Chapter 51: The Execution Platform
♂ "You... you're a Marine? One of my grandfather's men?"
Ace stared at Ian in surprise. He never expected that Ian would casually drop one familiar name after another.
"No, no, don't misunderstand! I'm not a Marine, I'm a pirate hunter!" Ian had successfully cuffed one of Ace's hands, so he was feeling pretty smug. He explained, "I'm not one of your grandfather's soldiers either. I just accepted a commission from him!"
"He commissioned you to catch me?" Ace tilted his head curiously. "What for?"
"What else could it be?" Ian shrugged. "To make you join the Marines! So you have to come with me to see him!"
"No! I don't want to be a Marine!" Ace immediately started struggling. "And I'm not going to see that old man either. If I meet him, he'll definitely punch me!"
Ian quickly tightened his grip on the other end of the handcuffs, afraid that Ace might break free. But he was surprised to find that Ace's strength was far greater than he expected. He couldn't help asking in shock, "How do you still have strength? Aren't you a Devil Fruit user?"
Ace was taken aback. "Devil Fruit? You mean the kind that Luffy ate? I'm not one!"
Tsk! A miscalculation. Ian's teeth ached with frustration. He had assumed Ace had already eaten the Flame-Flame Fruit, which was why he'd used Seastone handcuffs on him. Who knew the guy wasn't a Devil Fruit user yet?
Well, that made sense, actually. Ace hadn't entered the Grand Line yet. Devil Fruits mostly appeared in the Grand Line, so it was normal for Ace not to be a Devil Fruit user at this point.
That meant the Seastone handcuffs were basically useless on him—just a slightly more durable pair of cuffs.
"Hey, let me go!" Ace shouted at Ian. "Or I'll punch you!"
"Can't do that!" Ian shook his head, tightening his grip. The two of them began a test of strength through the Seastone handcuffs.
But just then, Ian heard a shout from behind.
"Ian!"
It was Johnny and Yosaku catching up. Ian had sped up to chase Ace, leaving them behind, and he'd almost forgotten about them.
The two of them panted as they reached Ian and Ace. "You... you two run really fast!"
After saying that, Johnny and Yosaku noticed the struggle between Ian and Ace, and then saw the handcuffs on Ace's wrist. They immediately understood the situation. Without waiting for Ian to say anything, Johnny and Yosaku went into show-off mode!
Standing back-to-back, Johnny rested his fist on his chin. "Hey, Yosaku, it looks like Ian's target isn't willing to surrender!"
Yosaku crossed his arms, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. "Johnny, it seems we have no choice but to step in!"
With that, the two of them lunged at Ace from left and right, trying to grab him and pin him down.
But they forgot that only Ace's right hand was cuffed. His left hand and both legs were free. And since Ace didn't know them, the moment they charged, he counterattacked!
He kicked Johnny in the face, then spun around and slammed his left fist into Yosaku's nose. Both of them went down instantly.
Ace had been bracing himself for a serious fight, but seeing how easily his opponents were defeated, he was momentarily stunned.
Even as they hit the ground, Johnny and Yosaku managed to mumble through their injuries, "We... we almost won..."
Ace's forehead beaded with sweat as he looked at Ian. "Are they idiots?"
Ian covered his face. "Don't ask me. I don't know them..."
Taking advantage of Ian's momentary distraction, Ace suddenly yanked the other end of the handcuffs out of Ian's grip and bolted!
"Stop right there!" Ian immediately snapped back to attention and gave chase.
"Only an idiot would stop!" Ace shouted without looking back, pumping his arms as he sprinted forward.
One chased, one fled, and they quickly left the spot, leaving Johnny and Yosaku lying on the ground. Johnny had a huge shoe print on his face, while Yosaku's face was swollen on one side.
After getting up, Johnny sighed, "No wonder Ian had to handle this guy himself. He's really strong!"
"Yeah, we almost won. What a shame," Yosaku agreed.
Just as they were lamenting, Johnny and Yosaku suddenly sensed someone behind them. They turned around and found a large crowd surrounding them!
"You'd better worry about yourselves first!" A strange man with round iron shields hanging on his chest and back grinned at them with a sinister smile...
...
Ian chased Ace all the way to the center of Loguetown.
It was a very wide plaza, packed with people, most of them tourists. Many were holding cameras. Ian didn't pay much attention at first, but when Ace suddenly stopped ahead, Ian noticed a tall wooden platform in the middle of the plaza.
Ian immediately realized where they were. This was Loguetown's most famous landmark—the execution platform!
Nineteen years ago, the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, had been executed on this very platform. It was here that he had uttered the words that sent the world into a frenzy.
"You want my treasure? You can have it all! Go find it! I left everything I have there!"
Even though Ian had grown up in the remote village of Shimotsuki, he had heard many stories about Roger. The old folks in the village talked most about the legend of the Pirate King. So when Ian saw the execution platform, his mind went a little blank.
Ace also stopped far in front of the platform. He looked up at the top of it, silently, without saying a word.
Seeing this, Ian couldn't help but sigh. He finally understood why Ace had come to Loguetown, and why he had chosen a time when Garp wasn't around. It wasn't just because Loguetown was close to the entrance of the Grand Line. It was because Ace wanted to see the place where his so-called "biological father," Roger, had been executed.
He could understand Ace's feelings. Ace hated Roger. The Pirate King had never fulfilled any fatherly duties. Not only had he brought Ace no glory, but he had also brought endless pursuit from the Marines. To escape the Marines' investigations, Ace's mother had carried him for twenty months before giving birth, then died from exhaustion.
Growing up without parents and burdened by the cursed bloodline of the Pirate King Roger, all Ace ever heard from people was hatred and disgust for Roger. It made Ace want to die at one point.
If it hadn't been for Luffy and Garp, who gave him the warmth of family, Ace might have ended his own life long ago.
Ace resented Roger. He never wanted to admit he was Roger's son. But even so, he still wanted to see the place where that man had died...
It was a very complex feeling, one that even many psychologists might struggle to describe.
In truth, Ace was a pitiful person...
Ian walked up beside Ace and patted him on the shoulder. "Want to go up and take a look? I'll go with you."
Ian's mind was a little hot at that moment. He had made a rare impulsive decision. He didn't care what kind of commotion climbing the execution platform with Ace might cause. He just thought that maybe Ace really should go up and see.
But to his surprise, Ace was calmer than he expected. He pulled his hat brim down a little to cover his eyes and said, "No need. It's fine just looking from here."
Strangely, Ace didn't ask Ian how he knew what he was feeling. Maybe after hearing so many familiar names from Ian, Ace had subconsciously assumed that Ian had learned about him from Garp and felt that Ian and he had a deep connection.
Sure enough, the next second, Ian shrugged and said, "Suit yourself. But if it were Luffy, he'd definitely go up there."
Ian was actually referring to what Luffy would do three years later when he climbed the execution platform. But to Ace, it sounded like confirmation of his guess. He laughed and said, "Yeah, if it were my idiot little brother, he'd definitely do that."