After some time had passed, aboard the Going Merry, which had already begun sailing toward another region of the Alabasta Kingdom
Ace sat there dazed, staring at the reflection in the water inside his cup. Then he looked again at the busy Straw Hat crew on deck—some training, some planning things out—and his whole mind seemed to short-circuit.
After a long silence, he repeated the question he had already asked countless times on the journey here, his voice uncertain:
"You guys… really defeated Blackbeard?!"
"Of course we did!"
Seeing Ace still doubting their strength, Luffy frowned immediately.
"What's there to be confused about?"
"No…" Ace shook his head helplessly.
Was he supposed to say it?
That Blackbeard's strength was terrifying?
That before he had left, stubbornly insisting on going alone, both Pops and his crewmates had practically dragged him back by force, afraid he would meet disaster at Blackbeard's hands?
But…
Ace lifted his head, staring at Luffy's stubborn expression. No matter how he looked at it, he simply couldn't believe it—his little brother, who had only recently set sail, had actually defeated someone with a real name and presence even in the New World.
"How did you all even manage that?!"
Ace finally couldn't hold back and voiced the question burning in his heart.
But before Luffy could answer, Red burst out laughing first.
"Ace, have you ever heard… the story of Pokémon?"
…
…
Flash—
With a burst of bright white light, Red and Ace suddenly appeared inside the Pokémon world.
Even though Ace had sailed with Whitebeard for many years, traversing countless wondrous seas and witnessing all manner of mysteries across the world…
Even he was shocked speechless by this sudden entrance into such a bizarre alternate dimension.
"I never imagined a Devil Fruit ability like this could exist! This is unbelievable!!!"
"Haha! The really unbelievable part hasn't even started yet!"
Seeing Ace's stunned expression, Red laughed, then opened Ace's Pokémon interface.
Instantly, a screen full of Ace's data appeared before him:
[Pokémon: Portgas D. Ace]
[Level: 70]
[Gender: ♂]
[Nature: Jolly (+Speed, -Sp. Attack)]
[Type: Fire]
[Ability: Flame Body (When making physical contact with the opponent during battle, there is a high chance of inflicting a burn.)]
[Moves: None]
[Experience: 0/15769]
…
[HP: 200]
[Attack: 208]
[Defense: 205]
[Sp. Attack: 278]
[Sp. Defense: 212]
[Speed: 225]
…
"What dazzling stats!"
Looking at how Ace's lowest stat still exceeded 200, Red couldn't help clicking his tongue.
If he had to point out any flaw, it was probably that—even though Ace carried the bloodline of Pirate King Roger—he had ultimately abandoned his natural physical advantage and devoted himself entirely to training his Devil Fruit.
As a result, the device didn't assign him even a single normal-type classification representing pure physical prowess, instead certifying him solely as a Fire-type.
Zephyr hadn't been wrong: relying too much on Devil Fruit abilities was absolutely not the correct path.
Haki, physical conditioning—these were equally fundamental measures of a true powerhouse.
That being said, the Flame-Flame Fruit was unquestionably a Devil Fruit worth anticipating.
Among the many Logia-type natural elements, when it came to killing power and versatility, fire was always among the highest-ranked—never to be underestimated.
That whole "Flame-Flame Fruit? Even a dog wouldn't want it" joke was nothing more than a meme.In truth, Ace's death in the original timeline was ultimately because Whitebeard had protected his sons too well.
With the Whitebeard Pirates' name behind them, even the strongest, like Kaido and Big Mom, didn't dare casually provoke Whitebeard's officers.
As for other pirates? Even less so.
As a result, the majority of battles the Whitebeard division commanders experienced were nothing more than one-sided crushes against clueless small-time pirates…
Or wandering the sea looking for potential new "sons" for Whitebeard.
Actual combat against opponents of equal strength was almost nonexistent.
Over time, Ace and many of Whitebeard's commanders accumulated tremendous potential—but had very few opportunities to convert it into true battle capability.
Because of Luffy's presence here, Red intended to make Ace realize this early.
Otherwise—even if Blackbeard didn't defeat him—one day, sooner or later, someone else would.
And that would still bring trouble to the Straw Hat Pirates.
Of course, this help wasn't free!
Ace's appearance came at the perfect time—precisely filling a gap in Red's plans.
