Night.
By the cliff.
The sea breeze blew in from afar, carrying a faint salty dampness.
In the distance, the lights of Foosha Village glowed faintly, like a spark fallen into the night.
Farther out lay an even deeper, heavier sea.
The surface was pitch-black, waves crashing against the reefs below the cliff again and again, as if they would never stop.
Ace sat on the edge of the cliff, his legs dangling in midair and swaying gently. He had been sitting there for a long time.
He was not sleepy, nor did he want to return to the treehouse.
After Sabo left, his heart had felt even emptier.
Back when the three of them were together, whether they were fighting, hunting, or getting beaten up by Garp, every day had been a mess.
But no matter how chaotic it was, all three of them had been there.
Now things were different. Sabo had found his own path.
He was going to follow the man named Dragon to see a bigger world and seek the answers to those questions.
Luffy had his own dream too, though it sounded utterly ridiculous.
"I'm going to become a Marine Admiral! Then I'll order Grandpa to stop picking his nose!"
When Luffy said that, Garp laughed so hard he nearly spat out his rice crackers.
Ace had called him an "idiot" back then too.
But no matter how ridiculous it sounded, Luffy was at least certain. Sabo was certain too.
Only Ace felt as though he had always been standing in a shadow, one that had followed him since birth—the son of Roger.
Footsteps came from behind him. Ace did not turn around, only called out quietly, "Uncle Rock."
Rock walked up beside him and stood at the cliff's edge, looking out at the