I do not own One Piece. All characters and arcs from the original story belongs to Eiichiro Oda. I maintain rights over OCs present in this story.
Chapter 1 - Resolution
Soft daylight filtering through the windows of the bandit's hideout was like the blaring beams from a lighthouse to the young boy who was currently laying on the hardwood floors on top of a fair layer of blankets.
His eyes fluttered open and scrunched his face from the piercing headache that began to pound at his skull. As if it wasn't enough, a deep burning pain washed over his body in his attempt to shift his limbs to see if they are still attached.
Letting loose dry hacking cough, he awakened with a groan.
"…! Luffy? Hey are you awake?" whispered one of the mountain bandits running to his side. No longer able to continue sleeping, Luffy shook head slowly trying to clear the drowsiness way from his mind.
"Hey guys! Luffy's awake!" A sudden rush of pounding footsteps roused him to sit up.
He was surrounded by the Mt. Corbo bandits who all bore on their faces various expressions of concern and relief. They asked him if he way okay and if he was hungry since the kid's notorious appetite was probably eating him up. Some pat his back and laughed ruffling his hair however the excitement was cut short once the matriarch made her appearance.
"Outta my way," said Dadan shoving the men to the side with her large body hobbling towards the waking boy. Looking her over, she too appeared heavily injured and was covered with so much bandaging wrapped around her visible limbs she almost looked like a mummy. The rest of her bandaging was hidden under her off-white buttoned blouse and green plaid pants.
Luffy hoarsely asked, "Ace...?"
She plucks her cigarette out of her mouth to exhale the smoke out then placed it back in between her teeth. "He is fine. He's sleeping right next to you in fact."
He quickly peered around to find at his right, Ace who was laying on a similar makeshift bed completely wrapped up in bandages, not unlike his own condition. Luffy's widened eyes teared up, "Ace?" His body protested from the sudden movement so he crawled that short distance and leaned over to his brother's side. The commotion soon woke Ace up when the bandits once again rejoiced that the boys and Dadan all survived and were well. As well as they could be considering the grievous burns they managed to sustain.
"Nguuh... Luffy?" Ace opened his eyes to see his brother who at first wore a worried look on his face, but upon seeing Ace waking up glaring at the daylight too, quickly changed to a bright grin with tears running and snot leaking from his nose coating his upper lip.
"AAAACE!" He cried lunging to hug his brother.
"Ouch! Stop that I still hurt!" Ace scowled, shoving him away and sat up with a grunt. Luffy sat up too, sniffling and wiped away the snot with his forearm. He watched him with his large innocent eyes. "What're you crying for? Did you think I died or something?"
"Well…" Luffy whimpered.
Ace punched his head. "Don't kill me off you idiot!" He hacked afterwards as a result of the dryness in his throat and the force of raising his voice.
"Enough arguing you brats! It's because of you two I almost died!" Dadan took a deep breath with her eyes shut and opened them to glare at the two. "Anyways, seeing as you both look like you went through hell, you are to stay here until you look decent or Garp is going to really kill me." At the last bit she muttered under her breath.
"WHAT?" They both yelled, appalled at her demand. "You can't stop us!" Challenged Ace.
"Sure I can. I can get you both tied up and forced to not move a muscle or you can be manageable boys and stay nearby so we can treat your burns. So that means no going deep into the forest where we can't find you."
Ace groaned at the pain that shot throughout his body as he struggled to get up on his feet. He glared at Dadan once he straightened up. "You're crazy if you think we are gonna have to stay here with you. I can take care of me and Luffy without your help."
"And with what are you going to treat those burns? The leaves you find in the forest? The mushrooms that you once thought were food but instead made you sick? Your judgment is not that good and you always come back to us for our medicine."
Ace carefully sat back down on his makeshift bed and crossed his arms with a huff. He couldn't think of anything better to defend himself. He was indeed bad when it came to getting medical attention. It was all trial and error. All of the bandages and salves where at Dadan's place and it worked really well. Plus, he needed to think about Luffy too. He would lie saying he's okay and try to be convincing but he always ended up complaining about a nasty cut here or a giant bruise there. Besides, they could use the help to get rid of the pain from the burns.
The boys hung their heads and sighed in defeat. Dadan made herself comfortable sitting down onto a mat that was across from where the boys had been placed.
