THE STRONGEST CREATURE OF THE BEAST PIRATES

Luffy fell silent.

During the events in Saobady Archipelago, he had been overpowered by the Pacifistas and then defeated by Admiral Kizaru. He was left powerless to resist, which hit him hard.

The confident and often reckless Straw Hat Luffy was forced to confront a harsh reality: he was too weak. So weak that he couldn't even protect his friends.

"I do need to train and become stronger, but my friends…" Luffy mumbled, frustration evident in his voice.

"Your friends will understand your desire to grow stronger," Sabo reassured him. "What you don't know is that the Bartholomew Kuma who sent you and your crew flying through the air is a member of our Revolutionary Army. He was actually trying to save you."

Luffy's eyes widened in realization. The reason he had been flung so far was that Kuma was working to protect him, which eased his worry about Zoro and the others.

"Okay, if everyone is alright, I'll just need to tell them to reunite at Saobady in two years," Luffy said, feeling relieved.

Seeing that Luffy agreed to train for two years, Sabo smiled brightly. "That's great! I don't know where your crew is right now, but as soon as you make some headlines, they'll definitely find out."

"I know of a major Navy base nearby. How about we go stir up some trouble there, Luffy?"

Luffy leapt to his feet, excited. "That's perfect! It'll be just like when I was a kid! Hehehe!"

The two brothers walked out together, determined to create a ruckus at a Navy base.

"Hey, you two idiots!" Koala called after them. "This is too hasty for something so important! Dragon, aren't you going to stop them?"

Monkey D. Dragon, who had been standing calmly, nearly stumbled upon hearing Koala's words. He rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

"Koala, where did you get the idea that they're my sons?"

"Mr. Dragon, I heard it. Sabo is Luffy's brother, and Luffy is your son!"

Dragon froze, blinking in confusion. "Forget it, Koala. You should just follow them. I'm worried they'll cause too much trouble, and it might get out of hand."

"Okay!" Koala replied. She had already known that Sabo and Luffy were both a handful, and that Dragon wouldn't be able to stop them.

Punk Hazard

Meanwhile, on Punk Hazard, Rebecca was struggling to control the powers of the Dragon fruit she had accidentally consumed. She remained in the form of a pink dragon, unable to revert to her human form. She and Viola stared at each other in silence, both uncertain of what to do next.

Viola chuckled and teased, "You're already cute and beautiful as a human, but this pink dragon form is something else! Why not keep this shape? I'm sure Alastor, the one you admire, will think it's wonderful."

"Aunt!" Rebecca squeaked, embarrassed, but couldn't stop spinning in circles, unable to change back.

As Viola continued teasing, she used her Gazing Fruit ability to observe the surroundings of Punk Hazard and the surrounding seas.

She noticed a World Government warship leaving the island, guarded by agents and carrying a man with an enormous head. "Vegapunk," she muttered. "That must be him—the legendary scientist. No wonder his head is so big. It must hold hundreds of years' worth of wisdom."

Just as she was about to move on, she noticed something else: after the warship left, a submarine surfaced from the depths. The submarine bore a pirate symbol.

Viola focused on it, and as the submarine docked, several individuals in protective suits disembarked. One of them, however, wore a distinctive black suit, a white spotted round hood, and carried a slender sword.

"No doubt about it—that's Trafalgar D. Law!" she said, excited.

"Rebecca, don't worry," she added, turning to the anxious Rebecca. "I'll call Alastor, the one you admire, and ask him to help you learn how to control your powers."

"Aunt, don't! You're embarrassing me!" Rebecca protested, but it was too late.

Ignoring her protest, Viola quickly took out a Transponder Snail and dialed it. A few seconds later, a calm voice answered.

"What is it?" the voice asked.

"Alastor, I found him. Trafalgar Law is here on Punk Hazard," Viola reported.

The voice on the other end changed to one of excitement. "Has he finally shown up? Perfect! If we wait any longer, the War of the Best might start."

"Viola, stay on him. I'll be there soon!"

Meanwhile, on the shore, Trafalgar Law and his crew from the Heart Pirates were discussing their next steps.

"Bepo, do you feel like we're being watched by someone?" Law asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Captain," Bepo replied with a sheepish grin, "Do you also notice that there's a bear on the island staring at me? It's so embarrassing!"

Law facepalmed. "There's no bear, Bepo—this island is full of poisonous gas! Are you hallucinating?"

"Ah, no, Captain! Don't cut off my head!" Bepo yelled, scrambling away as the rest of the crew laughed.

"You're getting worse, Bepo!" Penguin teased. "You need treatment from the captain!"

After the banter, Penguin asked, "Captain, what are we even doing here? The poisonous gas is so thick that the people and animals on the island are probably long gone. It looks like the World Government has abandoned the place."

Trafalgar Law's expression darkened as he answered. "My goal isn't just anyone here. I came for the device that makes the Smile Fruits—the World Government may have abandoned this place, but if that device is still here, Donquixote Doflamingo won't let it go."

"Doflamingo?" Penguin asked, stunned. "That Doflamingo? The Shichibukai?"

"Bepo," Law said seriously, "I know it's dangerous, but I'm not turning back. Doflamingo is my target. If I don't take him down now, he'll keep causing harm."

