I'm at the top of One Piece

"That's it."

Since there was no target he was looking for, Mercer decided not to breathe the polluted air here any longer.

It smells absolutely awful.

The smell of burning household items, mixed with some strange and indescribable odors, was simply unbearable.

Before long, Moses returned to the edge of the forest.

Take a step forward.

They returned to the forest once more.

Take a few deep breaths, letting the air flow through your body and exchange with the fresh air, so that your whole mind is refreshed.

Comfortable!

Using his Observation Haki, he sensed the direction of Ya Da Bao and also the location of the two boys.

Moses didn't linger any longer and started walking through the forest.

We passed by tall trees, each at least five or six meters in diameter.

Swish!

Pushing aside the bushes blocking his way, Mercer stepped out and looked up precisely at the crow flying in the sky. He also spotted two small figures on the thick branches of a giant tree that looked to be a hundred meters tall, about ten meters away.

It is at least twenty meters high.

The two squatted there, wiggling their hips, seemingly doing nothing. Messer was too lazy to use his Observation Haki to see through them.

With cheerful steps, he arrived at the tree. In a state of oneness with nature, he subtly disguised his aura. With his five fingers gripping the rough texture of the tree trunk, he quickly climbed upwards.

Ten seconds later.

Mercer sat on a higher branch, looking down at the storage space created by hollowing out the branches.

It contains a few scattered pieces of jewelry, coins, and gold and silver items.

"Ace, we're one step closer to our goal."

"Your goal? Do you still want to go to sea? What for? Pirate? Marine? Or something else?"

Sabo looked at Ace with some confusion. "In this day and age, pirates are the freest people, so I'll probably become a pirate myself. What about you?"

"I don't know, I haven't decided yet. Moses hasn't said either. I'll ask him later and see what he wants to do."

But pirates?

I kind of don't want to be one. It feels pretty daunting; I always feel like it'll cause a lot of trouble once the pirate flag is up.

Speaking of this, Ace thought of Garp and his fists, and felt that if he told Garp that he wanted to be a pirate, he would definitely get beaten up badly.

Thinking of this, a flicker of fear flashed in his eyes—that strangely strong old man.

"Mercy? I've heard you mention that name so many times. Could you tell me about it? Of course, I don't mean to pry, I'm just curious. It's up to you whether you tell me or not, I don't mean to force you."

"Pfft!"

Suddenly, a laugh rang out above their heads, startling them so much that they nearly jumped up.

The two looked up and were stunned. Sabo stared in horror, realizing he hadn't noticed anything at all.

Ace, on the other hand, first looked blank, then became excited, then his face quickly turned black, and then turned blue and purple.

Sabo watched Mather with a mixture of tension and wariness, but Ace stood up abruptly, pointing his sharp teeth at Mather and roaring:

"Are you crazy? You scared me to death! Mercer, do you want a beating? Get down here right now, and I'll beat you up until you kneel down and call me 'brother'!"

Sabo stared blankly at the incoherent Ace, only two words lingering in his ears. He then looked at the person who had appeared on the branch above and muttered:

"Mercy?"

Mercer grinned and waved to Ace, "Yo, my silly little brother, Sasshi bu ri da na!"

After saying that, ignoring Ace's dark face, he looked at Sabo and said, "Yo, I'm Messer, and you're Sabo, right? Ace's good friend."

Moses jumped down from the branch and stood steadily in front of the two of them, looking at them with a grin.

Sabo looked at Moses with some curiosity: "How do you know my name is Sabo? We haven't met before, have we?"

Mercer suddenly jumped back, dodging an angry punch, and then pressed down with his left hand to stop Ace's upward kick.

Mercer looked at him helplessly and sighed, "Is this how you greet me after so long?"

I don't recall ever teaching you that.

Ace was furious upon hearing this. Looking at his leg, which was being held by Mercer, he said with a dark face, "Let go?"

Mercer smiled, grabbed his leg and yanked him hard, sending Ace flying into the air, most of his body flying off.

He immediately let out a cry of surprise.

Mercer moved a step to the side, his left arm hanging over the outside of the tree trunk, leaving Ace hanging upside down in the air.

Ace kicked his legs and shouted angrily, "Get me up here, hurry up!"

Hearing the noise around him, Mercer plopped down on a branch, swinging his left arm back and forth, not giving Ace a chance to come up.

Just keep playing like this.

At this moment, looking at Sabo in front of him, Moses smiled and nodded, then looked him up and down, leaving Sabo looking completely bewildered.

