Anti-Nightmare Alliance

"Ace..." Luffy murmured to himself. He hadn't seen Ace for two years.

Two years ago, he lost his grandfather, but Ace lost both his grandfather and his Old Man.

Therefore, in their pursuit of revenge, they had no time to rest after the war and could only undergo intensive training for two years...

"Actually, as far as I know, this World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament has attracted far more than just the Whitebeard Pirates. Anyone with ambition and desire will try their best to participate in this grand event. Even if they can't get the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, they can't let go of this opportunity to make a name for themselves. As long as they can stand out in the Martial Arts Tournament, wealth, fame, and power will follow."

"If the so- One Piece is just a beautiful fantasy, then this World's Number One Martial Arts Tournament is to present that beautiful fantasy to everyone."

"It's a gathering of all the world's strongest fighters?" Luffy's eyes lit up, his blood boiling, and he couldn't wait to sign up right now.

"Although we don't know Nightmare's purpose, what he did did give us an opportunity. Once all the people from various forces flood into that Dreamland Kingdom, it will be a mixed bag, and even Nightmare's forces will find it difficult to monitor it comprehensively. That will be our chance to infiltrate and rescue Sanji."

Upon hearing about rescuing Sanji, Luffy calmed down. "Hmm, so what should we do now? Should we meet up in the real world and then head to the Destruction Continent?"

"No rush. You probably haven't seen Senior Rayleigh in a long time. We'll take you to see him first, and you can also attend today's Alliance meeting."

"An alliance...?" Luffy's face showed utter bewilderment.

"Yes, the Anti-Nightmare Alliance."

"'The Coating Artisan's Cozy Home'? Is this Uncle Rayleigh's home?" Luffy was strange; he really couldn't tell what kind of slyness Uncle Rayleigh was hiding.

"Yes, this is the home system unique to Dream Online. If Dream Online is a product of the fusion of countless people's dreams, then the home is each of our own exclusive dream. Without the owner's permission, even Nightmare cannot sneak in silently."

"Oh..." Luffy nodded thoughtfully, but in reality he was completely bewildered.

Upon entering Rayleigh's home, Luffy's expression grew increasingly strange. The scene in Rayleigh's dream seemed exactly like Shakky's Rip-off Bar on Sabaody Archipelago. He absolutely refused to believe there was no connection between them.

"Hey, you're Straw Hat Luffy?" Luffy turned around and saw a Red Hair spiky guy leaning against the wall, looking him up and down with ill intent. "I didn't expect you to survive the Summit War two years ago. You're really lucky."

"Who's that hedgehog-haired guy?" Luffy looked at Zoro blankly.

"The one with the highest bounty among the pirate Supernovas who entered the New World two years ago, Captain Eustass Kid," Zoro said succinctly.

"Supernovas?" Luffy looked serious, feeling that he had heard this title somewhere before.

"Supernovas refer to ruthless characters who rapidly develop after entering the Grand Line and have a bounty of over 100 million Beli. If you had reached Sabaody Archipelago two years ago, with your bounty of exactly 100 million Beli, you could barely be considered Supernovas." A short, stout man with a cigar in his mouth walked over from the sofa.

"Gangster Capone Bege, also one of the Supernovas two years ago."

"Oh, I remember now, you're the ones I heard about before, the ones who wanted to challenge Nightmare but were defeated by Nightmare's minions before even seeing his face," Luffy said with Ohm.

"..."

"Damn it! Are you looking for death?" Kid said with a ferocious look in his eyes.

"Hey, Captain Straw Hat, you're really an unlikable guy!" Scratchmen Apoo, standing to the side, also glared at him with hostility.

"Want to fight? I couldn't be happier!" Luffy said, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

Usopp helplessly covered his eyes. Sure enough, even after two years, Luffy's troublemaking nature hadn't changed at all.

"Luffy, you guys are really energetic. But now is not the time for infighting. Since we're all here for the same goal, let's not hurt our harmony."

"Oh? It's Shakky!"

"Yes, please take a seat. The other guests are getting impatient!"

Luffy then realized that the bar seemed to be full of people, and just by looking at their fierce eyes and bloodthirsty aura, he knew that these people were definitely not to be trifled with.

"Hey, aren't you the bird-feathered pineapple-headed uncle who was with Ace during the last battle?" Luffy, who was curiously Luffy, suddenly lit up and quickly approached someone to ask in a low voice.

"Bird feather pineapple head... Uncle?" Marco's face darkened. He finally understood why this guy could start arguing with others as soon as he walked in. If it weren't for the guy's innocent face and the fact that he was Ace's brother, he would have thought that the guy was mocking him.

"Fine, let's pretend we didn't hear it for Ace's sake." Marco continued to close his eyes and rest.

"Hey bird-feathered pineapple-headed uncle, how's Ace doing? Did he come with you? Are you going to the Scarlet Monastery too...?" Luffy got more and more excited as he spoke, and questions came out one after another like a machine gun.

"Ace is fine now, you'll know when you meet him next time," Marco replied quickly, his eyes narrowed in impatience.

"Is that so..."

Seeing that Luffy seemed uninterested and wanted to ask more questions, Marco quickly changed the subject, "I heard Ace say that you've been looking for Red Hair, haven't you? That's Ben Beckman, the Vice Captain of the Red Hair Pirates. You might be able to find out about Red Hair from him."

"Ah! It's Uncle Beckman! They've really changed a lot since twelve years ago. I didn't even recognize him at first glance!" Luffy's eyes lit up, and he decisively abandoned Marco and sneaked towards Ben Beckman.

"Uncle Beckman, it's me, it's Luffy!"

Ben Beckman was discussing things with others when he suddenly heard a strange yet familiar voice behind him.

"Ah! It's Luffy! You've finally set sail to follow your dream!"

"Uncle Beckman, Shanks... is Shanks alright?" Luffy asked anxiously.

Ben Beckman paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, "Shanks... he'd be very happy to see you."

"You mean..." Luffy shouted excitedly.

"Shh!" Ben Beckman put a finger to his lips. "Come see me privately after this meeting, and I'll tell you how to meet Shanks."