Chapter 79

"Luffy?" Ace was utterly flabbergasted at what Aokiji said. That rambunctious brother of his that always spouted that he would be King of the Pirates was now a marine? He didn't want to believe it. "What the hell are you talking about, Aokiji?"

"I said what I said," Aokiji said half exasperatedly. "That brother of yours, Luffy, is a marine. You should've seen Garp-san being all giddy about it for a week!"

'Is he serious?' Ace was still in denial of what Aokiji said. There was no way that Luffy would choose to become a marine… unless he planned for it.

'Nah, Luffy's not that smart…'

"Cut the crap, Aokiji," Ace said, almost spitting his words out. "Why exactly are you here?"

"Hmm?" Ace's words confused Aokiji. "How strange. Did you forget that it was you who invited me here?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Seemingly on queue, a popping sound was heard behind where Aokiji stood. With a newcomer present, Aokiji turned around to see Augur helping a terribly purple-skinned Enel stand up.

"Ace! You got-!"

Whatever Augur was about to say was halted in an instant the moment he saw Aokiji. From his uniform alone, Augur knew who the man was. A marine that stood on their pirate ship right in front of their captain? The man was definitely not a normal marine in Augur's mind.

Augur acted on his instinct. With his free hand holding his rifle Senriku, Augur took aim at Aokiji's forehead and fired a shot. Everything was silent after the bang from Augur's rifle resounded.

"Oi oi oi! There's no need for that!" Aokiji said, his closed hand was raised near his forehead. "Like I was just about to tell your captain, I come in peace."

Aokiji put his hand down and opened it. The bullet Augur shot fell out of his hand and made a soft clanging sound against the Ashen Dragon's wooden deck. Aokiji glanced at the hand that he used to catch Augur's bullet. It was marked with slight burns that resulted in him catching a speeding bullet that fired at close range.

"Impressive," Aokiji said to Augur. "That bullet had Haki in it. You weren't holding back, huh?"

"Stand aside, Aokiji," Ace said, his voice cold and stern. "I'll talk to you later."

"Sure, sure. Take your time," Aokiji said before walking to the Ashen Dragon's main mast. He leaned on it and put on a sleeping mask over his eyes. "Wake me when you're done with your captain duties, or something."

The moment Aokiji finished speaking, he started snoring. He was already asleep, still standing. Now would be a perfect time for Ace to try and kill him with all his might, but he doesn't want a cheap victory over someone who isn't trying to be his enemy. Not yet, anyway.

Instead, Ace focused on the pressing matter at hand. The moment he saw Enel's terrible condition, a terrible premonition gripped him. Without Augur or Enel telling him anything, Ace was already feeling sure of what happened.

'So… Teach finally shows his fangs. Damn it, I was careless!'

Ace walked towards Augur and Enel. He helped Augur carry Enel by standing on Enel's empty side, slinging Enel's arm over his shoulder. Ace and Augur helped Enel walk to Vash's clinic inside the Ashen Dragon.

"Ace-"

"I know," Ace said, interrupting Augur. "It was Teach, right?"

Augur answered Ace's query with a grave nod. Having his guess be confirmed frustrated Ace even more. He walked faster, and Augur kept up with him. They hurried to Vash's clinic.

"Is Vash here?" Augur asked, hoping that their doctor was present.

"No. Not yet," Ace said. "Enel, you hear me?"

"Ca… Captain," Enel said weakly, as if breathing alone was already difficult for him. "I'm… sorry…"

"No need to apologize, idiot," Ace said to his clearly dying crewmate as they walked the empty corridors of their ship. "Why didn't you find me instead?"

"Ha… haha… I can't… let Teach… disrespect you like that," Enel said. "He's… trash. He… doesn't deserve… your attention… Captain…"

Ace and Augur felt Enel slump against them. He wasn't moving his legs anymore. Thankfully, they already arrived just outside of Vash's clinic. Ace opened the door for Augur and Enel.

"Set him down over there," Ace said to Augur, pointing at one of the beds. "Enel, you still there? Stay awake!"

"Y…Ye…Yes…"

"Okay, don't talk anymore," Ace said after realizing that Enel was wasting energy by talking. "Rest."

Ace and Augur set Enel down on one of the beds in Vash's clinic. It was done as carefully and as urgently as they could.

"I don't suppose Enel was able to tell you what kind of poison Teach used on him?" Ace asked Augur.

"No," Augur said. "What should we do?"

"I… I don't know," Ace said, honestly not knowing how to at least slow down the poison acting on Enel's body. "Every poison is different… I could harm him more… I'll go get Vash."

"I'll… try to do what I can here, Captain," Augur said, clearly frustrated. Ace nodded at Augur in gratitude. Augur then rummaged through the cabinets to see if he could find first-aid kits to treat Enel's battle wounds. Ace was about to exit Vash's clinic when Enel interrupted him.

"C… Captain," Enel said, calling out weakly to Ace.

"I told you to stop speaking, Enel!" Ace said, his voice rather strained. "I'll go and get you help."

"When… I die," Enel said, making Ace freeze in his tracks. "Scatter my ashes… to the Blue Sea. You'll be… it's Emperor… right, Captain? Grant me… the chance… to accompany you… even beyond death…"

With every word that Enel uttered with all his strength, Ace felt ashamed and disappointed with himself. Ever since they met Teach, he and Hepha always made sure to keep their guard up with him. Now, he had a lapse of judgement. And Teach pounced on the chance given to him.

