The revelation on Dawn Island left Ace in a state of quiet, profound shock.
He stood at the prow of their small, high-speed ship, the Cell-Cell Fruit safely stowed, his mind a whirlwind. Shanks. Makino. A baby. A new legacy, a new family, was being born in the shadow of the old one. The news was a heavy, complicated weight, but it was also a fierce, burning motivator. He now had another family to protect, even from a distance.
"You've been quiet, Captain," Kuzan observed from his ice-chair, his voice a low rumble. "That trip home seems to have put a lot on your mind."
"You have no idea," Ace muttered, his gaze fixed on the horizon.
Bullet just scoffed. "Are we there yet? This 'weakest sea' is pathetic. There's no challenge here. I'm bored."
"Patience, Bullet," Ace said, his kingly composure returning. "The man we're here to see is a bigger monster than any Sea King you'll find in these waters."
Their destination finally came into view: a strange, fish-shaped floating restaurant. The Baratie.
Meanwhile, in the galley of the Baratie, two figures were whispering frantically. They were members of the Caribou Pirates, sent ahead by their captain to scout the East Blue for easy loot.
"You're sure that's what you heard?" the first pirate hissed.
"I swear it on the Captain's swampy heart!" the other whispered back, his eyes wide with a mixture of terror and greed. "I was hiding near the bar on Dawn Island, trying to snag some booze, and I heard it all. The woman, Makino... she's carrying the child of 'Red-Haired' Shanks!"
The first pirate's jaw dropped. "A Yonko's... kid? Here? In the East Blue?"
"Exactly! This is the biggest news in the world! If we tell Captain Caribou, he'll be so happy he'll probably make us his first mates!"
They didn't notice the slimy, logia form of their captain, Caribou, reforming from a puddle of mud in the corner of the dark storeroom, his eyes wide with a manic, opportunistic glee. He had heard everything.
The arrival of Ace's group at the Baratie was an event. The patrons, simple merchants and low-level pirates, froze in terror as the four figures stepped onto the deck. Ace, radiating quiet power; Kuzan, a giant of a man whose very presence seemed to lower the temperature; Bullet, a demon whose killing intent was a physical force; and Festa, a cackling weirdo.
"Welcome to the Baratie," a chef with a bazooka, Patty, said nervously, sweat beading on his brow. "Table for... four?"
"We're not here to eat," Ace said, his voice calm but firm. "We're here for 'Red Leg' Zeff."
From the kitchen, a loud, angry thump... clank... thump... clank echoed, and a one-legged old man with a ridiculously long, braided mustache emerged, a furious scowl on his face.
"Who the hell is making all this noise and scaring my customers?!" Zeff roared, his voice the gravelly bark of a seasoned pirate captain. He looked them up and down, completely unimpressed. "You. Fire Fist. I've seen your poster. You got a lot of nerve showing your face in the weakest sea."
"We're here with a proposition, Zeff-san," Ace began.
"I'm not 'Zeff-san'," the old man cut him off. "I'm the owner of this restaurant. And you're a bunch of shady-looking weirdos. Now, what do you want to eat?"
The sheer, unadulterated grumpiness of the old chef left even Bullet momentarily speechless.
While Ace began the arduous, frustrating task of trying to negotiate, Kuzan, utterly bored by the proceedings, decided to wander off in search of a drink. He ambled towards the back of the restaurant, his lazy steps taking him past a dark, grimy storeroom. He was about to pass it by when he heard frantic, excited whispers from within.
"...tell him in person! He'll be so happy!"
"...the biggest secret in the world! A Yonko's baby!"
Kuzan stopped. His lazy expression vanished. He leaned his head slightly closer to the door, his Observation Haki flaring to life, allowing him to hear the conversation with perfect clarity.
Inside, Caribou was cackling with his subordinates. "Nuhuhuhu! This is perfect! Forget treasure! This information is worth more than all the gold in the world! We'll sell it to the highest bidder! Blackbeard, the World Government... they'll pay a fortune to get their hands on a Yonko's weakness!"
Outside the door, Kuzan's face was a mask of dawning horror. The balance of the world. He understood the catastrophic implications in an instant. This slimy, third-rate fool had just stumbled upon a secret that could start a war bigger than Marineford.
He slowly turned his head back towards the main dining room, where Ace was still arguing with a stubborn, one-legged chef, completely oblivious to the world-ending secret that was about to walk right out his back door.
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