A day later, Luigi and Ace were on the road once again.
Scorpion, having been fully convinced by his children to return to the Badlands, (with three gold coins that Luigi gifted to help them(they almost passed out from it) told Ace that while he didn't meet Teach, he did hear of a man like that heading to Rain Base.
Home to the Warlord of the Sea and the home base of the casino, a perfect place to gather money…as long as you are willing to Gamble with it.
Here, the duo met up with Diddy Kong, the chimp having informed them of the sudden separation of the Kong Family.
Seeing no reason to deny a friend in need, Luigi happily offers Diddy his help. The chimp was also happy to do so and to go on a new adventure.
"You know, I have seen many things in life!" Ace was saying as the Green Fire Kart drove through the sand, accompanied by Diddy driving a brown/yellow/red motorcycle called the Zip Zip. "But a monkey driving?! This is a new one! Your world is truly weird but awesome!"
"Oook!" Diddy chirped happily.
"He said 'Thank you!'" Luigi translates before looking forward, seeing something up ahead. "Hey! I see something!"
Ace squinted his eyes to look forward and notice it too. "It's…a ship?"
Sure enough, they saw a big ship in the sand as they got close. The main mast was broken while people were fighting a…giant scorpion.
"Oh wow…T-That's a big scorpion." Luigi stammered.
"Hmm…Those must be the infamous Sand Pirates!" Ace said.
"...So…they are pirates…but in sand?" Luigi asked.
"Yeah!" Ace nodded. "Anyways! They don't seem to have noticed us! We should probably-"
At that moment, a Giant Scorpion appeared under the sand, blocking their path and forcing Luigi and Diddy to halt.
"...Me and my Goddamn mouth." Ace cursed at the bad timing.
…
…
…
"Huh…That wasn't so bad." Ace commented. He, Luigi, and Diddy stood in front of the charred and crispy Scorpion, eating some of its meat.
The fight, if you could call that one, didn't last much, but it did force them to meddle with the pirates' own scorpion problem. Now, both sides were enjoying a meal, the pirates cheering for having enough food supplies for a year and a half if served properly.
"Hahaha! We thank you three for the assistance!" A big and curly man with a sand outfit and a tiny umbrella on his head thanked the three of them as he got close. "My name is Barbarossa! Captain of the Barbar Sand Pirates!" He introduced himself.
"Greetings!" The trio greets back.
"Heh! I have to say, I wasn't expecting to see the 'Fire Fist' Ace in this part of the sea! Let alone this far away from the ocean!" Barbarossa commented. "What brings a famous sea pirate like you this far?"
"Just doing a crew related business." Ace replied. "Say, you wouldn't have happened to see someone pass by? A rotund and broken smile man, perhaps?" He asked.
"O-On another note," Luigi took out the picture of the Power Star, "Have you guys seen an item shaped like this? Or some primates walking around?"
"Hmm," Barbarossa hummed in thought, "I don't believe I have…but perhaps Rasa might have!" He looked at his crew, "Oy! Rasa! Come here for a second!"
Someone from the crowd jumped over them, flipping into position and landing in front of the captain; a young woman in desert clothes and sporting a small umbrella in her head as well. Her expression is that of seriousness.
Luigi, Diddy, and Ace clap and coo at her display before taking a scoreboard each, giving her a 10, 9.5, and 10.
"Hahaha! Look at that, Rasa! Is it not every day someone gets a high score like that!" Barbarossa said with a laugh.
"...You call me, Boss?" Rasa asked.
"Yeah! These fellows are after some things! You recently went to scout around. Care to tell them if you have seen anything?" Barbarossa asked.
Rasa nodded before looking at the trio, who repeated their questions. "...I have not seen the star-shaped object anywhere here, nor have I seen a primate walking around. I'm Sorry to say." Luigi and Diddy looked dejected by that. "As for the man…I can't say the characteristics fully, but I do remember seeing a rotund man walking by with a few people to Rain Base. They were talking about something, and the man was laughing weirdly."
Ace narrowed his eyes hard. "Was it a laugh that starts with 'Z'?"
Rasa nodded. "That's correct."
