Mu Chen couldn't help laughing at Buggy's bedraggled appearance. He looked like a blackened monkey. "I can let you go, but you'd better stop causing trouble in the East Blue. You won't be so lucky next time."
"Yes, yes, yes! I promise! I'll never do it again!"
Buggy nodded and bowed frantically, then scrambled toward his little boat as though he had just been granted a pardon.
Watching Buggy flee in panic, Ace couldn't help laughing.
This battle had given Ace a much deeper understanding of his Devil Fruit's power and made him more confident.
Flames?
So this was the power of the Logia Collect-Collect Fruit?
Ace was even more impressed with this Devil Fruit now, his face full of excitement.
Mu Chen slowly walked over to Ace and patted his shoulder, looking rather pleased. "Not bad, kid. You're improving pretty fast."
Ace scratched his head awkwardly and gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Heh, I'm doing all right." He knew Mu Chen had done all this for him, but he still had no idea what Mu Chen was after. Not only had Mu Chen helped him grow stronger, but he had also given him such a precious Devil Fruit. Ace simply couldn't make sense of it. Little did he know that Mu Chen was really just bored.
Besides, during his teenage years in his previous life, Mu Chen had been drawn to Ace as a character. What teenager wouldn't want to be someone like Ace?
As for the protagonist, Luffy, forget it. He was too much of an idiot. Now that Mu Chen was older, he simply didn't want Ace to disappear, and he could give him a little nudge in the right direction along the way. After all, Ace's death had been one of the lingering regrets of his youth.