Ace: Are We Friends Now?

Seeing Uchiha Kei turn and walk towards the port, Ace's eyes lit up. He immediately jumped up, pulled a bulging cloth bag from his pocket, and ran over.

"Hehehe, thanks a lot!" He shoved the bag into Natsu's hands, grinning and showing a set of white teeth. "I thought you guys would be cold and aloof, but you're surprisingly easy to talk to!"

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at Fugaku, who was wiping his knife beside him, then leaned close to Natsu's ear and whispered, "But that uncle next to him looks really fierce, do you know him?"

"..."

His voice was kept low, but the Uchiha were all trained ninjas. Fugaku's hand, which was wiping his sword, suddenly stopped, and a vein throbbed on his forehead.

So what if I'm in my thirties? Does that mean I should be called "uncle" to my face?

If Natsu hadn't been right there, he would have loved to activate Susanoo on the spot and slap this loose-tongued brat into the sea.

"He's my uncle." Natsu rubbed her forehead, her tone full of helplessness.

"Huh?! Oh, I see!" Ace slapped his forehead, quickly bowed to Fugaku, and grinned foolishly, scratching his head. "Hahaha! Sorry, uncle! Um... here's one million Beli. Is that enough to buy a small boat?"

Natsu glanced at the bulging cloth bag in his hand, which looked like it was about to burst, but didn't take it. Instead, she looked up at him and asked, "You're good at being Haki?"

"Haki?" Ace paused for a moment, scratching the back of his head. "I know a little bit, but I'm not very good at it. What? You want to learn?"

"That's right." Natsu nodded, her tone frank. "When we fought the Navy just now, we did see how Haki flowed within their bodies, but we have absolutely no clue about the most basic training methods."

He paused, looking into Ace's eyes. "If you're willing to teach us, the Uchiha Clan will owe you a favor. As long as it doesn't involve the survival of the clan, we'll help you with anything you need in the future."

"Oh, no need for that!" Ace waved his hand, smiling brightly. "You guys helped me solve the ship problem, so I'll teach you a few things. Doesn't that even things out? Besides, we're friends now, right?"

Natsu looked at his pure and innocent smile and fell silent.

Honestly, he didn't want to get involved with Ace at all. In his previous life, watching the anime, the fire that engulfed Marineford during the Summit War had saddened him for a long time. But in this life, he was Uchiha Natsu, the clan leader who led his entire clan to escape Konoha, and everything had to be for the sake of the clan. He had made up his mind not to get involved in the murky waters of the Summit War.

But he knew the Uchiha's personality better than anyone else.

What's etched into one's bloodline can never be easily changed. Tobirama Senju feared the Uchiha his entire life, and even in death, he never dared to completely exterminate them, precisely because of this— the Uchiha's love was too extreme. It was either a desperate act of protection or a world-destroying hatred; there was never a middle ground.

Kagami Uchiha died fighting for Konoha, Shisui Uchiha destroyed his own eyes for peace, yet Obito Uchiha because of one person's death.

Even his transmigrated soul had long been subtly tainted by the obsession and madness within his bloodline. The only difference was that he could still barely suppress that madness.

But when he fled Konoha, the words he shouted at Hiruzen Sarutobi, "I'll cut off all the heads of your Sarutobi Clan and stick them on the Hokage Rock as a display," were never a joke.

That was the hatred from the tragic deaths of his parents, the fear from dreaming of the Night of the Uchiha Massacre every night for more than ten years, all accumulated to the extreme, and then unleashed a completely suppressed madness.

Therefore, he knew in his heart that even if he could suppress his thoughts today, when the news of the Summit War reached Origin Island, these loyal and righteous people would never stand by and watch their friend die on the Navy's execution ground.

Natsu was silent for a moment, her gaze sweeping over the bodies of her tribesmen covered with white sheets on the beach not far away, then looking at the pure smile on Ace's face, and finally nodded, her voice deepening. "Fine."

"Hehehe! What else is there to say!" Ace's eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled out a Den Den Mushi with the Whitebeard symbol from his pocket and handed it to Natsu.

"This is Pops's personal Den Den Mushi! I'm a Flame- Devil Fruit User, so I can fight with flames all I need. My Haki is Haki, I can't teach you anything real."

But Pops's different! He's the strongest man in the world! When you make this call, just say it was Portgas D. Ace who sent you, and he'll definitely help you!"

Ace paused as his fingertips touched the cold shell of the Den Den Mushi. Lately, he had stubbornly run off to chase Blackbeard, defying his Pops's advice, and hadn't dared to dial this number even once.

Thinking of the Whitebeard's sullen face before he left, a fleeting trace of guilt crossed his face, but it was quickly overshadowed by his determination to catch the culprit.

"Alright! There's nothing more for me here, I need to hurry up and get going, or that guy Teach will be gone!" Ace dusted the sand off his pants, turned around, and was about to jump onto the boat.

"Ace."

Natsu suddenly called out to him.

He knew he couldn't persuade this stubborn guy, but looking at that face that was exactly like Roger's, he couldn't help but say, "Blackbeard is far more complex than you think."

When he was young, he left three indelible scratches on Red-Haired Shanks' face with his Taijutsu alone.

Now that he's eaten the Dark-Dark Fruit, his strength will only be more terrifying. Listen to me, go back, go back to the Whitebeard Pirates."

Ace abruptly stopped. The smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a cold, stubborn expression.

"No." He turned around, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. "Teach is one of my Second Division men! It's my fault for not keeping a close eye on him, which led to Thatch's death and brought shame upon Pops! No matter what, I must bring him back and make him face the Whitebeard Pirates ' punishment!"

Looking at the resolute look in his eyes, Natsu remained silent for a long time before finally uttering three words: "You will die."

The sea breeze suddenly subsided. Ace stood on the ship's railing, his back to the setting sun, his shadow stretched long. He remained silent for a few seconds, and when he looked up again, there was not a trace of wavering in his eyes.

"It doesn't matter. I'm willing to pay any price to catch Teach. And—" He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth, "I won't die."

"Why torture yourself for a coward who's long dead?" Natsu's voice was soft, yet it was like a sharp knife, piercing straight into the deepest part of Ace's heart. "He couldn't even protect your mother; he'll only leave you with a bad reputation."