Navigation: The Intuition is Against Heaven, and the Deduction of the Start is a Cremation

Chapter 8: Sea Kings! Mera Mera no Mi!

“Hahaha! Brat, let me show you your grandpa’s fishing skills! Even in the Marines, my fishing skills are top-notch! Hahaha!”

Garp held an absurdly oversized fishing rod, grinning at Ace, who was completely ignoring him while adjusting his own equally massive rod. Without a word, Ace cast his line.

“Hah! That’s not how you fish! You need to bait the—”

Splash!

Before Garp could finish, Ace yanked his rod, and a massive blue fish, over ten meters long, soared out of the sea.

Thud! Thud!

The giant fish flopped violently against the rocky shore.

“What were you saying?” Ace turned to Garp with a blank expression. “Ahem! Ace, that was just luck! There’s still a lot I need to teach you about fishing!” Just as Garp tried to salvage his pride—

Splash!

Another colossal fish, even bigger than the last, landed on the shore as Ace reeled it in effortlessly. Garp’s jaw hung open as he stared at the two behemoth fish flopping on the rocks.

“What was that about your fishing skills?”

Ace tilted his head.

“Hmph! Catching common fish is easy. Watch closely, brat—I’ll catch a Sea King!” Garp’s face turned red as he roared, eyes burning with determination. The reason he had chosen this island for Ace’s training wasn’t just the dangerous beasts inhabiting it. It was also the Sea Kings that roamed its surrounding waters.

Garp had closely monitored Ace’s growth over the years. At this point, normal beasts posed no challenge for him. Even stronger, exotic creatures only found in the Grand Line were beyond reach for now. But the Sea Kings were perfect for honing Ace’s abilities. Though young, Ace stood no chance against them just yet—but with Garp supervising, there was no real danger.

[Grand Line (偉大なる航路, Idai naru Kōro) – The most dangerous sea in One Piece, home to powerful pirates, mysterious creatures, and extreme weather.]

However, at this moment, Garp wasn’t thinking about training. His old pride had been wounded, and he was desperate to prove his fishing dominance.

“Sea Kings?” Ace mumbled as he looked out to sea.

“That’s right! Sea Kings are a whole different level! They are the true rulers of the ocean! Each one possesses terrifying size and power!” Garp continued, eyes still glued to the water. “Is this one?”

Splash!

Ace leapt into the water, gripped a shadow beneath the surface, and with a deafening boom, an enormous, eel-like creature, spanning hundreds of meters, was yanked out of the sea.

“Yes, that’s a—wait… WHAT?!”

Garp nodded at first, then froze in disbelief.

“ROAR!”

The Sea King bellowed in rage, lunging to devour Ace whole.

“Ace!” Garp’s face paled. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to jump in and rescue the boy. A creature of this size was far beyond Ace’s abilities.

BZZT!

Ace’s eyes gleamed with purple-black light.

Then—

BOOM!

A terrifying wave of pressure exploded outward, sweeping across the Sea King. Its enormous body suddenly froze mid-attack. Then—

THUD!

The Sea King’s eyes rolled back as it collapsed into the ocean, floating lifelessly. “T-That’s… Conqueror’s Haki?!” Garp muttered, staring in disbelief as Ace dragged the unconscious Sea King onto the shore. Ace having Conqueror’s Haki didn’t surprise Garp—  After all, the Haki Ace unleashed the day he was born had been far more overwhelming than this. But what did shock Garp was the fact that Ace’s Haki had only affected the Sea King. Neither he nor anything else around them had been affected.

Even Roger and himself had first awakened Conqueror’s Haki, their bursts were uncontrolled, indiscriminately knocking out anyone nearby. It took years of training to precisely direct their Haki. Yet, at just seven years old, without any formal training Ace had already mastered the controlled use of Conqueror’s Haki.

Unbelievable…

Garp stood frozen, his mind blank. Meanwhile, Ace paid no attention to Garp’s shock. As he pulled the Sea King onto the rocks, his eyes locked onto a peculiar spot on its stomach. Embedded in its skin— Was a flaming, burning fruit. Ace instantly recognized it. Mera Mera no Mi!

【Your comprehension is unparalleled! The Mera Mera no Mi has been drawn to you through your boundless understanding!】

Ace’s mind buzzed with the sudden revelation.