Hey Guys! Crescent Rider here, and I am back with another chapter!
But before you all begin with this chapter, there are some things that I'd like to discuss with all of you.
After this chapter, I will not work on the next chapter since I'll be working on a different story. Can't keep them unattended for too long. But rest assured, I will return.
Second, in future Chapters, I will include POVs of Nadia's clones. They may increase the word count but in my perspective, it brings up certain interactions that make things somewhat interesting or fun.
Third, I've reached a decision and you all shall see what I mean as you go by the chapter.
And lastly, The list I mentioned earlier. It will only be filled with clones that actually made a physical appearance. I just want to point that one out to you all...
That is all I have to say, and enjoy the chapter!
Dadan Family Den
Dadan and her men went outside of their den and gazed upon the light from the sky. They all assumed that there was a fire going on not too far from their current location. Possibly, towards Gray Terminal.
Dadan was visibly concerned as she stared toward the fire. But it goes even further when she heard Magra, "Hey boss, Look!"
Dadan turns toward Magra's pointing direction and spots Honest Self running toward them. Upon arrival, Dadan walks up to her, "Where the hell have you been?! And what's with all these bruises!"
"My apologies, Dadan. But I am not the one you're referring to," Honest Self stated, as she straightened herself and revealed her white eyes, "However, she did send me here to give you a message,"
"A message?" Dadan remarked, "Well then, spit it out. What do you want to say,"
"It's about the boys," Honest Self stated, "Nadia checked their hideout and found no one inside. If they aren't in the forest, then they're presumably in Gray Terminal where the flames will engulf everything and everyone within that area,"
Dadan gasped as she turned toward the direction of the fire. If the boys aren't at their hideout, then they must have gotten themselves into serious trouble in Gray Terminal. And with that kind of fire, it's possible that the three would die in the inferno.
Dadan may see those three as brats, but their well-being was her responsibility. Hence, she had to act as she turned to her men, "All of you! Get your weapons and be ready to move! We're heading to Gray Terminal and find them before they burn to death!"
"Yes, Dadan!" The other mountain bandits responded and goes to get their weapons,
Dadan then turns to Honest Self, "And as for you, where the hell is Nadia? Don't tell me she's planning on going there all by herself!"
"My apologies, Dadan. But I'm afraid she has gone on ahead with the plan," Honest Self apologized, then goes to return to her host via phantom,
"Hey! Don't you dare leave!" Dadan yelled, but Honest Self was already gone ahead,
"Damn it!"Dadan cursed, then turns to her men, "Hurry it up!"
Forest, between Mt. Corvo and Gray Terminal
Nadia kept running and stops once she arrives at the edge of Gray Terminal. The very sight of the flames was so intense that Nadia froze just by looking at them.
But she shook her head several times, went to a small hill, and took a deep breath before jumping over the flames into Gray Terminal.
What follows is her running through the unburned parts of the Gray Terminal like a maze. Except she had to keep her arm against her nose and searched for her brothers before the fire presumably consumes them.
She could try calling out for them, but doing so would cause her to suffocate since there isn't any air to breathe in this inferno. Hence, she had no choice but to quickly look around and press onward before the flames.
By that time, Honest Self returns and Nadia sees its perspective for a brief moment, 'Good work! Dadan will be here soon,'
"That is true, but what about you?! With this much fire, you could die!" The voice yelled,
'I'll worry about that as I go by. What matters now is that find them' Nadia stated, and went to search around Gray Terminal once more.
Sometime later, she soon spots what appears to be a large ship docked just right next to Gray Terminal and presumes that it belongs to the Bluejam Pirates. Thus, she goes to search their hideout for her brothers there.
As she barges through the window of a small house, she hears familiar voices that she wanted to hear, "Nadia!"
Nadia looks up and sees Ace and Luffy tied up. She smiles in relief, then proceeds to unsheathe her dagger, "It's okay, you guys. I came here to save you,"
Nadia then proceeds to cut the ropes quickly as the fire was getting stronger by the second. Ace assists in the cutting by using a piece of glass that he managed to get.
