On the street.
"Ahhh, I'm stuffed, I'm stuffed." Ace patted his belly, walking lazily down the street. He then complained, "But it's so expensive! I don't think I have enough money for many more meals."
Ace suddenly stopped and turned, looking at the roof of a building on his left. "You've been following me for a while now. Is there something you want?" he asked.
Aeridar stood on the rooftop with his arms crossed, smiling at Ace. "A rookie with a 250 million Berry bounty truly has sharp senses," he said with a smile. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Captain of the Spade Pirates, Portgas D. Ace. I've been looking forward to this."
"Who are you? Do I know you?" Ace asked, looking confused.
"Captain!"
"Captain Ace!"
Just then, a group of people ran down the street, shouting. They ran up to Ace, panting. "Captain, we finally found you! We found a coating craftsman!"
"Huh, who's that guy?" a pirate with a gun asked, noticing Aeridar on the rooftop.
Pop!
As Ace was about to answer, Aeridar suddenly vanished.
"Where did he go?" The Spade Pirates, including Ace, were startled, thinking they had seen a ghost.
"Fire Fist Ace, what do you think of this world?" Aeridar's voice came from behind them.
The crew immediately turned around and found Aeridar standing within a few feet of them.
"G-g-g-ghost! Is that guy a ghost or a person?" one of the pirates asked, his teeth chattering in fear.
"Are you a Devil Fruit user, too?" Ace asked curiously. Then he answered, "As for this world, it's a pretty rotten place."
"And I'm going to make a name for myself and become the Pirate King!" Ace said with confidence.
"Well said. A rotten world indeed. However, if you want to be the Pirate King… it seems my invitation for you to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea is out of the question," Aeridar said meaningfully.
"The Seven Warlords? I'm not interested in that at all. Wait, are you a Marine?" Ace asked, tilting his head.
"No," Aeridar replied. He wasn't surprised or disappointed by Ace's answer, only calm. It seemed this man would follow his historical path.
"Not a Marine? Good," Ace said, his eyes narrowing calmly. "But you must be a big shot to have the authority to invite me to be a Warlord!"
"C-captain…" a weak voice said from behind Ace.
"Huh?" Ace frowned and turned his head.
His crewmate, trembling, pointed at Aeridar with a terrified expression. "The-the-the-the Seven Warlords! He's one of the Seven Warlords!"
"What?!" The crew gasped, staring at Aeridar in disbelief.
"Gulp… I… I know who he is!" a few seconds later, another crew member shouted in shock. "Golden Ring Aeridar! He's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the man nicknamed 'Golden Ring'!"
"Damn it, why is a big shot like him here?"
As Aeridar's identity was revealed, everyone in the Spade Pirates except for Ace took a step back. The Seven Warlords of the Sea were a formidable force acknowledged by the World Government and the Marines, and the name held a lot of sway over new pirates.
"Man, this is disappointing. I thought you would recognize me," Aeridar said, scratching his head with a pout.
Compared to rookies like Ace, Aeridar was considered a veteran who had been active for years. As a member of the Seven Warlords, a king of a country, and a 'monster' in the New World, his reputation was known throughout the world, and countless people wanted to join him.
But this group, also from the East Blue, didn't even recognize him right away. This made Aeridar wonder if he had been too low-key this year and lost his popularity.
"So it's you, the famous Golden Ring Aeridar," Ace said, also surprised. In the East Blue, almost every pirate had heard of this man. Many even idolized him and collected his old wanted posters. Ace himself had never met him, but he had heard of him.
After the initial shock, Ace casually picked his nose, his demeanor turning lazy. He looked at Aeridar with suspicion. "So, when did you become a Marine dog? Oh, wait, I guess the Seven Warlords are Government dogs. That makes sense. I won't become a Warlord. My only goal has ever been to be the Pirate King!" Ace's eyes sharpened at the last sentence.
"C-Captain! Don't say that!"
"Oh my God, he's a Seven Warlord!"
"He's a big shot acknowledged by the World Government and the Marines!"
"We're done for! Are we all going to die here?"
The members of the Spade Pirates behind Ace were terrified by his sarcastic words.
"Tch… What a hot-headed kid," Aeridar said, looking at Ace's youthful face. He grinned, revealing his teeth. "There are countless people who want to be the Pirate King. You're not even on the list just for saying it out loud."
"Sabaody Archipelago is the only way to the second half of the Grand Line. It's a paradise… or, rather, the last safe place in the first half of the Grand Line. After passing Fish-Man Island ten thousand meters below the surface, you'll officially enter the second half of the Grand Line, the legendary New World!"
"It's a paradise for the strong and a hell for the weak. There are monsters everywhere, and those who want to be Pirate King are as numerous as the stars in the sky. But the number of people who die there or flee back is just as many."
"What makes you think you can be Pirate King? Your Logia ability?" Aeridar sneered, his expression full of disdain. "Don't make me laugh. What's a Logia ability? Even the rarer Mythical Zoan abilities are not uncommon, and many of them can fly. The New World isn't a place for a rookie like you."
"You talk too much! What do you want? Do you want to test my strength?" Ace said impatiently, his shoulders and arms erupting in orange flames.