"I have no interest in Devil Fruits..."
Storm found it hard to believe these words came from Portgas D. Ace—a man who would one day be known as "Fire Fist" by the world.
Especially since he'd said this right in front of the [Flame-Flame Fruit].
If the [Flame-Flame Fruit] had its own consciousness, its soul would probably be weeping right now...
Storm casually tossed the [Flame-Flame Fruit] in his hand onto the Blue-Eyed White Dragon's body.
The dragon's sturdy scales rippled like water, swallowing the fruit whole and storing it away.
"You don't like Devil Fruits?"
Storm looked at Ace with interest.
"Or is it the weaknesses that come with them you dislike?"
"It's not really about 'liking' or 'disliking,'" Ace replied after a moment of thought.
"My little brother—Luffy—ate the [Gum-Gum Fruit], or what you called the 'Savior Fruit' earlier.
"Luffy and I have fought since we were kids. I know all his abilities inside out.
"His [Gum-Gum Fruit] is... well, it's interesting in its own way.
"But what really decides a fight is physique!
"Plus, being a pirate who can't swim? That's just ridiculous... No offense."
"None taken. The swimming weakness is common knowledge," Storm waved it off, unbothered by Ace's last remark.
"But this idea that 'physique decides everything'—did you come up with that yourself, or did your grandpa teach you?"
"A bit of both!" Ace answered frankly.
"The old man's fists are no joke. They hurt like hell.
"Even Luffy's rubber head can't take his punches."
"That's because he's Garp the 'Hero,' Garp the 'Iron Fist.' The man made his name with his fists."
Storm raised his right hand, flexing his fingers in the air.
"Pure 'martial artists' like your grandpa—fighters who rely solely on their fists—are rare on the seas.
"So you want to follow in his footsteps? Just fists, no weapons?"
"Of course not just fists. I'm not an idiot. Fists aren't as hard as swords."
Ace gave Storm a deadpan look before rummaging through his oversized bag and pulling out a weapon.
"I never learned proper weapon techniques, but it can't be that hard."
As he spoke, Ace swung his "weapon" through the air—a hollow pipe about as thick as a thumb, producing a sharp "whoosh" with each motion.
Ah, so he's the owner of the "Supreme Water Pipe"...
Storm felt a mix of solemn respect (and slight amusement) well up inside him.
Come to think of it, even Garp had used a pipe as his "main weapon" in his younger days...
Curious, Storm reached out and took the "Supreme Water Pipe" from Ace.
He inspected it carefully, tapping its surface lightly, producing a hollow "thunk."
Yep. It was just an ordinary pipe—nothing special about it.
Ace watched Storm's series of actions with some confusion.
"What are you doing?"
"Testing the feel."
Storm gripped the pipe as if it were a treasured sword.
Holding his breath and tightening his grip, he swung the pipe forcefully toward the sky ahead. The air instantly emitted a sharp, piercing sound.
Whoosh—
Storm's immense strength carried the surrounding air, releasing a dazzling white Vacuum Slash.
The crescent-shaped Vacuum Slash cut through the sky.
A small white cloud in the distance was instantly torn to shreds by the attack.
The remaining force of the Vacuum Slash continued to soar forward until it disappeared beyond the horizon.
Ace was completely dumbfounded.
"What was that just now? Did you do that with a pipe?"
"A Vacuum Slash. Not bad, but it doesn't compare to the Soaring Slash of a Great Sword Master."
Storm weighed the pipe in his hand before handing it back to Ace.
"Still, it's decent for clearing out ordinary thugs."
Storm had initially intended to use a "Soaring Slash," but a pipe wasn't a sword after all.
As a beginner, he couldn't execute a "Soaring Slash" and instead released a Vacuum Slash by applying the force technique of [Tempest Kick].
As for its power—it was passable.
Ace took the pipe and mimicked Storm's earlier movements, swinging it several times.
But aside from a few whooshing sounds, his swings produced no effect.
"Vongola, how did you do that?"
Ace gave up on testing for now and turned to Storm.
"That slash just now? And you're carrying a sword—are you a swordsman?"
"Nah, I carry a sword mainly because it looks cool!"
Storm replied with complete honesty.
"At least it's way cooler than lugging around a pipe!"
This guy…
Is he mocking me?
Ace's face darkened at the remark.
"So I wouldn't call myself a 'swordsman.'"
Storm unbuckled the [Goethite Sabre] from his waist and handed it to Ace.
"At most, I'm just a pirate who knows how to use a sword."
Ace took the [Goethite Sabre] with both hands and unsheathed it with a crisp "shing."
The gleaming blade reflected a fleeting flash of white light across his face.
"Amazing weapon! This must be a Named Sword, right?"
Even though Ace hadn't seen many fine blades, he could tell at a glance that this one was extraordinary.
"What's its name?"
"It's not a Named Sword, and it doesn't have a name."
Storm shrugged nonchalantly.
"Do you name your pipe?"
Storm had always referred to his weapon as the [Goethite Sabre].
Even after upgrading its quality to five stars with the [Grand Prize Trophy], the name remained unchanged.
After all, Storm wasn't a professional swordsman.
