❛ 𝗠𝗢𝗢𝗡𝗚𝗟𝗔𝗗𝗘 ❜ ᵒⁿᵉ ᵖⁱᵉᶜᵉ

048 ▍whitebeard and redhair

— between emperors

KUROSE TOOK CHARGE of the crew as you got ready to leave. He also took the responsibility of informing the others about your plan. He bid everyone a short goodbye before leaving with your navigator, who used her devil fruit for you to travel.

shanks never told you whitebeard's location, nor where he was when he called, so you took whitebeard's vivre card as your compass.

now you understand why something deep inside you tried to stop you from going back to your island, imagining different conclusions makes your core churn from anxiety

you and kurose agreed that the crew will go back to sabaody for the mean time, as it was the closest landmark. 

a few hours have passed since you left your ship, you would now sight the moby-dick from a distance. as your navigator sped up, you can now clearly see scattered bodies lying down on the deck of the ship. no blood, probably got hit by overwhelming haki. 

then suddenly the clouds darkened along with a thundering roar from the sky. from above you, the clouds... the heavens have split.

". . .then nobody will be able to stop this era of recklessness!!!" shanks exclaimed, pulling out his saber from its scabbard.

the older pirate pulled out his naginata and clashed with shanks. "i have nothing to fear!! i am the whitebeard!!!"

clicking your tongue, you tapped your navigator's back before jumping down from her ability. "you both really can't have a formal talk without having to fight, can you?"  scowling as you dropped down on the deck, marco being the gentleman that he is even helped you down even though you can go down just fine.

"you even asked my daughter to talk to me, huh, redhair?!" whitebeard angrily asked his weapon, not faltering so is shanks. "i would never, she came here on her own accord."

"i'm asking you once again, whitebeard! stop ace!!" shanks bellowed. 

so that was what he wanted to tell the old man, you know it to yourself,  ace is a very stubborn kid, full of pride from head to toe. he has been travelling for months now, trailing behind blackbeard's route.

realizing you turned to marco, "did he went alone?!" you asked, your voice full of worry. they did inform you that he will be leaving the ship to catch blackbeard, not that you thought of it, they didn't tell you that he has anyone to come with him. 

"he insisted-yoi! he kicked off the crew who wanted to board his boat!" marco answered, his arms above his head.

hearing this, you sat on the floor, gasping. your eyes are looking around, thinking of a solution. "no, not it can't be. . . ace it out there alone?!"

whitebeard's eyes darkened, aiming another clash with shanks, "that idiot, is my responsibility!" he roared.

"tell me oyaji! where is he now? where is ace? i. . . i. . his vivre card, it's back at the ship. — let's go back, i need to get the. . vivre card- " you were panicking, you were almost a composed person, but not when someone important is not the line.

"stop, [name]!" whitebeard snapped, his haki sparking around the ship, "this is not your battle! ace is not your responsibility!"

that's right, you were not part of the whitebeard pirates anymore. you are a captain of your crew. ace is not within the scope of your responsibilities. you sat there helplessly, marco kneeled beside you in a comforting manner. 

shanks glared once more. he is aware that he also has no right to have any say in this issue, but the crew's lives are on the line. "you need to understand this, whitebeard! this is more than just your responsibility, the balance of the world is in line!"

"as i said! you're a hundred years early to order me around!"

you may be a notorious captain, you may be known across the globe. but right now, it felt like you were a child, being reprimanded by their father.

in another island, ace finally caught to blackboard. but at what cost?

the two emperors' fight lasted for quite a while, it was already sun down.  still you sat there, mind blank. the veritas clan is known for precognition and premonitions. being one yourself, you feel an unpleasant feeling in your stomach that makes you want to puke, especially when you hear ace's name.

shanks decided to leave as the older emperor would take little to no advice from him. he walked towards you, frowning as you were still in a daze. "i'm leaving, do you want to board my ship, [name?]," he asked softly, tapping your shoulder. 

you looked up at him, blinking, "i. . uh. . " swallowing the lump in your throat, you composed yourself. you thought to yourself, travelling with shanks could be to your advantage, but you still have things to discuss with the old man. "no, i'll be staying here for a while, but i'll come by your ship." 

he nodded, "you have my vivre card, right? then i'll be waiting for you,"  not waiting for your response, he turned around and walked down the ship's ladder back to his ship. 

"oyaji, please-" he cut you off with a loud sigh. you are both now inside his cabin after you requested to talk with him privately. he grumbled after taking another swig of his sake.

"[name], i told you this before. ace is not your responsibility. he went because i ordered him to; i will be the one who will assess this situation.  i know that even roger does not want you to be troubled by his child." mentioning roger's made you want to break down, but you bit your lip and took a deep breath. "ace is now under my command,  his brothers and i will come to his aid when he asks us to. but for now, we wait for news. good news that is."

"i feel no good coming from this decision, oyaji." you muttered enough for him to hear you. he is well aware the consequences, and he has bet himself for not being able to tell ace off enough for him to not continue his journey. 

"do not worry, child-"

"and you're already poor in health, oyaji!"

"gurarara!" he laughed, "i will be the one who will end my time! it is for me to decide! listen to me, [name], i will not die by anyone's hand, i'll because i want to! i'll even die standing!"

you sweatdropped at him. facepalming, you smiled slightly, you know he's saying this to ease the tension between the two of you.

"you symbolize the night to protect the ones who are covered in darkness, someone who will welcome the sun, in the dawn of the world."