On a warship.
Uya was standing in a spacious room, leisurely with his hands behind his back. There were many pillars and targets around Uya. This was a training area on the warship.
In the arena, Ain had taken off her navy uniform and was wearing a close-fitting beige shirt, working out while sweating profusely.
Ain doesn't particularly like swordsmanship; instead, she habitually uses her unique dual pistols to unleash her abilities. Her physical strength was already considerable, and after Uya's enhancements, she was comparable to even the vice admirals of the Marine Headquarters.
Ain is currently training in Armament Haki.
Ain, drenched in sweat, was almost completely soaked, revealing a graceful curve that stirred the imagination. Uya, however, did not reveal any lust in his eyes, but stood there with a slight smile.
Although Uya was almost a god and was relatively indifferent to things, he could not completely ignore an ugly monster being manipulated in front of him and a beautiful woman cultivating in front of him.
"Arm up!"
Ain spoke in a deep voice, a wisp of Haki emanating from him, gently swirling around her jade-like arm, but unable to attach itself to it.
Uya had been watching from the sidelines and noticed that Ain could only succeed once out of ten attempts. He frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly revealed a thoughtful expression.
Ain is not him after all. Although his physique has become much stronger after his improvement, he still needs to hone his skills to master Armament Haki.
Hardship is not the same as self-cultivation.
In the original work, Luffy learned Armament Haki by fighting various monsters on an island teeming with them, and he only truly mastered it in actual combat.
"Okay, you can stop now."
Thinking of this, Uya spoke softly, stopping Ain.
Ain walked up to Uya with some shame and said apologetically, "I'm very sorry, Commander Uya, I still can't fully master Armament Haki."
Uya shook his head slightly and said, "No, you've almost mastered the art of simple cultivation. To truly master it, you'll need to experience a lot of battles."
Although Ain is already very strong, she hasn't experienced many battles. Since following Uya, she has only experienced one battle, but her horizons have broadened considerably.
Hearing Uya's words, Ain seemed to remember something and nodded in response, "Yes, I think I heard Teacher Zephyr say before that in addition to talent, mastering Haki also requires proficiency in a lot of actual combat."
Ain excelled at Observation Haki very quickly, demonstrating exceptional talent. However, her talent in Armament Haki was rather average.
Uya listened to Ain's words and pondered for a moment, seemingly thinking about something. Suddenly, a look of surprise appeared on Uya's face, and he looked up to the side.
When Ain saw Uya 'Uya expression, she subconsciously turned her head to look in the same direction, but she saw nothing; there was only a wall.
"Go change your clothes, then come up to the deck."
Uya turned to Ain and spoke softly before walking out of the training room.
Ain watched Uya leave, blinked, and then a cute blush rose slightly on her cheeks. Looking at her sweat-soaked body, she couldn't help but mutter, "Change my clothes... Uya, really, how can you say something like that in such a flat tone?"
While Ain respected and admired Uya, she also had some thoughts about him, but she never dared to express them openly. After all, Uya's brilliance was too dazzling, and she always felt ashamed in front of Uya.
A gentle sea breeze was blowing, and the sun hung high in the sky.
Uya came to the deck and looked at the distant sea with great interest. On the distant sea, there was an inconspicuous small boat heading straight towards the warship.
Uya was in the training room, trying to sense if there were any Sea Kings or monsters nearby so he could create a place for Ain to practice his Armament Haki. However, he didn't expect to sense this small boat on the sea.
To be precise, they sensed the people on the small boat.
Fire Fist Ace!
It's estimated that Luffy will only be around a year away from Luffy sail. By then, Ace will have already joined the Whitebeard Pirates and may have become the captain of the second division.
So there's no need to even think about Ace's intentions.
" Whitebeard Edward Newgate... truly one of the most charismatic characters." Gazing at the small boat on the sea, Uya smiled faintly.
Because the ship was so small, it was inconspicuous on the sea, so it wasn't until Uya came to the deck that the navy spotted the small boat and reported it to Uya.
Meanwhile, Ain had changed her clothes, put on her navy uniform, and walked onto the deck, where she also saw the small boat in the distance.
"That's... Fire Fist Ace, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. What's he doing here? Is he trying to stop Commander Uya?" A look of surprise appeared on Ain's face as he put down his binoculars.
The whole world knows that Uya's next target is Whitebeard, so it's naturally strange that one of the Whitebeard Pirates commanders would approach him at this time.
"No, it's not just Fire Fist Ace, there's someone else..." Uya shook his head, his smile widening as he looked at the shimmering sea with great interest.
"There's one more?"
Ain blinked, picked up the binoculars again, looked around, then put them down with a puzzled expression, saying, "There was clearly only one person on that ship... wait, could it be...?"
"That's right, in the water." Uya nodded, her gaze carrying a hint of detached indifference, as if she understood everything.
On the sea.
A small boat was cutting through the waves, rapidly approaching Uya's warship.
Wearing an orange leather hat, Fire Fist Ace stood there with a light smile on his face, showing no sign of tension or fear.
"We're almost there. If you don't attack him, they shouldn't attack you, considering your status."
"Brother Ace, what are you saying? Although he is a Marine, and one I greatly admire, I will absolutely not allow anyone to harm Father."
In the water beside the small boat, a very fat figure was swimming – Jinbe, Knight of the Sea than Jinbe, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!
Ace chuckled, pressing his leather hat, and said, "If we hadn't rushed out and only managed to snag a small boat, I'd really like to have a drink with you first."
"If we can really stop him this time, and he survives, I'll drink with you until we're both drunk."
Despite his Jinbe size, Jinbe, being a fish-man, is even more agile in the sea than on land. His massive body moves through the water like a nimble fish, without the slightest clumsiness or sluggishness.
"Looks like you're not very confident," Ace chuckled, but a hint of confidence gradually appeared on his face. "In that case, leave it to me alone. I can stop him by myself!"
"Although he defeated the other three Four Emperors,... if he wants to deal with Daddy, he has to get past me first!" Ace said decisively.
Jinbe paused for a moment, a resolute glint in his eyes, and said, "Whether I can do it or not, even if it costs me my life, I will do my utmost."
As the warship drew closer, Jinbe said to Ace in a deep voice, "Brother Ace, let me escort you aboard."
"Thank you very much."
It was obviously impossible for the warship to lower any ladders for them to slowly climb up, and it was also impossible for Ace and Jinbe to climb up. Ace had originally planned to jump up as soon as he got close, but upon hearing Jinbe's words, he chuckled and nodded.
Just as it was about to collide with the warship, Jinbe, underwater, made a gesture as if embracing a current, and suddenly flung himself upwards.
"The ocean current... a single path!" (To be continued.)