Chapter 234: Nervous Neptune
---
"You... I see black, malevolent flames igniting upon your body. Flames that will steal away the light of the entire world!"
"In the future... you will destroy everything!"
Madam Shyarly's voice trembled as she looked at Ace, her eyes filled with fear.
"Black flames?" Ace muttered, ignoring her mention of "destroying the world." What caught his attention was that phrase—black flames.
When developing his own techniques, Ace had once envisioned something like that—a fusion of Armament Haki and fire.
A flame hardened and strengthened by Haki, capable of burning anything in existence.
But so far, neither his mastery of Armament Haki nor the intensity of his flames had reached that level.
He had nearly abandoned the idea entirely.
Now, after hearing Shyarly's prophecy, that long-forgotten spark of inspiration was reignited.
If her vision truly foretold the future… then someday, he would master that power—the black flame that could devour everything.
As for whether such flames could actually destroy the world…
Ace smirked. That depends entirely on my mood.
---
"Brother Ace," Jinbe spoke carefully, seeing Ace lost in thought. "Madam Shyarly's prophecies often only show fragments of the future. It doesn't mean you'll truly destroy the world."
"Hahaha, I'm actually looking forward to finding out whether her prophecy will come true," Ace laughed. "And if I really can wield the power to destroy the world—doesn't that mean I'd already be the strongest man alive?"
"...Eh?"
Jinbe, Neptune, and the others were momentarily dumbfounded by Ace's logic.
Then, after thinking about it, they realized it wasn't wrong.
After all, Whitebeard was called The Strongest Man in the World precisely because his Gura Gura no Mi could destroy the world.
---
Shyarly stared at Ace in disbelief. She had expected fear, denial, or at least a vow that he would never harm the world.
But instead—this man equated "destroying the world" with "being the strongest."
Even as a prophet, she found herself completely at a loss for words.
In truth, her vision hadn't ended there. After the black flames that consumed all, she had also seen golden light emerging from Ace's body—
warm, radiant, and brilliant like the sun.
She hesitated.
Should I tell him about that last part?
But if I suddenly add that now, will he think I'm just trying to comfort him?
---
"Alright, let's end this topic here."
Just as she was hesitating, Ace waved his hand casually. "Honestly, I never really believed in prophecies anyway. I only asked you out of curiosity—think of it as a little entertainment."
"And besides," he added with a confident grin, "I believe that my fate lies in my own hands."
"You actually treat my prophecy as a sideshow, you infuriating man!"
Shyarly huffed angrily, flicked her tail, and snatched up her crystal ball. With an indignant glare, she turned and swam out of the hall, her mood clearly ruined.
---
"Hahaha," Jinbe chuckled, patting Ace's shoulder. "Madam Shyarly's predictions have never been wrong, but 'destroying the world' is a bit much. You really don't need to take it seriously, Brother Ace."
"I didn't take it seriously to begin with," Ace said, shrugging. Then his tone shifted. "By the way, King Neptune, aside from asking about Madam Shyarly's prophecy, I also came to Fish-Man Island for another reason. I'd like to meet your daughter—Princess Shirahoshi. Would that be possible?"
"Shirahoshi?" Neptune blinked in surprise. "Why does Sir Ace wish to meet her?"
"Well, how should I put it…" Ace paused, pretending to think. "I found a Poneglyph on Skypiea. It recorded some things related to Fish-Man Island. After analyzing the content and combining it with other clues I've gathered, I made some speculations. I believe they might be connected to Princess Shirahoshi. That's why I'd like to meet her."
Of course, that was a lie. Ace couldn't simply tell them that he knew Princess Shirahoshi was the Ancient Weapon Poseidon. So he fabricated a reason that sounded plausible enough to be believed.
"Poneglyph!" Neptune's eyes widened. He immediately realized the gravity of the situation. "Sir Ace… could we speak privately for a moment?"
"Privately?" Ace quickly understood his intent and nodded. "Of course."
"Thank you." Neptune gave a deep nod of gratitude, then turned to Jinbe. "Forgive me, Jinbe."
"It's fine, Your Majesty," Jinbe replied respectfully.
Neptune led Ace through the coral corridors of Ryugu Palace into a secluded side hall. Once they were alone, his expression grew solemn.
"Sir Ace," Neptune said, bowing deeply, "please—tell me what was written about Fish-Man Island on the Poneglyph from Skypiea."
Ace looked at Neptune's grave face and pretended to hesitate. Then, with careful words, he said:
"The Poneglyph from Skypiea contained information about the Ancient Weapons—specifically, the one called Poseidon. According to those records, Poseidon's power should exist here, on Fish-Man Island."
"Originally, I wasn't certain…" Ace's lips curved slightly. "But seeing your reaction, King Neptune, I can now confirm it—the Ancient Weapon Poseidon truly lies here."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you like the story please give it some power stones and reviews. And if you want to read 40+ advance chapters or just want to support me please join my patreon at [email protected]/Translatingfanfics