Reunion and Sparring

Inside the restaurant, Lin Feng and Ace drank and chatted merrily, the atmosphere harmonious.

Bart sat quietly beside Lin Feng like a loyal guardian, silently watching everything around them.

"Big Brother, how long are you planning to stay in Alabasta this time?"

Ace set down his wineglass and asked curiously.

Lin Feng smiled, but instead of answering directly, he asked, "What, are you afraid I'll interrupt your 'trip' here?"

Ace scratched his head and said somewhat sheepishly, "Of course not. I'm thrilled that you came, Big Brother. I'm just curious about what you plan to do next."

"As for me, I came here to take care of something, and to see you while I was at it."

Lin Feng spoke lightly, though there was a hint of deeper meaning in his tone.

Just then, an angry roar suddenly came from the restaurant entrance.

"Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Flame Fist Ace, why are you here?!"

A man in a Marine uniform, smoking a cigar, charged in aggressively.

The restaurant's patrons instantly fell silent, and everyone's eyes turned toward Ace.

"The Whitebeard Pirates?"

"God, am I dreaming?"

"Why would someone from the Whitebeard Pirates appear here?"

The guests murmured among themselves, their faces filled with shock and fear.

Even the restaurant owner was so frightened that the plate in his hands nearly fell to the floor.

Hearing the voice, Ace's expression changed slightly as he turned toward the entrance.

Lin Feng, however, remained lounging in his chair, a teasing smile on his face, without even turning to look at the man at the door.

It's here, it's here—the iconic One Piece scene, Lin Feng thought. Luffy should be making his entrance next, right?

Sure enough, the very next second, a straw-hatted youth fell from the sky like a cannonball.

With a thunderous bang!, the youth punched the cigar-smoking man flying.

The cigar-smoking man crashed into Ace, and the two rolled together like tumbling gourds, smashing through several walls before vanishing from everyone's sight.

The restaurant was left in complete disarray, with tables, chairs, and benches shattered across the floor.

Yet the straw-hatted youth got back up without a scratch.

He dusted himself off, then plopped down in Ace's former seat and shouted, "Boss, bring me food! I'm starving!"

As he spoke, he kept rubbing his stomach and muttering, "Food, food, food!"

Watching this living treasure before him, Lin Feng's lips curved upward into a bright smile.

"Luffy, you really are interesting."

Lin Feng chuckled softly.

Hearing him, Luffy turned to look at Lin Feng and asked in confusion, "Who are you?"

Lin Feng burst into laughter. "I'm just a traveler passing through."

At that moment, the restaurant owner nervously approached and served Luffy an entire table full of food.

The moment Luffy saw the food, his eyes lit up, and he immediately began wolfing it down.

While Luffy was feasting away, Ace returned with one hand clutching his head, fury written all over his face.

"Which idiot made such a mess of this place?!" Ace cursed.

The moment he saw Luffy sitting in his seat, he froze.

"Lu—"

Ace had barely uttered one syllable when a large hand slammed him to the ground.

"Straw Hat Boy!"

The cigar-smoking man—Smoker—roared.

Seeing this, Lin Feng could no longer hold it in and clutched his stomach as he laughed.

"Ha ha ha! This scene is just too classic!"

Lin Feng laughed so hard that tears nearly came to his eyes.

Luffy stared wide-eyed at Smoker, who was pinning Ace down, but his mouth kept stuffing in food.

After thinking for a moment, he finally remembered that this old smoker was the Marine who had chased him before.

Oh no!

Luffy hurriedly swallowed the food in his mouth, then turned and ran.

"Think you can run? Not so easily!"

Smoker roared and gave chase.

Ace quickly scrambled up from the ground and chased after them as well.

The restaurant was a mess. The customers were still shaken, while the owner looked on the verge of tears.

"What a lively scene."

Lin Feng smiled, picked up the wineglass on the table, and drained it in one gulp.

Lin Feng looked at the owner before him.

"Boss, I'll cover the damages." He took out a bag of Beli from his clothes and set it on the counter.

"Thank you... thank you..."

The owner said gratefully, overwhelmed with emotion.

"Lin Feng, what do we do next?" Bart asked in a low voice.

"No rush. Let's rest here for a while first," Lin Feng said. "Once they've had enough of their fun, we'll go find Ace."

Ace and Luffy's meeting was a very important part of the story.

Lin Feng did not want to interfere too early. He wanted to quietly observe how events unfolded.

After all, he had not come to Alabasta merely to catch up with Ace.

He had something even more important to do.

Some time after leaving the restaurant, Lin Feng and Bart encountered Ace again.

Ace walked over dejectedly, his face full of helplessness and his tone tinged with disappointment. "Big Brother, I didn't catch up to that guy Luffy."

Lin Feng raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile curling his lips. "Luffy? That Straw Hat Boy?"

Ace nodded, with a trace of pride in his voice. "Yeah. He's my little brother."

Lin Feng narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them as he said with interest, "Oh? Your little brother? Now that's interesting."

Lin Feng patted Ace's shoulder, wearing a relaxed smile. "It's fine if you didn't catch him. There'll be plenty of chances to meet again."

His tone was casual, as though the matter was hardly worth mentioning.

"Big Brother, why didn't you help me earlier?" Ace asked in confusion.

"Why should I have stepped in?" Lin Feng countered. "You're the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Don't tell me you can't even handle a Marine captain?"

Ace scratched his head and said awkwardly, "It's not that. I just thought it would have been more fun if Big Brother were there."

Lin Feng smiled and did not continue the topic. Instead, he said, "Ace, come. Let me see how much you've improved lately."

Lin Feng's words immediately energized Ace, who said excitedly, "Sure, Big Brother! I've wanted to spar with you for a long time!"

"Let's go somewhere more spacious." Lin Feng took the lead toward the outskirts of the city.

Bart followed close behind, while Ace trailed excitedly after Lin Feng.

The three arrived at an open area outside the city. The blazing sun scorched the earth overhead, and the sand beneath their feet was hot enough to fry an egg. All around them stretched a barren desert, while rolling dunes rose in the distance, distorted by heat waves until they resembled a pack of sleeping beasts.

Lin Feng and Ace stood facing each other, both radiating powerful presences. Even the air around them seemed to solidify.

"Big Brother, I won't hold back!"

Ace said with a smile, his eyes full of fighting spirit.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Lin Feng's lips curled slightly, revealing a confident smile.

A sparring match between brothers was about to begin.

And at that moment, in some corner of Alabasta, an even greater conspiracy was quietly brewing.