Karma.
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"Gurararara!" -"It seems my counterpart saw it at this quickly..."
"The bright light covering Strawhat Luffy, the person Roger is waiting for, indeed."
At the 'Sphinx' Art Store, Whitebeard was very satisfied with his counterpart's stance regarding Luffy in the manga.
'Marco... Don't you dare let that boy die…'
These were the words of Whitebeard in the manga, indicating his acknowledgment of Luffy and his right to be protected.
"It's enjoyable to see destinies intertwine. Someone like Luffy, I would love for him to be my son; perhaps if that were the case, he would be the dearest son to my heart~" - Whitebeard expressed his sincere opinion about Luffy, feeling that with every situation, ethic, mood, and even his childish side, he would be an exceptionally special son.
"Unfortunately, it seems he hasn't been born yet - yui," Marco commented with jealousy.
"Gurarararara! It seems I will search for Dragon and force him to let me adopt his son."
"..." Stussy seemed speechless at that.
No one knows whether Whitebeard is joking or speaking seriously.
…
•———•———•———•———•
Chapter's Events:
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"(A~~CE~~~!!!)"
"(I'M GOING TO SAVE YOU EVEN IF IT KILLS ME!!!)"
Ace hit his head on the ground in frustration and complex emotions as he remembered what his crew and his brother had just said.
"(We won't leave a single one of those bastards who hurt you alive, Ace!!!)"
"(You just wait!!! We're coming to get you!!!)"
Blood mixed with sweat dripped from Ace's forehead, where Garp noticed what had happened and asked: "What now?"
Ace remained silent for a while before answering: "I feel like I can accept any future at this point."
"I'll grasp the hand that will reach out to save me… I'll also accept the blade that will swing down to judge me…"
"I won't resist anymore."
"I owe everything that much."
Hearing this from Ace, both Garp and Sengoku fell silent with wisdom.
•———•———•———•———•
Baterilla:
"Sometimes a person finds themselves in an unwanted situation like this... They don't know what to do except surrender."
"Our son is now in such an enviable situation."
"At the moment of my execution, I smiled in the face of death, not caring because I was already determined to die… But he's not."
"Why are you talking as if this has already happened?" Rouge was surprised to hear Roger's cryptic words.
"That's because it did happen to me already. Didn't you feel like you lived through a 20-month pregnancy and death after reading that in the manga?" Roger looked curiously at his wife and asked.
Rouge's eyelashes trembled after hearing that.
Indeed, she had felt this strange feeling before.
"I felt as if I were somehow connected to what my counterpart in the manga felt…" Rouge replied.
"Exactly, that's the feeling I'm talking about…" exclaimed Roger.
"Do you know the title of this chapter?" he then asked.
"Karma... Isn't it?" Rouge replied.
"Yes, karma... What you felt from the character that represents you in the manga is through similar karma."
"This means that Roger, who smiled at his execution in the first chapter, and Rouge, who sacrificed herself to save her son, represent another aspect of us in another world."
"My dear, perhaps we are reading and seeing what would have truly happened to us."
Rouge's eyes widened upon hearing this.
"For some reason, Rob didn't die in this world, and as a result, all this happened. It seems our karma saved us this time, just as many other people were also saved thanks to their own karma."
…
[Ding! You've got 1999 Art Point from Gol D. Roger.]
[Ding! You've got 999 Art Point from Portgas D. Rouge.]
"Hmm?" Rob curiously looked at the rare notification that appeared on his system at this moment.
The silent mode of the notifications was an adjustment Rob had made a long time ago. The fact that these two notifications appeared despite the silent mode meant only one thing.
'The system is trying to tell me something... Did Roger and Rouge discover something?' Rob wondered internally.
'Well, I was going to visit them after some time anyway... I'll see what happens then.' he thought.
…
Back in Baterilla, this time inside the art store, Roger's crew were clutching their stomachs and rolling on the floor from laughter.
The interaction between Whitebeard and Buggy, and the exquisite comedy provided by Buggy in the manga, made them burst into fits of laughter.
Buggy's lips trembled as he watched this scene.
"Damn it! Why am I not already strong!? Do I need to pretend, you cowardly clown!"
"Just tell me what your role is in all of this!!?"
Buggy had to admit that he felt extreme pride when he saw Whitebeard speaking with his counterpart and reminiscing, but seeing his comrades laugh intensely at this scene made him waver between bitter and sweet feelings.
"Stop laughing, damn it!"
…
Sorbet Kingdom:
"Sigh~ It seems Ace has completely surrendered to his fate..."
Garp felt deep sadness upon seeing this scene.
He felt a strong urge to see his counterpart crush Sengoku and free Ace, escaping from the execution platform.
"Does this mean he's accepted his death?" Little Bonney wondered.
"He's accepted his death and his life too. It seems he no longer cares about any outcome... I feel this will push him to commit a lot of foolishness easily if he is released." Kuma, her father, answered her question.
"Man, I feel sorry for Ace." Ivankov sighed in frustration.
"As long as my counterpart is on the battlefield, the Marines won't be able to execute Ace easily."
Crocodile exhaled smoke from his cigar before saying.
"Why do you feel such intense pride in your manga character, man?"
"That's because my counterpart is a man and not Okama. Of course, I'll feel proud," Crocodile replied sarcastically.
"Hah! Are you mocking Okamas again!? Haven't you seen what Bon-chan did before? Isn't he an Okama too? I heard he feels extreme pride in his manga character as well even though he's still a child now." exclaimed Ivankov.
"Well, Mr. 2 is the only exception to this rule." Crocodile deepened his mocking tone at this moment.
It can be said that Mr. 2, belonging to his organization in the manga, is the only Okama who deserves to feel proud because he has proven to have deep masculine values despite his orientation.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 715: Smoker and Luffy. Patching the Gaps with Manga Power.
Chapter 716: Bartholomew Kuma is already dead.
Chapter 717: Luffy VS. Mihawk!
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