Seems Like It Might Be a Little Difficult, Marco...

"No, I'm not a match for the Four Emperors yet—at the very least, not the strongest one. I came only to thank you for saving my little brother, Luffy."

Taking off his cowboy hat, Ace gave a slight bow. Red Hair, seated before the campfire, looked up, surprise flashing through his eyes.

"Luffy? You're Luffy's brother? Is he doing well?"

"Very well. At least, he was before I set sail. In the two years since I left, he'll probably be setting out from Foosha Village himself."

Only then did Shanks completely let down his guard. Throwing an arm around Benn Beckman, he burst into laughter.

"Boys, we've got a guest! Time for a feast!"

"Woohoo!!!"

"Yaoooooooo..."

"This time, we're eating our fill!"

In the blink of an eye, the Red Hair Pirates' feast was underway once more. The bewildered Ace was dragged to Shanks's side, where he raised his cup and drank heartily.

In his daze, Ace finally realized who his little brother had learned his ways from.

"Kid, you're pretty impressive. You've been at sea for less than a year, yet you've already made a name for yourself. That's amazing!"

"No, compared to those standing at the pinnacle of these seas, I'm still far behind..."

To Red Hair's surprise, Ace slowly shook his head. He recalled the utterly terrifying battle when he left Wano Country, as well as those eyes that had seen them off in the end.

"How modest. But too much modesty turns into arrogance, you know. You're the older brother, yet your personality is nothing like your little brother's!"

"It's precisely because I have such a troublesome little brother that being the elder brother gives me headaches. Hahahaha..."

The cave immediately erupted with laughter. Benn Beckman looked helplessly at his foolishly grinning captain and could not