The Terror of Nightmare

Seemingly oblivious to Ace's unusual behavior, Vivi excitedly muttered to herself, "I've done a lot of research and inquiries. Nightmare's bounty is a whopping 300 million Beli, which would rank third even among the Shichibukai, Heavenly Yaksha only to Doflamingo and Gecko Moria!"

"..." Ace's gaze was blank.

Usopp interrupted Vivi's mutterings, stammering, "Wh... what? 300 million Beli? My god! Even if Luffy became the most wanted criminal in the East Blue, his bounty would only be 30 million Beli! Does that mean that Nightmare is ten Luffy?!"

Everyone was shocked to hear this. Although they knew from Luffy's grandfather's words that Nightmare was very strong, they had no idea just how strong it was. Now, after hearing Usopp's explanation, they finally had a better understanding.

"3...300 million Beli, that's a lot of money!" Nami cupped her hands to her cheeks, lost in her daydream.

"There are actually ten Luffy this strong? They're definitely not to be underestimated!" Sanji said, puffing on his cigarette.

"Oh... how scary! The outside world is really dangerous!" Chopper cried out, covering his eyes.

Looking at the people who were already discussing, Ace didn't know where to start.

Doflamingo is one thing, but Moria, that weakling, is stronger than Nightmare, in your opinion? Are you serious, girl?

Also, when did bounties start being calculated like this? The difference between 300 million and 30 million Beli is Luffy Beli n't match, okay?

Ace suddenly felt a bit scared. If he hadn't come today, would Luffy and his crew have really gone and challenged Nightmare by hiring ten pirates with bounties of 30 million?

"In order to find someone who can help me defeat Nightmare, I have memorized all the great pirates whose bounties exceed Nightmare's. Among them is Brother Ace, the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Fire Fist Ace, whose bounty is as high as 550 million Beli!"

As Vivi's excited, trembling voice faded, everyone was once again shocked.

"550 million Beli... Luffy's brother is worth so much!" Nami looked at Ace as if he were a walking treasure, giving Ace goosebumps.

"550 million Beli! I never imagined Luffy had a brother this strong!" Zoro was also shocked.

"Looking at it this way, Nightmare's 300 million Beli really isn't much." Usopp regained his confidence.

Only Luffy was dissatisfied, shouting, "What? Ace, you already have a bounty of 550 million Beli?! Ahhh! I'm already so far behind?"

Seeing Vivi's hopeful eyes, Ace had no choice but to interrupt, "Well, although I'm sorry, I have to admit that Nightmare's strength far surpasses mine. I challenged him twice, and both times I was defeated with almost no chance to fight back."

"What? How is that possible?" Everyone was shocked, but Vivi was the most excited. "Brother Ace, you must be lying to me, right? I know that bounty amounts in One Piece don't necessarily represent strength, but your bounty and Nightmare's are on completely different levels. This should mean that your strength is far superior to his, right?"

Ace was a little embarrassed. Luckily, no one was around, otherwise, if these words got out, he wouldn't know how to face people.

Seeing Luffy and the others looking at him with curiosity, Ace sighed and said, "It seems you really have no common sense as pirates. Today I'll give you your first lesson: never judge the strength of a Shichibukai by their bounty."

"Because the moment they become Shichibukai, their original Wanted Poster will be removed, and the bounty will never be increased. The bounty you know represents their strength before they became Shichibukai."

At this point, Ace suddenly looked at Luffy and asked, "Luffy, didn't you guys say before that you became the number one villain in the East Blue with a bounty of 30 million Beli before entering the Grand Line?"

"Haha, it's nothing compared to you, Ace." Luffy thought Ace was going to praise him, so he said shyly.

Ace's lips twitched, and he shook his head, saying, "Nightmare rose to power in the North Blue. Before he even entered the Grand Line, he had already become the Uncrowned King of the North Blue, with all forces submitting to him..."

"North Blue? All the forces?" Sanji suddenly couldn't help but ask.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Ace, somewhat puzzled.

"Ah, it's nothing, please continue." Sanji was somewhat unnatural, his voice was a little choked, and even the fingers holding the cigarette were trembling slightly.

Ace didn't say much, after all, caring for the crew was the captain's responsibility, and it wasn't his place to "interfere".

"What I'm going to tell you is that Nightmare's 300 million bounty was already that high when he was still in the North Blue, before he even entered the Grand Line."

"What? Impossible, absolutely impossible! The highest bounty in the North Blue and the East Blue differs by ten times, that's unbelievable!" Nami exclaimed in disbelief.

"What a joke! Even in the Grand Line, very few people can afford a bounty of 300 million. How could Nightmare have achieved this goal before even entering the Grand Line?" Zoro couldn't help but ask.

In everyone's eyes, Luffy is already a monster among monsters, so what is Nightmare, who completely surpasses Luffy in every aspect? The King of Monsters?

"As for Nightmare's current strength, I can't say for sure, but no matter how you rank them, even if you include all the hidden powerhouses in this world, Nightmare will definitely not fall out of the top ten. In fact, his ranking will only go higher. He's even been called the man closest to becoming the Pirate Kings!" Ace was also scared by Luffy. He was worried that if he turned around and left, they would excitedly go and challenge a monster like Nightmare. So he had no choice but to tell them all about how terrifying Nightmare, without caring that it might discourage them.

"Top ten in the world? Sounds so-so!" Luffy nonchalantly picked his nose, but then exploded after Ace finished speaking. "What? He's almost finished the Grand Voyage?! Ahhh, no way! After I solve Vivi's problem this time, I have to launch my assault on becoming the Pirate Kings as fast as I can!"

Top ten in the world, is that all? Everyone wanted to crack Luffy's head to see what was inside!

Seeing Vivi looking lost and dejected, Ace felt a pang of pity, but Ace hardened his heart and said, "If you want to find someone else to help you deal with Nightmare, you'd better give up that idea as soon as possible. That guy is not only powerful, but he also has methods such as resurrection. He is considered to be one of the most difficult monsters to kill, just like Kaido. If there really was a way to deal with him, the World Government wouldn't have been so inactive all this time."

"Therefore, without absolute certainty, no force in the world would be willing to launch an assassination attempt against a powerful and extremely troublesome monster like Nightmare."