Chapter Twenty-One: The Definition of Evil

"Damn it, damn it, damn it."

Namur was a pirate and thus, was capable of a sailor's colorful vocabulary, but he was not normally one to run through the Moby Dick's lower deck while cursing every half-second. The flurry of swears were tame compared to what some of his more vulgar brothers could utter, but using an expansive vocabulary of profanities was not the point.

As he skidded around another corner, he glanced nervously behind him. Logically he knew Marco was on another ship, but his brother had a knack for knowing when his fellow Whitebeards screwed up. Despite the illogical nature of the thought, he half-expected Marco to pop out of a doorway and pin him with a disapproving glare.

After all, there was a reason why Namur was running all over the Moby Dick like a madman. He turned around a corner and crashed into another body.

Namur was a nine foot tall Fishman packed with muscle yet he found himself falling backwards. A large hand caught his before he could land in a rather undignified manner on the deck. Namur looked at the owner of that hand and at times like this, he was glad his shark-like features made his face hard to read.

Marshall D. Teach grinned down at him, one hand around his wrist while the other grasped a half-eaten cherry pie.

"Whoa there. Careful, Commander. You almost took a nasty fall."

Teach pulled Namur upright with surprising ease.

"Thanks." He removed his arm from Teach's grasp and resisted the desire to rub it. "Teach. I didn't realize you were back. How was your mission?"

Teach waved a large hand in a dismissive motion. "Eh. Nothing that exciting happened." He took a bite of his pie and chewed it loudly. "Where are you going in such a hurry, Commander?"

"Oh, we've had some trouble on another ship." Namur said vaguely. "It's already being handled so don't worry."

"That's good to hear."

Teach's black eyes glinted with what Namur hoped was curiosity. But with Ace's warning ringing in his mind, he could not help but wonder if it was actually malice. He did not know Teach well enough to say.

Namur did not usually interact with those of the Second Division. Ever since the previous Commander died, the man's division was often placed with Marco's while on missions. The spot of Commander had yet to be filled, even after all these years, yet none of the other Commanders had a reason to ask Oyaji why he had not chosen a replacement yet. Namur had a feeling Whitebeard simply had not found a suitable candidate from their ranks.

Regardless, it left the Second Division in an odd position where they were lumped together under Marco's leadership whenever the need arose. They almost weren't their own Division nowadays, more an extension of the First. Perhaps that was why Teach managed to fly under the radar...

Ignorant to Namur's thoughts, Teach took another bite of pie. Red cherry filling dripped down his chin and he seemed to notice Namur looking.

"This is not as good as Commander Thatch's, but don't tell him that." He winked. "I'll let you continue running through the deck like a madman. See you around, Commander."

Namur murmured a vague goodbye and watched him leave, conflicted.

Could it be possible Teach may be acting under duress?

Namur would like to hope so but knew it was unlikely.

By the Sea, he really wished Ace was mistaken. The Whitebeards were a family. Surely Teach would never harm one of their own willingly?

A passing pirate told him there was a call for him and he bolted to the communication room, his encounter with Teach slipping to the back of his mind. The ones in the know sent him sympathetic looks as he passed, and he swore some asked their friends what flowers he'd want on his grave. He made it to the communication room and lunged for the purring the Den Den, yanking the receiver to his ear.

"Did you find them?"

"Find who?"

Namur winced as Marco's confused voice came through the Den Den. "Marco. I didn't expect to hear from you yet. Hello." He glanced around uncomfortably. "How are you?"

Well then. That was a response that would not raise suspicion. Not at all. Namur blamed Thatch.

"Namur. Find who?" Marco repeated.

"...No one." Namur lied with all the skill of a two year-old.

A heavy sigh reached him and Namur could feel Marco's exasperation. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Namur." Marco growled and Namur could see the wheels turning in his brother's sharp mind. But maybe Marco would not know— "That 'nothing' would not happen to have anything to do with why I can't contact the Ishmael, would it?"

Damn it. "The Ishmael?" Namur asked weakly. "What's the Ishmael?"

He could practically see the veins pulsing in Marco's forehead.

"...You mean the ship the Spade Pirates were on?" Namur continued timidly.

