"Just a mechanic who can't stand trash."
Jeno spat out the screw in his mouth and casually wiped his cheek with the back of his oil-stained hand. He planted the heavy Hydraulic Power Hammer on the ground with a bang, making the scrap metal around them shiver.
Ace looked at the man, who smelled of machine oil and had seamlessly combined a rugged Mechanical Exoskeleton with his own body. A trace of admiration flashed in his eyes.
"We need the finest Black Steel to reinforce our ship," Ace said bluntly, his tone steady. "Since you're a mechanic, you should know where to find some. Name your price."
Jeno looked Ace up and down, then let his gaze pass over him and turn toward the harbor behind them.
"Top-grade Black Steel isn't scrap metal. It'll cost you."
Jeno hoisted the ridiculously oversized power hammer and strode ahead. "Come on. Let's take a look at your ship first. If it's just a busted raft ready to fall apart, it won't deserve materials of that caliber."
Half an hour later, at a private berth in the harbor.
When Jeno stood before the black mid-sized speedboat, his eyes, hidden behind his goggles, lit up at once. The swaggering, devil-may-care look vanished, replaced by the excitement of a man who'd found something valuable.
He rudely shoved Buggy out of the way and strode onto the deck, reaching out to run his hand along the black hull.
"An Iron Pine keel clad in anti-corrosion steel plates, with a perfect teardrop shape. This is a top-tier warship built for speed and durability!"
Jeno rapped excitedly on the deck, but soon his eyes fell on the ram at the bow and the ship's draft. His brow furrowed slightly.
"She's a fine ship, but there's one fatal weak point."
Jeno turned to Ace, who had come aboard. "The currents on the Grand Line are insanely violent. You could even run into reefs and giant Sea Kings. The bow and the front end of the main keel are made of ordinary alloy. If you take an extreme head-on impact, they'll crack for sure. If we remelt Starfall Black Steel and use it to forge a new ram and the keel's central spine, this ship could smash straight into a warship and tear it in half."
"Then we'll use Starfall Black Steel," Ace replied without hesitation.
"You can't buy it."
Jeno irritably scratched his messy silver-gray hair and kicked the hull. "Every piece of high-grade Black Steel on the market has been forcibly requisitioned by the warlords fighting this civil war."
Carina stepped forward, sharply catching the flaw in his explanation. "They're fighting a civil war. What they need most is weapons and money. If we can pay, how could we not buy some?"
"Because this shipment isn't meant for fighting. It's meant to save their skins."
Jeno sneered, his eyes full of scorn. "The World Government doesn't care whether this country is in the middle of a civil war or wiped off the map. The deadline for this year's Heavenly Tribute is almost here. If they can't pay the enormous annual tribute, the Iron Kingdom will lose its status as an Affiliated Nation. Then the Navy's main fleet will come and wipe this place clean."
"To hold on to their status, the warlords agreed to a temporary ceasefire. They've frantically seized the country's finest Starfall Black Steel and jewels. They even got an unknown Devil Fruit from the underground black market. They're preparing to offer it all as Heavenly Tribute to those bastards in Mary Geoise."
As he spoke, Jeno tightened his grip on the Hydraulic War Hammer and gritted his teeth. "I've had my eye on the steel fortress where they're keeping the Heavenly Tribute for a long time. I've always wanted to steal that batch of Premium Black Steel. Too bad there are thousands of fully armed soldiers and rows of artillery emplacements there. I can't get through that damn gate on my own."
At the words "Heavenly Tribute," Carina's face went deathly pale.
"You want to steal the Heavenly Tribute?!" Carina felt a chill run down her back. "That's tribute for the Celestial Dragons! If we're caught, it'll be the same as declaring war on the World Government and the Celestial Dragons! Marine Headquarters will send an Admiral to hunt us down across the whole world!"
Buggy's legs nearly gave out, and he almost collapsed on the deck. "We're doomed, we're doomed. This madman's going to get us all killed."
Unlike the two of them, Sabo merely lowered the brim of his hat, a cold look of disgust flashing in his eyes.
After hearing Jeno's plan, Ace showed not the slightest hesitation. Instead, a fiercely combative glint appeared in his eyes.
"Then let's do it together."
Ace looked at Jeno and made the offer in a remarkably casual tone. "You lead the way, and we'll join forces to blow that fortress apart. You can have the Black Steel inside to upgrade this ship and your own gear. The rest of the treasure and the Devil Fruit go to the Eclipse Pirates. Afterward, become my personal mechanic and sail with us."
Jeno was stunned.
He looked at the black-haired young man before him as if he were staring at a madman even crazier than himself.
"Do you know what it means to steal the Heavenly Tribute?"
Jeno couldn't help but scoff, fixing Ace with a sharp stare. "Once we make our move, there won't be anywhere left for us in these seas. Aren't you afraid?"
"Afraid?"
Ace sounded as if he'd just heard the most ridiculous joke. He stepped forward, his tall, powerfully built frame radiating a pressure that made people's hearts pound.
"It's just the Heavenly Tribute. So what if we steal it?"
Ace's voice was steady and commanding, each word striking the deck like a hammer. "My nature guarantees that sooner or later I'll clash with those Celestial Dragons who call themselves the creators of the world, and with the Five Elders."
"I went to sea because it feels damn good, and because I want to reach the highest, strongest position, step by step, without letting any so-called 'god' sit high above me."
Wild ambition burned in Ace's deep black eyes as he looked straight at Jeno.
"If they think they're above everyone else, I'll drag them down from their altar and trample them underfoot. I'm going to be the strongest man, beholden to no rules."
"Anyone who gets in my way, whoever they are, gets crushed."
A brief silence fell over the deck.
Jeno stared at Ace, dumbfounded.
There was no false justice, no empty slogans. Just pure arrogance and absolute defiance. This man wanted to tear the heavens open simply because he didn't want to look up to anyone!
This mad desire to plunge the world into chaos and use the World Government as a stepping stone was exactly to his taste!
"Hahahahaha!"
After a moment of silence, Jeno threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh with a metallic rasp.
He grabbed the heavy Hydraulic War Hammer and hoisted it onto his broad shoulder. His Mechanical Exoskeleton roared as high-pressure steam hissed through it.
"Steal the Celestial Dragons' tribute? I'm in! I don't care if it gets me killed!"
A wild fighting spirit blazed in Jeno's eyes. "Bring your crew, Captain! We're going to tear that damn fortress apart!"
Watching the two hit it off, Carina pressed a hand to her forehead in despair.
Reason told her they should turn tail and sail away immediately. But when she thought of the treasure and Devil Fruit filling the fortress that Jeno had described, her greed as a top-tier money lover finally won out over her fear of the World Government.
"Since the captain has made up his mind..."
Carina gritted her teeth, took a deep breath, and forced herself to calm down. She looked at Ace, her eyes now razor-sharp. "Fine, we'll steal it! But let's get one thing straight: I'm the one who counts and manages every last coin in that fortress! Even if an Admiral comes after us, I'm running with the money!"
"No problem," Ace replied with a hearty laugh. Then he turned and headed for the gangplank.
"Sabo, Leona, get ready to work."
"Let's go see what kind of generous welcome those so-called warlords have prepared for us."
Before you continue