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Chapter 135: Fire Fist Ace
On the other side, Sanji, who had hurried over, heard the conversation between Ganyu and Nami. He revealed a determined expression.
Then.
Under everyone's surprised gaze, Sanji walked quickly to Ganyu. Without hesitation, he planted his palms and knees on the ground, prostrating himself in a standard push-up starting position, presenting his flat, black-suited back before Ganyu's eyes.
"Miss Ganyu, please sit on me and rest! That way you won't have to force yourself to stand!"
"Huh?"
Ganyu was stunned again, blinking her confused eyes at the smooth back of the black suit before her.
What... was this person saying?
"For Miss Ganyu, I am willing to endure this little hardship!" Sanji noticed her hesitant look and added even more firmly, adjusting his posture to make his back more stable. "Please, do not be polite!"
"Well, alright."
Seeing his persistence, Ganyu felt it would be rude to refuse. She sat down on him carefully and lightly.
In human form, her weight was the same as an ordinary girl. When she sat on Sanji's back, he didn't even wobble; instead, a look of enjoyment appeared on his face.
Ganyu leaned forward slightly, observing his profile.
When she saw that expression clearly, she sucked in a breath of cold air.
This guy was even more of a pervert than she had imagined.
Thinking of this, Ganyu suddenly recalled the luggage Sanji had prepared for her earlier. Apart from necessities, he had secretly stuffed in a piece of black lace underwear that clearly didn't belong to her.
She had planned to find a chance to tell Nami and let the navigator "educate" this cook properly.
But now...
Seeing how excited he was even acting as a "chair," Ganyu sighed softly in her heart.
Since it had come to this, she would forgive him.
"Ganyu! Everyone! Are you guys okay?"
At this moment, Luffy, Ace, Usopp, and Chopper finally arrived.
Luffy ran over excitedly. Seeing Ganyu sitting on Sanji's back, his eyes lit up immediately.
"Eh? Sanji and Ganyu, are you playing something fun? Let me try too!"
"Uh..." Ganyu pursed her lips awkwardly, not knowing how to explain.
"No! Helping Miss Ganyu relieve fatigue is a job for me alone!" Sanji refused righteously.
"What? You definitely have other motives, don't you?" Luffy looked skeptical.
"Nani? Even you can tell?" Sanji was startled. Since when did this guy have such wisdom?
Luffy stroked his chin, putting on a look of serious thought. A few seconds later, he clapped his hands in realization: "I get it! You must be training your body like Zoro, right? Like how Zoro does squats holding weights!"
Uh...
Everyone was speechless. This guy was indeed the same as always.
"This person is...?" Nami finally turned her attention to the unfamiliar young man beside Luffy.
Earlier, she and Chopper had been responsible for finding Ace, but they had only seen flames and white smoke flash past their eyes, unable to see clearly. This was the first time she and Chopper met Ace up close.
"Hello."
Ace revealed a bright smile, took off his orange cowboy hat, and bowed politely.
"My name is Portgas D. Ace. I'm Luffy's brother. Thank you for taking care of my willful little brother all this time."
"H-hello! I'm Nami, the ship's navigator!" Nami quickly returned the greeting.
"I'm Tony Tony Chopper! I'm the doctor!" Chopper also stood at attention, introducing himself nervously.
After the greetings, Nami and Chopper fell into a brief silence simultaneously.
This... this was really Luffy's brother?
"Haha, Ace and I made a promise when we were kids to set sail at 17." Luffy seemed to notice his companions' confusion and explained with a grin, "So he set sail three years earlier than me! Amazing, right?"
"Thr-three years?!" Usopp's eyes widened, looking at Ace with admiration. "He became so strong after only three years at sea... amazing!"
He saw the shadow of a truly powerful pirate in Ace. He wondered if his father had become this powerful too.
"Whitebeard Pirates, Second Division Commander—'Fire Fist' Ace."
A calm female voice sounded from the side. Robin walked over slowly. Her face was placid, but there was a deeply hidden trace of bewilderment in her eyes.
"A big shot famous even in the New World. Bounty: 550 million Berries."
"550 million... Berries?!"
Usopp, Chopper, and Nami exclaimed in unison, their eyes bulging.
Even Zoro and Sanji were startled. This number exceeded their current understanding of bounties. Luffy, who had the highest bounty among them, was only at 30 million Berries.
As for Ganyu, she actually felt the bounty was too low.
Compared to the "Sweet Commanders" of the Big Mom Pirates and the "All-Stars" of the Beasts Pirates, whose bounties easily reached a billion, 550 million was indeed a bit little.
Given Ace's strength, status, and potential, if he didn't die in the Summit War, his bounty would likely have skyrocketed later.
Luffy laughed nonchalantly. "Hahaha, Ace is amazing as expected! But I'll catch up to you soon! I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!"
"I'll be waiting for that day." Ace smiled, then changed his tone and expression. "However, the one I want to help become the Pirate King is Whitebeard, not you, Luffy."
"Ah." Luffy nodded thoughtfully. He didn't ask who Whitebeard was, only stating firmly, "Then let's fight when we meet on the sea later!"
"You really haven't changed a bit." Ace shook his head with a laugh. His gaze moved from Luffy to Ganyu, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Usopp, Chopper, and Robin in turn.
"But, you really have gathered a group of excellent crewmates."
He sighed with emotion, then took out a piece of paper from his pocket, tore off a corner, and handed it to Luffy.
"Luffy, this is my Vivre Card. A friend made it for me. Keep this piece safe; you can use it to find my location in the future."
"Mm." Luffy took the paper and looked at it in his palm. Sure enough, it was drifting towards Ace.
"What a magical item."
Everyone gathered around, observing it curiously.
Then, Luffy tucked the Vivre Card into the band of his straw hat.
"Alright, I'll be going now. If I don't leave, I might never catch that guy."
Watching Luffy put away the Vivre Card, Ace felt reassured. His gaze lingered one last time on the blue-haired girl, nodding slightly to her, before turning to leave alone.
"Ace! Next time we meet, it will definitely be..." Luffy shouted at Ace's retreating back.
"Yeah, let's meet at the peak!" Ace didn't look back but raised a hand high in the air.
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