Big brother, I want to become the strongest pirate in the world!

How did you manage to greet me in this situation?

Sabo stared blankly at the short Luffy standing in front of him, his mouth slightly agape.

Snapped!Snapped!

"Hey, hey, are you alright?"

Sabo was momentarily stunned, and Luffy had already squatted down and given the unconscious Ace two warm greetings. When Sabo looked at Ace, Ace's face was already red.

What are you doing?!

Sabo shoved Luffy hard, knocking him to the ground, and then looked at Ace carefully.

“I’m trying to wake him up. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll have to eat meat. He’ll wake up immediately if I eat meat.”

Luffy clenched his right fist, tapped it against his left palm, and suddenly had this idea. Then he ran straight into the forest and disappeared without a trace.

"Ah Jin, go follow Luffy. Although that kid should be fine with his vitality, you should still go and check on him just in case."

Kazan wasn't worried about Luffy at all. Luffy had lived in the forest since he was a child, and even if Gin wanted to take him down in the forest, it would probably take him a lot of effort.

and.

As someone who knows a little about the inside story of Arad, Kazan believes that the One Piece world also has its own consciousness, and this consciousness will not let Luffy die, and may even correct the timeline in its own way.

There was only one reason for letting Akin leave: Akin's murderous gaze might interfere with his normal communication with Sabo later.

After Akin left, Kazan gradually approached Sabo, who was staring at him nervously.

"What do you want to do!"

"...Huh? Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? What do you want? Only two kinds of people can board my ship: family and friends. What are you?"

"I...we just wanted to see what a pirate ship looks like."

"Do you even believe what you're saying? Why do you have to come all the way to such a remote place to see pirate ships?"

Kazan looked down at Sabo with indifference. The pale red in Kazan's eyes was no longer weak; instead, they had turned into a slightly healthier, bright red.

Sabo felt as if he were being stared at by a prehistoric beast, his blood seemed to be controlled by those eyes, and within two or three seconds he was almost completely soaked.

"...We're so sorry! We initially came aboard hoping to see if there was anything valuable we could take!"

"This idea was mine! You can do whatever you want to me, but please let this guy go! He's my only ally!"

Anyway, I don't want to continue living in that kind of family... That's it.

Sabo glanced at Ace lying behind him, then at the knife tucked into Kazan's waist, and finally bowed deeply to Kazan, shouting with all his might.

Kazan wasn't surprised by Sabo's words. It's not surprising that someone who could 'awaken' on his own in such a morbid environment and family would have such awareness.

Kazan's attention is now entirely focused on what's behind Sabo.

Cough!

Hearing Ace cough behind him, Sabo turned around and then froze.

So why would you do something like that in this situation and under these circumstances?!

Sabo once again pushed away Luffy, who had somehow appeared out of the forest and was stuffing a live rat into Ace's mouth.

"Ah! What are you doing! As soon as he eats meat, he'll wake up immediately. Look, look, he's awake!"

Luffy was a little angry after being pushed to the ground by Sabo again. He frowned and glared at Sabo, but he immediately turned back to normal the next second because he saw that Ace had woken up because of the 'flesh' he brought.

"Ace."

"Cough... You... I failed. Do with me as you please. I won't run away, nor will I beg for your mercy."

Ace used the water pipe to support himself as he slowly stood up, staring directly at Gin, who was standing not far behind Luffy, and spoke directly.

Akin glanced at Ace, then ignored him.

Akin gets angry whenever he sees Ace. His older brother forbids him from killing him, and he doesn't want to complain, so he just keeps it to himself and sulks.

Chapter 094 No one deserves to die!

"Hey, how about I let you go if you're willing to become my disciples?"

Kazan glanced at the three little ones and suddenly realized he seemed to have found a new source of amusement!

Looking to the future, when Kazan inadvertently reveals that he is the mentor of the future Pirate King, the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army, and the second division commander of Whitebeard's army, holy crap, what a title!

"Master!"

Without a second thought, Sabo bowed and loudly called him "Master." His mind was quick; if Akin was completely obedient to Kazan, then Kazan's strength was definitely not weak. With Kazan as their master, they would surely become even stronger, and in that case, they would be one step closer to 'freedom'.

Moreover, it was their fault to begin with, and Sabo's inherent aristocratic upbringing made him feel guilty. Not to mention, nothing was more important than survival at this moment.

"Huh??? What are you...?"

Sabo didn't ignore Ace beside him. He had been tricked by Ace countless times and was already on guard against him. Before Ace could finish speaking, Sabo rushed forward and covered Ace's mouth with lightning speed.

Sabo knew very well that Ace was a decent person, but he was extremely difficult to trust others, and he was also very stubborn and inflexible. Since it was Gin who defeated him, Ace would only respect Gin.

Moreover, it was just out of respect; given Ace's awkward personality, Garp had never heard Ace call him "Grandpa" more than a few times.

Getting Ace to call Kazan "Master" is actually quite difficult.

"What, you're not convinced?"

"Why should I submit to you?"

