GOING MERRY – REVEALING THE PAST
"I miss Sabo," Luffy muttered.
"Yeah, me too. I didn't even know he was still alive all this time," Ace said with a grin.
"You're Luffy brother too?" Jack asked, even though he already knew the answer just to ice breaking with Ace.
"Yeah," Ace replied, grinning. "Why ask when you already know?"
"Because you're from the Whitebeard Pirates," Jack answered calmly.
Ace raised a brow, clearly impressed. "Looks like you're really well-informed about me."
"That thing on your back gives it away," Jack said, gesturing slightly. "Besides, a Yonko crew is infamous and there's no way I wouldn't know."
"Sharp eyes," Ace said with a smile.
"Hey, what are you guys talking about?" Luffy interrupted, trying to join the conversation.
But Jack ignored him completely. "Why are you in Paradise?"
Ace fell silent. His expression turned serious, so serious that even Luffy swallowed nervously.
"There's a man named Blackbeard, he's been wreaking havoc in Paradise," Ace said. "He's a traitor, committed a crime no pirate should ever commit because he killed one of our crewmates… just to steal a Devil Fruit."
The Strawhat Pirates gasped in shock but Jack remained calm because he already know about this.
"So you came here to hunt him down?" Jack asked.
"Yes. I'm going to bring him back to Pops… and then personally punish him," Ace replied firmly.
Jack let out a short scoff.
"That's stupidm, you'll end up dragging the Whitebeard Pirates into destruction."
Ace eyes sharpened and glared at him angrily. . "What did you just say?"
"Do you really think Blackbeard is weak?" Jack continued coldly. "No, infact he is stronger than you and he might even be capable of defeating Whitebeard."
"Wait.... what?!" Ace frowned, clearly confused.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Straw Hat crew had somehow come close settled down like spectators, watching the argument unfold like a show.
Jack turned his gaze toward Kuma.
"Kuma, do you remember the day you gained your power?"
Kuma nodded slowly. "Yes… that was the day I regained my freedom."
"Then you must be familiar with Rocks D. Xebec," Jack said.
Kuma expression shifted slightly. "Rocks… It seems you really do know a lot about this world."
"Wait, who's Rocks?" Luffy asked suddenly.
"I've never heard of him," Sanji added.
"Rocks… Rocks…" Nami muttered, trying to recall the name.
Only Robin seemed calm.
"Rocks was the rival of the Pirate King, Gold Roger," Robin revealed.
"NANI?!" the others shouted in shock.
"Rocks D. Xebec was the greatest swordsman of his era," Jack continued. "He wasn't killed by Roger. He was cornered, forced into a situation where he had to protect his family, and he died because of it."
Zoro eyes lit up.
"The greatest swordsman…?" he muttered.
"Hey, Marimo, shut up. We're in the middle of something," Sanji snapped.
"What did you say, curly brow?!" Zoro shot back.
"You two... stop it. I'm explaining something important here," Jack said firmly.
Both of them froze… then grudgingly went silent.
"Rocks wasn't weak," Jack continued. "He was trapped because his family was threatened."
He paused for a moment.
"And Blackbeard, Teach... is his son."
Everyone become silence hearing Jack words.
"His real name is Rocks D. Teach… or, more secretly… Davy D. Teach."
"What?!" several voices shouted.
"Davy… as in Davy Jones?" Robin asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Exactly," Jack nodded. "They're descendants of the Davy Clan and from what I know… he's capable of eating two Devil Fruits without his body being destroyed."
The entire crew went completely silent.
.
.
"Crazy, right?" Jack smirked. "And that's not all, the Devil Fruit he ate can neutralize other abilities and even steal them. It's arguably the most dangerous Logia-type fruit. So, Ace… if you go after him alone, he'll most likely capture you and hand you over to the Marines and once that happens, the Whitebeard Pirates will be forced to come and rescue you."
Ace frowned. "Does that mean… he stayed on the crew all this time just to get that Devil Fruit?"
Jack smiled and nodded. "Not just that. He also believes your father, Edward Newgate, betrayed Rocks during the final battle."
"MY FATHER IS NOT A TRAITOR!" Ace roared.
"I'm not here to judge," Jack replied calmly. "But Vice Admiral Garp which is your grandfather and Whitebeard are the only ones who witnessed that final fight."
"Gramps…?" Luffy muttered.
"What did Gramps said?" asked Ace.
"He said he saw your father ran away leaving him alone," said Jack.
"Don't lie to me," Ace become angry.
"I didn't lie and you can also verify the fact with your father," commented Jack.
Ace felt silent after hearing Jack confident word.
"Garp earned the title 'Hero of the Marines' because of that battle against Rocks D. Xebec," Jack continued. "And after that, the World Government erased Rocks' name from history. That's why none of you have heard of him before."
He glanced at Robin.
"Of course, Robin knows. As an archaeologist, it's no surprise she managed to uncover records about Rocks."
Silence fell over the deck.
Even Kuma—who had seen the darkness of the World Government firsthand—looked stunned.
"Ace," Jack said seriously, "stop what you're doing. If you truly want to capture Blackbeard, you need to bring Whitebeard with you… or fight like us."
He gestured toward the crew.
"We have three Conqueror's Haki users. And two of them don't even rely on Devil Fruits. That makes them the perfect counter against someone like Blackbeard."
Hearing this, Luffy stepped forward and slapped Ace on the shoulder.
"Jack's right, Ace! Me, Zoro, and Sanji—we can all use Conqueror's Haki. If you need help, just call us!" Luffy said with a wide grin.
"Yeah," Zoro added with a smirk. "My swords have been itching for a traitor like that. You can count me in too."
"Don't forget I can burn that traitor with my magma," said Bartolomeo.
Ace looked at them, clearly moved but still hesitant.
"Ace," Jack continued, his tone become firm, "if you choose to refuse, we'll respect that. But you absolutely cannot face him alone. I'm certain Blackbeard would hand you straight over to the Marines and if that happens… the Whitebeard Pirates will have no choice but to wage war to save you."
His gaze hardened.
"And when that happens… many of your crewmates will die."
Ace froze. Slowly, his knees gave out and he dropped to the ground. After a moment, he looked up at Jack.
"…Thank you," Ace said quietly. "You're right. I need to call Pops first."
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