RNP Chapter 496: You deserve it!
Chapter 496: You deserve it!
Ace was trembling all over!
I saw Roger lying in the pile of rubble.
His entire body was beaten until it was a bloody mess.
But Ace couldn't suppress the fire in his heart.
More than 20 years of grievances.
It's not something that can be broken apart with just a few punches.
Ace suddenly bent down and grabbed Roger's tattered collar tightly.
"stand up"
He let out a low growl and forcefully pulled Roger out of the pit.
Roger didn't struggle. He let Ace beat him mercilessly.
Ace turned around and strode towards the edge of the pit, dragging the man along with his right hand.
Ace dragged Roger all the way to an open area outside the pit.
Ahead lay a section of half-collapsed wall. Only a few meters of ruins remained of the buildings on Future Island.
Ace suddenly stopped.
A sudden burst of power!
Roger was thrown away by the immense force.
"Bang!"
A dull, loud thud. Roger's back slammed hard against the crumbling wall.
Roger was buried in a pile of rubble.
He slid down the collapsed ruins to the ground.
The smoke and dust hadn't cleared. Ace's footsteps drew closer.
He covered the distance of several meters in a few steps and rushed into the smoke and dust.
His eyes were fierce, like a wild wolf ready to devour someone at any moment.
Roger had just lifted half of his body out of the rubble.
Ace raised his left foot.
He stomped on Roger's chest with all his might.
"Thump"
Ace looked down from his vantage point. His right fist clenched suddenly.
"boom"
The power of the Flame-Flame Fruit erupted instantly.
Flames enveloped his fist.
Ace gritted his teeth. His right fist, whistling through the air, slammed down hard on Roger's chest and abdomen.
"Bang bang bang"
Each punch carried a trace of the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit.
Ace didn't attack randomly.
He was extremely angry.
But he still managed to maintain a sliver of rationality!
They avoided vital spots, targeting the most painful and agonizing areas that weren't fatal.
He wanted to make this man experience pain. He wanted Roger to come to his senses and realize how he had endured the past twenty-odd years.
Roger was pinned down under his feet, unable to move.
"cough cough cough"
Roger coughed violently, his throat churning. Dark red blood gushed from the corner of his mouth.
It hurts so much. This kind of torture, where you're punched in the flesh, is truly agonizing.
Roger just gritted his teeth and took every heavy punch head-on.
Roger deliberately loosened his clenched fists. He laid his hands flat at his sides, palms facing up, fingers spread wide.
Show your determination by being completely unprepared.
No resistance. No defense.
He had to bear all of his son's anger. This was a debt he owed, and it had to be repaid in this way.
On the other side of the deep pit, the Whitebeard Pirates also watched quietly.
Marco stood at the very front, watching Ace's flaming fist fall again and again.
Roger's chest was a bloody mess from being punched.
"Old Man"
Marco lowered his voice and spoke to the white-bearded man in front of him.
"If this continues..."
Marco's voice was serious and tinged with worry.
"Will they really kill Roger?"
Marco didn't care about Roger's life or death. What he cared about was Ace. If Ace really killed his own father here today, he would bear the heavy burden of patricide for the rest of his life. That was more tormenting than the title of the Pirate King's son.
Jozu, Vista, and the other captains turned around, their eyes filled with worry. Everyone was waiting for Whitebeard's reaction. As soon as their father gave the order, they would rush forward and forcibly pull Ace away.
Whitebeard did not answer.
His gaze was sharp as an eagle's, fixed intently on the spot where Ace's fist would land.
One punch. Two punches. Three punches.
Whitebeard could see it clearly. Ace's punches were fierce, but each one avoided fatal blows.
Ace hasn't completely lost control. He's still restraining himself.
The white-bearded man exhaled a breath of stale air.
He didn't speak. He responded to Marco's concern with silence. He stood there to prevent anyone from interfering with Ace, to let his son vent his frustrations.
Let it all out!
The atmosphere in the room was extremely tense.
On the high platform, the man who had been observing coldly finally spoke.
No need to stop them.
Chen Ye's voice was soft, even tinged with languor.
Everyone's gaze involuntarily turned to the high platform.
Chen Ye looked down at the people below from his high vantage point. His eyes were as cold and icy as ice.
"Ace has his own options. He can't be killed."
Chen Ye looked at Roger's pitiful state without a shred of sympathy. This was a play he had orchestrated. As the one who had resolved the conflict, he knew all too well how this feud needed to be resolved.
