A few months later, in the East Blue, on the outskirts of the Goa Kingdom, deep in the dense forest behind Foosha Village, there was a clearing near a cliff.
Three young boys sat side by side on the edge of the towering cliff, swinging their legs as they gazed at the boundless blue sea in the distance.
They were Monkey D. Luffy, Portgas D. Ace, and Sabo, a boy born into nobility who longed for freedom and had joined them later.
At first, Ace had wanted nothing to do with Luffy, the boy Garp had dumped on him who claimed to be his little brother.
He thought Luffy was not only a crybaby, but also a freak who had accidentally eaten the Gum-Gum Fruit, and a nuisance who clung to him all day.
But at some point, perhaps while they fought the beasts in the forest together, or while the mountain bandit Dadan chased them around and beat them up,
Or perhaps simply because of Luffy's impossibly persistent, hopelessly idiotic, ever-brilliant smile, Ace had gradually grown used to having this rubber-brained little brother around.
With Sabo, who also longed to escape the cage of nobility, the three boys had wildly different personalities but shared the same spirit.
After surviving a brush with death together, they had drunk sake to seal their bond and officially become brothers.
Now, facing the vast ocean, they loudly proclaimed their dreams for the future.
Sabo stood up, planted his hands on his hips, and shouted into the sea breeze, his voice full of longing, "I'm going to make tons and tons of money! Then I'll buy the best ship there is,
And become a free pirate with nothing holding me back, sailing to every corner of the world!"
Immediately afterward, Luffy and Ace sprang