July, 28, 2020
READ THE WHOLE STORY AGAIN! This story had been majorly revised, all the past chapters (six) had sections in them that were changed or rewritten. With the recent chapters (last ch 985) a lot of new things had been revealed in the manga. Thus, I had to make a decision either to ignore all the new information and go on with what I had previously planned OR make some big revisions to the story and the plots that I had planned. As you understood, I chose the latter. Special thanks to Black' Victor Cachat for his enormous help with reversion. I wouldn't have made it without his insight and encouragement.
.
This chapter was beta'd by the wonderful Gerbilfriend and Black' Victor Cachat who both helped me a lot with grammar, paraphrasing, ideas and especially with their endless encouragement :D (*Ace's deep bow*)
.
Warnings:
English is my fourth language. Warning may change in the future.
.
Ame
Thank you! Happy to hear you enjoyed yourself! Hope you find this the new chapter as fantastic as the last two. ;)
Let me know what you thought about his explanation.
.
Pokipo
Yo! Thank you for your review. I don't know maybe him wanting to beat the snout out of Roger was not clear enough, after all, you thought he cursed Robert (lol).
Your welcome to try and find me, shishishi…
What did you think about my other stories? :D
Hope you enjoy the new chapter! Waiting to hear from you.
.
Thank you to my other 'guests' hope you enjoy yourself!
.
.
Please read the notes in the end.
.
.
.
.
The overpowering sounds of the storm and the angry howling sea were not able to swallow the echo of their fight.
It enhanced it.
The sound of their clashing mingled with sounds of the wind howling, thunder rumbling distantly, and the huge waves crashing over the ship creating a unique harmony only hardened fighters could appreciate.
This was the sound of a war between two emperors of the sea.
The might of their exchange was not something mere words could describe.
The sound of their weapons clashing together was so intense, it reverberated throughout the ship.
Their first strike had split the sky into two.
From there, Murakumogiri and the brat's saber locked with every strike, the brat was able to evenly block Murakumogiri heavy strikes regardless of the changing force he put behind each swing.
Even with both of them using Haki from the first swing of their weapons, Whitebeard quickly realized that the brat's saber was clearly no regular weapon, to be able to handle the force of Murakumogir, one of the 12 Supreme Grade Swords; especially with the amount of Haki he kept coating his weapon with. But then again stories of the brat's duels with Dracule Mihawk, the Strongest Swordsman in the World and the owner of another one of the 12 Supreme Grade Swords, Yoru, had spread near and far.
He would expect nothing less from his protégé. Damn him and his brat.
They had been going at it for a while and with how things were going it would be a while still.
The aftermath from every attack spread out in all directions, ripping up the floor and the rails of the ship.
Marco would not be amused, reflected Whitebeard. He could already see Marco assessing the damage and how much it would cost to repair, while occasionally shooting him dirty looks.
Right now however Whitebeard was being entertained, and very well.
A fight exactly was what he needed to relax and to beat himself back into shape. With every strike, his headache subsided. His mind became much and much sharper, clearer and his body lighter. It was a big (Huge, the next best thing) bonus that his opponent had once held that shitty brat's legacy.
Whitebeard put an immense amount of armament Haki into his next swing going in heavy, clutching Murakumogiri with both hands aiming for the neck, for the brat to meet it with some ease, in an equal amount of power behind his block, not rattled one bit by the sudden change of pace.
Indeed, the brat reminded him of Roger, the look in their eyes in times of battle were the same, focused, unflinching, staring into your very soul.
While his body was immersed in the fight his mind was contemplating possibilities.
Red Hair lunged forward and with all the skill he could muster, he swung aiming at Whitebeard's lower stomach, Whitebeard instantly took a step back while changing his grip on his weapon and reflexively brandishing his Murakumogiri to block this sudden attack.
They both put more force behind their weapons, neither of them intending in backing out from this facedown, long seconds passed with them glaring at each other.
Red Hair took a sudden long jump back and readied his sword for another strike.
Whitebeard eyed him, looking at his determined expression, even though he lost his hand not so long ago, he had already adapted to fight without it.
The words the Red Hair brat said to him almost ten years ago, no, today, Whitebeard corrected himself. The words themselves flashing in his mind "I bet my arm on the new era," and it was one bet worth making, it was a winning bet, the young brat was one hell of D, the true carrier of their lost legacy, the one lost piece, or maybe he should say lost no more.
Whitebeard relaxed his grip on his weapon, having reached a decision; or perhaps as the Red-Haired brat had said before, he was going to place his bet on the future by choosing the now.
He planted Murakumogiri down beside him with decisive force, the impact reverberating around the ship, making himself seem wide open, just daring the brat to attack him.
The brat didn't take the bait, his eyes sharp, waiting patiently to see what Whitebeard's true purpose was.
"If you had the choice to do your journey again would you take it?" Whitebeard bellowed the question that began the whole lousy situation at hand, his voice carried by the howling wind.
The Red Hair's whole body gave an involuntary shudder, apparently he had not been expecting to hear that question, as he froze in place with wide eyes.
It was good to be on the side of knowing for once and confusing the shit of someone else, Whitebeard thought amusedly to himself.
The Red Hair brat grip on his sword loosened and he blurted out.
"That's the same question that Captain Roger asked me once."
