3 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1½-inch pieces.
That was the important part. It had to be fresh, and it had to be neatly sliced. People always messed that up.
2 teaspoons salt- that was important too. If you added too much or too little the meat wouldn't quite taste right. Throwing in half a potato could usually save a dish whenever someone messed up tablespoons and teaspoons. Which everyone claimed was an easy mistake to make but honestly it wasn't. When you were dumping spoons of salt into a little bowl that should be a red flag. It was just better to do everything yourself, at least then you would know if was being done right.
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper- Never underestimate the importance of fresh pepper. A magical spice.
3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 medium yellow onions, 7 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon tomato paste -homemade was always preferred, but then again with so many mouths to feed it was hard to find the time.
A cup of flour, 2 cups dry red wine- if your more troublesome siblings… or captain… didn't get to it first. It was best to hide it on a high shelf. Maybe in a potato sack. That usually worked…. Well except against Ace. He was one of the few that actually would take raw potatoes or cooking wine with equal enthusiasm.
2 cups beef broth, 5 cups water, fresh parsley, and basil
The door was open again.
Thatch took a break from gathering the ingredient list in his head, rising to his feet. His cell was dark, but the hallway was bathed in flickering light from the dozens of candles on the wall. He hesitated in the doorway, unsure of what he wanted.
There was a time when the answer would have been simple. But that had been a while ago. And nothing was simple anymore.
Luffy met him there, standing just beyond the threshold. His clothes and hair were mused, as if he had just been sleeping for a long time. He looked tired like he could sleep for another year and still it wouldn't be enough, yet when he saw Thatch his face split into his trademark smile, impossibly large, practically beaming.
The extensive scars and bloodied bandages on his body had healed- as if they had never been there at all. Only a handful of bruises and scrapes remained, similar to the ones Luffy had been sporting when they had met. On anyone else, those kinds of marks would look out of place, but Thatch had honestly never seen Luffy without some kind of damage. Normally that would be a dark thought, but considering Luffy's track record for finding trouble, Thatch was starting to think not many people had seen an unmarred Luffy. It suited him in a way. Not the disturbing horror they had both survived, but a couple band-aids, or some scrapes seemed at home on him. Just enough to know he lived an adventurous life (and was constantly up to no good).
He looked healthy now. Not too thin, or too pale. Whatever he had been up to, he had been getting plenty of sun and food. That was good…
Luffy motioned at Thatch to come with him, but the man shook his head, his foot firmly rooted in the doorway of his open cell, not willing to take a step in either direction.
The kid gave him a puzzled look, gesturing again but Thatch just shook his head. Luffy hesitated in the hallway, seemingly confused. With a frown he turned away from Thatch, continuing on down the hallway.
Thatch watched him go, feeling the overwhelming urge to go with him.
Soon- soon but not yet. It wasn't time yet.
Luffy never looked back. He reached the end of the hall, opening the doors as if they never had locks on them at all.
Marco was already there waiting for him. Standing in the sunshine, his wings stretched out around him, the light refracting off his feathers as if they were made of glass. Marco's phoenix wings were so damn pretty! Thatch had always thought so. But he had never told his brother. How odd his own pride seemed now.
Marco seemed at home in the sunlight. The breeze ruffled his hair and feathers. He stood there full of confidence, like the world was his… as it should be. He could quite literally go anywhere with those wings of his. He wasn't trapped here, none of them were.
Ace was beside him… no longer evil. The sunlight had cleared him of that too, as if one strong beam had shattered the invisible chain that had kept him tied to Blackbeard. He was free now, free and lighter than Thatch had seen him before.
He opened his arms to Luffy and the kid wasted no time throwing himself at his brother.
They looked happy, out there in the sunlight.
They wanted Thatch to come with them, but the man never did. He had already made up his mind. He was going to wait here for the rest of his family.
And in the meantime, he would go over the recipes in his head, over and over until thoughts of red tomatoes, sizzling meats, and chopped onions drove him crazy.
He thought of Marco's favorite dishes, and Aces, and Oyaji's, and Izo's, and Vistas', and the rest of his siblings. He thought of the dishes he was planning to make with Luffy. He had a whole list going….
