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

"Oh? Karina's here too. Have you sorted things out yet?"

Turning around, Li Mingyuan raised his hand to greet Karina.

Karina was still immersed in the awe of the battle she had just fought, so when she heard Li Mingyuan's voice, she first shuddered instinctively, then looked at Li Mingyuan and smiled sheepishly.

"It took me a little while to get here. Please don't mind that I couldn't cheer for the captain earlier."

As she spoke, Karina winked at Li Mingyuan, her face practically screaming flattery.

Seeing this, Li Mingyuan was about to say something.

But just before he could speak.

"Seriously, don't ignore me!"

Nami's voice came from the side even faster.

"I almost thought I was going to die just now!?"

Nami glared fiercely at Li Mingyuan, standing with one hand on her hip, her expression displeased. "So what's the point of calling me here to watch? You completely ignored us during the battle!"

"I already knew you were strong, and I can see that pirate is no ordinary person. At this point, we could have easily avoided being called to this kind of battlefield!"

Seeing that Nami seemed genuinely anxious, Li Mingyuan naturally couldn't continue chatting with Karina.

He could only quickly comfort Nami.

"Anyway, nothing happened. Besides, you just didn't see it, so how can you say I didn't protect you?"

Li Mingyuan chuckled and said, "If there's ever real danger, you'll see how I protect you."

"As for why I called you all here to watch the battle... this is a rare occasion for the captain to showcase his strength, especially against an extremely rare Logia-type Devil Fruit user. As crew members, how could we be absent at such a time?"

Li Mingyuan looked at Nami seriously and said in a solemn tone, "Even if we talk about significance, watching the battle is beneficial to you. At least you've gained a lot of knowledge, haven't you? Such a great battle is not something you see everywhere, not even in the Grand Line, let alone in the East Blue."

"Gaining experience in such an absolutely safe environment, and having you all still in my thoughts at crucial moments, is more reasonable than complaining about receiving thanks."

"They just keep saying that and giving people the runaround."

Nami glanced at Li Mingyuan and muttered, "Why do I always feel like I've been tricked?"

"I'm really uneasy about future voyages. I wonder if there are any more dangerous situations than today that are waiting for me in the future."

Li Mingyuan pretended not to hear and looked around at the scenery.

Seeing Li Mingyuan's evasive attitude, Nami, despite having a lot more to say, could only shake her head helplessly.

"never mind……"

"No matter what, it was indeed an amazing battle."

Nami turned around and looked at the dark red rocks around her, which still radiated heat like lava. Nami's expression showed a hint of amazement, and she couldn't help but say, "I've never seen anything like this before. Now I understand why Arlong was no match for you."

"In the entire East China Sea, there shouldn't be any bounty criminal who can rival you."

In fact, Nami's mood at this moment was far from as calm as she claimed.

Having just witnessed the battle between Li Mingyuan and Ace, Karina and Nami were almost completely shocked.

Ace's strength far exceeded their expectations.

Especially for Nami, who didn't have much of a concept of Devil Fruits, when she saw Ace completely turn into flames, not only were physical attacks ineffective, but even bombs were useless, she was quite frightened and recalled the scene when Ace boarded the ship.

It's unimaginable what would have happened to their ship if Li Mingyuan hadn't been there, and if Ace had really been a pirate who had raided the place.

Ace's strength was enough to truly shock Nami.

But what's even more terrifying right now is—the captain who can easily defeat the enemy!

Nami knew that Li Mingyuan was strong.

But I never imagined it would be this strong!

Only by comparing oneself to sufficiently powerful and magnificent benchmarks can one truly begin to understand from the bottom of one's heart just how terrifying that power is.

"The entire East China Sea? That's probably not the case."

Hearing Nami's exclamation, Li Mingyuan thought for a moment, but ultimately humbly denied it, saying, "Even though it's known as the weakest sea, there are still some outrageous individuals who occasionally appear in this area."

"If we're just talking about pirates, it's fine, but if we expand the scope to include wanted criminals, then there are just too many possibilities."

I simply corrected Nami's incorrect statement.

Seeing that Nami seemed to have stopped caring about him letting her watch the battle, Li Mingyuan quickly made an excuse and left the battlefield in a flash.

"Phew! Nami's angry expression is really scary."

"It's just like a demon or a Rakshasa; no wonder the original story depicted it so exaggeratedly."

Li Mingyuan secretly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

However, this matter is really not his fault.

His original intention was indeed to broaden the horizons of the two men. Of course, he also hoped to show off his captaincy and make a good impression. However, before actually fighting Ace, Li Mingyuan did not expect that the scene would become so big.

He thought it would be at most like Ace vs. Smoker, with slightly cooler visual spectacle.

"I never expected Ace to unleash his full power to this extent."

"Does he really intend to treat this sparring match like the battles he had with Sabo before?"

Li Mingyuan chuckled, "No way."

In any case, Nami's worries were unnecessary in the first place.

After all, he had control over the entire battle, and with the abilities of his eyes, he could protect Nami and Karina from any aftershocks during the fight.

Unless he truly did what he told Ace before the battle, and instead of letting the Spade Pirates leave, he watched the battle together, then perhaps he really wouldn't be able to protect them.

Because if there were more people, his divine power wouldn't be able to take so many people away at once.

Coming to my senses, I looked around again.

Li Mingyuan realized that he seemed to have returned to the road he had come from.

With Li Mingyuan's keen eyesight, he could even see the Spade Pirates members rapidly approaching.

"Are you here?"

"Perfect timing, we should also ask them for the 'prize' for this battle later."

A barely perceptible hint of anticipation appeared on Li Mingyuan's face.

At the same time, just as the battle between Li Mingyuan and Ace had just ended, on the high seas far from Golden Island.

