Chapter 33: News of the Op-Op Fruit

Marine Headquarters, Elite Training Camp

The morning sun fell on the sandy training ground, carrying a wave of heat. Sand flew in the air like a miniature golden storm.

"BANG!" A 9-year-old Ace's feet were buried deep in the sand, his arms crossed to block, his Armament-hardened skin gleaming with a metallic black light. But even so, he was sent flying back several meters by a crisp, straight punch from Roy, his feet plowing two deep furrows in the sand. He was almost invisible in the flying dust.

"Cough...!" Ace gritted his teeth, shook his sore arms, his eyes as stubborn as fire. "Damn it! Again!"

The cadets at the side gasped. "That little kid is only 9... is he even human?"

"That's the monster Rear Admiral! He didn't even use his Devil Fruit ability..."

"I hear Ace is Vice Admiral Garp's grandson..."

Zephyr stood with his arms crossed, his gaze behind his sunglasses as sharp as a blade. He glanced at the record board beside him, which clearly recorded: Continuous use of Six Powers combination techniques for 17 minutes. This data made even the Smoker of back then feel ashamed.

"He really is that person's..." A thought stirred in his heart, but he immediately suppressed this dangerous idea, his gaze turning cold as he stared at the center of the field. "Now, he is a Marine!"

In the center of the field, Roy's presence was as steady as a mountain. "Great improvement." A slight smile appeared on his lips, but his tone was light. "But it's still too early."

"Don't be so smug!" Ace stomped the ground, and sand flew. "Shave!" The next second, his figure vanished, his fist wrapped in black Armament Haki, aiming straight for Roy's back.

"CLANG!" The fist hit Roy's back and actually made a sound like metal on metal, making Ace's arm go slightly numb. "What?!" A hint of astonishment flashed in Ace's eyes. The next second, Roy countered with a light chop to his head. "Smack!" Ace squatted down, holding his head, a few wisps of white smoke rising from his black hair. "Oww, oww, oww!"

Roy calmly retracted his hand, as if he had just been brushing dust off his shoulder. The cadets at the side all stared with wide eyes. "Rear Admiral Roy didn't even bother to dodge?!"

"So scary, that was an Armament Haki attack!"

Ace looked up, a large bump on his forehead, but he suddenly showed a smile. "Don't think you can win me like this!" He pressed his hands on the ground, his feet flipping into the air as he launched a rapid series of slashes. "Tempest Kick: Barrage!"

"Swish-swish-swish-swish—!" Dozens of vacuum slashes shot out from the ground, sweeping across the entire field like a storm.

Roy raised an eyebrow slightly, finally getting a little serious. His figure swayed slightly, and he weaved through the gaps in all the slashes with minimal movement, not even his clothes getting nicked.

"Good creativity—" Before he could finish, Roy suddenly appeared right in front of Ace, his index finger gently tapping his forehead. "But your openings are too big, kid."

"Uwaah!" Ace sat down in a sandpit, angrily slapping the ground. "Not fair! You're only ten years older than me!"

Roy chuckled and reached out to pull him up. "When you're my age, maybe you'll be able to beat me." That sentence lit a fire in Ace's eyes. "Just you wait! I'll beat you until you submit!"

A "crack" suddenly sounded from the side of the field. The two turned and saw that Zephyr had crushed the edge of the record board, his gaze dark as he stared at Roy. "Roy! Who gave you permission to increase the teaching difficulty?!"

Roy immediately stood at attention. "Sorry, Instructor!"

But Ace excitedly jumped in front of Zephyr. "Grandpa Zephyr! I want to learn the Moonwalk propulsion technique tomorrow!"

"I told you, in the training camp, you call me Instructor!" A vein popped on Zephyr's forehead, but a slight smile secretly appeared on his lips. He looked at Roy, a complex emotion in his eyes. They exchanged a look, and both had the same thought: "This kid... maybe he really can surpass his father."

Just then—

"BANG—!" The training ground gate was violently smashed open. Luffy, covered in bandages, with a half-dead crocodile hanging from his neck, grinned widely. "Ace—! I beat the crocodile in the cafeteria! We're having a feast tonight!"

Nami chased after him, exasperated. "You idiot! That's a science unit's experimental subject!"

Zephyr's roar instantly exploded. "Garp! Control your monkey!!!"

