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

Looking at Ace, who was greeting him warmly, Li Mingyuan naturally smiled as well.

"How did a group of people suddenly gather on my ship?"

"You just gave my navigator a fright; such behavior is punishable by a fine here."

Li Mingyuan walked over to the Spade Pirates and, without any ceremony, chose a seat and sat down.

As he leaned back against the railing, he said, "If there's a next time, I won't hold back and will kick you off the ship."

"Yeah?"

Upon hearing Li Mingyuan's words, Ace scratched his cheek, slightly surprised.

"I didn't even notice that the navigator lady was here just now."

"But we've been sailing together for over ten days, and they still haven't gotten used to us. This is going to be a bit of a problem."

Ace said with a hint of helplessness, "I thought we'd been getting along pretty well lately."

"If that's the case, she probably still won't participate in the banquets at noon and in the evening."

"banquet?"

Upon hearing the keyword, Li Mingyuan slightly raised his eyes and looked at Ace.

Ace grinned and revealed the purpose of his visit.

"Having finally arrived at Golden Island, defeated a formidable opponent, and even engaged in such an exaggerated sparring session, it goes without saying that it's time for a banquet today, isn't it?"

"However, our ship doesn't have that much supplies. If we're going to hold a banquet, we need to let you know in advance. That's why I came to the deck to discuss today's events with you."

"However, it seems that our battle yesterday has piqued everyone's curiosity."

As Ace finished speaking, he pointed to the side with his thumb, "As soon as they heard I was coming over, everyone crowded around. We couldn't get rid of them, so I had no choice but to tell them the details of our battle."

It was only then that Li Mingyuan looked around and noticed the expressions on the faces of the Spade Pirates.

Those were eyes that shone brightly, filled with curiosity and disbelief, staring at me.

"Captain Li Mingyuan, I heard you defeated Ace, is that true?"

One of the pirates couldn't hold back any longer and suddenly asked, "Ace is a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, how did you manage to touch him?!"

As soon as the pirate asked the question, it was as if a chain reaction was triggered. Everyone around started asking questions at the same time, and they all excitedly moved closer to Li Mingyuan and Ace.

Li Mingyuan heard the voices around him, but he hadn't had a chance to speak yet.

"Hey! What are you all talking about? That was just a friendly spar, nothing more! That kind of victory or defeat doesn't really count as winning or losing, okay?"

At that moment, Ace suddenly looked somewhat annoyed and protested loudly, "Besides, I'll win next time, so stop saying that all the time!"

Ace looked unconvinced and tried to refute the claim that Ace had lost.

But Ace's reaction only drew laughter from the surrounding pirates, who teased him, "What's wrong, Ace? Didn't you already lose? It's not a good look for a loser to look like this."

"What?!"

Ace stared at the crowd in shock, his face filled with disbelief. "You guys, you're supposed to be my crew, right? I'm the captain of the Spade Pirates! How come you're all siding with Li Mingyuan?"

"So, who was it that was unconscious for most of yesterday and couldn't be woken up, or who woke up at dinner time after smelling the meat? We saw it all clearly, and we're just stating the objective facts."

"By the way, Ace, you didn't lose too badly, did you? After all, no matter how much we asked you for details about the battle, you kept stammering and wouldn't tell us. Don't tell me our captain was instantly killed."

The Spade Pirates members chuckled and whispered, "That's great. Nobody went to watch yesterday. It's not often that Ace can be defeated. It's helped our captain save face."

"Seriously! You bunch of guys!"

Upon hearing this, Ace was so angry that his head seemed to be flaming up.

"Just you wait, I'm going to eat all the barbecue at today's banquet by myself, not leaving you a single bite!!"

Ace yelled, "This is the price you pay for talking nonsense! I'll make sure you go back crying!"

"Whoa! Ace, you bastard!!"

You said something you shouldn't have!

Upon hearing this, the members of the Spade Pirates all showed expressions of shock and began to shout.

In the blink of an eye, the entire deck was in complete chaos.

Li Mingyuan, who was watching from the side, couldn't help but chuckle.

"Does this mean we need to discuss how to distribute the meat?"

