One Piece: Rising to Power as a Warlord of the Sea

In the tavern, Makino and Natsu chatted extensively, with most of the conversation revolving around Luffy's fateful encounter with Shanks.

Natsu shared some amusing anecdotes from his own life, and before they knew it, evening had arrived. After casually inquiring about Luffy's current whereabouts, Natsu bid farewell to Makino.

The next morning, Natsu climbed the mountain.

Gorbo Mountain, base of the bandit Dadan's gang.

"Damn it, you little brats, just drop dead!"

Amidst the chaos, Ace and Luffy dashed into the forest, narrowly avoiding Dadan's furious shouts as they headed toward their secret hideout.

It was time for today's training.

Since the day they 'saw' Sabo's death, Luffy had remarked, "Ace isn't a gentle older brother like Sabo," leading Ace's personality to shift. From that day on, he became a caring and protective older brother.

As usual, the two moved swiftly through the jungle, constantly scanning their surroundings. With age, they had outgrown their previous challenges on this mountain, and the beasts of the jungle now fled at the slightest hint of their presence, eager to avoid becoming a delicious meal.

"Ace, today I'm definitely going to beat you!"

In a clearing in the forest, Luffy stretched his arms and neck, filled with determination to finally win.

"Tch, Luffy, your rubbery punches can't beat me. (¬_¬)"

Ace rolled his eyes, somewhat exasperated. To him, Luffy's rubber fruit powers not only made him weaker but also turned him into a sitting duck—other than his arms stretching, it didn't seem very useful.

"Rubber, rubber... Gun!"

Luffy pouted, refusing to back down. He stretched his right arm rapidly toward Ace, showcasing his training over the years. He had mastered his attacks, no longer bouncing back and knocking himself down.

"Whoosh!"

Ace dodged Luffy's punch with a swift movement, then charged toward him, aiming for close combat.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

As they closed in on each other, Ace swung a pipe, clashing it against Luffy's fist, producing a dull thud.

Just then, Natsu, hiding in the trees, signaled to Kumo, who immediately transformed into a ferocious beast.

"Roar!"

The sound reverberated through the jungle, rustling the leaves. In front of Ace and Luffy, a black-and-white bear approached, its fierce gaze locked onto them, drool pooling beneath its open mouth.

After all, a panda, no matter how cute, was still part of the bear family.

Natsu thought to himself, Whoa, this little chub has some acting chops!

"Whoa? What a strange pattern! I wonder if it's tasty? °˖✧︎◝︎(⁰▿︎⁰)◜︎✧︎˖°"

Luffy's eyes sparkled with excitement at the sight of Kumo, his first encounter with a panda.

Kumo: (ー_ー)!! What's with that look?

Without waiting any longer, Kumo, fearing he might not handle Luffy's gluttonous stare, decided to take action.

"Boom!"

While Kumo contemplated, Ace had already snuck up behind him, preparing to launch a surprise attack. However, it was futile against Kumo, who possessed Observation Haki. With a swift turn, he raised his paw and blocked Ace's strike.

"Whoosh!"

Kumo's immense strength sent Ace flying like a cannonball, crashing hard into a tree.

"Whoa, that's strong!"

Ace shook his head, excitement and fighting spirit igniting within him. It had been a while since he faced such a powerful beast; it was the perfect opportunity to test his full strength.

"Luffy! Dammit, look at this! Rubber, rubber gun!"

Seeing Ace get knocked away, Luffy shouted in excitement. He swiftly pulled his arm back and hurled it at Kumo.

"Bang!"

"Ah! That hurts! That hurts!"

Kumo didn't even bother to dodge Luffy's attack. With Haki wrapped around his paw, he swung it at Luffy's fist. The overwhelming force and pain from the clash made Luffy scream and clutch his hand.

"Ace! Let's go all out!"

After just a brief exchange, Ace realized the panda was not an opponent they could defeat alone; their only chance lay in combining their strength.

Especially since Luffy, as a rubber Devil Fruit user, shouldn't have felt pain. This reminded Ace of the times Garp used to talk about the "punch of love," and he recalled Luffy's tearful face from back when they were kids.

"Right!"

Luffy eagerly agreed, and then...

Half an hour later

"Bang, bang, bang~"

The two small figures were sent flying again by Kumo, both sporting three meat buns on their heads. Ace and Luffy exchanged glances, thinking, Revenge will come, no matter how long it takes.

"Hey, are you planning to run away, Pirate King?!"

Just as Ace and Luffy were plotting their next move, Natsu appeared before them, teasingly.

"Who are you?"

Ace stepped forward, instinctively shielding Luffy behind him, gripping his pipe tightly, ready to fight.

"Wait, Natsu?! Really you?!"

Luffy rubbed his eyes, unable to believe it as he scrutinized Natsu. After all, in the original story, Luffy and Chopper had mistaken other companions, suffering from severe face blindness.

"Yeah, I'm back, Luffy!" Natsu beamed, smiling widely.

"Ace, Ace! Let me introduce you. This is my brother, Monkey D. Natsu!"

With Natsu's affirmation, Luffy was thrilled and quickly introduced him to Ace.

"Hi, I'm Ace!"

"Hello, I'm Natsu! This is my partner, Panda Kumo."

"Hey there!" Kumo chimed in, shifting his hefty body.

"Wow, a talking bear?! How cool!" Luffy exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with wonder.

"Luffy, I heard on my way here that you want to set sail and become a pirate?"

"Yep! I promised Shanks I'd return his hat. That's a man's promise!" Luffy said earnestly, taking off his straw hat and gazing at it, recalling their shared memories.

"The pirate world is too dangerous! With your current strength, you can't even defeat Kumo. What will you do at sea?"

"Are you just going to get yourselves killed? Listen to your brother and join the Marines instead."

Natsu's harsh words struck Ace and Luffy like a blow, leaving them momentarily speechless and the atmosphere turning heavy.

"Not going! Even if I die, I'll become the Pirate King!"

Luffy stared defiantly at Natsu, his determination unwavering. Becoming the Pirate King was his dream—there was no way he would give it up.

"I want to get stronger! I want to learn that move Kumo used to hurt Luffy!"

"I will become a great pirate!"

After a long silence, Ace lifted his head, his gaze resolute as he locked eyes with Natsu.

"Hmm, you want to learn? I can teach you!"