Trader In The World Of Pirates!!!

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"You... you... stay away from me!!!"

The old man stumbled, suddenly collapsing to the ground.

Watching Ace approach step by step, his face filled with terror, it was as though he was staring at a devil.

The Blood Twins were the deadliest assassins he had ever trained. Not only did they possess inhuman combat abilities, but they were also a key factor in his rise as a professional killer.

However…

Just now!

The two strongest pieces on his chessboard were effortlessly taken down by the opponent using unknown methods.

This threw the old man into a complete panic.

But Ace seemed completely indifferent to the old man's frantic thoughts and continued walking forward nonchalantly, a calm smile playing on his lips.

Although he had only regained a fraction of his strength, with his mastery of Conqueror's Haki, it wasn't difficult to handle a couple of small-time thugs in a world where enemies were more bark than bite.

To be honest, the power level of this world was disappointingly low, which explained why the Chamber of Commerce had rated it a mere [D] class.

Yet, what if he could help the people of this world gain greater power and mastery over new combat techniques?

A whirlwind of thoughts raced through Ace's mind.

His eyes glinted as an idea took root.

"Now, can you take me to see your boss?" Ace asked, stepping closer to the terrified old man with an eerily calm voice.

Though his tone was polite, the overwhelming aura he exuded left no room for refusal.

"Y-Yes... of course..." 

Completely overawed by Ace's earlier display of dominance, the old man's mind had stopped functioning, and he instinctively agreed to Ace's request.

Ace smiled slightly, saying nothing more.

In truth, his Observation Haki had already detected several individuals hidden within the building. Still, Ace knew he wasn't as adept in intelligence-gathering as someone like Leo, so he decided to handle this matter step by step.

Under the old man's guidance, Ace was soon led to a mysterious office.

The room was dark and gloomy, with poor visibility, like something out of a haunted house attraction.

If Ace didn't possess unshakable confidence and power, most people would have hesitated to open the foreboding door before them.

'Squeak—'

The old, decrepit door creaked open slowly.

Ace, who had already pinpointed the location of Mukuro Rokudo, stepped cautiously into the empty room.

'Squeak—'

The door creaked shut behind him, instantly casting the room into deeper shadows.

"Kufufufu…"

A low, sinister laugh echoed through the room.

Ace raised his head, looking toward the source of the laughter.

There, directly in front of him, sat a slender man—like a ghost in the darkness—perched calmly on the only intact sofa in the room.

A silver trident stood as decoration on the coffee table before him.

This was Mukuro Rokudo.

Originally, he had been nothing more than a simple orphan adopted by the Estraneo family.

But when the Estraneo family was hunted down by a rival mafia gang, they turned to inhumane experiments in a desperate bid to survive, using Mukuro Rokudo as one of their test subjects.

Unexpectedly, after a successful transplant and fusion with the Eye of Six Paths, Mukuro had wiped out the entire Estraneo family with his newfound power. He then fled with two other test subjects, Chikusa Kakimoto and Ken Joshima.

However, due to their youth and lack of strength, the three were soon captured by another mafia family and imprisoned in the underworld.

But as time passed, Mukuro's control over the power of the Six Paths grew stronger and stronger.

Eventually…

With near-godlike power, the trio broke free from their prison once more, vowing to annihilate all mafia families.

Their first target: the Vongola family, the pinnacle of the Italian mafia!

Their plan was simple: possess the body of Tsunayoshi Sawada, Jūdaime Vongola Boss, using the Six Paths' power.

This would give them control over the Vongola family and allow them to wipe out the other mafia families.

A crude and reckless plan, indeed.

But for Mukuro and his companions, who had spent their entire lives as lab rats or prisoners, they needed little reason to unleash their pent-up rage.

...

...

In the dark room, Mukuro Rokudo slowly lifted his head. Through a curtain of hair, one eye peered out, always smiling, as if he had everything under control.

But if you looked closely...

On the left side of his face, there was a small, almost unnoticeable wound—still fresh, as though it had recently been attacked and was in the process of healing.

