A white seagull glided through the blue sky and white clouds. Below, a massive sailing ship lay quietly at anchor. The seagull tilted its head, as if considering whether to rest on the mast...Thud,
The scene shifted! The white seagull landed in the hands of a tall man on the deck. He wore a white trench coat, a white suit, and a mask with one black and one white eye.
Flap, flap,After a few futile attempts to flap its wings, the seagull tilted its head as if resigning to its fate, and transformed into:A lifeless model made of paper.
"········"
Looking at the paper bird in his hand, he then looked up at the distant horizon. Although there was nothing visible to the naked eye, in the Observation Haki of the man in the white suit and trench coat, a bustling city was clearly visible just a few dozen kilometers away.
Moreover, two towering auras soared into the sky, one capable of shattering mountains and the other freezing the sea!
"Garp, Aokiji..."
The masked man in the white hat stood quietly on the deck, like a statue. Until the pocket watch on his chest rang.
Three days had passed,
Time to leave!
"We... just leave like this?"
Facing his tall, expressionless long-armed colleague in a white mask, the man with one black and one white eye on his mask nodded.
"Just report the truth, with those two top-level forces there, the higher-ups will understand."
...
Phew, they're finally gone.
On the other side, Roman, who had been closely watching them, also breathed a sigh of relief. With the current strength of the Straw Hat crew, encountering CP0 would be truly disastrous. After all, the CP0, known as the 'Shield of the Celestial Dragons', had members who were at least elite Vice Admiral level!
It was even said that they had combat power comparable to Admirals...The gap was too big, they might not even be able to escape.
"Why do I have to train too..."
Hmm?
With a glance from Roman, the masked Sogeking—also known as Usopp—instantly fell silent, grunting as he did squats with heavy dumbbells.
"Haha, haha, Sogeking, your stamina is lacking..."
Luffy, wearing Seastone handcuffs, was also working out with dumbbells nearby. —CP9 was generous, gifting seven pairs of Seastone handcuffs! The Straw Hat crew no longer had to worry about a lack of training equipment.
"Why does it feel like your stamina is about the same as Usopp's..."
Faced with Luffy's comment, Sogeking froze for a moment before speeding up.
"I'm much stronger than him!"
...Roman lifted his eyelids slightly. Usopp mainly lacked physical strength, otherwise, the Sky Island shells in Roman's hand—though not very powerful—could be combined using the 'Swallowing Pages' ability! Combining the same type of shells would result in stronger ones!
Even if they couldn't combine 'Impact Shells' into 'Reject Shells,' it would still greatly enhance Usopp's strength. Whether charging Impact Shells or Slash Shells, the Straw Hat crew had 'premium' labor.
Moreover, if someone in the Straw Hat crew could train their Armament Haki to the 'hardening' stage, they could attempt to create 'Black Shells.' The power of those...Tsk, tsk, tsk, stop dreaming! —Better focus on 'that side' first.
In the white training ground, Roman sat cross-legged on the floor, slowly closing his eyes.
---Whoosh!
A strange white 'big bird' streaked across the sky, flying straight in one direction! To avoid being detected, this 'bird' even flew close to the sea surface, as if it could be swallowed by a wave at any moment! Of course:That was impossible.
Splash—The 'neck' of the big bird split and reformed, turning into the head of the 'White Knight', and Roman's spirit also entered it at the same time.
"We can't get any closer,"
On the horizon, an island had already revealed its 'sharp corner'. Although Roman didn't know the name of the island, there was no doubt that his target was there.
Splash—Amidst the flying white paper, the 'fighter jet' quickly transformed and reassembled into a 'submarine' that plunged into the water with a splash. Once the life paper isolated the seawater, most of the other papers remained intact.
Buzz—
The white submarine turned its propeller and quietly headed towards the distant island.
The reason Roman was so cautious was, of course, because of his target:The Blackbeard Pirates!
'Very good,'As the submarine approached the island, Roman observed the iconic large wooden sailboat, along with the new and old logs beneath it. Back on Jaya Island, Roman had deliberately blown up half of Blackbeard's ship, and hidden a piece of his paper in the intact half!
All for this moment.
Of course, at that time, it was just a matter of doing his best and leaving the rest to fate. Unexpectedly, Blackbeard and his crew had indeed used the remaining ship to make a new one, which was quite lucky.
It wasn't Roman's luck, but Ace's.
'Hmm, it's about time.''Fire Fist' Ace would encounter 'Blackbeard' Marshall D. Teach, and after a fierce battle, he would be captured, leading to the Summit War and Whitebeard's death, among other major events.
