Brotherhood Battle: Facing One's True Heart

"Now that all our friends are gathered together again, let's have a feast!"

"Wait a minute,"

On the ruined Whole Cake Chateau, Roman stopped Luffy from using the available resources to "make do" with the cakes. Putting aside the fact that this wasn't the time to celebrate, the surrounding cake-shaped structures...

"This is just the Red Earl's illusion. Even if it tastes exactly like real cake now, once the illusion wears off, you'll be eating dirt..."

No, think about it carefully. With Luffy's stomach, he could easily digest even soil.

"I'll do it,"

Brulee crouched down and placed one hand on the ruins of Whole Cake Chateau.

"Memory Wipe!"

Brush--

As Brulee activated her 'Memory-Memory Fruit' ability, the surrounding scenery immediately began to tremble like a mirage in the desert, and the enormous cake-shaped building crumbled into moss-covered ruins. The bright sky returned to its usual clear, starry state, and Luffy...

"My cake!!"

"Brulee, you owe me—"

"Hey, hey, hey... these are all fake, Luffy. If you want cake, Sanji make it for you when we get back to the ship."

"Hehehe, it's alright then~~"

In short,

Roman rubbed his temples, planning the Straw Hat crew's next move.

"Now that we have all our men, we can choose to ignore what that the Red Earl is planning and just set sail. After all, we haven't suffered any losses, and strictly speaking, we've all gained quite a bit."

Originally, the Red Earl had no ill intentions towards the Straw Hat crew. Otherwise, if he had directly attacked them when he used the 'fake crewmates' trick at the beginning, the Straw Hat crew would now only have Luffy and Roman left.

Incidentally, Roman knew that because of his passive mind-reading ability, the Red Earl only had a handful of people he could truly call 'friends,' such as Roger, Whitebeard, and Garp. And these older generation members all had intricate connections to the Straw Hat crew, so:

"Hehehe, how can we just let it go like that?"

Luffy tugged at his Straw Hat.

"Although tonight's adventure was quite fun, we still have a grudge against that old man to settle. Pato— "

Luffy looked at the little tanuki that was as tall as Chopper.

"You still have something to say to your 'boss,' right? Until then, I won't let you become my partner!"

"Sigh... what I said to the boss... I... Li... Li..."

"Oh, right, although we fought for half the night, but—"

Robin rested his chin on his hand.

"What exactly is the Red Earl's purpose? If we knew his purpose, perhaps we could take the initiative and make arrangements."

"It's strange, really. We shouldn't have any conflict with that legendary pirate, right?"

Franky picked up the conversation, while Luffy, who was jumping around and shouting "I'm going to be the King of the Pirates Luffy!", was just another background character for the Straw Hat crew.

"Who cares what their purpose is? Just find them and ask them, won't that tell us?"

Seeing Zoro's enthusiastic expression, Usopp astutely pointed out his intentions:

"You're just excited because you've encountered a great swordsman, aren't you?"

"The boss said he came to find a 'Devil Fruit'."

The little raccoon raised its head.

"Although I don't know what kind of fruit it is..."

"Thank you so much for telling us... but is it alright to tell us something so important?"

Pato shook his head at Brook's question.

"If I genuinely want to become a partner, you'll let me join, right?"

"In that case, I think I should at least try to help everyone..."

"But even if we know that the Red Earl is looking for Devil Fruit, we don't have any clues at all!"

Faced with Nami's furrowed brow, Roman certainly couldn't just say, "I know the Red Earl is looking for: Zoan, Bat-Bat Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Vampire Form Devil Fruit." Instead, he spoke with the mindset of a normal advisor:

"The simplest way to find out what kind of Devil Fruit is is to continue tracking the Red Earl. — Of course, as I always say, we have nothing to lose, so we can just leave."

"Okay, it's decided then! Let's keep chasing them!!"

"I think you just want to continue your grand adventure, don't you?"

Usopp clutched his chest.

"I've contracted a 'disease that prevents me from going to the island'..."

"Are we on the island now?"

Faced with Sanji's criticism, Usopp immediately changed his tune:

"I've contracted a 'disease' that prevents me from venturing deep into islands..."

