Chapter 39 : The Appearance of the Sea Knight

"Ha ha ha ha! So, you're Luffy's older brother! How's that kid doing these days?"

On the deserted island, the captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, Shanks, was all smiles, his molars fully visible as he drank with Ace, arm in arm.

As for the disappointment of finding a heap of worthless paper treasure, Shanks, being an optimist, had long since thrown it to the back of his mind.

After all, this sort of thing had already become a habit; having a party was more important now!

At present, Shanks is unaware that Ace is the son of his former captain. However, simply because of his identity as Luffy's older brother, Shanks was already showing enough goodwill.

After a grand feast, Ace shared his desire to challenge Whitebeard, to which Shanks neither agreed nor disagreed.

As a pirate, Shanks wouldn't ridicule another's dream. Though he felt Ace's strength was far from Whitebeard's level, he didn't outright deny Ace's idea.

In the end, Ace never sought Shanks' guidance on the method of utilizing Conqueror's Haki. As for this, Youta ultimately didn't say anything.

"Regardless of whether Shanks teaches him or not, Ace will join Whitebeard's crew in the future, so he'll still be able to learn."

"Moreover, with the talent of Ace and Yamato, even without someone teaching them, they should be able to figure it out themselves in a few years. The most important thing is that they have the concept in mind."

Among the boisterous pirates, Youta seemed a bit out of place as he didn't enjoy drinking much.

This was an impression left by his education in the Naruto world. Compared to the free-spiritedness of the One Piece world, the people in the Naruto world were undoubtedly more cautious and profound, with completely opposite personalities.

"The only similarity is that both worlds are quite screwed up... one is chaotic and lawless, while the other is cruel and cold-blooded; the weak can't live well, and the strong can't die well."

After a lively night, the next day the Black Spade Pirates parted ways with the Red-Haired Pirates.

When the Black Spade Pirates' ship was completely out of sight, the smile on Shanks' face gradually faded, instead revealing a hint of nostalgia.

"Ace... Ace... Grandson of Vice Admiral Garp... Unexpectedly, the bloodline of Captain Roger really still exists!"

Ace's name was taken from Roger's supreme blade, and since Ace was Luffy's brother, he was naturally Garp's grandson.

Knowing the friendly yet rival relationship between Garp and Roger, along with the name "Ace", Shanks easily guessed Ace's identity.

"Beckman, help me send a letter to Whitebeard," Shanks instructed, "A very interesting son of an old acquaintance is going to challenge him!"

If Youta were still here, he might understand why Whitebeard was so lenient with Ace, even allowing him to join his crew and attempt to assassinate him at will.

Clearly, Ace's personality and talent were factors that caught Whitebeard's eye, but the letter from Red-Haired Shanks explaining Ace's background certainly played a significant role.

The great pirates of their era had good relationships with one another, especially Roger and Whitebeard. Roger even borrowed Kozuki Oden from Whitebeard's ship before, so when Whitebeard saw the son of an old friend, he naturally showed leniency. He couldn't be less compassionate than Garp, a marine, could he?

...

"Keep going forward, and we should soon be in Whitebeard's territory. Ace, are you really prepared?"

On the deck, Youta looked at the sea and asked Ace behind him.

"Of course, I've been itching for this!"

Youta rolled his eyes. Itching to become Whitebeard's son?

Although Ace was stronger than his original self, he was still far behind Whitebeard!

"Ace..." Dues approached, looking serious. "We've been followed by fishmen from behind for a while now. It seems we've been targeted."

At that moment, Yamato, who had been lying bored on the deck, suddenly leaped up: "Is it an enemy? It's got to be an enemy, right? Finally, someone to practice with!"

"Calm down," Youta said to Yamato, remembering the original story. "Let's wait until we find an island, then go capture that fishman. Otherwise, if the ship is holed by the fishmen while we're at sea, it could be disastrous."

"Okay, let's quickly find an island then. Where's the nearest island?" Yamato took out his wolf fang club and waved it fiercely, showing an eager expression.

After more than two hours, the Black Spade Pirates' ship finally approached a deserted island. Yamato, unable to wait any longer, jumped down, transforming into her hybrid form, causing the sea to freeze.

"So cold, so cold," a voice cried out. A hole suddenly burst open in the ice created by Yamato, and out jumped a chubby blue fishman.

"Why have you been following the Black Spade Pirates?" Yamato asked, pointing her club at the blue fat fishman.

"The reason I'm tailing the Black Spade Pirates is to intercept you from challenging Father Whitebeard!" The fishman rubbed his arms and spoke.

Dues, glancing at the chubby blue fishman, asked in surprise: "Aren't you Jimbei, one of the Warlords of the Sea? Do you also have a relationship with Whitebeard's Pirates?"

Youta rolled his eyes at Dues and said, "It's an obvious fact, isn't it? Whitebeard's flag is hoisted on Fishman Island. How could Jimbei not be related to Whitebeard's Pirates?"

"Indeed," Jimbei responded, "Whitebeard has done a great service for our entire Fishman Island. If Fire Fist Ace and your crew truly wish to challenge him, then you'll have to get past me first."

With that, Jimbei assumed his Fishman Karate stance.

"Is that so? It seems that in order to face Whitebeard, I must first get past you." Ace showed a confident smile and also jumped down from the ship. "Then let's battle on the deserted island."

"Huh?! Wait, wasn't it agreed that I would fight him first?" Yamato tilted her head and asked.

"But he directly challenged me," Ace also looked at Yamato and explained.

"No need to fuss, you can both come at me," Jimbei appeared confident, thinking to himself, "Many supernovae go to the New World every year, but how many are truly powerful?"

Jimbei believed that with his own strength, defeating a supernova pirate crew wouldn't be an issue. In fact, if Ace hadn't burned Whitebeard's flag on Fishman Island, Jimbei wouldn't have paid much attention to the matter — there were countless supernovae who didn't know their place and challenged Whitebeard every year.