OP: My Aircraft Carrier Evolves#188+189: Reunited with Ace, a One-Punch TKO! Is Old Man Whitebeard Still Able to Eat?

"Look out??"

As Ace was speaking with Decalvan, he heard Vista's sharp cry.

Look out for what?

Just then, another pirate noticed something was wrong.

"Where did the sun go?"

"Why is there... another shadow?"

"Hey! Up there! What's blocking the sun?"

A shadow? In the sky?

Ace and Decalvan looked up. A colossal shadow was indeed blotting out the sun, and it was falling fast.

"What the hell is falling from the sky?"

"Hey—I think it's coming right for us!"

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

"IT'S GONNA HIT US!"

Just as panic erupted, streams of air blasted from the bottom of the descending object, slowing its fall until it came to a steady hover.

It hung there, suspended in mid-air.

"It... it stopped!"

"What is that thing?"

"What the hell is going on?"

The crewmates who had been clinging to each other, crying for their mothers, now stared up in utter disbelief.

As the object descended slowly into the water, its true form became clear in the sunlight.

"Is that... a ship?"

"A SHIP?"

"You've got to be kidding me. A ship can't sail through the air!"

"No way..."

But it was true. A ship.

"Amazing!"

"Does it fly? A flying ship?"

"Could it be... the Flying Dutchman?"

Everyone stared in shock.

And then, from the ship’s mast, a flag unfurled—a fearsome black dragon on a field of crimson.

Ace. Vista. And even Vergo, watching from the heights of the G-5 base—

—all felt a jolt of recognition.

The name and the flag of Jin had stormed the New World the moment he’d defeated a Warlord and taken the title for himself.

The King of Paradise.

That was the title the World Economic Journal had bestowed upon him.

Just as Shanks and the others had been named the Four Emperors, it wasn't a title he had claimed for himself. It was a declaration, broadcast to the world on the front page of the news.

It was a title recognized by the World Government.

A title forged through the failures of countless challengers.

The King of Paradise.

Some praised him, others sneered, but most of the power players in the New World had been eagerly awaiting his arrival.

What kind of waves would he make here??

How would he clash with the Emperors??

Would he submit??

Would he try to usurp them??

Or would he be sent scurrying back to Paradise with his tail between his legs??

No one aiming for the top—be they pirate or Marine—could afford to ignore him.

And now, here he was, descending from the heavens to make his grand entrance into the New World.

Vista’s shock gave way to a sharp, wary caution. Was his sudden appearance a coincidence, or was it planned?

Was his target the same as theirs—Whitebeard?

The thoughts raced through his mind before settling into a steely resolve.

'I don't care who you are. If you've come to challenge Pops, I'll do everything in my power to stop you.'

Decalvan, who had been on the verge of surrendering to Whitebeard for the sake of his crew, now saw a glimmer of opportunity.

'If they fight... I might still have a chance.'

He was like the other young captains of the Worst Generation who would storm the New World in five years' time—Luffy, Kid, all of them. Their goal was the summit.

He wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"The man who defeated Doflamingo," Vergo murmured, his expression grim. "Rumor has it he was invited to Big Mom's tea party. Is that why he's come to the New World?"

The newspapers had been silent on the matter—Morgans wouldn't dare to offend Big Mom. But the whispers had spread through the underworld, and Vergo, with his access to both Marine and Doflamingo's intelligence networks, had heard them.

Of all the people present, Ace’s expression was the most complex.

The memory of his encounter in the East Blue at the beginning of the year was still fresh.

'Am I strong enough now to beat him?'

He didn't know.

In the span of just seven or eight months, he had gone from an unknown in the East Blue to "Fire Fist" Ace of the New World. His rise had been meteoric.

But... facing that king again, Ace wasn't sure he could win.

He had challenged Whitebeard a hundred times and lost a hundred times.

Ace knew he had hit a plateau.

An invisible chasm lay between a genius and a true monster. It looked so close, yet it was a world away.

And so, after long and careful consideration, Ace had decided to disband the Spade Pirates and accept the offer to become Whitebeard's son.

But it was more than just that.

During his time with the Whitebeard Pirates, Ace, who had been so fixated on his own purpose and on surpassing Roger, had begun to change.

He had found the feeling of "family."

To continue fighting... it had started to feel meaningless.

