Declaimer: I don´t own One Piece nor Harry Potter
A/N: Annnnnnnnnnndddddddddddddddd I´m back! XD I did it, I wrote the damn chapter, I finally finished it... I have been strugling for an eternity with it... I want a hug... Anyway, enjoy and unusually long chapter. Like, this thing had 8k words... Hahahaha... ha...
The wind was calm, blowing slowly through the land and sea, never stopping. Wind was as traveled as the water; it knew secrets no one should know. The wind had seen so much already, the birth and the death of children, warriors, legends and criminals. It witnessed the worst moments of humanity, the biggest joys, the horrible nightmares… and, once again, it was about to witness a legend. That day would go down on history, and would be narrated so many times it would become a myth. In few centuries, no would know exactly what happened… no one but the wind and the sea.
The small human-made island known as Marine Ford was packed with marines. No matter where you looked, you would find marines, dressed in their white and blue uniforms, all staring at the only entrance with nervous eyes. This was it, no way to turn around now.
The silence was almost deafening, and everyone could hear their hearts beat in anticipation. That or fear, someone of them hadn´t had a chance to actually figure out how they were feeling, and even with the presence of the Admirals and Shichibukai, they just couldn´t calm down. After all, they were going against Whitebeard. Most of them had been taught since little to fear the old pirate, and some weren´t ready to forget the warnings and teachings of their parents.
"Bring the prisoner." Someone said, but the crowd didn´t hear them at all, trying to calm themselves down. Hey maybe the pirates wouldn´t come. After all, Portgas D. Ace was only a pirate, who would risk their life for him?
The guards, executioners actually, were waiting patiently for their target, slowly starting to turn green. This was the last place they wanted to be… The man, Portgas D. Ace, was slowly making his way up the stairs, but they pretended not to see him. This was just a random pirate… and they had to do their job, even if they didn´t want it, even if their heart hurt at the thought of taking someone´s life so easily, because they were marines, and they had the duty to protect people from pirates as him, even if it meant killing.
As the prisoner was transferred to their care, two marines started to lead him to his death. It wasn´t time yet, he would still live a slow three hours… One of them wondered, how it like was to know you would die. Was it scary? Was it painful, to look in front and only see the imminent darkness? No, he couldn´t think like that! Starting to feel sorry for a damn pirate was bad; the kid had chosen his own path.
Countless marines looked up, as Portgas D. Ace was forced on his knees, chained as a dog, awaiting his death. Not even half of them felt sorry for the man, a child even, so young. Just barely of age, a twenty years old child was about to be executed. However, those with a soul cried inside, knowing the child could be great if only he had chosen a different path. Someone of his skills could be a good marine, an admiral even… but he chose wrong, and now he acted as a bite to catch a bigger fish. His name would be forever remembered with hatred.
The fleet admiral suddenly called everyone´s attention, not looking at the child near him, as he asked him. "Who is your father?" The question shocks some, scares others, but the child only answered Whitebeard. No matter how many times he was asked, his answer never changed. But, obviously, it wasn´t what the fleet admiral wanted to hear.
"His father is… Gold D. Roger."
The chaos broke out. The child of that cursed man, the blood of the Pirate King still lived on, even today. "Kill him!" Many yelled, and one of the executioners tightened his hold on his weapon. "Die, you monster!" There was shock everywhere, murmurs, screams, laments… hatred for the poor child that did nothing to deserve it.
The fleet admiral wasn´t done yet, polluting the thoughtless marines with ideas. Whitebeard took in the child to become the next Pirate King, that it was his goal, that he needed to be stopped… No one was using their head, asking the right questions, believing blindly in the words of an old man. An old man that had an agenda of his own, that served a government without rules… The executioner tried to calm down, looking at nothing as the man finished his speech. They cheered, stupidly…
"Fleet Admiral!" A marine suddenly stated, running towards the old man apprehensively. "The Gate of Justice had been opened!" His voice somehow managed to shut everyone up, as they turned around to stare at the sea around them. "We lost contact with the power room…"
"Everyone, get ready!" The fleet admiral knew what this meant, and the men tensed, growing ready to fight whatever was waiting for them. This was their turf, after all, and they had the upper hand. "He´s coming."
Once again, it was silent. The island, the sea, the wind… it was the perfect day, sun shone so beautifully on the sky. The eternal yellow sky… If only it was another day. If only there was any other way…
"Oh god…" Ships were quickly making their way through the water, waves propelling them forward, ghosts of the sea. "Those are…" Pirates. From the New World, known by the whole world, allies of Whitebeard. The chained child stopped breathing, surprised by the number. There were so many… but no Whitebeard in sight. Not yet at least.
"Where is he?" One of the marines mumbled, trying his hardest not to give up, shaken by the sheer number of pirates that came to help Portgas D. Ace. A part of him knew, for certain, that his friends in the Marine Corps would never go to war for him. Hell, if the pirates captured him, they would probably deem him as dead, not even trying to help.
