Ace Arrives

"Is this the Drum Kingdom? It's so cold."

June was just past midway, and Winter Island was still bitterly cold. A shirtless figure stepped onto the shore and couldn't help but shiver.

Why has Blackbeard come here?

The figure's owner uttered a question; he wore an orange cowboy hat with the Whitebeard Pirates ' logo embroidered on his back.

The figure was Ace. Because Xia Qiu deliberately publicized this matter, he arrived here half a month earlier than in the original story.

"Call."

Ace swayed his body, sparks flying across his skin as the heat dispelled the cold. He sighed, "Let's find somewhere to eat something first."

Ace headed towards the nearest village, and upon entering, his unique attire attracted the attention of those around him.

"That's a bar."

Ace saw a sign, quickly went inside, and came to the bar.

Seeing his attire, many people turned their attention to him. Bare-chested in the freezing cold, was he some kind of idiot?

"Is there anything to eat here?"

Ace looked at the bartender behind the bar and asked.

"Sandwiches and hot dogs," the bartender replied directly.

"Five hot dogs, please," Ace said, tapping the table. "And a whiskey, too."

"Five servings?" the bartender asked, somewhat incredulously. "Are you sure?"

"Certainly."

Ace said impatiently, "Hurry up, I'm starving."

"Hurry up."

The bartender first prepared the whiskey, then went to the side to prepare the hot dogs. Ace started drinking the whiskey, and when the hot dogs were ready and served, he ate them with gusto.

But just after finishing his first bite, Ace suddenly stiffened, slammed his head into the plate, and fell fast asleep.

"Is he dead?"

Seeing this, the bartender slowly moved closer, raised his arm and reached out, but before he could touch him, Ace suddenly sat up and started eating his hot dog again.

Ace ate and slept at the same time. After finishing his meal, he burped and then asked, "How much?"

"Five thousand Belly," the bartender said with a smile, extending his hand.

"Five thousand Belly? That's way too much!" Ace's eyes widened as he said, "Your prices here are twice what they are outside."

The bartender shrugged and said, "This is Winter Island, and our ingredients are quite scarce."

"All right."

Having no other choice, Ace pulled out a 10,000- Belly bill and handed it to the bartender. The bartender gave him his change, Ace pushed the money back, smiling as he said, "This is a tip. I wanted to ask you some information."

"What news?"

The bartender reached out and pressed the money under his hand, but did not pick it up.

Ace said, "Not long ago, a pirate crew called Blackbeard came here and caused a lot of trouble. I'd like to ask them about their whereabouts."

"I will tell you what I know."

The bartender collected the money and then said, "A month and a half ago, the Blackbeard Pirates arrived here and fought against the then-King Walpol and his guards. Walpol was defeated and fled the country, and hasn't returned since. As for Blackbeard, he stayed here for three days, replenished his supplies, and then left."

"A month and a half? That's too long."

Ace stroked his chin and asked, "Do you know where they went?"

The bartender shook his head and said, "I don't know, but it seems to have headed west."

"Yeah?"

Ace nodded, took out some more money, and said, "Thank you for the information. Please prepare some food and water for me."

"Good."

The bartender went to the back, prepared some food and water, gave them to Ace, and Ace left the bar.

"They've been gone for so long, they must have left already. It seems we'll have to go to the next place to inquire."

Ace was somewhat disappointed that they had arrived a month and a half ago; the news he received was still too slow.

Ace walked towards the port, but then he stopped and said softly, "What do you want with me?"

"I have news about Blackbeard."

A slightly hoarse voice came from behind him. Ace turned around and saw a middle-aged man.

"Do you really have information about them?" Ace asked suspiciously.

"Certainly."

The middle-aged man replied, "Come with me to my room."

He left those words behind and turned to leave.

Ace hesitated for a moment, but still followed him. He arrived at a room and watched him go in. He slowly approached, and seeing nothing unusual, he slowly walked in.

Upon entering the house and arriving at the living room, the middle-aged man did not stop but went straight to the bedroom, took out his key, and opened the bedroom door.

"Come in."

The man opened the bedroom door and went inside.

Ace noticed that the door was moving rather slowly, and its weight was greater than he had imagined. Ace approached and, finding no signs of weakness, slowly stepped inside.

Inside the room, there was a Den Den Mushi on the table.

This person's identity is extraordinary.

Den Den Mushi are very expensive and difficult for ordinary people to afford. However, in many areas, large Den Den Mushi are provided. They are immobile and similar to landline phones.

After the man invited Ace to sit down, Ace asked suspiciously, "Who exactly are you?"

"My name is Smith, and I cannot disclose any other information."

The man looked at Ace and asked, "Are you Ace, the captain of the Whitebeard Second Division?"

"That's right."

Ace nodded and said, "You just said you had news about Blackbeard?"

Smith said, "That's right. Blackbeard is currently in Mock Town, which is a gathering place for pirates. They arrived there yesterday and will probably stay there for a few days."

"Really?"

Ace was somewhat excited, then frowned and asked, "But how did you know?"

Smith replied, "We belong to a powerful organization that monitors all the pirates in this area. We recognized you, and since you were asking about the Blackbeard Pirates, we found you."

"But why are you telling me this?"

Ace asked, puzzled.

Smith replied, "Because you are a captain under Whitebeard, Blackbeard betrayed Whitebeard, our leader has a past with Whitebeard, so naturally he will help you."

"So it was because of my dad."

Ace smiled and said, "Thank you, but where is Mock Town?"

Smith took out a pointer and said, "Mock Town is located on Jaya Island, right on this flight path. It's an island after Alabasta. They've been there for a while now. Here's a Eternal Pose that leads directly there."

"Thank you, this has been a great help. I'll go after him right away."

"Wait a moment."

Smith looked at Ace and asked, "Can you find them? What if you do find them, but they've already left?"

"This..."

Ace stopped and looked at Smith.

Smith said, "We can provide you with other contacts to keep you on track, but we would appreciate it if you could tell us what happened so we can keep a record."

"All right."

Ace thought for a moment, then slowly sat back down.