January 1, 1517, Sea Calendar. East Blue, Mount Colubo. Sephiroth and Machino walked side-by-side on the mountain road, chatting and laughing, not in a hurry. From a distance, they saw two small wooden houses standing on the lawn in front of Dadans House, the mountain bandit. They each had a plaque hanging on them, inscribed with the words "Ace's Country" and "Luffy's Country."
These were wooden houses that Ace and Luffy had made when they were little and had a spat, saying they wanted to develop the ability to live independently. However... The two guys would still frequently run to Dadans House to borrow things, which made one seriously doubt whether they were really living independently...
Ace pointed to a clay figure in front of him, which was two meters tall, gesticulating wildly, with blurred facial features and only clear limbs. He said with a chuckle:
"Look! Luffy, the clay figure I made can move according to my will!" Luffy looked at the clay figure, his eyes sparkling. "Wow! It really can! That's amazing!"
After Sephiroth approached, he saw the two brothers standing in front of a gesticulating clay figure, excitedly discussing it. He couldn't help but raise his eyebrows slightly and said with interest:
"This Devil Fruit ability... should be the Clay-Clay Fruit, right? The ability to freely create clay and manipulate and shape it... Ace, how did you get this Devil Fruit...?"
Hearing this, Ace finally snapped out of the curiosity of experimenting with his ability and said with a grin:
"Ahahaha! Yesterday, when I went to High Town in Goa Kingdom with Luffy, I accidentally encountered a group of Pirates and robbed them of some money and a strange fruit. At the time, out of curiosity, I didn't know it was a Devil Fruit, so I took a bite... That taste was absolutely awful!
As a result, I've now become a landlubber. However, this ability seems very interesting... Hahaha!" Sephiroth: "..." After roughly explaining how he obtained the Devil Fruit, Ace then asked curiously:
"Oh right! Why are you here?" "Isn't today your 17th birthday? You also said before that you would set sail on your 17th birthday, so Machino and I came to see you off..." Sephiroth explained.
He had known Ace and Luffy for almost eight years. Although Sephiroth only came to see them and give them some guidance on their training every so often, over such a long time, they naturally developed a good relationship... Originally, he had planned to let Ace choose one from his collection of Devil Fruits as a gift for his birthday and setting sail before he left.
After all, Sephiroth felt that with Ace's talent, if he didn't die prematurely, he would sooner or later cause a big stir on this sea, attracting some attention from the Marine and the World Government... Unexpectedly, the other party had already obtained a Devil Fruit first. Hearing Sephiroth's words, Ace suddenly realized:
"Ahahaha! It seems that is indeed the case..." "Well!
I'm guessing that if you set sail now, you probably don't even know how to get to the Grand Line... right?" Sephiroth guessed. "Uh!? This... It's not a big problem, I'll set sail first, there's always a way!" Ace said somewhat sheepishly. "Honestly!
Sephiroth couldn't help but shake his head with a smile, took out two maps and a Log Pose from his pocket, and explained:
"These are the map of the East Blue and the nautical chart of the Grand Line, as well as a Log Pose..." "Hahaha! Sephiroth, you've helped me a lot, thank you so much!" After Ace took the three items, the smile on his face grew wider, and his heart was overflowing with joy.
He didn't expect that Sephiroth would bring him the items he needed most urgently right now, giving him quite a surprise. ...... Mount Colubo, near a coast,
After having a feast for Ace at Dadans House, the mountain bandits, everyone came to the coast to see him off. Ace leaped onto a small fishing boat moored at the shore.
Ace turned with a grin toward the shore where Sephiroth, Machino, the mountain bandit family, and his little brother stood. "Luffy! Next time we meet, I'll be standing at the pinnacle of piracy!"
Luffy immediately slapped his right hand atop the straw hat shading his face, his grin widening. "Hahaha! Just you wait, Ace! When I set sail, I'm gonna be Pirate King for sure!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Sephiroth's fist connected with his skull. Luffy hit the dirt rolling, eyes watering from the impact. Sephiroth rubbed his knuckles thoughtfully before speaking.
"Listen, Ace. There's someone you need to watch out for—Marshall D. Teach." His voice turned grave. "That man's dangerous. Ambitious. Don't trust him, not ever."
"Teach?" Ace frowned, scratching his head. "Who's that?"
"Just remember what I said. Hope you never cross paths."
"Got it!" Ace flashed a careless smile, waving as he hoisted the sail. The fishing boat drifted slowly from shore.
Sephiroth glanced down at Luffy, still writhing in the grass. "You done flopping around like a fish?"
Luffy sat up, rubbing the fresh lump on his head. "Damn it! Why do you always punch me when I say that?"
"First it was to shut you up. Now? Pure habit."
"..."
"Enough whining." Sephiroth crossed his arms. "You've adjusted to those low-grade sea stone cuffs by now, right?"
"Yeah! I can lift two, three tons easy with 'em on!" Luffy flexed his right arm proudly—though no discernible muscles bulged beneath his skin.
"Good. Your foundation's still shaky, but it's time to develop your Devil Fruit. This next step won't shorten your lifespan, but it'll wipe you out."
Sephiroth pressed his palm against Luffy's chest without warning. "Pay attention. This is called... Gear Second."
Luffy's skin flushed crimson as his blood surged unnaturally fast, heat radiating from his body in waves. His fists clenched. "Whoa! What the— My body feels... crazy strong all of a sudden!"
Sephiroth kept his hand in place, voice calm. "I'm using my ability to help you accelerate your blood, thereby strengthening the toughness and explosiveness of your body... If you wanted to enter Gear Second yourself, you would have to use your hands and feet as pumps to inflate yourself..."