Author's Note 1: Hey guys! How have you been? Well, to be honest... I had entered a weird phase of dullness because of that lockdown period in France. School is over for students until September, I've finished my thesis after wrecking my brain for inspiration and motivation, I even graduated! So... yeah. Just tell me you're okay, guys, as this would uplift my spirits. Oh, and we might even go back into lockdown.
Author's Note 2: Oh, and this chapter is a bit of... everything.
Chapter Thirteen: And there were mysteries
Victory should taste sweet on his tongue, but Lelouch could hardly feel anything at the moment. Though he could sense relief, joy and ataraxia from everyone around him, he felt so dull and off that he wandered away from the growing crowd near the clocktower, as Vivi and Cobra were using the stupefaction and shock of the sudden rain to give a speech to their subjects. Either Vivi or her father was talking—whatever, Lelouch couldn't even make the difference between their voices at the moment. The words were just noise in his ears and he couldn't make much of it. It was their moment to finally reinstate trust and faith in the civilians' hearts and minds, as they'd been through too much at the hands of a greedy bastard who had such a narrowed vision. Soon, there will be celebrations.
None for me, Lelouch dully thought as he nimbly kicked off to a nearby roof, heaved himself on a handstand for a few seconds before bending forward to land softly on his feet like a cat. He just didn't have it in himself. Smiling was out of the question as well, when Sabertooth could notice how fake it would be a mile down the road. He felt numb and so... sad. Yeah, that was it. Cold, heart-wrenching sadness he hadn't felt in a long time upon losing someone he held dear. And it actually hurt more now that he recognized the feeling.
While Lelouch also wanted to take a breather from whatever the hell was happening at the moment, he needed to give his attention to other matters that occurred before he arrived in Alubarna. One of the most important one was Portgas D. Ace, who'd actually shown up to tell him that he was already being hunted because of his powers (no shock here, he knew his Devil Fruit was trouble, but to this extent?). What he'd disovered and seen in the young man's memories, triggered by his in ner fears, had stunned him to hell and back. His real identity could actually change the face of the whole world, should he ever be captured by the World Government. This idiot running after Blackbeard could actually be running towards his own doom: Lelouch may not know who the hell this Blackbeard was, but the Second Commander may be in over his head.
If anything, he may be chasing a future threat to the balance of the world and Whitebeard had been completely clueless about the nature of one of his 'sons'. Lelouch wished he'd had more time to trigger Portgas's fears and dig more into his mind, just to find out more about this Blackbeard—this guy had somehow been able to disguise himself totally, had fooled an Emperor and everyone on the crew to get accepted into the family... and had just left after betraying his captain?
No way would he just run off after killing a Whitebeard Commander, Lelouch thought as he sat on the rooftop. And for what reason? No, no. There had to be a reason for suddenly leaving an Emperor's crew, there had to be an agenda. An incentive. Anything to actually set off on his own and refuse to sail with the most powerful man of the New World. He must have obtained something, something he must have been searching for a long time and the Commander he'd murdered had found it. Whatever it was, it must have been priceless and vital for his dark plans. Lelouch would bet on a rare Devil Fruit that would actually allow the bastard to do crazy things... hell, it must be something worth killing a Whitebeard Commander and leaving the crew. What would Blackbeard hope to achieve? What the hell was he after?
And the idiot with the damn loud orange hat was hunting him down, most certainly unaware that he might be running right into a trap. Should Portgas D. Ace lose against Blackbeard in a fight, Lelouch was a 100% positive he'd be handed to the World Government for a position as one of the Warlords of the Sea as a reward for his capture. If anything, Blackbeard wouldn't stay under the Government's leash for that long—he had a plan back when he joined Whitebeard's crew, he must have one if he managed to beat Portgas D. Ace in a battle. The sentence would be his execution if they found out who he really was.
In the back of his mind, the Wraith chuckled coldly as he agreed.
It truly isn't everyday that you run into the son of the late King of the Pirates. What an interesting discovery... which opens up a lot of opportunities for you if you're smart about this.
In times like these, Lelouch would have shut the Wraith up for even speaking out about some matters he didn't care about for the time being, but he let this one slide. For now. The matters of Portgas D. Ace and Blackbeard will be discussed once his head was cleared and he'd paid his respects to his late master.
Should he be rejoicing like the others? As Robin stated before she took off somewhere unnoticed, Alabasta will be vindicated by the World Government after Crocodile's defeat and they will rescind his status and title of Warlord. War crimes against an affiliated country of the most powerful organization in this corrupt world were severely punished and even a Warlord wouldn't escape the consequences. Looking for one of the Antique Weapons? Damn. Crocodile had been too greedy and Nico Robin had been smart to lie about the Poneglyph. Had she decided to be a fool and told the truth—
"... boy with the soul of the Foul and the Wicked... come find me..."
Again? Mismatched eyes blinked twice, then he slowly turned towards the Tomb of the Kings while wiping water off his face. Who the hell was addressing him? Lelouch hadn't seen anyone else inside the tomb when he and Sabertooth chased the wounded Warlord. Maybe he'd finally snapped whatever was left of his sanity and his Devil Fruit was having its way with him. Come to think, he hadn't seen Euphemia's ghost in a while. Either way, Lelouch wasn't in the mood for more mind games.
That's not me, the Poneglyph is really calling out to you. Do you have happen to have the... Voice?
I don't even know what you're talking about right now, so leave me alone.
Oh? In that case...
Before he had a chance to ask what the hell he meant by that, he felt overcome by the very familiar and otherworldly sensation of being sucked out of his own body and mind to some deep pit until he landed inside a cage. Gasping and looking around him in shock, Lelouch could only see a dark abyss; it was so pitch black it seemed that the tiniest light would be swallowed. The giant, creepy tree he was drawn to and the endless snowy mountain had disappeared, replaced by this limitless void where no light would shine. The door to his mind cage closed with a loud bang before he could break free and all he could do was kick at the bars. He was vexed when his kicks couldn't even leave a dent.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he yelled angrily at the entity. "Let me out! Give me my body back!"
