Kizaru leaped into the air, his dazzling light shining like the sun across the entire land.
Noyer's eyelid twitched, "Jump into the sea!" He shouted.
Ace froze, "Won't that mean certain death?"
"Trust me!"
Noyer's crew obeyed their captain without question. Even the aloof Lucci complied directly, and they all splashed into the water one after another.
Ace's crew members hesitantly approached, "Boss, this…"
Ace stared firmly at the sea surface, "Trust Noyer. We jump!"
His subordinate was dumbfounded. Deuce patted his shoulder with a smile, "Don't worry. Mr. Noyer is like an honorary member of the Spade Pirates. He won't deceive us."
Ace and Noyer's crew all went underwater together. Kizaru finally completed charging his light energy. With his fingers, he fired a brilliant laser rain that surged powerfully into the water.
Noyer dove underwater and turned his head to see the sky full of lasers. He felt inexplicably relieved.
Isn't this just some firework show?
As expected of a veteran actor — his half-hearted efforts left no trace at all. Admiral Kizaru was famous for giving exactly as much effort as his salary warranted.
When he first appeared in the original story, the old man was so impressive — one kick per Worst Generation supernova, and every single one couldn't even get back up.
But after fighting for several episodes, all the supernovas were severely injured, yet somehow they all made it back to base with a sliver of health.
Leg-lifting exercises until cramping. Kicking his nephew straight to the white-haired boss and the blue fatty, "You dare point a gun at me, I dare surrender."
Not to mention the famous laser-hitting-the-key incident, yet somehow never managing to hit Law's submarine. These ridiculous maneuvers speak for themselves.
Kizaru represents Unclear Justice — a personality truly impossible to figure out.
But jokes aside, his area attacks still had quite an effect. At the very least, everyone was now swimming with their heads covered, completely disheveled.
With Kizaru's interference and both teams carrying Devil Fruit users, diving while dragging everyone along became particularly slow.
But in the dim seabed, a large coated ship slowly approached. Thanks to the coating craftsmen of Sabaody, any ship in this world could dive underwater.
Everyone swam toward the coated ship. As soon as they touched the bubble surrounding the vessel, the pressure and buoyancy of the sea instantly disappeared. They all tumbled onto the deck in one go.
Ace had swallowed a bellyful of water. His crew frantically pressed on his stomach.
On Noyer's side, only he, Conis, and Kalifa remained conscious. Everyone else had been completely wiped out.
Robin was dazed from being submerged. Noyer seized the opportunity to scoop her up in a princess carry. He used the power of the Mera Mera no Mi to conjure a ball of fire and evaporate the water from everyone's bodies.
Robin wasn't short, but in Noyer's arms, she looked as petite as a doll. After recovering some strength, she asked, "Why aren't you afraid of water?"
Noyer thought for a moment, "I don't know either, but I like places with lots of water."
Robin's beautiful eyes studied him, "Could it be that everyone from the Noytemus Kingdom is like this? That doesn't make sense…"
Noyer kept his mouth shut. He wouldn't lie, so he said nothing.
Everyone gathered around him to warm themselves by the fire. A tall beauty on the ship walked over with a smile, "Mr. Noyer is truly strong — to fight an Admiral for so long."
Noyer waved his hand irritably, "My combat power is strong enough, but what came was an uncatchable monkey."
Christine clearly held a significant position in the Revolutionary Army. She understood immediately, "He must have been worried you'd touch the Admiral and copy his ability."
Noyer looked confused, "How do they know I need to touch someone with my hand to copy their ability?"
Christine looked at him strangely, then raised her own hand to demonstrate, "Paramecia-type abilities like this generally use touch as the medium."
Oh…
I see. It's not because they discovered the system, but because they deduced the Devil Fruit's activation condition.
Noyer didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This limitation of the system had actually become a reasonable action in the eyes of the Marine high command.
Ace had also gotten up by this time. As a flame ability user, his recovery speed was much slower than everyone else's. But as soon as he stood, he excitedly bounced around the ship.
"This is the seafloor! So cool! This is a coated ship — so amazing!"
Watching him make such a fuss, Christine frowned, "This should be Fire Fist Ace, right?"
Noyer nodded, "I want him to join our plan."
Christine lowered her voice, "No! He's just an ordinary pirate. No matter how strong he is, he's not the same as you, Noyer."
Ace, listening nearby, bristled, "I'm no worse than Noyer!"
