Chapter 77: You’ve changed forever. And I’ll never forget you
“ACE!”
Everyone heard Luffy scream his brother’s na as it broke the silence that the trio’s entrance created. Confusion reigned in the battlefield, so wondered what Jimbei, one of the Shichibukai was doing here when he was supposed to be locked up in Impel Down. With the Straw hat too. So wondered what the strawhats’ captain was doing here since he was separated from his crew after attacking a celestial dragon at Sabaody Archipelago.
Most of them though… Most of them wondered what HE was doing here.
The TRAITOR.
Sure he was the strawhats’ crew ‘s vice captain and his captain was here so it made sense he would follow him. That was not what it was about. To them, he had a lot of face to show up. After everything he did. His betrayal, destroying Justice Island, destroying a buster call, attacking several world nobles and then coming here as if nothing never happened? Like he just took a walk to get so milk and co back?
That was unacceptable.
“LUFFY! Why are you here?!” scread Ace.
“To get you out of here of course!”
“I didn’t ask for you to save !”
“I don’t care!”
“That’s not your business!”
“Wow! You’re one to talk!” interrupted Rick.
“What? Who even are …. RICK?!” yelled a dumbfounded Ace.
“In the flesh! Now, did you really expect to mind my business, save my life and not expect that I’ll do the sa? For goddess sake what did I do to have two stupid little brother. Luffy is already a handful, but now two.”
“Don’t compare to that idiot!”
“Hey! You’re an idiot!”
“You only have food and being the pirate king in your brain!”
“Yeah?! Well, you only have… have…”
“How about the two bicker once you’re out of here.”
“Do you really think any of you will get out of here alive?”
Rick’s head turned so fast towards the owner of the voice that it’s a miracle he didn’t break his neck.
“Akainu… Long ti no see you red bitch. How are you doing? Ordered any genocide of innocent people lately?”
“Who’s that guy?” Asked Luffy.
“Rember the guy that order the murder of Robin’s people, and frad for sothing I never did?”
“Yeaaaaah? Wait, that's him?!”
“Yes.”
Before this conversation could go even further another voice interrupted.This one gave Rick mixed feelings.
“You shouldn’t have co here. What’s happening right now doesn’t involve you.” announced Sengoku.
“Executing my little brother makes involved, Uncle.”
“HE’s your Uncle?” asked Jimbei out loud.
“I am not. Simple delusion of a rude no nad orphan boy with amnesia whom Garp picked up twenty years ago.” replied Sengoku in a cold voice and an icy glare.
“Okay… First off, not going to lie, hearing you say that hurts a lot. Second, you do know that you’re in for the beating of your life from Big Sis for saying that, right?”
Sengoku plainly ignored his comnt.
“As for you being Portgas D. Ace brother’s, it’s impossible. Just as much as your captain being his brother too…”
“Ohh, so he’s announcing it right now…”
“For Portgas D. Ace’s father is none other than Gold Roger, while your captain’s is Dragon the revolutionary.”
The reaction of the people around was as expected. Everyone was shocked! The news that the pirate king had a secret child and the most wanted criminal in the world had one too, and both were famous pirates gathered here.
“It’s ti for those accursed blood to be wiped out from the surface of this world. As for you, you’re no one.”
“Okay, Uncle, you want to play it like that? We’re going to play it like that. I’m so going to fuck with you and the higher ups”
“Well that’s not true! I rembered my na! Ha! And spoiler alert as a 6 years old kid with amnesia… I kinda pronounced it wrong. ‘Cause you see just like you marines pronounces the pirate king’s na wrong, which is Gol D. Roger by the way… I pronounced mine wrong too.”
“Can’t even pronounce his na right, what a joke.” said Akainu, who was ignored by Rick.
“My real na is Wal D. Rick. aning I belong to the D. clan and those two idiots here are related to that way. So Suck it! And now if you don’t mind I’m taking my brother back to his daddy.”
“HEY!” protested Ace in outrage.
“The best of the marines is gathered here between him and you..” said Akainu, standing up before adding
“I would like to see you try.”
“Do or do not, there is no try! Now sit back down, red bitch and watch.”
Without anyone noticing, Rick sprouted an arm on Ace's shoulder. Using his gravity from him and the sprout, Ace flew faster than a bullet towards the trio. Luffy caught Ace in mid-air and Rick made everyone float and landed on the Moby Dick, beside Whitebeard. Using once again his gravity he broke Ace’s seastone handcuffs and turned to the emperor next to him.
