This Is Supposed to Be the King of the Near Seas?

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon soared into the sky, shooting straight up into the heavens.

Ace was taken directly into the sky and couldn't help but let out a gasp.

But after a brief period of weightlessness, the feeling of soaring through the sky and being free surged into his heart.

Ace couldn't help but let out an excited cheer; this was a feeling of freedom he had never experienced in his previous sixteen years of life.

"Wuhu~"

But just as he started cheering, Ace suddenly realized that something was wrong.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon's flight speed increased, and the winds surging from all directions became stronger and stronger.

Ace had to duck down and hold his hat down with his right hand to avoid the wind blowing the Blue-Eyes White Dragon off its back.

He turned his head to look down.

At some point, Mt. Colbo turned into a low, small hill.

Dawn Island, where the Kingdom of Goa is located, has become a "green gem" adorning the azure sea.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon was leaving Dawn Island at an unimaginable speed.

"Hey! You! Clam (Vongola)!"

Ace shouted towards the direction of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's head.

"Didn't we agree to eat? Where are we going?!"

"Huh? What did you just call me?"

Storm turned his head; he seemed to have just heard a new nickname he'd never heard of before.

"Clams?"

"Aren't you called 'Clam'?"

Ace felt the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's flight speed gradually slow down, and he felt much more relaxed.

"Vongola Storm (literal translation)!"

"It's Vongola Storm!"

Storm remained silent, not wanting to argue with Ace too much about the name.

He controlled the Blue-Eyes White Dragon to descend and gradually approach the sea surface.

Only then did Storm continue speaking.

"I was originally planning to find a restaurant to eat at, but since you've come along, let's try something different."

New and exciting designs?

Ace was taken aback. He looked around and saw only a vast, boundless sea, with not a single island in sight.

What exactly do you mean by "new ideas"?

Just then.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon suddenly opened its huge mouth and let out a deafening roar towards the sea below.

"Roar--"

The dragon's roar, capable of piercing clouds and splitting rocks, carried a terrifyingly powerful shockwave that crashed directly into the boundless sea.

A loud "boom" was heard.

The once calm sea was blasted open by the dragon's roar, creating a huge crater and sending water spraying everywhere.

The next moment, seawater surged in from all directions, filling the suddenly appearing depression. The massive amount of seawater collided with each other and shot straight into the sky, instantly forming a towering fountain.

Splash--

The seawater surged into the sky and then fell back down, as if a localized torrential rain had struck the area.

Ace looked at the suddenly turbulent sea and subconsciously touched the Dragon Scales of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

That dragon... is incredibly powerful!

He seems even stronger than that big guy from before!

The violent commotion that erupted from the sea surface attracted the attention of deep-sea creatures.

A colossal creature rapidly approached from the deep sea.

The enormous black shadow that suddenly emerges from beneath the blue sea is enough to terrify any ordinary person.

Whoosh--

Another torrent of water surged up.

A Sea King resembling a giant eel, with scarlet eyes and a blue dorsal fin, burst out from beneath the sea. Its eyes, like red lanterns, were fixed on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon and the two humans on its back.

"Near Sea King!"

Ace stared in surprise at the creature that had emerged from the seabed and called out its name.

Having lived on Dawn Island for so many years, although Ace's main activities were at Mt. Colbo and the Terminal of Uncertainties, he would also visit Foosha Village in his spare time.

The ordinary people in the Foosha Village feel both gratitude and awe towards the sea.

Everyone is grateful for the food the ocean provides.

They also felt awe for the monsters that lived in the sea.

In the many folk tales of Foosha Village, it is widely regarded as the most terrifying creature.

This is the "Near Sea King".

There is none other than this!

According to legend...

The Near Sea King is enormous in size and has a cold-blooded and brutal nature.

Even the notorious Bandit King Sig, who had killed countless people and committed all sorts of evil deeds, and whose bounty was close to ten million Beli, was no match for the Lord of the Near Sea King was bitten to death by him!

Even if it's "Red-Haired" who becomes some kind of Pirate Emperor this year.

That kid is no match for the Near Sea King!

Back when the Red-Haired Pirates were temporarily stationed in Foosha Village...

Every villager knows this.

The Near Sea King bit off one of Red-Haired' arms!

If it weren't for that Red-Haired kid running away fast enough...

The Near Sea King could probably devour Red-Haired whole, skin and bones, leaving not a single scrap!

"Clams! Watch out!"

Ace had intended to remind Storm of his brutal reputation as the Near Sea King.

However.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon simply lunged forward and hooked its Dragon Claws.

The sharp claws pierced straight through the skin of the Near Sea King, and bright red blood instantly gushed from the wound.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon flapped its wings slightly and flew into the sky once more.

The Near Sea King, which had just been attracted by its "Dragon's Roar," was caught and lifted into the sky like a small fish.

Ace sat on the back of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, his lips twitching violently.

