Claudius, seeing Mihawk's irritation after realizing his home had been ransacked, quickly calmed him down by promising to give him a collection of fine wines as compensation. That settled the matter.
For the next two days, nothing unusual happened. Mihawk, having fallen into the "trap," was now fully aboard their ship, figuratively speaking. Since he was now part of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, there was no need to keep secrets from him during discussions on strategy and tactics.
Although Mihawk acted reluctant, he was actually quite interested in being involved in such a major event.
Most of all, he was intrigued by the Five Elders who wielded a sword. Someone who could suppress the demonic aura of the First Generation Kitetsu had to be a formidable swordsman, right?
It had been far too long since he had encountered a true master of the sword. This was a rare opportunity to test himself against a warrior who wielded one of the strongest blades in the world!
Of course, Claudius reminded Mihawk that this particular Elder had shown him some kindness over the years and had taken care of him in the past. He hoped Mihawk wouldn't actually kill the old man.
Two Days Later – Mariejois Harbor
A Marine warship, led by Vice Admiral Momonga, and a pirate ship were moored side by side. Fortunately, several ships from Drum Kingdom were docked between them, preventing any immediate conflict.
Wapol, the current ruler of Drum Kingdom, was making waves back in his own country.
Despite his foolish appearance, he wasn't completely oblivious to the importance of the situation here in Mariejois.
Following behind Momonga, Wapol was escorted to Pangea Castle, where special residences had been prepared for the 220 royal families attending the Reverie.
As for Sabo, he hadn't interacted with Ace on the journey. It would have been inconvenient, after all, he was traveling under the guise of a Marine, and any unnecessary actions could have caused misunderstandings.
Now that they were in Mariejois, he remained even more low-key.
Ace was a well-known figure in Mariejois.
Even though he was officially labeled a pirate, he enjoyed treatment close to that of a Celestial Dragon.
After all, who didn't know that he was Claudius's illegitimate son?
The way some factions saw it, maybe one day His Highness Ace would be legitimized and fully acknowledged as a Celestial Dragon.
And as for being a pirate? To the Celestial Dragons, did that even matter? If one of them got bored and decided to play pirate for a while, was it really such a big deal?
Because of this, Momonga had arranged for Sabo to be discreetly stationed at the Marine base in Mariejois, where several high-ranking Revolutionary Army members were already present.
One of them was Belo Betty, one of the five Army Commanders of the Revolutionary Army.
She had arrived first—also disguised in Marine attire.
Whether it was her naturally wild demeanor or some sort of intentional exhibitionism, she was dressed in a way that made heads turn.
The way she wore that Marine uniform… well, let's just say it left little to the imagination.
It was almost like she was trying to cosplay as Smoker possessing Tashigi.
A cigarette dangling from her lips, she smirked when she saw Sabo approach.
"About time, Second Child."
Sabo's expression stiffened.
"Betty, please… stop calling me Second Child."
"Sure thing, Second Child," Betty replied without hesitation, clearly ignoring his request.
Sabo sighed in exasperation. He had long since given up trying to fight it.
"Who else is here?" he asked.
"Haku's already inside. Ivankov's here too. The others haven't arrived yet," Betty said casually, waving a hand.
"Really? I haven't seen Ivankov in a long time, I should go catch up," Sabo said quickly, eager to escape Betty's teasing.
Betty smirked. "Still so timid, huh? C'mon, Second Child, show some backbone!"
---
Mariejois – Pangaea Castle Social Square
By now, many royals had already arrived and were socializing—networking, showing off their wealth and status, and generally trying to outshine one another.
Meanwhile, Ace, along with Buggy and Koala, wandered through the square casually, completely ignoring the royals around them.
For Buggy, this was his first time in Mariejois, his first time stepping into the Social Square, and his first time witnessing such a massive gathering of princes and nobles.
Even though he was accompanying Ace, he still felt a little out of place.
And yet, despite his nervousness, his big red nose and clown-like attire made him stand out more than anyone else.
The trio had barely taken a few steps before they ran into an unpleasant sight—Wapol.
After Momonga had escorted him to Mariejois, Wapol had immediately rushed to the Social Square, eager to mingle with the other royals and show off.
After all, this was his first time attending the Reverie, having only recently inherited his throne.
Wapol's eyes landed on Buggy.
With an arrogant sneer, he pointed and said loudly, "Hey, you—Big Red Nose! Are you a clown? Are you here to perform? Entertain this king with a circus act!"
Buggy, hearing someone mock his nose, immediately exploded in anger.
"Who the hell just insulted my nose?! Come out here and say that again, you bastard!"
"You dare to insult me?!" Wapol roared, enraged. He was about to retaliate when Ace stepped forward.
"This is my crewmate," Ace said, standing protectively in front of Buggy. "Watch your tone."
Wapol hesitated.
His sense of superiority came from his status as a king. If Ace turned out to be another noble, causing trouble could backfire.
So, he asked, "I am King Wapol of the Drum Kingdom. And you? What noble family do you belong to?"
Ace paused for a moment, then grinned.
"Me? I'm the captain of the Spade Pirates. I'm not a noble."
That was true.
Even though Ace had connections in Mariejois, he held no actual noble title.
On paper, he was merely Claudius's illegitimate son.
If he had any noble status, it would be as a Celestial Dragon—but that wasn't something he ever cared about.
So, as far as he was concerned, his only real identity was pirate captain.
Wapol froze.
A pirate? Here? In Mariejois?!
"The hell?! You're a damn pirate?!" Wapol shouted in outrage. Regaining his senses, he waved his hand and ordered his guards, "Seize him at once!"
Ace, however, was used to being untouchable in Mariejois.
He wasn't about to let some random king order him around.
Without hesitation, he raised a hand and unleashed a miniature Fire Fist, surrounding Wapol and his men in flames, not enough to kill, but definitely enough to teach a lesson.
The sudden attack threw the entire square into chaos.
Panic spread as nobles screamed and fled in all directions.
As expected, within two minutes, a Mariejois security force arrived, led by a familiar figure—Spandine.
"Who dares cause trouble here?!" Spandine barked.
He had been busy overseeing CP-X's information network, only to be interrupted by reports of a disturbance.
Before Wapol could respond, Ace waved cheerfully.
"Uncle Spandine!"
Spandine's scowl instantly disappeared.
"Ah! Your Highness Ace! Why didn't you tell me you were back? I would've come to greet you!"
Wapol paled.
Spandine, without a second thought, ordered, "Arrest this bastard for raising his hand against His Highness Ace!"
As Wapol was dragged away, Buggy's eyes sparkled.
Ace wasn't just a big shot, he was the ultimate golden ticket!
***
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