"Brothers..."
Sabo's heart was gripped tightly.
Pain. It hurt so much he could barely breathe.
I'm sorry, Luffy.
We are brothers.
It's precisely because we're brothers...
That I have to leave.
That I have to... sever all ties between us with my own hands.
He walked behind Outlook III and lowered his head slightly. His posture was as subservient as a true young noble who had never once rebelled.
Outlook III glanced at his handiwork with satisfaction, then led his cold-eyed guards into the depths of the woods without a backward glance.
The small, blond-haired back vanished from Ace and Luffy's sight.
He never looked back. Not even once.
"I'm sorry..."
The apology no one could hear dissipated in the wind.
"I'm sorry..."
"Ace..."
"Luffy..."
Blake folded his arms, watching this grand drama with great interest. He shifted his gaze from the noble father's hypocritical face to Ace.
The small figure, still far from the future Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, was trembling violently with extreme anger. His fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles had turned white. In those eyes, inherited from the Pirate King, a storm was brewing, ready to burn everything.
A smirk, of someone who loved to watch chaos unfold, spread across Blake's lips.
Interesting.
You, who carry the blood of the Pirate King. What decision will you make when your brother is taken from you?
"ROAR!"
A bestial, inhuman roar erupted from Ace's throat!
He moved! Without the slightest hesitation!
Like a cannonball, he ignored the menacing, spear-wielding kingdom guards and charged straight for the golden-haired back that was about to disappear deep in the woods!
"Sabo!"
When Luffy saw Ace charge, he instantly stopped crying. He wiped his nose and tears and pumped his short legs, chasing after him with all his might!
"Wait for us, Sabo!"
The two small figures, one after the other, crashed through the bushes, rushing like madmen toward the departing group of nobles.
Outlook III heard the commotion behind him and frowned in disgust. He didn't even bother to turn around, simply giving a casual order to the guard captain beside him.
"Take care of those two flies."
However, before the guards could even move, Ace and Luffy, like two frenzied wolf pups, had already planted themselves firmly in front of Sabo, one on each side!
"I don't believe you!"
Ace spread his arms, his red eyes glaring at Sabo. Every word seemed forced through his gritted teeth.
"I don't believe a single word you said!"
"Yeah!" Luffy copied Ace's stance, blocking the other side. Tears were still welling in his eyes, but his voice was incredibly loud. "We're brothers! We remember everything you said!"
Sabo's body froze.
He looked at the two idiots blocking his path. He looked at their stubborn expressions, as if they would rather die than back down.
The heart he had just buried with his own hands began to throb violently again.
"Get out of the way..."
Sabo's voice was terribly hoarse. He tried to maintain his cold expression, but his trembling lips betrayed him.
"I told you, the game is..."
"Game?!"
Ace grabbed Sabo by the collar, using all his strength to yank him forward until they were face-to-face, their noses almost touching.
"You call this a game?!"
He roared madly, his eyes red.
"We scavenged for food in the trash heap together! We beat up those bandits together! We saved money together! We drank the sake of brotherhood together!"
"We promised we'd set sail together! That we'd get more freedom than anyone else!"
"Sabo!"
"You f*cking call this a game?!"
With every one of Ace's questions, Sabo's body trembled violently.
The dam he had worked so hard to build, made of coldness and lies, was cracking, inch by inch, under Ace's unreasonable, furious, and trusting roar!
He looked at Ace's eyes, red with anger and pain.
He looked at Luffy's face next to him, covered in tears and snot, but still full of a foolish "I believe in you."
He couldn't hold it in any longer.
The tears that had been welling up in his clear eyes finally broke free. Two hot streams trickled silently down his dust-stained cheeks.
Sabo opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but all that came out were a few suppressed, heartbroken sobs.
He had lost. He had lost to these two hopeless idiots.
He had lost to their damned, unbreakable bond!
"How pathetic."
The fake smile on Outlook III's face vanished, replaced by undisguised, extreme disgust.
He looked at his bawling son and at the two low-class brats who didn't know their place. This picture of deep brotherly love was, in his eyes, more disgusting than the deepest rot in the trash heap.
He couldn't even be bothered to say another word. He just gently lifted his chin toward the guard captain beside him.
"I don't want to see them again."
His tone was flat, without a single ripple. But beneath that flatness was a chilling, absolute coldness with the power of life and death.
"Take care of those two flies."
The guard captain didn't hesitate, nodding coldly. "Yes, sir."
The next second. Shing! Shing! Shing!
All the kingdom guards surrounding them drew their longswords in unison! The dozen sharp blades reflected the cold light of death in the forest sun!
They moved. With uniform, oppressive steps, they closed in on Ace and Luffy! The cold killing intent made the surrounding air feel thick!
Ace's pupils shrank!
He didn't retreat. Instead, he took a step forward, shielding the crying Sabo and the bewildered Luffy behind him!
"No... Don't!"
Sabo's crying stopped abruptly, replaced by a heart-rending, desperate scream!
The safety he had just bought with his freedom! In the blink of an eye, it was shattered by these idiots!
He roared frantically at his father: "Stop! I said I'd go back with you! Stop!"
However, Outlook III just glanced at him coldly. The look said: It's too late now.
At the edge of the woods.
Crunch.
The crisp sound of a bag being torn open suddenly rang out.
In this tense atmosphere of life and death, it was completely out of place and jarring.
Everyone's movements instinctively paused. Even the guard captain, who was about to swing his sword, frowned and glanced toward the source of the sound.
The white-haired young man, who had been watching the show from the start, had somehow pulled out a bag of chips.
He tore open the package, picked up a chip, and slowly put it in his mouth.
Crunch, crunch.
The sound of the chip shattering was crisp and clear.
Blake leaned against a tree, his legs crossed, eating chips while watching the scene with relish.
That expression, that posture. He was exactly like a spectator in a VIP seat in the front row of a movie theater, just eating his snacks.
Hot damn. The family ethics melodrama of the year!
Noble family drama, brothers turning against each other, threats of death, tragic partings.
This plot... it's way more exciting than those cheesy 8 PM soap operas from my past life!
Blake picked up another chip, put it in his mouth, and chewed it loudly.
He sized up every person on the scene with great interest.
The noble father's coldness and hypocrisy. Sabo's pain and despair. Ace's anger and unwillingness. And Luffy's... simplicity and stupidity.
Tsk. Blake clicked his tongue inwardly. Truly brilliant.