New Journey

The surroundings suddenly became quiet, with only the sea breeze making the clothes flutter.

What are you saying?

Nami paused for a moment, then frowned as she looked at the man in front of her.

"I hope you will become my companions and adventure with me on the Grand Line," Ace said with a grin.

"To be your companion? To travel to the Grand Line?" Nami looked at Ace and asked, "What are you talking about? And why should we be your companions?"

"Because you guys are very strong."

Ace smiled and said, "You are an excellent navigator, and Hachi is the Second Strongest Swordsman of Fish-Man Island. If we become comrades, we can become great pirates."

"How does he know so much?" Nami looked up at Hachi, her eyes filled with reproach.

"But, it might just be a guess." Hachi turned his head, scratched his cheek, and stretched out his mouth.

"Never mind, never mind."

Nami turned to Ace and asked, "You just said you wanted to go to the Grand Line?"

"Yes, I want to become a pirate, conquer the Grand Line, gain the highest fame, prove myself, and become famous throughout the world," Ace said with a smile. This was his dream, the dream he shouted out on the beach with Luffy and Sabo.

Nami waved her hand and said, "Sorry, we don't plan to go to the Grand Line for the time being."

"As a navigator, don't you want to see the Grand Line?"

Ace said, then looked at Hachi and asked, "And Hachi, as a swordsman, don't you want to become famous and challenge the world's number one swordsman? At the very least, you should become the Fish-Man Island's Strongest Swordsman, right?"

"Hawk Eyes Mihawk? He's too strong, I wouldn't dare challenge him." Hachi stroked his chin and said, "But the Fish-Man Island's Strongest Swordsman? Defeating Hyouzou? This..."

Nami snorted and said, "The dangers of the Grand Line are far greater than those of the East China Sea. Hachi and I only plan to find an opportunity to go to the Grand Line in two or three years. Your physical condition is good, but you are not qualified to enter the Grand Line."

"Looks like I've been underestimated."

Ace placed his right hand on his hat and said with a smile, "Then how about we make a bet?"

"What?" Nami asked curiously.

Ace said, "I'll fight Hachi. If I win, you'll become my allies. If you win, I'll leave immediately. Okay?"

"You want to fight me? My strength is such that few can find an opponent in the East China Sea. And don't you know the difference between humans and Fish-Man Race?" Hachi looked at Ace and shook his head.

"So if I defeat you, it will prove that I have enough strength to lead you." Ace asked with a smile, "How about it? Let's make a bet."

Nami fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

Her dream is to draw a map of the entire world and travel to the Grand Line, but with her and Hachi's strength, they are unable to achieve this.

The ship only had a helmsman and a navigator; there were few people on board, and their fighting strength was also insufficient.

However, Hachi's strength is beyond doubt; he has few rivals in the East China Sea. If he can defeat Hachi, it will indeed enhance their strength.

When there are more people, they will also be able to travel to the Grand Line.

Even if I wait three years, will I be able to meet someone more suitable?

Of course, this is the outcome if we lose, which is not hard to accept.

But in her heart, Nami didn't think he could defeat Hachi. His racial advantage was too great, and Hachi was no ordinary Fish-Man soldier. Especially with his lighter weapon, his attack speed was even faster. His current strength was not much different from Arlong's.

The chances of Hachi losing are extremely low.

Nami looked at Ace, nodded, and said, "I accept the bet, but on the condition that Hachi can use a knife."

"Of course, it is an unreasonable condition to ask a swordsman to fight without his own sword."

Ace smiled and walked onto the deck, standing in front of Hachi, saying, "Come on."

"Then let's test your strength. Hopefully, you can give me some fun."

Hachi slowly drew his long sword from his six tentacle arms and held it in his hand.

"Six knives?" Ace was somewhat surprised.

"That's right, I am Hachi, the Hachi Fish-Man of the Six-Sword Style. Please enlighten me."

Hachi said seriously, and then suddenly attacked, taking a step forward and slashing down with his twin swords.

"So fast."

Ace was somewhat surprised by the speed of the blade as it flashed past and instantly appeared in front of him.

But the next moment, his body swayed from side to side, and the long sword grazed his body.

But in an instant, four flashes of cold light appeared around him, and four long swords attacked Ace from the side.

Swoosh.

Ace bent his knees and retreated rapidly, causing all four knives to miss their mark.

"Again."

Hachi lunged forward, instantly charging forward and slashing out with his knife once more.

However, Ace moved his feet and quickly retreated, dodging his attack.

Hachi kept attacking, but Ace kept retreating and dodging, always managing to avoid his attacks.

"Quick reaction." Nami nodded to herself from a distance.

Hachi was annoyed to see him only running and shouted, "Is all you can do to run?"

