Chapter 268: A Favor, A Substitute, and A Journey
"Born in the Rocks Era?" Louis slowly set down his teacup, his voice full of meaning. "It's time to call it the Louis Era."
Ochoku raised an eyebrow at that, but after a moment's thought, he didn't bother to argue.
The Golden Lion leaned back on the sofa, slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke. He gave Louis a cool glance. "The big-name pirates of this era might just team up to kill you."
"Especially Rocks. That bastard wouldn't hesitate to use a heavy hand, even on a kid."
"'A heavy hand'?" Louis heard this and instantly caught the nuance in Shiki's words. "Which means that kid didn't die in the end, right?"
"What kind of kid could survive an encounter with the most vicious pirate of that era?"
"He said 'heavy hand,' not 'killing hand.' That implies..."
"Who?" Louis was getting annoyed with Shiki for trailing off.
Just then, Ochoku suddenly spoke up. "It was Loki of the Giant Race, wasn't it?"
"Back then, when Rocks returned from Elbaf, he seemed to have mentioned it once."
"That's right." Shiki casually snuffed out his cigar, a wide, unsettling grin spreading across his face. "I heard it from Newgate—who knows where that bastard died."
"He said that when Loki was just a brat, he seemed to idolize Rocks. The moment he saw him, he demanded to join the Rocks Pirates."
"When Rocks refused, Loki challenged him. Rocks beat him half to death."
"Rocks was Loki's idol?" Louis raised an eyebrow, remarking pointedly, "I think I'm starting to understand where he got that crazy idea about destroying the world."
Nearby, Ace heard the unfamiliar names "Rocks" and "Loki" and fell into deep thought. Even his furious pace of eating slowed down.
Then he just... fell asleep. Mid-chew.
Louis knew the Monkey family had this peculiar tradition, but seeing it in person was still ridiculous.
How does he not choke to death falling asleep with food still in his throat?
Ochoku's face darkened when he saw this. He stood up, walked over to Ace, and smacked him awake.
Shiki, however, just stared at Ace, a hint of confusion in his eyes. He had originally thought Ace's appearance was very similar to a young Roger.
But seeing this idiotic display, he felt Ace's spirit was more like Garp's.
"How strange..."
Shiki lit another cigar, clearly wrestling with this puzzle. After a while, he shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside and turning his gaze back to Louis.
Louis had already shot down Shiki's original offer to provide "recruits" for Terra's labor force. Not only that, but Louis had also modified his other two ideas.
After a brief thought, Louis lowered his gaze slightly, meeting Shiki's eyes. "Shiki... if you really want to repay the favor you owe me."
"Then... how about you drop Enies Lobby on Marine Headquarters, and then drop Impel Down on Mary Geoise?"
"..."
As Louis's words landed, the entire palace fell deathly silent. Ochoku and Shiki were both stunned. Their expressions were priceless. A flash of pure shock crossed Ochoku's eyes.
Shiki was completely dumbfounded, so much so that his expensive cigar fell from his lips to the floor without him noticing.
After a long moment, Ochoku's usually serious face twisted into an expression reserved for looking at a monster.
As an enemy of the World Government himself, Ochoku had, at most, daydreamed about Shiki taking a "bite" out of Mary Geoise. Maybe destroy a part of it.
"But dropping Impel Down onto Mary Geoise... even if the Five Elders just destroy the prison itself..."
"If we were to conquer Impel Down first... release all the prisoners... then drop it... That might just work."
As a proper, vicious pirate, Shiki quickly recovered from his shock and immediately began analyzing the proposal's feasibility.
In the end, Shiki concluded that dropping Enies Lobby on Marine Headquarters would, at best, just cause the Marines some trouble.
On the other hand... if they freed the prisoners of Impel Down first and then dropped it on Mary Geoise, those monsters could really put the pressure on the World Government.
He knew exactly who was locked up in there; he'd "studied" at Impel Down himself. That "World Destroyer" who was always screaming about betrayal... that short, lonely old man from Roger's crew who always acted like a noble...
Nearby, Ochoku looked at the expressions on Louis's and Shiki's faces and let out a long sigh. Honestly, he was starting to regret this whole alliance with Shiki.
Back when he was guarding Hachinosu alone, it might have looked like he was being suppressed by the other powers of the New World. But at least it was stable. Nobody gave a damn about his remote island.
But ever since teaming up with Shiki, he'd had to cough up the savings he'd been accumulating for decades, savings meant for his own subordinates. And now... even Shiki was getting crazier.
Ever since Louis started showing up and fighting, revealing that overwhelming Haki, Ochoku could no longer see any path for his own ambitions to be realized.
The only reason he'd stuck with Shiki this long without quitting was because he'd already invested everything he had, hoping to make a big move.
Ochoku didn't even have his retirement fund left. He had no idea what he'd do if he and Shiki had a falling out now.
And now, Ochoku had to watch these two lunatics plotting to make a move on the Holy Land Mary Geoise. His future felt bleak.
Shiki was arrogant, but he wasn't stupid. He wasn't completely blinded by how awesome this plan sounded.
He knew that dropping Impel Down would, at best, kill some high-ranking officials and a few ordinary Celestial Dragons. It would only serve to truly enrage the real powers at the top of the World Government.
Unlike Louis, the current Flying Pirates—relying on just him and Ochoku—could not possibly withstand the full-force retaliation that would follow.
Therefore, Shiki planned to wait. He would wait for the "masterpiece" currently being researched in the lab to be born. Depending on its performance...
