Marco did not know how to explain the surging emotions in his heart while staring at Ann as she maintains the cold stares at him. It was like looking at a stranger with a familiar face.
"Y-You're Firefist..." He still couldn't believe what he was seeing but the proof was in front of him.
He was not the only one dumbfounded. Everyone on the rooftop remained motionless after this revelation. Who would have thought that the person they were searching for was Ann?
"I am." It was a simple answer, but it struck Marco's heart to pieces. The confirmation felt like a knife butchering him to death.
"H-How could you?" The anger started showing in his eyes while pointing the gun at her. "Why?! You..." He choked, struggling to get the words out of his mouth while staring at the beautiful face of the woman he loves. "Did you plan all of this?" He sounded as if he was begging for her to say otherwise.
Ann maintained her cold demeanor, like the cold-blooded assassin they all perceived her to be. She had to keep herself from breaking down while witnessing the look of betrayal in Marco's eyes. His blue eyes now reflect anger directed at her. But what can she expect? That he will be happy to see her after knowing she was Firefist?
She knew from the start there was no point of return for her, for them.
"Did I plan all of this? Sure. Most of it, yes. Thanks for the help, by the way." She sarcastically said while throwing the blueprint on the floor. They recognized the blueprint. Even Thatch gasped after identifying that this was Marco's copy of the blueprint.
"You used me..." Marco gritted his teeth in anger. His blue eyes turned sharp, almost piercing Ann's emotional defenses. She swallowed the lump in her throat and composed herself.
"I didn't plan to. But you were the one who approached me first. Who am I to turn down the opportunity. It proved to be useful though." The smile she directed at Marco caused his anger to boil hotter than ever. He twitched from his spot, huffing with hatred.
'That's right. Hate me. Hate me more, Marco. That way, I would remind myself of my sins. Your hatred will keep me from hoping that there will be redemption. I know there won't. What I've done was unforgivable. Hate me more.'
She could have explained her situation, but that would mean revealing her identity as Roger's daughter which she was not willing to do. In the end, she chose the path she forged with her sisters.
'Now, I know what you felt Sab.' She inwardly ridiculed herself. Looking at the faces of these people in front of her, she knew there would be no way to redeem herself from this situation.
'Beg for forgiveness? I don't have the right to ask for forgiveness, not when I've killed several of your men, lied to you, betrayed you, and even tried to kill your father. There was nothing to redeem. I lost everything the moment I chose this path.'
"Ann, you... We trusted you!" Izou shouted.
"Thanks for the trust. It was helpful." She had to muster all her will to keep her tears from falling.
"Ann, we're here! Now!" She heard Luffia's voice from her earbuds and knew it was time for her to leave. With swift movements, she grabbed one smoke bomb from her pockets and threw it on the floor, startling everyone.
"Firefist!" Marco's anger roared and echoed in her ears. Before jumping, she looked back and managed to get a glimpse of Marco's face before everything was covered in smoke. And at that moment, she let a tear fall from her eye before jumping and pulling the small parachute attached to her back.
On her way down, she saw Luffia's van before someone threw a smoke bomb to distract Whitebeard's men. Ann maneuvered her parachute so she would land on the roof of the vehicle. As soon as she did, she disconnected the parachute from her back just in time for the sunroof to open and she quickly got inside.
Inside, she saw Franky and Usopp at the front, with Luffia and a green-haired man sitting at the back.
"Ann!"
"Let's go! Let's get out of here! Super!" Franky sped away, taking them out of Whitebeard's territory. Ann looked at Zoro who appeared to be surprised after realizing that Firefist was a woman. But it was quick, as he soon gained his composure and nodded at her.
"Ann, you alright?"
"Yes, I am." No, she's not. Her emotions are still all over the place and she had to keep them in check. 'Don't break down now.' Luffia thankfully did not ask for more.
With Franky driving, they managed to get away from Whitebeard's territory and shook off the vehicles chasing after them. He dropped them off at one of Luffia's safehouses.
Zoro would have stayed there but he felt the two of them needed some time alone, so he bid his farewell.
Luffia had to drag Ann to the safehouse where Sab was waiting for them. The moment she was alone with her sisters, Ann finally let go of the tears she was holding earlier. She broke down, knees giving in from the heavy burden she was carrying.
Sab and Luffia looked at each other and instantly hugged their elder sister.
"Ann..." Without asking for details, Sab had an idea of what happened. It's like looking at herself 2 years ago.
"H-He was there." She said between the sobs. "Is this what you felt back then?" Ann looked at Sab, asking for answers even if she knew what it was. "I know we swore we would seek revenge for our parents. I've never forgotten about it, but why does it feel so painful to choose this path?"
Ann knew she made a blunder with her actions. She could have saved herself including her relationship with Marco, but she was afraid that revealing her identity might complicate the plans they worked hard on for years. She could have risked it, but she didn't. She chose to walk down the path they forged.
