Goodbye
Applejack, Rarity, and Dash whizzed down the halls. Fluttershy pressed herself against Rarity’s back. Guards emerging out of the wreckage watched them pass and a few called out, but the girls kept up their pace. Most of the guards stared for a moment, but quickly returned to sifting through what was left of the castle.
Some were left staring off into the distance for a few seconds before they regained their senses. Perhaps it was the light hitting their eyes or the shock at seeing the castle in such a state, but for the briefest of moments when the girls passed by, it looked like Twilight Sparkle was slumped over the Element of Loyalty’s back with wings of her own.
Speeding through the shattered windows and the loosened stones of the hall, the girls raced into Luffy’s room.
Ace was slumped over the bed. One of his legs was hooked around a bedpost. A sizeable patch of the covers under his face was stained a deep red. His half-shut eyes glanced up at the girls.
Fluttershy launched off of Dash’s back and flew over to him. “ Oh no, no, no! Ace! Mr. Ace!”
A guttural moan escaped Ace’s mouth. His voice came out as a faint murmur. “You’re loud.”
“We need to get you to a doctor!” Fluttershy reached out to lift him up. “We ha—”
“No!” Ace shouted. Fluttershy jumped back from the flames that surged of of Ace.
As fast as they had appeared, the flames sputtered. Ace hacked into the bed staining it further.
“M-mr. Ace,” Fluttershy sniffled.
“Go,” Ace croaked. “Just leave me with Luffy.”
“What the hay are you talking about?” Applejack stomped towards the bed. “Luffy will be fine, you’re the one that needs help!”
“You…” Ace paused and wheezed. “I’m not doing well. Luffy… Luffy still needs to wake up though.”
“He will.” Rarity stepped forward. “What will he think if he sees you like this though?”
Rarity clenched her jaw and managed to summon a spark of magic to her horn. Ace bared his teeth at her and sent up a few flames across his body. Her magic washed over the flickering flames and enveloped Ace. Rarity’s breathing quickened.
“Oh… oh no,” Rarity choked out. “You… you need a doctor. You’re…”
“Messed up pretty badly, I know.” Ace croaked. “Damn it.”
A round of claps sounded from a nearby window.
“Bravo, bravo, Fire First. Even in your last moments you truly provide top entertainment.”
A pony rested atop some of the outer wall’s broken stones. A thick coat of pink feathers was draped over his back, concealing both his cutie mark and whether he was an Earth Pony or a pegasus. His curved shades traced over the scene.
The pony jumped off his perch and fluttered to the ground. The girls all tensed up, widening the pony’s grin.
“Oh, you ponies have also been quite a treat to watch,” he snickered. “I can’t imagine what one of my employees would give to hear all about this. But enough about me, let’s talk about you, Portgas D. Ace.”
The pony raised up a leg and flexed his hoof. Ace seized up and screamed at the top of his lungs before crumpling to the ground. Dash slipped Twilight off her back and exploded off the ground toward the menacing pony.
The pony bent his hoof back. Something knocked the air out Dash and strung her up in the middle on the air. With a snort, she tugged at her constraints, but remained splayed a few feet above the ground.
“Fuffuffuffu.” The pony drew close to Dash and flicked her nose. Applejack flung herself at him and sent a hoof toward his head, but was stopped just like Dash. The pony turned his head up towards Rarity and Fluttershy, his smile sending a chill down their spines. “Don’t get ahead of yourselves, little ponies. Just sit tight and let the humans talk.”
The pony strolled forward like he owned the place. Rarity shivered as he passed by.
Fluttershy spun away from Ace. Crouching down, she flared out her wings. With a deep breath, she opened her eyes, which shimmered with a vibrant glow. The pony stopped inches away from her and leered.
“Stop!” Fluttershy yelled. Her mane whipped around as did the menacing pony’s. “I won’t let you hurt Mr. Ace anymore!”
The pony snickered again and pressed his face up to Fluttershy’s. A few sparks of black lightning rimmed with crimson arced between the two of them.
“My my, today really is full of surprises,” the pony mused. “I guess I wasn’t clear enough. You’re way out of your league.”
All four of the girls gasped and went to the knees. A narrow indent marked their neck. They tried to pull whatever it was off, but the invisible substance wouldn’t budge.
“Stop!”
