On the vast seas, few knew that Fire Fist Ace's father was none other than Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King who had ushered in the Great Age of Pirates!
Gol D. Roger possessed an exceptionally rare Observation Haki talent—the Voice of All Things.
Ace was Roger's son. Though he hadn't fully inherited this unique talent, his Observation Haki was also extraordinary, allowing him to perceive a person's spirit through all things.
At this moment, in Ace's perception, Ivan's spirit was beyond ordinary imagination, even surpassing that of his Old Man!
Undoubtedly, someone with such a spirit must be a Conqueror's Haki Fruit Ability User. And appearing on the Sabaody Archipelago while wearing a mask could only mean one thing—he was a member of the Shadow Garden!
Finally, based on certain details, Ace deduced that the person before him was likely Fox.
So the question arose: Why had Fox suddenly come to the Sabaody Archipelago?
Recalling Fox's past deeds, Ace felt a chill run down his spine.
Could it be that the God Slayer had come to slay gods again?!
At this thought, Ace felt the flames within him burn even more fiercely: "Fox, can I join you in whatever you're planning? I have a grudge against the Celestial Dragons too!"
His younger brother Sabo had died from a Celestial Dragon's cannon fire—a pain that haunted him for life.
Ivan could roughly guess why Ace was so certain he was Fox—likely due to his unique Observation Haki.
Since his identity was already exposed, there was no need to hide it any longer.
With a serious expression, Ivan neither agreed nor refused:
"You may have a grudge against the Celestial Dragons and seek revenge by assassinating them, but before that, let me ask you: Can you bear the consequences of assassinating a Celestial Dragon?"
Without hesitation, Ace clenched his fist and exclaimed passionately, "Of course I can!"
"The consequences I speak of aren't just for you." Ivan shook his head slightly:
"After killing a Celestial Dragon, you'll be hunted down relentlessly by the World Government, and you'll undoubtedly implicate your family and friends.
As I recall, you're now Whitebeard's son and Garp's grandson. Are you sure your actions won't drag them into this?"
At these words, Ace fell silent, a lingering fear finally surfacing in his heart.
As a possessor of Conqueror's Haki, he feared no death, but he absolutely could not involve others.
Both his Old Man and his grandfather were incredibly kind to him. He couldn't let a moment of impulse plunge them into dire straits.
As for whether the World Government could kill the strongest man on the seas and the Hero of the Pirates, Ace had no doubt. He knew the World Government's power was far greater than imagined!
Seeing Ace's silence, Ivan neither mocked nor scorned him. Instead, he walked past him and patted his shoulder:
"Go back, Fire Fist Ace. This grand spectacle is not something you can partake in.
We are the Shadow Garden, lurking in the shadows, hunting shadows. We are darkness itself, unafraid of any threat!
So, Fire Fist Ace, stand aside as an inconsequential spectator and witness the fall of a god!"
With that, Ivan paid Ace no further mind and strode straight toward the inn.
While wandering earlier, he had already created several clones. All he needed to do was wait for those clones to locate all the Celestial Dragons, and he could strike immediately!
Behind him, Ace clenched his fists, flames blazing on his head as he stared at Ivan's back with a complex expression.
Ace admitted it—he had lost.
Compared to the Shadow Garden, everything he had done in the New World seemed like child's play.
No wonder this man before him possessed such immense ambition. Their goal, from the very beginning, must have been to overthrow this old world!
This man was a monster!
Back at the inn, Robin stood by the window, her long legs crossed, leaning her shoulder against the wall.
"Are you sure it's alright to let Fire Fist Ace know about our plan?" she asked.
Ivan walked over and stood beside her, gazing through the window toward Area 1.
"It's fine. Ace believes his brother died because of the Celestial Dragons. Besides, he's the son of the Pirate King—he would never expose us. And even if he did, what does it matter? Even if Kizaru rushes over, he won't be able to stop me from killing those pigs!"
Robin thought of the information about Fox, especially that unique spatial teleportation ability, and immediately felt reassured.
That's right. If Tanuki could slaughter the entire leadership of Water 7 while being pursued by Kizaru, then Fox could naturally assassinate the defenseless Celestial Dragons under Kizaru's chase as well.
As long as they knew the Celestial Dragons' locations, the latter was far simpler than the former!
A few days later, Ivan's Shadow Clones dispersed one by one, and streams of information about the Sabaody Archipelago surfaced in his mind.
Whether it was the locations of the Celestial Dragons or the positions of underworld gangs and pirate crews in the lawless zones, Ivan had them all memorized.
Everything was ready—all that was missing was the east wind!
The east wind arrived soon enough. On this day, the largest slave auction in Area 1 held another grand event.
Before heading to the auction, Ivan enhanced Robin once more, teaching her the Transformation Technique. The two then found two wealthy individuals who had committed numerous crimes, dealt with them, disguised themselves as the wealthy pair, and entered the auction venue.
The wealthy man Ivan had chosen was quite affluent, securing them seats near the front. To Ivan's surprise, their seats were not far from the Celestial Dragons' area.
However, perhaps due to the previous assassination incident, the Celestial Dragons had strengthened their defenses.
Surrounding the Celestial Dragons were masked agents from Cipher Pol, and their seats had been changed from luxurious sofas to sturdier Seastone chairs.
With protection on all sides by Seastone, even the strongest figures on the seas would find it difficult to break through this turtle shell.
But Ivan remained completely unfazed. Even with this turtle shell, he had plenty of ways to kill the Celestial Dragons inside!
Soon, the auction began!
The first item up for bid was a noble from the East Sea, skilled in musical instruments, with a starting price of twenty million Berries.
The second was two tall Fish-Man slaves, auctioned for two hundred thousand.
The third and fourth slaves were auctioned off one by one. When the fifth slave appeared, Ivan's expression grew serious. It was a tall, muscular old man with a white beard.
From details like his glasses and the scar over his right eye, Ivan recognized the slave's true identity—Silvers Rayleigh!
Out of sheer mischief, Ivan directly bid fifty thousand, securing the unwanted old man.
As Rayleigh was being taken to the back, he glanced meaningfully at Ivan. To his surprise, the obese tycoon also looked back at him with equal depth.
Rayleigh was taken aback—something felt off about the situation!
Soon, slaves were auctioned off one by one, until finally, the highlight of the auction arrived: a Fish-Man who had been captured by chance.
The moment he saw this Fish-Man, Charlos, seated on his Seastone chair, finally made his move, immediately driving the price to its peak.
He cleared his throat, his voice sounding as if mucus were stuck in his throat, and declared:
"I bid 500 million Berries!"
Just as everyone thought no one else would dare to bid, a calm voice suddenly rang out from the side:
"I bid 510 million Berries!"