Flames & Petals (II)

It was a draw.

Thousand Petal Storm was the strongest attack I could execute mid-flight, but without solid footing, I was effectively cutting my power in half. If I'd had the right stance, I could have unleashed the 8th or 9th form of Black Lotus style. Hell, if I had used 'Titan's Impact,' I would have obliterated everything around us.

I was disappointed because I couldn't win, and on top of that, Ace had the audacity to claim that he won fair and square. Anyone who had followed our contest knew it was a draw. Even Luffy chimed in with a cheerful, "It's a draw!" and I don't think he even had the capacity to lie.

Seeing as this was going nowhere, I jumped down and kidnapped one of the Baroque Works agents that was still alive. After some convincing—and a lot of pleading on the agent's part—Ace finally admitted it was indeed a draw. Yet he still wore that infuriatingly smug expression.

"Even if it's a draw, you didn't win," he said.

"I don't really need to win," I replied with a smirk. "You said you wouldn't hear me out if I lost. Since it was a draw, in a sense, I actually won."

"Don't twist my words, you fiend!"

"Would you two please cease this childish squabbling?" Vivi shouted, her frustration palpable. "Ace wants to hunt down Blackbeard, and Zephyr has information about him. What's there to argue about?"

She was right; it was childish. But I couldn't help it—Ace had started it! Hmph! Fine, I'd be the mature one and talk like an adult.

I took off my mask. We were already far away from land, so I didn't really see the need to wear the mask anymore. Ace was also mature enough to see that his impression was getting worse by the second. So, he just sighed.

"Okay, I'll hear you out. Luffy, I'm going to have some private talk with this guy. You guys carry one as usual."

"Okay! We're gonna have a party! Join us after your talk is finished!" Luffy shouted cheerfully.

"Idiot, don't finish all the supplies in one night!" Sanji grumbled.

They began bickering again, but I was already focused on Ace. I smirked and said, "Ready to talk like adults now, 2nd Division Commander?"

"Just tell me what you know. I don't have time to waste on you."

"I see where Luffy gets his impatience from. Look, I'm not just giving away information freely. I want a deal."

"You do realize that if you mislead me, the Whitebeard pirates will hunt you down?"

"I'm fully aware. Here's the deal: I know where Blackbeard will be within a month. I also know he's already got four other pirates with him."

"I know that too."

"So my offer is that I'll handle those four pirates so they don't interfere with your fight. In return, I want safe passage to Wano for just one day, and most importantly... I paused for effect, "an audience with Whitebeard."

"Are you crazy? You want to meet the strongest man in the world!"

"And Wano?"

"That'll be easy. Marco can handle it solo. But do you realize what an audience with Whitebeard actually means?"

"Okay then. Deal."

"Huh?" Ace looked confused. "What do you mean? You don't want to meet Whitebeard? You just want to go to Wano?"

"Yes. Don't get me wrong; I know how great Whitebeard is. But there's really no point in meeting him right now. On the other hand, my sword is at its last legs, and I don't think it can survive a fight with someone strong. And Wano has the sword I want."

"So you tricked me?"

"It's not tricking; it's just basic bargaining. You ask for something outrageous along with what you want. The other party gets flustered over the outrageous demand and usually gives you what you want. I didn't think you'd fall for it so easily. I guess I overestimated your intelligence."

"Why...you!" Ace grumbled, anger creeping into his voice.

"Look, a deal's a deal. Also, one more thing." I shifted to a more serious tone. "I will take care of Blackbeard's lieutenants, but I won't fight Blackbeard. If you get captured or killed, I won't jump in to save you."

"Hmph! What? Are you afraid?"

"To be honest, I am. I might be strong, but as I am right now, I have no hope of defeating Blackbeard. My Haki simply isn't strong enough."

Ace recognized the seriousness in my tone. "Do you not have any confidence in yourself?"

"Confidence I have, but the Yami Yami no Mi isn't just another Logia-type fruit. It has too many unknowns."

"Hmm, what's that?"

"It's a devil fruit that is said to have the most evil power in the world."

"What's that got to do with anything? Wait…" Understanding dawned in his eyes. "You don't think Blackbeard has that power!"

"According to my sources, this was the reason he betrayed the Whitebeard Pirates. I also got information that it has the power to nullify other devil fruit user's power simply by touch, swallow an island whole and even take the devil fruit power of another person."

"That's just a myth. A devil fruit with that much power? Don't joke with me!"

"I'm not joking. I trust my sources with my life. Can you imagine what level of power he now possesses if my sources are right? I'm just telling you to be more careful and try and limit your devil fruit usage. You're a commander of Whitebeard Pirates, so you must know how to use haki. Try training with that more."

Ace considered my words for a moment before asking, "Why are you giving me this valuable information? Better yet why do you even want to attack Blackbeard Pirates? He hasn't done anything to you."

"Not yet; he hasn't. But there's a very real possibility he'll bring destruction to this world if he's let loose. I get a bad feeling every time I hear his name. I may not be altruistic, but I have people I care about. If it means protecting them, I'll do what's necessary. You understand what I mean, right?"

Ace glanced in Luffy's direction, his voice softening. "Yes, I do."

"Then let's stick with this crew for the next few days, and then we'll go do our jobs."

"Why do we need to stick around?"

"Oh, come on. Don't tell me you don't want to spend time with your little brother."

Ace looked at me, surprised. "You know, you're really not what I thought you would be."

"What did you think I would be like?"

"A bully."

"What? Why?"

"Did you see how scared Chopper was of you?"

"It's not my fault! It's the mask!"

"Whatever you tell yourself."

"Let's just go, okay? Otherwise, your glutton of a brother will finish everything by himself."

"Yeah, that checks out. Let's go."