Chapter 267: On Hachinosu
In the reefs on the outskirts of Hachinosu, a special crystal hidden there shimmered with a strange light. Immediately after, an irregular crack appeared in the atmosphere, opening a portal as splendid as a starry sky.
The starry alien space rippled, and a slender hand reached out from within, lightly gripping the edge of the portal. Then, a figure far exceeding an ordinary person in height and build, with flawless white wings, strode out.
The splendid, starry portal flickered and slowly healed, visibly returning to normal.
Louis stood on the reef, looking up thoughtfully at the giant island floating in the sky. After a moment, he shifted his gaze from the dozens of islands in the sky to the endless expanse of yellow buildings below.
"So this is Hachinosu, the stronghold of the Rocks Pirates decades ago..."
While he was pondering, a violent explosion erupted on the nearby beach. A searing fireball and shockwave spread out, kicking up a cloud of yellow sand.
The pirates who had been wandering on the beach instantly became terrified and fled in all directions.
"Hey, hey, run! We're gonna get caught in the aftershock!"
"Why is he at it again?! Lord Ochoku is way too patient with that brat!"
As the continuous cries of panic and the rising heatwave spread, Louis couldn't help but look in the direction of the sound.
"I just stepped out of the portal, and there's already such an explosive show?" Louis remarked, looking at the scene unfolding on the nearby beach. "As expected of Hachinosu, an island of outstanding people and abundant talent, an island that has produced many monsters. The local customs are truly fierce!"
Under his gaze, a young man with short black hair and freckles leaped out of the flames. He raised his flame-wreathed fist and smashed it toward the tall man.
"Flames, black hair, freckles..."
Louis looked at the young man who was continuously attacking Ochoku, comparing him to the bounty poster he had seen. In the end, he came to a conclusion. This person was Garp's grandson, Roger's posthumous son, Portgas D. Ace.
"Fire Fist Ace."
After a moment's thought, Louis began to walk toward the distant beach.
"..."
At the same time, in a distant tavern, one after another, pirates of various attire and extraordinary bearing heard the commotion and shook their heads.
"Again?"
"How many times has it been since Lord Ochoku brought him back?"
"This is really enviable!" an old pirate with white hair couldn't help but sigh. "To have gained Lord Ochoku's favor at such a young age... even Admiral Golden Lion is paying close attention to him."
Then, another sour voice sounded, filled with endless jealousy. "An arrogant brat who doesn't know his place! He's favored by a king at the pinnacle of the world and he's not even grateful! If only I could regain the Admiral's trust..."
As soon as these words were spoken, undisguised laughter immediately rang out from beside him. "You've really got some nerve, thinking that! I heard that when the Admiral was captured, you were the first one to take your men, divide up his treasure, and leave! After doing something like that, you still dare to come crawling back, begging for his protection? The Admiral not killing you was already out of respect for old times! And you still want to be trusted?!"
"Hahaha—"
"..."
"I was safeguarding it for the Admiral, okay! I didn't spend a single bit of it!" The man who had spoken sourly, hearing the ridicule of his comrades, had his face instantly become uncertain.
Originally, after he had divided the treasure and left, he had kept a wary eye. He hadn't squandered the treasure immediately; he had always felt that the Admiral wouldn't fall so easily. And, just as he had expected, the Admiral had broken out of prison a few years later. From then on, he had guarded that treasure and hadn't dared to spend a single Beri. When the Golden Lion had announced his comeback, he had immediately brought the treasure he had taken, along with his own savings from all these years, to admit his mistake.
In the end, the Admiral, who was short on manpower, had forgiven him.
As his words fell, the surrounding crowd instantly became silent. It wasn't until a good while later that someone complained, "Safeguarding? You've really got some nerve saying that. Who doesn't know what you were thinking?"
A tall woman with bone-white, long hair crossed her slender, rounded legs, gently swirling a glass of an unknown orange liquid. "I, on the other hand, heard," she said in a unique, mature voice, "that the man and the gorilla who are now so trusted by the Admiral were just marginal figures before he was captured. But it was precisely because they didn't divide up his treasure, and instead planned a rescue operation, that he sees them in a new light."
Nearby, a former subordinate of Ochoku heard her and, after some thought, replied with a laugh, "That's exactly right. You know a lot, don't you, Smoothie! As expected of a top-tier pirate, Big Mom's daughter, Katakuri's sister!"
