Chapter 10: Flame Dragon King Sabo Travels Back Two Years and Joins the Summit War
Rumble—
A violent wind swept away the white sands, covering the sky and the earth.
This was the Island of White Soil, Baltigo—
An island so mysterious, it didn't appear on any known map.
It was also the headquarters of the world's most dangerous organization—the Revolutionary Army.
At this moment, on the secluded shore of the island,
a young man with wind goggles hanging from his top hat stood dumbfounded, staring at the sky.
He was the second-in-command of the Revolutionary Army,
its youngest Chief of Staff,
and wielder of Ryusoken—
Sabo.
Never in his wildest dreams did he expect…
...that simply falling asleep would lead to time travel.
"Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1520.
So I've returned to two years ago?"
Sabo looked utterly dazed.
But the moment he saw a task prompt materializing in the air before him,
his foggy eyes suddenly turned sharp.
"There's only one week left until the public execution of Fire Fist Ace, Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"My dream has come true! I've really returned to the time before Ace's execution!"
"Is this real or a dream? No—whether real or not, there's only one thing I must do!"
Sabo's expression transformed from shock to overwhelming resolve.
"Two years ago, I didn't make it to the battlefield!"
"I failed in my duty as a brother!"
"I couldn't stand shoulder to shoulder with Ace and Luffy!"
"All I could do was wallow in regret... but—"
Clenching his fists, Sabo's face radiated determination.
"This time, no more regrets! If Heaven gave me this chance to return—
even if it's just a dream—I will stand on that battlefield and fight alongside my brothers!"
"Wait for me, Ace!!"
Sabo shouted, waving his arm, then looked around.
Within moments, he got his bearings.
His body turned elemental, and he took off toward a specific direction at lightning speed.
After all, Baltigo was where he had lived for more than a decade—
he knew it like the back of his hand.
But to confirm if this was really two years ago,
Sabo needed to check the Revolutionary Army's base.
In the future, Baltigo would be abandoned after being raided by Blackbeard's crew.
He raced at full speed.
About an hour later, a massive base appeared faintly amid the white sandstorm.
Seeing that the base remained completely intact,
Sabo's excitement surged.
"This really might be two years ago."
Without hesitation, Sabo entered the base.
Everything was just as he remembered.
Before he could fully take it in—
"Sabo-kun!!"
A graceful girl's voice called from not far away.
Sabo turned instinctively.
There, with her arms crossed and cheeks puffed out angrily, stood a cute, short-haired girl in a black sleeveless dress.
"Koala..."
Sabo smiled.
She looked even cuter than he remembered from two years ago.
But that thought didn't last long.
Koala stormed over and grabbed his ear—hard.
"You dummy, Sabo! Where the hell did you sneak off to nap?! Something huge is happening!
Dragon-sama has summoned all officers—emergency meeting!"
Still clutching his ear, Koala dragged him toward the strategy conference room.
At first, Sabo was stunned.
But then—
"Oh, right!
Today's the day of that strategy meeting…"
"…The one discussing the upcoming major event—a full-scale war between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Navy Headquarters!"
As for the "Sabo" of this time period,
he was probably still napping in a corner somewhere.
Koala had originally come to fetch him.
But instead, she ran into the time-traveled Sabo first.
"Well then, I'll just replace my past self and attend this meeting."
A few minutes later, Sabo and Koala arrived at the conference room.
"Apologies for being late, Dragon-sama!"
Koala bowed deeply, dragging Sabo along.
"No worries."
The Revolutionary Army's leader, Dragon, waved a hand, signaling them to sit.
"Sabo, you seem… different today."
Belo Betty, the Eastern Army Commander, raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I feel it too!
Less childish, more mature somehow."
Added Lindbergh, the Mink-origin Southern Commander.
"Eh? Really?"
Koala looked confused.
To her, Sabo seemed the same as always—childish and forgetful.
"Sabo-kun looks… taller too~!"
Said the Western Commander, the giant okama Morley, with a dreamy voice.
"Haha, just your imagination!"
Sabo wiped his sweat nervously.
Even if he was the same person,
the version from two years later was bound to have subtle differences.
Thankfully, the other officers were used to Sabo growing up,
so even if they noticed something off, they didn't overthink it.
Fwoosh.
A strange hissing sound rang out.
"Karasu, your mic!"
Sabo instinctively reminded.
"Ah."
The Northern Commander Karasu hurriedly adjusted his voice module.
Before anyone else could speak,
Dragon tapped the table—
signaling the start of the meeting.
Click.
Intelligence officer Terry opened a Den Den Mushi and began transmitting analysis reports and intel for discussion.
The briefing and discussion went on for nearly half an hour.
Throughout the meeting, Sabo stayed silent.
Until—
Dragon turned to him.
"Sabo, any thoughts?"
Bang!
Sabo slapped the table and stood.
"Dragon-sama, we—the Revolutionary Army—cannot afford to stay out of this Summit War!"
The room fell dead silent.
"Sabo... were you even paying attention earlier?"
Betty crossed her arms, annoyed.
"This war is between Whitebeard and the Marines.
It has nothing to do with us!"
Lindbergh shrugged.
"What we've been discussing is how to use the war as cover to expand the revolution—like sparking uprisings in the East Blue, or South Blue's Bridge Kingdom…"
Karasu calmly summarized their earlier points.
But Sabo stood firm.
"I'm not wrong, Dragon-sama. Everyone… we really can't ignore this war!"
As he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes.
"Sabo-kun…"
Koala whispered.
And then—
SLAM!!
The door burst open.
A blonde young man with wind goggles stormed in, panting.
"S-sorry!! I overslept!!"
The Sabo from two years ago scratched his head sheepishly.
"Sabo... Sabo?!"
"Another... Sabo?!"
"Wh-wha—?!"
Chaos erupted in the conference room.