Tatsuki concisely laid out the "devil's bargain" in its entirety. He didn't embellish or sensationalize it, he just gave a straightforward account.
By the time she finished listening, Rouge was already in tears. She looked at the excessively young Marine before her—the man who had personally ended her lover's era—with an incredibly complex expression.
There was hatred and resentment, but more than that, there was a sense of helpless gratitude.
"Why should I believe you?" She choked out, asking the same question Roger had.
"Because you have no choice." Tatsuki's answer was as overbearing as ever.
"Besides, I've already prepared everything for you. A new identity, an absolutely safe residence, and... a bright future that belongs to him."
His gaze shifted downward, landing on Rouge's slightly bulging belly, and his smile became meaningful.
"The descendant of the Pirate King cannot continue to have the blood of sin flowing through his veins."
"I will personally teach him to become an outstanding Marine, using his own hands to make up for the mistakes his father once committed."
"This, too, is part of the deal."
Rouge's body jolted.
Making Roger's son a Marine?
How absurd, what an irony.
But as she looked into Tatsuki's bottomless eyes, the panic in her heart miraculously subsided.
Perhaps...
For this unborn child, this truly was the best outcome.
...
Two days later.
Three figures with vastly different styles walked down the forest path.
Sakazuki led the way, his aura as hot as magma, causing the surrounding temperature to rise by several degrees.
Kuzan and Borsalino followed behind, their expressions each more peculiar than the last.
From a distance, they saw their boss sitting in the yard drinking tea with a beautiful pregnant woman.
The atmosphere was incredibly harmonious, even carrying a hint of... domesticity?
The three of them paused, and the scene fell into a deathly silence.
"Oh..."
Borsalino was the first to break the silence, his tone carrying a tremor as if he had discovered some earth-shattering gossip. "If the reason you wanted to 'relax' in the South Blue was for this... I suppose I can understand."
Kuzan's gaze toward Rouge's belly was as if he were looking at some indescribable monster. "Arara... given the months, the timing doesn't quite add up, does it? Tatsuki, have you been messing around out here since a year ago?"
Sakazuki's expression was the most sour. He looked at the pregnant woman, then at Tatsuki, and finally fixed his gaze on the conspicuous word "Justice" on Tatsuki's Admiral coat.
"For something like this, you called us all this way to act as an escort?" Sakazuki's voice was low, carrying the suppressed tension of an impending volcanic eruption. "Do you have any idea if Fleet Admiral Kong found out..."
"Stop! All of you, shut it!"
Tatsuki almost spat out his tea.
Looking at his three brothers, whose faces all screamed "I didn't think you were that kind of person," he finally realized just how warped their train of thought had become.
"This woman's belly has nothing to do with me, not even for a single Berry!" Tatsuki stood up abruptly, his voice so loud it startled the seabirds in the forest.
"I understand, we all understand." Borsalino smiled sleazily. "We're all adults here, there's no need to explain things so clearly."
Kuzan patted Tatsuki's shoulder earnestly. "Don't worry, our lips are sealed. When we get back, I'll tell the Fleet Admiral that you found remnants of Roger's crew in the South Blue and are personally purging them. As for the child... as long as it looks like you, it's fine."
"Get lost!"
Unable to take it anymore, Tatsuki gave each of them a flick on the forehead.
"This is Gol D. Roger's wife, she's carrying the Pirate King's seed."
As soon as he said this, the entire place went cold.
"What did you say?" Sakazuki stepped forward, his eyes instantly turning murderous.
"The Pirate King's bloodline? A scourge like this should be eliminated on the spot."
Tatsuki looked at this stubborn fool, threw an arm around his shoulder, and began to coax him, "Sakazuki, open up your perspective. Where's the fun in just killing them?"
"Imagine this: twenty years from now, a young man who has perfectly inherited Roger's talent, wearing an Admiral's uniform, stands before the whole world and roars into a den den mushi: 'My father Roger was the scum of the sea, absolute justice is the only truth!'"
"Tell me, wouldn't that kind of justice be so much more thorough? Can you put something besides magma in that head of yours?"
The magma on Sakazuki's body extinguished. He stood frozen, his brain working rapidly to digest this unprecedented "concept of justice."
Borsalino's mouth formed an "O" shape, and his sunglasses slid down to the bridge of his nose. "Even a devil would shed tears hearing something like that, wouldn't they?"
...
