Wishfull-star: °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°
He jumped down and began his run to Ace. How many marines were here? Thousands, at least. He really was an ant in size, but he wouldn't be in strength. Tired and injured though he was, he couldn't feel any pain with the adrenaline pumping through him. Adrenaline and determination to get Ace to stop wearing that look.
Kizaru went after him, saying the Celestial Dragons really wanted his head. But when he shot a beam at him, Iva-chan was there, and death winked it away. "Thanks, Iva-chan!"
"It's my duty to not let you kill yourself!" Luffy nodded, and kept running. He smelled Kuma, and ducked when a blast came at him. Then he jumped back up, Ivankov taking care of him now, it seemed.
A woman Luffy recognized from Alabasta, who had been trying to capture him but they got away, tried to trap him. He avoided it and decided to use his first weapon. He jumped and ran at her in gear second, before he twirled and slammed the cuff into her head, knocking her out. Head wounds were the best to use quickly. He returned the cuff to where it went, holding it so briefly that nothing happened.
He was in gear second, passing by everybody he could, only hitting someone when necessary. The bay was bigger than it seemed from above, and then there was the crowded grounds that nobody had breached yet. He didn't pull out the seastone because gear second would evaporate instantly if he did.
Only against devil fruit users. And going against logias would be the best. Five seastones cuffs, two hanging and three in the backpack. Someone hit the backpack, but it hit the metal plating and didn't break it. It was marine metal, after all, high quality. Oh, he wished Zoro was here. He'd have the time of his life against these guys.
Though he was hurt, still. He had no doubt about that, and he was glad he wouldn't need to worry over him and have that be a distraction. Moria was there, with his zombies. Did he forget that he could scare them out? He did, making a brief appearance of that face. The shadows fled and the zombies died.
"Straw Hat!" Moria shouted angrily, his power useless against Luffy. People were asking why he had been able to make the shadows disappear. Moria would not admit that Luffy frightened them away. He had mastered that look, that aura, to be put out and rescinded instantly. Those that weren't surprised were the prisoners and allies who'd seen him scare the prison animals over and over again.
God, he wished he'd brought some, but it would have been a waste of space and effort, as the blugori would flee. Who knows what the demon guards would do? This place was full of powerful people. Many no doubt way more powerful than he was when he wasn't cheating with seastone.
"LUFFY! STAY AWAY!" There it was. Ace was angry he was there. "You should know better! We're both pirates, we've both sailed the seas! I have my own adventures! My own nakama! You shouldn't butt in! You're such a weakling!" Liar. "You think I'll forgive someone like you for rescuing me?! It'd be humiliating! Go home, Luffy! Why did you come?!"
Luffy shouted, "Your vivre card was burning! What would you have done?!" Ace flinched. Knowing he'd worried Luffy so much. "I'll save you even if it kills me!" Even if I turn into the monster you said I never was! "I AM YOUR LITTLE BROTHER!" he roared. "I don't give a shit about your rules as pirates!"
Ace was still angry. Still scared for him. He understood, but Ace should also understand how he feels. They're both wanting to rescue each other. Luffy knew Ace would have come without a second thought. He couldn't think Luffy wouldn't do that as well. He might be insignificant in this war, maybe Whitebeard succeeded and Luffy was sidelined. But if he had not come, he would have been the worst brother in the world.
Ace was his only real family, the first person who accepted him fully. Sabo was there, too, but Ace had identified with him as a monster in another way. Everyone there was wondering if he was also Roger's son. Looks like the world knew now. That Ace was born from somebody he loathed. Luffy really wondered how he'd feel when the younger one explained his history. He hoped he wouldn't be mad.
The zombies came after him from behind, but Jinbei defeated them by using the ocean to drench them and put salt into their mouths. Luffy didn't want to reveal that scary side so soon, so this was convenient. "Jinbei!" Luffy said with a smile.
