"I definitely won't! I absolutely won't! I'm never going back to see that old man with you!" Ace snapped, his words cutting through the air like a blade.
"That's none of my business. My mission is to get you back. I'm on Vice Admiral Garp's payroll." Rodney, his brow furrowed, began to move, his body like a wound-up machine. "The natural history department is causing quite a bit of trouble. I'll be covering for you as Colonel Smoker."
Like a predator, he released kunai and shuriken from his hand, directing them at Ace.
"Firearms!" Ace held up the index and middle fingers of both hands, like miniature pistols. Small fireballs erupted from his fingertips, striking the incoming projectiles.
Rodney, agile as a cat, jumped up, pirouetted, and struck Ace across the upper body with a steel whip-like kick.
"How many times have I told you to stop fighting in the center of town?" Smoker thundered, his voice laced with weariness carrying through the streets.
"Tashigi, organize the evacuation of the townspeople from the battlefield," Smoker lit a cigar, his lips stretching slightly into a barely noticeable smile.
The townspeople, terrified by the sounds of battle, fled, abandoning their shops and homes. A senseless panic. A battle between marines and pirates could easily have cost lives and left a trail of destruction in its wake.
Rodney continued to attack like a madman, but Ace's blows were useless. The flames engulfing his upper body did no harm.
"That's a really powerful attack method. Maybe you should join my team?" Ace suggested, easily dodging the blows, his voice brimming with his characteristic self-confidence.
Rodney's face darkened. Why did these two brothers look so similar?
"Bastard, don't recruit pirates in front of me!" Smoker stepped forward like a shadow and vanished. Rokushiki—a technique that allows instantaneous movement—was his trump card.
Smoker's hands darted toward Ace. Sensing the threat, Ace avoided using elementalization and dodged.
"It's so dangerous. Huh? What is this?" Suddenly, a kunai appeared at his feet, with an explosive tag attached to it. Flames erupted from it, and Ace's body was blown to pieces, leaving not even his head.
The flames died down and Ace reappeared, a grin playing on his face.
- It seems you are not an ordinary sentry.
"I'm a pirate hunter. I just haven't been wearing any clothes lately," Smoker snorted coldly, his words dripping with sarcasm. "Rodney, don't waste any time, grab him."
Rodney, clutching six kunai with explosive tags attached, threw them at Ace. He pulled a shuriken from his pocket, trying to hit each other one by one to change the kunai's trajectory and avoid Ace's fire.
Boom-boom-boom-boom! Explosions rang out, shrouding everything in smoke and dust. A ball of flame erupted from the smoke, forming Ace's image. He floated in the air, lowering the brim of his hat and laughing.
"My team is still waiting for me. Let's go first."
"Kid, do you want to run?" Smoker, using "Razor," instantly appeared next to Ace.
Ace, startled, waved his hand. The flames engulfed Smoker, but he, like a ghost, burst through the flames, using his ability. Ten arms, piercing the flames, struck Ace, who, caught off guard, crashed into the house.
"It hurts, it hurts. What's going on? Didn't I just elementalize?" Ace, rising from the ruins, discovered a few scratches on his body, but nothing serious.
As befits a child raised by Garp, he survived.
"By the way, how long have you had this ability?" Rodney asked, his voice full of surprise.
Ace, patting the ashes on his body, answered without thinking:
— I received it two days ago.
Rodney: "..."
It's no wonder he doesn't use much energy. He hasn't fully developed his abilities yet. He's still a beginner, right?
"Very well, I'll have a hard time dealing with you when you're more experienced," Smoker said, taking a deep drag on his cigarette. The two cigars in his mouth quickly turned into small butts. He pulled two new cigars from his body, put them in his mouth, and lit them from the remaining two butts. He sipped, sucked, and relit them. He looked like an old smoker.
"Marine, you're truly a nuisance," Ace said, clutching his hat to himself. He wouldn't give up so easily. "I'll be the one to find the Treasure in the future. I won't stop there."
However, Ace's dream remained unchanged.
"Treasure? What a boring dream. The last one who pursued the Treasure died here," Smoker said, his words cold and dispassionate.
