OPTC Chapter 291: It's Payment, Not Revenge
To be honest, Zhang Da Ye didn't have much faith in the two of them. Negative ghosts weren't something one could overcome through willpower alone.
Take Zoro during the Thriller Bark arc, for instance—he was already battered and bruised, then took on all of Luffy's pain and injuries from Kuma. Blood poured everywhere, yet he still stood tall. His willpower was beyond question, right?
And even that kind of iron-willed man couldn't resist the negative ghosts. So why should ten-year-old Ace and seven-year-old Luffy, two little kids, be able to?
Little Luffy was already on the verge of collapse, lying on the ground with a tearful face, unable to move. Perona had already written him off—her last attack had just been a lazy finishing blow.
Ace, however, had resolved not to lose again. But the wave of negativity crashed over him, and before he could stop it, his body dropped to the ground. Words of defeat slipped from his lips. "I… can't do it. I can't win…"
"Hohohoho~ Wouldn't it be easier to give up early? Why keep struggling?" Perona tilted her head thoughtfully. If it were her, facing an opponent she couldn't handle, she'd have given up after the third try. Only an idiot would let themselves be tortured thirty-three times.
"No! No matter how many times, I'll always stand back up! I'll never lose to anyone!" Ace roared. Invisible pressure radiated from him, sweeping through the air. The two little ghosts floating nearby disintegrated instantly.
"What the heck? Golden Lion?" For a moment, Perona thought she saw the silhouette of Shiki behind him. It took her a few seconds to realize—this was Conqueror's Haki.
Thankfully, she had grown stronger by now. Besides, Ace's subconscious target was the ghosts, not her directly, so the effect on her was limited. She didn't faint outright.
Wendy and Carla felt a flicker of unease when the Haki washed over them. Though Zhang Da Ye had explained Haki to them before, he'd also dumped so much information at once that they couldn't connect the dots right away.
Shark Chili didn't feel much at all—he never had much sensitivity to things like aura or killing intent. Believe it or not, he always thought of himself as part of the "scientific side." After all, Fishman Karate had scientific principles behind its movements.
Artoria looked at Ace in surprise. "So young, yet he already wields that kind of power…" Poor Zhang Da Ye had worked so hard and still hadn't found the secret to unlocking it.
Zhang Da Ye couldn't help but feel a little envious. This kind of gift was the natural qualification of someone destined to stand at the top of the world. As for the leftover pressure brushing past him, it was barely a breeze—nothing more than a light gust across his face.
Tom was another story. He'd been waddling around with his round belly, laughing so hard at the brothers' misfortune that he eventually fell asleep, a bubble rising from his nose, completely oblivious to what had just happened.
"Ace… you have it too, huh?" Garp's expression was the most complicated of all. He wasn't surprised—being the son of the Pirate King, it was only natural Ace would have Conqueror's Haki.
That only made Garp's head ache more. He truly saw Ace as his own grandson, but now… was he just going to watch him walk Roger's path all over again?
If Ace only wanted to live as a carefree adventurer, Garp wouldn't mind. But Ace clearly wanted to make a name for himself—to force the world to acknowledge him. When that happened, there'd be no hiding his parentage.
Garp had absolute faith in Sengoku's ability. If Ace's bounty ever rose past a hundred million, Sengoku would trace his origins without fail.
"The Pirate King's son becomes a Great Pirate." Once that headline hit, neither the Navy nor the World Government would ever allow Ace to keep growing.
And by then, even Garp would be powerless. He had his own position—he could refuse to personally capture him, could rely on Sengoku to shield him from the Five Elders' orders, and could feign ignorance when Sengoku commanded—but that would be his limit.
As a grandfather, he wanted to protect them forever. But as a Marine, he couldn't stop others from acting or secretly let them go.
It was the same for Luffy. They were family, yet because of opposing sides, he could only watch his loved ones being hunted across the seas, constantly at risk. Garp had already felt that heartbreak once, when Dragon was branded the world's most dangerous criminal. He didn't want Ace and Luffy to walk that same road.
Ace didn't understand Garp's turmoil. All he wanted was to make his name known across the seas—to have the world look at him with respect. He still couldn't accept what had killed Sabo, only that it was something opposite of freedom. So he would chase freedom, no matter what.
"Well? Will you accept my challenge now?" Ace didn't fully grasp what just happened, but since the ghosts were gone, that meant he'd won, right?
Zhang Da Ye saw it clearly: Ace hadn't resisted the ghosts—the Haki burst out after they'd already taken effect. But there was no point nitpicking. He might as well give him a good beating, then talk him down afterward. Worked for Naruto, didn't it? Maybe he could reform this delinquent too.
"Alright, fine. You passed. But you still owe punishment for all those earlier losses. You still need to copy every line, no excuses. You're not planning to go back on your word, are you?"
"Of course not!" Ace immediately took his stance.
Perona, however, wasn't satisfied. "What's that supposed to mean? He beat just two ghosts! I can summon four, eight, even a hundred!"
She hesitated slightly on that last number—she'd never tried that many before.
Ace bristled. "Even a thousand won't work!"
"Oh yeah? Then two thousand!"
"Still useless!"
The two immediately started arguing again, neither backing down.
"Alright, alright," Zhang Da Ye cut in. "He only passed your two-ghost test, it's not like he beat you. You're older—just let the little brat have this one." When she still pouted, he leaned closer and murmured, "Don't you want to see me beat him up?"
