At the same time, while Ritter was off wandering through the past, time flowed differently between the two eras.
Year 1517 of the Sea Circle Calendar, Foosha Village Harbor.
Three sleek, well-crafted medium-sized sailing ships rested quietly beneath the warm sunlight.
Their polished hulls gleamed with careful maintenance, and their neatly furled sails showed they were fully prepared to depart at any moment.
These were the gifts Uncle Tesoro had prepared for Ace, Sabo, and Anne to celebrate their official departure into the world.
Each ship represented the finest craftsmanship available, more than capable of handling the first half of the Grand Line.
For Paradise, these ships were more than enough.
As for the New World...
At that point, it wasn't the ship that mattered. It was the person sailing it.
After all, Mihawk had crossed the seas in nothing more than a tiny coffin-shaped boat.
One boat.
One sword.
And he conquered the world.
...
Yet despite the ships practically calling them toward adventure, the three young pirates standing on the dock felt anything but confident.
Ace adjusted the brim of his orange cowboy hat.
Hidden beneath it were eyes filled with endless longing for the sea... and a healthy amount of guilt.
Their emotions were complicated.
Very complicated.
The biggest reason was simple.
They had absolutely no permission to leave.
Taking a deep breath, Ace lowered his voice.
"Hey... Sabo... Anne..."
"Let's sneak out tonight."
"By the time Mom notices, we'll already be climbing Reverse Mountain!"
"I heard the water flows upward there!"
Standing beside him, Sabo adjusted his goggles.
Compared to his original self, he carried himself with far more elegance, dressed like a proper young gentleman, though his adventurous spirit still couldn't be hidden.
He respected Rouge with all his heart.
As for... the other parent...
Roger: "???"
To Sabo, Rouge had always treated him exactly like her own son.
Never once had she shown favoritism simply because they weren't related by blood.
He had respected Roger once too.
After all...
That was the Pirate King.
And Ritter's closest brother.
Surely someone like that had to be dependable.
...
Then one day...
Roger got caught secretly drinking.
Instead of admitting it...
He shoved Ace and Sabo to the front.
"We'll take the blame," Sabo had thought.
No problem.
He could handle it.
Then he looked around the room.
Empty bottles.
Everywhere.
Then he looked at Rouge.
She was smiling.
Very gently.
That was exactly the problem.
Over the years, Sabo had learned something terrifying.
Rouge's smiles all looked warm...
But every single one carried a different meaning.
Just as he realized he might not survive this...
Roger had already run away.
To be fair...
Roger hadn't actually been drinking that much.
Just one bottle a day.
The problem was that he'd hidden every empty bottle under the bed.
Day after day.
Month after month.
The collection had become... impressive.
From that moment onward...
Roger's heroic image completely collapsed in Sabo's heart.
Nowadays, he barely cared anymore.
Having a mother really did make a huge difference in a child's upbringing.
Sabo gave a bitter smile and whispered.
Years of failed escape attempts had taught him one important lesson.
Never speak loudly around the house.
"Ace..."
"Let's be rational."
"If Mom catches us trying to sneak out again..."
"I honestly think..."
"We'll die."
His mind immediately pictured Rouge's gentle smile...
Followed by the terrifying punishments that always accompanied it.
Like spending an entire month eating bitter melon dishes with Dad Roger.
Beside them stood Anne.
She hugged a massive greatsword nearly as tall as herself.
Her short golden hair resembled Rouge's almost exactly.
As Roger's daughter and Ace's younger sister, she was usually a little airheaded.
But whenever Rouge was involved...
Her survival instincts instantly maxed out.
Anne didn't think it was embarrassing.
"Even Uncle Ritter is afraid of Mom."
"So if I'm afraid too..."
"That means I'm basically just like Uncle Ritter."
"Yep."
Perfect logic.
"W-Who's scared?!"
Ace protested stubbornly.
Unfortunately, his voice had dropped several octaves.
"We're adults now!"
