The blazing fireballs that filled the sky turned the entire heavens a brilliant red.
Each fireball, dozens of meters in diameter, contained immense power. No one doubted they could blast a ship apart.
"Starting with a move like that right away."
Marco stood beside Ace with one hand on his hip, teasing, "You brothers sure have a special way of greeting each other."
"Hahaha, it's fine. He probably can't wait to jump over here and fight me." Ace laughed carelessly.
Scenes filled with nostalgia flashed through his eyes.
When they first met at Dadan's House, Luffy had been seven and Ace was ten. Later, with Sabo, the three of them fought every day.
Even after Ace set sail at sixteen, his fights with Luffy had never stopped.
Now, they had finally reached this sea and stood against each other, fulfilling the promise the three of them had made when they competed to become captains.
"If only Sabo were here too."
Ace could not help thinking of a certain figure. He sighed with a smile, shook his head, and looked back at Luffy.
Facing the fireballs rapidly raining down from the sky, Luffy stood unmoving at the bow. Without turning around, he smiled. "I'll leave it to you, Nami. You can do it, right?"
"—Huh?!"
Behind a row of barrels on the front deck, the cowardly trio hid their bodies, with only three heads sticking out above the barrels.
Nami looked utterly baffled as she blankly pointed at herself.
"Me???"
"Nami??" Chopper and Usopp turned to look at her from either side in confusion.
Weren't they supposed to be useless together?
You traitor!
Luffy turned his upper body around and nodded to Nami with a smile. "Yeah. I believe you can do it."
"Huh?!"
"Wait!"
"I can't do this!" Nami waved