Lucien and Stussy returned quietly to the hotel street.
Strictly speaking, the ambush had failed. Not only had it failed, it had also exposed his presence to the enemy.
However, judging by how things usually unfolded, the Rose Queen's revival clearly came at an enormous cost. Even if he had chosen not to act today, the outcome of their next encounter would not have been much different.
What truly troubled Lucien was not the failure itself, but the nature of that revival.
How many of those so called resurrection coin type items did these outsiders still possess? If they had dozens or even hundreds of them, did that mean they effectively had dozens or hundreds of lives?
If that were the case, then what meaning did killing even have?
Lucien quickly discarded the thought.
The answer was written plainly on Emma's face. The murderous hatred in her eyes, the kind that looked like she wanted to skin him alive, made everything clear. Whatever she had lost was not something easily replaced.
This encounter had at least allowed Lucien to get a preliminary understanding of the four individuals involved.
None of them were simple.
Each one was powerful, dangerous, and extremely troublesome.
After carefully piecing everything together, Lucien came to a rough conclusion. Enel and Ace were most likely transmigrators, people whose souls had taken over existing bodies. As for the Furious One and the Rose Queen, there was more than an eighty percent chance that they were reincarnators.
It was simply too obvious.
There was also one small piece of good news. Enel's encounter with the Furious One and the Rose Queen had clearly been unpleasant. Lucien suspected that they might have mistaken Enel for a Darkness.
Ace was another variable. It was entirely possible that he too could be mistaken for a Darkness.
More importantly, Lucien could not rule out the possibility that one of those four was truly a Darkness, just like himself.
When all the cheaters gathered together and began slaughtering one another, the deciding factor would come down to whose so called golden finger was stronger.
This was not a simple clash of strength.
It was a battle between cheaters.
As that thought crossed his mind, Lucien let out a quiet sigh.
He also wanted to wipe out everything instantly at the very beginning, but his own golden finger was utterly useless. It was disgusting in the most literal sense.
It could not communicate. It had no intelligence. It had no guidance.
So far, there was only a single continuous mission hanging there, unlike other systems that constantly issued endless tasks and rewards.
Having no intelligence was one thing, but his golden finger was so lazy that it barely even bothered to release missions.
Lucien could only accept it.
...
The Rip off Bar had miraculously escaped the destruction of the earlier battle. While the surrounding mangrove area had been reduced to ruins and chaos, the bar itself remained standing.
Even so, it had closed its doors and was no longer operating.
At this moment, the Rip off Bar was practically the only intact place left in the area.
Inside, the Straw Hat Pirates and several others were gathered together, eating heartily. Luffy in particular was devouring food without restraint. The earlier battle had drained him completely, and his stomach had been protesting for a long time.
Nami and the others held their juice cups, their gazes shifting repeatedly between Ace and Rayleigh as the two laughed and talked.
Emma sat silently to the side.
Ethan ate quietly as well, his injuries already fully healed. The Hulk's recovery ability was, as always, terrifyingly effective.
"How is that old fellow Newgate doing these days?" Rayleigh asked, clinking his drink against Ace's, his eyes filled with warmth.
Ace paused briefly, then shook his head as he took a drink of sake.
"His physical condition isn't very good. I came out this time to look for doctors, and Devil Fruit users with abilities that might help."
"There really aren't many old monsters left anymore," Rayleigh said, his expression tinged with nostalgia.
"If you have time, you should come drink with us," Ace added. "Pops would be happy to see you."
"Haha, when I get the chance," Rayleigh replied, laughing loudly.
"Ace."
Nearby, Luffy called out with a huge piece of meat in his hand, his words muffled.
"My foolish little brother, what is it now?" Ace replied as he walked over.
He raised his hand and smacked Luffy lightly on the back of the head before sitting down beside him. His gaze then shifted to Nami and the others.
"Since we met here, why not join my crew?" Luffy said suddenly.
The abrupt invitation stunned Nami, Chopper, and the rest.
