The figure appeared to be in his twenties.
He had messy black hair and freckles scattered across his bare cheeks. A red bead necklace hung around his neck, swaying slightly as he moved. His upper body was exposed, displaying a lean and muscular frame, and the letters A-S-C-E were tattooed down his left arm—though the "S" was crossed out with an "X." At his waist hung a dagger, and he wore a pair of black shorts. An orange cowboy hat covered his face as he lay sprawled out across the table.
Suddenly, the figure who had been lying down casually sprang to his feet, continuing to eat from the table as if nothing had happened. Between bites, he pulled out a wanted poster from his pocket, grinning brightly as he looked at it.
"Hey, boss," he said, speaking through a mouthful of food.
"What now?" the restaurant owner asked with a hint of impatience. The man clearly had no idea what kind of trouble had just walked into his establishment.
"Has this guy been around here? The one with the straw hat..." Ace asked, tapping the wanted poster of Monkey D. Luffy.
But before the owner could reply, a heavy voice cut through the tension in the room.
"How dare you eat here so brazenly… Captain of the Second Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, Portgas D. Ace."
The speaker entered the room through the front door. It was none other than Smoker, the Marine with the power of the Smoke-Smoke Fruit. His eyes narrowed as they landed on Ace, the air around him thick with pressure.
Even a notorious pirate like Ace—one who had rejected the World Government's offer to become a Warlord—could make a seasoned Marine like Smoker hesitate. The atmosphere in the restaurant shifted. The few customers who were present finally seemed to recognize the tattoo on Ace's back and what it represented.
Fear rippled through the room as all eyes turned to the freckled man standing in the center, who was still eating calmly.
"Oh?" Ace blinked, amused rather than alarmed. "I'm just looking for someone... my little brother."
He turned slightly and gave Smoker a calm, easygoing smile. "So... what now?"
"Surrender," Smoker said coldly, his hands already beginning to emit streams of smoke.
Leaning against the bar, Ace looked completely relaxed. "Yeah... I'm gonna have to say no. I can't do that."
"Just as I thought..." Smoker muttered, exhaling heavily. He wasn't confident in taking Ace down here—not alone. "Honestly, I'm after other pirates. You're not my main concern right now."
"Then why not just let me go?" Ace asked, spreading his hands with a grin.
"I'm a Marine. I can't let a pirate go, no matter who you are."
Smoke billowed from Smoker's arms, a clear signal that he was ready to fight. His sense of justice wouldn't allow him to walk away from a pirate like Ace, no matter how risky the confrontation might be.
In a quiet corner of the restaurant, Leo observed the tension while sipping from a goblet, his eyes half-lidded. The moment he heard Smoker's determined declaration, he subtly shifted to the side, sensing something was about to happen.
And just then—bang!
A loud crash echoed through the restaurant as a figure came flying through the wall like a cannonball, propelled by his own momentum.
Monkey D. Luffy, wearing his iconic straw hat, had arrived.
"YOHOOO!" Luffy cheered, eyes lighting up when he saw the food. "FOOD! Uncle, I'm starving! Gimme everything!"
He didn't even glance at the two people he had just bowled over—Ace and Smoker. Instead, he landed on the broken bar, grabbed the nearest dish, and began stuffing food into his mouth with reckless abandon.
Leo couldn't help but smile as he watched his captain's familiar antics. Should I call him reckless or pure-hearted? he thought. Maybe both.
"…b*****d… who the hell just crashed into me…?" Ace groaned, standing up and dusting himself off. He glanced at the cracked wall and sighed, walking over to apologize to the stunned restaurant owner.
With his fists clenched, Ace turned around, ready to teach whoever had knocked him over a lesson.
But then he saw the face.
"Wait a second—this guy..."
"Hey!! Lu—" he began, but before he could finish the name, Smoker lunged at Ace and pinned him to the ground, taking advantage of the confusion.
"Straw Hat... just as I expected," Smoker growled.
PFFT!
Luffy, still chewing his food, suddenly turned and sprayed half of it right into Smoker's face.
The Marine commander blinked in disgust.
The next moment, Luffy crammed the rest of the food on the bar into his mouth, turned, and ran.
He didn't need to look back. He could already feel Smoker's killing intent.
Back in Loguetown, Luffy had already learned just how dangerous this Marine was. Even after all of Leo's special training, Luffy's instincts told him that now was not the time to fight.
"STOP, STRAW HAT!" Smoker roared, charging after him.
Leo remained seated, calmly swirling the contents of his goblet. As expected, Smoker didn't even glance in his direction. With Luffy now in his sights—and with food residue still on his face—Smoker was too angry to notice anyone else.
"Ace!!" Luffy's voice echoed as he dashed through the streets.
Ace had just gotten back on his feet when he recognized Luffy's voice for sure. His eyes widened with surprise. "That really was him!"
Without another word, Ace bolted after them.
The restaurant was now completely trashed. The only person left inside was the bewildered owner, staring blankly at the devastation. "This... was a free meal…?"
Leo stood up with a light chuckle, reached into his coat, and pulled out a thick stack of Baileys. He placed the money gently on the counter.
"Sorry for the mess," Leo said politely before walking out into the sunlit street.
---
Outside, chaos had erupted.
Smoker was closing in on Luffy, who was sprinting ahead at full speed. Ace trailed behind them, his eyes locked on his younger brother with a wild mix of disbelief and excitement.
Leo followed leisurely, keeping a safe distance. With his spiritual perception, he didn't need to worry about losing them. He would simply wait for the right moment to talk to Luffy alone.
"Tashigi! Gather all available Marines!" Smoker barked through his Den Den Mushi while still chasing. "Straw Hat has appeared—he's in Alabasta!"
"Yes, sir!" Tashigi responded immediately. She waved to nearby Marines and led a full-scale search of the area.
Civilians had already begun to flee or watch from afar.
"It's another fight between Devil Fruit users!"
"Look! The smoke is turning into a giant snake!"
A cloud of white smoke formed into a serpent and surged toward Luffy.
"Straw Hat!" Smoker yelled. "Why have you come to this country?"
"I'm here to defeat a guy named Crocodile!" Luffy shouted over his shoulder.
Smoker's eyes widened. "What!? Crocodile!? What's your connection to him?!"
But before he could get an answer, Luffy suddenly tripped, falling from a rooftop and vanishing from sight.
At the same time, a group of Marines cornered Nami, Vivi, and the others on another street.
"What should we do now?" Vivi asked, her voice panicked.
"We don't have time to help Luffy or Leo!" Nami said quickly. "We head back to the ship—now!"
She summoned a blast of wind to speed everyone up, leading the crew toward the Going Merry.
Meanwhile, Smoker finally caught up with Luffy again.
"White Fist!"
A large fist made of smoke shot out toward Luffy.
Just as it was about to land—
"Flame Commandment: Yang Yan!"
A wave of blazing fire erupted from the side, slamming into Smoker's smoke fist. The two elements clashed—smoke and flame—until they canceled each other out in midair.
Nami and the others, still running, looked back.
"It's him!" someone cried.
Smoker's eyes narrowed. "You again..."
Ace stepped forward, grinning. "You're smoke. I'm fire. Don't you think this is an unfair match for both of us?"
The heat in the air surged as he raised his palm, flames licking his fingertips.
"There's no way to determine the winner between us."
"Luffy!!" he added, calling out cheerfully.
Luffy's face lit up as he recognized his brother.
"Ace!!" he shouted joyfully, a huge smile spreading across his face.
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