Ace threw away the cracked wooden stick in his hand and quickly picked up another from the ground. The "Three Brothers of the Water Pipe"—as they jokingly called their stick-fighting skills—were all masters with the staff.
But these makeshift weapons were too fragile. One hit, and it had to be replaced. What a hassle.
"Looks like my fists are still more reliable," Ace muttered. The thought brought back some unpleasant memories—moments that were equal parts painful and joyful.
"But first, I need to take care of that damn eagle." His gaze shifted toward Weiss, who was casually perched on the hillside, watching the scene unfold like a play.
"What a twisted guy," Ace thought bitterly. "He could have killed the thing with one swing, yet he insists I do it myself."
"Ace, can you handle this or not? If you can't, I'll just deal with it myself! It's already late, and I'd like to finish my pre-bedtime activities!" Weiss shouted down from the hilltop.
"Quit running your mouth! You also ate a part of those three damn birds!" Ace roared back, exasperated.
The shouting seemed to rouse the eagle's attention. Its bloodied head slowly turned to fix its gaze on Weiss.
Its sharp eagle eyes, now stained with blood, looked even more menacing.
The look it gave seemed to say You too, huh?
Weiss suddenly recalled something from the original story—a certain bird soaring through the skies, plotting some grand plan. It calculated that food was more important than Zoro, and then unceremoniously dumped him from the sky.
...
...
So it had brains. This bird wasn't stupid.
"Oh, changing targets now? Fine, let's call it pre-bedtime cardio. Still feels kinda wrong to be bird-punching before bed, though," Weiss muttered lazily, not even changing his crouched position.
The eagle let out a hateful screech and flapped its wings with fury. A violent gust of wind swept across the field. Ace ducked behind a tree just in time, narrowly avoiding being blinded by the debris.
When he peeked again, the eagle had soared into the sky.
"Not too smart, huh?" Weiss smirked. "Flying high against a swordmaster like me? That's just making yourself an easy target." Maybe the bird didn't even know what a swordmaster was.
Higher and higher it flew, until its huge frame was just a small black dot in the sky. Judging by its trajectory, it was going all in for one final attack.
Weiss drew his sword.
It was just a plain weapon, forged by an ordinary blacksmith on Twin Swallow Island.
He didn't lack access to famous swords—he just didn't care for them. To him, they were merely knives with fancy names, not true swords.
Besides, his sword style was made for double-edged blades.
The eagle's silhouette grew clearer—it was diving, full force.
The fierce wind it carried roared down like a waterfall from the heavens. Grass flattened under the pressure, and broken branches and leaves were swept away like confetti.
Weiss's beach shorts fluttered violently, and his shirt twisted under the gusts.
Even from a distance, Ace could feel the overwhelming pressure descending from the sky—the kind that screamed death or glory.
The eagle's claws stretched wide, glinting like steel under the moonlight, ready to tear its enemy apart.
"You picked the wrong opponent," Weiss muttered.
"One basic slash."
Half-crouching, Weiss narrowed his eyes. His killing intent surged like a storm. Wind swirled around his feet.
He slashed.
A massive crescent-shaped energy wave burst from his blade, bright and blinding, cutting across the night sky, aimed straight at the incoming eagle.
In that moment, the moon itself became nothing more than a backdrop.
Ace could only gape, realizing—Weiss is terrifyingly strong.
From far away aboard the Chris, two crew members saw the brilliant sword light blaze across the mountain's peak.
Weiss had a habit: whenever he faced prey, he went all out, aiming to end it as quickly as possible. Too many had fallen because they underestimated their opponents.
Reborn into this world, he refused to be one of them.
And so far, since becoming a swordmaster, no one besides his teacher had ever survived a single blow from him.
That included this eagle.
Blood rained from the sky. The sword slash had cleaved the eagle clean in two. Its two halves tumbled earthward.
Weiss sheathed his sword.
"A family should stay neatly together," he muttered. Without sparing a glance at the eagle's corpse—just as he hadn't cared about the tiger down below—he dragged the massive beast behind him and walked over to Ace.
Ace was still in shock from the strike. As Weiss approached, Ace asked in awe, "Just how strong are you?"
"You know about Vice Admiral Garp, the Marine Hero?" Weiss asked after a moment.
Ace's heart skipped a beat. Does he know something? He answered casually, "Yeah, I know of him."
"I can't beat him," Weiss said simply, and walked away, dragging the sea beast behind him, leaving a cool silhouette under the moonlight.
"That's not what I asked! I didn't ask who you can't beat—I asked how strong you are!" Ace yelled, chasing after him.
...
Aboard the Chris.
"Captain, how the hell did you drag a fifty-meter-long beast out from the middle of the island?!" Kadun's brain practically crashed at the sight.
There was no logical explanation for how such a creature existed in the island's center.
Deuce, meanwhile, stared at the sword marks on the beast and seemed to understand something—then quickly forgot about it.
Tonight, they were going to eat well!
"Doesn't matter. Kadun, Deuce, this beast is tonight's dinner. We're throwing a barbecue party on the beach to celebrate the perfect first day of our voyage!" Weiss declared.
"┗|｀O′|┛ Awooo~! Yes, Captain! Just wait and enjoy my divine cooking!" Kadun shouted and ran to the kitchen. With a beast that size, standard tools wouldn't cut it.
"I'll help too!" Deuce followed, equally excited. He'd had plenty of fish in his life—but never something like this.
Weiss reclined on his beach chair on the deck, stretching lazily and gazing at the stars. He thought to himself: When we reach the next populated island, I'll ditch Ace and the others.
"Hey Weiss, come join my crew! I'll even make you my vice-captain!" Ace called from the nearby lounge chair.
"I know you're stronger than me right now, but one day, I'll surpass you!"
"Nope," Weiss replied instantly, not even looking his way. He flatly rejected the offer. Join you and get roped into Whitebeard's crew later? Not a chance.
"I don't want to be a pirate," he added. Sure, in this world there were pirates like Luffy—adventurers flying the pirate flag. But how many like him actually existed?
Most pirates were little more than thieves, murderers, and warmongers. They destroyed nations without hesitation.
Just look at the Eleven Supernovas—ten pirates, one undercover Marine. Adventurers like Luffy were the rare exceptions.
"So you're planning to join the Marines?" Ace asked. He didn't press further. Strong people often had strong convictions. If Weiss didn't want to be a pirate, he probably had his reasons.
"Who says those are the only two choices at sea?" Weiss replied, raising an eyebrow. "Why can't I be a merchant? An adventurer? A bounty hunter?"
"Well, I haven't decided yet. But for now, let's go help those two. No way they can handle that much meat alone." With that, Weiss jumped off the ship.
Ace listened to the noise below but ultimately didn't ask the question burning in his heart: Why doesn't Weiss want to be a pirate? Because he was afraid of the answer.
---
Currently at chapter 65 on Ko-Fi
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27