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Chapter 140:
Requiem
"That's it!" Sengoku thundered. "I don't care who I piss off now, Garp or otherwise. I'm going to kill you all!"
"3!" Luffy called, so close at this point. "Use a wall and free them!"
"Shit, I hope this works!" Mr. 3 muttered, throwing a wax wall over himself and the prisoners as Luffy reached them, expanding himself into a Gum-Gum Balloon as Sengoku attacked. The whole process ruined the scaffold's failing integrity, the whole thing falling apart.
Then everything exploded.
Zooming in and moving back a few seconds, a quivering Mr. 3 quickly swung his arm under the orders of his once-enemy, slinging a wall of wax over himself and the two prisoners, being careful to avoid touching the Sea Prism Stone their cuffs were made of. With a half-sphere formed against the boards beneath, a force drove into the top of the wall, the pressure crushing the platform. Gravity seemed to fail, weightlessness making them float for only a second before it reasserted his power, the trio falling.
Above them, Luffy had thrown himself between the wax dome and the incoming golden fist of the Fleet Admiral. The scaffold could not withstand the force created and pushed through the balloon-like pirate. With their footing gone, the pirate and marine began to fall, only for a cannonball to appear out of seemingly nowhere. It exploded.
"Got 'em!" a group of marines below cheered into the battle's echoing silence, smoke obscuring all of the pirates by the falling structure. The marines were disappointed, however, when an off-white, soot-streaked ball fell from the rising smoke. Luffy deflated like a balloon, zipping out of and through the dust cloud before slamming into the outside of the wax orb. It thunked on the concrete, an unmoving, small, smoking Luffy hitting the ground beside it. Sengoku watched from a higher level.
"Well, I guess we just need to break that," Aokiji commented, only moving a foot before he shattered under the force of an air-quake.
"We won't let you brats," a coughing Whitebeard smirked, blood dripping from his lips. With the silence broken, the battle picked up, the pirates now determined to simply keep the marines occupied and distracted.
Within the sphere was nothing but darkness until Mr. 3 lit the top of his hair like a candle's wick, the fire providing uneven light to the dark surroundings. Ace and Coby laid on the floor, hands still cuffed behind their backs and the latter holding back tears of pain. All the rough treatment was doing nothing to help his still-raw scars.
"Oh, I'm alive," Coby muttered through the pain. "That's nice."
"Ow," Ace groaned. "What now?"
"I suppose I need to get you free," Mr. 3 replied, bending down to inspect the cuffs. "They're Sea Prism Stone, so I can't touch them directly. This should work, though." Rolling Ace onto his stomach, the former assassin raised a finger over the locking mechanism and began dripping wax into it until the inside was coated in wax, forming a barrier. It only took a few seconds before the hole was overflowing, prompting Mr. 3 to make of stem of wax, attach it to the rest, and twist as hard as he could.
Click!
With a satisfied smirk, Mr. 3 watched the cuffs fall away, fire immediately licking up the arms and sides of Whitebeard's Second Division Commander. His fire offered far more light, but threatened the stability of their waxy defense.
"Now hold on a second!" Mr. 3 called before Ace could rush out. "Don't run out there yet! Let me get this kid free first!"
"I'm as tall as you now," Coby groaned.
Within the next minute, Coby too felt his cuffs fall away and the rush of his powers return. He breathed easier instantly, his eyesight returning to sharp focus. His first act was to rip his shirt off, preventing anymore painful rubbing over his scars.
"Thank you, Mr. 3," he said, giving a shallow bow. "I owe you my life."
"Just call me Galdino," Mr. 3 waved off. "Baroque Works is gone. There's no point in keeping the codenames." He paused. "On your back... is that...?"
"Yeah," the teen sighed, rubbing a shoulder. "Complements of Impel Down's resident sadistic bitches."
"They tried water torture with me," Galdino recalled. "Tried to get me to give up information about our turncoats, but... Well, they didn't get anything until Mr. 7, though I wouldn't have minded one of their 'favors' if it'd've been free. Anyway, no time to reminisce. Let's get out of here."
"That's the best idea I've heard in months," Ace smirked. "Lets go."
