Chapter 32

"A game?" Teach scoffed at Ace. "What are you, a kid?"

"Ahh, come on. Don't be like that! Games are fun?"

"And why should I play?"

"You stand to win everything if you beat me, of course."

"Then, if I win, you guys will be my crew?" Teach asked. It seems he still hasn't given up.

"Sure," Ace said, easily accepting the stake. The Royal Aces weren't really surprised. They just watched from the side. "But, if I win, you'll have to join my crew. Of course, what I previously said still stands. I vow I won't kill Whitebeard or any of his crew if you join us."

"That sounds great!" Teach stood up and shook hands with Ace. "You better not go back on your word!"

No matter how anyone looked at it, it was a win-win situation for Teach. If he won, he would get a powerful crew. If he loses, at least his father and the Whitebeard Pirates will be safe. Teach already acknowledged the ridiculous strength of the rookie in front of him.

"Of course! Men shouldn't be breaking promises!" Ace shook hands with Teach.

"So? What's the game?" Teach asked.

"HAHAHAHA! Normally, you should ask it before accepting," Ace said. "But, you're lucky. The game will be whatever you choose."

"You sure?" Teach asked, the grin on his face widening like a devil's.

"I am! Go ahead and name your game."

"Then," Teach said before looking around. His gaze was outside the ship. Ace had an idea what game he had in mind. "See that rock there?"

Ace followed Teach's outstretched hand. He was pointing it somewhere. Ace looked at where Teach was pointing at and spotted a rock formation jutting out in the middle of the sea. It was rather recognizable since it was the only rock there in the vast expanse of blue water.

"Yeah. What about it?" Ace asked.

"We'll swim there. First one to reach it wins the game!" Teach grinned devilishly at Ace. "You wanted me to name the game, and that's what I choose."

The Royal Aces were silent. They looked at Ace and Teach. Then, they laughed loudly. Teach had no idea why. Ace joined in the laughter. He was the first one to break.

"HAHAHAHA! He's got you good, Ace!" Vash said.

"Oh no! I guess we'll have a different captain now!" Terzo was wheezing.

"What a perfect game! Sure, Teach! I accept it!" Ace said to Teach.

Ace went ahead and stepped up on the railing that faced where their goal was. He stood there and looked behind him, waiting for Teach to come and start the game.

Teach was disturbed by how calm Ace and his friends are. He thought he chose the perfect game against a Devil Fruit user, but it felt like he was playing right in their hands.

'That can't be. This is a swimming race! Devil Fruit users can't swim! Even Pops can't swim despite being the strongest!' was the thought swimming in Teach's mind.

"Again, we'll have to swim alright? Our whole body should be submerged under water!" Teach said as he went up beside Ace.

"Of course! Wouldn't be swimming otherwise, right?" Ace said, mostly to his crew, eliciting more laughter from them. "You ready, Teach?"

"Oi, hold up! You'll die, y'know?" Teach said.

"Is that concern I hear?" Ace smirked. "I'm touched! It's like you're already our friend!"

"Shut up!" Teach said before stepping on the wooden railing of the Ashen Dragon similar to Ace. "Let's just get this over with."

"On your mark," Ace said to Teach, letting him start the game.

"Three!" They did some stretching.

"Two!" They struck a diving pose.

"One!" They inhaled as much air as they could.

"Now!" They dove headfirst into the sea.

Teach expected an easy win. The moment he dove, he didn't swim just yet. Teach turned to the side to look at Ace who was currently frozen. Seeing Ace suffer from the curse of eating a Devil Fruit made Teach shake his head at his opponent's stupidity. He swam towards Ace, hands outstretched and prepared to save him. But then, something happened that Teach didn't expect at all.

Ace turned his head to Teach and sneered at him. Then, he swam away. He covered a great distance with just the strength in his body alone. He left Teach behind, leaving the man in shock at the sight of a Devil Fruit user swimming in the sea.

Teach quickly collected himself, but it was too late. Ace had a great head start. Ace was much stronger than him as well. Ace swam much faster, and after two minutes underwater, he reached the goal that Teach set.

A minute later, Teach reached the goal as well. He swam up and gasped for air before looking incredulously at Ace. He swore that he could hear the Royal Aces laughing in the distance.

"You-! How can you swim?" Teach asked Ace. His eyes were as wide as coins in shock at what Ace could do.

"I used my two arms and legs. How else?" Ace answered with a smirk.

Teach just stared wide-eyed at Ace as the latter visibly dried up his wet clothes. The water on his body evaporated at a rate the eye could see. It was an application of Ace's Devil Fruit. Using the heat of his flames, Ace dried up his clothes.

Ace then blew a hot wind at Teach from his mouth, interrupting the latter from asking any more questions. The hot wind Ace blew evaporated the water on Teach's body, quickly drying him the same way Ace was.

"...thanks for that," Teach reluctantly said.

"You're welcome!" Ace grinned. "So, you lost!"

"I did," Teach grunted out.

"What's your decision, then?" Ace questioned Teach.

Teach was incredibly silent as he stared at Ace. Neither of them backed down from the unblinking stare. Teach was hesitating and deliberating. The way his eyebrows furrowed made Ace suspect that he's busy making a plan.

