Ace: I'm Here to Find Sabo

He naturally recognized the face—the former captain of the Second Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, a prominent figure in the Summit War, who had long been hiding on Origin Island after the war, and had a close relationship with the Uchiha Clan.

With Ace on board, this unexpected visit lost much of its military hostility.

"Are you just passing by, or do you have another purpose?" Dragon asked softly.

Upon hearing this, the brothers Yaoyu and Yakumi turned their heads in unison, their two cold gazes falling on Ace beside them.

Yaoyu's eyes clearly showed his helplessness: You made this mess, so explain it yourself.

The Yakumi was even more pronounced. He muttered a simple complaint, his weariness barely concealed in his voice. "He insisted on coming."

That extreme agitation almost overflowed from the crimson in his eyes.

It wasn't about being wary of the Revolutionary Army; it was purely because he was completely exhausted, both physically and mentally, from being constantly bothered by Ace's enthusiastic, talkative, and boundless energy.

The aloof and taciturn Uchiha clan members will probably find it difficult to adapt to such enthusiastic social interaction that is online 24/7.

Ace paid no attention to this, only taking a step forward, looking up at Dragon on the city wall, his smile open and warm, pure and without a trace of impurity.

"I'm here to see Sabo."

Without any detours or preambles, it gets straight to the point, addressing the deepest, most persistent thought in one's heart.

"Sabo is my sworn brother. He disappeared suddenly in an accident when we were young, and I thought he had been dead for many years."

It wasn't until Natsu told me the truth that I realized he was still alive, that he had been with the Revolutionary Army all along, but... it seemed he had forgotten everything from the past."

The wind below the city seemed to freeze suddenly at that moment.

Dragon remained silent for a long time.

How could he not recognize Sabo?

The Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, the second most important figure, is calm, intelligent, and a master strategist, and is his most capable right-hand man.

Over the years, Sabo has never mentioned his past to anyone, as if from the time he could remember, he was just Sabo of the Revolutionary Army, without any attachments or past.

Everyone knows he is the core of the Revolutionary Army, but no one knows his youthful passion and his sworn brothers.

No one knew that this calm and composed Chief of Staff harbored a forgotten, passionate past within his heart.

At this moment, a person crossed thousands of miles of mountains and seas, traversed the vast ocean, stood before him, and said with certainty that he remembered Sabo, remembered everything that had been forgotten about him.

With a light step, Dragon leaped down from the high wall.

The wide cloak, billowing in the sea breeze, landed steadily, facing the bright-smiling young man before it.

"Why should I believe you?" He looked directly into Ace's eyes, his tone cautious and serious.

Ace grinned, his expression open and honest, and gently placed his hand on his chest.

"Because I am Portgas D. Ace, because we drank three cups of sworn brotherhood, we are brothers who will live and die together."

"When we swore brotherhood, Sabo was the second oldest, I was the eldest, and we also had a youngest brother named Luffy."

He spoke quickly, recounting the private past shared only by the three of them, each sentence a detail unknown to others.

"His favorite food is ramen, his biggest fear is Kali Dadan, and his most handy weapon when he was young was a thin water pipe."

As he finished speaking, his tone softened unconsciously, carrying a gentleness and concern that had settled over many years. "He's left-handed, and when he writes, his body always tends to tilt slightly to one side."

These seemingly insignificant and trivial details of life are bonds that cannot be faked, and are irrefutable evidence etched into the years.

Dragon gazed at him silently for a very long time.

The young man before him had clear, open eyes, devoid of ambition or scheming, filled only with a pure and unwavering devotion and longing. After a long silence, he slowly nodded and spoke in a deep voice.

"Sabo is indeed in Baltigo. I can arrange for you to meet him."

He paused slightly, carefully choosing his words, but still truthfully revealed the cruelest reality.

"When we rescued him, he had suffered a severe head injury and lost all his memories. He remembered his name, how to survive, and how to become stronger, but he forgot his past, his sworn brotherhood, you, and Luffy."

The sea breeze, carrying fine white sand, drifted silently between the two of them.

Ace's bright smile didn't disappear, but it faded a bit of its flamboyance and enthusiasm, settling into a deep gentleness. His eyes churned with years of longing, anxiety, and anticipation, complex yet sincere.

"It doesn't matter."

He gently shook his head, his tone firm yet tender, every word sincere.

"He doesn't remember me, so I'll make him recognize me again."

"I am Ace, I am his older brother, I am his brother. That alone is enough."

Behind them, the Yaoyu and Yakumi medicine stood silently, observing in silence.

The habitual hand Hand Seals and the ever-present tension in his fingertips, always accompanied by the Yakumi, had quietly ceased at some point.

Yaoyu glanced at her brother beside her, only to see that Yakumi didn't look back, but his lips relaxed almost imperceptibly, and he let out a very soft sigh.

The frustration and helplessness that had been building up in my heart all along the way quietly dissipated at this moment.

It's so annoying, really so annoying.

But this journey across the Four Blues seems... to have been worthwhile.

Dragon stood silently beneath the city gate, letting the howling sea wind repeatedly toss and turn his cloak and hood, the fluttering fabric rustling in the sandstorm.

He gazed silently at Ace before him, his eyes, which held a deep understanding of the world and concealed a complex mix of emotions.

There was a cautious assessment, a weighing of the pros and cons of the situation, and even a hint of emotion that he had firmly suppressed beneath his calm exterior.

This young Fire Fist, driven by unwavering loyalty, traversed the entire Grand Line, venturing alone into the secret heart of the Revolutionary Army, all to fulfill an old covenant unknown to anyone and to find a brother forgotten by time.

"Come with me."

Dragon finally turned and strode forward, his dark green cloak drawing a clean arc in the air as he walked straight into the depths of the city.

The interior of Baltigo is completely different from the desolate and bleak appearance of the outside world.

Rows of rammed earth barracks are scattered about, and the alleyways are neat and clean, without a trace of the chaos of the wilderness.

Soldiers patrolled in formation along the way, their steps precise and measured, moving silently between the camps.

After years of lying low and biding their time, the Revolutionary Army had long since transformed this deserted island into a silent, resilient, and heavily fortified fortress.

Ace followed closely behind, with the Yaoyu and Yakumi brothers trailing behind, all maintaining their unchanging aloofness and indifference.

But this extreme tranquility is precisely what makes it so striking.

Unbeknownst to them, Revolutionary Army soldiers had quietly gathered on both sides of the alley.