One Piece: The sky is azure, I just time-traveled today.

Page 121

If he can defeat the strongest man in the world, then he will prove that he is on the right track!

A true path to freedom!

The faint sound of bells drifted from the distant mountains; it was the sound of bells from the towns of the Kingdom of Goa.

Ace raised his head and looked in the direction from which the bells were coming, his eyes firm and cold.

The operation must begin.

Chapter 143 The Flame-Flame Fruit Appears

The operation went exceptionally smoothly.

The nobles of the Kingdom of Goa were clearly not expecting that the bandits entrenched in the Golepo Mountains would be so audacious as to launch a surprise attack on several of their warehouses located on the outskirts of the city, where the defenses were relatively lax.

Ace's tactics were simple, brutal, and effective—a feint, a quick incursion, the seizure of the most valuable and easily portable items, and then, before the city's defense forces could react, a retreat into the dense forest like a tide.

The whole process was clean and efficient. Apart from a few guards who tried to resist being knocked unconscious and tied up by the bandits, there was almost no bloodshed. The rules set by Ace were perfectly followed.

Back at the base deep in the mountains, the atmosphere was as festive as if it were a holiday.

The bandits gleefully counted their spoils—bags of gold coins, exquisite jewelry, luxurious silk fabrics…enough for them to squander for quite some time.

"Boss Ace! Look what we found!"

An excited bandit, carrying an antique-looking wooden box, pushed through the crowd and ran to Ace.

"It was hidden in a secret compartment at the very back; it must be a treasure!"

Everyone's attention was drawn to it. The wooden box looked very valuable, with strange patterns carved on it.

Ace was also curious. He took the wooden box, which felt quite heavy. He carefully opened the lid. Inside, there was a soft red velvet cloth, and in the center of the cloth, lay a strangely shaped fruit.

The fruit was deep red all over, and its surface was covered with strange spiral patterns, like a solidified flame or the scales of some unknown creature, exuding an indescribable mysterious aura.

"What kind of fruit is this? It's so ugly!"

"A variety I've never seen before..."

"It's hidden so well, it must be something good!"

"Maybe it's some kind of secret treasure that can strengthen the body and enhance kidney function?"

The bandits gathered around, chattering and speculating.

Ace had never seen such a strange fruit before. He picked it up; it was slightly cool to the touch. Driven by youthful curiosity and the excitement of his recent success, he didn't think twice and bit into the plumpest-looking part!

The fruit peel burst open, and an indescribable juice, seemingly a mixture of extreme flavors such as rot, spiciness, and bitterness, instantly filled his mouth!

"Pfft—! Ugh...!"

Ace's expression changed drastically. He tried to spit out the fruit in his mouth, but he couldn't. He instinctively swallowed it, and his tongue and even his stomach were churning.

"What the hell is this?! It tastes awful!!!"

He bared his teeth and yelled, about to throw away the remaining strange fruit in his hand.

However, the instant he finished speaking—

A scorching power erupted from his body without warning!

Ace's arms, shoulders, and even his upper body suddenly burst into flames of burning orange!

The intense heat caused the surrounding bandits to scream and retreat, and even the ground beneath his feet showed signs of scorching.

The flames leaped and danced on his body, yet strangely they did not ignite his clothes, as if they were part of his body.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events, their mouths agape as they stared blankly at their boss, who was engulfed in flames.

"This is…?"

Ace was stunned. He looked down at his burning hands, feeling the surging and scorching power flowing through his body, and an unprecedented sense of control arose spontaneously.

With a slight thought, the flame in his hand flickered; with focused concentration, the flame solidified into a form.

After a brief moment of shock and discomfort, a piece of common knowledge that is almost universally known in the world of One Piece suddenly popped into his mind.

The taste is so bad it's almost unbearable...

Consuming it grants extraordinary abilities...

"This is... a Devil Fruit?!"

Ace cried out, his face instantly turning grim. He looked at the bitten fruit in his hand, which looked even more bizarre, and finally understood why it had been so carefully hidden in the secret compartment.

"Devil Fruit?"

"Is that the cursed fruit that grants magical powers to those who eat it, but also condemns them to be abandoned by the sea?"

"Boss Ace, you...you've become a landlubber?!"

"Seriously, such a miraculous fruit exists?!"

"This is the first time I've ever heard of this!"

"You guys forgot, Luffy, the guy who hangs out with Ace, isn't he the rubber band guy? His arms can stretch incredibly long!"

