Chapter 22

It took a while to get Shakky to let go and get the kids settled in, but Rouge managed it. Rouge sat up at the bar while the kids sat around the table, munching on their food. Ace looked worried for her, but Rouge threw him a smile and a thumbs up.

"So the first thing you say to me is to call me an idiot," Rouge mused, sipping at her rum. "Any particular reason?"

Shakky crossed her arms. "You should have called me back in Baterilla. I would have got you out of there personally."

Rouge snorted. "Sure, you and what army?"

"Did you think I needed an army to destroy those bastards?" Shakky hissed.

"Baterilla was hell, Shakky," Rouge said coldly. "So don't presume you know what would have happened had you arrived there." Rouge swallowed down her entire bottle of rum, gulping it down in a few quick swallows. Nobody said a thing, and she only spoke up once Shakky sat down another bottle in front of her. "Besides, I couldn't call anyone. They blocked off all communication. They took our ships, and our boats, and anyone who tried to leave was executed there and then. I saw men and women be shot in the head trying to get out of there with their children."

"I'm sorry..." Rayleigh said weakly, his head bowed.

Rouge scowled. "What for?"

"I should have been there for you."

Rouge snorted. "Did you know I was pregnant?"

"No, but-"

"Did you know I was in Baterilla, surrounded by thousands of Marines with warships, ready to launch a Buster Call?"

Shakky stiffened.

"Yeah, they were going to do that to us if any word got out," Rouge spat. "We were fucked."

"I still didn't protect you or Ace." Rayleigh looked mournfully at Ace, but Ace hadn't once met his gaze.

Sabo squeezed Ace's shoulder gently.

"Yeah, well Roger didn't either," Rouge grunted.

"You can't blame him for that-" Rayleigh protested.

"Why not?" Rouge sneered. "Because he was your precious Captain? I love him, forever and always, but your Captain was a fucking idiot who rushed everything in his life. Now shut the fuck up, Rayleigh. This ain't about you or Roger. Roger is dead, and you're in hiding. 'I didn't protect you or Ace', you stupid fucker. Garp protected Ace."

Rayleigh stiffened. "Garp?"

"Roger told Garp, and even then Garp must have blabbed to someone, because Baterilla was surrounded by thousands of fuckers," Rouge said. "The only reason I am not captured today, and the only reason that Ace is alive, is because I deceived the entire fucking world. Me, myself and I." Rouge grinned wolfishly. "The world had no idea what I did, and I made sure they didn't take my treasure from me. I won. Ace is alive."

"Woo!" Sabo cheered. "Point to us, nothing to those assholes."

"And here I thought you didn't swear," Ace said dryly.

"And so you came back as a ghost witch of the Portgas clan?" Shakky mused. "That is a really rare thing these days, Rouge."

"It was rare before that anyway," Rouge grunted. "None of my ancestors ever came back. I'm just insanely strong compared to most people."

"You could fight Roger," Rayleigh said. "It makes sense."

"Shakky, is this what he's been doing all this time?" Rouge sighed. "Wallowing over Roger?"

"Only when old friends come around," Shakky chuckled.

"Urgh, painful." Rouge wrinkled her nose. "I died, came back as a ghost to protect Ace, raised him, and here we are, sailing together, because hell yeah."

"I do a lot less thievery than she ever did though," Ace added in.

"Except for restaurants," Deuce noted.

"You know," Shakky began, a sly smile sliding on to her face. "I told you once that you and Roger would make a cute baby."

Ace choked on his drink, gagging. Deuce began slapping his back as Sabo cackled.

Rouge snorted, watching the kids fondly. "You weren't wrong."

"I'm glad you finally found your treasure," Shakky said, grinning brightly.

"He's the best."

"Mum!" Ace's cheeks were flushed.

.::.

Sabo walked out of Shakky's bar late that night to see Ace staring off into the distance. He had heard Ace get up in the middle of the night and gave his brother a few minutes before following him out. Ace's eyes were distant, as if his thoughts were miles away, but he was looking in the same direction as always.

Up towards Mariejois.

The thought terrified Sabo. He didn't know what drew all the head witches there, but it couldn't be anything good. It was the land of the Gods, of Celestial Dragons who would take Ace away and enslave him for all Sabo knew. He couldn't lose his brother. Not to them. Sabo could never let Ace lose himself to those bastards.

"Ace," Sabo called gently. Ace didn't respond. "Ace!"

He reached out and placed his hand on Ace's shoulder, giving him a firm shake. A bit of life flickered back into Ace's eyes, and their gazes met.

"Sabo?" Ace frowned, searching about. "When did we get outside?"

Sabo felt his frown deepen. That wasn't normal. In all these years neither Ace nor Law had ever moved during their trance. They usually just stared in the direction of Mariejois. If Sabo hadn't followed him out, would Ace have left to head towards it? Sabo almost shivered at the thought. None of them would have known that Ace had left in the middle of the night.

"You were in a trance, Ace," Sabo said gently, keeping his hand put on Ace's shoulder.

Ace's brow furrowed. "I've never walked during a trance before. That's not normal."

