Smoker was stunned. Ace had a younger brother?
"Who the hell is he?"
Smoker remembered the first time he had seen Luffy. The smile Luffy wore as he faced death on the Execution Platform was exactly like Roger's all those years ago.
And when Luffy set sail, not only had Rubick joined his crew, but Dragon had also protected him in Loguetown. Now Fire Fist Ace, the Whitebeard Pirates' Second Division Commander, had shown up to tell Smoker that Luffy was his younger brother.
The more Smoker thought about it, the harder it was to believe. Since when had someone so extraordinary appeared in this world?
If Smoker had known that the straw hat on Luffy's head belonged to Shanks, and that his grandfather was Garp, his entire understanding of the world would have shattered.
Ace didn't answer him directly. "He's my little brother. See you around, Smoker."
Ace hurried off. His wall of fire would only hold Smoker back for so long, and if Smoker hadn't had his men with him, he would have chased Ace down.
Smoker let Ace go and ordered, "Gather Tashigi and everyone else. We'll follow the coast west into the Santo River. We must catch every last one of the Straw Hat Pirates."
The Going Merry headed west, but without Rubick controlling the wind, the ship made slow progress, drifting with the current.
Before long, Ace caught up with the Going Merry.
Ace was a courteous, well-mannered pirate.
The first thing he said after boarding was, "Thank you all for looking after my little brother."
He gave a slight, proper bow. Rubick nodded to him, while the others bowed in return.
Luffy shouted happily, "Ace!"
"Long time no see, Luffy."
Luffy introduced him to the others. "Everyone, this is my big brother, Ace."
That