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"Whoosh!"
Flames blazed as Ace sprinted forward at full speed. In what seemed like an instant, he had already reached Kojin. Leaping high into the air, he spread his arms wide and lunged downward.
"God Fire: Unknown Fire!"
With a loud roar, his hands transformed into flaming spears that ruthlessly thrust toward the figure before him. However, to his shock, the attack was avoided with perfect precision at the very last moment.
And when he looked again, the figure that had been standing there had already vanished.
"Relying too much on the power of a Devil Fruit is not a good thing, Ace." The calm voice came from behind him.
Ace's pupils contracted, and a chill ran down his spine.
'When did he get behind me?'
He spun around abruptly and kicked off the deck, retreating backward to widen the distance between them.
To his surprise, Kojin did not pursue him. He merely stood there, calmly watching.
"You're looking down on me!" Ace shouted angrily.
"You haven't displayed any power worthy of my serious attention." Kojin smiled faintly.
Then he raised his right hand and extended a single index finger.
"What does that mean?" Ace yelled.
"I'll use only this finger. With your current strength, you're only worthy of making me use one finger." Kojin smiled.
There was no mockery on his face, yet his words conveyed unmistakable contempt.
Ace grew even angrier.
Since setting out to sea, he had never encountered a man who looked down on him so much.
"Bastard! Even the old man wouldn't underestimate me like this!" Ace roared as his hands transformed into pistols.
"Fire Gun!"
Bullets of flame instantly shot toward Kojin.
The latter remained where he was, too lazy to even dodge such a childish technique. The flames struck him, but his tall body did not even sway.
"Bastard!!"
Fire practically burst from Ace's eyes as he charged forward, throwing punch after punch, each carrying blazing flames.
"Anger only causes you to lose your reason." Kojin spoke calmly.
Using only a single finger, he accurately blocked every one of Ace's attacks.
Moreover, each thrust of that finger generated a shockwave that made Ace's body tremble, pain appearing on his face.
"Even elementalization can't prevent the damage! This man...?!" Ace was shocked.
But there was no way he would admit defeat so easily.
"It seems Whitebeard didn't teach you very much. Your fundamentals are so poor that they're not even on the level of my disciples." Kojin shook his head in disappointment.
"You talk too much! Fireflies! Fire Dharma!" Ace roared with an ugly expression on his face.
He had practically used every move he possessed, yet he could do nothing against his opponent. In fact, this man had barely launched any real attacks at all, spending the entire battle simply evading his assaults.
Kojin lightly flicked his finger.
A massive ripple spread through the air ahead, blue arcs of lightning flashing as they completely erased all of the Fire Dharma flames.
"A Logia Fruit cannot give you the power to reach the summit. If you want to become the strongest, the only things you can truly rely on are your body and your instincts."
He sighed softly.
There was no doubt that Ace's mastery of the Flame-Flame Fruit far exceeded his mastery of Haki. Although his physical strength was formidable, it was largely the foundation that Garp had built for him.
Compared to those true powerhouses who had tempered their Haki through endless struggle, people who relied on Devil Fruit abilities possessed glaring weaknesses.
"Is endless dodging considered strength?"
"If you've got the ability, then show me your true power!"
Ace roared.
His eyes turned bloodshot as the flames around him surged to their limit, spiraling upward around his body before gathering above his head in an enormous fireball.
"Show it to you?" Kojin narrowed his eyes and then nodded.
"Very well. Then watch carefully."
The next second, his eyes widened sharply.
Buzz!!
A vast, overwhelming, terrifying, domineering aura burst forth, sweeping across the surroundings like a mighty tidal wave.
Ace froze where he stood.
The flames that had been burning fiercely moments ago now seemed like frightened quails, losing even the strength to continue burning.
Drip.
Without realizing it, sweat trickled down his forehead, slid along his chin, and fell onto the deck.
He stared blankly at the man before him. The sky behind Kojin had seemingly turned black and crimson. Everything in the surroundings was enveloped by his terrifying pressure.
"Are you trembling in fear, Ace?"
"Someone like you won't be a match for Marshall Teach."
Kojin said calmly.
"Shut up!!!" Ace growled.
Gritting his teeth, he gathered all his flames together and prepared to unleash the giant fireball above him.
"Great Flame Commandment: Flame Emperor!"
However, in the very next instant… Kojin's figure suddenly vanished.
Then, without warning, a single finger appeared directly in front of Ace's forehead, black-red lightning crackling around it.
The terrifying power contained within seemed capable of piercing through everything.
At that moment, Ace could even smell death itself.
Before he could react in any way, the finger flicked against the center of his forehead.
