One Piece: Surrounded at Marineford? Just kidding!

Chapter 499: The one who truly trapped Ace!

The group then slowly walked up to Chenye's high platform!

Although the platform was spacious, it suddenly felt a little crowded when a few people came up at once!

Chen Ye looked at the group of people who had arrived!

There's no sign of them moving!

He had already guessed that these people would definitely come to ask him!

The white-bearded man stood at the front, staring down at Chen Ye.

"Kid, you insist that Roger pay the price."

"Was this the outcome you planned?"

This is also the question the others wanted to ask!

Everyone was waiting for Chen Ye's answer!

Chen Ye did not dodge.

He glanced down. The banquet was scrambled back on track. Firelight flickered. Drinks spilled. Robots dragged metal plates through the air. The laughter and curses of pirates rose and fell. He looked away, towards the spot at the far end of the plaza where Ace had disappeared!

Chen Ye stared for a few seconds.

They finally spoke!

"I thought that was enough."

"Drag Roger in front of Ace. Bring up all the old grievances. Lay out all the debts, whether they're hiding or pretending to be deaf and dumb. At least that will ease the resentment in Ace's heart."

"Only after that resentment is resolved can we talk about other things."

Chen Ye's tone was indifferent.

He is dissecting the chess game.

They all stared intently at him!

Chen Ye paused.

He looked at the few people staring intently at him.

But he ignored it. He just kept staring at the spot where Ace had disappeared.

but!

"I underestimated the impact of Rouge's death on Ace's feelings."

Chen Ye continued speaking, emphasizing each word.

"Ace was able to break free from the title of Roger's son."

"He stopped today. Not because he forgave Roger, nor because he wanted to acknowledge his kinship. He simply didn't want to be tormented by this bloodline anymore."

"He took that step."

"But there's another hurdle he can't overcome."

Chen Ye turned to look at the crowd.

He couldn't get over his mother's death.

"That's the Achilles' heel."

No one answered.

That's incredibly hurtful.

Roger is a shackle.

The son of the Pirate King is a butcher's knife.

It was the one who truly pierced Ace's heart. Not the world's condemnation. Not his desperate struggle to prove he deserved to live. It was that woman. The woman who withered away her life force to give birth to him.

Rouge.

Once the name was mentioned, everyone understood.

Shanks moved.

Everyone thought he wanted to say something!

He wanted to defend Roger.

But Shanks didn't say anything!

Because Shanks understood that no matter how low his captain knelt, how much blood he shed, or how badly he was beaten, it only meant he admitted defeat. Admitting defeat was not the same as paying off a debt, and it could not erase the life of Ace's mother.

Shanks stared at the lights in the medical area. His Adam's apple bobbed. He clenched his teeth tightly.

The dragon opened its mouth.

The voice was cold and wooden.

"A child who was asked why he/she was alive from a young age."

"A few words of apology cannot erase the debts incurred by one's mother."

He spoke very bluntly.

Every word carries a knife.

The white-bearded man's eyes were even darker.

Zefa's face turned ashen.

They knew all too well the weight of that. Families were taken away. People could turn into beasts. They had seen it. They had even experienced it firsthand.

Zefa clenched his fists.

He didn't look at anyone.

He wasn't thinking about Roger and Ace.

He thought of his students.

A home that longs to be massacred by pirates.

Thinking of those dead faces.

Aokiji didn't respond.

He leaned against the broken railing, arms crossed. The icy blue light illuminated half his face. His expression was indifferent, but his eyes remained focused. He locked himself in the medical corridor. He had long foreseen Roger's impending doom.

Even Rocks didn't laugh.

This is truly unprecedented.

He loved seeing Roger get his comeuppance. He loved seeing Roger kneel down and beg for mercy. This time, he just pursed his lips and spoke the absolute truth.

"Tsk."

"Roger ruined the person he shouldn't have owed the most."

"This time, even if you bang your head until it bleeds, it won't help."

He leaned back against the pillar and pretended to be mute.

The high platform fell into dead silence.

Whitebeard sighed.

He did not refute Chen Ye.

He saw through it all long ago.

Ace's beating was extremely fierce and severe, but it only dispersed a portion of the resentment in his heart. The cage of bloodline was broken, but the door to his mother's heart remained closed.

The white-bearded man spoke up!

"So you admit defeat. You miscalculated."

Chen Ye nodded.

"right."

"I admit it."

Chen Ye raised his eyes and scanned the crowd.

"I originally thought Ace hated this blood."

"Actually, that's not the case."

"Blood ties are shackles. The mother's death was the molten iron that sealed them together."

"He can abandon the title of Roger's son."

"But he couldn't bear the thought of his mother risking her life for him, only to receive an apology twenty years too late."

His tone was flat.

A flat object could kill someone.

Shanks lowered his eyes.

The dragon stood ramrod straight. His fingers were tucked into his cloak.

Zefa's lips turned down.

The Aokiji exhaled a white mist. It then closed its mouth tightly.

