"Somebody catch that dine-and-dasher! He ran away without paying for his food!"
The loud shout instantly pulled the attention of the entire street. Leo didn't rush like others, Instead, he calmly closed his eyes and activated his Observation Haki, letting his senses expand outward.
'Got you.' Feeling a faint running figure in his direction, he spun around and threw a straight normal punch toward the man, but instead of smashing into a weak thief's face, his fist was caught in a powerful, calloused grip.
Leo's eyes snapped open. 'This isn't some small time crook…'
Before he could react, the man countered. Leo instantly coated his arm in Armament Haki and met the counter attack head on.
A jet black sheen of Haki clashed against his own, and the force sent both of them skidding back several steps.
"Hey, jerk… why the hell are you getting in my way?" the man growled.
He was few years older than Leo, shirtless, wearing only shorts and an orange hat decorated with colorful ornaments and beads. A large tattoo of a white skull with crossed bones and a distinctive smiley face sat proudly on his back, indicating he clearly wasn't from Alabasta.
Leo narrowed his eyes. 'That Haki… he's no rookie.'
"Who are you supposed to be?" Leo asked. "I thought I was just stopping a petty dine and dasher."
The man's irritated expression instantly turned to embarrassment.
"It's not like that…" he muttered while scratching his cheek before suddenly turning around to shout at the furious old restaurant owner chasing after him with a frying pan.
"Oi, old man! I left my ship in a hurry and forgot to bring any money, alright? I already apologized! Just put it on my tab, I'll pay you back next time!"
Leo blinked, this idiot reminded him of another idiot he had met on sea not long ago. (A/N: Insert image of the idiot i am talking about)
"Why am I even explaining this to you?" the man snapped, turning back to Leo. "Move aside if you don't wanna get burned."
Leo studied him for a moment, then asked directly, "Are you Portgas D. Ace?"
"Do you know me?"
Leo removed his turban, letting his face be seen clearly, Ace's eyes widened in recognition.
"Oi! You're that rookie… Portgas D. Leo!" A big grin broke out on Ace's face. "I've got so many things to ask you!"
Leo sighed and walked over to the furious restaurant owner, paying Ace's rather large bill — which was almost equal to a week's food budget for his own crew.
'No wonder the old man was ready to commit murder, this guy eat like a beast.'
"Hey, isn't that the 2nd Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?" someone whispered.
"And look at the kid next to him! He's the one from today's newspaper — the monster rookie who destroyed Holiday Island!"
The murmurs grew louder, People slowly began backing away, fearing another incident.
"Let's get out of here," Leo said.
The group quickly slipped into a quieter alley and found a small restaurant to sit and talk properly.
Ace chewed on the food Leo had just paid for, completely relaxed. A lazy grin appeared on his face as he asked, "So… is your family name Portgas? Or did you just pick it up for fun?"
"It's my mother's family name," Leo replied, slightly annoyed. "And who does that?"
Ace laughed lightly. "Looks like we might belong to the same branch family, Though my mother died right after giving birth to me so i don't know much about her…" Both of them fell silent for a moment, the mystery of the shared surname hanging in the air.
Leo's mother Grace, had once told him that she ran away from home with her elder sister when they were young, to chase freedom and adventure.
That story, combined with the details Ace shared about his own mother, left Leo with no doubt — Ace was his cousin.
A small, genuine smile formed on Ace's lips as he heard Leo talk about their mothers.
Even this small story of her escaping her family home felt precious. Because when Ace was born, his mother was already gone from this world consequences of giving birth to him. He knew almost nothing about the woman.
For the first time, through Leo's words, he was able to catch a small glimpse of the mother he never got to meet.
"Still… I'm glad I ran into you." His grin returned. "It's good to know someone from my mother's side is still alive, I have an aunt now, right? Can you tell me what she looks like?"
Leo thought for a second. "She has pale skin, crystal blue eyes like mine and light pink blonde hair."
Ace's expression softened. "That sounds just like the features Old man Garp told me… except my mother had grey eyes." A quiet sadness appeared on his face.
"Keeping that aside," Ace continued, changing the subject, "I heard you sailed with Luffy, I've been waiting here for three days, but there's still no sign of him."
"He should arrive soon," Leo answered. "Are you here for him?"
"Not exactly. I'm hunting a pirate named Blackbeard," Ace said, his expression turning serious for a moment. "But since Luffy isn't far and it's been three years since we last met, I figured I'd wait and meet him." They continued talking while eating, but halfway through the meal, a familiar creepy mouth suddenly bloomed out of the wooden table.
"Smoker, the marine captain I mentioned, is heading straight toward your location," Robin's voice echoed. "It would be best if you leave now. Meet me at the port so we can depart."
Ace nearly spat out his food. "What the—!? That's creepy as hell, woman! Don't do that while people are eating!"
The mouth dissolved into pink petals and vanished without answering.
Leo stood up. "He finally caught up, I've been waiting for him."
Ace raised an eyebrow. "Is there trouble?"
"Old unfinished business, nothing I can't take care of," Leo replied with a smirk. "We should move, I don't want to destroy another town in a single day."
They left some money on the table along with a short note for Smoker before heading toward the port.
Half an hour later, Smoker arrived at the location written in the note, followed by Tashigi and a squad of nervous marines.
Smoker bit down hard on his cigars, eyes scanning the group of pirate leisurely waiting for him.
"What the hell are you planning, brat?"
Leo stood casually in the middle of the empty desert with both hands in his pockets, behind him on a manmade platform sat Ace, Nojiko and Bonclay.
"I'm just keeping my promise," Leo said with a calm smile. "You wanted a rematch, right? This time I won't run away."
Smoker's eyes widened as he noticed Ace standing not far behind Leo. His expression turned deadly serious.
"Portgas D. Ace…," he growled, white smoke already leaking from his body. "Today I'll capture both of you and wash away the stain from my records!"
Ace cracked his knuckles, flames flickering around his shoulders. "Need a hand?"
Leo raised a hand without looking back. "Stay out of this one, Ace, This one is mine."
***
Author's Note: Sorry for the long chapter! I really wanted to highlight the brotherhood and Portgas D. Rouge's sacrifice, Best mother in all of fiction.
Shout out to Rouge ❤️