Before Ace could say a word, Mukuro spoke first,

"Kufufufu... I didn't expect so many guests today."

Mukuro's voice dripped with amusement as he continued, "To what do I owe the honor of a visit from the tutor of Vongola's Tenth Boss? What brings someone like you to a fugitive's doorstep?"

Ace responded with a polite smile, "Oh, I don't deserve such courtesy."

He approached Mukuro with slow, purposeful strides, his demeanor calm and unshaken. 

"I just heard you were planning to stir up some trouble for Tsuna and his friends," Ace said smoothly. "So, I thought I'd drop by and see if you need any help."

"Oh?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Mukuro's face, his bemused expression briefly slipping.

Clearly, Ace's response was not what he had expected.

When Mukuro had decided to target the Vongola, he had thoroughly researched every person in Tsuna's circle.

But when it came to Ace, the mysterious tutor who had appeared out of nowhere, no matter how much he scoured the underworld for information, he found nothing.

This only deepened the mystery surrounding Ace in Mukuro's mind.

Judging by the way Ace had effortlessly defeated the Blood Twins and made his way here, Mukuro was certain…

This man named Ace was no ordinary individual.

But still, he hadn't expected…

"The Vongola's tutor, here to help me? Now why would that be?"

Mukuro asked, his curiosity piqued.

This was the first time he couldn't read someone's thoughts.

Ace, however, merely grinned and tossed the injured Chikusa onto the worn-out sofa nearby. Then, lowering his head slightly, the corners of his mouth curled into a smirk as he replied:

"The reason is simple," Ace said, his tone steady.

"It's because, right now... you're simply too weak."

Before Ace's arrival, Mukuro may have held a slight advantage over Tsuna and his team. But with Ace now in the picture, the power balance within the Vongola family had shifted significantly.

Reborn believed in steady progress, advocating for family members to gradually evolve their own abilities. But Ace was different.

As a pirate, all he knew was battle. The only thing he could teach Tsuna and the others was to continuously push themselves to improve.

What they truly needed now was a proper challenge!

However...

From the recent battle between Hayato and Chikusa, it was clear...

Against Hayato, who had unlocked the power of dying will flame, Chikusa didn't stand a chance.

If Takeshi hadn't been too accustomed to the peace of his former life and let his guard down, getting injured in the process, it would have been a one-sided fight.

To unleash the full potential of Tsuna and his friends, Ace knew he had to push Mukuro Rokudos to become stronger.

...

"Oi!"

Before Mukuro could react to Ace's words, a disgruntled voice suddenly emerged from the shadows in the corner.

A young man with spiky hair stepped out of the darkness, glaring fiercely at Ace.

"You bastard! What the hell are you saying!?"

Moments earlier, Ken had stayed silent because Chikusa was in Ace's grasp. But now that there were no hostages, he wasn't about to tolerate Ace's arrogance any longer.

After being injected with the beast serum, his personality had grown as wild and reckless as a beast'.

Since Ace entered the room acting like he had everything under control, Ken had been itching for a fight!

But just as tensions reached their peak…

Feeling an unspoken sense of danger, Mukuro raised a hand and spoke calmly:

"Ken, mind your manners."

Mukuro could sense the immense power Ace wielded. Though he didn't know exactly what kind of power it was, Ace's mental energy had been scanning him freely ever since their encounter.

Despite using the power of the Six Paths, Mukuro couldn't discern any deceit in Ace's aura.

After all, Ace didn't belong to the six realms of this world, which explained why Mukuro, who usually held godlike control over situations, found himself so unnerved by Ace.

Ace merely glanced at Ken Joshima before refocusing his attention on Mukuro.

Under Ace's intense gaze, Mukuro raised his head slowly, but this time the smile had vanished from his face.

His crimson eyes, previously hidden by his hair, were now fully exposed.

Above his left eye, a bold number [six] was visible.

The Sixth Path, the Heaven Path.

Through this ability, Mukuro could project his spirit and extend his consciousness into any living being.

"I don't understand," he said. 

"Do you mean to say that we're not strong enough to defeat Vongola Jūdaime?"