"Great." Ace grinned—finally, an assured lead on Teach.
Before he could ask more, however, a sudden sandstorm appeared. "Woah!"
"Everyone! Stay together!" Barbarossa shouted.
"What the heck?!" Ace yelled as he, Luigi, and Diddy covered their faces from the sand. "A sandstorm so suddenly!?"
"Don't get separated!" Barbarossa yelled out. "These storms have already swallowed a good amount of my people! Fortunately, we have rescued some!" He began to protect Rasa. "But this thing has been getting worse! It's like the desert has become angry!"
Nobody could see it, but Luigi perked up at that comment as his body suddenly began to emit a green aura. Concentrating as much as he could, his eyes widened in realization. "O-kay!" He shouted before taking out a device, "Diddy! Ace!"
"Yeah/Ook?"
"I'm-a going to drill my way-a to the ship!" Luigi proceeded to pull his cuff and his body changed, his overalls were now green and his shirt gray, while his hat switched into a drill. "Try to get everyone to the ship quickly!"
Before they could ask, Luigi jumped into the air and dived into the sand, drilling in.
"...And here I thought I would get used to him doing random shit already." Ace said, aghast at how Luigi changed clothes and buried himself underground.
("Meh! Start getting used to!") Diddy replied in his language before quickly telling Barbarossa to return to the ship.
After a small transition, the Sand Pirates, plus pirate and chimp, were close to the ship as instructed. "What now?!"
"I don't know! Luigi said to be here!" Ace replied, not knowing exactly what the plumber was doing.
It wasn't long before the ship suddenly began to rumble. "T-The ship!" A pirate yelled out.
Everyone panicked at this, hoping that it wasn't one of Alabasta's creatures. But to their surprise, a clear bubble popped from under the ship, quickly going through everyone while pushing the sand away.
"W-What is this?!" Barbarossa and his men asked in amazement, seeing the sphere-like object cover and reach all of the ships, blocking the sand.
"Wow…" Ace was amazed as well. The sand hit the sphere, and he could breathe clean air. "Is this what Luigi was planning?" He asked Diddy, only to be surprised as the chimp was also shocked by it.
A small rumble and movement later, Luigi pops out, still dressed in his drill outfit. "Fwee! Is everyone okay?"
"Luigi! What did you do?!" Ace asked.
"Oh! Just-a using something a…friend did." Luigi said, shuddering at the reminder of a certain cube-like, prideful inventor. "It creates-a powerful coating-a that protects ships when they-a go underwater."
"A coating machine!?" Ace gasps at that. A coating machine for underwater sailing?! That is a revolutionary discovery!
"This should-a hold up until the storm passes-" Luigi was saying before hearing shuffling nearby. Turning to the side, he was shocked to see the sand pirates on their knees and bowing to him. "Eh?"
"A miracle maker! We have witnessed the birth of a miracle!" Barbarossa shouted while his head was in the sand. "Praise be this wonderful man!"
"We praise!" The pirates shouted.
The trio blink at them. Not knowing what they can even say in this situation. "Uhm…S-Stand up, please?" Luigi asked, having a small shiver that something out of context would happen if he didn't stop this.
…
…
…
"Hahahahahahahaha!"
"Hihihihihihihihi!"
Ace and Diddy laugh loudly while Luigi grumbles in embarrassment. "It's not funny!"
After (finally) convincing the pirates to stop what they were doing, they began to plan on how to repair their ship's broken mast.
At first, there was panic as they would die in the desert before Barbarossa put them in place and told them that this was how the Land of Sand works. If they die, they will die with dignity!
They were planning to send Rasa to an outpost not too far from their position, where they store their supplies…
Until they saw Luigi, who had switched into his Construction Worker outfit, had repaired the mast already because he felt bad about their predicament.
Then, they help them reach the outpost, which was abandoned years ago, and Luigi quickly fixes the entire town in under an hour; making water function again and clear all the sand away.
Now the entire Pirate crew had dubbed him Savior and had (possibly) created a cult.
But what really made Ace and Diddy laugh was that Rasa, who was emotionless all the time, suddenly went on her knees and thanked Luigi for everything, so much that she offered herself to be his wife as compensation.
