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The atmosphere on the deck shifted instantly as the focus of every survivor and pirate fell upon the two newcomers. Blood Wolf, the captain of the Blood Wolf Pirates, swept his gaze over them. He barely glanced at the little girl who had been cast into the sea, dismissed Goku as a mere curiosity, and finally locked eyes with Ace.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Blood Wolf asked, his voice dripping with condescension.
Ace adjusted his hat, his expression like cold flint. "My name isn't important. What matters is that your behavior has made me very angry."
While Ace lived his life as a pirate, he was cut from a different cloth than the scavengers of the Blood Wolf crew. He carried the pride of the Whitebeard Pirates and a heart that couldn't ignore suffering. He remembered the starving faces in Wano Country and the children he had liberated from Kaido's grasp. To him, these men were nothing more than scum.
The Logic of the Underground Trade
Blood Wolf didn't feel the danger. To him, Ace was just a "righteous fool." He burst into a raucous, guttural laugh. "Hahahahaha! You've come all this way just to die for a few strangers?"
His eyes then darted to Goku. "Don't kill the brat with the tail," he commanded his men. "I've never seen a human with a tail before. He's a rare specimen—we can fetch a fortune for him at the Human Auction House on the Sabaody Archipelago."
In the criminal underworld of the Grand Line, different groups and races are valued with cold, concrete numbers. Blood Wolf was already calculating his profit based on standard market statistics for "rare" slaves:
Group/Race Base Market Value (Berries)
Human 500,000
Mink 700,000
Fish-Man 1,000,000
Long-Leg/Long-Arm Tribe 700,000
Giant (Male) 50,000,000`
Since Goku appeared to be a unique variant or a rare hybrid, Blood Wolf expected a bid well over 1,000,000 Berries.
The Battle for the Deck
"Understood, Boss!" four pirates shouted, drawing their blades. "We'll bag the kid and gut the cowboy!"
Ace didn't even look at the pirates. He turned to Goku. "You need any help with these guys?" He worried that Goku, despite his tail and strange strength, might freeze up in a real fight against armed men.
Goku didn't even blink. "No need. I can take them by myself!"
Before the words had even fully left his mouth, Goku moved. He was a blur of orange. A horizontal elbow connected with one pirate's jaw, a flying kick sent another through a bulkhead, and a series of lightning-fast uppercuts finished the rest. Without pausing, Goku charged straight into the center of the pirate formation toward Blood Wolf.
Ace's eyes widened. Wait, why are you taking all the opponents?!
A surge of competitive pride flared in Ace's chest. As the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, he couldn't let a kid outshine him. "Don't you dare take them all, Goku!" he yelled, launching himself into the fray.
A One-Sided Slaughter
Blood Wolf didn't have time to react. He gripped his greatsword, but Goku's speed was on another level. A flying kick caught the pirate captain squarely in the chest.
Bang!
Blood Wolf's ribs shattered, and he flew backward like a snapped twig, plowing through his own men before flying off the deck and plunging into the ocean with a distant splash.
The first mate tried to rally the crew. "Kill them! Get them both!" But Ace was already there. With a single, flaming punch, he leveled the first mate, while Goku harvested the rest of the crew like a scythe through wheat. In seconds, the deck was littered with groaning, unconscious pirates.
Only one pirate remained standing, trembling and wetting himself. As Ace lunged for him to tie the "kill count," he roared, "Goku, stop! This one is mine!"
Goku halted instantly, his hand inches from the pirate's face. He blinked and held his head, confused. "Oh, okay. He's yours."
Ace grinned, pulling his fist back. Finally, a draw! But before he could land the blow, the pirate dropped to his knees and wailed, "Wuwuwu!!! I surrender! Please don't kill me!"
Ace froze mid-punch, his face a mask of disappointment.
A New Life for Rose
Once the Blood Wolf Pirates were securely tied up, Captain Steve and the passengers approached their saviors. They bowed deeply, tears of relief streaming down their faces.
"We will never forget this, Steve said solemnly. "You saved our lives."
Goku laughed, his innocent cheer returning instantly. "Hehe, you're welcome! I'm glad everyone's okay."
Ace pointed toward the little girl, Rose, who was currently being fed cake by Steve's wife, Judy. "If you want to thank someone, thank her. She's the one who alerted us."
Steve looked at Rose with genuine affection. "Rose won't be returning to her father. He is a cold-blooded man who abandoned her. We have decided to adopt her ourselves. We've always wanted a daughter, and she'll be safe with us."
Ace smiled. He knew Steve was a man who would jump into the sea for his family, unlike the coward who had thrown Rose away.
"Hey!! Goku!!!"
A familiar shout echoed across the water. Goku's head snapped toward the horizon. The Dream Chaser was sailing toward them, with Nami, Sanji, Vivi, and Carue waving frantically from the deck.
Goku's face lit up with a brilliant smile. "Nami! Sanji! Vivi! Chopper! I'm over here!"