The Terrifying Village

Ace's bold words nearly moved his crew to tears.

The islanders, on the other hand, looked ready to turn green.

We bullied your people?

Are you blind?

Can't you see those are our brothers lying on the ground?

Their leader, Kasa, looked even grimmer. Through gritted teeth, he ordered, "Take them down, then offer them to the Great Shaman!"

"Yes!" The islanders charged again, but aboard the ship, Ace had room to fight freely. This time, Noil was helping too.

The tide turned at once. There were only five of them, but the poorly armed islanders couldn't withstand their assault and fell back step by step.

With no other choice, Kasa shouted, "We can't beat them! Retreat!"

"Trying to run?" Noil's eyes narrowed. His still-raw Conqueror's Haki surged out, sending a strange ripple through the air. The fleeing islanders began to tremble as though they'd seen a ghost.

Splash! Splash!

One after another, they pitched into the water.

The ones who had jumped overboard to escape went limp and sank into the sea without a struggle. Even the man who had threatened to feed Noil to the fish fell in.

Looks like he'll be the one ending up in a fish's belly.

The few who hadn't jumped collapsed on deck, foaming at the mouth. Only Kasa remained on his knees, shaking all over and rolling his eyes, but stubbornly refusing to fall.

Ace gave Noil a thoughtful look. The power he'd just felt seemed strangely familiar.

Noil studied Kasa in surprise. He's tougher than he looks.

His Conqueror's Haki was still at a basic level, but it should have been enough to knock out the lot of them.

Noil didn't dwell on it. One conscious islander was just what they needed to show them the way. He grabbed Kasa by the neck and snarled, "Lead us there! I want to meet this Great Shaman you keep talking about."

Kasa glared at him. "You despicable bastard! What kind of sorcery was that?"

"The Great Shaman will call down Heavenly Fire and burn you villains alive!"

Ace stepped forward, indignant. "You were the ones trying to kill me! Were we supposed to stand there and let you?"

Heavenly Fire?

Kasa's words sparked a thought in Noil's mind. Someone here can wield flames?

And Ace had wound up here too. Could the Great Shaman be the previous user of the Flame-Flame Fruit?

Now I definitely have to go!

Noil slapped Kasa's painted face twice and said coldly, "Lead the way. No more talking, or I'll rip out your tongue!"

At that threat, the tough-guy act vanished. Kasa meekly led them onward.

According to him, the sea beasts they raised were called Red-Spotted Porpoises. Their nests lay beneath the island where Kasa lived, so they could find their way through the thick fog with ease.

Once the ship was headed in the right direction, everyone aboard relaxed. Ace eagerly thanked Noil, then introduced himself. "I'm Portgas D. Ace, captain of the Spade Pirates."

"The guy in the mask is Deuce. He's a doctor. The one covered in skull decorations is Skull, a huge pirate fanatic who collects skull merchandise."

"And that's Mihal. He's our sniper. Don't let how shy and quiet he is fool you—he's an incredible shot!"

Mihal rolled his eyes at his captain's introduction.

I'm aloof, not shy!

Noil gave them a friendly nod. "I'm Noil, a pirate bounty hunter!"

"A bounty hunter?!" Ace and the others cried.

Deuce shook all over. "You're not here to catch us, are you?!"

Skull, who knew plenty about pirate circles, stared at him in horror. "I remember now! He's Noil, the strongest Pirate Hunter—the one who strikes fear into pirates across the East Blue!"

Ace clutched his head. "Then did we climb aboard the wrong ship?!"

The taciturn Mihal sighed as he watched the other three carry on.

Noil eyed the three as they backed away and asked with a hint of mockery, "Do you have bounties?"

"Bounties?"

Ace scratched his head. "I don't think... we have any yet."

"Exactly," Noil said. "You're not worth a penny. Why would I catch you?"

I could wait until your bounty hits two hundred million. Wouldn't that be better?

Or I could contact Garp privately and sell you to him. That might work too.

Noil amused himself with the thought.

Ace breathed a sigh of relief. The three took no offense at Noil's jab and cheerfully threw their arms around his shoulders.

If Ace had known what Noil was thinking, though, he would have punched him in the head.

Host has met an important figure. Rewards issued: Gold Talent Copy Card ×1, White Talent Copy Card ×10, Physique +15, Amaterasu Flame (Modified Version).

Noil's face lit up. Another Gold Talent Copy Card!

And Amaterasu Flame? Wasn't that Sasuke and Itachi's ocular technique from Naruto—the merciful flame that supposedly never managed to burn anyone to death?

Noil hurried to read the system's description and went still.

Its basic property was unchanged: it wouldn't go out until it had burned its target completely. But the way it was released had changed.

It no longer required him to focus his eyes on a target. Amaterasu Flame had become an innate ability he could summon and sustain by expending stamina.

The catch was that he couldn't project it away from his body. It could only form on Noil's skin.

To burn someone else, he would have to touch them directly and let the Amaterasu Flame spread.

Put bluntly, he could turn himself into a human torch and ram into someone—or wait for them to ram into him. Either way, he could burn them to ash.

In practice, it was more or less like Taro's Ultra Dynamite...

He just didn't know what powers in this world could stop Amaterasu.

In Naruto, there were plenty of ways to counter it. Here, Armament Haki was probably the best bet.

