Chapter 56

In the heart

While holding the huge sail stretched across the ship with the help of Zoro, Luffy turned abruptly towards the cyborg of the crew.

"Faster, Franky!" He shouted through the wind due to the speed.

"I'm doing what I can but the Sunny already is at top speed!" The shipwright reminded him from the helm.

His captain then directed his attention to Usopp, Brook, Malek and Chopper who had grabbed two huge paddles to also try to make the Sunny accelerate.

"Usopp, faster!"

The sniper winced, clearly tired. "We do what we can, Luffy!" He assured him while the rest of his crewmates nodded, covered in sweat.

The straw hat boy looked around for the archaeologist then. She had opened dozens of books in front of her on the deck. "Robin, did you find any information?!"

"No more than what we already knew," the young woman replied with concentration, turning a new page.

"Nami!" The captain shouted again for the navigator currently out of his sight. "Did you find anything?!"

"Not yet," the redhead shouted back from the shipwright's workshop where she was.

"Keep looking!"

On all fours on the floor, Nami took a deep breath before resuming her task. It had been almost three hours now that she and her companions kept the infernal pace imposed by their captain. For her part, she was trying to set Liam's detector to find a door. Any door. Indeed, Luffy thought that if they managed to go through one towards the All Blue, they would inevitably get closer to their goal. Deep down, the navigator wasn't convinced because even if they returned to the All Blue, the door that could lead them to their next destination would still remain unknown. Yet there was no doubt that if they took the one that had taken them near the Red Line again, they wouldn't be far away.

Nami frowned and changed the location of a cable connected to the huge sleeping Den-Den Mushi. She had positioned the detector in the middle of the room to adjust the wires and activate the sensors as often as possible in order to take advantage of the maximum amplitude and improve their chances of perceiving sound waves. She had tried to contact Liam but for several months now, the crew hadn't heard the slightest sound coming from All Blue.

Luffy yelled outside again and the young woman suppressed a shiver, frightened by his urgency and serious voice as much as by the fatigue that was accumulating. Usopp and the oarsmen weren't the only ones exhausted. She was beginning to feel her vision blurring from staring at all the cables spread out at her feet and she imagined Robin in the same state from reading so much. Even Zoro was probably getting tired of holding a gigantic sail buffeted by the wind at arm's length in order to speed up their pace and Franky was also gritting his teeth because of the pressure the Sunny was under.

Yet Nami refused to complain or give up. She usually never hesitated to oppose their captain's crazy ideas but this time, even she didn't feel entitled to do so. Actually, she even understood him. If she had been in his place, there's no doubt that she would have acted in the exact same way.

The young woman glanced unconsciously at the newspaper which was still lying on the floor since she had left it there when it all started. At that moment, the crew had been sailing for almost two weeks and the News Coo they had seen didn't have the latest newspaper but the navigator had considered that it was still worth it in order to know some news of the world after all these days at sea. She couldn't believe her eyes when she had read this article and she had immediately rushed towards Luffy, her hands trembling and her eyes filled with fear. This article which had triggered the fury of the straw hat boy at the same time as his sudden and implacable decision. This article which was already several days old and of which she struggled to consider all the consequences.

The Sunny had suddenly turned around and set off on the waves in an attempt to cross the entire ocean in a time they didn't have. All their stock of cola had been used. Hence their frantic and desperate search for a door towards Marineford.

Towards Ace.

"I think there's an island!" Luffy released the sail that he was holding tightly to jump on the figurehead, his hand shading his eyes to better examine what he had seen. Around him, the crew raised their heads and all fixed their gaze out to sea towards the place their captain pointed out.

Breathing erratically, Usopp slowly released his grip from the oar he was holding with Brook to grab the binoculars hanging from his neck but in doing so, his stiffened hands dropped the large piece of wood that the skeleton couldn't hold up alone and he heard the exhausted musician collapse behind him. Grimacing an apology for his crewmate, the sniper gritted his teeth as he positioned his device in front of his eyes to examine the land looming on the horizon, his arms trembling.

"It-It's indeed a small island… It doesn't look very big and there are… inhabitants outside. The area seems calm," he described between two breaths.

"We could ask for directions over there," Malek suggested from the other side of the deck. His face was pale despite his natural constitution, betraying his fatigue.

"I don't think… I can last much longer," Chopper agreed weakly behind him.

