[The Navy Attacks! Monkey D. Ace Gains Notoriety]
'There he is over there! Let's get him!!! Don't you know? He's Ace! I heard he was related to the Pirate King, or something...' the marine was saying to his colleagues, right before they began an assault on Ace.
'Right! Men, after that man!' the Captain of the Navy squad snapped.
Ace began to sprint in the direction of the shipyard that he had heard about before, the one that his father had talked about. Luffy had told him that it was right over near the ocean surrounding Water 7 and that it was the place Luffy had ended up meeting Franky of the Straw Hat pirates, as well as the shipbuilders who had worked with the CP9 agents Luffy had met at the very same place, but followed to Enies Lobby, in order to rescue another of the Straw Hats, Nico Robin. Looking back, Ace could see the whole squad sprinting after him and the Captain in the front, yelling at him to stop.
Ace did exactly that and the squad skidded to a halt, as they automatically assumed a defensive position in front of him and even slightly closing around him. The Captain moved in, swinging a lage mace and holding a katana in his left hand. Ace dodged the first swing from the mace and jumped backwards, flipping in the air, then turning his arms to rubber and pushed them at the ground, while extending them swiftly. He rose up into the air, ascending in the air behind him and then positioned his arms, turning them to titanium. 'Eki Eki No Gatling Gun!' The titanium arms shot forwards, slamming the Captain into his men, and demolishing the front part of the squad, right after the Captain knocked some of them back. The marines began to fire their pistols and rifles at him, but he swung his arms and knocked them all back at the marines, hitting several of them. The squad backed away now, half of them down and their Captain knocked out, right in front of them. Finally, they attacked again half heartedly and fired their rifles again, while one bold one shot forwards, using Soru and began to throw punchs and kicks at Ace. Ace artfully dodged the attacks, weaving in and out of the area surrounding the marine. Finally, he used Soru again and managed to hit Ace in he shoulder with his fist. Ace laughed at him and used another of his techniques. 'Eki Eki No Pistol: Busoshoku Yari!' Ace's arms, which had been changed into titanium and then covered with the hardened spirit of will around them, shot forwards again, like spears of metal and spirit, which hit the marine and literally bowled him backwards, sending him metres and metres into the air, until he slammed into the ground, rolling along the rocks and dirt, until he came to rest about 30 metres away. The rest of the troops, probably a quarter of the squad members left, turned and ran away. Clearly they were not going to mess with Ace any more, anyway.
Ace continued to the shipyard, aware that more might come after him at any given minute. He wanted a ship and would not be stopped from getting one with the money he had from turning over the pirate Captain. He could see the sea now and figured that the shipyard must be close to his location, so he continued running, ignoring looks from a few people that were walking, as he ran past. He spied the shipyard and skidded to a halt in front of the gates. He opened the gates and waled in, noticing the docks and the half-completed and fully completed ships. A man was banging tacks in to the side of one of the boats, clearly building it or fixing it up for a ship owner. Ace strode over and called up to him.
'Hi there! I was wondering about how much it would be to buy a decent sized boat... you wanna help me out?'
The man looked down at him, long, black hair hanging downwards towards Ace. 'How much you got? Ships aren't cheap, ya know. Most people pay about 30-40 million beris for a decent boat.'
Ace frowned. [Inner Monologue:That's at least ten million more than what I have... I wonder if there are any cheaper ones. I guess I could ask him and find out if they have any in my price range...]
'I don't have thirty, or forty million... I have twenty million beri, though... do you have smaller ones around that price`range?'
'Hmmmm... I'm not sure... I guess I'll have to ask the boss...' then he turned over his shoulder and yelled loudly. 'HEY, BOSS!!!'
Moment's later, a blur of color appeared in Ace's view and the first man was joined by a second man, who was much larger than the first, but had appeared even faster than Ace's eyes could detect. He had blue hair and the look of a fighter.
'Who are you?' the man directed at Ace.
Ace bowed and then shook the man's hand. 'Pleasure to make your acquaintance... I'm Ace. And you are?'
'I am Iceberg II, the owner of this shipbuilding company, which I inherited from my father, Iceberg I... So, what I can I do for you?' This, he directed to Ace and the dark-haired man.
