Chapter 34: The Ultimatum

The command tent of the Revolutionary base was dim, illuminated only by a single flickering lantern hanging from the center pole.

Bound to a heavy wooden chair in the middle of the room was the CP0 Captain.

His pristine white cloak was ruined with dirt and blood, and both of his legs were set in rigid wooden splints.

Jasmine and I stood in front of him, our arms crossed in perfect, synchronized sibling annoyance.

Gammamon and Palmon were sitting on a crate near the entrance, quietly sharing a bowl of fruit.

“You think you’ve won?” the Captain sneered through the pain, his voice dripping with fanatical venom.

“Absolute Justice does not sleep.

We will never stop hunting the demon bloodlines of this world.

You can break every bone in my body, but I will never tell you who issued the order.”

Jasmine let out a dry, humorless laugh, leaning on the long handle of Coil Mjolnir.

“Let me guess.

A magma-obsessed fanatic who wears a red suit, hides behind a desk at Marineford, and thinks murdering civilians is perfectly acceptable collateral damage?”

Even behind the featureless white mask, the Captain’s entire body went rigid with shock.

Everyone in the world knew who Admiral Akainu was, he was a highly public, terrifying figure of Marine authority.

But the fact that Jasmine had just accurately guessed his involvement in a highly classified, totally off-the-books black operation on her very first try completely shattered the agent’s composure.

“You…

how could you possibly know it was him?” the Captain stammered.

“We know a lot of things,” I said coldly, stepping forward.

“And I don’t need to break your bones to get you to confirm it.

I’m going to break your shadow.”

I tapped the black disk on my hip.

The shadows pooling around the legs of the Captain’s chair suddenly twisted and rose.

The Night-Terror Ferret materialized, its red eyes glowing in the gloom.

It didn’t bite him.

It simply melted directly into the Captain’s shadow, stretching it into a jagged, horrific shape.

The Captain gasped.

The Ferret plunged his mind into a waking, sensory-deprivation nightmare.

To us, he was just sitting in a quiet tent.

But in his mind, he was trapped in an abyss of sheer, suffocating terror.

He lasted exactly twelve seconds.

“Stop!

Stop it!” the Captain shrieked, thrashing against his ropes, his absolute fanaticism shattering under the unnatural psychological pressure.

“It was him!

It was Admiral Akainu!

The black Den Den Mushi is in my coat pocket!

The direct line!”

I nodded, and the Ferret instantly retreated back into my shadow.

I reached into the trembling assassin’s coat and pulled out a small, sleek black snail with a Marine insignia painted on its shell.

“Take him to the brig,” Jasmine ordered a pair of rebel guards standing outside.

“Keep him heavily sedated.”

Once the tent was empty, I set the black Den Den Mushi on the table.

Jasmine and I shared a look.

She nodded.

I picked up the receiver.

It clicked twice, the encrypted line routing straight to the New World.

“Report,” a low, rumbling, furious voice answered.

The snail’s eyes narrowed, perfectly mimicking the harsh, unyielding scowl of Admiral Sakazuki.

“Is the Thunder Maiden dead?”

“Sorry, you’ve reached the Costa sibling complaint department,” I said casually, leaning against the table.

“Our wait times are a bit long right now.

Can I put you on hold?”

Silence.

Thick, oppressive, volcanic silence radiating through the receiver.

“Victor D.

Costa,” Akainu growled, the sheer hatred in his voice making the snail’s shell literally heat up.

“How are you breathing?

The Sea-Prism Stone should have taken care of you.”

I caught Jasmine’s eye.

We had already agreed not to let the Marines know that the Sea-Prism Stone was completely useless against us.

As long as they thought it was our kryptonite, they would keep using it, giving us a massive tactical advantage.

“Your little trap was cute,” I lied smoothly, infusing my voice with just enough arrogant grit.

“The net was heavy, I’ll give you that.

It took us a whole thirty minutes to pry it off.

But you really thought a few shiny rocks were going to keep us down forever?”

“You arrogant, demon-blooded brat,” Akainu snarled, the sound of a desk cracking echoing through the speaker.

“I will deploy a Buster Call.

I will turn that entire island to ash just to ensure you both burn.”

My casual demeanor vanished.

My voice dropped to an ice-cold, lethal register.

“Listen to me very carefully, Sakazuki,” I promised, my Haki unconsciously flaring, making the lantern above us flicker.

“I’m not a pirate.

And I’m not a Revolutionary.

But if you ever send assassins after my family again, or if you ever endanger a city of innocent civilians just to bait us out…

I won’t wait for a war.

I will fly my carriage directly into the stratosphere above Marineford, and I will drop an ocean on your desk.”

I didn’t wait for a response.

I crushed the receiver in my hand, shattering the connection, leaving one of the most dangerous men in the world fuming in absolute, helpless rage.

“Well,” Jasmine exhaled, blowing a strand of dark hair out of her face.

“That felt incredibly good.”

“He had it coming,” I agreed, tossing the broken receiver into a trash bin.