"The hell is that?" Someone mumbled, as the silence broke when in the middle of the docks water began to rise, three domes of crystalline blue momentarily capturing their attention as the sun hit it, bright shine taking over the island.
The moment, however, was completely destroyed as the water fell down, revealing three ships surrounded by a bubble, Whitebeard standing on top Moby Dick, his persona demanding attention instantly. Shouts of fear and surprise were heard through the marine ranks, but with one sharp command, the silence came back, anticipation up in the air once again.
Finally, all players were there, ready to decide, once and for all, the future.
This was much more than just the fate of one pirate, no matter whom that pirate was, and it surprised no one. Whitebeard was known by everyone, his name feared and respected no matter what. The last enemy of Gold D Roger, the Strongest Man alive.
"Wait just a little longer, Ace." Whitebeard stated, looking at the child he called his son with a kind smile that he reserved only for those he cared. Anger began to build under his skin, anger for the unjust treatment of his child, his eyes flashing dangerously as he planted his bisento in the prow of Moby Dick. No, his child would not suffer because of him; they would get Ace back.
All of sudden, a huge shockwave was crated on either side of the old man, the air cracking around him. The marines stared shocked, unable to believe in their own eyes, the ocean going wild as the bottom of the ocean moved. Waves rose in the sky, some marines actually turning around to run away, while Whitebeard only smiled evilly. This would teach the youngsters to respect their elders.
"Old man… all of you…" Ace mumbled, staring at his family that reunited just to protect him. "I ignored your orders and ran off! Why didn´t you just abandon me? This only happened because I was stubborn!"
"No… I was the one who told you to go… my son." Whitebeard answered back with ease, his eyes never leaving the defeated silhouette of his child. It was wrong, so wrong, but today, he would make everything right.
"You´re lying! You tried to stop me…"
"I told you to go! I told him to go. Ain´t that right, Marco?"
"Yea, I heard it too. We sent you into a lot of trouble, huh, Ace?" Marco smirked, while the rest of the crew nodded in agreement, few regretting not going after the stubborn young man even thought they knew he was going to get in trouble. For them, this was their mistake, Ace was never supposed to be in such position, he was their to protect, and yet they had failed.
"This entire ocean should know what happens when someone harms one of our crewmates." Whitebeard´s voice boomed through the island, few marines actually wincing as enraged eyes gazed at them for seconds. "Anyone who hurts you won´t be allowed to live, Ace. Hang on! We´re coming for you, right now!"
All of sudden, screams and exclamation of surprise were heard all over the island as the ground shock once again, water rising towards the sky, waves growing on each side of Marineford with fury, threatening to end the battle before it even begun. This was Whitebeard´s power, and few only now realized just how out of league they were.
This was the sign everyone was waiting for…
The war had begun.
.
.
Marine Ford was chaos.
No matter where you looked, pirates and marines were engaged in a fierce battle, refusing to back down even though countless lives were lost and even more stood wounded. This was, after all, a war that had the power to decide the future of everything, not to mention the life of a certain young man.
"I can't believe this is happening…" Ace mumbled as he looked at the battlefield, wishing he could be there, among his crewmates, among his family, fighting alongside them. However, he knew it was impossible, even after an hour of a gruesome battle, his family didn´t seem to be getting any closer. It pained him to know lives would be lost because of him, because of his stupidity. At the moment he only wished they escaped safely and took his stupid little brother with them, he had already given up upon life.
"Hahaha…" Ace laughed quietly, fighting against the tears that threatened to fall as he heard Luffy´s voice, as his younger brother tried to reach him against all odds. "You were always stupid, Luffy. Never thinking, running headfirst into danger… damn, Reina is going to find a way to resurrect me and kill me once she finds out…" Once again, the young man started to laugh, this time almost hysterically, earning confused glares from his executioners and the old man with strange hair. Not that he cared… she would be so furious…
The battle was going badly for them. He knew it, just by looking at what was happening before him; this was marine´s ground, not theirs. Even though many marines seemed to be wounded, collapsing suddenly out of nowhere, their number still greatly outnumbered his family´s. There was no way to reach him, the top three only now started to participate, and he knew the marines had even more tricks up their sleeves hidden somewhere. Whitebeard would not win, not as the battle was going, and Ace had all but accepted his death. After all, why hope for impossible.
"Ace is stupid!" Little Reina stated as she put on her shoes, grinning as Luffy jumped out of their cozy house, warming up for the upcoming running battle. "You are really negative, you know? Just because my odds of winning are low it doesn´t mean I am going to give up. Who knows, maybe a miracle will happen and I´ll win after all… You have to stop being so negative."
