Meeting the Wrong Person at the Wrong Time

South Blue, Baterilla Island.

Inside a private residence, Portgas D. Rouge lay on the bed, her belly swollen high. Her already delicate face now carried an added trace of tension.

To keep the child in her womb from being killed, she had remained pregnant for a full twenty-two months.

Originally, at the twenty-month mark, as the Navy and World Government eased their manhunt across the South Blue, she had nearly begun to relax.

But who could have expected that a new group of CP agents would suddenly appear in her area, searching for someone matching her physical description?

Her heart immediately leaped into her throat, and she forced herself to endure for another two months.

She could already feel that her body had almost reached its limit. She had even fallen unconscious a few days ago.

Rouge was no longer sure whether she could successfully give birth to the child.

She had never regretted doing this so much.

If she had initially done it out of love for that man, then as she felt the life within her womb slowly growing, she had come to love the little life with all her heart.

This was a little life she had nurtured.

No matter what, she hoped the little one could enter the world safely and grow up healthy and unharmed.

This was now Rouge's only remaining wish.

Yesterday, she had overheard someone speaking quietly outside her door.

Those hunting her said that if they still could not find anyone by tomorrow, they would prepare to withdraw.

She had not left the house recently. Even her meals were delivered by the little girl next door.

This was how she had survived the previous manhunt in the South Blue, so this time, she did not think she had been exposed either.

As long as she held on for one more day, she could ask her neighbor for help—find someone to deliver the child and have them help look after it.

Her neighbor was a very kind old woman who had already taken in several orphans from the village. They had always been close, and she would surely help care for the child in her womb.

That would be enough.

As Rouge thought about it, a happy smile appeared on her face.

But the smile did not last long. A knock at the door sent it plunging into the depths.

Who was it?

Rouge covered her mouth and stared at the door in terror.

At this hour, the neighbor next door would never come looking for her.

As for everyone else on the island, they all thought she had already left. They had no idea she was still on the island.

How could someone possibly come at a time like this? Was it one of the people hunting her?

"Excuse me."

A gentle male voice came from outside. Then the door was pushed open, and sunlight poured into the sealed-up house, making it difficult for Rouge to open her eyes.

To deal with sudden inspections, Rouge had long since shut the doors and windows and drawn the curtains, making the place look completely unoccupied.

Now, for the first time, an unfamiliar outsider had pushed his way in, leaving Rouge tense to the extreme.

Footsteps sounded beside her ears, seeming to stop in front of the bed.

By then, Rouge's eyes had adjusted to the sunlight, and her gaze settled on the uninvited guest who had entered.

He was a handsome, tall man, like a prince from a fairy tale, like an elegant nobleman.

The man before her was different from every other man she had known.

Even the prince of the kingdom to which Baterilla Island belonged was not as dazzling as this man.

As for the father of the child in her womb... thinking of that man filled Rouge with complicated feelings.

He had suddenly barged into her life, half-forced himself on her, and then suddenly abandoned her.

She did not know how to judge him. If it had not been for that man, she would not have suffered so terribly these past few years.

But that man was dead in the end—he had died in a blaze of glory, and had taken countless innocent people down with him.

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Baterilla Island had not originally been this quiet. After the Great Pirate Era began, many pirates had come to Baterilla Island, and more than half the island's residents had been harmed.

Especially the young women. Rouge knew them all; when they got married, she had attended their weddings and served as a bridesmaid several times.

Once the pirates came, nothing remained but devastation.

Just hearing her neighbor describe those tragedies made Rouge feel as though endless sorrow had wrapped around her.

So perhaps what she felt more toward that man was anger and hatred.

But the child was innocent.

She only hoped that the child in her womb could be born and live well.

"May I ask who you are?"

Seeing that the man had remained silent, Rouge finally could not bear the unease in her heart any longer and took the initiative to ask.

She had not seen much of the world, nor had she traveled to every corner of it like that person had.

To her, a nobleman like the one before her was the most handsome and distinguished man she had ever seen.

If someone like him belonged to the World Government, then he must be one of the World Nobles.

"Saint Jaygarcia Saturn. That is my name."

Ross answered with a smile, giving his name.

At last, he had made it in time.

He looked at the sickly beauty on the bed, whose face was slightly pale, and examined her carefully once more.

Rouge could only be considered above average in looks; the system's overall assessment of her was merely G+. Yet she radiated a maternal glow from head to toe. Even he found himself moved by that gentle temperament.

Beautiful faces were plentiful, but strong souls were few.

This woman before him, who had stubbornly carried her child for twenty-two months to protect it, was worthy of his making a special trip here.

"Portgas D. Rouge—that is your name, correct?"

"That is correct. Greetings, Lord Ross Saint."

Seeing that Ross knew her name, Rouge grew even more nervous.

She did not know what "Saint" represented, only assuming that it was part of Ross's name.

"You may call me Ross Saint, or address me however you like. 'Saint' is already an honorific, Madam Gol."

Ross smiled at Rouge and revealed another of her identities.

The Pirate King's real name was Gol D. Roger.

Calling the woman before him Madam Gol was already enough to make her identity clear.

"My lord, just call me Rouge. I do not wish to hear that name again. Are you with the World Government?"

Rouge's body trembled slightly, but at that moment, she relaxed completely.

So she had finally been discovered.

At that moment, she cast aside all her anxiety, because it no longer meant anything.

Given what Roger had done, even Rouge wanted to petition the World Government to wipe out his entire bloodline after hearing the stories. Let alone the World Government itself.

They should be furious, interrogate her, and kill her. Was that not what the World Government ought to do?

"It seems Roger never told you."

Ross had been observing Rouge the entire time. He could see her attitude when she heard Roger's name, as well as her resistance to having anything to do with him.

From what he knew, the time Rouge had spent with Roger was not even as long as the time she had been pregnant.

Furthermore, Roger had left freely after Rouge became pregnant, not even waiting for the child to be born, before kicking off the Great Pirate Era.

Such things might have meant nothing to free-spirited people of the sea like Roger, but for Rouge, being hunted for no reason and unable to let her own flesh and blood be born normally were undoubtedly invisible pressures.

Rouge might have long harbored a faint resentment toward Roger. It was only because she had been under such immense pressure that she had had no time to think about it. Giving birth to her child had already become her obsession.

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