"Vongola Storm."
"Hmm?"
"What do you... think of the 'Pirate King'?"
Ace fell silent for a long moment before awkwardly squeezing out this question.
"The Pirate King?"
Storm raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Are you talking about this world? Or your old man?"
"...Roger!"
Ace struggled for another moment, like a petulant child, before forcing out his father's name.
"Pirate King Gol D. Roger... what do you think of him?"
Ace had no idea how Storm had learned he was Roger's son.
But aside from his "family," Storm was the first "outsider" Ace had encountered who knew his true heritage.
And judging by Storm's earlier attitude...
Unlike ordinary people, he didn't seem to harbor fear, disgust, or rejection toward the "Pirate King."
Since childhood, outside his "family," Ace had lived in a society steeped in hostility toward the "Pirate King." Very few held differing opinions.
"So you're talking about your dad..."
Storm stared at the roasted meat of the Nearshore King, pondering silently before finally offering his verdict.
"A tragic man born in the wrong era."
"...Huh?"
Ace was dumbfounded.
He'd hoped Storm would give him a different perspective.
But not this different!
Tragic?
Even Ace had never associated the word "tragic" with his father's legacy.
"From a pirate's perspective, your dad's life was legendary. He roamed the seas for years, achieving what no one had in centuries."
Here, Storm's tone shifted.
"But it's a shame. Had he been born 800 years earlier, he might've been the 'savior'—and a victorious one at that.
"Or if he'd been born 50 or 60 years later, he could've been this era's 'savior.'
"But alas, your dad was born at the wrong time."
Storm kept saying "your dad," making Ace's eyelid twitch violently.
"What's so tragic about that? My dad—no, Roger was the Pirate King!"
"Yeah, I know. So what?"
Storm gave Ace a puzzled look.
"Your dad being the Pirate King doesn't change my assessment.
"Frankly, from a pirate's standpoint, he was wildly successful.
"But from other angles? A total failure in life.
"Ah well. De mortuis nil nisi bonum."
What the hell was that last phrase?!
Veins bulged on Ace's forehead.
"Vongola... did you seek me out because I'm... the Pirate King's son?"
"That's part of it. The son of the Pirate King is like meeting some legendary celebrity—hardly a waste of time."
Storm answered bluntly.
"But my decision to recruit you? Had nothing to do with your lineage.
Key Translation Notes:
1.
"Born in the wrong era" rendered to preserve the temporal tragedy nuance. "Savior" translated as "savior" to align with One Piece's messianic themes
2.
"Death is paramount" adapted to the Latin maxim "De mortuis nil nisi bonum" (speak nothing but good of the dead) for equivalent cultural weight. Maintained Storm's irreverent repetition of "your dad" to preserve characterization
3.
Kept Ace's internal conflict through physical tells (twitching eyelid, bulging veins)
4.
Preserved the casual yet profound tone of the philosophical debate about legacy
The translation maintains the original's character dynamics while ensuring natural English flow, with careful attention to One Piece-specific terminology and the unique mentor-protege tension between Storm and Ace.
"I recruited you because your potential is strong enough, and you should grow into a decent ally in the future.
"Also, changing the course of this world… is one of my goals as well."
Storm's level of candor took Ace by surprise.
Ace fell silent again for a moment.
"You… don't think the 'Pirate King's son' is some kind of devil's spawn?"
"Hm? Are you trying to steal Douglas Bullet's nickname?"
"What?"
"Douglas Bullet—your dad's former apprentice on the Roger Pirates. His epithet is 'Demon Heir.'"
"Who the hell is this guy you're talking about? I don't even know him!"
Ace snorted and averted his gaze.
"Besides, my old man—Roger is Roger, and I'm me. What does some apprentice from the Roger Pirates have to do with me?"
"That's a fair point."
Storm nodded, then casually flipped the skewered Nearshore King meat as it reached the right level of doneness.
"Your father is your father, and you are you.
"I can't just arrest you for being the 'Pirate King's son,' hand you over to Marine Headquarters or the World Government, and then publicly execute you like your father to intimidate the world…
"That would be too tragic.
"In this world, no one should be born already destined to die."
Storm's final words struck Ace like a bullet straight to the heart.
"Hey, Vongola."
"Yeah?"
"I've already decided to set sail and become a pirate."
"Oh, I know."
"Originally, I planned to go alone and be my own captain."
"And now?"
"..."
Ace fell silent again, as if carefully choosing his words.
Under Storm's calm gaze, Ace finally spoke at length.
"All that stuff you mentioned—'Red Hair,' 'Straw Hat,' 'fate,' 'Devil Fruit'… I don't understand any of it, and I don't know if it's even real.
"But since you say it's connected to my little brother, I can't just ignore it.
"I'll work with you, but I'm not your crewmate."
Storm chuckled and casually handed Ace a freshly grilled skewer of Nearshore King meat.
"You're way too stubborn, Ace. Even the girl I recruited earlier wasn't this difficult."
Come to think of it, it had already been several days since Storm left the Conomi Islands, where Cocoyasi Village was located.
