One hour later, Luffy and Ace were running at full speed through the hills, laughing and shouting. The wind hit their faces, lifting dust in their wake.
"Catch me if you can, Luffy!" yelled Ace with a defiant smile, glancing over his shoulder. Excitement gleamed in his eyes as he kept running without stopping.
"That's not fair! You've got more stamina!" replied Luffy between gasps, his tongue hanging out and his hat wobbling on his head.
Ace let out a mocking laugh, sticking out his tongue.
"Hahaha! You're way too slow!"
He sped up even more, leaving his younger brother behind as the distance between them grew wider and wider.
Then, Luffy remembered a lesson X had given him in the forest several days earlier:
"If you want to surpass someone, you need a plan. Use your head."
The white-haired man had said it while flicking his forehead lightly, making Luffy frown at the time.
Suddenly, a question lit up in his mind thanks to that memory. "How can I beat Ace...?" he thought, staring at his brother running several meters ahead. And then, as if a lightbulb had turned on above his head, he remembered something crucial — his rubber powers.
In the distance, he saw some huge rocks in the middle of the path, and a mischievous grin spread across his face.
"Yes! I got it!" he shouted excitedly, laughing as drops of sweat ran down his face. In one swift motion, he stretched his arms toward the rocks and grabbed onto them tightly.
"Gomu Gomu no... Spring!"
Using all the elastic tension, he launched himself forward like a projectile, speeding ahead at full force.
"Aceee! Here I come!!!"
Luffy screamed at the top of his lungs as he literally flew over his brother, shooting past him like a bullet.
Ace's eyes widened in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"What the hell…?! How did you do that?!" he exclaimed, watching as Luffy landed several meters ahead with a triumphant smile.
The straw-hatted boy didn't stop grinning. As soon as he spotted more rocks in front of him, he repeated the same trick, stretching his arms and launching himself again.
"Hahahahaha! This is so much fun!" he shouted between bursts of laughter, enjoying it as if it were just another game.
"Stop, Luffy!" Ace raised his voice firmly, increasing his speed.
His legs burned, but even so, he clenched his teeth and pushed forward with everything he had, eyes shut tight. He couldn't believe it — his younger brother, the one who always ended up losing, was leaving him behind! Ace frowned with determination, feeling his pride burn.
"You're not gonna beat me that easily, Luffy!" he shouted again, pushing himself harder as the wind whipped against his face.
Minutes later, the straw-hatted boy could be seen jumping with excitement, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"I won, I wooon, yessss!"
His laughter echoed through the hills as he waved his arms with a huge smile.
Meanwhile, his older brother was completely exhausted, his body drenched in sweat and his shirt sticking to his skin. He was breathing heavily, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath.
"This brat... never gets tired," Ace muttered between gasps, watching Luffy keep jumping around as if nothing had happened.
"Fine, I admit I lost... but next time it won't be the same," he added, clenching his fists with a challenging grin.
"Hahahahaha!"
"What are you laughing at?!" Ace asked, gritting his teeth.
"It's nothing... it's just that you look like you just went for a swim," replied Luffy with a small chuckle.
Ace looked down and realized his brother was right — he was completely soaked. He let out a short laugh and shook his head.
"All right, let's not waste any time. Let's start training," he said with determination.
He took off his wet shirt and placed it on a hot rock to dry. The sun was beating down on them, lighting up the green of the hills.
"All right, remember what Grandpa and X said? They both agreed on something important."
Ace raised his hand, lifting his index finger as if revealing a great truth.
"Mmmhh..." Luffy scratched his head, looking confused. "I don't remember."
Ace fell to the ground comically, a vein popping on his forehead. He couldn't believe his brother's chicken memory. He let out a long sigh, and after a few seconds, his expression turned serious.
"Grandpa Garp and X always said that one of the best ways to get stronger is by training with another person — simulating a real fight."
Luffy hit one fist into the palm of his other hand and grinned. "Ah, now I remember! That's true!"
Ace rolled his eyes with a tired smile, scratching the back of his neck before speaking again.
"Knowing that, we have to fight each other."
"Perfect! Then let's start right now, I can't wait any longer!" shouted Luffy, jumping back, ready to fight.
With a quick movement, Ace lunged forward, not giving Luffy a single second to react. He threw his right fist straight toward his brother's stomach, but the rubber boy stretched backward like an elastic band.
"Hahaha! You missed!" said Luffy with a teasing grin, bouncing back several meters as his body returned to normal.
"Don't get too full of yourself!" replied Ace, running toward him with determination. In the blink of an eye, he threw a low kick that sent dust flying under his brother's feet.
Luffy blocked with his arms, stretching them like shields, though the impact pushed him back several steps.
"Hey, that hurt!" he complained, puffing his cheeks — but his face showed pure excitement.
"Come on, Luffy! Where's all that energy you had when you beat me earlier?" provoked Ace with a confident grin.
"Now you'll see, dummy!" yelled his younger brother, planting his feet and readying his arms.
"Gomu Gomu no... Pistol!"
His fist stretched forward at full speed, slicing through the air — but Ace barely dodged, feeling the wind brush against his cheek.
"Close one!" exclaimed Ace, flipping backward to gain distance.
"Hahaha! You won't dodge this one!" Luffy stretched both arms at once.
"Gomu Gomu no... Barrage!"
His fists began launching one after another like a rain of blows. Ace covered his face with his arms and backed up, feeling the air tremble from the impacts.
"You're getting faster!" shouted Ace, his lips curling into a grin even as he blocked.
"And you're getting slower!" replied Luffy between laughs, not stopping his attack.
At one moment, Ace caught an opening between the punches, grabbed one of Luffy's arms, and yanked it hard, pulling him toward himself.
"Got you!" Ace exclaimed, throwing a punch straight ahead.
But Luffy reacted instantly, using his other arm to push against the ground and dodge. The force of the movement sent him flying into the air, landing behind his brother.
"I've got you now!" shouted Luffy, attempting a downward punch.
However, Ace turned with a grin, raising his arm to block.
Both fists collided with force, sending out a small gust of wind.
The two stood face to face for a few seconds, grinning challengingly, breathing hard but refusing to give up.
"Haha… not bad, Luffy," said Ace, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"Of course! I'm amazing!" his brother replied, puffing out his chest proudly.
"Then don't hold back," declared Ace, a spark in his eyes. "Let's see who drops first!"
Luffy nodded, clenching his fists.
"Deal!"