Sengoku then swiftly told everyone about Luffy's father. He was now seen as a monster just like Ace. They were both the sons of criminals. World class criminals. But Luffy's father should matter more than Roger, as Dragon was still alive! Why were they so bothered by somebody who never even met their father!?
Sure, Luffy hadn't either, so it didn't make sense. Not meeting them… how could they be influenced personally? It wasn't their fault that they were born from those people. They didn't decide that, they shouldn't be punished for it. Why wasn't Garp punished, then? He had Dragon, that was his kid.
But it seemed he hadn't ever told Sengoku about Luffy's uniqueness. Or else he'd tell everyone about that, make Luffy look like even more of a monster. The pulse came back, and he pressed it down. But the mark glowed red. Oh well, he didn't care by now. But it faded quickly. It was building up really bad by now.
A giant approached Luffy, and he brought out gear third, slamming a huge fist into the guy, knocking him back. Seastone was definitely a last resort. His devil fruit was too helpful in this fight. In this battle with so many fruit users. "I will save you! No matter what I have to do!" He heard Garp swear, the only one who knew what could be meant in those words.
He never wanted Luffy to be discovered, and here he was, ready to show everyone. His backpack was still there, holding blood. He had no intention on feeding off of anybody here. "I won't forgive you if you let that kid die, Marco!" Whitebeard's deep voice said.
"Roger that," Marco must have said. Luffy didn't know who was Marco, though. He didn't know any names or faces of most of the people here.
Luffy fought alongside Iva-chan, who was noisy and optimistic. He was nice to be around, even if he sounded silly so much. But there were so many people that it was hard to progress at all to the stone area below and in front of the execution platform. He dodged a hit, and found that useless Kuina look-like, Tashigi (who wasn't wearing her glasses even in the middle of a battle), tried to attack him.
He heard and smelled Smoker coming towards him, and dodged his jitte. And slammed the seastone cuff into his neck. He meant for the head, but it stopped him, and he coughed up blood. It was a hard hit. "Damn it! I forgot - cough - about the seastone!" Luffy snapped the jitte in half over his knee.
Luffy didn't need to deal with more logias, but he didn't cuff him. He wasn't the most powerful devil fruit user here. He had at least four more huge problems, with four more possible problems in the form of the warlords. But Smoker recovered, and sent his white ploom at him. But he couldn't wrap it around Luffy without touching the cuffs hanging from his backpack securely.
Luffy kicked him in the face, the seastone making him useless. But he kept going after Luffy, both surrounded by battling marines and pirates. Then Hancock came! She kicked Smoker in the head, actually hitting him. "Hancock! What are you doing?! You're fighting for the marines, now!" Smoker said in annoyance and anger at the red spot on his cheek from her kick in heels.
"Shut up! I am too angry to explain in words! How dare you target my beloved!? I will chop you into pieces and feed you to animals!" People were wondering what was happening. Smoker didn't know how she hit him when he was a logia. She'd landed a good attack. Luffy was so happy to see her! His first ally in all of this.
"Hancock! Thank you!" Luffy said. She blushed and then handed him something before explaining it was the key to Ace's cuffs! How had she done that? It was amazing! He couldn't help hugging her, thanking her profusely. She was such a help. "I owe you so much!"
She was flustered as she said, "I-It's fine! Hur-ry to your brother!"
"Right, thank you!"
He put the key into the mini pocket in the pocket of his shorts. He couldn't lose that. It would be safest to eat it and vomit it up later, but that would take time. And the key might not come out. He wouldn't have Robin to pry his esophagus open so they could get the key out.
He ran off, and when Smoker tried going after him, Hancock got him again. "Stand back, insolent fool!" she could sound so scary, but other times all soft. Well, that was how Zoro was. They were similar, it seemed!