It was so stupid!
Luffy had needed help. He had needed a real doctor, he had needed someone to save him, someone stronger. He hadn't ever needed a cook.
What the hell had Thatch thought teaching him to cook would accomplish? Would it make any of this better? Would it somehow undo all this bad? No! Rather than fantasizing about useless stuff, he should have picked up a medical book, or maybe a lockpicking one, or Something! He should have done something.
But he didn't- and he couldn't- and it was too late.
They were all dead. And all Thatch could do was sit on the floor of his cell going over recipes in his head he would never get to make.
How was that for irony?
And almost every night he would have that same dream. Standing in his cell, watching Luffy walk down the long hallway to the door. Thatch would see Marco, and Ace, and he would watch the three of them leave together. Sometimes others would be there too, people Thatch lost too soon. Sometimes it would just be Oyaji, coming to keep an eye on him.
Regardless, it always ended the same. Thatch standing right there, useless to the very end, with one foot anchoring him into reality, and one very impatient food itching to follow them.
But he never did.
…
XXX
The world was quiet.
Not in that peaceful way. But rather like all of the panic and violence had sunk beneath the water. It was still there, just muted now, a loud ringing taking its place- and that feeling of wrongness.
The world was wrong!
Time dripped by, with an audible level of slowness. Each second seemed to stretch into an endless moment of borrowed time. One minute, two minutes, five, ten? How long had it been now? Not more than twenty… please god not more than twenty.
It had felt like an eternity to Thatch. He had been on the cliff when everything had happened. When Marco… and…. Then Luffy screamed…. And the Navy Admiral had…
Before the kid had even hit the water Thatch was running, vaguely aware of Jozu on his heels. But they were on a cliff! What was Thatch supposed to do? He had seen Luffy fall into the ocean, thrown hundreds of feet away. He had seen it, marked the spot in his mind, and he was up and running.
Things were supposed to be different this time. This wasn't like before. They weren't alone now. Thatch's family was right here, it didn't matter that Thatch didn't know enough about medicine, or lockpicking, or that he hadn't been strong enough….
This time things were supposed to be different…
Thatch's lungs burned as he ran. There was no easy way down, he had just picked a direction and went with it, cutting back through the castle, back through the catacombs between, and down the rocky terrain of the island, zigzagging through the fighting with remarkable speed.
Neither of them had said a word since everything went down, but Thatch just knew what Juzo was thinking because he was thinking it too.
… they had been on a cliff. They were going fast but it had been twenty… thirty minutes tops… since Luffy had fallen in. How long could people hold their breaths? And devil fruit users?
Thatch didn't know right now. He didn't understand anything.
And Marco… well Thatch trusted Marco, and Ace, and Sabo- a hell of a lot more than he trusted Luffy right now. That's what he kept telling himself. He couldn't explain that, or why in the hell his brothers hadn't reappeared yet. But the three of them had been up to something. Thatch had watched Marco lead them to that spot, he had watched as the strongest sibling they had stood there and watched as an admiral descended down upon the three of them, never once raising a hand to defend himself.
And Oyaji had been right there, just a few dozen meters away. Simple baby steps for the big man. And he hadn't done anything! So, Thatch was once again forced to give his trust to his brothers and focus on the person who actually needed him right now.
Only Luffy had needed him minutes upon minutes ago. And Thatch hadn't been there. Just like last time. The kid had needed him, and Thatch had failed him, so he had all but died on that cold stone floor, all alone.
Not this time! Not this time.
It felt like an eternity ago, rather than early this morning, that Thatch had told Luffy that he hadn't known the kid had wanted to stay.
He knew now. Luffy had stuck around this long because he wanted to be here.
And Thatch was fucking it up all over again.
They made it to the edge of the island, Thatch refusing the look at the pile of molten lava somewhere behind him.
He heard Jozu's labored breathing on his right, and on his left, the sounds of fighting- all of it felt distant. They had run into more than their fair share of trouble, but for the most part, his brother had frightened the marines away with a look and possibly a well-placed swipe. Honestly, Thatch hadn't been paying attention.
