Trader In The World Of Pirates!!!

(Please add it to your Library! Please send Power Stones! Thank you!)

It was night.

The silver moonlight fell like a soft rain, sprinkling the earth with starlit patterns, bringing a calm and peaceful atmosphere to the sleeping town.

However...

In a remote open space in Namimori Town, the air was ablaze with a fierce fighting spirit, as though it were still broad daylight.

"Hurry! Hurry! Faster!!!"

"How can you ever hope to become the world's number one mafia boss if you can't even outrun a level 5 Growlithe!?"

Ace stared at the three figures in front of him, who were starting to slow down again. His eyes flashed with dissatisfaction.

And in the very next moment—

'Whoosh!!!'

A scorching flame shot out from the Growlithe's mouth, transforming into a fiery serpent that lashed directly toward Tsuna's backside.

"Yaaah!!!"

The intense heat hit him.

Tsuna immediately clutched his exposed rear, letting out a cry of both pain and embarrassment. With tears streaming down his face, he hastily quickened his pace, running as fast as he could.

But inside, he was already lamenting his fate.

He had never asked to be a mafia boss!

This was all Ace's doing—forcing him into this role and making his life miserable! Why did he have to endure such cruel and unusual treatment? It was so unfair!

Meanwhile...

Watching Tsuna suffer under yet another attack from Growlithe, his loyal fanboy, Hayato, gazed at him with worry and concern.

"Hang in there, Jūdaime!" he cried.

But...

With the Growlithe hot on his heels, Hayato himself was struggling to keep up.

Compared to Tsuna, who was awkwardly running while protecting his scorched butt, Hayato had it even worse—a thick hemp rope was tied around his waist, with the other end fastened to a massive tire.

This training prop had been provided by Reborn to Ace for their intense regimen.

Although Reborn didn't directly participate in the training, he had no problem supplying Ace, the chief instructor, with the necessary tools.

Hayato's physical condition was decent, but not superhuman.

Under the weight of the tire, he could barely maintain a pace just slightly faster than Tsuna's.

He longed to help his beloved Jūdaime, but despite his desire, he simply couldn't manage it.

On the other hand, Takeshi, who had somehow ended up joining the training session that day, was in incredibly high spirits.

As he sprinted past Tsuna, he laughed heartily.

"Hahaha! Is this supposed to be a mafia game?"

"This is so much fun!!!"

"Alright then..."

"I'm heading out ahead, Tsuna! And you too, new guy—Gokudera!"

'Whoosh!'

With that, Takeshi dashed off, leaving behind a cloud of dust that enveloped Tsuna and Hayato.

Three enormous tires trailed behind him, bouncing along with such speed that they occasionally launched into the air before slamming back down onto the ground.

It almost seemed like those tires were mocking the two lagging behind.

"…"

"…"

Staring at Takeshi, who sprinted ahead effortlessly, Tsuna and Hayato both sighed in frustration, their faces darkened with defeat.

Yet, each had a different reaction.

Tsuna was completely shocked by Takeshi's physical prowess, while Hayato was overcome with a sense of shame.

Clenching his fists tightly, Hayato suddenly felt a surge of determination.

"Damn it! How could I let that idiot outshine me!?"

"I'm disgracing myself in front of Jūdaime!!!"

"No! I won't allow this! I won't give up here!!!"

'Whoosh!'

A strong gust of wind swept through the open space.

In that moment, a blazing fighting spirit ignited in Hayato's eyes.

Glaring at Takeshi's receding figure, he yelled with everything he had:

"I—I—WON'T—"

"LOSE HERE!!!"

"I'm the one and only true right-hand man of Boss Jūdaime!!!"

Boom!

Spurred by Takeshi's provocations, an unknown power suddenly surged from deep within Hayato's body, activating every fiber of his being with newfound strength.

And in the blink of an eye—

'Whoosh!'

Hayato, having broken through his limits, took off in a mad dash, rapidly closing the gap between himself and Takeshi.

Behind him, the heavy tire he had been dragging left a deep, straight groove in the ground, marking his path of determination.

"Eh!? Gokudera-san!?"

Tsuna watched helplessly as yet another friend underwent an inhuman transformation, his face filled with despair.

