Chapter - 24

He was running out of options.

Quickly he drew his firearm aiming it directly at the crowd firing randomly hitting anyone in the way. The crowd dispersing trying to dodge the psycho's killing spree.

"Sabo, Law Get everyone to safety, I'll handle this." Luffy says trailing the murderous yonko in a tunnel leading into the mountains. It was just them two Mano y Mano, a fight to death.

The caverns in the mountains were completely dark with only minimal sunlight being the only way to see anything.

"Straw Hat!" Blackbeard's menacing voice came from behind. Luffy dodges the three shots fired at his face looking for anything to throw. Noticing three jagged pieces of metal, he picks them up throwing it at Blackbeard with two grazing his chest cutting him but the last one darts, lodging itself in his right eye.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Blackbeard says stepping back in agony.

"I'm done playing your games Blackbeard!" The rubber man said chasing the yonko out of the cave back onto the battlefield.

Seeing four zoan users and a heart pirate blocking his exit. Blackbeard mercilessly guns all of them down all while making a mockery out of it.

Stepping onto the battlefield he could see all the bodies around, Luffy became enraged. Blackbeard ran further until he saw the straw hats blocking his path. He rose his gun ready to fire but was knocked off the ground by his feet before he had a chance.

Luffy knocks the gun out of Blackbeard's hand all while punching him in his face. Throwing a lot uppercuts and hooks sending Blackbeard tumbling on his heels. Luffy pounces on Blackbeard knocking him down further, grabbing him by the scruff of his shirt.

"No more!" Luffy said picking the yonko up tossing him over his shoulder in the air, before jetting over and kneeing him in the chin before he had a chance to recover.

"All the people I buried over the years.." The rubber man punches Blackbeard hard knocking him on the ground. "By letting you live."

"I never kept count." Blackbeard said grinning about his past sins with no remorse. Lifting him up by his collar again and responding to the madman. "I did."

"It's over, Blackbeard." Luffy said still holding him up.

Blackbeard's expression was unreadable but there was a slight hint of amusement.

"Its finally here isn't it? The moment we've both been dreameing about...which one of us will be King of Pirates! There can only be one!" Blackbeard laughs even harder now.

"ITS OVER!" Luffy repeated raising him higher off the ground both hands gripping the madman.

"Yes, your certainly right about that." Blackbeard says activating a black vortex with his right hand aiming towards the straw hats.

They were a good distance away but not far enough to where they were out of range. The crew starts feeling the growing pressure of Blackbeard's power and started being pulled in.

Luffy reeled his fist back as far and fast as he could striking the yonko to no effect. So he did it again. Again. Again. Again. And again. Now continuing to punch rapidly at Blackbeard's face to force him to stop the vortex to no avail.

"STOP NOW!" Luffy says screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Never! You see what I'm willing to do to achieve my dreams? What are you willing to do? You can't have it both ways!" Blackbeard yelled out making the vortex grow bigger.

The straw hats were now struggling with everything they had to hold on.

"Nami!" Franky says grabbing the featherweight who nearly flew off. "Franky!" Nami holds on for dear life.

Franky reaches out grabbing the back of Zoro's collar as he places his three swords in the ground to act as an anchor. Zoro and Chopper desperately holding onto the others.

Luffy's fist now bloodied and battered to the point he wasn't sure if he could hit Blackbeard anymore.

"It's like I said boy, you can't be a good guy and be King of the Pirates. That's how you get people killed!" Blackbeard continues his vortex only gets stronger.

Sabo finishes taking the last of the injured to Polar Tang. Not realizing Luffy was in danger until now. Quicker than a flash he was off to the battlefield again.

"This is kind of boring to tell you the truth, in the end you disappoint me." Blackbeard said the left side of his face battered unrecognizabley, yet he still continued his attack.

"Don't worry though, we can still end on a high note!" Luffy's eyes widened slightly as he felt Blackbeard plunge his knife in his abdomen causing him to slightly loosen his grip.

