Upper Yard, South Coast.
The waves of the White-White Sea surged rhythmically against the cloud-shore. Several Sky Island birds circled at low altitudes before suddenly flapping their wings in terror, fleeing the area as if sensing an approaching predator.
A pirate ship flying an unfamiliar flag—its bow shaped like an eerie, leering ghost mask—broke through the mist and docked steadily at the shore.
With a dull thud, an exceptionally tall and sturdy figure leaped onto the Vearth. It was a burly man in tattered monastic robes, his head bald, a long string of oversized red prayer beads hanging around his neck. He bore the iconic white wings of a Sky Islander on his back and carried a massive hexagonal iron pillar on his broad shoulders.
Even standing still, his knotted muscles exuded an intimidating aura of ferocity. Most striking was his face: a resolute mask that wore a permanent, fanatical grin.
One of the future "Worst Generation" Supernovas: "Mad Monk" Urouge.
"So this is the piece of the Blue Sea that was swept up four hundred years ago? To think such a lush forest still exists." Urouge shouldered his iron pillar, grinning widely. "I heard the arrogant fool who destroyed Birka was finally toppled here. I wonder what kind of sacred being accomplished such a feat. The karmic retribution of this causality truly makes one's blood boil."
Urouge strode forward, ignoring the wary Sky Island guards, and headed straight into the heart of the forest.
The Central Clearing.
The aroma of roasting meat filled the air. The Eclipse Pirates had just finished a hellish morning session. Ace sat on a fallen log, tearing a hunk of meat from a bone with primal gusto.
Suddenly, the macaw Berries fluttered its wings on Carina's shoulder. Simultaneously, Ace, Sabo, Leona, and even Enel in the distance went still. Multiple strands of Observation Haki instantly locked onto the undisguised, heavy presence intruding from the forest edge.
"What an impolite sound," Sabo said, swallowing his food and adjusting his top hat. "Sounds like a big one."
The dense brush was shoved aside by a massive hand. Urouge stepped into the light. He scanned the scene, his gaze lingering on the beast carcasses and the murderous Leona before fixing on the shirtless, black-haired youth holding a piece of roasted pork.
Even while sitting, Ace radiated an aura as heavy as a deep-sea behemoth. Urouge's instincts screamed a frantic warning.
"Truly a group of benefactors reeking of danger," Urouge laughed, slamming the iron pillar into the dirt with a heavy thud. "If the rumors are correct, you're the ones who pulled that fake God off his high horse. I am Urouge, a mere Fallen Monk. I've come to seek guidance on the cycle of causality."
"Where did this wild bald donkey come from, looking for a grave during lunch?" Enel stood up, sparks dancing on his skin. Being used as a "human battery" by Jeno had left him with a mountain of suppressed rage.
But a large hand pressed down on Enel's shoulder.
"Don't move yet, Enel." Ace stood up, dropping the bone. His deep eyes sized up the monk, seeing through the "religious" talk to the man's true intent. This wasn't about justice or territory; it was the pure battle-lust of a monster encountering his own kind.
"You're here for a fight." Ace wiped the grease from his hands. "Interesting. I just ate, and I could use some exercise to digest."
He strode past Sabo and Leona into the center of the ruins. "Not here. I don't want to smash our pots and pans. Let's move to the clearing."
Enel's forehead throbbed. Dammit, the Captain snatched my stress-relief toy.
The Levelled Ruins.
In the vast, open area where Ace and Enel had previously leveled the landscape, the two titans faced off.
"Be careful, benefactor. This old monk's Physical Salvation is quite heavy!"
Urouge gripped the massive pillar with both hands. His muscles bulged unnaturally as he charged like an armored tank. The whistling wind pressure, mixed with the roar of the iron pillar, smashed toward Ace's head.
The strike was monstrous—superior to almost any pirate in the first half of the Grand Line.
Ace didn't use Ryuo. He didn't even use a weapon. He lowered his stance, clenched his right fist, and met the falling steel with a punch of pure, unadorned physical monstrosity.
"BANG!"
Flesh met steel. The ground beneath them collapsed in layers, and a shockwave shredded the surrounding leaves.
"Catching my pillar barehanded?!" Urouge's pupils shrank.
Ace wasn't just catching it; he was overpowering it. Urouge felt a surging, unrivaled force backlash through the iron. His prideful strength felt like an infant's against Ace's demon-god physique.
"CRACK!"
The webbing of Urouge's thumb split. The reactionary force sent him flying backward, plowing a trench dozens of meters long through the ruins before he smashed through a stone pillar.
"Puff!" Urouge spat blood, his ribs cracking from the shock.
"Strength is okay. Speed is passing," Ace shook his hand, frowning. "But are you really this fragile? Where's the catch?"
Behind them, Sabo and the others thought it was over. But then...
"Hahahaha... cough... it hurts... it truly hurts!"
Urouge, lying in the rubble, burst into a wild, perverse laughter. He propped himself up. Despite the heavy damage, he didn't look weaker—his body began to expand in a way that defied biological laws. Muscles swelled with blood; bones thickened. Within seconds, he grew from a four-meter man into a mountain-like giant, radiating a terrifying, pressurized strength.
The iron pillar now looked like a mere pencil in his hand.
"Converting physical damage into size and strength," Ace murmured, recalling the man's ability. "The heavier the injury, the stronger the counter-swing."
His black eyes didn't hold wariness. They burst with a fanatical, joyful light.
"In other words, as long as I don't kill you, you're the ultimate punching bag that returns all my kinetic energy."
A warlike grin spread across Ace's face. During this rest period where his crew needed to polish their Haki and physique... Urouge was the perfect training toy sent by the heavens.
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