Starting with two Kamui, they raised the flag of rebellion in One Piece.

Chapter 103 Setting Sail Again! Target: The Grand Line!

Li Mingyuan's words echoed in Ace's ears.

Ace took a deep breath, raised his head, and looked at Li Mingyuan again. Although he was still not satisfied, he nodded in agreement.

The topic has indeed come to an end at this point.

Li Mingyuan's explanation was thorough, and since he himself had not mastered the domineering aura, there was no point in continuing the discussion on that basis.

"Thank you, Li Mingyuan, for telling me these things, especially about Armament Haki. If I didn't know, I might be caught off guard one day."

"Indeed, it was the right decision to ask you about this."

Ace solemnly expressed his gratitude to Li Mingyuan again, saying, "I will keep today's events in mind."

"Let's continue the feast when we meet again next time!"

Finally, Ace faced Li Mingyuan and revealed a somewhat dashing and cheerful smile.

Instead of saying anything to Li Mingyuan like, "I also believe we will definitely meet again in the future," he simply said, "Let's have another banquet together next time we meet."

This was Ace's most sincere response to Li Mingyuan's words.

The two will surely meet again in the future, just like today, laughing and talking about everything.

At that moment, Li Mingyuan and Ace exchanged a glance and burst into laughter, their tacit understanding unspoken.

We've reached this point.

The secret meeting between Ace and Li Mingyuan has come to an end.

Having completely resolved his doubts, Ace felt a sense of clarity and well-being from the inside out, and strolled back with Li Mingyuan.

As two captains, they still had to wrap up their respective ships, so they couldn't linger any longer. Even so, during their remaining time alone, Ace chatted enthusiastically with Li Mingyuan about all sorts of interesting anecdotes, such as the kingdom of giants and the islands high in the sky.

Previously, Ace had only discussed these topics about future adventures with his companions.

But at this moment, for some reason, facing Li Mingyuan, with whom he was about to part ways, he really wanted to tell these stories.

Soon, the not-so-long road came to an end.

Standing at the edge of the forest, looking at the dazzling sunlight hanging in the sky, and the pirates on the beach who had all woken up and were now busy packing up, Ace sighed softly.

He glanced sideways at Li Mingyuan beside him.

"It's a wonderful feeling. I've never felt so close to anyone since I set sail. Even before, the only person who could give me this feeling was probably Sabo."

"Although we didn't spend much time together, it was a really happy time."

Ace said nonchalantly, "Well then, goodbye Li Mingyuan. I hope that when we meet again, you will have achieved your goal, and I will have realized my ambition."

"If you ever see my bounty poster, remember to go easy on me!"

After saying that, Ace, just like Deuce before him, turned and walked towards the pirate ship under Li Mingyuan's gaze.

Before long, his figure disappeared on the ship.

Only Li Mingyuan remained, standing quietly in place, his expression filled with melancholy.

"Ah, they've left, the crew member you took a liking to."

"It's a real shame we couldn't recruit you. When I saw you with Ace, you seemed much more relaxed and happy than when you were with us. It was like you were old friends."

At that moment, a voice sounded behind Li Mingyuan, with a hint of teasing, "Perhaps instead of trying to recruit them to your ship, joining their pirate crew directly would be a good option."

Li Mingyuan snapped out of his daze and looked behind him.

Suddenly, Karina, who had been carried away by Ace, returned to the side.

And not only did Karina return on her own, but Nami, who looked quite annoyed, was also standing next to her.

"Don't joke around! If the captain runs away, who will pay our wages? And to make the captain become a pirate—given the captain's style, even if it's a joke, it's still creepy."

Nami tapped Karina's head with her finger and said in a harsh tone.

In response, Karina quickly slipped behind Li Mingyuan, letting out a mischievous giggle.

"Wow, Nami, your face is as scary as a demon, it's terrifying."

Karina chuckled and winked, saying, "Although what I'm saying might not be very convincing, if you're always getting angry, be careful you don't end up with wrinkles all over your face in a few years."

"Karina!"

Nami yelled angrily and lunged at Karina.

However, Karina, who was prepared, quickly slipped away and began circling around Li Mingyuan.

Even when Nami was furious, she didn't dare to lay a hand on Li Mingyuan like she did on her.

These are natural refuge stakes.

Li Mingyuan watched the little skit of Karina and Nami interacting in front of him. He didn't react much or secretly complain in his mind. He was still thinking about what Karina had just said.

A good friend I've known for many years.

Do I appear to others in that kind of atmosphere?

In a sense, that's certainly true.

However, it was only from my perspective.

Li Mingyuan thought to himself.

He had known Ace since he was a child and was moved by his story. Even after so many years, his memories of him have never faded. He still feels a sense of closeness to him and regards him as a friend who has grown up with him.

Although Ace is the version of himself he knows now, he knew the other person countless years ago.

From this perspective, it's perhaps only natural that the two of them have such a good relationship now.

"Why did you two both come? How are the preparations for the voyage going?"

Li Mingyuan calmed himself down, stared at Karina and Nami, and suddenly asked, "It's not enough to just focus on the Spade Pirates. Don't forget that we also need to leave this island today."

"Uh—ask this now? Now?"

Upon hearing Li Mingyuan's words, Karina and Nami immediately stopped in their tracks, frozen in place.

After looking at each other for a while, Karina finally stepped forward.

"Don't forget, Captain. How could the two of us possibly manage such a large ship? So far, the voyage has been mainly thanks to your efforts. If you don't do it, it will take us a long time to get started. Even conservatively speaking, we probably won't be able to set sail until tomorrow."

Karina looked puzzled and said, "We came to find you together because we wanted to know when you planned to leave. Otherwise, what do you think we're doing here?"

