Ace listened to Sengoku's undisguised protection and his resounding vow, and his hand holding the Den Den Mushi tightened.
He was silent for a moment, his voice still maintaining that 'emotion', and he responded solemnly:
"Thank you, Fleet Admiral! Your kindness and promise, I... will engrave in my heart."
After that, he said no more, and in a 'deeply moving' atmosphere, he slowly hung up the phone.
The Den Den Mushi pachya closed its eyes and returned to its sleeping state.
On the sea, only the sound of the sea breeze remained, along with a Doflamingo who was still questioning his life, and an Ace, the 'best actor', who had deeply hidden his achievements and fame.
After the Den Den Mushi hung up, that 'deeply moving' atmosphere seemed to linger in the air.
Ace slowly exhaled, as if he had just taken a curtain call from a wonderful performance.
When he adjusted his expression and turned around, he suddenly met the dozens of eyes on the deck that were filled with shock, bewilderment, and disbelief.
The Whitebeard Pirates' commanders and crew members, including Whitebeard himself, stared at him with an extremely strange gaze, as if they were seeing him for the first time.
The entire deck was silent, with only the sound of waves hitting the hull.
Ace felt uncomfortable under their collective gaze, and his 'loyal Marine' expression instantly crumbled, replaced by a hint of embarrassment.
He subconsciously raised his hand to scratch the back of his head and let out two dry laughs:
"Uh... haha... why are you all looking at me with such a 'seen a ghost' expression?"
Whitebeard also tightened his expression and slowly spoke,
"Ace, were you serious about what you just said? Are you really planning... to go to Future Island, and send yourself to Vegapunk's laboratory, to be a guinea pig for those old guys in the World Government?"
Marco, who was standing by, also pushed up his glasses, his eyes full of concern: "Ace, this is not a joke. Sengoku's hint was very obvious, that's definitely a trap."
Diamond Jozu folded his arms and added in a booming voice: "That's right! It's easy to get into a place like that, but hard to get out! Don't be foolish!"
Facing his family's undisguised worry and questioning, the embarrassment on Ace's face instantly disappeared, replaced by a cunning and confident smile, as if the 'loyal Marine' from just now wasn't him at all.
"How is that possible! Pops, Marco, Jozu!" He waved his hand, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "Do you think I look like the kind of idiot who would willingly be put on an operating table to be sliced?"
He reined in his smile and lowered his voice, saying, "Of course I have my own things to do there."
Hearing that Ace wasn't really going to be a guinea pig, but had other intentions, the tense atmosphere on the deck instantly eased a lot.
Whitebeard, Marco, Jozu, and the others exchanged glances, and all saw a hint of understanding and tacit agreement in each other's eyes.
They almost simultaneously thought of the mysterious 'Sign-in System' on Ace, which always brought various surprises and scares.
Since Ace was so actively trying to go to Future Island, that technologically advanced place, it must have a great deal to do with his system tasks or rewards.
It was just that at this moment, with Doflamingo, who was wearing a pink feather coat and pretending to look at the scenery while actually eavesdropping, right next to them, some things were really inconvenient to say directly.
Whitebeard showed a knowing smile and lightly patted Ace's shoulder:
"Gurararara... Alright, Ace. Since you have your own plans, I won't ask any more questions, Pops."
His gaze became profound and reliable, "Remember, no matter where you go, or what trouble you encounter, call Pops anytime!
Even if you break into Mary Geoise, or overturn Future Island, Pops will definitely come to save you!"
This promise was as heavy as a mountain, representing the unconditional support of the entire Whitebeard Pirates.
Marco also pushed up his glasses and added with a smile: "That's right, don't try to bear it alone. We are your backing."
Jozu heavily pounded his chest, making a resounding guarantee: "Whoever dares to touch you, I'll smash him with my diamond!"
Ace felt a warm current surge through his heart as he experienced his family's unreserved trust and support. He nodded heavily, his face beaming with a bright and confident smile:
"Thank you, Pops! Thank you, everyone! Don't worry, I know what I'm doing!"
He cleverly brought the conversation back to the most urgent task at hand, his gaze fixed on the faint outline of Punk Hazard in the distance, flames burning in his eyes:
"But before that, let's first focus our energy on getting that Devil Fruit!"
Then Ace seemed to suddenly remember some crucial detail, slapped his head, and looked at Whitebeard with an expression mixed with certainty and a hint of embarrassment:
"Oh, Pops! There's one more thing I need to make clear first!" He gestured, trying to describe the unique features of the fruit, "Although the power of that fruit is exactly the same as Kaido's, its color is pink."
"Um... Pops, you... you really won't mind, right?"
However, upon hearing this, Whitebeard not only didn't mind at all, but instead burst into an even more boisterous and hearty laugh:
"Gurararararara!!! Color? What's the big deal?!"
Whitebeard waved his hand dismissively, and then a profound, even somewhat lingering expression appeared on his rough face,
"Besides... what's wrong with pink?"
He narrowed his eyes slightly, and his tone became somewhat teasing, "What do you brats know? You should know that most of the beautiful and charming women in this world are pink! Gurararara!"
Everyone: "???"
All the crew members, including Marco and Jozu, instantly turned to stone, their faces uniformly displaying immense confusion and speechlessness.
Marco helplessly pushed up his glasses and sighed: "Sure enough... he's still that lecherous Pops whose nature is hard to change..."
Jozu, with his diamond arms folded, nodded in a booming voice: "Really... when it comes to women and colors, he just..."
However, Doflamingo, who was standing in the corner trying to reduce his presence, had a contemptuous expression, though he didn't show it, and sneered in a voice only he could hear:
"Fufufufufu... What lecherous? This is clearly a tsundere! A blatant tsundere!"
Then he recalled the rumors he had heard earlier.
"As expected, those rumors circulating in the Underworld about his youth are completely true… 'Tsundere Whitebeard'!
This guy has always been like this since way back! He pretends to be grand and generous, but in reality, he hides his aesthetic tastes!"