He scanned the horizon, trying to remember where it was that Luffy fell. Everything looked different from down here. The waves rolled in, and the dark ocean rippled around him, making it impossible to see very far. Even on a clear day, there were too many rocks, and one patch of water looked just like the rest of it.
"Come on, come on, come on," he repeated over and over, hardly recognizing he was saying the words out loud until Jozu answered him.
"Maybe someone got to him."
"Nobody got him!" Thatch snapped.
"We lost sight of the water for a while- someone was bound to see him fall and-,"
"NOBODY GOT HIM!" Thatch yelled.
There was a moment of silence before his friend added, his voice softer, "You don't know that."
"Nobody got him," Thatch repeated. He did know it because… well, "Nobody ever gets him. That's why he was here! Nobody ever helped him!" Thatch least of all.
Luffy had fallen so far, even if anyone had tried, the time it would take to swim out there… and somehow still find him. Jozu knew it too. He knew it this whole time. He was just waiting for Thatch to realize it.
"They wanted me to bring you back…. But… I didn't. I didn't…. I didn't even try. I don't know why…. No- That's not true. I didn't think you were coming back for anything. I didn't know you wanted to…. I didn't want to do that to you… or for them. You looked… free… and I didn't want anyone to take that from you. I see now that was wrong… I was wrong -you were gone, and I didn't know if I could leave here without you. And now…Now you and me both go free. Or not at all. Do you understand?"
That's what Thatch had told Luffy. Both of them were going to leave or die trying.
How long had it been? Too long, Thatch knew that. But if anyone could find a way… if the universe would make a loophole for anyone it would be Luffy. It had to be.
Thatch kicked off his boots, only vaguely aware that he was nearly all the way insane now. He hadn't made it more than a few steps toward to edge of the island when Jozu grabbed him, pulling him back.
"Are you crazy!"
"Let me go!" Thatch snapped. "I need to save him!"
"You Can't!" Jozu's voice was strained from the effort of holding Thatch back. "Take a look at yourself, they did a number on you. You can't make it out there, let alone save anyone."
That just made Thatch angrier. "You're letting him die!"
"Thatch," his tone all but begging Thatch to see reason, not to make him say it. God help him if he said it. "It's been too long," the man said. "Maybe someone got him."
Reality shattered before Thatch, like the breaking of glass, each piece reflecting a different truth. He saw Luffy trading his freedom for Thatch's life. He saw Luffy on that floor, no longer breathing, he saw Ace swooping in at the last moment, having gone to hell and back to save his little brother, he saw how happy the two of them looked holding on tightly to one another, he saw Luffy back in the catacombs, a glimmer of his old self back in him as he told Thatch that he was going outside now, consequences be damned. And above all Thatch saw Luffy pass by his cell, no longer stopping as he marched right passed, going outside where Marco and Ace were once again waiting for him.
Why the hell was this happening?
Thatch threw back his head in a mix of anger and helplessness. "Marco!" he yelled up at the sky. "Where the hell are you?"
He needed help.
XXX
"Be careful," the giant man warned.
Marco nodded; his eyes serious. He knew the stakes of the game very well. Yet he still played it every time. That was their phoenix.
"Will you be all right?"
Whitebeard scoffed, partly amused and partly insulted. A couple of failed organs later, and suddenly his self-appointed 'oldest son' was trying to play mother hen. But no matter how old he got, or how much he grew, Marco would always be a brat in the old man's eyes, all of them would.
"Ask me again and find out."
Marco sighed, once again sounding very much like a long-suffering housewife, having to remind himself to stay patient. His concern was noted and promptly ignored as the old man turned his eyes to the battle. Way up on the top of the hill, standing back a ways from the fighting stood Teach. Even from across the island, their eyes locked. Teach smiled.
"Tell Ace not to face him alone." He had no doubt the young idiot would like nothing more than to have his chance at the traitor who had caused him so much suffering. But there was something about the man, something Whitebeard didn't recognize. And it was disconcerting.
Marco nodded. Even without needing to be told, he already understood the situation. "We know," he said, "Sabo's on it."
Whitebeard snorted, and Marco looked up. "What's up?"
