that would take him into the bay. "Once I'm in the ocean, we will be in my field! We can still escape!"

Akainu was right behind him.

Without a moment of hesitation, Jinbei jumped over the wall. It was then that he realized that he made a terrible mistake.

Jinbei's eyes were widened in horror as he saw that the bay was frozen again.

"The water's frozen!" Usopp screamed in panic. "He can't escape!"

"Oh no, it's all ice!" Jinbei yelled in horror as he turned his head towards the source of his trouble.

Not too far away was Aokiji. He stared at Jinbei with an expression of regret and absolution. Robin recognized it as the same look he gave during the Buster Call when he was comforting Saul. "Sorry to do this to you, Jinbei," the Strawhats heard him say softly.

Jinbei turned his eyes away from the ice admiral as he felt Akainu's presence. The magma user jumped like a rocket and made a straight line for the ex-Warlord.

"So you've come..." Jinbei sneered as Akainu got closer.

"He's going to hit!" Chopper screamed in panic.

"In mid-air, Jinbei cannot evade him," Robin said. Her eyes were wide with fear.

"Looks like you lost your escape route!" Akainu yelled.

Jinbei turned around and punched Akainu in the chest, burning his hand.

Akainu did not even flinch as he prepared to punch the comatose Luffy. At that range, the chances of Luffy surviving were zero.

"It did not work," Jinbei growled in frustration.

"Strawhat Luffy!" Akainu screamed as his fist descended on Luffy. "You are mine!"

"Dammit, you stupid fish, do something!" Sanji screamed out of instinct.

Jinbei quickly turned his back on Akainu and shielded Luffy from the fatal blow with his own body. Because of Jinbei's bigger girth, he was able to tank the attack better than Ace. Still, a ball of flames burst out of Jinbei's chest like a lance and struck Luffy.

The memory waved and fuzzed as flames engulfed Luffy and Jinbei.

"He burned right through both of them!" Nami screamed in horror as she watched Jinbei be consumed by flames. It was just like what the people caring for Luffy said.

Chopper's mouth dropped. It was even worst than he imagine.

The flame of the magma burnt the string to Luffy's hat and it flew towards the icy battlefield.

Jinbei now had a giant hole through the left section of his chest and the fishman stuttered in pain. The Strawhats could physically feel his agony.

The former Warlord fell hard onto the ice and bounced several times. The fishman took the full blunt of the fall as he cuddled Luffy's body like he was a baby.

"You got in my way, Jinbei!" Akainu yelled in annoyance as he landed in the bay.

Jinbei moaned and gasped in pain as Luffy fell limply out of his arms.

"That bastard," Franky growled. He would do anything if he could help right now. This was becoming torture.

Nami's gasped got the entire crew's attention. "LOOK AT LUFFY'S CHEST!"

All the Strawhats looked down at their captain and were left stunned by what they saw. In the middle of Luffy's chest was a giant hole. The wound was bleeding heavily and Luffy's blood ooze unto the ice, turning it red.

Luffy remained unaware of anything, but his gasping wide mouth made it appear like he was screaming from the pain of his new injury.

Chopper's mouth was wide with shock and fear. There was so much blood. Luffy was going to bleed to death.

Brook was shaking as panic ran through his bones. He was no doctor, but he knew that wound was mortal. Even with all the knowledge that they were given, nothing could had prepare him for seeing the actual, fresh wound. With all the damage that Luffy had already taken between Impel Down and this war, it was a wonder that he was still alive.

"LUFFY!" Usopp screamed, unable to stop himself.

The memory blurred further, making it harder for the crew to see what was happening around Luffy. Their captain was dying.

"He needs urgent care," Chopper said, trying to remain calm. He knew Luffy lived, but he couldn't stop himself from panicking.

"How...? There's no doctor around..." Sanji said with diminishing hope despite knowing the final outcome. How could all this happen? After he killed Ace, that bastard didn't need another notch on his belt.

Zoro trembled violently. That bastard really did mark Luffy like the dog he was.

He unconsciously touched his own chest wound. Unlike him, Luffy's injury was a coward's wound. Luffy was struck when he couldn't defend himself or was even conscious. There was no pride or lesson to be learned from it. It was there as an eternal reminder of his brother's murderer and his failure.

"Luffy-kun...forgive me..." Jinbei said as he put his hand over Luffy's chest in a desperate attempt to stop the bleeding. The blood bubbled passed his web fingers. "I let you receive another injury..."

"This is no time to worry about others, you scum," Akainu said as he approached the injured pirates.

Jinbei growled at the admiral as put Luffy back in his arms.

"My aim was a little off because of your interference. It would have been easier for him if I pierced his heart," Akainu said.

All the Strawhats growled at the admiral.

"This guy...he won't stop..." Franky said as he clutched his hand. He noticed that Akainu was walking with a slight limp and taking great care to breath slowly. He was most likely in pain from his busted ribs. It was a small comfort to know that he was hurting. "He really is like a dog."

Zoro had to fight not to reach for his swords. Luffy really would die if he takes another wound.

Jinbei attempted to move, but he collapsed in pain. He bled onto Luffy as he kept trying to keep the rubberman from bleeding to death.

Chopper gave Jinbei a concerned look. He wanted to scream in frustration. Jinbei's life was in danger too. If he kept moving, he would make the wound bigger and bleed to death along with Luffy.

"Are you still trying to protect that hunk of flesh with a hole in his chest?" Akainu asked. He sounded almost amused. "He will die before you know it."

Jinbei kept trying to move, but his body refused to listen to him. He seemed to realize it was futile to run, so he chose to lie across Luffy. He glared up at the admiral as he shielded Luffy from him.