Reina hadn´t won that day, Ace remembered with a smile, but she had won a week later, laughing at his completely stunned expression. Right, she would say he was being a pessimist if she was there, before proceeding to beat him up completely for being such an idiot with tears in her eyes. She had always been such a difficult person to understand with her mood swings…though he would never tell her that, she would eat him alive.
"Luffy!" Ace suddenly called, looking into his younger brother's eyes, smirking a little at the imagine before him. At the moment, Luffy was beating up a few marines, swinging them by the ankle before letting them go. "If I don´t make it… Tell her I´m sorry, will you? And that I love her. Can you do it for me?"
Half the battlefield froze at his words, not understanding their meaning nor their importance. He had wished he could tell it himself, explain exactly how important she was to him, but he did not have such luxury anymore. At the very least Luffy could tell those words for him, at least she would know…
"No! You will tell her yourself!" The black haired boy yelled back, hitting a few more marines in rage, unhappy Ace seemed to be already giving up. "Are you going to allow her to cry? Ace, we promised we´ll never do that! We swore!"
Ace knew it! Damn, Ace knew it better than anyone else, but what was he supposed to do? He couldn´t fight, he could do nothing! Being caught… he had never expected this, he never thought he would be caught…Oh, Reina would cry so much, she would hate him for this…
"I´m coming, Ace!" Luffy yelled, seeing the anger, rage and hatred in his brother´s eyes, knowing how his brother felt better than anyone else. How many times had he almost lost, only to remember his promise, his oath? "We´ll survive this, and then run back home hiding from her, because she will burry us alive."
"Oh, yes, she will…" Smiling at her memory, Ace closed his eyes, regret taking over his soul for brief seconds. He should have listened to pops, he knew he should… but it was too late, everything was too late… He was a pessimist, he knew he was, but if he survived this… he would try and change for better.
"Enough with this nonsense." Sengoku looked at the battle before him, narrowing his eyes at the Straw Hat pirate, Garp´s grandson. The little kid was becoming more and more of a bother, but he knew Garp would never forgive him if the child died so soon. He had promised not to defend Ace, but who knew what he would do if the younger´s life was threatened. "Guards, prepare for execution."
The battle was taking longer than he had expected, and they were quickly loosing numbers. The main doctor had recently contacted him, half his man seemed to have caught a stomach bug, and it wouldn´t be long before they could no longer fight. If he allowed the battle to go for much longer, there was a big chance they would lose, and he just couldn´t allow that. Not now that Whitebeard was wounded and weak, this was their chance.
The two executioners approached the restrained young man, who only glared at him for a second, his eyes returning to the wounded silhouette of Straw Hat. The recent interaction between the two of them also worried Sengoku, it appeared that the young son of Gold D. Roger had a girlfriend. If, by any chance, the young woman was pregnant… once this battle was finished, they would need to look for her, he couldn´t allow the bloodline of the Pirate King to continue.
"Ace!" Luffy yelled as he noticed what was happening, fighting against the sea of people that blocked his path, hatred towards them growing with each passing second as his brother´s end was approaching. He could not allow this, Ace would live, he had to!
"Do it!" Sengoku ordered, refusing to meet Garp´s eyes, even though he knew his old friend was probably going to hate him for doing this. The child had chosen his path, and this was the punishment for choosing wrong.
"No, ACE!"
Wind picked up suddenly, sending a burst of wind in all directions, hitting marines and pirates alike. A feeling of fear overcame everyone, so strong that their senses were overwhelmed, shutting down from pure shock. Like cards, marines and pirates fell towards the ground, covering the concrete floor with unconscious bodies and blood.
"What just…" Someone wanted to ask, one of those who managed to overcome the fear, but something exploded suddenly, covering the air in a black dust, making it impossible to see anything. Confused, the fighting stopped immediately, fear of slicing an ally and friend making everyone careful.
On top of the platform, Sengoku´s eyes widened at the Haki that just hit him, so powerful and threatening, trying to locate the source. They needed to catch the source, eliminate if it was an enemy, but he couldn´t locate the person in time before something black covered everything, a black dust hiding from his view the battlefield.
"Everyone, stand by!" The old man ordered, his attention turning to their prisoner, only to find he couldn´t see anything for more than few meters ahead of him. Cursing, he ordered the guards to be careful, certain this was a trick of the pirates, even though he wasn´t sure how they had managed to do it. Had one of them infiltrated them? Such worrying thoughts, but all he could do was keep alert, waiting for the dust to clear up.
When the Haki hit Ace, the young man´s eyes widened in surprise, knowing this was not pop´s doing, having felt his Haki before and knowing the feeling it gave off. This Haki was different, it was wild and untrained, probably belonging to a newbie. His eyes immediately searched Luffy; he had felt this power once when he was a child…it belonged to Luffy… Fear rose in his heart, because he knew what the marines would do if their realized his brother had such power. They would hunt him and kill him, and he could do nothing to help him.
