Chapter 184: The Three Main Protagonists In Troubled Times
Without the Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit, Ace's abandoned potential in the original story seems to have been reignited through his Haki talent instead.
A year ago, Cavendish's bounty of 280 million berries caused a global sensation. Now, Ace's bounty of 250 million berries has created even more of a buzz worldwide, especially due to the response from the New World.
What made this so remarkable was Ace awakening his Conqueror's Haki before even entering the New World and his ability to fend off a fleet led by a Vice Admiral without suffering any injuries. His achievements are dazzling.
Who else, before Ace, had mastered Conqueror's Haki before reaching the New World? If we look back to before the Great Pirate Era, "Pirate King" Gol D. Roger and his first mate, "Pluton" Silvers Rayleigh, were notable examples. But after the start of the Great Pirate Era, only one other person managed to master Conqueror's Haki before entering the New World: the youngest Emperor in history and one of the current Five Emperors—"The World's Strongest Creature," Cross Kahn.
Even Shanks and "Pirate Empress" Boa Hancock only awakened their Conqueror's Haki after entering the New World.
Now, with such a rising star like Ace, it's impossible not to attract attention and stir discussions across the New World.
Had Ace possessed a powerful Devil Fruit ability or a special physique like certain others, his potential and threat would have been even more overwhelming. However, without either of these advantages, he still managed to capture the attention of the entire New World, including the Five Emperors—Kahn included.
Kahn is particularly interested in Ace, especially wondering if the Ace, who lost the Flame-Flame Fruit and his role as the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, would still play a crucial part in Luffy's development, helping him grow from immature to mature.
More specifically, will Ace still end up joining the Whitebeard Pirates?
Even though Kahn already prevented the Dark-Dark Fruit from being claimed, and the possibility of a Summit War happening seems slim, if Ace joins the Whitebeard Pirates and rises to the level of a senior commander, there's still a chance that he could be captured by the Marines, leading to a war with them.
This makes Ace's next move crucial. The extent of the "butterfly effect" caused by Kahn's interference remains to be seen.
If Ace doesn't join the Whitebeard Pirates, the Summit War likely won't happen, and if it does, it won't involve the Whitebeard Pirates. In this scenario, unless Kahn, Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, or Shanks directly challenged Whitebeard and his crew, Whitebeard would continue to reign as the uncrowned king of this era.
The competition in the New World would remain balanced among the Five Emperors without triggering the chaos caused by a scramble for power following Whitebeard's downfall.
On the other hand, if Ace does join the Whitebeard Pirates, the chances of a Summit War remain slim, but not entirely out of the question.
In this scenario, after the "Son of Destiny" Luffy sets out to sea, it's likely that besides the Revolutionary Army led by Monkey D. Dragon, the Red-Haired Pirates led by Shanks, and the Marine hero Monkey D. Garp, the Whitebeard Pirates may also join Luffy's eventual circle of allies.
If the world's strongest man also backs Luffy, the coming turbulent times could be even more chaotic than they were in the original story.
During this time, while Kahn was busy, he occasionally took notice of the rising star, Ace, which also piqued the interest of Law and the other girls. Robin and the others couldn't help but focus on this young man with the "D" initial, recognizing him as a member of the D family.
As the sensation of the year 1517 in the Sea Circle Calendar, Ace, with his 250 million berries bounty, made his way to the end of the first half of the Grand Line—Sabaody Archipelago.
Just when everyone, including Kahn, thought Ace would soon have his ship coated and enter the New World, the supernova who had captured global attention suddenly vanished.
For the entire year of 1517, Ace was nowhere to be seen, and with no news reports to explain his disappearance, people began to wonder if he had been arrested by the Marines upon arriving at Sabaody. Yet, because the Marines typically make high-profile announcements of arrests—especially of pirates with bounties over 100 million berries to discourage piracy and reassure the public—Ace's disappearance without any news indicated that he had not been captured.
As the year 1517 ended and 1518 began, Kahn realized that another major ripple effect had taken place.
Ace's prominence in the Sea Circle Calendar of 1517 was undeniable. His talent and accomplishments were so extraordinary that no other rookie pirate during the Great Pirate Era could compare to him.
The three sworn brothers, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy, had agreed to set sail at the age of seventeen. Sabo was the first to break that promise, but Ace and Luffy followed through.
Ace, born on January 1st, had set sail in January, while Luffy, born on May 5th, went out to sea in May. In the original timeline, Ace's meteoric rise within just one year was legendary. After obtaining the Flame-Flame Fruit on Sixis Island, he dominated East Blue and the first half of the Grand Line. He was even invited to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea. After entering the New World, he met Shanks, fought to a draw with Jinbei, and finally faced Whitebeard. After losing to the strongest man in the world, Ace disbanded the Spade Pirates and became a member of Whitebeard's crew. Ace's string of successes in just one year made his journey one for the history books.
It's no exaggeration to say that Ace's luck that year was unparalleled.
But now, after reaching the Sabaody Archipelago, Ace mysteriously vanished from the seas. This sudden pause in his voyage left Kahn shocked and wondering what could have caused it.
After some investigation, Kahn discovered the reason: Ace had encountered Rayleigh, the legendary right-hand man of Gol D. Roger, who was living in seclusion with Shakky and Granny Z in Sabaody. Ace had begun Haki training under Rayleigh's guidance.
In the original timeline, Ace had never met Rayleigh. During the Summit War, Rayleigh wasn't there to rescue him. However, in this timeline, Ace not only met Roger's first mate but also began training under him.
With Rayleigh as his mentor, Ace's path became clear—he was destined to become a Haki master. The Haki potential that had been neglected in the original story was now fully realized. With a teacher of Rayleigh's calibre, if Ace hadn't met an early death, he might have mastered the advanced techniques of Conqueror's Haki.
As the Sea Circle Calendar turned 1518 and Ace continued his training without entering the New World, Kahn began to look forward to the future of the three sworn brothers—Luffy, Ace, and Sabo.
There was no doubt that the Sea Circle Calendar starting from 1517, or more precisely the five years from 1517 to 1522, would be shaped by these three. The three sworn brothers were destined to be the protagonists of the coming era of chaos.
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