The man just shook his head. They had all figured Ace was hiding something, quite a few things really, but the way he went through life, reckless, without a thought about himself, as if he had never learned how to rely on people. All the telltale signs of loner orphans who grew into loner adults. The Whitebeards had more than their fair share of those collected on the crew. People who had to learn that it was finally safe to let others in. Pirating seemed to be a beacon to souls like that.
Which, for the first few weeks seemed to fit Ace perfectly. Only, he outgrew that rather fast after an initial rough patch. Through some combination of tag teaming efforts by Marco and Thatch once the young man opened up to the rest of them, he stayed that way. Stoney silence and creative swears became gentle manners and colorful jokes. Ace hadn't been offered the mantle of second division commander because the Whitebeards felt sorry for him. Rather because he earned it by being a natural leader. And the only way to do that was by gaining their respect. Something you could only do if you had experience.
It was ironic that was all. All this time worrying about him. And one of the things Ace had been hiding was this patchwork family of strays. As it turns out it wasn't even that Ace was used to doing everything himself because that's all he had ever known. Rather Ace Tried to do everything himself to protect the people he cared about. Apparently with limited success if this was any indication. He was used to trying to do it all. And he was also used to someone charging in after him, watching his back whether he liked it or not.
Every time he would do something stupid and Marco or some unlucky soul would shoot after him, preparing a long-winded scolding for afterward. All of that was familiar to him.
It was funny. And it made Whitebeard chuckle. Although he doubted Marco would find it even the slightest bit amusing.
"Be careful, all of you," he said again, and his son nodded.
"Right now, it's careful or dead, those are our only two options."
None of them could afford any mistakes.
XXX
Sabo was panting, leaning back into the jagged rock wall behind him. Ace was beside him, both of them catching their breaths while they waited for Marco.
They were removed from the fighting here, if only just. More like most people were willing to ignore them because… well neither looked like that much of a threat right now. Ace was soaked, and looking rather pathetic, with blood and water dripping down his bangs. He was drying remarkably fast, Sabo could feel the heat coming off him from here. He noticed his brother had a habit of becoming a furnace when he got annoyed or anxious. Right now, it could be either.
Sabo tilted his head back into the rocks, closing his eyes as he pressed his hand deeper into his side. The CP-0 agents had done a number on him. He had managed to wrap up his hand and do what he could for the wound on his side. Both were still oozing blood. Always wear dark clothes. Dragon had taught him that.
The world spun when he breathed, and those damn dark spots danced at the corners of his vision. He had fought in worse shape before. But Sabo was hard-pressed to remember a time when he had quite this much left to do while in such bad shape. The answer was simple. He couldn't. It stung… a lot. But there was a point when he needed to tap out… or pass out. He couldn't fight an entire war like this, one wrong move away from a partially cauterized wound tearing, and his inside becoming his outsides.
He was reaching that point sooner than he liked to admit. But he wasn't ready. Not yet. Not with so much at stake. He would call it when it was time. But not yet. He couldn't do that to his brothers.
Something tingled down his spine, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up. There was something here… something familiar-
"Sab?"
He opened his eyes, meeting Ace's own. His brother looked worried. Sabo gave him a small smile. "I'm okay."
"You sure?"
No, but they really didn't have any options. Sabo had to do this unless they managed to track down Dragon and have him stand in his place. And if the Revolutionary leader did that then that would cause them all more trouble than it was worth.
Clenching his teeth Sabo pushed himself off the rocks to stand upright, proving it to Ace. Standing on his own two feet. "I'm okay!"
Ace nodded slowly. "You can tell me if you're not. You know that right?"
God, big brother Ace mode. Sabo always hated that tone. Good to know that even after all these years, and time apart, he never lost the instinct.
"I don't need to be mom-ed right now," Sabo told him. Both of them knew the stakes. "Let's get this done and get back to Luffy. You can lecture me (very hypocritically) afterward."
Ace nodded, not looking entirely convinced, but he graciously didn't call Sabo on it. So, the two of them stood there in silence until Marco returned. Wearing an equally grim expression.
None of them were looking forwards to this.
"Follow me," he said to Sabo, and the two fell into step behind him.
"What's your record?"
Sabo shrugged; he had never really counted. "I don't know, five feet, ten?"
