How should he put it...
Hearing Ace's voice, Xie Wen found it both unexpected and perfectly reasonable.
After all, while the guy wasn't like Luffy, whose only concern was eating, he was often associated with dining and dashing. Showing up at a time like this was very much in character.
It was just...
Xie Wen glanced at Crocus.
Did he actually know Ace's true identity?
"Two ships passing through here today? That's a rare sight."
Crocus's expression was normal, with only a hint of surprise as he glanced at Ace's pirate ship.
Although this was the "only" entrance to the Grand Line, the Great Pirate Era Roger had ushered in had gradually settled into a stable period, and more and more people had failed in their attempts to venture through the Grand Line. The number of people from the Four Seas still trying to enter here had also dwindled year by year, so seeing two groups arrive at Twin Cape one after the other in a single day was something Crocus hadn't witnessed in quite a while.
The slight difference was that Xie Wen and his companions weren't pirates, but rather fairly well-known bounty hunters.
Having once been a pirate himself, Crocus didn't want that young junior to meet his downfall right after entering the Grand Line, so he spoke first. "Meeting here is a kind of fate. Why don't you leave these small-time pirates alone today?"
For a moment, Xie Wen couldn't quite tell whether Crocus was simply looking out for a junior or had already recognized Ace's identity.
But he couldn't be bothered to dwell on it. He merely shrugged and said, "Don't worry. I know that guy."
As they spoke, the Spade Pirates' ship also came to a stop beside Twin Cape. Ace, whose stomach had long