—————————

"Yo, Ace. We meet again."

Ace looked up. The sun was blinding. A figure stood on the high deck of the ship, silhouetted against the light.

"The air in the New World... not so different from Paradise," Jin mused, taking a deep breath. "Just a little thicker with the smell of gunpowder."

"Hey, Ace, you know him?" Vista asked.

"Is he a friend?" Decalvan added, a note of worry in his voice.

Ace’s answer came in the form of the roaring flames that erupted from his body, the air crackling with heat.

The fire surged, exploded, consuming his entire being.

"WUUUAAAAAH!" he roared, a demon of fire bursting forth from the depths of hell, his presence a palpable force.

"FIRE FIST!"

Propelled by the flames, Ace shot into the air, his right hand transforming into a colossal fist of fire that he brought crashing down.

The heat washed over them, a searing wave before the blow even landed.

The sky itself seemed to ignite.

The power was immense.

"That's... Fire Fist Ace?" someone on a nearby island exclaimed.

"Still as fired up as ever," Jin said, a smile playing on his lips, a flash of red light in his eyes. "But isn't this a rather rude way to say hello?"

He threw a single punch.

The resulting shockwave tore through the flames, a violent gale that swept across the sea.

All the fire, all the heat—extinguished in an instant.

And then, Ace was hit.

Inch-foot power. The art of unleashing devastating force over the shortest possible distance.

A gout of blood erupted from Ace’s mouth. He was launched backward, a streak of red light arcing across the sky before slamming into an island several nautical miles away.

The impact was terrifying.

The small mountain where he landed exploded, the reef shattering, the ground cracking. A thick cloud of dust and debris obscured the view.

The sea churned, the aftershock of the punch whipping it into a frenzy of massive waves.

Decalvan's eyes were wide with horror. His crew was sent tumbling across the deck.

"ACE!" Vista cried out, stunned.

The crew behind him were speechless, their faces a mask of disbelief.

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Ace's recklessness was a constant headache, but his strength, the strength that had allowed him to challenge Whitebeard again and again, had earned their respect. He could hold his own against the old man, even force him to use some of the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, had even managed to inflict a few burns.

And now... he'd been taken out with a single punch.

Silence fell over the sea.

"Whitebeard Pirates, I presume?" Jin said, his fist unclenching as he casually rested his hand on the ship's rail, as if he'd just swatted a fly. His gaze swept over Whitebeard's flag, then settled on Vista.

The look in his eyes sent a shiver down Vista's spine. He brought his twin swords up in a defensive posture, his eyes locked on the man.

"Flower Sword Vista," Jin said, by way of greeting.

"King of the Winter Blossom Kingdom, Warlord of the Sea, Mr. Jin," Vista replied, his words slow and deliberate.

He didn't know why, but though the man was smiling, he radiated an unnerving, invisible pressure.

Was it just his reputation? Or was it the power of that punch?

It was the same feeling a pirate in the New World gets when they hear the name of an Emperor.

A king's ambition.

"To what do we owe the pleasure of this sudden visit?" Vista asked politely. He wasn't afraid to fight, but he didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble for Pops.

The New World was a Four-Factions stalemate. The Emperors were all so powerful that destroying one another would be a difficult and costly affair. Even if one were to emerge victorious, they would be so weakened that the other two would be free to pick them apart.

And more importantly...

There was the matter of Pops's health.

The division commanders had long since forbidden the old man from fighting personally, with the exception of Ace's challenges. They allowed it partly because Pops was stubborn, and partly because the damage Ace could inflict was minimal. It was a way for the old man to blow off some steam.

Entertainment.

But this man... just by standing there, he exuded a heavy, oppressive aura.

Vista's combat intuition, honed over years of fighting, was screaming at him.

'This man is strong. Terrifyingly strong.'

"I sensed Ace was nearby, so I came to have a look," Jin said. "And now that I'm here... it seems a shame to leave without meeting your captain, Edward Newgate. It would be... impolite."

He said the word with a slight, mocking smile.

"Vista, you will contact him for me, won't you?"

He wants to see Pops? Why? Is he a target?

Vista took a deep breath. "If you have a message, I can relay it for you."

