Not only was Luffy not worried, but a look of pure excitement and fighting spirit was on his face. Zoro and the others were speechless. Was it really a good idea to let this guy be their captain? But they were all ready to fight, because the enemy was already here.
At that moment, a gentle voice suddenly rang out, and a man leaped onto the boat. He was in his twenties, with black hair, a few freckles on his cheeks, and a red beaded necklace around his neck. He was shirtless, and on his left arm was a tattoo of the letters ASCE. A dagger was tucked into his belt, and he wore a pair of black shorts. He was now squatting behind Luffy, lightly pressing an orange cowboy hat onto his head as he smiled at everyone.
"Who?"
"An enemy?" Zoro and Sanji immediately went on alert. Usopp also raised his slingshot, ready to attack.
"Ace!" But Luffy just smiled brightly. This was the man he had met in town, the one who had stopped Smoker. This was his good brother. "Everyone, this is my brother, Ace!"
"You have a brother?"
"Ace?"
"Not an enemy?" Zoro breathed a sigh of relief, but then he looked at Ace with surprise. He had never heard Luffy mention an older brother.
"Sorry, my brother has caused you some trouble," Ace said with a gentle smile.
"Haha, it's nothing," Sanji laughed. "I'm just surprised that Luffy actually has an older brother."
"Luffy's brother looks much more reliable than him," Usopp said, comparing the two with a surprised look. He couldn't believe they were actually brothers.
"Luffy, this is not the time for a family reunion," Zoro said, his hand on the hilt of his sword as he looked at the approaching ships of the Baroque Works Billion-Elders. There were five of them, and they were quickly surrounding them. From a distance, they could already hear their taunts.
"Kill them! They're the Straw Hat crew, the ones the boss wants!"
"Haha, after we take care of them, I'll be a Million-Elder!"
"Straw Hats, come and die!"
Hearing this, the expressions of Sanji and the others grew serious. These were not easy opponents. They were ready to fight.
"Leave this to me," Ace said with a soft smile. And then, to the surprise of everyone, he leaped from their boat and headed straight for the approaching fleet. He stood on his small boat, his hands in his pockets, completely unfazed by the five massive sailing ships before him.
"Ace is his brother?" everyone wondered, their curiosity piqued. "I wonder how strong he is. He must be stronger than Luffy."
"Of course," Luffy said with a proud smile. "Even when I use my rubber abilities, I'm no match for him."
At that moment, Ace leaped into the air, and his lower body erupted into a raging flame, carrying him over the five ships. The next moment, a massive fist of fire shot out. "Fire Fist!" Ace yelled, and the huge fist of fire tore through all five of the Billion-Elder ships, breaking them apart and setting them ablaze. Countless agents were sent flying into the sea, their ships reduced to pieces of burning wood.
"So strong," Zoro's eyes shone with a bright light.
"Sure enough, much stronger than Luffy," Sanji said, taking a deep drag from his cigarette.
"Are they really brothers?" Usopp said, a look of suspicion on his face. The gap between them was too great.
"He took out five ships with a single punch," Vivi said, stunned.
But it wasn't over. At the same time, behind them, a massive, crescent-shaped wave of sword energy suddenly shot out. The sea howled as it was split in two, and the Marine ship carrying Smoker and his men was sliced in half. Countless Marines were thrown into the water, and Smoker himself was in a panic. If Tashigi hadn't grabbed him in time, he would have fallen in as well.
A figure in black, a longsword in his hand, stood quietly on the surface of the sea, looking at Smoker's group with a calm, indifferent expression. It was his masterpiece that had stopped the pursuing Marines.
"It's Moonlight! It's Moonlight!"
"Great! Hello, Moonlight!"
"You're here!" Luffy and the others cheered. The figure in front of them was none other than Moonlight. At this critical moment, he had finally arrived.
"What a strong swordsman," Ace's pupils shrank, his eyes fixed on Moonlight. He could feel a terrifying sword intent radiating from him, even stronger than the one on their own ship.
