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•———•———•———•———•
Chapter's Events:
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"These guys are all pretty damn tough!!!"
"Haa… Haa…!!"
In the midst of the battlefield, Luffy was fighting one person after another, continuously and without rest, even for a moment of respite.
This is because the marines did not leave him any room for rest anyway.
At this moment, a new enemy appeared.
"Strawhat…!! I see your strength is as impressive as ever!" Moria shouted, harboring deep hatred towards Luffy.
"Yes… I think I will take your shadow once more, and implant it into Oars!!!"
It seems Moria wants to repeat what he did at that time once again.
"Come, my zombie minions!!!"
The nearby Marine soldiers were surprised by the appearance of pale hands emerging from underground, followed by zombies emerging one after another in a terrifying scene.
"Guahh!!"
In a moment of distraction, Luffy was stabbed by one of the strong Marine soldier.
"Luffy…!!"
Seeing this scene, Ace was filled with panic.
…
"Now, my zombies, go and capture Strawhat for me!!!" Moria ordered enthusiastically,
"This is a battlefield!! The more soldiers who die, the more zombies I can create!!! Kishishishishi!!!"
…
"Take down Strawhat!!!"
"He's the one who freed all those prisoners!!!"
In the name of justice, more Marine soldiers attacked Luffy at this moment.
"Keep at it~!!" Kizaru ordered.
"…!!"
Seeing this, Ace felt like he had to stop the situation somehow.
"Moria…!! Not that annoying guy again…!!"
Luffy was not pleased to see an old enemy he knew well on a battlefield like this.
"STAY BACK!!! LUFFY!!!" Ace shouted with all his might, urging Luffy to retreat.
•———•———•———•———•
A refreshing breeze made the green grass on the hills of Shimotsuki village dance in a beautiful scene.
In this pleasant place, Roronoa Arashi was relaxing away from the noise of the town, holding a toothpick in his mouth and clutching a new manga volume.
"Tsk... If Zoro were here right now, he wouldn't have allowed Luffy to advance in a battlefield like this alone..."
"Things would have been really fun if Zoro were here... sigh~"
"Such a war is an opportunity for my son to become stronger, especially since his greatest enemy and goal, Dracule Mihawk, is also part of this war."
"Oh, that damn Moria again...!!! Someone... make him shut up forever, it's annoying to see him."
...
Not far from where Arashi was relaxing, in his dojo, the old samurai Kozaburo was also reading the manga with a somewhat annoyed expression.
"Use a weapon, boy, you must learn to use a weapon. Fighting in a war like this without a weapon is a losing deal..."
Old Kozaburo felt sorry for Luffy, who was getting stabbed here and there while only using punches to defend himself.
"I can't imagine Luffy fighting with a sword, maybe he would use the sword by punching with it..."
Koushirou felt slightly amused at the thought of Luffy using a sword.
"I feel sorry for Ace, who sees his brother doing all this for him, while he can't do anything but watch silently."
Tsuna sighed with regret, gently stroking her bulging belly, wishing a good fate for the child inside her.
On the bright side regarding Tsuna, it seems she has finally become successfully pregnant with Kuina.
...
"It seems the sky suddenly brightened and the dark clouds disappeared... I thought a storm was coming..."
"I sent my children to the art store just in case... It's good to see the bright sun again, those strong winds didn't bode well."
"Man, you need to start reading the new volume quickly, the events will blow your little mind away!"
"Really? I just finished my backlog from yesterday, just don't spoil it, I'll buy the volume immediately!"
In the Sorbet Kingdom, scenes like these could be seen almost everywhere at the moment.
In the art store, Garp lamented the scenes where Luffy was fighting alone.
He could feel his counterpart's weakness in this war... He could also feel his conflicting emotions through his facial expressions displayed each time.
"... To watch your grandson being attacked from all directions without moving to defend him... What kind of grandfather are you?"
Dragon looked coldly at Garp, pointing to the manga scene where Luffy's blood first appeared.
"As a father, to know that your son is in such a predicament and not move to defend him... What kind of father are you?"