A jet of flame shot up and smashed against a lattice of white lines in front of the menacing pony’s face. Across from him, Ace stood tall with one hoof aflame and smaller fires raging across his body.
“Let them go, Doflamingo!” Ace roared.
“Of course.”
With a bend of Doflamingo’s hoof, everypony gasped for air. Dash and Applejack’s relief was short lived before they crashed to the ground. Getting back on their hooves, they threw glares at Doflamingo, making him chuckle. Dash lifted a hoof of the ground, but it met resistance. Shuddering, she lowered her leg.
“See?” Doflamingo chuckled. “When you listen, things go so much smoother.”
“What did you do?” Ace pressed a hoof up against his chest. His stomach roiled feeling something wrapped around his insides.
“Why, I’ve given you time.” Doflamingo shook his head in a dismissive manner. “Look, the war was just business, but personally, I admire a man that can bring such chaos to the world. It’s been fun watching everyone risk everything to keep you alive, too. Unfortunately, business calls again.”
Doflamingo flicked a hoof. The air now glistened in spots around Ace. Something wrapped around his legs and neck.
“Then why bother stitching me up or whatever you did?”
Doflamingo hefted his shoulders and cackled. The pressure on Ace vanished. “Because, I thought it’d be fun to make a deal with you. You’ve got nothing to lose at this point and I’ve got a bit to gain.”
“What is it you want?” Ace snorted.
Doflamingo tilted his head. No light caught on his shades now, turning them into endless voids. “The Flame Flame Fruit.”
“Like hell!”
Doflamingo cracked his neck. Ace clutched his chest and collapsed to the floor.
“Ah, ah, ah, no need to yell,” said Doflamingo. “I’m in no particular rush and you’ve got at best a few minutes left without my help. Either way, I’ll get the fruit. This way is just a lot less of a hassle. Plus, I’ll even sweeten the deal.”
A syringe filled with a blue viscous liquid floated out of Doflamingo’s coat and twirled in front of Ace.
“Agree to the deal and I’ll give you this. It’ll wake Straw Hat up for a few minutes.”
“Like I’d believe a word you say,” Ace spat.
“Please,” Doflamingo chuckled. “What would I gain in lying to you that I won’t gain in being honest? Killing Straw Hat would just be a headache with no benefits. You, on the other hand, have had you head on the chopping block for a while. Admit it, I’m offering you more than you could have hoped for with the Government.”
Ace stared at the syringe. When he glanced over at the bed, Doflamingo's grin widened.
“How long would I have to think about this?” Ace asked.
“Don’t be stup—” Something pulled Dash’s mouth shut.
“However long you want,” answered Doflamingo. “I’m not in a particular rush, so feel free to think about your last words before waking Straw Hat up. Just give him a nice jab in the neck when you’re ready.”
“We…” Rarity stepped towards Doflamingo but kept her head low. “We could get him to a hospital in time.”
“That’d be breaking the rules,” Doflamingo hummed. “Speaking of which…”
Raising a hoof over his head, Doflamingo shot out a thick tangle of strings. They flew up and then arced down to the ground, enclosing the room in a cage of white veins.
“Don’t want anypony intruding on your final moments with your brother.”
The entire room rumbled. The cage inched in closer, slicing through the floor like butter.
“Just a little warning, you really don’t want to touch the strings.” Doflamingo tilted his head back. “So, Ace, what will it be?”
Ace inhaled deeply, reached out and took hold of the syregine. It stayed firmly planted in his hoof. The bond sent a shiver up his arm.
“Ace, no,” Fluttershy whimpered.
“Fuffuffuffu, it’s been fun, Portgas D. Ace.” Doflamingo strutted over to the edge of his cage and leaned against it. “Enjoy these last moments of life! I’m looking forward to seeing what you do!”
Doflamingo’s howling face split into three slices. His body slipped through the cage and exploded into strings. His laugh echoed in everypony’s head.
With a snort, Dash galloped over towards Ace. She halted when Fluttershy took hold of him. The full brunt of the Stare pierced Ace.
“What are you thinking?” she yelled. “I don’t care who that flamingo pony thinks he is! He doesn’t get the right to say when you live and when you d…”
Fluttershy’s words trailed off and tears tumbled down her face.
“You can’t do this!” she cried. “You can’t!”
Rarity came to Fluttershy’s side and offered her her shoulder. Fluttershy collapsed onto her and sobbed. Rarity reached around and stroked Fluttershy’s back while raising her eyes to Ace.