On reflection, Noil figured that while this version of Amaterasu had virtually no ranged capability, it bolstered his defense. He could also coat his hand-to-hand attacks and sword strikes with it, making it useful on offense.

Thankfully, Amaterasu Flame only burned what Noil chose as its target. He could keep it from burning his clothes.

Otherwise, the moment his whole body caught fire, his clothes would go up too...

Am I supposed to fight people naked?

Delighted by the power of Amaterasu Flame within him, Noil turned his thoughts back to Ace.

Once Ace ate the Flame-Flame Fruit, Noil could copy his ability.

With both Devil Fruit flames and Amaterasu Flame, he'd be the undisputed king of fire!

The Frightening Village ### A thought occurred to Noil, and he used his appraisal skill on Ace.

Name: Ace

Most Evil Bloodline: Gold quality. Carries the genes of Pirate King Roger and has inherited his aptitude for training in Haki and other combat skills. Will inevitably face one life-or-death calamity, and most people connected to him will meet tragic ends or suffer misfortune. If he survives the calamity, however, his overall strength will double within a short time. Possesses exceptional luck.

Brotherhood Pact: Red quality. Three brothers share an abundance of good fortune. Whenever one brother dies, the remaining two split the resulting increase in luck, and each gains a substantial boost to aptitude and strength.

Demon Descendant: Purple quality. Haki training becomes more efficient, but progress in training any ability is halved. Devil Fruit abilities, however, can be trained at an exceptional rate.

Noil eyed Ace's three talents with hesitation. Their quality was impressive: one gold, one red, and one purple.

But he only had one Gold Talent Copy Card and one red Copy Card to use, and Ace's talents carried real risks.

Copying Most Evil Bloodline might give him the aptitude Roger had passed down. That once-in-a-lifetime calamity was terrifying, though!

In the Original Story, Ace had apparently failed to survive it. He'd died, and the Whitebeard Pirates had met a tragic fate alongside him.

Brotherhood Pact also explained to Noil why Luffy kept surviving one disaster after another.

Even so, Noil decided against copying Ace's talents. They probably wouldn't do him much good.

Better to save his Copy Cards until he entered the Grand Line, then find Hawk-Eyes and copy his Swordsmanship talent. That was the best choice.

Ace looked at Noil earnestly. "Noil! Would you join our crew?"

Noil paused, then smiled and shook his head. "I'll pass. I don't want to be a pirate right now."

Ace refused to give up. "Why not? What's wrong with being a pirate? You can go on adventures anywhere!"

Noil shook his head again, smiling without a word.

Ace lowered his head, a little deflated. "If you ever change your mind, the Spade Pirates will always have a place for you. I think you'd be great with us!"

Noil was touched despite himself. "We'll see. Just don't get beaten by somebody and absorbed into their crew before then."

Ace thumped his chest confidently. "Like that would ever happen!"

Oh, it absolutely could...

Noil kept that thought to himself.

Whitebeard only needs to land a few punches, then claim you as his son. You'd cry your eyes out on the spot.

With Kasa and the Red-Spotted Porpoises guiding them, the ship soon reached its destination. The thick fog around them gradually changed color.

Ace stood by the rail, staring at it in wonder. "That's strange. The fog's turned pale red."

Deuce, in his black mask, shuddered. "It looks like a mist of blood!"

Noil frowned and activated Climate Super-Sense, but the deeper they went into the red fog, the weaker its effect became.

Through the haze, an island covered in red maple trees came into view.

The foliage made the whole island look dyed red. Scarlet leaves carpeted the paths below.

Kasa looked toward it. "That's Red Leaf Island, where our village is."

"The trees here give off a peculiar mist. An ordinary ship that enters it would never find its way out."

"The red mist these leaves create is perfect for Red-Spotted Porpoises. They're the only ones familiar with the routes around the island, so we rely on them to guide us."

Noil nodded in understanding. The world really did hold all sorts of wonders. Even Nami, with her extraordinary gift for navigation, had been stumped.

Ace held down his hat excitedly. "Let's go ashore!"

Mihal, who hadn't said a word, picked up his rifle and approached Noil. "Mr. Noil, I'll stay and guard the ship."

Ace and the others looked used to it. Mihal must have stayed behind to watch the ship often.

Noil trusted Ace's crew, so he nodded. "Sounds good."

Noil and the other three took Kasa ashore under guard. The moment Ace stepped onto the island, he said in surprise, "What a strange place. The ground's covered in red leaves. They're really soft."

Noil extended his Observation Haki, keeping watch. "There are plenty of venomous insects and snakes, too. Can people really live here?"

A trace of contempt crossed Kasa's eyes.

Stupid outsiders. They don't understand how sacred this island is.

When the terrifying Great Shaman comes, you'll all be reduced to ashes!

A sly look crept onto Kasa's face.

Ace caught his expression. Oh, so you still think you're in charge?

He pinned Kasa to the ground and pummeled him, leaving him bewildered.

What did I do to you? Why are you hitting me?!

Battered and bruised, Kasa obediently led them on. At last, he brought the four of them to a village that looked desperately primitive.

The moment they entered, people rushed out from every direction. All of them carried weapons and wore strange markings on their faces.

Young and old, men and women alike, they wore vicious expressions and watched the newcomers as though they were prey ready for the fire.

A few children were even drooling!

Ace surveyed the village. His face suddenly turned ashen, and he tapped Noil's shoulder, pointing to a corner. "Look!"