"We wouldn't have blamed you if you chose the other way, Ann," Sab said in an understanding tone, making Ann exhale indignance.
"You chose this more than choosing Kidd. How could I be selfish?"
"But - "
"It wasn't the same, Sab. You did not use him at all. Your love was genuine but you still chose our path. And ours..." Ann trailed off, mocking herself. "Ours was a carefully planned betrayal. There was nothing to choose to begin with."
Love and duty. What is love without duty? What is duty without love? She chose the love and duty for her parents and lost Marco in the process. Now, she will have to suffer the consequences of this choice.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Several minutes passed, but Marco remained frozen on his spot, still dumbfounded after what happened. His siblings were afraid to make a sound to wake Marco from this state. As shocking as it was for them, who knows what Marco was going through now.
"She escaped. A van suddenly came for her and we lost track of them." One of their men reported in, waking Marco from his frozen state. He clenched the gun that he had been holding since earlier and with a deadly gaze, he turned to his siblings.
"Get all the men working and start investigating her! Find all the traces she had in Grandline, yoi." All of them can nod with glances that contained worry in them. Marco ignored the looks that he was receiving. He was too absorbed in the emotions to care for his siblings' concerned looks. "Follow me."
Thatch and Izou were quick to follow him while Haruta remained in the building in search of the bombs that might be in place.
"Where are we going?" The silence was the only answer Thatch received. Izou shook his head at Thatch, letting him know not to ask for now and let Marco vent his anger.
It was a deadly silence for the last 30 minutes till they arrived at a familiar run-down apartment building with a small car repair shop on the ground floor.
Thatch and Izou followed Marco as he stormed inside, destroying the lock without hesitation. The darkness engulfed them and what echoed in the garage were their footsteps. Izou managed to turn the lights on just in time for Marco to step onto the stairs with the second floor as his destination.
There were two rooms on the second floor. The first one Marco barged into was her bedroom. He walked into the place, searching for something he couldn't figure out. He kept searching, throwing pillows on the ground, opening cabinets, and making a mess out of this tiny bedroom.
The last cabinet door was locked, but he used his gun, forcefully opening it, revealing several firearms inside. Marco stared at the firearms, feeling lost.
"Marco - " He ignored Thatch to open the second room. As soon as he opened the lights, he was welcomed by a sight he never thought of seeing. It was a picture of Big Mom, Shiki, Kaido, and Whitebeard pinned on the board.
Shiki's face was marked with a red X while Kaido's and Big Mom's pictures were marked with a circle. Then, Marco's eyes landed on his father's picture, pinned with a knife. It was like cold water dumped on his face, letting him wake up to the reality that he was betrayed by the woman he loved.
Rage boiled in his heart especially after looking at the blueprints scattered on the table.
Some documents consist of fake credentials. Little by little, Marco started crumpling the poor paper he managed to get his hands on.
This evidence convinced him that Ann had been an enemy all along.
"Marco..." It was Izou.
"Let's gather all these things. We might need these to track her down, yoi." That was all he could muster.
"Alright." Izou acknowledged, but her eyes were still looking at Marco. She felt like he was a walking bomb, ready to explode from the emotions he was struggling to keep inside. Even if she wanted to console her brother, it may be useless. It was a betrayal that he did not expect. None of them did.
All they can do is swallow the bitter truth.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Whitebeard was wearing a solemn expression while listening to Haruta about everything that happened including the bombs her men discovered in the building, their encounter with Firefist, then the revelation of her identity as Ann Ortiz.
"Hmm. I see." He could only utter these words before turning his attention to Marco who looked like he didn't get a wink of sleep last night.
"Izou, anything about the traces, yoi?"
"We called Deuce this morning to ask about Ann or anything he knows about her. But even he was blind about any information about her except for the public ones. We also called the orphanage which was said to be where she came from, but they confirmed that there were no records of Ann Ortiz."
Marco gritted his teeth again, cursing under his breath. They are lost as to where they could trace her because it appears that there Ann Ortiz never existed in the first place.
"Dedicate some of our men to hunt her down, yoi. Any movement will have to be reported. Trace any of Firefist's involvement with any Mafia Groups. And if they spot her, shoot to kill."
All commanders were wide-eyed at this declaration. Marco rarely issued an order like this before. While they know that betrayal is a grave sin in their group. they still felt hesitant about killing Ann without asking a few questions about why she wanted to kill their father.
"Marco, son..."
"No, Pops. This all started because of me. I'll end it myself."
That's a vow he wanted to keep. But can he keep it?
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Zoro removed the disguise he was wearing, feeling suffocated by hiding his face when fighting. It gets in the way, making him wonder how Luffia can fight with a hoodie and a mask covering her head.
It's been a while since he started helping Luffia in this group. While he did not consider himself an official member, some of her men started treating him like one.
