Chapter Eighty-Nine: A Chance Encounter with Ace [Second Update]

【Indeed, my wife is a goddess of unparalleled beauty, capable of toppling kingdoms!】

“If you don’t save your men soon, one of them might actually die.”

“I want to leave, and you can’t stop me.”

Shu Mingyuan spoke calmly, his tone as light as the breeze and clouds. He glanced indifferently at Tina, then walked past her. Tina gritted her teeth, glanced at Shu Mingyuan’s retreating figure, but ultimately gave up the chase and instead ran toward where the navy soldiers had disappeared.

Her ability was useful for digging through sand. After a minute, the navy soldier dragged beneath the desert was rescued. Fortunately, he had only inhaled a small amount of sand, and after nearly two minutes of suffocation, he had fainted temporarily but was out of danger.

The several hundred navy soldiers she had brought along had shown no resistance whatsoever in front of that man. She stared in the direction Shu Mingyuan had left, but in the vast darkness of night, there was no sign of him anymore. Besides, with his speed, if he intended to flee, Tina could never catch up.

…

Encountering the navy on the way out was a minor incident. After walking alone through the desert all night, Shu Mingyuan finally arrived at the port city before dawn: Rapeseed Flower.

Rain City, Rapeseed Flower, and Albana were the three most prosperous cities in Alabasta.

Shu Mingyuan sat quietly in a corner of a tavern. He ordered a plate of cooked beef, a glass of beer, and a bowl of peanuts, quietly enjoying his meal. Perhaps because Alabasta was a desert country, the local customs were simpler and more genuine.

However, the conversations all centered around recent major events in the kingdom.

Like Princess Vivi delving into danger to shatter Crocodile’s plot to seize the kingdom.

Or the million-strong rebel army led by Kousha being completely repelled by Princess Vivi’s fiancé, a mysterious prince, with nothing but a look.

Shu Mingyuan heard his own story being told by others and couldn’t help but grin. It seemed he had inadvertently become the nation’s hero. But what was this about Princess Vivi’s fiancé?

His mouth twitched slightly. Then he saw a man enter the tavern—shirtless, wearing denim shorts, a dagger at his waist, and a tattoo of the Whitebeard Pirates on his back.

This man wore an orange hat.

Shu Mingyuan’s expression froze. He hadn’t expected to run into someone he knew just by casually coming to a tavern to eat and drink.

Portgas D. Ace!

“So, chasing after Blackbeard has already reached Alabasta?” Shu Mingyuan said, grabbing a piece of beef and chewing heartily.

“Oh, so many people, is there no seat left?” Ace muttered, adjusting the hat on his head.

He scanned the surroundings, then spotted a table in a corner with only one person seated. His eyes lit up, and he leisurely walked over.

Shu Mingyuan smiled bitterly. Had he really stumbled into such a clichéd scene? It seemed he couldn’t avoid it.

“Hey, buddy, mind if I join you?” Ace said cheerfully, his smile bright, freckles on his cheeks making him look like the friendly neighbor.

Shu Mingyuan returned the smile and nodded.

“Hey, barkeep, bring on the good food and drinks. I want meat—big chunks of meat! I’m starving.”

“You got it!”

Watching this familiar scene, Shu Mingyuan’s mouth twitched repeatedly. This trio of brothers really were all gluttons.

Before the food arrived, Ace had already grabbed a piece of beef and started eating. He looked at Shu Mingyuan and asked, “You local, huh?”

The young man shrugged. “Not really. I was slapped here out of nowhere, so I figured I’d just relax and tour around.”

“Haha, you’ve got jokes. This country is hot, sure, but overall, it’s not bad,” Ace said, gulping down a large mouthful of beer, his words muffled.

Soon the food arrived. Ace ate so fast it left Shu Mingyuan dumbfounded. Did this guy not even chew?

After downing another beer, Ace grabbed a large chicken leg with his left hand and suddenly laid his head on the table, falling asleep with soft breathing.

“These three brothers are truly something else. No, none of the D. clan are normal,” Shu Mingyuan groaned, rubbing his forehead. He forgot that his own name also carried the letter ‘D.’ He quite liked Ace’s character and, if possible, hoped Ace wouldn’t die in the upcoming Summit War.

Suddenly, bubbles burst at Ace’s nose. He woke from his nap, looked at Shu Mingyuan’s helpless expression, and laughed, “Sorry, sorry. Haven’t been sleeping well these days. You got to see my mess.”

“Because of Blackbeard, right?” Shu Mingyuan said quietly.

Ace, still chewing the chicken leg, looked surprised. “How’d you know?”

Shu Mingyuan smiled slightly. “The Whitebeard Pirates’ Marshall D. Teach killed the fourth division captain, Sachie, who fled. The second division captain, Ace, is hunting him worldwide. This isn’t exactly a secret. Seeing your outfit, I guessed you were Portgas D. Ace!”

Ace’s gaze shifted, becoming more serious. “If you can make that judgment, you’re not ordinary either. Are you perhaps a pirate?”

He had shifted from calling Shu Mingyuan “buddy” to the more respectful “sir,” indicating he already regarded him as one of their kind. Shu Mingyuan’s calm recognition of his identity as the Whitebeard Pirates’ second division captain showed no sign of panic.

This meant he must be quite powerful!

“Who exactly are you, sir?” Ace asked in a deep voice.

“Me? Heh,” the young man chuckled lightly, “Just a bounty hunter.”

Ace remained noncommittal. In the Grand Line, pirates were as common as cattle, and with them came plenty of bounty hunters who captured and hunted wanted pirates for rewards. But recently, the most notorious bounty hunter was none other than the ghost hunter, Mokei D. Shu Mingyuan, wanted by the World Government.

Rumors said this bounty hunter was young but eccentric, doing things his own way. Anyone—pirate or bounty hunter—who crossed him met death. Word had it he went to Sabaody Archipelago to slaughter all the evil pirates there, then single-handedly fought his way through.

Such earth-shattering events drew attention from all sides. As the second division captain under Whitebeard, Ace knew the ghost hunter’s reputation thoroughly.

He even carried a bounty poster of the ghost hunter, with a staggering 350 million Belly reward, the highest in the first half of the Grand Line, far surpassing others. His deeds were unmatched by any pirate.

Moreover, shortly after arriving in Alabasta, Ace heard that Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, had died at the ghost hunter’s hands, and that he had quelled the million-strong rebellion.

Each of these reports caused worldwide upheaval.

Yet now, all this glory converged on a single man, whose radiance eclipsed every pirate in the first half of the Grand Line.

Ace stared at Shu Mingyuan for a long time, then inhaled deeply and exclaimed, “You are the ghost hunter, Mokei D. Shu Mingyuan!”

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