The Devil's Grin - A One Piece Fanfic (Snail-like Updates)

Prelude to War

"I'm kind of amazed you still have that after all these years," D chuckled, glancing at his necklace. "Then again, it is another link to your mother. If rather indirect."

"That's not why I kept it," Ace sighed. "Every time I tried to throw it away it kept appearing somewhere on my body. I gave up when it appeared in my mouth. Didn't even want to think about the next place after that."

"Oh right. I did add that to it."

The two of them were silent long enough for it to begin feeling awkward.

"So, is this part of Luffy's rescue?" Ace asked.

D sighed as he began rubbing his neck.

"Its ok," Ace smiled somewhat sadly. "I kind of figured it wasn't when you decide to have a private chat."

"Actually, I did try to rescue you but Fate got in the way."

Ace looked at him, confused.

"She said the only way she'd let you go is if I either killed one million people or one hundred of your closest aquantiences." D continued.

"Absolutely not!" Ace immediately shouted.

"I said the same thing." D shrugged. "One million people seems like too much for one life."

"You actually considered it?!" Ace looked horrified. "You really are a devil like they say!"

"Hey! I was only going to take people who were on death's doorstep anyway." D looked hurt before muttering. "He owes me some favors."

"It still wouldn't be right," Ace argued. "How could I live with myself knowing my life was traded for others."

"What if your positions were switched with Luffy? How many people would you sacrifice to save him?" D asked before continuing. "It was only for Luffy that I considered it. And if I went through with it I would never tell him what price was paid so he wouldn't have to live with that knowledge. But since it's your life I want to get your opinion on it. Even knowing you wouldn't accept I still told you the price Fate put on your head."

Ace sat there silently as he took in his words. The more he thought about it the more he realized his reaction a little too much. He really wouldn't care who it hurt or killed if he was trying to rescue Luffy from danger. The results would haunt him after the fact of course. But during the rescue none of the details would matter. All that mattered was saving the one important to him.

"I'm sorry I said that about you," Ace apologized. "I guess I didn't think about the position you've been put into with all this."

"My position in this is the simplest, I'm immortal after all." D laughed like he had just heard a bad joke. "You guys don't seem to be able to look at the bigger picture here."

"What's the big picture then?" Ace asked as a strange sense of foreboding filled him.

D stood up and removed the Veil around them revealing himself to the marines on the ship.

"The reason Fate set a price of one million lives is because your death will cause at least that many people to die as a result of it."

Then he dissapeared.

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"Are you sure that's what he said?" Sengoku asked into the snail phone.

"Affirmative sir," the Commander aboard the ship sent to retrieve Portgase D. Ace spoke. "If the prisoner Portgase D. Ace dies the Devil will take the lives of at least one million people as a result of his death."