One Piece: The sky is azure, I just time-traveled today.

Page 43

"What are you afraid of! I'm here! Let your hand go first to test the waters!"

As a result, Kuina could often be seen nimbly traversing the mountains and forests, while Robin helplessly followed behind her, occasionally using his ability to grow a few small hands to help Kuina explore dangerous rock crevices or pick some strange-looking wild fruits that she couldn't reach, although most of them were inedible.

Ace, on the other hand, became their most common opponent and punching bag during their "exploration".

Whether by coincidence or by Kuina's own design, they always seem to "bump into" Ace when he's out hunting or training.

Then, almost inevitably, a battle will break out.

Sometimes it's Kuina who initiates the provocation:

"Hey kid! How's your form today? Let's play again!"

Sometimes, Ace, feeling resentful, would deliberately come knocking on their door carrying a long water hose:

"I was careless last time! I'll definitely beat you this time!"

As a result, Ace usually ended up losing.

Kuina's swordsmanship, honed through systematic training and real combat at sea, was far beyond what Ace, a self-taught swordsman, could easily contend with. Even with Ace's astonishing physical attributes and exceptional combat talent, he was repeatedly beaten black and blue by the sheer difference in skill and experience.

Robin, too, occasionally gets caught up in it.

When Ace tried to use his speed to bypass Kuina and attack the seemingly "weak" Robin, he always found himself in a more troublesome situation.

Countless elusive little hands would attack from all directions, grabbing his ankles, tripping his legs, and even taking away his weapons, leaving him vulnerable and exposed, which would then be easily taken down by Kuina.

For more than a month, Ace came home with new bruises and scrapes almost every day.

In the evening, Lu Jiu looked at her son, who had returned injured once again, and with a pained expression, she took out some medicinal wine and carefully wiped the bruises on his face and the abrasions on his arms.

"Does it hurt?" she asked softly, her movements extremely gentle.

Ace grimaced and hissed, but stubbornly shook his head, staring at the ground, and muttered, "It doesn't hurt."

Looking at him, who was clearly in excruciating pain but was stubbornly enduring it, Lu Jiu felt both amused and heartbroken.

After applying the medicine, Ace stretched his still sore arms, raised his head, and looked out the window at the twilight-shrouded mountains and forests. There was no frustration in his eyes; instead, a more intense flame burned within them.

He clenched his fist, as if making a vow, or perhaps to bolster his own courage, and said, word by word:

"Next time... I will definitely defeat them!"

Lu Jiu looked at the indomitable light in his eyes and her heart stirred slightly.

She suddenly realized that her decision to invite Mr. Liu Jiu to stay might not have been a bad thing.

Moreover, the arrival of Kuina and Robin, along with the daily setbacks and failures Ace experienced, were like whetstones, polishing this rough gem, making him shed his impetuousness and become more resilient.

She gently patted Ace's shoulder and said softly, "Yes, Mom believes in you. But be careful, okay?"

Ace nodded vigorously.

One week later, in the afternoon.

Ace crouched low and sneaked into the junkyard outpost where he and Sabo often met—a makeshift shack made of broken planks and rusty iron sheets, barely enough to keep out the wind and rain.

Sabo was sitting on a broken tire, polishing his meticulously modified water pipe weapon. Seeing Ace's appearance, he asked curiously, "Hey, Ace, what's going on? Did some blind adult chase you again?"

Ace didn't answer directly. Instead, he plopped down opposite Sabo, his face showing a complex expression—a mixture of resentment, anger, and a hint of...unable to speak?

He hesitated for a long time before suddenly raising his head and roaring fiercely (but upon closer inspection, his voice seemed a little weak): "Sabo! Come with me to teach someone a lesson!"

Sabo paused in his wiping of the pipe, looked up, and blinked his eyes beneath his blond hair, thinking he had misheard: "Huh? Who are you going to teach a lesson to? Is there anyone in the Goa Kingdom that you dare to mess with but can't beat and need to call on me for help?" He paused, then joked, "It can't be that old man Garp is back again, can it?"