"Hancock saved my ass again," he huffed. This was tiring. He'd done so much damn running today. Just resting wasn't that helpful. He couldn't take out a blood bag yet. He had plenty, but he wasn't tired enough to need it. It wasn't that desperate. He'd gotten a lot of blood before. He would be fine a bit longer. It was awe inspiring with how Hancock was still so strong when she most likely hadn't had any blood before now, being in the presence of marines the whole time, after all. Luffy was lucky so many of his allies knew and were fine with it. All the new kamas, Iva-chan, Jinbei. Crocodile didn't know, though he did see Luffy lose it. But that didn't show what he was.
He ran into his revolutionary ally, who was angry and upset at Kuma, who was attacking him. "Iva-chan, you know him?" Luffy was still mad at him for taking away his crew, but doing that saved them in the short term. But he was different now. He smelled even more metal, less fleshy. The feather guy made his first appearance in front of Luffy. He explained, in entertainment it seemed, about Kuma being fully weaponized.
"Lies! He hated the government, he would never allow them to do this!"
"Kuma smells like a machine, Iva-chan. My nakama cut him but there was machinery. It's called a pacifista," Luffy said.
"Oho, you know quite a bit about it," the feather guy said. He still sounded and looked amused, even with his eyes hidden behind red glasses. Luffy disliked him. He gave off a bad smell.
"Only a few days ago, he was changed completely. He's no longer the Kuma from before!"
"Farewell. We will never meet again." Did that have a hidden meaning? That he would never be the same as he was? He wondered why Kuma would ever do such a thing. Why anybody would do such a thing. It was weird. To let yourself be turned into a weapon and lose everything about yourself.
It was sick and twisted. It made him wonder, though, if that Sentomaru was here. Only a few days ago, his arm was blown apart completely. Luffy was still glad he made one of them suffer, even if it made his time during that nightmare worse. A pulse came back, and Luffy hunched over, breathing heavily.
He got hit from behind, and felt his legs shaking. Time for a refill. He ran back the way he came, where there were less people, and pulled out a blood bag from behind, slurping it down, the shaking in his legs subsided, and he felt better. One bag gone, nine more. He would be fine. He'd be fine.
The okama queen finally went serious against the former Kuma, letting out a huge death wink move, named galaxy wink. But he was prepared and dedicated to get Kuma to remember him. And was also angry that he tried to blow up Iva's "candy boys". He would be distracted with him. Where was Jinbei? Still dealing with Moria? "My new kamas! Go with Straw Hat boy!"
"Roger that! Let's go! To the gallows!" More people were around him now. It seemed nobody noticed the blood bag. Though he wasn't the center of attention here. Everyone was busy fighting against enemies. There were so many allies of the Whitebeards, along with those on their massive ship. Plenty of people for Luffy to get lost in the crowd when it was convenient.
The next big person to face him was Hawkeye. "I don't have time for you! I gotta get to Ace!" Luffy shouted. He couldn't deal with a guy that defeated Zoro. Though that was long ago, when Zoro was normal. He couldn't cut steel or anything super special back then, even though he was still really strong.
Hawkeye looked emotionless. But, if he attacked him, Luffy would escape his black blade. "I'll never forgive you for slicing up Zoro!" Luffy shouted. Even if it seemed necessary in hindsight, seeing him spray blood had been terrible. I miss Zoro. He pushed that thought away. He missed everyone, but it wasn't the time for that. Not now and probably not for a while from now.
Hawkeye attacked those around them, and then eventually went after Luffy. He dodged every hit but for a slice on his arm. Blood came out, and he hated seeing his own blood. But maybe it could corrode his sword? No, that would mean getting cut by it, which was suicidal. Luffy ducked, jumped out of the way. On constant guard, he couldn't get any further.
Two new kamas came and attacked him. They knew him before they were in prison, apparently. But they didn't stand a chance. "I do not recall the face of every insect I crush," Hawkeye said, slicing them down. Luffy almost did a gatling gun before he saw his arm get chopped off. Just the imaginming made him be careful with his arms.
