Chapter 35: Where’s Dad?

Words : 1169 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

"Have any of you seen Loxus?" On the deck of the Moby Dick, Whitey Bay was searching for her son. After looking everywhere, she still couldn't find him. "Loxus? Haven't seen him," Marco said. "Me neither," Jozu shook his head. "Maybe he's still sleeping," Vista suggested. "No way, I saw him last night," Whitey Bay denied. "Keep looking. He couldn't have just disappeared," said Whitebeard. "Wait, I have his Vivre Card!" Whitey Bay suddenly remembered, pulling it out. The Vivre Card began to move. Following its direction, Whitey Bay stared out at the distant sea, her expression darkening as she realized something. The others also noticed where the Vivre Card was pointing. "Don't tell me..." Marco and the others' expressions began to change. "He snuck onto Big Bro's ship and left with him?!" Vista and the others exclaimed. "WHAT?!!" The entire Whitebeard Pirates crew erupted into chaos. Meanwhile, somewhere in the New World, Roy stared at the figure hiding sneakily in the cabin, someone who looked a lot like him, though with more of his mother's features. "Dad...." Loxus said nervously. "Do you realize what you've done?" Roy glared at his son. Loxus met his father's gaze, unsure of what to do. He had been discovered too early. He thought he could hide for a few more days, wait until they were far from the Whitebeard Pirates, and then reveal himself. By then, his dad wouldn't be able to send him back. But now he had been caught so soon, he'd probably be sent back right away. "Dad, don't send me back. I can take care of you," Loxus pleaded. "You're sure you'll be taking care of me, and not the other way around?" Roy couldn't help but laugh. In his past life, he had never married, but in this one, he had a wife and child. He always hoped for a daughter, but life is funny; when you want something, it never comes; when you stop expecting it, it suddenly arrives. He and Whitey Bay had started sharing a bed when she was nineteen, but it wasn't until ten years later, at twenty-nine, that she gave birth to their son. Roy rarely took part in raising him—Whitey Bay had handled most of it. He never expected to have this kind of one-on-one time with his son. "Dad, I've been a pirate for four years now. I know the seas well," Loxus said proudly. "Originally, I was going to send you back. But since you're so insistent, fine—come along and see the world beyond the New World," Roy said. "Thanks, Dad!" Loxus beamed. "But remember, you promised to take care of me. If you can't hold up your end, I'm sending you back," Roy warned. "No problem! I'll take good care of you!" Loxus stood at attention. By noon, Roy was already regretting his decision. Watching the black smoke billowing from the kitchen, he was at a loss for words. "You're just like your mother, absolutely no talent in this area," Roy sighed. Mother and son were alike: both hopeless in the kitchen. Whitey Bay had spent years trying to learn but had long since given up. Back when they first got together, she had once tried cooking for him and nearly poisoned him. After that, Roy had banned her from the kitchen. Now, it seemed their son had inherited her lack of culinary skill. "I'll handle it. Just keep following the Vivre Card's direction." Roy had asked Blamenco to make a cover for the ship's helm, where Ace's Vivre Card was placed. This way, they didn't need a Log Pose; they could simply follow the card to track Ace down. Roy quickly whipped up some noodles, and the two ate together. "We're off course," Roy noted, seeing that the ship had drifted significantly. "What?!" Loxus hurriedly adjusted the helm, flustered. Roy sighed. His son had plenty of talent in combat, but when it came to daily life, he was utterly hopeless. "You could learn a thing or two from Ace. Even though he's a pirate, he was trained in noble etiquette. Not that it's particularly useful, but still," Roy remarked. "Captain Ace really is polite," Loxus agreed. "Yeah... something he learned in exchange for his comrades' lives," Roy said cryptically, leaving Loxus confused. The father-son pair took shifts—one handling the day, the other the night. Four days later, they entered the Calm Belt. "It's the West Blue," Roy said. "Dad, this is the Calm Belt! What do we do?" Loxus asked nervously, eyeing the massive Sea Kings churning the waters nearby. "Don't worry, just charge through. Our ship has two Jet Dials." Roy activated the full force of the wind, and the ship lifted off the water, skimming across the sea at high speed toward the West Blue. Though Sea Kings pursued them, they couldn't keep up. "Hahaha! Dad, this is awesome!" Loxus shouted into the wind, grinning like an excited husky sticking its head out of a car window, mouth open, loving the excitement. "You really take after your mom," Roy muttered, pressing harder on the wind dial. But the Sea Kings weren't slow either. Despite their massive size, they moved with startling speed. One in particular, a rabbit-like Sea King with glowing bloodshot eyes, was gaining on them fast. Just as it opened its massive jaws to swallow them whole, Loxus drew his twin swords, ready to fight. Roy was pleased—his son didn't freeze or panic but was prepared to fight back. "Get lost." Roy shot a glare at the Sea King. The rabbit-like Sea King froze mid-lunge, jaws wide open, not daring to move. Roy looked away, and the ship sped on. "Aww, it backed off. I wanted to take it down. I wonder if its meat tastes good," Loxus muttered. "Let's just get out of the Calm Belt first. If you kill it here, the blood will attract more Sea Kings," Roy said. "Fine," Loxus reluctantly sheathed his weapons as they reached the West Blue. Ace's Vivre Card continued guiding them. The father-son duo chased leads across several islands until the Red Line loomed before them. "Dad, is this Reverse Mountain?" Loxus gasped at the upward-flowing currents. "Yep, this is Reverse Mountain. Get ready, we're heading up. Man, he's fast," Roy said, exasperated. Ace had clearly moved even faster. In just a few days, he had already reached the Grand Line, even before Luffy did. It showed that both Teach and Ace had been racing at full speed lately. Roy had no choice but to chase them down, one place after another. As they ascended Reverse Mountain, Roy found himself at Twin Cape once again. "Hey, Crocus! You there?" .... If you enjoy the story, my p@treon is 30 chapters ahead. [email protected]/DaoistJinzu

Chapter 35: Where’s Dad?

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