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

Chapter 18: Flames Before Luffy’s Eyes! The Growth of His Ambition!

Three months passed in the blink of an eye. For Ace, life during this time could be summed up in three simple activities—eating, sleeping, and beating up Luffy. Every time he was knocked unconscious, Luffy would need days to recover. Yet, despite this, he took every beating willingly, even with a sense of anticipation. To him, every single blow brought him one step closer to truly becoming Ace and Sabo’s friend. And it was not without benefits—both Luffy and Sabo had grown significantly stronger, their combat abilities developing at a rate far beyond what was described in the original timeline. This, in turn, allowed Ace to push his Haki even further.

Finally, after three months, Ace had reached a bottleneck—Luffy was no longer capable of strengthening his Conqueror’s Haki. But even so, the power of his Haki had doubled from where it had started. As expected of Nika…

[Nika (尼卡 / Ní kǎ) – A legendary figure in One Piece, associated with the Sun God. His connection to Luffy plays a pivotal role in the story’s deeper lore.]

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“Alright, Luffy, you have only one final test before you can join us.” Ace crossed his arms, nodding in satisfaction at Luffy’s swollen and bruised face, which was barely recognisable at this point. Sabo did not look much better. Yet neither of them looked the least bit resentful—instead, their eyes gleamed with joy. Getting beaten up by Ace had led to tremendous growth in their abilities.

“R-Really?!”

Luffy mumbled, his face so puffy that he could barely form words properly. But despite this, his excitement was palpable. “That’s right,” Ace confirmed before turning towards Sabo. “You want to become a pirate, right? Well, the first step to being a pirate is looting. Sabo, take him and rob someone.”

“I don’t just want to be a pirate—I want to be King of the Pirates!” Luffy declared loudly. “King of the Pirates, huh? Then, let’s start with step one.” Ace smirked and gave Sabo a knowing look.

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“Come on, Luffy, let’s go take some loot. We still need money to buy our pirate ship!” Sabo said as he grabbed Luffy. Despite never admitting it outright, these past three months had been enough for Sabo to recognise Luffy in his heart. At the very least, when it came to enduring beatings, Luffy was leagues above him.

“Oh!” Luffy exclaimed in excitement before suddenly turning back. “Wait—Ace, aren’t you coming?” “If Ace comes along, it won’t be a test, you idiot!” Sabo rolled his eyes before dragging Luffy towards the Grey Terminal. Ace simply lay back on the grass, enjoying the warmth of the sun.

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Two Hours Later…

“Ace! Look at how much we got!” Luffy came running back, shouting excitedly. “Not bad.” Ace glanced at the pile of loot that Luffy and Sabo had brought back, his lips curling into a faint smirk. This was far more than what an average thug could possess. “We’re one step closer to getting our pirate ship!” Sabo’s face lit up, his mind already filled with images of sailing the seas.

However, before they could celebrate further, a deep and gruff voice suddenly rang out— “Oi, the ones who robbed you said their leader was named Sabo… and that he always hangs around with some kid named Ace?” From the distance, a towering man wielding a machete approached, flanked by several ruffians. “Yeah, that’s them. They’re pretty well-known around here.” One of the lackeys responded.

“Ace… I think we robbed the wrong guy.” Sabo muttered, a cold sweat forming on his forehead. For someone like him—who had spent years surviving in the Grey Terminal—the name Bluejam Pirates was not unfamiliar. They were far from ordinary bandits. Though Sabo had grown far stronger than his original self and had seen Ace’s Flame-Flame Fruit powers, he had never actually fought real pirates before. To him, pirates of this level were a different breed of monster.

[Bluejam Pirates (布鲁杰姆海贼团 / Bù lǔ jié mǔ hǎi zéi tuán) – A cruel pirate crew operating in the Grey Terminal.]

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“Let me go! Ace, save me!” Before Ace could respond, Luffy’s desperate cries cut through the tension. “Wait—how did you get caught already?!” Sabo’s jaw dropped as he turned to see Luffy being held hostage by the machete-wielding brute—Porchemy.

“Oi, brat—you know Ace?” Porchemy’s voice was low and menacing. The thugs who had been robbed earlier had only gotten a clear look at Sabo, not Luffy. “That’s right! We’re friends!” Luffy boldly declared. “Oh? Then you must know where he is, don’t you?” A cruel grin spread across Porchemy’s face. Luffy paused for a brief moment. Then, his mouth twisted awkwardly as his eyes darted to the side. “I-I don’t know!”

[Porchemy (伯尔杰米 / Bó ěr jié mǐ) – A brutal enforcer of the Bluejam Pirates.]

Porchemy’s eyes bulged in disbelief. What a terrible liar! Does this brat really take us for idiots?! “Alright, kid, I’ll make you talk soon enough.” Porchemy sneered as he dragged Luffy away.