He was sure he could not regrow limbs. At least, not instantly and not without a shit ton of blood. If it was possible at all, that is. But he attacked again, and sliced. Luffy ducked, and watched in shock and slight horror as the iced up tsunami on the left was sliced apart. It was fully cut. His eyes were wide.
Fighting Hawkeye might just be pointless. He couldn't get close, all he could was dodge, and even that was difficult. He kept his emotions about Zoro's defeat inside, not thinking about them, not thinking about him. Too distracting!
"What will you do now?" Hawkeye asked. Luffy could only dodge. But then he did something pretty new. And something he'd do with nobody else.
"Gomu gomu jet substitute!" and he grabbed Buggy and threw him at Hawkeye, who cut him in half easily and he was fine. Buggy got mad until Luffy told him that he wasn't the one to cut him in half! Then he ran, but the current strongest swordsman alive chased after him.
"Help him out, Vista!" Marco's voice said, definable for some reason, and a guy with two swords and a fancy outfit appeared.
"Leave it to me!" Luffy ran away, glad to be rid of Hawkeye - for the moment at least. He didn't know who the guy was, but thanked him. Suddenly there was an explosion right next to him that made his left ear ring. These damn earplugs were useless! He felt blood trickle out of his ear. Shit. He could still hear. He would keep the ear plug in so nobody saw how sensitive his ears were.
He couldn't have his senses targeted and it was difficult to get blood out while dodging and fighting. Ideally, he wouldn't use any more blood, but that was unrealistic. But damn, did that ringing in his ear annoy him. He wasn't deaf in that one, he could still hear. Thankfully.
Ace was getting executed early. Their preparations were complete. Ace was going to die! No! "Ace!" Luffy screamed. He couldn't let this happen. He attempted to push out the blast, but it didn't come out. It almost felt like a clogged drain or something. It was uncomfortable, but not enough to affect his movement. Was it stuck like that?
Maybe his body was telling him it wasn't time. Was he going too fast? But Ace! They were going to kill him soon! Luffy heard blasts and marching noises from behind. He turned to see dozens of pacifistas! So many! And Sentonmaru was there. One arm was gone indeed. And he came anyway. Admirable.
But he might have a massive grudge against Luffy and sic all the pacifistas at him. He had to get out of sight of them. But he wasn't focused on it. Instead, it was clear this was a plan, taking them up from behind. Locking them in the bay. Something bad was going to happen soon. He could tell. It was a hunch, probably having nothing to do with his non-human senses.
The pacifistas were to attack the stragglers and drive them into the bay, trapping them. They wouldn't be able to leave that way. Luffy heard the sounds of the humanoid weapons going off, and it brought back painful memories of Sabaody. He shook his head, just barely ducking a sword aimed at his neck. He kicked the guy in the face.
He wanted to go home to the Sunny. But the Sunny was empty of his crew, which was what made it home the most. He couldn't go home without Ace being saved. Why was he thinking of that at a time like this?! It was useless to want to go home during a war.
Whitebeard ordered them to leave the back and hurry to the platform, which the marines didn't want for some reason. He heard Sengoku yelling that they were about to execute Ace. He fumbled to grab a seastone cuff, but he dropped it. He went to pick it up, but was sliced at and shot at. He lost another one. Unlucky!
"Wipe them out all at once!" Sengoku ordered.
"Ace!" Luffy shouted in worry and fear. "I gotta hurry!" But he was kicked in the face by Kizaru, way too fast to even think to handcuff him. He had no hope against him, he was too fast. Even if it would be the most useful to take him out of the fight, he was made of light. Way too fast for his senses to keep up with.
He was kicked backwards, flying into Jinbei, who caught him. "Th-thanks, Jinbei! Damnit, an admiral came out!"
"We expected strong enemies from the beginning!" That didn't mean he hadn't hoped to avoid them, though.
