CHAPTER 19 — FIRST BLOOD ON OPEN SEA
The island never mattered.
We never reached it.
The sea decided otherwise.
CONTACT
Observation Haki brushed the horizon and caught it instantly—iron, canvas, disciplined movement.
A ship.
Not merchants.
Not fishermen.
Marines.
White sails. Standard hull. Cannons secured but ready. A patrol ship, mid-tier, confident in numbers and insignia more than experience.
Ace noticed my shift in posture. "Trouble?"
"Opportunity," I replied.
The wind favored us.
I adjusted the rudder by a fraction. Our small ship angled just enough to look like prey drifting off course.
The Marines took the bait.
THE CHASE
The patrol ship closed in fast, cannons swiveling, sailors shouting orders. I counted them without seeing them—roughly thirty. Too many for a normal crew.
Not for us.
Ace cracked his neck, flames flickering faintly around his fists. No Devil Fruit. No tricks. Just raw aggression and will.
"Orders?" he asked.
"Boarding," I said. "No retreat."
He grinned. "My kind of fight."
OPENING MOVE
The first cannon fired.
I stepped to the bow.
Rain of Swords activated—partial output, controlled density. Three arms moved in a tight pattern, blades halting mid-swing.
Energy slashes ripped forward.
The cannonball never reached us.
It split.
Cleanly.
The pressure wave carved the sea apart in a straight line, water exploding upward as the energy passed through.
The Marines froze.
That moment of hesitation cost them
everything.
CLOSING DISTANCE
I launched us forward—using a burst of compressed air pressure from overlapping slashes against the water itself. The boat surged unnaturally fast, skimming across waves like it had been kicked by the sea.
Ace laughed.
The Marine ship loomed.
"Now," I said.
BOARDING
I leapt first.
Not toward the deck—
Through it.
Rain of Swords unfolded fully for a breathless second. Steel and energy intersected in a dense storm, carving a perfect landing zone.
I landed amid splintered wood and screaming men.
Ace followed like a meteor.
No fire.
Just fists.
He hit the deck running, punches detonating with raw force. Marines flew—bones cracking, bodies slamming into rails and masts. He didn't kill.
Didn't need to.
CONTROL
I moved.
Not fast.
Inevitably.
Every Marine who raised a weapon lost it before the trigger could be pulled. Rifles split. Swords snapped. Armor peeled open in layered cuts.
Rain of Swords adjusted automatically to moving targets. Observation guided every
angle. Armament reinforced where resistance appeared.
The captain charged.
Brave.
Stupid.
He swung a saber coated in weak Armament.
Wado Ichimonji moved once.
One step.
One cut.
The captain collapsed, blood blooming in a clean diagonal line across his chest.
Dead before he hit the deck.
ACE UNLEASHED
Ace stood at the center of the chaos, breathing hard, fists red, eyes burning.
"
HEY!" he shouted. "IS THAT ALL?!"
A Marine lunged from behind.
Ace didn't turn.
He elbowed backward.
The man dropped.
Ace laughed again.
No Devil Fruit.
No firestorm.
Just dominance.
I watched him briefly.
He was ready.
ENDGAME
The remaining Marines broke.
Some tried to flee below deck.
Rain of Swords followed them through walls.
Not wide.
Not excessive.
Just enough.
Silence followed.
The ship creaked, wounded but afloat.
Thirty Marines.
Twenty-eight unconscious.
Two dead.
The captain among them.
AFTERMATH
We stood on the deck as the wind carried away the smell of blood and gunpowder.
Ace wiped his knuckles on his pants. "So… does this mean we're criminals now?"
"Yes," I said.
A pause.
Then he smiled. "Good."
We searched the ship quickly.
Supplies
Maps
Weapons
And the notice board in the captain's quarters
I tore the parchment down and scanned it.
Names.
Faces.
And now—
Two new ones were being written.
THE FIRST BOUNTY
We didn't hear the number until days later.
A Marine outpost. Rumors. Whispers carried by fear.
Jake — "Three-Blade Storm"
Bounty: 12,000,000 Berries
Portgas D. Ace — "Feral Fist"
Bounty: 8,000,000 Berries
Low.
Insultingly low.
But it was a beginning.
Ace stared at the poster when we finally saw
it. "That's it?"
I folded it once and tucked it away. "They'll learn."
He grinned, flames finally flickering openly around his hands. "Next one's gonna be bigger."
I looked out at the sea.
"Much bigger."
Our first enemy fell.
Our first blood was spilled.
Our first bounties were claimed.
Ace still had no Devil Fruit.
He didn't need one—yet.
The sea now knew our names.
And it would remember them.