Ace wasn't as clever as Sabo; he just opened his mouth and retorted.

Snapped.

As soon as Ace finished speaking, Akin threw a piece of paper at his face.

Humph.

Akin glanced at Ace's embarrassed and annoyed expression and felt a secret satisfaction, as if he had vented his anger a little.

"...That's it?!"

Ace grabbed the piece of paper that Agin had thrown in his face and looked at it. His face immediately turned red. It was Kazan's bounty poster. Ace immediately understood what Agin meant, but he still stubbornly refused to admit it.

"What makes you so arrogant towards someone far stronger than you? Are you so sure I won't kill you? In the world of pirates, defeat means death!"

Kazan stood in front of Ace, crouched down, and looked him in the eye.

Ace was initially a little flustered as Kazan approached, but when his eyes met Kazan's red gaze, he calmed down and said firmly, "From the moment I was born, I was destined to die. Long before I became conscious of this world, I had already mentally prepared myself for death!"

"No one deserves to die..."

"Don't lie to me! What if the Pirate King had a child? Countless people would hate that guy!"

Ace was provoked by Kazan's unfinished words, and the thoughts of the group of people he had met before about the 'Son of the Pirate King' echoed in his ears. He pushed Kazan directly, but unfortunately, after his wounds had healed a little, Kazan once again used his Iron Transformation to amplify his entire body. Ace's push not only failed to move Kazan, but instead he himself took two steps back.

"So what if you have kids? What's so great about having one? I have...seven younger brothers and sisters! And I'm going to have eight more!"

"Huh? What nonsense are you talking about? Everyone wants his child dead!!! That's the most vicious bloodline in the world!"

Duang!

"What are you so arrogant about, you little brat who hasn't even grown a beard yet?! Even if the Pirate King himself stood in front of me, he wouldn't be worthy of calling himself the most evil! I'm going to become the strongest man in the world!"

Kazan was immediately annoyed by Ace's boasting and promptly delivered a "Master's Iron Fist of Love" to Ace.

"What are you doing?!"

Ace was naturally not going to accept being hit; why should Kazan hit him? He rushed over and started fighting with Kazan.

Duang! Duang! Duang!

Ace covered his eye with one arm and touched the swollen bump on his head with the other, yelling in pain, "Damn it!!!"

"You... are Gol D. Roger's child, aren't you?"

"..."

Kazan's words did not receive a response from Ace, who remained lying on the ground, his body trembling slightly.

Everyone except Sabo was stunned and shocked upon hearing Kazan's words, including Akin.

"I've changed my mind! You have no other choice but to become my disciple today!"

"Also, if you're hoping to use your father's name to intimidate me, you'd better save your breath. Even if he himself stood in front of me, if you mess with me, I'll still beat you up! I don't care who you are."

"The vast majority of people in this world may wish you dead, but you don't seem like the type to give in so easily. So, become stronger by any means necessary, survive, become the freest person on the high seas, let everyone know that you live more freely than anyone else, and make them shut their honeyed little mouths!"

"No matter what your past was like, or what path you plan to take in the future, I tell you, whoever asks me, I will tell them that no one deserves to die! Even the most heinous criminals have their reason for existing."

Kazan stood in front of Ace with his arms crossed, blocking the sunlight from falling on Ace. His shadow enveloped Ace's small body: "Open your eyes and look at me."

Ace subconsciously removed his arm from his eyes and stared blankly at Kazan, who had shielded him from all the sunlight.

"No one can live alone at sea. You will find companions, even family, who are willing to sacrifice everything for you."

"It must have been tough for you to live alone all this time, but unfortunately, your 'bad boy' happy life is coming to an end. Get ready for hell."

"By the way, let me tell you, if you don't get stronger, your future will be crushed by my name sooner or later. Even if you go to sea in the future, no one will remember your name, and no one will know that you are the son of the Pirate King. In their eyes, you are just my apprentice, Kazan."

"Wait a minute, get on the boat yourself. It's not that easy to become my disciple. I don't want to just pick any crybaby to be my apprentice. If you can't pass the test, you can die."

After leaving those words, Kazan led the others away and boarded the Carroso, leaving only Sabo and Ace, two small figures, in the strait.

Sabo glanced at Ace, said nothing, stood there thinking about what Kazan had just said, squeezed the water pipe in his hand, and silently made a decision.

Ace lay on the ground, feeling the sunlight shining on his face again. Recalling the figure who had shielded him from the sun earlier, he gritted his teeth, but in the end, he couldn't hold back his tears, which flowed down and soaked the ground.

Chapter 095 Apprenticeship Ceremony

As the sun sets, Kazan sits alone atop the dragon's head on Carroso, gazing at the fading sunlight with a touch of melancholy.

"So... what about those two little brats?"

Kazan turned around and asked Luffy, who had been running around non-stop since boarding the ship, while Makino was cooking in the kitchen and Slap was buried in the library.

"Huh? Emmm... they just ran away."

"……Ugh."

Kazan assumed that Ace and Sabo had been captivated by his charisma and would obediently come to Caroso to pay their respects.