Matt22152: Sorry, we had not finished this story completely and hence it is not here right now. Also, if Ace and Luffy would have made the appearance then don't you think the marines would have done everything in their power to keep them dead? Specially Ace, being the son of Gol d. Roger and Luffy being Nika.

R-king 93: Thanks a bunch!

Guest: Oops? I didn't know anyone would think that way. But well, opinions matter. Thanks, I will keep that in mind when the real chapter of Marineford is posted.

Wishfull-star: Hehe, Ace and Luffy being alive would truly shock most of them! But unfortunately, I cannot show that right now. As I had said before, we hadn't completed this series at all, so that is not possible right now. I could have done something about it, but unfortunately I have my semester exams and college entrance exam near, which sends me into a tight schedule.

Chapter 14

Rayleigh had seen the broadcast, witnessed the HQ exploding, Ace and Luffy being attacked, sure he knew they got hurt dangerously enough to die.. He saw the second in command, Sabo pick the bodies up and run away.

Rayleigh wouldn't believe that the kid who carried the will of Roger, his former captain and the captain's son had died. So, he did what he thought was best. He headed to the Isle of Women, where Kuma had pointed to him, after making the straw hat pirates make a safe escape.

But unluckily his boat crashed in the storms of the grandline , so he swam. But the thing which was unusual was that the currents helped him in swimming through the calm belt. And the sea kings didn't approach him.

Swimming was easier then usually, like if the sea wanted him to head towards the island of women. Something massive most have been happening if that's the case. What is he getting into?

He can theorize why the sea kings never did approach but how was he able to easily go through the calm belt? The currents? He got no answer regarding those.

When he reached the shore, dripping all wet, he saw one thing: A submarine, and the pirate group which were in Sabaody. The next he heard were giggles and laughter from the other side of the shore and what he saw widened his eyes. Straw hat Luffy and Fire Fist Ace. They were alive and being devil fruit users, playing in the sea water. Splashing water to each other and not for a moment were they exhausted.

They were playing. the wounds that meant to have lead to their deaths seemed to have disappeared, mostly at least.

Even if you had small hope they were alive he had expected them to be in bed or barely moving. And probably no where near the sea, and yet.. This is truly strange.

"HEY?! WHO ARE YOU?!" A pirate from the Heart Pirates successfully made him break his eyes from the playing teens to the pirates ahead of him.

"Ah, I know you people. We met at the Sabaody Archipelago." Rayleigh said as he approached the pirates.

"DARK KING RAYLEIGH?" A pirate yelled.

"Well, you see. I ran into a nasty storm out at sea. My boat sank, so I had to swim the rest of the way." Rayleigh said wringing his shirt. "My body doesn't move the way it used to, I really am getting old."

"A storm?! There are no storms in the calm belt! Which means, your boat sank outside the calm belt and you actually swam all this way?!" A pirate with a penguin hat said with astonishment.

The commotion brought out the brothers out of their playing in the waters and approached him. Ace grinned at him while Luffy showed his usual wide D grin. Sabo, the other brother, whom he had never seen, was standing with them, with a light grin.

"Now then." Rayleigh said with a smile to the boys. "You have quite a story to tell." At this the brothers just grinned and Sabo, which he assumes the brain of the three, started telling the story of how they escaped Marineford and met Trafalgar Law, who operated on the brothers. But but that reminded Rayeligh, shouldn't they be covered in bandages? The picture of their wounds were brutal, even if they were blurred. He saw Law from his corner of eyes, and could see him cursing.

"How did you both recovered so fast?" Rayleigh asked with his eyebrows raised. He looks curiously at the boys, making sure to listen

"It's was-" Luffy was interrupted by the blonde and the raven haired, Ace, scowled, showing it clearly that whatever the secret was they were not ready to say it yet.

"Lu, I think Hancock is bringing lots of meat!" Sabo interrupted Luffy, who bounced from the back of Ace and ran in the direction of food.