"LUFFY NO!" Nami cries out not bearing to watch him get hurt like that. The rest of the straw hats could only look on in horror still trying to hold on.

Blackbeard stabbed the rubber man once more causing Luffy to put his hands on Blackbeard's face. His body screaming to collapse but he refused to listen.

"Y'know after this I'm going need a new navigator. I wouldn't mind killing you and the rest of your crew. But that sweet sweet navigator of yours..." Blackbeard trailed off stabbing Luffy a third time. "I'll take her as my own zehaha-"

Hearing enough, Luffy's grip tightens on Blackbeard's face as he threw his neck in a twisting motion causing a thunderous crack to be heard. He twisted the yonko's neck, not enough to kill him, but he lost the ability of feeling below his shoulders.

Instantly the vortex disintegrated into nothing. Blackbeard fell on a nearby boulder leaning against it.

Blackbeard just laughs at his situation. Looking directly at Luffy.

"Someone's in trouble now." The yonko says almost in a mocking tone. Luffy groaning stood to his full height making his way over slowly to the fallen Blackbeard.

"Go ahead, say this never happened to you before." Blackbeard says a smile on his face.

"Shut up." Came the rubber man's simple yet effective response.

"I only have one question for you..." the straw hat captain says gaining a slight look of surprise by Blackbeard.

"How were you able to eat and survive eating the two devil fruits?" Luffy asks hoping to get a clear answer.

Blackbeard though barley alive contemplates his answer before speaking. "Who knows. Some say it was my unusual body type, some say it's the power of my Yami Yami no Mi fruit, I can't say for sure. But I know this, that devil fruit I was after has the power you seek to defeat Kaido. If you are a lucky enough bastard to survive the process that is." The now rapidly fading man began to cough blood now, knowing his time was near.

"Why should I trust a word that comes out of your mouth?" Luffy asks hoping to get a better answer than the last. Blackbeard didn't disappoint.

"Because I had the exact same dream as you. Regardless of how we got here, we both deserved to battle it out for the title of King of the Pirates on this day. That cosmic fruit that the surgeon of Death has in his possession combined his with the Ope Ope no Mi fruit will rule the world for an eternity, as a pirate god king, that was my dream." The shell of a man finishes glancing once up at the sky.

Luffy knew Blackbeard is wrong, they didn't have the same dream. Blackbeard wanted to be a God, he just wanted to be King nor did he have the desire to live forever.

A few silent moments pass.

"Come on, finish me." Luffy makes no move. Breathing a deep sigh Blackbeard continues, "it doesn't matter, I made you lose control, and they'll kill you for it." The yonko says with an all too terrifying smile.

"See you in hell...Strawhat... Zehahaha-AH!" Blackbeard cracks the rest of his neck ultimately breaking it and killing him instantly.

It was finally all over, Blackbeard had finally fallen. Someone who he thought he wouldn't see until he reached the One Piece itself.

Walking slowly up to sit next to Blackbeard's corpse looking at the now deceased yonko's face.

"You always talked to damn much, bastard." Luffy said his final words before clutching his right side. He was stabbed three times by Blackbeard and was now bleeding out not sure if he would die or not. Even if he did at this point, he felt he's lived a fulfilled life. He's had great adventures, he's lost, he's loved. Had he truly loved? He loves his nakama that was clear but there was something else. Maybe he was starting to understand it finally.

He was starting to feel himself slip into unconsciousness, It was inevitable. A voice kept him awake the first one to his side clutching him calling his name.

"Luffy! Stay with us! Luffy!" He could hear Nami's voice again. It kept him clinging on for life.

He heard another voice. "Medics! Chopper!"