Then, someone, pretending to be familiar, asked tentatively in a joking tone, "I say, Smoothie. The Charlotte Family has a lot of treasure, right? You know, you were one of the top forces in the New World back then. If it hadn't been for that accident, you all should have become the Four Emperors, not that Red-Hair!"
At these words, the group of pirates all stopped their conversations and pricked up their ears.
Smoothie heard him and instantly sensed her comrade's intention. She gently swirled her glass and replied with a cold smile, "The Charlotte Family's treasure? If you have the life to take it, then go ahead. We left it all there!"
"Where?" The group's breathing quickened, their eyes becoming bloodshot.
Smoothie gave them a blank look and replied casually, "A land called Terra."
The word "Terra" made them instantly break out in a cold sweat. The bloodshot look in their eyes faded, and they regained their composure.
In the charred, crater-filled beach.
Ochoku stood with his arms crossed in front of Ace, quietly watching him as he knelt on the ground, panting and covered in sweat.
"..."
Ace abruptly raised his head. He looked at the standing Ochoku with a dark face and gritted his teeth. "What the hell do you want, Ochoku!!"
Ace was grateful, but he also didn't understand him. After he had rescued him and his crew, he had brought the Spade Pirates to Hachinosu to recover. Just as he had recovered and was planning to leave with his partners, Ochoku had stopped him from leaving and had attacked him instead. This situation left him very confused and with a headache.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Ace warned him with a dark face, "If you stop me again, even if you are my lifesaver, I'll get serious!"
Under Ace's tense and speechless gaze, a subtle change came over Ochoku's expression. He was no longer silent. "The person who laid your foundation is a master. Your physique, durability, and life force are not bad."
Ace's eyes widened.
Ochoku ignored his shock and continued, "But your martial arts and Haki are not outstanding. Although you have the one-in-a-million Conqueror's Haki, you don't have the heart to match it. Also, your arrogance is your weakness." He glanced at Ace and added.
Ace's pupils trembled. He, of course, knew his own shortcomings. What he hadn't expected was that after just a few battles, Ochoku had known that the person who had laid his foundation was a master, and had accurately pointed out his weaknesses.
After a long while, Ace stood up, panting heavily. "Are you... training me?" he asked, somewhat confused. "Didn't I say I won't become your subordinate?"
"You will join us," Ochoku replied casually, looking at Ace's face, which was becoming more and more familiar.
Gradually, as he looked at the panting Ace, a special sense of déjà vu arose in his heart. He always felt that he had seen this scene somewhere before.
Then, he shook his head, shaking this illusion-like feeling from his mind. After casually glancing at the approaching Louis, he looked again at the confused Ace.
However, the next second, he realized something was wrong. His expression became abnormally excited. He abruptly turned his head to the spot he had just glanced at, his hair standing on end.
"LOUIS!!"
"When the fuck did you come to Hachinosu!"
Ochoku's muscles tensed, and his entire body radiated an astonishing aura that made it a little difficult for Ace to breathe.
Ace's eyes widened. Although they had fought many times, he had never known that Ochoku could make it hard for him to breathe with just his aura alone. Not only that, but in his impression, Ochoku was different from that occasionally-neurotic Golden Lion. He was a very serious and proper person. He usually said very little and was basically just silently doing his own thing. This was the first time he had ever seen him so flustered and cursing.
Then, Ace subconsciously turned his head and followed his gaze. A young man, who looked to be over five meters tall, with golden hair and a pair of pure white wings on his back, was approaching.
With just one glance, Ace had already recognized his identity. "Archangel - Louis."
"Why is he on Shiki's and Ochoku's territory?"
"Are the Archangel Pirates going to war with the Flying Pirates?" Gradually, his gaze also became sharp.
Although Ace didn't want to join the Flying Pirates, and he was often blocked by Ochoku and strangely sized up by the Golden Lion, who often asked him weird questions, they were, in the end, his lifesavers. And everyone else, besides the mysterious Ochoku, had been good to him. If the Flying Pirates were to encounter a great enemy, it would be difficult for him to stand by and do nothing.
Facing their gazes, Louis, while walking, replied casually, "Just when you were fighting with Fire Fist Ace."
Ochoku's vision went dark. "How did you get here so quietly?!"
