"Dad!"
Seeing Pagaya return home, Conis introduced Luffy and the others.
"Yes. They were tricked here by those people on the island, but they didn't mean any harm, so I invited them home as guests."
"I see. Those people still haven't given up."
Pagaya, who was nearly fifty, looked at everyone kindly.
"Please, don't be so reserved. I'm Conis's father. You can just call me Pagaya."
"Thanks a lot, Uncle Pagaya!"
Luffy greeted him cheerfully, then introduced himself.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, the man who's going to become the pirate king!"
"What an energetic young man."
Pagaya looked thoughtful and slowly said, "Pirate king? That seems to be the title given to the greatest pirate in your Blue Sea, right?"
"Yeah. The pirate king is the freest man on the sea!"
Seeing Luffy start chatting with the older man, Nami did not forget the main matter and introduced herself.
"Hello, Uncle Pagaya. I'm Nami. This is my mother, Bell-mère, and my older sister, Nojiko. They're Usopp, Zoro, San... um..."
At that moment, Conis took the initiative to step forward and explain Nami's situation to her father.
After listening, Pagaya answered simply, "That's fine. As long as you don't mind how quiet it is here."
"Thank you so much!"
Once they received Pagaya's clear answer, Nami, Bell-mère, and Nojiko all bowed deeply to him in gratitude.
"Haha, no need to be so polite. It's a small matter. I'll go inside and tidy up first. Once you finish eating, I'll take you to the island to register, and we can also see if there are any empty houses. That way, you'll have a place to live in the future."
"Thank you so much!"
There was nothing Nami could be more grateful for than knowing her family's future was settled.
At that moment, even though they had only just met, she truly saw Conis and her father as great benefactors.
So after Pagaya went inside to clean up, she asked with concern, "Um, what exactly happened? Do those people have some kind of grudge against Mr. Ace?"
Ace was staring fixedly at Luffy, while Conis smiled and answered, "It's like this. Those people aren't good people. They're opportunists who came to Angel Island because they coveted the legend of the City of Gold. Ace taught them a lesson before, so they've held a grudge ever since."
"I see... Then is the City of Gold really on the Island of the Gods?"
Nami asked without thinking, then immediately realized what she had said and apologized.
"Um, I didn't mean to..."
Conis did not mind at all.
"It's fine, Nami. You don't need to be nervous. There's actually nothing that can't be said. The City of Gold really is on the Island of the Gods, but it isn't as exaggerated as those people claim. Besides, most of the gold there has already been moved away."
"Moved away?!"
Everyone froze.
"Yes. Ten years ago, a group of people invaded the Island of the Gods and tried to take the gold there. Although it was eventually dealt with, it caused a great deal of unrest on the island. To prevent the gold from continuing to attract trouble, Yemu-sama had it all taken away. As for why people from the Blue Sea like you aren't allowed to enter now, part of the reason is that some of the original residents living there don't welcome Blue Sea people. Another part of the reason is that there's something inside even more important than gold, but it can't be taken away."
"More important than gold? What is it?"
Conis thought for a moment, then said, "I don't really understand it either, but I heard it has something to do with Poneglyphs and ancient ruins... The reason Robin-chan can enter is because she's an archaeologist."
"Poneglyphs!"
When they heard that word, most of the others had no reaction at all, but Sanji and Bell-mère were visibly shocked.
Sanji's pupils shrank, and his voice trembled.
"Hey, you've got to be kidding. There's actually a Poneglyph there? If that's true, then it all makes sense!"
"What's a Poneglyph?"
Luffy asked blankly while eating.
Sanji was just about to explain when laughter rang beside him.
It was Ace. He looked at Luffy with a trace of disdain and said, "You want to become the pirate king, but you don't even know what a Poneglyph is?"
Ace's sudden provocation stunned everyone present. Then they saw Ace stand up and look at Luffy.
"Your name is Luffy, right?"
"Yeah!"
"You said you want to become the pirate king?"
"Yeah. So what?"
"Fight me. Let me see where you get the nerve to say you want to become the pirate king. If you win, you're short on money, right? I'll give you one million Belly."
...
On the shore outside Pagaya Shipyard, everyone had gathered.
Standing at the shipyard entrance were Nami, Conis, and the others, watching the commotion.
Ahead of them, on opposite sides, stood Ace and the four members of the Straw Hat Pirate crew.
Both sides looked full of confidence.
"Ace, right? I can tell you're strong, but I won't lose either!"
Luffy excitedly clenched his fists.
Zoro, Sanji, and the others beside him frowned.
Usopp was also full of confidence.
Watching this scene, Nami, although now a member of the Straw Hat Pirate crew, still said a little awkwardly, "Um, isn't four against one a little unfair?"
"Don't worry. Ace is very strong!"
Conis smiled faintly, and the confidence in her eyes suddenly made Nami feel uneasy.
Just then, Luffy made the first move.
"I'm coming! Rubber-Rubber Machine Gun!"
In an instant, Luffy's fists stretched out, turning into a dense rain of punches that surged toward Ace.
The others did not move, because they were also confident in Luffy's strength.
After all, back in the East Blue, Luffy had not only defeated Alvida, Axe Emperor Morgan, and Buggy the Clown, but had also charged into East Blue Marine Headquarters with them. He could definitely be considered one of the top fighters there.
They did not want to gang up on Ace either.
But what happened next stunned everyone.
"Interesting move, but you're far too slow."
Facing the endless storm of punches flying toward him, Ace dodged every strike as if he were taking a leisurely stroll, slowly walking toward Luffy.
"Hey, are you kidding me..."
Everyone was stunned as they watched.
Luffy could not believe it and sped up his punches, but to Ace, it was no more than children fighting.
"Is this all you can do? If this is your level, then saying you want to become the pirate king is just too funny."
As the words fell, Ace's figure vanished from where he stood under everyone's panicked gazes.
Then, in an instant, he appeared in front of Luffy, raised his fist, and swung it lightly.
"Bang..."