"Hahaha! What's the matter, Lu?!" Ace replied between laughter, "Is not everyday I get to see a woman just offer their hand in marriage to a man! And your reaction was so hilarious!" Ace said. Diddy was going harder on the laugh he almost fell from his bike.
"I-It's not funny!" Luigi shouted with red cheeks. "I-It took everything to convince her to stop! I'm already…in a relationship~" He said, feeling more embarrassed as he remembered he was in a relationship.
"Hahahaha! That just makes it even funnier!" Ace barked.
Honestly, I'm more shocked than no sand or bugs entering his mouth with how long it was open.
Anyways, once separated from the Sand Pirates (Read: Run Away from a crazy-loved Rasa) the trio headed to Rain Base once again.
Given the information regarding the sandstorms, and getting more information on Sir Crocodile, Luigi's deduction skills came into play as he hypothesized that the Warlord has the Power Star in his hands.
"So you think that Crocodile has the Star?" Ace asked, having calmed down.
"Not sure…but it-a makes sense if you-a think about it." Luigi said. "He's-a powerful pirate with the-ability to control sand, and according-a to the locals, these sandstorms are way too-a frequent and powerful-a for a week. This must-a mean that Crocodile is-a using the Power Star to improve-a his power."
"Okay, I see the logic." Ace said, understanding his reasoning. ('Either that…or Crocodile has finally awaken his Devil Fruit.') That would be a dire situation.
An awakened Devil Fruit user here? In the first half of the Grand Line? With the Navy?
That raises a lot of flags.
"Hoooo!" Diddy shouted as he pointed forward, making the duo look and see a city.
"Ah, there it is!" Ace said, putting that problem away for now. "That's Rainbase! We made it!"
Luigi and Diddy step on the gas, the sand being spit harshly from the tires as they drive forward…
For about two minutes.
*Fwoosh!*
"What the?!" They yelled as they were suddenly covered in sand.
In an instant, all three of them found themselves in a remote area, with no sight of Rainbase at all.
"Uh? What just happened?" Luigi asked, very confused and very scared.
"Kuahahaha…Greetings, Whitebeard Pirates."
All three of them jumped as a small twister appeared in front. A figure began to form from the sand.
Ace instantly lit his hands on fire. "Crocodile!" The mention of the name made the Nintendo duo tense and get ready.
"Fire Fist Ace…I must say that I wasn't expecting to see a pirate of your caliber in this part of the sea." Crocodile said, blowing smoke out from his cigar. "Especially knowing that you've been running around here in the land. Care to tell me why?"
"Well, if you think I'm going after you, be relieved to know that I'm not." Ace replied with a narrowed look. "I'm looking for someone and he was last seen going to Rainbase. So how about it; you answer my questions and I don't cause you trouble for meddling where nobody called you to."
"Hmph. Arrogant brat." Crocodile scoff. "Don't get cocky just because you have the Strongest Man in the world on your side." He raised his hand and sand formed around it. "Besides, as far as I see, it's you who should be concerned. You are messing with Government territory."
"Well, the same goes for you, Navy Dog." Ace remarked back with no fear.
Both pirates stare at each other, neither planning to back down.
"...Uhm…Excuse me?" Luigi suddenly spoke up with a raised hand.
"Hmm?" Crocodile looked at him, his stare making Luigi stagger a bit. "What?"
"B-Before we get into a possible battle, c-can I…ask for something?" Luigi awkwardly asked.
…
…
…
"Luigi. What the Hell?" Ace deadpan. "Can't you see that he's been hostile?"
"Uh, yeah. B-But we should-a always start with peace-a rather than fighting right-a off the bat." Luigi replied.
"Peace?!" Ace was aghast at the suggestion. "What peace? This bastard is a pirate who sold himself for the Navy and sees us as enemies! There's nothing to be peaceful about!"
"But we are entering-a his territory." Luigi pointed out. "He has the right to feel concerned about-a our presence. We should at least-a be better people and show respect first." Ace was now looking at him as if he was being crazy. He looked at Diddy, who got confused at the stare.
