When she asked that, the mood of the crew suddenly went down. Zack was shocked for a moment. He didn't understand why would Vivi say something like that.
After all, she had already asked for Luffy's help and now she was asking for Ace as well? It would be an insult to Luffy. In the original, she didn't ask for any kind of help from Ace.
But, at this moment, Vivi also noticed the mood of the crew and suddenly realized what kind of mistake she had made. She immediately bowed to Luffy and said.
"Luffy, I am really sorry for asking that. It's not like I don't trust you guys. My mind was just occupied by the thought that your brother had defeated a warlord stronger than crocodile so I unconsciously asked. I am really sorry."
"You don't have to explain, Vivi." Nami put her hands on Vivi's shoulder and pulled her away. Unlike others, she understood how much pressure was on Vivi's shoulders.
Just like she said, Vivi believed in them but as a princess, she still wanted to do everything in order to keep her kingdom safe. So, when she found an opportunity, she didn't hesitate to dive down.
This reminded Nami of her own actions. If Zack hadn't stopped her, she was planning on leaving the crew by stealing the ship. Although she wanted to trust them, the pressure on her shoulder was so heavy that she couldn't do it.
"I'm really sorry, Nami." Vivi's eyes turned red as she put her head on Nami's shoulder and apologized.
"You don't have to apologize, Vivi. It wasn't long ago that I had the same thought. If it wasn't for Zack, I would've done something even worse. Besides, nobody blames you for that, right guys?"
Nami turned around and she asked while patting Vivi's head.
"Of course! Besides, Ace might be my brother but he is still my opponent for the chase of One Piece." Luffy smiled as he gave Vivi a thumbs-up and continued.
"Don't worry, Vivi. I will kick crocodile's ass."
"For that, we need to reach to rain base as soon as possible." Zoro said.
"Don't worry, Vivi-chan! Your prince will definitely keep you safe." Sanji showed his simp moment as he started to impress her.
"While that might be the case, we need to be prepared as well. For now, let's eat." Zack nodded his head and spoke.
"Yay! Sanji, lunch!"
"Hai! Hai!" Sanji said as he walked toward the kitchen. Soon after Ace joined them and started talking with Luffy. As he conversed with Luffy, Ace learned quite a few things about his brother's crew.
At the same time, the crew also learned a lot about Ace.
[Mission]
Seeing a panel pop up Zack was suprised as he had tried many times to system to give him mission in exchange of rewards but none of it happened till now. Opening it with a mental command, it read:
[ Mission: Reveal Ace about the truth of Black beard and his devil fruit.
Bonus mission: Reveal few details about luffy 's devil fruit.
Reward:×2 query cards, Alabasta Knowledge treasure map, ×3 of the ×9 piece of Jack sparrow desire compass, ×1 memory altering card]
[Do you want accept this mission?
Yes/No]
Accepting the mission , he went off to talk among the crew. As they started to talk more about Ace, he eventually revealed that he was going after Blackbeard. Here was Zack's opportunity,
"Marshal D. Teach! Wait, I know this person." Zack suddenly spoke which attracted everyone's attention.
Even Ace looked at Zack but his expression was quite serious. Zack then spoke.
"As you guys already know, I keep a record of all important people, right? I have also recorded quite a lot about Marshal D. Teach."
"But Teach wasn't important. He didn't even have the bounty poster. You must have mistaken him for someone else." Ace looked at him with a weird expression and said.
"Ace, Zack is very resourceful. He knows everything." Luffy immediately supported Zack as he spoke to his brother.
"Since Zack is saying that this person is important, then he must be. After all, someone who had spent over two decades over a pirate ship won't easily betray them." Sanji also supported Zack as he spoke.
"That's exactly what I was going to say. But before that, let me explain how I come to know about this man. Since Ace doesn't know me, let me introduce myself. My name is Zack. Before joining your brother's ship, I worked at World Economy Newspaper."
