At that moment, aboard the pirate ship, Ace lowered his hands.
He grinned smugly.
The crew cheered in delight.
"That's our captain! He's so strong!"
"Hahaha, we shook off the Marines! Awesome!"
"We're safe now! All thanks to the captain!"
Hearing their praise, Ace's smile grew even brighter.
Just then, however, a thunderclap exploded overhead.
A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky.
It landed directly in the pirate ship's path.
Deuce gazed up at the sky in confusion.
"The sky's perfectly clear. Why is there thunder?"
"This is the New World. No weather is too strange here."
Ace explained.
"That's our captain! He knows so much!"
"Hahaha, not really. I heard all this from a cranky old man."
But in the next instant, Ace's expression changed.
After striking down, that bolt of lightning hadn't dissipated.
Instead, it gathered together and took human form.
Once that figure appeared, she flashed onto the deck.
The sudden turn of events startled everyone.
"Hey, who are you?"
They watched the figure who had suddenly appeared with wary eyes.
But they weren't all that wary.
After all, the figure was a stunningly beautiful woman.
"Be careful! She's no ordinary woman!"
Ace darted in front of his crew.
He stared fixedly at Christa.
"Who are you?"
At the same time, flames ignited along his back and arms.
It looked like a show of force.
He had just seen Christa emerge from the lightning.
That gave him a bad feeling.
As a Logia user himself, he naturally knew how difficult other Logia users were to deal with.
He wasn't afraid, but if a fight broke out, he wasn't confident he could keep his crew safe.
"Who am I? A Marine, of course, you scum of the seas."
Christa raised her chin haughtily.
Gone was the