Fire Fist Ace Arrives in the West Blue, Drawing the Attention of Multiple Powers

He was Portgas D. Ace, commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division.

Ace made his way to the bar with practiced ease, slapped several Beli onto the polished wooden counter, and smiled at the bartender polishing a glass, flashing a row of white teeth. "Boss, one iced ale. And while you're at it, I'd like to ask about someone."

The bartender caught sight of the Whitebeard emblem on his hat brim, and his eyes narrowed. He hurriedly pushed over a chilled ale and lowered his voice. "Please, go ahead. If I know anything, I wouldn't dare hide it."

"Marshall D. Teach. These days, everyone calls him Blackbeard." Ace's fingers rubbed the icy glass, the smile fading from his face as an almost imperceptible chill flashed through his eyes.

"About a month ago, someone saw his ship heading toward the West Blue. Have you heard anything about him?"

The bartender's face instantly went pale, and he shook his head like a rattle. "No! Absolutely not! Sir, this is a small place. How could we dare get involved with that man? He's a madman who dared kill a Whitebeard Pirates division commander! Forget seeing him—people on this whole street don't even dare mention him!"

Ace's brows immediately furrowed.

He had been chasing Teach for a full year.

From the Grand Line to the New World, then back from the New World, he had followed the scraps of traces that man left behind across more than half the world before finally reaching the West Blue. But when he arrived at Laskamp Island, that sole lead had completely gone cold.

He drained the ale in one gulp, but the icy liquid could not suppress the guilt churning in his heart.

Teach had been a member of his Second Division and had committed the Whitebeard Pirates' one unforgivable crime—murdering a comrade.

He had insisted on personally coming after him. Pops had tried to stop him, but he had refused to listen. Now, a year had passed. Not only had he failed to catch even Teach's shadow, but he had allowed that man to wreak ever greater havoc across the seas.

"Oh, right, sir." Seeing his grim expression, the bartender hesitated before adding, "Things have been awfully strange in the West Blue lately, especially in the waters around Laskamp Island. Over the past year, at least dozens of ships have vanished for no apparent reason.

Pirate ships, slave ships, even Marine patrol vessels—they all disappeared without a trace. They couldn't even find a single plank.

Now, it's not just pirates who don't dare sail through those waters. Even local merchant caravans avoid that route. If you're heading that way, please be careful."

"Oh?" Ace raised a brow, surprise flashing through his eyes.

Someone could silently erase Marine patrol vessels without leaving a single trace?

That did not sound like Teach's style.

That guy had always been flamboyant. After stealing the Dark-Dark Fruit, he practically wanted the entire world to know the name Blackbeard. He would never do something so furtive.

Could there be another force hiding in these waters?

Ace committed the matter to memory, but he did not spare it much thought.

For now, his only goal was to capture Teach and bring him back to the Whitebeard Pirates to face Pops's judgment.

He slapped a few more Beli onto the counter, picked up the coat draped over his shoulder, and turned to leave the tavern.

The setting sun sank completely below the horizon, and night gradually shrouded the harbor. Standing by the pier, Ace flicked his fingers, and a small orange flame sprang to life, illuminating the face beneath his hat brim.

He stared out at the pitch-black sea in the distance, his gaze resolute.

No matter where Teach hid, even at the ends of the earth, he would find him.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

The Marine fortress blazed with lights in the night, and the Fleet Admiral's office remained lit through the entire night.

Sengoku sat behind his broad desk, gripping an encrypted distress report sent by West Blue 74th Branch. His knuckles had gone white from gripping it too hard, and his brows were deeply furrowed.

Across from the desk, Vice Admiral Tsuru sat on the sofa, knitting unhurriedly. Yet her gaze rested on a spread of missing-person case summaries, her expression calm but carrying an unmistakable sharpness.

"Over the course of a full year, forty-seven pirate ships, twenty-two slave ships, eleven merchant vessels, and even two standard Marine patrol ships have vanished within the jurisdiction of West Blue 74th Branch. More than a hundred Marines are missing."

Sengoku slammed the report onto the desk, his voice thick with suppressed fury. "That useless Rolf! A whole year! He only dared report it to Headquarters after things had gotten this bad!"

"There's no use scolding him now." Tsuru lifted her eyes, her knitting needles never stopping, her tone calm.

"To silently erase two fully armed patrol ships without even allowing them to send an encrypted distress signal, this force is far beyond what a branch colonel like Rolf can handle. If he had kept concealing it, I'm afraid Marine Branch 74 would have been uprooted entirely."

"I know that!" Sengoku took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his chest as he rubbed his aching temples.

"What I want to know now is who exactly is causing such a stir in the West Blue. Is it Teach? The Revolutionary Army? Or one of those mad West Blue gangs?"

"It won't be Teach." Tsuru shook her head, immediately pinpointing the flaw. "We all know Marshall D. Teach's way of doing things. What he wants is fame, power, and bargaining chips that can let him rise to the top in a single step.

He killed Thatch, stole the Dark-Dark Fruit, and betrayed the Whitebeard Pirates. At every step, he wanted to make sure the entire world knew about it. He would never go to such lengths to quietly erase dozens of ships without leaving a trace. It does not fit his aims, nor does it fit his character."

Sengoku fell silent.

Of course, he knew Tsuru was right.

Over the past year, Headquarters had been doing everything it could to track down Blackbeard. Yet every lead indicated that Blackbeard had been active in the first half of the Grand Line and had never remained in the West Blue for long, much less operated there for a whole year and caused so many disappearances.

"If it isn't Teach, then who is it?" Sengoku's brows drew even tighter. "The West Blue has been peaceful for more than a decade. How could such a powerful and mysterious force suddenly emerge, and we do not have even a scrap of intelligence on them?"

"Rather than dwelling on who it is, we should send someone over to stabilize the situation first." Tsuru set down her knitting needles, picked up the sea chart on the desk, and tapped the location of West Blue 74th Branch with her fingertip.

"Laskamp Island is one of the West Blue's most important commercial ports, and this route is a core shipping lane. If the chaos continues, not only will Headquarters' tax revenue suffer badly, but if those wealthy merchants and nobles start making trouble, the World Government will not look kindly on us either."

She paused, then added, "Besides, since Ace has already chased Blackbeard to the West Blue, we can kill two birds with one stone.

Send a reliable vice admiral over. They can investigate the truth behind these disappearances while keeping an eye on Ace and Blackbeard. If the opportunity arises, capture both of them at once."