Author's Note - Well, despite your lack of reviews, here are the last two chapters. They could probably have been put together, but this one has been about my favorite chapter so far, and i didn't want to stick the mediocre epilogue onto it. Sorry it is a slightly shorter chapter, but i had a certain amount of story i wanted to put in, and it came out well so i did not try to dilute it to take the full length of a standard chapter.
Disclaimer : I do not own One Piece or any of the other fandoms from which names, places, abilities, or references are taken! Imaginary points to anyone who catches said references throughout the story and PM's them to me. Dunno if you'll get anything real, but i give sneak peaks and deleted scenes to my repeated reviewers, so it isn't unthinkable.
Chapter 25 - The Blood of Kings
He took a deep breath and opened his eyes. The time had arrived. Ace looked up at the platform raised over the crowd and smiled to himself sadly. With one last moment of hesitation, he began the walk up the stairs.
At the top of the platform, he could see the brown traces of dried blood among the red rust and silver steel of the platform. Was that the blood of Gold Roger? His own father? After all these years, it was hard to believe, but he had seen stranger things in his brief time as a pirate.
He stood there, looking over the crowd, thinking about the last time he had been in this spot. He had shaken the world. Now was his last chance to do it again. Behind him, Coby and Haruta stood shoulder to shoulder, looking ill. He felt bad for asking them to do this, but he could never have made one of his own crew go through that. A revolutionary and a pirate. On the other edge of the platform, one of the remaining marine soldiers. The three together fully represented Ace's heritage, and he thought it fitting that what had made him should be his end as well.
"Long live the Pirate King!" Someone in the crowd below shouted. Haruta and Coby looked at their feet, unable to face what they were being asked to do without shame.
The crowd was cheering now, calling for the man who had claimed the title of king among pirates to tell them how he had overthrown the government. How he had reached Raftel at such a young age. How he had destroyed the power of the Devil's Fruit in the world.
Near the front of the crowd, he could see familiar faces, and it nearly made him rethink his decision. Kuina was smiling for him, side by side with his mother. Even knowing what was coming, they were strong for him. Olivia and Callan stood next to them, his wings folded behind him, though still large enough for flight, and his arms wrapped around her stomach. That made him grin. Olivia had never been happier. Roger, Rachel, Shanks, and Makino were standing together, only Shanks had the faintest trace of sadness on his face. Ace had not told his crew yet. He would tell them when he told the world.
Dragon and Garp stood behind his mother, strong and tall, hands on her shoulders. His family was in good hands. Robin and Kuzan stood by them, the tall ex-marine holding his daughter comfortingly. Sabo and Koala, along with a handful of ex marines, stood near the Revolutionary Dragon. They had supported him the whole way, and now he could see dark clouds blocking the sun, although no rain fell. Sabo's work, no doubt. Soul had his arm around Cora, and his scythe across his own. He was talking quietly to the girl at his side, but his eyes never left his captain. They had argued, but in the end, Ace had convinced him to stay with Cora.
Dracule Steel was radiant, holding his little sister's hand as he stood between his parents. His mother was crying, but it was with joy for having her son back, not sadness over what they were gathered for. Mihawk seemed to have some idea of what was going on, because although he showed little emotion, his one good eye was locked on Ace. Now the pirate captain knew where his sniper had gotten his eyes.
Musei stood alone, although there were a few women watching him with fascination from the crowd. He took no notice of them. Until this gathering was over, his captain was his one and only concern. Marco and the Whitebeard Pirates took up a large corner of the crowd, the emperor and his closest advisers earning a wide circle of space from the wary people.
Near Nami and Robin, those who remained of the old Straw Hat crew gathered. Usopp and Kaya, who was evidently pregnant, much to the amusement of the older sniper standing by his son. Franky, along with his friend and colleague Iceberg, who had built their incredible ship themselves. Sanji, who stood next to Pell and Vivi, casting jealous glances at the pale man. Chopper, sitting on the shoulder of a fantastically old woman, who still managed to stand with all the grace and strength of a teenager.
Scattered through the crowd he saw others as well. A man with only one arm, who had once been their enemy. Sean. An old man they had met in East Blue, the father of the girl Kuina was named after. Buggy the Star Clown, who was in high spirits. He was finally able to swim, and had declared his retirement as soon as he had recovered the treasure he had set his sights on decades ago. Despite the small measure of its worth, in comparison to what the former Warlord had accomplished, he insisted it was the treasure he had set out for, and it held as much meaning to him as One Piece, in a way.