"I will not let him die..." Jinbei said defiantly. "Even if I die myself...I will not let Luffy-kun die!"

Once again, the Strawhats' admiration for the fishman went up, if such a thing was possible. Luffy had indeed chose well when he asked Jinbei to join his family.

Akainu was not impressed as he raised his arm for the finishing blow. "What an absurd claim."

Without warning, a saber of sand suddenly struck Akainu, slicing him in half.

Robin's eyes widened in shock. "Crocodile!"

The ex-Warlord appeared in a whirl of sand. His face was hardened with determination, something that none of the Strawhats had seen from him before.

"Crocodile...he saved Luffy again…" Usopp whispered in disbelief.

Sanji was left in a state of complete shock. Of all things, this was the last thing he expected.

"Crocodile!" Jinbei yelled, just as surprise as the Strawhats.

"Sables!" Crocodile yelled as he created a sand tornado that lifted Jinbei and Luffy into the air and out of Akainu's reach.

"Crocodile!" Jinbei yelled again as his former comrade.

"If you want protect something, then you should do it right!" Crocodile scolded. "Do not let this son of a bitch get his way anymore than he already has!"

"He saved Luffy to spite the marines?" Chopper asked. He honestly didn't care for Crocodile's reasons for helping Luffy. He was just happy that his captain was saved.

Robin said nothing for several seconds. "There is something else." Could it be? Has Crocodile actually become fond of Luffy, or did he want Luffy to live to see what he would become out of his grief?

Jinbei flew for several seconds before the most unexpected person caught him. To the entire crew's surprise, it was Buggy who caught Jinbei and Luffy. For some reason, he was hovering over the bay.

"The hell!?" Sanji yelled. First Crocodile and now Buggy? What kind of alternative universe was he looking at?

Nami was in a state of shock. This was the same man who attempted to execute Luffy in Loguetown. Now, here he was saving Luffy and Jinbei's lives, even if it was unintentional. It was beyond anything Nami ever expected out of the clown pirate.

Buggy was shocked by the unexpected burden he now had. He had a look of what could only be considered concern and fear as he saw how badly wounded Luffy and Jinbei were injured. Both of them looked nearly dead.

"Jinbei and Strawhat! How the hell did you end up flying into the sky covered in blood like this?" Buggy asked once he found his voice.

Jinbei moaned. He was in too much pain to answer.

Before Buggy could ask anymore questions, the entire memory turned even redder. At first, the Strawhats thought it was Luffy's mental state collapsing. They quickly knew something was wrong, however, when they saw Buggy beginning to sweat.

"Hey, it's sure is hot here..." Buggy observed as he turned his head. As he looked down, a giant magma fist was heading right towards him. The clown pirate was understandably panicked. "MAGMA!"

He barely had time to fly away as the magma fist nearly hit him. It looked like a volcano went off behind him.

"Too close..." Brook whispered. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest. Normally, this would be the time for a Skull Joke, but the skeleton swordsman was too focused and fearful for his captain's safety to even think about joking.

Zoro sighed. "I guess we owe him more than one."

"Thank you...Red Nose... You saved us," Jinbei said softly. Despite how damage his body was, he held Luffy with an iron grip.

"I don't know what happened, but I wasn't trying to save you," Buggy said bluntly as he floated to safety.

Jinbei gave a soft grunt before his eyes closed and his body became slack. It was obvious that the fishman had lost consciousness.

"Jinbei..." Nami murmured in concern. Even unconscious, his hold on Luffy didn't loosen even a little.

The memory grew fainter and the crew could barely see anything, although no one really cared about that. The Strawhats were more concerned about what they heard.

Through the rage of war in the distance, Luffy's breathing was coming more labored and his heartbeats were growing fainter. He was deteriorating quickly.

Chopper was practically biting his hooves in fear and worry. Luffy needed immediate medical care. If his wound wasn't closed soon, Luffy would go into shock and bleed to death. As he thought of that, he knew Luffy's chances were slim even if he did get the care that he desperately needed. There were precious few doctors who could treat Luffy now.

Dammit, why couldn't he be there to help his captain? What the hell was he doing? Being chase by birds and natives while his captain lay dying on some forsaking battlefield?

Buggy was having a hard time evading magma balls as remnants of Akainu's attack nearly hit him.

While all this was happening, there was suddenly a loud roaring sound coming from the unfrozen part of the sea.

"What now?" Sanji growled. Luffy didn't need any more problems.

From the depth of the water emerged a yellow submarine. It cruised steadily towards the war zone.

"A submarine? Where did that come from?" Franky asked.

"Better question, is the person steering it friend or foe?" Usopp asked with an edge of dread.

Robin scanned the ship and her eyes widened as she recognized the pirate mark. "That submarine has the symbol of the Heart Pirates!"

"Heart Pirates!" Nami exclaimed in shock. "You mean...Traffy!?"

From the top of the submarine the Strawhats saw Law walking out along with his crewmates Bepo and the slave from the auction house. Jean Bart, if they remembered correctly.

"Bring Strawhatter over here!" Law ordered in a firm voice. Luffy's hearing was so faded that the Strawhats could barely hear the future Warlord speak.

"Strawhatter? That's a strange way to address a guy," Buggy said, completely baffled by these new turn of events.

"I...I can't believe it..." Franky muttered. "It was Law that saved Luffy."

Chopper's eyes widened as he remember the infirmary. "It makes sense. Very few doctors in the world would have the skills and equipment necessary to treat Luffy's injuries." He felt eternally grateful to Law for being there for his captain when he wasn't there to care for him.

"But why?" Usopp asked. "I mean...we only know Traffy from the mess at the auction house. I mean, he's decent guy and all, but he rushed into a war zone filled with the strongest fighters in the world to save someone he barely knows."

