Ace vs. Law! The Name of an Emperor! Giant Mercenaries!

On the Golden Flying Dragon.

Luo sized up the little dragon-man in front of him.

It's really similar to how Kaido uses his abilities.

Its body was mostly covered in pink scales, its teeth and nails had become very sharp, and a not-too-long tail was wagging behind its rear end.

One for One obviously immature horns on its head, and its face is covered with Dragon Scales, like a mask, with only the area around its mouth remaining its original appearance.

"You said you wanted to challenge me?"

Luo said with great interest.

"Hey-hey,"

Ace carried a steel water pipe, his go-to weapon. "Zoro and Kuina are no match for me. They say you're the weakest among the executives, so of course I'll start by challenging the weakest!"

Luo's lips twitched slightly.

First, the weakest officer on the ship is Violet, although the woman tries to evade this fact by claiming to be an office worker.

Secondly, you little brat, are you asking for a beating?

"Don't get too cocky, Ace!"

Zoro, still unconvinced, declared, "I'll catch up to you soon!"

"You should catch up with Kuina first."

Ace chuckled.

The gap in strength was already there, but after he ate this fruit, the gap widened even further.

He could easily defeat both of them combined; their swords couldn't even pierce their own Dragon Scales!

"Then let's go."

Luo gave a forced smile, "Let me see the power of your Mythical Zoan."

"Oh! Are we going to fight?"

Violet, the weakest of the cadres, arrived with three of her best friends, grinning. "Luo, you're really being looked down upon. This kid doesn't seem to care about you at all."

A vein throbbed on Luo's forehead.

Who exactly is being looked down upon?

Ace completely ignored me and went straight to challenge me, okay?

"Anyway, let's get started!"

Beside Violet, Sondra urged.

You guys seem really keen on having fun, huh?

Luo really wanted to chop all these guys up.

"Then I'm coming!"

Ace, however, had already excitedly pounced on him.

He couldn't wait to test the power he had just gained.

Luo should be a very good opponent.

"Oh."

A slight, mocking smile curved Luo's lips.

Kid, do you think you can do whatever you want just because you have the same abilities as Kaido?

You still have a long way to go.

The sturdy steel pipe was already hurtling towards Ace's head as Ace swung it.

But Luo just chuckled lightly.

Tekkai.

When!!

A loud bang.

Instead, it was Ace, who was hitting someone, who was sent flying, his hand gripping the iron pipe trembling.

"So hard!"

He exclaimed in surprise, "This is Tekkai?"

Is this the Six Powers Jack mentioned?

"You can hit it a little harder."

Luo crossed his arms and laughed dismissively.

"Yeah?"

Ace suddenly smiled slyly, and he took a deep breath, his chest swelling up.

"Heat Breath!"

The dragon's breath transformed into raging flames, expanding into a fireball several meters in size the instant it was exhaled, and hurtling directly towards Luo Lingkong.

This kid is pretty smart.

Luo smiled lightly.

Tekkai are indeed effective at blocking physical attacks, but fire is not.

The degraded version of Armament Haki is, after all, not the real Armament Haki!

"Shave!"

Luo vanished from his spot in an instant, and the fireball, having lost its target, blasted towards the ship's side.

He doesn't try to block every attack with his Tekkai block.

Knowing that it's difficult to block, they will not hesitate to choose to dodge.

"Don't just spew fire on the deck."

Ian, sitting on the ship's mast, was flipping through a newspaper when he casually waved his hand, and his surging Haki instantly extinguished the incoming fireball.

The newspaper contained exactly what Morgans and he had said before.

It details the story of the Golden Lion's attack on the Kingdom of Goa and Ian's subsequent slaying of it.

Of course, only Ian's battle record was restored; the government did not cover up the fact that he killed the Golden Lion this time.

This time, the focus is on why the Golden Flying Dragon appeared in the Kingdom of Goa.

They claimed that Ian had gone to plunder the Kingdom of Goa, but accidentally encountered an attack by Golden Lion, leading to a dogfight among the pirates and the defeat of Golden Lion.

But it doesn't matter anyway.

Ian never really cared about his reputation.

Why would pirates care about these things?

"Ian! Look!"

Hancock sat to his left, holding his latest Bounty Poster. "A whopping three billion Beli!"

