As the flames exploded outward, Sabo turned toward Luffy.
"Luffy, are you alright?"
Blood covered Luffy's body, yet his eyes still burned with determination.
He shook his head lightly.
"I'm fine, Sabo."
Then his gaze shifted back toward Doflamingo.
"This guy's strong!"
Sabo nodded with a serious expression. As a member of the Revolutionary Army, he naturally knew just how dangerous Doflamingo truly was.
"Leave him to me, Luffy. Get some rest first."
Luffy blinked in surprise.
"Sabo… you?"
A faint smile appeared on Sabo's face.
"I've inherited Ace's will now."
Luffy froze for a moment before finally noticing the flames dancing across Sabo's hand.
His eyes instantly sparkled.
"OHHHHHH!!! SABO!!! YOU DID IT!!!"
Sabo chuckled softly.
"So relax and catch your breath."
Only then did Luffy finally let out a sigh of relief. At last, he had a moment to recover.
Across from them, Doflamingo stared coldly at the newly arrived Sabo, his brows tightly furrowed.
The flames in Sabo's hand told him everything he needed to know.
The Flame-Flame Fruit from the colosseum had already been eaten by the man standing before him.
"Who are you?" Doflamingo asked coldly.
In all his memories, he had never seen this man before.
Sabo adjusted his hat and smiled calmly.
"My name is Sabo. Nice to meet you, Doflamingo."
Doflamingo's mind raced, searching through every scrap of information he had, but he still could not identify him.
Sabo seemed to notice his confusion.
"No need to guess. I belong to the Revolutionary Army."
The moment those words fell, Doflamingo's expression shifted.
"So Dragon's people were after the Flame-Flame Fruit? No… that's not it. You came here for Straw Hat!"
Sabo nodded slightly.
"To be precise, I came alone."
Doflamingo snorted.
"And what gave you the confidence to storm into my Dressrosa by yourself?!"
Sabo's eyes turned cold.
"Your Dressrosa? Don't make me laugh. This is a country you stole."
The instant he finished speaking, Sabo vanished.
"Fire Fist!!!"
Flames erupted from his right fist as he smashed toward Doflamingo.
Doflamingo reacted instantly, threads weaving together before him.
"Spider Shield!"
BOOM!!!
Fire and strings collided violently, unleashing a massive shockwave across the battlefield.
The two men were thrown backward to opposite sides.
Sabo shook his slightly numb arm, his eyes filled with caution as he stared at Doflamingo.
Doflamingo burst into mocking laughter.
"That's it? That's all the power you can draw from the Flame-Flame Fruit?"
"What a waste."
"If Ace could see you now… do you think he'd be disappointed?"
The taunt instantly darkened Sabo's expression.
"Doflamingo!!!"
He could tolerate insults aimed at himself.
But Ace was different.
That name was the scar Sabo could never forget.
He had failed to save his brother once before, and the guilt still burned inside him like a raging fire.
Now Doflamingo had touched the one thing he could never forgive.
Flames erupted from both of Sabo's fists as he charged forward in fury.
A grin spread across Doflamingo's face.
Sabo had lost his composure.
And once a fighter lost control of their emotions, their attacks lost precision as well.
With a cold laugh, Doflamingo moved to meet him head-on.
The two clashed once more in a storm of fire and strings.
Not far from the battlefield, Luffy sat on the ground desperately trying to recover his strength.
Then suddenly, a relaxed voice sounded behind him.
"Well now… isn't this Straw Hat?"
"You still have the luxury of resting here?"
Luffy's body stiffened instantly.
"When did he get behind me?!"
He hadn't sensed anyone approaching at all.
Luffy immediately leapt away and turned toward the tall figure standing there.
The newcomer had sharp features and messy green hair swaying in the wind.
It was Ryokugyu.
"Who are you?!"
"When did you appear?!"
"And what did you mean by that?!"
Luffy shouted all at once.
Ryokugyu raised an eyebrow.
"Hey, hey. That's a lot of questions at once."
Then he grinned lazily.
"I'm Vice Admiral Ryokugyu of Navy Headquarters."
Luffy's pupils shrank.
Of course he had heard that name before.
Ryokugyu of the Zero Division.
Officially a candidate for Admiral, but widely acknowledged to possess strength equal to one.
Luffy swallowed nervously.
Two years ago, he had already experienced the overwhelming terror of an Admiral-level monster.
The man who had crushed him back then was Xu.
And the man before him had been personally trained by Xu himself.
At that moment, Ryokugyu spoke again casually.
"You asked what I meant earlier, right?"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"You still don't know?"
"Your crew has already been captured."
His tone carried a trace of mockery.
Luffy's entire body trembled.
"You're saying Zoro and the others were captured?! That's impossible!"
"We haven't achieved our dreams yet!"
"There's no way my crew would lose to the Marines!"
Ryokugyu's smile faded slightly.
"Don't joke around, Straw Hat."
He slowly raised a finger.
"The world doesn't revolve around you."
"Whether you or your crew exist or not, the world will keep moving forward."
"In the past, many Marines held back because of Marshal Xu… and because you're Vice Admiral Garp's grandson."
"But that was never something you were entitled to."
Ryokugyu's expression gradually turned serious.
"And now, Monkey D. Luffy…"
"Your pirate journey…"
"No. Your entire life…"
"…has reached its end."
-----------------------------
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