"Where's Sabo, shouldn't he be with you guys?" Nadia inquired,
"He's long gone," Ace stated, "Went back to his parents in High Town,"
Nadia was a bit shocked by this, but shrugs it off her mind as tending to these two takes priority.
By the time the ropes were cut, the two were free from their binds, and Ace was the first to ask as he grabbed the long pipes again, "What now?"
"Dadan is coming to get us out," Nadia stated, as she coughed a few times, "If we could reach an area where the flames aren't strong enough. We could escape there before Gray Terminal goes up in flames,"
"Then what are we waiting for?" Ace asked,
"Come on, Luffy!" Nadia said, and goes to pick Luffy up on his feet,
The three of them ran out of the hideout before it collapse from the fire, and Luffy went on to complain about the heat, and the lack of oxygen from all this fire while Ace reassures him that they'll live through this.
Regardless of the fire around them, they pressed onward and hoped to find a way out of the inferno. But along the way, they had to avoid fiery debris whenever it falls about them and both the heat and smoke were getting to them over time.
"Do you think all those old guys got away safe?" Luffy inquired,
"Who cares about them?! We're in trouble," Ace stated as he coughs a few times,
"For once, I agree with you," Nadia said, and coughs as well, "We'll worry about them after we get out of here,"
"Damn, where the hell are we?!" Ace yelled,
"Who said you two brats were allowed to escape!" A Voice yelled, which made Ace and Luffy gasp in recognition, "Or maybe that brat there helped you escape,"
"Bluejam!" Luffy said as Bluejam himself walks towards them with his crew following behind him,
"So this is the captain you three have been mentioning all this time," Nadia remarked,
"How come you're still here?! I thought you were escaping after the fire got lit! Did something happen?" Ace interrogated,
"Shut it, you puck!" Bluejam yelled,
'They're the ones who started all this? But why? What does he have to gain for burning Gray Terminal?' Nadia stated especially when she's aware that pirates always have a motive for their actions.
Whether it was treasure or reputation. None of those wouldn't matter if someone like Bluejam would start a fire especially when he's caught in the middle of it.
Then it leads to one certain assumption, one that she knows all too well in the Grand Line...
"It's hopeless, you do know that, right?" Bluejam questioned, "There's a sort of irony to this, Ha ha ha! It's a new perspective. Humans are strange creatures! I hit rock bottom and all I could do is laugh about it!"
Bluejam keeps laughing while his men were laughing at well. Despite the gravity of their situation, it was making them somewhat dangerous based on their expressions.
"They're acting really weird, it's creepy," Luffy remarked, while Nadia remains calm but cautious at these pirates,
"Luffy, Nadia! Run for it!" Ace yelled,
"Grab them!" Bluejam ordered,
The three attempted to make a run for it, but they were stopped when Bluejam's men blocked them on all three sides. Preventing their escape.
"Where do you think you're going?" Bluejam questioned, "We did this job together. That means we get to die together,"
"We're not going to die with you losers," Ace stated, "We don't give up that easy!"
"Is that so? Actually, you still haven't told me where you're hiding that treasure," Bluejam reminded, "Friends don't secrets from each other. I'll save it for you before the fire reaches it. All you have to do is tell me where it is,"
"Your life is endangered and all you care about is treasure?" Ace remarked,
"Well if you don't want it, then you might as well tell me right?" Bluejam cunningly stated,
Nadia could hear Ace muttering something under his breath, though she still remains calm as stared at Bluejam, "I'm just trying to stop another tragedy. I already saw my ship reduced to charcoal, it'd be a shame if that happened to your treasure too. All of your hard work for nothing,"
Ace grits his teeth at this while Luffy was about to say something. But both of them were caught off guard when Nadia started snickering. The same goes for Bluejam and his men.
