One Piece : Winged Dragons of the Beast Pirates

Ace.

Portgas D. Ace.

Ian looked at the boy standing before them, challenging them head-on.

One of his main objectives in coming to the Goa Kingdom this time was him.

The son of the Pirate King, the heir personally chosen by Whitebeard—someone who undoubtedly possessed the talent to reach the pinnacle.

But this kid was just as reckless as Zoro.

No—he was even more reckless.

Zoro and Kuina had only challenged Mihawk, but Ace had the audacity to provoke Ian, Red-Haired Shanks, and Mihawk all at once.

Even Zoro and Kuina were left speechless.

"This guy!"

Zoro could only marvel at his sheer courage.

Each of these three men was a monster whose strength defied imagination!

Kuina couldn't help but reflect. 

Was this the same shock the crew of the Golden Dragon felt when she and Zoro declared they would challenge Mihawk?

It was something to think about.

"He actually said he wants to challenge Shanks!"

Uta, Red-Haired Shanks' number one fan, immediately stepped forward, cracking her knuckles with an unfriendly expression. "Just a mere brat! Let me teach you a lesson!"

"Hah?"

Ace was never the type to have a good temper.

In fact, before he thought Sabo had died, he was known for his fiery personality.

He looked Uta up and down before scoffing, "Aren't you a brat too? And you look even younger than me!"

Ace was nine years old this year, making him a year older than Uta.

"What!"

Uta was furious. "Who cares about you! If you want to challenge Shanks, you have to get past me first!"

Then.

Ace raised his hand and lightly pushed her head. The red-and-white-haired girl immediately fell on her butt.

"Alright, I've already won!"

Ace sneered.

A girl?

That doesn't make a difference!

Who cares if you're a boy or a girl!

If you dare block my way, don't blame me for being rude!

Uta's face turned red in an instant. She scrambled to her feet, flustered. "That doesn't count, that doesn't count! You ambushed me! You're so despicable!"

"Despicable?"

Ace scoffed. "A battle between pirates, and you're talking about being despicable? Kid, maybe you should just hurry back and drink your milk."

"Ugh!!!"

Uta was so angry that her little face trembled, but for once, she couldn't find a sharp-tongued comeback.

So,

tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she turned her head in frustration. "Shanks! Hurry up and teach this guy a lesson!"

"Whoa, she's tattling to her parent."

Zoro clicked his tongue. "She really is just a kid."

"And make sure to teach that annoying moss-head a lesson too!"

Uta had sharp ears. As soon as she heard Zoro's words, she glared at him fiercely.

"Who's afraid of who!"

Zoro stiffened his neck.

Kuina shook her head helplessly.

They're both just kids.

"Hahahaha, alright, Uta, that's enough,"

Shanks stood up and walked forward. He gently ruffled his daughter's head to comfort her before turning to Ace.

"Boy, why do you want to challenge us? Since you know who we are, you should understand—challenging pirates isn't something to joke about."

"Of course I know who you are!"

Ace's face was full of excitement. "I never expected to run into you guys here! If I can defeat you, that means I already have the power to become the Pirate King, right?"

"Pirate King?"

Mihawk raised an eyebrow.

That was an even more difficult goal than Zoro and the others wanting to surpass him to become the world's strongest swordsman.

"Pirate King, huh?"

Shanks' lips slowly curled into a smile.

Captain, it looks like my decision was the right one.

Your child is the one who should truly inherit your will.

"What nonsense are you talking about?!"

Uta flared up again. "The one who will become the Pirate King is Shanks!"

"That's right, that's right!"

The little kid beside her, Luffy, loudly agreed. "Shanks is the one who will be the Pirate King!"

Pfft!

Ian spat out a mouthful of sake.

Who would have thought that one day he'd hear Luffy say someone else would become the Pirate King?

Shanks, you really are something.

"Hey! Ace!"

Finally snapping out of it, Dadan practically scrambled over, grabbing Ace and pulling him into a tight hug, desperately covering his mouth.

Cold sweat covered her forehead as she cautiously looked up at Shanks. "This brat doesn't know any better—he's just joking, just joking! A man like you wouldn't take a kid's words seriously, right?"

Seriously, why are these monsters even here?!

Ace, you little brat, are you trying to get me killed?!

"He's not joking."

Ian wiped the liquor from the corner of his mouth, his smile unwavering.

"That's right!"

Ace exerted strength in his arms, forcibly prying Dadan's hand away. Though still a kid, he was one who could easily hunt giant bears and fierce tigers.

"I'm not joking! You three, fight me!"

"One day, I'll make the whole world understand that Roger was nothing but trash! I am the true Pirate King!"

Shanks' eyes instantly turned serious.

This kid... 

It doesn't seem like he really wants to be the Pirate King.

Ian chuckled softly.

Even though Ace always declared his ambition to become the Pirate King until he met Whitebeard, Ian knew the truth—Ace wasn't truly interested in that goal.

He simply hated his biological father.

In a way, it was Garp's fault. He had told Ace about his real lineage when he was still a child.

And in this world, the man who started the Great Pirate Era—Gol D. Roger—was infamous. The only thing Ace ever felt from the world was its boundless hatred toward Roger.

For a child, such resentment was terrifying.

In Ace's mind, his father was an unforgivable criminal, and as his son, maybe he never should have been born in the first place.

So Ace was trying to save himself—desperately searching for a way out of the overwhelming self-destructive emotions consuming him.

He wanted to find a reason to continue living in this world.

Becoming the Pirate King, surpassing that bastard father—that was one of the reasons he clung to.

In the original story, he later found another reason—to protect Luffy, to make Whitebeard the Pirate King.

A truly tragic child.

Well then, let your big brother Ian save you.

Ian put down his bottle and stood up, grinning.

"Alright, bring it on. Show me the strength of the future Pirate King."

Ian?

Shanks turned around in surprise.

"Ian is here again."

Zoro smirked.

Kuina's expression became a bit strange. Could it be that Ian liked bullying kids?

Only Mihawk scoffed. He had a rough idea of what Ian was thinking.

That bastard had a habit of taking an interest in exceptionally talented brats.

Hearing Ian's words, Ace's eyes lit up instantly. "Great!"

Ian the Skyfire!

Even his name was famous. His wanted posters were plastered all over the city.

The scumbags of Grey Terminal also spoke of him as a true monster—someone who had gained unimaginable power at such a young age and was destined to dominate the world in the future!

If he could defeat him, wouldn't that mean he was already close to becoming the Pirate King?

"Hey! Dadan! Let go of me!"

Ace struggled with all his might, but the woman held onto him tightly. "I have to fight that guy!"

"No way! Ace! Absolutely not!"

Dadan nearly screamed.

Ian the Skyfire!

That guy had a bounty of two billion Berries—he was a true monster!

How could a little brat like Ace possibly be his match?

He would die. There was no doubt about it!

**********

Support me on my patreon and read upto 30 early chapters.

patreon.com/PirateKing24