There was that unnerving mocking chuckle again, which echoed all around him. Because you're in position of thinking clearly at the moment? You've just defeated a Warlord, probably one of the weakest of them all, and right before your fight, the man who's been your guardian for all these years has finally revealed his true colours—something you must have already predicted—and is on his way to kill you after telling you that your first master has been dead for years following your departure from Alabasta. The Wraith had the nerve to scoff at Lelouch's sneer. That's an awful lot to take in.
"Oh, aren't you the most caring parasite now that many people are hunting me down?" Lelouch snarled, his eyes flashing in red hot anger.
Besides, there's the high likelihood of you snapping and unleashing your Devil Fruit powers onto these innocent people you've just freed from Crocodile. You're too unstable right now and the results would be downright nasty. You wouldn't want that, would you?
"That won't happen! It won't happen again like... like..."
Like the Geass that led you to kill Euphemia in the end?
Lelouch flinched hard. He even recoiled in shock as if he'd just been slapped, his expression horrified. The the pain and rage replaced the horror that was overflowing in his entire being. Just how dare that entity use his previous action on his late sister? Of all the memories and actions he had and had done as Lelouch Lamperouge and Zero, the Wraith had to choose Euphemia? How dare that thing even pronounce her name and use it at its own expense as if to prove something?
"Don't you ever pronounce her name again!" he roared hatefully, his eyes flashing dangerously.
All of a sudden there was a loud, frightening cracking sound that echoed around him. It sounded as if someone had just broken a glass on the ground, which in turn made Lelouch freeze over in shock. He looked around frantically and finally noticed what produced the sound: where the dark abyss was previously all black, it was now... fractured. There were white cracks of all shapes surrounding his cage on all sides, even up and down. His mindscape really looked it was about to shatter into millions of pieces.
"W-what...? What's going on?" he stammered, stunned.
Don't you get it? Can't you tell? Your mindscape is crumbling down because your emotions are in turmoil and fighting inside you. It's like a heavy storm from the New World in there. Should your emotional state get out of control, you will drown these people in terror for God knows how long.
Lelouch forced out a shaky laugh, his lips curling into a derisive smirk. "Aww, you actually care," he mocked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "How cute."
Once again, the navigator was suddenly surprised—and too slow to react—when he was slammed backward and further inside his cage by a black hand wrapped around his throat. Mismatched eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets as he choked a strangled gasp and clawed at the hand holding him down. Shadows swirled around him, condensed until they took the form of the Wraith. The entity's face was distorted in a sneer, his golden eyes burning a hole into Lelouch's head as they glowed brightly. The Yin Yang symbol glared at him, easily recognizable and proud.
The hell is wrong with his eyes?
You're not in position to make jokes, Lulu. Get yourself together first and we'll trade sarcastic remarks all you want. This time, I'll be Primary.
Lelouch was promptly shoved back against the bars, his head knocking against one, and he had to scramble slowly in order to get back up. He was seeing stars and the back of his head was throbbing in pain, which was making him wince and grumble. The loud clang of the door of the cage made him scowl and curse, as it was now clear that he was a prisoner in his own damn mind. What a joke, Lelouch thought with a sneer. Not only had his body been hijacked by his Devil Fruit, but his attempts at forcing his will to overcome the Wraith's proved to be useless—it felt like bouncing back against an invisible wall of steel. Either he was too weak in this emotional state, or the Wraith was simply too strong.
Either way, pathetic. He clearly needed more mental training to be on par with that thing living inside his head. And if he was to confront Vergo and fight him, the Wraith better not hijack his body again.
Nevertheless, it didn't matter at all. He was still stuck in this place, miserable and angry as sin, and his Devil Fruit was... what the hell was that thing doing? From his vantage point inside his cage, Lelouch could see everything: the Wraith jumped down from the building he'd perched himself on, landed gracefully like a cat, and dashed towards the Tomb of the Kings. The navigator frowned as he slowly sat back down, his eyes half-closed and nursing the back of his head.
"Where have you learned to read the Poneglyphs?" he asked curiously. "Can you even understand them?"
I won't need to. It will talk to me if I manage the trigger to activate the Voice again.
...what?
This 'Voice' thing again that he had never heard of, not even from Doflamingo. Lelouch groaned and shook his head in muted disbelief, not knowing what to say or do for that matter. For all he knew, he was now the 'spectator' in his own mind and body and the damn entity was the one running the show. Though this was the second time the Wraith had hijacked him to do something, it felt so... strange not to be in control and watch someone else have their fun; between the emotional turmoil that was bound to overlap and his urges to break something, Lelouch could only watch in morbid fascination as 'he' dashed down the stairs, slid into the main room and skidded into a halt right in front of the giant Poneglyph.
The navigator felt 'his' lips curl into a smile as he relaxed and sighed. The writings of the stone still made no sense to him whatsoever, but the Wraith was so eager that he just had to be curious and know why. Was it because of the voice he'd heard? Just what the hell was this 'Voice'?
"What on earth are you even expecting from this Poneglyph? How could a stone talk?" Lelouch had to wonder again, now sounding exasperated.
He was ignored. Royally so. As he was still reeling from the recent events and his emotions were all over the place, he bristled very easily; his brow twitched, his jaws ground almost painfully and a vein popped on his temple while his eyes seemed to glow. He was about to shout, jump to his feet and kick at the bars once again when he heard it again. It froze him dead in his tracks and he even stopped breathing, his eyes wide.
"... You came!"
He literally gawked. Though he shouldn't even look and sound so astounded, Lelouch still couldn't believe it himself—the voice did come from the blue Poneglyph! It was very distinct, as if he really were speaking to someone made of flesh, because the relief he sensed couldn't be imagined. The stone was freaking talking! And judging by the sigh his Devil Fruit gave, he also heard it. So there was no imagining things and no going crazier, but he was still a mental case. Period. And strangely enough, Lelouch was fine with that.
The Wraith nodded. "How did you figure out that the boy had the Voice of All Things?" he asked, crossing his arms against his chest. "Even Lelouch, who is a certified genius, doesn't seem to know anything about it."
"... One can sense many things in people. A brave warrior, a courageous fool... a king. Those who have the will to change the face of this world are only but a few among the masses and your host is one of them."
