Hearing this, Shin rolled his eyes. Jinbe was truly brave.
'He probably can't even beat the enhanced version of Ace, let alone the stronger Yamato. Where does he get his courage?'
After listening to Jinbe's words, Ace and Yamato could barely contain their fury. Yamato complained, "Who wants to fight together? You're really arrogant!"
Ace's reaction was more direct—a fire fist shot straight at Jinbe. Yamato exclaimed, "Ace is so rude! He just attacked out of nowhere."
"Haha, leave this guy to me!" Ace laughed loudly as he charged forward.
Seeing Ace make his move, Yamato reluctantly stood back, leaning on her kanabo, watching the battle unfold intently.
Jinbe, a seasoned fighter, was naturally not injured by Ace's fire fist. With his armament haki activated, he deflected Ace's fire fist using Fish-Man Karate.
Fish-Man Karate relies on water to amplify its power, excelling most when near the ocean. Though they were on ice, Ace's fiery attacks produced plenty of water vapor and steam, giving Jinbe a slight advantage in the fight.
But Ace had grown far stronger than he was in the past, especially from his prolonged battles with Yamato, where he'd learned advanced techniques in haki. His combat abilities had improved significantly. Even though Jinbe benefitted from the water vapor, he was steadily pushed back by Ace's strength.
Shin stroked his chin thoughtfully. "From the looks of it, Ace might not even need five days—he could win in a day or two."
Indeed, things went as Shin anticipated. Ace defeated Jinbe within a day.
After his victory, Ace did not push Jinbe too hard and asks Shin to assist in healing his injuries.
"A Fish-Man's physique," Shin muttered to himself after the treatment, "it's not that useful. At most, it could give me the ability to breathe underwater."
Once the treatment was complete, Shin absorbed the structure of the Fish-Man's body. He thought, 'If this were back in the beginning, Jinbe's physique might have been useful to me. But now, after two transformations, this level of physical potential isn't enough for any real improvement.'
At best, like Jack, he might avoid drowning if he fell into the sea. But he wouldn't be able to move.
After Shin treated him, Jinbe said nothing further and dove back into the sea. Just before he left, as if to repay Ace for sparing him and Shin for healing him, Jinbe addressed Ace bluntly, "Your strength is impressive—even among all the supernovas, you stand out."
"But you're still far from the level of the Four Emperors. Challenging Pops now wouldn't be wise."
Of course, Ace didn't take his words too seriously. In fact, he already knew what Jinbe was getting at.
After facing so many battles in the New World, Ace had come to realize he was a little short of the level of the four emperors.
But in this world, mere training can't compare to a real battle experience. Plus, within the New World, the Spade Pirates had no option but to sail ahead.
Three days later, the Spade Pirates reached the resting island. From the distant horizon, they saw the Moby Dick, the colossal ship of the Whitebeard Pirates, gliding through the sea like a massive white whale.
"What a huge ship. Is that our opponent?" Yamato asked, gripping her iron club. "I can't believe I'll actually get to face that old man Whitebeard."
During her time in Wano, Yamato's favorite pastime was reading the travel notes of Kozuki Oden, a former Whitebeard Pirate. Naturally, she knew much about the Moby Dick and Whitebeard, so she referred to Whitebeard as "old man."
Since joining the Spade Pirates, Yamato has committed herself to supporting Ace's dream. So, if Ace wanted to challenge Whitebeard, she was ready to join him without hesitation.
"Is that boy Ace?" Whitebeard asked with a smile, holding his supreme-grade blade while standing at the ship's bow.
Standing beside him was Jinbe, whom Ace had defeated days before.
"Yes, it's him," Jinbe confirmed. "Besides Ace, there's a girl with horns and a boy leaning on the railing. They're both formidable too. The girl has ice-based devil fruit powers, and the boy has a powerful healing ability."
"Compared to most supernovas, the Spade Pirates are considerably stronger."
If given time, they might even have the potential to become one of the four emperors. Jinbe held back from saying this last part aloud.
However, Whitebeard seemed unfazed by Jinbe's assessment. His gaze remained fixed on Ace, a glimmer of nostalgia in his eyes.
After a moment, Whitebeard smiled and said, "Alright, let me greet these little brats first!"
Marco, standing beside Whitebeard, looked alarmed. "Pops, there's no need for you to get involved! Let us, your sons, handle it."
Whitebeard paid no attention to Marco's concerns. His fist, shrouded in white light, descended powerfully. First, there was a brief silence over the sea, and then a thunderous quake shook the earth. A massive tsunami and a fierce whirlwind swept toward them.
"Gurararara! What are you talking about, Marco? This old man isn't so frail that he can't stretch his legs!"
Marco smiled resignedly, knowing Whitebeard well enough not to question him further.
In truth, Whitebeard was reluctant to let any of his sons engage with Ace. He genuinely wanted to take Ace under his wing.
With Whitebeard's nature, as long as no harm came to his family, any remaining tension—such as burning his pirate flag—could be settled with a few words.
That's how Whitebeard had always been. He fought Roger all his life, and once Roger passed, he felt lonely and nostalgic. Much of this sentimentality transferred over to Ace.
At this moment, though, the Spade Pirates weren't privy to Whitebeard's appreciation for talented newcomers. As they watched the natural disaster-like scene unfold, their hearts grew cold.
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Chapter 90: Hyuga Clan's Sacrifice is now available.