(I am so sorry, I lost motivation for too long, but now I am back and writing again! Please excuse my absence, I appreciate the support so much even despite my lack of writing. and now I return with another chapter in hand! I hope you enjoy Chapter 5 of To Save a Friend in Need by SubZero Fantasies!)
Ace followed the dark hallway toward the light. He was familiar with this scenario. Blackbeard had pulled him in, interrupting his fight with the Shredder. Ace's eyes widened as he saw the familiar sight of a straw hat drifting to sit in his hands, blood staining the straw. His horror becomes evident, and he looks over to see Luffy, his sworn little brother, battered up and bruised with small spurts of blood spilling from his mouth.
"LUFFY!!!" Ace quickly rushes over to his brother's side, fear and anger flowing through his blood.
"A-Ace...?" Luffy whispers through a hoarse voice.
"Luffy! It's alright, I'm here. We're getting you out of here." Ace picks up Luffy and uses the light of his fire to escape Blackbeard's power.
Luffy couldn't help but smile seeing his older brother after so long. It had been quite a few years since he had last seen his elder, freckled face brother.
"Hey... What are you doing here...?" Luffy questioned with a weak yet excited grin spread wide over his face.
Ace frowned, but he chuckled anyway. Luffy never seized to impress him and make him proud. It was strange to think they weren't related by blood...
"C'mon... let's get you out of here."
Subzero Fantasies
Nami was scavenging through the money bags that the mutant family had provided to them, counting each and every piece of currency.
"So, what did you say this currency was called again?" Usopp questioned, having been pulled into helping Nami count the strange green slips of paper.
Raph glanced over, huffing in confusion with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, it's called dollars. how do you not know? Isn't that what the currency is around the world?" Donnie replied, having the same look of confusion as Raph.
"Well, not exactly. There are different forms of currency scattered around the world. But the main one is called Berries. It's a form of currency treasured by the World Government, and because of that, it's a very valuable currency treasured among pirates as well." Nami explained, still being strangely confused by this dollar currency.
Donnie mouthed a silent 'oh'. He seemed to understand better than most of the people in the underground home of the Mutants. He shuffled over to Nami and Usopp and began helping them count the money, providing his available knowledge.
"Hey, has anyone seen Luffy?" Zoro questioned, returning with Leo accompanying him.
April then made an abrupt entrance. She seemed confused and worried, as though she had seen someone disappear in thin air before her very eyes."April, is something wrong?" Leo questioned, noticing something off about April's behavior."I'm not sure... I met this weird boy with a straw hat, but he just... disappeared when I was leading him back here..." April explained, rubbing her neck nervously.Suddenly, an unfamiliar figure barged into the room, hauling a battered and bruised Luffy. Nami and Usopp immediately began to freak out, and Zoro and Sanji acted upon their instincts. Zoro had hus sword pointed at the stranger's neck, and Sanji raised his guard up.
"Woah, woah, calm down. I'm not here to harm anyone. I'm just getting my little brother somewhere safe." The stranger chuckled, enjoying himself with a mocked sense of nervously.
"Who are you, and what happened to Luffy?!" Sanji growled, raising his knee and preparing to strike if necessary.
"I assure you, none of this is my fault. It's Blackbeard's fault for choosing to meddle around with my family. The name's Portgas D. Ace. You've probably heard from somewhere. I'm Luffy's older brother, so I mean no harm whatsoever." Ace reassured, helping Luffy over to a safe spot on a nearby sofa.
"Portgas D. Ace... Wait, h-hold on!" Usopp cried out, shuffling away in fear of Ace's given reputation.
"Usopp, what is it? Is there something about that name?" Zoro scowled, his guard increasing.
Even though Usopp was scared of practically everything, Zoro could tell there was something about Ace that wasn't to be messed with.
"Wait, y-you mean... you're THE Portgas D. Ace?! The commander of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates?!" Nami screeched, stumbled back.
everyone glanced over at Ace, their eyes widening in shock and fear.
"Huh. I didn't know I was such a big name around here."
(Again, I apologize. Chapter 5 of To Save a Friend in Need is finally out after way too long. Reviews will be appreciated, but it's okay if you feel uncomfortable with sharing your thoughts. Have a nice day! Hopefully, Chapter 6 will be out by next week.)