One Piece fans know by now that Luffy didn’t grow up all on his own, and even had two brothers to look up to. So, how did Luffy end up with his brothers Sabo and Ace? Was there a reason they all split up? It’s time to dive into the bond of the three brothers in One Piece!
Meet Ace! The Fire Fist
Luffy isn’t happy about it when Garp sends him to live with Dadan the mountain bandit. Even worse, Luffy isn’t the first kid Garp has dumped there. Portgaz D Ace, son of Gold Roger the Pirate King, is hidden there with the bandits. Garp still honored a promise to keep Ace safe for Roger, but Garp is an Absentee Parent of the Year Award winner consecutively, so he does what he knows how to do.
Ace doesn’t stick around at Dadan’s long and sneaks off most of the time to see Sabo. Together they rob and plunder everything around Gray Terminal to fund their dreams of piracy. They bonded more after Sabo’s death and their escape from Gray Terminal as it burned, and trained until Ace leaves a few years before Luffy.
Luffy is the little brother to Ace that he’s determined to see succeed. Ace and Luffy aren’t together much in the present story, but the small interactions they have and the sacrifice Ace makes prove the strength of brotherhood. He was able to die happy with the knowledge he saved Luffy, and his only regret was not witnessing him become Pirate King.
Sabo The Flame Emperor
Sabo wasn’t around until well after Ace’s death since he suffered from amnesia for so long. He was raised in an aristocratic family in Goa, the only son by blood. His adoptive brother Stelly quickly replaced him in his parents’ eyes, so he began to sneak off to Gray Terminal. That’s where he meets Ace, and the two share their dream.
Sabo is extremely apprehensive of Luffy when they first meet, but finally comes around when Luffy doesn’t sell them out, despite his injuries. They’re able to save their secret stash thanks to Luffy, and continue to build up their ship fund. It’s not long after that things go completely off the rails. Sir Charles, the Celestial Dragon, blasts Sabo out of the water. Sabo finally escapes his family, only to “die” just off the coast. Thankfully someone rescues him last minute along with many from Gray Terminal.
Dragon saves him, and now Sabo is Chief of Staff for the Revolutionaries. He’s trained as an accomplished fighter and excels in hand-to-hand combat. Now Sabo has the benefit of the Flame-Flame Fruit, the will of his brother, Ace.
The Brother’s Bond
There’s a recurring theme in One Piece that when people die, others inherit their will. That’s apparent in multiple situations between the brothers, especially when Sabo “dies”. Ace and Luffy train hard, each desperate to work their way toward the open sea and freedom.
The most impactful though, is the death of Ace. His sacrifice and death in Luffy’s arms break the Straw Hat captain but lead to a vicious determination. Luffy’s vow that he will never let anyone he cares about die, and Sabo’s same determination when he regains his memories, prove Ace lives on. His final words, that he wished to see Luffy as King of the Pirates, only strengthened that dream for the youngest brother.
Sabo inherits Ace’s will through his Flame-Flame Fruit in the literal sense when he wins the Dressrosa tournament. He subsequently takes off to help Luffy, now armed with a deadly new tribute to his late brother, Fire Fist.
Now, though they’re islands apart on the Grand Line, Luffy and Sabo press on to carry Ace’s will forward. The brother’s bond, forged in blood, fire, and sake, lives on as they continue each other’s dreams. There’s sure to be a happy reunion between Sabo and Luffy near the end of the Grand Line.
One Piece is available to stream on Netflix and Crunchyroll in the US.