Garp retorted even more harshly, making Dragon feel the need to step back.
"Quiet down, gentlemen... We're in an art store, so conflict is not allowed here..."
Kuma intervened to resolve the recurring conflict between father and son.
"I understand how you feel, but this is something you can't control anyway, you can compensate by settling scores with the Marine in the next battle with them..."
Ivankov also spoke up.
...
"This..."
Back on Baterilla Island again, both Roger and Rouge were speechless at Ace's sudden outburst.
A helpless smile appeared on Roger's face when he heard what Ace said about both of them being pirates entering the sea for their own dreams.
"It's true that a true pirate sails the ocean guided by his heart... but that means if he does what his heart tells him, that's the purpose of being a pirate."
Rouge understood what Roger was trying to say, "This means that saving Ace is what his heart tells him to do, for Luffy too, isn't it?"
"That's right... even though Ace has his own adventures, and even though he has his own nakama who haven't abandoned him yet, that doesn't mean Luffy should go on his own adventure without intervening in Ace's affairs."
Roger continued with a smile, "The boy has already completed what I wanted to say."
"Because they're brothers..." saying that, Rouge wiped away a tear that formed on her smiling face.
…
•———•———•———•———•
"I shouldn't have to tell you this!!! You're a pirate, just like me!!"
"We've both sailed the ocean as our hearts guided us!!!"
"…!!!" Hearing that from Ace further intensified Garp's emotions.
Ace took a deep breath and shouted with all his might so that Luffy could hear him.
"I have my own adventure to live!!"
"I have my own Nakama!!! I don't remember asking you to interfere!!!
"Ace…" Marco was surprised by Ace's words.
"Save Ace~!!!" The pirates continued to advance on the Marine soldiers for Ace's sake.
"A weakling like you… coming to save me!!?"
"Do you really believe I'm going to forgive you for that!!? This is humiliation!!!"
"GET OUT OF HERE, LUFFY!!! WHY DID YOU COME!!?"
"Ace-san…" Jimbei felt Ace's sadness despite his words.
(Please, Luffy… Don't let me drag you into this too…!!!)
(This is my problem, not yours…!!!)
"…'CAUSE I'M YOUR BROTHER!!!" exclaimed Luffy.
("Did you know? If you exchange drinks, you can form a bond of brotherhood!)
("From today on, we are brothers!!")
In that small scene from the past, Ace remembered the moment he shared a drink with Luffy when they were kids, at that moment they truly became brothers.
"I don't give a crap about those stupid pirate rules!!!" Luffy continued to fight.
"You idiot, Luffy…" said Ace.
•———•———•———•———•
This scene left a refreshing smile on the faces of both Roger and Rouge.
Luffy taught them how to silence their stubborn-headed son in the future with just a few words.
"So, that's how Luffy and Ace became brothers... Ahaha! Wonderful..."
"I didn't think they actually shared sake, they must have had a wonderful childhood together to form such a bond."
"I look forward to seeing their story when they were little kids..."
"I do too, dear~" Rouge smiled gently, looking at the faces of young Luffy and Ace in the small flashback.
…
'CAUSE I'M YOUR BROTHER!!!
This sentence left an impression on most siblings around the world, no matter their situation or background, they all felt their hearts burning in this moment.
Especially the siblings who had done wrong things to their brothers, and in a world like the pirate world, such cases were very common.
People like them felt intense pain in their hearts whether they wanted to or not, what Luffy did for his brother, bonding over a cup of wine, left them unable to respond.
Luffy made the image of brotherhood sacred in the eyes of the readers, teaching them that judgments and rules disappear when the person you feel is truly your brother is in trouble.
'... Go, my son, do what your heart guided you to, I trust that you will become stronger after this day regardless of what happens.'
Dragon smiled to himself, keeping his thoughts to himself.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 711: He's the son of the Revolutionary Dragon!!
Chapter 712: In the Depths of Events. (Part 1)
Chapter 713: In the Depths of Events. (Part 2)
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