Chapter 91: News About the Dark-Dark Fruit
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Upon returning to Sun Island, Knight of the Sea Doma and his Rogue Knight Pirates formally pledged allegiance to Portgas D. Ace, witnessed by all members of the Spade Pirates. This marked the formation of the Spade Pirates' first official subordinate crew.
Though Doma's crew had joined Ace, they did not remain on Sun Island for long. After Doma recovered from his injuries, they set sail once more on their own journey through the New World.
But this time, the flag atop their ship had changed—the Spade Pirates' jolly roger flew proudly at the top, while their original flag was lowered beneath it. Doma made a solemn vow: whenever Ace called upon them, no matter where they were, they would return immediately.
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Ace, meanwhile, chose to remain on Sun Island for a while longer. After the destruction he caused at Punk Hazard, he was cautious, wary of a possible retaliation from Donquixote Doflamingo.
To his surprise, a full month passed, and Doflamingo made no move. It was as if nothing had happened.
"Huh... Doflamingo swallowing his pride like this?" Ace muttered, his expression sharp with suspicion.
Based on what he knew of Doflamingo's temperament, it was impossible for the Warlord to let such a devastating blow slide. Something wasn't right. Before Doflamingo's silence turned into action, Ace felt a growing sense of unease.
Just then, Carle, one of his crewmates, came flying over with a Den Den Mushi in her arms.
"Ace! It's a call from Koala-chan!"
Ace took the receiver. Koala had left a Den Den Mushi for contact before returning to the Revolutionary Army, and Carle had been entrusted with it.
"Moshi moshi, Koala? What's up?" Ace asked.
"Ace-kun," Koala's voice came through, serious, "Remember how you asked me to track the movements of Thatch, the 4th Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates? I've got something for you. Yesterday, he and a few of his men went to a place called Dark Island."
"Dark Island…?" Ace's face turned grim.
He had specifically asked Koala to monitor Thatch's movements through the Revolutionary Army's network—for one reason: to intercept the appearance of the Yami Yami no Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit). If his guess was right, Thatch had likely found the fruit on that island.
"If that fruit makes it back to Whitebeard's ship, it will almost certainly be stolen by Marshall D. Teach… and Thatch will die."
Ace clenched his fist. "I have to go. I can't let that fruit reach the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Ace-kun…" Koala's voice grew more intense, "I don't know why you're tracking Thatch, but you have to be careful. You're not strong enough to go up against Whitebeard yet. He's not like other pirates—if you attack his men, it's the same as declaring war on him."
"Don't worry, Koala-chan. I promise I won't provoke Whitebeard right now," Ace replied calmly. "On the contrary, what you told me might help me form an alliance with him."
"…If you say so." Koala sounded slightly relieved. "Also, you asked me to track Doflamingo, too. A month after you destroyed Punk Hazard, he moved everything—including the SAD operation—to Dressrosa."
"So he gave up on Punk Hazard after all," Ace chuckled. "Thanks, Koala. That info's worth a lot. I owe you. I'll be sending the Revolutionary Army a gift soon."
"A gift?" Koala perked up.
"Let's just say, if all goes well, you'll have Caesar Clown's entire weapons and artificial Devil Fruit factory handed to you on a silver platter."
"Oooh, now that's a Revolutionary dream come true!" Koala laughed, then hung up.
Ace smirked. "Caesar and Doflamingo's SMILE weapons factory... no way the Revolutionary Army would turn down something like that."
But for now, he had more pressing matters.
"The most important thing right now... is the Yami Yami no Mi."
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Ace understood that if he wanted to forge a future alliance with Whitebeard, he needed leverage. And stopping Blackbeard from getting the Dark-Dark Fruit was the best opportunity.
If he didn't act, the timeline would play out just like before: Thatch would find the fruit, only to be murdered by Blackbeard, who would steal the Devil Fruit and gain its terrifying power. That event would set off Blackbeard's betrayal, the downfall of Whitebeard's crew, and the larger war that followed.
But if Ace intercepted the fruit first, Blackbeard wouldn't get the power he sought. Perhaps then, he would stay hidden under Whitebeard's shadow forever, never revealing his fangs.
As Blackbeard once said himself: "If someone else had eaten the Dark-Dark Fruit… I'd have stayed on Whitebeard's crew until the end."
Still, the thought of letting Blackbeard lurk unnoticed didn't sit well with Ace.
"How do I stop him from getting the fruit... but still force him to reveal his betrayal to Whitebeard?"
He pondered this for a long time. But finally, he shook his head and sighed.
"Forget it. One step at a time. First, I take the fruit."
After obtaining a Log Pose pointing toward Dark Island, Ace departed from Sun Island—alone—on yet another mission that could change the fate of the world.
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