Pirates on Rocks' Ship 996

“Bearing… the Whitebeard Pirates’ symbol?” Ace looked up at Marco.

Chapter 273 The Grand Banquet on Xuan Yue Island

"Whoa whoa whoa~~~ Another job done! That guy Ace!"

"I heard he subdued Doma's gang! That's really impressive!"

On the Moby Dick, news of Ace's victory returned. He not only successfully defeated a pirate crew, but also recruited them into the Whitebeard Pirates.

Since Marco made him make a decision last time, Ace has completely joined the Whitebeard Pirates and tattooed the Whitebeard Pirates' symbol on his back.

"Hey~ Ace... wanna play Monopoly?" At the victory celebration banquet that evening, crew members kept greeting Ace.

He had a good personality, good strength, and the Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit), so he quickly integrated into the Whitebeard Pirates.

"No, you guys have fun first, I need to talk to Mr. Reina!" Ace waved with a smile and walked towards Reina, who was drinking with Whitebeard.

“Mr. Reina!” Ace sat down next to Reina and asked softly, “I have some questions I’d like to ask you!”

“Don’t be so polite, we’re partners now… aren’t we?” Reina waved his hand, indicating that Ace didn’t need to be so formal.

"It's like this... have you told Daddy about my identity?" Ace glanced at Whitebeard and asked.

“Of course, what’s wrong?” Reina nodded and replied.

"Hmph~ You were his enemies before, right? Why did you accept me?" Ace finally asked the question that had been buried in his heart.

"Pfft, hahaha... What a... what an idiot! Big brother... hahaha..." Hearing Ace's words, Reina laughed until tears streamed down his face. Whitebeard, standing to the side, also had a big smile on his face. Clearly, he had overheard Reina and Ace's conversation, since neither of them intended to hide it.

"You came here so solemnly, I thought you wanted to ask something, but it turns out it's such a trivial matter!" Reina replied with amusement.

Ace looked at Reina with surprise. He had always thought that Reina had not told Whitebeard about his background, which was why Whitebeard valued his talent and took him under his wing.

Unexpectedly, what he had been worried about was actually a trivial matter in the eyes of Whitebeard and Reyna.

"Gurararara... you fool... on the high seas, no matter who gave birth to you, you are a son of the sea! And on my ship... you are my son! Gurgle gurgle gurgle..." The white-bearded man finished speaking with a loud laugh and then gulped down a large mouthful of wine.

Reina, standing to the side, darkened and said, "Big brother..."

“Gurararara… Sorry, this guy is an exception! He’s my brother!” Whitebeard patted Reiner on the shoulder and said with a big laugh.

"Then...can you tell me what kind of person he is?" After figuring out his question, Ace hesitated for a moment before asking.

"Ah~~ let me think! First of all... he's a super powerful guy... at least I'm no match for him! Also, he's a very generous person! In short, he's a good guy! But I haven't dealt with him much. I've dealt with his first mate, Rayleigh, more often! After all, we're both first mates~~~ Wahahaha..." Reina said with a loud laugh.

"Hmm... how should I put it? Your personality is very different from his! He's very easygoing and doesn't care about unimportant things, but he has his own way of handling things. Once he sets his mind on something, he won't turn back until he does it!" Whitebeard said after recalling for a moment, seeing Ace looking at him.

Ace nodded thoughtfully. That night, he talked for a long time with Whitebeard and Reyna, and learned about his father's unknown side from them.

"Finally going back... It's been almost a year since I left, hasn't it? Speaking of which, isn't the big banquet just around the corner?"

For several days after the banquet, the Moby Dick continued its voyage toward Crescent Moon Island.

"Go back? Go back where? And... what's the grand banquet?" The newly joined Ace asked Sachi curiously.

Perhaps because Sachi was the first person to speak to him after he boarded the ship, the two got along quite well.

“Of course we’re going back to Xuan Yue Island! Don’t you know that?” Sachi looked at Ace in surprise and said with a smile.

"Xuan Yue Island?" Ace was taken aback, then remembered that he had heard this name when he was inquiring about the whereabouts of the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Xuan Yue Island is the base of our Whitebeard Pirates. In addition to the combat personnel on the ship, our pirate crew also has many non-combat personnel. If they don't want to stay on the ship, they will choose to stay on Xuan Yue Island! Besides, there is also our Sky Island base on Xuan Yue Island. That is Dr. Assie's research laboratory. Don't go up there and disturb him unless you have to!" Sachi explained with a smile.

"Ah~~~ I see, I didn't know that at all! What is that grand banquet?" Ace shook his head, looking completely bewildered, and said.

