One Piece: King of the World

After listening to Momonga's explanation of the situation, Sabo was left speechless.

"The adopted son of a Celestial Dragon... is becoming a pirate?" Sabo muttered, his expression caught between disbelief and amusement.

"You know that there's currently an open seat among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, right? It won't be long before Ace fills that spot," Momonga said with a smile.

"A Logia-type Devil Fruit user like him—one who wields the Mera Mera no Mi—is already a formidable figure in the New World. And with Claudius backing him, becoming a Warlord seems only natural," Sabo acknowledged with a nod.

It was one thing for Ace to be a pirate, but taking on the title of a Warlord made things a lot more logical.

After all, Sabo knew that the Seven Warlords of the Sea were essentially Claudius' private force. Bartholomew Kuma was already a member, and since the Revolutionary Army was now cooperating with Claudius, Kuma was effectively one of Claudius' people as well.

Among the Warlords, the only real lone wolf was Dracule Mihawk. But even then, rumors suggested that Mihawk had a good relationship with Claudius. At the very least, he wouldn't stand against him in a time of crisis.

With the addition of Portgas D. Ace, the Warlords would be even more firmly under Claudius' control. At that point, their power would rival that of a Yonko—perhaps even surpass it.

Momonga glanced around and then leaned in closer to Sabo, lowering his voice. "Rumor has it... Saint Claudius wants to groom Ace into the next Pirate King."

"Pfft—!" Sabo nearly choked on his own saliva. After a coughing fit, he managed to ask, "Seriously?"

Momonga smirked and said mysteriously, "Who knows? It's just a rumor, after all."

Sabo eyed the Vice Admiral, considering the weight of his words.

Momonga wasn't just any Vice Admiral—he was one of the highest-ranking within Marine Headquarters, a cut above the likes of Onigumo and Doberman. Though he wasn't on the level of Admiral candidates like Gion or Tokikake, he still held a significant position and was trusted by the Fleet Admiral. Otherwise, there was no way he'd be in charge of Marine affairs in the Calm Belt.

And how did Sabo know about Marine operations in the Calm Belt?

Well, because the Revolutionary Army used to be one of their biggest "customers."

Given Momonga's status, if even he was talking about this rumor, then maybe—just maybe—there was some truth to it.

Sabo chuckled and said, "You know, I have a younger brother who also dreams of becoming the Pirate King. Not gonna lie, before I met Dragon, I thought that was the path for me too."

Though Sabo had still suffered under the nobility of the Goa Kingdom, he hadn't lost his memories in this timeline. He still remembered Luffy, and he still recalled his own childhood dream of becoming a pirate.

But after being rescued by Dragon, time and experience had shaped him into a revolutionary instead.

"Hahaha! I didn't expect the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army to have such a backstory! So, your little brother—is he out at sea yet? Should we be keeping an eye on him?" Momonga joked.

Sabo grinned. "Actually, my brother has quite the connection to the Marines. His name is Monkey D. Luffy. He's Dragon's son."

Momonga's expression immediately stiffened.

Dragon's son... wasn't that Garp's grandson?!

The grandson of the Marine hero himself wanted to be a pirate?

This was a massive bombshell!

While Sabo and Momonga continued their conversation, not far away, aboard the Spade Pirates' ship, Ace was enjoying beer and barbecue with his crew.

But what was truly surprising was the person sitting across from Ace—a legend in the world of pirates, the one and only Big Red Nose... Buggy!

Somehow, Buggy had managed to escape from being stuck in East Blue over the past two years. He had found his way into the Grand Line and, through a bizarre twist of fate, ended up befriending Ace.

The two hit it off instantly. They had similar personalities, shared plenty of laughs, and naturally became close friends. Though they eventually went their separate ways, their bond remained strong.

After the events of Marineford, Ace had stirred up the New World, becoming a well-known and feared pirate.

Buggy, on the other hand, had caught wind of Ace's background and suddenly realized, Ace was a gold mine.

Buggy had always been a pirate for simple reasons: to live comfortably, amass wealth, and secure a good life. So when he discovered just how influential Ace was, he knew he had struck gold.

On top of that, Ace genuinely liked Buggy. After making a name for himself, Ace hadn't forgotten about his old friend and had personally invited Buggy to join forces. He even suggested that Buggy bring his crew along so they could merge into a larger pirate group.

Buggy didn't hesitate for a second before agreeing.

His thought process was simple: he couldn't stay in East Blue forever. Sooner or later, he had to enter the New World—the true stage for pirates. But as a former crewmate of Gol D. Roger, if that fact got out, he'd be in serious danger.

Ace, however, was different. With his powerful connections, Buggy saw a chance to not only profit but also gain protection.

Plus, Buggy considered himself well-acquainted with the big shots of the New World. With his experience, he figured he could help Ace navigate pirate politics.

Thus, the Buggy Pirates merged with the Spade Pirates, and Ace personally sought out Buggy to bring him aboard.

Now, Ace was returning to Mariejois, specifically to introduce Buggy to Claudius.

After all, Ace had just learned that Buggy was a former crew member of Gol D. Roger.

If Buggy wanted protection, it was only right to inform his father, right?

Up in the crow's nest, Koala put down his spyglass and called out, "Ace, it's a Marine ship. Looks like it belongs to a Vice Admiral."

Buggy immediately tensed up at the word "Marine," looking ready to bolt.

Before he could react, though, Ace spoke up.

"A Vice Admiral? That means they're heading toward Mariejois. Don't worry, it's fine. That guy has a good relationship with my father. He manages the Marine trade in the Calm Belt, which is an important business hub for us. As long as we don't provoke him, they won't bother us," Ace said with a smile.

Hearing this, Buggy let out a long sigh of relief. See? That's how people with connections talk! Meanwhile, look at me...

After Ace had exposed Buggy's past, he had bombarded him with questions about Roger. Ace was genuinely curious about his biological father, but he had never revealed his own lineage to Buggy.

If Buggy ever found out that Ace was Gol D. Roger's son, he'd probably drop to his knees on the spot.

The son of my old captain... is now my captain?!

Was this fate?

And if Buggy also discovered that Claudius was grooming Ace to become the next Pirate King, he might just die from shock.

At that point, wouldn't Buggy technically have served two generations of Pirate Kings?

Wouldn't that make him a legend?

Though Ace was well aware of his own origins, thanks to Claudius' guidance, he didn't care much about his bloodline.

His upbringing had been vastly different from what Roger had experienced. And while Claudius and his circle didn't necessarily approve of Roger, they also didn't look down on him.

In fact, Claudius even admired Roger in some ways, they were simply too different to see eye to eye.

As a result, Ace wasn't ashamed of his heritage, but he rarely mentioned it. It was a complicated topic, one that could cause unnecessary trouble if word got out.

And so, with the Spade Pirates, a Marine fleet, and the Drum Kingdom's delegation all sailing together, they continued toward Mariejois in an oddly peaceful formation.

***

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