"No way!"
It was Luffy, his hands on his hips, his mouth pressed into a firm line.
"We can't let Giyu go to such a dangerous place alone!!"
Vivi chimed in from the side, her gaze fixed on Giyu. Even though she had witnessed the swordsman's strength firsthand, this was still Alabasta.
"I also don't support Mr. Giyu going alone."
It was the rallying point for Baroque Works' top agents, and more importantly... Crocodile was there.
"Idiot!"
Nami couldn't help but yell at Luffy, poking his rubbery head with her finger. "You know it's dangerous too! But the other side demanded only one person goes! If we all follow, Igaram's life could be in immediate danger!"
"But..." Luffy still wanted to argue, his face full of reluctance.
"Luffy." Zoro spoke up, his voice low. "It's the most reasonable plan we have right now. We trust Giyu's strength, just like we trust you."
Sanji also nodded, stubbing out his cigarette. "That's right. Besides, our mission to stop the rebel army in Yuba is equally important."
"Someone has to expose Crocodile's conspiracy, or this country is truly finished."
Usopp's face also showed worry, but he decided to trust Giyu and added, "Al... although I'm worried about Giyu too, he can definitely do it! His strength!!"
Chopper ran over to Giyu's leg, tilting his little head up. "Giyu... you have to be careful!!"
Giyu looked at his comrades arguing on his behalf, especially Luffy's undisguised concern, and spoke calmly:
"I can do it."
Vivi looked at Giyu before her, clenching her fists tightly, her voice choked with emotion. "Mr. Giyu... Igaram... I'm counting on you! Please... please be careful!"
However, practical problems always came one after another.
Vivi suddenly remembered something. "But... Karoo has already left with my letter for my father, heading to Alubarna!"
"How will you cross this vast desert to Alubarna, Giyu? Walking is too slow, and it's easy to get lost!"
This was indeed a difficult problem, and everyone fell into thought again.
"Let's get back to the ship first!"
Nami immediately called out to everyone who was still thinking. "Standing around here won't help. Let's return to the Merry, sail along the Santara River for a bit, find a suitable spot to drop off Giyu, and then figure out the route!"
For now, this seemed like the most feasible plan.
.........
Back on the familiar deck of the Merry, just as the ship was about to set sail and the ropes were being hauled in—
Giyu caught a glimpse of a swift, familiar figure on the shore out of the corner of his eye.
The figure then leaped nimbly, landing steadily on the railing of the Merry's deck.
"Luffy." A gentle, smiling voice rang out.
Ace's sudden appearance startled everyone on deck, who instinctively exclaimed, "Who's there?!"
Luffy spun around. When he saw who it was, the gloom on his face vanished completely, replaced by immense joy. "Ace!!!"
The young man wearing an orange cowboy hat smiled, jumped down from the railing, and landed on the deck.
He first nodded to Luffy, then turned to the others on the deck who were clearly Luffy's companions. With genuine sincerity, he formally bowed and performed a salute.
"My willful younger brother has been in your care," Ace straightened up with a smile, "Thank you all."
Ace's sudden formality left the Straw Hat Pirates as flustered as Giyu had been earlier. Someone started it off, and everyone began mumbling vague responses:
"That's right..."
Luffy completely ignored these formalities, throwing an arm around Ace's neck excitedly. "Ace! How did you find us here?"
Ace let his younger brother hang on him, patting his back with a laugh. "I was passing through these waters for some trivial matters. Of course, seeing you is the best part."
His gaze swept across the Merry and its diverse crew, his eyes filled with warmth.
Suddenly, as if remembering something amusing, Ace looked at Luffy and said half-jokingly, half-seriously, "Luffy, would you like to join our Whitebeard Pirates?"
He paused, his eyes scanning the others, "Of course, all your friends can come too."
"No way!" Luffy refused without hesitation, "I'm going to be the man who becomes the Pirate King!!!"
Seeing Luffy like this, Ace wasn't angry at all. Instead, as if he'd expected it, he laughed heartily, "Hahaha! You idiot, I knew you'd say that!"
After laughing, his expression turned serious and full of reverence, "But it's not you who will become the Pirate King, Luffy. It's Whitebeard."
Ace's tone carried absolute conviction, "He's the strongest pirate I've ever seen, the man at the peak of this era."
"Whitebeard?!" Usopp gasped, his voice cracking, "That Whitebeard Pirates?!"
Chopper, hiding behind Usopp's leg and not really understanding pirate matters, whispered, "What's Whitebeard?"
Usopp explained to Chopper in an awestruck tone, "He's called the strongest man in the world!"
But Luffy wasn't intimidated by the title at all. He pressed down hard on his straw hat, his face showing eager anticipation:
"We'll just settle it with a fight then! We'll see who becomes the Pirate King!"
Ace smiled without responding, dropping the subject.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white piece of paper, then handed it to Luffy.
Luffy took it curiously in his palm, discovering that the paper was trembling slightly and moving slowly toward Ace's direction.
"What's this?" Luffy pinched the paper, turning it over and over.
Ace watched the small paper slowly moving toward him and explained, "Keep this with you forever. No matter where we are, it will lead us to meet again."
Luffy looked at the magical paper in his hand, smiled, and tucked it inside his straw hat. "Okay... Mhm!!"
Watching the brothers interact, Usopp couldn't help but whisper to Chopper beside him, "Luffy's brother... he's really completely different from Luffy."
Zoro gazed at the vast sky and endless sea, once again beginning his usual grumbling: "The sea... truly has all sorts of strange people and happenings."
Just then, Nami clapped her hands, her eyes lighting up as she looked toward Ace, her face revealing an expression as if she had spotted a savior: "Luffy's brother! You're Ace, right! Could you do us a favor?"
Ace turned to the orange-haired girl and nodded amiably: "Go ahead."
"This country is in grave danger right now!"
Nami explained rapidly, "We need to get one of our crewmates near the middle reaches of the Santara River so he can hurry to Alabasta as soon as possible! But our ship has to head in another direction..."
"Your ship looks... like it could carry one more person...?"
"Would you please!! Luffy's awesome big brother!!"
Nami pointed toward Giyu, who was standing quietly nearby.
Ace's gaze followed Nami's finger and landed on Giyu. He recognized him as the skilled swordsman who had been with Luffy earlier.
He thought for a moment, considering that this concerned his brother's crewmate.
"Though I'm a bit pressed for time too..."
"Since it's for my brother, and it's also to help this country," Ace ruffled Luffy's hair.
"Leave it to me."
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!