Like Chopper. The first time Zoro met him, he was surprised to find out how young he was. He initially thought that he was nothing more than a 15-year-old boy. He was not quite that far from his guess since he was 20 years old.
Still, he looked quite young to be a doctor. Just how much of a genius was he to get a doctorate?
At first, Chopper was scared of Zoro, but it slowly diminishes after the small conversation they had since Zoro started helping Luffia. Other members were civil with him aside from Sanji who made sure to make a living hell out of Zoro.
"They might not show it, but they are grateful to you," Chopper told Zoro after an encounter with Sanji which ended with the banter of curses and insults.
"Grateful?" He frowned.
"Yes. Ever since you joined, ah, I mean, ever since you started helping Luffia, her recklessness lessened. She started listening too!"
"Was she always reckless?"
"She was! And never listened! She was so stubborn!" Zoro gently snorted upon hearing Chopper's words.
"That's Luffia to you."
"But she listens to you. As Nami puts it, we need more brain cells to handle Luffia." It made Zoro laugh out loud. It may be quite shallow of him, but he felt proud that she listens to him. Perhaps he could gloat about this idea to Sanji later so he can die of envy.
With each passing day, he began to understand how the group works. It was a bunch of misfits grouped perfectly. With the things he discovered over the past few weeks, he also began questioning some things that he noticed.
One of those things was about Luffia's siblings. The rescue with Ann who he realized was Firefist was just the beginning of it all. Never in his wildest dreams would he think that Luffia was connected to one of the craziest people on Grandline. Not only did Firefist piss off one Emperor, but three.
And from what he gathered, Luffia's other sibling seems to be as crazy as Ann is. Despite his curiosity, he didn't ask. It was not his business anyway. What matters the most to him was that Luffia is safe.
"Zoro..." A familiar voice broke Zoro's musings. He turned around and saw Luffia standing there.
"What's wrong?"
"Are you okay with this?"
"How many times do you want to ask the same question? Because I will answer the same."
"But this is not like you. You do not like hiding." Ever since he started helping her, he began hiding his identity which included forbidding himself from using or carrying his swords.
"I told you it is fine to me. To be honest, it never mattered to me what path I should choose. It's not like being allies with the World Government as a Mafia Hunter will make me noble. Tsk. Everyone knows how dark the World Government can be. They are hardly innocent. They are as guilty as the Mafia groups committing massacres everywhere." After years of working as a Mafia Hunter, Zoro witnessed several wielders of justice go astray. They would commit crimes that they get away from because of their position.
He was disgusted by these people, but he is not a hero nor will he ever want to become one. He had a goal and that is what he should be focusing on. Zoro realized that being with Luffia with her group won't deter him from his goal of hunting groups evil Mafia Groups.
'Evil groups, huh?' He snorted inwardly because that term was a gray line. What should he consider evil? If they will use the laws placed by the World Government, then Luffia will be branded as the leader of an evil group. Selling firearms, establishing a business, and a little violence to defend territories did not mean evil in Zoro's eyes. Strawhats do not commit massacres like other groups so that instantly took them out of his most hated list of Mafia groups.
Or perhaps he was biased toward Luffia.
"It is a better idea to keep my identity hidden. Cipher Pol might be suspicious if they hear that I was helping Strawhats. They would know why." Zoro looked at Luffia, his only weakness. He was never afraid of death. He was always strong, but only to her, he would be weak. His only weakness. "By the way... Your sister..." He trailed off a little, weighing down if he should be opening this topic.
"Do you want to ask me something?"
"Are you willing to answer it?" Luffia only looked down, avoiding Zoro's eyes for she knew that she might not be able to answer all his questions. Zoro understood and he did not push it. He trusts Luffia with all his life. Whatever she was not telling him, he knew that she must have a reason for it.
"Alright. I won't ask. But that sure was a surprise. Your sister might need to lay low. Whitebeard's group is not easy to deal with. Not when they are hunting her down now."
"I understand."
"No, you don't. There's a bounty on her head. All of Whitebeard's allies will be going after her. Whitebeard's heir is leading the hunt. We met him once in the fighting arena. Do you remember?"
"Oh. Yes. Pineapple Head." Zoro chuckled. Of all the things Luffia could remember, it was that weird nickname she gave him.
"Yes, him. He must be furious. Anyway, better be careful on your way back to your house. Your group got Kurohige's attention and from my understanding, he has a connection with the Cipher Pol. Expect they might work together."
Luffia absentmindedly nodded. With Zoro's presence, she might felt relieved, but at the same time worried. The secrets that she had been hiding for a long time might be discovered anytime soon. Grandline's waters were stirring. More variables kept appearing. Even if she delays it, she knows it is only a matter of time before she and her sisters will be forced to reveal their identities.
