A Few Hours Earlier
After landing on Celestial Island, many players disembarked one by one. Although the Pokémon League Tournament provided transportation for participants, most players opted to forgo this service and set sail freely.
At Sea—Baratie Restaurant
Since Leo's battle with Akainu, where he commanded his Eevee to secure victory, this sea region had become a famous tourist spot in the East Blue. Originally a mobile sea restaurant, Baratie decided to anchor in these waters, following the growing trend.
The brand's influence had caused Baratie to expand, with two additional flatboats now serving as dining spaces, and the staff had tripled. Yet, even with the increased manpower, the restaurant struggled to accommodate today's bustling crowd.
This was no ordinary day. Seven of the top eight players from the Pokémon League Tournament were gathered there. Even the resurrected Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was seated grandly in the lobby, enjoying a hearty meal.
——
"What's going on here, old man!?" Ace blurted out, staring in disbelief at Roger, the Pirate King, who was devouring his meal with gusto. For once, Ace had no appetite, glancing instead at Garp with a puzzled look, expecting an explanation.
"Huh?" Garp, who was also indulging alongside Roger, paused and looked at Ace, confused. "What are you talking about, Ace? What do you mean 'what's going on'?"
"..."
Seeing Garp feign ignorance, Ace felt a surge of frustration. Snorting in irritation, he abruptly stood and turned toward the door. "Forget it! I'm not getting into it with you two. I'll soon be part of the Transdimensional Chamber of Commerce, heading off to the New World for adventure. Go ahead and cause your trouble; I won't care."
Even though Ace could empathize with Roger to some extent, he still couldn't forgive the father who had left him behind. Without a backward glance, he strode toward the exit.
Suddenly, Roger put down his food and called out, "Hey, kid. How about a little wager?"
"A wager?" Ace stopped and turned back, locking eyes with Roger. "What kind of wager?"
Roger smiled that iconic crescent grin of his, pausing a moment before responding, "Let's bet on who can resurrect your mother first."
A sharp gleam flickered in Roger's eyes. His words hit Ace right where it hurt—this was a sensitive topic for both of them.
"Resurrect my mother?" Ace was stunned for a moment before anger bubbled up inside him. To use his mother as part of a bet? It was the mark of a truly twisted man!
For a long time, Ace had held off resurrecting his mother, Portgas D. Rouge, even though he had enough points to do so. Between the battles with powerful foes and the Pokémon League Tournament, the timing never felt right.
But perhaps the bigger reason was that Ace wasn't emotionally prepared. In his mind, resurrecting his mother would force him to face the man who had abandoned them. Bringing his mother back was a distant goal, something he would only consider after achieving his dreams. And his plan had been thrown into disarray by Garp's sudden interference.
After a few moments of silence, Ace's eyes grew resolute. He looked directly at Roger. Their gazes met, both full of unspoken determination.
"Fine," Ace said, his voice sharp and serious. "We'll see who's the better man, who can shoulder the greater responsibility."
Ace could not allow this man—his father—to be the one to bring his mother back. No matter what, he had to win this bet. He continued, "So, what's the wager?"
Roger paused, momentarily taken aback. Clearly, he hadn't considered the stakes. After a moment of contemplation, he clapped his hands together, having come to a decision. "If I win, you have to call me 'Dad.' How about that?" Roger's grin grew wider.
"HUH!?" Ace's fists clenched tightly.
To others, the bet might seem trivial, but to Ace, it was unbearably heavy. Despite knowing that Roger had handed him to Garp for protection, Ace couldn't bring himself to acknowledge the man as his father.
Ace stood in silence for what felt like an eternity. Finally, he relaxed his clenched fists, exhaling slowly before meeting Roger's gaze once again. His eyes had shifted, showing a new determination.
"Alright," Ace agreed. "But if I win?"
Roger looked surprised, but within seconds, he was laughing heartily again. "If you win? Well, I'll call you 'Dad!' How's that for a deal?"
Laughter filled the Baratie, with Roger chuckling uncontrollably as he clutched his belly. No one noticed, however, that within his boisterous laughter, a single tear escaped the corner of Roger's eye, only to be absorbed instantly by his weathered skin.
Ace, still fuming, accepted Roger's outrageous bet before storming out of the restaurant. He summoned his Charizard and flew off toward the Goa Kingdom, leaving without looking back.
Inside the restaurant, Roger's laughter only grew louder as he watched Ace's retreating figure. Between bursts of laughter, he patted Garp on the shoulder, his grin wide.
"Hahaha, I've always thought that if I had a son, I'd mess with him just like this."
At this moment, Garp wore a rare serious expression, clearly displeased as he said,
"Hey, hey, hey! Don't lead my grandson, who I've worked so hard to raise, down the wrong path!"
"How could a father make a bet with his own son? Don't you know how many families have been torn apart because of gambling?"
"..."
Roger's laughter abruptly ceased, as if someone had hit the pause button. He draped an arm around Garp's shoulder, bringing his face close with a dark expression.
