"Father"
Ace called out.
"How are you feeling, Father?"
"... *cough*, I'm okay, you don't have to worry."
Ace's face did not get any better even after hearing his father's assurance.
"How is he, doc?"
"He is stable, as of now. Resting for a few weeks will be enough for him to get better."
Hearing that, Ace's face finally eased up but frowned again.
"But Father, what about the Fruits?"
Ace's father coughed slightly and looked at Ace seriously.
"I might need you to deliver it yourself, Ace."
Ace stayed quiet.
----------
"So, uhh, what's the deal with your father?"
Gray asked Ace.
It's been a few minutes since the short visit to Ace's father, named Grock, and they left to let him rest.
They're at the garden right now, at the side of the house, sitting on a bench.
"Every 10 years, the islands under the palace's protection need to deliver 5 Power Fruits in their care. I hear that stronger islands deliver more fruits in exchange for more protection. Failure to deliver will result in the revoking of protection, and when pirates know that an island has no protection from the palace, they will raid that island one after another."
Ace squinted his eyes before continuing.
"The Weight Power Tree, the tree in our care, only bore 3 Power Fruits every 5 years, 4 if we got lucky. That's part of the reason why our village remains at the bottom. We only get very few Power Fruits, and yet we need to deliver most of it to the palace."
He paused and continued.
"In a few days, our island needs to deliver fruits, and at least one of the main family needs to deliver it personally. However, my father got sick, and my little brother is still too young. We have no other relatives either. I'm the only one who's able to do it."
"It's just delivering fruits, right? What's so hard about that?"
Gray asked.
"It's not just delivering fruits. Somebody could attack you on the way and take the fruits, costing the future of your island."
Ace looked down, looking troubled.
"I accompanied my father before, but I never did it on my own."
"If it's that important, why not bring guards to protect you?"
"Bringing a guard may cause trouble. People outside are stronger than the guards, and they will know you are carrying something important if you bring one. It is much better to lay low."
Gray grasped.
"That dangerous?"
"Yeah. That's why I'm troubled."
Gray smiled.
"Then I'll come with you!"
Ace looked at Gray, not expecting it.
"I have nowhere to go and nothing to do. Might as well go with you."
"But it's a family matter..."
Gray wrapped his arms around Ace's neck smilingly.
"Come on, we're friends, aren't we?"
Ace looked at Gray for a while and looked down while giving out a smile of his own.
"Yeah, we're friends..."
Gray let go of Ace and stood up.
"Enough of that, let's spar."
Ace looked up to Gray.
"Spar? Right now?"
"Yeah, I haven't paid you back for the attack this morning yet."
Ace sighed helplessly.
"Seriously..."
He stood up and smiled.
"Alright, let's spar!"
They moved to the other side of the house, the training grounds, where the Silverstone family trained their knights.
"It's an open space, so you better not hold back, Gray."
Ace looked at Gray on the other side.
"I will not, Ace. You should give it your all too."
Gray replied.
They stared at each other.
A few seconds later, they run towards each other at the same time.
"Ten-Ton Punch!"
"Arm Amplification, Fivefold!"
The both of them punched at the same time. Their fists hit each other, releasing a small shockwave to their surroundings.
He's strong.
They said in their minds while looking at each other in the eyes seriously. They jumped backwards at the same time, keeping their eyes locked.
"You pack quite a punch there, Ace."
Gray said and stretched his right arm, feeling numb from the clash.
"That actually hurt."
It was evident that Ace was stronger than Gray, seeing that he looked fine while Gray's whole arm went numb for a few seconds.
Ace just chuckled and said nothing. He suddenly rushed forward, catching Gray by surprise, and punched forward.
Still not over the clash earlier, Gray could barely react and narrowly dodged the attack. Before he could even stabilize himself, Ace followed with an uppercut with his free arm, aiming at his torso.
Fast!
Gray could only move his body sideways to avoid getting fatally hit. Ace's punch grazed past the side of Gray's torso. Gray clenched his teeth. Every punch of Ace feels like throwing a giant boulder at a small point.
He clumsily jumped backwards to gain distance. However, Ace did not give him a chance to take a breather and chased after him, throwing a right jab straight to the face.
Brain Amplification, Twofold!
The world seemed to slow down a bit. His brain processed information much faster than before, allowing his reaction time to significantly increase.
Ace's fist, which he could barely react to before, he could somewhat see now. He moved sideways and tried to give a punch of his own. However, Ace followed up with a left hook aimed at Gray's face.
He abandoned attacking and jumped backwards. This time, Ace did not follow up with an attack quickly and just stood quietly, looking at Gray seriously.
Gray took a deep breath and gave a serious look of his own.
He kept his weight at a minimum; that's why he's as fast as the wind and is able to quickly follow up with an attack. Every punch, he would then increase the weight of his fist. It seems like his movements are unaffected regardless of his weight. What a fearsome person!
Gray analyzed, his face growing grimmer with every realization.
He could barely react before, but it seems like he could see my attacks now. He must've amplified his reaction time or something. He still hasn't given it his all; I must not get careless.
Ace just kept on looking at Gray.
I should really not hold anything back against this guy, Ace.
Gray took a deep breath.
Core Amplification, Twofold!
Leg Amplification, Fivefold!
Heart Amplification, Twofold!
Gray's face flushed red a little, and his whole body seemed to get a bit bulkier, proof that his muscles are now amplified.
Okay, here I come!