I Can Copy Any Talent in the World of One Piece

A force surged up from the sea, sending a towering wave skyward. Noil's ship was hurled into the air.

Two ferocious sea beasts rode the wave, jaws gaping as they lunged at the ship from either side.

Noil gripped the railing and charged one of them without a trace of fear.

The Qingxing Blade flashed from its sheath. Noil leaped above the beast, raised the sword overhead, and slashed down with a fierce blade of energy.

Blood burst from the top of the beast's head. It roared in pain, and Noil kicked off its skull to launch himself at the other one.

Let's try out a move from the Flying Heaven Imperial Sword Style on you!

Noil's dark eyes gleamed. Twisting his waist and legs in midair, he reversed his grip on the Qingxing Blade and slashed at the beast's head.

"Dragon Hammer Flash!"

A terrifying flash of steel swept through the water. The vicious strike drilled through almost the beast's entire body.

Both sea beasts suffered grievous wounds and fell back into the sea. Noil landed smoothly on the deck and sheathed his blade.

Blood spread across the surface. Through Observation Haki, Noil sensed many sea beasts below being drawn in once more.

"What a pain." Noil stared at the water, his head aching. He was the only one aboard. If only he had a few subordinates to fight these beasts for him.

Instead, every little thing fell to him. A few sea beasts were enough to run him ragged.

The beasts caught the scent of blood and rushed toward the ship. Just as Noil prepared to fight again, a clear whistle rang out from the distant fog.

As if given a signal, the sea beasts promptly abandoned Noil's ship and swam toward the source of the whistle.

Noil was dumbfounded. Since when were sea beasts so organized?

Noil steered after them, intending to find whoever had blown the whistle.

That person could clearly control the beasts. Perhaps they could even help him get out of the fog.

But he had overestimated his ship's speed. The beasts swam like their lives depended on it, and he soon lost them.

It hardly mattered. At this distance, his Observation Haki could faintly sense several people ahead.

There were quite a few of them, and one had a formidable presence. He wasn't as strong as Noil, but he would still count as a skilled fighter in the East Blue.

Interestingly, their ship seemed to have been destroyed. Every last one of them was in the water.

Just then, someone riding something came racing toward Noil.

A man dressed like a tribesman sped across the water on a dolphin-like sea beast as though riding a speedboat.

"Die, outsider!" Red stripes marked the man's face, and savage hostility filled his voice.

He held up a spear, used his beast to scramble aboard, and thrust straight at Noil's head.

The savage had boarded without permission and attacked. Anger flared in Noil.

You've got some nerve. You think you can kill me just because you say so?!

Noil couldn't even be bothered to draw his sword. He snatched the spear with one hand and squeezed, shattering its shaft!

With the weapon broken, Noil kicked the man in the face. Blood immediately streamed from his nose.

"Damn you!" Knocked down in one move by Noil, the man refused to give up. He lunged forward again, clawing at Noil's throat.

That desperate flailing finally pushed Noil too far. He unleashed his Devil Fruit power.

His body swelled, his hideous bear face radiating menace. He reached out with an enormous paw and seized the man.

At the sight of Noil transformed into a bear-man, fear finally crossed the man's face. "You turned into a bear?! You're no human—you're a devil!"

Noil grinned. "A devil? You tried to kill me without a word, and you're calling me a devil?"

His massive paw tightened. Bones cracked sharply, and the savage screamed in agony.

Noil nearly crushed him, then swung his arm and tossed him back into the sea. The red-spotted, fanged porpoise swam over at once and caught him.

Back on his beast, the man had barely been injured before he forgot the pain. As he fled, he shouted, "You're dead, outsider! Red Leaf Island will be your grave!"

Noil watched him race away and sneered. "Don't worry. I'll be coming for you soon."

As the ship drew closer to the others, Noil began to hear fighting. Had they clashed with the savages too?

The ship sailed on, and Noil finally made out the people in the sea through the dense fog.

One group rode red-spotted sea beasts like the one before. Armed with spears, they watched their enemies in the water like prey.

Four others struggled to swim amid the wreckage of a ship. It looked as though sea beasts had smashed their vessel apart.

Though the ship was in pieces, Noil recognized the skull flag floating on the water. It had been a pirate ship.

Among the beast riders was the man Noil had beaten earlier.

He whispered something in the ear of a man who appeared to be their leader. The leader flew into a rage.

Noil ignored the tribesmen, who looked like a bunch of clowns. He was more interested in the four pirates in the water.

A pirate crew this small was either brand-new, or every member was a monster like the Red Hair Pirates.

One young man's face suddenly caught Noil's attention.

Noil stared at him and muttered, "That face... those freckles. He looks so familiar..."

Fish-Man Karate Shows Its Power

Black hair, dark eyes, freckles, and an orange-red hat decorated with a smiling face and a crying face.

Noil froze.

Ace? Why am I running into him here?

Oh, right. We're the same age.

I've set out to sea, so it makes sense that Ace has become a pirate too.

Seeing Ace and the others stare at him, Noil called out, "Hey there!"

Ace watched a large ship approach, its owner greeting him. Realizing that Noil wasn't with the other group, he said happily:

"Hey! Can we come aboard? We can't fight properly in the water!"

Noil smiled and nodded. "Good timing. I've got a score to settle with those guys too. Come on up."

Delighted, Ace climbed aboard with a crewmate in each hand. His other companion followed, carrying a sniper rifle.