So at this point in time, Red-Haired Shanks rushed to persuade Whitebeard to recall Ace, because Shanks knew Blackbeard's strength and patience!
Being able to leave a scar on Shanks' face while keeping a low profile with a zero bounty. Such intelligence and strength were not something the young and impulsive Ace could handle.
Unfortunately, the world's strongest man didn't want to listen to the kid who used to scrub the deck and clean the toilets on Roger's ship, and he rejected Shanks' proposal.
And those who dared to disrespect Shanks...Actually, Roman could have chosen to let Garp rescue Ace, but—Luffy was his partner, not Ace! With CP0 watching, Roman had no intention of sacrificing himself for others, at most:'Although the 'White Knight's' strength is only at the Rear Admiral level, maybe a surprise attack could save Ace.'
Do your best and leave the rest to fate.
So, now all he had to do was:
Wait....
Meanwhile, in the small town on the island called 'Banaro Island', Ace finally caught up with Blackbeard Teach and his crew.
"Yo, Captain Ace!"
Facing Blackbeard's respectful address, Ace just calmly shook his head.
"Forget it, that's a title only for comrades."
"But you, you've become quite an impressive captain. 'Blackbeard Pirates' Marshall D. Teach!"
Facing the murderous aura emanating from Ace, the tall Blackbeard was unfazed and even tried to recruit him.
"Zehahaha, Ace, listen to me—"
"Join us... Let's conquer the world together!"
Knowing full well that Ace was here to kill him, Blackbeard still confidently shared his dream.
"I've already made a thorough plan. 'Whitebeard's' era is over! And I will become the Pirate King!!"
"First, we'll take down the Straw Hat Luffy and his crew in Water 7, and present them to the government as a gift to secure the Seven Warlords of the Sea title..."
However, Teach didn't know that he had just stepped on Ace's two biggest sore spots!
Revered like a father, Whitebeard, and the most beloved younger brother, Luffy—"Luffy? That's my brother!"
??!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—In an instant, several bullets pierced through Ace's body! The Blackbeard Pirates' sniper, Van Augur, shot through Ace's heart, throat, and forehead in a flash... but for Ace, who was already on guard, it was just a futile attempt.
Even though the bullets were imbued with Haki!
"It seems your men lack manners—"
Boom!
A multi-story building nearby was uprooted by Jesus Burgess, who then leaped with the building in hand, smashing it down towards Ace!
"Flame Ring - Fire Pillar."
The towering flames instantly engulfed the falling building, forcing Blackbeard Teach to abandon his recruitment plan! Moreover:"Damn it, don't act on your own! Step back, you're not his—"
"Fire Fist!!"
A cold voice echoed from the burning building! A massive flame roared out towards Blackbeard and his crew!
It was a colossal fire fist, several meters wide, like a blazing sun, creating a fiery storm that engulfed Blackbeard's crew with overwhelming force!
Under this punch, the entire town seemed to be instantly burned to a vacuum, followed by a powerful suction that drew the surrounding air into a fierce torrent, causing countless buildings around to collapse mercilessly!
The Blackbeard Pirates, caught in the punch, felt their mouths dry and their throats choking! Their skin seemed to dry and crack rapidly, and even the surrounding air trembled violently, instantly consumed by the blinding sea of flames, giving the illusion of being burned to destruction.
Boom—!!!
With one punch, Ace created a fiery path tens of meters long! He sent the entire Blackbeard Pirates flying. If they weren't all Haki users, this punch would have turned them to ashes on the spot!
"Ah, ah, ah, hot, hot, hot~~~"
"Captain?!"
Amid the exclamations of the other crew members wrapped in flames, the writhing Blackbeard Teach got up.
"Shut up! Step back!"
"Ace, I know you're here to kill me! But you are destined to fail."
Although Teach's previous writhing and shouting seemed undignified, he was actually uninjured: the Dark-Dark Fruit doesn't allow elementalization, but it grants Blackbeard the ability to absorb all damage! As long as it doesn't exceed his limit, Teach won't get hurt.
"Your body is fire, right—"
Standing up, Blackbeard Teach began to emanate layers of ominous darkness, revealing his madness!
"Then I am darkness!!"
Extinguish you!
...
Here it comes!
On the other side, in a submarine underwater by the shore, the White Knight suddenly opened his eyes. The two undisguised auras on the island, one burning everything, the other devouring all! No doubt:'It's Ace and Teach's battle.'Crash,A figure broke through the water's surface and jumped out. The White Knight, controlled by Roman, looked towards the center of the island where the flames and darkness soared.
"Ace..."
With a kick, the White Knight silently headed in that direction.
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