SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 103 out, this is Chapter 104 of this fic. For everyone who put this fic on your favorited and followed lists and/or story alerts, thank you, but remember everyone, a lot of authors (myself included) sustain on readers' reviews.

Pairings: Ace/Sasha, sibling Luffy/Sasha and Sabo/Sasha, patriotic-retainer Law/Sasha

Disclaimers: One Piece belongs to Oda Eiichirō-sensei. Me, on the other hand, own absolutely nothing, except my OC, the pairing and the fic idea.

Chapter 104: Arc 8: Blackbeard's Darkness Attacks Ace! Ace, Sabo and Sasha Unite!

"Since you're my grandchildren, I will stop trying to catch you on this island." Garp declared. "I'll tell that to my superiors, so relax and leave when you are ready."

"It probably won't be good to report that." Bogard reminded. "Let us say they escaped instead."

"I basically came for those two guys." Garp added, referring to Coby and Helmeppo. "I'll let you slowly catch up before we let you guys go. I am leaving."

"Okay." Luffy nodded. "Bye-bye."

"You're letting me leave too easily!" Garp leveled a punch across Luffy's cheek. "Slow down, idiot. It has been a long time since we last met."

"What the hell do you want me to do?" Luffy demanded. "You're just been hitting me the whole time."

"Even so, I want to show love to my grandson, idiot." Garp hollered.

"Now you guys see what I have to go through growing up?" Sasha sighed.

"I can sense a strange likeness between the two of them." Nami sweatdropped, Chopper and Sanji nodding in agreement.

Ace... Sasha frowned, seeing the carnation and snowdrop flowers donning her flower bracelet light up in a warning red.

"Sasha, where are you going?" Nami asked.

"A stroll." Sasha replied.

Moments earlier on Banaro Island...

"They're completely crazy!" Blackbeard roared in laughter when he read the newspaper. "Check it out." he tossed the newspaper to Van Augur. "It's about the Straw Hats. They took down Enies Lobby. The bounty on them will rise again."

"Enies Lobby is famous for using the sea train from Water 7." Laffitte pointed out.

"It's not far from here." Van Augur stated. "It's a gift horse in the mouth."

"They're in our range." Doc Q remarked. "Poor guys with no luck."

"Let's go, captain!" Jesus Burgess urged.

"Of course, we will." Blackbeard agreed. "Get ready, we're leaving." he kicked one of the defeated defenders away. "We're going to be busy."

"Oi..." Ace called out from his perch on a building roof. "Wait up, Teach. We need to talk."

"Ace!" Blackbeard grinned, looking up. "Commander!"

"Don't call me Commander anymore." Ace retorted. "Only people that can respect others use that word. You're mocking me."

"You're Fire-Fist Ace." Laffitte noted.

"Yes, I am." Ace returned. "Nice to meet you. So you have become a fine captain on your own, huh?" he looked down at his former subordinate. "Blackbeard Pirates: Captain Marshall D. Teach."

"What's this, Ace?" Blackbeard laughed. "Long time no see. What's up? How do you know I was here?"

"Teach, let's go right to the point." Ace said. "You've lived twice as long as I have, so there's no way you don't understand the situation. Ain't I right?"

"Yeah, I got it." Blackbeard agreed. "Then, let me ask you one thing: Ace, why don't you become my nakama? Conquer the world with me. I've already planned how to do it. Whitebeard's era is over. I will become the Pirate King. First, I'll finish off Straw Hat Luffy in Water 7, just ahead of here and deliver him to the World Government myself."

"Luffy?" Ace frowned. "What about him?"

"You know him?" Blackbeard was surprised.

"Looks like I can't really let you roam around." Ace decided. "He's my younger brother. And of course, I won't be your nakama." he let Van Augur's shot hit him harmlessly. "We're got someone with bad manners here." he chuckled. "Fire Gun!" he fired off his rapid-fire flame bullets at Van Augur, forcing the sniper to flee. "Fire Commandment," he surrounded himself in a pillar of flames. "Fire Pillar!" he let the updraft of fire tunnel through the building Burgess tossed at him.

"Augur, Burgess." Blackbeard warned his subordinates. "Don't involve yourselves into this! You wouldn't stand a chance against this man. Stay back."

"Fire Fist!" Ace let loose a wide column of fire at the Blackbeard Pirates, the flames setting the screaming Blackbeard on fire after it cut through the buildings. Jumping down, the Fire Logia then walked through the burning debris, gathering the fire around his body.

"I get it, Ace." Blackbeard chuckled putting out the fire himself. "You want to kill me, right? You're right. Killing nakama is a great crime. I killed the 4th Division Commander, Thatch. I had no other choice. He obtained the Devil Fruit I wanted. Our ship's rule was that anyone who found a Devil Fruit could eat it. I memorized all the fruit shapes from the reference book. So I knew right away that was the fruit I'd been looking for. I was on Whitebeard's ship for several decades. All because I thought his ship would have the best chance of obtaining that fruit. If I never got lucky, I would have given up. But then, my friend found that fruit."

"Is that why you killed Thatch?" Ace asked, not amused. "And took the fruit?"

"Well, it was all just a twist of fate." Blackbeard admitted. "This power chose me, Ace! With this power, I have become the strongest!" he stood up. "This is completely different from the other Logia Fruits." he bragged. His hand was engulfed in black smoke and he sent a pillar of twisting darkness into the air. "Ace, your body is fire, right? I'm darkness!"

Near the pillaged village, a male wearing a black top hat rushed past the evacuating villagers as he headed towards the fight.