"Right, right, so that means the boss can't go to sea anymore?!"

The bandits realized what was happening and immediately erupted in an uproar.

As Ace watched the flames on his body gradually subside, yet still faintly flowed across his skin, and felt the powerful Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit) energy, his emotions were complex and difficult to describe.

Gaining great power is certainly exciting, but becoming a "landlubber" and unable to swim is undoubtedly a huge blow and constraint for those who aspire to venture out to sea.

He did indeed obtain power, and it was an extremely powerful natural-type power.

"This is terrible..." he muttered to himself, his face no longer showing the triumph he had felt after the successful operation, but instead a gloomy expression. "I'm afraid I really won't be able to go to sea anymore."

From that moment on, the vast blue sea he longed for closed one of its most important doors to him.

The initial excitement of gaining power receded like the tide, replaced by a heavy sense of bewilderment and... a trace of indescribable grievance.

When we got home...

Ace had no idea how he got back. His steps were unsteady, and his mind was a complete mess.

He pushed open the familiar wooden door and immediately saw his mother, Lu Jiu, busy at the stove.

The warm lights, the familiar aroma of food, his mother's gentle back... all of this formed a stark contrast to the violent, burning power within him.

"Mother……"

Ace called out softly, his voice choked with a sob he himself was unaware of.

He rushed forward and, to Lu Jiu's surprise, buried his face in her arms, like an ordinary child who had been bullied outside and finally found someone to rely on.

Lu Jiu was taken aback by his sudden action, forgetting to put down the spatula in her hand. She could feel her son's body trembling slightly.

"What's wrong, Ace?"

Rouge put down the spatula, gently patted his back, and asked in a voice so tender it could melt your heart, "Did you and Luffy have another fight?"

"no……"

Ace's muffled voice came from her shoulder, thick with nasal tone and a sense of despair bordering on self-destruction, "I... my strength has been forced to drop to the same level as Luffy!"

These words were completely nonsensical, leaving Rouge utterly bewildered.

"On par with Luffy? What do you mean?"

Just then, perhaps due to Ace's overwhelming emotions, he struggled to control the newly generated power within him—

Orange-red flames erupted uncontrollably from his body again, instantly engulfing him! The intense heat caused the surrounding air to distort!

Rouge's pupils contracted sharply as she instantly understood!

It wasn't an injury, it wasn't an argument... it was a Devil Fruit!

Her son ate the Devil Fruit that was cursed by the sea but also granted mortals divine power!

"Don't be afraid, Ace."

Rouge's voice showed no panic, but rather a gentler and more resolute tone. Unlike the others who screamed and retreated, she tightened her arms, holding her son, whose body was engulfed in flames, even closer in her embrace.

"Mom! Don't touch me! Fire...fire will hurt you!"

Chapter 144 Ace Sets Sail [Thanks for the requests for updates and the donations]

Ace panicked and tried to break free, fearing that the uncontrolled flames would burn the person who loved him most in the world.

Rouge gave the order in a soft but unquestionable voice. Her hand gently stroked Ace's burning back. The flames, powerful enough to melt gold and corrode stone, did not harm her in the slightest, but only brought a warm feeling of being enveloped.

"Let Mommy hold you tight. It'll be so warm!"

Ace froze. He could feel the warmth and stability of his mother's embrace. The flames seemed to have a mind of their own, obediently avoiding his mother and burning quietly on his body.

"What child in the world would harm their own mother?"

Rouge's voice carried a serene understanding of the world and boundless trust, "I believe in you, Ace. This power is a part of you; it will not, and could never, harm me."

She lowered her head, her cheek gently pressed against Ace's hot but not scorching forehead.

"No matter what you become or what power you gain, you will always be my son. Neither fire nor sea can change that."

His mother's embrace and words were like the most effective tranquilizer, soothing Ace's inner turmoil and confusion.

The flames leaping on his body gradually subsided and subsided, eventually disappearing completely, leaving only the boy's slightly trembling body and slightly reddened eyes.

He hugged his mother tightly, absorbing her unconditional love and trust.

Yes, he is Portgas D. Ace.

He is Rouge's son.

Now that this power has become a part of him, he must completely conquer and master it!

So what if we can't go to sea?

He will use this flame to burn out a route that belongs to him, a route to the sky and freedom!

Time flies, like the tireless waves of the East China Sea, washing over the shore wave after wave, taking away the naivety of youth and bringing the rough edges of growth.

Several years have passed quietly.