Chapter 11: Garp Adopts Ace, It's Like a Cat Marrying a Mouse

"To be honest, this sickly guy is not as simple as I thought! Never judge a person by their appearance!"

"Uchiha? I've never heard of them! Very mysterious!" Shakuyaku replied.

"Is this news true?" Rayleigh finally regained his composure after a moment of surprise and asked with a serious expression, "This is no joke!"

"Definitely!" Uchiha kaigen nodded affirmatively, "After the Roger Pirates disbanded, Roger went to the South Blue."

"He met and fell in love with a woman named Portgas D. Rouge on Baterilla Island, and after a while, Rouge got pregnant with Roger's child."

"At that time, Roger had already become the leader of the pirate era!"

"The World Government vaguely found out that Roger had a child in the South Blue and initially sent people to the South Blue, killing many pregnant women."

"Shakuyaku, you should remember this incident, right?"

"Mm!" Shakuyaku nodded affirmatively, "I remember it very clearly! After all, it's related to Roger, and we were very concerned about this matter."

"But this matter seemed to have ended in a deadlock!"

"Only many innocent pregnant women and children died."

"Then, Portgas D. Rouge managed to escape the World Government's search?"

It was hard to imagine how she managed to do that.

"That's right!" Uchiha kaigen nodded, confirming, "Because there was a naval vice admiral named Garp who secretly helped, and with Rouge's strong will, she didn't give birth until the last moment, managing to avoid the World Government's detection."

"As a result, Rouge died right after giving birth to the child."

She was definitely a tough person, and a great mother.

Shakuyaku and Uchiha Zhi'an both felt a deep sense of respect after hearing this.

"To think this happened!" Shakuyaku's expression was complex when looking at Uchiha Zhi'an.

"Garp? So, it was Garp who helped Rouge? Roger, that bastard, would rather trust this naval guy than me?"

"It really seems like something that bastard would do! Hmph!" Rayleigh grumbled.

Shakuyaku shook her head. "Actually, this was the best way to handle it. Garp was someone Roger trusted, and his promise was something worth believing in."

"On the other hand, if it had been left to us, the World Government would have noticed it much sooner."

"Don't forget, during that period, every member of the Roger Pirates was under strict surveillance by the World Government."

"The World Government is not foolish, and neither was Roger."

"That's true!" Rayleigh nodded begrudgingly. "It seems we owe Garp an immense debt of gratitude."

"By the way, where did Garp hide Roger's child? Could it be in the Navy headquarters?"

If so, that would really be funny! The idea of Roger's son being raised by the Navy was a strange feeling that Rayleigh couldn't quite explain.

Anger? Discontent? It wasn't quite that. It was more of an unusual feeling, like a cat marrying a mouse.

"No, not at all!" Uchiha kaigen shook his head. "Garp sent him to his hometown, Windmill Village in East Blue, where he was raised by a bandit named Dadan."

"Oh! I see! Garp took Ace in, but he's actually Roger's grandson!" "Tsk tsk! Feels like this guy is doing it on purpose, just like Roger's generation. Roger even called him 'Dad'!""I guess it's revenge for Roger leaving him such a mess, haha!"Rayleigh: "....."Shakuyaku: "....."

The sarcasm was so heavy that the two didn't know where to start commenting!

"A mountain thief? Acknowledging Roger's son as his grandson?""This bastard... it's really something Cap did on purpose!"Rayleigh's eye twitched as he commented.

"Heh heh!"Shakuyaku laughed cheerfully: "If Roger were alive, wouldn't he be calling Cap 'Dad'? He probably wants to fight him to the death!"

Indeed, this old rivalry had turned into mutual digging of holes.

Rayleigh seemed to understand Cap's frustration when he got stuck with the mess Roger left behind. The key is Cap's personality and his relationship with Roger, who was both a friend and enemy. Cap couldn't just ignore it.

"I guess, Cap has a murderous streak now.""Hahaha!"

Rayleigh chuckled loudly at this, holding back his laughter: "He deserves it! If you don't call someone 'Dad,' it's only right for Cap to get revenge!"

"Gol D. Ace? That bastard Roger's son!"At this, Rayleigh couldn't help but feel nostalgic. Roger's sword was also called Ace, after all!

"No!"Uchiha kaigen shook her head directly: "Ace's full name is Portgas D. Ace, not Gol D. Ace!""This is not just to avoid suspicion and to prevent the World Government from connecting him to Roger.""In fact, it's because Ace always hated his father and refused to acknowledge Roger as his father!"

"However, when he comes, we should clarify this first!"

"In his eyes, the suffering he endured, his mother's death, and the burden of his cursed bloodline are all because he had a useless father!"

Rayleigh frowned when he heard this, taking a long gulp from his cup and sighing deeply: "Sigh! I understand! The kid is burdened too much!"

"Also, Cap's not really a suitable elder, so it's probably not appropriate for him to guide Ace.""I feel like this kid is probably going to follow the same old pirate path.""He's a smart kid."

Rayleigh believed Cap, despite his flaws, had raised Ace with some concerns.Otherwise, he wouldn't have left Ace with a mountain thief.

He should have directly raised him in the Navy and trained him.

However, Cap made his choice to save Ace from the Navy and didn't accept the Navy's justice or the World Government's authority.If Ace had stayed in the Navy, his future wouldn't necessarily have been much better.

Rayleigh knew this old man wasn't stupid—he was quite cunning despite being an old rival.

"Also, the deal we discussed earlier, I'll need some time. I'll write down my experience with the three-color Haki and the Six Powers for you.""However, let me remind you, Conqueror's Haki isn't something everyone can awaken. It's very difficult to cultivate with just paper knowledge.""If you really awaken Conqueror's Haki in the future, you can come back and find me. I'll teach you what I know!""Armament and Observation Haki are logical."

"As for the Six Powers, they're practical. This technique is mainly about unlocking the body's potential, and it lays the groundwork for awakening Armament and Observation Haki!"

"But Conqueror's Haki is different. It's derived from the Six Powers, but it goes far beyond them and is very difficult to master. Even I spent a long time just beginning to grasp it. You should understand your own limits.""Don't force yourself too much."