Even if that thing was completed, if they pulled this stunt, the Flying Pirates would have to abandon their base and live permanently floating in the sky.
Louis wasn't dissatisfied with the timeline Shiki proposed.
"Fine. Contact me when you're ready."
Anyway, Shiki thought, the World Government's recovery speed can't possibly keep up with the Archangel Pirates' growth.
If I can recruit even one person from Level Six to the Flying Pirates, it's a win. If I can pull in that whole group... and by then, the favor to Louis would be repaid...
Gradually, Shiki's expression became more and more audacious.
Ochoku saw it and just shook his head, feeling his own future was hopelessly bleak.
Nearby, Ace—who had at some point resumed stuffing his face—watched them, an eye twitching discreetly.
"...Crazy old men."
"..."
A few minutes later, Shiki regained his composure and resumed talking with Ochoku and Louis.
After snuffing out his cigar, Shiki raised a hand. A large jug of sake flew from a distant rack into his grasp. He tossed another one to Ochoku, then ripped the seal off his own, tilted his head back, and started chugging.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp...!"
Ochoku showed he was no slouch either, his drinking just as wild as Shiki's. He finished his jug at almost the same time. As their jugs hit empty, more flew over from the rack to replace them.
"..."
Louis watched the two men pour endless streams of sake down their throats and instantly lost all interest in staying. He slowly stood up and walked directly toward one of the palace windows.
As he passed Ace, Louis paused and gave him a long, deep look.
Just as Ace was wondering what that was about, Louis looked away and continued walking.
When the vast wilderness came into view, Louis unfurled his flawless white wings and took flight.
Back in the opulent palace, Shiki and Ochoku's drinking paused for a fraction of a second. Then they both tilted their jugs back, pouring even more sake down their gullets.
"A special sense of déjà vu, eh?" Shiki's lips curled into a knowing, mysterious smile. "I felt it the moment I saw him, too."
Shiki then pulled out Ace's wanted poster and another, yellowed poster, handing them to Ochoku.
"This is...?" Ochoku took the two posters, his eyes falling on the contents.
In a single glance, the drunkenness he had built up from chugging all that sake vanished instantly.
"Ace..."
"Roger?!"
On the other, yellowed poster was a face known to the entire world. It was a wanted poster of a young Gol D. Roger.
Ochoku's gaze flicked back and forth between the two faces, comparing the striking similarities.
Finally, Ochoku drew a conclusion. "Are you saying Ace is Roger's son?" He put the posters down, his eyes fixed on Shiki. "Just looking alike isn't enough to prove that!"
Shiki just looked meaningfully in the direction Ace had flown off. "Did you forget the name of Roger's sword?"
"..."
"'Ace'... one of the Supreme Grade Swords," Ochoku replied, his face expressionless.
"."
"Still not enough proof," Ochoku said after a moment. "Ace is seventeen. The timing doesn't line up with Roger's execution."
This time, Shiki didn't argue. "Perhaps."
Ace's age and the timing of Roger's execution truly didn't match. This was the main reason Shiki himself was still just guessing.
If the person in the Marines who understood Roger best was Garp, then among pirates, aside from Roger's own crew, it was Shiki.
And that's why, from the first moment Shiki saw Ace, he instinctively felt a connection to Roger. Even though the timeline made it unlikely for Ace to be Roger's son, Shiki remained suspicious.
If he wasn't his son, there was only one other possibility.
Ace was a clone of Roger!
"A clone?" Ochoku sank into thought.
Thanks to Shiki's most trusted confidant being a scientist, Ochoku was familiar with the concept of cloning.
Ace being a clone of Roger... this guess would explain a lot... Ochoku pushed the chaotic thoughts from his mind. He was even reminded of Vinsmoke...
"Let's ignore that kid's connection to Roger for now," Ochoku said, breaking the silence. "If we don't do something, he's going to get away."
"He can't slip away," Shiki replied flatly.
With that, Shiki started walking toward the main door.
However, an arm clad in a golden kimono—Ochoku's—blocked his path.
"What are you doing?" Shiki turned to meet Ochoku's mysterious smile.
"Let me have some fun this time." A sharp rapier flew from across the room, landing perfectly in Ochoku's hand.
Ochoku gripped the rapier and lit a cigar. He strode forward confidently.
"Since he looks so much like Roger, it'd be a waste if he didn't use a sword!"
Hearing this, Shiki instantly understood Ochoku's intention. He couldn't help but warn him, "The kid already has his own talents. It's too late for him to learn the sword now!"
Ochoku ignored him, leaving that last warning hanging in the air as he strode away and disappeared from Shiki's sight.
Meanwhile, at the edge of Hachinosu's waters.
Louis, flying at high speed, was listening to their conversation with his Observation Haki. He couldn't help but feel a flicker of interest.
"Ace with a sword?"
"Changing 'Fire Fist' Ace to 'Fire Sword' Ace, hmm?"
Louis never expected Ochoku to have such a strange idea, trying to mold Ace in Roger's image. But Louis shared Shiki's opinion.
Ace was already seventeen. He had his own understanding and vision for his path. Forcing this on him now would only hurt his development.
But, this had nothing to do with him. Louis didn't dwell on it.
He focused on his flight. Only in the vast, empty sky over the open ocean could Louis fly at full speed without restraint.
He didn't have to worry about getting too close to the ground, unintentionally causing catastrophic destruction with his sonic booms and shockwaves.
This was why, during combat near land, Louis relied on Spatial Transfer or flew at subsonic speeds.
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