Xi Yan, You Really Get Me!

After ending his call with Ace and the others, Xi Yan caught up with Luffy and his Luffy who were about to enter the town.

"You lot, wait a minute!" Xi Yan shouted.

Upon hearing Xi Yan's shout, Luffy and the others instinctively stopped in their tracks, then turned back to look at Xi Yan in confusion, asking, "What's wrong?"

Why did Xi Yan suddenly call out to them?

Could it be... that Luo has some other special instructions?

"There's something I need to tell you all." Xi Yan glanced at the town ahead, then looked at a giant rock behind them and said, "Come on, all of you, come with me."

After saying that, Xi Yan turned and walked towards the boulder, clearly intending to explain everything he had just told him there.

Seeing this, Luffy said somewhat displeased, "Haven't I said everything I needed to say? What else is there to say...?"

"This matter is related to Ace," Xi Yan interrupted.

Upon hearing this, Luffy immediately shut his mouth, his expression becoming somewhat puzzled.

Is it related to Ace?

Why is it related to Ace?

Although he didn't know what was going on, Luffy still chose to follow.

Seeing this, the others exchanged glances, and then followed Luffy Xi Yan.

"Who is that person named Ace?" Kin'emon asked curiously.

"Ah, he's Luffy's older brother," Sanji explained.

After saying that, Sanji began to ponder to himself, wondering what this had to do with Ace...

Thinking about this, Sanji suddenly remembered something Doflamingo had said before.

He possesses the Diamond Fruit, which greatly intrigued Ace!

'Could it be because of that thing?' Sanji wondered to himself.

It's not impossible.

"So Luffy has an older brother?" Kin'emon said in surprise.

"Yes, but they're not blood brothers, they're Sworn brothers."

Kin'emon paused for a moment, then thought to himself, 'They're Sworn brothers...'

If that's the case, then the man named Ace must also be a righteous person, otherwise someone like Luffy wouldn't have become sworn brothers with him.

As he pondered this, Kin'emon followed Luffy to Xi Yan's side.

"Now you can tell me, right?" Luffy said.

Without further ado, Xi Yan got straight to the point. "I just spoke with Ace."

Upon hearing this, Luffy's eyes lit up immediately. "Is he alright?" he asked.

"They seem to be doing quite well."

Xi Yan nodded in response to Luffy's question, then continued, "However, that's not my main point."

Luffy was smiling because his brother was doing well, paused for a moment upon hearing this, then asked in confusion, "What are you trying to say?"

"Do you remember when Law talked to Doflamingo before, and he mentioned the Diamond Fruit?"

Upon hearing this, a knowing glint flashed in Sanji's eyes.

It seems things really are going much as he expected.

Luffy asked in confusion, "The Diamond Fruit?"

"What Diamond Fruit?"

Perona rolled her Luffy upon hearing this and said, "You're such a meat-obsessed guy, you didn't listen to a word Doflamingo said, did you?"

I bet all Luffy, that idiot, could think about was how delicious the meat at Doflamingo's place must be.

As for the Diamond Fruit?

Luffy didn't listen to a word he said.

"Isn't he talking about meat?" Luffy scratched his head and said.

Perona:...

Just as she thought, this idiot really does have nothing but lust in his head.

"Doflamingo was referring to the Diamond Fruit," Sanji reminded him.

"Diamond Fruit?"

Seeing the slight confusion in Luffy's eyes, Xi Yan added, "Doflamingo said he has something that you and Ace are interested in, and that thing is the Diamond Fruit."

Seeing that Luffy was beginning to understand him, Xi Yan continued, "You should also know the previous owner of the Diamond Fruit. His name was Diamond Jozu, and he was the one who went with us to rescue Ace two years ago."

"That's the man whose entire body can turn into diamonds."

After hearing Xi Yan's detailed explanation, Luffy finally remembered what the Diamond Fruit's power was.

"That man's Devil Fruit, huh?"

Luffy gradually composed himself, clearly remembering the man who had stormed Navy Headquarters with them.

