"Who would've thought Luffy had such an incredible older brother."
"By age, Luffy should be about the same as my Usopp now, right? I wonder if those two kids will end up becoming companions in the future."
Shanks stroked his chin, a kindly, fatherly smile spreading across his face.
"If that happens… that'd really be something to look forward to."
Nearby, Lucky Roux was gnawing on a bone-in hunk of meat, mumbling indistinctly as he chimed in,
"Boss, that's Luffy's own brother. He's charging off like a reckless idiot to pick fights with Whitebeard or the Flying Sky General. You're really not worried at all?"
The Red-Hair Pirates had always valued loyalty and bonds above all else. Since Luffy was a friend, looking out for his brother was only natural.
What's more, in their eyes, Ace had only been in the Grand Line for barely half a year. Whether he could even use Haki proficiently was still questionable.
In a monster-infested place like the New World, relying solely on a Logia Devil Fruit was bound to lead to painful lessons—let alone aiming straight for two top-tier Emperors right out of the gate.
"There's nothing that can be done about it," Shanks sighed helplessly.
"Did you see his eyes just now? That was the look of someone driven by a powerful personal obsession. The adventures and resolve of the young… we old guys don't really have the right to interfere."
Then Shanks returned to his usual carefree grin.
"Besides, if you don't suffer a bit in the New World, how are you supposed to grow? He's a Logia user anyway— even if he fails, those few at the top won't do much to him for the sake of his ability."
After parting ways with the Red-Hair Pirates, Ace and his crew trudged unevenly toward the coastline.
"Captain… is this really okay? Red-Hair seemed pretty approachable. There's still a lot we don't understand about using Haki—maybe we could've stayed a few more days to learn from them."
One crewman, hunched against the cold, finally couldn't help asking as he looked at the figure ahead.
The cruelty of the New World far exceeded their imagination. It was nothing like the smooth-sailing "paradise" they'd known before.
Although Ace's overwhelming flames and everyone's shared passion had solved many problems, those utterly crushing victories were becoming fewer and fewer.
Especially when facing enemies who could use Haki—the sensation of being struck solidly no matter how much they tried to elementalize had made them suffer badly.
"There are many ways to become stronger."
Ace didn't turn back. His voice carried through the wind and snow.
"He already lost an arm to save Luffy. That debt is too heavy. I don't want to burden him any further."
Hearing this explanation, the crew could only shrug helplessly and continue following their willful captain.
From the East Blue all the way to here, they'd long grown used to Ace's stubborn, unyielding personality.
"So then, Ace—who are you planning to make your first target?"
The one who spoke was Masked Deuce. As the ship's doctor and one of Ace's earliest companions, he understood Ace better than most.
Compared to the vague, far-off title of Pirate King, what Ace truly craved deep down was for this sea to acknowledge his strength—to prove the value of his existence.
Since they had entered a New World ruled by the Four Emperors, he had to choose the strongest opponent possible.
"Whitebeard."
When he spoke that name, Ace shed his usual roguish grin. His expression grew unprecedentedly solemn as he stared straight out at the turbulent sea in the distance.
Even if that man had already fallen from his pedestal, he was still a legend who had once stood shoulder to shoulder with Roger.
Ace desperately wanted to experience that power for himself.
This wasn't just a challenge—it was, aside from repaying Luffy's debt, the greatest wish he had upon coming to the New World.
What Ace didn't know was that the gears of fate had already begun to turn.
The Whitebeard Pirates had also started paying attention to him, giving this impending confrontation the unmistakable feeling of a destined, mutual pull.
Sea Circle Calendar Year 1515.
In a year when most major powers lay relatively low, nearly an entire year's worth of headlines was monopolized by one man—
The supernova known as Ace.
Far away, in the General's City of the Sky Kingdom, the same was true.
Baccarat, having just returned from a treasure-hunting mission, brought back an item capable of altering the course of the world.
Of course, this "world-altering" significance existed only in Tenma's mind—one that possessed a god's-eye view of the future.
At that moment, under the control of the Float-Float Fruit, a strangely shaped Devil Fruit hovered above his palm.
Its purple skin was covered in eerie spiral patterns. Overall, it resembled a giant pineapple, radiating an unsettling aura.
There was no need to consult any Devil Fruit encyclopedia.
Tenma recognized it at a glance.
This was the fuse that would ignite the future, catastrophic Paramount War.
The ultimate power dreamed of by the ambitious Blackbeard, Teach.
Logia-type — the Dark-Dark Fruit.
"So this is the legendary darkness that can nullify all abilities?"
Yamato leaned in, big eyes fixed curiously on the fruit.
"Tenma, who are you planning to give this to?"
Hearing that, the surrounding retainers all turned their gazes toward him.
The strategic value of this fruit was simply too great. Deciding who should receive it was no small matter.
The awkward part was that among the core retainers—aside from a few physical-combat fanatics who refused Devil Fruits outright—most already had abilities of their own.
Holding the Dark-Dark Fruit, Tenma turned and walked toward the underground research base filled with advanced technology.
Ever since acquiring the Munch-Munch Fruit, a far more unreasonable method of ability plundering, the Dark-Dark Fruit's standing in his mind had already dropped by a tier.
But that didn't mean it wasn't powerful.
That black-hole-like devouring force, the terrifying gravity from which even light could not escape, was still top-tier strength upon the seas.
So even without a suitable candidate, Tenma had long prepared a backup plan.
Inside the research facility, countless precision instruments were operating at full capacity.
In the vast testing grounds, a group of special "warriors" were undergoing field tests.
They were the BIGMOM mechanical legion, fused with monster-grade physique factors from Kaido and Big Mom.
At this point, they were no longer mere killing machines.
With memory alloys and special ability factors embedded within their bodies, some transformed into ferocious beasts, while others unleashed bizarre Paramecia-like powers.
Even more astonishing—
These mechanical constructs seemed to possess genuine "souls."
They were learning combat techniques like humans, even thinking about how to further develop the abilities within their bodies.
All of this was thanks to Hancock's special power.
She had bestowed a spark of soul upon these cold machines, allowing them to take a crucial step forward on the path of biological evolution.
A mechanical legion with true sentience, paired with massive amounts of implanted combat data, was nothing short of a group of all-round combat prodigies—dual Haki coming to them as naturally as breathing.
Tenma was absolutely confident that the soul-ascended BIGMOM legion would utterly crush the Seraphim created by Vegapunk in the original timeline.
And because their souls originated from Hancock's special modification, this mechanical army held absolute loyalty toward him.
But today, Tenma hadn't come here to upgrade these mechanical soldiers.
He intended to personally take control of that power which devoured all things—
The darkness itself.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.Part One is officially complete — and it's now available
Go check it out and dive into the full experience.
Claim early access here: [email protected]/voidink08
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews unlock 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.