"When we get out of this, you can ask him," Zoro said neutrally. Much like Chopper, he felt his heart breath in relief.

"Who are you, kid!?" Buggy demanded as he glared at Law.

"Strawhatter and I will probably end up as enemies, but I have nothing against him," Law answered as he crew stood behind him. They all had determined looks on their faces. "It would be no fun if he died here. So I'm going to take him away from this place! Let me take care of him now!"

"What!?" Buggy yelled, not believing anything Law was saying.

"I'm a doctor!" Law declared.

Buggy continued to stare at Law. He didn't appear to be in any hurry to hand Luffy to him.

"Don't waste anymore time!" Law yelled. "Give him to me now!"

"And I'm saying who the hell are you and why should I trust you!?" Buggy screamed back at Law.

"Dammit, Buggy, give Luffy and Jinbei to Traffy before they bleed to death!" Nami yelled.

"Strange. Why would he care about who Law is?" Robin observed.

"What are you talking about, Robin?" Brook asked.

"Given Buggy's personality and his dislike towards Luffy, he should have no problem surrendering Luffy to a complete stranger. Yet, here he is, acting cautiously," Robin said.

"That's a good point," Brook said as he looked towards Buggy, who appeared to be holding Jinbei even tighter as he stared down Law.

Luffy was dying and was a high target for the marines, but Buggy wanted to make sure he was handing Luffy to someone trustworthy. Could it be that even Buggy had come to care about Luffy?

The staring contest ended when Buggy was nearly hit by several cannonballs. Law's crew was also in danger as several battleships approached them.

"Hurry up and bring them both over here!" Law shouted. He sounded close to being panic, which was completely against the young pirate's nature.

Despite battleships shooting at him, Buggy still refused to release Jinbei. It was hard to tell if he was actually trying to protect Luffy and Jinbei or he was so panicked that he had forgotten that he was holding them.

A bright yellow light shone from the edge of the memory and Buggy suddenly had a hole in his stolen marine jacket.

"No...not that guy again," Franky muttered.

Although the memory was barely visible at this stage, the Strawhats could see the figure of Kizaru.

"Just leave Strawhat Luffy behind," Kizaru suggested.

"First Akainu and now Kizaru!" Usopp screamed as he put his hands on his head. Could things get any worst?

"Those admirals are going to kill them!" Chopper yelled in complete panic.

Buggy was scared out of his mind when he saw the admiral.

"Hurry up and get them down here!" Law screamed, losing his calm demeanor. There was no playing around when an admiral was near, especially one who had a personal grudge against him.

"Alright, I'll leave them with you, whoever you are!" Buggy screamed as he threw Jinbei towards the submarine. "Do what you can!"

Jean easily caught Jinbei and Luffy. Despite Jinbei being a fairly big person, he was only the size of a beach ball in Jean's arms.

"Let's dive!" Law ordered as he ran toward the hatch.

"You did well to escape me on Sabaody, Trafalgar Law," Kizaru said. The Strawhats saw yellow light bathe the submarine.

"He's horribly injured," Bepo said as the memory became so dark that the crew could just barely see what was happening. "Is he still alive? Let's hurry!"

The yellow glow got brighter and there was charging sound.

"Dammit!" Law cussed.

"They're going to get blown away!" Chopper screamed. It felt like his heart was going to explode.

Zoro growled as he gripped his sword. He was helpless to stop any of this.

The memory faded completely and there was only darkness.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" a voice screamed, shattering the darkness and bring the memory back.

The Strawhats could barely see anything. Regardless, they saw Coby standing in the bay. His voice had completely stopped the war and everyone stood in place. There was utter silence. It was just like when Luffy released his Conquering Haki and when Whitebeard gave the order for his crew to retreat without him.

What made the scene even more surreal was that Coby was standing against Akainu, whose arm was bubbling with magma. The young boy had his arms wide open, as if he was preventing the admiral from moving.

"Coby!" Zoro yelled in shock. What was that boy thinking? He was going to get killed!

"Stop it already! All this fighting, just end it!" Coby shouted. The Strawhats could hear the tears in his voice. It sounded like he was having some kind of breakdown. "We're throwing people's lives away!

Brook was struck by Coby's words. In this insane war, there was someone here who valued life.

"Even though every single soldier has a family waiting for them to return! Even though we've accomplished our goal! We keep chasing pirates who don't want to fight, drawing out the battle that should already be over and abandoning soldiers who could be saved if we treat their wounds now!" Coby screamed at the top of his lungs. "And still, we're sacrificing even more people! What about the soldiers who will fall after this!? We're making them all look like idiots!"

Chopper was moved to tears by Coby's speech. How many people died needlessly in this war? What was the point in chasing people who lost their will to fight and have lost so much?

Franky stared at Coby with awe and admiration. It was unbelievable that this was the same boy that Luffy saved on that pirate ship back in East Blue. That boy couldn't even stand up to one weakling pirate and here he was standing up against Akainu, the future fleet admiral. How did this boy change so much in such a short amount of time?

Zoro stood awestruck. Very few things in his life left him speechless, but this was one of them. He knew that Luffy had changed Coby. But he didn't know that the change was this drastic. The Coby of the East Blue could have never done this. He was standing on top of the world and telling everyone how stupid they were being. It was like he inherited Luffy's courage.

Although the Strawhats couldn't see Akainu's reaction, they knew he was anything but happy with the young marine.

"Huh, who are you?" Akainu asked. Despite the question, it was easy to tell he was not interested in the answer.

Coby refused to back down and the crew could see him trembling.

