One Piece: Initially tricked into joining the Marines by Garp

Chapter 209 Sabo's Appearance

Startled, Luo Xia quickly took a few steps back and chuckled awkwardly, "It was just a joke, don't be angry." Zhiyuan snorted and ignored him.

On the field, the battle between Luffy and Chinjao has entered a heated phase.

Green Pepper's aura grew increasingly fierce.

"Hmph, he's just that bastard Garp's grandson, yet he managed to fight me to a standstill."

Luffy didn't care at all, and the next second he dodged Chinjao's thick fist.

In an instant, Luffy teleported to the sky, and his arm swelled up to the size of a fist, just like a giant's. At the same time, jet-black Armament Haki enveloped his entire arm.

Seeing this, Green Pepper immediately charged forward, and the two men's fists collided with their heads, creating a huge shockwave.

Luffy neither dodged nor avoided the punch, which landed squarely on Green Pepper's head.

The punch landed squarely on the green pepper.

The two remained locked in a stalemate in mid-air, neither seemingly willing to give in, but only the two of them knew who was about to give way.

The two were locked in a stalemate for several minutes when Green Pepper, exhausted, crashed down onto the arena below. At the same time, his gourd-shaped head was suddenly shaped into a cone by Luffy's fist.

This change startled even the host, Gaz.

As the green pepper crashed heavily to the ground, the host immediately checked on its condition, confirming that it had completely fainted.

The host's excited voice reached the ears of everyone present.

"Whoosh! Congratulations to our Area A winner! He is none other than Lucy!"

Luffy raised his hands high, grinning happily.

Bartolomeo was so excited that tears welled up in his eyes, and Ace breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, watching from afar, Rorschach and the others laughed even louder, "See? I told you my grandson wouldn't lose."

Gion shook his head, marveling at Luffy's limitless potential.

In a corner of the bullfighting arena's spectator area, a man with blond hair, wearing a blue magician's hat and a cloak, narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled warmly.

The man was Sabo, who thought to himself, "Luffy is getting stronger and stronger."

At this moment, the arena staff quickly cleared the field, preparing for the next round of matches.

Just then, Lao Cai, supporting Qingjiao, blocked Luffy's path.

Luffy frowned and was about to speak when Chinjao said, "Straw Hat Kid, I've decided to stop hating Garp, and I've decided to bring the Happo Navy under your command. What do you think?"

Luffy frowned and then shook his head. "I don't want any underlings. But, Uncle, your head has become so pointy."

Speaking of this green pepper, he couldn't hide his excitement. He touched his pointed, cone-like head and said with a smile, "I have to thank you for this. It was because of this battle with you that I was finally able to bring out all my things."

Luffy simply nodded and didn't say anything more. Then, he excitedly jumped off the stage and ran towards where Ace was.

However, Luffy didn't make a fuss about this matter; he knew the seriousness of it.

Luffy approached Ace and said with a smile, "Ace, I won!"

Ace smiled and nodded. "Well done, Luffy."

Bartolomeo looked at Ace curiously, somewhat puzzled, "Hmm? You actually have the same name as Luffy's older brother?"

Why does Luffy-senpai call you Ace?

"I remember that Luffy's older brother's name was also Ace?"

Ace glanced at Bartolomeo, smiled, and said nothing.

Luffy scratched his head and quickly changed the subject, saying, "There are still a lot of interesting matches to come."

"But I will definitely get my hands on the Flame-Flame Fruit!"

Just as Ace was about to chime in, a faint voice reached their ears, "No, the Flame-Flame Fruit will not be given to you."

Upon hearing this, Bartolomeo was immediately displeased. As a die-hard fan of Luffy, how could he tolerate anyone who contradicted Luffy appearing in front of them?

Just as Bartolomeo was about to push the man away, he felt a tremendous force coming at him, and his body was pushed so hard that he fell towards the wooden box next to him.

Dust and smoke immediately rose up.

Luffy retorted, displeased, "Who exactly are you?"

"The Flame-Flame Fruit is mine!"

Sabo, wearing a hat, chuckled. "No, you should call me—brother, Luffy."

"What? What brother? My only brothers are Ace and the one who died long ago..."

At this point, Luffy's eyes widened.

Not only was Luffy shocked, but even Ace, who was wearing a mask, felt his heart skip a beat. The two of them stared intently at Sabo, who was wearing a hat, in front of them.

Under their gazes, Sabo slowly removed his hat, revealing a face that resembled Ace's yet was different.

Luffy's eyes widened as memories flooded back.

"Sabo? You're still alive?" Luffy's voice trembled.

Sabo's eyes reddened, and he nodded. "Back then, I was saved by Dragon, and I've been working hard to become stronger with the Revolutionary Army ever since."

"However, I hadn't been able to recover my memories until I saw the news of Ace's death in the newspaper, which brought back my memories."

Luffy rushed forward and hugged Sabo tightly, tears streaming down his face. "Thank goodness, Sabo, you're still alive."

Bartolomeo watched in stunned silence, only recovering after a long while. "So Luffy-senpai really does have another brother."

Sabo looked at Luffy and said earnestly, "Luffy, I'm sorry I couldn't come back sooner."

Luffy choked back a sob. "As long as you're alive, that's all that matters."

Upon seeing the two embracing tightly, Ace couldn't help but recall what Rorschach had said.

"You can take off your mask if necessary."

Ace stared intently at the two of them. "Could it be that Boss already discovered Sabo?"

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Ace grinned and snapped his fingers, instantly engulfing Sabo and Luffy in flames.

Sabo originally wanted to make a move, but he sensed that the flames enveloping him had no temperature, so he figured the person meant no harm and refrained from attacking.

Moreover, this person was standing with his younger brother, so they must have a very good relationship.

As Ace led Sabo and Luffy to a corner, he extinguished the flames and grinned, saying, "Sabo, right? Don't be surprised by what happens next."

"If you are surprised, please cover your mouth and don't make a sound."

Sabo frowned, about to speak, when Luffy pulled him back.

At this moment, Luffy stopped sobbing, his eyes fixed on Ace, a hint of expectation on his face.

It must have been a long time since he'd seen Ace's face.