Lott set sail

"Fire Fist!" (Ace: Why did I feel so empty inside?)

"Ling'er, you hit it too hard. This thing looked so delicious, and you burned it with one punch."

Luffy ran up and looked at the somewhat charred beast, his expression full of regret.

"Stupid Luffy, it looked so ugly. It definitely wouldn't taste good." Ling'er planted her hands on her hips, looking rather unconvinced.

"It looked perfectly nice." Luffy started pouting again. Most people really couldn't grasp Luffy's sense of aesthetics. Sometimes even Lott couldn't help wondering whether Luffy's brain was built differently.

"Lott, you be the judge." Ling'er hugged Lott's arm and wheedled.

"Yes, yes. You're absolutely right." Lott nodded rather helplessly.

As a longtime bachelor, he really couldn't handle this kind of wheedling from a beautiful girl.

"Damn you, Lott! Isn't it just because she's a girl?" White steam puffed from Luffy's nostrils as he spoke.

"Yes, you know I can't do much about Ling'er. Besides, he's the cook. What can you do about him? Nothing good will come of offending her." With that, Lott spread his hands helplessly.

Since food was involved, Luffy immediately bowed and apologized. "I'm very sorry."

Seeing the somewhat familiar island ahead, Ace couldn't help asking, "Hey, are we back?"

"Yes, we're back. More precisely, I've brought you two back." Lott walked to the bow and looked at the island ahead.

"But there are still so many islands we haven't explored." Luffy was very reluctant.

"You little brat, you're too young to go adventuring. Wait until you're a bit older. I've brought you back now because I'm heading out to sea." For once, Lott didn't give Luffy an affectionate flick on the forehead.

"What? Lott, you're heading out to sea? Are you going to the Grand Line?" Ace also looked at Lott in some shock.

He had known Lott would go to sea, but he hadn't expected the day to come so soon.

"Yes! I'm going to the Grand Line." Lott nodded.

At the mention of the Grand Line, Luffy's eyes lit up. "Hey, hey, hey! Take me! Take me!"

"Kid, you're too young and too weak." Lott made no effort to hide his disdain.

"I'm not that young!" Luffy protested from the bow.

"Fine, fine, fine." Lott stopped paying attention to Luffy.

Before long, the ship reached the shore.

They all disembarked and stepped onto the island.

Looking at the shelter, now overgrown with weeds, Lott said with some feeling, "It's been more than two years since we came back."

Electromagnetic Knife.

An ultrathin electromagnetic wave spread from beneath Lott's feet, clearing the excess weeds from the camp like a lawn mower.

"Holy shit, Lott! Are you trying to murder us?" Luffy hurriedly jumped up in fright.

"See? You can't even handle this little danger, and you still want to go to sea, you little brat."

"That one didn't count! Do it again!"

Ignoring Luffy's shouting, Lott chose a spot and sat down.

"You two, come here."

Seeing the serious look on Lott's face, Luffy refrained from complaining for once.

Lott took a notebook and a Devil Fruit out of System Space.

"This is the Logia Gold-Gold Fruit. Once you eat it, your whole body can turn into gold, and you can also control gold to attack." As he spoke, Lott placed the apple-shaped Devil Fruit in Ace's hands.

"I'm about to head out to sea. As your teacher, I don't have much worth giving you, so this is yours."

"Th-this is really for me?" Even someone as composed as Ace couldn't help feeling stirred.

"Yes, eat it. It's stronger than your previous fruit. After all, 'true gold fears no fire.'"

"What previous fruit?" Ace was rather baffled. Have I eaten a Devil Fruit before?

"Eat it and grow stronger."

Crunch~

Blech~

"It tastes awful..." The moment he took a bite, Ace's entire face turned green, and he hurriedly covered his mouth.

Watching Ace from the side, Luffy looked puzzled. "Do Devil Fruits really taste that bad? How come I don't remember?"

Hearing that, Lott couldn't help knocking Luffy on the head. "You brat, you swallowed the whole Devil Fruit. Of course you wouldn't taste how awful it was."

Luffy scratched his head and laughed with an utterly carefree look. "Hahahahaha! So that's why! Right, right, right! I nearly choked to death, too."

Lott reminded him from the side, "You only need the first bite of a Devil Fruit. This is an extremely powerful Devil Fruit. I hope you can make its abilities shock the world."

At Lott's reminder, Ace hurriedly threw the disgusting thing in his hands far away.

Lott looked at Ace expectantly. "Try out your ability."

Ace closed his eyes and began to feel out the Devil Fruit's power.

"Whoa! Ace, your hands! Your hands!"

Luffy's startled cry made Ace open his eyes and look at his hands. "Th-this is...? My hands turned into gold?"

