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Chapter 120is out!!!! +40 advanced chapters monthly
Boom!
The flames violently crashed against the barrier with a muffled explosion. The Marine warship trembled from the impact, sending ripples cascading across the glowing shield and causing the crew to stagger on their feet.
"Impossible!"
Ace had assumed that, at the very least, Baishui would be forced to dodge or show a flicker of concern when faced with this attack. Instead, Baishui completely brushed it off, blocking the strike with zero effort.
"Shinka: Shiranui!"
Refusing to back down, Ace ignited both hands. Reaching into the inferno, he manifested two blazing, elongated spears of fire and hurled them directly at Baishui.
Bang!
Once again, reality completely betrayed Ace's expectations. His follow-up strike couldn't even put a dent in Baishui's light-particle barrier.
How is this possible? Just how strong is he?! A chill ran through Ace's heart. Two high-powered attacks, and he couldn't even break Baishui's defense.
"Hiken!" Ace roared.
Unwilling to concede, he struck again. A massive, terrifying fist of fire tore through the air, carrying immense, destructive kinetic force before violently slamming into the barrier.
The sheer impact rocked the entire warship, sending several Marines tumbling to the deck, their faces pale with shock.
Crack!
A faint, crisp sound of shattering glass echoed out. Though quiet, it was music to Ace's ears. It proved he could actually break through Baishui's defense.
"Not bad. You live up to the name, Portgas D. Ace. In that case, let's see just how much more you're capable of!"
Baishui's voice suddenly whispered directly into Ace's ear.
Ace's pupils shrank to pinpricks. He spun around with mechanical stiffness, only to find Baishui smiling back at him, raising a leg that practically radiated blinding light.
"Heh. I'm a Logia user. You can't hit me!" Ace grinned confidently, letting his body dissolve into roaring flames. He had absolute faith in his elemental evasion.
But imagination is beautiful, and reality is brutal.
Ace watched as Baishui gave a helpless sigh, shook his head, and brought his foot crashing down squarely onto Ace's chest. The blow completely bypassed the flames, striking his true body and sending him flying backwards, violently coughing up blood.
He genuinely thought his elementalization made him untouchable. The truth was a harsh wake-up call. Baishui completely ignored his intangibility. And behind that kick, Ace felt a terrifying, oppressive pressure—Haki.
Whoosh!
The moment Ace was sent soaring into the air, Baishui vanished in a blur. He materialized directly above the pirate, bringing his right leg down in a vicious axe kick.
Bang! Crack!
Ace's eyes practically bulged out of his skull as another mouthful of blood spewed from his lips. A fist-sized crater caved into his chest, accompanied by the sickening crunch of shattering ribs.
Whoosh!
Baishui vanished again, appearing beneath the plummeting pirate. Just before Ace could hit the water, Baishui punted him straight back onto the deck of his own pirate ship.
The entire exchange took less than thirty seconds. Ace was utterly defeated.
"Impossible!" the rest of the Spade Pirates cried out in horror.
This was their captain—a man with a bounty approaching 100 million Berries! And he had just been swatted away without an ounce of resistance. Furthermore, Ace was a Logia user! How was Baishui able to hit his physical body? Weren't Logia users supposed to be immune to all physical attacks?!
"Move aside, I've got places to be. I'm in a good mood today, so I won't arrest you lot."
The Spade Pirates had been aggressively bracing themselves for the worst, fully expecting this terrifying Marine to capture them. To their utter bewilderment, after effortlessly crushing Ace, Baishui reverted entirely back to his usual lazy demeanor.
He sat cross-legged on the ship's bow, casually digging a finger into his ear, looking thoroughly annoyed by the delay. He didn't seem to have the slightest interest in taking them in.
"Lieutenant Baishui, is this really appropriate?" the Commander offered an awkward, strained smile, clearly conflicted about letting a pirate crew walk away.
"Relax. Do you have any idea who that kid is? Giving him a beating is more than enough," Baishui rolled his eyes, exasperated.
"Who is he? Isn't he just a pirate? Don't tell me he actually has some serious backing?" The Commander scratched his head in utter confusion.
Sigh. "Come here. I'll let you in on his identity."
It was obvious the Commander was completely in the dark. Baishui motioned for the man to lean in close so he could explain exactly who Ace was. In this world, there were some people you simply couldn't arrest casually.
It was just like the original timeline when Straw Hat Luffy ran into Aokiji on Long Ring Long Land. Aokiji merely went through the motions, fought Luffy, and then strolled away. Why would a Marine Admiral just let a pirate walk? If it had been anyone else, Aokiji would have dragged them straight to Impel Down.
But Luffy was different. His grandfather was Garp—the Hero of the Marines and Fleet Admiral Sengoku's best friend. Garp commanded immense respect within the organization, forcing even an Admiral like Aokiji to weigh the political consequences.
The same logic applied now. Ace could be beaten, but he couldn't be detained. Otherwise, explaining it to Vice Admiral Garp later would be an absolute nightmare.
"What?! Are you serious?!"
After hearing Baishui's hushed explanation, a cold sweat instantly drenched the Commander's back. He was terrified. He never imagined a rookie pirate like Ace had such a monstrous background.
"Exactly. So, unless you want to mysteriously lose your rank, you're going to do exactly what I'm doing and pretend nothing happened here today. Got it?" Baishui pulled a thick stack of Berries from his coat and handed it to the Commander. "Take care of the men. Grease the wheels. I'm sure they'll know how to keep their mouths shut. This needs to remain strictly confidential, for everyone's own good."