As far as the Chimp knew, Luigi was doing the right thing.
"...Kuahahaha." Crocodile suddenly laughed, "I didn't think there would be someone like this world." He said, amused by Luigi's naivety. "Tell you what, greenie. Since you have amused me, I'll let you ask your question."
Luigi perks up and smiles. "Oh! W-Why thank you." He then asked, "Would you happen to be in possession of a star-like object?"
…
…
…
"..." Crocodile amusement slowly morphs into a narrow glare. "...I see…"
In an instant, a sand hand appeared in front of the trio. Luigi and Diddy gasp before moving their vehicles away, the hand hitting where they once were.
"I had a feeling this Star didn't land here for no reason." Crocodile said as his sand became golden. From his coat, the Power Star came out.
Ace, having recovered from the sudden jolt, stared at the Power Star in shock as the radiant light coming from it shook him. ('That's the Power Star?') Unconsciously, something inside shifts, telling him to get that star.
"I don't understand what happened, but I must thank you for your negligence," Crocodile said as the sand around him began to float, and the particles started to glow in golden sparks. "I have reached a pinnacle of power I didn't even know existed." He grinned evilly. "Thanks to this Star, I have been able to proceed with my plans to take over Alabasta wonderfully."
"Take over-You're behind this civil war?!" Ace asked, shocked at the sudden declaration.
"Kuahahaha. How unfortunate." Crocodile said as more sand hands began to pop out of the ground. "I seem to have 'accidentally' revealed my plans to you." Such sarcastic words. "I guess I have no choice but to capture-"
*Bang!*
…
…
…
A…Peanut hit his face.
Crocodile blinked as crumbs stuck on his face. He slowly turned in the direction it came from, seeing Diddy Kong, holding a wood object that resembled a gun.
"...Did you just-"
"Fire Fist!"
Crocodile dodged to the side the flame fist that Ace threw at him. "Hmph. Predictable-" He was saying before noticing an incoming green projectile already on his face.
Luigi pulled back his hand, making the chop movement and attacking Crocodile's head. "Hi-yah!"
In thought, Crocodile laughed mockingly, ('Heh…Poor fool. He doesn't know he can't hurt me with physical attacks-')
Then his Haki, which has been silent for years, flared.
*Smack!*
And the chop hit his face hard.
The Warlord was sent diving into the ground faster than sound. His landing was strong enough to shake the land.
Ace whistles at that. "Damn. I actually felt that. It's amazing he doesn't have Haki."
("Yep. That's Luigi alright.") Diddy said, putting gas on his motorcycle.
Back on the crash landing area, Crocodile, his hair messed up, his cigar lost and his face morphing into pain and shock, crawled out of the sand and struggled to get up, blood dripping from his nose. ('What the fuck was that!?') He was hit!
Hit! Him! A man whose body was completely made out of sand!
Unacceptable!
He stabbed his hand in the sand below, "Ground Secco!" In seconds, the sand instantly began to morph into a spiral.
Luigi, landing on his Green Fire, noticed this and panicked. "He's doing something!" He hit the gas, made a harsh left turn(almost sending Ace flying), and drove off. Diddy was right behind him as the sand began to be swallowed in.
"Welp! He's pissed!" Ace said as he looked behind at the incoming quicksand. "Any plan to deal with that!?"
"Nope!" Luigi exclaimed as the Green Fire floated briefly after a shake.
Diddy flew through the hill, holding tight to the bike as he began to do somersaults in the air and landed perfectly. ("Guys! We really need a plan!") He said.
"We attack him!" Ace declared, turning to look behind to see Crocodile coming at them through the air. "He drew first blood, so he's gonna get it! Turn around, Luigi!"
"A-Absolutely not!" Luigi yelled as he dodged a sand bump. "We are in-a bad position! Why did I-attack him like that?!" Luigi asked himself, blaming the impulsive side of the family to act.
"Because you knew he won't be peaceful anymore!" Ace shouted as his hand became flames and he threw at the sky, intercepting a sand bomb. "Come on! Done back down now! Be a man and see this through till the end!"
