One Piece: Talent Copy System!

Chapter 40: The Red Line

Noir chased after Ace, who ran away.

Ace teased, "Catch me if you can~" and laughed with a girlish giggle that sounded like a tinkling bell.

Noir was drenched in cold sweat, feeling so embarrassed that he wished he could dig a hole in the ground and hide.

How could he not feel embarrassed to act like this?

But there was no choice. At least it was a good excuse to get away from the Marines...

If they believed it...

Amidst the rain, the sound of footsteps and shouts grew louder as people began to gather.

A large wave of Marines approached.

Cold raindrops fell on Noir's face, keeping him alert.

Even though he always thought about betraying Ace, he wouldn't be happy if Ace ended up like in the original story.

After spending so much time together, one would get attached, even to a dog, right?

The wind on the street grew colder, and as the rain increased, the townspeople retreated into their homes to keep warm.

But the Marine's zeal for catching criminals didn't diminish; it only grew stronger.

The Marines continued to pursue Ace, their numbers growing, with Smoker leading the charge.

Smoker flew up, propelled by the smoke beneath his feet, looking like a cloud-riding monkey.

Flying next to Noir, Smoker looked at him doubtfully and said, "Can't you even keep up?"

Noir lied without missing a beat, "Oh, well, I've been feeling a little weak lately..."

Smoker gave him an annoyed look, unimpressed by his excuse.

The chase continued, and both groups were about to leave the city.

With the power of the Flame Fruit, Ace found it easy to fend off his pursuers.

Smoker, on the other hand, had to protect his subordinates from Ace's attacks, which slowed him down.

Not to mention that Noir was deliberately holding back...

Meanwhile, Ace's new ship, the Spade, was waiting on the shore.

Sitting on the ship was Mihar, who had just come from Noir's ship.

Even from a distance where Ace and his group were barely visible, Mihar confidently raised his weapon.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Several shots rang out, and Noir suddenly felt bullets coming at them from the edge of the city!

Mihar's sniping? From this far away?

Noir was now certain that Mihar had some level of Observation Haki!

Several marines suddenly fell for no apparent reason, and Smoker's face grew even grimmer.

Why was there a sniper? Why was this pirate crew of only four so troublesome?!

With Mihar providing long-range support, Ace, Deuce, and Skull finally made it back to shore and boarded the Spade.

They hoisted the Spade Pirate flag and, at Ace's command, set sail again!

Standing on the edge of the ship, Ace put his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Sorry, Captain! The Spade Pirates are setting sail!"

"Damn pirates!" Smoker's anger flared at Ace's taunt.

But things got worse. A Marine soldier ran up and reported: