Chapter 231: Heroes Appreciate Heroes!
"This isn't your adventure, Lufia... this is my fight..."
Ace struggled to stand up, but before he could finish his sentence, Ralph reached out and pushed him back down.
"Brother Ace!"
Ralph looked at him with a helpless expression,
"Your fight just ended. If you lost, you lost—no shame in that!
But since we've run into this guy, he's now part of our new adventure!"
Ace was left speechless, opening his mouth but unable to find a rebuttal.
Blackbeard Teach was taken aback for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed:
"Zehahaha!"
"Nameless Ralph, you're quite an interesting guy!"
"Why not join my Pirate crew?"
"What future is there following this blonde brat? Come with me, and when I become the Pirate King, the whole world will be ours!"
Without a second thought, Ralph wrapped an arm around Lufia's shoulder beside him:
"My loyalty to my captain is unwavering!"
"Loyalty?"
Blackbeard seized on the word, laughing even more wildly, "Zehahaha!"
"A man speaking of loyalty to a female captain?"
"Are you aiming to be the Pirate King, or the Pirate King's man?"
"I'll take both."
Ralph remained expressionless, not ashamed but rather proud.
Lufia didn't quite understand what they were talking about, but she understood that Blackbeard was mocking Ralph and trying to poach him.
She exploded on the spot.
"You ugly freak!"
Lufia pointed at Blackbeard's nose,
"I heard you're a scumbag who kills his own crewmates!"
"Not only did you injure Ace, but you're also trying to steal Ralph right in front of me!"
"And what's even worse, you insist that cherry pie is delicious!"
The entire scene fell silent for a second.
The smile froze on Blackbeard's face, then he roared in anger:
"Damn brat! That cherry pie is delicious!"
"It's disgusting!"
"Delicious!"
"Disgusting!"
Without another word, the two swung their fists and collided head-on!
"Boom!"
The shockwave from their fists shattered the surrounding rubble.
Ace sat on the ground, utterly bewildered:
"Cherry pie... what cherry pie?"
Van Augur and Burgess, standing in the distance, were also stunned.
Having followed Blackbeard for so long, they never imagined that one day their captain would fight to the death over a piece of cherry pie.
But stunned or not, the battle had already begun—they couldn't just stand by and watch.
Van Augur raised his long rifle, "Senriku," and instantly locked onto Ralph through the scope.
Earlier, Blackbeard had ordered them not to attack Ace, but now the situation was different—
This black-haired kid was also an enemy.
The trigger was about to be pulled.
Yet at that very moment, the target in the scope vanished.
Van Augur's pupils contracted sharply. His body reacted faster than his mind, rolling and leaping toward the nearby ruins.
As a Sniper, being closed in on meant certain death—he had to create distance!
But he was fast, and Ralph was faster.
With Soru Step fully unleashed, Ralph's figure appeared beside Van Augur as if teleporting, one hand gripping the barrel of Senriku tightly.
Van Augur reacted swiftly, yanking backward to reclaim his beloved rifle while using the recoil to swing his long right leg in a sweeping kick aimed at Ralph's temple.
Of course, a Sniper had to learn some close-quarters combat—otherwise, if someone closed in, wouldn't they be at their mercy?
But it depended on who they were dealing with.
Ralph lifted his leg to block the kick, then followed up with an incredibly fast second kick mid-air—
"Rankyaku: Amane Dachi!"
A transparent vacuum blade sliced through the air. At such close range, Van Augur had no time to dodge.
A spray of blood mist erupted from his chest as he was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into a pile of rubble. Dust billowed, leaving his fate unknown.
From Lufia clashing fists with Blackbeard to Ralph taking down Van Augur, barely three seconds had passed.
Poor long-range sniper—he didn't even get a chance to fire a single shot.
"Van Augur!"
Burgess roared and was about to charge forward.
But a wall of flames blocked his path.
Ace staggered to his feet. Though covered in wounds, the power of the Mera Mera no Mi still flickered at his fingertips:
"This fight isn't for you, big guy."
Burgess gritted his teeth, fists clenched, muscles bulging all over his body.
But facing a Logia User, he didn't dare charge recklessly.
Noticing his subordinate had been taken out, Blackbeard was momentarily distracted—and Lufia's fist landed squarely on his face!
Thud!
An Armament Haki-coated fist smashed into his face, snapping Blackbeard's head back. Several bloodied teeth flew out.
But he seized the opportunity to activate his ability.
"Kurouzu!"
Gravity instantly captured Lufia, pulling her right in front of him.
Blackbeard grabbed her shoulder, and the moment her Devil Fruit ability was sealed, his other fist slammed hard into her abdomen!
Thump!
Lufia was sent flying, crashing into another pile of rubble, sending debris scattering.
But she stood up almost instantly, wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.
"That hurt! This guy!"
In the blink of an eye, the pain vanished from her face, replaced by a wide, grinning smile.
"I'm gonna teach you a lesson!"
Blackbeard laughed too, his face covered in blood, his gap-toothed mouth stretched wide in an equally wild grin.
Watching this scene, Ace froze.
Since childhood, he and Lufia had fought countless times, and drawing blood was common.
But he had never seen Lufia in this state—
That light in her eyes, that excitement that refused to back down even when injured, that… sheer enjoyment of the fight.
Where did that familiar feeling come from?
Ace turned his head to look at Blackbeard.
This man who had nearly killed him moments ago was now also covered in blood, grinning widely, eyes gleaming brightly.
They were enjoying the fight, reveling in the thrill of staking their lives on this moment!
Ace had always believed Lufia's determination to become the Pirate King was genuine.
But that was just the starting point for a pirate setting sail.
He never imagined Lufia's will as a pirate had already reached this level.
Some pirates set sail fueled by passion, only to face countless setbacks, grow disheartened, and end in miserable defeat.
Others, after enduring those blows, forge an unshakable resolve, casting life and death aside.
And Lufia… this heart of hers had already surpassed most people's from the moment she set sail.
Ace suddenly remembered something Ralph once said:
"Her mindset has long been at the Pirate King level—all she lacks is strength."
Back then, he thought Ralph was just praising his sister. Only now did he understand—it was true.
Thud!
Another fist collided, and both Lufia and Blackbeard staggered back several steps, the ground beneath their feet cracking inch by inch.
From a distance, Ralph watched quietly, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
In the past, seeing Lufia fighting a man until blood was drawn would have made him furious.
But today was different.
He saw something identical in the eyes of Lufia and Blackbeard.
Heroes recognize heroes.
Witnessing this scene, Ralph fell into deep thought.