Pirate: I, Ace, am the King of Eclipse!

However, no matter how far he flew, Ace could always keep up.

The black-haired youth walked on moonlight, always keeping a steady half-meter distance from him, as if strolling on the sea.

"Are you flying so slowly, waiting for the wind?"

As Ace flew alongside, he couldn't help but laugh and make sarcastic remarks.

"Or is there a limit to your abilities?"

"What happens if you fly too far off your feet on the deck? Do you fall into the sea and become shark food?"

"A demon! You are absolutely a demon!"

Bucky's mentality completely collapsed.

He did his best to turn, accelerate, and even circle in the air.

But Ace stayed by his side the whole time, with that smug smile on his face.

A dozen minutes later.

Exhausted and disoriented from flying, Bucky finally stopped in despair.

He realized a harsh reality.

Faced with this monster whose stamina, speed, and Observation Haki were ridiculously strong, his scattering escape tactic was simply a joke.

"Not running anymore?"

Ace stopped next to Bucky, hovering in mid-air and looking at him.

"I...I just came out for some fresh air!"

Bucky's upper body stiffened in mid-air in a salute, two tears of humiliation hanging from the corners of his eyes.

"While you're at it, check the surrounding area for any enemy activity, Captain!"

"Hahaha!"

Ace burst into laughter.

"He truly deserves to be the chief errand manager I've chosen; he's incredibly dedicated!"

As he spoke, he grabbed Bucky by the back of his collar and, as if carrying a chick, used Moonwalk to easily lift Bucky's upper body back onto the deck of the Eclipse.

"boom."

Bucky's upper body and his feet, which were still on the deck, were safely reattached.

"Alright, go to bed early after you're done with your inspection."

Ace chuckled and flicked Bucky's red nose.

"I still need to clean the living room windows tomorrow morning."

"You bastard! Don't you dare touch my nose!"

Bucky instinctively covered his nose, so angry he almost jumped up.

But Ace had already turned around and was leisurely walking towards the cabin.

He did not pursue the escape, nor did he confiscate the bag of rubies.

Just like that chase in mid-air earlier, it was just a joke to pass the time before bed.

Standing in the night wind, Bucky looked at Ace's back, then looked down at the bag of rubies in his hand that hadn't been taken away, and froze on the spot.

This ridiculously powerful guy clearly saw through everything, yet he neither killed him nor took his treasure.

Even when he was teasing him in mid-air just now, that carefree laughter reminded Bucky for a moment of a man from long ago who would also laugh loudly on the deck.

"Are you kidding me...?"

Bucky shook his head violently.

"I would never associate such a bastard with Captain Roger!"

He grabbed the rag from the ground angrily, still cursing under his breath.

"Damn it! I won't be bought off by such petty favors!"

"Washing windows, huh? I'll do it! But this is only temporary!"

Under the cover of night, the Eclipse continued its journey.

Meanwhile, its newly appointed chief janitor, grumbling and cursing, picked up the rag again.

As for the matter of escaping—

Bucky decided to wait until at least tomorrow.

Chapter 14 The Bloodline of the Pirate King, A Bond Spanning Two Generations

The next morning, sunlight shone on the deck of the Eclipse.

"Wipe the left side, wipe the right side... Damn it, why am I cleaning windows here?!"

Bucky, muttering to himself, diligently wiped the living room's French windows until they shone brightly.

On the other side of the deck, Sabo sat under a parasol reading a newspaper.

Ace sat cross-legged on the deck, holding a bottle of top-quality sake that he had taken from the temperature-controlled wine cellar.

Pirates should drink sake heartily.

Ace wholeheartedly agreed with this.

He poured two glasses of sake, picked up one and drank it all in one gulp, then turned to look at Bucky, who was still wiping the windows.

"Hey, Bucky, come over for a drink."

Ace picked up another wooden cup filled with sake and casually greeted it.

Bucky paused, his throat bobbing involuntarily.

He was really thirsty after being tossed and turned for most of the night.

He cautiously approached, took the glass, and looked at Ace with some wariness.

"Captain, what trick are you planning to pull now?"

"sit down."

Ace patted the deck next to him.

Bucky hesitated for a moment, but still sat down timidly.

He had just brought the sake to his lips when he heard Ace suddenly ask:

"Back on the Oro Jackson, between you and Shanks, who got beaten up more?"

"puff--!"

Bucky spat out the mouthful of sake he had just taken a sip of.

He suddenly took two steps back, pointed at Ace, and almost stammered.

"You...how do you know that I used to be on Captain Roger's ship?!"

"This is top secret intelligence in the East China Sea!"

Sabo, who was reading a newspaper nearby, also put down his newspaper and looked over.

He knew Buggy was a pirate from the East Blue, but he never expected that this red-nosed guy would have such a background.

Ace didn't keep you in suspense.

He picked up his glass, looked at the clear liquid inside, and spoke calmly:

"Isn't it normal to know this kind of thing?"

"After all, that man who wears a straw hat and always has a wide grin is my biological father."

The sea breeze seemed to pause for a moment at that instant.

"Ding-dong."

Bucky dropped the wooden cup in his hand onto the deck, spilling sake all over the floor.

He seemed to be frozen in place, staring intently at the black-haired youth in front of him, his mind completely blank.

"Biological father?"

Bucky's voice was trembling.

"You...you mean the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger?!"

"what."

Ace nodded.

“My mother’s name is Portcus D. Rouge.”

“I took my mother’s surname, but by blood, I am indeed that bastard’s son.”

His tone was calm.

Instead of the original aversion and distortion of bloodline in destiny, there is a kind of openness after complete acceptance.

"That's impossible, the captain clearly already..."

Bucky shook his head frantically.

But when his gaze actually landed on Ace's face, his voice slowly stopped.

The contours between the eyebrows and eyes.

That fearless attitude.

And last night, when I was chasing him through the air, that carefree, yet infuriating and helpless laughter...

All the fragments of memory suddenly came together in Bucky's mind.

The figure standing at the bow of the ship, laughing amidst the raging wind and rain, now overlapped with the young man before me.

"No wonder..."