Chapter 99: The Emperor's Domain and the Brother's Vow

The New World was a sea that chewed up the weak and swallowed them whole.

To survive it, you needed to be a monster.

To rule it, you needed to be the king of monsters.

As the Titan’s Glory sailed out of the lingering morning fog, guided by the gliding strides of my Jade Unicorn, the boundary of an Emperor’s domain finally materialized before us.

It wasn’t a line or a marked space in the waters of the New World.

It was a grand armada.

Dozens of massive, heavily armed galleons belonging to the Whitebeard allied fleets formed a colossal, protective ring across the ocean.

At the absolute center of this floating fortress sat the undisputed king of the seas: the Moby Dick.

The colossal paddle-wheel flagship dwarfed everything around it, its massive whale-shaped prow gleaming in the sunlight like a monument to an era.

We were Warlords, and we had just broken the underworld, but feeling the collective, heavy Haki of thousands of veteran pirates staring us down was enough to make anyone’s blood run cold.

“Maintain course,” I ordered calmly, standing on the bow with my crew at my back.

“We hold our heads high today.”

Before the Titan’s Glory could even pull alongside the massive flagship, a blinding streak of bright orange fire shot from the highest mast of the Moby Dick.

The fireball sailed over the open water and landed heavily on our deck.

The flames instantly peeled back to reveal a young man with a familiar, freckled face, a bright orange hat, and a massive grin.

“You guys are absolutely insane!” Portgas D.

Ace laughed, adjusting his hat as he casually strolled toward us.

“The whole sea is turned upside down, and Kaido is probably destroying his own island right now, and because you guys decided to pull a fast one on the Joker!

It’s good to finally see you, Warlord Victor!”

Ace didn’t know.

To him, we were just friendly rivals fellow Supernovas who had clawed our way into the upper echelons of the New World.

“Good to see you too, Ace,” I smiled, stepping forward to clasp his hand in a firm shake.

Law offered a rare, genuine smirk, nodding at him.

“You’re looking well, Fire Fist.”

“I’m doing great!” Ace beamed, before his eyes darted toward the front of the ship.

His jaw dropped.

“Whoa…

is that a unicorn pulling your ship?!

And what is this little guy?!”

Ace crouched down as Gammamon trotted over.

The little white triceratops sniffed Ace’s hand, his eyes widening as a tiny flicker of orange flame danced across Ace’s knuckles.

“Warm!” Gammamon cheered, happily nuzzling his head against Ace’s fiery hand.

“I’m Gammamon!

Are you made of fire?

It looks edible, is it edible?”

“Hahaha!

I wouldn’t recommend it, little guy!” Ace laughed warmly, patting Gammamon’s head.

He stood back up, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

“Come on.

The old man is waiting for you.

And let me tell you, he’s eager to meet the guy who embarrassed Doflamingo.”

We followed Ace onto the massive, sprawling deck of the Moby Dick.

The atmosphere instantly shifted.

The playful banter faded, replaced by an overwhelming, suffocating pressure that felt like gravity itself had doubled.

The legendary commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates Marco, Jozu, Vista lined the deck, watching us with intense, calculating eyes.

At the far end of the deck, sitting in a massive wooden chair and surrounded by a network of medical tubes, was Edward Newgate.

Whitebeard.

He was drinking from a massive barrel of sake.

Even tethered to medical equipment, the Strongest Man in the World radiated an aura of absolute, unparalleled power.

Whitebeard slowly set the barrel down.

His piercing golden eyes locked onto me.

He didn’t say a word of greeting.

Instead, as a pure test of the Warlord who had dared to enter his domain, Whitebeard unleashed a concentrated, terrifying burst of his Conqueror’s Haki.

The pressure hit me like a physical wall.

The weaker pirates on the deck instantly foamed at the mouth and collapsed.

The dense wood of the Moby Dick groaned under the sheer spiritual weight.

I didn’t flinch.

I planted my boots, narrowed my eyes, and let my own Conqueror’s Haki violently explode outward.

The two invisible auras of the Supreme King clashed directly in the center of the deck.

The air crackled with blinding black-and-red lightning.

The deafening shockwave blew the wind out of the sails, and high above the ship, the very clouds violently tore apart, splitting the sky perfectly in two.

For ten agonizing seconds, the clash held.

Then, recognizing the statement had been made, I pulled my Haki back.

Whitebeard mirrored the gesture.

Silence hung over the deck.

“Gurarararara!” Whitebeard’s booming laugh shattered the tension.

“You’ve got a hell of a spirit, brat!

It’s been a long time since a Government dog had the spine to look me in the eye without trembling!”

“I respect my elders,” I smirked, walking forward.

