Crunch crunch...
Munch munch...
Caesar, Yamato, Bonney, and Ace were devouring every edible thing in sight like an autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves.
Robin held her teacup, looking at Ace with surprise.
"Judging by Mr. Ace's appetite, you must be no ordinary person either."
"Huh? Why do you say that?"
Ace didn't understand—he'd always had a big appetite since childhood.
"Because on these seas, those who eat a lot aren't necessarily strong, but the strong always eat a lot."
Caesar silently praised Robin for bringing this up—he'd been racking his brain for a way to steer the conversation toward Ace.
"Oh? So you're all strong then? Even this little bean sprout?"
Ace grinned at Bonney, completely unaware he might be offending her.
Bonney waved her fist, displeased. "Who're you calling a bean sprout? I'm plenty strong!"
"Hey... don't you know?"
Deuce looked at Ace in astonishment, lowering his voice. "Mr. Caesar is a powerhouse who can fight the Four Emperors!"
"Four Emperors?"
Ace turned to Caesar in surprise. "Which one? Whitebeard?"
"It's Kaidou! Just a few months ago, he clashed with Emperor Kaidou himself!"
Deuce quickly clarified, worried this seemingly dim-witted guy might get himself killed by being too blunt.
Ace's interest was instantly piqued. "So you're a pirate?"
Caesar shook his head. "I suppose you could call me an ambitious man. Right now I'm recruiting companions as an explorer, though the Navy would probably label me a pirate."
"Oh right, you mentioned that earlier—unifying the four seas, wasn't it?"
Ace flashed a grin. "That's one hell of a dream! But more than that, I wanna know—between you and Whitebeard, who's stronger?"
"Hmm... hard to say."
Caesar held a smoked goose leg, considering seriously.
"In a fight to the death, I'd be the one walking away. Whitebeard's long past his prime now—any top-tier fighter could take him down one-on-one. That said, he could still drag any of them to the grave with him... except me."
Ace looked inexplicably disappointed. "So the 'World's Strongest Man' isn't actually the strongest anymore?"
"From my perspective, it's unclear who currently holds that title, but it's definitely not Whitebeard."
Caesar gave a slight shake of his head. "He's too old. Not that he can't swing his blade anymore, but any life-or-death battle would leave him spent. The only reason the title hasn't changed hands is because no one wants to face a Whitebeard in his dying fury."
"Whitebeard values his family above all else—he couldn't care less about the One Piece. Otherwise, given his connection to Roger, he'd have reached Laugh Tale right after Roger's death. Generally, as long as you don't touch his people, you won't cross paths with him."
"Connection? What connection did they have?" Ace pressed.
"They were friends of a sort—mutual respect. The only reason Roger became Pirate King back then was because Whitebeard lent him one crucial crewmember."
Caesar asked with great interest, "But these things are still quite distant for you. Do you also want to become the Pirate King?"
"No, I have no interest in that."
A flicker of gloom passed through Ace's eyes. "But the reason I set sail was to form my own Pirate Crew and live freely! Freer than anyone... else!"
"Wow, so your goal is the same as ours!"
Yamato exclaimed in surprise, "Roger said the same thing back then, and so did Caesar!"
"Huh?"
Ace was momentarily stunned. "You knew Roger?"I once found Kozuki Oden's navigation log." He was a crew member of the Pirate King. I wouldn't say I know him, but I have a general idea of what kind of person he was."
Yamato pointed at Caesar. "But Caesar seems to know him well."
Ace turned to Caesar, who smiled faintly. "You seem quite curious about Roger?"
"Well... isn't that normal?"
Deuce also perked up, glancing tentatively at Caesar. "But... is this something you can talk about?"
"Why not?"
Caesar chuckled. "Though, what exactly do you want to hear? His personality? His strength?"
"Strength is a given—he must've been incredibly strong, right? But what kind of person was he?"
Seeing that Caesar wasn't upset, Deuce pressed on curiously.
Ace, too, momentarily forgot about his food, staring intently at Caesar with an unreadable expression.