"Ace's little brother! Have you run out of strength?" an okama said. Well, he looked like a fancy okama. Or he just dressed feminine. Jinbei said they were the division commanders, which was great for them. Great to give Luffy a break. He wouldn't drink more blood. Should he? He didn't want to run out! And he had to get to Ace.
He took a short breather as the commanders wiped out those in the way. The battlefield went silent in shock when Whitebeard was suddenly impaled by a huge sword from the front! By someone who worked with him?! Luffy thought they were all close to one another, that's what Ace and the world said.
Did someone betray at the worst moment? Everybody was baffled and seeming unable to process it. But the fight must continue. Luffy lsietend, and Marco, the flying guy, slammed the traitor down on the front of the ship. "SQUARD!" Marco bellowed in fury. "How could you do that?!"
The man named Squard swiped his sword at the number two of the yonko crew. "Shut up! It's your fault this has to happen, too!" Then he turned to Whitebeard, who stopped his second in command from attacking anymore. Then Squard said that Whitebeard made a deal with the marines to save his crew and Ace, for trading all the allied crews. He also didn't know about Ace's dad, which wasn't any of his business, to be quite frank. Why would it be any of that guy's business, he wasn't even a Whitebeard, but an ally!
Luffy growled at the gall he had to get upset Ace's very undesirable father's name was never revealed. What made him so special? And while he thought these words were true, his voice showing no lies, it still didn't seem right! That old man was known for being a good guy to his friends, right?
Who told Squard that bullshit? Luffy was angry for Ace's sake, watching himself being blamed partially for his father and captain being stabbed by one of their own allies. And everyone believed his words just because the allies from behind were being targeted the most. They were behind, the enemies were behind! Of course they were being attacked! Look at their location.
Were New World captains really this dumb? They should come to their senses or their entire side of the war would fall apart. Doubt in the ranks would destroy them from the inside.
"You fool, you were tricked!" Marco roared. "Why won't you believe in Pops?!" Squard didn't believe him.
"It is true that Ace's father is Roger. The marines manipulated you knowing that information would make you emotional. They were one step ahead of us."
Crocodile then was heard throughout the battlefield. "You are pathetic, Whitebeard! You weren't this weak when you defeated me!"
"Squard… you dare raise a finger against your father?" Whitebeard still called him his son. Even though he betrayed him. Why? "My foolish son! But though you may be a fool, I still love you," and he hugged him. "It was Akainu, was it? While Ace's father is Roger, he is not Ace. It is foolish to blame a child for their parent's deeds. Be friends with him. Ace is not the only special one. You are all my family."
Wow. What a good man. No wonder Ace cared about him so much. Whitebeard accepted him for him, not his father. Ace wasn't special, he was one of many of his family members, his children. Though Ace was a commander, named a huge position on the ship, he was still another one of the yonko's kids.
He turned to Sengoku, angry that his son was manipulated. Akainu, huh? He was the nasty one Luffy wanted to avoid. "Luffy-kun, is your ear alright?" Jinbei asked, getting the teen's attention.
"Yeah. I can still hear alright. The ear plugs aren't very helpful," Luffy replied. Then they turned back to Whitebeard, who slammed his fists into the air, cracking it with his overwhelming and overpowered abilities. It got rid of the ice walls. The pirates could escape by marine ships if they wanted.
"If you call yourself pirates, choose what you wish to believe!" They were all muttering about how they couldn't believe they were doubting him for even a moment. His reputation was so solid that any cracks in it were fixed immediately. "Those who would follow me! Be ready to lose your lives! Come with me!" And that was all they needed to have more invigoration. They were freshly determined and motivated by the old man's words.
"Get ready! The strongest man in the world is about to attack!" Sengoku bellowed. Whitebeard finally jumped off of the ship's whale head, and landed on the ice. The Whitebeard allies hated the marines now, for manipulating one of their own into attacking their leader and named father. The marines just pissed them all off more. Was that their plan, or a stupid mistake?
