Chapter 11

Uchiha Xunjing sounded certain. "Marine Vice Admiral Garp covered for her behind the scenes. Rouge held on through sheer willpower, keeping the baby in her womb for two whole years to evade the World Government's eyes."

"But once she gave birth, she died."

That woman had been truly ruthless with herself, and truly great.

Shakuyaku and Uchiha Chisato felt a bitter ache at his words, their faces full of admiration.

"So that's what happened..."

Both wore complicated expressions.

"Garp? You're saying Garp covered for her?" Rayleigh suddenly exploded. "That bastard Gol D. Roger trusted Garp, a Marine, over me?"

"That rotten bastard really would do something that stupid! Hmph!"

Shakuyaku shook her head and cut in. "It really was the safest option. Garp has never broken a promise."

"If she'd been left with you, the World Government would've watched her even more closely."

"Don't forget, every last member of the Roger Pirates was under constant surveillance back then."

The World Government wasn't stupid.

Neither was Gol D. Roger, of course.

"That's true..."

Still seething, Rayleigh nodded. "Then we owe that old bastard Garp a huge favor."

"Where's Garp hiding the kid now? Don't tell me he's at Marine Headquarters?"

If that were true, things would get really interesting.

Just imagining Gol D. Roger's son being raised into a Marine by Garp made Rayleigh's chest tighten.

He wouldn't quite call it anger.

But he certainly couldn't call it happiness, either.

It just made the whole damn world seem absurd, like a cat serving as a mouse's bridesmaid.

"No."

Uchiha Xunjing waved a hand. "Garp sent him to his hometown, Windmill Village in the East Blue, and left him with a bandit named Dadan."

"Oh, and Garp went ahead and declared Ace-that's Gol D. Roger's son-his grandson."

"Tsk, tsk. I think he did it on purpose, just to put himself a generation above Gol D. Roger and make him call him Dad."

"Probably payback for Gol D. Roger dumping that mess on him. Heh!"

Rayleigh: "..."

Shakuyaku: "..."

There was so much wrong with that, neither knew where to begin.

Rayleigh's lips twitched, and he couldn't help commenting, "Making the King of the Pirates his grandson? That old bastard Garp really would pull something that shameless."

Shakuyaku laughed and added, "If Gol D. Roger could crawl out of his grave and found himself having to call Garp Dad, he'd definitely fight him to the death."

Those two old rivals had really dug deep pits for each other.

She could imagine how distraught Garp must have been when Gol D. Roger tossed him that hot potato.

The trouble was, given Garp's personality and his friendship-cum-rivalry with Gol D. Roger, he really had no choice but to jump into that pit.

He'd probably felt like cursing up a storm at the time.

Rayleigh threw his head back and roared with laughter. "Serves him right! Who told him to pull that inhuman crap first? Garp getting back at him like this is perfectly fair!"

Then he said wistfully, "Gol D. Ace? That's the sort of name that bastard Gol D. Roger would choose."

At that, nostalgia filled Rayleigh's face.

Gol D. Roger's sword had been named Ace.

Uchiha Xunjing shook his head and corrected him outright. "No, Ace's full name is Portgas D. Ace, not Gol D. Ace."

"And that isn't just to hide the connection and keep the World Government from noticing him."

"More importantly, Ace has always hated his father. He refuses to acknowledge Gol D. Roger as his father at all."

"So before you go looking for him, you'd better understand that."

"As far as he's concerned, all his suffering, his mother's death, and those damned sins carried in his blood are all the fault of that irresponsible bastard of a father."

Rayleigh frowned, took a long swig of liquor, and sighed. "Ah, I can understand that. The kid has far too much weighing on him."

"That old bastard Garp isn't a proper guardian, either. I doubt he can give Ace the guidance he needs."

"If you ask me, that kid will probably end up becoming a pirate anyway."

"The boy's pretty smart."

That much was clear from his attitude toward things.

And Rayleigh had no doubt that Garp wanted to raise Ace into a Marine.

But Garp had his own reservations.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have left Ace with a bandit.

If he'd truly wanted to train him properly, he should have kept him at Marine Headquarters and taught him himself.

Of course, Garp's decision to save Ace also showed that he didn't agree with the Marines' justice-or rather, with the World Government.

If Ace really stayed at Marine Headquarters and became a Marine, things might not end well for him.

Rayleigh understood that perfectly. Anyone who thought the old bastard was muddleheaded was mistaken. As his old adversary, Rayleigh knew just how shrewd Garp really was.

Xunjing added, "Also, I agree to the terms you mentioned earlier. Give me some time, and I'll write down all my insights into Three-Color Haki, along with my experience with the Six Powers and Life Return, for you."

"But there's one thing I need to make clear first-not everyone can awaken Conqueror's Haki. Even with training notes, it's hard to get anywhere through those alone."

"If you ever do awaken it and want to study it further, come find me anytime. I'll teach you everything I know."

"The same goes for Armament Haki and Observation Haki."

"You can explore the Six Powers on your own. At its core, it's a way of unlocking the human body's potential, while also laying the groundwork for awakening Armament Haki and Observation Haki."

"But Life Return is different. It comes from the Six Powers, yet it's far harder. Even I had to work at it for quite a while before I barely got a foot in the door. Keep that in mind, and don't force it."

Something like Life Return couldn't be forced.

After listening, Xunjing nodded earnestly. "I'll remember that, Uncle Rayleigh. Thank you."

Rayleigh laughed. "No need for that! I'm the one who should be thanking you. You saved those girls from the Kuja Pirates and brought us such important news."

Shakuyaku chimed in, "The news about Gol D. Roger's son alone is worth everything you asked for."

She continued, "As far as I'm concerned, these things don't come close to repaying you for saving Hancock and the others. Why don't you ask for something else? Otherwise, I won't feel right about it."

She knew perfectly well how much the news about Ace meant to her partner. Those training insights were nothing to Rayleigh. If he took a liking to someone, he wouldn't hesitate to offer to teach them himself.

But Xunjing waved a hand. "There's really no need. We aren't short of anything for now. This is already enough."

"You can't be too greedy."

"But we might need to ask around for information someday. Would it be all right if we came to trouble you then, Aunt Shakuyaku?"

Shakuyaku smiled. "All right, it's settled. If you need any information, just come to me. My sources are fairly reliable."

Still, she knew Xunjing probably wouldn't need her information.

Judging by the matter of Ace, Xunjing and his companions had an information network even better than hers. He was probably just being polite so she wouldn't keep insisting.

After treating Xunjing and his companions to lunch, Shakuyaku brought the leader over to see them, looking a little embarrassed. "A few of the crew are badly injured, and we need to prepare supplies, too. I'm afraid we won't be able to leave for another five days. Would that be all right with you?"

"No problem."

Uchiha Xunjing didn't object. Both he and his mother were recovering well, so staying a few more days was no problem.

Besides, the Sea King meat Rayleigh and the others provided was of excellent quality, far more effective than ordinary food. Mother and daughter actually recovered faster with it. Under those circumstances, only an idiot would rush to leave.

"Uncle Rayleigh, I'd like to stock up on some Sea King meat to eat over time. Buying it straight from the market is too expensive. Could I trouble you for some help?" Xunjing asked, looking a little embarrassed.