Sabaody Archipelago.
"What on earth is happening?!"
"That group of brothers... their existence is simply beyond logic!"
"Fire Fist Ace is the son of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!"
"The two Straw Hat Luffys are the sons of the world's worst criminal, the Leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon!"
"And their other brother is the second-in-command of the Revolutionaries, Chief of Staff Sabo!!!"
"What kind of terrifying family background is this?!"
"The blood of the 'Most Evil' flows through those five brothers... No, those five monsters!"
"If we let them escape today, the damage they will cause to the world in the future... it's unimaginable!"
Watching the broadcast screens showing the five brothers united on the battlefield, tens of thousands of citizens and reporters felt a primal fear gripping their hearts. Looking back through centuries of history, there had never been a bloodline as frightening as this. Their very existence was a direct threat to the order of the world.
However...
"Don't lose hope! It's not the end yet!"
"As long as they are still at Marine Headquarters, everything can still be settled!"
"Exactly! The Marines haven't given up!"
"If we can eliminate those five brothers right here, the world will return to its rightful track!"
On the giant screens, a brilliant rain of laser light flickered, reigniting hope in the hearts of the masses. But in the next second, something completely unexpected occurred.
"FIRE FIST (HIKEN)!!!"
A colossal fist of roaring flames erupted from the hand of Sabo—the Sabo from two years in the future—swelling in size as it tore through the air.
But it didn't stop there.
While the crowd was still reeling, a second flame ignited within the inferno. The iconic Whitebeard symbol flickered amidst the heat.
"FIRE FIST (HIKEN)!!!"
A second massive fist of fire appeared, overlapping with the first.
A single Fire Fist might not have been enough to fully stop an Admiral's laser barrage. But when two Fire Fists merged, the power of the flames underwent a divine evolution. It shattered the gap between a Commander and an Admiral.
BOOM!!!
Like a cinematic climax, the dual Fire Fists of Sabo and Ace two users of the Mera Mera no Mi instantly vaporized Admiral Kizaru's Yasakani no Magatama. The berserk flames surged upward, launching a fierce counterattack against the light-man himself.
"Ohhh~ how scary~"
Even Admiral Kizaru couldn't help but change his expression in genuine shock. Without hesitation, he chose to elementalize his body into light to evade the blast.
"This... how is this possible?!"
Witnessing two identical ultimate moves from the Mera Mera no Mi, the soldiers on the battlefield and the citizens at Sabaody were stunned to their core once again.
"Besides Fire Fist Ace, there's someone else who can control such terrifying flames!"
"Who is that Sabo from the Revolutionary Army?! Why does he know the Fire Fist?!"
"Isn't it obvious? That Chief of Staff is also a Mera Mera no Mi user!"
"That Ryusoken (Dragon Claw) that tore through the ground, and that vortex of fire... those are all his powers!"
"But... how is that possible? There shouldn't be two identical fruits in this world..."
A reporter's voice trailed off as he realized something. Today, at the Summit War of Marineford, no matter how bizarre or illogical an event seemed, it was no longer surprising. Everything was possible.
"Both Straw Hat Luffys have the Gomu Gomu no Mi. Those monster women named Yamato have the same power. Even Trafalgar Law's Ope Ope no Mi and Marco the Phoenix... at this point, even seeing two Flame-Flame fruits is acceptable!" someone shouted.
"But so far, those identical powers appeared on the same person. Why is the Mera Mera no Mi an exception? Normally, shouldn't a second Fire Fist Ace appear?" another asked in confusion.
"What if... Fire Fist Ace died, the fruit was reborn, and someone else ate it?" a voice whispered darkly.
"You... what do you mean by that?!"
Everyone turned, eyes widening in shock.
"The war has progressed to a point where we can draw a bold conclusion!" A refined young man at Sabaody Plaza pushed up his glasses, offering his theory. "Those monsters like Straw Hat Luffy who can match Admirals and Fleet Admirals, along with Marco, Law, Kid, and that Sabo... they all come from the future!"
"They come from a future where Fire Fist Ace died at the Summit War! A future where the Mera Mera no Mi was reborn and eaten by someone else! And through some miracle, they found a way to return to the past!"
"This time, they are here to erase all regrets and save the brother who was supposed to die—Fire Fist Ace! What do you think?"
The vast plaza fell into a stunned silence.
Then...
"Wait, I know you!"
"You're that struggling novelist whose books never sell!"
"No wonder your stories fail you come up with such illogical nonsense!"
The crowd broke into jeers and insults. But more people remained silent. Because they realized... the novelist's "crazy" theory might be the only truth that explained everything!
"Even something like this is happening...!"
"From now on, no matter what happens, I won't be surprised!"
"Same here! If I get scared again, I'll eat ten tons of dirt right here!"
Marine Headquarters: Marineford.
"Breaking the shackles of time and space... returning from a fixed future to change the past... can such a thing really happen?" Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Great Strategist, frowned in deep thought.
"But right now, this is the most plausible explanation we have!" Vice Admiral Momonga added solemnly.
"No... perhaps there is one more possibility!" Tsuru's eyes narrowed slightly.
"If Luffy and the others hadn't come to help... would Ace have really died?" Flower Sword Vista, the 5th Division Commander, whispered to himself.
Seeing two identical fruit powers on different people, the Whitebeard Pirates had also begun to guess the truth behind the situation.
"The 'me' from two years later... is it true? In your past, did Ace really die?" Izo, the 16th Division Commander, looked nervously at his future self.
"Yes," the future Izo nodded. "That's why we are here! Your future is about to change!"
"We will never let that tragedy repeat itself!" the future Izo said with iron-clad resolve.
"YEAH!!!"
"We won't let it happen!"
"After paying such a heavy price and making so many sacrifices, how could we let Ace die here?!"
"I'll bet my life on it! We must protect Ace!"
The Whitebeard Pirates roared with renewed determination. Of course, confidence was one thing, but the current situation was still far from optimistic. Although Ace had been successfully rescued and the heavy stone in their hearts had been lifted, they were still trapped within the Marines' encirclement.
The war had taken a heavy toll. Out of their initial force of 50,000, only about 30,000 were still able to fight. The Marines had also suffered losses, but numerically, they were still overwhelming nearly 80,000 elites remained.
But more than the numbers, the true despair lay in the gap between the top-tier powerhouses...