Early the next morning.
After bidding farewell to Uncle Markel and Aunt Martha, Ash personally sent Fidel to the Dawn Ship.
The reunion of childhood friends made everyone in the group happy. Fidel, Kirk, and Saff were especially excited at the thought of fighting together in the future.
As for Fidel's training going forward, that responsibility naturally fell to Youki and Pini.
That night, a welcome party was held on the Dawn Ship to celebrate the new companion joining them.
The next day.
Ash returned to Gran Tesoro with Bonney, who refused to let go of him the entire time.
Tesoro learned that Ash had reappeared after being gone for two days. He felt both relief and frustration, but still arranged for Baccarat and Mr. Tanaka to continue managing things as usual.
Issho seemed completely unconcerned about Ash's brief disappearance. Instead, he took a liking to Bonney, who had suddenly appeared beside Ash, and even invited her to his favorite udon meal that evening.
After seeing Bonney's appetite firsthand, Issho's face gained even more wrinkles than usual.
Days passed quickly.
Ash spent his time taking Bonney around to eat, drink, and play across Gran Tesoro.
As time went on, other forces confirmed that Heavenly Emperor Ash was still the same as he had been on Gourmet Island. As long as pirates did not deliberately provoke him, he did not bother interfering.
Because of this, many pirates who had previously fled began returning to Gran Tesoro.
Those who came to gamble continued gambling, and those chasing wealth continued chasing it.
Just as Tesoro had expected, Gran Tesoro's reputation improved instead of declining. Even small nobles and merchants who had once avoided pirates began arriving in large numbers due to Ash's presence.
During this period, Tesoro also tested a few pirate groups and troublemakers who caused issues. After confirming that Ash did not interfere with his punishments, he finally relaxed.
However, when dealing with ordinary merchants and nobles, he still acted with more restraint.
What Tesoro did not realize was that Ash simply did not care about the fate of gamblers. In his view, gambling was fine in moderation, but excessive indulgence only led to self destruction. If no one forced them, then whatever they lost was their own responsibility.
After nearly a month and a half of cooperation, Issho finally prepared to take his leave.
He had stayed in Gran Tesoro for far too long. If not for meeting Ash and Bonney, he would have already continued his journey.
Ash did not immediately invite Issho into the Dawn faction. There would be time for that later.
So, under Bonney's reluctance, Ash and Issho agreed to meet again in the future before parting ways.
What Ash did not know was that Issho's presence had already drawn the attention of multiple forces far earlier than in the original timeline.
Of course, any reckless group that tried to approach him without sufficient strength would suffer the consequences.
Time passed quickly, and mid April arrived.
Ash received a call from Sali, reporting that Fire Fist Ace had arrived in Loguetown and would likely reach Twin Capes within a day or two.
After sending Bonney back to the Dawn Ship, Ash immediately traveled through the spatial gate to Twin Capes.
Nearly five months had passed since the training camp at the end of the previous year. During that time, everyone had absorbed their gains and often took turns sparring with the veterans of the Dawn Ship, leaving Rayleigh and Jabba less than pleased in their retirement life.
Now that Ash had arrived, everyone was eager to spar with him again.
That night.
Sali and the others sat around a bonfire, bruised and exhausted. Nearby, members of the Dawn Ship watched the scene after hearing about the commotion, while Wyper, who had joined the excitement, ended up in the same battered condition after being dragged into the spar.
All three crews were curious about Ace, the son of the Pirate King Roger, whom Marine Hero Garp had personally entrusted to mountain bandits to raise. They wondered why Ash placed so much importance on him.
They had all seen Ace's bounty poster before, but the image alone showed nothing remarkable.
Compared to Ash, Ace only seemed even more ordinary.
The next day.
Ace and his ship, the Speeder, successfully crossed Reverse Mountain and arrived at Twin Capes.
Members of the Dawn faction were already waiting. Some floated in the air, some sat on cliff edges, and some sat casually on Laboon's head, all gathered to observe.
At this time, Ace's bounty had not yet exceeded 100 million Berries. He was still a rookie who had only set out less than half a year ago.
In the original timeline, his name would only truly spread after he defeated a Shichibukai and later rejected an official invitation, causing his bounty to rise rapidly.
After that, he clashed with Kaido in Wano Country and fought Jinbe for five days and nights in the New World without a clear victor, further increasing his notoriety.
Eventually, after repeated conflicts with Whitebeard, he joined the Whitebeard Pirates and became commander of the Second Division, reaching his peak bounty of 550 million Berries.
In Ash's view, Ace had immense potential. That bounty was only the beginning.
Whether he could reach the highest tier of power or not was uncertain, but becoming a top commander level fighter comparable to Rayleigh or Jabba was entirely possible.
Unfortunately, the boy was stubborn, impulsive, and emotionally unstable.
Still, Ash had no intention of acting as a mentor or therapist.
His only goal here was simple. He would fulfill his promise and break Ace's legs.
Ace himself was already tense.
He had only been at sea for less than half a year, and his crew, including Masked Deuce, was still inexperienced.
As the Speeder descended the current and stabilized, Ace and his crew looked up and immediately froze.
Scattered across the surroundings were figures watching them from above, the cliffs, and even the sea giant Laboon.
Ace's heartbeat quickened.
Among them were the Shichibukai White Lion Sali, and even the Thunder Demon Wyper.
Even though both of them looked slightly bruised for some reason, the pressure was undeniable.
Ace wanted to curse his luck.
He had just entered the Grand Line, and already he was being blocked at the entrance by three Shichibukai level figures.
Was everyone this free?
Then a familiar voice came from ahead.
"Ace."
Ash floated forward with a faint smile.
"You said you wanted to defeat me, right? Then come, your chance is here."