Overcoming an Era

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/45894436.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply
Category: Gen
Fandom: One Piece (Anime & Manga)
Relationship: Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace & Sabo, Portgas D. Ace & Sabo,
Monkey D. Luffy & Sabo, Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D.
Luffy & Mugiwara Kaizoku | Strawhat Pirates, Revolutionary Army &
Sabo (one Piece), Portgas D. Ace & Whitebeard Pirates
Character: Portgas D. Ace, Sabo (One Piece), Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro,
Vinsmoke Sanji, Nami (One Piece), Usopp (One Piece), Tony Tony
Chopper, Nico Robin, Franky (One Piece), Brook (One Piece), Monkey
D. Dragon, Monkey D. Garp, Hack (One Piece), Koala (One Piece),
Karasu (One Piece), Doctor Kureha (One Piece), Nefertari Vivi,
Kurohige | Blackbeard | Marshall D. Teach, Blackbeard Pirates (One
Piece), Mugiwara Kaizoku | Strawhat Pirates, Revolutionary Army (One
Piece)
Additional Tags: Brotherly Bonding, Protective Older Brothers, ASL Brothers (One
Piece), Reunions, Luffy Being Luffy, Protective Portgas D. Ace,
Protective Sabo (One Piece), Brotherly Affection, Affection,
Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempt at Humor, Alternate
Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2023-03-20 Updated: 2023-07-10 Words: 90,753 Chapters:
15/35

Overcoming an Era
by Beyond_Kailani

Summary

Sabo is on a personal mission for Dragon when a Whitebeard Pirate crashes into him. Ace
is on the hunt for the traitor Blackbeard when a Revolutionary bearing a remarkable
resemblance to his dead brother steps into his path. Luffy is just trying to survive the Grand
Line.

Notes

This is a re-post of my old fic. Chapters 1-17 have been given a facelift and I hope read all
the better for it! Tags will be updated as we go to avoid too many spoilers. Thank you to
everyone who helped me along the way, you all know who you are!
See the end of the work for more notes
 The Dawn of the Adventure

It was a wonderful day for sailing. The skies were clear, the waters calm, and the gulls cried
overhead while they circled the small vessel proved to be good company. All in all, it couldn’t be
a more perfect day.

Purupurupuru. Purupurupuru.

Well, the young man laying on the deck mused, his mind still clouded with the remnants of his nap
had been so rudely interrupted by the shrill cries of a den den mushi, it was almost perfect. Taking
off the top hat covering his face, he squinted in the bright mid-afternoon sun. He blinked rapidly to
clear his vision and was about to make the effort to heave himself up when the noise finally
quietened. Sighing with relief, he let his head fall back against his crossed arms, stretching like a
contented cat in the warm sun.

Purupurupuru. Purupurupuru. Purupurupuru.

“Seriously?” he groaned. The thought of moving was unappealing, but since the small snail
showed no signs of shutting up and it was ruining the soothing sounds of the small waves lapping
against the bow, the man pushed himself to his feet. A quick glance at the wheel and then the
horizon showed exactly what he expected. His rope contraption had worked to hold him on course
while he napped, something he desperately longed to return to. There was no chance of that
happening though, he sighed and scrubbed at his face with one gloved hand. The other reached out
and lightly tapped the snail’s shell where it sat atop the wheel. He tried and failed to suppress a
yawn as the call connected.

“-completely selfish! He knows he needs to pick up when we call! It’s unbelievable. Oh, don’t tell
me to calm down! What if we were under attack or something?”

“Then I hope you’d be busy defending the place rather than calling me,” the man interrupted,
leaning his weight against the railing, the wind whipping gently at his blond hair.

“Sabo!”

“Good morning, Koala,” Sabo greeted amicably, ignoring his friend and comrade’s annoyance with
practiced ease.

“It’s two o’clock in the afternoon,” she hissed in reply.

“Is it? I hadn’t noticed,” he returned pleasantly.

“Seriously, why don’t you answer your damn calls? I’ve been trying to get hold of you for the last
half an hour! Didn’t you hear it ringing?”

“Then I really hope Baltigo isn’t under attack because I think your skills could be better used
elsewhere than in the call room,” he teased softly. There was a splutter of indignation from the
other end of the line that made Sabo chuckle. “I’m on my way back from Tequila Wolf. If the plan
to raid it is still on, we’re going to have to re-think our strategy I’m afraid,” he said.

“I’m not calling about your report – wait. Why? What did you find?” Sabo heard Koala hissing at
Hack to hand her a quill and some parchment.

Sabo sighed heavily, frustration causing a frown to mar his face. “Because they’ve only gone and
moved the slave village, haven’t they? They’ve made a lot of progress since our last scouts
reported back. After seven hundred years you’ve gotta wonder what the sudden rush is,” he huffed.

Koala cursed quietly. “Bunny Joe is not going to like this,” she said. “We don’t have the time or
resources to do another full reconnaissance. We’ll just have to hope his team will still be able to
pull off the raid with what we already know.”

“We’ve dealt with worse odds before,” Sabo shrugged. He trusted his fellow Revolutionaries
would be more than capable of executing the plan to release the slaves. They had succeeded before
on much less information. It would certainly make the mission more dangerous but every person
working under the banner of the Revolutionary Army knew the risks from the moment they signed
up. “I do have some good news, too,” the blond offered with a grin.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I found the most amazing restaurant while I was in East Blue. It’s called the Baratie and I
think I can safely say it has some of the best food I’ve eaten in years!” he exclaimed, feeling his
mouth begin to water at the memory of all the delicious plates of food the chefs had whipped up.

Koala snorted and Sabo could almost hear her rolling her eyes. “Of course you’d think with your
stomach,” she said, although her voice lacked any heat. “But I hadn’t actually called you to
discuss restaurants or collect your report, which, I might add, is late again.”

It was Sabo’s turn to roll his eyes. “At least I actually gave you one this time! Take what you’re
given already.”

“Yes, I suppose we should be thankful for small mercies. Speaking of which, Sabo, Dragon-san is
headed to Logue Town. He left early this morning.”

Sabo blinked in surprise. Dragon was the leader of the Revolutionary Army and possibly one of - if
not the most - wanted man in the world. He hadn’t left their base in Baltigo since Ivankov was
imprisoned in Impel Down and Kuma had left them to join the Shichibukai. If the Revolutionary
Army were to lose another important figurehead, its continued existence would be jeopardised, so
Dragon had remained sequestered away.

Sabo had been a member of the Revolutionaries since he was about ten years old. He had recently
been promoted to Chief of Staff and could assume command in the absence of Dragon as his
second, but there was still a lot Dragon had yet to share with him surrounding the founding and
causes that prompted Dragon to start the revolution in the first place. Dragon was naturally
cautious - although he did have his moments of spontaneity -and rarely shared everything with a
single person, purely for their own safety should his confidant be captured or defect.

The wind suddenly rose up, sending a spray of seawater across the bow and shaking Sabo out of
his surprise. Realising Koala was waiting for his response, he gave himself a mental shake. “Did he
say why?” he asked curiously.

“No. He just announced this morning he needed to see something and he was going to Logue Town
and left. Karasu-san gave him a lift.” Sabo could hear the frustration in his friend’s voice. He did
sympathise somewhat with her plight. It was bad enough the Chief of Staff had a bad habit of
wandering off; she really didn’t need their leader to start doing the same. “Dragon-san said he’d
come back to Baltigo with you, since you’re going to have to pass by on your way back.”

“Okay,” Sabo replied, checking the log pose sat by the wheel and doing a quick calculation in his
head. “I’ll be there by tomorrow morning. I have a suitable vessel so there’s no need to send Crow-
san back out to collect us.”

“You know Karasu-san hates it when you call him that,” she said, but the snail in the palm of his
hand was grinning with amusement. “Oh, and Sabo? Try not to cause any trouble! Remember
you’re going to have Dragon-san with you and the last thing we need is -”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. See you when we get back!” he called cheerfully.

“Hey, wait! Don’t you hang u-”

Sabo quickly disconnected the call. He would definitely pay for that when he got back to Baltigo,
but right then he had more important things to concern himself with. He dropped the snail into the
pocket of his black coat hung casually over one of the wheel handles and deftly untied the rope
locking it in place. Double checking the log pose, he made a quick adjustment, setting his boat on a
straighter course to Logue Town. Raising his head to the clear blue sky, Sabo grinned.

xxx

As always when he was lucky enough to pass through one of the most famous islands in the world,
Sabo made a beeline for the execution platform. From the moment he had first laid eyes on it, his
body still recovering from the explosion that had claimed his memories, and so nearly his life,
Sabo had been inexplicably drawn to the platform. He hadn’t been able to understand the
connection he felt to the name Gold Roger, although Dragon had been quick to correct him to the
proper pronunciation of Gol. D Roger. The offhand mention of the initial had been Sabo’s first
spark of familiarity since he’d awoken on Dragon’s ship. But he hadn’t been able to remember
anything to go with it. He could only guess he’d heard it before, but the lack of any memory had
driven him to tears as he stared up at the towering platform, sending the few Revolutionaries
who’d accompanied Dragon and Sabo ashore into a small panic. He had allowed them to usher him
away from the square, his eyes burning and tender skin itching from his salty tears while he
grieved for something he couldn’t remember.

There had been other moments over the years that caused him to pause and try to force his brain to
cooperate and unlock his memories, but none had been as strong as that first time at the steps of the
execution platform in Logue Town.

A gust of wind whipped through the street, forcing Sabo to make a grab for his hat before it flew
from his head. Turning into the wind, Sabo saw the clouds above beginning to group together. A
storm was approaching. Frowning thoughtfully, Sabo turned back towards his destination, picking
up the pace. He had time for a quick look before he had to find his leader.

He had expected the square to be mostly deserted. Twenty years after the execution of the Pirate
King, it held appeal to the general tourist mass but the marine base stationed nearby did its job of
keeping away pirates who would happily turn the execution platform into a shrine, so he was more
than a little surprised to see a large assembly amassed in the square. He paused on the edge of the
crowd, pulling his hat down securely to obscure his face. Although unlikely, he didn’t want to take
the risk of someone recognising him.

“-ing on?”

“-marines should do something!”

“-platform-”

“Pirates!”
Sabo followed the excited gazes of the townsfolk. “What the hell?” he exclaimed, shock causing
the words to slip out. The Revolutionary could hardly believe what he was seeing. If it wasn’t for
the fact it was currently being witnessed by the majority of Logue Town, he seriously would have
thought he was imagining things. But no, atop the platform, as clear as day, two figures stood. Or
rather, one stood, his coat billowing about him like a pair of giant wings. The second person,
smaller and leaner was on his knees, clapped in the pillory. The youth looked remarkably calm
considering the predicament he was in, Sabo noted, somewhat bemused.

Sabo turned his attention back to the man gallivanting around the platform like he owned it. There
was no mistaking that clown and his cohorts prancing around at the bottom of the wooden
structure. They cackled gleefully and Sabo scowled when several cracks of gunfire erupted. The
crowd around him began to shift, a low murmur of displeasure running through them. Sabo hoped
for the sake of the Buggy Pirates they could control themselves enough to not send any shots
directly into the throng of people. The pirates had managed to bring the crowd to an almost dead
silence though and while he watched the scene play out before them, Sabo was finally able to hear
Buggy and his prisoner.

“Now,” Buggy stomped heavily on the young man’s head, grinning as he twirled his cutlass above
the man’s unguarded neck. “Any last words? You have a big audience.” The younger man
scowled. Buggy laughed heartily. “Ah well, never mind that. No one wants to hear it.”

The teenager wrenched his head out from under Buggy’s boot, causing the pirate to spiral and
struggle to regain his balance. He drew in a deep breath.

“I AM…”

Sabo didn’t dare blink, unable to tear his gaze away from the young man staring down at them, a
look of utmost seriousness on his face.

“-GOING TO BE THE PIRATE KING!”

“Are you gonna become pirates?! I’m gonna become one too!”

Sabo staggered back, like the words had physically struck him, his ears ringing. His temples
throbbed painfully. Desperately, he tried to ignore the declaration echoed in his head, he looked
around wildly. He could have sworn he had heard a child – a young boy, possibly – but there were
none around him. Instead, the only thing that could be heard was the crowd’s stunned murmurs.

Falling back against a wall in an effort to regain some equilibrium, Sabo almost missed the blurs of
green and yellow that flew straight past him.

“LUFFY!”

“Luffy, is it?” Sabo muttered. Unable to kill his curiosity, he glanced back at the teenager still
stuck in the pillory who was yelling loudly at the pair of older boys who had launched themselves
at the Buggy Pirates. He took a single, unconscious step forward before another presence
registered with him. He froze, distracted, a fleeting thought vanishing from his mind as quickly as
it appeared. Frustrated, Sabo almost growled but he forced himself to block out the commotion
unfolding around him.

He turned slowly towards one of the buildings on the other side of the plaza. Concentrating hard,
Sabo zeroed in on where the presence felt strongest. It wasn’t Dragon, he quickly concluded.
Dragon liked high places he could use as an outlook but he rarely ventured inside if he could help
it. Sensing the underlying hostility, Sabo could only think it was Captain Smoker, the marine in
charge of the local outpost. And judging by the formidable aura that bounced off Sabo’s own
observation haki, he more than lived up to his reputation.

A flash of white in a first-floor window drew his attention. He spied a marine, his gun trained on
the pirates arguing down below him. Sabo cursed, inwardly furious he had let himself get
distracted enough to not even notice the square had been surrounded. In nearly every window with
a prominent view down onto the platform there stood a marine, poised to attack. He guessed by the
fact they hadn’t made a move yet, their plan was to let the pirates destroy each other before
rounding up the stragglers.

It was a smart move, Sabo admitted grudgingly. He supposed Smoker had the docks on lockdown
too. Sabo turned to the execution platform, strangely filled with regret at the thought of leaving, but
he needed to find Dragon. He should find Dragon. They had to leave before their presence was
noted and it would be easier to do if everyone was still preoccupied. He stared at the kneeling
dark-haired teenager thoughtfully. His declaration he was going to be Pirate King was ambitious.
He might have caused a lot of people to snicker at his boldness and write it off as a joke, but Sabo
strangely couldn’t help but think the kid had been deadly serious.

Sabo tried to shake himself out of his stupor. He couldn’t hang around all day watching pirates –
for Luffy could only be a pirate if he was walking around making such statements – no matter how
much he felt like he should stay, he had to find Dragon and he owed the kid nothing. His own
discovery wasn’t worth lending his assistance to a pirate who was clearly so reckless he’d been
caught before he could even enter the Grand Line. But he also found he couldn’t ignore the feeling
he should be doing something. Anything.

Torn, Sabo remained where he was until a rumble of thunder echoed overhead. He felt the first
splatters of rain hit the rim of his hat and freezing cold wind blew into the square from the side
streets. A piercing crack followed by the sharp and distinct smell of sulphur rang out above the
square. Sabo raised his face skywards, eyes widening in disbelief, and watched a ripple of lightning
roll overhead. The thunder growled ominously and the rain began to pound the pavements. The
crowd began to disperse, scattering in all directions as people ran for shelter from both the weather
and the battling pirates.

“Zoro! Sanji!”

Sabo turned towards the platform, Luffy’s voice carrying surprisingly well considering the
commotion going on around the square and he felt compelled to listen.

“Sorry. I’m dead!”

To the Revolutionary’s surprise, the pirate was grinning in spite of Buggy’s sword poised to swing
down to meet his neck. How could he smile, Sabo wondered, baffled beyond comprehension. No
one smiled in the face of death. No one except one man.

Sabo had read several eyewitness reports of the Pirate King’s own execution. He had smiled. He
didn’t have time to ponder the oddity, for in the next moment, Sabo, along with everyone else in
the square, was forced to shield their eyes and cover their ears as a bolt of lightning struck the
execution platform. Sabo ducked to avoid the dust and debris flying from the site of the impact.

A stunned stillness settled over the square, with no one daring to move.

“Shishishi! That surprised me!”

“You and the rest of the world,” Sabo muttered, before the voice ripping through the silence
registered. His head snapped up. To his utter amazement, Luffy was now stood against the
backdrop of the destroyed platform. He patted at a straw hat with surprising care before slapping it
onto his head, grin still fixed firmly in place.

“Do you believe in a higher power?” the blond in a black suit asked nonchalantly of his green-
haired companion from not too far away.

“Don’t be ridiculous! We need to get out of here, Luffy.”

“Ah! Here they come!” Luffy shouted, bounding past the pair and towards the furthest exit of the
square. Marines had started to flood out of the nearby buildings, shouting orders left and right and
fighting their way through the still stunned crowd.

Sabo couldn’t help but smile as he watched the trio make their bid for freedom. Making a quick
decision, the blond disappeared down the closest side alley, following the small group’s route to
the docks on a parallel street.

Luffy was far too interesting, Sabo thought. He had better things to do than track the progress of a
runaway pirate, but much like he hadn’t been able to leave the square, he felt obliged to see the
pirate to the docks. He had no idea why. Sabo was pretty sure he had never heard of Luffy before
that afternoon but the insistent tug of something pushed Sabo onwards.

Twin shouts of surprise and dismay from the other street had Sabo springing to the roof to
investigate.

“Seriously?” he muttered to himself, incredulous at the scene laid out below him.

Luffy, who only minutes before had miraculously managed to escape his own execution, was now
sat pinned underneath none other than Captain Smoker himself. His thrashing limbs stretched far
beyond all normal human proportions before snapping back like a rubber band, and must’ve been
stronger than they looked as cracks appeared in the pavement beneath him, but they were utterly
useless against Smoker. Luffy was clearly inexperienced fighting against logia type devil fruit
users, despite obviously being a devil fruit user himself. It at least explained how the pirate had
emerged unscathed from the lightning strike but Sabo still had to forcefully quash the worry that
bizarrely bubbled up in his chest when he imagined the trouble Luffy could get into as a new
rookie in the Grand Line.

Sabo couldn’t take his eyes away from the jitte in the marine’s hand, glistening in the pouring rain.
If he squinted, he could almost picture another man standing over Luffy, who he imagined to be
smaller and weaker, nothing like the pirate currently flailing about on the ground like a wild
animal, and threatening him with a similar weapon. But that didn’t make any sense, Sabo thought,
his mind racing a mile a minute. He had never met Luffy before. Sabo had barely left Baltigo those
first few years and Luffy didn’t look that much younger than him. He couldn’t understand why he
was imagining Luffy as a child.

“Looks like my run of bad luck is over,” Smoker smirked, raising his sword above his head. Sabo
tensed, poised to jump down into the street when someone beat him to it.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that exactly.”

Sabo jolted in surprise when he ecognized the reassuringly familiar figure who’d caught the
swinging blow. He wasn’t ashamed to admit his first thought upon seeing his commander standing
over the marine captain, his favourite hooded cloak shielding him from the downpour, was Koala
was going to kill him. Painfully and slowly. They were definitely not laying low and were definitely
drawing attention to themselves.

Sabo was completely perplexed by this new turn of events. Dragon had done many things over the
years that had stunned him, but this had to be one of the most astonishing. The Revolutionaries
very rarely involved themselves in the affairs of pirates. Sabo was known to be one of the worst
culprits for involving himself in things that shouldn’t concern him or the Revolutionaries, but he
couldn’t think of a single incident where Dragon had revealed himself to a marine to save a pirate.

“What’s going on?! Who’s there?” Luffy continued to struggle fruitlessly underneath Smoker, who
scowled up at Dragon, his face a picture of pure rage.

“You!” Smoker snarled, tensing like he was readying himself to pull his arm from Dragon’s grip.

“Us,” Dragon corrected idly, his gaze never leaving the marine but his words were clearly directed
to Sabo.

Sabo grimaced and jumped down into the street, absently thinking of a thousand excuses to give to
Koala. He walked slowly and steadily, arms loose at his side and pipe still hanging at his back.
Dragon was making no move to outwardly attack Smoker, and Sabo would gladly follow his lead
since he really had no idea what in the world Dragon was thinking.

Sabo walked confidently past the blond and green-haired teenagers, both of them stood tense and
unsure while the scene before them unfolded. They eyed him warily, but he ignored them, stopping
only when Smoker sensed his approach and jerked his head towards him. Sabo nodded his greeting
to Dragon.

Smoker huffed, his gaze darting between the two Revolutionaries he was now caught between. He
rose to his feet slowly, reluctantly releasing Luffy in the process. The young pirate heaved himself
to his feet, but seconds later he was nearly knocked clean over again when a huge gust of wind
rattled down the street. He grasped protectively at his straw hat.

“Hey, Luffy! Let’s go!” the green-haired swordsman shouted, voice barely carrying over the wind,
but clearly wanting to take advantage of their new opportunity for freedom. “Quit dragging your
feet! There’s a storm coming! We’re going to get trapped here!”

“Right!” Luffy agreed. He carefully sidestepped Smoker, who ignored him in favour of keeping
Dragon in his line of sight. His crewmates’ urgent cries for him to hurry were ignored and instead
he cast one final glance at the pair facing off with one another, seemingly unconcerned about the
storm gathering pace in the skies above them before he jogged away slowly.

Sabo waited until the pirate was almost level with him before speaking quietly. “You might want to
get a move on,” he encouraged. “The other marines won’t be far behind.”

Luffy’s head snapped to him and Sabo found himself pinned under one of the most inquisitive
gazes he’d ever found himself. Their eyes met briefly. Luffy faltered and missed a step, his eyes
wide and bright. He muttered something under his breath Sabo didn’t catch before he quickly
regained his momentum and barreled passed. Sabo frowned, confused by the reaction but still
turned to track the pirate’s progress down the street out the corner of his eye. He only returned his
attention to the two men left in the street once he was sure they had left, an odd compulsion to
make sure they did actually get to safety filling him.

Sabo turned just in time to catch Dragon smirking ominously. Sabo groaned and ducked quickly
into a doorway, bracing himself against the force he knew was coming. He reached up to keep a
tight grip on his hat when the strongest gust of wind yet swept down the street, sending small
debris and litter swirling. Nearby doors and windows rattled in their frames. Sabo’s coat whipped
at his knees for what seemed like hours but was actually no more than a minute before calm
descended upon the town again.

When Sabo lifted his head, he was unsurprised to find he was alone in the street. Taking the
opportunity to disappear before Smoker returned to track them both down, Sabo emerged from his
meagre shelter and took to the roofs once more.

It was easy to follow Dragon’s presence. He had been following in the man’s footsteps since he
was ten years old and it took him no time at all to locate his leader atop an old warehouse roof at
the harbour.

Sabo didn’t bother to mask his approach and he drew to a halt beside the man. Dragon didn’t
acknowledge him, his gaze fixed on something in the distance, bobbing up and down on the rough
waves but making good progress away from the town despite the bad weather. Sabo squinted in the
dim light and he was just able to make out the small vessel – a caravel, if Sabo wasn’t mistaken –
that was captivating his leader. In the ferocious winds, Sabo could just make out a black flag
snapping around.

“So, us Revolutionaries are saving pirates now, are we?” Sabo enquired, voice bordering on
teasing and conveniently ignoring the fact he had almost stepped in to assist the same pirates
himself before Dragon had saved him the trouble.

Dragon’s only response was to grin. Sabo felt his own grin falter and his brow knit in confusion.
He had seen that grin once before today already and it hadn’t been from Dragon; it had been on the
face of the young pirate caught atop the execution platform.

All at once, Sabo felt a bolt of understanding hit him. Familiarity, he thought, turning back to
watch the ship heading towards the horizon and the Grand Line beyond. Familiarity is what he’d
felt as he’d watched Luffy. He supposed he could be forgiven for not recognising the feeling
before; very rarely did Sabo find anything outside of his tight knit life in the Revolutionaries
familiar. He thought back to Luffy’s faltering steps when he had laid eyes on Sabo. He shook his
head and smiled ruefully.

It was a shame, Sabo noted, drawing in a deep breath, that he and Luffy hadn’t been able to speak;
that the circumstances had conspired against them. He had the feeling Luffy could be a pretty
interesting person to know.

xxx

“That was a close one!”

“You don’t say, Shitty Cook.”

“Shut up, Marimo!”

“Then don’t state the obvious.”

“That reminded me of the time I had to escape a tornado! I was all alone when - Ow! Nami, why
are you hitting me?!”

“We don’t need any of your wild tales right now.”

“Well there’s no need to hit me!”

Luffy wandered away from his squabbling crewmates and towards the railing, his eyes fixed firmly
on the island they had barely managed to escape from. It had been fun, Luffy thought with a grin.
Despite the almost execution and the disgusting smell of sulphur lingering on his clothes the storm
hadn’t managed to dampen, Luffy had enjoyed himself. He had only wanted to see the platform
where the Pirate King – his brother’s father – had met his end. And where the legend of the One
Piece had begun. He’d had no idea Buggy would’ve held such a grudge against him that he’d
actually followed them. And his anger towards Shanks was funny; he’d have to ask the next time
he saw the red-haired pirate if Buggy was actually telling the truth, because if was how he’d eaten
his devil fruit, it was funnier than Luffy’s own story. He was almost looking forward to the next
time he could meet the clown.

And there had been that smoking marine, Luffy thought. He was drawing a blank on how he could
possibly fight the guy when he couldn’t even touch him. Although, the man in the cloak who’d
helped him had managed to grab him. That was certainly a mystery. And then there was the blond
guy, too…

“Hey, Luffy, who was that guy?”

“Huh?” Luffy turned to Sanji who had somehow managed to light his cigarette in spite of the
lashing rain still falling around them. “Which guy?”

“The one in the top hat, with the goggles,” Sanji clarified, taking a drag. “You looked like you
knew him.”

Luffy shook his head quickly. “No, I didn’t know any of those guys. The blond one just looked like
someone I used to know. That’s all.”

“You sure it wasn’t him?” Zoro asked quietly.

“That’s impossible,” he said simply. From the sympathetic nod his first mate gave him, Luffy
knew he hadn’t quite been quick enough to hide the flash of pain in his eyes. He cast a quick
glance over his shoulder, but he couldn’t see any more of Logue Town. He mentally shook himself,
wondering what in the world Ace would say if he could see Luffy getting all mopey just because
he’d seen someone who looked like their brother. He would probably get Ace’s best imitation of
Gramp’s fist of love.

Luffy snapped his attention back to his crew, who were all watching him curiously. He flashed
them his widest smile.

“Let’s head to the Grand Line!”

His words were greeted with a chorus of cheers.

 Introducing Ace
Chapter Notes

Thank you so much to everyone who left a review last chapter! I'm very humbled to
know people remember this fic and were excited to see it return.

Sabo chuckled quietly at the headline jumping out of the front page of the daily newspaper. He
read quickly through to the main article, his smile almost fond as he devoured the words eagerly.

“Something amusing?”

He turned in his chair to find Koala stood in the doorway, her arms ladened with more newspapers
to add to the growing piles steadily stacking up in his bedroom.

“Anywhere in particular you want these?” she asked. Sabo noticed her looking around impatiently,
no doubt speculating where he wanted them, knowing from experience Sabo had some sort of
system to the mounds of paper currently occupying his room. She had tried numerous times in the
years they’d known each other to guess the workings of Sabo’s organisational system, but to no
avail. What Sabo had failed to tell her was he periodically changed it up when it looked like she
was coming close to cracking his current arrangement. He didn’t want her to get bored, after all.

Sabo glanced around. “Just dump them on the bed,” he finally decided, waving a hand in its
general direction. Koala huffed but dutifully began picking her way through the room, mindful not
to step on the discarded pipe, hat, gloves and jacket Sabo had a habit of leaving on the floor. She
dropped her bundle where indicated and immediately set about tidying the clothes.

“Well? What was so funny?” she asked again, folding his jacket neatly over the back of his chair
and taking the opportunity to peer over his shoulder at the article in front of him. “Is that Arlong?!
In East Blue?” she shrieked right into his ear. Sabo flinched. “Sorry,” she said absently. She
snatched the paper from his grasp eagerly and dropped onto the edge of Sabo’s bed to read.
“Seriously, who are these people?” she wondered aloud.

“They’re reported as being called the Strawhat Pirates. And apparently they defeated Arlong and
his crew,” Sabo said, spinning in his chair towards his friend.

“Impressive,” Koala muttered, before discarding the paper to one side. “So, did reading about this
Strawhat Luffy guy spark anything?” she asked, somewhat tentatively.

Sabo sighed and scrubbed roughly at his eyes. They were starting to itch and ache. He had been
awake most of the night, pouring over old papers by candle light in an effort to find more
information on the pirate Luffy. There was a glaring lack of anything beyond the recent articles
detailing Arlong’s defeat at the hands of the Strawhat Pirates. By all accounts, they were just a
simple rookie crew from East Blue with the devil’s luck. “If by ‘spark’ you mean ‘have I
remembered anything’, then no. Nothing at all,” he admitted, his shoulders slumping. He raised his
head to see Koala biting her lip nervously. “What?”

“I’m just worried,” she finally admitted. “You’ve been trawling through all these newspapers since
you got back in the hope you might remember something. Sabo, you’ve not done this in years, why
now?”

He glanced around his room and at the mess it had become. Koala was right, he hadn’t searched so
meticulously for answers to his past since he was a child. Curiosity had compelled him for a while
to find out all he could about where he might have come from. But the more he had learnt about
Goa Kingdom, the less he had wanted to do with it and his time had gradually been occupied with
more pressing tasks required by the Revolutionaries.

He shrugged helplessly. “I get what you’re saying, Koala, but there are some things I just know
even without any specific memory. I know when I first woke up after the attack, I didn’t want to go
back, I can only assume, to my parents. I know there’s something about Gol. D Roger that bugs me.
And I know that this guy,” he picked up one of the wanted posters from his desk and jabbed at the
photograph in frustration. “This grinning idiot here feels familiar. I can’t explain why and probably
never will without my memories. And maybe looking through all these articles is useless, but I
needed to do it.” Even if it was fruitless, he thought privately.

Koala nodded and gestured to the papers scattered around them. “Do you want a hand?”

Sabo shook his head and rubbed at his left eye again. “No. He’s a rookie, there’s not much out
there on him right now. And I kind of get the impression he’s the sort of person who makes the
front pages,” he chuckled.

Koala snorted. “Yeah, he does, doesn’t he?” she agreed, staring down at the photo of Arlong beside
her. “And hey, I bet you anything you’ll get the answers you’re looking for in the place you’ll least
expect it. Isn’t that how it always goes?”

“Yeah, maybe,” he said.

“Okay, what is wrong with your eye?” Koala suddenly burst out.

Sabo stared at her, startled. “What? My eye?”

“Yes, your eye. You’ve been scratching at it ever since I came in. Did you not notice?”

“No I haven’t,” he denied, frowning impatiently when he realised by Koala drawing his attention
to it, he suddenly couldn’t ignore how irritated it felt. He stubbornly kept his hands on his knees
however, refusing to give Koala the satisfaction of knowing she was right.

It didn’t work though, and Koala snorted in a very unladylike fashion before rising to her feet. She
gripped his chin tightly and tilted his head towards the candle. She hummed thoughtfully while she
examined the eye in question. Sabo shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He really hated it when
people stared at the scarred side of his face. It made him feel very self-conscious and was in fact
one of the reasons he had let his hair grow out so as to cover it.

“It doesn’t look red,” she concluded. She released his chin and frowned down at him.

“I’m probably just tired then,” he said. “I have been reading a lot.”

“Possibly. What did the doctor say about it at your last checkup?”

“I haven’t had a checkup,” Sabo admitted with a shrug. He started stacking the newspapers
scattered across into a slightly more orderly pile, avoiding her disapproving frown.

“Why not?” she demanded, one hand on her hip.

“I’ve told you before, Ivankov had to use his Horu Horu No Mi ability to boost my chance of
survival after the Tenryuubito’s attack on my boat.” He sighed wearily. “It’s probably the only
reason I still have my sight in the first place, so I really doubt our doctors are going to be able to do
anything if it is getting worse. And besides, I have my observation haki. I don’t rely on my sight all
that much in a fight these days anyway,” he added with a smirk.

“Well, even so, if it is getting worse, they need to know,” she argued weakly.

“What’s getting worse?”

The pair both started and whipped towards the door, where they found Dragon, his cloak
discarded. He smirked, amusement dancing across his face at the Chief of Staff and his partner’s
surprised faces.

“What was that you just saying about observation haki?” Koala sniped at Sabo, who shrugged off
her glare.

“It’s Dragon,” he pointed out. “If he doesn’t want anyone to know he’s coming, they won’t.”

“Very true,” Dragon injected. “Now, what is getting worse? I certainly hope you’re not talking
about the potential success of our raid on Tequila Wolf?” he enquired.

Koala quickly shook her head. “No. I mean, yes we’re still trying to work out the revised plans with
the information Sabo brought back, but there shouldn’t be any problems. Although, as we all
imagine, Bunny Joe isn’t happy, but they’re going to do what they can.” Dragon nodded. “Actually,
we were discussing Sabo’s eye.”

Dragon turned to him and Sabo gestured to his left eye, needlessly, since it was obvious which one
was the culprit. “It’s a little irritated, that’s all,” he said.

“I assume that is a self-diagnosis,” Dragon quipped. Koala burst into laughter. Sabo scowled and
childishly threw a newspaper at his friend, who batted it away easily. He knew his dodging of the
infirmary was notorious – his colleagues had only ever managed to get him through the doors if he
was actually unconscious – but the teasing was unnecessary. “Well, I may have a solution to the
problem,” Dragon continued.

“Really?” Sabo asked.

“Do either of you know about Drum Island?” Dragon queried.

Sabo and Koala nodded in unison. “Yeah. It’s a winter island not too far into the Grand Line. It
was ruled by King Wapol up until a few months ago when he upped and vanished,” said the blond.

“Correct, but some of our scouts have now reported Wapol’s recently been sighted in the seas
surrounding Drum Island again,” Dragon informed them.

Sabo cursed. While Wapol might have been the king, he was also a tyrant. He had ruled with an
iron fist over his country, creating laws left and right which put the very lives of his people at risk
before fleeing to the sea. The Revolutionaries had been monitoring the country for only a matter of
months and were still in the midst of planning a preliminary investigation when the king had
inexplicably fled. From the scarce accounts of the few traders the Revolutionaries had in their
network, the country seemed to have had a problem with pirates, who, while doing the inhabitants
a favour by scaring away their cowardly ruler, had also ransacked the entire country.

The Revolutionaries had considered offering their aid, but the inhabitants were still too distrustful
of outsiders. Dragon and Sabo had believed they were best taking a step back to allow the country
to heal as it would. But if Wapol was now back in the vicinity then Drum Island was under threat
once more.

“I guess you want someone to verify the reports and prepare the islanders if it is true?” Sabo
proposed.

Dragon nodded. “Yes. I had thought about sending Terry Gilteo, but Sabo, you can go instead.”

“Okay. When do I leave?” Sabo asked.

“As soon as possible,” Dragon confirmed. “You’ll have to go alone though. I’ll need Koala and
Hack here to assist with the Tequila Raid plans.”

Koala looked between the two, confused. “How is this a solution to the problem with Sabo’s eye?”
she asked curiously.

“Drum Island was once well known in the medical field, and I have it on good authority that a very
prestigious doctor still resides there. Sabo can assess the situation with Wapol and at the same time
he can seek out the doctor. You may have to do a little hunting though. I hear she keeps to herself
mostly,” Dragon grinned at him.

Sabo smirked. Very few of Dragon’s associates were ever easy to find.

“Is Crow-san available to take me, or am I taking one of the ships?” he questioned, pushing
himself to his feet and quickly shrugging on his jacket. Koala flicked the lead pipe still resting on
the floor, catching it with the tip of her boot and flipping it into the air. The blond caught it with
practiced ease.

“I’ve ordered one of the smaller vessels be prepared,” said Dragon, stepping into the hall. “It will
be ready within the hour.”

Sabo nodded, following in Dragon’s wake as they strode down the hall. He was surprised when the
taller man waved Koala along the corridor. She hurried past the pair dutifully, Sabo’s top hat in her
grasp.

“I don’t expect you to give regular reports, Sabo,” Dragon started, turning to the blond, who
quickly took note of the seriousness of the older man’s tone. “This is as much a personal errand as
it is a revolutionary one, and I expect you to do your best to find that doctor. I can’t have my best
officer impaired in any way.”

Sabo nodded quickly. Despite the gruff words, he knew the man’s concern was driven by much
more than simply Sabo being the best Revolutionary at Dragon’s disposal. It wasn’t common
knowledge even amongst the Revolutionaries that Dragon had rescued Sabo. It might have seemed
like Sabo received preferential treatment to anyone who wasn’t aware, but Dragon had taken an
early interest in his training and health primarily because Sabo had been so far ahead of his peers in
terms of his skills and sheer strength. It was obvious Sabo had been well trained before he joined
them, if somewhat crudely, and his skills definitely lay in the pipe resting on his back.

“That wasn’t permission to not to give any reports, however,” Dragon added, his eyes sparkling
with mirth. “We don’t want to give Koala an aneurysm, after all.”

Sabo laughed. “Got it. I’ll update you when I can.”

Dragon nodded once, and Sabo watched him disappear down the corridor. Unsurprisingly, within
moments of his departure, Koala appeared at his elbow.

“That looked like a serious conversation. Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” He turned to his friend, a devilish thought suddenly hitting him. “In
fact, Dragon was just telling me I don’t need to make reports while I’m on the job.”

Koala stared at him dumbstruck, dismayed to such an extent Sabo couldn’t help but laugh. She
pouted. “He did not say that!” she denied.

“Well, not exactly. I don’t need to make regular reports though, so don’t worry if you don’t hear
from me very often,” he told her.

“No different to normal then,” she sighed wearily. “I will be checking to make sure you made it to
Drum, though. Don’t take detours like you did on the way back from Tequila Wolf,” she warned.

“Hey, that restaurant had some awesome food!” he said cheerfully. He bowed at the waist and
peered up at her expectantly through the hair falling about his face. Koala rolled her eyes good
naturedly and set his top hat on his blond curls. He adjusted it minutely before setting off at a brisk
pace. “Speaking of which, come and help me raid the kitchens for my trip.”

“They’ll have stocked the ship with food already, you know.”

“Yeah, but it won’t last more than a couple of days and it’ll take at least four to get there from
here. They never give me enough.”

“It’d be more than enough if you ate like a normal person!” she huffed, but hurried along after him,
intent on making sure he didn’t take all their provisions with him.

xxx

There was an unnatural stillness about the bar; it was unnerving. It was past midday and the place
should have been filled with hungry patrons enjoying their lunches, but it was nearly empty. The
few who had braved the stony silence had sequestered themselves into the darkest corners of the
establishment, hoping they could avoid the attention of the lone man perched on a bar stool.

He’d arrived earlier that morning and slowly proceeded to eat his way through the bar’s entire
menu. Twice over.

His desire for food finally seemed to have diminished, though, and he was currently sat pouring
over a large travel-beaten map and muttering to himself.

The locals were used to unusual visitors; they lived close to the entrance of the Grand Line, after
all. They saw all sorts. But rarely did they see a Whitebeard Pirate.

A fact Portgas D. Ace, also known as Fire Fist, was finding rather frustrating. The stares he could
deal with. Rarely did he bother wearing a shirt and the Whitebeard jolly roger did cover the
majority of his back, so he was used to people gawking at him. But that morning, he found it was
just annoying that everyone had scattered as soon as he’d entered the bar. And hardly anyone had
come in since he’d arrived. He guessed rumors of one of Whitebeard’s own had sent the locals into
hiding. Or rendered them mute, since even the few that had remained had steadfastly ignored any
of his attempts to engage them in conversation.

Which was a shame, Ace thought, running a hand through and ruffling his black hair, because he
could really have used some local knowledge right then.
He had been hot on the heels of a new sighting of Blackbeard and he was desperate to verify the
information, but no one was talking.

Ace sighed heavily, his gaze flickering between the map in front of him and the log posse on his
wrist.

“Ca-can I-I-I get y-you anything e-else?”

Ace raised his head, eyebrow raised at the barkeeper who had been a stuttering mess for hours
now. He was honestly surprised the man hadn’t passed out or run away already.

Out the corner of one eye, Ace saw a large man in a chef’s hat, wooden spoon in hand, loitering in
the back by the kitchen door and keeping a careful eye on the barkeeper and his proximity to the
pirate. From their almost identical looks, Ace guessed they were brothers.

He turned his attention back to the barkeeper, smiling cheerfully and hoping to put the trembling
man at ease. It didn’t work.

“I know I’ve asked you already, but are you sure you haven’t heard of anyone called Blackbeard
passing through here recently?” he asked, trying not to let his desperation and frustration show.
“He might’ve called himself Marshall D. Teach?” The barkeeper shook his head so fast Ace
thought he’d make himself sick. His shoulders slumped.

“This Teach guy a pirate?” Ace turned to the chef, who was eyeing him distrustfully. He nodded
slowly. “Guessing he’s trouble?”

“Yeah, he is. Why?”

The chef shrugged. “Just heard that Drum Island had problems with pirates a while back. Might
wanna head that way.”

“You couldn’t have told me that earlier?” Ace groaned, leaning over his map eagerly. He quickly
found Drum Island, just over one hundred leagues north of his current location. “Drum, huh,” he
wondered aloud. It seemed plausible Blackbeard would have headed that direction. It was the next
closest island in the chain, relatively small and out of the way, but not too far off the well traversed
routes. Ace hadn’t been able to trace any permanent ship Blackbeard might be using, so he could
only guess Blackbeard was stealing whatever was available at the time.

Drum looked like it was a winter island, which wasn’t going to be a problem for Ace, but it usually
meant the locals weren’t used to visitors, with not many folks too eager to bask in constant frigid
temperatures. And if the locals really had had problems with pirates, then they might be even more
cautious than normal, especially since Ace was a pirate himself.

It was like Luffy and mountain bandits, Ace thought, stuffing his map away into his bag. Luffy
would probably always hold a grudge against them. Although, he suspected Dadan and her motley
crew might have escaped his bias.

He grinned to himself at the thought of his little brother. He had seen some of the articles that had
graced the newspapers recently and he was beyond proud Luffy was already making a name for
himself. Not that he had expected anything less; it was Luffy.

“Oh,” he suddenly paused at the door of the bar and turned to the two owners. “Thank you for the
food. And the information,” he said, bowing politely before stepping out into the midday sun,
adjusting his hat against the glare.
“Hey!”

Ace peered back through the doorway to see the chef angrily waving his spoon at him and his
younger brother grasping the back of his apron in an attempt to stop him from launching himself
over the bar.

“You haven’t paid! You’ve practically eaten all our stock! Where’s our money!”

Ace cocked his head, a small smile on his face and he shrugged non-committedly. He rarely
carried beli on him even when he did have any. When he’d been captain of the Spade Pirates, his
crew had quickly learnt not to let him handle the finances, or it would all end up on food. He freely
admitted he had gone a bit crazy when he’d first got his hands on some real gold; not the aged and
tarnished kind him and Luffy had managed to scrounge from Grey Terminal, but instead the pure
yellow from the books Sabo had shown them. His reputation for reckless spending had carried over
to the Moby Dick and Marco purposely rationed his share of anything they were given. Ace
would’ve been annoyed except for the fact he had been able to commission his Striker at Water 7
with the savings, which led to him begrudgingly agreeing Marco had had the right idea.

“Ni-chan! Stop, be quiet! He’s a Whitebeard Pirate! It doesn’t matter, we can re-stock and-”

“It does so matter! And I don’t care if he’s the damn Pirate King himself! He can pay us
something!”

Ace couldn’t help but cringe at the man’s words. He really did hate when people mentioned
himself and the Pirate King in the same sentence, no matter how small the comparison actually
was.

“Well?” the chef snapped. “Where’s our money?”

“Sorry!” Ace shouted, abruptly turning on his heel and dashing down the street, infuriated cries
echoing after him. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the very persistent chef rushing after him,
his brother hot on his heels and flanked by a few of the burlier patrons Ace hadn’t been able to
make friends with.

“Damn!” he huffed. He really didn’t have time to mess around. Blackbeard was leagues ahead of
him already.

He could easily have shot off a few bursts of flames as an incentive for them to back off, but they
already seemed mistrustful of pirates and Ace really didn’t want to go around giving the
Whitebeard Pirates a bad name by attacking them.

More shouts and pounding feet had him picking up the pace, his bag bouncing uncomfortably
against his back.

“He’s running away! Bet that’s not a real tattoo!”

“Yeah! He’s gotta be a fake!”

“Coward!”

