Chapter 25: Brother's Reunion

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Rhine waved his hands to signal the two to calm down and said calmly, "Your reaction doesn't need to be so intense. Ask yourselves, are you really afraid of the World Government?"

As soon as these words came out, the three Gorgon sisters subconsciously frowned. Rhine continued, "Although your strength is far inferior to the Four Emperors-level pirate groups, you don't need to fear the government at all, right? After all, what you fear is not the government but memories from the past."

Although the World Government is the highest authority in the One Piece World, for pirates wandering aimlessly in the sea, as long as they have a certain strength, they don't need to fear the government at all. It's a matter of survival: if you have the guts, just catch me.

In the original anime, the Seven Warlords of the Sea system was abolished, and Hancock did not show any panic. This proves she's not afraid of the World Government at all. What truly haunts her is the memory of her past.

Rhine's analogy hit home: it's like a circus lion, far stronger than a human being in every aspect, but it will still obey obediently whenever the trainer waves a whip. This described the Gorgon sisters perfectly.

Hancock bit her lip, unsure if Rhine was telling the truth. Psychological shadows aren't something that can be easily controlled.

"You are strong, Boa Hancock. Celestial Dragons, World Government—there's no need to be afraid of them," Rhine said, raising his right hand in an inviting gesture. "Come with me to Mariejois, face your shadow. You are free!"

Hancock bit her lower lip with her white teeth, and after a few seconds, tears welled up in her eyes like a fountain. "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!" Hancock buried her head in her knees, tears streaming down her face. Sandersonia and Marigold were also overcome with emotion, trying in vain to hide their tears and snot.

Rhine didn't speak for half an hour. He just sat there quietly, waiting for the three Gorgon sisters to finish crying.

"You... what on earth do you want to do?" Hancock finally asked, her curiosity about Rhine growing. More and more doubts filled her heart. First, she couldn't understand why Rhine, who was obviously hostile to the World Government, would join the Shichibukai—a title of "government dog."

"You also read the news in the newspaper that I handed over Monkey D. Luffy to the government, right?" Rhine spoke again in a calm tone. "I have a plan, and I need your help. That is..." Rhine briefly explained his plan to the three Gorgon sisters. The more they listened, the wider their eyes grew in amazement.

"You... you're not kidding, are you?" Sandersonia's mouth was so wide open that her jaw almost hit the ground. "In other words, the upcoming all-out war between Marine Headquarters and the Revolutionary Army was planned by you alone!?"

Rhine chuckled softly. "In the final analysis, it's just a plan to divert the tiger away from the mountain. When I go to Impel Down, please, Hancock, stay on the battlefield. If anything unexpected happens, please contact me in time."

This war is completely different from the situation in the original anime. Not only has Marine's opponent changed from the Whitebeard Pirates to the Revolutionary Army, but the Whitebeard Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates also have a lot of possibilities to join. If nothing goes wrong, the battle will become Marine Headquarters and Seven Warlords of the Sea vs. Revolutionary Army, Whitebeard Pirates, and Red Hair Pirates. That picture is so beautiful.

"After that's done, I'll help you remove the mark of the dragon's hoof on your back," Rhine promised.

That should have been Hancock's main concern. However, after Rhine said this, she didn't ask how he planned to do it. Instead, her face showed a tangled look. After a long silence, she choked out a sentence: "You... would you look down on me, who was once a slave?"

"What?" Sandersonia and Marigold exchanged glances, feeling that there was something wrong with their sister. Rhine was also slightly startled when he heard that and then smiled.

...

...

Almost at the same time, on Sabaody Archipelago:

"Luffy's execution day is less than a week away." Ace, who had come here from the New World alone, checked the time, scratching his head in distress and muttering to himself, "Damn! Although I ran over, what should I do next?"

Luffy was now in Impel Down, ahead of a public execution in Marineford in the coming days. However, Ace found it difficult to decide his next move. Should he go to Impel Down prison or wait a few days to break into the battlefield?

...

"Ace!" Just when Ace was struggling, a figure descended from the sky and landed behind him. Ace turned around and found that it was Marco, the first division commander, who had come.

