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chibi_trillianTitle: Void
Series: One Piece.
One Piece: Not mine.
Rating: PG.
Summary: For![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jadeprince. BIG FAT SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 441. Quoth the interview meme: What would I have to do for you to get you to write me a small post-Blackbeard-fight-Ace fic that assumed that Blackbeard didn't kill him, but came close and also left him devil-fruitless? XD;;;
Ace had forgotten how much pain could, well, hurt.
Every cut, every scrape, every broken bone seemed a thousand times worse for their lengthy absence. He lurched to his feet after Blackbeard’s laughter had faded into the distance, feeling like a coward for playing dead even after he’d regained consciousness.
No, not a coward, he told himself as he moved slowly away from the battlesite. There was a difference between cowardice and common sense. The dissonant shriek of his overstrained muscles was a brutal reminder that his fire and cleverness had not protected him this time. He needed some time to think, to research, to train, to figure out Blackbeard’s weak spot and then shove enough fire up the nakama-killing bastard’s ass to roast him from the inside out and leave him burning for a week and a half.
But first, he needed to get his body in semi-functional order. He called his flames.
And nothing happened.
He tried again. Nothing. He kept at it, like a drunkard futilely thumping the bottom of an empty cask, hoping for a few drops of rum to magically appear. But there was only hollowness and a faint warming of his skin, the ghost of fires past.
His curse was gone. He was a normal person again. Blackbeard had truly taken everything.
And in that moment, he doubted.
Doubted that anyone could beat Blackbeard and the Yami Yami no Mi.
Doubted that he would see Whitebeard take his rightful place as Gold Roger’s successor.
Doubted, for a second, that even his indestructible little brother would survive such a fight.
He had looked into the abyss, and the abyss had not only looked back, but had sucked him in, eaten him whole, and spit out the chewed, drained remains to desiccate in the sun. How the hell could anybody top that? He dropped to his knees, suddenly colder than he’d been in years, and tried to shove down the panic that was threatening to overwhelm the calm, cool disposition he’d worked so hard to cultivate since leaving Fuchsia Island.
Breathe. Stand up. One step at a time. First, he needed to warn Whitebeard. Break it down, slice it into manageable chunks. Step One: how the hell was he getting off this rock? His travel speed had just been reduced to a fraction of its former glory, and his skiff wasn’t meant to travel long distances under sail alone. And he’d be traveling injured. A broken rib stabbed him every time he inhaled, and the rest of him was starting to feel like he’d been through one of Grandpa’s nasty training sessions.
Okay, Step Zero: find a goddamn doctor.
Series: One Piece.
One Piece: Not mine.
Rating: PG.
Summary: For
jadeprince. BIG FAT SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 441. Quoth the interview meme: What would I have to do for you to get you to write me a small post-Blackbeard-fight-Ace fic that assumed that Blackbeard didn't kill him, but came close and also left him devil-fruitless? XD;;;Ace had forgotten how much pain could, well, hurt.
Every cut, every scrape, every broken bone seemed a thousand times worse for their lengthy absence. He lurched to his feet after Blackbeard’s laughter had faded into the distance, feeling like a coward for playing dead even after he’d regained consciousness.
No, not a coward, he told himself as he moved slowly away from the battlesite. There was a difference between cowardice and common sense. The dissonant shriek of his overstrained muscles was a brutal reminder that his fire and cleverness had not protected him this time. He needed some time to think, to research, to train, to figure out Blackbeard’s weak spot and then shove enough fire up the nakama-killing bastard’s ass to roast him from the inside out and leave him burning for a week and a half.
But first, he needed to get his body in semi-functional order. He called his flames.
And nothing happened.
He tried again. Nothing. He kept at it, like a drunkard futilely thumping the bottom of an empty cask, hoping for a few drops of rum to magically appear. But there was only hollowness and a faint warming of his skin, the ghost of fires past.
His curse was gone. He was a normal person again. Blackbeard had truly taken everything.
And in that moment, he doubted.
Doubted that anyone could beat Blackbeard and the Yami Yami no Mi.
Doubted that he would see Whitebeard take his rightful place as Gold Roger’s successor.
Doubted, for a second, that even his indestructible little brother would survive such a fight.
He had looked into the abyss, and the abyss had not only looked back, but had sucked him in, eaten him whole, and spit out the chewed, drained remains to desiccate in the sun. How the hell could anybody top that? He dropped to his knees, suddenly colder than he’d been in years, and tried to shove down the panic that was threatening to overwhelm the calm, cool disposition he’d worked so hard to cultivate since leaving Fuchsia Island.
Breathe. Stand up. One step at a time. First, he needed to warn Whitebeard. Break it down, slice it into manageable chunks. Step One: how the hell was he getting off this rock? His travel speed had just been reduced to a fraction of its former glory, and his skiff wasn’t meant to travel long distances under sail alone. And he’d be traveling injured. A broken rib stabbed him every time he inhaled, and the rest of him was starting to feel like he’d been through one of Grandpa’s nasty training sessions.
Okay, Step Zero: find a goddamn doctor.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-03 02:46 am (UTC)But there was only hollowness and a faint warming of his skin, the ghost of fires past. That's a lovely description of emptiness, right there. It's sweet to be able to read your writing again. Hopefully your writer's block will pass soon. :)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-03 03:15 am (UTC)I'm going to respond to your fic later. WAHT Teh Woh HA now?
PLEASE TELL ME they did not kill off Ace.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-03 04:16 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-03 04:36 am (UTC)*calms down, goes back to read*
Nicely done ^_^ Vulnerable Ace is nice. Touch of humor is nice. Continuation of this?
...very nice...
....XD
^_^
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-03 04:35 am (UTC)And an edit for you so it'll be easier to fix later ^_^
He lurched to his feet after Blackbeard’s laughter had faded into the distance, feeling like a coward for playing dead even after he’d regained consciousness.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-03 06:24 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-03 12:18 pm (UTC)IF ONLY IT HAD BEEN ZORO *__* XDXD
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-03 09:10 pm (UTC)Ohnoes, this was so moving and the way you described the emptiness of losing a power was brilliant.
C'MON ODA! WE DON'T CARE FOR ZOMBIES, SKELETONS AND CERBERUS ANYMORE. WHERE IS ACE?!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-04 04:31 am (UTC)That sounds like a plan. That sounds like a good plan. Alas....I really like the part where he picks himself up at the end and Makes Plans. That's very like Ace, and it's very OP-ish as well (that is in no way, shape or form a word, but I'll use it anyway)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-03-06 07:10 pm (UTC)Wah, I'm glad I helped you combat your writer's block! *raises glass* Here's to many more productive fic-days!