“Well, you’ve really done it now, Mr. Ace,” she huffed. “When this is all over, I’m going to make sure you pay Fluttershy back for every tear you’ve just made her shed. Honestly, accepting your death just because some gaudy pony tells you to. I don’t even know why I was worrying about your injuries seeing how stubborn you still are.”
Ace furrowed his brow at her. “Why worry? Nopony will miss me here and my crew already thinks I’m dead…” His face softened and he looked over to the bed. “The least I can do is say goodbye to Luffy.”
A thin sheen of sweat appeared on Rarity’s face. “N-now, Mr. Ace, that Doflamingo fellow or whatever his name is was quite intimidating, but with how you are now, I’m sure we can get you to a doctor in time. This… this cage thing is nothing some magic can’t handle.”
“Even if we could get out of here, I’d be dead before we took one step.” Ace brought a hoof to his torso. “I can feel it. The only thing keeping me going is whatever he did. As soon as that gives…”
Applejack raked a hoof against the ground. “No. No, there has to be something we can do.”
Ace sighed and took a seat at the base of the bed. “It’s none of your concern. The life on the seas is one that can end in a flash. Pirates that don’t heed that advice are often the first ones to wind up dead anyway.”
Dash reached out and grabbed him by the shoulders. “So you’re just gonna sit down and accept it?”
“What else can I do?” Ace shot back. He snorted and lowered his head to avoid looking at Dash. “Sure I’d like to see my crew again, but they’ll carry on. Even without Pops, they’re strong. And Luffy…”
Ace gazed up at the bed. “Forget it, I’ll save that for when I’m ready.”
“What’s stopping you now, you jerk?” Dash asked, voice cracking with each word.
“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity and Applejack shouted.
“Shut up!” Dash screamed back. Glaring down at the floor, she took a step back and spread her wings. “Gah! Just forget it!”
With a jump, she flipped over to the other side of the bed and crouched behind it. Ace crossed his legs over his chest and tucked his head.
“Sorry,” he said after a moment. “This is my problem, I didn’t mean to drag you into it.”
A white hoof whacked Ace across the face.
Ace rubbed his cheek. “I probably had that coming.”
“You most certainly did,” Rarity sniffled. “Do you really think Rainbow Dash is mad and Fluttershy is bawling her eyes out just because we have to watch?”
“I imagine it is pretty upsetting,” Ace quipped.
“Keep talking like that and I promise a slap from Rarity will be the least of your problems.” Applejack stomped a hoof. “For Celestia’s sake, how can you be so calm? This is your life we’re talking about!”
“My life was never anything too special,” Ace sighed. “I got more than I deserved.”
“How…” Rarity couldn’t hold back her own tears anymore. “How can you say that?”
Ace flexed a leg and watched a few veins press up against his skin. “I heard the greatest threat to this island was called Discord.”
“What in tarnation does that have to do with anything?” asked Applejack.
“What would you do with his son?” Ace replied.
“We just finished kicking his butt!” Dash snorted from the other side of the bed. “We should be having a big party right now. What’s it to you?”
A hollow laugh rose up from Ace’s chest. “And there you go. I’m no better than that demon.”
“Tirek must’ve smacked you pretty hard in the head.” Applejack tightened her jaw. “Ya ain’t making any sense. What do he and Discord have to do with you at all?”
“My father…” Ace snarled. The covers at his back smoked and blackened. “My real father was just as bad. He was the devil.”
Fluttershy managed to raise her head up. Behind her tangled mane and beneath her swollen eyes, her mouth managed to form something other than a wail. “That doesn’t mean you’re a bad person.”
Fluttershy devolved back into sniffling and slumped to the ground. Applejack gave her a pat on the back while Rarity stayed at her side.
“She’s right, you know,” said Applejack. “Forget whatever you’re thinking about Discord, Tirek, and your Pa. They’re not you.”
Ace let out a dry chuckle. “That’s not how most people see it.”
“Well forget most people then!” Applejack shouted. She stomped her hooves hard enough to send cracks through the floor. “What about your crew? What about your brother? They ever give a flying feather about any of that!?”
Rarity drew in her breath and inched back. Flared nostrils and gritted teeth framed Applejack’s face. Her trembling hooves looked ready to fall upon Ace.
“They didn’t.”
