Chapter 672: Persuading the Three Little Ones to Leave!
Inside the cabin.
"Big brother, he…"
"It's fine." Ryuunosuke glanced at Roger, who was laid on the bed, then looked at Ace. "There's Lilith's energy inside him, and my life essence too. He'll recover soon."
Then his gaze sharpened, turning serious.
"But what I'm more interested in… is your current state."
Ryuunosuke had anticipated this outcome.
He just did not expect it to happen in this way.
Still, it was a good result for both Ace and him. At least now, Ryuunosuke did not have to worry about killing Roger in front of Ace.
"I… honestly, the moment I met him, I knew I didn't hate him at all," Ace admitted, flustered. "That feeling in my blood… it wiped out my resentment instantly."
"All I wanted was for him to admit he was wrong. But then he said those things, like he had the right to lecture me…"
Ace clenched his fist, then loosened it.
"In that moment, I lost it."
"I understand," Ryuunosuke said softly. "It's good you can see that clearly."
He offered a faint smile.
"You three should rest. There's nothing for you to do for the time being."
"Nothing to do?" Luffy blurted, staring at him like he was betrayed. "Big brother, we didn't even do anything!"
They really had not done anything. They came in, walked around, and then got told to rest.
For Luffy, that was unbearable.
Even if everything ended, he still wanted to throw at least one punch before the curtain dropped.
"Didn't do anything?" Ryuunosuke raised an eyebrow, amused. "Luffy, we're about to reach the Red Line."
"When we get there, you might be asked to do something."
He tapped Luffy lightly on the forehead, smiling.
"So be ready. It'll be time for you to do something for your grandpa."
"Grandpa?" Luffy's face went pale in an instant. "What's wrong with the old man?"
The only person Ryuunosuke ever called "grandpa" was Garp.
If Ryuunosuke was bringing him up now, then it meant one thing.
They were about to run into him.
"He went to the Red Line with Sengoku and the others," Ryuunosuke said calmly. "They must've run into trouble, and we just happen to be passing by."
The tension melted immediately.
All three of them broke into simple, relieved smiles.
They all had their own complicated lives, but their feelings toward Garp were the same. Affection, respect, and a stubborn kind of warmth.
Now, the situation was also becoming clearer.
Jay clearly had an unspoken purpose.
Ace's issue was resolved, at least enough to keep it from poisoning him.
Next was the real confrontation.
Whether it was Jay or Adam, the core conflict with Ryuunosuke had always been the same.
The Seed of God.
Now Lilith was bound by a bond and oath with him, so she could be trusted for the moment.
"Big brother," Sabo said quietly, voicing what had been eating at him, "is that Jay… an enemy?"
Sabo understood Ryuunosuke too well.
Ryuunosuke did not make things obvious unless he already had his conclusion.
This time, it even felt deliberate.
Which was strange.
Because if Ryuunosuke wanted to target someone, he either said it openly or erased them before they even knew they were being hunted.
This awkward middle ground did not match him.
"Yes," Ryuunosuke answered directly. "As much as I hate admitting it, he's an enemy."
"All the clues and intelligence point to something rotten."
"The reason I made it obvious was simple. I wanted him to be the one who can't hold back first."
He had already told the rest of the crew as well.
If anything happened, they would react instantly.
As for why Luffy was not told earlier, there was a very practical reason.
If Luffy knew Jay was an enemy, the entire ship would hear him screaming about beating him up before breakfast.
"So what if he stays like this forever?" Sabo pressed, still puzzled. "Never showing his hand until the very end. Or just giving up completely."
Sabo had watched Ryuunosuke's strength with his own eyes.
Ryuunosuke had even bypassed Jay and gone straight to Lilith alone.
That proved one thing.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates were not something Jay could use.
If Jay forced it, he would likely get burned for trying.
If Sabo were in Jay's position, he would have abandoned the plan already.
Even if Sabo did not know what Jay truly wanted, he could see the risk.
"Giving up is impossible," Ryuunosuke said. "He's been waiting for this day for far too long."
"If he could quit, he wouldn't have waited until now."
Ryuunosuke's voice flattened, ending the topic.
"Alright. Enough."
"We still have half a day before we reach the Red Line."
"Once you're done settling things here, you three go back first."
"Big brother?"
All three stared at him at the same time.
Ace had just arrived. He barely even had time to sit properly.
And now Ryuunosuke was ordering them to leave.
When they came with him, they had already decided they would not back down no matter what they faced.
"I know what you're thinking," Ryuunosuke said, tone steady.
"But think about this."
"You can risk your lives for me."
"But have you thought about me?"
His eyes sharpened with a helpless honesty.
"When you put your lives on the table like that, I can't ignore it."
What they were about to face was not the World Government.
It was something beyond that.
Jay.
Adam.
Both were monsters with unknown trump cards.
Even Ryuunosuke did not know what they were hiding.
In that situation, bringing three brothers into the deepest part of the storm was not bravery.
It was gambling with regret.
Ryuunosuke was not arrogant.
If he were, he would never have made it this far.
"Big brother…" Luffy's lips trembled as he tried a pathetic expression. "I still want to go…"
Ryuunosuke covered his face with one hand.
This idiot is actually trying to act cute in front of me.
How old are you?
"Fine." Ryuunosuke sighed. "Then it's settled."
"I'll bring a visual Den Den Mushi and a communication Den Den Mushi with me."
"I'll send you any footage that can be recorded."
His voice hardened slightly.
"Rest first. I need to deal with something."
With that, he turned and left the cabin.
Kuina and Akame followed him out.
A moment later, the three of them entered another cabin.
"Brother Ryuunosuke," Akame said slowly, "do we really want to record everything?"
"I don't think the world needs to know the truth."
"More often than not, people are happier when they don't know."
Akame came from a world drowned in darkness.
Those who lived without the truth suffered, but they still had hope.
Those who knew the truth either submitted… or resisted.
Either way, they walked with death under their feet.
This world was beginning to change.
With the Revolutionary Army, the Dragon Hunter Pirates, and even the Navy shifting, many people were finally tasting the life they once only dreamed about.
If they exposed things that did not belong to this world, too early and too brutally…
It could backfire.
"I know," Ryuunosuke said quietly.
"That's why I came here. To handle that."
Belubelu…
Just then, Ryuunosuke's Den Den Mushi began to ring.
TL: Check out my newly released fanfic
Germany: The Thousand Year Empire
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