Navigation: The Intuition is Against Heaven, and the Deduction of the Start is a Cremation

Chapter 16: The Initiation Ceremony!

Ace narrowed his eyes as he watched Garp drag Luffy along like a stray pup.

There was no denying it—before he had even grown into himself, Luffy looked completely unreliable.

“Luffy, this is Ace. I told you about him, so be sure to get along!” Garp pointed at Ace and barked the introduction. “I’ll come to see you again on my next break.” With that, he tossed Luffy onto the ground without a second thought and strode towards the forest.

“You’re Ace, huh? I’m Luffy. Let’s be friends!” As soon as Garp disappeared, Luffy grinned from ear to ear and ran under a large tree, shouting up at Ace. “Friends? You want to be my friend?” Ace leapt down from his perch, his lips curling into a smirk that carried a hint of mischief.

“Yep!” Luffy’s response was instant, his enthusiasm unwavering. After what happened with Red-Haired Shanks, Luffy had developed an absolute hatred for bandits. But here, apart from bandits, there was only Ace. To Luffy, being alone was worse than death itself—he needed to make a friend.

“Then, follow me.” Ace glanced at Luffy before propelling himself into the dense forest. “Ace! Wait for me!” Luffy hollered, stumbling forward in pursuit.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

Swoosh!

Weaving through the thick underbrush, Ace finally halted in a secluded part of the forest, a place so hidden it was almost impossible to find. “Ace! You’re here?” A blond-haired boy with a missing tooth stood a short distance away, grinning widely as he greeted him.

“Sabo.” Ace’s smirk softened into a genuine smile. “Look, Ace! We’ve saved up so much money now—we’re one step closer to setting sail!” Sabo lifted the lid of several wooden chests, revealing a hoard of glittering treasures, stacks of Berries, and various trinkets. Of course, these riches weren’t exactly earned—Ace and Sabo had stolen them from the Grey Terminal.

With Ace’s current strength, the Goa Kingdom held no threat to him. Their ability to amass wealth had accelerated beyond anything they had imagined.

[1. Berries (贝利 / Bèi lì) – The fictional currency used in One Piece. It functions similarly to real-world money in trade, piracy, and daily transactions. 2. Goa Kingdom (哥亚王国 / Gē yà wáng guó) – A monarchy in One Piece, known for its vast wealth gap. The nobles live in luxury, while the poor are cast away in the Grey Terminal.]

That said, the Grey Terminal was still dirt poor. Even after all their effort, they had only managed to scrape together about ten million Berries. But Ace wasn’t particularly interested in hoarding treasure just yet. His real plan was that right before setting sail, he would rob one of the nobles—taking a hundred million Berries in one fell swoop. The reason was simple. He needed funds to recruit a navigator for his future crew.

[Grey Terminal (不确定之物终点站 / Bù què dìng zhī wù zhōng diǎn zhàn) – A sprawling junkyard outside the Goa Kingdom, filled with outcasts, thieves, and impoverished people struggling to survive.]

“W-Wait, Ace! Hold on… huff… huff…”

Just as Sabo was getting lost in his dreams of life at sea, a dishevelled figure stumbled out of the bushes, panting heavily.

Thud!

The figure collapsed onto the ground. “Who—who are you?!” Sabo’s eyes widened in shock. Instantly, he slammed all the treasure chests shut and demanded an answer. “I—I’m Luffy! Who are you?” Luffy, still breathless, raised his head and shouted back. “I’m Sab—wait, why should I tell you?!” Sabo quickly bit back his words, scowling at himself for almost slipping. “Come on, don’t be like that. Let’s be friends.” Luffy grinned, flashing his teeth in an attempt to appear friendly.

“This kid is Garp’s grandson. I thought I lost him…” Ace muttered, shaking his head. “Yeah, right!” Sabo shot back, disbelief evident in his voice. There is no way a little brat like this can keep up with Ace’s pace —Ace definitely let him follow.

“Hey, Ace, what now? This guy saw our treasure.” Sabo’s expression darkened. “He saw it, huh? Well, there’s no helping it… We’ll have to kill him.” Ace said it so casually that it was almost unsettling. “I guess so.” Sabo hesitated for a moment, then nodded, his voice growing grim.

“Eh?!” Luffy’s eyes widened in horror. “N-No! Don’t kill me! Can’t we just be friends instead? Please don’t throw me into the sea and let me drown!” His energy finally drained, Luffy collapsed onto the ground, tears streaming down his face. “Huh? Drowning actually sounds like a decent idea… but why did he suggest it himself?” Sabo muttered, looking baffled.

“Go on, Sabo. Do it properly.” Ace nudged him. “I-I’ve never killed anyone before. You do it!” Sabo’s hands trembled slightly. “You suggested it, didn’t you? If you say something, you’ve got to see it through.” Ace’s tone was unwavering. Sabo swallowed hard, then reluctantly took a step towards Luffy, his face clouded with hesitation.

“N-No! Don’t kill me! I don’t want to die!” Luffy clamped his eyes shut, bracing for the worst.

……………………………………………………………………………………..

After a long moment, Luffy slowly peeked through one eye.

“I… I can’t do it!” Sabo collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath, sweat dripping from his forehead. “If you can’t do it, then there’s only one option—he joins us.” Ace, unsurprised, clapped Sabo on the shoulder. “Eh?! Ace, Sabo—you’re not going to kill me? You want to be my friends?!” Luffy’s voice lit up with excitement. “Before you join, there’s one last ritual.”

Ace ignored his enthusiasm, a wicked grin curling at the corners of his lips. Hearing this, Sabo flinched violently, as though recalling a horrifying experience. “Anything! As long as we can be friends!” Luffy declared without hesitation. “Then, don’t move.” Ace’s gaze flickered red for a split second. Then—his fist swung forward.

BAM!

“OWWWWW!”

Luffy’s agonised wail rang through the forest.

｢Your unparalleled instincts have granted you insight into counterforce! Your Conqueror’s Haki has levelled up!｣