"Well thank goodness you all made it," said Magra, "that fire was ruthless and pretty terrifying."
"I think a lot of people died in that fire." Said another one of the bandits.
"I could barely see, the smoke was so heavy in the air!"
Ace clenched his fists and leaned his head until his hair shadowed his face. He and Luffy were tricked into planting those boxes of oil and gunpowder, setting fire to the Grey Terminal. The damn Bluejam pirates they stupidly agreed to helping were bribed to do it by the nobles. A ton of people whose livelihood depended on the trash left by the nobles died last night. Why? They didn't do anything. The people who lived at the Grey Terminal were pushed out of the kingdom by those same nobles, forced to survive on their trash.
"And I know why they must have done this. Remember the newspaper you were reading a couple of days ago?" Shared Dogra, looking a Dadan.
The three sitting on the ground as well as the rest of the bandits looked at him expecting some explanation but it only took a second as Dadan remembered and her face turned into a scowl.
"That's right. The damn guests they have coming to visit."
This caught the attention of the two brothers.
"Who?" Inquired Ace. Luffy was beyond confused. He scratched his bandaged forehead and sat in silence letting them talk about whoever or whatever it was. Everyone was being so cryptic about why the fire happened.
"Actually," said Dogra with a little pension, "they are arriving to the Goa kingdom today at noon. I was planning on seeing for myself the commotion that these people talk so highly about. I can't help feeling a little curious to know what they look like."
Ace immediately stood up and clenched his fists. "Take me with you! I have to see the bastard that caused this!"
"Me too me too!" Yelled Luffy jumping up.
"WHAT did I just say?! Both of you are not going anywhere until you both can handle a single poke in your sides." She proceeded to jab a finger to their rib. They loudly complained and hissed.
It was more of a jab than a poke but it still proved her point.
"Dadan we have to go! It's because of them that the Grey Terminal was set on fire and I refuse to move on without knowing at least what those bastards look like."
"We…?" Luffy's eyes widened.
"Yea I think you deserve to know too. We were both involved and almost died in the fire so, don't get too excited."
Luffy paused then changed to look at Dadan with determination. "DADAN! YOU CAN'T STOP US. WE REALLY WANT TO KNOW."
She could be adamant too but Magra reasoned, "Dadan, they barely agreed to stay here to treat their burns, maybe if we give them this chance they would listen to us."
She hummed raising a brow and nodded her head. "Alright then, I've decided you can go with Dogra and Magra to see them."
"Yes!" they cheered.
"But when you come back you will listen to what I say until I say that you are healed!"
With the aid of the other bandits, up in a cloak to hide their bandages as best they could and set out on a trail that lead directly to the kingdom.
It was a peaceful hike down the mountain. Nothing but the sound of tree branches waving by the influence of the coastal wind and the footsteps of their feet crunching the leaves below them. Trees lined the path which allowed for more sunlight to illuminate the trail so it was easy to follow.
"Hey Ace?"
"Yea Luffy?"
"Do you think Sabo saw the fire?"
"Of course he did you idiot. The fire was massive and it was all around the gate."
The smell of smoke began to permeate in the fresh breeze.
"…He would've helped us fight blue-head and we could've gotten out of the fire sooner-"
"Would've, could've, it doesn't matter. We are okay now and Sabo had made his choice. He wanted to go back and live with his parents again."
Another pause filled the silence. Then he began again, "you think he is worried?"
"Yea… Of course he is."
The conversation had come to an end once they set foot on the Grey Terminal at the end of their trail. There was nothing left. It looked like a barren desert with the various piles of ash to the ground however there was a sense of order by the way it was swept. Its' grey color like its' namesake harbored a heavy stench of smoke and something metallic.
"Whoa," whispered Luffy. "Everything is gone… " His gaze reached all the way to the coast which held an indentation that reached almost to the center of the terminal. His brow furrows.
"Let's keep going," said Magra while patting Luffy's back, "we still have to go through the gates to reach the west docks."
Upon passing the outskirts of the walled kingdom towards central town, people were increasingly bustling towards the west docks and around a raised path that lead to High Town. The group decided to head for the edge of the docks so they followed along the raised red carpet where most people had situated themselves as well.
