## One Piece Chapter 157: Ace Appears - Chapter: 157 - Pages: 0-16 - Characters: Jango, Miss Valentine, Marines, Monkey D. Luffy, Usopp, Tony Tony Chopper, Nefertari Vivi, Sea Cat, Roronoa Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Smoker, Tashigi, Portgas D. Ace, unidentified restaurant patrons, restaurant owner ### Summary Page 0: The title page reads "Chapter 157 'Ace Appears'". The cover story illustration, titled "JANGO'S DANCE PARADISE VOL. 24 'A GIRL TAKEN HOSTAGE'", shows Jango dancing enthusiastically with a woman who looks like Miss Valentine. They are striking a pose together. In the background, several Marines are watching them, some looking confused or surprised. Page 1: A massive sea creature suddenly bursts out of the ocean waves with a loud "Zaba" splash. It has the body of a large fish with scales, but its head is that of a giant, wide-eyed cat with its mouth wide open, meowing loudly. A text box identifies it: "Sea Cat (Marine Mammal) Habitat: Coasts of Sandy Island". On the deck of the Going Merry, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper scream in absolute terror, their eyes popping out of their heads. Luffy yells, "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!?" while Usopp screams, "IT'S A MOOONSTEERR!" In stark contrast, Vivi looks delighted and smiles brightly, exclaiming, "IT'S A SEA CAT!" Page 2: Luffy and Zoro immediately go into hunting mode. Luffy drools heavily, his eyes wide with hunger as he shouts, "FOOOOOD!" Zoro draws his swords with a fierce grin, yelling, "OUR FIRST MEAL IN 4 DAYS!" Vivi is horrified by their reaction, screaming, "FOOOOOOD!" in shock. She tries to reason with them, saying, "We're still on course, so... We should be almost there by now..." Sanji, however, joins the hunt, shouting, "DON'T LET IT GET AWAY! WE HAVE TO HUNT IT DOWN NO MATTER WHAT!" The Sea Cat, sensing danger, starts to sweat and slowly backs away in the water. Usopp notices and points, "Ahh! It's backing away!" Chopper panics, yelling, "Back the ship up!" but Usopp retorts, "Ships can't move like that!" Page 3: Vivi swiftly intervenes, swinging a wooden club and smacking both Luffy and Zoro hard on the head. A loud "Bokaaan" sound effect accompanies the strike. Luffy and Zoro are knocked down, rubbing their heads in confusion. Sanji yells, "YOU CAN'T!" while Vivi angrily shouts, "You can't eat it!" The Sea Cat takes the opportunity to dive back underwater and swim away safely. Luffy, rubbing his bruised head, complains, "THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING, VIVI!?" Zoro, equally confused, asks, "W-what was that for, Vivi!?" Vivi sits calmly on the ship's railing and explains, "Sea Cats, Are sacred creatures of Alabasta." Page 4: Luffy sits on the deck, crying comically with a large bump on his head, mourning, "The food... The food escaped..." Usopp tries to act tough, boasting to Chopper, "You fought against Sea Kings!? Let Usopp tell you about that one time he faced Sea Kings in the Calm Belt. The biggest Sea Kings you could imagine, my lad!" Chopper listens in awe, trembling slightly. Sanji, panting, mocks Usopp, "PANT PANT... Heh, looks like you've still got a long ways to go if you get scared at something like that. There sure are a lot of strange creatures in the sea." Nami calls out to Vivi, "Vivi! The wind and climate seems to have stabilized." Vivi confirms, "Yes, we must have entered Alabasta's climate. The Sea Cat we saw just now is proof of that." Luffy's eyes light up again, "REALLY!? WHAT KIND OF CAT'LL COME OUT FROM THE SEA THIS TIME!?" Vivi reassures him, "Don't worry, you'll soon be able to eat as much as you want." Zoro smirks, looking out at the horizon, "And I guess a sight like 'that' is another proof that we've reached Alabasta." Page 5: On the horizon, a large fleet of ships is visible. Luffy points and shouts, "SHIPS!" Zoro remains calm, telling the crew, "Don't lose your nerves, idiots. They're nothing but small fries." Luffy, still obsessed with food, argues, "Wait, no! Eating comes first right now!" Usopp suggests, "Nah, it'll be faster if I just go over and personally kick their asses!" Chopper stammers nervously, "S-s-should we... Pre-emptively attack them while we have the chance!?" Sanji reminds them of their numbers, "There's only 8 of us here." He adds, "That's right. Don't lose sight of our true objective or it'll all be over." Vivi looks through a telescope and is shocked by what she sees. "SO MANY SHIPS!! WHERE'D THEY COME FROM ALL OF A SUDDEN!?" She notices the sails, "AND THEY ALL HAVE B.W.'S MARK ON THEIR SAILS! ALL OF THE ORGANIZATION'S UNDERLINGS MUST HAVE STARTED TO GATHER HERE...!" She explains the threat level, "Those are most likely the 'Billions,' The Officer Agents' subordinates. And there are 200 of them, aren't there... Not only that, they're elite agents who're completely on another level from the regular bounty-hunters you came across in Whiskey Peak." Page 6: Zoro sits on the deck, tying a white cloth tightly around his left forearm. He explains, "Just tie it on tight for the time being. There's too...