Seemingly coming in out of nowhere in Luffy’s flashback, Sabo quickly became a fan-favorite character and filled a vital role in the series that had been empty ever since the death of Ace.

Oda shares a hypothetical scenario where Sabo saves Ace at Marineford, but it's considered a dream by Luffy and Sabo. Sabo's presence at Marineford would have eased Luffy's emotional burden and ...