"We are now deep inside the island."

Jinbe the honest one, delivered the finishing blow, leaving Usopp in tears.

"Then... I've contracted a disease that prevents me from getting close to the Red Earl..."

"Alright, your diagnosis is too accurate!"

Roman rolled his eyes and pointed ahead:

"Everyone else has left. If you don't want to move forward, you can stay here alone."

"No! Wait for me!!"

It's no wonder Usopp reverted to his old ways; the kick and sword from the Red Earl were so powerful that even the Straw Hat crew's main fighters couldn't withstand it. Usopp, a squishy character... no, a tanky ADC, didn't want to get beaten up for nothing.

Unfortunately, the group of enthusiastic guys in front of him didn't take his words to heart at all.

"Here it is?"

"Don't know him/her..."

"I don't know him either."

"Unfamiliar scenery +1"

"That's strange, why don't any of us remember this?"

Because the previous 'levels' all corresponded to the events and powerful enemies the Straw Hat crew had experienced, their locations were basically obvious at a glance, and it was also easy to know who the 'boss' was. But this village in front of them was different:

It looked like an ordinary village, with two- or three-story wooden houses scattered around, fences enclosing patches of pasture, and a winding dirt road worn by people running through the village leading to the port.

If there's anything special about the village, it's that there are several tall windmills that are slowly turning in the sea breeze.

"Ah! Where am I—"

"Luffy, do you know this place?"

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Luffy aback, nodded.

"That's right, this is where I grew up: the Foosha Village of the Kingdom of Goa in the East Blue."

Luffy, with a look of deep emotion, led everyone on a 'tour' of his hometown. Although he no longer had any family, the familiar surroundings alone made him talk endlessly:

"This is Makino's tavern. I used to often listen to the pirates tell stories here. Usopp's father, Yasopp, mentioned him every day..."

A small tavern, yet it holds Luffy's childhood dream.

If it weren't for those fantastical adventure stories told by pirates, Luffy probably wouldn't have thought of setting sail.

"This dock... Shanks gave me this Straw Hat crew here back then,"

Luffy took off his straw Straw Hat and looked at the empty dock, a rare serious expression of nostalgia on his face.

"I once said here that I would gather a group of companions no less capable than Shanks and his crew to find the World's Greatest treasure—"

The boy's voice, with his arms outstretched, echoed at the dock, just like it had back then.

"I'm going to become the King of the Pirates!!"

"So--"

With his Straw Hat on, Luffy Guotou and looked at his crewmates behind him with a grin.

"Friends, how do we compare to the 'Four Emperors' now?"

······

"Need I say more?"

"King of the Pirates, I only acknowledge you!"

"We will definitely become the World's Greatest pirate crew!"

"Of course, that's the goal we've achieved to get to where we are today..."

Everyone standing here has no doubt that Luffy will reach the top! That's why top geniuses from all fields, even Roman, are willing to join his crew. Although Luffy has a lot of bad habits, his dedication to his dreams and his comrades has never wavered in the slightest!

And this:

That's enough.

"Hehehe, next I'll take you to visit my childhood 'home'!"

As the group climbed up a mountain next to Foosha Village along the lower path, Luffy explained as they went:

"This is 'Mt. Colubo,' the place where Ace, Sabo, and I first met."

Although it's just an ordinary little hill, it holds the most joyful moments of Luffy's childhood, as well as his most innocent dreams. It was also during that time that Luffy made his promise to become the freest person in the world.

"Ace?"

Chopper explained to the little Tanuki Pajon, who was puzzled:

"He's Luffy's older brother, two years ago..."

"No, it's nothing."

Luffy the way, and the group arrived at:

Here it is?

Roman's gaze fell on a tree stump with three glasses of wine on it. In an instant, a possibility occurred to him!

"Ah, this is where Ace, Sabo, and I became brothers."

"A toast to sworn brotherhood?"

Roman had already guessed what Zoro was thinking when he remarked:

"In other words, this time the opponent is—"

I looked up at the tree trunk beside me. There was a small wooden house nestled among the branches, and more importantly:

"I've been waiting for you for a long time, Luffy ~"

!