A violent force exploded forth in an instant. His body was lifted off the ground and sent flying by the terrifying force. The massive fireball he had just condensed above his head instantly dissipated.
"You are still far too weak, Ace!"
Then darkness swallowed his consciousness.
Even before losing consciousness completely, Ace still could not believe it.
He, the Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division, had been defeated so easily.
Defeated by a single finger?
—
When Ace opened his eyes again, the first thing he saw was a white Marine uniform and Kojin sitting cross-legged directly across from him.
"With strength this weak and skills this half-baked… Who do you think you can support?"
"And who do you think you can protect, Ace?"
The calm words entered his ears, causing Ace to grit his teeth and clench his fists. Yet the battle from moments ago remained vivid in his mind. The man's strength filled him with despair.
It was a despair that surpassed even what he felt when facing the Old Man.
Could this guy really be stronger than the Old Man?
How was that possible?!
"You rely too much on your Devil Fruit ability. Sensei has said more than once that a person's greatest strengths are their willpower and their own body, and the power that most directly reflects those two things is Haki." Kuina said calmly.
"Haki?" Ace was slightly startled.
At that moment, Kojin spoke again.
"Stay by my side, Ace. I will teach you a greater power. Only by possessing true strength can you better protect and safeguard everything you cherish."
Ace's expression darkened slightly.
"You want me to become a Marine?"
"Wasn't that your childhood dream?" Kojin smiled.
"You wanted to truly do good, to help everyone who needed help. Do you want that, or do you want to keep playing this self-deceiving pirate game while chasing some illusory freedom?"
"Changing this world or being a pirate… which will you choose?"
Ace fell silent.
Once upon a time, he had dreamed of becoming someone like the man before him, wearing a Marine cloak, admired by countless people, and doing what he believed was just and right.
He had once deeply admired him and had listened countless times to his mother's stories about him.
But as time passed, everything had changed.
"A Marine dream?"
"It shattered long ago."
Ace shook his head and smiled.
"The Old Man treats me very well. Marco, Jozu, Vista… they're all my brothers. If you think it's some childish game, then think whatever you want."
After a brief pause, he continued seriously, "But to me, that is the family I've always sought."
Hearing this, Kojin was momentarily stunned before breaking into laughter.
"The most precious thing for a person is knowing what they truly want."
Slowly rising to his feet, he turned and looked out at the sea ahead.
"Ace. Always remember this: anger makes people foolish. Whenever someone mocks you or insults you, you must think deeply about why they are doing it and what lies behind their actions."
Those words left Ace standing there in a daze.
For a moment, it felt as though the man who had once carried him in his arms, lifted him high into the sky, and played with him as a child was standing before him again.
Back then, just as now, he had been teaching him how to live, telling him what should and should not be done.
The tension on Ace's face gradually eased.
"If there is anyone in this world whose mistakes I could forgive no matter what… It would only be you, Ace."
The sighing voice made Ace's heart tremble, and he suddenly looked up.
"Even if you're a pirate… Even if you still resent me… I simply can't bring myself to personally arrest you."
By the end, his voice had become noticeably gentler.
"But you must be careful. Teach is an extremely cunning man, and his strength may exceed your imagination. If you insist on hunting him down, the outcome may be far beyond what you expect."
Kojin turned around, his expression serious.
He knew very well that if Ace continued pursuing Marshall Teach, he would eventually be captured, handed over to the Marines as a bargaining chip, and ultimately become the spark that ignited the Paramount War.
"Teach!"
Hearing that name, Ace once again gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
Seeing this, Kojin sighed and shook his head.
A person's nature could not be changed in a day.
Perhaps the future was already set.
"There is one more thing."
Ace raised his head and looked at the man before him.
Compared to the memories in his mind, Kojin had hardly changed at all. He was still as youthful as ever, which filled Ace with confusion.
"Remember this."
"No matter when."
"No matter how much time passes."
"I will always be your Uncle Kojin."
A smile appeared on Kojin's face.
At that moment, the freckled man standing before him merged with the child he had once held in his arms.
Ace's body trembled.
His nose suddenly felt sore. In the next instant, he rushed forward and tightly embraced the man before him.
"Thank you!"
Kojin froze for a moment before smiling and patting his back.
"Though now, I can't exactly lift you up over my head anymore."
Hearing that, Ace couldn't help but laugh.
"Then Fire Fist Ace would be far too embarrassing!"
Kojin chuckled softly before suddenly adding,
"If you become a Marine… I can tell you something that might be very important to you."
Ace looked curious and asked with a grin,
"What kind of thing could possibly convince me to become a Marine and follow you?"
"A person named Sabo."
Kojin smiled.
"What?!"
(End of Chapter)