"How is it? Not bad, right?"
Leo grinned proudly as he watched the excitement light up Ace's face.
"That's great!" Ace beamed.
"Um… thank you—really, thank you!!"
Ace's voice trembled slightly as he struggled to suppress the surge of emotion bubbling inside him. He gently sheathed the new dagger back onto his belt and bowed low, full of genuine gratitude.
With this weapon, Ace felt more confident than ever that he could take down Blackbeard. He pictured himself returning triumphantly to his crew, holding victory in his hands—just imagining their reactions filled him with joy.
His smile widened unconsciously.
"Alright, Ace. I'm heading back to the ship now."
Leo gave him a final nod before pointing to a hidden street nearby. "Luffy is over there. You've been waiting for this reunion for a long time, haven't you?"
With those words, his figure shimmered and vanished, leaving no trace behind.
Ace stared for a moment at the spot where Leo had disappeared, a small, grateful smile tugging at his lips. Then he turned and sprinted toward the direction Leo had indicated.
Luffy's companion really is something else, Ace thought, his steps growing lighter. He actually gave me a scare back there. Unbelievable.
---
At the same time, aboard the Going Merry…
"We finally landed on an island, and now we're about to set sail again?" Chopper asked, blinking in confusion as he looked toward Vivi.
"Yeah," Vivi nodded. "Leo said we're running low on supplies, so we had to make a stop here."
She looked at the crew's puzzled expressions and added, "Our next destination is Green City—Elmar."
"Elmar?" Usopp repeated, scratching his head. "Aren't we supposed to go straight to Yuba?"
"It's on the way to Yuba," Vivi explained with a smile. "It's the only route we can take to reach the desert capital."
Everyone nodded, finally understanding. They turned their attention back to the ship and began preparing to raise the sails.
But the moment they were ready to set sail…
"Wait… where's Luffy?"
"And Leo's gone too!"
The entire crew froze and shouted in unison, followed by a collective groan and synchronized facepalms.
"That idiot must've run off again," Nami sighed, pressing her fingers to her temple in frustration.
"As for Leo," she added more calmly, "he tends to disappear randomly. Nothing to worry about."
"Let's just go," she continued. "Luffy's with his brother. He'll be back soon."
As if summoned by those very words, Leo's figure materialized on the edge of the Merry, his form solidifying from a swirl of light.
"Leo! You're back!" Chopper exclaimed with relief.
"But… is it really okay for us to set sail without Luffy?" he asked with concern, his kind nature evident in his voice.
"The port's going to be crawling with Marines soon," Nami said, stepping in to answer before Leo could speak. "We need to hide the Merry while we still can."
Vivi glanced around at the landscape thoughtfully. "There's a bay up ahead. I remember it from the map—it should be hidden enough."
"Let's head there and wait for the storm to pass before we go looking for Luffy," Sanji agreed, though his tone held a hint of worry.
"Hehehe… maybe it's time for Captain Usopp to take charge!" Usopp declared dramatically. "I'd never cause this much trouble!"
"NO!" everyone shouted at once, instantly crushing his fantasy.
Despite Luffy's tendency to act without thinking, they all knew—deep down—that he had already become an irreplaceable part of their crew.
---
A short while later…
Nami, peering through her telescope from the deck, was the first to spot movement on the shore.
"Luffy!" she called out.
Sure enough, Luffy was waving his arms enthusiastically.
In the blink of an eye, he stretched his arms forward, grabbed the edge of the Merry, and launched himself onto the ship with a thump.
Unfortunately, Sanji and Chopper—who had been standing nearby—were knocked off their feet by Luffy's dramatic entrance.
"YOU IDIOT! Don't you know how to reflect on your actions?!" Sanji grabbed Luffy by the collar and shook him furiously. "Believe it or not, I'm getting off this boat!"
"Hahahaha! Sorry, Sanji!" Luffy grinned, clearly unrepentant.
If you didn't know Luffy, that carefree attitude would drive you insane.
"Do you even realize how much trouble you've caused?" Nami joined in, hands on her hips and eyes blazing. "You're the captain! Try acting like one!"
"Sorry, sorry," Luffy said sheepishly. "It's just… I was with Ace."
"Ace?" Nami repeated.
"You mean… your brother?!" everyone echoed in surprise—everyone except Leo, who merely smiled knowingly.
Zoro was the first to collect himself.
"I'm not shocked that you have a brother," he said, crossing his arms. "But why is he in the Grand Line?"
As a former bounty hunter, Zoro had some knowledge of Ace's identity. The second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates shouldn't be anywhere near this side of the sea.
"He's a pirate too," Luffy said casually, sitting cross-legged on the railing. "He's after the One Piece, just like me. He set out three years before I did."
Everyone listened silently.
"He seemed really strong," Sanji said, recalling the fiery aura he'd seen earlier. "Didn't expect both of you to have Devil Fruit powers."
"Yeah," Luffy said, laughing. "Even I was shocked!"
"But Ace is way stronger. Before he got his fruit powers, I never managed to beat him once in a fight."
"You never won?" Nami blinked. "Even once? Against a normal guy?"
"Not even once!" Luffy replied proudly, showing no shame.
"But I think I could take him now!" he added, puffing out his chest like Usopp would.
The crew barely had time to react before a shadow soared up from below the Merry.
It was Ace.
He landed gracefully on deck, aiming for Luffy—but this time, Luffy reacted quickly and dodged.
"Huh?" Ace raised an eyebrow, then chuckled. "You've gotten faster."
"ACE!" Luffy shouted, beaming.
Turning toward the rest of the crew, Luffy waved his arms eagerly. "Everyone, this is my brother, Ace! The one I've told you about!"
Ace gave Luffy a playful shove and turned toward the Straw Hats with a warm smile.
"So, these are your famous companions, huh? I can see why you're proud."
He bowed respectfully to the group.
"I'm truly grateful for how you've looked after my reckless little brother."
Though they had just scolded Luffy minutes earlier, the crew couldn't help but be humbled by Ace's sincerity.
"It's nothing," they muttered, brushing it off.
"This kid's got no manners at all," Ace added with a laugh. "Hope he hasn't caused too much trouble."
Nami sighed but replied kindly, "Don't worry. We're used to it by now."
"Ace, what are you doing in this country?" Luffy finally asked, his curiosity kicking in.
"Huh? Didn't you hear my message back on Drum Island?" Ace blinked...
Then he shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I came here for a small matter, but when I saw you, I thought I'd stop by."
He smiled as he spoke, but his hand drifted to the dagger at his waist. For a brief moment, his expression turned serious—a dark glint flashing across his eyes.
"Small matter?" Zoro asked, narrowing his gaze.
Ace chuckled, not offering any more than that.
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