Whitebeard flinched. He was the one to be startled this time, he felt like he was hit by a thunderbolt (the actual one was six feet from him) and his head was overwhelmed with different questions and scenarios. Did that mean that brat Roger had sent someone else before? Had Red Hair died at one point in the future, or was it the past, a different past maybe and was sent back? Was the world they were living in -past and current- changed one, how much? What else was altered?
Shit, this was too complicated, the possibilities (of screw-ups that had or may happen) were infinite. Whitebeard cursed colorfully in his mind. That shitty brat Roger, damn him, he had to always muddle and entangle everything, even the simplest of things, and now he somehow added time travel to the equation and things got tremendously…...
He was too sober for this shit… a thought suddenly came to him, that made him unsure if he wanted to beat the shit or…. No. He still wanted to beat the shitty prick... Could the brat Roger have had the chance to send himself back in time but instead sent Whitebeard and why?... Why him? Why?
"... Hey Whitebeard, are you even listening… You know...even how you asked… your ...Attitude... feels the same... "
The last bit penetrated Whitebeard's musings and he forcefully demanded, "What do you mean?"
"You know how Captain Roger's default mood was fun and jokes...but when he asked the question he...he was dead serious... I can count on one hand the times I saw him like that..."
Whitebeard nodded absentmindedly, ignoring the brat demands for answers. For some reason, the last words he heard before darkness swallowed him, that he assumed were Roger's farewell, 'his time wasn't over yet' echoed in his head once more. But shouldn't the man-child Roger mend what had he himself broken?
Roger was a lot of things (selfish git, shitty scumbag, arrogant prick, meddlesome asshole, single-minded bastard, stubborn brute, snotty childish stinky piece of shit ... the list went on and on), but he was no coward.
From the endless, disorientating thoughts running through his brain, he finally mustered his dry lips and demanded loudly.
"When?"
The Red Hair brat had already sheathed his sword and was looking at him in bewilderment, his face scrunched up in confusion, or was it reminiscent, Whitebeard didn't have the patience to decipher the look nor did he care.
"Hmmm, two years before he disbanded the crew," Red Hair finally said while staring at him with a blank face.
The storm around them had abated, as it suddenly began it suddenly ended, without much flare. The two that caused it, didn't take notice of this.
What was going on! Could the brat Roger have sent himself, when he himself died? Why the hell didn't he? What stopped him? Why had he sent him instead after 22 years? Those questions and more were running in a loop inside of his head.
"Was it after our fight? When Oden joined you?"
"No, a few months before that. Why is that important?"
"How old were you then? 11? 12?"
"I was 13, and don't ignore my question. Why are..."
"What was your answer?" Whitebeard cut in. He was both trying to distract himself from the mess that was his head, and curious what a young pirate before he took the quest to become Yonko, would have said.
"Hell no!" The Red Hair brat declared, a lopsided grin crossing his face.
"Why not?" asked Whitebeard, focusing on the conversation instead of the mess that was his head which was full to the brim with unanswered questions, making his recovered head ache anew.
"I don't want to live with what if I did something. I want to do it and live with whatever the consequences are. I don't want regrets but neither do I want to doubt my own choices." It seemed to Whitebeard that he was reciting words he once said and still stand behind today.
Red Hair was still eyeing him in wariness and asked earnestly.
"Whitebeard, would you please explain what the hell is going on. First, you have a heart attack on me…."
Whitebeard raised an eyebrow at his word choice, the Red Hair brat noticed, and attempted to correct his choice of words (unsuccessfully if you asked him).
"... What looked like a heart attack, and then you somehow know things that you shouldn't, and now you are repeating the same words my dead captain once told me."
Shanks was eyeing him cautiously, waiting for an explanation.
Whitebeard hummed, still considering how much to reveal and how to go about revealing it.
He had asked him out of genuine curiosity, but also to help organize his thoughts. He doesn't have the luxury of making mistakes, especially this early.
"What you spoke about before he asked that question? What was the context?"
The Red Hair had an unfocused look in his eyes, he seemed to be in deep thought, immersed in his memories.
"Hm, we were arriving to… it was a sudden question, unrelated to anything happening at that time."
The Red Hair brat looked to be back to reality after a few seconds and asked.
"Why are you asking the same question that Captain Roger once asked? Word to word! Are you sick?" His eyes flicker to the nearby medical equipment now laying on the ground. "Something wrong with your health? Are you dying!?"
Whitebeard raised an eyebrow at the blunt question, yet the concern on the brat face was genuine. The old Yonko could almost see the wheels turning in the other's brain as he reexamined everything which had happened earlier.
He couldn't help it, a mysterious smile crossed Whitebeard's face. "Oh?" Whitebeard said in a clearly amused tone that the brat easily recognized as shown by his morose expression. The brat was being serious, and the sickly old man was making fun of him! Nonetheless, he elaborated.
"Captain Roger had asked it a year after he found out he was dying, just after the fight with Shiki...and the way you… and Captain Roger asked it… it seemed like a life and death situation … It was as if speaking about a real possibility, not a hypothetical question..." he trailed off, looking lost.
The brat wasn't that off the mark, it was a life and death situation in an ironic (and roundabout) kind of way.
"Did Captain Roger speak to you too about this before he died? Asked you this question with those same words?"
The brat was persistent. He was obviously eager to hear more about his once captain, and any final wisdom he had shared with was not going to leave any of it alone.
