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•———•———•———•———•
Chapter's Events:
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"Haa… Haa…"
"Uwoooohhhh!!!" Upon awakening, Luffy went on a rampage, destroying everything in his path—trees, rocks, everything.
Blood dripped from his fists, but he didn't feel the physical pain; the agony came from deep within his heart.
"Haa… Where am I…!!?" He looked up to see a clear blue sky above and many trees surrounding him.
"Haa… Was I dreaming…? Haa…!!" But as soon as he said that, the memories of that fateful day started flooding back.
Ace lay on the ground with a massive wound on his back. He was completely lifeless.
"AAH!!!" Luffy clutched his head and screamed with all his might.
("Sorry, Luffy… I couldn't let you save me…") Ace's final words echoed in his mind.
"Aaahhh!!!" The image of his hand soaked in Ace's blood still haunted him.
"Waah!! Aaahh… Go away!!! Go away!!!"
"Stop it!!!" The ruthless Admiral Akainu ignored Luffy's desperate cries and did it. He ended Ace's life entirely.
•———•———•———•———•
In Baterilla, Rouge couldn't resist her overwhelming desire to know what happened after the war.
So, she took the book her husband had left on the windowsill and opened it.
This scene made her cry again. Just as Luffy couldn't forget, neither could she.
Even though Ace, whom she cried over, was just a fictional character from the manga, she couldn't control her tears and emotions, no matter how hard she tried.
"Luffy…"
Seeing Luffy in this state only deepened her wounds.
…
Outside the house, Roger was also reading this heartbreaking scene.
"If you can't overcome this loss, you'll never be the Pirate King, boy."
"You also won't be the heir to Ace's will…"
"But that's not what I believe will happen because I'm sure you'll become the Pirate King, and you've already inherited Ace's will, just as I see my will in you too."
"So rise again, gather your crew scattered across the seas, and head to the next island. This is what Ace wants to see, and this is what everyone wants to see."
Roger felt immense sorrow because he knew the depth of grief Luffy was feeling at that moment was beyond imagination.
"My son wouldn't want to see you lose your way because of him, Luffy."
…
"Amazon Lily is sheltering Luffy once again~ That's great."
"That's right, here, Luffy can regain himself and heal his wounds."
"But his wounds are deep and won't heal easily."
"I'm talking about the wounds in his heart, not his body."
"Yes, he did everything he could to reach his brother and save him, but in the end, Ace died in his arms."
"This outcome is enough to break anyone's heart, even those whose hearts were already shattered."
"Luffy has suffered so much, seeing him still in such pain breaks my heart terribly."
"Come on, Jimbei, do something…"
In Amazon Lily, the Amazonian women reading the manga were incredibly emotional. In every scene where Luffy hurt himself, they felt the pain.
Even little Hancock was crying at this scene, and Rob couldn't comfort her, so he left her in the care of Gloriosa and Shakky, took his three newborns, and returned to Ohara, sighing bitterly.
…
Back in Ohara, the general sentiment wasn't different from what it was in Baterilla, Amazon Lily, or any other place in the world.
The scene where Luffy went berserk after losing Ace was somewhat expected, but when it happened and appeared in the manga with all the vivid and detailed illustrations, readers, especially Luffy and Ace's fans, felt painful pangs in their hearts.
Rob exited the teleportation room and handed his children to their mothers, Sora and Toki. He also nodded with a smile to Otohime, who had a burning desire in her eyes to have a child with him too… just like Bell-mére and Gloriosa before in Amazon Lily, and even concubines like Stussy and Melona wanted the same, not to mention Suzan and Linlin, who weren't present.
Both Toki and Sora were full of smiles and tender looks for Rob and their children. They dropped everything in their hands and rushed to care for their babies.
Seeing this, Olivia nodded approvingly and approached Rob.
"Dear, did you finish your inspection of the art stores? How did it go?"
