On the calm sea, the Thousand Sunny was sailing steadily. Sunlight spilled onto the deck, and Nami was leisurely lying on a sun lounger, holding a glass of iced juice, enjoying a rare moment of tranquility.
Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper were playing cards nearby, with the loser getting flicked on the forehead; Chopper was already covering his forehead, tears welling up in his eyes.
Suddenly, a News Coo flew across the sky, dropping the latest World Economic Journal.
The newspaper landed on the deck with a thud, and Nami casually picked it up, her gaze casually sweeping over the front page—
"Shock! 'Fire Fist' Ace Officially Becomes a Warlord!"
"Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander Changes Allegiance!"
"Pfft—" Nami spit out a mouthful of juice, coughing violently.
"Hey, hey, hey! Nami! You sprayed juice on my cards!" Usopp complained, but the next second, he also saw the content on the newspaper, his eyes wide.
"Wh-…What?! Ace became a Warlord?!"
"Huh?!" Luffy suddenly jumped up, extending his rubber arm and snatching the newspaper, his face almost pressed against it, "Ace?! A Warlord?!"
Chopper's little hooves rested on Luffy's shoulder, and he shouted in shock, "You're kidding, right?! Isn't Ace Whitebeard's commander?!"
Zoro, who had been dozing in the crow's nest, heard the commotion below and lazily poked his head out: "What's all the fuss about? What's the big news…?"
"Zoro! Something big happened!" Usopp waved his arms, "Ace became a Warlord!"
"Huh?" Zoro frowned, jumped directly from the crow's nest, and grabbed the newspaper, "What is this guy up to?"
Nami came to her senses, turned to look at Robin, who was leaning by the ship's rail reading, and Ron, who was standing at the bow, enjoying the breeze: "Hey! Ron! Didn't you say Ace was just going to Marine Headquarters to sign in? How did he suddenly become a Warlord?!"
Before Ron could speak, Robin closed her book and smiled slightly: "Perhaps, becoming a Warlord will make it more convenient for him to sign in at various important Marine locations."
Usopp slapped his forehead: "Ah! So that's it!" He pointed at the newspaper with sudden realization, "The Warlords can freely enter and exit Marine Headquarters, the Gates of Justice, and even Mary Geoise!"
Ron's lips curved slightly, and he pulled a Den Den Mushi from his pocket: "It's tiring watching you all guess. Just ask Ace."
"Beep—beep—" The Den Den Mushi connected.
"Hello? Big Brother Ron!" The Den Den Mushi mimicked Ace's voice, sounding very excited!
"Ace!" Luffy snatched the Den Den Mushi, his mouth almost pressed against it, "How did you become a Warlord?!"
"Ah, Luffy!" Ace's voice was laced with laughter, "Well… it's a bit complicated."
"Complicated what?!" Nami leaned over, hands on her hips, shouting, "Weren't you just going to sign in? How did you suddenly become a Warlord?!"
"Hahaha!" Ace burst out laughing, "If I become a Warlord, I can openly go to Impel Down, Mary Geoise, and even the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters to sign in!"
"This way, I can go anywhere, whether it's a Marine or a pirate location!"
"Oh—!" Luffy suddenly understood, "So that's it!"
Usopp stroked his chin: "So… Ace is a spy now?"
Robin chuckled: "More like using the rules to achieve his own goals."
Zoro snorted: "That guy, he's still as reckless as ever."
Ron took back the Den Den Mushi and said faintly: "Did Sengoku and those guys agree to you so easily? Were there no other conditions?"
"Of course there were, I have to take down a great pirate as a 'proof of allegiance'!" Ace's voice was full of vigor, "Then I can officially use my Warlord identity to sign in everywhere!"
Ace's tone couldn't contain his excitement, "Next, the Gates of Justice, Impel Down, Mary Geoise, not a single one can be missed!"
"That sounds good, and entirely feasible."
Regarding Ace's plan to capture a great pirate as a 'proof of allegiance', the atmosphere on the deck suddenly became solemn.
Everyone looked at each other, their brows unconsciously furrowing.
Ron pondered for a moment, then was the first to ask: "Ace, do you have a suitable target in mind? Or…?"
Ace thought for a moment: "Why not start with those infamous Warlords? Anyway, these guys are flashy on the surface, but secretly they're all doing shady business."
"Oh no!"
As everyone was thinking, Ron suddenly sighed heavily, a look of regret appearing on his face: "If only I had brought that Teach guy back to you…"
"Teach? You met Teach?" Ace became a bit agitated, after all, he came out specifically to find Teach, but couldn't locate him for a while.
Ron nodded: "We left him on Skypiea to fend for himself, and we took his Dark-Dark Fruit ability and gave it to Sanji. Now Teach has no Devil Fruit power, he's probably on Skypiea wondering how to escape."
"It's good that he's dealt with, that guy deserves to die for daring to kill a comrade!" Ace's eyes were filled with anger, then he asked somewhat confusedly: "Big Brother Ron, Teach is just an ordinary crew member on Pops' ship, what kind of great pirate is he?"
Ron's lips curved into a meaningful smile: "You wouldn't know… " He lowered his voice, "Teach's background is much more terrifying than yours."
"More terrifying than me?" Ace raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
Ron took a deep breath, dropping a bombshell: "Have you heard of the Rocks Pirates?"
"Rocks? The Rocks who wanted to be King of the World?"
"Indeed, that's him. And Teach is his biological son."
This explosive news was like a thunderclap on the deck; Ace was also stunned, taking half a step back, shaking his head in disbelief: "How is this possible…?"
The others on the ship were equally shocked that Teach was Rocks' son!
Are you kidding me? That guy is Rocks' son, is he inheriting Rocks' will?
"Indeed." Ron nodded seriously, "Think about it, if Rocks' direct bloodline is handed over to the Marines, how big of a sensation would it cause in the World Government? This is a genuine great pirate."
Zoro tightened his grip on his sword hilt and said in a deep voice: "No wonder that guy could lie low in the Whitebeard Pirates for so many years…"
Sanji exhaled a smoke ring, uncharacteristically serious as he added: "And he painstakingly sought to acquire the Dark-Dark Fruit, likely also to inherit Rocks' ambition."
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi,
Ace's voice suddenly became serious: "By the way, Big Brother Ron, you just said that Teach, that bastard, is on Skypiea, right?"
....
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