Bloodline and Conviction: Sengoku's Decision!

Ace clenched his fists tightly, blood seeping from the bandages trickling down his knuckles and dripping onto the floor, like a silent yet sharp accusation.

Roy looked at him quietly, his gaze steady.

He knew that Ace wasn't regretting killing the Pirates.

He was wavering.

What's wavering is the cursed "bloodline" within one's own body.

--The bloodline of "Pirate King".

--The identity of "Son of Evil".

--The weight of "Destroying the Family".

These heavy shackles were suffocating 16-year-old Ace.

Roy remained silent, walked up to Ace, and gently placed his hand on Ace's shoulder.

His voice was deep, yet possessed a power that pierced the heart. "Ace."

"The Whitebeard Pirates have had too much blood on their hands for decades."

"They played house and held banquets on the deck every day, with mountains of wine, Barbecue, jewels, and women."

"But do you know where those things came from?"

"They were all stolen!"

"It was plunder, burning and killing, massacre of cities, and the destruction of countless ordinary families that brought about this!"

Ace looked up, the confusion in his eyes not yet completely gone.

Roy's voice grew colder, yet every word struck Ace's heart like a hammer blow:

"What you killed was not some 'warm and loving family'."

"You killed pirates who led their ships to sweep through Harbor and villages, slaughtered all resistance fighters, and kidnapped countless civilians into Pirate!!"

He paused, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing straight into Ace's deepest self-reproach:

"They wear the cloak of 'home,' yet live more savagely than any ferocious beast."

"Whitebeard was never a hero; his family was merely his last fig leaf."

Ace's eyes flickered with a slight fire, his fingers clenched tightly, but the gloom that had been lingering in his heart was finally burned away by these words.

He murmured softly, "Don't worry, Roy..."

I'm not really confused.

"I was just thinking... what if I weren't 'Roger's son'..."

"Wouldn't that make things less agonizing...?"

Before the words had even finished --

"Smack!"

Roy slapped him hard on the back of the head, glaring at him angrily.

"What kind of bullshit bloodline theory are you trying to spout?!"

Stop spouting this nonsense!

Ace was taken aback, subconsciously scratching the back of his head, his face full of astonishment.

Roy roared, "Is it wrong just because you're the child of Pirate?!"

"I raised you!"

"It's that kid in the small navy uniform, standing on the Training Ground, earnestly pumping his fist and shouting 'Justice' at me!"

"You are Marine Captain Fire Fist Ace —a soldier who grew up in a marine camp, has seen the smiles of villagers, knows what civilians want, and will protect civilians from Pirates!!"

"He's Luffy's older brother, he's my younger brother!!"

"What does it matter who your son is?!"

"What the hell does this have to do with any bloodline?!"

Ace was stunned, his eyes glowing red, but not with sadness.

It was an emotion called "letting go," which quietly erupted in my heart.

He watched as Roy feigned "uncontrollable rage" and finally burst out laughing.

"Haha... Okay, okay, I was wrong."

He raised his head, his gaze burning with intensity, flames raging deep within his eyes:

"I see."

"I'm not taking on this responsibility because I'm Roger's son."

"It's because I'm in the Navy—that I have to bear all of this."

Roy stared at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"That's more like it..."

The two smiled at each other as the wind blew in through the window, bringing with it the slightly heavy yet refreshing air of the post-war night.

The warmth of the flames rekindled the silence that had gripped the medical room.

Warship Communications Room

Ace followed Roy as he pushed open the door and entered.

Inside the communications room, Sakazuki and Enel were seated at one side of a long table, in front of which sat a uniquely shaped, specially made Visual Den Den Mushi equipped with anti-jamming devices.

Sakazuki looked up and gestured for the two to sit down.

"Click--"

As the anti-eavesdropping switch is activated, the Den Den Mushi's eye projects a steady beam of image, displaying a panoramic view of the Marine Headquarters Fleet Admiral's Office at the Naval Headquarters.

Sengoku, Tsuru, Zephyr, Kuzan stood in a row, each with a different expression, but all were solemn and dignified.

Sengoku's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, deep and serious. "Sakazuki has just given me a general overview of the situation."

"Roy..."

"What exactly happened? Is Whitebeard... really dead?"

Roy remained calm, his hands clasped together, his tone as firm as iron. "We originally came here to track down intelligence about an important fruit, to bring Ace in for the trade."

However, the Whitebeard Pirates intervened along the way, Teach tried to steal the Devil Fruit, leading to a conflict.

"After Whitebeard arrived, he disregarded Teach's crimes and led his forces to protect and attack our navy."

"The situation has escalated. I had Ace contact nearby reinforcements. Admiral Sakazuki and Rear Admiral Enel happened to be clearing out Pirate crews nearby and quickly arrived at the battle zone."

"During the battle, Teach, in order to seize the Devil Fruit, ambushed and killed Whitebeard, the Fourth Division Commander under Thatch."

"Surrounded by three men, I decided to seize this excellent opportunity to implement a plan for total annihilation."

Final result: Whitebeard died in battle after triggering a tsunami; the Pirate captain was killed, more than half of the crew escaped, Marco and Teach were captured alive, and the island sank.

Sengoku remained silent for a few seconds.

He spoke slowly, his voice low but without reproach. "Well done..."

"But with Whitebeard's death, the balance of the New World will be completely shattered."

Tsuru followed closely behind, her tone grave. "Now is not the time to discuss success or failure. Although Whitebeard is Pirate, he maintains the 'vicious order' of the New World to some extent."

"With his death, the territory, power, and protective umbrella that are vacated... will become the beginning of a bloody plunder."

Zephyr nodded in agreement, his voice low. "We should immediately deploy defenses in the former 'Whitebeard -flagged waters' to prioritize the protection of innocent civilians."

"Otherwise, the flames of Pirate will only burn brighter and brighter."

Sakazuki scoffed dismissively, "Over the years, Whitebeard hasn't been protecting civilians, but countless Pirates and drug dealers."

"Now is a good opportunity; we should press on and wipe out all the remaining forces in one fell swoop."

"If we let these people continue to run rampant, who knows what kind of bandit they'll support next?"

Kuzan leaned against the edge of the screen, hands in his pockets, and lazily uttered:

"Well, ultimately, the most pressing issue right now... is what the remaining 'emperors' will do."

"Kaido, Big Mom, Red-Hair..."

The heated discussion led to a temporary stalemate.

But as the ultimate decision-maker, Sengoku finally made the decision, his tone calm and firm. "You all return to headquarters first, and we'll discuss the specifics upon your return."

Kuzan led his fleet to deploy defenses at Whitebeard's territory, while Tsuru contacted the intelligence network to assist in the cleanup.

"The New World must not be in chaos; the safety of civilians must be the top priority."

At this point, Sengoku's sharp gaze fixed on Roy; the Buddha Form's wisdom allowed him to keenly grasp the key point:

"The 'important fruit' you just mentioned..."

Do you need me to clear up your information leads?

Roy nodded slightly and returned the greeting solemnly. "I entrust this to you, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

Sengoku nodded slightly, then flicked his finger, and the image vanished.

Click.

The call ended, and the communications room returned to silence.

Enel turned to look at Roy, half-teasingly. "An important Devil Fruit? Something that catches your eye must be something special..."

Roy smiled faintly and remained silent, his gaze as deep and unfathomable as the sea.

Sakazuki stood up, leaving with the words, "You're already at the forefront; don't let me down."