Sabo...
He also had a brother named Sabo, with golden hair and a constant silly grin on his face.
But his brother had died under the gunfire of the Celestial Dragons over a decade ago!!
There were so many witnesses on the scene back then, and Sabo's small boat had been reduced to ashes by the cannon fire.
How could it possibly be him!!
"No matter who you are, I won't allow you to insult him!" Ace gritted his teeth in anger.
"Enjomo (Blaze Net)!"
Both of them simultaneously halted their steps in battle, watching the scorching wall of fire rising from the middle, filled with suspicion.
Stirred by the heat wave, Teach's pupils suddenly contracted, realizing he had been too impulsive. Remembering the words he blurted out earlier, Teach inwardly cursed himself.
Fortunately, Ace was in a state of turmoil due to Sabo's appearance and didn't notice Teach's abnormality.
After waiting for two seconds, Teach, who was completely unaware, cautiously turned his head. He looked at Ace, who was walking towards him step by step with a serious expression, his gaze hidden under the brim of his hat. Nervously, Teach asked,
"Commander… Ace?"
Huff...
The flames entwining around Ace's fists almost made Teach immediately take action. But he quickly realized that Ace's target wasn't him.
"Step back, Teach. This guy is mine!"
Teach breathed a sigh of relief, considered for a moment, and realized that he only wanted to get the Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit), not necessarily defeat Sabo. So he nodded and moved to the side.
Ace was already a user of the Mera-Mera Fruit, so he wasn't worried. As long as the other party made a move to consume the Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit), he must stop them!
Naturally, the premise was to first open that box...
Blackbeard reached into his pocket and felt the lock-picking tool and a strange smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
For the past twenty years, he had been prepared to obtain the Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit) at all costs!
Locked onto by the enemy's aura, Sabo didn't take the opportunity to escape. Seeing Ace pass through the firewall, he weakly complained,
"Hey hey, an underling is already this strong. Now you're even replacing him with the famous 'Fire Fist'. Do you have to be so persistent?"
However, Sabo also knew that he had the Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit) tucked away in his pocket, and no matter who it was, they wouldn't let him go.
So he assumed a defensive stance, curling the index and middle fingers of his right hand into a claw shape at the center of his nose, ready for anything.
Creak...
This starting posture wasn't familiar, but the defensive stance of the opponent perfectly matched the movements in his memory. Ace stopped his steps, then raised his head. His eyes were filled with anger.
"Stop it, you asshole!!"
"Hiken (Fire Fist)"!!
"Hmm?" Sabo was momentarily stunned, then he didn't dare to be careless.
The renowned "Fire Fist" Ace swung his fist with all his might. The exploding flames would destroy the entire town!
Shuā!
In the next moment, the surging flames rushed through, leaving a charred mark on Mustache Town.
Above!!
Ace, who had undergone Whitebeard's special training, was now a vastly improved version of his former self. Although he hadn't delved deeply into Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki), his proficiency in Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) had grown rapidly.
He raised his head, and as expected, a black figure descended from above, right hand clawed, directly coming at him.
The fingers enveloped in Busoshoku Haki (Armament Haki) scraped against the air, emitting a piercing whistle.
"Dragon Claw!"
Ace decisively halted the release of Fire Fist, using both hands to hold up the surging flames, spinning rapidly in place.
"Enkai- Hibashira (Flame Commandment·Fire Pillar!)"
Bang!!
The towering Fire Dragon spun upwards, its terrifying heat seeming to devour everything.
But at this moment, the figure suddenly enlarged within the Fire Pillar. The Dragon Claw tore left and right, carving a path through the flames that left no gaps.
"Dragon Claw Fist·Crushed Tyranny!"
"What?!"
Boom...!!
The heavy blow landed squarely on Ace's forehead, causing the ground to tremble violently as if an earthquake had struck.
Almost everyone in the town who was engaged in battle noticed the source of the tremors. They saw the flames tearing through the sky, their eyes filled with lingering shock and astonishment.
"Somebody actually broke through 'Fire Fist' Ace's flames?!"
"When did a monster like this come to town?!"
"Quick, the Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit) must be with them!"
"Little ones, seize the opportunity now! Breakthrough and make a path!!"
After a slight astonishment, the battle continued to rage on.
On the other side, as the smoke and dust cleared, Sabo looked at his fingers, which had crushed the ground into powder before he blinked and exclaimed, "So that's how it is. Disperse the invisible, faint flames into the surrounding space, while connecting them to the body to prevent sudden attacks?"
"It seems like you've been on guard against enemy ambushes all along... No, you're rehearsing for the future, preparing for that terrifying monster with incredible speed."
Standing up, Sabo, who had swung his empty fist, didn't show much regret or anger in his eyes. If Whitebeard's Second Division commander could be easily defeated like this, it would be a blow to Whitebeard's reputation as the strongest in the world.
On the other side of the street, Ace was once again sent flying backward as if punched, but the impact was too strong to shake off, and now his whole body was embedded in the wall.
"'Soryu' Rowen! Is this the move you prepared for him?" Sabo spoke with an unquestionable tone, uttering a name that sent shivers down Teach's spine. This was the first time Teach had ever considered the Gura Gura No Mi (Tremor-Tremor Fruit) to be less than formidable!
