Western Alabasta.
Yuba.
Luffy and Sabo both froze as they watched the figure push open the door and enter.
Beside them, Chopper had already dove behind Luffy, clutching his pants and trembling violently. As for the kung-fu sea cow Luffy had named Midori, a string of question marks practically appeared over his head.
"Ace?" Luffy and Sabo shouted simultaneously, snapping back to reality.
"Sabo... Sean told me you were still alive, but I didn't think it was actually true..."
"If you're alive, why didn't you come find us? All these years, we thought you had..."
As he spoke, Ace's eyes grew red with emotion.
"I'm sorry. After I was rescued back then, I lost my memories. It wasn't until I ran into Luffy recently that my past started coming back to me."
"It doesn't matter! As long as you're alive!"
In that moment, the three brothers were all misty-eyed.
Behind Luffy, Chopper looked back and forth between them. "Luffy, Sabo... do you know this Marine?"
"Yeah! We're sworn brothers!"
"Brothers? Oh, thank goodness! I thought he was here to arrest us!" Chopper let out a massive sigh of relief; he had been absolutely terrified.
"Ace, are you here to arrest me this time?"
"I am. But don't worry; Sean said that since he promised the old man he'd deliver you, he'll make sure it happens. So, once I catch you, that's exactly what we'll do."
'Wait, aren't they sworn brothers?' Chopper, who had just relaxed, was instantly bewildered again. Were these people enemies or allies?
"No way! I'm the man who's going to be King of the Pirates! I'm not stopping here!" Hearing this, Luffy immediately leaped back two steps, dropping into a fighting stance.
"Ace, do you really have to arrest us?"
"Sabo, Luffy has a one-track mind, but you're different. Don't you know what pirates actually are?"
Sabo fell silent. He knew exactly what pirates were.
Burning. Killing. Stealing. Plundering.
That was the essence of piracy.
"But Luffy is different! He wouldn't do those bad things. He just wants to sail freely and have an adventure!"
"If that's the case, then why fly a pirate flag? Why not just be an explorer?"
"That's..." Sabo found himself unable to argue. In essence, what they were currently doing 'was' exploring.
But Luffy wanted to call himself a pirate. He wanted to become the Pirate King. What could they do about that?
"Sabo, although that guy Sean is obnoxious, he taught me a lesson."
"Even if you have no intention of doing harm and simply want to set sail for adventure—even if your ultimate goal is the One Piece—you will inevitably clash with various powers across the ocean. In the end, there are only two outcomes: success, or death."
"Assuming you're lucky enough to defeat pirate after pirate or Marine after Marine, and you win every single time, what do you think the consequence will be?"
"A pirate with a legendary reputation will further fuel this Great Pirate Era. More people will hear of your exploits and set sail to become pirates themselves."
"When that happens, can you guarantee those people will be like you? That they'll only seek adventure and won't engage in burning, killing, and plundering?"
"How many innocent civilians will be displaced, or even lose their lives, indirectly because of you?"
"Sabo, Sean mentioned you're still with the Revolutionary Army. Doesn't the Revolutionary Army claim to fight for the common people?"
Sabo felt like he didn't even recognize Ace anymore. Could the Ace he knew really say things like this?
And yet, he couldn't refute it. Every word was a fact. This left Sabo deeply conflicted.
Watching this, Ace felt a sense of kinship. After all, he had been just as conflicted once.
"Ace, I'll talk to Luffy about the pirate flag. Just pretend you didn't see us today, okay?"
"It's useless, Sabo. There are others outside. Every single one of them could kill you and Luffy in an instant. You can't escape."
Ace shook his head. Who was outside? Three former members of CP9. Even by the original standards of power, they were far beyond what the current Luffy and Sabo could handle. Moreover, with the help of the branch's special meat jerky, their strength had already far surpassed where they would have been two years later in the original timeline.
Dealing with the current Luffy and Sabo would be like an adult bullying a child. There was no suspense.
"Fine. I guess you won't be satisfied unless you try." Seeing the expressions on Luffy and Sabo's faces, Ace sighed again and stepped aside, clearing the doorway.
His meaning was clear: since words were useless, they could try their luck. Ace wasn't worried that Kalifa and the others would accidentally kill Luffy; Sean had specifically ordered that he be taken alive.
"Hehehe! Thanks, Ace! Let's run!"
"Luffy, wait!" Sabo saw Luffy bolt forward and frantically tried to stop him. He hadn't forgotten Ace's warning—there were people outside who could easily crush them.
But it was too late. Luffy had already zipped past Ace and dashed out the door.
Just as Sabo gritted his teeth and prepared to follow, a thunderous boom echoed from outside. Something blurred inward at incredible speed.
A second later, it slammed into the ground not far from Sabo, creating a massive crater. As the dust settled, the figure in the pit was revealed. Who else could it be but Luffy?
"See? I told you... it's useless."
'''
At the same time, outside Rainbase.
"Who's there?"
Crocodile, who was currently on the move, suddenly sensed something. He spun around and barked.
"Oh, you actually noticed me. It seems you aren't the complete waste the Rear Admiral claimed you were."
The voice came from behind a rock. A Captain wearing a black suit and a Marine "Justice" coat stepped into view.
"Who are you?"
"16th Branch of the Marines, Lucci!"
"A subordinate of Sean... a mere Captain. You're seeking death!" Crocodile roared in anger.
He didn't know how long he had been followed, but if he hadn't left the greenery and traveled a distance into the desert, he wouldn't have been able to detect the surveillance.
Regardless, he was Crocodile, a Warlord and a Logia Devil Fruit user.
A Marine Captain dared to tail and spy on him? Absolutely unacceptable.
"Sables!"
Activating the power of the Suna Suna no Mi, a miniature sandstorm formed instantly in his palm before he hurled it toward Lucci.
The moment it left Crocodile's hand, the sandstorm expanded at an incredible speed. It rapidly grew into a catastrophic vortex of sand, terrifying in its scale. In the next heartbeat, it looked as though Lucci would be swallowed whole.
Watching this, Crocodile let out a disdainful sneer and turned away to continue on his way.
After all... true masters of style never look back at the explosion, do they?
However, just as Crocodile began to walk away, a thunderous boom erupted behind him.
BOOM!!!