Black hair, black eyes, freckles on his face, and an orange hat on his head with both a smiling face and a crying face pattern.
Noyer froze.
This was Ace? Why would he run into him here?
Oh right, if you calculated by age, they were the same age. He had set out to sea, so Ace should have become a pirate too. That was perfectly normal.
Noyer watched as the four people stared at him blankly and greeted them, "Hello there!"
Ace saw a large ship approaching. The ship's owner was even greeting him, so he naturally realized the guy wasn't part of that other group.
He said happily, "Hey buddy! Can you let us board your ship to take cover? We can't fight properly in the water!"
Noyer nodded with a smile, "Perfect timing — I also have a grudge against those guys. Come aboard."
Ace was delighted. He climbed onto the ship carrying a crew member in each hand, while another companion followed behind with a sniper rifle.
Back on the ship, the four pirates instantly regained their confidence. Ace laughed excitedly toward the sky, stood on the bow, and shouted at the natives, "Come on! Let's continue our fight!"
Noyer watched this guy who had been soaked in seawater for so long without any problems. He understood what that meant.
It seemed Ace hadn't eaten the Devil Fruit yet. Otherwise, he would have charged up a Fire Fist attack, and these guys would probably be ash by now.
The natives, relying on their advantage with sea beasts on the ocean surface, began to spread out and surround Noyer's ship.
"Foolish outsiders, thinking you can approach our sacred land — and you even dare to harm our people!" The leader had the most muscular build, his face covered with strange red graffiti lines. Expressionless, he pronounced a death sentence on Noyer and his group.
Ace shouted indignantly, "You were the ones who ordered those sea beasts to attack our ship first — you started this!"
The native who had been taught a lesson by Noyer pointed at them, "Kasa! Don't waste words on them. Feed their flesh to our Crimson-Spotted Porpoises!"
The savage leader called Kasa snorted coldly, pulled out a wooden whistle from around his neck, took a deep breath, and blew it.
One of Ace's crew members frowned, "They're calling the sea beasts again."
They had fallen for this trick before. The moment that wooden whistle sounded, sea beasts would surge up from the ocean floor and capsize their ship.
Through his Observation Haki, Noyer sensed many huge figures rising from the depths, heading straight for the bottom of his ship.
He frowned, "Help me watch the ship. I'll deal with those troublesome guys underwater."
He held his breath and jumped into the water.
Ace quickly said, "Wait, I'm coming with you!"
The remaining three crew members watched bitterly as a group of savages jumped aboard and surrounded them.
Can we talk this out... Do you dare to fight one-on-one?
Underwater, Noyer and Ace looked at the school of fish surging madly toward them. Noyer's face darkened.
There were way too many. Those natives were truly vicious.
Ace rubbed his fists together, then charged into the swarm of sea beasts. Although he hadn't eaten the Mera Mera no Mi yet, his combat ability was still formidable.
With one punch, a large sea beast went flying. His hands and feet attacked rapidly. Large bubbles rose from the ocean floor as wave after wave of enemies had their offensive halted.
Noyer wasn't about to be outdone. When it came to underwater combat, nothing beat Fish-Man Karate!
Ever since he obtained the training manual, his combat ability had skyrocketed — but he had never used it to fight underwater before.
Noyer assumed his stance and spread his arms. His palms relaxed, and his fingertips seemed to glow with blue light as they transformed into webbed shapes.
◇ Fish-Man Karate: Murasame ⥤ Rain Shower ◇
Silently reciting the technique's name, he swung both arms and thrust his palms forward. Water gathered around him and shot out like cannonballs.
Powerful currents surged across the ocean floor, striking the swarm of sea beasts with explosive force. Massive waves shook the seabed. The fish that had been attacking the ship were instantly driven back. They stared at Noyer in terror, too frightened to advance but unwilling to flee.
Ace couldn't speak while holding his breath, but he stared at Noyer with wide, shocked eyes, then admiringly gave him a thumbs up.
High praise!
Noyer smugly raised his eyebrows at him, then waved his hand to signal him to move aside.
Ace was startled, then swam away through the water, distancing himself from the sea beasts.
Noyer placed both fists at his waist, then moved both hands behind his back, following the surge of the current. He assumed the starting position for an over-the-shoulder throw. Fish-Man Jujutsu, derived from Fish-Man Karate, could control ocean currents even more powerfully than karate.
