-Real World-
Somewhere in Paradise
Ace stared blankly at the fire escape techniques displayed across the Sky Screen, unable to tear his gaze away from the overwhelming demonstration. The title "legendary ninja" wasn't empty praise—Uchiha Madara had earned that designation legitimately. Merely showing two ninjutsu techniques was sufficient to crush most pirates through sheer spectacle and destructive capability.
The flame volume produced by Ace's ultimate technique Entei—created through extensive development of the Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit)—had been completely surpassed by what the broadcast classified as a mere B-rank ninjutsu. If Fire Style: Majestic Destroyer Flame rated only as B-rank in the Sky Screen's evaluation system, what classified as A-rank or S-rank? Wasn't the rating system somewhat biased against Devil Fruit users?
The fire dragon manifested through Fire Style: Dragon Flame Song Technique could presumably devastate an entire nation through sustained bombardment. The Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit) possessed the advantage of elemental intangibility—users could transform into fire itself, becoming immune to physical attacks. But if the flame's temperature wasn't sufficiently high, if raw destructive output proved insufficient, even that defensive capability seemed inadequate. Even dogs wouldn't eat such weak fire.
Ace's previously unshakeable confidence took a significant hit for the first time since consuming his Devil Fruit.
"Is my flame really so weak?" he muttered, raising one hand to manifest a small flickering fire in his palm.
For the first time in years, he felt genuine uncertainty about his own strength. Could he truly defeat Blackbeard Teach with this mentality? With flames that paled in comparison to an ancient ninja's B-rank techniques?
Who could create fire without relying on a Devil Fruit's power? Uchiha Madara's appearance made the son of the Pirate King profoundly unconfident in ways he'd never experienced. What exactly was Wano Country's ninjutsu? What energy source powered such techniques? Did other ninjutsu exist utilizing different elemental attributes—water, earth, wind, lightning?
While the Pirate King's son wrestled with existential doubt, his Den Den Mushi rang with familiar tones. Marco—his good brother, his trusted friend—was calling to check on him.
"Your background being exposed creates significant danger," Marco stated without preamble, concern evident despite his typically casual tone. "Don't contact Blackbeard impulsively seeking immediate confrontation. Wait for me to rendezvous with your position, then we'll pursue revenge together against that traitor."
Phoenix Marco had already reunited with Flower Sword Vista during his search. These two ranked among the strongest Division Commanders serving under the Whitebeard Pirates. Together with young Ace, the three of them working in coordinated assault could definitely handle Marshall D. Teach. They could take the fat black man's life and avenge beloved Thatch, restoring honor to the family he'd betrayed.
"I..." Ace hesitated, words catching in his throat before he could complete the thought.
He felt profound guilt about concealing his true heritage when joining the Whitebeard Pirates. The deception weighed on him constantly now that the Sky Screen had exposed everything publicly.
Given the World Government and Marines' pathological hatred for Gol D. Roger, they definitely wouldn't allow Roger's children to survive unmolested. The old saying about "not visiting disaster upon one's family" might fool naive civilians, but experienced operators understood the truth: when seeking to eliminate threats permanently, you killed the entire bloodline without leaving survivors. Only complete extermination ended the spiral of revenge definitively.
Fire Fist Ace remained in Paradise—the Grand Line's first half—having fought against Admiral Kizaru on Drum Island recently. Although the Admiral had been somewhat handicapped by seasickness during their coastal battle, any Marine officer who wasn't a complete fool could deduce Ace's approximate location from available intelligence.
If he wanted to return to the New World through the Sabaody Archipelago checkpoint, the Pirate King's son represented too valuable a target for the Marines to ignore. They would definitely deploy elite forces for interception—possibly even sending Admiral Sakazuki to "assist" in his capture. The outcome of such a confrontation remained dangerously uncertain.
As for the pirate's daughter—Portgas D. Ann—nobody knew where Buggy the Clown had hidden her. For now, that made Fire Fist Ace the only accessible target. Garp's reputation no longer carried weight within Marine political circles after recent revelations. Ace couldn't rely on encountering situations where the Marines would let him escape again out of respect for the Hero.
Ace was fundamentally a boy who valued family connections desperately despite lacking parental love throughout his formative years. He'd completely lost interest in pursuing Blackbeard Teach for the moment—revenge could wait. He wanted to see his biological sister whom he'd never met, the twin he'd been separated from before even drawing first breath.
After all, sworn brotherhood with people like Luffy and Sabo maintained a certain emotional distance despite genuine affection. But blood connection? That felt different—visceral, immediate, undeniable. The prospect of meeting Ann made him extremely excited in ways even Luffy, his closest companion, couldn't inspire.
