Chapter 57

POV Portugas D. Ace, During the Paramount War

*stab* *stab*

I felt the blades go through my heart and I knew I was going to die. I could feel blood pooling on my insides and my insides cooling and slowing down as blood no longer circulated. As I started to lose consciousness, I choked out my last words…to leave my will.

Ace: Old Man...! Everyone...! And...you, Luffy...Even though I'm so worthless...Even though I ........carry the blood of a demon ...Thank you.....for loving me!!!

My brain couldn’t think clearly. Looks like this was it…

…

…

…

Something was wrong, why was this taking so long? Why does my body feel fine?

Kara: I might’ve lied. We did save you, It’s time to get you out of here without Sengoku noticing.

Vice Admiral? But why? Anyway, I wasn’t one to not take a saving hand. I stayed limp and when force was applied, I fell to my side and took as little and small breaths as possible.

Kara: Sis and I are going down there. Also, I’m bringing the corpse to them as well.

This was seriously confusing me. I knew from the moment I met the two of them that they weren’t really enemies, but why did they save me? Also, how did they even save me? I know my heart was stabbed through…completely. Nobody’s supposed to survive that! Devil Fruit or not!

Diana: The sins of the father are not to be carried by the sons. You broke that already; let them at least have a proper funeral with his body. He’s already dead.

She was making a good case there. But now… I’m just really tired. So many deaths, so many fights… all for me. Even right here in the core of the Marine Organization, here they are saving me. But why…? Is this too because of my bloodline? Is that really all there is to me?

I felt a tug on my arm as I started flying… or being carried at an extremely high speed. I decided to trust whoever was carrying me and stayed as limp as possible.

Kara: The sins of the father must not be carried by the son. Ace, you aren’t exactly innocent for your crimes as a Pirate, but there are greater evils out there. You know what I’m talking about right? Big Mom, Kaido, Doflamingo as well as the other big forces in the New World. Take your brother and bring them down. Rally them all for Justice, not for any one flag but the ideal itself for Justice. Understand me?

I agreed with what she was saying. There were greater evils out there. Evils which the Marines couldn’t possible take them out alone. They would need more than that. Was this why she was sparing me? Still, I would be stupid not to take it. I tensed my muscle slightly to tell her that I understood what she meant.

Kara: Ace… if they find out that you’re still alive before this war is over, that means my career and life is over as well. You got that? The person who saved you is the doctor at the Whitebeard Pirates, not me. Stay silent for a couple of years at least. Otherwise Sengoku’s going to have my head, Ok?

And of course, the obvious. I wasn’t dumb enough to just state that I’m alive after they openly broadcasted my execution. I was planning on staying low for at least a couple years anyway. Otherwise the entire Marine and World would be after me. No way they would let the offspring of the Pirate King himself live on this planet.

As I tensed my muscle again, I found myself being flung, quite hard. I crashed into a ship… probably the remaining Whitebeard ship if I am right.

Doc: Bring him in… let me see him.

It was Doc’s voice. I wanted to stand up and tell him I was alive… but I couldn’t do that while I was out here. People would notice I was just playing dead. As two people, I couldn’t tell who, took me in their arms and brought me inside the ship and inside the infirmary… I played dead until the door clicked.

Me: *shhh* Doc

Doc: !!! Ace?!

Me: Stay quiet! If they know I’m still alive then the war’s going to start all over again!

Doc: Ok…ok. But…how?

Me: The twin Vice Admirals, they saved my life…or rather they resurrected me. I know I died up there, the blades pierced my heart. When I couldn’t even think anymore, I was back to normal with one of them telling me to stay quiet until she gets me out of there.

Doc: That’s…a miracle. I never would have expected to have an ally in the Marines

Me: They made it pretty clear to me that we weren’t allies. But they didn’t seem like the Marines we usually meet. They had their own morals before the Marines. They felt that this execution was not justified, so they decided to save me.

Doc: How lucky… I really thought we lost you up there…*sob* Sorry

I gave doc a hug. He might seem a little cold on the outside but there was no one softer than him on the crew.

Me: It’s alright now, there there. I’m alive. We just have to get out of here now.

Doc: We can’t…not yet. Pops nor the commanders are back yet.

It didn’t come to pass. Pop’s gave his final order as captain. One in which we must listen…at all costs. I wept inside the Infirmary as I realized I was useless. Even as a 2nd Division commander of the Strongest Man in the World, there wasn’t a single thing I could do right now to save Pops.

As I endured this hellish time of nothing, I heard the very words I feared. Whitebeard…Pops was dead.

It’s been a couple of days since the war. Cremates met with me one by one and while they were glad for me, we couldn’t celebrate. The war took too much from us. We lost hundreds of allies, entire crews, and most of all Pops. Even if I managed to survive, this was still a Victory for the Marines.

Even now I wonder why those twins decided to save me.

Getting over the war was not easy. I drank more, I started having more nightmares. It felt as if I was that helpless boy in Dawn Blue, held back by those bandits from helping Luffy.

Even when Marco wanted to do a Payback War against Teach, he wouldn’t allow me to participate stating that by simply being there would cause the World Government to actively look for ways to kill all of them…he said that in a way that worries for me, not in a selfish way like I might’ve made it sound.

It was just a repeat of that nightmare…over and over. My only solace being that Luffy have thankfully survived the war. It was a close call but at least I had to hope of meeting him again someday and explaining the circumstances.

I don’t really know how long it’s been. Probably a year… but there was definitely some big news a few days ago. The 2 Vice Admirals who saved me back then, who were Admirals, were fired…or rather they left the Marines.

I think I understand their reasoning. I knew that they cared about their beliefs and would never bend to anyone else. I guess that was to be expected. I wonder what they’ll be doing now. In a way, I wish I were them. Always having a clear purpose in mind, knowing exactly what to do next. Better than me… just being locked up in a room with nothing but Marco and Alcohol.

Jozu: Hey Ace! You should get up! There’s…some people who came to see you.

Hmm? That’s new. Nobody should even know I’m here…less that I’m even alive. Unless…

Jozu: It’s the twins. They want to talk to you

Another POV, World Noble, Saint Jones Marie Jois

Saint Martha: YOU IDIOT *smack* ALL OF YOU IDIOTS!!

Me: Stop! *wack* OW! Stop hitting me! What did I do wrong?!

Saint Martha: WHAT DID YOU DO WRONG~~?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

*SMACK*

Saint Martha: Trying to kill an Admiral…Not one but Two of them?! Even if you are a World Noble, just think for a GODDAMN SECOND!

Me: They stood in my way!

Saint Martha: I don’t give a SHIT about that. You should have just walked away and do what you wish. Instead, what do you do? Order Sakazuki to kill the 2 Admirals?!

Me: They were never respectful to us in the first place!

Saint Martha: Yet at least they weren’t our enemies! LOOK AT WHAT YOU DID! THEY DEFECTED! THEY’RE PIRATES NOW BECAUSE OF YOU!

Me: So?

Saint Martha: THAT MEANS THE WORLD GOVERNMENT JUST GREW SO MUCH WEAKER! We’ll be laughing stocks of the World! Losing not one… but TWO Admirals? Not to mention that Aokiji just months ago… YOU IDIOT!

*kick* *smack* *smack*

Me: OW! YOU BITCH! I don’t care! They never bowed to me like they were supposed to! Commoner filth like they are!!

It was said there was a massive fist fight between many World Nobles that day on the Holy City of Marie Jois.