"Did you get any of them?" A hoarse baritone voice asked.
"Unfortunately, not, Boss Teach!" Burgess laughed despite the failure of their goal to eliminate the Strawhats.
"Such a shame. They're like rats constantly on the run. Well, at least we're keeping them occupied. How about that lawyer?" Teach turned to Lafitte who was in charge of handling Sab Regor.
"She resigned from the Celestial Law Firm and went into hiding. We don't have an official intel yet, but I believe Kidd Eustass is hiding her."
"Zehahaha! Her cunt must be hella amazing for that Kidd to still accept her after that infamous betrayal." It wasn't a secret after all. Apoo made sure of that. Kidd's imprisonment was his biggest humiliation. Relationships were an unspoken taboo in the streets because of the weakness they could represent. Kidd was among those who experienced betrayal by a lover, as did Marco afterward.
"Still, it's quite shocking for the World Government to offer us a huge sum to get their heads." Van Augur commented.
"Not exactly the World Government. But the Five Elders. To think they would make a move like this. It makes you wonder what those two did to anger them." Catalina grinned as she recalled how their boss had received an unexpected call from the World Government, offering them an amount they had never dreamed possible: 10 billion for Strawhat and Sab Regor's head.
"There were rumors about Strawhat's identity. Apparently, she is a woman." Shiliew blew a puff of smoke in the air as he looked into Teach's eyes, hinting at something.
"Oh, really? That's interesting. If that is true, it wouldn't be a coincidence that the World Government ordered Sab Regor and Strawhat's heads. If they are the same, it makes things easier. Oi, San Juan! Get the men ready! If we can't find Sab Regor, then, we'll have to ask Kidd where she is. Zehahahaha!"
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
"What's with this remote place, Sab?" A short-haired petite woman huffed while looking around the hideout. It was in a remote place, away from the prying eyes of people.
"It can't be helped." Sab sighed in annoyance while pointing to Koala the vacant seat nearby. "I hate this but I have to hide in the meantime. Even Dragon told me to do so."
"That would be for the better. Anyway, I got the intel you need." Sab's eyes perked. "I know you would have guessed by now, but the information about your identity had been discovered by Tashigi. I don't know what kind of luck she had, but she was searching for clues about Luffia's involvement in the Mafia World and stumbled upon your information. Fuusha Orphanage denied your records existence and that hit the nail."
"Even if our records were suspicious, how come they knew about our parentage?" Sab arrived at this conclusion given the restless pursuit of Teach's group of assassins. With all her involvement as a lawyer, it should not be possible for their group to go after her unless they were paid an enormous amount of money. No one could afford to pay for this greedy group of assassins unless it was the Emperors or the World Government.
She ruled out the Emperors. Kaido and Big Mom are too busy wreaking havoc to care for her life. Besides, she was careful not to mess with them as Atty. Sab Regor. Suspecting Whitebeard is out of the question. Why would he deploy Teach when that man wanted to kill the latter? Suspecting Shanks would be ridiculous too.
That left her with the World Government. Now that Zoro knew about their identities, the informant must be someone from the World Government. And if that is the case, one of their worst fears came true.
"DNA Tests, Sab. I had to scourge hospital records and it seems that Tashigi dug too deep into this. As an officer, she upholds justice towards the civilians, but she surprisingly has menacing cruelty behind her. I'd say love is such a powerful driving force."
Sab cursed out loud while internally debating whether to tell Luffia about this. Everything they worked for has started to crumble. With her identity exposed, she could no longer go back to society as Sab Regor unless she wanted to forfeit her life.
"From the looks of it, I don't think your identity as Blue was exposed. That is one thing you have to keep no matter what." Koala said.
"I know. I already jeopardize several of our plans as it is."
"Don't think that. Besides, what do you take us for? We're a team."
"Thanks."
