"Have you seen two children about this tall running towards you?"
Momousagi glanced at the messenger from the Celestial Dragons, who had come asking about the troublemakers.
"No, go away."
The messenger hesitated.
"…Okay."
Without even bothering to confirm with Ron, Momousagi had dismissed the Celestial Dragons' inquiry.
(Former) Momousagi: "Wait… Am I really this bold in the other world? How dare I talk to a Celestial Dragon's messenger like that?!"
(Current) Momousagi: "That's because you're Commissar Ron's secretary."
And so, the much-discussed attack on the Celestial Dragons came to a temporary end.
---
A New King is Chosen
The moment King Otluk III learned that one of the attackers might be his son—
He severed ties with him that very day.
Without hesitation, he adopted a new godson.
That godson was none other than Stelly, who would one day become the king of the Goa Kingdom in another world.
With that, the turmoil in the kingdom settled.
But the true storm was only just beginning.
---
A Meeting in the Forest
Early the next morning, Sabo led little Luffy into the dense forest on the mountain.
He moved with ease, expertly avoiding hidden traps.
Then, he whistled a secret signal.
A response came from within.
Sabo approached a massive tree.
Suddenly—
A boy, about the same age as Sabo, jumped down from the branches.
His face was speckled with dirt, his sharp eyes filled with suspicion.
It was Ace.
---
"Sabo! Where the hell have you been?! Why haven't you come over lately?"
Sabo grinned.
"Ace, I've found my purpose in life."
Ace frowned.
"What?"
"What are you talking about?"
His confusion deepened.
Then he noticed the kid standing behind Sabo, picking his nose.
"…Wait. Why did you bring this idiot here?"
Luffy, completely unaffected by the insult, grinned.
"Hi! My name is Luffy!"
Ace scowled.
"Who asked for your name?"
He didn't like strangers trespassing in their secret base.
But Sabo just laughed.
"Haha! Don't worry. He's someone you can trust."
He gestured between the two.
"Ace, his name is Luffy."
"Luffy, his name is Ace."
Ace ignored Luffy.
He turned back to Sabo, crossing his arms.
"Anyway, what did you mean by finding your purpose? I thought we were going to be pirates."
Sabo nodded.
"That's what I thought too. But then I met someone who changed my perspective. He helped me understand what I really want."
For the first time, Sabo's expression turned completely serious.
Ace narrowed his eyes.
"Who?"
Sabo's answer was calm but firm.
"A Marine. His name is Ron. He's an incredibly capable man."
Ace's expression darkened instantly.
"A Marine?! Sabo, have you lost your mind?"
Sabo shook his head.
"Marines aren't what we thought they were, Ace."
Ace scoffed.
"Okay, whatever. Let's skip the argument. If this Marine really helped you 'find your purpose,' then tell me—what is it?"
Sabo took a deep breath.
"I will overthrow the Goa Kingdom and become its king."
Silence.
Ace's eyes widened in shock.
"…What?"
He looked at Sabo like he had lost his mind.
"You—what happened to you? You spend a few days with a Marine, and suddenly you want to take over a country?!"
"I'm serious," Sabo insisted. "Yesterday, Luffy and I tried to overthrow the Goa Kingdom, but we failed."
"So now, we need more allies."
Ace stared at them like they were insane.
"You two tried to take down a whole kingdom? Are you out of your minds?"
Luffy grinned, flashing his big White Fang.
"We're really strong!"
Ace snorted.
"Just you?"
"If you don't believe me, let's fight!" Luffy said excitedly.
Ace scoffed.
"Tch."
One minute later—
Ace was lying on the ground, beaten black and blue.
He refused to accept the reality.
How had he been beaten up by a brat three years younger than him?!
Meanwhile, Sabo was laughing hysterically.
"Hahaha! I never thought I'd see the day Ace got his butt kicked!"
---
[Dimensional Commentary Begins]
(Original) Luffy: "Ace! In the other world, I could beat you when I was little!!!"
(Original) Ace: "…Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
(Original) Ace: "Wait. Does this mean the me in the other world also got brainwashed by Ron like you two?!"
---
Sabo straightened up, brushing off the dirt.
"For the past ten days, I've been training with the Marines."
He then performed a few movements from the Marine Six Styles.
Ace's eyes twitched.
"That's… pretty cool."
In reality, he was jealous.
He hadn't expected Sabo to become this strong after just ten days.
"So," Sabo asked, "will you join us?"
Ace crossed his arms stubbornly.
"I don't want anything to do with Marines."
Sabo tried to convince him.
But Ace refused to budge.
Sabo sighed.
If he couldn't persuade Ace…
Then maybe Ron could.
An idea struck him.
"If you won't listen to me, then meet someone. If, after hearing him out, you still want to be a pirate, then fine. Do whatever you want."
Ace frowned.
But in the end, Sabo won.
With a reluctant sigh, Ace agreed to meet Ron.
"I'll listen," he muttered. "But I won't be fooled as easily as you two."
At that moment—
The large screen flickered.
A new message appeared across both worlds.
---
[Random Question and Answer Begins]
"When comparing Luffy's life, a random question and answer mode will be activated whenever someone closely related to him appears."
"The content of the question and answer will be based on speculating about the future of this person in the other world."
"The format: Multiple-choice, quick response mode. The first person to answer correctly will receive a reward."
3
2
1
[Character: Ace]
---
Question for the Original World Audience:
"In the current world timeline, what will Ace's future be?"
A. Publicly executed on the scaffold
B. Punched through the chest by Akainu and burned to death
C. Becomes the Foreign Minister of the Peace Federation
D. Becomes an Ultraman
---
Question for the Current World Audience:
"In the original world timeline, what was Ace's fate?"
A. Publicly executed on the scaffold
B. Punched through the chest by Akainu and burned to death
C. Becomes the Foreign Minister of the Peace Federation
D. Becomes an Ultraman
---
[Dimensional Commentary]
(Original) Luffy: "…Hey, why do all the answers sound bad?"
(Original) Sabo: "…I don't like this."
(Original) Ace: "Wait. WAIT. Why are all the choices either tragic or weird?!"
(Former) Sengoku: "Tch. I already know the answer."
(Present) Ron: "The tides of fate have shifted, Ace."
---–--––-------------------------------
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