Coo coo, coo coo.
A flock of seagulls flew across the sky as a massive pirate ship sailed the seas. The flag of the Whitebeard Pirates fluttered proudly in the wind, its symbol unmistakable.
Onboard the Moby Dick, a group of pirates went about their day in a mix of boredom and routine.
As mbers of the main ship of the Whitebeard Pirates, they lived leisurely. After all, no one dared to challenge the ship directly.
Even if there was a rare fight, it would quickly be resolved by Whitebeard himself, leaving little for the crew to do.
One pirate leaned against the ship's rail, scanning the horizon with a telescope in search of nearby islands. Suddenly, a black dot appeared in his line of sight.
Adjusting the focus, he realized it was a piece of broken wood with a person lying on it.
His expression changed as he recognized the figure—he had just seen that face on a bounty poster a few days ago.
"Hey, co quick, there's sothing out there!"
His cry drew the attention of three other pirates, who rushed over.
"What's the matter? Did you spot an enemy?"
"Impossible, right?"
"No, it's soone shipwrecked," the pirate explained, pointing ahead.
The pirate beside him rolled his eyes and smirked. "Why are you so worked up over so castaway? In the New World, people in distress show up every day. What's the big deal?"
"No, you don't understand—it's Fire Fist Ace!"
The pirate handed over the telescope.
"Fire Fist?"
The others imdiately grew serious. One of them adjusted the telescope to get a closer look.
"It really is him!"
"What do we do? Should we save him?"
Normally, pirates weren't obliged to rescue anyone, but this wasn't an ordinary man. It was Fire Fist Ace.
"Get him on board," a calm voice instructed.
The group turned to see Marco approaching.
"Captain Marco, do you really think we should save him? He's the enemy Lucifer wants dead," one of the pirates objected.
"That's right! Judging by his condition, he must have just suffered a crushing defeat—probably at the hands of the Nether Pirates," another added.
Saving Fire Fist Ace would an going against Lucifer, and none of the crew were eager to provoke the infamous leader of the Nether Pirates without reason.
Marco's expression remained indifferent, his tired eyes showing little emotion. "It doesn't matter. Bring him aboard and treat him."
Marco wasn't naive. Even though the Nether Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates had no direct conflict yet, he understood it was only a matter of ti.
Lucifer's ambitions ensured they would clash sooner or later. Offending him now wouldn't make a difference in the long run.
Soon, the crew hauled Ace onto the deck.
When they saw the full extent of his injuries, a collective gasp echoed across the ship.
More pirates gathered to see what was going on, and they, too, were stunned by Ace's condition.
Sword marks covered his body, with over two hundred wounds, both large and small.
His lower abdon and left chest were pierced clean through. Nurous ribs were shattered, and both arms were fractured.
It was the kind of injury that would have killed any normal person a hundred tis over.
Yet, Ace was still alive.
Although his breathing was faint, the fla of life within him stubbornly refused to be extinguished.
"This guy is a monster."
"With wounds like that, how is he still alive?"
"Is he a Devil Fruit user? To be this badly injured, fall into the sea, and survive... that's incredible!"
The pirates stared at the unconscious Ace, their eyes filled with disbelief and awe.
"Alright, enough gawking. Focus on saving him!"
A booming voice silenced the chatter. Whitebeard himself had arrived on deck.
"Marco, take care of this kid. He's got potential—don't let him die!"
Whitebeard studied Ace carefully, and a strange sense of familiarity washed over him. There was sothing about this young man that reminded him of soone he once knew.
Perhaps it was this feeling that made Whitebeard so determined to save him.
"Don't worry, Pops," Marco replied confidently.
Marco stepped forward and unleashed his blue flas, enveloping Ace in their soothing glow.
As a Zoan Mythical Beast-type user with the power of the Phoenix Fruit, Marco's flas didn't burn like ordinary fire. Instead, they possessed extraordinary healing properties.
Under the warm embrace of the phoenix flas, Ace's wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye. His breathing grew steadier, and the once faint beat of his heart beca strong and rhythmic.
After so ti, most of Ace's wounds had closed, though the more severe injuries—like the penetrating wounds in his lower abdon and chest, as well as his nurous broken bones—remained.
