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Impel Down, the Great Undersea Prison.
In the lowest level—Infinite Hell.
Ace stared blankly at the vision before him, his eyes trembling.
"Sabo…? Is that… really Sabo?"
Tears streamed freely down his face.
"He's alive… He didn't die to the Celestial Dragons' cannon that day… He's really alive…"
But then his joy twisted into something bittersweet.
"If he was alive all this time… why didn't he come back? Did he have any idea how much me and Luffy—and Dadan—cried for him?"
"He could've sent one message, one sign that he was okay…"
"We're brothers, damn it!"
Ace wiped his eyes roughly, gritting his teeth.
"What kind of cruel joke is this, huh? I'd already made peace with dying… and now you show me this?"
"Now I want to live again… just to see him one more time. If I could just meet Sabo again, be with him and Luffy together one more time… I could die happy."
Baldigo, the Revolutionary Army's base.
"Wha—?!"
Shouts echoed throughout the base.
"Sabo… Sabo is the Straw Hat's brother?!"
Koala's eyes went wide, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief.
"He never told me anything like that!"
Even Belo Betty, usually calm and aloof, was thrown off.
"Ten years ago, when Dragon saved him, he'd lost all his memories from that head injury,"said Hack quietly."He didn't even remember his own past."
"Then that means…" Lindbergh muttered, realization dawning."Fire Fist Ace was Sabo's brother too?"
Before anyone could answer, a voice rang out from the infirmary.
"Ah—AAAH!"
Everyone rushed in—only to see Sabo clutching his head, tears streaming down his face.
"I remember! I remember everything! Luffy… Ace… they're my brothers!"
Sabaody Archipelago. Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
"Uwaaah! It's Sabo! That's really Sabo!"
Luffy's bawling echoed through the room—tears and snot flying everywhere.
"He's alive! He's really alive!"
"Hold up—Luffy, breathe! Explain what's going on first!"Nami demanded.
"Yeah! Your big brother was Ace, right? Where'd this new one come from?!"Usopp asked, confused.
Robin quietly produced several hands to help wipe Luffy's face with a handkerchief.
"You mean the Revolutionary Army's Chief of Staff, with the 550 million bounty? He's quite famous lately. You didn't recognize him, little Monkey?"Shakky asked, amused.
"Nah," Nami sighed. "Our idiot captain doesn't read the news."
"Luffy," Robin said gently, "if you've calmed down a bit, could you tell us about him—and Ace?"
Luffy nodded, sniffling hard.
"Me, Ace, and Sabo… we drank sake together and became brothers. Ten years ago… Sabo's ship got attacked by a Celestial Dragon. We thought he died. Me, Ace, Dadan—we all cried for days… but he's alive! He's really alive… uwaaaah!"
His story was broken, half-choked by sobs, but everyone understood.
The Straw Hat crew shared a single thought—
Those three brothers are something else.
As the brothers' tears fell across time and space, the scene shifted back to the Corrida Colosseum.
Sabo, having switched places with Luffy, stood tall in the arena.
The final battle for the Mera Mera no Mi—the Flame-Flame Fruit—was about to begin.
"He's not Luffy, but this blond guy looks strong as hell!"
"He is Luffy's brother, after all. He's gotta have some serious skills."
"Let's see what he's got!"
Across the worlds, countless watchers leaned forward.
"Ace's will passes to Sabo. The fruit will choose its rightful heir,"said Rimuru from the Slime world, confidently.
"The bond of brothers lives on. The power of the flame won't die—it'll become his strength,"said Genos, his fists clenched.
And just as everyone expected—Sabo did not disappoint.
In the chaos of the battle, Sabo's move came suddenly.
He didn't target his opponents.He didn't even target the fish in the moat.
He struck the arena itself.
For a second, everyone froze.
Then—BOOM!
"Dragon Claw Fist!!!"
The ground split open, the entire arena cracking apart like shattered glass.
"What power!"
"He destroyed the whole arena in one strike!"
"So this is the strength of Luffy's brother!"
Even warriors from other worlds were awestruck.
"Brother… this guy isn't even a Devil Fruit user, right? He did that with pure strength?"Tatsumi gasped.
"Exactly,"said Brand, nodding solemnly."It's not just power—it's precision. He found the structure's weak point, like striking the core of an Imperial Arm. Strength guided by insight."
Below the collapsing arena, the sea roared as water drained away—and from the depths, the King Fighting Fish finally surfaced, thrashing violently.
While the others panicked, Sabo moved like lightning.
He tore the treasure chest free from the fish's chains and held the fruit aloft—the Flame-Flame Fruit, Ace's legacy.
"Everyone else is out. That means I win."
Raising the fruit high, Sabo announced his victory to the world.
Then, under the gaze of countless spectators across dimensions—
He took a bite.
Chewed. Swallowed.
"Ace… your power… I'll carry it on!"
With a grin, he clenched his fist—and flames erupted around it.
"Fire Fist!!!"
A roaring inferno burst forth, a fiery dragon piercing the heavens.
And thus was born—
The Flame Dragon King.
"..."
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