The next day.
The sun blazed overhead, the sky clear and bright.
East Blue.
Eighty li north of Foosha Village.
Kai and Ace stopped at the foot of a towering mountain range.
Looking ahead, the range stretched for hundreds of kilometers, cloaked in lush green forest. The cries of wild beasts echoed between the ridges, while birds sang overhead—a land full of untamed vitality.
Ace wiped his sweaty brow, his legs sore. He shot Kai a puzzled look.
"What are we doing here? Running all this way… to a place where not even birds would bother to shit. Don't tell me this is that 'special training' you promised me?"
Since dawn, Kai had dragged him at a relentless pace, sprinting the entire eighty li from Foosha Village.
Even with his unusually strong body, Ace was about to collapse. After all, he was still only three years old.
But Kai?
Not even winded. His face was calm, his breathing steady, complexion rosy as if the long run had been a stroll in his own backyard.
The sight made Ace grit his teeth.
This guy… really was a monster.
They were the same age. Yet after running eighty li, Ace's legs felt like lead, while Kai stood tall, fresh as ever.
The gap between them was like a chasm.
"Is the difference between us really this huge…?"
Ace muttered bitterly to himself.
These past weeks, he had been beaten down again and again—by Kai's overwhelming strength, by his impossible stamina. His pride had been shattered piece by piece.
Still, Ace clenched his fists.
"Hmph! One day, I'll catch up to you. Just you wait!"
Kai smiled faintly at Ace's defiance. His eyes turned serious.
"Two days from now… I'll be leaving Foosha Village."
Ace froze. His face stiffened, an awkward look flashing across his features.
Though they had only been together a little over a month, Ace had already gotten used to following Kai, training under his lead. Without realizing it, he had begun to see Kai as a kind of big brother.
And now that brother is leaving.
A hollow weight settled in his chest.
"Where will you go?" Ace asked quietly.
"Marineford. The Marine Headquarters."
Ace's eyes widened.
"You're going to be a Marine? You don't want to be a pirate? Don't you want to aim for the Pirate King?"
Kai chuckled.
"No."
Pirate King? Whoever wanted it could have it. He wasn't interested.
Ace exhaled in relief. Then, with sudden fire in his eyes, he declared:
"Then the Pirate King's throne is mine! Without you in the way, it's basically guaranteed!"
"If I had to compete with you… I might not stand a chance. But since you're choosing the Marines, I can aim for Pirate King with confidence!"
From Kai, he felt a pressure so immense it was suffocating. If Kai also aimed for the Pirate King's crown, Ace knew he'd have no hope of ever surpassing him.
But now—things were different.
Kai smirked.
"So you'll aim to be Pirate King? Then I'll be waiting. But remember, as a Marine, my job will be to hunt pirates like you. Better hope you don't run into me—otherwise, the cells of Impel Down will be waiting."
Ace scowled.
"You talk like you've already caught me! Just you wait, I'll get stronger—stronger than you!"
Kai only smiled.
"Is that so? Then I'll be waiting."
Inwardly, he dismissed it.
With the Ghost Back System and his hundredfold Cultivation Efficiency Multiplier, his rate of growth would leave the whole world in the dust.
Ace asked again:
"So in two days, you'll leave with that old man to Marineford?"
"Yeah." Kai nodded. Then added casually, "Before I go, I'll leave my foolish little brother, Luffy, in your care."
"Luffy, huh? Don't worry, I'll look after him." Ace answered without hesitation.
He then glanced at the towering mountains ahead.
"So… is this why you dragged me all the way out here? Just to tell me you're leaving?"
"Of course not."
Kai's gaze sharpened.
"There's unfinished business. Something I need to resolve before I go."
Ace blinked. "What business?"
"I've heard that eighty miles north of Foosha Village lies a range called the Daksen Mountains. In there, a bandit gang makes their lair—over three hundred strong, the largest bandit group in the region."
"I can't just leave knowing they're out there. If they ever turn their eyes toward Foosha Village, the villagers wouldn't stand a chance. And I can't expect a brat like you to take them on."
"I won't allow the people of Foosha to fall into the hands of scum like that."
Ace's breath caught.
"You mean… before you leave, you're going to wipe out that entire bandit gang?"
Kai's lips curled into a cold smile.
"Exactly."
"That's why we're here. Before they ever threaten Foosha, we'll strike first—"
"—and erase them completely."
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