[OP Marine Officer Luffy] Chapter 431- 435

Chapter 431: Ace & Sabo

Ace grinned as he picked up a forkful of fried noodles, thoroughly enjoying his meal. Upon hearing the unexpected offer from the restaurant owner, his face lit up with delight.

"Free? Boss, you’re such a generous person! Then I will—"

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a sudden thud! Ace’s head dropped straight into the plate of noodles, and in an instant, he was fast asleep, snoring loudly.

The restaurant fell into dead silence.

The boss: "..."

The other diners: "..."

Sabo let out a long sigh. "Alas~"

On the second floor, Kujaku, who had been watching the entire scene unfold, couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of her mouth.

"Where did this guy come from? Does Luffy really have such a ridiculous friend?"

From her elevated vantage point, she couldn’t get a clear look at the two young men’s faces. However, their contrasting hair colors—one with jet-black locks and the other with striking blond—stirred something deep in her memory. It felt as though she had forgotten someone important.

Still, with the two right in front of her, she decided it wasn’t worth the effort to think too deeply about it.

Meanwhile, the restaurant owner was at his wit’s end.

"Guest, if this keeps up, should I just pack your meal for takeout? If you fall asleep again, I don’t think my heart can take it!"

The boss was genuinely nervous. Every time Ace woke up, it was as if he was on edge, afraid that history would repeat itself.

When Ace finally lifted his head, his face was a mess of noodles and sauce. Blinking in confusion, he wiped himself clean, utterly unaware of what had just transpired.

Sabo, on the other hand, was already used to this by now. Ever since they had set sail together, he had lost count of how many times Ace had caused such scenes.

Everywhere they went, Ace would somehow showcase his special talent—dozing off mid-meal.

And Sabo? Well, he had long since resigned himself to the role of Ace’s unofficial babysitter, always cleaning up after his mess.

Of course, out in the world, Sabo allowed Ace to act however he pleased.

But once they got back to their ship? Oh, that was a different story. Sabo made sure to discipline him properly.

Originally, Sabo had planned to get Ace out of the restaurant first and deal with him later.

But before he could even make a move, a sudden commotion erupted among the crowd.

The murmurs of customers grew louder, and the sea of people gradually parted to clear a path.

Then, a striking woman, dressed in an impeccable Marine uniform, stepped forward with an air of authority, gracefully making her way toward them.

Ace and Sabo instinctively turned to face the approaching officer. Despite being confronted by a Marine, neither of them showed the slightest sign of nervousness. Instead, they watched her with open curiosity, wondering what she wanted.

The restaurant owner, on the other hand, immediately recognized the high-ranking officer and hurried forward with an ingratiating smile.

"Miss Kujaku! What brings you here?" he asked anxiously. "Apologies for the little commotion just now. I hope it didn’t cause any trouble!"

He knew all too well that having a Marine officer of her caliber visiting could mean trouble—or, at the very least, a major change in the restaurant’s usual peaceful atmosphere.

However, Kujaku merely smiled politely at him and gave a slight nod, offering no verbal response.

Instead, her gaze remained fixed on the two young men in front of her. A flicker of recognition crossed her face as she took a closer look.

"So, it is you," she mused. "I didn’t expect to run into you here on Onigashima."

"Hmm? You know us?"

Ace, still holding his fork, momentarily stopped eating and raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

Beside him, Sabo’s expression shifted slightly, his guard going up.

If she recognized them, it could only mean one thing—she had seen their bounty posters.

If things escalated, they might have to move the fight elsewhere. The last thing Sabo wanted was to cause unnecessary trouble for the restaurant owner.

However, Kujaku remained composed. She seemed entirely unfazed by their wary reactions, as if their bounties didn’t concern her in the slightest.

Turning to the restaurant owner, she spoke in a calm, authoritative voice.

"Put their meal on our tab. Also, have the kitchen bring out a few more bottles of wine—quickly."

"Yes, right away!" The boss nodded repeatedly, eager to comply. He hurried off, disappearing into the kitchen to ensure the orders were carried out without delay.

Meanwhile, Kujaku turned her attention back to the two brothers and said,

"You two, come with me. Someone wants to meet you."

