At the edge of the ancient ruins, Upper Yard.
A mountain breeze swept through the crumbling pillars. Sabo sat on a mossy log, idly toyed with a length of Sea Prism Stone chain. At the other end, a battered and bruised Enel leaned dejectedly against a tree.
Without the lightning of the Goro Goro no Mi to bolster his ego, and suppressed by the Sea Prism Stone, Enel looked human—and small. When he saw Ace approaching, he gritted his teeth and let out a defiant snort.
"Kill me if you want, Blue Sea vermin."
Enel looked away, his voice weak but his pride still clinging to the title of "God." He could accept a loss in battle, but he could never endure pity.
Ace stopped before him, looking down at the once-insufferable Thunder God. He didn't mock him. Instead, a cluster of warm, red-gold Nirvana Fire ignited in Ace's palm. With a casual flick, the flame drifted onto Enel's chest like a feather.
The power of the Vermilion Bird seeped into his skin. Sea Prism Stone could suppress a Devil Fruit, but it couldn't stop external healing. Enel's eyes widened as his shattered ribs and ruptured organs knitted back together. The agony receded, replaced by a surge of vigorous life.
"Why...?" Enel stammered, staring at Ace in disbelief.
"Your fruit development is top-tier, but your physical body is pathetic," Ace said, ruthlessly striking Enel's insecurity. "On a real battlefield, against masters of Armament Haki, your lightning won't protect you. Do you want to learn how to turn that black power into your own armor?"
Enel froze. The black power... the force that had shattered his "divine" body with bare hands.
"You... want to teach me?" Enel clenched his fists. His temper had been beaten out of him, but his obsession made him loath to bow to a "Blue Sea dweller."
"Do you think I healed you just so you could rot in these clouds?" Ace's voice carried the natural weight of a King. "Train with my crew. But don't think I'll take you out to the Blue Sea so easily."
"I don't care about your Blue Sea!" Enel shouted with stubborn bravado, though he remained seated. "I am God! My only destination is the Infinite Land! Once my Ark is finished, I'm leaving this boring world!"
"Suit yourself." Ace smiled—a knowing, predatory grin. "But before I take you to that desolate rock, you'd better master Haki. If you're too weak to survive the trip, I'll just leave you there to die."
"Sabo, unlock him."
Sabo grinned and stepped forward. Click. The Sea Prism shackles fell away.
Enel rubbed his wrists as the blue static returned to his skin. He watched Ace walk away. Ace didn't even look back; he was completely unguarded, possessing an absolute confidence that treated a "God" as if he were no threat at all. This casual dismissal did more to break Enel's resistance than any punch.
"Since he even knows about the Infinite Land..." Enel snorted to himself, gripping his gold staff and following Ace's lead.
Deep beneath Upper Yard: The Secret Dock.
In a massive hidden cavern sat the skeleton of a giant warship. It was surrounded by massive gold gears and complex conductive arrays. This was the Ark Maxim.
Jeno stood at a workbench, his goggles reflecting the golden glow of the machinery. He was hyperventilating with excitement as he pored over the blueprints.
"GENIUS! Pure genius!" Jeno slammed his hand on the table, turning to Ace with feverish eyes. "Using lightning as a direct drive—this energy conversion is a century ahead of the Blue Sea! Captain, if we merge this with our high-pressure steam boilers, the Eclipse won't just fly—it'll have infinite hovering power! I'm tearing this junk ship apart and moving the core to our ship!"
Enel's forehead throbbed at hearing his masterpiece called "junk," but Jeno looked so much like a mechanical demon that he kept his mouth shut.
"We can't do a full overhaul yet," Ace intervened, looking at the schematics. "Jeno, for the next three months, focus only on a stable flight system. We need to be able to reach the sky smoothly. The interior can stay crude for now."
Jeno scratched his silver hair. "Just flight? What about the railguns? The heavy plating?"
"Those can wait until we get to the Moon," Ace said, his gaze transcending the era. "On the Moon, there is an ancient mechanical civilization and automated technology that makes this look like a toy. Once we're there, you'll have the 'Black Technology' you need for a true transformation."
"An ancient mechanical civilization on the Moon?!" Jeno gasped, then roared with laughter. "Fine! Three months! I'll make the Eclipse fly to that big rock in the sky if it kills me!"
Ace stood in the center of the dock, his crew gathered around him. Sabo, Jeno, Carina, Leona, Buggy, and the wary Enel.
"For the next three months, we stay here," Ace declared. "Jeno will modify the ship. Carina, use your Bird Network to keep an eye on the Blue Sea from above."
Ace looked at Buggy, Leona, and Enel, a terrifying ambition igniting in his eyes.
"As for the rest of you—at ten thousand meters, you will undergo three months of self-destructive special training. If we're going to sail the Sea of Stars, your Haki needs to be strong enough to tear the sky apart."
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