Dragon's Request

Ace spent years recuperating on Origin Island, Whitebeard Pirates and the Uchiha formed a deep bond. This long-standing friendship was far more effective than any official negotiations.

The wind outside the window gradually subsided, and two light and steady footsteps echoed down the corridor.

The wooden door was gently pushed open, Sabo stepped into the room first, followed closely by Ace.

The boy's eyes still held the warm smile of reunion, his brows relaxed, and his former silence vanished.

He glanced at the Den Den Mushi on the table, then at the Gemini who were already getting up, and instantly guessed what was going on.

"Are you... going back?" Ace asked instinctively, his tone tinged with reluctance.

Yaoyu straightened up and stood still, her posture upright and neat, all traces of her relaxed demeanor gone.

"Mission complete, no need to linger. We should return to Origin Island."

"So fast?" Ace muttered under his breath, then scratched the back of his head and grinned with his usual hearty smile. "Take care on the road, and give my regards to everyone when you get back."

Yaoyu nodded slightly to Dragon, his posture respectful and measured, as if to formally bid farewell.

The man with the Yakumi silently raised his hand and carefully put the Encrypted Den Den Mushi into a hidden compartment of his ninja tool pouch, placing it securely without the slightest carelessness.

Without another word, the two turned and walked out of the conference room, their slender and upright figures quickly disappearing into the shadows at the end of the corridor.

Dragon stood quietly in place, gazing at the empty doorway, his mind as calm as still water.

He had done everything he could and everything he could strive for.

All that's left is to wait.

Waiting for that special Den Den Mushi to ring, waiting for that mysterious young man who sits atop Origin Island and overturns the Four Blues order to accept this conversation that will determine the future of the world.

Yaoyu gently pulled the zipper of his ninja tool pouch, carefully storing the Encrypted Den Den Mushi into an inner compartment. His movements were meticulous and steady, without the slightest haste. Only after completing this did he straighten up.

The Yakumi had already reached the door ahead of her. She gently placed her hand on the cold doorknob and glanced at him sideways. No words were needed; years of tacit understanding had been established—the negotiations were over, there was no need to linger, and it was time to return home.

Yaoyu nodded slightly to Dragon, his posture calm and composed, as if to formally bid farewell.

Dragon rose gracefully, his green cloak draped gently in the cool breeze, his tone as calm as ever. "If Natsu wishes, this Den Den Mushi can be connected at any time."

"I will relay your request truthfully," Yaoyu replied, his tone remaining objective and calm, leaving no room for false expectations. "But that's all; I make no promises."

"I understand." Dragon nodded gently, fully comprehending the implications.

By the door, Ace leaned lazily against the doorframe, watching the twins prepare to leave one after the other. Suddenly, he spoke, stopping them in their tracks.

"Go back and give a message to Pops and Marco for me." The boy's eyes were relaxed with a smile, his tone light and reassuring. "I'm doing well here with Sabo, I'm living a peaceful life. In a while, I'll go back to Origin Island, so tell everyone not to worry about me."

Without stopping or turning his head, Yaoyu casually raised the back of his hand and swung it back slightly, a perfunctory and decisive gesture that was considered as accepting the request.

The Yakumi that had preceded them stopped them in their tracks. Turning her head, her cool gaze fell on Ace, and she unusually added a word of advice, "Behave yourself, and don't get dragged into Impel Down for no reason again."

Ace was both amused and exasperated, scratching his head and explaining, "That was purely an accident! It was really a coincidence!"

Too lazy to Yakumi, Yaowei calmly withdrew his gaze, turned around, and followed Yaoyu ahead.

In the empty corridor, two neat and crisp footsteps approached and then faded into the distance, slowly disappearing into the wind and completely separating them.

After walking a short distance out of the meeting room and making sure he was out of the Revolutionary Army's hearing range, Yaoyu spoke without turning around, a hint of barely perceptible sarcasm in his tone. "I should have added another sentence earlier: Impel Down has practically become Ace's personal resort; he can come and go as he pleases."

Yakumi steady steps, Yaowei said coldly, "I really don't want to go out of my way to deliver prison food to him anymore."

Yaoyu was silent for a moment, then chuckled softly, "Next time, have someone else deliver it."

"Let Chunwu come," Yakumi blurted out, remembering it clearly. "He owes us a meal."

"Feasible."

In the conference room, Sabo stood quietly beside Dragon, watching the two slender, upright figures disappear completely into the shadows at the end of the corridor. He couldn't help but murmur, "The Uchiha people really don't talk much."

Dragon gazed at the empty corridor, his eyes calm and clear, and slowly spoke, "They simply filtered out all the irrelevant nonsense; they didn't utter a single unnecessary word."

Sabo tilted his head to look at him, a hint of probing in his eyes. "Do you think Natsu would be willing to take on this conversation?"

Dragon pondered silently for a long time, the wind whistling through the window and ruffling his clothes, before slowly speaking, "I cannot be certain of the answer."

He shifted his tone slightly, his gaze returning to the empty space on the table where the Encrypted Den Den Mushi had just sat. "But the fact that this Den Den Mushi could be sent out is the best answer in itself."

"Regardless of whether Natsu ultimately responds or makes contact, the first secret communication line has been quietly established between the Revolutionary Army and the Uchiha."

The sandstorm outside Baltigo continued unabated, with fine sand particles constantly blowing into the room with the sea breeze. The candle on the table flickered gently, its light swaying and casting an unpredictable shadow. The warm light seemed to accentuate the turbulent undercurrents of the situation.

Ace remained leaning against the doorframe, gazing at the empty end of the corridor, and suddenly chuckled softly.

He recalled his days in Coral Port, and how, after each mission ended and the storm subsided, Yaoyu and Yakumi were always so decisive and efficient, leaving without a word of pleasantries. Always cold, always aloof and indifferent, they seemed exceptionally unapproachable.

But only he could see clearly that the way the Yakumi Den Den Mushi were carefully and securely placed, layer by layer, was not at all perfunctory.

These two cold and taciturn guys, despite caring deeply inside, stubbornly maintain a cool and aloof demeanor, hiding all their tenderness and concern in silent details.

"What are you laughing at?" Sabo turned to look at him, asking curiously.

Ace shook his head gently, a clear and warm smile in his eyes, "It's nothing, I just think that these Uchiha guys are actually quite interesting."

Deep in the ocean of the New World lies a nameless, deserted island, untouched by human hands.