"You might think you jeopardize the plans, but I think not. It's better this way. At least you won't be reckless and have us clean up your mess!" Koala glared at Sab, still annoyed whenever she remembered the recklessness she pulled whenever she moved. It left almost everyone in the Revolutionary Army in helplessness. "Anyway, I have to go. I can't be seen here, otherwise, it would expose me too!"
"Thanks, Koala. I could ask Killer to at least drop you off on your way back."
"And have him make fun of my height?! No way!" Sab chuckled, remembering the day when Koala visited her and met Kidd and Killer. The blond man's first comment had Koala fuming.
"A high school kid?"
"What did you say?!"
It was a riot and had it not been Sab reminding Koala about her business, she would have gone on insulting Killer for hours.
"Okay, if you say so - "
"I'll drive this kid on her way back." Sab did not have a chance to finish her sentence when Killer showed up.
"HUH?!" Koala's face instantly morphed into a demon upon seeing the man towering over her. "Who are you calling a kid?"
"Then, a child."
"I AM NOT A CHILD!"
"Shouting at the top of your lungs proved my point, brat. Now, let's get going." Killer instantly picked Koala by her collar and dragged her towards the back exit of the hideout. Sab could only wave at her friend but said friend was too busy shouting curses at Killer.
"They're getting alone."
"Koala would be fuming mad at you for saying such things." She chuckled and turned to Kidd. "How's your men?"
"Three died. Some were injured, but they will live." Sab frowned at his answer. The group was caught off guard by their recent encounter with Teach's group. While they remained wary of other factions, they typically sought to avoid violence whenever feasible. However, Lafitte and his men unexpectedly launched an attack on Kidd's group. Although casualties were likely limited because the skirmish occurred in broad daylight, the incident was nonetheless significant.
Another death on my shoulder. She thought to herself. She didn't doubt that Kidd's group got attacked because of her. With Koala's confirmation, she knew this was just a start. There would be more to come.
"Shut it."
"Huh?"
"You're blaming yourself, aren't you?" Kidd knelt in front of her, eyes meeting hers.
"Well - "
"I know I cannot stop you from thinking about it, but don't be cocky thinking this was all just because of you. Sooner or later, Grandline will be a warzone. It is a matter of time and it won't matter which side anyone is. Everyone will be in this chaos. You know that."
"I know, still, knowing your members died - "
"Instead of pitying their deaths, we will mourn them and make sure to pay those who attacked us tenfold. Don't underestimate us, Sab. No one gets away with hurting my members. No one."
"Please don't tell me you're planning on taking them head on?"
"I am not that reckless. I know that will only result in a massacre and even then, I won't know if their heads will roll on the floor. But I am no coward either. Don't ever think my group's all brawn and no brains."
"What are you planning?"
"I heard what you talked about earlier. I am pretty sure they would come after me just to look for you. That gives my men enough time to mess up their hideouts. Hahaha! We might not be able to kill everyone, but it would be enough to cripple them."
"That's a good start, but can you execute it well?"
"Hey! Are you insulting me - " He stopped when Sab leaned in to capture his lips. He responded in kind, melting into it. When they parted, he witnessed a devilish smirk on her face.
"I don't plan on being an audience in that grand counterattack. Besides, we allied with you, remember? The least you could do is to let your allies in for the fun." Kidd answered with a smirk, matching Sab's devilish ones.
"Hehe. You're on. In the meantime, why don't we have more fun alone? Hm?" Before Sab could answer, Kidd swept her off her feet with their bedroom as their destination.
Following their intimate time together, Sab assisted Kidd in strategizing their counterattack against Teach's group. Luffia dispatched Usopp and Franky to lend support. The plan centered around using Kidd as a decoy, a proposal that Sab vehemently opposed, sparking a heated 30-minute argument between them. Kidd's members were sighing, not daring to add fuel to the fire. They were so used to this that it had become an everyday activity. All they had to do was let the argument pass.
