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Ace struggled with all his might to open his heavy eyelids, emerging from the darkness of the womb into a world of light. As the haze cleared from his vision, he was met with a face unlike anything he had ever seen—neither in his past life nor in his dreams. It was a face overflowing with tenderness and beauty, yet withering like a flower deprived of water.
Portgas D. Rouge was on the brink of total physical collapse. Her once marble-like skin had turned pale, her forehead drenched in cold sweat, and every breath she drew felt like a final battle—fighting to claim what little air remained in this world.
Twenty months… twenty months of legendary endurance against the laws of nature and the relentless pursuit of the Marines. Rouge had exhausted every ounce of her vitality—even the very essence of her soul—to keep her child safe within her womb.
And yet, even as her life slipped away, her eyes shone with a divine light—a mixture of boundless tenderness and eternal contentment. She looked at Ace as if he were her only treasure… as if he were the very justification for her existence.
Standing near her bed was a towering man whose presence filled the room with silent authority. Dressed in black, his stern features concealed a storm of conflicting emotions.
It was the Hero of the Marines—Monkey D. Garp.
The scene itself was deeply ironic. The man who had chased the Pirate King across every sea now stood as the guardian of his sworn enemy's wife and newborn child. Garp knew full well that what he was doing was an act of ultimate betrayal to his position… yet at the same time, it was a sacred obligation—a promise between men, forged with Roger in the depths of prison.
Rouge paid Garp no attention. Her entire world had narrowed to the small being trembling in her arms. Taking a deep breath, she began to whisper, her voice faint—as though she were carving her final words into Ace's soul before her voice vanished forever:
"Ace… listen to me carefully, my little one. Eat well, don't be picky. I want you to grow quickly and become strong. Always remember to bathe in warm water every day. Don't stay up too late—sleep is the source of strength…"
She paused to catch her breath, then continued with a faint smile:
"Make many friends… this sea is vast, far wider than you can imagine. You will surely meet souls like yours. But remember—you don't need an army of passersby. A few true friends, the kind you would die for… that is enough."
"Stay away from alcohol until you're twenty. Keep your mind and body pure… And in the future, when your heart beats for a woman, don't be deceived by appearances. Seek someone with a great heart… a woman who resembles your mother in her patience…"
Rouge broke down, her warm tears falling onto Ace's cheeks.
"Ace… as the son of 'that man,' you will face storms of pain and sorrow. The world will not show you mercy. But stand firm… reach for a dream that touches the stars, and have the courage to tear apart the impossible to achieve it…"
"And also… and also… and also…"
Her words choked in her throat, dissolving into bitter sobs.
"There is so much I wanted to teach you… I truly wanted to see your first steps… to hear your first words… Your mother loves you more than life itself."
With the last of her strength, Rouge placed a final kiss upon Ace's forehead—a kiss that carried the warmth of her departing life. Then she slowly closed her eyes… surrendering to the stillness of death.
Ace felt the coldness of her body creeping into him. His soul wept before his eyes could. A man who had been an orphan in his previous life had now become an orphan once more… yet this time, he had tasted "absolute love"—if only for a fleeting moment.
Garp's long silence broke with a heavy sigh. Through Observation Haki, he understood that Rouge's flame of life had been completely extinguished. Slowly, he stepped forward and lifted Ace from her lifeless arms.
Looking into the child's face, he spoke in a deep voice, as though making a vow to fate itself:
"Rest easy, Rouge… I will raise him to become a man who makes the world tremble—and I will keep him safe."
At that moment, as Ace rested in Garp's arms, his eyes were no longer seeing the room.
Through his transcendent perception, dimensions began to overlap within his mind.
And suddenly—reality split apart before him.
---
"Whooosh!"
Darkness swallowed his vision, and Ace found himself standing in a strange place, surrounded by thousands of Marines stretching across the horizon.
Beside him stood an old man with sharp features, wearing round glasses, his long blond hair swaying in the wind.
It was the "Dark King," Silvers Rayleigh.
"Roger Pirates! You are surrounded! Surrender immediately!"
A Vice Admiral shouted from the front, but his voice betrayed a deep-seated fear—as though he were facing a monster from a forgotten age.
In this vision, Ace was no child.
He embodied the spirit of a king.
A thunderous laugh burst from his throat, shaking the very air:
"Oh? Hahahahaha! Do you truly believe this crowd is enough to bind a king? If you wish to capture me, go call Garp and Sengoku! You are nothing but wreckage before the storm!"
The laughter stopped abruptly. His gaze turned cold as ice.
Then—
A terrifying aura erupted from his body, dark violet and absolute—an aura that recognized neither law nor rank.
"BOOOOM!"
Crackling violet lightning tore across the battlefield. The sky split apart, clouds scattering as if fleeing the king's wrath.
Thousands of soldiers collapsed like autumn leaves in a raging storm. Their eyes rolled back, their consciousness shattered before they could comprehend what had happened.
This was Conqueror's Haki in its purest form—
A power that declared to all: the weak do not even have the right to breathe in the presence of a king.
---
"Fwoosh!"
The vision shattered abruptly.
Ace returned to his grim reality—to Garp's arms, and his mother's lifeless body.
But something within him had changed forever.
[You have reached the pinnacle of transcendent perception. As a result of the emotional explosion between loss and pride, and through the simulation of the "will of a king" in your vision, you have awakened: Conqueror's Haki!]
At that moment, Garp felt something strange.
The child in his arms—only minutes old—released an invisible pulse.
The wooden walls of the hut trembled.
So did Garp's soul.
His expression changed suddenly… drastically… terrifyingly.
"BOOOOM!"
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Author's Note:
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