"Overall, he was a decent man—bold, generous, and deeply loyal to his crew. He had a chivalrous spirit, willing to help the weak, unlike other Pirates who preyed on the innocent."
"But he wasn't without flaws. For instance, he had a violent temper. If someone spoke ill of his comrades, he wouldn't hesitate to annihilate them—even if they were a nation's army."
Caesar grinned. "Though personally, I don't consider that a flaw. If I were in his shoes and someone hurt Yamato, I'd probably be even worse."
"Hehe..."
Yamato grinned, clearly pleased by his words. "I wouldn't let anyone bully Caesar either!"
Caesar smiled warmly and patted the white-haired girl's head. "That's pretty much it. So? Completely different from the monstrous image the world paints of him, right?"
"Definitely... I thought he'd be some terrifying figure, but he sounds unexpectedly decent?"
Deuce frowned in confusion. "But if that's the case, why did he start the Great Pirate Era?"
"Who knows?"
Caesar replied coolly. "Some questions don't have answers in the moment. Only when the dust settles can those who come after grasp the deeper meaning."
"Also... though I don't know what the One Piece truly is, one thing is certain—whoever claims it will decide the fate of the world."
Deuce's head spun, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information.
Ace, too, stared at Caesar in shock. He never expected Caesar's description of Roger to be so different from the world's.
And among all the people he'd met in his life, Caesar was the only one who didn't curse or despise Roger.
Still, he couldn't help but ask, "Then... doesn't that mean Roger already achieved it?"
"No, it seems he went a bit too early, and Roger was already terminally ill by then."
Caesar shook his head slightly: "In the end, he chose to surrender to his old rival Garp, using his own life to protect his crew from being hunted by the World Government. Then with his final moments on the execution platform, he ushered in the Great Pirate Era."
"Of course, the one who'll ultimately find the One Piece will definitely be me—and only me."
"Because the essential requirement to reach the Final Island is the ability to read the Poneglyphs, and currently, the only person in the world who can read them... ta-da!"
Caesar grinned smugly, gesturing toward Robin: "Is my girlfriend Robin!"
"Eh?!!!"
Both Ace and Deuce looked utterly shocked.
"There's actually such a requirement?"
Ace's face darkened: "That's just unfair!"
"Why are you so worked up? Mr. Caesar is, after all, a powerhouse comparable to the Four Emperors. It's not that strange, is it?"
Deuce glanced at Yamato: "More importantly, isn't your girlfriend supposed to be... her?"
"We're both Caesar's girlfriends!"
Yamato flashed a wide grin: "Baby 5 too, and Robin as well."
"Gah—"
Deuce and Ace both turned to Caesar in unison, exclaiming: "That's way too enviable?!"
"Well... that's just the tradition in Wano Country."
Caesar tugged at his lips, both awkward and proud.
"Before I die, I must visit Wano Country at least once."
Deuce's tone was eerily calm, but beneath it lay unshakable resolve.
"More importantly... do you really need those Poneglyphs to reach the Final Island?"
After a brief moment of envy, Ace snapped back to reality, staring urgently at Caesar: "Why is that thing so necessary?"
Caesar raised an eyebrow: "I thought you weren't interested in it?"
"That's different!"
Ace gritted his teeth: "I might not care about it, but... for certain reasons, I absolutely have to get there!"
"What a shame..."
Caesar chuckled and shook his head: "To reach the Final Island, you must be able to decipher the Poneglyphs. I might as well tell you—there are four red Road Poneglyphs in this world."
"Each one corresponds to an island, and the Final Island lies at the intersection of those four points. Even if you ignore the deciphering issue, you'd still have to defeat me first, because one of them is in my possession."
"But ultimately, your goal is just to reach the Final Island, right? Why not join my crew instead?"
"Well... I appreciate you saving my life, but no thanks. For certain reasons, I have to form my own Pirate Crew... and get there myself!"
Ace scratched his head, looking troubled: "Damn it, why did I have to run into this kind of problem?!"
Caesar grinned cheerfully: "So... have you figured out how to solve the Poneglyph issue? Planning to steal it from your savior?"
"That'd be way too scummy—I'd never do that!"
