"Luffy! It's really you!!!"
Like a bolt of lightning, a figure shot across the tavern, springing toward Luffy with arms stretched unnaturally long, shouting in delight.
"A-A-A-Ace!!!"
The moment Luffy saw Ace's rubbery, outstretched arms, his reaction was ten, no, a hundred, no, a thousand times more dramatic than Ace's.
"That's right! It's me! Hahahaha! Long time no see!"
Ace laughed heartily and threw an arm around Luffy's shoulder, pulling them close like old times.
"Can't believe how tall you've gotten after just a few years!"
He playfully tousled Luffy's hair without a care in the world, completely ignoring the white of Luffy's eyes rolling so far back they nearly disappeared.
"Last time I saw Dadan, she told me you'd become a Warlord of the Sea, I nearly had a heart attack!"
Still clinging to Luffy, Ace shoved him back down into his seat without letting go.
"Ha!"
Ace was just about to turn and say something when he suddenly froze. He jolted upright, backing away a step with a shocked expression.
"L-Luffy… is that skeleton… drinking milk…?"
But to his surprise, Ace completely forgot he still had his arm wrapped tightly around Luffy. The result?
With no time to react, Luffy was yanked off balance and slammed onto the floor, legs caught on the bench, now lying flat on his back staring up at the ceiling.
He swore, next time, even if it was his blood brother, he'd throw hands.
With a roar, Luffy lunged up and tackled Ace, pinning him to the ground. He grabbed Ace's cheeks with both hands and pulled them sideways with all his might.
"Mmff, mmgh, rrmurr wa yew doin', Luffy?!"
"Shut up!!"
"Explain! What the hell is going on here?!"
Luffy stretched Ace's mouth a meter wide, exposing every last tooth in a grotesque grimace. Then he let go, snap! Ace's face recoiled with a bounce, shaking like jelly.
"What the hell, Luffy?!" Ace rubbed his now-swollen cheeks and grumbled in protest.
"Pfft… You two really haven't changed a bit," Makino said with a soft smile, covering her mouth to stifle a laugh.
"Yohohoho~! Greetings!" Brook stood up and gave Ace a gentlemanly bow.
Dusting himself off, Luffy sighed and replied to Makino, "Ace is the one who hasn't grown up, he's even dumber than he used to be."
Luffy had no idea what Ace had been through these past few years. He used to be the mature, serious one, now he acted like a total kid!
Reaching out to help him up, Luffy grabbed Ace by the arm and immediately flung it aside with an irritated grunt. "Get up, already!"
"Alright, alright…" Ace stood up with a confused look. "Geez, Luffy, when did you get so cranky?"
"You…" Luffy hesitated for a long moment, then decided to let it go.
"Forget it. Just tell me, when did you eat the Gum-Gum Fruit?"
Luffy's tone calmed, but his eyes were resigned. He couldn't believe it, after all those years planning to give Ace the Flame-Flame Fruit, fate had other plans.
He had assumed he'd never even see the Gum-Gum Fruit again… and yet here it was, in front of him, in Ace of all people.
And just like that, the world's "Fire Fist" Ace had vanished from the age of pirates.
Could it be… that the Gum-Gum Fruit was the true "chosen one" of this world?
"Huh? You know about the Gum-Gum Fruit?" Ace asked, blinking in surprise.
Then, scratching his head, he recalled, "I think my master found it floating in the sea. I accidentally ate it, and… well, now I'm like this."
To demonstrate, he stretched his arm, wrapped it around himself three times, and grinned. "See? I can stretch super long and super big now!"
"Pfft!" Luffy facepalmed. Is it possible the Paramecia Fruits are actually a special type of Logia?
Can brains be turned into rubber, too?
Once Ace's body returned to normal, Luffy asked again, "So, who's this master of yours?"
"My master?" Ace's expression grew unusually serious.
"After you left, not long after, I was attacked by a huge beast in the forest. I almost died… but my master showed up just in time and saved me."
"He's unbelievably strong. Just one glare, and that monster turned tail and ran."
"Oh, right, Luffy, do you know about Conqueror's Haki?"
Ace suddenly gave a sly grin. His eyes sharpened, and in the next second, a powerful wave of Haki exploded from him, crashing down on Luffy like a storm.
The force of it shattered the cup between them, milk spilled across the floor in a white splash.
But against Luffy, that mighty aura melted away like a stream flowing into a lake, absorbed and overpowered by an even stronger Haki.
Not even a ripple was left behind.
"I knew it…"
Ace's playful look faded, replaced by fierce determination. "Of course you've awakened the Conqueror's Haki… You're too strong not to."
"I've trained for over six months, and I still can't fully control mine. I can release it at will now, but it's not even close to where it needs to be."
"I've got a long way to go!!!" Ace shouted, lifting his chin with pride.
"Just trying to catch up to you these past few years has left me completely exhausted…"
"But Luffy, just watch!!"
"One day, I'll become a worthy older brother!"
"One who can protect you!"
"Ace…"
Luffy's eyes trembled slightly as he looked at the fired-up Ace.
"I'm really touched by what you said. I believe in you…"
But then, in a sharp turn of tone, he yelled:
"BUT THAT'S STILL NO EXCUSE TO BREAK CUPS IN THE BAR!!!"
SMASH!
Luffy unleashed the Monkey family's ultimate martial art, "The Iron Fist of Love", right on Ace's head, flattening him to the ground in an instant.
"OWOWOWOWOW!!!" Ace clutched his head, wailing. "What the hell, Luffy?! Since when do you use Armament Haki to hit your brother?!"
He stomped one foot on the bench, locking eyes with Luffy in challenge.
"You've gotta be kidding me!"
Luffy slammed his own foot on the bench, yelling right back in his face: "What kind of big brother acts like you?!"
"Honestly, Sabo's way better!"
"Oh, that's rich! We just reunited and you're already saying you hate me?!"
"Bull! You're the one doing stupid stuff all the time!"
The two brothers were now locked in a full-blown shouting match, their voices echoing loudly out into the street.
Robin and the others were stunned speechless, frozen in place, cups still in hand, their drinks slowly dripping onto the floor unnoticed.
Their fearless, level-headed, brilliant captain… now looked like an ordinary loudmouthed street brawler.
Makino watched with narrowed eyes and a soft smile.
"Luffy's finally home…
It's so good to see."
She looked over at Ace and added gently, "Ace has pushed himself too hard these past few years…
Maybe only with Luffy can he truly be himself again…"
"Oh! Speaking of which, we haven't celebrated Luffy's birthday in ages. He's turning fifteen this year, we should throw him a huge party!"
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