Starting with two Kamui, they raised the flag of rebellion in One Piece.

Nami glanced at Karina speechlessly and complained, "You... you're saying things like that behind my back again. If someone hears you, don't complain when you get punished later."

"That's why I told Nami."

Karina said with a grin, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about that anymore. In that case, I'll go down to the cabin first. If anything happens, just let me know."

With that, under Nami's watchful gaze, Karina left the deck with light, quick steps.

Seeing Karina's appearance, Nami hesitated, but in the end, she could only pretend not to see her and choose to ignore her.

Although she didn't know what trouble Karina was up to this time, she really didn't have time to deal with Karina right now.

As Nami predicted, after the two captains reached an agreement, despite the fact that their respective crews still had objections to the decision, the outcome remained unchanged—the two sides temporarily reached a ceasefire agreement and sailed together towards the legendary Golden Island.

After leaving the deck, Karina hummed a song as she continued to think about what had just happened.

To be honest, since Karina got together with Li Mingyuan, she has never seen Li Mingyuan show any mercy. The pirates she has seen are either killed by him or, even if they are lucky enough to survive, they are always finished off afterward. More than half of Karina's fear of Li Mingyuan actually comes from these behaviors.

It's quite surprising that Li Mingyuan didn't clash with these pirates.

Judging from these unusual behaviors, Li Mingyuan might actually know this pirate named Ace.

I just don't understand why he would become a bounty hunter who shows no mercy to pirates, even though he clearly knows them. Could it be that this guy, like Nami, has some kind of story with pirates?

Karina had her own guesses, and her curiosity about Li Mingyuan grew even stronger.

However, this curiosity came quickly and disappeared just as fast. With the anticipation of possibly disembarking, Karina quickly put the matter out of her mind and turned to her work.

on the deck.

After slightly intimidating the pirates and warning them not to act too recklessly on his ship, Li Mingyuan stepped forward to talk to them.

Since he showed no hostility and had just received Ace's endorsement, the pirates hesitantly began to try to talk to him, revealing limited information about the Spade Pirates and the Golden Island route.

Of course, the banquet or something Nami guessed about didn't happen.

Both sides are still on guard against each other. Even if Ace is naturally familiar with the rhythm, he will not be able to continue to approach calmly after being intimidated by what he just said.

However, despite saying that, Ace's love of excitement still prevailed, and he himself didn't want to continue in this state with Li Mingyuan.

Then, a moment later...

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Ace first transformed into a streak of fire and flew back to his ship.

Not long after, he rushed back to Li Mingyuan's boat with several large and small packages, and gave Li Mingyuan a smug smile.

"Since we're all going to be talking together, we need to create a conducive atmosphere for conversation."

"Although we had a little unpleasantness before, now that we've made an agreement, we can consider ourselves to be on peaceful terms. How about it? I brought some wine and meat; would you like to try some?"

Ace grinned and said, "You can take this as my apology for trespassing on your ship before."

After saying that, Ace untied the bundle from his shoulder on the deck.

What appeared before Li Mingyuan and the pirates was a mountain of food, glistening enticingly in the sunlight.

"Wait, Ace, isn't this the food we're preparing for the banquet on the island? Why are you bringing it out now?!"

Upon seeing the scene before them, some pirates couldn't help but widen their eyes and exclaim in surprise.

Even the female pirate who spoke earlier covered her face, unable to bear the sight, her tone helpless.

"Speaking of which, even if it's a temporary replacement, aren't I the chef on this ship? How come they're just randomly distributing food without my permission?"

The female pirate said with a headache, "You always make decisions on your own. What if we don't have enough food for the rest of the voyage?"

Wine and meat?

Li Mingyuan looked at Ace and paused slightly.

Logically speaking, Ace would never poison him, he knew that, but he was a little surprised that Ace was showing him such familiar kindness.

In his memory, Ace was the kind of guy who would casually sneak into other people's banquets, eat his fill, and then leave. To put it bluntly, he was a free spirit with a pirate vibe.

The fact that he's so enthusiastic and tries so hard to please me makes me feel like he wants something from me.

as predicted.

The moment Li Mingyuan thought this, Ace moved closer to him.

"If possible, you can discuss with me in detail what you just mentioned later."

Ace lowered his voice and said furtively, "But be careful not to let my friends know. I don't want them to worry."

"Worry?"

"Although I can tell you mean no harm, my companions are still very wary of you. If they find out you know about my hometown, things will get very complicated. You don't want to be watched with suspicion the rest of the time, do you?"

"So we can just talk about the rest privately."

Ace coughed twice and continued, "Of course, if it's alright, I wouldn't mind hearing your story."

"Are you concerned about the bounty hunter thing?"

Li Mingyuan said with great interest.

Ace chuckled and replied, "I'm more curious about you than the bounty hunter."

"Especially what have you been through to become like this? To be honest, you are the first type I have ever encountered since I started sailing. If I hadn't blocked your way just now, most of my crew would probably have been unable to withstand your gaze, right? No one I have ever met can compare to you."

"It would be a shame to let someone like you go so easily, especially since our next goal is the Grand Line."

After whispering with Li Mingyuan, Ace withdrew slightly.

He turned his head and looked at the other Spade Pirates crew members again, waving his hands repeatedly.

"Anyway, don't worry about so many things. Let's just enjoy ourselves and have some fun! We can talk about whatever we need to say later. Aren't you curious about how you found this Golden Island? If we keep being so tense, we won't be able to have a proper conversation!"

"Besides, although it's still uncertain whether we'll find the treasure this time, our Spade Pirates are all about adventure. We don't care if we don't find gold or anything like that. But if we can meet some interesting guys along the way, then this journey won't be a waste."

