Horizontal Island, Vertical Town
Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.
Ace and Yamato had finally found enough rest on an unknown island, in an unknown town. During the first three days, Ace slept deeply, recovering from the exhaustion and damage his body had endured. For the next four days, he slowly regained his strength while exploring the island alongside Yamato.
Now, the two of them sat quietly on the beach, watching the sun sink into the horizon, painting the sea gold and crimson.
After a long silence, Ace finally spoke.
"Yamato… now that Blackbeard is dead, I've already contacted Pops and asked for leave. So… we can finally travel the world freely."
He turned toward her with a relaxed smile.
"Where do you want to go?"
Yamato smiled softly at the question.
"Ace," she said, "let's go to East Blue first. The place where Roger came from. And if I remember correctly… it's also your hometown, right?"
Ace chuckled.
"Well then, East Blue it is," he said. "But we'll have to wait a few more days."
Yamato blinked, confused.
"Why wait?"
Ace smiled, glancing toward the distant sea.
"Well… we don't have a ship. And we can't keep living like before—moving from town to town, sometimes going hungry just to find food."
He paused before adding,
"So I called my friends. Or you could say… my crew."
Yamato nodded slowly.
"Well, it'll be my first time meeting them."
Ace smiled wider.
"Before I joined the Whitebeard Pirates, I was the captain of the Spade Pirates. And honestly… I still am."
He leaned back, hands behind his head.
"I called them. Maybe they want to go on another adventure. It's been a year or two since we last traveled together."
Yamato nodded in understanding.
And just as Ace expected—
Six days later, the Spade Pirates arrived at the small harbor near the cabin.
" Deuce, Mihar , skull
Long time no see.
Yahahahahahha "
After nearly a month of separation, Ace finally reunited with his crew, and the beach soon turned lively. Laughter echoed through the air as they celebrated late into the night.
A feast was held under the open sky.
And Yamato—
became the chief guest of the party.
---
Seven more days passed.
Ace, Yamato, and the crew finally reached East Blue.
Excitement spread across the ship. East Blue—peaceful, familiar, and the gateway back to Ace's home. Everyone was already talking about heading to Loguetown, the first island after leaving the Grand Line.
Just then, Ace noticed a Newsbird circling above them, carrying a bundle of newspapers.
Ace whistled sharply.
The bird descended, flapping its wings, and Ace tossed it some coins. He took the bundle of newspapers into his hands and unfolded the top one.
At first, everyone assumed Ace would casually toss the papers to the crew like always.
But instead—
Ace went silent.
His expression froze.
His eyes widened slightly, staring at the headline as if he were seeing something impossible.
The deck grew quiet.
Yamato noticed immediately. This was the first time she had ever seen Ace look genuinely shocked. Until now, Ace had always carried himself like someone who already knew how everything would unfold—calm, confident, almost omniscient.
Something had gone completely beyond his expectations.
Yamato stepped closer and took the newspaper from Ace's hands.
The moment her eyes landed on the page—
She froze.
Her playful expression vanished, replaced by pure shock.
Now even the crew felt uneasy.
They knew Yamato well enough by now. She was usually carefree, reckless, and obsessed only with adventure. For her to react like this—
Something massive had happened.
Ace remained silent, staring at the sea as the wind rustled the newspaper in Yamato's trembling hands.
---
Finally, one of them stepped forward and took the bundle of newspapers from Ace's unmoving hands. As the pages were spread open and passed around, the reaction was immediate.
They froze.
Because there were two headlines.
The first headline read:
"SEVEN CELESTIAL DRAGONS DIED MYSTERIOUSLY — GRAND LINE, PARADISE."
Below it was a subheading that sent a chill through everyone who read it:
Why were the Celestial Dragons traveling toward the Sabaody Archipelago suddenly missing?
That alone would have been shocking enough—news worthy of shaking the entire world.
But beneath it…
Was the second headline.
Larger. Bolder.
"WORLD GOVERNMENT DECLARES WAR ON ONE OF THE FOUR EMPERORS — BIG MOM PIRATES."
The deck fell into complete silence.
---
After a few minutes of silent reading, discussion, and careful thought, the reason behind it all slowly became clear.
In just a single month, two major incidents—events that should have shaken the entire world—had occurred.
The first incident took place at Sabaody Archipelago, where a mysterious individual had openly beheaded a Celestial Dragon—an act once thought impossible.
The current situation of the perpetrator was still listed as unknown, but the message sent to the world was unmistakable.
The second incident followed soon after.
An entire fleet carrying Celestial Dragons vanished without a trace. Their ships disappeared, and the World Government officially declared them dead.
Both incidents were direct blows to the World Government's authority.
After reading the reports, it was obvious what the danger was—not just the deaths themselves, but the doubt they planted.
People around the world would begin to question the invincibility of the Celestial Dragons. Pirates, bounty hunters, and revolutionaries alike might start believing that the "gods of the world" could be hunted.
And once that belief spread, others would surely try the same—whether for fame, bounty, or revenge.
So the World Government needed to act.
They needed to reassert their authority.
They needed a target powerful enough to send a message…
but not so dangerous that it would result in unbearable losses.
That narrowed the options down to one group.
The Four Emperors of the Sea.
And among the Four—
The World Government would never target the Red-Haired Pirates.
That much was obvious.
Fighting Whitebeard on the open sea was no different from fighting the sea itself. A single attack from Whitebeard could capsize entire fleets, drowning Navy ships and World Government vessels alike. He was not just an Emperor—he was a deterrent. The World Government would never challenge the Whitebeard Pirates lightly.
Kaido was no better.
The man was a mad beast, and facing him meant facing endless war. More importantly, Wano's geography made it nearly impossible to invade. The country was naturally fortified, isolated, and designed for defense.
And after the incident involving Ace and Yamato, the World Government had begun to suspect a possible connection—or even cooperation—between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Hundred Beasts Pirates.
That suspicion alone was enough to make Kaido an unacceptable target.
Which left only one option.
The Big Mom Pirates.
They were powerful enough to make an example of.
Yet vulnerable enough to be targeted.
And so, the World Government made its move.
---
Finally, after a few minutes of silence—after everyone had digested the weight of the news—the Spade Pirates and Yamato held their first meeting of the year.
Yamato broke the silence first.
"Ace… what do we do now?"
"Should we go back and interfere in this war?"
Deuce looked at Ace as well and asked quietly,
"Should we return and help the Big Mom Pirates… or gather allies?"
Ace didn't answer immediately.
He stared at the sea, the wind brushing past his face, considering every consequence—every life that could be lost if they stepped into that battlefield.
After a long moment, Ace smiled.
"Well… it's a fight against the Big Mom Pirates," he said calmly.
"We shouldn't interfere too much."
Everyone looked at him.
"Even Pops won't interfere in this directly," Ace continued.
"Kaido might move on his own… but the Beasts Pirates won't act as a whole."
He exhaled softly.
"So let it be."
Silence followed.
Then—slowly—everyone smiled.
No one wanted to walk into a war where death could come at any moment. Not even Ace. Whether Big Mom lived or died… it wasn't their fight.
If the Whitebeard Pirates were attacked, they would sail without hesitation.
But this time, there was no need.
And somewhere in Ace's heart, another thought surfaced.
Maybe… Luffy will take that throne himself in two years.
Ace smiled wider.
"So," he said, turning back to the crew,
"Let's travel the world."
And just like that, the Spade Pirates set sail across the East Blue, visiting island after island—places spoken of in stories, legends, and memories.
Until finally…
The ship turned toward one island in particular.
Dawn Island
His hometown : Windmill Village
---