"Yes," Whitebeard mumbled after a long pause. His eyes never leaving the Red Hair brat, he added conversationally.
"Nine, ah ten years from now."
The Red Hair brat had his mouth open to ask some other question, hearing this he closed it, opened his mouth again, closed it, mouthed the words, "ten years…," opened his mouth again and stared blankly at Whitebeard waiting from him to explain or maybe to tell him that he was messing with him or just laugh.
Whitebeard stared back, his face blank, keeping his immense amusement to himself.
The Red Hair looked up at the sky, shaking his head. Was he trying to wake himself or was he asking for help? wondered Whitebeard. The brat finally mumbled.
"How did you meet him in ten years?"
"I died of course," Whitebeard answered in a matter of fact tone, not missing a beat.
"You die ten years from now?" The Red Hair repeated, rubbing his head, he stopped trying to keep his face blank and was looking as incredulous as anyone could be.
"Died, yes," Whitebeard answered slowly, hoping that the slowly spoken words would somehow cross into the brat mind, but not really.
This was fun, he was getting more entertained with each passing second.
Whitebeard titled his head to his left, something catching his eye. He thought he glimpsed the yellow of his eldest son's hair in the corner of his eyes, probably checking to see if the fight had truly ended, or if this was the quiet before an even bigger storm.
Marco would have a lot to say about the damage, none of it would be pretty.
"Maybe you should stop drinking, no, maybe I should stop drinking!" Murmured Red Hair, eyeing warily the sake bottles they had drunk (It was the one that the Red Hair brat brought with him).
Whitebeard could see him considering what would happen to him if he was the reason that Whitebeard lost his mind… The Red Hair shook his head trying to wake himself from the nightmare he was building mumbling about his luck and bad sake.
Whitebeard ignored the youngling's hysteria and announced instead.
"The brat you gave your hat to, Luffy D. Monkey, is a pretty interesting brat. The hat suits him. Just like Bloody Roger. Ten years from now, and it was still in good shape."
Red Hair had an unreadable expression for a second which was replaced quickly with seething anger.
"Were you spying on me?" Red Hair demanded, his hand going back to the hilt of his sword. The brat had finally remembered what had started their fight earlier. His host knowing things he shouldn't know.
The older Yonko raised an eyebrow at the tone as much as the accusation, and couldn't help but laugh all out at the disbelieving look on the brat's face.
The Red Hair brat's face was scrunched up and a deep frown was nestled between his eyebrows when the words finally sank in, and his eyes bug out as he yelled, (just as Whitebeard had expected).
"Wait, you meet Luffy in the future?" He murmured "Ten years," counting on his five fingers the years, "seventeen… seventeen," and yelled without any restraint. "How was he? How did you meet him? Why did you meet him? Where..." The Red Hair rambled along.
Whitebeard cut him and answered loudly.
"He is a pretty cheeky brat. He told me he was holding your hat for you, and while glaring at me he bluntly announced that he was going to be the Pirate King."
Maybe he would become the King that even Roger couldn't be.
Whitebeard contemplated his own experience with Ds.
He knew first-hand the kind of storm a D can bring. Yes, partially thanks to that madman Roger, but mainly because of the man he had sailed under for two years. Rocks D. Xebec had pulled him right into the eye of the storm, sweeping him into an unplanned fast-paced journey with mismatched crewmates that he would never have ever considered teaming up with otherwise in a million years if it wasn't for him.
Monkey D Luffy, did just that. He came uninvited and unannounced to HIS war, created a storm that swept all of his plans and Sengoku's plans out of the way with sheer stubbornness and determination, forcing you to either bend and lean with the strong winds he had created, or face it head-on and risk breaking your will in the face of his. In the end, he - a Yonko- had ordered his own sons to support him, to back him up in his quest to save Ace with all of their strength.
He had bet the whole war on Monkey D. Luffy's sheer will. Even though Ace had died in the end saving the young D, Whitebeard still stood behind his decision.
The Red Hair brat suddenly burst laughing, clutching his stomach, his face was showing open joy and amusement.
"That's Luffy for you! If he is still taking care of my hat in ten years, I knew I bet on the right person."
"Are you doubting yourself? Brat!" Whitebeard asked him, intending on riling him up even more (too easy).
"Of course not," he denied hotly, a smile still on his face. Red Hair was now eager to hear him out, he may not believe him yet, but he was listening.
"The shitty brat Roger seemed to approve too, he said that Rayleigh also approved."
"So Luffy met Rayleigh, I just told Rayleigh about Luffy three months ago ….that is so great and he approved of him...great." He was seemingly very pleased, smiling secretly at himself for a job well done, forgetting that Whitebeard was even watching until the first part of the sentence penetrated his mind.
"Wait second, wait… Captain Roger also approves!? Really!?" He had an astonished look on his face, then he laughed jovially and abruptly stopped himself.
"Wait second, you still didn't explain how you met Luffy?" He asked suspiciously, he seemed quite defensive.
"What do you think?" Whitebeard wondered loudly, curious what the brat would come with.
The brat hummed, scratching his jaw, and seemed to be considering this with a heavy head.
"He challenged you," Red Hair finally declared with certainty.
Whitebeard laughed, his older brother most definitely did, and his younger brother...hmmm...with a nostalgic smile on his face, he answered.