To the viewers outside, the eruption of the wax ball was spontaneous, the top part of it giving way to a pillar of fire. The rest melted like a weak candle, revealing the three occupants, Ace burning like a demon.
"IIIIIII'MMMMM BAAAAA~CKKKK!"
"Captain!" Coby called, scrambling to reach Luffy nearby. The pink-haired teen grabbed the full-sized rubberman by his uninjured shoulder, trying to shake him awake. "Captain Luffy! Uh, i-if you don't wake up, Usopp's going to eat all the meat!" Luffy didn't move. Coby took stock of his options, noting that luffy's brief expansion had shattered the spiked anklet Helmeppo had forced on him, though his leg was still bleeding. "Uh... Sanji's hitting on Nami and flirting with her!"
"Nami!" Luffy yelled, bolting upright, before groaning due to the strain on his muscles. He blinked, unfocused eyes coming back into alignment. "Coby! You're alive! And I'm alive! That's nice."
"You idiot!" Coby screamed, grabbing his captain by the face, stretching his cheeks. "Why'd you come here for me?! You broke into and out of Impel Down! Do you know how risky that was?! What would everyone else have said?!"
"They 'ould ha' been right d'ere 'ith me!" Luffy argued, punching Coby over the head like he had when they first met. "Don't be stupid. You're Nakama, Coby. I would do the same for any of my crewmates."
"C-Captain Luffy," Coby blubbered, tears rolling down his cheeks. He shook himself, wiping the tears away. "No time for that. We still need to escape. Just tell me, are... Are they still alive?"
"Of course they're alive!" Luffy answered.
"Thank Goda."
"Not quite as dramatic as I wanted my escape to be," Ace commented, glancing over his shoulder at the reunion. "Eh, beggars and choosers or something like that. Still, I can't believe you. You've never listened to anything I said, but... Thanks, Luffy. I guess I owe you one."
"C-c-c-can we l-leave?!" Galdino begged. His suggestion was too slow, however, an entire squad of marines surrounding the quartet.
"Hey, Galdino," Coby muttered, inching toward the man. "Can you make me a pair of swords?"
"Y-Yeah."
"You ready to do this, Ace?" Luffy asked, sliding up to Ace despite his aching muscles. "You and me together again. It feels almost like Mount Corvo. Coby, what's the phrase I've heard Amy use about Nami and Gin fighting with lightning?"
"Dynamic Duo?" Coby responded, accepting two wax bokken from the assassin.
"That works, but the other one."
"Dream team?"
"That's it! We're a dream team, Ace!"
"More like a nightmare," Mr. 3 muttered, cowering behind Coby as the roset shifted into his Hybrid Mode. A smile spread over Coby's lips. Oh, how he'd missed his powers.
"Shoot them!" the leader of the company ordered, gunshots ringing out. Not quite being bulletproof, Coby and Galdino dove to the ground, but the brothers had no qualms with letting the projectiles hit. The ones that passed through Ace's fire body exited glowing red, slamming into marines on the other side. The ones that hit Luffy acted as bullets usually do with him, stretching his form until the force was absorbed only to be returned at the same speed.
"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed, biting his thumb as he jumped. "Third Gear: Giant Stamp!"
"Five Point Style: Unseen Disaster!" Coby yelled, blurring out of focus before reappearing within a clump of the attacking marines.
"Firefly!" Ace added, tiny specks of fire floating over and through groups of marines. They were almost cute, until they violently exploded.
"Fuck it," the Fleet Admiral growled as he began to glow. "They die by my hand."
He stood, halfway to his Buddha form, when a strong pair of arms locked him in a full Nelson. Sengoku brought his arms down like he was trained to do, the the motion had little effect on his captor, which narrowed down the possibilities considerably. The possibilities fell even more when he felt a beard against the back of his neck.
"Garp," he snarled, trying to see the marine he'd grown up with. "Let me go."
"I can't, Senny," Garp responded as he reaffirmed the Haki on his arms, confirming the Fleet Admiral's theory of who was holding him back.
"This is in violation of-!"