Inside a pirate ship bearing the skull and crossbones flag, sailing at full speed.

"Um?"

Zoro, who was dozing off on the side of the ship, suddenly woke up and looked up at the direction of the Golden Island with a frown.

"What exactly was that just now—?"

Zoro looked slightly confused.

Just now, he seemed to vaguely sense a sound coming from the direction of the island he had just left.

However, because it was so noisy around him, he couldn't tell whether it was an illusion or not.

"Stop making so much noise! ​​Can't you two be quiet for a little while?!"

Thinking of this, Zoro glared angrily at the two people around him who were still chattering on and on, and said loudly, "It's just giving away the treasure map. Compared to successfully saving my life, this sacrifice is a bargain! What's there to be so reluctant about?"

"Speaking of which, didn't you two say you were going to retire? Why are you still so concerned about these things? Aren't you afraid that if you actually find the gold, you'll be targeted by pirates from all directions?"

Ever since the three of them stole Edrag's ship and left Gold Island, Joseph and Johnny have been complaining about the treasure map.

Although he did understand the feelings of the two people, the fact that they had been arguing for so long was becoming increasingly annoying.

Joseph and Johnny, who had just been scolded by Zoro, stood expectantly beside him.

"But they just gave away the treasure map that they had worked so hard to get."

Johnny lowered his head in disappointment and said, "It took us so much effort to find a way to repay Brother Zoro."

It wasn't that they were unwilling to part with the money.

The key point is that, in this way, they will be unable to give Zoro anything in return until the very end, and they will most likely have to say goodbye to each other after returning to the island where they retired.

"Don't make a fuss. That's life. Sooner or later we'll all part ways. Helping you two get this boat is the greatest reward for me."

Zoro raised an eyebrow and said, "Besides, if we hadn't been given the treasure map back then, it's questionable whether we could have left the island as easily as we are now."

"That guy who can unleash flames is very strong. If possible, it's best to avoid reckless battles."

"Zoro's older brother is really carefree."

Hearing Zoro say this, Joseph and Johnny couldn't help but sigh, "That's true, but in reality, most people are probably like us and still can't help but be interested in those legendary golds."

"But that's exactly Zoro's style!"

Joseph and Johnny suddenly chuckled, their expressions showing a hint of relief.

Recalling the guy with the ASCE tattoo on his left arm, although he appeared to help them, in a sense, he was also one of the reasons why they left so quickly.

Even if the bullets hit them, it wouldn't have any effect. If that guy suddenly decided to kill them all, they wouldn't have any way to fight back.

Perhaps the best choice would be to proactively hand over the treasure map as a gesture of gratitude.

The large ship continued sailing in the East China Sea, heading back at full speed.

Zoro, completely unaware that he had just brushed past someone, was now staring in the direction of the Golden Island when he had a strange premonition.

"If we continue sailing, perhaps we'll meet that flame-wielding guy again someday."

"However, if that time comes..."

Zoro lowered his head slightly, looking solemnly at his sword, Kazuichimonji.

"Can my sword cut through the flames?"

In silence, Zoro gripped his scabbard tightly, remaining silent for a long time.

Time continued to pass.

Quietly, night fell over the entire Golden Island.

Gone is the daytime hustle and bustle; the island, once teeming with chaos, is now silent.

After Li Mingyuan and Ace finished their battle during the day, the members of the Spade Pirates quickly arrived at the scene and took away the fast-sleeping Ace.

Although they were also shocked by the traces left by the battle and could not imagine what kind of fierce confrontation had taken place between the two, out of concern for Ace, they decided not to ask about the battle for the time being, but to take Ace back to the ship and let Deus check if he was injured.

As for when the Spade Pirates finally found out the outcome of the battle...

That happened after Ace woke up at night.

"Hey? Is there any island with a large exchange or black market nearby? Why are you asking this?"

On the other side, on Li Mingyuan's ship, which was rather deserted compared to the Spade Pirates, the three of them gathered.

They had just stuffed the so-called agreed-upon spoils—a pirate who looked like a lion—into the lower deck, and before Nami and Karina could even ask Li Mingyuan what to do next, Li Mingyuan's sudden question came even faster than their doubts.

Nami and Karina exchanged glances, looking at Li Mingyuan with some surprise.

"Could it be that our captain has finally come to his senses and is ready to splurge? I thought you were really planning to save up that huge sum of money since you haven't been extravagant at all."

"But what do you want to buy? You have to go to the black market... You don't mean to buy some famous sword, do you? After all, your swordsmanship is very good."

Karina patted Li Mingyuan on the shoulder and asked tentatively with great curiosity.

For Karina and Nami, two former thieves, this kind of question is certainly not a problem. They can both be considered experts in this area, especially Karina, who, being a spendthrift, often frequents such places.

However, more than the question itself, they were puzzled as to why Li Mingyuan, who had previously said he had "ambitious goals" and wanted to save money, would suddenly change his mind and seem to be planning to spend it.

Seeing that Karina and Nami both looked puzzled, Li Mingyuan thought for a moment. To avoid making a wasted trip, he told Karina and Nami the name of the item he wanted to buy and asked them to think about which exchange in the East China Sea might have it.

Upon hearing what Li Mingyuan said, Karina's expression immediately turned strange.

Nami, however, was somewhat confused and looked bewildered.

"What? What is it? Karina, do you know about it?!"

Seeing Karina's strange reaction, Nami quickly pressed her for an explanation.

Karina didn't answer immediately, but looked at Li Mingyuan and couldn't help but sigh, "You know, this isn't cheap. In Donghai, most people probably haven't even heard of it."

"To be honest, it's a hard currency all over the world. World governments and navies desperately need it. If you really want to buy it, be prepared to spend a lot of money."