Luffy stared at Ace in disbelief.
Even after hearing that Sabo had been captured and was about to be executed, Ace still looked unexpectedly composed.
Meanwhile, Luffy was already losing his mind from anxiety.
More importantly, the Moby Dick clearly wasn't heading toward Mary Geoise. Its course was set for Amazon Lily.
"Oi! Ace!" Luffy shouted impatiently. "I'm going to save Sabo right now! Are you coming or not?"
Ace felt a headache coming on.
Just hearing Luffy's tone was enough for him to know this idiot had fully decided to charge into the Holy Land alone.
"Luffy," Ace said seriously, "you're seriously planning to storm Mary Geoise by yourself?"
"Yeah!" Luffy answered without hesitation. "I'm going to rescue Sabo!"
Ace immediately punched him on the head.
"You idiot! Do you even understand how dangerous that place is?! That's Mary Geoise!"
Luffy rubbed his head while glaring at Ace.
"What's the big deal? I'm super strong now! I'll just beat everyone up and take Sabo back!"
Ace nearly lost his patience.
He knew Luffy had become much stronger over the past two years. Anyone acknowledged by Rolan definitely wasn't weak.
But Mary Geoise wasn't some random pirate base.
That place was the center of the World Government.
The strongest monsters in the world were gathered there.
Ace let out a long breath before speaking again.
"Listen carefully. I'm definitely going to save Sabo too, but now isn't the right time."
Luffy frowned.
"Why?"
"To rescue someone, you need to actually think before acting," Ace replied. "The World Government already knows people will come for Sabo. Security around Mary Geoise is probably tighter than ever."
Luffy crossed his arms stubbornly.
"I don't care. I'll just punch my way through."
Ace stared at him for several seconds before speaking again.
"When I was captured, you rushed into Impel Down and Marineford for me without hesitation. I know exactly what you're feeling right now."
His expression softened slightly.
"And honestly, hearing that you'd do the same thing for Sabo makes me happy."
Luffy looked away awkwardly.
"Well… obviously."
"But this isn't something we can solve by charging in recklessly," Ace continued. "If we fail, we won't just lose Sabo. We'll get ourselves captured too."
Luffy immediately shouted back, "I said I'm strong enough now!"
Ace rubbed his forehead.
Why was this idiot becoming harder to deal with every year?
"Mary Geoise has ruled the world for centuries," Ace said. "Countless people have challenged the World Government, and all of them failed."
"I don't care!"
Luffy turned around and started walking away.
"I'm going right now!"
Ace's expression changed slightly.
If Luffy truly made up his mind to leave, stopping him physically wouldn't be easy anymore.
So Ace immediately used the only thing that consistently worked on Luffy.
"The World Government already prepared a terrifying force waiting for anyone who tries to rescue Sabo."
Luffy instantly froze.
He slowly turned around.
"A terrifying force?!"
Ace secretly sighed in relief.
Got him.
"That's right," Ace continued with a serious face. "They're waiting for people to attack."
Luffy scratched his cheek nervously.
"Then… what do we do?"
"There's still more than half a month before the execution," Ace explained. "Sabo won't die during that time. Instead of rushing in blindly, we should prepare properly first."
Luffy still looked unconvinced.
Ace walked forward and smacked him on the head again.
"Use your brain for once."
"Ow!"
"The World Government publicly executing Sabo isn't just about him," Ace continued. "They're targeting the Revolutionary Army and everyone connected to him."
His expression darkened.
"Just like Marineford targeted the Whitebeard Pirates back then."
Luffy finally became quiet.
Ace continued speaking.
"We need to regroup first. We'll return to Amazon Lily and discuss everything with Rolan."
Luffy's eyes widened.
"With Rolan too?"
"Of course," Ace replied. "Even Rolan said the World Government is troublesome to deal with. Do you really think the two of us can casually invade Mary Geoise alone?"
Luffy puffed his cheeks.
"I still think I can do it."
"No, you can't," Ace replied immediately.
Margaret, who had been silently listening nearby, finally spoke up.
"Luffy, this situation is already far beyond a normal conflict."
Luffy blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Margaret raised two fingers.
"The World Government and the Revolutionary Army are about to collide directly. This could become one of the biggest wars in the world."
Luffy's eyes nearly popped out.
"A huge war?!"
Even his snot bubble inflated from shock.
Ace glanced at Margaret with slight surprise.
The more he observed her, the more impressive she seemed.
Given Luffy's personality, there was no way he would have survived this far alone at sea. Margaret clearly handled everything for him, from navigation to planning.
And despite knowing how dangerous this entire situation was, she still chose to stay beside Luffy without hesitation.
Ace could already tell how deeply she cared about his little brother.
Margaret continued calmly.
"Strictly speaking, we're already involved in this conflict ourselves. Which means returning to Amazon Lily and gathering everyone is the smartest option."
Luffy stared at her for a few seconds before nodding.
"Then you should've explained it like that from the start!" he shouted toward Ace.
Ace's face twitched violently.
He suddenly felt exhausted.
After a long silence, he simply sighed.
"...Set course for Amazon Lily."
"Ohhh!"
The Whitebeard Pirates immediately responded.
Luffy, who had been tense the entire time, suddenly relaxed and sat down casually beside the railing.
Ace looked at him strangely.
"Aren't you still worried about Sabo?"
Luffy grabbed a giant piece of meat from somewhere and bit into it.
"Why would I panic?" he asked with a full mouth. "Sabo isn't weak enough to die that easily."
Then he casually patted Ace's shoulder.
Ace stared at him for a moment before laughing helplessly.
Only Luffy could switch moods this fast.
As the Moby Dick continued sailing toward Amazon Lily, more and more ships began appearing across the sea.
Almost all of them were heading in the same direction.
Pirate ships.
Merchant ships.
Underground brokers.
Even government vessels moving cautiously through the waters.
The entire sea already felt tense.
Then, suddenly, a loud voice echoed from a nearby ship.
"Hahaha! Isn't that Portgas D. Ace, captain of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
===
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