"You wasted several seconds of my time. The marines have no use for marines who are not righteous!" Akainu declared as his raised his arm.

"He's going to melt him!" Usopp shouted in panic.

"He's a marine! He can't do that to his own comrade!" Chopper screamed. He had seen enough people die already.

"In the name of Absolute Justice, there are no comrades. Just the good and those who stand in the way of it," Robin said as if she was repeating something.

Akainu's arm descended upon Coby.

"Stop it, you heartless monster!" Sanji screamed. He appeared ready to jump to Coby's rescue, even though he knew it was impossible.

Even though Sanji couldn't act, he quickly learned that he didn't have to. Just before Coby would have been melted, a sword blocked Akainu's attack.

Akainu looked terrified as he realized who had blocked him.

The Strawhats were equally taken aback by who had arrived.

Standing in front of Coby was none other than Red-Hair Shanks. Although the memory was badly faded, the red-haired pirate looked much the same as he did ten years ago. If anything, his aura was even brighter.

"Shanks..." Zoro said slowly. One event kept piling on another.

"The...the newspapers...they mentioned another Emperor coming to the war," Nami said as she found her voice. "But...since I didn't really see Shanks...I never really made the connection."

Zoro glanced to where Kizaru stood and was surprise to that the admiral had his hands up like he was surrendering. He looked to the left side of Kizaru and saw someone pointing a shotgun at him. Because of Luffy's fading mental state, it was hard to see who was holding Kizaru at bay.

Zoro, however, had a keen eye thanks to his training with Mihawk. Even if the image was a blurry mess, he could tell by the silhouette that it was Benn. Somehow, with a mere gun, he was holding back an admiral. He knew, thanks to Amazon Lily, that arrows could be imbedded with Haki, but he hadn't thought the same applied to bullets since Haki users couldn't physically touch them.

"But why's Shanks here? This war had nothing to do with him," Sanji said.

"Maybe...he came to save Ace. He was Luffy's brother and his captain's son," Chopper said.

"That...is possible," Robin said slowly.

Coby suddenly fainted. Although it was subtle, Zoro and Sanji felt a burst of Haki from the Emperor.

"You did well, young marine," Shanks complimented. "You risked your life to create a brief moment of courage. For better or worse, that has greatly changed the fate of the world."

"Hurry, hurry, bring him inside!" someone suddenly shouted.

The memory broke at that very moment and the Strawhats were back with Luffy inside the infirmary. The quiet, stoic atmosphere was a sudden change for the crew who had gotten used to the chaos of the war.

Luffy still remained unmoving as Penguin removed the covers and carefully unwrapped the bandages from around his chest.

Completely out of instinct, the Strawhats moved closer so they could see how well their captain's wound had healed and what they saw sickened them.

The magma wound was barely healed and the crew could actually see into Luffy's chest cavity. The area around the wound was crushed over with forming scar tissue, scabs, and the skin was melted and warped.

Chopper could only stare at the injury with wide eyes. Two weeks and the wound was still this bad? It was even worst than he first thought. Given how deep the injury was and how intense the attack had been, Luffy should have been killed instantly. A centimeter more and Akainu would had pierce Luffy's heart.

It was also good that Luffy was in a coma when he received the wound. He didn't even want to imagine the pain his captain would have been in if he was awake and fully aware. He would have most likely tore his chest up.

He felt so foolish. Chopper knew when he first laid eyes on that scar that it was a mortal injury. The scar was far deeper and thicker than Zoro's chest scar, so naturally it would take months for such a wound to fully close even with Luffy's enhanced healing and topnotch medical care. He also knew it would have been an uncomfortable healing process, especially since it was a burn injury. Not only would Luffy be in constant pain, but his wound must have itched badly. Even today, he still had to mix cream for Luffy's chest scar.

Penguin poured what the Strawhats assumed was a disinfectant on the injury. They noticed that the muscles around the wound contracting, showing that Luffy did have some feeling. Although, his face didn't move at all. The Heart Pirate then started to put a thick layer of gauze on the burn wound.

"It helped that he was comatose so he didn't make his wound worse by thrashing around," Penguin said as he finished cleaning the wound, unknowing voicing Chopper's thoughts. "With an injury like this, the pain alone could kill a person."

The man with the sunglasses nodded as he wrapped Luffy back up. "Although, you have to wonder what Strawhat did to have Akainu chase him across Marineford like that some sort of freaking robot. I mean, he passed all the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies, two former Warlords, and the Blackbeard Pirates, who attempted to sink the entire island just to kill this boy. You would think he was the Pirate King's kid too or something."

"Hell, Kizaru would have killed us if it wasn't for that pink-haired marine boy and that Emperor showing up out of nowhere. Sheesh, even as we were escaping those admirals still tried to kill him. We would have been screwed if we had gotten entrapped in Aokiji's ice. Even then, Kizaru's laser barrage nearly got us. Thank god for Jean's expert steering," the man with the sunglasses said. "They all had it out for the kid. I bet Sengoku himself would have been chasing Strawhat if he wasn't dealing with Blackbeard."

"Given who his father is, I guess it makes sense why they wanted him dead just badly as Fire Fist," Penguin said. He pulled the covers back over Luffy. "Who would had thought that this frail-looking boy was Dragon's son? I get chills just thinking about it. This kid got the blood of a demon within him."

Robin frowned at the pirate's choice of words.

Zoro gave a silent thank-you to Shanks and Coby. Without them, and the heroic effort of both friends and enemies, they would have lost their captain that day.

"I can't believe that Luffy had all three of the admirals on him by the end of everything," Usopp whispered, never taking his eyes off of Luffy. He was ready to cry again as he remembered how Akainu had relentlessly chase Luffy. "They really wanted to make sure that Luffy didn't leave that place. To think...we could have lost Luffy and not even known about it until we opened the paper."

