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The Strongest Frost Loli (144)
🕑 Added 2024-10-20 17:02:01 +0000 UTCChapter 144 - Ace
The gentle lapping of waves against the hull was the only sound that disturbed the quiet.
He had heard that the New World's seas were more treacherous than Paradise, but so far, there were no signs of storms.
The ship, bearing a skull-and-crossbones flag, had left Fish-Man Island and sailed past a few islands. Their current destination was the Rommel Empire.
A newspaper, left open on the deck, had a bold headline:
-- Spade Pirates, Portgas D. Ace!
-- Refuses to Join the Seven Warlords!
It was an article about Ace’s refusal to join the Seven Warlords, and his escape from Sabaody Archipelago after defeating a Marine Vice Admiral. Though it was a few weeks old, the crew members were still talking about their captain making headlines again.
The sound of a radio, tuned to a specific frequency, reached Ace, who was relaxing on the deck. Someone must have set it up.
"Alright, here we go! It’s ‘From the New World’, broadcasting live from the Rommel Empire! Our usual host, Moderato, is out with a broken prosthetic arm, so I, Demaro Black, will be your host for today! And our lovely assistant is…"
“It's Monet. Nice to meet you.”
“Wow, Monet-chan, you’re so cute… I’ve always been jealous of Moderato, getting to work with you every day, but now I’m happy to be your co-host! Are you free tonight?”
“That’s sexual harassment.”
“Ouch! But you’re so cute, I forgive you! …Anyway, let’s wrap up the opening talk. Monet-chan, tell us about today’s schedule.”
“Yes. Today’s program will be…”
The voices continued to flow from the receiver Den Den Mushi, a device most sailors now carried.
Thanks to the radio towers Twilight had established around the world, anyone could receive information as long as they had a receiver. But that didn't mean newspapers were obsolete. Radio required you to tune in at a specific time, while newspapers allowed you to access information at your leisure. They coexisted peacefully.
Newspapers even had radio program schedules.
It was said to be a collaborative effort between the World Economic News and Twilight.
“Twilight, huh…”
Ace’s impression of Twilight was that they were… unusual, to say the least.
They operated merchant ships, broadcasted radio programs, and even conducted maritime rescue operations.
They didn't seem like pirates at all. Their captain, the "Witch”, had been a Warlord for years, but her last known battle was years ago. She rarely made headlines.
He had heard various rumors back in the East Blue – that she was a pirate who bought her way to the top, or that she had used her beauty to gain influence.
He doubted anyone could maintain their position as a Warlord, where strength was paramount, with just money or beauty… but it wasn’t something Ace cared about.
“Hey, Ace!”
“Hmm?”
Someone called out to him.
It was Deuce, a man with a mask covering his eyes.
He was the Spade Pirates’ doctor, and one of Ace’s trusted companions.
“Looking at that again?”
“Yeah, I don’t have anything else to do. I’ll work when a storm comes.”
Ace waved the piece of paper he was holding.
It was a Vivre Card. It was made from a person’s fingernail clippings, and looked like an ordinary piece of paper.
It was also called a "Life Paper”, and would gradually move in the direction of the person whose nail clippings it was made from. It would also shrink if the person’s life force was waning, but so far, there were no signs of that.
“I hope whoever it belongs to is in the New World.”
“Yeah…”
He didn’t know who it belonged to.
Garp had given it to him when he was a child, claiming it was a memento from his father. But even Garp didn’t know who it belonged to. He simply told Ace, “Find him yourself."
The only clue was a message written on the card: “To my dearest friend."
Few people knew about Ace’s lineage, but Deuce was one of them.
“I doubt there are many people who would call the Pirate King their “dearest friend”… I wonder who it is.”
Ace had recently met Shanks, but he had kept his lineage a secret. He had asked Shanks about those who were close to the Pirate King, and the first name that came up, aside from the Roger Pirates’ crew, was the “Witch of Twilight."
He had heard rumors about their friendship, but he didn’t know the details. But if Shanks mentioned her, then it had to be true. So, he had decided to visit Twilight’s base of operations, the Rommel Empire, to confirm it.
Ideally, he should have gone to Hachinosu, but Shanks had warned him, “If you don't join Twilight, or contact them beforehand, they’ll sink you without hesitation.” So, they had decided to gather information in the Rommel Empire first.
“Well, Shanks said she’s busy, and we probably won’t be able to meet her easily… We’ll need to think of something.”
“We can’t just barge in. She’s different from the other Warlords. She commands a massive force. Even stronger than the Four Emperors.”