"Awakening the Conqueror's Haki isn't something everyone can do, only the mighty warriors achieve such feat. But the Voice of All Things?" The Wraith closed his golden Ying Yang eyes, looking pensive. "This is probably the rarest power in this godforsaken world, that a few select could only hope to master. The people possessing the letter "D" in their name most certainly could... but what about Lelouch? What in the hell makes him so special, despite managing to bond with a blacklisted Devil Fruit? What could the World Government want with him so bad that his former mentor would go to these lengths to kill him?"
"... does he not know the answer himself?" the Poneglyph asked.
The Wraith shook his head at the same time as Lelouch frowned in muted confusion.
"I tried looking into his earlier memories to get a clue the second Lelouch awoke his Conqueror's Haki, but came across a... 'wall'," the entity revealed, a frown marring his face. "My attempts at going through were useless, as if there was some mental block. This has never happened before with my previous hosts; the fact that he doesn't seem to remember anything prior to his seventh birthday is both worth worrying and investigating."
His Ying Yang eyes narrowed.
"If I were to take a guess, something happened to Lelouch's mind before he ate my Devil Fruit... given that his life is a complete blank to me until his seventh year in this world, I wouldn't be surprised if the World Government had had access to him."
Lelouch inhaled, then exhaled painfully as he slumped gracelessly against the bars of his cage. His mind blanked all of a sudden, so much that he ignored what the Wraith and the Poneglyph were now talking about—he didn't even care anymore, as the implication could mean something that he'd secretly been wondering a few times after he left Alabasta all these years ago. As far as he could remember, he'd woken up at Sphinx's house in the outskirts of Nanohana when he was seven and that was it. Growing up with the late master, then with Vergo, Doflamingo and the rest of his circus freak (Donquixote Family), Lelouch had tried to remember before Alabasta. The blanks and the painful headaches he had had been too much to bear, so he'd just let it go for the time being and had accepted this life.
But now that the Wraith was bringing it up himself, he couldn't ignore it. It had to be something big if he couldn't remember his own memories. If Vergo himself really was coming to kill him, then someone else than an Emperor had to be after him for... whatever reason. For Vergo and, to a certain extent, Doflamingo to decide that Lelouch had to die, the World Government had to be involved in his case. Whoever that was that got the fallen Celestial Dragon and his precious lapdog to get rid of one of their puppies had to have some power. Someone who could have their way very easily even if Doflamingo used to be a Celestial Dragon.
All this because he happened to have been given a blacklisted Devil Fruit?
This was... this wasn't fucking happening. And yet, it was. He'd now get a bounty on his head just like Sabertooth—but he'd probably get shot and killed, because he'd be wanted alive or dead. Or worse: should a damn Celestial Dragon happen to know that his best friend was half-Mink, Sabertooth would spend the rest of his life as a pet. As for the twins, they might as well be food for the Sea Kings because they'd be useless to the World Government or the Emperor after him.
The whole thing was so ludicrous that Lelouch started chuckling. Slowly at first, then it turned into an uncontrollable and full-blown laughter that shook his body. This was so farfetched, so unbelievable, that he couldn't help it. It just had to get out of his system somehow. Laughing at the irony and absurdity of his situation was something a madman would do, but what could he say? Scream, have a tantrum and hate this world because he'd been screwed before he could understand that the memories he'd lost must be bad news?
Sometimes, laughing was an excellent medecine to bullshit like this. Some might think he was insane to have such reaction, but the anger and sadness clashing in his mind and body were doing him no good. So he was going to laugh as much as he wanted. Fuck all those who'd think he'd lost it.
Didn't I react the same way when I found out that Suzaku was the pilot of the Lancelot? Lelouch wondered as he doubled over and wrapped his arms round his sides, squeezing tears of laughter out of his closed eyes. He actually did lose it when he saw his best friend's face appear on the screen, as he'd initially thought this was nothing more than a really bad joke. But this? This actually took the cake.
After a long while, Lelouch finally managed to calm down and was panting and wheezing. His belly was hurting from laughing so much and there was still a lazy grin on his face, as the last remnants of his insane outburst. The navigator looked dazed out of his mind as he peered through half-closed lids, watching as his body jogged through the streets in direction of the palace.
You got it out of your system?
Lelouch smirked lazily. "Not quite, I'm just getting started," he huffed, tucking his chin against his fist. "And I'm not ready to be Primary for the time being, my senses and emotions are still out of control. If I were to step back in, I might murder someone for no reason. But enough of this: what on earth were you discussing with the Poneglyph?"
The Wraith was very quiet and swift as he passed the guards to enter the palace—though he could have just gone inside while walking leisurely. As you've must have guessed earlier prior to your breakdown, we were talking about the Antique Weapon our fallen Warlord had failed to get his hands on. It would seem that Nico Robin had been very smart by lying about the writings of the stone: before you and Sabertooth made your appearance inside the Tomb, she'd lied to Crocodile about what the Poneglyph was revealing. She said that the story of Alabasta was written on the stone, not the emplacement of the Antique Weapon.
"So she'd already made her choice not to give him the Pluto after all, even if it cost her life?" Lelouch wondered. "Isn't that relieving? She might be redeemable. Just a little."
He was silent for a few seconds, letting this sink in, then passed a hand on his tired face. "What else?"
Unlike the other Antique Weapon Poseidon, the Pluto can't be found somewhere in this world. It has to be built.
Lelouch's mismatched eyes snapped open and he immediately sat up. Surely he heard that one wrong and there had to be a mistake. "Pardon?" he croaked, disbelieving. "The Pluto isn't in Alabasta? Are you saying that there are actual blueprints of an Antique Weapon somewhere?!"
Yes. And Nico Robin now possesses this precious knowledge, even though this wasn't what she was truly after.
Stunned out of his mind for the umptieth time today, Lelouch had to gulp and shake his head twice before he could talk. He had to order all of his thoughts or he was going to lose himself in there.