"Everyone?" Hearing their cheers, Moonlight smiled faintly. He glanced at Smoker and the others and then shot towards the Going Merry.
"Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Vivi... how are you all?" At the same time, Nami leaned over the railing of the Bliking, shouting excitedly from a distance.
"It's Nami!"
"Great! Nami's finally well!"
"Nami!" everyone cheered. At long last, the members of the Straw Hat crew were reunited.
"Damn it, that swordsman again," Smoker growled, looking at Moonlight with a bitter expression. It was him again. In the face of such power, he couldn't help but feel a sense of weakness.
"A single sword slash cut our ship in two," Tashigi said, her face extremely pale. She recalled the sword slash Moonlight had used before, and a flash of shock appeared in her eyes. "His swordsmanship... I feel like it's on the same level as Hawkeye's."
"Sir, should we still pursue?" a fallen Marine asked.
"No, it's useless," Smoker said, waving his hand. "Now that the Straw Hats are all together, we're no match for them alone. Everyone, retreat. Tashigi, contact headquarters. I need support." Moonlight alone was incredibly powerful, and now that the others were with him, he knew they had no chance.
On the Going Merry, everyone gathered, their faces filled with a joyous excitement.
"Except for the captain, who needs to be replaced, everything else is fine," Usopp said with a grin, glancing at Luffy.
"Miss Nami, long time no see! You're even more charming," Sanji said, a lovestruck look on his face as he floated around her.
"Hmph," Zoro grunted, but a look of relief was on his face. Nami was alright, and he was happy about that.
"Vivi!" Nami said, and Vivi, covering her mouth, her eyes filled with tears, suddenly threw herself into Nami's arms.
"Nami, I... I..."
"It's alright. We're companions, aren't we?" Nami said, stroking her back comfortingly.
"Yes, we're companions," Vivi nodded.
"Haha," everyone looked at each other and smiled. Ace, seeing this scene, couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. His younger brother had found a group of very good friends, friends worth entrusting his life to.
"Huh? Why is there a tanuki?" Luffy suddenly asked, seeing Chopper hiding behind Moonlight.
"A tanuki?" Hearing this, everyone looked over and saw Chopper, hiding behind Moonlight, looking at them curiously. "Ah! A tanuki! It really is a tanuki!"
"I'm not a tanuki! I'm a reindeer! Look, I have horns!" Chopper cried, jumping out from behind Moonlight and pointing to the antlers on his head.
"Ah! The tanuki is talking!"
"No, he's standing on two feet!"
"A monster!" Luffy and the others were even more surprised.
"Moonlight, didn't you say they were all nice?" Chopper said, grabbing the corner of Moonlight's coat, tears in his eyes. He then looked at Nami. "And Nami!" You didn't say this when we were on the Bliking!
"It's okay. I'll give you a grand introduction," Nami said with a sinister smile. She then turned to Luffy and the others.
BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!
After four consecutive thumps, Luffy, Usopp, Sanji, and Zoro were all sporting bruised noses and swollen faces as they greeted Chopper. "Hey, how are you?"
"Listen to me," Nami said, her face grim as she pointed at Chopper. "Chopper is the companion that Moonlight and I invited to join the crew on Drum Island. He is a great ship's doctor. On Drum Island, thanks to Chopper..." When Chopper heard Nami call him a great ship's doctor, he burst into a happy dance. "Even if you call me a famous doctor, I won't be happy!" he cried, but then he caught Nami's terrifying glare and immediately shrank back behind Moonlight.
"So that's how it is," Nami continued. "In short, Chopper is officially joining us as our ship's doctor. Chopper, this is Luffy, this is Usopp, this is Sanji, this is Zoro, this is Vivi, and this... well, what's your name?" She pointed to everyone one by one, but when she got to Ace, she was at a loss. Who was this person?
"Hello, my name is Ace. I'm Luffy's..." Ace began, but he was interrupted by Chopper, who suddenly jumped up and began to examine the crew.
