Time passed pleasantly in the restaurant. Gojo spent almost another half-hour talking with Martha, learning about some of the latest news circulating in the world while he ate the rest of his meal. Finally, he finished, said his goodbyes, and rose to leave.
Just as Gojo crossed the threshold and stepped outside of Martha's restaurant, Ace stood up abruptly from his table.
"What happened, Captain?" Masked Deuce couldn't help but ask, glancing from Gojo's retreating back to Ace.
Ace just looked toward his crew, a wide, anticipatory grin stretching across his face. Deuce and all the other members of the Spade Pirates immediately knew what that look meant: a challenge was coming. Ace didn't say a word; he simply spun around and walked straight out of Martha's restaurant, following Gojo's path.
The remaining members of the Spade Pirates looked at each other, sighing collectively. Here we go again, the thought passed silently between them.
Just as the remaining Spade Pirates were about to leave and cross the threshold of the restaurant door, Martha called out, her voice sharp with worry. She was not foolish; she had seen Ace leap up the moment Gojo was out of sight. She knew exactly what that meant.
"Wait!" she asked, her tone anxious. "What exactly are you going to do, following that boy?" She had to ask; otherwise, she couldn't possibly remain calm.
Masked Deuce was the one who turned back. He sensed Martha's genuine unease and, being a gentleman, he didn't want her to worry needlessly. "Don't worry, Madam," he reassured her, offering a respectful nod. "We mean no harm to him." He paused, a slight, knowing smile touching his lips. "It's just that Gojo has piqued the interest of our captain, and he wants to recruit him into our pirate group." With that explanation given, Deuce gave her a final glance and hurried out to follow his captain.
Then, all the remaining members of the Spade Pirates exited the restaurant. The door swung shut behind them automatically, and the sudden quiet made Martha finally let out a long sigh of relief.
She reasoned that there was no real motivation for the Spade Pirates to lie to her. She was not a formidable woman, nor was she someone strong whom they needed to deceive. If they had intended to harm Gojo, they likely would have openly declared it or simply left without a word. So, after hearing Deuce's explanation, her worry subsided.
As for the prospect of Gojo joining a pirate crew? That was an impossibility. Martha knew for a fact that Gojo held a distinct dislike for pirates. While it wasn't a burning hatred, he certainly didn't care for their lifestyle or their methods. It was a given fact that Gojo would never willingly associate himself with any pirate group, no matter how charming or powerful their captain might be.
(She smiled faintly, knowing their chase would be in vain.)
As Gojo walked toward the town gate to leave for home, his high perception instantly registered that Ace was following him. He didn't even need to look to know. Gojo didn't react; he maintained his usual, unhurried pace, his hand casually resting on the hilt of his sword. He even paused at a small, cluttered candy shop near the edge of the marketplace. The bell above the door chimed lightly as he stepped out, now unwrapping a piece of hard candy.
He walked another fifty to sixty meters, putting the town's noise behind him. The cool night air grew silent, save for the faint sound of the wind sighing through the trees and the rustle of leaves under the faint moonlight. He stopped at a dark patch on the road. The silence felt heavy. Gojo finished his candy with a deliberate, audible crunch.
Then, with an air of complete nonchalance, he turned around.
Ace had also stopped a few meters away, his posture tense. The other members of the Spade Pirates—all four of them—appeared behind him, their expressions were watchful. Gojo, his blindfold completely obscuring his eyes, scanned the group's general direction. He felt a curious blend of determination and innocence from the group, though no trace of genuine malice.
Gojo's voice was calm, almost conversational. "Are you here to rob me, or are you here to challenge me?"
Ace took a purposeful step forward. He was direct and unwavering. "I want you to join my crew. Follow me in my adventure to become the Pirate King."
Gojo let out a light, surprising laugh. It was a short, musical sound that carried a hint of genuine amusement, and it instantly unsettled Ace. The tension in Ace's shoulders tightened slightly.
"Why are you laughing?" Ace demanded.
Gojo replied calmly, a slight, almost bored tilt to his head. "You're asking me to follow you? Do you really believe I'd join just any pirate group? I'll never associate myself with a pirate group. In fact, I plan to become a pirate hunter to earn some easy money. Your entire request is quite laughable."
(He felt the others shift, uneasy.)
Gojo continued, his tone turning dismissive. "Not to mention, you are quite weak. You are not worthy of having me in your group."
Hearing that last part—the blatant claim of weakness—Ace, who had been frowning and struggling to process the rejection, suddenly threw his head back and laughed. It was a loud, booming sound that momentarily startled his own crewmates. He brought his gaze back to Gojo, his eyes now alight with a renewed fire.
"If you think I'm weaker than you," Ace challenged, a bold grin splitting his face, "then how about this? We fight a duel. Whoever wins will have their conditions fulfilled." He took another confident step forward, the moonlight catching the brim of his hat. "If I win, you will join my pirate group. If I lose, I will give you treasures worth ten million that I've gathered in the East Blue."
A slight, almost imperceptible smile touched Gojo's lips, visible below the blindfold that covered his eyes. "I don't see any issue with that." He tapped a finger against his cheek thoughtfully. "Who would refuse some easy money? There's no way you can defeat me in a duel." The confidence in his voice was absolute, not a boast, but a simple statement of fact. "Very well then, let's have a fight."
He glanced around the quiet road, though his eyes remained hidden. "But this is a road. Even if it's night and there are few travellers, someone might see me defeating you. That would be a hassle for me. The Marines, the World Government, and even this FrauceKingdom would try to recruit me." That's a headache I don't need. "After all, your image isn't exactly small. Martha told me about your fame as 'Fire Fist Ace.' So, how about we do this discreetly? Let's go somewhere else for our duel."
Ace nodded instantly, accepting the logic. But the other members of the Spade Pirates were not pleased. They exchanged uneasy, hostile glances. Gojo's casual, arrogant dismissal of their crew and their captain as "weaklings" was an insult that burned. They had joined the Spade Pirates specifically for Ace's boundless charm, his grand dreams, and his obvious strength. To hear some newcomer, a man with a strange blindfold, speak of him this way was unacceptable.
Once Ace agreed, Gojo simply turned his back on them all.
"Follow me," he instructed, already starting to walk toward the darker treeline.
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