"If the Pirate King had a son?"
"Hahaha, of course he should be beheaded!"
"No no, he should be burned alive!"
"Public execution! Public execution..."
Ace stood silently in the darkness, the piercing laughter echoing in his ears.
Ever since he learned the truth about his bloodline, these mocking voices had clung to him like a persistent curse, haunting him relentlessly.
My very existence is a mistake!
But… why is this happening?
"Because in the eyes of the world, Roger was evil. The Great Pirate Era he unleashed brought suffering to countless weaklings, and that debt naturally falls on his head."
"But does that even matter? Caesar once said, we can't choose our origins, but we can choose what kind of person to become and what kind of life to live!"
Shadowy figures flickered in the darkness, as if countless vengeful spirits had transformed into demons, lunging at Ace to devour him whole. Yet, Ace remained expressionless, unmoved.
"What kind of person to become, what kind of life to live..."
"But do I really have that right?"
"Of course!"
Suddenly, a relaxed voice whispered beside his ear.
In an instant, an even deeper darkness surged forth, effortlessly obliterating the endless horde of vengeful spirits the moment it touched them.
Ace peered into the depths of the darkness, catching only a glimpse of a pair of blood-red eyes.
The next moment, he felt the world spin violently before abruptly sitting up in bed.
The cabin was empty, bathed only in the soft glow of the warm yellow bedside lamp.
Ace rubbed his stinging eyes and glanced out the window—the sky was dotted with stars, the bright moon shining brilliantly.
Growl...
His stomach suddenly rumbled. Rubbing his belly, Ace carefully got up, opened the cabin door, and quietly made his way down the corridor toward the deck.
Suddenly, the lively strumming of a guitar and cheerful laughter reached his ears. Peering through the porthole, Ace saw the crew gathered on the deck, holding a lively banquet.
Caesar lounged in a chair, plucking at the guitar, while Baby 5—wearing a long maid's dress with a fiery red rose between her teeth—danced joyfully in the center of the crowd.
Her wide skirt flared into a perfect circle as she twirled, her steps keeping time with the guitar's lively rhythm.
"So beautiful! What kind of dance is this?"
Nami watched Baby 5's movements with sparkling eyes, curious.
"This dance is called Flamenco, originating from Dressrosa," Robin explained with a smile.
"Oh! I've heard of that place! The legendary country of love, passion, and toys!"
Deuce, well-versed in sea lore, chimed in: "Love and passion make sense, but toys? Do they manufacture toys there?"
"They're people."
Robin elaborated, "One of Doflamingo's subordinates possesses the power of the Hobby Fruit. If they touch someone, that person turns into a toy—and once transformed, everyone else loses all memory of them."
"Eek… that's cruel!"
Nami gasped, covering her mouth. "Why doesn't the World Government intervene?"
"Why would they?"
Robin shook her head with a wry smile. "Do you know how much Celestial Tribute Doflamingo pays annually? Not to mention his status as a Royal Shichibukai. The World Government couldn't care less about the lives of ordinary people. As long as the Celestial Dragons maintain their ironclad rule, they wouldn't bat an eye even if half the population died."
"Is that so..." Deuce frowned. "Are all the other Royal Shichibukai scoundrels like him?"
"Some good, some bad."
As the song ended, Caesar set down his guitar and cheerfully joined the conversation.
"The most honorable among the Warlords of the Sea is undoubtedly the Sea Knight Jinbei. Though he's a Fish-man, he's nothing like Arlong's crew who once occupied Nami's hometown."
"Then there's the world's greatest swordsman, Hawkeye Mihawk. Aloof and devoted to his swordsmanship, he's actually warm-hearted beneath that cold exterior. He prefers a peaceful life alone and won't cause trouble unless provoked."
"As for the rest? Every single one is a despicable villain. That said, Empress Hancock and Gekko Moriah are relatively less threatening."
Nami eyed Caesar suspiciously. "You're not saying that just because the Empress is beautiful, are you?"
"No. The Empress is actually the ruler of Amazon Lily. Located in the Calm Belt, their society values martial prowess and has its own currency system. They raid ships mainly for survival supplies and also hunt sea beasts."