Ace practically growled but he didn’t slow down. Even a year ago, he would have stopped and laid
into the small crowd chasing after him, just to prove a point he was no fake. And while he still had
quite the temper and would readily go after someone if they wronged anyone he cared about –
Blackbeard being a prime example – he was slowly learning to let the personal attacks people
spewed at him go. It wasn’t easy though, and Ace was not above shouting back his own insults.
And as he looked back over his shoulder to do just that, the perfect retort on the tip of his tongue,
he missed the figure stepping out into the street in front of him.

The first Ace knew of the impending collision was when they went down in a tangle of limbs, the
breath knocked out of the pair. A small cloud of dust erupted from the hard ground beneath them.
Ace’s hat slipped from his head and fell against the nape of his neck. He barely registered a gloved
hand crossing into his view to grasp the black top hat which had been knocked from its owner’s
head before the sounds of the crowd began to bear down on them.

“Friends of yours?” the other man asked, far too cheerfully for someone who had literally just been
run over in Ace’s opinion, but he wasn’t going to complain if it meant one less person was mad at
him.

“Er, not exactly,” he answered, glancing over his shoulder and quickly righting his own hat.
Without thinking, Ace hurriedly grabbed the arm of his unexpected speed bump and pulled the
both of them to their feet. He yanked the other man along behind him. He felt bad enough for
possibly ruining what looked to be a somewhat expensive outfit with street dust and grime without
letting the man get run over a second time by an overly boisterous mob.

Ace felt the man twist in his grip. He fully expected him to pull back and demand an explanation
for the sudden chaos he’d found himself in, but instead Ace only heard a deep chuckle. To his utter
surprise, the man put on a burst of speed so the pirate was no longer dragging him, but instead
running alongside. Booted feet easily kept pace with Ace and tapped lightly on the cobbled street.

“Might I suggest, if you want to lose your friends, you take the next left?” the man offered.

Ace frowned. “What’s left?”

“An escape route. Which we appear to be in need of,” he countered.

Ace didn’t have time to consider the consequences of the other’s proposal, not with the crowd
gaining in speed and numbers, and he ducked left, his companion matching him perfectly.

The commander couldn’t help but grin widely. It had been a lonely couple of months out on the
seas by himself with only the mostly cold trail of Blackbeard to follow. He knew he could’ve
called any one of the Whitebeard Pirates or their allies and had their support on his hunt, but
finding Blackbeard and making him pay for what he had done to Thatch was his duty. Ace couldn’t
deny though, it was thrilling to have someone to keep him company on yet another crazy escape.

Ace let the other take the lead as the labyrinth of alleyways narrowed to the point where it became
impossible to run side by side. The man must’ve known where he was going because he led Ace
with confidence through the warren, never faltering as they jumped over trash bins and other
debris. In fact, he was moving so fast, Ace could barely keep the ends of the long black coat in
sight before it whipped around another bend.

With a small thrill of excitement, it reminded Ace of his childhood of running around Edge Town,
one brother in front and another lagging behind; a trio of troublemakers looking for entertainment.
He put on a burst of speed to keep his new companion in view.

“Where does this lead exactly?” Ace called, laughing at the crowd still valiantly trying to keep up
with them, but only causing destruction as they attempted to cram too quickly into the too tight
space.

“No idea!” came the cheerful reply.

Ace blinked in surprise.

“Did we lose them yet?”

He glanced back. There were still a few tails. He slowed slightly and released a small burst of fire
from his left hand. He flicked the flames into the next bin they passed, igniting the contents easily.
A swift kick had the bin rattling down the alley. He smirked, satisfied when the startled cries of
their followers rose from behind them. He wasn’t worried about the fire spreading to any
buildings; the fire would burn hot but slowly, giving the locals plenty of time to deal with it before
it got anywhere near out of control.

“That’s a handy trick.”

Ace looked forward and was surprised to find the man loitering in the nearest shadow, the rim of
his hat shielding his face. He’d have thought the man would’ve taken the opportunity to make an
exit while he had the chance.

“Yeah, it has its perks,” Ace grinned, panting somewhat heavily. Running on a full stomach wasn’t
as fun as it used to be.

He sensed the other return his grin before he disappeared around the corner. Ace hesitated for a
moment before following swiftly. He really ought to apologise before they went their separate
ways, Ace thought. The man didn’t seem at all put out by the fact he had been bowled over and
chased across what felt like half the town, but surely he had had better things to do with his
afternoon.

He found the man standing several feet away, patting at his jet-black coat with a single gloved
hand, the other holding lightly onto a top hat, his head bowed as he assessed the damage to his
attire.

“Hey,” Ace started, bowing deeply but keeping one hand on his own hat to stop it from slipping.
“I’m really sorry about running you over. And I didn’t mean to drag you into anything. I hope I
didn’t cause you too much trouble.”

The other laughed, the noise making Ace’s stomach swoop uncomfortably. It was deep, but
lighthearted. So much like…

“Don’t worry about it,” the man assured him, his clothes still rustling as he continued to clean
himself off, and knocking Ace out of his thoughts. “It’s not the first time trouble has quite literally
run into me!”

Ace snorted, rising from his bow. He lifted his head, fully intending to agree with the other’s
statement, when the air was completely knocked from his lungs for the second time that afternoon.

He was tall, Ace noted absently, probably taller than Ace, although not by much, and lean, not too
dissimilar to Luffy. But it was what was in the man’s hand that really captured the pirate’s
attention. His gaze fixed on the top hat, Ace could only watch, dumbfounded, as its owner gave the
blue rimmed goggles a final swipe before it was lifted and set upon the man’s head, atop blond hair
that curled softly around a pleasantly smiling face. It was misleading though, Ace noted, that smile.
He had seen it before. He had watched it grow, from pure innocence into a powerfully deceptive
weapon. Even Dadan had stood no chance when faced with it and the demand for a place to stay.

Ace could feel himself starting to tremble. He couldn’t help it. Not when faced with such a sight.
He silently begged, prayed, pleaded the man would raise his head. He needed to see. One thing
would confirm the growing disbelief the man in front of him was -

A pair of brilliantly blue eyes suddenly fixed on him, staring at him with undisguised curiosity.
The man cocked his head inquisitively, goggles flashing in the blazing sunshine. The rim of the top
hat – that top hat – tilted and the hair parted just enough for Ace to make out the reddened and
scarred skin around the left eye.

“It was so sudden, I barely realised what had happened!”

Ace choked, Dogra’s words echoing straight from the past.

“Are you okay?”

Ace couldn’t deny it any longer. He couldn’t. It was the same voice. Deeper, richer but still
distinctly…

“…Sabo?”
 Embers of History
Chapter Notes

Thank you to everyone who commented last chapter!

“…Sabo?”

The Revolutionary studied the man before him curiously. Barely ten minutes ago, he had been
happily walking around town, stretching his legs and restocking on food – he had told Koala there
wasn’t going to be enough for four days – when he had been knocked clean off his feet. Following
that had been a merry run around the back alleys in a bid to escape an angry mob that for once he’d
not been the cause of. Oddly, he had been having rather a pleasant time in the company of the very
man who had run him over in the first place.

But now the man was deathly pale, making the dark freckles dusting his cheeks stand out harshly,
and he was staring at him like he had just seen a ghost. And he knew Sabo’s name…

He had an inkling of who the man was from rumors but he was pretty certain they’d never crossed
paths before. “I’m sorry, but have we met?” he asked, a little confused.

It was obviously the wrong thing to say. The man flushed angrily, broken out of his stupor by
Sabo’s innocent question. Sabo eyed him warily when flames slowly started licking at the man’s
hands, which he had clenched tightly into fists.

“‘Have we met?’ Are you kidding me?!” The man advanced, getting right up in Sabo’s personal
space. “Stop screwing around! Yes, we’ve met before! How can you seriously ask me that?” he
shouted, incredulous.

Sabo took a step back, swiftly putting a little more space towards them, and not because he was
intimidated. No, he was rather more concerned the man might forget himself in his anger and lose
control of the fire dancing across his skin. Sabo’s own skin prickled uncomfortably at the sight of
the fire rippling over tender flesh. He barely managed to suppress the instinct to shudder.

“Look,” he said, his voice taking on the most placating tone he could muster. “I’m not screwing
around. I really don’t think we’ve met each other before. And I know I’m pretty good at offending
people, but if I’ve already done so with you, then I just beat my own record,” he tried to grin, but
the other wasn’t having any of it and scoffed, a deep scowl marring his face.

“Quit it! This isn’t a joking matter!”

“You’re right, it’s not. But I don’t appreciate being shouted at by a complete stranger!” Sabo
snapped back, quickly losing his own temper. If Sabo ignored the running over part, they had both
been quite cordial with each other, and he seriously had no idea what had turned the tide.

The man actually snarled. “I’m not a stranger! We are not strangers!”

“Oh really? Because I think I’d have remembered meeting Fire Fist Ace of the Whitebeard Pirates
before today. That is who you are, isn’t it, going by your tattoo and the Devil Fruit,” Sabo said,
glancing back down to the man’s arms which were now completely ablaze. “Am I right?”
“Sabo!” Ace growled. He lunged forward, making a wide, uncalculated swing at the blond, his bag
dropping heavily to the floor.

“And another thing, how do you know my name?” Sabo wondered, dodging easily. “Are you sure
you aren’t mistaking me for some else?”

“Yes, I’m sure!” Ace yelled, his fist connecting with the wall exactly where Sabo’s head had been
only seconds before. “I’m not an idiot! I’d know you anywhere. You with your ridiculous goggles
and that stupid napkin you’re still wearing!”

“Oi!” Sabo cried, rather offended. “At least I can dress myself properly! And it’s called a cravat!”

To Sabo’s confusion, Ace laughed, but it was by no means happy. Instead, it sounded rather
hysterical. He shook his head slowly.

“I never knew you could be such a bastard, Sabo,” Ace ground out. “This isn’t funny anymore.
Stop pretending like you don’t know me and tell me where the hell you’ve been for the last ten
years!”

Sabo frowned. He was beyond frustrated but he tried to push it down in the face of the other man’s
agitation. He seriously had no idea what was happening. Or what the pirate meant. He was
beginning to feel a little bad for the guy; he was obviously distressed and upset and Sabo had no
idea how to deal with it. Koala was much better at these kinds of situations than him. He sighed
heavily, dodging another punch that went wide.

“What the hell are you playing at, Sabo? Be serious! Please! We thought you were - ”

“I am being serious! I don’t know you!” Sabo declared. “If you wanna remind me, by all means go
ahead, but I am telling the truth. I’ve never met any Whitebeard Pirates before!”

Ace glared at him, and it could’ve been Sabo’s imagination, but he was sure the other’s eyes
looked suspiciously damp. “Remind you?” Ace repeated through gritted teeth. He choked out
another laugh. “We’re brothers! I shouldn’t have to remind you!”

Sabo froze. It felt like ice had settled in his blood. He couldn’t move at all. He couldn’t dodge
Ace’s next blow, and it caught him square in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending
him to the ground for the second time that day. His hat tumbled from his head and rolled away
merrily. He stared at Ace, wide-eyed and dazed in ways he hadn’t been in years.

He flinched when Ace’s fist swung towards his face, but it missed him by millimeters and
slammed into the ground next to his head. He gasped when Ace grabbed his shirt and roughly
yanked him up.

“You bastard! We mourned for you! How could you not contact us? Not even one damn letter! The
whole town saw the attack, Sabo! You had to have known we’d hear what happened and you didn’t
even think to let us know you were still alive!”

Sabo physically recoiled at the barrage of words Ace was throwing at him. He couldn’t
comprehend anything he was hearing. His mind was still stuck on the word ‘brother’… The
thought was foreign, especially since he had known – without a shadow of a doubt – he hadn’t
wanted to go back to wherever he had been escaping from when he’d been attacked. With childlike
naivety, however, he had never even considered the possibility there might’ve been someone he
left behind.

“I didn’t know,” he whispered. His mouth was dry and his skin felt clammy. He wasn’t sure if
Ace’s shaking was resonating down to him but he was suddenly trembling uncontrollably. “I didn’t
know. I don’t remember,” he repeated weakly.

Ace frowned and Sabo felt the grip loosen on his shirt.

“How can you not remember?” he demanded.

“I don’t remember. Anything!” Sabo exclaimed. He saw Ace’s shoulders slump in shock and he
stared down at him in disbelief. He took the opportunity to push himself up, forcing Ace back in
order to avoid another bump. He waved a hand at his face, indicating the scarring he usually tried
to avoid acknowledging. “The injuries I sustained in the explosion included severe head trauma. I
honestly can’t remember anything before I woke up in a sick bay with all my memories gone,” he
explained weakly. “I don’t know you - I don’t know anything about what we are to each other.”

Ace stared at him, horrified, for several tense seconds. He raised one hand and reached out towards
Sabo’s face. The blond flinched and Ace quickly jerked back, just before his fingertips could make
contact with the scarred skin.

“Sorry!” he said hurriedly, obviously afraid he might have just overstepped some invisible
boundary. He finally released Sabo’s shirt and staggered to his feet.

Cautiously, Sabo rose to his own feet, watching Ace warily but not saying a word. He was very
concerned at how fast Ace seemed to be breathing and worried he might start hyperventilating at
any moment, but he had no idea what words would calm him down. He was a little afraid to make
any noise in case it broke the tenuous control the pirate was exhibiting.

“You really don’t have any memories? At all?” Ace asked, his voice filled with uncertainty. Sabo
actually jumped - his voice had broken the harsh silence that had fallen around them. Ace was
looking at him with such pain in his eyes, it made Sabo want to turn away so he didn’t have to see
it anymore, but he swallowed his own guilt at causing such anguish and forced himself to hold
Ace’s gaze.

“No. Listen, are you sure you have the right Sabo?” he asked, hesitantly.

“That scar, it’s from the Tenryuubito’s attack, right?”

Sabo slowly nodded. The small part of him, the more rational and logical part that thought Ace
might’ve been lying - that he might have been trying to lure him into a false sense of security -
suddenly disappeared. There were only a handful of people who knew the full story behind his
injuries. He’d never lied about how he had acquired such a horrific injury at such a young age, but
he had never gone around advertising it was at the hands of a Tenryuubito, either. The fact Ace
apparently knew all about it forced Sabo to conclude there was at least some truth to the other
man’s words.

But Ace wasn’t finished. “You were leaving Dawn Island. You set sail from the area known as
Goa Kingdom. You were nearly eleven years old when you left. You’re definitely Sabo,” he
concluded, staring at him.

Sabo smiled weakly. “Well, I know my name is actually Sabo now, I guess,” he said softly.
Catching the confused frown on Ace’s face, he shrugged half-heartedly. “I told you, I have no
memories. The only reason I go by Sabo at all is because it was written on a couple of possessions
that were saved with me. They could’ve been something I’d stolen for all I knew.”

Ace snorted and shook his head weakly. A rueful smile broke out across his face.
“What’s so funny?” the blond wondered, puzzled at the sudden amusement coming from the man
in front of him, when only seconds ago, he’d looked like he was about to pass out from shock.

“Nothing, it’s just…” Ace gestured to Sabo. “Of all the ways I wished you would come back… this
wasn’t on the list,” he admitted.

“Sorry,” Sabo said, compelled to apologise.

Ace waved it off. “It’s not your fault,” he sighed, collapsing back against the wall heavily. He
buried his face in his hands with a deep groan.

Sabo shuffled awkwardly, before bending to pick up his top hat from where it lay and dusted it off
again. He stared down at the goggles; one of three things to have been rescued with him. He had
never really given it much thought before, but he had always found them constricting if he kept
them on his forehead. The rim of his hat had seemed like the next logical place to keep them. He
wondered if he’d worn them like that when Ace had known him.

The sudden thought he could actually ask someone such a question about his past sent a thrill of
pleasure through him. He had never had such an opportunity before and the feeling was nearly
overwhelming. He had never let himself dwell on what he was missing – his body either
remembered it could do something, or it didn’t and Sabo had learnt anyway – but having someone
barely ten feet from him who was able to answer those questions and fill in a few gaps… it was
exciting.

However, the most pressing question Sabo had on the tip of his tongue was a much more obvious
one. He watched Ace run a shaky hand through his dark hair. The pirate caught his gaze and raised
a brow.

“What?”

“We don’t look anything alike,” Sabo noted. “How are we related to one another?”

“We’re brothers! Don’t tell me you have short term memory issues too?” Ace gawked, crossing his
arms.

Sabo rolled his eyes. “No, just long term,” he retorted. “And I hear you, we’re brothers.” He tried
to ignore the way he stumbled over the word. He thought it would be foreign but it had a sense of
rightness to it Sabo hadn’t expected. It was as daunting as it was exhilarating. There was a lot of
responsibility with such a title and Sabo wondered whether he was up to the task. “What I meant
was we don’t exactly look alike.”

“Oh,” Ace said, placated. “Have you ever heard that if people share a cup of sake they become
brothers?”

“Um, maybe?” He couldn’t honestly imagine where in the world they would have heard such a
story to entice them to perform such a ritual as children.

“Well, that’s what we did,” confirmed Ace. “We stole some sake and shared a drink. Then spent
the rest of the afternoon being chased by Dadan for stealing her best bottle,” he added, a true smile
finally gracing his face. Sabo grinned in response. “We were ten at the time. Nearly a year later,
you were taken from us.”

“Taken?” Sabo enquired, deciding to ignore the use of plural when Ace spoke of their apparent
brotherhood for the moment. He was far too interested in the surrounding circumstances.
Ace’s face darkened again. “Yeah. By your father,” he practically spat the word in disgust. “You’d
run away from home years before. You weren’t happy there. It sounded like they treated you more
like an object than their son. I think they even wanted to marry you off. But your father saw us in
the streets one day and decided to take you back. You left us a letter. Obviously, you wrote it
before you set sail,” he explained.

It was so strange, Sabo concluded. He hadn’t expected it to be. He had never really thought about
what had driven him to leave. He was actually beginning to realise he hadn’t thought about a lot of
things. He hadn’t let himself.

“What did the letter say?” Sabo asked nervously.

“Just you were setting off earlier than we’d planned. We were going to wait until we were
seventeen before we left. We wanted to be pirates,” Ace chuckled. Where his arms were crossed,
somewhat protectively across his chest, Sabo saw one of Aces hands cover the tattoo on his arm.
He frowned thoughtfully but didn’t press. Even when Ace’s hand dropped to reveal a crossed out
‘S’.

The muffled ringing of a den den mushi broke the silence of the alley. Ace looked around before
his gaze settled on Sabo’s coat.

“Isn’t that yours?” he asked.

“Yeah,” the blond replied, but made no move to answer it.

“Shouldn’t you get it? It might be important,” said Ace, and Sabo could see he looked rather
amused. It was a much better look on him than the pained expression he had worn earlier.

“It’s fine. It’ll only be someone making sure I’ve reached Drum Island. And honestly, if I
answered, they’d probably fall over from shock,” he added.

Ace snorted. “It always did take ages to get your attention if you were focused on something.” He
eyed Sabo somewhat shrewdly, and the Revolutionary saw a small but hesitant smirk break out.
“Do you still have that habit of walking off by yourself?” he asked, teasingly.

“It’s not walking off!” Sabo denied, although he made a mental note to tell Koala that little fact.
She was adamant she was going to break him out of his ‘bad habit’ but if it was something he had
been doing before he even joined the Revolutionary Army, then he felt justified it was something
he could, and would, continue doing. “It’s not my fault if other people can’t keep up.”

Ace laughed, and the final tension hovering over them like a cloud finally dispersed. As Sabo
stepped aside to let Ace collect his bag, he was struck with sudden nerves. He turned away to
prevent the pirate from sensing his sudden trepidation. For only the second time in his life – that he
remembered anyway – he had absolutely no idea where in the world he was meant to go from here.
Did they now go their separate ways? Did they exchange contact information? What did they do?
He couldn’t lie to himself; the thought of them going their separate ways didn’t sit well. He wanted
to get to know Ace, and he wasn’t so cruel as to deny letting Ace get to know him again. It was
obvious their unexpected reunion had unsettled the pirate, whose eyes Sabo could feel boring into
his back. Although, Sabo thought nervously, he had no idea who he had been as kid. What if Ace
didn’t like who he had become?

“Hang on,” Ace’s voice cut through his thoughts and Sabo turned to him, carefully schooling his
expression. “Did you say Drum Island?” he asked in disbelief.
“Yeah, why?”

“That’s where I’m going,” he admitted.

Sabo blinked in surprise. “Oh.”

“What do you have to do there?”

Sabo hesitated, unsure of what he should tell Ace. He had sensed no falsehoods whatsoever in
Ace’s voice or body language, and Sabo considered himself to be an excellent judge of both. He
was of the firm opinion no one, no matter how good an actor they were, could have faked the pure
emotional display Ace had put on before. The rawness of his words and the few facts he had shared
with Sabo had proved they had known each other to some extent at least, even if it turned out Ace
had lied about their actual relationship. Making a snap decision, and hoping he wouldn’t live to
regret it, Sabo grinned.

“I’m a Revolutionary,” he said.

Ace’s eyes widened comically. “How’d that happen?” he wondered, once he had found his voice
again.

Sabo shrugged. “They were the ones who saved me after the attack. I didn’t have anywhere else to
go, so they let me stay.”

“The Revolutionary Army was around Dawn Island ten years ago?” Ace asked, looking thoughtful.
“Was Dragon with them?”

Sabo frowned. “You know Dragon?”

Ace shook his head quickly. “No, not personally. I just know a couple of people that do. They’re
from Dawn Island as well.”

Sabo accepted the explanation. It would make sense as to why Dragon had decided to tag along.
He had always wondered what had brought his leader to the island. It couldn’t just have been the
presence of a Tenryuubito, not when they had been at such a critical stage of the revolution within
South Blue.

“So, the Revolutionaries have business on Drum Island, then? Is trouble brewing?”

“That’s what I’m going to find out. Their former king is a tyrant of the worst kind and he’s been
seen in the area again.” Ace nodded. “Why are you going to Drum?”

“Blackbeard,” Ace said, his tone gruff and his face taking on an ugly sneer. Sabo frowned at the
abrupt change. “He was seen headed that way some time ago. I’m hoping the locals on Drum will
be able to point me in his direction.”

“Blackbeard,” Sabo repeated, testing the name. It left a bad taste in his mouth. “Who is he?”

“A traitor,” Ace snapped, his gaze dark.

Sabo didn’t press him for further details. The flash of grief that had flicked across Ace’s face told
him it was a sensitive subject. Sabo loathed that in the last hour he had become familiar with seeing
such a look on Ace’s face. It didn’t suit him.

“Well,” Sabo started, smiling encouragingly. “Neither of us are going to get anywhere if we stand
around here all day. Drum Island is only a day’s sailing away. Shall we get started?”

Ace stared at him, looking a little taken aback at the sudden invitation, but it soon gave way to a
delighted grin.

“Hell yeah!”

xxx

Nearly a day later, the pair stared at the horizon where Drum Island, a mere speck in the distance,
had finally emerged from the gloom of the early morning mist.

Ace was at the stern of Sabo’s small ship, re-lashing the striker to the larger vessel for what was
easily the hundredth time since they had left the backwater island where they’d inadvertently met.
Sabo couldn’t begrudge Ace’s protectiveness. The striker was ingenious and he could understand
why Ace was so proud of it. The blond was rather hopeful Ace might let him have a ride on it. It
looked almost as much fun as the few wavers the Revolutionaries procured whenever they fell
from Skypiea.

Sabo grinned and shook his head when Ace’s curses reached his ears over the waves. He was
rather amused by the language Ace used; he could put any sailor to shame. Ace had
wholeheartedly blamed the bandits who had raised him when Sabo had pointed it out.

That had led to some interesting revelations. Sabo couldn’t imagine bandits raising an orphan and it
was only on a little prodding Ace had admitted it wasn’t voluntary on their part, but more coercion
by his grandfather. Sabo rather hoped he didn’t meet Ace’s – and apparently his – grandfather any
time soon. A man who could convince a group of bandits to raise a baby sounded rather terrifying.

Once Ace had started, the dam split open and Sabo had learnt more about himself than he had ever
dreamt possible. Ace had shared several stories about their first meetings and the beginnings of
their friendship. He’d also explained what he could about Sabo’s birth family, although the
information was limited.

“You didn’t like to talk about them,” he had explained apologetically. “In fact, I didn’t even know
you had any until your father caught us in town. I didn’t push. You never asked about mine. I
guessed it was only fair. I wish I had, though,” he’d admitted, and his eyes had flickered over
Sabo’s scarred face again.

Sabo had a feeling there was a lot more to the story than Ace was letting on, but he hadn’t pressed.
He wasn’t sure how much more world-shattering information he could process.

“Is that it?” Ace asked, suddenly appearing at Sabo’s shoulder.

He nodded. “Yeah, should only be another hour or so.”

“Hm, we made good time,” Ace grinned. “I see your navigational skills are still as sharp as
always.”

Sabo turned to him. “I could navigate as a kid?”

“Yeah. Most of it was all theory, we never had the chance to sail when we were kids. You
devoured every book you could get your hands on,” he replied. “I guess you didn’t remember any
of that though, did you?” he asked hesitantly.

Sabo shrugged. “I had dozens of lessons with the other kids who had been saved by the
Revolutionaries. I’ve no idea whether I remembered what I knew before, or if I just re-learnt it.”

Ace nodded. “Do you believe me?” he blurted out abruptly. He stared at Sabo worriedly.

“What do you mean, ‘believe you’?” the blond returned.

“Well, I’m not gonna lie, if someone ran into me and claimed I was their brother, I’d probably
punch them,” the pirate admitted.

“You did punch me,” Sabo reminded him, rubbing his chest where Ace’s fist had connected. It had
left a colourful bruise.

Ace smiled sheepishly. “I don’t like surprises.”

“Obviously!”

“What I mean is, you’re taking this surprisingly well, all things considered. Do you really believe
me? Or have you just been humouring me?” he asked, a sour look crossing his face.

Sabo sighed and reached for the rope hanging from the wheel. He nimbly looped it over the
spokes, locking the wheel in place and ensuring their course before turning to the pirate, who stood
with his arms crossed and a deep scowl on his face. Sabo got the impression the crossed arms and
glare were more protective measures than because Ace was genuinely angry.

The question didn’t surprise him. He’d had the feeling with every story Ace had told, he was
omitting information. Sabo couldn’t quite grasp why, but the look of regret Ace had occasionally
worn when he thought Sabo wasn’t looking had the blond wondering just what was being kept
from him. He couldn’t deny it; he wanted to ask. After going so many years with nothing, to
suddenly have answers to every question he’d refused to let himself think about was
overwhelming. Sabo didn’t know where to start though, if he was honest with himself. He had
always wanted to know more about his life before the Revolutionaries. How could he not? He
wished he had stories to share like his colleagues did in their down time. The lucky few who hadn’t
lost everything before joining even visited their loved ones occasionally. And those that weren’t so
lucky - they at least had the memories. Sabo didn’t. He had been ‘Sabo the Revolutionary’ almost
from the moment he awoke.

On that backwater island, before they had first embarked, while he had waited patiently for Ace to
collect his striker from her docking point and readied his own ship for their departure, Sabo had
recalled when he had first heard of Fire Fist Ace. There had definitely been a feeling of something
when he had caught a glimpse of the Wanted Poster. But it had been fleeting, and as he rarely had
any dealings with pirates, Sabo had dismissed it.

Now he was beginning to think it was because he had unconsciously recognised the pirate’s face. It
was certainly happening a lot these days, that was for sure, Sabo mused.

He stared hard at Ace, who shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny, but refused to break Sabo’s
gaze.

“I don’t not believe you,” Sabo said, finally breaking eye contact.

Ace frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means, yes, I believe I was probably your brother. From what you’ve told me, my likes and
dislikes don’t seem to have changed all that much. But honestly? I feel like we’re talking about
someone else right now. I really can’t picture any of what you’re telling me.” He watched Ace’s
shoulders slump.

“I guess that makes sense. If you don’t remember any of it, I guess it will feel like we’re talking
about a stranger,” Ace said softly. “Is there any hope of your memories returning?”

He shrugged and leant back against the railing. “I don’t know. All the doctors I’ve seen over the
years don’t seem to think they ever will. Not after this long. But then, I’ve never met anyone who
could potentially jolt my memory before. I guess it’s not impossible you might make me remember
something. I’ve never wished for my memories to return though,” he added sharply, dampening
Ace’s emerging excitement. “I’d have gone crazy a long time ago if I dwelt on it all the time.”

The pirate looked at him thoughtfully. “Yeah, I suppose you would’ve.”

Silence fell over them, and only the sound of the waves crashing against the bow could be heard. It
wasn’t uncomfortable, but the air about them felt heavy as they both processed each other’s words.

Sabo glanced at the approaching island, which loomed ever closer, and stepped back up to the
wheel, taking control. His movements seemed to jerk Ace out of his thoughts because he quickly
joined him at the wheel, his gray eyes focused on their destination.

“I never asked, but how long do you reckon you’ll need to be on Drum?”

Sabo hummed thoughtfully. “Well, I need to warn the locals about Wapol. But whether or not they
want my assistance with fortifying themselves against him, I have no idea. Our intel informs us
they’re not too receptive to strangers. If they don’t, I’ll have more time to focus on the second
objective.”

“Which is?” Ace asked, curiously.

“I need to find a doctor.”

“A doctor? Doesn’t the Revolutionary Army have any of their own?” he smirked.

“Of course we do,” Sabo retorted. “But this doctor is one Dragon has recommend I see,” he
explained.

“What?”

Sabo jumped at the unexpected shout. He glanced at Ace, concerned. “What?” he echoed.

“You need to see this doctor?” Ace asked, hand reaching out to grip tightly at Sabo’s coat and
jerking his hand off the wheel. The blond was more than a little taken aback at the alarmed tone.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had seen someone turn so ashen so quickly. “What’s wrong
with you?” Ace demanded, shaking Sabo’s arm.

“Nothing, I just need to get my eyesight checked out,” he assured the pirate, trying to keep the
wheel steady with one hand.

“Why?” Ace demanded again.

Sabo stared at him, puzzled. “Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?” When Ace frowned, he continued. “The
explosion caused scarring, Ace,” he pointed out, pulling his arm free and gesturing to his face. “My
sight was probably only saved thanks to a Devil Fruit user, but it might not be a permanent fix and
Dragon wants another expert to check it out. That’s why he asked me to do this job, so I could find
this doctor. It’s a hassle but I guess I see his point about not letting it get worse. It’s not exactly one
hundred percent as it is.”

“Why not just get the Devil Fruit user to do…whatever the hell it was they did last time?” asked
Ace, brow furrowed.

“They’re not exactly accessible right now,” he smiled ruefully.

“Where are they?”

“Impel Down,” said Sabo, shortly.

“Ah. Yeah, I can see how that would be a little tricky,” Ace muttered. “Do you think you could…
No, never mind, forget it,” he said, obviously embarrassed.

“No, go on. Could I what?” Sabo encouraged. Ace shook his head stubbornly. He rolled his eyes.
“Ace, I’m not gonna be mad. You can ask me anything.”

“Really?” Ace spluttered, surprised by the other’s frankness.

“Sure,” he grinned. “And if you do somehow manage to offend me, I’ll just punch you,” he teased.

“You can try,” Ace smirked, waving his hand lazily as small flames licked at his skin. Sabo shook
his head at the cocky display. “Okay, well, if I can ask anything… Would you be willing to speak
to this doctor, if we can find them, and ask about your memories returning?”

The question caught Sabo off guard. After everything he had just told Ace, he should’ve been able
to guess he didn’t go around asking every doctor he came across if his memories would ever
return.

Ace must’ve read something in his expression, because he hurried to elaborate. “I get you’re not
bothered if they ever come back or not. I understand. Really, I do. But you’ve had ten years to get
used to the idea, Sabo, and you may have come to terms with the knowledge they’re lost forever,
but I haven’t,” he explained softly. “The thought you don’t remember our tree house – our home –
or the cliff where we used to hang out, or Dadan, or Dogra, hell even Gramps!” he exclaimed. “It’s
not right that we remember and you don’t. If this doctor is so special that Dragon told you to find
them, they might have a solution. It’s not like you have anything to lose if they can’t do anything,
so why not ask? I’d personally regret it if we didn’t. And I promised to live life without regrets,”
he finished resolutely.

Sabo, who had listened quietly throughout the other’s tirade, shook his head almost despairingly. “I
guess there’s no harm in asking. But don’t be surprised by the answer,” he warned.

Ace grinned brightly. “I promise I’ll accept any answer they give. And, if afterwards, you want to
leave and never see me again, I’ll leave you alone,” he vowed.

Sabo raised an eyebrow. That, he hadn’t expected. “You’d let me go? Just like that?”

“Yeah,” he confirmed. “I know you’re not actually dead now. It’s enough for me to know you’re
out there somewhere.” He suddenly smirked and it almost had Sabo wanting to take a step back. It
was far too mischievous.

“What?” he asked slowly.

“Well, I might let you go, but when he finds out you’re alive, Luffy definitely won’t!”
Sabo frowned. “Luffy?” He surely couldn’t be talking about…

Ace grinned proudly and reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar poster, almost crumpled
beyond recognition.

“Sabo, meet your little brother.”

“…What?!”

XXX
 You Have My Gratitude
Chapter Notes

Thank you to everyone who commented last chapter!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Despite the lateness of the hour, the silence that had fallen across the Going Merry was not one of a
peaceful slumber. Instead, it was tense and uncomfortable, filled with the knowledge they were
against the clock.

Nami’s illness had unsettled the entire crew. It had happened so fast and unexpectedly; none of
them had been prepared for the eventuality one of the crew might get sick. Injuries, they all
expected on a daily basis. Illness, they did not. The medicine Kaya had stocked the crew with way
back in Syrup had disappeared alarmingly fast, leaving them with nothing that could help their
ailing navigator.

Luffy sighed unhappily, his forehead resting on the kitchen table with his arms limp at his sides.
He rolled his head to his left and glanced down to where Usopp was spread out on the bench next
to him, sound asleep. Luffy was envious. He wished he could fall asleep, but a strange restlessness
in his limbs he usually attributed to wanting to beat something up kept him awake.

He sighed again and raised his head to see Sanji was still puttering about the stove, occasionally
muttering quietly to himself. A glance through the porthole in the kitchen door showed the lone
figure of Vivi stood out on the deck. She was wrapped up in a blanket to ward off the night’s chill
at the insistence of the chef. The princess and former Baroque Works’ agent had finally left her
bedside vigil out of necessity to keep the Going Merry and her precious cargo on course. Next to
Nami, she had the most navigational experience of them all and speed was of the essence.

Luffy had half a mind to find Zoro and spar; he desperately wanted to burn off some nervous
energy, and he hated sitting around waiting. He didn’t do waiting very well. But he didn’t want to
be told off for making too much noise and he suspected Zoro was, for once, actually using his turn
in the crow’s nest to actually watch rather than sleep. They had been taking it in turns to stand
watch, their eyes peeled for any sign of a life on the calm ocean of the Grand Line. Another would
sit for a stint in the dimly lit bedroom, keeping watch over their afflicted nakama, whose bouts of
unconsciousness were increasing with every league they sailed.

Between the two of them, Sanji and Vivi had managed to rouse Nami long enough to force some
much needed fluids into her, but with every passing hour, it was becoming harder and harder to
wake her long enough for her to take the sips of water.

“Here,” said Sanji. Despite the fact he had practically whispered, his voice cut through the silence
and made Luffy jump. He turned to his chef and saw him holding out a steaming bowl of clear
broth. “Take this downstairs to Nami’s room while I take Vivi her portion. And don’t you dare
even think about taking a single sip, Luffy!” the blond ordered.

“Got it!” Luffy saluted sharply. He jumped quickly to his feet, eager to help in any way he could
and accepted the bowl carefully. He had just spent the last two hours watching Sanji meticulously
prepare the broth; he had seen exactly how much attention he had put into preparing Nami’s food.
Luffy wouldn’t dream of ruining the effort if it made her better.

“When you get back, I’ll have the leftover meat from lunch ready for you,” Sanji promised in
return for his captain’s cooperation. “Just don’t spill that!”

Luffy shook his head wildly and hurried down the stairs to Nami’s cabin, carrying his precious
cargo carefully. He picked his way across the darkened room as best he could, trying not to trip on
the rugs, and set the bowl on the bedside table.

Despite the promise of meat waiting for him back upstairs, Luffy paused and stared down at his
navigator. They hadn’t known each other long, but even he could tell after a few short months to
see the fiery young woman so still was unnatural. She should be up and about, and bossing them all
over the place; she should be complaining they were not lashing the sails correctly, or port was left,
not right, and how could they call themselves pirates if they didn’t even know the basics.

Luffy stood and listened to his nakama’s harsh and laboured breathing. Her cheeks were flushed a
brilliant red which clashed horribly with her hair. With the same amount of care he usually only
showed towards his precious straw hat, Luffy reached out and gently laid a hand against her cloth-
covered forehead. He frowned at the dryness of it. It probably needed changing. He knew Sanji
would take care of it when he came down to feed her the broth, but Luffy had been feeling pretty
useless all day, and Sanji was exhausted, they all were, so he could at least do this small task.

He glanced quickly around the room and spotted a bowl of water on the desk. He delicately peeled
the cloth away from Nami’s sweaty forehead, relieved when she didn’t stir, and crossed the room
to dip the cloth in the tepid water. As he picked up the now soaked cloth, an unbidden smile graced
his face.

He remembered the time Sabo had been sick. He had picked up a cold, from Ace of all people, and
Luffy had been put in charge of looking after his blond brother for the day while Ace had sought
help from Makino. It had been a daunting task, making sure their treehouse was defended from
potential dangers and Sabo was comfortable. Of course, it was only after Ace had pointed out the
correct way to use the dampened cloth that Luffy realised he had been doing it wrong all day. Sabo
hadn’t once complained though and had remained in bed indulgently, letting his little brother fuss.
It had been a good day, even if Sabo had been sick. Rarely had his brothers let him look after them
and he had jumped at the chance to prove he could do it.

Shaking himself out of the memory, Luffy made sure to wring the cloth thoroughly before he
crossed back to Nami’s bedside. He laid it carefully across her forehead, brushing a few errant
strands of hair from her face before stepping back and admiring his work. He was pleased to see it
seemed to bring some comfort to Nami almost immediately.

“What are you doing?”

Luffy turned to see Sanji standing at the bottom of the stairs, his gaze flickering between Luffy and
the bowl of water on the desk. Luffy wondered how long he had been silently watching him.

“I was just changing the cloth,” he explained, stepping back and allowing Sanji to take his place.
The chef inspected his captain’s work, and Luffy saw a flicker of surprise cross his face.

“Huh. You actually did it right,” he said in disbelief, but the dark-haired teen also detected a hint of
gratitude. He looked down at Luffy curiously. “Where’d you learn to do that?”

Luffy just grinned and bolted from the room, ignoring the question completely. He bounced
towards the kitchen, the smell of warmed meat driving him on. He flopped down onto the bench,
jolting Usopp from his restless sleep.

“How’s Nami?” he asked, voice rough with sleep.

“Same,” Luffy huffed around a mouthful of meat.

Usopp groaned and flopped back onto the bench. “I really hope we find an island soon.”

“We will,” Luffy said, firmly.

They had to, he thought. They’d all travelled too far to turn back for help now. They could only
hope, by some miracle, a doctor would appear ahead of them.

xxx

Sabo guided his small vessel down the narrow river way, grateful he had done the task so often he
could let his mind wander freely while his body worked on autopilot.

Brothers. Brothers plural , he thought, shaking his head, still in a state of disbelief. Portgas D. Ace
and Monkey D. Luffy. He had hardly been able to believe his eyes when Ace had waved about the
very same wanted poster he had spent hours examining under his nose.

He still felt a little guilty about his initial outburst seconds after Ace had revealed who the pirate
was. He had been elated to hear Sabo knew Luffy, until he revealed the reason was the result of an
unexpected encounter in Logue Town. The other’s disappointment it wasn’t because Sabo
remembered Luffy had been clearly evident in the way his whole body appeared to slump. He had
picked himself up pretty quickly though, and had proceeded to badger Sabo for all the details about
their little brother. Sabo had been only too happy to oblige, eager to know more about the pirate
who had captured his attention and interest.

“He what?!” Ace had shouted upon hearing about Luffy’s escapade on the execution platform.
“How’d he get out of that one?”

Sabo chucked. “A lightning strike hit the stand and destroyed it. It practically fried Buggy but
Luffy brushed it off like it was nothing. He just stood up in the middle of the wreckage and said
‘that was lucky’!”

“The execution platform was destroyed?” Ace had asked, a strange expression briefly crossing his
face. Sabo had nodded. “Good. Remind me to thank Luffy when I see him.”

The cabin door clattered open, dragging Sabo back to the present. He glanced over his shoulder to
see Ace step out into the weak winter sunlight. He had thrown on a long black trench coat and was
lazily buttoning up the front.

Ace caught his inquisitive gaze and grinned. “I figured I’d best cover up the tattoo. The
information I got about this place is they’ve had problems with pirates recently. They might be
more willing to share if they don’t know I’m one,” he explained.

“Good thinking. Plus, they’d probably think it weird you didn’t seem bothered by the cold,” the
blond replied, as a chilly gust of wind rattled the ship’s sails. “Although, considering it’s a winter
island, I thought we’d see a bit more snow,” he mused, glancing up at the surprisingly clear skies.

Ace laughed. “Sorry, that’s probably my fault. It never snows around me anymore. Luffy’s gonna
be disappointed when he finds out. He loves the stuff,” he grinned.
Sabo nodded. “You’ve done us a favour, anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, now we won’t have to pretend not to see the locals who are approaching us,” he said,
discreetly glancing up and to the left, towards the riverbank that towered over them where he could
sense people approaching.

Ace followed his gaze and caught sight of a man ducking for cover in the tree line. He grinned.
“Guess we don’t.”

“PIRATES!”

The two turned in unison to the other bank, hunting for the owner of the voice. An imposing man
with slicked black hair stared down at them, his deep green tunic and armor-plated arms standing
out sharply against the backdrop of white snow. He was flanked by several others, and each one
had their weapons trained on the pair. Sabo eyed the weaponry with an expert eye and was a little
dismayed at the wear everything showed. If it wasn’t dented, it was blunted.

“Pirates! I ask that you depart peacefully, immediately!” the man ordered, arms crossed. The
command was backed up by the sound of dozens of rifles being cocked.

If it had been anyone other than the two stood quietly on deck, it might have been an imposing
display of strength, but as their boat drifted in the current, Sabo could see the faces of the men
were either very old, or very young. Besides the man staring them down, there were very few able-
bodied men amongst them. And despite the heavy winter gear they were wearing to protect them
from the harsh elements, out of the corner of his eye, he could see many were trembling.

Sabo cast a quick glance at Ace and saw he had also noticed the naked fear on the men’s faces.

The blond sighed and stepped forward slowly. “We can’t leave yet, I’m afraid. We have business
to attend to here,” he explained. He didn’t miss how nearly all the men glanced at the large man in
green to gauge his reaction. He was obviously the current appointed leader.

“We don’t do business with pirates.”

“I’m not a pirate.”

“The man behind you is Fire Fist Ace, is he not?” the man gestured.

“Damn,” said Ace, although he smiled pleasantly. “Guess the coat was pointless?”

Sabo silently cursed the fact Ace was so well known. He didn’t usually work with people who
were so recognisable at first sight. Protection of one’s identity was key in the Revolutionary Army
and it was imperative to be careful of who knew such information. If the marines were ever able to
put a name to a face, stealth work was out of the question, leaving them near trapped at Baltigo,
like Dragon. Becoming so well-known had played a part in Ivankov’s downfall and was a
cautionary tale to all the Revolutionaries.

“I’ll ask again, please leave our island peacefully and no one will come to harm,” the man repeated
firmly.

“Look, yes, Ace is obviously a pirate, but I promise you, we’re not here to cause trouble. I’m
actually hoping to prevent any,” said Sabo. “I have some information for you.”
“We’re not interested in whatever it is you have to share.”

“It’s about Wapol,” Sabo informed them.

The men’s reactions were instantaneous, with dozens of voices shouting “Spies!” and others crying
from pure dread. Panic quickly set in, which hadn’t been Sabo’s intention, but at least he had the
men’s attention now.

“We’re not with the tyrant,” said the blond, raising his voice slightly so that the leader, who had
notably paled at Sabo’s revelation, could hear him. The leader appeared to remain steadfast in the
wake of his men’s near hysteria but Sabo could see the unspoken fear in his eyes. “My name’s
Sabo. I’m a Revolutionary. If you’ll let us dock the ship, I’ll tell you everything we know about
Wapol’s recent activities. And in return, we’re hoping you might be able to assist us,” he admitted
hopefully.