"What are you laughing about?" Bluejam questioned,
"Oh, it's nothing. It's just..." Nadia gives them a smirk, and her eyes changed to gold, "I can't believe you'd pull out a used trick after you've been tricked yourselves,"
"Huh?" Bluejam groaned in annoyance,
"Hey, what are you-" Ace was about to ask, but he stops when Nadia pulls up her hand to his face,
"I mean really? You would go through all this trouble to start this fire, and treasure is your priority?" Nadia stated, "If so, then I highly doubt you'd go through making all this trouble for it,"
Bluejam's cocky expression changed dramatically as veins were popping out as he frowned.
"So tell me? What is it all for? To bolster your notorious reputation, to show the habitants the capacity of your might, or perhaps," Nadia's smirk grew a little wide and stares dead into Bluejam's eyes, "You were given a deal that's been rigged from the start?"
Bluejam frowns at this statement, and the same goes for his men. As for Ace and Luffy, they were staring all confused at her.
"Judging from your expressions alone, I can tell it's the latter," Nadia stated,
"Just where are you getting at, little brat?" Bluejam questioned,
"If there is one thing I know about deals, is that all deals must have a guaranteed reward," Nadia stated, "And since you did this plan despite being promised a deal of your own desire. Then I'm certain that you were rewarded with nothing but your own demise once you've completed your end of the bargain. Such misfortune for a band of fools,"
"Hey, Are you trying to pick a fight with them?" Ace questioned,
"Of course not," Nadia said, whilst ignoring the irritated looks on Bluejam and his crew, "I'm just stating the facts. Also, I find Bluejam's deal about our treasure to be quite hypocritic since he's pulling out a used trick. One that guarantees his poor choice for his and his crew's sake,"
"I've heard enough!" A pirate yelled from behind, and goes in for the kill as he raised his saber above his head, "Now die!"
"Nadia, Look out!" Luffy yelled as the saber was being brought down behind her,
But she somehow avoided the saber by taking a step to the right and letting the blade hit the ground. This catches the attacking pirate off guard, and Nadia's expression changes in an instant as a malicious grin appeared and her eyes changed to that of the clone she had hidden within her.
The eyes are as red as blood...
Without warning, Nadia clenches her right fist, quickly pulled it back, and hits the attacking pirate right across his jaw. Apparently, she had the strength to punch the man right into the fire.
What's more devastating is when that pirate crashed onto a pile of burning trash, then burning wood falls onto him which guarantees his early demise as the flames drew stronger. Nadia could only stare as her eyes changed back to their original color but turned back to Bluejam as she was expecting a fight from them.
He and his crew were visibly shocked upon witnessing one of his own falls at the hand of a child. But it soon changed to anger as they wouldn't take this matter rather lightly.
"I've changed my mind..." Bluejam stated, "Kill the brats already!"
Ace, Nadia, and Luffy readied themselves as they pressed their backs to each other and clashed with the Bluejam pirates. To add some support to her two brothers, she decided to use Devil Fruit Powers by having her clones emerge from her shadow and take the pirates by surprise while Ace and Luffy took the opportunity to knock them back with their long pipes.
Despite their strategy, Nadia's clones weren't able to stay for a while due to the possible damage that accumulated from the fire, and the pirates changed tactics by separating Nadia away from her brothers.
Before long, Ace was struggling while Luffy sustains an injury when a pirate sliced through his long pipe and nicked him just above his right eyebrow.
"Luffy!" Ace called out, while Nadia could only glance at her brother as the pirate was about to finish him off,
She tried to send a clone out to him, but her thoughts were disturbed when she was forced to block another one of the pirate's attacks. But was proven too much as he disarmed her of one of her daggers, then was followed by a kick to the chest.
This sends her sliding against the ground, and behind her was another pirate. Who wasted no time to raise his sword in an attempt to finish her off guard.
But before either she or her brother was executed. Something unexpected occurred as Ace yelled out, "Don't touch them!"
