Rolan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached into his system space and pulled out a large wine gourd and an oversized wine glass. He filled the glass, then tossed the gourd to Whitebeard.
Whitebeard took the gourd, sniffed its contents, and took a deep swig. "Hmm, I haven't had this before. This wine is excellent."
He sounded genuinely pleased.
Rolan lifted his own glass, took a sip, then smiled once and nodded. "Of course, I took this from the Celestial Dragons."
Whitebeard laughed heartily. "Gurarararara, from the Celestial Dragons? It really is good. Do you have more? Give me some."
Hearing Rolan's answer, Whitebeard didn't want to let the moment pass. He guessed Rolan must have hidden more wine elsewhere, because no one offered a single gourd without having more stocked secretly.
However, Marco immediately objected before Whitebeard could ask for more.
"Whitebeard, don't you remember your own body? You shouldn't drink," Marco said firmly. Marco had spent years as the ship's doctor and deeply cared for Whitebeard's deteriorating condition. In the original story, Marco was a calm and competent medic who often had to argue with his captain over such matters.
Whitebeard's physical health was a well‑known concern. Despite his fearsome reputation and immense resilience, his body was worn down by countless battles and injuries accumulated over decades of piracy.
Whitebeard waved his hand with a chuckle, "Marco, don't be so serious. They say there's no ailment a pot of wine can't fix. If one pot isn't enough, make it two!"
Marco rolled his eyes. "No! You just cannot drink!!"
Whitebeard snorted with a laugh. "Baka yarou, we're Pirates! What's wrong with having a drink? If you can't even drink as a Pirate, then what kind are you?"
"I'm the ship's doctor, I say you can't drink, and that's that," Marco insisted.
Watching the bickering duo, Rolan laughed from the side. "Whitebeard, Marco is your ship's doctor, you definitely have to listen to him."
"Hey, hey! Rolan, why are you taking his side?" Whitebeard protested.
Rolan looked at Whitebeard, who was still covered in scars and sitting amidst medical tubes. Despite the old man's legendary status, he knew Whitebeard's many wounds were a testament to too many battles in his youth, injuries piled up over years of hardships. Combined with Whitebeard's stubborn refusal to follow medical advice, it was no wonder his body was no longer at its prime.
Still, anyone who knew the old pirate knew he loved wine, feasts, and celebrations. Taking that away from him would be like stripping laughter from the seas.
Rolan shrugged. "I'm not siding with Marco, this is your body and you know it best. I'm merely acknowledging the facts."
Whitebeard glanced at his crew, all nodding in agreement with Rolan. His imposing aura immediately softened, as if a stern cat realized it had been scolded. Then he turned his gaze back to Rolan.
"By the way, you still haven't told me why you came to see us?"
Rolan leaned back, calm as always. "Me? I came to see my disciple."
"Your disciple? Who is your disciple?" Whitebeard asked, startled.
At that moment Ace stepped forward and stood before Rolan.
"Oi, Long time no see, Rolan."
Rolan reached out and ruffled Ace's shoulder once. "Yes, long time no see. You've grown a lot."
As the Whitebeard Pirates watched their formal, amiable interaction, an almost unbelievable thought began to form in their minds: Could Ace actually be Rolan's disciple?
Whitebeard's gaze flicked between Rolan and Ace. "Your disciple is Ace, is he?"
Rolan let out a laugh. "Isn't that obvious?"
"What?!" The Whitebeard Pirates were stunned, jaws dropping as if the deck might split under their shock.
They had never heard Ace mention having a master before. Some recalled seeing Rolan's wanted posters in Ace's quarters, and at the time they assumed Ace simply admired Rolan. But none expected that this newly appointed Emperor, Rolan, was actually Ace's mentor.
"Gurarararara, so that's how it is," Whitebeard said as realization settled in.
Whitebeard had known Ace for years. Before joining the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace had even tried to take Whitebeard's head before finally accepting the man as a father figure. But thinking that Ace had a secret mentor even stronger than Whitebeard himself was astonishing.
Yet as Whitebeard pondered this fact, a slight furrow formed on his brow. Rolan didn't appear much older than Ace, so how could he have trained someone so powerful? He could only attribute it to some unknown Devil Fruit ability or mysterious technique, for he knew no man could gain such strength without extraordinary means.
Just then Ace spoke up with a grin.
"Rolan, I want to challenge you!"
Rolan also smiled and nodded. "Sure, let's see if you've been slacking off or not."
Rolan and Ace had sparred occasionally during their journeys together, so this came as no surprise.
The Whitebeard Pirates gathered, cracking melon seeds and watching with keen interest. As for those crew members who had fainted earlier from Rolan's Haki pressure, no one bothered about them; they knew they would recover soon enough.
Now this was a rare opportunity: Gold Emperor versus Godslayer.
Rolan sensed the shift in Ace's aura and nodded. Ace's strength had indeed grown to be quite close to Kuro's, showing he had trained diligently. Then Ace's fist turned to flame and his arm gleamed black with power.
"Black Gold Impact!"
Ace's fiery arm shot out, appearing in front of Rolan almost instantly.
For Rolan, who could anticipate an opponent's movements, it was not difficult to respond. He tilted his head, and the first strike wrapped in Armament Haki brushed his cheek.
"Golden Spikes!"
Spikes erupted along Ace's arm, thrusting toward Rolan's neck.
Clang clang clang!
Sparks flew from the contact.
Rolan activated a swift movement technique and appeared beside Ace, kicking him in the stomach.
But Ace was already molten gold in form, reconfiguring his body and appearing behind Rolan. The fight intensified as Rolan spun and delivered a sharp sweeping kick to Ace's side.
Bang!
Ace flew back, crashing against the ship's rail.
Rolan moved again with speed, only to find Ace shifting midair and raining down blows upon him.
Bang, bang, bang!
In an instant, dozens of strikes were exchanged between the two.
…
Whoosh whoosh whoosh.
Finally, Ace lay flat on the deck, bruised and exhausted.
"Am I still far behind?" Ace asked, breathing heavily.
Rolan's expression remained calm. He had indeed held back, his depth of strength still far above the challenge.
Whitebeard laughed heartily. "Gurarararara, so you still have room to grow!"
"Never mind, sons, let's have a banquet!" Whitebeard declared loudly, his voice carrying unshakable joy.
____
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