He pointed to Luffy and then looked at Nami. "Is he the unreliable captain you mentioned? The rubber man? So you're a monster too?"
Then he pointed to Usopp. "Is he the liar who always suffers from a terminal illness? Nami asked me to treat you."
Then to Sanji. "Is he that pervy cook? The one who's always hitting on Nami?"
Then to Zoro. "Is he the swordsman who owes you a lot of money and won't pay it back?"
Finally, he looked at Vivi with a look of pure admiration. "Sure enough, just as Nami said, a real princess." As for Ace, he had never heard of him.
But as he pointed to each of them, he suddenly felt a very uneasy atmosphere. He looked back and saw Usopp, Sanji, and Zoro, all glaring at him with cold, murderous expressions.
"Dying of old age?"
"Pervy cook? Say that again."
"Who owes money and hasn't paid it back?"
Chopper began to tremble, and he quickly backed away.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Nami shot out three more punches, and the three of them were now sporting even more bruises and swollen faces.
"Hahahaha, you're so interesting!" Luffy laughed, leaping over to Chopper and making a funny face. "Be my companion."
"You're the captain. Did you really invite me to join?" Chopper asked, stopping in his tracks and looking at Luffy.
"Well, although Moonlight and Nami have already invited you, now that everyone is here, I'm officially inviting you to be our partner," Luffy said with a bright smile, extending his hand. "Thank you for saving Nami."
"Alright," Chopper said, nodding as he took his hand. At that point, Chopper officially joined the Straw Hat Pirates.
The next moment, Luffy looked at Chopper with a curious expression. "You're really not a tanuki? You can talk."
"I'm a reindeer who ate the Human-Human Fruit," Chopper replied.
"How does a reindeer sleep?" Usopp asked, leaning in.
"Wow! You're the liar Nami told me about," Chopper said, jumping back. "Nami told me to never believe a word you say."
"Who did you just call a pervy cook?" Sanji asked, a smirk on his face as he looked at Chopper.
"Wow! A pervy cook!"
"And who did you just say owes money and hasn't paid it back?" Zoro added, a grim smile on his face as he leaned in.
The four of them now surrounded Chopper. "Don't come any closer! I'm very strong!" he trembled, looking at the four pairs of malicious eyes.
But the next moment, the scene changed completely, and the five of them were all dancing on the deck.
"Chopper, welcome to the crew!"
"What?"
"You really ate the Human-Human Fruit?"
"Yes."
"Don't listen to what Nami says in the future. What am I really like?"
"Okay."
"And I don't owe her any money."
"I know."
The five of them danced and laughed together.
"It seems my worry was unnecessary," Nami said, a light smile on her face as she rested her forehead in her hand. "But if this continues, will Chopper be corrupted by them?"
"This is actually good, isn't it?" Vivi said with a soft laugh, a look of envy in her eyes. This was how the Straw Hats welcomed their new companions. In her eyes, it was a truly harmonious scene.
"Yes," Nami nodded, and the two of them smiled at each other.
"I never expected that on Luffy's ship, there would be a powerful swordsman like you," Ace said, extending his hand to Moonlight.
"Luffy's brother?" Moonlight replied, taking his hand. The two of them clasped hands, and Ace immediately felt a surge of power, a look of shock on his face. Moonlight calmly released his hand. Ace was indeed very strong, but he was still a few steps away from the very top.
Ace's heart also shook violently. Besides his father, it was the first time he had ever met such a powerful figure among his peers. If Luffy hadn't mentioned Moonlight to him, he would have almost thought he was some gangster who had snuck onto the ship with ill intentions. "He cultivated to this level just by training? What a terrifying person," he thought. "I thought the younger generation was strong enough, but I never expected this person to be even stronger than me." A sense of camaraderie, a kinship between two heroes, a mutual respect between two prodigies, bloomed in his heart.
"A drink?" he asked, tossing a bottle of wine to Moonlight.
"Cheers," Moonlight replied, raising the bottle. Under the sun, the two of them toasted.