Alabasta, a port city.
In the corner of this city, the Straw Hat Pirates gathered around Luffy and Ace, curiously observing the reunited brothers.
Ace didn't chat with Luffy first; instead, he bowed solemnly to the members of the Straw Hat Pirates, smiling as he looked at them.
"Hello everyone, I'm Luffy's brother, Portgas D. Ace. My brother has been relying on your care for some time now."
Ace had learned etiquette from Makino.
Especially after meeting Uchiha Itachi, he learned a lot from him, like how to greet his brother's companions.
This courteous demeanor left the entire Straw Hat Pirates a bit amazed. Did their unreliable captain actually have such a polite brother?
Sanji couldn't help but pull out a cigarette, shaking his head slowly as he said, "It's hard to imagine that someone so polite is Luffy's brother..."
"Yeah..."
Nami's expression was also quite subtle.
Ace lit the cigarette in Sanji's hand with a smile as he continued, "I know Luffy's personality; he must have caused a lot of trouble for everyone... Sorry for having to deal with his willfulness."
"No, no, no, it's actually not that much..."
Nami hurriedly waved her hand with an awkward expression.
The other members of the Straw Hat Pirates also couldn't help but wave their hands, for in front of Ace, it was hard for them to speak ill of Luffy.
Zoro, holding his sword, spoke in a deep voice with his eyes closed, "That guy Luffy is our captain, and he's reliable in some matters..."
"..."
Everyone present nodded along with Zoro's words.
"Is that so?"
Ace's smile widened as he turned to pat Luffy on the shoulder, praising him with a smile, "It looks like Luffy has really grown up, becoming a qualified captain..."
"..."
The members of the Straw Hat Pirates all turned their heads to the side.
Actually, they were just being polite earlier. Most of the time, Captain Luffy wasn't reliable at all!
If the Straw Hat Pirates encountered danger, Luffy was the most reliable person; but if they weren't in danger, Luffy was the one bringing it to them...
As they were still exchanging pleasantries, Nami suddenly thought of something, looking at Ace with some uncertainty, "Eh? Portgas D. Ace, the strongest super rookie pirate from three years ago, the one whose bounty exceeded one billion Belly in the first year!"
The reputation of Portgas D. Ace was indeed widespread.
Because Uchiha Sasuke once defeated the vice-captain of the Red Hair Pirates, Beckman, many thought Ace could ascend to become one of the New World Four Emperors. But after his defeat, he directly joined the Whitebeard Pirates.
This news was published in the newspapers.
Portgas D. Ace was considered the strongest pirate from the East Sea in recent years, highly praised in the news.
It wasn't surprising that Nami had heard of him.
The entire Straw Hat Pirates couldn't help but look at Ace with some amazement. Luffy's courteous brother truly had an extraordinary identity!
"Haha, I'm not actually that strong."
Ace couldn't help but chuckle, shaking his head as he tapped Luffy's forehead with his finger, softly continuing, "Besides, those things are all in the past. Now I'm just the Captain of the 2nd Squad of the Whitebeard Pirates..."
"Whitebeard Pirates!"
Nami suddenly clenched her fist, her brows furrowing as she spoke, "Is that... the world's strongest pirate crew, the Whitebeard Pirates?"
"That's right."
A flash of confidence appeared on Ace's face.
Nami's fists clenched tighter, her expression becoming increasingly grim, as she slowly continued to ask, "Do you have someone named Jinbe in your pirate crew?"
"Yes, do you know him?"
Ace looked at Nami curiously, smiling as he said, "Jinbe is the Captain of our 8th Squad, and I have a good relationship with him. Do you want me to pass on a message?"
The original Captain of the 8th Squad was Fishman Namur.
Since Jinbe was driven out of Fishman Island by Hoshigaki Kisame and led the Fishman Pirates to join the Whitebeard Pirates, Namur voluntarily gave up his captain position to Jinbe.
Because of Jinbe's bold and righteous personality, Ace and Jinbe share similar interests, and they indeed have a close relationship.
"No, that's not necessary."
Nami shook her head with restless thoughts.
The other members of the Straw Hat Pirates noticed Nami's intentions.
Because Zoro and Sanji knew about the past of the Arlong Pirates from Nami's sister Nojiko in Cocoyasi Village, Nami joined the Straw Hat Pirates to defeat Jinbe!
"Ace, could you pass a message for me?"
Luffy clenched his fists, looking at his brother with full seriousness, "Tell that guy Jinbe, I'll definitely take him down!"
"Eh?"
Ace couldn't help but have a string of question marks flash across his face. Adjusting his hat, he asked in surprise, "Did Jinbe do something wrong? His personality..."
Luffy continued with his fist still clenched, "Besides that Jinbe, and that guy Whitebeard, I'll take them all down too!"
This was a promise to Nami!
Because Nami was always trapped in fear of Jinbe and the Whitebeard Pirates, especially after the dissolution of the Baroque Works, this emotion became more severe.
