One Piece: Failure’s Road to the Pirate King

Of course, Natural Types can learn Armament Haki, but compared to Armament Haki, Observation Haki should take priority.

Otherwise, dodging this simple thumbtack shot wouldn't be so exhausting.

A guy who can't use Observation Haki is "just that!"

While Ace was still in shock, he suddenly felt a Shadow enveloping him from the front, followed by a gust of wind.

As he raised his eyelids, he saw a massive Fist already reaching his face.

Even though he instinctively tried to block it with his arm, the moment the Fist made contact, a tremendous force surged through, causing Ace to instinctively open his mouth and spit out a mouthful of blood.

Bang!!

The ground was smashed into a huge dent, and Ace was violently slammed into the ground, sending debris flying. As he hit the ground, he instantly transformed into a ball of flames, escaping the impact of the Fist.

The flames quickly gathered behind the dent to form his shape, but his hands trembled as he bent over, gasping for air, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

The strength of Haki was still terrifying, and compared to just now, the speed and power were clearly on a different level! This guy... Ace stared intently at Sage, who was almost clad in a menacing armor, gritting his teeth and saying, "Monster!"

"You blocked it, huh."

Sage glanced at the faintly fading Haki color on Ace's arm and said, "What about the second punch?"

Whoosh! His figure vanished again, moving at a speed almost invisible to the naked eye, creating a gust of wind that blew Ace's hat off, the hat string hanging around his neck.

Boom! Just as Sage disappeared, a massive flame erupted from Ace, transforming him into a spiraling column of fire that shot upwards. As the flames rose, a hole was torn open at the bottom, sending sparks flying in all directions.

Sage retracted his Fist, casually extinguishing the flames burning on his hand, and looked up at the sky.

The swirling flames detached from the ground, sweeping upwards, with Ace's form appearing at the center of the flames, allowing the fire to swirl around him.

"Flame Ring."

He raised his hands high, gathering all the flames around him into his palms, then struck downwards with a shout, "Fire Pillar!!"

A massive spiral of fire took on a column shape, crashing downwards with his attack, turning the sky a fiery red.

The intense heat had already forced nearby residents to evacuate, and they now watched from a distance, their faces filled with terror at the sudden appearance of the gigantic fire pillar.

If it fell, the city would likely become a sea of flames! "Hey, what's this? Is this guy really that strong?" Renetia exclaimed in shock.

Marika smiled, "After all, he's a 550 million Bounty Pirate, a big shot on the Sea, his bounty is double that of Sage, but..."

"But he won't be Sage's opponent."

Lily chimed in, "At this level, he can't possibly win against Sage."

The flames were indeed fierce, radiating a scorching and destructive aura, yet they didn't give them a sense of impending doom.

Compared to the despairing pressure they felt from Garp and Zefa, this fire pillar seemed manageable for Sage at the moment.

The fire pillar descended towards Sage like a divine punishment, casting a red glow over his body. The high temperature caused the already desert-like city to spontaneously ignite around him, expanding the flames nearby.

"Fire, as the most primitive form of destruction, indeed has considerable power, but on the Sea..."

Sage looked up at the descending fire, the fire pillar had already dropped to his head, the high temperature even causing the tips of his white hair to distort slightly. Unfazed, he spread his hands and brought them together.

"Haki is the existence that surpasses everything!"

A stream of black fire flowed from his hands, reaching the point where they converged, gradually condensing into a black sphere.

"Wave Motion Fist"

Sage's hands shot towards the descending fire pillar, the black sphere transforming into a stream of black flame the thickness of an arm, crashing into the massive fire pillar.

"Heavenly General: Rushing Flame!!"

Boom!!

"Wow!"

On the other side of the city, Luffy, who was being pursued by the Navy, turned back and grinned, "What a big firework!"

"What is that? It's terrifying! Luffy, don't look! Didn't you say Smoker is coming after us?"

Sanji, who was beside him, also saw the gigantic firework blooming in the sky, startled for a moment before speeding up towards the port.

Behind them, the Navy was in hot pursuit.

"Over here!!"

Just as they were about to escape the city, a group of Navy officers suddenly sprang out from a side street, weapons aimed at them.

"Straw Hat Kid, and Roronoa Zoro, you can't escape!"

Dazki followed closely behind, bringing a group of men from another side, surrounding them in a triangular formation with the pursuing Navy.

Everyone stopped, instinctively surrounding Vivi in the center.

Sanji clicked his tongue, pulling out a lighter to ignite the cigarette in his mouth, exhaling smoke, "Looks like we have to fight."

