Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
For Ace, life during that time could be summed up in three things: eating, sleeping, and beating up Luffy.
Every single time, Luffy would get thrashed so badly it'd take him days to recover.
And yet, he never once complained. In fact, he welcomed it. He even… looked forward to it.
Because every time he got beaten down, Luffy felt just a little bit closer to becoming true friends with Ace and Sabo.
It wasn't just sentiment, either. The beatings had results. Both Luffy and Sabo's strength skyrocketed through their sparring sessions with Ace—far beyond what they'd achieved at this point in the original timeline.
And in turn, that growth helped Ace refine his own Haki—especially his Conqueror's Haki.
Until finally, today—three months later—Luffy had reached his limit. He could no longer help Ace temper his Haki further.
But Ace's Conqueror's Haki? It had doubled in potency.
As expected of Nika...
"Not bad, Luffy. You're just one test away from becoming one of us."
Ace looked down at the bruised, swollen mess that was Luffy's face and gave an approving nod.
Sabo, standing off to the side, didn't look much better.
But neither of them was upset. In fact, both grinned ear to ear.
Their strength had grown at a staggering pace under Ace's fists.
"R-Really?!"
Luffy's words were barely intelligible through his puffy cheeks, but the excitement in his tone came through loud and clear.
Ace nodded and turned to Sabo.
"You want to become a pirate, right? Then step one is simple: go steal something. Sabo, take him on a job."
Sabo raised an eyebrow, and Luffy's eyes lit up.
"I'm not just gonna become a pirate… I'm gonna be the Pirate King!"
Ace smirked. "Then it's time to take your first step."
He shot Sabo a look.
"Let's go, Luffy," Sabo said with a chuckle. "We've still got a long way to go before we can buy ourselves a pirate ship."
Over the past three months, even if Sabo never said it aloud, he'd come to truly accept Luffy.
Especially when it came to getting beaten up—Luffy made even him look like an amateur.
"Yeah!!" Luffy shouted excitedly.
"Wait—Ace, aren't you coming?" Luffy asked, tilting his head.
"If Ace comes, it's not a test, dummy!" Sabo snapped, grabbing Luffy and dragging him toward the edge of Gray Terminal.
Ace, meanwhile, stretched out on the ground and let the sun warm his face, completely at ease.
...
"ACE! Look how much we got!"
About two hours later, Luffy came barreling back, shouting as he ran. He and Sabo were carrying armfuls of loot.
"Not bad," Ace said with a smirk, eyeing the haul. "This isn't the kind of cash you'd get off street punks."
"We're one big step closer to affording our pirate ship!" Sabo said excitedly, his face shining with anticipation for the sea.
...
"Hey—was it Sabo who robbed you guys? He's always hanging around that Ace kid, right?"
As the two celebrated, a burly man wielding a massive machete approached, flanked by several thugs.
"Yeah, that's them," one of the lackeys sneered. "Pretty infamous, those two."
"Ace," Sabo said, face pale with sweat, "I think we hit the wrong target. These guys… they're with Bluejam."
To someone like Sabo—who knew the ins and outs of Gray Terminal—the Bluejam Pirates were no joke.
Even though he was far stronger now than he'd been in the original timeline, and had witnessed the destructive might of Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit, Sabo still wasn't confident.
He'd only ever fought small-time thugs—never someone from a real pirate crew with a fearsome reputation.
And these guys… they were the real deal.
"L-Let me go! Ace! Help me!"
Just as Ace turned to speak, Luffy's desperate cries rang out.
"W-Why did he get caught so fast?!"
Sabo stood there, stunned, watching Luffy struggle helplessly in the giant's grip.
"You know Ace, kid?" the hulking man growled.
The thugs who'd been robbed earlier had only gotten a good look at Sabo—Luffy had slipped under the radar.
"Damn right! We're friends!" Luffy shouted.
