Chapter 18: The flames in Luffy's eyes! An increase in willpower!

The sun dipped below the horizon as the day's final light clung to the sky. Three months had vanished like smoke on the wind.

Ace's life was a triptych of simplicity: sustenance, slumber,and sparring with Luffy.His routine had crystallized into a rhythm of life's simple pleasures and the thrill of the fight.

Despite the bruises that painted Luffy's body, his spirit remained unbroken, his resolve steeling with every fall. Each defeat was not a setback but a step closer to an unspoken brotherhood with Ace and Sabo.

The trials by combat bore fruit; Luffy and Sabo's strength soared, outstripping the bounds of their once-known limits. Their sparring sessions with Ace were not just duels but crucibles, refining their might and in turn, fueling the growth of Ace's Haki.

 Now, as the three-month odyssey reached its zenith, Luffy's resilience could no longer stoke the fires of Ace's Haki. Yet, the power of Ace's spirit had surged, his Conqueror's Haki now a tempestuous sea, affirming his birthright as 'King'.

"Ace, the hour has come," Sabo said, his voice a low murmur. "Luffy stands ready for the final rite."

"Very well, Luffy, you have but one final test before you can join us," Ace declared, looking at Luffy, his face swollen and bruised beyond recognition.

Sabo, standing beside him, was in no better shape. Yet, their faces bore no signs of resentment, only pure elation. Their strength had skyrocketed during their bouts with Ace.

 "Really, really?!" Luffy's words were slurred due to his swollen face, but his surprise was evident.

"That's right," Ace confirmed, turning to Sabo. "The pirate's path calls to you, does it not? Then let heist be your initiation. Sabo, take him along"

 "I don't just want to be a pirate, I want to be the Pirate King!" Luffy interjected, his voice booming.

"Pirate King? Then, let's take the first step." Ace gestured to Sabo.

 "Let's go, Luffy. Let us stride towards that horizon.We still have a ways to go before we can purchase a pirate ship."

In the tapestry of their shared history, Sabo had come to recognize Luffy's worth, not in words but in the language of resilience. Luffy's capacity to endure, to rise after every fall, was unmatched.

 "Oh!" Luffy's exclamation cut through the air.

"By the way, Ace, aren't you coming?"

Sabo's retort was swift, ."With Ace, it is no trial but a mere jaunt. We go alone."

And so, they ventured forth, leaving Ace to the solace of the sun's embrace.

The Gray Terminal, a place of endings and beginnings, watched silently as Sabo and Luffy embarked on their clandestine mission. Ace lay back, the sun's warmth a stark contrast to the cool strategy playing out in his mind.

....

Upon their return, Luffy's voice carried the triumph of their conquest. "Behold, Ace! Our spoils of war!"

Ace's eyes danced over the bounty before him.

 "A treasure trove indeed,"Ace remarked, a slight smile playing on his lips as he surveyed Luffy and Sabo's loot. This was not a sum ordinary gangsters could amass.

"We're one step closer to buying our pirate ship!" Sabo chimed in, his face alight with anticipation.

"Hey, the guy that robbed you, his name's Sabo, right? He's often seen with a kid named Ace?"While Sabo and Luffy were enjoying their future life as pirates, a giant man with a machete and several minions were coming towards them....

"Yes, they're quite notorious," one of the minions confirmed.

....

"Ace, we seems to have crossed paths with Bluejam's lot," Sabo confessed, the chill of fear creeping into his voice. The Bluejam Pirates, a name that echoed like a curse through the Grey Terminal. Sabo's strength, though mighty, had never been tested against such formidable foes. The true measure of these pirates' might was a mystery shrouded in whispers and fear.

"Let me go! Ace! Save me!" Luffy's desperate plea echoed in the air.

 Ace turned, his words dying on his lips as he registered Luffy's predicament. "How did you manage to get caught?!" ,Sabo gaped at Luffy, now ensnared by Porchemy.

"Hey kid, do you know Ace?" Porchemy asked coldly.

The minion who had previously been knocked down by Sabo had only seen Sabo's face, not Luffy's.

"Yes! We are friends!" Luffy declared loudly.

"Oh? Then you must know where Ace is, right?" Porchem's smile was sinister.

Luffy's silence was a palpable thing, his eyes and mouth twitching as if they were foreign to him. "I, I don't know," he finally stammered.