"Run?"

Ace suddenly stopped, smiled, and said, "Then we won't run anymore."

"Six-Sword Style - Sheathed Foot Strange Sword".

Hachi's arms and legs suddenly rose up and slowly twisted. The next moment, six swords slashed towards Ace.

These six swords, some slashing straight down, some cutting across the neck, some slicing towards the legs, and some thrusting straight out, each move was different, sealing off Ace's entire body.

Amidst the flurry of sword shadows, Ace showed no sign of tension. The instant Ace made his move, Ace took a step forward and suddenly attacked.

His hands moved like afterimages, striking out instantly and accurately hitting Hachi's wrist.

Bang, bang, bang...

Six sounds rang out, and Ace blocked all of Hachi's swords.

"Again."

Hachi felt a sound coming from his wrist and launched another attack, "Octopus Jar Technique."

Hachi took a step back, the tips of the six knives in his hand piercing towards Ace's body.

But the moment he retreated, Ace stepped forward and unleashed another powerful attack with both hands.

Bang, bang, bang.

Hachi's move was blocked again before he could finish.

"Octopus Door Opening."

Hachi was unable to thrust his arm out, but fortunately, he used Ace's strength to deflect his arm, and then used all his strength to slash out.

Six swords blocked Ace's body, but Ace took another step forward, swinging his fists to block Hachi's arm once again.

"You've fallen for their trap."

Hachi suddenly released his two swords, and his two octopus arms grabbed Ace's hand the instant Ace reached out to strike. He then unleashed the remaining four swords once more.

Is that so?

Ace narrowed his eyes, grinned, and said, "Then let's end it here."

Ace pushed off with his left foot, his body suddenly shooting forward, and he kicked out.

boom.

Just as the six swords were about to strike Ace, Hachi was kicked away first.

Bang.

Hachi was sent flying backwards, crashing into the cabin before slowly falling and landing on the deck.

"Hachi!" Nami saw this and quickly ran over.

"So strong."

Hachi looked at Ace in shock; his strength was immense, and his speed was incredible.

"Your swordsmanship is good, and you are very fast, but you have one major flaw."

Ace looked at Hachi and said.

"Flaw?" Hachi raised his head and looked at the other party curiously.

Ace laughed and said, "First of all, your lower body is too weak, and that's relative to your arms. Your leg strength is more than ten times that of an average person, but it's still a bit weaker than your arms. Secondly, your body is huge, so your legs have to bear more force, which is why you move very slowly. So I can defeat you by just dodging."

You're right.

Hachi recalled the scene from the battle just now, realizing that he couldn't catch up with Ace at all; his legs were a fatal weakness.

"However, your advantages are also quite obvious."

Ace chuckled and said, "Your race determines your strength, and your six arms eliminate many of the weaknesses of a swordsman. A swordsman's optimal attack range is short to medium distance, limited by the length of the sword, making them unsuitable for close-quarters combat. Anyone who doesn't use a sword will try their best to get close to their opponent. But you are different. First, you have six arms, which can effectively block your opponent's movement and prevent them from getting close. Second, your arms are long and can bend freely, providing a large defensive range, making it difficult for your opponent to get close. Then, you can also discard your sword to parry and distract your opponent. Your race proves that you were born to be a swordsman."

Hearing this, Hachi couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "But even if you don't dodge afterward, I still can't defeat you."

"That's because I'm strong. My physical abilities are better than yours, and my reactions are faster. I'm a whole level above you, so naturally I can defeat you."

Ace said with a smile, "Moreover, you have a second weakness, or rather, it's not a weakness, but a goal you haven't achieved yet."

"What is it?" Hachi was completely curious.

Ace said, "That is, you can't be distracted when controlling your weapon."

"You have six swords, but you can only control two attack methods at most. At most, you can't control them anymore," Ace said slowly.

"But my Sheathed Foot Strange Sword has six attack methods," Hachi asked, puzzled.

Ace said, "No, no, it's not what I said. Your Sheathed Foot Strange Sword uses six different sword techniques, but they are determined before the move is even made. To use this technique, you need to open your arm, assume the posture, change the move by twisting your wrist and foot, and then strike the long sword by contracting your muscles. If the attack doesn't work, you can't immediately change your arm to use all six techniques. If you want to change the move, you can only use two techniques at a time. To use all six, you need to retract your arm again and then attack the second move. This allows the enemy to judge your sword technique based on the sword's position and the direction it points at the moment of its strike and react accordingly. You can easily deal with people who are physically weaker than you. But against people who are experienced in combat and physically stronger than you, you will be at a disadvantage."

"I see."

Hachi's eyes lit up and he said, "Lord Hyouzou can do that. He has eight arms, each with a different move, and can change them freely."