“One special son delivery for sir Whitestache; free of charge.”
“...”
“...”
“...”
“What? What did I say?”
If there was anyone not dumbfounded yet by Ace and Luffy’s parentage, Rick’s casual way of addressing so casually Whitebeard, perhaps the strongest of the four emperors, did the trick.
“Wait! That big guy is Ace’s pops? I thought his na was Whitebeard.” asked Luffy releasing from his grasp a very disoriented Ace.
“Well yeah but look at him, he doesn’t have a beard, just that funny thing above his upper lip. I was going to say Whitemoustache but that doesn’t sound right so I shortened it into Whitestache. Give a bit more panache to the man who’s the closest to beco the pirate king, right?”
“WHAT?! Like hell!”
Luffy moved and stood straight in front of Whitebeard looking at him dead in the eye.
“I’m going to be the pirate king! You better not stand in my way!” announced the straw hat captain so loud and so clear that no one in Marine Ford couldn’t have heard him.
Silence reigned supre once again in that mont yet everyone's thoughts were more or less the sa. Mainly “ Who were those two nutjobs to speak to Whitebeard like that?”.
Whitebeard finally broke the silence by laughing loudly and heartilly.
“You have good brothers Ace.”
Looking towards the battlefield Rick saw that the fighting resud. The marines went all out by bringing out the pacifistas and those ones were slaughtering the pirates who ca to rescue Ace.
“This is not good.”
“Huh?” was all Whitebeard let out to show that he was listening.
“If you look at the fight, you’ll see that the marines are going mad against the pirates of the new world who ca to help you and are not as wild against your crew. Uncle is setting up sothing.”
“You know Sengoku’s plan?”
“No. But he taught strategy for years, so if I had to take a guess… He’ll use the divide and conquer.”
“Divide us? Ha! As if!”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Uncle didn’t need to announce to the world that Ace is Roger’s son, it didn’t bring him any benefit. Yet he did, which ans it’s important to his strategy. Roger was infamous, I wouldn’t be surprised if so of the older mbers of your crew or allies got screwed over by him and stupidly carry on their grudge to Ace.”
“They wouldn’t act on it.”
“With just that information? No. But knowing Uncle as well as I do. He probably studied every mber of your crew and your allies, searching for mbers that bear a grudge and ntally weak. Once he found them, he probably intended to sell them a bullshit story about how you and the marines made so kind of deal to save Ace at the price of their lives.That would explain why the marines are wrecking the New world pirates so much. To make them believe it’s true.”
“That’s…”
“Welco to Sengoku’s cunning 101.” Joked Rick while wearing a serious face.
“My two berry advice? Upstage him. Reveal his plan before soone in your ranks betrays you, while making everyone retreat before it’s too late..”
“Retreat?”
“You ca to take Ace back, right? Well here he is. There is no reason for you to stay any longer. So retreat while you still can, because soon uncle will probably deploy the steel barrier.”
“What are you talking about?” asked Whitebeard.
”In the water, all along the walls are thick plates of steel 30 to 35 feet long, if they are deployed everyone here would be trapped. We’ll be sitting ducks while the marines shoot at us from the high ground from all sides and since they will be behind the plates we won’t be able to attack them efficiently. I don’t have to tell you they will not hesitate even if there are so marines in the middle,right?”
”No, there is no need. After decades of fighting the Marine, I know what they are capable of. ”
”Pop, what's the plan then?” asked Ace.
“...”
“We retreat. There is no reason for us to stay here any longer. Marco, relay the order, everyone must fall back to their respective ship and sail out of here. First the rear so they can prepare the way out. The wing must gradually retreat while supporting the front. Once the rear is done with the preparations the front must fall back imdiately.”
“Yes pop.”
“That’s going to take too long.” said Rick.
“You have a better idea?” asked Whitebeard.
Rick didn’t answer him, he just acted.Thousands of eyes sprouted everywhere on people regardless of who they were. Marines? Pirates it didn’t matter one bit. Arms sprouted then. At first on the marines near canons and just like he did during the buster call, use his gravity to change the direction they were shooting at. Next another batch of arms sprouted. On the pirates, gravity did its job once again and all of them, as long as they were not heavy enough, started to float then fly towards different pirate ships. At the sa ti the arms on the marines pushed them towards the inside of MarineFord where the scaffold was. Marines and Pirates were almost all separated.