"A grand banquet! You should know that our Whitebeard Pirates have quite a few other pirate crews under our command, right?" Thatch asked with a smile.

"Yes! Including the Doma crew that joined last time, Mr. Reina said there are now forty pirate crews!" Ace nodded and said.

"So, everyone usually has their own adventures and it's hard to get together. Then one day, we had an opportunity and agreed that every year at that time, everyone would return to Xuan Yue Island to hold a grand banquet together, which we call the Grand Banquet!" Sachi said with a smile.

"Wow~~Wow~~A grand banquet! That's amazing! It'll be so lively, right? That's incredible news!" Ace exclaimed with anticipation upon hearing this.

“Of course, that’s a gathering of several thousand people! The food and drinks needed for it need to be prepared months in advance! Every time there’s a big banquet, the surrounding commercial islands send countless ingredients and drinks; it’s become a tradition!” Sachi nodded and replied.

"Ah~~ I can't wait to hear it!" Ace nodded, seemingly already imagining that scenario.

"Hahaha... Back when Reina was building Xuan Yue Island, we said his banquet square was huge, big enough even for giants to hold banquets there. But we never expected... just a few years later! Every time there's a big banquet, the entire banquet square is packed with people!"

"And every banquet will have a Monopoly competition to determine the strongest person, and that lucky guy will receive a mysterious grand prize!" Sachi looked around and said softly.

"A mysterious grand prize? What is it?" Ace asked in a low voice as he leaned closer.

"You know about white liquor?" Sachi didn't say it directly, but asked instead.

“I know! Everyone usually drinks baijiu, right? I heard it’s so hard to find even a drop on the black market! It’s called liquid gold!” Ace nodded and replied.

"But what you don't know is that what we're drinking now... isn't the best liquor! The best liquor is only available at Reina!"

"Mr. Reina? Could it be that he brewed the liquor? Is there some secret behind it?" Ace seemed to have heard some incredible secret, and he was extremely excited.

“That’s right! Baijiu was brewed by Reina, and he also built the baijiu factory on Xuan Yue Island! But there is a kind of baijiu that no matter how hard we try, we can’t brew it. Only Reina has it! That’s the kind we drank back then…” Sachi recounted the history of baijiu.

"I see... What a pity, we can't taste that unparalleled delicacy! But Mr. Reina is too... too... If it were me, I really wouldn't have brought it out!" Ace thought for a long time, not knowing what words to use to describe Reina.

Sachi nodded and said, "So Dad explicitly forbade Reina from serving that kind of liquor again. He used to drink it every day, but he hasn't drunk it since! However, at the annual grand banquet, the winner of the 'Millionaire' game... receives a mysterious grand prize from Reina!"

"Could it be..." Ace's eyes widened as he looked at Sachi and asked, "That kind of white liquor?"

Sachi nodded and said, "That's right. According to Reina, a small amount of exchange won't affect him, so Dad tacitly approves of his behavior. However, he himself never participates in Monopoly games!"

"I see... No wonder everyone's been playing Monopoly lately, they're preparing for the big banquet!" Ace exclaimed in sudden realization.

“That’s right! If you’re interested, you can participate too. Back then, Reina created quite a few Monopoly games, enough to allow thousands of people to start the game at the same time. The scene was quite spectacular!” Sachi said with a smile.

"If I win the championship, can I have something else instead of baijiu?" Ace asked after thinking for a moment.

“Of course, you can just make your request when the time comes. If Reina and Dad can do it, they generally won’t refuse!” Sachi replied confidently.

Upon hearing this, Ace ran straight to the group of people playing Monopoly and asked to join them.

Seeing Ace, who had completely integrated into the Whitebeard Pirates, Thatch smiled with satisfaction.

the next day.

"Ace...it's training time!" Just as Ace was having fun with the crew, Reina suddenly appeared behind Ace and said.

Ace shivered upon hearing Reina's voice, slowly turned his head, and said, "Um... we still have training?"

"What? Do you think you're the strongest now? Isn't training every day a matter of course?" Reina sneered in response.

Left with no other choice, Ace had to put down the game coins in his hand and follow Reina, looking back every few steps, towards the training room.

A moment later, Ace's screams echoed through the training room.

Upon hearing this voice, many team leaders shuddered, clearly recalling some unpleasant memories.

Marco, in particular, was thoroughly tormented by Reina for a period of time after returning from Alabasta, under the guise of training.

So when they heard Ace's scream, everyone recalled that time when they were dominated by fear.

“Ace…don’t rely too much on the power of the Devil Fruit. Only your own body is the most fundamental existence. Look at the top strong people in this world. Who has reached the top by relying on the power of the Devil Fruit? They all have powerful physical strength as a backing to stand at the top! Your grandfather, Vice Admiral Garp, is the most typical example!” Reina said in a deep voice as he looked at Ace lying on the ground.

