Ace's face beneath the bandages was full of bewilderment.
He completely couldn't make sense of it!
What the hell was Bright thinking?
After beating them up, was that supposed to be the end of it?
Had he specifically called Ace over just to ask what he thought of the battle?
Was something wrong with this guy's head? Why was he doing something so incomprehensible?
He couldn't figure it out!
Ace was genuinely at a loss, with no idea what Bright was really after.
He wasn't the sort to think deeply, so as soon as doubts arose, he immediately asked, "Bright, what exactly do you mean?"
"Oh?"
Bright raised an eyebrow. "You mean you're dissatisfied with how I handled things? You think I shouldn't have let you go so easily?"
"You know that's not what I mean. I just don't understand!"
Ace lowered his voice. A guess suddenly came to him. "You didn't beat us up just to make us understand how weak we are, did you?"
Sharp kid.
He really was different from that younger brother in the Straw Hat.
Bright had no reason to hide it, so he nodded. "The New World is a dangerous place. If you enter those seas with an arrogant attitude, it's easy to get beaten into the depths by the storms there."
"So that was it?"
Ace gritted his teeth. He had known something was off. With the strength Bright had displayed, how could all his companions possibly have survived without losing a single one?
Everyone had been beaten until they were bloody messes, their bodies nearly falling apart, yet they had all survived. His control over his strength had been far too precise!
Indeed.
Listening to Ace's thoughts, Bright nodded to himself as well.
To ensure that all of Ace's companions survived safely,