"You may not know this yet, but Doflamingo's true identity is actually a Celestial Dragon," Ace whispered in Law's ear.
In the original timeline, Trafalgar Law likely never learned of Doflamingo's Celestial Dragon background. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been so easily manipulated when Doflamingo used his status to force Law to resign from the Warlords of the Sea.
"What did you say?!" Law's face darkened instantly.
Law had once served under Doflamingo, and naturally, he knew about much of his power. What he didn't know was that the darkness behind Doflamingo was far deeper. Even the level of control he had without his Celestial Dragon status had left Law feeling powerless back then. He didn't dare to go against him until two years after the Paramount War.
Now, hearing from Ace that Doflamingo was actually a Celestial Dragon made Law feel even more helpless. How could he possibly avenge Corazon with his own strength?
And the truth was — he couldn't. In the original story, if it weren't for the help of the Straw Hat Pirates, Law never would have been able to take down Doflamingo. Even then, they relied heavily on plot armor and teamwork. Without them, Law couldn't have even gotten past Vergo, Doflamingo's subordinate.
"...If what you said is true, then I accept your offer," Law said solemnly after a long silence, looking at Ace.
"Of course. I don't lie to my partners," Ace replied with a calm smile. "If you ever find out I'm lying, feel free to walk away at any time."
Ace stood up, raised his glass to Law, and said, "Come on. Let's drink — from now on, we're comrades."
Law looked at him, picked up his own glass, clinked it against Ace's, and the two drank.
"Then... I'll call you Captain from now on," Law said with a rare smile. He poured himself another drink and turned to his crewmates: "Guys, raise your glasses! From today, the Heart Pirates will follow the Spade Pirates!"
"Listen up — this was my decision alone," Law said seriously. "If anyone disagrees, I won't force you."
"What are you saying, Captain!"
"Of course we'll follow you!"
"Even if we're just your crew, we'll stick with you!"
Though the Heart Pirates were initially shocked by Law's decision, they voiced their support one by one and drank the loyalty toast without hesitation.
Ace watched this scene with a smile. He knew Law wasn't truly his partner yet — just a man seeking revenge against Doflamingo, leveraging Ace's strength to do it. But Ace didn't mind. He was confident that after helping Law defeat Doflamingo, the man would become a true ally.
Another win. Just after leaving Skypiea, Ace had recruited yet another strong comrade. He was in a good mood.
With Law, Ace had now recruited his second member from the "Worst Generation." Among the Eleven Supernovas — aside from the Straw Hats — Ace was still interested in Eustass Kid and the gluttonous Jewelry Bonney. But Kid's pride wouldn't allow him to follow anyone. As for Bonney, Ace was more curious about her mysterious past than about recruiting her.
After the Heart Pirates joined, Ace boarded their submarine ship, the Polar Tang. However, they were still a long way from the Sabaody Archipelago. Traveling by sea at normal speed would take months, and the time to reunite with his friends was approaching.
"Law, do you have a Log Pose that points directly to Sabaody Archipelago?" Ace asked aboard the Heart Pirates' ship.
"No," Law replied bluntly. Then he added, "Why? In a rush to get to Sabaody, Captain Ace?"
"Yeah. The meetup with my friends is happening soon," Ace said, a bit frustrated. "If I knew, I would've brought a permanent Log Pose. Now I might be late..."
"Even with a pointer, it'd still take months," Law added. "Assuming the seas are calm."
"That's no issue. If I get a pointer, I'll just fly there. I'll make it in a few days," Ace said confidently.
"...Fly?" Law stared at him in surprise. "Then why not use a Vivre Card? You should be able to track your crew with it."
"I only have my Vivre Card," Ace said with a sheepish grin. He tore off a piece and handed it to Law. "Here — take one, too."
Law accepted the Vivre Card and paused for a moment. "If you're in a hurry... I might know how to get a pointer."
"What is it?" Ace immediately perked up.
"There's a Marine base on the next island," Law explained. "They always stock Log Poses for the islands of Paradise. The base should definitely have a pointer to Sabaody Archipelago. We just have to take it."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Ace grinned, fired up.
"Alright, I'll prepare the plan." Law nodded and walked off.
In Paradise, even raiding a Marine base wasn't something to take lightly — you never knew when a Vice Admiral or even an Admiral might show up. Law likely proposed this partly to test Ace's strength.
But Ace didn't care. As long as an Admiral didn't show up casually for tea, everything would be fine. And even then, with his current power, Ace believed that while he might not win, escaping even an Admiral wasn't out of the question.
Soon, Law returned with intelligence.
"The next island is Esalin. There's a Marine A3 Base on the west coast," Law explained. "The base is led by a Vice Admiral — but just a regular one. Not a Headquarters-level officer."
"Just a standard Vice Admiral, huh?" Ace smirked. "Then it's no big deal."
There was a big gap between a Vice Admiral from Marine HQ and an ordinary Vice Admiral assigned to a local base. Someone like Law could hold his own against a weaker one, but against someone like Garp or Tsuru, he'd be forced to flee.
"With your strength, Captain Ace, you'll have no problem handling that Vice Admiral," Law said seriously. "But... there's still one more issue."
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