“Ace, shut up.”

Sabo smacked Ace on the back of the head.

Although he was curious himself, he knew that asking why a pirate crew had lost their flag was tantamount to courting death.

Sabo looked apologetically at Red-Haired Shanks, stepping in to apologize for Ace’s behavior.

Facing one of the legendary Four Emperors, Sabo dared not be disrespectful.

The weight of the Four Emperors, as they’d witnessed on the Sabaody Archipelago, had already elevated their status in his heart to the pinnacle.

“Sorry, sorry,” Ace said sheepishly, scratching his head as he realized his mistake.

Fortunately, Shanks was an easygoing man and didn’t take offense.

“So, you came to visit me. Does that mean you’re here to use me as a stepping stone?” Shanks asked, studying Ace seriously.

Among pirates, a visit often signified a challenge.

“No, no!” Ace waved his hands frantically.

“Then what are you here for?” Shanks asked, sounding annoyed. He certainly didn’t think they were here to pledge loyalty.

In the past, when they were kids, Ace hadn’t been interested in him. Shanks wasn’t about to assume things had changed.

“Are you here because of Kuke? Hoping to ask me about the current whereabouts of the Sun and Moon Pirates?” Shanks could only think of this possibility.

“Not that either. Mr. Kuke—I’ll find him myself, but not now,” Ace replied.

The six-month journey through the Grand Line had matured Ace greatly, adding a commanding air to his demeanor.

“Oh?” Shanks asked, intrigued. “What’s your plan?”

“I want to meet Mr. Kuke at the top. I will become one of the Four Emperors,” Ace declared his goal.

To Ace, becoming one of the Four Emperors was equivalent to reaching the pinnacle, where he could stand as an equal to Kuke.

“Ha!”

Lucky Roux couldn’t suppress his laughter.

“Hmph, I’ll prove you wrong!” Ace snapped, assuming they were mocking his ambition to become one of the Four Emperors.

“Apologies, apologies. We were just thinking of something funny,” Yasopp quickly explained, glancing at Ace with a hint of sympathy.

Become a Four Emperor and think you’re on Kuke’s level?

You’re overestimating the title of Four Emperor.

If not for Shanks himself being one of the Four Emperors, they might have bluntly pointed this out.

“Dreams should not be mocked,” Shanks said sternly, silencing his crew’s laughter.

Then he turned back to Ace, curious. “So, how do you plan to become one of the Four Emperors?”

“By taking one of them down and replacing them, of course,” Ace said boldly. “I’ve got my sights set on Whitebeard.”

Whitebeard’s reputation far surpassed that of Kaido. If Ace were to challenge someone, it would be the strongest.

Shanks opened his mouth as if to say something but hesitated.

He wanted to warn Ace that Whitebeard wasn’t to be trifled with, but then thought better of it.

This was Ace’s path to walk.

And besides, Shanks was certain that if Ace’s connection to Kuke became known, Whitebeard would hold back.

“Well, I’ll wait for your good news. For now… let’s have a banquet!”

“Yeah!”

Three days later, after leaving the Red-Haired Pirates’ territory:

“No wonder they’re one of the Four Emperors. Even though they didn’t show any strength, every one of them felt terrifyingly strong,” Sabo said, his heart still racing as he recalled the scene on the island where Shanks’ drunken crew lay sprawled in various states of disarray.

“This just makes it more interesting,” Ace said, full of fighting spirit.

Two months later.

Whitebeard’s Territory

“You all go. Leave the rest to me.”

Ace’s body swayed unsteadily as he faced Whitebeard.

A fierce battle—or rather, a brief one-sided fight—had left Ace utterly defeated.

Despite giving it everything he had, Whitebeard had crushed him with ease, without even using the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.

In the New World, Ace’s Haki had improved considerably, and he believed he could hold his own against the sea’s monsters.

But this…

It was as if he were facing Akainu again—no chance, no hope.

The gap was like that between heaven and earth.

“If we’re going to die, we’ll die together,” Sabo said, wobbling as he stood alongside Ace with the rest of their crew, determined not to abandon him.

“Gurarara!”

Whitebeard chuckled, looking at Ace and his crew with admiration.

Reaching out a massive hand, he uttered his iconic phrase: “Be my son.”

Ace: “???”

Sabo: “…..”

The Black and White Pirates: “…..”

Even Whitebeard’s crew, including Marco, looked on warmly at Ace and his companions.

They recognized their strength, character, and unwavering camaraderie.

“You’re joking, right? Be your son?!” Ace yelled in fury.

He’d lost, but this was too much.

“Gurarara… Unless you can defeat me, there’s no chance of leaving,” Whitebeard said, his giant hand reaching for Ace.

“Fire Fist!”

Ace gathered the last of his strength, unleashing a massive fire punch, only for Whitebeard to casually extinguish it with a single hand.

Grabbing Ace by the collar, Whitebeard hoisted him into the air.

No matter how hard Ace struggled, he couldn’t break free from Whitebeard’s grasp.

“Damn it! Let me go! Let me go!”

Ace flailed wildly, but his punches and kicks had no effect.

“Everyone, please come aboard. Soon, we’ll be brothers and crewmates,” Marco said with a smile, addressing Sabo and the rest of the crew.

Sabo, ready to fight to the death, looked at Marco, at Whitebeard effortlessly holding Ace, and at the sheer disparity between their strength and that of the Whitebeard Pirates.

“It’s too soon. The gap between us and the Four Emperors is still too vast,” Sabo sighed in defeat, following Marco onto the ship without resistance.

“Let me go! I’ll never be your son!” Ace continued to struggle.

“That’s not for you to decide.”

The more Ace resisted, the more interested Whitebeard became, refusing to let him go.

“Gurarara! Onto the ship!”

As Whitebeard led his crew back to their ship, Ace finally panicked.

If he boarded that ship, he knew escaping would be almost impossible.

“Let me go! Kill me if you must, but I’ll never be your son! If I become your son, my dream will never come true!” Ace shouted, putting all his strength into his words.

Whitebeard looked down at the fiery-eyed youth in his grasp.

“A dream? What’s your dream? As my son, carrying my name, you can still achieve your dream. This sea is vast enough to carry all dreams,” Whitebeard said.

“No! If I become your son, my dream is over! I want to become one of the Four Emperors! I want to stand as an emperor like Mr. Kuke! I promised him I’d meet him at the pinnacle of the seas!” Ace roared, his voice echoing in the air.

The moment Ace’s words reached their ears, the entire Whitebeard Pirates crew fell silent.

Marco and the others stopped smiling.

Even the admiration in Whitebeard’s gaze froze.

“Kid, what did you just say?” Whitebeard asked, staring at Ace in shock.

Ace repeated his dream, his voice unwavering.

The Whitebeard Pirates were left speechless.

Silence enveloped the scene.

Marco and the others instinctively distanced themselves from Sabo and the Black and White Pirates, feeling an inexplicable unease.

“Well said. Go on, then,” Whitebeard muttered, setting Ace down and giving him a gentle kick that sent him back to Sabo.

Without another word, Whitebeard turned and boarded his ship, followed by his crew.

Not a single word was said about making Ace his son.

Lying at Sabo’s feet, Ace stared dumbfounded at the departing Whitebeard Pirates.

“Sabo, what just happened?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep