Chapter 363: Brothers Reunited

"Damn it, Kuma! What are you doing?!" "How could you attack me?!" Ivankov's massive face was bulging with veins, completely unable to believ

"Damn it, Kuma! What are you doing?!"

"How could you attack me?!"

Ivankov's massive face was bulging with veins, completely unable to believe that his former comrade would strike at him.

"Ivan! Don't forget what I told you! Kuma... he may have already lost consciousness!"

Sabo, gripping his steel pipe, had lost his hat in the chaos. His gaze toward Kuma was filled with sorrow, but that sorrow was quickly replaced by determination.

"Even so, Ivan, we have to rescue him!"

"If we miss this chance, we might lose him forever!"

"Sabo-boy! Watch your back!"

Sabo suddenly leapt into the air, just as an explosive, excited roar came from behind him:

"Fire Fist!"

Boom!

A massive fist of flames slammed into the ground where Sabo had just been standing, leaving a deep crater.

Somersaulting in midair, Sabo landed steadily on his feet and turned toward the source of the attack, chuckling wryly. There, standing with tears streaming down his face, was a young man clad in a Marine-issue Justice coat, his black hair swaying in the wind.

"Hey, Ace… long time no see. That's quite a way to say hello!"

"Sabo! You bastard! It's really you!"

Ace struggled to suppress his overwhelming excitement. Uncle Wright hadn't lied—Sabo was alive! And he had appeared here, in the middle of this war!

"The Revolutionary Army's second-in-command?! Looks like you've had quite the journey yourself!"

Ace was well aware of where he stood in this battle, but this was no time for tearful reunions—he and Sabo weren't the sentimental type.

"Ten years apart… Let's settle this once and for all!"

"Hahaha! Sounds good! We never did figure out who the real big brother was!"

"Ivan, Morley! I'm leaving Kuma to you! I've got some catching up to do with my brother!"

Sabo twirled his steel pipe, coating it with Armament Haki.

"Don't think that just because you ate a Logia Devil Fruit, I'm afraid of you!"

"Hahaha! Bring it on! Fire Fist!"

The two brothers clashed fiercely, their battle raging back and forth. Though Sabo wasn't a Devil Fruit user, he had trained under none other than Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army. His mastery of Armament Haki and his raw combat skills were formidable, and for a time, he and Ace seemed evenly matched.

Meanwhile, Sengoku's forehead veins were pulsing with frustration. From the conversation between this so-called Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army and Ace, he had just pieced together a fact so shocking it nearly gave him a heart attack.

"Damn you, Garp!!"

"Bwahahahahaha!"

Garp, on the other hand, was laughing so hard he was practically slapping his thighs in joy.

"Perfect! Absolutely perfect! Now everything's just fine!"

Having raised Ace from childhood, Garp knew better than anyone the importance of Sabo in Ace's heart.

Wright's Lightforged Crystal had given Ace hope, keeping him from completely falling into despair over Sabo's supposed death. Though Garp had no idea what Wright's connection to Sabo was, Wright's personal guarantee that Sabo was alive had played a key role in pulling Ace back from the brink of hatred and hopelessness.

And now, here was Sabo, alive and standing before Ace—undeniable proof.

As the sounds of combat were punctuated by their laughter, it was clear that Ace had cast off the darkness in his heart. Everything was unfolding in the best possible way.

"Hahaha, Sengoku! This has nothing to do with me! Those two boys… Ahem, they're evenly matched! I should go supervise the battle!"

"Yes, supervise! I've been standing here so long my legs are getting numb. It's time to do something! The Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army—now that's a worthy opponent!"

"I need to make sure my grandson—Ahem, I mean, I need to make sure the Revolutionary Army doesn't get to the execution platform!"

Ignoring Sengoku's increasingly furious expression, Garp roared with laughter and leapt off the execution platform.

"Hahahaha! You two little punks! Let your grandpa show you what a real fight looks like!"

Sengoku clutched his chest, taking several deep breaths, his teeth grinding audibly.

Damn you, Garp! Like hell this has nothing to do with you!

The leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon, is your son!

And now his disciple—Sabo, the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army—calls Ace his brother?!

If you tell me you don't know this Sabo kid, I'll eat this entire execution platform!

Even if he's not your godson, he's at least your grand-disciple!

What the hell is with your family?!

"This is a live, worldwide broadcast… A live broadcast…"

Sengoku forcibly swallowed his urge to shout in exasperation. He knew exactly what Garp was doing. That old bastard had jumped into the fray just to make sure no one seriously hurt his grandsons—and if anyone tried, he'd beat them senseless himself.

"Hold off the Revolutionary Army! Prioritize taking down Whitebeard!"

Garp was clearly no longer an option, so Sengoku had no choice but to refocus on the main objective. There were only a handful of Revolutionary Army members here—if they really intended to storm the execution platform, they must have lost their minds.

How did they even get through the Gates of Justice…?

No, that doesn't matter right now. If this continues, I'll have to step in personally…

Just as that thought crossed Sengoku's mind, the battlefield shifted yet again.

A sudden gust of sand swept across the war zone. Marines and pirates alike were caught off guard—why was there a sandstorm?

Just then, behind Whitebeard—who was still catching his breath after a brutal exchange with Wright and Akainu—a cloaked figure suddenly materialized. A razor-sharp golden hook swung straight for Whitebeard's throat!

"Crocodile!"

Whitebeard's lips curled into a smirk as he swung his naginata, unleashing a devastating quake shockwave that blasted the attacker into a scattering of sand.

"Gurararara… You're as ruthless as ever, Crocodile. But why are you here?"

The sand reformed in the distance, solidifying into the infamous former Warlord. Crocodile bit down on his cigar and studied Whitebeard for a moment before answering.

"I crawled out of that hellhole, Impel Down, for one reason only—to take your head."

Whitebeard let out a booming laugh.

"Gurararara! You sure sound confident, boy. Seems you've gotten sharper since last time!"

Whitebeard surveyed the battlefield. The sudden appearance of the Revolutionary Army had clearly thrown the Marines into disarray. However, their target seemed to be a Warlord of the Sea…

There was no time to worry about the relationship between the Revolutionaries and the Warlords. Whitebeard's keen gaze locked onto the execution platform—where only Sengoku remained!

Meanwhile, Marco and the others had their eyes fixed on him!

This is our chance…

"Crocodile, if you want my head—then come and take it!"

With a booming laugh, Whitebeard swung his naginata with all his might. A powerful shockwave surged forth, its target—Marineford Town!

"Let's see if you can stop this, Magma Brat! And you too, Wright! Show me if you can protect Marineford!"

"Something's off…"

Wright's golden eyes gleamed with divine radiance, a smirk forming at the corner of his lips.

"This old man…"

Akainu swiftly evaded the shockwave, while Wright deflected its trajectory with his blade. A deafening explosion followed, and the residual impact—naturally—was intercepted by Fujitora.

One after another, Whitebeard unleashed relentless shockwaves and slashes, attacking with reckless abandon. He no longer seemed concerned with conserving his strength—his sole objective was the destruction of Marineford!

Wright had no choice but to intercept and redirect the shockwaves and slashes, buying Fujitora more time to react. At the same time, Akainu took advantage of Whitebeard's frenzied assault, launching a counterattack from the flank!

"Tch! Crazy old man!"

Crocodile clicked his tongue in annoyance—just as he leapt backward, dodging a sudden bolt of lightning that struck the ground where he had stood moments before!

Enel, gripping his golden staff, gazed at Crocodile with an amused grin.

"Yahahaha… Another Logia user? Sand, huh? Interesting…"

"Come, let's have some fun… I've been waiting for this! Finally, a fellow Logia-type to test my mettle against! Let's have a proper exchange of ideas!"

"You're… the new Warlord? The one who ate the Goro Goro no Mi?"

Back in Impel Down, Crocodile had clearly kept up with the newspapers. Enel's distinct appearance was impossible to mistake.

"Well then—let's see just how strong my replacement really is!"

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