Ding! The system signal announced the launch of a side mission. Rodney winced, intrigued by the unexpected task.
— Mission: Capture the pirate Portgas D. Ace. Level: C.
— Rewards: Majestic Flame of Destroyer, Sharingan, 800 mission points.
"This is a side quest. You can refuse it. Do you want to refuse?"
Rodney's heart beat faster. Sharingan! The majestic Flame of Destruction! These rewards were worth a fortune in mission points.
"Okay, I'll accept it," Rodney stated decisively, "but since he's your grandson, I need the seastone as insurance."
Garp chuckled.
"Greedy brat, the old man never used seastone. I'm on vacation this time. Where am I supposed to get seastone? Besides, I don't need it to deal with Ace, right?"
Rodney thought about it. Ace hadn't eaten the Fire Fruit yet, otherwise Garp wouldn't be so calm.
"Do you have his Life Map?" Rodney asked.
"If I have her, that means the old man still needs you?" Garp chuckled.
Rodney sighed.
"Okay, I'll find a way to catch him." "The Sharingan and Madara's technique..." "By the way, is the reward for this only a C-rank?"
"Well, let's start with the Razor. The old man will teach you, but it's up to you whether you can master it or not." Garp clapped him on the shoulder.
Rodney's miserable life continued. Two weeks later, he was wandering the streets of Loguetown, dressed in a Marine uniform. He hadn't yet joined the Marines, but he'd lost all his clothes and was forced to wear whatever he could find on the ship.
"I was lucky enough to meet Garp, but it was also a bit unfortunate," Rodney mused. "Maybe it's karma for bullying the Sea King?"
Even though he'd learned the Razor, it still took him time to master it. Garp's Hell-Style training had significantly improved his physique, and he could now open the second Eight Gates.
He asked Garp for a small boat, caught another Sea King, and sped up his journey. The journey to Loguetown took a week.
"The system had its own tracking capabilities. Ace hadn't yet left East Blue and was heading to Loguetown, so Rodney had no choice but to wait.
- Mister Joestar?
Rodney turned around. It was Tashigi.
— Chief Petty Officer, what's going on? We're rushing you.
"We received word that someone is eating royal food at Uncle Frank's restaurant. It's a pirate, so I'll take care of him. You go." Tashigi led the team and left.
Rodney became interested.
"Who could it be? How dare they eat free food in Loguetown? They must be very brave."
He decided to follow them and join the commotion. A group of people was running down Loguetown's main street. One of them was wearing an orange cowboy hat.
"The captain has fallen asleep again, so we have no money," said the man with the gun.
"It's normal for a captain to eat and sleep, but we always eat extravagant dishes. It's a captain's habit!" the blue-haired man replied.
"Hurry! The marines are approaching. Run! We'll soon reach the harbor," said the man in the hat, looking at his pursuers.
- Sorry, the road is blocked!
Thanks to his training with Garp, Rodney's speed had increased significantly. He passed the crowd and reached their front.
- Who?
— Get out of the way!
One of the fat men ran straight at him, and Rodney jumped up and hit him in the forehead.
- Bill!
Rodney looked at his fist and felt a surge of energy.
- Lookout, get out of the way!
The man with the gun immediately fired at him. Rodney deftly dodged the bullet, jumped up, and quickly approached the group, knocking one of them down with a punch.
— Shadow of the Dancing Leaf!
— A whirlwind of leaves!
— Great whirlwind of leaves!
He kicked the last one several times, but when he was about to kick the next one, a hand grabbed his leg.
"I'm sorry, but I can't let you bully my team any longer," said the freckled boy with a burning palm.
Rodney staggered back, struck by the flames blazing from his opponent's palm. A Logia Devil Fruit user with fire-based abilities!
"Portgas D. Ace!" Rodney whispered, his face darkening. He hadn't expected to meet his target so soon, nor had he imagined that Ace had already absorbed the Fire Devil Fruit.
"Sorry, I just woke up. Deuce, how are you?" Ace asked the blue-haired boy next to him.
"It's just a minor injury, but it will take at least three hours to recover," Deuce answered calmly.
"Then it's all right. Everyone, carry the unconscious man back to the ship. Leave this to me," Ace said, looking seriously at Rodney.
But Rodney didn't care about Ace's crew. His job was to get Ace to Garp.
"Portgas D. Ace, your grandfather asked me to catch you and bring you back. Let's do it without a fight."
"No, I'm not coming back. I don't want to see the old man!" Ace shouted. "You can't stop me. Fire Fist!"
Ace's hand turned into a pillar of fire and rushed towards Rodney.
— Earth Element: Earth Wall!
Rodney created a wall of earth, like Kakashi, and made it unassuming. A pillar of fire struck the earth wall and destroyed it.
"You coward! You resorted to a cowardly attack!" Ace backed away in horror, breathing flames.
- No Haki, a Logia-type devil fruit is truly unstoppable.
"No wonder Haki came later," Rodney whispered, his fingers going numb. How could he cope? The boy seemed immune to fire attacks, and Rodney had no other means. The explosive tag only had a delayed effect, and he regenerated after the blast.
Seeing that Rodney was in no hurry to attack, Ace chuckled:
- Move away, you can't defeat me.
"He may not be able to, but I can! White Snake!" White smoke billowed out from behind Rodney, and a gloved fist appeared in front of him, slamming down on Ace. He jumped, avoiding the blow, and landed on the roof of a nearby building.
A white man appeared in Rodney's field of vision, his right arm continuously billowing smoke. He was dressed in a white motorcycle suit, accentuating his powerful muscles. The word "Justice" was emblazoned on his back, a cigar was in his mouth, and a ferocious expression was etched on his face. He looked more like a pirate than a Marine. Smoker, Captain of the Marine Headquarters!
"Oh, you've arrived just in time, Captain Smoker. Vice Admiral Garp has asked me to retrieve his grandson. Please assist me," Rodney said.
"Vice Admiral Garp's grandson?" Smoker was taken aback for a moment, then snorted coldly. "Even Vice Admiral Garp's grandson should be taken to prison. He can't be handed over to him."
Rodney shrugged, realizing that Smoker was a man of strict rules:
- Then catch him first, and then we can discuss it.
Smoker's fingers were adorned with rings imbued with Haki, the sworn enemy of Devil Fruit users.