1517 (the year of Sea Circle Calendar )
Ace finally reached the age of 17, as promised to Sabo and Luffy. Before reaching this age, he made a special trip to Foosha Village to learn from Makino how to talk to people in a friendly manner, with the aim of finding Shanks and thanking him in a friendly way.
Because Shanks saved Luffy's life, he was the man who led Luffy onto the path of pirates, and today is the day Ace sets sail. Luffy and many villagers from Foosha Village came to see him off, Dadan and her crew also secretly saw Ace off.
" Ace! Are we finally setting sail?! Luffy's next! It'll be here soon!"
Atop a large windmill, unseen by anyone seeing them off, Vic stood quietly, watching the Foosha Village docks depart. Even the birds resting on the windmill blades were unaware of Vic's presence, preening their feathers as they went about their business.
Ace was loading supplies onto the small boat when he looked towards the windmill structure as if sensing something, but there was nothing there except two small birds playing.
Ace turned his attention back to moving supplies, with Luffy helping him along. The current Ace was much stronger than when he first set sail in the original story.
In the original work, Luffy, who possesses Devil Fruit, could never defeat Ace, who relied solely on physical combat skills. Here, both Ace and Luffy have become stronger. Ace has even Awakening Observation Haki. Vic told him about the Three Types of Haki and Devil Fruit in advance and also trained in the illusionary realm.
Ace's voyage went smoothly. He didn't encounter the Lord of the Coast outside Foosha Village. The giant knife loach either sensed Vic's presence and hid, or it just happened to be out hunting today. In any case, it didn't come out to bother Ace.
Ace's small boat disappeared on the horizon. Luffy felt no reluctance, only a surge of Luffy spirit. In three more years, he would be 17 years old, and then he could also set sail for adventure.
Luffy left Foosha Village and went straight into the mountains to hone his techniques using his Devil Fruit powers. However, upon returning to the mountains, he saw a familiar figure, which caused his expression to change drastically.
If you were to ask who he fears most in this world, it would undoubtedly be his grandfather. And who is the second most feared person? That person would certainly be Vic.
At first, Luffy really liked Vic and would bring him lots of delicious food every time he came over. But after Vic was taken to the mountain by his grandfather, he changed. Although he still got to eat, he had to go through all sorts of terrible trials.
Even someone with his strong heart was on the verge of collapse. However, what he didn't know was that over the past few years, his will had become incredibly firm. He could face real life and death without flinching and with composure. His strength had also greatly improved, but he still couldn't defeat Ace, who had no Devil Fruit power.
" Luffy! I'm here to treat you to something to eat again!"
Vic turned and smiled at Luffy, whose forehead was covered in sweat. Before each special training session, he would treat the two to a big meal, both to replenish their energy for the upcoming training in the illusionary realm and as a reward for their hard work.
The food that Vic personally makes is something that very few people can eat now. The ingredients are mostly Sea Kings, which greatly helps the two of them in their training and growth. This is why the two of them didn't run away even though they knew that Vic's special training was terrible. They would die for the sake of eating Vic's delicious food!
Vic has begun his annual special training again, while Ace has become a true pirate, and with his strength, he has almost no rivals in the East Blue.
However, there was nothing he could do against nature. A small boat couldn't carry his pirate dream. Although he wasn't stranded on a deserted island with Deuce this time, he still obtained the Flame-Flame Fruit- Flame-Flame Fruit chose Ace!
Since Vic killed the Devil Fruit User, the fruit had disappeared without a trace, and no one had discovered Devil Fruit. However, it drifted back into Ace 'Ace hands as he set sail.
Ace didn't eat the Devil Fruit when he was hungry. It was as if a voice in his heart was telling him that this Devil Fruit had traveled a long way to find him.
After eating the Flame-Flame Fruit, Ace nearly burned down his own pirate ship, and many of his crewmates lost hair to burns. At this point, Ace already possessed all the elements to become a top-tier powerhouse; all that remained was time for him to accumulate power.
With his strength, Ace was already invincible in the East Blue. Now that he had eaten the Flame-Flame Fruit, he was even more invincible. He quickly became a wanted man and was registered with the East Blue Marine Branch.
However, the East Blue's naval strength is limited, and none of them possess Haki, so they have no way to deal with Ace's abilities. This applies to both the naval forces and pirates here. After touring the East Blue, Ace felt very bored, as there was no one he could fight. He had already planned to go to the Grand Line to challenge that legendary sea!
" Ace! Did you know? I killed the Devil Fruit User. Don't think you're invincible just because you have Logia Devil Fruit! He thought he was invincible back then, but he still died at my hands in the end."
Before Ace went to the Grand Line, Vic found him, who was invincible in the East Blue. Because the photo on the wanted poster was taken when Ace was using a fire technique, Vic wanted to find Ace and talk to him about developing his Devil Fruit ability.
However, when he found Ace, he discovered that the guy had become arrogant and conceited because there were no rivals left in the East Blue. Such a mentality would lead to great losses, so Vic decided to teach Ace a lesson before guiding him to develop his Devil Fruit ability, and to shatter his arrogance.
" Mr. Vic! I admit that you've been helping Luffy and me Luffy and become stronger all these years, and we're very grateful to you. But I won't stand for your current disparagement of the Flame-Flame Fruit's power. Since obtaining the Flame-Flame Fruit, I've never lost. I'm different from others. If you don't believe me, Mr. Vic, you can fight me and see!"
Although Vic had introduced Ace to the three types Haki Three Types of Haki and Devil Fruit, he did not explain the relationship between Devil Fruit abilities and Ace.
Therefore, Ace was unaware that Armament Haki could counter Logia abilities, and given that Vic had trained him and Luffy to the point of death, he still harbored some resentment.
Before he gained such invincible power, he couldn't fight against Vic, but now it's different. Since eating the Flame-Flame Fruit, he hasn't encountered a worthy opponent.
Although he had never actually fought Vic, he felt that Vic's strength couldn't possibly exceed his imagination, so he still wanted to avenge himself and Luffy. This shows that he had too little experience and limited knowledge; he could only see the surface of the problem.
"Alright! Let's find an island to land on."