"Darkness?" Ace echoed.

"That's right." Blackbeard drawled. "Commander Ace, I can't be killed by the likes of you. Of all of the existing Devil Fruits, this one has the most power of all. Logia type: Yami Yami Fruit. I've become a man of darkness. And I'll show you what power is all about."

"Be my guest." Ace snorted.

Drawing back the darkness he shot in the air, Blackbeard then expelled the darkness wave on the ground. The darkness wave then stretched across the demolished buildings and blanketed the streets. "Darkness is gravity: the power of pull in everything, not even sparing a single ray of light. Infinite gravity!"

"Sounds very interesting." Ace noted. "But I'm still here."

"I ain't aiming for you yet." Blackbeard taunted. "Just sit back and enjoy the show. Black Hole!" he slammed his hand into the darkness wave which then sucked in the buildings.

"This is getting dangerous." Sabo noted, almost losing his foothold as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop.

"The weight of darkness, it's endless strength compresses all things and crushes them." Blackbeard declared, single-handledly annihilating the entire town. "Did it disappear you ask? I'll show you right now. Or at least, its remains. Liberation!" he expelled the gathered debris from his body. "You get it now, Ace?" he mocked. "The power that I have gained..."

"Firefly Light." Ace let loose a flood of small fireballs at Blackbeard. "Fiery Doll!" he combusted the firelights on Blackbeard.

"This is..." Sabo was stunned as he witnessed the fight.

"Who's there?" Ace turned, eyes widening when he saw the familiar top hat. "It can't be... why are you still alive..."

"I already told you..." Blackbeard let his darkness swallow the fire. "Darkness will consume everything. Bullets, blades, punches, fire! Even lightning. I can't let attacks just pass through like the rest of you. I take damage like a normal human. But in exchange for taking that risk, I get the power to consume everything."

"Fire-fist Ace," Sabo jumped in beside his sworn elder sibling. "I assume he is our enemy; and a Logia type?"

"Yeah." Ace nodded, both brothers now faced their opponent.

"How's your Armament Haki?" Sabo asked.

"Proficient." Ace admitted.

"That should be enough." Sabo adjusted his hat and pulled out his trademark pipe. "He's attacking!"

"Dark Vortex!" Blackbeard released his wisps of darkness. "Truth is that dark gravity leeches the ability of a Devil Fruit user out of their body."

"Armament Hardening!" Sabo imbued his pipe with Armament Haki and twirled it to deflect the darkness wisps.

Ace took the opening and propelled himself into the air with a pillar of fire. "Sacred Fire: Sea Fire!" he tossed twin fire lances at Blackbeard who used his darkness to absorb the attack.

"Dragon's Talon!" Sabo closed in, slamming his Armament Haki-coated claw strike straight into Blackbeard's chest and sending him flying into the debris he expelled. "Apparently, someone forgot he was fighting two opponents." the Revolutionary mocked.

"Sabo, you..." Ace landed beside his sworn sibling.

"Ocean Serpent!"

Both brothers blinked when Blackbeard was tackled by a... dare they say it, serpentine construct made entirely of water.

"Damn..." Sabo whistled when the water snake clumped Blackbeard within its jaws before passing right into his body.

"Make that three opponents, guys." Sasha corrected, entering the fight now decked in her 'Sea Empress Armor' and the 'Heart of the Ocean' sword in her hand. "He should count himself lucky I'm still not recovered enough to use the upgraded version. Sea Bubble" leveling her blade at the still recovering Blackbeard, she fired a sphere of seawater into the former Whitebeard Pirate's body. "The two of you." she informed the two males. "I've completely nullified Teach's Devil Fruit ability, so you both have about fifteen minutes to end this fight."

Both sworn brothers grinned at each other and charged up their attacks.

"Dragon Talon!" Sabo slammed his clawed fist into Blackbeard's chest and leapt out of the way of Ace's attack.

"Cross Fire!" Ace finished the fight with his fire stream straight into Blackbeard's heart.

"So, what're we going to do with him?" Sabo looked down at the smoking Blackbeard.

"I don't know..." Ace admitted.

Sasha fought the urge to roll her eyes, Men. Plunging her sword into Blackbeard and ignoring the shocked gasps of the two older males beside her, she withdrew the blade, the Yami Yami Fruit now reformed on the sword. "Ace." she handed the Logia Fruit to the Second Division Commander. "I do believe this belongs to you."

"Yeah..." Ace gawked, claiming the Fruit

"Too bad Gramps already left Water 7." Sasha noted. "Otherwise I could give him a holler over the Den Den Mushi and have him pick this guy up." she prodded Blackbeard with her foot.

"You have Gramps' number?" Ace blinked. "So, Sabo." he turned to the blond. "What happened to you?"

"It's a long story?" Sabo grinned sheepishly. "Argh!" he dropped his pipe and clutched his head painfully.

"SABO!"

Leaving Ace to care for Sabo, Sasha went back to the matter at hand. "Marshall D. Teach," she pointed her sword at the unconscious Blackbeard. "More than 800 years ago, your ancestors were blood traitors who opened the Kingdom's doors to its enemies. Now, I will mete out the punishment for their treachery; as the reincarnation of Queen Selena, I hereby strip you of the 'D' bloodline and its protections. Henceforth, you are no longer allowed to use 'D' in your name. So mote it!" at her declaration, wisps of golden power emerged from Blackbeard and were absorbed into the sword.

SailorStar9: Yup, Sabo makes an early appearance in this chapter. And yay, Ace is still alive and more importantly, not captured. Any OOC-nes is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Reviews are much appreciated.