"Whether or not to hold the banquet is still undecided."

As Li Mingyuan spoke, his gaze once again turned to the cabin doorway.

While he was talking to Ace, Nami had already left, and he could not be seen anywhere around.

Li Mingyuan felt somewhat relieved by this situation.

Out of sight, out of mind. It's fine for Nami to not interact with the Spade Pirates. After all, with him as the captain, as long as Nami recognizes that Ace is indeed different from ordinary pirates and doesn't prevent her from interacting with them, that's fine.

He looked at Ace beside him again.

After a night's rest, Li Mingyuan could see that Ace's condition had returned to its peak. After all, he had only collapsed from exhaustion yesterday without any real injury. Given Ace's physical condition, this was not surprising.

Listening to Ace's conversation with the Spade Pirates, Li Mingyuan sensed something. Ace probably really didn't tell anyone the details of that battle. Based on Ace's character and his own understanding of Ace, he believed that.

It's highly likely that even if he does cause trouble as the masked man in the future, as long as their friendship remains, Ace will still keep his eye abilities a secret.

"Come to think of it, they didn't even ask about the condition of my eyes."

Looking at Ace, who was utterly dejected after losing the argument, Li Mingyuan thought to himself, "He deliberately displayed the power of those eyes to show how much I trust him. Didn't he realize it? Or does he really not care at all what the secret of those eyes is?"

But this way, it's actually a good thing.

This saves him the trouble of explaining.

Li Mingyuan continued to watch the lively scene unfold before him and had to admit that when it came to creating an atmosphere, the pirates were definitely better at it.

This rare atmosphere on the high seas, even if you do nothing but watch, seems enough to dispel the fatigue left over from last night.

I wonder when my own ship will be able to be so bustling and lively.

Sandwiched among the Spade Pirates, enjoying the rare liveliness on the high seas, Li Mingyuan's expression became increasingly relaxed.

He wasn't the one in charge of the rhythm, but thanks to Ace, he was able to blend into the atmosphere of the leader, sometimes joining in the discussion and sometimes taking the time to discuss the next itinerary with Ace.

Of course, most of the time and energy still needs to be spent dealing with the pirates' excited entanglements.

The more Ace refused to elaborate on the battle, the more excited the others became. Admittedly, some might genuinely be curious about the specifics of the battle, but later on, most just wanted to tease Ace a little.

Under these circumstances, Li Mingyuan finally confirmed the time and location of the banquet with Ace and made arrangements for the next few days.

Based on their communication, Li Mingyuan already knew how much supplies each side had left, and therefore confirmed that the two fleets could stay on Golden Island for a maximum of twenty days, but would have to set sail after a maximum of ten days.

The waves and weather at sea are unpredictable, and the supplies at sea must be adjusted to allow for redundancy; it's impossible to be too rigid in your plans.

This also means...

The time for parting ways with the Spade Pirates is fast approaching.

"Honestly, they're so noisy, I can't stand them."

After some time, perhaps realizing that they couldn't get any details about the battle from Ace and Li Mingyuan, the pirates gradually lost interest and shifted their attention elsewhere.

It wasn't until the two captains finished discussing their plans for the next few days, emphasizing that they should dedicate all remaining time to exploring for the treasure, that the plan was finalized.

The Spade Pirates crew members immediately became excited again. Without the slightest hesitation, they rushed off Li Mingyuan's ship one by one, and the huge group headed straight for Golden Island to continue their gold exploration from the previous day.

Only Ace and Li Mingyuan remained on the deck.

Watching the pirates excitedly run off into the distance, Ace muttered a few complaints and turned to look at Li Mingyuan.

"In short, that's the gist of it."

"Let's all enjoy the rest of our time on the island together."

Ace readily agreed, "Don't stop the banquet. If we really find gold, I'll share some with you all."

"After all, don't you also have some goals and really need money?"

"Anyway, we're all partners who came to the island together, so don't worry too much. As long as we get along well, that's fine."

