Chapter 1039

After a round of thanks, Ace and Marco prepared to leave—the Whitebeard Pirates had far too many matters to attend to.

"Hold on a moment, I still have a few things I want to discuss with you." Lin Cheng called the two to a stop. "Given your current state, you'd better rest up first. This is the New World, after all."

"Here?" Aini asked.

The once lush, scenic island, under the clash of the three, had been reduced to scattered broken tiles; the acrid smell of charring still hadn't been dispersed by the sea breeze.

"Of course not—let's head to the Intrepid. You're more familiar with the place anyway." Lin Cheng said with a teasing tone: "While we're at it, let me ask my crew whether you two mistreated them."

"How could we? We only emptied out your granary, that's all." Ace said with a grin: "Only your ship would stock so many good things. Marco and I certainly ate our fill."

"How convenient—my boys will settle the bill with you in a bit." Lin Cheng said with a cold laugh: "There was one fellow who mooched meals off me back then; he had to toil as a laborer here for several years before he cleared his debt."

"Marco can still serve as a ship doctor treating the sick, but someone like you could only go stoke the boiler." Lin Cheng thought for a moment, then added: "Oh right, the Intrepid doesn't have a boiler—you can only go swab the deck."

"You bastard!" Ace said indignantly.

Lin Cheng said he was useless and could only swab the deck—he was now the boss of the Whitebeard Pirates, yet the sort of chore a trainee pirate would do was being assigned to him.

He immediately started brawling with Lin Cheng, just like back on Wheel Island, when he and Luffy had ganged up to beat the bound Lin Cheng together.

Marco watched the scuffle before him, his heart full of emotion.

How many times in life can one see two Logia users brawl bare-fisted, without even a coating of Armament Haki, every punch landing squarely on flesh—peak entertainment value.

Seeing such a passionate scene, Marco was also very tempted to join in.

Isn't the passive of a Zoan fruit made precisely for moments like this? The chance to pummel Lin Cheng doesn't come often.

After much deliberation, he still gave up on this seemingly tempting yet in truth extremely dangerous course of action.

One couldn't be sure that the fists hitting Ace were bare knuckles, but when it came to his own turn they'd switch to Flowing Sakura Haki—that would be a bit much to take.

In the end, it was the Intrepid's bugle that stopped the two.

Lin Cheng dusted off his clothes; brawling bare-chested with a man would ruin the towering image he held in his crew's hearts........

"Let's go, we'll sit and chat on the ship." Lin Cheng took the lead, transforming into lightning as he flew toward the distant Intrepid.

Ace and Marco followed close behind; two balls of flame rose from the island.

"Quick, quick, quick, stow the main guns." Karma hurriedly ordered the bridge.

Seeing Lin Cheng returning with those two, Karma understood the matter was over; he also had some grasp of Ace and Marco's difficulties.

He hurriedly called for the main guns to be stowed, knowing that if the two came again they would be guests—honored guests of the Intrepid.

Fortunately, before Lin Cheng landed, the Intrepid's main guns had already been retracted into the bow, and Karma stood on the deck with impeccable courtesy.

"Young Master, the hot water has been prepared; you may go and freshen up first." Karma bowed and said.

"Crack open two bottles of the good stuff—I have things to discuss with them." Lin Cheng gave the order, then said to the two who had just landed: "I'm going to wash up. Are you coming with me, or waiting for me a while?"

Ace and Marco took stock of themselves; their clothes were nearly shredded, and a layer of soot clung to their skin.

"Together, then." Ace said, and followed behind Lin Cheng toward the cabin.

Seeing Ace had already declared his stance, Marco hesitated for a moment, then followed as well.

Lin Cheng heard the footsteps behind him, knowing today's matter was already half done; he hadn't let down the bond he'd built with Ace over so long.

For ability users, bathing is a fairly private affair; they generally wouldn't do it in an unfamiliar place, let alone at an enemy's.

Ability users who drowned in bathtubs weren't many, but they weren't nonexistent either; the sea's suppression of ability users wouldn't weaken with a change in strength.