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

Golden Island, on the beach.

Unlike Ace, the others who had returned early were cleaning up the banquet venue.

The Spade Pirates members are like this, and Nami and Karina are no exception.

Nami stood listlessly by a campfire, roasting meat, her face slumped. Beside her, Karina was preparing sauces and occasionally helping out at other people's places or moving ingredients to Nami's side.

Overall, it's all in the final stages.

Although neither of them was in a good mood after the blow from the gold, they were still quite positive about the banquet, thinking that this was the last time and that they would soon be leaving the island. Karina would land on the next island as a freed crew member, and Nami would never see these pirates again.

Next, all that's needed is for Li Mingyuan to bring Ace back before the banquet can officially begin.

That's the theory.

But for some reason, no matter how long Karina and Nami waited, Li Mingyuan did not return.

Judging from the confused expressions on the faces of the Spade Pirates, they must be in the same situation.

"So slow! The meat is all cooked, why aren't they back yet?"

Nami placed the grilled meat onto the plate one by one, glanced at the sky which had completely darkened, and said with a hint of surprise, "Even if those two were chatting while taking a walk, they should have arrived by now."

Surely it's not like the pirate Ace is still lost in thought in the tomb and hasn't come out of the basement yet, right?

If that's really the case, then it's a bit too strange. After all, no matter how much emotion one feels, a normal person wouldn't be so invested in this matter, let alone that overly energetic pirate.

Could it be that it's been cursed or something?

Just as Nami was leaning against the side, resting her face on her hand, lost in thought.

Om-! !

Suddenly, a flock of birds took flight from the distant dense forest, creating a commotion.

"What?! What happened?"

Nami was startled and looked up at the spot in the forest.

Besides Nami, everyone else on the beach was also drawn to the scene and stopped what they were doing to look at the source of the commotion.

Just as a large number of birds were flying off in all directions, for some unknown reason, they seemed to be struck by something and fell from the sky, forming a spectacular biological rain.

Besides the birds, the squirrels, rabbits, and other small animals that had been running out of the forest with the birds were now also lying on the ground, motionless.

The closest animal to the beach was no more than twenty meters away from the campfire.

"Could it be that there really is some kind of curse on this island, and it has now been unleashed?"

Nami couldn't help but murmur.

The unprecedented and bizarre scene stunned everyone present.

Meanwhile, in the dense forest.

As Ace's attitude changed, the atmosphere of the entire forest suddenly shifted, and a strange shock and voices swept around.

Li Mingyuan, who was facing Ace directly, was the first to feel the power of this impact.

"Oh? Unconscious Conqueror's Haki?"

Li Mingyuan looked at the situation with some surprise, secretly praising it in his heart, "That's quite a deterrent."

"At least, it's much more powerful than my killing intent."

Even when subjected to Conqueror's Haki at near-zero distance, Li Mingyuan remained completely still.

His clothes fluttered and rustled in the impact, and the surrounding trees, like a typhoon passing through, were wildly bent to the other side by the force of the impact, centered on the two of them.

After a while, this situation gradually subsided.

Ace's breathing quickened slightly, but he maintained a serious expression as he stared at Li Mingyuan.

Although he himself was not quite sure why his emotions and will had been concentrated, this was not the first time such a thing had happened to Ace, so he did not show much change in expression.

He treated it as a way to put pressure on Li Mingyuan, while still maintaining a high level of attention towards Li Mingyuan.

"If this is how you want to show your stance, then it's certainly a good approach, Ace."

Li Mingyuan let out a soft breath, his expression relaxing, and said, "If it were just an ordinary small fry, it would probably have lost consciousness and collapsed on the ground by now."

"But it doesn't seem to have any effect on you."

Ace frowned.

"It's only natural."

"Not only me, but any pirate or marine with even a little strength on the Grand Line would not lose consciousness like this. You'll get used to these things as you gain more experience at sea."

As Li Mingyuan said this, he took a few steps back and looked Ace up and down.

"So that's how it is. This is proof of a king's potential."

Li Mingyuan nodded thoughtfully, "Although this is my first time experiencing it firsthand, it is indeed a powerful force."

Ace's expression shifted slightly as he listened to Li Mingyuan's words.

He sensed that Li Mingyuan seemed to have some understanding of the unknown power within him, and perhaps even knew its secrets.

However, during this standoff, he couldn't ask too many questions and could only swallow his doubts.

"You're right, Ace. I have indeed considered all the issues you mentioned."

He looked into Ace's eyes again.

Li Mingyuan steered the conversation back on track, saying earnestly, "First of all, in my ideal scenario, it would be best if you boarded my ship and we sailed together from now on, which would make our relationship even closer."

"However, just as you said, you can't suddenly disband your pirate crew and come with me. Even though I think you guys don't plunder, and being a pirate is just a title, the meaning of being a pirate to you still has an emotional part that I can't understand. The bond between you guys can't be broken by a few words from outsiders."

"So under these circumstances, I also considered a second option."

Li Mingyuan spread his hands. "So, you and your companions will join us as a fleet. How about that?"

"What? A fleet?"

Ace asked in surprise, "Bounty hunters also want to build their own factions?"

"I'm a bounty hunter with lofty ideals."

Li Mingyuan chuckled and continued, "If you join under these conditions, you will still retain the initiative from now on. You can freely travel to various places to adventure, fight pirates, and there is no risk of being put on a bounty."

"For you, this shouldn't be a bad choice, right?"