"Marco, why are you here?" Ace was quite surprised.

"Stupid, how could I not come? This is the second time you've come out alone," Marco grumbled.

Ace's face flashed a bit of a tangled expression, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "This is my own business, and I don't need to bother everyone and Pops."

In Ace's view, Luffy was his younger brother and had nothing to do with the Whitebeard Pirates. He didn't want to involve Marco and the others. After all, this was a war that could rewrite the future pattern of the world. Even if the Whitebeard Pirates dared to intervene, they might not be able to bear it.

"What nonsense? We are family!" Marco couldn't help scolding. The last time they let Ace go after Teach alone, Teach almost killed Ace. This scared Marco and Whitebeard a lot. No matter what Ace said this time, they didn't care. They would help him.

"But..." Ace wanted to say something more, but Marco had already interrupted him, changing the subject and asking, "Okay, tell me how you plan to save your brother."

Hearing Marco mention this topic, Ace expressed frustration: "I don't know. Either go to Impel Down or break in when the Marine is fighting the Revolutionary Army. It's just these two methods."

Marco frowned upon hearing this. After thinking for a while, he said, "Although Impel Down is known as an iron cage that no one can break through, jailbreaking is indeed the safest method."

If Ace broke into the battlefield, the Whitebeard Pirates would definitely not sit idly by. Marco didn't want things to turn out that way either. Therefore, saving Luffy from Impel Down before execution was the safest and best way.

"[Fire Fist] Ace and [Phoenix] Marco." At this moment, a young woman's voice sounded behind the two of them. Ace and Marco turned their eyes simultaneously. They saw Koala beckoning to the two to say hello.

"Who are you?" Marco frowned. Compared with Dragon, Sabo, and the four commanders of the Revolutionary Army, Koala's popularity was not high.

"My name is 'Koala,' but that doesn't matter." Koala, just like when she first met the Straw Hat Pirates, briefly introduced herself and then said, "All in all, you want to save the Straw Hat, right? Then come with me."

Saying that, Koala turned and walked to the rear right. "Ace, what do you think?" Marco asked sideways. "I'm going," Ace firmly said. "If they have a way to save Luffy, I'll try even if there's a trap!"

Immediately, Ace and Marco hurriedly followed. Soon, Koala took Ace and Marco to a casino in the 10th area of the Sabaody Archipelago. "Please follow me." Ignoring the noisy gamblers, Koala continued to lead the way, bringing the two to the backstage.

Then she rotated a vase on the shelf next to her. Followed by a "rumble" sound, the wall opened a door. Ace and Marco's expressions changed slightly. This is... a secret chamber!

Koala raised her hand to signal the two to come in. Ace and Marco exchanged glances, deciding that if this woman made any dangerous moves, they would capture her immediately. But as they entered the passage of the secret room, Ace was dumbfounded by the people sitting inside.

Zoro, Sanji, Nami, Chopper... These Straw Hat Pirates, he had met them before when he saw Luffy in Alabasta. No surprise there. The key was the guy in the middle.

"You, you, are you... Sabo?" Ace even wondered if he was seeing things.

"Long time no see, Ace." Sabo got up and showed Ace a long-lost bright smile. In the next second, Ace could no longer contain his excitement. He rushed over, hugging Sabo tightly and crying bitterly, "Woooooooo! I thought you were dead! You bastard!"

Sabo patted Ace on the back with his hand and smiled, "Sorry, I only came to see you at this time."

Ten minutes passed before Ace finally calmed down. Sabo briefly explained his situation over the past ten years, including being taken in by Dragon and becoming part of the Revolutionary Army. After listening to Sabo's description, both Ace and Marco couldn't help but sigh with emotion. There are indeed such bizarre things in this world.

"My affairs are not important now. The key is how to rescue Luffy," Sabo suddenly changed his expression and said solemnly. Hearing Sabo's words, Ace's expression also darkened.

"Sure, do you have any plans, Sabo?"

"I have prepared two plans." Sabo raised his index and middle fingers, his face becoming more serious. "If the first plan can save Luffy, that is undoubtedly the best result. I really don't want to use the second plan unless absolutely necessary."