"Now that you mention it, I've been wondering..." Roger said ominously.
"Garp, why do you insist on calling Ace your grandson, huh? What exactly do you mean by that?! Hmm!?"
"Uh... well... this..." Garp mumbled awkwardly.
"Bwahahaha..." He forced out a laugh but said nothing more.
——
Meanwhile, in a private room at the Baratie restaurant, Usopp, Kaya, Buggy , and his pirate crew had gathered.
Unlike Garp, a broke navy officer, Usopp—who had his own business in the East Blue—was a regular VIP at Baratie.
After all, this was where Sir Leo had once fought, and as Leo's most loyal follower, there was no way Usopp wouldn't visit it.
Inside the private room, Usopp and Kaya were earnestly trying to reassure Buggy, whose face was twisted in a conflicted mess of anxiety and pain.
"It's alright, Buggy. Roger is your captain. There's no way he'd look down on you for screwing up!"
"Exactly. Sure, Shanks—who was also a trainee with you—has become one of the Four Emperors, ruling the New World. But I'm sure Captain Roger wouldn't hold that against you!"
"Yeah! Even if you're just a small-time pirate in the East Blue with a measly 10 million beli bounty, Captain Roger won't think any less of you!"
"Right. Even though I beat you and locked you up to help me manufacture custom ammo, Roger still wouldn't judge you!"
"..."
"..."
Usopp and Kaya spoke sincerely, just stating facts with no ill intent. But, as everyone knows, the harshest truths can hurt the most.
As the two of them continued their storytelling, Buggy seemed to shrink into himself, tightening his grip on his head as tears welled up in his eyes.
"Please... stop... I'm begging you, just stop..." he muttered weakly.
Unfortunately, Buggy's plea was too soft, and neither Usopp nor Kaya seemed to hear him. They kept talking, recounting more stories about Buggy's past, while Buggy's crewmates chimed in with extra details.
To Buggy, it was a nightmare—a torment he desperately wanted to escape.
Fortunately, just as Buggy was about to crawl under the table, there was a sudden knock at the door.
A sweet voice called out from the hallway,
"Excuse me, is Mr. Usopp here?"
By the sound of it, the person outside was definitely a beautiful girl.
Immediately, everyone's gaze locked onto Usopp, including Kaya, Buggy, and his crew, with Buggy's disembodied head hovering under the table in confusion. Their eyes all seemed to ask the same question: What's going on between you and this girl!?
"Uh... uh..." Usopp began to sweat nervously, but he quickly collected himself and called out,
"It's me! Who's there? What do you need?"
Outside, the girl's voice responded,
"I'd like to speak with Mr. Usopp privately. If it's alright, may I come in?"
Creak~
Without waiting for an answer, the door to the private room swung open. Standing in the doorway was a beautiful girl with orange hair, accompanied by a man in a butler's suit.
"Nami!? Mr. Kuro!?" Usopp exclaimed, stunned by their appearance.
But Nami, unfazed, strode into the room confidently. She smiled when she saw Usopp and walked straight toward him, with Kuro following close behind.
"That's great! You really are here, Usopp. Seems like Sanji wasn't lying after all," Nami said, glancing briefly out the door.
Usopp caught this subtle detail. As the door closed, his sharp eyes spotted Sanji outside, peeking through the crack and grinning like a love-struck fool.
This guy! Blabbing about senior VIP whereabouts... I'm filing a complaint after dinner! Usopp thought angrily before turning his attention back to Nami.
"What brings you here, Nami?" he asked.
Nami paused for a moment, then gave a knowing look to Kuro, who took out an anti-bugging Den Den Mushi. After checking for any hidden listeners, he nodded to Nami.
With a smile, Nami began,
"You all know by now that I'm part of the Revolutionary Army, right?"
"So I'll get straight to the point. I'm here because we, the Revolutionary Army, would like to purchase some special ammunition from you, Usopp."
"Of course, we're not talking about the typical Konoha Stars you see on the market. We need something with a minimum attack power of 50. Preferably some custom ammo with special attributes. If you need any Pokémon for the job, the Revolutionary Army can provide them."
As Nami finished speaking, she flashed a sweet smile at Usopp, her eyes twinkling.
"Oh?" Kaya suddenly chimed in from beside Usopp.
Her inner businesswoman was immediately activated. "If we're talking about custom work, then we'll need to discuss pricing in more detail."
Kaya smiled, her expression matching Nami's perfectly.
Nami turned to her, and an undeniable tension began to fill the room, sending shivers through all the men present.
It seemed a fierce negotiation between these two women was about to begin.
——
Standing at the railing on the second floor, Zeff watched as Sanji bickered with Zoro in the lobby below. His face turned pale, and he muttered under his breath,
"That idiot!"
Just then, a strange scent wafted into Zeff's nose—a scent only a top chef could notice.
He looked up and saw a massive snail ship docking at the temporary port of the Baratie. His eyes widened in shock.
"Th-this... such a giant snail... it'd make the perfect dish for baked snails with cheese!"
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