Pirate: I, Ace, am the King of Eclipse!

"It's still a long way off." Ace smiled, a hint of clarity flashing in his eyes: "Haki, to put it simply, is the hidden aura, fighting spirit, and will of a human being."

"No matter how strong your will is, you still need a body to support it. Without a sufficiently abnormal physique as a foundation, forcibly cultivating Armament Haki will only drain your physical strength and spirit."

"At that time, let alone becoming stronger, they won't even be able to withstand a decent high-intensity battle."

"What we need to do now is to treat this body like a sponge, absorb nutrients like crazy, hone our muscles like crazy, and push the limits of our physique to the limit of this mountain!"

Ace raised his greasy fist and shook it heavily in front of Sabo:

"When I turn fifteen and my body is strong enough, I will personally pry open the old man's mouth and squeeze every last drop of his Armament Haki and martial arts essence out of him!"

"Then, wait until you're seventeen."

Ace stood up and, facing the night breeze, said:

"Let's set sail and turn this boring world upside down!"

Chapter 4 Thirteen Years Old

Time flies, and the leaves on Mount Colbo have turned yellow three times.

Three years later. On the edge of the Goa Kingdom, at the final scrap yard.

This is the most filthy place in the entire country, with mountains of garbage and a pungent stench permeating the air. And right now, deep within the waste disposal terminal, inside an abandoned, wrecked ship, comes a burst of arrogant, maniacal laughter.

"Hahaha! Kid, you're all weak from being handcuffed with sea stone, aren't you? Let's see how you manage to cause trouble now!" Buljem, the great pirate of the East Blue with a bounty of 14.3 million Berries, was holding a musket with the muzzle pressed firmly against the head of a ten-year-old boy wearing a straw hat.

Behind him stood dozens of menacing pirate henchmen wielding knives and guns. Around them, a dozen or so pirates lay sprawled on the ground, their faces bruised and battered.

Ten-year-old Luffy, though bound to a pillar with thick iron chains, still had a fierce look in his eyes, like a little wolf. After three years of Ace's inhumane training, Luffy was no longer the child who cried and screamed at the drop of a hat. If it weren't for Buljem's ambush with his net gun and the sea stone handcuffs he somehow acquired, these bastards wouldn't have been able to catch him at all.

"Pah!" Luffy spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, his eyes showing no fear. "With you bunch of weaklings who can't even beat me, when Ace and Sabo arrive, I'll definitely beat you all to a pulp!"

"Ace? Sabo?" Bulgem seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, slapping Luffy's cheek with the barrel of his gun with utter contempt. "Those two brats who've gotten a bit of a reputation in the underworld lately? I'm a great pirate heading to the Grand Line! If they dare come, I'll take them all down with me..."

"boom--!!"

Before Buljem could finish speaking, the heavy iron gate of the wrecked ship was struck head-on by a cannonball, shattering instantly with a deafening roar! The twisted iron, mixed with terrifying air currents, directly tore apart the four pirate henchmen standing at the gate, causing them to spit out blood and fly out like torn sacks.

Smoke and dust billowed.

Two boys strolled in slowly, stepping on the broken sheet metal and wooden planks.

The boy walking ahead no longer resembled a thirteen-year-old. He was nearly 1.8 meters tall, wearing only an open red vest, his bare shoulders, back, and arms muscular as if honed from years of fighting wild beasts. His slightly curly black hair was tousled by the wind, but his eyes held a frightening arrogance.

Beside him stood a blond boy in a blue tuxedo and top hat. He carried what appeared to be an ordinary iron pipe, but the end of the pipe had been worn smooth like a sharp blade.

"Yo, Luffy."

Ace, with his hands in his pockets, looked at Luffy tied to the pillar and laughed loudly, "You actually got caught by this kind of trash. Looks like you'll need to double your stress training tomorrow."

"Ace! Sabo!" Luffy shouted excitedly instead of being scared, "Be careful, that guy in the pirate hat is strong!"

"So it's you two arrogant brats?!" Buljem's face darkened instantly as he looked at the destroyed gate. As a pirate from the East Blue with a bounty of 14.3 million Berries, Buljem hadn't survived this long because of his ruthlessness.