To this, Louis gave him a rather surprised look. "Is it that hard to get into this island without you knowing?"
His words made Ochoku instantly fall silent. To be honest, his matter-of-fact words made Ochoku doubt his own Observation Haki. Is this reasonable? Reasonable, my ass!
After a moment, Ochoku reined in the raging aura around his body and once again returned to his calm state. Then, while Ace was still confused, he asked again, "What business do you have on Hachinosu?"
After his initial shock, he had come back to his senses and realized that Shiki still owed Louis favors. With no conflict of interest, he would naturally not make a move on Hachinosu. Therefore, he had relaxed his guard.
Louis casually glanced at the islands above his head and gave him an unexpected answer. "Nothing. Just looking around."
...
"Do I look like the kind of person Shiki is?" Ochoku heard him, a "you've got to be kidding me" look on his face. He didn't believe a single word of it.
Louis heard him, and a subtle change came over his expression. Does Ochoku mean that Shiki is an idiot in his eyes?
After a brief silence, he rephrased. "I'm looking for inspiration on the sea... on how to mess with the World Government."
"Reasonable." This answer... basically matched the impression and image of Louis in Ochoku's mind.
Louis: "..."
After a moment, Ochoku, catching Ace off guard, grabbed him. "Come on. I still have some tea I brought back from the West Blue," he said, inviting him.
Louis heard him and did not refuse, following in his footsteps.
In the quiet path, Ace's struggling voice was constantly heard.
Louis looked at him, who was being held like a little chick, and said thoughtfully, "I heard you want to pull this supernova into the Flying Pirates?"
"Your news travels fast." Ochoku was carrying the struggling Ace, who was thinking about his next escape plan, his gaze on the distance. "What you said last time did remind me. It's not a bad idea to find a talented and eye-pleasing supernova to train."
Hearing this, Ace, who had temporarily given up struggling, slowly raised his head and looked at Louis. He had never thought that his bizarre encounter on Hachinosu would actually be related to this "Archangel" Louis, whom his grandfather had called the strongest.
Ace had heard of him a long time ago, even earlier than 99% of the people on the sea. He had known of his existence even before he had known of Luffy's. At that time, Luffy had not yet entered his life. His grandfather had suddenly returned to Foosha Village without any warning, with a scratch on his face and several inconspicuous wounds on his body. When he had asked what had happened, his grandfather had told him about the incident in a kingdom called Elegia.
That day, Ace had learned that there was an existence in the world who could take his grandfather's full-power punch without being injured. And according to his grandfather, that person was not much older than him.
Then, under Ace's complicated gaze, Louis shifted his gaze to him. Meeting his strange, complicated eyes, Louis said thoughtfully, "Can you really recruit subordinates this way? You can win a person's submission with force, but you can't win their heart."
To this, Ochoku, without turning his head, said something with an unclear meaning. "You can. The Haki and swordsmanship instructor-slash-captain I met when I was forced to become a pirate in the West Blue... did just that."
"."
Louis heard him and couldn't help but become silent.
In his grasp, Ace, who was silently listening, had an indescribable expression.
In the central, magnificent Japanese-style palace on the largest of the floating islands.
The Golden Lion stood on a high floor. In front of him was a vast forest and one after another, fleeting glimpses of behemoths. Beside him, a tall, thin man with a blue afro tilted his head, looking at his silent boss.
At this moment, Shiki had a high-grade, expensive cigar in his mouth. His eyes pierced through the swirling smoke and landed on the two bounty posters in his hand. One of them was the supernova who had been brought back not long ago by his partner, Ochoku: Fire Fist Ace. And the other... was a yellowed, crumpled, and old-looking bounty poster.
After a long while, he put down the two posters and fell into thought. He was considering how high the possibility of a connection between the two was.
Like Ochoku, he had also sensed a strange sense of déjà vu from Ace. But the difference was that Ochoku had only gradually sensed it, while he had felt it the first moment he had laid eyes on Ace. He already had a bold guess about this. And... he was in the process of verifying this bold guess.
Just then, the blue-afro-headed man beside him saw that he had come back from his thoughts and couldn't help but speak. "Do you want to go to the lab and see that unexpected harvest? Although it may deviate from your requirements, it is already the most qualified one."
