On the Going Merry, Zoro and Nami both wore grave expressions.
In their memories, Logan had never spoken with such heaviness in his voice.
Even back in Cocoyasi Village, when they faced three Marine warships head-on, Logan had remained calm and unruffled.
Luffy tilted his head curiously.
"Who's Teach? Is he really strong?"
"Blackbeard Teach," Ace explained calmly. "He used to be my subordinate. But he committed an absolutely unforgivable crime aboard the ship."
He then turned to Logan and shook his head slightly, his voice gentle yet unwavering.
"Big Brother Logan… in other matters, I can listen to you."
"But on this one—sorry. I can't."
"Sigh…"
Logan let out a deep breath, poured himself another glass of grape wine, and downed it in one go. Then he looked straight at Ace.
"Even if it costs you your life—you'll still go?"
"Yes," Ace replied without hesitation, eyes firm.
"And I must go."
"Father's ship has never tolerated traitors."
"As Teach's former captain, this is something I must do—and something only I can do."
He paused, then suddenly turned to Luffy.
"Luffy, let me ask you this. If you knew becoming Pirate King meant death—would you still sail these seas?"
Luffy's grin vanished instantly. He answered without the slightest doubt.
"Of course!"
Ace nodded.
"Big Brother Logan, when we were kids, you were always the smartest among us."
"Luffy, Sabo, and I usually listened to you."
"But ever since I left Foosha Village, I threw life and death away."
"After I joined the Whitebeard Pirates, I entrusted my life to Whitebeard."
Logan fell silent.
He poured another glass of wine—but this time, he didn't drink it all at once. He held it at his lips, sipping slowly.
Ace continued.
"The moment I chose to sail the sea and become a pirate, I chose freedom—not restraint."
"As for waiting until I'm strong enough, letting revenge come later… I can't do that."
"Ten years later—how would I live those ten years in between?"
"A revenge that comes late… is it still revenge?"
"Being able to join the Whitebeard Pirates is the greatest honor of my life."
"And my mission… is to die defending that honor."
"I knew you'd say that."
Logan gave a bitter smile and set his glass down. He stepped in front of Ace and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Whether as human beings, as brothers, or as pirates—"
"You, me, Zoro, Nami, Chopper… every one of us is equal in spirit."
"Every one of us is free."
"I am free."
"So, using what I know, I chose to follow my will and stop you—try to keep you from chasing Teach."
"And you are free as well."
"Whether you listen to me… whether you chase Teach… those choices must follow your will."
"Your will matters to me."
"And I will respect it."
The moment he finished speaking, Logan's body trembled violently.
His legs gave out, and he nearly collapsed.
Those words had drained him completely—his already weakened body felt utterly hollowed out.
After several deep breaths, color slowly returned to his face.
As if making up his mind, Logan exchanged with the system and took out ten Senzu Beans, personally handing them to Ace.
"These will restore your stamina and heal your injuries."
"If you're hurt—eat one immediately."
"And one more thing."
"I'll teach you a breathing method now. It can boost your strength in a short time."
"Tuanzi learned it in three days."
"Zoro learned it in two."
"I don't think it'll take you long either."
Ace smiled warmly.
"Understood, Big Brother Logan."
Seeing that carefree grin, Logan snapped.
"You bastard—if I weren't this weak right now, I'd have tied you up already!"
"Still standing here talking about reason—what a load of crap!"
"Heh, sorry for troubling you, Big Brother Logan," Ace laughed.
Luffy waddled over with two chopsticks stuck up his nose, swaying side to side.
"Big Brother Logan, I wanna learn too! I wanna learn too!"
"Zoro got super strong after learning it—I can't even beat him now!"
"You sun god idiot—learn my ass! Water Breathing isn't for you! Get lost!"
Logan snapped irritably.
Then he turned to Zoro, who looked energized and confident.
"Zoro. Swing once. Let me see how well you've grasped Water Breathing."
Zoro grinned and nodded eagerly.
Two Days Later
The Going Merry continued toward Yuba, sailing upstream along the Sandora River.
Alabasta, a superpower in the first half of the Grand Line, boasted a standing army of 600,000.
Yuba, once the western trade hub and a lush oasis city, had long since been destroyed by three consecutive years of drought and rebel warfare.
Along the riverbanks, all that remained were collapsed ruins.
The former oasis was on the brink of becoming a desert.
Ace's talent was terrifying.
Upon encountering Water Breathing, he mastered it in a single day.
By the second day, he had already modified the circulation pattern—creating Fire Breathing.
At first, Ace hadn't thought much of what Logan taught him.
After all, aside from Armament Haki, Logan's current strength didn't seem extraordinary.
But after mastering Fire Breathing, Ace could clearly feel it—
His combat power had increased by at least thirty percent.
His view of Logan shifted again.
Could it be… Big Brother Logan is actually far stronger than I thought?
Ace hopped onto the railing and called out to everyone:
"Everyone—I'm leaving now. Goodbye!"
"Blackbeard isn't in Yuba," Logan said calmly.
"Check the western part of Alabasta."
"Got it!" Ace replied briskly.
He handed over two white square pieces of paper, giving one to Logan and one to Luffy.
"You two keep these."
"They'll guide us when we meet again."
"Next time we reunite—"
"It'll be at the very peak of piracy!"
"It will!" Luffy grinned.
Logan said nothing.
Peak of piracy?
That's far from enough.
Everyone waved as Ace jumped into a small boat and drifted away beneath the glowing sunset.
Tuanzi had changed dramatically over the past two days.
With Nami and Vivi's help, she was no longer the filthy, disheveled little beggar she once was.
Now she wore a pink dress, her hair tied into twin ponytails that fell to her waist. Her skin was pale and smooth, her features clean and bright.
Though not delicate, her long, slightly upturned brows lent her a sharp, heroic air.
With the Dragon-Slayer Blade at her waist and the Zhenhai Sword on her back, she truly looked like a swordswoman who could walk the seas freely.
Her jet-black, pearl-like eyes followed Ace's fading figure.
"Master…" she murmured.
"Uncle Ace… he won't really die, will he?"
"Of course not."
Logan released the railing, turned back, and gently rubbed her now-smooth hair.
"Looks like your master needs to hurry up and start planting trees."
Tuanzi stared silently at the five deep finger-grooves crushed into the wooden railing—
And fell into thought.
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