Ace had become somewhat obsessed with the matter of his biological sister Ann. He wanted to locate his biological father's former crew member Buggy and rescue Ann from whatever devil's den the Yonko maintained. This sexually mature young man had already constructed elaborate fantasies about their reunion.
His sister was so beautiful—gorgeous features, excellent figure, everything aesthetically perfect. How could some old woman like Boa Hancock possibly compare to Ann? The title of "world's most beautiful woman" should rightfully belong to his sister instead.
But in this cannibalistic world where power determined everything, women born too beautiful often suffered the most miserable fates. Ace feared desperately that Ann might be defiled by other men—the conspirator Buggy the Clown obviously wasn't trustworthy at first glance. His sister absolutely must not remain with outsiders who might take advantage of her vulnerability.
Ace wanted to keep her by his side constantly, protecting the only blood-related relative he had in this world. Family. Real family.
These thoughts led inevitably to uncomfortable conclusions: perhaps he should leave the Whitebeard Pirates entirely. After all, Ace's exposed background would bring tremendous trouble to Pops. Edward Newgate could endure pressure for a while but not indefinitely. Whitebeard's deteriorating body would eventually collapse—the medical equipment aboard the Moby Dick testified to that approaching reality.
When that happened, could this particular Yonko crew truly withstand coordinated encirclement and suppression from other major forces? Or would they fragment like so many pirate groups before them once their unifying figurehead fell?
In a world governed by survival of the fittest, pirates like Whitebeard who valued family ties and benevolence were aberrations—outliers swimming against natural currents. If kind people lacked sufficient power to back their principles, they would only be enslaved by the strong. Kindness would have nowhere to manifest, ultimately becoming nothing more than self-deception and pretty lies.
Various Locations
Uchiha Madara's opening techniques made numerous maritime forces considerably more cautious. This miraculous fire-style ninjutsu served as a wake-up call to everyone watching. A combatant of this caliber required serious strategic consideration—once someone possessing such capabilities infiltrated your territory, they carried potential for national-scale destruction.
"What incredibly strong flames! They feel even more powerful than Ace's fire," Luffy observed with his characteristic blunt honesty, immediately comparing Uchiha Madara with his sworn brother. Even wanting to defend his relative, the hot-blooded boy who'd never seen much of the world had to admit the ninja displayed on the Sky Screen commanded impressive strength.
"So cool! Is this what ninjas from Wano Country can do?" Chopper exclaimed, eyes literally transforming into stars of admiration.
The ship's doctor felt intense curiosity about this fascinating phenomenon called ninjutsu. The people and abilities appearing across these seas proved absolutely amazing—staying isolated on Drum Island forever would have denied him access to such wonders. Going to sea as a pirate was definitely the correct choice for experiencing life's full potential.
The Going Merry carried mostly inexperienced crew members unfamiliar with the wider world. Only Robin—the mature older sister of the group—possessed extensive knowledge and practical experience navigating dangerous waters.
"Chopper, I think you may have misunderstood something fundamental," Robin interjected gently, educational tone softening her correction. "At least the ninjas from Wano Country that I've personally encountered weren't remotely as powerful as this one. I've never witnessed ninjutsu similar to this fire-breathing technique in any previous encounter."
The "Son of the Devil" had spent years fleeing across the Grand Line, joining various underground organizations and criminal networks to survive. During that desperate period, she'd met all manner of people from every background imaginable. The Wano Country ninjas she'd encountered could employ Haki at most—they specialized in stealth, assassination, infiltration. They were moderately dangerous opponents but relatively easy to counter with proper preparation.
But Uchiha Madara's appearance today completely overturned the woman's established perceptions about ninja capabilities. The problem wasn't that ninjas from Wano Country were inherently weak—the problem was that modern era ninjas were garbage compared to their ancient predecessors. Contemporary practitioners couldn't even perform a mere B-level ninjutsu, which truly disgraced their ancestors' legacy.
Robin felt overwhelming curiosity about this buried history the Sky Screen kept revealing piece by piece. She desperately wanted to know more. Perhaps understanding Uchiha Madara's complete life story could genuinely help unravel the Blank Century's mysteries—those forbidden hundred years erased from official records. Even if that specific connection didn't exist, learning about him would supplement historical knowledge significantly. People who'd lived during that ancient era possessed tremendous archaeological value simply by existing.
The woman found herself particularly fascinated by the Uchiha clan as a whole. She couldn't understand how such a phenomenally powerful bloodline could be completely exterminated eight hundred years ago. How perverted and overwhelmingly strong were the opponents they'd encountered to successfully kill these monsters who inherited supernatural abilities through genetics, leaving only scattered descendants to flee into anonymity?