It was the beginning of spring and the air felt that perfect combination of a cool breeze and a warm ray of sunshine that made it perfect for travel to sail in luxury. Noon struck and the sun high in the sky shined on the massive crowd that had gathered at the docks. Excited citizens were chattering away, many had dressed up for the occasion wearing the finest fabrics and designs that exemplified their status. The royal guard of the Goa kingdom were standing by, ready to clear the way until The Guests came.
Ace, Luffy, Dogra and Magra weaved through the crowd to where the sea met the Goa kingdom's docks. Some people complained at the kids shoving since they lead the way but the excitement of the event soon quelled any and all disturbances.
...There they were.
In the distance came a ship that appeared to be a galleon with a wooden hull with brilliant white borders and tiered cobalt blue cabins decorated in gold and silver. In addition to the absurd opulence was a figurehead of a gold lion posed on a white mount wearing a crown. The foremost sail had a symbol of a cross with equal radius and the four corners topped with solid circles as well as in the middle. The boys had to squint their eyes to even look at it. It looked so fancy and clean and new… where the ship came from must have an overabundance of wealth.
Finally The Guests got close enough that the crowd began to cheer. Their excitement tangible as they watch the ship near the docks. The royal guard began to part the crowd and Ace and Luffy as well as Dogra and Magra struggled to keep their place. But then…
"Wait a minute…" said Dogara. He took out a golden collapsible binoculars.
There was another boat, a tiny sloop that was sailing towards the ship.
A few onlookers shouted, "Hey who is that?"
"Is that a kid?"
"Hey! That's my boat! He stole my fishing boat!"
"Get out of there!"
"Hey who is that? Who is everyone talking about?" Asked Ace. The boys lifted a hand above their eyes as they struggled to see who was out there.
"Wait a minute...is that Sabo?" Said Dogara.
"WHAT?" Yelled the two boys. "Lemme see!" Ace yanked the binoculars out of his hands.
Focusing the lens, a tiny sloop was indeed in the waters close to the massive ship however it had changed it's direction to move out of the way. Thanks to the binoculars, Ace was able to pick out his blue hat and blonde hair.
"Is it really Sabo!?" Luffy pulled at his brother's cloak and gave a toothy grin.
"It is! It's Sabo!" Ace was just as happy to see him sharing a grin of his own but then his face slowly fell and brows furrowed.
He was relieved to see him but at the same time confused. What was he doing out there? What happened to staying with his parents? Ace then focused on the ship next to it and a vague shape of a person dressed in white came to the side but held some kind of weapon in their hand.
An explosion spontaneously ignited a side of the tiny ship.
The crowd gasped and stood dumbstruck at the sudden destruction.
Another explosion struck the shipwreck, splintering it further into fiery chunks. Not much was left seen other than the fire kept afloat by planks of wood that had yet sunk along with the rest of the boat.
The citizens eyes were wide and their previous excitement dimmed but only for a moment. They began to shout and jump for joy with equal vigour.
Ace's arm became limp and Luffy quickly grabbed the binoculars before it fell and peered into it. The boat was engulfed by an unforgiving inferno giving no sign of hope that Sabo could have survived it. He searched the water but the debris was pushed further away by the disrupted waves. Luffy looked to his brother in paralyzed distress but his attention was directed towards The Guest who finally docked and began walking towards the gates. He looked absolutely livid with his teeth bared and back in a hunch, Ace pushed his way towards the edge of the guarded pathway.
"Whoa wait Ace, don't get too close!" Warned Magra while chasing him through the crowd.
Luffy was silent and quickly followed Ace along with Dogra to see what he was doing. They paused right behind him as he was standing at the edge of the guarded pathway.
There they were but only one stood out from the rest. He is dressed in white robes, a strange hat that appeared to be made out of glass encompassed their head and a strange hairstyle that curled up high like some kind of antenna.
The four stood there watching as The Guest made his way to central town surrounded by his own entourage of bodyguards, servants and soldiers lent from the Goa kingdom itself. However looking upon this person as he neared them was the next most disturbing thing to behold. The Guest was riding on top of a battered person who is crawling on their hands and knees in shackles, struggling to move forward with the hefty weight on his back. His skin was covered in sweat, raw knees covered in scabs and bruises from the pressure of crawling for what appeared to be a prolonged amount of time. To further take away any dignity he had left, he was wearing nothing but white shorts to protect him.
Ace, Luffy, Magra, and Dogra's attention shifted when the row of royal guards men lift their trumpets to play a short tune which blared to momentarily quiet the crowd.
