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Ace paid no attention to the Marine before him. His mind was entirely on Sabo.
Ignoring Smoker, he approached Sabo, who was staring at the Marine, and pulled him into a tight hug. Tears streaming down his face, Ace choked out, "Sabo… I never thought you were alive."
Sabo froze as Ace hugged him, tears and snot smearing his face. For a moment, Sabo felt an odd sense of déjà vu. It reminded him of a big goose clinging to his leg and crying hysterically. The only difference? Back then, it had been a literal goose, but now it was Ace, a full-grown man.
Luffy's face lit up with joy seeing his brothers reunited. Memories of their childhood—playing and adventuring together—flashed through his mind. Overcome with excitement, Luffy's ever-energetic goose flapped its wings and leapt onto Ace and Sabo's heads.
The weight on his head brought Sabo back to reality. Gently pushing Ace away, he said, "I'm sorry… I really am Sabo, but I don't know you. Are you sure you have the right person?"
Sabo's words made Ace freeze in shock. After being attacked as a child, Sabo had lost all memories of his past, only retaining his name.
"I'm not wrong," Ace said firmly, regaining his composure. "We're brothers! I'd never mistake you for someone else."
Hearing this, Sabo realized Ace must know something about his past. He decided it was worth having a proper conversation with him. However, this wasn't the right time or place. Smoker, standing at the shop entrance with his jitte in hand, was clearly ready to intervene at any moment.
Ace knew this wasn't the time for a heartfelt reunion either. Turning to Smoker, he said, "Marine, I'm in a good mood today, so I'd rather not fight. Can you let this slide?"
Smoker laughed dryly. "I'm a Marine, and you're a pirate. Do you think I'd just let you go?" Smoke began curling from one of his arms, a clear sign he was preparing to strike.
Ace glanced at the crowd of onlookers and responded calmly. Flames danced around one of his hands as he said, "We're both Logia users. You know what'll happen if we clash here, don't you?"
Smoker's eyes flicked to the bystanders, his sense of duty preventing him from endangering civilians. Reluctantly, he decided against using his Devil Fruit powers and prepared to fight hand-to-hand instead. Despite his resolve, he knew the odds of capturing both of them were slim.
Still, as a Marine, he couldn't just let two high-value targets—a Revolutionary Army officer and the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—walk away without trying.
The tension in the air was palpable. Among the crowd was Zoro, standing nonchalantly with four geese at his feet. He decided this was a good time to make his exit.
Naturally, Zoro's movements caught the attention of Ace, Sabo, and Smoker. Feeling the weight of their stares, Zoro gave an awkward grin. "Don't mind me. I'm just taking our geese and leaving."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and began to guide the geese away. Chopper, Usopp, and Bon Clay, already uneasy about the brewing conflict, followed Zoro without hesitation.
But Luffy was different. With his two brothers present, he had no intention of leaving. Even if he didn't join the fight, he would stand behind them no matter what.
Zoro couldn't make sense of what Luffy was yelling about, nor did he understand what his captain was thinking. Still, he felt uneasy. Smoker might unintentionally hurt Luffy, so he shot the Marine a quick wink, silently urging him to be careful.
Smoker, however, misinterpreted the gesture entirely.
In his mind, Zoro was signaling him to capture the goose. Smoker began to analyze the situation. Why would Zoro want him to catch the goose? Was there something special about it? The only logical explanation, he concluded, was that the goose must have some connection to Crocodile.
Smoker now faced a choice: pursue the goose, which might lead him to valuable intel on Crocodile, or engage in a likely futile battle against Ace and Sabo. Weighing his options, Smoker decided.
He nodded at Zoro, signaling that he understood.
Zoro felt relieved, assuming Smoker had grasped his intent to avoid harming Luffy. But the Marine's next move left Zoro utterly dumbfounded.
Smoker transformed into smoke and lunged toward the large white goose standing beside Ace and Sabo.
Ace and Sabo, believing Smoker was launching an attack, responded immediately. Both infused their strikes with Haki, landing clean hits on Smoker. Despite the pain, Smoker endured their attacks, grabbed Luffy's neck with a smoky hand, and quickly flew back to a safe distance.
Ace and Sabo froze, stunned by the sight. Smoker wasn't targeting them—he had gone straight for the goose.
Zoro was at a loss for words. 'I told him not to hurt Luffy, and he goes and grabs him instead…'
"Hey, Smoker!" Zoro yelled, exasperated. "That goose is Luffy! Be careful!"
The revelation shocked everyone. Ace, Sabo, and Smoker all turned their attention to the white goose, their eyes narrowing in disbelief as they noticed the small straw hat perched on its head.
Luffy's body suddenly sagged, his neck stretching and thinning like rubber, allowing him to slip free of Smoker's grip.
Both Smoker and Ace gawked at the familiar ability.
"Is this… really Luffy?"
"Is this… Straw Hat?"
"Quack, quack!" Luffy squawked indignantly, flapping his wings as he expressed his frustration at being grabbed by the neck.
Zoro sighed at the absurdity of the situation. He stepped forward, picked up Luffy by the neck with one hand, and, without a word, began retreating with the three remaining geese and two ducks in tow.
Zoro's thoughts were simple. 'Let them fight it out. I'll just take my geese and leave.'
Ace, seeing his brother being carried off like a sack of potatoes, immediately gave chase. Sabo followed close behind, still determined to learn about his past from Ace.
Smoker, trailing the trio, could only sigh in frustration. It seemed that whenever he crossed paths with the Straw Hats, events always spiraled out of control. Still, he hadn't forgotten his mission to infiltrate Rainbase and investigate Crocodile. For now, he'd play along with the chaos.
The chaotic pursuit led them to the desert just outside of Nanohana. Zoro finally came to a halt, panting slightly. With one hand still gripping Luffy's neck and the other resting on his sword hilt, he turned to Ace and snapped, "Why are you chasing me? The Marine's right behind us!"
Ace, equally out of breath, jabbed a finger toward Luffy, who was limp and rolling his eyes in Zoro's grasp. "Put Luffy down!"
At that moment, Smoker caught up with them, his Marine soldiers and Tashigi far behind. Now, with only Ace, Sabo, Zoro, and Smoker present, there was nothing stopping them from fighting at full strength.
The tension in the air was palpable. Sabo, Ace, and Smoker eyed each other, each ready to strike.
Zoro, however, had other priorities. He dug into Karoo's bag and retrieved the Monkey Talisman, which had fallen into the duck's pouch earlier. Without hesitation, he used its power to restore Luffy, Chopper, Usopp, and Bon Clay to their original forms.