Chapter 89: Ace

Originally, Claudius planned to stay in Water 7 until his ship was completed, then set off on his next venture. But, as always, plans couldn't keep up with the changes life threw at him.

By the time the new year rolled around, he had been in Water 7 for nearly three months. Then, one morning, he received a call from Vice Admiral Garp through the Den Den Mushi.

"What's the matter, Garp?" Claudius asked, a hint of a smile on his face.

For a moment, there was silence on the other end. Just as Claudius started wondering if the signal was bad, he finally heard Garp's voice—hoarse, and laced with an uncharacteristic sadness.

"Claudius… Rouge is dead," Garp said quietly.

Claudius froze, processing the words. Slowly, he picked up a cigar from his desk, lit it, and took a long drag. Exhaling the smoke, he felt a wave of melancholy wash over him. It wasn't that he had any personal connection to Rouge—after all, she was the wife of Gol D. Roger. Claudius wasn't that shameless. They'd only met a handful of times. But still… despite everything, she hadn't been able to escape her fate.

As his thoughts grew tangled, a sense of regret crept in. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if he could have done more to help. But just as quickly, he dismissed the thought. He wasn't under any obligation to help her, after all. Why burden himself with guilt? He didn't want to end up like Rosinante, another tragic soul who couldn't leave well enough alone.

"She was… truly something. How long did she last?" Claudius asked, voice softened with respect.

"Twenty months. Twenty damn months. Can you even imagine the kind of courage and endurance that takes?" Garp's voice trembled, and for once, the irrepressible Vice Admiral sounded genuinely vulnerable. "I don't admire many people, Claudius… but Rouge is one of them."

It was a staggering feat. To keep her unborn child hidden from the world, from the relentless search by the Marines and the World Government, she had held on for twenty long months, enduring unimaginable strain. All for the sake of her child, with the constant fear that she could be discovered at any moment.

"Yeah… she was a great mother," Claudius said softly. "What about the child? Is it a boy or a girl?"

With everything in flux, Claudius couldn't be sure if things had turned out exactly as he remembered.

"A boy. A real cutie," Garp replied, his tone finally lifting a bit.

"Really? What's his name?" Claudius asked.

"Ace. Good name, isn't it? Roger came up with it. Rouge wanted to honor his wishes, so she named him Portgas D. Ace," Garp said, a hint of pride in his voice.

"Ace, huh? That is a strong name—like 'the best,' right?" Claudius remarked with a smile.

"Yeah… the best," Garp said, chuckling softly.

After a brief pause, Garp continued, "Anyway, I've been held up long enough. That bastard Sengoku has been sending me three messages a day, urging me to get back to Marineford. I'll be passing by Mariejois on my way. Are you there?"

"Uh… no, I'm still in Water 7," Claudius replied, a bit taken aback.

"Water 7? What are you doing all the way out there?" Garp asked, genuinely puzzled.

"Getting a ship built, doing some business on the side. You know, keeping busy," Claudius replied, giving a vague answer to avoid too many questions.

Garp didn't press further, but instead asked, "Well, can you make it back to Mariejois? We're about the same distance from there right now, maybe we could meet?"

Claudius hesitated. He was quite comfortable in Water 7, enjoying the leisurely pace of things, and really didn't feel like making the trip to Mariejois.

Sensing his reluctance, Garp the stubborn old marine that he was, didn't hesitate to turn up the pressure. "Claudius, don't be a damn coward! You remember our deal, right? I'd look after Rouge, and you'd take responsibility for the kid. Or are you backing out now that Roger's gone?"

Claudius felt his temper flare. "Look after her? You call that 'looking after her'? She died on your watch, Garp! You think you did such a great job?"

"You think I wanted her to die?" Garp shot back, voice rising. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to keep her hidden from the government's hunters? I did everything I could!"

"Yeah, yeah… fine, whatever. I can't win an argument with you," Claudius said, sighing in defeat.

He knew Garp was probably taking Rouge's death harder than anyone. After all, he'd been the one protecting her, watching her struggle until the very end. Claudius didn't want to push him any further.

"So, what's the plan now?" Garp asked, his voice back to a low rumble. "Do you want me to bring the kid to Marineford?"

Claudius rubbed his temples and sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll head back to Mariejois. We'll meet there, and you can hand the kid over to me. Then you can go back to playing marine hero."

"That works. But I'm warning you, Claudius, just because I'm handing him over to you doesn't mean I'm out of his life. I've already decided to raise this kid as my own grandson," Garp said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Claudius was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. "Only you, Garp… you're really something else. So, Roger's gone, and now you're stepping in as the 'grandfather'? You've just gone and made yourself family! Poor Roger—if he knew, he'd be rolling in his grave. You're making yourself sound like you're his father!"

With Garp claiming to be the 'grandfather,' that technically made him a generation above Whitebeard in Ace's life. In some twisted way, this old man had managed to leapfrog Whitebeard's title of "Dad."

But before Claudius could continue ribbing him, a sudden realization hit him, Garp had totally roped him into this.

"Damn it, Garp! You tricked me, didn't you?" Claudius cursed, only half-joking.

"Hahaha, tricked you? What're you talking about? Look, I'm not getting any younger, Claudius. If I suddenly showed up with a 'son,' how would that look? Dragon would think I'd lost faith in him and was trying to raise a replacement!" Garp laughed heartily, clearly amused at Claudius' exasperation.

Claudius muttered in a serious tone, "Honestly, I think Dragon could use some company. Maybe if you gave him a brother, it'd make for a good story in twenty years."

"Enough with the nonsense! I'll see you in Mariejois!" Garp growled, realizing he wouldn't win this banter. With that, he abruptly ended the call.

Claudius glared at the now silent Den Den Mushi, muttering to himself, "Damn you, Garp…" Then he let out a sigh, taking a long drag on his cigar. "So… Ace, huh?"

He found himself lost in thought. He already had his hands full taking care of Enel, who was still a kid himself, and now he was about to take in another child?

Luckily, he didn't intend to get too involved personally. Mariejois had no shortage of skilled nannies; he'd find a few to handle the day-to-day care.

"Guess when the kid grows up, I'll see if he can be molded into something useful. Maybe a Warlord of the Sea one day… yeah, that could work," Claudius thought, smirking to himself.

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