"This material," the pirate tapped his foot against the dark slate rock that surrounded the miserable island. "It's tough, tougher than your used to?"
Dear lord, not him too. First Ace and now Marco. "Not tougher than Haki," Sabo told him, forcing his irritation down. It was so much easier to be patient when you had the correct amount of blood inside your body rather than out. "Do you guys want to check my references? Or do you want to do this?"
"I don't know, can you do this?"
Sabo knelt down to his knees, running his hands over the earth. Marco was right. The type of stone was tough, sharp, and hard not unsimilar to obsidian. But the thing about that was it just cracked more easily when you did manage to dent it. His bloody gloves traced the grooves in the stone, pressing beyond the surface with his haki. He could see it, the cracks and natural lines in the stone. Marco already knew there was a tunnel down here, Sabo just had to find it.
He met the man's eyes evenly. "I can do it."
Marco nodded; blue eyes intense as always. "I've seen you in action. I'll hold you to that."
And if not, the good news was that none of them would have time to say 'I-told-you-so'.
Sabo just nodded, first at Marco, and then at Ace who had been staring at him for the last few minutes- very intently. Almost like he could look straight through him…
How had Sabo forgotten how annoying having an older brother could be sometimes? Heaven help him if he had ended up with parents that actually cared about him. There would be no end to it.
"Wait for the signal."
Sabo nodded again, staying kneeling on the spot as the man started to walk away. Ace lingered for a moment, still staring. As if waiting for Sabo to confess. For a brief second, he couldn't help but wonder if Ace had somehow heard his thoughts earlier. But no, Ace was just a protective pain in the ass, not a psychic one.
Sabo gave him a pointed stare and his brother shrugged, turning around to follow Marco. When they were a couple of meters away Sabo turned his attention back to the ground, gently running his hand against it, assessing the weak points, finding the perfect spot for-
The hairs on his arm stood up, he could see them now as a tingle went down his spine. Someone was coming.
'It was an enemy,' he told himself. Of course, look where they were. He pushed the feeling aside. He needed to focus.
When Sabo was a kid, he had taught himself the basics of tracking, a necessary skill for a hunter. It was kind of fun when you got the handle of it. Like reading the words in the dirt rather than on the pages. You looked in the grasses, the rocks, the mud, and the way the dandelion seeds had scattered. He used it to hunt prey, avoid predators- including people, and sometimes hunt down his little brother.
He remembered that now. One time when Luffy had wandered off, for much longer than usual, and he and Ace driven mad with worry spent their days in the woods around their home. Sabo had asked the ground for help, just like right now. He had scoured the earth for Luffy's little tracks.
"Get ready," Marco called, and Sabo felt himself tense.
Now or never. He could feel it in the air, an electrifying hum that shot up his spine. Danger was headed their way.
It was that same bloodlust. That was what he had felt earlier no doubt.
No doubt?
Was it?
Even now, with his senses on high alert, his spine tingling and this unavoidable tension hanging thick in the air as death hurdled their way, there was something else here. Something softer.
Ace yelled out in warning, asking Sabo to get ready. He couldn't see anything past where the two of them stood, a couple of meters away, their backs to him. Both of them turned towards what looked like a wall of billowing black smoke, seemingly having appeared from nowhere. From somewhere in the midst of it, he could see the glint of red-hot magma.
That day, all those years ago, with the sun hot against his back, Sabo had been asking the dirt for help, while Ace had been using his lung capacity to scream for their brother. All that work and Sabo had been using the wrong senses. Even then, there was some invisible pull, tugging him toward the answer. Something he wouldn't come to understand for years. But he felt it all the same- familiar. And all he needed to do-
-was turn around.
His hands were shaking now, but that had nothing to do with that the feel of violence that hung heavy in the air.
Feeling complete terror, Sabo looked over his shoulder.
There, in the middle of all the fighting and horror just on the other side of the courtyard stood his little brother- staring straight at him.
Right, where Sabo knew he would be.
Their eyes locked, and the shadows of a smile appeared on Luffy's face, but his attention was on something else, right over the top of Sabo's shoulders.
His baby brother was a mess… again.