"Ah"

Zoro drew his sword, biting it, then pulled out two more knives, saying, "We haven't found Chopper yet; we must deal with this group of Navy first."

Nami and Usopp stood on either side, one with a slingshot and the other with a weather stick, nervously facing the Navy.

"Then let's fight!"

Luffy leaned forward, cracking his knuckles, and laughed, "I don't want to be captured by you guys!"

Dazki gripped the hilt of his sword and charged forward, while the remaining Navy attacked from three sides.

"Let's go!"

Luffy shouted, extending his arm, but just then, a figure suddenly dropped from a nearby building, striking Dazki's blade with a clang, causing the hilt to fly from her hand. A cane with an iron ball was now resting on her shoulder.

Boom!!

The ground shattered, sending an impact that knocked back the pursuing Navy, sending the first few flying.

It was a similar cane, the balloon smashing into the ground, causing the tiles in front to shatter and fly, carving out a gash.

On the other side, the Navy had just fired their bullets, but they were blocked by a sudden figure.

Clang! Clang! Clang! The bullets made sounds as they struck the figure, creating sparks and being deflected.

It was a man with iron shields on both sides of his body, turning to grin at the crowd, his teeth reflecting a bright light in the sunlight.

"How about that? Am I handsome? I'm the shield guy, the handsome guy, and now the Iron Block guy. This is me, the invincible Paru!"

"You are..."

Sanji was taken aback, his eyes widening slightly.

"Everyone!"

Chopper appeared from the side, shouting, "I found you!"

"Chopper!" Everyone exclaimed, then looked at the figure who had blocked Dazki.

The person wore a gray-blue striped headscarf and a gray coat, standing with their back to the crowd, picking up the cane that had fallen to the ground, standing tall with it resting on their shoulder, slowly turning around.

Sanji's eyes widened as he recognized him, "You..."

"Mr. Sanji, I told you," Akin smiled at him, "We would meet again in the Grand Line!"

...

The massive spiral fire pillar, under the impact of the arm-thick Black Fire, continued to retract, layers of Haki intertwining with the flames, resembling burning Black Fire, resisting the impact of the red fire.

Even in the collision, the fire pillar was pushed upwards, forced to the center between the two, sending flames splattering outward.

Commonly known as a clash of waves.

Sage's Haki strength, if purely defensive, would indeed be unable to stop this thick fire pillar if hit.

Even if he forcibly released it externally to create an impact, it would only be a momentary defense.

But his Haki recovery speed was nearly infinite!

Combining countless moments together, wouldn't that allow for a counterattack?

This move, Heavenly General: Rushing Flame, wasn't as powerful as when he attacked Zefa, because that kind of full-force release would even cause his recovery speed to temporarily stagnate.

However, by slightly weakening it and using about eighty percent of his Haki, combined with his powerful recovery speed, he could create an unending Haki Shockwave.

No matter how much the frontmost Haki was worn down, as long as the follow-up could keep up, it was infinite.

And the descending fire pillar was not infinite! It was more like something thrown out, a finite existence; limited against the unlimited, even if the power was the same, it would eventually be worn down! Moreover, this guy's stamina had already diminished significantly after continuously dodging and having a good amount of Haki knocked out by a punch.

"So, how could he possibly be my opponent! Hahaha! Get lost!!"

Boom!!

Like a balloon being popped by a black needle, the massive fire pillar suddenly dissipated, turning into scattered fireworks, while at the center, the black flowing fire light remained undiminished, extending upwards towards the sky, maintaining the form of Ace.

Bang! The black light struck Ace's chest, piercing through him and exploding into a ball of scattered flames, quickly transforming back into Ace's form as he fell.

"Puh!"

Before he hit the ground, Ace clutched his chest, vomiting thick blood as blood poured from all over his body.

"Oh, pierced a Secret Acupoint." Sage chuckled.

"You bastard!" Ace gritted his teeth and shouted.

Even though he tried his best to dodge, the impact of Haki still hit him. With this blow, it felt as if his chest had been destroyed, not in the sense of internal destruction, but in the intense pain, the ache radiated throughout his body, as if his blood vessels had burst.

Not to mention the strange feeling from the Haki impact, the amount of Haki was simply astonishing. After releasing such powerful Haki, Ace felt no sign of weakness from him.

If it weren't for the absence of a 'Haki Fruit,' he would really think that this man before him was a 'Haki Man' who had eaten the Haki Fruit! "Heavenly Break Killing!"

Before Ace could land, Sage swung his palm, and Haki shot from his hand, striking Ace's body.

