Chapter 11: End of Childhood arc

East Blue, Mount Colpo.

"After drinking this glass of wine, we will be brothers," Ace declared, holding a bottle of wine and filling three bowls on a wooden pile at the edge of a cliff. Sabo and Luffy, standing on either side, looked forward with anticipation.

"Then, starting from today," Ace said, picking up one of the glasses.

Luffy and Sabo also lifted their glasses, their faces beaming with joy.

"Boom!"

"We are brothers!" they shouted, clinking their glasses together. Ace laughed, and Luffy and Sabo grinned widely.

"Hey, Luffy," Ace said after they had finished their sworn drink, looking at Luffy who was still celebrating.

"What's wrong, Ace?" Luffy asked with a big smile.

"Do you want to become the Pirate King?" Ace asked.

"Oh! The Pirate King is the freest man on the sea. I will definitely become the Pirate King!" Luffy shouted proudly.

"Ace, you don't want to become the Pirate King too, do you?" Luffy suddenly asked, nervous at the thought of competing with Ace.

"I have no interest in being the Pirate King," Ace smiled. "But I want to be the king of the world." He spread his arms wide at the edge of the cliff, his eyes shining with ambition.

"King of the world?" Sabo stuttered, understanding the depth of Ace's words as a noble of Goa Kingdom. To him, Ace's ambition meant overthrowing the real nobles, the Celestial Dragons.

"The King of the World? That's powerful! But still not as powerful as the Pirate King. The Pirate King is the freest person on the sea!" Luffy chuckled.

"So, if one day I need your help to become the King of the World, what will you do, Luffy?" Ace asked.

Luffy was stunned for a moment, then smiled sincerely. "If you need my help, then no matter where I am, I will come to help you. You are my brother after all Shishishishi."

"And me! Ace, I'm your brother too," Sabo shouted, overcoming his fear of the Celestial Dragons.

"Then, it's settled," Ace laughed.

"Yay!" Luffy and Sabo shouted together.

Several months passed since Ace, Luffy, and Sabo became sworn brothers. During this period, Sabo was brought to Dadan's House by Ace to live together, but he was eventually discovered by his father. Although Sabo had grown stronger, he chose to return home to avoid causing trouble for Ace and Luffy. Ace did not stop him, understanding that Sabo needed to choose his own path.

Following the original story, the king burned down the Uncertain Terminal to welcome the Celestial Dragons. After writing a letter to Ace, Sabo went to sea alone and was attacked by the Celestial Dragons' ship. Fortunately, he was saved by Luffy's father, Monkey D. Dragon. The news quickly spread back to Dadan's house.

"Sabo! I don't believe it! Woohoo!" Luffy cried upon hearing the bad news.

Ace remained silent. On the day of the incident, Ace used his Observation Haki to lock onto Sabo, ready to intervene if Dragon had not appeared to save him.

"Ace, this is Sabo's letter to you," Dogura said, handing Ace the letter.

"Bring it. Luffy, don't cry. I believe Sabo won't die. He is my brother, just like you," Ace reassured Luffy.

"Really, will he really not die?" Luffy sniffed.

"That's what I believe," Ace said.

"Well, well! Ace, you, you must not die. You are my brother," Luffy said, tearfully.

"I won't die," Ace promised, touching Luffy's head and walking towards the cliff.

At the edge of the cliff, Ace slowly opened Sabo's letter.

"Ace, Luffy, you must be okay in the fire, right? Hahaha, Ace, you are a flame man; fire can't hurt you.

When you read this letter, I will already be at sea. A lot happened, but I decided to go to sea first. The destination is anywhere but this country.

I have to become stronger. Ace, if you want to be the king of the world, and I want to be your helper, my current strength is far from enough. I want to become stronger, become a pirate, and become the freest person in the world. At that time, I will definitely be able to help you, right?

The three of us brothers will definitely meet again, somewhere on this wide and free sea. By the way, Ace, no, brother, I have already considered you my brother. Thank you for taking care of me during this time. The bond between the three of us is my most precious treasure.

Also, Luffy, I leave my brother to you. If you are here, I can rest assured about that crying idiot.

Your brother, Sabo."

Ace read the letter, tears filling his eyes. "Do you want to be the freest person and then come to help me? Then you must be strong, Sabo, no, my brother," he said, smiling towards the horizon. "We will definitely meet."

Time flew, and seven years passed. Ace was now seventeen, and today was the day he would set sail.

At Dadan's house, Magura called out to Dadan, "Hey, boss! Ace has something to tell you!"

"What now? This guy is finally leaving. Will he scold me again in the end?" Dadan replied, lying on her back.

"No! Ace said, thank you for taking care of me all these years," Magura shouted.

"...."

"What? That damn brat! What is he saying about taking care of me?" Dadan burst into tears, recalling Ace's journey from a baby to the present day. She had come to see Ace as her own child.

At the seaside of Windmill Village, the villagers gathered to see Ace off.

"Ace! Come on!"

"Ace! I want to see you become a great pirate!"

"Be the pride of our Windmill Village, Ace!" the villagers cheered.

"Shut up, everyone! Becoming a big pirate is simply insulting the reputation of our Windmill Village!" the village chief, Wood Slapp, scolded, though his eyes were full of concern for Ace.

"Ace! I'm going to sail in three years. Wait for me! I will definitely become the Pirate King!" Luffy shouted to Ace, standing on a small modified sailboat.

"I'm looking forward to it, Luffy," Ace replied, smiling handsomely from under his hat.

"Well, everyone, thank you for taking care of me over the years," Ace said politely, bowing to the villagers. "I have to ask you to take care of my idiot brother."

Ace smiled one last time and looked towards the vast sea. His feet ignited a flame, and with the power from the modified sailboard, he sailed towards the distance.

"The voyage has begun," Ace thought, his face filled with an expectant smile.