Ace protested, then laughed awkwardly: "How about you just give it to me?"
"With that kind of shamelessness, you're wasting your potential as a pirate. Why not learn business from me instead?"
Caesar smirked playfully, "Though I don't know the reason, you seem quite agitated. You clearly have no interest in the One Piece, yet you're determined to find it—almost as if... you're trying to prove something to someone."
Hearing this, Ace immediately grew alert, eyeing Caesar warily.
"Speaking of which... what's your relationship with Garp?" Caesar asked with a grin.
"The old man..."
Ace stared at Caesar in surprise. "You know the old man? Wait, how did you know I'm connected to him?"
"Because that geezer bragged about you to me."
Caesar spread his hands lightly, as if confirming his suspicions. "He was half my training teacher back then. More than once, he boasted about the talents of his two grandsons—one named Ace, the other Luffy, right?"
Luffy...
Kuma glanced sideways at Ace.
So, this kid is also Dragon's son?
Ace nodded. "Yeah, Luffy's my brother."
Nami looked at Ace in shock. "Brother? That means you're Vice Admiral Garp's grandson too?"
"You know the old man too?"
"Your grandfather saved my life once!"
Nami exclaimed, "I never thought it'd be such a coincidence—you're actually Vice Admiral Garp's grandson! But why did you become a pirate? Your grandfather's Navy, isn't he?"
Ace scoffed. "He's him, I'm me. I'll live my own life."
"But from the looks of it, you haven't really figured out what kind of life you want yet."
Caesar suddenly shifted the topic. "And if I'm not mistaken, you're not Garp's biological grandson, are you?"
Ace stiffened, his expression darkening instantly. "How do you know that? Who the hell are you?!"
The others were taken aback by Ace's reaction, unsure why he was so worked up.
"Oi—!"
Bartolomeo's eyes bulged as he rolled up his sleeves, ready to teach this disrespectful brat a lesson, but Kuma held him back with a raised hand.
"Now, now... no need to get so worked up. It's actually pretty obvious, isn't it?"
Caesar gestured placatingly. "Your grandfather and Roger chased each other for half their lives. Others might not know what kind of man Roger was, but he definitely did."
"If not for their opposing sides, they might've even become friends. After all, you know your grandfather's personality—it wouldn't be strange if they developed mutual respect through their battles."
"Combine that with your reaction just now, your relationship with Garp, and the most crucial point..."
As he spoke, Caesar lightly tapped the hilt of Shadowy Night Swallow on the table.
"The name of Pirate King Gol D. Roger's personal sword, one of the Supreme Grade Swords - 12 Craftsmen, was Ace!"
The moment those words fell, the restaurant fell dead silent.
Everyone stared at Ace in shock. Even the usually unflappable Kuma wore an expression of utter astonishment, never expecting Ace to have such a background.
Deuce's eyes nearly popped out of his head, his hands clapped over his mouth as he trembled like a leaf, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
Oh no, oh no, oh no!
Knowing so many secrets, I'm definitely gonna get killed!
Ace hung his head, clearly not expecting this to be the reason. For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
But one thing was certain—he wasn't feeling good right now.
The bloodline of sin!
This was the answer he had sought from countless people over so many years.
What would happen if the Pirate King had a child?
"If Gol D. Roger had a child? Isn't it obvious? They'd have to be executed!"
"No, simply beheading them would be too merciful! Why not let all the people in the world who resent Roger stab the child to death with needles?"
"Actually, burning them alive would be better. How wonderful if their dying moments could become a laughingstock for the whole world!"
"Hahaha... that's perfect! Everyone would definitely say... serves them right! Hahahaha..."
"I hope they'd leave these last words: 'I'm so sorry for being born as this piece of trash!'"
"Ahahaha... but there's no way he could have any descendants anyway!"
"HAH!!!"
Suddenly—BAM!—Yamato slammed the table and stood up, staring at Ace in shock.
"You're actually the child of Roger and Garp?!"
"THE HELL I AM, YOU IDIOTIC WHITE-HAIRED WOMAN!!!"
Ace's face darkened, his previously suppressed emotions instantly disrupted.
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