So many sprouts took a toll on Rick. The information from the thousands of eyes, the use of gravity at such a widespread level, was a bit much for him and he fell to his knees breathing hard.
“Rick!” yelled Luffy
“Are you alright?” asked Ace, grabbing the ex-marine by his arm and pulling him up.
“I will be. It was just taxing to do so much at once.”
“Well, kid. I’m glad you’re on our side today.”
“I didn’t do it for you. Anyway, be ready to act. I haven’t been here in ten years, things may have changed.”
The pirates were ready fast and so ships were already on their way outside the port
, anwhile marines didn’t sit on their asses. They reorganized themselves, marines' ships were getting ready to go after the pirates. Pacifistas were shooting lasers from their mouths to try and sink the pirates ship. Finally a rumble was heard and soon after thick plates made of steel started to rise from the water, all around the port’s walls and blocked the entrance, trapping the pirates’ ships that couldn’t get away.
“So, that’s what you were telling about.” said Whitebeard.
“Yes, but I’d gather it won’t be a problem for you.”
“It won’t but we need…” began Whitebeard before being cut off.
“I’ll do it.” said Rick, prompting the emperor to look him dead in the eye and after a short silence nodded.
“Do what?” asked Ace.
“Staying behind to cover the retreat.” replied Whitebeard.
“What?! Are you mad?!”
“I joined Luffy’s crew, so most likely.”
“You won’t be able to catch up with us! You’ll be alone against the whole marine!”
“I am aware.”
“Aware?! Aware?! YOU’RE GOING TO DIE!”
“Definitely.”
“That’s it?! You’re accepting just like that?! What about finding a dream?! Huh? What about living your life!”
“ACE!” shouted Luffy.
“I’m not going to let him sacrifice my ass for Luffy!”
“Ace, I’ll be dead by the end of the month at best.” announced Rick, shutting the beginning of Ace’s rant.
“Wha.. what?”
“My body… has reached its limits. It’s breaking down and fast. At best if I don’t do anything too tiring, I’ll live a month more.”
“But…”
“There is no buts Ace. The greatest scientist in the world told himself. And since I’m going to be dead anyway, why not make myself useful?”
“You knew it would happen?” asked Luffy.
“I wasn’t sure but… The chances were high.” replied Rick to his heartbroken captain.
He took off his white overcoat that he took back in the Inmates’ Property Room. and put it around Luffy’s shoulder.
“Every captain of a ship wears one. It doesn’t matter if you’re a marine, a pirate or a simple sailor. I wanted to give you one once we’d be in the New World, to celebrate you know, but…”
“Is that why you went back into Impel Down? It wasn’t just to open the big door.”
“Yes. I got it in Water Seven. It has seen and gone through plenty of shit. Fighting the CP-9 all by myself.”
“That was really cool!”
“Hahaha! I rembered it as a really painful experience. But the CP-9, Thriller back… Ha! If you want to annoy Sanji, just tell him that Nami Wore it and was naked when she did! He’s going to go nuts.”
“Why?”
“Doesn’t matter, he’ll know. Anyway, I know White isn’t your color, the one I would have bought you would have been red since that’s a color that suits you. Red or blue sky because that’s the color of freedom and from what I gather it’s the perfect color for the freest man on the seas.”
“Now that I think about it, you’re almost always wearing white, why?”
“White is… the color of innocence and purity, sothing I lost when I was a kid. I was stupidly thinking than maybe one day, I’ll get them both back.”
Any more conversation was stopped by a loud tallic crack sound. Whitebeard, who had left Ace, Luffy and Rick to say their goodbyes, went to prepare himself to break the steel plates blocking their escape.
“That’s it boys! Let’s go!” the emperor ordered.
Rick turned back to Luffy.
”Take care of you and of the others. Rember, a captain is..”
"The one his crew trust their life and dreams with.” answered Luffy.
”So you do listen sotis.” joked the ex-marine.
”Sotis.” smiled Luffy.
With lightning speed Luffy warped himself around his vice-captain, his friend, his brother and hugged him briefly before letting him go.
Turning to Ace Rick had a few words.
“I know you’re probably sick of doing but...”
“Don’t worry, I’m not that sick of keeping an eye on him. At least until he’s back with your crew”.
“Thanks.”
He fist bumped Ace and flew towards the giant of a man and landed next to him.
“I have a favor to ask of you.”
“Speak.”
