Meanwhile, Sabo and Ace headed toward the castle where Luffy and the others were staying to treat Nami. The cold air of Drum Island bit into their skin, but neither of them paid it much attention as they walked side by side.
But Ace who saw Sabo condition decided to melt the ice and make the temperature become warmer. Furthermore it could fasten their movement, when the ground are solid instead of walking on a big layer of snow.
"Thanks," said Sabo.
"No problem," smiled Ace.
They continue walking towards the castle but before they arrived at Luffy location.
"Jack… that man is dangerous," Ace said suddenly, his tone become serious. What happened between Garp and Jack was something that he couldn't forget, the brief clash he had witnessed earlier touched something on his heart.
Sabo nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I know. Luckily for us, he's standing on our little brother side." A faint smile tugged at his lips. "If he weren't, things would've gotten messy real fast."
Ace let out a quiet hum. After a moment, he asked, "Do you really think Luffy can become Pirate King?"
Sabo didn't hesitate. "Yeah. Absolutely." He glanced sideways at Ace, then smirked. "Unlike you, who suddenly changed your dream and wanted your adopted father to become Pirate King instead."
Ace bristled. "Oi! That's not what I.... " while forming a fist towards Sabo.
Before he could finish, Sabo Observation Haki flared. He sensed it instantly a punch flying straight toward his face. Instead of panicking, Sabo grinned, shifted his body, and dodged with ease. In the same motion, he countered with a sharp punch of his own.
Ace barely managed to block it in time, skidding back a step.
"Oh?" Sabo teased. "You've gotten weaker."
"Shut up!" Ace snapped. "That's only because Gramps beat me into the ground earlier!"
Sabo burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! Excuses already?" He clenched his fist, Armament Haki coating his hand. "Alright then..... take this!"
Their fists collided again and again, the sound of impact echoing. Neither was going all out, but each strike carried a very heavy pack, testing their reflexes, timing, and strength.
Ace grinned despite himself slighly being pushed back. "You've grown stronger," he admitted.
Sabo shrugged casually, deflecting another punch. "And you've gotten dull. I'm not even using ten percent of my strength."
"Tch… liar," Ace muttered, though the smile on his face betrayed his excitement.
The two brothers continued forward, fists flying, laughter and rivalry mixing freely just like old times.
Their sparring continued as they moved closer to the castle grounds. Punch after punch was thrown, blocked, dodged, and countered.
They did this until they arrived at location where Ace have not yet melted the snow. Snow flew everywhere, their footprints carving messy trails into the white ground. At first it was playful, testing, teasing but soon both of them started breathing heavier, their movements slowing just a little.
Ace swung again, but his fist was a fraction slower this time. Sabo caught it easily and tried to counter, only to stumble forward instead.
"Oi... watch it!" Ace laughed, but his knees suddenly buckled.
Both of them collapsed almost at the same time, landing flat on their backs in the snow.
"Haa… haa…" Ace panted, staring up at the gray sky. "Damn… you really don't know when to stop."
Sabo laughed weakly beside him, chest rising and falling. "Says the guy who kept swinging even after missing three times in a row."
Snowflakes drifted down between them. For a moment, neither spoke. The sound of their breathing and the distant wind filled the silence.
Then Ace turned his head slightly, looking at Sabo. His usual grin softened.
"…I'm really glad," Ace said quietly.
Sabo blinked and glanced back at him. "Glad about what?"
"That you're alive," Ace replied honestly. "When I saw your face in the newspaper… I didn't know whether to laugh or cry." He clenched his fist against the snow. "We really thought you were gone."
Sabo expression changed. The teasing smile faded, replaced by something warm and sincere. "Yeah… I'm sorry about that. Losing my memories didn't mean I stopped being your brother."
Ace snorted, eyes stinging just a little. "Idiot. You better not disappear again."
Sabo smiled, closing his eyes. "Same goes for you."
Side by side, exhausted but at peace, the two brothers lay there for a while not as pirates or revolutionaries, but simply as family reunited at last.
***
"Are you two ready, Dorry? Broggy?" Jack asked, standing a short distance away while adjusting the device in his hand.
The two giants looked down at him, earlier Jack had told them to stand outside the shrinking perimeter of going merry
"Yeah, we're ready," Dorry answered confidently, crossing his thick arms.
Broggy nodded as well, though his expression was slightly conflicted. "But… isn't being big better?" he asked. "Giants are meant to be giants, after all."
Jack chuckled softly. "That's true... when you're towering over humans, being big gives you an advantage. Strength, intimidation, reach. But think back to when you were temporarily shrunk aboard going merry."
Dorry tilted his head, memories resurfacing. Broggy did the same.
"Sanji cooking," Jack continued. "You both said it tasted incredible and add as much as you want. But if you are in giant form, your size could only make you enjoy a tiny bit of it. One bite, and it was gone."
The two giants froze.
"…That's true," Dorry admitted slowly, his voice lowering. "I barely got to taste the flavor."
Broggy clenched his fist, grinning. "And the meat portions were too small! If I stay big, I'll never enjoy food like that again."
Jack smiled knowingly. "Exactly. Shrinking doesn't take away your pride or your strength. It just lets you experience the world differently. You'll still be warriors....just warriors who can sit at the same table as everyone else and this is not permanent, only temporarily."
The giants exchanged a look, then burst into laughter.
"GABABABABA! You've convinced me," Dorry said. "I'm ready."
"GERARARARA! Same here!" Broggy added. "Let us walk the outside world properly this time."
Jack raised the device in his hand, a sleek, metallic flashlight with glowing runes along its side.
"This is a Shrinking Light," he explained. "It works even outdoors and can adjust your size safely. I designed it after studying an old fictional gadget and I can adjust it for a duration 1 hours to 6 hours."
He aimed the flashlight upward.
A soft beam of light enveloped the two giants, their massive forms began to shrink down.
When the light faded, Dorry and Broggy stood there at just two meters tall.
They looked at their hands, then at each other.
"…This feels strange," Dorry muttered.
Broggy laughed. "But kind of exciting."
Jack lowered the device with a satisfied nod. "Welcome to the world at human scale, although you had become human scale in going merry but right now is outside going merry."
......
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