Chapter 28: A Fool's Courage

Having felled the chimera guarding Greed, Izumi declares she is taking Alphonse home. Greed refuses, and they come to blows. He offers a bargain, teaching the secret of creating homunculi in exchange for the method of anchoring a soul to an object. Izumi dismisses the deal, but Alphonse accepts it and asks her to fetch Edward. Returning to town, Edward steps off the train to find Major Alex Louis Armstrong and Führer President Bradley have trailed him back. At the butcher shop Bradley presses Sig for Izumi's whereabouts, and when Sig stays tight-lipped, Armstrong strips off his shirt to flex some persuasion. Rather than fold, Sig answers with an equally imposing display, and the two muscular men become fast friends. Outside, Izumi tells Edward that Alphonse has been abducted and wants him. Ed insists on going alone, and she relents while Bradley looks on.

Edward reaches the Devil's Nest, where Greed proposes an even trade of information. Ed intends to take everything instead and refuses to give up anything. Greed sends Dolcetto to beat sense into him, but the chimera is no match, and after the defeat Greed orders Roa to carry both Alphonse and Dolcetto away so the armor can be dismantled for study. Edward and Greed then square off in earnest. As Roa hauls his load through the tunnels, a reviving Dolcetto catches a familiar scent, just as Führer President Bradley arrives at the hideout with orders to protect the Elrics, capture Greed, and eliminate everyone else.

The muscle-flexing scene between Armstrong and Sig was reworked into Episode 30 of the 2003 anime, with Winry standing in for Edward and the series-original Frank Archer replacing the Führer as Armstrong's companion. The moment is cut from the 2009 anime, though a comparable reunion between Armstrong and Sig appears in its Episode 55 during the fight against Sloth, where Alex calls Sig his friend.