Chapter 73
"Ok. I'll just stop doing that then," he said, as if that would be the end of the discussion. Nami would have none of it.
"And what are you going to stop doing?" she asked, with the tone a mother might use to lecture a child, as Ace looked back and forth between the two, wishing he had a snack for the show.
"How the hell should I know?" Luffy mumbled indignantly. "Why don't you tell me? What do I have to stop doing?"
"You have to stop delivering shocking news as if you're predicting the weather!" Nami shouted in annoyance. "Half an hour ago you told us you could knock out hundreds of people with a single thought, and now you casually mention that you have a brother, and that he just happens to be Firefist Ace, a crewmate of the most powerful pirate in the world! Of all the ridiculous things to behold, Usopp's lies are second only to your truths, and he makes a spectacle of them...it's like you have no sense of subtlety whatsoever!"
Nami started taking deep breaths, her rant finished. Midway through, Ace had shot Luffy a questioning look, most likely in regards to the knock out hundreds of people with a single thought part, but Luffy had just given him a look that said later. Ace had just shrugged, but a ghost of a proud smile could still be seen tugging at his lips.
"Oh come on Nami, name one other time I...actually, on second thought, name five other times I've done this," Luffy said.
"You're just proving her point you know," Zoro commented, causing Nami to turn in his direction and point an accusing finger at him.
"And I'll bet you knew about this, didn't you?" she asked.
"So what if I did?" he asked lazily. "You gonna charge me interest on my debt of things I'm not obligated to tell you?" Nami was about to respond, but was interrupted by Ace.
"Oh! So you did tell at least one of your crewmates about me," he said jovially. "And here I thought you'd be an inconsiderate little prick and not even mention me once. Well, once is better than nonce I guess."
"Oh come on Ace, that's not fair," Luffy whined. "I mean, does Whitebeard know about me?"
Ace rolled his eyes. "Luffy, our entire crew knows about you. Said crew has over a hundred times more people than yours, not including our allies, and even the new guys learn about you within a few days of joining. Whitebeard himself was in bed with a hangover the morning after your bounty made the papers - congratulations by the way - in fact, the only member of our crew who wasn't bedridden that morning was our First Division Commander, and he has regenerative powers."
Luffy by now was rubbing the back of his head guiltily. "Ah, sorry Ace. I guess I just like to save the news for the occasion. You have to admit, it's pretty entertaining blowing their minds like that," he said as he motioned toward his attentive crew.
"I knew it!" Usopp said enthusiastically. "He does do it on purpose! I'd tell you to pay up Nami, but I know better than to take any money from you, and I have no doubts that it would come back to bite my ass if I did."
"You're right. You'd end up paying me back 10 times over, maybe more depending on my mood," Nami remarked absentmindedly.
"So anyway, where are the others?" Ace asked curiously. "Didn't you say there were seven of you?"
"There are. A few of us, Vivi, Sanji, and Chopper, are out searching for Alabasta's rebel army," Luffy replied.
Ace blinked. "I'd ask why one of your crewmates has the same name as this country's missing princess, but I assume it has something to do with why you're searching for the rebel army to begin with."
Luffy nodded. "We're here to stop a civil war." Ace stared at him curiously.
"It's not really like you to get caught up in things like that. What brought this on?" he asked.
"Vivi's our comrade," Luffy responded, without missing a beat. "If she wants to save her country, we're with her all the way." Ace grinned and nodded in understanding.
"Well, that sounds like it could be difficult. The rebel army is pretty determined from what I hear. I'm not sure Vivi can persuade them, even if she still has a good standing in Alabasta," Ace said.
"Vivi knows someone on the inside," Zoro replied. "But that's not the real problem. We'll have to take down one of the Seven Warlords if we really want to end the war."
Ace frowned. "You mean Crocodile? What's he have to do with this?"
"He's the one instigating the civil war from the shadows," Zoro said, causing comprehension to dawn on Ace's face.
"That explains quite a bit actually. Well then," he said, turning to Luffy. "How are you planning to beat Crocodile? Do you think you can take him in a straight fight?" Usopp and Nami looked at Luffy, silently asking the same question.
"Of course I can," Luffy said, before pausing. "I'll most likely be fighting him in the desert though, so I'll have to be careful."
"You know about his power then," Ace said, with a hint of surprise in his voice. "You're more prepared than I thought you'd be. You've changed quite a bit since I last saw you."
Luffy smiled morbidly. "You have no idea," he muttered, causing Ace to frown slightly. As quick as it came, Luffy's gloomy mood disappeared, leaving Ace to wonder if it had been there to begin with. Luffy? Gloomy? Was he imagining things?
"I've changed in more ways than one Ace," Luffy said in a slightly smug tone. "It wouldn't be so one sided this time if we sparred."
Ace smirked at the unspoken challenge. "Oh really? Just because your first bounty is higher than mine was, you think you can give me a run for my money now?"
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