bioinnovel Chapter 498: The Banquet Resumes!
Chapter 498: The Banquet Resumes!
Ace didn't look back for a moment.
He didn't even glance at the bottom of the pit. There lay Ace, half-dead from his beating. He resolutely turned his back and strode away.
Their steps were both fast and firm.
He is on the run.
He never wanted to see Roger's face again!
Sabo immediately followed.
He knew his brother too well. What Ace needed right now was absolute space. He always kept a distance of half a step diagonally behind Ace.
This position is very clever.
It wouldn't make Ace feel oppressed by being monitored, yet it would ensure that his line of sight covered the entire area. If anyone dared to jump out at this moment, or if anything could provoke Ace, the steel pipe gleaming coldly in his hand could crush their bones in a fraction of a second.
All the muscles in my body are tense.
He stared intently at everyone around him.
Luffy stood there stunned for a few seconds.
His large eyes were filled with worry and helplessness. Realizing what was happening, he immediately took off after him, still clutching the half-eaten piece of bone-in roast meat.
He values food more than his own life.
But at that moment, he completely forgot to put the meat in his mouth. He was only focused on following closely behind his brother, staring intently at Ace's flushed profile.
He saw the clenched jawline.
He saw the overwhelming sorrow overflowing from the scene.
He opened his mouth, wanting to call out Ace.
Sabo immediately turned his head.
That look was extremely stern.
Luffy obediently shut his mouth. He simply quickened his pace, following closely behind.
Ace walked into the dark passage at the end of the square.
His silhouette was swallowed by the darkness.
The moment they vanished, it was as if most of the air in the square had been sucked away instantly. A suffocating sense of oppression enveloped the entire ruins.
The captains of the Whitebeard Pirates all stood still.
No one spoke.
The Red-Haired Pirates' officers remained absolutely silent. Beckman lit another cigar but didn't smoke it; the smoke curled up and dissipated. The Revolutionary Army soldiers maintained a high state of alert. The Straw Hat crew members stood quietly in their positions.
Hundreds of renowned powerful figures gathered in this square.
No one made a sound.
Everyone knows it in their hearts.
The father-son feud we just witnessed was far from over. The beating Roger received was merely the beginning. The condition Ace ultimately uttered was the real obstacle preventing reconciliation between father and son.
Vegapunk was the first to be unable to bear the silence.
He jumped onto a makeshift metal table, waved his hands vigorously at the frozen crowd around him, cleared his throat, and shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Stop standing there! What are you daydreaming about! Did you think the wine and meat would come for nothing? Keep eating! Keep drinking! Nobody's allowed to have a long face tonight!"
The sound echoed abruptly in the empty square.
He was forcibly pulling the banquet back from its off track.
His comical movements and loud voice broke the deathly silence of the entire venue.
Several engineering robots in standby mode immediately received the command. Their tracks began to roll. They pushed barrels of unopened liquor to the center of the square and placed the freshly roasted giant sea monster legs over the campfire.
The rich aroma of meat and the pungent smell of alcohol filled the air once again.
Brooke returned to his previous position. He placed the violin back on his bony shoulder and picked up the bow, resting it on the strings.
First, play a very slow-paced piece.
Soft, deep notes flowed through the night sky. He was using this piece to help everyone regain the normal rhythm of the banquet.
The atmosphere eased somewhat.
The young pirates exchanged glances.
He tentatively reached out to grab the roasted meat. He picked up his wooden wine glass and gently clinked it against his finger, the crisp sound breaking the silence. People began to talk in hushed tones. The noise in the square gradually rose again.
The oppression has not completely dissipated.
But at least on the surface, order was forcibly restored to the atmosphere of a banquet.
On the high platform.
Chen Ye sat steadily in the large chair, looking down at the plaza that was gradually returning to life. He nodded slightly at Vegapunk's actions.
He then turned his head to look at the heavy medical robot waiting below.
"Go and get Roger out. Don't let him really die in the rubble."
We've already fought. We've vented half our anger.
Roger can't really die!
Tomorrow's dialogue is the real highlight.
Several heavy medical robots immediately activated their highest power. Following the smooth path along the collapsed edge, they found Roger buried beneath the debris.
Roger lay on his back in the cold rubble. His limbs were spread out limply, and his chest rose and fell so faintly that they were almost invisible.
The robot extended its robotic arm. First, it carefully removed the huge rock that was pressing on Roger's leg. Then, it deployed a specially made metal splint, the cold metal precisely locking the fractured shoulder and back and broken ribs.
The movements were very professional.
They slowly lifted Roger onto the stretcher.
The moment Roger was moved, his body convulsed violently. A muffled groan of extreme pain escaped his throat.
His chapped lips twitched slightly.
With his last ounce of strength, he managed to utter a mumbled cry.
"Ace..."
The sound was so faint that it seemed a gust of wind could carry it away.
But all he heard was the cold, mechanical hum of machinery. No one answered him. The son he had wronged his entire life was gone.
Chopper stood at the entrance of the passageway at the edge of the square.
He saw the medical robot pushing a stretcher up from the deep pit, and immediately threw away the half-eaten bone he had been clutching. He ran while shouting curses.
"He's already injured like this and he's still making a fuss! He really doesn't value his own life!"
He shouldered that iconic, enormous medical kit and, with his short legs, rushed with all his might towards the temporary medical area.
He ran to the stretcher.
He immediately switched into full-on medical mode. Standing on tiptoe, he roughly pried open Roger's blood-covered eyelids to carefully examine his pupils' light reflex. He bent down and pressed his ear against Roger's chest to listen to his breathing rate.
He loudly ordered the medical robot beside him to immediately prepare the highest concentration of IV fluid and bring the most advanced hemostatic equipment.
At that moment, his instinct as a doctor completely overwhelmed his personal emotions.
Regardless of who was lying on the stretcher, regardless of what mistakes that person had made, all he could think about was how to pull this dying man back from the brink of death.
The stretcher was quickly pushed into the makeshift medical room.
The heavy metal door closed behind Chopper. The red emergency light came on.
The atmosphere in the square subtly shifted.
The white-bearded man stood still, gazing intently in the direction of the medical room for a moment. He lifted the massive Murakumogiri sword with one hand, its blade gleaming coldly in the firelight. Turning around, he strode with heavy, resolute steps toward the high platform.
Shanks put down the wooden wine glass in his hand.
She stood up and silently followed behind the white-bearded man. There was something unreadable in her eyes.
The dragon emerged from the shadows. Without a word, it strode forward, its dark green cloak billowing in the wind.
Zefa followed with a cold expression. He was used to seeing life and death, but tonight's scene still made his heart sink.
Aokiji had his hands in his pockets, his steps were languid but his direction was extremely clear.
Locke dropped the sneer from his lips and swayed as he walked toward the platform.
These powerful figures, standing atop the vast ocean, now shared a surprisingly unified goal.
They all wanted to find that man on the high platform. They wanted Chen Ye to explain this matter clearly.