"My work was basically investigating different kinds of people. One time, I had to do some investigation for the bounty purpose of Whitebeard crew and during this time, I did some detailed investigation."
"And, also because the whitebeard crew was so big and open in New World, it was a bit easy. From that, I came to know this person Marshal D. Teach. Of course, for someone who didn't even have a bounty, I brushed off him from my list."
"But, one night while I was trying to sleep, I ended up thinking about something and while I was thinking about that thing, this name came to my mind. I immediately stood up, went to my office, and started doing even more research on this person."
"I started comparing him with people like you, Luffy, Roger, Garp, Dragon, Jaguar D. Saul, and others as well. From this investigation, I came to understand one thing."
"This man, Marshal D. Teach was the complete opposite of anyone with a D on their name. Right now, I don't have detailed knowledge about D or symbol but I do know that in ancient times, there exist a family known as D Family and they were the enemies of the gods."
"That's why every person with D in their name is bound to make the sea tremble."
When he said that, everyone sucked a cold breath. Even Zoro wasn't calm.
"But, Roger's name was Gold Roger, wasn't it? Why is he related to D then?" Vivi asked.
"Of course not! That's his name after he became pirate king. The World Government had no choice but to change his name in the bounty poster to hide the Void Century. His original name was Gol D. Roger."
"Wow! Ace, did you hear that? Your father's name wasn't Gold Roger. It was Gol. ….." Luffy looked at Ace with widened eyes and said. But, Ace suddenly covered his mouth and looked at him with an abnormal expression.
"What? Your father is the Pirate King?" Zack looked at Ace with a shocked expression and asked. The whole crew was shocked to death.
Hearing that, Ace looked at him with a deadly glare and Luffy hurriedly spoke.
"Zack, he doesn't like anyone talking about his father."
When Zack heard that, he suddenly closed his mouth and calmed down. While he was calm, everyone else was still shocked. They couldn't believe Luffy's brother was the pirate king's son.
"No wonder, you aren't like him. Genes are different." Nami smashed her palm with her fist.
"Don't worry, we won't talk about it unless our idiot captain decides to open his mouth once again. And, sorry for bringing this up." Zack bowed at Ace and apologized with a sincere expression.
Ace heavily sighed and said.
"It's alright. I know he doesn't think before speaking."
"Wow! Ace, you also think before speaking." Luffy looked at Ace with shock and admiration in his eyes.
"Anyway, Zack you should continue." Nami ignored Luffy and then spoke to Zack. Zack nodded his head and continued.
"That's why I got interested in this pirate. I dug more and more. But, the more I understood about him, the more I got confused. Like,his origins and who spends two decades of their life in a pirate ship without making name for themselves."
"We might not be like that but we know the pirate ship is hierarchal. So, why would a person with two decades of experience would let Ace become a commander without any grudge or anything."
"And, more importantly, why can a person live without sleeping? If he could use twenty-four hours a day, why doesn't he train and get stronger? If he was from D. Clan, why wasn't he ambitious?"
"If he had stayed for two decades in one ship, why betray them right now? But, now I think I have an answer. That fruit. It must be the reason why he stayed on that ship."
"Are you saying that this person stayed in that ship for just a devil fruit? Although these devil fruits are powerful, why would anyone spend over two decades just for that? It's ridiculous." Nami didn't believe in him.
Others present were also having a hard time believing him.
At this moment, Zack looked at Ace and asked.
"Can you explain how that fruit looked? Please be as detailed as possible."
Ace nodded and told him about the fruit. After all, he had also seen fruit.
When he heard that, Zack's eyes widened.
"That's it. That's why he stayed there for two decades. No, no, no, I understand now. He is from D. Clan. I am sure of it. He is definitely the most ambitious."
Saying so, he looked at Luffy and said.
"Captain, he is just like you but also not like you. If you are the day , then he is your night. If you are good, then he is evil. Now, I understand. I understand. Your devil fruit is also exactly opposite to him."
"The most ridiculous fruit in the world Hito-Hito No Mi- God Model versus one of the most broken fruit in the world Yami-Yami No Mi."