Is this the legendary Near Sea King, whom the villagers speak of as a godlike figure, someone even the Pirate Emperor couldn't defeat?

Is this some kind of ridiculous nonsense, folks?

"What were you muttering about just now, kid?"

Storm glanced at Ace and warned him rather reluctantly.

"You can call me 'Vongola,' 'Storm,' or 'White Dragon' —these are the nicknames the people at sea gave me."

"But if you keep calling me 'Clam,' I'll call you 'Son of the Pirate King' or 'Supreme Grade Sword.'"

"White Dragon?"

Ace frowned deeply, lost in his memories.

"I feel like I've heard this name somewhere before..."

"You're the White Dragon with a 2 billion Beli on your head by the World Government and Marine Headquarters!?"

Before Storm could reply, Ace shook his head again, directly denying it.

"No! I remember now! The two billion bounty is for Whitebeard the Second.! You..."

"You're the Shichibukai who doesn't even have a 100 million Beli bounty!?"

I'm not angry... I'm not angry... I'm not angry...

What adult would get angry with a child...?

Storm took a deep breath, then clenched his fist and walked up to Ace.

At this moment, Ace finally felt threatened.

"Clam, you--"

Thump!

No language required.

Storm's "Fist of Love" slammed directly into Ace's head.

It was accompanied by a crisp sound like hitting a watermelon.

A huge bump instantly appeared on Ace's head, turning from bluish-red to purplish-red and then to blackish-red.

"Ouch! That hurts!!"

Ace immediately clutched his head and rolled around on the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's back.

This is still because the Blue-Eyes White Dragon's back is spacious enough.

Otherwise, he probably would have rolled straight into the ocean below.

Storm casually walked back to sit on the head of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, as if nothing had happened.

Ace rolled around with his head in his hands for a while before stopping.

At that moment, the large, purplish-red bump on his head became incredibly conspicuous.

At first glance.

Ace is like a "seventh brother" with a little gourd on his head.

"Vongola!"

After undergoing a rigorous training regimen comparable to that of his grandfather, Ace finally became docile.

"What did you mean by 'Supreme Grade Sword' just now?"

Ace didn't mention anything about being the "son of the Pirate King".

He himself is somewhat sensitive about his background.

Although Ace had no idea where Vongola Storm had gotten the information about his true identity.

However, he did not discuss his family background with a stranger he had just met.

Although Ace has not yet sensed any hatred or malice from Storm.

This is a rare man who knows his own identity and doesn't have any other opinions about himself...

However, Ace and Storm's relationship was only "their first meeting".

Ace deliberately ignored the nickname "Son of the Pirate King".

He didn't want to talk about this identity anymore.

But the "Supreme Grade Sword" is different!

Ace was not a swordsman, nor did he use a longsword in combat.

However, he did have some knowledge of so-called "Famous Sword".

Famous Sword, swift sword, Great Grade Sword, Supreme Grade Sword...

People who fight with swords on the high seas categorize their weapons into different classes.

The Supreme Grade Sword is the finest weapon.

Based on the stories Grandpa told before.

Whitebeard, the Strongest Man on the Sea, wields a Supreme Grade Sword — Murakumogiri.

In addition, the weapon of the World's Greatest Swordsman Hawk Eyes, is also a Supreme Grade Sword - the Black Blade Yoru.

"Didn't Hero Garp tell you about this?"

Storm looked at Ace with a puzzled expression.

Portgas D. Ace.

"Your surname comes from your mother, Portgas D. Rouge."

"Your middle name comes from an ancient tradition, from the D Clan."

"And your name comes from your father, Gol D. Roger."

"Decades ago, when your father roamed the seas, the weapon he used was one of the Supreme Great Grade Swords Twelve Works, a Pirate Scimitar called 'Ace'."

Ace's expression froze.

He had never heard his grandfather mention such a thing before.

Or rather, his grandfather rarely mentioned anything about Pirate King to him.

After all, my grandfather was a naval officer, and a famous "Hero of the Marines" at that, who once defeated and captured the Pirate King Hero of the Marines...

Ace had no idea that his name also contained such a unique meaning.

So, the "trump card" my father used back then was actually his name...?

Just as Ace was caught in a strange emotional state.

Storm's voice rang out once more.

"Don't make that face."

A strange smile played on Storm's face, a smile that seemed both mocking and sarcastic.

"The Pirate King's sword 'Ace' is good, but it's not Roger's most important possession."

"Roger's most important possession was the Straw Hat he wore back then."

"It was an ordinary Straw Hat, with a yellow body, a wide brim, and a red ribbon tied around it."

"This 'Straw Hat' was left by Roger to his successor, who then entrusted it to another successor."

"That's such a shame, Ace."

"The person Red-Haired chose back then wasn't you, but your younger brother."

"The person entrusted with the Straw Hat, and even with destiny, by Red-Haired back then, was not you, but your younger brother."

"Monkey D. Luffy!"

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