Suddenly, Nadia felt immense energy rushing towards her and causing a conflict within her, and loudly screamed as she held the sides of her head. As for Bluejam's men, they started passing out without explanation.
Nadia couldn't understand why, but this had given Bluejam enough time to kick Ace off guard and pin him down with one boot as he planned on executing him with his flintlock.
She could barely hear Luffy calling out for Ace as he was about to be executed by Bluejam's flintlock. But he was saved at the last second as Dadan jumped in and moved Bluejam's hand before he could fire.
"Dadan!" Nadia recognized as she gained her bearings once more,
"Don't you dare hurt my kids!" Dadan warned, "I'm not afraid to kill you!"
Dadan takes a swing at Bluejam, but the latter quickly unsheathes his saber to block the former's attack,
Bluejam then slides away from Dadan and the kids, while Dadan remained tall while her men rush in behind her. Dogra went to check on Luffy while Magra went to check on Nadia.
"You okay, Nadia?" Magra inquired,
"I'm fine, I'm just a little woozy," Nadia said as she held on side of her head,
Ace stands up, and holds his pipe as he growled at Bluejam. But Magra tries to calm him down while holding his pipe at bay. As for Luffy, he was being carried by one of Dadan's men.
"I know you, you're that Gorilla Bandit from Mt. Corvo," Bluejam recognized,
"Bandit, yes. Gorilla, No!" Dadan corrected, "But that's not the point here! the point is, like it or not, these are my responsibility! Even if I felt like killing the brats myself that doesn't mean you get to. Now I'll say it again, nobody hurts my kids!"
Dadan holds her long poleaxe at Bluejam, "So I'll let you walk away. But if you don't, I guarantee you're gonna be sorry,"
Bluejam seems unfazed by the odds against him, but due to the circumstances around him. He couldn't care less about it all, "I've got nothing to lose,"
"Alright then, let's dance..." Dadan insisted while Nadia holds her other dagger at the ready,
After some intense silence, Dadan was the one who made the first move, "Now! Everybody run!"
Dadan and his men hightailed it and ran in the opposite direction while Nadia was initially confused but tries to follow them anyway. However, she hesitated when she noticed Ace choosing to stand against Bluejam rather than run away.
Dogra tried to reason with him, but Dadan just stopped and stared at him. Before long, she walks ahead of her men, and gets their attention by slamming the butt of her axe against the ground, "Take Luffy and Nadia, and get your butts back to the hideout,"
"What about you?" One of Dadan's men asked,
"I'll take care of Ace," Dadan stated, "No matter how many asses I got to kick,"
Nadia was actually in awe of Dadan's decision, which prompted her to walk up to her side and hold her second dagger at the ready, "If you're going to fight, then I'll fight alongside you,"
"Are you serious!" Dogra yelled while Dadan eyed her,
"I picked a fight with Bluejam," Nadia stated, "And I need to finish what I started,"
"Fine," Dadan agreed,
"They're so cool," Dadan's men commented,
"Now go!" Dadan ordered,
With that, the rest of the mountain bandits flee with Luffy in tow and one of them requested that Dadan come back safe before joining up with the others.
Once they were out of Gray Terminal, Ace, Dadan and Nadia stand side by side as they prepare themselves for the upcoming fight against Bluejam.
"Look at that, how brave," Bluejam remarked, "But at the end of the day, you're just a woman with two kids against a pirate. Do you like those odds? Only two kinds of people will survive in battle, the strong and the cowardly. Bravery doesn't add to the picture I'm afraid,"
Ace and Dadan grasp their weapons tightly while Nadia scoffed at his words, "As if you're a real pirate. From the look of things, we're facing a fool, not a pirate,"
Dadan smirked at this insult, while Bluejam acted smug at them, "Have it your way,"
As the fire around them intensify, Bluejam takes aim while Ace, Dadan, and Nadia charge ahead with their weapons.