When he said that, Nami suddenly asked.
"Wait, I thought Luffy's fruit was Gomu-Gomu No Mi."
Suddenly, Zack realized that he had just won the Oscar.
"Oops!"
"Zack, what are you hiding?" Nami clenched her fist as she asked him with a polite smile. But behind that smile, he could feel the threatening tone.
Luffy also looked at him with confusion.
"Zack, Shanks told me that my devil fruit was Gomu-Gomu No Mi."
Zack stayed silent for a moment as they kept giving him a strong gaze. Eventually, Zack sighed and decided to act such as admitting defeat.
"Alright! Alright, I didn't want to reveal this now since it can't be used to its fullest potential right now but I believe Captain would be able to awaken it one day. That would be the day when the power of your devil fruit can be called the most ridiculous power in the world. Sometimes knowledge is the most cursed sword. Our crew is not yet ready to know this information. Only because of you I will reveal some info of it but you have to wait till every single one of us ready to go against the world government."
"Until then, it is still Gomu-Gomu No Mi. Wait, wait, I understand. I understand. Shanks went to your village to give that fruit to Ace. Now, it all makes sense. That must be it. Your roger's son. Of course, he would do that."
When Zack started talking in excitement, everyone got confused.
Ace looked at Zack and asked.
"What are you talking about? What does Shanks have anything to do with me?"
Zack looked at him and said.
"You don't know? Shanks along side buggy was a crew member of Roger Pirate. In fact, I found that he was very young when Shanks was in that crew. I even heard the rumor Roger was like a father figure to Shanks."
"Obviously, he wanted you to become the next pirate king. So, he went to Government Ship, stole that fruit, and then went to your village. But, it seems like Luffy ate the fruit and so Shanks decided to bet on Luffy for becoming the next pirate king."
"That's why he gave you that hat. It was a hat that was first worn by Pirate King himself and then it was passed down to Shanks. It is very important to Shanks. That's why he wanted you to return this hat when you become a pirate king."
When Zack said that to Luffy, Luffy held his hand and started to giggle. Zack sighed a breath of relief when he saw that Luffy didn't mind any of his words and was happy that the hat was passed down from Roger.
"So, you are telling me that Shanks went to give that fruit to Ace but Luffy ended up eating it? But, does the devil's fruit really matters that much? First, that teach guy, and now Luffy? But, why only these two?" Nami asked.
Unlike others, she was a very curious person so she continued to ask.
"Well, I don't know much about Luffy's fruit. The only reason why I know about it is because of Shanks' incident. And, also I know its name because this fruit has been evading government for eight hundred years."
"Whatttttt?"
Everyone jumped up in surprise.
"How is that even possible? How can a fruit evade on its own?" Nami asked once again.
"Well, it's because Luffy's fruit is not Paramecia. It's Mythical Zoan, Hito-Hito No Mi. I heard that the person or God existed eight hundred years ago. And, he was called God because he was the freest person in the world."
When Zack said that, Luffy's eyes widened.
"I thought Pirate King was the freest man."
Zack put his hand on the chin and said.
"Basically, Pirate King inherited the title from that person without your devil fruit's power. Sigh! Don't ask me too much about this. I have no idea how this works entirely. That's why I want you to get Robin on our ship. She is the only one who has capability of uncovering the complete mysteries of Void Century."
Hearing that, Ace asked.
"So, what about Teach's devil fruit? Why do you compare it with Luffy?"
Zack turned to him and said.
"Actually, this is just a theory that I came to right now. Yami-Yami No Mi also known as Dark-Dark Devil Fruit has the power of darkness. It is opposite to luffy 's itself."
"But then again, it also has one of the most broke abilities. It can negate any other kinds of devil fruit .Extract or absorb any devil fruit from its user and can use multiple devil fruits."
"What?"
The whole crew shouted in shock even including Ace. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. If this was the case, then his devil fruit would be useless.