"It's not an old man!" Ace scratched his messy black hair in frustration, as if he had made a great decision, before squeezing out the words through gritted teeth, "It's...it's two women!"

"Pfft—" Sabo almost choked on his own saliva. He put down the hose and looked Ace up and down incredulously. "Women? Two of them? Ace, are you alright? Aren't you usually pretty good at beating up those bullies who pick on kids? When did you become unable to beat even women? Two at once?"

He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and asked with a strange expression, "Could it be... one of those... particularly fierce bar hostesses? Did you steal their drinks?"

"Bullshit!" Ace jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on and punched Sabo on the shoulder (without much force). "She lives in the mountains! A violent woman with a wooden stick! And her accomplice is a nerdy guy who can do magic tricks!"

"A wooden stick? A magic trick?" Sabo was even more confused. "Ace, explain yourself clearly. What exactly happened? How did you get involved with them?"

Ace, his face flushed, stammered out a brief account of his "blood and tears" over the past month. He recounted how Kuina had beaten him mercilessly with a wooden sword, how Robin had used her strange abilities to sabotage him, and how he'd come home bruised and battered every day…

As Sabo listened, his mouth gaped wider and wider.

He knew Ace's strength very well! When that kid got angry, he could easily take down one or two adults with knives with his bare hands! And now he's being lectured every day by a girl with a wooden sword? And there's even someone who can do magic tricks helping him?

This...this sounds like Ace making up a story?

“Wait, wait, wait…” Sabo rubbed his temples, trying to clear his head. “Ace, are you sure you don’t have a fever? Or… did you get caught peeping at someone taking a bath, and that’s why you were chased and beaten?” This was the only reason he could think of that Ace couldn’t beat him and couldn’t escape.

"Sabo!!!" Ace completely lost his temper, lunging forward to grab Sabo by the neck. "Do you think I'm that kind of person?! They started it! That violent woman chases after me every day! And that nerd is just sneaking around doing bad things!"

The two teenagers immediately started wrestling in the small shack, kicking up dust.

After finally separating, both of them were panting heavily.

Seeing Ace's frustrated yet earnest expression, Sabo finally began to believe him. He stroked his chin thoughtfully, "According to you... those two women are really a bit strange. To be able to beat you up like this with a wooden sword... could they be from some dojo?"

"I don't care where they came from!" Ace gritted his teeth. "Avenge this wrong! Sabo, you have to help me! If we join forces, we can definitely take them down!"

Sabo looked at the familiar, mischievous flame burning in Ace's eyes, and then thought about the two "mysterious women" who had forced Ace to ask for help. A sense of curiosity and... eagerness to try it out arose in his heart.

To be able to torment Ace like this, what an interesting opponent he must be!

He picked up the water pipe from the ground, casually slung it over his shoulder, and grinned, revealing his signature, slightly roguish smile:

"Okay! I'll help you with this!"

"Come on! Take me to meet your two 'nemesis'!"

"Let them know that bullying my brother Sabo will come at a price!"

Seeing this, Ace finally revealed his first genuine, ruthless smile of the day.

"Brothers!"

The two men bumped fists together, their eyes gleaming with the same mischievous glint.

As the sun set, two figures, arm in arm, marched menacingly toward Mount Colbo.

Chapter 46 Ace and Sabo

Behind Mount Colbo, on that dedicated battleground "developed" by Kuina and Ace.

The atmosphere was a bit serious, and a bit... comical?

Ace and Sabo stood side by side, one holding a polished long water pipe and the other carrying his beloved custom-made steel pipe. Both of them struck what they considered to be their fiercest and most imposing poses, their eyes glaring sharply at each other.

Across from her, Kuina held a bamboo knife in one hand, pointing it diagonally at the ground, looking impatient as if she were being told, "Here comes another meal."

Robin stood quietly to her side and slightly behind, holding a book whose contents were unknown, with a faint, amused smile playing on his lips.

"Hey! Violent girl! Bookworm!"