The man considered the request. “What do you need our assistance for?”

“I need to seek out a doctor, and Ace needs help finding someone who might have passed through
recently.”

“A pirate and a Revolutionary,” the man muttered, ignoring Sabo’s words. The blond got the
impression he was buying time to weigh up the pros and cons of letting them ashore. “You
certainly make an odd pair.”

“We’re brothers,” Ace supplied, helpfully.

The man frowned, his eyes jumping from one to the other, likely cataloging the obvious
differences between them. “You certainly don’t look like brothers.”

“So?” the pirate asked, shrugging nonchalantly.

The man sighed heavily and finally dropped his arms, uncovering his broad chest for the first time.

“Dalton?” one of the men muttered, stepping forward. “What do you want us to do?”

There was a tense pause before the man, Dalton, waved at the few who had managed to keep their
composure and weapons trained on the ship below, to lower their guard. They all fell back
immediately.

“Let them dock. We’ll take them to the village. Two of you run back and prepare everyone and tell
them not to worry,” Dalton ordered. Two young lads took off immediately. “If your information is
useful, I will consider your request for our assistance.”

Sabo and Ace shared a glance before the pair nodded amicably. It was the best they could hope
for, given the current circumstances. Sabo wasn’t about to withhold information that might very
well save the islander’s lives if they didn’t feel like returning the favour. Besides, it wouldn’t be
too much trouble to make it seem like they’d left the island and return later using Ace’s striker to
look for the information they both needed.

“Is this a good idea?” another man asked, worriedly glancing their way.

Dalton sighed again. “I’d be a fool not to listen to what they have to say, especially if it concerns
Wapol.”

“Spoken like a true leader,” said Sabo.

xxx

Sabo took another sip of tea, letting it soothe his throat which had started to go croaky from
sharing all the information the Revolutionary’s sources had managed to uncover with the large
man sat opposite him.

Sabo had been discreetly watching Dalton out the corner of his eye for several minutes now, as the
man digested all he could. He had been naturally alarmed to learn Wapol had been sighted so close
to the vicinity of Drum Island, but Sabo could tell the man had once been military because he
didn’t let his emotions run away from him. Instead, he had, as bargained for on the shoreline,
provided them with the information they had asked for in return.

There was indeed a renowned doctor still on the island, although where she was at any given day
depended greatly on her mood and generosity. The locals referred to her primarily as the Witch and
feared her greatly. Sabo wasn’t worried; he had hunted down bigger quarry on much larger islands
than Drum.

However, it was the confirmation that the island had indeed had recent problems with pirates that
had led to the biggest trouble of all, Sabo thought, glancing to his left to where Ace sat beside him,
also silent and apparently lost in his thoughts.

Ace had been furious as he listened to Dalton’s tale of death and destruction at the hands of a small
group of pirates. His body had practically vibrated with undisguised rage. If Sabo hadn’t already
witnessed firsthand the control Ace had over his devil fruit when he was upset, he probably would
have been as concerned as Dalton had looked when the flames had started to jump from his body.

Sabo had been disgusted the ones calling themselves the Blackbeard Pirates had stooped as low as
to attack unprovoked. Less decent pirate crews were known to pillage and plunder towns and
islands but most Drum Island and the island and its people, already weakened by the tyranny of its
former King, had nothing to offer a raiding crew. They had stood no chance at all at defending
themselves.

Sabo sighed unhappily, setting his teacup down on the table between them, the clank of china on
wood rousing both men from their thoughts.

“And you say this all happened months ago?” the dark-haired pirate asked, softly.

Dalton nodded. “Yes, I know the damage still looks relatively recent but being a winter island,
we’ve struggled to rebuild quickly, you see. We need the wood resources for fuel, so progress has
been slow.”

Sabo followed the man’s gaze out the window and towards a house across the street which still had
its roof missing. He turned back to Dalton. “The Revolutionary Army can help you with resources
if you want them. We can easily have a few shiploads of timber ferried out to you,” he offered.

“Thank you, I shall consider the offer,” Dalton replied softly.

“Are you sure Blackbeard wasn’t looking for anything in particular?” Ace asked, also staring at the
wrecked house. “No offence, but this place is pretty out of the way. I don’t get why he’d come this
far out.”

Dalton shrugged helplessly. “True, we don’t get many visitors. But no, they didn’t appear to want
anything but to cause destruction and mayhem. We tried reasoning with them and they laughed at
us. We tried bargaining and they mocked us. Nothing we had interested them in the slightest.”
Sabo saw Ace clench his fists tightly where they rested on his thighs.

“If I may, why are you following this man? Surely it would be best to leave him for the marines to
deal with?”

Ace met the man’s curious gaze. “He was a Whitebeard Pirate,” he admitted. Dalton’s eyes
widened in surprise. “That devil fruit you probably saw him using… He killed one of our
crewmates to get it. Then he quite literally jumped ship.”

Sabo grimaced. He didn’t generally keep up with the world of piracy, but even he knew the
Whitebeard Pirates’ reputation for considering themselves to be a family. For a crewmate to turn
around and disregard the values that held the very fleet together would have been a hard thing to
comprehend. Add in the fact a friend who was obviously dear to Ace had lost his life, and it was no
wonder he was so set about finding the traitor.

“So, he hadn’t had his devil fruit for long, then, when he arrived here,” Dalton concluded. Ace
shook his head. “Well, that might explain a few things.”

“What?” Ace pressed.

“Well, it looked to me like those pirates were stretching their legs, so to speak,” he said.

Sabo and Ace both frowned, puzzled. “What do you mean?” the blond wondered.

“I mean, I’ve been training people on and off for years now and I know a practice run when I see
one,” Dalton explained. “It definitely seemed like they were testing themselves. Especially that big
guy the other three followed. You know what it’s like,” he said, nodding to Ace. “Those first few
months after you eat a devil fruit. It’s like your skin doesn’t quite fit anymore. You’ve got to learn
what your body is capable of all over again.”

“Are you saying,” Sabo said slowly, “it looked like Blackbeard was using this place to train? ”

Dalton nodded. Ace stood up swiftly, knocking his chair to the floor. He ignored both it and the
other two’s startled gazes, instead making a beeline straight for the door. The couple of men posted
outside both jumped when Ace threw it open with a loud bang and stomped away, leaving the door
to swing weakly in the frigid wind.

“Should we go after him?” Dalton asked, hesitantly.

Sabo quickly shook his head, his instincts screaming at him to let Ace go for the time being. “No,
he won’t go far and it’s probably best to let him cool off,” he said, absently reaching for Ace’s
fallen chair and correcting it. “I’ll go find him in a little while.”

xxx

Ace carefully picked his way through one of the still-wrecked houses. He was a little ashamed of
running out and leaving Sabo to pick up after him, but he had needed some fresh air. He had hardly
been able to breathe as he had listened to Dalton’s story. He had been chasing Blackbeard for a
long time, trying to retrace his steps after he fled from the Moby Dick , but before today, the trail
had always led him to larger islands, places Blackbeard could blend in easily with his small band of
followers. He had never seen them leave such devastation in their wake before. Yes, there had been
the odd destroyed or stolen ship - the expected confrontations with other pirates that crossed paths
with them - but never had Ace seen them outright destroy entire villages.

It was heartbreaking what these people had suffered at the hands of both their King and
Blackbeard, he thought, his boot crunching on an old and broken photo frame. The picture within
was missing, but hopefully it had been recovered by the former inhabitants as they scrambled to
save all they could from their ruined home.

Ace crouched down, mindful of the broken glass and shattered wood scattered about him, and
carefully pulled a plank of what looked to have once been a floor panel, possibly from the ruined
ceiling above him. He examined it, running a finger along the broken end. Whilst it was a jagged
break, it was clean, like it had been literally snapped sharply in two. Shaking his head ruefully, he
tossed the plank to the ground and rose to his feet.

“It’s not your fault, you know. What happened here.”

Ace closed his eyes and drew in a shaky breath, resolutely keeping his back to his brother. It
seemed Sabo hadn’t lost any of his ability to see straight through Ace and deduce exactly what he
was thinking.

“Isn’t it?” he asked weakly. He felt a sharp sting of tears in his eyes but he blamed it on the
freezing wind. He choked them down. “Blackbeard was in my division. I’m the one who isn’t able
to catch up to him to stop this kind of thing from happening!”

“Ace,” Sabo said firmly, in a tone the pirate had usually associated with being direct at Luffy.
“From what you said, no one could’ve predicted any of this. Not your friend finding that devil fruit,
and not Blackbeard wanting it. And certainly not what he would do to get his hands on it.”

“Maybe not,” Ace agreed reluctantly, finally turning to the blond. “But that doesn’t mean it’s not
my responsibility.”

He gave the house one final cursory look before slowly making his way back towards his brother.
As he approached, he could see the deep green of Dalton’s tunic in the distance. It wasn’t at all
surprising they weren’t going to be left completely alone until they departed the village, but Ace
was grateful to the man for at least giving them the illusion of privacy.

Sabo offered Ace an encouraging smile when he stepped onto the solid ground beside him. Ace
was suddenly struck with an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. It was the same tentative but
welcoming smile Sabo had shown him when they had first met all those years ago, two filthy
strays standing small but proud amongst the garbage of a fetid city. Still unable to believe he was
seeing that smile and face again after thinking it was lost forever, Ace clapped his brother’s
shoulder, squeezing it lightly in silent thanks. He was more grateful than he could express with
words he hadn’t had to face this reality alone.

“Dalton doesn’t know which direction Blackbeard went, unfortunately,” said Sabo, as the two
slowly meandered back towards their host, who seemed to be conferring with a couple of
messengers.

“No surprise there,” replied Ace, shrugging. Drum Island was close to the entrance of the Grand
Line and he already knew from his quick visit to Little Garden that Blackbeard hadn’t backtracked
to the Red Line. He had a few ideas in mind as to where he could look next. He chanced a look at
the tall blond walking in sync next to him and wondered whether he could persuade his brother to
travel with him a little further. He had no idea where the Revolutionary Army’s headquarters was
located, or what Sabo had planned after finding the island’s doctor, but he hoped they were headed
in the same direction, at least for a little while. He hadn’t let himself feel the loss of Sabo’s
steadfast presence after the initial shock and grief had worn off, but now he was back, Ace was
beginning to realize just how much he had missed it.
He honestly felt like a bundle of mixed emotions. He was ecstatic Sabo was alive but also upset,
and - if he was completely honest with himself - a little hurt Sabo didn’t remember either of his
brothers. Again, he cursed the Tenryūbito responsible for the attack on Sabo. Between that and the
anger and frustration he was getting nowhere in his hunt for Blackbeard, Ace was exhausted. The
last time he had felt so unsettled was when he had been offered a home aboard the Moby Dick ,
despite repeated attempts on the captain’s life.

“So, you have any idea who else Blackbeard might have had with him?” Sabo enquired curiously.
“From all accounts, this couldn’t have been done by only one man.”

“No one else has left the Moby Dick , so I think he was acting alone while he was part of the crew,
but he always kept to himself. Used to disappear off alone for weeks at a time. No one was
concerned, though. We all take time off when we want to. There’s no rule which says we have to
stay, and since most of us had our own crews before we joined, it’s pretty common for whole
divisions to be away at a time. He definitely has some guy called Jesus Burgess with him right
now; I think he’s known him a while. They met up really quickly after Teach defected. He’s pretty
strong and I reckon it was him who practically ripped that house back there apart,” Ace explained.
Sabo’s jaw clenched and his gaze darted back to the house in question. “One of the last places I
tracked him down to, the locals swore there must have been a sniper too, but they never saw him.
Instead, they only found the odd body that’d been shot,” his sighed.

“Okay, well that’s three we know of for definite,” the blond summarised.

Ace grinned at Sabo’s use of the word ‘we’. He still had some doubts as to whether Sabo really did
believe his story; it probably hadn’t occurred to the blond that Ace knew exactly how he acted
when he was proceeding with caution, and he was currently behaving exactly the same at twenty as
he had at five when they’d first met. The biggest clue he was gradually warming up to the pirate
though, was the use of plurals. It had surprised Ace the first time Sabo had referred to them as
‘we’, or ‘us’, but he had quickly warmed to it. It had been exhilarating, to feel such unity with
another person after spending years in the company of bandits who were more fearful of a child
than any person who called themselves a ‘bandit’ should be.

“Hey, you never said,” Sabo observed, and Ace walked several more paces before he realised the
blond had stopped.

“What?” he asked with a frown.

Sabo’s brow was furrowed. “What devil fruit does Blackbeard actually have?”

Ace realised with a jolt he hadn’t. “Oh, it’s called the yami yami no mi.” The very name left a bad
taste in his mouth. He was surprised to see Sabo pale alarmingly.

“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice almost inaudible across the short distance between them.

“Yeah,” the pirate replied. “I guess you’ve heard of it?” It wouldn’t surprise Ace if his brother had;
Thatch had certainly seemed confident in exactly which devil fruit he had found when he had
proudly shown it off.

“Oh, I’ve heard of it, alright,” Sabo admitted, crossing his arms. “And I can’t say I’m too happy to
hear someone like Blackbeard has eaten it.”

Before Ace could think of a reply – he hadn’t actually done any research on the devil fruit, he just
knew the general basics, and he couldn’t see what made it so terrible other than the fact it was
being used by Blackbeard – the crunching of snow under boot caught the pair’s attention.
Dalton nodded amicably, drawing to a stop before them and passing Ace the black coat he had left
inside. “The messengers have returned. It seems the Witch – I mean Doctor Kureha, was sighted in
Gyasta only yesterday. She doesn’t tend to stay down in the villages for long, though, so she’s
probably returned to Drum Castle.” The man pointed to one of the mountains standing formidably
in the distance. “Drum Castle’s on the summit of that mountain.”

Ace snorted, shrugging into his coat and he turned to his brother. “Hope you’re prepared for a
hike, Sabo.”

The blond grinned in response. “Living all the way up there, she doesn’t strike me as the type to
receive many visitors.”

Dalton shook his head. “I can’t say I advise you to traverse the mountain. Whilst Doctor Kureha is
an amazing physician, I’m not certain she’ll help you,” he admitted. “She tends to exploit her
patients, and well, neither of you look like you have anything to pay her with,” he said, eyes darting
between Sabo and Ace.

The pirate shrugged. “Doesn’t matter if we do or not, I’m sure she’ll help. Between the two of us,
I’m sure we can persuade her.”

Dalton sighed heavily, silently admitting defeat. “Well, if you insist. We can provide you with
warmer clothing for your journey and you can set off in the morning.”

Sabo darted a glance at Ace, who nodded discreetly. “We’ll leave now. No point waiting around,”
he informed the surprised man, who spluttered.

“But! But it’s nearly night and you don’t want to be climbing the mountains in the dark! The
temperatures will plummet! Although,” he broke off abruptly and looked to the clear skies. “It is
unseasonably warm right now… But still, it’s not worth the risk!” he insisted.

Ace smirked. “The weather and dark won’t trouble us. There’s no point hanging around. This
doctor could leave the castle again if we wait overnight,” he pointed out.

Dalton huffed. “Very well. I can’t say I’m happy about this, but if you insist.”

Ace laughed. “We’ll be fine! Thank you for your help,” he professed, bowing deeply. Sabo tilted
his hat in his own thanks.

“Y-you’re welcome!” Dalton stammered, taken aback.

Ace and Sabo had barely gone ten yards before he called after them.

“Oh! I forgot! Be careful of the monster the Witch has!”

Ace and Sabo both froze. They glanced at each other, eyes wide in surprise.

“Monster?”

xxx

“I don’t care what that Deaton guy says -”

“Man, you’re as bad as Luffy! It’s Dalton!”

“- that creature certainly doesn’t sound like a monster to me,” Sabo finished, ignoring Ace’s
interruption.
 “It doesn’t?” Ace asked, glancing back over his shoulder. They had both agreed Ace should go
first, the unnatural heat from his body being able to melt some of the snow in their path.

Sabo snorted. “No. A lot of people view some of my fishmen colleagues as monsters too, but
they’re simply misunderstood. Just because they look different on the outside, it doesn’t mean
they’re not the same inside. I mean, I’ve had a blood transfusion from a fishman before!”

Ace started. “You have? Do I want to know why you needed a blood transfusion in the first
place?”

“Probably not,” Sabo waved aside the other’s concern. The incident had been years ago, anyway.

“So, you reckon this creature is just misunderstood, the same as a fishman?”

“All we’ve heard so far is it attempted to attack Wapol once,” said Sabo absently, eyes fixed firmly
on the tree line where he could just make out a few animals in the foliage. They were rather large,
he thought absently. “Sounds to me like the villagers should be offering a hand of friendship.
Especially if Wapol really is returning. Maybe it could help them,” he suggested.

“Hm, maybe,” replied Ace. His shoulders slumped. “From what you say about this Wapol guy,
he’s the cowardly type, right? Someone who only cares about his own safety?”

“Without a doubt.”

“Great,” he retorted, throwing his hands in the air. “If he’s coming back then he must’ve heard that
Blackbeard is long gone from the area and I’m just chasing a cold trail again!” he exclaimed,
despondent.

Sabo reached out and caught Ace’s elbow. Ace turned to him, surprise decorating his face. He
raised an inquisitive brow at the blond.

“Ace, listen. When you do find Blackbeard, you need to be careful,” he stressed. “The yami yami
no mi is no joke. It's known to be one of the most powerful and dangerous devil fruits out there and
isn’t something to be taken lightly,” he explained.

Ace frowned contemplatively but he finally nodded. “I’ll be careful,” he promised, but his eyes
were hard. “I’m not gonna run away from him, though.”

He turned and stalked ahead, the snow melting quickly around him. The figures which had been
shadowing them since they had started up the mountain trail scattered fearfully from him. Sabo
caught a glimpse of long claws and ears – rabbits of some sort then – before they disappeared from
sight.

“I was afraid you’d say that,” Sabo muttered. He watched after his self-proclaimed brother for
several long seconds before following at a more sedate pace, his boots quickly sinking into the
damp earth.

Chapter End Notes

Luffy's flashback to Sabo being ill was inspired by friend from many year's ago fic and
they kindly let me reference it
 Doctor Kureha
Chapter Notes

Thank you to everyone who commented last chapter! I ran out of time to finish
proofreading but didn't want to delay posting this so I might go back and tidy up later!

“Well… this place is, um…” Sabo paused, struggling to find the right words to describe the
building in front of them. In its prime, the castle must’ve been a magnificent place, certainly fit for
a king, but the passing of time, lack of general upkeep, and the violent weather associated with the
winter island had had a dramatic effect on it. There were currently no snow flurries thanks to Ace’s
mera mera no mi but it was still nearly impossible to see any windows; snow and ice had landed on
them and hidden them amongst the crumbling brickwork. The imposing front doors, with their
wood heavily chipped and scarred, didn’t look like they would even shut anymore, if the snow
built up beside them was any indication.

“It’s…maybe seen better days,” finished the blond weakly.

“It’s a dump,” Ace retorted, his head tilted back to stare up the tower, which looked like one good
gust of wind might knock it over at any moment.

“I was trying to be tactful, but yeah, it’s a dump,” Sabo readily agreed as they passed through the
doors.

The two paused in what appeared to have once been a lush entrance hall, but was now a full-sized
ice castle. With very little chance of a thaw atop the mountain and the fact the front doors didn’t
shut, the snow had been allowed to pile up inside, freezing shut the few doors that branched off to
either side and turning the curving staircase into a deadly steep ice rink.

Sabo gingerly stepped over a frozen puddle. “I stand corrected. Dump might’ve been the tactful
description.”

“OI! Quit insulting my home!”

The pair jumped, quickly searching for the speaker, both silently cursing for letting themselves get
distracted. After a few seconds, Ace knocked Sabo’s elbow and gestured upwards. Sabo followed
his gaze and spotted the woman immediately. He desperately tried not to stare.

She was dressed in a style far more suited to women one-seventh her age, complete with a navel
ring her shirt did very little to hide. Her hair might have been blond at one point in her life, but now
matched the stone walls, and it whipped freely around her in the stiff winter breeze. She also had
one of the most formidable stares Sabo had seen in a very long time and he had the feeling the
sunglasses perched on her forehead would do nothing to diminish it.

“How the hell did you two get up here?” she demanded, stalking towards the staircase.

“We climbed up the mountain, obviously,” said Ace.

The woman snorted. “Well, you can damn well go toss yourselves back off the mountain! Get out
of my home immediately.”
“Can we assume you’re Doctor Kureha?” Sabo asked, watching her descend the stairs with a sure
footing and the ease of someone who had maneuvered up and down them for years. Dalton had
told them Doctor Kureha lived atop the mountain, but as they had been approaching, Sabo had
been struggling to see how anyone possibly could. Now, faced with the very doctor he was
seeking, he understood. Her steely personality seemed ideally suited to the solitude of the
mountain. She definitely wasn’t at all what he was expecting from a doctor.

“That’s none of your business,” she snapped.

“I’d take that as a ‘yes’,” Ace muttered with a smirk.

“I was told you’d be able to give me a checkup, Doctor Kureha,” Sabo explained.

“I don’t give checkups to people who waltz into my home uninvited,” she argued.

Ace frowned, displeased. “Seriously, what kind of doctor are you to turn away patients? Sabo, do
you really need to see this old hag? Let’s just find you another doctor.”

Doctor Kureha snorted, her gaze as icy as their surroundings. “Good luck. There are no other
doctors on Drum Island anymore. Wapol saw to that.”

The blond resisted Ace’s insistent tugging on his arm. Dragon had wanted him to see this doctor,
although he couldn’t for the life of him understand why. She obviously had her own code of
conduct when it came to picking her patients and Sabo clearly didn’t make the cut.

“You certainly don’t look like you’re on your deathbed, so why are you bothering me?”

Sabo had to suppress the urge to shudder under the heavy and scrutinising gaze she subjected him
to. Next to him, Ace scowled.

“So, you only treat people when they’re nearly dead then, do you?” he speculated. He shook his
head angrily. “I hate to think how many people you’ve failed to save!”

The doctor’s head dropped abruptly, causing her sunglasses to fall down onto her nose, and putting
her face into obscure shadows.

“ Ace! ” Sabo hissed, certain he could see the woman’s clenched fists shaking at her sides. He
reached out to swipe at the other’s shoulder, more than a little taken aback by the rudeness. It was
an odd contrast to the man who had been nothing but cordial since they met. But then again,
maybe it wasn’t; he was a pirate after all.

“What? Come on, Sabo, she’s clearly a quack doctor and I’m not gonna let someone like her treat
my brother if that’s her attitude!”

The blond stared at his companion, stunned by his words. “It was still uncalled for! Dragon asked
me to see her, so I’m going to, and your behaviour isn’t helping!”

“Hey, even if you do persuade her to do this checkup, if she’s only going to do it half-assed, she
might miss something important!” Despite the harsh words, from the corner of his eye, Sabo saw
Ace bite his lip and he could tell the pirate was wondering if he had gone too far. Nobody liked to
be reminded of their losses. Sabo turned to the stoic woman, who had remained unnervingly quiet
during their whispered exchange, and opened his mouth. To say what, he had no idea, but before he
could utter a word, the cantering of hooves echoed down a corridor.

“Doctor!”
A blur of brown fur skidded to a screeching halt, ice and snow kicking up in a wave of white.

“Doctor! I saw two people approaching the castle!”

Sabo’s jaw dropped in surprise as the four-legged creature in front of them transformed in the blink
of an eye into a little two-legged, toddler-sized ball of fluff in a pink hat.

It froze, as if suddenly sensing their unblinking eyes on it. It turned excruciatingly slowly on the
spot and raised its head to stare up at them in return. Sabo was mildly amused to see it had a bright
blue nose and amazingly bright eyes, which were wide open in shock as it took in the strangers.

For several seconds, the only movement was the ruffling of clothes and fur wafting gently in the
chilly breeze drifting through the castle.

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!”

Sabo and Ace jumped at the unexpected shriek of fear. They watched, bemused, as the little
creature scuttled backwards away from them and crouched down by the stair banister.

“Doctor! They’re already here!” it cried, their little body still in full view.

Kureha shook her head. “You’re slow, Chopper.”

“Is that a tanuki?” asked Ace, head cocked to one side contemplatively.

“No, I don’t think so. I think it’s either a human disguised as a reindeer, or a reindeer disguised as a
human,” Sabo concluded.

Ace wrinkled his nose in confusion. “What’s the difference?”

Sabo smiled, rather taken with the little creature trembling in front of them and sinking to his knees
for a better look. “The difference is what it was originally. So, what are you, little guy? Reindeer or
human?”

Ace smirked. “Are you sure it’s just not a tanuki?” he teased.

Despite its obvious fear, the creature managed a pretty impressive scowl. “I’m not a tanuki! I’m a
reindeer!”

Ace raised his hands in surrender. “If you say so. Hey, wait a minute! Are you the monster the
villagers warned us against?” He completely missed the doctor glowering at him, his attention
focused entirely on the creature. He laughed jovially. “Seriously? This is the monster? A
transforming pet reindeer?”

Sabo shrugged nonchalantly, but he watched covertly out the corner of one eye as Kureha hefted a
decorative axe from the wall and sauntered down the stairs, her eyes boring into the oblivious
pirate. He managed to smother a smile. The good doctor Kureha was obviously fond of her pet, if
that was indeed what the reindeer was, but Sabo suspected their relationship was much more
personal than that of simply owner and pet. Its intelligence was unusual. Sabo was eager to see if
he could get it to have a conversation with him; its ability to transform was fascinating. He would
bet his goggles it had eaten a devil fruit and he was interested to learn which one since he had only
come across a couple of zoan types before.

“People are often scared of what they don’t understand,” he said, finally realising Ace was looking
down at him for a response.
“Yeah, I get that,” he retorted, his voice tight.

Sabo frowned, confused by the remark, and raised his head, but Ace didn’t meet his eyes. Deciding
not to push while they were in public, the Revolutionary made a mental note to ask Ace about the
comment later. He sensed there was a story behind it and it didn’t sound like a particularly happy
one.

“Still,” Ace continued, “they think that’s a scary monster? I’ve seen scarier plates of food!”

The reindeer shrieked. “Food?! I’m not food!”

“Oi!” Kureha practically snarled. “Quit insulting my assistant! He’s not a monster and he’s not
food!” She lifted the axe over her head and leapt down the stairs with speed belying her age.

Quickly realising her target wasn’t himself, Sabo remained crouched, thinking Koala would be
proud of him for keeping his head down and out of an argument. Although, he suspected, she
hadn’t meant him to do so literally.

Kureha swung with excellent accuracy right for Ace’s head, but the pirate dodged at the last minute
and the swing went wide. She growled and dashed after the retreating dark-haired man with a
vengeance.

“I gotta say, you don’t look very appetising,” Sabo mused, unconcerned at the activity going on
behind him and continuing to study the reindeer, whose attention was fixed solidly on the doctor
spewing insults at the pirate. Sabo couldn’t help the smile that broke out. It was like looking at a
child, so wide-eyed with curiosity. A glance over his shoulder showed Ace was grinning like a
loon, easily dodging every swing of the doctor’s axe and frustrating the woman to no end.

“Why doesn’t he fight back?” the reindeer suddenly asked, surprising the blond.

“He doesn’t really even need to dodge. He’s just showing off,” Sabo replied.

“But the Doctor has an axe! She’ll kill him!” he cried in disbelief.

Sabo shook his head. “Ace is like you; he ate a devil fruit. Listen, Chopper, was it? How do we get
the good doctor over there to agree to give me a checkup?”

Chopper turned to him and he was a little surprised to see the reindeer give him a rather calculated
stare. “Is that why you’re here?” Sabo nodded. “Oh, then the Doctor is easily persuaded if you can
pay her.”

“We don’t have any beli on us. We do have information that might interest you though,” he offered
in return.

Chopper frowned. “The Doctor will only want beli. Or alcohol,” he whispered, from behind one
hoof, as if he was sharing a deep secret.

Sabo hummed contemplatively. “Not even if the information we have is about this castle’s former
resident?”

“Wapol?!”

In an instant, the reindeer broke out into a deep sweat, the beads of moisture quickly disappearing
into his fur. He looked like Sabo had shown him a ghost. Understanding quickly dawned on the
Revolutionary that Wapol hadn’t just wrecked the lives of the villagers if this was the reaction just
alluding to King caused.

“Wapol?” Kureha repeated, not once pausing in her assault on Ace. “What about that useless
buffoon?”

Sabo rose to his feet and turned towards the warring couple. “I have information on him you might
want to know. Ace, you can quit showing off now.”

“I’m not!” he protested, but he did stop moving immediately. Kureha’s eyes widened in surprise
but it was too late for her to halt her momentum. Ace smirked, unconcerned and let the woman and
her axe travel straight through him, a burst of flames licking at her harmlessly. The axe shattered
on the wall. In the stunned silence that followed, she stared at the wooden handle left in her grasp.

She scowled. “Damn logias!”

Ace grimaced at the sight of the broken axe head, some of it still partially buried in the wall.
“Sorry about that. And I’m sorry for my comments earlier too, that was rude of me,” he admitted,
bowing deeply.

Kureha pushed her sunglasses back up to her forehead and glared at him shrewdly. “Who the hell
are you people?”

“Sorry, we never did introduce ourselves, did we? I’m Sabo and this is Ace,” the blond offered,
smiling charmingly.

“As in Fire Fist Ace, the Whitebeard Pirate?” The man in question nodded. “I don’t recognise
you,” she tossed at Sabo.

“No, you wouldn’t. I’m a Revolutionary.”

“If I give you your damned checkup, will you tell me what you know about Wapol in exchange?”
she asked.

Sabo grinned with a shrug. He was hoping by offering up the information, she would dispense with
charging them for her services because they really didn’t have anything to offer her in payment
other than what they knew. He was just neglecting to admit he would tell her all about Wapol even
if she still refused to see him. He wasn’t in the business of withholding information that would save
lives, and if Wapol really did return, the castle would be his first destination. He would no doubt
see his former home as a means to take back control of his realm. No one would be able to do
anything without his eyes watching them from his castle on the mountain. And the castle’s two
current residents would probably be the first victims of his second rule.

Kureha studied him intensely for several seconds before waltzing back towards the stairs, snapping
her fingers in Chopper’s direction. He jumped to attention and toddled after her.

“Is it your eyesight?” she asked over her shoulder, her voice suddenly all business.

“Huh?” Sabo replied eloquently, rather taken aback.

Kureha sighed impatiently. “Don’t take me for one of those useless imbeciles who used to work
here. You’re evidently not in any pain, and if you say you climbed the mountain then you’re as
physically fit as you can be for someone of your age, which I estimate to be either late teens or
early twenties. You do have extensive scarring on your face, though, located around your eye.
You’re here because of it, aren’t you?”
Sabo nodded slowly. He chanced a look at Ace and he looked as equally surprised as the blond felt
by the rapid-fire diagnoses.

“Yes, it is,” he confirmed.

Kureha sighed heavily and shook her head. She swung around swiftly, causing Chopper to jump
back from his place behind her legs in order to avoid being knocked over.

“Chopper! Make yourself useful and go set up the examination room. The quicker this is over, the
quicker we can be rid of them! And bring me my sake!”

“Well, now we know why the villagers call her a witch, I guess,” Ace huffed. Sabo chuckled but
didn’t disagree.

“Get your asses moving before I change my mind!”

xxx

Sat atop the examination table, his hat and coat shed and his shirt sleeves rolled up to the elbows,
Sabo resisted the urge to swing his legs like a child. His throat felt a little dry and he eyed the sake
Ace and Kureha were sharing – their previous squabble forgotten in the face of a shared love of
good alcohol, it seemed – with envy. He had explained to Kureha all he remembered, or had been
told, about the day he received his head injuries. He had been interrupted several times, Kureha
and Ace taking turns between them, to butt in with their own questions. In Kureha’s case, to
clarify; in Ace’s, it was more horrified exclamations that had the doctor shushing him impatiently.

Kureha had impressed the blond. He had barely discarded his coat before she had descended upon
him, poking and prodding with purpose. He had been more than a little amazed when she
immediately reeled off every injury could Sabo remember attaining, from the obvious to the
deeply hidden, hardly pausing for breath before moving onto another body part. Not having ever
thought about all the injuries he had received over the years as a collective whole, and most of
which were either through training accidents or on Revolutionary business, he was surprised at the
amount. Broken or cracked ribs (five; one of which Ace had been able to clarify was from when
they fought a pirate who had kidnapped Luffy), the shoulder he had dislocated (entirely Koala’s
fault), and the dozens of white, spider-like webs of scars that littered his body were all catalogued
with laser-like precision.

It had taken nearly twenty minutes before Kureha seemed to be satisfied that other than the reason
he had been sent to see her, he was in good health. She had been exceptionally thorough when
examining his eye, but quickly moved on, obviously picking up he was uncomfortable having
someone stare so closely at the damaged skin with such scrutiny. The prognosis, however, was
better than he had expected.

“My sight is still fine then?” he asked, relief flooding through him at the thought he could report
back with good news. Whilst he may have brushed off the idea of losing his sight as not a big deal,
especially since he had observation haki at his disposal, he had been concerned. He would have
been faced with hard decisions and probably eventually been forced to delegate some of the stealth
roles he loved.

Kureha nodded once, before taking a deep swig from her sake bottle. “While not one hundred
percent, it’s still functional. I suspect as you continue to age, however, you might notice more of a
decline.” She caught both men’s frowns. “Oh, don’t look so put out. It probably won’t happen for
years yet, and it’s not like you’ll be able to stop the deterioration forever. Slow it down, yes;
prevent completely, no. It’s no different than your other organs. Some will stop working properly
sooner than others.” She waved a hand distractedly and practically threw herself into a chair.

Sabo shrugged, his concerns alleviated. He knew she was right. His sight would just be his weak
spot, something to acknowledge, but not to worry about. “And what about the memories I lost
because of the accident? Will I ever get them back?” he asked, hoping his voice didn’t betray how
nervous he suddenly felt. He slid off the exam table, suddenly unable to remain still, and swiftly
started rolling his sleeves down again. He turned to Ace, who was lounging against the wall with
his own bottle of sake hanging limply from his hands. Ace’s head snapped up, the blond’s words
breaking into his deep reverie. In unison, the pair turned to the doctor, whose gaze was jumping
between the two. Sabo didn’t doubt she could see both the hope on Ace’s face and the
apprehension on his own.

She sighed heavily, a deep frown marring her face. “The brain is a delicate organ,” she said.
“Doctors have studied it for hundreds of years and parts of it are still a mystery. Brain injuries are
as unique as fingerprints; no one person will recover the exact same way as another. And in your
case, Sabo, you received the injury a long time ago. Now, if you’d been having trouble
remembering events from only months ago, I would diagnose you with long-term memory issues,
but I don’t think there’s any permanent damage to your long-term memory exactly. You can
remember events from after the injury, so your brain is storing them. Which means your short-term
memory is fine, too. I suspect the incident and subsequent concussion has simply displaced the
memories you had from before the attack. Your brain no doubt shut down in order to cope with
your body’s trauma, which is perfectly normal considering how young you were.”

“Right,” Sabo said weakly, slumping back against the exam table, feeling a little overwhelmed and
trying to understand exactly what the woman was implying. “So, you’re saying my brain might
have just put my memories somewhere else while I tried to deal with what happened?”

Kureha nodded. “Exactly. Short-term memory loss after traumatic events isn’t unheard of. I suspect
that’s what happened with you, but your brain seems to have literally lost where it placed them.
Despite the length of time it’s been, you might be lucky and recover them. Especially considering
you’ve reunited with your brother, here,” she jabbed a long finger in Ace’s direction, who looked
hopeful at her words. “Just being around him again might jog your memories. Associations can be
powerful tools when it comes to recalling things. BUT!” she shouted, making both of them to jump
at the sudden noise. “It’s still a slim chance. It might never happen and those memories could
remain lost forever.”

“Seriously? Sabo might never remember any of it?” Ace asked in disbelief.

Kureha scowled, her gaze snapping to him sharply. “Oi! A tenryuubito shot at him with the intent
to kill! He’s lucky to be alive. I’ve seen full grown men succumb to lesser injuries!”

Ace visibly paled and looked away, shame-faced.

A crash and yelp of surprise broke the heavy silence in the room.

Kureha huffed loudly and jumped to her feet. She thrust her empty bottle of sake into Sabo’s hand
as she passed and stomped out the door, her voice echoing loudly against the stone walls.
“CHOPPER! Stop trashing the place!”

“Couldn’t have given me a full one, huh?” Sabo muttered, shaking the bottle. He shook his head
and dropped into the doctor’s vacated chair. “Share?” he pleaded, swiping an unused glass from
the far end of the table and holding it out to the pirate, who was still rooted to his spot near the
wall.
Ace nodded jerkily, causing Sabo to frown, confused, but he accepted the half-empty bottle held
out for him and took a much-needed swig, enjoying the burn of alcohol at the back of his parched
throat. He re-filled his glass a second time before sliding the bottle back across the table to where
Ace now sat, perched on the edge of his chair like a nervous kid expecting a scolding.

“What’s wrong with you?” the blond prompted, curious as to the sudden silence since Ace had
done nothing but pry at him for more details throughout his entire examination.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“What the hell for?” Sabo wondered, bemused.

Ace glanced at him briskly before casting his eyes downwards, refusing to meet the blond’s gaze.
“It’s funny you’re the one with the memory loss, but I’m the one who forgot,” he chuckled,
humorlessly.

“Forgot what?”

Ace smiled, but it was muted and almost poignant. “I forgot to just be thankful you’re alive.” Sabo
blinked in surprise, but remained quiet, waiting for the other to continue. “I was so focused on the
idea you’d lost your memories of me, of Luffy, our home… Hell, even Dadan! I just… I forgot it
meant you really were attacked, and it really did nearly kill you. I mean, I know what happened to
you. Dogra saw it - he told us! For weeks after the Tenryuubito finally left, every time we went
into the city, it was all anybody could talk about! They loved seeing the power of the tenryuubito
firsthand. It was sickening! It’s really no wonder you might not have tried to remember it! And
here I come along, forgetting all of that and pushing you to ask, to try and find a solution when I
should just be grateful you’re even still here!” he finished, almost breathless from his self-
deprecation.

Sabo stared at the bowed head. Ace had really hit the crux of the matter. His mind was just a
confused muddle of thoughts. He knew of Luffy, but he didn’t know the other names, and no faces
came to mind when he repeated them silently in his head. It was daunting to be faced with the other
side of the reality he had been living. He had been blissfully unaware there were people out there
who missed him, had mourned him, even. He hadn’t wanted to return; the irresistible urge to flee
had been all he had focused on. Given what Kureha had explained earlier, he wondered if it was
possible the attack itself and the trauma he had experienced afterwards had motivated him to push
forward, to never look back, because if he did, would the nightmares he still occasionally suffered
reveal the true horror of what had happened? Would he remember the searing flames that had
scarred his flesh? The smoke that had burnt his lungs? Did he want to remember all of that?

“Ace, you don’t need to apologise,” he said, finally finding his voice. The other reluctantly
returned his gaze. “It’s okay you want me to remember,” he admitted softly. “I know I’m probably
nothing like the brother you remember me to be but -”

“You are, though,” Ace interrupted quickly. “You are still our Sabo, with or without the memories.
I should’ve known better than to think a little thing like amnesia would stop you from being you,”
he grinned. “But I’m still sorry. I didn’t think until the old hag reminded me.”

Sabo cocked his head. “You’re a lot politer than I expected. I wouldn’t have taken you for
someone who apologises for anything,” he admitted.

Ace laughed, and with the sound came the relief from the tension that had slowly built up
throughout their conversation.
“I never used to be,” he revealed. “It’s one of the downsides to being raised by bandits. But Makino
taught me. It was just one more thing I had to learn after you left. You were the one who talked us
out of trouble, and most of the time it was because you were so damn polite!” The pirate stared at
him knowingly. “In fact, I bet you can still talk your way of anything, can’t you?”

Sabo smirked.

He wasn’t grinning, however, a short while later. Once again, he was left staring at the top of
Ace’s head, but now instead of being bowed in regret, the pirate was face down on the table, his
deep snores echoing around the room.

Sabo felt a small stab of annoyance, more because he had been genuinely concerned than actually
angry. He had had no idea what to think when Ace had abruptly keeled over, his body slumped into
an uncomfortable angle, and it was only after his persistent prodding at the pirate had yielded no
results that he had shouted for Kureha.

She had taken one look at the dark-haired pirate before declaring he was asleep. Needless to say,
Sabo had been baffled until Kureha explained Ace probably suffered from narcolepsy, a condition
that surprised him. That was when the annoyance had set in. He couldn’t believe he had been
travelling with the man for nearly two days, baring his own medical history for the other’s benefit,
and Ace had completely failed to mention his own. For a second, Sabo had wondered if what he
was feeling right then was how Koala often felt towards himself, which had induced another burst
of annoyance because although he loved his friend dearly, he hated anything that made him think
of how hard he could sometimes make things for her.

Bored and without company, the blond had examined the room since Kureha had left again in
whirlwind. After the diagnosis, she had loudly declared she needed to head to the village for
supplies, and she had taken her interesting little companion with her. Sabo had been intrigued
enough to initially consider following the pair to see how they traversed the mountain, because
although it hadn’t snowed for hours, the drifts were still large and cumbersome. One look from
Kureha, who Sabo was seriously beginning to think could read minds as well as she read the
human body, had kept him seated, nodding at the appropriate intervals while she lectured him to
keep his curiosity to himself and the pair of them out of trouble.

There were plenty of books in the room, though, and a quick look had shown they were all medical
texts, some written in languages Sabo didn’t recognise. They weren’t his usual reading material but
he had browsed through a couple, and with Kureha’s explanation still fresh in his mind, he found
himself consciously seeking out the chapters on head injuries. He hadn’t been able to read for long,
though; some of the details were more than a little graphic and had left him feeling slightly
queasy.

So once again, he was stuck staring at Ace, waiting for the other to wake up, and hoping he would
finish his story. He had been in the middle of telling the blond about the time Luffy had somehow
managed to get blown out of their treehouse – a treehouse Sabo had been shocked to learn they had
built themselves from scratch – and he wanted to know more. He was surprised by the sheer
strength of craving to hear more. He might have been feeling hesitant about actually recovering his
memories, but he couldn’t deny the more Ace told him, the more he felt a burning desire to know
more about himself. It was a desire he thought he had managed to bury as a child, listening to the
other Revolutionaries talk of family and home. Lacking the memories, and not having quite settled
into Baltigo, he hadn’t considered when he was younger a home didn’t always have to mean a
physical location; sometimes it was the people. But the more he had learnt and heard about Goa
Kingdom, the less interested in it he had become, choosing instead to distance himself.
Looking at his self-proclaimed brother snoring across the table from him, and another whose
wanted poster was burning a hole in his pocket, he wasn’t sure if he regretted his decision or not.
He hadn’t lied. He would’ve driven himself mad had he dwelt on his past too long; but he also
couldn’t help but feel he had somehow lost out; that circumstances had cheated him out of
something precious.

Ace snored again and shuffled in his chair until he was precariously balanced on the very edge of
his seat. Sabo rolled his eyes, thinking it would serve the man right if he fell off. He did move the
orange cowboy hat though, hanging it from his own chair before Ace could crush it in any
potential fall.

Returning his gaze to the pirate, Sabo was suddenly struck by the sheer vulnerability, and in turn
trust, he was presented with. Ace was a Whitebeard Pirate, which in some ways offered him
immunity, but in others also made him a natural target. He didn’t know what Ace’s bounty was, but
he bet it was high if he was a division commander. He wondered how Ace had managed to leave
their flagship without an escort, because surely the rest of the crew were aware of the other’s
uncanny habit of falling asleep. Ace may have a logia type devil fruit but there were still people
who could seriously hurt him.

Like himself, Sabo mused. He didn’t brag often, but he was aware he had a natural talent when it
came to haki. He could very easily hurt Ace if he put his mind to it. The pirate was adamant Sabo
was his long-lost brother, but he could have just shared a name and a mysterious resemblance to
Ace’s actual brother. In fact, if Ace hadn’t told him the circumstances around how Sabo had
received his injuries, he would’ve thought the man mad. If there hadn’t been such concrete proof
and they had only discovered later it was actually just a case of mistaken identity, Sabo thought he
would’ve been disappointed. From everything he had heard so far, it sounded like the lives of the
three brothers had been fun. They had been truly free, running wild in a forest, and freedom was
something Sabo had strived to give others.

