Marshall D Teach was not having a good day. After travelling damn near from one end of the grand line to the other, to chase down yet another lead on the yami yami no mi, the pirate had once more returned disappointed.
And now, instead of being allowed to rest for a few days, and finally eat some of his favourite cherry pie, the pirate was being forced to divert his course even further.
The cause for his pointless diversion, was because he was being forced to help the first division Commander check on an island his so called 'family' was considering putting under there protection. Despite the fact that the island had no tactical advantage whatsoever and was in fact, a tiny spec of land in the middle of nowhere, with no human inhabitants.
Sometimes Teach couldn't stand the carefree nature of the crew he had reluctantly joined to exploit their resources.
Repressing the urge to let out a heavy sigh, the large man reluctantly beached his boat in a small bay, and forced himself to don a friendly smile. It wouldn't do to be seen as anything other than the friendly unambitious family member he still pretended to be.
Successfully concealing the last of his anger, the large pirate let a cheerful tune fill the air as he began to walk up the small sandy hill nearby, and towards a large clearing near the shore.
Looking around the island as he walked, the bearded pirate was surprised to see a small nondescript boat docked in a small cove previously hidden out of his line of sight.
Now, if Teach had been meeting literally any family member other than Marco the presence of the small boat might not have been a surprise.
But this was the man known as the phoenix. And usually it was somewhat traditional that if the first mate of the Whitebeard pirates was meeting a family member, he'd fly over in his phoenix form, before hitching a ride back with whichever pirate he'd gone to meet.
Making the presence of a boat (especially one without Whitebeard's insignia proudly displayed) particularly strange. Just as Teach was about to voice his suspicions, a calm voice echoed out from across the clearing. "If you're looking for Marco I'm afraid he's not here."
Keeping a calm expression to hide his surprise, the Whitebeard pirate slowly turned to meet the grinning face of the man he now recognised as the Ace of Spades.
Seeing the older pirate's eyes on him, the young Captain tipped his hat in a mockery of politeness. One that did absolutely nothing to distract from the animalistic smirk on his face.
"You're Marshall D Teach right? Member of the second division of the Whitebeard pirates?" The older man gave a friendly smile, barely managing to conceal his rage at being called out to this deserted island for what he was beginning to suspect, might be nothing more than a prank.
Unfortunately keeping character was far more important than killing an uppity rookie (and potentially leaving witnesses if the brat's crew was nearby) so Teach forced out an amused sounding laugh. "Zehahaha that I am, can I ask what exactly the infamous Spade Pirates want with me?"
The freckled teen gave a savage grin "We want you dead Teach. Or should I call you Blackbeard?"
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Ace couldn't quite help but savour the enraged look of shock that had appeared on his old subordinates face. Teach had taken every possible precaution in order to ensure his identity remained a secret.
And having an unaffiliated rookie reveal it was probably the man's worst nightmare.
Unfortunately it didn't take too long for Teach to recover "I don't know what you're talking about." The teenaged Captain felt the smirk die on his lips "Drop the bullshit Teach. I know who you are, there's no one here worth pretending for."
The larger pirate paused for a minute in consideration before letting his friendly facade drop, and allowing a twisted mockery of a smile to appear in it's place.
"Ok then Brat. Here's how this is going to work. I don't know who you really are, nor do I know how you got this information, but one thing I do know is that I am going to kill you. You and everyone else I even remotely suspect of knowing my identity. And when I'm done I'm going to tell the world that you, like every other cocky rookie on the sea, tried to fight me as a way to challenge Whitebeard."
Ace scowled "It won't work. No one's gonna believe I ignored the chance to pick a fight with one of Whitebeard's hungover, and therefore disadvantaged commanders, only to turn around and attack a no name from the second division to try and provoke a fight."
Teach smirked "They'll believe it. After all I'm family, and when I go back to the Moby dick, I'll tell them all about how I'd underestimated you. How you lead the entirety of the Spades to ambush me and that it was your life or mine. And the fools will clap me on the back and say they're glad I'm safe."
Ace's fists clenched in utter hatred "You don't deserve to call them family." A sharp silence filled the space between the two men, and then finally Ace attacked.
It wasn't the same as last time.
There was no fire, no fists, and no insults.
This time, there was only the sheer manifestation of willpower. As the pirate known as Portgas D Ace looked at the man he'd once called his brother, and willed him to FALL.
It was only for a moment.
Blackbeard was still a new world pirate after all, and Ace was still relatively new to conqueror's haki at that. And as such it was only enough to disorient the older pirate for a moment.
But a moment was all Ace needed.