"If the Poneglyph hasn't lied to you, then those blueprints must have been protected by the people who'd written them down during the Void Century. It must have been built during that blank period, then became inactive and obsolete after the war. Which explains exactly why the World Government decreted the study of the Poneglyphs forbidden to everyone; such knowledge could threaten the balance of the world, so imagine having one of these Antique Weapons in the hands of a pirate? Of an Emperor?" He snarled derisively. "But if those blueprints do exist, then they must have been passed down... from one engineer to another. Engineers who have the necessary skill set to rebuild the Pluto."
And if they still did exist as of today, then who the hell could possibly have them right now? Who was the engineer, keeper of this terrifying Weapon? Such heavy burden had to be zealously kept secret from anyone, as you couldn't even know who might betray you just to get ahold of the blueprints (even if these were secured, there was only one person who could decipher the Poneglyphs and she should remain hidden from people who could recognize her). There's no way Crocodile could be the only one who's insane enough to go after the Pluto for personal reasons, Lelouch thought with a scowl.
There had to be someone else. Someone who was ready to deceive the Five Elders just to get a little recognition—a pathetic attempt at attention and glory, while Crocodile was probably aiming at destroying the organization who 'owned' him and put a leash on him. Someone like...
Someone like this spoiled son of a bitch whom Vergo had been talking about.
"Spandam," Lelouch growled, realization striking him like a tidal wave.
The Wraith, who'd been leaning against a wall and had his eyes closed in peace, opened them with a frown. Spandine's spawn? Wouldn't surprise me if he sent lackeys after you... is it possible that he might know about your origins? And I'm not talking about Lelouch Lamperouge from your previous life.
"Anything is possible at this point," he ground out, crossing his arms. "Vergo said that the man was too ambitious for his own good, so he's probably the kind to go behind his superiors' backs and search forbidden things for himself. So he's certainly after the blueprints for the Antique Weapon and I bet he already has an idea as to where to start." He blinked, then grimaced. "Spandam would also need Nico Robin to decipher the Poneglyphs... should she be captured by the CP9, who knows what they'll do to her? But if he sent lackeys after me, then the likelihood of him possessing a Vivre Card in my name is high. My real, real name."
The Wraith tilted his head, his expression turning slightly... solemn. So, do I take it that you're finally acknowledging the highly possible fact that you might have never awoken in Alabasta at the age of seven just by pure coincidence, that your actual name might not even be Lelouch as you believe, that your mind might have been toyed with and that something else is at work?
For a long while, Lelouch was silent as he mulled this over. His face was carefully blank so no emotion could be visible, but inside his mind was brewing another storm of unanswered questions and hypothesises. He'd never once thought that his existence could be considered as a great mystery, being that this world was one crazy, logic-free and endless merry-go-round, but he was quite intrigued. His curiosity had been piqued; there were far too many 'ifs' to just blatantly brush his origins to the side and go on with his journey, not when he was being hunted because of his Devil Fruit by people far more powerful than he was.
And yeah... he was still pretty weak. A bit tame compared to other powerhouses that lived in the New World, especially the Emperors. Having the Conqueror's Haki was nothing if he didn't know how to use it anytime he'd want. Mastering it was the key. Shame that the only person who could have taught him how to master this rare and useful power wanted him dead and buried, as he'd have learnt plenty from Doflamingo before deserting his ranks (like Law did, years ago). If Lelouch were to uncover everything about him, he'd need to be prepared for eventual and nasty surprises from everywhere and everyone.
However... did it matter if he didn't know who he was? Did it really? His past—whatever it was—didn't define him at all, his present actions did, so it shouldn't matter to him. Anyone who wanted him for he truly was because of a name had to step up to him and speak their reasons, as Lelouch certainly wouldn't abide and fall in line like an obedient dog.
Finally, he nodded.
"Yes," he said strongly. "To everything. It's not like I'll be able to ignore this, for this will forever plague my mind and life. But it shouldn't hinder me: whoever I really am doesn't matter. Whether I have parents who might have enough influence in the World Government to purposefully mess up their own child doesn't matter." Except that his eyes narrowing and his sneer confirmed that it did. It did enrage him. "They don't control me. They don't own me. I'll go on my journey however I want it and if the Government has a bone to pick, they can come to me about it and send some assassins. I'll send the heads back."
If Vergo doesn't kill you before, as the man is on his way to end your life right now. I can smell his concealed fear under his anger and resentment: although he's loathe to get rid of you, Donquixote Doflamingo will always be the man he's loyal to.
Lelouch smirked mockingly. "That I always knew. Not only that but also because I have knowledge of many operations he's been doing as Joker. His business will suffer, but that's certainly for the best: seeing to the inhuman needs of the aristocrats and Celestial Dragons in Sabaody Archipelago, the deal with Kaido about the SMILES... there's a lot for him to lose, so silencing me is the best course of option. The Underworld will take a hit if I were to talk."
He tilted his head, mulling it over for a few seconds, before blinking.
"Which is why I need to have a word with Smoker before setting sail again," he declared. "Not that I'll be telling him everything I know right away, all I need is to—"
"Ah, Lelouch!" a familiar and feminine voice exclaimed.
The Wraith didn't move away from the wall, merely glanced on his left to find Vivi jogging his way. The young princess was wearing an expensive and beautiful night gown, her long cerulean hair was down. She had obviously showered and cleaned up after the fights, but the exhaustion they could both see on her face was clear. Vivi seemed content to see him, which prompted Lelouch to try and force his way out of his inner cage.
Surprisingly, the Wraith relented and allowed him to get control once again. There was a feeling of mild dizziness as their personalities were switched, with Lelouch being front and center and the entity retreating back to its corner. He blinked twice to make sure that it was him maneuvering and commanding, breathed a quiet sigh of relief before facing the young princess.
"Shouldn't you be asleep? This was your first time in a real battle to the death, I reckon," Lelouch drawled once she reached him. "Surely it is past your bedtime already."
Vivi scowled unhappily, despite the light blush on her cheeks. "You save my life, my father's and the future of Alabasta and the first real conversation I want to have with you is already unpleasant," she chastised, her brown eyes narrowed. "Can't you even say a hello?"