Three days later, Nameless Island.
At the very heart of the island, a dreamlike wooden villa had been built. It was surrounded by precious flowers Gion had personally selected, and a mountain spring had been diverted nearby to create a small outdoor hot spring.
Sea breeze, sunshine, and beach.
It didn't look like a secret base, it looked more like a top-tier vacation resort.
Gion stood on the villa's terrace, gazing at the distant horizon, her heart filled with sweet anticipation.
She had changed into casual home clothes, her long hair tied up loosely, losing some of her military sharpness and gaining more of a wife's gentleness.
She was waiting for her hero to return.
Finally, a familiar G-5 warship appeared at the horizon where the sea met the sky.
"Tatsuki is back!"
Gion's eyes lit up instantly. She lifted the hem of her skirt and bolted toward the pier.
But then, she saw Tatsuki carefully supporting a woman with a bulging belly as they walked down the gangway.
At that moment, Gion felt like the sky had fallen.
That floral dress and that glaring abdomen were like heavy hammers, striking precisely at her pure, youthful heart.
"Ta... Tatsuki?"
The flowers she held for decoration fell to the ground with a thud.
Seeing this, Tatsuki didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt. Instead, he gave a casual greeting.
"Yo, Gion, the house turned out great. This is Rouge, she'll be a tenant here from now on. Look after her, and don't let any outsiders get close."
Gion froze in place.
She looked at Rouge's gentle face, then at Tatsuki's composed expression that said, "I just brought a friend back." Tears immediately began to well up in her eyes.
"Ta... Tatsuki..." Her voice carried a sob, filled with the grievance of being abandoned by the whole world. "This person is...?"
"Her?"
Before Tatsuki could speak, Borsalino, who had been enjoying the show the whole way, lazily added a finishing blow.
"Gion-chan, she's the most important 'trophy' of our G-5's voyage this time."
A trophy?
Gion was stunned.
Kuzan yawned and added a second blow, "Arara, yeah. To get her, Tatsuki almost lost his life in the South Blue."
Almost lost his life?
She stared intently at Rouge's belly, tears swirling in her eyes, while her heart roared frantically: I want to have Tatsuki's baby too! How could a woman from the outside beat me to it?
"Gion, what are you overthinking?" Tatsuki walked over and flicked her forehead.
"This is Pirate King Roger's wife. I'm not so desperate that I'd stoop to that."
"Re... really?!" The light instantly returned to Gion's eyes.
"Of course, this woman's identity is top secret. If anyone besides the few people here leaks it, I'll sink them into the Calm Belt to feed the fish. Understand?"
Tatsuki's tone was clearly gentle, but the coldness in his eyes made everyone shiver.
Gion subconsciously snapped to attention. "Un... understood."
...
Night fell.
Tatsuki dismissed everyone and went to Rouge's room alone.
She was sitting by the window, quietly looking at the stars in the night sky, her expression mournful.
"Don't look like that. This will be your home from now on." Tatsuki's voice was very soft.
Rouge stroked her belly and nodded. "Thank you."
"No need."
Tatsuki walked to her side, his gaze falling on her slightly trembling abdomen.
He could clearly sense how tenacious the little life growing inside was.
He slowly reached out and, under Rouge's startled gaze, gently placed his hand on her belly. The fetus in her womb seemed to sense the unknown presence and kicked curiously.
"Listen up, little guy."
"That irresponsible old man of yours left a huge mess for you and your mother. But you're lucky because you met me."
"The people out there either want you dead or want you to be an orphan who never sees the light of day."
"But I'm different. I will raise you to be the strongest blade on this sea. The future of the Marines... heh, this script sounds exciting."
"From today on, call me... Godfather."
[Ding!]
At this very moment, the long-awaited system notification rang out in Tatsuki's mind.
[Host's behavior detected to have touched the core causality of the world line! A subversive alteration of the son of the Pirate King's fate is underway!]
[Detected that the son of the Pirate King has been influenced by the Host's will, causing an irreversible shift in his future destiny!]
[Reward: 1,000 Violation Points!]
[Violation Points: 4,950]
Tatsuki straightened up, his mood reaching a peak of contentment as he listened to the wonderful notification.
He lit a cigar and took a deep puff. Amidst the swirling smoke, a wicked curve formed at the corner of his lips.
"How can an act of justice be called swindling?"
"This is called planning ahead for a better tomorrow for the sea."