Chapter 563: Vegapunk's Identity!
At that moment, Sevian, who had been called out for no reason at all, also strolled over from the side.
"I did not stay here because I wanted to."
"If the people on this ship had not tried to beat me up and stop me from leaving, I would have been gone a long time ago."
"What, you want to be punching bags too?"
"Let's be clear, I am not handing over the throne of the strongest punching bag to any of you!"
After saying that, Sevien turned around and proudly revealed the word "Strongest" written across his back.
Of course, if it were not for the two tiny characters underneath that said "sandbag," it would have looked genuinely imposing.
"Uh…"
"Hey, Sevien, we are not here to steal your spot as the ship's punching bag."
Keshia completely ignored Sevien's nonsense and looked straight at Ryuunosuke.
"Captain Ryuunosuke, can you give us an answer?"
To Keshia, Sevien was exactly the same person whether he was with the Guardians or after he was captured by Ryuunosuke and the others.
In her eyes, Sevien was the type who lacked backbone.
And he was especially reckless.
"Put your clothes on and stay here for now," Ryuunosuke said after a brief pause, speaking slowly.
"As for joining the Dragon Hunter Pirates, let's set that aside for the moment."
"Stay on the ship for a while. If you still truly want to join after that, we will run an assessment."
It had to be said, those two were indeed powerful.
And letting them join the Dragon Hunter Pirates would likely grant them special attributes and energy.
But Ryuunosuke did not allow them to join immediately.
First, the moment someone joined the Dragon Hunter Pirates, the system would affect them.
If the two of them still had ulterior motives, they might never have a chance to join at all.
Ryuunosuke did not want it to end like that.
Second, there were special action plans Ryuunosuke did not want them involved in.
So he made his decision.
"That works too," Keshia replied without asking why.
"Then we will stay on the ship."
Krul Busurud looked like he wanted to say something, but a single glare from Keshia shut him up instantly.
"Najenda," Ryuunosuke said, calling out directly. "Prepare rooms for the two of them."
"They will probably be staying for a couple of days."
Najenda was basically responsible for every affair on the ship, big or small.
"Oh, right," Keshia suddenly said, as if she remembered something.
"Captain Ryuunosuke, I remember you seemed very interested in news about Vegapunk, right?"
"Actually, he is also a member of the Guardian team."
"And he's a special case. Jeff."
"Hm?"
"Vegapunk is Jeff?"
Ryuunosuke froze.
He had just confirmed Jeff's identity as Roger.
Now Keshia was saying Vegapunk's identity was Jeff.
What in the world was going on?
"Yes," Keshia said casually. "Vegapunk is Jeff's surname, and Jeff is his first name."
"You should not be surprised that one identity can exist for two people within the Guardian team, right?"
After speaking, Keshia followed Najenda off the deck toward their room.
Ryuunosuke narrowed his eyes, thinking.
One identity, two existences.
And from what Krul Busurud had implied, there were two personalities inside Keshia's body.
If all the Guardians were like this, then it meant they had extracted one personality through some special method.
If that was the case, it was not impossible for that extracted part to exist as an independent entity.
This Guardian team was hiding far too many secrets.
So those Aragami must be the same kind of beings the First Generation encountered on the Black Continent.
Now the question was, was Vegapunk recreating such a thing to drag the entire world into an age of gods?
Or did he have some other purpose?
"Big brother!"
Ace's voice suddenly reached Ryuunosuke's ears.
"Ace?"
Ryuunosuke turned, then asked immediately, "How are you feeling? Are you recovering?"
"There are basically no problems," Ace said with a grin.
"And my body absorbed that power perfectly."
"I can feel it. I am going to get stronger and stronger!"
"Big brother, be careful."
"Do not let me overtake you!"
Ace's excitement was genuine. After absorbing those powers, his strength had surged.
And Ryuunosuke could sense it too.
Ace had now reached Emperor level.
Before this, Ace's strength had not even been close to Whitebeard's.
But now, it was very likely Whitebeard could no longer defeat Ace.
"I know you have gotten stronger," Ryuunosuke said.
Then his tone dropped, heavier.
"But Ace."
"There is something I need to tell you."
"Big brother… is something wrong?"
Ace's expression turned serious at once.
It was rare to see Ryuunosuke look like this.
Did something go wrong on the trip to Laugh Tale?
"The leader of the Guardians is Jeff," Ryuunosuke said, directly stating it.
"And Jeff's true identity is your father."
Ryuunosuke had to say it.
No matter what Ace chose next, he needed to know.
"What?"
Ace froze where he stood.
Sure enough, this was still too early for him.
"The leader of the Guardian team…"
Ace's voice sounded stiff, like he was forcing the words out.
"Big brother."
"What do you want me to do?"
After a short silence, Ace's expression hardened completely.
Roger was Ace's biological father, but Ace had never felt anything for him.
Recently, Ace had carried hatred toward that so called father for a long time.
That was why he could respond so quickly after hearing the truth.
"It is not about what I want you to do," Ryuunosuke said.
"It is about what you want to do next."
"Now that you know this, you must have a plan in mind."
Ryuunosuke paused, then spoke again.
"Also, Vegapunk's identity is Jeff."
"I do not know what his relationship with Roger truly is, but there may be an inseparable connection between them."
Ace understood immediately what Ryuunosuke meant.
"I understand," Ace said.
"If I have to fight next, I will fight without hesitation."
He made his stance clear.
"Good," Ryuunosuke said, finally letting out a breath.
"I knew you would choose this."
"What, you still cannot let it go?"
Ryuunosuke's tension eased.
If Ace became fixated on Roger simply because Roger was his father, Ryuunosuke would have had a hard time dealing with him.
Ryuunosuke had no intention of turning against Ace.
But judging from Ace's current state, his hatred for Roger was not small at all.
And it was understandable.
Roger had left Ace with almost nothing other than a seed in his mother's body.
He left no warmth. No family. No protection.
Ace had even felt disgust toward his own identity at one point.
Later, after meeting Whitebeard, Ace finally understood what a true family was.
So Ace's hatred for Roger outweighed any faint idea of blood ties.
And for Ryuunosuke, that made things much easier.
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