When Sabo had left him, he had been with friends. His injuries had been carefully wrapped in white gauze. The worst of the blood and grime had been painstakingly cleaned, over the course of hours and hours. Sabo and Thatch had worked together to grind up small amounts of protein bars into warm water to make some kind of nutritious mush. unappetizing, but something Luffy's stomach could handle. Marco had carefully measured out the appropriate amount of food, medicine, and water to force upon him.
They had been taking care of him! That was the point. He had been miserable, upset, and possibly a bit betrayed, but he was supposed to be safe. Luffy was supposed to be safe and furious with them far, Far away from this hellish fight.
But the kid standing before Sabo was none of that. He was a mess all over again. Covered in blood and dirt, and grime, and dirty bandages, wet, and shivering, his bare feet leaving red footprints in his wake.
Luffy's name on his lips, Sabo felt sick. His head went blank. All around him the sky grew dark, a shadow descending upon him.
He heard wind rush past his ears, and Ace's panicked yell, joined a moment later by Marco's. Sabo watched as Luffy's eyes grew wide. He looked really scared.
What had happened?
They were taking care of him? Why was he here? Why wasn't he safe? Why hadn't Sabo realized? What was going to happen to him?
Then everything was happening at once. He felt Ace crash into him, nearly shoving him into the earth and the world shifted. Billowing smoke and magma fell upon them like a tidal wave, at the same time Ace's own fire, and Marco's blue flames came up to meet it, circling around the two of them. It was hot, unbearably so.
The last thing Sabo saw was Luffy open his mouth, trying to scream. Then everything went dark.
XXX
"Thatch!" Jozu called out in warning.
The man forced himself to tear his eyes away from the sea, his hands going to Izou's gun in his belt.
Marines swarmed them like locus. Seemingly having crawled out from underneath the rocks once they recognized them. With Whitebeard busy with their Admiral, they had taken it upon themselves to go all out on the rest of the pirates, especially if they were separated from the herd. Out here, at the edge of the island, they had been easy targets.
"We have to help Oyaji!" Jozu's arms were covered in diamond form, ready for a long fight. When he had made it clear he wouldn't let Thatch into the water, their attention had turned to the far-off figure of their captain, currently under siege.
Thatch wanted nothing more in the world than to go over there and help defend his father. But at the same time… he didn't just get to walk away from this. Ace and Sabo had trusted him with Luffy. And he had failed. He wasn't about to just leave now.
Future be damned. He was going to stay here, until… until something. He was either going to find a way to get Luffy or at least his… his body.
Even if he had to fight the entire ocean for it. Otherwise, he would never be able to face the kid's brothers, or himself, ever again.
"Thatch," Jozu called again. "Come on, maybe someone knows what happened to him."
"You go," Thatch told him, his eyes tracing the spot on the horizon where Luffy had fallen, even as he lined up his next shot. All this time together, all they had been through. How could he possibly abandon Luffy now?
Leave him all alone out there, after what he had just seen. No, Thatch was staying right here. He felt a numbness settle over his bones. So, this was really how it was going to end for them? After everything they had been through. They were so close… so close.
…
A ways away, Sengoku watched the chaos unfold before him, his old friend by his side, for once with nothing to say. No doubt he would disappear in another moment, as he had been doing. But for right now, it was oddly comforting. To watch the horror around them with another equally wrinkled set of eyes. One's that understood how cold the world could be.
His attention was fixed on his Admiral, vicious and efficient as ever as he laid siege to Whitebeard. The old man was strong, the cracks that threatened to split the sky and the sea apart were but a fraction of that strength. But he had fallen a ways since his prime, and then some. Eventually, the old pillars would topple to make way for the new ones. It was just a matter of when. In Sengoku's experience, all it took was a couple of cracks at the base. The phoenix, or rather his death, had been a crack.
Sengoku gave the signal, a wave of his hand, adding his second Admiral to the fight against the old relic. This would be huge if it paid off. Whitebeard's empire defeated in one day. This day would be cemented in history books for ages, Sengoku's legacy carved into stone. The thought made him grimace. None of it brought him any joy. Nothing about this situation was good. But it was just, it was the law, and his job was to uphold it, it was hardly his fault if the outlaws weren't strong enough to do the same on their end. That was the nature of war.
