A massive black bird dove from the sky with ferocious speed. Its wings spanned nearly fifteen meters, and three enormous claws reached forward like deadly scythes. With terrifying swiftness, it struck Akainu, slicing off his magma‑formed arm with a single claw.
The force of the attack sent Luffy tumbling to the ground, finally freed from Akainu's crushing chokehold. Akainu's severed arm, still boiling with magma, fell and melted through the thick ice beneath it, hissing as molten rock gushed from the fracture and reformed his arm into its normal shape.
Akainu glared fiercely at the strange giant bird standing protectively beside Luffy. "Who are you? Do you intend to become an enemy of the Marines?" His voice was rigid with shock, because he had already hardened his left arm into magma when he sensed the bird's strike. What he did not expect was that the bird's attack would cut through his magma without being seared; instead his own magma arm felt scorched. A chill ran through him, because no force in this world should burn hotter than his magma.
Luffy, rubbing his neck and tilting his head, blinked at the giant bird and said, "I don't know who you are, but thanks for saving me."
Ace, his tension finally easing, exhaled deeply and looked at the strange bird with gratitude. "Yugada," he muttered, shaken by how close Luffy had come to death only moments ago. If Luffy had truly been lost, Ace didn't know how he would have survived.
Sengoku released Garp's head from the execution platform and stared at the bird in disbelief. "What is this creature? It wasn't even afraid of Akainu's heat!"
Garp got up and sat beside Ace, his eyes narrowing at the sight. "Is this a Devil Fruit ability? The one who spoke just now, is he Luffy's ally?"
Everyone on the battlefield was stunned, all eyes fixed on the being that had saved Luffy.
"Who is this? An animal?"
"He actually severed Admiral Akainu's magma arm!"
"That's incredible. Ace's younger brother is saved at last!"
"Thank you… strange bird!"
The creature standing there began to change until eventually it took on the form of a young man. He wore a black robe and a tall black top hat, his golden wavy hair cascading around his face. A scar ran over his left eye, and he casually held a steel pipe.
Turning toward Luffy, he smiled gently and said, "Luffy, I will help you save Ace. You can rest for a moment."
Luffy shot up, eyes wide, and shouted back with disbelief, "No way! Ace is my older brother, so of course I'm the one who's saving him!"
The young man removed his top hat and held it in his hand. "Luffy, it's me."
Luffy's brow furrowed, and his fist clenched. "Who are you calling 'me'? Ace is my brother, and I'm the only one who can save him."
The man twirled his pipe a few times before resting it behind his back and said calmly, "Don't you recognize me, Luffy? I am your sworn brother."
Luffy froze for a moment, confusion flickering in his eyes. "Sworn brother? The one who calls me younger brother is Ace… the one who died…" His voice trailed off as recognition struck.
The man chuckled softly as he looked at Luffy.
"Sabo!" Luffy screamed, backing up until he sat on the ground. "You… you're Sabo?"
Sabo nodded, confirming it, "We used to steal Dadan's sake together and became sworn brothers with Ace. We all swore we would become Pirate King together."
Luffy's eyes widened and he leaped forward, hugging Sabo fiercely. "Sabo! You're alive! I thought…"
"Told you I would explain everything after this is over," Sabo replied calmly, resting a hand on Luffy's shoulder.
Ace, stunned and emotional, stared at Sabo with tears welling up. "Sabo!"
Sabo smiled back at him with steady calmness. "Ace, I'm here. I'll save you soon. Just hold on."
Garp's eyes nearly popped out of his head at the revelation. "This… this is that Sabo?"
Sengoku turned to Garp with a scrutinizing expression. "Garp, this isn't one of your grandsons again, is it? What exactly did you do in the East Blue?"
Garp scratched his head in confusion. "I don't know. That boy grew up with Ace and Luffy, but when he was ten he was said to have died at sea after a Celestial Dragon's ship hit him."
He paused, disbelief heavy in his tone. "I thought he really was gone…"
Windmill Village, East Blue
Villagers crowded around the visual Den Den Mushi, staring at the screen in utter shock.
"What? That's Sabo?"
"Isn't he the blond kid who lived with Dadan like Luffy and Ace? Didn't he die after being crushed at sea?"
"So it really was him!"
"I remember Ace and Luffy crying so hard back then. I didn't expect he'd still be alive."
Hope and anticipation spread through the crowd.
Makino watched the broadcast with a tight frown, her worry deeper than the villagers' optimism. Unlike them, she knew the Marines weren't so easy to beat. Ace and Luffy's bloodlines made them targets of justice, and even with Sabo here, saving Ace might still be impossible.
The Village Chief stood beside her, his hands trembling as he raised his untouched glass to his lips. Makino knew that even though he cursed pirates, he was the one who feared for the boys the most.
Marco, holding back from his wound, watched Sabo's arrival with awe.
"Is this the Sabo Ace talked about? Wasn't he supposed to have died in that fire at sea? He's still alive. That's incredible. He appeared just in time." Marco murmured grimly, realizing if Sabo hadn't come, Luffy might have been killed on the spot by Akainu. Ace could have survived afterward, but the guilt would have haunted him forever.
Whitebeard had even told Marco to protect Luffy. If anything had happened… he couldn't imagine how Ace or Whitebeard would have reacted.
Across the battlefield, the Marines were enraged and frustrated that someone had interfered with Akainu's strike on Luffy. They saw the young pirate's rescue as an unacceptable disruption.
There was, however, one Marine who reacted differently.
Kizaru had previously wanted to meet Luffy, because Rolan had said Luffy was the Warrior of Liberation they had awaited. But as an Admiral himself, he was constrained by duty. Even during his battles with the Whitebeard Pirates, his attention kept shifting to Luffy. When Akainu seized Luffy, Kizaru nearly broke ranks to intervene. Yet his position and visibility tied him down. He wanted to help, but he could not.
Akainu's voice boiled with hate as he glared at Sabo.
"Straw Hat Luffy and Ace's sworn brother? You will die here as well."
Akainu's killing intent was fierce. Whether it was Ace, Luffy, or now Sabo, all three were young, powerful, and dangerous to the Marines and World Government. Allowing any one of them to survive would threaten absolute justice, and he intended to snuff out that threat himself.
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