"I don't care, Sengoku," Garp breathed, tears rolling down his eyes. "I have to, Senny. I've failed them too much. I won't abandon my grandsons again!"
"Gaaaarrrppppp!"
The fight below was short and painful for the marines. Coby and Ace avoided getting in each others' way, but Luffy worked in tandem with both as instinctively as breathing. Sengoku felt an eye twitch and a vein pop as Coby beat the last marine over the head before tossing the wax weapons aside and stealing a pair of standard issue Marine swords.
"Well, they aren't my Kiba, but they'll do," the young man commented as he tested the balance. He turned to his companions, gesturing toward Whitebeard. "Shall we?"
"Let's," Ace grinned.
"You brats aren't going anywhere!" Sengoku yelled, throwing several Tempest Kicks from where Garp still held him. The pirates below dodged each, as one would expect, but they were surprised by the situation.
"Gramps!" Luffy and Ace gasped as Sengoku continued to struggle.
"Go, Luffy!" Garp ordered over his long-time friend's angry screaming. "Go, Ace! I might have sucked as a grandfather, but I still love you boys! Just-!"
"Godadammit, Garp! Do your damn job!" the Fleet Admiral screamed, a visible vein on his forehead.
"Gramps..." Luffy muttered. He turned, preparing to run, but turned back for a moment. "Thanks, Gramps! Sorry about what I said on Sabaody! You're a lot, but you're still my Gramps, Gramps!"
"Goda-fucking-dammit, Garp! Let me go or I'll have you court-marshaled!"
Having said his piece, Luffy turned and started running. Grabbing Galdino by the scruff of the neck, Coby followed his captain and Ace as they launched across the battlefield. The pirates picked up on this, the line drawing back as they began to retreat.
"Go!" Squard called as the group passed him and his crew, his oversized sword waving in the air. "Go, Ace! We'll cover you!"
"Wait, Squard!" Ace yelled, stopping. The pirate and his crew paused. "Don't kill yourself for me, Squard. Pull back. Keep sailing."
"Ace..." the spider-tattooed pirate responded. "What I did to Pops was unforgivable. If I die fighting here, I'll at least have died making up for my mistake."
"That's the coward's way out and you know it," the Logia rebuffed. "Pops doesn't want you to die and neither do I. We've lost enough guys. Don't go doing anything risky."
"You absolute bastard," Squard muttered with a small smile. "Let's meet again in the New World." He turned, raising his giant sword. "Come on, men! We've got a retreat to cover!"
"Moron," Ace whispered as he watched his friend's back with a small smile. "I bet he wanted to charge in with the last ship on land and Moby Dick wouldn't let him, the fool."
"Sounds like something Captain Luffy would do," Coby commented, reminding Ace of his company. "He tried to rip the mast off Merry to fight an Island Whale, once."
"I thought I needed a weapon!" Luffy defended. "You all stopped me and Laboon became our friend, so there was no problem in the end."
"Alright," Ace laughed. "Let's not keep the old man waiting."
"Wait, I need to do this!" Without waiting for any response, Luffy punched Ace over the head.
"What the Hell, Luffy!" his brother yelled.
"That's for telling them the tiger story! You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!"
"I.. Ah... But..." Ace floundered.
"We don't have tome for that!" Galdino interrupted.
With that said, Whitebeard wasn't too far away. Not having to fight their way through meant the trek away was a lot faster than the trek towards. Coby paused, turning to look over his shoulder.
"Captain Luffy," he said. "Ace. Go on ahead. I'll catch up."
"Why?" Luffy asked, stopping himself. Coby wasn't watching, the Zoan eyeing the battlefield behind the group.
"I have an old enemy to make a point to."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, Captain." Coby gripped his stolen swords. "This is something I need to do. Call it unfinished business."
"Be careful," Luffy ordered. "I'm going to get you when we leave. Three." Luffy turned to the former agent. "Watch out for him. You're crafty. You can do it. And I'll owe you one."
"You owe me more than that," Galdino muttered. Luffy and Ace didn't stay, shuffling off toward Whitebeard. "What's this about, Tri-Horn?"
"Call me Coby," the pirate replied, falling into a low stance. "I know you're there. Bring it on, Poisonous Justice."