Bang! But this time, it didn't hit; Ace exploded into flames again under this attack, scattering into sparks on the ground. Those flames quickly gathered in front of Sage, forming a Fist entangled with fierce flames.

Ace condensed in front of Sage and threw a powerful punch.

Sage grinned maliciously, his left fist entangled with Haki, dodging Ace's Fist while launching a punch towards Ace's forehead.

"I am the Whitebeard Second Division Captain; I won't lose to you!!"

Ace's pupils constricted as he shouted.

Haki isn't just Armament Haki!!

Buzz! The surrounding flames, along with the dry wind blowing, froze in place under Ace's furious glare.

A stream of crimson energy seemed to emerge from Ace, rapidly impacting towards Sage and covering the onlookers.

That was "Miote!"

Renetia saw Mute Miote roll her eyes and collapse, her eyes widening in disbelief as she looked at the pockmarked man swinging his Fist, "He has it too!"

Marika's always smiling eyes turned solemn, "He's a man of talent."

Lily tightly gripped the hilt of her sword, staring intently at Ace, "Conqueror's Haki."

"Fire Fist!!"

Ace's Fist transformed into a crimson flame, striking the menacing figure, the massive flames exploding from his hand, about to engulf Sage.

"Hey! I hit you, right!" Ace grinned maliciously.

But just as his smile appeared, his expression changed immediately. In the midst of the explosive flames, a large hand, like a steel hoop, firmly caught his Fist.

The black flowing fire continuously radiated from that hand, dissipating the impact of the flames, and the flames clinging to him gradually extinguished as the residual force faded, with his burns healing rapidly.

Sage looked down at Ace and said lightly, "Well done."

Ace was startled for a moment and tried to elementalize to break free from Sage's control, but at that moment, Sage suddenly glared at him.

Buzz!!

The crimson energy surrounding them was suddenly engulfed by a layer of black-red, after a brief impact, the black-red energy overwhelmed the crimson energy, enveloping Ace.

Ace's eyes widened, sweat trickling down his forehead, "You have it too?"

Bang!!

Before he could finish speaking, Sage swung his right fist, embedding it into Ace's chest, slamming his body into the ground, creating a deep dent.

"Not only you have that qualification."

Sage's eyes glimmered with a fierce light as he glanced at Ace, who was bleeding and unable to move, "Your Conqueror's Haki is far too weak."

As the first target to be impacted by Conqueror's Haki, he almost didn't react, falling into a brief shock.

But fortunately, he himself also had that qualification.

Otherwise, if he were hit by that kind of Fist, his physical body would likely be blown through.

Sage's Conqueror's Haki, although he couldn't control it finely yet, in terms of the level of Conqueror's Haki, it was not something this pockmarked man could compare to.

The impact of Conqueror's Haki also left Ace unable to maintain his elemental form for that moment, allowing Sage to land a punch.

The power of Armament Haki, when struck at close range with a Fist, not only caused internal destruction but also pierced through his Secret Acupoint, rendering him unable to resist with just one punch.

"Your body is too weak."

Sage shook his head, stepping on Ace's chest while tightening his fist, ready to smash down, "Die."

"Ace!!"

Just as he was about to swing his fist, a powerful shout suddenly rang out from the side street, accompanied by an extending Fist? "Huh?"

Renetia's fingers sparked with Electric Flowers, powered by her energy, transforming the Mechanical Hammer into a cannon hammer aimed at that Fist.

Marika lifted her foot, ready to act.

Lily even flicked her thumb, revealing a portion of the sword blade from its sheath, gripping it with her right hand, preparing to charge forward.

Bang! Suddenly, a figure rushed over, slamming the extending Fist down to the ground.

Akin, holding the cane, struck the iron ball at the end of it against that arm, turning to look at the group that had appeared, remaining silent.

"Akin!"

Luffy shouted, "What are you doing? Let me go! I want to save Ace! He's my brother!"

In front of Luffy, the people who had initially shown some joy now turned serious.

Zoro and Sanji stood beside Luffy, sweating as they gazed at the terrifying figure.

Behind them, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper were pale with fear at the sight of that figure.

This guy... is super terrifying!

"Brother, huh?"

Akin moved the iron ball aside, allowing the extending arm to retract back to Luffy's shoulder, resting the cane on his shoulder, giving a wry smile, "I didn't expect to meet again under such circumstances. I don't want to lay a hand on you, but..."

His gaze turned fierce, "I won't let you offend my Captain a second time!"

Sage glanced over, noticing the young man in the group glaring at him, wearing a Straw Hat, feet planted firmly, teeth clenched, clearly preparing for a fight.