Akainu was a wicked man for doing that, pulling that shameful stunt. Luffy had never had a real code of honor or anything like that, but that would be considered dishonorable to him. Squard was crying, and many were still pissed at him. Including Marco, who simply told him crying would get them nowhere. But Luffy heard the grinding of something below the ice. Something was wrong.
"Isn't the encircling wall not ready yet?!" Sengoku asked, voice hurried. Luffy's eyes widened. The ice was quaking beneath them. Something was coming from below. Was that why they cornered the pirates in the bay? To trap them? Luffy started sprinting, wanting to get there before it was too late.
But the marines were determined to not let the pirates into the plaze. "Jinbei, a wall is coming! It's grinding below the ice! It'll trap us!" The Whitebeard's heard this, too, and they started to sprint, even though they were not able to get to the plaza easily. Luffy would go alone if he had to.
He stepped on faces, like stepping stones as he ran through the crowd. Even with gear second, he wasn't going to make it through everybody. A giant was stopping Whitebeard, and he did something that Luffy didn't see, that tilted the whole island, making him fall to the side, "Damn it!" Luffy called.
Now he wasn't able to get there! Damn old man! He screwed him over! Whitebeard was amazing and kind, but now Luffy was angry at him for tilting everything like that. Luffy tried clawing himself back up, but he slid and landed against the bay wall, so tilted he couldn't do anything to get back to where he'd been before.
Whitebeard defeated the giant, and then sent an attack, a slash attack, at the execution platform. It ripped apart the building behind it, but the admirals stood there, able to stop the attack. Luffy's eyes widened. They stopped that attack that ripped apart buildings all behind it. They were too strong.
Luffy's eyes narrowed. He was to be the Pirate King. He couldn't let marines intimidate him, no matter their rank. But it was hard not to, honestly. Luffy was next to Jinbei, and asked if that guy cared about those on his side. "They knew to avoid him during that."
"But I was close to getting to the plaza, and now I'm not!" Luffy complained in frustration. They were going to kill Ace and trap them there! With the ground even again, Luffy and Jinbei ran. Luffy was tired, bone tired. But he had no time to get a blood bag out right now. There was no time to waste, so he wouldn't waste it.
"Don't falter, men! Head straight through there!" the old captain shouted, his men roaring and running again. Luffy finally got a clear shot, and latched his hands onto the wall of the bay to shoot himself up.
He grit his teeth, but just before he could launch up, the grinding finally stopped, and a huge wall raised. He fell back to the ice. The wall was made of seastone! Before he could react, he heard a terrible thundering from above, but all of them heard it. Luffy's eyes widened and jaw dropped as magma fists fell from the sky, and started to rain down on the ice, and pirates.
They smashed holes in the ice, and turned the water below boiling. Luffy heard hundreds of screams, people crying about being boiled alive. He saw men hit, and half of their bodies burnt away. Dead bodies, charred and unlucky, littered the icy ground, which was slowly cracking.
He turned to the wall, and knew there was no other time. He covered his ears at the sounds of agony, the sizzling of burnt flesh and the smell that came with it. It was nauseating! He felt he was going to throw up. His body hurt, it was all so scary, he wanted out!
Going to the wall, he felt it was indeed seastone. Whitebeard's attacks won't work. Luffy then heard the large ship, the Whitebeard pirates' home, burn to a crisp. It was like Merry's burning, only a billion times worse. This wasn't a funeral for their ship, but it was just being murdered. The water continued to boil. Luffy took a deep breath. He took a blood bag and bit into it, keeping it in his mouth. Through that, he told Jinbei it was time to run. He remembered their talk, and ran. With no way in, this was the only quick fix possibility. He wouldn't be boiled alive, and he wasn't going to let Ace die. It was time.
Cliffhanger! Next chapter is super busy, of course, the climax and end of the Marineford arc. Well, Marineford is quite present throughout the rest of the story. That shit isn't just brushed under the rug after a two year time skip.