The phoenix flas, despite their remarkable power, had their limits when healing others. For soone as gravely injured as Ace, a complete recovery would take ti.
"Alright, his life is no longer in danger. Let's move him sowhere to rest," Marco instructed as he retracted his flas.
As Ace was carried away, Vista, known as Foil Vista, crossed his arms and comnted, "Lucifer sure didn't hold back. It's only been a few days, and Fire Fist Ace is already on the brink of death."
"Heh, you're mistaken," another pirate interjected. "If Lucifer himself had acted, Fire Fist Ace wouldn't have survived—even if he had a hundred lives."
"To escape the pursuit of the Nether Pirates, Fire Fist Ace must be strong. And he's lucky, too," another added, admiration evident in his tone.
The crew murmured in agreent. Escaping the relentless Nether Pirates was no small feat.
"Judging by his condition, though, he's likely the sole survivor. His entire crew must have been wiped out," Marco muttered, his tired eyes narrowing as he shook his head. "What a sha. I just hope he can pull himself together."
Fire Fist Ace was a remarkable rookie from 1517, with a bounty that had already reached 500 million berries when he first entered the New World. Marco had always been optimistic about his potential.
But after such a devastating blow, losing all his comrades, Marco wasn't sure if Ace would ever recover emotionally. Not everyone could endure such heartbreak.
Perhaps fate had played a role, bringing Ace aboard Whitebeard's ship.
Suddenly, the pirate stationed at the watchtower shouted, "Hey! That's the main ship of the Red-Hair Pirates!"
Using his binoculars, the lookout confird that a pirate ship was approaching rapidly in the distance. Flashes of light flickered from the ship—signal codes used for communication at sea.
"Pops! The Red-Hair Pirates want to see you," the lookout reported.
Whitebeard took a deep swig from his jug of wine and laughed. "Ah, let the brat co. But he'd better have brought so good booze with him!"
"If that red-haired rascal dares show up empty-handed, I'll teach him a lesson myself!"
With Whitebeard's approval, the Red-Hair Pirates entered the restricted waters around the Moby Dick. The two ships soon docked side by side.
"Welco, Captain Red-Hair!"
Despite their lighthearted greetings, the captains and senior mbers of the Whitebeard Pirates wore solemn expressions.
Diamond Jozu crossed his arms and grumbled, "The Red-Hair Pirates are here. Shouldn't we be preparing for sothing?"
Marco, his perpetually tired eyes narrowing further, addressed the younger crewmbers. "All of you, step back. You can't handle this."
"What do you an, we can't handle it?" a new recruit asked, confused.
"Don't ask. Just hide in the cabins—quickly!" Marco snapped, not bothering to explain further.
Before he could finish, a pirate standing nearby suddenly collapsed onto the deck, unconscious.
Then another.
And another.
Pirates began dropping one by one, without any sign of an attack.
"Hey! What's happening?!" one panicked pirate yelled, but before he could get an answer, his vision went black, and he, too, fell to the ground.
Marco sighed, his expression even more listless than before. "Too late..."
"Don't panic!" Jozu called out, trying to calm the crew. "It's just a fainting spell."
He added, "Without strong ntal endurance, it's impossible to stay conscious in the presence of that man."
Wherever the red-haired figure walked, pirates on either side collapsed as if bowing to welco his arrival.
Marco and Jozu exchanged a glance, both visibly impressed.
"Still as strong as ever. What terrifying Conqueror's Haki," Jozu muttered.
"I heard that Lucifer released a similar Conqueror's Haki when he invaded Big Mom's territory," Marco said.
"That sudden burst of Haki stunned tens of thousands of Big Mom's subordinates and nearly wiped out half of her elite forces!"
"Tens of thousands?" a pirate nearby exclaid in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding! Is sothing like that even possible?"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thanks to [Paolo Garcia] for joining my Patreon page!🎉 Your support ans the world to . 🙏
You can visit my Patreon page:
Patreon/PhoeniXcel
There are 60 advanced Chapters available for you to read.
Your support would be greatly appreciated.
Check out my new Naruto fanfic!
[One piece: Starting as a Mythical Beast]
Reviews
All reviews (0)