The person is wearing a straw hat, and starts with the power of words!

"Exactly, he even managed to fool someone as naive as Luffy. No wonder he doesn't make any money!" Sima Di chuckled.

In no mood......

Luffy didn't catch the sarcasm and nodded seriously.

This immediately caused a burst of laughter!

While passing through a forest

A large crowd emerged and surrounded the Straw Hat Pirates.

The leader routinely announced, "Finally found a group of pirates... We are Jack the Bounty Hunters, surrender and we will not be killed!"

I didn't expect to be targeted so quickly.

but......

They've clearly bitten off more than they can chew.

"Let's see who defeats more enemies!" Luffy leaped out.

"You haven't even said 'start' yet! You're cheating!" Sanji rushed over.

The others also chose a direction; they hadn't fought in a long time and were itching for a fight.

These bounty hunters are clearly quite capable, as they are able to hunt down pirates who have crossed the first half of the Grand Line in the Sabaody Archipelago.

But they were no match for the Straw Hat Pirates, who had been upgraded to an epic level.

"Wind God Legs!"

"The sky is thundering!"

"14 Rubber??Mountain???"

......

Before the Straw Hat Pirates even exerted any effort, the bounty hunters were already lying on the ground.

"That's it?" Sanji said dismissively.

"It's a bit too weak," Nami said, puzzled.

"Whoosh—I won!" Luffy exclaimed happily.

But no one paid him any attention; he won because of the person who sneaked out and knocked him away.

"It's because you've gotten stronger," Sima Di said casually. "These extras are no match for you now."

finished,

He calmly walked past the corpse of the bounty hunter and continued on his way.

The Straw Hat Pirates, who were now recognized, were quite happy.

Emperor Sima's praise is truly rare!

Only Xiao Ba and his two companions stared in shock at the bounty hunters scattered all over the ground.

This "Jack the Bounty Hunter" is a famous figure in the Sabaody Archipelago, having ruined the journeys of countless pirate crews.

They couldn't even last a minute against the Straw Hat Pirates?

"Compared to before...they've become so much stronger!" Xiao Ba exclaimed.

They quickly caught up with him.

Perhaps it was because of the "precedent" that people knew how powerful the Straw Hat Pirates were.

The rest of the journey went smoothly, and they arrived at a tavern.

But this name...

"Shakky's Bamboo Pole Tavern?" Chopper asked nervously, "This... isn't it a shady establishment?"

"Ah... don't worry, Xia Qi is actually very easy to get along with," Xiao Ba quickly explained.

Sima Di had already pushed open the door and entered, just in time to see a still-attractive mature woman counting banknotes while smoking a cigarette, with a man whose fate was unknown under her feet.

Um......

have to say,

This scene was quite impactful.

The Straw Hat Pirates who came in later imagined a series of scenarios—if beating them up wouldn't work, they'd just resort to outright robbery!

"Oh, it's Xiao Ba." Xia Qi said casually, "Perfect, help me throw this debt-reneging person out the door."

Xiao Ba: "......"

You were just saying you were a good person, and now you're making me look bad?

But he still obediently started to fight.

She added, "Shakky... these are my friends, they came to Rayleigh for coating."

"Ah, him? I haven't seen him for months. He's probably flirting with other women," Shakky said nonchalantly. "But once he goes out, he doesn't come home for a long time. That's probably a habit he picked up when he was a pirate."

"Oh? Is this uncle a pirate too?" Luffy asked with interest.

Shakky didn't answer, but instead looked at Crocus.

"You'd have to ask him that, after all, they used to be partners," Xia Qi teased.

The Straw Hat Pirates: "!!!"

Crocus's partner?

That's just...

A crew member of One Piece?

"Wow, amazing! Is this guy a member of the Pirate King's crew?" Luffy's eyes lit up.

"Rayle...Rayle...Pluto????????Giant?Whale????????"

"Hachi, you actually know the vice-captain of the Pirate King? That's amazing!" Camie exclaimed in shock.

......

Despite the cacophony of voices from the crowd, Emperor Sima remained silent.

First, he already knew.

Second,...

He stared at a newspaper on the wall; the headline read—"Shocking! Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander 'Fire Fist'..."

It's finally here...

Head to war!

Xia Qi noticed Sima Di's gaze and casually said, "This handsome young man is quite sharp. This is a newspaper that won't be published until tomorrow. I got it through inside channels."

Only then did everyone notice the newspaper, and then the atmosphere suddenly fell silent.

Fire Fist Carpet

That's just...

Was it Luffy's brother whom I met in Alabasta?

"Ace has been arrested?" Luffy was also very shocked.

How can this be?

"Do you know Fire Fist Carpet?"

This was information she was unaware of.

“Ace is Luffy’s brother,” Crocus explained.

At this time,

Luffy hurriedly took off his straw hat and pulled Ace's Vivre Paper from a hidden compartment, only to find it burned down to a small corner...

“The Life Paper is closely related to the individual’s life status,” Crocus said in a deep voice. “Given the current state of the Life Paper… Ace is indeed in danger.”

It's definitely Luffy's brother, Ace.

Luffy's expression was frighteningly serious, and he glanced at everyone with a solemn look.

"Everyone, I'm going to rescue Ace. You all wait here..."

"Snapped!"

Sima Di slapped Luffy on the head, interrupting him from saying anything more.

“Even if you’re the captain, it’s best not to say things like that,” Sima Di said. “How could we let you go to rescue Ace alone? We’d be even more worried about that.”

“Yeah, with your impulsive personality, you can’t go on without someone keeping an eye on you,” Sanji agreed.

"Yohohoho—are we going to go against the Navy? That's exciting!" Brook exclaimed with anticipation.

"I wonder if the Admiral can withstand my attack?" Franky was also eager to try.

......