Dawn Island, Coastline
The blue tide lapped at the golden sand, and the air was filled with the salty and warm mixture of the sea breeze and the sun. Three figures suddenly appeared on the shore.
"Hm?" The moment he landed, Roy frowned slightly, his gaze passing over the forest and landing on his own courtyard in the distance. After a moment, a slight, ambiguous smile appeared on his lips.
Ace keenly sensed the change in his expression and tilted his head. "Big Brother Roy, what's wrong?"
"Did grandpa and grandma prepare a big meal again?" Luffy's eyes were already shining, his nose as if it had already smelled something.
Roy didn't answer directly but just smiled mysteriously. "Let's go. It seems we have a guest at home."
"A guest?" Ace and Luffy exchanged a look, their faces full of confusion.
Roy said no more and strode into the forest path. Ace followed with his arms crossed, while Luffy mumbled "it must be something delicious" and ran after them.
Dawn Island, Roc Family Courtyard
In the evening, the afterglow was golden, and cooking smoke curled up over the lush green old house. In the yard, Roc was swinging a large cleaver, the muscle lines under the setting sun as clear as iron. With each rise and fall of the cleaver, giant beef bones were easily cut, and chunks of meat piled up like a mountain.
Elin, in an old apron, was skillfully handling various spices, stir-frying, marinating, and making soup, all in one go. And helping her were two strange young people—a blond boy was carrying a large piece of beef to the kitchen; another orange-haired girl was skillfully cutting vegetables, her movements clean and neat.
In a corner of the yard, Sabo was holding a plate of marinated steak, his gaze dazed as he looked at the pile of meat on the chopping board that was like a small mountain. "Th-this much meat... are you having a village feast?"
"Th-this is too exaggerated..." Koala had finished preparing the vegetables and was standing by a mountain of already-prepared meat, so shocked her jaw was about to drop. "This much, it's enough to eat for a month, right?"
"Hahahaha!" Roc rested the cleaver on his shoulder and laughed boisterously. "Just this much? It's far from enough."
"This is nothing. When my two grandsons get back, you'll know that this is not even enough to fill their teeth." His tone was so proud it was as if he were showing off two divine beasts.
"That's right, especially that kid Luffy," Elin said with a smiling face, skillfully stir-frying the spices. "When he was a kid, watching him eat was like watching a tornado in a pot."
"Is that so..." Sabo's face twitched slightly, the beef in his hand almost falling to the ground. "Your grandson can eat that much?" As he silently stabilized the pile of meat that was about to fall, he sighed in a low voice, "What kind of constitution does this child have..."
"You'll see in a minute," Roc laughed even more happily.
Just as he was speaking—
"Creek—"
The wooden door was pushed open, and the sound of familiar footsteps could be heard. "Dad, Mom, I'm back," a clear, low male voice came from the door. Before anyone could react, an even more excited shout came from the courtyard entrance. "Grandpa, Grandma!! We're here!!"
A figure rushed in, followed closely by a smaller, faster figure—
"BANG!!"
"Ouch—"
"Waaahhh—!!!"
"THUD!"
Sabo was just turning around with a huge rib when he was directly hit by the two who had rushed in. The three of them rolled into a ball in the yard, the rib flying out, the cooking utensils clattering, and chickens and dogs flying. The scene was as chaotic as a battlefield.
The air seemed to freeze in an instant.
Ace clutched his head and was the first to jump up, a wary look on his face. "Who are you?!"
Luffy was still lying on Sabo, blinking. "I don't remember you in the village. Who are you?!"
Sabo lay on the ground, his face blank. He looked at the two boys before him—one had his Marine uniform open, was tall and sturdy, his chest open, full of youthful energy and sharpness; the other was a little shorter, but his gaze held a strange familiarity... and a hint of a warmth that shook his heart. His throat moved slightly, and his gaze unconsciously rested on Luffy's face, like a flash of lightning that crossed his memory, striking the softest corner of his heart. "So this is... the grandson who can eat a lot?" his heart was shaken.
Just then, a lazy yet teasing voice sounded from the door. "Long time no see~ Sabo."
Everyone was taken aback for a moment and turned to look at the door. Roy was leaning against the doorframe, his expression relaxed, but his eyes held a hint of a deep, unreadable meaning.
Sabo suddenly got up upon hearing the voice. Seeing the person, his face was instantly shaken. "Roy... Mr. Roy?"
"You still remember me?" Roy smiled and walked in. "I hear you're the 'Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army' now. Are you very busy?"
Sabo nodded, a little embarrassed. "I just didn't expect... to run into you here."
Roy casually closed the courtyard door and smiled. "Don't just stand there, Sabo."
"Get ready to eat."
The setting sun dyed the courtyard walls red. The wind blew through the yard, carrying the scent of firewood, hot soup, and the three boys, the first real reunion after their destinies had crossed.
