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Summary:
After being rescued by Ace, the straw pirates reach the Going Merry and depart for the desert. As Luffy explains to his friends that Ace and he are brothers, Ace jumps aboard to quickly meet the family.
The Association of Baroque Works has strange rules. Its members do not hesitate to kill each other in order to get to the coveted agent positions. Arrested by the Marines, Mr. 11 finds out at the cost of his life.
Meanwhile, the Straw Hats have escaped the marines thanks to Ace and head back to the Going Merry, intending to sail the ship down the river and then continue into the desert. Before leaving, Vivi tasks Karoo with an important task: to deliver a letter detailing the situation and explaining what she and Igaram discovered regarding the Baroque Works plot to her father Cobra in Alubarna to give him hope.
On board the Merry ship, Luffy tells his friends about Ace. He is his older brother by three years and is also a pirate. Luffy also expresses his surprise that Ace ate the Devil Fruit – Mera Mera no Mi. Suddenly, Ace appears on the deck. He suggests that Luffy and his crew join the Whitebeard Pirates, which Luffy flatly refuses. Ace tells Luffy of his admiration for Whitebeard and his desire to see him become Pirate King, to which Luffy replies that he will simply have to fight him for the title.
In Nanohana, Smoker appears concerned: not only because Ace’s intervention prevented him from arresting Luffy, but also because he recognized the Princess of Arabasta among the Straw Pirates. He expresses his disdain for the Warlord and tells Tashigi that tigers never change their stripes – once a pirate, always a pirate.
Back on the Going Merry, Ace hands Luffy a special piece of paper that he says will help them see each other again, and thanks Luffy’s crewmates for taking care of his younger sibling before returning to his ship. Ace is currently chasing a pirate named Blackbeard, his former subordinate who committed the unforgivable crime of killing a crew member. As the baroque Agents Billions ships approach, the Straw Hat crew members express their surprise and admiration at the two brothers’ relationship. Ace then single-handedly takes down many of Billions’ ships and urges his brother to meet him “at the top”.