Doctor Kishitani, who had taught Olivia and employed her for a while. A few of the villagers who had known the twins and Ace when they were children. A scarred and wild looking man, Bellamy, who had once been a dangerous enemy to Ace's father, but had grown to respect him.
At the back of the crowd, unnoticed by any one, but catching Ace's eye for a moment, stood a very old man he had never met. There was a pair of glasses balanced on his nose, and a gray coat over his shoulders. There was a sword at his hip, and despite his ancient appearance, there were rippling muscles in his arms, and his tight black shirt showed he was not to be taken lightly. His white hair fell past his shoulders, and the hair on his chin was shaved into stripes as it approached his bottom lip. He gave the Pirate King a grin and nod, and Ace could only wonder at who the man was. When he looked for him again, he had vanished.
Ace stepped to the front of the platform and held up his hand to the crowd, smiling proudly when they all fell silent in a matter of seconds. He had never imagined he would command that level of respect from even complete strangers.
"You all know who I am, but I don't think many of you really know me. They are calling me Straw Hat Ace, after my father, Straw Hat Luffy. It's true, he really was my father. My name is Monkey D. Ace, and I am here to tell you a story. Once you know it, I want you to all go and tell that story to the rest of the world, until every last man and woman alive knows the truth. Because that is what I set out for. Not treasure, or power, or fame. I went looking for truth and freedom, and that is what I have found. I've come here to give it to you all as well." Ace began. Not a single voice interrupted him as he continued.
"Nine hundred and forty one years ago, a period of history began known as the Void Century. Something happened then, over the next one hundred years, that the government when to unbelievable lengths to cover up. The study of the time was forbidden, and was punished by mass murder. The island of scholars, Ohara, was obliterated simply for trying to find the truth. Every man, woman and child was slaughtered except one. The mystery of the Void Century centered around an ancient kingdom, who's very name had been erased. But they knew their enemy, and they made preparations. They carved their history into Poneglyphs and scattered them throughout the world to uncover the truth for future generations.
"The scholars of Ohara learned to translate these blocks, and the single survivor brought that secret to my father. Together with his crew, Nico Robin traveled the world, piecing together the lost history. She was hunted by the government for the only crime of living when the government wanted her dead. At Raftel, she found the final Poneglyph, and together they explained the truth. Something had happened, and nations began to unite with the intention of ruling the entire world. The Ancient Kingdom, Shi Kyodai, would not join them. Instead, they made three weapons to defend themselves from a power they did not fully understand.
"They made a warship capable of sinking entire islands, but the alliance of kingdoms had developed a protocol called a Buster Call with the same effect. They made a mermaid with the power to command Sea Kings, and they allied themselves with the fishmen and merpeople for their own protection. The government developed coating technology so that their ships would be undetectable to Sea Kings below the surface. Finally, the kingdom created a third weapon. This weapon was their greatest, and their last. Upon it's completion, the alliance of kingdoms would stand no more. They wiped the ancient kingdom from the earth, and their final weapon was lost to the world. The three weapons were all kept in the center of the world. Fishman Island, Mariejois, and Takai Tokoro. Poseidon, the mermaid, lived at the bottom of the sea. Pluton, the warship, was kept at the surface, in the water ways of the central city. And finally, Uranus was built into the ground at the top of the Red Line, and left with a colony of men to protect it. This colony was all that survived of the Ancient Kingdom.
"Poseidon was lost to time, and forgotten. The power to command the kings of the sea was passed down generation to generation, but never used. The ship was sunk to the bottom of the sea and renamed Noah. The ship was to be raised on a certain day to bring the fishman to become part of our world, but before it could happen, the alliance of twenty kingdoms destroyed the ancient kingdom, delaying the plan for centuries to come. Uranus, like the others, had its purpose twisted and demonized by the alliance, although they never found it to destroy it. The three weapons were created with the purpose of bringing freedom to the world. Poseidon to destroy the government that had seized control of the world against its will, Pluton to untie fishmen with humans, and Uranos to strike down the root of the problem.
"The root of the problem was three brothers, who had found great power and decided men were their playthings. They sent their will and power into the world to drive us as they saw fit. The government belonged to the eldest brother. The Five Elders served him directly, if unknowingly. It is from him that the notion of Absolute Justice came. Hundreds, maybe thousands of innocent men, women and children have lost their lives to this Absolute Justice because of the government under the thumb of the first brother.