"Fine. If it means saving my father, I'll join you," Teach finally said.

"Great! Welcome aboard my ship!"

…

"He'll probably betray us, you know?" Hepha said to Ace after pulling him aside from the continuation of their welcome party for Teach aboard the Ashen Dragon. "The others think so too."

"I know, but this is the best way to keep him as a prisoner," Ace said with a devilish grin at Hepha.

"What are you planning?" Hepha asked, clearly noticing how a plan seemed to be brewing in her captain's mind.

"Teach is the son of Whitebeard. The Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates," Ace stated after briefly collecting the words in his mind. "There's a great chance he has a Vivre Card on him."

"I… didn't think about that," Hepha said before leaning on a railing to think about the implications of what Ace said.

The probability that Teach had a Vivre Card made from him was high. Very high. He was a top officer of the strongest among the Four Emperors. It sounds more impossible if he didn't have a Vivre Card.

"So, that's why he chose to come aboard."

"Yes," Ace said. "If he resists, he knows I could just kill him. If I don't and I take him prisoner, he knows I'm strong enough to hold him down without needing to heavily injure him. Add that to the fact that I showed kindness to a prisoner, there's a chance he'll still be taken care of and kept in a good condition despite being one."

"Still, those relied on chances. I think I know what he's planning now if he really has a Vivre Card on him."

"Yeah. Having freedom is still the best thing. He can control his own fate. If I'm not mistaken, he'll be a suicidal crewmate."

"Frequently injuring himself to the point of nearing death so that his father would come running to him." Hepha finished Ace's thought.

"Exactly." Ace confirmed that he was thinking the same thing. "So, are you scared?"

"Of what?"

"Whitebeard," Ace clarified before leaning on the railing beside Hepha. "He'll be one of our strongest enemies."

"I'm not."

"How brave!"

"Not really. I just feel safe with you, Captain." Hepha said, smiling at Ace.

"Wha-?" Ace blushed at the sudden compliment. "HAHAHAHA! Don't say that! I'll get arrogant! I know I'm strong, but I don't want to assume I can match the Emperors yet, come on!"

"You're right. We shouldn't be arrogant," Hepha said as she laughed with Ace. "I think I should start training the others on Armament Haki. Vash and Terzo are already teaching Soma Observation Haki, after all."

"Since when?" Ace was surprised at what Hepha said. It was one of the things he was finding the timing to address. He thought the others were slacking off on their training.

"Well, you sleep early so I guess it's natural you didn't know," Hepha said. "Vash and Terzo already have a firm grasp on their Observation Haki, so they thought it was alright for them to teach Soma."

"How's Soma handling it?" Ace asked.

"Surprisingly well. The kid is talented. He already started dodging hits at the first lesson," Hepha said, her eyes glinting in surprise at the memory. "You're good at picking great people."

"Everyone has their own greatness inside of them. I just hoped to inspire my crew to bring out theirs."

"You're doing just that. Believe me," Hepha said to Ace. They enjoyed the comfortable silence.

"Oi, damn woman! Stop seducing our captain!" Ace and Hepha heard Soma shout at them from where they left the others.

"Shut the hell up, kid!" Hepha shouted back before turning to Ace. "Well, he's right. We've been gone too long."

"Then, let's go back and party!" Ace went first. "For now, our dear old Teach is a friend."

"Don't let him hear you say that, stupid!"

Ace and Hepha returned to the table where they were drinking to continue the party. When they got there, Ace observed how his crew kept their new crewmate close. Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. If Ace didn't hear from Hepha that the others expected Teach to betray them, he'd guess that they were welcoming him with open arms.

The Royal Aces were enjoying their party as they sailed closer to the island Vash spotted in the horizon. Suddenly, Ace's Future Vision flared. He was warned of an incoming bullet from behind him that came from outside the normal range of his Observation Haki.

The bullet came from within the island they were going to. Ace usually keeps his Observation Haki on at a certain range all around him. The bullet coming straight at his head came from outside of that range. Which means, Ace will need to focus if he wants to find where the shot came from.

The bullet coming for his head wasn't coated with Armament Haki, so it won't really kill him. The issue was, if Ace just let the bullet fly without any interruption, the bullet would harmlessly go through him and lodge itself in Soma's chest, who was right in front of him.

Ace reached a hand to the back of his head and casually caught the bullet before it hit him. He then looked at it. It was long and rather thick. It was a sniper's bullet.

With his Observation Haki activated, Ace turned around and extended its range. He was very impressed by whoever shot at him. It had to be said that Ace's Observation Haki when he's relaxed was still wide enough to cover a great distance. Only shooters on the level of someone like Vash should be able to accurately hit shots outside that range.

The fact that Ace's shooter was able to aim straight at his head from outside Ace's normal Observation Haki range meant that the sniper was a very skilled one. Ace was curious as to who it was so he looked for the sniper with his Observation Haki.

No other shot came for him. There was no second attempt, so Ace had to spend a few seconds more than he should have if the sniper shot at him again. Inevitably, Ace found who it was.

'Is that…? Van Augur?'