Ace felt as if something exploded in his head, and the anger in his heart was about to burn away his sanity. It was almost impossible to control the fluctuation of his flame.
For a long time, Ace had been full of guilt towards Rouge. His mother had been so kind to him, but he never mentioned Gol D. Roger, refused to admit his heritage, and even forbade Sabo and Luffy from bringing it up. At this moment, what he was most unwilling to admit in his heart was being exposed to the entire sea, like a raw wound being uncovered.
For preaching the justice of the Marine—they are the leaders and guardians of the sea. Thinking of this, Ace suddenly wanted to laugh.
Sengoku was still babbling about how the Marine scouted out Ace's past. "It was two years ago, when you used your mother's name, as the captain of the Spade Pirate Ship, with your exceptional strength and speed, galloping freely across the seas, that we finally noticed the blood of Gol D. Roger had not been severed yet."
"However, Whitebeard, who is just as aware of this as we are, allowed the son of his former rival to board his ship, intending to raise you into the next generation of the Pirate King!"
In Ace's mind, Whitebeard's warm and massive back suddenly appeared, like a radiant lamp that illuminated his wounds and drove away his fear. At this moment, Ace finally realized:
He's already an Ace!
No matter before or after crossing this realization, he would live as Ace, bearing the pain and past he had experienced, and bringing the bonds he held dear to live on again!
"I am Ace..." Ace suddenly muttered, without any beginning or end. The realization brought an overwhelming urge to shed tears.
From now on, there would no longer be two souls in one body; there would always only be one Ace!
Sengoku was slightly taken aback and asked in surprise, "What did you say?"
Ace, having regained his clarity or perhaps accepted his life calmly, lifted his head and smiled at all the surprised and angry Marines, "I said, this is where you're not as good as Pops Whitebeard!"
His loud voice seemed to find an outlet for his emotions.
"Pops and my father fought their entire lives. They should be eternal enemies, but Pops still accepted me as family and spared no effort in protecting me. He never once mentioned my lineage…"
"I respect and love my pops. What he has done is incredible!"
"His heroic spirit is exactly what an Emperor of the Sea should possess!"
Ace vented all the grievances in his heart. "What about the Marine? What have you done?"
"My father was captured by you deliberately, choosing a different way to understand his life. But even as he approached death, he was still thinking about me and my mother. He entrusted me to another enemy he fought all his life, who was also his close friend."
Even at this point, Ace did not say Garp's name.
"His best friend raised me, gave me family, gave me brothers…"
"I'm just curious, why can't your so-called righteous Marine do what my father's enemies could?"
After these words, the entire square fell into silence once more. Only the whistling wind could be heard, blowing the Marine flag, fluttering.
Sengoku's face was full of fury. He hadn't expected Ace to speak these words so shamelessly.
"Nonsense, evil brat! You have the nerve to be a son to your father's enemy. You truly have no shame at all!"
Sengoku's scolding was clearly meant to insult. In a moment of such intense focus, it was only natural to demean the pirates and elevate the Marine.
Yet, Ace did not appear angered; his smile only made Sengoku's heart blaze hotter.
"Shame? I'm proud to be myself!"
"I accept who I am, thank my mother, and respect and love Pops Whitebeard and Grandpa. They were good to me, and I am grateful to them. What is there to be ashamed of?"
Garp stood below, and upon hearing these words, his eyes suddenly grew hot.
What Ace said was right—when faced with matters of great righteousness and wrong, they still held onto the bonds of family affection.
So what if it's Gol D. Roger's bloodline?
He's still their grandson!
"And Marine… how many innocent mothers and their children were slaughtered for the sake of an unborn baby?"
"Is Marine's justice about indiscriminately killing the innocent?"
This statement directly exposed the ugliness of the Marine's so-called justice. Sengoku's expression stiffened, turning unnatural.
The Marines below, recovering from their shock, began to whisper among themselves.
"What the hell is he talking about? Is he admitting to having two fathers?"
"Who is the grandfather that Ace is referring to? Why are there still people related to Gol D. Roger alive?"
"Why is he laughing?"
"Gol D. Roger's blood is indeed filled with evil!"
"Roger's bloodline deserves to die!"
"Kill him!"
"Kill him!"
The deep-rooted Marines didn't seem to care what Ace said or who he was; in their eyes, everything he did was inherently wrong. The crowd below was already in a rage, convinced that Ace was being defiant, and they began shouting for his execution.
Ace looked at those faces, unable to distinguish right from wrong, and a thought that sprouted deep within his heart gradually solidified.
In this world, sickness can be cured.