"In his own way he actually did, no, he did without a doubt."
The Red Hair brat was listening in attention, drinking every word, Whitebeard elaborated on what he had said, "We met in a war."
"HUH!?" was his eloquent response, but he quickly got his equilibrium back and asked.
"A war against whom!? And you lost!?" Red Hair asked in a disbelieving voice, his volume increasing with each word.
Red Hair blinked and before Whitebeard could consider answering, he continued with glee on his face.
"Wait, was it against me?" Then he added correcting himself with evident disappointment. "No, never mind… Luffy would not be involved then."
"You think too highly of yourself, shitty brat," Whitebeard told him, his eyes narrowed.
Red Hair laughed, shrugging his shoulders, as to say guilty as charged.
"Marines." Whitebeard finally revealed, stopping a sigh as the war flashed in his mind's eyes.
Red Hair's face flickered through a series of different expressions, before finally settling on a guarded frown as he asked in a dangerous tone.
"How the hell did Luffy get involved in this?"
"Trying to save his big brother," Whitebeard told him while sighing outwardly this time. They both failed, he and the brat had failed, but not this time.
"Wait second, wait second, Luffy has a brother?" Red Hair demanded, he seemed to be truly overwhelmed. Not that Whitebeard can blame him.
"Not biologically, not that it matters. The brother will come to find you in five or six years to introduce himself, and thank you for saving his younger brother's life."
Whitebeard omitted to mention who was the big brother and his link to Red Hair himself. The blasted Roger. Ace's biological father, and Red Hair one and only Captain.
Red Hair was one of the few people who would actually be happy and glad to meet Ace because of it, but no need to reveal too much and it was Ace's secret to tell.
The Red Hair had his gaze downcast, his face hidden. He rubbed his head and took a deep breath and said, "Ok, ok….o…. ok," He was murmuring to himself and then he tilted his head upward to look at Whitebeard and announced.
"In ten years there will be a war...Luffy and his brother are involved, you die...and meet Roger… he would ask you this question, and then send you back here..." he trailed off and then he asked incredulously and loudly, "You having the heart attack earlier, and passing out, was that when you come back in time?"
Red-Hair's eyes widened, and he shook his head, as if he could barely believe the words coming out of his own mouth.
Whitebeard, unimpressed with his word choice, merely gave a curt nod accompanied with an arched eyebrow showing his displeasure.
"...Back here in time. To the past...some kind of time travel..." the young man murmured to himself, almost unaware of his own words.
Red Hair fixed his eyes upon him, his intense gaze assessing Whitebeard, waiting for confirmation (or maybe for denial, or for him to burst out laughing). The young brat was studying him, looking for any signs of lies and deceit.
Whitebeard, amused, stared back at him just as intensely, and gave another nod. "That sums it up pretty well!"
His sour mood dissipated into a jovial expression at seeing the brat struggling to come to terms with what he was hearing.
Red Hair sat down, or more like laid on the ground, and took a deep breath, his eyes hidden behind his bangs and said bluntly.
"Ok, I am not drunk enough for this shit, tell... I don't know how or who … Anyone to bring more sake? It better be the good kind and a lot, and focus on a lot."
Whitebeard bellowed out his laughter, "Gurarararararararararara Gurarararararararararara."
The brat was right, he himself wasn't drunk enough to handle all of this shit.
He sat down back on his chair and called for his sons to bring more sake for them.
They came down quickly bringing several barrels of sake. Much more of them really, than needed to bring a few barrels of sake.
Whitebeard felt their gaze on him, looking him up and down for any injury, he calmly looked back, greeting them with an amused arch of his eyebrow and wave of his bottle. Words were not exchanged out loud.
They did not relax until they finished their once over.
Whitebeard forced himself not to look too closely at which of his sons had come to check on him, nor spoke with them directly. He was not sure he would be able to keep his composure if he had opened his mouth, or met any of their eyes.
Instead, he busied himself with studying his guest, noticing immediately how more than few of his sons were eyeing the Red Hair warily while others examined the extent of the damage, some with a bit of apprehension, others with some newfound respect for the young pirate, who all the while had a pensive look on his face, ignoring his surroundings.
Marco, of course, had come down with them, eyeing the damage with a look of disdain and gave his father an unimpressed look, accompanied by a raised eyebrow of his own.
Whitebeard gave him a shake of his head with a pointed stare, he would speak with his eldest later. He had several things that he wanted to be done fast and covertly. Things he needed his guest for.
"Where do you want me to begin, brat?" Whitebeard asked when they were left alone again.
The Red Hair brat was startled back to reality by Whitebeard's voice and irritably answered.
"Well, from the beginning obviously!" Then he added immediately, "No, how the hell did you die?"
Whitebeard raised an eyebrow at the incredulous tone. Was the Red Hair brat this confused? They already spoke about this.
"I mean, you said war, someone actually killed you in a war?" And it wasn't me, was left hanging in the air. The little egoistic git, like his shit of a Captain.
"It wasn't a natural death," Whitebeard confirmed.
The Red Hair looked as if dying of old age was a horrible idea that never crossed his mind.
"In battle, you brat," he added, to get him out of the bubble he was stuck in.
The killing strike was done by that rat and his band of shitty vultures.
