"I know that man! The one with the blonde hair—isn't that Sabo of the Revolutionary Army?" a Marine shouted from the ranks.
A collective gasp rippled through the frozen harbor.
"The Revolutionary Second-in-Command is the brother of the Whitebeard Second Division Commander?"
"This is insane!"
"And then there's Straw Hat Luffy! This lineup of brothers... good grief..."
"Wait... then who is the other one?" Many looked toward Vale D. Drake in bewilderment.
They had no memory of such a man, but his strength spoke for itself. First, he had targeted Admiral Sakazuki; though it was a surprise attack, he had followed it by charging the execution platform and engaging Kizaru. These were the actions of a top-tier powerhouse.
But why could no one identify him?
Meanwhile, Buggy—who had been freed from his icy prison by the heat of Akainu's magma—stared at the scene in shock. "Mr. 3," he muttered, "that Straw Hat brat has some seriously heavy hitters backing him up..."
He waited for a reply, but none came. Buggy blinked, looking around, only to find the space beside him empty. "Where's 3?"
"Uh... Mr. 3 hasn't been seen for a while now, Captain," a subordinate replied.
Buggy: "..." Probably cut and run, he thought, quickly dismissing it.
"To think these men are actually Ace's brothers," Izo remarked, his eyes widening as he surveyed the chaos. "Wait, where's the other one?" He realized with a start that Kenshin, who had been with them moments ago, had vanished.
"The Revolutionary Army!" Sengoku's expression had been grim since Drake first appeared; now, it was thunderous.
With Sabo present, there was no telling if the rest of the Revolutionary Army was lurking nearby. The situation was spiraling out of control.
"Seal the pirates' escape route! Annihilate them on the flanks! Fire!" Sengoku bellowed.
"Kill them! Wipe out the pirates! FIRE!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The roar of cannon fire resumed. Led by their captains and the Whitebeard Division Commanders, the pirates launched a ferocious offensive, turning the bay into a sea of fire and chaos.
"Rescue the Commander!" countless pirates screamed, surging toward Doflamingo to free Diamond Jozu from his strings.
On another part of the battlefield, Luffy looked at the familiar backs of his brothers. His lip trembled, and he looked like he was on the verge of bursting into tears.
"Waaaah... Sabo! Drake!"
"Hahaha! Luffy, you haven't changed a bit," Sabo said with a warm, characteristic smile.
"I... I have too! I'm not a crybaby anymore!" Luffy pouted, though tears still leaked from his eyes.
Sabo chuckled. He knew Luffy wasn't a crybaby—not after what he'd done. No coward would have successfully broken into and out of the world's greatest underwater prison. Luffy was perhaps the bravest man he knew.
Suddenly remembering the stakes, Sabo straightened up. "This is bad. Ace is about to be executed. We have to hurry."
"Right!"
The three brothers turned their gazes toward the lone figure on the execution platform.
"Ace! Hang on! We're coming to get you!"
Drake offered a satisfied smile. Luffy wasn't a crybaby; he was the man who would become the Pirate King. He was their brother.
"Luffy," Vale D. Drake called out. Luffy looked over. "You aren't alone in this!"
Drake spoke with a conviction that resonated across the battlefield.
"Yeah!" Luffy nodded heavily. He adjusted his straw hat. He had a thousand things he wanted to say, but now was not the time.
"Let's move!"
Luffy and Sabo charged forward in unison. As they began their run, Kizaru intervened.
"You brothers certainly love making trouble. I can't let you pass."
"Sabo, go on ahead!" Drake threw a meaningful glance at his brother.
Sabo understood instantly. "Luffy, let's go!"
"But Drake—!" Luffy hesitated. He was facing an Admiral, after all.
"He'll be fine! He's your third brother, isn't he?"
"Yeah!" Luffy nodded firmly, and the two of them sprinted toward the platform.
"You really think you're just going to walk away?" Kizaru muttered, his body beginning to glow with golden light.
Suddenly, a streak of crimson flashed before him. Kizaru was forced back into his human form.
"An Admiral shouldn't look down on people so much," Drake said, his blade erupting with a brilliant light as he swung again.
CLANG!
"I suppose I won't be going anywhere until I deal with you. How scary," Kizaru drawled.
"Ama no Murakumo!" He manifested a blade of pure light in his hands and clashed with Drake.
Behind his mask, Drake's Detector provided a readout:[Name]: Kizaru (Borsalino) [Cultivation]: Great Swordsman (Fruit Specialty) [Ability]: Pika Pika no Mi [Haki]: Mid-Level Armament, Mid-Level Observation [Comprehensive Combat Power]: 8,000
Drake finally understood why people said Kizaru relied too heavily on his fruit. While Aokiji and Akainu possessed high-level Armament Haki, Kizaru's was only mid-level. However, his combat power was still immense. An Admiral was an Admiral, and his Devil Fruit was top-tier.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Relying on the mobility of his flight unit, Drake managed to hold his own against Kizaru, the two of them becoming a blur of motion.
Kizaru grew increasingly surprised. Every one of Drake's strikes carried a strange, searing power. Even a grazing blow would cause significant damage. He finally began to take the fight seriously.
To the onlookers, the sight was unbelievable. Admiral Kizaru was unable to take this man down? Who was he to fight an Admiral to a standstill? Earlier he had relied on tricks and surprise attacks, but this was a sustained, high-level duel.
Watching the exchange, Luffy's eyes lit up. "Sabo! Why can Drake hit Kizaru? I thought Logias were untouchable!"
"That's Haki!" Sabo laughed. "With Armament Haki, you can grasp the true body of a Logia user."
"Haki?" Luffy tilted his head, several mental question marks practically appearing above him.
"Hahaha, don't worry about it now. Once we save Ace, we'll teach you everything."
"Oh! Awesome!" Luffy's spirits soared. He had always been frustrated by Logias because he couldn't touch them. Knowing there was a way to fight back was a game-changer.
"Focus, Luffy!" Sabo's lead pipe became a whirlwind, knocking aside every Marine that drew near.
"Got it!"
The two brothers moved in perfect sync, a flawlessly coordinated dance of offense and defense. No Marine could get close enough to slow them down.
"Those two... they're perfectly in tune," the Whitebeard Pirates noted with admiration.
"Sabo, look at this!" Luffy held up a small object.
"Is that...?"
"The key to the Sea Prism Stone shackles!" Luffy grinned. He had received much help and the key itself from Empress Boa Hancock along the way, and he was deeply grateful.
"Hahaha... good man!" Sabo laughed. "Let's do this!"
"Yeah!"
"Luffy, get up there!" Sabo planted his feet and swung his pipe in a wide arc.
"Ready!"
No words were needed; the two brothers knew exactly what to do. Luffy leapt into the air, landing perfectly on Sabo's swinging pipe. Sabo channeled his strength and heaved upward.
Luffy shot through the air toward the execution platform like a human cannonball. Watching the maneuver from afar, Jinbe couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration.