Seeing this, the crew all smiled.
As expected—Luffy is Luffy!
Ace and Sabo also smiled slightly. They didn't know what to say about their little brother. Most of the time, he seemed like a complete idiot, but in critical moments, he was always reliable.
Luffy looked at Vivi seriously. "Vivi, I'll defeat Crocodile!"
Vivi wiped away her tears and nodded firmly. "Yeah! I believe in you!"
From the very start, Vivi's way of thinking had been flawed.
She wanted to stop the rebel army and prevent a full-scale battle, hoping to avoid unnecessary deaths.
But as long as Crocodile was still alive, he would keep fueling the flames of war. Stopping the rebellion without dealing with him was just a temporary fix, not a real solution.
Luffy's approach was much more straightforward—take Crocodile down.
If the mastermind was eliminated, the chaos would end. People would still suffer losses in the war, but the country would have a chance at a new beginning. In the long run, that wasn't a bad thing.
Luffy's eyes burned with determination. "Vivi, where is Crocodile?!"
"He's in Rainbase, the largest casino in the kingdom! That's his headquarters!" Vivi gritted her teeth as she spoke.
"Yosh! Then we're heading straight to Rainbase!"
With their destination set, the next step was deciding the route.
After discussing it, they chose to sail upriver and stop between Rainbase and the capital, Alubarna. That way, they could easily reach either location—whether to fight Crocodile or stop the war.
More importantly, this plan would help them avoid Akainu's pursuit without abandoning the ship.
At that moment, Ace spoke up. "Since you're changing course, we'll part ways here."
Luffy and Sabo looked reluctant.
"Eh?! Ace, you're leaving already?"
Ace nodded. "I'm still tracking Blackbeard. They say he was spotted in Yuba, so I have to check it out. Don't worry—the sea is big, but we'll meet again someday."
Hearing this, Luffy and Sabo didn't try to stop him.
Ace then took out a small piece of paper, tearing off bits for both Luffy and Sabo.
"Huh? What's this? Just some scrap paper?" Luffy asked, staring at it in confusion.
"It's a Vivre Card," Sabo explained. "This paper points toward the person it belongs to. We can use it to find Ace… and also know if he's in danger."
Seeing that Sabo had already explained, Ace just smiled, turned around, and waved goodbye.
Suddenly, Carl spoke up. "Blackbeard… Marshall D. Teach. I've heard about him."
Ace paused, listening.
"I'm warning you, Ace—be careful. That guy is incredibly strong. Do you know the scar on Red-Haired Shanks' face? Blackbeard gave it to him. If you fight him alone, you're bound to lose.
I suggest you return to the Whitebeard Pirates first."
"Nani?! Shanks' scar was from Blackbeard?!" Luffy exclaimed in shock.
The others were just as stunned.
Everyone knew the Red-Haired Pirates were led by one of the Four Emperors, but the fact that even Shanks had been wounded by Blackbeard proved just how dangerous he was.
For a moment, everyone couldn't help but worry about Ace.
"Ace…" Luffy and Sabo wanted to say something to stop him.
But Ace just smiled. "Thanks for the warning. But even knowing the risk, I have to go. Teach was once my crewmate, and he broke our most sacred rule—he killed a fellow crew member.
I have to deal with this, no matter what. Even if it costs me my life, I won't regret it!"
With that, he jumped onto his boat and sailed off.
Carl sighed. He knew he couldn't convince Ace—he was just a stranger to him.
Ace would only realize his mistake when the Summit War happened. But by then… it would be too late.
With no time to waste, Luffy gave the order, and they set sail up the river. The Heart Pirates' submarine followed closely behind.
Carl took this moment to introduce someone.
"Luffy, everyone—this is Trafalgar Law, captain of the Heart Pirates. He's known as the Surgeon of Death. After I was injured in my fight against the Golden Lion, his crew rescued me and brought me to Alabasta."
Luffy grinned widely. "Oh! So you saved Teacher Carl? Thanks a lot! I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!"
Law blinked, a little taken aback.
He wasn't surprised by Luffy's declaration—he had heard plenty of pirates say the same thing. But there was something different about this Straw Hat. His laughter was so carefree and genuine. He didn't seem like a powerful fighter at all.
Compared to him, Carl gave off much more pressure.
"There's no need to thank me," Law said coolly. "Carl and I made a deal. I helped him, and in return, he taught me Haki. That's all."
But Luffy had already gotten distracted by the submarine.
"Oi, Trafalgar! Tra… Trafaga… Traga… Yoshi! I'll call you Traman! Traman, is that your ship? It looks so cool!"
Usopp, Chopper, and Jango's eyes lit up.
"A submarine?! That's so cool!"
"Hey, can we go inside?" Luffy asked excitedly, his face full of anticipation.
Law felt a vein pop on his forehead.
"Straw Hats! Now's not the time to mess around! A Marine Admiral is still chasing us—we need to be ready to fight at any moment!"
"Oh, right," Luffy said, immediately losing interest. "We'll check it out later. Anyway, I'm hungry. Sanji, let's eat!"
Usopp grinned. "I'll have fried rice!"
Jango added, "I'll just have some noodles."
Chopper said, "I want bread and a sandwich!"
Law watched in disbelief as the crew casually placed their meal orders. He had just warned them about an Admiral chasing them, yet they had no sense of urgency whatsoever!
Then the others joined in.
Nami: "Bread? I'll take some too. And a glass of juice."
Tashigi: "Same for me."
Marie: "Darjeeling tea and biscuits for me. Oh, and bread and a sandwich too."
Vivi: "I'll have some as well. Sanji's bread is really good!"
Hearing this, Law suddenly blurted out, "I hate bread!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, his expression stiffened.
Wait… when did he start getting caught up in their nonsense? He had barely spent any time on the Going Merry, yet somehow, he was already being dragged into their rhythm.
Carl shook his head and chuckled but didn't say anything.
With the Straw Hats and the Heart Pirates meeting, things were bound to get chaotic. Speed and efficiency definitely wouldn't be on their side.
Still, it was time to eat. Akainu might be closing in, but it made sense to have a meal before a fight. As long as they hadn't been caught yet, there was no need to panic.
During the meal, Sabo introduced himself properly, shocking the Straw Hats.
They never expected that he was the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army. Unlike Luffy, who acted clueless most of the time, Sabo was much more composed and well-mannered—just like Ace.
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