Sudden movement to his left caught his attention as one of the guards fell down, clearly unconscious, probably knocked down because of the Haki. Not that it mattered to Ace much, he couldn´t escape even if both of his guards fainted, those restrains did a great job in keeping him still. However, one couldn´t help but wish, as the other guard was forced down on his knees.
"Who would have thought…"
This voice…head snapping to the right, Ace couldn´t believe his ears, something exploding all around the battlefield. It was his imagination, right? She… she couldn´t be here…right?
From under the cap the guard was wearing, a cheeky smile he had seen so many times before appeared, sending his heart into a fit, as it fought to escape his chest. No, no, no! This wasn´t happening.
"Wha- what? How?" Ace stated, unable to believe his eyes even thought she was…even though…
"Shh. They can still hear us!" The guard mumbled, taking out the keys he… she had been carrying in his pocket, proceeding in freeing him from his restrains.
A part of his brain noticed the black smoke around them, wondering where that came from, but it didn´t actually register, as he took in the appearance of the person in front of him. The guards uniform hid the female body under it rather well, concealing the delicate curves that he knew she had, while the cap did the job of hiding her face and hair. However, as far as he remembered, she had had a male face when he was taken from his cell! It hadn't been… the guard hadn't had those green eyes that were currently looking at him with happiness and furry! How… his brain couldn´t understand it…
The weight restraining his hands disappeared all of sudden, bringing Ace back to the present, his confusion pushed aside to be analyzed later as he had other things to worry about. Even though he was free, there was still so much danger, he needed to be completely alert.
"Follow me." The guard… no, Reina, that was Reina, ordered, moving with ease even among the quickly dispersing darkness. It was obvious it wouldn´t last for long, but it had lasted enough, Ace was free, the plan was moving along as they had expected.
Not needing to be told twice, Ace ran after his sister, jumping down from the huge platform without even stopping, aware she would never put him in danger. As they jumped, the wind picked up once again, dispersing little by little the black dust that had protected everyone for few moment, vision returning once again to the battlefield. However, no one made any attempts to fight, eyes glued to the running form of a marine guard alongside with the son of Gold D. Roger, Fire Fist, Ace.
The marines were in shock, unable to come to terms with what was happening, part of them believing it was only an illusion. Sengoku´s mouth was wide open, and for once he didn´t care, unable to understand what had happened. The guard…the executioner was a marine for so long, he could not be a pirate in disguise, they had made sure of it. He would never betray them, so how…
A gust of wind hit the running pair, and the cap fell from the guard´s head, revealing a long black hair. A woman? This…this couldn´t be happening. The old man was frozen, experiencing such shock for the first time in years, his mind unable to warp around the situation. The girl… the woman suddenly turned around as she jumped once again, locking her eyes with his.
She was beautiful, nothing more than a child, her vibrant green eyes shining with rage and mischief. A beauty, some marines thought, taking in her elegant face and smile. However, the image was quickly broken as she childishly pulled down one of her eyelids, sticking her tongue out as she made fun of them with all her might, making them, no, him, aware he had been outsmarted by a child.
"REINA!" A voice filled with anger boomed right next to Sengoku as Garp jumped to his feet, eyes never leaving the retreating figure. Garp knew this child? And he had said nothing about her existence? No, why was he even surprised, of course it had to be one of his dammed children!
Finally recovering, Sangoku cursed his stupidity, not that he knew how she had managed to outsmart everyone, ordering his men to catch the pair. The pirates had found a new hope and were fighting even more vigorously, and their troops were quickly falling behind.
Giving Garp a dark glare as his old friend appeared to be dying from a heart attack, Sengoku was forced to make a decision. Things were not progressing as he had expected, the appearance of new players unbalanced the war too much, he needed to do something to keep the odds in his favor.
"Rise the walls!" It was too soon, he had planned to use it only after the execution, but the situation had changed too much. They couldn´t allow the pirates to escape, every single would be either captured or killed!
Ground began to shake violently, marines and pirates alike falling down from the movement, unable to keep their balance on top of the unstable ground. Taking advantage of the unexpected clumsiness, Reina and Ace soared through their enemies, easily reaching the mid ground where a laughing Luffy was awaiting them.
So far Ace hadn´t asked a single question, and while Reina was thankful, it was hard enough to dodge the many marines, her only weapon two small knifes, she knew the older man was only waiting for the appropriate timing. There wasn´t a single doubt in her mind, she knew Ace would yelled at her for putting herself in such danger, but for once, she didn´t care.
"Luffy!" Ace yelled as he hit two marines that had tried to get Luffy by his back, grinning at his brother as he beamed at them with his childish smile. There was a fire burning in his eyes, happiness threatening to overtake everything else.