"That's Vice-Admiral Helmeppo to you, pirate scum," the tall blond corrected, slithering before the sword-wielding pirate. Candy oozed from his hands, forming a pair of kukris. In response, Coby shifted into his Hybrid Mode.
"I didn't think you could get any uglier," Helmeppo commented with a smirk. "I wonder if that ugly mug of yours would look good on my office wall."
"Yeah, 'cause I'm the ugly one, Ass-chin."
"You dare-!" Helmeppo sputtered. "Die, you overgrown lizard! Shave!"
"Shave!" Coby countered, the two foes meeting in the blink of an eye. Steel swords scraped against crossed candy kukri, both sides shaking as they fought for dominance. No words were said as the two made eye contact, a mutual dislike now fanned into a burning hatred.
Helmeppo scowled, a spike of candy emerging from his chest. Coby reacted instantly, retreating while using his swords to push the spike away. Helmeppo's scowl didn't move as the surprise weapon slowly returned inside him.
The two watched each other, waiting. The marine gave in first, dropping low and charging. The pirate growled, meeting the Logia without fear as the two began a fierce back-and-forth of blades and swordwork. By technicality, Helmeppo drew first blood with a cut across Coby's bicep near the elbow, but that was because the marine's reckless style focused around relying on his Logia resistance. A gash across the stomach or a sword in the shoulder meant little to his candy body.
"Candy Cage!" With a wave of his arm, candy flowed from the marine's hand, surrounding the pirate in a cage of hard, crystalline candy. Coby didn't bat an eye, swiping through the cage with all his might, scattering the pieces.
"Dragon Twister! And Pandora's Box!" Coby's counter was quick and clean, separating both of Helmeppo's arms at the shoulders before severing his head and waist. Even so, he knew such a thing was only an inconvenience to Logias like the young Vice-Admiral, but it gave him some breathing room. That and he wasn't alone. "Galdino!"
The former agent jumped at the call, eyes wide. He reacted as quickly as he could, his wax covering an arm and the feet of the marine. He wasn't quite fast enough, however, Helmeppo reforming even without the lost limbs. He wasn't concerned; he powers granted regeneration beyond any normal limitations.
"I guess the old phrase is true," the blond commented, growing a new arm from the shoulder to replace the one trapped in wax. His feet disconnected as well, the candy-man taking a few steps back on bare stumps before his feet returned clothed in candy shoes. "Birds of a feather. Or in this case, the trash of humanity."
"Oh, I'm the trash?" Coby snarked. "At least I don't kiss the asses of those fat, pompous, arrogant tubs of lard the government calls Dragons. Why don't you go lick their boots like a good little bitch?"
"Because right now I'm dealing with a little thorn that's getting on my last nerves," the marine hissed. Hands coming together, he formed a massive broadsword as tall as he was, the blade thin enough for light to pass though but clearly sharp and sturdy. He raised the sword, bringing it downward with all his power.
Coby responded, crossing his stolen swords over his head to catch the blade in its downward arc. The opposing forces met with a clang, the concrete beneath Coby's feet cracking and shattering with the shockwave. The hybrid grit his teeth as he weathered the force. It was clear Helmeppo had settled for a Jack-of-all approach to his weapon training, but his stolen swords were nowhere near as well-made as his lost Sabaku no Kiba. A crack reached Coby's ears, pulling his attention to the sword in his left hand. It's blade wouldn't survive the fight, the crack in it already threatening to give way. Coby needed to end this fast.
"You're just as weak at the day I met you, Helmeppo," the Zoan said, pushing his blades up against the larger sword. "You can swing a weapon now, sure, but you're still the whiny little bastard Morgan failed to raise."
"Do not say that name!" the marine roared, abandoning his attack to charge with a flurry of lesser blows. Coby started retreating, taking a step back with each attack. "I am no longer the child of that traitor! That weakling! I will be nothing like him!"
"Oh, looks like I touched a nerve," the pirate smirked. "What's wrong, daddy's boy?"