"No, I mean another ship called 'Ishmael', yoi." Marco said sarcastically. "What happened? Why can't I contact them?"

Marco was not standing in front of him, yet Namur found himself looking at his shoes like a scolded child anyway. Like a child, he could not stop himself from telling the truth. "...The Spade Pirates disabled the Ishmael's communications."

"They did what?!"

Namur winced as Marco's shout made the table rattle. "The Spades disabled communications on the Ishmael." he mumbled. "We just heard from the crew an hour ago."

"Why did they do that, yoi?" Marco snapped. "If they needed help they wouldn't have been able to contact anyone."

"Yeah." Namur said lamely as he desperately tried to think of a way to not tell Marco what else had happened.

"Never mind that. If you are in contact with the crew, I need you to pass on a message." Marco continued. "Preferably to one of the Spades."

Well then. So much for dropping the subject or going 'Oh, everything is fine and dandy now though. Nothing is wrong! Nothing at all.' Apparently there would be no escaping his fate. Namur resigned himself to face it with dignity and cleared his throat.

"About that… The Spades found out Ace left. They went after him. That… has nothing to do with us losing contact with the Ishmael." Indeed, Namur's lying skills were the best in the world. None could surpass them.

He did not need to look at the Den Den to know Marco's eye was twitching. "Please tell me they did not steal a ship."

"They did not steal... a big ship..." Namur mumbled.

"They stole one of the smaller ships then?" Marco asked in a toneless voice that suggested he already knew the answer.

Namur was not one to laugh, but now he was tempted to nervously giggle. Damn it, Thatch. This was somehow his fault. "Er. No. They took the Ishmael."

"They took the Ishmael." Marco echoed flatly.

"...And left the Ishmael's crew on one of the smaller ships."

He heard Marco inhale. And exhale. And inhale again through clearly clenched teeth. "Well order them back."

Namur chuckled nervously. Loathe as he was to admit it, it was definitely a habit he had gotten from Thatch. "The Spades went without a Den Den." Because they knew we'd order them to come back. "But they took one of Vista's Vivre cards so they can track us again."

"Vista's on the Moby. How did they get ahold of a piece of his Vivre card?" Marco demanded.

"They stole it from someone with them." Namur said simply. "Shear only realized his piece was smaller than it had been after they left."

Marco took a deep breath. "So you lost the Spades. And a ship."

"I didn't..." Namur defended weakly.

"No." Marco said flatly. "The entire crew did. Somehow."

"Well… they're..." Namur struggled to find the words to defend himself and the crew. He came to realize he couldn't and his shoulders slumped. "...they're tricky."

Marco gave a sigh so tired Namur wondered if he'd aged a thousand years.

"It seems the captain rubbed off on his crew after all."

OPOPOPOPOP

To say Ace was unsettled would be a polite way of describing his mood, but also a severe and perhaps untruthful understatement. If paranoia and nervous energy were embodied as a person, they would be him. He paced and twitched and flitted about like a nervous rabbit who happened to catch on fire when stressed.

Ace thought he had enough control not to burst into flames and leave scorch marks on the floor but he had thought a lot of things and been proven wrong. For example, he never thought the world hated him this much.

Ace stopped in his patrol of the corridor in front of Koala's hidden safe and glanced at it. He paused, unlocked the safe using the code Koala gave him, opened it, and saw the Yami Yami no Mi sitting innocently inside. He shut the safe and paced some more, dragging his fingers through his hair. He really needed to calm down before Koala got fed up and demanded to know why he was so freaked out. He was so freaked out he might just tell her the truth at this point and past experiences had proven that definitely ended well. He might as well throw himself in the ocean and save her the trouble.

But Ace could not calm down. Not in the slightest. Not with the Yami Yami no Mi unexpectedly in his possession. This fruit had been a source of personal hell more times than he could count and now he had to worry about keeping it out of anyone's hands for the rest of this loop.

There's a whole sea out there but I somehow still run into this thing.

Burn it. Burn it to ashes.

It could have been anywhere else. Anywhere.

Burn it burn it burn it.

But no. It had to show up here.

Burn it.

