As I said before at every 10 membership I will drop bonus chapter. It does not matter if it is free or not.
Once again thankyou all and those who are supporting me on patreon.
Want to read 15+ chapters ahead? Support me on Patreon! And here by donating powerstone
for every 50 power stone I will drop a bonus chapter.
(A/n: After 120 of you take membership of this I will published it for free, Completly)
https://www.patreon.com/c/kapa69
Remember to only take 5$ membership, As I am going to remove all others membership except this from next months.
And In this you will get all the chapter of all my fanfics.
===========================================================
"Alright!" Luffy cheered, his energy returning in a sudden rush. "Surpass them both! That sounds awesome! I'm gonna be King of the Pirates, so you'll have to get in line!"
"Hahaha, we'll see about that," Ace laughed, the sound warm and free.
The heartfelt moment was interrupted by a slow, deliberate clap. Marco and Jinbe approached them. "That's a fine speech, Ace," Marco said, a weary but proud smile on his face. "But a king needs a Territory. And ours is on the verge of collapse. What's our next move?"
The question was a bucket of cold water. They were survivors, adrift in a hostile sea.
It was in that moment of strategic uncertainty that a new voice, calm, amused, and laced with the wisdom of ages, drifted up from the beach below.
"You're in quite the pickle, aren't you?"
All four of them spun around. There, standing as if he'd just returned from a casual stroll, was an old man with a weathered face and round spectacles, soaked to the bone.
"Rayleigh!" Luffy yelled, his eyes bugging out. "The old coating guy from Sabaody!"
Ace froze. The Dark King. Silvers Rayleigh. My father's First Mate. He instinctively stood straighter, his expression a mask of cautious respect.
Rayleigh chuckled, walking towards them. "I saw the broadcast from Marineford," he said, his eyes scanning the group before locking onto Ace with an unnerving intensity. "Heard a name I hadn't heard in over twenty years. Had to come see for myself if it was true."
He ignored Luffy, Marco, and Jinbe, his entire world narrowing to the young man with fire in his soul. "You," Rayleigh said, his voice dropping, "You have his damn smile. Tell me, boy. Are you who Sengoku claimed you are?"
The question was heavy with the weight of a generation. Ace met the legend's gaze without flinching. "I am," he said, his voice quiet but firm.
The world stopped.
The lazy, amused, all-knowing mask of the Dark King shattered into a million pieces. Silvers Rayleigh stared at him, his mouth slightly agape, his eyes wide with a shock so profound it was almost comical. He stumbled back a step, his mind, which had seen the One Piece and the end of the world, completely short-circuiting.
Well, hearing from one person and hearing directly from his son is totally different thing.
The shock melted away, replaced by a sound that started as a low chuckle and erupted into a hearty, booming, and unbelievably joyous laugh. He laughed until tears streamed down his face, a laugh of pure, unadulterated relief that echoed across the quiet island.
"Hahahaha! He actually did it! That magnificent, idiotic bastard actually had a son!" Rayleigh roared, wiping a tear from his eye. He strode forward and grabbed Ace by the shoulders, his grip like iron, looking him up and down as if he were a priceless treasure. "You magnificent fool! You survived! You survived all of this! That's great!"
He then turned to Luffy. "And you! You're brother's with his son?! Of course you are! Roger would have found that absolutely hilarious! He once picked a fight with a Sea King over who had a better mustache, you know! You two are exactly the kind of trouble he loved!"
After the shock wore off, Rayleigh's proposal was reforged, now tinged with a familial duty. "Alright, new plan," he said, his expression now serious but filled with a new, warm light. He looked at Ace. "Your will is just like his.... You have the power of a king, but the control of a newbie."
"I have a proposal," Rayleigh said, his expression turning serious. He looked first at Luffy. "You were weak. You charged into a war between the strongest forces in the world and couldn't save your brother on your own. You know that now, don't you?" Luffy flinched as if struck, the painful memories of his powerlessness flooding back. He gritted his teeth and nodded.
