Marine Calendar Year 1536, the coast of Windmill Village.
The morning sea breeze carried a salty, damp scent, and the waves crashed against the jagged rocks.
Fourteen-year-old Luffy stood at the edge of the cliff, his head tilted back, his eyes filled with undisguised envy and longing.
Standing before him were two figures, imposing like iron towers.
After the final two years of systematic Haki training, seventeen-year-old Ace’s height had firmly settled at an astonishing two and a half meters.
He wore an open, dark red sleeveless coat, revealing muscles that were as perfect as if carved by a knife and axe, brimming with explosive power.
His broad shoulders and long limbs, combined with his intimidating height, cast a deep, long shadow on the ground even as he stood there calmly.
Standing beside him, Sabo was also around two point four meters tall.
He wore an exquisitely tailored deep blue tailcoat that gave him a unique aura, a blend of an aristocrat and a thug.
The water pipe he used to carry had long since been replaced by a custom long staff infused with high-strength alloy.
“We are leaving, Luffy.” Ace lowered his head, looking at Luffy, his tone calm and steady.
“I know!
In three years, I will definitely come to find you!” Luffy clenched his fists and shouted loudly.
Ace nodded slightly, offering no unnecessary words.
He reached out his broad, thick palm and pressed it heavily onto Luffy’s straw hat.
“See you on the sea.” He turned around and stepped forward.
There were no lingering goodbyes, nor any exaggerated laughter.
In the awestruck gazes of the Windmill Village villagers, Ace and Sabo stepped onto a temporary small wooden boat anchored at the coast and rowed toward the distant horizon.
…
Half a day later, at a secret shipyard cave somewhere in the East Blue.
When Ace and Sabo stepped into the massive cavern, the Old Shipwright, who had been sitting in a rocking chair smoking, suddenly shuddered, his hand holding the pipe trembling.
The Old Shipwright looked up, gazing at the black-haired man in front of him—two point five meters tall, exuding a cold aura like a top-tier predator—and an uncontrollable sense of overwhelming pressure rose from the bottom of his heart.
The kid who came to deliver money four years ago was now supporting such a suffocating monster?
“Is the ship finished?” Ace spoke calmly, his voice deep, causing an echo in the empty cave.
“Of…
Of course!
The most perfect work of my life has been prepared for you for a long time!” The Old Shipwright snapped out of his daze, hurriedly stood up, and pulled down a giant canvas covering the massive dock behind him.
Accompanied by the roar of turning chains, a top-tier sailing ship that could be called a work of art was fully revealed before Ace and Sabo.
It lacked the bloated volume of traditional Marine warships, instead presenting a streamlined, sharp, teardrop-shaped structure.
It was about thirty-five meters long, with two decks and a two-mast design.
“For the keel and load-bearing structure of the entire ship, I used the highest density ‘iron pine’ available on the black market, and the exterior is wrapped in a layer of specially treated anti-corrosion steel plates.
Not only is it sturdy enough to ram through jagged reefs, but the streamlined hull also minimizes wind and water resistance.
As long as the wind direction is right, its speed is absolutely the best in the East Blue!” The Old Shipwright introduced with fanaticism.
Sabo stepped onto the deck, pushed open the door to the living quarters, and a flash of satisfaction crossed his eyes.
The interior design perfectly met their requirement for “top-tier enjoyment.” A temperature-controlled wine cellar, a spacious hall laid with expensive silk carpets, extremely soft leather sofas, and even the bathtub in the bathroom was carved from a single piece of precious stone.
This was not a broken wooden boat for suffering at sea, but a mobile luxury palace.
“Well done.” Ace stepped onto the deck, his tall figure standing firmly on the sturdy wooden planks.
He reached out to touch the smooth gunwale, feeling the solid craftsmanship of the ship, and nodded slightly.
Eighty million Berries—worth every penny.
“Raise the sails, weigh anchor.” Ace walked to the bow and calmly issued the first order since setting sail.
“Understood, Captain.” Sabo operated the helm, and the huge, pure white main sail instantly filled with the sea breeze.
This extremely expensive medium-sized fast ship, like a sharp sword released from a bowstring, tore through the calm surface of the East Blue and silently slipped into the vast ocean.
“Splash.” The sturdy and sharp wave-breaking bow cut through the rolling waves extremely steadily.
The huge pure black sail was fully unfurled by the sea breeze, pushing this beautiful, streamlined sailing ship to glide across the sea at an astonishing speed that ordinary merchant ships could only dream of.
“From today, it shall be called the eclipse.” Ace stood on the wide bow deck, his hands resting casually on the wooden railing.
His tall, upright frame was draped in a dark red sleeveless coat, and the sea breeze blew through his slightly curly black hair.
He watched the boundless distance calmly, his deep black eyes revealing the absolute composure and restraint of a Captain.
“It really is a perfect ship.
Not only is it ridiculously fast, but the chassis is so stable that there isn’t even a hint of unnecessary swaying.” Sabo walked out of the pilothouse, holding two glasses of chilled sake he had just taken from the temperature-controlled wine cellar, and handed one to Ace.
“With a cost of eighty million Berries, if it couldn’t even achieve this level of stability, that Old Shipwright should have been thrown into the sea to feed the sharks.” Ace took the wine glass and drained it in one gulp.
For the half month since they set sail, Ace and Sabo had just been sailing the eclipse aimlessly with the wind in the East Blue.
On one hand, it was to familiarize themselves with the various performance capabilities of the new ship; on the other, it was a brief relaxation for Ace’s nerves, which had been dull for over a decade.
“Ace, where are we going next?” Sabo spread out an extremely detailed East Blue sea chart, tapping his slender fingers on it.
“According to the current wind direction, if we go south, we can reach the bustling Orange Town in three days; if we go east, it’s the waters under the jurisdiction of the Marine 153rd Branch.” Ace did not answer immediately.
He closed his eyes slightly, letting the sea breeze mixed with water vapor brush against his cheeks.
In this quiet afternoon, his innate, far-beyond-ordinary Observation Haki extended infinitely in all directions with the sea breeze, like an invisible radar.
The sound of seagulls flapping their wings across the clouds, the sound of undercurrents from schools of deep-sea fish, and even the screams of two pirate ships fighting thousands of meters away…
The sounds of all things in the world gathered in Ace’s mind like fine threads.
Suddenly, Ace’s closed eyelids trembled slightly; he heard a faint summons.
He opened his eyes abruptly, his gaze like two sharp swords piercing toward the southwest direction, which was completely unmarked on the sea chart.
“Sabo, turn the helm, full rudder to the southwest.” Ace’s voice was low but carried an unquestionable decisiveness.
“Southwest?” Sabo was stunned for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the sea chart, and his brows furrowed slightly.
“Ace, the sea chart for the southwest is blank.
According to the rumors of East Blue merchants, the ocean currents in that area are extremely chaotic, shrouded in thick fog year-round, and it is known as a ‘dead zone that even flying birds cannot cross.’ Many ships that accidentally entered there have mysteriously disappeared.” “A dead zone, huh?” Ace turned around, casually placing the wine glass on the round table beside him, a curve hooking at the corner of his mouth.
“Then let’s go see if this so-called dead zone can actually stop our eclipse.”