Chapter 242: Ralph: Being Disliked/Rejected, Huh!
"Ralph?"
Ace felt a bit nervous when he received Ralph's call.
"Did something happen to you guys?"
"No, no," Ralph quickly replied, "We've safely reached the middle layer of the Cumulonimbus Cloud. I'm calling to ask how you're doing?"
Ace fell silent for a moment, as if digesting the words.
"Me?"
Sailing on the sea in a flame-powered boat, Ace's tone carried a hint of strangeness, "I'm just heading back to the Whitebeard Pirates' base. What could possibly happen?"
Ralph didn't beat around the bush:
"You're not still chasing Blackbeard, are you?"
"..."
"And Blackbeard isn't chasing you either?"
"..."
Ralph let out a long sigh of relief:
"Then I can rest easy."
On the other end of the call, Ace's expression grew even more peculiar.
Was he... being worried about?
It was a strange feeling.
Ever since he learned about his origins as a teenager, he had always felt he was born carrying sin, that he was all alone in the world.
Later, he had Lufia and Sabo, which gave him something like siblings.
He had Garp—that grandfather who wasn't really a grandfather, and Dadan—that foster mother who wasn't really a foster mother.
After setting sail, he formed his own pirate crew and gained a group of brothers.
After joining the Whitebeard Pirates, he acknowledged Whitebeard as his father and gained companions he could trust with his back.
He was no longer alone; he even had a clear life goal.
But...
This call from Ralph felt different.
Even though many people cared about him and worried for him, none of it felt as... strange as this call.
He couldn't quite pinpoint what exactly was strange about it.
"Ace?"
Ralph's voice came through again, "Are you still there?"
"..."
"Well, that's all then," Ralph said, "I just wanted to confirm that. Things are going smoothly on our end too. Let's talk again when we have time."
Click!
The call ended.
Ace stared at the Den Den Mushi in his hand, Ralph's face gradually fading away.
Talk again when we have time?
It sounded... so casual.
He looked up, gazing at the endless sea ahead.
Between heaven and earth, it still seemed like he was alone, but the feeling of loneliness seemed to have lessened.
His heart felt warm.
The taste of adventure seemed to have faded a lot?
Someone would worry about you from behind, they would call to confirm your safety, and they would call from time to time.
How should he put it?
Ace shook his head, put away the Den Den Mushi, and continued sailing forward.
Forget it, if he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't dwell on it.
After all, he still had his own path to walk.
Above the White Sea, on the Going Merry.
Ralph ended the call and let out a long sigh of relief.
Ace hadn't been captured by Blackbeard, nor had he stubbornly chased after him.
Hopefully, his fate had changed from here on.
But the inertia of the plot was strong.
Whether Ace had truly escaped disaster would depend on whether any unexpected events occurred after the Enies Lobby arc.
In any case, he had done all he could.
For this brother-in-law, he had done everything within his power.
If things changed in the future, he'd deal with it then.
Ralph put away the Den Den Mushi and returned to the deck.
Then he noticed two more people on the ship.
One was tied up and pinned to the deck, wearing an ox-demon mask, a grass skirt around his waist, with dark skin, dressed like someone from a primitive tribe.
Another sat on the second deck, clad in gleaming silver knight's armor with a snow-white beard, appearing quite elderly.
"What's going on?"
Ralph could guess the general situation but deliberately asked.
Everyone began speaking all at once.
It turned out that earlier, while Nami was searching for the sailing route, she discovered a ship ahead being attacked.
The attacker was this fellow wearing the bull-demon mask.
Upon spotting the Going Merry, that guy immediately launched an assault on them.
Sanji and Zoro, suffering from high-altitude oxygen deprivation, couldn't muster their strength for a moment.
But Lufia, having just mastered Life Return, adjusted exceptionally quickly.
When the guy charged over, she knocked him out with a single punch.
Then the crew swarmed in and tied him up securely.
The old man in armor had originally intended to help block the attack but found it completely unnecessary.
However, Nami, eager to gather local information, invited the old man to stay and chat.
Upon learning they had reached the White Sea via the Knock Up Stream rather than the high-speed sky route from Upper Yard, the old man immediately grew solemn with respect, exclaiming that they were true heroes.
He told them this place was called the White Sea, a cloud sea seven thousand meters above sea level.
The real Skypiea was still above, in the White-White Sea, another three thousand meters higher.
As for this bull-demon-masked fellow, he refused to say anything.
"We were just about to ask the old gentleman about this person's origins," Nami looked at Ralph, "when you came out."
Ralph turned his gaze to the guy pinned on the deck.
By now, Lufia had already removed his bull-demon mask.
Beneath it was a dark-skinned face with tattoos, featuring distinct, sharp features that matched the characteristics of a primitive tribal warrior.
He first glanced at Lufia, who had knocked him out with one punch, then scanned the entire crew, finally fixing his eyes on the armored old man.
The old man stared at his face, frowning deeply as if trying to recall something.
"My god!"
Usopp leaned in, staring at the warrior's back, and exclaimed in shock, "He... he has wings! Could he be a legendary angel?"
Chopper joined in the excitement:
"Wings! They really are wings!"
Being scrutinized like this made the warrior's expression even darker.
Ralph sighed and explained:
"He's not an angel; he's a Shandian."
At these words, both the warrior and the armored old man widened their eyes simultaneously.
"Warrior from the Blue Sea, you... how could you... Could it be that you..."
The old man looked at Ralph in disbelief.
Ralph smiled slightly.
This was just the beginning.
"I even know what each of you is called!"
Just as Ralph was about to astonish everyone with his words—
"Ralph!"
Lufia's voice interrupted him.
She put down the bull-demon mask in her hand, looking at him with a bored expression:
"Are you going to use your prediction ability to spoil things and show off again?"
Ralph was taken aback.
Usopp chimed in:
"Even though your prediction ability is cool, doing this all the time gets boring, you know!"
Chopper nodded:
"Yeah, yeah! It ruins the freshness of adventure!"
Ralph looked at the other crew members.
Nami didn't directly object, but her eyes clearly said, "It's up to you."
Sanji, cigarette in mouth, shrugged.
Zoro, resting his hand on his sword hilt, wore a slight smirk, clearly enjoying the show.
Robin covered her mouth with a light laugh, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
Ralph was stunned for a few seconds, then gave a bitter smile.
He raised two fingers and drew an "X" over his lips.
"Alright then, I won't say anything more. You can ask them yourselves."
Everyone showed satisfied smiles, then turned in unison toward the two individuals.
Lufia bounced over to the Shandian warrior:
"What's your name? Why did you attack us?"
Usopp ran up to the armored old man:
"And who are you, grandpa? Do you know him?"
Chopper eagerly followed up:
"Are those wings real? Can you fly?"
The scene was lively and chaotic.
Ralph stood to the side, watching the disorderly commotion, and shook his head helplessly.
He was being ignored!
He turned and walked toward the ship's cabin.
Inside were several bags of soil he had hidden away.
Originally intended as funds for spending on Skypiea, it seemed now they might not be needed after all.
It wasn't that he wanted to keep everything for himself.
After all, for this group, the adventure itself was enough.