"Huh?" Perona blinked. She did know Zhang Da Ye's strength a little—though low-ranked on the ship, he was definitely skilled at bullying kids, and in all sorts of creative ways.
The thought of that cocky, freckled brat being smacked around, or forced to write essays and read newspapers, made her giggle despite herself.
Zhang Da Ye had no idea he'd just been labeled a professional child-bully. He turned to Ace. "If you want to fight, fine. But are you sure you're in any shape for this?"
Ace stubbornly picked up a pipe. "I'm going to be a pirate. Out there, enemies won't wait for me to rest before attacking. So come on!"
No wonder, Zhang Da Ye thought, this was the same kid who fought Jinbe for five days straight and still challenged Whitebeard afterward. That stubborn streak had always been part of him.
Garp didn't intervene. After all this time, another round of beatings wouldn't matter. He'd been hitting Ace since childhood—what could Zhang Da Ye possibly do that was worse?
He cracked his knuckles. Before Ace set sail, he'd make sure to "train" him harder—especially now that he had Conqueror's Haki.
Wendy piped up softly, "Brother Da Ye, good luck!"
"Thanks, Wendy, but I don't really need luck to deal with him." He smiled, patting her head. "Go check on the kid in the straw hat, make sure he's okay."
"Okay!" Wendy trotted off, using her magic to ease Luffy's pain and even heal the bruises Garp had given him.
"Thank you—but don't hold back on my account," Ace said. He'd seen Wendy healing Luffy, and though he appreciated it, he wanted no mercy in this fight. He hesitated, debating whether to ditch the pipe for fairness' sake.
Perona, excited to see Ace get pummeled, played referee. "Round one! Ready… GO!"
Zhang Da Ye gave her a deadpan look. Had she been playing King of Fighters? So this was what she used her English lessons for?
English was, after all, the language printed on bounty posters, so Ace understood. He tucked the pipe behind his back somehow and charged forward with a punch.
His speed wasn't bad—better than young Zoro's, about on par with Kuina's, Zhang Da Ye estimated. Definitely not enough to touch him, though. Maybe this was a good chance to test that half-baked technique of his.
He stomped his feet several times, then vanished from sight.
"He disappeared?" Ace gasped. His eyes couldn't keep up with the speed. He tried to track him, but in the next moment, a blow sent him flying into a tree.
"Uwah!" Ace slid down the trunk, leaves drifting around him.
"Ace!" Luffy shouted, running toward him without a thought for his own injuries.
"I'm fine." Ace stood, rubbing his head. "What was that?"
Zhang Da Ye stood where Ace had been, hands in a martial pose. "That move is called 'Forward Rush.' You charge ahead so fast the naked eye can't follow, knocking down everything in your path."
He kept a calm face, though his stomach ached from the recoil. That kid's head was ridiculously hard—Garp really had beaten that trait into him.
Everyone watching covered their faces. What nonsense. That was clearly a failed 'Soru.' He hadn't even controlled the direction right, and now he was lying to a kid?
"So cool!" Luffy said, eyes sparkling. He thought the move suited him perfectly—and since it could knock Ace flying, maybe he could use it to win next time!
"Oh, I see! I thought you'd learned Soru from the Six Powers!" Garp said, nodding as if enlightened.
"Wait, what…" Shark Chili and Carla exchanged looks. You're a Vice Admiral, right? A Navy hero? How can you be this easy to fool?
Zhang Da Ye fell silent. Now he understood where Luffy got his missing brain cell from. Dragon must be some kind of genetic fluke. Three generations, and they could barely scrape together one working brain.
Ace felt something was off, but couldn't pinpoint it. After all, he hadn't even seen the move clearly.
"I'll give it everything I've got!" he said, raising the pipe again. He already knew he couldn't win, but since he'd started, he'd never back down.
Zhang Da Ye caught several of his strikes barehanded. Ace's fighting style had no real form—clearly self-taught from fighting beasts in the woods and brawling with street thugs.
Zhang Da Ye didn't even need proper techniques. With his speed, strength, and reflexes, he completely dominated Ace. Pure bullying, really.
Sometimes he'd mix in a half-decent Soru dash, just enough to make Ace dizzy. Predicting his next position was impossible—Zhang Da Ye himself didn't even know where he'd end up.
Ten minutes passed. Ace had no idea how many punches and kicks he'd taken, but he didn't care. Garp's fists hurt worse. As long as he could get back up, he would.
Even if victory seemed impossible, he had one goal today—to land a single hit.
"Take this!" Ace lunged again.
Zhang Da Ye sidestepped the pipe, drove a fist into Ace's stomach, and sent him flying. Then he noticed something—the boy had remarkable instincts for taking hits. Subtle adjustments to muscles and landing angles, minimizing damage however he could.
Zhang Da Ye's eyes brightened. Maybe he could hit a little harder to study the technique. With Wendy around, there was no risk of breaking him.
Watching, Garp's hands itched again. Sure, he wanted Ace and Luffy to learn a lesson, but seeing someone else beat his grandsons was still uncomfortable. Maybe he should teach Zhang Da Ye some Six Powers and Haki later.
After all, he wasn't stupid—he'd already noticed Zhang Da Ye practicing Six Powers for a while now.
Yes, that settled it. He'd teach the kid as a reward for helping discipline his grandsons.
A reward, definitely not revenge.
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