'He was looking for a boat around twenty million beri, sir. Do we have any around that price?' the dark haired man asked Iceberg II.
'No. The cheapest boat we have is thirty million beri... I am afraid I cannot help you today, Ace. However, if you managed to find the extra ten million, then I would be delighted to take your business then... i'm afraid I just cannot sell any boats for under 30 million, otherwise I would go out of business!'
Ace nodded, then remembered something that his father had told him. 'You know, I remember the name, Iceberg, from somewhere and it was in relation to this city and my father's travels, back when he was an aspiring pirate... he mentioned this place, Galley-La... also, two men named Lulu and Paulie... anyway, my father, Luffy, saved your father from CP9... I was kind of hoping you could do me a favor, you know?'
Iceberg II stared at him blankly for a moment. 'If you are who you say you are, then maybe... however, how am I supposed to know that you are telling the truth and not just lying to me about this, so that you can buy a boat for cheaper than the given price?'
'I guess you can't... unless I give you proof that I am who I am said I was, the son of the Pirate King.' Ace rolled up his sleeve and showed the tattoo on his bicep - it was of the Straw Hat jolly roger, with the Straw Hat crew gathered around it. Still, Iceberg didn't look convinced.
'So what? You have a tattoo of their crew, but that isn't really proof... you could just be an admiring fellow pirate, who is trying to pull the wool over my eyes... just save yourself the trouble and go buy a boat elsewhere... actually, I'll give one more chance to prove yourself... if you are the son of Monkey D. Luffy, the current Pirate King, then you should be able to tell me the names of the three CP9 agents that worked here, prior to the attempt on my father's life, as well as the name of the legendary shipbuilder who inspired my father and one other man, who ended up joining the very pirates of your father, or so you claim... well?'
Ace smiled. 'I always listened to my father's stories... when I was young, he would always tell me them before I went to sleep... they made excellent bedtime stories. The three CP9 agents were Kalifa, Rob Lucci and Kaku. The legendary shipbuilder is someone all pirates should know of, his name being Tom. And, the man who joined my father's crew was Franky, also known as Cutty Flam. That good enough for you?'
Iceberg bowed his head in acknowledgement. 'I guess you are who you maintain you are... alright, I'll do you a favor, since your father helped my father in the time of his need... I guess it's only fitting, after all, that their sons would be meeting here and this very moment would occur.'
Suddenly, the gates flew open and marines began to pour into the shipyard. Iceberg moved like lightning, confronting the Commander of the marines. 'This is my shipyard... please leave at once.'
'Not until you hand over that pirate... the Captain of the Town Patrol saw him heading this way and hastened to let me know, so that I could capture the scum. So, town mayor, what are you going to do?'
'Nothing. You are going to leave these yards and, when I have finished conducting business with the pirate, he will leave here on his own accord, where you can attempt to capture him. I will not be pushed around by the Navy in my own city!'
The Commander glared at Iceberg, his eyes acting as piercing daggers. 'No. We're not leaving here until we have that pirate arrested and taken away... move, now, or I will not be responsible for what happens next!'
Ace appeared in front of Iceberg, and facing the Commander. His spirit was astounding and the resolve in his eyes was real and frightening to the marines gathered in the yards. 'I suggest you leave, or I'll have to force you to!'
'Shut up, you pirate scum!!! You're coming with us, it'll be Impel Down for you... oooofff!' The Commander never got to finish what he was saying, because Ace had punched him with the full force of one of his titanium arms. The Commander slanted backwards, then righted himself and snarled at Ace, a look of rage clear on his face now. Even though he had taken the force of one of Ace's attacks, he was still standing and the grimace of pain had already left his features.
'You'll pay for that! No-one just walks up to me and punches me, without getting away with it.'
'And no-one pushes my friends around. I'm not going to go easy on you, marine!' Ace growled back, his blood rising.
The Commander withdrew his sword and disappeared, using Soru, like the marine had earlier, except the Commander was much faster and Ace could barely even keep his eyes on him. Then, the Commander attacked, soaring in towards Ace, swinging his sword at him. Ace dodged by rolling, then changing his body to rubber, where he pushed himself upwards, using the rubbery arms to fling himself.
'So... you ate a Devil's fruit, eh? I have just the remedy for that, you fool!'