"Sorry for the inconvenience," The blonde brother said. "I'm Sabo, the other brother of these two idiots." He pointed to Ace and Luffy, who were devouring food at a supersonic rate. "My brothers and I have some fast healing bodies. Now, if you excuse me, I am a bit hungry."

Rayleigh nodded, getting the memo that it was their secret to keep. He turned towards the Heart Pirates and told them that they can leave now, if they want. He started talking to Glorissa and delivered the message from Shakky to her.

He told them about how Kuma told him about the direction he had propelled Luffy and Sabo and how after calculating everything he had thought that the brothers were in the Isle of the Women. But he did not believe it when Shakky had said that Hancock would fall in love with Luffy and keep him in Isle of Women.

After eating their meal, Luffy turned towards him.

"What are you doing all the way here?" It was Ace who asked.

"I just didn't believe the news that you both were dead." Rayleigh said with a smile.

"We were just about to head back out to Sabaody by following the Vivre card. Where are the others?" Luffy asked enthusiastically.

"Well, I doubt they have all been reunited just yet and I don't think it would be wise to leave now. Specially for you both." Rayleigh said in a serious tone, pointing to Ace and Luffy, who titled their head sideways in confusion with Sabo too. That was when it clicked Rayleigh, that they didn't now about the recent news.

"Have you read the newspaper?" Rayeligh asked skeptically, to which he got a 'No'.

"Portgas D. Ace and Monkey D. Luffy are dead to the world." That got a reaction from the brothers.

"What?!"

"Maybe I can help." Hancock said, after finally over, after swooning at Luffy. She ordered one of the Kuja to show the newspaper which she had brought. The brothers read the newspaper, and were astonished.

"But I'm not dead," Luffy said in confusion. Why is the paper lying?

"Yeah, me too." Ace said, making Sabo deadpanned at his brother's antics.

"We can take advantage of this and you both can finally recover well." Sabo said showing the advantage they were in.

"But I'm fine." Ace and Luffy said together.

Rayleigh smiled. "Now shall we head down to business, Luffy?" That got a raised eyebrow from the brothers, who protectively stood beside their little brother.

"You said that you intend to head to Sabaody from here, yes?" Rayeligh asked, formulating and fixing his plans.

"Uh-huh!" Luffy said with a grin. "I have to meet up with my crew!"

"Are you absolutely certain about that?" Rayleigh asked. "I am sure you remember what happened to you all on that Island."

"But that was only because I was keeping my promise," Luffy said cocking his head. He had made a promise to not use his full strength until time comes, for his Mumma.

"What?" Rayleigh asked with a raised eyebrow. A promise so great that Luffy wouldn't even break if to save his friends? With who?

"Mumma asked me to promise to not unleash my true strength until I turn 19," Luffy said with his arms crossed on his chest and a pout on his face. Luffy thought it was dumb, why should he even wait?

"What does it even mean?" Rayleigh asked rubbing his temple. This Monkey D. Luffy was even more complicated to understand than Roger. Which is surprising in itself, what a child to be found by Shanks.

"He is not joking," Ace said looking at him with pity.

"But if you don't unleash your true strength then you and your crew stand no chance against the New World," Rayleigh pointed it out.

Luffy made a thinking gesture and thought and thought, until he was all red.

"Hey! Hey!" Sabo said breaking Luffy from his thoughts. "No need to think that much."

"I have a plan," Rayeligh stated, getting down to his business. "Take a break for 2 years. It would be beneficial for you and your crew. And by the time your back to fighting you can use your full power when you need it."

"That will help them be strong," Ace said getting the point. He had seen the crew in alabasta, they definitely need improvement that lack if they plan to survive the new world. Even if they have the sea and Luffy on their side.

"Also the places where Kuma sent them are related quite to their fields," Sabo stated, having gathered the information from Dragon himself. Dragon is extremely saddened by Kuma, his final choices were to help the crew of the man Kuma had worshipped.

"That does the job," Rayleigh said trying to read the little brat's haki, who claimed to not use his full strength yet. And just like the other time he had met the enigma he can't sense anything from him.

"Okay, then I will inform them to stay there!" Luffy said with his signature smile.