In the end, Kidd won the argument. They would use their previous hideout and wait for Teach's group. They dispatched spies in that group to alert them should they leave.
It was tenuous days for them, waiting for Teach's group to attack them. All they had to do was to ensure Kidd was seen entering the hideout. With Franky and Usopp, they modified the hideout so there was a secret exit.
With the signal from their spies, they proceed with their plans, as carefully as possible. The last thing they wanted was an accident that could harm the group. There is only one group they need to harm, and that is Teach's.
As their plans were set in motion, Kidd and his men entered the building, seemingly unaware of Teach's group nearby. As soon as they entered, they used the secret exit. Teach's men made the move and threw a smoke bomb in the place.
Usopp played his part and pressed a button that triggered a pre-recorded voice of Kidd's group in panic. Recording them was quite funny in Sab's opinion because all of them were terrible actors. But it will do.
The panicked voices signaled Teach's men to raid the place. Half of them went inside.
"It would have been ideal if all the officers went in, but I figured they would just send their pawns inside," Sab muttered under her breath while observing the situation through her screen.
"That's half of them inside. It is only a matter of time before they realize they've been duped. Might as well set the place on fire now." Usopp smiled and Sab gave a nod of approval. With the push of a button, the bomb detonated with a resounding crash.
As expected, Teach's group was dumbfounded because half of their men had been killed by a blunder. Granted, it was a shame to bomb the hideout worth millions, but it was nothing compared to the payback they achieved.
"Che! This is such a pain. We could have killed more of them if we took advantage of their shock." Kidd who just arrived grumbled as he slumped next to Sab.
"True. We could have shot them in here, but they outnumber us. We would be overwhelmed. Besides, with their sniper missing, I don't doubt he's stationed somewhere we don't know. It's too risky. Our goal is to cripple them." Sab argued. True to Kidd's word, they could have stationed men to shoot Teach's group after setting off the bomb and they would achieve more casualties against their enemy but that would also open a possibility of casualties on their side. The last thing they wanted was for their men to be unnecessarily hurt. Not now when Grandline was in turmoil and the Emperors rampaging, waiting for any chance to swallow an injured group.
"Fine! Fine! You win! But you gotta admit my idea was great, right?"
"And I executed it perfectly. Which makes us great partners." Kidd laughed and goaded at the faces of Teach's men in panic. Good thing they set up CCTV cameras everywhere, at least he gets to see their faces contort into a mixture of astonishment and then anger. He would surely goad at them when the time to face each other comes.
"That teaches them not to mess with us."
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
Following the bombing incident of Kidd's group against Teach, it seems like it signaled more chaos to rampage across the nation. Grandline grew tumultuous for the past six months, not due to economic decline, but because its streets were in turmoil. Kaido and Big Mom rampaged through borders, seizing numerous territories with fierce attacks. It seemed they were testing the limits of chaos, daring anyone to challenge them. Even the small groups were not spared, sucked into the chaos the alliance brought. With two superpowers merging, it felt like slamming against a huge wall not many could overcome.
Shanks on the other hand fend off any attempts against his territories. He and the groups under him were all on high alert due to the attacks from different sides.
The World Government should have been countering the alliance between the two Emperors. However, for reasons unknown, the Revolutionary Army was engaging them in unexpected locations, almost as if Dragon were capitalizing on the alliance between the two Emperors.
Amid this turbulence, Whitebeard's group seemed to start baring its fangs. But mainly it was Marco. He may have the nickname 'Phoenix' but some people grumbled that this nickname was no longer accurate to describe him. He was a walking demon on the battlefield. Any attacks in their territories would end up bloody with several enemies dead. He showed no mercy at all. As if any walking enemy had been tagged with a death sentence.
This change only happened after the death of Firefist.