Chen Ye leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping across the entire room.
"This beating was exactly what Roger deserved."
His voice instantly turned cold and hard.
"Whoever interferes today is covering for him."
The words had barely left his mouth when the air in the square seemed to be sucked away instantly.
Chen Ye clearly stated his position, setting the tone for the brutal beating and cutting off all potential external interference.
Warning to everyone. This is what Roger owes Ace. Anyone who dares to stop him is breaking the rules. Anyone who dares to stop him will face Chen Ye's wrath.
Chen Ye made his point clear. The various forces that had been secretly plotting immediately stopped their actions.
The Red-Haired Pirates' faction.
Shanks' hand was already on the hilt of Griffin's sword. Hearing Chen Ye's words, his fingers stiffened slightly.
Shanks loosened the hilt of his sword.
Raise your right hand. Make a downward pressing gesture behind you.
Honjo and the other cadres immediately understood. They suppressed their murderous intent and silently retreated to their original positions. Shanks looked at the old captain in the ruins, his eyes bitter. But he knew that Chen Ye was right. This blood debt, no one but Roger could absolve him.
Revolutionary Army camp.
The dragon remained hidden in the shadows, its face expressionless. It neither expressed support nor voiced opposition. The dragon's silence was tacit agreement. It knew this was a trial Roger had to endure.
Zephyr watched coldly. There was no pity in his eyes, only a sigh. What did it matter if he was a hero? What did it matter if he was the Pirate King? Before the family he had hurt, he could only be beaten like a stray dog.
Aokiji stood with his hands in his pockets, exhaling a puff of white breath. His gaze remained calm as he stared ahead.
The Whitebeard Pirates' captains lowered their guard and stopped trying to dissuade them.
Among the hundreds of powerful figures present, not a single one dared to take another step under Chen Ye's oppressive aura.
This reckoning has been accepted. This debt has been accepted. This is the kind of brutal way it should be. Settling scores one punch at a time.
Beside the ruins.
"He deserves it"
Chen Ye's cold voice drifted into Ace's ears.
Ace's movements suddenly stopped. His right fist, burning with flames, abruptly stopped in mid-air.
The flames flickered violently in the night wind, making a whooshing sound.
Ace looked down at the man at his feet.
Roger's face was a gruesome sight. His nose was crooked, his mouth was torn, and blood and dust covered his entire face. He lay in the rubble, like a lump of mud.
But Roger still did not resist. He remained with his arms outstretched, adopting a posture of complete submission.
Ace looked at Roger's appearance, and his anger did not subside.
On the contrary, it became even stronger!
On what grounds?
Why won't they even fight back?
Why should they put on this atoning act?
They thought that getting beaten a few times would erase the past. They thought that not fighting back would make them feel sorry for each other.
The blood vessels in Ace's eyes widened instantly. His reason was utterly shattered in that moment.
"Swish"
Ace used his strength to lift Roger halfway off the ground.
The distance between the two instantly closed.
Ace's face was almost touching Roger's.
Ace stared intently at Roger. His eyes were no longer filled with pure anger, but with the madness of someone driven to the brink of despair.
"You're not going to fight back?"
Ace gritted his teeth. Each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, filled with a chilling hatred.
"Do you want to die by my hand?"
Ace's right fist hovered in mid-air.
The conversation shifted from simple emotional venting to the most pointed questioning, forcing out the man's deepest, most genuine thoughts.
Roger was grabbed by the hair and forced to lift his head.
My neck was throbbing painfully from being pulled. I didn't struggle.
Roger's vision was blurred by blood. He didn't blink.
He didn't avoid Ace's murderous gaze.
Staring at the face before me. A face that bore some resemblance to my own when I was young, but covered in freckles.
Roger's heart convulsed violently.
See the madness in Ace's eyes. See the deep resentment and despair in Ace's eyes.
This is his son. A child whose life was ruined by the phrase "son of the Pirate King."
Roger's lips moved slightly.
She wanted to speak. She wanted to tell Ace that she wasn't faking it. She wanted to tell Ace that she truly knew she was wrong.
It felt like there was sand stuck in my throat. I was so dry that I couldn't make a sound.
Ace's fist remained suspended in mid-air.
The air in the entire room froze completely at that moment.
Hundreds of eyes were fixed on the father and son in mid-air. No one spoke. No one moved.
Everyone is waiting.
Wait for Roger to speak. Wait for him to answer this crucial question himself.