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“Ace! What do we do?! Should we go after him?” Sabo asked, his voice anxious as he watched Luffy being taken away. “Of course we’re going to rescue him. But first, we need to relocate our treasure.” Ace replied casually, having already locked onto Luffy’s location using his Observation Haki.

“B-But…” Sabo hesitated, glancing at the stolen loot. At that moment, a conflicted expression appeared on his face. Even if he wasn’t sure why, he felt that Luffy’s life was more important than all the treasure they had gathered.

“You know what? Let’s just go save Luffy. We can always steal more later.” Sabo’s face hardened with resolve. “Good. That’s exactly what I was waiting for.” Ace smiled, having already anticipated this shift in Sabo’s thinking. “But if we’re going to save him, we’re doing it my way.”

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A Hidden Cabin…

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Porchemy—now wearing iron-spiked knuckles—ruthlessly pounded his fists into Luffy. The boy’s body was covered in bruises, his breath ragged and weak. Yet even as the pain threatened to overwhelm him, he refused to break.

“I… I won’t tell you where Ace is! And anyway, your punches are nothing compared to his!” Luffy spat, despite barely having the strength to speak. “Oh?” Porchemy’s expression darkened. Amused, yet annoyed by Luffy’s defiance, he tightened his grip—and this time, he held nothing back. His iron-clad fists crashed into Luffy’s frail frame again and again. Soon, Luffy had lost the strength to even speak.

“Boss, maybe we should just let this kid go…?” One of the underlings hesitated, looking uneasy. Even they were beginning to feel sick from watching the scene unfold. “Let him go? Not a chance.” Porchemy’s voice was cold as he reached for his machete.

“Since you won’t talk—you can just die instead.”

BAM!

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The wooden door was kicked open with tremendous force.

“Huh?!” Porchemy barely had time to turn his head when a blur of motion streaked across the room. In an instant, Ace snatched Luffy away from where he had been tied up. “Boss! That’s them—Sabo and Ace!” One of the lackeys shouted in alarm.

“Oh? So you’ve got some guts after all.” Porchemy grinned, baring his teeth in a cruel smirk. “A-Ace… S-Sabo… Y-You came to save me?” Luffy’s weary eyes fluttered open, his weak voice trembling with emotion. Even in his battered state, his smile was undeniable. “That means… we really are friends now, right?”

Ace didn’t answer. Instead, he looked at Luffy calmly, his expression unreadable. “You’ve always wanted to see my power, haven’t you?” His voice was quiet, yet it carried an unmistakable weight. Then, his gaze shifted—turning cold as ice—as he set his sights on Porchemy and his men.

“Watch closely. This is the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit.” Ace raised his fist, “Fire Fist!”

A monstrous wave of flames erupted forth. Porchemy and his men barely had time to scream before they were completely engulfed in roaring fire. Within moments, their bodies were reduced to charred remains.

“T-This is… Ace’s power?” Luffy stared in shock, his eyes wide as he watched the still-burning embers. The lingering heat in the air was unmistakable. “Ace… you’re so strong.” His voice was barely more than a whisper.

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Outside the Cabin…

Ace led Luffy out of the burning hideout and then turned to face him. “Luffy.” His tone was serious. “Me and Sabo… we waited until now to come and save you. What do you think about that?”

“Huh? What do I think?” Luffy blinked in confusion. “Of course, I’m grateful! You saved me!” Then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, he grinned toothily. “And besides, Ace, you must have had a reason for waiting, right? Whatever it was, I support it! No questions asked! Hehehe!” Ace stared at him. Then, he laughed softly. What an idiot, but a noble idiot he is.

In truth, Ace had let Luffy endure the entire ordeal just as it had happened in the original timeline. Not because he enjoyed watching Luffy suffer—but because he needed to help him grow. Conqueror’s Haki could only evolve when a person’s ambition and presence expanded. And the Porchemy incident was the perfect opportunity to push Luffy forward. Of course, Luffy’s growth also meant more benefits for Ace. As Luffy’s Haki expanded, Ace could continue using him to further strengthen his own Conqueror’s Haki.

Sabo, who had been silent until now, smiled knowingly. He had trusted Ace’s decision completely. Even though the waiting had been difficult, he had never doubted that Ace had a plan. Because one thing was certain to him— Ace’s judgment is never wrong.

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“Luffy.” Ace’s expression turned serious once more. “We don’t want to be friends with you anymore.” “…?!” Luffy froze, his eyes widening in shock. “Instead—” Ace’s lips curled into a wide grin. “Let’s be brothers.” For a second, Luffy stared blankly. Then his face lit up.

“OH! OH!!!”

Luffy cheered excitedly, his joy impossible to contain. And with that, their bond was no longer just friendship. They had become brothers.