The thought that it could have been Luffy's body showcased on the front page made Usopp sick. He had to fight the urge to grab Luffy's hand and reminded himself that his captain lived through this ordeal.

Nami shook her head as tears built in her own eyes again. "We were aware of nothing as Luffy suffered through that terrible day. He lost so much while we..."

"We owe so many people for returning Luffy-san to us," Brook said softly. Even if it took the rest of his second life, he would repay all of those people, no matter whom they were.

There was paused between the two Heart Pirates.

"I wonder...what's his mental state going to be?" the man with the sunglasses asked as he pushed his glasses up. "I mean, his brother died in his freaking arms. How messed up is he going to be after something like that? Especially after he raged against the powers of the world to save him."

"Those are wounds that not even Boss can heal. Strawhat has to overcome this on his own. If he can overcome it, that is," Penguin said somberly.

The man with the sunglasses shook his head. "Got to give the marines credit. As ruthless and cruel as Boss can be, not even he could break a man so thoroughly. I don't think even a lifetime in Impel Down with all its tortures could shatter a person inside and out like this. It's almost masterful. It kind of makes me wonder if saving Strawhat was an act of cruelty on Boss' part."

"One thing for sure, if the marines wanted to show Strawhat hell for decking that World Noble, they showed it to him in full," Penguin mused. "I guess that's the price one pays for challenging the creators of the world."

"Speaking of which, I wonder what happened to his crew?" the man with the sunglasses asked in thought. "Did they abandon him after he punched that World Noble? They seemed so close when we saw them."

"Who knows? Maybe they were all killed by that admiral, or maybe they did abandon him. It really doesn't matter anyway. He went through hell alone and that's the worse thing for any pirate, especially a pirate captain. If he does recover, he'll never be the same, that much is certain," Penguin said as they walked out of the room, leaving Luffy alone again.

Once again, only Luffy's breathing and the slow beating of his heart through the monitor could be heard in the darkening room.

---

Edward Newgate aka Whitebeard, captain of the Whitebeard Pirates and Emperor of the Sea, (Chapter 33 - Chapter 36)

A great captain and father, liberated from the exhausting role and labor, who captained the Moby Dick in the spectacular Era of Pirates

---

And the War of the Strongest has officially come to a close.

Well, this is what happens when you let Akainu and Blackbeard run a chapter. Namely, you get a pretty depression chapter. I guess you can call this a villain's chapter, especially since Luffy was unconscious throughout the entire chapter.

This chapter went through a lot of changes. Originally, I was not going to show the rest of Marineford. I was going to have Law's crew summarize what happened as they were checking Luffy. But after getting so much request to show the rest of Marineford I wrecked my mind trying to figure out how to show what happened after Luffy's mind collapsed. I still think Luffy was completely and utterly out of it, but for the sake of telling the story I decided that Luffy had some measure of awareness and he was dreaming about what happened as he laid in his limbo between life and death. Overall, I like how the chapter came out. I still kept the significance of Luffy's mind shattering and I got to show the end of the war. Well, almost the end of the war.

Bluebird42, thank you for your review. I did my best to keep all the Strawhats in character. Almost all of them could relate to the pain Luffy was experiencing.

shadowmarialove, thanks for your review. I thankfully had no one who was really close to me die yet, so I cannot relate to Luffy's anguish on that level. I would say if that happened to me, I would probably be mess up in the head for a very long time. I think soldiers who go into war and lose their brothers and sisters on the battlefield can definitely relate to Luffy better than all of us ever could.

Steph2500, thank you for your feedback. How this story will end, that is the big question now.

Cana-Puff, thanks for your feedback and sorry you could not beta this week. I hope you enjoy this chapter since you are seeing it with fresh eyes with everyone else. Also, you are stronger than me. I still cannot write or read Ace's death without becoming misty eyed. It was really Luffy's expressions and words that did it for me.

Chocobaby, thank you for your review. Well, the real showdown happens next chapter. The Strawhats were able to mourn Ace because most of them understood the pain of losing someone they love from tragedy. The only person who could not really relate was Sanji and he broke down when he learned that Ace and Luffy share the same desire.

Lover's Red Rose, thanks for your review. I know what you mean. I have an older brother too and I would just be shattered if something happened to him. I think that is why Ace's death moved me so much.

Anime and Manga 4ever XD, thank you for your feedback. That is a high compliment. I really put a lot of work in the last chapter.

Dwhisper, thanks for your feedback. I had Ace's death spoiled by my brother, although I knew Ace was bad off after getting nailed by Akainu. Still, I didn't think Oda would kill Ace given all that Luffy gave to save him.

SomeoneInterested, thank you for your review. I cannot take too much credit on the Strawhats' reactions. They pretty much wrote themselves. Their background with lost and dealing with how unfair life could be made them all able to relate to Luffy's pain on a personal level. I honestly forgot Usopp watched his mother die from disease until I wrote Ace's death and him reflecting on how Luffy was in denial. I also forgot how Chopper charged Wapol after laughed at Hiluluk's death and how Dalton stopped him because he didn't have the power to change anything.

gamelover41592, thanks for your review. I think the verse from John summed up the entire chapter and my feelings about Ace's death.

