One-Punch Man in the One Piece World

41. Garp arrives!

"Join my pirate crew?"

Ace wiped his eyes, almost laughing until tears streamed down his face. "Are you kidding me? I'm the captain of the Spade Pirates!"

Deuce stared warily at Norton, his mind racing as he recalled the intelligence he had recently heard.

Silver hair, youth, black wool coat... these features gradually overlap with a certain wanted poster.

"You are..." Dewyane's pupils contracted, "Norton, the 'King Killer' with a bounty of two hundred million Berries?!"

In the East China Sea, Norton's name was known to all. Two hundred million heads—this was unprecedented in history.

It's important to know that the average bounty for pirates in the East Blue is only a mere three million Berries.

Before Norton, Arlong was the pinnacle of bounties in the entire East Blue.

Even the most powerful pirates only see their bounties skyrocket after entering the Grand Line.

"Two hundred million?" Ace stopped laughing and looked Norton up and down with interest.

"So what? The bounty doesn't tell the whole story."

Norton wasn't angry at Ace's reaction; instead, his smile deepened.

"You're right, a bounty doesn't mean anything... For someone like you who wants to surpass the Pirate King and defeat the strongest man, 'Whitebeard,' two hundred million is nothing."

"Am I right? Gol D. Ace!"

The air suddenly froze.

Ace's smile vanished, and a gloomy shadow settled deep within his pupils.

Diuss's hand silently reached for the dagger at his waist.

The temperature in the alley seemed to drop several degrees instantly!

"Where did you find out?" Ace asked in a low voice.

This is his deepest secret, and no one but Deus and the old man should know it!

Ace clenched his fist silently, and wisps of flame ignited between his fingers.

Norton met Ace's gaze and grinned. "That's not important! What's important is that I know you want to prove yourself, to prove you're stronger than Roger, instead of living forever in your father's shadow!"

In the original work, Ace spent his childhood amidst the world's immense hatred for him, harboring immense pain in his heart, and even questioning the value of his own life at one point.

If it weren't for the changes Luffy and Sabo brought to Ace, Ace might very well have gone down an extreme path!

After setting sail, Ace aimed to defeat Whitebeard, who was on par with Roger, and wanted to surpass the Pirate King. However, due to his youth and pride, he took too many steps and ultimately fell to Whitebeard!

If, like Luffy, one has two years as a buffer, it's not impossible to defeat the old Whitebeard!

Norton couldn't possibly let go of a genius with such potential.

It's important to know that Ace has always been the strongest of the three ASL brothers since childhood!

Ace was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed provocatively: "So what? What do you think inviting me onto your ship proves for me?"

"I can help you achieve your dreams!"

Norton opened his arms wide. "I intend to establish my own country and become the greatest king in the world!"

"Become my partner, and I will train you to become the strongest man in the world! Surpass the Pirate King, surpass Whitebeard! Surpass all the pirates in history!"

Ace froze for a moment, then broke into a fiery laugh: "Such arrogance! Why should I believe you?"

"It's simple, because I'm invincible!" Norton gave himself a thumbs-up and grinned. "All I have to do is defeat everyone, including Whitebeard, and then acknowledge that you're stronger than all the pirates!"

What an arrogant man! Ace's pupils contracted.

Deuce interjected, "Mr. Norton, if I may be so bold... since you claim to be invincible, then without defeating you, Ace cannot be considered the true strongest, right?"

Norton stroked his chin and nodded, saying, "Hmm, you're right... I just need to be the greatest king; the title of strongest doesn't matter. Besides, Ace only needs to surpass the Pirate King, not me."

If we can help Ace surpass the Pirate King and Roger's achievements in the eyes of the world, then we can fulfill Ace's dream.

"Don't joke around! I don't want this kind of 'strongest' that others give me!" Ace suddenly became agitated, his clenched fist blazing with fury. "What I want is to surpass Gol D. Roger on my own!"

After saying that, Ace turned and left without looking back, his expression as if he were sulking.

"Hey! Ace! Wait for me!" Deus quickly chased after him.

However, Norton appeared in a flash, blocking Ace's path.

"Don't even think about leaving!" Norton stared intently at Ace, his smile arrogant and wild. "I finally found you, I'm not letting you go!"

Ace stared coldly at Norton. "If you can do it, then give it a try!"