“But I don’t bow to anyone.”

Whitebeard grinned, gesturing for a massive bowl of sake to be brought over.

“Marco told me you fought clean.

You didn’t shed civilian blood in Dressrosa.

I respect that.

But you’re playing a dangerous game, Warlord.

By destroying that factory, you’ve declared open war on Kaido.”

I took the massive bowl of sake, holding it steady.

“I know, Newgate.

Dressrosa was just the first step.

I fully intend to drag the King of the Beasts down from his throne.”

The commanders murmured amongst themselves.

Whitebeard chuckled, taking another drink.

“You’re a madman.

But if you’re hunting Kaido, why sail into my territory?

You didn’t come all this way just to share a drink.”

I set my bowl down.

I looked at Whitebeard, then turned my gaze to Ace, who was leaning against the railing.

“No, I didn’t,” I said, my voice dropping to a quieter, more grounded tone.

“We came here for him.”

Ace blinked, pointing a finger at his own chest.

“Me?

You want to pick a fight with me?”

“No, Ace,” I replied softly.

I took a few slow steps toward him.

“I just wanted to introduce myself properly.”

Ace tilted his head, confused.

The defensive fire that usually sat just beneath his skin flickered, giving away at his feelings as I approached him.

“Portgas D.

Rouge wasn’t alone in the world, Ace,” I said quietly.

The name hit the deck like a physical blow.

Marco dropped his cup of rum, the wood clattering loudly in the silence.

Jozu stiffened.

The commanders knew exactly what that name meant.

They knew the burden Ace carried.

Ace completely froze.

The color drained from his face, his eyes widening in absolute shock.

“She had sisters, cousins to be exact” I continued, closing the distance until I was standing right in front of him.

“My mother, Law’s mother…

they shared her blood.

You’ve spent your whole life thinking your bloodline was a curse that isolated you from the world.

But it didn’t.”

Law stepped up quietly beside me.

“We’re your cousins, Ace.”

Ace’s reaction was far more profound, then I had anticipated.

The fire completely died out of him, and the sheer, overwhelming realization seemed to sever the strings holding him up.

All the power left his body at once.

His knees gave out, hitting the wooden deck with a dull thud.

He just knelt there, his hands resting limply on the floorboards, staring at the grain of the wood in absolute, breathless silence.

For twenty years, he had believed he was a solitary demon seed.

Now, the absolute weight of his realisation that he was never alone was felt by him.

A murmur of awe rippled through the Whitebeard Pirates.

Marco exhaled a long breath, a genuine, relieved smile crossing his face as he looked at his kneeling brother.

Whitebeard set his barrel down, watching the quiet reunion with deep, fatherly warmth.

I didn’t make a spectacle of it.

I just knelt down in front of Ace, placing a firm, grounding hand on his shoulder.

“You’ve got family, Ace,” I told him quietly.

“And we’re damn glad you’re alive.”

Ace slowly looked up.

His chest heaved as he took a shallow, shaky breath, the reality finally setting in.

He couldn’t find any words, but he didn’t need to.

He just nodded, his grip tightening on the deck as he let the truth anchor him.

To celebrate the newfound bonds, the Whitebeard Pirates threw a massive, chaotic banquet on the decks of the Moby Dick.

The tension was entirely gone, replaced by the rowdy energy of two pirate crews mingling.

Every member of the Verdant Abyss found their place in the chaos.

Gammamon was currently engaged in a fast meat-eating contest with Commander Thatch, the two of them inhaling entire roasts while Jozu cheered them on.

Brook had brought out his violin, seamlessly joining the Whitebeard musicians in a roaring rendition of Binks’ Sake.

Baby 5, desperate to prove her usefulness to our new allies, had transformed her arms into a literal tray and keg-tap, aggressively sprinting around the deck and forcefully refilling the commanders’ mugs the second they were empty.

Robin was sitting peacefully at a large table with Commander Izo and Marco, sipping wine and elegantly discussing New World history.

Laura had somehow challenged Diamond Jozu to an arm-wrestling match.

Thanks to her adamantium skeleton and feral strength, she was actually holding her own, much to the absolute bewilderment of the surrounding pirates.

Gwen was sitting on the railing, laughing as her symbiote formed little shifting shapes to entertain a group of amazed Whitebeard rookies.

Meanwhile, Perona was floating high above the deck with her parasol.

Whenever a group of pirates got too rowdy and spilled beer near her, she would casually drop a Negative Hollow on them, leaving them sobbing on the floor about their life choices while she demanded someone bring her a slice of cake.

Away from the noise, sitting on a quiet stretch of the railing near the stern of the ship, the three of us finally had a moment of peace.

