Chapter 29

"Teach! What's a pirate like you doing all the way out here?"

Hepha, who was standing on the side as she watched, questioned the unwelcome man. Her tone sounded annoyed, but not entirely hostile. It seems she believed she could take on the man easily. Ace took note of that as he watched while sitting on the Ashen Dragon's figurehead.

"You know him?" Terzo asked Hepha.

"Yeah. Edward Teach. Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates and Whitebeard's biological son." Hepha unveiled the mystery of Teach's character.

"Whitebeard?" The Royal Aces native to East Blue, except for Ace, paled after recognizing the name.

Despite never leaving East Blue, Vash, Terzo, and Soma knew who the pirate named Whitebeard was. He was infamous, after all. The common consensus is that Whitebeard is the Strongest Man in the World.

"Blackbeard, huh?" Hepha scoffed. "Real original. Since when did you have your own crew?"

"Oh!" Teach's face lit up in recognition of Hepha. "You're that forgemaster Pops hired! Hepha, right? Thanks for fixing his naginata! How kind of you!"

"It was a paid service. I didn't do it because I wanted to."

"So, I take it that's the same reason you're on a rookie's ship?" Teach sneered at Hepha before turning around to face Ace. "You must be one rich and spoiled brat, kid! You use your mommy's money to buy strong friends? ZEHAHA-!"

Before Teach could even finish speaking, he was assaulted by every member of the Royal Ace Pirates. To Teach's credit, he was able to turn back around to face and receive the attacks head on. Ace recognized that Teach used the basic form of Observation Haki and felt his crew's intent to harm.

Vash shot two bullets on Teach's chest. Terzo made an upwards slash with his sword. Doppol seemed to have momentarily recovered from his seasickness to rush forward and punch Teach on his stomach. Soma accompanied Doppol by bashing his knee on Teach's face. Doppol and Soma's attack made Teach lose balance. Hepha ended the assault by smashing Teach to the side with her enlarged hammer, sending him flying off the Ashen Dragon.

"Aww, you guys~! Was that for me?" Ace gushed bashfully at his crew.

"Shut up. He was just annoying." The Royal Aces said simultaneously.

'I recruited a bunch of tsunderes.'

Ace shook his head as he grinned at his crew. He then looked to the side where Teach was sent flying. With his Observation Haki, he knew Teach was still fine. Relatively.

With a single jump from the figurehead, Ace landed in front of Teach. He stood between the Ashen Dragon and the man that wanted to take his ship and friends.

"Ahh! That hurt! Seriously!" Ace watched Teach roll on the ground to complain about the pain.

Teach got up after a moment with no issues. Ace looked at the injuries he sustained. He received all those attacks without Armament Haki to defend himself.

Vash's two bullets were embedded between Teach's skin and muscle. Terzo's sword slash was shallow. Doppol and Soma's strikes didn't even leave a mark on him. Teach slightly coughed blood, perhaps as a result of Hepha's hammer strike.

"You're a tough one," Ace complimented Teach. "You're barely injured."

"ZEHAHAHA! Well, I'm used to taking beatings," Teach dusted off his clothes. "You got a strong and loyal crew. I really want them now!"

"Let me see you try!" Ace grinned devilishly at Teach.

Teach returned Ace's grin before charging forward with a hand raised. It was a feint. Ace used Future Vision to see the actual attack coming at him. It was a slashing attack with the claw weapon on Teach's other arm.

Ace then tried something he should practice more if he wants to really flourish in the New World, which is efficiently dodging using his Devil Fruit power. The Flare-Flare Fruit was a Logia Devil Fruit. With its power, Ace should be able to fully control his form.

Teach attacked. His claw weapon was inching closer to Ace's face. Then, at the last moment, Ace turned the parts that Teach's weapon would hit into fire and controlled them to avoid the attack, much like how Katakuri does it. Teach clawed between flames, not hurting Ace at all.

A counterattack from Ace immediately came. With a normal punch, he hit Teach in the face. He didn't see it coming at all.

Ace's punch landed squarely on Teach's nose. The man was very durable. Ace didn't feel the nose break at his punch despite using most of his strength. Still, Teach was sent flying. He crashed on the ground a few meters away from Ace. He immediately got up, clutching his nose.