For a time, the entire elite training camp was in chaos.

Time passed peacefully for several months.

Marine Headquarters, Training Ground

The sun fell on the wide training ground, heat and sweat intertwined, the air filled with the shouts of boys. Ace sat cross-legged on the ground, his cheeks slightly flushed from the sun, his arms wrapped in black Armament Haki, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, as if he were suppressing the power within him.

Roy squatted in front of him, one hand gently tapping Ace's fist, his voice steady and firm. "Remember, Haki is not brute force. It is an extension of will."

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Ace's forehead. He closed his eyes, his breathing rapid, his fists trembling slightly. "Like breathing, imagine it flowing rhythmically, covering every inch of your muscles with your blood."

Ace's brow was furrowed. He suddenly opened his eyes, and the black light flowing on his fist dissipated. "I... I think I got a feel for it." He excitedly clenched his fists, a fighting spirit burning in his eyes.

Roy smiled slightly and was about to pat his shoulder. "Not bad, keep practicing—"

Before he could finish, his smile suddenly vanished, his pupils constricting as his gaze instantly turned to the training ground exit. Gion was striding through the long corridor, her long hair flying in the wind, her expression unusually tense.

Roy frowned, and his figure vanished instantly. "Swish!" The next second, he had appeared in front of Gion. "Sister Gion, what happened?"

Gion was startled by the sudden appearance but quickly composed herself. "Roy? The intelligence department intercepted information about a deal for the 'Op-Op Fruit.' Fleet Admiral Sengoku has already sent people to handle it, but the situation is complicated."

"Op-Op Fruit?!" Roy's pupils constricted suddenly, his face instantly turning grave. He didn't ask any more questions and teleported away directly.

Intelligence Department, Classified Archives Room

"Swish!" A flash of light appeared in the file room, the air slightly distorting. Vice Admiral Tsuru was sitting at a long table, her fingertips flying as she organized the latest intelligence files, her gaze as sharp as a blade. She subconsciously looked up, her glasses reflecting a cold light. "Roy? How did you—"

"Madam Tsuru, the information about the 'Op-Op Fruit,' please let me see it immediately." Roy's voice was unusually urgent, his usual calm composure gone.

Vice Admiral Tsuru was slightly taken aback, but her trust in Roy made her not hesitate at all. Her fingers quickly tapped the password lock on the file cabinet, and the data cabin door popped open with a "clack." She quickly pulled out an encrypted file and pulled the projection screen in front of her.

The screen instantly lit up, and lines of dense information scrolled rapidly.

Target: Op-Op Fruit

Holder: Former Marine officer, now pirate, Diez Barrels and his crew

Trading Party: Donquixote Family (middleman)

Marine Contact: Classified

Vice Admiral Tsuru stared at the projection screen, her brow furrowed, her voice low. "Sengoku has already sent people to take over this fruit. Is there a problem?"

Before she could finish, a sharp light flashed in Roy's eyes, his voice extremely low. "Doflamingo is not someone who will easily let go of a benefit..."

Vice Admiral Tsuru was slightly taken aback, then a terrifying thought came to her—the ability of the Op-Op Fruit is... and Doflamingo's ambition...

The air between them instantly froze, with only the light of the projection screen flickering on their faces. Vice Admiral Tsuru suddenly looked up, her eyes stern and decisive. "Roy, go to the transaction location immediately! I will report directly to Sengoku."

"Yes, sir!"

"Swish!" A pale blue afterimage flashed by, leaving only flying files and Vice Admiral Tsuru's deep sigh in the archive room.

The wind was like a blade, the sea of clouds churning. Roy's figure flashed at a near-light-speed rhythm, each teleport distorting a pale blue afterimage in the air.

"The transaction location of the Op-Op Fruit..." His gaze was fixed on the direction of the North Blue, his pupils reflecting the distant skyline, a smiling boy's face flashing in his mind.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku..." A familiar voice seemed to echo in his ears, just like in the past, with a steady and kind reminder: "Roy, you have the entire Navy behind you."

"You've helped us so many times. This time..." he murmured to himself, his fists clenching silently, a dark and heavy light in his eyes.

"It's my turn to repay you."

The wind howled, his breathing gradually steadying. "Rosinante... you have to hold on."

His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's. The next second, his figure merged with space and flashed rapidly towards the North Blue.

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