◇ Fish-Man Jujutsu: Kairyu Ipponzeoi ⥤ Sea Current Lifter ◇
Noyer grasped the seawater behind him and hurled a massive surge forward like a flood.
The destructive ocean current struck the school of fish. Even creatures living on the ocean floor couldn't withstand this disaster-like assault. The huge wave sent all the sea beasts back to the ocean depths.
Noyer looked excitedly at the dark depths below. He hadn't expected Fish-Man Karate to be this powerful underwater.
Way better than a certain someone's sheriff fighting technique!
Ace saw that the enemy had been driven back. He happily swam forward and patted Noyer, tiny bubbles coming from his mouth as he seemed to praise him.
Noyer pointed upward. Ace nodded, and the two swam back to the ship.
◇◆◈◆◇
Meanwhile on the ship, the three crew members were fighting defensively back-to-back against the natives.
It must be said that companions valued by the future Fire Fist Ace weren't lacking in ability. Despite being outnumbered, the three of them held out for so long with only minor injuries. Many enemies lay on the ground around them.
A blue-haired young man wearing a dark blue eye mask said worriedly, "Why isn't Ace back yet? We can't hold on much longer."
One person wore a skull mask, and almost all his accessories featured skull patterns, as if he had a special fondness for them.
His tone was firm as he gritted his teeth and said, "We must hold out until the captain returns!"
"They're fighting sea beasts. If we can't even hold off these guys, how can we follow our captain!" The remaining person wore a top hat and held a sniper rifle.
Between raising and releasing his hand, bullets were fired. These enemies were hit before they even realized what was happening.
The face hidden under the top hat showed no expression, but his eyes suddenly focused, the corner of his mouth lifted slightly, and he said calmly, "They're back."
No sooner had he spoken than Noyer and Ace burst through the ocean surface and jumped back onto the deck.
Ace flexed his muscles and said aggressively, "You still dare to bully my crew? I'm going to settle the score with you all!"
Hearing these bold words, his crew members were nearly moved to tears.
But when the natives heard this, their faces turned green!
We're bullying your people? Are you blind? Don't you see that the ones lying on the ground are all our brothers?
Their leader Kasa's expression darkened further. He said through gritted teeth, "Capture these guys and offer them to the Great Shaman!"
"Yes!"
The natives charged forward again. This time, fighting on the ship, Ace could fully unleash his skills — not to mention he now had Noyer's help.
The tide of battle shifted immediately. Though they were only five, this group of enemies with crude weapons and average physiques couldn't withstand their assault. They retreated step by step.
Left with no choice, Kasa shouted to everyone, "We're no match! Retreat!"
"Want to run?" Noyer's eyes narrowed. The still-imperfect Haki within him surged out.
◈ Haōshoku no Haki: Muryoku-ka ⥤ Supreme King Haki: Incapacitation ◈
A strange ripple shook through the air before him. The bodies of those fleeing began trembling as if they'd seen a ghost.
Splash! Splash!
One figure after another dove into the water as if rushing to their deaths.
Without any struggle, those who jumped ship fainted and fell into the sea — including the guy who had been threatening to feed Noyer to the fish. He'd probably end up in a fish's belly himself.
The few remaining who hadn't jumped ship collapsed to the ground, foaming at the mouth. Only Kasa, trembling all over with rolled-back eyes, stubbornly remained kneeling.
Ace looked at Noyer thoughtfully. That power seemed somewhat familiar.
Noyer examined Kasa with surprise. Pretty tough, huh? Though his Supreme King Haki was still at beginner level, it should have been enough to handle these guys.
But fortunately, he didn't care. Having someone conscious was perfect for leading the way. He grabbed Kasa by the neck and commanded, "Lead the way! I want to meet this Great Shaman you mentioned."
Kasa's eyes burned with anger. He cursed, "You despicable villain, what sorcery did you use? The Great Shaman will bring down heavenly fire! He'll burn you evildoers to death!"
Ace stepped forward, "You were clearly trying to kill us. Are we supposed to just stand here and let you?"
Heavenly fire?
Hearing those words, Noyer suddenly thought of something.
The power to use flames? With Ace here too, could the previous user of the Flame-Flame Fruit be this Great Shaman?
