บท 40: Chapter 40: Tashigi Was "Abducted"!
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Going Merry.
"Woo..."
Tashigi felt like she was in a long dream, one where Ace became a feared pirate. Colonel Smoker had come to save her, but with just one glance from Ace, all the Marines, including Smoker, collapsed.
"I really had a crazy dream," she mumbled to herself, giggling. "How could Colonel Smoker fall just from Ace-san looking at him? If Ace-san really had that kind of power, maybe he really could end the era of great pirates..."
Slowly, she opened her eyes, her mind still lost in the dream. But soon, the sound of someone scolding broke her daze.
She turned and saw Ace standing nearby, looking a little helpless as a beautiful girl with orange hair yelled at him.
"Honestly! Why would you kidnap a Marine officer? And worse, I helped you bring her aboard! Great, now I'm going to be hunted by the Marines too!" Nami cried, holding her head in frustration.
Ace smiled helplessly. "I told you, this isn't a kidnapping."
"Not a kidnapping?!" Nami snapped.
"Nami, we're pirates. It's only a matter of time before we get hunted anyway," Nojiko said, trying to calm her down. "Besides, Ace already has a 35 million bounty on his head. Being targeted is inevitable."
Kaya chimed in with a grin, "Honestly, I'd like to have a bounty myself." Her eyes sparkled at the thought of seeing her own wanted poster alongside Ace's.
Ace nodded toward Tashigi, who had just woken up, looking dazed. "Why don't you ask her directly?"
"This... this is..." Tashigi muttered, blinking as she looked around. When her gaze landed on the flaming skull pirate flag, realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.
"A pirate ship?! I'm on a pirate ship?! And Ace-san... no, Ace... is he really a pirate? With a 35 million bounty?!"
Ace walked over to her, his usual calm smile on his face. "You're awake, Tashigi. Care for some afternoon tea?"
"D-Don't joke around! You're actually a pirate?! Why... why did you lie to me?!" she shouted, tears welling up in her eyes.
Ace tilted his head. "Lie to you? When did I ever say I wasn't a pirate?"
Tashigi was left speechless. He was right—he never actually denied being a pirate. But still, who would ask someone outright if they were a pirate?
"But... you said you wanted to end the era of pirates! How could you say that when you're a pirate yourself?!" she retorted.
Ace's smile didn't falter. "I didn't lie. I do want to end the era of pirates—those evil ones, at least. Any pirate I come across that's wicked, I'll take them down."
He looked at her with a determined gaze. This era had been ushered in by Roger, who was terminally ill and nearing death. Maybe it was a way to overthrow the corrupt world government, but the method was too extreme.
In truth, neither Luffy nor Ace could really be considered pirates. They were more like adventurers, unlike the pirates who plundered, burned, and killed for their own gain.
This era was Roger's legacy. But now that Ace was here, he would end it—on his terms.
This era would be known as the Era of Flame Emperor.
Hearing Ace's words, Nami, Nojiko, and Kaya smiled. After all, it was Ace who had saved them from the hands of pirates.
Tashigi, however, was left conflicted. She could sense the sincerity in Ace's words, but...
"No!" she shook her head vigorously. "Pirates taking down other pirates?! That's the Marine's job!"
Her mind latched onto one thought—justice was the Marine's responsibility, not pirates!'
"I heard that Colonel Nezumi was killed by a pirate. Was it you?" Tashigi asked, changing the subject.
The story of Colonel Nezumi's death had spread across the East Blue Marines, and it was said a pirate was responsible. With a bounty as high as Ace's, it was likely him.
Ace smiled, nodding. "Yes, that was me. But Nami, Nojiko, why don't you tell her what happened?"
Nami gave Ace a side glance but said nothing, leaving Nojiko to step in. With a casual smile, she recounted everything that had happened in Cocoyashi Village to Tashigi.
After she finished, Kaya followed up, describing how Ace had saved her from Kuro.
Tashigi was stunned. A Marine colonel colluding with pirates, terrorizing villagers... this was beyond what she had imagined.
Ace smiled gently at her. "Now, I, Portgas D. Ace, Captain of the Entei Pirates, formally invite you to join my crew as our swordsman."
Tashigi's eyes widened. "W-What?!"
"And," Ace continued, "you did promise to help me when I end the pirate era, didn't you?"
Tashigi blinked in confusion before shaking her head. "T-That's not what I meant! I'm a Marine—I can't join pirates!"
Ace chuckled softly, unfazed. "Are Marines always just? And are pirates always evil?"
His words were heavy with meaning.
"You're part of a Marine force controlled by a corrupt world government. So, before you make any judgments, see for yourself what's true. Watch how I end this era. Use your own eyes to decide if the Marines are as righteous as you think."
Ace's confidence was unwavering. "If after one year, you still decide to return to the Marines, I won't stop you."
Tashigi was silent, trying to process everything.
Ace's offer wasn't coercion; it was an open invitation—a measure of trust from someone who held the power to change the world.
And Ace didn't doubt for a moment that, by the end of that year, she would want to stay.
This was the confidence of a king!
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