"Monkey D. Luffy, huh?"

Sage withdrew his gaze and looked at Akin, "How did you end up with them?"

"Sage Captain, the doctor Chopper among them treated our subordinate. I was planning to invite them over to meet you," Akin hurriedly explained.

"Bastard! Let Ace go now!!" Luffy shouted.

The expression of shouting made Sage pause, and he inexplicably recalled something.

It seemed like he was Garp's grandson... and this guy named Ace also seemed to be... "Has the Sea not taught you what respect is?"

Sage sneered, flicking his thumb quickly, producing a 'bang' sound that knocked Luffy's head back, causing him to fall to the ground.

The sudden attack made Zoro and Sanji's pupils constrict, instinctively shielding Luffy.

"Hey, what was that? Did he shoot air?" Zoro gritted his teeth, murmuring, "Not good, curly brow."

"I know!" Sanji's eyes revealed a shadow, "A bounty of seventy million, is he really that terrifying?!"

"Ow, ow, ow!!"

At this moment, Luffy was clutching his forehead, shouting loudly.

"Pain?"

Sanji said in disbelief, "But you're rubber!"

That was just a flow of air, at most like a bullet, merely a strike, how could it hurt? After flicking his thumb, Sage's menacing figure suddenly shrank back to normal, glancing at the panting Ace, he said:

"Whitebeard is just a terminally ill old man, destined to die sooner or later. This is inevitable; everyone eventually grows old and weak. If you want to maintain his dignity, then prove it to the Sea, not by barking at me."

It was just the most normal commentary; it wasn't in front of the person, they had all left, yet this person heard it and insisted on fighting. Did he expect an apology? He was a Pirate!

Sage stepped out of the pit, glancing at the pained Luffy, shaking his head, "Considering that you treated my subordinate, I'll let it go."

And for that damned Garp's sake, Sage walked over to Lily, who pressed the hilt of her sword, retracting the exposed blade back into its sheath and draping the cloak over him.

He adjusted the cloak and said, "If you come to join the banquet, having treated my subordinate, I will welcome you. But if you come to fight, then prepare to die."

Saying this, he walked deeper into the street.

Renetia pouted, looking at Ace in the pit, revealing her small tiger teeth, "You're pretty strong, but Sage is stronger; you can't win!"

"Ah, you've saved your life." Marika's smile returned.

Lily followed behind Sage, recalling something, turned back and said, "It's two hundred seventy million, not seventy million; the bounty has increased."

"Ah~~!"

At this moment, Sanji noticed Lily and the others, his eyes filled with affection, "Upon closer inspection, they are all beautiful ladies!"

Akin pursed his lips, feeling relieved, and smiled at the Straw Hat crew, "Mr. Sanji, Mr. Luffy, I still hope you can come to the banquet. Sage Captain is quite magnanimous; since he has stopped, he won't continue to fight."

At least he won't let Luffy die.

In that earlier situation, if that Straw Hat Kid had hit the Captain, he would definitely have died.

Luffy rubbed his forehead, which seemed to be smoking, sat up, looked at the departing crowd, blinked, and tilted his head, "What's going on? They seem like good people."

But then he saw Ace, who was motionless in the pit, and his expression changed, "No! They are bad people!"

However, upon closer inspection, Ace was still gasping for breath, seemingly not dead. "Who exactly are they?" Luffy wondered.

"Whoever they are, hurry and save him! Isn't that your brother?!" Nami shouted.

Chopper had already run over, "Two Injured Persons, there are two Injured Persons here! Someone come help!"

"This guy is..."

Zoro noticed Ace being carried out in Chopper's human form from the pit. After seeing the tattoo on his back and glancing at his face, he exclaimed, "Whitebeard Pirate Crew Second Division Captain?"

"Whitebeard Pirate Crew?" Sanji was also taken aback.

Zoro sheathed his three knives, stared at Ace for a moment, and then said, "I was a bounty hunter for several years and have seen this guy's Bounty Notice. It's five hundred and fifty million; he's a tough character."

"Are the bounties in the Grand Line all this high?!"

Usopp exclaimed in horror, "Didn't that woman say? That one called Sage is also two hundred and seventy million!"

"They've all come to the Grand Line."

Zoro's fighting spirit ignited, "Those guys are with us; we will meet them again sooner or later! Luffy, you need to be ready!"

"Ah!"

Luffy stood up, pulled down his Straw Hat, and grinned, "They are all tough characters, but I won't lose! I will definitely become the Pirate King!"