New World — Dressrosa.
Everything unfolded as though woven by the hands of fate itself.
Here, two destined brothers would finally meet again.
In the original flow of time, it was Luffy who had reunited with Sabo in this land.
But now—
because of the butterfly effect caused by Sugisawa Yuuto's arrival—
it was Ace and Sabo who stood face to face in Dressrosa.
At the gates of Fairy Tail's temporary shelter, the two young men stopped at the same time.
Their eyes locked.
Sabo!
That name—Ace could never forget it.
Because it was the name of the brother who had died ten years ago.
"Ace, what's wrong? Why'd you stop?" Marco asked, puzzled.
On the other side, Koala blinked in confusion. "Captain of the First Division of the Whitebeard Pirates, Phoenix Marco… Second Division Captain Fire Fist Ace… and Sixteenth Division Captain Izo? What are members of the Whitebeard Pirates doing here?"
"They came to entrust us with something," Robin explained calmly.
"I see." Koala nodded, not thinking too deeply about it. "Sabo, why are you spacing out? Weren't you going to say goodbye to Guildmaster Sugisawa and everyone else?"
She pouted, clearly annoyed by his silence.
But Sabo didn't respond.
He didn't even seem to hear her.
From start to finish, his gaze was fixed solely on Ace.
Marco, Koala, and the others exchanged glances. None of them understood what was going on.
At that moment, only one person there knew exactly what was happening—Sugisawa Yuuto.
The instant he learned that Ace had come to meet him personally, Yuuto had already predicted this scene might unfold.
So, naturally, he'd prepared melon seeds and drinks in advance—ready to enjoy the drama like a spectator at a theater.
Now, leaning back comfortably, Yuuto popped a melon seed into his mouth and watched leisurely.
Ace, meanwhile, stood frozen in place.
His mind went blank. His soul seemed to drift free of his body.
It was as though he'd been struck by thunder from the heavens.
That face—so familiar.
That pipe in his hand—so unmistakable.
His breath caught.
His eyes widened to their absolute limit.
His mouth fell open, trembling.
A storm of emotions crashed over him—shock, disbelief, and joy all at once.
Tears welled in his eyes.
He couldn't be mistaken.
He knew he couldn't be mistaken.
The man standing before him was—
his brother.
"I'd say our little brother here looks awfully affectionate and intense," Izo joked with a grin. "Could it be love at first sight, Ace?"
He'd known Ace for years, and in all that time, he had never seen him show interest in any woman.
There were plenty of women who threw themselves at Ace, even some who wanted to marry him—but Ace never responded to any of them.
Naturally, it made people wonder if he simply… wasn't interested in women.
Not that anyone minded. On the Grand Line, people of every kind existed.
Some had even flirted openly with Ace—men and women alike.
After all, Ace was quite handsome.
"Hey, Izo," Marco warned, frowning. "Don't talk nonsense. Ace is just slow with feelings."
"Ah, sorry, sorry! My bad!" Izo quickly apologized.
Teasing was fine among crewmates, but with so many people present, rumors could spread fast—and even if Ace didn't care, Marco preferred to avoid the hassle.
"Ace…" Izo started, placing a hand on his shoulder.
But before he could say another word—
Ace suddenly moved.
In the stunned eyes of everyone present, he lunged forward and wrapped Sabo in a fierce embrace.
"...??!"
Marco and Izo stood frozen.
Was… was it really love at first sight?!
"Wow~!" Mirajane, Robin, Erza, and the other women gasped in unison, covering their mouths in surprise.
Love between two young men—straight out of a storybook!
But before they could say more—
"W-wait a second!" Koala stammered, her face pale. "Sabo! What's going on? What's your relationship with the Second Division Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates?!"
Her voice rose nearly an octave, but the two men didn't even hear her.
"Sabo... Sabo, it's you, isn't it? You're really Sabo!" Ace's voice trembled, his tears spilling freely.
Marco and Izo, who had been staring in disbelief, finally realized something was very wrong.
At first, Izo's teasing had been a joke.
But now—
anyone could see this wasn't romantic.
It was something far deeper.
"Wait, Ace! What's going on here? Explain yourself!" Marco demanded, unable to contain his curiosity.
"Yeah, who is this Sabo?" Izo asked, baffled.
"Sabo... he's my brother!" Ace shouted, his voice breaking with emotion.
The room fell silent.
Then—
"WHAT?!"
Koala, Marco, and the others all cried out in shock.
"This blond kid... is your brother?!" Marco yelled, nearly choking on his own words.
"How is that possible?! Ace, isn't your brother's name Luffy?!" Izo added, even more confused.
But Ace didn't hear them. He was too lost in his joy.
"Waaahh, this is amazing! Sabo—you're alive! You're really alive!"
Then his expression changed, twisting with emotion.
"But damn it, Sabo, you idiot! If you've been alive all this time, why didn't you come back?! Why didn't you contact us all these years?!"