Molly Grace 16, thank you for your feedback. I do not like Akainu, but I would not go as far as call him inhuman. He is a jackass and a nutcase, but he does have some morals. If he did not, he would had killed Aokiji after their duel. Blackbeard, however, I would classified him as close to being inhuman, especially after writing this chapter. It was hard not write Whitebeard killing him.

byungwha-chan, thanks for your feedback. I think the reason why Ace's death is still so hard no matter how many times one watches it is because it has not been fully resolve. Until Akainu and Blackbeard get beating by Luffy, there will be no real closure to what has happened. I went back and forward about whether I should make Zoro cry. The man just does not shred tears. He did not even cry during Merry's funeral. But, I thought it was okay here. He is not crying so much for Ace since he see his death as noble. He is crying for Luffy and upset that he wasn't by his captain's side. Back in the days that One Piece is based on it was common to display the bodies or heads' of executed criminals, so what the marines wanted wasn't surprising. Although, it is good that Shanks came and gave Ace and Whitebeard a proper burial. Luffy seeing his brother's head on a pike would not have helped his mental state. We still have a few chapters left.

Izreal, thank you for your review. It is very easy to simply write the Strawhats' base on their primary traits. For a story like this, however, it forces you to dig deeper into each of the Strawhats and see how they relate to a situation and how they would realistically reaction. I am also quite surprise by how flush out the Strawhats have become since the beginning of this story. Going back and looking at older chapters, some of the Strawhats seemed kind of flat.

doubledamn, thanks for your review. Have some tissue. I would say that this chapter was better emotionally, but I would be lying. Oda more or less crush our hearts and then stomped on it with Blackbeard killing Whitebeard and taking his power.

CockyBrat45, thank your for your feedback. I paused several times when writing last chapter, specially just before Akainu hit Ace. I am not sure why you think Zoro would out last longer than Sanji and he would had made a difference since they are about equal in strength, but I cannot see Zoro lasting very long either. Nami and Usopp are both distance fighters so as long as they stay in the back they would be fine. Chopper would pretty much be useless since his Rumble Balls last only three minutes and he can only used two without risking going into Monster Point. Robin would be good for crowd control, but she had to stay in the back. Sanji would most likely stay close to Robin and Nami to protect them while Zoro, Brook, Franky, and Luffy handle the front. I still say they would be fine until they reach the plaza. Once there, they would be in trouble since every was bunched together. Honestly, his entire crew would be more of a liable, not just Nami, Usopp, and Chopper.

sereneskydragonslayer, thanks for your feedback. He understand your feeling, but I am not a big fan of fix fics. I feel Oda has his reason for killing Ace and it kinds of throws off the story if Ace and Whitebeard lived. I think that is why you see very few fanfics continued past the point of the timeskip when Ace is alive since the author does not know how to move the story.

LazyFoxLover, thank you for your review. Luffy suffered a lot and in the end it was Blackbeard to ended up the big winner because of Luffy's efforts to save him. Fate really did play with Luffy's heart. Actually, knowing your hatred of Akainu and Blackbeard, you probably really hate this chapter.

RexLink, thanks for your review. I think Ace was created more than to just show Luffy that he wasn't ready for the big world. Also, no, I do not think Luffy could not gone ahead if Jimbei didn't talk to him. But given where Luffy is at...

speed and write, thank you for your feedback. I think you mean Mr. 1 since Bon Clay wasn't part of the war. I personally like Akainu more than Blackbeard, but that is kind of asking what kind of evil do you like. Anyway, I like Akainu more since he did manage to wound Whitebeard twice and took his butt whooping like a man, unlike Blackbeard who begged and pleading for his life and didn't even touch Whitebeard before screaming for help. If Whitebeard beat up Blackbeard the same way he did Akainu, there would have been nothing left of him. The fact that Blackbeard remained arrogance after Whitebeard humbled him also grind on my nerves.

EpicAsianOrangeTiger26, thanks for your feedback. Ace's death was the story Oda wanted to tell. Some time, despite our best efforts, things just don't work out.

ryu238, thank you for your review. I do not quite understand you question. Do you mean is there anymore memories after this?

Blueh, thanks for your review. This is why I read my stories alone. I hate getting odd looks when I laugh at something funny.

Wolf and MR Lover, thank you for your feedback. We will eventually see Luffy's breakdown.

MadSlasher, thanks for your feedback. I think Oda had more to do with your tears than my story. I am just putting into words the story he told. The crew will eventually talk to Luffy if they save him.

Lightningblade49, thank you for your feedback. Thanks for the high compliment. I some times feel the opposite when I write emotional scenes. It is hard to capture visuals into words.

janzen222, thank you for your review. That is a good way to live. Live everyday to the fullest because tomorrow is not promise to any of us.

Honeydee, thanks for your review. Sorry, but what is FML? Well, Ace and Luffy's teamwork was more than slightly better than Zoro and Luffy's. They were literally on a different level, which was the observation Zoro made. In time, Luffy and Zoro could reach such a level, but they are not there yet. Actually, the observation about the 'V' was made some time ago to me by another reviewer. I never ally noticed it until they pointed it out. Brook did have some of the best lines last chapter. Even I was quite surprise by how insightful he was. I am not completely sure that even Zoro would obey Luffy's order if he tells his crew to leave him to die. Zoro sees protecting Luffy just as important as his own ambitions. Which is why Zoro avoided answering Nami's question. Even at the end, Ace was acting like any big brother and trying to comfort his baby brother. I still wait until the story is finish before getting married. If this story suddenly falls apart, I don't want you to have regrets.

ghanathesaiyan4, thank you for your review. Time move vastly different in the memories than in the real world. I have other plans other than showing the two year timeskip. Although, I do also enjoy having the spirit of fallen love ones encouraged those left behind. It was one of the things I loved about Opening 14 and the scene with Nami and Bellmère in the anime.