According to the routes Ace and Li Mingyuan revealed to each other, after leaving Golden Island, Ace and his crew planned to sail in the East Blue for a while longer before entering the Grand Line. It is said that they wanted to see the scenery that they had planned with their brother, but that brother would never be able to see again.

As for Li Mingyuan, although he will not be heading to the Grand Line immediately afterward, even if he spends some time visiting auction houses and black markets along the way, his ship will only add one or two islands to its route. Moreover, those islands are specially selected, a few that will be passed by on the way to the Grand Line. He will be heading to the Grand Line much earlier than Ace and his group.

So, although it's regrettable, the two fleets, whose destinations and routes are completely opposite, still have to separate.

Thinking about the future they were about to part ways with, Ace made a generous promise without hesitation: he would also give Li Mingyuan some gold.

In Ace's view, since he had the treasure map, finding the gold was only a matter of time. Under such circumstances, explaining the distribution in advance was just a casual remark.

As for giving Li Mingyuan some gold, he didn't care at all.

Compared to mere gold, Ace felt that the time they had spent together was far more precious, and given the free spirit of pirates, he was happy to offer Li Mingyuan some assistance.

Li Mingyuan felt a slight warmth in his heart at Ace's words.

However, having known the truth about Golden Island for a long time, he was somewhat at a loss for words in the face of this situation.

"While I appreciate that you still remembered me in this matter, let's forget about the gold. Yesterday afternoon, I stripped the golden armor off that lion's head. The gold on that armor alone is probably worth at least tens of millions of Berries."

"You might not even be able to find the gold smoothly. In the end, I might have to share some with you."

Li Mingyuan said this deliberately.

"Oh? You lack confidence, huh? You really think we can't find it?"

"In that case, how about we bet on something else?"

Seeing Li Mingyuan's appearance, Ace immediately crossed his arms and became interested. "If I find the gold, then as we said before, I will share some with you. In return, you have to agree to one condition."

"But what if we don't find it by then..."

"When that time comes, you'll share some of the gold from that lion's head with us, and I'll grant you one more request, how about that?"

Ace confidently declared, "We already have a treasure map, there's no way we can't find it!"

If you already have a treasure map and still can't find the treasure, what kind of stupid pirate are you?

Unless the treasure map is fake, but Ace and his group have already checked it, the possibility of it being fake is very small.

Ace, for one, didn't believe that their prestigious Spade Pirates wouldn't be able to find even a marked treasure.

"Heh, it's good to be confident, but will things really go as smoothly as you imagine?"

Li Mingyuan chuckled and nodded slightly, saying, "Alright, I accept this bet."

"As a way to spice up this last period of time together, a little interlude is fine too."

Li Mingyuan secretly looked forward to seeing Ace's shocked expression at that moment.

Completely unaware of this, Ace's lips curled up almost imperceptibly when he saw Li Mingyuan agree to the bet.

"Did they agree? I was initially worried that the timing of the suggestion might have been a bit deliberate, but it turns out I didn't notice anything amiss."

Ace quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Contrary to his appearance, Li Mingyuan's vigilance was actually surprisingly low.

In this way, once the bet is successful, he can then legitimately make that small request.

—Let Li Mingyuan explain to me what this thing called Observation Haki is.

"My eyes, as long as I can see, can basically achieve the same effect as Observation Haki... Even with my hints, being able to see through this is commendable."

Even now, Ace still vividly remembers what Li Mingyuan said to him back then.

Ace wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he vaguely remembered that the "old man" had mentioned the word "Haki" before. However, because he wanted to be a pirate and was determined not to become a Marine, the old man spent all his time dealing with him and Luffy.

Now, because of Li Mingyuan's words, he was reminded of that past.

"Since it's said to have the same effect as Observation Haki, that means Observation Haki, as a standard of measurement, is not only a power existing in this world, but can also function the same way Li Mingyuan did when he fought me?"

Ace asked with some anticipation, "I wonder what it is."

It's highly unlikely that Ace could have the same eyes as Li Mingyuan; he knew perfectly well that those eyes were a secret Li Mingyuan had tried so hard to keep.

But if you can't have the same eyes.

At least try out Observation Haki, surely it can't be impossible?