Warnings: Seriousness
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, who belong to Eiichiro Oda, but I own the plot.
What Must Eventually Happen, What Has Already Been
Sometimes during their travels over the sea, they would come across entire boats encased in stone. Most of them were never very large. The largest one they ever came across was Whitebeard's ship, sometime during their thirtieth year.
As stone, it was large and foreboding. The beautiful architecture could not be admired in the face of hard, unforgiving stone. The crew, even the few humans there for some obscure reason, was entirely made of stone. It looked as if the ship had been stuck there ever since that fateful day all those years ago.
"Roger, what happened to these humans?" Shanks looked over at Rouge as she looked around at the humans frozen. The only way they were able to tell they were different was because of the different stone they were encased in. While creatures of the night were stuck in white marble, humans were covered in the darkest types of hematite. "They shouldn't be frozen, right?" She said sadly, looking over all the happy faces the crew had.
"It happens very rarely. If there are more creatures of the night than humans in a given area, humans may get trapped as well."
Shanks turned back around and looked up at the hulking form of Whitebeard. He had only met him a few times while on Roger's crew, and even then it was always in battle. Still, he held respect for the huge man, and to see him like this just made Shanks…angry. They hadn't seen many people stuck in stone, and only know, after thirty years, did it really sink in. They weren't just wandering the planet for the sake of it – they had to move, to find that island where the All Soul must be born, they had to end this for these trapped people.
If only ending it didn't mean waiting seventy more years.
"Ace!" Shanks turned and saw Rouge and Roger standing in front of the figure of the young man. His eyes widened as he realized that meant Ace was a vampire now, and he was stuck as well.
"It's strange, isn't it," Benn said from his side. "It didn't strike me how serious this was until now, when it's people I know and not random strangers trapped in stone."
"That's how it always is though, isn't it," Rayleigh said from behind, making both teens turn to look at him. "Unless you've lived it before or know the victims personally, its importance isn't really understood. That's just how people work, especially in a world where danger is everywhere and your only goal is survival."
Shanks turned back to Roger, Rouge, and Ace and felt his nonexistent heart break. They looked so sad. How must it feel to be reunited with your son, only for him to be completely unaware of your existence?
It was too cruel. It just gave Shanks one more reason to hate this revival spell and whoever cast it.
Shanks found it annoying that, after forty years, they still had not reached the island. Sure, they had to go to every single island between the start and ending points, but why did it have to take so long?
Still, maybe it was a good thing they had to visit all those islands. Otherwise, they never would've run into the Monkey D. family.
Until that day, Shanks could honestly say he knew nothing about the family other than the fact that Rouge lived near them with Ace while Roger was in and out, visiting whenever he could to try and be a good father while still being a pirate. He only vaguely knew Garp but like with Whitebeard, it was through battle.
The first thing Garp did the second he saw Roger was start a fight. Rayleigh just chuckled, amused, while Dragon sighed with deeply ingrained irritation and fondness. Rouge and Dragon's wife giggled while Shanks stood with his own crew in the back, all of them utterly confused, amused, and annoyed all at the same time.
Only Rouge's question was able to quiet everything.
"Are you pregnant?" She asked with worried eyes, looking over the form of her friend. The woman had long, shining black hair. Her eyes were a startling blue and her smile was large, wide, and beautiful. But underneath her eyes were bags of fatigue and lines of stress were forming on her forehead.
"From when I died…" The still unnamed woman trailed off. Rouge frowned and pulled the woman into a hug while the men stopped fighting or chuckling, their faces pointed either downward or upward.
Shanks and the others were left standing in confusion.
"What's going on?" Usopp asked, his voice shaky and unsure as he gripped onto Yasopp's hand. The woman looked at him with sad eyes, a sad smile.
"My child has been chosen as the All Soul."
It was a few hours later. They were on land, in a jungle thick with lush bushes and flowers and fruits. They were able to feast, a rarity for them, and gorged themselves on the sweet, juicy food, not caring at all for the bugs attacking them or the roars of monsters deep in the unknown darkness shielded by human sized leafs.
