Summary:
In Nanohana, the Straw Hat Pirates face Smoker and Tashigi. A pirate named Portgas D. Ace appears and is revealed to be Luffy’s older brother.
In Nanohana, a young man previously shown in Drum Kingdom is shown walking through the city. A salesman approaches him, claiming to have a magical golden apple, but he refuses to buy it. Chopper and Usopp overhear the offer, but Nami and Zoro stop them from being tricked after Zoro finds the companion who is painting them. Zoro notices a man who asks if the people in town have seen Luffy using his wanted poster. He is directed to the Spice Bean, where the owner knows many of the townspeople.
The current Straw Hats wonder why he is looking for Luffy. Zoro notices the tattoo on the man’s back and knows he is not a bounty hunter. He then sees Tashigi elsewhere in town dressing a merchant for overpriced swords and hides. A smoker will appear carrying several captured little pirates. He is certain that Luffy will appear in Arabasta and have Tashigi take the defeated pirates to the royal army. Zoro wonders where Luffy ran off to. He wanders through the desert and begins to run when he sees a nearby town that drives him hungry to find food.
At the Spice Bean restaurant, patrons are gathered around the young man seen earlier, who is face-first on a plate of food. They believe he dropped dead in the middle of his meal and suspect he was bitten by a poisonous insect. Suddenly he wakes up, wipes his face and continues to eat. He tells everyone he just fell asleep. Shortly after, he falls asleep again. After waking up, the man asks Yoshimoto if he saw Luffy.
They are interrupted by Smoker, who noticed the commotion earlier. He identifies the young man as the commander of the second division of the Whitebeard Pirates, Portgas D. Ace, surprising those present. When asked why he’s here, Ace says he’s looking for his brother. Luffy runs Nanohana and follows the smell of food. Smoker says he’s not here for Ace, but he’ll go ahead and try to capture him. Suddenly, Luffy uses Gomu Gomu no Rocket to lunge towards Spice Bean. He smashes Smoker and Ace through the back wall of the restaurant and the walls of several adjacent buildings before asking the owner of the restaurant to make him a meal.
As Luffy finishes eating, Ace and Smoker are on their way back to the restaurant. Ace apologizes to a family for disrupting their meal. Smoker identifies Luffy, though Luffy takes a moment to remember him from their encounter in Loguetown. He stuffs all the remaining food into his mouth and runs, with Smoker chasing after him. The owner notes that neither Ace nor Luffy paid for the food. Luffy knows he can’t beat Smoker, so he goes to find his crew. Smoker sees Tashigi and orders her to look for the Straw Hats while he chases after Luffy. As he runs, knowing that Luffy is in town, he thinks that it is likely that Zoro will be there as well.
Smoker asks Luffy why he’s in Arabasta, to which he replies that he came to beat up Crocodile. Smoker asks him how they are connected, but Luffy disappears. On the other side of town, Nami, Zoro, Chopper, and Usopp catch up with Sanji, Vivi, and Karoo and tell them that a marine is present. They hear a commotion and Luffy soon runs up to them with Smoker on his trail. Smoker is intercepted by Ace, who uses Kagero to stop his attack, White Blow.
Luffy recognizes Ace and is surprised that he is now a Devil Fruit user. Ace tells him that he ate the Mera Mera no Mi. He then tells Luffy to run and says he will hold the smoker back. Smoker questions why Ace is helping the Straw Hats and says that big brother has to help his little brother. Luffy tells his crew that Ace is his brother, to their shock as they make their escape.