Light gleamed in Noyer's eyes, "I have my reasons. There are still a few days before the plan begins. I'd like to make a request."
Christine suppressed her doubts, "What is it?"
Noyer put his arm around Ace's shoulder and pointed at him, "Let my buddy meet your leader."
Christine was about to refuse. Ace looked confused, "Why, Noyer? Meet what leader? Who are they?"
Noyer smiled at Christine, "After the meeting, perhaps you'll let Ace join in."
He turned to Ace, his smile fading, and asked seriously:
"Ace, do you still remember your brothers?"
Ace nodded helplessly, "Of course I remember — Luffy."
"There's one more."
Deep in Ace's dark eyes, sorrow welled up. His voice grew heavier, "Sabo… He's already dead."
Christine's ears perked up. She looked at him in disbelief, "You're Sabo's brother? Blond hair, always wearing a top hat, fights with a pipe?"
Ace's eyes lit up. He nodded, "Yes! Were you Sabo's friend when he was alive? Why haven't I met you before…"
Christine waved her hands quickly, "What are you talking about? Sabo is still alive."
Ace's expression froze. He stammered, "But… Luffy and I searched for years. No one could survive that bombardment…"
Christine explained, "I heard the leader was in the East Blue when he saved Sabo from the Celestial Dragons' bombardment. He took him into the Revolutionary Army and raised him."
Ace's eyes began to sting. They glistened as he asked loudly, "If that's true, then why didn't Sabo come find me and Luffy?!"
Christine shook her head, "Sabo lost his memory in the bombardment. He doesn't remember anything. But… he often says he keeps hearing the voices of two people, as if they're very important to him."
The tears in Ace's eyes finally broke free. They flowed down his trembling cheeks as he covered his face and burst into loud laughter.
"Forgetting us… amnesia… none of that matters anymore. Alive! It's good that he's alive! Hahahahaha!!"
Everyone watched him alternate between crying and laughing in silence.
Noyer walked up and patted his shoulder, "So, will you go?"
Ace straightened up, snot and tears streaming down his face. He wiped his eyes and said firmly, "I'll go! I want to see Sabo!"
Noyer sighed with relief. In the original story, Ace didn't know Sabo was alive. He died in battle protecting Luffy.
Helping him find Sabo — consider it fulfilling his own regret from his previous life.
Ace learned about Sabo and decided to follow Noyer to find him.
After careful consideration, Christine consulted with the Revolutionary Army's leader, Monkey D. Dragon.
Noyer had no idea what they discussed, but they agreed to his request and were willing to meet.
However, only Noyer and Ace could go — no one else was allowed near the Revolutionary Army's base.
They escaped the Marines' search range using a coated ship. After a few days, Christine brought them aboard a large vessel and delivered them to an island. Spring was in full bloom with perfect sunny weather, and the city's architecture had a distinctly Gothic style.
On the surface, everything seemed normal, but Christine said that everyone in this island nation was one of their own, including the king.
Noyer was impressed — Dragon's audacity and methods were remarkable. Plenty of people were willing to oppose the government, but few dared to.
Through his ideals and persuasion, Dragon had built the Revolutionary Army into a thorn in the World Government's side in just a few years.
Ace leaned against the mast, gazing at the distant island with an anxious expression. He couldn't help but ask Christine, "Will Sabo really come here?"
Christine looked at him speechlessly — he'd asked this question countless times over the past few days.
"The leader said Sabo finished his mission and will stop by on his way back."
Seeing Ace's expectant yet nervous look, Noyer consoled him, "Don't worry, he will definitely remember you."
Ace looked at him gratefully and nodded.
Before long, the Revolutionary Army's ship docked. Christine led them onto the island and through the kingdom's capital. They stepped into the bustling town where citizens looked at them with reverent eyes.
Ace looked around in confusion and asked, "Why do these people respect you so much?"
Christine smiled at the crowd, then turned and said in a low voice, "Secretly I'm a Revolutionary Army soldier, but publicly I'm the king's eldest princess."
What the hell?
The Revolutionary Army has this kind of silver spoon recruit?
Noyer also lowered his voice, "So you'll be queen in the future?"
Christine sighed in distress, "That's exactly the problem. Secretly I'm an heir apparent princess, but publicly I'm the commander of the nation's knight order."
What kind of ridiculous logic is that?
Noyer and Ace looked completely bewildered, "Huh?"
