Chapter 21: Your captain is very strong! 

The sea was a canvas of turmoil, painted with the strokes of a relentless storm the night before. Now, in the calm of the aftermath, the sun cast a golden sheen over the deck of the merchant ship where Nami stood, her gaze locked on the horizon.

"Then, welcome to join us, Miss Navigator,"Ace said, his voice carrying over the creak of the wood beneath their feet. He extended his hand with a confidence that belied his years, a smile playing on his lips.

"Just call me Nami. You already know my name from those fishmen, right?" Nami replied, stretching out her hand to shake Ace's.

"Well, Captain, where is our ship?" Nami asked as she walked upto the deck and looked around.

"That's my boat," Ace pointed to the edge of the pirate ship, where his sailboard was parked.

"This is the boat?!"Nami's voice pitched high with disbelief, her gaze fixed on the small craft that bobbed gently in the water.

"And where is our crew?" The question hung in the air, heavy with implications.

"Isn't this what it is?" Ace responded, a laugh in his voice as he gestured to himself and then to Nami. His carefree demeanor was a stark contrast to the gravity of their situation.

"Just the two of us?!" Nami squeaked.

"That's it for the time being. I've just set out to sea, so I still need time to find shipmates," Ace explained nonchalantly.

Nami took a deep breath, her thoughts a whirlwind. If Ace was alone, wouldn't she have a better chance of stealing?When this idea took root, it immediately spread like a whirlewind.

"Hahaha! What a great harvest this time!",laughter erupted from the merchant ship, a harsh sound that grated against the peaceful lapping of the waves.

"Not good!" Nami suddenly realized the gravity of her situation. She saw the pirates kicking and beating wealthy merchants and sailors on the deck, laughing as they held the looted treasure, and a look of disgust appeared in her eyes.

"Nami, you hate pirates, don't you?" The voice in her ears made Nami tense up. Turning her head slightly, she saw Ace looking at her with a smile.

"Captain, you really know how to joke. I used to be part of Arlong's group," Nami stammered.

"I am not that kind of trash." Ace said, looking at the pirates above who had spotted them, were cursing loudly, and charging towards them, and he smiled slightly. 

When Nami heard this, her face showed surprise, and she looked at Ace blankly.

"This kind of garbage should be buried at sea," Ace declared, hugging Nami. With a screaming Nami in his arms, he jumped off the pirate ship onto his sailboard.

Placing Nami in front of him, under her gaze of disbelief, a burst of flames surged under Ace's feet, making the boat move.

Finally, it stopped on the sea dozens of meters away from the pirate ship.

"Boy! Do you still think you can run away?! When we catch you, we will cut you into pieces!" The pirates returned to their ship, looking at the two who had sailed away, and cursed.

"Idiots! If they're not moving, then why don't you fire and let them sink to the bottom!" The captain of the Sword Bone Pirates yelled, holding a sword made from the bones of an unknown animal.

"Clank! Clunk!" Several pirates immediately manned the cannons, aiming them at Ace and Nami, with a cruel smile appearing on their faces.

"Hey! Run!" When Nami saw that they were targeted by the cannon, her face turned pale, and she pulled at Ace's sleeve anxiously.

"Fire!"

 "Boom! Boom!" Two cannonballs shot out from the barrel, heading towards Ace and Nami.

"It's over, it's over!" Nami's face was ashen, and memories of Cocoyasi Village played in her mind like a movie.

Everyone in Cocoyasi Village, I'm sorry, I haven't saved enough money to…

"Fire Punch!"

"Boom!" The roaring flames turned into a fire dragon as Ace spoke. The terrifying high temperature caused the air around the flames to twist slightly. Under the astonished gazes of Nami and the pirates, the cannonball was destroyed instantly.

Then, a pillar of fire with a diameter of more than ten meters slammed into the pirate ship. In an instant, the pirate ship was engulfed by the bursting flames. The pirates on the ship let out pitiful screams and were turned into charcoal in the flames.

"Phew," Ace sighed, his index finger, which had turned into a pillar of flame, touching the brim of his hat. He looked at the stunned Nami and smiled.

"Nami, your captain is very strong."

Nami's eyes were still fixed on the scene of the still-burning deck slowly sinking into the sea.

…

"Thank you so much sir, for killing those nasty pirates," the captain and several wealthy businessmen on the merchant ship expressed their gratitude to Ace. Although under Ace's attack, the treasure that had been on the pirate ship turned into ashes and sank into the sea,fortunately there was still a large part that had yet to be moved to the pirate ship.

Facing this scene, Nami felt a little lost. As pirates, were they being thanked? This scene was really strange.

"By the way, I don't know your names yet," the captain said after thanking Ace and Nami profusely.

"My name is Ace, and I am a pirate." Ace replied.

"!" "!!" "!!!" The captain and the wealthy businessmen on the ship were stunned. They all immediately huddled together and shouted loudly, "No, don't kill us! We'll give you all the money." Chaos ensued on the boat.

They had all witnessed Ace's power. With one blow, those vicious pirates were instantly destroyed in a sea of fire.

This was definitely the power of a secret treasure of the sea, a power only possessed by legendary devil fruit.

If such a person wanted to kill them, wouldn't they also be buried in a flash?

Nami, who was beside him, was also shocked.

"Well, we are different from those garbage pirates, but I am a little hungry. Could you please give us some delicious food?" Ace said, pressing his hand to signal everyone not to be nervous. "Why?!" The captain was immediately confused; since when have pirates been so polite?

"Um, do you really not want money?" the captain hesitated.

"Well… if you insist on giving it," Ace said, while walked towards a little girl.

"Really…" A trace of disappointment flashed in Nami's eyes behind him. Where were they different from ordinary pirates if they stole money from the innocent?

"Give this to me, okay? I'll just use it as your thank you fee," Ace said, taking out a coin from the little girl's pocket while showing a warm smile.

"Well, well! Big brother, thank you for saving us," the little girl said with a smile, nodding seriously. 

"Prepare another small boat for us. The one I have is a bit crowded for two people," Ace said, looking at the relaxed captain with a smile.

"It's really rude of us to let you go like this. Please be sure to attend our banquet," the captain said, believing in Ace afterall, how could someone who could be liked by children be a bad person?

 "Oh? A party?" Ace's eyes suddenly lit up when he heard this. In the past month of searching for Nami, he had long grown tired of eating same bland food.

Ace immediately took a glass of beer and drank it in one gulp, laughing and chatting with the captain and others.

"…" Nami stared blankly at the scene in front of her. It seemed that it was really different from those pirates…

"Hey! Nami, come to the party soon!" Ace called out to Nami.

"Coming…" Nami hesitated for a moment, then walked towards Ace.

Having a banquet with ordinary people, was this guy really a pirate?

Nami looked at Ace, who was immediately mingling with everyone and laughing, and her eyes a little strange…