"Without rest, we'll hardly be able to be effective," Brook noted while getting up as best he could.

"We need to stock up on cola; there's nothing left," Franky added from the helm, frowning.

"We can also ask for the latest news," Robin said with another book in hand.

Looking straight ahead, Luffy nodded before calling out to his navigator again. "Nami, have we ever been to this island?" He asked her loudly so she could hear him. "We haven't, but we have a chance to get solid information over there even if we'll have to be very careful," she replied while coming out on the deck, looking exhausted.

"Why?" Zoro wanted to know. His muscles were bulging because of the continuous effort he had made to hold the rope of their improvised sail for hours.

"There's a Marine base; they'll surely be able to show us the shortest way to Marineford," the young woman replied while pointing to her logbook.

"I see an officer ship," Usopp confirmed, still examining the island. He then frowned when he saw the rank of the one who commanded this crew but before he could share his fears, Luffy once again grabbed the rope of the additional sail and the Sunny suddenly picked up speed. On deck, his friends reeled in shock.

"I'm coming, Ace!"

"Ace! Where's Ace?!"

The Marine who had been grabbed randomly by the elastic hand of the straw hat boy staggered under his strong grip, clearly surprised.

A few seconds earlier, the island had finally been within range of the pirates and Luffy had propelled himself in a flash to the port in the middle of the firstcomer group of Marines to question them. Unfortunately, the stunned officers hadn't replied or they had tried to defend themselves and Luffy had gotten rid of them with a Gum-Gum Whip, stretching his leg in a circular motion to push all his opponents back. Moving on to the next ones, the captain was obsessed with his quest and had completely overlooked the fact that the rest of the troops were getting dangerously close to him.

His crewmates had been quick to disembark in turn despite their fatigue and Nami had joined Luffy while Robin and Usopp had rushed towards the city center in search of recent information in the hope of learning more, including the date and time of the planned execution. Meanwhile, Chopper and Franky had wanted to stock up on cola to use the Sunny's power as soon as they knew Marineford's direction and they had also run into town, taking advantage of the attention towards their captain. At last, Brook, Zoro and Malek had decided to stay near the ship to be able to defend her given the number of soldiers on the island while helping the straw hat boy so that he wouldn't be overwhelmed.

The officer that Luffy had grabbed suddenly freed himself from his grip. "What do you want, pirate?"

"Tell me where Ace is!" Luffy repeated, his fists clenched.

"Marineford. What's the quickest way to reach it?" Nami chimed in, grabbing the soldier by the collar.

"Marineford?" The man stared at them for a second before bursting out laughing and brandishing his sword sharply, jostling the navigator in the process who fell to the ground. "You miserable fools."

He raised his blade glistening with Haki with a demonic grin and Nami felt her eyes widen in terror as he brought it down on them. Fortunately, it first encountered Zoro's sword who intervened before it reached his two crewmates. Clenching his teeth to counter the man, the swordsman glanced at his captain.

"They ain't chatty; we're gonna have to do without them."

"We have to find Ace," the straw hat boy repeated, out of breath.

"I know. We will," his first mate assured him.

More determined than ever, Luffy nodded before heading towards the enemy ship moored a little further away, ready to fight. For his part, Zoro didn't waste a second and whirled around to push his opponent away before brandishing another of his swords. His speed then allowed him to powerfully slash the officer in the stomach and the man collapsed on the cobblestones while blood spread under his body.

Without another glance in his direction, the fencer quickly put his blades away and turned to the navigator who had stood up to watch their captain scream his brother's name over and over again. Luffy was rushing towards the ship which obviously belonged to a Vice-Admiral given his stripes and the redhead bit her lips.

"It makes no sense," she murmured, seeing the soldiers jump on the straw hat boy who was shaking each person he passed to get his answer. She felt her stomach in knots. "How did they take him back so quickly? How are we gonna be able to help him? We already have so much trouble facing Haki users… What can we do in Marineford? All the Admirals and the Warlords will be there…"

"Taking on a powerful enemy never scared him," Zoro replied, drawing one of his swords again in anticipation of the Marines who were rushing towards them. "He won't back down."

"Why do they want to execute Ace in this way?" The navigator kept on, distraught. "They know his crew won't just sit there and do nothing…"

"Robin thinks they wanna start a war but we won't let them. Luffy won't allow it."

