"Captain! It was this man and his companions who protected the Sunny and me for the past two years...!"
Merry's cheerful voice rang out, electrifying the entire Straw Hat Pirates.
"He's the one who told me… he's your big brother!"
"Huh?!"
The crew was left speechless…
First brother—Marine Rear Admiral "Fire Fist" Ace.
Second brother—this very man before them: Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff, Sabo?!
And that ability he just used…
"Isn't that the Gura Gura no Mi—Whitebeard's power?!"
"He made the whole sea quake! That's insane!"
Nico Robin gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling. During her time with the Revolutionary Army, she'd heard plenty of stories about their Chief of Staff.
A year ago, Koala had returned to headquarters with news of Sabo—and the two had grown quite close.
Most of Sabo's tales? Shared by his younger sister.
But this was the first time Robin had met him in person.
And sure enough, like any of Luffy's brothers, this high-ranking officer clearly had a few screws loose...
"Hey, Luffy. It's been, what—over ten years? You're looking lively!"
Sabo landed on the deck of the Thousand Sunny.
"Better get that bubble coating up. Time to set sail—Everyone, take care of Luffy, will you? He's a real handful."
"Two years ago, we had no other choice... Bartholomew Kuma is one of our own. To save you from Admiral Kizaru, he scattered you all to different places to train."
Sabo gently patted a tearful Luffy on the shoulder.
"Looks like those years paid off... Luffy's journey from here on will depend on you guys!"
"Aww, c'mon~"
"Oh no no, Sir, you're too kind~"
"Ehehehe~ I-I'm not happy you said that or anything, y-you jerk~!"
The crew all blushed and laughed awkwardly. The praise from the Chief of Staff was a bit too much...
"Haha... Luffy, get going. The Navy's got a base here on Sabaody Archipelago—once their reinforcements arrive, things'll get messy."
"And besides... You fought Ace, right? Your clothes are scorched to hell—he really didn't hold back, huh? Hahaha!"
"Sabo!!"
Luffy lunged forward, embracing his brother in a tight hug as tears streamed down his face.
"I saw your name in the news after the War of the Best... but this is the first time I've actually seen you in years! Wahhh!"
"I'm just so glad you're okay!"
"Thank you… for taking care of Merry and the Sunny!"
"Haha... I couldn't believe you guys had a Ship Spirit for a crewmate. And not just one, either, huh?"
As the bubble coating rose under Nami's guidance and distant Marine warships closed in, Sabo adjusted the brim of his hat.
"All right—there'll be plenty of time to catch up in the New World."
"I'll handle the warships. You guys, sail now!"
He clapped Luffy on the shoulder, then leapt beyond the bubble, waving:
"Go chase your dream!"
"Yeah! I will, Sabo!"
Luffy waved back with all his might.
"See you in the New World!!"
The Thousand Sunny was fully coated. Sails up. Ready for launch!
"Set sail!"
Luffy gave the command:
"Next stop—Fish-Man Island!!"
"OOOOOOHHHH!!"
With a splash, the Thousand Sunny plunged into the sea, vanishing from sight.
Above the waves, the ocean itself was still reeling from the quake.
The assembled Marine forces stood in shock at the display of power—the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, seen in public for the first time in two years—unmistakably in the hands of the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff.
Compared to that… the Straw Hats didn't even register.
...
"Fleet Admiral, sir—there's been quite the commotion on Sabaody Archipelago."
Ain was briefing Wright on the situation.
"According to reports, Ace clashed with the 'Dark King' Rayleigh. It got intense—he was clearly on the back foot, but managed to hold his own. Still, Grove 46 is pretty much demolished."
"A lot of pirates fled the scene—especially the Supernovas, 'Wet-Haired' Caribou and his brother 'Blood-Splatterer' Coribou. They tried to bury one of our undercover Marines alive! And they got away with it!"
Ain's voice turned sharp with anger.
"These rookie pirates still don't grasp the terror of the Navy! The Caribou brothers are infamous for slaughtering Marines. Bloodthirsty and vicious—and now they've gone this far?!"
Wright stood, stretching his shoulders with a calm demeanor.
"As long as no lives were lost... I'll personally heal the Marine Caribou attacked."
"Caribou, huh...? What a waste of a perfectly good Logia."
He shook his head in disdain.
"He'll learn what fear truly means in the New World."
"Send word to the three New World branches: If they see Caribou—kill on sight. Trash like that isn't even worth a cell."
"Understood, Fleet Admiral."
Caribou's Swamp-Swamp Fruit did have spatial properties—a rare trait even among Logias.
But Wright had zero interest in acquiring it.
Frankly? It was just too disgusting.
In battle, watching a pirate morph into a pile of sludgy ooze... it was repulsive.
The Navy had standards, after all.
Unlike Blackbeard, Wright wasn't into "hunting" Devil Fruit users.
Impel Down even had a perfectly good Snow-Snow Fruit Logia rotting away in storage—and he hadn't touched it.
Cavendish, for all his ambition, was still holding back.
And unless something drastic happened, Wright had no plans to interfere with Impel Down's affairs.
As for Caribou's disgusting power?
Even with no brain, Cavendish wouldn't go near it.
So honestly?
Caribou could just die.
"Oh—and notify Kuina."
"Our kohai has finally completed his training and taken to the seas. That's the sword style legacy of 'Hawk-Eye' Dracule Mihawk. She'll be very interested."
A wicked grin curled on Wright's face.
Kuina and Zoro both trained at the Isshin Dojo, sharing the same foundations.
Their advanced training in Haki and swordsmanship came from him and Mihawk—equally matched masters of the blade.
Though Kuina was a few years older, Zoro likely surpassed her in raw strength by now.
But Kuina's mobility—enhanced by the Float-Float Fruit—combined with her swordsmanship, had carved her a unique path.
Zoro, despite having no Devil Fruit, had forged the Three-Sword Style all on his own.
Even Mihawk acknowledged it.
And his Haki? On par with Kuina's at the very least.
The two were now perfectly matched to push each other toward new heights.
At least… in swordsmanship.
If Kuina ever unleashed the full power of her Skydome Fortress, though…
Even the entire Straw Hat Pirates might not hold out.
Sure, Shanks had made a deal—Ace wouldn't go after Luffy.
But Kuina wasn't bound by that.
And if Ace wouldn't move?
There were others who would.
Becoming the Pirate King wasn't going to be easy.
Let the young generation of the Navy show Luffy what that dream really costs.
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