"Ace! Reina!" Using his arms as a whip to create a small clearing around them, the young pirate sprinted to them, jumping from joy. "Ace! I told you we were coming to save you!"
"Luffy! Who would have thought one day would come when you would save me. Thanks, Luffy, Reina." Both smiled warming, the Straw Hat pirate actually looking embarrassed as he scratched his cheek. "While I want to hug and yell at both of you, what were you thinking coming here, I guess that will have to wait until we are safe."
Rolling her eyes, Reina nodded, looking towards their goal with a slight dread in hear heart. Even though they had made it and Ace was free, she had a feeling that something bad was just waiting to happen… The green eyed teen feared, with all her heart, that one of them would not make it out of there alive.
"Okay, break time is over." The witch said suddenly, her grin disappearing from her face as her thoughts became clear again. "There will be time for it once we are miles away from here. We need to make it back to Whitebeard before the escape plan can begging."
"So you have a plan?" Ace asked, seriousness back into his voice, as he watched the marines approach quickly. Reina nodded, glancing once again forward, and his heart clenched at the evident worry in her eyes. "Okay, you two stay close to me, understood? We can do it!"
Smiling just a little bit, while Luffy cheered, Reina took a deep breathe, trying to calm down her beating heart. Everything would go as planned, everything would be alright.
The group of three started to run again, clearing the path before them with ease, aided by the innumerous pirates. The ground had stopped shacking, and the marines were starting to fight back with even more strength, set on not allowing Ace to escape. They couldn´t, after all, allow the son of the Pirate King to live, he had to be killed.
"Why isn´t the wall rising?" Sengoku asked, no, yelled at the marine in front of him, his face burning with rage. One by one, their plans were crumbling, and all because of Garp´s dammed family. "I said to rise them! We cannot allow the pirates to escape!"
"S-sorry, Sir, but the wall mechanism is damaged." Damaged? At such important time? He had checked it personally the day before and it was working! "O-our mechanics are trying to repair it, but I´m not sure when it will be..."
"How can it be damaged?! How? What is wrong with it?"
"S-someone smashed the small components inside the machine. I-it… we cannot change them without taking the mechanism apart first." The poor messenger was trembling as Fleet Admiral´s furry reached new proportion, dark eyes sharply returning to the battlefield. "S-someone must have snuck in today morning w-when no one was looking."
Someone? It couldn´t be a marine, it had to be an enemy… Someone skilled enough to infiltrate their base, to pretend to be someone else…
"GARP!" Sengoku yelled, grabbing his old friend by the collar of his jacket. There was only one person who could have done that. "WHY IS IT ALWAYS YOUR DAMMED FAMILY? WHY IS IT ALWAYS YOUR FAMILY?"
"Bwahahahahaha." The idiot actually dared to laugh, then again that was the norm. This time, his laughed seemed hysterical, and the Admiral actually felt pity for his old friend, unable to imagine how he was feeling. "Once I get my hands on them…"
Sighing loudly, Sengoku released him, rubbing his throbbing head. "I swear; your family is… It doesn´t matter, just don´t interfere!" Turning his attention back to the pale marine, he growled a random command as he tried to figure out what to do in the current situation.
God, his head was killing him… Sengoku was getting too old for this, damn youngsters and their never ending energy. Couldn´t the pirates just drop and die for once? No, they had to put up a fight… They couldn´t trap them, once they escaped everything would be over. The answer, however, was simple: they had to destroy them all before they escaped.
"Men!" Sengoku yelled, knowing every one of them would hear him loud and clear. "Show no mercy!"
The path before them had hardly any marines left, bodies lying down as the three of them ran without stopping, not even blinking at the blood and bodies. Travelling in the Grand Line forced people to meet with all short of circumstances, death was one of the constant everyone counted on.
Hitting another marine and sending him flying, Ace tensed as a tall figure appeared before them a few meters in front, knowing this wasn´t an opponent he could easily take out. Aokiji seemed as relaxed as ever, hands in his pockets, but the tight way he held himself and the sharp look in his eyes gave him away. This was a man ready to fight and kill, and Ace couldn´t allow his siblings to get caught in it.
Stopping before he got too close, Ace forced Luffy and Reina to back down, his eyes never leaving the tall Admiral.
"It seems it´s still my time to protect you two… Go somewhere safe, now!" Reina seemed like she would argue, but she never had time as Luffy dragged her after him, his smile nowhere to be seen. "I guess it would be too much to ask you to let us pass, right?"
"As if there is any probability you can escape from here."
Both devil fruit users stared at each other, concentration never breaking, waiting for the other to make his move. As Aokiji took off his hand from the pocket, Ace activated his flames, knowing it was coming.
Ice rose from nowhere, moving quickly towards the recently freed pirate who answered by sending his flames, not even flinching as the elements clashed in the middle. Fire melted the ice, ice trying to overpower the burning flames, but neither managed to move a millimeter, vapor rising to the sky as water became gas.