Beside him his friend moved, turning to survey the coast. Something caught Sengoku's eye and he turned away from the battle, looking out to sea.
The waves seemed angrier than before…. Swirling together, rising up. No, those weren't waves at all.
XXX
Sweat broke out across the man's forehead as he came at the giant, again and again, feeling his anger turn to magma, and his magma turn into blunt-force attacks against Whitebeard. Aokiji relentless on his other side. As annoying as it would be to share the spotlight with his rival, it was getting the job done. Whitebeards children around them, showing their fangs like cornered wolves.
The man raised his arm, readying another wave of molten fire towards them, having already taken out a good chunk of the battlefield around them with his powers. He was ready to take out all of it, everything if needed. Justice knew no limits- when a strange tone caught his ears.
It was low, and slightly musical, yet sad, like the yelping cries of whales you could sometimes hear on still nights at sea.
Whales? Here.
Something caught the man's eye off the coast, and he was momentarily distracted. The waves had picked up some time ago. They were ripping around furiously. How had he not noticed? He watched one just off the coast swell to an unnatural peak.
A tidal wave? Impossible. He looked back at Whitebeard, who was watching with veiled interest as well. Was this his doing?
A second later he had his answer as the wave unfurled its wings, letting out a loud cry. A creature the same dark color as the rocks and the waves rose up from the ocean, towering a good five or six stories above them.
It was a Seaking. One of the larger ones he had seen.
Akainu had heard rumors that the Seakings that bred around these rocks were monsterouse in size, but usually, they avoided confrontation. He had assumed they were rumors… until now.
He realized with dislike that it wasn't just here, all around the fighting the waves swelled up, growling and roaring as monster after monster rose from the sea, collecting here at the tip of the island, as if they wanted their fair share of blood. Perhaps they were hungry, or all the fighting had disturbed their nest. It was just their luck.
The man grimaced, taking a step back as the creature's yellow eyes fixed on him, slit like a cat. Was it just his imagination or was that thing following him?
In the blink of an eye, its massive tail slapped the water, hurdling down on him, and he had a split second to jump out of the way before the humungous appendage descended upon him, slamming into the stone where he had been standing, hard enough to send cracks ten meters around the spot of impact, like a miniature bomb.
It was the pirate's turn to scatter next as the monster moved, its dragon-like limbs crawling up onto the rocks.
The man fled the area, speeding to higher ground. Whitebeard himself, moved aside as the tail came whipping back around.
Akainu's ears were greeted with similar scared cries from around the battlefield as several of those monsters converged on the fight.
The man forced his eyes back onto his own problem. Whatever the reason, Seakings were just large nuisances, lots of sharp shiny teeth, but little more than carcasses of meat once he sliced into them. Handy when food supplies ran out.
His fists tightened as he got ready to strike, holding off a moment as the large tail whipped around again, causing the pirates to once again run. Those predatory eyes scanned the crowd, finding him once again as its great claw swiped out.
Plans of attack momentarily forgotten Akainu jumped back, and then again. This one was a lot quicker than usual. Based on the size it was quite old. Sometimes the old ones could be cunning when they wanted to be.
Around him the pirates, and revolutionaries, and marines were converging on it, clearly seeing it as an obstacle that needed to be dealt with.
As the first swords and spears pierced its flesh, it cried out in anger, fueled forward its tail once again whipped around, driving them all back.
When Whitebeard stepped up towards it, those cat-like eyes fixed on him instead, lashing out instinctively. Maybe this wasn't all bad after all.
The giant man raised his staff, ready for a fight, but he never got one. Apparently losing interest the creature shook its head, a huff of water falling from those massive teeth as it pushed forwards, ignoring Whitebeard altogether as it once again fixated on Akainu. What on earth?
He realized something was off a split second after Whitebeard did. The old man's mouth moved, as he held up his hand to the monster. It growled its tail thudding against the earth and forcing the man back a step as it slithered towards Akainu, bloodlust practically dripping from its mouth.
There! On that colossal head, a hundred feet off the ground was that boy. That rotten, disgusting, filthy-blooded boy.
