Chapter 48
"Dammit. You and Thatch better not attack-" Whitebeard hissed.
Rouge frowned. "I'm just preparing myself just in case, but I'm hoping to just keep watch for now and see if there are any weaknesses we can exploit-"
Teach cheered. "We're gonna set sail and deliver Straw Hat's head to the Marines! Zehahahahahaha!"
"Yeah, let's go, Captain!" Burgess laughed.
Rouge's heart skipped a beat. "They're going after Luffy..."
"Rouge-"
"Not one of my kids-" Rouge hissed.
"I guess you can help us lure him out, Ace," Laffitte said.
Rouge's breath hitched and Eddy went silent.
"Zehahahaha, that's the plan."
Ace sighed. "Sorry, Luffy, but whatever you say goes, Captain."
They were going to make Ace go after Luffy? Ace's little brother? One of her kids? Rouge gritted her teeth. "Those fuckers-"
"LIKE HELL!" Thatch screamed.
Rouge gasped.
"Dammit!" Eddy cursed. "Rouge-"
"I'll do my best. Gotta go!"
Rouge activated the ritual circle. She needed help and fast.
.:.
Thatch was standing on a rooftop with his twin blades drawn, right in plain sight, with a livid look on his face. Ace faltered at the look, but Teach only laughed. No, why did Thatch have to show up here? He wasn't supposed to be able to find them anymore.
"Thatch! It's good to see you again," Teach greeted him.
"You bastard, you're making Ace go after his little brother!" Thatch spat.
"I thought you wouldn't be able to find us after Ace cut out his nail," Teach said, gesturing to Ace's hand.
He had kept his entire hand bandaged, which of course Teach had grew suspicious of quickly and forced Ace to tell him what exactly had happened, and Ace had been forced to tell him everything. Now he could no longer call Pops or any of the crew, no one except for a Blackbeard unless Ace had permission otherwise.
"I can smell shit like you from miles away," Thatch sneered.
"That's rude, Commander Thatch." Teach smirked.
"Quit mocking me, you bastard!"
"Zehahahahaha, fine, fine. It's not like I really ever saw you as Commander material anyway, only a weakling would get so easily stabbed in the back. You're simply just a chef."
"You saw me as a chef because you never saw me this pissed off before," Thatch said through gritted teeth. "And only a chef should play with fire, Teach, because otherwise you'll get burned!"
He threw down a charm, right at their feet. Ace gasped, recognising it immediately, as a whirlwind of fire exploded from it. Teach screamed, consumed by it immediately. Ace had only just managed to tackle both Augur and Laffitte out the way in time.
"He's got charms?" Laffitte startled.
"My charms!" Ace cursed. "He raided my witch cupboard!"
Burgess yelled and threw a building at Thatch, and Thatch only smirked. He swung his swords to cut it right in half, and Thatch threw another potion. A flood of water went crashing into Burgess, sending him crashing into the ground.
"Thanks for the potions, Ace!" Thatch grinned sharply. "They're really handy!"
"You raided my room!" Ace scowled.
"Yeah, and I got this cool looking potion too." Thatch held it out, and Ace's heart skipped a beat.
It was mum's storm.
"No!" Ace lunged, just as Thatch dropped it.
It shattered on the ground, inches from Ace. Instantly the clouds darkened, and a blistering whirlwind came blasting out from where the potion landed. It went right through Ace, and he heard the Blackbeards scream. Lightning crackled through the skies, and hailstones crashed down from the sky. It all went straight through Ace's body, his magic was embedded in that entire potion after all. But it hit the Blackbeards hard. Ace couldn't see through the whirlwind. He could hear it tearing apart buildings and cutting off everyone's screams, but he couldn't see through it all.
.:.
Thatch shivered. "That's cold!"
"You're not an elemental witch, of course it's cold!" Rouge scolded him.
She had grabbed him the moment the potion shattered and dragged him behind cover. The storm had devoured all the Blackbeards, including Ace, but Rouge insisted he was fine, that it was his magic after all.
"You got one fire charm left and a water one, two heals, one invisibility and one shield," Rouge said. "Use them wisely."
