When it comes to One Piece's supporting characters, Sabo is one of the most interesting. This original character has a rich history and is closely related to many major characters, including Monkey D. Luffy and Portgas D. Ace. Aside from Sabo's interesting story, his powers and abilities have also piqued the interest of fans worldwide. Namely, Sabo – at one point – consumed Ace's old Devil Fruit, the Mera Mera no Mi, which gave him Ace's old fire-related powers, but it also gave him a new name – "Flame Emperor" Sabo. In this article, we'll explain who "Flame Emperor" Sabo really is and everything you need to know about him.

"Flame Emperor" Sabo is just Sabo. There's no particular story behind him, as he's not a standalone character. He's simply Sabo, but the epithet "Flame Emperor" was given to him because of his new powers and abilities. "Flame Emperor" Sabo made his debut in chapter 1054 of the manga, although it's obvious he already had this epithet.

The rest of this article will focus on "Flame Emperor" Sabo and his story in the manga and anime series One Piece. We'll present you with all the facts about the character and his, in this case, his new name, which will help you understand everything. However, if you're not completely up to date on the events that have occurred—so far—in the One Piece manga, we must warn you that the article will contain spoilers, and you may discover something you don't want to know, so be careful.

"Flame Emperor" Sabo debuted in Chapter 1054

And while Sabo has been a well-known character since his debut in One Piece manga chapter 583, he was simply known as Sabo for nearly 500 chapters. This changed in manga chapter 1054, released on July 25, 2022, titled "Flame Emperor."

And while the title didn't initially give much away, the chapter itself revealed that our old friend Sabo was actually the "Flame Emperor" (or even the "god" in the eyes of some characters) to which the title referred. This actually has to do with the work of the Revolutionary Army, which has been wreaking havoc across the world.

Sabo has been described as the instigator of these "Flames of Rebellion" by the Marines. He has been described as an extremely dangerous and influential person, perhaps even more influential than 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 this epithet was chosen because of his Devil Fruit. In the next section, we will explain how Sabo obtained his Devil Fruit and how it influenced his epithet.

Sabo became "Flame Emperor" Sabo because he ate the Mera Mera no Mi

It is well known that the Mera Mera no Mi originally belonged to Portgas D. Ace. When the Blackbeard Pirates arrived on Banaro Island, Ace used his power to confront them, especially Marshall D. Teach, but Ace was ultimately defeated and imprisoned in Impel Down until his scheduled execution.

Once Ace was freed, he used his power to engage the Marines, including then-Admiral Aokiji, countering his power. Ultimately, this power was weaker than Admiral Akainu's Magu Magu no Mi, causing Ace to die to protect Luffy from him. The Mera Mera no Mi was reborn upon Ace's death in another fruit. Donquixote Doflamingo later obtained it, though these details have not been revealed or explained.

Later, the fruit serves as a prize in the Corrida Colosseum competition on Dressrosa. Using the Mera Mera no Mi as a means to break up the newly formed alliance between Law and Luffy was, in fact, Doflamingo's plan. Because it is not only 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 Colosseum aroused the envy of the general population.

As Doflamingo predicted, Luffy set sail for Dressrosa because he didn't want anyone else exploiting his brother's abilities. Knowing that Franky had already consumed a Devil Fruit, Luffy offered the cyborg the chance to eat his brother's fruit, but the robot refused, preferring to be able to swim.

Luffy was forced to enter the Colosseum competition to win this fruit without any other choice. In addition to Luffy, representatives from several kingdoms competed, hoping to win the Mera Mera no Mi and strengthen their nation's military might. Others sought it for more selfish reasons, such as Rebecca, who wanted it to kill Doflamingo, or Cavendish, who wanted the fruit to become stronger so she could take revenge on members of the worst generations.

Bellamy seems to have been the only one among the candidates who didn't want to work for the fruit because he simply wanted to join the Donquixote Doflamingo Pirates and become a key member of the crew. Bellamy already possessed his own Devil Fruit, the Bane Bane no Mi, just like Luffy. On the other hand, Bartolomeo wanted it because he wanted to give the Mera Mera no Mi to Luffy, whom he had admired since his debut. Ultimately, Sabo, who was later revealed to still be alive, wanted to inherit Ace's power, so he replaced Luffy throughout the tournament, as it was something Ace would have wanted.

The Mera Mera no Mi was mounted on a Class 1 fighting fish for the final round of the competition. Sabo was able to climb onto the fish's back after breaking the battle board, where he destroyed the chest to obtain 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 signature move, "Hiken," as his first move. And from that moment on, Sabo was the new user of the Mera Mera no Mi, and since the Devil Fruit is connected to Fire, you can understand how this fact relates to its new epithet.