"Moreover, if you can use your attention to six different things at once, you can better adapt to the enemy's reactions and also attack by controlling the rhythm of your attacks."

Ace laughed and said, "If you train your legs and overcome your relatively slow movement speed, your strength will undergo a dramatic change. At that point, I won't be able to put up a fight at all."

"I see."

Hachi stood up, bowed deeply to Ace, and said, "Thank you for your guidance."

"Don't do that."

Ace laughed and said, "Aren't we comrades?"

Upon hearing this, Hachi thought of the bet from earlier, scratched his head, looked at Nami, and said apologetically, "I'm sorry Nami, I lost."

Nami looked at Ace and couldn't help but frown.

Extremely strong, he defeated Hachi with his bare hands and seemed to have no trouble at all, far stronger than Arlong.

With him and Hachi, entering the Grand Line will be no problem.

But am I ready to join the Grand Line? And is this person trustworthy?

"If you don't want to, then forget it."

Seeing Nami's expression, Ace couldn't help but say, "I won't force you."

"I agree."

Upon hearing this, Nami suddenly nodded.

"You agreed?"

Ace was somewhat surprised, then his face lit up with joy, and he asked, "Would you like to be my companions?"

"You have to accept the consequences of your bet."

Nami said with a smile, "Since we lost, we naturally have to honor the agreement."

His final words convinced Nami.

He was very powerful, completely surpassing Hachi, and could easily subdue Hachi of them, forcing them to work for him.

However, despite winning, he chose to concede.

More importantly, his strength is too great. I don't know if anyone in the East China Sea can defeat him. At least, Arlong is no match for him.

Arlong made a name for himself on the Grand Line with his Arlong's Crew, and was later invited to join the Sun Pirates.

With him joining, we have enough to establish ourselves on the Grand Line.

You can travel to the Grand Line Grand Line and draw a map of it yourself.

That was my dream.

Three years from now, there may not be an opportunity, but right now, there is a great opportunity.

If we miss this opportunity, we'll never find such a qualified thug again.

It wasn't just Ace who wanted Nami to be his ally; Nami, on the contrary, was more interested in Ace.

"Then from today onwards, we are comrades." Ace looked intently at the two of them.

Nami looked at Ace and asked curiously, "But we still don't know your name."

"Ace, my name is Ace, Portgas D. Ace," Ace replied with a smile.

"D?"

Hachi's eyes widened.

"What's wrong? Is there anything special about this name?" Nami asked curiously.

"No, it's just that the letter 'd' is special."

Hachi replied, "The One Piece's name is Gol D. Roger, which also has a 'D' in it. There are rumors that D. Clan' exists in this world, but it's just a rumor."

"I guess he added the 'D' because he One Piece." Nami glanced at Ace.

You're right.

Ace said with a grin, but inwardly he sighed, "Sorry, that name is fraught with danger, and it's not convenient to tell you about that matter for the time being."

Nami shrugged and said, "Alright, let's set off. To reach the Grand Line, this alone is not enough; we need to make some preparations."

"I'll listen to you."

Ace nodded, adjusted his hat, looked at the distant sea, opened his arms, and said, "Let's begin conquering the Grand Line."

Outside a house in a small town on the Silvan Island.

"Your trip will take at least ten days."

Nojiko stood in front of Marcel and said plaintively, "We just got married."

"The situation is urgent. Captain Calis collapsed a while ago and has just woken up. He will not be able to go to sea again, so the trading company asked me to take over as captain."

Marcel kissed Nojiko's forehead and said, "This is a good thing, otherwise it would have taken me at least four or five years to become a captain of a ship."

"Then let's go."

Nojiko nodded and said with concern, "Be careful."

"I will."

Marcel hugged Nojiko and said, "If you're bored, you can go back to Cocoyasi Village. The merchant guild has opened a new shipping route. Now there are two ships going to Jumada Island every week, and a merchant ship will return on Wednesday."

After the Arlong Pirates left, the Shining Gold Merchant Association rearranged the shipping routes for the Zhumeda Archipelago and the surrounding waters, making it very safe to travel there now.

"We'll talk about it later," Nojiko a laugh.

After embracing his mother, brother, and sister, Marcel carried two huge backpacks and headed towards the beach.

After reading the book reviews, aside from one reader in the bookstore who didn't want to break up the Straw Hat Pirates, about 70% of the readers supported changing the plot. The remaining readers were worried about whether the Straw Hat Pirates could still enter the Grand Line without Nami, but there's no need to worry about that. Secondly, there won't be a dual storyline, and there will even be very little direct description of the plot going forward, because the protagonist's perspective will broaden, and the story can be described through the protagonist's point of view.