A faint smile touched Kenshin's lips as he watched Drake slip into a silent reverie. He closed his eyes, respecting the moment.
If he's family, then we have to save him.
Kenshin already knew the stakes. "Fire Fist" Ace, the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates who was scheduled for public execution by the World Government, was their eldest brother.
When an elder brother is in peril, the younger brothers follow, ready to die by his side. Kenshin understood Drake's heart perfectly; the weight of the situation was likely so heavy that words felt inadequate.
In that moment, Kenshin made a silent vow. In the seven days remaining, he would master the powers of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. He had to be strong enough to truly stand by Drake's side when the war began.
"Let's go. Time to head ashore." Drake stood up slowly as they approached the coastline.
Whoosh.
As soon as they stepped onto land, Drake vanished the Protector back into his system storage, keeping it ready for immediate use. Seeing the massive vessel disappear with a mere wave of Drake's hand, Kenshin's jaw dropped. What kind of trick is that? A Devil Fruit power?
"Who are you people? Where did that monster go?" A man with grayish-blue hair suddenly emerged from the treeline. He fell into a Fish-Man Karate stance, eyeing Drake and Kenshin with intense suspicion.
The moment Drake saw the man's face, he knew he had found his second brother.
Fish-Man Karate was the signature art of the residents of Fish-Man Island. This man was Hack, a high-ranking member of the Revolutionary Army and a frequent comrade-in-arms to Sabo. They must be here on a mission, Drake thought.
"Hey! I asked you a question!" Hack barked, his guard rising even higher as the two strangers remained silent.
"Hahaha... don't get the wrong idea. We aren't enemies." Drake's excitement was palpable now that he knew Sabo was within reach. "Sabo is here, isn't he? we have urgent business with him."
"How do you know that...?" Hack was stunned. Their current mission was supposed to be classified. How did these two know exactly where they were and who they were with? He bit his tongue immediately, cursing himself for essentially confirming their presence.
To avoid unnecessary conflict, Drake produced the Vivre Card. "We followed Sabo's Vivre Card all the way here. It's a matter of life and death. Please, let us see him."
"Stay here." Seeing the Vivre Card, Hack realized they were indeed looking for Sabo personally. He gave them a sharp look of warning before turning and sprinting toward a cluster of buildings in the distance.
Drake and Kenshin waited in silence. Perhaps it was the childhood memories of this body, but Drake felt a surge of uncontrollable adrenaline.
They hadn't seen each other in years. The biological connection and the flood of shared memories made his blood race. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that they were true brothers.
In his previous life, Drake had always envied the bond between the three brothers in One Piece—their absolute freedom and the unbreakable tether of brotherhood that bound them together. It was a bond so pure it defied explanation.
And now, he was a part of it.
As Drake struggled to contain his excitement, three figures emerged from the distance, walking toward them.
The man in the center had wavy blonde hair partially covered by a top hat adorned with a pair of goggles. He wore a black coat that couldn't hide the natural, understated air of nobility surrounding him.
At only twenty years old, he had already become the Chief of Staff and the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army. Sabo.
Beside him stood a beautiful woman with short, orange-yellow hair—Koala.
"You're the one who—" Sabo started to speak, but he suddenly froze. His gaze locked onto Drake's eyes, and his expression began to flicker with confusion.
"You are..."
"Sabo... you..." Drake opened his mouth, but the words died in his throat, choked back by a sudden overflow of longing and relief.
Sabo staggered, a sudden shock rippling through his frame. It was as if a thousand voices were screaming inside his head at once.
"Sabo! You're our brother!" "Sabo..." "Sabo..."
Flash after flash of small, blurred silhouettes of children appeared in his mind, calling his name over and over. Sabo fell into a state of total disorientation.
"Arrgh!" Finally, a searing, agonizing pain tore through his skull. Sabo let out a guttural cry of torment.
"That's right... we're brothers..." As the words left his lips, Sabo collapsed.
Drake lunged forward to catch him, but someone was faster. Before Drake could reach him, a dark blur scooped Sabo up and leaped dozens of feet back.
"Sabo! Sabo, what's wrong!?" Koala cried out in a panic, shaking him, but there was no response. She looked up, eyes wide with fear and confusion.
"You bastard, what did you do!?" Hack roared. He instantly regretted bringing Sabo out here. He blamed himself. "Four Thousand Tile True Punch!"
Hack launched a devastating punch toward Drake.
Drake calmly raised a palm, catching Hack's fist in mid-air. "Calm down... don't be so quick to fight."
"What did you do to Sabo!?"
Drake was about to explain when a voice cut through the tension.
"Hack... stop."
"Sabo! You're awake!" Koala cried out in relief. "Waaaah... you scared the life out of me!" She punctuated her relief by pummeling Sabo's chest a few times.
"Cough... take it easy... take it easy..." Sabo wheezed, catching his breath. He sat up slowly and looked at Drake. A soft smile broke across his face. "Drake."
"Yeah!" Drake nodded heavily, a massive weight lifting off his chest. He had been worried Sabo might be unconscious for days, which would have ruined their timeline.
"Ahahahaha!" Sabo suddenly flopped back onto the ground and erupted into a fit of wild, manic laughter, leaving Koala and Hack looking at him as if he'd lost his mind.
"Sabo... are you okay...?"
"Ahahahaha!" Drake's lips curled into a smirk, and then he, too, broke out into roaring laughter.
"Hahahaha!" Their clear, joyous laughter echoed through the air, ringing out across the coast and toward the sea.
Hack and Koala stood there in a daze, completely lost.
As the two brothers laughed toward the heavens, Kenshin allowed a small smile to form. He remembered his conversation with Drake from a few days ago.
"We're going to save our big brother?"
"Yeah," Drake had replied, his gaze deep and heavy. "Fire Fist Ace, the man the Marines are about to execute... he's my brother."
It was the first time Kenshin had seen Drake look so solemn. Then, Drake had told him the story of the four brothers. Even for a man like Kenshin, the story was a bitter pill to swallow.
Sabo, the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army. Ace, the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates. Luffy, the rising star of the new era. And now Drake.
The lineup was staggering.
In time, Kenshin thought, the world itself might change because of these four.