Lelouch suppressed an amused snort, but didn't hide his grin. If he could say a proper hello to the young princess who used to follow him around when he was under Sphinx's care? Of course he could, he hadn't forgotten his manners from his previous life. Stepping away from the wall, he stood in front of Vivi, who stared up at him with an adorable pout. Cocking his head to the side, he scrutinized her with a piercing gaze.
These thirteen years had been kind to her, although she still retained an aura of a sweet girl who couldn't hurt a fly—then again, Vivi had been a three-year-old girl when they'd met for the first time, so Cobra must have told her about him. He must have even showed her secret pictures Sphinx had certainly taken of him (the navigator wouldn't be surprised), which nurtured her supposed crush on him. And now that she'd grown after all these years, Vivi now looked like a beautiful teenager.
Hopefully the battle for Alabasta had managed to make her understand just how cruel and vile this world could be, because Lelouch had dreaded that she had no idea how to defeat the Warlord that plagued her kingdom for three long years. This had been a lifelong lesson she'll take to heart, as the country could have been lost for absolutely nothing.
"The world cannot be changed with pretty words alone." Vivi would have been laughed and sneered at, had she decided to take that route, and Lelouch wouldn't have hidden his disdain before yelling at her. Surely Monkey D. Luffy himself must have understood that if she didn't cut off the snake's head, she'd never win.
His features softened and his grin turned sincere. "You've finally blossomed, princess Vivi," he said respectfully, nodding at her.
With a gasp, she visibly deflated and stared up at him. There was an unmistakable twinkle in her brown eyes, that soon started to tear up. With the emotions welling up after going through such ordeal, during which she could have lost everything, Lelouch could understand. So he wasn't surprised when Vivi tackled him with a sob, wound her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. She didn't even seem to care that he was drenched and that his shirt was still bloodied.
Whatever. She needed comfort.
"All of this was too much for you, but you surprised a lot of people by handling the situation as best as you could," the navigator said as he put a hand on top of her head and drew his arm around her shoulders. "You pulled through with fighting and blood, not just pretty, useless words that would have had the Warlord and his entire organization laughing at you. What on earth were you thinking, infiltrating Baroque Works on your own when Crocodile started poisoning the population's minds with his lies? You do know that his partner was that smart to figure out who you were almost right away?"
She mumbled something that he didn't understand, to which he lifted a curious brow.
"What was that, Vivi?" he asked.
"I wasn't alone," she repeated as she looked back up at him. "Believe me, I wanted to but Igaram... Igaram insisted on coming to protect me as his princess. We got into Baroque Works, managed to get intel on the main teams of assassins to take down, the leaders and their motive to plague Alabasta. We did all that, Lelouch."
If she'd left with Igaram, then where the hell was he? Lelouch hadn't gotten a glimpse of the curly-haired man whose wife looked like his twin sister through the dust of the battle. Terracotta was waiting for him. He couldn't be...
Then again, Igaram could have been killed. That was the risk when you didn't know what you were doing.
Lelouch gave her a flat look. "And you could have gotten killed, leaving the Nefertari lineage without an heir to the throne," he reminded her, his tone curt. "It must have been Miss All Sunday's doing to keep you alive and on your toes. Who knows how her mind worked during your time in Baroque Works?"
His eyes narrowed and he averted them from Vivi's tearful gaze. Considering how ruthless and determined she'd been in her research of the Rio Poneglyph, the navigator couldn't quite understand why Nico Robin just hadn't told Crocodile that the princess of Alabasta herself had infiltrated the ranks of Baroque Works. Or maybe she'd finally had enough of pretending to be someone she wasn't? It is possible, Lelouch thought as he let go of Vivi to stroll towards a direction he knew very well. The young princess hurried to walk by his side, her hands clasped in front of them and peering up at him curiously.
"So how do the Straw Hats fit in all this mess?" he asked, shuffling his hands in his pockets. "Although I may have come back too late to intervene and do something about Crocodile, I've never imagined that you'd make friends with pirates to save Alabasta."
A soft smile curved Vivi's lips. "Luffy and the others? It's a long story, one I'd be happy to tell you if you're... if you're..."
She trailed off, looking away with a saddened expression on her face. Lelouch's soured dramatically and he moved his head so that his bangs covered his eyes, which were slowly getting misty. Right. If he was willing to listen after visiting his master's grave. The pep talk Sabertooth had given him had been of great help, as fighting against grief was a long lost battle, but he needed to let go. He swallowed the lump with great difficulty, allowing his feet to guide him towards the destination.
Thirteen years overseas, training and becoming something that even his old master couldn't begin to imagine; from getting the accursed Terror-Terror Fruit to... now. There was a lot to say and no real Sphinx to talk to. Lelouch had never believed in ghosts or anything, but this world... this world could make him believe in absolutely everything.
"Yeah, I'd like that," he said softly.
When they stepped out into the royal cemetary, Lelouch was struck by an odd, powerful sense of gloominess that he couldn't shake off. It spread around like a cold blanket, chilling him from the inside until he felt numb. It wasn't so much because of the rain, which had a very soothing effect, but it was more on the mental side. So he slapped on his best poker face, took a shuddering breath, and followed a solemn Vivi.
The royal cemetary was, for a lack of better words, magnificent. While it was now nighttime and the storm clouds were concealing the moon, the ivory of the tombstones seemed to shine beautifully all around him. The soft glow of these graves was so ethereal, so... unnatural. It was almost comforting. Oddly enough.
A small hand settled on his back, encouraging. Then slightly pushed him toward the last tombstone on the right side of the cemetary, where many flowers had been deposited. When he was standing right in front of Sphinx's grave, Lelouch released the shaky breath he hadn't known he'd been holding back.
Here lies Sphinx
Friend of the unfortunate
Possible son of a bitch with a heart of gold
The last sentence made him snort and smirk. His mismatched eyes crinkled too. Now who could have written this instead of praise for the old man? What a damn shame to just remember him as nothing more than a bastard. Either one of the royal guards did this or all of his childhood friends opted for a vote in giving Sphinx one last insult. Very original. He shook his head as he closed his eyes, tearful.
"Has he... has he left anything?" Lelouch asked, his voice a bit croaked.
