Chapter 89

Short A/N: To those still waiting for an answer if Hepha will become Ace's love interest, the answer is...

No.

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The Royal Aces all turned their gaze towards Soma after hearing the very familiar name of Espa Kingdom's queen. They instantly recognized the look of shock on Soma's face. It seems the information was new to Soma.

"I… I didn't know!" Soma said, speaking to the Royal Aces. "I promise!"

"We believe you, Soma," Hepha said with a small smile.

"Get up," Ace said to the old diplomat, an order he quickly obeyed. Ace then rummaged around the old diplomat's clothes, looking for something. "Aha! I knew you'd have one!"

Ace took an Eternal Pose from the old diplomat. Its label says that it's pointing towards Espa Kingdom.

"Augur, take this Eternal Pose and put it with the others," Ace said after turning to Augur.

"With pleasure, Captain." Augur took the Eternal Pose and disappeared with a pop, warping to the room below the ship where they kept the Eternal Poses they collected.

"Now then, if you don't want to die, kindly share any other information that should be useful for us," Ace said to the old diplomat.

In response to Ace's words, the old diplomat scowled. He would've spat on Ace's face, but his mouth was dry.

"I'll see you in hell, pirate."

Ace grinned at the old diplomat's words. He wasn't really surprised at the show of loyalty. So, Ace decided to get it over with. He stuck a finger on the old diplomat's forehead and fired a concentrated beam of fire that shot through the old diplomat's skull and melted his brain. The corpse was easily dealt with as well. Ace grabbed the corpse by its ankle and threw it overboard, letting it sink down into the sea.

…

Dinner was an awkward affair for the Royal Aces. Mostly because Soma was more silent and subdued than usual. Of course, everyone knew why.

Still, the Royal Aces didn't speak about the issue of Soma being related to the royal family of Espa Kingdom. A kingdom they would inevitably have to deal with after so many encounters with them.

The Royal Aces each had an understanding. They didn't care where each other came from. What matters the most now was their crew. Still, Soma found the newly revealed information difficult to swallow. It was obvious that Soma was still recovering from things he'd rather not speak of.

In an effort to clear the rather awkward air around Soma, Ace decided to try and lighten the mood.

"The spaghetti you make is really great, Soma! Definitely my favorite!" Ace said as he slurped on the spicy spaghetti noodles he loved.

Hearing Ace compliment his food, a small smile found itself on Soma's face.

"Thanks, Ace," Soma said. "You sure you don't want me to make something else for your dinner next time?"

"Nah!" Ace said, resolutely refusing Soma's offer. "Dinner time is spaghetti time!"

Ace's efforts seem to have worked. His rather carefree attitude rubbed off on Soma and made him relax more. Still, it was obvious that Soma still had things in his mind.

"Hey, Ace?" Soma said, tentatively approaching a topic he didn't feel comfortable with.

"What is it?"

"Were you… planning to make Espa Kingdom your territory or something?" Soma asked. It was obvious for Ace that Soma had reservations about what they would do to the Espa Kingdom.

"I was," Ace said. "But now, I'm not so sure. What do you want to do?"

"Huh?" Soma looked confused at Ace's question. So, Ace repeated it.

"I asked you what you want to do," Ace said. "I'll let you decide."

"Aren't decisions like that supposed to be your job as Captain?"

"And I, the Captain of our crew, has decided that the final decision lies with you," Ace said with a cheeky smirk, an expression reflected by many of the Royal Aces.

Soma was surprised. He wasn't expecting Ace to do something like that for him. Soma finally let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Thank you, Ace," Soma said with a slight chuckle. "I… I don't know, honestly."

"I'll give you some time to think about it. Let me know once you decide what to do."

"Thanks… Captain."

With Soma looking clearly much better than he did earlier, the air in the dining room of the Ashen Dragon finally lightened. Everyone was more relaxed.

Unfortunately, Ace spoiled the mood.

"Everyone, listen up!" Ace said, clinking a glass of booze to get everyone's attention. "Before I begin… I just want to say that I'm sorry."

The Royal Aces seemed to recognize what Ace was going for. Since Enel died after Teach betrayed them, they haven't really talked about the issue at hand. They first focused on trying to accept what happened on their own. It was as if a silent agreement passed between them, including the two little girls in their crew.

"I was… not as good of a captain that I should have been," Ace said. "From now on, I promise to you all… I won't let my guard down ever again."

The Royal Aces gave a small smile to Ace in response. It was all that he needed.

"With that being said, you guys should know something that also happened on that day," Ace said. "I spoke to Aokiji."

Of all the Royal Aces, Hepha had the most obvious reaction.

"He was here?" Hepha asked, banging a fist on the table. "Ace! You shouldn't hide something like that!"

"You know her, Hepha?" Terzo asked.

"He's one of the three Navy Admirals, remember?"

Something clicked in the minds of the Royal Aces. They already talked about the structure of the Navy forces in the past. They just remembered the names of the three admirals.

"I agree with Hepha, Ace," Vash said, looking annoyed at the new and vital information Ace failed to inform them of earlier. "We were grieving for Enel, yes. But, that doesn't mean you should've kept us in the dark about something like that. We're not children, Ace."

"I know, that's why I'm sorry," Ace said, sighing at the list of mistakes he keeps on making. "I guess… I just didn't know what to do."