[To Be Continued]
'There he is over there! Let's get him!!! Don't you know? He's Ace! I heard he was related to the Pirate King, or something...' the marine was saying to his colleagues, right before they began an assault on Ace.
'Right! Men, after that man!' the Captain of the Navy squad snapped.
Ace began to sprint in the direction of the shipyard that he had heard about before, the one that his father had talked about. Luffy had told him that it was right over near the ocean surrounding Water 7 and that it was the place Luffy had ended up meeting Franky of the Straw Hat pirates, as well as the shipbuilders who had worked with the CP9 agents Luffy had met at the very same place, but followed to Enies Lobby, in order to rescue another of the Straw Hats, Nico Robin. Looking back, Ace could see the whole squad sprinting after him and the Captain in the front, yelling at him to stop.
Ace did exactly that and the squad skidded to a halt, as they automatically assumed a defensive position in front of him and even slightly closing around him. The Captain moved in, swinging a lage mace and holding a katana in his left hand. Ace dodged the first swing from the mace and jumped backwards, flipping in the air, then turning his arms to rubber and pushed them at the ground, while extending them swiftly. He rose up into the air, ascending in the air behind him and then positioned his arms, turning them to titanium. 'Eki Eki No Gatling Gun!' The titanium arms shot forwards, slamming the Captain into his men, and demolishing the front part of the squad, right after the Captain knocked some of them back. The marines began to fire their pistols and rifles at him, but he swung his arms and knocked them all back at the marines, hitting several of them. The squad backed away now, half of them down and their Captain knocked out, right in front of them. Finally, they attacked again half heartedly and fired their rifles again, while one bold one shot forwards, using Soru and began to throw punchs and kicks at Ace. Ace artfully dodged the attacks, weaving in and out of the area surrounding the marine. Finally, he used Soru again and managed to hit Ace in he shoulder with his fist. Ace laughed at him and used another of his techniques. 'Eki Eki No Pistol: Busoshoku Yari!' Ace's arms, which had been changed into titanium and then covered with the hardened spirit of will around them, shot forwards again, like spears of metal and spirit, which hit the marine and literally bowled him backwards, sending him metres and metres into the air, until he slammed into the ground, rolling along the rocks and dirt, until he came to rest about 30 metres away. The rest of the troops, probably a quarter of the squad members left, turned and ran away. Clearly they were not going to mess with Ace any more, anyway.
Ace continued to the shipyard, aware that more might come after him at any given minute. He wanted a ship and would not be stopped from getting one with the money he had from turning over the pirate Captain. He could see the sea now and figured that the shipyard must be close to his location, so he continued running, ignoring looks from a few people that were walking, as he ran past. He spied the shipyard and skidded to a halt in front of the gates. He opened the gates and waled in, noticing the docks and the half-completed and fully completed ships. A man was banging tacks in to the side of one of the boats, clearly building it or fixing it up for a ship owner. Ace strode over and called up to him.
'Hi there! I was wondering about how much it would be to buy a decent sized boat... you wanna help me out?'
The man looked down at him, long, black hair hanging downwards towards Ace. 'How much you got? Ships aren't cheap, ya know. Most people pay about 30-40 million beris for a decent boat.'
Ace frowned. [Inner Monologue:That's at least ten million more than what I have... I wonder if there are any cheaper ones. I guess I could ask him and find out if they have any in my price range...]
'I don't have thirty, or forty million... I have twenty million beri, though... do you have smaller ones around that price`range?'
'Hmmmm... I'm not sure... I guess I'll have to ask the boss...' then he turned over his shoulder and yelled loudly. 'HEY, BOSS!!!'
Moment's later, a blur of color appeared in Ace's view and the first man was joined by a second man, who was much larger than the first, but had appeared even faster than Ace's eyes could detect. He had blue hair and the look of a fighter.
'Who are you?' the man directed at Ace.
Ace bowed and then shook the man's hand. 'Pleasure to make your acquaintance... I'm Ace. And you are?'
'I am Iceberg II, the owner of this shipbuilding company, which I inherited from my father, Iceberg I... So, what I can I do for you?' This, he directed to Ace and the dark-haired man.
'He was looking for a boat around twenty million beri, sir. Do we have any around that price?' the dark haired man asked Iceberg II.
