"Sabo!?"
"He's still alive?"
Ace's voice was filled with disbelief, his eyes locked firmly onto the man before him.
He could not even determine whether the other party was telling the truth. If it were true, it would be terrifying.
It would mean that this man knew an extraordinary amount about him, even everything concerning the three brothers.
"As I said, the answer to that question depends on your choice. From this moment onward, become a Marine, and you will get your answer as to whether your good brother Sabo is still alive." Kojin shook his head and said with a smile.
His gaze rested on Ace, clearly observing the changing expressions on the latter's face.
Obviously, the mention of Sabo had made the young man hesitate.
"Sabo died long ago. How could you possibly have any information about him?" Taking a deep breath, Ace questioned him with a solemn expression on his face.
He had personally witnessed his sworn brother perish under cannon fire and be swallowed by blazing flames. Yet Kojin offered no answer to the question. Instead, he merely smiled and watched him, making Ace's heart grow even heavier.
Could it be that Sabo was really still alive?
"The choice is in your hands, Ace. What I can do is simply give you one more option on the path that your future was already destined to take."
Kojin let out a soft sigh.
Hearing this, Ace was silent for a moment before laughing.
"Since when did you become like those fortune-tellers and start believing in fate?"
Kojin smiled faintly and looked at him.
"You're right. I don't believe in fate, even if such a thing truly exists. I endured countless hardships to obtain this strength precisely so that I could break it."
After a pause, he spoke softly, his voice distant and ethereal.
"Then consider it a choice I'm offering you."
Ace fell silent.
It was a simple choice, yet it left him deeply conflicted.
"I need time."
In the end, the freckle-faced young man sighed.
Asking him to make such a decision in such a short time was simply too difficult.
The clue about his sworn brother and the direction of his future, having to choose between the two, left him struggling immensely.
Kojin nodded gently.
Over the next two days, Ace seemed to be trying to integrate into Marine life, but he still did not verbally commit to joining the Marines.
After a brief spar with Kuina, he realized just how powerful and terrifying the female swordswoman was.
Relying solely on her swordsmanship and Haki, she seemed fully capable of suppressing him, the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Afterward, Ace sought guidance from Smoker and Buggy.
Both possessed formidable Haki as well, making Ace realize something very clearly.
"His subordinates all seem to place enormous importance on Haki training. And perhaps that is the very reason he stands at the pinnacle of the world."
Ace's eyes flickered.
Ever since obtaining the Mera-Mera no Mi, he had immersed himself in the fruit's rapid growth potential, devastating destructive power, and tremendous range.
As a result, he had neglected his Haki training.
Looking at Kojin in the distance, a trace of gratitude appeared in Ace's eyes.
During these two days, the man had seemingly taught him nothing.
Yet what he had learned were invaluable truths, principles and directions for becoming stronger that could influence his entire life.
"I want to know about Sabo. Please tell me. Is he really alive?"
After a brief hesitation, Ace stepped forward and respectfully asked the tall man standing with his back toward him.
"Oh? Have you decided to join the Marines?" Kojin asked calmly.
"I don't want to deceive you. For now, I still have no intention of joining the Marines. At the very least, before I capture Teach, I cannot become your subordinate."
"So, could you tell me about Sabo?"
"I only want to know whether he is alive or dead."
Ace said in a deep voice.
"You're really making things difficult for me, Ace." Kojin suddenly sighed and turned around to look directly at him.
"I appreciate your honesty. But I'm a man who values transactions. Sabo's information is the bargaining chip between us. If you refuse to join the Marines, then I cannot tell you anything about Sabo. Unless..."
He paused, deliberately leaving an opening in his words.
"Unless what?" Ace immediately asked.
"Unless you agree to become my subordinate starting now, as an Apprentice Marine." Kojin sighed.
Ace froze.
A puzzled expression appeared in both his eyes and on his face.
Clearly, the man was using every possible method to lure, or rather tempt, him into joining the Marines and obtaining a Marine identity.
He was even willing to use information about Sabo as bait.
But why?
Even if the man cared deeply for him, like Grandpa Garp did, why would he go to such lengths?
Why was it so important that he possess a Marine identity?
What exactly was the significance behind all this?
Ace could not figure it out, and soon decided not to dwell on it any further.
"An Apprentice Marine?"
"I accept."
After a brief hesitation, he answered in a deep voice.
Then he clearly saw the man before him reveal an obvious smile and let out a long sigh of relief.
"Good. You've finally made the right choice." With a faint smile, Kojin spoke slowly, his tone filled with emotion.
