One Piece: Who Is “Flame Emperor” Sabo? Explained!
In terms of One Piece secondary characters, Sabo is one of the more interesting ones. This quirky character has a rich history and is closely connected to many of the major characters, including Monkey D. Luffy and Portgas D. Ace. Aside from Sabo’s interesting story, his powers, and abilities are also something that has sparked the interest of fans around the world. Namely, Sabo has – at one point – consumed Ace’s former Devil Fruit, the Mera Mera no Mi, which gave him Ace’s former fire-related powers, but it also gave him a new name – “Flame Emperor” Sabo. In this article, we are going to well you who “Flame Emperor” Sabo really is and everything else you need to know about him.
“Flame Emperor” Sabo is just – Sabo. There is no special story behind him, as he is not a standalone character. He is simply Sabo, but the epithet “Flame Emperor” was given to him because of his new powers and abilities. “Flame Emperor” Sabo debuted in Chapter 1054 of the manga, although it is quite obvious that he had had the epithet even before.
The rest of this article will be about “Flame Emperor” Sabo and his story in the One Piece manga and anime series. We will introduce you to all the facts about the character and his, in this case, new name, which will help you understand everything. Still, if you’re not completely up-to-date with the events that have happened – so far – in the One Piece manga, we have to warn you that the article is going to contain spoilers and that you might find out something you do not want to find out, so be careful.
“Flame Emperor” Sabo debuted in Chapter 1054
And while Sabo had been a well-known character since his debut in Chapter 583 of the One Piece manga, he had simply been known as Sabo for almost 500 chapters. This changed in Chapter 1054 of the manga, which was released on July 25, 2022, titled “Flame Emperor.”
And while initially, the title did not reveal much, the chapter itself revealed that our old friend Sabo was actually the “Flame Emperor” (or even “god” in some of the characters’ eyes) the title was referring to. This actually has to do with the work of the Revolutionary Army, which had been causing trouble around the world.
Sabo was described as the instigator of these “Flames of Rebellion” by the Marines. He was described as an extremely dangerous and influential person, possibly more influential than even Monkey D. Dragon himself, and he is the leader of the Revolutionary Army. Because of these actions, Sabo has been named the new “Flame Emperor,” and that epithet was chosen because of his Devil Fruit. In the next section, we will tell you how Sabo got his Devil Fruit and how it influenced his epithet.
Sabo became “Flame Emperor” Sabo because he had eaten the Mera Mera no Mi
Everybody knows that the Mera Mera no Mi originally belonged to Portgas D. Ace. When the Blackbeard Pirates arrived at Banaro Island, Ace used his power to confront them, especially Marshall D. Teach, but Ace ended up being defeated and locked up in Impel Down until his scheduled execution.
Once Ace was freed, he used his power to engage the Marine troops, including then-Admiral Aokiji, countering his power. Ultimately, this power was weaker than Admiral Akainu’s Magu Magu no Mi’s power, causing Ace to die to protect Luffy from him. The Mera Mera no Mi was reborn upon Ace’s death into another fruit. Donquixote Doflamingo then obtained it, although these details have not been revealed or explained.
Later, the fruit serves as the prize for the Corrida Colosseum competition in Dressrosa. Using the Mera Mera no Mi as a means to break the recently-formed alliance between Law and Luffy was, in fact, Doflamingo’s plan. Because it is not just a Logia-type Devil Fruit, but also the fruit that belonged to Ace, the son of Gol D. Roger, the former Pirate King, its presence at the Corrida Coliseum caused envy among the general populace.
As Doflamingo had predicted, Luffy set sail for Dressrosa since he didn’t want anyone else to exploit his brother’s abilities. Knowing that Franky had once consumed a Devil Fruit, Luffy offered the cyborg to eat his brother’s fruit, but the robot declined, still preferring to be able to swim.
Luffy was forced to sign up for the Colosseum competition to earn this fruit without any other choice. In addition to Luffy, representatives from several kingdoms competed, hoping to take home the Mera Mera no Mi and boost their nation’s military might. Others sought to win it for more selfish reasons, such as Rebecca, who wanted to win it so she could kill Doflamingo, or Cavendish, who wanted this fruit to grow stronger so he could have his revenge on the members of the Worst Generations.
Bellamy appears to have been the only one among the contestants who didn’t want to work for the fruit because he simply wanted to join the Donquixote Doflamingo Pirates and become a key crew member. Bellamy already had a Devil Fruit of his own, the Bane Bane no Mi, exactly like Luffy. On the other hand, Bartolomeo wanted to get it as he wanted to gift the Mera Mera no Mi to Luffy, whom he has admired since his debut. Finally, Sabo, who was later seen to still be alive, wanted to inherit Ace’s power, so he replaced Luffy throughout the tournament, as it is something that Ace would’ve wanted.
The Mera Mera no Mi was mounted on a Class 1 Fighting Fish for the competition’s final round. Sabo could clamber atop the back of the Fish after breaking the fighting board, where he destroyed the chest to get the Mera Mera no Mi. After that, he immediately ate it, becoming the new user of the Mera Mera no Mi. After finishing the fruit, Sabo used his late brother Ace’s characteristic move, “Hiken,” as his first move. And from that moment on, Sabo has been the new Mera Mera no Mi user, and since the Devil Fruit is connected to Fire, you can understand how this fact is related to his new epithet.