West Blue – Unnamed Island – Jungle's Edge
Sunlight filtered through the canopy, and in the dappled light, the two figures finally came into full view.
"Sluuurp—" The ridiculously large man sniffled, his vacant eyes slowly focusing on Luffy. His body was a mountain of fat, yet his legs were as thin as bamboo sticks. His long, golden hair fell to his legs, with two sections tied into comical braids at his temples. Most notably, he held a giant naginata that was even taller than he was.
Beside him stood an old woman who looked like an absurd character straight out of a comic book. She was shorter than his knees, small as a child, with garish lipstick, a leopard-print coat, and huge sunglasses perched on her nose. She leaned on an absurdly extravagant gold-inlaid cane, her every move exuding a crazed aura.
"What's with the old hag?!!" Luffy blurted out, his eyes wide.
"You brat!!!" Miss Bakkin instantly flew into a rage, her eyes behind the sunglasses spitting fire. "What did you say?! How dare you be so rude to the great Miss Buckingham Stussy?!" She squinted, noticing Luffy's Marine uniform, and her face darkened. "Heh... so it's a Marine intern! Why are there always Marines getting in the way!"
She slammed her cane on the ground and shrieked, "Weevil!"
"Mama!" Weevil's enormous head snapped towards her, a vacant and terrifying smile on his face.
Bakkin's withered finger shot out, pointing at Luffy. "Kill him! And while you're at it, crush all the other little brats on this island!!"
"Okay, Mama!" Weevil began to move, dragging his naginata, the ground thundering with his steps.
Even someone as dense as Luffy realized the danger. He turned to run back to the main battlefield—but Weevil's speed was unbelievable.
Whoosh!
A giant, calloused hand instantly clamped around Luffy's waist, lifting him up like a pair of iron tongs.
"Ugh... let me go!!" Luffy struggled desperately, but found he couldn't break free from the man's immense strength.
"Iron Pistol!!" He threw a punch at Weevil's face, his fist clad in Haki, but the giant simply took the blow with his face, his expression unchanging.
"He's so tough!!" Luffy was shocked to find his attack had no effect.
"Luffy!!" A burst of scorching flame erupted as a meteor shot through the woods. "FIRE FIST!!!"
Ace came hurtling in, his burning fist ruthlessly smashing into Weevil's face!
BOOM!!
The flames exploded, engulfing Weevil's entire head.
"Did it work?!" Ace landed, looking nervously at the smoke.
However—
"Sluuurp..." Amidst the sound of sniffling, the flames dissipated. Weevil was completely unharmed, not even a single hair singed.
"Mama... he hit me too..." he whimpered, looking like a bullied child.
Bakkin, however, grinned a terrifying smile. "Then twist their heads off and hang them on the ship's prow to dry!"
"Okay!" Weevil swung his naginata and charged forward, a wave of ferocious power washing over them.
Ace's pupils shrank. "This is bad... this guy's strength is on a completely different level!"
A Moment Earlier, West Blue – Unnamed Island Main Battlefield
BOOM—!!
Flames shot into the sky as Ace's final attack sent the remaining pirate officers flying dozens of meters. They crashed through several wooden posts before landing, their bodies charred, completely unconscious.
Ace landed steadily, shaking his smoking right fist and grinning. "Done!"
Not far away, Zoro slowly sheathed his swords, his face calm as he surveyed the unconscious pirates scattered about. "These guys were nothing special."
Ain and Binz had also finished their fights. The Regress-Regress Fruit and the Grow-Grow Fruit had left the pirates with no chance to fight back.
High above, Zephyr stood on a massive rock, silently watching the battlefield, his gaze as steady as a blade. He slowly opened his mouth and gave the order, "Good work. Prepare to clean up the battlefield and count the prisoners!"
"SIR!!" the cadets shouted in unison and quickly got to work.
However, just as everyone was about to move—
"Huh?" Ace suddenly frowned and looked around. "Wait, where did Luffy go?" He quickly released his still-developing Observation Haki but couldn't sense a familiar presence. The sounds around him felt blurry and fragmented.
"Strange... he was just here a minute ago," Ace muttered, his heart inexplicably starting to race with a growing sense of unease. An invisible thread seemed to pull him, making him look towards the distant jungle.
Whoosh!