"As for Gekko Moriah, he's a user of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit. He enjoys cutting off people's shadows and stuffing them into corpses to create zombies. Since shadows disappear when their owners die, he generally doesn't kill his opponents."
"What about Hanafusa?" Deuce asked curiously. "I read in the papers recently that he was removed from the position?"
"Ah... yes. Actually, I'm somewhat connected to that incident."
Caesar chuckled. "I once hired Marco from Whitebeard's crew to escort me to the New World in search of Devil Fruits, but we got captured by Kaidou instead. Since Hanafusa and Kaidou are sworn brothers, Whitebeard's crew captured Hanafusa to pressure Kaidou into releasing me. In the end, I had to personally arrange his ransom..."
"You've met Whitebeard?"
At the mention of Whitebeard, Ace couldn't contain himself and jumped up.
"Oh, awake now?" Caesar waved. "Come get some food. We're holding a welcome party for Deuce."
"So you joined them?" Ace looked at Deuce with regret. "What a shame. I wanted to invite you to be my crewmate."
"You should worry about your bet first..." Deuce said helplessly. "Your current score against the captain is 0:1!"
"No problem, I'll definitely win!"
Grinning broadly, Ace plopped down beside Deuce and looked at Caesar with curiosity. "So Caesar, you've met Whitebeard? Did you fight him?"
Caesar shook his head. "No, I wasn't strong enough back then."
"Speaking of which, I've been curious since this afternoon..."
Kuma, who had been habitually silent, suddenly turned to Ace. "That 'S' tattoo on your shoulder—what does it mean?"
"This?" Ace glanced at his tattoo, his expression darkening. "It's for a sworn brother of mine. But he's dead now."
Kuma: "Was his name Sabo?"
Ace looked stunned. "How did you know?!"
"Back in the Goa Kingdom, Dragon saved a severely injured blond boy who had been hit by cannon fire. When he woke up, he had lost his memory, with only his name written on his personal belongings."
Kuma said calmly, "He's now a high-ranking officer in the Revolutionary Army."
"You mean... Sabo is alive?"
Ace's eyes widened in disbelief, his vision blurring as tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.
"He's alive? In the Revolutionary Army?!"
"Yes, barring any coincidences, we're talking about the same person."
Kuma nodded. "According to Dragon, Sabo was hit by cannon fire because his ship encountered a Celestial Dragons' vessel when he set sail."
Ace's eyes burned red. "I remember something about those so-called World Nobles?"
Kuma nodded again. "That's correct. The Celestial Dragons are the so-called World Nobles."
"Dragon..."
Robin looked surprised. "The one I'm thinking of? The leader of the Revolutionary Army, the world's most dangerous criminal?"
"Dangerous?"
Caesar scoffed. "Perhaps..."
Kuma felt awkward. He knew Caesar didn't think highly of Dragon, but since Dragon was his friend, he didn't want to argue and changed the subject.
"I noticed the similarities from your fighting style during the day. Your techniques are very alike, though your approaches differ. Plus, Sabo is also from the East Blue, which made me suspect a connection between you two."
Kuma smiled. "But Sabo has had Dragon's guidance, so his current strength should surpass yours by quite a bit."
"Nani?"
Ace's sorrow vanished instantly, replaced by shock. "That guy actually got ahead of me?"
"It's just a matter of technique. In terms of physical ability, you two are about the same. With the right teacher, you could catch up quickly."
Kuma chuckled warmly. "By the way, the strongest person I've ever met, with the deepest understanding of training, is sitting right here!"
Ace turned to Caesar, who nodded proudly.
"That's right! Me!"
With a dramatic flourish, Caesar grinned smugly. "Want to learn? I'll teach you!"
"Tch, so full of yourself..."
Ace scowled but had no choice but to accept.
"Our current score is 1-0. You've got ninety-nine more fights to lose before the bet's settled."
Caesar laughed cheerfully. "Of course, I won't force you to honor it. Even if you sneak away after we dock, I won't mind."
"I'm not a sore loser! Don't look down on me!"
Ace stuffed a piece of roasted meat into his mouth, fuming.
"A hundred fights? I'll win them all! Just you wait!"
...
BAM!
Early the next morning.
