"Interesting!" Ace's face could barely conceal his excitement.
He liked this.
He was a child starved of love, someone who had never felt a sense of collective belonging, an individual utterly devoid of collective pride.
Yet he had always wanted those things.
Other than brotherhood, Ace lacked everything.
Because he was Roger's son, he lacked a sense of security; because he was Roger's son, he lacked parental love; because he was Roger's son, he never dared hope for romantic love. Apart from his brotherhood with Luffy and Sabo, it seemed he had nothing, and craved everything.
So after he was brought aboard Whitebeard's ship, he gained security, paternal love, a sense of collective belonging, and collective pride.
Thus, he became determined to join the Whitebeard Pirates and become Whitebeard's son. Even at the end of his life, he had chosen to strike back in fury because Akainu insulted Whitebeard.
If that conviction could be devoted to revolution, it would become the most steadfast flame of revolution.
As Sabo's brother, he should have been like this all along. It was only fate's great hand that made one sigh in regret.
But now, Ace seemed to have found some kind of meaning.
He rose from the rail, walked forward, and joined the ranks.
Since the left side of the deck was already full, he had no choice but to go to the right, among the prisoners. As the first one, he straightened his body and stood tall.
His presence drew many eyes toward him.
The captain of a pirate crew with a fifty-million-Beli bounty had some fame even on the Grand Line.
Not to mention that Iska and the others had specifically been chasing Ace's group.
"Kid, you need to move back a row." Great Bay Blade William emerged from the captain's cabin at some point, using his enormous body to shove Ace aside as he took Ace's former place, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.
"Hehe." Ace chuckled without arguing and stood beside Big Cutlass William.
"That troublesome captain." Masked laughed heartily, cursed once, then rose from beside Iska and walked toward Ace.
One by one, the Spade Pirates crew members stood beside Ace. Before long, they had formed a full row and taken up the second rank.
A sense of unity spread through the space. No one moved, yet simply standing there, they seemed like a single whole, regardless of the mast between them, their heights, builds, clothes, identities, or genders.
They had cast aside everything about themselves and stood within their ranks. Every one of them had only one name.
Revolutionary Army!
The three Empress sisters standing on the highest platform at the stern were moved by the sight.
All three were masters of Observation Haki. If they listened carefully, they could almost hear the same word flickering within the blazing fire of their hearts.
That word might have been called differently, but its meaning was the same as the word they had learned from Leo.
Revolution!
They wanted revolution!
A revolution against the Marines!
A revolution against the World Government!
A revolution against the Celestial Dragons!
Hancock turned toward her sisters, her face flushed as she asked, "Sonia, Mary! Did you see that?! He was telling the truth! He didn't lie to me! He really will overturn the World Government! He really will kill every last Celestial Dragon!"
Compared to Luffy's blow against a Celestial Dragon,
drawing the Marines into their camp and completely dismantling the Celestial Dragons' authority and military power was the true settling of accounts against the Celestial Dragons!
"Hey, Iska, join us!" Ace suddenly turned and called out to Iska, who was still lost in confusion.
"We guarantee that we'll never lay a hand on civilians!"
"Have those bastard Marines harmed civilians any less? Iska, join us! If we're wrong, correct us! If we commit crimes, judge us!"
"But don't stay in the Marines!" he shouted.
Ace still had feelings for Iska.
"When Marines commit crimes, nobody gets punished at all. Is three drinks as punishment really a punishment? Are human lives really that cheap?"
Ace's shout did not strengthen Iska's resolve. Instead, it reinforced the convictions of those Marines who had still been wavering.
This involved another issue within the Marines: corruption and greed went unmonitored. People like Colonel Nezumi and CP9's commander Spandam were second-generation Marines with vile character, but no matter how poor or disgusting their character was, their only consequence was being transferred back to headquarters. They could restart at any time by relying on their fathers' influence. Meanwhile, upright Marines who made a mistake might never be entrusted with important duties again—unless their strength was so great that Marine Headquarters could not ignore them.
They stood one after another in the ranks behind the Spade Pirates, then turned with hopeful eyes toward their former superior.
They knew their superior's abilities. She had only been sent to the front end of the Grand Line as a minor Second Lieutenant because she had rejected the advances of a second-generation heir. Now, she would surely abandon the rotten Marines and join this new, vibrant organization.
It was not just them. The Marines on the other side, who had already firmly stepped into the pirates' ranks, also turned back to look at her with pleading eyes.
If she did not join them, they could only kill her to prevent information from leaking. They did not want to do something so cruel, and neither did Ace.
Most likely, they would reluctantly let her go, and this tiny organization would be strangled in its cradle by the World Government.
Already tempted long ago, Iska let out a soft sigh beneath everyone's gaze. Leaning on her sword, she slowly stood, limped to the very back of the formation, and gradually straightened her chest.
The air across the deck grew thicker. Everyone looked at Leo with burning eyes, waiting for him to say something.
Leo paused. "The path we will take is not the path of assassination—not assassinating a few Celestial Dragons, a few World Government officials, destroying a few World Government member states, killing a few member-state kings, and then becoming smug about it."
"The path we will take is an open and honorable one."
"We will carefully build our strength and accumulate power, boldly assess the enemy's fighting strength, infiltrate the enemy's interior, win over those who share our ideals, and finally use the righteous kingly path to uproot the World Government's member states one by one, dismantle the World Government's power across the Four Seas beyond the Grand Line piece by piece, and at last gather all our strength to directly crush the Celestial Dragons' greatest reliance: the World Marines!"
"This is our path!"
PS: Second update. Please send some recommendation votes.
{"text":"Recommend a friend's book: The King of an Era in the World of Spirits\nSynopsis: A little spirit skilled in fighting said, "Legendary beasts are strong? Give me some time, and I'll punch one to pieces for you. Forget it—take an Emperor's Aura Sphere first."\nA little spirit clad in armor and wielding a sharp blade said, "Even if you are a legendary beast, if you dare hurt my companions, I will draw my blade and cut you down."\nA little spirit that loved recklessly courting death said, "Come on, come on, hit me! If you've got the guts, come hit me! I'll stand right here without moving. Let's see what you can do to me. If you can hurt me, I lose."\n\nA trainer who loved raising monster-level little spirits said, "There are no useless little spirits in this world, only trainers lacking imagination."","voiceFid":"","CWVID":"0","bookRecommds":{"cbids":[16204470104289804],"reason":"A new book from an old friend! A quality completed work is guaranteed!"}}
Before you continue