"It was Roger who entrusted Ace to Garp before his death."
Caesar lightly chopped Yamato on the head with a karate chop.
"Ohhh, I see! Hahaha, my bad!"
Yamato scratched her head and grinned. "But I never expected Ace to be the Pirate King's son. That's unbelievable!"
Ace's face darkened, his tone icy. "What? Surprised that such a cursed bloodline still exists in this world?"
Yamato looked puzzled. "Cursed? Why cursed?"
Caesar explained, "Because in the eyes of the world, Roger was evil. The Great Pirate Era he started brought suffering to countless weaklings. Naturally, that debt is pinned on him."
"I see..."
Yamato nodded. "But does that really matter? As Caesar said, we can't choose our origins, but we can choose who we become and how we live our lives."
"Exactly..."
Caesar glanced at Ace. "You're not the only one on this ship with a complicated background. For example, Yamato is Kaidou's daughter, Robin is a survivor of Ohara, and Kuma is the last of the Buccaneer Tribe. While being the Pirate King's son is unique, compared to the people on this ship, it's not that special..."
Ohara?
Buccaneer?
What were those?
Ace opened his mouth but fell silent, clearly realizing just how extraordinary this crew's backgrounds were.
Choose who we become and how we live our lives...
Recalling Yamato's words, Ace's expression softened slightly.
"I mean it—why not join my crew?"
Caesar extended a sincere invitation. "I'm not belittling you. Your strength and talent are undeniable. Once you enter the Grand Line, you'll make a name for yourself in no time. But your mindset will prevent you from sailing far in these seas."
"Heh..."
Ace smirked confidently. "You're not much older than me, right? Yet you can already fight the Four Emperors. If you can do it, why can't I?"
"No, you can't."
Caesar shook his head slightly. How can you compare when I have cheats?
"My growth is an unrepeatable miracle. A year ago when I set sail, I was even weaker than you are now. It only took me half a year to reach my current strength. But with your talent, the fastest you could get here would be around age twenty-five."
"Impossible!"
Ace refused to believe it, then flashed a grin.
"But since you say that, it means you're pretty confident in your strength, right? How about we have a fight? Honestly, I've been curious all day—just how strong is a Four Emperor-level fighter? Though, given that you saved my life, it felt awkward to ask."
Caesar raised an eyebrow. "Oh? So why ask now?"
"Can't let myself be underestimated, can I?"
Ace pointed his thumb toward the deck, revealing a sly grin. "If you lose, how about you hand over that Poneglyph translation you've got?"
What an idiot!
The moment Ace finished speaking, everyone except Yamato and Bonney sighed inwardly.
Not even two sentences in, and all those little schemes were laid bare.
"I don't get it..."
Caesar lifted his eyelids slightly, his tone inexplicable: "You're saying I saved your life, treated you to a meal, and now you want to challenge me? If you win, you'll take my treasure away?"
"Uh..."
Ace's mouth twitched, his expression slightly awkward.
Hearing Caesar put it that way, even he felt a bit shameless.
Bonney curled her lips: "Greedy bastard..."
Being called out so bluntly by the little girl made Ace even more embarrassed.
"You can make demands too! Except for joining the crew, of course."
Ace quickly added: "Whether it's money or something else, I'll honor the bet once I find treasure later."
"My, what a slippery one..."
Robin propped her chin on her hand, smiling knowingly. She'd already seen through Caesar's intentions and decided to fan the flames.
"The Poneglyph is the most valuable treasure Caesar possesses—something no amount of money can buy. Not to mention Caesar himself is incredibly wealthy. For him, the most valuable thing about you, Mr. Ace, is you yourself."
"Me? What value could I possibly have?"
Ace frowned: "That guy's bloodline?"
"No, this has nothing to do with Roger. I'm interested in you as a person."
Caesar grinned: "To be honest, you remind me of Yamato back in the day—equally gifted, equally thick-headed, yet with a surprisingly sensitive side. Troubled by your lineage, doubting yourself."
"Impatient, restless... like a ship without direction. Left unchecked, you'll eventually crash and shatter. But wouldn't that be such a waste?"
"I'm not like those brutish Pirates who demand a lifetime of servitude after one loss—that's just bad business. How about this instead..."
As he spoke, Caesar leisurely rose to his feet, raising an index finger while locking eyes with Ace.