When Bluejam fired, the three scattered away from the trajectory of the bullet. But whizzes right through the right side of Nadia's hair.
Ace attempted to attack Bluejam as he slid under his legs and jump in from behind. But the latter anticipated the attack as he parried him away before blocking Dadan's attack from the front.
As he pushes her back, he attempts to aim his flintlock at Dadan. But Nadia drew burning wood on one side of Bluejam's face and caused him to yell out in pain as it charred one side of his face. This allowed Dadan to pick her feet up and avoid getting shot by Bluejam's flintlock.
"You little brat!" Bluejam yelled as he aimed his flintlock at Nadia,
But this allowed Ace to surprise him from behind and hits Bluejam right across the left side of his face. Though he was momentarily dazed by his attack, Bluejam took the initiative and attempted to slash Ace with his sword.
However, Dadan came to Ace's rescue as she blocked the blade with her axe while Ace stays out of the blade's reach. That's when Bluejam sustains a grave injury when Nadia jumps from behind and struck her dagger through his right shoulder.
Bluejam was screaming as he dropped his flintlock while Nadia struggled to maintain her grip on her dagger. But the former manages to shake the latter off and she falls to the ground.
With Nadia's dagger still on Bluejam's shoulder, he was unable to move his right arm properly due to the excruciating pain. Hence, he attempted to stomp on Nadia with his foot.
But Ace comes to her rescue and proceeds to strangle Bluejam with his long pipe. With only one arm, Bluejam was struggling to breathe and falls on his back as Ace continues to strangle him.
Then, Dadan comes up and beats Bluejam up until he lost consciousness for good while Nadia picks herself up and lets them do the rest.
Sometime later, Bluejam had been dealt with and the fire will do the rest from here on out. Thus, Ace, Dadan, and Nadia left the area in an attempt to escape Gray Terminal before the fire consumes them.
Along the way, Nadia was coughing raggedly as she falls to her knees and Ace comes to her aid, "Come on, Nadia. We got to get going,"
"I *cough* *cough* can't, *cough* *cough* Too much smoke," Nadia stated in between her coughing, and her vision was getting a bit blurry, "Can't..."
Nadia faintly groans, then she passes out. Ace catches her before she hit the ground while Dadan goes to her side. With the fire still burning around them, she focuses on getting out of Gray Terminal, "Ace, carry her onto your back!"
"Right!" Ace agreed, and proceeds to carry Nadia on his back,
"Now, stick with me, and don't fall behind!" Dadan instructed,
With that, Ace followed Dadan as they tried to regroup with the others. Sadly, they were being blocked by the flames. Ace suggested that they run through the flames, but Dadan stopped him as she decided to charge through the fire with Ace following behind her.
As soon as they reached the other side, Ace checked on her as she fell. Then proceeds to carry her as well. Fortunately, Ace's efforts weren't all for naught as he managed to bring Dadan and Nadia to the riverside in between the forest.
However, Dadan suffered major burns from the flames and Nadia remains unconscious from smoke inhalation. Thus, it was up to Ace to treat them both as he dragged the two into a large tree hollow to protect them from predators.
The Following Morning
Nadia was regaining consciousness as she wearily opened her eyes and find herself in a tree hollow. She sat upstraight and notices the bandages around her body.
She looks at her surroundings and found Dadan lying next to her all banged up from last night. As she tried to stand, she grunts in pain and held her chest until the pain slowly died down.
Once it calms down, she lies back down and takes a few short breaths.
"You're awake," Nadia looks up and sees Ace holding a bunch of food and medical supplies on hand,
"Takes more than that to get rid of me," Nadia jokingly remarked, and Ace snorted in response,
Ace wasn't much of a doctor, but he did treat her and Dadan as he could. The latter insisted that Ace should take Nadia and leave, but he refused as he reminded her of her responsibilities. For that, she wasn't going to let her die.