The Heart Pirates exchanged uneasy glances. "Shichibukai?! Captain, we just entered the New World! This is too dangerous!"

Law looked at his crew, seeing the fear in their eyes. He didn't blame them—after all, they had only recently witnessed the power of the Shichibukai and the dangers of the New World. But he had his reasons. He'd been waiting for the chance to confront Doflamingo for personal vengeance, and nothing was going to stop him.

"Law," Bepo began, trying to calm him down, "You're not going alone, are you? What about us?"

Trafalgar Law had already made plans. He would send his crew to a safe place and would use the help of a Supernova pirate group to form an alliance against Doflamingo. He had been observing the Straw Hat Pirates, particularly Luffy. There was something intriguing about the boy—his recklessness, his potential, and the mysterious D in his name.

Little did Law know, his attention was not the only one on the Straw Hat Pirates—they were also drawing the eyes of others who would soon bring chaos upon them all.

---

Sabo, Luffy, and Koala, who had joined them, arrived on an island near a Navy base aboard a ship from the Revolutionary Army.

This base was located in the G-5 branch of the Marine Headquarters, and its significance was clear. It was an important military installation in the Grand Line. However, when Sabo looked through his binoculars, he noticed something odd. There were fewer sailors stationed outside the base than usual. In the past, the base had been heavily guarded, but now the area seemed strangely deserted.

Are they all inside? Sabo thought. No, that doesn't seem right.

As the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, Sabo was used to analyzing situations. He knew that the commander of this base was a Marine Lieutenant General, and this abnormality struck him as unusual. It didn't make sense for so many sailors to be absent.

"What's the matter, Sabo?" Luffy, who didn't sense anything wrong, asked with his usual carefree smile.

"No, nothing," Sabo replied, but his expression remained uneasy. He trusted his instincts and was deeply suspicious of the situation.

Although Koala often jokingly called Sabo an idiot, she knew very well that he was intelligent, calm in the face of danger, and an excellent strategist. Unlike Luffy, who often acted impulsively, Sabo always thought things through.

He gave Koala a look.

She understood immediately. The two had worked together for years, their bond allowing them to communicate with just a glance.

Koala whispered to the other members of the Revolutionary Army aboard the ship, and soon, several agents with flight abilities soared into the sky to investigate the situation within the base.

After a few minutes, they returned with a report.

"Master Sabo, Miss Koala, there are no Navy ambushes inside the base. It's not a trap set by the Marines."

"Thank you for your efforts. I understand." Sabo nodded, though his suspicions only deepened. If the base was mostly empty, then where had all the sailors gone? It was hard to believe they had all left to pursue pirates.

Forget it, Sabo thought, there's no point in overthinking. Let's find a Marine and ask directly.

"Luffy, let's head in," Sabo said.

"Okay! Let's start by training to get stronger by beating up these marines!" Luffy eagerly exclaimed, his fists clenched in excitement.

The group quickly made their way toward the base. However, they were surprised to find that there were very few sailors. After knocking out a dozen or so, no one else came to confront them.

"Luffy," Sabo said, grabbing the collar of a Marine colonel stationed nearby. "Where did everyone go? And what about the base commander?"

The Marine colonel, clearly terrified, trembled and started speaking in a panic. "The base commander, Virgo, was called away by Fleet Admiral Sengoku from headquarters, and all of our most elite troops were recalled as well."

"Why were they recalled?" Sabo asked, his voice tightening.

The colonel stammered nervously, but eventually managed to say, "Don't you know? It's for the execution of Fire Fist Ace, the captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' 2nd Division! Not just here, but all elite forces from every Marine base are being summoned to Marineford for the execution!"

"Wait, what?" Sabo said, stunned. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

A loud roar interrupted the moment, and suddenly, Luffy—who had been listening—grabbed the Marine colonel from Sabo, shouting at him.

"Did you just say Ace is going to be executed by the Navy?!"

The colonel froze, visibly terrified. "Y-Yes, that's what I said. What's the matter? Do you know Fire Fist Ace?"

"Ace is my brother, damn it!" Luffy shouted, his voice filled with anger and disbelief. He threw the colonel aside with great force. "Sabo, we have to rescue Ace! He's going to be executed!" Luffy's eyes were filled with fury, and his fists trembled with rage.

"Luffy…" Sabo whispered, his face going pale as he processed the shocking news. His own eyes turned red with emotion, and he nodded resolutely. "Of course we'll rescue him. We're brothers."

"I remember now," Sabo said, his voice thick with emotion. "I'm so glad you're here, Luffy. If I had remembered this later, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. We can't let Ace die."*

Koala, who had been silently listening, was confused. She didn't know the full extent of the relationship between Luffy, Sabo, and Ace. She vaguely understood that Ace was going to be executed, but didn't know that Ace was also the brother of both Luffy and Sabo.

Feeling a little lost, Koala looked at Sabo, who spoke again.

"Koala, I need you to deliver a message to Dragon. We have to rescue Ace, and I can't let the Revolutionary Army get involved in this. The Army has its own important mission right now."

Koala was taken aback, shaking her head. "No, I can't leave you to face the Navy alone. I won't let you go by yourself!"

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