The cigarette in Shakky's hand trembled slightly. A long ash fell onto the counter.
She snuffed out the remaining stub in the ashtray, leaned forward slightly, and stared sharply at Luffy. "Brother? What is your relationship with Ace?"
Luffy answered without hesitation. "We're brothers!"
An expression of great shock and confusion flashed across Shakky's face.
Wait, let me sort this out. This relationship seemed a bit messy.
Garp's grandson and that man's son had become brothers?
That was a lot of information.
Before Shakky could sort it out, Luffy added, "We swore brotherhood over sake cups!"
Shakky finally let out a long sigh of relief. She patted her chest and smiled helplessly. "So that's how it is. You scared me. I nearly got my brain clogged up with old news."
She didn't know if Luffy was aware of Ace's true parentage, but judging by his demeanor, he seemed not to know. So she didn't reveal it.
Regarding the news of Ace's arrest—she had good information, so she naturally already knew.
She sighed and said, "That guy Rayleigh hasn't come back here for over half a year.
And, to be honest, he's been under the Navy's surveillance for a long time. It probably wouldn't be easy for him to do anything."
To be honest, in the history of Impel Down, almost no pirate had ever successfully escaped. The possibility of rescuing someone from the outside was extremely slim.
Even if Rayleigh was a legendary pirate.
To Shakky's surprise, Luffy did not eagerly ask Rayleigh's whereabouts, nor was he frustrated about the slim hope of saving Ace.
He just calmly took a sip of water, then looked up and gazed at Shakky with burning eyes. "Since you're well-informed, I have a plan. I want to ask you if it has any chance of success."
Shakky was drawn by the light in his eyes. She gestured for him to continue.
Her intuition told her this was a very interesting topic.
Luffy leaned forward and said, "I heard from Hatchan that the World Nobles the Celestial Dragons have very high status. If someone attacks them, it will immediately summon a Marine Admiral. Does that mean that, in the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, their own safety is more important than sending an Admiral, even more important than many other things?"
"Correct. In the eyes of the Celestial Dragons, their dignity and safety are above all else. Offending them is seen as a challenge to the very foundation of the World Government's rule."
Shakky seemed to recall some extremely unpleasant memories. Her face darkened slightly, and a flicker of disgust passed through her eyes. She seemed to realize something. "Are you suggesting..."
Luffy nodded and continued, "So then, if we kidnap a Celestial Dragon and use him to make a deal with the World Government demanding that they release Ace could this plan work?"
"Pfft—cough, cough, cough!"
"Wh-What?!"
As his words fell, the entire small bar fell into dead silence.
Except for Nami and Robin, who had already suspected something, everyone else—including Chopper, who was eating snacks, Camie, who was drinking, and the nervous Pappag—instantly froze.
Bonney sprayed out the drink she had just swallowed, choking and turning red in the face. She looked at Luffy as if he were crazy.
Nami and Robin, though they had expected something, still felt a chill run down their spines hearing Luffy say it so bluntly. At the same time, they felt a helpless sense of "of course."
What could they say? He was their captain, after all.
Shakky was utterly shocked. Her fingers holding the cigarette stopped in mid-air, motionless for a long time.
She looked at Luffy's young face—serious and fearless—and seemed to see, through him, figures from many years ago who had also dared to challenge the authority of the World Government with reckless abandon.
One of them, coincidentally, seemed to be this young man's grandfather.
Was this kind of daredevil gene also hereditary?
When it came to hatred of the Celestial Dragons, Shakky's inner feelings ran deeper than anyone's.
She still clearly remembered how she had been displayed like an object at God Valley all those years ago. The unforgettable humiliation and anger she would never forget.
Seeing that Luffy's expression was not a joke but a genuine exploration of feasibility, Shakky forced herself to calm down and seriously considered this earth-shattering plan.
After a long moment, she slowly spoke, her voice slightly hoarse.
"In theory, if you really could successfully capture a Celestial Dragon and find a way to ensure safety during the transaction process, the World Government might be willing to negotiate in order to protect the absolute safety and dignity of the Celestial Dragons."
She shifted her tone, her eyes burning into Luffy. "However, the premise for all this is that you have the strength to fight an Admiral—or at least to hold off an Admiral long enough to successfully escape!
The foundation of any negotiation is that both sides have equal power—or at least power that makes the other side wary. Otherwise, you'll just be easily crushed by the Admiral who arrives on the scene, without even the qualifications to negotiate!"
Moreover, there was another hidden premise: the World Government must not currently know Ace's true identity.
If they found out that Ace was that man's son, then in the World Government's eyes, the value of an ordinary Celestial Dragon would probably be less important than completely eradicating that Sinful Bloodline.
Hearing this, Luffy smiled with satisfaction.
"The strength to fight an Admiral? Isn't that granted?"
Bonney finally snapped out of her extreme shock. She looked at Luffy, then at the other Straw Hat members around him, who didn't seem to strongly disagree. Her voice trembled.
"Luffy! Do you know what you're saying?! Those are Celestial Dragons!
Touching them means declaring war on the entire World Government! There's no going back! Have you thought this through?!"
She looked at Nami, Robin, and the others. "Aren't you going to persuade him?"
This was too crazy.
Or did this whole ship full of people not understand how serious this was?
Nami, Robin, and Vivi exchanged glances. They smiled helplessly.
But their eyes were extremely determined.
"Our captain has made his decision. As his crew, we just have to follow."
Robin picked up her teacup and took a small sip. "Besides, we already officially declared war on that flag back at Enies Lobby."
Vivi also nodded and smiled. "If Luffy wants to save someone, we'll help him save them."
"Crazies. You're all completely crazy!"
Bonney looked at this group of people and could only come to that conclusion.
She felt like she had boarded a pirate ship—no, a ship of madmen about to charge straight into the fires of hell!
Shakky watched these young people, watched the unspoken trust and bonds between them. A complicated look flickered in her eyes.
History seemed to be a reincarnation.
The pirates of this sea were forever young.
***
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