Lox's eyelids twitched violently.

I understand completely. Chen Ye's words definitively defined this mess.

Father and son are facing off. On the surface, it appears the father is kneeling before the son.

Actually, when Ace shouted "Bring her back," it wasn't a family reunion.

This is a debt of life.

How can I pay it back?

They can't afford to pay it back.

Chen Ye then spoke.

"That 'bring her back' wasn't just said in anger."

"He's drawing a line."

Their gazes completely changed.

Chen Ye sat up straight, elbows on his knees. His tone cooled.

Roger was beaten and forced to kneel. He only repaid Ace's debt.

"Rouge's is still far from good enough."

"They can't get past the death hurdle. Father and son will never be able to sit at the same desk in this lifetime."

"Don't mention calling me 'Dad'."

"It's difficult to even speak a single word calmly."

The white-bearded man had a gloomy look in his eyes.

However, he knew that Chen Ye's words were true.

If Rouge hadn't been brought up, Ace would definitely have landed that punch. And that condition wouldn't have been so cruel.

This isn't just something I said in anger.

It's a boundary drawn with blood, built upon resentment and grievance.

Don't cross the line.

Crossing the boundary requires first passing through a death trap.

The high platform was deathly silent.

No one responded.

Chen Ye stripped it too clean.

That's where the trouble lies.

Rouge died long ago.

He has been dead for twenty years.

He died before Ace was born.

Getting beaten is useless. Kowtowing is useless. Even if Chen Ye's methods are extraordinary. Even if Future Island is teeming with monsters. The names of the dead weigh heavily on this place. No one can breathe.

This is not a debt.

It's a dead account.

Roger couldn't fix this deadlock even if he risked his life.

The wine barrel below rolled down.

The pirates were being herded by robots to move steel plates. They had just complained when the Revolutionary Army gave them cold stares and ordered them to clear the rubble. The Straw Hat crew were all working: carrying planks, moving parts, and clearing away rubble. The Whitebeard Pirates' captains were all scattered, clearing fences and sorting supplies.

The revelry hadn't ended.

It's long since lost its original flavor.

They all became postwar laborers.

Chen Ye scanned the area below.

"It'll be quiet tonight."

The dragon nodded.

"I'm in charge of patrolling."

He turned and gestured. The revolutionary army sprang into action. Shift changes. Patrols. The dilapidated outer passage was cordoned off with warning tape and lighting ropes.

Whitebeard, shut up.

You can't get any more answers from me.

We're stuck with this mess.

It wasn't Chen Ye playing tricks.

It's a million times harder to fill the accounts of the dead than to fill the accounts of the living fighting.

Shanks picked up his glass. He lowered his voice.

"The captain will definitely ask when he wakes up."

Everyone knew what Roger was going to ask!

Know well.

Zefa looked away.

"It would be a miracle if he didn't ask."

Aokiji let out a lazy cry, but his eyes were like knives.

"As long as he hasn't given up, he absolutely can't escape this sentence."

Lox scoffed. It was rare that he didn't kick someone when they were down.

"If you ask, you have to be willing to listen to the answer."

Chen Ye didn't respond.

The gaze turned toward the medical area.

Night had fallen. Meanwhile, Future Island was bustling with activity.

The crowd on the platform did not disperse.

They stood there, each staring intently into the long, dark night.

Nobody was going on about trivial matters.

Everyone was overwhelmed by one name.

Rouge.

This is Ace's Achilles' heel.

It was also a thorn in Roger's throat.

Everyone knew that the man in the hospital room, the moment he opened his eyes, would absolutely fixate on this issue.

Chen Ye stood up.

They went straight to the medical room.

Whitebeard followed, sword in hand. Dragon took a step forward. Shanks rubbed the back of his neck and tossed aside his wine glass. Zeff and Aokiji left one after the other. Rocks didn't move. He stared at the group's retreating figures, chuckled, and continued watching the spectacle.

The medical corridor was deathly silent.

Completely severed ties with the square.

The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant. The metal floor gleamed. The wall lights cast a stark white light. A robot pushed a medical cart past, its wheels screeching against the ground.

The crowd walked very slowly.

They stepped very firmly.

Everyone understands. Whichever door Roger opens, that's what he'll ask.

Before we even reached the door, an electronic voice suddenly blared.

Chen Ye's heel was nailed to the ground.

A stark white light shone through the observation window. The monitor's numbers jumped wildly. At the edge of the hospital bed, a rough, bandaged hand twitched.

Roger's hand.

Finger spasm.

A dying beast rises to the surface. Its senses begin to return.

They all stopped outside the door. No one pushed the door open.

The only sound in the corridor was the ticking of a clock.

Chen Ye locked that door tightly. His eyes were icy.

He knew all too well. The man inside opened his eyes. He wouldn't ask about the injuries. He wouldn't ask if the beating counted.

He'll stick to just one sentence.

Rouge. Could you bring her back?

This persistent question is the real hellish challenge.