Smack!
Ace planted one foot against the tree trunk and vaulted forward with the momentum. After a few bounds, he landed beside Luffy.
"Ace!" Luffy, who had been hiding behind the tree, was overjoyed. "What are you doing here?"
"I said I sensed your distress signal from here. Do you believe me?"
Ace pointed to his heart. He had just flashed a smile when he noticed the two figures battling fiercely among the distant mountains and forests.
"Who is that guy?" Ace asked in astonishment, unable to stop himself from sucking in a breath. "He's strong! He can actually go toe-to-toe with that old geezer?"
"You can't tell? That's Big Brother Xia Nuo!"
"That guy?"
Ace furrowed his brows and observed for a while.
He had certainly grown much taller and bulkier, but judging from his profile, he really was the same guy who had once beaten him down with ease in just three punches and two kicks.
"So he was this strong all along!"
Gulp! Ace swallowed. Last year, he had thought being knocked unconscious was utterly humiliating. He had trained hard for an entire year, hoping that one day he could get his revenge.
Now it seemed that the other side had held back considerably. Even if Sabo were still alive, the three ASL brothers together probably couldn't withstand a single punch from him.
Boom!
With a fierce reverse kick from Xia Nuo, Garp's body slammed into the cliff, and the entire mountain shook with a muffled rumble.
"You little monster! You can change direction several times in midair!"
Garp laughed as he shook off the dust. His rough knuckles cracked loudly as he clenched them. "You've mastered both Soru and Geppo so well. Where did you secretly learn the Six Powers?"
"No one taught me! I