"The second brother gave men the will of anarchy, each man for himself. All thoughts of friendship and loyalty were second to the justice of a single person. Pirate Warlords and Emperors rose up from his will, seeking their own gain with no thought to right or wrong. Kaido and Big Mom were among these. He also gave the world the power of Haki, and cursed those with the power of the devil's fruit to be powerless within his domain of the sea.
"The third brother was the source of the Devil's Fruit, sending his own powers out to make men strong. He drove men to take, advance, and always strive forward to become greater. In theory, honorable, but these brothers had no interest in the well being of mankind. The colony sent to guard Uranus was corrupted and twisted by the will of the third brother, and they became like animals.
"Weeks ago, my crew and I reached Takai Tokoro and activated Uranus. It dragged these three brothers to this world and made them vulnerable to us. We have destroyed them, and that is why there is no longer Haki or Devil's Fruit powers. The colony of Takai Tokoro has been freed from the will of the third brother, and they are beginning to make amends for their crimes to their neighbors. The government has fallen, and in its place, the revolutionaries will be enacting the system of the Ancient Kingdom. A representative democracy, where every kingdom will be represented fairly by men they choose.
"The fishmen will be coming to the surface in the next years and joining this world as they should have been able to do centuries ago. Mariejois will no longer be a gate for the government to control, but a doorway for inhabitants of every sea to pass through. Although it has been destroyed, Ohara is to be rebuilt and become once again the center of knowledge for the world.
"The people of the Red Line wish to live in peace, apart from the sea below. Maybe some day they will wish to join you as well. The world was under a great pressure, but that pressure is lifting. The world and its people are free now. But there is one last thing that must be done.
"There was a fourth brother, among the three who forced their will upon mankind. He refused to control us, and instead gave his will to us to use ourselves. He gave us power to take back our freedom from his brothers, but his will must leave us now as well. This straw hat that you have all seen... A thousand years ago, the fourth brother traveled this world and wove this hat from strands of straw from every island in the world. He put his will into it and left it for the future to find, as he went to Raftel and prepared for the time when we would begin to fight for our freedom.
"Gol D. Roger found the hat a little over seventy years ago. Many of you have heard of us with the initial D. and wondered what it means. It means Dorean, the fourth brother. The name of the ancient kingdom, Shi Kyodai means 'the fourth brother'. The secret that the three brothers could agree on. The fourth brother was not to be allowed the opportunity to take away their power over us. So, with Dorean's Will, and the hat of the world, Gol D. Roger set out to shake the world. He gathered a crew and traveled the world, and despite his own flaws, he became a symbol for freedom and loyalty.
"He sailed to the end of the world and made this hat into a crown when he became the Pirate King. There, in the caves of Raftel, he found the spirit of Dorean and learned all I have told you and more. He learned the meaning of his name, and he learned of the three brothers who were oppressing our world. And he learned he was not the one who could stop it. You see, to take back the world, one had to represent the entire world, and he was short of the requirement. So, he scattered his crew, passed on his hat, and went to his death. Why? Because the weight of even the fourth brother's will was breaking our world.
"Years later, the hat found its way to my father, who set out to become the Pirate King and succeeded. He brought the hat to Raftel once more. It had traveled to the legendary island with Dorean, Roger, and now Luffy. Where no man had reached the island three times, this hat had. But Luffy wasn't the one either. He achieved his dream, but he was not the one to free the world. And so, he went to his death, giving his crew the freedom to pursue their dreams. And so his hat came to me.
"I took Dorean's hat to Raftel for the fourth time, and found myself to be the one he was waiting for. My crew representing the entire world, and all the powers therein. North Blue, South Blue, East Blue, West Blue, Paradise, New World, Calm Belt, and Sky. All varieties of Devil's Fruit, and all forms of Haki. Humans and Skypians. A fishman had taught the man who made our ship. Warlords, Revolutionaries, Marines, Emperors. We were descended from them all. And so, with the weight of the world on our backs, we traveled to the top of the Red Line.
"Now, the time has come for the fourth brother's will to depart this world as well. I want to thank you all, my friends, nakama, crew, allies, family... You made this life worth every second. I regret nothing, and that is how all men should go." Ace stepped back from the edge, head lowered so that the hat covered his eyes. His friends knew now, and the pain on their faces would make him falter. He called out his final words to the world.