{T/N: The canon story is completely different from this. This particular episode is going to be completely original. I don't know what period the author wrote the story in, so I'll try to correct as many things as possible, I just can't completely alter the flow.}
Then he definitely had to make this trip!
Noyer slapped Kasa's painted face twice and said coldly, "Lead the way! Cut the crap — say one more word and I'll rip out your tongue!"
The tough guy immediately cowered and obediently began leading the way.
According to him, the sea beasts they raised were called Red-Spotted Porpoises. Their nest was under the island where Kasa lived, so they could easily navigate through the thick fog.
The ship finally found the right direction. Everyone on board breathed a sigh of relief. Ace enthusiastically thanked Noyer, then introduced himself, "Hello, I'm Portgas D. Ace, captain of the Spade Pirates. That guy wearing the mask is Deuce — he's a doctor. The one covered in skull decorations is Skull, a hardcore pirate enthusiast and skull merchandise collector. And this is Mihar, our sniper. Don't let his shyness fool you — he can't speak, but his marksmanship is super accurate!"
Hearing the captain's introduction, Mihar couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Bro, that's aloof, not shy!
Noyer nodded kindly, "I'm Noyer, a pirate bounty hunter!"
"Bounty hunter?!" Ace and the others shouted.
Deuce trembled, his voice shaking, "You're not here to capture us, are you?!"
Skull, who was quite knowledgeable about the pirate world, said in horror, "I remember now — he's Noyer, the strongest pirate hunter who makes pirates in the East Blue tremble with fear!"
Ace clutched his head in shock, "Then haven't we boarded a thief's ship?!"
The taciturn Mihar watched the three of them act foolish and sighed helplessly.
Noyer looked at the three desperately backing away, his tone slightly mocking, "Do you have bounties?"
Bounties?
Ace scratched his hair and thought for a moment, "It seems... we don't have any yet."
"Well, there you go." Noyer said, "You're not worth a single penny. Why would I capture you?"
Wouldn't it be better to let you grow until you're worth ฿200,000,000, then capture you?
'If worse comes to worst, I could always contact Garp privately and sell you to him.' Noyer thought mischievously.
Hearing his words, Ace breathed a sigh of relief. The three didn't mind his jabs at all and cheerfully threw their arms around his shoulders.
However, if Ace knew about Noyer's devious thoughts, he'd definitely punch him in the head.
『 Ding! Host has Befriended the Important Figure Gol D. Ace! Rewards: Gold Talent Copy Card ×1, White Talent Copy Card ×10, Constitution +15, Amaterasu Flame (Modified Version) 』
Noyer's face lit up with joy — another Gold Copy Card!
And Amaterasu Flame — wasn't that the ocular technique of Sasuke and Itachi from Naruto, the so-called "benevolent flame that couldn't burn people to death"?
Noyer quickly checked the system's description and was immediately dumbfounded.
The basic characteristics hadn't changed — it wouldn't extinguish until the target was completely consumed. But the method of release had changed. It no longer relied on focusing his pupils on an object. The Amaterasu Flame had become an ability of his own body, appearing and burning as long as he expended stamina.
The most frustrating part was that Amaterasu couldn't be released away from his body — it could only be generated on his skin. If he wanted to burn someone else, he could only make direct physical contact and let the black flame spread.
Put crudely, he could turn into a fire man and charge at others, or wait for people to charge at him. Either way, he could burn them to ashes.
He just didn't know what power in the One Piece world could block Amaterasu. In Naruto, there were too many ways to counter it. But here, the only defense against Amaterasu would probably be Armament Haki.
Noyer thought carefully. This version of Amaterasu had virtually no long-range striking ability, but his defense had improved significantly. He could now coat both hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship with black flames — a solid offensive technique.
Fortunately, the Amaterasu fire would only burn objects he selected as targets, so it wouldn't burn his clothes. Otherwise, when his whole body burst into flames, his clothes would burn too...
Would he have to fight others naked?
Noyer happily sensed the power of the Amaterasu fire within him, then set his sights on Ace. Once that guy ate the Mera Mera no Mi, he'd copy his ability.
Devil Fruit flames and Amaterasu fire — he'd totally be the King of Flames!
◈◈◈
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want more chapters of this novel or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations: MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)