Ace, who had been lying in wait outside Caesar's room to ambush him when he stepped out, was sent flying by a casual stretch of Caesar's fist.
Watching Ace's head embedded in the ceiling, his body dangling like a hanged man, Caesar burst into laughter.
"Yo, good morning, Ace! It's 2-0 now!"
"Ara, a sunny-day doll?"
Robin stepped out from behind Caesar, smiling at the sight.
"*%$#@&..."
Pulling his head out of the ceiling, Ace plopped onto the floor. Not caring about embarrassment, he hastily wiped his face and stood up again, looking eagerly at Caesar.
"Hey Caesar, what was that technique you mentioned yesterday... the one Sabo is better than me at?"
"Want to know?"
Caesar chuckled, about to say something when the ship's broadcast Den Den Mushi suddenly blared through the corridors, Barto's voice echoing across the entire vessel.
"All hands! Navy warship approaching at ten o'clock!"
"Haha, looks like we'll have to continue this later."
Caesar waved his hand. "Let's go check it out first."
"Dammit! Why now of all times?"
Ace looked frantic as he hurried to follow.
The group reached the deck to see a dog-headed warship cutting through the waves in the distance.
On the warship's deck stood a white-haired but vigorous old man with his arms crossed, grinning widely in their direction.
Recognizing the figure on the warship, Ace slapped his forehead. "Ah! Old man?!"
"That's... Vice Admiral Garp?!"
Nami also gasped in shock. "Why is Vice Admiral Garp here?!"
"And not just the Vice Admiral."
Kuma's gaze shifted behind Garp.
There stood three more imposing figures. The leader wore light blue formal wear with curly hair and hands in pockets—none other than Kuzan, whom they'd recently encountered.
To his right stood a swordsman in brown-gray formal wear with a top hat and Marine cloak.
The last was a tall, strikingly beautiful woman with a Geisha hairstyle, also carrying a long sword at her waist.
"Garp, Kuzan, Bogard, Momousagi..."
Caesar clicked his tongue as he examined the group on the warship. "Quite the luxurious lineup."
"Kuzan..."
Deuce paused, then widened his eyes in shock. "Marine Admiral Kuzan?!"
"Eh? A Marine Admiral?"
Nami clutched her face in panic. "The Navy's top combat force?!"
"One Admiral, one Admiral candidate, the Navy's hero, and his right-hand man."
Kuma observed the group calmly. "Truly an extravagant gathering."
Robin nodded. "Indeed. One wrong move and we might be completely wiped out."
"Don't say such scary things, Robin!"
Nami's legs trembled. "Shouldn't we be running away right now?"
"Run?"
Caesar rubbed his chin. "Probably not an option. Kuzan's Ice-Ice Fruit ability can freeze hundreds of miles of ocean effortlessly. Our ship would be trapped."
"Nani?!"
"Don't panic, it's not a big deal."
Caesar waved dismissively before leaping to the bow. Pulling out a megaphone, he waved toward Garp. "Hey—long time no see, Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Gahahaha! Didn't expect this kid to remember me!"
Garp roared with laughter. "Been a while, Caesar boy! Never thought you'd become one of the Navy's biggest threats in just a few years! My teaching must've been outstanding! Gahahaha..."
"So you're here to arrest me?" Caesar shouted back.
"No, the Navy has no intention of making an enemy of you!"
Garp bellowed. "But I heard you've got a girl named Nico Robin aboard, right? She's a wanted criminal by the World Government. Hand her over, and I'll let the rest of you go. How about it?"
"Let us leave?"
Caesar jumped down from the ship's bow, casually drawing a knife and pressing it against Ace's neck: "Vice Admiral Garp, take a good look! Who do you think this is beside me?!"
Ace: "..."
"Huh?"
Garp narrowed his eyes, straining to identify the figure beside Caesar. When he finally recognized that youthful face, his aged complexion instantly turned pale, his eyes bulging out.
"A...Ace?! What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Oh, I set sail!"
Ace tilted his head with an annoyed expression: "Well...for various reasons, I ended up getting saved by this guy."
"Eh?!"
Garp froze for two seconds before suddenly turning to Kuzan: "My grandson's on that ship. Maybe we should call off the operation?"
"Absolutely not!!!" ×3
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