Boom!
Boom!
On the turbulent sea, the Thousand Sunny, under Usopp's control, was firing at a nearby pirate ship.
Nami wielded the Clima-Tact, summoning thunderclouds to electrocute a group of underlings into 'skeleton gold outfits', while Chopper took a Rumble Ball to enter his enhanced form, guarding Nami.
Franky engaged a large brute on the opposing ship in a wrestling match, while Robin sat leisurely on the second deck, observing the battlefield below, occasionally dealing with a few guys trying to sneak up on Usopp.
Brook even had the leisure to play his violin on the deck, not even drawing his sword.
Because their captain had already charged onto the enemy deck with the other two combatants.
"One-Sword Style: Lion's Song."
"Extra Hachis!"
The green-haired swordsman and the curly-browed chef each used one technique, instantly defeating two Zoan-type Devil Fruit users on the spot.
Truth be told, these opponents were hardly a challenge for someone who had experienced the grand spectacle of the Marineford War.
Even though this was the New World, even though those pirates had some grasp of Armament Haki, these guys weren't even qualified to participate in that battle.
—Of course, originally, Luffy and his crew wouldn't have been qualified to participate either, at least not to delve deep into the central battlefield.
The reason they managed to rescue Ace was thanks to the others drawing attention.
But precisely because they had witnessed the gap between true powerhouses of the sea and themselves, the combatants of the Straw Hat Pirates had been training extremely hard during this time.
If they only stayed at this level, they were still far from achieving their goal of helping Luffy become the Pirate King!
This was the common thought shared among the three.
The captain of the unknown pirate crew, seeing his best men knocked down unconscious by a sword and a kick, was starting to get nervous.
"Bastards… Don't underestimate me! My bounty is—"
Before he could finish his blustering threat, he heard a childish shout from beside him, along with a strange sound like springs hitting the ground.
"Leave the last one to me! Don't you guys steal it!"
Luffy descended from the air, landing on one foot and bouncing slightly.
That sound was from him.
At this moment, Luffy's upper body was inflated like a balloon, his fists larger than his head. Deep red Haki coiled around his arms and shoulders like tattoos, and steam-formed ribbons danced freely.
Combined with the fierce expression he deliberately put on, he truly looked as terrifying as a legendary [Vajra Warrior].
"Gear Fourth: Boundman!"
This was a secret technique he had specifically trained for! He'd test it out on this guy!
Luffy was very confident in his new technique.
However, just as he was about to throw a punch that would tear through the air in Boundman mode, he heard a familiar voice call out from afar.
"Fire Fist—"
In the next instant, a fist of fire shot like a cannonball, accurately hitting the pirate captain.
The punch pierced through the man's thin Haki defense, sending him crashing to the ground before he could even finish his tough talk.
"Ah! It's Ace!!"
Luffy shouted excitedly at first, but then noticed his opponent was already down.
He looked around and saw all the enemies had been defeated.
That meant he, as captain, hadn't done a thing in this battle!!
Luffy immediately looked dejected and reverted from Gear Fourth.
By the time Ace's small boat pulled up alongside and he climbed aboard, Luffy latched onto his brother's head like a face-hugger.
"Ace! It's your fault!"
"Huh?"
…
After explaining things, Ace started soothing his younger brother like petting a kitten.
"Sorry, sorry. I saw you were about to be attacked, Luffy, and I didn't think."
"After all, a big brother can't just stand by and watch his little brother get hurt."
Hearing Ace say that, Luffy stopped complaining.
Especially after Sanji brought over some grilled meat to comfort him, the kid's bad mood passed.
"Hey? Weren't you going to stay with Whitebeard, Luffy's brother? How come you suddenly showed up here?"
At that moment, Chopper walked over, asking curiously.
After the Marineford War ended, the Thousand Sunny had merged with the Whitebeard Pirates and headed to the Sabaody Archipelago.
There, Chopper had diagnosed Whitebeard, and the results were pretty much what Karin had said.
Because of that, the other Straw Hat Pirates understood the real reason why the Whitebeard Pirates had recently been consolidating their forces.
Asked this, Ace suddenly remembered something and took out an invitation from his pocket.
"Ah, it's Naruto… Uncle Naruto is getting married and invited me to the wedding party."
When saying Naruto's name, Ace's mouth stumbled a bit.
But Naruto's iron-fist education had taken effect, making the kid recall how he should properly address Naruto.
After speaking, Ace briefly showed the invitation's contents, which weren't much different from the one Big Mom received.
"Pops' physical condition isn't great, and he didn't want to leave Sphinx Island, so he sent me to represent the Whitebeard Pirates fully at the celebration."
"Party!?"
Sure enough, Luffy's eyes lit up at the word 'party', and the other crew members knew what their captain was thinking just by looking at him.
But they didn't mind either.
This crew had always been like that.
"But who is this Uncle Naruto you mentioned… the name sounds so familiar…"
Ace didn't expect that even though everyone had just met during the Marineford War, they'd forgotten so quickly.
He thought about how to jog Luffy's memory.
"He's the [Great Hero], the one who defeated a Marine Admiral all by himself~"
Nami reminded him first.
But Luffy still crossed his arms, deep in thought.
"He's that really, really tall old guy!"
Chopper also reminded him.
"Hey, Luffy, have you forgotten? He even went to the Orange Islands with us, remember."
Sanji tapped Luffy's head, but Luffy still looked confused.
"The one who looks like a fox."
"Ah! It's the Fox-Faced Old Guy!"
With Robin's hint, Luffy clapped his hands, immediately remembering who Naruto was.
"Wow… we really owe him a lot for last time. But why did you get an invitation, Ace, but we didn't?"
Luffy tilted his head, looking a bit unhappy.
He thought the Fox-Faced Old Guy was pretty nice to him, yet he didn't invite him to his wedding.
Of course, he was more eager for the party itself.
Meat! Booze!
A party would definitely have those staple events!
"No way, no way. A big shot like that would never remember us!"
Usopp and Nami waved their hands simultaneously, speaking in unison as they retorted.
The more they learned about Naruto's past deeds, the more they felt a sense of distance from this true powerhouse of the sea.
They figured someone like him would have surely forgotten about small-time pirates like them.
But Ace denied that.
"No, no. Uncle Naruto definitely wouldn't forget you, especially since you're wearing that hat."
Ace pointed to the straw hat on Luffy's back.
"Eh? Is it because of Shanks?"
"No, it's because of its owner two owners ago."
Ace didn't say the name, but Luffy quickly understood.
It was Ace's biological father, the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
"Come to think of it… that Fox-Faced Old Guy said before that he was on Roger's ship for a while too."
As they were chatting enthusiastically, a News Coo finally spotted the ship below.
After comparing it several times to confirm the Thousand Sunny was the target its boss had given it, the News Coo descended.