Sabo hummed thoughtfully, wondering if perhaps he unconsciously remembered that feeling of

freedom and that was why he had always worked so hard to give it to others. That in turn also made
him wonder what other actions he might’ve unconsciously carried out throughout the years. And
annoyingly the only one who could tell him was currently snoring, blissfully unaware of the inner
turmoil he was causing his companion.

The blond frowned, but no matter how much he glared, Ace remained stubbornly asleep. He had
the strong temptation to prod him again to see if it prompted any movement, but he resisted the
urge and slumped back into his chair, feeling more agitated than he had in months. He could feel
himself starting to fidget; his hands picked at his cravat and his feet tapped a pattern onto the
flagstones that annoyed even his own ears. He wanted to talk, desperately, to someone, anyone ,
who might be able to tell him where to go from here. He had technically completed his mission. He
had informed the locals of their returning tyrant and found the doctor Dragon wanted him to see.
He had no other reason to stay on Drum Island. He had no reason to stay with Ace, he thought, and
the idea sent a stab of phantom pain through his chest that seemed to ricochet off his ribs. He
couldn’t shake the feeling if he was to part ways with the pirate, he would lose his opportunity to
get to know both the Whitebeard Pirate and possibly even Luffy, who had fascinated him from the
get-go.

Torn, he crossed his arms with a huff, and when doing so accidentally brushed against the hard
lump of the den den mushi hidden within his inner breast pocket. He tapped the pocket, a sudden
thought crossing his mind.

He pulled the sleepy snail from its resting place and dialed a number. It rang four times before the
connection clicked to life.

“ Yes ?”

Tension Sabo wasn’t even aware had built up suddenly evaporated like smoke at the reassuring
sound of the Revolutionary Army’s leader’s deep, resonating voice.

“It’s me,” he replied softly, even though Ace hadn’t roused at the new noise filling the room.

“ Sabo ,” Dragon greeted, and despite the sotto tone, Sabo easily detected the warmth hidden
underneath. “I take it you’ve reached Drum Island. Do you have anything to report?”

“Yeah, got here late yesterday afternoon. I’m not sure the locals here are going to accept our help
but they at least appreciated the warning Wapol might return. And I found the doctor you wanted
me to see. I got the all clear.”

“ That’s good news, on both parts.”

“Yeah,” he agreed quietly, unsure of exactly what to say.

“Sabo, why have you called me?” Dragon asked, straight to the point, but the question still threw
the blond. “You usually call Koala with your reports, when you remember anyway. Has something
happened?”

“You could say that,” he smiled ruefully. “I stopped off on the way to restock and literally bumped
into someone who claims to know me from before, back when I lived on Dawn Island,” he
explained.

There was a short pause and Sabo could easily picture his leader’s surprised face, which wasn’t
really different from his normal expression, except he had the habit of tilting his head to the right
when he was taken aback by something. “And who is this person, Sabo? Do you believe them?”

“Well, considering only the people who were actually there the day you rescued me know the
entire story, I’m going to say yes, I do,” Sabo smiled. “He knows exactly what happened to me.
Someone we knew saw the entire thing and told him. As to who he is, well, he said he’s my
brother,” he said, once again almost tripping over the word that seemed to carry so much weight,
“and he’s none other than Fire Fist Ace of the Whitebeard Pirates!”

“I see,” Dragon replied.

“Oh, there’s more! Remember that rookie you saved back in Logue Town, Strawhat Luffy?
Apparently he’s our little brother!”

Dragon guffawed loudly, making Sabo jump and stare at the little snail in shock. Dragon hardly
ever laughed like that.

“What’s so funny?” he enquired, curious.

“Nothing, just the world working in mysterious ways,” was the reply, the disembodied voice still
sounding deeply amused. “So, brothers? Adopted brothers, I can assume?”

“Yeah, apparently we shared a cup of sake and pledged our brotherhood.”

“Sake? How old were you?” Dragon wondered.

“About ten, according to Ace,” said Sabo, dragging a hand roughly through his blond curls.
“Dragon, I remember you saying we met once, briefly, before my accident. Did I mention anything
about my family to you then?” The silence that met his question was almost enough to have Sabo
retract it, to claim it was a stupid question and not to worry about it. His memory of those first few
days after the accident were hazy, but he did remember the fuss he put up at the suggestion the
Revolutionaries return him to Dawn Island.

“When I first saw you, you were running towards Grey Terminal,” said Dragon, snatching Sabo
from the past and back into the present.

“What’s Grey Terminal?” the blond asked, and he was slightly surprised to hear Ace grumble at
the name and shift, although he remained sound asleep.

“It was a trash heap, essentially. Anything the nobles didn’t want ended up in Grey Terminal
eventually. It was on fire, by order of the royal family, to purge the trash before the tenryuubito
arrived. But you weren’t trying to get away from the fire, you were running towards it. In fact, I’d
go so far as to say, you were trying to escape the town through Grey Terminal but your attempts
were halted by the guards at the gate. I wasn’t close enough to hear what was being said, but I got
the impression you were calling for someone over the wall. It could well have been your brothers,”
Dragon concluded.

“Oh,” said Sabo weakly, once again his mind a whirl. His life with his brothers had sounded pretty
wonderful. He couldn’t imagine why he had willingly left them behind? And why had he been so
insistent on not going back when he awoke? He had obviously been concerned about them during
the fire, and there was no denying Ace was elated to see him again, so he doubted they had had
some sort of disagreement that had led to him leaving.

“Sabo, there’s no urgency for you to return to Baltigo.”

Sabo frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You can take the time to get to know your family. You’ve earned the time off and we can cope
without you for now. So long as you remain in contact, stay with your brother. I know you have
questions we have never been able to answer for you,” he explained. “ And honestly, I’d rather not
have a Whitebeard Pirate or a rookie storming my front door in order to see you.”

Sabo chuckled at the image and felt a wave of gratitude towards the man who had practically
raised him.

“I’ll leave it to you to inform Koala of the new developments,” Dragon added, and a second later
the den den mushi clicked, indicating he had been hung up on.

“Damn it!” Sabo cursed loudly.

“What the hell’s wrong?”

He looked up to see Ace rubbing sleepily at one eye like a small child. He shook his head, stuffing
the den den mushi back into the depths of his pocket. “Nothing. I’ve just been given an unpleasant
task, but it’s nothing that can’t wait.” Ace shrugged, unconcerned and stretching like an overgrown
cat, his back popping. “So, narcolepsy, huh?”

Ace groaned unhappily. “Yeah, it can be a pain.” He eyed the blond shrewdly. “You look quite
calm though, most people panic and think I’ve died.”

“Kureha was cursing that you hadn’t,” the blond informed him cheerfully.
Ace rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “You were the one who diagnosed me back when we were
kids. Found the condition in a book after the first time it happened, cool as anything, you were.
You even taught me the signs of an impending episode.”

Without explanation, a niggle appeared at the back of Sabo’s mind. He couldn’t place why what
Ace said sounded wrong; it just did. And the way the dark-haired man was staring at him, like he
was probing but for what, Sabo couldn’t decipher.

A faint rumble in the distance distracted the pair from their conversation.

“What the heck was that?” Ace asked, rising to his feet and walking over to the window.

“Probably an avalanche or something.”

Ace smirked at him over his bare shoulder. “Well, we can’t be expected to travel back down in an
avalanche, now can we? And it’d be rude to let a guest get bored. Fancy a tour of this place?”

Unbeknownst to the pair as they set off to explore, several miles away, a caravel was slowly
entering the river mouth, her straw-hat adorned captain perched upon the figurehead and his dark
eyes fixed hopefully on the mountain.
 Castle of Snow
Chapter Notes

Thank you everyone who commented last week. I'm getting the impression you all
wanted a reunion...

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Dalton was close to despair. In two days, two strange groups had somehow found their way to the
island he had sworn to protect and restore, and both times the news had been the same. He wished
he could dedicate the manpower and time required to address the threat of the returning tyrant king,
but his energies were completely focused on the pirates. So young and naïve, yet already extremely
loyal to one another. It was humbling to see the care they held for one another but he couldn’t help
but think they were also stupidly reckless.

“I can’t stress enough how dangerous this is,” he repeated for umpteenth time, shaking his head at
the pirates’ plan to trek up the mountain with their ill crew member in search of the doctor.

“They’ll be fine,” the long-nosed one muttered, but Dalton wasn’t entirely sure whether he was
reassuring himself or Dalton.

“Luffy! Stand still already! This is hard enough without you bouncing around!”

“Oi, shitty Captain, hurt one hair on Nami-swan’s head and there’ll be no dinner!”

Luffy stopped moving immediately, which finally allowed Sanji and Vivi to finish strapping their
stricken navigator to the captain’s back.

“I must warn you the doctor may not be in the best of moods when you find her,” Dalton
cautioned. “We had a couple of other folks hike up there yesterday and she doesn’t take kindly to
visitors. She might take it out on you.”

“Are they the same ones who warned you about Wapol?” Vivi asked, adjusting one final strap
around Luffy before stepping back. Dalton nodded. “Oh, they sound nice enough then.”

“Maybe they want to join my crew?” Luffy shouted excitedly. His head suddenly bounced forward
nearly a foot when Usopp smacked him, nearly misplacing his captain’s straw hat in the process.

“Quit inviting strangers already! They might be scary!” Usopp whined. The blond man rolled his
single visible eye while drawing heavily on his cigarette at their antics.

“I still want to meet them,” Luffy pouted, but followed dutifully behind Sanji when he tugged him
towards the front door.

“Well, they’re apparently as crazy as us for climbing the mountain so you never know, you could
get on a like a house on fire!” Sanji joked, making Luffy laugh gleefully.

Dalton shook his head in dismay, wondering what in the world would land on Drum’s shores next,
before following his impromptu guests out into the chilled and bitter wind.
xxx

The slapping of boots on flagstones was the only warning Ace and Sabo had before the heavy oak
door slammed open with such force its handle was buried in the stone bricks.

“YOU!” Doctor Kureha shrieked, one long, lanky finger pointed accusingly at the wide-eyed
pirate.

“It was already broken,” Ace exclaimed quickly. He flashed the old woman a grin.

“You are melting my castle!” she shouted, crossing her arms with a huff, before Ace’s words
registered. “Wait, what was already broken?” she wondered critically.

“Oh, nothing important,” Ace brushed off with a shrug, pushing the book he had been browsing
back on the shelf. “And I can’t stop the melting. I’m made of fire,” he reminded her.

Kureha shook her head and sighed deeply. She sauntered into the room and stood over Sabo, who
was sat in a low armchair, surrounded on all sides by numerous texts. “So, you decided to be nosey
did you? Looking for the secret of my youth?”

Sabo exchanged a bemused look with the pirate. The woman actually had a secret for her youthful
appearance? “We thought you would be longer getting back after that avalanche,” he said carefully,
sidestepping the idea and snapping shut the book in his lap. “We didn’t think you’d mind if we
browsed your library. You’ve got quite the collection,” he admired.

“Meaning I couldn’t get Sabo to budge once he saw this room,” Ace cut in, gesturing to the wall of
rare and unusual books, no doubt a leftover from Wapol’s occupation of the castle.

“And therefore I have no knowledge of what Ace could possibly have broken because he wandered
off by himself,” the blond smirked.

“I said it was nothing important!”

“Doctor? Some of the beakers are smashed!”

Sabo chuckled, glancing at the open door, where Chopper’s voice had echoed from. Kureha raised
an eyebrow at the sheepish pirate.

“See? Nothing important,” Ace shrugged. “How’d you get back so quickly anyway? There was a
lot of noise a while ago. Can you walk on top of snow? Is that why they call you a witch?”

Kureha scoffed at the other’s weak attempts to deflect but surprisingly allowed it. “A little
avalanche isn’t going to stop me, I have my ways up and down the mountain. Although usually
that’s enough to keep the visitors at bay,” she added, glaring at the pair over her glasses. “And
speaking of visitors, Cocoaweed Village is all of a twitter about the pair of you.”

“Oh really?” Sabo acknowledged, completely unconcerned.

“Yes, it’s not often a pirate and a Revolutionary are seen together. And what’s even unlikelier is
Dalton agreeing to a pirate setting foot on Drum again after what happened last time,” she said.

Ace scowled and started pacing agitatedly. “Teach is the reason I’m even here. He was a
Whitebeard Pirate,” he admitted, his back to them.

“Yes, I knew. I’d heard of a Marshall D. Teach in Whitebeard’s crew before he graced our shores,”
she replied. “And now here’s another damn D,” she muttered with a roll of her eyes.

Sabo suspected he hadn’t meant to overhear that comment, because she only smiled when he
caught her eye. He was struck suddenly by how it resembled the all-knowing smirk Dragon
occasionally showed. He sighed and slumped back into his chair more comfortably. He knew
wasn’t going to get any answers from her.

“Now, about my payment,” Kureha started.

“Payment for what?” Ace asked, frowning, swinging around towards her.

“For my services,” she elaborated.

“Sabo already paid you with the information he had on Wapol,” the dark-haired pirate reminded
her.

“Yes, but that was before you started melting my castle and breaking my property,” she retorted
smugly. Sabo wondered if she hadn’t purposely decided to charge for the effects the devil fruit
user was unintentionally doing to the castle as soon as she realised what he was. She had given in
rather easily, the blond realised in hindsight. “Now, from the looks of it, neither of you exactly
have anything of value on you. So maybe I should put you to work tidying up the mess you’ve left.
Honestly, it may have been cold but at least it was mostly dry before you arrived!”

Ace gaped at her in disbelief. “You really are a witch,” he grumbled. “Seriously, it’s not like I can
help it!”

“You’re the one still making puddles in my hallways, you could at least have the courtesy to clean
it up.”

“Get your little pet to do it,” Ace told her.

Kureha swiped up a book and threw it straight at Ace’s head quicker than Sabo could follow. He
cringed when the delicate volume hit the window with a heavy thud before falling to the floor in a
crumpled heap, Ace having let the projectile sail through his torso.

“Chopper is my apprentice! Not the maid!”

“Well neither are we!”

Sabo shook his head at the ensuing argument. It lacked any heat, with the pirate and doctor
obviously enjoying the verbal spar. Amused, Sabo was content to watch, although he did discreetly
move a few of the books out of Kureha’s reach.

The distant echo of a crash rose up from the rooms below.

Noting the two bickering beside him had heard nothing, the blond focused and discreetly extended
his observation haki, letting the familiar feeling wash over him. He reached out tentatively, pleased
Ace and Kureha didn’t seem to notice anything amiss, and turned his attention to downstairs.

As expected, he quickly located Chopper in the vicinity of the entrance hall. Three other, much
smaller auras were floating above the reindeer’s head and Sabo was amused to sense they were
tiny birds, probably newly hatched, but they certainly felt excited to see the little creature below.
Shaking his head, the blond couldn’t help but grin. He wondered what Dalton or the villagers
would say if they saw the so called ‘monster’ right then. He knew several of the villagers had
never expected to see them descend the mountain because of the vicious creature and Sabo was
intrigued to find out why they thought Chopper was so dangerous. He knew from personal
experience it could be unnerving to see something familiar transform and not quite understand the
reasons why – Kuma flashed unbidden through his mind. Dragon had told him he would
understand one day but why that day couldn’t be sooner rather than later, Sabo had given up raging
against.

Pushing aside the memories of his former friend and colleague, the Revolutionary was about to
return his attention to Ace and Kureha when he sensed something else.

It took him several seconds to work out where the aura was coming from since there was no one
outside the castle that he could sense, yet he could definitely feel another presence. It was moving
slowly, painstakingly so, like they were carrying a great weight. Sabo jerked in surprise when
whoever it was moved upwards . Sabo swung around to stare out the window. The weather was
clear, the stars glittering like jewels, but surely there was no one as crazy as himself and Ace that
they would try and climb the mountain?

As he focused on the unexpected mountaineer, he realised it wasn’t in fact one person, but three.
The other two auras were so weak the third stronger one had shielded them. But even the strongest
was beginning to flag, and he was surprised to realise he must be carrying the other two. Sabo had
a brief thought they may not even reach the summit of the plateau but in spite of his doubts, they
continued to creep ever closer.

“We have company,” he said, and despite the soft tone, his voice cut through the room and the
others fell silent immediately.

“What?” Kureha asked, as blunt as ever.

Sabo nodded towards the window. “We have company,” he repeated. “There are three people
climbing up the mountain.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. No one climbs the mountain, even in good weather.”

“Er, we did,” Ace reminded the old doctor.

“I’ll rephrase that, no one sane climbs the mountain.”

“Well, this is certainly a week for records then,” said Sabo, ignoring Ace’s cry of indignance.
“Because they’ll be at the top any minute now. And Chopper’s outside,” he added, concerned. He
didn’t think the reindeer would have too much trouble with three exhausted travellers but he was
still technically outnumbered.

Kureha stared at him long enough Sabo thought she might ignore his warning but she was up on
her feet and out the door moments later.

Sabo rose to his own feet, curious to see who would be both so brave and foolhardy. Ace and
himself were in excellent fitness but the same couldn’t be said for the three approaching and he
wanted to know what possessed them to undertake the trek. It was obviously important enough to
them to try.

Sabo donned his top hat and picked up the lead pipe leaning against the back of his chair. He
paused when he caught Ace staring at him thoughtfully.

“What?” he asked, suddenly self-conscious.

“You can use observation haki.” It wasn’t a question.

Sabo nodded. “Yeah.”

“How long have you been able to use it?” the pirate wondered.

The blond shrugged and made for the door. “Since I was about sixteen, I guess. Or at least, that’s
when I could do it at will.”

“That’s young!” Ace exclaimed, hurriedly following after him.

“Yeah, well, good thing I did master it then. It’s saved my life more than once,” he admitted
ruefully.

“Any of those stories going to be something I want to hear?” Ace tried to joke, although Sabo
could see he looked more than a little unsettled.

“Probably not. Now, shall we go see who our reckless visitor is?” Sabo grinned.

xxx

The wind was fierce atop the rock mountain. It whipped ferociously at Luffy’s shirt where he lay
flat on his front, panting heavily, and made the sweat freeze to his skin.

Despite the extraordinary feat of strength he had just achieved – carrying one sick and another
injured nakama up a cliff possibly hundreds of feet high – Luffy couldn’t feel the burn one would
expect to find even in his rubber muscles. In fact, he felt nothing but numb. He wasn’t even sure he
still had a grip on Sanji, although he could just about make out Nami’s furnace-like heat to his
right, her still too warm face pressed against his bare arm.

Barely managing to force his tired eyes open, Luffy turned to where he had last seen the blond
cook. He wasn’t beside him.

Alarm shooting through him, Luffy raised his heavy head just enough to see him slipping
backwards. He barely had time to register the sight of Sanji sliding away from them before the
snow beneath him started to crunch threateningly.

Luffy groaned and glanced awkwardly over his shoulder at the fast approaching ledge, the snow
seemingly determined to drag them back over the edge of the mountain. Reaching blindly for Sanji,
Luffy’s stomach swooped uncomfortably when they slid several more inches, a harsh wind
yanking at their clothes as if to say ‘hurry up and fall’. The tug of gravity made itself known and he
could feel himself slipping back.

Grimacing in pain and the exhaustion hitting him like a rock, making his numb limbs feel even
heavier, he tried desperately to grasp at the frozen ground, but it was useless. There was nothing to
hold onto except snow and ice which immediately turned to slush in his hands.

Luffy quit trying to find a purchase on the solid ground and instead made a grab for Sanji, intent on
keeping his nakama close, hoping he would have the strength left to protect them during the fall.
Gum-gum balloon might save their lives at least, if he could just muster the energy to do it, he
thought desperately.

A hand clamped around his forearm.

Luffy jumped. He hadn’t heard anyone approaching over the howling wind. He tried to ignore the
annoying dark spots dancing across his eyes and instead focus on their saviour, who was easily
pulling them away from the ledge.
The hand clasping him tightly – but not so hard as to hurt – was soft. Much softer than Luffy had
ever experienced before. He forced his tired and blurry vision to focus long enough to notice the
hand was big, brown and furry.

He grunted when he was released and his body fell back to the ground with a muffled thump and
startled yelp. He turned his head just enough to spit out the mouthful of snow his open mouthed
fall had greeted him with.

He felt someone poking and tugging at him, carefully untying the ropes that had miraculously held
Nami securely in place during the trek up. He frowned when Sanji was pulled from the death grip
he had on the cook’s coat, and Nami was rolled away from his side. He didn’t want them out of
reach. Did they even get to the top? It felt like the top of other mountains – the air was definitely
thinner and the wind was unforgiving enough – but as Nami was often reminding them, this was
the Grand Line and nothing was as expected.

He groaned weakly and tried to push himself up onto his elbows but a deep ache had replaced the
numbness and his limbs wouldn’t cooperate. “Are…a-are we…at…top?” he stuttered, his voice
croaky from the bitter cold.

A small squeak was the first response he received and a blurry, brown ball of fur wearing a pink
hat appeared in his vision. Luffy blinked, surprised, for the little creature was definitely smaller
than he expected and it had no hands; instead it was knocking its hooves together nervously. He
wondered where their rescuer had disappeared to. He hadn’t heard anyone leaving.

“Y-yes, you’re at the top,” the little creature told him.

Relief like nothing Luffy had experienced since Ace and Dadan returned from the fires in Gray
Terminal washed over him like a tidal wave. He gave up trying to move and slumped back into the
snow, his gaze turning to the skies above. It was a surprisingly clear night and the stars had just
started to appear, sparkling mischievously.

The now familiar sound of crunching snow made him perk up again.

“Well?”

Luffy blinked blearily as the woman – who was no better dressed for the weather than he was –
knelt down beside him.

“This one’s practically frozen,” the little creature replied, his voice soft but confident. “That one
has various lacerations and possibly broken bones.”

Luffy followed as best he could without moving his head the direction a hoof pointed. He could
just make out blond hair flapping in the wind. Sanji, then. Luffy hoped none of those injuries were
his fault. He hadn’t meant to drop the cook and he’d caught him as quickly as he could.

“And the woman?”

“She’s burning up. I suspect some sort of virus.”

“Hm, stupid children, to climb the mountain in such conditions.” The woman disappeared from
view for several tense seconds before reappearing, a dissatisfied frown firmly in place. “The girl’s
the most critical. Her temperature is dangerously high.”

She rattled off several very long and complicated words Luffy knew he had no hope of
understanding but they sounded downright terrifying. He forced the miniscule amount of energy
that remained in his body to force his arm to move. The furry, little creature squeaked when he
managed to snag a few blue tipped fingers into the beaten leather of the woman’s jacket. For a
moment, Luffy thought she would shake him off, but she surprised him instead by leaning over his
face, her grey hair falling about them like a curtain.

“Th-they’re-” Luffy coughed, the sheer cold making his lungs ache but he continued to force out
the words ignorning the creature trying to hush him. “They’re my…n-nakama,” he said, teeth
chattering violently.

The woman’s face remained passive for several seconds, her dark eyes boring deep into his own,
before she nodded once. “I understand. I’ll take good care of them, don’t worry now.”

Luffy let his hand fall back into the snow, relieved. His nakama were going to be okay. His eyes
slid closed slowly, the urgent need for sleep to rest and recover – preferably with some meat if
Sanji could find anything – falling upon him. The ground was uncomfortable and the wind was
frigid, but right then he really didn’t care. Fully intending to let himself fall into blissful oblivion
while the woman ordered around the little creature in preparation of moving them, he was jolted
back from the precipice of unconsciousness by an unexpectedly familiar voice shouting his name.

“LUFFY?!”

Blinking groggily, the pirate rolled his head towards the voice and its comforting resonance which
immediately made him think of campfires roasting crocodile meat and a home in the trees. The
blurry image of his big brother came into focus, snow kicking up at his heels as he closed the
distance between them.

“A-Ace?” he whispered, confused in more ways than one. How was Ace there? And why was he
shirtless? He frowned, annoyed the stupid black spots seemed to be taking over the majority of his
vision and making it hard to concentrate. He squinted in a desperate attempt to keep focused on the
man rapidly approaching but it was no good; the exhaustion was too strong.

Knowing he would worry his brother if he arrived at Luffy’s side to find him knocked out, but
unable to fight the pull anymore, the pirate let his eyes slide shut. But not before he registered the
impossible sight of a pair of goggles sat proudly atop the rim of a black top hat.

xxx

“Luffy?” Ace dropped to his knees beside his unconscious brother, concern written all over his
face. “Luffy?” he tried again, shaking his brother’s thin and poorly covered shoulders gently.

“He’s fine, just exhausted and freezing,” Kureha assured him, rising gracefully to her feet. Ace
huffed a relieved sigh.

Sabo drew to a stop a few feet away. He quickly observed the other two unconscious and injured
youths before he fixed his attention firmly on Luffy. Ignoring Chopper and Kureha’s rushed
discussion on whether it was safe to carry them inside, or if they should go fetch some boards to
stabilise any internal injuries, he studied the pirate.

The first thing that struck him was how small he appeared. He didn’t look like someone who had
the physical strength to drag himself up the mountain, never mind with the dead weight of two
other people. Nor did he look like the same teen from Logue Town. That pirate had been almost
larger than life, his exuberance and confidence completely detracting from the fact it looked like a
strong breeze could knock him over.
Abruptly, the image of Luffy waving like a flag in a gale came to mind and if the situation had
been slightly less serious, Sabo might’ve laughed at the humorous image.

“Hold this,” Ace ordered, holding out a well-worn straw hat towards him.

Sabo stared at it dumbly for several seconds before reaching out with one gloved hand to carefully
take it.

“And don’t lose it, or we’ll never hear the end of it. It’s Luffy’s treasure.”

“Odd treasure,” he muttered quietly, but nodded and tucked it away under one arm.

“Odd story actually, but I’ll let Luffy tell it to you.” Ace gently scooped up his brother and rose to
his feet easily, which just proved how light Luffy was.

Sabo hoped a good meal would add some muscle to the teen. He stepped aside, allowing Ace to
pass by silently. He had to resist the impulse to follow and maybe even hover. He could admit
privately he really didn’t like how Luffy looked, curled up and completely defenceless – if he
ignored the fact that one of Whitebeard’s strongest pirates cradled him with the utmost care.

The surge of protectiveness he felt deep in his chest took him aback. He’d never felt such an
instinct so strongly before. And he knew how strong Luffy could be; he had seen him fight back in
Logue Town. He hoped it was just a reaction to seeing the younger man’s current condition and
that it would disappear. From the few things Ace had managed to share and what he had seen first-
hand, Luffy could be a handful and he looked forward to seeing his antics when he had recovered.

“Chopper! Hurry up and get the girl. You!” Sabo snapped to attention at Kureha’s shout. “You
carry the blond guy over there. And be sharp about it. Night’s already fallen and the temperatures
are going to start dropping quickly.”

Sabo nodded and carefully hefted the young man into his arms, taking as much care as possible not
to squash the straw hat entrusted to him. “How did he manage to carry both of them?” he muttered
quietly, noting with some surprise that while the man was lithe, he certainly wasn’t light.

Ahead of him, Ace chuckled and smirked over his shoulder. “He’s Luffy! Need I say more?”

Sabo shook his head weakly and trudged after the others, wondering what else the Strawhat Pirates
could do to surprise him.

xxx

The next hour was a flurry of activity. Kureha ordered them all around briskly and with confidence
they would carry out her instructions to the letter… or else.

Chopper had been set to work diagnosing the virus that was ravaging the young woman’s body and
causing her core temperature to reach such dangerous heights even Ace could feel how hot she
was. Ace himself had the easiest job. He had been ordered to take Luffy to one of the spacious
guestrooms and to start slowly raising Luffy’s temperature.

Sabo found himself running backwards and forwards between the store rooms and a surprisingly
modernised surgery theatre, preparing it with equipment he would rather not know the function of.

He was relieved Kureha deemed him unfit to assist with any surgery the younger blond might need
and gladly allowed her to kick him from the operating room. He had absolutely no interest in
medicine beyond basic first aid field training and after overhearing Kureha discussing with
Chopper – who Sabo quickly realised was actually her protégé, rather than just the modest assistant
she had claimed – he didn’t think that opinion would change.

Wiping one gloveless hand across his brow, Sabo decided to find Ace and check in on the two
pirates. Despite the seriousness of potential frostbite and the dangers of warming up a practically
frozen body, Ace hadn’t seemed overly concerned about his task but Sabo had been left feeling
inexplicably guilty that he had left Ace alone for so long.

The blond knocked softly on the door of the guest bedroom to announce his presence before he
entered. He was immediately assaulted by a wall of heat; not a particularly stifling temperature, but
the gentle warmth Sabo knew Koala always appreciated after they had visited a winter island and it
made the room incredibly inviting.

Sabo noted absently Ace had made an effort to at least try to clean up the room. The dusty sheets
that had covered most of the furniture had been balled up and tossed into a corner. He had also
pulled open the window’s shutters, allowing for a stunning view of the night sky through the
condensation running down the panes. On the small table next to the roaring fireplace stood a few
bowls of steaming water and Luffy’s damp clothes had been tossed over the backs of the chairs to
dry out.

“Hey,” Ace greeted, keeping his back to the blond while he shook out another blanket over the still
form on the bed. “Could you pass me one of those bowls and a rag?”

“Sure.” Snatching up the requested items, Sabo approached the enormous bed.

Ace grinned and gently eased Luffy’s arms out from under the sheets and pushed up the sleeve of
the shirt Chopper had produced from somewhere for the younger pirate to wear. He dipped a rag
into the warm water, wrung it out tightly and started to carefully clean Luffy’s arms, scrubbing the
dirt and grime away. The ease and confidence with how he dealt with Luffy’s elasticated skin only
affirmed to Sabo it wasn’t the first time Ace had had to care for his little brother in this way.

“How are the other two?” Ace asked, interrupting the silence that had fallen over them and making
Sabo jump.

“Oh, well, Chopper’s got the woman stabilised for the time being. He’s nearly finished preparing
the antibiotics and he suspects she’ll turn around pretty quickly once he can give it to her. The
guy’s back is pretty wrecked but now she’s examined him, Kureha doesn’t think it’s as bad as she
first thought. She’s in theatre with him right now. She seemed to think she might be able to fix it
without invasive surgery.”

“Well, that’s something,” Ace reasoned.

Sabo grimaced. “Yeah, but it still sounds painful. She was talking about muscle and disc
manipulations and I swear she was putting together something that looks an awful lot like a rack.”
Ace shuddered. “How is Luffy?” the blond asked, somewhat hesitantly.

“Okay, I think. He’s not blue anymore, at least. He was muttering something about meat just
before you came in.”

“Meat, seriously? He wants to eat already?”

Ace was not a subtle man, which unfortunately meant he was unable to hide the shock that flashed
across his face. Sabo felt an unexpected stab of guilt deep in his chest; he had obviously asked a
stupid question. He could practically sense the comfortable comradery they had been building up
crumble around them.

Ace recovered quicker than the blond and smiled, but it looked forced. “Luffy would eat sleeping
if he could, and he has a crazy metabolism. Meat is his favourite food. You ever need to bribe him,
just offer him some.”

“I’ll bear that in mind,” he replied weakly. He tried desperately to overlook his faux pas. Ace
hadn’t called him out on it but that somehow made it worse. It was an unwelcome reminder that
despite all Ace had told him over the last few days the two pirates were virtually strangers
wouldn’t stop running through his mind.

He didn’t know them, not like he apparently should. Regardless of the apologetic glances Ace kept
shooting him while he resumed cleaning up Luffy, Sabo felt the heavy weight of the man’s
expectations settle on his shoulders like never before. Even knowing of Sabo’s amnesia and all it
meant, Ace had slipped up. He had been surprised he didn’t know something about Luffy. Sabo
felt more than a little foolish for feeling so agitated. It was inevitable Ace was going to slip up; it
was still a relatively new situation. But now there was Luffy to add into the equation too. Would
Luffy react the same way? Could he live with disappointing not one, but two people?

He hated he had reminded Ace he didn’t know everything about them anymore; that they weren’t
on the same page now. He had noticed more than once Ace occasionally waited an extra beat after
speaking, as if waiting for Sabo to say something, but he never knew what it was he was meant to
be saying.

If he was completely honest with himself, he found it a little unnerving Ace knew so much about
him; like how he had known immediately during their brief tour of the castle when they had found
the library that Sabo wasn’t going to be leaving it any time soon. For the first time in years, his
thoughts and actions were predictable and transparent. But what if those thoughts and actions
suddenly weren’t what they expected of him? What if he one day did something that showed them
he wasn’t the same person he used to be and never would be again?

Irrationally, panic filled him. He wanted to know them. He found Luffy fascinating and he couldn’t
remember ever having a male friend – for he could at least call Ace that – his own age and the
thought both of them could take away their offer of kinship made him feel slightly sick.

A tangle of bandages were thrust under his nose.

“Do you want to help me bind up his hands?” Ace asked, and Sabo could detect a hint of hesitation
in his voice. “You were always better at bandaging than me.”

“Meat.” It took him a second to realise he was the one who had spoken. Ace frowned, confused. “If
his metabolism is as crazy as you say, Luffy will need to eat as soon as he wakes up. You look like
you have things under control here, so I’ll go find some food.”

“But-”

“Besides,” he ploughed on, “what if Luffy wakes up and sees me?” Ace stared at him, bewildered.
Sabo took his chance and edged slowly towards the door. “It’s probably best if you’re the only one
with him. We don’t want him to hurt himself and undo all your hard work.” Sabo felt a little bad he
was calling on Ace’s big brother instincts to make an escape but he needed some space. He was
feeling increasingly suffocated under Ace’s heavy gaze.

“I guess,” Ace reluctantly agreed.

 Sabo was out the door before the other had finished speaking. As soon as the door clicked shut, he
collapsed against the wall, overwhelmed by the torrent of emotions running through him. Never
before had he felt so out of his depth. Dragon had said he could stay and get to know his family,
but what if when Luffy finally awoke, they decided they didn’t want to know him?

Forcing himself to take a deep, steadying breath, the blond could not shake the feeling that
everything between them hinged upon Luffy’s reaction. He would be the deciding factor, and to the
Revolutionary, who had spent the last ten years uncaring if he was hated and hunted by the
government for standing up to what he believed, the notion that he wanted to be liked was a strange
one.

Chapter End Notes

I'm counting this as a reunion, even if one of the parties is technically unconscious!
You'll have to tune in next week for Luffy's reaction :p

If you liked it please let me know, I’d love to hear your thoughts!
 Younger Brother
Chapter Notes

I really hope you all enjoy the full reunion! I've been excited to share it all week :D

“- wanted to be the captain but obviously I’m the captain! He’s a really good shot though. Oh! And
his dad is Yasopp! He’s Shank’s sniper and he’s really cool and Usopp kinda looks like him. Ah!
Did I tell you where I met Zoro? He was tied up outside a marine base – I forget why – but he can
fight with three swords and fought this hawk guy and now has a really cool scar running all the
way along here and did I tell you about Sanji yet? He’s - ”

Ace wasn’t entirely sure Luffy had even paused for breath once since he finally opened his eyes
several hours after his abrupt arrival. Luffy had taken one bleary eyed look at his big brother before
practically jumping out of bed in his excitement, still healing injuries be damned. Ace had been
quick to reassure him both his nakama – Sanji and Nami – were recovering well. He had heard
Kureha storming down the corridor less than ten minutes before Luffy had woken up and from the
fact he could hear her grumbling about idiots who would follow through with her aftercare or else,
he summarised both Luffy’s crewmates were on the mend.

Ace had to admit Sabo had probably had the right idea to let him break the news of the blond’s
survival to their little brother by himself. Luffy had been animated enough without the added
excitement of being confronted with Sabo face to face.

Speaking of the blond, Ace noted he hadn’t seen him since he had told him that he had found some
food. He had disappeared quickly, with the reassurance he would only be a few rooms away.

Ace had been relieved. He was concerned he had upset the blond with his stupid mistake earlier.
He scolded himself harshly for forgetting Sabo didn’t have any memories. It was harder than he
thought to remind himself that Sabo didn’t know everything he used to, and they were technically
getting to know one another all over again, despite all they had shared as children. It was just so
easy to fall into their old patterns.

Luffy wouldn’t do that, Ace was certain. Luffy adapted quicker than anyone else the pirate had
ever met to new situations and he had amazing instincts. Even if he did occasionally open his
mouth before engaging his brain. Ace wasn’t too proud to admit – now anyway, his ten-year-old
self would probably vigorously deny it – Makino might’ve been the one to teach him manners, but
it was Luffy who had ended up teaching him the most about interacting with people.

It was obvious to Ace that Sabo was concerned though. He had looked like a man waiting for the
other shoe to drop. Granted, Ace had spent the last couple of days trying not to let on he kept
catching Sabo staring at him, in disbelief most of the time. It was like he couldn’t believe he had a
family. It made Ace’s heart both ache with longing and rage at the world.

He would forever regret not having the power to protect Sabo from his father. If he had, Sabo
would never have needed to leave, he wouldn’t have been injured so severely and they could have
grown up together, like they should’ve in the first place. Whitebeard’s offer of joining his crew
hadn’t just appealed to him because he had craved the stability of family that Luffy provided and
spoilt him with. Whitebeard was also powerful. Being aligned with him gave him an influence few
other pirates would know. He would command respect because of the Jolly Roger on his back and
he would never let anyone take away his family again.

“-ce! ACE!”

“What?” he started out of his thoughts. He jerked back when Luffy prodded him in the forehead.
“Stop poking me!”

“But you weren’t listening! You’re just staring at nothing,” the younger pouted.

“Sorry, Luffy,” he apologised sheepishly. “What were you saying?” He internally berated himself
as soon as the words were out. He was delaying telling Luffy about the very important person only
a few rooms away, simply because he wasn’t sure how to raise the subject. If someone - even
Luffy - had walked up to him and said “hey, by the way, Sabo’s alive,” he would have punched
them. He would have been cursing them with the same ferocity he cursed Gol. D Roger if they had
even dared to speak such words.

“Ah, doesn’t matter. You’ll meet the rest of my crew later. You will, won’t you?” Ace nodded
eagerly. He wanted to meet the crew who were crazy enough to sail with his brother. Luffy
practically beamed.

“I’m surprised you managed to get this far so fast with only the five of you,” Ace admitted.

Luffy laughed. “Yeah, Nami said we were making good progress. I didn’t think I’d run into you
this close to the Red Line though. I thought we wouldn’t see each other for ages yet. I hoped to be
the Pirate King before we did,” he admitted.

“That’s gonna take you years! You were seriously willing to wait that long before you ran into me?
‘Cos I hate to break it to you, but I don’t think even the Grand Line is big enough to avoid me for
that long,” the older pirate snorted, not at all surprised Luffy wanted to have achieved his goal
before prioritising seeking out his brother.

“Of course! Besides, you said it didn’t matter where we were in the world, or if we were on
different crews, we’d still be brothers. But I’m gonna be the Pirate King!” Luffy grinned widely,
asserting his claim.

Ace drew in a deep breath. Luffy couldn’t have given him a better opening if he’d tried. He rose
from the chair beside Luffy’s bed to settle on the fluffy mattress at his brother’s feet. Luffy
watched him curiously, his dark eyes suddenly much more alert.

“Right, funny you should say that,” he started.

“Are my nakama okay?” Luffy butted in, his brow furrowed in concern.

“What? Yeah, they’re fine. I already told you that,” he explained, suddenly worried his brother
might’ve hit his head on the way up the mountain and he was still confused if he couldn’t
remember what Ace had said barely twenty minutes earlier.

“Oh, I know you did. You just looked so serious, I thought it must be about them,” the younger
pirate admitted.

“Sorry, it’s nothing to do with them. It’s actually about someone else we know.”

“Gramps?” Luffy whispered, eyes wide and a heavy dose of fear on his face.
Ace shook his head quickly. “No! No, no! By some miracle, I haven’t actually run into him since I
left Dawn Island. Have you?”

“No,” the other admitted. “So, who were you talking about?”

Ace’s stomach churned uncomfortably with a mixture of nerves, excitement and relief that he
could finally share with Luffy one of the most miraculous things either one of them could’ve
wished for.

“Okay, Luffy, I’m gonna need you to stay calm and not run off before I’ve finished explaining the
entire situation. Do you think you can do that for me?” Ace pleaded. For both his brothers’ sakes,
he needed Luffy to listen to the whole story before they went to find Sabo. It would make
everything much easier if they were all on the same page.

Luffy stared at him, his face a picture of concentration and he nodded slowly.

Ace drew in a deep breath. “It’s about Sabo.”

“Sabo?” Luffy scrunched up his face in confusion, which was justified in Ace’s opinion. It was rare
for either of them to mention their blond brother – firstly because it had been too painful, and
secondly because they had both had the bad habit of turning to speak to him and finding he wasn’t
actually stood next to them. It had made it easier on them both to just not speak of him, and Dadan
and the bandits had followed their example. Though that hadn’t meant they had ever forgotten him,
not at all. Ace was very aware Sabo had never been too far from their thoughts over the last ten
years.

“What about Sabo? Did you find out something about who killed him?”

Ace could tell from the dark glint in Luffy’s eyes that if Ace said yes, he had found the person
responsible for taking Sabo away from them, Luffy would willingly drop whatever path he was
currently on, the consequences be damned.

“Luffy… Sabo’s alive,” he said softly, a small smile breaking out on his face.

“Huh?” The little colour Luffy had managed to recover since coming in from the freezing mountain
rapidly drained from his cheeks. “Sabo…what?”

“Sabo’s alive,” he repeated.

Ace had naturally expected an explosion of excitement and explanations. Sabo had explained his
encounter with Luffy in Logue Town, and there was absolutely no way Luffy would’ve missed the
familiarities between their ‘deceased’ brother and the blond man who had assisted him. But Luffy
remained worryingly quiet and unnaturally still, with his fringe falling forward and shielding his
eyes from his brother’s gaze.

“Luffy?” Ace finally prompted, unable to take the silence any longer.

The younger raised his head and tears were streaming down his face. “Sabo’s really alive?” he
sniffed, ignoring his damp face and staring imploringly at his brother, the disbelief clearly audible
in his voice.

Ace couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face, steadfastly ignoring his own wet eyes and
nodded. Only Luffy could possibly understand the enormity of their current situation and Ace
reached for the younger, dragging him into a bone crushing hug. “Yeah, he’s alive!” Ace choked
out, liking the words more and more with each moment. Now he could finally share the joy with
his little brother, it was finally beginning to feel real.

Luffy squirmed in his arms, pulling back, his face a picture of delight and Ace had to grab his arm
to stop him falling straight off the bed in his enthusiasm.

“Where’s Sabo? I wanna see him!”

“Whoa, whoa! Luffy, you need to hear the rest of it first!” Ace implored. “It’s important!”

Luffy cocked his head, curious, and sat back down. Ace released a sigh of relief. “The rest of it?”

Ace took a deep breath and started talking.

xxx

Soft voices just behind the closed door drew Sabo’s attention away from the book he had been
trying in vain to read. One he recognised as Ace, which meant the other was certainly Luffy, since
he doubted Ace would leave the younger’s side until he was satisfied he wasn’t suffering any ill
effects from his trek up the mountain.

The door handle turned slowly, and the voices fell silent. Sabo gently laid the book down on the
table and rose to his feet, unconsciously tilting his head until his hair fell across the scar. Ace
stepped through first, leading the way and the blond noticed he immediately gave the room a subtle
sweep – an unconscious motion Sabo had noticed him doing many times upon entering a new
space.

A round face, his hair still in complete disarray from his prolonged rest, peered around Ace
eagerly. Sabo was pleased to see Luffy’s cheeks were flushed with a healthy rosy glow, a stark
improvement from when they’d found him outside, and he had changed back into his clothes.

There was a moment’s pause as the two studied each other, Ace hovering nervously in the middle.
And then Luffy started talking.

“It’s really Sabo! You’re not dead! Wait until Dadan hears you’re alive! NO! Wait until Dogra
hears you’re alive! He’ll be so happy! He was so upset when he told us what happened to you.
Hey, that’s a really cool scar! Is that from when your boat exploded? Can you see out of your eye?
Does it still hurt? I hope it doesn’t ‘cos that’d really suck. Is that why you have a mystery memory
problem? Ace told me you don’t remember us, and might not ever, and I don’t care! I mean, it
sucks you don’t remember building our tree house, or that time we went hunting! Oh, wait – we
hunted every day. Never mind then! We had ramen once, do you still like it? You used to really
like - ”

Sabo was alarmed. He wasn’t quite sure what he had expected but Luffy attempting to talk his head
off was not it. He shared a dumbfounded glance with Ace, who looked as stunned as the blond, and
he shrugged helplessly as if to say he had no idea what to do about the continuous stream of words
coming from his brother either.