Ace pointed the hose at the other side, breaking the silence first, deliberately raising his voice to bolster his momentum, "Today is your unlucky day! I've called my brothers! If you know what's good for you, just admit defeat!"

Sabo stepped forward, swinging the steel pipe on his shoulder, and tried to make his voice sound mature and reliable: "That's right! Bullying Ace is bullying me, Sabo! You two, come at me together! We brothers will handle this!"

Kuina picked at her ear, as if she'd heard some noise. She glanced at Sabo, then looked at Ace, and sneered, "Heh, can't beat them, so you call for backup? Not bad, kid, you've gotten quite the brat. But..."

She twirled her bamboo sword, pointing it at Sabo. "Just one more brat who looks delicate and tender? Is he even enough for me to warm up?"

Sabo's "mature and reliable" expression froze for a moment. Delicate skin and tender flesh? He'd been through the wringer at the junkyard!

Robin turned a page at the opportune moment, without looking up, and added in a calm voice: "Based on observation, numerical advantage is of little significance in the face of absolute strength disparity. Ace, your probability of failure today, according to calculations, is still as high as 98.7%."

Ace & Sabo: "..."

This bookworm's words are so infuriating!

In the distance, behind a large, leafy tree.

Lu Jiu nervously clutched the hem of her clothes and whispered to Liu Jiu beside her, "Mr. Liu Jiu, this...this won't go wrong, will it? That blond kid doesn't seem like a simple person either..."

Liu Jiu crossed his arms and leaned against the tree trunk, calmly observing the situation on the open ground. His face was expressionless, and he simply replied, "It's not a big problem, just keep an eye on it."

Rouge: "..." (You're so carefree! It's my son who lost!)

The verbal sparring session ended in the open space.

"Stop looking down on people!"

Ace roared and launched the first attack! He pounced like a cheetah, the water pipe whistling through the air, aiming straight for Kuina's face! At the same time, he gave Sabo a wink.

Sabo understood immediately and almost simultaneously flanked from the side, sweeping his steel pipes across the room, his target being Robin, who seemed the easiest to bully!

Typical street fighting tactics – distract the main force, then ambush their weak points!

"A mere trick." Kuina sneered, her feet not moving, but with a flick of her wrist, the bamboo knife struck the weakest point in the water pipe with perfect precision!

With a crisp "clang," Ace felt a sudden, sharp force, nearly causing him to lose his grip on the water pipe, and his attack instantly crumbled.

Meanwhile, on the other side, it looked like Sabo's steel pipe was about to hit Robin—

Robin didn't even lift an eyelid.

The next second, seven or eight tiny hands sprouted from the flat ground beneath Sabo's feet without warning! These hands had a clear division of labor: two tightly gripped his ankles, two grabbed his wrists as he swung the steel pipe, and several scratched his armpits and lower back!

"Whoa! What the hell is that?!"

Sabo screamed in fright, his attack abruptly halting. Because his feet were being held, he lost his balance and almost fell flat on his face! He frantically tried to break free of those eerie little hands, but was tickled all over and couldn't help but giggle. The scene became quite chaotic.

"Sabo! What are you doing!" Ace was both anxious and angry when he saw this.

Kuina wouldn't give him a chance to catch his breath. After dealing with Ace's attack, she flashed forward like a ghost, closing in on Ace, who was distracted by his companion's predicament, and her bamboo swords rained down like raindrops!

"Snap! Bang! Thud!"

The familiar sounds of hitting and screams of pain rang out once again.

Ace desperately swung the pipe to block, but against Kuina's exquisite swordsmanship, his defense was full of holes, and several fresh red marks appeared on his body in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Sabo was still struggling with those ubiquitous little hands that were tickling and clinging to his legs, laughing so hard he was almost in tears, and was completely powerless to help.

"Hahaha... Stop scratching... Hahaha... Ace... Help... Hahaha..."

The battle lasted less than five minutes, and the score was one-sided.

Finally, Ace collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

Sabo slumped to one side, his hair disheveled, his clothes in disarray, still uncontrollably hiccuping, his eyes filled with disbelief at the world.