A thunderclap exploded in Ace's mind—he never expected Katie's first words to be that.
He wanted to leave—desperately so. Ever since stepping into this place, he had longed to escape.
But this wasn't just any place—it was the world's greatest prison, Impel Down. Even if Pops (Whitebeard) came personally, he might not be able to rescue him. In fact, Ace didn't want his father to show up at all. The reason he had stayed alive up to now was to lure him out. He didn't want his father to fall into danger because of him.
"You… you're willing to break me out?"
Ace didn't even realize that his voice was trembling. The shock came too suddenly—so much so that he couldn't react for a moment.
Before this, he had indeed thought about pleading with Katie. But Katie had always shown disdain for the pleas of others, so Ace had given up on the idea.
Who would've thought that just when he gave up, Katie would come to him instead? This unexpected offer truly stunned him.
"I'm willing to let you go. But—you'll need to agree to a few things."
Hearing Katie's answer, the excitement in Ace's heart gradually cooled. Of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch. This person had no relationship with him—there's no way he'd help for nothing.
"If what you want threatens Pops… if it threatens the Whitebeard Pirates… then forget it. No matter what it is, I won't agree!"
At that moment, Ace assumed Katie was someone eyeing Whitebeard's position. Without even asking, he rejected him outright.
"Mr. Ace, I haven't even said what I want you to agree to. Why are you assuming I mean harm to Whitebeard? For all you know, I might be your ally."
Katie looked helpless. Did he really look that much like a bad guy? Ace rejected him without even listening.
"Mr. Katie, what exactly do you want Ace to agree to?"
This time, it was Jinbe who spoke. From the moment Katie appeared, his eyes had been locked onto him. Now, he couldn't help but ask.
"It's simple. After I help him escape, he must not expose his whereabouts or let anyone recognize him—because I will take his place here."
"Wh-what kind of joke is that?!"
Katie's casual tone was totally unconvincing. Both Ace and Jinbe thought he was joking.
"I'm serious. I'm not joking."
His tone was still light, but his eyes were clear and unwavering.
"Why? Why would you go to such lengths?"
Ace couldn't understand. He didn't even know this young man in front of him—someone younger than himself. No matter how he thought about it, there was no reason for him to do this. It was unnecessary.
Not to mention how he would impersonate him—just facing the danger alone would drive someone to despair. What awaited Ace was no sanctuary, but a public execution.
"Because I promised Luffy I'd rescue you."
Ace froze. He hadn't expected the reason to be Luffy. Hearing that name, warmth surged in his heart.
"Luffy… is he okay?"
Even though he was in a dire situation, Ace couldn't help worrying about his little brother.
"He's fine. Though Magellan gave him a hell of a beating, he found a way to detox. He'll wake up soon."
Hearing that, Ace finally felt a bit more at ease. As long as Luffy was okay, that was enough.
"Then why not just let me escape? Wouldn't that solve everything?"
Even so, Ace couldn't understand why Katie had to impersonate him. There were clearly safer options—why not take them?
"Because I want to see the war begin."
"Why? What good does a war do for you?"
As soon as Katie spoke, Jinbe snapped back angrily.
Clearly, he couldn't understand Katie's reasoning. War only brought disaster and destruction—what good could possibly come from it?
"As a pirate, do we really need a reason to start a war?"
Faced with their questions, Katie gave them an irrefutable answer. At this point, it was the only thing he could say—he absolutely couldn't reveal the existence of the system.
Still, the excuse turned out to be surprisingly effective. As pirates, no one ever needed a reason to start a war—just like you don't need a reason to fall in love with someone.
"You're using Pops… using the Whitebeard Pirates!"
The most outraged one was actually Jinbe, the Sea Knight and one of the Seven Warlords. As a Fishman, he had seen too many tragedies brought by war.
That's why he was so against the upcoming war—and why the Marines had imprisoned him here.
So when he heard Katie's reason, he reacted the most violently.
Ace, on the other hand, was much calmer.
Back when he first set out, he was also like this—fearless, even challenging Whitebeard head-on. So he could somewhat understand Katie's thinking.
Katie laughed—Jinbe's words amused him.
"Using? Jinbe, do you really think I'm using Whitebeard?"
"Isn't that what you're doing?!"
Jinbe was furious at Katie's "lack of self-awareness."
"Fine then, let me ask you—if it weren't for me, would this war not happen?"
Before Jinbe could respond, Katie followed up:
"If I weren't here, do you really think Ace would survive?"
"If I weren't here, do you really think Whitebeard could survive? I heard there's a prophet named Madam Shyarly on Fishman Island. Don't tell me she didn't predict what's coming next. You should know better than I do what she said."
"Otherwise, you wouldn't be in here!"
"Compared to Whitebeard, isn't my own situation even more dangerous? So tell me—how exactly am I using Whitebeard?"
"Jinbe, is that true? Did Madam Shyarly really make a prophecy about Pops? What was it? Tell me now—Jinbe!"
Hearing Katie's words, Ace couldn't stay calm anymore. Since the moment he was defeated by Blackbeard, he had already steeled himself for the worst.
The only thing he couldn't accept was his family being hurt because of him.
Faced with Ace's question, Jinbe fell silent.
He didn't know how to answer—because everything Katie said was true. That was exactly why he had opposed this war with all his might.
"Katie, I'll do whatever you want—just please, let me out."
In that moment, fury erupted in Ace's heart. Jinbe's silence had told him everything. He couldn't let this happen—no one was allowed to target his father. Not Kaido, not the Marines—no one.
Determined, Ace pleaded with Katie to let him go. He had to leave. He had to fight. He had to protect the pride of the Whitebeard Pirates.
That heart, once dormant, was blazing once more.