"Shoot! Turn these two brats into a sieve!" He swung his hand violently and roared hysterically.

“Bang bang bang bang—!”

Dozens of muskets opened fire simultaneously, unleashing a barrage of lead bullets that instantly sealed off all escape routes at the main entrance. The pungent smell of gunpowder filled the abandoned ship's hold.

"Sabo, the left side is yours."

"Okay, Ace."

"Hurry up, I don't want my clothes stained with the blood of these scumbags."

Just as the lead bullet was about to tear the two apart, a muffled sonic boom came from beneath Ace and Sabo's feet at the same time.

boom!

The hard wooden floor shattered inch by inch, and the two figures turned into two blurry afterimages in full view of everyone, disappearing from the spot in an instant!

"What?! Where did they go?!" The pirate henchmen stared wide-eyed in horror.

“They’re right behind you, you fools.” Sabo chuckled, his figure flashing like a ghost as he cut into the crowd on the left. The iron pipe in his hand created a sharp gust of wind, and with a few crisp “cracks,” five or six musketeers had their jaws smashed and were sent flying before they could even scream.

Meanwhile, Burjem's pupils suddenly contracted to the size of pinpoints. A dangerous gust of wind was aimed directly at his face.

"Don't get too cocky, kid! I'm Buljem!"

Having managed to earn a bounty of over ten million Berries in the East Blue, Buljem was certainly no fool who only knew how to scare people. He suddenly drew the heavy, broad-backed cleaver stained with dark red blood from his waist, his muscular arms bulging with veins, and with a piercing shriek that tore through the air, he slashed fiercely at the charging afterimage in front of him! This strike was so powerful that even a fully grown elephant would be instantly cut in half at the waist.

However, faced with this deadly blade, Ace didn't even try to dodge; a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes.

"Paper drawing!"

Just as the blade was about to touch his chest, Ace's upper body suddenly slumped backward like a weightless piece of paper, propelled by the airflow created by the blade. The broad blade grazed almost the tip of his nose, severing a few strands of his slightly curly black hair.

"He dodged it?!" Buljem was shocked, but his rich combat experience allowed him to react immediately. He didn't sheath his sword; instead, he flicked his wrist, changing the trajectory of the massive blade and slashing it down fiercely towards Ace, who was falling backward!

"Not bad, but this weak strength is far inferior to old man Garp!" Ace laughed loudly. He didn't have any Haki; he relied solely on the monstrous strength he had honed over the past three years, training among waterfalls and giant beasts!

He slammed his legs off the ground, his body snapping back like a wound-up spring, advancing instead of retreating. He aimed precisely at the angle of the blade's downward strike, clenched his right fist, avoided the sharpest point, and slammed it hard into the side of the broadsword!

Flesh and blood clashed head-on with a steel broadsword!

boom!

The moment the fist collided with the back of the blade, a visible ring of air surged forth. The already rotten wooden planks inside the cabin collapsed under the enormous reaction force, sending splinters of wood flying in all directions like projectiles.

"This...how is this possible?!"

Burjem felt the terrifying recoil from the hilt of the knife; his hand instantly tore open, blood gushing out. He could hardly believe his eyes—a thirteen-year-old brat, with just one fist, had actually blocked his full-force attack?!

What kind of monster is hiding inside this brat's body?!

"Where are you looking, you ugly thing?" Ace grinned slightly, and the power in his fist suddenly exploded. Buljem felt an irresistible, immense force coming from the blade, and was forced to retreat five or six steps, each step leaving a deep footprint on the wooden board.

"You brat... don't get too cocky!"

Chapter 5 The King's Wrath

Forced back by a thirteen-year-old brat, Buljem's face darkened completely. Using the momentum of his retreat, he suddenly raised his left hand, the short-handled flintlock pistol that had been hidden in his sleeve aimed directly at Ace's head.

"Die!"

"boom!"

Flames spewed out, and the two were less than three meters apart. For ordinary people, this is almost an unavoidable distance.

Luffy, perched on the pillar, closed his eyes in terror: "Ace—!"

However, Ace's smile did not diminish in the slightest.

"boom!"

