Setting Sail, Fire Fist Ace

East Blue, Foosha Village.

"Don't bother seeing me off, Luffy, you need to set sail as soon as possible!"

"Ah, Ace, remember to say hello to Shanks for me when you see him... hehehehe!"

"Of course, after all, he's my brother's savior. I'll definitely meet Red-Haired Shanks and give him my regards in person..."

On a simple bamboo raft on the edge of the East Blue beach, Portgas D. Ace smiled and waved goodbye to the Dadan's Family and the residents of Foosha Village behind him.

"Goodbye, Dadan, thank you for taking care of me all these years..."

"Waaaaah, you wretched brat! Why are you saying all this before you leave? Waaaaah!!!"

The burly bandit, who didn't look like a woman, covered his face with a handkerchief, and the sails of the small boat were hoisted, officially setting sail for the Grand Line.

"Ace! I will definitely set sail in two years! Wait for me at the pinnacle of piracy!!!"

Luffy made a megaphone and shouted until Ace's figure disappeared on the horizon, at which point the residents of Foosha Village returned.

"Honestly, how come this village is full of guys who want to become pirates? It's a disgrace to the village, it brings shame to Foosha Village..."

Up Laboon, the Foosha Village, who had been lingering on the road and had not yet shown up, complained in a low voice, which immediately made Makino chuckle.

"Ace is gone. Everything went smoothly. He knocked out the Lord of the Coast with one punch. That kid is strong. He will definitely come back safely."

"Tch, I was just worried that a great pirate would emerge from Foosha Village, that's why..."

Before he could finish speaking, seeing the people around him chuckling, an angry Up Laboon waved his cane and hurried back home indignantly.

Late at night, in the Mt. Colubo.

"Waaaaah, I miss Ace..."

"You're so annoying with all this nagging! Luffy, can't you remember this: when your grandpa Garp comes, you can't say Ace went to sea to become a pirate, or we'll get a good beating!"

After being harassed from day to night, Dadan, unable to bear it any longer, gave another warning, her eyes wide open, staring intently at Luffy.

"If Garp asks you, 'Where did Ace go?' what would you say?"

As Dadan drew ever closer, Luffy whistled, his gaze sweeping around.

"I... I don't know!"

Snap!

Dadan rubbed her forehead, feeling increasingly helpless in the face of such utterly awful lying skills.

"No, you should say, ' Ace has gone to train deep in the Colber Mountains and will be back in a few days,' do you understand?"

"No, no, Ace went to sea to become a pirate, how could he possibly come back?"

"Really? Ace went to sea to become a pirate, Dadan, Luffy!!!"

Bang!

The already dilapidated gate was kicked to pieces, and Garp stood outside, his expression growing increasingly grim.

Luffy: "Grandpa!!!"

Dadan's family. "Eh eh eh eh eh!!!"

Garp: "Don't even think about escaping! Taste my Fist of Love that will straighten out your thinking!"

Bang bang bang bang bang bang...

Half an hour later, Luffy bruised and swollen, and Dadan's family lay on the ground. Garp looked up at the sky, the bright moonlight enveloping him.

In a daze, he vaguely recalled Roger's late-night conversation and entrustment with him in the Impel Down, as well as the great mother who had managed to keep her child's life.

"Why won't you follow the path I've laid out for you, Ace? If you continue like this, one day you'll..."

"I... I... I'm going to be the Pirate King..."

The familiar shouts rang in his ears again, Garp's fist hardened once more, causing Luffy to fall back into a deep, infant-like sleep.

"That damned Red-Haired Shanks! What kind of ideas have he instilled in my grandson! Luffy, no matter what, I won't let you follow in the footsteps of Dragon or Red-Haired Shanks..."

Garp left alone, his figure somewhat desolate, and his gray hair further indicated that he was truly beginning to age.

The truth will eventually come out. One day, Ace's identity will be exposed to the world, and when that day comes, it will probably be the beginning of chaos.

Six months later, at the Marine Headquarters.

As several Marine Vice Admiral were whispering among themselves about which pirates were currently making waves, a stack of wanted posters was once again brought into the meeting room.

"Seriously, there are more and more pirates roaming the seas lately. What's going on? Is another era about to begin?"

Wisps of smoke swirled around him as he looked at the face at the front with a look of utter astonishment. Vice Onigumo of the Marine Headquarters stared at the face at the front.

"What a young face! Portgas D. Ace, this kid isn't even thirty yet, and his bounty is already 300 million Beli. His pirate crew is the Spade Pirates..."

"Not only that, he is also Ability User of the Mera Mera no Mi, an extremely rare Logia. If we don't eliminate him now, he may become a threat to the Navy in the future."

Former Vice Admiral Borsalino, now Marine Admiral under the command of an Admiral, and the Marine Vice Admiral Strawberry who seriously injured Fisher Tiger, sighed softly, clearly sensing that the intensity of the recent battles with the pirates had increased once again.

Bang!

The door was shoved open by someone staggering, and the major who rushed over was in a panic. He relayed the message to the meeting room where several lieutenant generals were.

"Vice Admiral Firesan, Vice Admiral Strawberry! Something terrible has happened! One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Lizard King Hanafza, has been defeated by Fire Fist Ace, and his fate is unknown!"

Upon hearing this, the two lieutenant generals exchanged a glance and immediately realized the gravity of the situation.

"This is troublesome, especially for Fire Fist Ace..."

"Phew, he's just a newborn calf. The Lizard King Hanafza is nothing special, but the guy behind him is what makes him so powerful on the seas..."

He exhaled a puff of smoke, Onigumo echoed with a sigh.

"The Strongest Creature on Land, Sea, and Air, and the strongest creature beneath that fault line, may only be known after a deadly battle with Whitebeard. Who is truly the strongest?"

After tidying up the documents on his desk, Onigumo turned and walked towards the naval Fleet Admiral's Office.

A little earlier in time, on New World, on an island teeming with reptiles.

"Fire Fist!"

The towering waves of fire burned all the crawling creatures that rushed forward to their deaths. Witnessing these people, who were originally humans, now growing reptilian scales and having been bullied to the point of being completely transformed into reptiles, Ace's eyes gradually turned cold and ruthless.

"You've turned these innocent people into this state for such a ridiculous reason, you're insane!"

"Hehehe, hee hee hee hee! Madman? That's a compliment for a genius. As long as I complete this plan, I can use the power of the Ancient Zoan to completely overthrow the Four Emperors and the World Government!"

"How could you, a brat, possibly understand all this—possessing the ability to move simultaneously on land and sea, and having Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit is fearless of seawater?"

The sound of chains whistling through the air came again, appearing in front of Ace in an instant...