"When Uncle Ritter was our age, he'd already turned the World Government upside down!"
"Who knows what era he's fooling around in now..."
"Are we supposed to wait forever for him to come back?"
"I'm going to become a legendary pirate!"
"When Uncle comes home, I'll shock him!"
Ritter:
"Sorry."
"I set sail when I was three."
"I'm way ahead of you."
Ace's voice overflowed with admiration for the powerful uncle he idolized...
Mixed with just a little resentment.
Ritter had been gone for so long.
Long enough that they had grown from children into young adults capable of standing on their own.
Ace wanted to prove himself.
He wanted an adventure that belonged to him.
Not one forever lived beneath the wings of his elders.
The three of them looked toward their own ships.
Three beautiful little sailing vessels rested side by side along the pier.
"Wooooow!"
Ace rushed over first.
He lovingly rubbed the polished railing.
"Look at these lines!"
"The craftsmanship!"
"This is incredible!"
"Mom banned me from coming here for three whole days."
"I've missed you so much, buddy."
"You didn't think I abandoned you... right?"
Sabo pushed up his glasses.
Though he tried to remain composed, the smile tugging at his lips betrayed him.
This ship would become his lifelong companion.
Roger had once told them...
That ships which experienced enough adventures together would eventually give birth to a Klabautermann.
"Hmm..."
"The hull design is excellent."
"Plenty of storage."
"The mast angle has been optimized."
"These really are exceptional ships."
Anne quietly stood before her own vessel.
Hope sparkled inside her large eyes.
She gently patted the bow.
"...We'll be together from now on."
"Please take care of me."
"I've decided!"
Ace suddenly spun around, fists clenched.
His eyes burned with excitement.
"Now's our chance!"
"Mom is entertaining Uncle Tesoro!"
"We set sail immediately!"
Sabo snapped out of his admiration for the ship.
His face instantly turned pale.
"W-Wait, Ace!"
"Did you already forget what happened the last time we tried to sneak away?"
Anne immediately stood at attention.
Her little face became perfectly serious.
"...We had to drink bitter melon juice for three days."
"Freshly squeezed..."
"By Mom herself."
The horrifying memory of that overwhelming bitterness returned instantly.
She shivered.
"Oh?"
"Really?"
A voice as gentle as flowing water suddenly drifted in from behind them.
"So my bitter melon juice..."
"...wasn't memorable enough?"
The three youngsters, though hardly children anymore, froze solid.
Like rusty machines, they slowly turned around with audible creak... creak...
Rouge stood not far away.
Her hands were folded neatly before her.
She wore the familiar spring-like smile they knew all too well.
Bathed in sunlight...
She looked almost holy.
To Ace and the others, however...
She looked like the final boss.
"M-Mom!"
Ace forced an awkward grin.
"W-We were just..."
"Looking at the ships!"
"Admiring Uncle Tesoro's craftsmanship!"
Sabo nodded so fast it looked painful.
"Y-Yeah!"
"Studying naval engineering!"
"For... educational purposes!"
Anne quietly tried to hide behind her two older brothers.
She had always been the smartest one.
Rouge's smile never changed as she slowly walked over.
She gently stroked one of the ship's railings.
"They really are wonderful ships."
"So..."
"You all really want to sail, don't you?"
The three of them swallowed nervously.
Their hearts climbed straight into their throats.
"...However."
Rouge's smile remained as gentle as ever.
"Secretly setting sail..."
"...is absolutely not allowed."
"And especially you, Ace."
She looked directly into her son's eyes.
"Are you planning to imitate your irresponsible uncle?"
"Leaving behind nothing but a note..."
"...and disappearing without a word?"
Ace instantly wilted.
----------------------------------
Hooked already? Let me know what grabbed you leave a review and fuel the journey forward! and if we hit every 250 Power Stones, a bonus chapter drops!
Things are just heating up. Read ahead in Unbound Evolution and stay ahead of the crowd.
[email protected]/_tey
Change @ to a.