“But the good times didn’t last long.
Sabo had to go to sea early because of his father.
When he encountered the Celestial Dragons during their visit, his ship was sunk by them for amusement.
Fortunately, he was saved by a passing Monkey D.
Dragon, who took him back to train.”
Hearing this, Dragon finally understood a little.
No wonder it was said he would train Luffy’s brother—so that’s how it happened.
But at this moment, he hadn’t even met Sabo yet.
Kaelin: “Sabo’s ‘death’ was a huge blow to both of them.
A few years later, Ace went to sea first, ate the Mera Mera no Mi, and became a rising star among pirates as soon as he entered the Grand Line, even forming his own pirate crew.”
“Then he sailed all the way into the New World.
His goal was the Pirate King title, so he challenged the strongest man in the world at the time—Edward Newgate… You should know what happened next.
Ace didn’t win.
After repeated defeats, he was eventually convinced by Whitebeard’s strength and became his adopted son.”
“In fact, Whitebeard also knew Ace’s identity.
He deliberately took him in as a son to protect him, so he wouldn’t be killed by other Four Emperors in the New World.”
Roger couldn’t help but feel moved.
He hadn’t expected that after his death, those rivals and comrades alike would actually protect his son.
Kaelin: “But again, the good times didn’t last long.
A traitor appeared in the Whitebeard Pirates—Marshall D.
Teach.
He killed a division commander and stole a Devil Fruit.
Since Teach was a member of Ace’s division, as the captain, it was naturally Ace’s responsibility to capture him.”
“But Teach had been hiding his strength all along, deliberately staying within Whitebeard’s crew.
The rest is pretty clear.
Ace was defeated and captured by Teach, who, knowing Ace’s identity, exchanged him with the World Government for the position of Shichibukai.”
“Right after that, the Summit War of Marineford broke out.
Sengoku used Ace as bait, publicly executing him like Roger, in order to deter pirates and lure the Whitebeard Pirates into action.”
“Then the Whitebeard Pirates mobilized everything they had.
They were nearly wiped out trying to save him.
Ace was almost rescued, but in order to protect Monkey D.
Luffy—who came to save him—he blocked a fatal blow from Sakazuki.”
“So in the end, both Ace and Whitebeard died.
The Whitebeard Pirates were nearly destroyed, Luffy survived thanks to protagonist luck… and that’s it.”
Kaelin: “If you want my evaluation—Ace was a good man.
He went to sea for freedom and dreams, not for plunder like other pirates.
He valued loyalty and bonds.
But he also inherited Roger’s impulsiveness and stubbornness.
His death… was a tragedy.”
After hearing the full story, the two fathers in the group fell silent.
Luffy nearly died trying to save his brother.
Ace gave his life to save his brother.
Either way, they were both worthy of pride.
As a father, Roger could only feel proud.
But there was one thing he absolutely could not accept.
As if sensing that Roger couldn’t ask directly, Nico Robin spoke first.
Historian: “So what happened to that Blackbeard, Teach?”
Kaelin knew she was a pirate and patiently explained.
Kaelin: “Blackbeard is a real pirate.
After trading Ace for the Shichibukai title, when the war began and Sengoku summoned the Seven Warlords to deal with Whitebeard, Blackbeard didn’t go.”
“He had just betrayed Whitebeard and lacked manpower, so instead he went to Impel Down using his Shichibukai authority and recruited a group of powerful criminals as his new crew.”
“Then he appeared at the perfect moment—when both Whitebeard and the Marines were heavily wounded.
He personally killed Whitebeard, the man he had once called ‘old man’ for decades, and then used his unique body and the power of the Yami Yami no Mi to seize Whitebeard’s Tremor Fruit.”
“At that point, Blackbeard’s entire plan was complete—use Ace as bait, recruit powerful allies, destroy the Whitebeard Pirates, and seize the power.”
“After that, with a vacancy among the Four Emperors of the New World, he took the position himself with his dual Devil Fruit powers and became the biggest winner of the war.”
“This is exactly what I was talking about earlier—someone will always fill the role of the Four Emperors.
If Whitebeard falls, there will be a Blackbeard.
The World Government doesn’t care about this at all.
The only ones who get anxious are the Marines, who act in the name of justice.”
“The World Government just sits back and watches the dogs fight each other.”
His son and his friend died tragically.
And their killer became a Yonko.
How could Roger possibly accept that?!
Crack!
Roger, who had been standing by the window, unconsciously slammed his hand down in rage.
The wall beneath the windowsill shattered from the force of his palm, startling Portgas D.
Rouge, who had just lain down again.
“What’s wrong?”
Rouge hurried over.
“Is something bothering you?”
Roger shook his head… then nodded.
He looked up at Rouge and said,
“It’s not safe to stay here any longer.
The Marines may already know my whereabouts.
We have to leave immediately.”
His gaze fell on her slightly swollen belly, and his expression hardened with resolve.
“I will protect you… and Ace.
No matter what.”