Chapter 72: Convincing Ace
"Hey, Ace, you hate your father, don't you? You hate the suffering he brought to this sea."
Kain knocked Ace down, but Ace had already forgotten to get up.
He was dumbfounded, his eyes wide with shock: "You know who my father is?"
Kain nodded and revealed a secret that shocked everyone present: "Gol D. Roger. Of course, he has a more famous nickname, Pirate King!"
"Hmph?!"
Everyone's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
This kid is Pirate King Roger's descendant?!
They had never heard of such a thing!
But judging from Kain and Ace's expressions, it didn't seem fake.
"The Pirate King's son living in the hometown of a Marine hero—this—no way—"
Violet kept swallowing, terrified by her own conjecture.
She felt like she had stumbled upon some incredible secret.
As a princess, she had grown up exposed to the inner workings of the government and was not ignorant of the shady dealings among high-ranking officials.
"Yes, I hate him. Roger is a scumbag!"
Ace made no secret of his hatred. The title of Roger's son had never brought him glory; it had only brought Curse and death.
His mother, Roux, sacrificed herself to protect him.
He was born with original sin!
"That's not true! In Oden's diary, Roger could sometimes be irritable and willful, but he was sincere and cared for his companions. He was definitely not a scumbag."
Yamato retorted.
Oden's diary recorded his travels with Roger and spoke highly of Roger.
"Don't joke around!"
Ace was not afraid of Yamato, who was over a meter taller than him, and shouted, "Do you know how many lives were ruined by the Great Pirate Era he started?"
How wonderful.
Two people who were both dissatisfied with their fathers actually started arguing.
Kain found it somewhat amusing.
In the original work, Ace was Yamato's only good friend.
"Then, Ace, do you want to try to end this era?"
Kain bent down and offered his hand to Ace, smiling as if he were just discussing what to have for afternoon tea.
Ace was not simply resigned; deep down, he still had a tenacious will to survive and wanted to save himself.
The appearance of Sabo and Luffy gave him the first reason to live: to take care of his younger brothers.
In the future, the appearance of Whitebeard gave him a second reason to live: to make his father the Pirate King.
Now, it was his turn, Big Brother Kain, to intervene as the third party.
"What?"
Ace was stunned.
"Since you hate the Great Pirate Era your father started so much, then go overthrow it. Go establish a peaceful new order, and prove that you are much stronger than your father."
Kain's smile remained unchanged: "Starting with the father, ending with the son, isn't that interesting? It's better than you wallowing in self-pity here, isn't it?"
Ace's pupils dilated.
He had never thought of this path. If he really did it—"No need to rush your answer. I'll be here for a few more days," Kain said with a smile.
Ace hesitated repeatedly, then reached out and grasped the hand Kain offered.
"Before you leave, I'll give you an answer."
With that, Ace limped away from the open space.
"Ace, wait for me!"
At this moment, Luffy finally emerged from the forest and trotted after Ace.
Mount Corvo, not far from Windmill Village.
Looking at the huge wooden house in the distance, Ace felt a bit lost.
He had wanted to find a quiet place to think about his future life, but somehow, he had unconsciously walked here.
Just then, a woman with orange curly hair led a group of fully armed subordinates out.
"It's Ace and Luffy, Big Sister Dadan!"
A sharp-eyed subordinate shouted excitedly.
"You two brats, you're still alive!"
Dadan took a deep drag from her cigarette and shouted fiercely, "Saved me the trouble of collecting your corpses."
Seeing Ace and Luffy, the woman's hanging heart finally relaxed.
Earlier, after hearing her subordinate say that the Beasts Pirates had landed on the island, she had been worried about their safety.
Given Ace and Luffy's temperaments, it would be hard for them not to cause trouble.
That was also why she had brought her subordinates out.
"Come in and eat!"
Dadan grumbled, "If you two brats starve to death, that old scoundrel Garp will definitely come looking for trouble with me."
"Alright!" Luffy was the first to respond.
"Idiot, aren't you full? Didn't you just finish eating at the tavern?"
Ace rubbed his forehead, speechless.
"Is that so? I forgot. Hehe." Luffy rubbed his stomach: "After fighting that guy, I feel so hungry."
"With whom?" Dadan stopped, her brows furrowed. She then realized the dirt and mess on their bodies didn't seem to be from fighting wild beasts.
"That—um—that?"
Luffy frowned, deep in thought, for a long time: "I forgot!"
Thud! Everyone fell over.
"Are you a fish?" Ace roared: "It's Kain, Heavenly Disaster Kain!"
"What? The one from the Beasts Pirates?" Dadan was shocked.
She quickly ushered Ace and Luffy inside and instructed her subordinates to guard the gate.
"Did you really fight Heavenly Disaster Kain?" Dadan asked impatiently.
In her heart, she found it a bit hard to believe.
After all, two children challenging a world-renowned pirate and coming out unscathed—it sounded like a fairy tale.
"Yes." Luffy nodded directly, exclaiming, "That guy is really strong; he knocked me flying in one hit."
"But I'll win it back eventually."
Luffy was full of confidence.
Dadan felt like her world was collapsing.
"You two, don't go anywhere now. Just stay here! No bargaining allowed!"
Dadan didn't dare to gamble on the kindness of Kain's group.
All she could do was hide Ace and Luffy until Garp arrived.
Ace had never seen Dadan like this before.
Her eyes were firm, with a hint of resolve.
He suddenly realized that this woman, who had always acted as if she resented the three brothers, perhaps loved them deep down.
Ace's heart suddenly paused.
He suddenly understood that he had already made up his mind, but he just couldn't bear to leave Dadan and her family.
"Thank you, Dadan, and everyone else. Thank you for taking care of us all these years."
Ace's sudden gratitude startled Dadan.
"What nonsense are you talking about, you little brat!"
Dadan dramatically shivered, as if she were cold.
"I've decided, I'm joining the Beasts Pirates!" Ace said decisively.
Dadan's world completely collapsed.
"You, you, what did you say?"
Dadan was so shocked her mouth hung open, and she didn't even notice her cigarette falling to the ground.
"I'm going to sea with Kain to end this era," Ace emphasized.
"Are you crazy?"
Dadan grabbed Ace's collar, trying to find a trace of hesitation in his eyes. Unfortunately, there was none.
"I'm going to end my father's sins."
Ace gazed firmly into Dadan's eyes.
The hands gripping Ace's collar slowly loosened. Dadan knew she couldn't stop the young man.