As for Laffitte, after beating up Delderson earlier, he finally received the man's retaliation. Criminal activity rose sharply throughout the district under his jurisdiction, and his superior gave him a harsh scolding.
At the same time, the civilians who had been tormented by the surge in crime also vented all their resentment on Laffitte.
Laffitte remained silent and said nothing. After lying low for nearly a month, he finally caught hold of Delderson's weakness. Once the evidence was irrefutable, Laffitte used his cane sword and cut him down under Delderson's disbelieving gaze.
The entire process was decisive, without the slightest hesitation.
Afterward, according to the message sent down from above, Laffitte had rendered meritorious service in this matter and was promoted to the noble district.
And the one who approved Laffitte's promotion papers was precisely the noble who had openly sheltered Delderson.
Ignoring his superior's gloating gaze, Laffitte accepted the promotion papers expressionlessly and returned to his residence.
After briefly packing his luggage, Laffitte fell silent for a while. Then he took out the wooden box Roy had given him before.
He removed the peach-shaped Devil Fruit inside, peeled it, bit into it fiercely, and then swallowed the flesh in his mouth with a heavy expression.
After that, carrying his luggage, he strode toward the core noble district of the Andrew Kingdom.
He had already made his decision.
This time, he would settle things properly!
…
East Blue, Goa Kingdom.
"Roger was scum. That bastard started the Great Pirate Era."
"Exactly. Roger is someone everyone hates. He deserved to be captured by the Marines."
"So what if that bastard became the Pirate King? In the end, wasn't he still executed by the Marines?"
"A Pirate King like that? Tch, hahaha!"
Inside a bar in town, a group of drunkards laughed loudly, discussing Roger without the slightest restraint.
"Hahaha, brat, you asked what kind of person Roger was, right? Now you know. He was scum!" one of the drunkards said teasingly, his eyes hazy with alcohol as he looked at the silent little boy beside him, whose face was dotted with freckles.
"And if Roger's bloodline really still exists in this world, then that in itself is a sin!"
"That's right. Roger's bloodline should never exist in this world."
"Hahahaha, why bother telling this brat all this? He doesn't understand a damn thing. Come on, drink!"
The drunkard called the others over to drink, but he did not notice that the boy's fists had gradually clenched.
Then—
"Bang!"
"He hit someone!"
"You bastard brat!"
"You looking to die?"
After a burst of chaos, a small, thin figure rushed out of the bar, with several drunkards cursing after him from behind.
The boy sprinted down the street, biting his lip hard.
"Roger… my father… was he really scum? Do I really not deserve to exist in this world?!"
That question kept circling through the boy's mind. Before he realized it, he had already left the town and arrived in the mountain forest.
By a small stream, the boy looked at his own face reflected in the water, then slapped the surface of the stream hard.
After venting for a long while, the boy ran out of strength. He lay spread-eagled by the stream just like that, staring blankly at the sky.
A long time passed.
"Grrr…"
The boy's stomach made a sound. After all, he was only four or five years old. After such intense movement, it was only natural that he was hungry.
He got up and patted himself off, preparing to return to his home on the mountain, when his nose suddenly twitched.
"This smell… it smells so good!"
Drool flowed from the corner of the boy's mouth. His eyes rolled, and then he ran toward the source of the fragrance.
After traveling quite a distance, the boy finally arrived near a large tree.
Beneath the tree was a small table and stool that seemed to have been handmade. Several pieces of tableware had also been placed on the table.
On the plates were two slender, silver-gray fish. The boy could feel that the fragrance that had lured him here was coming from those two fish.
But the boy did not step forward, because someone was sitting at the table, pouring wine from a gourd and drinking alone.
The boy could clearly see that the wine had seven colors, like a rainbow!
"Gulp."
The boy subconsciously swallowed his saliva. Then he saw the man turn his face toward the direction where he was hiding!
"Not good!"
"Where do you think you're going?"
A calm voice sounded behind the boy.
"When did he—?!"
The man who had clearly been sitting there drinking had suddenly appeared in front of him.
The boy was too young to know fear. He casually pulled a wooden stick from the side and held it in his hand, staring warily at the person before him.
"Ace, huh? You're only four or five years old…"
The two of them remained in a standoff for a while.
Then—
"Grr!"
Young Ace's stomach cried out again despite himself.
"Hungry?" Roy looked at young Ace and smiled.
The latter still took a cautious step back, but secretly wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth.
"If you're hungry, then eat with me." Roy directly ignored young Ace and walked toward the table and chairs beneath the large tree.
"What? You already came all this way, and now you don't even dare taste it? What a coward."
Seeing that young Ace did not move, Roy provoked him with great interest.
It was like standing atop a high peak and watching the sunrise over a sea of clouds; even the tallest mountain could hardly surpass such grandeur.
"Who's a coward?! It's just fish. It's not like I've never eaten fish before!"
Sure enough, he had the kind of personality that tried to act tough at a young age. Ace directly threw away the wooden stick and came to the table with Roy.
…
"Burp…"
Ace let out a full belch, then flopped down beside the fish bones.
One had to know that Black-White Fish contained extremely abundant nutrients. Even young Ace had only eaten two fish before he patted his stomach and lay under the shade of the tree.
"You're full? Then tell me, brat. What do you plan to do?"
"Tell you what? What do you mean, what do I plan to do?"
"You don't think my fish was free, do you? After eating it, you should know how precious this fish is, right?"
"It's just two fish. I'll catch two later and pay you back."
Young Ace's eyes flickered as he stubbornly kept up his tough act.
(End of Chapter)
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