"Maybe it's because we're closer to Mariejois," Sabo said, tugging him. "C'mon, let's get back inside."

Ace's shoulders slumped as they retreated back inside. "I feel it all the time, that urge to look up there, ever since we arrived in Saboady. I can usually ignore it with everyone around me, but I guess sometimes it's too much when it gets quiet."

"I'm worried about that, Ace," Sabo admitted. "I don't know what it is that you witches are after up there, but it's full of Celestial Dragons. People who would enslave you without a second thought."

"I don't know either, and I'm not sure if I want to find out or not," Ace sighed.

.::.

"I'm worried about you, Rouge."

Rouge stirred from her thoughts, or well her 'daydreaming' as Shachi loved to call it, and tore her gaze away from the direction of Mariejois. She met Shakky's gaze, who watched her with a fallen face, as if Rouge's fate was already sealed. They were sat on the roof, sharing a bottle of whiskey, and she could see Sabo ushering Ace back inside from her perch above them. She hadn't even realised Ace had left the bar, her attention had been miles away too.

It was getting worse the closer they got the Mariejois.

What the hell was up there that was calling to them so much?

"I don't know what's up there, but you and your kid are locked on to it," Shakky said. "That's been several times today you've been distracted by it. That never happened before."

Rouge scoffed. "You're memory becoming dodgy, Shakky? It did whenever I came here. The closer I got to Mariejois, the easier it became for me to lose my head and watch the skies. I need to get up there and find out if whatever is there is a danger to Ace and I, but I'm not risking Ace getting enslaved by those shitty bastards up there. I remembered that I actually stopped coming here alone because of it all. I made sure one of the idiots would be with me. Roger was always worried about me travelling through Sabaody alone."

"I don't blame him, you become very vulnerable in that state," Shakky mused. "Not that many people would dare try to take advantage of you. You had a particularly scary reputation."

Rouge grinned. "Hell yeah!"

"What are you going to do when you go into the New World? Ace is a strong kid for sure, but his crew aren't yet," Shakky said.

"Sure, not yet, but I'll get them trained up. Just gotta find an island in New World that's quiet and away from Mariejois, and then I'll torment-" Rouge cut herself off. "Train them," she corrected, flashing Shakky a grin.

Shakky laughed. "They are in for a wild ride."

"Oh yeah, it's going to be great," Rouge chuckled.

"But what will happen if you run into the stronger crews before then?" Shakky asked.

Rouge grimaced. "Depends on who you mean. We won't be too close to any territories for a while, well except for Eddy's in Fishman island."

"He's been heading that way," Shakky revealed.

Rouge snorted. "Probably heard about Ace and is now shitting himself."

Shakky scowled. "He loved you a lot, Rouge. You shouldn't dismiss Newgate like that."

"I know," she said, softening. "He was my best friend, Shakky, but my priority is Ace. I'll say hi later when I get the chance, but he better not show up posing like a dumbass around my kid, or be ready to interrogate him."

"He wouldn't hurt your kid. Not him of all people," Shakky said.

Rouge rolled her eyes. "The same nutter who would kidnap people aboard his ship to make them apart of his family? Really? The only reason he didn't do that to me was because I was on the same level of skill as him. We would have ruined an island fighting over that one."

"Or two," Shakky mused.

"Or two," Rouge agreed.

"Yeah Newgate is a bit weird when it comes to adopting children."

"He literally kidnapped Marco after the little shit pick pocketed him on the streets!" Rouge complained. "How does that even work out?"

Shakky cackled.

"And by the Seas, Oden, his brother? That was hilarious. Couldn't get the guy to be his kid so he got a little brother instead!" Rouge laughed. "Rahahahaha, what a dumbass!"

Shakky smiled warmly. "I missed you, Rouge."

Rouge softened. "I missed you too. Bloody hell, you have no idea how many times I wished you were by my side when Ace was growing up. You would have been the best aunt for him in the world." Rouge deflated. "Stupid Roger..."

"He should have brought you to me," Shakky said. "I would have protected you, not stupid Garp."

Rouge smiled. "Yeah, he didn't really think that one through. When he told me he was going to get himself arrested and talk to Garp, by the Seas, you have no idea how much I wanted to kill him."

"I can imagine."

"Fucker," Rouge grunted. "I miss him."

"I do too," Shakky admitted. "It was a different time when he sailed the seas... Now all these new kids are just brats, well, Ace excluded of course. My nephew is adorable."

Rouge chuckled. "Auntie Shakky, huh?"

"Yep." Shakky smiled brightly. "The Spade Pirates are cuties, really, and I'm quite enjoying the Heart Pirates too." Shakky frowned. "It's a shame they are at war, if I heard right?"

Rouge snorted. "Nah, that's just what Morgans keeps thinking. Law and Ace pretty much grew up in their teenage years together. The little brats claimed Law and his crew as one of theirs."

"Brats?" Shakky blinked.

Rouge grinned. "Ace, Sabo and Luffy. You better watch out for those names, Shakky, because those brats are going to be the next big thing. I can promise you that!"

Shakky smiled. "I can't wait."

"Neither can I."