Chapter 278: Sasuke, and Ace

(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)

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It wasn't explicitly mentioned before, but Kisame was a quick learner. Avery quick learner.

So, it was no surprise that five days later, Kisame had mastered Armament Haki.

This was an ability that granted him astonishing power. And he was still shocked at how much his strength had increased.

Even Rayleigh, who had been guiding him, was left speechless by the rapid progress he made in just five days.

"Thank you, Rayleigh-san, for your guidance over these days," Kisame said, his expression sincere.

Rayleigh nodded with a smile.

Kisame then unleashed his Armament Haki, his arms turning a sleek, jet-black color.

The sword Samehada held tightly in his grip, twisted in an unusual manner, almost as if it were alive and joyful.

Armament Haki was generally used in four ways: Hardening, Imbuing, Emission, and Internal Destruction.

As of now, Kisame had mastered the first two techniques.

He wasn't overly prideful about this achievement, knowing that Haki, much like chakra, was a force combining mental and physical energy.

Rayleigh, however, had noticed something strange about Samehada.

"Your sword... it's absorbing Armament Haki?"

Kisame nodded as he continued to channel Haki into the blade, which devoured it without a trace.

Such a peculiar phenomenon left Rayleigh astounded.

"The newcomers of this era... they're all monsters," Rayleigh remarked, his tone one of both amazement and respect.

"Especially that kid, Uchiha Sasuke."

Kisame's interest was piqued.

He knew Sasuke had been making waves recently.

"Uchiha Sasuke? Could you elaborate, Rayleigh-san?"

Rayleigh nodded, thinking back to the reports he had heard.

"That kid is incredibly strong. Even without Haki, he's one of the top fighters on the sea. To be honest, even with all the progress you've made, you're not on his level yet. Don't think about challenging him,"

Kisame raised an eyebrow but wasn't offended.

"I'm just curious about this pirate who's been causing a stir."

Sasuke had indeed become a man of the sea.

He had killed several pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions and even took down the king of a member country of the World Government.

This caused an uproar, as such an act violated the government's deepest taboos.

His initial bounty had been set at 80 million, but after repeatedly evading the Marine forces and continuing his exploits, his bounty had skyrocketed to 360 million.

Rayleigh, having said his piece about Sasuke, changed the subject.

"I have a favor to ask of you."

"Please, go ahead, Rayleigh-san," Kisame replied.

Rayleigh looked out at the sea, a distant expression in his eyes.

"If you ever come across a Fishman named Hatchan, please take care of him. He's an octopus Fishman who once saved my life. You're a Fishman yourself, so the chances of you encountering him are higher."

Kisame felt a pang of awkwardness but didn't let it show.

Little did Rayleigh know that Hatchan had already been killed by Colt when he took down the Arlong Pirates.

But Kisame simply nodded and agreed to the request out of respect.

Meanwhile, Sasuke, the subject of their earlier conversation, was also facing some challenges of his own.

After leaving the Sabaody Archipelago, he hadn't ventured directly into the New World.

For one, he didn't have his own ship and had been hitching rides on pirate vessels and Marine ships alike.

Secondly, he wanted to explore this world, so different from the one he came from.

Each island had its own unique charm and culture which interested him.

With no strict timeline for the mission given to him, Sasuke decided to take things slow, occasionally hijacking pirate ships that crossed his path and embarking on his own journey of discovery.

During one such adventure in Arabasta, Sasuke found himself confronting a man who had refused to pay for his meal at a restaurant.

Not one to ignore injustice, Sasuke took down the troublemaker with a powerful [Fire Style].

When the troublemaker paid, Sasuke started to leave.

But the man introduced himself, and was since sticking to Sasuke like glue.

"I told you, I'm not a pirate! And I certainly won't become your first mate!"

Sasuke, rubbing his temples in frustration, couldn't shake off the dark-haired young man before him.

Ordinarily, Sasuke would have simply killed the man, but despite having eaten a meal without paying, the guy had eventually compensated the restaurant owner.

It made Sasuke hesitate.

"But you're wanted by the Marines, right? You're practically a pirate!" the man argued, unbothered by Sasuke's attempts to dismiss him.

"Uchiha Sasuke, join my crew—the Spade Pirates! Deuce has already agreed to step down and make you the first mate."

Sasuke groaned internally, wondering why he kept running into people with thick skulls.

First Naruto, and now this man.

"Portgas D. Ace," Sasuke said, his voice calm but firm.

"I'm wanted because I killed a man who enslaved civilians. That is different from low pirates like you."

Sasuke made no secret of his disdain for pirates, viewing them as little more than glorified bandits with a false sense of freedom.

Ace frowned; he was a bit taken aback but still undeterred.

He could understand Sasuke's point completely, after all, he also hated those pirates, but not all of them were similar. Just not like all marines were good people.

"I'm not like those pirates; I would never hurt the innocent! My goal is to defeat Whitebeard and become the strongest man in the world. Then, I'll surpass even the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, and become the next King of the Pirates!"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, unimpressed.

"Good luck with that," he muttered, already turning away from the stubborn Ace.

But in the back of his mind, Sasuke couldn't help but think that their paths would cross again.

"Hey! Don't leave!"

"Heyyyyy!"