Crocus turned and walked briskly back toward the small lighthouse, his weathered sandals slapping against the worn stone path.
Soon after, he emerged carrying a stack of white paper fragments that seemed to possess a life of their own, trembling slightly in the ocean breeze.
"Vivre Cards?" Robin's eyes widened with sudden understanding, her analytical mind immediately grasping the implications.
This old man had been a crew member of the Pirate King himself. Those legendary pirates who once dominated the seas had simply grown old, but they weren't dead yet. The trembling papers were proof of their continued existence scattered across the world.
When those Vivre Cards came into view, Ace, who had been silent and brooding throughout the entire conversation, suddenly strode forward with purpose.
"If you're all living well, why didn't you save him back then?" His voice was low and controlled, as if he were struggling to contain something explosive beneath the surface.
He had always assumed that when Roger was captured by the Navy, his crew members must have been dead or severely wounded, suffering devastating losses that prevented any rescue attempt.
But now it seemed the reality was far different from what he had imagined.
"You could have prevented all of this."
Ace's voice began to tremble with barely suppressed emotion, carrying indescribable pain that seemed to radiate from his very core. "If he hadn't been captured, he wouldn't have said those words! This era wouldn't have become the hellish mess it is now!"
Crocus examined Ace's face with growing surprise and recognition, those familiar features bearing an unmistakable resemblance to Roger that made his heart skip a beat.
"You... you?!" He shook his head in stunned disbelief, his weathered hands trembling slightly. "No, that's impossible. It shouldn't be..."
He clearly remembered the Navy's brutal search that had lasted an entire year, systematically targeting Roger's bloodline with ruthless efficiency.
By all logic and careful calculation, there should be no survivors of that comprehensive purge.
Kai stepped forward calmly, his voice carrying quiet respect for the truth that needed to be revealed. "That's exactly right, what you're thinking. Ace is Roger's son."
His tone grew more solemn as he continued. "Back then, Ace's mother fought with all her might to delay childbirth for twenty whole months. Only through this incredible sacrifice could she protect him from detection under the Navy's watchful eyes."
Crocus released a long, shuddering sigh, his eyes filling with complex emotions as decades of carefully buried grief and hope warred within him. "I see now. You had a truly great mother, young man."
"Answer my question." Ace's voice turned into a low growl, his fists clenching at his sides. "Why didn't you save him? Did you all betray your captain in the end?"
"It wasn't betrayal, child."
Crocus sighed again, his gaze drifting into distant memories painted with both joy and sorrow. "Your father, our beloved captain, surrendered himself willingly."
"What?!"
The exclamation came from multiple throats simultaneously. Except for Kai, everyone present was shocked by this revelation, finding it almost impossible to believe.
For so many years, the Navy's propaganda had consistently proclaimed that Hero Garp had personally arrested the Pirate King Roger in a glorious battle of justice versus evil.
"Since you're Roger's son, you deserve to know the complete truth."
Crocus began recounting the painful past with the weight of someone who had carried these secrets for far too long. "Twenty-one years ago, Roger contracted a terminal illness that no medicine could cure. That same year, he invited me aboard his ship as the ship's doctor. Even with all my medical knowledge and skills, I could only barely extend his life by five precious years."
"Knowing his time was running out, he made the difficult decision to use his remaining life to secure a peaceful existence for us, his crew members who had followed him through countless adventures."
"He negotiated a deal with the Navy, trading his surrender for our freedom. As long as we ceased all pirate activities and lived quietly, the Navy agreed not to pursue us anymore."
"I just never expected that at the final moment of his execution, standing before the entire world, he would speak those fateful words and personally usher in this Great Age of Pirates."
His weathered gaze returned to focus on Ace with paternal concern. "We had no knowledge of your existence at that time. We only learned much later that the Navy had conducted an unprecedented, systematic search for pregnant women on the island where Roger had lived in hiding for an entire year."
"I always believed that even if Roger truly had offspring, they couldn't possibly escape the Navy's thorough investigation. I never imagined someone could outsmart them so completely."
One had to admit, Roger's judgment of character had been truly exceptional throughout his life.
Who could have imagined that a pirate would entrust his most precious legacy to the very Navy officer who had been relentlessly chasing him across the seas for years?
And that the same Navy officer would actually protect and raise that child as his own grandson?
"Then why did he say those words at his execution?" Ace asked with desperate urgency, his voice cracking slightly with the weight of years of confusion and anger.
Crocus appeared visibly stunned by the question, contemplating for a long moment with the careful consideration of someone walking through a minefield of dangerous truths.
Finally, he shook his head with obvious reluctance. "Though I can make educated guesses about some of his reasons, I cannot say with certainty. That involves the true nature and existence of the One Piece itself."