"No, nothing that we're aware of," Vivi answered, solemn. "For all it's worth, there's a chance he might have known that you'd never come back."
"That I'd never make it back in time to see him live his last moments. Hm... so he refrains from telling his pupil that he's dying, trains him hard enough to make the hardest bastards cry and beg for mercy, then lets him leave with an old friend for God knows how long and dies 'peacefully'."
Lelouch's smirk widened, though his voice had some bite in its tone.
"H-How... I never noticed anything while we were... how in the world has he managed to hide a disease at such advanced stage from everyone?" he stammered, incredulous. "He was... for God's sake, he was dying! Surely someone could have seen him collapse at some point, cough up blood, or... or..."
Clenching his fists, he tucked them in his sides and slumped on his knees in front of Sphinx's grave. His head was low so that Vivi couldn't see him breaking down pathetically, which must be quite the sight. It was surprising not to hear the Wraith laughing at him right now, as he needed something to jolt him back to his self. Someone, anyonewould do the trick—even those World Government agents would be enough until he was up against Vergo. Lelouch needed an outlet.
Vivi gulped, approaching him very slowly. "My father... he knew," she revealed timidly.
What did she say? He gave her such a look that he literally cricked his neck, making the young princess flinch at the incredulity in his gaze.
"W-What?" he croaked in disbelief, his eyes wide.
"Father was aware of Sphinx's disease because he found out when he saw your master spitting blood in the baths," Vivi murmured as she reached him, lowering herself to her knees as well. "He tried to get the best doctors of the kingdom and have him diagnosed so they could do something, but... Sphinx refused. He... he claimed that he was too far gone to be cured." She sniffed a few times, her tears gathering in her brown eyes. "He... he also said that it was one of the reasons he'd called his friend to take you away."
So his late master had wanted to avoid the cruel reality of their separation and must have made Vergo swear not to say anything until he died. How thoughtful of him, even though Lelouch would have preferred the truth instead of a concealed lie. And Vergo, his damn mentor and favorite lapdog of the Donquixote Family, thought it best to never mention Sphinx's name ever again over the years. This way, Lelouch had never had the time to say goodbye and farewell to his first master. Thus, he could have murdered Crocodile out of grief and caused some problems to the World Government.
Well, well, well. What a way to be robbed of an opportunity to make amends.
On the second night, the pursuers finally made it to him.
Lelouch had been waiting for them. Impatiently so, as interacting with the Straw Hats after Vivi had introduced them to him had been exhausting. Between Monkey D. Luffy's endless questions about his powers (minus his Devil Fruit), the screeching witch—no, Nami was her name, as she insisted with threatening punches that he blocked with a resting bitch face—and her inquiring about his Tri-Log Pose and his weirder eyes, he didn't have a second to speak to Sabertooth alone about his recent findings from last night. He'd been relieved to see that Noctis and Nasse were alive, some injuries here and there, but smiling nonetheless.
Some of the Straw Hats had hounded Lelouch and the Mink, the others had remained reserved, suspicious and wary. Roronoa Zoro could only glare at him, probably hoping to burn holes in his head, Usopp had cowered the second the navigator's scowl had graced his features, his legs shaking like fragile noodles and his voice cracking at each word pronounced. Sanji was somewhat neutral and nonchalant, but Lelouch had seen how observant he truly was when they were all reunited in one place. Tony Tony Chopper, the reindeer and doctor of the crew, had hidden behind Sanji's legs (on the wrong side, so anyone could see his poor attempt at hiding) to peer curiously at him and Sabertooth.
All. Day. Long. It was nothing short of a miracle that Lelouch hadn't broken anyone's neck.
When the evening was well-advanced, Lelouch abandoned the clowns and their ongoing circus in the dining room to head out of the royal palace. He felt many eyes on him as he left the premises, but never looked back. He had no doubt that Sabertooth would follow him in a minute or so, as his Haki must have picked up the presence of these intruders. Finally, there was a slight chance that he'd be getting some answers to some of his questions, but all of them would be too hopeful. It might as well be the truth as much as it might be lies, Lelouch thought as he downed the rest of his steak in his mouth and held onto the fork.
The smallest things could do so much damage when handled by a professional. And if he could stick that fork in a Cipher Pol agent's eye, it'd make him grin and would add more fun to his grim mind and the stormy thoughts that refused to leave him in peace.
As he neared the entrance, he noticed two guards on duty, standing firm and tall. Lelouch narrowed his eyes and discreetly hid the fork in his pocket.
"Would you mind a word of advice?" he asked the men as he stopped right in front of them. He pursued without waiting for an answer, his tone mild. "As soon as I step outside, the area will be crawling with World Government agents. Trained assassins, spies, executioners and people you wouldn't want to deal with after the tragic fate Alabasta has just avoided. Fortunately for you, they're not here to have a word with His Majesty. If you wish to live another night, I strongly suggest you to leave the premises."
He sent the two confused guards a slow grin.
"But if you wish to uphold your duty as loyal guards of the Nefertari family and possibly die in a stupid fashion, I won't hold you back. This is your choice and your life, after all."
With those words, he walked out and strolled towards the other plaza that hadn't been destroyed by Crocodile's powers. The two guards exchanged some hushed words, probably considering the possibility of Lelouch having lost his marbles, before following his retreating figure. Five seconds followed, then the first three shadows appeared out of thin air around Lelouch as soon as he stopped in the middle of the plaza.
Shocked gasps escaped the guards, who finally scampered away from what would be a bloodshed. Passing a hand over his face to pull his bangs back and have them slicked thanks to the rain, Lelouch sent a circular glance to the three figures in black surrounding him. Two men and a woman, with the men wearing a hat matching their suits and the woman wearing an outfit to show off her curves.
But it was their fear that drew him to them: he could smell it. Lelouch sniffed the air subtly, then a slow grin curved his lips. His face must be feral enough to make the three World Government agents twitch and their 'fear level' rose a notch. The others, that had the royal palace surrounded, were certainly staying back to see if their three colleagues would be enough to secure him.
Don't they smell heavenly?
"So whose master do you answer to?" Lelouch drawled, his tone light. "I just can't imagine that someone would release their dogs into the wild to go fetch a young rabbit without a good reason."