Silence enveloped the pair for moments as both marines and pirates gawped, fish out of water with their mouths largely opened. That had not just happened.
"Interesting." Aokiji mumbled, flexing his hand twice, the ice tightening around it. "Ice and fire is not a great mix… but for how long do you think you´ll be able to resist, Fire Fist Ac…"
A big splash of water suddenly hit the Admiral who lost his step and went flying, hitting a few marines in the process. Blinking, Ace looked around, trying to figure out whom did it, only to meet eye to eye with an angry Reina. Did she…?
"Come on, we need to hurry!" The girl cried, talking before her bother had the chance to ask, her heart beating widely. Her list of offences was quickly growing, she feared she would have a big bounty on her head by the end of the war. "We cannot allow to stop."
"Wow, that was really cool, Reina!" Luffy said, that idiot, making few marines gaze at her confused. "That training you had with…"
"Less talking and more running!"
A sudden coldness at her back made the girl turn around, instantly pulling a water shield around them that froze once ice reached it, translucent wall separating them from the surprised Admiral. Clenching her fists, without moving her focus from the older man, she slowly approached Ace.
"You need to get going." She whispered, adrenaline running through her veins. "If it comes to the point you need to leave me behind, do it, understood? You and Luffy have to escape no matter what!" Frowning, Ace was ready to fight back, when those burning emeralds caught his full attention. "I can escape, Ace. Even if I´m caught, I still have a trick up my sleeve and I´ll be free. So, no matter what, you two need to escape. Promise me!"
"But how can I leave you behind? I swore to protect…" Suddenly, Ace found himself conflicted, looking into those pleading eyes that awaited his answer. To leave Reina behind was inexcusable, every cell in his body felt revolted just by imagining it, but he couldn´t find himself to reject it either, not when she pleaded with her heart. "Reina, I…"
Ace never had a chance to answer, however, another wave of ice rushed towards them, this time stronger than before. Averting her eyes with one last glance, Reina kicked the air, sending back a sharp wave of water that sliced the ice, frozen diamonds raining down because of the violent impact.
"I thought it was my imagination…" Aokiji mumbled, staring at the child with open surprise and amazement. "But to think you are actually a water devil fruit user… Higher-up have been searching ages for it without even having proof it existed, and yet, here you stand before me."
"On my defense, I stumbled upon it without meaning, I was hungry and at the time the fruit appeared to be eatable." Reina defended herself, feeling Ace tens up near her. However, she did not allow her eyes to wander, moving her feet as she prepared herself to attack. "I had no idea it was a devil fruit."
"Hmm… Intriguing. What short of powers does it give up? Surely you are a logia type…"
"Yes, I am a logia. It´s an interesting devil fruit; I admit it, but I´m not stupid enough to tell you it´s secrets." Rolling her eyes, she took a deep breathe, forcing herself to calm down as panic threatened to overtake her. She had never trained to be fight Admirals, but since it had come to that, she had no other choice. "Do you think you can let me go as a fellow water type devil fruit user?"
"While the idea seems appealing, I´m afraid I have to catch you. The higher ups will want to know about your devil fruit, and you helped a known pirate… Will you give up quietly?"
Grinning, Reina shrugged. "Who knows. Maybe I will, maybe I won´t… Why won´t you try and catch me? You´ll have your answer then."
Narrowing his eyes, intrigued by the strange child, Aokiji started to walk leisurely towards her, noticing the Straw Hat and Fire Fist were too engaged in a battle to come to her help. Since she was water, his attacks would have the upper hand, even if she tried to resist, he would…
The ice suddenly disappeared bellow him, a circle of pure ice replaced with melted water, and before the Admiral had a moment to react, he was already falling down, towards the icy sea water that would certainly render him powerless. Without allowing himself to think, he did one last attempt at escaping, throwing his hand forward hopping to catch something to grab on.
Slippery ice was all he found, as his body came in contact with the sea water and he grew weak, but he still fought on, trying to climb out of the hole that would mean his end. For a second, as a shadow came over, he worried it was the child to finish the job, but it was only a marine who came to help him out, having escaped his own opponent just in time.
"Thanks." Aokiji mumbled, almost sighing in relief once he felt his strength return once again, the shock starting to wear off once he was out of danger. However, the relief was shortly lived, as his brain tried to comprehend what had happened. "Did someone attack me from behind?"
"Not that I have seen, sir." As they stood up, the marine gripping his sword, Aokiji noticed that the child was gone once again. "I think the girl must have done something, she had made strange quick movements with her legs before that hole appeared."
Nodding, he sighed, freezing a couple of pirates that tried to attack him, the impossibility of the water-devil fruit only adding more questions. Ahh, it was such a pain… Anyway, he needed to go after the Fire Fist Ace, such were the orders. What a pain indeed.