Ace slumped further down against the bed.
“No matter how long I lived, I could never repay them,” he sighed. “But look at where it’s gotten them. Gotten you.”
“You stupid colt! They didn’t care!”
Applejack threw up one of her legs and pulled it back. Rarity winced and looked away. In one swift movement, Applejack tugged her hat down and let her hoof flop back to the ground. She leaned to the side.
“They loved you,” she sniffled.
Ace seized up. Two hooves rushed up and covered his face. One sob soon multiplied until they racked his body.
“I know!” he cried. “I know!”
“Hey!” a voice called out.
Everypony’s head spun around. Through the remains of the hallway, Spike was running toward the group.
“Spike!” Fluttershy sucked in her breath. “Stop!”
A burst of pressure exploded out of Fluttershy. When it washed over Spike, he froze inches away from the cage. Shivering, he raised up his claws and blew a bit of fire onto them.
“W-what’s going o-on?” he stuttered. “Why’s it s-so cold? W-why’s everypony crying? And what’s t-this cage thing?”
“Don’t touch it!” Rarity ordered. Whipping her face, she let her mane fall in front of her muzzle. “Spike, now’s not a good time.”
“What are you talking about?” Spike asked, bringing himself right up to the edge of the cage. “I thought the fighting was over. At least that’s what Cadence thought. I can send her a message and warn her if i— Twilight!?”
Spike’ jaw dropped seeing Twilight lying on the ground with her wings draped across the floor. He pointed a shaking claw down at one of them.
“Okay, that first.”
“We don’t really know either,” Applejack answered. “When we got up after the fight, Twilight was just like that.”
“That’s… good?” Spike scratched at his head. “I mean you won, right? But you’re all crying. And where’s Rainbow Dash?”
A blue hoof wobbled up from behind the bed. “Here.”
“Well, alright then.” Spike flashed everypony a small smile. “Then why do you look like somepony’s dying?”
Applejack and Rarity reeled back. Fluttershy’s sobs swelled.
Spike’s smile cracked. “W-what? What’s wrong?”
“Spike.” Ace lumbered back to his hooves marched over to the edge of the cage. A weight dropped in Spike’s gut looking up at him. “Where are the others?”
“C-cadance gave them first aid when we all popped up by her in the Crystal Caves. She’s probably taken them and the rest of the ponies that got hurt to the hospital now that it’s safe,” Spike answered and glanced over at the girls. “But some guards saw you all running this way and I had to make sure everypony was safe.”
“That’s good to hear.” Ace smiled down at Spike. “Twilight’s lucky to have a companion like you. You should go to the hospital now though. Blackbeard roughed you up a bit too.”
“Not…” Spike stomped his foot and balled his claws. “Not until you tell me why everypony is upset!”
“Spike,” Rarity sniffled. Fresh tears bubbled up when she made her way over to the cage’s edge. A raised hoof from Ace made her stop half-way.
“I’ve made some bad choices, Spike,” Ace sighed, sounding tired beyond his years. “I’m sorry, you probably wanted to hear some more pirate stories, but I have to go.”
The lump in Spike’s gut ballooned. “G-go? Go where?”
Ace turned his head toward Rarity. “Hey, do you know any of the spells the Princess used to knock me out?”
Rarity slowly nodded her head.
“Hit him with one.”
“What?” Spike yelled.
His claws flew out and clasped onto the cage. He yelped and tumbled to the ground with two fresh cuts on his palms. Writhing on the floor, he kept one eye trained on Rarity. The tip of her horn was already aglow.
“Don’t do it, Rarity!” he yelled. “You’re all acting crazy!”
He gritted his teeth and pushed off the ground.
“Is it this cage thing?” he cried. “Is that’s what making you act this way?”
Spike puffed up his chest and sent out a burst of green flames. They raced over the cage and ignited bits of the carpet. The jet of fire coming from Spike’s mouth quickly whittled down to a tiny tongue of flame. The flame gave out and Spike collapsed to the floor gasping for air.
He glared at the shimmering cage and sucked in his breath again. By now, Rarity’s horn was glowing very bright.
“Wait,” Ace called out.
He raised a hoof. Rarity’s horn dimmed while Spike exhaled normally.
“Just tell me what’s going on,” Spike sniffled. “Why do you have to go?”