 Porchemy's eyes bulged in disbelief. Such pitiful lying skills, did he take them for a fool?!

"Very well, I'll make you talk," he sneered, his grip on Luffy unyielding as he dragged him away.

Sabo's voice, laced with anxiety, reached Ace. "Hey! Ace, what should we do? Should we save Luffy?" he asked, watching Porchemy and his men retreat.

Ace's response was a study in calm. "Of course we have to save him, but we need to secure the treasure first," he said, his Observation Haki already painting a vivid picture of Luffy's location.

Sabo hesitated, torn between the treasure and their friend's plight. "But, but…" he stuttered, his gaze shifting between the treasure and the retreating figures. A realization dawned on him, clear and sharp—Luffy's life outweighed any riches. "Let's go rescue Luffy. We can retrieve the treasure later," he declared, his expression setting into one of unwavering resolve.

Ace's smile was a silent nod of approval. "Then let's go rescue him," he agreed. "But if you want to save him, you have to listen to me," he added, a hint of strategy in his tone.

In the dim light of a secluded cabin, Porchemy's iron fists sang a cruel rhythm against Luffy's battered form. Yet, with every strike, Luffy's resolve only hardened.

"I won't betray Ace! Your fists are like feathers compared to his !"

Porchemy's face twisted with rage, his attacks growing more vicious. Luffy's strength ebbed, his voice fading to a whisper.

"Bo, Bo Bo, Boss, that's enough. The kid's spirit won't break,"Even the minions couldn't bear the sight.

"If you won't talk, then you can die," Bluejam declared coldly, his machete gleaming with deadly intent.

The door exploded inward with a resounding "Boom!" As Bluejam turned, Ace was already there, in a blur of motion, snatching Luffy from his cruel suspension.

"Boss, they are Sabo and Ace!" the minions cried out in alarm.

Bluejam's predatory smile returned. "Oh? You are very brave," he sneered.

Luffy, barely clinging to consciousness, managed a weak smile."Ae, Ace, Sab, Sabo, you, you came to save me? Are we friends?" he whispered.

Ace didn't answer directly. Instead, he posed a question of his own. "Luffy, haven't you always wanted to see my abilities?" His gaze then shifted to Bluejam and his men, cold and unforgiving. "Look, this is the power of the Mera- Mera no mi."

"Fire Fist!"

The cabin erupted in a maelstrom of fire, Bluejam and his crew consumed by the inferno. Luffy watched, awe-struck, as the flames danced like demons in the night.

....

As they emerged from the cabin, the night air was cool against their skin. Ace looked down at Luffy, his expression unreadable.

"We didn't come immediately. What do you think of that?" Ace asked, his voice steady.

Luffy's grin was all the answer he needed. "You saved me. That's all that matters. I trust you, Ace."

Ace's smile was a rare gem, sparked by Luffy's unwavering faith. "Is that so?" he mused. Luffy's simplicity, his unyielding spirit, it was the kind of foolishness Ace couldn't help but cherish.

The question lingered in the air, heavy with the unspoken: Why had they waited until the last moment, mirroring the original tale? It was a calculated choice, not borne of malice but of a desire to forge Luffy's will into something unbreakable.

The Conqueror's Haki, a power that could only be awakened through trials of the spirit, had found fertile ground in this ordeal. And as Luffy's will grew, so too did Ace's Haki, a symbiotic strengthening born of adversity.

Sabo, standing on the side, also smiled. He too supported Ace's decision. Even though he was a bit anxious before, he never rushed Ace. He knew Ace's judgment was sound.

"Hey, Luffy," Ace said, his voice taking on a solemn timbre. "We don't want to be friends with you anymore," he stated, his expression serious.

Luffy's shock was palpable, a momentary stillness before Ace's smile broke through the tension. "Let's be brothers," he said, the word 'brothers' carrying the weight of a shared future.

Luffy's exclamation was a burst of pure joy. "Oh oh!!!"His voice carried the joy of newfound kinship, echoing through the stillness.

Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the area, rustling the leaves and causing a shiver to run down their spines. Unbeknownst to them, a shadowy figure observed from the darkness, his eyes gleaming with an eerie light.

 "Brothers, huh?" The figure chuckled to himself, staying hidden in the shadows.

It was none other than Akagami no Shankasu, a guardian specter in the night. His vigil was a silent oath, a protector's watch over the unfolding destiny of the brothers.