"Teach?" the pirate captain repeated, a genuine confusion on his face.
"Never heard of him. Blackbeard? Haven't heard of that name either."
Ace adjusted his cowboy hat with a hint of frustration crossing his face.
He'd been chasing dead ends for weeks.
Teach—the man who had betrayed their family, who had murdered a comrade for a Devil Fruit—had vanished as if into thin air.
'Where the hell has that bastard gone?' Ace thought, his anger burning like a low flame in his chest.
'No matter. I will find him.'
'For the honor of Whitebeard Pirates.... for Thatch.'
"Well then..." Ace paused, pulling out a familiar bounty poster. "Have you seen this man? Straw Hat Luffy?"
The captain took the poster as his eyes widening in recognition.
"The 30 million Berry rookie from the East Blue! He's causing quite a stir lately. But no, we haven't seen him."
"Alright," Ace sighed, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.
He put the poster away.
"If you do see him, tell him his brother Ace will wait for him in Alabasta for ten days. Please, it's important."
"Got it," the captain nodded nervously.
"Oh, one more thing," Ace said, pulling out a newspaper.
"The East Blue Daily. It mentions a Marine Captain whose sword techniques even 'Hawk-Eyes' Mihawk couldn't decipher. A friend of mine is very interested in this man."
Vista, the 5th Division Commander and one of the finest swordsmen in the Whitebeard Pirates, had been stunned by the article.
The idea of a style that Mihawk couldnt comprehend was an irresistible lure.
"I happen to know about that," the pirate captain said, his voice suddenly eager.
Having just resupplied in Loguetown, he was full of the latest gossip.
"That Marine Captain's name is Mike!"
"Mike?"
"Yes! He's Admiral Kizaru's new aide!"
"Really? That's great!" A glimmer of joy flashed in Ace's eyes. "Finally, a solid lead! Do you know where he is now?"
"From what I overheard, Mike just left Loguetown not long ago—he's headed for Alabasta."
"Alabasta?" Ace grinned.
He was going to Alabasta to wait for Luffy anyway.
What a coincidence!
"Thank you so much!"
With a grateful glance, he nimbly leaped from their ship onto his small striker boat.
"Whoosh—!"
Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit powers activated, engulfing the small vessel's engine in roaring flames.
The boat shot forward, racing toward Alabasta.
Standing at the bow, Ace pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his backpack.
'Purupurupuru... Katcha.'
"Ace? It's Vista. Any news on Teach?"
"No, but I have great news for you," Ace said, his voice full of excitement.
"I found him! The Captain from the article! His name is Mike, Admiral Kizaru's new aide. And his next stop is Alabasta."
"!!!"
There was a pause, then Vista's joyful voice came through.
"Excellent! I'll report to Pops. We'll set off immediately! See you in Alabasta, Ace!"
"Alright!"
*****
Alabasta, the port city of Nanohana.
A massive Marine warship slowly docked at the pier, its hull swaying gently.
But strangely, the pier was eerily quiet.
The usual lively atmosphere of a bustling port was gone, replaced by an ominous silence.
"Yo, what's going on here?" Mike held a cigar between his teeth, exhaling a puff of smoke as his eyes scanned the deserted surroundings.
"This atmosphere... it feels a bit off."
He had been planning to take his men into town for some shopping.
When playing Mahjong, one always needed snacks.
Just as Mike was about to activate his Observation Haki, Kuro spoke up.
"Captain," he said, his expression alert as he pointed into the distance.
"Look."
Mike followed his finger.
Scattered cargo was haphazardly piled on the dock, crates toppled over, their contents spilling out.
The scene looked as though it had just endured a sudden, violent upheaval.
"These were supposed to be loaded onto ships. It seems pirates have been here," Kuro analyzed, his eyes gleaming with sharp insight.
Mike nodded.
"Oh, so that's how it is." He turned to Smoker beside him, a playful smirk tugging at his lips.
"Smokey, it's your time to shine!"
Having Smoker on board was great; when pirates showed up, he wouldn't have to lift a finger himself.
"Hey!" Smoker turned, a flash of irritation in his eyes.
"Listen here kid, I'm not your subordinate!"
"Don't you want to test how much stronger you've gotten?" Mike asked, completely unfazed.
"Sparring with Kuro is one thing, but this is a real-world test."
"Hmph!" Smoker let out a cold laugh before striding ahead.
"Let's move. I'll handle this—I'll wipe out every last pirate!"
As they moved through the deserted dock, the scene before them suddenly opened up.
A group of imposing pirates stood ahead, armed to the teeth.
Yet, strangely enough, the surrounding civilians weren't panicked.
Instead, their faces bore expressions of relief and excitement, as if they had just been liberated.
All eyes were drawn to a high platform, where a tall man stoodwith a cigar clenched between his teeth and a golden hook replaced where his left hand should be.
'Sir Crocodile?' Mike muttered to himself.
'Isn't this the owner of the Rain Dinners, the very place I was planning to go win a billion Belly?'
'This could be awkward.'
"Hmm?" Crocodile's gaze flickered toward the newcomers.
"Marines?" he thought, his mind immediately connecting them to Robin's earlier report.
'So this is Kizaru's new adjutant... the so called Captain Mike.'
'He actually came to see me in person.'
'Good'.
He exhaled a satisfied puff of smoke.
It seemed this newly promoted Captain had good sense.
He knew exactly who to pay his respects to upon arriving in Alabasta.
He then called out, his voice a low, condescending drawl that carried across the square.
"Hey, kid! Are you Mike?"
"You're not bad! You came to the right place!"
"???"
Mike pointed at himself, his face a mask of genuine confusion.
"Me?"
-----------------------------
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