"One hundred times!"
"I'll give you one hundred chances to challenge me! During this time, I'll cover all your living expenses—hell, I'll even train you to get stronger!"
"You can challenge me anytime, anywhere..."
Caesar paused briefly: "Well, except during private time with my girlfriends. Any other time or place, you can challenge or even ambush me. Win just once, and the Poneglyph is yours."
"But if you lose, you join my crew. Deal?"
"One hundred times..."
Ace's face twitched: "There's a limit to looking down on someone!"
"I've already made the terms extremely generous..."
Caesar spread his hands: "So? Want to give it a shot?"
"...I'll be waiting on deck!"
Ace turned and left the dining hall.
Though he couldn't gauge Caesar's true strength, he had his pride to consider.
With a hundred chances offered, refusing would make him look utterly pathetic!
Watching Ace's reaction, Caesar casually smoothed his hair, stretching lazily with unconcealed amusement curling his lips.
Finally took the bait!
"Come on! Let's watch!"
Yamato sprang up eagerly, Bonney grinning toothily as she joined the excitement.
The group all stood, Nami and Robin chatting cheerfully.
"Since I joined the crew, I've never seen Caesar fight. Have you, Robin?"
"I saw it in Wano Country. If I had to describe it, it was like a natural disaster," Robin chuckled lightly.
Natural disaster?!
Deuce trailed weakly behind the group, his heart fluttering with unease at her words.
But since everyone was heading to the deck, he couldn't very well stay alone in the cabin.
Soon, they emerged onto the deck, where Caesar and Ace stood facing each other.
Seeing that Caesar wasn't even holding a sword, Ace frowned. "Aren't you a swordsman? Why aren't you using your sword?"
"Well... for one, you're unarmed, so using a sword wouldn't be fair to you. And secondly..."
Caesar paused, chuckling softly without finishing his sentence, but Ace understood his meaning.
This blatant disregard for him, even though Caesar was his savior, couldn't help but irritate him.
"Come on, let me see what you've got..."
As Caesar spoke, he beckoned Ace forward. Before his words even faded, Ace had already lunged at him with a swift step.
Whoosh—
A powerful punch aimed straight for Caesar's face, but Caesar merely sidestepped, dodging it effortlessly.
Missing his strike, Ace abruptly halted, pivoted, and drove his elbow toward Caesar's abdomen.
Caesar took a slight step back, and Ace's elbow narrowly grazed past him.
"Oh ho... pretty nimble moves, this guy!" Yamato shielded her eyes from the sun, exclaiming in surprise. "His strength and speed are impressive—even a bit stronger than Caesar was when we first met!"
As she spoke, Ace suddenly twisted his body and swung his leg toward Caesar's waist.
But before his leg could fully extend, Caesar lifted his own foot and lightly tripped Ace's supporting ankle. With a dull thud, Ace landed squarely on his backside.
The moment he fell, Ace rolled backward to create distance, crouching low with one hand on the ground and the other hidden behind his back, his gaze wary as he watched Caesar.
"Hmm?"
Kuma blinked in surprise at Ace's movements.
His fighting style reminded him of someone.
A boy around Ace's age, also from the East Blue, equally gifted, now an important officer in the Revolutionary Army.
That boy's combat style was distinctly different from Ace's—Ace's strikes were more reckless and violent—but their stances were strikingly similar, making Kuma wonder about the connection between them.
Lost in thought, Kuma's gaze suddenly fell on the tattoo on Ace's left shoulder.
ASL?
The 'S' in the middle was crossed out...
Was it a name?
If so, 'A' stood for Ace, 'L' for Luffy...
Then what about 'S'?
Recalling the amnesiac boy from the East Blue in the Revolutionary Army, who had lost his memory due to cannon fire, and Ace's familiar fighting stance...
A glint of light reflected off Kuma's frameless glasses.
There was only one truth!
As he pondered, Ace suddenly sprang up and charged at Caesar.
Straight punches, jabs, hooks—blows from every angle rained down on Caesar.
Yet Caesar moved like an agile bat, effortlessly evading every one of Ace's attacks.
"Incredible!" Deuce gasped in shock. He could tell Ace was no pushover, but Caesar dodged his attacks as if playing with a child. It was clear Caesar's strength far surpassed Ace's.