Nadia could only smile at this, but they soon heard voices as Ace went and covered the hollow with a bush to hide them from a supposed search party.
"What are they looking for?" Nadia asked,
"Survivors," Ace answered, "They intended to sweep the forest of anyone who escaped from the fire,"
"If that's the case, then maybe we shouldn't stay here," Nadia suggested, "The longer we stay near Gray Terminal, the chances of them finding us gets higher,"
"Right," Ace replied, and watched the men as performed a full sweep of the forest,
Once they were no longer in sight, Ace turned back to the two, "Looks clear, think you can move on your own, Nadia?"
"I can feel some of my injuries fading already. I don't know why, but I feel like moving again," Nadia remarked, "But just in case, I want you to find something that I could use as a walking stick,"
Ace nods and goes to find a branch for her. Once he did, he gives it to Nadia and proceeds to carry Dadan once more. Nadia was initially surprised by Ace being able to carry someone like Dadan but paid no attention to it as they make their way back to the den.
Dadan Family Den
As soon as the den was within sight, they make their way there, and already, Magra and Luffy stepped outside to see them while the rest of the mountain bandits followed behind them.
With that, they were taken inside the den. Dadan received treatment from her men due to her severe condition, Nadia sat against the wall and offered medicine for smoke inhalation, and Ace was given fresh clothes after his clothes were burnt from the fire.
Luffy was bawling his eyes as he latched onto Ace. The latter assumed that the former thought he was dead, but reminds him that he isn't by smacking him on top of Luffy's head.
Nadia tries to giggle, but her coughs prevent her from doing so. Thus, she decided to recover first before anything else.
Ace went on to explain the details of what had happened at Gray Terminal to everyone. They were surprised at how they managed to beat Bluejam, but Magra insisted to put the matter aside as all that mattered was them getting home okay.
Nadia looks around, and notices something, "Hey, Where's Dogra and the others?"
"Oh, they went out to find you guys after the fire," Magra explained, "But I guess that isn't necessary since you three made it back home,"
"I see," Nadia understood, then stares at the ceiling, 'I wonder what Sabo must be thinking right now,'
The Following Afternoon
Luffy was playing with a couple of beetles he found in the forest while Nadia watched him. Then the two spot Dogra walking back to the den.
"Dogra!" Luffy recognized, "You were looking for Ace, Nadia, and Dadan, right? They're all back!"
Nadia just smiled and waved at him, though she noticed a distressed look on Dogra's face as he responded, "Oh yeah? That's great,"
"Dogra, what's going on?" Nadia inquired,
"W-Well..." Dogra trailed off,
When everyone went inside the den, Dogra filled them all in with distressing news...
"W-what?! Sabo is..." Ace commented in utter shock, while Dadan, Nadia, and Luffy gapes at the news,
"Stop lying, you fool!" Ace yelled, and tackles Dogra onto the ground as he threaten to punch him, "Don't even joke about it!"
"Stop, Ace!" Magra tried to reason with him,
"I'm not lying or joking about it! It was so sudden!" Dogra explained, "I could barely believe what I saw! I thought I was dreaming!"
"Shut up! Sabo went back to his family's home!" Ace pointed out, "How could he be at sea?!"
"That's right! He went home!" Luffy added,
"A hoodlum like me can understand how he feels! People don't always wanna go back to their home!" Dogra stated as he pushed Ace away, "If he was really happy, he wouldn't go out to sea!"
Then Dogra yells out the following with tears in his eyes, "He wouldn't go out to sea by himself with a Jolly Roger on his ship!"
Everyone in the room was silent to Dogra's statement. Since everyone knew that Sabo wanted to be a pirate instead of being a noble. They knew that Dogra was telling the truth...
What follows was Luffy crying once more, Ace was enraged as he grabbed Dogra and demanded the name of Sabo's supposed killer. When Dogra mentioned that killing Celestial Dragon is impossible, Ace pushes him aside, grabs his pipe, and attempted to go after the Celestial Dragon.