"What was that?" Ace asked as they cleared another row of marines, wide eyes staring at his pale sister. He had only caught a glance of it, she had dragged him away from the admiral as quickly as she could, but he was certain a hole had appeared under him.
"Nothing." Reina answered through clenched teeth, picking up a safe looking long wooden spear, her knifes not the best weapon in her current situation. "Can we discuss it after we escape please? Just a little bit more…" She mumbled as she looked around, the distance to Whitebread decreasing.
"Luffy!" A strange blue man yelled as he suddenly joined them, his eyes stopping on her for a second before moving on. "The marines are starting to faint suddenly; I believe this is our chance to escape, if only we can distract the Admirals somehow…"
"Keep running!" She yelled, not even engaging in battle anymore as she dodged them, knowing they posed no real threat. "No matter what happens next, you just have to keep running understood?"
"Reina?" Luffy mumbled confused, his dark eyes shining with poorly hidden excitement and worry. He had never been one to think much about his situation, usually relying on his strength and stubbornness to push through. However, he knew this time it was different. And that fact, more than anything, worried him, because he feared, more than anything, that he would lose someone important because of his lack of strength.
"Don´t worry much." The girl mumbled, smirking slight as she took a deep breath her heart so desperately needed. This was, without a doubt, the longest sprint of her life. After this, she was so going to run five kilometers every morning at full speed.
"Don´t worry about what?" Ace asked, worry growing in his heart, well aware the situation was not looking in their favor. And it was all his fault to begin with. Damn. "Hey, how about you…"
However, he had not a chance to finish his thoughts when a beam of light flew towards them, another Admiral blocking their way. A part of Ace felt tired, wishing everything could just end already, it certainly would be much easier than keeping on the fight. However, he knew it was no option, and the blue flames of a certain mythical Zoan only reinforced the feeling.
"Go!"
Everyone was there to save him, but he knew this fight was about much more. It was about their freedom, denied so long by labeling them as criminals, as pirates. This fight was the turning point.
"Ace, you run in front of me with Luffy." Reina ordered all of sudden, giving them a serious look. "Once I order, you are to fall to the ground without questions, understood? From that point on, you sprint to the ship without a second though. This is our only chance."
"How about you explain what the hell is happening?" Ace yelled irritated, not liking the idea at all. If they went in front, they would not know if Reina was left behind or not, and that was something he could not allow. Ever.
"Don´t question me for once!" The girl yelled more infuriated than ever, noticing they have crossed the imaginary line established in the plan. "Just do as I say, otherwise we are screwed." Frowning, both pirates just nodded, not wanting to admit she had scared them for a second there. One thing was certain, however, once they were all safely away from that hell, someone was going to get yelled at. "Good."
Keeping an eye out, as she stuck her hand up, Reina tried to steady herself for what was to come. She knew Ace would not be happy, heck, he would be devastated, but it was the only option… at least the only option he had accepted.
As Whitebread stepped forward, finally joining the war officially, she saw him smile sadly. These were his children, and she couldn´t imagine how it felt to see them hurt or worse. Just the thought of losing her brothers was already killing her inside, to lose a child…
"This ends today…" She mumbled sadly, bowing her head slightly as the mighty pirate looked her way. It was happening. It was time… "DOWN!"
The shaking of the ground brought by surprise most soldiers, while the pirates, having already expected it, braced themselves for the impact. Lying on the ground, Ace was covering the little silhouette of his brother, wondering once again how on hell did Reina get herself involved in this mess. There wasn´t anything around he could grab to steady himself, but as he laid on the ground, he had to admit the effects of the unexpected earthquake were greatly reduced. Good thinking there…
"Move." Gritting his teeth, he had half the mind to refuse yet another order for his little sister, but knew there was no time for it. Helping Luffy stand up, who was still staring half confused at everyone, they took off, Reina moving behind them.
Most soldiers were out of the commission, the teen reflected as she glanced around, either by the poisoning, pirates' attacks or Whitebeard interference. Good for them, honestly, while the soldiers were not hard to deal with, their numbers were a pain. Everything seemed to go according to the plan, she hopped their luck would not run out before the whole mess ended.
.
.
At the back of her mind, Reina knew that she should have minded her business, paying attention to the present instead of the future. She knew, however, that she had jinxed them all. Either that or her famous luck was finally acting up, because suddenly, nothing was going as expected.
"ACE!" The dark haired girl yelled in terror, her feet carrying her through the battleground as wings. A part of her registered the sudden lack of Luffy, who had been thrown at her insistence into the ship and restrained, the advances of the reminding soldiers, the cold eyes of the ice user, the pleading call of her grandpa… but it was such a small portion of her, such an insignificant part, that she ignored everything, her eyes only on him.
