Chapter 192: Target - Whitebeard Pirates
"Hello there, Ace. I saw you like this a long time ago. How are you feeling?"
Rodney's words had a somewhat mischievous tone, but Ace still lowered his head and replied softly, "You saw me? Yes, your eyes are incredibly perceptive. No wonder you kept reminding me that everything I did was my own choice, Rodney. I've never regretted it!"
He had never been one to regret his actions! Never!
"Is that so?" Rodney shook his head.
"Observation Haki!"
A slug-like creature appeared and said, "Lord Rodney."
"Sister Slug, please go and heal the injuries of the Fish-Man over there," Rodney said softly.
"Of course," Sister Slug crawled into the cell and began to heal Jinbe's injuries with her green chakra. Jinbe immediately felt a cooling sensation on his painful wounds, and the pain gradually subsided. He asked Rodney, "Mr. Rodney, what is this?"
"This is my healing technique. Overuse can lead to significant cell death and shortened lifespans, but I doubt you'll be concerned about that now," Rodney replied softly.
"Ace, everything I've shown you will come true one by one. Every outcome will be realized. The future can indeed change, but not by your own hand."
Rodney also sat down, and Garp had already left, leaving them to talk.
"I no longer have that ability," Ace said, his mind filled with memories of the battlefield, where he didn't want to see his loved ones' lives wasted. They were his family.
"They will come, Ace. The Whitebeard Pirates will come to Marineford. Whitebeard values his family more than anything else, and when they arrive, they will put their lives on the line here. Ace, I will fight as one who will send them off."
Ace's lips trembled, and he looked directly at Rodney.
"Rodney, what else have you seen? Tell me!"
"Knowing too much about the future won't do you any good, Ace, and you don't have the ability to change any of it. Bound by Seastone, even taking a single step is exceptionally difficult for you, let alone changing the so-called future."
"But you can change it! Rodney, we're friends, aren't we? Help me! I don't want them to be slaughtered by you!"
Ace knew Rodney's abilities well. He could easily create natural disasters with his powers, and if he wanted to, he could slaughter many unsuspecting Whitebeard Pirates.
"Ace, unless they are pirates I find favorable, I won't spare them, and the Whitebeard Pirates are not in that category."
"They haven't done any wrong. My father's reputation has protected many islands!"
The Whitebeard Pirates were known for being the conscience of the seas, using Whitebeard's name to shield countless islands.
"Ace, don't be naive! I warned you from the beginning! But what about you? You didn't listen. I'm a Pirate Hunter! I won't spare any pirates, even if they are the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Rodney's incredible aura suddenly burst forth, and his eyes had unknowingly transformed into Mangekyou Sharingan, with pale blue bones swirling around him.
His eyes exuded an ominous and evil aura, making him appear extremely cold.
Ace and Jinbe felt that Rodney had become a completely different person.
"Mr. Rodney, this state of yours doesn't seem right!"
"Nothing, I just acquired this power, and I'm having a bit of trouble controlling it."
He covered his eyes with his hand, and the Susanoo disappeared, grumbling, "I will launch an attack on the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace. You just need to watch."
"Watch as I take the heads of those pirates who claim to be fighting for freedom but accomplish nothing! They should all be eradicated!"
As he spoke, uncontrollable crimson chakra began to appear around him.
"Mr. Rodney, I think you're misunderstanding something about the Whitebeard Pirates," Jinbe interjected. He felt it was his duty to clarify any misconceptions Rodney might have.
"I know that the Whitebeard Pirates have some good-hearted individuals. But can you guarantee that every member of the crew is a good person?"
"I..."
Jinbe couldn't make such a guarantee. In a pirate crew, there were bound to be various individuals, and he couldn't assure Rodney that every member of the Whitebeard Pirates was innocent.
Come on, when you become a pirate, how many innocent lives can you honestly say you haven't taken?
In Jinbe's view, a few lives didn't matter much, but he knew that Rodney cared deeply about this.
"Pirates should all be eradicated in my eyes, Mr. Jinbe. Haven't you forgotten the dire situation Fish-Man Island was in before the Whitebeard Pirates arrived? Fish-Men and Merfolk were being captured indiscriminately, and you had no means to resist."
"I haven't forgotten! I will never forget it in my life!" Jinbe recalled those dark days, and the memories were still haunting him to this day.
"The Whitebeard Pirates did indeed protect you, but Whitebeard will also fall one day. No one is immortal, Jinbe. I plan to use the Whitebeard Pirates as a stepping stone to establish myself in the New World. I want to eliminate all pirates!"
His eyes flared with determination, and Jinbe was stunned.
He was speaking with such conviction, and his words echoed throughout the sixth level, drawing laughter from numerous former pirates.
"Hahaha, this young man is really audacious! Let me out of this cell so I can teach him a lesson in manners!"
"Hahaha, ridiculous! Ridiculous! Do you think you, a single person, can take on all those pirates? Don't make me laugh!"
"Hahaha! You're making me laugh! I never thought I'd hear someone say something like this in a place like this. These decades of frustration have suddenly become interesting."
"No!"
Amidst the laughter, an elderly voice said, "He's not lying! He's not joking! This young man genuinely thinks this way. What a wonderful world!"
With this person's statement, the sixth level fell silent, and someone asked, "Are you serious, Count Red?"
Count Red, Patrick Redfield, was a terrifying name, a pirate from the time of Gol D. Roger, known as the "Red the Aloof". He was rumored to be a pirate who stood on par with Roger and Whitebeard, possessing top-tier Observation Haki, which allowed him to see into the hearts of others. He was a recluse and a fan of Brook, and he was captured by Garp and brought into Impel Down.
At this point, he hadn't consumed a Devil Fruit yet, and his Observation Haki had allowed him to glimpse into Rodney's heart, seeing the peaceful world within. Even he had to admit that the world Rodney envisioned was incredibly beautiful.
"Young man, your thoughts are admirable. Do you know how much power it would take to eliminate all pirates?"
Count Red, despite his reclusive nature, was now somewhat interested in Rodney and wanted to have a conversation with him.
"I know, I have the time. I'm still young, with at least fifty years to live. Fifty years should be enough for me to change this world fundamentally, from its roots," Rodney said with a smile. "Let's start with a small goal: taking down one of the Four Emperors!"
Now that's an ambitious goal...
Count Red couldn't help but feel a sense of powerlessness all of a sudden.
"But you shouldn't use my father and his crew as stepping stones!" Ace said passionately.
"Dad values you highly! He wants you to be his son, to be a part of our family! What you're doing is betraying his trust! Ugh!"
He groaned, not because of his injuries, but because a red chakra arm held him down. Rodney said, "I've never said I wanted to be his family. I don't need Whitebeard's protection. My parents have been good to me; I don't need pirates to be my fathers. In the end, Ace, my thoughts are different from yours."
"Rodney, I will stop you! You can't go after Dad! He won't lay a hand on you! You'll hurt him!"
"I will fight him! I won't take advantage of him. It's a sign of respect for a generation of strong warriors, Ace! Whitebeard has already come here with the resolve to die, so this battle was destined from the moment you were captured!"