But Dadan gets involved by lunging right behind Ace and smashing his head against the floor. She then proceeds to pin him down and harshly lectures him for real rather than her usual demeanor.
By the time she finishes, she ordered her men to tie him up while Luffy kept crying about Sabo's apparent demise. As for Nadia, she couldn't bear the news nor her brother's cry. Therefore, she ran out of the den, and Dadan ordered two of her men to watch her.
To ensure that she doesn't do anything rash...
Riverbank
As Nadia arrived at the riverbank alone, the silence was the only thing she need. However, the news about Sabo hits hard that she fell to her knees and tears started falling right out of her blue eyes.
The memories started flooding into her mind. From unending destruction to countless bloodshed as everything and everyone she knew from her home island.
Back then, the memories flashes into her mind once and that was it. But with her Devil Fruit Powers, those memories kept repeating over and over. She tries to get her thoughts together while wiping her tears away.
But fails as the memories still persist within her mind, and conflict was rising within her mind.
Once she had enough and goes on a bit of a rampage as she hits her head on the ground, punch the cliff face even when her knuckles bled within her bandages, and loudly cursed while doing either of these things.
What's more, her eyes were randomly changing to primary colors and it conflicted with her emotions. As if they were feeling the same loss, but held different reactions to the news.
Prompting her to practically destroy or throw the rocks around the riverbank to vent her mind out whilst screaming on the top of her lungs in utter frustration. The two mountain bandits watching her were scared to get involved and stayed behind the bushes.
Nadia would go through this emotional breakdown for the rest of the night...
The Following Morning
After half of the riverbank rocks were destroyed, Nadia curls up into a ball as she leaned against the wall. She refused to move from the exact same spot after her rampage.
When two of the bandits approached her, they were nervous to even talk to her. But their speaking wasn't needed as Nadia spoke to them, "Take me home... Please..."
The two bandits glanced at each other by this request, then one of them walks right up to her and offers her his hand. Nadia raises her head to see this, and takes his hand as she stands up and is escorted back to the den.
When she arrived, everyone in the den saw the look on her face but said nothing as they wouldn't want to upset her or anything. Especially when it comes to her Devil Fruit Power.
As she sat next to Ace, she looks around and asks the question to Dadan, "Where's Luffy?"
"We don't know exactly," Magra said, "He hasn't even come back to eat, and he usually eats more than any of us,"
Nadia frowned at this, while Ace finished his meal and stood up. He walks out the door, but stops by the doorframe, "You coming with me, Nadia?"
Nadia was confused at first but silently agrees as she finished her meal and followed Ace outside of the den. They walked through the forest for a while, then they arrived at a cliff and spotted Luffy lying down on his stomach and his face covered with his straw hat.
Nadia went to his side and sat down with her legs crossed together. Ace, on the other hand, stood on the opposite side looking over the horizon. The latter then blows on his fist and proceeds to punch Luffy on the head while the former paid no mind to it as she stared at the sea.
"How long are you going to lay there like a moron?" Ace inquired, and Luffy clutched onto the ring of his straw hat, "By the way, the treasure that we've been keeping in the forest is gone. It's either the military found it or survivors of Bluejam's crew must have stumbled on it somehow. Either way, there's nothing we could do at this point,"
"And six years of hard work, all went to waste," Nadia remarked,
"Eh, I don't care about treasure. Not anymore," Ace said, "I mean, those were pirate savings that I was sharing with Sabo, and you two later on of course. But in the end, he didn't need money to set sail. So I'll just let it go. There's no point in collecting treasure if we can't even protect it..."
"Ace," Luffy sobbingly called out, both Ace and Nadia stared at him, "I... I wanna get stronger..."
Luffy went on to repeat the words 'and stronger' until he stopped when he wanted to be the strongest person in the world to protect everyone he cares about. Then he begged them a promise that Ace and Nadia won't die.