Ace was staring out at the ocean, a half-empty mug of ale beside him.

He looked drained, but the heavy, suffocating burden he usually carried seemed miraculously lighter.

“I just…

I can’t wrap my head around it,” Ace muttered, his voice still quiet.

“I thought it was just me, Luffy, and the old man.

Finding out I have an entire family out there…

It’s a lot.”

“It’s bigger than you think,” I said, leaning against the railing.

“It’s me and Law.

But I also have a sister named Jasmine.

We have another cousin named Koala.

There’s even a mother and daughter who share our blood living up on a Sky Island in Paradise.

You’ve got a massive family, Ace.”

Ace stared at me, completely overwhelmed.

“Jasmine?

Koala?

A Sky Island?

How…

how am I supposed to meet all of them?”

“You’ll meet them,” Law assured him calmly.

“Actually,” I noted, my tone shifting to something much more serious.

“You’re going to meet most of them very soon.

Because Jasmine and Koala are in the same place.

And they’re with someone else you know.”

Ace frowned, confused.

“Who?”

“Sabo,” I said simply.

Ace flinched violently at the name.

His hand instinctively went to the crossed-out ‘S’ tattooed on his left arm.

“Sabo is dead, Victor.”

“No, he didn’t,” I replied, holding his gaze.

“He was pulled from the wreckage of his ship by Monkey D.

Dragon.

Luffy’s father.”

Ace’s jaw dropped.

“Luffy has a dad?!”

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“Sabo is alive, Ace.

He’s the Chief of Staff for the Revolutionary Army.

And our sisters Jasmine and Koala are right there with him, working directly under Dragon.”

The rapid-fire succession of absolute bombshells was too much.

Ace stood up, pacing frantically, his hands gripping his hair.

“He’s alive?!

Working for Luffy’s dad?!

Why didn’t he call us?!

Why didn’t he come back to Dawn Island?!” The edges of Ace’s jacket began to smoke, his emotions spiraling into confusion and profound hurt.

“Because he doesn’t remember,” I said firmly, stepping forward and placing both hands squarely on Ace’s shoulders, anchoring him.

“He suffered severe trauma to his head in the explosion.

Sabo has complete amnesia, Ace.

He doesn’t remember you, or Luffy, or his own name.

He didn’t abandon you.”

The fight left Ace instantly.

The anger vanished, replaced by an overwhelming, desperate urgency.

“Amnesia…” Ace whispered.

“I have to see him.

If he sees me, maybe…

maybe it will jog his memory!

I have to go right now!

I’ll take my striker!

Where is their base?!”

Ace tried to pull away, frantic to launch himself off the ship.

“Ace, stop,” I commanded, my voice carrying the absolute authority of an older brother.

I tightened my grip on his shoulders.

“You aren’t going anywhere alone.

If you just drop out of the sky and ambush a Revolutionary base, you’ll put him on edge and it could break his mind even further.

We do this right.”

Ace stared at me, his chest heaving.

“I promise you,” I told him fiercely, “the Verdant Abyss will personally escort you to meet Sabo.

We’ll introduce you to Jasmine and Koala, and we will bring his memories back together.

But you have to trust me, and you have to wait just a little longer.”

Slowly, the manic urgency faded.

Ace nodded, wiping a hand down his face, finally letting himself rely on someone else.

“Okay.

Okay, I understand what you are saying.

But when do we leave?”

“Soon,” I promised, giving his shoulder a firm squeeze.

“But I have one final piece of business to take care of on this ship first.”

I let go of Ace, leaving him with Law to talk, and turned back toward the roaring party.

I walked through the dancing pirates and approached the massive chair at the front of the deck.

Whitebeard was sitting quietly, watching his sons celebrate, a fond smile on his weathered face.

The medical tubes connected to his chest hummed softly, a stark reminder of his failing health.

“Enjoying the party, Warlord?” Whitebeard rumbled, glancing down at me.

“It’s a good crew, Newgate,” I noted, stepping up to the armrest of his massive chair.

I looked at the IV drips and the oxygen lines.

I didn’t owe Whitebeard anything, but he had taken Ace in when the world wanted him dead.

He had given my blood a home and a father.

“I didn’t just come here to reunite with my cousin, Newgate,” I said, my voice dropping so only the Emperor could hear me.

Whitebeard raised an eyebrow.

“Oh?

What did you come for, brat?”

I looked the Emperor dead in the eyes, entirely serious, and made an offer that would shatter the balance of the world far more than the fall of Dressrosa ever could.

“You took in my blood when the world wanted him dead.

Now, let me repay the debt,” I told him quietly.

“I can cure you.”

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