With that, she turned on her heel and began walking away.

Ace and Sabo exchanged puzzled glances.

"Who is this woman?" Ace asked, scratching his head. "Do you know her?"

Sabo shook his head slightly. "No, never seen her before. Should we follow her?"

Ace smirked. "Well, she did pay for our meal. Would be kinda rude to refuse, don’t you think?"

After a brief silent conversation through exchanged looks, the two brothers reached a tacit agreement.

Ace quickly stuffed the rest of his meal into his mouth, then stood up with a satisfied sigh.

Sabo adjusted his military cap, pulling it lower to hide his conspicuous blond hair.

By then, Kujaku had already walked some distance ahead. Without further hesitation, the two brothers followed.

They ascended a grand staircase made of finely polished mahogany, walking in silence behind their mysterious guide. The rich scent of wood lingered in the air, mixing with the distant aroma of freshly prepared food from below.

Ace and Sabo remained casual, appearing completely unfazed by the situation, as though they had no concerns about walking into a potential trap.

But was it due to sheer confidence?

Or was it ignorance of how brutal the New World could be?

From the corner of her eye, Kujaku glanced back at them, finding their nonchalant demeanor intriguing.

"You two," she finally spoke, breaking the silence, "if I remember correctly, you just set sail this year. Instead of staying in the relative safety of the first half of the Grand Line, you’re already impatient to break into the New World?"

She paused slightly, then turned her head just enough to gauge their reactions.

"What exactly is your purpose?"

Chapter 432: Brothers Meet

"Please, as if we'd just tell you something like that," Sabo scoffed, folding his arms across his chest.

The mere idea was ridiculous. The Marine knew they were pirates, yet they still expected them to cooperate?

Sabo was already preparing to make up an excuse, thinking of a way to smoothly extract themselves from the situation without giving away any information.

But before he could even open his mouth, Ace, in true Ace fashion, spoke up without a care in the world.

"Of course, I came here to challenge stronger people and make a name for myself," Ace said nonchalantly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Sabo’s face immediately darkened.

"Hey, Ace, you idiot," he growled, grabbing the collar of Ace’s jacket with one hand, shaking him slightly.

If they weren’t in public, he swore he would have smacked some sense into him.

Meanwhile, Kujaku nodded thoughtfully, not particularly surprised by Ace’s straightforward answer.

"Oh, so you're here to challenge the strong, huh?" she mused, glancing at him with mild amusement.

Ace hadn't specified exactly who he planned to challenge, but it wasn’t difficult to guess. If he was aiming to make a name for himself in the New World, then his targets had to be some of the most notorious figures—people who were more monsters than men.

Kujaku internally shook her head. These two rookies really had no idea what they were getting themselves into. They were walking straight into the lion’s den.

But it wasn’t her problem.

She wasn’t their babysitter, and she had no obligation to warn them about the dangers of the New World. Let them learn the hard way.

Besides, though they were wearing marine uniforms, they weren’t truly Marines. They were still pirates at heart.

If it weren’t for their connection to Luffy, she wouldn't have even bothered talking to them—let alone cared about whether they lived or died.

With nothing more to say, Kujaku continued leading the way in silence.

Ace and Sabo quickly realized there was no point in pushing the conversation further, so they too fell quiet.

The three of them walked without another word, heading toward a private room on the fourth floor.

When they arrived at the door, Kujaku didn’t bother knocking. She simply pushed it open and strode inside without hesitation.

"Luffy, I brought them," she announced casually.

Ace and Sabo stepped into the room behind her—and then they both froze.

"Luffy?!"

The two of them spoke in unison, their voices laced with surprise.

Only now did they remember why they had entered this restaurant in the first place.

They had heard rumors that Luffy might be here, so they had decided to drop in for a meal while waiting to see if he would show up.

And now, here he was, sitting right in front of them.

Sabo inwardly cursed.

Damn it, I completely forgot! I was so distracted by Ace’s antics that I didn’t expect them to recognize us first and bring us straight to him.

For a brief moment, he regretted being so careless.

But that regret was quickly overshadowed by his curiosity.

Ever since he had set out to sea, he had been looking forward to meeting the so-called "legend" of the younger generation of Marines.