Just as Morgans said, the bounty increased by a billion.

The bounty has returned to fourth place.

"The Four Emperors!"

Yamato sat to his right, his arm around his, and they read the newspaper together, Yamato grinning as he said, "That's what everyone's saying about you guys now."

The Four Emperors.

A concept that was supposed to appear several years later has now appeared on this vast ocean ahead of schedule.

In the past, newspapers referred to Ian as the Fourth Emperor.

However, there is never a distinction between a first, second, and third emperor.

That implicitly places Ian below the three true emperors, and he can be called an emperor candidate for the time being.

But now, it's the Four Emperors.

Four truly equal Pirate Emperor, reigning supreme in the New World.

"It's just to sow discord between me and Teacher Kai."

Ian said with a smile.

Although he now believes that he has indeed reached that level of strength.

However, the World Government's choice to praise them in this way is clearly intended to incite infighting within the Beasts Pirates.

"Isn't that terrible?"

Hancock was somewhat worried.

"This is a good thing."

Ian, however, was laughing.

After all, this means that the government is unlikely to resort to direct force for the time being.

However, to be fair, the World Government does indeed tolerate pirates on the high seas quite a bit.

Even the once invincible Rocks Pirates might not have been targeted by the government if they hadn't brought about their own destruction by attacking God Valley.

Perhaps they genuinely didn't take them seriously?

While he was reading the newspaper, the battle between Law and Ace continued.

It should be said that Ace was thoroughly outmaneuvered by Law.

The physical attacks wielding the water pipe were completely countered by Law's Tekkai, and the fire-breathing attacks were no match for Law's Shave.

"What an amazing move!"

Zoro's eyes lit up.

Although he was a swordsman, he felt that he could also use the Six Powers.

Especially the high-speed shave! It perfectly compensates for his lack of mobility.

Is that all?

Luo said jokingly.

"Don't look down on me!"

Ace roared, and his roar transformed into lightning, instantly scattering in all directions.

Even if you shave, it's hard to avoid it.

Enel, who was busy training nearby, suddenly frowned.

You're doing this to me, the Devil Fruit User of the Rumble -Rumble-Rumble Fruit?

"Geppo."

Luo, however, stepped directly into the air and avoided the scattered Inazuma.

but.

"Hey! I've been infected!"

Ace smiled smugly.

Like Luo, he too rose into the air, stepping on the air.

No, what he was standing on wasn't air, but rather yellow clouds that appeared out of nowhere!

This guy is a genius, isn't he?

Ian couldn't help but be slightly amazed; he had only just mastered the ability and was already so proficient.

"If you're in the air, you can't move at high speeds, right?"

Ace took a deep breath, and his roar transformed into flames once more, "Heat Breath!"

The scorching flames were almost touching my face.

Luo's expression finally became slightly serious.

Indeed, as Ace said, he can't use Shave in the air now.

In terms of speed, there's absolutely no way to dodge this attack.

but.

"ROOM."

Luo gripped the long sword at his waist with his right hand, and with a flick of his left hand, an invisible aura formed in his palm.

The next moment, a semi-transparent spherical space bloomed in the air, completely engulfing Ace and the flames he spewed.

Then,

Luo wielded his knife.

"Huh??"

Ace was somewhat bewildered; had the flames been severed?

No, it wasn't just the flames that were severed!

He himself was chopped in half!!

Ace's body was split in two at the chest.

Law was still waving his sword with a grin when, in an instant, the invisible blade sliced Ace's body into pieces.

"You're still a long way off, kid."

Without mastering Armament Haki, one is simply not qualified to fight me.

Only Armament Haki can withstand the cutting power of the Op-Op Fruit.

Luo flicked his finger, "Chaotic Space."

Ace's body, now sliced into pieces, instantly began to spin within the ROOM space.

"Waaaaah!"

Screams instantly filled the deck.

Ian smiled and shook his head.

The Azure Dragon Fruit certainly very powerful.

However, the Op-Op Fruit is not to be underestimated. Unless he encounters a master of Haki, the flashy abilities of the Op-Op Fruit mean that Law will almost always be at a disadvantage.

As the Golden Flying Dragon sailed toward Reverse Mountain, the battle that had taken place in the Kingdom of Goa had, of course, been reported throughout the world in the newspapers.