Until now...
Nami was still worried about Jinbe avenging Ahlong.
"Eh?"
Ace's face showed more curiosity, with a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth: "It's just like me in the past, Luffy. Do you also want to directly challenge the strongest man on this sea? It's unimaginably difficult..."
Luffy shook his head, a determination on his face never seen before: "No matter what it's for, no matter how difficult it is, I'll defeat him!"
"But you can't even beat me..."
Ace extended two fingers and knocked on Luffy's forehead, chuckling: "Alright then, just wait until you get stronger! When you want to challenge our old man in the future, you'll have to get past me first!"
This difficulty is not low at all!
Even the current Ace is not someone the entire Straw Hat Pirates can match. He's a notorious pirate even in the New World full of monsters!
Zoro furrowed his brows, glancing at the slightly awkward atmosphere, and couldn't help but ask: "By the way, will your companion really be okay? That guy called Uehara Naraku is a very strong man..."
"No, he won't be."
Ace shook his head, a confident smile stretching across his lips. He believed in his companion more than anyone: "Even a Navy Admiral couldn't defeat Sasuke... I suppose it won't take long for him to find us... huh?"
Ace's gaze shifted slightly, and he saw Uchiha Sasuke walking toward them in the distance. He waved his hand and called out loudly: "Hey, Sasuke, over here!"
"..."
Uchiha Sasuke silently looked at the young man waving his hand.
The next moment, Sasuke's figure disappeared from everyone's sight, appearing next to them in an instant!
This move surprised everyone present!
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa..."
Luffy and Chopper's eyes almost sparkled as they looked at Uchiha Sasuke: "Was that teleportation just now? So cool!"
"I didn't see any movement at all..."
Zoro looked at Uchiha Sasuke's sudden appearance with a hint of astonishment in his eyes: "He actually came here from that far in an instant..."
"Why did it take so long?"
When Ace saw Uchiha Sasuke returning, he still had a confused expression: "Sasuke, was that Navy Vice Admiral really troublesome?"
"He's not the troublesome kind of problem..."
Sasuke couldn't help but frown and shake his head. Just how confident is this Ace to think that Uehara Naraku guy can be described as merely troublesome!
Besides...
Uehara Naraku gave him orders, declaring the undercover mission was over. Uchiha Sasuke took the initiative to propose continuing the mission to help monitor the Whitebeard Pirates for the Akatsuki.
Over these past few years...
Uchiha Sasuke had become accustomed to everything about the Whitebeard Pirates, and if possible, Sasuke wouldn't even mind living on the Moby Dick for a lifetime.
But alas, it was all a dream.
Now, the dream is about to end.
As Sasuke shook his head and sighed, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the Straw Hat Pirates' Nico Robin, causing his expression to change slightly again.
Nico Robin, this woman...
The Straw Hat Pirates had a mole too...
"Ace..."
Uchiha Sasuke looked at Portgas D. Ace, speaking in a deep tone: "If there's nothing urgent, shall we find a place to talk, just the two of us?"
"Huh?"
Ace looked at Sasuke in surprise.
While Ace and Uchiha Sasuke were discussing matters off to the side, the Straw Hat Pirates were still observing Uchiha Sasuke.
Nami looked at Uchiha Sasuke and couldn't help but praise, "Robin, that Uchiha Sasuke is really handsome..."
"He's not just handsome..."
Robin's lips curled up with a light smile as she said, "Moreover, Uchiha Sasuke's strength is impressive. Last year, his bounty exceeded 4 billion Belly, which is comparable to the emperors ruling the New World..."
"Four... four billion!"
This figure truly shocked everyone present.
Nico Robin calmly shook her head and continued in a low voice: "Uchiha Sasuke is regarded by the World Government as the most dangerous monster of this era. It's said that he likes to call himself Fierce Eye and possesses incredible power..."
"Fierce Eye?"
Everyone looked toward Uchiha Sasuke.
At this moment, Sasuke was apparently discussing something with Ace, revealing a scarlet light that made people shiver involuntarily.
Indeed...
His gaze is quite fierce!
Zoro's mouth curled into a smile, an eager expression on his face: "Robin, is that Sasuke a swordsman?"
"Perhaps..."
Nico Robin slowly nodded, speaking in a low voice: "But the World Government specifically issued a news article about Uchiha Sasuke, indicating the sword he carries is likely one of the 12 Supreme Grade Blades, the Kusanagi Sword..."
"Another Supreme Great Blade..."
Zoro's face showed a hint of fighting spirit.
A super pirate with a bounty over 4 billion!
This super pirate is also a Great Sword Master wielding a Supreme Great Blade. Even though Zoro knows he's outmatched, he can't help but want to learn from Uchiha Sasuke!
Nico Robin noticed the fighting spirit on Zoro's face and leisurely added, "If you want to challenge him, it's best not to choose this time, because I sense he's not in a good mood right now..."