For You To The End Of The World

Chapter 23 - It's Happening Once And For All

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"No..." Lue was holding his pedant in hand. The strings were slowly burning. His eyes widened, his heart beat loudly. Something dropped in his stomach again and again. He held a hand over his mouth.

"Not again..." He panicked but then slapped himself and calmed down. He looked at the pendant again...he still had time. He got up and started running. Running through the forest, plains. The island was huge but he has spent the last 2 months there. It was close...close to the Amazon Lily.

"I'm not letting it happen again. Ace! I'm not letting you die!" He exclaimed, tears appearing in his eyes. On the shore, there was a small boat, it would be hard to swim through the Calm Belt...but he did it the first time, he'll do it again. He jumped on the boat and unfolded the sails.

"Let's go, wind. Don't let me down." And like in a movie, the wind pushed the sails of his boat. He smiled and looked up.

—

He coughed up blood.

"Ugh..." He looked up.

"He will kill you!"

He remembered.

"You can't fight him..."

What his father told him.

"I'll do what I want to."

He should have listened. But no, he is a dumb teenager, his dad clearly told him. But he didn't listen.

"Hah, I can't even scratch myself." A blue fishman said.

"They hit you again, huh?" Ace asked.

"It doesn't hurt...Ace-san." The fishman answered. "What hurts me is that I can't stand up and fight in faith for humanity and justice!"

"Jinbe..." Ace murmured.

In the Impel Down, there was a straw hatted boy rumbling through it. After some time...

"This place still looks like crap." Lue was standing on a boat in front of the big wall. "Do I need to wait..." He looked up and down. He clenched his fists. He could save Bon-chan maybe...he doesn't know...he thought that Ace wouldn't get captured, that's why he didn't really think of a much detailed plan. He did think about it, many times. But here...he was powerless.

If he breaks in...will he be able to save Ace here? Shit, he doesn't know. There are many...powerful people there...he doesn't know if he will be able to fight them all. Blackbeard is there somewhere too. He shook his head. He decided to...stay and wait. The walls will open. That's what history says.

"I'm sorry guys..." He fell on his knees and placed his head on the deck. "I'm sorry to all of you...friends." He was banging his head on the wood.

—

The walls opened and one marine's ship went through them. Lue didn't have to wait too much, a few hours. This meant that Luffy finally met Iva and he...must have endured the pain.

"Huh?" Some looked down.

"Oi!" Lue jumped from his little boat, sinking it in the water, on the gigantic ship.

"Woah!" The prisoners exclaimed.

"L-Luerion-boy?!" Iva exclaimed. Lue saw him. They met once in the past, when Dragon was meeting with Lue.

"Iva-san!" He came and embraced the big head.

"Dad?" Luffy, who was crying after Bon-chan, turned to him.

"Not you again!" Buggy pointed at him. Lue glared. And Buggy shivered. Buggy was insulting Bon earlier so Luffy punched him.

"Who is it?" Jinbe couldn't turn around much because he was sterning, Crocodile was sitting on the cannon near him. Luffy jumped up to be on the same floor as the blue fishman.

"Yo." Lue waved as he appeared beside Luffy.

"Oh? Who're you, mister?" Jinbe actually kind of recognised him.

"I'm Monkey D. Luerion." Lue answered.

"My dad." Luffy picked his nose.

"What?!" Iva screamed. "I thought your dad was Dragon!" He pointed at Luffy and Lue.

"Well...I never really met the dad that is my dad so I call my dad 'dad' because we spend most of our life with him." Luffy stared blankly. Then silence.

"I heard Ace is Monkey D. Luerion's biological son." Crocodiles puffed some smoke.

"I don't know why they are making such a thing out of it, to even show the whole world one pirate's execution." Buggy murmured.

"Oh, really?" Jinbe's eyes widened. "I'm Jinbe, one of the former Shichibukais."

"You're a Shichibukai? So that's why you're so strong..." Luffy was surprised.

"Jinbei-san? I heard of you when I was sailing not once!" Lue smiled.

"Oh. Yes, I did too. Luerion-san." Jinbe smiled.

"Hm..." Crocodile knew about Luerion too. Who didn't actually, the older ones surely knew about him...and his brother.

"We're going to the Marineford to save Ace-san." Jinbe said.

"That's why I'm here..." Lue murmured. Luffy glanced at him and frowned. The pirates and prisoners then yelled something about not wanting to go to the Marines Main Base. But Luffy shrugged them off as well as Jinbe and Crocodile.

—

Lue was sitting with Luffy on the deck, somewhere where they could be alone.

"Luffy..." He started. The younger boy flinched.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"You didn't hurt yourself...did you?" Lue frowned.

"Em..." Luffy felt guilty.

"Remember what I told you about your techniques, right?" He looked up. Luffy nodded. "Your body was still not good enough to handle them...I wanted at the end for you not to use them." Lue closed his eyes. "But you really did listen, huh?"

"I'm sorry...If I used other gears I could have been with Ace faster." Luffy's eyes trembled.

"You did well." Lue closed to him and hugged him. "Your health is important too...you even went through the poison..." Lue murmured.

"H-how do you know?" Luffy's eyes widened.

"How could I not..." Lue looked up, still hugging Luffy.

"I wanted to reach Ace...I wanted to use the gears." Luffy's whole body trembled. Lue's eyes widened.

"What?..." He whispered.

"But I couldn't...my body didn't listen to me." Tears appeared in Luffy's eyes. Lue grabbed his shoulders looking at him.

"Luffy, look at me." Lue said and so did the boy look at him.

"Huh?" Tears fell down Luffy's eye. Lue grabbed his cheeks and wiped them out. "I-I want to save him..."

"I know." Lue nodded. He then smiled and placed his forehead on the younger's one. "That's why, I'm here..." He whispered.

"Dad...I don't want Ace to die..." Luffy let it go and cried.

"I too don't want to...we won't let him die. Sabo's probably coming too." Lue assured.

"Sabo..." Luffy's eyes widened. He remembered, there are still people around, he is not alone.

"I'm sorry, I didn't come earlier." Lue closed his own eyes.

"No...it's okay." Luffy hugged him. "I'm glad you're here." Lue's smile faded and then reappeared, he placed his hand on Luffy's back and hugged him, he didn't want this boy to get hurt anymore. Never.

—

"Sengoku-san, why does Ace need such an execution?" One of the marines asked.

"Hmph..." Sengoku drank some coffee. Garp was sitting on a couch beside the desk. "Because he's a criminal that's why." Garp closed his eyes. This place...is rotten.

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