The attack on the East Blue by the Golden Lion was already a major event that had caused a sensation around the world recently.

Everyone feared when the Flying Lion would appear above them and drop an island on them.

So when the news of Ian's slaying of the Golden Lion spread around the world, the whole world was in an uproar.

The Whitebeard Pirates.

"Is Shiki dead too?"

Whitebeard's expression was somewhat puzzling.

Although I can't even call myself a friend of the Golden Lion, I can only say we're acquaintances.

However, as the old folks who have been with us since the last era disappear one by one, a sense of melancholy inevitably arises in our hearts.

His sons, however, were worried about something else.

"Has that guy already possessed the strength to kill the Golden Lion?"

Vista's tone was full of resentment and disbelief.

That kid is only fifteen!

What was he doing when he was fifteen?

A sudden sense of unease rose in his heart. What would that kid have become in a few years?

"The Four Emperors?"

Someone was furious, "Kaido and Charlotte Linlin are one thing, but what right does that brat have to be ranked alongside the Pops!"

Some people were worried, saying, "Of the so-called Four Emperors, the Beasts Pirates have two..."

The Whitebeard Pirates on deck were filled with mixed emotions: some worried, some resentful.

However, there are some that are independent of this.

A girl practicing her sword silently, and a chubby, dark-skinned man with an unpredictable expression.

And, Whitebeard drinking wine.

He just silently drank his wine.

That already dazzling little devil has now truly become the sun at its zenith, impossible for anyone to ignore.

Whole Cake Island.

"Shiki was killed by that brat?!"

Charlotte Linlin's tone was quite grave, "The Four Emperors —that brat has gotten to this point so quickly?"

"We must expedite the process of reconciliation with the Giant tribe!"

The Wano Country.

"Hehehehe!"

The Gold Medal Master burst into laughter, "Looks like we'll get to have a good beating on that brat this time!"

"Kid, come back here right now! Let me see if you're even worthy of standing shoulder to shoulder with me!"

Dressrosa.

Doflamingo rubbed his forehead. Maybe he should just give up on any ulterior motives for now?

The emperor, tsk.

Paradise, Sabaody Archipelago.

"Shiki ..."

Rayleigh sat on the shore, fishing, and gently shook his head. "This is no longer our time."

Somewhere in the Paradise, on a giant ship heading towards the Thriller Bark.

"You brat! Just you wait! The emperor? I don't recognize him!!"

An island in the New World.

Crocodile puffed on his cigar and casually closed the newspaper in his hand.

"Snort."

He hummed in response.

Pirate Emperor?

Just you wait, Ian, the humiliation of Alabasta will be repaid to you one day!

You'd better spill the beans about Pluton ' secrets!

The door was pushed open.

"Boss, we have a new request!"

The whole world is shocked by the final outcome of the war in the Kingdom of Goa.

No one expected that the one who ultimately saved the East Blue would be a pirate, and one of the most terrifying pirates at that.

What is the World Government even doing?

They pay so much tax every year.

Such a trend of thought inevitably arose.

But what they felt most was fear of the Beasts Pirates.

"With two Four Emperors in one pirate crew, who can stop them?"

People were terrified.

Is a new Rocks Pirates about to appear?

Those who knew of the existence of the Rocks Pirates were even more terrified.

As a result, many King of the Affiliated Nation have made up their minds to seriously discuss the existence of the Beasts Pirates at this year's Reverie.

Meanwhile, Ian, who started this trend, was on his way back to the New World.

He was more concerned about the message Morgans had just sent him.

"Lord Ian!"

Question: When would that bastard Morgans call him Lord Ian?

The moment Ian heard him address him that way, Ian already felt annoyed.

"We can't keep an eye on that brat named Luffy for now; Hero Garp is taking him back to Marine Headquarters!"

"Tsk."

Ian was speechless.

The bad news just keeps coming.

Morgans explained to him that the entire Kingdom of Goa had been completely destroyed, and most of its territory had become uninhabitable for humans. Who knew when it would completely sink due to the collapse of the underlying rock mass?

Therefore, the survivors on the island were organized by the navy to relocate to other islands.

As the grandson of a naval hero, Luffy was naturally taken away by Garp.

"This can't be blamed on me, can it?"

Morgans proceeded cautiously.

Ian rubbed his temples.

