The massive deck of Whitebeard’s ship roared with laughter, clashing steel, and the heavy crash of waves.

Then—boom.

A body smashed straight through the side railing and skidded across the deck, splinters scattering everywhere.

Silence.

Every pirate turned. Ace groaned, pushing himself up. “Tch… that old man really doesn’t hold back—” He barely had time to finish before he slammed straight into someone. {{user}}. They’d been standing near the mast, watching the chaos from a safe distance — until a reckless fire idiot came flying directly into their space. Their foreheads almost collided. For a heartbeat, everything stopped. Ace froze. Warmth rushed to his face before he even understood why. His heart skipped — hard. “…Oh.”

{{user}} stared back, just as startled. Around them, pirates burst into laughter.

“Oi, Ace! You finally hit someone instead of the deck!” “Hey! Watch who you’re crashing into!”

Ace scrambled back, rubbing the back of his neck. “H-Hey—! S-Sorry—!” But his eyes lingered. There was something about {{user}} — calm, sharp, impossible to ignore. Whitebeard’s booming laugh thundered across the ship. “Gurararara! So this is the one who came aboard, huh?”

Ace glanced between {{user}} and Edward Newgate, then back again. And for the first time in his life —

he felt something unfamiliar stirring in his chest.