Chapter 8: Sea Kings! 

On the shore of an unnamed island…

"Hahaha, brat! Let me show you my fishing skills. Even in the Marines, my fishing prowess is second to none, hahaha!" Garp boasted, holding a comically oversized fishing rod as he glanced at Ace beside him.

Ace, meanwhile, was struggling with a similarly oversized fishing rod, far too large for his small frame, paying no attention to Garp's bragging.

With a casual flick, Ace cast his line into the sea.

"Haha, that's not how you fish, brat. You need to put bait on the hook first. Fishing like that won't get you any—"

Splash!

Suddenly, a giant herring, over ten meters long, leapt out of the sea as Ace yanked the fishing rod.

The colossal fish flopped onto the rocky shore, scales gleaming in the sun.

"What were you saying?" Ace asked with a curious glance at the stunned Garp.

"Ahem! You just got lucky this time, Ace. But there's still a lot grandpa can teach you about fishing," Garp sputtered, trying to regain his composure.

Before he could continue, Ace's rod jerked again, and with a loud splash, a massive marlin, even bigger than the herring, flew out of the water and landed next to it.

"..."

Garp stood there, mouth agape, staring in disbelief at the two enormous fish flopping on the shore.

"Huh? What happened to your 'legendary' fishing skills, old man?" Ace teased, pretending to be confused.

"Bah! Ordinary fish like these are no big deal. Watch me—I'll catch a Sea King for you!" Garp's face flushed with embarrassment as he bellowed. His eyes burned with determination, fixed on the sea.

Garp had chosen this island for Ace's training not just because of the fierce beasts on land, but also because of the numerous Sea Kings that lurked in the surrounding waters. 

Over the years, he had seen Ace's remarkable growth, and knew that ordinary beasts no longer posed a challenge to him. However, the powerful creatures on the islands of the Grand Line were still too dangerous for Ace at his current age. The Sea Kings here, though, were perfect for testing Ace's abilities.

Even though Ace was still too young to take on a Sea King by himself, Garp wasn't worried. After all, he was watching over him—the boy's life was in no real danger.

But right now, Garp was more focused on regaining his pride after being one-upped by his grandson.

"Sea Kings, huh?" Ace murmured, gazing out at the sea.

"That's right! Sea Kings are different from regular beasts and fish. They're the true kings of the ocean—massive and terrifyingly powerful creatures."

Garp kept his eyes locked on the water, determined.

"This one?" Ace asked.

Splash!

Without warning, Ace leapt into the ocean, grabbing hold of a massive shadow beneath the surface. With a tremendous pull, he yanked an enormous, eel-like creature, hundreds of meters long, out of the sea.

"Y-Yes! That's a Sea King!" Garp nodded in approval, then suddenly froze.

Roar!

The Sea King let out a ferocious roar, its jaws snapping toward Ace.

"Hey! Ace!" Garp shouted in panic, rolling up his sleeves, ready to dive in and rescue his grandson. A Sea King of this size was far beyond Ace's current strength.

Buzz!

But just as the Sea King's maw was about to close around Ace, the boy's eyes narrowed. A flash of purple-black energy flickered in his pupils, and then—boom!

A shockwave of raw power exploded from Ace, causing the massive Sea King to halt mid-attack, its enormous body frozen in place.

Then—

Thud!

The Sea King's eyes rolled back, and its colossal form crashed back into the ocean with a tremendous splash, before slowly floating lifelessly on the surface.

"Th-That's… Conqueror's Haki!" Garp muttered in disbelief, watching Ace casually drag the unconscious Sea King ashore.

It wasn't that Ace had unleashed Conqueror's Haki that shocked Garp. He had known Ace possessed it since the day he was born, when his Haki had erupted far more intensely than it had just now.

What stunned Garp was the fact that Ace had controlled his Conqueror's Haki so precisely, targeting only the Sea King.

Neither he nor Roger had ever been able to control their Haki so finely right after awakening it. Typically, Conqueror's Haki, when first activated, affected everything indiscriminately—friend and foe alike. It took years of training to refine and direct it with such precision.

And yet here Ace was, only seven years old, already capable of controlling his Haki without any guidance.

It was unheard of!

Garp stood there, utterly dumbfounded.

Meanwhile, Ace, unaware of the thoughts racing through Garp's mind, dragged the massive Sea King up the rocky shore. As he pulled it out of the water, his eyes landed on something unusual—a strange fruit nestled in the creature's abdomen.

The fruit seemed to burn like fire, its surface swirling with orange flames.

Ace recognized it immediately.

"The Mera-Mera Devil Fruit!"

A voice echoed in Ace's mind, "Your understanding defies the heavens! The Mera-Mera Fruit has been drawn to your extraordinary insight!"