Ace disliked this silver-haired man who suddenly appeared, spoke arrogantly, and tried to forcibly subdue him.

From childhood to adulthood, Ace was always the most outstanding and strongest person around him. No one was stronger than him, except for Garp!

Although Norton in front of me has a brain worth two hundred million, it doesn't mean that he can speak to me in such a condescending tone!

"Fire Fist!"

Ace threw a punch, and raging flames shot out from the tip of his elbow, turning his fist and forearm into flames at that moment!

The surrounding temperature suddenly rose!

Norton's eyes narrowed, and he gripped the handle tightly forward!

Ace was secretly shocked that his fist, which had turned into flames, was actually crushed by the silver-haired man in front of him!

"What scorching flames..." Norton grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.

Without understanding Haki or possessing the Jitte, Norton could only rely on his physical body to withstand the scorching flames! Ace, on the other hand, was a Logia-type Devil Fruit user who could transform into flames, which couldn't be grasped by hand.

Of course, Norton could have chosen to avoid it. But he didn't, because that would have put him at a disadvantage in terms of momentum. He wanted to completely overwhelm Ace, just like Whitebeard, and then conquer this man!

With his strength, he is more than capable of doing so!

Although flames cannot be grasped, they can be extinguished by creating a sufficiently strong airflow.

"You bastard..." Ace stared at Norton with a serious expression.

No one has ever been able to withstand his fiery punch like that!

Deus wanted to say something, but seeing Ace's solemn expression, he swallowed his words.

A bell tolled in the distance; it was exactly 10:00 AM.

"Come and become my partner, Ace!" Norton extended his hand to Ace again.

Ace did not respond and fell silent.

Just then, hurried footsteps suddenly came from the other end of the alley.

A pirate ran frantically across the alley, shouting as he ran, "Navy! Lots of navy are heading to the port!"

The three of them turned their heads at the same time.

Dark clouds had gathered in the sky above the port at some unknown time.

A storm is coming!

Sanosuke suddenly appeared behind Norton, "King! Kro said he saw Garp's ship at the port!"

Norton raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised: "That old man is really quick."

"Tsk, the old man actually tracked us all the way here." Ace muttered under his breath, turning to leave. "Deuce, let's go!"

"Trying to leave?" Norton's figure flashed like a ghost, blocking Ace's path once more. "I'm not giving up!"

Ace jerked his head up, his eyes blazing with fury: "Hey! The naval heroes are all here! And you still have the mind to argue about this?!"

"So what?" Norton grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "Just Garp."

Ace froze, stared at Norton for two seconds, then suddenly burst out laughing: "You...you're quite the character!"

That's an old man!

Norton turned his head slightly and ordered Sanosuke, "Send word—everyone in town, assemble at the port immediately. Fire signal flares to bring all thirty-one ships anchored outside the fog ashore and prepare to receive the evacuation."

"Yes!" Sanosuke's figure vanished in a blur.

Norton then looked at Ace, his tone becoming casual again: "So? Want to come with me to the harbor and see what's going on? Witness my power for yourself!"

Ace stared at him, his eyes under the brim of his hat flashing with a complex light.

A few seconds later, Ace suddenly said, "Okay."

See how this old man beats you up!

"Captain!" Diuss cried out urgently.

"It's nothing." Ace waved his hand, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "Just wait and see!"

port.

The air seemed to freeze when the silhouette of the dog-headed warship pierced the horizon and appeared off the coast of Loguetown.

"Vice Admiral Garp's ship!"

The voices of the sentries on the watchtower had changed.

Beside the dog-headed warship, another warship stood silently alongside.

Standing at the bow of the ship was a woman draped in a coat of justice, the hilt of the long sword "Konpira" at her waist reflecting a cold light.

"Momosaurusa Gion..." A former pirate at the port recognized the figure, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground. "Admiral candidate... Why are an admiral candidate and a naval hero both in the East Blue?!"

That level of combat power is usually only deployed when confronting the Four Emperors in the New World!

The port is in complete chaos.

On the White Pearl, Crowe's hand holding the binoculars trembled slightly.

"It really is Garp... and that woman, I've seen her in the newspaper, she's Admiral candidate Momousagi!"

Fu Ning bit her lip: "Where's King? He hasn't come back yet!"

Upon receiving the news, she and Nami rushed back immediately, as did the other officers.