Reina should have known Ace would not follow the plan. Honestly, it was his beloved father who offered himself to be the sacrifice, there was no doubt he would, at the very least, want to say goodbye. However, she knew him better than anyone else, she should have known he would react at any provocation towards his father. It didn't matter what, even the slightest insult to Whitebeard´s honor was unforgivable. And now, because of her lack of insight, he was going to pay with his life.
"ACE!" She yelled once again as someone tall stood in her way, obscuring her view of the fight between the fire user and magma user. Eyes glowing with furry, she glared at the intruder hatefully, her teeth gritting. "Step. Back."
It was the dammed ice user, couldn´t he just let her be? Couldn´t he see that this was a matter of life or death?
"I´m afraid I cannot do it." His voice was calm and slightly even bored, and it only made her angrier, fists clenching with uncontrollable furry. The sky grew darker, grey clouds approaching ominously, thunder raging on the horizon. "There is nothing you can do now, why go to your own death?"
Nothing she could do? She could do everything she wanted!
The eyes were glowing creepily as Reina felt her magic whip around her, fill her bloodstream with unstoppable energy. She was a witch. She had powers he could never dream off, and if that fool though he could stop her from reaching her goal, he was dead wrong.
Reliving it later, Aokiji should have realized something was wrong when those eyes started to glow, lightning freely raging on the battlefield. The fact it was raining only registered in his mind much later, as his whole attention was on the girl. The fact she smiled evilly also should have been a warning, but he had ignored it, staring almost fascinated.
Lifting her hand up, such an unthreatening gesture, the girl turned her palm his way as she mumbled something. The words, he couldn´t remember, having been stolen by the growing wind, but the pain that followed was something that would never leave his mind, nor his nightmares.
All of sudden, something exploded right in front of him, so violently he was thrown a few hundred meters back, interrupting momentarily the fight between the logia fruits. The pain, so intense and breathe taking, was too much. He could feel himself being ripped apart, part by part, but his devil fruit kept putting him back together. His last memory, before he fainted, was the crazed look in the girl's eyes.
Silence reigned for a second, as heads flew towards the weak looking girl, trying to understand what had happened. No one had deemed her important, the fight between the admiral and Fire Fist much interesting. However, as she started running once again, at impressive speed for someone so little, they couldn´t help but shudder. Her eyes, her emerald eyes, were glowing, and it was the creepiest things they had ever seen.
"Ace!" Reina yelled once again, propelling herself forward with the help of her newfound magic. It was nothing like those random outbursts from before, this magic she could control by will, it lived and breathed inside her. Just a little bit more…
What happened next was a blur for many. The girl was so close. Distracted, Fire First turned his eyes just for a second. And a manga fist connected with raw flesh.
"NOOOOO!" It was a wild scream, almost unhuman, filled with terror, anger and heat-breaking sadness. The Admiral was suddenly jerked backwards as a splash of icy water hit him head-on, the slender figure running towards the dying pirate. "No, no, no, no, no!"
"Reina…" Ace mumbled, having fallen to his knees. He could feel himself dying, slowly and painfully, as the magma ate away his flesh, just centimeters from his heart. His flames couldn´t help him, couldn´t regenerate what had been lost, and he knew, without a doubt, that there was nothing to do. "Reina, I´m so-sorry… Tell Luffy and Sabo that…"
"NO!" Throwing his arms around him, tears washed away by the rain, the girl trembled. "No, we just need a doctor, someone who can save you… You will live, you have to live!" A doctor, they needed someone who could save him, somewhere far away from there…
"I´m sorry…" With his last strength, he hugged her tightly, allowing his face to rest in her hair, feeling once again at peace. For some reason, he always felt at peace next to her… it was so… strange…
"No, please, no Ace!" This couldn´t be…
She heard as someone took steps towards her, probably one of those hated Admirals. It didn´t matter, however, Ace could still be saved. He could still live… If only… Closing her eyes tightly, reuniting all the power she could, all the magic she had, she made a wish. A wish to go where Ace could be saved, where they would be safe. She wished, more than anything, that Ace could live.
The whole Marine Ford shuddered as lighting hit the pair, blinding everyone for a few precious seconds. Both the marines and pirates gasped, well aware a direct hit by lighting meant death, and a certain black haired teen screamed in pain for his sister and brother. It was, without a doubt, the end of Fire First and the unknown girl.
As the light finally faded, strangely enough, the raining stopped, even though the clouds still reminded. However, no one paid attention, trying to spot the dead pair, only to bleach in surprise. Fire Fist and the girl were gone.
A/N: I think I am back for good... There probably won´t be another update for a month or two, I am planing on writing at least two more before I post anything, so that I have some on reserve when I am too busy to post anything. However, I am not giving up on this story!
Thanks everyone for being patient with me, I know this was a long wait, and most probably would like to strangle me and cut me into pieces... Thanks.
And belated Happy New Year!
Kaggami-chan