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Kizaru soared into the air, his radiant light illuminating the land like a miniature sun.
Noir's eyes widened. "Jump into the sea!" he yelled.
Ace froze. "Wouldn't that be certain death?"
"Trust me!"
Noir's crew obeyed their captain without hesitation. Even the stoic Lucci plunged into the water without a word.
One of Ace's crewmates hesitantly approached. "Captain, are you sure about this...?"
Ace looked at the ocean with determination. "Trust Noir. Let's jump!"
The crewmate was dumbfounded. Deuce patted his shoulder, chuckling. "Don't worry. Mr. Noir is practically an honorary member of the Spade Pirates. He wouldn't deceive us."
Ace and Noir's crew leaped into the sea. Kizaru, having charged his light energy, unleashed a barrage of lasers that rained down upon the water's surface.
As Noir dove deeper, he glanced back at the lasers piercing the water, feeling a strange sense of relief.
He's totally holding back.
The old man's a natural at playing it cool.
Admiral Kizaru was notorious for only putting in as much effort as he was paid for.
When he first appeared in the original story, he'd seemed incredibly powerful, effortlessly taking down Supernova after Supernova, leaving them unable to fight back.
But after several episodes, the Supernovas, though battered and bruised, had all miraculously escaped with their lives...
Kizaru's infamous feats of laziness included kicking his nephew all the way to Whitebeard and Rayleigh, threatening to surrender the moment someone pulled a gun on him, and firing lasers at keys but somehow missing Law's submarine entirely.
Kizaru represented ambiguous justice, his personality a constant enigma.
But jokes aside, Kizaru's wide-area attack had still been somewhat effective.
At least for now, everyone was swimming for their lives, looking rather pathetic.
Kizaru's interference, combined with the Devil Fruit users in both crews, made their underwater escape a slow and arduous process.
But in the murky depths, a large, coated ship submerged beneath the waves, slowly approaching.
Thanks to the coating specialists of Sabaody, any ship in this world could be modified for underwater travel.
The group swam towards the coated ship. As they touched the bubble surrounding the vessel, the pressure and buoyancy of the sea vanished, and they tumbled onto the deck.
Ace had swallowed a mouthful of seawater, and his crewmates were frantically trying to get him to spit it out.
On Noir's side, everyone except himself, Conis, and Kalifa had succumbed to the effects of their Devil Fruits.
Robin, dazed from the water, was swept into Noir's arms in a princess carry.
Using his Mera Mera no Mi powers, Noir created a small flame to dry everyone off.
Robin wasn't short, but in Noir's embrace, she seemed as delicate as a doll. Regaining her composure, she asked, "Why aren't you affected by the water?"
Noir thought for a moment, then replied seriously, "I don't know, but I like places with lots of water."
Robin rolled her eyes playfully, then pondered, "Is everyone in the Noitem Kingdom like this? That doesn't seem right..."
Noir kept his mouth shut. He wasn't good at lying, so he chose to say nothing.
The group huddled around Noir's makeshift fire. A tall, beautiful woman approached, smiling. "Mr. Noir, you're truly impressive. To be able to fight an Admiral for so long."
Noir waved his hand dismissively. "I'm strong, alright, but that slippery monkey was impossible to catch."
Cretin, who clearly held a high position within the Revolutionary Army, understood immediately. "They must have been worried that you'd touch the Admiral and copy his Devil Fruit power."
Noir frowned. "How did they know I need physical contact to copy abilities?"
Cretin gave him a strange look, then raised her hand. "Paramecia-type Devil Fruit abilities usually require touch as a medium."
Oh…
So it wasn't because they discovered my System's Talent Copy Card, but because they deduced the Devil Fruit's activation condition…
Noir couldn't help but feel a mixture of amusement and frustration. The System's limitations had inadvertently become a logical assumption in the eyes of the Marine higher-ups.
Ace, finally recovered, was now bouncing around the ship excitedly. As a fire user, his recovery had been much slower than the others.
"So this is the underwater world! Awesome!"
"And this is a coated ship! Amazing!"
Cretin, watching Ace's antics with a raised eyebrow, asked, "You must be Fire Fist Ace, am I right?"
Noir nodded. "I want him to join our plan."
Cretin lowered her voice, her tone firm. "Absolutely not! No matter how strong he is, he's not like you, Noir."
Ace, overhearing the conversation, protested. "I'm not any weaker than Noir!"
Noir's eyes gleamed. "I have my reasons. The plan is still a few days away. I have a condition."
Cretin, suppressing her curiosity, asked, "What is it?"
Noir slung an arm around Ace's shoulders. "Let my buddy meet your leader."
Cretin was about to refuse outright. Ace, equally confused, asked, "Why, Noir? What leader? Who are these people?"
Noir smiled at Cretin. "After he meets... maybe Ace will change his mind."
Turning to Ace, Noir's expression turned serious. "Ace, do you remember your brothers?"
Ace nodded. "Of course. Luffy."
"And another one."
A deep sadness welled up in Ace's eyes. His voice dropped to a whisper. "Sabo..."
"He's dead."
Cretin's ears perked up. She stared at Ace in disbelief. "You're Sabo's brother? The blond one, always wore a top hat, played with pipes?"
Ace's eyes widened. He nodded at Cretin. "Yeah! Were you Sabo's friend? I don't think I've met you before..."
Cretin quickly shook her head. "What are you talking about? Sabo is alive."
Ace froze, stammering, "But... Luffy and I searched for years. No one could have survived that cannon blast..."
Cretin explained, "Our leader rescued Sabo from the Celestial Dragons' attack in the East Blue and brought him to the Revolutionary Army to be raised."
Tears welled up in Ace's eyes. His voice cracked as he asked, "If that's true, why didn't Sabo come looking for me and Luffy?!"
Cretin shook her head. "Sabo lost his memory in the attack. He doesn't remember anything."
"But… Sabo often says he hears two voices, like they belong to people who are very important to him."
Ace's tears finally overflowed, streaming down his cheeks. He covered his face and burst into laughter.
"Forgetting us... amnesia... it doesn't matter. He's alive! That's all that matters!"
"Hahahaha!!"
The others watched in silence as Ace alternated between laughter and tears, his emotions overwhelming him. Noir stepped forward and patted his shoulder.
"So, what do you say? Will you come?"
Ace straightened up, wiping his tears. His voice was firm.
"I'll go! I want to see Sabo!"
Noir sighed in relief. In the original story, Ace, unaware of Sabo's survival, had died protecting Luffy.
Helping Ace reunite with Sabo would be a way to mend a regret from his past life.
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