If the White Pearl is taken over by the Navy, the Norton Pirates will be unable to set sail!

"They're here!" Zoro suddenly exclaimed.

Following his gaze, everyone saw four figures walking slowly towards the end of the street.

It was Norton, Ace, Sanosuke, and Deuce.

"Norton!" Nami shouted from the ship's railing, "Get on board quickly! The navy is surrounding the harbor!"

Norton waved to her, but his pace remained unhurried. He walked to the edge of the pier and looked up at the sea.

There, ten naval warships had already formed a battle formation, with all their cannons pointed towards the port.

"That's quite a spectacle," Norton remarked.

How much does the world government value him?

This is even more terrifying than the Buster Call!

Ace walked up to him and lowered his voice: "Hey, you can still run now. Once the warships have completed their encirclement, your ship won't be able to break through no matter how fast it is."

"Who said I was going to run away?" Norton tilted his head to look at him. "I made them come ashore, not so I could run away."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sea in the distance suddenly changed.

Thick fog rose from the sea without warning.

It wasn't naturally formed sea fog, but rather some kind of living, grayish-white curtain that rolled and spread, engulfing the entire sea area at an astonishing speed.

A deep, long whale song drifted through the fog, its sound piercing the mist and making the harbor windows vibrate.

"That is..." Momousagi squinted and placed her hand on the hilt of the sword.

Garp stood at the bow of the dog-headed warship, arms crossed, a grin spreading across his face. "It's that kid's pet again. Interesting. This time, I won't let you capsize the ship again."

Sails fluttered in the thick fog!

One, two, three... a total of thirty-one skull flags pierced through the fog, fluttering in the dim light.

Thirty-two pirate ships—including the White Pearl—formed a massive and breathtaking fleet, with the shouts of thousands of pirates merging into a deafening roar!

The port's residents were in complete disarray. This was a sight never before seen in the history of the East Blue. An entire pirate fleet was arrayed outside the port like a sea fortress, its size even exceeding that of the navies of most countries!

"Fire!!!" roared from the naval fleet.

Ten warships opened fire simultaneously, their cannons spitting fire, and cannonballs ripped through the sky, exploding into plumes of water within the pirate fleet.

But the pirates reacted even faster.

"fight back!!!"

The captains of the ships roared.

Gunfire clashed in the air, wood chips and seawater flew everywhere, and the smell of gunpowder instantly filled the entire harbor.

A pirate ship's side was torn apart by chain shot, and the hull began to list, while a naval warship's mainmast was hit by a cannonball, and the mast slowly fell with a tooth-grinding cracking sound.

"Maintain formation! Head towards the port!" Kro's voice echoed throughout the fleet via a megaphone Den Den Mushi.

Facing the fleet of warships, the 100-meter-long streamlined hull of the White Pearl cut through the waves.

The statue of the young girl at the bow of the ship remained expressionless amidst the gunfire, yet possessed an inexplicable air of majesty.

Ace stared at the scene, his eyes widening beneath his hat brim.

He had seen battles between pirate crews and chases, but he had never seen a maritime confrontation of this scale.

This is close to war!

"How is it?" Norton's voice rang in Ace's ear. "My fleet, not bad, right?"

Ace turned to look at him and found the silver-haired man smiling, a smile that was almost dazzling in the light of the gunfire.

"Madman." Ace uttered the two words, but the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up. "You really are a madman."

"How can pirates survive in this era if they don't go crazy?" Norton laughed, then his expression suddenly turned serious. "That old man... is here!"

The moment he finished speaking, the ground in the port shook violently.

The stone-paved dock floor cracked open, and rubble flew like rain.

A figure shot into the sky from the center of the explosion, a white navy coat fluttering in the wind, before landing heavily ten steps in front of Norton.

Garp!

Ace instinctively took a half step back—not out of fear, but as a conditioned reflex etched into his DNA. The memory of being chased and beaten by this old man in his childhood was so vivid that his body reacted before his brain did.

Garp glanced at Norton, then, seeing Ace beside him, exclaimed in surprise, "Ace, you brat, what are you doing here?!"

Ace's lips twitched, and he felt the hairs on the back of his head stand on end.

"I... was just passing by!"

"Just passing by my ass!" Garp's roar shook the dock floor. "You two brats, today we'll wipe you both out!"