Sabo felt his concern growing, because he wasn’t entirely sure Luffy had drawn a single breath
since he entered the room and he could see trembles starting to wrack the small, lithe frame. Sabo
wasn’t sure if it was the aftereffects of his earlier physical exertion, or something else.

He turned back to Luffy, who was still talking, seemingly undeterred he had momentarily lost
Sabo’s attention.

Oddly, Sabo found his attention being drawn to Luffy’s hands. From the few minutes he had had in
the presence of the headstrong pirate back in East Blue, and the tales Ace had told him, he had
pictured Luffy as someone lacking in spacial awareness. He had imagined him waving his arms all
over the place and bouncing on the spot, but instead, Luffy stood nearly motionless, the only
movement being his hands, which thanks to his devil fruit, he had quite literally twisted into knots,
presumably because he was nervous.

The blond was struck with the sudden clarity that Luffy was in a very similar position to himself.
They were both meeting all over again, with preconceived ideas of the other, thanks to Ace, who
had told each of them about the other and unknowingly causing them both to ponder the same
question.

What if I don’t live up to what Ace’s told him?

The realisation calmed Sabo’s nerves immediately.

“- yelled when we stole her sake. She - ”

“Luffy,” Sabo interrupted.

Luffy immediately fell silent, but the trembling continued, and if anything, seemed to increase. The
elder finally recognised it for what it was though; a valiant effort on the pirate’s part to hold
himself back.

Sabo smiled softly. There really was only one solution. He opened his arms. It was all the invite
Luffy needed and he threw himself across the room and into the blond’s embrace, large fat tears
flowing unheeded down his face.

As a general rule, none of the Revolutionaries were overly affectionate, instead choosing to focus
on getting the job done. One might get a firm handshake, or a congratulatory slap on the back
every now and then, but rarely did they hug, so Sabo had no real comparison to go on. But he
could admit to himself with some certainty the hug Luffy had him quite literally wrapped up in was
easily the best he had ever received. True, it was a little painful, he privately confessed; Luffy
might’ve been skinny, but he was shockingly strong. It was also more than a little wet from the
tears that drenched the front of his shirt, but he had never felt so loved.

Once again, the rush of affection he felt towards the teen was overwhelming, but Sabo pushed it
aside. He would have time to work through his own muddled thoughts later, when they had all
calmed down. Luffy gave his affection so freely, it was impossible not to be taken in by him, and as
Luffy continued to sob into his shoulder, he thought he finally understood why Ace adored the kid
so much.

He glanced over to the other dark-haired pirate in the room, who had been suspiciously quiet
during the other two’s interactions. Sabo saw him trying to discreetly wipe away the fresh tear
tracks dampening his own face. But what amazed Sabo the most, was Ace was sporting possibly
the biggest grin he had ever seen. Even as the blond returned it, he wondered why the idea of Ace
experiencing such joy seemed odd to him.

Ace finally approached them and gently tapped Luffy atop his head.

“Hey, come on, let Sabo breathe a bit, yeah?” he teased.

Luffy sniffed loudly and finally released Sabo from the tight grip he had him locked in. He
scrubbed his face roughly before raising his head, and grinning widely.

“Hi, Sabo!”
Sabo burst into laughter. “Hi, Luffy!”

“Most people open with that!” Ace snorted, amused and he ruffled Luffy’s hair affectionately.

Sabo hummed thoughtfully. “You didn’t. If I recall correctly, you knocked me over and a small
mob ended up chasing us. At no point do I remember you saying hello.”

“I apologised for that!”

“You did. But you still didn’t say hello.”

Luffy laughed joyfully, but he was cut off abruptly when his stomach growled loudly. He patted
his stomach forlornly. “I’m hungry!”

“What a surprise!” Ace teased.

“I wonder how many meals I missed? I hope it wasn’t too many.”

Sabo opened his mouth, ready to explain he had found some supplies in the kitchen a few floors
down but the study door opening cut him off.

They all turned to see a tall, lanky young man, his blond hair partially obscuring his face,
practically collapse into the door frame and which looked to be the only thing keeping him upright.
He held himself stiffly, as if he was in pain, with one arm wrapped protectively around his midriff
and he looked just as surprised to see them, as they were to see him.

“Sanji!” Luffy cried excitedly, while Sabo shared a mystified look with Ace behind the younger
pirate’s back. Ace didn’t look like he expected to see Luffy’s crewmate on his feet so soon either.

Sanji nodded in greeting and – gingerly, Sabo observed, like he was unsure his knees weren’t going
to buckle at a moment’s notice – stepped inside.

“Are you okay now?” Luffy asked.

“Yeah. Well, I feel like my back’s been wrenched but yeah, I’m fine,” he said, eyes darting around
the room quickly. “Where’s Nami-swan?”

“Nami-swan?” Ace muttered quietly, looking thoroughly bemused at the apparent endearment.
Sabo tried not to laugh; he wondered what Koala’s reaction would be to someone calling her
‘Koala-swan’. In fact, Sabo mused, he didn’t need to, he knew what would happen and it would
probably be very painful.

“I don’t know where Nami is, I haven’t seen her yet.”

“WHAT?!”

Sabo had to forcefully stop himself from taking a half step back at the ferocity of Sanji’s shout.
The only thing that stopped him was that Luffy remained completely motionless, barely even
flinching at the volume directed at him. Sanji was clearly more bark than bite, or at least he was
when with his captain.

“You left her alone?! In this huge, creepy castle? Anything could happen to my precious Nami-
swan!” Sanji groaned, patting his shirt and finally pulling out a crumpled packet of cigarettes and a
lighter.

“Ace said she was fine. A mystery doctor has been looking after her,” Luffy shrugged,
unconcerned.

Sanji frowned, confused. “Ace?” he asked, finally appearing to realise it wasn’t just Luffy in the
room.

Ace saluted the blond in a lazy greeting. “That’d be me.”

“I’m still hungry! Sanji! Cook me some meat!” Luffy demanded, practically bouncing around his
crewmate. He reminded Sabo of an overeager puppy.

Sanji huffed out a plume of smoke. “Stupid captain! Does this look like a kitchen? Where the hell
am I meant to get meat right now?”

“AH!”

Sabo was pleased to notice he wasn’t the only one who jumped at the unexpected cry. They all
turned to the still open door. Chopper stood, staring in disbelief back at them. His little black eyes
were darting frantically back and forth between Luffy and Sanji.

“You shouldn’t be up yet! Either of you! Oh, what if the doctor saw you out of bed already? You
both need to get back to your rooms and rest and…” he trailed off uncertainly.

Luffy and Sanji were both staring unblinkingly at the little creature. Sabo frowned at the pair,
unsure of what to make of their expressions. He caught Ace’s eye and nodded minutely.

Ace sighed and stepped forward. “Luffy, this is - ”

“MEAT!”

Chopper shrieked and shot out the door, Luffy hot on his heels, and Sanji, still rather wobbly, not
far behind.

Ace stared dumbly at the spot of air that Luffy had just vacated, before huffing, annoyed. They
both grimaced at the crashes, bangs and shouts that echoed back towards them.

“Hurry up, Sanji!”

“Luffy! Hold up will you? I need to cook it first!”

“HEY! Wait! Meat-san, stop running!”

Sabo rubbed his forehead, trying to ward off the headache he could feel creeping up on him.

“Hey,” Ace said, draping an arm around the blond’s slumped shoulders. “How long do you reckon
we have until the good witch doctor tosses us out of here on our arses?”

Sabo considered the question thoughtfully, pointedly ignoring another crash, this one sounding
even further away. “Not long if Luffy decides to eat her assistant,” he concluded sagely.

Ace heaved a loud sigh. Sabo staggered slightly when Ace collapsed his weight into his side. “I
figured. Guess we’d better go rescue him.”

Sabo wasn’t at all fooled by the act. He could clearly see from the badly hidden upturned corner of
his mouth Ace was secretly delighted, and possibly more amused than he had any right to be, by
Luffy’s energetic antics. And Sabo couldn’t deny it was good to see Luffy looking so animated
again.
“Which ‘him’ do you mean? Chopper or Luffy?” he asked teasingly and ducked out from under
Ace’s arm sharply, causing the other to stumble at the sudden lack of support.

“Luffy, of course. He’s quick, but he’s never actually managed to catch a deer before.”

“Actually, Chopper’s a reindeer.”

“Whatever, Mr Know-It-All.”

xxx

“BROTHERS?!”

Even as Luffy laughed at his crewmates’ twin shouts of shock, Sabo, leant unobtrusively against
the bookcase in the rather pleasant room Kureha had allocated to Nami, wondered when the
novelty of people referring to him a brother to Ace and Luffy would wear off, if it ever did. It has
so far taken him some embarrassingly long seconds each time he was introduced as such to realise
Ace and Luffy were in fact referring to him. He hoped that passed quickly, it was like experiencing
emotional whiplash every time it occurred, because it was still such a jarring thought.

Ace, however, seemed to revel in the recognition, dipping into a small bow and smirking at the
others’ shock. He also seemed to enjoy showing off, Sabo had discovered, because he had caught
Luffy and Sanji in what was probably a record time and had easily manhandled them into Nami’s
room when Chopper announced, very nervously, she was awake. The little creature had made
himself scarce, which was probably for the best, because even after a quick meal, Sabo was sure he
could hear Luffy’s stomach still growling from the other side of the room.

“Yep! This is Ace, and that’s Sabo!”

Sabo tipped his hat in greeting when two pairs of eyes snapped towards him. Neither one were
particularly subtle in their roving eyes and he could see them both taking in the so very obvious
differences in appearance, and he had to resist the urge to squirm. With his pale skin, blond hair
and bright blue eyes, he was as light was to shadow when compared to Ace and Luffy who, with
their much darker features, could very easily pass for blood relatives – although Ace had admitted
to Sabo, as soon as he’d cottoned on to the different surnames, they weren’t actually related, as far
as they were aware, anyway. Ace hadn’t been able to explain the shared initial but considering both
his parents had died before he was even a day old, he had been confident in his assertion.

Nami and Sanji brushed past the more obvious queries – either out of politeness, or maybe they
just didn’t care, Sabo wasn’t quite sure – and immediately launched a flurry of questions at their
captain, Nami’s voice finally rising above the other’s.

“Why didn’t you mention you had two brothers who were both on the Grand Line?” she demanded,
and somehow despite the fact she was sat in bed with half a dozen blankets piled on top of her, and
her cheeks were still flushed with the aftermath of her illness, she struck quite the intimidating
figure. “Do you realise how helpful it would’ve been to have some first-hand accounts of what to
expect when we crossed over the Red Line? We might not have hit that whale!”

“Oh, you hit Laboon? Bad idea. He doesn’t like that,” said Sabo. Luffy shrugged sheepishly.

“See, that’s the advice I’m talking about!” Nami snapped, gesturing towards him.

“Laboon? That thing has a name?” Ace asked, surprised.

Sabo nodded. “Yeah. He followed a pirate ship to the cape after losing his pod. They had to leave
him behind though, since the Grand Line was too dangerous for such a young whale.”

Ace stared at him, the expression on his face one of complete bemusement. “How do you know
this stuff?”

“Because I talk to people, Ace,” he teased. He had crossed the Red Line many a time over the
years and it was always a pleasure to see Laboon and Crocus, who had some of the most awe-
inspiring tales that Sabo had always itched to put onto paper, but the old man had politely asked he
defer until he was no longer around to deal with the fuss and bother they might cause. Crocus had
actually been pretty instrumental to Sabo’s healing after the tenryuubito attack. He had insisted the
Revolutionaries spent at least a week at the cape, worried the rough seas and possible threats were
a real danger to Sabo potentially ever making a full recovery, and Dragon had conceded to his
medical advice.

“Kids,” Kureha muttered darkly from her spot at the small table. She took a deep swing of her sake,
before tossing it aside to join the other empties and producing another from who-knows-where.
Sabo seriously wanted to examine the underside of all the tables and chairs because the bottles just
kept appearing.

“Hey!” Luffy cried, spinning on the spot to face Kureha. “You’re a doctor. We need a doctor. Join
my crew, Oba-chan!”

Kureha’s gaze darkened alarmingly fast. “Oba-chan? Who the hell are you calling Oba-chan?! I’m
a spry one hundred and thirty-nine!” A booted foot landed squarely atop Luffy’s head and he hit
the floor with a loud thump.

“Wow,” Sanji drawled. “She’s not wrong. She is spry.”

Luffy groaned and sat up on the floor to stare forlornly up at the doctor glaring down at him.
“You’re mean, Oba-chan!” Sabo winced as Luffy took another hit and added ‘absolutely no sense
of self-preservation’ to the list of things he’d learnt about Luffy in the last twenty-four hours.

“He’s not very quick on the uptake, is he?” Sabo observed, somewhat despairingly.

“Nope!” Ace grinned. “When we first met, I spent the first three months finding new and inventive
ways of tossing him off the mountain and he still kept coming back. None of your ideas worked
either, by the way.”

“Seriously?”

“Shouldn’t you know that?”

Ace and Sabo both swivelled their heads towards the young woman still sat primly in the bed.
There was a deep set frown on her face.

“Know what?” Ace asked.

“Shouldn’t Sabo’ve known that about Luffy, since you’re brothers,” she said, somewhat haltingly.

“Sabo has anaemia!” Luffy cut in quickly, surprising them all.

“Amnesia! It’s amnesia! Anaemia is something completely different!” Kureha snapped briskly,
dropping back into her chair with a huff.

“Yeah, that!” Luffy grinned, unperturbed at the doctor’s anger of his butchering of medical terms.
“How…” Nami started, tentatively, before cutting herself off, realising how rude the question
might be.

Sabo smiled at her softly. “I had an accident when I was ten. Ace and Luffy didn’t realise I’d
survived it,” he explained, ignoring Ace’s grumblings of “some accident”.

“Are you both pirates too, then?” Sanji asked, speaking up before an awkward silence could
descend upon them.

“I am,” Ace smirked.

“No,” Sabo admitted.

“What?!” Luffy whirled around to him, surprise written across his face. “You’re not a pirate? How
come? You always wanted to be a pirate!”

Sabo smiled sadly. “Luffy, I don’t remember ever wanting to be a pirate. I work with the
Revolutionary Army.”

“The who?” chorused three confused voices.

“Well, you all sound crazy to me. Who in the world wants to live a life on the sea,” Kureha broke
in with a grumble.

Luffy whirled around, immediately distracted, much to the blond’s relief, since it would take a long
time to answer everyone’s questions about the Revolutionaries and he honestly wasn’t one hundred
percent sure Luffy would fully understand the implications regardless. And Sabo had the odd
desire not to let Luffy, or even Ace, fully understand the dangers of being involved with the
Revolutionaries. It wasn’t like being a pirate, where if you had enough of a reputation you were
offered clemency in the form of the shichibukai. If Sabo was ever caught, he was going to the
execution platform, and probably only after an uncomfortable spell in Impel Down where CP9
would no doubt torture him within an inch of his life to find out what secrets he had uncovered.

No, Luffy and Ace didn’t need to know the full extent of such a possibility, Sabo thought to
himself.

“Hey,” Ace nudged his arm, dragging him from his thoughts. “Is he meant to be hiding, or what?”

Sabo followed his gaze to the doorway, where Chopper hovered nervously, his face partially
obscured but his back end remained fully in sight. Sabo could see Ace was staring at the little
creature thoughtfully, but he couldn’t work out what Ace was seeing in him. Deciding not to pry,
Sabo shrugged, undeterred by the noise of Luffy and Sanji streaking past the pair of them in yet
another effort to catch the reindeer.

“It’s the meat again!”

“Luffy, seriously! You need to let me cook it first!”

Kureha looked downright furious, and reached under the table. “I’ll cook the pair of you!” she
snarled, rising to her feet, a butcher’s knife of all things in her hand.

Nami looked suitably alarmed, but Ace calmly stepped forward and snatched the blade from her
hands, tossing it over his shoulder to Sabo, who caught it easily and set it upon the top of a
bookshelf, high out of Kureha’s immediate reach.
“No need for any bloodshed. I’ll go sort them out.” He turned a stunned Nami and bowed deeply.
“Sorry for disturbing your rest.”

“Amazing,” Nami muttered, as Ace ducked out the room.

“What is?” Sabo wondered.

“Luffy’s big brothers are actually polite! Are you really brothers?”

Sabo could only laugh.

xxx

Deep in the shadows of the corridor, Ace stood with his bare back lent against the freezing stones,
uncaring of the chill, and arms crossed.

Chopper was slowly walking towards him, his little hooves making a reassuring click against the
floor. Ace couldn’t help but notice the heavy set of the reindeer’s shoulders, like the weight of the
world had suddenly been rested upon them.

In the distance, their voices echoing off the walls and carried on the icy wind that whipped through
the castle, Luffy and Sanji were chatting excitedly to one another, their quest to catch Chopper
halted abruptly with a single piece of knowledge.

“Hold on a minute, did that thing just speak?!”

“Huh, yeah! And it was standing on two feet!”

“MONSTER!”

Chopper actually flinched as the word bounced off the walls around them, and hunched down, as if
trying to shield himself from its very meaning.

The sadness flickering across the furred face reminded Ace sharply of another young boy who had
stood before his brothers, his face shielded by the rim of his top hat, and admitted he was a born
noble. The looks of shame and dismay were identical, despite the decade that stood between them.

Ace shifted against the wall, the motion catching the reindeer’s attention. The little creature paused
before raising his head bravely, despite the tears threatening to overflow. Ace continued to peer
down at him thoughtfully.

“What?” he snapped, defensively.

Ace shrugged and let himself slide down the wall until he was crouched and eye level with the
reindeer.

“Nothing, you just remind me of my brother,” he revealed.

Chopper’s eyebrows shot up in disbelief and he glanced over his shoulder, back towards where
Luffy could still be heard shouting excitedly.

Ace snorted at the silent communication. “No, not that menace. Sabo, you remind me of him.”

“How?” Chopper frowned.

The pirate smiled gently. “Because neither one of you fit the mould you were born into. Sabo was
born a noble,” he explained, and Chopper’s eyes widened in shock. “But he was so different to
those other snot nosed bastards who called themselves his parents that he left.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Chopper asked, confused.

“He saved himself by leaving - both times,” Ace grudgingly admitted, because while he hated the
circumstances surrounding Sabo’s departure of Dawn Island, he could understand why he’d done
it. And why he hadn’t returned to them in the forest. Ace had been fooling himself as a child that
they could’ve stood up to Sabo’s father, but the reality was they had been completely powerless
and no one had understood that better than his brother. “He had the courage to walk away and
accept who he is. You could too,” he said.

Chopper stared at him, and for a second, Ace didn’t think his words registered with the reindeer,
before he snorted in disbelief and made to brush past Ace’s knees. He didn’t get a chance to reply,
though, before Luffy’s voice blasted down the corridor.

“MONSTER! Join our crew!”

Chopper froze, Luffy’s words freezing him into place.

Ace smirked at his little brother’s once again impeccable timing.

“You should seriously consider his offer,” he advised, and pushed himself back to his feet. “Luffy
won’t steer you wrong and he won’t care what you are, only who.”

Now only able to see the top of Chopper’s pink hat, Ace smiled fondly when he heard a loud sniff,
and the reindeer reached up to scrub at his face quickly.

“How…how do you know that?” he asked the pirate softly, and Ace was reminded of just how
young Chopper still was.

“Because he’s Luffy,” Ace said with a casual shrug. “Think about it. But not for too long because
Luffy doesn’t ever take no for an answer.”

“There he is! Monster! Come here!”

Chopper shrieked and dashed around Ace, who had to flatten himself against the wall in an effort
not to get run over by Luffy and Sanji. Ace chuckled to himself and followed sedately in the trio’s
wake, confident there was no rush now Luffy had discovered Chopper was potentially more
interesting than just food.

They all missed the figure concealed in the darkest shadows, not far from where Ace had hidden
himself only minutes before.

Sabo tugged the rim of his top hat, agitatedly. “Noble, huh?” he whispered, silently acknowledging
Ace had omitted a few details when telling him about his family. The idea wasn’t new though, all
those who had assisted in his rescue and recovery had had their suspicions. And it really didn’t
change a thing, Sabo concluded, forcing himself to put one foot in front of the other, and search out
with his haki to find where the others had disappeared to. He was a Revolutionary and by Ace’s
account, he had left that life behind more than once. If it took them believing him to be dead for
him to attain freedom, then Sabo really didn’t regret leaving. The only remorse he felt was he
couldn’t have kept the knowledge of Ace and Luffy’s existence. If he had, he might’ve been able to
write to them, to let them know he had made it; that he had survived.

The blond froze, distracted by the sense of yet more people approaching the castle. Sabo rushed to
a window, unable to comprehend there were even more people atop the mountain. Kureha was
going to pitch a fit when she realised.

He squinted through the misted up window, trying to determine the identity of their further
unexpected guests, thankful Ace’s mera mera no mi had kept the snow at bay.

“Doctor!”

Sabo jerked around, surprised to hear such panic in the little reindeer’s voice.

“Doctor! It’s Wapol! He’s back!”

 Conflict at the Summit
Chapter Notes

Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I hope you all enjoyed the reunion!
I had debated breaking this chapter into two considering it's nearly 7k long but couldn't
find a spot that didn't mess with the flow so you get a slightly longer chapter this week

With his boots echoing against the stone floor and black coat flaring behind him, Sabo cut quite
the striking figure, striding confidently towards the castle doors. Annoyance warred with worry for
the castle’s two stubborn residents, who he could already sense outside the safety of the walls. He
had no doubt both Kureha and Chopper could take care of themselves, they lived in a frigid
wasteland, but they had no idea how many people Wapol had decided to bring along and Sabo was
willing to bet there was more to Wapol’s desertion than either had said. When Sabo had informed
them of his possible return, Chopper’s reaction alone had been more than enough to indicate they
had some bad history between them.

“Seems like the Revolutionaries tip was right on the money,” Ace said by way of greeting, once he
joined him at the entrance, Luffy already dashing ahead.

“What can I say? We have good connections,” the blond agreed.

Luffy’s cry of recognition had them both hurrying out in the bitter cold after him.

It was a tense stand-off that greeted them. One side, stood Wapol, his already overweight figure
exaggerated even more so by the tin-plate armour he had somehow forced his body into. He was
flanked by two others as equally odd in appearance, and none of them looked at all happy, their
gazes drawn to the black pirate flag flapping above them.

On the other side of the battlefield, who, even with their backs to him, Sabo could tell were glaring,
were Kureha and Chopper; the doctor the more relaxed of the two but the Revolutionary knew she
was poised to launch an attack if it proved at all necessary. And Sabo suspected it would. From the
furious expression on Wapol’s face, he knew they had a fight on their hands. The man looked in no
way prepared to give up the rights to his castle easily.

“Hey! It’s him!” Luffy pointed accusingly at Wapol whose attention snapped to the three new
arrivals.

“You know him?” Ace asked, surprised.

“Yeah! He tried to eat the Going Merry!”

Sabo blinked in bemusement. “What’s the Going Merry?”

“Our ship!”

“Wait a minute, he tried to eat your ship?” Ace turned to the blond. “Any idea what Devil Fruit
would let him do that?”

Sabo hummed thoughtfully, mentally running through the list of possibilities he was aware of.
There were more than half a dozen paramecia types which would allow a human to consume non-
perishables but without knowing of any possible side effects of such a fruit, Sabo was at a loss.

“He tried to eat me, too,” Luffy added, almost as an afterthought.

Ace sighed and shook his head. “I guess it was too much to ask you’d broken the habit of allowing
yourself to get eaten by things you shouldn’t, wouldn’t it?”

“That happens often?” the blond dared to ask.

“Frequently,” the older pirate assured him with a ‘what-can-you-do?’ shrug.

How Luffy managed to let himself get eaten often enough it could be described as ‘frequently’,
Sabo didn’t know, but if anyone was going to do it, it would be Luffy, the Revolutionary supposed,
stepping aside and letting the said pirate dash past him, straight towards Wapol.

“I’ve got a score to settle with you guys!” Luffy shouted angrily.

“AH! Lord Wapol! It’s Strawhat!”

Sabo glanced sideways at Ace, who didn’t look at all concerned his little brother was barrelling
down on the man who Luffy had just admitted had tried to eat him, so he mentally shrugged off his
own concern. He did, however, discretely reach and adjust the comforting weight of the metal pipe
resting against his back, thought he doubted he would need to use it.

While he hadn’t had much of an opportunity to watch Luffy fight when they were in Logue Town -
Luffy had spent most of the time Sabo had seen him either clamped in a pillory or pinned by a
marine captain - he had read the reports of Arlong’s defeat, so he was curious to see how Luffy
intended to actually deal with Wapol.

Kureha and Chopper both gasped in surprise when the pirate shot past them.

“What is he doing?” Kureha snapped, and while she made no move to follow, Sabo detected the
hint of concern underlying her voice. Sabo could understand why too. Luffy had been conscious
only a short while after his arduous climb up the mountain, but he knew Ace was probably the one
who knew Luffy’s limitations better than any of them, and he had barely moved a muscle since
they had planted themselves in front of the castle, so Sabo was willing to trust his judgment over
the doctor’s in this instance.

“Gum-gum…” Luffy’s right arm was suddenly barely a foot from Ace’s face, who barely even
blinked at the sudden appearance of a fist, and Sabo calculated Luffy’s arm was easily stretched
over forty feet. And it was still extending while Luffy continued to run straight for Wapol, who’s
eyes bulged at the pirate bearing down on him.

“…BULLET!” Luffy cried, his arm snapping back and delivering a one-fisted powerful blow
straight to the man’s face.

For several seconds, there was silence, until Wapol thudded heavily into the ground, having been
easily thrown dozens of meters. The lightning-fast reactions of his two lackeys was the only thing
that saved him from taking a rough tumble over the edge of the cliff and straight back down the
mountain.

“Ungh! How dare you attack King Wapol, the exalted ruler of the Drum Kingdom!”

“You’ll pay for your insolence!”

Luffy grinned. “Now we’re not on Merry, I don’t need to hold back anymore!” he announced
looking more than a little delighted by the prospect. Ace laughed heartily and even Kureha seemed
to find herself wanting to chuckle. The only one who still looked dazed was Chopper, who had
backed up to the point he was now nearly sitting on Ace’s feet.

“Did… did he just stretch?”

“Yeah.”

The new voice had Sabo glancing behind to see the Straw hat Pirate’s chef making his way
towards them, a small plume of smoke drifting around his head and his gait gave nothing away
about the pain he must still be feeling in his back, though, which earned him some of Sabo’s
further admiration. He noticed Nami wasn’t with him, however, and assumed she must’ve decided
to stay in the warmth and protection of the castle, which was no small amount of relief to the
blond, since he wasn’t entirely convinced she had entirely recovered yet, and she had been the
worst off of the three pirates on their arrival. If there was one person aboard any type of ship
besides the captain who was invaluable, it was a navigator.

“Luffy’s a rubber man,” Sanji explained to the young reindeer, finally drawing level with them.

“What’s that?” Chopper asked, puzzled.

Sanji grinned around his cigarette. “A monster.”

Chopper gasped and his gaze snapped back to Luffy, and Sabo could see the awe spreading across
his face. Ace nudged Chopper’s flank and winked at him. Sabo smiled and he had the sudden
suspicion Luffy may have just found his ship’s doctor after all.

“Hey! Did they say he was a king? So they’re not pirates?” Sanji asked, bemused.

“Nope, not pirates,” Sabo confirmed with a small shrug.

“You maggots!” the King in question suddenly spluttered, still on his hands and knees and
bleeding heavily from his nose where Luffy’s blow had landed. Sabo suspected it might even be
broken. “You’ve incurred my wrath! I’m going to eat you alive!”

“So, he does actually eat people? Wouldn’t that make him a cannibal?” Ace drawled, unperturbed
by the threat.

“It would,” Sabo confirmed sardonically.

Wapol rose to his feet and glared darkly at Ace, who grinned back, before his attention finally
landed on Sabo. His eyes lit up and Sabo had to suppress the urge to shudder at the feeling of eyes
wandering over him. “Ah, you look like an important person,” said Wapol, smiling and spreading
his arms as though waiting for applause. “Have you come to welcome me back to my home?”

“Something like that,” he replied softly, eyes narrowing.

“Well, don’t be shy! Who are you?” While it was posed as a question, Sabo detected the undertone
of demand and he was happy to supply the answer.

“Sabo… of the Revolutionary Army.”

Wapol blanched and the grin froze on his face.

“I think you broke him,” said Ace, helpfully.

“Th-there’s only one Revolutionary, Your Majesty,” one of the buffoons associates was quick to
point out, which privately amused the blond.

“Ah, quite right! There’s only one of you! Is this all the Revolutionaries can afford to spare?
Pathetic!” Wapol laughed.

Sabo couldn't help but smirk at the tyrant King's arrogant dismissal. It was a mistaken observation
many had made in the past and one he never got tired of correcting.

After all, there was a reason he was one of Dragon's top agents.

xxx

Ace glared at the still laughing King. He was offended on his brother’s behalf; for them to think
Sabo alone wasn’t enough to deal with the Idiots Three was a joke. He may not have seen Sabo
fight recently but he seriously doubted he had lost any of his fighting prowess in the last ten years.

“You really shouldn’t laugh. There’s a reason there’s only one of me.”

Sabo’s normally pleasant and polite voice had suddenly take on a rather ominous tone, surprising
the pirate. He hadn’t raised his voice in any way, yet the unspoken promise was as clear as if he’d
shouted to the skies. Ace turned to the blond and his eyes widened at the steely expression that
greeted him; his brother’s blue eyes were narrowed and glinting dangerously in the direction of the
King. Ace rather hoped he was never subjected to such a glare because honestly, it was rather
terrifying.

He wasn’t sure what to make of the sight, and by the looks of Kureha and Sanji’s uneasy stares,
neither did they. Ace was used to Sabo being the ‘gentle’ one; the one who could temper Ace’s
more aggressive moods with a few well-chosen words and a cheeky grin. But that Sabo was
nowhere to seen; gone was the soft-spoken brother Luffy liked to call the nice one, and in his place
was the Revolutionary; a Revolutionary who looked more than capable of toppling kingdoms if he
so desired.

Wapol’s forced and shaky laughter snatched the pirate’s attention and he turned back to the King,
conscious the oppressive stare Sabo had been forcing upon the man had diminished. In fact, Sabo
was no longer focused on the King at all, but was looking around, his face still partially hidden by
the brim of his hat.

“Where’s Luffy gone?” he asked quietly.

Ace glanced around too and noticed there was a distinct lack of noise beyond Wapol’s incessant
blustering.

“He suddenly realised he was cold, so he went to get a coat,” said Sanji.

Ace frowned. “He could’ve said, I can just heat up the area.”

“No thank you!” Kureha snapped, back still to them. “You’ve melted enough of my heap of rock
today.”

“Why’d you care so much about this heap of rock, anyway?” Ace retorted. While it served to offer
solitude, which Kureha and Chopper both seemed to prefer - although whether it was originally
their own choices to live such lives, Ace wasn’t one hundred percent sure - it offered little else.
Ace couldn’t understand the attraction. They were on a winter island, there must be hundreds of
other quiet cubby holes dotted all over the place.

“I have no interest in this place at all,” Kureha admitted, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.
“But this fellow insisted on erecting a memorial to Hiriluk here.”

“Whoa!”

Ace had seen many things on the Grand Line, but watching a four-legged reindeer turn into a giant
furry human was definitely a first.

“I get what you meant now,” he said to Sabo, who raised an inquisitive brow at him. “When you
asked if he was a reindeer or human.” Sabo grinned.

“King Wapol, its- ”

“It’s the monster! Hiriluk’s monster! It followed him here!”

If possible, Chopper seemed to grow even taller. His fists clenched into tight balls at his sides and
he took a few menacing steps forward.

“Dr Hiriluk just wanted to save this country,” he half growled. “I’m not going to let you set one
foot in this castle! And I won’t let you take down his flag!”

Ace and Sabo turned as one and stared up the black pirate flag fluttering above them in the breeze.
Ace’s heart clenched. He could completely relate to Chopper’s passionate declaration. Ace wore
two jolly rogers with equal pride and joy. He couldn’t imagine anyone daring to deface either one
of them and he wouldn’t spare the life of the one who tried.

“Show no mercy! Kill them all!” Wapol ordered brusquely, his face red with fury.

“Are you going to fight too, Oba-san?” Sanji asked, stepping up beside Chopper without hesitation.

“Only if you can’t handle it, I suppose,” Kureha replied with a smirk.

“Thanks!”

Ace snorted at the cook’s sarcasm.

“For turning this castle into a memorial for that bumbling quack, you’ll die first, Doctor Kureha!”

“Doctor!”

For all his sudden size, Ace was suddenly reminded just how young, and probably inexperienced,
Chopper was in confrontations. He had his transformation powers and intelligence on his side, but
none of it translated into action that would save Kureha from a direct hit. Thankfully, Sanji was on
the case and blocked the ball of hair with one leg, not even dropping his cigarette in the process.

“Who are those goons?” Sabo asked, motioning with a graceful nod to the two men with Wapol.

“The one who looks like a boxer with the afro is Kuromarimo. The other jester guy is Chess. They
were the Magistrate and Head of Staff when Wapol lived here,” Kureha explained, watching Sanji
hop around trying to rid himself of the ball of static hair now attached to him hopelessly.

“What the hell is this stuff? Reindeer, help me get it off!”

“Ah, now it’s on me! Take it back!”

“Hey! No, don’t – at least take a few of them!”

Ace had resolved to stay out of the fight with Wapol. Luffy clearly had unfinished business with
the guy and Ace had no doubt his little brother could handle him. But watching the two jump
around, unable to actually fight properly, he decided then and there to amend his decision to
‘mostly stay out of it’.

“Stand still,” he ordered. Two obeyed immediately, with Sanji managing to hold an impressive
frozen position on one leg. Ace mimicked a gun salute with his right hand and shot a couple of
sparks out the end of his fingers. They hit their targets dead on and, within seconds, Sanji and
Chopper were both afro free.

“Thanks!” Sanji shouted, recovering quickly and launching himself at Kuromarimo, Chopper
quick on his heels and racing towards Chess.

“Aren’t you going to help? Isn’t that one of the reasons you’re even here?” Ace asked, turning to
the blond who didn’t look he was going to move anytime soon.

“I think adding a Revolutionary and a Whitebeard Pirate to the mix might be overkill. And I
suspect Kureha would like the castle to remain in one piece, at least,” he said. “They look like they
have everything under control.”

In an instant, Chopper disappeared into Wapol’s mouth.

“Chopper!”

“Under control? Right,” Ace drawled. The blond frowned, looking a little disappointed to be
proven wrong.

The pounding of running feet and crunching snow had them both turning to see Luffy dashing back
towards them.

“Ah, there he is. Bet he got lost in there.”

“Luffy!” Sanji shouted. “Grab my foot!”

“Got it! Hey, Sabo! Watch this!”

With speed and dexterity that could only come from someone made of rubber, Luffy whipped his
body into a vicious spin, and combined with the force of Sanji’s kick, flung himself at Wapol,
colliding with the man’s stomach. Transforming in the blink of an eye, Chopper popped out with a
gasp and landed unevenly next to Sanji and, to the relief of all, he only looked a little soggy but no
worse for wear.

“Sabo! Did you see? Did you?” Luffy gushed, beaming towards the blond.

“Yes, Luffy.”

“Show off,” Ace muttered, although his proud grin belied his supposed annoyance.

“Like you don’t,” Sabo grinned, reminding Ace of his little altercation with Kureha only yesterday.
Ace shrugged, unrepentant.

“Um… what is Wapol doing?” The nervous lilt in the cook’s voice had Ace turning and his jaw
dropped at the sight. Chopper whimpered.

“AH! He ate them! Cannibal!” Luffy shrieked, pointing accusingly at the devil fruit user whose
comrades’ legs slowly disappearing into the cavernous depths of Wapol’s massive mouth.

“Okay, when he said he ate people, I really didn’t think he meant literally!” Ace spluttered, feeling
very unsure of what to make of Wapol’s rather extraordinary talent.

Wapol grinned and alarmingly loud clanks and bangs echoed from inside him. “Now you’ll witness
the miraculous fusion!”

Sanji gaped, and Ace saw him exchange a confused look with Luffy. “Fusion? You mean, those
two merged?”

“Baku baku no mi,” Sabo muttered.

Ace spared him a glance. “What?”

Not taking his eyes off the scene in front of him, the blond explained. “The baku baku no mi fruit.
It allows the user to eat anything except seastone.”

“Let me guess, it can also merge things?”

The door that had appeared in Wapol’s stomach crashed open with a metallic bang that echoed
harshly on everyone’s ear drums.

“Yeah, although I thought it might be a little less…” The blond trailed off, looking rather lost for
words. Ace could understand why. Kuromarimo and Chess barely looked any different to before
they were devoured.

“COOL!” Luffy yelled, the only one who looked remotely impressed at the sight of one man
piggy-backing on another.

“Not cool, Luffy,” Ace corrected, with a frown. “They look ridiculous.”

Kureha tutted. “If they were weak, the citizens would’ve stopped them from taking all the doctors.
Don’t underestimate them.”

“Funny, I was about to say the same about Luffy,” Ace smirked. He turned to Sabo, expecting the
blond to agree with him, but the Revolutionary wasn’t paying him any attention. Instead, Sabo’s
blue eyes were fixed firmly on Wapol, who still remained the size of a house.

“The first article of Drum Kingdom’s constitution states, “whosoever defies the King’s wishes
shall die”. This is my Kingdom and my castle!” More metallic grindings echoed across the
mountain top. Ace couldn’t immediately distinguish what it was Wapol was transforming until one
arm slowly rose from his side, except it was no longer simply an arm, but an oversized pistol
barrel.

For a split second, relief filled the Whitebeard Pirate that it wasn’t pointed in anyone’s particular
direction. Himself and Luffy were immune to bullet injuries, but the rest of their friends were not.
A direct hit from a trajectory that size into a delicate organ could well result in death, skilled
doctor on hand or not.

At least it was aimed away from them, even if it was towards the castle. Ace was sure Kureha and
Chopper would prefer to have a wall destroyed rather than a dead friend. Except… Ace frowned.
Wapol was still raising his arm. Ace might not have ever really used a gun of any kind before but
even he knew flight paths of bullets and a shot from that angle would disappear over the castle
towers. Confused he glanced over his shoulder.

Pink and white on a blanket of black fluttered proudly.

Ace felt his eyes widen in horror. But the realisation had come too slow.

“That quack doctor’s flag must come down! It ruins the whole look!”

The sharp crack of pistol fire went straight through them all.

xxx

No one moved.

For several tense seconds, Sabo thought Wapol might’ve missed, but the crack of the wooden
flagpole proved Wapol had hit true. The black flag fluttered once more before gravity won over
and it tipped sideways, the snow quickly rising up to meet it.

Sabo felt like he watching it all in slow-motion. He was not a pirate, but he knew many and the
pride they had in their symbols of freedom were unrivalled.

“…the pirate flag…” Luffy whispered, with undisguised shock. Sanji stood slacked jaw next to his
captain, his cigarette falling forgotten to the ground.

Chopper was the first to recover, launching himself with speed born of adrenaline and rage straight
at Wapol.

“What have you done to the doctor’s pirate flag?” he screamed, the transformation from toddler to
towering beast a reflection of the size of his anger. “He even tried to save you!”

“Chopper! What are you doing? You can’t reason with him!” Kureha shouted.

Two more gunshots rang out and Chopper collapsed to the ground.

“CHOPPER!”

Kureha’s scream was gut wrenching. It cut straight through Sabo like a knife. He had heard far, far
too many screams like that over the years and it never got any easier to hear.

The reindeer twitched and managed to roll onto its back, thankfully still breathing steadily despite
the pain he must’ve been in.

Unconsciously, the blond snatched his pipe from his back, ready to step into the fray and get
Chopper out of there. An instinctive part of him expected Ace to be right beside him when he took
his first steps forward, but the Whitebeard Pirate remained frozen in place, gaze still fixed solidly
on the now destroyed flag pole. His steel grey eyes were blazing with fury and his whole body
seemed to tremble. Flames, burning bright and hot, licked at his arms.

“Ace,” Sabo said softly. The pirate recoiled, like he been bodily struck but the blond was relieved
to see he regained control of his inner fire.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” said Ace quietly, glaring at Wapol over his shoulder. The man
actually flinched and took a couple of steps back.
“What is he doing?” Sanji’s words had them all turning once more to the castle turret just in time to
see Luffy reach the top of the tower. Sabo was mildly surprised at the speed in which he had
managed to get back to the top, dragging the downed flag behind him. A sleeve was torn forcefully
from his jacket and used to lash the flag pole back into place. Leaning precariously atop the tower
roof, Luffy stood strong and tall next to the flag, which fluttered weakly once, twice, three times
before the wind caught it and it whipped around Luffy’s head defiantly.

Luffy had a dangerous look about him; different to Ace’s, and certainly different to the one Sabo
knew he had, but one thing he admitted they all had in common - and it was probably the first
physical resemblance that had him truly believing they shared common childhood experiences -
was the glint in his Luffy’s eye. It held a promise Sabo just knew Luffy would follow through with.

“You’re a bunch of frauds!” he cried down, his voice carrying easily despite the wind. “You
pretend to be pirates but you weren’t willing to risk you lives! You don’t know the meaning of this
flag!”

“The meaning of that flag?” Wapol sneered, regaining some equilibrium from Luffy’s insults and
performing the trick of those who felt they were entitled by somehow managing to stare down his
nose at something whilst looking up. Sabo hated it with a passion. “Mwa ha ha ha! There is no
meaning to a stupid pirate rag!”

Luffy’s gaze narrowed. “That shows what you know. This flag isn’t something you fly on a
whim!”

“You fool! I’m the King! I’d never fly a pirate flag except as a joke!” Wapol thrust his arm
forward again and there was the distinct sound of a pistol cocking. “I told you, this is my
Kingdom! I’ll keep shooting that stupid rag down until it stays down!”

“Again?” Sanji sounded genuinely pained by the very idea.

“You can’t break it! The skull and crossbones is - ”

The crack of a gunshot rang out.

With mounting horror, which was echoed verbally by Chopper and Sanji, Sabo realised Luffy
wasn’t moving. He wasn’t even trying to dodge. His rubber body would absorb some of the hit for
sure, but that wouldn’t protect him from the heat of the burning metal that was sure to strike him.

Unbidden, the smell of burning timber and flesh hit him; the scar around his eye tingled with
phantom pains. It took him a second to realise the heat he was feeling was real. He reeled around.

Ace was nearly entirely ablaze; hot flames jumping and sparking dangerously. Unconsciously,
Sabo took a half step back, sensing their fellow companions doing the same.

“Hiken!”

Drawing back his fist, Ace punched the air and a column of fire erupted, speeding with such
ferocity it caused nearly everyone to cry in alarm and shield their eyes.

It was a humbling display of strength from Whitebeard’s Second Division Commander, but Sabo
knew it was nowhere close to being at full power.

The flames absorbed Wapol’s bullet and enveloped Luffy, who disappeared into the fire without
even a flinch.
Wapol spluttered several times, trying to catch his breath in the stifling heat. He looked dreadfully
pale but forced a smirk. “You realise you just hit your comrade! What a fool!”

Ace scoffed. “You’re the fool. You really think I’d do something to endanger my little brother?”

A hundred feet above them, Luffy, still holding onto the pirate flag, emerged from the dying flames
completely unscathed. Not even his clothes were scorched. The same could not be said for the
plateau. Barely any snow remained in the wake of Ace’s angry counterattack.

“What?! That’s impossible!” The former King shrieked.

“Geez, this moron really doesn’t get it.”

Sabo turned to Ace, who was still obviously furious but making a conscious effort to restrain
himself after his earlier outburst and let Luffy deal with the guy. Ace caught on to his unspoken
question.

“A pirate flag… it’s a conviction of will and can never be destroyed,” he said, so softly the blond
almost missed it. He frowned thoughtfully at the pirate. His gaze dropped to the tattoo running the
length of Ace’s upper arm; the bare muscles were coiled tight with the effort on Ace’s part to hold
back.

“It’s not something to be laughed or shot at!” Luffy screamed, in echo of his brother’s words.
Ace’s jaw clenched.

“That scar, it’s from the tenryuubito’s attack, right?”