"Just as I said earlier, I'm a man who values deals. Once, I had a deal with your father. And the clue about Sabo is the deal between you and me."
His eyes narrowing slightly, Kojin stared at him.
"Believe me, both of those deals will have a tremendous impact on your life."
Ace froze, a serious look appearing in his eyes.
The other man had actually brought up matters concerning that man.
"Sabo... is he really alive?" He asked in a trembling voice.
Although Kojin's willingness to bring it up had already led him to subconsciously guess the answer, it remained a mystery until the man confirmed it himself.
"Sabo is indeed still alive." Kojin nodded.
A visible surge of excitement and joy appeared in Ace's eyes.
"After being struck by the Celestial Dragons' cannon shell that year, he was rescued by someone else. But as a result, he lost his memory and forgot everything about his past, including you."
Kojin's words caused Ace's body to tremble as his fists clenched tightly.
"So that's what happened! No wonder! No wonder I've never heard any news about him all these years, and Sabo never came looking for us!"
Then, he bent deeply at the waist and sincerely thanked the man before him.
"Thank you, Uncle Kojin!"
Kojin smiled faintly.
"Given your current status, that's all I can tell you for now. If one day you truly join the Marines..."
"I can tell you where he is now and give you even more information."
It was another temptation, one Ace found impossible to resist.
Part of him desperately wanted to accept right then and there and go search for his brother.
But after his expression shifted several times, he could only let out a heavy sigh.
Unfortunately, he still couldn't do that.
"At the very least, not before I capture Teach! I can never forgive someone who betrayed the Old Man and turned his hand against his own comrades!"
Ace said through gritted teeth.
And that was precisely why he had set out alone and come to the first half of the Grand Line.
That evening, Ace jumped off the ship and departed aboard the Striker.
Naturally, he did not inform Kojin beforehand.
One could say he left without saying goodbye.
Kojin sat on a chair at the bow with his eyes closed, seeing Ace's sneaky departure perfectly clearly, yet making no move to stop him.
"Sensei, Ace left behind a letter." Kuina approached, holding a letter in her hand.
Kojin opened his eyes and accepted it.
Soon, he finished reading it, and a smile appeared on his face.
"What a troublesome brat."
The letter detailed Ace's joy at reuniting with Kojin and sincerely expressed how excited he was to once again hold the title of a Marine Apprentice.
"Thank you for helping me remember my original dream. But I also feel deeply guilty, because I cannot continue following you in that identity. Because I carry an even heavier obligation. I can never forget the kindness the Old Man showed me."
"And Teach's betrayal is something I absolutely cannot tolerate. I promise you that after I settle this matter and repay the Old Man's kindness, I will come to your side and serve as an ordinary soldier."
"I also thank you for your care and guidance. I know that even after more than ten years, in your eyes I am still that little child taking his first stumbling steps."
"I saw the love and concern in your eyes."
"..."
Written words could often express things that people found difficult, or embarrassing, to say aloud.
This was a heartfelt family letter, filled with deep emotions between every line, a younger generation writing to an elder he regarded almost as a father.
After reading it, Kojin's expression became complicated, and he slowly let out a long breath.
For a long while, he said nothing.
Only later did Kuina vaguely hear her teacher murmur toward the sea.
"Since you're my soldier now… Then I'll be the one to break your fate for you."
After a pause, his voice became resolute and decisive.
"When this war ends… You and I will both welcome a brand-new era!"
The morning after Ace's departure.
At Marineford, Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku finally frowned and dialed the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
"Buru Buru Buru!"
Listening to the ringing tone coming from the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku tapped his finger against the desk, growing increasingly impatient. This frequency was one of the few Marine intelligence channels had recently managed to identify from Kojin's ship.
Suddenly, the ringing stopped, and a voice came from the other side.
"West Blue Branch, Marine Rear Admiral Crocodile… State your business."
The somewhat hoarse voice carried an inexplicably unpleasant quality, causing Sengoku to pause in surprise.
Crocodile?
If he remembered correctly, orders had already been issued stripping the man of his Shichibukai status and sending him to Impel Down.
Yet now he was on the other end of the line.
That clearly meant his identity had changed.
And it also signified that Kojin, who had walked out of Impel Down not long ago, had already begun making his moves.
"A Rear Admiral, huh?"
"It seems that, just as I suspected, you're carrying out one of that brat's secret assignments."
Sengoku said in a deep voice.
"Put Kojin on the line."
After a slight pause, he took a deep breath.
"It's time for us to have a conversation."
"A conversation that has been delayed for nearly ten years."
(End of Chapter)
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