"There is no greater treasure than to live free. One Piece still sits at the end of the Grand Line. A treasure of unimaginable value, and an adventure you will never forget. Roger challenged you before me, and so I challenge you! Sail to Raftel! Claim my treasure! Live free, and never forget that this world is yours! I am the Pirate King, the son of a pirate, who was the son of a revolutionary, who was the son of a marine, and so it is a marine, a revolutionary, and a pirate who I have chosen to send me to the next world!" He grinned now, looking out at the crowd with all the excitement and confidence of the king he was. He saw his mother and Kuina smiling for him, Dragon and Garp behind them. His crew, some crying, some smiling, some lost in confusion.
These people would live in a free world, and he had given it to them! He laughed. Raftel. Laughter. Here at the end, it all seemed simple and clear. He closed his eyes, and he could see his father grinning, side by side with a green haired swordsman, and the man who he had been named after.
He saw sunlight and green grass. Clear water and smiling faces. Dorean's gift, to make bearing his curse a little easier.
Coby, Haruta, and the marine soldier stepped toward him slowly, each holding a long blade. They stood in an arc around the kneeling pirate, who's head had lower to expose his back and neck to them. There was not a hint of fear in him as he waited for their blades to fall.
Rachel felt sick. One moment she had been triumphant and happy, shoulder to shoulder with the man she loved and his parents, then the truth hit her. Ace was not just here to tell their story to the world. The last time she had been here was at his father's execution, and she couldn't help but think how similar they looked now, grinning, head bowed, waiting for death. She squeezed Roger's hand. His expression told her he had not know, but as she looked around, she knew that some had. Shanks, Marco, Dragon, Nami, Sabo, Kuina, Soul. They knew. She felt tears begin running down her face as she turned back to the platform. She wanted to cry out for them to stop, but she knew that the Pirate King had made his decision.
Cora buried her face in Soul's chest, unable to watch the death of her captain. Olivia was trying her best not to break Callan's fingers as she held on to his hands to keep herself steady. Callan didn't notice. Soul was holding Cora with one arm as his scythe stood in the other, like the grim reaper himself come to take his friend away from this life.
Dragon forced himself to smile even as his father cried beside him. They had both been here too many times. They had both watched too many loved ones die. Nami and Kuina stood tall, smiling for the black haired man who meant everything in the world to them. There would be time to cry later.
One the platform, Coby looked across at Haruta. They were both crying, and the marine between them was unwilling to be the first to lower his blade on the Pirate King. The two had watched this man rise to the top of the world, and now they were asked to kill him? It was not fair.
Then they had their attention stolen by movement before them. For a moment, they thought Ace was standing up to tell them it was all a joke. But no, the thing standing before them was not a solid body, but a transparent image of a man. His face was split in a happy grin as he stood out of Ace's kneeling form and looked around. He had messy black hair and the straw hat sat on his head instead of Ace's. He was taller than Ace or Luffy had been, and their was evidence of facial hair that neither pirate had ever dealt with. The man was older than either, although how much older was impossible to tell.
"Your services are no longer required. I brought my own executioner." The phantom's voice was calm and smooth and all three found themselves lowering their blades to their sides. Noticing the new voice, Ace raised his head, looking back at the apparition. It smiled down at him and offered a hand to the pirate. Ace took it and rose to his feet, looking over the man who could have passed for him in a decade or so. "We meet face to face at last, Ace. You have courage beyond what I gave you, to face your death so well."
"Dorean?" Ace asked. He knew it must be. The phantom nodded.
"That's right. Thank you, for carrying out the task I left to you. You toppled my brothers, and freed the world. Now, it is my turn to free you from the burden of this death. Rayleigh!" Dorean turned to the stairs as the ancient man Ace had seen stepped out onto the platform. "You asked to accompany your captain many years ago, and I made you stay to teach his successor. Now, I think it is time I allowed you to depart this world, and take me with you. Dark King, you may not have carried my will, but you lived it as much as any D."
"Just one more moment, please." Silvers Rayleigh stepped to the edge of the platform and looked around, finding the two he was seeking. "Shanks! Buggy! Well done. Roger always knew the two of you would be great pirates one day. He was never wrong." With that, the man turned and extended his hand to the fourth brother. "Now I'm ready. Take me home, Dorean."
Dorean took the hand, and Rayleigh took on the same transparency as the fourth brother. With one last grin at the two men who had been apprenticed under him decades before, he vanished along with the fourth brother. The straw hat that had shaken the world so many times floated gently to the ground where they had been standing moments before. With his departure, the thick clouds began to clear.
Ace leaned down and lifted the hat, staring at it long and hard. He closed his eyes, but his father wasn't there anymore. The green grass and sunny sky and clear water and cool breeze and smiling faces he had been so ready to walk into were gone, and in its place, he felt the rough texture of the hat in his hand and heard the whispering of the crow behind him.