"Of course."

Ace smiled confidently, replying, "Isn't it obvious?"

The training program he'd designed for Tsuna and his friends wasn't exactly a secret.

It was modeled on the elite training plans from the Navy Headquarters in his world. Once fully mastered, this regimen would allow them to naturally acquire the techniques of the Navy's Six Powers.

Although Tsuna and his friends were still far from mastering the full Six Powers, their explosive strength, agility, and combat skills had reached a superhuman level.

This was why Reborn had entrusted their physical training to Ace without a second thought.

Yet...

Mukuro, who had always prided himself on being a humble and composed figure, couldn't help but look slightly embarrassed in the face of Ace's unapologetic confidence.

Though he usually appeared modest...

Deep down, his mastery of the Six Paths filled him with a pride stronger than anyone else's.

Because...

His power was legendary, bestowed by the gods themselves!!!

Ace stepped closer, his Conqueror's Haki leaking out subtly, exerting an invisible pressure on Mukuro.

Seeing Mukuro's uncertainty, Ace pulled out a Pokéball from his waist, a sly smile playing on his lips.

"Maybe hearing it from me isn't enough for you to fully understand," Ace said.

"How about this—I'll let you battle one of my Pokémon."

"Use your own strength to experience the kind of battle I envision~"

A red flash appeared.

Suddenly, a small puppy with vibrant orange fur materialized beside Ace. Its eyes sparkled with energy as it gazed intently at Mukuro.

Clearly, Growlithe in the Pokéball had been fully aware of the events happening outside. 

Since becoming Ace's Pokémon, it had been chasing weak humans every day for fire-breathing practice, never having faced a true battle. 

But now... 

Growlithe was itching for a fight! 

"Pokémon?" 

Seeing Ace casually summon such a magical creature, a flicker of surprise crossed Mukuro's face. 

This ability closely resembled the Animal Path of his Six Paths technique. 

But still... 

"Are you seriously pitting Mukuro-sama against a dog!? That's rather presumptuous, don't you think?" 

Ken, taken by the cuteness of the puppy Ace had summoned, even had the urge to approach it. 

Yet, feeling that Ace had insulted Mukuro—his savior—he stepped forward, ready to teach Ace a lesson. 

This time, Mukuro, intrigued by Ace's true strength, remained silent and did not stop him. 

Ken's teeth sharpened into fangs as his eyes transformed into those of a beast. He charged toward Ace like a ravenous wolf.

While angry, Ken wasn't so arrogant as to underestimate Ace. He activated his beast mode immediately. 

"Oh? A beast transformation? While incomplete, it's still quite interesting," Ace remarked nonchalantly, watching the enraged beast rush toward him. 

Ace ignored him and took his seat on the sofa opposite Mukuro, completely at ease.

At that moment, Growlithe beside him barked.

"Woof!" 

Though young and inexperienced, its bark, rather than intimidating anyone, came off as irresistibly cute. 

But don't be fooled by the cuteness—Growlithe's strength was anything but cute! 

As Ken charged, Growlithe responded with its basic move—Tackle!

Even at level 8, Growlithe's strength was more than enough to handle a character of Ken's caliber! 

Bang! 

"Ahhh!!!"

With a scream, Ken was sent flying backward, moving faster than when he had charged. 

His body smashed into the wall and crashed into the adjacent room, disappearing beneath a pile of rubble.

The room fell silent.

Ace calmly reached out and patted Growlithe's fur before turning to Mukuro with a smile. 

"Now then…" 

"It's your turn~" 

Mukuro, who had remained composed throughout, could no longer keep his calm. His expression hardened as he witnessed the raw power of Growlithe. 

"What are you!?" he shouted, grabbing the silver trident from the table and pointing its sharp end at Ace.

Ace smiled casually. 

"Why don't you find that out for yourself?"

As he spoke, Ace touched his wrist, where his Pokémon bracelet rested. 

Ace grinned. 

"Now that we've found a nice, quiet place…" 

"It's time to stir things up!" 

"Growlithe, Gigantamax!!!"