Early morning, at the tavern.
Pirates lay sprawled everywhere, all dead drunk and unconscious—even the division commanders were no exception, snoring loud enough to shake the heavens.
"Damn, my head hurts..."
Marco lay on his back beneath the counter, clutching his throbbing skull as he woke up. His gaze swept over his fallen comrades, and his mood grew even gloomier.
Last night, they had lost the drinking contest.
At first, their overwhelming numbers had given them the absolute advantage, drinking the Beasts Pirates under the table.
But there was one man—just one—who had single-handedly taken on over a dozen of their commanders and still managed to drink them all into oblivion.
No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't win!
"What a monster..."
Marco couldn't help but laugh and curse under his breath.
Though they had lost miserably in the drinking game, they had lost fair and square.
And they had enjoyed themselves.
Marco propped himself up against the counter, scanning the room.
"Huh?"
Where was Gurd?
Wait—Ace was gone too!
Oh no!
Marco's expression instantly darkened, his foggy mind snapping awake.
Had that guy secretly taken Ace away? If that were the case, then they'd fallen right into his trap!
Frantic, Marco shook the others awake.
"Wake up, all of you!"
"Marco?"
"Ace is missing!"
"What?!"
The commanders' faces paled as they immediately grasped the gravity of the situation.
Just as they were about to rush out of the tavern and head for the docks, the door was violently kicked open with a loud BANG!
It was Doma, the Fourth Division Commander.
Doma excitedly pointed outside.
"Marco, hurry up and come out!"
"Ace is fighting Gurd!"
"Eh?!"
Marco froze for a moment before his tense shoulders relaxed.
Phew. He'd scared himself for nothing.
"Let's go check it out!"
The group stepped outside and immediately spotted the two figures standing at opposite ends of the street, locked in a standoff. The fight hadn't started yet.
"Here, take these."
Doma grinned and handed out a large bag of snacks to the commanders. As the crew's cook, it was his duty to ensure proper logistics at times like this.
Sunflower seeds, cola—everything was accounted for.
The commanders perched on wooden barrels, eagerly awaiting the show.
Marco smirked and made a mischievous suggestion.
"Wanna place bets?"
"Hell yeah!"
"I'm betting on Ace—100 Berries !"
"You cheap bastard! I'm betting on Ace too—500 Berries !"
"Tch, you guys are pathetic. Since Marco's the bookie this time, we might as well go big. I'm putting 2000 Berries on Ace!"
Most of the commanders bet on Ace.
Even though Gurd had claimed to be stronger than Ace, seeing was believing—they trusted Ace's strength more.
Besides, Ace had grown significantly stronger in Conqueror Haki since joining the crew.
At the center of the street.
Ace stared intently at Gurd, slowly clenching his fist.
He was the one who had issued the challenge!
After more than three months, he was far stronger than he had been in Wano Country. And this time, he wouldn't rely on his Devil Fruit powers.
He would defeat the nightmare in his heart!
Clang!
His fist wrapped in pitch-black Conqueror Haki!
Ace's eyes sharpened as he roared and charged at Gurd.
"GURD! ORAHHHH!!!"
"..."
A flash later.
Ace was planted headfirst into the ground.
Gurd raised both hands triumphantly, circling around Ace in a victory dance.
WIN!
The commanders' jaws dropped, snacks tumbling from their hands.
"HUH?!"
Wait, what—
How did it end so fast?!
Ace, get your act together!
"You're the Second Division Commander of our Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Commander Ace?"
The pirates were all dumbfounded.
In that split second, they vaguely saw Commander Ace charge at that man, only to be knocked down with an elbow strike before the opponent hoisted him up and spiraled into the sky.
And then... that was it.
The defeat was downright embarrassing!
They might as well have gone up themselves—at least they wouldn't have disgraced Pops like that.
"Hahaha, that was a close call."
Gurd walked toward the commanders, laughing heartily. "If I'd lost to Ace, my reputation as one of the Beasts Pirates' All-Stars would've been ruined."
"All-Star?!"
The commanders were shocked.
"Huh? Ace didn't tell you?"
Gurd looked surprised.
"Then let me introduce myself properly. I'm Groudon Gurd, one of the Four Lead Performers of the Beasts Pirates. Pleased to meet you!"
"Uh... likewise!"
The commanders replied awkwardly.
Well, at least it wasn't too bad.
Losing to one of the Beasts' top executives was still embarrassing, but not as much—after all, Ace was still a rookie.
"Oh, right!"
Gurd snapped his fingers, and his subordinates immediately carried over a dozen large barrels of fine liquor along with some Wano Country specialties, placing them before the commanders.
Gurd grinned. "I heard that Big Brother Kaido and Whitebeard once sailed on the same ship. Since I couldn't come empty-handed, I brought some drinks and local goods. Would you mind passing them along to Captain Whitebeard?"
"Uh..."
The commanders glanced at Marco.
You decide!
Marco hesitated.
Accepting them felt inappropriate.
But refusing also felt wrong.
"Don't be so polite with me!"
Gurd frowned. "I'm counting on you all to look after Ace. He's still young and bound to stir up trouble—you'll have to clean up his messes."
"Don't worry, Ace is our comrade!"
Marco sighed helplessly.
At this point, refusing would just seem petty.
Pirates ought to be bold in their actions.
Yeah, just like the man before them!
"Alright, I'll pass them to Pops."
"Now that's more like it! I've also prepared some small gifts for you—nothing extravagant, so don't turn them down."
Gurd beamed.
Hehehehe, a bunch of naive pirates who don't understand social graces. After all this sweet talk, how could they not be swayed?
Now, time for the real business.
"Commander Marco, there's one more thing I'd like to ask of you."
"What is it?"
Marco perked up.
After treating them to drinks, giving gifts, and being Ace's big brother, he was eager to return the favor.
"Brother Gurd, if it's within our power, we won't refuse!"
"It's nothing major."
Gurd rubbed his shiny scalp, looking somewhat sheepish. "I've long heard of the Pirate Paradise's reputation and always wanted to see it for myself. So, I'd like to stay on the island for a while—if you'd allow it."
"Of course, no problem!"
Marco relaxed.
He thought it was something serious!
"Much obliged, brother!"
Gurd clasped his hands in gratitude.
Unlike ordinary pirates, the Beasts couldn't stay on the island without the Whitebeard Pirates' permission.
Besides, he had other motives.
"Oh, Commander Marco."
Gurd lowered his voice, sounding a little embarrassed. "I have one small personal request—I hope you'll agree."
"Go ahead!"
"Sign an autograph for me!"
"."
Marco's cheeks quickly heated up as he noticed the barely suppressed grins from the other division commanders. He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
Was he really this popular?
Ha~ haha~ hahaha~~
After parting ways, at the hotel.
Gurd lounged comfortably, one leg crossed over the other, stretching lazily.
"Got all the photos taken?"
"Yep."
Speed pulled out a stack of pictures.
There were shots of Gur
d with his arms slung over the commanders' shoulders, photos of both crews drinking together, and even snapshots of the commanders loading gifts onto the ship.
Everything had been documented.
Flipping through the photos, a faint smile flickered in Gurd's eyes.
Gaining the Whitebeard Pirates' goodwill so easily—his dear son Ace had really done him a huge favor!
"Sell these photos to Morgans!"