He once meet with Ace and hang out when they were little, before going back with Garp.

And evetime the old man would come back, he had constantly mentioned Luffy, using his achievements as a way to lecture both him and Ace.

So now that he was finally standing in front of him after all this time, Sabo couldn't help but be intrigued.

His eyes quickly scanned the room, taking in the other occupants, before locking onto the young man seated in the middle.

Luffy was holding a Den Den Mushi in his hands—the camera-type model, to be precise.

"Wait… a camera Den Den Mushi?"

Before Sabo could question it, he suddenly heard the distinct clicking sounds of multiple photos being taken.

Ace, who had initially been excited to see Luffy again, tilted his head in confusion.

Instead of greeting them, Luffy had immediately started taking pictures of them.

"Hey, Luffy, what the hell are you doing?" Ace asked, raising an eyebrow.

Luffy simply grinned.

"Nothing much. I just saw your Marine uniforms and thought I’d take a few photos. Gonna send them to an old man—thought it'd make him happy."

With that, Luffy put away the Den Den Mushi and stood up.

Ace’s expression instantly changed.

"Wait… old man?" His face paled slightly. "You don’t mean—"

Even Sabo tensed up at those words. He had a very bad feeling about this.

"You didn’t tell him we were here, did you?!" Ace asked hurriedly.

If Luffy had actually reported their presence to him…

Sabo didn’t even want to think about what would happen next.

Luffy waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, nah, I wouldn’t do something like that. I’m not that cruel."

Hearing this, both Ace and Sabo visibly relaxed, letting out a collective sigh of relief.

"Don’t scare me like that, dumbass," Ace muttered, shaking his head.

Then, his face broke into a wide grin again. Without hesitation, he stepped forward and pulled Luffy into a hug.

"You bastard, don’t joke around like that the moment we see each other again," he said, laughing as he patted Luffy on the back.

Luffy chuckled but didn’t resist. When they finally pulled apart, Ace’s eyes widened slightly as he got a proper look at his younger brother.

"Huh? Since when do I have to look up at you?" Ace muttered in disbelief.

It took him a second to register the difference in height. Luffy had grown—a lot.

Before he could voice his complaint, Luffy turned to Sabo and extended a hand.

"You must be Sabo," he said with a grin. "Old man Garp’s mentioned you plenty of times. Too bad I didn’t get to see you last time I was in Goa Kingdom."

Sabo hesitated for only a moment before shaking his hand.

"Let’s not bring up Garp as soon as we meet," Sabo said, smiling wryly. "Before I even left for sea, I already got plenty of lectures from him."

Luffy laughed. "Hah! Same here. He used to punch me every time he wanted to teach me something."

Sabo shook his head, but there was amusement in his eyes. "Yeah… I know exactly how that feels."

After a firm handshake, Luffy casually draped an arm over Ace’s shoulder and turned back toward the group in the room.

"Alright! Let me introduce you guys properly."

With that, he proceeded to introduce Ace and Sabo to the others—one by one.

The brothers, in turn, politely greeted the women in the room, their behavior completely at odds with the expectations usually associated with pirates.

The girls, most of whom were members of the Marine and CP, had never interacted with pirates in such a cordial manner before. It was a strange experience, but given what they knew about Luffy’s relationship with these two, they refrained from making any judgments.

Even if there was a bit of awkwardness at first, it was soon pushed aside.

Chapter 433: Ace—Sure Enough, the New World is Still Interesting

At Luffy’s enthusiastic invitation, Ace and Sabo took their seats at the table.

Not long after, new dishes that Alpha had ordered started arriving one after another, filling the table with an enticing array of aromas.

As everyone dug in, the tension caused by the contrast between their identities—Marines and pirates dining together—quickly melted away. The casual atmosphere and good food worked wonders, allowing everyone to gradually ease into conversation.

Ace and Luffy, sitting side by side, each grabbed a massive crab and began devouring it ravenously, cracking shells and tearing apart the succulent meat without any care for table manners.

In between bites, Ace lifted his head slightly and mumbled through a mouthful of food,

"You guys eat really well. Is the Marine always this generous with meals?"