Being taken to Marine Headquarters, and likely destined to become Luffy of the Marines in the future—why would I have such a dream?

The question is, will Nika still seek out Luffy the Navy?

The surveillance of Luffy can only be put on hold for the time being.

Ian didn't completely give up, though. After all, the Marine Headquarters has a military dependents' area where Luffy would likely be active, since he's too young to join the Marines directly.

Then Morgans' paparazzi would still have loopholes to exploit.

As I finished communicating with Morgans, Reverse Mountain appeared right in front of me.

The towering, crimson mountain peak astounded the eyes of Ace, Sol, and Kuina, who had never seen it before.

Kuina, whose personality was relatively cold, was a little better; she just gripped the Wado Ichimonji tightly in her hand and stared at it intently.

Zoro and Ace, on the other hand, couldn't wait to climb up to the Red Line and find out what was going on.

Not to mention them, even Enel, who was equally unsophisticated, couldn't help but keep turning his head to look.

"Hold on tight."

After giving a reminder, it transformed into a giant Golden Flying Dragon, grabbed the large ship, and soared into the sky.

"Ha ha ha ha!!"

Ace laughed heartily, "Take off!"

"Oh oh!"

Zoro's eyes lit up.

However, their excited state did not last long.

Flying over the Red Line, the endless expanse of crimson below quickly became aesthetically tiring for them, and they went back to doing what they were doing.

Until they completely cross the Reverse Mountain and return to the New World.

"This is the Grand Line!"

The three naive kids got excited again.

The ocean currents, weather, and islands of the New World —everything about them was so amazing.

This amazement reached its peak upon arriving in the Giant Kingdom.

"Clap clap clap clap! Ian! Welcome back! We all saw it in the newspapers!"

"Hehehehehe! That's truly amazing, my friend! Although I don't know how powerful that guy called Golden Lion is, Pirate Emperor! That's a title that sounds incredible!"

Ian's two good friends warmly welcomed him back.

Besides them, the other giants in the village also enthusiastically gathered around.

Ace and his two companions were dumbfounded.

"Wow, it's so big!!"

Zoro's mouth was agape.

Jack was already quite large, but he was no match for these giants.

They felt as if they were trapped in a primeval forest, surrounded by towering giants.

"This is the Giant Kingdom!"

Ace, on the other hand, looked around excitedly.

I can't wait to embark on a spectacular adventure in the Giant Kingdom.

"Could it be that Ian has a good relationship with the giants?"

"Kuina asked softly."

She noticed that the giants here seemed to have great respect for Ian.

"Very good!"

Black Maria chuckled and replied, "Before going to the East Blue, we stayed in the Giant Kingdom for a few months."

"During this time, we traveled all over the Giant Kingdom and interacted with all the Warrior Village. Everyone liked Ian very much."

Kuina nodded gently.

That's truly remarkable.

"Crackling and clattering!"

Brogy laughed. "Ian, you've finished what you asked us to do for you! You came all this way just for this, didn't you!"

Ian smiled and said, "Of course, I'd like to have more drinks and conversation with my friends."

"Hehehehehe! That can be done later! But before that!"

He turned around and called out, "Come here!"

Then, a group of giants emerged from the village.

They were all carrying knives and swords; while they might not be described as being armed to the teeth, they certainly looked fierce.

And the key point is that there seem to be too many of them; they're a dense, dark mass, almost like a forest.

Ian almost thought that Eren had unleashed the Rumbling right in front of him.

"Three hundred men in total! All of them are elite giant warriors!"

Brogy winked and made a face, as if to say, "Brother, am I being a good friend?"

That's incredibly kind of you.

Ian's lips curled into a smile.

A Titan legion of three hundred men—that sounds incredible! Aside from Joy Boy, what human in history could have accomplished that?

You should know that if a Giant tribe warrior goes to the navy, that's a Vice Admiral position.

Three hundred Giant Vice Admiral, are you scared yet?

Wouldn't Charlotte Linlin and the World Government be green with envy if they heard that?

"However, Ian,"

Your good friend Dorry reminded you, "Although they all approve of you, hiring them isn't cheap."

"Who do you think I am? Dorry?"

Ian laughed wildly.

Who do you think is the world's richest person right now, my friend?

What problem could Ian possibly have that could be solved with money?

Money is plentiful!