Much to Ace's irritation, he punches Luffy on top of his head once more and Nadia just stared at him before rubbing his back a few times. Of course, the two stated that they won't die, but Ace was much more serious than Nadia.
Luffy then sits upstraight but keeps covering his eyes with his straw hat. Ace then revealed that Sabo promised him to take of Luffy and Nadia felt grateful for Sabo's genuine request especially when Ace agreed to uphold that promise.
What follows next is Ace reminding Luffy of the things they all did with Sabo, especially the cup of sake they all shared. Then he told him and Nadia that there's just one way to live and that's without any regrets.
"Someday, we're gonna set sail just like Sabo," Ace declared, "We're gonna live the way we want to live, More free than anyone else."
Luffy nods and Nadia smiles as they stare at the sea.
"But if you know what that means, we'll make plenty of enemies along the way. We're gonna have to fight Garp someday, I bet," Ace said, "We gonna be willing to risk everything, let's go out at sea at 17 just like Sabo planned. Then, we'll be pirates!"
"Guess that's your plan then?" Nadia inquired,
"Yeah," Ace said, then laid his eyes on her, "But I've got to ask though. Do you plan on going out to sea as a pirate too?"
"If you want me to be honest with you, The idea sounds good to be true," Nadia stated, "But I've got responsibilities to uphold,"
"Oh yeah? What kind?" Ace asked,
Nadia snorted, then placed her hand onto Luffy's head, "Grandpa said that I should look after my new brother now that I'm apart of this family. Even if my brother goes out to sea to become a pirate, I'll stay by his side as to uphold my promise to him,"
Ace was surprised by this, but Luffy was much more surprised as he turned to her with a disbelief look on his face.
"You really mean it?!" Luffy asked,
"Of course, I would," Nadia admitted, "Because, unlike fools and nobles of this world. I would never go back on my word,"
Luffy soon got teary-eyed, and suddenly lunged at her with his arms around her. Then he proceeded to cry tears of joy and continuingly praised her as the best sister ever.
Nadia just laughed as she returned her brother's hug while Ace smirked before staring out at sea.
Thus, their goals were set and what lies ahead of them in the future is the voyage that will change the course of their lives forever...
That is it for this chapter and the first arc of the story! But to anyone who might ask, I'm completely aware that it isn't the end of the arc since there's more after Ace's declaration to become pirates.
So here's something elaborate for you all, I will skip that part not because it's unnecessary. It's because I don't want to prolong the arc any further. But I will include the scene where Luffy announces his departure to Dadan and the habitants of Foosha Village.
With that said, it's time to provide a list of clones that appeared in the arc. (Alphabetically Arranged)
Beige Clone - ?
Black Clone - Prestigious Self
Shiny Silver Clone - Honorable Self
White Clone - Honest Self
Also, in case you all wonder as you why Nadia faded from smoke inhalation. The clones are the answer in case you've overlooked something. Even if their appearances were brief, the damage that Nadia sustained prior to the fight is shared amongst the clones.
In other words, she quickened the effects of smoke inhalation as the clones comes in and out of her body. But she'll improve her Devil Fruit powers as the story progresses.
Up next is the incident when Ace unknowingly used Conqueror's Haki and Nadia was affected by it but doesn't pass out like Bluejam's crew. I'll explain that part in the future rather than now.
And lastly, I want to do something fun with all of you and that would be answering any 'What If' Questions that some of you may come up with. However, I will answer one 'What If' Question per chapter, and the questions must be related to my OC character and the One Piece Series.
Here's an example:
Question: What if Nadia decided to join Ace's Crew instead of Luffy's crew?
Answer: If she decided to join Ace's crew instead of Luffy's, then I will say with utmost certainty that she and Ace will get themselves involved with Whitebeard and potentially become a member acting on Ace's orders. She'll also abide by Whitebeard's Authority, but her priorities are set on Ace before him.
That is all I have to say, stay safe from the virus, and I will see you all in the next chapter!