Chapter 47: Growing Partners

Sabaody Archipelago – Grove 16, Lawless Zone

Dozens of bounty hunters surrounded two unusual figures—one was a tall man with three-jointed arms, the other a dwarf barely 80 centimeters tall wielding a naginata over three times his height.

These two were members of the Spade Pirates: Yanliu of the Longarm Tribe, and Fenamore of the Tontatta Tribe.

"Looks like we're popular the moment we land. Fenamore, our luck's rotten today," Yanliu said casually, his long arms dangling as he turned toward his companion.

"Shut it! This is all your fault, Yanliu!" the tiny Fenamore snapped, glaring up at him. "Your arms are so damn annoying! I should chop off a segment or two just for peace of mind."

"Okay, okay, it's my bad." Yanliu grinned, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Let's just wipe these guys out and go meet up with the others. It's been a year since we've seen them—I wonder how much they've changed."

"The Longarm Tribe's Yanliu, bounty: 58 million Berries! The Tontatta warrior Fenamore, bounty: 64 million Berries!" declared the leader of the bounty hunters. "The Annabon Hunters will be collecting both your heads today!"

Boom!

Before he could finish, he was blasted backward by a sudden impact.

"Sorry, but we've got a captain to follow," Yanliu said calmly, lowering his outstretched palm as wisps of steam drifted from it.

"W-What just happened?!"

"Captain Bangs just got sent flying!"

"It was that guy—the Longarm!"

"Yeah, it was me," Yanliu admitted. He raised his arm again—longer than a regular person's, unnaturally jointed—and bent it back. With a sudden snap, the arm straightened like a spring, slamming the air and creating a burst of compressed force that blasted another bounty hunter away.

"Longarm Martial Arts – Air Pulse Fist!"

"Don't underestimate me. I spent a whole year training to master this technique!" Yanliu said, lowering his arms with a smirk.

Swish!

At that moment, Fenamore launched forward like a blur, dashing through the crowd. With a single graceful arc of his massive naginata, a flurry of crimson blossoms appeared across the bodies of the bounty hunters.

"Wh-What...?"

One by one, the bounty hunters dropped, eyes rolling back, blood spraying from fresh wounds. Fenamore stood behind them in a squat, naginata resting against his shoulder.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Yanliu clapped slowly, impressed. "What a clean slash. You've leveled up too, huh, Fenamore?"

"Can it, you show-off freak!" Fenamore replied gruffly, picking up his weapon and stomping off toward Grove 13 with his tiny legs.

"...Who's he calling freak?" Yanliu muttered, blinking.

---

Grove 30 – Shopping District

A tall man with a visibly mechanical right arm strolled down the street with excitement, dragging two tired men behind him, both carrying piles of bags.

These were three more members of the Spade Pirates: the cyborg combatant Aki, and the twin brothers Seba and Barry.

"Hey,"

"Aki,"

"That's enough shopping."

"Today's our reunion,"

"No need to buy out the island."

The twins spoke in perfect synchronicity, alternating their phrases like one voice in two bodies.

"We have to stock up. Captain Ace eats like a sea king!" Aki shot back without turning.

The twins sighed, resigning themselves to their fate as pack mules.

Unbeknownst to them, a man with a camera was tailing them, hiding behind stalls and snapping photos while muttering to himself.

"That's the Cyborg Aki—bounty 85 million... Twins Seba and Barry, 73 and 67 million respectively."

"They're definitely from the Spade Pirates! The ones who vanished after assaulting a Celestial Dragon a year ago. If they're here… then Portgas D. Ace must be nearby too!"

"The man who escaped unscathed from Admiral Aokiji… If I can uncover his whereabouts, it'll be headline news!"

---

Grove 13 – Shakky's Rip-Off Bar

Inside, apart from Shakuyaku, five Spade Pirates sat at the bar:

Cornelia, the navigator

Wores, the fish-man helmsman

Pie Bonsey, the musketeer sniper

Eboli Gambi, the swordsman

And Kukai, another swordsman who once worked as a bounty hunter

Today marked the long-awaited reunion of the Spade Pirates. After a year of intense training across the seas, the crew had returned—one by one—to regroup and await their captain.

Shakky poured them drinks with a warm smile. "Time flies, doesn't it? Can't believe it's been a year already."

"You've all made quite a name for yourselves."

She laid out wanted posters on the table.

Wores the fish-man: 88 million Berries

Navigator Cornelia: 64 million

Kukai the bounty hunter: 68 million

Musketeer Bonsey: 77 million

And Skar—still en route—with 51 million

Shakky then turned to Gambi and raised a brow. "But the star of the show is you, Gambi. The 'Mad Swordsman' with a bounty over 100 million!"

"Aww, Shakky, you're exaggerating!" Gambi chuckled, scratching his head. "Compared to Captain Ace, we're still way behind."

"Sure, Ace is something else," Shakky said, puffing her cigarette. "But from no-names to each of you having bounties over 50 million in just a year... That's not nothing."

Each of them had taken different paths over the past year:

Some returned to their home tribes to hone their skills.

Some roamed the seas as bounty hunters, taking down criminals.

Some lived like wild beasts on uninhabited islands.

But they all had the same goal—to become stronger.

"We just want to keep up with Captain Ace," Gambi said, looking into his drink. "If we don't get stronger, we'll only hold him back."

"Hahahaha!"

A familiar hearty laugh echoed through the bar as Silvers Rayleigh stepped inside.

The former right hand of the Pirate King looked at them all and smiled. "Ace has become incredibly strong. If you want to keep following him, you'll need that same kind of drive."

Just then, a shadow dropped from the sky and landed outside the bar.

The door creaked open.

A man stepped in, his familiar smile widening at the sight before him.

"Hey… Long time no see, everyone. I'm back."

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