Flames coating his hands the teen attacked.
Aiming a fiery punch directly at the older pirate's heart, Ace couldn't help but scowl as his hand was barely diverted away from it's target by a haki coated fist.
Not wasting the momentum he had already accumulated, the teen didn't hesitate to pick a new target and push forwards, diverting his fist into Teach's side.
Ignoring the smell of burnt flesh, and the snarl of pain, the logia arched his leg up in a high kick, taking advantage of the older pirate's instinctive dodge to get some distance from the man, promptly sacrificing his shirt in the process.
Safely out of range once more Ace took the chance to shoot several balls of fire at his target, barely managing to dodge out the way of haki covered fists as Blackbeard nimbly weaved through his shots attempting to close the distance once more.
After several minutes of rough brawling the two men separated once again, each taking the momentary reprise to assess their opponent's condition.
Looking across the clearing, Ace could see Teach sprouting several nasty burns all over his body as well as more than a few bruises, while Ace himself suffered a few more serious cuts and bruises of his own.
Ace was under no illusions that if Blackbeard got a hold on him with his haki then he was probably dead. After all, this was the man who'd duelled Shanks to a standstill and he would not go down easy, even with all of Ace's tricks.
For now, his best bet would be to keep out of reach until he could find the right timing to end the fight. As it was he'd only get one shot.
"Not bad brat." Teach's voice cut through the silence like a knife. "Look kid, I like you so I'm gonna give you an offer. Join me and I'll let you live! The haki and devil fruit was certainly a surprise but I've survived tougher than you, and if you don't agree I'll have no choice but to kill you."
The teen's lips twisted into a savage snarl, as his eyes narrowed in hatred "I'll never join you. I'll make Pop's the king, until Luffy's strong enough to claim the title himself."
Teach scowled, slight confusion in his eyes "Pop's? I don't know why you're so loyal to the old geezer or who Luffy is, but I suppose it doesn't matter anymore, if you won't join me then you're no use to me alive anyway."
The two men stared at each other once more, each unwilling to rush in and make the first move. However in the end Teach's patience ran out first and the older pirate rushed forward determined to end the situation for good.
Waiting until the older pirate was too close to dodge Ace threw out his hands allowing a spiral of burning flames to surround him "Dai Enkei
Biting back curses Teach brushed aside the flames and continued to rush forwards, only to stop in his tracks as crimson fire suddenly surged upwards creating a miniature sun in the teen's hand.
Staring at the savage grin on the other D's face, Marshall D Teach let out a scream of rage and rushed forwards in a desperate attempt to reach the teen before he released his attack. Unfortunately for him it was already too late.
"ENTEI."
There was a momentary pause before the world was set aflame.
Protected by his powers Ace stared blankly into the raging inferno, listening to the pained screams of the man who had once doomed him to die. Moments passed and Ace continued staring into the flames before finally letting out a small smile "That was for Thatch you bastard."
The screams quietened and for a moment the logia thought it was over, when all of a sudden a blackened hand reached through the fire desperately trying to grasp the teen.
Recoiling backwards just in time, the freckled man stared at the blackened husk of Teach's right hand, satisfaction heavy in his mind despite his surprise at Teach's survival. As much as he hated to admit it, Ace could acknowledge that Blackbeard was as strong as hell.
"You little bastard. I'll gut you for this."
Ace grinned, slowly shaking his head. "You won't get the chance to. Despite how much I'd love to be the one to kill you, I made a deal. If I hadn't dealt with you after this I'd step aside. After all you're still technically a Whitebeard pirate, so I suppose it's only fair that they'll be the ones to end you."
Teach paled as he realised that in his pain he'd missed a familiar presence approaching, one which was currently landing only metres behind him.
Ace smiled as Marco gently touched down on the ground, before shooting a triumphant smirk at Teach "Meaning you're no longer my problem to deal with. Your his." Not even bothering to turn around, Blackbeard dived to the side, just in time to avoid the taloned foot aimed at where his head had been mere moments ago.
Not looking all too bothered that his attack had failed Marco turned and stared into the eyes of the man he had once called his brother. "Marshall D Teach. For breaking the rules of the Whitebeard pirates and dealing in slaves I, as your divisions temporary division Commander, hearby sentence you to death. Any last words?"
In another world, one where Teach had been at full strength, or still in possession on the yami yami no mi, then things might have been different. But they weren't.
As such what happened next, seemed to occur almost as if in slow motion.
Knowing he was outmatched in his current state, Teach scrambled to retreat. Only for a taloned foot to rip through his back and tear out his heart.
