Sengoku immediately looked at Garp, realizing that if Luffy had a brother, Garp, as his grandfather, would undoubtedly be aware of it.
Other Marines also turned their gaze towards Garp, although they were not as well-informed as Sengoku.
Some wondered which Vice Admiral could be Luffy's brother, while others considered the possibility of Luffy's brother being in the Red Hair Pirates since Red Hair had visited Windmill Village in the past. Additionally, Luffy's older brother, Ace, was currently a member of another Four Emperor's crew, Whitebeard.
There were also those who speculated that Luffy's brother might be with the Revolutionary Army, considering it was the territory of Luffy's father, Dragon. If Luffy's brother was Dragon's illegitimate child, it wouldn't be too surprising for him to hold a high position like a strategist.
However, Garp sighed and said, "Sabo was Luffy and Ace's sworn brother, but he died ten years ago. On the day when the Goa Kingdom welcomed the Celestial Dragons, 10-year-old Sabo happened to leave home on a boat. He was killed by the Celestial Dragons who were looking for some amusement, bombed to death. We couldn't even find his body. I only found out about this later."
Garp's words left the Marines in silence.
A ten-year-old child being killed by the Celestial Dragons just for their amusement, it was too cruel. Although they had long understood that the Celestial Dragons were a bunch of scum, hearing about this incident inevitably stirred up anger within them.
However, besides anger, they felt helpless.
Because they were the Celestial Dragons, the world nobles, the masters of the World Government. One of the Marine's duties was to protect the Celestial Dragons. If anyone dared to harm them even slightly, even an Admiral would have to intervene.
So even in the face of such a tragedy, they felt not only anger, regret, and sorrow but also helplessness because justice completely fails when dealing with the Celestial Dragons.
Sometimes they would question their own profession, but most of the time, they had to make themselves not think about these things.
Perhaps this is just life.
Sengoku furrowed his brow. These Celestial Dragons really didn't do anything worthwhile, but even as a Fleet Admiral, he had no authority to meddle in their affairs.
Now he could only hope that Vice Admiral Nezumi on the other side would choose the right answer. Unfortunately, they couldn't make a phone call to communicate the answer directly to Doberman.
...
Meanwhile, Ace also confessed this matter to the Whitebeard Pirates, which sparked their anger.
The Celestial Dragons had killed Ace's brother, which was tantamount to killing their own brother.
The enraged members of the Whitebeard Pirates wished they could go and kill that Celestial Dragon to avenge Ace's brother.
But it was just an outburst of anger in the heat of the moment.
They could sink Marine bases, but harming the Celestial Dragons was out of the question.
Whitebeard remembered that the Roger Pirates had been disbanded because they had attempted to harm the Celestial Dragons.
Touching the Celestial Dragons meant crossing the bottom line of the World Government, and it would invite a fierce counterattack from the World Government and the Marines.
Even an Emperor might not be able to withstand the consequences.
This grudge needed careful consideration.
Ace understood this as well. He had already figured it out over the years.
"This matter is my own. I don't want to involve everyone else. Besides, I've already made up my mind. If, by some chance, I discover the one responsible for Sabo's death one day, I will seek revenge for Sabo."
"I don't want to and I won't involve the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates," Ace replied.
However, Ace's words sparked discontent among the members of the Whitebeard Pirates.
"Ace, are you not treating us as your brothers? We should seek revenge together, face difficulties together. What do you think of us?"
"That's right, Ace. If you truly find your enemy, just let us know. We'll help you kill them."
"Ace's business is the business of every member of the Whitebeard Pirates. By saying that, you're treating yourself as an outsider."
...
Regardless of their protests, Ace remained firm in his decision because when he witnessed the outcome of the Summit War, he made up his mind that he wouldn't jeopardize the Whitebeard Pirates' family because of himself.
Such a thing must never happen!
However, hearing about Sabo during the live broadcast brought back memories for Ace.
Sabo, are you doing well over there? Just wait, I will avenge you!
...
Meanwhile, during the live broadcast, Luffy's expression suddenly became downcast.
Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji looked at Luffy curiously and asked, "Luffy, what's wrong? Where is your other brother? If you know, answer quickly."
However, upon seeing Luffy's expression, they had a faint sense of what the answer might be.
To see Luffy, who was always cheerful and smiling, wear such a sorrowful expression...
Perhaps there was only one truth, and that was that his brother had already passed away.
Luffy was about to speak and explain the situation to Usopp and the others when Vice Admiral Nezumi beat them to it.
Vice Admiral Nezumi was currently troubled by the possibility of unemployment. He couldn't forget the warning he had received from Vice Admiral Tsuru. If he didn't perform well, he could lose his position as a Marine Vice Admiral. He couldn't accept that, considering the substantial income he earned in this role. He had worked hard to reach this position and couldn't risk losing it over a minor issue.
However, the cunning Vice Admiral Nezumi saw a silver lining in the situation. As they say, fortune favors the bold, and sometimes misfortune can lead to fortune. While there was a risk of unemployment, there were potential benefits as well. If he could perform exceptionally well in this live broadcast, perhaps the Fleet Admiral, who was likely watching, would take notice and appreciate his skills. It might even lead to a promotion to a higher rank, such as Admiral.
Everyone knew that the rank of Vice Admiral was higher than that of Rear Admiral.
This was a rare opportunity for Vice Admiral Nezumi. When would he have another chance to be in the presence of a Fleet Admiral? This was his moment.
Vice Admiral Nezumi had been observing Luffy's expressions since he heard the question. Since Luffy was Ace's brother, he would know the answer best. So, as long as he focused on Luffy, he would get it right.
Therefore, as soon as he noticed Luffy's distressed expression, he immediately came up with the answer.
"I'll answer. The answer is: a) dead!" Vice Admiral Nezumi said confidently. While he might not be as strong as Luffy and his crew, he prided himself on his cleverness. After all, he had risen to the rank of Vice Admiral for a reason.
With Vice Admiral Nezumi preemptively answering the question, the faces of Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp immediately turned grim.
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