Upon hearing Luffy's message, Ace's expression turned pale in an instant. The atmosphere of the banquet no longer mattered to him. He stood up abruptly, his chair shifting back as he shouted with urgency, "Wait for me, Luffy! I'm coming to save you right now! You have to survive!"
Without hesitation, Ace turned toward Marco. "I'm sorry, Marco, I have to leave first."
Marco immediately called out, "Wait, Ace."
Ace stopped but did not turn back. "Don't try to stop me, Marco. I'm going to save my brother."
Marco shook his head slowly. "No one is stopping you."
Then his tone turned serious. "But going alone is pointless. The enemy has Admiral level fighters. If it were only one, Silvers Rayleigh could handle it. But if Luffy is surrounded like this, there are likely at least two Admiral level opponents. You won't even reach him alone."
Ace clenched his fist. "Even if I can't save him, I still have to go. That's my brother."
Jozu stepped in immediately. "Calm down, Ace. Marco must have a plan."
Marco looked at Ace again, his voice steady. "Didn't Luffy say it himself? There's a Marine Admiral who resembles Red Haired Shanks. That is not a normal Admiral."
He continued, "That should be a member of the Holy Knights under the Celestial Dragons. If he is involved, then it is possible they can summon reinforcements from the Holy Knights or even the Five Elders. Going alone changes nothing."
Ace's breathing slowed slightly as the weight of the situation sank in. His earlier anger began to shift into concern. "Then what do we do?"
Marco answered without hesitation. "I will go with you."
Ace froze. "Marco…"
His expression carried disbelief, and something deeper, gratitude. Luffy was not someone Marco had any strong connection with, yet he was willing to act.
Marco turned to the crew. "Brothers, prepare to set sail."
A loud response followed. "Aye!"
He then faced Neptune. "King Neptune, it seems we will be leaving earlier than planned. After dealing with the Blackbeard Pirates, we will return."
Neptune nodded. "Understood."
Soon after, the Phoenix Pirates ship set sail.
On deck, Marco addressed everyone. "Once we surface, I will take Ace to Amazon Lily first. As for the rest of you…"
He paused briefly before continuing. "The Calm Belt is not a sea anyone can cross easily. Beneath it are massive Sea Kings and even larger super Sea Kings."
Jinbe spoke with a serious tone. "That is correct. Even for Fishman and merfolk, those waters are extremely dangerous."
Marco turned his gaze toward Shirahoshi. "Shirahoshi, I will need you to speak to the Sea Kings and tell them not to attack our ship."
Shirahoshi blinked in surprise. "Me?"
She lowered her head nervously. "But I can't do something like that."
Marco shook his head. "You simply have not realized your own ability yet. You can communicate with Sea Kings. To them, you are their sovereign."
Jinbe's eyes narrowed slightly in shock. Others on the ship also reacted with disbelief. Yamato tilted her head. "Captain Marco, are you saying Shirahoshi is the king of the Sea Kings?"
Namur frowned. "Even Fishman and merfolk cannot speak to Sea Kings. That is impossible."
"That is only because you cannot do it," Marco replied calmly. His gaze remained fixed on Shirahoshi. "You can. Because within you lies the power of the ancient weapon Poseidon."
The name alone caused a shift in the atmosphere.
"Poseidon?" several voices echoed at once.
The crew stared at Shirahoshi, struggling to reconcile the timid girl before them with such a legendary power.
Jozu spoke again, more intensely. "Marco, are you certain? Shirahoshi is really Poseidon?"
Marco nodded. "Yes."
He continued, "Poseidon is not a single individual, but a mermaid princess born once every several centuries, one who can command Sea Kings."
He glanced toward Jinbe. "Shirahoshi displayed this power before, correct?"
Jinbe nodded. "Yes. When she was younger, she unintentionally summoned Sea Kings."
Shirahoshi looked confused. "I did that?"
"It was unconscious," Jinbe replied. "And Vander Decken IX likely learned of that power. That is why he became obsessed with you."
Hatchan spoke up excitedly. "So what Marco said before about controlling Sea Kings was true."
Marco did not elaborate further. Instead, his tone turned serious again. "However, Shirahoshi's ability is not something we can fully control yet. We will need to discuss matters carefully with Kaido and Big Mom. If anything goes wrong, it could trigger another large scale conflict."
The crew fell silent at that.
Ace lowered his head. "I'm sorry. Because of my situation, everyone is getting dragged into this."
Hera spoke casually. "Don't say that, Ace. Luffy helped us during the Marineford War. This is just returning a favor."
Ace's expression tightened even more. The Marineford War had started because of him. Many lives had been lost, including Whitebeard himself.
Now, once again, people were risking everything because of someone connected to him.
He lowered his head slightly. "Thank you."
I've been dealing with exams lately, so updates have been a bit slower than usual.