No more than a second later, Luffy faded into oblivion.

~~~

The battle was finally over, the Blackbeard flags were burned along with their ships. The revolutionary army did not usually engage in pirate affairs, they felt as it was beneath them. However the caliber of the fight between the two heavyweights for the future pirate king title was not something they could pass up.

Monkey D. Dragon was adamant about not getting involved in his son's affairs letting him live his own life. It was only until he heard reports his son and Blackbeard were on a collision course. He owed the bastard one for destroying an old headquarters.

Dragon knew this battle could decide the fate of the world ultimately. If Blackbeard was indeed successful then the world would be worse off; especially if he got his hands on the Ope Ope fruit in the process. Seeing no other way, Dragon gave Sabo the orders to assist in the battle.

A telesponder snail began ringing off the charts.

"Boss it's me." Sabo's voice raining through the snail.

Dragon picked the phone up immediately.

"I see my son was successful, you did well Sabo."

"Yes. He's currently still being treated in the Polar Tang's med bay, he's been out all day. It looks like he's going to be alright." Sabo said a hopeful tone in his voice.

His injuries were severe but he was sure Luffy had been a lot closer to death. They wouldn't know until he woke up.

"Good Sabo. Make sure he recovers properly for the next few days. Now that Blackbeard is dead, we can finally make our move to on the holy city to face our true enemies, and we will need Luffy to do it." Dragon said grinning. The time for the wait was finally over, he would begin preparations for the impending invasion.

"Glad to hear it boss, can't wait. I will update you on your son when he awakens." Sabo said standing getting ready to hang up.

"One more thing Sabo," the second in command froze. "You must convince him to join our cause, it is very critical. We will protect his crew, but he is essential to our success."

"I understand completely Dragon. I will relay what you told me to him when you wake up, count on me." Sabo said brimming with confidence.

"I always am." With that Sabo was disconnected from the Commander in Chief of the Revolutionary Army. He thought back to what Dragon had told him. Luffy was vital to their success but would he want to join in a cause he had no stake in. The Revolutionaries sought to overthrow the political, religious, and social system that supposedly held the world in place. It was all bullshit. The celestial dragons refused to even breath the same air as them, all the royal families of marijeos acting like gods among humans. They were nothing more than social status. Sabo was disgusted with the idea of social status being an of indicator of an individual's importance. It's the reason he denounced his nobility, despite being born a noble himself.

Leaning back in his chair he began to think of the battle between the two titans today. It was truly a sight to behold. He did not expect Blackbeard to so willingly destroy everything to achieve what he called a victory.

When Sabo reached Luffy in the closing seconds of the battle. He was close enough to see the two engaged in a battle of wills. Blackbeard taunting his brother before Luffy unmercifully snapped Blackbeard's neck. Sabo had no problem with it, fucker deserved it for all he cared.

He cared about how Luffy would feel afterwards. Though he did the right thing, taking a life was taking a life. There was no in between, once you kill it will continue to haunt you until you die. Once that line was crossed, it was a gray area to find your back. If there was anyone Sabo had more faith in it was Luffy. He did not believe this would change his brother.

The sky was now dark, it was getting late and the crew on the large revolutionary ship began to retire resting from assisting the pirate crews and the journey over.

Sabo stood on the deck of the Revolutionary ship overlooking the no name island. If he hadn't seen the legendary battle with his own eyes, he would've never believed it happened in a place like this.

In the not so far distance he could see the Thousand Sunny resting next to the Polar Tang. Sabo flew towards the Polar Fang in a furry of flames reaching it in seconds.

The ships were mostly empty and shutting down for the night. Heading towards the entrance he was greeted by none other than the Surgeon of Death himself.

"Ah Trafalgar right? How is the crew holding up?" Sabo asks with a grin.

Law smiles slightly appreciating the remembrance of his name.

"Great. Thanks to your assistance with medical supplies and helping hands we were able to save a lot of lives. Again thank you, Sabo." Trafalgar said to which the Revolutionary Chief of Staff just nodded in approval.

"So your here to see your brother then?" Law said reading Sabo's mind. He could see the two had an unshakable bond due to their loose behavior even in a life or death situation.

"Yup! Is he awake?"

Law's contemplates for a moment before answering, " we checked on him hours ago, he could be awake you should check anyway." Law said with a slight smile. "Follow me."