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"Ah! That does seem to be the case!"
Luffy suddenly exclaimed, his face lighting up with a look of realization. But as the thought sank in, he quickly turned to Shakky, his voice tinged with concern. "Whitebeard can't lose, right? Ace told me how incredible he is!"
However, the uneasy silence that fell between Shakky and Rayleigh was impossible to ignore. Their expressions darkened, their usual relaxed demeanor gone.
Luffy's eyes widened as if piecing things together. His voice trembled as he asked, "Shakky, is it true? Is Whitebeard really going to lose?!"
Shakky hesitated, her brows furrowing. "Whitebeard might lose," she admitted reluctantly. "But that's not the real trouble here..."
For a rare moment, Shakky seemed conflicted, struggling to find the right words. She admired the Straw Hats, especially their determination and camaraderie. But the war between Whitebeard and the Marines was on a scale far beyond anything the crew had faced—it was no place for rookies, even promising ones like them.
Still, Shakky couldn't ignore the personal stakes. This was Luffy's brother, and if Luffy missed this moment, it could haunt him for the rest of his life.
Rayleigh finally broke the silence. "Shakky, you can't keep this from him," he said calmly, his tone resolute. "As a man, he deserves the right to decide for himself."
Shakky sighed deeply, acknowledging Rayleigh's point. "Alright," she said, her voice firming. "Let me explain what led to this war—and what's happening to your brother, Little Monkey."
The Straw Hats leaned in, the tension in the room palpable.
"Some time ago, on Banaro Island," Shakky began, "Fire Fist Ace, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, clashed with Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach—a former member of Whitebeard's crew.
"In the end, Blackbeard defeated Ace and handed him over to the Marines as a bargaining chip to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, replacing Crocodile.
"Now, the Marines have decided to publicly execute Ace at Marineford. There are six days left until the execution."
Her explanation was succinct, but the weight of her words hit like cannonfire. The bar fell into a heavy silence, the Straw Hats struggling to process what they'd just heard.
Suddenly, Luffy's voice shattered the stillness.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!!"
With a loud whoosh!, Luffy's rubber arms stretched out, grabbing the bar counter and flinging him across it. He landed directly in front of Shakky, leaning over her with an intensity none of the Straw Hats had seen before.
"Ace! What about Ace?!" Luffy's voice cracked, his eyes wide with desperation. "Will Ace die?!"
Gone was his usual carefree, smiling expression. In its place was raw panic and fear, emotions he couldn't hide.
Shakky didn't react to his outburst, understanding the turmoil roiling within him. She met his gaze evenly. "That depends on the outcome of the war," she said honestly. "If Whitebeard wins, there's a chance Ace can be saved. But if he loses..." She hesitated for a moment before finishing, "The Marines won't hesitate. Ace will be executed."
Luffy's arms fell limply to his sides, and he sank to the floor, squatting with his head in his hands. His voice was quiet, almost inaudible. "No... Ace..."
Then, as if remembering something, Luffy scrambled to pull out a small piece of paper from under his straw hat. It was Ace's Vivre Card, the small slip of paper now partially burned, its edges smoldering as the flames slowly consumed it.
Luffy stared at it, his hands trembling.
"Hey, Luffy, calm down," Sanji said, stepping in. He grabbed Luffy by the shoulders, pulling him back to his seat. "We don't want anything to happen to Ace either. And look—there's still time. The execution hasn't happened yet, so there's still a chance to save him."
Sanji's words were steady, his stance clear. The rest of the crew nodded in agreement, rallying to comfort Luffy.
Seeing this display of camaraderie, Rayleigh couldn't help but feel moved. Even if the goal was to storm Marineford, the so-called nightmare of pirates, the unshakable bond of the Straw Hats, willing to fight for one of their own, was both rare and deeply familiar.
With the unwavering support of his crew, Luffy's spirit began to recover. Determined to seize every possible chance to save Ace, a sudden thought struck him. He turned toward Rayleigh, his eyes filled with urgency.
"Uncle Rayleigh, can you help us?!" Luffy pleaded. "Ace is also the son of the Pirate King!"
The room fell deathly silent.
The bar, already cleared of outsiders, seemed to transform into a vacuum of sound and air.
The Straw Hats stared, slack-jawed, their shock written plainly across their faces.
Shakky's eyes widened as her pupils shrank, struggling to suppress the storm of emotions Luffy's revelation unleashed.
Roger had a son? And he's about to be executed?!
This revelation carried immense weight. The implications stretched far beyond the moment, capable of shaking the entire world to its core.
Shakky quickly pieced together the motive behind Marineford's announcement. The public execution wasn't just about Fire Fist Ace—it was about the bloodline of the Pirate King.
Despite her shock, Shakky didn't question Luffy's words. Her years as an information broker had honed her instincts, and the weight in Luffy's tone told her the truth. Ace's name, tied to Gold Roger, was a thread too significant to ignore.
But no one in the room was more stunned than Rayleigh. As the Pirate King's closest friend and right-hand man, this news hit him harder than anyone else.
"Ace is Roger's son?!" Rayleigh's voice was barely above a whisper, his eyes distant and unfocused as he grappled with the revelation.
"Yeah!" Luffy nodded fervently. "I've known since I was a kid, but Ace hates it when people bring up the Pirate King in front of him. So I stopped talking about it."
Luffy's innocent explanation only solidified the truth. Every word confirmed Ace's lineage.
But Luffy didn't stop to think about the weight of what he'd just revealed. Instead, he pressed forward, his voice filled with desperate hope.
"So, Uncle Rayleigh, can you help me rescue Ace?!"
Rayleigh didn't respond immediately. Instead, he pulled out a wine bottle from his side, uncorked it, and began drinking deeply.
The clear liquid spilled slightly from the corners of his mouth, trailing down his chin. The emotions brought on by Luffy's words seemed to mix with the alcohol, filling him with a tumultuous storm of memories and feelings.
After a long pause, a faint smile tugged at Rayleigh's lips.
"It's certainly unexpected news," he said softly, almost to himself.
But then, just as Luffy's hope began to rise, Rayleigh shook his head.
"But... I won't participate in this war."