"I really don't think that's a good idea!" Luigi exclaimed.
This went on for about thirty minutes, dodging and Ace sending fire blasts and more(aka, the writer had no idea what else to do and decided to simply go fast-forward), Crocodile had enough and once again slammed his hand on the sand.
In front of the karts, a massive sand wall forms, extending way far and forcing Luigi and Diddy to slam the brake hard so as to not crash against it.
"The time to run is over!" Crocodile exclaimed. "Now, prepare to become my first test subject of my new power!"
Seeing no more choice, or rather finally reaching the point, Ace jumped off. "Fine by me! You're gonna regret facing me!"
Luigi and Diddy dismount their karts and return them back to their capsules, seeing they won't be needing them now.
"Looks like-a we are fighting." Luigi sighs.
("Reminds of someone, eh?") Diddy said, looking at him.
"Ey! Mario is-a head strong but he's-a not that much!" Luigi said, defending his brother. "Besides! That pot meets the kettle for DK too!"
("I never said it didn't, I'm just saying that Ace's attitude reminds me of someone.") Diddy shrugged.
"Hey guys! You both joining the fun or what?" Ace called them out.
At that, they both quickly stood next to him and ready themselves for battle. "Polterpup. Hide." Luigi whispers to the dog, who barks and hides beneath the sand in an instant.
"Come forth, rookies." Crocodile said as he extended his arms. "See the difference between you and me." Sand began to pile up as figures appeared from it. Slowly, sand golems that resembled gators with bananas on their heads.
"Heh! Will see about that!" Ace shouted as he charged his trademark fire attack. "Fire Fist!"
…
…
…
"...Lu…wa…"
"..."
"...igui…up…pl…"
"...Mm…"
"...Luigi! Wake up!"
"Mmm…Hmm?"
"Luigi!"
Luigi snapped his eyes open in surprise at the call of his name. "Wha?! Huh?!" He looked around as much as he could, finding it difficult to move. "W-Where-" He looked to his side and saw Diddy and Ace sand-chained to a cross. "G-Guys!?" He called them but didn't receive an answer.
*Snore*
At least, not a verbal one.
Seeing Ace's snot bubble appear made the plumber sigh in relief, and he did hear small snoring coming from Diddy.
He still can't believe they got captured. But how long has it been since that fight? A day? Two?
Oh…it doesn't matter. The only thing he can do now is-
"LUIGI!"
His eyes widened.
That voice.
He knew that voice.
Tears form on the corner as he looks forward, seeing sand flying in front of him…and he feel it.
His Bond Connection.
"MARIOOOO!"
At long last! His brother has found him!
And cut!
That's it! That's the end of the Luigi Journey Omake!
*Intensified shouts and screams of confusion and anger as to why*
"Before you all raise your pitchforks and torches, let me speak!"
"First of all, the point of an Omake is, in short, a small story after the original episode. If I continue writing long, it becomes a chapter for me. Now, I could do it, but making a battle between Luigi, Ace and Diddy against Crocodile wasn't…forming well in my mind."
"Like, unlike with 'Crimson Yinglet' version, (Spoilers of his story, If you don't want to, please stop reading this part and move to the next one(YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED)) Crocodile had Cursa to help and make him stronger with the Darkmess and Power Star, making it hard for Luigi and Ace to fight. There's actually a good explanation for the plot of the storyline."
"Meanwhile, in my version, Crocodile only has the Power Star, and while it would make it harder for Ace to fight, Luigi and Diddy there makes it easy. Unfortunately, my brain couldn't find nor create a good battle for it. Honestly, I did want to make an epic battle of it!"
"But in the end, I ended up doing the Luigi already captured gag. So, sorry for this everyone, but my brain couldn't come up with a good story."
"But! While I can't give you all that…I did make an alternative!"
"What is it? You will all have to wait for the next chapter for it! Until then, see you-"
*Running footsteps sounds*
"W-What? What is it?"
*Rapid whispering in ear*
"O-Oh! I see! Thanks! Ehem! Everyone, I must apologize! It seems we have one more thing to show you all! Roll the footage!"
But this is a story-
"ROLL IT!"
