Chapter 35: One Punch for Every Ace

"Hey? Brother Shano! What are you doing!"

Luffy was startled and reflexively reached out to grab it. "You can borrow anything else as a prop, but this is something very important to me. You can't..."

"Watch closely."

Shano chuckled and tossed the straw hat into the air.

Just as the hat began to fall and was about to be caught, it suddenly vanished into thin air.

"??!!!"

Luffy’s eyes widened like saucers. He circled Shano's open palms, peering left and right, but couldn't find a single clue.

"Stop looking. Want to bet it's already in my bag?" Shano laughed.

"No way!"

Luffy scoffed, hurriedly unzipped Shano's bag, and sure enough, beneath a few loaves of bread, he fished out his straw hat.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!!!"

Luffy held the hat high, shouting in amazement, "It’s really there! That’s so cool! How did you do that? Big brother, do it again, do it again!"

He shoved the hat back into Shano’s hands like a precious treasure, shaking the man’s arm vigorously. "Just once, just once, okay..."

"Performing the same magic trick twice only makes it lose its charm."

Shano smiled and ruffled his hair. "Alright, that’s enough for now. Look, they’ve almost finished packing up, so I should be going."

...

No one noticed that at this very moment, at the bottom of the cliff, a freckled boy was gritting his teeth and climbing up inch by inch.

Several times he nearly missed his footing and fell, but eventually, he managed to scramble to the top and pull himself over the cliff's edge.

"Those wretched bandits!"

To think they dared to capture Luffy—he had to teach them a lesson!

His gaze turned toward the stone pillar, and Ace froze. *Huh? Where are they?* He had clearly seen Luffy tied to that pillar from far away just moments ago.

He crept behind the pillar and peeked out, only to be struck by horror.

There, a dark-haired, burly man who looked like the bandit leader was clutching Luffy’s head, tilting his own with a sinister grin. Next to Luffy stood a large pot, the thick soup inside bubbling away.

*What are they doing?*

These bandits were so deranged they were actually cannibals—were they going to boil Luffy alive?!

"Stop right there!"

Consumed by panic and rage, Ace roared and charged out without hesitation, his right fist clenched as he lunged at the damned bandit leader.

*Thud!*

In a flash, the bandit leader reacted, spinning around and reaching out with a large hand to envelop Ace's fist, blocking the strike cold.

*Huh?*

Ace blinked. *This guy... what fast reflexes!*

Shano was equally stunned.

*This signature freckled face... is this Ace? Why did he suddenly jump out to attack me?*

The two locked eyes for a brief moment.

Ace yanked his fist back, his other hand reaching for a dagger at his waist, aiming to stab at Shano’s wrist.

"You..."

Shano’s words were cut off before he could start. He had no choice but to pull back while delivering a fierce sweep kick, sending the dagger flying.

"Don't be so impulsive, kid!"

He caught Ace’s incoming fist, frowning. "Are you under some kind of misunderstanding? This is clearly the first time we've met, right?"

"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding? I saw you with my own eyes, holding Luffy’s head, trying to throw him into that pot!"

Ace roared, putting all his strength into breaking free from Shano’s grip. He twisted his waist and delivered a sharp, high kick aimed straight at Shano’s crotch.

"You cannibal monster, go to hell!"

*Hey, give it a rest already!*

Shano’s temper finally flared. What kind of wild fantasies was this brat having? He wouldn't listen to reason at all.

*Fine, I won't be polite anymore!*

He suddenly lifted his foot, not dodging at all, and stomped down on the incoming leg.

The moment they collided, Ace let out a shrill scream. His face twisted in pain, and his leg emitted a sickening crunch as it bent at an unnatural angle.

*It hurts! How is this guy so much stronger than me?* Humiliated and frustrated, Ace lost all caution. He lunged forward, grabbing Shano’s waist with both hands to steady himself, and slammed his head into the man’s chest.

*Still going?*

Shano was officially out of patience. He clenched his fist and delivered a straight punch directly into the freckled face before him.

*Thud!*

With a dull thud, Ace’s nose began to bleed profusely. His eyes went blank, his body swayed, and he slumped to the ground, unconscious.

*He’s out already?*

Shano retracted his fist, glancing at Ace on the ground with some surprise. He hadn't even used his full strength.

The kid's power and speed were decent—about half his own level—but his durability seemed even worse than Luffy’s. Then again, Luffy was a special case; the rubber properties of the Nika Fruit allowed him to naturally negate most blunt damage even at a young age.

"Ace!"

Luffy’s eyes widened, and he rushed over to shake his friend. "Are you okay? Wake up!"

In truth, the moment Ace had pulled his dagger, Luffy had wanted to intervene. But everything happened so fast; before he could even process it, Ace was knocked out by Shano in just a few moves.

"He’s fine. He’ll wake up in a bit."

Shano checked him over and shook his head slightly. "Though it looks like his leg is fractured. It's best he rests for a few days; no strenuous activity."

*He’s fine?*

Luffy breathed a sigh of relief. Looking at the bruised, battered, and pathetic-looking Ace, he couldn't help but point a finger at him and burst into laughter.

"You lost so quickly, how embarrassing! So you have days like this too, Ace!"

"..."

Shano raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were going to charge at me to avenge him."

"Ace was being unreasonable. Even though I know he was worried about me, I’m not an idiot. I wouldn't blame you, Brother Shano. Besides, I couldn't beat you anyway."

Luffy stood up. "We spar all the time. Ace is much stronger than me—I haven't won a single time out of a hundred. I always get beaten up and have to watch him act all cocky. I never expected to see the day he’d get knocked out in just a few hits."

"You're so strong, Brother Shano!" Luffy stroked his chin. "Hmm, should I ask you to teach me magic first, or combat techniques to beat Ace..."

"Neither is a good idea."

Shano laughed, grabbed his backpack, and slung it over his right shoulder.

"Man-Scar and the others are all packed. I really have to go now. If fate allows, we'll meet again, Luffy."

*Huh?*

Luffy looked up reflexively and saw that the camp had indeed been cleared. The poor villagers were gathered outside the gate, waiting for Shano.

"See ya!"

Shano ruffled the boy’s hair one last time—it felt scratchy but quite pleasant. He waved his hand, turned, and walked away with Man-Scar’s group, their figures gradually fading into the distance.

The camp, which had been so lively just a moment ago, suddenly fell into a quiet, cold stillness.

...

Luffy stared at the gate for a long time before finally snapping out of his daze, feeling his empty stomach.

He was starving. He turned to look at the large, bubbling pot.

It was just boiled radishes and wild greens—usually, he wouldn't touch this stuff. But since he was ravenous and had to watch over Ace, he simply ladled out a bowl and began to gulp it down.

Just as he was finishing, a groan came from beside him. Ace was clutching his head, slowly coming to.

"Luffy?"

Ace looked at him in bewilderment. "You haven't been boiled yet?"

"What boiled... you misunderstood, Ace!" Luffy ladled another bowl and held it out to him. "Those guys weren't bandits at all."

*Radishes?*

Ace looked down at the soup offered to him, scratched his head, and suddenly realized the truth.

He smiled bitterly and took the bowl. "Looks like I was too impulsive. What about the guy I fought? He was really strong. Who is he?"

"That guy..."

Luffy recalled the scene from earlier and started giggling.

"He’s a great guy! And he can do magic—really amazing magic! It’s a shame I haven't learned it yet. Ace, I'll show you later. Maybe you can learn to do it too?"