Whitebeard's enemies grew fearful of Marco and his means. After all, he was never bloodthirsty, unlike Kaido's right-hand man. With Ann's death, it was as if a demon was finally awake. In one of the encounters that happened in Whitebeard's territories, he disposed of a bomb towards the enemies. Not only that, he chased them till he saw no man alive. Many witnessed how he walked in the middle of dead bodies lying around with his blue eyes blazing with nothingness. Most of his allies remembered that night and every time they recalled the coldness in Marco's eyes, they felt shivers down their spines.
Restlessness grew among the members. They always walked on edge around Marco as if they were looking at someone they no longer knew. The commanders were worried too especially whenever someone mentioned Firefist in passing. The next thing they knew, Marco would be in a bloodbath. It was as if he sought chaos to vent the pent-up frustration he had been holding for the past six months since Ann's death. While none dared to say it, they knew that part of Marco died alongside Ann.
"Pops," Izou called to Whitebeard. The old man looked into his daughter's eyes and knew what she wanted to say.
"I know. I will talk to him." He said with conviction. Most of them left Marco alone, hoping that he would get through the pain after a while. But he didn't. He got worse as if he was slowly dying inside.
Marco knew the looks he was receiving from his family. He was not blind but he chose to ignore it. The sorrow made it easier for him to ignore everything going on around him. He sought something to alleviate the pain and killing his enemies had been his outlet. But even when he won several battles, he still felt empty. Numb. He felt nothing. It felt like living but at the same time, dead.
Just like today, he struggled to recall how the day had passed or the hours spent outdoors. He remembered waking up, wishing he hadn't, yet painfully allowing his body to function. Upon hearing reports of a brawl in one of their bars, despite having men to handle it, he obstinately sought out the turmoil it promised. Upon arrival, he unleashed his sorrow through his fists. To say it was a massacre was an understatement. He went after these people with intent to kill. Once his fist connected to one of their faces, his mind went blank. All he knew was the voice at the back of his mind whispering to him: Kill
The last thing he remembered was Bay ordering some of their men to restrain him because the person underneath him had long been dead.
Seeing the bloody bodies around him and the concerned looks of his people, he ought to feel remorse or shame, but he felt nothing. He departed after informing them that he would head home.
Here he was, surrounded by dimness and an overwhelming silence that filled the emptiness of the room. He let out a deep sigh and sank down to the floor, leaning against his bed.
Not even the sound of a knock at the door could rouse him from his bewildered state.
"Son..." Marco heard his father's voice and glanced up to see him seated on the bed.
"Pops," his voice is hoarse. Even speaking felt agonizing.
"Son, you're killing yourself." Marco's answer was silence. "You will get nowhere by acting like this."
"I don't know what you're talking about, yoi. I am fine,"
"You know damn well what I am talking about. I know you're hurting - "
"I am not hurting because she died. We're supposed to kill her anyway, yoi. Good riddance!" Whitebeard sighed, eyes softening while staring at his son. No father would ever want to see their child hurting like this. Like everyone else, he thought Marco would get through this, but he was wrong.
"If it was a good riddance and you're not hurt because she died, then why are you crying?"
Marco was taken aback by his father's question. Denial was his immediate answer but when his bloodied hands reached for his face, he was shocked to feel warm tears falling down his eyes.
"B-But..." He almost choked on his words, forcefully swallowing the sobs forming in his throat. "She's an enemy! She tried to kill you! I... I s-shouldn't - I can't..."
"No one will begrudge you for mourning her death."
"She's an enemy, Pops! She tried to kill you several times, yoi! She was - " Marco couldn't hold the sobs escaping his throat nor could he stop the tears that he had been holding back for months.
Whitebeard could only watch his son go through the emotional turmoil he had been keeping for months. His voice sounded so confused, hurt, and conflicted. The emotions he was shouldering were a heavy one and even as a father, he couldn't do anything to lift them off his son. Whitebeard knew the heavy burden Marco carried as his heir and knowing his son, he would feel responsible for the situation he caused. The old man knew Marco was blaming himself for Ann. He was tormenting himself for loving an enemy. And now that she was dead, perhaps, at the back of Marco's mind, he was still denying this fact, rejecting it.