'No. The cheapest boat we have is thirty million beri... I am afraid I cannot help you today, Ace. However, if you managed to find the extra ten million, then I would be delighted to take your business then... i'm afraid I just cannot sell any boats for under 30 million, otherwise I would go out of business!'
Ace nodded, then remembered something that his father had told him. 'You know, I remember the name, Iceberg, from somewhere and it was in relation to this city and my father's travels, back when he was an aspiring pirate... he mentioned this place, Galley-La... also, two men named Lulu and Paulie... anyway, my father, Luffy, saved your father from CP9... I was kind of hoping you could do me a favor, you know?'
Iceberg II stared at him blankly for a moment. 'If you are who you say you are, then maybe... however, how am I supposed to know that you are telling the truth and not just lying to me about this, so that you can buy a boat for cheaper than the given price?'
'I guess you can't... unless I give you proof that I am who I am said I was, the son of the Pirate King.' Ace rolled up his sleeve and showed the tattoo on his bicep - it was of the Straw Hat jolly roger, with the Straw Hat crew gathered around it. Still, Iceberg didn't look convinced.
'So what? You have a tattoo of their crew, but that isn't really proof... you could just be an admiring fellow pirate, who is trying to pull the wool over my eyes... just save yourself the trouble and go buy a boat elsewhere... actually, I'll give one more chance to prove yourself... if you are the son of Monkey D. Luffy, the current Pirate King, then you should be able to tell me the names of the three CP9 agents that worked here, prior to the attempt on my father's life, as well as the name of the legendary shipbuilder who inspired my father and one other man, who ended up joining the very pirates of your father, or so you claim... well?'
Ace smiled. 'I always listened to my father's stories... when I was young, he would always tell me them before I went to sleep... they made excellent bedtime stories. The three CP9 agents were Kalifa, Rob Lucci and Kaku. The legendary shipbuilder is someone all pirates should know of, his name being Tom. And, the man who joined my father's crew was Franky, also known as Cutty Flam. That good enough for you?'
Iceberg bowed his head in acknowledgement. 'I guess you are who you maintain you are... alright, I'll do you a favor, since your father helped my father in the time of his need... I guess it's only fitting, after all, that their sons would be meeting here and this very moment would occur.'
Suddenly, the gates flew open and marines began to pour into the shipyard. Iceberg moved like lightning, confronting the Commander of the marines. 'This is my shipyard... please leave at once.'
'Not until you hand over that pirate... the Captain of the Town Patrol saw him heading this way and hastened to let me know, so that I could capture the scum. So, town mayor, what are you going to do?'
'Nothing. You are going to leave these yards and, when I have finished conducting business with the pirate, he will leave here on his own accord, where you can attempt to capture him. I will not be pushed around by the Navy in my own city!'
The Commander glared at Iceberg, his eyes acting as piercing daggers. 'No. We're not leaving here until we have that pirate arrested and taken away... move, now, or I will not be responsible for what happens next!'
Ace appeared in front of Iceberg, and facing the Commander. His spirit was astounding and the resolve in his eyes was real and frightening to the marines gathered in the yards. 'I suggest you leave, or I'll have to force you to!'
'Shut up, you pirate scum!!! You're coming with us, it'll be Impel Down for you... oooofff!' The Commander never got to finish what he was saying, because Ace had punched him with the full force of one of his titanium arms. The Commander slanted backwards, then righted himself and snarled at Ace, a look of rage clear on his face now. Even though he had taken the force of one of Ace's attacks, he was still standing and the grimace of pain had already left his features.
'You'll pay for that! No-one just walks up to me and punches me, without getting away with it.'
'And no-one pushes my friends around. I'm not going to go easy on you, marine!' Ace growled back, his blood rising.
The Commander withdrew his sword and disappeared, using Soru, like the marine had earlier, except the Commander was much faster and Ace could barely even keep his eyes on him. Then, the Commander attacked, soaring in towards Ace, swinging his sword at him. Ace dodged by rolling, then changing his body to rubber, where he pushed himself upwards, using the rubbery arms to fling himself.
'So... you ate a Devil's fruit, eh? I have just the remedy for that, you fool!'
[To Be Continued]