Ace yanked the safe open again as flames flickered at his fingertips, ready to become a raging inferno. Before he could burn it to cinders, he exhaled and reminded himself that if he destroyed the fruit it would reform someplace else. The flames faded and he resigned himself to staring bitterly at the Yami Yami no Mi, wishing his hatred was enough to obliterate it forever. The tap of footsteps did not send him into a defensive position with flaming shoulders only because he recognized Koala's soft gait.

"Hey." she said quietly. "You've been down here a while."

Her soft tone rankled at Ace, because he'd heard it too many times from other people to simply ignore it. It was the tone someone used when they were speaking to someone fragile, as if they feared saying the wrong thing and thus caused them to burst into tears. People used it at funerals, and when someone was captured that they knew could not be rescued, and when Ace let too many cracks show and unintentionally showed the world he was falling apart.

"Sorry I wasn't there to grace you with my enthusiastic company." he said more tonelessly than he intended.

Koala gave him a sidelong look as she leaned against the wall opposite the fruit. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Fair enough."

She stepped closer as if to inspect the Yami Yami and he instinctively moved between her and the cursed fruit, using his body as a shield. Koala paused and backed away, and although he could see she wanted to, she did not ask him why he was acting like this— irrational, jumpy, snappish, afraid. He appreciated her discretion, and her caution because if she tried to touch the Yami Yami he would end up burning it to a crisp and it'd be out in the world again.

"You don't need to guard it, you know." Koala said patiently.

"I don't." Ace agreed. He made no move to leave. "But I don't trust it to be alone."

Her brow furrowed. "You speak as if it has a mind of its own." she noted. "I know some claim the Devil fruits contain actual devils but it's just an old myth to scare kids into not eating them."

"Hmm." Ace grunted.

Koala searched his expression and stepped closer, laying a cautious hand on his arm. "I remember what you said when we found it. You called it 'evil' and a 'curse'. Did it have something to do—?"

Hearing the beginning of a question, Ace turned away and resisted the childish desire to cover his ears. Koala stopped asking and although Ace desperately hoped she would leave him to brood and accomplish nothing— as he always did— instead she stayed.

"You know… sometimes when we're hurt, we associate things with that pain instead of the people responsible." Koala said. He heard her take a breath and braced himself, just like she did. "That's part of what happened, right? Someone used the Yami Yami to hurt you?"

If Ace's back stiffened any more, he was certain his spine would snap. He could not find his voice to correct her about her misconceptions, mainly that it hadn't happened like she thought. Not that she'd believe the truth anyway.

"If they did, it means they're dead now since it's a fruit again." she continued with gentle ignorance. "The person— or people— who hurt you can't anymore. And it's not like the Yami Yami itself is actually evil. At least, it's not as scary as you think." She sounded so compassionate— and so wrong— Ace almost wanted to hurl. "It's not evil. It's not cursed. It's just a Devil Fruit. You don't have to fear it."

Sixteen year-old Monkey D. Luffy stuck out his tongue in concentration and tipped his head, neck craning in an unnatural angle as he studied the fruit in Ace's hand. His neck lengthened and he twisted around his brother to get a better look at it, inspecting it from every single angle like an overly-curious puppy. Ace rolled his eyes and gently shoved Luffy away.

"Personal space, Lu."

Luffy laughed. "Shishishi, sorry."

He pulled away but remained just short of touching Ace's arm. The fire Logia shook his head affectionately. It had been a gamble to retrieve his brother— barely sixteen and not yet meant to sail— from Dawn Island, but Ace had found it was worth it.

With Luffy's unorthodox but oddly bountiful manner of doing things, the brothers had been able to locate and retrieve the Yami Yami no Mi mere days before Thatch would have discovered it. Ace's hands shook and he transferred the Yami Yami to his right hand, holding it with as few fingers as he possibly could. Despite that shake, he was rather calm, comparatively.

Ace always felt a bit better— calmer, happier, stabler— after meeting with Luffy. Not only because his little brother was in his sights and less likely to die if Ace was distracted, but because Luffy tended to believe Ace when he brought up his predicament. Most times, it was harder to convince Luffy to let Ace warn him about the future than it was to convince him he came from the future. Luffy always did hate knowing what adventures lay ahead of him.