Rayleigh then turned his sharp gaze to Ace. "And you," he said, his tone just as blunt, "are a volcano. Your power is immense, a destructive force of nature. But it's uncontrolled. You have the power of a king, but the control of a child who's just learned to throw a punch."
The unflattering assessment was so accurate that Ace couldn't even argue. He'd nearly burned himself out multiple times during the war.
"You both need to disappear," Rayleigh stated plainly. "And you both need to get stronger. I propose a training period. Two years. A chance to master your abilities, to become the men the new era will require you to be."
The idea was a lifeline. But for Ace, the cost was too high.
"Two years?" His voice was tight with disbelief. "Impossible. Pops is in a coma. My family, my crew... they need someone now, not in two years. I can't abandon them."
"A fair point," Rayleigh conceded without missing a beat. Then, a cunning glint appeared in his eye. "So, we'll have to add a little twist to the plan." He looked back and forth between the two brothers.
"Here is my new proposal," the Dark King declared. He focused on Ace first. "You have the power. You just need to be pointed in the right direction. Give me six months. Just six months. I will teach you the mastery of Haki you lack, give you a foundation to build on. You will return to your crew not as a volcano, but as a pillar they can truly rely on. It is a compromise. Your duty, and your future."
Then, he turned to Luffy, his expression becoming stern."Luffy, you are a different case. You nearly died. Your crew was scattered and defeated because you weren't strong enough to protect them. If you go back to the sea now, you will lose them all, for good. Do you understand? You get the full two years. We build you from the ground up, so that you never have to experience that loss again."
Luffy looked at his hands, trembling slightly at the memory of Kuma making his friends vanish before his eyes. He looked at the scar on his chest, a permanent reminder of his failure at Marineford. He looked at Ace, who he had almost lost forever. There was no argument to be made. Rayleigh was right.
The decision was made. Ace looked at Luffy, who was watching him with quiet, unwavering trust.
"Alright," Ace said, a slow, determined smile spreading across his face. "Six months it is. After that, the world better be ready."
"Good." Rayleigh returned the smile, a look of profound pride in his eyes.
A comfortable quiet settled for a moment before Ace broke it, a hint of wry curiosity in his voice. "Was he... was my old man always this much trouble?"
Rayleigh threw his head back and let out a hearty, booming laugh that echoed across the cliffside. "Trouble? Boy, you have no idea!" he roared, wiping a tear of mirth from his eye. "Let me tell you, one time on a winter island, Roger got into a fistfight with Garp over who would pay for lunch. They didn't stop until they destroyed the entire port! Garp was chasing us for a month after that, not for his duty, but because Roger made him pay the bill!"
Luffy burst out laughing, and even Marco and Jinbe couldn't help but crack a smile. For the first time, Ace heard a story about his father that wasn't about a demon or a king, but about a man. A reckless, stubborn, and ridiculously strong man. A small, genuine smile touched his lips.
Rayleigh looked at the two of them—the son of his captain and the boy wearing his captain's straw hat. He saw the past and the future intertwined, standing right before him. He reached into his coat and pulled out a silver flask, uncorking it with a practiced thumb.
"A new era is coming," he said, his voice now a low, satisfied rumble. He offered the flask. "It will be forged in the hell of your training. But tonight, we drink to the future." He grinned, his eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "And to the trouble you two are about to cause."
He looked at Ace, who had just accepted the truth of his heritage and was now embarking on a path to truly master it. The old man's expression grew thoughtful, almost bizarre.
He took a step closer, his voice dropping to a low, confidential whisper that only Ace could hear.
"You've accepted him as your father," Rayleigh said softly. He paused, his eyes glinting with a secret as old as the sea itself. "Did Garp ever tell you your father's real name?"
======
Ayoo Author what is this cliffhanger?? Did we already know what is his father real name !!!
Its Gol D. Roger.....duh, Right.
What are you cooking Author?
Send me some Powerstone
Next bonus chapter will be with tommorow chapter.
https://www.patreon.com/c/kapa69