CHAPTER 9: The Pirate Named Tang An Is Still Alive
Mt. Colbo, a bandit hideout known as Dadan's Family.
The sky was gloomy, with a continuous, misty drizzle falling. The central wooden cabin was brightly lit, and the bandits, led by Dadan, sat with their backs against the walls, their expressions desolate and dejected.
Ace's lifeless body lay in the middle of the floor, while Luffy was fast asleep in the inner room, his life out of danger.
Some of the bandits were wailing bitterly; to them, Ace was like one of their own children. Yet Ace, who used to be so full of life and always managed to tick them off, was now dead.
Dadan looked as though her soul had been stripped away, tear stains still lingering on her face, her gaze vacant and dull.
"Bang!"
The heavy door was kicked open, and Garp strode inside. When he saw Ace lying on the ground without breath, the angry, suspicious expression on his face began to tremble and turn pale.
Without a word, he squatted down. When he truly confirmed that Ace had passed away, tears welled up and spilled from his eyes.
"Ace..."
Garp had chased Gol D. Roger across the globe and fought fiercely against monstrous pirates like Rocks, Whitebeard, Shiki the Golden Lion, and Red the Aloof without ever feeling fear. But now, he was afraid.
"It's our fault for not taking better care of him."
Dadan knelt on the ground, her grief no less than Garp's.
"Who did this?"
Garp's eyes were bloodshot, his face gradually twisting into a ferocious scowl.
"The Bluejam Pirates. But they've already been killed. To be specific, it was an order given by Outlook III, a noble of the Goa Kingdom, and carried out by a pirate from the Bluejam Pirates named Tang An. He has already fled the Goa Kingdom."
Dragon walked out from the inner room and stood before Garp with a complex expression.
"Why are you here?"
Garp's expression sank.
"If it weren't for me, Luffy would be dead too. Perhaps I should take Luffy away."
Dragon was indeed pondering whether or not to take Luffy with him.
The reason he had left Luffy in Garp's care in the past was because he had other matters to attend to, such as the Revolutionary Army.
But now, he was hesitant.
Garp kept a gloomy face and said nothing, for he didn't know what to say.
"I am quite surprised that this little fellow is the child of Gol D. Roger. I have no idea what was going through your mind."
Dragon sat cross-legged before Garp, clearly already aware of Ace's identity.
Garp still remained silent, instead standing up as if preparing to leave.
"The noble who gave the order is Sabo's father, and Sabo is Luffy and Ace's brother. As for that pirate named Tang An, he's still alive."
Dragon had already investigated everything thoroughly.
He knew Garp was consumed by rage right now and might very well go obliterate Outlook III, and anyone from the Goa Kingdom who tried to stop him would likely be killed.
If the old man was set on taking action, no one could stop him.
"Ace... Luffy..."
Rapid, heavy breathing came from the doorway, and a flash of lightning split the sky outside, illuminating Sabo's battered, bruised, and filthy figure.
Upon seeing Ace on the ground, tears streamed continuously from his eyes.
"Ace..."
"It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have died."
Kneeling beside Ace, Sabo stared with hollow eyes filled entirely with self-blame.
All of this happened because of him; he was the one who killed Ace and Luffy.
"Ace... Luffy... Wait for me, I'm coming right now."
Wiping away the tears on his face, Sabo drew a dagger from his tunic and thrust it toward his heart without the slightest hesitation.
He could no longer bear to live.
A large hand struck like lightning, grabbing Sabo's wrist and forcibly stopping him.
"Luffy is still alive."
Dragon could tell that the child before him was desperately seeking death, having lost all hope for the future.
Sabo froze. The previously dim and lifeless pupils in his eyes suddenly lit up.
Like a tiny flame in the dark, it slowly began to illuminate Sabo's heart, which was heavy with guilt and agony.
Luffy was still alive.
Luffy was still alive.
Sabo released the dagger and grabbed Dragon's wrist tightly, terrified that it might be a lie.
"Re... really?"
"In the inner room."
Dragon pointed toward the inner room, and a second later, Sabo rushed inside.
"Luffy!"
When he saw that Luffy was indeed breathing, Sabo wept tears of joy.
His sense of guilt was halved.
Hearing the loud sobbing coming from the inner room, Garp wore a complex expression.
"They are brothers."
Dragon looked at Garp, his words carrying a deeper meaning.
About ten minutes later, Sabo emerged from the inner room.
"Luffy, he..."
"He'll be fine after sleeping for a couple of days."
Just as Dragon finished speaking, Sabo dropped to his knees before Garp, slamming his forehead heavily against the floor as he choked out, "This is all my fault. Please, kill me."
Looking down from above, Garp had calmed down as he gazed at the trembling Sabo prostrated before him.
"This is not your fault."
Garp looked as though he had aged several years, sitting powerlessly on the ground with a vacant gaze fixed on Ace's corpse.
"I'm sorry."
Sabo maintained his posture, unmoving.
"Your pain is no less than anyone else's. Ace was your brother, but at least Luffy is still alive."
Dragon forcefully pulled Sabo to his feet, his expression dead serious.
Outside, the rain continued to pour, growing heavier and heavier.
Syrup Village, a small, isolated island in the East Blue, practically cut off from the world.
It was as peaceful and serene as Foosha Village.
Yet, out of this utterly ordinary little village came two exceptionally powerful figures.
Yasopp, the sniper of the Red Hair Pirates, a future Yonko crew.
And his son, who might one day become the sniper on the Pirate King's ship.
Though for now, he was still just a seven-year-old boy who loved to tell tall tales.
On the western coast, a large ship slowly approached from the horizon and finally came to a stop.
"Finally, an island."
Standing on the beach, Tang An looked at the small hill ahead of him, feeling, to be honest, a little excited.
He had been drifting on the sea for two days, and this was the first island he had laid eyes on since leaving the Goa Kingdom.
"Let's hope this isn't an uninhabited rock."
"Let's go!"
Calling out to Raphael, Tang An took the lead and climbed the small hill, a Type 92 pistol already gripped firmly in his hand.
Raphael followed quietly behind him.
Over the past two days, Tang An had frequently used him for combat practice, leaving his body still covered in purple and blue bruises.
The two climbed the hill and entered the jungle, seeing no trace of human activity.
To be frank, Tang An's heart sank a little.
He had come here hoping this island might be his target destination; even if it wasn't Nami and the others' island, there had to be some people living here!
Otherwise, the trip would have been a wasted journey.
After walking for a little over ten minutes, a small path appeared before them, bringing a flash of joy to Tang An's heart.
Following the path for another few minutes, a vast expanse of farmland came into view, with houses nestled not far away.
It was a village.
"Ma'am, could you tell me what this village is called?"
Approaching a vegetable garden, Tang An spoke up to a middle-aged woman dressed in simple attire working inside.
The woman wore a headscarf and looked Tang An and Raphael up and down.
They didn't look particularly dangerous, though she remained somewhat cautious.
After all, she had never seen these two before; they were clearly outsiders.
They might even be pirates.
"What do you people want?"
"We run a small business, and after passing by this island, we wanted to restock some food supplies."
Tang An wore a pale complexion, looking entirely harmless and without a shred of menace.
"Just the two of you?"
The woman glanced past Tang An.
"We have two other crew members back on our merchant ship. We just need to buy a few necessities and we'll be on our way."
"Oh, is that so! This is Syrup Village. If you follow this road straight into the village, you'll be able to buy whatever supplies you need."
"Thank you very much, ma'am."
Tang An tried hard to recall, but he didn't have much impression of Syrup Village--perhaps because One Piece had been serialized for so long that he had forgotten it.