Sabo closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the panic in his gaze had been replaced by a cold determination.
His mind began to race.
He had once been a part of that world, and understood the mindset of those nobles better than Ace and Luffy.
They were selfish and indifferent, but they would never do anything without benefit.
What good would burning down the Gray Terminal do them?
Unless… unless it was to please some higher existence.
A word surfaced from the abyss of his memory, making Sabo's blood almost freeze.
Celestial Dragons!
"It's the Celestial Dragons," Sabo's voice was soft, but carried a chill that could freeze the air. "The Celestial Dragons will be inspecting the Goa Kingdom soon."
"Celestial Dragons?" Luffy tilted his head. "What kind of dragon is that? Is it tasty?"
"Shut up, Luffy!" Ace interrupted him irritably, but his gaze was fixed on Sabo.
"To welcome those 'gods,' the most noble in the world, they must present a flawless kingdom," Sabo's tone was filled with sharp self-mockery and hatred. "And this 'Styx' beneath our feet is the biggest, dirtiest stain on the face of this kingdom."
"So… they're going to wipe away the stain?" Luffy seemed to understand, but the coldness in his eyes grew stronger.
"Yes."
Sabo nodded.
"The root cause is the Celestial Dragons. If the Celestial Dragons cannot successfully arrive at the Goa Kingdom, then this burning will lose its fundamental 'reason'!"
In his eyes, a mad glint of staking everything flashed.
"I have a plan."
Sabo looked at his two brothers.
"I'm going to the port, and I'll do everything I can to stop the Celestial Dragons' ship from landing!"
"No!"
"I'm coming with you!"
Ace and Luffy shouted almost simultaneously.
"It's too dangerous!" Luffy's big eyes were full of anxiety. "We'll go together and punch the bad guys away!"
Ace lunged forward, his iron-like hands gripping Sabo's shoulders tightly, veins bulging on his arms.
"Don't you dare go die alone!"
"We're brothers! If we die, we die together!"
Seeing the unyielding determination on their faces, Sabo's heart felt like it was fiercely squeezed, and his eyes instantly burned.
But in the next second, he forcefully broke free from Ace's grip.
"No."
Sabo stepped back, putting distance between them.
His usually gentle face was now as hard as iron, devoid of any of its usual composure.
"This is my battle."
"Only I am most familiar with every street and alley in High Town. I know the guard change times, and where the blind spots in surveillance are."
"If you come with me, you'll only be exposed faster and caught faster!"
Sabo pulled out a somewhat worn, folded parchment from his embrace and shoved it into Ace's hand.
It was a hand-drawn map.
Ace unfolded it, and his pupils suddenly constricted.
It was a detailed structural map of an incredibly luxurious mansion, even marking the guard patrol routes and times.
"This is… my home," Sabo's voice was terrifyingly low.
"The one who proposed this burning plan is my father, Otriluk III."
He looked up, meeting Ace and Luffy's gaze with his own azure eyes burning with the fire of revenge.
"Your mission is to go here and find him."
"At all costs, make him personally retract the burning order!"
In the woods, only the crackling of the bonfire remained.
The three brothers fell into a silent stare.
Ace clutched the map tightly in his hand, the edges of the paper almost crumbling under his grip.
Luffy bit his lip, looking at Sabo, then at Ace, his small fists clenched tightly.
He knew Sabo was right.
Finally.
Ace gritted his teeth, squeezing out a single word.
"Alright."
There was no more wasted breath.
No hugs, no goodbyes.
Sabo took one last, deep look at them, as if to engrave their faces into his soul.
Then, he abruptly turned around.
Whoosh!
Azure Wings of Wind suddenly unfurled behind him, stirring up a current of air that made the bonfire crackle loudly.
In the next second, Sabo's figure shot into the sky, transforming into a streak of azure light, disappearing resolutely into the deep night.
Ace and Luffy looked up in the direction he vanished, remaining motionless for a long time.
"Ace…" Luffy's voice trembled slightly.
Ace lowered his head, looking at the map in his hand, then looked up at the brightly lit area of High Town.
It was like a huge, opulent cage.
Boom!
Raging flames of fury erupted from him once more!
"Let's go!"
Ace roared, pulling Luffy up, and with a fury that would incinerate everything, he charged like a maddened beast towards the direction marked on the map!
...Meanwhile.
Goa Kingdom, House of Otriluk mansion.
The study was brightly lit, and the air was filled with the scent of expensive incense.
Otriluk III, holding a glass of red wine, was looking at his younger son, his adopted son Stelly, with a satisfied expression.
Stelly, dressed in a crisp small suit, was meticulously practicing complex noble etiquette.
"Very good, Stelly, your movements are becoming more and more standard," Otriluk III sipped his wine, his face showing undisguised approval. "This is how a perfect heir of the House of Otriluk should be."
Unlike that… bastard son who brought him shame.
A flicker of disgust crossed his eyes whenever he thought of Sabo.
However, soon, all traces left by that bastard son, along with the Gray Terminal, would be completely purified by fire.
Thinking of this, his mood brightened again.
He had just closed the study door, preparing to enjoy a peaceful evening.
Just then—
Boom—!!!
A terrifying crash, like thunder from a clear sky!
The huge floor-to-ceiling window on the side of the study was suddenly shattered from the outside by an irresistible force!
Countless glass shards mixed with wood splinters flew inward wildly, leaving messy streaks on the expensive carpet!
"Who's there?!"
Otriluk III shivered in fright, almost dropping the wine glass in his hand.
He turned back in shock and anger.
In the moonlight and dust, two figures leaped in.
They were ragged and covered in mud, like they had just crawled out of a garbage heap.
But their eyes did not belong to humans.
They were two young beasts driven to a corner, burning with a violent ferocity and menacing glint that wanted to incinerate everything.
On the fist of the black-haired brat, crimson flames were already rising, making his ferocious face flicker between light and shadow.
Otriluk III's face, the moment he recognized the intruders, quickly turned from shock to extreme rage and disgust.
"You two little rats from the garbage heap?!"
Ace ignored his roar and took a step forward.
On the floor, a dirty footprint was left.
He raised his fist.
Crimson flames blazed on that small fist, making his ferocious face flicker between light and shadow.
His voice was squeezed out from between his teeth, devoid of any warmth.
"Retract your order."