Yes.

Although it's tragic, this is the reality that Li Mingyuan currently faces.

With a severe shortage of crew members and unwilling to relax recruitment standards, Li Mingyuan had to personally oversee every aspect of the ship's operation, even during voyages.

Previously, Li Mingyuan was momentarily distracted by the sight of Ace's crew members on the ground. It wasn't until Karina reminded him that he realized those "prospective crew members" were not yet his own crew members, and his ship still needed his own efforts to set sail.

In silence, Li Mingyuan couldn't help but rub his forehead and ponder.

That being said, is it still possible to poach a few Spade Pirates members now?

Looking up again, Li Mingyuan, filled with helplessness, gazed at his frighteningly large ship.

An hour later.

"Oh, oh, oh! As expected of the captain! Shall we set sail now?"

On the deck of Li Mingyuan's ship, Karina's exaggerated exclamation rang out.

After all the supplies and tools on the island and on the ship were packed up and the anchor was put back in place, the large ship is now ready to set sail at any time.

Li Mingyuan sat in the corner of the fence, his eyes expressionless as he looked at the blue sky and white clouds.

Although the process of cleaning wasn't tiring for him, the tedious physical labor still annoyed him.

Upon hearing Karina's voice, Li Mingyuan didn't even turn his head before saying, "If you're free, go back to cleaning."

"If I see you slacking off again, I'll dock your pay."

Karina, who was all smiles just a second ago, suddenly turned sour.

"How could you do this! Captain, do you know how big this ship is? There's no way we can possibly clean it all up. If we're really going to do this, we should at least start after we set sail!"

"And don't forget, didn't you want me to become a musician? I was planning to buy some music-related books to study on the next island. How am I supposed to buy books and become a musician if you deduct my money?!"

Karina argued vehemently and spoke hastily.

Seeing Karina's expression, Li Mingyuan, who had been feeling a bit resentful, finally felt relieved.

Leaning against the railing, Li Mingyuan glanced at the pirate ship that was also about to set sail in the distance. After roughly estimating the time and confirming that the difference was not significant, he turned to look at Karina.

"If you don't want to get your pay docked, you'd better behave well."

Li Mingyuan replied calmly, "Perfect timing, it's about time now. Go to the cabin and call Nami up."

"Once the Spade Pirates set sail, we'll set off too."

Upon hearing this, Karina's eyes widened at first, then her expression quickly turned to surprise and delight.

"Now? So soon!?"

She quickly turned around and rushed into the cabin as if afraid that Li Mingyuan would regret it.

Only one sentence remains, drifting in the wind.

"I promise to complete the mission, so please pretend what just happened never occurred! Thank you!!"

Soon, Karina's figure disappeared from Li Mingyuan's sight.

Seeing this, Li Mingyuan's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

He looked up at the sky in a good mood.

With blue skies and white clouds, the scenery is beautiful, making it the perfect weather for setting sail.

I wonder what the weather will be like when we head to the Grand Line.

Although he had seen the unusual weather many times in the comics, seeing it in person now would be a completely different experience from being in the East China Sea.

That's really something to look forward to.

Meanwhile, just as Li Mingyuan and his group were preparing to set off...

On the Spade Pirates' ship.

"Are we about to set off, Ace?"

Deus walked to Ace's side at the bow of the ship, looked ahead with Ace, and said calmly, "I can tell that you're not as cheerful as you seem."

"Is it that special? The feeling that man gave you?"

As the member of the Spade Pirates who spent the most time with Ace, Deuce was able to perceive things that the other crew members couldn't.

For example, Ace's mood right now.

As Ace listened to Deus's words, the smile on his face gradually disappeared, replaced by a hint of confusion.

"I knew I couldn't hide it from you, Deus."

Ace closed his eyes and murmured to himself.

"To be honest, Li Mingyuan is really unbelievable—the subtle sense of danger he exudes, his extremely powerful strength, and his unspoken goals—I think even someone who isn't as perceptive as me could sense it, right? He's definitely not simple. It's the right choice not to get too close to him."

"In particular, when he invited me to be his partner, I was so angry that I could hardly contain myself."

"Because I already knew he was not simple, and I also sensed that there might be more to his invitation than met the eye, I subconsciously unleashed my Conqueror's Haki when I realized that my pirate crew might be dragged into danger. My instincts drove me to intimidate him and make him abandon those ideas."

"I would say that I am the most wary of him than any of you."

.

Ace opened his eyes again, lowered his head, and looked at his hands with a complicated expression. "I know, I think I know."

"—But the amazing thing is, I just can't hate him."

Logically speaking, these are objects that should be avoided and objects that should be guarded against.

Incredibly, the other person was also the one with whom he felt the most joy and understanding throughout his entire trip to Golden Island.

At this moment, Ace was overwhelmed with memories of Li Mingyuan, and even he found it hard to believe.

"I don't know why, but I can always sense that beneath all that he appears on the surface, deep down, there is always kindness and compassion."

"That's not how you'd feel when you're meeting someone for the first time."

Ace said slowly, "I sensed it from the first moment we met."

"So when Li Mingyuan told me that he had met me before, I believed him almost immediately. I thought he was telling the truth, and I even felt a sudden realization that this made sense and everything made sense."

Is this why you're here, feeling conflicted?

Dios seemed thoughtful, then asked, "Do you think joining his group might not be so unacceptable?"

"Maybe."

Ace snapped out of his reverie and said with a wry smile, "Although I declined Li Mingyuan's invitation, I didn't feel much aversion to it. On the contrary, I feel regretful now because we are about to part ways."

"I'm sorry, Deus, but as your captain, saying such things must be quite distressing for you."