He intended to ask Ace for a small favor… leveraging Ace's identity to accomplish certain things.
…
…
With a thought from Red, the TM list opened again.
Since the only Fire-type TM available was Ember—which was far too weak—Red instead selected three broadly applicable moves to teach Ace:
The all-purpose stat move, Bulk Up;The absolute full-power strike, Hyper Beam;And Facade, a move requiring special conditions to reach its strongest effect.
Originally, Red had wanted to give him Tri Attack.
But Ace's inner flame was so overwhelmingly pure that he was completely unable to learn a move requiring the manipulation of Ice-type energy.
So in the end, Facade was the best choice.
After Ace finished absorbing the three brand-new moves, Red immediately summoned Sky Dash, then slapped the back seat of the flying vehicle and said:
"Let's go! Hop on!"
"…Oh~"
Ace, still overwhelmed by the wonders of the Pokémon world, responded almost instinctively and climbed aboard.
The two of them sped through the sky atop the balloon-tethered glider.
Just then, Red finally seized the moment and spoke:
"Ace, I actually think… Blackbeard might not be dead yet."
"What!?" Hearing that name, Ace snapped back to full awareness, leaning forward in shock.
"Why would you say that?!"
"Didn't Luffy say he was seriously injured and fell into the sea after you all defeated him?!"
The fierce wind howled past them, and Red raised his voice:
"I can't explain it clearly—just treat it as a gut feeling!"
"I just don't think that guy is the type who would die so easily!"
Blackbeard had vanished into the depths—no body, no confirmation…
In the world of pirates, anyone who disappeared like that was almost always someone who would later resurface somewhere unexpected.
Just like Saul, who changed Robin's life…Or Bon Clay, who Magellan had seemingly doomed in the control room…
Both had faced certain death—yet both were later confirmed alive.
In Red's eyes, Blackbeard surviving was at least a 95% likelihood.
He warned Ace:
"So if you're planning to return to Whitebeard and report, I recommend you don't assume Blackbeard is dead."
"I see…"A thoughtful glint passed through Ace's eyes.
After a long moment, he finally spoke:
"In that case… I'll remain in the first half of the Grand Line a while longer!"
"As long as I can't be certain that guy is really dead, I definitely won't be able to rest easy."
"I knew it…" Red sighed helplessly.
He could have lied—sent Ace back to Whitebeard's ship under the false impression that everything was resolved, ensuring his safety.
But after that, when Blackbeard reappeared, Ace's credibility among the Whitebeard Pirates might take a serious hit.
And knowing Ace's personality, he would absolutely set out again to hunt Blackbeard down.
Rather than wait for Blackbeard to regroup in the future, it was better to give Ace the truth now—so he could remain in the first half of the Grand Line, restricting Blackbeard's room to maneuver.
Over the next stretch of the journey, Red explained Blackbeard's abilities to Ace one by one.
The Dark Vortex, which restrained Devil Fruit powers…His ability to steal another person's abilities…
After hearing all this, Ace's hatred and killing intent toward Blackbeard instantly grew heavier and darker.
That bastard—He had murdered a comrade for the sake of ambition!
A man like that truly deserved to die a thousand times!!!
After some time, Red carried the still-stunned Ace to the Pokémon Center in Cerulean City, where a Move Tutor taught Ace the Fire-type move Sizzly Slide.
Although this meant Ace's ability Flame Body might overlap or conflict with Sizzly Slide's guaranteed burn effect…
It was still the best move set Red could give him under present circumstances.
…
…
Flash—
White light burst forth again.
Ace reluctantly bid farewell to the Pokémon world.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back on the deck of the Going Merry.
"So, Ace?!"
"Isn't Red amazing!?"
Ace had barely regained his senses when Luffy rushed forward excitedly, boasting in the same tone as someone showing off a beautiful wife to his older brother.
"Yeah."
Ace's eyes shimmered with astonishment.
"I never imagined you'd acquire such incredible power, Red."
"This is unbelievable!"
"Heh." Luffy grinned, but didn't continue bragging.
At that moment…
Robin stepped out from the cabin, scanned the deck, and locked onto Luffy and Red. She walked toward them to deliver her report:
"Captain, Trainer—Baroque Works' high-level meeting has been fully arranged."
"All senior agents will gather tonight at eight…"
"The location is… the Spider's Café~!!!"