With these words, Zoro cut down the dozen officers who were approaching thanks to the power of his Thirty-Six Pound Phoenix attack and Nami came out of her shock at the same time.

"We'll stop them," she agreed as she grabbed her weapon.

With her Clima-Tact engaged, the young woman launched into battle alongside the swordsman, determined to recover the vital information they needed. Saving Ace was indeed not the only mission of the straw hat boy, it was that of his entire crew.

Luffy ducked a punch, then another, while dozens of kicks seemed to spring from all sides to take him down. As he stood up after dodging them, a volley of bullets rushed towards him and he barely escaped them by shifting to the right, at the same time using a Gum-Gum Gatling Gun to knock out all the officers within his range.

As he progressed towards the ship, he no longer had time to question the soldiers who attacked him without trying to understand and no matter how much he tried to question them, he always had to get rid of them before getting a response. Most of them didn't intend to answer him anyway and they deployed their rifles as well as their Haki to attack him as soon as he came within their reach.

The straw hat boy freed himself each time without weakening for a second though, as if insensitive to their number and force which sometimes hit him violently. He was getting up in the exact same way and going back into battle without flinching until he had swept away all the soldiers blocking his view.

He then finally saw the official boat but didn't bother to slow down, ignoring his short breath. Inside, he was sure to find someone of a high enough rank to point him in the direction he was looking for and that's all that mattered at that moment.

"Ace!"

His voice resounded with determination throughout the port as the officers on the enemy ship cocked their rifles to aim at the raging pirate who was approaching at full speed. The sound of a door then sounded from the boat and a man with a mohawk and a mustache came out onto the deck, the characteristic Marine coat flowing over his shoulders. He quickly glanced at the scene and observed the elastic boy running towards his ship amid the unconscious bodies of his officers.

He then took a step closer just as the pirate jumped onto the deck of his ship. "What are you looking for, Straw Hat Luffy?" He asked in a loud voice.

"I'm here for Ace!" Luffy roared, unimpressed by the imposing aura of the Vice-Admiral. "Tell me where he is!"

"Fire Fist Ace?"

"He's my brother; I'm gonna save him!"

The Vice-Admiral frowned while around them, the soldiers on the ship all burst out laughing. Yet they were stopped by the hand of their superior ordering them to remain silent.

"Portgas D. Ace is no longer of this world. He was killed yesterday in the fight between the Marine headquarters and the Whitebeard's pirates. He himself lost his life."

"Portgas D. Ace is no longer of this world. He was killed yesterday in the fight between the Marine headquarters and the Whitebeard's pirates. He himself lost his life."

Nami froze when she heard these words and not far from her, she felt Zoro, Brook and Malek doing the same. All four of them had joined forces for several minutes to clear the port of Marine troops who were continuously turning up from their base to guarantee relative tranquility for their captain. They had just won and rushed to join him in view of the new enemy facing him but the words of the Vice-Admiral pinned them before they even reached their goal.

"Liar! Ace is alive!"

His face distorted by anger, Luffy rushed at the Vice-Admiral who reinforced his right arm with Haki to deflect him with a sharp blow when the straw hat boy jumped to hit him. Luffy crashed hard into the ship's railing, knocking out some of the officers in his fall, but that didn't stop him from getting up immediately, his eyes flashing with rage.

At the same time, Franky and Chopper turned up on the port, their arms full with barrels of cola and they instantly headed towards their friends in view of the battle, just like Robin and Usopp a few seconds later.

The sniper in particular was running like crazy towards his captain, clearly distraught. "Luffy!" The Vice-Admiral glanced at him before turning his attention back to his enemy, frowning.

"Tell me where Ace is!" Luffy yelled again, throwing his fists forward.

The officer dodged his blows and blocked one of his smoking pink fists in his hand. "Gold Roger's son is dead," he repeated matter-of-factly.

"Don't you dare say that! Ace can't die!"

The fists of the straw hat boy redoubled their intensity in an attempt to reach his opponent who dodged them as best he could while his subordinates were literally crushed under their power. Taking advantage of a lull, the Vice-Admiral rushed towards the pirate and in a flash, his hand covered in Haki encircled his neck, lifting him from the ground.

Near the ship, Usopp clenched his fists in rage, crumpling the newspaper he had just bought and which he still held in his hand. "Luffy…"

"Th-This man masters Shave just like the CP9," Chopper stuttered, scared.

