"Luffy!"
On the streets of the port city of Nanohana, a red figure dropped from the sky, landing beside Luffy and startling the nearby pedestrians. Then, matching Luffy's pace, Red broke into a run alongside him.
"Ah—Red!"Luffy shouted happily. "Why are you here too?!"
"Of course I came to keep an eye on you~!" Red shot him a sharp sideways glare. "We've got something important to do later, remember!"
"Ah—sorry!"Rarely, Luffy actually looked apologetic. But almost immediately, his gaze hardened as he stared forward."But I couldn't help it…"
"Because I think I just saw Ace!!!"
"Ace!? Your sworn brother?"
Red froze, then suddenly remembered the plot of the pirate world.
Right!Ace's first appearance in the original story was in this very city.
And he remembered clearly: the Ace who showed up back then put on a massive show in front of the Straw Hats.
Thinking of it, Red's lips curled upward into a playful smirk.
He began imagining—If Ace found out that the Blackbeard he had been desperately chasing for so longhad already been defeated by the Straw Hats not long ago and left with a fate unknown…What kind of expression would he make?
"I'm actually starting to look forward to this," Red muttered to himself.
Knowing why Luffy suddenly ran off the ship, he didn't ask any more questions. Instead, he grabbed the back of Luffy's collar.
"There are way too many people here! Running won't work!"
"I'll just fly us over!"
"Oh!!" Luffy's eyes instantly lit up. "Then I'm counting on you, Red!"
The next second, powered by Red's Magnet Rise, the two shot into the sky, once again shocking the ordinary townsfolk below.
With Luffy's Observation Haki, he quickly pointed ahead."Ace is right over there!"
"I can feel it! No one else has that kind of aura!"
"This direction, huh?" Red nodded—then brilliant sparks flared beneath his feet.
Their figures flashed, streaking toward the distant street.
In less than ten seconds, a shirtless man wearing an orange hat appeared in their line of sight.
"It is Ace! No doubt about it!"
Dangling from Red's grip, Luffy's face exploded into joy. He took a deep breath and yelled:
"HEY——!!!!"
"ACE——!!!!"
"Hm?!"
Ace, who had been looking for a restaurant, suddenly stopped."Was that… Luffy's voice? Am I hearing things?"
He turned around in confusion—And immediately saw a bright red figure flailing wildly as it plummeted straight toward him from the sky.
The crowd panicked and scattered in every direction.
Only Ace remained where he stood, his expression lighting up with pure joy:
"…LUFFY——!!!!"
BOOM!!!
The next moment, the brothers collided heavily, producing a deep thud.
Luffy immediately bounced off Ace's chest, laughing excitedly."It really is you!"
"Long time no see, Ace!!!"
"Yeah, Luffy!" Ace grinned widely. "After you set sail, I was planning to check the nearby islands for news about you…"
"Never thought you'd just drop out of the sky!"
"But speaking of that…" Ace blinked in confusion. "Why did you fall from above?"
"Oh, that!" Luffy said proudly, grinning ear to ear. "It's all thanks to my partner!"
He stepped aside, revealing Red—who had respectfully stayed out of the way during the brothers' reunion—walking forward from where he had landed.
"Long time no see, Ace."
"You're…"
Ace froze at the familiar greeting. After looking Red up and down, his eyes widened.
"You're Red from Windmill Village!? Wait—you set out as a pirate with Luffy?!"
"That's right~" Red smiled.
Though Ace had left Windmill Village by the time Red transmigrated, the original Red was born and raised there—Luffy and Ace's age-mate.
Though they never got along well, their acquaintance level was at least enough for Ace to recognize him at a glance.
…
…
Ten minutes later, inside a restaurant near the street—
In front of Luffy and Ace were bowls of fried rice stacked as high as small mountains.
The two were practically having an eating race, shoveling food into their mouths at lightning speed.
Within seconds, the half-body-tall pile of rice disappeared into their stomachs.
Followed by enormous glasses of fruit juice, which they downed in one breath.
Finally, both brothers leaned back in their chairs and patted their bellies in unison.
"Aahhh~ I'm stuffed! I'm stuffed!"
Only then did Ace turn toward Red, who was sipping a desert-style drink through a straw.
"I didn't expect so much to happen after I left!"
"Haha, when we heard you joined the Whitebeard Pirates, everyone was shocked for a long time," Red replied.
Then his tone shifted.
"Speaking of which—why is the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates suddenly back in the first half of the Grand Line?"
"Don't tell me… you came all this way just to check on Luffy?"
"Hahaha, well, I did want to see him, but…"
Ace's eyes dimmed as he lowered his head, voice heavy.
"I actually came to handle official business."
"Official business?" Luffy blinked, confused.
Ace raised a thumb and pointed at the tattoo on his back—
A skull with a crescent-shaped white mustache.
A symbol that made nearly anyone who recognized it tremble.
The mark of the world's strongest man—Whitebeard, Edward Newgate.
Ace smiled with pride."This is the symbol of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"It's my pride."
"Anyway…" Ace looked at Luffy and Red with a grin.
"Do you two want to join the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"No way!"
Luffy refused instantly.
Ace burst into laughter."Hahaha! Yeah, I figured. Just thought I'd ask."
"But…"
His expression turned serious.
"Whitebeard is the greatest pirate I've ever met. I want him to become Pirate King."
"Not you, Luffy."
"I'm not pretending I didn't hear that, Ace."
Red set down his glass, smiling confidently.
"The one who'll become Pirate King… will definitely be Luffy!"
"Shishishi! Yeah!" Luffy grinned. "We'll just fight it out when the time comes!!!"
"Is that so?" Ace looked between Luffy and Red, shaking his head helplessly."You two sure are confident."
"But be careful—the sea isn't as simple as you think."
"Hahahaha~ we already know that!" Luffy laughed loudly.
Hawkeye in the East Blue…The giants of Little Garden…And Blackbeard, just recently…
He understood the ocean's cruelty far too well.
"Right, Ace," Red suddenly asked, "that official business you mentioned—can you tell us?"
Luffy immediately looked over too.
"There's no harm in telling you."Ace's voice grew solemn."I'm hunting a man. His name is Blackbeard."
"Blackbeard?!" Luffy froze. "That name sounds familiar!"
"Familiar?"
"Well, he has been causing trouble all over the first half of the Grand Line recently," Ace said, puzzled by Luffy's reaction.
"That man used to be a member of Whitebeard's Second Division—under my command!"
"But he committed an unforgivable crime."
"He murdered a crewmate… and escaped."
"As his commander, it's my duty to track him down and make him pay."
"I came to this country because intel said…"
"In Alabasta's Yuba region, someone saw Blackbeard."
"Oh, right!"
Luffy smacked his palm.
"A few days ago, didn't we just beat a guy called Blackbeard?!"
"That guy was insanely strong—and he had a really weird Devil Fruit power. Plus his laugh was super annoying."
"Didn't expect there'd be another Blackbeard here in Alabasta."
"What a coincidence!"
Luffy lifted his drink—but before he could take a sip—
Ace lunged forward, eyes bulging.
"WHAT… DID YOU JUST SAY!?"
(End of Chapter)