The underlying pain he had heard in Ace’s voice when he had tried to convince him that he really
was their Sabo back in that alley was mirrored in Luffy’s voice, which rang in Sabo’s ears and
made his own heart clench in shared misery. Ace and Luffy knew he’d been shot – Ace had told
him – but it was only really hitting the blond that they knew. What they must’ve imagined
happened when his boat burst in flames probably didn’t even come close to the true horror or pain
Sabo suffered, but they had still known. Sabo had lost many close comrades over the years, but he
couldn’t even begin to imagine the pain the two brothers had gone through ten years ago.

It was another startling eye opener for the blond, who had given up hoping the actions of a
tenryuubito would cease to surprise him, even now, a decade later. He had seen thousands, if not
hundreds of thousands, of people whose lives had been turned upside down by a tenryuubito, but
he had never known a victim other than Koala on such a personal level before.

Luffy was out of reach, but Ace was stood still as a statue next to him and he turned – to say what
he, he had no idea; words weren’t going to fix anything, he knew that – when the stark black ink on
Ace’s left upper arm caught his eye.

He gazed at it, suddenly mesmerised by the crossed-out S. He had initially thought it was a
spelling mistake, but… The image of blue on black fluttering in a gentle wind flashed to the
forefront of his mind, but it disappeared before he could fully grasp onto the thought. Frowning,
Sabo turned a quizzical gaze back to Luffy, their earlier conversation rushing back to him in a
flood.

“You’re not a pirate? How come? You always wanted to be a pirate!”

Sabo closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath.

“That tattoo on your arm… it’s a jolly roger… isn’t it?”

Ace’s head snapped around, his eyes blown wide with surprise. He raised a hand to the black ink
and nodded slowly. “Yes. It was yours.”

“Why?” Sabo whispered.

Ace smiled, but it was marred by a hint of sadness. “A man only dies when he is forgotten.”

It was not a phase Sabo had heard before, but the realisation and acknowledgement Ace had taken
his jolly roger and had carried it to that day in memory of Sabo’s Will to be a pirate; in memory of
the freedom he had evidently so desperately wanted, was poignant. Sabo knew his apparent
childhood dream of piracy was well and truly over, but regardless of that fact, Ace had found a way
to carry it on for him. Despite his years of absence, he had not been forgotten; Ace and Luffy had,
in their own ways, kept him alive and a piece of him with them.

But it was also clear while Sabo carried the physical scars, Ace and Luffy had not escaped from the
tenryuubito attack unscathed. The memories Sabo had no recollection of still haunted them, he
realised, noticing that Ace was starting to spit fire again and an expression of such sorrow did not
suit Luffy’s usual demeanor at all. Sabo couldn’t do anything about the past, but the present he
could fix.

Drawing another deep breath, Sabo raised his head towards the tower.

“Oi, Luffy!” Everyone turned to him. The blond smirked. “You gonna stay up there all night, or
are you going to show me what you can do to people like Wapol here?”

Behind him, Wapol spluttered with indignance, his threats of retribution falling on deaf ears, for
Sabo only had eyes for Luffy, who stared at him, face blank for several seconds before he broke
into an enormous grin.

“Shishishi!”

Returning the younger’s grin, out the corner of one eye, Sabo spotted Wapol stagger to his feet, his
face red with fury and nasty glint in his eye.

“You won’t keep me from my castle! You can’t!” He raised his arm, still transformed into the gun
and fired off several rounds in quick succession, forcing everyone but Ace to dodge or duck. When
the smoke cleared, Wapol had vanished.

“Ah! He’s gone! How’d he do that?” Luffy called down from his perch, confused. “Where’d he
go?”

“Inside, probably,” Kureha huffed, and she looked torn between staying with Chopper, who
quickly moved to block the King’s lackeys from following him into the castle, and chasing after
Wapol to make sure he didn’t do anything … especially as Nami was still inside.

“Stay here,” said Ace, making the decision for her. “I’ll go.” He nodded once to Sabo, who
returned it with a nod of his own, before he turned and jogged into the castle. With a yell, Luffy
vaulted from the tower and through a window; a rain of snow, ice and glass raining fell to the
ground.

Sabo watched until Ace’s tattooed back disappeared through the entrance doors before turning
back to Chopper. The young reindeer was panting heavily and blood dripped from his flanks to
pool at his feet, but despite the pain he stood tall and strong.

“You won’t stop us,” Kuromarimo smirked. “His Majesty will retake his castle and the island will
bow to him once again!” He threw several rounds of his afros balls in rapid succession in all
directions, forcing them all to scatter.

“Doctor!” Chopper shouted, barely dodging the balls flying towards him so focused he was on
watching the ones aimed at Kureha. Sabo ducked and weaved with ease through the flying
projectiles and landed in front of Kureha. One slash of his pipe knocked them back easily and
forced Kuromarimo and Chess’s to duck sharply to avoid their return, cutting off their laughter
abruptly.

“Chopper,” Sabo said, rising from his crouch. “Don’t focus on anything but your opponents. Sanji
and I will make sure nothing happens to Kureha or the flag, okay?”

Sabo was relieved to see his words seemed to reassure the reindeer because he nodded and
launched himself at Chess and Kuromarimo without any further hesitation. He glanced briefly at
Sanji when the other blond appeared at his shoulder before focusing on Chopper again.

“What?” he asked, sensing the cook had a question.

“Should we really be letting him fight in his condition? We could – I mean, you definitely could –
take those goons ourselves and let Chopper play defence.”

Sabo understood the other’s concerns. He had more than once been put in a position where he’d
had to ask an injured comrade to fight, and Chopper was definitely suffering – the spots of blood
staining the remaining snow were a testament to how hard he was fighting – but Sabo also
remembered the villagers had described Chopper as the “Witch’s monster”. Chopper had
transformation powers beyond anything Sabo had seen before, and he could completely understand
how it could appear scary to some people, but none of them had screamed monster to him. He
wholeheartedly believed Chopper still had more to show them. All rumours had a basis of fact,
Sabo had come to learn.

“He can do this,” he said confidently, sensing more than seeing Kureha nod beside him. “He needs
to do this,” he added softly, watching Chopper land a power punch to Chess and, with a soft ‘pop’
immediately transform into the more familiar two-legged toddler sized ball of fluff, neatly avoiding
a return from Kuromarimo and overbalancing the pair. The look of sheer determination on his face
was inspirational.

Despite the fact he had made it clear he was acting as a guard to both Kureha and the castle,
preventing from any stray or intentional attacks, the two idiots seemed unsettled by his presence
and disturbed at the ease in which he knocked back every single attack they sent his way. Sabo
noticed they purposely started to aim at him after a while, and he couldn’t help but smirk, which
seemed to upset them even more. One always had an eye on him, while the other focused on
Chopper, which was not at all to their advantage. They might have made a formidable team when
they worked together, but individually, they had plenty of weaknesses. A fact not unnoticed by
Chopper, Sabo was pleased to see. The reindeer always went for the one who wasn’t paying him
any attention at all, leaving the other helpless except to cry out warnings that arrived too late for
the other to avoid a harsh blow.

Chopper’s numerous transformations were well beyond all of Sabo’s expectations and he was
extremely curious as to how he’d managed to achieve such prowess, to the point, more than once,
he had to force himself to remain focused on the goons and not just watch Chopper.

A final blow to the Kuromarimo’s face finally knocked the pair apart. With a vicious twist,
Chopper landed heavily on Chess’ head, knocking the man out before launching at Kuromarimo,
who wasn’t quick enough to dodge another punch. The man flew across the clearing and thumped
hard into a tree, shaking the pine branches violently and dumping a pile of snow upon the
unconscious man.

Panting heavily and shaking with exertion, with a final ‘pop’ Chopper shrunk again and fell
backwards, landing spread-eagled upon the near frozen ground with a soft thump. Sabo winced in
sympathy, knowing intimately the pain such an exertion on the body could bring about. He swiftly
crossed the distance between them, at Chopper’s side before Kureha and Sanji could begin to
move, and knelt down next to the exhausted reindeer.

“Good job,” he said, tapping the pink hat gently. “You just won your first fight.” Chopper grinned
weakly before accepting a hand from the Revolutionary and sitting up with a pain filled groan.

They had no time to celebrate, however, as the roar of fire reached their ears. Sabo raised his gaze
to the castle, just catching sight of red in the windows before they exploded outwards in blast of
dust, stone and timber.

A pained cry quickly followed and they all watched Wapol fly through the gapping hole in the
stone wall, the captain of the Strawhat Pirates hot on his heels. One body fell to the ground with a
ungraceful thud and a groan, their clothes smouldering; the other landed on both his feet and fists
raised, a grin on his face and a glint in his eye.

“You didn’t like that floor of your castle, did you?” Sabo asked weakly, risking a glance at Kureha
who stood – her arms crossed angrily – glaring at the damage.

“Wait! Wait!” Wapol spluttered, trying feebly to rise to his feet, hands raised as if it would pacify
the pirate standing over him. “I can give you treasure! I’ll give you a title! Vice King!”

There was a soft snort of amusement and Sabo turned to see Ace striding across the clearing,
looking like he’d barely broken a sweat. “The only king Luffy will ever be is the Pirate King.” It
was a presumptuous declaration, but in that moment, seeing the pirate stand triumphantly over the
tyrant, Sabo believed it.

“Gum-gum…” Wapol whimpered. Luffy smirked. “…BAZOOKA!”

Sabo couldn’t stop the small grin that broke out as the man disappeared into the distance, his cries
of pain and anger diminishing with every second. Chopper, with more energy than expected from
someone who had just won his own battle, jumped to feet and ran towards Luffy, waving his arms
in excitement. Sanji shook his head, took a drag of his cigarette and followed more sedately.

“You couldn’t have done that with a little less force, hey, Luffy? Look at the castle! And where’s
Nami-swan? You better not have let that idiot lay one finger on her!”

“Shishishi! Nami’s fine! She stole his key and - ”

“Not such a weakling anymore, is he?” Ace grinned proudly and, despite the fact he couldn’t
remember a time when Luffy had been weak, Sabo nodded his agreement.

“I’d expect nothing less from the pirate who defeated Arlong.”

“He did?”

Sabo frowned. “You didn’t hear? That’s how he got his bounty in the first place.”

“Geez, if you’re scared, you should’ve stayed behind!”

“I-I-I’m not scared! I’m a brave warrior!”

“Then quit pushing me!”

Ace and Sabo spun around, surprised to see a half a dozen more people trekking towards them.
Sabo had no idea where they’d come from but the two in front had no weapons. In fact, the teen
who looked to be about Luffy’s age was cowering behind the green-haired youth who looked
rather grumpy at being used as a human shield. With a jolt of recognition, Sabo realised he was the
swordsman who had been with Luffy in Logue Town.

The slap of sandals was the only warning they got before Luffy dived passed them, charging
straight towards the new arrivals. He snapped his arm back, his hand already curled into a fist and
poised to strike without thought, his adrenaline still pumping.

“You might want to grab him,” said Sabo.

Ace didn’t even pause to question him, and his hand snatched out and grabbed Luffy’s forearm
easily.

“Eh?” Luffy glanced backwards, but he didn’t stop his mad dash.

“Hold up, I don’t think they’re Wapol’s men!” Sabo called to him.

“Oh yeah! It’s Zoro and Usopp! Hi – whoa!” His limb reached its limit and the rebound quickly
kicked it. He snapped backwards like a rubber band and landed heavily at Ace’s feet.

“What the hell are you doing, Luffy?!” The green-haired one barked, but despite the gruffness,
there was an undertone of curiosity.

“Luffy, who are they?” Sabo glanced over to see the other teenager pointing at both himself and
Ace with a trembling hand. Sabo wasn’t sure whether it was from the chill of the mountain top, that
hadn’t completely vanished despite Ace’s presence, or fear. He tried smiling at him, in what he
hoped was a reassuring manner but it only caused him to squeak and duck back behind him
companion.

“Hey! Zoro! Usopp! Come meet my brothers!”

Sabo allowed the loud exclamations to rush over him, shaking his head in amusement before
following in Ace’s footsteps, eager to meet the rest of the Strawhats.
 Ship Sailing Forth
Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

“Nami, you should really sit down. You need to rest!”

“I feel fine!”

“Vivi’s right, Nami! I remember when I had - ”

“Shut up, Usopp.”

“Yes, Ma’am!”

Sabo couldn’t help but chuckle at the conversation that greeted him and Dalton upon their arrival
back to the room Nami had been set up in. Dalton snorted, before edging unobtrusively into a
corner and leaving Sabo in the doorway, glancing around in search of Ace and Luffy.

He had left Ace to corral the pirates back into the castle with Kureha, while he had gone with
Dalton to check Wapol and his associates definitely departed. Luffy had wanted to join him, but a
timely reminder from Ace that he still needed to find Chopper and ask him to join as the ship’s
doctor had had the younger pirate running off after the reindeer. Sabo hadn’t doubted for a second
that Dalton wasn’t up to the task of finally ridding the island of its tyrant ruler, but he also knew
his presence would serve to remind the man that Drum had new connections to the Revolutionary
Army.

It had been a hectic few hours since Luffy had disposed of Wapol, between injuries that needed
treating and explanations to be given, but already Sabo could tell that the pirates were itching to
move on. Despite Princess Vivi’s pleas that it was important that crew heal before the set off
again, time was of the essence for the Kingdom of Alabasta and it was imperative that they return
the Crown Princess to her homeland before civil war truly broke out.

Sabo frowned deeply, carefully stepping over Zoro, the swordsman seemingly asleep despite the
loud chatter of the cramped room. Vivi’s story of Baroque Works somehow getting its claws into
Alabasta was troubling indeed. Admittedly, he couldn’t be aware of absolutely everything going on
within the Revolutionary Army all at once, but a criminal organisation as big and notorious as
Baroque Works having any involvement whatsoever anywhere should have raised alarm bells and
yet this was the first Sabo had heard of it. Mr. Zero was obviously shrewd indeed to have played
such a long game, although the fact that Vivi, despite being undercover in the organisation as long
as she had and becoming quite a skilled agent, still didn’t know exactly the ultimate end game was
disconcerting. Whatever was his goal was clearly worth the risks involved but that no one seemed
to know exactly what that goal was only told Sabo that it couldn’t be anything good.

The Revolutionary had been reassured, however, with the knowledge that not only had the Vivi and
the Strawhats managed to take out a few of Mr. Zero’s key agents, Zoro had singlehandedly
defeated an entire base of millions. It wouldn’t slow down the organisation for long, Sabo knew,
but it was something at least.

And it was because of how admirably the Strawhat Pirates had handled the situation so far that
Sabo had held off on offering the assistance of the Revolutionaries. That the Crown Princess
herself had undertaken the task of uncovering the organisation plaguing her home spoke volumes
to Sabo. She may have gladly accepted whatever assistance the Revolutionaries could offer her, but
their very presence may only escalate the problem and would undoubtedly garner the attention of
the World Government – whose presence was suspiciously absent despite such a well-known and
respected member of Reverie being nearly torn apart. The World Government had never been able
to resist sticking their noses in other people’s business in Sabo’s experience. He didn’t doubt they
had someone reporting back to them but for the life of him, he couldn’t think who.

Sabo finally spotted the two dark-haired pirates sequestered in a quiet corner. Both were laughing
and the sight brought an unbidden smile to Sabo’s face. It had not been an easy few days for any of
them and emotions had already been running high even before their confrontation with Wapol, so
he was relieved to see that they both looked more relaxed.

“Sabo!” Luffy called, waving energetically and nearly knocking the hat from Ace’s head.

“Hey,” he greeted warmly. “So, has Chopper agreed to come with you?” From the corner of his
eye, he saw Kureha stiffen in her chair.

“Yeah!” Luffy’s grin nearly took over his entire face. Kureha reached up and tapped her
sunglasses. They quickly dropped into place and obscured her face from view. She slowly swirled
the sake around in her glass before downing it in one swing.

“I think Luffy wore him down,” the elder pirate said with a grin, regaining the blond’s attention.
Sabo shook his head, but didn’t let on that he’d overheard Ace’s earlier conversation with Chopper
in the hallway. Ace may have planted the idea, but it was Luffy’s charisma without a doubt that
had enticed the little reindeer to set forth to the open waters of the Grand Line. A brave step for
such a young person.

“Will you two join my crew?”

“Hell no.” Ace’s response was absolute and immediate. “I’m a commander of the Whitebeard
Pirates and that’s where I’m staying, thanks.” The hand that reached out to ruffle Luffy’s already
messy hair diminished the somewhat harsh rejection, but Luffy didn’t look at all surprised. He just
shrugged and turned to Sabo expectantly.

Whilst it would be amusing to watch Koala and Hack’s reactions if he told them he was
abandoning the Revolutionary Army for a life of piracy, Sabo also shook his head. He knew where
his calling lay.

“Sorry, Luffy, I don’t think I should resurrect my very brief pirating career, but how’d you feel
about taking on another passenger to Alabasta?”

His question was met with twin expressions of bemusement before it registered what he was asking
and Luffy lunged at him, grasping his jacket tightly, eyes alight with excitement.

“You wanna come with us?”

“Why?” Ace asked, and he still looked a little taken aback.

Sabo shrugged. “I doubt the Revolutionaries will be able to do anything now to help Vivi if the
timescale is as tight as she claims, but it might still be worth me going. I could try and get a feel for
the current situation for her, at least. I know the kind of people to ask and it might look suspect if
the Crown Princess and a group of pirates suddenly appear and starts asking a bunch of questions.”

“Always with the ideas,” Ace teased.

“Hey, it’s my job. You fancy coming with us? You might find a new lead on Blackbeard.”

Ace looked thoughtful for several seconds. Luffy practically vibrated with excitement at their sides
while he waited for the answer, nudging Ace several times but miraculously he remained silent, as
if he thought that any noise may discourage his brother from agreeing. Over the younger’s head,
Sabo caught the mischievous glint in Ace’s eye and rolled his own.

“What the hell! Could be interesting,” he finally agreed with a smirk.

“Yes!” Luffy crowed. “This is gonna be so much fun!”

“Only you would think going to a country with a civil war on the horizon is gonna be fun!” Ace
snorted. Sabo raised an eyebrow. Ace blinked. “Oh, and Sabo, obviously.” Luffy chortled.

“Oi.”

The three turned as one to see Kureha had risen and joined them.

“Hey, Oba-chan! Chopper said he’d come with us!”

Kureha smirked. Sabo couldn’t quite tell how she felt about the admission given that her eyes were
still covered but she didn’t sound annoyed or upset to be losing her companion.

“So I heard. No doubt he’s ransacking the labs of my most valuable medicines right now. So long
as he doesn’t steal the secret to my youth, I might just let him get away with it.” Ace rolled his eyes
and she prodded him hard in his bare midriff.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?!”

“You! You need to get the hell off my mountain!” she proclaimed.

Sabo frowned, confused. “Like, right now?”

She turned to him. “Yes, right now. I need the snow back.”

“I’d have thought you’d appreciate the break,” Ace grumbled, still rubbing his side. “Oh, hey!
Sabo remembered something!”

The blond blinked, taken aback. “What?”

“What?! You did? What was it?” Luffy badgered, tugging hard on his hand.

“He knew his jolly roger,” Ace explained. The blond watched Luffy’s eyes darted briefly to the
tattoo adorning the other pirate’s arm.

“Oh? Did you now?”

Sabo could feel her eyes boring into his own even through her sunglasses. “I wouldn’t call it
remembering exactly. It was more of a hunch,” he admitted, shifting uncomfortably under the
weight of three penetrating gazes.

Kureha shrugged. “Well, a hunch or a memory, either way, don’t force yourself to analyse every
little thing. If you do start to recall things, you need to allow your mind time to adjust. Just like any
other injury, you shouldn’t overexert yourself. You could do more harm than good.”

Ace looked back and forth between Sabo and Luffy critically. “Has either of you ever not
overexerted yourselves after an injury?”

“Nope!”

“No. Have you?”

“Not a chance.”

“Pirates!” Kureha threw her hands up in despair. “And Revolutionaries!” she added sharply,
causing Sabo to close his jaw with an audible snap. “Now, seriously. Your fee is waived if you get
this fire cracker the hell away from here! And you!”

Nami and Vivi froze mid-conversation, turning wide, startled eyes to the doctor pointing at them
accusingly. From the floor, Zoro cracked open one eye.

“Yes?” Vivi asked, cautiously. Sabo couldn’t blame her trepidation. Kureha looked like a woman
on a mission.

“Listen carefully! There is a spare coat in the back room and there are no guards posted anywhere
in this castle.” Everyone shared confused glances. Kureha smirked. “Don’t try to sneak away. Oi,
Dalton!” The man in question jumped, startled at being called upon so suddenly. Kureha smirked
at him. “Mind if I borrow a few of your men to help me with something?”

“Not at all!” He strode towards the door, politely allowing Kureha to step out first before pointing
at a handful of men. “You four! Please assist the doctor with whatever she - ”

“Yes, Sir!”

“- asks…” he trailed off uncertainly, clearly surprised at the eagerness of the men to follow his
orders. He stepped back inside and slowly shut the door.

Sabo smiled at Dalton, who smiled back weakly. He couldn’t help but notice that for all the
admiration and respect the people of Drum Island had for the man, he looked uncomfortable in his
position of undisputed position as the new King of the Sakura Kingdom. While he may have been a
military man previously, and a commanding one at that, he would no doubt have to get used to
people falling over themselves to help him. It was a shame more rulers didn’t understand that
kindness would get them a lot more stability with their subjects than fear or loathing. Power was
corruptive; it had been one of the earliest lessons Sabo had learnt with the Revolutionary Army, but
he wasn’t concerned about any of it going to Dalton’s head.

“Um, what just happened?” Usopp asked, staring uncertainly at the door the doctor had vanished
through.

“Did she just essentially tell us to grab Sanji and leave?” Nami spluttered, looking around at her
crewmates for clarity.

Zoro yawned and stretched, looking for all the world like an overgrown cat, and he rose gracefully
to his feet. “That’s what I heard.”

“How are we going to get off the mountain before she gets back from whatever she’s doing?”
Usopp wrung his hands together nervously.

“Chopper would know,” Sabo suggested easily.

“Right, Usopp! Come help me find Chopper! Nami, find that coat and Zoro can go get Sanji. Let’s
go!” Luffy grinned, the orders coming quickly and easily. Everyone jumped into action and the
occupants quickly dispersed to carry out their tasks.

Sabo struggled to contain the laughter at the proud look that had broken out across Ace’s face once
Luffy had disappeared out the door, hollering with all his might to Chopper that they needed to
leave. “I’ll meet you guys in the courtyard,” he said, clapping Ace on the shoulder before making
his way towards Dalton, who still stood rooted to his spot.

“Sure. Later Dalton.” Ace gave the man a two fingered salute before disappearing from sight down
into the depths of the castle, following the distant shouts.

“Here,” said Sabo, pulling a small slip of paper from one of his inner coat pockets and holding it
out to Dalton.

“What is this?” he asked, studying the numbers scribbled down with curiosity.

“It’s the den den mushi number of one of our contacts in the area,” the Revolutionary explained.
“Hopefully you’ll never have to use it but keep it safe. Let them know if you ever have problems
with Wapol again and want some assistance.”

Dalton stared down at him, near speechless. “Th-thank!” He grasped Sabo’s gloved hand and gave
it several powerful but hearty shakes. “I almost feel bad for accepting this after all the help you’ve
already given. Your warning was much appreciated. We were able to move the more vulnerable to
safety even before the Strawhats arrived.”

Sabo smiled but shook his head. “I had the easy job. Luffy did most of the work.”

“Well, I hope we meet again under better circumstances.” The man offered one final hand shake.

“If you see me again, you don’t know me, that’s how it works,” said Sabo, without remorse. It was
never easy to explain, especially if bonds of friendship had been established but for everyone’s
safety, it was better for all that any association was denied or the full scrutiny of the World
Government may land on any one of them at any time. They had eyes and ears everywhere.
Ignorance was the only defence. Dalton nodded slowly, understanding dawning bright in his eyes.

“SABO!! Hurry up! We’re ready to go!”

The blond flinched at the echo Luffy’s voice made as it bounced off the stone walls.

“Well, I hope for your sake that you manage to convince your brothers to follow that philosophy,”
said Dalton, thoughtfully.

Sabo sighed heavily. So did he.

xxx

Sabo had thought Drum Island to be a beautiful country despite all the destruction and suffering
that it had recently witnessed, but that night it looked stunning. The pink snow falling serenely
from atop of the Rockies practically glistened like jewels, and the further they sailed, the more and
more it started to look like a giant sakura blossom painted against the night sky.

The ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ had died off quickly, every one of the ships occupants too distracted by the
sheer beauty and brilliance to continue to comment. The only sounds made were the occasional
sniffle from Chopper, the wind whipping at the sails of the caravel as she sailed forth to her next
destination and the splash of waves against the prows of Sabo’s small vessel and Ace’ striker, both
of which were lashed securely to the rear of the ship.

“You glad you gave Kureha the snow back now?” Sabo asked, keeping his voice soft so as not to
disturb those still admiring the view, and leant against the railing next to the Whitebeard Pirate.

Ace smiled at him shrugged. “The old Witch gave Chopper a decent send off at least.”

“Did you get one?” Sabo asked abruptly. Ace frowned and turned to him. “When you left Dawn
Island, did you get a good send off?” He couldn’t explain where the sudden, burning desire to
know that Ace had had a good start to his life of piracy had come from but it couldn’t have been
any worse than his own.

Ace nodded. “Yeah, I suppose so. Luffy, Dadan, most of the bandits and a few of the villagers
came to see me down at the docks.”

“Hey!” Luffy bounded over to them, bouncing up to sit on the railing between the pair of them with
ease. Ace good naturedly rolled his eyes at the over exuberance and tapped the rim of the straw hat
teasingly.

“Hey, Lu. How was your departure from Dawn Island? We’re comparing,” Ace explained.

It took Sabo several embarrassingly long moments to realise that for once he and Ace were on the
same playing field. Ace hadn’t seen Luffy for three years and was no doubt craving his
companionship after such a long separation. For a moment, he felt like he was intruding on their
precious catch up time – there really hadn’t been much to spare while at the castle – but neither one
of the pirates seemed eager to be rid of him quite yet, so he refrained from excusing himself. It
probably wouldn’t work anyway; from the eyes he had felt following him, both seemed to have a
knack for knowing exactly where he was at any given moment.

“Pretty boring. Dadan cried. Oh, I did beat up the Lord of the Coast though!”

Ace’s eyes widened comically. “You beat up that old Sea King?”

“Yeah! He had it coming though, after what he did to Shanks’ arm!”

“Shanks?” Sabo butted in, cutting off Ace’s laughter and purposely ignoring the image of Luffy
beating up a Sea King as soon as he left; somehow the idea wasn’t all that farfetched. “You mean
Red-haired Shanks? And you were there when he lost his arm?” At Luffy’s nod, Sabo could only
shrug helplessly. “You know, that doesn’t surprise me. Of course you know him.”

“You mean, you remember me telling you the story before?” Luffy wondered, his tone light and
not at all probing, only curious.

“No.”

“I’m sure we’ll think of something to help with your memories. Kureha said just being around us
might help, and we have loads of stories to share that might bring something back,” said Ace,
hopefully.

Sabo smiled tightly and nodded, glad that Luffy’s enthusiastic agreement to the plan diverted from
the fact he suddenly couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. Despite their conversation at the castle,
Ace had obviously not given up on helping him recapture his forgotten past. Sabo suspected that
Luffy’s presence had fueled his more optimistic outlook. His plan was certainly sound though, and
Sabo really did want to learn more about his forgotten childhood and current companions, but in
the back of his mind there was a niggling voice he couldn’t quite silence. Ace and Luffy were
hopeful, more than they probably should considering the sheer length of time they’d been missing,
but what if never recovered his memories? Would he be good enough to still be considered Ace
and Luffy’s brother then?

Pushing aside the mild nausea the thought had given him, Sabo turned back to Ace and Luffy,
desperate not to think further on the subject.

xxx

The excitement that had plagued the crew since their mad flight from Drum Island had died down
quickly once the island finally vanished on the horizon. The last few days and the lateness of the
hour finally caught up with them all, and each had turned in with soft calls of good night.

Nami had bowed to Vivi’s instance that she sleep inside, despite the fact that Ace’s mera mera no
mi enveloped the Going Merry in a pleasant, warm bubble of air. The princess had joined her in the
cabin, intending to keep watch in case her new friend needed anything, but she had passed out in
her chair within minutes, the worry she’d been feeling for days finally catching up with her. Sanji
had – carefully and with stiffer movements than Luffy was used to seeing from the usually fluid
cook – moved her to bed with Nami, before being kicked out for making a lewd comment.

Usopp and Chopper were snoring in unison out on the main deck, the reindeer using the sniper as a
pillow, while Zoro slept propped up not too far away, his faithful swords resting comfortably
across his lap. Sanji had drawn the short straw and had first watch.

However, he wasn’t the only one still awake. Luffy, too excited to sleep despite his earlier
exertions, sat crossed leg at the stern, close to his brothers, who were both sound asleep and curled
in towards one another. Ace had his head pillowed on one arm, while Sabo had stripped off his
coat and his blond curls stood out in stark contrast to the inky black material beneath his head.
They looked like they’d fallen asleep talking and it was such a familiar sight to the pirate that he
couldn’t help but hugs his knees close to his chest in an effort to control the warm feelings
threatened to burst out of him.

“Hey.”

Luffy twisted at the soft voice of his cook to see him approaching quietly, his heeled dress shoes
barely making a clack on the wooden deck. A blanket was draped over one arm.

“What aren’t you asleep already?” he chided softly, crouching down next to his captain with only a
small grunt of pain. He quickly waved off Luffy’s impending question about his back and repeated
his question.

Luffy shrugged and couldn’t stop the beaming smile that appeared.

“Why are you grinning like an idiot?” asked Sanji, but he looked amused.

“I’m too happy to sleep yet. No one’s sick anymore.” He waved a hand in the direction of his
brothers. “And I’m with Ace and Sabo! Which isn’t something I thought would ever happen
again.”

Sanji smiled softly and gently patted his straw hat adorned head. “Well, we’re happy, you’re
happy, Luffy,” he said and, despite the fact that it wasn’t at all chilly in such close proximity to
Ace, Sanji carefully dropped the blanket he’d been carrying around his captain’s shoulders and
rose to his feet, whipping out a new cigarette.

The actions were so reminiscent of something his brothers would do that he couldn’t help but ask.
“Sanji, do you have any siblings?”

Sanji paused, blowing out a plume of smoke and briefly obscuring Luffy’s view of his face. “Don’t
stay up too late,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. Luffy watched him walk away slowly, an
invisible weight seemingly settling over his shoulders.

Luffy watched his departure silently, his smile dropping slightly. He knew avoidance when he saw
it and it was obviously not a subject Sanji was keen on talking about.

Turning back to his older brothers, Luffy shuffled over to them, keeping a tight grip on his blanket.
On his knees above them, he contemplated how best to wriggle in between them. Maybe if he
could move Ace slightly… Luffy shrugged, giving up and letting his body flop onto them heavily.

Twin grunts of pain and disgruntlement caused Luffy to laugh, mindful not to be too loud so as not
to incur Nami’s wrath – she could be scary if she was woken up.

“What you doing, Luffy?” Sabo grumbled, pushing himself up on to one elbow, his hair in
complete disarray. Ace hadn’t even bothered opening his eyes, only shoving at Luffy until he slid
off his legs to sit by their feet.

“I can’t sleep,” said Luffy.

“Well, we could!” The blond fell backwards and one arm fell over his eyes.

“Lu, what’s the third rule?” Ace grunted. Sabo shifted his arm to stare at the other thoughtfully.

“We had rules?”

“We needed rules,” the other corrected. “So, third rule, Luffy? What is it?”

Luffy hummed and cocked his head. He hadn’t thought about the rules in a long time. “Not to jump
on you to wake you up,” he trailed off tentatively.

“So why are you jumping on us and waking us up?” Ace asked, prodding Luffy gently in the side
and causing him to squirm.

Sabo sat up with a yawn. “What are rules one and two?”

“Um, one is not to get eaten by anything, and two is to always listen to my brothers!” he said with a
grin.

Sabo frowned. “Why isn’t that number one?”

“I told you, Luffy gets eaten a lot!” chortled Ace.

“I got eaten by a dinosaur the other week!”

“Of course you did,” Ace quipped, dryly. Sabo only shook head and stared up at Luffy, not at all
unlike when they first met. Luffy could remember asking more than once why Sabo kept staring at
him like that. He didn’t particularly mind; he was used to the stares, especially after eating his devil
fruit. Fushia village was tiny and most of the residents hadn’t even heard of a devil fruit before
Shanks’ crew had arrived with their bounty, and everyone quickly got used to seeing Luffy perform
unnatural feats of mobility with his new rubber limbs, so Luffy had put Sabo’s attention down to
his new abilities, same as the villagers.

Sabo had surprised the seven year old by disputing the idea straight away and just claimed he
found Luffy “interesting”. Not his devil fruit, but Luffy himself. He could remember being very
puzzled by the response, inciting a cheery laugh from his blond brother and firm pat on the
shoulder, but Sabo had never elaborated. Luffy hadn’t been worried though. The piercing stares
had quickly transformed from quizzical to protective and he had thought no more of it.

Seeing the calculating look reappear on the blond’s face though was another reminder that Sabo
was once again trying to relearn him all over again. Luffy vowed to make it as easy as possible for
his brother and grinned happily at the blond, who didn’t hesitate to return it with one of his own.

The warm feeling threatened to burst out of his chest again, Luffy turned to Ace, who looked to be
asleep again. He frowned and prodded tenaciously at his bare arm.

“Ace, I still can’t sleep!”

Ace’s eyes snapped open. “Well, what do you want us to do about it?”

Ignoring his brother’s mild annoyance, he looked around the deck for inspiration before his gaze
landed on Chopper’s bag, still resting where it had been abandoned against the back wall of the
cabin, its contents spilling free. The edge of a book caught Luffy’s eye.

His face lit up excitedly. “I want a story!”

“A story?” Sabo repeated, surprised. Luffy nodded eagerly. “Okay, got any preferences?”

“I wanna hear Bananataro!”

Ace burst into laughter, startling the other two. Sabo looked quizzical but Luffy could see him
trying valiantly not to let Ace’s contagious laughter over take him too.

“What’s Bananataro?” Sabo asked with a chuckle.

Ace hiccupped once before regaining his composure enough to push himself up and he swiped a
hand across his eyes, wiping away tears of mirth. “He means Momotaro. You know, the folk tale
about the boy from the peach?”

“Yeah, that one!” Luffy agreed. “Will you tell it to us?” he pleaded to the blond. “Oh, and make
sure to include the robots!”

“Robots? I’ve never heard of a version with robots before,” said Sabo, cocking his head slightly.

Luffy frowned. “Yeah you have… oh.” He hadn’t, the pirate captain realised with a sinking heart.
The look of dismay his words had caused the blond make Luffy clench his fists and not for the first
time, he silently cursed the person responsible for Sabo’s memory loss. But, Luffy thought, a split
second later, it wasn’t actually Sabo who was lost anymore, just his memories, and he was more
than prepared to work around that.

Luffy turned to his dark-haired brother, who was biting his lip and staring nervously at the
Revolutionary, as if waiting for a reaction of some sort from him, but Sabo was steadfastly
avoiding the other’s gaze.

Luffy felt his heart breaking ever so slightly at the wariness that had appeared between his two
brothers. In all the time that he had known them, he had never seen them act so cautious with one
another. They pushed and prodded and poked until the other would give in to whatever scheme of
the day had been decided. There had never been boundaries between them before. They had been
as close as two people could be, and while he had never felt excluded once they had rescued him
from Porchemy’s clutches, and he knew deep down he had a bond with Ace that was different from
his relationship with Sabo, he knew the pair of them had naturally had a separate connection
altogether that Luffy would never experience. He knew in intimate detail of their lives before he
entered it, just like they knew his, but hearing and experiencing were two very different things. He
remembered the first painful few months after Sabo had left them were harder on Ace than they
probably were on Luffy. He might have cried for days on end before he had even been able to
muster up the strength to carry on without his other big brother, but Ace had acted like he had lost
a limb.

“Ace knows it, he can help,” said Luffy, catching his brothers’ attention and he smiled confidently
at them both. “He put in all the robots in the first place, so you probably won’t have heard our
version anywhere else.” Blue eyes flickered to Luffy briefly, before turning to the pirate in
question, who nodded encouragingly. Luffy almost imagined he could see the tension draining
from the blond’s frame.

“You start, I’ll let you know when the robots appear,” said Ace, and Luffy recognised the gentle
tone as one his brother had adopted not long after he had been mauled by a bear. Ace hadn’t
stopped teasing him, of course, but how he had started teaching and watching out for Luffy had
changed considerably, and Luffy didn’t doubt his behaviour was learnt from the blond. Ace could
never have replaced Sabo, and Luffy had never wanted him to, but Ace had tried his best to keep
Sabo present in some small ways.

“Okay,” said Sabo finally and Luffy cheered. He grabbed his forgotten blanket and immediately
squirmed his way in between them, ignoring their soft grunts of pain when his knees and elbows
bumped into them.

“How can someone made of rubber be so bony?” Ace muttered, pushing an elbow out of his face
and unintentionally knocking Luffy’s hands out from under him. The younger landed heavily on
his back.

“Ow! Ace, that hurt!” he grumbled, reaching down to rearrange the blanket.

“Serves you right then.”

“If you two are finished bickering,” Sabo trailed off, but Luffy shot him a quick glance and saw he
was fighting a smile. “Unless you’ve changed your minds about a story after all?”

“No! We’re finished! You can start!”

“Okay then. Hundreds of years ago, there - ”

“- was a woodcutter and his wife!”

“Oh, I forgot to mention, he’ll interrupt you half a dozen times,” Ace warned with a smirk.

“I will not!”

“You will! You just did!”

“Am I telling the story or not, guys?”

“Sorry, go on.”

“There was a woodcutter and his wife. One morning, the wife was down at the river doing her
washing when she saw a peach floating in the water.”
 xxx

“I thought there were more robots the last time you told it.”

“I’m not describing five battles right now, Luffy. Besides, you’ve been in some fights yourself
recently, those ones I used to tell you will be really boring in comparison now.”

Sabo chuckled quietly, the gentle shaking of his stomach causing Luffy to tilt his head at an
abnormal angle to see why his chosen pillow was suddenly moving.

“Was that better than the version you’ve heard?” the teen queried.

“Much better,” he agreed. “Ace is a better storyteller than Hack, I’ll give him that.”

He had handed the reins over to Ace relatively quickly, and the other had picked it up with startling
ease, barely skipping a beat when Luffy made outrageous demands. The blond suspected it wasn’t
the first time that he had been forced to tell Luffy that particular tale, even if it was completely
unrecognisable to the one he knew, and might as well have been called Bananataro.

“Are you going to be able to sleep now?” he asked, gently prodding the top of Luffy’s head where
it still rested on his stomach.

Luffy nodded, raising himself from his comfortable slouch to lay back down between the older
pair. “So long as Ace promises he won’t snore.”

A look of indignance flickered across Ace’s face and he rolled his eyes. “Yeah, well, neither of us
is going to get much rest if you kick us in your sleep! Like always!”

Luffy spluttered and gapped for several seconds. “At least I don’t hog the blankets like Sabo!” he
finally blurted out.

The blond in question jerked in surprise, not having expected to be dragged into the ensuing
argument, before the other’s words registered. “I hog the blankets?”

Ace nodded. “Only like, all the time. How has no one ever told you that before?”

Sabo shrugged, still pondering the new information, feeling rather baffled that he had never
realised that about himself. He regularly woke wrapped up tight in blankets, but he had honestly
never thought more on it. “I have my own room back at base and I either travel by myself, or get
given a cabin. I’ve never really had to share before.” And he hadn’t. He had been allocated his
own space relatively quickly when it became apparent he was already trained well enough to be
included on jobs, even if they were relatively simple scouting trips to start with.

He caught Ace’s puzzled frown. “What?” he wondered, feeling suddenly self-conscious again.

“You Revolutionaries move around a lot, right?”

“Yeah, we can be away from base for months depending on the job,” he explained, uncertain as to
where Ace was leading the conversation but seeing no harm at all in disclosing such a basic fact.

“You’re away for months on end and yet they still gave you your own room back at your base?”

“So?” Sabo glanced briefly at Luffy who was watching the pair silently with wide eyes, but he
offered nothing except a weak shrug.

“So? Only Whitebeard’s Commanders are given permanent rooms! Everyone else has to bunk
 together in the berths. Just how important are you in the Revolutionary Army?” Ace spluttered.
Luffy swiveled to him, a curious glint in his eye.

“You think because I have my own room like you Commanders that I’m somehow an important
figure in the Revolutionary Army?” Sabo asked with dawning clarity. Ace wasn’t wrong, but there
was no way he was confirming the other’s suspicions. The less Ace and Luffy knew, the safer they
would be.

“Well aren’t you? You’re hardly ever there to use a room, so why have one at all?”

“Maybe it’s because I hog all the blankets,” he retorted with a smile. Luffy’s laughter drowned out
Ace’s grumbling. The older pirate glared, although it lacked any heat, and rolled over until his
Whitebeard tattoo was presented to them.

“That’s it, laugh now. I will get it out of you one day!”

Unable to help himself, Sabo chortled loudly, setting off another round of laughter in Luffy in turn.

Chapter End Notes

Thanks for reading!

There won't be a chapter next week. It's mine and my brother's birthdays in the next
few days and I'm not going to find the time to edit the next chapter between then.

I also need to possibly do some big chapter revisions to cut some scenes over the next
couple as last week was a long chapter and didn't seem to be well received as the
earlier shorter ones so taking that into consideration, I'm going to skip at least next
week so I can sort it out.
 Revival
Chapter Notes

Hello folks! I had intended to trim this chapter down as it's nearly 8.5k but I couldn't
find anything to cut so you get another long one. Bonding and plot foreshadowing is
probably the best way to describe this chapter. Enjoy!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

With his sleeves rolled up, his arms crossed and his head cradled comfortably in his hands, Sabo
was quite happy to spend the afternoon soaking up the heat of the sun, which was extremely
pleasant now they were leagues from Drum Islands’ frigid temperatures. However, the frequent
small huffs and the rustle of paper from somewhere next to him were preventing him from falling
asleep. Well, Sabo thought with a small grin, that and it was quite impossible to fall asleep with
Luffy on deck. He kept rushing up to the blond and sitting practically atop of his legs for a couple
of minutes at a time before dashing off again to partake in whatever activity he’d abandoned. It
was amusing, if nothing else, and Sabo wasn’t going to tell him to knock it off if seeing and
touching Sabo was what he needed to reassure himself that the blond hadn’t somehow vanished in
the time since he last checked.

The rest of the Strawhat Pirates had spread themselves out across the ship, and there was a general
air of contentment about them all despite their impending arrival at Alabasta, which Nami had
predicted might even be the following day if the winds continued to favour them. Sabo had been
amused to discover that a day aboard the Going Merry consisted mostly of playing bouts of tag,
running rings around Zoro on deck, where he either napped or lifted weights; Nami yelling at them
all for making too much noise and Sanji regularly having to literally toss Luffy from the galley.

The only one seemingly not enjoying themselves, much to Sabo’s surprise, was Ace. The
Whitebeard Pirate was sat next to Sabo’s head, crossed legged and he had spent much of the
morning – as he had the past two days – scowling at a map as if it had personally offended him. He
also wouldn’t stop sighing.

“Will you quit it, already?” Sabo finally chided, pushing himself up on his elbows, and letting his
head fall back until he was looking at the pirate upside down. Ace blinked at him like he’d only
just realised he wasn’t alone. “What exactly has the map done? No, better yet, what have I done to
warrant having to listen to you huff like that?”

Ace rolled his eyes. “You left me to babysit Luffy by myself for seven years, is what you did.”

Sabo snorted. “Okay, so I’ll take the next seven. What exactly are you doing, anyway?”

“I’m trying to find out where Teach might’ve headed after Drum,” he practically whined. “It was
the coldest – don’t say a word! – lead I’ve had so far.”

Sabo chuckled at the unintentional pun, but pushed himself up and swung around to mirror Ace’s
position and pulled the map into his lap. It was filled with Ace’s near illegible scrawl, smudged ink
and what looked to be a scorch mark in one corner, but despite all that, the blond could tell it was a
relatively new map. It had several of the most well traversed log pose routes pre-plotted in various
colours.
“Okay, so we know Drum was one of the earliest stops after Blackbeard left the Moby Dick. How
much of a head start did he have on you?” he asked, curious.