"Ok, from the beginning please." Red Hair said, trying to get comfortable where he was laying down. "No, wait a second!" Red Hair ordered and immediately stood up.
Quickly moving to where the sake was, pouring himself, and then turning to Whitebeard, who nodded as the brat generously filled his tankard.
The Red Hair brat guzzled down his drink in one go and then filled the huge cup to the brim once more and only then he sat comfortably and singled for him to begin, adding.
"You may start now."
Whitebeard in his turn took a long swig, ignoring the brat's tone, and began speaking.
It took him more than three hours to explain everything he deemed important, the brat listened in attention, his reactions changing from horror to laughter to disbelief at times, he seemed more than quite interested, his eyes shining when he spoke about Ace's younger brother and his role in the war.
They did have to take a long break in the middle when he described the D brat's entrance into the war with the other Impel Down escapee. After the young brat in front of him, picked his dropped jaw from the floor of the Moby. A quite intense bout of questions followed.
"WAIT. Luffy was jailed in Impel Down? How? Why? Why...? Who the bastard that caught him and put him there? He is seven for god' sa...oh..no, this in the future… Yeah, he is already a pirate! Still who catches him? What happened... waittttttttt... He escaped too!" And so he went on till his breath ran out, and Whitebeard was finally able to interject with a hurried explanation, sharing his theory that Ace's little brother had intentionally broken into Impel Down to try to save his brother before he was to be taken to Marineford, which brought a strange kind of silence over the matter. Red Hair was too shocked, the old Yonko supposed.
Just for his reactions, it's worth telling him about the future.
The Red Hair brat suddenly flared out and with a snide tone muttered.
"Oh, okay, I got it...he broke into the World Government's most secure prison for the most dangerous criminals, the one which only Shiki has ever escaped from, to save his brother, and when that didn't work...he broke out taking with him a few hundred prisoners from Impel Down and crashed your par… war. Yeah, this makes it allllll better... NOT!"
Hmm...he had almost forgotten about Shiki. He would have to think about Shinki and his schemes later.
Red Hair calmed down again from his sudden frenzy, pulling everything in and withdrawing within himself. A few seconds passed before he burst into a contagious, raucous, guffawing laughter that reverberated in the silence. He didn't seem capable of stopping.
Whitebeard would admit Ace's little brother didn't do things halfway, and as befitting of a D he had flair for dramatics, breaking in and out of one of the most secure prisons in the world, and on top of it entering a bloody war with a stolen marine battleship by falling from the sky. It was one hell of a way to make an entrance.
Whitebeard then made the mistake of mentioning that the 'Red Nose' that was always with him on Roger's ship was also one of the escapees that arrived with Ace's little brother. On one hand that made the brat stop laughing, there were tears in his eyes when he at last stopped. On the other, Whitebeard was bombarded with questions about the brat's former crewmate. Reminiscing about the last time he saw him in Loguetown after the brat Roger's execution, and then Red Hair had gone on and on about how glad he was that Buggy was still a pirate even in the future.
Truthfully when Whitebeard had first seen Red Nose there and realized who he was, his first thought was that he had come because he knew that Ace's biological father was bloody Roger.
Whitebeard wondered if he should mention the Red Nose's 'challenge' against him, and the 'alliance' he formed with him and the band of ex-prisoners he was in charge of, to his excited audience of one. One glance at his sparkling face, and Whitebeard firmly decided against it.
Instead, he chose to mention that the young brat had Conqueror's Haki, which he had used to save his brother in a close call, knocking out almost all the marines between him and the execution stand, and even several of his own sons, even if they were far off to the side. He seemed to use it unconsciously, Whitebeard added as an afterthought. His WILL flared so brightly when he saw his brother in grave danger.
The shock of this discovery was almost too much for the youngling. For a moment Red Hair seemed like a statue, then his eyes were suddenly aflame, his jaw was set and his face shifted between several emotions, terror, panic, anger and amazement.
Whitebeard noticed the brat making a conscious effort to calm himself down by taking a deep breath, and letting it out. His expression finally settled on thoughtfulness.
They were both lost in reflecting over everything, until the Red-Haired brat remarked, "Don't you think it is quite the coincidence that you were sent to the day that we were meeting?"
Yes, whitebeard hummed, it was remarkable that he had arrived on the one day that the Red Hair brat was on the Moby Dick.
"You're implying that the brat Roger sent me specifically to this day?"
The cheeky brat chuckled, and with a knowing smile said, "if this idea makes you uncomfortable, then let's say it was Fate that sent you to this specific day."
Whitebeard continued his humming, waiting for the brat to get to the point when he didn't, he asked.
"What's your point?"
"My point, what do you intend to do and why did you tell me?"
"You actually believe me?" Whitebeard asked bluntly, he knew that the Red Hair brat was going along but if the 'going along' transformed into belief he wasn't sure.
"The detailed shit you just told me couldn't be made up and definitely not on the spot." Red Hair answered somberly, and hotly spouted, "And If I take out all the other alternatives, you're crazy, it's a stupid prank. You have gone senile, which isn't that far farfetched... You're old." The old man didn't deign to respond to that. The boy seemed to be in a fit of hysterical ranting. A Yonko was having a breakdown. To be fair, Whitebeard couldn't say he didn't have one himself, it was just a very private one, inside of his own head.