If it weren't for the Growlithe chasing him, he would have loved to stop and think about this… 

Had the world undergone some mutation and just forgotten to take him along with it? 

Why were monsters suddenly appearing one after another in his life!?

At this point, Tsuna had no idea…

Everything he was experiencing today was just the beginning.

...

As Tsuna pondered his predicament, a sigh suddenly echoed from behind him, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Sigh..."

"Tsuna, after all this training, why are you still so slow?"

Ace, who had been overseeing from behind, was now gradually catching up to him.

And just behind Ace...

A massive lead ingot, the size of a tire, was being dragged along, carving a deep trench in the ground. Atop the ingot sat Reborn, leisurely enjoying fruit after dinner.

Even while training others, Ace didn't neglect his own training.

High-intensity physical exercise was essential for him to regain his full strength as quickly as possible.

Though regaining this power was just a small step toward his overall recovery, it was still better than doing nothing.

Ace couldn't help but sigh inwardly as he watched Tsuna struggle despite having trained all day.

At this age, he couldn't even crush rocks with one hand...

It seemed there was still a long way to go before he could achieve his mission objective.

Despite his internal sigh, Ace maintained a sunny smile on his face, one so bright that even the silver moon in the distant sky paled in comparison.

With a confident tone, Ace encouraged Tsuna:

"Come on, Tsuna!"

"I promise, I'll train you into the world's number one mafia boss!!!"

Despite Tsuna's weak constitution, since last night's training began, even though he'd shouted "no" and "I can't take it" countless times, he had never given up.

His body might be frail, but his willpower was extraordinary. 

This was Ace's personal assessment of Tsuna.

It was also the reason why Ace felt confident he could nurture Tsuna into someone truly capable.

...

...

Late at night.

Tsuna dragged his exhausted body back to the quiet comfort of his home.

Thanks to his mother, dinner was quick tonight, which allowed him to finish his daily training before midnight.

Collapsing onto his bed, drained both physically and mentally, he let his thoughts slip away and drifted into sleep.

"Another productive day!" Ace observed Tsuna's peaceful slumber with a look of satisfaction.

But soon, his gaze shifted to the small, suited baby standing at his feet.

"By the way..." Ace began. "Reborn, do you know what happened to Hayato today?"

As his strength gradually returned, Ace's perception had sharpened considerably.

While training the three kids earlier, he had noticed something unusual about Hayato.

It was a power he had never encountered before in the world of pirates.

That was why he asked Reborn, who seemed to know everything, for an explanation.

Reborn, ever considerate, answered promptly in his sweet voice:

"If nothing out of the ordinary happened..."

"That should be Hayato's 'Dying Will Flame'."

"Dying Will Flame!?"

Hearing this unfamiliar term, Ace's eyes gleamed with interest as he asked:

"What's that!?"

Reborn glanced up at Ace.

After confirming that Ace genuinely knew nothing about the existence of the 'Dying Will Flame', a peculiar expression crossed Reborn's face, but he explained:

"The 'Dying Will Flame' is a power that may exist within every individual. It's an inherent ability, much like fingerprints or voiceprints—everyone possesses a unique flow of flame."

"And different flames have different abilities."

"Oh!?"

Ace's face lit up with surprise upon hearing Reborn's explanation.

"That sounds a lot like Haki..."

"So, is the 'Dying Will Flame' this world's exclusive power?"

In the knowledge imparted to Ace by Leo, each world may give birth to its own unique power.

Just like the Pokémon world had its creatures, and the pirate world had Devil Fruits and the three types of Haki.

Leo had told Ace that worlds like the pirate world, which could have two or more power systems, were exceedingly rare.

This was one of the reasons Leo, a dimensional merchant, was so interested in the pirate world and why he had such confidence in Ace, an investigator from that world.

Although some of Leo's words were just sweet talk meant to win people over, he hadn't lied to Ace about the world's power system.

That was why Ace felt a rush of excitement upon learning about the 'Dying Will Flame'.

What Ace didn't notice was...

After he finished speaking, two lightning-like glints briefly flashed in Reborn's sharp eyes.

"This... world...!?"

Reborn looked up at Ace, deep in thought.