One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

"Sabo is fine, I promise."

Hearing this, Ace widened his eyes in disbelief as he looked at Wright.

Luffy immediately stopped crying, jumping up with excitement. "Really, Wright-san?"

"Of course, it's true..." Wright pointed at the golden crystal hanging around the necks of the two boys. "Sabo also has one of these. At the very least, it will save his life. Though he won't escape without some suffering."

"Sabo has his own destiny and opportunities. He might not become world-famous the way you hope, at least not for now. But when the time comes, you'll meet him again."

"Thank you, Wright-san!" Ace bowed deeply. While he and Luffy had guessed as much, hearing it directly from Wright gave Ace an unexpected sense of relief. He clung to the hope that this mysterious crystal could truly save Sabo's life.

After enduring a grueling session of Wright's "Holy Light Extreme Training Method," Luffy collapsed into a deep sleep after being healed by Wright. Ace, though exhausted, was in better shape than his brother, both physically and mentally.

"Wright-san," Ace said after glancing at Luffy's sleeping form. He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I have a question."

"Go ahead," Wright replied calmly.

"...Grandpa never talks much about his work or his role as a Marine. But you're different. You're the only Marine he's ever brought to meet me and Luffy. And he even let you teach us for several months. That's... unheard of."

"Hmm..." Wright studied Ace's expression intently. "And?"

"So, I've concluded that Grandpa must trust you completely. Your ideals and his must align, or at least be very similar."

Ace sat down, hugging his knees and resting his chin atop them, sinking into thought.

"Perhaps," Wright replied softly. "Garp-san personally vouched for me when I joined the Marines. And my way of doing things before I joined… well, you've probably heard some stories."

"At the very least, I try to do things your grandfather might wish he could do but can't. Or rather, I'm striving to achieve that goal."

Ace nodded slowly. "As I thought... Wright-san, you're different. Unique."

"You've made your stance clear—you'll eliminate evil pirates. But you don't seem to oppose the idea of us going out to sea as pirates. You've warned us not to commit evil. So... even if someone is a pirate, as long as they don't do evil, you're willing to forgive them?"

"It's not that simple," Wright explained. "There's a distinction between pirates who actively commit atrocities and those labeled as pirates because they threaten certain interests or challenge the status quo."

"That said, even if someone hasn't committed evil, accepting the identity of a pirate inherently represents defiance of order. It emboldens wrongdoing and can cause indirect harm—even if their actions seem righteous."

"Therefore, true pirate crews who carry the name of pirates without causing harm are exceedingly rare. Such cases only exist among insignificant small-time pirates."

"But once you gain fame, you'll inevitably be imitated, revered, and followed. The ripple effects of your influence will spiral out of control. If those inspired by you commit atrocities, their actions will be attributed to you. Your reputation will become a 'notorious name,' making the title of 'pirate' all the more fitting."

"And for bona fide pirates? Even if I don't kill them outright, throwing them into Impel Down is the bare minimum."

Ace stared at Wright in shock, overwhelmed by the weight of his words. Such perspectives were beyond his current understanding—concepts Wright himself had only fully grasped after countless experiences and reaching the rank of Vice Admiral.

The world is rarely black and white. A purely idealistic outlook is nothing more than wishful thinking.

"Your grandfather's teaching methods are far too rough," Wright said, patting Ace on the head. "He probably wouldn't bother explaining any of this to you. He's the type to let his fists do the talking."

"Haha, yeah, Grandpa's 'lessons' are all about punches!" Ace chuckled.

"But since Sabo's incident, I've been lost. I thought you might have the answers, Wright-san," Ace admitted. "Back then, I wanted to avenge Sabo. But Dadan stopped me. She told me…"

"'The ones who destroyed Sabo are this country and this world. What can a kid like you do? Your dad changed an entire era with his death. If you want to die or live like that, first become that kind of man!'"

Ace hesitated before saying, "My dad... is the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger."

Wright said nothing, prompting Ace to look up in surprise. "You're not shocked? About my dad's identity?"

"Why would I be?" Wright smiled faintly. "My dad... is Sabo's grandfather."

"!!!"

"Wha-?!" Ace's lingering gloom vanished instantly, replaced by sheer disbelief.

"Ahem!" Wright cleared his throat. "That's not the point."

"No, no, no! Wright-san, that's absolutely important!" Ace sprang to his feet, clutching Wright's sleeve excitedly. "Are you serious?!"

He recalled hearing Garp mention that Wright was from the Goa Kingdom's nobility. Wright's resemblance to a young Sabo had also caught Garp's attention the first time he met Sabo.

If Wright's father was Sabo's grandfather, that made Wright Sabo's uncle—his real uncle! And that meant...

Wright's assurance that Sabo was alive wasn't just to comfort them!

"That's amazing!" Ace exclaimed, kneeling abruptly and crying tears of joy.

As Sabo's uncle, Wright was also Ace and Luffy's uncle.

"Well..." Wright scratched his head, his expression awkward. It seemed he'd inadvertently become Ace and Luffy's guardian figure.

Still, the feeling wasn't bad.

"Hey, you're a big kid now, Ace. Learn to control your emotions. Don't tell Luffy yet—if he starts bawling, it'll be a hassle to calm him down."

"Alright… alright!" Ace stood up, his entire demeanor lighter as if a heavy burden had been lifted. His spirits soared as he grinned widely. "Uncle Wright!"

Ace's bold address made Wright freeze for a moment. When he didn't object, Ace's grin grew even brighter—this was acknowledgment of their bond as brothers and of Wright's acceptance.

"About my dad..."

Great. Now I'm the uncle of the Pirate King's son. That makes me Gol D. Roger's younger brother. And Roger was Garp's peer… but Roger's son calls Garp 'Grandpa.' Plus, my junior apprentice calls Garp 'Grandpa,' too. This family tree is... hopelessly tangled.

Wright sighed inwardly.

"Your father uncovered some shocking truths about this world," Wright said, glancing at Ace and then at the sleeping Luffy.

"Luffy's straw hat—it used to belong to your father."

Ace was even more confused. "That straw hat? But... wasn't it given to Luffy by the great pirate, Shanks?"

"Yes," Wright nodded. "Shanks was once a crew member on Roger's ship. Roger entrusted Shanks with his will, and Shanks later passed it on to Luffy."

"Roger undeniably bears heavy guilt for starting the Great Pirate Era," Wright admitted. "But everything has two sides. This era was meant to expose the truths hidden by the world."

"Roger knew everything but was powerless to act. So, he chose to spark this era, setting the stage for the world's secrets to be unveiled at the right moment."

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