During this time, Chopper sat nearby, initially looking a bit nervous.
But soon, he was drawn in by the group's lively conversation, his curiosity piqued as he began asking Nami and the others about various things concerning the vast seas.
When he heard about Nami and Karina's encounter with Will in the East Blue,
and the events that unfolded in the Kingdom of Bridges and Loguetown,
Chopper couldn't help but wear a shocked expression, his eyes gleaming with a hint of longing.
Unable to hide his emotions, his reaction was immediately noticed by Will and the others nearby, who couldn't help but chuckle.
The group continued eating.
But at that moment,
Will's eyes suddenly flickered, as if he had sensed something.
"I'm stepping out for a bit. Keep eating; I'll be back soon."
With those words,
Will stood up and left, leaving the others at the table puzzled.
"What's with him?" Dalton's expression was one of confusion, wondering if he had somehow failed as a host.
Karina, noticing this, gave a thoughtful look before smiling and saying,
"Don't worry about him. Let's just keep eating."
"Our captain's always like this. He's probably stumbled upon something interesting again."
"Mhm." Chopper nodded obediently at her words.
But his gaze couldn't help drifting toward the tavern's exit, his face brimming with obvious curiosity.
Nami, ever perceptive, caught this and found it amusing.
A glint sparkled in her eyes as she suddenly spoke up with a suggestion, "Looks like everyone's about done eating, right?"
"Since we're just resting here with nothing else to do, why don't we sneak after Will and see what he's up to?"
"Huh?!" Chopper's eyes widened in surprise, swallowing hard as he stammered,
"I-Isn't that… kind of wrong?"
"It's fine," Nami grinned, her tone laced with meaning, "Will won't mind something like this."
"Besides, by the time we catch up, he's probably already noticed us."
With that,
before Chopper could process her words, Nami grabbed his hoof and bolted toward the door.
"Come on, hurry up, or we'll lose him!"
"W-Wait?!" Chopper, utterly confused, was practically yanked into the air as she dragged him along.
Karina shook her head with a smile before standing to follow them.
"This…"
Dalton scratched his head, hesitating, but ultimately got up and ran out of the tavern as well.
After all, these newcomers weren't familiar with the island yet. If they got lost, it could spell trouble.
Meanwhile,
on a street in Horn Village called Lobel,
a black-haired man wearing a cowboy hat and a black trench coat, looking every bit like a wandering traveler,
stood by the roadside, holding a wanted poster and questioning two villagers about something.
"So… Blackbeard has already left, huh…"
Upon receiving the news, the man's face showed a trace of disappointment before he tucked the poster back into his coat.
But in the next moment,
his gaze sharpened, and he abruptly turned to look toward the street's entrance.
There, a tall, muscular man with striking features stood quietly, observing him.
Noticing the unmistakable battle intent in the other's eyes,
the black-haired man frowned, stepping forward as he asked with suspicion,
"Who are you? What do you want with me?"
Hearing the question,
Will didn't answer immediately, instead taking a moment to study the man closely.
Upon noticing the distinctive ornaments on the man's hat and the faint freckles on his face,
his suspicion was confirmed, and a slight smirk curled at the corner of his mouth.
"You're 'Fire Fist' Ace, aren't you?"
Ace wasn't overly surprised by this.
After all, his reputation on the seas, while not on par with his old man, Whitebeard, wasn't exactly obscure either.
It wasn't unusual for someone to recognize him at a glance.
However, as he got closer, Ace began to feel that the man looked oddly familiar.
Then, his eyes narrowed as realization hit, and he exclaimed in surprise,
"You're that rookie pirate who just got a 650 million berry bounty from the Marines, 'Madman Will'?!"
While searching for traces of Blackbeard recently, Ace had read plenty of newspapers,
so he had a vague recollection of the man standing before him.
Seeing that Ace recognized him, Will didn't bother nitpicking over the "pirate" label and got straight to the point.
"Since fate has brought us together here, let's have a good fight."
"Hm?!" Ace's brows furrowed, unsure of the man's intentions.
Was he trying to boost his own reputation on the seas by defeating him, the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates?
Or did he have some connection to Blackbeard and was trying to stop him?
Surely it couldn't just be that he genuinely wanted to fight for the sake of it.
With that thought,
Ace firmly declined, his tone serious, "Sorry, I've got other things to deal with. I don't have time to fight you."
Will, unfazed, smiled lightly, "I think you misunderstood. I wasn't asking for your permission."
"Since we've met here, you're fighting me whether you like it or not!"
"What a hassle," Ace sighed inwardly, preparing to deal with this rookie pirate quickly and teach him a lesson.
Flames began to flicker at his fingertips.
But before he could launch an attack—
Boom!
The ground beneath Will's feet shattered, and in an instant, he vanished from where he stood.
Snap!
With a crisp sound,
Will's figure appeared right in front of Ace, his right hand—already cloaked in jet-black Armament Haki—grabbing Ace's face in a vice-like grip.
Without slowing his momentum, Will charged forward, dragging Ace into the air, streaking like lightning toward the snowy wilderness outside the village.
"How is this possible?!"
Only when they were airborne did Ace snap out of his shock, his eyes widening in disbelief.
He immediately grabbed Will's arm with both hands, flames erupting from his palms as he tried to force Will to let go.
"Heh."
Will's lips curled into a smirk, completely unbothered. His pitch-black arm shook once, instantly extinguishing the flames clinging to it.
In just a few seconds,
the two had already sped far from Horn Village.
Seeing they were now a good distance away, Will hurled Ace forward with force.
Whoosh!
Unable to stabilize himself, Ace hurtled through the air, crashing straight into the thick snow below.
Boom!
The powerful impact stirred up the cold air, blasting a massive crater into the snowy ground.
The next moment,
Will landed steadily, his gaze fixed on the crater in the snow not far away, a glint of anticipation flashing in his eyes.
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