As Ace spoke, he was the first to sit down on the deck, grabbing a piece of meat with the bone and stuffing it into his mouth, mumbling, "I don't care about you guys! I'm hungry, and if you don't eat, I'm going to eat all this food by myself!"

"Ah! Ace, you bastard, that's my flesh!!"

"Don't steal my drink, you bastard!"

Seeing Ace start tearing apart all sorts of food, some pirates immediately panicked. Without thinking twice, they lunged forward, grabbed a piece of meat, and started stuffing it into their mouths.

Like a stone thrown into a still pond, the pirates who had been chatting away just moments before suddenly swarmed around the food and drinks and began to feast.

Even though they had just eaten lunch, the pirates, who were unwilling to suffer any loss, accepted this extra meal without hesitation.

Li Mingyuan, who was not far away, couldn't help but chuckle.

He thought for a moment, then turned back to look in the direction where Nami and Karina had been, and waved to Nami.

"The agreement has been reached, and the result is quite good overall. There shouldn't be any conflicts for the time being."

Li Mingyuan said in a good mood, "Since Ace brought some food, let's try it too."

Nami walked over to Li Mingyuan, looked at the group of people eating like starving ghosts, and then looked at Li Mingyuan's calm demeanor.

"I felt like an idiot when I was nervous just now."

Nami sighed.

"Well, although it's not quite what we expected, this way we've saved on ingredients, so it's not bad."

Nami shook her head and said to Li Mingyuan in a solemn tone, "Since it was your decision, I won't say anything, but you know my opinion on pirates."

"If you absolutely must come along, I won't be showing myself in the cabin for the next few days. I'll leave dealing with these pirates to you."

Nami's expression was somewhat serious. "Besides, if these pirates do anything unusual, I hope you will handle it seriously. I don't know what kind of trust you have in that guy named Ace, but now I am your crew member. My life and fortune are in your hands. This is your duty as captain."

"I won't make things difficult for you."

Li Mingyuan nodded and replied just as earnestly.

Seeing that Li Mingyuan had taken her words to heart, Nami breathed a slight sigh of relief. She turned back to look at the pirates beside her. With the pirates testing the food, she didn't think it was poisonous. However, due to psychological factors, she still didn't really want to eat the pirates' food.

So after only a moment's thought, Nami quickly made a decision: to call Karina back from below deck and have her enjoy the feast in her place, while also tidying up the food in the warehouse.

We cannot allow these pirates to have the opportunity to poison the drugs alone.

Time passes little by little.

The tense atmosphere at the beginning gradually eased and relaxed with the addition of food and drink.

Especially when the members of the Spade Pirates saw that Li Mingyuan not only joined their banquet without any nervousness, but also ate the food they brought, and looked so calm and composed, they were quickly drawn to Li Mingyuan.

Just as Ace had expected, after the atmosphere changed, their conversation became much smoother.

"What? You're actually quite easy to talk to."

One of the pirates' impressions of Li Mingyuan changed drastically, and he couldn't help but praise him, "You looked so intimidating just now, I thought you must be the kind of person who is hard to approach. I didn't expect you to get along so well with the captain. You know, even we sometimes have no way to deal with him."

"Hahaha! This just proves that I have a special connection with this friend, Li Mingyuan!"

Having drunk his fill, Ace had somehow learned Li Mingyuan's name and upgraded him to a friend. He put his arm around Li Mingyuan's shoulder, raised his glass, and laughed loudly, "This bounty hunter has been to my hometown before! This is the first time I've heard of him!"

"What a pity! I didn't expect to meet you for the first time today. If I had known beforehand, there would have been one more person drinking with us!"

Yes.

After a meal of drinking and eating, and Ace's private questioning of Li Mingyuan about many details of Windmill Village, he was completely convinced that what Li Mingyuan said was true and that the other party had met him before.

Although the vague sense of mystery surrounding Li Mingyuan still made Ace feel a little strange, some of the details from the original work that Li Mingyuan mentioned were things that even Ace wouldn't be able to recall without careful recollection. With Li Mingyuan able to say these things, Ace no longer doubted Li Mingyuan's identity.

So, completely letting his guard down, he took advantage of his drunkenness to introduce the matter, along with Li Mingyuan, to his companions.

That's the kind of exhilarating and decisive style reminiscent of One Piece.

The other pirates didn't learn about Ace's hometown because they knew that Li Mingyuan, the "pirate hunter," was actually a pirate hunter. Instead, their gazes towards Li Mingyuan immediately changed from wary to friendly after Ace introduced him as a pirate hunter.

There were even pirates who, after hearing Ace's explanation, asked the question out of curiosity on Ace's behalf.

"Speaking of which, why did you become a bounty hunter? Since you have no hostility towards the captain, why not just become a pirate instead of a bounty hunter?"

A drunken pirate casually asked, "Or do you have some story behind your becoming a bounty hunter?"

As soon as this question was raised, Ace, who was standing nearby, perked up his ears, paying close attention.

Even Karina, who had just been called up by Nami, turned her body to the side as if nothing had happened, choosing to openly eavesdrop on the conversation.

Li Mingyuan wasn't particularly bothered by Ace's arm around his shoulder; on the contrary, he appreciated the unique enthusiasm. Even though he had already eaten lunch and hadn't eaten or drunk much, he still enjoyed being immersed in the lively atmosphere.

Therefore, Li Mingyuan did not choose to ignore this issue, and used it to explain the new background he had created.

"My homeland is on a remote island, a non-member state of the world government."

Li Mingyuan said with a deep expression, "As you all know, the Great Pirate Era has driven many pirates to the sea, and my hometown has often been harassed. It is just a very poor country and has no ability to resist."