Garp snorted, "He certainly brought us a lot of trouble. Otherwise, why would he be called the most heinous criminal in history?"
"Oh? Is that so?" Shiki only knew that Wayne had indeed caused a huge commotion at Mariejois , but he had no idea what happened afterward.
"Yes! His bounty is now 5 billion Berries! This is the monster you created. Are you satisfied?"
"Jiehahaha, it seems this kid did a pretty good job!"
Garp shook his head, then turned to the giant beside him. "Vice Warden Magellan, I'll leave the task of freezing Golden Lion Shiki to you. I just need to confirm that he's frozen."
"No problem, leave it to me." As soon as he finished speaking, a series of farts, 'poof poof,' echoed in the air.
Garp scratched his forehead and still chose to put on a gas mask, distancing himself from Magellan.
"Jiehahaha, you'll regret not executing me, Garp! Remember this, one day, I'll escape!!!"
"Shut up!"
Soon after, Infinite Hell gained another block of ice...
East Blue, Windmill Village.
After finishing the cleanup work for the Enies Lobby incident, Wayne returned to Windmill Village, ready to rest for a while.
On one hand, there wasn't much fun to be had on the sea currently, and on the other hand, he had to look after Rouge to prevent any accidents that might cause his mission to fail.
After all, the seas were currently full of pirates, and while Windmill Village didn't reject them, it could easily become a practice target for newcomers.
Pushing open the door of the small house, warm sunlight and a faint floral scent wafted in. Rouge was sitting in a wicker chair by the window, knitting a tiny baby garment. Sunlight spilled onto her slightly bulging abdomen, outlining a soft and vibrant silhouette. Hearing the movement, she looked up, her clear brown eyes holding a gentle smile:
"You're back? This time... how long are you planning to stay?"
Wayne walked to the table, picked up an apple, wiped it casually, took a bite, and mumbled, "Not sure, maybe a dozen days?"
Rouge put down her needlework and looked at Wayne, a smile playing on her lips. "Whatever you want. But... no matter what, you're my nominal younger brother. You absolutely must be there the day this little one comes out."
"After all, you're his uncle!"
"Pfft!"
Wayne spat out the apple he had just eaten, his eyes wide. "Uncle, uncle?!"
But I wanted to be Ace's godfather!
Rouge was amused by his exaggerated reaction, her eyes crinkling in a smile. "What? You don't want to be this uncle?"
Wayne quickly wiped his mouth, scratching his head strategically. "Uh, I do! Of course I do!"
"But Sister Rouge, about Roger, what are you planning to tell him?"
When Roger was mentioned, the smile on Rouge's face faded slightly, and a hint of sadness flashed in her eyes.
"Roger told me in the end that if the child could be born, not to tell him about his father."
"He didn't want this child's life to be shackled by the 'Pirate King's child' from the very beginning, losing the freedom to choose their own path."
Wayne was silent for a moment, then sighed softly. "Then, if they ask?"
Rouge looked up, her gaze calm. "Then tell them that their father died in an accident."
"I just hope they can grow up safely and happily, like an ordinary child."
"Just live a simple and peaceful life."
This time, Wayne didn't speak again.
Ace, who flowed with Roger's blood and inherited the Will of D, his destiny was doomed to be extraordinary from the moment of his birth.
Wayne ultimately just nodded slightly, his voice low. "Hmm, I hope so."
Just then, Woop Slap's panicked shouts came from outside the window.
"This is bad! This is bad! The mountain bandits are here!!!"
"Everyone, hide quickly! The mountain bandits have entered the village!!!"
Rouge's expression instantly changed, her hand instinctively protecting her lower abdomen as she turned to look at Wayne.
"Stay here, I'll handle it." Wayne pulled out Demon Sword Typhon and turned to leave.
In the small square in the center of Windmill Village, over twenty ferocious-looking mountain bandits, armed with swords, guns, and clubs, surrounded the villagers.
The leader was a man in his early thirties, wearing a stained leather jacket, with a gleaming cutlass at his waist and a flintlock pistol in his hand.
Seeing the villagers trembling in fear, he seemed quite satisfied, lifting his chin and scanning them with his nostrils.
"Listen up! I am Higuma, leader of the Higuma Bandit Group!"
He proudly brandished the gun in his hand, the muzzle sweeping over the crowd intentionally or unintentionally, eliciting gasps of alarm.
"Hand over all your valuables! Food! Berries! Give them all to me!"
"Otherwise..." He suddenly cocked the gun, making a sharp 'click' sound. "I'll show you what a bloodbath looks like!"
The villagers huddled together in terror, women clutching their children tightly, men clenching their fists but not daring to step forward.
Higuma! Wayne's pupils suddenly contracted. It was actually Higuma, the Mountain Bandit King. This was trouble. This was the man who had split Shanks' head open with an ultimate giant beer bottle.
Now he was at least 10 years younger, at the peak of his glorious achievements of killing 56 Four Emperors... Just thinking about it, Wayne immediately felt a cold sweat. Such a powerful opponent, he wondered if he could handle him.
Of course, all of the above was a joke. This guy was completely a small fry, at most an ultimate giant small fry.
"Hey!"
Hearing Wayne's voice, the villagers all looked at Wayne, their eyes bursting with anticipation.
That's right, they still had Wayne. Wayne was a Devil Fruit user, strong enough to lift a boar the size of a small mountain. Dealing with these fierce mountain bandits shouldn't be a problem.
Wayne ignored the menacing mountain bandits and walked directly to the front of the crowd, facing Higuma across the space.
"Higuma, right? I'm in a good mood today, and I don't want to fight. So, quickly take your men and get lost, otherwise your fate will be miserable."
"Huh?!" Higuma was stunned at first, then burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke, after glancing at his subordinates.
"Hahahaha, boss, how long has it been since we've seen such an arrogant guy!"
"Hehehe, boss, you're being underestimated!"
After the laughter, Higuma shook his head, his gaze towards Wayne filled with pity. "Kid, sticking your neck out for them, are ya?"
"Do you know, I've already killed 14 guys like you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Higuma aimed the gun at Wayne's forehead, his finger on the trigger, and the villagers gasped in alarm.
"If you're smart, hand over the valuables, otherwise... hehe."