"...Okay…I…I know that I'm usually calm and collected most of the time…" Koala looked at her teammates, revealing her shrunken eye. "But can someone explain to me WHAT the fuck just happened?!"
"I'm…not sure I can answer it." Sabo, sporting the same look, said.
"I must…concur." Said a third voice, belonging to a humanoid figure wearing a white karate gi. We said 'humanoid' as their skin is light yellow and has gills on their neck, shark teeth, and a fin on the top of their head.
All three of them stare in absolute horror at the massive sand kaiju that appeared in Alubarna. After a long investigation and days of undercover, the spies of the Revolutionary Army found out that the war in Alabasta that's been going for years was orchestrated by Sir Crocodile to take over the country.
All evidence against King Cobra was fabricated to create the Civil War, using the rebels to kill the Nefertari lineage, allowing the pirate to take control. Moreover, it was discovered that he planned to kill the Rebels and everyone in Alubarna with a powerful bomb.
While not their business in the war, with this information, it has decided to be spectators to this. Whether the Rebels win or the Royal wins doesn't matter; this is an opportunity for the Revolutionary Army.
So here we have Sabo and his team keeping an eye on the upcoming battle…
Until the entire city suddenly shaped into the sand and the massive kaiju appeared.
"Did…Did Crocodile…awaken his Devil Fruit?" Koala squeaked as he stared in fear.
"This…is troublesome." Hack, the resident Fish-man karate expert, said with sweat falling off his head. "To awaken a Devil Fruit in Paradise is…hard to believe."
"More like unheard of." Sabo narrows his eyes. "We did know that Crocodile had total control and knew everything on the Sand-Sand Devil Fruit, but awakening it was impossible for him." He turned to one of the soldiers that was there. "Inform the higher-ups immediately. Alabasta is going to be in ruin in minutes." The soldier saluted before rushing away. "Everyone, get things packed! We need to evacuate!" At his words, the small people they had stationed in began to pick everything up.
Harsh words, but realistic. That kind of power, most of Paradise doesn't know of it since it's more common in the New World.
An Awakened Devil Fruit is a dangerous form. Releasing the full potential of the fruit. So much that the very earth becomes part of them.
"Sir! The Royal and Rebel Army are retreating!" One of the soldiers shouted while pointing far away, from where both armies were running.
"Seems that they realize who their enemy truly is." Hack commented.
"...Uhm…and I think I see the King flying."
"Well, the Falcon has taken flight-"
"He's been carried by…Princess Vivi?!"
Sabo was silent by that. He looked at the soldier, who was handing the binoculars he was using to him. The blonde took it and quickly used it to stare at the sky. "...What the fuck…?"
Sure enough, King Cobra was flying in the sky, being held by Princess Vivi Nefertari, who was sporting a yellow cape.
"...I have so many questions right now." Sabo pulls the binoculars down as his brain tries to comprehend everything.
The princess was back. When did she return? How was she flying? Is that a Devil Fruit power? Is the cape part of it?
BOOOOOM!
An explosion shook the air, making Sabo and the rest of his crew to flinch. "What the?!" Turning to the direction it came from, they saw smoke coming from the Sand Kaiju's body, followed by a wall of fire consuming it. "Is someone actually fighting Crocodile?!" He asked, shocked at the bravery/stupidity of that person.
POW!
Then, the left eye of the monster vanished.
WAPOW!
Followed by the face becoming a crescent moon-shaped face.
"What the heck is this?!" Koala asked her jaw on the floor at seeing the powerful Kaiju stagger back and let out a massive roar. "Who is crazy enough to fight this?! There's now way the can win-"
(A few minutes later)
Koala's jaw fell even further than a cartoon gag. "Im…possible…"
No less than twenty minutes, the Kaiju, the Awakening form of the Sand-Sand Devil Fruit. A power capable of destroying the Kingdom of Alabasta…crumbled down and vanished.
Meaning that it was defeated.
"I…never thought I would witness the Awakening of a Devil Fruit…and its defeat." Hack, having been a revolutionary with longer experience, said in amazement.