His real weapon was his "fists"!
He was a "combat specialist" too!
Storm's casual retort left Ace speechless.
How could his pipe possibly compare to this clearly exceptional Named Sword?
This Clam guy… so infuriating!
Gritting his teeth, Ace sheathed the sword and returned it to Storm, silently hugging his pipe without another word.
You use your saber, I use my pipe—everyone has a bright future ahead.
Ace had initially planned to respond to Storm with cold indifference.
But Storm wasn't about to let the newly recruited son of the Pirate King off so easily.
"Ace, can you use a sword?"
"No!"
"Are you interested in swordsmanship?"
"Not interested!"
"Don't you want to inherit your father's abilities?"
"My father—you mean, my dad?"
"Yes, your father, Gol D. Roger. He was actually a pirate who was exceptionally skilled with a blade."
Storm said with a teasing expression.
"Have you forgotten the origin of your name? One of the Supreme Grade Swords Twelve Crafts—the Pirate Scimitar [Ace]!"
"I have no interest in that pirate scimitar that shares my name."
Ace replied coldly.
"My fists are my weapons!"
"Alright, I see."
Storm's response caught Ace off guard.
"…What do you see?"
"You still need more training!"
"Nani?!"
"Time to speed up!"
"Na—ni—?!"
With the power of the More-More Fruit, the Blue-Eyed White Dragon erupted with terrifying speed.
Though it still couldn't compare to the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, it was a hundred times faster than its previous flight speed.
In just a single day,
Storm and Ace traveled from Dawn Island back to the Conomi Islands.
He brought Ace to Cocoyasi Village to meet up with Nami, and they even had a simple meal at her home.
Then, the trio set off again, riding the Blue-Eyed White Dragon to the island where the Oykot Kingdom was located, directly arriving at the massive snail where Germa Kingdom resided.
A few days prior, Kuma had mentioned to Storm that Germa Kingdom planned to return to the North Sea soon.
But even now, those giant snails remained anchored in the East Blue.
Kuma hadn't contacted Storm in the past few days either, so it was likely nothing major had happened.
The reappearance of the Blue-Eyed White Dragon drew the attention of everyone in Germa Kingdom.
The members of the Vinsmoke family were the first to appear.
Robin, Kid, and Killer also arrived together at the open grounds outside the Vinsmoke family's castle.
Storm glanced around but didn't see Kuma, guessing he was probably still spending time with his daughter.
He turned to Ace and Nami and said,
"You two, wait here in the sky for a bit. I'll go down and bring the others up."
Nami and Ace nodded in unison.
Without hesitation, Storm leaped off the Blue-Eyed White Dragon, white wings sprouting from his back as he glided down like a bird toward Germa Kingdom below.
"Robin, Kid, Killer."
Storm first greeted his three subordinates, then nodded at the nearby Vinsmoke family members.
"Where's Kuma?"
"Mr. Kuma is accompanying Bonney for her routine check-up."
Robin answered directly.
"The two of them, along with Dr. Judge, are currently in the lab.
"The check-up shouldn't take long. They should be here soon."
As soon as Robin finished speaking,
Storm expanded his senses and immediately detected Kuma and Bonney's presence approaching.
Then, a strange beep sound rang out.
Kuma and Bonney appeared at the entrance of the Vinsmoke family castle, standing in the shadows to avoid contact with the natural light outside.
Storm flashed to Bonney's side and patted her head.
The "Little Bear Armor" immediately appeared, encasing her entire body.
"Haha! I look like Daddy again!" Bonney cheered excitedly before turning to Kuma.
Kuma reached into his pocket and carefully pulled out a pair of sunglasses, placing them on his daughter.
These past few days...
What troubled Kuma most wasn't Bonney's treatment, but her obsession with that "Little Bear Armor."
Bonney kept wanting to wear the "Little Bear Armor" again so she could run freely outside.
Unfortunately, Storm wasn't in the Germa Kingdom.
Without Storm present, Kuma couldn't even manifest the armor.
If Storm hadn't returned to Germa today,
Kuma would have had to ask Dr. Judge for help in making similar clothing.
After all, Germa Kingdom had comparable "battle suits"...
Once suited up in the "Little Bear Armor," Bonney immediately jumped from Kuma's arms and dashed into the sunlight on her short legs.
Storm and Kuma quickly followed, joining Robin and the others.
"Miss Reiju, please inform your father that my crew and I will be having a brief gathering."
Storm summoned a Blue-Eyed White Dragon, lifting Kuma, Robin, and the others onto its back—even the sprinting Bonney.
"And remind him to prepare what I requested earlier!"
With that, Storm guided the dragon to another Blue-Eyed White Dragon hovering nearby.
One dragon carried Nami and Ace.
The other bore Kuma, Robin, Kid, and Killer.
The two groups exchanged glances, unsure what to say.
Nami and Ace took it in stride—they knew Storm already had another crew.
But Robin's group was surprised—their captain/boss had only been gone a few days and already returned with two new members...
"Introductions can wait," Storm said as he steered both dragons higher.
"Now... we ascend!"
High above at 10,000 meters,
The Sky Garden floated silently among the clouds, awaiting its master's return.
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