Luffy, similarly stuffing his mouth with juicy crab meat, responded just as vaguely,

"Yeah, the Marine always eats well. It’s not too late for you to switch sides and join the Marine, you know. Come with me, and I’ll take you to eat all sorts of delicious food and drink the finest liquor."

Ace rolled his eyes. "Come on, stop that. There's no way I’d give up my freedom just to stay in one place all the time." He leaned back slightly, cracking another crab leg with ease. "My dream is to sail freely across the sea, without anyone restricting me."

Luffy tilted his head. "Huh? Free and unfettered? What kind of nonsense is that? You know the Marine could catch you one day, right? And when that happens, you’ll end up rotting in some dark, stinking prison cell with a bunch of sweaty, smelly guys. Not so free then, huh?"

Ace snorted. "Idiot, I know how to run when I see Marines. They’re not gonna catch me that easily."

Luffy smirked. "Really? Well, believe it or not, I could arrest you right now."

Ace smirked right back. "Oh yeah? Then do it, you bastard! If you think you can!"

Luffy grinned. "Just you wait! I’ll throw you in cuffs after you finish eating!"

While the two brothers continued their chaotic bickering, eating and arguing at the same time like a pair of unruly children, Sabo remained far more composed.

Though he ate quickly, his movements were refined and methodical, a stark contrast to the two beside him. He would occasionally chime in, teasing them both and adding his own remarks to the conversation.

However, unlike Ace, Sabo remained observant.

Every now and then, he would glance at the others seated at the table.

The women, dressed in Marine and CP uniforms, weren’t actively engaging in the conversation. Perhaps it was because they weren’t particularly familiar with each other yet, or maybe it was the unspoken tension between their roles as Marine officers and the pirates before them.

Violet and Gion had grouped together, quietly discussing the next sea route they planned to travel.

Alpha, on the other hand, was completely indifferent to everything, simply eating and drinking to his heart’s content.

Kujaku sat beside Luffy, clearly entertained by the brothers’ antics. She observed their playful bickering with great amusement, her eyes glinting with interest.

Everything seemed normal.

But Sabo couldn’t shake a strange feeling in his gut.

Something’s off.

Logically speaking, no matter how close Luffy and Ace were, colluding between the Marine and pirates was a serious offense.

Yet here they were—Luffy, a Marine officer, casually drinking and eating with two well-known pirates.

And what’s more, neither Kujaku nor Violet—both dressed in Marine uniforms—seemed to care in the slightest.

Sabo could maybe understand if it was just them. After all, lower-ranking soldiers wouldn’t dare to question their superiors.

But Vice Admiral Gion?

She was not just any Marine officer.

She was an Admiral Candidate.

Her rank, experience, and seniority in the Marine were far above Luffy’s.

And yet, despite this, she didn’t seem to hold any authority over him.

On the contrary, the way she carried herself made it seem as if Luffy was the one in charge.

It was baffling.

No… that doesn’t make sense. You’re a future Admiral. Why does it feel like you’re answering to a Fleet Admiral?

Young Sabo, despite his intelligence, lacked the experience to fully grasp the complex web of relationships at play.

All he knew was that something wasn’t adding up.

—

After the meal, Luffy instructed Gion and the others to head back first.

He then took Ace and Sabo out of the crowded dining room, leaving the mess behind, and led them to a quieter tearoom.

They ordered some fruit desserts, and with the lively atmosphere of the meal fading, their conversation shifted to more serious matters.

"So, let me get this straight," Luffy said, casually biting down on a spoon. "You guys think there's no one strong enough for you in the first half of the Grand Line, so you decided to come to the New World?"

Ace, still chewing on an oddly-shaped gourd-like fruit, nodded.

"Yeah. At first, I wanted to defeat another Warlord of the Sea to boost my reputation," he explained.

"Unfortunately, out of the current Shichibukai, the only one still rumored to be in the first half of the Grand Line is Gekko Moriah. But after searching for a long time, we couldn’t find any trace of him."

He took another large bite before continuing,

"As for the rest, aside from Doflamingo, who’s hanging around the North Blue, all the other Warlords have already settled in the New World. So, I figured—why not just go to the New World?"