Lott nodded in satisfaction. This fruit should be far stronger than he had imagined. Presumably, Ace's future achievements would certainly be no less than an Admiral's.

Turning his gaze, Lott pulled a picture book from inside his clothes. Drawing on his memories of reading the manga in his previous life, he had hired an artist to illustrate the progression and development of the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Nika in it. "Luffy, you've already eaten a Devil Fruit, so this is for you."

Luffy took the notebook from Lott. "What's this?"

"This is a detailed explanation of your Gum-Gum Devil Fruit. I was worried you wouldn't understand it, so I even hired an artist to draw illustrations."

"Wow. Lott, you're such a good guy." Luffy was so happy he nearly jumped up.

"One more thing, Luffy. See the parts in red? Don't let anyone but yourself know about them, including Ace, Ling'er, and your future crewmates."

Luffy scratched his head in confusion and asked, "Why?"

"Those concern the secrets of this world. At least until you've truly grown strong, remember not to reveal them. Otherwise, even I might not be able to protect you."

Seeing the unusually serious expression on Lott's face, Luffy dropped his flippant attitude and nodded firmly.

"I got it, Lott."

Lott nodded. Although Luffy usually seemed unreliable, whenever he made a promise or set his mind on something, he would definitely follow through.

"All right, I'm leaving now. Remember, your fruit abilities are only a supplement. Don't forget your physical training, especially Haki. The next time we meet should be at the top. I hope you two can surprise me."

Lott vanished from the spot and returned to the Skybreaker, his voice still hanging in the air.

"Ace, Luffy, I'm looking forward to seeing you again. Don't let me overtake you." With that, Ling'er also turned into a wisp of flame and drifted aboard.

Luffy stood up and raised a fist toward the shore. "Lott, I'll definitely find a crew every bit as strong as yours."

Watching the Skybreaker recede into the distance, Ace murmured, "Master Lott, I'll definitely surprise you next time we meet."

Hearing the two youngsters' voices, Lott smiled with some gratification. The next time we meet should be two years from now.

"Hey! Captain, wouldn't it be better to bring them along?" Ling'er didn't quite understand Lott's decision.

"Ling'er, Luffy has his own path, and Ace has his own path, too. We can't change that no matter what." Lott patted Ling'er's little head.

"Oh." Ling'er nodded, only half understanding.

During these years with Ace and Luffy, Lott had never told Ace that he knew he was Roger's son, so Ace would probably become the Second Division Commander aboard Whitebeard's ship, just as he had in the original story.

He knew his arrival would certainly change much of this world's story. He couldn't control exactly how it would turn out; he could only take things one step at a time.

Lott shook his head, deciding not to think too much about it. He teleported up to the two masts and hung the pirate flags he had drawn beforehand at their tops. He changed the sails as well.

He stretched out a hand and controlled the Skybreaker, sending it flying into the distance.

"Let's go! The Lott Pirates are officially setting sail. We still have a few crewmates in the East Blue. We'll pick them up, then set off for the Grand Line."

Ling'er didn't know much about the Grand Line and such. She was all alone now, and wherever Lott went, she would follow.

If Lott needed it, she could even give her life for him.

"Y-you're the strongest bounty hunter in the East Blue, Lo... Lott?" Looking at the black-haired boy standing before him, the pirate was so nervous that his tongue began to stumble.

"If no one else has that name, then I should be the person you're talking about." Lott toyed with the coin in his hand.

With Lott's confirmation, the pirate's legs went weak, and he dropped to his knees. "Could you let me go?"

Lott shook his head. "No! From the moment you tried to harass my crewmate in public, you were already beyond forgiveness."

Indeed, only a few days after setting sail, they had passed a rather prosperous-looking island. Ling'er had suggested going ashore to shop, and they had encountered this pirate blocking her way in the street. Ling'er was still too naive and had almost believed the pirate's lies.

If Lott hadn't teleported over in time, there was no telling what would have happened.

"Ah~ Why! Why did I have to run into a killing fiend like you!"

The pirate's eyes were filled with terror. The person before him had destroyed their pirate ship with just a single coin.

Even their captain, the great pirate Jia Shiming, who had a bounty of eight million, had died to that coin.

Over the past few years, Lott had taken the two youngsters adventuring all over the East Blue. Naturally, he had encountered plenty of pirates and killed plenty as well.

This had also successfully made Lott the most infamous bounty hunter in the entire East Blue.

In the minds of the East Blue's pirates and mountain bandits alike, Lott was even more terrifying than the Marines.

If the Marines caught them, most would be thrown into prison. If Lott caught them, they would be sent to meet their great-grandmothers.