His fists shook.
"We swore brotherhood, remember? Do you know how heartbroken everyone was after you disappeared? That brat Luffy cries in his sleep every time he dreams of you! And Dadan, and Makino—everyone—!"
He raised his hand, ready to strike, but it fell as a gentle tap instead.
He couldn't bring himself to hurt his brother.
Hearing those words, Sabo's face went pale.
He opened his mouth to speak—but nothing came out.
A haze clouded his mind.
The moment he'd seen Ace, strange, fragmented memories began flashing before his eyes.
Familiar names—Luffy, Dadan, Makino—stabbed at his brain like lightning.
His heart pounded. His head throbbed.
Then, suddenly—
everything went white.
His body stiffened. His eyes rolled back—
And he collapsed.
"SABO!! What's wrong? Someone get a doctor!" Ace shouted in panic.
"Don't worry, Ace!" Marco stepped forward. "The doctor's right here!"
"President Sugisawa!" Koala called urgently. "Please lend us a room!"
"No problem," Yuuto replied calmly. "Erza, go call Wendy and Mansherry. Quickly."
Fifteen minutes later, the three medical experts—Marco, Wendy, and Princess Mansherry—emerged from the room.
"How is he?!" Ace rushed over.
"Relax," Marco said with a reassuring smile. "Your brother's life isn't in danger."
"His condition has stabilized," Mansherry added gently.
"Phew... thank goodness," Koala sighed in relief.
"But..." Wendy frowned. "He doesn't seem to be suffering from any physical injuries. It's more like... something in his head."
Marco nodded. "I agree. It looks like he suffered a serious head injury in the past."
Koala's expression grew serious. "That's right. When Sabo was rescued in the East Blue ten years ago, he'd been badly hurt. When he woke up, he couldn't remember anything—except his name."
"Sabo... doesn't remember us?" Ace whispered, his face going pale.
It suddenly made sense.
Sabo had been alive—but had lost his memories.
"Marco, can't you heal it?" Ace asked desperately.
"My phoenix flames only heal physical wounds," Marco said, shaking his head. "Not memories."
"Wendy? Mansherry?" Koala turned to the two girls.
Both shook their heads helplessly.
Ace slumped, like a balloon losing air.
Marco patted him on the shoulder. "Don't lose hope. Maybe your words triggered something. There's a chance his memories could return once he wakes up."
He was mostly just trying to comfort him—but Ace clung to the words.
Because of Sabo's condition, the Revolutionary Army postponed their departure.
Marco, Ace, and Izo also decided to stay behind.
The next morning—
A loud yell echoed through the room.
"AHH! Sabo—you're awake! You—you remember me?!"
Ace's voice cracked with excitement.
He hadn't left Sabo's side once.
"Ace... you're my brother... Ace!" Sabo's voice trembled as he spoke.
"That's right! I'm your brother!" Ace's eyes filled with tears again as he hugged him tightly.
Sabo laughed weakly. "Heh... I haven't seen you for years, Ace. When did you become such a crybaby—just like Luffy?"
"Wha—?! You're one to talk, idiot! You're crying too!" Ace retorted, lightly punching him on the shoulder.
Sabo pretended to wince dramatically, making Ace panic again—then laugh in embarrassment.
The color returned to Sabo's face.
Boom!
The door burst open.
Marco, Izo, and Koala rushed in, followed by Sugisawa Yuuto and a crowd of Fairy Tail girls.
"Sabo! Are you—have you recovered your memories?!" Koala gasped.
Sabo nodded. "Yeah. I remember everything now."
"Marco, you did it!" Ace cheered.
Marco blinked, flustered. "I—didn't actually do anything..."
"Hahaha! Sabo, you bastard—you owe us big time!" Ace laughed. "You're coming back with me to meet Pops and the crew, and then we're going home to East Blue! Luffy's gonna lose his mind when he sees you!"
"Hahaha! Fine, fine—whatever you say," Sabo grinned.
Koala's eyes went wide. "Wait! Sabo—you were the one insisting we return to the Revolutionary Army yesterday!"
"Ahaha, sorry, Koala," Sabo chuckled. "Tell Dragon I'm not coming back for now!"
Just then—
Tap! Tap! Tap!
Footsteps echoed from outside.
"Guildmaster! Miss Peacock and her companions are here to see you!" Wendy reported breathlessly.
"Let them in," Yuuto said casually.
Moments later—
Clack, clack!
Two figures entered — one older, one young and elegant.
The younger woman's bright eyes scanned the room.
Then she froze.
Her eyes widened.
"Phoenix Marco... Fire Fist Ace... Izo... and Sabo, Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army?! What kind of lineup is this?!" she exclaimed.
"Uh-oh..." Marco muttered.
Beside her, the older woman — Vice Admiral Tsuru of the Navy — stepped forward, her gaze sharp.
"This," she said grimly, "is not good."