Seeing Marco, Whitebeard was convinced Marco stood at a pivotal moment: whether to suppress his grief over his lover or to reject the reality of her passing.
"She might have been an enemy, but you loved her. You still do. And no one would take it against you for mourning the person you love. So, let it go, son. Let yourself mourn her death."
Upon hearing those words, it felt as though a tremendous weight had been lifted from Marco, and for the first time since Ann's passing, he allowed himself to weep. All Whitebeard could do was put a reassuring hand on Marco's shoulders before leaving to allow his son to mourn. It was all he could do as a father.
===XXX===XXX===XXX===
As Luffia prepared to depart from their main residence, she noticed the door to Ann's bedroom was partially ajar. Ann seemed unaware of her presence, her attention fixed on the object she held in her hands. Luffia recognized it immediately: the sole photograph of Marco that Ann had chosen to keep.
Ann never brought it up, but Luffia knew the guilt and pain never left her. And when she recovered from her deadly injuries, she made sure to only participate in battles where chances of seeing Marco were lesser. Half a year passed and who knows how much she must be missing him. Luffia can attest to this as she felt the same.
Months dragged on like years for her, and sometimes she yearned to find Zoro. Yet, inexplicably, he remained out of her grasp. Luffia could have instructed her crew to search for him, but she refrained. The thought of encountering him filled her with dread, knowing that seeing him might weaken her resolve. Despite being certain she would make the same choice again, the fear lingered that circumstances might change, especially as her longing for him persisted.
She smiled with a hint of sadness before composing herself, masking that sadness with a bright smile before knocking on Ann's door.
"Ann?" She gave her sister enough time to hide the picture before opening the door. "I'll leave for now."
"Be careful on your way out."
"Yeah. Don't worry! I'll be fine! Sab will be here too in a while."
"You make it sound as if I will get lonely without you."
"Shishishi! Then, I'll see you later!"
She met Usopp in the driveway. He offered to drive her towards Shanks' hideout, or more like Nami forced him to do it. He is the least suspicious out of the group and could pass as a civilian. Besides, it gives him a reason to see his father from time to time.
The journey lasted an hour, and due to Usopp's paranoia, they ended up driving faster than their usual pace, much to Luffia's amusement. She sat relaxed in the passenger seat, laughing uproariously.
When they arrived in the mansion, they were greeted by the main officers before Usopp was ushered by Yasopp to the back garden and Luffia was off to see Shanks in a private room with Benn in tow.
"Yo! Shanks! Are you drunk? Shishishi!"
"Brat, I am never drunk!" Luffia only raised an eyebrow while pointing at the empty bottles of Sake on the table. "I didn't drink all of them!"
"Shishishi. What a liar!" Their banters went on for a few minutes, catching up and joking around till the conversation drifted towards serious business.
"I heard you fought Big Mom's group recently," Luffia said, cheerfulness gone in her tone.
"Most of them were Big Mom's, but I am pretty sure we spotted a few officers from Kaido's," Shanks answered while reaching for another bottle of rum.
"Their alliance is such a pain. We could not even penetrate Wano easily."
"Of course, you can't. That's a lawless region and the only order in that place was Kaido's. Besides, you don't think you can easily take down Kaido by just infiltrating his main territory, right? That's suicide."
"Nami said the same thing." Luffia pouted.
"And she's right to stop you. Seriously, brat. Taking the head might cause a group to fall apart, but don't forget, Kaido had several men under his banner that could put any group into smithereens. They're strong. I know you wanted to avenge your parents, but the world has a cause and effect. I am sure you understand what I am saying here."
"Are you saying we should forego going after him?"