Two of the Four Emperors – Big Mom and Kaido – had formed an alliance, and even then, they were only considered equal to the combined forces of Twilight and the Marines.
The alliance, formed over two decades ago, had endured because of the threat Twilight posed. He had felt their influence ever since he entered the Grand Line.
Ace had been born in the South Blue, but he had grown up in the East Blue.
The East Blue, known as the weakest sea, had weak pirates, and most of the merchant ships weren't affiliated with Twilight.
But since entering the Grand Line, almost every merchant ship he saw belonged to Twilight, or had their escorts.
The Four Emperors were called the “Strongest Creature” and the “Strongest Family,” but what kind of monster was this “Witch” that even two of them couldn’t defeat? Ace wondered.
“Ace, what are you going to do when you find this person? Whoever they are?”
“What am I going to do…?”
Ace made a complicated face.
Ask them about his father – Gol D. Roger?
Tell them he was Roger’s son and ask for their help?
No, he wouldn’t do that. There were other ways to seek protection. He could have asked Shanks.
What good would it do to learn about Roger now? His father, who was nothing but a source of insults –
“…“To my dearest friend,” huh?”
Even the Pirate King had a friend who called him that.
Ace simply wanted to meet this person. That was all.
He would decide what to do after that.
“You’re going in blind,” Deuce sighed.
It couldn’t be helped. There were no answers without meeting this person.
“You’re better at gathering information than me. I’ll leave that to you.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’ll think of something.”
Deuce frowned at Ace’s vague reply.
***
Arriving at the Rommel Empire, Ace immediately headed into town from the harbor.
It was called the most prosperous city in the New World. While not everything was new, there were many unusual sights.
The streets were filled with people of various races – Fish-men, merfolk, Longarms, Longlegs, Minks, Giants… It felt like every race in the world was gathered here.
Perhaps to accommodate the various races, the buildings were also massive, a sight to behold.
A racetrack where people competed on boat-shaped Wavers.
A golden theater where singers and idols performed.
But the most eye-catching structure was the Colosseum – a massive arena.
“It’s huge…”
Perhaps to accommodate battles between giants, even the entrance was enormous.
It seemed to be popular. There was a large crowd gathered outside, many placing bets on the outcome of the fights. Ace, after glancing at the odds, avoided the crowd and continued walking.
He didn’t have a specific destination.
He simply figured that important people would be in large buildings. The empire was the Witch’s territory. There was a good chance she was here.
“Hey.”
As he was about to enter the castle, assuming she was there, he was stopped by a guard.
The woman, over twice his height, looked down at him. A blonde woman with horns and mismatched eyes.
She had a sword strapped to her waist. A single glance was enough to tell that she could kill him with one blow.
“Only those with permission are allowed beyond this point. You look like a pirate, but I’ll ask anyway. Do you have an appointment?”
“An appointment…? What’s that? I want to see the Witch.”
“Her Excellency is a busy woman. She doesn’t have time for those without appointments.”
“Then how do I get one of these… avocado things?”
“You’re a pirate, correct? If you want to join Twilight, then you’ll get to meet her. Eventually.”
“I’m not here to join Twilight!”
“Then leave. Or are you going to try to force your way through?”
Ace wouldn’t back down from a fight, regardless of who his opponent was, but he remembered Deuce telling him, “Don’t cause any trouble.”
He reluctantly turned and left.
At least he knew she was in the castle. That was enough for now.
He passed by two figures – a man and a woman – on his way back to the harbor. “What should I do?” he thought as he walked.
***
“Was that…?”
“Someone you know?”
“No… I thought I recognized them. I probably saw them on a wanted poster.”
“They looked like pirates.”
“I don’t know any pirates,” the young man muttered.
Ragnell, the guard, questioned the two figures who had arrived after Ace left.
“State your business.”
“We’re here to see Kanata.”
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No, but we were told to deliver this letter.”
The young man gestured, and the girl behind him handed Ragnell a letter.
Ragnell didn’t bother to read it. She would simply deliver it to Kanata.
“I’ll deliver this. But there’s no guarantee she’ll meet with you, even if she reads it.”
“Yes, we understand. But we want confirmation. We need to know if she’ll meet with us, even if it’s not today.”
“I see… Come back tomorrow at this time. I’ll confirm it with Her Excellency. What are your names?”
She couldn't remember every visitor. There were too many. Ragnell took out a notepad and pen.
“Sabo.”
“Koala.”
The two of them, carrying the torch of revolution, had come to the Rommel Empire to meet with Kanata, following Dragon’s instructions.