"...and add the fact that you can't be bothered to make such a story up... and what is the point of making this up! It isn't like it makes any kind of sense. And you know things that you shouldn't know … It makes its own kind of sense in a twisted unreal way..." Red Hair answered somberly. Then he softly added, "And… It kind of reminded me of big sis Toki's ability!"
"The Toki Toki no Mi," breathed out Whitebeard. How could he forget about it? A Time Travel ability. Was the Time Travel screwing with his head making him forget something so obvious. His headache was still pounding away, yet it wasn't as bad as when he had first arrived.
Kozuki Toki, Oden's wife, had a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit that allowed her to send herself and others forward in time. She was also able to decide the specific amount of time to skip for each trip. She was born 820 years ago and traveled in time, until she met Oden almost twenty years ago.
Even for a Devil Fruit ability, the ability to travel in time sounded too far-fetched. Most of the crew had been skeptical, even if few of them ever said anything out loud. But not him; he had seen the truth in her eyes. For one thing, the young girl was a poor liar, and if she wished to lie, sticking to something simpler would have been smarter, and Time Travel as a lie, was too absurd. Her reaction to modern technology was always hilarious, and served as further proof she was centuries out of her time.
Ironically, he was now in the same boat as she was when she had told them her story. Here, he was trying to convince the young brat that he indeed had experienced the impossible thanks to his bloody captain. Even though his reaction was mostly entertaining, Whitebeard wondered if this was the kind of reaction he would always receive whenever he decided it was necessary to let other people know about his journey through time.
He really was getting old if others' reactions mattered to him. He forced himself to focus on the more important issue which had been raised. The question of the Toki Toki no Mi, and its own connections to time travel.
Was there a Devil Fruit with the opposite power? To travel back in time? But how did Roger get his hands on it? He had been dead for over twenty years, right? Even if he had it before his death which he knew he didn't - Roger always rubbed in his ability to swim in Whitebeard's face-? (Roger would have escaped his own sickness and execution). The Fruit should have gone back to the circulation with Roger's death? Whitebeard himself checked and he couldn't feel his power at the crossroad. And let's say the brat Roger did have it even after his death and could use it there? Why not send a few people back? A lot? Including shitty Roger himself?
No, it didn't make any sense. Nothing did.
He hadn't ever seen Toki use her ability. She had told them that she only used it to escape dangerous situations, not even for demonstrations, and she was never in danger with them.
He hadn't heard from Oden since his journey with Roger ended and he returned back to Wano. Roger had informed him that Oden wanted to open the borders of Wano when Shitty Roger told him about Laugh Tale. Yet, even in the future he heard nothing from Oden or about Wano. A feeling of unease surged inside of him once more. But Oden wasn't dead, he couldn't be. He had asked Roger, and Roger had said no.
He needed to speak with Toki about her power anyway, and he wanted Oden as part of his future plans. On a more pragmatic level, Wano was not only the main source of Seastone, they were the best manufacturers of it. Given the plans already bubbling away in his mind, he could definitely use that. After all, there were a few Devil Fruit Users practically begging to be shot, and he was all-too-happy to oblige.
He should try to reach out first. Wano itself might be hard to reach, but what about the Minks? He had not heard from Zou either, but given how that little kitty and puppy had been following Oden around, and mentioning wanting to stop off at home, he bet Oden had stopped by there at least once. They might even have a line of communication open he could ask about, without butting too far into Wano and Oden's business from the start. Did they have a sighting of Zou, or know a Mink who could lead them there? He would need to carefully consider how to go about it.
"But sister Toki could only go to the future, she said it was impossible to travel into the past, because it had already happened. Time only moves in one direction. Forward! So she could only jump forward in time because it didn't happen yet. Traveling to the past would be impossible," Red Hair repeated the last bit once more very softly.
Both Whitebeard and the young brat shared a look, 'But still, here we are'.
Deja vu. He had this nagging feeling that he was in this same position before, not that far away. Was it an aftereffect of returning to the past? Maybe because he had memories of the future swimming in his head?
"Have you heard anything from Oden or the others?" Whitebeard softly asked.
The young man shook his head, his eyes showing a bit of sadness and longing.
The uneasy feeling wouldn't leave him.
Silence befell them; the silence of remembrance and common memories of people they once sailed with under the sea stars, until the Red Hair brat cleared his throat and composed himself, taking a long sip, before he said, "Yes, I believe your whacked up tale. Because it involves Captain Roger D. Gol. The things he did and I saw as part of his crew, weren't what you would call normal even by the New World's standard. If someone could do such a thing, it would be him, even from beyond the grave."
"I didn't think I would ever hear normal and his name in the same sentence," Whitebeard said, agreeing wholeheartedly with the last point. That shitty brat Roger had always done things his way, the hard, complicated, and unpredictable way, and pulled everyone along, ignoring their refusals and dragging feet.
Red Hair nodded his head in agreement, a nostalgic grin on his face.
The Red Hair brat had given him a lot of things to think about. Toki's ability. Oden. Wano.
He shelved them to ponder on for later, and focused on the present.
"It was more of an impulse."
Red Hair looked at him in confusion.
"All of this, telling you."
Shanks snorted in disbelief but didn't call him on it, instead he straightened up, composing himself and asked.
"Then can I make a suggestion?"
"Oh?"
"An alliance between us."