"Didn't Ace just call your name?"

“I’m not deaf, I can hear you. But you two are quite bold, daring to steal food from that desperado in the garbage mountain.”

As soon as he said that, Mercer felt the struggle in his left hand lessen. He turned his head and met Ace's guilty look.

"Was that you? You were the one who saved me, Moses?"

Ace asked, pursing his lips.

Sabo also looked at Messer with a surprised expression.

"Yes, it was me," Mercer said readily. Then, Mercer added, "Ace, why didn't you swing your axe back then? Or dodge it?"

Looking down at Ace's silent expression, Messer smiled and said, "I won't go into any grand theories, but remember this: you're my only brother. If you die, I'll be really upset."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mercer pulled Ace up with his left hand.

Ace sat up and looked at Mercer, remaining silent for a moment before saying, "I'm sorry, I won't do it again."

Messer waved his hand and looked at Sabo instead, "You should apologize to Sabo, not me. He's your partner."

Upon hearing this, Sabo waved his hands repeatedly, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "No need, Ace has already apologized to me. Oh, and here, take this back."

As he spoke, Sabo pulled the scalpel out of the tree trunk and handed it to Messer.

A thoughtful look flashed across Mercer's eyes. He reached out and took the scalpel, then pulled a sheath from his pouch at his waist and fitted the blade of the scalpel into the sheath perfectly.

He then handed it to Sabo, saying with a smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you. I don't have any gifts for you, but this little knife is one of my masterpieces. Please accept it if you don't mind."

Sabo's eyes lit up, but he hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "This thing must be very valuable. It's better made than any weapon I've ever seen."

Messer smiled and shook his head. "You're a friend that Ace acknowledges. If you don't mind, I'm your friend too. It's just a small gift between friends, so please accept it."

At this moment, Ace saw that Sabo was still hesitating, and said with a smirk, "Just accept what Messer gives you. He's giving it to you because he considers you a friend."

Hearing Ace's words, Sabo immediately accepted the gift with a grin, his face beaming with immense joy.

“Messer thank you, I like it very much.”

He happily pulled the scalpel out of its sheath, then reinserted it, playing with it in his hand, sometimes stuffing it into his pocket, sometimes hiding it in his sleeve.

The smile on her face was unstoppable.

Ace looked on with a hint of jealousy and envy, glanced at Messer's fanny pack, blinked, and pretended to be nonchalant, saying:

“I think you have one too. Where did you buy it? I have money now, could you get one for me too?”

Moses laughed.

"Call me brother."

Ace's eyes widened, but after thinking for a moment, he realized he wasn't at a disadvantage, so he immediately smiled and said, "Brother, I want a knife."

Rolling his eyes, Messer felt he had been taken advantage of, but then he thought it was no big deal. He could forge them himself, and at worst, he could just forge a few more later.

He rummaged in his bag with his right hand and randomly picked one of the remaining four scalpels, giving it to Ace.

Ace took it, pulled the blade of the scalpel out of its sheath, and looked at it with delight. He was even more fond of the fine texture that ran through the entire blade and handle.

Looking at Ace, Moses said, "Master is here too. He said he's going to teach us cultivation. Be prepared."

Ace's face darkened visibly, and he swallowed hard.

"real or fake."

Mercer shrugged.

At this moment, Sabo asked, "Grandpa? Your grandfather?"

Messer looked at him and suddenly smiled, "By the way, Sabo, would you like to come with us to train?"

Sabo hesitated for a moment, though he was very curious and wanted to go. "I think I'll pass. After all, I don't know your grandfather, so I won't bother you."

“Alright, then come with us. Good friends should share both good times and bad,” Moses said with a smile.

Ace also laughed maliciously and egged him on, "That's right, Sabo, let's team up, aren't we good friends?"

Upon hearing this, Sabo became even more curious, and he was also very curious about one of the three people that Ace often mentioned.

Moses met her and they became friends.

All that's missing is that mysterious grandfather and adoptive mother.

A sense of excitement and exploration welled up inside me.

"Gah!"

Ya Dabao descended from the sky, landing on a branch beside Mercer. He glanced curiously at the glittering treasure hidden in the tree trunk, then said in a hoarse voice:

"Mei, Grandpa, come here."

Ace and the other two stared wide-eyed at Ya Da Bao, exclaiming in unison, "The crow is talking!!"

Messer tilted his head and used his Observation Haki to sense Garp's presence in the distance.