Your breakup with Ace was messy. You had to leave before things just got worse, asking Whitebeard to let you go lone wolf, which he agreed. You carried out missions without the need to stay on the ship.

A mission in Alabasta required your attention, but the moment you walked into a restaurant, your eyes met wide brown ones, a chicken bone sticking out of his mouth and a mess of food on his face. He looked just as stiff as you, a mix of vexation and confusion in his eyes just by your presence.

You left before Blackbeard betrayed the crew and no one had bothered to reach out and tell you what happened, so you had no idea that Ace took on his own solo mission as well- getting revenge on Blackbeard for killing one of his own.

As you froze like a deer in headlights, one question popped into your head:

What the hell is he doing out here, in the middle of a desert?