At Luffy's enthusiastic invitation, Ace and Sabo took their seats at the table.
Not long after, new dishes that Alpha had ordered started arriving one after another, filling the table with an enticing array of aromas.
As everyone dug in, the tension caused by the contrast between their identities—Marines and pirates dining together—quickly melted away. The casual atmosphere and good food worked wonders, allowing everyone to gradually ease into conversation.
Ace and Luffy, sitting side by side, each grabbed a massive crab and began devouring it ravenously, cracking shells and tearing apart the succulent meat without any care for table manners.
In between bites, Ace lifted his head slightly and mumbled through a mouthful of food,
"You guys eat really well. Is the Marine always this generous with meals?"
Luffy, similarly stuffing his mouth with juicy crab meat, responded just as vaguely,
"Yeah, the Marine always eats well. It's not too late for you to switch sides and join the Marine, you know. Come with me, and I'll take you to eat all sorts of delicious food and drink the finest liquor."
Ace rolled his eyes. "Come on, stop that. There's no way I'd give up my freedom just to stay in one place all the time." He leaned back slightly, cracking another crab leg with ease. "My dream is to sail freely across the sea, without anyone restricting me."
Luffy tilted his head. "Huh? Free and unfettered? What kind of nonsense is that? You know the Marine could catch you one day, right? And when that happens, you'll end up rotting in some dark, stinking prison cell with a bunch of sweaty, smelly guys. Not so free then, huh?"
Ace snorted. "Idiot, I know how to run when I see Marines. They're not gonna catch me that easily."
Luffy smirked. "Really? Well, believe it or not, I could arrest you right now."
Ace smirked right back. "Oh yeah? Then do it, you bastard! If you think you can!"
Luffy grinned. "Just you wait! I'll throw you in cuffs after you finish eating!"
While the two brothers continued their chaotic bickering, eating and arguing at the same time like a pair of unruly children, Sabo remained far more composed.
Though he ate quickly, his movements were refined and methodical, a stark contrast to the two beside him. He would occasionally chime in, teasing them both and adding his own remarks to the conversation.
However, unlike Ace, Sabo remained observant.
Every now and then, he would glance at the others seated at the table.
The women, dressed in Marine and CP uniforms, weren't actively engaging in the conversation. Perhaps it was because they weren't particularly familiar with each other yet, or maybe it was the unspoken tension between their roles as Marine officers and the pirates before them.
Violet and Gion had grouped together, quietly discussing the next sea route they planned to travel.
Alpha, on the other hand, was completely indifferent to everything, simply eating and drinking to his heart's content.
Kujaku sat beside Luffy, clearly entertained by the brothers' antics. She observed their playful bickering with great amusement, her eyes glinting with interest.
Everything seemed normal.
But Sabo couldn't shake a strange feeling in his gut.
Something's off.
Logically speaking, no matter how close Luffy and Ace were, colluding between the Marine and pirates was a serious offense.
Yet here they were—Luffy, a Marine officer, casually drinking and eating with two well-known pirates.
And what's more, neither Kujaku nor Violet—both dressed in Marine uniforms—seemed to care in the slightest.
Sabo could maybe understand if it was just them. After all, lower-ranking soldiers wouldn't dare to question their superiors.
But Vice Admiral Gion?
She was not just any Marine officer.
She was an Admiral Candidate.
Her rank, experience, and seniority in the Marine were far above Luffy's.
And yet, despite this, she didn't seem to hold any authority over him.
On the contrary, the way she carried herself made it seem as if Luffy was the one in charge.
It was baffling.
No… that doesn't make sense. You're a future Admiral. Why does it feel like you're answering to a Fleet Admiral?
Young Sabo, despite his intelligence, lacked the experience to fully grasp the complex web of relationships at play.
All he knew was that something wasn't adding up.
—
After the meal, Luffy instructed Gion and the others to head back first.
He then took Ace and Sabo out of the crowded dining room, leaving the mess behind, and led them to a quieter tearoom.
They ordered some fruit desserts, and with the lively atmosphere of the meal fading, their conversation shifted to more serious matters.
"So, let me get this straight," Luffy said, casually biting down on a spoon. "You guys think there's no one strong enough for you in the first half of the Grand Line, so you decided to come to the New World?"
Ace, still chewing on an oddly-shaped gourd-like fruit, nodded.
"Yeah. At first, I wanted to defeat another Warlord of the Sea to boost my reputation," he explained.
"Unfortunately, out of the current Shichibukai, the only one still rumored to be in the first half of the Grand Line is Gekko Moriah. But after searching for a long time, we couldn't find any trace of him."
He took another large bite before continuing,
"As for the rest, aside from Doflamingo, who's hanging around the North Blue, all the other Warlords have already settled in the New World. So, I figured—why not just go to the New World?"
With that, Ace popped the rest of the fruit into his mouth, swallowed it whole, and flashed Luffy a grin.
"Sure enough, the New World is interesting!" he declared enthusiastically. "The pirates I've come across here are leagues ahead of the small fry from the first half!"
Luffy, who had been listening with mild amusement, put down his spoon and raised an eyebrow.
"So what—you're here to challenge Hancock?" he asked with a knowing smirk.
Ace blinked.
Luffy continued, tapping his spoon lightly against his pudding plate, producing a crisp ding, ding sound.
"Let's put aside the fact that you think you can take me down on my turf," Luffy said dryly. "But even if you did try to challenge Hancock, you'd never win against her."
Ace and Sabo frowned slightly, unsure of what Luffy was getting at.
Luffy tapped the spoon against the plate one last time.
Click.
A faint cracking noise sounded.
Then, without warning, the porcelain plate suddenly fractured—splitting into delicate, petal-like shards.
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