Whitebeard relaxed his shoulders, his face blank, he did intend to have the brat be more actively involved in his future plans but a blunt suggestion of alliance and to be suggested by the brat himself, hmmm... He didn't see this coming. Interesting.
The worst nightmare of the marines. An alliance between Yonkos. The look of horror on Sengoku's face and the five old men sitting in that room thinking they could control the world, hmmm…The possibilities were endless.
"Oh? Why would you want that?" He was really curious.
"You were sent by my Captain to this specific day and your fate is somehow tangled with Luffy and his brother."
The brat paused.
"And there is going to be war either way."
Whitebeard nodded, he can't see how this was to be avoided.
"I was and would be involved either way, so I prefer to be in the in this time," The Red Hair continued. "You are a reasonable man, so as your ally, as someone that has tied his fate with yours, I can speak with you freely without you being too suspicious of my intention."
"Why would I listen to you?"
"Like I said, you are a reasonable man. Well, compared to Captain Roger, and you chose to tell me, whatever your reason was, I am the first one you told according to what you told me, there's a reason why! You clearly want something from me."
Whitebeard didn't bother to deny or react. He kept quiet.
The Red Hair brat had a lopsided grin while he cheekily added.
"...And you owe me!"
Whitebeard sighed, he knew he shouldn't have told the brat about intercepting the brat Kaido. He knew that it would come back and bite him in the ass.
"Did I fight Kaido beforehand? How did those fights go?"
"You fought with him a few times before, nothing too serious. When my sons and I headed to Marineford, you intervened before that brat Kaido could reach us. Except I don't know what happened. If I would hazard a guess, Kaido would have retreated after a short clash with you."
"Still looking down on me," muttered Red Hair, his lips twisting in what was probably an attempt at a scowl, yet seemed more like a childish pout. Typical.
"What? Why would two Emperors look down at each other?"
"He…."
Red Hair stopped mid-word. His face scrunched up as if he was finding it hard to comprehend something. Finally, the words and their meaning seemed to seep through to his brain. Disbelieving shock adorned his face, his mouth dropping open.
Whitebeard was staring with both amusement and confusion of his own, at the rapidly changing expression of his guest. Wondering what he had said to receive such a reaction.
Even after a few seconds had passed as though unable to comprehend what he just heard. Red Hair's mouth was still open, but no sound escaped his stunned lips.
Whitebeard squinted his eyes, his amusement turning to tiny bits of concern. The brat had not reacted like this to all the other surprises he had sprung on him. Should he call a doctor?
Red Hair closed his mouth with an audible click. Licked his dry lips and tried again.
"W...what? Two Emperors? Who do you mean? Wa…it, oh… two…was Big Mom involved too? You said nothi…"
"No." Why would he think Linlin was involved?! Should he call Marco to check on the brat? The look in the youngling's eyes and his flailing hand, and his nonsense questions made him look off his rocker. More than usual.
"Two Emp… Kaido fought me, right?"
Whitebeard nodded with a worried frown. Had he broken the young man? Was his story too much to handle? Even for another Yonko?
Before Whitebeard could react, he saw the panic disappear from the Red Haired brat's face. His mannerism changed as his eyes had turned pitch black. In voice a bit higher than a whisper he asked.
"How many Emperors are there?"
"Fou…" Whitebeard begun to say and stopped. He had finally realized what had thrown the young man into a tizzy.
"Four? Really… but…You mean a Fourth Sanko... no, wait a Yonko? Who? Me? In the future, I am an Emperor?"
"Y...Yes," Whitebeard said, taking a moment to reorganize his thoughts. The brat's reaction had made more sense now. Yes, the brat in front of him with all his power, has yet to be recognized as Yonko. No, the brat was right. They were still Sanko. Three of them. Three Emperors of the Sea. He had getting used to the term Yonko. It's isn't easy to admit it, but the brat fit in so naturally with them. When did it happen? The young brat becoming one of them? No really, that sort of date was probably important to remember.
"Whew! When you first said two Emperors, I thought it was me… get this feeling, but then I thought no w…anyway, Yonkos. You, and Kaido and m…me. So who is the fourth? You didn't mention Big Mom at all! Is she still alive, making children? Or did she finally die for overeating? Oooh! Or did I kill her and take the title of Sanko, and then someone else also become one so we're the Yonko?"
The Red Haired brat was red in the face, almost as red as his hair, mused the older Yo…Sanko. He wasn't sure if it was panic or excitement, probably both.
"Hmmm... Linlin is alive."
The brat wasn't discouraged with the new information.
"When do I become a Yonko? What did I do to achieve it?" the brat demanded hotly. He was still frantic.
Whitebeard stayed silent. His mind raced with implication. When he thought about an alliance between them, in his thoughts it was an alliance between two Yonkos. This could make things easier. Even though the young brat was on par with Sanko (it would take time to get used to the right term S.A.N.K.O. It was a good thing he didn't use it to call himself or the others), as the fight between them minutes ago proved, he still wasn't 'formally' recognized as such.
Hmmm… but the fight they just had was something that didn't happen before, and neither of them were exactly subtle about it. Even though there were no other ships on the horizon, he knew the effects of their fight would be seen miles away. He just hoped it didn't receive too much attention from unwanted parties.