She dreaded that day. Thinking about what Sab and Ann went through after making their choices, she feared that the same will happen to her.
And it might be worse than she could ever imagine. After all, it was her father who killed Zoro's parents.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Kidd asked Wire to accompany him while Heat was on standby near the meeting place with a sniper ready to kill if the transactions failed. No one in any Mafia Group can trust a Cipher Pol agent when it comes to an offered cooperation. A meeting like this can be a trap. Kidd learned several times that a contingency plan was needed.
"Glad you could come, Eustass! I am ecstatic to meet you!" A man of muscular build and an annoying grin greeted Kidd. From his voice alone, Kidd deducted that this man was Jabra. "Do not worry. I only have Kalifa with me now, but she was somewhere else in case you decide to turn tail and mess this meeting."
Kidd badly wanted to punch the guy. It's not that he said something offending. What was the World Government thinking when they hired Jabra with a face that can make everyone want to punch him? Whatever their reason was, it was beyond Kidd's understanding. As annoying as his face was, he had to keep his inner turmoil controlled. He did not come here to punch the annoying faces of Cipher Pol agents.
"That depends if your information was a waste of my time or not."
"Do not worry, Eustass. It was worth it. I know you are curious about that lover of yours, eh?" A growl escaped Kidd's throat. "Oh, my bad! Ex-lover." He had the guts to emphasize it making Kidd clench his fist in annoyance. Jabra seemed to enjoy the irritation in Kidd's eyes, making sure to chuckle and mockingly smile at Kidd. "Now, now. Keep your beastly side in check. We're now to the most exciting part. A trivia! Why not, right? Did you know that Sab was not an orphan? She was using a fake identity. Do you know why?"
Jabra waved a folder in front of Kidd.
"Get straight to the point, bastard!"
"Hahaha! I've heard of your temper. Patience was never your strong point. Since I am also pressed for time, let's get straight to the point. Why don't you see it for yourself?" He gave Kidd the folder which the red-haired man hastily took. "Well?"
The moment Kidd saw the pictures, he instantly frowned. "What the fuck is this?"
"Don't tell me you don't recognize her?"
"I recognized her, you idiot. What's with these pictures?" He was getting impatient because, from one glance, there was nothing special about the stolen pictures of Sab who was in an alley.
"Oh, damn. You sure are slow, aren't you? Did you not recognize the clothes she was wearing? Why don't you look at the other pictures?" Kidd did as Jabra said and the more he looked at it, the more his eyes widen. "Well? Did you recognize the clothes? These pictures were taken after your so-called cooperation. Your cooperation with Blue."
Even Wire had to glance over Kidd's shoulder to verify what Jabra was saying. Indeed, these clothes were the same clothes that Blue was wearing all the time. The pattern on his coat was a giveaway of her identity.
"Who would have thought, eh? That the renowned lawyer was a big shot of the Revolutionary Army! And to think you were cooperating with an enemy. You must be so furious to realize she was fooling you again."
Jabra witnessed the hatred emanating from Kidd's eyes, and he knew that his mission was a success. 'A fool in love. Such a pity you were taken advantage of. You used to be so promising, Eustass.'
"Your second-in-command was meeting her. Did you know about that? She is pulling your men towards her, creating a perfect web to trap you down." Kidd could not deny what he was saying. He can only grit his teeth while listening to Jabra talk. "He must have known about her true identity. Tsk! Tsk! That's no good, Eustass. You can't have your trusted man keeping secrets from you. Oh well, not that I would blame him. She was a beautiful seducer, even I might fall for her charms!"
It was driving Kidd crazy thinking about this betrayal. Looking back, he realized why Killer's actions were uncalled for. He was taking care of Blue, ensuring she had a backup during their missions while disregarding their men. He never did that. Only to Blue.
Now that explains it. He knew who she was a long time ago.
"Don't look at me as if I am your enemy. They are the enemies. Traitors. You know the rules of the streets, Eustass. What do we do to the traitors?" Even without an answer, Jabra knew that Kidd's rage was enough to send Killer and Sab to hell. "Let's make a deal, shall we? Lead Blue to this place. We will take care of her. And you can take care of Killer. Sounds good, right?"
If Kidd's thoughts could kill, Sab and Killer would have been dead now. Unfortunately, that is not possible. With the thoughts of killing them lurking in his mind, he subconsciously turned his anger towards the pictures, crumpling them using his hands.
"So? What do you say, Eustass?"
"Consider it done." He left as soon as he said that with Wire following him.
Watching the retreating silhouettes, Jabra grinned in victory. He could see himself getting promoted to a leader's position in no time as soon as he hand Blue over. Or perhaps a branch chief. He will a hero to the World Government for capturing one of the thorns in their necks.
'I wonder what I would do to that woman. Ahhh... The information I could squeeze from her would be a delicacy I would enjoy.'
And he can't wait for that to happen.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===