"And how will you do that?" Rayleigh asked feeling a bit amused by the situation. Roger was less of an idiot than the other standing before him.

"Simple, I will ask Mom to do that for me!" Luffy said running off.

.

"Coby..." Helmeppo looked worriedly at his friend from the doorway. They had both grieved for Luffy's death, but Coby had always been much closer to the straw-hat wearing youth and it showed in his slumped posture.

"I thought that if I became a marine, I could protect the world from evil. That I would be able to fight for what I believe in. I trained so hard so that I could become strong and he would acknowledge me. But I'm still weak, aren't I?"

Silence fell for a long while, Coby choking back the sobs that threatened to return. But finally his fists clenched, and when he opened his eyes again they were still over-bright but shinning with determination.

"Hey Helpmeppo... I promised Luffy-san that I would an Admiral someday. I'm not going to stop until I reach that. I'm going to change this rotten order from the inside."

A ghost of a smile returned to his lips at his friend's resolve, Helmeppo saluted sharply. "I'll follow you to the end, sir."

Helmeppo doesn't doubt Coby's words for even a second. Coby had grown quite a bit since they first met, and Helmeppo finds him to be a great marine.

.

"BUOOOOOHHHH...!"

"Laboon!"

Crocus looked sadly at the wailing giant whale, heedless to his attempts to placate him. The newspaper that had brought that terrible fate to him still hung loosely in one hand.

Crocus had told Laboon where the news had come. He didn't want him to give any false hope that Straw hat Luffy will return one day and keep his promise to the sad whale. If he would have told later, it would have been a lot crueler. The young man, in whom he had hopes, had died and nothing anyone else said could change the gruesome picture of the lifeless body that laid on the dirty ice rink in Marineford's bay.

'Why do the good men die young?'

.

Shanks was drinking in the ship after coming back from Whitebeard's funeral. It had already been a week since the War of Best happened. Shanks gave a small smile at Benn arriving with a newspaper, but frowned seeing Benn's solemn mood and not smoking.

"Oi, you alright?" Shanks asked.

Benn didn't respond, but put forward the newspaper which he was carrying around to him. Shanks was confused about what got Benn so quiet. He looked around in the Red Force and saw Lucky Roo looking into space rather than eating meat, Yasoop was rubbing his glossy eyes rather than cracking jokes, and many old members of the crew trying to stop themselves to break out. Shanks felt the tension in the ship growing with each second. The one and only thing he knew was something has happened, and it is probably in the news. Shanks took the newspaper from Benn, slowly bringing his eyes on the newspaper.

His eyes widened, he tried to catch his breath. He started to shake, trying to hold his tears, but he couldn't. He collapsed from the stool where he sitting and drinking, into the ground, with the sake getting dumped on him. He didn't care about the dampness. His hands were over his mouth, trying to suppress any undignified choke, scream and words to come out from his mouth. His Anchor was laying on the ground, with his chest gauged. His Anchor is freaking DEAD! His eyes darted to the other two figures in the newspaper. Captain's son. Revolutionary Sabo. Ace had a gauged chest too and dead. Sabo was crying kneeling in front of them.

"Lu..Luffy," He choked onto his tears. His little Anchor was dead, with a hole in his chest. But in the picture, Luffy and Ace both were smiling. He rubbed his watery eyes in favor of reading what had happened. Shanks eyes were shadowed, he bit his lips trying to hold back his tears. He is a captain, he can't be that pathetic. He read the paragraph repeatedly but he couldn't believe it.

The last chance which he got to see him, he denied. It's all his fault. He should have been there, when Luffy got hit. He should have been there early.

He looked at Benn with glossy eyes, who was looking at him with sad eyes. "Tell me... it's n-not r-real." Shanks had tried to let his voice crack, but it cracked and his last straw to not cry broke, when Benn nodded without looking at him. He cried hysterically and the last thing he remembered before giving into darkness, was Benn's gentle hands rubbing his back.

A/n:

One more chapter to go! Then this series will be over! I hope the chapter wasn't boring.

Have a good day/night!