The woman ticked first, her green eyes flashing. "Watch your tongue, insolent brat!" she hissed, glaring at him. "You're talking to messengers of the World Government and as such, you—"
"You're barking, woman. Like a proper dog. Save your breath for the time being, because you'll need it. All of you will need it, especially those who believe they'll survive." He shifted on his feet to face the woman, boring his mismatched eyes into her infuriated gaze. "Why don't you just state what you're doing in Alabasta after one of your colleagues's wreaked enough havoc to have him thrown in the sixth level of Impel Down?"
"Heh, some mouth he's got," the blonde agent snorted, amusement lacing his tone. "But since you insist... Canterbury Lelouch, you are to be held in custody of the World Government as of now. Don't attempt to resist or escape, you'll only manage to make this even worse."
The way he'd just spat his first name, dripping with mockery, was another clue to the previous hypothesises he'd been running with the Wraith. There was something to find out. The navigator wasn't sure if these dogs really knew anything about his origins, except that they'd been given his Vivre Card and an order to capture him, but if he was going to get answers, he might as well rip something out of their bloodied mouths.
Lelouch smirked, cricking his neck. "So, are you saying that you're up for a little rabbit hunt? This is a royal treat before dying or going back with your tail between your legs. But do please indulge a little bit: what could your masters possibly want from me?"
"You're in no position to ask questions, brat," the second male agent sneered. He cracked his knuckles with a condescending smirk. "Our orders are to bring you in alive. However, I don't recall hearing that you had to be in perfect shape. If you're to go back to Mariejois with a few broken bones, then so be it. I'd be more than happy to dance with you."
Lelouch's mind went blank for a few seconds, just enough to process what had been said. Did that man say 'back to Mariejois'? As if he'd already been there? A sickening feeling twisted in his gut, churning and acidic. No. No way in hell, he'd remember it. He'd remember memories of being in such disgusting and revolting place—especially when it was the home of the damn World Nobles!
May the Devil curse him forever if he was just like Doflamingo, because he wouldn't be able to bear it. Just imagining himself wearing these awful white astronaut-like jumpsuits, behaving like they do and ordering people around as if the world belonged to him was enough to sicken him to his core.
Lelouch sneered, his eyes glowing. "If we're to go on a rabbit hunt, then ask yourselves this..."
Slowly, he brought his other hand out of his pocket with the fork carefully hidden in his glove.
"... who really is the rabbit here between all of us?"
When the telltale sound of the Soru rang in his ears, Lelouch immediately spun on his heel, his leg rising at the same time. His booted foot brutally made contact with the man's face while a gloved finger had been aimed at his back shoulder. The strength behind the kick was not only powerful enough to send the Cipher Pol agent flying back to the wall behind him, but it fractured the solid ground on which Lelouch was standing on. The man crashed hard against the wall, a pained gasp torn out of his throat and blood spat from his mouth and nose, then slumped uselessly on the ground. The impact had built a crater in the wall, debris falling. It was hard to tell in this pounding rain, but Lelouch's Haki indicated that the agent was struggling to remain conscious.
Still alive. Good enough, as he'll have to talk.
The other male clicked his tongue while the female couldn't contain her shocked gasp.
"I'll be damned... they did say you were strong without using your Devil Fruit but I had no idea your senses were that sharp," he mused, his face losing all traces of amusement. "This is insane... but also much more interesting."
"Y-You've got to be kidding me," the female agent stammered, her eyes drawn to her fallen comrade. "It's like he's seen it coming..."
Lelouch slightly perked up at that. Which branch of the Cipher Pol did they hail from to not have at the very least basic knowledge of Haki? Had they even read his file before coming after him? There was no way they couldn't know about Haki—not being able to awaken it and go on with your life without it, that he could understand, but not hearing about it? That was just not possible for the World Government, even more so when it came to their dogs.
He slowly turned back and got into a fighting stance, his movements fluid and smooth. His face was devoid of emotion, his eyes burning. The other male agent snarled, his eyes flashing. Then he mimicked Lelouch, cracking his neck.
"So there is a monster hiding behind the rabbit and this was nothing more than a well-crafted facade. You've been concealing yourself really well, boy. How you've been able to slip by the radars, I will probably never know. But here's what's going to happen at the issue of this fight." The World Government agent narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You will be coming back with us to Mariejois, whether you're chained up with Sea Prism stone or not. If we're going back home without our target, consider us as dead and buried."
Lelouch grinned coldly as his eyes widened in a disturbing and sadistic way, flexing his fingers.
"Then allow me to ease up your worries once and for all. I'd like to avoid getting sick in this pounding rain."
Spurned by a sudden surge of killing intent, both fighters rushed at each other and their fists connected. Hard. A second later, the other agents that were lurking by lunged in as well. Mariejois or killing, Lelouch thought eagerly with a wide grin as he did a handstand on the shoulders of one Cipher Pol agent and flipped forward, his fingers digging hard until they broke the skin and reached the bones, then landed on the ground before swinging a leg backward. His foot connected hard and mercilessly square against the agent's spine, breaking the bones with a sinister sound, then he quickly spun around on his toes with one leg raised to send Rankyakus in all directions when the twenty-something assassins closed in on him.
Loud screams of pain and horror echoed around him like a symphony, blood splattered on him and on the ground once again in a red rain Lelouch had long become familiar with. Some must have lost limbs, others must be scrambling with their last breaths, but what mattered was that he'd leave some alive for questions. His Haki flared up, engulfing the whole area, and picked up all the auras surrounding him—friends, enemies, innocents, no one escaped him. Especially not when he could smell so much fear in his victims.
All of this... all of this was so delightful!
His Haki zeroed in on the only female of the group, who was slowly scrambling away on the ground. As Lelouch was trading high kicks and vicious eye gouging with her screaming, he heard her whimpers amid the chaos he was creating. He recognized that sound—that was pain and... a strong sense and smell of fear. He inhaled it hungrily just as his foot brutally came down on the right side on a persistent agent's neck, snapping his spine. Just before the body could hit the ground, he used it as a shield right when one of the last remaining enemies was about to stab him in the back with a Shigan. The finger stabbed away many times on the unmoving chest, never touching Lelouch.