Seeing the smile on his gentle wife's face, Rob's smile grew even wider than ever before. No matter how much he loved or lived, Olivia would always be his favorite woman and his living treasure.
Rob hugged her and whispered in her ear, "Everything went well. Everyone is sad enough now, and they're ready to dive into the past a little more."
Olivia nodded with a smile, "You mean they're ready to cry even more?"
"Hehe, you understand me, my dear~"
…
•———•———•———•———•
[12 Years Ago – Foosha Village]
"Your mind wandered off again, Uta?" A five-year-old Luffy approached the little girl who was enjoying the sunset on a hill overlooking the sea.
"Would you sit with me?" she asked with a smile.
"No, that's boring," Luffy refused.
"Let's have a contest instead."
"You're still into that childish habit? Then the contest will be…"
"A chicken race!" That same evening, Uta and Luffy sat at a table with two plates of three chicken legs each.
"The first to finish their share and burp wins," Uta proposed.
"Alright," Luffy agreed.
"This is dangerous; you two should stop," Makino came out of the bar to stop them.
"We refuse!"
"Uta, Luffy…"
"Let them do what they want; this contest is important to them." Shanks appeared, stopping Makino from intervening.
"Let's go!"
"What are they competing for?" Makino asked.
"To see who will rise higher among the pirates," Beckman replied.
Immediately after, both Luffy and Uta dived into their chicken legs. Uta tricked Luffy by giving him a glass of juice, which he gratefully accepted, while she quickly ate all the chicken legs, defeating Luffy, who was then sent flying by the dog.
"Luffy!" Makino ran toward Luffy, fearing he might get hurt.
"She tricked him again!" Yasopp laughed.
Afterward, Luffy and Uta got into a heated argument about cheating and trickery, something Luffy didn't appreciate.
"I'm a pirate! There's no such thing as cheating!" Uta exclaimed. "You got careless in a duel because you're a dumb baby!"
"It's not like Shanks says you're a real pirate yet!" Luffy retorted, agitated.
"Cut it out already!" Shanks intervened.
"No pirate would raise his sword against a child, Shanks!"
"Dummy, that was a test of tough love." Shanks teased her frustration.
"Aw, did you say love? Does that mean you love me, Shanks?" Uta affectionately hugged Shanks' leg, and Luffy did the same.
"You two really need to stop clinging to me," Shanks said, resigned.
"He may be my dad, but he's also my captain, and I idolize him! He's cool, right?" Uta said to Luffy.
•———•———•———•———•
Inside the Art Store in Baterilla:
"Who would have thought Shanks has a daughter? And she has such a deep past with Luffy too!"
"Her name is Uta!"
"Wait! Isn't this the little girl who was singing on the lightscreen earlier?"
"It turns out she's Uta! Shanks' daughter!"
"Oh my God! That means Shanks is married and has a daughter!"
Hearing such shocking words, even Roger Pirates were in a state of disbelief.
And the most shocked person was Shanks himself.
"Could I have a daughter?"
The flashback to events twelve years ago had already continued for four pages, showing all the scenes involving Luffy and Uta, their cute and funny moments, and the Red-Haired Pirates.
"The strange thing is, why didn't this child appear at the beginning of the manga? Was it after she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a singer and left the ship, as my counterpart said?"
"But that's strange; something must have happened. It's impossible for a little girl to decide something like that. It's clear she loves you since you're her father, and she sees your ship as a safe home, and the same applies to you…"
Rayleigh said and then added, "Something like leaving the ship to follow her dream of becoming a singer doesn't make sense."
"Hahaha! Overnight, Shanks suddenly has a daughter! Many of Shanks' female fans must be feeling very jealous right now."
Gaban laughed after saying that.
"But this girl Uta seems very sweet, and she's an amazing singer in every sense of the word."
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 784: Young Luffy's Past. The Appearance of Dadan.
Chapter 785: Luffy and Ace's First Encounter!
Chapter 786: Luffy Who Never Gives Up! Sabo.
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