They were on the beach at the moment, surrounding a fire pit they had built, eating some more of the delectable fruit. But the air was not one of playfulness – no, it was serious, tense. The woman held some fruit in her hands, staring down at it as the orange fire against the dark purple, almost black sky sent looming shadows across their faces.
"As you know, anyone can give birth in this time, no matter if you are ghost or human, animal or monster. The ability is there. It's the only way the All Soul, the child of ghosts, can be born."
"We understand that, but how do you know you are the mother?" Shanks said, tilting his head to the side as he bit into a large fruit, almost the size of his head, trying to get every last bit of it into his stomach.
"The child, while born in this time, cannot be conceived in this time."
The teens and Usopp stopped eating and looked up at her, looks of understanding crossing their faces. Next to her, Dragon bit harshly into a fruit, yanking out the insides with ferocity that can only be born from anger, grief, even regret.
"Only one woman who was killed while pregnant is revived by the revival spell. That woman will give birth to the All Soul host. Though I want my child born, the last thing I want is for him to be the All Soul."
Shanks had put his fruit in his lap, staring at the fire. He knew Roger could tell what he was thinking. Maybe this was what Roger meant when he said he had to wait for the answers.
"For all I've heard that name thrown around, not once have I heard much about what they do. They hold the strongest dream of all and the dreams of all others. Why is that so important?"
The adults looked between each other before Roger sighed.
"You boys deserve an answer…it's been far too long. You've suffered as much as us. We need not hold the answers from you any longer."
Shanks, Benn, Yasopp, and Roo looked between each other while Usopp just stared at Roger confusedly.
"The All Soul is born during the revival spell. For the revival spell to be possible, a child who was killed before his birth must be born within the 100 years this spell takes place. It is the only way that the ghosts are able to live as long as we have. We are connected to the child. But, something happens when the spell ends to that child, something incredibly unfair."
Shanks had a bad feeling as Rayleigh took over where Roger left off. The mustached man was staring at the fire, hands clenched tight together. Garp sat with his arms crossed, back straight, and expression grim.
Two very known jolly men were grim. That didn't sit well with the red head.
"Once the All Soul, the last ghost of the revival spell is born, his or her structure is changed. All ghosts become alive again, but only through the blue blood. Death comes quick to many and their dying wishes are linked to the child. As the spell slowly wears off of the creatures of the night, their souls too become linked with his. By the time the blue bloods have been for the most part killed off, the child holds the dreams of the dead within himself, in the blood running through his veins.
"If that child dies, all those dreams are let loose like Pandora's box. Chaos would engulf the world. That is why the child must let go of all of those dreams in a safe place, where they will be undisturbed forever."
He did not continue. The adults were saying nothing, the teens were tense, Usopp was scared.
"How does the child do that?"
Roger closed his eyes.
"The child must die and turn into a red blood," He started, ignoring the looks of shock coming across the youngsters faces. "At the place we are heading to, there is a cave deep within the mountains. There, the child must be submerged underwater for twenty four hours, dead. They will come back to life, but if anything happens to the child while in that pool…Pandora's box, as Rayleigh said. That chaotic horror would unleash itself. Dreams would go haywire, turn into nightmares, take possession of anything in sight, cause havoc, kill…"
"The kid has to die?" Shanks said, his nonexistent blood running cold. Roger had to do this to himself…now a little kid had to do this to himself.
"Why? That's so unfair!" Usopp's voice was strangled as he felt his tears well in his eyes. Just imagining having to do that to oneself. "Doesn't that hurt?!"
Roger didn't answer.
"Is that really all Teach wants? To unleash chaos onto the world?"
"Probably not."
The youngest five looked over at Dragon, whose face was set in a deep scowl as he held his wife close to him.
"If Teach can take possession of the All Soul, he could do anything he wants. Until the child becomes a red blood, they have unspeakable power – the ability to talk to the dead, take large amounts of pain to make if more difficult to die – a defense mechanism really – they can fly, speak to animals, do an array of things. If Teach does get his hands on the child, the disaster he would cause would be horrendous."