"I'll drink the shield now."
"Remember when you get hit, then it's done," Rouge warned.
"Yeah. Invisibility is thirty seconds too, right?"
"Yep, and remember your healing potions," Rouge said, drawing her swords. "The storm is dying down. A minute is nearly passed. I'm going in."
"Fire fist!"
They both jumped aside, dodging Ace's fire first. He had slipped out the storm then, dammit. Rouge sent a slashing attack at him, which he dodged, but Ace did freeze for a moment when he registered her.
"Mum?" Ace gasped.
"Hello, Ace," Rouge greeted softly. "It's been a while."
The storm died down, but Thatch didn't stop there to check on things. Rouge smirked when he threw a bag of flour on the downed Blackbeard Pirates, all coughing and spluttering, trying to breath again. Ace went pale, then cursed.
"Don't use your fire, Ace," Thatch warned. "Otherwise they might get cooked."
Rouge smirked. "I wouldn't mind that." She summoned a fireball to her hands and threw it at the Blackbeards.
Ace hit it away with a wave of water, but Rouge shot the water with a spark of lightning, causing it to explode. The Blackbeards began to scatter, but they were too late. Thatch threw down his last fire charm.
It exploded in the flour.
Teach howled.
Teach seemed to be more affected by the pain than the others oddly enough. That was strange, his body was usually tough, but it seemed like his darkness absorbed everything, including attacks. Interesting to note.
Sabo had thankfully been the one to find out about the devil fruit Teach had, or well, Koala did. It had helped Rouge and Thatch plan ahead a bit more too.
They couldn't let Teach use his devil fruit, no matter what.
If they did, she and Thatch might actually be screwed.
"Thatch, you do realise what will happen if we lose this, right?" Rouge said.
Ace looked worried.
"Then we don't."
Rouge grinned. "Rahahahaha, I guess we don't indeed. Ace, how do you fancy getting cuffed by some seastone?"
Ace scowled. "I don't particularly fancy the idea."
Ace cursed and ducked when Thatch launched a pair of seastone cuffs at him.
"What the hell, Thatch?" Ace screeched.
"I was hoping it would hit you on the head and knock you out," Thatch admitted, shrugging.
"Thatch, keep him distracted for a bit," Rouge ordered.
"Yep."
"A D. is going to make a storm." Rouge grinned wolfishly, and raised her hand to the sky.
.:.
Ace felt his mum's haki roar out, a bright red spark entering her eyes. Thatch stood in between them both, but Ace paid him no mind right now. He could see the storm clouds gathering.
"I hope you're ready, Blackbeard Pirates." Mum grinned, grin sharp, eyes hungry. "Because right now I'm not bound to Ace's magic."
Ace startled at that. She was right though, his mum wasn't bound to his magic, he didn't feel the strain or any exhaust from the storm she was brewing. So where in the world was she getting her magic from?
.:.
"You better win this fight, Rouge-ya," Law said, magic pulsing through his body as he kept his shaking hand pressed to the ritual circle. "And you better win it fast."
.:.
Kureha grimaced as a pulse of magic fluttered right through her body. She kept her hand pinned down to the ritual circle, and smirked warily as Dalton watched her, face full of concern.
"The girl better beat Whitebeard's traitorous brat, otherwise I'll be very disappointed in her considering how much magic the Trafalgar witch and I are feeding her now."
It would be a close one though, if Rouge didn't overpower the Blackbeard quick enough. They were a strong crew, and with Law and Kureha keeping Rouge in the fight, and feeding her with their magic, she needed to end the battle before both Kureha and Law ran out of energy.
Law would be out first, Kureha knew that for a fact. He had only just gotten out of Enies Lobby with the Straw Hats, and his Devil Fruit tended to deplete his stamina fast, but Kureha had to admit, she didn't use her magic in rituals like this either, or to keep ghosts in the realm of the living. This type of magic was exhausting, especially when not used often.
That Rouge girl was lucky she had made contact with Kureha and Law weeks ago about this ritual of hers, because otherwise, she would be screwed.