On cue once the citizens became quite, the town crier with the help of transponder snails situated in the arms of some of the royal guardsmen, announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, to all nobles from across this kingdom, we are here to welcome our Guest from the Holy Land of-"
"Hurry up! Any day now! I am getting bored by the second," yelled The Guest.
Now shivering with sweat beginning to condense on his forehead, the town crier uttered his quick apologies and continued, "Here presenting us with his grace is the illustrious Celestial Dragon, Saint Jalmack!"
Once again, trumpets blare a tune this time playing the anthem of Saint Jalmack.
Ace didn't give a damn who this "Saint" is and he wasn't gonna let this bastard enter the kingdom without getting his personal welcome.
Once the man got close enough, he jumped out onto the carpet running to meet the Celestial Dragon.
"ACE!" Yelled Magra reaching out to him. Dogra in that instant held Luffy back tightly while covering his mouth to minimize catching the attention from the people standing next to them. Luffy desperately wanted to join his brother but his injuries gave Dogra the upper hand.
"JALMACK!" Called Ace. Out of curiosity, the Celestial Dragon jabs his heel onto his human mule to sneer, baffled at this child's behaviour.
"What is with children of this kingdom getting in my way?" He scowled.
"That kid out in the sea! That was my brother! YOU KILLED MY BROTHER!"
"Who?" Said Jalmack, unfazed by the obvious detest on the boy's face, "I've met many people at sea who have gotten in my way." He chuckled looking down on the boy.
"Come down and face me you coward! I'm going to kick your ass and you are going to regret ever seeing me!"
Jalmack squints his eyes, "I don't have all day so you better shut that mouth of yours or I will shut it for you. Count it generous of me." He pulls a flintlock pistol from his robe and aims it at Ace with a faint click alerting it's ammunition being set.
Two guardsmen quickly crossed their spears in front of the boy to push him back into the crowd. At the same time, Magra pushes his way through the crowd to grab Ace's arm. "Let's go Ace! We can't stay here anymore!" Pleaded Magra.
One of the agents from the other side of the Celestial Dragon, unaware of the commotion, cajoled, "Saint Jalmack, the parade is waiting for you at the gates as well."
He turns to look at the man, "Let them wait, there is a brat that's getting on my nerves..." Turning again to look back, a slight scowl grew on his face to find that the boy and the royal guardsmen to have disappeared.
Thanks to Magra's stature and strength, he managed to hold onto the struggling Ace.
"Let me go! I'm not done, I still need to punch him in his stupid face!" He growled while pounding his fists on the bandit's back.
Following closely behind was Dogra and Luffy who was also struggling to be put down. The two bandits were running for their lives as the guardsmen were chasing them them through the last of the crowd.
"Stop! In the name of the Goa Kingdom, you are all under arrest!"
They were weaving left and right from central town to the outskirts. Their breathing became labored from the lengthy sprint, on occasion looking back to see if the relentless guardsmen had paused in their chase. They continued to sprint even past the southern gate back into the Grey Terminal it was a straight sprint from there when the guardsmen finally began to slow down. They were finally within the reach of the forest's edge all they needed to do was lose them there.
"Be quiet Ace! That's enough, you said what you needed to say," said Magra between breaths.
"You too Luffy," added Dogra, "Ace is okay."
Finally entering the woods, they hopped on roots and weaved through the trees as it gradually became dense. They slowed down to a jog to look back one final time and collectively sighed seeing the royal guardsmen were nowhere to be seen. For fear of any chance the guardsmen of ever catching up, the bandits changed to a slower pace regardless of their burning legs and ragged breathing begging them to stop. The two brothers calmed down too. They stopped all kinds of twisting, punching, and yelling to be put down conceding that their struggle was becoming more pointless as they jogged further away from the west docks. Away from the that terrible, so called saint. Their trudge through the concealing woods, which had once held a constant sense of life came to a haunting stop. The coastal winds had stopped moving the branches, as a result the air felt still and maybe a little stale. It was as if Mt. Corbo too was mourning the loss of one of it's dear inhabitants. All that could be heard was the exhausted breaths from the recent escape and footsteps on dry leaves that had fallen off the lush trees. Since they knew the forest so well by living in it for years, their trek through the forest was thought out with a destination in mind. A clearing opened up and the familiar home of the bandits never looked so inviting.
