CHAPTER 115: STORIES UNDER THE STARS
Ace sat on the ground, his expression a mixture of frustration and reluctant acceptance. The anger was still there, simmering beneath the surface, but it was tempered now by something else—a grudging acknowledgment that the white-haired boy in front of him was simply on another level.
An Admiral, Ace thought. He's an actual Admiral. And I tried to fight him with a water pipe.
The absurdity of it almost made him laugh. Almost.
Satoru glanced at the darkening sky, then back at the two boys. "Alright, enough playing around. Let's head back. Makino and the village chief are waiting."
"FOOD!" Luffy's eyes lit up. "Makino brought food! I'm gonna eat EVERYTHING!"
He took off running toward the hideout with single-minded determination.
And went absolutely nowhere.
His legs pumped. His arms swung. His entire body strained forward with the force of his will. But he remained perfectly in place, suspended in the air by an invisible grip on the back of his shirt.
"Satoruuuu! Let me go! The food will be gone!"
"You two are too slow." Satoru had one hand extended, casually holding Luffy in place like a struggling kitten. With his other hand, he reached out and grabbed Ace's collar. "We're taking the express route."
"Hey! Wait—!"
The world blurred.
One moment, Ace was staring at the forest path ahead. The next, the scenery had completely changed. The hideout stood before them, warm light spilling from its windows, the smell of cooking food filling the air.
Ace's legs gave out. He sat down hard, his brain still trying to catch up with his body. "What... how...?"
Beside him, Luffy had also landed in an undignified heap, but he recovered instantly. "WE'RE HERE! FOOD!"
He scrambled up and charged inside, leaving Ace to stare after him with wide eyes.
The bandits who had been standing guard outside jumped back in shock, hands going to weapons before they recognized the newcomers. "Where did you—you just appeared out of—what the—"
Satoru dusted off his hands. "Teleportation. Handy, isn't it?"
Inside, Makino was setting out food while the village chief nursed his tea and grumbled about young people these days. The door burst open and Luffy rocketed in, making a beeline for the table.
"MAKINO! FOOD! NOW!"
Makino laughed, that gentle, musical sound. "It's right here, Luffy. Eat as much as you want."
Luffy needed no further encouragement.
Ace stumbled in a moment later, still processing what had just happened. His eyes found Satoru—who was now leaning casually against the wall, looking utterly pleased with himself—and something complicated flickered across his face.
Dadan emerged from the back room, her sharp eyes taking in the scene. They landed on Satoru, and her expression shifted to something almost like respect. "Well, well. Look who's come back to visit."
Satoru nodded. "Dadan. You're looking well."
"Hmph." She crossed her arms. "Never thought I'd see the day when a brat I once chased off my property became a Marine Admiral."
The room went quiet.
"Admiral?" one of the bandits repeated, his voice high with disbelief.
"WHAT?!"
Another bandit pointed at Satoru, his finger trembling. "That kid? An ADMIRAL?!"
Luffy, mouth full of food, looked up. "Satoru's an Admiral? What's an Admiral?"
Even Ace, who had just learned this information, found himself staring at Satoru with new eyes. An Admiral. The highest rank in the Marines. One of the most powerful people in the world.
And he had tried to fight him with a water pipe.
Dadan snorted. "You idiots don't read the papers? He's been all over them lately. 'White Dragon' they call him now." She looked Satoru up and down. "Never thought I'd see one of Garp's brats amount to much, but I'll admit—you've done alright."
Satoru's grin widened, showing teeth. "Admiral White Dragon, at your service. Though I prefer just Satoru when I'm home."
Ace's mind was racing. An Admiral. He's an Admiral. That means... that means he's fought real pirates. Real powerful pirates. He's seen things. Done things.
The food on the table suddenly seemed less interesting than the boy leaning against the wall.
Luffy, meanwhile, had recovered from his momentary confusion and returned to his primary objective: consuming everything in sight. Makino watched with fond amusement, occasionally pushing more plates within his reach.
"Luffy," Satoru said casually, "I remember you said you were going to be a pirate, right?"
Luffy paused, a meat bun halfway to his mouth. "I'm not gonna be a pirate."
Satoru raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Changed your mind? Decided to join the Marines instead?"
Luffy's face scrunched up in indignation. "NO! I'm gonna be KING OF THE PIRATES!"
The declaration rang through the room. Bandits stared. Makino's smile didn't waver. The village chief choked on his tea.
Satoru's expression shifted through several stages—surprise, amusement, and finally a sort of fond resignation. Same Luffy. Nothing's changed at all.
He spread his hands. "Well, I'm a Marine Admiral now. By all rights, I should probably arrest you."
Luffy's eyes went wide. "But I'm not a pirate YET! You can't arrest me for something I haven't done!"
"That's... actually a fair point."
"SEE?!" Luffy returned to his food, secure in the knowledge that he had won the argument.
The tension broke into laughter. Even Ace cracked a smile, shaking his head at his brother's unique logic.
As evening deepened into night, Satoru walked Makino and the village chief back to Windmill Village. The old man leaned on his cane, shooting glances at the white-haired boy who had once been a baby in his care.
"Teleportation," the village chief muttered. "When I was young, we walked everywhere. Uphill both ways. In the snow."
Makino hid a smile. "There wasn't snow in the East Blue, Chief."