Another strange, muffled sound echoed through the air. Ace didn't dodge to the left or right, but instead slammed his right foot into the void! In that instant, the air seemed to transform into tangible steps.

Navy Six Styles: Moon Walk!

Just as the bullet left the barrel, Ace's body was lifted three meters higher, and the deadly lead bullet flew past his feet, shattering the wooden pillar behind him.

"Stepped...stepped into the sky?!" Buljem looked up in despair at the black-haired boy who was suspended in mid-air, his mind completely blank. How could a monster who had mastered such legendary martial arts exist in a rural place like the East Sea?!

"Warm-up complete." He flipped in mid-air, his right leg arching back, his whole body like a taut bow. The next instant, his leg tore through the air, slashing down from above.

Burjem could only instinctively raise his broadsword above his head in an attempt to block.

"Snap—!"

A sickening metallic crack echoed through the cabin. The heavy greatsword, which had slain countless people, shattered in two under Ace's pure, physical kick.

Ace's heel, still powerful, slammed into Buljem's shoulder with devastating force.

"Boom!!"

The entire abandoned ship's hold shook violently, the immense impact smashing Buljem, bones and all, through the decaying floor. Wood chips and mud flew into the air as Buljem coughed up a mouthful of blood, plunging into the mud below, half his body sinking in. Countless bones were broken, and he was completely unconscious. The remaining twenty or thirty pirate henchmen, staring at the lifeless Buljem in the pit, were utterly terrified.

"Monsters! These two brats are monsters!"

One of the henchmen screamed in terror, suddenly drawing a short sword from his waist. He whirled around and pressed it against Luffy's neck, shouting desperately, "No... don't come any closer! If you come any closer, I'll kill this brat in the straw hat!"

Ace, who was about to continue his attack, stopped in his tracks upon hearing this. He didn't rush over immediately, but simply looked at the pirate who was holding Luffy hostage.

That look was so calm that the pirate's hand holding the sword trembled first.

"Kill him?" Ace asked, his voice low.

"You can give it a try."

"Provided that your hands still obey you."

As soon as he finished speaking, an invisible aura emanated from Ace's body and crashed down. All sounds in the wrecked ship seemed to be instantly cut off, and the air became so heavy that it was hard to breathe.

The pirate's vision went black, and the short sword in his hand clattered to the ground. Immediately afterward, one by one, the surrounding pirates rolled their eyes and collapsed. In a mere second, only Ace, Sabo, and Luffy, tied to a pillar and staring in disbelief, remained standing in the cabin.

Conqueror's Haki.

There was no despair on the brink of life or death, nor any sudden enlightenment after painful struggle. Over the past three years, Ace's ambition, will, and spirit had been ingrained deep within him through countless training sessions and battles. Until this moment, someone crossed his bottom line using the most despicable means.

Then that power erupted.

"What...what just happened?"

Sabo looked at the pirates lying unconscious on the ground, his fingers gripping the hose tightening involuntarily. Just a moment ago, even he felt a weight lift from his chest.

"It's nothing, just cleaning up some annoying trash." Ace withdrew his oppressive aura, his cold expression instantly melting away, and he smiled again.

He stepped forward, glanced down at the thick iron chains binding Luffy, and felt the unique, cold touch of the seastone.

“Seastone.” Ace squeezed the handcuffs, feeling the cold, oppressive sensation emanating from them. “A pirate from the East Blue actually managed to get his hands on something like this.”

Ace observed for a moment, then turned and walked to Buljem, who was lying unconscious at the bottom of the pit. Without any politeness, he kicked the great pirate from the East Blue over, roughly tore open his clothes, and pulled out a bunch of blood-stained copper keys from his pocket.

He walked up to Luffy and inserted the key into the lock.

With a crisp "click," the heavy sea stone handcuffs and chains slid off and crashed onto the wooden floor.

"Wow! I'm alive again!" As soon as Luffy was freed, he jumped up on the spot, his rubber arms swinging wildly.

"Ace! That glare you just did was so cool! Teach me, teach me!"

"Hahaha! This can't be taught, it's innate kingly talent!" Ace laughed, reaching out to press down Luffy's straw hat, then turned to look at the ruins.