We stepped out of the command tent together.

The sun was beginning to set over the Grand Line, painting the sky in brilliant hues of orange and purple.

The Revolutionary camp was bustling with activity as rebels coordinated relief efforts for the coastal city we had saved.

I looked at my sister, watching the way her troops looked at her with genuine, unwavering respect.

She wasn’t just my little sister anymore; she was a leader.

“I’ve confirmed you’re safe,” I said softly, putting my hands in my pockets.

“And Akainu’s trap is neutralized.

But…

you can’t leave with me, can you?”

Jasmine’s smile turned slightly melancholic.

She looked out over the camp.

“No.

The rebellion on the island is only halfway done.

The World Government still has a massive garrison in the capital.

These people are relying on me to break the siege.

I can’t just abandon my post.”

“I know,” I smiled warmly, bumping her shoulder.

“I wouldn’t ask you to.

You have a duty here.

I’m proud of you, Jas.”

“So,” she asked, looking up at me.

“Where are you going to go?

You’re in the Grand Line now.

The whole ocean is open.”

I looked up at the orange sky, an idea forming in my head.

“Well, do you remember how many cousins we actually have in this world?”

Jasmine’s eyes lit up.

It was a bizarre, incredible reality of our existence in this universe.

Our bloodline wasn’t just limited to the two of us.

We had actual, blood-related family scattered across this ocean.

“Five,” Jasmine grinned, counting them off on her fingers.

“Ace, Law, Koala, and our aunt and cousin living up on the Sky Island.”

“Exactly,” I nodded.

“Have you told Koala about the others?”

Jasmine shook her head.

“No.

She knows she’s our cousin, but there was never a good time in the middle of a war zone to sit her down and explain the rest of the family tree.”

“Fair enough,” I said.

“And what about Sabo?

Have you tried telling him about his brothers?”

Jasmine let out a frustrated sigh, crossing her arms.

“I tried, Victor.

Believe me, I tried to gently bring up Ace and Luffy’s names.

But it doesn’t work.

His amnesia is a physical, traumatic block.

The second I try to push the memory, he gets a blinding migraine, his nose bleeds, and he completely blanks out.

If I force it, I could permanently damage his brain.

He has to remember on his own.”

“That’s rough,” I muttered, feeling a pang of sympathy for the blond Revolutionary.

“Let’s call Koala,” Jasmine suggested, her smile returning.

“If you’re going on a family road trip, she deserves to know who you’re looking for.”

We walked over to the communications tent.

Jasmine dialed the secure routing number for the South Blue headquarters.

It took a few moments, but the snail clicked open, its eyes widening cheerfully.

“Jas!

Please tell me Victor didn’t actually drop a continent on the base,” Koala’s voice rang out, equal parts relieved and exasperated.

“He behaved,” Jasmine laughed.

“He just put me in a headlock.”

I leaned down toward the snail.

“Hey, Koala.

I found her.”

“Bhai!” Koala gasped, a happy sob echoing through the speaker.

“I’m so glad.

I saw the newspaper.

You are absolutely insane, you know that?”

“I do my best,” I chuckled warmly.

“Listen, Koala.

Jas and I were just talking about the family tree.

You know you aren’t our only cousin out here, right?”

“Really?” Koala asked, her voice filled with genuine wonder.

“There’s more of us?”

“Portgas D.

Ace and Trafalgar Law,” Jasmine listed off, her eyes shining.

“And an aunt and cousin living up on a Sky Island.”

“The Whitebeard Commander and that pirate rookie from the North Blue?!” Koala choked, completely flabbergasted.

“And Sky Islands are real?!

We have the craziest family tree on the planet!”

“It’s a work in progress,” I laughed.

“Since Jas is stuck here playing general for a while, I’m going to track them down.

I intend to visit each one of our cousins and spend some time with them.

Make sure they’re doing okay.”

“That sounds wonderful, Victor,” Koala said softly, her smile evident through the snail.

“Be safe out there.

The Grand Line is dangerous.”

“It should be afraid of me,” I promised.

We said our goodbyes and hung up the phone.

The stars were beginning to prick through the twilight sky.

I walked to the edge of the clearing where the Sky-Rift Roc was resting, preening its metallic feathers.

Gammamon was already sitting in the open doorway of the carriage, waving enthusiastically at Palmon, who was waving back with a long, leafy vine.

Jasmine walked me to the carriage.

She didn’t cry this time.

She just wrapped her arms around my waist, squeezing me in a tight, grounding hug.

“Don’t get a bounty higher than mine,” she mumbled into my chest.

“No promises,” I smirked, kissing the top of her head.

“Keep your guard up, Jas.

I’m only ever a den-den mushi call away.”

I climbed up into the carriage, shutting the heavy oak door behind me.

I looked out the reinforced glass window, giving my sister one last, proud wave.

I tapped my Digivice against the windowsill.

“Alright, Roc,” I said, looking up at the twinkling stars directly above us.

“Take us up.

First destination: The Sky.”

Word Count: 1783

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