It Seems a Little Difficult, Marco...

"No, I'm no match for the Four Emperors right now, at least not the strongest one. I'm just here to express my gratitude to you for saving my brother, Luffy."

Ace took off his cowboy hat, Ace a slight bow, and the Red-Haired Shanks in front of the campfire raised his head, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Luffy? You're Luffy's brother? Is he alright?"

"That's good. That was the case before I went to sea. About two years after I went to sea, he will probably set sail and leave the Foosha Village."

Only at this moment did Shanks completely let his guard down, hugging Ben Beckman and laughing heartily.

"Brothers, we have guests, time to start the banquet!"

"Ooh ho!!!"

"Ya oh oh oh oh oh oh..."

"This time we're going to eat to our hearts' content!"

In the blink of an eye, the Red-Haired Pirates ' banquet began again. A bewildered Ace was pulled to Shanks' side and raised his glass to drink.

In a daze, Ace suddenly realized who his younger brother had learned his ways from.

"Kid, you're quite remarkable. To have made a name for yourself on the high seas in less than a year is truly impressive!"

"No, compared to the most powerful beings on this vast ocean, I am still far from being a match for them..."

To Red-Haired Shanks ' surprise, Ace slowly shook his head, recalling the terrifying battle when they left Wano Country, and the look in his eyes as he saw them off.

"That's so modest, but excessive modesty can turn into pride. You're the older brother, but your personality is completely different from your younger brother's!"

"It's precisely because I have such an irresponsible younger brother that I, as the older brother, inevitably have a headache, hahaha..."

A burst of laughter erupted inside the cave. Ben Beckman looked helplessly at the grinning captain and couldn't help but shake his head slightly.

"Where are you going next? Most pirates are just trying to make a name for themselves on the high seas, or perhaps they're searching for the legendary Laugh Tale..."

In that instant, Ace's eyes gleamed, burning with Kuma spirit.

"Now that we've seen the Strongest Creature on Land, Sea, and Air, and that mysterious guy, of course we have to go see Big Mom and the world's strongest man..."

"I am a pirate!"

In an instant, a smile flashed in the Red-Haired Shanks's eyes. He felt that the child beside him looked quite familiar, as if he had seen him before.

"You're going to challenge Whitebeard? That stubborn old man is not someone to mess with. But if you want to do it, then go ahead and do it. You're still young and have unlimited talent..."

After one night, the Spade Pirates, who had been docked at the port, set sail again. After watching Ace leave, Lucky Roux turned his head and asked.

"Hey Shanks, is it really okay to let this kid challenge Whitebeard?"

"No problem, Whitebeard won't let him go. This guy doesn't seem like a short-lived brat. He's also a Logia Ability User. Knowing Whitebeard's personality, he'll probably tie him up and keep him on his ship like a son, hahaha!"

A hint of cunning lurked in his hearty laughter, and the many officers of the Red-Haired Pirates turned to look at their captain, unable to help but burst into laughter.

"What a cunning fellow, Captain! You have far too little confidence in Ace!"

"However, the opponent is someone who has been active since before the Great Pirate Era. Even the captain would find it difficult to face Whitebeard..."

"Tsk tsk tsk, perhaps the next time I meet Ace, he will have become a captain under one of the Four Emperors!"

New World, near Fish-Man Island.

"Young man, I advise you to abandon this idea and not to try to challenge the king of this sea!"

"So, as Seven Warlords of the Sea, what are your thoughts in standing in my way, Knight of the Sea Jinbe?"

With his wild, whirlwind-like eyebrows and sideburns, Jinbe, a tall Jinbe figure, roared with raised eyebrows, and the sun symbol on his chest was particularly striking.

In front of Ace, a whale-fish man dressed in a yukata and wooden clogs stood in a fighting stance, blocking the Spade Pirates members.

"To repay a debt of gratitude! I will never let you stand before Whitebeard. If you want to fight, then let's have a good fight, Fire Fist Ace!"

"Captain! Get rid of him! We've defeated the Seven Warlords of the Sea before!"

"Let's do it, Captain!"

"You all step back, I'll handle this alone..."

Pulling his hat brim low, Ace transformed into flames and flew to the island, his eyes lowered.

"With Jinbe, Knight of the Sea Jinbe the Seven Warlords of the Sea the Sea, here, this guy is a whale-fish-man. A hasty naval battle would inevitably damage our ships, so..."

"Let's settle this right here, Kaikyo! Flame Commandment."

A towering curtain of fire billowed up, completely isolating the scene inside and outside the island. Jinbe clenched his fist, and the invisible impact made Ace's pupils shrink.

"Fish-Man Karate - Arabesque Brick Fist!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

An invisible impact shattered the curtain of fire, and billowing dust rose into the sky. Ace felt a power from Jinbe that he had never felt from the Lizard King before. A smirk appeared on Ace's lips, and Fire Fly danced in the air.

"Fire Fly - Fire Whirlwind!"

"Water Shot..."

Sizzle!

Sparks flew and wisps of steam rose, and both men saw the seriousness in each other's eyes.

"Knight of the Sea Jinbe, you're strong! But with this kind of ability, there's absolutely no way you can stop me from challenging Whitebeard!"

"It's precisely because you're so strong that I must stop you from appearing before Whitebeard, Fire Fist Ace!!!"

At this moment, the five-day, five-night battle of willpower officially began.

On the other hand, one after another, the massive Moby Dick moved slowly forward, and the tall figures on the huge seats, surrounded by various maintenance instruments, snored loudly.

However, before he could last long, he woke up from his sleep due to illness and subconsciously drank a mouthful of very strong liquor.

"Pops, don't drink alcohol during treatment..."

Marco shook his head helplessly. Sometimes he wanted the mission of taking care of children by a great pirate to end like this, but other times he hoped that these days would never end.

"Enough with the chit-chat, Marco. I heard some little fellow wants to challenge me?"

Upon hearing this, Marco subconsciously scanned the crowd, where numerous officers and squad leaders, both high and low, were shaking their heads and looking around.

"It seems... there is such a guy, what's wrong?"

"Since someone has challenged me, how can I just sit idly by? It's necessary to show others that I'm not so old that I can't move!"

His voice was powerful and bold, and the Bisento beside him gleamed with a cold light, faintly bearing witness to the glorious years he had experienced.

"Men, let's set sail and teach those young brats a lesson!"

Marco his forehead; he knew things would turn out this way. His gaze involuntarily drifted into the distance.

"Really, I'm counting on you for everything, Jinbe. Take care of that brat before Pops arrives..."

"Well, this seems a bit difficult, Marco."