Helmeppo's face shifted, turning first red then to purple as his anger grew. His emotions made him sloppy, his wild, frenzied attacks losing all sense of strategy in his fury. Exactly as Coby planned, and not a moment too soon. The last attack shattered Coby's left sword, the next swing threatening to cleave the pirate in twain.
"Now!"
In his anger, Helmeppo had failed to realize he was being led into a trap, the pirate's backtracking having not been cowardice. The two had walked into a sheet of off-white that rose at Coby's command, wax twisting around the marine until he was immobilized in a seven-foot candle.
"Bastard!" Helmeppo screamed, struggling to escape. "I'll get you! Just you wait, Tri-Horn! I will take everything from you! I will destroy your life like you destroyed mine!"
"Yeah yeah," Coby waved off, panting as he shrunk back into his human form. "Come on, Three. Let's catch up to Captain Luffy."
"Uh, right," Galdino responded, a bit of wax flowing out to muffle the screaming Marine. Leaving Helmeppo trapped, the two took off across the battle. "So you've got history with that guy?"
"You could say that," Coby responded, picking up a new sword from beside a marine corpse. "His dad was a corrupt marine in the East Blue who broke my faith in them, and Helmeppo wasn't any better. His family is part of why I joined Captain Luffy in the first place. I'm not at my best right now, so thanks. He would have killed me if you weren't here."
"I'm going to collect th-"
"Listen well, my children!" Whitebeard's voice yelled over the noise of battle, interrupting them. "I'm a relic of a bygone era! No ship can carry me into the next one! Now listen to my final order!" The Yonko paused as the pirates turned to him where they could. "Do not be foolish! Do not try to save me! No parent wants to bury their children! Escape to the world and live on!"
"But Pops!" a multitude of teary-eyed pirates cried. "We can't lose you!"
"Get on the ships and leave!" Whitebeard ordered, turning to look at one pirate in particular. "If you need a captain, then follow Moby Dick! He has supported me these last decades and he'll do the same for you! Won't you, old friend?"
"You can count on me, Pops," the klabautermann smiled, raising his hammer high. "With me, the Whitebeard Pirates will live on!"
"Y-You heard him!" Marco's voice called, hitching. "Let's go!"
"To the ships!" Namur, Whitebeard's fishman commander, echoed. "Retreat!"
Bodies surged as the battle's dynamic changed, pirates running back the way they'd come. The flow pushed Coby and Galdino apart, the roset managing to exit the flood near his captain. Luffy stood watching his brother, Ace staring at Whitebeard with something akin to shock.
"Captain Luffy," Coby said, grabbing Luffy's arm. "Ace. We need to go."
Neither responded as Ace fell to his knees, bowing low to his own captain with a river if tears flowing from his eyes.
"Thank you!" the fire Logia screamed. "Thanks for everything! You mean everything to me, D-Dad!" Ace stumbled over the last word, as if finally acknowledging something he'd done his best to ignore.
Whitebeard's response was short, a small but completely genuine smile spreading under his mustache. It lasted for only a second before he turned away, the air cracking as he unleashed his powers on the marines attacking his crew.
"We need to go!" Coby reaffirmed, tugging on Luffy's arm.
"Right," the rubberman agreed. "Come on, Ace!"
And so, the three fled, the sounds of battle between Whitebeard and the entirety of the Marines echoing behind them. Jinbei and Ivankov waited for them up ahead, beckoning them closer.
"How cowardly," a gravelly voice commented. "They run like cockroaches, as foolish and as stupid as their washed-up captain."
Ace froze.
Coby and Luffy pulled ahead before realizing their third had stopped, looking back to see the man with eyes shaded.
"Pirates are all the same, no matter their reputation. "They are nothing but spineless thieves and low-born trash, every last one of them, and that's still true for the Yonko!"
"Don't listen to him, Ace!" Coby warned. "He's trying to bait you!"
"This is a disgrace to the Navy considering how weak and pitiful these pirates are," Akainu continued. "The blind follow the blind. Or in this case, the weak follow the weak and old. Well, it's not your faults. That cowardly failure was good for one thing, convincing other morons to do his dirty work so he could be lazy."
"You take that back," Ace growled over the seemingly-quieting battle. He turned, glaring at the red-dressed Admiral. "You take that back!"