Sabo, also shocked as them, shook his head before rushing forward. "I'll go and see who beat it!" Before any of the two could say anything, he already leaped off the hideout roof.
As he jumped through the rooftops, his brain was processing everything he had witnessed and concluded one serious fact.
Someone, here in Paradise, was powerful enough to defeat an Awaken Devil Fruit User.
('This isn't possible, yet it happened!') Sabo thought as he kept jumping from rooftop to rooftop. ('Someone so powerful is here! I need to see who it is and report it to Dragon!')
He did one final jump, trying to reach the last rooftop of the disfigured house that survived(somewhat) the Awakening, and landed on it, sand particles crumbling down the house.
He took out his binoculars and peered over the battlefield, as much as he could as he was still far away.
He saw them. A bunch of colorful people in the center.
In them, he first saw a gorilla with a tie appearing with a chimp wearing a red cap and shirt, and a baboon in a baby outfit. The Apes were cheering in their native language, beating on their chest. ('A gorilla with a red tie?! Awesome!') He thought in amazement.
He moved to the next pair- "Wait…why are there two Princesses?" Sabo asked in confusion at seeing two Princess Vivi, hugging an orange haired girl that…looks very similar to her- (Does Cobra have a secret-love child?!') Gasp! The audacity of the man!
I approve! She's a knocker!
Suddenly, he saw a blonde-haired, tuxedo-wearing, weird eyebrow man swooping in with a perverted look and saying strange things about love before getting punched by all three of them and sent flying. ('Okay…Weirdo man…although that eyebrow looks familiar.') He thought as he remembered a certain family of the North Blue.
Meh! Must be a coincidence.
Back to it, he saw a green-haired man laughing at the blonde man, causing him to go feral with him and started to fight; kicks and swords clashing. ('Huh…Three swords…that most be infamous Pirate Hunter.') He thought as he witnessed a long-nosed man yelling at them to stop, with a tiny…tanooki on his leg.
They stop when the gorilla comes and knocks them both out. Sabo was shocked because he didn't see the damn animal move! ('Damn! What Devil Fruit is that? I don't think we have heard of that one…Why does that feel nostalgic ?') Heh, curious…
For some reason, seeing that gorilla gave him nostalgic feelings.
Anyways, moving on, he noticed a familiar ghost dog happily walking to the crew, noticing the sleeping yellow star. "!...Is that the Star that Luigi was looking for?" Realizing that he followed the dog and…
He found Luigi, thanking the puppy with a head pat as he took the Star. ('Heh…I knew you were alive.') He smiled in relief, having disappeared days ago so suddenly.
Hack, having been told to keep an eye on him, never saw him reach Rain Base. He thought the desert finished him up.
But his guts told him that beating the man wouldn't be easy. So glad they were right.
Next to Luigi, he saw an identical person to him, only shorter and wearing red clothing, patting Luigi's back. ('So that's Red Cap Mario…He is far shorter than I had expected.') He thought, having heard the rumors of Mario's exploits.
He then moved and-
"!"
His eyes shrunk.
His heart stopped.
The world froze.
All he could see…were those two people.
The boy with a straw hat and a scar under his left eye.
The boy with the orange hat and freckles.
He saw their faces. Their laughter. Their bond.
He…He knew these two!
"Sabo!"
The shadowy images that had haunted him since little finally began to show properly.
"No matter what happens! Even if we go separately!"
His hands became shaky, the binoculars falling off as water formed around his eyes.
"From here and out! We are sworn brothers!"
*Clank!* A sound of metal matches with Sabo going down to his knees.
"Let's live our lives to the fullest, and without regret!"
"Ah…ah…" He began hyperventilating, his broken memories finally putting themselves up.
"LET'S SET SAIL!"
"YEAAAAAAAAAH!"
"Ace…Luffy…" Sabo mutters the names of the two most important people in his life before his brain finally stops and he drops down, unconscious.
And when he wakes up, Sabo will finally return.
At long last…the third brother of Monkey D. Luffy and Portgas D. Ace…has returned.
…
…
…
...HOOOOOOOOOOLY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! WE STARTED 2025 LIKE THIS!