"Ace!!!"
Luffy could not stop himself from shouting when he saw Rolan standing beside Ace, both of them alive and free on the battlefield. His voice carried across the chaos without restraint.
Ace lifted his head toward Luffy, surprise flashing across his face before softening into a familiar smile. "You idiot," he said calmly, "do you have any idea how dangerous this place is? What are you doing here?"
Luffy grinned without hesitation. "Hehe, we're brothers, aren't we?"
Ace paused for a moment, then let out a quiet breath. His expression eased, warmth filling his eyes. "Next time," he said, "don't be so reckless."
"Hehe, I won't," Luffy replied, nodding without thinking too deeply about it.
…
Dawn Island, Windmill Village, East Blue.
Inside Makino's bar, the atmosphere erupted the moment the news spread.
"He made it out!!!"
"Ace is free!"
Cheers thundered through the small tavern as mugs were raised high.
"Let's drink to Ace's freedom!"
"Cheers!"
Ale splashed as everyone drank deeply, laughter filling the air.
"Let's toast to Rolan!"
"Cheers!"
Glasses clinked again, louder this time.
"And to Luffy!"
"Cheers!"
Just as the noise threatened to lift the roof, an old voice cut through the chaos. "Quiet down!"
One of the drunk villagers turned, face flushed. "What's wrong with celebrating? Ace was rescued!"
"That's right," another added. "We watched that kid grow up, he's family."
"Shut it!" the Village Chief barked, slamming his cane down. "That boy is a pirate. Pirates are criminals in this world!"
Makino laughed softly from behind the counter. "Village Chief," she said gently, "you look pretty happy for someone scolding everyone. You're glad Ace was saved by Rolan too, aren't you?"
The room immediately erupted into teasing.
"See, Village Chief, you can't hide it."
"Your face is red already."
"Stop pretending!"
The Village Chief's face turned crimson all the way to his ears. "Shut up, all of you brats!"
"Cheers!!"
"Too noisy!" he shouted again, though no one listened.
Makino watched quietly, her eyes drifting to the imagined figures of Luffy, Ace, and Sabo standing together once more. A gentle smile rested on her face.
…
Fish-Man Island.
"They did it! Ace was rescued!"
The streets rang with celebration.
"As expected of Lord Rolan!"
"He's unstoppable!"
Cheers echoed endlessly, but one voice spoke with restraint. "Don't celebrate too early. They're still at Marineford. It only counts once they board the ship and leave."
Another laughed loudly. "With Rolan and the Ion Tempest there, leaving Marineford will be easy."
"Exactly. Lord Rolan is there, nothing can go wrong."
…
Ryugu Castle.
"Lord Rolan has rescued Ace," Ryuboshi said, his expression bright. "This is wonderful news."
Fukaboshi stood beside him, arms folded, brow slightly furrowed. "Will it really end that easily?"
Sengoku the Buddha was known not just for his overwhelming power, but for his mind. Someone like him would not simply allow Ace to be taken without consequence.
"As a strategist, Sengoku rarely makes mistakes," Fukaboshi continued. "And he always fulfills the World Government's orders."
"Now that Ace is free, nothing else should go wrong," Manboshi said confidently, spinning in place.
He turned toward the throne. "Father, what do you think?"
The princes fell silent as they looked at Neptune. The king's expression remained tense.
"Father," Ryuboshi asked carefully, "do you sense something wrong?"
Neptune did not answer immediately. Instead, he muttered anxiously, "Shirahoshi… where is my daughter?"
Fukaboshi fell silent.
Ryuboshi blinked.
Manboshi froze.
…
When Whitebeard saw Ace standing unharmed, the weight pressing on his chest finally eased.
Decades at sea had taught him many truths about the world. He had never reached Laugh Tale, but he understood the era they lived in and the path Roger had pursued. They shared the same regret. If they had been born twenty years later, perhaps everything would have been different.
So he, like Shanks, chose to place his bet on the new era.
In Rolan's design, Ace and Luffy were essential. Ace was never just a subordinate to him. He was a future worth protecting.
Whitebeard never wanted a throne. He only wanted to use what strength he had left to shelter the next generation from the storm.
That was why he came to Marineford, fully aware that he might lose everything.
His gaze shifted to Rolan.
He could never fully grasp that young man. His strength, his vision, even his ambition felt detached from the limits of this world.
Yet it was fortunate that Rolan sought to reshape the world rather than destroy it. If someone like him desired ruin, the consequences would be beyond imagining.
Now, Whitebeard finally understood.
Rolan was the one Roger had been waiting for.
…
Across the battlefield, pirates roared in celebration.
"You did it, Rolan!"
"We believed in you!"
"You're our god!"
"Now that Ace is free, we need to get out of Marineford!"
Marco, who had exhausted himself fighting Kuzan, felt his strength surge anew at the sight of Ace. He exchanged another heavy blow with Kuzan, both of them sliding backward across the ground.
"So that's Rolan," Kuzan murmured calmly. "Freeing seastone cuffs without a key… interesting."
He exhaled lightly. "Well, Ace is free. That much is undeniable."
His gaze followed the two young figures. Memories surfaced, words once spoken by Rolan echoing in his mind.
"Can you really make the Marines stand apart from the World Government," Kuzan muttered quietly, "and fight only for justice?"
He knew that such a path would inevitably lead to war.
The World Government was a shadowed thing, layered in secrets no Admiral fully understood.
…
At that moment, several figures burst from the Marineford structure, leaping into the sky above the battlefield.
"Hahahaha!" a voice rang out. "You really put on quite the show!"
^_________^
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