ReVeaLxMeMoRieS, thanks for your review. Unfortunately history cannot be rewritten.

poyo0723, thank you for your feedback. Well, Ace did have his insides fried so he would be in great pain. He had a very gruesome death, which made it even more awesome that he died with a smile. He left a lot of things undone like the whole mess with Blackbeard and that all falls on Luffy now.

DragonReader, thanks for your feedback. What is a lollipop sad? Given that Oda still does not really kill anyone, it may be awhile before we see another major death.

The Mad Reviewer, thank you for your review. I cannot answer the rest of your questions because they are spoilers.

shimaxkutau, thanks for your review. I had to admit, I did wonder for a moment if you stopped reading since you kind of disappeared on me again. I am almost certain that Sabo is alive since in One Piece no one seems to die unless you have a really died monologue.

Frostheart D. Blaize, thank you for your feedback. Luffy was put through a lot in a short amount of time.

Zinfer, thank you for your review. Some time a well-placed Bible verse can say more than a thousand words.

pandasarah111, thanks for your review. Jinbei is more or less part of the Strawhats since Luffy invited him and he says that he was going to join later. I doubt Oda would do all of that and not let him join, especially after the narrator gave that big speech about the path to the sun. Also, I don't think being saved by Luffy is a requirement for joining. It just happens that way. Anyway, Jinbei saved Luffy, which is good enough for me.

Vuurvlieg, thank you for your feedback. I always miss when a long time reviewer suddenly disappears. It makes me wonder if I did something to chase them off. Luffy's training put a bandage on his problems, but it did not heal it. I do agree that more than getting stronger, Luffy needed the support and care of his crew. He needed people to lend on and he did not get that, but that will be address later in this story. Questions about the mist, the ball of light, and the entity will also be answer. If Ace was given the choice, I think he preferred to die the way he did. He died protecting his brother and he died on his own terms, not the marines. The price for it was that he was given a more painful death, but I do not think Ace minded.

saltandburnit, nice to see a review from you. Hope your own story is going well. I really love medical shows, which filters into Chopper's dialog. I also enjoyed writing the more rational and professional side of Chopper. Too many stories tend to focus only on his childish behavior. Also, not all of the insight is mines. Quite a bit of it comes from other people I happened to agree with.

Darkspider, thanks for your feedback and good to hear from you again. I think people said that Ace died for nothing because he may of lived if he didn't allow Akainu to get to him. But given how relentless Akainu is when he is chasing his pray, it is hard to tell if Luffy and Ace would had left the battlefield alive and unharmed. Plus, if Ace saw Blackbeard killing Whitebeard, I can imagine his rage burning down Marineford. Well, if you hate the two now, reading this chapter probably will not raise your opinions of them.

Aeternum Spe, thank you for your review. It is hard to do justice to a scene that everyone knows so well. I am happy to hear that you think I did it justice.

cocopuff123, thanks for your review. This chapter is not really sad, but it is certainly bitter.

Schiezka, thank you for your feedback. Ace's death is hard because the two people who caused it got away with it.

skittles3512, thanks for your feedback. Took me a moment to realized who Bakainu and Shitkainu was, very clever. It does seems that in the last chapter and certainly in this chapter, the Strawhats became more actively involve instead of their usual passive selves. I always had mixed feeling on Sengoku. On one hand he seems to be the voice of reason with the marines, but he saw no problem killing babies and their mothers as they searched for Roger's child, condemning Ace to death purely because he was the Pirate King's child, and blowing Ohara away. But he earned props again for shutting Blackbeard up when he was doing, "I'm the strongest in the world' speech. Sorry about your wisdom tooth, by the way.

KTDLover, thank you for your review. That is exactly how the Strawhats feel. They felt Luffy's pain and were unable to do anything about it.

yukiko hyuga-chan, thanks for your review. I am not sure what to say. I am glad you loved the chapter so much.

angelrider13, thank you for your feedback and I hope to see an update on your story soon. Hope you are okay. Although, I can understand your feelings. Ace's death was hard on a lot of people.

mad100141, thanks for your feedback. I checked the chapters and I did not quite see the small errors you mentioned, although I did make small corrections since then. Goa bullets are the bullets they used at Impel Down. There are the bullets with the seastone nets. Yes, Oda said that Marineford was more or less a side story and he did not believe that so many people who love it so much. Going by Whitebeard's last words, the big war that will happened will engulf the entire war. As big as the War of the Best was, it was isolated to Marineford with one pirate crew and several allies. The world that will eventually come will involve everyone I assume. When I think of Luffy as a war veteran, I personally think of him walking into a bar with the Whitebeard Pirates and their allies and having a toast to Ace while the Strawhats stand back since they cannot really relate with that part of Luffy. I am not sure if Luffy will dictate the big war. He may just be a major player or the cause of it. Tsuru kind of disappeared during the war and I kind of forgotten about her. Still, I am not sure she could stand one of Whitebeard's earthquakes. She seemed to be more about brains than power. I think Sanji felt panic, not necessarily fear when Zoro was about to die.

SerenePhenix, thank you for your review. I have my guest reviewer on moderation, which is why your first review did not show up right away. By the time I allow your first review through, you have already posted another one. You did not cry during Ace's death in the manga and anime, that is impressive. I think the some of the other Strawhats did somewhat noticed that Luffy recreated Ace's death in his Dream World, but it stuck out the most to Zoro. Jinbe gave good advice for that moment. When Luffy was hurting himself and alone, it was for the best for Luffy to bury his ill feelings and remember what he still had in the world. Problem was that Luffy kept his feelings buried too long and the wounds were never allowed to properly heal. Luffy loves both Ace and his crew. Although, Luffy has more of an emotional shut down when his crew was killed or lost to him. Luffy down right had a mental collapsed and rampage after Ace died. I am not saying that he loved Ace more, but I think Luffy felt his death more acutely. You should look into the story I mentioned in the last chapter. They are very good in my opinion, although none of them are past the childhood chapters.