With that, Ace popped the rest of the fruit into his mouth, swallowed it whole, and flashed Luffy a grin.

"Sure enough, the New World is interesting!" he declared enthusiastically. "The pirates I’ve come across here are leagues ahead of the small fry from the first half!"

Luffy, who had been listening with mild amusement, put down his spoon and raised an eyebrow.

"So what—you’re here to challenge Hancock?" he asked with a knowing smirk.

Ace blinked.

Luffy continued, tapping his spoon lightly against his pudding plate, producing a crisp ding, ding sound.

"Let’s put aside the fact that you think you can take me down on my turf," Luffy said dryly. "But even if you did try to challenge Hancock, you’d never win against her."

Ace and Sabo frowned slightly, unsure of what Luffy was getting at.

Luffy tapped the spoon against the plate one last time.

Click.

A faint cracking noise sounded.

Then, without warning, the porcelain plate suddenly fractured—splitting into delicate, petal-like shards.

Chapter 434: Sabo—We Are Ready to Challenge Red-Hair!

Luffy carefully scooped up the half-eaten pudding left on his plate and stuffed it into his mouth.

With his other hand, he fiddled with the broken porcelain pieces on the table, then turned to Ace, pointing at him mercilessly.

"With your current strength, you're as fragile as this porcelain plate—one touch, and you'll shatter. Especially against someone like Hancock."

He chewed for a moment before continuing, his voice carrying a slight mocking tone.

"Do you really think all the Shichibukai are weaklings like the one you defeated before? You just got lucky and ran into the worst of the bunch. If you had met someone like Mihawk, you'd have been dead in one strike."

Ace’s expression darkened instantly. Even though Luffy was a sworn brother he deeply respected, he would never allow himself to be looked down upon so blatantly.

A sudden wave of irritation surged through him. He clenched his right fist, and in the next moment, searing flames burst forth, licking at his knuckles.

"Don’t underestimate me," Ace said, his voice firm, his amber eyes gleaming with determination. "I’m not the same person I was when we first met. I ate the Logia-type Flame-Flame Fruit. I’m no longer the ignorant rookie you and the old man used to call me."

As he spoke, he smirked confidently and extinguished the flames in his hand.

"And besides, it's not Boa Hancock I'm aiming for."

His grin widened as he leaned back in his chair, arms crossed.

"If I'm going to fight, I’ll take on the strongest. My goal is the Four Emperors. Once I defeat them, my name will spread across the world."

Luffy stared at him, at a loss for words. He wanted to say something, but where would he even start?

This guy really didn't do his homework…

Ace seemed to believe that a Logia ability made him invincible, just like how things worked in the first half of the Grand Line. So, he was recklessly charging forward without understanding how the New World worked.

If he ran into any pirate who had mastered Haki—especially one who had spent years battling in the New World—he would get beaten into the ground in no time.

But more than Ace’s recklessness, Luffy was puzzled about something else.

Isn’t Sabo supposed to be the smart one here?

Sabo was the future Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army in the original timeline. Was it possible that even he hadn’t thought this through?

With that in mind, Luffy turned toward Sabo, giving him a skeptical, questioning look.

At that moment, Sabo was quietly sipping his tea, observing the discussion with mild amusement. He noticed Luffy’s gaze and tilted his head in confusion.

After a brief pause, he placed his teacup down and, mistaking Luffy’s meaning, smiled reassuringly.

"Don't worry, we've already discussed it."

Luffy raised an eyebrow.

"Discussed what?"

"Well," Sabo continued, "at first, Ace wanted to challenge Whitebeard."

Hearing this, Ace frowned and rubbed his temples, as if recalling a past debate. After a few moments of deep thought, he sighed and turned toward Sabo—their so-called "strategist"—for support.

Sabo nodded.

"But after considering the situation carefully, we decided there was no need to be so impatient. It would be safer to start with the weakest one first."

Luffy suddenly had a very bad feeling about this.

"The… weakest?" he muttered under his breath, his stomach sinking.

Sabo grinned, flashing a set of perfect, white teeth.

"That’s right."

His voice was full of conviction, as if he were stating an undeniable truth.

"We’re going to challenge Red-Haired Shanks since he has the lowest bounty!"

