A burning heat erupted across his retinas, forcing Zaraki's eyes shut as he felt his optic nerves being reshaped by some external power.
There was no long System explanation this time, but he instinctively understood that when he opened his eyes again, the world would look different.
The air was no longer just empty space.
Even with his eyes closed, he could already sense its flow more clearly than before, as if the wind itself had gained form.
It felt like something that could be cut apart with a blade, crushed, or blown away.
This was sword pressure.
A crude but terrifying extension of killing intent and raw power—something far rougher than proper swordsmanship, yet real enough to strike the physical world.
At the same time, another bit of information surfaced in his mind.
Along with the skill reward, the System had quietly deposited a one-use recovery item into his storage space after the battle.
Before he could examine either of them properly, the noise around him surged back into focus.
In the short span it took him to absorb the reward, Ace had already forced himself back onto his feet.
With Luffy shouting beside him and the villagers in a panic, the whole commotion had shifted from the tavern clearing to the village pier.
"Hurry up and go, Ace! I want to go on adventures too, but I don't want to see you get caught!"
Zaraki opened his eyes and rubbed away the lingering sting.
Luffy, that little brat, was standing on a wooden post at the end of the dock.
His skinny legs were shaking like mad, but he still threw both arms wide open, trying to block the huge dog-headed Marine ship approaching from the horizon with his tiny body.
"I'll hold them off right here! I'll find a way to stall Grandpa for three seconds... no, two seconds! Just get the ship moving!"
Zaraki's eye twitched as he watched Luffy acting like some tragic hero preparing to die.
'Blocking Garp? With that rubber head of yours? You're just volunteering to test how hard his fist is.'
"Don't be a dumbass," Zaraki snapped as he walked over to Ace.
Ace was leaning against a pile of cargo crates near the pier, his right shoulder twisted at an ugly angle, cold sweat soaking straight through his sleeveless shirt.
In his current state, he would not even be able to climb into the boat properly, let alone escape once Garp set foot on shore.
Without pause, Zaraki kept his right hand behind his back and reached into the System Space with a thought.
Among the supplies the System had deposited after his first victory was a strange bottle.
It dropped neatly into his palm.
A white plastic bottle with a blue label covered in cartoon fruit, sealed with a cheap-looking twist cap.
[Modified Nutritional Express (Vanilla Flavor): Don't ask about the packaging—the System just has a twisted sense of humor. Upon consumption, it instantly repairs non-lethal physical injuries and replenishes a massive amount of stamina. Note: The taste is excellent, but that's irrelevant.]
"Open your mouth," Zaraki ordered.
Ace forced his eyes open and stared at the plastic bottle pressed toward his lips.
For a second, confusion overpowered the pain.
"...Milk? Hey, Zaraki, you want me to drink milk at a time like this? My bones are busted. I don't need a damn calcium..."
"Cut the crap. If you want to set sail, drink it," Zaraki snapped, twisting the cap off and shoving the bottle against Ace's mouth.
"Or do you want to stay here and wait for the old man to smash your other shoulder so the two sides match?"
Just hearing that was enough to send a chill through Ace's body.
Years of childhood trauma beat common sense into submission.
Gritting his teeth, he tipped his head back and gulped down the contents in one go.
Instead of bitter medicine, a rich milky flavor mixed with sweet fruit exploded in his mouth. The moment it slid down his throat, it became a blazing heat in his stomach.
Then the effect hit.
Crack—snap.
A string of sharp popping sounds came from Ace's right shoulder as the displaced bones were forced back into place, the swollen flesh visibly settling down before everyone's eyes.
Ace's pale face flushed bright red, as if he had just been dragged out of a steaming bath, and thin wisps of white vapor even curled off his skin.
'Holy shit...' Zaraki thought. 'This stuff is absurd.'
This was not some simple recovery drink.
It was basically a miracle in a cheap bottle.
Ace froze where he stood.
Slowly, he rolled his right shoulder.
The pain was gone.
Not merely dulled—gone.
In its place was a ridiculous surge of restored strength that made it feel as though his whole body was overflowing with energy.
"What... what the hell is this stuff?" Ace stared at the empty bottle in his hand, eyes almost bulging out of his skull.
"Probably some weird medicine," Zaraki said casually, snatching the bottle back and stuffing it into his robe before grabbing Ace by the collar and hauling him upright.
"You're fixed now, so stop gawking. The ship's right there. Get the hell out of here."
Right then, a furious roar rolled across the sea from the approaching warship, carrying the overwhelming force of a monster who had long dominated this sea.
"Portgas D. Ace! Where the hell do you think you're going, you little brat?!"
Garp's voice struck the Windmill Village docks like thunder.
The waves crashed harder against the pier, and the small fishing boats moored nearby rocked wildly from the sheer force of it.
That shout alone was enough to make Luffy lose his balance and fall flat on his ass, and it also drove the rest of the villagers rushing out from every direction.
"Ace! Stop this nonsense!" Woop Slap limped forward on his cane, his face full of worry.
"Vice Admiral Garp is really angry! There's still time to apologize. If you don't leave now, maybe it'll only be a beating. I can beg him to go easy on you!"
"Yeah, Ace, come down now!" Makino cried from the tavern side of the road, wringing her hands anxiously.
On one side was Garp, the terrifying Marine Hero.
On the other side were the villagers who had raised him, pleading with him to stay.
The pressure of that moment weighed on Ace more heavily than the pain from Zaraki's strike ever had.
Standing beside the rope ladder of his small boat, Ace felt his freshly healed body stiffen all over.
He wanted to step aboard.
But his feet would not move.
Because once he left, he would be turning his back on every person here who had ever cared about him.
For someone like Ace, who had spent his whole life wondering whether he deserved to be loved at all, that single step felt impossibly heavy.
He turned his head.
Past the massive Marine ship.
Past the crying Luffy.
Past the worried villagers.
His gaze landed on the black-haired teen standing next to him.
Zaraki was just straightening the cuffs of his robe, looking so calm that it was as if the enormous warship closing in on the village had nothing to do with him.
Among everyone on the dock, only Zaraki looked completely unfazed.
Ace bit his lip, and for the first time that day, a trace of hesitation and uncertainty crept into his eyes.
'Can I really do this? Can I make this choice and live with whatever comes after?'
Zaraki felt that look without needing to turn.
He said nothing.
He simply stepped forward, placing himself squarely between Ace and the voices trying to hold him back.
Then, with a lazy motion, he raised one hand and gave a careless wave.