READINGhearts17, thanks for your review. Any review is a good review even if it is just one line. I am happy that you remembered to review at all through your emotions.

Rose Rain 7, thank you for your feedback. The marines are a strange mix between being very smart and extremely stupid at times. Given how bloodthirsty the marines were near the end of the war, it is not surprising that saving lives were the furthest from their minds. When I hear Akainu call Whitebeard a loser I get this mental picture of him doing the 'Loser' sign with his hands. And it only got worst for Chopper in this chapter. I wouldn't say all One Piece fans wanted Akainu dead. He does have his fans and some people think Ace is overrated because he did nothing but lose. Although, he lost to the main villains of the series. I wonder about Sanji's past too. I mean, it isn't like he was born on a cruise ship and he wasn't born in East Blue. I would like to know more about Hawkins' voodoo Devil Fruit. I just image Sengoku downing an entire bottle of Excedrin as he rest after the war. After hearing about the Level 6 prisoners and the cover-up, he going need a lot of pain pills. I am surprise he didn't overdose. Shiki sadistic nature did screw him in the end. He should had left Luffy to down in the water bubble. All the characters in One Piece have fans, except Spandam. He is so bad that no one likes him. I think Ace and Blackbeard was shipped during the period that we did not know much about Blackbeard other than him being a big believer in dreams and being very similar to Luffy. If you just go by Jaya, he seems pretty decent. It is not until Impel Down and Marineford that he really shows his true colors. I am in no hurry to write another memory fic. These kinds of stories are time-consuming.

WhatifStoryTeller, thanks for your feedback. We will see the aftermath next chapter.

Ladie in Lace, thank you for your review. There is a chance that Luffy could live a little longer if he take cares of himself. Although, I don't see Luffy living as long as Whitebeard or his grandfather.

StormKyrellFosten14, thanks for your review. I agree that Ace and Luffy had a special relationship that was none romantic. They are brothers in all but blood.

My Guest Reviewer, thank you for your feedback. Went through hell and back, went to war, succeeded in freeing his brother, only for him to die saving him. Oda really stabbed Luffy in the heart.

Labyrinth-chan, thanks for your feedback. It is even worst in the manga since Ace only drops down for a minute, given Luffy the Vivre Card and then leaves. So in the past three years Luffy was only given one brief meeting before that faithful day in Marineford. The words are different because of translation. Since the original text is in Japanese different translators will used different words. Hm, I see your point. I think you can count how many times Sanji calls Zoro by his name. Zoro is almost just as bad. He just calls Sanji the cook. That is one way to view Akainu.

GGCharms, thank you for your review. The bridge of insanity has been delayed until the next chapter. In many ways, a lot of Luffy's innocent was destroyed by Marineford.

Neko-VongolaPrimo, thanks for your review. Hope you are still alive this week. Also, it is so cool that you are in Spain. I hope you are enjoying yourself.

Walt-Disney and Anime, thank you for your feedback. I was just as shock by my long reply as you were. Well, I managed to put the rest of the war in despite my feelings about Luffy's level of consciousness. Also, he knew Law saved him most likely because Jinbei told him. I think Law even told Rayleigh to tell Luffy not to do anything stressful for two weeks. There is really no evidence that shows that Luffy was aware of anything after his mind shattered. Anyway, glad that the last chapter was everything you hoped for. I think Sengoku looked very surprise when Luffy released his Haki, but we can agree to disagree.

Dogtooth3030, thanks for your feedback. My story did not reach the number two spot until last chapter, although I was number three for several weeks. Glad you kept reading although you knew a big tragedy was going to happen. Hope you enjoy the rest of the story.

Final Syai Lunar Generation, thank you for your review. That is a very good quote. If I knew about it sooner, I could had used it as a teaser for this story. In the manga, Luffy put his head up and went still. There was no screaming or crying, he immediately had a mental collapse. You caught up at a bad spot, but glad you managed to get up to date.

MysteriousEyez, thanks for your review and I wondered what happened to you. I knew you have been waiting for this moment and I thought it was strange that you disappear on me. Love it or hate it, that was Ace's personality. Someone badmouthed someone he admired and he's going to try to kick their ass. He just picked the fight with the wrong person. Then again, who knew magma burns fire. Also, what got Ace in real trouble was that Luffy broke away from the safety of his group and ran to try to help Ace. He then collapsed and became unable to move. Ace never suspected that Akainu would suddenly go after Luffy. Ace and Luffy pretty much have the same mentality. They put the lives of those they love well above their own to the point that they forget about their own lives.

therightandwrong, thank you for your feedback. You will find out soon about how the Strawhats will save Luffy.

SawadaTsukimi, thanks for your feedback. I did not expect you to drop the F-Bomb on me. I guess you were very moved. What happened to Ace is tragic, but that is the way Oda wrote the story.

Spritefyre, thank you for our review. My goodness you read this entire story in one day. That is impressive. Not counting my long as hell Q/As this story is still well over four-thousand words. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my other works.

Puppet Dragon, thanks for your review. Ace that had that kind of personality and Akainu took advantage of it. Ace's never run mindset came back to bite him in the butt.

LeoGear, thank you for your feedback. Well, never late than never on leaving a review. Glad that Ace's death came out so well. I knew many people would never forgive me if I mess up such a big and life-changing moment. I do hope you like my other stories. I do write original stories, but I am not completely certain you would enjoy them given my original work tends to be more 'cartoony' I guess you could say.

Well, I think I just finished my longest Q/A ever. Until next chapter.