Christine explained. The gist was that although she could inherit the country as princess, her aspirations lay elsewhere.
She had her own beliefs and didn't want to take over the kingdom, so she concealed her dual identity as both princess and Revolutionary Army member from her subjects.
The people believed the eldest princess had died of illness in her youth. They had no idea Christine had become the commander of the knight order. She didn't want to be confined to a single country — she aspired to be a wandering knight-errant.
But according to Noyer, this was just having too much privilege and not knowing what to do with it. Why do these rich kids always refuse their inheritance and insist on starting from scratch?
If it were him, he'd have been lying back at home long ago.
Now Noyer understood why the Revolutionary Army could use an entire kingdom as a base — because they had a princess who constantly wanted to go gallivanting about.
Christine brought them to the royal palace, where they met the kingdom's current king. He had a rugged appearance with white hair. His body looked fine, but his dark circles were prominent — clearly his mental state wasn't great.
The king greeted his daughter, and upon learning they were allies, he explained with a smile, "Christine doesn't want to be queen, so I have no choice but to make another one. As a fellow man, Mr. Noyer, you should understand — making children is quite exhausting…"
Noyer and Ace nodded knowingly, expressing their understanding.
This was actually pretty good — if Christine had been born a son, her father probably would've given her a sound thrashing with a feather duster long ago.
After Christine reported to and bid farewell to her father, they crossed the palace gardens. At a section of the palace wall, she pressed a switch, and a stairway extended downward.
"Let's go. Mr. Dragon is waiting for you."
Ace eagerly walked down, the two following closely behind. After passing through a long, narrow passage, the view suddenly opened up.
Underground, there was a sizeable hall with many burly men carrying heavy boxes.
Ace sniffed and said, "It all smells like gunpowder."
Noyer nodded with sudden understanding, "So this is one of the Revolutionary Army's munitions procurement bases."
Christine didn't deny it, "Our country has abundant mineral resources. It's not only suitable for weapons development — it's also a world-famous mineral-producing nation."
As Ace walked, he asked curiously, "I still haven't asked — what's your kingdom called?"
Christine smiled apologetically, "Sorry, this place is called the Favonius Kingdom."
That name sounds kind of strange for some reason…
Noyer felt his worldview starting to warp, his mouth twitching, "You just said you're in a knight order — what's it called?"
Christine looked at him strangely, "What? The knight order? Of course it's named after the country."
Well, the world is vast and full of wonders.
As long as the deputy commander isn't Jean with a big butt, it should be fine — otherwise he'd really have transmigrated…
{T/N: Jean Gunnhildr from Genshin Impact. She is the Acting Grand Master of the Knights of Favonius.}
When the Revolutionary Army soldiers saw Christine, they all stopped their work to salute and cleared a path.
The group proceeded unobstructed to a room at the very center of the underground hall. Christine knocked gently on the door and brought them inside.
A mysterious figure in a black coat stood waiting. Christine said, "Leader, I've brought Mr. Noyer and Fire Fist Ace."
Dragon wore a hood, his fierce features visible beneath the shadow. He grinned, "Welcome, you two."
Ace looked around the room and muttered in disappointment, "Didn't you say Sabo was here? Where is he?"
Meanwhile, Noyer curiously studied Dragon's face, half of which was marked with a strange tattoo. Such a badass tattoo — could it really have been smacked onto him by Garp with a slipper?
Seeing no one was paying attention to him, Dragon didn't seem embarrassed. He said to Ace, "Sabo's returning for his next mission. He should arrive shortly."
"What mission?" Ace asked, confused.
Dragon glanced at Noyer, "It's a major operation we're collaborating on with Mr. Noyer. I can't tell you yet."
Ace looked stunned. He turned to Noyer, "So you're going to fight alongside Sabo?"
Noyer corrected him, "It's not fighting — it's serious business."
"That won't do either." Ace sat down cross-legged and folded his arms, "I'm going too. It's the perfect chance to see what progress Sabo's made all these years!"
Noyer and Christine exchanged glances and smiled in unison.
Just two sentences, and they'd recruited another helper.
Dragon nodded, "No problem. You can go along with Mr. Noyer."
Noyer gave him a subtle look — he'd agreed so easily again.
Seizing the Heavenly Tribute was probably just a diversion. The Revolutionary Army definitely had its own objectives behind the scenes.
But that had nothing to do with Noyer. All he wanted was the money!
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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!
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That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)