"Yes! I understand!" Ace nodded and got up from the ground again.

“Very good. From now on, you are not allowed to use your abilities, including elemental transformation, during your training with me! Once your physical skills and physique are up to standard, we will begin training your Devil Fruit abilities!” Reina nodded in satisfaction and said.

Ace's face fell, but he could only nod in agreement, because he knew that Reina was doing it for his own good, since Garp had said the same thing to him.

Before setting sail, he also paid great attention to physical training, but after obtaining the Flame-Flame Fruit, he gradually put down his physical training and began to focus on using the fruit's abilities.

Of course, Reina wouldn't tell him that the reason he wasn't allowed to use elemental transformation was so that it would be easier for him to beat people up!

When the Moby Dick arrived at Crescent Moon Island, Reina told Ace that he wouldn't have time to train with him until the end of the grand banquet. Ace felt like he had been given a second chance at life and was so moved that he almost cried.

Chapter 274 Little Oz

"Dad! You're finally back! You've been sailing for a long time this time!"

The Moby Dick had barely come to a stop in the port when Hansen, Dr. Asie, Olga, and others were already waiting there!

"Isn't it still early? Have people already arrived so soon?" Laco jumped off the ship and asked curiously, looking at the pirate ship already docked at the port.

“It’s Doma’s gang. They said they’re new members this year and want to get to know everyone as soon as possible!” Hansen said with a smile.

His favorite time was during grand banquets; only then was Xuan Yue Island at its most lively.

"Haha... So it was them... But I don't remember telling them about the grand banquet, did I? How did they know? I was thinking of giving them the news when we got to Crescent Moon Island!" Ace, who was following Whitebeard off the ship, laughed loudly after hearing this.

"Idiot... do you think everyone is like you? During the Whitebeard Pirates' grand banquet, even the Navy has to give way!" Reina said with some pride.

Every year at this time, all of Whitebeard's pirate crews would rush back to Crescent Moon Island. Even if they encountered the Navy at this time, the Navy would not stop them, because one year, a pirate crew fought with the Navy on the way, which caused a delay.

As a result, Whitebeard led everyone to the scene and managed to sink several marine ships to the bottom of the sea, rescuing the trapped pirate crew. From then on, Whitebeard's pirate crew could move freely during any grand banquet.

In the words of the Warring States period, they were just having a banquet; they could have one whenever they wanted!

Whitebeard and his crew had just emerged from the port when they saw a pirate with a red bandana on his head, two weapons at his waist, and a monkey perched on his shoulder, followed by a group of pirates.

"Yo~ Doma, what brings you here so early!" Ace greeted the newcomer first.

"Hey... Brother Ace, isn't this our first time attending a grand banquet since joining the Whitebeard Pirates? That's why we came early! Father, I am the captain of the Doma Pirates, and from now on I am a member of your crew!" After greeting Ace, Doma went straight to Whitebeard, knelt on one knee, and said.

"Gurararara... I only have family here, no subordinates! Let's go back first!" the white-bearded man said with a loud laugh.

Led by Whitebeard, everyone headed toward the main building of Crescent Moon Island. Ace looked around with curiosity, seemingly curious about everything.

"Sachi, you show Ace around properly later, I'll head back first! Also... isn't that house next to Marco's empty? Let Ace stay there! It's Big Brother's idea!" Reina said to Sachi after Whitebeard announced the disbandment.

Sachi was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "No problem, leave it to me!"

Then Sachi first took Ace to his residence and settled him in before saying, "You rest first. I have some things to take care of, but I'll come find you when I'm done and take you to visit Crescent Moon Island! Marco's house is right next to yours, and I live not far from there! This... is where the captains live!"

Ace, who had been looking around the room, was taken aback by Sachi's words and asked, "The captains' quarters? Then why am I staying here? Is Mr. Reina mistaken?"

“Reina said this is what Dad wants… Don’t you understand?” Sachi said with a smile.

"Huh?" Ace was completely confused and didn't understand what Sachi was referring to.

“We now have sixteen combat squads, but the position of squad leader for the second squad has been vacant. Dad probably intends for you to take over the position!”

"This...this isn't appropriate, is it? I've only been here for a short time!" Ace waved his hand and said.

"Have more confidence in yourself, don't worry! You have the strength and potential, otherwise why do you think Reina keeps pushing you to train every day? Do you think he has nothing better to do?" Sachi patted Ace on the shoulder, then left, leaving Ace standing there dumbfounded.