“I never belonged here,” Ace answered. “You’re a smart dragon, you knew I had a crew to get back to. At least, that’s what I’d like to say. It’s kinda funny, when I first joined Pop’s crew, I acted like the brat I’ve been here. You all still put up with me though.”
Ace placed a hoof to his chest glanced to his side. “It was short, Spike, but it was nice meeting you and your friends. Goodbye.”
Rarity’s spell zoomed past the cage’s strings and crashed into Spike. His body went limp and he crashed to the ground. Rarity also went to her knees. With a forlorn look, Ace walked over and bowed his head.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Ace backed away, leaving Rarity to sniffle.
The scent of smoke and blood mixed in with the air, yet all Ace could smell was the salty spray of the sea. The distant listing of a ship echoed in his ears. He smiled.
“I think I’ve got my answer.” He walked back over to the bed, each step echoing through the room. “There’s only one thing left.”
Reaching down, he tried to grab at the syringe with his hooves, but was unable to grasp it. He drew in his breath when Applejack easily lifted it up and placed it beside Luffy’s head.
“Please…” she said. “Don’t do this. Not after all your brother’s done for ya.”
“What would you do in my place?” he asked. “Most people never get a chance like this.”
The top of Applejack’s head disappeared under her hat. Steeling her legs, she angled the syringe closer to Luffy’s neck.
“Hurry,” she choked. “I can’t hold this much longer.”
Ace guided the syringe forward and pushed down.
It was quiet for a moment before Luffy gave a snort. His eyes flared open and he shot up. Wiping his head around, he froze at the sight of Ace by his bed. His smile spread outwards and consumed half his face.
“Ace!” he cried while wrapping his hooves around him. He suddenly pulled back but kept hugging Ace, causing his limbs to elongate. “Wait, I’ve never seen Ace as a pony. You just smell like him.”
“It’s me, Luffy.” Ace reached out returned the hug while Luffy strengthened his. Ace felt his chest grow damp.
“Ace! I’m so happy! When I passed out, I thought…” Luffy gave his head a shake and snickered. “Shishishi, that was a pretty close call, eh?”
Luffy’s head spun around like an owl’s and he grinned at everypony. “Hey, you guys helped out a bunch too! I owe yo—”
“Luffy!” Ace shouted.
Luffy’s head snapped back. Ace glared down at him.
“You idiot,” Ace growled. “I ought to beat you black and blue for all the reckless crap you’ve pulled.”
“I…” Luffy glanced down. “I just thought…”
“You didn’t think! What would your friends say if you’d died saving me?”
Ace broke away from Luffy and hefted his shoulders.
“Ace,” Luffy muttered.
“Sorry,” Ace sighed. “That’s neither here nor there.”
Reaching out his hooves, Ace took hold of Luffy again. “Luffy, I need you to listen carefully. I don’t know how long you’ve got to stay awake.”
Luffy nodded. “Sure.”
“First, next time you see Dadan, give her my regards.” Ace let out a small chuckle. “Heh, this is even making me nostalgic for Dadan.”
“Ace…” Luffy’s smile shook a little. “You can tell Dadan on your own, you know I hate bandits.”
Ace lowered his gaze to the bed. “You know, if I hadn’t had a little brother to take care off, I’d have given up after Sabo…”
Luffy’s ears pressed down against his head. Ace hugged Luffy and held him tight.
“But I had you,” he continued. “Then I had my crew as well. I’d thought nobody wanted me, that it couldn’t be helped.”
Luffy felt something drip onto his shoulder.
“I know that’s not the case anymore,” Ace said, voice shrinking to a whisper. “That just leaves one thing I’ve left undone. I’m sorry, Luffy, I wasn’t able to see your dream through to the end.”
Luffy jerked backwards, causing a bit of blood to trail off his shoulder and onto the bed. Ace smiled at him despite the steady stream of red running down his face.
“A-ace!” Luffy screamed. “You’re hurt!”
He spun around and glared at the girls. “Help him! Use magic or something!”
“They’ve done enough.”
Luffy froze and slowly turned to Ace again.
“Ace, no.” Luffy banged a hoof against Ace’s chest. “No, no, no!”
“Luffy, listen.”
Luffy seized up and stared straight into Ace’s eyes. Ace raised a hoof and stroked Luffy’s mane.
“I know you can do it,” he coughed. “I’m sorry, but if you ever meet my crew again, please give them this message. It’s… it’s for you too.”
