Chapter 238: Children, Don't Watch
The Sea Forest of Fish-Man Island lay to the northeast of Fish-Man Street.
Here, the roots of Tree of Eve carried sunlight from the surface down into the depths, bathing the entire coral forest with a gentle golden glow. Brilliant reefs flourished in every direction, and schools of fish and even whales drifted peacefully between the coral trees.
Over centuries, countless ships attempting to cross the Red Line from the seabed to the New World had sunk and drifted here with the ocean currents — earning the area its grim name:
The Graveyard of Ships.
Deep within this forest, two Poneglyphs had remained hidden for hundreds of years.
Now, both were gone — stolen.
Ace and Princess Shirahoshi rode atop the shark Megalo, arriving quickly at the edge of the forest.
But the tranquility was gone.
The battle between Jinbe and Edward Weevil had devastated the coral fields. Broken reefs littered the ground, and massive scars of destruction cut across the seabed.
"H–how could this be…"
Shirahoshi's eyes welled with tears as she looked upon the ruined corals.
Ace opened his mouth to comfort her — but a sharp instinct flared in his mind.
A killing intent.
He snapped around.
An axe whistled through the water, spinning toward Shirahoshi.
"What an annoying bastard."
Ace leapt into the water with a burst of flame, snatching the axe out of the currents. Purple fire curled around his fist, and the metal evaporated in an instant.
He didn't get to relax.
Something else was flying toward them — fast.
A figure.
Ace narrowed his eyes. "Him, huh?"
The man hurtling toward Shirahoshi was Vander Decken IX, guided directly by his own Mark-Mark Fruit ability — the very man Shirahoshi had been forced to track with her powers.
"That's him!" Shirahoshi cried. "He marked me after I rejected his marriage proposal. Since then, I've been under his… his curse!"
"Don't worry," Ace said calmly. "Your curse ends today."
Vander Decken finally closed the distance, landing clumsily before them.
"Human?" he muttered in confusion — before ignoring Ace entirely and focusing on the princess. His eyes gleamed with obsession.
"Shirahoshi… after eight years, I finally caught up."
He threw aside his wooden board and leapt at her.
"No!" Shirahoshi covered her face, trembling. "Brother Ace, help me!"
"…Tch."
Ace exhaled.
This was the first time someone had dared to ignore him completely.
"Enjōshō."
Flames roared out from Ace's body, forming a barrier that halted Vander Decken mid-charge.
"O-oi… a Logia user!?" Only now did Vander Decken fully realize the danger. And when he recognized Ace's face, he nearly fainted.
"Y-y-you're… 'Fire Emperor' Portgas D. Ace!?" he shrieked. "Why—why is a monster like you here!?"
Ace turned slightly toward Shirahoshi.
"The next part might get a little brutal, so… children shouldn't watch."
With a gentle push of flame, he separated her safely away. Then he faced Vander Decken, cracking his knuckles.
"So," he said softly, "how do you want to die, Vander Decken?"
Having calmed down, Vander Decken glared darkly and drew several knives.
"You shouldn't get cocky. This is Fish-Man Island — my territory! Even someone like you is just a human underwater!"
He threw all the blades at once, then grabbed a broken coral piece, marked it, and activated his ability. The coral shot off with him clinging to it, dragging him rapidly away through the water.
A full retreat.
One second he was talking big, the next he was fleeing at full speed.
"Good thing I prepared a backup plan," Vander Decken panted, not daring to look back. "Meeting someone like him here… dangerous, too dangerous…"
"Tsk. When you started talking tough, I thought you'd at least give me a decent fight."
Ace's voice came from directly beside him.
Vander Decken's heart nearly burst.
Ace was flying along at the exact speed of the 'marked' object — arms crossed, smiling.
"H-how is that possible!?"
"Ha!"
Ace abruptly accelerated and cut in front of him, stopping dead in the water. He raised his palm toward the terrified fish-man.
"I was planning to beat you to death with my fists," Ace said calmly, "but honestly, you're too disgusting. If any trace of you remained, it'd pollute the ocean."
His palm ignited, purple fire swirling like a vortex.
"So—disappear without leaving a single speck behind, you garbage excuse for a fish-man."
With a roar, the flame surged forward, engulfing Vander Decken completely.
And just like that—
He vanished.
Not even ash remained.
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