"Ace…"

The Royal Aces were stunned to silence. It was their first time seeing their usually headstrong and carefree captain look so… unsure.

Ace glanced at his crew one by one. He was grasping for his next words.

"I'm saying this now because I need your help."

"What did he do?" Hepha asked.

"Nothing, really," Ace said. "We just talked, mostly. He said he didn't come as a soldier of the Navy. He was there to warn me."

"Warn you?"

"Well, the warning came from my gramps," Ace said. "The Navy is working on a plan to ambush us."

"Pfft! Nothing new there," Terzo said, leaning back on his chair.

"It's different this time," Ace said, immediately dismissing Terzo's relaxed attitude on the matter at hand. "The way Aokiji said it… I'm sure the Admirals will be directly involved."

"Admirals?" Vash asked. "As in, more than one?"

"Probably. Gramps said I should go home and lay low. That's the message Aokiji came to deliver," Ace said, gauging his crew's reaction.

"I think my seasickness is returning," Doppol said.

"So?" Vash asked. "You gonna do it?"

Vash's question made Ace smirk. The Royal Aces had a small smile, already expecting their captain's answer.

"Of course not!" Ace said. "I'm sure none of us here wants that."

The Royal Aces agreed silently, their eyes lit up by determination.

"As expected of our Captain," Augur said, a small smile on his face.

"Captain is so brave!" Eri said.

"Meow!" Kotatsu meowed in agreement with Eri. He couldn't really speak right now because he was in his original lynx form.

"What I need your help with is deciding what we should do as a crew," Ace said, leaning forward and placing his elbows on their dining table. "Should we just go forward or do we stop for a year or two?"

The Royal Aces were surprised that Ace even considered stopping their journey. What they didn't know is that Ace has always been planning to stop and train his crew for their journey ahead. As a transmigrator, he knew the future and full history of the world they live in…

"That's… really something to consider," Tanya said, her mind working at full speed to arrive at her personal thoughts on the question of Ace.

"I think we should stop first," Mihar said, already knowing how he felt. He wished everyone would agree with him. "I'll be honest, I feel… left behind. I'm not as strong as you guys. From here on out, our enemies would only get stronger too."

The Royal Aces agreed with Mihar's sentiment. It was true, and they knew it. They needed to take a breather from their journey and consolidate their strength if they wished to survive the harsh seas.

"Plus… I'm worried about Eri," Mihar said, adding to his previous words. "She's not like Tanya who obviously is already somewhat capable of protecting herself."

"Somewhat?" Tanya looked annoyed at Mihar's words, but she was ignored. She chose to let it go.

"Eri needs… time. To prepare, at least. She's never been a fighter. But, now that she's dead set on becoming a pirate, she needs to learn how to protect herself. She won't be a child forever… and I won't always be there for her even if I want to."

"Sensei…"

"I agree with Mihar," Augur said, his turn to speak up. "If I may be honest… I am utterly disappointed in myself."

The Royal Aces were surprised to see Augur show signs of breaking down. Their usually stoic crewmate was now hanging his head low in shame.

"I'm… not as skilled as I want to be," Augur said. "Enel… he died because of me."

"Augur-"

"I am sorry, Tanya," Augur said. "If only I had better Observation Haki, I would have-"

"That's enough!"

The Royal Aces were once again surprised. Tanya never really raised her voice much, but now, she just shouted at Augur.

"All of you… listen to me," Tanya said, speaking to all the Royal Aces. "If you feel like my… my stupid uncle… died because of you… you're even more stupid than he was."

The Royal Aces felt their hearts pang at seeing Tanya doing her best to not let a single tear escape her. Her eyes were rather red now, but her face showed full conviction.

"Stop blaming yourselves! Have you forgotten how he died?" Tanya asked. "It was that bastard, Teach! No, Blackbeard! He's the one responsible for Enel's death. Not you, Vash. Not you, Augur. And definitely not you, Captain."

Tanya raised a clenched fist. Wind surged around it, signifying her frustration and rage.

"That's why, I think we should stop too," Tanya said. "I want to train. I want to get stronger. That bastard Blackbeard managed to kill Enel… he's strong. The next time I see him, I'll kill him myself. If anyone was supposed to kill my stupid uncle, it should have been me."

Next, it was Eri who spoke up.

"I think so too. I want to get stronger! I hate being helpless in a fight! Earlier today, I could have killed… I could've killed Hepha-san by accident."

"Me too," Soma said. "I think we should stop somewhere first. Ace, you showed me how wide the gap is between us. I want to close it, if that's even possible… plus… hearing about my mother today? I can't help but feel… I'm still just a helpless child."

"I think we should stop somewhere, too," Vash said with a tired sigh. "I'll be honest, I shouldn't be the first mate of this crew. I'm far from being someone considered to be Ace's second."

"Vash-"

"I don't need to hear it, Hepha," Vash said, interrupting Hepha's words. "Thank you for believing in me… that's why, I promise you, I'll be beating your ass soon to prove that I'm worthy of my position."

Vash and Hepha shared a smirk. Hepha silently accepted Vash's challenge.

"The majority has spoken!" Terzo said. "I hope we stop somewhere where I could train my swordsmanship."

"I… may know a few places," Hepha said.