【One Piece】Dawn in the Darkness

Ace looked down at Luffy's face and asked hesitantly, "Luffy, do you have an older brother?"

"Ace, that's a strange question," Luffy said, looking at Ace with confusion.

Ace raised his hand and scratched his bangs, looking inexplicably agitated. "Luffy, how many older brothers do you have?"

"Of course...yes..." Luffy answered without hesitation, but he inexplicably hesitated at the last number. He frowned, pointing to each finger and muttering, "Ace, Sabo...Ace...Sabo..." The more he counted, the more sweat appeared on Luffy's face, and the more he stammered...

In the end, Luffy silently looked at his fallen third finger, not understanding why he had lost three fingers, but his heart was filled with a kind of anxious panic, as if he had lost something important.

Ace also frowned as he stared at Luffy's three fallen fingers. Something was wrong, and many of his memories were blank.

“Ace…” Luffy looked up at Ace blankly.

Ace felt a pang of heartache looking at Luffy's blank expression and the deep panic in his eyes. It was the strangest expression he had ever seen on his brother's face. Ace could hardly bear it. He hooked his arm around Luffy's neck and pulled him into his embrace. "I will find it."

"Ah."

"Lucy! Take off your beard and let me see it!!"

"Oh dear, the cabbage is here again!" Luffy poked his head out from Ace's arms and said, looking at Cavendish behind him.

"Hurry up and get on the field, your match is about to begin!" Ace smiled and pushed Luffy towards the match entrance area. "Go for it, Luffy."

"I will!" Luffy grinned and ran towards the arena.

After Luffy left, Ace's face instantly darkened, and he punched the stone wall next to him. Their memories must have been tampered with.

……

Greenbit

"Blue! Blue!"

"Hey! Law! This is Sanji!"

"Is Blackfoot in charge? Have you found a factory yet?"

"This is not the time to talk about this! Listen up! Get out of there immediately!"

"What are you saying?" Law had a bad feeling when he heard the urgency in Sanji's voice. "I'm about to hand over Caesar."

"Even if you return Caesar to him, this deal won't work! We've been tricked!"

"I don't understand... what exactly..." Luo said, puzzled, but at the same time he noticed the powerful aura coming from the forest and the sky.

"I'll explain later! Now, get off that island! Run!"

“Idiot…it’s too late…” Luo’s expression instantly turned serious.

"I heard the call just now! Was it Sanji calling?"

"What's going on? Nico Robin's torso is sticking out of the beach?" Caesar exclaimed.

"This is my clone."

“Nicole is in charge!” Law looked down at Robin, who was half-buried in the ground, and was slightly shocked, but quickly recovered. “Hey, where are your real body and Long Nose? If what you just said is true, then the deal is off.”

"What if it's invalid? What about my delivery documents?" Caesar shouted in panic.

"Nicole, get Long-Nosed in charge! We need to get off this island right now!"

“Well, we’re underground right now!” Robin explained. “We’ve gotten into a conflict, but we’re both safe and sound. We can’t help you, but you can go ahead on your own. We’ll definitely go to the port we agreed on later.”

“Is that so? I understand.” Law replied, while looking at the Marines emerging from the forest and Doflamingo stepping onto the beach with a look of serious anticipation.

"The Joker!!" Caesar shouted excitedly.

"You've got a pretty good plan, kid! I didn't expect to attract even a Marine Admiral." Doflamingo grinned maniacally. "I dismissed the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and now I'm trembling with fear!"

"Stop pretending!!" Law shouted angrily. He had been completely outmaneuvered by this bastard, but he still couldn't understand why the Seven Warlords of the Sea shouldn't have such power to "use the power of the World Government to deceive the whole world just to fool a mere few dozen of us?"

"The bigger the magic show, the simpler the trick. People's preconceived notions that such things are impossible often create blind spots," Doflamingo said smugly.

“Even the Seven Warlords of the Sea can’t possess this kind of authority!” Law calmed down, frowning as he pondered, “If anyone could accomplish this incredible feat, it would only be a Celestial Dragon in this world…”

Luo recalled Vergo's dying words, and his expression instantly turned serious. "Could it be that you are...?"

"There's a much deeper story here than you think, Law!" Doflamingo laughed maniacally, his voice dripping with deadly chill. "Right now, all I want to do is kill you!!"

"Mr. Ichisho, the person with Luo right now is Caesar Clown," the Navy officer who had been observing silently reported to the admiral beside him.

"The scientist who caused the gas accident... but... if he was a subordinate of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, his crime should be forgiven..." Fujitora said calmly.

"Fufufufu! It's you... Fujitora, the new Admiral recruited from around the world. I've heard you and Green Bull are both ridiculously strong monsters." Doflamingo said, tilting his head. Hearing Fujitora's insincere and humble words, he said directly, "What a hypocrite."

"I have a question that I hope you can answer for us. Is the clown that Caesar mentioned your title?" Fujitora asked calmly.

"Fufufu, if you really want to investigate me, you'd better be prepared. Also, what kind of punishment does the Navy plan to give Law this time?" Doflamingo grinned at Fujitora.

“If the report about his alliance with the Straw Hat Pirates is true, then he is guilty. If the Straw Hat Pirates are merely subordinates of Mr. Law, then he is guilty. Based on the answers, my mission… may become to arrest you, Mr. Law, and the Straw Hat Pirates.” Fujitora gripped his sword and said humbly and calmly.

Law gritted his teeth as he looked at Doflamingo and Fujitora. The plan had been completely disrupted, and they had become the Navy's target. Even if this situation was dragged out until Dressrosa, it wouldn't improve; it would only worsen the situation. He needed to buy time here.

"The Straw Hat crew and I have no superior-subordinate relationship. Just like the news reports, we've formed an alliance!"

Almost the instant Luo finished speaking, everyone on the beach looked up at the sky. A huge meteorite engulfed in flames was falling towards their location. Luo stared wide-eyed at the massive meteorite in disbelief. Had they actually pulled a meteorite down from the sky?

"ROOM!" Law gritted his teeth as he watched the approaching meteorite, then swung his sword upwards, instantly cleaving the meteorite in two. At the same time, Doflamingo and Fujitora also made their moves, cutting or slicing the approaching meteorite.