"So this is the fruit that causes your nakama so much pain?" Luffy asked seriously.

Ace's throat closed and he could only manage to nod.

Luffy nodded sharply back. "Then let's make sure Blackbeard can never get it."

Before Ace knew what was happening, Luffy took the Yami Yami no Mi and swallowed it whole.

A scream built in Ace's throat but his little brother did not explode in front of him. Instead he made a face, sticking out his tongue.

"Blergh! It's awful."

The Luffy-like response tore a hysterical laugh from Ace's throat and he grabbed Luffy's shoulders, torn between shaking and hugging him. Instead he leaned down to Luffy's level, locked eyes with him, and spoke with a clenched-teeth smile.

"You. Could have. Died." The smile broke like shattered glass and Ace's shoulders lit on fire. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I'm fine, Ace! See?" Luffy said cheerfully. He pulled his cheek out to the side to prove his point, grinning widely.

As Luffy continued to not-explode, Ace slowly relaxed, smiled in relief, and ruffled his brother's hair with just a bit more force than necessary. And maybe some Haki. But as Luffy squeaked and flailed, he could not deny the uneasy twisting in his gut.

"I guess you are, Lu. But could you prove your point in a way that doesn't give me a heart attack next time?"

"Shishishi." Luffy laughed. "There won't be a next time, Ace. We're going to beat your mystery time looping this time."

Ace had believed Luffy back then. He usually did, against his better judgment, because Luffy was always so damned hopeful that this timeline would be the one Ace saved. Ironically, that loop had been the worst Ace ever experienced. But although Luffy had broken his promise and Ace broke his as well, he had been correct about one thing. There was not a 'next time' where Luffy ate that forsaken fruit. Ace made sure of it.

Darkness and blood oozed from Luffy's mouth and eye sockets. Shadows leaked from the fissures in his skin like living sludge, writhing through the air. He reached out for Ace, seeking shelter from the pain that he would never find. His fingers twitched and body convulsed as he choked on black and red.

"Promise—"

Don't. Think.

Ace focused on the bright orange of Koala's hair and the deep crimson of her hat, forcing himself to notice every detail, thread, and strand. He forced himself to breathe in the stagnant air and note the stale scent of it. He was on the sub, in a different timeline, where it was warm and his friends were alive and the Straw Hats' cold, blood-splattered bodies were strewn across—

Ace yanked himself out of the flashback and focused on the pain in his palms. "It is evil." he said tonelessly. His chest felt tight and his arms were shaking and suddenly he couldn't stay here anymore. He turned towards the kitchen. "I need to go through our food supplies. Make sure we have enough."

Koala frowned. "What? But I just went through it yest—" She saw his expression and paused. "...Go ahead."

He gave a short nod of acknowledgment and left at a rapid pace, ignoring the screaming instincts that he not let that thing out of his sight. He felt her worried stare on his back until he vanished from sight.

XXXXXXX

Koala sat in her usual place beside the Den Den, listening to it ring as she twirled a lock of hair between her fingers. She looped it around the index finger, holding it in place, and yanked it free, before repeating the process all over again. If he were here, Sabo would tease her about trying to pull her hair out, and she'd retort it was because of him.

It was because of him.

Partially.

Koala did not want to think about Sabo and what he might be going through so she was glad for the distraction the mystery known as Ace provided. It was a bit selfish of her to hyper-focus on his problems in order to ignore her own but it was preferable, at least to herself. Her habit of avoiding her problems would not bite her this day, though she could see it happening in the future.

That particular realization— unlike her other problems— was all due to her elusive ally. Ace had changed after the Yami Yami no Mi had come into their possession, and although it was not for the worse, it was not for the better either. He became more distant than ever before, but only because he was always watching over the Devil Fruit like it would suddenly turn into a portal and let their worst enemies onto their sub.

A part of Koala wondered if that were the case. Less literally, of course, because although Ace could be paranoid on a good day, he hardly overreacted, no matter how much he seemed to think he did. The fruit may not be literally evil incarnate, but it was a bad omen they should not have on board, and not in a superstitious sense. Koala could not take it and chuck it into the sea where anyone could stumble upon it. So their best course of action would be to keep it locked away somewhere safe, like Baltigo.

