"So this is the Drum Kingdom? It's so cold."
June had barely passed its midpoint, and Winter Island was still freezing. A figure, bare-chested, stepped onto the shore and couldn't help but shiver.
"Why would Blackbeard come here?"
The owner of the figure voiced his question. He wore an orange cowboy hat and had the Whitebeard Pirates' emblem emblazoned on his back.
This figure was none other than Ace. Because Xia Qiu had deliberately spread the word, he had arrived here a full half-month earlier than in the original story.
"Hoo."
Ace shook his body, and sparks appeared on its surface, driving away the cold with heat. He let out a breath, "I should find a place to eat something first."
Ace headed towards the nearest village. Upon entering, his unique attire drew the attention of those around him.
"There's a bar over there."
Ace spotted a sign and quickly walked in, arriving at the counter.
Seeing his getup, many people turned their gazes towards him. Bare-chested in this freezing weather, he must be an idiot, right?
"Do you have anything to eat here?"
Ace asked the bartender behind the counter.
"Sandwiches and hot dogs," the bartender replied directly.
"Five hot dogs," Ace said, tapping the table. "And a whiskey."
"Five?" the bartender asked incredulously. "Are you sure?"
"Of course."
Ace said impatiently, "Hurry up, I'm starving."
"Coming right up."
The bartender prepared the whiskey first, then went to prepare the hot dogs. Ace started drinking, and when the hot dogs were ready and served, he began eating them heartily.
But after finishing the first one, Ace's body suddenly stiffened, his head dropping onto the plate as he fell into a deep sleep.
"Is he dead?"
Seeing this, the bartender slowly leaned closer, raising his arm to reach out. Before he could touch Ace, Ace suddenly propped himself up and started eating another hot dog.
Ace ate and slept at the same time. After finishing, he let out a burp and then asked, "How much do I owe you?"
"Five thousand Belly," the bartender said with a smile, extending his hand.
"Five thousand Belly? That's way too much!" Ace's eyes widened. "Your prices here are double what they are outside."
The bartender shrugged. "This is Winter Island, our ingredients are quite scarce."
"Alright."
Ace had no choice. He took out a ten-thousand Belly bill and handed it to the bartender. The bartender returned the change, but Ace pushed the money back, smiling. "This is a tip. I wanted to ask you about something."
"What is it?"
The bartender reached out and pressed the money down, but didn't pick it up.
Ace said, "Not long ago, a pirate crew called Blackbeard came here and caused a huge ruckus. I wanted to ask about their whereabouts."
"I'll tell you what I know,"
The bartender put the money away and continued, "A month and a half ago, the Blackbeard Pirates arrived here and fought with the then-King Walpol and the Royal Guard. Walpol was no match and fled the country; he hasn't returned since. As for Blackbeard, he stayed here for three days, resupplied, and then left."
"A month and a half? That's too long."
Ace rubbed his chin. "Do you know where they went?"
The bartender shook his head. "No, but it seemed like they headed west."
"Is that so?"
Ace nodded and took out more money. "Thank you for the information. Please prepare some food and water for me."
"Okay."
The bartender went to the back, prepared some food and water, and handed it to Ace. Ace then left the bar.
"After all this time, they've probably long gone. Looks like I'll have to ask around at the next place."
Ace was a bit disappointed. They had come a month and a half ago; his information was still too slow.
Ace walked towards the port, but at that moment, he stopped and said softly, "What do you want, following me?"
"I have news about Blackbeard."
A somewhat hoarse voice came from behind him. Ace turned his head and saw a middle-aged man.
"You really have information about them?" Ace asked suspiciously.
"Of course."
The middle-aged man replied, "Follow me. Let's go to my room."
With that, he turned and walked away.
Ace hesitated for a moment, but followed him, arriving in front of a room. Seeing him go in, Ace slowly approached, found nothing unusual, and then slowly walked inside.
Entering the house and arriving in the living room, the middle-aged man didn't stop but headed straight for the bedroom, took out a key, and opened the bedroom door.
"Come in."
The man opened the bedroom door and walked in.
Ace, however, noticed that his movements in opening the door were somewhat slow, and the door was heavier than he had imagined. Ace drew closer, found no signs of weakness in his body, and then slowly walked in.
Inside this room, a Den Den Mushi sat on the table.
This person's identity was unusual.
Den Den Mushi were very expensive, and ordinary civilians could hardly afford them. However, in many regions, large Den Den Mushi were provided, which couldn't be moved and were similar to landline phones.
After the man invited Ace to sit down, Ace asked suspiciously, "Who exactly are you?"
"My name is Smith. I cannot reveal anything else."
The man looked at Ace and asked, "You're Ace, the Second Division Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, aren't you?"
"That's right."
Ace nodded and said, "You said you had news about Blackbeard just now?"
Smith replied, "That's right. Blackbeard is currently in Mock Town, a gathering place for pirates. They arrived there yesterday and will likely stay for a few days."
"Really?"
Ace was a little excited, then frowned and asked, "But how do you know?"
Smith answered, "We belong to a powerful organization that keeps an eye on all the pirates in this area. We recognized you, and since you were inquiring about the Blackbeard Pirates, we found you."
"But why are you telling me this?"
Ace asked, confused.
Smith replied, "Because you are a captain under Whitebeard, and Blackbeard betrayed Whitebeard. Our leader has a history with Whitebeard, so naturally, we will help you."
"So it's because of Old Man."
Ace smiled and said, "Thank you. But where is Mock Town?"
Smith took out a Log Pose and said, "Mock Town is located on Jaya Island, along this route. It's the island after Alabasta. They've already been there for some time. Here's an Eternal Pose that can take you directly there."
"Thank you, this is a great help. I'll go pursue him now."
"Wait a moment."
Smith looked at Ace and asked, "Can you find them? What if you get there and they've already left?"
"This..."
Ace stopped in his tracks and looked at Smith.
Smith said, "We can provide you with other contacts who will continuously point you in the right direction. However, we hope you can tell us what happened at the time so we can keep a record."
"Alright."
Ace thought for a moment and slowly sat back down.
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Translation by: randomtranslator.com
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