And so, with blood still dripping on the ground, the man known as Marshall D Teach slumped to the floor dead. Never to hurt Ace's family again.
And so for the first time since he had reawakened in the past, Ace let down his guard, let go of all his worries and laughed.
unnoticed by the teen, the first division commander of the Whitebeard pirates watched the youth from several steps away, suspicion and resolve warring on his face.
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Shanks grinned from his seat in the mini submarine, as he saw Teach fall to the ground dead.
When the kid had first sent him a letter selling seat's to the fight with Teach, the Emperor had thought the kid was mad. Heck he still thought the kid was mad, but at least he hadn't been stupid enough to take Teach on with no backup.
Still despite his worry, Shanks really didn't have anything better to do today and the fight had been entertaining to say the least.
Ace's haki was coming along nicely, and seeing Whitebeard's first mate in action was always interesting. Marco could be a really vicious turkey when he wanted to.
Unfortunately there was however a slight issue with being trapped with Benn and the other Spades inside a mini submarine while the fight went on. Said issue came in the form of a petite blond ship wright, who was currently staring at the Emperor with evil glee in her eyes.
"Well then mister Red Emperor in accordance with our bet you will personally participate in one Spade prank of our choosing." looking at the mischievous smiles of the Spades surrounding him, Shanks shot a pleading look at his first mate "Beeennnnnn."
Unfortunately for the infamous pirate, his treacherous first mate merely grinned "Have fun Captain." Letting out a loud groan, Shank's shot his second in command a fearsome scowl (it wasn't a pout, Shanks was fearsome pirate, fearsome pirates didn't pout. Shut up Benn).
And with that one of the most feared pirates on the sea resigned himself to his inevitable humiliation. Why the hell had he thought it would be a good idea to bet with one of Ace's equally insane crew members?!
(Shanks pointedly ignored the loud exclamation of "it's so funny when she's not betting against us" going on behind him)
Resisting the urge to let out another groan the red haired pirate turned to face the Spades with a grin on his face. "Moving on," (the emperor chose to ignore Benn's snort of amusement at the blatant change in topic) "I believe we should go and rejoin your Captain. Teach is dead and I believe that deserves a celebration!"
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A party filled with a mixture of spade, whitebeard, and red haired pirates was never going to be a quiet affair. As such it wasn't even an hour into the celebration before pranks were being played and bets made. (the marines were going to wake up to some very interesting surprises tomorrow)
This also meant, it took several hours for Marco to find a good time to approach the teenaged Captain of the Spade pirates.
"Ace." The freckled teen's face lit up with a smile "Hey Marco! What's up?" the phoenix couldn't help a small smile at the teen's enthusiasm, only for the smile to fade when he remembered why he was there.
"Take a walk with me." Not leaving the teen room to disagree, the pirate walked off into the nearby forest, not stopping until he'd reached well away from where the party goers were still having fun.
Not bothering to turn and face the teen (though still very much aware of his presence) the Phoenix began to speak. "You're a mystery Portgas D Ace, you came out of nowhere. Are far too skilled to be as unknown as you were at the beginning of your journey. And know far too much about my family."
The first division commander turned to face the teen, who seemed to be frozen in place, and continued to speak. "One thing that I don't tend to advertise about being a mythical zoan is that it enhances my senses even in human form, meaning I have both excellent sight and hearing."
"So tell me Ace, why are you loyal to Pop's despite only having one phone call with him? Why do you have a phoenix tattoo with similar markings to my zoan form on your back? And most importantly of all, why was your setting Teach on fire apparently revenge for my still very much alive brother, Thatch?"
Author's note
Ok so first of all I am so sorry this is so late! some of you probably noticed there was no author's note on my last chapter, the reason for that being that this chapter was originally planned to be released the next day alongside my usual note.
Unfortunately due to several coursework pieces being dumped on my lap the same day I didn't have a chance to finish the chapter, which is why its so late.
Ok on a more positive note OMG THIS STORY HAS OVER 600 FOLLOWERS?! WHAT THE HELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Thank you so much to everyone who left a review they were so amazing to read and they really motivated me to try and find time between coursework to finish the chapter! I won't do any special mentions of reviews this time but I promise to do so next time.
(though to the RougeisLadySpade who suggested the conspiracy about Ace pretending to be his non-existent sister pretending to be his mum I would like to say I adore your idea, and i hope you won't mind if I use elements of it in a later chapter?)
Ok so last mention is that one of the readers, VisitorNo.18 has written some scenarios about this story in this universe that I'd recommend checking out!it's called FANFICS for this is gonna be fun AU. :D