"Yes, yes, of course!" the Commander nodded vigorously, his face brimming with profound gratitude.
He finally understood why Baishui had been assigned to deal with a Shichibukai at such a young age. It wasn't just because of his overwhelming combat strength; the kid had incredible foresight and knew exactly how to navigate the messy politics of the world. It was a level of tact the Commander could never hope to match. If it hadn't been for Baishui today, he would have mortally offended Garp, permanently torpedoing any chance he had of future promotions.
"Go on, Commander," Baishui waved him off, then laced his fingers behind his head, closed his eyes, and went back to lounging.
Meanwhile, Ace had finally managed to crawl out of the splintered crater on his deck. Seeing Baishui casually taking a nap infuriated him. But reason quickly took over. He was simply no match for the Marine. If the guy was willing to let them go, they needed to get the hell out of there. If Baishui changed his mind, they wouldn't be able to escape even if they tried.
Ace immediately ordered his crew to turn the ship around.
Having received their cut of the hush money, the Marines turned a blind eye, watching the Spade Pirates sail away. If Baishui didn't care, why should they? If anything went wrong, Baishui would be the one taking the fall anyway. Getting paid to look the other way was a pretty sweet deal.
The Commander was extremely satisfied with his men's compliance. The warship resumed its course, sailing onward across the vast ocean toward their set destination.
Three days passed.
They finally arrived at the territory of the great pirate, Gekko Moria: The Florian Triangle.
Cold, gloomy, and deathly silent. The atmosphere alone was suffused with an ominous, suffocating dread.
Gasp! Seeing Moria's ship for the very first time, the entire Marine crew drew a sharp breath of cold air. How could a ship this massive exist in the world? Calling it a ship was an insult—it was a literal island!
Stretching out before them, the colossal vessel dominated a ten-kilometer radius. Its gigantic mast and tattered flag loomed in the mist like a slumbering prehistoric beast, sending shivers down their spines.
The chains anchoring the masts were as thick as a grown man's torso; some were even as wide as water barrels. In all their years at sea, the Marines had never seen iron links of such absurd proportions. They could even see ethereal, chilling ghosts drifting around the ship's perimeter.
"My rifle... what's going on?!"
Suddenly, a rifle strapped to a Marine's back was yanked from its holster by an invisible force. The bolt racked back on its own, aiming squarely at Baishui on the ship's bow.
The invisible trigger was pulled.
"Look out!" the crew screamed, warning their officer of the incoming bullet.
Yet, Baishui remained completely still, acting as if he hadn't heard a thing.
Clang!
The bullet struck Baishui directly, but instead of piercing flesh, it sounded like it had hit a solid wall of iron. A crisp, metallic ping rang out as the flattened lead dropped harmlessly to the deck. It hadn't left a single scratch.
"Absalom. What's the rush? You come onto my warship, fire a single shot, and think you can just leave?" Baishui slowly turned around, his sharp gaze locking onto a patch of empty air.
The air remained perfectly still. The Marines stared in utterly baffled silence. Has Lieutenant Baishui lost his mind? Why is he talking to thin air?
"What? Not going to show yourself? Are you really refusing to give me face, or do you honestly believe I don't know exactly where you are?" Baishui chuckled. There was visibly no one standing in front of him.
"Suit yourself. If you really think you're hidden, then fine. Let's see exactly what Moria's top commander is made of." Baishui unhurriedly pushed himself up into a seated position on the bow and pointed his index finger directly at the empty space.
Pew!
A brilliant flash of white light erupted from his fingertip. The sharp, tearing sound of pierced flesh echoed through the void, immediately followed by a spray of crimson blood painting the air. The heavy, metallic stench of human blood confirmed a direct hit.
Realizing he had been wounded, the invisible intruder knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Baishui could see him. Dropping his camouflage, he finally revealed his true form.
He was a man wearing extravagant clothing, though his physical features were hideous and stitched together. He possessed the snout, jaw, and mouth of a lion, occasionally letting out low, beastly growls. His skin was rough and thick like an elephant's, but his bulging muscles radiated the raw physical power of a gorilla and a bear.
He wore a round top hat adorned with Moria's cross insignia, paired with spherical earrings. A high-collared trench coat was draped over a shirt and trousers, and he wore heavy boots. Though he stood roughly 175 centimeters tall, he weighed over 300 kilograms.
He was "Absalom of the Graveyard," the user of the Suke Suke no Mi—the Clear-Clear Fruit.
He was also a degenerate peeping tom who frequently abused his invisibility to spy on women—specifically preferring gentle, delicate girls over strong-willed fighters. However, when backed into a corner, he could be surprisingly dependable and ruthlessly serious. He was fiercely loyal to Moria, dreaming of one day becoming the King of All Graveyards.
"How did you find me?" Absalom demanded, clutching his bleeding side. His fierce, lion-like eyes glared daggers at Baishui.
"What makes you think a Marine of my standing is obligated to answer the questions of a pirate?" Baishui smiled, his tone dripping with unrestrained arrogance.
Absalom had a bounty of a mere 95 million Berries—not even breaking the 100 million mark. Baishui had slaughtered countless pirates of that caliber. He couldn't muster even the slightest bit of interest in exchanging pleasantries with him.