Rob Lucci followed silently behind Ace and the others, his expression calm—but his thoughts were anything but.
The newly appointed Admiral Candidate, White Crow Vice Admiral Karl, had come all the way to Water 7… just to invite Ace to become one of the Seven Warlords?
No matter how he looked at it, something felt off.
Lucci had heard of Karl before. Three years older than him, the leader of the new generation of Marines, hailed as the "Light of the Marines."
In that sense, they were similar.
After all, Lucci himself had once been called the strongest genius in CP9 in 800 years.
As peers, comparison was inevitable.
The first time Lucci saw Karl's name had been in a newspaper—Marine Swordsman Karl—back when Karl was still just a Marine Colonel.
Now?
Admiral Candidate.
And Lucci, the so-called "strongest in 800 years," was still a mere CP9 agent… forced to take orders from that incompetent fool Spandam.
But this wasn't the time to dwell on that.
Once he saw Karl in person, he would judge for himself.
Scrap Ship Island – Coastline
Karl stood on deck, one arm wrapped around Hancock as they admired the morning sea breeze, utterly relaxed.
The Marine guarding the ship—Mihar—had already been turned to stone. He stood frozen in place, face still stuck in a lecherous grin.
Around the ship were several more petrified figures—clearly members of the Franky Family. They had tried sneaking aboard earlier and were discovered by Hancock.
Franky himself wasn't far away.
Also petrified.
"Darling, do you need me to help later?" Hancock asked softly.
Karl gently shook his head.
"No need. I didn't come here to cause trouble for Ace. Why fight?"
"And even if we do fight, I can't go too far. His grandfather is Vice Admiral Garp. I have to give him some face."
"Oh… how unfortunate," Hancock pouted, wrapping herself around Karl like a serpent. She inhaled the faint clean scent on him and rubbed her cheek against his.
"There will be opportunities," Karl smiled. "Maybe even because of Ace."
Hancock blinked. "Ah?"
"Let go. They're here."
Instantly, she released him. Her expression turned cold and regal. The clingy little woman vanished, replaced by the Pirate Empress standing proudly beside him.
Boom!
Ace descended from the sky in flames, landing heavily on deck.
He stared directly at Karl, face serious.
But then—
His eyes caught sight of the petrified Mihar in the corner.
His expression darkened.
"Karl. What did you do to my partner?"
Silence.
Hancock snorted coldly, raising her chin arrogantly.
"It was I who turned him to stone. He dared defile me with that filthy gaze. This is the punishment he deserves."
Ace clenched his teeth, suppressing his anger.
"Miss… my partner didn't mean it. Please release him."
"Hmph. Are you ordering me?"
Karl waved casually.
"Release him."
"Okay~"
Ace: ???
With the petrification undone, Mihar stumbled backward in terror, hiding behind Ace. Meanwhile, the Franky Family, confused but warned by Franky, immediately retreated.
That woman is dangerous—retreat!
"Mihar, you alright?"
"I-I'm fine, Ace…"
Ace nodded, then looked at Karl again.
"Karl… if you're here to invite me to become one of the Seven Warlords, then I'm sorry. I'm not interested."
"Oh? Are you sure?"
Karl's tone was casual.
"You're making this difficult. If you refuse… I'll have no choice but to send you to Impel Down."
"You remember what I told you a few days ago, right?"
Ace smiled faintly.
"I remember."
"But I promised Luffy that one day we'd meet again on the seas. I won't surrender."
Flames erupted violently around him. The temperature surged.
The atmosphere grew tense.
"Hmph. Ate a Logia Devil Fruit and suddenly your wings have grown stiff?"
Ace inhaled sharply and lunged forward.
"Sacred Flame: Shiranui!"
Flames extended into twin spears as he charged.
Karl raised a hand, stopping Hancock from intervening.
As Ace approached—
Karl simply turned and kicked.
Boom.
A pained shout followed.
Ace tumbled across the deck before finally stopping. A size-47 boot print was clearly stamped on his abdomen.
He stood up—
And immediately started dry heaving.
No complicated reason.
Karl's kick had knocked the wind—and the breakfast—out of him.
"How is that possible?! Captain Ace is a Logia!"
"That was Haki… from the New World!"
"That's the strength of an Admiral Candidate…?"
The Spade Pirates stared in horror.
One kick.
That was all it took to defeat the seemingly invincible Ace.
Was their pirate journey ending here?
In the crowd, Lucci's fists clenched tightly.
He had seen it clearly.
Rankyaku + Armament Haki.
And Karl had held back.
That meant his mastery of Rankyaku had long reached perfection.
And Haki…
Lucci hadn't even mastered it yet.
His starting point had been higher.
Yet he had been left far behind.
That feeling…
"Ace."
Karl spoke calmly.
"For your grandfather's sake, I'll let you off today."
"But next time, you won't be so lucky."
He casually tossed a document onto the ground.
"The invitation to become a Seven Warlord. Think it over. Call the number if you change your mind."
Without waiting for a response, Karl mounted Raven with Hancock and departed—utterly free-spirited.
The pirates stared blankly.
"Captain… what does this mean?"
"I don't know…"
Ace took a deep breath.
His emotions were tangled.
He called himself a free pirate…
Yet he survived today only because of his grandfather's reputation.
What kind of freedom was that?
Whoosh.
The invitation letter suddenly ignited and burned to ashes in the sea breeze.
Ace steadied himself and looked toward Lucci and Kaku.
"Sorry you had to see that. This is our ship. Could you guide us to the shipyard?"
"Of course," Lucci replied calmly.
The pirate ship gradually left Scrap Ship Island, heading toward Dock No. 1.
Ace stood at the railing, staring at the endless ocean.
Only one thought filled his mind.
Go to the New World.
Learn Haki.
Become stronger.
Immediately.
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