Half a day later, Ace arrived at a deserted island, guided by the faint pull of Sabo's Vivre Card.
But there was no trace of Sabo here. Instead, Ace found something chilling — a human hand, preserved in a jar filled with a pale blue liquid.
The Vivre Card had led him here because this hand still lived. There was no mistaking whose hand it was.
Ace's eyes went bloodshot. His voice was low but seething with rage:
"Blackbeard… I'll kill you. I swear it."
The preservation fluid kept the palm alive, so the Vivre Card had tracked it instead of Sabo himself. Ace carefully took the jar, storing it in his pack. Then he pulled out the Vivre Card again — this time, it twitched and pointed in a new direction.
---
One day later, under the Vivre Card's guidance, Ace reached another uninhabited island.
Hovering in the air above the shoreline, he hesitated. He didn't want to land. The fear gnawed at him — what if he didn't find Sabo here either? What if all he found… was another piece of him?
Taking a sharp breath, Ace descended and followed the Vivre Card inland.
When he saw what was waiting for him, his heart twisted violently.
A jar. Another piece. This time… a foot.
"AHHHHHH!!!"
The scream ripped through the air, a mixture of rage, grief, and helplessness.
For a long while, Ace stood there, trembling, before finally storing the jar in his pack. His hands shook as he pulled the Vivre Card out again.
At this point, Ace no longer expected to find Sabo whole and alive. All he wanted… was Blackbeard's head.
---
Brrr-brrr-brrr~ brrr-brrr-brrr~
The Den Den Mushi in Ace's pack rang. He stowed the Vivre Card and answered.
"Ace! Where are you? Quickly — you have to read today's newspaper!" Kerra's voice was breathless with urgency.
"Newspaper? I don't have one here. What's going on?"
"Sabo was handed over to the World Government by Blackbeard! They're going to publicly execute him at Marineford!"
Ace froze — then let out a deep breath of relief. "At least he's alive… I understand. Wait for me on Sun Island. I'll bring him back. You can trust me."
"I do trust you, Ace. But I can't stay here." Kerra's tone was firm now. "I've already contacted headquarters — the Commander knows about Sabo's scheduled execution. We've begun mobilizing. I'm heading to rendezvous with them."
"The Revolutionary Army is moving already?" Ace's eyes narrowed. "Good. If possible, I'd like to meet your leader."
"I'll tell him. I'm sure he'll agree."
They exchanged a time to contact each other again and hung up.
---
Ace pressed the brim of his hat low, and tears blurred his vision. This time, they weren't tears of grief… but relief. No one could imagine the agony of finding only pieces of his brother — and now knowing Sabo was still alive was the greatest news he could have hoped for.
He flew to a nearby inhabited island and grabbed the latest newspaper.
The headline hit him like a punch:
[World Government's New Warlord 'Blackbeard' Captures Revolutionary Army No. 2 Sabo – Public Execution Scheduled at Marineford in One Week!]
Ace's grip on the paper tightened until it smoked.
"That bastard… trading Sabo for the title of Shichibukai…" His teeth clenched.
---
One week… Ace's mind raced.
If Sabo was in Marineford already, it would be the Navy's trap to lure him — the same tactic they'd once used in the original Summit War. But there was also the chance Sabo was in Impel Down, the World Government's deep-sea prison. He needed two plans: one for each possibility.
And there was only one person he trusted to help him fight the Navy head-on.
Ace pulled out a crescent-bearded Den Den Mushi — a direct line to Whitebeard.
"Moshi moshi." The deep, rumbling voice of the strongest man in the world came through.
"Uncle Whitebeard, it's Ace," he said quickly. "The Navy's captured my brother Sabo. They plan to execute him in a week. I can't just wait for them to attack — I have to go to Marineford."
"That's the Revolutionary brat you mentioned? I know." Whitebeard's tone darkened. "Using your brother to bait us into moving the war to Marineford… sounds exactly like Sengoku's style."
Then Whitebeard let out a booming laugh.
"Gurararara! Boy Ace — if you want to save him, don't hold back. Whether it's Marineford… or even the Holy Land, I'll smash it to pieces for you!"
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