Out at sea, Ace stood at the stern of a boat that looked like a speedboat and addressed Barn, who sat silently at the bow.
"What the heck... you were so confident a moment ago, but you don't know where to go either?"
Barn did not turn around. Instead, he spoke with a smile, clearly amused by Ace's predicament.
"Uh... I really did act on impulse back then, but Teach was my crewmate, after all. As his commander, I have a responsibility."
Ace scratched the back of his head awkwardly as he spoke.
Clap, clap.
Barn turned to "look" at Ace, clapped twice, then turned back around and said,
"Ah, I only planned to come along for a vacation. I didn't expect to have to be your guide, too. But I don't know where that bastard Teach is, either. The world's so big. Where would we even look?"
Hearing even his supposedly all-capable master say that, Ace immediately deflated. He squatted down in the boat, the corners of his mouth drooping.
Still, Barn pointed him in a direction. Although he knew what would happen in the future, he did not want to stop it, because it was tied to his plans for later.
Barn said,
"Since we don't know where to go, let's head to Alabasta first."
Ace stood up again at Barn's words, leaned in behind him, and asked,
"Master Barn, what are we going to Alabasta for?"
"I got word that Luffy's heading to Alabasta right now. Since you don't know where to go anyway, you might as well visit your little brother. It's been so long that I'm starting to miss that little bastard, too."
Ace suddenly perked up at Barn's words and asked excitedly,
"Luffy?"
"Mm."
Barn nodded calmly.
"Haha, sounds good. It's been ages since