“Could you… take care of Luffy for a while? He’s not ready yet to enter the New World but he started to awaken himself to Haki. All three of them.”
Whitebeard turned his head to look at Luffy, he was stretching his body and sanding back cannonballs that ca their way. His eyes, landing on the straw hat he was wearing. The straw hat that Shanks wore and that Roger wore before him. He realized all those years ago that Shanks bet his arm on that little guy. He discerned sothing from him, he didn’t know what but was curious. He was Ace’s brother, owns Roger’s hat, is a D and possesses all Hakis? The desire to
see for himself what Shanks saw in him, to see for himself the indescriptible feeling he has when looking at him.
Whitebeard nodded solemnly, his acceptance. In truth he would have done it anyway, for the simple fact that Rick saved his son and is sacrificing himself so his sons and him could escape. That was reason enough.
“Thank you.” said Rick.
He took to the air once again and moved towards the back of the Moby Dick. It was the last ship breaking out so he didn’t have to wait anymore to act.
He used his gravity to break the ice created by Aokiji when Whitebeard used his devil fruit’s power to make giant waves. The fall of huge chunks of ice made the marines on the ice below move and retreat on solid ground. The impact left holes on the ice and so of the bigger chunks started to float like so iceberg. He made float the biggest and blocked the way behind the Moby Dick.
“No one is going after them. Not when you all have more important things to do.”
“There is nothing more important than purging the world of your brothers’ blood and putting down Whitebeard.” announced Aikunu who finally decided to move forward and enter the action.
“Really? I would have thought that stopping Blackbeard for breaking out every simple prisoner in Impel Down would be THE top priority. I an, so guys in there… ugh.”
“You’re lying.”
“Jimbei was locked in Level 6 and I ca here with him. Isn’t it proof enough? You want a witness perhaps? How about Boa Hancock or Vice Admiral Momonga? She’s the one who captured when I was at my weakest and brought there. And Momonga witnesses her bringing in, to warden Magellan himself.”
“Is that true?” asked Sengoku towards Hancock and Momonga. He has been silent ever since Rick took back Ace. That was sothing that Rick wouldn’t have liked in normal tis, perhaps even feared. But now, with his end at hand? He didn’t care one bit.
“It is. The night before my departure, he landed on Amazon Lilly. I captured him. And brought him with secretly to Impel Down.” answered Hancock with a perfect bitch face.
“That’s the truth, Fleet Admiral. I even went with warden Magellan himself to Level 6 To put Rick Wald in the sa cell as Jimbei.” replied Momonga.
“Honestly Uncle, you should know better than to distrust my words. By the way, Impel Down is a freaking Circus. The jailers are incompetent, the vice warden only interest is to beco the warden, the warden, from what I heard, spends at least nine hours a day in the privy taking a dump. Of all the people working there, the only one with an ounce of competence and work ethics that I saw is the Head Jailer. Oh, Uncle Nice, you’d love her, she’s totally your type. Tall, hourglass figure and a big pair of…”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence as a molten rock was shot in his direction. He barely dodged it.
“Damn it! You’re really a cunt through and through Red Bitch! We were having a nice ti chatting.”
“Kuzan, lt your ice blocking the exit. You and Borsalino take as many n as you can and go to Impel Down. Sakazuki, this ss is yours. Clean it up.” ordered Sengoku.
Aokiji moved towards the exit to deal with the ice, while Kizaru reallied the marines. Those that weren’t going to Impel Down readied themselves to fight Rick.
“Wohoho. I’m stopping you right there guys. I have absolutely no beef with you. The only one I have business with is the red bitch over there. I would appreciate it if you could just step aside and let put in his place the asshole who frad for cris I didn’t commit.”
Despite his words none of them made a move to retreat..
“Okay, let’s be real here for a minute. I have not one, but two devil fruit’s power. The first one allows to, just in case you didn’t notice, control gravity. It’s on the sa scale as Whitebeard Gura Gura no mi in destructiveness. Now with my second I can sprout any part of my body anywhere I want and as many as I want AND use my gravity with them. Do you understand how many of you are outclassed? If you still wish to fight you’ll only get hurt if you’re not at least a Vice-Admiral.”
What Rick said held so rit. It would be a bloodbath for the marines too weak. The marine would lose a lot for just one man. It wasn’t worth it.
“Anyone below Vice-Admiral rank, retreat. Sakuziki, I gave you an order, what are you waiting for?”
Not bothering answering, Akainu lunged himself forward.
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