“A few days. None of us thought it was someone aboard the ship until we realised we hadn’t seen
him since the night that Thatch…” Ace trailed off.

Died, Sabo filled in the blank silently.

“He’s not staying in one place for very long, is he?” he mused, eyes roving down the list of islands
handwritten in Ace’s penmanship down one side of the map, little arrows indicating the order Ace
must’ve thought Blackbeard had visited them.

“No. And so far they’ve all been pretty small islands.”

“And no marine presence at any of them, either,” Sabo mused, tapping chin thoughtfully.

“Really?” Ace glanced from the map to Sabo and back again in surprise. A small splash followed
by a disgruntled yell echoed up from the lower deck but the two ignored it all easily.

“Nope. It’s like he’s trying to stay away from them.”

Ace snorted. “Don’t all pirates? It makes sense though,” he reasoned. “Pops will have made it
known to the rest of the fleet that Blackbeard is no longer fit to be called his son and he won’t have
the protection of the Whitebeard name to hide behind if the marines find that out. And they aren’t
stupid enough to go after a Yonko’s crew so this’ll be a prime opportunity for them to grab him.”

The dark look colouring the other’s face had Sabo decide to wisely hold his tongue and not point
out it that wasn’t usually the marines that ended up catching any members of a Yonko’s crew in the
first place. Bounty hunters or other pirates in search of a quick monetary reward were usually the
ones who caught and handed over a Yonko’s crewmate to the marines. The Government only laid
out the sentence.

“If they have a log pose,” he said, instead, “then they could’ve gone one of three ways from Drum.
East, Alabasta or West. From this, they don’t seem to have gone very far west at all, to any island. I
guess if we don’t hear anything on Alabasta…”

“Head east,” Ace concluded, tracing the place with the tip of his finger. “One good thing’ll come
from him not being on Alabasta I guess.” Ace caught his curious gaze and smiled ruefully. “He
shouldn’t run into Luffy if Nami keeps them on this path.”

“They could still meet on Jaya, though,” Sabo pointed out. “The eastern route and the Alabasta
route both head that way eventually. Although I suppose we could hope that the sky island will
confuse Nami’s log pose, then they might never reach Jaya at all. You don’t land in the same place
you went up, after all.”

“You ever been to one of the sky islands?” Ace asked.

Sabo shook his head and folded up the map before returning it. “No. Never found the time. Oddly,
the Government isn’t that bothered by them.”

“Bothered by who?”

Sabo grunted at the unexpected weight that draped itself over his back. A pair of rubbery arms
wrapped themselves around his shoulders loosely.
“It’d spoil the adventure if we told you,” said Ace with a smirk.

“Oh, okay! I don’t want to know then,” Luffy agreed readily with a smile.

“I thought you were playing?” Sabo wondered, only then noticing how quiet the lower deck had
become in the last five minutes.

“We were but Zoro kicked us off the deck because Usopp accidently dropped one of his weights
overboard and Sanji said it’s too early for lunch. So now it’s story time! Want to come?” he asked
hopefully.

Sabo glanced at Ace, who shrugged, a soft smile finally breaking out on his face and some of the
tension of the last couple of hours finally drained from his shoulders.

“Why not? Sounds fun.”

Luffy cheered and quickly corralled Usopp and Chopper over with an exuberant wave.

Story time aboard the Going Merry was easily one of Sabo’s favourite pass times. With a bit – or a
lot, depending on the tale – of omissions, Sabo even enjoyed recounting some of his own
adventures, all of which Ace and Luffy soaked up with eager enthusiasm. All the Strawhats had
interesting stories to tell – although the blond rather suspected that Usopp’s were more fictional
than the others’ – and more than once, Sabo had itched to grab a quill to jot them all down. It was
an urge that took him by surprise, not having felt the desire to write for a few years. He
remembered when he had first taken up with the Revolutionaries, barely a day used to go by where
he hadn’t scribbled something down; the drive to record everything he could, just in case his
memories ever failed him again too strong to ignore.

Luffy was an excited listener, cheering and booing in all the right places, and even asking some
intelligent questions – usually about any fights that Sabo thought impressive enough to include –
and Sabo enjoyed watching the young pirate connect the dots. He was endearing in a way Sabo
had never encountered before and he couldn’t help but wonder why Ace had spent so long after
first meeting his little brother trying to get rid of him. It certainly didn’t add up with what he saw
unravelling in front of him on deck, where Ace looked perfectly content to indulge Luffy’s whims
and happily told any story Luffy could think of, and correcting the facts of the ones Luffy told
himself.

Which, Sabo admitted, was exceptionally useful when Luffy dissolved into a tangent or said
something so obtuse, he could see even the Strawhats – who had known him at least slightly longer
than Sabo – struggle in their attempts to understand exactly what Luffy was implying.

“Hold up a second,” said Sabo, face scrunched up in confusion. “The ground ate you?”

Luffy nodded wildly, a wide grin on his face despite the fact Sabo had been able to deduce he was
trying to tell quite a serious story. He had made it his personal mission in recent days to tell every
adventure he could think of that they had had as children – some of which had Sabo shuddering at
all the ways in which they could’ve died – the tiger was especially terrifying to hear second hand
and while he wouldn’t look twice at challenging one, he was very aware Koala had towered over
him until he had turned sixteen, and Luffy was still nearly a whole head shorter than Ace today. He
dreaded to think how a tiny seven year old Luffy had looked facing off against an overgrown
jungle cat.

“Yeah, it ate me! It was pretty scary actually. I didn’t think Ace and Sabo were going to find me
and I was really, really stuck. Those rocks were really pointy, it kinda hurt,” he added, almost as an
afterthought.

Beside his captain, Usopp sat nodding sagely. “I was eaten by the ground once too, ya know.”

“Really?!” Chopper practically squeaked.

“It was a horrible ordeal! I had to battle some enormous moles and dig myself out! It took three
weeks! No food! No water! Nothing to sustain me!” he lamented theatrically.

Chopper looked enthralled, peering eagerly up at the long-nosed teen with undisguised awe. Even
Luffy appeared caught up in the tale, his eyes wide and unblinking.

Sabo caught Ace’s eye and they shared a long suffering look before Ace tapped Luffy on the head,
jolting the teen from his starry-eyed stare.

“The ground didn’t actually eat Luffy,” he said, gently.

Usopp hummed thoughtfully and tapped his chin. “Nope, the ground definitely ate me,” he
confirmed, although he didn’t look too put out that he no longer shared a past woe with his
captain.

Ace grinned fondly down at his brother. “Luffy was stupid enough to fall over, bounce right into a
crevice and end up stuck somewhere he shouldn’t. As usual!” Sabo couldn’t help but laugh at the
small pout that appeared on Luffy, which quickly vanished when Ace ruffled his hair
affectionately. “We got you back eventually, though, didn’t we?”

Luffy nodded quickly. “Sabo was able to guide me up until I could reach Ace. Then we had loads
of meat that night.” Unsurprisingly, at the thought of food, Luffy started to drool and he swung
around towards the galley, shouting loudly for the cook. “SANJI! I want meat!”

The galley door was ripped open so violently Sabo was surprised it didn’t come off of its hinges.
Chopper squeaked and ducked behind Usopp when Sanji stormed out, annoyance clinging to him
like a rain cloud. The reindeer only disappeared for a few moments, though, before he peeked back
around his new crewmate and stared in fascinating at the shouting match unfolding between the
other two pirates. With every meal request, he was starting to emerge quicker and Sabo thought,
given a few more days to acclimatise himself to the general hustle and bustle, Chopper would soon
be immune to the ships more vocal occupants’ louder means of communication.

“Shitty captain! You’re going to have to find something else to do until it’s finished! How many
times do I have to tell you?” Sanji snapped, his words lacking any real heat.

Luffy frowned at the cook’s disappearing back before he looked around the deck. Sabo saw the
exact moment his gaze landed on his lead pipe. The smirk that appeared on the younger’s face
made Sabo want to watch him carefully.

“Hey, Ace? Can we spar?”

Ace eyed Luffy shrewdly for a few moments. “Are you going to be able to control yourself?
Because I have a feeling the others might object to swimming the rest of the way to Alabasta with
so many anchors to drag along if you break the ship.”

“Of course I can!” Luffy replied quickly, looking a little insulted. “I would never hurt Merry!”

Usopp’s head whipped quickly between the two brothers, looking aghast. “Sparring is something
that could hurt Merry?! Maybe you should think of something else to do!”
“What kind of sparring do you guys do?” Zoro asked, appearing beside them and making Usopp
yelp with his sudden appearance.

Ace smirked, which Luffy mirrored readily and stared up at the swordsman gleefully. “Who wants
to keep tally for us?”

xxx

With his back resting against the railing of the Going Merry a couple of hours later, Sabo
thoughtfully catalogued the damage to the deck while he waited for Ace and Luffy to start again. It
was relatively minor in the scheme of things but there were still more than a few scuff marks and
small holes that would eventually need to be patched up. A few feet away, a familiar straw hat
hanging around his neck (“Because Ace might burn it!”), his legs dangling the other side of the
railing and a fishing line trailing in the water, Usopp sat with his back to the deck, and Sabo could
hear him occasionally grumble about irresponsible captains and apologies to Merry. Amusingly, he
had given up trying to watch the three of them spar before Sabo and Luffy had even managed to
get into double figures, and he flinched violently every time Ace unleashed a very controlled
Hiken. It was easy to see that the teen loved the ship and all her flaws, but Sabo couldn’t help but
wonder just how much further she would be able to take them. She had done well to get them even
so deep into the Grand Line as it was but she had taken a battering and the New World was even
more unforgiving.

In a small blessing for Usopp’s nerves, Sabo and Luffy had finished their rounds relatively quickly
despite the fact that Luffy was a very proficient devil fruit user. He had managed to keep Sabo on
his toes with his rather ingenious and somewhat unpredictable movements, but the blond still
hadn’t needed to use his armament haki even once.

Luffy had potential though, Sabo acknowledged. He’d managed to land some very solid hits on the
Revolutionary and was no slacker. Sabo had no doubts that if he continued to train, his raw,
underdeveloped potential would flourish easily enough. He would undoubtedly face some
interesting people on the Grand Line and the New World who would be happy to test his courage.
The blond didn’t doubt that the next time they sparred – hopefully on a less breakable battleground
so they could really push themselves – that Luffy would probably be able to win at least a couple
of bouts against him.

Next to him, Vivi and Chopper had a large sheet of paper and two quills, borrowed from Nami with
interest to be accrued for the sacrifice of her precious mapping equipment. They were dutifully
keeping a tally as requested politely by Ace. A quick glance at his own column already showed
fifty wins to Luffy’s fifty losses and while Luffy’s reactions to losing all of their allocated rounds
had been amusing, those of his crew had been even more so. Sanji and Zoro had both very much
looked like they had wanted to take a turn with the Revolutionary who was running circles around
their captain, but one look from Ace had had them both backing off respectfully.

Sabo couldn’t fault Ace for wanting to keep what he now understood to be a daily childhood ritual
to themselves. At least he now had an answer to give to Hack when he eventually returned to
Baltigo as to how he had been so well trained when he had first joined the Revolutionaries.

The blond was quickly brought out of his musings when Luffy landed heavily at his feet with a
pained groan. He was unable to stop the fond smile that slipped free when he peered down at the
teenager staring forlornly back up at him, panting heavily. Across the deck, barely out of breath
and cracking his knuckles with glee, Ace smirked at them both.

“I lost again,” Luffy unnecessarily narrated.

“Yep,” Sabo acknowledged helpfully. Above him, leaning over the upper deck’s railing, Zoro and
Sanji were having a hushed but lively conversation, as they had been since they had been barred
from participating, analysing both Ace and Luffy’s fights with interest. It was the longest Sabo had
seen them in the other’s presence without breaking down into a physical squabble, but it seemed
like they had come to an unspoken agreement not to argue in case Nami called a halt to all fighting
on deck at all. That hadn’t stopped them from occasionally swatting at the other when they felt
particularly put out, however.

The pirate pouted and flipped to his feet with surprising grace. “How many more rounds do we
have?”

“One,” said Vivi softly, adding another tally mark to Ace’s column and flicking her long blue hair
over one shoulder.

Luffy scowled and raised his fists for the final time. “I’m gonna win at least one round today!” He
rushed forward, twisting his fist as he ran, but Ace didn’t move a muscle despite the rubber man
bearing down at him with alarming speed.

A mischievous glint in the corner of one eye was the only warning given, and Sabo saw it a split
second before Luffy, but his momentum was too fast to stop and with an annoyed yell, his fist went
sailing straight through Ace’s shoulder. A second later, the rest of Luffy tumbled through his mera
mera no mi wielding brother, flames licking harmless at his skin and clothes. He tumbled to the
deck with a thud and a gentle snap of rubber told Sabo his arm had retracted.

Beside him, Vivi and Chopper giggled to one another while they added the final tally to Ace’s
column. Above, Zoro was shaking his head, almost in despair, and Sanji chortled loudly that the
swordsman now owed him one hundred beli.

“You bet against me?” Luffy shouted up at the blond cook, overhearing the little exchange, his
words muffled slightly where his face was still pressed into the wooden deck.

“Of course I did. And thank you for my winnings! Much appreciated captain! Pay up, Marimo.”

“I don’t have that much beli!”

“What?! Go borrow some from Nami-swan then!”

“No way! She’ll charge interest.”

Tuning out the quarrelling still going on above, Sabo glanced at the tally sheets in Vivi’s hand and
then back towards the two dark-haired brothers. The younger was still laid spread-eagled on the
deck, while the older smirked down at him smugly.

Next to him, Vivi dipped the quill in the ink once more before carefully writing Ace and his own
names into the final column, ready for their fifty matches to begin. Chopper practically vibrated
with excitement and his eyes glistened brightly. Sabo offered him a small grin before striding
across the deck towards the pirates, adjusting his pipe more comfortably against his back.

Ace nudged Luffy over with one booted foot and he flopped onto his back readily enough, still
panting slightly and his face twisted into a confused frown. He raised his hands above his head and
stared at them intently, as if they held the answer to his predicament.

“How come I can’t even hit Ace anymore?” he asked, and Sabo had to forcefully fight down the
urge to smile at the other’s confusion.
Ace snorted and crossed his arms. “Anymore? You’ve never been able to hit me, Luffy!”

Sabo allowed himself a moment to think Ace might’ve been lying only slightly with that statement.
He could easily picture a much younger Luffy losing all control of his rubbery limbs and whacking
Ace by accident. The image was so vibrant, Sabo briefly wondered whether it was something that
had actually happened, before he reached down and offered Luffy a hand up, despite the fact he
didn’t really need it.

“You can’t hit Ace because he’s a logia, Luffy,” he explained patiently, aware Zoro and Sanji were
both leaning precariously over the railing to listen in curiously. “It means Ace is literally fire now,
and you can’t hit fire.” Sabo paused for a moment, thoughtfully. He was pretty positive that the
yami yami no mi was technically classed as a logia type devil fruit, he mused, and he made a
mental note to mention that to Ace once they’d finished sparring. It might be useful information.

“What?” Luffy whined, grabbing his attention back to him. “How am I meant to win now?”

“You don’t,” Ace grinned widely. He gestured to Sabo impatiently before stalking across to the far
side of the deck. “You’re up!”

Sabo rolled his eyes at the display of posturing and instead stepped up behind Luffy. He wrapped
his arms loosely around the shorter teenager’s neck, never taking his eyes off of Ace.

“Would you like to see how it’s possible to hit a logia like Ace?” he whispered softly into Luffy’s
ear. Luffy twisted his head to stare up at his excitedly. Several meters away, Ace frowned and
squinted at the pair of them critically. For a second, Sabo thought he might’ve detected a hint of
jealousy in the other’s dark eyes, which made no sense at all to the blond, but it disappeared as
quickly as it appeared.

“Yeah!” Luffy whispered back, a little too loudly but Sabo couldn’t fault him for his excitement,
which had him practically vibrating in his arms.

“Go on, out the way then, and watch closely.” Sabo nudged him gently and Luffy dashed away,
leaping up to sit next to Chopper. He was leaning so far forward that he was precariously close to
falling off of the railing but he didn’t seem bothered by the uncomfortable position. He grinned
brightly back at Sabo who returned it quickly before focusing all his attention upon the pirate
tapping his foot impatiently in front of him.

“What are you waiting for, Sabo? An invitation? Let’s get started already!” Ace cracked his
knuckles again, but otherwise didn’t make a move himself to start their first round. It appeared he
was going to follow the same tactics he had used on Luffy and wait for the blond to make the first
move. It was not exactly how Sabo had expected Ace to fight and he rather suspected it was more
for teasing and testing Luffy, since the older pirate knew intimately how the younger preferred to
fight, but remaining still and unmovable wasn’t the smartest choice when it came to fighting Sabo.
Ace had no idea what Sabo was actually capable of and all he was doing was making himself an
easy target by deploying the same tactics Sabo had literally just watched him perform the last fifty
times in a row.

The Revolutionary resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He had seen plenty of people – not just pirates
– exude the same confidence Ace had in buckets and most of them, Sabo knew to either be dead or
living with destroyed dreams.

Sabo sensed, from the odd little things that Luffy had let slip about Ace over the last few days, that
he had been a very sad, angry, lonely little boy for a long time. It was an image that made Sabo’s
heart ache for the pirate, and one he wished never to see first-hand. The fondness with which Ace
had spoken of his fellow Whitebeard Pirates was evident to all, and they were talked about in the
same voice Sabo had come to expect when Ace spoke of Luffy. From Sabo’s perspective, at least,
they had not known each other very long, but already the blond knew he would hate to see Ace lose
the one place he finally seemed to feel like he belonged, or any more of the people he cared about,
just because he got a little too overconfident.

The Revolutionary started walking, his booted feet sure and practically silent on the wood despite
the small rocking of the ship in the gentle current, towards the pirate, who grinned somewhat
manically now that they were apparently - finally - starting. Sabo ducked his head ever so slightly,
Ace’s face disappearing from view and the rim of his top hat shielding his own eyes.

Eyes were an indicator, Sabo had learnt over the years thanks to his painful training exercises with
Kuma and Dragon. He could fake out with any other part of his body – feinting left when he fully
intended to go right; twisting in the air to land a punch rather than a kick – but in order to land a
hit, he had to see it. Eyes could very easily give away exactly where he intended to aim – all
anyone had to do was follow his line of sight. So, Sabo had taught himself – through much trial
and error – not to stare any sort of opponent down. It didn’t mean he didn’t know where they were,
his haki was far too advanced for anyone to catch him unawares most of the time, but it did mean
he didn’t need to look at them until the last possible second.

It also served more than just its original purpose, as it often made it look like he was being
submissive and that always tended to catch people off guard. Much like it was doing to Ace, Sabo
thought, allowing himself to feel just ever so slightly smug. He could practically feel the confusion
rolling off of the pirate in waves as he walked ever so slowly closer. Sabo had noticed Ace enjoyed
taunting and teasing when sparring with Luffy and it served more than just purposely annoying the
younger and it was something Sabo wasn’t sure Luffy had picked up on yet. Any reaction he
dragged from Luffy told Ace exactly how the other felt, and he could use it to his advantage. Even
if Luffy didn’t outwardly react brashly, his eyes hadn’t been able to hide his feelings.

There were less than a dozen steps between them. Sabo suspected the only reason Ace hadn’t
already flung himself head first at the Revolutionary was because he was curious as to what he was
actually going to do. Curiosity was good, Sabo thought, caution would be better. He briefly
considered reaching for the lead pipe resting warmly against his back, and he rubbed the end where
it hung near his left hip, but eventually discarded the idea. Ace would be expecting him to reach
for his most obvious weapon. But not all of his weapons were so visible.

The blond grinned. A small intake of breath from only a few feet away told him Ace had seen his
smirk, which only caused it to widen. A rush of euphoria rushed through him. It had been a long
time since he had been able to show off himself and he was going to relish the opportunity.

Concentrating, Sabo called on his haki, pushing and pulling at the familiar hum at the back of his
mind until it yielded to his thoughts. It hummed under his skin before the small sensation, not
unlike running water, rushed up his arm from his fingertips and tapered off around his elbows. He
resisted the urge to flex his hands, to test the armour now decorating his skin and tainting it black.

He knew no one could see it – he wore his gloves for more than one reason, after all – but anyone
well trained or with regular exposure to any sort of haki should have been able to recognise that
Sabo had called his to wrap around his hands, so he wasn’t at all surprised when not one of the
Strawhats reacted to his unseen skill. Ace had undoubtedly been exposed to plenty of experienced
haki wielders thanks to his time as a Whitebeard Pirate, but he also gave no indication that he knew
what Sabo had just done.

The blond mentally shrugged, but if Luffy insisted on learning – and he highly expected that he
would at least want several demonstrations – then it might also present the opportunity for Sabo to
at least teach Ace to recognise when someone called upon it. It certainly wouldn’t do any harm and
he might even be persuaded to find someone within the Whitebeard Pirates’ fleet to properly train
him. Ace was a Division Commander after all; if he could impress Whitebeard himself to give him
such a lucrative position within his crew, then Ace could almost certainly learn to use at least one
form of haki, even if armament didn’t end up being his expertise. He would just need to deploy a
little patience.

Which he had run out off, Sabo smirked, sensing the other’s body only a few feet away tensed and
ready to spring. Ace didn’t leave him waiting long. With a frustrated huff, the pirate moved,
launching himself straight at the Revolutionary.

Sabo could feel the power of the mera mera no mi building - it made the air around them feel thick
and heavy – but he ignored it all. Ace was powerful, there was no doubt about that, but Sabo was
agile. He twisted his body to the right, allowing Ace’s clenched fist, ablaze and smouldering, to
graze past him. Smirking, he locked his fingers, letting them take on the familiar form of his
Dragon Claw. He snapped his hand down and clamped tightly onto Ace’s wrist. Ace’s flames
licked at his gloved fingers harmlessly and the pirate’s eyes widened in surprise.

It wasn’t the tightest of grips; if he wanted to, he could very easily snap Ace’s arm, but he applied
just enough pressure to make the pirate wince. He allowed himself only a few seconds to savour
the shocked gasps from the crew watching them, before he grinned and twisted Ace’s arm so that
he had no choice but to follow Sabo’s momentum or risk serious pain.

Sabo jerked Ace’s arm easily and stepped smartly behind the pirate, not relinquishing his grip for a
second and exposing the pirate’s unprotected back. He curled his free hand into a fist. He lightly
punched Ace’s spine, right against the Whitebeard Jolly Roger.

Ace flinched sharply, as if Sabo had caused him actual pain, when they both knew it was only a
light tap, but Sabo abandoned his hold and the pirate stumbled forward. Sabo stepped back,
allowing the other some breathing space.

Ace swung around, ignoring Luffy’s cheers and Vivi’s light tone declaring one nil to Sabo. He
smiled pleasantly in answer to Ace’s deep scowl.

“You never said you knew armament haki, too!” Ace snapped, reaching around to rub his tattooed
back.

Sabo shrugged, undeterred by the other’s annoyance. “You shouldn’t have assumed I didn’t. You
should know better than to underestimate an opponent, Ace,” he chided gently, catching the other’s
gaze. “You’ve been to the New World. You know to expect the unexpected.”

Ace didn’t lose his frown, but he looked pensive and possibly a little bashful at the reprimand.
“You sound like Marco,” he said, finally.

Sabo smiled softly. “High praise to be compared to the Phoenix.”

Ace rolled his eyes but Sabo caught a hint of smile starting to break through.

“That was so cool!” Luffy declared, excitedly bounding to their sides and latching on to both of
their arms. “How’d you do that? Can I learn?”

Ace huffed, but returned his younger brother’s smile easily enough. Sabo grinned, Luffy’s
excitement contagious, as always.
“It’s called haki. It’s primarily used to fight logias but there are a couple of other uses, too.” He
slipped off one glove and within seconds, Luffy was gawking at the armoured skin, poking and
prodding experimentally.

“Geez, Sabo,” Ace whistled. Sabo tried not to flinch when Ace poked at the sheen of aura with a
flaming hand. He could still feel the heat, even if the flames didn’t burn him.

“So cool! Can Ace use it too?” Luffy asked eagerly.

Ace made a face. “Yeah, I use observation haki all the time but my armament isn’t the best. I can’t
hold it for very long. I find it easier to use my flames.”

“Can you teach me, Sabo? Please?”

“It takes years to master but I don’t see why n-”

“AARGHH!”

Sabo whipped around at the shriek, startled, his eyes immediately jumping to Vivi – expecting the
high pitched scream to have come from her - but she was staring in shock down to where Usopp
had been sat. He swung his gaze to the sniper and did a double-take at the sight that greeted him.

Dangling limply from the teenager’s fishing line was a man, his pink and white clothes dripping
wet, and a somewhat dazed expression on his face. It aptly matched the Strawhats’ own faces
where they stared at the man in utter confusion.

Usopp spluttered and flailed at the sight, before finally breaking the stunned silence of the deck.
“That’s a weird fish!”

xxx

“Usopp, stay still or you’ll smudge the ink! No, Luffy that’s not tight enough. Sanji, wrap Luffy’s
wrist properly, please.”

“Yes, Nami-swan!”

“Suck up.”

“Shut up, Marimo!”

High above the deck, listening to the gentle voices of the Strawhat’s filter up to him, Ace stared at
the horizon.

The white sands of Alabasta were nearing ever closer, the stiff wind aiding their way into dock
easily. A quick check behind told Ace the fleet of billions was still floating a little further out to
sea; serenely for the moment, but Ace was all too aware of how fast that could change. Their
strange encounter with the man Usopp had literally fished from the ocean was proof of that.

He’d seemed harmless – amusing even, with his unusual devil fruit powers – but after his own ship
had collected him, an ashen-faced Vivi had managed to explain one of the man’s many faces had
been her own father’s. It hadn’t been hard to guess how Bon Clay had gotten so close to the King
of Alabasta with his little talent, but it had been a sharp reminder to all exactly what type of people
they were dealing with and they all needed to be on alert.

Ace considered himself fortunate he’d ducked away from Bon Clay before he’d even attempted to
touch him and that the man didn’t have his face. He dreaded thinking what kind of mayhem that
man could cause if he had the face of a Whitebeard Pirate. It was bad enough he had a king in his
repertoire.

Ace glanced down, watching Nami and Vivi coordinate their little ruse to tell each other apart from
the mane mane no mi user. It was simple, but clever. Ace wished it wasn’t necessary, though. He’d
had a clean shot of Bon Clay’s ship with his Hiken even after Vivi had stammered out her horror,
but he hadn’t taken it. Even if he had voiced his thoughts on the matter – and he had the feeling
Zoro and Sanji, at least, would have sided with his logic of removing the threat – he knew Luffy
would have objected to the idea of his brother frying his new ‘friend’. And Luffy was the captain,
Ace shook his head. His word was law, and he didn’t want the crew to see him possibly
undermining his little brother’s command. If the crew was going to survive what the Grand Line
could throw at them, they needed to stick together. Dissension in the ranks was not going to help
any of them achieve their dreams.

“Hey.”

Pulled from his thoughts, he turned in time to see Sabo pulling himself through the hatch.

“Hey. Where’d you vanish to?” He hadn’t seen the blond since shortly after Bon Clay’s arrival.
Since his small vessel had been still lashed and tugged along behind the Going Merry, Ace hadn’t
been concerned that he might’ve jumped ship entirely.

Sabo shrugged easily. “Inside. I didn’t think it was particularly prudent for someone who can clone
faces to get a hold of mine. My line of work is the kind where you don’t want people to know your
face all that well.”

Ace shook his head, pushing aside the unease that bubbled in his chest every time Sabo mentioned
his job. He admired his brother for his work with the Revolutionary Army, he really did, and he
was fully behind what they were trying to do, but they had some very powerful enemies and Ace
wasn’t sure he could handle losing Sabo a second time.

“You’ll never get a bounty with that kind of attitude,” he muttered, instead of voicing his thoughts
aloud.

The blond grinned. “Oh, I have a bounty. Only mine doesn’t come with a wanted poster.” Ace
blinked in surprise. He hadn’t realised the Revolutionaries even had bounties. “Anyway, I came to
tell you, we’ve docked,” he said.

Ace looked around and realised that, while he’d been lost in his thoughts, Usopp had guided the
ship into the harbour.

“Right,” he said, weakly, following Sabo down quickly. His feet had barely touched the deck
before Luffy ran past him.

“I’m hungry!”

“Luffy! Wait!” Nami shouted, but it was too late. Luffy had grasped the edges of the ship’s railing
and launched himself towards the dock in a blur of red and blue that was immediately lost in the
sea of people. “Honestly,” she huffed, cheeks flushed with annoyance.

“You can’t tell us that you weren’t expecting that to happen,” said Zoro with a pointed look.

“I can dream,” she snapped.

“I guess you’re going to look for any leads on this Blackbeard guy?” Sanji asked, appearing at
Ace’s elbow. Ace had given all of the crew a brief rundown of the events that had led him to
departing from the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates, just on the off chance they heard anything
themselves about the renegade man.

“Yeah.” Ace turned to his blond brother and quirked one brow. “You wanna come with?”

Sabo shrugged easily. “Might as well. I was planning on having a wander around anyway. I might
hear something that’ll help Luffy and Vivi.”

“How?” Ace wondered.

Sabo smiled softly. “At the local markets. They attract all the world’s gossipers!”

xxx

Ace powered ahead, his bull-headed determination to ask nearly every street vendor if they had
seen Blackbeard admirable but it was proving to be fruitless endeavour. Sabo could only follow in
his wake, his pace more sedate, as he stopped to browse and listen in to the local’s conversations
with disguised interest in the goods on display until Ace hurried them onto the next street, all the
while masking his growing frustrations with teasing comments about heat and inappropriate
clothing.

It was hot, Sabo mused, ducking into a patch of shade offered by the cloth shades strung up
between stalls, but he wasn’t going to take off his black coat and give Ace even more ammunition
to gloat. The Whitebeard Pirate had looked annoyingly undisturbed by the growing temperature all
morning. Luffy had also appeared unaffected by the dry heat of the desert island when they had
chanced a glimpse of him, still on his quest for food, a couple of hours ago before he had
disappeared again with a cheerful grin and a wave.

Sabo privately admitted he was a little relieved that Luffy had deigned to finally separate himself
from the blond. He suspected his own hunt for information that might prove useful to Vivi would
go a lot smoother and quicker without the risk of Luffy causing some mischief. He was much more
used to information gathering incognito, and Sabo rather suspected Luffy’s natural talent for
attracting unwanted attention would be counterproductive to the blond’s goal, especially when they
were already under time restraints.

Gently setting down the small vase he had been pretending to examine, Sabo glanced around in
time to see Ace’s shoulders slump, a small man shaking his head in front of him. Ace stuck the
crumpled wanted poster into the deep pocket of his shorts and Sabo didn’t need to see his face to
know that Ace’s jaw was probably clenched tightly in frustration, although he still managed to nod
and politely thank the small man for his time.

They’d thought they had managed to strike it lucky about an hour ago, but the more of a
description they were given, even Sabo had quickly realised that the family was not describing the
same Blackbeard. It had saved them a trip into the desert but it had been another blow.

Sabo forced himself to smile when Ace glanced back at him. The pirate returned it weakly before
moving on to the next stall. The blond admired the pirate’s determination but it was clear as day to
Sabo that they were going to find no solid leads on the renegade Whitebeard Pirate in Alabasta.

Delighted laughter caught his attention and he turned to see a few young girls dashing down the
street. He caught a glimpse of strawberry blonde hair and for a second thought that it was Koala,
but the length was all wrong and while Sabo loved teasing Koala about her short status now that he
towered over her, she wasn’t as short as the girl running past him.

Koala.

He could’ve hit himself, Sabo fumed, and fished out the den den mushi from his pocket, quickly
dialling a familiar number. They didn’t need to waste time wandering the stalls of a market place.
He was Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army with numerous spy networks at his disposal.
Granted, it had never been used to help a pirate before, but there was always a first time, Sabo
thought with a small grin.

The call connected with a click.

“It’s me,” he said, by way of greeting. “I need you to do some research for me.”

“Sabo,” Koala acknowledged. “Is there something you have to tell me?” Her voice was soft and
nearly sickly-sweet, a sure sign she was mad as hell.

His friend’s familiar tones sounded so comforting after all the strange and weird things he’d been
discovering the last week that he couldn’t help but grin widely, letting the relief that finally
someone was acting and treating him normally. Then her words registered.

“Something to tell you?” he asked, tentatively.

“Yes, something to tell me. Dragon-san said I would be hearing from you… several days ago.”

Sabo grimaced. Dragon had said to him he would leave it to him to inform Koala of the latest
developments. And he’d forgotten… again. “Oops,” he offered sheepishly, in lieu of an apology.

Koala huffed. “You’re the worst, you really are. You’re so lucky Dragon-san said that you found
your brothers - ”

“Technically they found me,” he felt obliged to point out, quietly. He’d passed Luffy in the street
and hadn’t recognised him. If it hadn’t been for Ace, he’d have gone about his life in complete
ignorance.

“Well, whatever, I can’t be mad. I’m happy for you.”

Sabo knew her words were sincere. She had been at his side more often than not when he had
soaked up their colleague’s tales of home, watching him struggle to understand and accept what
might be lost forever. Despite the pain and disappointment returning to her own home had caused
– she was still bitter over Fisher Tiger’s death after all he had done for her, but determined to
change the stereotypical views on fishman – she’d shared a few things over the years, time making
it easier to speak with some fondness about her previous life.

“That makes a change,” he forced himself to joke. “I should find long lost bro - people more
often.” He hoped his stumble went unnoticed. He hadn’t quite been able to bring himself to
actually call Ace or Luffy his brothers aloud yet. Just the thought of the word and all that came
with it was overwhelming. Giving voice to what they believed him to be… he felt like it would be a
betrayal of the child they remembered with such adoration. That runaway kid had been their
brother; the Revolutionary he was today… he wasn’t sure if he had that right to call himself their
brother. Maybe one day, he thought wistfully.

“Yeah, well don’t get used it.” Koala’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “And maybe don’t
push your luck. You never know, an evil step-brother might appear next!”
“I hope not! Anyway, I need a favour,” he said.

She sighed heavily but Sabo could tell she wasn’t as put out as she pretended. “I’m going to regret
this, aren’t I?”

“No you won’t, this one’ll be easy for you. I need you to find out if there’ve been any reports about
a pirate called Blackbeard. See if you can’t track him down for me.”

“A pirate? That’s new.”

“Long story short, he killed one of his fellow Whitebeard Pirates and Ace is trying to find him. At
the rate he’s going though, he could be looking for years,” he admitted.

“So you’re going to abuse Revolutionary resources to track down a pirate for him? Sabo, I know
you’ve quite a few missed birthdays to make up for but surely there are better gifts?” she teased.

Sabo glanced down the street to where Ace was chatting to another street vendor. “No, I think he’d
prefer this one actually.”

“Alright, I’ll see what I can find.”

“And see if you can find out what the yami yami no mi does too,” he added quickly.

“Wh - ”

“It’s a devil fruit. Blackbeard has it.”

“Yeah, I guessed that but - ”

“Oh, and have you heard anything on the grape vine about Alabasta?”

“Good grief!” she huffed. “One thing at a time! Track this Blackbeard guy; research a devil fruit
and no, I haven’t heard anything about Alabasta. We’re usually in the New World though so
someone else might’ve. Why? Is it something we need to be aware of?” she asked curiously.

“We should’ve been,” he confessed.

“Do we need to send some people?”

“It’s too late now,” he said, heart heavy at the admittance. “No one would get here in time and the
damage is pretty much done. The Princess has some people who are helping her though, so it’s all
fine.” The Strawhat Pirates were Vivi’s best and last bet on saving her country and her home, and
Sabo had every reason to believe in them.

“’All fine’?” Koala repeated, incredulously. “Last time I heard you say that was after you fought
that CP8 agent and it turned out he’d nicked your artery! You nearly bled out!” she hissed at him.

“But I was fine…after a while anyway,” he retorted, remembering the incident in question nearly a
year ago.

“Only thanks to Hack,” she muttered. “Okay, I’ll find out who our contacts are in the area of
Alabasta and let you know. At least that way the Princess can contact us if she ever needs to.”

“Thanks, I owe you one,” said Sabo.

“Just one? At my last count it was fourteen, Sabo.”

 The blond grumbled but didn’t repute the number. He knew he owed her more than he could ever
hope to repay back. He hung up with the promise of keeping in touch with updates – it was more
routine for her to demand he do so rather than any expectation on her part that he actually would.

Ace found him a short while later, examining a handful of women’s sunglasses. Koala had an
affinity for the most colourful pairs and Alabasta had him spoilt for choice.

“Looking for a present for your girlfriend?” the pirate teased good-naturedly, gently snatching a
pair of bright fuchsia glasses from the Revolutionary’s hands.

“Wife, actually,” said Sabo casually. Ace dropped the glasses and the blond burst out laughing at
the disbelief written across his face. “Well, fake wife when the occasion calls for it.” Ace rolled his
eyes at Sabo’s smirking face and reached out to knock his askew. “She’s my friend. My friend who
is doing us a massive favour, so I can’t exactly go back empty handed.”

“Doing us a favour?” Ace asked, curiously.

“Yeah, I asked if she could look into hunting down any sightings of Blackbeard. The
communications team get dozens of newspapers every day from all over. It’ll be like looking for a
needle in a haystack but she’s good at what she does and it might save you going from island to
island like you have been,” he explained.

“That’s brilliant, Sabo! Thanks!” Ace grinned, and Sabo was struck in that moment just how much
he looked like Luffy in his joy.

“Thank Koala, not me.”

Ace glanced at the glasses again. “So why sunglasses and not something like jewellery? Don’t all
girls like jewellery?”

Sabo shrugged. “Koala never wears jewellery. She does wear a lot of sunglasses undercover
though, and the brighter the better, I’m reliably informed.”

Ace nodded and immediately joined him in his hunt through the small stash for the brightest, most
colourful pair possible. Sabo raised an eyebrow questioningly when he caught Ace staring at him
out the corner of one eye.

A small smirk appeared on the pirates face. “Are you sure she’s not your girlfriend?”

“Shut up, Ace.”

“I don’t hear you denying it.”

“Shut up!”

Chapter End Notes

The story of Luffy getting eaten by the ground was actually in a friend’s fic and I was
graciously allowed to reference it when I needed a funny tale.
 Adventure in the Kingdom of Sand

The herbal tea was sweeter than he usually cared for, but Sabo ignored the taste in favour of
draining his mug and absently pouring himself another, uncaring of the heat despite the beads of
sweat that clung to the nap of his neck and made his already blond hair curl even more than
normal. A drink was a drink in the middle of the desert and Sabo was going to enjoy it, even if he
had been spoilt by Sanji’s outrageously good cups of tea.

Ignoring the other restaurant’s patrons, he glanced over the top of his passed out companion’s head
where it rested on the bar next to his elbow and out the window to where the sun still sat high in
the sky, all but mocking the Revolutionary with the knowledge an entire morning had passed with
no real progress made at the markets.

While there had been some small titbits of information, gleaned from nervous and shifty stall
owners who had shooed them away as soon as they could – telling behaviour in and of itself – Sabo
was conscious of the timescale Vivi was under. There was no doubt at all in the Revolutionary’s
mind that Alabasta was as corrupt as the Princess had warned, and its survival hung on a knife’s
edge.

After ten years with the Revolutionary Army, Sabo was well versed in recognising when
something was brewing. The air felt electric with tension and it was only building in speed and
power. It would only take one small ripple to disrupt the delicate balance.

It was both impressive and frustrating that the infamous Mr. Zero – whoever the hell he was – had
managed to blind the rest of the world at to just how far he had managed to bring Alabasta down.
There hadn’t been any indication whatsoever that the country was in danger of self-imploding from
the inside out, Sabo scowled into his remaining tea. Countries with royalty still at the helm were
steeped in tradition and, thanks to the Levely held every four years, while subject to the usual will
and whims of the Tenryuubito, they were generally left to their own devices.

The last Levely had only been two years ago. Vivi had informed them she’d been hunting for a
way to break the country free for a lot longer than that. That meant they should consider
themselves lucky a full scale war hadn’t broken out at the last government meeting, with all the
tension that has been festering in the country. Nefertari Cobra was a truly formidable King if he’d
managed to keep a handle on the situation for so long without outside assistance. But he shouldn’t
have had to. And neither should Vivi have had to leave her country, her people, her own family,
putting her own life in danger as she had.

Sabo sighed, forcing his hand to unclench from around his tea cup before he smashed it
thoughtlessly. It wasn’t too late; there was still time for someone to save the country, Sabo
acknowledged, pushing the half eaten plate of food in front of him away, his appetite disappearing,
but it wasn’t going to be the Revolutionary Army.

“Um, Sir?”

Sabo blinked rapidly, jerked from his wandering thoughts and to the bartender hovering nervously
across the bar from him.

“Sorry, what?” he asked.

The bartender twisted his drying cloth. “Your…er…your friend. He didn’t eat any of the desert
strawberry did he?”
“The what-now?” Sabo asked, cocking his head inquisitively.

“The desert strawberry,” the bartender repeated, his gaze flickering nervously between Sabo and
the slumped figure next to him.

“Um, no, we didn’t eat any strawberries,” Sabo tried to reassure the man, suddenly feeling many
more pairs of eyes settling on his exposed back. He looked over his shoulder to see all the other
patrons watching them, some with trepidation and others with pity. He frowned, turning back to the
bartender, confused by their reactions.

“I think your friend must’ve,” the bartender said, his eyes turning sorrowful and sympathetic.
“They’re poisonous and your friend… Well, he looks like he died!”

The words didn’t register for a moment before Sabo snorted, amused.

“Oh, he’s not dead,” he said. “He’s just - ”

As if on cue, Ace jerked awake with an obnoxious grunt, raising his head and blinking blearily
against the bright light of the bar.

“- sleeping,” Sabo finished, smiling politely even as the bartender and half the patrons jumped in
their seats and gaped at the man who’d risen from the ‘dead’ beside him.

“I fall asleep again?” Ace croaked.

“Yes, you did. Stop it,” Sabo scolded, roughly bumping Ace’s shoulder and forcing him to drop the
hem of a startled woman’s skirt before he could wipe his face on it. If Ace hadn’t already revealed
he’d been raised in a jungle by bandits, Sabo would’ve guessed the pirate had been raised by
wolves from how he acted sometimes.

Ace glared at him briefly before reaching over and swiping a cold sausage from the blond’s plate.
Sabo rolled his eyes and nudged the plate closer to the pirate, trying to ignore the flash of confusion
that settled across the other’s face, like he was expecting Sabo to have had an entirely different
reaction to the theft of his food. Sabo didn’t understand why and couldn’t bring himself to question
it. He had a healthy appetite but he knew devil fruit users could burn calories like no tomorrow and
had ridiculous metabolisms thanks to Chopper’s lecture from the other evening around the dinner
table. He wasn’t going to deny Ace more food if he wanted it, especially if Sabo wasn’t going to
finish it. He’d gone hungry enough times in his life to know not to waste food idly.

“Any sign of Luffy yet?”

“Not yet,” Sabo replied.

Ace grumbled and reached into one of the pockets of his shorts. “Stupid little brothers, always
wandering off. Hey, have you seen a guy with a straw hat wandering around today? He’d look like
this?” He waved the battered wanted poster in the bartender’s startled face.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve showing your face around here.”

The bartender paled and hastily stepped backwards, which was Sabo’s first indication trouble may
have found them. Again.

Much slower than Ace, who swung around on his stool with abandon, Sabo twisted towards the
door, where an ominously large man filled the doorway. A plume of smoke rose around the man’s
head from the cigar dangling from his clenched teeth, his face set in a grimace. Sabo just about
stifled a groan. Next to him, Ace made no such effort to mute his reaction and smirked even as he
lent back against the bar in an easy and unconcerned slouch.

“What’s Whitebeard’s Second Division Commander doing here, Portgas D. Ace?” Smoker
growled, crossing his arms while he glared at the pirate in question.

Sabo ducked his head and discretely tugged the rim of his hat down to further obscure his face. It
was a feeble effort to avoid being recognised when the marine’s attention was already on them, and
he was probably still smarting from their last confrontation in Logue Town, but they were on a
deadline. He silently cursed he hadn’t been able to persuade Ace to at least throw a shirt on to
cover up the glaring tattoo so they could at least remain a little more incognito.

“Portgas!” Smoker barked, impatiently.