"Take what back? I'm only telling the truth. Every pirate out there is weak, foolish, and stupid. Just like you, Firefist, and your brother, and your old, dying captain. Just look at him. Everyone says he's the strongest man in the world, but in 20 years with no competition, he couldn't claim the crown. Your father was truly the King of the Pirates. Compared to him, Whitebeard is nothing but a failure. It's the same with you and your brother. Neither of you could have ever amounted to anything in honest work, so you turned to piracy. You didn't even have the gall to stay independent, so you chose that washed up has been to follow."
"YOOOUUUU!" Ace roared, shifting his weight and bolting back toward the Admiral. Coby, Luffy, and Jinbei reached for him, but they were all too slow, Luffy missing his brother's arm by inches. "I'll show you the power of the Whitebeard Pirates! Saint Elmer's Flare!"
Gathering a giant ball of fire in the palm of his hand, Ace threw the attack as hard as he could. Akainu didn't bother trying to dodge, the fire hitting him head on with no effect. This only served to make Ace angrier as he jumped, his right arm turning massive as the fire within released for his signature attack.
"FIREFIST!"
"Great Eruption!"
The two Logias slammed into each other with an explosion, covering the area in a mushroom cloud of black smoke. The heat melted the surrounding concrete in moments, leaving the surrounding ground a glowing red. Some marines were caught in the blast. Those lucky enough to be closer to the center were vaporized instantly; the rest were left screaming from their burns and thrown through the air to crumple upon impact.
"Ace!" a multitude of voices cried, the smoke not dissipating as it began to spread like a deadly wave. The battle fell silent as both sides watched. They watched, until Ace's silhouette appeared in the smoke, his shambling form walking backwards.
He exited the cloud, incomplete. There was a crater where his right shoulder had been, the rest of his arm just gone. Blood flowed freely from the hole, carving crimson lines down his torso. His bead necklace was broken, hanging off his left shoulder, losing beads one at a time as the cord that held them burned away. Drops of blood fell with every unsteady step as his voice finally reached them.
"Pops... L-Luffy... Sabo...? Pops... Luffy..."
"Ace!" Luffy cried, running to his brother. Ace toppled, falling backwards into his baby brother's embrace. Blood smeared down Luffy's right side, tears forming in both his eyes and Ace's. "I'm here, Ace! I've got you!"
"Luffy... L-Lu... Luffy... Luffy..." Ace's eyes stared upwards into his brother's face, unblinking. His remaining hand clutched the hole, trying futility to stem the flow.
"Ace! Come one, Ace!" Luffy tried, tears starting to roll down his cheeks. "I can't lose you, too! I can't, Ace!"
"L-Luffy..." A spark returned to the Logia's eyes, but it was dim, just barely holding on, but it was enough to bring awareness, or some sense of it, to the man. He coughed, hacking up blood. "L-Luffy, listen to me. I'm sorry."
"Don't say that, Ace!" Luffy cried. "You'll be fine! People l-lose arms all the time! Like Sh-Shanks!"
"But Lu-"
"Shut up, Ace!" Luffy yelled, hysterical. "You can't! You still need to meet the rest of my crew! I got married! You have to meet Nami again! Don't leave me, Ace!"
"Lu, I'm done for." The tears overflowed, both of the brothers weeping. "You all came here to save me and I go and do this... I'm the worst, but... but Luffy, I don't want to die. I don't want to leave you. Not like Sabo."
"Ace..."
"L-Luffy, find me again."
"What?" Luffy blinked, staring down at his dying brother. "But Ace-"
"Lu, find me," Ace begged. "If there's a way, I'll come back to you, so promise me. You've heard of re... re..." -he hacked up a glob of blood- "rein... carnation, r-right? If there's a way... Promise me you'll find me again."
"I... I will, Ace," Luffy swore, choking down his tears. Several drops fell, splashing against Ace's face. "I don't care how long it takes, but I will. Somehow. I'll find you."
Ace smiled a thin, pained smile. "You... always were... a crybaby... Lu..."
And Ace closed his eyes.
End of Chapter 140
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