One Piece: The Cryo Doctor on the Straw Hat Ship

Luffy, who had been engrossed in gnawing on his meat, suddenly looked up. His greasy lips were still covered with bits of burnt lizard meat, but his eyes held an unusual seriousness.

“V wouldn’t talk nonsense.”

"If he says you can't beat him, then you probably really can't beat him."

Ace's eyes widened: "Luffy, even you..."

“Because V is my partner.” Luffy grinned, revealing his white teeth. “Besides, he would never lie about important matters.”

"If he says Blackbeard is strong, then that guy must be ridiculously strong."

Ace clenched his fists, his eyes flashed a few times, and his chest rose and fell with each deep breath.

But then he bent down to pick up the orange cowboy hat that had rolled to the side, gently brushed the dust off with his fingers, and put it back on his head.

His eyes were dark and unfathomable in the shadow of his hat brim.

In the end, that fiery persistence broke through the hesitation and reignited deep within his pupils.

"Sorry, Luffy, V."

He raised his head, a self-deprecating yet resolute smile curving his lips.

Even if what you said is true.

“But if I give up today because I might not be able to win… then I wouldn’t deserve to be on Whitebeard’s ship.”

“I must personally collect the debt from Sachi.”

"This is the rule of the Whitebeard Pirates, and it's also my resolve."

A hot wind swept across the sand dunes, lifting a few strands of black hair from his forehead.

Ace turned to face west—the direction closest to the sea.

"Since he's not on this island, I should leave too."

"This is my life card. You can use it to find my location directly."

Ace took a small piece of paper from his hat and handed it to Luffy.

"It's nice to meet you all, Luffy, V!"

"However... until we meet again."

As he spoke, he made a move to leave.

It seemed as if they were afraid of staying too long and developing doubts.

"Ugh……"

Upon seeing this, V sighed.

"You guys are really giving me a headache."

"Wait a minute, Ace!"

Just as Ace was about to leave, V suddenly spoke up.

This time, however, he did not intend to continue to obstruct him.

There's nothing we can do about it; this is the world of One Piece.

The more stubborn a person is, the more they are admired.

Even if you stubbornly refuse to die, people will still praise you for dying a good death.

For details, please refer to: Kozuki Oden, the Dancing King of Wano Country.

He clearly has the strength, the connections, and the support of the people...

But he refuses to use it!

He wanted to be swayed by the enemy, so he danced naked every day and let himself go until trust was gone, people lost all respect, and no one wanted to look at him anymore.

They watched helplessly as the people of Wano Country suffered under tyranny, their lives ravaged and their livelihoods utterly destroyed.

But Kozuki Oden's choice was...

What a waste of Kaido's good oil.

Ironically, this piece of trash, this useless idiot, actually has people who regard his behavior as the highest standard.

No wonder Kaido was so angry when he heard Yamato say that he would be the next Kozuki Oden.

If she were to say that she wanted to be the next Whitebeard or Shanks, Kaido would probably laugh with satisfaction and express his support.

Compared to him, Moria, who was adopted by Wano Country and ultimately lost despite his best efforts, became known as a spendthrift in other people's eyes.

Ace turned his head and looked at V curiously.

"What's wrong, V?"

"My mind is made up, you don't need to say anything more."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to waste any more words."

V shook his head slightly, "But you are Luffy's brother after all, I can't just stand by and watch you go to your death."

"How about this..."

"Anyway, you're not in a rush. Give me some time, and I'll help you with the intensive training!"

"I'm not saying I'll give you the power to definitely defeat Blackbeard, but at least it will put my mind at ease."

"how?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Ace's eyes beneath the brim of his hat:

"Training camp? You?"

He was, after all, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, surrounded by countless powerful men, including the world's top strongman, Whitebeard.

When it comes to methods for becoming stronger, Ace has never lacked them.

So he really finds it hard to believe that V can bring about any change for him.

Even though V had just demonstrated the power to defeat him.

"What, you don't believe me?" V grinned and said proudly, "To be honest, fighting is just a side job for me."

"My true identity is that of a prosthetic doctor!"

"What I'm best at... is helping others become stronger!"

"Luffy, show Ace what you've got!"

"Okay!"

Luffy smiled excitedly after eating and drinking his fill, eager to let Ace witness his progress firsthand.

The moment he finished speaking, Luffy's body immediately entered Gear Second mode.

He was completely red-faced and smiled as he said to Ace:

"Watch out, Ace!"

Swish!

Luffy's figure suddenly disappeared from Ace's sight.

"what?"

Ace was slightly startled, but fortunately, Luffy's speed was not as outrageous as V using Sinwidman, and his Observation Haki still accurately detected Luffy's figure.

"Behind you!"

Ace's figure suddenly transformed into elements, turning into a ball of fire that flickered and disappeared from the spot.

Immediately afterwards, a fist wrapped in Armament Haki slammed down.

Although it didn't use its full strength, it still managed to shatter the entire crystallized sand, and spiderweb-like cracks spread out instantly.

"This is... Armament Haki?"

Ace stared in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief as Luffy returned to his original form and landed back on the ground.

Chapter 84 Manly Spirit (Please continue reading~)

"You...you've also learned Armament Haki?"

The shimmering flames reformed Ace's form.

He stood on a sand dune piled with broken chips, staring wide-eyed in astonishment.

Having also come from the East China Sea, he knew very well that in that small and weak sea area, let alone learning Haki, there were very few people who even knew about Haki.

He only learned about Haki more than a year after entering the Grand Line.

If he remembers correctly, Luffy has only been at sea for about three months.

Look at Luffy's masterful control of Haki, and how quickly he enters a high-intensity battle state...

For a moment, Ace even wondered if he had met a fake younger brother.

ber~

Three years have passed, what kind of unclean thing have you eaten, kid?

Although Ace didn't say these words aloud, his body betrayed him by appearing beside Luffy and pinching Luffy's cheek.

"This feel... it's definitely Luffy's. It doesn't seem like a fake."

"Hey, what are you doing, Ace!"

Luffy angrily pulled his face away from Ace's grasp, then proudly puffed out his chest: "What fake or not fake..."

"All my strength was developed with V's help!"

Ace's gaze shifted to V, who was standing to the side smiling, and the doubt in his eyes was gradually replaced by a complex contemplation.

"So, V wasn't joking after all?"

The fact that Luffy was able to learn Armament Haki and master Gear Second in just three months is a growth rate that would shock even the Whitebeard Pirates.

Ace began to re-evaluate Luffy's companion in front of him.