PFFT—!!

Luffy nearly choked on his own saliva. He coughed violently, struggling to process what he had just heard.

His brain short-circuited.

These two idiots… wanted to challenge Red-Hair?!

He slammed his hands on the table and practically screamed.

"WHAT KIND OF JOKE IS THIS?!"

His voice echoed through the room, startling even the waiters passing by.

"You're telling me you'd rather fight Shanks than Whitebeard?! Are you out of your minds?!"

Ace and Sabo, who had been full of confidence just moments ago, suddenly froze.

They exchanged confused glances, clearly not understanding why Luffy was reacting so strongly.

To them, it was simple. Whitebeard was called "The Strongest Man in the World," while Red-Hair was just a "newcomer" who had only recently risen to become one of the Four Emperors.

"Why is he more afraid of Red-Hair than Whitebeard?" Ace whispered to Sabo, his brow furrowed.

Luffy rubbed his temples in exasperation. He wanted to facepalm so badly.

Looking at the two clueless idiots before him, he sighed deeply. He briefly considered calling Garp to come pick them up before they did something truly suicidal.

If Ace really followed Sabo's plan, he wouldn’t even need to wait a few years for Marineford—Shanks could just hand him over to the Marine in pieces right now.

Taking a deep breath, Luffy decided to break it down as simply as possible.

"Tell me the truth—have you two really been sailing in the New World this whole time without knowing anything about how it works?"

The two brothers glanced at each other again, then looked back at Luffy with innocent, clueless expressions.

Their blank stares made Luffy feel even more exhausted.

"I can’t believe this…" he muttered under his breath before letting out another sigh.

Finally, he asked the most crucial question.

"Have you ever heard of Haki?"

Ace and Sabo blinked.

"Haki?" Sabo repeated, tilting his head in thought. He rested his chin on his hand and furrowed his brows.

After a moment, his eyes brightened slightly as if he had recalled something.

"Now that you mention it, when we first entered the New World, we did hear a defeated pirate captain mention it once," he said.

Ace, intrigued, turned to Sabo.

"What did he say?"

Sabo crossed his arms.

"He said that if he had mastered Armament Haki, Ace wouldn’t have been able to beat him so easily."

Luffy’s eyebrow twitched.

"Hah! If even his captain didn't have Armament Haki, then he was just a rookie who had barely survived in the New World," Luffy scoffed.

Sabo hesitated for a second before nodding in agreement.

According to their later investigations, that pirate crew had only entered the New World two months before them.

Feeling an ominous chill run down his spine, Sabo turned back to Luffy and asked, his voice unusually serious:

"So what exactly is Haki? And… if someone masters this so-called Haki… could they really defeat Ace?"

Chapter 435: Heading to Sabaody

"Hmph, it's hard to say whether they can defeat him or not," Luffy mused, his arms crossed as he leaned back slightly. "Strength isn't just about mastering Haki—every fighter is different. Just because someone knows how to use Haki doesn't automatically make them strong."

Despite his words, Luffy didn’t underestimate Ace. Even though he could take him down with one hand, Ace’s Flame-Flame Fruit had indeed given him a significant boost in power. Some pirates only had a superficial grasp of Haki, and those kinds of weaklings wouldn't necessarily be able to defeat Ace.

"However," Luffy continued, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, "anyone with real strength—any famous fighter in the New World—is proficient in Haki to some degree."

His tone became serious as he elaborated,

"Of all types of Haki, Armament Haki is the most common method used by the strong to deal with Devil Fruit users."

As soon as he finished speaking, Luffy suddenly launched an attack. His fist shot forward with overwhelming speed, heading straight for Ace.

Ace, who had grown accustomed to relying on elementalization to dodge attacks, instinctively shifted into flames, expecting Luffy’s punch to pass harmlessly through his body.

However—

BAM!

Instead of phasing through, Luffy’s fist slammed directly into Ace’s skull!

Ace’s eyes bulged in shock, his face twisting into a grimace of pain.

"W-What the hell?! How is this possible?!"

For the first time since eating the Flame-Flame Fruit, Ace had been physically hit.

