At this sight, the members on the ship flying the Whitebeard Pirates' flag erupted in cheers. Ace's single strike destroying a Hundred Beasts warship caused their morale to soar to the heavens.
Just then, a few sonic booms echoed in the sky. Ace looked up and saw the First Division Commander, "Phoenix" Marco, flying toward him. Marco had personally neutralized every cannonball that had posed a threat to their ship during the previous volley.
"Ace, good job!"
As Marco landed beside Ace, the blue flames enveloping his body dissipated. He slapped Ace on the shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up with a grin.
Ace grinned back. "I can't very well go around tarnish the reputation of our Division Commanders when facing the enemy, can I?"
Although Ace had taken the position of Second Division Commander not long after joining the crew, several battles had been enough for the entire division to fully acknowledge his status.
"Lord Jack..."
On the other side, aboard the Mammoth—the center-most vessel—the Gifters' ace, Sheepshead, stood beside Jack with a strained expression. Inwardly, Sheepshead was entirely against this clash. They were facing two Whitebeard Commanders, while they only had Jack.
And while Lord Jack was one of the Three Calamities, a "Lead Performer" with a staggering bounty of one billion Berries and immense strength, he was only twenty-four years old. Compared to the forty-something Marco, Jack was far too naive in his handling of situations. Most of the time, Jack acted without a single thought in his head.
Case in point: the moment their sentries spotted Ace, Jack had ordered a full charge without hesitation. It was only halfway through the maneuver that they realized Phoenix Marco was also on that ship. Yet, even with that knowledge, Lord Jack showed no intention of retreating, which made Sheepshead's heart ache with anxiety.
"Keep charging! All cannons focus fire on the enemy!"
Jack's expression didn't flicker at the loss of one of his ships; his eyes held only a fierce, primal desire for battle.
"Alright, don't celebrate too early. Jack the Drought isn't a simple fellow. Everyone, prepare for the real fight," Marco shouted as he watched the Hundred Beasts warships advance rather than retreat.
"Haha! With Commander Marco and Commander Ace here, what is there to fear? So what if they have more people? Let's crush them and show them the power of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Yeah! Crush them!"
"This era belongs to Pops, Whitebeard!"
The Whitebeard pirates roared in unison, their battle spirit reaching a fever pitch. Ace felt the same. This was his first time facing a top officer of another Yonko crew since becoming a Commander. It was the best moment to prove his worth!
"REPORT! Commander Marco, Commander Ace! At nine o'clock, a Marine warship is approaching at full speed!"
"It's the warship of Headquarters Vice Admiral Momonga!"
The sentry on the Whitebeard ship's mast suddenly screamed.
"A warship? Vice Admiral Momonga?"
Marco and Ace were both momentarily stunned. In the New World, given the reputation of the Yonko, even a lone warship would normally choose to steer clear of them. Let alone now, when they were in the middle of a clash with Jack the Drought—what warship would dare to poke its nose into this mess?
Even a Marine Admiral would find it a headache to face two Commanders and a Calamity simultaneously, let alone a single Vice Admiral.
"Ignore them. Deal with what's in front of us first," Marco reacted quickly and gave the order.
The crew pulled their gaze back. The priority was handling the formidable Jack the Drought. As time ticked by, the distance between the ships closed. Everyone was itching for the fray.
At that moment, Ace instinctively glanced toward the warship. It was already very close, showing no sign of slowing down as it charged straight into the combat zone.
"Huh?! That silhouette... GREAT-GRANDPA?! AND LUFFY?!"
Just as the Whitebeard ships and Jack's ships drew close enough for members to leap across decks—as pirates on both sides roared and prepared for hand-to-hand combat—Ace suddenly spotted a familiar face in a floral shirt, pipe in mouth, standing by the warship's railing. Beside the old man was a familiar, grinning young face.
Ace froze. He never imagined he would see these two in the New World.
"ACE!"
Suddenly, the pipe-smoking old man let out a thunderous roar. He leaped off the warship and shot toward Ace with a speed so blinding that even Ace couldn't react.
"ACE! YOU BRAT! WHY DID YOU LEAVE WITHOUT SAYING GOODBYE?! TASTE THE OLD MAN'S FIST OF LOVE!"
The roar was accompanied by a floral-shirted blur. Before anyone on the ship could process what was happening, a fist slammed into the top of Ace's head.
BAM!
Under the weight of the blow, Ace was sent flying like an arrow, smashing into the thick mainmast in the center of the deck. The sheer force caused the entire pirate ship to rock violently.
"What happened?!" "What's going on?!"
Startled by the swaying deck, the Whitebeard pirates stopped their advance. Suddenly, someone spotted Ace slumped against the mast and the man who had struck him.
"Commander Ace?!" "Who is this guy?!" "He managed to knock Commander Ace away?!" "How is that possible? Commander Ace is a Logia user!" "That old man... I remember! He's the Marine Godfather, Rowan, the one the newspapers said was challenged by Hawkeye a month ago!" "A Marine?! Why is a Marine here?!" "He must have come from that warship..." "This guy... he's coming for Commander Ace!"
As the crew reeled in shock, Rowan stomped toward a dazed Ace with his fist still raised.
"You troublesome brat!"
Rowan reached the boy, grabbed him by the prayer beads around his neck, and hoisted him up before delivering another sharp rap to his forehead.
The sharp, painfully familiar sensation snapped Ace back to reality. Looking at the face mere inches from his own, a flash of panic crossed Ace's features. Like a child caught in a lie, he stammered:
"Gr... Great-Grandpa... what... what are you doing here?"