"Damn it..."
Gritting his teeth, Ace realized he couldn't land a single hit on Caesar.
He could clearly see now that Caesar wasn't taking their fight seriously at all—he was just leading him around like a child playing games.
Suddenly, he threw another punch, using his right fist to block Caesar's line of sight while his left hand swiftly drew a dagger from his waist, slashing toward Caesar in a spinning motion.
Yet in the next moment, to Ace's astonishment, a slender hand seemed to have been waiting there all along, effortlessly catching the blade between its fingers!
Impossible!
Ace's eyelids twitched. Before he could react, a fist the size of a sandbag suddenly appeared before his eyes.
Smack!
With a crisp sound, Ace saw stars explode before his vision darkened completely. He collapsed to the ground with a thud.
"Uh…"
Nami stared blankly at the unconscious Ace. "That's it? Where's the promised natural disaster? And wasn't that way too casual? It didn't even look like Caesar tried!"
"Were you trying to kill him?"
Baby5 sighed. "That 'casual' punch could easily shatter a boulder. If it had hit you, your organs would be splattered everywhere."
Nami shrank back. "Eek… don't say such horrifying things!"
"Barto, carry him back to his room."
Caesar waved, and Barto hoisted Ace over his shoulder before leaving. Caesar then approached Deuce.
Seeing Caesar walk toward him, Deuce's heart instantly raced with panic.
"Relax."
Caesar smiled warmly, his words carrying a strange, soothing magic that instantly calmed Deuce's nerves.
"So, Deuce? Have you made up your mind? Will you join my crew?"
"I…"
Faced with Caesar's invitation again, Deuce felt uneasy.
After a morning filled with shocking revelations, it would be a lie to say he wasn't intrigued.
Yet his past experiences left him deeply unsettled by it all.
Since childhood, he had yearned for the mysterious and alluring sea described in books, but the people around him had only responded with mockery, exclusion, and even bullying.
Their ugly attitudes had shaped his reclusive nature, making him distrustful and suspicious of others, even breeding a sense of misanthropy.
So when Caesar extended the invitation, his first reaction wasn't excitement—it was suspicion. Was this some kind of trap?
But… even if it was a trap, what could someone like him possibly have that was worth scheming over?
"May I ask… why?"
Deuce mustered the courage to meet Caesar's gaze. "With your strength, someone as weak as me shouldn't even be worth a second glance, right?"
"How rude…"
Before Caesar could respond, Nami couldn't help but interject. "Then what does that make me? You think you're weaker than me?"
"Uh…"
Deuce was taken aback. "Aren't you Caesar's girlfriend?"
Nami's face darkened. "Who's his girlfriend?! I'm the navigator! The navigator!"
"See, that's the reason."
Caesar chuckled. "Even with my strength, I still need a navigator to guide me where I want to go. Without one, I'd lose my way. Without a historian, I couldn't decipher the Poneglyphs… though I'm not particularly interested in those things to begin with."
"Everyone on this ship has their own role and responsibilities. It's true that I can do everything they can, but being all-around doesn't mean being omnipotent. Though I'm strong, I'm still human after all. I get lonely, I feel pain, and naturally, I need companions too."
"But... why me?"
Deuce looked puzzled: "Just because I wanted to be an adventurer?"
"Or maybe it's fate?"
Caesar laughed heartily: "Who cares?"
"Eh?!"
Deuce looked astonished: "That's so casual? But... what can I even do?"
"Do you have any skills?"
Deuce thought for a moment: "Well... I'm a medical student. Not outstanding, but decent enough. Also, because of my dreams, I've studied ship blueprints since childhood and know some shipbuilding skills, plus various other miscellaneous abilities..."
"Not bad at all! Someone like you is exactly what I need!"
Caesar was surprised—he hadn't expected Deuce to be a medical student, and a versatile one at that!
As he suspected, someone who could serve as Ace's right-hand man must have something special about them. At the very least, their character was undoubtedly reliable.
"Can I... really do this?"
"Don't get it wrong. The question was never about whether you can, but whether you want to!"
Caesar extended his hand: "Want to come with me and see it? This world!"
Deuce froze for a moment, then smiled in understanding and clasped Caesar's hand.
"Looking forward to working with you, Captain Caesar!"