Douluo Continent Chat Group: Building My Academy

Shanks reached out and caught Ace's fist steadily, his smile undiminished.

"That punch wasn't powerful enough, my brother."

"Shut up! Who wants a pirate like you to judge me!"

The anger in Ace's heart consumed him once again. It was that man's partner, the guy who inherited that evil bloodline. Hit him, kill him!

Punch after punch, Ace vented his anger by throwing punches at Shanks, each one carrying the resentment and hatred he felt every day, every night, and every time he went to sleep.

"Die! Pirates! Pirates! Pirates!"

Shanks let Ace do as he pleased, stopping Uta from speaking with a single glance; he had only brought this girl with him on this mission.

Garp and Zephyr didn't move. One looked at Ace with complicated emotions, while the other silently closed his eyes.

Uta was very anxious. She knew Shanks was strong, but she absolutely did not want to see Shanks being beaten. She wanted to step forward to stop him, but was pulled back instead.

It's Luffy.

"Uta, this is a matter between Shanks and Ace. Let them handle it themselves."

"But!"

Uta tried to break free from Luffy's grasp, but seeing Luffy's unprecedentedly serious expression, coupled with Shanks's gaze, she finally gave up in frustration.

One minute, five minutes, ten minutes...

Ace once again transformed into that raging beast, and Shanks let him vent his fury.

Shanks only spoke again when Ace was too tired to lift his hand.

"Had enough? Now it's my turn."

Shanks extended his finger, placed it in front of Ace's hate-filled eyes, and flicked it lightly on the forehead.

With a thud, Ace tumbled away until he crashed into the wall like a fly being swatted by a fly swatter, before finally stopping.

"If you want to arrest me, this pirate, you're still a long way off~"

Shanks' slightly mocking voice rang out, causing Ace to erupt in anger once more.

"asshole……"

Ace's voice lowered, growing increasingly hoarse.

"It's all because of him, because of that guy, what Pirate King, what Great Pirate Era, that sinful guy, why did he have to give birth to me? From the moment I was born, I had the blood of a sinner flowing in my veins..."

"Why?! That bastard who just walked away isn't my father!!!"

The resentment that had been building up over the years erupted. Back when Ace first learned about Roger, he was excited about the title of Pirate King.

Even in the place where he lived, people would curse pirates from time to time, and then curse Roger, who caused the Great Pirate Era. Every curse fell on Ace.

Children may not understand right and wrong, good and bad, but they are best at knowing what they like and dislike.

No one was talking about Ace, but talking about the child, talking about Roger, was, in Ace's eyes, talking about him.

He hated Roger for depriving him of his father, for constantly being scolded, for making him unable to stand tall, and for making him afraid to talk to others about his family.

Nobody likes pirates, so nobody likes him, the child of the Pirate King. That's what young Ace always thought.

Now, a guy who claims to be Roger's partner, Roger's son, and his brother stands in front of Ace, and Ace feels nothing but resentment.

Why isn't it him who's staying by his father's side?

boom……

An invisible aura erupted, overwhelming everything around it, and time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Uta's mind went blank, and he collapsed unconscious. Luffy was stunned for a moment, then looked at Ace in confusion before also fainting.

The oppressive aura enveloped the entire Dadan family, and the sound of them collapsing to the ground echoed continuously.

Only three people looked at Ace, who was roaring and radiating that oppressive aura, with the expected complex gaze.

"As expected..." Garp muttered, somewhat surprised, but only somewhat.

Shanks stared at Ace, his gaze drifting off into the distance.

Captain Roger...

"Good prospect." Zephyr nodded silently. A ten-year-old with Conqueror's Haki!

"A very nice aura, but still not enough."

Shanks smiled, and then an even heavier aura emanated from him, crushing down on Ace.

Compared to Shanks' Conqueror's Haki, Ace's Conqueror's Haki was like a bubble meeting water, instantly dissolving.

At this moment, Ace's anger seemed to be choked, and he looked at Shanks with disgust and helplessness, not knowing what to do.

"If you want to defeat me, you are far from being strong enough. Keep growing stronger, and one day when you are strong enough to stand before me, only then can you defeat me and do the things you want to do."

Shanks laughed and said, "Since the captain entrusted Ace to Mr. Garp, there must be a reason. I'll lend a hand."

"I'll remember that. My name is Shanks, Red-haired Shanks."

As he spoke, Shanks activated his Conqueror's Haki and tried to knock Ace unconscious; he had already set his sights on the boy.

Can……

boom!

A newly formed surge of Conqueror's Haki blocked Shanks's burst of Conqueror's Haki. Zephyr stepped forward to stop Shanks's actions.

"Let Ace go, Shanks. A white lie may be good, but we can't let a child live under a lie."

Shanks turned around and looked at Zephyr with a puzzled expression. Only when Garp stepped forward did Shanks shrug, withdraw his Haki, and stop suppressing Ace.

Freed from his captivity, Ace gasped for breath, his face puffing out like a drowning fish.

Gritting his teeth, Ace stood up and stared directly at Shanks. He would never admit defeat, never yield.

"If you really consider him your brother, then talk to him nicely. Some things are simple; don't complicate them."

Ze spoke in French, emphasizing the point, while also addressing Karp.

Garp had long been disillusioned with the Navy's sense of justice, which may be why Dragon, Ace, Luffy, and the others turned away from the Navy.

Garp wanted Ace to join the Navy for the sake of justice? No, he wanted the banner of justice to protect Ace.

"Is that so?" Shanks scratched his head, glanced at Uta and Luffy who had fainted behind him, and went over to pick up the two children.

Shanks handed one to Garp, then exchanged glances with Ace.

"So, my brother, do you want to become a Marine or a pirate?"

"Why...why should I answer you!"

Ace instinctively thought for a moment, then immediately retorted angrily.

He didn't want to be a Marine with that old geezer, but saying he wanted to be a pirate would only make this red-haired bastard laugh at him.

"Oh, so you just want your freedom, you want to become a pirate, right?"

Shanks spoke directly, his words like a knife, decisively piercing Ace's heart.

"Shut up, I, I didn't!"

Ace was even more furious and wanted to leave, but he didn't want to move. If he left this time, when would he be able to see that man's partner again?

Ace resented him and wanted to stay away from him, but when he really wanted to understand him, he didn't want to leave.

Love is just that unpredictable and elusive.

"Want to hear the story of Captain Roger? You probably only know that Captain Roger is your father and started the Great Pirate Era, but how much do you really know about his experiences?"

Ace wanted to refute, but the words wouldn't come out.

Seeing Ace remain silent, Shanks understood what was going on. He smiled and patted Uta on the shoulder, waiting for the girl to groggily wake up before speaking:

"Get ready for a bedtime story."

"Hmm! A story!?"

Uta was still asleep, but Luffy woke up first and ran towards Shanks's location with a look of longing on his face.

"Speak up, Shanks!"

Seeing Ace turn his face away but his ears perk up, and Luffy looking excited, Garp couldn't help but rub his fists together.

"Hey, Zephyr, is this really okay?"

"Karp, over the past few decades, I've come to realize one thing: justice is not a profession, nor is it some kind of benchmark; it's an ideal that exists in everyone's heart, regardless of circumstances or anything else."

"When a person genuinely wants to uphold justice, their identity is irrelevant, even if everyone has a different understanding of justice."

"Justice that is deceived is not as good as justice that chooses justice even after knowing everything."

"What, Garp, is it possible you don't trust the children?"

Seeing Zephyr's smile, Garp felt deflated.

"As expected, you're the one who knows how to talk, you bastard."