"Don't misunderstand," Jin said with a smile. "I just think it would be a pity to leave without meeting the man himself. The balance of power in the New World is shifting. Roger, Shiki, Whitebeard... Roger and Shiki have already fallen behind. And Big Mom, though she's still the ruler of a nation, does little more than hide in her castle and enjoy her sweets. Of the old generation—not counting Kaido and Shanks—only Whitebeard is still standing strong. It's admirable. But... when a man gets to be that age, you never know when he might not wake up. It would be a shame to miss the chance to meet him, just in case..."

Vista's face darkened.

That son of a bitch. He was talking as if Pops was going to die tomorrow.

They all knew the old man was sick. They were all worried. But no one wanted to hear it from an outsider.

Even the normally calm Vista was starting to get angry. His loyalty to Whitebeard was absolute. During the Summit War, when Teach had mocked Whitebeard, Vista had had to be restrained.

It wasn't just him. The other crew members, who all revered Whitebeard, were also glaring at Jin with undisguised rage.

"HEY! WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?"

"YOU BASTARD!"

"ARE YOU PUTTING A CURSE ON POPS?"

"No," Jin said with a smile. "I'm concerned about him. I was just thinking of his glory days. And I was wondering... is the old man Whitebeard still able to eat at the head of the table?"

Vista's expression hardened.

Anyone could hear the challenge in his words.

And it made sense. Whitebeard was one of the four rulers of the New World. Who wouldn't be interested in him? Especially the young and ambitious.

Who wouldn't want to try and climb the four great mountains of the New World?

But... thinking of the old man's health, Vista's gaze firmed. "If you want to see Pops, you'll have to get through me first."

He leaped into the air, his twin swords a blur as he shot toward Jin, crossing the distance in an instant.

"Rose Rondo!"

His swords flashed, and a flurry of rose-petal-shaped shockwaves erupted from the blades, hurtling toward Jin.

CLANG!

The attack was blocked.

But Jin hadn't moved.

The one who had blocked Vista was...

"Doma!" Vista's eyes narrowed.

The Bohemian Knight, Doma, held his two swords in a reverse grip, blocking Vista's attack.

"Vista," he said with an excited grin, "I'll be your opponent."

Doma was a two-sword style user, with a gun-toting monkey on his back. He was about two meters tall, powerfully built, with a long coat and a red bandana.

A short while ago, he had allied with another pirate crew to try and take some of Whitebeard's territory. He had been defeated by Ace and had been on the run ever since.

In the original story, Doma would go on to become one of Whitebeard's 43 allied pirate captains. During the Summit War, on Whitebeard's orders, he had fought Vice Admiral Momonga to protect Luffy.

"Hey, King Jin!" he called out. "If you want to challenge Whitebeard, I'm willing to lend a hand."

"You stay out of this," Vista growled, his swords flaring with light as he dove.

"I'm the one you're hunting," Doma said, his movements like a dance as he engaged Vista. "How can I stay out of it?"

The two of them clashed.

Vista was stronger, but Doma was agile and tenacious. It wouldn't be an easy fight. The captains who dared to challenge Whitebeard and lived to join his crew were no slouches.

Suddenly, the alarm bells on the shore began to ring.

Vista looked over.

A large number of Marines were rushing toward the spot where Ace had landed.

"Hey! Go help Ace!" he ordered.

"Sir!"

His crew turned the ship toward the Marine base.

—————————

Ace pushed the rubble off himself and climbed to his hands and knees. Blood trickled from his mouth, and a sharp pain shot through his chest.

"Dammit... that monster... How am I supposed to beat him? Do I have to be as strong as Pops?" He was gasping for breath, each one a struggle.

"It's Ace!"

"Over there!"

"Get him!"

The wind carried the shouts of the Marines to his ears. He looked up and saw the soldiers of G-5.

G-5 was a strange branch of the Marines. Their faces were vicious and cruel, and they didn't wear the standard uniform. They looked more like pirates or thugs than Marines. They were known for disobeying orders from Headquarters and for their brutal methods.

"Get Ace, and we'll be rich!" the man leading them shouted, his eyes gleaming. "Open fire!"

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Bullets flew toward Ace.

He grit his teeth, pushed himself up from the crater, and unleashed a wave of fire.

"Fire Daruma!"

He clashed with the Marines.

Vergo, who had been observing, frowned. "I didn't give that order," he muttered. "Who...?"

"Sir! It was... it was Commodore Yarisugi!"

"That idiot."