"Wait? So that's why I intercepted Kaido? As San…Yonko. He probably ran with his tail between his legs straight off to his lair! That beast. So, when was I named Yonko? What did I do to receive the title? If I didn't defeat any of you then…Ohhhhh…. Should I even know that? Would knowing change the future and I don't become one? But I already know about a few other things? Is it too late now?"
As the firing of the question had suddenly begun it had suddenly come to a full stop. Whitebeard hadn't bothered answering. He couldn't inject a word even if he tried, with the endless chatter done by the youngling.
The young man's face changed from stunned confusion to a pensive and considering look, before letting out a long breath.
"Okay, I am ready, tell me!"
So for this bit, he didn't want to be drunk out of his mind first to listen, Whitebeard mused. "What?" he asked with feigned ignorance.
"About how I became a Sa…Yonko? Come on… please?"
"It happened...happens five-six years from now."
"Tsk, it took me that long!"
Red Hair would be the youngest person to ever become a Yonko, yet he was not satisfied. He fit the ambitious and the arrogance bill of being an Emperor to a T.
Sankos. Linlin and Kaido. The three of them had sailed under the Flag of the Rocks Pirates for two years. With the death of Rocks, they all had gone on different paths. Shiki too. They had had different personalities and temperaments, which led to several clashes as crewmates. If not for their captain, he likely would have killed them long ago. Certainly would have spared himself the headache.
They all went their separate ways, chasing different dreams and ambitions. Yet, they all ended as Y…Sanko. It was an unspoken agreement to not interfere with each other's business. Except Kaido had chosen that moment - when his son's life was on the line- to interfere with him. He won't forget this, even if it didn't happen yet.
The brat was still whining, trying to beg him and cajole him for more information when he suddenly stopped and asked with dawning comprehension.
"When I suggested an alliance, you thought I was asking as a… Yonko? Is this why you didn't want it. Well, if the marines get wind of an alliance between San…Yonk—"
"I didn't refuse you brat, are you taking your suggestion back?" He cut in.
It took the young man in front of him a few minutes to contemplate, before saying resolutely "No, I still think an alliance between us is necessary. For both our sakes."
Necessary! Hmph! The Sanko wasn't sure he approved of the use of the word here. But he could see the merits in such a suggestion. Especially if the young brat was not yet a recognized Yonko, despite having the potential to be one. Whitebeard pondered the alliance idea for a few more seconds, looking for drawbacks, and measuring it against his pride.
"The whole thing and this alliance are a secret," Whitebeard agreed and ordered in one breath.
Good opportunities should be taken, an alliance gave him more control, especially if the brat suggested it. He would just need to be really careful, and see what the brat's true purpose was with this. He also couldn't have the other Yo…Sankos finding about this alliance. Even if Shanks wasn't yet a Yonko himself, the world already knew he was no small fry. The very opposite even, and both Linlin and Kaido knew that. Specifically, as one of the active pirates that hailed from Roger's crew and sailed with him all the way to Laugh Tale, as Roger's had dubbed it. Maybe they would think Whitebeard now decided to go after One Piece and he could use that as a distraction? He needed to consider the idea carefully, but it would probably harm his plans in the long run instead of helping them.
For now, Kaido and Linlin each had their own schemes keeping them occupied, which was fine since he already knew the ones that were related to his own territory. He would keep them out of his plans for as much as possible, for now, so that his knowledge remained accurate.
The marines were his main concern right now, and them –anybody really— finding out about an alliance between him and the Red Hair brat would change the whole board game; flipping it several times over even. Except maybe tricking or goading the Marines into some 'pre-emptive' action was what would … he needed to consider this… However, if he did take down the marines, the other Sankos would not stay quiet... Even though he couldn't see an alliance working between those two violent and greedy scums.
They were all crewmates once, and even for the Rocks Pirates, that had meant something, however small. Not that they got along or anything, with the friendly arguments between the 'crewmates' usually leading to a gruesome death, and those two were responsible for most of them. He wasn't innocent either, except while it was beneath him to start any of the fights, he sure as hell finished them.
But he couldn't dismiss the possibility of them working together again, as they did sail once under the same flag. Plus, on a more pragmatic level, the two would be worried about the threat he and Red Hair would pose. Not like there was any love lost between him and the brat towards those other two. Whitebeard can't see them getting along enough to ally with each other. But nonetheless, he would stay vigilant, and be very cautious not to rattle them too much. Yet.
His thread of thoughts was cut by the unhesitating voice of the brat in front of him.
"I give you my word."
The Red Hair brat nodded with a solemn voice matching his solemn face.
Both of them raising their sake, staring at each other in the dead of the eye, drinking to make this new alliance as official as it could ever be.
The brat waited a few seconds after finishing his drink before saying.
"Now, as your secret ally can I make another suggestion?"
Whitebeard sighed and tried to prepare himself mentally to hear plenty of future suggestions from the new headache he just willingly acquired.
.
.
.
So what are your thoughts about this development? :)
Thank you all for your reviews and motivation. Guests reviewers your answers are above. As each review is important to me, Please use a name/nickname while you review (civilly, please) if you wish to receive an answer from me.
.
I am happy to say that a new beta joined this story Black' Victor Cachat (go check his amazing stories), who is helping me plan in detail for the complicated plots for this story. Yet I am busy with my other stories and a new job (month old, not so new) so my updating would take time.
.
Keep the motivation rollin' :D