Ace pulled Luffy as close as he could. Tears spilled down his cheeks. “Thank you for loving me!”
Ace’s wail echoed across the room. A bit more blood spurted from his mouth and he slumped onto Luffy.
Fluttershy felt herself falling. Just as her consciousness gave out, she spied a small yet solid smile on Ace’s lips. Such a tiny thing, but it glowed as bright as gold.
“Please,” Ace called out to the girls, “take care of Luffy.”
Ace slipped from Luffy’s shoulder and thudded onto the bed.
“Ace?” Luffy asked, his voice the only sound in the room.
“Ace!”
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You know, Ace dying I didn't mind that much. Sure, after you saved him I was excited, the huge turmoil it could all cause sounded like a lot of fun.
It is Doflamingo that is too much for me. Already all these villain able to reach Canterlot easily and without being spotted when it is far from the border and they don't exactly behave like normal ponies... But seriously, did you really have to push that much to kill him? Why not just having succumb to his wounds? The medic are not nearby and are busy, he just fought Tirek. It was a plausible development. Now it feels like an ass-pull/villain ex machina. It's frustrating.
I agree with Conflicting views. Blackbeard was sort of understandable, what with where you changed Impel down to being on the island and Blackbeard HAS to go there to get his crew. But Dolflamingo was really pushing it here.
I also agree with the previous two reviewers. I mean Doflamingo of all things having shown up right when Ace was about to die was a little too convenient. I mean really. And let's not forget about Ace's death either. I know that Luffy needs to be given a lesson in reality in order to toughen up for the New World and all, but why the hell does it involve him having to witness Ace's death???!!! Why does Ace need to die in the first place, I mean seriously??!!! I thought for sure that in this incarnation that he would live.
Given a closing cage that seems to be impervious to anything thats not from its creator, and given its cutting through the floor I assume AJ cant just stomp her way out the bottom, anything said after its creation is just a torture mechanism as everyones going to die within in lots of very small ieces anyway?
Or are we going to see Twilight fed the Flame Flame fruit, and Midnight fall on Blackbeard and all the rest as though they are but paper tigers?
while i can see the points of these fine chaps,
6975837
6975911
6976211
But there is only so much you could have done if you didn't want ace involved in more of the story, so i give you props for setting up THAT arc the way you have.
Kuods!
6977444 He was dying anyway. Doflamingo even slowed down the process.
6975837 Dolflamingo was always a deal-breaker for me in the manga. The powers overall had reached that level where far too many manga jump the shark. You go back to the beginning of the manga and you scratch your head about how easily all these new characters could have crushed the protagonists in an instant... and they were ALWAYS THERE and some knew everything that was going on from the very start... but did nothing until the plot said so.
Same with "Bleach" and "Naruto". The Super Ultra Mega Big Bads were just hanging around doing nothing for so long when they could have just PWND everyone in their way early on and saved themselves so much trouble.
6984430
At least Doflamingo actually played the genre-savy card in the show: try to avoid the Straw Hats as much as possible until Law directed Luffy at him and then when the inevitable day came (I mean come on, you have to know you're a villain with shades like those) set up nigh-inescapable trap that only truly failed because of the wild card that was Sabo (Bellamy's assitance is debtable to me due to the hardship is later causes Luffy)
As for power levels, I believe I said my piece here
6863220
6984641 Yes, very genre savy, let him get stronger instead of nipping the bud in the mud.
6984430 There are two reasons for that.
The first one is obviously that the authors of these manga often (always?) didn't bother with way to win a fight other than "having more McGuffin power then my foe". There is a few counter-example, but most of the time these work with a logic of tug-of-war; be stronger, pull stronger and win.
Hence why I preferred FMA, hunter x hunter or Jojo's bizarre adventure.
The second one is more specific to one piece. The anime work with a linear progression, each new Island have is big baddy, the "villain of the week" and that big bad must be stronger than the previous one. At first it was acceptable, but somewhere around Marineford I started laughing at how absurd things were getting. It will end up like Dragonball Z with fighter that destroy galaxy when thy sneeze.
6985394 I prefer world-destroying farts, myself.
It's the reason I just friggin' love One Punch Man. It's the most glorious satire of the power-level nonsense taken to the utmost extreme, with every single manga hero cliché done up perfectly straight, but twisted so the result is hilarious to watch.