Sabo, who had been casually watching from the side, was equally stunned. His grip tightened around his teacup as he stared in disbelief.

"Ace's elemental transformation… failed?" he muttered.

It was a shocking revelation. Ace had become a Flame Man—his body should have been untouchable to normal attacks. And yet, Luffy’s fist had landed solidly.

That single punch shattered everything.

In that moment, the illusion of their growing power—the dream of taking on the Four Emperors—collapsed.

The realization hit Sabo like a ton of bricks.

A cold sweat broke out across his body. His hands trembled slightly as he tried to process the truth.

"We were being reckless… If we had really gone after Shanks—"

His mind raced with terrifying possibilities.

If he and Ace had blindly challenged Red-Hair without understanding Haki, the consequences would have been catastrophic.

For a moment, Sabo could barely breathe. His marine uniform was drenched in cold sweat, and his heart pounded violently against his ribs.

"I… I almost led Ace to his death," he thought in horror.

Luffy took a slow sip from his tea, watching their reactions with an almost bored expression.

"I’m telling you guys—don’t underestimate Shanks just because he has the lowest bounty among the Four Emperors," Luffy warned, his voice firm.

He set his teacup down and continued.

"He was a trainee on Roger's crew. His swordsmanship comes straight from the Pirate King himself."

At the mention of Roger, Ace visibly stiffened.

His earlier shock was replaced by an intense expression. He clenched his fists, his gaze dark and unreadable.

Luffy glanced at him but didn’t say anything. Instead, he lightly tapped the table with his fingers.

"That’s why I said I’d rather fight Whitebeard than Red-Haired Shanks," Luffy explained casually.

"Whitebeard is old now. His health is declining, and his body is weaker. If me and my squad fought him, we might actually have a tiny chance of survival. But Shanks? That guy is in his prime."

His gaze sharpened.

"If you two tried to fight him right now, you'd be dead before you even realized what happened."

Ace and Sabo fell completely silent.

Sabo, in particular, felt another wave of cold sweat dripping down his back.

"We were really about to challenge that monster…"

For the first time, Sabo genuinely feared for their lives.

Luffy, sensing their shaken resolve, smirked.

"If you ask me," he said, stretching lazily, "instead of thinking about picking fights and making a name for yourselves, you two should find a deserted island and train in seclusion."

He leaned forward slightly, his tone serious.

"Master Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and even Conqueror’s Haki. Once you’ve done that—then you can go out and make some noise."

As soon as he finished, Luffy shoved a handful of desserts and fruit into his mouth, chewing happily.

Ace and Sabo, however, barely noticed.

Instead, they looked at Luffy expectantly.

"Then… where do we go to learn this ‘Haki’ you’re talking about?" Sabo finally asked.

Ace nodded, his usual cockiness replaced with genuine curiosity.

"Or better yet, can you teach us?"

Luffy blinked.

"Huh? Me?" He pointed at himself, looking surprised.

Then, he rolled his eyes.

"Are you serious? C’mon, we may be brothers, but I’m still a Marine," he scoffed.

He waved them off.

"Do you really expect a Marine to train two pirates? Do you think that's even remotely possible?"

Ace and Sabo exchanged awkward glances.

Luffy smirked, shaking his head.

"You should be grateful I haven’t arrested you while you’re still weak."

The two let out nervous laughs, realizing he had a point.

Despite their different identities—a Marine and two wanted pirates—they were still sitting together, chatting like old friends.

Asking Luffy to train them was probably pushing their luck.

Seeing their disappointed expressions, Luffy grinned.

"But," he added, "I can tell you where to find someone who can train you."

He wiped his mouth with a napkin before flashing his signature big white teeth.

Under their eager gazes, he finally spoke.

"There’s a coating craftsman named Rayleigh in the Sabaody Archipelago. He’s an old pirate who survived the previous era. Not many people know about him, but he’s strong."

He leaned back in his chair.

"If you can’t find him, then go to The Shakky's Rip-off Bar the lawless area. If Rayleigh isn't there, someone else might point you in the right direction."

Ace and Sabo listened intently, absorbing every word.

Luffy then picked up his teacup and took another sip.

"That’s all I have to say. Whether you go or not—that’s up to you."