That night, Ace once again enjoyed a warm banquet in the small mountain village.
The food had, of course, "appeared" from somewhere — though the truth was simple. Ace had stolen it from one of Orochi's supply stores while disguised as a pirate, dropped half of it off at other hungry villages along the way, and finally brought the rest here.
The atmosphere was lively, overflowing with laughter and simple joy.
Later, when Ace finally slipped away to rest beneath a quiet tree, Otama followed him on soft footsteps.
"Ace-aniki… c-can I go to sea with you this time?" she asked, barely above a whisper.
Ace opened one eye.
"Well, Otama… that depends. Right now, I'm not exactly free. I came here with a purpose — got a few things to take care of."
He sat up, brushing fallen leaves off his shoulder as the night breeze rustled the branches above them.
The laughter from the banquet had faded into a distant hum.
It was just the two of them now under Wano's silent sky.
Otama stood there, tiny fists clenched at her sides, her eyes mirroring the seriousness in his.
She didn't speak.
She simply waited.
Then, with a small, hopeful breath:
"Ace-aniki… can you tell me about the outside world?
Now that I'm a little older… can you tell me what it's like?"
Ace's expression softened immediately.
He nodded.
"Yeah. Sit down, Otama."
She sat beside him, legs folded neatly, eyes wide like lanterns in the dark.
Ace leaned back on his palms, gaze drifting to the night sky as memories of distant horizons flooded him. His voice came out calm, warm, and wandering — the voice of a true pirate who had sailed more wonders than he could name.
---
"Otama… the world outside Wano is wild.
It's big — too big for any story.
But I'll try."
He breathed in slowly.
"You'll meet giants, tens of meters tall — strong enough to lift a ship like it's a toy…
and with hearts even bigger than their fists."
A small smile curved across his lips.
"And on the other side… there are the Tontatta dwarves.
Some barely as tall as your hand —
but they're brave enough to charge enemies a hundred times their size."
Otama's eyes sparkled.
Ace's voice drifted like a lazy flame.
"There are Sky Islands, too.
Clouds you can walk on…
people with wings on their backs…
sunlight that feels different up there.
You'd love it — the whole sky feels like a dream you can touch."
He pointed toward the horizon.
"And if you dive deep enough…
there are merfolk and mermaids.
People with shining tails,
cities under the sea,
and forests that sway with the currents."
His eyes glimmered with excitement.
"There are deserts so hot the stones glow…
and snows so cold the sea freezes the second it touches the air."
He chuckled.
"And there are islands where food talks.
You can pluck a doughnut off a tree
or chase down a cupcake that runs faster than you."
Otama gasped.
Ace leaned in, lowering his voice.
"And there's a sea not made of salt water… but of juice.
Strawberry currents.
Apple whirlpools.
You can sail through it — just don't fall in, or your ship will smell sweet for weeks."
Otama burst into soft laughter.
Ace smiled back, warmth glowing in his eyes.
"The world's crazy, Otama.
Beautiful, dangerous, loud…
full of people who laugh big, cry big, and live even bigger.
If you ever see it…
you'll understand why I love sailing so much."
He looked at her — truly looked — as if sharing a treasure only a wanderer could give.
"Someday… if you go out there…
I want you to see all of it with your own eyes."
---
The Next Morning
Ace left Otama behind once again, heading toward Udon Prison.
Before entering, he transformed into the exact appearance of a prison warden.
The real warden?
Snoring peacefully somewhere in the forest.
Ace had fed him ten times the dosage of a sleeping drug commonly used on pirate ships.
It barely worked on Ace — but for the unfortunate warden, who wasn't remotely on Ace's level…
he'd be unconscious for a week.
Disguised perfectly, Ace stepped into Udon Prison.
It was hell.
A barren wasteland where prisoners hauled giant stones under whip-crack supervision.
Every completed load earned a tiny wooden coupon — their only way to get food.
Udon ran like a brutal machine.
The guards were its gears.
The prisoners its fuel.
After watching for a while, Ace began searching for Hyogoro — the former Yakuza boss of Wano.
He found the old man quickly.
"Hey, you. Snotty old man. Get over here."
Hyogoro stiffened, irritated — but he still obeyed.
In Udon, talking back to a guard was suicide.
Ace dragged him into a deserted corner.
Then he lowered his voice.
"My name is Portgas D. Ace.
I'm from the outside world."
Hyogoro's eyes widened — suspicious, alert, but unafraid.
He assumed the "guard" was trying to trick him.
Then Ace dropped the transformation.
Hyogoro froze.
Only Devil Fruit users could transform like that — and Ace did it effortlessly.
He also felt it:
a soft, warm pressure of Haki around the young man.
Slowly, Hyogoro allowed himself to trust him.
Ace continued:
"I'm from the Whitebeard Pirates.
Second Division Commander — Portgas D. Ace."
Hyogoro's entire body tensed.
"Whitebeard…?
The same Whitebeard whom Oden-sama sailed with?"
Ace nodded.
"Yes. Oden joined the Whitebeard Pirates.
He became our Second Division Commander for a while…
before leaving to join Roger.
After that, he returned to Wano and never came back."
Emotion flickered through Hyogoro's old eyes — memories of a man he admired deeply.
Finally, he asked:
"What do you want from this old body?"
Ace folded his arms.
"I'll break you and your people out. All of you.
In exchange… teach me Ryuo — internal destruction Armament Haki.
I've heard it's unique to Wano."
Hyogoro stiffened.
"And why would you need such a technique?"
Ace hesitated.
"…Because I plan to kidnap someone from Kaido's crew.
If Kaido comes after me, I need a way to survive."
Hyogoro narrowed his eyes.
"And who, exactly, are you planning to kidnap?"
Ace closed his eyes briefly, then answered:
"…Yamato. Kaido's daughter."
Hyogoro turned into stone.
Then exploded:
"K-Kaido's daughter!? You want to abduct Kaido's daughter!?"
He slapped both hands over his mouth, heart thundering, releasing a burst of Observation Haki to check if anyone heard.
Thankfully, no one had.
Only then did he breathe again.
Hyogoro stared at Ace, studying him carefully.
Within the young pirate's eyes, he saw it —
a wild, unbreakable flame.
A flame he had seen long ago…
In Kozuki Oden.
In the greatest samurai Wano ever produced.
Hyogoro swallowed hard.
"…So that's what this is."
Ace said nothing.
Hyogoro exhaled slowly.
"I will help you. And I will teach you.
But only if you keep your word."
Ace extended his hand.
"Deal."
Hyogoro gripped it firmly.
And for the first time in decades…
The old samurai felt the faintest spark of hope.
-----