The Sabaody Archipelago is a cluster of islands located at the midpoint of the Grand Line. It is composed of 79 massive Yarukiman Mangrove trees, and directly behind it stands the Red Line.
The headquarters of the World Government, the Holy Land of Mariejois, is situated right there.
There are two primary methods for crossing the Red Line to reach the New World, the second half of the Grand Line. The first is to abandon one's ship and pass through Mariejois above; the second is to travel ten thousand meters under the sea through the giant cavity beneath the Red Line.
The vast majority of people can only choose the second method. By utilizing the unique properties of the Yarukiman Mangroves, they have their ships coated in a sturdy resin membrane to traverse the seafloor into the New World.
For Aomori, either method was viable. There was even a third option: using psychokinesis to lift the Blood Flag and fly directly over the Red Line.
However, the time was not yet right for the first method, and the third was far too conspicuous, it didn't suit Aomori's style. Thus, he opted for the second method, deciding to play it by the book and head to the islands to have the ship coated.
Besides, there was a formidable old man on the island whom Aomori was waiting to visit.
"Kuzan, what about you? Are you coming with us?" Aomori asked Kuzan after dealing with the prying eyes in the surrounding area.
"Aren't you afraid that if you keep me by your side, I'll coordinate with the outside, call for reinforcements, and trap you all here?" Kuzan turned his head to meet Aomori's gaze.
"Hmph, such arrogance. You're just a defeated Admiral; you aren't necessarily much stronger than me," Crocodile, ever the proud one, couldn't help but snap back.
"As long as there's no Seastone involved, I'm not afraid either," Ace said with a wide grin.
Robin stood behind them, remaining silent.
"Hear that? We aren't afraid of a fight. But if a battle breaks out here, I'm afraid the Celestial Dragons might lose their lives. I imagine the World Government wouldn't dare move recklessly," Aomori chuckled.
"You're quite right. Given their temperament, they would indeed wait for you to leave this place before taking action." Kuzan nodded and said, "Then I'll follow you. If you intend to do anything wicked, I can at least stop you."
'And, I want to see for myself... if you are truly the person I've been waiting for.' Having lost to Aomori in battle, he had to acknowledge Aomori's strength. But more important than strength was one's will.
Kuzan wanted to confirm whether Aomori's will truly sought to bring peace to the world.
"Very well. To avoid causing a panic, we should use some disguises."
A Warlord of the Sea, a Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, a Marine Admiral, and the "Devil Child" who was a primary focus of the World Government… who wouldn't be terrified seeing such a lineup walking together?
Thus, the five of them donned cloaks to conceal their faces. After docking the Blood Flag casually along the shore, they disembarked.
"This is Grove 43. If we want a coating, we need to head to the islands numbered 50 to 59; that's where most of the craftsmen gather," Ace explained proactively. Having been here many times, he didn't seem to have any self-awareness of being a captive.
"No need. I know an elderly coating mechanic; I believe he's at Grove 13," Aomori said.
"Grove 13? That's over there."
The group set off toward Grove 13.
As they walked, the bubbles constantly rising from the tree roots caught Robin's attention. "How wondrous. Even though I've known about this from books, seeing it with my own eyes still makes me marvel."
"This is the majesty of nature. Humanity, with only a few thousand years of history, is insignificant compared to nature, which has existed for hundreds of millions of years."
"Hundreds of millions of years... I wonder what nature uses to record its history?"
"Fossils, perhaps."
Likely because their collective aura was too intense, no one dared to move against them, even as they passed through the lawless zones that the Marines couldn't even manage.
The locals only whispered among themselves from the sidelines.
"Boss, why did you tell us to stop? Look at how they're slinking around hiding their faces; there might be a 'big fish' in there."
"Idiot! They came off the Blood Flag!"
"The Blood Flag? You mean the one that's been making a name for itself lately?"
"What else? They've taken down over ten pirate crews, including several big-shot pirates with bounties over 100 million. Yet, to this day, no one has seen their true faces. They're clearly not to be trifled with."
"Heh." Hearing those words, Robin let out a soft laugh. "I didn't expect our reputation to spread so quickly. It certainly saves us some trouble."