He should be dead. He should be at the bottom of the ocean. He had more lives than a cockroach.
Akainu realized with distaste that it was more than that. He wasn't just sitting atop the creature; he was controlling it.
He was the reason these things… these omens were here. He had dragged them from the depths of the ocean, bent them to his will, forced them here to cause bloodshed, and chaos.
This was no child. This was an abomination. Worse than Roger's spawn. This was the type of wretched creature that slithered out from under upturned rocks. Some type of homunculi sin-to-nature. Part monster, part devil, dressed as a kid.
Leading armies of monsters against the World Government. This would not stand. He would take out this… this creature here and now.
With a furious cry, Akainu charged forwards, at the same time as the great Sea King came down upon him.
…
XXX
Well someone has their work cut out for them.
Akainu the f***ing drama queen geez. He is giving Luffy way too much credit. To be clear, the Seaking's were kind of ticked off with all the death and destruction in their home so they were already on their way to attack the humans. The older the Seaking get the wiser, and more deviant they become. That was why this one took an interest in Luffy. And Luffy being Luffy befriended it.
To the humans, it kind of looks like Luffy is leading this Seaking invasion, but of course, it's more like his friend is doing him a favor, and letting him tag along as he has nowhere else to go.
Luffy is kind of losing it in his own right. So he is just along for the ride, not really on the Revolutionaries, nor the Whitebeard's side, although he did ask his friend to go after Akainu because… he hates him. He doesn't really care about the others (or himself)- although Luffy does still care about what happens to Thatch.
More next time. I promise to have the next chapter out soon again.
I did my best on this one, so please let me know what you guys thought : ) -and how you think this is going to end….
XXX
ScarletRoofs: Aww, thank you. I am very happy with it. More Seaking invasion next time. I think Luffy is hanging on, but not for very much longer. He is pretty done with everyone right now.
Zahadacem: Thank you! I am very excited about it. I am glad you liked the chapter. Hope your exam went well. Unfortunately, the war isn't quite done with Luffy, but he is done with it and just about everything right now. No, Luffy is going to need some serious help after this, he won't be back to his usual self for a while. And yes, everyone is going to be hella confused about him riding sea kings into battle haha. More on that net time. A thousand greetings back. Yes, Canada is just beautiful.
Wishfull-star: Seakings are about to wreck everyone's day haha. Whitebeard first, and then a light heart attack for Thatch.
Caelan0012: Thank you. My plan is lots of chaos, and some sadness. But we are almost there. More on Ace and co later.
TwinkleBlueBerry: Well thank you for sharing with me. It is always so encouraging to hear people still like my story. It means a lot to me with the number of hours I have put into it so that is so nice to hear. And thank you.
Crazykittylover: Here is a much longer chapter! And thank you. Poor Luffy indeed. This is not his week. Unfortunately, he is not quite done. Why thank you.
RazzyDJazzy: Why thank you. Yeah… Luffy is kinda going through it. But at least he is hitting that point of no longer giving a…
He will get justice. Just a little bit later.
Acpola01: Aww thank you. That is so nice to hear. I will also die if I can't finish this story. I put enough time into it I would be disappointed if I didn't get to finish it. Don't worry That would actually be amazing if you wanted to. I have more learning disabilities than time when it comes to proofing.
Osion; Of course : )
Nancy2239: Aw thank you. You should go for it. Very fun, and ulfilling if you like being outside and holding creepy crawlies haha.
Mel72000: Right, Luffy singlehanded showing them why you don't pick on kids.
Ryunoj: well thanks for sharing with me. I'm always happy to hear from people even if it's just once. I am so glad you like it. Getting into their heads is the best part. Their much more interesting then me haha.
Aquarica: Aw, shucks, thanks. I certainly hope so!
Aquarica 2.0: Thank you. It came about by accident, but they are fun together. A very wise giant ridiculous lizard, and a very small less wise ridiculous kid. He is tough. That's what makes him Luffy. More on the rest of them and their current situation net time, and of course, sea kings wrecking havok.
TenabraeLux: thank you, that is very nice of you. I hope you liked it/ nd this one.
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