"That hurt! What a punch!" Teach said as he tried fixing his not at all broken nose. "How did I not see that punch coming?"

"What're you talking about? I didn't punch you," Ace said.

"Huh?"

"You were just in the way of my swinging fist." Ace sneered at Teach who just glared at him in return.

"To think you can hide from Observation Haki… who the hell are you?" Teach questioned Ace, feeling the threat of a strong opponent.

"I'm Gol D. Ace. Captain of the Royal Ace Pirates. You know, the crew you're trying to steal?"

Teach said nothing more and charged at Ace once again. He punched and clawed. Ace avoided each strike from Teach the same way he did the first time. With every attack he avoided, he'd land two punches on Teach's face.

It was a beatdown. Teach kept attacking Ace. Ace kept dodging and punching Teach in the face. Eventually, Teach retreated a little. He put some distance between him and Ace as he reassessed his opponent.

Teach's face was miserable. Being durable doesn't mean he's invincible. His face was bloodied and bruised from all the punches Ace landed on him. He closed his eyes for a moment to focus and calm down. When he opened them again, Teach charged at Ace.

This time, Ace felt something different. Instead of dodging the same way he did, he turned to fire and quickly retreated away from Teach's punch. It was a great decision.

The air around Teach's fist erupted. Ace recognized it as Ryuo, the Advanced Form of Armament Haki. Teach's Haki flowed from his fist to the area around it. If Ace dodged the same way he did, he would have received a good deal of damage.

Not that it would matter. The strength of his body plus his abnormal healing rate would not make it a problem. Still, developing a habit of taking hits is just asking to get your ass kicked.

"Oi, oi! Using Haki on a rookie from East Blue? You're as merciless as Hepha!" Ace smirked at Teach.

"You? A rookie? That's laughable!" Teach charged again.

Every attack from Teach had Ryuo in it. Ace had to dodge every attack by moving his body out of the way. Still, Ace had no worries. He was playing around with Teach. He still punched him, but this time, his targets extended to Teach's torso.

Teach, infuriated by Ace's attacks, made a big attack by slamming his fist on the ground. Ace had to backflip away to avoid it. Seeing how Teach was getting tired, Ace tried to end the fight in one attack.

"Fire Lord's Fist!"

Teach was hit by a column of fire from above and in front of him. He was pushed back and smashed into the wall of the Red Line. Then, the column of fire exploded forward, burying him deeper in the debris of rocks from the Red Line.

Ace landed in front of the pile of rocks that buried Teach. With his Observation Haki, he knew Teach was still alive. Moments later, Teach got up from the rubble. He was out of breath and heavily injured.

"You… how are you just a rookie? This is impossible! You're an anomaly!" Teach shouted at Ace.

"An anomaly? You're not that far from the truth," Ace chuckled at hearing Teach say words that exactly described him. "You know, you're pretty strong! Instead of trying to take my crew, why not join instead?"

Teach's face instantly twisted in anger at Ace's proposal. He stood up straight and prepared to fight again.

"Cut the crap! I only serve one man, and that's my father!" Teach shouted as he let his Haki flow all over his body.

Ace was impressed at the level of Teach's Armament Haki. He had no doubt that the man could escape from a Navy Admiral's grasp with his strength. As should be expected of the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Ohh, really? But I thought you called yourself Captain of your own crew? That's kinda contradictory."

"You know nothing, Gol D. Ace! I set out to create a fleet of my own to make my father the king!"

Teach's leg muscles tensed as he prepared himself to charge at Ace in one go. Ace returned the gesture, intending to meet the attack head on.

"I won't be defeated here! My journey has only started! I'll rename this era into Whitebeard's Era!"

With a strong kick on the ground, Teach charged at Ace with all his Haki imbued in the next strike. Ace didn't move and instead rooted himself firmly on the ground with a fist raised back, covered in dense Armament Haki.

Fists coated with Armament Haki clashed. Ace and Teach let their Haki flow outwards from their fist, attempting to drown each other out. The clash ended quickly with Ace's victory. His Haki was far more potent and powerful than Teach's.