"However, there will always be those who intentionally come looking for us just to make a name for themselves." Aomori shook his head as he looked at a man with a mohawk who suddenly appeared to block their path. "For instance, this gentleman."
"I am Cold-Faced Mohawk, with a bounty of 180 million Berries!" The mohawk man sneered while flexing his rock-hard muscles. "Others might fear you, but I don't! Watch me tear you apart!"
He let out a loud cry and leaped high into the air. After spinning 3600 degrees in mid-air, his thick leg slammed down like an axe toward Aomori, who was walking in the center.
"There it is! It's Boss Mohawk's ultimate move, the Spinning Tomahawk! That guy is dead meat!"
However, in the next second, the descending mohawk man was sent flying back at an even greater speed. He smashed through an unknown number of tree roots before finally becoming embedded in a trunk marked with the number "17."
His mouth hung open and his eyes rolled back; he had already fallen unconscious.
"Boss Mohawk!"
"A great pirate with a 180 million Berry bounty was taken out in one hit?"
"How did he do it? Is he a Devil Fruit user?"
Under the awe-struck gazes of the crowd, Aomori and his group didn't stop. They maintained their pace and continued forward.
Once they were in an area with no one else around, Ace grinned and said, "Aomori, in that single instant, you threw 10 punches. Pretty impressive."
"No, it was 12 punches," Crocodile countered.
Kuzan said calmly, "I saw 15, but in reality, it should have been more."
"That many?" Robin hadn't even seen a single punch. She asked curiously, "Chairman, how many punches did you throw?"
"Neither more nor less, exactly 30 punches," Aomori said, squinting.
"30?!" Kuzan and the others immediately fell silent. They hadn't expected the gap to be so vast.
With a slightly heavy atmosphere, they arrived at Grove 13, stopping in front of a bar situated atop the tree roots.
"'Shakky's Rip-off Bar'? Strange name."
"That's the place." Seeing the closed doors of the bar, Aomori stepped forward, pushed them open, and walked straight in. The others followed close behind.
"Welcome. What can I get for you all?" A mature woman stood behind the bar, greeting them as they entered.
The bar's decor wasn't particularly peculiar. Besides the mature woman, there was an old, weathered man with a full head of white hair. He was squinting his eyes, drinking blissfully.
"I'll have an orange soda, thank you." Aomori pulled back his cloak and spoke in a gentle tone. He walked up to the old man and offered a friendly greeting: "Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Aomori."
The old man turned his head and glanced at Aomori. Just as he was about to speak, a familiar voice rang out: "You... you're hiding here?"
Kuzan threw back his cloak, revealing a face etched with surprise. He said in a deep voice, "I thought you had died a long time ago, 'Dark King' Rayleigh."
"Dark King? Could it be..."
"The First Mate of the Roger Pirates, the Right Hand of the Pirate King, Silvers Rayleigh!"
"Pirate King Roger..." Upon hearing that name, Ace's expression changed drastically, and his body beneath the cloak couldn't help but tremble slightly.
"Oh, I was wondering who it was. So it's you, Kuzan." Rayleigh turned to look at Kuzan, a smile spreading across his face. "It's been a long time. The little brat of the past has turned into a greasy middle-aged man. Time spares no one. Fortunately, this old man's bones are still sturdy; I reckon I can last another ten or twenty years."
"That's not a certainty. You might not even see tomorrow's sun." In his youth, Kuzan had followed Garp and clashed with the Roger Pirates many times. It seemed there was enough bad blood between them to make even the "easy-going guy" speak with such venom.
'Marine Admiral Kuzan? Why is he here?' The proprietor, Shakky, handed Aomori an orange soda, her heart filled with worry about whether her bar would survive until the next day.
"Heh, if it's just you alone, I'm afraid you won't be able to keep this old man here." Rayleigh raised his glass and took a large gulp, though a sharp edge was hidden within his drunken eyes.
"The one looking for you today isn't me." Kuzan lowered his gaze and found a seat for himself, crossing his legs.
"You've changed completely, Kuzan," Rayleigh remarked before turning his attention to Aomori. "In that case, the one specifically looking for me must be you, young man."
"Mm-hmm. I've come specifically to have you coat my ship. Furthermore, I've prepared a special reward for you." Aomori snapped his fingers and said, "Everyone, drop your cloaks."