Once back on a ship, the four pirates regained their confidence. Ace laughed toward the sky, planted a foot on the bow, and pointed at the tribesmen. "Come on! Let's keep fighting!"

Seeing that Ace was fine despite having been soaking in seawater for so long, Noil understood.

So he hasn't eaten a Devil Fruit yet. Otherwise, one charged-up Fire Fist would probably reduce these guys to ash.

The tribesmen used their sea beasts' advantage in the water to spread out and surround Noil's ship.

"Foolish outsiders. You tried to approach our sacred land, and you even hurt one of our people!"

The leader was the most muscular of them, his face covered in strange red markings. Without a flicker of emotion, he pronounced Noil and the others' death sentence.

Ace protested angrily, "You ordered those sea beasts to attack our ship first! You're the ones who started this!"

The tribesman Noil had beaten pointed at Noil and the others. "Kasa! Don't waste words on them. Feed their flesh to our Red-Spotted Porpoises!"

Kasa, the leader of the savages, snorted. He took a wooden whistle from around his neck, drew a deep breath, and blew.

One of Ace's crewmates frowned. "They're calling the sea beasts again."

That was how they'd been caught before. Whenever the tribesmen blew that whistle, sea beasts surged up from below.

Their ship had been overturned on the spot.

Through Observation Haki, Noil sensed many massive shapes rising from beneath the sea, charging straight at the bottom of his ship.

Noil frowned. "Keep an eye on the ship. I'll deal with those troublesome creatures underwater."

As soon as he finished speaking, Noil took a deep breath and jumped into the water. Ace hurried after him. "Wait! I'm coming too!"

The three remaining crewmates looked grim as a crowd of savages leaped onto the deck and surrounded them.

Couldn't we talk this out...?

How about a fair fight?

Underwater, Noil and Ace watched the swarming fish rush toward them. Noil's expression darkened.

There are way too many.

Those tribesmen are vicious.

Ace rolled his shoulders, clenched his fists, and charged into the swarm.

Even without the Flame-Flame Fruit, Ace was a formidable fighter.

One unarmed human plunged among the sea beasts, sending a huge one flying with every punch.

His fists and feet struck in a blur. Bubbles billowed through the water as he stopped wave after wave in its tracks.

Noil refused to be outdone. When it came to fighting underwater, nothing beat his Fish-Man Karate!

Ever since he obtained the Fish-Man Karate training manual, Noil's fighting ability had soared. But he'd never used the martial art in an underwater battle.

Noil settled into a stance and gently spread his arms. He opened his palms, and a faint blue light seemed to shine from his fingertips as they took on the shape of webbing.

Spear Wave: Group Rain—

Silently reciting the move's name, Noil swung his arms and thrust both palms forward. Water currents gathered around him, then shot out like cannonballs.

The powerful currents grew devastating underwater. Each Spear Wave struck the beasts with the force of an explosive, sending immense shock waves through the sea.

Several waves of fish attacking the ship were driven back at once. Their ugly faces fixed on Noil in terror, they dared not advance, yet refused to leave.

Ace couldn't speak while holding his breath, but he stared wide-eyed at Noil in amazement and raised a thumb in praise.

Ace's seal of approval!

Noil cocked an eyebrow proudly, then waved for Ace to move aside.

Ace paused, then kicked away from the fight.

Noil held both fists at his waist, then swept his hands behind him along with the current, taking the opening stance for a shoulder throw.

Fish-Man Jujutsu, an offshoot of Fish-Man Karate, gave him even greater control over the currents.

Ocean Current Shoulder Throw!

With the motion of a shoulder throw, Noil seized the seawater behind him and hurled it forward in a massive, torrent-like wave.

The devastating current slammed into the beasts. Even creatures that lived beneath the sea couldn't withstand a force like a natural disaster. The wave drove every last one back into the depths.

Noil gazed in delight into the dim depths of the sea. He hadn't expected Fish-Man Karate to be so powerful underwater.

Way better than a certain someone's Village Police Fighting Style!

Seeing that the enemy had been driven back, Ace swam over happily and patted Noil. Tiny bubbles escaped his mouth as though he were praising him.

Noil pointed upward. Ace nodded, and the two swam back to the ship.

Meanwhile, Ace's three crewmates stood back-to-back on the deck, fending off the tribesmen.

The companions who would earn the regard of the future Fire Fist Ace were no pushovers.

Outnumbered as they were, they'd held on for a long time. Plenty of enemies lay on the deck, while the three of them had only minor injuries.

A blue-haired young man wearing a dark blue mask over his eyes said anxiously, "Why isn't Ace back? We can't hold out much longer."

Another wore a skull mask. Nearly all his accessories bore skull designs; he seemed particularly fond of them.

His voice was firm as he gritted out, "We have to hold on until the captain returns!"

"If we can't even stop these guys while they're fighting the sea beasts, how can we call ourselves the captain's crew?"

The last man wore a tall hat and held a sniper rifle. With each quick movement, he fired a shot before the enemy could react.

The face beneath his hat betrayed nothing, but his eyes suddenly sharpened and the corner of his mouth lifted. "They're back."

Before he had finished speaking, Noil and Ace broke through the surface and leaped onto the deck. Ace flexed his muscles and glared at the tribesmen. "You dared to bully my crew?"

"Now you're going to answer for all of it!"

The Fire of Kindness, Amaterasu