Luffy leaned over and snatched the newspaper, running his fingers over Ace's photograph again and again.
"Wow, Ace is amazing!"
Luffy's eyes shone with excitement, but his face soon fell again.
"But he must really hate that bastard Mu Chen now. After all, Mu Chen killed Ace's Pops." Though he often called Mu Chen a bastard, Mu Chen was still his teacher, and Ace's teacher too. He truly didn't want Ace and Mu Chen to fight.
By the end, Luffy's voice had grown quiet, and his eyes were slightly red.
Meanwhile, colorful scarves fluttered across the square in the Kamabakka Kingdom. The locals danced merrily, and even the air carried the sweet fragrance of fruit wine.
But on a terrace deep within the kingdom, the atmosphere was entirely different.
Whitebeard reclined in a wicker chair, holding a freshly delivered newspaper. His cloudy eyes were fixed on the front-page photograph, and he couldn't suppress the smile tugging at his lips.
Mu Chen sat on the stone table opposite him, twirling an empty wineglass between his fingers. His gaze also rested on the newspaper, where one headline stood out: "Flame Emperor Ace reunites the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates-a new Emperor of the Sea."
"Gurarararara! Hahahaha! That brat finally lived up to my expectations! When he first came aboard, he was like a kitten with its fur standing on end, refusing to listen to anyone. Now he can actually hold the whole crew together!"
Whitebeard finally burst out laughing.
In just half a year, Ace had already earned the title of Flame Emperor. Didn't that sound even more imposing than Fire Fist?
Looking at Ace's sharp gaze in the photograph, Mu Chen sighed softly and said helplessly, "Yeah, Ace has really grown stronger. Flame Emperor, huh? I'm afraid all that drive of