First and only person to make Ace cry goes to Sabo.” Thatch joked in an attempt to cheer Ace up.
Luffy was shown to be laying down on the cliff where the trio shared their dreams, crying as he covered his face with his hat.
Ace quickly walked out of the forest and punched Luffy over the head. “How long are you going to carry on like that…” Ace then crossed his arms. “All the treasure we hid in the forest was gone. Sabo didn’t use it in the end… So… I think I’m… Okay with that. No use collecting treasure if we can’t even protect it…”
“Ace… I… I want to… I want to get stronger!! …Stronger… And stronger!! And stronger, and stronger, and stronger, and stronger…! And stronger, and stronger, and stronger, and stronger… And stronger, and stronger! And then even stronger still!! Then I’ll be able… To protect anything! I won’t have to lose anyone any more…!” Luffy cried.
“This feels familiar, eh Ben?” Shanks nudged his first mate.
“Hm. Too familiar.” Ben muttered, Luffy’s childhood was filled with danger and sadness. Too much for a seven year old to even comprehend. Yet he still remained a cheery kid with a dream to become the PIrate KIng and more.
“You’ve got to promise me…! Luffy continued speaking as he cried under his hat. “...Don’t you… Ever die, Ace…!!!”
“What a childish dream.” Crocodile murmured.
“The hell’s that supposed to mean?!” Ace shouted, punching Luffy on the head again, “Try worrying about yourself instead of me, dumbass! You’re a hell of a lot weaker than me! Listen up, Luffy, and remember this! I’m not going to die!!”
Tears began seeping from Luffy’s eyes as he watched the scene.
Seeing their captain so vulnerable made the Strawhats worry about how he was after Ace’s death. They were all here to reassure him that everything is fine and that Sabo is alive, but in Ace’s case, he was dead. He’d died in Luffy’s arms. All they could do was be here for him now.
“...Uh huh…” Luffy cried, pulling his hat down the sides of his head.
“Sabo asked me to look after you, too… So I’m not gonna die, no matter what! That’s a promise! Like hell I could die and leave my weak little brother all on his own!”
The Whitebeard pirates who survived Marineford now fully understood why Luffy’s mind shut down when Ace died. It wasn’t only because he’d lost his brother after days of trying to save him, but also because of the broken promise. Marco knew he’d overheard something about a promise when Ace was dying.
“I’m not all that smart, so I can’t figure out what was really responsible for Sabo’s death… But whatever it was, it must be something totally opposed to freedom!! Sabo died without ever becoming truly free…” Ace told his brother. “But we shared that drink with Sabo… And we’re still alive! So remember this, Luffy. No matter what, the two of us… Have to live our lives with no regrets!!”
“You aren’t wrong about the opposing freedom thing!” Sabo said.
Luffy shouted in agreement.
“We’re going to set out to sea someday…! Live our lives the way we want to…! With more freedom than anyone in the world! I’m sure we’ll end up making a lot of enemies on the way… Even gramps will be our enemy! We’ll be risking our lives! But when we turn 17, we set sail!!! We’re going… To be pirates!!!” Ace declared.
Roger grinned and laughed at his son’s declaration. “That’s the spirit! Live freely Ace!”
A flashback was shown. “Let us take a brief step back in time… To the evening of the day the Tenryuubito ship arrived in Goa KIngdom.” A narrator’s voice spoke.