He slammed his foot on the ground, and intense flames erupted from his soles. He shot off like a rocket, a streak of fire heading deep into the jungle.
"Ace?!" Zoro looked over, his brow furrowed. "Where's he suddenly rushing off to?"
Zephyr, who was instructing the cadets, also sensed something was wrong. His powerful Observation Haki swept across the entire island like a tidal wave.
"!!!" He snapped his eyes open, his expression changing drastically.
"Luffy's in the jungle?!"
"And there are two extremely dangerous presences!!" His face paled as he muttered a curse. "Dammit... why would a monster like that be in the West Blue?"
BOOM!! He stomped his foot, shattering the rock beneath him, and his figure became a blur, kicking up a gale as he shot towards the jungle.
"All hands, on alert!! Assemble immediately! No one is to act without orders!"
Back in the Jungle
CRACK—!!
Weevil's giant hand suddenly tightened, producing a sickening sound of crushed bones.
"Aaargh—!!!" Luffy screamed, his face contorted in pain. Blood sprayed from his mouth as his face turned deathly pale.
"Let go of Luffy!!!" Ace's eyes were bloodshot. The flames all over his body erupted violently, his fists burning as hot as molten lava.
"EXPLOSIVE FLAME!!!"
BOOM—!!
A massive pillar of fire descended like a falling star, smashing into Weevil's chest. The scorching explosion swept through the area, burning trees and kicking up clouds of dust.
But as the flames slowly dissipated, the giant figure still stood tall.
"Sluuurp..." Weevil sniffled, only his clothes slightly singed. "Mama... he burned me with fire!"
"Hmph..." Bakkin adjusted her sunglasses and sneered coldly. "Then kill his brother!"
Weevil nodded, tightening his grip again. Luffy had almost stopped struggling, his eyes rolling back as he neared unconsciousness.
"I told you to stop!!!" Seeing Luffy go limp, Ace roared in fury. His vision began to blur, and it felt as though countless voices were screaming in his ears. His heart pounded violently, his blood boiling like magma.
Ace's roar seemed to tear the heavens apart. The flames around him churned wildly as the power inside him surged out of control.
In the next second—
BOOM—!!!
An invisible shockwave erupted! The earth cracked, the jungle collapsed, and countless birds took flight in terror.
Haki swept through the area like a tornado! The jungle trembled, sand and stones flew, and Conqueror's Haki stormed across the scene!
"Conqueror's Haki?!!" Bakkin, hiding behind Weevil, was shocked, gripping her gold-inlaid cane tightly. "A little Marine brat... possesses the disposition of a king?!" She shrieked, "A kid who's barely a teenager... how is that possible!!"
Thud! Weevil took half a step back, his naginata trembling in his hand. He finally let go, and the unconscious Luffy fell to the ground.
But Ace, having unleashed too much power, fell to one knee, gasping for breath, completely drained. He looked weakly towards Luffy. "Luffy..."
"Dammit! Weevil! Kill him now! We can't let him grow any stronger!!" Bakkin screamed, veins popping on her forehead.
Weevil swung his massive naginata, raising it again and roaring as he brought it down on Ace. If that blow landed, it would cleave Ace in two.
"Am I going to die...?"
"Sorry... brother..." Ace knelt on the ground, his vision blurred as he watched the blade fall. It got closer and closer, but he didn't even have the strength to dodge.
Suddenly, a voice like thunder boomed through the jungle.
"What do you think you're doing to my student?!!!"
BOOM!!!
The world seemed to shake! An iron fist covered in scars, crackling with a furious, thunderous Armament Haki, smashed into Weevil's naginata!
CLANG!!!
The metallic explosion echoed through the sky. The force of the impact shattered Zephyr's sunglasses, revealing eyes burning with rage.
Weevil's massive body was actually knocked back three steps by the punch, the ground beneath his feet cracking, his arm numb from the shock.
Purple hair, battle scars, shattered sunglasses—Zephyr stood before Ace and Luffy, his fury blazing.
-------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (290 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (240 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (110 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (120 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (310 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (120 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (140 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(70 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (193 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (140 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (100 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (70 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (100 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (120 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (120 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (85 Chapter)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (60 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (70 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (120 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (120 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (60 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (90 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (90 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (70 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (70 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (70 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (70 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (20 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (20 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (30 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (30 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (30 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it.