At A Split Second ⏳

Connected Forever

When the drama faded, they made their way back to the Heart Pirates' camp. With Luffy hardly able to walk, Sabo carried him piggyback as Ace walked beside him.

The walk back to the submarine was awfully quiet. Whether they're too tired of what just happened or the aura Luffy emitted was too heavy.

"Everything alright, Luf?" Ace asked, giving him a concerned look. Luffy gently shook his head and leaned on to Sabo's back. "No, I'm fine. Just tired, that's all."

Ace only sighed and reached out to pat his head.

"Hey," Sabo called, slightly nudging himself onto Luffy to catch attention. "What's with the long face? Aren't you glad to see us?"

"Believe me, I am," Luffy replied. "It's just that... there's still something left that I have to settle."

"Something to-"

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Luffy reassured, although he doesn't sound like it.

But when they reached the cliff, the submarine was gone.

"T-Trafalgar and his crew-" Sabo gasped.

The brothers frantically looked all over the place but only Jinbe and Koala as well as a familiar face to Luffy remain.

The man was dripping wet, wringing his soaked shirt as he casually sat on a rock by the water.

"Oh, Luffy-kun!" he greeted cheerfully.

"O-Old Man Rayleigh?!" Luffy gasped.

"Yeah! I'm glad that I was able to find you so easily!" he informed him. Sabo walked up closer to him so they could talk properly.

"What are you doing here? I was just about to follow my Vivre Card back to Sabaody," he replied. That was when remembered about his friends. "How are the others?"

Unfortunately Rayleigh's answer wasn't the one Luffy hoped for. "They are not back yet," he confessed as he began to clean his glasses. Luffy looked severely disappointed and Ace took note of that, planning to ask him about it later.

"I left my Vivre Card with Shakky," Rayleigh went on. "Had I not done that, I wouldn't have been able to move around freely."

"Oh, that's right!" Luffy seemed to remember then glanced at Ace. "Ace, this guy's-"

"Former first mate of the Pirate King, Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh," Ace declared in a monotoned voice.

"I never thought I'd get to see the Captain's son," Rayleigh said. "Portgas D. Ace, a pleasure to meet you."

However, it was as if Ace was back to his stingy self as he hissed at the statement. "I'm not his son."

Rayleigh's smile faded. Ace turned his back to him and added, "My father is Whitebeard, and no one else. That man gave me nothing but a cursed life!"

"Ace..." Sabo worriedly looked at him.

"I know how you feel," Rayleigh said. "As the Pirate King, Roger gained not only friends, but also enemies. Knowing that he had a son, many people must've tried to exact revenge on you and threaten your life."

"It wasn't that simple!" Ace barked.

"I didn't say it was," Rayleigh retorted.

"Enough! I...I don't wanna talk about it anymore," Ace declared, walking behind Sabo and Luffy, crossing his arms over his chest as he closed his eyes to calm down. 

Luffy worriedly gazed at him, then asked Sabo to put him down.

"Can you stand up?" Sabo asked.