Mother's Love || One Piece ||

Chapter 18

Shit!

All he could do was watch his family get hurt. He felt so pathetic. He was so pathetic. Everything was his fault. If only he were strong enough to defeat Blackbeard, this wouldn't happen. If only he didn't let his stubborn and hard-headed self control him, his family wouldn't be hurt like this.

He watched them desperately fight for him.

And when he sees his mother cry, when she begs not to take him away from her, from them, it hits him. He was too selfish and didn't even think about the people around him. Carina has been carrying the burden of Sabo's death, and him following his brother soon will be too much for Carina and Luffy.

"I'm sorry, Kaasan. I'm sorry, Luffy."

"I'm such a failure. I'm so sorry." Ace hit his head on the platform several times, and Sabo for sure is disappointed. He promises to Sabo that he will take care of and protect their mother and younger brother, but look where he leads them.

"As the two oldest in this family, we must protect Kaasan and Luffy!" young Sabo declared.

"No matter what, we must not let anyone harm or hurt them! If they are in danger, we must be the first to come to save them!" And young Ace grinned and fist bumped Sabo.

"This is the promise between us!"

A promise that they didn't fulfill because one died and the other led the two into war. How pathetic.

And once again, Garp is on his way, as is Luffy. He might not forgive Garp for hitting his mother, but he too can't hurt Garp because he was his grandpa, and Garp thinks otherwise. He won't let any pirate or traitor come because it is his job as a marine and as a vice admiral.

"I'm not going to move away! Because I'm a vice admiral of the navy!" Right, Garp has been fighting pirates before Carina or his grandchildren came into the world. He's been serving the Navy for decades and defeating evil pirates.

"If you want to pass through here, you have to kill me first!"

"Garp-san!" Carina was about to clash with him when Aokiji came on his way. "You may have once been my younger sister, but you're now a traitor."

So Luffy was left to face Garp alone.

"Garp-san, stop being harsh on my children! Every time they come back from your training, they are covered with bruises and wounds!" Carina nagged at Garp as she cleaned the three boys' wounds.

"Oh, come on, Carina. Don't be exaggerated. It's not even worse. If those brats stop saying they'll be pirates, then I might give them light training," Garp replied while the three boys stuck their tongues out, saying they wouldn't be navy, irritating Garp even more.

"I doubt that light training of yours, Garp-san." Carina sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"You're spoiling them too much and feeding their desire to be pirates!"

Dadan, along with the others, just watched them yell at each other while drinking their tea. Peace does not exist when those five are present in her home.

They are his family, after all. No matter what path they choose, it won't change the fact that they are his beloved family. So Garp closes his eyes and reminisces about the past as he leaves Luffy to hit him.

Again, Carina spat blood. Her body weakens as she slowly loses strength. She receives too many wounds, and Eerie immediately comes, rescuing her and taking her away from Aokiji, who too is holding his wounded stomach.

Marco can't heal her at the moment. He was in the middle of the fight, too. "Eerie, I'm fine. We have to save Ace."

"Luffy got Ace. They're escaping now!" Eerie pointed at the two males on each other's backs. Her sons will be safe. "Bring me to them, Eerie." Eerie once again shifts into a giant bird to fly towards Ace and Luffy.

Everything will soon be fine. The war will come to an end. That is what they hope for.

Again, Ace's stubborn nature kicked in. When he was provoked by Akainu. Yes, Ace is an idiot for that. Everything became a waste; all the sacrifices were gone in the air because he let himself be provoked.

It was like the speed of light: one second they were running back to the ship to escape, and the next second Ace was protecting Luffy from Akainu. What can a stubborn fire do against lava whose will is to kill him and his younger brother?

Only an idiot like Ace will use himself as a shield to protect his brother.

"Ace": To watch your older brother on the brink of death isn't a sight.

"AKAINU!" A yell full of despise can be heard as Akainu's neck was close to meeting Carina's odachi. If he didn't step back, he might be dead by now too. His chest was given a large cut.

"Kaasan, Ace is-." Luffy's quivering voice called his mother.

"Luffy, listen to me." Ace raises his hand and caresses Luffy's hair like their mother used to do whenever they were crying.

"No one wanted me to be born. I listen to others' words rather than focusing on Kaasan's love. I believe them, so I rebel. I sought for fights, but Kasaan was patient with me. And then you and Sabo came. You three became my will to live."

"Luffy, one of the reasons why I want to stay is to see you fulfill your dreams and to take care of Kaasan just like how she always takes care of us."

"I'm sorry, but can you tell Kasaan that I love her? That I am grateful to be her son."

"Please take care of Kaasan in my stead.Can you also convey this to others? I can't raise my voice anymore-"

No, Ace will survive; he will live.

So why was he saying things?

But before Luffy knew it, the flickering fire in Ace died, as did his older brother. Ace will live. Everything is just a dream. They are now safe; Ace was saved from execution.

"ACEEEEEE!"

On the wide screen where the war in the Marineford is being shown, the citizens of Pax Island wailed. Throughout the whole time, they were praying for the safety of Carina and her sons. However, it seems like their prayers aren't answered; they watched them struggle to get near Ace, and they watched them endure all the pain and injuries they get.

And the moment they thought everything would be alright when Luffy successfully released his older brother turned out to be only a glimpse; in a mere few seconds, Luffy was bawling over his dead brother. It breaks their hearts to hear Luffy's scream as his eyes land on his mother, like he was begging her to wake him up from a nightmare.