"Coincidentally," Ace said with a grin, "I was planning to invite you all to join the Whitebeard Pirates instead."
He raised his drink toward Robin across the table. Robin smiled and lifted her juice in response before taking a sip.
"I don't want to be your subordinate," Luffy said unhappily.
"My foolish little brother," Ace replied with a sigh, "it's a miracle you haven't been beaten to death yet."
He turned to Nami and the others, his expression unusually serious.
"You must be exhausted, dealing with such an idiotic captain."
"Finally," Nami said, her voice trembling with emotion, "someone sensible said it."
In an instant, Nami and the others felt an overwhelming sense of understanding. Ace truly got them.
"Even though my brother is incredibly foolish," Ace continued, "I'll have to trouble you to keep taking care of him."
"No, no," Nami and the others said hurriedly, waving their hands awkwardly in response to his sincere thanks.
"When you come to Whitebeard's territory in the New World, I'll make sure you're well taken care of," Ace said. "I still have other matters to deal with, so let me drink this as a toast in advance."
"Ace, you're leaving already?" Luffy asked, confused.
"Yes," Ace replied, patting Luffy's head. "I came here incidentally while handling other business. Seeing that you're still this energetic and foolish puts my mind at ease. You've found reliable companions."
"One day, I'll defeat you and the Whitebeard Pirates with them," Luffy declared confidently.
"I'll be waiting," Ace said with a smile.
He turned to the rest of the group and waved.
"I'm entrusting my foolish little brother to you once again."
Ace walked out of the bar. As he brushed past Emma, his lips moved slightly, producing no sound. Emma's expression tightened instantly.
She watched his departing figure, her gaze calm and cold.
...
Night fell.
The Milky Way stretched across the sky, hanging like a silver river overhead. Cool night winds swept through the mangroves, lifting Emma's long reddish purple curls.
Her exquisitely beautiful face was shadowed with sorrow, and an inescapable gloom lingered in her eyes.
"Are you certain?" Ethan asked as he stepped up beside her, following her gaze into the distance.
"No," Emma replied softly. "But I'm certain that the Darkness is among them, or all three of them are."
"Three?" Ethan asked.
"Besides the Marine Admiral Silver Dragon and Fire Fist Ace, there is a third person," Emma said. "I was ambushed during the day and was forced to use a resurrection coin."
Her slender hands clenched tightly. The thought alone made her chest ache.
"Brother, I'm sorry," she said, turning to him. "I used up all the exchange points."
Not just her own, but his as well.
Ethan said nothing. He simply reached out and gently ruffled her hair.
As long as Emma was alive, exchange points meant nothing. He would give even his life if it meant she could move forward.
"What do you know about the third person?" he asked.
"Very little," Emma replied. "He stayed hidden for a long time, and the moment he struck, it was a fatal blow. There's a very high chance he's a Darkness."
Among all her suspicions, the ambusher was the most dangerous. Enel and Ace did not feel like Darkness to her.
From what she knew, both Silver Dragon Enel and Fire Fist Ace had already existed in this world for several years.
Most importantly, the third person remained hidden while they stood in the open.
That alone made him terrifying.
From the ambush, it was clear he was cautious, patient, and deadly, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, striking only when victory was certain.
Such an enemy was the most troublesome of all.
"Regardless," Emma said quietly, "Silver Dragon, Fire Fist, and that mysterious third person could all be Darkness, or even all of them. Killing them will be extremely difficult."
Not only because of their personal strength, but also because of the forces backing them.
Ethan's voice was low and resolute.
"We have no retreat."
He would slaughter gods and Buddhas alike if it meant allowing his sister to transcend.
___
Support the story by sending Power Stones to unlock bonus chapters.
I'd also really appreciate it if you could rate this fanfic. Constructive feedback is always welcome, feel free to share your thoughts.
Limited-time Patreon offer:
There's currently a 40% discount available, but it won't last long.
Search for "Zphyr" on Patreon to take advantage of the deal while it's still active.