SailorStar9: After more than one month on hiatus, I present Chapter 331 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: Married!Ace/Sasha, Sibling!Luffy/Sasha, Sibling!Sabo/Sasha, Background Protector!Law/Sasha
Disclaimers: One Piece belongs to Oda EiichirÅ-sensei. Me, on the other hand, own absolutely nothing, except my OC, the pairing and the fic idea.
Chapter 331: Arc 18: Marco's Tears! The Bond of the Whitebeard Pirates
On the Live Floor...
"Kick their asses!" the Beast Pirates charged towards Hyogoro's samurai group.
"Listen!" Hyogoro urged his men on. "Let's defend the room Raccoon-san is in without sparing our lives."
In the back room, Chopper was working feverishly with Miyagi and Tristan to develop the antibody. "Miyagi, Tristan, get ready." he barked, having prepared the first batch.
"You guys are the last." Marco sent a wave of flames between Hyogoro's group and the approaching Beat Pirates, setting the infected pirates on fire and temporarily healing them.
"How dare he." Queen snarled. "You all, stop Marco. Don't let him run free. Take back the antibody. Stop hesitating! Follow my orders. Just kill the enemy. Just do it already." he scoffed. "Or do you want me to kill you?"
"I'm not gonna attack Kaido directly now." Marco stated. "But I comprehend where you stand." he lit his hands on fire. "No hard feelings. Stay out of this." he stopped Robin and Brook from helping. "Ace, take Nico Robin and Skeleton Man to where they have to be."
"Roger, Leader." Ace nodded.
Marco just let the Beast Pirates stab him with their swords, before he lit his body in flames. "You ready?" he turned to Zoro.
"Do it." Zoro started running.
Marco morphed into his Phoenix form and took out the Beat Pirates surrounding him in a tornado of fire. Swapping down, he grabbed Zoro's shoulders with his talons and proceeded to fly the swordsman to the roof.
"Damn Marco." Queen hissed.
"This is good." Zoro grinned.
"You're heading for the Yonkou, Kaido." Marco reminded. "How can you be so relaxed?"
"Why should I be scared of Kaido?" Zoro shot back. "If my Captain gives the order, I'll just follow."
"I'm counting on those two, too." Marco admitted. "No, on you guys from the Worst Generation."
Flashback to a few years before...
"I'm begging you, Pops." Ace pleaded.
"I said no, you fool." Whitebeard rebuked. "I told you several times, Ace: who the 2nd Division Commander was before you and why that position was vacant for so long."
"I know." Ace replied. "There was strong samurai named Kozuki Oden from Wano. Because he did a tragic death, it had been vacant ever since."
"Wano had adopted an isolation policy, information doesn't come out." Izo added. "So, we didn't know Oden-sama died until many years later."
"I heard Kaido was responsible for his death, too." Ace supplied. "You're not gonna do anything about it?"
"We thought about advancing on Wano, but what would happen then?" Macro pointed out, chomping on a pineapple. "Can you imagine the toll it would take? It would be a big war. It'd even involve innocent people."
"Then, let me go by myself." Ace insisted. "I made a promise. I'm gonna take Kaido's head."
"Kozuki Oden couldn't take down that guy." Whitebeard reminded. "There's no way you can beat him. Don't overestimate yourself, Ace." he clocked Ace's head with the end of his naginata.
"I remember how strong Oden-san was." Blackbeard recalled. "I can relate your desire to land the head of a big name, Commander Ace."
"Shut up, Teach." Marco chided. "Hunting big names isn't what Ace wants to do."
"He wants the head of a Yonkou." Blackbeard was not convinced. "Is there any other purpose than gaining a reputation?"
"Damn..." Ace muttered, still laid down on the ground. "I should get stronger to fulfill the promise."
"That's your purpose?" Blackbeard scoffed. "That's so stupid."
"That's what you chose to shoulder." Marco stated.
"You have big shoes to fill as the 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates." Izo noted.
"Even though he left the ship, Oden is still like family to us." Marco added. "We all wanna avenge him."
"When I heard you say you'd make Wano somewhere everyone can eat as much as they want, it made me happy." Izo said. "If you get the go-ahead from Pops, Ace, don't forget to invite me."
"Count me in, too." Marco nodded.
"Then, I think we can defeat him already." Ace declared.
"How can you be so over-optimistic..." Izo gawked.
With Yamato, Momonosuke and Shinobu...
"What?" Momonosuke exclaimed. "That person is Roger's son and Luffy's older brother?"
"You guys brought Luffy to Wano, right?" Yamato asked. "Pirates are as numerous as stars, but you met them and brought them here. It can't be anything but fate. Because there a 'D' in Luffy's name."
With Big Mom...
Having fed Prometheus and Zeus, Big Mom rejoined Kaido on the roof of Onigashima.
With Marco and Zoro...
"Marco." a transformed Queen growled, he and King intercepted Marco and Zoro. "You can't get through here easily. I'm sure all the samurai outside are killed by now."
"Now, all that's left is for Kozuki Oden's son to die and this battle will be over." King added. "And Wano will become a pirate empire called New Onigashima."
"If you believe that, your reasoning is garbage." Marco retorted.
"Shut up, you little bird." Queen twitched and rained his machine gun bullets at Marco from his mouth. "Is he invincible?" he cursed, the attack having no effect on Marco. "What kind of power is that?"
"You guys are up against the new era." Marco reminded.
"The Beast Pirates will dominate the new era and everything else." Queen swore and renewed his attack on Marco.
Marco flared up, trapping both King and Queen in his fiery wings. "Just let him go. Don't get upset." he tossed Zoro through the gaping hole in the roof.
With Luffy and Sasha...
"We have to defend these stairs even if it means death." Shishilian growled, the Musketeers and Guardians were fighting off the Beat Pirates. "For the remaining hope."
"Black Dragon Blizzard!" a large dragon of black ice weaved through the battlefield, instant-freezing the Beat Pirates.
"You're in my way." Luffy yelled, smashing through the frozen Beat Pirates. "Move. Gomu Gomu no Rocket! Whip! Gatling!"
"So much for subtlety." Sasha sweatdropped.
"We can only do so much." Shishilian told the siblings. "Please go through here. These are the stairs to the rooftop."
"Shishilian, everyone, those wounds..." Sasha frowned.
"We'll recover." Roddy assured. "Please hurry."
"Right." Sasha nodded and tossed Blackback one of the pouches hanging on her waist. "This contains the standard recovery pills Chopper and I created. The bag should have enough for everyone."
SailorStar9: Any OOC-ness is regretted. *Sighs* Don't you just hate plot bunnies sometimes? Reviews are much appreciated.
