Chapter 53

Even the pride in his heart had already been battered into pieces by Lu En.

"Hmph!"

"Sooner or later, one day, I will definitely catch up to you!"

"Just you wait!"

Ace bit down on his teeth, very unwilling to accept defeat.

Seeing that Ace was quite worn out, Lu En smiled, his gaze deep, and with a solemn expression began to speak: "In two days, I will leave Windmill Village."

Instantly,

Ace's face stiffened, and his expression became somewhat forced.

Although he hadn't spent much time with Lu En, only a little over a month.

But, perhaps even Ace himself didn't know, he had already unconsciously come to regard Lu En—whose strength far surpassed his own—as his big brother to follow.

After over a month together, Ace had already faintly grown accustomed to following Lu En in devilish training.

And now.

Upon hearing that Lu En was going to leave Windmill Village, this caught Ace somewhat off guard, and his mood also became somewhat heavy.

It hadn't been easy to find a peer of the same age…

Moreover,

A peer whose strength far surpassed his own!

Yet he hadn't expected,

The other party was about to leave Windmill Village.

Ace felt a touch of loneliness.

"After leaving Windmill Village, where are you going?"

Ace took a deep breath, suppressing the complicated feelings in his heart, and asked.

"Marine Headquarters, Marineford."

Lu En stated bluntly.

"Marine Headquarters…"

"Are you going to become a Marine?"

Ace suddenly raised his head, looking at Lu En with a face full of lingering fear, and couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that you don't want to become a pirate? Become the Pirate King?"

"I don't want to."

Lu En smiled.

Pirate King?

Let whoever wants it have it.

Anyway,

He looked down on it.

"Since that's the case…"

"Then the throne of Pirate King is mine!"

"Without you competing with me for the Pirate King's throne, I'm practically a sure thing!"

"If it were you competing with me, I might not have too much confidence of becoming the Pirate King. But luckily, you going to become a Marine."

Ace inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.

From Lu En's body, he could almost feel at every moment a terrifying oppressive force so vast and mighty it was nearly suffocating.

If Lu En were also to set out to sea as a pirate, and aim to become the Pirate King…

Ace might have been utterly despairing.

Because,

From beginning to end, Ace could find no hope whatsoever of surpassing Lu En.

Lu En was like a towering mountain, pressing down heavily upon Ace, making it very hard for him to find a way to surmount that towering mountain.

Now,

Hearing that Lu En was going to become a Marine, Ace could finally set his mind at ease.

"You want to become the Pirate King?"

"Then you'll have to put in some extra effort."

"When the time comes, as a Marine, my mission will be to capture you pirates. You'd better pray you don't run into me. Otherwise, the Marine's prison cell will be waiting for you at any moment!"

Lu En smiled and patted Ace on the shoulder.

"You guy, you're talking as if you've already got me in the bag."

"I will definitely get stronger!"

"Stronger than you, even stronger!"

Ace shouted angrily.

"Is that so? I'll be waiting."

Lu En wore a smile, unconcerned.

Want to surpass me?

That's not going to be so simple!

Ace was getting stronger…

But as for himself, would he just stay in place forever?

Not a chance.

Possessing the Ghost Back System...

Combined with a hundredfold amplification to his cultivation effects,

The speed at which Lu En's strength grew was enough to leave everyone on the entire sea in the dust!

"Two days from now, you're going to follow the old man to Marine Headquarters?"

Ace asked in turn.

"That's right."

Lu En nodded, then shifted the topic and casually mentioned, "I also have a foolish little brother, his name is Little Lufei. I'll entrust him to your care for now."

"Little Lufei? Got it. I'll take good care of him, don't worry."

Ace agreed without the slightest hesitation.

Raising his head,

He gazed at the towering mountain range ahead and couldn't help but ask curiously, "So, today you brought me all the way from Windmill Village, a full eighty li, just to tell me this?"

"Of course not. It's just that before leaving Windmill Village, there are some things I'm not entirely at ease about. So, before I leave, I plan to thoroughly eliminate these unstable factors that are troubling me."

Lu En did not conceal his purpose.

"What do you want to do?"

Ace pressed.

"I've heard that eighty li north of Windmill Village, there's a mountain range called 'Daxen.' Inside it lives a band of mountain bandits, numbering as many as three hundred, the largest bandit group in the vicinity."

"I'm about to leave Windmill Village, and I really can't rest easy letting this band of bandits continue to run amok."

"If one day they come to Windmill Village, those simple villagers won't be able to withstand the torment of these bandits. I also don't expect you, little runt, to be able to deal with this vicious band of mountain bandits."

"I don't want to see the simple, honest folk of Windmill Village, those kind and amiable villagers, fall victim to these vicious bandits."

"And that is the purpose of my coming here today."

Lu En narrowed his eyes slightly.

Hearing this,

Ace felt a stirring in his heart and blurted out instinctively, "You mean, before leaving Windmill Village, you're going to wipe out this band of mountain bandits?"

"Exactly."

Lu En revealed a smile full of hidden meaning.

This was the main objective of his journey, traveling a full eighty li, coming all this way to this mountain range!

While this band of bandits had not yet harmed Windmill Village...

Strike first!

Completely level the entire bandit group on this mountain range!