"Uncle?!"
Ace jerked his head up and cried out in surprise when he saw who had arrived.
Then he looked to the side. Who else could that square-faced old man be but his grandpa?
"Grandpa Garp, too!"
Not far away, Jinbe froze as well. The sudden arrival of these two men astonished him.
One was the former Marine Admiral, Daytime Tiger River, and the other was Garp the Hero.
He had received no such treatment after being locked up. No one came to visit him, and even getting enough to eat had become a struggle.
Ace, on the other hand, still enjoyed meat and fish every day, ate and drank well, and even had visitors.
Jinbe quietly picked up the food on the floor and stuffed it into his mouth, then pricked up his ears to listen to their conversation.
"What brings you here?"
Ace asked.
"How does it feel, Ace, waiting for your life to end? Does the time feel all the harder to endure?"
River asked with a smile.
"Uncle."
Ace was at a loss for words, the dejection in his eyes plain to see.
"River!"
Garp rebuked him in a low voice.
Then he sat cross-legged in front of Ace, a complicated expression on his face. Only after a long while did he speak.
"Ace!"
"I'm sorry. I've failed you as your grandpa!"
As Garp said those words, his eyes reddened, filled with guilt, shame, and helplessness.
Ace's heart trembled at that. He seemed to realize something, and after a brief silence, he suddenly smiled.
"It's all right. I can already see how this ends for me."
"I won't blame you, Grandpa."
"And I won't blame you, either!"
For that last sentence, Ace lifted his head and looked at River.
"I'm the cause of everything. My death