"Oh? Then I'm guessing you know where Ace is hiding?" the brute said, grinning wickedly.
Luffy paused. Then, his eyes went blank and his lips curled awkwardly.
"N-Nope. Never heard of him."
The Bluejam pirate stared at him, wide-eyed.
What kind of awful lie was that? Did this kid think they were idiots?
"Well then… we'll see if we can beat the truth out of you."
The brute chuckled darkly and dragged Luffy off toward a rundown shack.
"Hey, Ace! What do we do? Should we go after them?" Sabo asked urgently, watching Luffy disappear into the distance.
"Of course we're going. But first, we move the treasure," Ace said casually. His Observation Haki had already locked onto Luffy's location.
"But…!" Sabo hesitated, glancing between the loot and the direction Luffy had been taken.
Even though he didn't fully understand the feeling twisting in his chest, he knew one thing for sure—Luffy's life was more important than a pile of treasure.
"Forget the treasure," Sabo said suddenly, resolve hardening in his eyes. "We can always steal more later. Let's go save him."
Ace saw the change in his expression and smiled.
"Alright then. Let's go."
"But we do this my way," he added.
...
Inside a hidden shack...
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Bluejam's iron-knuckled fists slammed into Luffy over and over.
By now, Luffy was barely conscious, his body bruised and bleeding. And yet—
"I-I won't tell you where Ace is! And your punches? They're nothing compared to his!"
"Oh?" Bluejam's face darkened. Then he stopped holding back. Blow after blow landed with ruthless force.
Eventually, Luffy couldn't even speak.
"Boss, maybe we should stop... this kid's not talking," one of the thugs muttered, unable to watch anymore.
"No. If he won't talk—then he dies."
Bluejam raised his machete.
BANG!
The door slammed open.
"Huh?!"
Before Bluejam could react, Ace burst in like a streak of fire, grabbing Luffy and cutting him down from the ropes.
"Boss! That's them! That's Sabo and Ace!"
"So you finally showed up," Bluejam sneered.
"A-Ace… S-Sabo… you came to save me?" Luffy croaked, barely conscious. "Does that mean… we're friends now?"
Ace didn't answer. He just looked at Luffy and said quietly:
"You've been dying to see my ability, haven't you?"
He turned toward Bluejam and his crew, eyes cold.
"Watch closely. This is the power of the Mera Mera no Mi."
"Fire Fist!"
A torrent of flames roared through the room.
The Bluejam pirates didn't even have time to scream. Within seconds, they were reduced to ash.
"This… this is Ace's power?" Luffy murmured, stunned. The heat still hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. "Ace is amazing…"
After carrying Luffy out of the shack, Ace looked him in the eyes.
"Luffy," he said seriously, "Sabo and I waited until now to save you. How do you feel about that?"
"Huh? How I feel?" Luffy blinked, then grinned. "Obviously, I'm grateful you saved me! And if you waited, I bet you had a good reason. Whatever your reason is, Ace, I support it. Always! Hehehe!"
Ace chuckled.
What a total idiot…
But he couldn't bring himself to dislike that kind of idiot.
The reason Ace waited until the last moment to rescue Luffy—just like in the original timeline—wasn't for fun.
It was to help Luffy grow.
Conqueror's Haki can only awaken when one's spirit—their will—matures.
And the Bluejam incident had been a rare, perfect opportunity.
Of course, Luffy's spiritual growth also benefited Ace. As Luffy's potential rose, so too did Ace's ability to draw strength from their training together.
Sabo smiled as well. He had trusted Ace's decision from the start—even if it had made him anxious.
Because if it was Ace's call, he believed in it.
"Hey, Luffy," Ace said again, this time with a solemn expression.
"We don't want to be your friends anymore."
"...!!!" Luffy froze, eyes wide.
"We want to be your brothers."
Ace broke into a brilliant grin.
"YEAH! YEAH!!!" Luffy shouted joyfully.
---
TL/N:
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