"Yes, not only he can negate others' powers. If you attack him with your devil fruit powers, he can't evade it like normal logia and the pain from your attack would be even greater than normal but if he manages to bear that pain, his physical powers would increase and your ability would stop."
"Of course, it doesn't completely negate the devil fruit ability. It just negates your certain skill. For example, if you use Fire Fist once on him, then you can't use it again. But, you can use another type of power. And either alive or dead , he can extract and consume your devil fruit to a certain limit, use your power without dying."
"That's why I suggest you not fight him. He will kill you and whitebeard has some intuition in it ."
Hearing his words, Ace's expression turned serious. But, after a while, he calmed down and said.
"Although what you said makes sense, I still have a way to defeat him. I didn't become the second commander of Whitebeard Ship without skills."
Zack heavily sighed.
'Alright! One last try.'
"Since you are so fixated, let me warn you once again. You must have seen the scar on Shanks' eyes, right? There is nothing to hide. Blackbeard was the one who gave Shank that scar and it wasn't because Shank was careless. Also some one like even the current whitebeard will be wary of before fighting."
"That's the last piece of advice I can give you. Since you are also D, you are not less stubborn than our captain. So, I don't think I would be able to stop you from chasing him."
Hearing that, Ace shook his head and smiled.
"You are right. Whether he is strong or not, I must bring him back. He has broken the most important code of a pirate ship. But I am surprised that you know so much about things. Why did you leave your previous job?"
"Haaa! I might not have dreams like my crewmates but I am an adventure-seeking person. Circumstances led me to leave that job and after that, I couldn't contain myself from going to the adventure so I joined the safest route." Zack said.
"Hehehe!"
When he said that, everyone started laughing especially the boys.
"Hey, why are you laughing?"
Zack couldn't help but blush upon hearing their laughter. He shouted at them but they just kept laughing until Ace also joined.
Eventually, the laughter turned into a party. Beers were brought as they started celebrating Ace joining the group.
After that long celebration, Zack walked into the cabin. Inside the cabin, there was only one person. That person was none other than Valentine. When Zack came in, he walked closer to her and said.
"You heard a lot of things today. Just keep in mind that Captain still hasn't agreed to let you join."
After saying that, Zack walked out. Valentine indeed heard everything and she was truly shocked. She didn't expect Ace to be the pirate king's son. And, Luffy to have the power of such devil fruit.
She heavily sighed.
"Why does he have to threaten me? It's not like I have anyone to tell this."
"He was only threatening you because he doesn't want to hurt you." Nami's voice rang from the door.
Valentine turned her head and saw her.
"What do you mean?"
"Zack isn't Luffy or others. He isn't dumb like them to make such a mistake. The only reason why he revealed it without hesitation was that he trust you."
"But, he is still worried. After all, who wouldn't? The fruit that has been evading the government is now in the hands of someone who wears the hat of the previous pirate king and also wants to become a new pirate king."
"Of course, the government wouldn't let him live if they find that. That's why he is worried. Because if you tell this to anyone, not only he would blame himself but he would end up killing you in guilt." Nami said as she walked closer to Valentine.
Valentine looked at her and asked.
"Do you think I would betray your crew?"
"I don't know. I was just reminding you that he is different. He trusts his crew like Luffy but he is also ruthless like Zoro. He also places women before men like Sanji but he is also smart like Usopp."
"So, if you end up betraying a person like that, who knows what he would end up doing? Anyway, I don't think you would betray us. After all, what would you end up getting if you do betray us?" Nami said as she turned around.
As she started walking, Valentine suddenly said.
"You don't have to worry. I have the intention of getting myself involved with this."
Nami suddenly stopped. She turned around and a smile appeared on her lips.
"You know if you want to join our crew, just don't leave."
Saying so, she turned back and started walking. When she reached the door, Valentine suddenly asked.
"Wait, what do you mean?"
Hearing that, Nami smiled and said.
"As I said, just don't think of leaving. Just stay!"