Everyone's head turned when they heard the heavy footsteps of Magra and Dogra walk in with the brothers draped over their shoulders.
"Hey, they're back!"
The bandits surrounded Magra and Dogra as they put down Ace and Luffy next to the smoldering hearth but their somber expressions made everyone hush down. Dadan stepped to the forefront of the group, crossed her arms looking somber as well but to those who knew her saw resignation in her eyes and a meaningful frown as she looked at the two boys.
"What happened?"
"Well," began Dogra, "we arrived when the ship of the Celestial Dragon was near the island.'
"The crowd was cheering, all excited to see them visiting," added Magra.
"Then, for some reason, we see a small ship that was sailing near the path of the Celestial Dragon-"
"We don't know why but the boat was destroyed and-"
"Sabo was killed." Finished Ace and raised his head.
Everyone's eyes had widened from the news except Dadan. Instead her head was slowly shaking and continued to observe the boys.
Luffy's head was still down with his hat casting a shadow over his face but, his shuddering shoulders and quiet sob was doing little to hold himself strong.
Ace continued, "Sabo died and he was killed by Jalmack."
Dadan says, "Jalmack… Saint Jalmack, am I right? Of course. There is not a single day that goes by without a Celestial Dragon killing a loved one."
"He cannot get away with this!"
"He can do whatever he wants," she said sternly
"Dadan!...I'm going back. I'm going to kill him myself."
At the blink of an eye she grabs the back of Ace's head and smashes his face onto the floor. Everyone is jumping back at the sudden attack by their bandit leader. Luffy flinched, his barely contained sobbing started bubbling out.
Dadan unaware yelled at Ace, "He wasn't the one that killed your brother! What good will it do to kill the degenerate? It was the world government that did it! All you would be doing is getting yourself killed!"
In his rage, Ace slammed his fist onto the ground and thankfully with face implanted into the floorboards hid his own budding tears. However, the tragedy and ongoing argument about the event opened the floodgates for Luffy.
With his eyes tightly shut, he took a raspy breath before shouting, "SABO IS DEAD!"
A subtle yet powerful chill spread throughout the room causing everyone to pause and observe the child. His eyes were red and teeth clenched in an ongoing effort to keep a hold of himself even futilely now. His fists were tightly curled to stop his shivering body but it was no use. No use, helpless, just like how he was feeling in that moment, and he abhorred it.
"Sabo…!" He dragged a forearm under his nose to wipe his snot away. "He wasn't happy…!" he cried.
He finally allowed himself to wail his lungs out. It was too much for the child to see his brother so suddenly perish in a fiery explosion by one despicable man. A man that was decidedly untouchable by world government rule.
Ace shoved Dadan away and stomped out of the home.
"Ace! You are not leaving this forest!"
"I'm not going back!" He snarled, stepping past the threshold.
"Magra, take three of the others with you and tie him up. I don't trust him not to do anything stupid."
Luffy was too paralyzed with grief to follow his brother. Instead he collapsed onto his knees before laying on the ground from the pressure of the day's events. The bandits pushed through their slight daze and crowded around him trying console him while Dogra picked him up. His shivering body was placed back onto his sleeping mat to let him tire himself out.
Once the boy's sobbing came to a halt, replaced by quiet breathing, the bandits sighed in relief. The strange chill that overtook the room finally had subsided allowing everyone to shake it off. Dadan pinched the bridge of her nose to try forcing away the enduring headache since morning.
She began, "The sun is almost down, so finish the last of the errands then we are done for the day, is that clear for everyone?"
All the bandits nodded their heads while some whispered their affirmation being mindful of the sleeping child.
"Good. Now get to it."
Everyone scattered except Dogra who stepped forward to stand next to her.
"I'm not their mother Dogra but, I can't help feeling a little guilty for letting them go see those son-of-a-bitches. Tragedy always happens wherever they appear, it's like a running joke with them."
"I understand Dadan but, you know these boys are strong, they will pull through soon enough."
"God I hope so. I'm too young for this crap."
Dogra snorted but immediately straightened when Dadan whips her head to glare at him.
"Did I say something funny?"
"Oh no, no," he said shaking his head.
"Humph. Then get the get the bandages and salve, it's starting to smell."
