[Garp said from behind: "Wouldn't you know this kind of thing if you saw it alive?"]

The sea breeze ruffled Ace's black hair.

[The red-haired man who was beaten black and blue by himself lay in a pool of blood and said: "The captain answered me like this: 'What are you talking about? You were already born in this world...'"]

The waves hit the shore, splashing up waves of crystal mist, brushing against Ace's face, bringing a chill.

He looked at the almost arc-shaped horizon in the distance, and a fiery red sun rose slowly at the end of the sky.

[Many years ago, young Gol D. Roger pressed the straw hat on his head and came to the port of Roger Town. He said with a smile: "Hey, Rayleigh, how about coming with me to turn this world upside down?"

?”]

The rising sun smeared the sea surface at the end, and it seemed that a Roger with a cocked beard and a grin appeared, looking at Ace on the shore from a distance.

【"Do you want my treasure?"

【"Then let's go to the sea and look for it..."

【"I put everything there!"】

Boom!

The stormy waves crashed onto the shore, raising whitecaps and drowning out the wailing voice of the freckled boy.

【"What do other people do?"

["Since you are still alive, even if there is only one day left, live with your head held high!"]

"Asshole..."

Facing the boundless sea, Ace burst into tears for the first time since he was born, as if he was crying out all the sadness, unwillingness, and endless grievances that had accumulated in his heart.

"I will never... forgive you..."

The golden sun rose slowly over the horizon, smearing the sea like a long-haired woman emerging from the water. She looked back at Ace and smiled.

"Mother……"

Ace allowed himself to be weak and cried until he almost collapsed. He choked with sobs and even murmured to himself indistinctly, "I really want... to see you... just once..."

………………

………………

〖Another day, windmill village, port——〗

The pirates carried the goods to the ship and prepared to leave.

The village chief was very happy and drank two more glasses.

Maginot and some people came to the port. Shanks' face still had bandages and band-aids applied by Maginot herself.

As for Garp, he left here long ago and returned to his headquarters. He originally wanted to leave Luffy to be raised by Dadan and Ace... but with Tulip around, he obviously couldn't throw it away.

Tulip came with Luffy.

As agreed, Shanks informed Luffy before leaving.

"Luffy!" Beckman, Jesus Bu and others greeted each other on the ship and asked with a smile, "Can we talk now? Why did you give up on our ship? Don't you want to be a pirate?"

Shanks was about to get on the boat and looked back at Luffy with a smile.

"Of course I want to be a pirate!" Luffy shouted energetically to his friends on the boat, then walked up to Shanks and grinned, "But a ship can only have one captain, right? So I

I don’t want to get on your ship!”

["It's one thing to throw a drink at me, but it's another thing to bet on your life! It's one thing to bet on my own life, but it's one thing to bet on my friend's life..."]

[Standing in front of the bandits, the red-haired man under the straw hat looked seriously, "That is another matter! I will never let go of the guy who hurts my friends."]

"I see, you want to be the captain."

When Shanks heard this, he smiled. He had expected what Luffy would say, but when he heard the young man say it, he was still touched.

Luffy chuckled and said: "I will find a group of friends who are not inferior to you! Then I will become a pirate myself! Shanks, I will surpass you——"

The young man raised his fists and announced with high spirits.

"I want to become - the Pirate King!!!"

"..." Shanks smiled, "You want to surpass us and become the Pirate King... Ace will be unhappy when he hears it, right?"

Luffy stuck out his tongue and made a face and said, "I don't care!"

"That's right!" Shanks chuckled, and then took off the straw hat on his head, "This hat... was given to me by Captain Roger. It is my most cherished treasure. I now store it with you...

"

Poof, he put the straw hat on Luffy's head and pressed the boy's head, "When you don't need it, leave it to me like Captain Roger."

It was really time to say goodbye. Luffy finally couldn't help crying under the straw hat. He heard Shanks's smiling voice: "Do you have any objections, the future Pirate King?"

Luffy choked and said: "No..."

Tulip looked at this scene quietly with a smile from behind.

Shanks handed the straw hat to Luffy and turned to board his own pirate ship. Suddenly he caught a glimpse of a black-haired boy under a tree on the shore not far away, carrying the broken water pipe and raising his fingers from a distance.

Seems to be waving goodbye.

"..."

Shanks smiled slightly, raised his fist in that direction, and continued on the boat.

"Weigh anchor! Raise sail!"

"Let's go!"

"Oh ho~~~!!!"

The red-haired pirates' ship gradually moved away. At the port, Tulip walked up to Luffy, held down the straw hat on his head, and leaned against her side.

…………………………

In the afternoon, Luffy and his mother returned to their cabin in Mount Corpo, only to find a freckled boy carrying a water pipe already waiting for them on the hillside.

"Ace!" Luffy smiled and waved from a distance.

Ace did not sneer at his enthusiasm like he did before. He nodded to him and looked up at the tulip beside Luffy.

Tulip asked: "What's wrong? Do you have anything to do with me?"

"You are training him..." Ace was of course referring to Luffy. He said sincerely to Tulip, "Please train me too, I want to become stronger!"

Tulip said strangely: "Oh? I haven't made a move in front of you, right? How do you know..."

Ace was also startled, but Tulip smiled, "It seems that you, who are as sensitive as a girl, may be better at seeing, hearing, and sensual."

Ace didn't understand what eroticism was, but being said to look like a girl made him feel embarrassed - of course, mainly because after Luffy heard his mother's comments about Ace, he pointed at her very rudely.

Ace laughed wildly "Hahahaha".

Ace glared at Luffy angrily, who quickly shut his mouth.

"If they are Luffy's friends," Tulip said to herself thoughtfully, "then it's not impossible to train together..."

"..." Ace was speechless and looked at Luffy. He slowly removed the straw hat from the other person's head, looked into his eyes, and then stretched out his hand, "My name is Ace, Portcas. D. Ai

"

Luffy, who was wearing a straw hat, didn't mind at all. He held his hand and said with a smile, "My name is Luffy, Monkey D. Luffy."

Tulip looked at the two teenagers holding hands and smiled happily.
Chapter completed!