Robin complied immediately. Crocodile huffed and reluctantly pulled off his hood.
Only Ace remained standing there, unmoving.
'The Devil Child and Warlord Crocodile? How did these two end up with Kuzan? This is incredible intel.' While running the bar, Shakky also dealt in information and was very familiar with those two. She looked at Ace, who was hesitating, and asked curiously, "And who is that one?"
"What's wrong, Ace? Are you shy?" Aomori teased.
"I am not shy!" Ace suddenly threw back his hood, revealing his freckled face, and shouted, "I am Portgas D. Ace, Commander of the Second Division of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"So it's him." Shakky couldn't help but look at Aomori, wondering about his identity: 'Just who is this person, to have the ability to gather all these people together?'
"All quite remarkable rookies. What is this 'special reward' you mentioned?" Rayleigh's gaze swept over Ace and the other two, though it lingered the longest on Robin.
'He doesn't recognize him?' Aomori was somewhat surprised. He simply pulled Ace forward, pinching and tugging at his face while saying to Rayleigh, "Take a good look. Who does he look like?"
"You bastard!" Ace had a bad feeling. He struggled desperately but couldn't break free from Aomori's grip.
"Look like who?" Rayleigh stroked his beard and scrutinized Ace, eventually shaking his head. "Don't make things difficult for an old man. Just tell me what's on your mind."
"Fine. It seems Ace looks a bit more like his mother." Aomori ignored Ace's struggling and directly revealed his identity: "Ace's original name is Gol D. Ace. He is the posthumous son of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger."
"What?!" It was as if a cannonball had exploded on the surface of a calm lake. Everyone present was shaken to the core, looking at the grimacing Ace with expressions of pure shock.
"He's the bloodline of Pirate King Roger?"
"Back then... he managed to slip through." Kuzan knew that Roger had an heir; the World Government and the Navy had committed many atrocities because of it. He hadn't expected the child to successfully survive and grow into the man standing before them.
'Aomori, what is your intention in exposing his identity here?' Kuzan suppressed the doubt in his heart and quietly observed the situation.
Rayleigh could no longer maintain his calm composure. He took a deep breath and asked, "Are you truly Roger's son?"
"I am not!" Ace roared. "My father is Whitebeard, Edward Newgate! That bastard Roger is not my father!"
"Is that so?" Seeing Ace in such a state, Rayleigh believed about seventy percent of Aomori's claim. He tilted his head back and laughed loudly. "You truly got what was coming to you, Roger! Your son won't claim you; instead, he's taken Edward as his father."
"I told you, I'm not!" Ace insisted stubbornly.
Seeing this, Aomori let go, picked up his drink, and stepped aside, content to play the spectator.
However, Rayleigh did not continue the conversation with Ace. Instead, he looked at Aomori and said, "Knowing that Roger's son still lives in this world brings me quite some relief. I can waive the fee for your ship's coating. But beyond that, whatever you intend to use him for has nothing to do with me."
"He has grown into a man and has his own adventures. I will not meddle in his affairs lightly." Rayleigh noticed the Seastone on Ace's wrist and realized that Aomori's objective might not be simple.
"You're overthinking it." Aomori wagged a finger and said, "I forgot to tell you, I am a Hero. I wouldn't deign to use his identity as a bargaining chip. In fact, the only ones who truly value that status are the World Government."
"He is Ace. He is not a second Roger, nor can he become a second Roger."
"Bastard! Who would ever want to be him?" Ace muttered, scoffing.
"Heh, interesting. Then what is your goal?" Rayleigh asked.
"I wanted to see your reactions," Aomori said, rubbing his chin. "As it turns out, Ace is indeed a poor soul whom neither his grandmother nor his uncle loves. It seems I have no choice but to sell him back to Whitebeard."
"Hey! Are you serious?!" Ace barked.
"Who's joking with you?"
"You bastard, I'll take you down!"
"Go train for another few hundred years." Aomori casually restrained Ace with one hand.
"Trading with Edward? I'd advise you to give it up." Rayleigh sat back down and poured himself another drink. "He doesn't accept threats."
"How will we know if we don't try?"
"Then I wish you every success."
"Thanks."