Ace's agitation flared like a spark hitting dry kindling, and he instinctively reached forward to grab Crocus by the collar and demand the answers that had tormented him for so long.
At that crucial moment, a large, gentle hand gripped his wrist with firm but caring restraint.
Ace jerked his head around, his eyes filled with swirling confusion and frustration. "Kai-aniki?"
"Don't make things difficult for him, Ace. This was Roger's own choice, made with full knowledge of the consequences." Kai looked directly into his eyes with steady compassion. "Don't forget why you originally came aboard my ship. Dwelling endlessly on an unchangeable past serves no purpose except to cause more pain."
Ace stared at Kai for a long, tense moment, various emotions playing across his features like clouds racing across the sky, before he finally lowered his arm in reluctant acceptance.
"You have chosen a good captain, child."
Crocus sighed with visible relief and turned back to Ace, his tone becoming gentle and almost grandfatherly. "Child, you seem to harbor deep resentment toward Roger. If you're willing to listen, why not hear how this old man views your father? Perhaps it might help you understand him better."
This was clearly a family matter that required privacy and careful handling, so Kai chose not to interfere. He simply watched silently as the two figures walked together into the lighthouse, their shadows merging in the golden afternoon light.
Robin had somehow quietly materialized at Kai's side with the silent grace of someone accustomed to moving unnoticed, her slender fingers lightly touching her chin as her lips curved into a playful, knowing smile.
"Truly admirable courage, Kai-sama. No wonder you dare shelter me, the so-called Devil Child. Compared to harboring the son of the Pirate King himself, I suppose I'm still somewhat lacking in terms of dangerous significance."
"You're quite mistaken about that assessment."
Kai chuckled lightly, his amusement genuine. "If Ace doesn't make a significant name for himself in the world, in the World Government's eyes, he's merely an insignificant footnote in history. You're fundamentally different from him. You're someone who possesses the knowledge to dig up the government's deepest, most carefully buried roots."
"Then it seems I must cling tightly to you, this mighty tree of protection, Kai-sama."
Robin blinked with feigned surprise, her smile becoming more alluring and mysterious as she played the role of a grateful dependent.
"Put away these pointless theatrical performances. I'm not one of those easily manipulated fools from West Blue that you've encountered before." Kai remained completely unmoved by her charm offensive. "I can easily distinguish between calculated acting and genuine emotion."
"From now on, you'll begin your actual work duties, Secretary Robin."
Kai then began methodically assigning a comprehensive series of detailed tasks and responsibilities that would integrate her into the organization's operations.
To Robin's considerable surprise, the level of authority and trust that Kai granted her far exceeded her most optimistic expectations. He was actually involving her directly in the Beast Pirates' core weapons manufacturing and Seastone trade networks, information that could prove invaluable or incredibly dangerous.
"Besides all the tasks I've just assigned to you, there's one particularly important thing you absolutely must prioritize."
"What might that be?"
"Training. Intensive, comprehensive training."
"Ah?" Robin blinked in genuine confusion.
Seeing Kai's completely sincere expression, Robin felt slightly stunned, authentic bewilderment showing clearly in her beautiful, intelligent eyes.
"As my personal secretary, you need considerable strength to survive in this world. At minimum, you must learn to proficiently use both Armament and Observation Haki. I don't want to receive disturbing news someday that my secretary was easily kidnapped by our enemies. Having to mount rescue operations would be quite troublesome and time-consuming."
Rescue me?
Hearing this utterly unfamiliar concept spoken so casually, complex ripples of emotion spread through Robin's carefully guarded heart like stones thrown into still water.
The idea that someone might actually come to save her, rather than simply write her off as an acceptable loss, was so foreign to her experience that she struggled to process it.
She remained silent for a long moment, absorbing the implications, before responding quietly with uncharacteristic vulnerability. "I understand completely."
An hour later, Crocus emerged from the lighthouse accompanied by Ace, whose expression had become significantly more complex and thoughtful than before.
The burning anger that had blazed in the young man's eyes seemed to have faded considerably, replaced by a kind of profound bewilderment that comes when one's fundamental understanding of the world is suddenly overturned and rebuilt.
He would clearly need considerable time to process and integrate all of this new information about his father and his own place in the world.
Kai looked at Crocus with curious interest. "Old man, do you happen to know how many different ways there are to effectively use Conqueror's Haki?"
"Conqueror's Haki? I'm afraid you're asking the wrong person entirely." Crocus shook his head with good-natured regret. "I'm just a ship doctor with some modest medical skills. The serious fighting was always Roger's, Rayleigh's, and the other combat specialists' responsibility."
"Alright then." Kai shrugged with mild disappointment.
He had hoped to learn some of the more advanced and specialized Conqueror's Haki techniques that only the most legendary pirates had mastered, but it seemed that opportunity would have to wait for another day.