To this, Shiki waved his hand with a lack of interest. "Not interested for now. You take care of it! Continue according to the requirements. I want to see an even more perfect creation."
"Alright then." The blue-afro-headed man walked away with a strange gait, leaving Shiki alone in the entire palace.
After his scientist subordinate had left, he once again fell into thought. The image of the man he had sought but could not obtain, in his youth, and the Supreme Grade Blade in his hand... "Ace"... flashed in his mind.
"..."
After a long while, a series of footsteps were heard in the empty palace, bringing him back to his senses again. When he looked in the direction of the sound, he was stunned. The famous swords, Oto and Kogarashi, which had been lying casually on the table, instantly flew dozens of meters and appeared in his hands.
"Yo! Louis! It's really rare for you to come to Hachinosu!" His gaze ignored Ochoku and the Ace in his hand, and landed directly on Louis. But the next moment, he released his swords, letting them hover behind him, and lit another cigar.
He stared at Louis, a hint of shock and surprise in his eyes. "You came to find me... have you thought it over? Are you going to join my and Ochoku's alliance?" he asked meaningfully.
Although he said this, in his heart, he knew very well that this was impossible. Because Louis was simply too strong. Both his individual strength and his influence had reached a level that would make any pirate crew despair. A combination of dozens of Buccaneers, dozens of giants, and dozens of Lunarians... was already enough to make any power break out in a sweat.
But what the hell were those hundreds of Lunarian subspecies?!
According to his intelligence, three of those inexperienced Lunarian subspecies could already chase a Marine Vice Admiral. If hundreds of them were to grow into their full, experienced forms... no one could accept such a thing happening. This was precisely the reason why the World Government had not made the slightest move even after suffering such a huge loss. Because they simply did not have the power to check them. Even the Lunarian subspecies, who were not yet at their strongest, were too much for them to deal with.
Because hundreds of monsters with the Lunarian defense mechanism and no weakness in speed were simply too ridiculous.
The terrifying threat displayed by this scale of Lunarian individuals had made even the World Government's side wonder... how on earth had they managed to beat the entire Lunarian race into just a few scattered remnants hundreds of years ago.
Although his relationship with Louis was not bad, ninety percent of the reason why he was in such a hurry to have his subordinates create powerful weapons was because of Louis. The reason was simple: the Archangel Pirates were too strong, so strong that they made everyone despair. It was no exaggeration to say that they were blocking the path of all ambitious people. And he was no exception.
To this, Louis just gave the same explanation he had given to Ochoku. "I'm looking for inspiration... on how to mess with the World Government."
Shiki heard him, stood with his arms crossed, and a flash of understanding crossed his eyes. "I see. You're wandering around, traveling, right!"
"That's right," Louis replied calmly.
Nearby, Ochoku heard this, and his gaze shifted back and forth between the two, falling into a brief thought.
A few minutes later, he sat before a tea table, demonstrating to Louis the tea ceremony techniques he had been immersed in for decades.
Near another table, a filthy Ace sat cross-legged on the ground, wolfing down the food on the table, inhaling it like a storm.
Nearby, Shiki sat cross-legged on the other side, tilted his head back, and poured a large gulp of sake into his mouth. "Glug, glug." After chugging down more than half the bottle in one go, he put the bottle back on the table. After wiping the corner of his mouth, he showed Louis an unreadable smile. "I heard... you've almost killed all those guys from the God's Knights! Those guys... those of us who have experienced the God Valley incident... we have a deep impression of them!"
As he spoke, a hint of reminiscence flashed in his eyes. The glorious years before this roadblock named Louis had appeared were vivid in his mind.
Nearby, Ochoku was in full agreement with his words. He, too, had been at the God Valley incident. He knew that even without their immortal bodies, those guys were still extremely formidable.
Not far away, Ace, who was wolfing down his food and at the same time carefully watching the others, couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. "What are the God's Knights? And what is God Valley?"
Louis was clearly very calm about this. He took a sip of his tea. "Among the God's Knights, only one or two are top-tier powerhouses. The rest... at most, can only be considered 'not bad'."
Ochoku heard this, and a strange change came over his expression. "Just 'not bad'?"
On the other side, the Golden Lion poured another large gulp of sake, an unreadable expression on his face. "Louis, if only you had been born in the Rocks era. If so... it would have been very interesting, wouldn't it?"
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