When the Tree Falls, the Monkeys Scatter

"Th-this... can Pops beat him?" Ace stared dumbfoundedly at Swain's departing figure.

He stood there in stunned silence for a long while, in a quiet so deep he could hear the waves lapping against the shore.

Swain had effortlessly wiped out the "Fifth Emperor," the Blackbeard Pirates. It was obvious he had not even gone all out.

Were all Four Emperors this strong?

Whenever he was with Pops, it seemed... he had never seen him use his full strength either.

Every opponent had been taken down in a single move.

Yet he had struggled against just three of Blackbeard's crew, while Swain could wipe them out with a wave of his hand.

Sure enough, only comparison revealed the gap.

Swain's words echoed in his mind again: "If you're weak, train more!"

"Stop being a burden. Focus on training your Haki!"

Ace murmured, "Haki? More than one person has mentioned it before..."

Back when he was in the West Blue, he had met someone who had warned him as well, saying, "Training Haki is the first step toward becoming strong."

At the time, he had not taken it seriously at all. Relying on his Fruit and his own martial skills, he had few rivals among his peers.

Even some veteran powerhouses had fallen at his hands.

That was until he joined Whitebeard, the strongest man he had ever seen in his life.

Though he had been defeated, he had gained the family affection he wanted.

Under Whitebeard's protection, he no longer had any "opponents." His swelling heart beat constantly, always yearning to rush out.

Later...

The consequences of that had led to the outbreak of the Marineford War. If Swain had not arrived in time and attacked the Holy Land, Little Oars would not have been the only family member to