Thus, her call.

The Den Den clicked and sighed. "What do you want this time?"

"Hello to you too, Terry." Koala said. "I just wanted to give you an update. We found a Devil Fruit, and my companion thinks it's too dangerous to leave be."

As she spoke, she wondered if she should have discussed this with Ace first. It was too late now, and she was not sure he would listen. And not in a 'I don't want to hear it' kind of way. More of a 'I'm stuck in my head at the moment and aren't hearing you.' way. He did not even seem to realize how long he'd zoned out earlier…

"Which one is it?" Koala already heard Terry flipping through the pages of a book, likely the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.

"The Yami Yami no Mi."

The flipping stopped. "I've heard of that one. It's a Logia fruit that allows its user to create, manipulate, and turn into darkness. It's said the ability it grants is 'most evil'."

Koala stopped herself from grimacing. "Ace said that, too. Kinda. Is it literal?"

Terry snorted. "I don't know. I only know the fruit because of this book and old stories. Besides, what is considered 'evil' differs from person to person."

Koala recalled the blank-eyed, haunted expression on Ace's pale face. "I think it's pretty dangerous."

"Naturally." Terry said, though he sounded a tad less annoyed than usual. "Dangerous or not, the Yami Yami isn't a priority of ours. Keep it as safe as you can without compromising the mission and bring it back with you when you return."

Koala expected such an answer but still found herself feeling disappointed in the lack of action being taken. Perhaps it was Ace's adamant belief that this particular Devil Fruit was bad news, but she could not shake the feeling they should lock it in the most secure location they had and melt the key into molten metal so no one could use it again.

"Fair enough. What about my other request?"

"I got a whole lot of nothing." Terry said bluntly. "And not because it didn't happen or something. Pirates hurting people is as common as fish swimming. I need more information than that."

"I can try." Koala said doubtfully. She decided to keep her theories about the Yami Yami being involved to herself. "Anything else?"

"The top brass says you can tell him."

Koala paused. "What?"

Terry sighed. "You can tell your ally about the mission."

Koala's mouth moved wordlessly as she tried and failed to process what he'd said. "…Really?"

"Really." Terry replied dryly. "Dragon himself approved."

Rather than excite Koala, his words sent a slither of unease through her gut. If Dragon agreed to let Ace learn their real mission— the mission Sabo was captured for— he did not see Ace as a temporary ally.

He saw Ace as a potential and permanent future agent.

Dragon had a good cause, one that Ace may agree with on some level. However, Koala had the feeling he would rather jump in the ocean than work under the Revolutionary and not just because he clearly disliked the man for some reason. The Whitebeards had attempted to similarly recruit Ace, after all, and his grandfather seemed to think that made him… worse off, to put it lightly. Koala refused to do the same.

She kept these thoughts to herself and put on a smile. "Excellent. I'll give him the good news."

"What news is good about it?" Terry asked bitterly before hanging up.

Koala set the receiver down and laid her head against the wall, closing her eyes.

"This had better be worth it, Sabo." she whispered.

Then she went to find Ace.

OPOPOPOPOP

A/N: Sorry this took so long. Writer's block sucks but writing another fic helped some, as you can see. I hope this chapter was at least enjoyable.

Thanks to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story!

To Nine: Hello! Thanks for the comment/questions! That's not a dumb question at all. It's something I've thought about. Here's my answer: After Ace dies, that loop's timeline ends. I decided it works like that because many of the realities Ace leaves behind are so messed up and hellish I can't imagine those versions of characters (the surviving Straw Hats, Whitebeards, civilians, etc.) being stuck living in them. I mean, could you imagine that one loop's Sabo having to live in a world where both his brothers are dead and he was just too late to save Ace as he bled out in front of him? No thank you. I may be an evil author who makes characters suffer, but I'm not that evil.

The next update will be random, as usual.

And guys? I'm not caught up to the manga. In fact, I have not read anything from Wano. So please please PLEASE don't put spoilers in your reviews. I've already gotten things spoiled for me and I'm a bit peeved about it. Instead of being encouraged to read on and catch up to the manga, I go sulk in a corner, haha.