6986368 Somehow, I am not surprised.
6976211 6975837 6975911 You know, at this point and time, Law was still working 'for' Doflamingo. I wouldn't be surprised if he leaked Ace's whereabouts to him just so that Luffy would be more motivated for their future alliance. And don't anyone start on how Law wouldn't do that, we all know he is willing to do anything or sacrifice anyone (including himself) to take down Doflamingo and the Yankos. Heck, his cold, heartless logic despite being a 'good guy' makes him my second favorite character from One Piece.
Now that its established that it was possible for Doflamingo to know this information, I wouldn't put it past the manipulative bastard to wait for an opportune time (such as this) to approach Ace. Doflamingo is patient, with some plans taking years to come to fruition; I wouldn't be surprised if he was waiting in Canterlot for a couple weeks scouting it out.
6984430 6976453 And yeah, while I can accept (almost) all the uses for his powers (puppeteering, cloud-flight, slicing, string clones, etc.) I just can't grasp why his strings are impervious to damage. I mean, cutting through everything is one thing, but that cage was ridiculous, I highly doubt he had Haki running through it- given what we learned about overusing it; but being nigh unstoppable and cutting through everything with Sea Stone and Haki infused weapons only blocking it instead of disrupting or destroying it? I mean, there is a whole Devil Fruit devoted to creating impervious barriers and Doflamingo gets it as a side perk? I call hax.
6984641 Yeah, I think Crocodile and Doflaming were/are about the only two genre savvy villains in One Piece, with Doflamingo actually getting a bit more heads up on Luffy's luck/skills/plot armor. I honestly wish story writers would use this type of villain more often. It's one thing for a villain to just have god-like powers or nigh-infinite intellect, but its another thing for the villain to watch the hero and plot according to his previous actions before making yourself known to him all the while setting yourself up in a protected place surrounded by citizens who all but worship you, rather than have them know you are evil.
6987852 Krillin also calls hax.
Yeah, that cage was the most OP thing I've seen on the show yet. It just broke every established rule.
Honestly, when the manga first began, the creator said the story was only going to take 7 years to finish... we're up to 19 years and still no sign it's even close to completion. Does the actual 'One Piece' even matter any longer? It seems all they're doing now is endlessly powering up to fight the next baddie. By the time they get to finding the 'treasure', they'll be so friggin' OP that anything short of a world-destroying super-nuke will be irrelevant!
6989198 When Oda started One Piece, he had only planned up until the Alabasta arc with the defeat of Crocodile. That's why the fight with him felt so monumental. Of course, he knew there could be more story for One Piece, he just wanted to test the waters, so to speak. Because of the popularity of the manga, he decided to go ahead and finish the story. I do feel sometimes that he may have gotten a little carried away with the length of the story, so your concerns seem reasonable, at least. As for the one piece, and becoming the Pirate King, it just so happens that the purpose of it is that it gives most of the antagonists in the series a reason for doing the things they do, as well as give a goal for Luffy to aspire to.
6984430
"The hero leaves in a journey to defeat the villain. Being omnipotent, the villain erases him from existence with just a thought on the hero's very first step. The end."
You're right, that is how you write a story. I'm pretty sure millions of people would love to read it
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Allow me to explain my problems with this chapter in the following Youtube clip
Why did you go through all of this trouble of keeping Ace alive if you were just going to kill him off? No, the bigger question is why did any of this happen if Luffy's presence in equestria had no real affect on the plot, none! The comments of this chapter weren't about Ace's death but power levels of One Piece (OF wich, I am so on your side about. It's a cold War scenario, with Luffy being a monkey wench in the whole shebang), and thus, you could'v read these on Arlong Park forums rather than a Pony fic!!!!!!
This chapter is probably more infurating than the Discord fight! Why? Because this just proved that this whole crossover, this whole story that we have sat therough for the past 60 or so chapters, is entirely pointless!!!! There was no real impact on Luffy being here other than he meets the mane six. Ace still dies, Luffy still fights in Impel down, and Luffy still trains hard. You could've taken Luffy out of the fight and we wouldn't miss him. Oh, wait, that did happen. And I didn't miss him at all!!!!
Donflamingo's appearence here, felt like the plot of the magna came in and said to me "Ace has to die!!!" and I am left wonderign, why? Ace could still live and beat into his dumnb brother's head that he needs to get stronger.