Hua La La!
At this moment, Ace pulled himself out of the wall. His forehead was bleeding, but it wasn't serious. The blood obscured his expression, and Ace lowered his head, muttering to himself.
"It's not him..."
"Hmm? What did you say?" Sabo furrowed his brows slightly.
In response, Ace lifted his head and looked seriously at the man before him. "The Sabo I know wouldn't be so chatty and argumentative like you!"
Through that punch just now, Ace had actually confirmed one thing!
"I don't remember ever meeting you, Fire Fist!"
Sabo, with a cold expression, charged forward for another punch.
"You've had your turn. Now... it's my turn!!"
"Dragon Claw Fist!!"
Advancing a few steps, Sabo's figure suddenly turned into a black streak and instantly reached a distance of ten meters.
Bang!!
A fist smashed into the wall, and Sabo's pupils suddenly contracted.
Even though his move had a delayed acceleration to prevent the enemy from dodging, Ace still managed to evade the attack by dropping down in an ungraceful manner, hiding under his own crotch in the corner of the wall.
At the same time, he quickly got up and grabbed his right foot. After a moment of daze, he suddenly exerted force, twisting his body and slamming heavily onto the ground.
Thunk!!
"Ouch! Ace, you're playing dirty!"
On this sunny afternoon, in their seventy-second duel, the black-haired little demon, who was a few centimeters taller, dodged the water pipe swung by the golden-haired little demon, then grabbed his leg and slammed him onto the ground.
"Stop talking nonsense. The enemy doesn't care if the moves look good or if you're playing dirty! Speak up, do you admit defeat or not?"
Seizing the opportunity, the black-haired little demon sneered.
"No way!"
The golden-haired little demon shouted angrily, broke free, and turned around...
Thunk!
"How did you know I was going for a straight punch?"
At this moment, a small and a large figure merged into one.
Being punched in the stomach, Sabo spit out a large pool of blood in shock, crashing into the burning houses and falling heavily to the ground.
"You... recognize... me?"
Remembering Ace's words from earlier, a series of memories suddenly flashed in Sabo's mind.
For many years...
Who am I?
Where do I come from?
What do I want to do?
These three questions had always plagued Sabo.
He remembered his name was Sabo; The Leader told him he was found at the high district port of the Goa Kingdom in East Blue; he had no memories of the past, so he made the brutal Smash his goal.
But now, he had encountered a man who claimed to know Sabo.
"Aaaahhhhhhh!"
A sharp pain radiated through his mind, and fragments of memory appeared. Sabo saw an unfamiliar scene, a memory that didn't originally exist in his recollection.
In it, there was himself, a guy who looked similar to Ace and the guy in front of him, and a sniffling follower...
"This won't do! I can't let this go on like this!"
Teach, with a furrowed brow, watched from the side. Ace seemed to have truly recognized the person in front of him... Given Ace's straightforward and rough personality, if the conversation continued, wouldn't he just hand over the Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit)?
After spending over twenty years with them, Teach knew Whitebeard very well. While no one wanted to tarnish his reputation or consider defeat as a disgrace, even if they lost, Whitebeard wouldn't blame them.
As he said, he truly treated them like his own children, as family.
As a family, as "Pops," who would disdain the efforts of his children trying to save face for their father, even if those efforts led to failure?
"Can't wait any longer! I have to snatch the thing right away!!"
Teach gritted his teeth in frustration and cursed the troublesome guy. Suddenly, he rushed forward, swiftly approaching the screaming Sabo, who was clutching his head in pain.
"Kill!!"
"No!!!"
In the distance, Ace was left speechless by this sudden turn of events, watching in shock as Teach appeared behind Sabo, his fist thrusting, creating a spray of blood.
Bang!!!
The exploding flames melted the stone slabs and walls, the towering flames were scorching hot, but Ace's voice was as icy as coming from the depths of Hell, bone-chilling.
"Give me a reason, Teach!!"
He's not... fooling around now!!
Through that punch just now, Ace was absolutely certain of one thing.
The guy he was fighting fiercely against right now was truly Sabo!!!
Only Sabo could make him feel that familiar pain.
They had fought each other hundreds of times, were evenly matched, and knew each other best!!!
Staring into Teach's eyes, filled with furious intent, Sabo was both shocked and pleased.
Shocked that it seemed Ace really did recognize the man before him. Thankfully, Ace hadn't given them a chance to continue their conversation.
And pleased...
The Yami Yami No Mi (Dark-Dark Fruit) was within arm's reach!
"This is mine!!!"
"Hehehe! Hehehehe!!"
Teach roared, no longer caring about pretending. He fumbled inside the fallen Sabo's pocket for the metal box, simultaneously pulling out a bunch of lock-picking tools that looked like they belonged to Zhang Fei, rapidly working on the encrypted lock.
Seeing this, Ace knew exactly why Teach had ignored his command and attacked Sabo.
Filled with a strange mix of bitterness and anger, he roared.
"Teach!!!"
(End of this chapter)
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