Setting Sail

Sea Circle Calendar year 1536, the coast of Foosha Village.

The morning sea breeze carried a salty, damp scent as waves lapped against the jagged reefs.

Fourteen-year-old Luffy stood at the edge of the cliff, head tilted back, his eyes filled with undisguised envy and longing.

Standing before him were two figures, as imposing and solid as iron towers.

After two final years of systematic Haki training, seventeen-year-old Ace had reached a staggering height of two and a half meters. He wore an open, dark red sleeveless coat, leaving his perfectly sculpted, explosive muscles—as if carved by blade and axe—fully exposed. His broad shoulders and long limbs, combined with his intimidating stature, cast a deep, heavy shadow across the ground even as he stood perfectly still.

Beside him, Sabo had also reached a height of over two point four meters. He wore a meticulously tailored deep blue tailcoat, carrying a unique air that blended the elegance of an aristocrat with the menace of a thug. The metal pipe he once carried had long since been replaced by a custom-made long staff reinforced with high-strength alloys.

"We're leaving, Luffy."

Ace looked down at Luffy, his tone calm and steady.

"I know! In three years, I'll definitely head out to the sea and find you guys!" Luffy clenched his fists and shouted at the top of his lungs.

Ace gave a slight nod, offering no superfluous words. He reached out a large, thick palm and pressed down heavily on Luffy's straw hat.

"See you on the sea."

Sabo also smiled and patted Luffy on the shoulder. "We're off, Luffy. Don't you go slacking off."

With that, the two turned and walked away.

There were no drawn-out farewells, nor were there any exaggerated laughs. Under the awestruck gazes of the Foosha Village residents, Ace and Sabo stepped onto a small, makeshift wooden boat moored at the shore and rowed toward the distant horizon.

Half a day later, a hidden shipyard sea cave somewhere in the East Blue.

As Ace and Sabo stepped into the massive cavern, the old shipwright who had been sitting in a rocking chair smoking suddenly trembled, his hand gripping his pipe jerking violently.

The old man looked up, staring at the tall, black-haired man before him who radiated a cold, predatory aura, and an uncontrollable sense of overwhelming pressure rose from the depths of his heart.

The brat who had come to deliver the money four years ago was supporting a suffocating monster like this?

"Is the ship finished?" Ace asked calmly, his low voice echoing through the empty cave.

"Of... of course! My life's most perfect work, it has been ready for you for a long time!"

The old shipwright snapped out of his trance, scrambled to his feet, and pulled hard on a giant canvas covering the massive dry dock behind him.

Accompanied by the roar of turning chains, a top-tier sailing ship, a true work of art, was fully revealed before Ace and Sabo.

It lacked the bloated volume of traditional Navy warships, presenting instead a fluid, sharp, teardrop-shaped streamlined structure. The ship was about thirty-five meters long, featuring two decks and a two-mast design.

"For the keel and load-bearing structure, I used the highest density 'Iron Pine' available on the black market, wrapped in a layer of specially treated anti-corrosive steel plating. Not only is it sturdy enough to ram through reefs, but the streamlined hull minimizes wind and water resistance. As long as the wind is right, its speed is absolutely the best in the East Blue!"

The old shipwright introduced the vessel with fanatical enthusiasm.

Sabo stepped onto the deck and pushed open the door to the living quarters, a look of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

The interior design perfectly matched their requirement for "pursuing comfort." A temperature-controlled wine cellar, a spacious hall laid with soft silk carpets, comfortable leather sofas, and even the bathtub in the bathroom was carved from a single piece of precious stone.

This was no broken wooden boat for suffering on the high seas; it was a mobile palace fit for living well.

"Good work."

Ace stepped onto the deck, his tall frame treading on the solid wooden planks. He reached out to stroke the smooth gunwale, feeling the ship's solid craftsmanship, and nodded in satisfaction.

Eighty million Berries—worth every cent.

"Raise the sails, weigh anchor."

Ace walked to the bow and issued his first command since setting sail.

"Understood, Ace."

Sabo took the helm, and the massive, pure white mainsail billowed instantly under the push of the sea breeze. This incredibly expensive medium-sized fast ship, like a sharp arrow released from a bow, tore through the calm surface of the East Blue and slipped silently into the vast ocean.

Whoosh.

The sturdy, sharp prow cut through the surging waves with extreme stability. The massive, pitch-black sails were fully inflated by the sea breeze, propelling the beautiful, streamlined sailing ship across the water at a staggering speed that left ordinary merchant vessels in the dust.

"From today on, its name is the Eclipse."

Ace stood on the wide bow deck, his hands resting casually on the wooden railing.

"It really is a perfect ship. Not only is the speed ridiculous, but the chassis is so stable there isn't even a hint of unnecessary swaying."

Sabo walked out of the wheelhouse, holding two bottles of chilled juice he had just retrieved from the temperature-controlled cellar, and handed one to Ace.

"At a cost of eighty million Berries, if it couldn't even manage that much stability, the old shipwright should have been thrown into the sea to feed the sharks."

Ace took the bottle and downed it in one go.

For the first few days at sea, Ace and Sabo simply steered the Eclipse, drifting aimlessly with the wind across the East Blue. On one hand, it was to familiarize themselves with the new ship's performance; on the other, it was a brief relaxation for Ace's nerves, which had been strained for over a decade.

"Ace, where to next?"

Sabo spread out a highly detailed map of the East Blue, his long fingers tapping on it. "According to the current wind direction, if we head south, we can reach the bustling Orange Town in three days; if we head east, we'll be in the waters under the jurisdiction of the Navy's 153rd Branch."

Ace did not answer immediately.

He closed his eyes slightly, letting the sea breeze, heavy with moisture, brush against his cheeks.

On this quiet afternoon, his innate, far-surpassing Observation Haki extended infinitely in all directions with the sea breeze, like an invisible radar.

The sound of seagulls flapping their wings through the clouds, the muffled currents of deep-sea fish schools, and even the screams from two pirate ships clashing thousands of meters away... the sounds of all things in the world converged in Ace's mind like fine, intricate threads.

Suddenly, Ace's closed eyelids trembled slightly; he heard a faint, lingering summons.

He snapped his eyes open, his gaze piercing toward the southwest, a direction completely unmarked on the nautical chart, like two sharp blades.

"Sabo, turn the ship. Full rudder to the southwest." Ace's voice carried an unquestionable sense of resolve.

"Southwest?"

Sabo paused, his eyes sweeping across the chart as his brow furrowed slightly. "Ace, the chart for the southwest is blank. According to rumors from East Blue merchants, the currents in that sea area are extremely chaotic and shrouded in thick fog year-round. It's known as a 'dead zone that even birds cannot cross,' and many ships that have wandered in there have vanished without a trace."

"A dead zone, is it?"

Ace turned around, casually setting his glass on the round table beside him, a smirk curling the corner of his lips.

"Then let's go see if this so-called dead zone can actually stop the Eclipse Pirates."