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Luffy was lying face down on the ground with his hat pulled over his head and fists gripped so tightly on the poor brim of his precious straw hat it was contorting around his fingers. His shoulders again shivered. Ace quietly walked to stand next to him, folding a letter to which he then shoves into his shorts pocket.
They were currently standing on top of a cliff that overlooked the ocean. The sun was shining bright and a calm sea breeze combed past to the trees behind them. The faint sound of waves crashing to the side of the cliff filled the silence.
Ace began, "so all the treasure that we collected with Sabo is lost. He couldn't even use it in the end when he said he was gonna be a pirate but… whatever… I don't care anymore. What's the point in hoarding treasure when you can't even protect it… "
Another pause. Nobody made a move but the silence was infuriating. Ace maintained a stoic expression, staring straight into the horizon, letting the wind tousle his hair.
He glanced at Luffy. "How long are you going to lie there like that?"
A sniffle escapes Luffy. "Ace, I… I want to get stronger!"
Ace gazes across the vast sea without focusing on anything in particular.
"I wanna get stronger and stronger," Luffy's voice picked up force, "and stronger and strongerandstrongerandastronger a-and stronger! So strong! I'll be able to protect anything and no one will have to die so…" he shifts his head to look at his brother, "even you Ace." He sniffles again with a shuddering intake of air. "Please, don't you die too Ace!"
In a split second, Ace turned and slammed his fist onto Luffy's head. "Listen up, Luffy! I'm not going to die! That's a promise, and don't you forget it! You should worry about yourself, you're way weaker than me!"
He stood glaring down at his younger brother when a memory pops up recollecting what happened with the fight against Bluejam. That's right. The night when they faced off against the pirate captain with Dadan. His shoulders drooped but then turned back to staring at the calm sea.
"But… you fought really hard too." Ace sighed, crossing his arms.
Luffy wasn't quite ready to face him so his hat continued to shade his eyes but he sat up, hugging his legs to his torso curious to understand what Ace brought up.
"When Bluejam had us caught in that ring of fire, you were able to weasel away from that pirate who swiped at you with his sword. Then -for some reason when everyone passed out- he was caught off guard and you ran in giving him a damn good kick in the nuts." Ace smirked. Luffy snorted too remembering that attack.
"It gave us enough time to get a good hit on him and let us escape sooner. Though don't let that victory go to your head! Your still my weak little brother. You passed out when we finally defeated him."
"Yeah yeah…" He muttered. Luffy pouted but Ace's words made all the difference. His tears had subsided enough that allowed a calm for once to pass through them.
"Sabo made me promise to look after you and continue your training so that's what I'm gonna do so prepare yourself." Ace dug into his pocket and pulled out the letter he had read earlier.
Luffy turned his head for Ace to discover a reaction that was not expected of the boy. Although his eyes were red and puffy and his nose in a similar state, he grimaced. "You are gonna teach me? By yourself?" he whined.
"Hey! What's that attitude for!? I've trained you!"
"Yea but all you do is pick on me! Sabo would say 'good job' when I did something right." he said reminiscing.
"Ugh do you want me to help you or not? You said you want to get stronger, right?"
He nodded.
"You want to be able to throw a punch harder than a pistol?"
He nodded more enthusiastically.
"You want to someday get stronger than me?"
He nodded so vigorously that his hat sat crooked on his head.
"Well then you just gotta listen to me then. Besides, Sabo gave me some tips on how to train you to actually fight better. Good thing too because we have to rely on each other more."
"What!? Really!?" Luffy's eyes became starry eyed at this opportunity and bloomed a grin that was so missed by friends and family. Ace even smiled a little seeing as his little brother was starting to leave that awful mood and become himself again. Finally Luffy is gonna really, truly become stronger so that he can fulfill his dream and be able to defend everyone.
"We'll staaaaart," Ace taps a finger on his chin, tilting his head, "hmmm tomorrow. I'm kinda tired from yesterday still and I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat."
Promptly a mighty growl came from their stomach and they both placed a hand over their belly. Just the thought of a hefty meal made their mouth water after skipping breakfast so with a big smile, Luffy stood up and chased after Ace into the forest.
This was the beginning of Luffy's journey to become the strongest person in the world and to earn the coveted title of the Pirate King.
Feel free to leave a comment! I would love to read your thoughts on this chapter but remember: Keep it civil.
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