Once this trip to Dawn Island was over, he'd head back to the Conomi Islands…
"I'm not stubborn!"
Ace took the skewer and bit into it, only to gasp from the heat.
"Hah… hot, hot, hot!"
Watching the scene, Storm laughed again.
Once Ace finally managed to swallow the meat, he asked another question.
"Besides me, who else have you recruited? That big dumb guy from earlier?"
"No, that Clay Doll was the former Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea—the Lizard King, Hanafuda."
At this, Storm couldn't help but glance at Ace.
Ace's talent was truly remarkable.
If Storm hadn't intervened, the one to defeat the Lizard King would have been Ace!
In just one short year after setting sail, he had already defeated one of the renowned Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea.
And this was an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit user who could even do sit-ups.
That was already an impressive feat!
Ace nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at rice.
"I know! The newspapers said you defeated that Warlord and took his place."
"Right... though my crew members are different now."
Storm's mind flashed with images of Robin and the others.
"By the way, Ace, there's something I should warn you about."
"Two members of my crew might... dislike you quite a bit."
Ace's grip on the fish meat in his hand tightened.
"Why? Because of my identity?"
"It's not just that."
Storm shook his head and casually explained.
"Both of them are from the South Blue, and one of them was born in 1501."
Ace tilted his head, a few big question marks faintly appearing above him.
"What are you talking about? I don't get it..."
"To put it simply..."
Storm gave a rough summary.
"In 1500, your father, terminally ill, turned himself in to the Marines and was publicly executed."
"After that, the World Government somehow found out about your existence."
"To track you down, the World Government and the Marines launched a massive manhunt in the South Blue, 'disposing' of countless pregnant women and infants, creating countless tragedies."
"...Hey, why are you making that gloomy face now?"
Ace spoke with guilt and pain.
"So those people... died because of me, right?"
"Huh? Are you out of your mind?"
Storm's words were elegantly blunt.
"This matter is tied to the World Government and Marine Headquarters, to your father, to your mother—even that old geezer Garp can't escape responsibility."
"But you?"
"You were just a clump of cells back then—hell, not even—ahem! Point is, there's no way this should be blamed on you!"
Crude but true.
In Storm's view,
No one can choose how they're born.
When the World Government and Marine Headquarters launched the South Blue manhunt, Ace hadn't even left his mother's womb yet!
How could something like that be blamed on an unborn child?
Storm's words were harsh,
But at least they eased Ace's guilt somewhat.
"I'll apologize to those two when I meet them..."
"...Suit yourself. Whether they accept it or not is beyond my control."
The two Storm was referring to were none other than Kid and Killer.
Killer was born in 1497, Kid in 1501.
And if Storm remembered correctly,
At the very least, Killer knew about the "South Blue Marines hunting pregnant women and infants" incident. (Ch. 43)
It was highly likely that both of them had personally experienced the "South Blue Purge"...
Storm's thoughts trailed off as he suddenly frowned.
"Wait a minute... something feels off here."
Ace, chewing on his grilled Sea King meat, looked up blankly.
"What's wrong?"
"If we count you too, the composition of my crew seems a bit... unusual."
Storm's expression turned somewhat peculiar.
Kuma was a descendant of the Buccaneer Tribe.
Bonney was an experiment of Saint Saturn.
Robin was the inheritor of Ohara.
Ace was the son of the Pirate King.
In other words—
Within Storm's crew, four members were undeniably enemies of the World Government!
Only he, Kid, Killer, and Nami had relatively "clean" backgrounds.
Ace didn't understand Storm's words.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing… It's all the World Government's fault!"
Storm stopped wasting words and sped up his meat-eating.
Seeing this, Ace, who was sitting nearby, felt an inexplicable competitive urge rise within him and likewise quickened his pace.
A massive Near Shore King—
Storm and Ace devoured it in no time.
Ace was so stuffed he looked like a balloon, slumped on the ground, unable to move.
Storm's belly was similarly round and bulging.
But with just a deep breath, [Life Return] swiftly activated.
In the span of a single breath—
Storm's body returned to its original shape.
Witnessing this firsthand, Ace was instantly stunned.
"Huh!?"
"Only about seventy percent full!"
Storm patted his stomach, then glanced at Ace.
"Ace, do you want to leave with me now, or do you want to say goodbye to your brother and the others?"
"I should go back to Mount Colubo first."
Ace gazed at the distant sea, a flicker of longing in his eyes.
"At the very least… I need to see Luffy and Dadan."
"Suit yourself."
Storm left Ace his Den Den Mushi contact details.
"When you decide to set sail, get in touch with me."
"I'll come pick you up."
Ace took down the number, then watched as the Blue-Eyed White Dragon flew away.
Before long—
The Blue-Eyed White Dragon vanished beyond the horizon.
Ace had also digested most of the Near Shore King's roasted meat he'd just eaten.
He stood up, scanning his surroundings, when he suddenly realized a major problem.
Without a boat, how was he supposed to return to Dawn Island?
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