"You suddenly told us this..." Sanji said, stroking his chin, "Does it mean Ace is coming to Dressrosa?"

Upon hearing this, Luffy's eyes immediately lit up.

Is Ace coming?

He hadn't seen Ace for two years.

It would be wonderful to see each other here.

"He originally intended to come, but a few minor issues arose, so he didn't come," Xi Yan said.

Sanji:???

"What's the meaning?"

Several question marks popped up above Sanji's head. What did he mean by "originally wanted to come but then decided not to"?

Luffy anxiously grabbed Xi Yan's arm and asked, "Has Ace and the others run into some trouble?"

As Ace's younger brother, he was very worried about Ace's safety.

Even though the other party kept emphasizing that pirates' lives were precarious, he was still worried about his brother.

"Yes and no, I guess."

Luffy:???

What does "yes and no" mean?

Did he hear that phrase somewhere before?

"What are you cryptic about?" Zoro looked at Xi Yan speechlessly and said, "Just say what you have to say, we don't have much time now."

They were already under a tight timeframe in their search for Factory, so it was best to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

Xi Yan rolled his eyes at Zoro; this guy was also an impatient person.

"Simply put, Doflamingo wants to use the Diamond Fruit as bait to lure Ace here," Xi Yan explained. "Once Ace arrives, he might team up with the Navy to capture Ace."

"But he is no longer the Shichibukai." Perona wondered, "How can he unite the navy in this situation?"

"What if Doflamingo had already reached an agreement with the Navy before resigning from his Shichibukai?" Xi Yan countered.

Afterwards, Xi Yan briefly recounted his previous conversation and speculations with Ace, which left Perona silent.

Thinking about it carefully... it's not impossible!

"He's got that much guts?" Franky asked incredulously.

Isn't Doflamingo afraid of overdoing it?

"He had no choice," Xi Yan shrugged.

What can Doflamingo do now besides take a gamble?

Franky fell silent upon hearing this, and upon reflection... it did seem to be true.

Doflamingo had no choice but to gamble with the Navy.

"So, this Diamond Fruit was used as bait to catch Ace," Sanji said, frowning.

Doflamingo really knows how to spend money.

Luffy, annoyed, exclaimed, "That damn Doflamingo! I'm going to beat him to a pulp!"

At that moment, Luffy felt a surge of dissatisfaction.

That Doflamingo actually dared to lay a finger on my brother... He's practically asking for a beating!

"While I don't know if my guess is right or wrong, judging from the current situation... there's a very high possibility that Doflamingo is cooperating with the Navy," Xi Yan said. "Even if he's not cooperating with the Navy, he definitely has the intention of capturing Ace."

After all, that was his only chance to regain the title of Shichibukai.

Once he loses this opportunity... what awaits him is a merciless encirclement and annihilation by the navy.

A smart man like Doflamingo wouldn't be unaware of this, so he would absolutely do everything in his power to carry out this plan.

"Doesn't that mean Ace is in danger?!" Luffy's expression changed. "No, I have to go find him."

"Xi Yan, tell me quickly, where is he?"

At this moment Luffy desperately wanted to get to Ace's side and help him resolve this trouble.

"Xi Yan?"

Kin'emon was taken aback. Was that Lord Sunglasses ' real name?

Has he heard this name somewhere before?

Thinking about this, Kin'emon fell into deep thought.

Xi Yan simply smiled and glanced at Kin'emon, saying, "My name is rather unusual, and I can't reveal it yet, so please keep it a secret for now."

"Okay, I understand," Kin'emon nodded.

Although he didn't know what was so special about the name, he chose to keep it a secret for the Straw Hat Pirates out of trust in them.

Xi Yan nodded, then looked at Luffy, who looked anxious, and said, "Luffy, why are you always so impulsive?"

"That's my brother!"

"I know that's your brother," Xi Yan said, "But don't worry, he's fine now."

"At least he's safe now."

Hearing that his brother was temporarily safe, Luffy relaxed a lot, but he still didn't give up asking about his brother's whereabouts.