What a divine smell it was. Not only was it spurring him to explore the other venues of his Devil Fruit, but it was also tempting him to use it on that woman and see if he could go deeper on her mind and deteriorate it. Should she live and not die of blood loss, of course. Which she will. She had to live for the time being.
Run, little mouse, run.
With a groan, Sabertooth picked up the defeated agent by his collar and slammed him against the wall, uncaring if he broke some ribs in the process. His hand then seized him by the throat to keep him on his remaining foot, despite the fact that he'd lost a leg and an arm in the tornado of Rankyakus Lelouch had unleashed. The Mink could care less of the shocked gasps and gazes shifting alternatively between him and his best friend, who was finishing off the last dogs sent after him. The Straw Hats and the members of the royal family mustn't have expected messengers of the World Government so soon after defeating one of their Warlords, which was setting them on edge—especially the rookies.
But something Sabertooth had heard peaked his curiosity. And it wasn't good.
"What the hell did your colleague mean by 'coming back to Mariejois'? Huh?!" he demanded in a dangerous hiss, his eyes glittering like shiny emeralds. "What does the goddamn World Government want with Lelouch to send agents after him?"
The man had to gurgle and spit out some blood, cough a little, before sneering mocking at the young swordsman.
"So it's the truth... he really lost all his memories before he ended up in Alabasta. Fascinating," he wheezed painfully. "This will make things much easier when he's brought back home to Mariejois... then, the conditioning will be imposed on him once again and—"
Sabertooth shot three times at the knee, shattering the bone for good. The gunshots were so sudden that the sound scared Nami, Usopp, Chopper and Vivi, who recoiled as the man howled in pain and writhed around in pain.
"Lelouch! Sabertooth! Do you know who they are?!" Cobra demanded, panic clear in his voice. "If you kill just one of them—"
A dark, disbelieving chuckle answered him, followed by the sinister sound of stabbing that chilled most of everyone to their spines. And a horrifying scream. "—they can send more, hopefully more powerful than these jokes. Why not? I'm already doomed because of my Devil Fruit anyway, I can have my fun till the day I die and there's no way I'm having these entitled bastards run my life as if I were some kind of weapon!" he punctuated the last word with an elated growl.
Sabertooth turned just in time to see his best friend pressing his thumbs into the agent's sockets, ignoring how he was writhing around to get away from his deadly grip. The squelching sound of the eyes being gouged out was drowned by the screams and the rain, but the blood pouring out on his fingers confirmed that Lelouch had just blinded the officer. Though his smile was sickening and negatively gleeful, the Mink could sense a deep distress and anger in his expression. Something happened before this fight and he had no idea what, but surely this had something to do with the presence of so many Government officer in Alabasta. It had to.
"Wait a second, one of you scumbags must have his Vivre Card," he hissed, starting to rip the officer's uniform to find the precious piece of paper. He glanced towards the Straw Hats. "Hey, rookies! Numbskulls! Make yourselves useful and search these Government leeches! All of them! One of them has something that belongs to us, which is vital!"
Cobra was the first one to perk up, alarm in his expression. "Lelouch's Vivre Card... they have one?!" he exclaimed disbelievingly. "How?!"
"Who knows? Find it!" Sabertooth ordered.
And after disposing of the Government officers, he needed to find Smoker. Even if he didn't trust the soldier, he couldn't pass on the opportunity of bitch-slapping Doflamingo and his damn family by wrecking their operations. Hopefully the Marine captain hasn't already received new orders concerning Lelouch and wouldn't back up Vergo once the bastard caught up to them. This is going to get very messy, Sabertooth thought with gritted teeth as he jumped on the next officer and proceeded to rip his clothes to shreds and search his body.
Life was going to get quite rocky from now on.
If anything, Smoker was seriously tired and needed a good nap. Although he'd asked Tashigi to write reports with as much precision as possible, the Marine wasn't sure he'd read them right away. There were too many things on his mind at the moment and he had to think carefully. The recent events that occurred were... troubling, to say the least.
One, the Warlord Crocodile was defeated and was currently chained up in a cell on his ship. The man had been charged with war crimes against an affiliated country to the World Government and had been deposed from his status—about damn time, Smoker would say, because he'd been right to follow his guts about the smug son of a bitch. A pirate, though willing to wear a collar and be leashed, remains a pirate, he thought with narrowed eyes as he puffed his cigar. Crocodile will be thrown in the deepest level of Impel Down, never to be released and to be forever forgotten as a broken toy the World Government had no longer any use for.
Two, the real heroes of this country were to be captured for some reason that threw him off. And they weren't even pirates—Canterbury Lelouch and Quarik Sabertooth were 'allies', due to them being Vice-Admiral Vergo's apprentices and protégés. The fact that they helped the Nefertari family save their country from Crocodile's dark and dangerous ambitions should grant them a reward from the World Government, as they'd succeeded where the damn organization failed. Smoker had been stunned when the officer on the other end of the Transponder Snail had given him his orders.
What the hell was going on? Who the hell was Canterbury Lelouch to be apprehended and be handed to the World Government for an undisclosed reason? He wasn't one of those useless trash called the World Nobles and certainly didn't behave like one, as the disturbing things Smoker had heard about him placed the young genius far above these ridiculous and scum excuses of human beings confined in their castles up in Mariejois—disturbing indeed, but Lelouch had never behaved like a narcisstic, entitled son of a bitch who believed himself to be above all other human beings. Smoker believed him to be decent on good days.
But still...
"So, what will you do?" a female voice asked him.
Smoker didn't bother turning towards his colleague and friend, who'd taken to observing the pounding rain behind him with a neutral expression. Well, as neutral as Hina could be at the moment—even she was conflicted about the new orders, because she'd held many discussions with Lelouch whenever she could catch him. This was akin to treason to her.
Inhaling a bit of smoke, the Marine seized his jitte in a firm hand.
"I'll have a nice chat with him," Smoker announced. "And should I come to the same conclusion as the higher-ups, then I'll capture Canterbury Lelouch."
Straw Hat could wait.