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"What do you think of this scenario?""I think it makes sense... There's no better time or reason for him to awaken this power."
"So, you weren't surprised?"
"Oh, I was definitely surprised, but not too much. Wahaha! After all, he's my son."
"Wahaha! Still, it's funny to see him at this size and wielding such power!"
"Even I didn't awaken it at his age."
At that moment, everyone inside the art store in Baterilla was left speechless by the scene that unfolded in the manga. Of course, the exception was Roger and his crew, who admired the scene instead of being shocked.
How could they not? They were used to surprises. Something like this wasn't shocking to them—it seemed only logical.
'Ace... it seems at this particular point in your life, you realized you've gained people who truly love you for who you are...'
Roger smiled as he watched the manga scenes unfold.
...
•———•———•———•———•
Chapter's Events:
—————————
"That's right!! All Sabo ever wanted was to be free!!!"
Luffy bit the pirate who had grabbed him as he shouted those words.
"Aaghhhhh!! Damn brat…!!!"
The pirate screamed in pain, quickly drawing his sword in anger and slashing at Luffy.
"Luffy!!" Seeing this, Ace couldn't hold back.
"I'll kill you…!" The pirate wasn't satisfied with just striking Luffy; he was ready to deliver a killing blow.
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH LUFFY!!!!"
In that critical moment, a mysterious force erupted from Ace, knocking out the pirate who intended to slaughter Luffy and the rest of the surrounding pirates, except for Bluejam, who stood shocked as his entire crew collapsed.
"What did you just do, you filthy little urchin?!!!" Bluejam pressed down on Ace with his foot, screaming, and pulled out his gun.
"Ace?!!! Stop!" Luffy felt terrified because Bluejam was really about to kill Ace.
But before he could pull the trigger, a sudden powerful attack came out of nowhere. Though unexpected, Bluejam managed to block the axe with his sword.
"Give it up already, you stinking pirate!!! Get your hands off our Ace!!!"
Dadan shouted after knocking Bluejam away from Ace.
"Dadan…!!!" Luffy was stunned to see Dadan and her gang at that moment.
"What are you all doing here?!!!"
•———•———•———•———•
Dadan sat there in a secluded corner of the relaxation area at the art store in Amazon Lily.
Saying she was embarrassed to return to Foosha was nonsense; the truth was she had gotten completely absorbed in the details of this volume, not wanting to take her eyes off it for even a second.
"That's my boy…" Watching Ace unknowingly unleash his Conqueror's Haki at the crucial moment to save Luffy from certain death, a wide smile appeared on Dadan's face.
"This... as expected from myself!" Yet her eyes filled with tears the moment her counterpart appeared and saved Ace from death in turn.
"I won't let you harm our Ace!" She clenched her delicate hand into a fist as she reacted to the chapter's events as if she were part of that nightmarish moment in the manga!
"Huh!? Why run away right after saving them? Isn't that just Bluejam? Why fear him? No, maybe it's because of the flames surrounding the battlefield, right?"
Watching Dadan attempt to flee after rescuing Luffy and Ace, Dadan realized it wasn't the time for delays in such situations.
"But Ace wouldn't run from a fight no matter the reason, would he?"
She smiled when she saw her prediction come true, her grin widening as Dadan decided to stay back with Ace to fight Bluejam as well.
...
"So, this is when the kid first awakened this power, Buwahaha! Who would've thought that the scene from the Summit War had a mirrored history too."
In the Kingdom of Sorbet, after Dragon left, Garp was in charge at the moment. Watching the current events, Garp felt the development was fitting.
"Hiihaaw! I thought Dragon-san would be the one to step in and save Luffy and Ace... and wipe out the arrogant Bluejam…!"
Ivankov felt disappointed that Dadan's bandits were the ones to intervene instead of the Revolutionary Army personally!
Especially since they weren't far from the scene.
"Let me tell you something… Dragon could sense it, and he could have intervened at any moment, but he chose not to because he felt it wasn't his place to interfere."
Garp spoke seriously, confident in his judgment.
"After this event, the two boys will grow into mighty forces... It's moments like these that turn boys into men. Fighting real pirates at such a young age—this is an opportunity they couldn't afford to miss."
Garp added.
"So, did he feel Ace's Conqueror's Haki?" asked Bonney, tilting her small head in confusion.
"Wahaha! Absolutely!"
...
•———•———•———•———•
"You... you're the boss of those ruffians from Mount Colbo...!" Bluejam recognized Dadan.
"I'm Dadan the Bandit!! And for better or worse… I happen to be the guardian of these brats!"
Dadan sounded confident, but in the next moment, she activated Usopp-mode.
"...Now then... RUN FOR IT!!!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, Boss!!" One of the bandits grabbed Luffy, while another reached for Ace to pull him back.
"Hurry up, Ace!!!"
But Ace stopped him. "I won't run!!!"
His eyes were locked onto Bluejam.
...
...
"Men... You take Luffy and go on ahead," Dadan said.
"Boss?!" Her men were shocked.
"I'll take full responsibility for Ace and make sure he gets back safe and sound!!!" she said.
"Now go!!!"
"Y-Yes, Boss!!"
"You'd better be coming back, Boss, you hear me?!"
...
"A woman and a child." Bluejam sneered, realizing his end would be even more pathetic than he had imagined.
"If you start getting overconfident just because you're a little handy in a fight, you could end up a bloody mess."
"The only people who survive on the battlefield are the strong and the cowards."
"The brave meet with early deaths... That's just how this world works...!!"
Those were Bluejam's words to the pair.
•———•———•———•———•
"It's comforting to see my son isn't fighting alone."
In Baterilla, Rouge felt a sense of relief seeing Ace stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Dadan against Bluejam.
At least he wasn't fighting alone, she thought.
"But... the words of that filthy pirate have some truth to them..."
Honestly, she didn't like her son's reckless nature, and his refusal to back down from a confrontation no matter the situation.
"In such a position, acting wisely would be safer. The flames surround the battlefield, and only Dadan knows a safe path to retreat, but that path won't last long if you delay your fight with this man..."
Rouge sighed as she moved on to the next scenes.
"This...!"
Her eyes widened in shock as she saw what happened next... From the sky, a mysterious force descended, parting the sea of flames and creating a path for those who had lost hope, surrounded by fire from all sides.
"That's why this power exists... to save people from the depths of despair..."
"Is this what the Revolutionary Army stands for...?"
...
Inside the art store in Green Terminal, an inconspicuous man sat sweating in the corner.
He appeared to be a man in his thirties... Before the era of manga, he had lived in the Gray Terminal as a rising pirate.
But when the art store first appeared, he blended in with the homeless and hungry people, receiving shelter and food from the store. Over time, he abandoned the idea of becoming a pirate and completely gave up his wicked thoughts.
With the rapid prosperity of the Green Terminal, he soon found a stable job, started a family, and began living happily.
But when he thought today would be just another great day because of the latest volume, he was hit hard when he saw a completely different version of himself.
It was Bluejam, the pirate who once dreamed of becoming a noble, even if it meant sacrificing everything.
The reason for his sweating now was the fear that someone might connect him to his manga counterpart.
"Damn it! Why won't you just die already? I hope Ace manages to tear you apart!"
Bluejam became the first character in history to want his own counterpart in the manga to die!
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 799: The Revolutionary Army!
Chapter 800: The Celestial Dragon Destroys Sabo's Ship!
Chapter 801: Sabo's Letter.
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