"Where is he?"

"To be honest, I don't know where he is now," Xi Yan said. "According to our last conversation, he encountered the Big Mom Pirates at sea."

Upon hearing this, Franky's expression immediately changed.

"The Four Emperors?"

Did Luffy's older brother actually encounter one of the Four Emperors?

This is not good news.

The others also looked grave, clearly aware of just how terrifying the Four Emperors were.

"It wasn't one of the Four Emperors himself," Xi Yan explained. "The one leading the team to compete for the Devil Fruit this time was Katakuri."

Upon hearing that it wasn't one of the Four Emperors, everyone relaxed considerably.

Although I don't know who that Katakuri is, it's not a big problem as long as it's not him.

Then, as if remembering something, Sanji said, "You just said... the Big Mom Pirates are here to fight for Devil Fruit?"

"Yes."

"Does that mean their goal is also the Diamond Fruit that Doflamingo possesses?"

"Yes."

Upon hearing this, Sanji was immediately rendered speechless.

Are they also after the Diamond Fruit?

Does that mean Dressrosa will soon become a battlefield between the Four Emperors Crew and Ace's group?

Wrong!

Xi Yan just said that Ace and the others aren't planning to come to Dressrosa... Does that mean Ace and the others went to intercept the Big Mom Pirates?

Upon realizing this, Sanji's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he began to have some speculations.

"So, they fought somewhere else because of this Devil Fruit?" Merry hadn't spoken until now, asked curiously.

"More or less."

After thinking for a moment, Xi Yan said, "Ace plans to stop the Big Mom Pirates elsewhere, so they can't come to Dressrosa to cause trouble."

"This will also make it easier for us to execute our combat plan."

After finishing speaking, Xi Yan paused for a moment, then looked at Luffy, who was about to say something, and continued, "However, in return, Ace me for a favor."

"What's up?"

"He asked me to help them get their hands on that Diamond Fruit," Xi Yan said. "Luffy, what are your thoughts?"

"Of course we'll steal it!" Luffy said without hesitation.

This was something his brother had asked them to do, so he was determined to help them to the end!

Luffy then continued, "Xi Yan, contact him now, we'll help..."

"I've already agreed."

Xi Yan interrupted Luffy, saying, "I already agreed during the call."

"I said back then that if Luffy knew about this, he would definitely agree too."

Strictly speaking, this matter is also beneficial to the Straw Hat Pirates, especially considering Luffy's relationship with Ace... so there's nothing wrong with him helping them obtain that Devil Fruit.

"That's good."

Luffy breathed a sigh of relief, then grinned and patted Xi Yan's arm, saying, "You really understand me."

That's right, just like Xi Yan said. If he knew about this, he would definitely agree to help Ace fight for that Devil Fruit!

After all... they're brothers!

Sanji wore an "I knew it" expression; it really was just as he guessed.

Then, stroking his chin, he said, "It seems we still have one more thing to do this time."

"I just don't know where that Devil Fruit is."

If they could find out the location of that Devil Fruit, Xi Yan's strength would be more than enough to take Devil Fruit away.

As for whether this matter will affect their battle plans...

Who says you can't destroy the Factory and steal the Devil Fruit at the same time?

Sanji, anyway, didn't think there was any problem with it.

"Once we're inside, I'll find a way to gather information," Xi Yan said.

Seeing that Xi Yan had said so, Sanji nodded in relief.

That makes sense. With Xi Yan's intelligence-gathering capabilities, they should be able to find out the location of that Devil Fruit very quickly.

"However, we also need to be careful of the navy here," Franky said. "Although Ace and the others' plan is to lure away the navy's high-ranking forces, it would be bad if they didn't fall for it."

Who knows if the navy might stay here and keep watch?

After all... what Ace wanted was right here!

"That's what I'm worried about too," Sanji said. "I even suspect that Doflamingo's plan includes us as well."

Although the Straw Hat Pirates don't have as much influence as the Spade Pirates, Luffy's head with a 500 million bounty is still quite attractive to the Navy.