"What a fucking bastard, I'm gonna tear him down," Zoro growled, drawing his swords.

Yet before the fencer even jumped onto the deck, the Vice-Admiral had sent Luffy crashing into the wood of the ship. He then watched as the straw hat boy slowly got up to face him again.

"Ace can't be dead," the straw hat boy repeated stubbornly, wiping the blood from his mouth. "You're gonna regret your words!"

The Vice-Admiral suddenly motioned for one of his subordinates who brought him a Cam-snail. He activated it and threw it to the pirate who caught it reflexively.

"See for yourself. His death was broadcast around the world."

Luffy stared at the little snail who had already started broadcasting his recording in the island's sky. Silence suddenly fell on the port and the straw hat boy followed the images passing before his eyes, hypnotized.

When the Cam-snail fell asleep a few moments later, Nami clamped a hand over her mouth, horrified. Next to her, Zoro clenched his jaw and his hands gripped the sheaths of his swords tightly while Brook and Malek still stared at the now empty sky in disbelief. Franky clenched his fists and Robin placed a hand on the little reindeer's head when tears ran down his cheeks.

Everyone still had in their minds the terrible images of the Admiral's flaming fist literally passing through the body of the captain of Whitebeard's second fleet when he had wanted to protect his father from the attack. On the deck of the ship, Luffy fell to his knees.

"A-Ace," he stammered, "Ace-Ace c-can't die. He-He promised me. I… I don't believe you…"

"His blood was the same as that of the Pirate King. He was a man doomed from birth," the voice of the Vice-Admiral replied a few steps away.

"You piece of trash, I'm gonna kill you with my own hands!" The sniper suddenly yelled below.

Eyes filled with tears, Usopp leapt forward while cocking his kabuto to aim at the officer responsible for his captain's collapse. He couldn't tolerate seeing this Marine stab Luffy in the heart without doing anything and he was determined to make him pay. At the same time though, Luffy finally raised his head to the sky to let out his sorrow.

"Ace! Ace!"

A wave of powerful Haki suddenly erupted from the straw hat boy and the Vice-Admiral frowned, clearly surprised, while all the officers still standing fainted. Cut off in his momentum by this prodigious force, Usopp also flinched and fell back on the pier while around him, the crew also staggered: Franky and Brook frankly grimaced and Zoro caught hold of the little reindeer and the navigator who threatened to collapse.

"I can't believe it," Malek whispered, struggling not to fall.

"The Color of the Supreme King Haki," the archaeologist whispered next to him, also destabilized.

Finally, after endless seconds, the cry of distress of the straw hat boy died at the same time as the wave of Haki dried up and an unreal silence invaded the entire port. Coming to his senses first, Zoro looked around for his captain, whose collapsed body clearly told him that he was no longer in any condition to fight. The pain of hearing the loss of his brother had visibly destroyed him and he wouldn't be able to defend himself.

A few steps away, the Vice-Admiral didn't seem to have suffered too much and he also seemed to have come to the same conclusion as him. Zoro instantly grabbed his swords. He knew what was going to happen: Luffy didn't react anymore and this Marine was going to take the opportunity to add him to his collection of pirates to drop off in Impel Down.

"We can't stay here!"

The crew came out of their torpor at the sound of the swordsman's voice who jumped on the ship, all blades out.

"Three Sword Style Secret Skill: Three Thousand Worlds!"

The fencer's swords whirled at full speed in front of him and the officer who had approached to grab the straw hat boy quickly backed away to avoid being hit. Zoro immediately positioned himself between them then picked up the unconscious body of his captain before turning towards the railing.

"Usopp!"

He threw the straw hat boy over the rail and the Vice-Admiral frowned as he saw his figure disappear from his ship. He was about to follow him when a blade stopped at his throat.

"He's out of action; would you attack a man when he's down? If you wanna fight, I'm your man." The Vice-Admiral turned his gaze to him and the swordsman lowered his blade to tie his bandana on his head. "I ain't worth as much as him but you'll have to make do."

Zoro prepared for battle and the officer looked at him before reinforcing both arms with Haki. "Since that's what you want."

I know…

I don't mean to be cruel but Luffy needed to take his share of suffering in this story and losing Ace is the worst kind of pain for him.

By the way, did you recognize the Vice-Admiral?

I'm sure you can imagine what happens in the next chapter…

Stay strong!