"Details."
At the village edge, Satoru bid them goodnight. "I'll be back in the morning. Going to stay up on the mountain for now."
Makino nodded. "Take care of those boys, Satoru. They need... guidance."
Something in her voice made Satoru look at her more closely. "You know about Ace."
It wasn't a question.
Makino's eyes were gentle but sad. "I know. And I know what that name means. What it could mean for him." She reached out and touched Satoru's arm. "Be good to him. He needs family more than he knows."
Satoru's expression softened. "I will."
Then he was gone, leaving only a faint breeze behind.
The village chief stared at the empty space. "I'll never get used to that."
Back on the mountain, Satoru found Ace sitting outside the hideout, staring up at the stars. The night was clear, the sky a canvas of countless lights.
Satoru settled down beside him. "Couldn't sleep?"
Ace didn't look at him. "Just thinking."
They sat in silence for a while, the sounds of the forest surrounding them. Inside the hideout, Luffy's snoring could faintly be heard—the boy had eaten himself into a food coma and was now sleeping it off.
"Tell me about the sea," Ace finally said. "You're an Admiral. You've seen things. Fought people. Tell me what it's really like out there."
Satoru tilted his head. "Call me 'brother' and I'll tell you."
Ace's jaw tightened. "You—"
"Brother" Satoru prompted, his voice light but insistent.
Ace took a deep breath. Forced the word out through gritted teeth. "...Brother."
Satoru's face lit up. "Good boy! Alright, sit down and listen."
And so he told them. Not just Ace—Luffy had apparently sensed a story was starting and had dragged himself out of bed, still half-asleep but determined not to miss anything. The three of them sat under the stars as Satoru spun tales of the Grand Line.
He told them about the impossible weather, islands that existed inside whales, seas where the water ran backward. He told them about the creatures—Sea Kings so massive they could swallow ships whole, creatures that walked on land and sea both.
And he told them about the pirates.
"Some of them are monsters," Satoru said, his voice dropping. "Killers who would slaughter entire villages for a single gold coin. But others..." He shrugged. "Others are just people. People chasing dreams, same as anyone."
Ace leaned forward. "What about the really strong ones? The ones at the top?"
Satoru's grin turned sharp. "The Four Emperors. Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom, Shanks. Each one could destroy an island by themselves. Each one commands armies of pirates. And each one..." He paused for effect. "I've faced one of them already."
Ace's eyes went wide. "You fought an Emperor?!"
"Kaido of the Beasts. Crashed right into my base, drunk as a skunk. We fought. He left." Satoru's tone was casual, but the weight of the words hung in the air.
Ace couldn't speak. An Emperor. The strongest pirates in the world. And this boy—this Admiral—had fought one and lived to tell about it.
Luffy, who had been dozing through most of this, suddenly perked up. "Shanks! You fought Shanks?!"
"No, not Shanks. But I've met him. He was here, in this village, when you were really little. He's the one who gave you that hat."
Luffy's hands went to his treasured straw hat, his expression softening in a way that was almost strange to see on his usually hyperactive face. "Shanks..."
Satoru watched him for a moment, then turned back to Ace. The freckled boy had gone quiet, his expression troubled.
After a long moment, Ace spoke. "What kind of person was Gol D. Roger?"
The name hung in the air like a curse.
Satoru considered his answer carefully. "I never met him. I only know what I've read in reports, what I've heard from others. To the world, he was a villain. The man who started the Great Pirate Era, who threw the world into chaos."
Ace's fists clenched.
"But..." Satoru continued, "I've also heard other things. From people who knew him. From Garp, who hunted him for years. The old man doesn't talk about it much, but when he does..." He shrugged. "He doesn't sound like he's talking about a monster."
Ace looked up, something flickering in his eyes.
"Here's the thing about history, Ace." Satoru's voice was gentle now, all teasing gone. "It's written by the winners. The Marines call Roger a villain because he opposed the World Government. But if you want to know what he was really like—not what the newspapers say, not what the government wants you to believe—you have to ask the people who actually knew him."
"People like... Garp?"
"Garp, yes. And others." Satoru met Ace's eyes. "There's a man on the Sabaody Archipelago. Silvers Rayleigh. He was Roger's first mate, his right hand. If anyone knows the truth about your father, it's him."
Ace's breath caught. "You... you know about that?"
"I know a lot of things, little brother." Satoru's smile returned, but it was softer now. "When you're ready to leave this island, when you've grown strong enough to survive out there—go to Sabaody. Find Rayleigh. Ask him your questions."
Ace stared at him for a long moment. Then, quietly, he said, "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For not... for not treating me like a monster." Ace's voice was barely a whisper. "Everyone who finds out... they look at me different. Like I'm carrying a disease. Like I'm him."
Satoru reached out and ruffled Ace's hair, ignoring the boy's indignant squawk. "You're not him. You're you. Portgas D. Ace. Luffy's brother. And now..." His grin widened. "My brother too. What that man was doesn't define what you'll become. That's up to you."
Ace opened his mouth to respond—
And Luffy's head thumped onto his shoulder, the younger boy having finally succumbed to sleep mid-conversation.
Ace looked at his brother, then at Satoru, and something in his chest loosened.
Brothers, he thought. I have brothers.
It was a strange feeling. But not a bad one.
Not bad at all.
(End of Chapter)
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