"Huh?!"
The strangely familiar name made Blackbeard freeze. Then, as if realizing something, he stared at the boy in front of him, his pupils shrinking sharply. His body trembled with excitement as he burst into loud laughter.
"Zehahahahahahaha! Now this is interesting... Zehahahaha..."
Blackbeard's sudden, crazed laughter left everyone confused.
"Hey, Captain, are you sick? Need Doc Q to take a look at you?"
Jesus Burgess looked at his captain and teased him.
But Blackbeard kept laughing.
"You idiots! Didn't you hear that boy's name?!"
The others still had not reacted.
"What about his name? Is there something strange about it?"
"Idiots!"
This time, Blackbeard truly sounded speechless as he roared, "His name is Gol D. Ace! Have you forgotten the name of the Pirate King?"
Only then did everyone suddenly realize.
"Gol D. Roger, Gol D. Ace!"
"Could it be..."
"How is that possible..."
In an instant, everyone on the battlefield turned pale, their eyes widening in shock.
That included the Straw Hat Pirates, who had just been wondering why Ace had said the wrong name.
At that moment, Blackbeard seemed to be confirming his guess as he laughed and asked, "So I was right. You're the child the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, left behind in this world. The one Fire Dragon Yemu later took from the South Blue?"
Ace did not deny it. He lowered the brim of his hat slightly and said slowly, "Although I hate that man, I can't deny that he's my father."
In an instant, the entire battlefield erupted.
"My god, it's actually true..."
"That boy is really the son of Roger, the Pirate King..."
"This is huge news..."
Luffy, lying on the ground while Chopper and Nami tended to him, stared at Ace in astonishment as well.
"Zehahahaha... So that's how it is. I suppose only the Pirate King's bloodline could possess Conqueror's Haki that terrifying... You're lucky, Straw Hat. And..."
Blackbeard stopped mid-sentence, because Crocodile, who had been knocked down earlier, had vanished without a trace.
"Looks like our luck really is bad today. We're leaving!"
Blackbeard's sudden order to retreat startled his crew, but the members of the Blackbeard pirate crew still obeyed and followed him away.
Even so, they were curious.
"We're not capturing him? Roger's son. If we hand him over to the Marines, becoming a Shichibukai would be more than guaranteed, wouldn't it?"
"No need."
Blackbeard was completely calm by now.
"Angering Whitebeard is already enough. And that's not even mentioning the real monster, Fire Dragon Yemu. Now isn't the time for a head-on clash. Besides, capturing that guy would cost us dearly..."
"Is that so? You're the captain. Your call..."
As Ace watched Blackbeard and the others leave, he saw no need to invite trouble.
That man named Marshall D. Teach was dangerous...
Still, that did not stop everyone from cheering.
The war was finally over...
...
Inside the Royal Palace of Alabasta.
As the heroes who had saved the Kingdom of Alabasta, the Straw Hat Pirates and Ace received a warm welcome from King Cobra and Princess Vivi.
The banquet was in full swing. Wrapped in bandages from head to toe, the Straw Hat Pirates devoured the endless dishes being brought out as if they were starving beasts.
The only one who could still maintain proper table manners was a lady like Nami.
"Is this really all right? Crocodile disappeared..."
After all, he was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user. Blackbeard revealing his true colors and Ace's sudden arrival had given Crocodile time to recover and a chance to escape. By the time everyone noticed, Crocodile was already gone.
"Don't worry."
Vivi waved a hand, reassuring Nami.
"Mr. Luffy has already exposed Crocodile and Baroque Works' plot. Crocodile won't get another chance. Besides, the Marines and the World Government won't let him go either."
"Really? Then I can relax!"
Nami said, patting her impressive chest.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Luffy was stuffing his face with delicious food. Looking at Ace, who was eating just as heartily, he asked curiously, "Hey, Ace, are you really the son of Roger, the Pirate King?"
The moment he asked, everyone's attention turned to them.
"Yeah. What about it?"
Ace answered casually.
"Ah... You don't really look like him."
"I guess I take after my mom more."
As the two of them carried on with their pointless exchange, Nami, standing nearby, could not help asking, "Um, Ace, how did you end up here?"
That was the question everyone cared about most. Back on Angel Island, they had warmly invited Ace to come to this sea, but Ace had refused.
"This?"
Ace thought for a moment, then finally said something that surprised everyone.
"I want to surpass him..."
"Surpass him..."
Those three words left everyone stunned.
Then Ace looked at Luffy and said, "Just like the promise you made with that pirate named Shanks, I made a promise with someone too. I'm going to become a Pirate King who surpasses Gol D. Roger."
"Surpass the Pirate King?!"
Suddenly, Ace looked at Luffy, took a sip of wine, and said seriously, "Luffy, you really surprised me. You actually mastered Armament Haki in just one month. But even so, you're still a long way from catching up to me. You'd better work hard, or I'll become the Pirate King first..."
"No..."
Luffy immediately grew anxious.
"I'm definitely the one who'll become the Pirate King!"
"Hahahaha... That's not so certain..."
Seeing the two of them veer off topic again, Nami asked, "Um, Ace, are you alone?"
"Of course not. I already have two companions... but they're not here right now..."
"They...?"
...
In the underground palace of Alabasta.
With the sound of crisp footsteps, Cobra, the King of Alabasta, arrived there.
Seeing the young woman standing before the massive Poneglyph, Cobra sighed.
"So you really are here, Nico Robin. Does that mean Mr. Ace came here on Yemu-sama's orders?"
"Of course."
Robin did not even turn around. Her gaze remained fixed on the stone engraved with the Poneglyph before her.
"In exchange for allowing us to copy the text on this Poneglyph eight years ago, Ace saved Alabasta. So now, we're even..."