The sea breeze grew cooler.
Ace set his cup down on the sand.
"Lorne, why do you care so much about whether I run into Teach?"
Lorne fell silent for a moment, then raised a hand and pressed it onto Ace's shoulder.
"Because some pits are impossible to climb out of once you fall in."
Ace pressed his lips together.
Lorne looked at him, his gaze growing sharper.
"And Teach isn't even the biggest problem."
Ace's heart tightened.
"What else is there?"
Lorne did not answer immediately.
He looked at Ace's young but stubborn face and finally brought up the name even Garp was reluctant to mention lightly.
"Next, I'm going to talk about your parentage."
Ace's expression changed.
The sea breeze swept across the beach, and the bonfire's light danced over Ace's face as his expression abruptly turned cold.
Lorne clearly saw the pride and pain that had only just been suppressed surge back into Ace's eyes.
To Ace, the name Roger had never meant glory.
It was a crime laid upon him before his birth, and the shadow he had been least willing to mention throughout his life.
Ace pushed his cup aside, his voice strained.
"You want to talk to me about that man too?"
Lorne did not avoid his gaze.
"Yes."
Ace's expression darkened further.
"I don't want to hear it."
Lorne raised his hand and held his shoulder down, his palm so heavy that Ace could not move.
"You have to."
Ace raised his head, anger in his eyes.
"Lorne!"
Lorne's voice was low, but every word was iron.
"Portgas D. Ace, rein in your temper. I'm not here to reopen your wounds. I'm saving your life."
Ace stiffened.
Lorne rarely called him by his full name.
Every time he did, it meant there was