"No. I am saying that you should be careful and taking Kaido out of the picture will need more power than you can muster. I know the three of you were past the point of return. You are carving your path of vengeance, but going into an all-out war against one enemy will do nothing when you have more waiting for a split-second of weakness to kill you." Sometimes, Luffia hated Shanks for being right but most times, she was grateful because aside from Dragon and Rayleigh, Shanks had been a stable source of wisdom for the three sisters. Like them, he also wanted to avenge his former Boss, but with his responsibilities, he could not risk the lives of his members for the sake of personal vendetta.
"I know and I understand. The World Government is also a problem. So long as the Five Elders exist, this world will always feel like a cage. Regardless if it was memories caging people or their rules. It doesn't matter."
"That's true. They had been quiet for months now, letting Big Mom and Kaido's chaos run free. Not to mention Teach's group."
"It won't surprise me if they are pulling the strings behind. Or more like taking advantage of the situation." Benn said.
"Deaths are all over the place. This hindered us from getting anywhere close to discovering the traitor. We're stuck in a standstill." Luffia clenched her fist, anxiousness taking over her mind. She badly wished for this to be over. If it were possible, she would have killed the Five Elders, Big Mom, and Kaido. Perhaps by then, she would have unraveled the traitor and hunted him down.
"What we need is a driving force to stop Big Mom and Kaido's momentum. Another alliance." Luffia looked up to Shanks who became hesitant in bringing up the topic of alliance.
"What is it?"
"Well, I refrained from bringing this up to the three of you, or more specifically to Ann. But with deaths all over the place, we're risking being overrun by the momentum set by Big Mom and Kaido. To stop this, an alliance with the Whitebeards is inevitable."
Luffia blinked a couple of times, processing the idea.
"Whitebeards, you say?"
"Yes, that was my plan. I would contact them to form an alliance with my group, but this might require telling them about our alliance. We could hide Ann's presence from them, but an alliance built with deceit would fall apart."
"Hmm..." Luffia was in deep thought.
"It doesn't have to be right now. And you don't need to answer. You might need to tell your sisters about this." Benn said. "But you must know time is of the essence."
"Okay, got it!" Luffia said with finality.
"Alright, give us an answer - "
"No. What I'm saying is, let's get that alliance." Shanks and Benn blinked when they saw the beaming smile on Luffia's face. They dreaded to think what could have made her smile like that. It spelled doom.
"Uh, Luffia. Don't you think you have to tell your sisters about this?" Benn inquired, feeling a headache coming on as he contemplated Luffia's potential for whimsical decision-making.
"Nah, it's alright. And don't tell them anything about this! Leave that alliance to me. Shishishi! I just had a great idea! Shishishi!"
"Luffia, this is a delicate matter. You know that, right?" Shanks reminded her and even without bringing Ann's name into his words, Luffia knew what he wanted to say.
"I know." Her demeanor changed, eyes blazing with resolution. "Believe me, I know. I am not being whimsical either. Or reckless. Or an idiot. But I think this alliance is what we needed." Or what Ann needed, goes unsaid. Her words convinced Shanks and he nodded, understanding her intentions. Luffia's actions may always perceived as reckless, but there is something in the way she approached things that worked the best for the people she cared for. With her sister on the line, he knew he could trust her not to put Ann in danger.
He smiled, satisfied that they had come to an understanding.
"Alright. I will leave it to you. But please, don't ever tell Ann that this idea came from me. I don't want my name added to her list. Please!" Shanks almost begged, resigned that whatever idea Luffia had would undoubtedly involve Ann. He could only pity Ann and pray that she wouldn't find out he had a hand in whatever chaos Luffia brought.
"Shishishi! Okay, time to go! I have an alliance to build!" She was quick on her feet and left the room while shouting for Usopp that they had to leave.
"Oi! Luffia! You have to promise me! You crazy brat!" Shanks didn't get the chance to extract a promise from Luffia as she hightailed out of his mansion with Usopp in tow. Benn could only pity Shanks and prayed for him.