"Ace, come back here already! What the hell are you trying to do!?"
Marco, now in his phoenix form, shouted in panic.
"Hah! Coming back in such a hurry—did you forget something?"
Izo called out teasingly.
"Sorry, Marco, Izo. What Sabo said earlier woke me up. I want to give it another try. The rest... is my personal matter. You guys go back first," Ace said firmly.
"Don't worry. I'll stay with Ace," Sabo replied, nodding with determination.
Marco and Izo exchanged a look.
Even if Ace said so, there was no way they could just turn around and leave.
On the other side—
"Grandma, those Whitebeard guys are coming back again! You've got to be kidding me!"
The flustered Peacock clenched her tiny fists in frustration.
"Are they provoking us? Do they think escaping once means they can do it twice?"
She raised her whip, ready to use her Devil Fruit to animate the nearby buildings.
"Stand down for now. Let's see what they intend to do."
Vice Admiral Tsuru shook her head calmly.
During her earlier conversation with Sugisawa Yuuto, the Vice Admiral had tactfully avoided mentioning Ace and Sabo, but that didn't mean she wasn't curious about their motives.
The encounter between the Whitebeard Pirates and Fairy Tail was no small matter.
The Marines didn't care much about the Whitebeard Pirates traveling with the Revolutionary Army—after all, their paths were fundamentally different and would never truly align.
But the Whitebeard Pirates and Fairy Tail?
If the two Imperial crews ever joined forces, the impact on the world would be unimaginable.
Following Tsuru's orders, Ace, Sabo, and the others returned to Fairy Tail's residence without much resistance.
"Seriously, why are you back again? Sabo, it's rare to escape from that kind of situation—don't tell me you two are idiots?"
Koala shook her head helplessly.
"Ahahaha! Maybe we are idiots—but even idiots have their own kind of determination!"
Sabo laughed heartily.
"So? What brought you back?"
Sugisawa Yuuto raised an eyebrow.
"President Sugisawa Yuuto, I want to try again—to give you another commission!"
Ace spoke solemnly.
"It's useless, no matter how many times you ask. Our answer won't change."
Erza shook her head coldly.
"Honestly, it's annoying," Nami snapped. "You're part of the Whitebeard Pirates, right? Isn't your father—the old man himself—the strongest man in the world? If you want to take down Kaido, do it yourself! Why bother begging us?"
"Even if the Whitebeard Pirates went to war with the Beasts Pirates, the casualties would be enormous," Marco said. "Dad doesn't want us taking such risks... and we don't want to see him fighting at his age."
"So you came to hire us instead? Using Fairy Tail as your weapon? Wow, how nice of you to say it out loud," Runti mocked with her usual venomous tongue.
Izo glanced at her seriously.
If he didn't know better, he'd swear she was from the Beasts Pirates.
But now she was clearly part of Fairy Tail.
Could that be the reason Fairy Tail refused their commission?
Had they already made a deal with the Beasts Pirates?
No, that couldn't be. Impossible!
Izo quickly shook the thought away.
"Even if we're strong, the Beasts Pirates are a nightmare to fight head-on," he said. "But with Fairy Tail's help, we could crush them completely! Please—no matter the cost—we'll pay anything!"
"Still talking nonsense, are you?"
Sugisawa Yuuto's calm words froze Marco and Izo in place.
Both of them lowered their heads in defeat.
It seemed nothing would change Fairy Tail's answer.
Just as they were about to give up—
"No! This time, I'm not speaking for the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Ace shook his head violently.
"This is my personal commission!"
He took a deep breath.
"Before I joined Whitebeard's crew, I once went to Wano Country. There, I met a girl..."
Ace began recounting his time in Wano—
how he'd promised that girl that one day, he would return and turn that land into a place where she could live without fear or hunger.
"But alone, I'm not strong enough," he said. "So please…"
Ace dropped to his knees and bowed deeply, forehead pressing against the floor.
Nami frowned. "Isn't that basically the same thing? Just another way of asking for the same fight—"
"No," Erza interrupted softly. "It's different."
"It really is different," Mirajane agreed, turning to Yuuto.
"The price for this commission will be high," Sugisawa Yuuto said quietly. "Can you bear it?"
"I can. I'll give everything," Ace replied without hesitation.
"Then it's settled."
Sugisawa Yuuto smiled faintly. "Fire Fist Ace—I accept your commission."
"Really!? Thank you—thank you so much!"
Ace's face lit up with genuine joy.
"That's great, Ace!"
Sabo laughed, punching his shoulder.
"Wonderful! Truly wonderful!"
"Then let's return and start preparing right away!"
Marco and Izo grinned and immediately set off to rally their forces.
"G-Grandma…" Peacock stammered, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.
She could barely form words.
Because at that very moment—
something monumental had just happened.
The two most powerful forces in the sea had formed an alliance.
And together, they were preparing to wage war against another Emperor of the Sea!
"The world... is about to change,"
Vice Admiral Tsuru murmured gravely.
"Wahahahaha! Subarashii! Fairy Tail's reputation just reached the heavens!"
News King Morgans laughed ecstatically.
"A historic event like no other! The era of the Seven Warlords is over—Fairy Tail has declared war against Kaido, one of the Four Emperors! The sea itself will tremble!"
Within hours, under Morgans' relentless coverage,
the shocking news spread across every corner of the Grand Line—
Fairy Tail had declared war on the Beasts Pirates and their Emperor, Kaido.
And the entire world... was shaken to its core.
...
Hey everyone! Want to read ahead and unlock up to 100 early-access chapters? 📖Plus, enjoy even more exclusive novels! Join my Patreon now and dive into the adventure!
patreon.com/Rawink00