Time…
It passed.
Day after day.
In the blink of an eye, three days had already gone by.
The submarine carrying Luo Lan now floated merely 300 meters away from Ace's raft, never once straying far. They'd been monitoring his condition the entire time.
"Colonel," Ian said with concern, "he's reaching his limit. If Ace were to… well…"
After all, that was Vice Admiral Garp's grandson. If their own colonel ended up pushing him to his death out here…
If Garp lost control, not even an admiral might be able to stop him.
The mere thought of it was terrifying.
"Not yet," Luo Lan said calmly. "We wait a little longer."
---
On the raft…
Ace was completely spent. Every ounce of strength had left his body.
Damn it… Am I really going to fall here?
His gaze shifted to the flare gun beside him.
No. Absolutely not. I'm going to become the Pirate King. How could I—
"Ace, you're selfish."
A voice echoed in his mind.
It was a memory—his ten-year-old self yelling at Luo Lan, full of passion, declaring his dream of becoming a pirate, no, the Pirate King.
Luo Lan, only thirteen at the time, had worn a look of quiet disappointment.
"Ace, you're selfish."
"Why would you say that?" he'd shouted back.
"Why? Have you ever considered what'll happen to old man Garp if you become a pirate?"
Ace had fallen silent then too.
"Let me make a prediction," Luo Lan had said.
"When you first set out, Garp will cover for you from within the Navy. Even if you're wanted, he'll make sure the higher-ups don't send strong forces after you."
"But as your infamy grows, he'll realize that protecting you like this is only driving you toward death. So eventually, he'll swallow his pride and beg the higher-ups for a way to keep you alive."
"Maybe something like making you a Shichibukai. In his eyes, that might be the perfect way to shield you from the Navy's wrath."
"Of course, knowing you, you'd reject the offer outright."
"Then you'll enter the New World. Naturally, you'll go straight for the strongest man there—Whitebeard. After all, you want to be the Pirate King."
"But…"
"You'll lose. And you'll lose badly."
"And just like that, Whitebeard—who loves taking in 'sons'—will accept you as one of his own. He treats his sons well, and before long, you'll be completely won over. You might even reveal your true lineage to him."
"Under his protection, you'll experience something like fatherly love. You might live peacefully for a while, but…"
"Your identity will always be a ticking time bomb. There are no secrets that last forever in this world."
"All it'll take is one strong individual to capture you and hand you over to the World Government. Then what do you think will happen?"
"A full-scale war. Whitebeard will go to battle with the Navy. You'll become a symbol, a trophy for the World Government to display to the world. They'll execute you publicly."
"Yes, the Yonko are powerful. But one Yonko alone, going up against the full might of the Navy? Sorry. He won't be able to save you. He'll die trying. All your crewmates in the Whitebeard Pirates—they'll die too."
"Not to mention that idiot Luffy will definitely rush in to save you, and Garp will be torn apart inside. No matter what decision he makes, it'll destroy him."
"Everyone who cares about you will die because of you."
"Only one person will gain from it all—the one who hands you over to the World Government. They'll sit back, enjoy the spoils, and rise to become the next Yonko."
"So tell me… are you really not selfish? Not foolish?"
Back then, ten-year-old Ace had scoffed at Luo Lan's wild predictions.
But now—at seventeen—he'd matured. And as he lay on that raft, exhausted and barely conscious, the truth hit him like a wave.
Everything Luo Lan had said…
It could all come true.
This age of pirates—this era—had been started by that man. The man Ace hated most.
So why? Why do I still want to be a pirate so badly? To become Pirate King?
Ace felt his awareness slipping. His thoughts spiraled inward, piercing into his very soul.
Was Luo Lan right? Am I just trying to surpass Roger out of some childish rebellion?
And then—another memory resurfaced. Luo Lan's voice, once again.
"Ace, surpassing Roger doesn't mean you have to walk the path of piracy."
"If you end this pirate era—the one Roger began—with your own hands, isn't that a greater form of victory?"
"Isn't that the ultimate way to defeat him?"
Yes… yes, ending this era myself… wouldn't that be the same as defeating him?
If the goal is the same… then why do I have to walk a path that leads to everyone's destruction?
Maybe… just maybe… I can choose a different way…
With trembling hands, Ace reached for the flare gun.
He raised it slowly—painfully—toward the sky.
And then—
He pulled the trigger.
A bright red light soared high into the heavens.