diff --git a/vertx-grpc-common/src/main/java/io/vertx/grpc/common/impl/GrpcMessageImpl.java b/vertx-grpc-common/src/main/java/io/vertx/grpc/common/impl/GrpcMessageImpl.java
index 80ffeb55..a2538bf4 100644
--- a/vertx-grpc-common/src/main/java/io/vertx/grpc/common/impl/GrpcMessageImpl.java
+++ b/vertx-grpc-common/src/main/java/io/vertx/grpc/common/impl/GrpcMessageImpl.java
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 import io.netty.buffer.Unpooled;
 import io.vertx.core.buffer.Buffer;
 import io.vertx.core.buffer.impl.BufferInternal;
+import io.vertx.core.buffer.impl.VertxByteBufAllocator;
 import io.vertx.grpc.common.GrpcMessage;
 
 public class GrpcMessageImpl implements GrpcMessage {
@@ -38,15 +39,31 @@ public Buffer payload() {
   }
 
   public static Buffer encode(GrpcMessage message) {
-    ByteBuf bbuf = ((BufferInternal)message.payload()).getByteBuf();
+    ByteBuf bbuf = ((BufferInternal) message.payload()).getByteBuf();
     int len = bbuf.readableBytes();
     boolean compressed = !message.encoding().equals("identity");
+    // it is worthy to just copy here, 'cause composite (heap) buffers are slower to be sent to the wire or copied
+    if (len <= 128) {
+      int totalBytes = 5 + len;
+      // let's use vertx buffer here because it doesn't have any atomic release, if unpooled
+      ByteBuf fullMsg = VertxByteBufAllocator.DEFAULT.heapBuffer(totalBytes, totalBytes);
+      fullMsg.setByte(0, compressed ? 1 : 0); // Compression flag
+      fullMsg.setInt(1, len);                 // Length
+      fullMsg.setBytes(5, bbuf, bbuf.readerIndex(), len);
+      fullMsg.writerIndex(totalBytes);
+      try {
+        return BufferInternal.buffer(fullMsg);
+      } finally {
+        bbuf.release();
+      }
+    }
+    // slow-path
     ByteBuf prefix = Unpooled.buffer(5, 5);
     prefix.writeByte(compressed ? 1 : 0);      // Compression flag
     prefix.writeInt(len);                      // Length
-    CompositeByteBuf composite = Unpooled.compositeBuffer();
-    composite.addComponent(true, prefix);
-    composite.addComponent(true, bbuf);
+    CompositeByteBuf composite = Unpooled.compositeBuffer(2);
+    composite.addComponent(true, 0, prefix);
+    composite.addComponent(true, 1, bbuf);
     return BufferInternal.buffer(composite);
   }
 }