Ace's calm expression suddenly changed and he growled.
"Who died here like that guy? I'll definitely find One Piece and live a better life than him!"
He held a deep hatred for his father, the Pirate King, and felt disgust when others mentioned him.
"I don't care. I simply have to return you to Vice Admiral Garp. After that, you can stay or run. I have nothing to do with your rain," Rodney replied, feeling helpless.
Faced with a Logia-type Devil Fruit, he found himself at a disadvantage while everyone else was fighting. A tiger bites a hedgehog, but his teeth have no room to bite!
On the other hand, Rodney, addressing Smoker, said:
- Captain Smoker, extend your hands to me.
Smoker glanced at him but said nothing. The message was already clear: don't even think about it.
Rodney, faced with failure, sighed.
"What advantages did this old man give you?" Ace asked.
"Half of Rokushiki and knowledge of how to cultivate Haki," Rodney laughed. "Ace, don't underestimate your old man. He was a formidable man who chased Roger across the sea. And just because you're his grandson, he constantly indulged you."
Garp is a man worthy of the justice he champions, but justice can be a stumbling block. He watched his beloved grandson die before his eyes, helpless. It wasn't Sengoku that held him back, but justice! Whether Akainu dies at Garp's hands doesn't matter. Serious injuries, that's for sure.
Ace was silent for a moment and said:
"Talking won't get us anywhere. I'll definitely escape today. My team is still waiting for me."
"I'll take you all one by one. White Strike!" Smoker's limbs instantly turned to smoke. He had eaten a smoke fruit, which allowed him to transform his body into smoke to attack and track enemies. His fists and legs remained steady, but his arms and legs turned to smoke, accelerating his attacks and causing Ace considerable trouble.
Rodney could only watch the two duel, confused. Though they possessed remarkable abilities, he wasn't a Devil Fruit user, and he lacked Haki. He could only watch from the sidelines, trembling and clutching a melon.
The Flame Fruit's ability was especially good for attacking. Ace had only recently acquired a Devil Fruit and didn't yet know how to use its abilities. Otherwise, it was unclear who would have won in a fight with Smoker.
"Fire fist!" Ace swung his fist sharply, and his entire right arm turned into flames. A fiery fist as tall as a three-story building slammed into Smoker.
Boom!
The street was littered with ruins, the charred walls gaping like wounds on the city's flesh. Smoker, his heart clenched with anxiety, silently thanked fate that Tashigi had managed to evacuate the civilians. How many lives would have been lost if not for her determination! The fire of justice burned in his chest, his resolve to capture Ace unwavering. Yes, his grandfather was Garp, a vice admiral, but even that didn't give him the right to flout the laws, disobey his superiors, or insult the heroes of the Marines!
"Damn it!" Rodney rose from the ground and surveyed the devastated surroundings. "How many times do I have to tell you: don't use such destructive attacks! What if you hit civilians? This is why I hate you pirates!"
Looks can be deceiving; appearances don't always reflect the essence. His values weren't just empty words. The world might be corrupt, but he wasn't. He cared about himself, but was always ready to lend a helping hand. He couldn't understand Ace, who thoughtlessly sacrificed the lives of others.
"I'm sorry!" Ace apologized, as if admitting his guilt.
Smoker didn't miss the opportunity. He thrust his hands forward, shrouded in Haki smoke, aiming for Ace's throat. The blow would have been fatal. But Ace, battle-hardened and possessed of lightning-fast reflexes, dodged and responded with a fiery punch to Smoker's chest.
Smoker continued his attack, his ten arms flaring in a frantic rhythm, forcing Ace back. Rodney, approaching, snatched the short knife hanging from his leg and threw it at Ace.
"You know, physical attacks don't do much damage to my body," Ace said with a grin. "No need to attack twice if it's inconvenient."
Rodney shrugged, looking helplessly at Smoker.
"Captain Smoker, don't you have Haki? Could you lend me your weapon?"
"I still need it for Haki," Smoker replied. He had to master Busoshoku Haki, and it wouldn't be an easy path. He was still learning.