In the first place, it was Ace who wanted Teach aboard their ship. The man is the son of Whitebeard, after all. Ace hoped that if he befriended Teach, there would be no need to fight Whitebeard; one of the men he greatly respected even before coming to this world.

'I was a fool.'

"The sea is a harsh and heartless lady, Enel," Ace said, out of a moment of weakness.

"I'm sure… you'll tame her… soon… Captain."

Ace turned around and looked Enel in the eye.

"I won't let you die."

Ace broke out into a run. In a flash, he was already back up on the deck of the Ashen Dragon. His arms and legs turned into jets of flames, and he flew. In what direction? He'll soon know.

As he was in the air, Ace did his best to calm down and focus. The more he was calm, collected, and focused, the faster he would find Vash. Ace's Observation Haki spread out at the fastest speed it ever did. It was still slower than Enel's but it was still impressive. In just two minutes, Ace covered the entirety of Karakuri Island in his Observation Haki and found Vash.

At the greatest speed he could muster, Ace flew towards where Vash was. The jets of flames Ace was emitting from his arms and legs turned blue at the rear from how much he was forcing himself to speed up. He flew towards the edge of the island where Vash was. Ace guessed that Vash lost his sense of direction because of the weather that kept getting worse by the second. The snowfall was now a full on blizzard.

"Vash!" Ace shouted when he got near enough.

Vash perked up and looked all around him. His ears picked up a shout calling his name and he was sure of it. He was still riding the carriage being pulled by huskies. The dogs were natives of the island and were used to the intense cold, so they didn't look bothered at all by the weather.

"Who's there?" Vash called out to the blizzard surrounding him.

"Vash!" Ace shouted again. He was nearing Vash, above and behind him. This time, Vash definitely heard him.

"Ace?" Vash turned his head to the direction he heard the voice from. The moment he did so, he was grateful for the surge of warmth Ace brought with his flames. "What happened?"

"It's Enel. He's dying," Ace said. "I'll fly you there!"

"Wait, slow down!" Vash said. "What do you mean he's dying?"

"He was poisoned by Teach," Ace said, answering Vash's question with his head hung low in shame. "I was careless."

"Symptoms?" Vash asked.

"Loss of motor functions, difficulty with breathing and speaking, and he also turned purple."

"Doesn't sound like anything I'm familiar with," Vash said as his mind raced with thoughts. "I'll need to see it for myself."

"I'll fly you-"

Ace felt his vision blur for a moment. He stopped and collected himself. He turned his attention to himself. He felt a slow poison creeping up on him.

"What's the matter?" Vash asked, concerned at Ace's sudden halt.

"It's contagious," Ace said. "The poison spreads by touch."

With his Devil Fruit power, Ace turned his insides into fire. He burned away the poison that wanted to eat him up like it did Enel.

'If I can do this, why can't Enel? Is he exhausted? Teach is strong, too…'

"Augur is most likely suffering right now, too," Ace said to Vash.

"What a damn poison," Vash said with a click of his tongue. Then, he reached out to one of the crates behind him on the sled. He gave one to Ace. "Go back to the ship, and administer a dose to Enel and Augur. Don't go more than half a syringe. That should give them a fighting chance."

"I could just carry this sled and fly you there," Ace said as he was about to carry the whole sled Vash was riding on, but Vash stopped him.

"These medicines are precious and fragile, Ace," Vash said, shaking his head in rejection of Ace's idea. "But I'm sure you can easily carry one crate. Make sure you don't shake it too much on the way back."

"...I will," Ace said, promising to take Vash's words seriously. Ace then pointed in a direction. "The Ashen Dragon is over there. Ride along the edge and you'll get there soon."

"I will," Vash said with a nod to Ace. He didn't dilly dally any longer and resumed his ride back to the Ashen Dragon.

With the precious medicine crate in his hands that could save the lives of Enel and Augur, Ace flew back to the Ashen Dragon. With his hands focused on making the ride not be a bumpy one for the medicine crate, Ace flew at a slower speed than when he went off to find Vash. But, since he wasn't lost and had a specific direction in mind, he returned to the Ashen Dragon as quickly as he left.

Paying no mind to the still sleeping Aokiji, Ace rushed back to Vash's clinic. His legs ran as fast as possible while making sure the precious medicine he was carrying wasn't damaged in any way.

"Enel! Augur!"

The moment Ace entered the clinic, he witnessed the situation he feared. Both Enel and Augur were in bad condition. Still, Enel was in a much more terrible condition when compared to Augur.

"Captain… I apologize. I was… careless," Augur said to Ace as he lay down on the bed beside Enel's. His skin was starting to take on a light shade of purple.

"Don't worry, Augur," Ace said, reassuring both Enel and Augur. "I found Vash, and he gave me this."

Ace quickly went to work. He set down the medicine crate on a table and opened it. Inside were row after row of vials containing the precious medicine that Vash found. With his basic knowledge of medicine, Ace took a syringe and plunged it into a vial.

With a syringe filled halfway, Ace turned to Enel. He decided to focus on Enel first because Enel needed it most. Ace walked to Enel's side. He was glad to see that Augur did what he said. Enel's wounds were wrapped neatly, stopping any bleeding.

"You're gonna be fine, Enel…"