Was this really it? He was free of the destiny that had consumed him for the last year. He grinned triumphantly and placed the hat on his head, turning to the crowd, and opening his eyes. There were no more tears. Soul was the first to shout above the whispers.
"Long live the Pirate King!" Soul roared out to the sky, scythe raised over his head and a smile on his face. After a heartbeat of silence where his proclamation echoed in the air, the crowd took up the cry as well. The shouts and screams and whistles became almost deafening as Ace laughed, stepping to the edge of the platform and looking down at the people he had been moments from never seeing again.
Behind him, the three executioner dropped their blades, descending the stairs to join those cheering for the man with the straw hat.
His crew was pushing their way through, running up the stairs and onto the platform. Soul hung a heavy captain's coat on Ace's shoulders, as Kuina opened the box Nami had handed her and set the golden crown around the middle of the hat before hugging him tightly.
"It's good to have you back, Captain." Soul grinned as he patted the man's shoulder before stepping back and letting the others get their hands on him. After a dozen hugs and a few punches for scarring them, they all took positions beside him, facing the crowd.
"These are the people who helped me give you your freedom!" Ace shouted over the cheers of the crowd. "My first mate, Hunter D. Soul! My navigator, Roronoa Kuina! My doctor, Roronoa Olivia! My thief and mantra teacher, Shanda Callan! My sniper, Dracule Steel! My musician, Trafalgar Cora! My cook, Akagami Roger! My swordsman, Kenoreru Musei! My friends and allies, the magnificent swordswoman Akarui Rachel, the Pirate Emperors Red Haired Shanks and Marco the Phoenix, and the Revolutionary Dragon's own successor, Sabo!" The men and women around him could not help but grin at the excitement and pride in the Pirate King's voice.
The crowd never lessened its cheers as Ace was led down the stairs he never thought he would descend on his own two feet and into the waiting arms of his family.
Sabo took the stage above and began explaining to the assembled crowd and the dozens of nations listening and watching via Den Den Mushi how the new government system would work. When he had finished, Shanks took his place and announced a party that would not be forgotten nor fully remembered in any year to come.
At the back shore of Loguetown, beyond the hills that had stopped the city's expansion, the pirates and revolutionaries celebrated with the visitors and the remaining marines. With Sanji and Roger cooking, they were treated to a feast like never before. The Red Hair Pirates, freshly stocked from their Captain's fiance, supplied enough alcohol to satisfy everyone who gathered. Usopp, Yasopp, and Steel competed for greatest sniper, each so unfailing in their skill that non could determine a winner. When he was not cooking, Roger was sparring with Rachel and Musei as entertainment for the crowd. Cora and the other musicians played song after song, taking time to play Bink's Sake in memory of the original Straw Hat's musician. The cheerful skeleton could not have asked for a better send off.
The sky was bright and blue now, not a cloud in sight. Sabo's tattoo had vanished with the spirit of the one who had given it to the line of revolutionaries. Koala assured him that she would be expecting him to get a tattoo to replace it, since she had gotten used to it.
Ace was surrounded at every moment, if not by his crew, then by admirers and reporters. The party lasted long into the night, and nearly till dawn. By then, most of the guests had departed, and over half the pirates had passed out. After a few hours of rest, Ace and his crew gathered on the deck of their ship.
"Captain, why didn't you tell us?" Cora asked pointedly. The others who had been left in the dark nodded.
"Because I knew you would have wanted to stop me." Ace said. "I'm sorry. I should not have kept it from you."
"No... But I am glad you did. You're right. We would have tried to stop you." Roger grinned. "Without your Haki, we may have stood a chance!"
"Maybe." Ace laughed and stretched, looking at the slowly lightening horizon. "I never thought I would live to see this day..." He reached into the inside pocket of the heavy captain's coat he still wore and pulled out something his mother had given him, dropping slowly to one knee, he held the small golden crown up to his navigator. "Every Pirate King needs a Queen."
So, until i was half way through writing this chapter, i had not yet decided whether or not Ace would live or die. Looks like he lucked out today! I also had not intended for him to propose to Kuina, but it just sorta happened. Next chapter is the epilogue, and then that is it! The end of Ace's adventures. It had been fun, and i hope a few of you enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it. Once i finish, i'll hopefully get back to work on my Underland Chronicles story before the people their get too impatient.
Read and Review!