Dawn Island, Roc Family Courtyard
The afterglow fell on the courtyard, and cooking smoke curled up, the smell of meat filling the air. In the center of the courtyard was a long table that could seat over a dozen people. The table was already laden with a mouth-watering feast.
A whole roasted cow, glistening with oil, its skin slightly crispy and fragrant; stewed beef in a thick, fragrant soup; pan-fried steak sizzling, paired with an ancestral mushroom sauce; meatball soup with fresh vegetables and golden meatballs, each pot like a bubbling treasure.
Ace and Luffy were like two ferocious beasts that had escaped a famine. "Waaahhh!! This beef leg is so good!" Luffy's mouth was full, and he was shouting indistinctly. "Grandpa—ten more plates!!"
"I called it first! I'm taking all of grandma's secret garlic-roasted ribs!" Ace directly took a whole plate of barbecue, not even sparing the bones, his mouth covered in sauce. The plates were piled higher than a person, the soup bowls stacked into a tower, and there was almost no empty space on the table.
Sabo and Koala watched this scene, dumbfounded. "These... are these two even human?! They can eat two cows in one meal?!" Sabo was holding a knife and fork, elegantly cutting his steak, but his mouth couldn't stop twitching. He looked at the two "eating behemoths" before him and asked hesitantly, "They are... Mr. Roy's little brothers?"
Koala also watched this scene, dumbfounded, and slowly swallowed the food in her mouth. "Is this a competitive eating competition?"
"Hahaha!" Roc brought a large pot of beef bone soup to the table. "Don't be scared. These two brats have been like this since they were kids. They can eat, they can cause trouble, and they can fight."
Elin, on the other hand, was constantly serving her grandsons more food and meat, her face full of motherly love. "Eat more, you're at the growing age. You can't miss a single bite."
"Your grandsons, do they have black holes in their stomachs..." Sabo muttered to himself, continuing to eat but always feeling that the meat in his bowl was not safe.
At this time, Roy raised his glass and smiled faintly. "I've already heard about what happened today... Sabo, thank you so much."
Sabo quickly waved his hand, a hint of modesty on his face. "It was just a coincidence. It wasn't difficult to help."
"But..." he paused, his gaze on Roy. "I really didn't expect to see you again here, in this way." His gaze gradually became grave, and familiar images flashed through his mind. His thoughts couldn't help but drift back to two years ago—
(One Piece-style flashback)
Two years ago, at the Revolutionary Army Headquarters, Baltigo. That year, Sabo had just been confirmed as an "elite executive" and was rapidly growing under Dragon's command, his talent shining. One day, he overheard a private conversation between executives in the headquarters' corridor. "I hear the original version of the 'Red Ideology' was casually mentioned to the chief by a certain Marine back then?"
"Yeah, who would have thought that those words would become the core philosophy of our Revolutionary Army..."
"You mean Vice Admiral Roy? It was after he met with the chief and talked for a whole night... that the chief established the prototype of the ideological system the next day."
Sabo's heart was shaken as he listened. "Roy...?!" He became very interested in this name. "What kind of existence is a person who even Chief Dragon values so much?"
Finally, one day, he met the legendary man at headquarters—Roy, in a crisp Marine uniform, his cape like a falling night, stood beside Dragon, his hands behind his back, his expression calm and deep. Sabo gathered his courage and went forward to talk. The first conversation left Sabo shaken for a long time by the words that hit the essence of the matter—
"You want to overthrow the World Government? Then you have to solve the 'food' and 'land' problems first."
"'Justice' is not a slogan, but a reconstruction of order."
"The victory of the revolution lies not in overthrowing, but in the construction that follows."
In that moment, Sabo understood for the first time what "the weight of ideas" meant. "This person's understanding of the world... is terrifying. Class conflict, the revolution of productive forces, the armed seizure of power..."
"Every sentence goes straight to the essence."
Sabo, his blood boiling, had challenged him on the spot, wanting to experience the strength of this "ideological mentor." And then—in just two seconds, he hadn't even touched Roy's shadow before he was pressed to the ground, like a broken toothpick. "That man... is ridiculously strong."
And from that day on, Sabo was completely convinced. He began to actively learn, imitate, and even take notes on every word Roy said.
(Return to the dinner table)
"Sabo? Sabo?" Koala gently shook his shoulder. "Ah... sorry, I was distracted." Sabo scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed.
"That piece of meat of yours is getting cold. Don't waste it," Koala said with a smile, handing him the spice plate. However, before she could finish—
"I want that piece of meat!" Luffy had already reached out, his eyes fixed on the meat on Sabo's plate.
"You wish!" Sabo shielded his plate, his movements as smooth as if he were blocking a bullet on the battlefield.
Everyone was taken aback for a moment, then they burst out laughing, the laughter making the whole yard even warmer. The setting sun stretched their shadows long and also brought them closer.
Roy looked at the harmonious scene before him, his expression calm, but in the depths of his calm gaze, a deeply hidden ripple appeared.
....
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