Dragon held his wife close to him. Garp sat as still as he was before, back straight, but now his eyes were closed in pain. Rayleigh sat with his arms crossed as he stared at the fire. Roger looked at the ground, his elbows on his knees, as Rouge's hands rested over his clenched ones. Usopp clutched onto Yasopp at the new knowledge while the teens stared in varying states of shock and horror. Shanks threw his gaze to the ground, clutching at his clothes desperately, furiously. He muttered to himself angrily, a new fire burning in his eyes.
"Teach!"
I'll make sure you fall.
Shanks handed the sleeping child over to Ace as he turned back to look at the scene he remembered oh so well. Ace was staring down at the boy with eyes full of mixed emotions, tears falling from being unable to contain them. The rest of the crew was much the same, even Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Robin, who barely knew him, all had either wet eyes or looks of fury.
"Luffy," Ace whispered, cradling the body. The boy had to fricking die? Even if it wasn't…permanent, the thought still terrified Ace to the very core. What was even worse for Ace was that he remembered that woman, even if it was only vague, a shadow in his dreams. He knew she had been pregnant, had been waiting to be a big brother in a way, because that was what would have happened. The two families were always together. But then Ace's family had to leave with a promise on both sides to meet again.
He never knew that she died.
"It's not over yet," Shanks said, still staring ahead at the scenes playing out one by one. Robin looked at him, eyes hard.
"Of what?" Normally she wouldn't question new information, but if it was just irrelevant traveling, she would rather return to reality.
"Of what happened to us and the boy's birth."
AN: I really don't know how I feel about this chapter. Wrote it last night because of school and other stuff and blaaaahhhhhh. It sucks the life out of me. But, this chapter had a bunch of important information that hopefully cleared up some things. I'm just gonna list them in clearer terms below because I don't know how clear it is but I don't really want to rewrite it...Sorry for being lazy.
1. Once the All Soul is born, the revival spell slowly begins to wear off. Ghosts have blood - blue blood - ensuring that they now, like red bloods, have the ability to die. The spell around the frozen-in-stone people begins to wear off - no protective barrier.
2. Too many dreams enter the All Soul's body. He must let them out in a magic pool hidden deep in the mountains, submerged in water for 24 hours - dead during them - and is then revived with red blood.
3. The All Soul's mother was pregnant with the child when she died and she is the only pregnant woman revived.
blacklightningwolf: Thanks! Sorry if it gets confusing at times, but hopefully this chapter helps make more sense of things. :)
Aslightlybadasshuman: Thanks! I'm glad you like it! :)
Guest: Thank you! Hopefully this chapter cleared things up. Sorry for the confusion.
shadowmarialove: That's good! I'm glad it makes more sense now :)
MysticMaiden 18: I'm glad :) Happy you enjoy it!
Bluebird42: Yes, Chopper isn't going to show up for a while, but Franky and Brook should be showing up soon...I think. Haven't been able to write a lot lately :( Thanks! :)
luffylova: Hahaha, ya, but she was like a two or three year old when he last saw her. She only recognized him through her mother's words.
samettikettu: Thank you! :D I hater writers block so much, and school doesn't help. A club against it sounds lovely!
Rahhhhhhhh school! This is my senior year and I just don't want to do anything! It's so bad! I mean, I'm a workaholic so I get stuff done (if I don't do my homework I literally feel like crying and I stress myself out - it's really bad) but it's just - school! And I hate it when a teacher assigns "studying". I'm NOT going to study. I can't sit there and stare at vocab! It's not possible! I'd rather have work! *coughs* Ahem, sorry for the rant, but school (mainly the people) has been grating my nerves a little. But it helped me manage to write this last night in like a half hour! I was like "Oh no I totally forgot about The Color Matters! D:" But then this was born! Don't know how it turned out, but it's necessary.
Anyway, thank you so, so much for reading! Please leave a review - they all make me really, really happy! I love you guys! Ana out ~