"Ace?!"

As the others looked up, they saw a shirtless man crouching on a tree trunk. He pulled down his cowboy hat, which had badges of a smiley face and a sad face on it, and a smile on his freckled face.

"Tch, is the fruit still the same?"

Sanji snorted unhappily. Even facing the Four Emperors would be better than facing this, right?

"Not fighting... seems like that won't work, right?"

Ace nodded as Nami opened the book, standing beside the treehouse.

"Yes."

Luffy,

Nami, whose body was crackling with lightning, was already thinking about how to deal with the 'flames'.

"This one is ours..."

"No, I'll do it."

"But···"

Nami, who was about to say something, was pulled back by Roman.

"Luffy said he'd do it himself, so let him go."

Furthermore... the fact that the real Ace didn't die wasn't something Roman deliberately concealed; rather, Ace asked Roman to keep it a secret. But—shouldn't it be soon enough time to give Luffy a surprise?

Just as Roman was distracted, Ace jumped down from the tree, assuming an attack stance while flames blazed on his arms!

"I'm going, Luffy!"

"Yes, I won't lose to you."

Ace, even though I've never beaten you before, things are different now. For my crew, for the dream of becoming the King of the Pirates—

"Gum-Gum Eagle Gun!"

"Fire Fist!"

As the two brothers' fists collided with a deafening roar, Roman created a floating 'platform' to support the others and allow them to retreat and watch the fight. After all, this was a forest... and Ace's power was fire.

This battle wasn't just a simple fire on a mountain; it was a raging inferno! Crimson flames filled the sky! For a time, Ace and Luffy were locked in a fierce, evenly matched fight amidst the flames. However:

"Luffy is going to win!"

In battles in the New World, Haki remains a crucial element. Powerful Armament Haki allows one to stand unyielding, while keen Observation Haki enables one to dodge attacks, detect the opponent's intentions, and even:

Future Sight...

"Great Flame Ring - Flame Emperor!!"

Falling into a disadvantageous position during the fierce battle, Ace chose to leap into the sky to gather his ultimate attack. A massive fireball, as large as a second 'sun,' appeared on the mountaintop, radiating light and heat! The Straw Hat crew members watching from afar were so hot that the sweat that had just flowed out of their bodies evaporated instantly! Several furry Mink Tribe and Zoan had their tongues practically dragging on the ground... on the paper.

"Luffy, watch out!"

Faced with the massive fireball crashing down, Luffy instantly entered Fourth Gear mode and fearlessly assumed a punching stance.

"Bring it on--!"

"Gum-Gum Fire Serpent Cannon!"

Boom--!!!

Like a solar eruption, all the onlookers could see was a blinding white light and crimson flames! The terrifying heat left patches of vibrant color on everyone's retinas, lingering for a long time. In this earth-shattering impact, the entire 'Mt. Colubo' was transformed into the 'Gorpo Basin'. And as the flames and smoke dissipated, in the enormous crater that had melted into lava:

"Luffy won."

Without a doubt, Luffy is the victor, standing, while Ace has already slumped to the side with his head down, the huge crater behind him testifying to the force of the impact he suffered.

"I do not understand····"

The little Tanuki Pajon, looked at everything before her, not questioning the intensity of the battle, but rather:

"That person must be very important to Luffy, right?"

"Why can he still fight so seriously...?"

"Precisely because it is important,"

Roman explained casually as he slowly lowered the paper platform.

"That's why we have to fight seriously. Isn't communication between men expressed through fists?"

"Is it because it's important that we take it seriously...?"

"Stop worrying about others all the time, little Pato."

Nami crouched down and patted the little tanuki's head.

"And what about you? Would you be okay with having that kind of 'clone' replace you in the life of someone important to you?"

"The seat next to the boss..."

Thinking back to the joyful times we spent together on the high seas, those times discussing our ideals with Roger, and sharing drinks with Whitebeard...

"That's why you say such things—because you don't understand the boss at all!"

"Ah, we don't know."

Luffy, who had walked over, looked at the little raccoon dog.

"Of all the people here, you're the one who understands him best!"

So, should we confront our true selves, or continue to run away?