Teach was sent flying back to where he crashed. His black captain's coat flew up from the impact of Ace's strike. Ace caught it and dusted it off.

"Nice coat! Don't mind if I do!"

Ace wore the captain's coat over his shoulders like how it was usually worn. It was black and had gold epaulets.

"Hmmm… should I be wearing a yellow shirt instead of black for this color scheme? Ahh, whatever."

Ace put his attention on the unconscious Teach. He really dressed like the Blackbeard that Ace knew. A black tricorn hat over a green bandana, red open shirt like his, a yellow sash around his waist, and green trousers. Unlike the Blackbeard he knew, the one in front of him was muscular, well-built, and had a more appealing face… if it wasn't so badly beaten.

The Royal Aces approached Ace from behind and looked at the unconscious man in front of them. He may be defeated, but he showed incredible power. It was just that their captain was much more powerful.

"Take him to the ship. Put him on the deck," Ace said to his crew, talking to no one in particular.

"I'll handle it," Doppol said before creating a Double to do the job for him. He was enjoying the brief reprieve of being on land.

"You're not gonna put him in the brig?" Hepha asked Ace. "You stupid?"

"I have to agree with Hepha on this one, Ace," Vash added.

"I don't think we can handle that guy if he rampages," Soma supported. "Only you and probably Hepha can handle him."

"Is that respect I hear, kid?" Hepha teased Soma.

"In your dreams."

"To be honest," Ace said, butting in before Hepha and Soma start bickering again. "I think I want him in our crew."

"I don't think that'd work out, Ace," Terzo interjected. "The guy looks headstrong and stubborn."

"He does," Doppol said in support of Terzo. "Plus, he has a goal in mind. It isn't that easy to break a man's will."

"No worries, I'm sure I can win him over to our side!" Ace nonchalantly waved off their concern as he walked back to the ship followed by his crew. "But, I hear you guys. I'll keep him in my sight at all times. That's a promise."

"In that case, I don't see a problem," Vash said.

"Terzo, I take it Hepha and Doppol already taught you how to navigate the Grand Line?" Ace asked his navigator, steering the conversation to another topic.

"They did. I'm even wearing the Log Pose now," Terzo showed the Log Pose on his wrist.

"If you want, there's a large version of that Log Pose in front of the wheel," Doppol said to Terzo.

"Really? You never told me that."

"Well, I kinda forgot. Anyway, let me show it to you guys!" Doppol said before going to the helm of the ship.

But, after a few steps, Doppol suddenly stopped. He ran away, looking for his metal bucket. He found it, then puked in it. The Royal Aces just watched in amusement. After that, Doppol created the Second that would act for him.

"Forgot about the seasickness, sorry about that," Second continued where Doppol left off.

Second stood in front of the helm. He turned one of the wheel's handles and the Royal Aces watched as the floor in front of the wheel opened up as something beneath went up.

Ace saw what it was. It was a large version of a New World Log Pose. There were three Log Poses, each one pointing in a different direction.

"What's that? I don't think you guys told me what that is," Terzo said as his eyes widened at the sight of the strange device.

"That's a New World Log Pose. Think of it like three Log Poses working together," Hepha told Terzo. "In the end, it functions the same."

"I see. Then, that means we have more choices where to go?" Terzo asked.

"For now," Second said. "Once we choose one of the seven routes in Paradise, these three Log Poses will all point in one direction."

"Cool! We can choose where to go!" Ace went up beside Second to look at the Log Poses.

Ace noticed how none of the needles were moving erratically. They were all still as they pointed in each direction.

'Which means, the magnetism of islands in Paradise are much more stable than the New World. Makes sense. This is the first half, after all.'

"Let's go there!" Ace pointed at the Log Pose in the center.

"Any particular reason?" Terzo asked.

"Not really. Just a random choice. Can't go wrong with going to what's right in front of us."

"Well, if you say so, Captain!" Terzo sighed at Ace's simplemindedness.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Ace called out to his crew.

They would have stayed longer if Crocus was here, but he wasn't. Ace suspected he was probably inside Laboon to treat him. Either way, Ace wasn't too disappointed.

"Yeah!" Everyone answered.

"Let's set sail!" Ace rallied his crew. "Our first island in the Grand Line, here we go!"