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For Luffy and Ace, the news of Sabo's death struck like a bolt of lightning, much like the Dragon's wrath that befell the nobles of Goa Kingdom.
This is what every manga reader witnessed at that moment. Ace's outburst after hearing the news was expected, as was his desire to kill the culprit and avenge Sabo.
But what was unexpected was Dadan's equally intense reaction, as she prevented Ace from doing something reckless.
Meanwhile, Dadan remained in the same place, at Amazon Lily, her response to the grim turn of events was also expected—her heart ached deeply with sorrow.
"Sabo… Why did the author have to kill Sabo so early? It would have been great if this third brother had stayed alive…"
Dadan couldn't control her tears and could only keep wiping them away again and again.
Despite the bitter scenes and the shocking event of Sabo's death, Dadan's crucial role in the manga, stopping Ace from doing anything foolish, was actually a source of pride for her.
…
"I feel so sad for Luffy… He experienced the loss of a brother at such a young age, and years later, he had to relive that same pain with Ace too… Luffy's life in the manga is pure tragedy."
Little Hancock wiped her tears as she spoke, her eyes reflecting the image of young Luffy crying after receiving the devastating news.
"That's true… It seems fate took both of Luffy's older brothers. What a terrible storyline… It's truly disheartening."
Even Gloriosa felt the weight of this tragic turn of events.
"Who would've thought that behind that big smile, there was such deep suffering?"
Shakky blew out a thick cloud of smoke from her cigarette as she reflected on Luffy's past.
"But why are we jumping to conclusions, everyone? We haven't confirmed if Sabo is really dead yet."
Shakky narrowed her eyes after saying this.
"Considering Dragon and his Revolutionary Army were there, along with Sabo's previous encounter with Dragon, I don't think Sabo is just a passing character in the story with his ambition and personality… I see limitless potential in him. A noble who will bring down the nobles—what an amazing character he'll become as he grows."
A wider smile spread across Shakky's face as she imagined such a scenario.
"But Aunt Shakky, that doesn't explain many things… For example, Sabo didn't appear at Marineford to save Ace. It's impossible he would miss such a critical event if he were still alive."
"That's definitely strange, but there could be many reasons why he didn't show up in the first place."
"I don't know. I just have this feeling that he's still alive, and I truly hope so. It would be a great comfort for Luffy."
Shakky smiled sadly as she looked forward to the next chapter's events.
At that moment, a letter arrived for Ace and Luffy.
…
•———•———•———•———•
Chapter's Events:
—————————
"Have you calmed down yet, Ace?" The next morning, Dadan and her gang went out to check on Ace, who was tied tightly to a tree to prevent him from doing anything rash.
"…Where's Luffy?" The first thing Ace asked about was Luffy.
"He spent the whole night crying… He's asleep now." Dadan briefly described Luffy's state.
"Boss!! This letter just arrived…!" At that moment, Dogura rushed over with a letter signed by Sabo.
"It's from Sabo…!!"
"It looks like he sent a letter… right before he set out to sea!"
"What?!" Ace, shocked, shouted: "Give it to me…!! I swear I won't go into the town… That letter's for us, right?!"
Hearing that, Dogura untied Ace and handed him the letter.
Ace began to read it:
["Ace, Luffy… You weren't hurt in the fire, were you? I'm worried about you, but I have faith that you're all right."]
Ace unfolded the rest of the letter to continue reading.
["I feel a bit bad telling you this, but by the time you read this letter, I'll already be out at sea."]
["Things turned out this way, and it looks like I'll be setting sail ahead of you guys. As for where I'm going… Anywhere outside of this country is fine by me. Once I arrive, I'll get stronger and become a real pirate."]
["Once the three of us have become pirates, with more freedom than anyone else in the world, let's meet again someday. Somewhere out there, in the wide, open sea, I know I'll see you both again!!"]
Ace stood on the hill overlooking the sea where they had made their promises together once.
He continued to cry, tears pouring from his eyes.
["One more thing, Ace. I wonder which one of us is the oldest? It's a bit strange to have two older brothers and one younger brother, but this bond is my greatest treasure."]
["Luffy may still be weak and a bit of a crybaby, but he's our little brother. Take care of him for me."]
The tears Ace had been holding back since the previous day finally fell into the sea at that moment.
•———•———•———•———•
Baterilla:
As Ace read Sabo's letter, Rouge was also reading it intently.
"It turns out they know how to read and write. Did Garp teach them? Or maybe it was Makino?"
Rouge wiped the remaining tears from her eyes, feeling that Sabo wasn't dead, that he was still alive somewhere, or maybe it was just a fleeting hope.
When she mentioned reading and writing, she was referring to Ace, because Sabo, being from a noble background, had obviously learned these skills from a young age under the supervision of his biological parents.
But Ace, who knew how to read the letter, hadn't lived in the same conditions as Sabo since childhood, so someone must have taught him—and it certainly wasn't Dadan or her gang.
Rouge let go of this line of thinking, as she became immersed in the details of the next chapter.
The title of the chapter was 'Efforts Toward Glory' and it was filled with emotional moments.
Rouge experienced many emotional swings while reading this chapter.
…
In the South Blue, this time at the headquarters of the Revolutionary Army:
"What's the matter, Iva-chan?"
Inazuma, who saw Ivankov crying, was curious.
"It's nothing, just something got in my eye…" Ivankov lied, feeling saddened by what happened with Sabo.
"It's all because of those damn Celestial Dragons, the scourge of this world!"
"They always ruin good stories with their presence."
Crocodile's hatred for the Celestial Dragons grew stronger than ever.
"This level of maturity from this boy terrifies me… I hope he stays alive somehow. I want him in the Revolutionary Army."
Dragon, who had just finished cleaning up his homeland and returned as if he had only gone to the bathroom, was fascinated by how mature the boy named Sabo was.
He was a mere 10 years old, yet he was as mature as an adult. This was exactly the type of person Dragon was looking for to join the Revolutionary Army.
"Buwahaha!! Well, well, what an exciting twist in the story."
For some reason, Garp was far ahead in the plot, and it seemed like he had noticed something interesting.
…
'I want to get stronger so I can protect everything.'
These words were said by Luffy to Ace after Sabo's death.
'Don't you ever die, Ace…!!!'
Luffy also said this while crying, not wanting to lose another brother.
All these scenes caused a lump in the throats of readers at Ohara's Art Store. It turned out that young Luffy had already predicted the future.
"This isn't a prediction of the future, it's a refusal to accept a future without his brother… isn't that closer to the truth?"
"Sadly, it seems he didn't become strong enough to protect everything…"
"Now I understand why Luffy is hysterical before diving into his memories."
"In the end, Ace also died… This is heartbreaking."
"I hope Sabo isn't dead. His ship was destroyed, and his hat burned, but that's all we've seen…"
"Maybe someone will save him, that's what I mean…"
"I hope so too…"
Reader morale was at an all-time low, as it seemed the author had become addicted to crushing their spirits recently.
No one expected that Luffy, as a child, would witness the death of his first brother, and years later, he would witness the death of his second brother… It was a true tragedy for Luffy.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 802: Ace Sets Sail for the First Time.
Chapter 803: Luffy Sets Sail for the First Time.
Chapter 804: Dadan and Garp
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