As he watched Ace withstand the impact of his Conqueror's Haki,
a faint glimmer of appreciation crossed Gern's eyes. Though Ace swayed on his feet, he stubbornly remained standing.
He had not unleashed his Conqueror's Haki in full, but enduring it without falling at Ace's age and level of experience was enough to prove how frighteningly talented the boy was.
As expected of that man's blood... Gern sighed inwardly.
Although he personally had little fondness for the so-called "bloodline theory," he had to admit
that on this sea, certain things people were born with truly were like the brand of fate, so deeply etched that there was nothing anyone could do.
(Though Salted Fish didn't like it, unfortunately, One Piece was all about bloodlines now.)
Still, appreciation aside, the current Ace was by no means relying on talent alone.
After all, he had made his way into the New World, defeated a Shichibukai, and rejected the World Government's offer to recruit him. His strength had already placed him among the ranks of the great pirates.
At the very least, Ace now firmly possessed Shichibukai-level combat power!
After all, in the original timeline, he had been a formidable fighter who could battle "Knight of the Sea" Jinbe in his prime on land for five days and five nights without a winner.
"Not bad," Gern said slowly, his terrifying Conqueror's Haki pressure receding like the tide. "Being able to stand and talk proves you haven't spent these past few years just fooling around."
With the pressure suddenly gone, Ace gulped down several ragged breaths. Fine beads of sweat covered his forehead, but his back remained ramrod straight.
Then he raised a hand, wiped away the cold sweat running down to his chin, and grinned. "Heh... that's one hell of a way to