Just a moment ago, it had been a life-or-death battlefield.
Now, the entire scene had changed into something out of a completely different story.
Deep in the jungle of Amazon Lily, a luxurious outdoor banquet was being assembled at an utterly ridiculous pace.
At the Pirate Empress's command, the entire island sprang into action.
Countless valiant female warriors had transformed into professional chefs and graceful attendants, serving up mountains of roasted meat, juicy Sea Kings, exotically fragrant fruits, and barrels of crystal-clear wine like a flowing river.
At the heart of the feast, naturally, sat the Straw Hat boy who had just declared he would become stronger.
Luffy was cross-legged in the center of the food pile, both hands busy grabbing, cheeks puffed like a hamster, grease dripping from his mouth as he devoured everything in sight.
There wasn't a shred of the solemn determination he had shown moments earlier.
Beside him, Pirate Empress Boa Hancock gazed at him with a dazed, almost obsessed look in her eyes.
One moment she was offering him roast meat with her own hands, the next she was gently wiping the oil from his lips—her tender, bashful demeanor left the surrounding Kuja warriors completely dumbfounded.
Was this really their noble Empress, the same woman who treated all men as insects?
Marco, holding a glass of wine nearby, twitched at the corner of his mouth as he watched the absurd scene unfold.
He felt like his brain just couldn't keep up anymore.
From traveling through time and meeting Peak Whitebeard, to challenging the Dark King Rayleigh, to utterly crushing the Straw Hat boy…
What he'd experienced in the past few days was stranger than everything else in his entire life combined.
Still, seeing Luffy stuffing his face like that, Marco quietly let out a breath of relief.
The kid's spirit looked just fine.
Even though he'd taken a beating from Lucian, that unyielding will—yeah, it was just like Ace's.
No doubt about it—they were brothers.
'Wait a minute…'
'Ace?'
Marco's smile froze.
He suddenly turned, staring hard at Luffy.
'Something's wrong.'
'Something's very wrong.'
'Ace is Luffy's only brother! And Ace has been captured by the Navy, about to be publicly executed—news devastating enough to shake the heavens!'
'Then why… why doesn't this kid show a single trace of sorrow, anger, or even worry?'
'It's like… he doesn't know.'
A bad feeling surged up from the depths of Marco's heart.
He quickly strode over to Hancock's side.
"Your Majesty."
Marco lowered his voice, face unusually serious.
Hancock was just about to hand Luffy a large cut of meat on the bone when she heard him. Irritated, she glanced back with a look that clearly said, "Don't bother me."
"Something wrong?" Her tone regained some of her usual imperial chill.
Marco leaned in and whispered, just loud enough for the two of them to hear:
"You didn't tell the Straw Hat kid… about Ace, did you?"
The words had barely landed.
Hancock's body tensed instantly.
The motion of handing over the meat froze in midair.
A moment of blank confusion passed over her beautiful face—then, in the blink of an eye, a flush of red spread from her snowy white neck all the way to her ears.
"A-Ace…?"
She stammered, eyes darting away, clearly too embarrassed to meet Marco's gaze.
"That is… Luffy's brother…"
Marco looked at her expression and felt his sinking premonition confirmed.
The corner of his eye twitched violently.
'No way…'
"I…"
Hancock's voice was barely a whisper. Her cheeks were burning hot, as if she could cook an egg on them.
"When I saw Luffy… I just… just…"
She couldn't finish her sentence.
She forgot.
Marco's mind went blank. He nearly spat out blood.
'Forgot?!'
'Just because she saw the man she loved, she forgot about something this important?!'
'This woman's love-struck brain is beyond ridiculous! This is Ace's life we're talking about!'
Marco felt like he was going insane.
'Now I finally understand—romantic obsession can turn even a Pirate Empress into a complete fool.'
And just then—
"Hmm?"
Luffy, still devouring food, twitched his ears.
His stuffed cheeks stopped chewing. He looked up, confused, toward them.
"Ace?"
He mumbled through a mouthful of meat. "Did you guys just say Ace?"
"What happened to Ace?"
Crap!
Marco's heart skipped a beat.
Hancock stiffened and completely panicked, frozen on the spot.
It was too late to hide it.
Marco sighed. His expression darkened with pain as he prepared to deliver the harsh truth.
"Luffy, listen to me. Ace…"
But—
BOOM—!!!
A shockwave exploded nearby!
Conqueror's Haki!
Lucian had stood up without anyone noticing.
He hadn't aimed his Haki at anyone in particular—it simply surged outward, and the overwhelming pressure instantly silenced the entire banquet.
Everyone froze.
And then—
A booming voice rang out like a bell, drowning out all noise and cutting off Marco mid-sentence:
"He's fine!"
Lucian beamed at Luffy, his smile radiant, his tone resolute and unwavering.
"Ace is doing great!"
"We were just passing through and thought we'd drop by! Heard you were training here!"
"Quick, eat your meat while it's still hot!"
He even gave Luffy a big exaggerated wink, sending him a reassuring look.
'…What's this kid doing?'
'Does he even know what he's saying?'
'Ace is doing great? What kind of ridiculous lie is that?!'
Hancock blinked, looking from Lucian to Luffy, her beautiful head completely blank.
But Luffy, the pure single-celled creature that he was, after hearing Lucian's firm words and seeing that "trust me" look…
His confusion slowly faded.
"Oh!"
He nodded vigorously.
And—he believed it.
"That's great! That's a relief!"
Then he lowered his head again and launched a new offensive against the mountain of food in front of him, as if the name "Ace" had been just a tiny blip.
And just like that, the crisis had been forcibly smoothed over by an absurd lie.
Across the entire banquet, only Marco was left standing there with a look like he'd just seen a ghost.
His eyes locked on Lucian.
They were full of shock, confusion, and disbelief.
'Why?'
'Why lie to Luffy?'
'What's the point of hiding something like this?'
'What is Lucian really thinking…?'