“Oh relax!” Ace grinned. “We’re just here waiting for our kid brother, that’s all.” He tapped his
foot a few times against his bar stool; it created an obnoxious clack, causing Smoker’s mouth to
twitch dangerously. It was the cue for several of the more nervous patrons to back away cautiously.

Sabo huffed and rolled his eyes skywards as the tension built between the two men; one smirking,
the other glaring, wondering idly when it would break.

“Okay, so now what?” Ace finally asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the bar.

“You give yourself up,” Smoker said immediately.

Ace snorted and shook his head. “Yeah, sorry no can do.”

Smoker sighed and pulled a heavy drag from his cigar. “I’m not actually after your head, Portgas.
I’m looking for another pirate.”

Sabo frowned deeply and stared at the marine from under the rim of his hat. Dragon saving Luffy
from the man evidently had created a sore spot for him. It really must have been grating on the
man’s pride that he let the pirate that declared he was going to be the Pirate King escape his grasp
for him to have chased him all the way into the Grand Line.

“You could always let me go,” said Ace, shrugging.

Sabo had to bite the inside of his mouth to stop his laughter bursting free. Smoker looked outraged
at the very idea of letting Ace walk even one step away from him.

“No way! So long as I’m a marine and you’re a pirate!” the man growled and stepped forward.

Ace frowned. “That’s a stupid reason,” he said. He turned to Sabo, who caught his eye and raised
an inquisitive brow. “That’s a stupid reason not to let someone go, right?” he prodded, blatantly
ignoring the smoke pouring from the marine.

“Yeah,” said Sabo softly, taking a sip of his now cold tea.

Ace grinned and shrugged at Smoker. Sabo subtly glanced around the restaurant. It was now
nearly deserted save for themselves, Smoker and the barkeeper, allowing him to breathe a sigh of
relief that no unwitting customers could potentially get caught in the crossfire of the fight that was
surely about to erupt at any moment.

“ROCKET!”
Sabo was pleased to note he wasn’t the only one that jumped in shock when Luffy’s voice rang out
loud and clear. He looked around wildly, unable to immediately pinpoint where it had come from.

“Uh oh!” Ace whispered, eyes wide and staring at something towards the front door. Sabo turned
just in time to watch Smoker slam into the pirate and both of them disappeared through a wall of
the bar in a resounding crash of brick and mortar.

Stunned into silence, the barkeeper gaped at the new hole in his wall.

Coughing once as the dust caught in the back of his throat, Sabo shook his head despairingly and
ran a gloved hand over the sleeves of his coat, making a half-hearted attempt to brush away some
of the dirt that had fallen on him.

A blur of red settled itself next him.

“Hello, Luffy,” he said, removing his hat to examine the goggles, hoping they hadn’t been
scratched by any debris.

“Hi Sabo!” Luffy greet cheerfully. “Ooh, are you gonna eat that?” He didn’t wait for an answer
before two rubbery arms stretched around him to claim his plate of food, balanced precariously on
the edge of the broken bar.

“Actually, that was Ace’s.”

Luffy grinned and gleefully dug into the food, obviously not at all bothered it must’ve now been
stone cold. “Where is Ace?” he asked around a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

“Oh, he was right here a second ago,” he said, smiling and glancing at the hole in the wall the
other pirate had vanished into. He wondered which would emerge first; the pirate or the marine. He
turned back to Luffy. “I imagine he’ll be back any minute now.”

Luffy shrugged and shovelled in another few mouthfuls. “The food here is awesome! What is this?
Maybe Sanji can make it for us!”

“STRAWHAT!”

Luffy peered around Sabo, eyes wide with curiosity. “Ah!” he cried out in surprise and pointed his
fork at the marine glaring at him. “You’re that smoking guy! What’re you doing here?”

Sabo had to bite the inside of his cheek. The marine’s once white coat was covered in dirt and
grime. His crushed cigar hung limply from his mouth, the smoke no longer curling around his head
and leaving a clear view the man’s ferocious glare, which was currently levelled at the younger
pirate.

The older pirate he’d been fixated on earlier was coughing on the floor at his feet, the wind having
been knocked out of him by the marine elbowing him aside in his determination to reach Luffy.

“What’s he doing here?!” Luffy asked again, tugging at Sabo’s sleeve.

“Looking for you, apparently,” said Sabo.

“Strawhat!” Smoker snarled, stepping forward.

“Oh no!” His survival instinct seemingly finally kicking in, Luffy swept his arms along the bar,
scooping up all the abandoned food within his extensive reach before dashing for the door, his
strawhat bouncing merrily from its string against his back. “See ya!”

“Strawhat! Get back here!”

Sabo winced when the door of the restaurant was wrenched from its hinges by the irate marine. He
swivelled in his chair to stare at the two dust clouds disappearing down the street with cries of fear
and shock from the locals being left in their wake.

“Thank you for the meal,” he said to the bartender, who only stared at him dumbly. He grabbed his
pipe from the floor at his feet and secured his hat firmly on his head. “But I’m afraid we must be
going now.” He rose to his feet gracefully and started towards the door, casting a final glance over
his shoulder. “Ace! Quit lazing around, we’ve got to go!”

Ace grumbled and snatched up his dusty bag from the floor, throwing it over his shoulder in
annoyance. “I knew teaching Luffy to rocket was a bad idea!”

“So, why’d you do it?”

“I didn’t! It was your idea to use him as a slingshot, not mine!”

“…I don’t believe you.”

“Why not? Do you remember it?!”

“No. It just sounds more like something you’d come up with.”

“No one likes a smart ass, Sabo.”

“Tell me I’m wrong… Exactly.”

xxx

“There they are,” said Sabo, pointing, although he really needn’t have bothered because the throng
of marines and billowing white smoke were both a giant sign that screamed ‘Luffy is here”.

“Typical,” Ace muttered from beside him, flames bursting from his left arm. “Always causing
trouble.”

“Oh, and you don’t?” Sabo teased with a grin, which faltered ever so slightly when Ace only stared
at him in return. Worried for a moment he had somehow offended the pirate, his fears were
alleviated when Ace grinned widely in return.

“That’s more like the Sabo we know!” he cheered, clapping him on the shoulder. Sabo didn’t have
a chance to ponder on the statement before Ace was gone, leaping off the edge of the building. He
landed gracefully before releasing an enormous Hiken that collided in an impressive display of
power with Smoker’s own attack barrelling down on the Strawhats.

The ensuing explosions of fire and smoke had the entire square coming to a halt, everyone’s
attention captured by the clash of powers. Sabo could hardly blame some of the people for staring.
It was likely the first time many of them had ever seen a devil fruit user. But that was no excuse
for Luffy to stand and gawk in awe.

He sighed and leapt down into the street. He managed to catch Nami’s eye and nodded discretely
towards the young pirate captain. She nodded once and grasped the back of Luffy’s shirt and
tugged hard, unbalancing him.
“Come on, Luffy! Let Ace handle him!”

“Aw! But I wanna watch!”

“NOW!”

Satisfied, Sabo turned his attention back to Ace, who was stood, deceptively relaxed and loose, in
front of Smoker, one hand resting on his hip. Sabo squinted at the scene, trying to work out why
the pose looked familiar. It couldn’t be Koala, since her go to stance was to cross her arms tightly
across her chest; a leftover reflex from childhood that protected her ribs, the favourite spot where
the Tenryuubito who had owned her liked to lash out. But Sabo could easily imagine a red-haired
woman standing just like Ace.

“Give it up, Smoker,” Ace said, interrupting his thoughts. “You might be smoke but I’m fire.
We’re too evenly matched.”

Ace wasn’t wrong. The two logia types were unsuited to battling each other effectively and all that
would come of it would be a flashy show for the locals brave enough to hang around the square.

Smoker glared menacingly but it didn’t seem to affect the still grinning pirate. If anything, he
looked positively delighted by the man’s attention and he completely ignored the other marines
and their weapons, all of which were levelled on him. Sabo frowned, glancing back down the street
where Luffy and his crew had disappeared. They were out of sight and, despite his initial reluctance
to leave, Sabo knew without a shadow of a doubt that Luffy wouldn’t do anything to put his friends
in danger so he knew that they were out of reach of the marines for the time being. Ace had bought
them plenty of time, so there was no reason for him to be stood engaging the man in conversation
of all things.

Sabo knew he could test the limits - often times more than Koala’s nerves could take – but even he
knew when a distraction dragged on too long, it increased the risk of overexposure, defeating the
purpose entirely. The distraction instead became a sacrifice and Sabo had no idea how he was
meant to explain to Luffy his big brother had helped him escape only to wind up stuck in marine
custody himself if they couldn’t get away.

He shook his head. First on the ship, when Ace had let his impatience get the best of him and now
with Smoker, playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse, Sabo knew he would have to have
words with Ace about his reckless behaviour at some point.

“I don’t get it,” Smoker drawled. “What are you even doing this far out on the Grand Line, Fire
Fist? Whitebeard isn’t anywhere near Alabasta. What business does the old man have here?”

Ace shrug. “As it turns out, absolutely nothing. We’ve just been sailing with our kid brother.”

Sabo sighed wearily. He was definitely going to have to talk to Ace. The implication the Strawhats
might have a tenuous connection to one of the Yonkos, however false it was, had easily been
picked up by the marine, who frowned.

“‘We’? ‘Brother’?” Smoker parroted back.

Ace nodded and glanced back over his shoulder to Sabo, who huffed and strode out of the shadows
of a stall which had hidden him from view. He stepped up beside Ace, mindful of the flames still
sparking off the pirate at random intervals. His scarred skin prickled uncomfortably in the
unnatural heat pouring from Ace’s body. He knew intuitively Ace would never let his flames burn
him, but he still had a healthy respect for any open fire he came across and doubted he would ever
be fully comfortable around it again.

Ignoring his own discomfort and unpleasant memories, Sabo tipped his hat at the marine captain,
whose own gaze narrowed as he stared back at him.

“A pleasure to meet you again, Captain,” he said quietly, without a hint of sarcasm in his voice that
belied his feelings. Ace had done enough to wind up the man both in the square and earlier in the
bar without Sabo adding his own insults to the mix. He tried to discretely count the number of
marines who were slowly starting to cajole the local shoppers aside to make room for themselves
in the square.

“Again?” Ace asked curiously, and annoyingly he still looked completely unconcerned about the
growing number of marines. Yes, he had his devil fruit which allowed him to fight many people at
once, and Sabo had haki at his disposal, but all it would take was one slip.

“You remember when I told you Luffy had a run in with the marines back in Logue Town? Our
friend, Smoker here was leading the charge. We met then. Although, I use the term ‘met’ in its
loosest form,” he added, considering there hadn’t actually been any introductions between them.

“You!” Smoker growled, his eyes widening in recognition. “I looked you up, you know, after that
stunt you pulled with Dragon. There wasn’t a lot of information but it was definitely enough to
prove who you are.” It was ever so slight, but Sabo watched the man shift his stance, as if
preparing for an attack.

It seemed Dragon’s presence and intervention in Logue Town had piqued the marine’s interests.
Not at all surprising, since Dragon so rarely let himself be seen and when he did, it was usually
nowhere near any marine bases. Interest in who Sabo was would have naturally have led Smoker to
researching him too. Sabo might have grown up primarily in the protective shadow of Baltigo but
with Dragon’s movements becoming more and more restricted, his Revolutionary work had him
working almost exclusively in the New World. It was sheer, dumb luck that Sabo had even been in
Baltigo in order to see the request for a sole reconnaissance job to Tequila Wolf before their
planned raid. It was very likely without it, Sabo would have gone many more months, if not years,
before crossing paths with either Ace or Luffy.

Smoker shifted again and Sabo watched a ripple of nerves pass through the waiting marines behind
him as they picked up on their captain’s growing discontent at being confronted with not only a
Whitebeard Pirate but also a Revolutionary. They needed to get out of there, Sabo thought, they
had more than overstayed their welcome.

Before he could discretely catch Ace’s attention, he saw Smoker staring at him with undisguised
curiosity, and intensive curiosity such as Smoker’s had never led to anything good in Sabo’s
opinion.

“What’s the Revolutionary Ch - ”

Sabo clicked his tongue loudly, abruptly cutting off Smoker’s question. “Ah ah! It’s probably best
that you don’t finish that sentence. You wouldn’t want to alarm the local’s now, would you?” he
asked, arching one eyebrow and nodding his head towards the few remaining residents to drive his
point home.

Smoker amazingly followed his cue and let his attention wander from the two men in front of him
to the rest of the square. One look was all it took for him to snap his jaw shut quickly. His
willingness to let the matter drop in front of the small crowd told Sabo that he had also noticed the
undercurrent of tension running through the city, and the unrest had probably already spread to all
corners of the country. The man wasn’t stupid after all.

Sabo could feel Ace’s eyes boring into the side of his head, but he ignored all attempts the other
made to catch his gaze. Sabo had no doubt that Ace was bursting to know what it was he had so
rudely cut Smoker off from blurting out, but the less Ace knew about his job the better. If anyone
found out that he knew the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, Ace wouldn’t have a mark
on his head just because he was a Whitebeard Pirate.

Smoker took a half a step towards them, forcing Sabo to catch Ace’s elbow before he too could
step forward. Smoker’s move hadn’t been made with the intent to attack but rather for the illusion
of privacy the open market square didn’t afford them.

“Why are you here, too?” Smoker hissed at Sabo.

The blond shrugged and allowed a small smile to spread across his face, disarming Smoker in the
process. “We’re just passing through, and on that note, we should probably get going or our ride
might be forced to leave without us,” he said, the words directed more towards Ace than Smoker.
“Would you like to do the honours?”

“Only because you asked so nicely. Meet back at the ship?” he asked quickly. Sabo nodded once. It
was probably best they spilt up so as to lose any unwanted stragglers.

Ace smirked and Sabo took an unbidden step back when fire leeched from his body in a thick wave
of heat and bright light that rushed towards the marines like a wave.

By the time they had re-grouped, both Ace and Sabo were long gone, leaving only a frustrated
marine captain in their wake.

xxx

“You lost Sabo?”

Luffy nearly fell over he was laughing so hard, ignorant to his brother’s glare. Ace tried to hold on
to the annoyance few seconds more before Luffy’s infectious laughter got the better of him and
brought a small smile to his own face.

“Hey, listen, I didn’t lose Sabo, okay. He’s just not here right now,” he admitted, glancing around
the bustling deck of the Going Merry.

Ace had been ecstatic to realise he was the first to return. Sabo had been showing off his skills
since they left Drum Island, Ace had been keen to even the tally again and prove he could still beat
the blond in some things. He had been all ready to laud over Sabo that he was still as slow as he
always had been – granted, it was often because Sabo had a habit of getting distracted from the
race if something caught his attention, the man was like a magpie – except he still hadn’t turned up
and the Strawhats were making haste to leave the port since Vivi had just sent her super spot-billed
duck, Karoo, on his way with his important task.

“Should we wait for Sabo to get back?” Sanji asked, leaning back against the ship’s railing.

Zoro frowned and squinted in the harsh desert sun. “We don’t exactly have a lot of time to spare.”

“Oi, Usopp!” Luffy called up to the sniper sat high in the crows nest above them. “Can you see
Sabo anywhere?”

“Negative!” Usopp shouted back after a few moments.

Luffy shrugged, unconcerned and turned back to Ace. “Sabo can take care of himself, right?”

He paused thoughtfully for half a second before nodding. “Yeah, we’d better be going,” he agreed
and his words set the crew off bustling to raise the anchor and prime the sails, Nami’s voice calling
high and clear above all the others.

Ace looked out over the rocky cove they’d anchored themselves in. There was still no sign of Sabo.
Sabo had been bringing up the deadline the Strawhats found themselves in nearly as often as Vivi
herself had, trying to stress the importance of it, so that fact that he had decided to disappear when
they really needed to leave was unexpected.

Ace frowned, and what felt like a heavy lead weight settled low in his gut. Ten years ago, he
wouldn’t have even thought to hesitate before Luffy’s question. In fact, if anyone had asked him
ten years ago if Sabo was capable of taking care of himself, he’d have outright laughed at the
implication he couldn’t. Sabo had left home at five years old and managed to survive Grey
Terminal and all its hardships with ease, rarely putting a step wrong. But now, Ace sighed, he’d
seen Sabo training with Luffy and had been a little in awe of how graceful and controlled he had
become – had experienced it briefly himself during their sole bout – physically he knew he would
be fine in a fight, but there was still a little voice nagging in the back of his head that whispered to
him he didn’t know what Sabo was truly capable of, not anymore. Alabasta wouldn’t pose any
threat to the Revolutionary, that Ace knew for certain, but Sabo had become an unpredictable
creature to Ace and he wasn’t sure he liked it. He wanted the assurance of knowing how his
brothers were going to react to any given situation; what their limitations were so he knew where to
cover them at any given moment. While Sabo had always been a little harder to read than Luffy,
Ace had never struggled to guess what he was thinking before and he didn’t like the uncertainty it
brought to him.

Luffy hopped up onto the railing beside him, grin still firmly in place and finally dragging Ace’s
gaze away from the now receding shoreline.

Ace peered up at him thoughtfully.

“What?” Luffy asked jovially.

Ace just grinned in reply and shook his head. “Nothing. I just hadn’t realised you’d caught the
attention of someone like Smoker already.”

“I thought Sabo had told you we met him in Logue Town?”

“He only said marines,” said Ace. “He didn’t mention Smoker. You do realise that man’s as
stubborn as Gramps, right? You’re never gonna shake him!” he teased, laughing when Luffy
shuddered dramatically at the insinuation.

“It was a surprise, I hadn’t expected to see him again,” Luffy admitted, swinging his legs idly,
creating a hypnotic thump where the soles of his sandals bumped against the wood of the ship.

“Hey, Luffy, you could always come join the Whitebeard Pirates. Your friends too,” Ace said.

“No,” replied Luffy, without pause.

Ace laughed, completely unsurprised and tapped Luffy’s beloved Straw Hat playfully. “I didn’t
think you would, but the offers on the table.” He hadn’t given it much thought as to what it
actually meant for Luffy when he first saw his little brother’s first wanted poster. Pride, of course,
that he had managed to start his journey as they had so long ago promised had been at the
forefront. Although he would never admit it aloud, especially to the old man himself, Garp had
done an amazing job of hiding Ace away from the world on Dawn Island, allowing him to grow up
in relative safety and freedom so that he had only lived with the threat of the marines capturing him
for the last three years. Whether that threat had been increased or not since he had accepted a
position as a Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates remained to be seen. Whichever flag he sailed
under, he would always be the son of the Pirate King to the World Government and having turned
down the only protection they would ever afford him with the offer of becoming one the Seven
Warlords, Ace had painted a large target on his back.

For all that he had known and expected Luffy to make a stir in the pirating world with his heartfelt
and steadfast declarations of becoming the next Pirate King, Ace hadn’t really considered the very
real risks that Luffy faced. If he did sail under Whitebeard’s flag – or any other alliance – it would
at least offer Luffy some sort of protection against the earnest marines he made enemies of. He
knew Luffy could take care of himself – Ace had made damn sure of it before he had left Dawn
Island – but he also had a heart of gold and if the marines ever discovered that fact, it wouldn’t be
Luffy who would be the master of his own downfall, it would be his crew. The marines would go
after them and Luffy, being the kind-hearted soul that he was, would go to hell and back to save
them.

Ace sighed, turning to watch Luffy, who had bounded away and was now stood next to Zoro,
laughing jovially at the swordsman. Ace knew there was nothing he could do but be there for his
brother if he ever needed him.

“AAHHH!”

He started, looking around wildly before realising the voice had come from above where Usopp
was still perched in the crows nest.

“Look over there!” the sniper shouted down, pointing frantically out to sea.

Ace was jostled from side to side by everyone rushing to the railing all at once to see what had
caused such panic.

“It’s the billions!” Vivi gasped. Nami cursed and raised her own spy glass to stare at the fleet of
ships slowly bearing down upon them.

“That’s a lot of ships,” Zoro noted and a shark-like grin spread across his face. The soft sound of
steel on leather had Ace glancing down to see he had half-drawn one of his swords. Ace found,
after the last several days sailing with the crew, he wasn’t surprised that Zoro was one of the first
willing to dive headfirst into a good fight. “You think you can keep up, Love Cook?”

“Oi! It’s gonna be you eating my dust, Marimo!”

“Ah! Don’t fight each other!” Chopper cried out.

Luffy laughed and dived towards the squabbling pair but the fight was abruptly cut off when one
the billions ships exploded, sending debris high into the air.

“What the - ”

“-how’d that happen?”

The crews’ cries of confusion were halted when Nami gasped loudly and nearly dropped her spy
glass.
“What?” Luffy asked her, his head appearing quickly over her shoulder, trying to peer into the
distance to see what had caught her attention, his body stretching back where he was pinned
between Zoro and Sanji.

“Your brother is on one of those ships!” she gasped. “What the hell is he doing all the way over
there?”

Ace felt a grin spread across his face and he swiftly turned from the railing and started towards the
back of the Going Merry to where his Striker was still lashed. Trust Sabo to find the trouble first,
he thought, quickly untying the ropes.

“Ace! What’re you doing?” Luffy called after him.

“You don’t think I’m gonna let Sabo have all the fun, do you?” he replied. “Besides, he’ll need a
ride back!” he added, jumping into the Striker. Igniting the engines with a burst of fire, Ace
expertly maneuvered the raft around Sabo’s small vessel and the Going Merry. As he sailed past
the bow, he saw Luffy shouting and waving his arms indignantly.

“Wait! ACE! You could’ve taken me too!”

“You stay out of it!” Nami shouted, clocking her captain around the head.

Ace laughed and waved before a second burst of fire power had him speeding swiftly towards the
billions, determined not to let his other wayward brother have all the fun.
 Straight Ahead
Chapter Notes

Firstly, apologies for missing an update last week. I had a small accident and couldn’t
sit at my desk to edit but I am now mostly recovered!

Secondly, and much more importantly, there is now fanart!! Seriously go check it out
immediately! It is amazing and gorgeous and I’m drooling over it! The link is below
and I’m dedicating this chapter to nerdismysafespace for the wonderful gift

https://www.tumblr.com/nerdismysafespace-01/720072928071483392/can-i-offer-
you-beyondkailanis-overcoming-an-era

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Ace held on to his hat tightly, sighting the Going Merry in the distance and angling the Striker
away from the slowly sinking billion ships. With the small figure that was Luffy waving him back,
it was easy to ignore the screams of the crews that fought to escape the burning wreckage before
they went down entirely. In front of him, Sabo knelt carefully in the bow of the raft, barely moving
despite the waves that rocked them so as not to let Ace’s mera mera no mi flames that powered
them forwards touch him. Ace wanted to tell him he needn’t worry. There was no way he was ever
going to let his fire hurt one of his brothers, but given the scars that adorned the blond man’s face,
Ace rather suspected it would take some time before Sabo believed that.

“Hey, I won!” he said instead, voice pitched to be heard over the wind and glancing back over his
shoulder at the mess they’d left behind.

Sabo didn’t react immediately, so Ace nudged him. The blond started. Ace could see yellow
flames reflected in his unfocused blue eyes. “You alright?” he asked.

Sabo nodded briskly and gingerly turned in the bow so his back was to the burning billion ships.
“Fine. What did you say?”

“I said, I won!”

“Won what?” he asked, curiously, waving absently at Luffy as they pulled alongside the Going
Merry.

Ace grinned. He’d arrived at the scene just in time to witness the second billion ship’s hull crack.
He had no idea how Sabo had managed to literally split a ship into two but Ace had spied him
catch one of the fleeing billions and haul him in for what looked like an intense conversation and
so had decided to take out the remaining ships in one quick Hiken before circling around to collect
Sabo. “I destroyed the most ships, therefore I won!” he crowed.

Sabo raised an eyebrow. “Do you turn everything into a competition?” he asked, not even waiting
for an answer before he pulled himself up the rope ladder Usopp had thrown down for them.

Ace stared at his retreating back, his heart sinking momentarily as he thought we both do – did. He
stared absently down into the bowels of the Striker, bobbing gently in the waves, unsure and
unable to stop himself from cataloguing the small but significant changes he’d noticed in his
brother over the last few days of travelling together.

He was still recognisably Sabo, there’s no doubt about that, but now he was a completely different
creature. Ace was enjoying getting to know him again, except he kept predicting reactions that just
weren’t forthcoming anymore. Sabo should have been arguing with him that Ace had a devil fruit
to his advantage. Years ago, Ace would never have underestimated Sabo in a fight, he used to be
able to read him like an open book and predict every moment as easily as he could Luffy. But Sabo
had actually got one up on him. And the look Sabo had given the marine captain in the square was
nothing short of intimidating, and Ace was at a complete loss as to why Sabo had cut Smoker off
so suddenly. It was a little unnerving to realise he hadn’t a clue what his brother was truly capable
of anymore. Luffy was still Luffy; their loveable and childlike but utterly fearless little brother. Ace
could still see glimpses of what made Sabo innately Sabo, right down to his spoiling Luffy at
dinner and his conversations with Vivi and Sanji, two of the more seasoned travellers of the crew
but he kept getting thrown off by the smallest, most insignificant things. Ace suspected if Sabo had
his memories, he might also be telling Ace how he had changed over the years had been separated,
but he couldn’t and it was making Ace feel like he was always missing a step.

Pulling himself up the rope ladder, he pointedly ignored how his stomach clenched painfully. Ace
couldn’t help but think Doctor Kureha was wrong. Sabo would get his memories back if it was the
last thing Ace did. He didn’t care if the odds were against him or how long it took. As soon as he’d
dealt with Teach he was going to hunt Sabo down again and force him to remember, he vowed. His
brother was one of the smartest people he knew, he couldn’t have clean forgotten everything from
their childhood. It was in there somewhere and Ace was going to find it.

“Hurry up, Ace!”

“Alright already!” he called back, hurrying to haul himself over the railing and bopping his
impatient brother on the head. The rest of the crew were buzzing around, their excited chatter
overlapping each other.

“That was crazy!” Nami said, Usopp nodding his agreement beside her. “Just how strong are your
brothers?” she asked Luffy, who laughed and shrugged.

“They’ve always been stronger than me. And you could’ve taken me along with you! That looked
like fun,” he pouted up at Ace, who only rolled his eyes.

“Pretty sure you’ll get a turn to kick those guys’ asses at some point.” Luffy seemed to be placated
by the assurance, allowing Ace to turn his attention to Sabo who was stood quietly to one side,
slowly stripping off his coat and rolling up his sleeves but leaving on his gloves and looking
distinctly overdressed in comparison to the rest of the crew. Ace didn’t know how he wasn’t
overheating in the stifling desert heat. He ambled over to him. “Wasn’t it a bit reckless going after
those billions alone? I figured you were trying to stay discrete after what you said to Smoker.”

Sabo snorted, amused. “No more reckless than you going against Smoker himself. Could you have
dragged out that conversation any longer?”

“I was creating a diversion! And you were riskier!” Ace retorted with a huff.

The blond shook his head quickly. “That depends entirely upon what you think is a risk.” Ace
scrunched up his face in confusion, causing the other to grin. “If any one of those billions had
caught me, there’s no way they’d have been able to keep me contained.” He sensed that Sabo
wasn’t bragging, merely stating a fact. “There are barely any cells outside of Impel Down that are
going to be able to hold me, but there are plenty of marines that carry seastone cuffs, Ace, and then
where would you be?”

Ace had to suppress a shudder at the mention of the underwater prison. He had heard awful
rumours about the government stronghold and he doubted even Pops and his devil fruit would be
able to launch a successful attack on the place.

He was spared trying to find a counterargument to Sabo’s – annoyingly – reasonable point by

Luffy who trotted over and leapt onto the railing beside them.

“Did you fight any strong guys over there?” he asked, waving pointlessly in the direction of the
now smoldering wrecks a way off.

“Not particularly,” said Ace. He turned back to Sabo. “You looked like you were having a
conversation with one guy though. What was that about?”

Sabo smirked and moved to lean against the railing. “Well since the market was pretty much a
bust, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to see if they had any useful information."

Vivi, who had been standing a few feet away, turned to him with interest. “Did he know anything?”
Her question drew the attention of the rest of the crew who all turned to listen with intent.

“That particular billion squadron had been tasked with finding the Alabasta Rebellion’s base. He
said that they had orders to, and I quote, incite them into action.”

Ace scowled and shook his head. “Of course, they did,” he muttered darkly. Luffy pulled his straw
hat down low over his eyes and sat, arms crossed tight across his chest where he sat on the railing
next to Sabo, unnaturally still in a way that meant he was thinking hard. Ace suppressed a smile.
His little brother may not be book-smart like Sabo, but he’d caught on to exactly what the words
meant. He’d seen it often enough during their escapades into Edge Town. The guards would
purposely pick fights with the residents of Grey Terminal in order to get them thrown back out of
the town. Ace could see from the agitated shifting and dark expressions on the rest of the crew’s
faces that they had also realised exactly what that would result in.

“I don’t understand,” Vivi said weakly, glancing around at them all nervously, and Ace was
quickly reminded that for all she had been fighting for her country’s future and may have been a
skilled Baroque Works agent, she had only been doing it for a couple of years. And she was a
royal, besides. Her experiences with corruption and power were vastly different than the rest of
theirs.

Sabo smiled gently at her. “It means they were tasked with winding up the Rebellion, essentially,
with rumours and so on. A simple but effective trick to get them rankled enough to actually take
action.” Vivi nodded slowly, processing the information. “The guy said the Rebellion was last
known to be camped out several miles outside Alubarna.”

“That’s the Royal Capital,” Vivi whispered, face drawn tight with worry.

“It sounds like there’s some discourse within the Royal Guards themselves and that some of them
might defect to the Rebellion, if they haven’t already.” At Sabo’s words, Vivi turned chalk white
and looked vaguely sick. Nami wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing lightly.

“He have any idea who’s leading this Rebellion?” Zoro asked.

“He did actually. Some guy name Koza - ”

“Koza?” Vivi spluttered in surprise, cutting Sabo off sharply. “Are you sure he said Koza?” Sabo
nodded, looking rather dumbfounded.

“You know who he is,” said Sanji. It wasn’t a question.

Vivi nodded wildly. “Yes, we grew up together. He was one of my closest friends,” she admitted.

Ace glanced around Luffy towards Sabo to see that while outwardly he didn’t appear too
concerned, there was a tightness around his eyes that belied his worry and Ace understood why. If
a childhood friend of the Royal Princess was leading the Rebellion, not only would he probably
know any number of inside information, he’d have a lot of sway as a dissenter and rebellion leader.
He was also clearly important to Vivi if Ace was reading the mixture of relief and trepidation on
her face correctly.

Usopp groaned loudly and started pacing agitatedly. “As if it wasn’t bad enough to fight the
enemy, we have to fight your friends as well!”

“We’re not going to fight Koza!” exclaimed Vivi, a deep frown settling across her face.

Usopp ignored her words entirely and dropped to his haunches next to Chopper. “I fought my best
friend once, ya know. Worst experience ever!”

“Really?!”

“No one’s fighting Koza,” Vivi repeated, looking around at the crew in turn before finally settling
on Luffy who had remained quiet. “Like I said, we grew up together. I know him. He won’t want
any bloodshed if it can be avoided. If I just get close enough to talk to him, I’ll be able to get him
to end the Rebellion!”

Luffy cocked his head, staring down at her, his face blank. “You think talking to him will be
enough to end it?” he finally asked. Vivi nodded. Ace admired her optimism but pointedly bit his
tongue from commenting that the other Baroque Works agent, Mr. Two, had her father’s face in
his little repertoire. Talking to the rebel leader wouldn’t stop Baroque Works from egging things
on.

“Even if we can get you close enough to this Koza guy for him to actually hear you out, we still
have a riled up rebel army baying for blood,” Zoro pointed out, hands twitching towards his
swords. “You think they’ll accept your word and just turn around and go home?”

“I’ll stop them! I won’t let my people fight between themselves like Crocodile wants!”

“Crocodile?” Sabo and Ace exclaimed in unison.

“I have reason to believe he’s Mr. Zero,” Vivi said quietly, shoulders hunched.

“That information might have been useful to know earlier,” Ace sighed.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to implicate either of you if I’m wrong.”

“I doubt you’re wrong,” said Sabo. “Crocodile is known to be based in Alabasta. And why else
would that many billions be here if you didn’t know something he wanted to remain quiet? His
identity as Mr. Zero is a pretty big secret.”

Ace tapped his chin, thoughtfully. “Are you planning on going after Crocodile first?”

“Let’s try and find Koza and see if we can at least get him to postpone taking any action. Then
work out what to do about the other agents, Crocodile and my father,” Vivi begged them. Luffy,
who Ace noticed hadn’t looked away from her once, slowly nodded. Vivi’s shoulders slumped in
relief.

Ace held his tongue. Personally, he would be going after the biggest threat first. If they took out
Mr. Zero, Baroque Works could be crippled without its mastermind. But he wasn’t the captain
here, Luffy was and he needed to do things his way.

“Hey, Ace, you need a hand tying up your Striker before we go?” Usopp asked, eagerly. Ace
grinned. The sniper had been trying to figure out the inner workings of his raft since he’d first laid
eyes on it, in awe of the craftsmanship. Ace had seen the younger teenager leaning over a couple of
blueprints for a potential land based version a few times now. When he’d asked, Usopp had
admitted if he could find a different source of propulsion that would work on land, using it would
be a lot quicker than running away from danger than if he was using his own two legs. Ace had
laughed at the frank honestly and offered up what little knowledge he had on its creation and
persuaded him to keep the little mast but transform it into a more suitable vantage point worthy of a
sniper.

Ace shook his head. “No thanks, Usopp. I’m not going any further with you.”

There was a stunned silence for several seconds where only the sound of the waves against the hull
and the gulls circling above were heard.

“WHAT?!”

xxx

Sabo’s temples throbbed in unison with his heartbeat. It left him with a light-headedness that
couldn’t be explained away as solely the responsibility of the desert sun beating down on them.
Sabo hoped the beads of sweat he could feel near his hairline would be passed off as the heat and
not the pain he was currently in. He had been perfectly fine while he was interrogating the billion
aboard. It was only when he’d tossed the man over the deck, giving him half a chance he probably
didn’t deserve to escape the pull of the sinking ship, that Sabo had heard Ace’s voice in the
distance. He had turned just in time to see a devastating Hiken bear down on the rest of the small
fleet, sending men scrambling overboard in an effort to avoid the flames. He hadn’t been able to
tear his eyes away from the sight. With the stiff breeze, it had only taken a few moments for the
smell of burning wood mixed with the fresh salty sea air to reach him, staining it and burning his
nostrils.

The scarred skin of his face still itched something fierce with phantom pains and Sabo had to resist
the urge to reach up to scratch it.

He glanced discretely towards Ace, who was standing in the centre of the crew. They’d scrambled
around him at his announcement, each person’s voice louder than the next as they tried to
understand why he was leaving them so soon. Only Luffy remained silent and still atop the railing
next to him.

Ace wouldn’t let his flames hurt him, Sabo was certain. He had witnessed the pirate’s remarkable
control over his devil fruit but Sabo had been involved in one devastating fire that Ace hadn’t been
in control of and the visceral reaction was still a hard thing to control.

“Why can’t you stay? You’re super strong! You could help us!” Usopp cried dramatically, his
arms waving around wildly until Sanji caught one, forcing him to come to an abrupt halt.
“Guys!” Ace finally shouted over them all, forcing Sabo to hide a wince at the volume. “I’m a
Whitebeard Pirate, not a Strawhat,” he reminded them gently, smiling. “I have my own things to
do, like finding Teach. Besides, you have Luffy. You don’t need me too,” he added.

Luffy grinned and nodded. “We can do this without Ace. I can kick Mr. Zero’s ass without his
help!” he proclaimed and his words finally seemed to offer his crew the reassurance they needed
and induced a few laughs amongst them.

Sanji took a final drag of his cigarette before flicking the stub overboard. “I’ll pack you some
supplies. Am I packing for one or two passengers?” he asked, and Sabo was surprised to find the
question was directed at him.

He looked around the crew, who had all turned to stare at him expectantly. He swallowed hard. He
was every bit as blindsided as the Strawhats about Ace’s sudden decision to depart right then and
there. While hardly a surprising course of action considering Ace’s determination to hunt down his
former crewmate, the suddenness of it had taken him aback a little.

He was torn. On the one hand, the situation in Alabasta right then was one of the reasons he had
decided to devote his life to the Revolutionary Army. He liked helping people and giving them the
tools they needed to rebuild a better foundation to their society, and he knew Vivi was up against a
near insurmountable challenge.

On the other hand, the idea of separating from Ace did not sit well. The thought of letting him
continue on as he had been, roaming from island to island, hunting down someone who was
shaping up to be a very dangerous individual who had already committed the unforgivable crime of
killing one of his own crewmates inexplicably left Sabo with a deep sense of trepidation. A heavy
weight settled uncomfortably in his gut.

He was spared from answering by Luffy, who hopped off the railing with a small grunt. He stared
up at Sabo, unblinking, his dark eyes boring deep into Sabo’s who blinked back, confused. Sabo
saw the exact moment Luffy found whatever answer he was searching for. A blinding smile broke
out across his face.

“Sabo’s going with Ace,” he said.

“I am?” Sabo asked weakly. Luffy nodded again and he tugged at his and Ace’s arms pulling them
away from the crew, who politely turned away to at least give them the illusion of privacy.

“Luffy, I’m pretty sure that Sabo’s gonna want to stay and help you and Vivi!” Ace said, as soon as
they were at the far side of the ship and shaking off Luffy’s rubbery grip.

“Do you not want him to go with you?” Luffy asked, head tilted.

Ace snorted. “I’d love to stay with Sabo but this is literally his job!”

Sabo had to concede he wasn’t wrong. He should’ve been arguing with Luffy about staying. Of
course, if Luffy as captain refused him passage aboard his ship, as was his right, then Sabo at least
had his own vessel he could follow them in. But he couldn’t bring himself to say the words he
knew he should.

“Ace, I know we all vowed to set sail when we turned seventeen but you two had always planned
on you staying those few extra months until Sabo’s birthday because you wanted to leave at the
same time and have a few adventures in East Blue before going your separate ways. Remember?”
said Luffy.
Sabo blinked, surprised at the revelation. He turned to Ace and had to resist grinning at the way he
was gaping at Luffy in shock.

“How’d you even know about that?” Ace spluttered.

Luffy laughed. “I wasn’t always asleep when you guys had your midnight conversations! You guys
had been planning to set sail together for years before you even met me, this is your chance!” he
exclaimed excitedly, glancing between the two of them.

“Little sneak,” Ace huffed, shaking his head fondly. “So, what do you say, Sabo? Fancy a jaunt
around the Grand Line with me?”

For all that his words rang with confidence, Sabo easily detected the undercurrent of nervous
excitement. He could understand why. Carefully, he weighed his options. The Grand Line was
always a fun place to be and he hadn’t had many opportunities in recent years to spend time there.
He doubted he’d be rid of the feeling of guilt at abandoning Luffy to deal with the Rebellion by
himself, but he knew he would feel a lot better if he stayed with Ace.

He glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the crew milling around. They would take care of Luffy.
And Luffy would take care of Alabasta. Ace had no one to watch his back. He turned to Ace, who
looked like he was waiting with baited breath for his answer.

“Sure, why not?” he smirked. A smile that rivalled Luffy’s own broke out across Ace’s face and
Sabo was again struck by how alike the two brothers were. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay
dealing with things here by yourself?” he asked, turning to Luffy.

“Yeah, we’ve got it!” he declared confidently.

“Looks like it’s just us again, then,” he said to Ace.

At his words, the rest of the Strawhats who had been standing nearby, listening as unobtrusively as
they could, burst into motion.

“Usopp, come help me load up some of our food. Luffy, you stay out of the galley! I’ll know if
you took something!” Sanji snapped.

“Aw! Can you make me a snack at least? Something with meat!”

“I have some spare medicine I can give you! I managed to find a few things at the market so we
have plenty,” said Chopper, rushing inside after the cook.

Ace quickly disappeared from his side, heading below to collect the small number of possessions
they’d brought over from Sabo’s ship, leaving the blond standing in the middle of the Going
Merry, watching the hustle and bustle go on around him. Across the deck from him, Vivi was the
only one of the crew not moving.

The princess must’ve sensed his gaze on her because she caught his eye.

“I spoke to one of my colleagues about the situation going on here,” he said, nodding a greeting
when he reached her side. Vivi stared up at him curiously. “She’ll arrange a Revolutionary Army
contact for the area so that you and your father will always have a way of reaching us if something
like this were to ever occur again. Or you decide you need some help dealing with any fallout,” he
explained.

Vivi’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Thank you so much, Sabo!”

“Some insider knowledge for you, I don’t know how well armed this Rebellion will actually be but
I think you can handle it.”

Vivi frowned. “What do you mean?” she asked, leaning forward and listening intently.

“Now the trouble in South Blue has started to quieten down, the Revolutionary Army has started to
crack down on the illegal arms trade, as much as we’re able to right now at least. From the trade
routes we’ve managed to intercept already, it looks like most of it comes from somewhere in the
New World,” he admitted quietly. “I doubt any of it will have filtered this far down into the Grand
Line yet though, so what weapons this rebel force has will all be what they can get their hands on
from local sources. Your Royal Army will probably still be the better armed of the two, even if it
turns out they’re outnumbered.”

“Okay, thank you!”

Sabo gave a wry smile. “I’m sorry we can’t do more. If we’d been aware of the situation sooner,
we might’ve been able to get a team set up here to diffuse the situation that much quicker. And I’m
sorry I can’t stay,” he started to explain but he was cut off by Vivi raising one delicate hand and
smiling warmly.

“Nonsense! Your place is with Ace. I think he needs you more than Luffy or I do right now,” she
admitted quietly, her gaze falling to where Ace had emerged from below.

He was laughing at something Zoro was saying, one hand resting gently atop Chopper’s pink hat
where the little reindeer stood leaning against his legs. Sabo could see under the joy there was
tension around his eyes that belied his true feelings and he sensed Ace had already begun to
mentally prepare for the next stage of the hunt. Sabo frowned thoughtfully. He wondered if Luffy
had also sensed the darker edge to Ace’s feelings and that was another reason he had been so
insistent that Sabo go with Ace.

“I can’t expect Ace to wait until my tasks are complete when he has things to do himself,” said
Vivi. “Besides, you and Ace have already helped a lot!”

“Luffy, Sanji and Zoro would’ve dealt with those billions just as easily,” he rebutted, but Vivi
shook her head quickly.

“No, I just meant… From what Ace and Luffy have told us, you helped shape Luffy into the kind
of person he is today, didn’t you?” Sabo paused, unsure of what to say. It certainly seemed
like while their time together as children had been short, it had been during some of Luffy’s most
informative years. It wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility, he supposed. He suspected Ace had
had the bigger hand in it, though. “By all rights Luffy doesn’t have to help me. He owes me
nothing. He’s a pirate, after all. He shouldn’t be invested in helping my people or my country. I
think it was you and Ace who shaped him into the type of person who would help a stranger in
need.”

“I think that’s just who Luffy is,” he said gently, catching sight of the pirate in question being
chased from the galley.

“Hey, Sabo!” He turned quickly to see Ace gesturing at him. “We’re all set if you are!”

“Coming!” he called back. “Take care, Princess. And remember to let the pirates do the heavy
lifting for you,” he told her with a short bow.

Vivi laughed. “Safe travels to you both! I look forward to seeing you again someday.”
Sabo wasn’t sure they would meet again, even under better circumstances but he didn’t contradict
her. Instead, he ambled over to Ace and Luffy, who handed him his coat and lead pipe with a grin.

“Where the heck is it?” Ace muttered, dropping to one knee and rummaging about in his bag.

Sabo ignored him in favour of turning to Luffy and said, “Be careful and keep your eyes open.
Those billions knew where we were already, you’re being watched.”

“Understood! We’ll be fine! Hey, next time we meet, can you teach me some haki?” he asked
eagerly.

Sabo laughed. “Of course, I will.”

“Yay!” the younger cheered exuberantly. “It’ll be just like old times when you taught me to use a
pipe! You were a better teacher than Ace. He used to just hit me round the head with it.”

“Oh, come on! It hardly hurt you, you’re made of rubber! That shouldn’t automatically make me
the worst teacher!” Ace paused in his search long enough to throw in.

Sabo snorted. “Maybe you should try and find a weapon appropriate for the desert,” he suggested
offhandedly, but Luffy cocked his head inquisitively.

“Like what?”

“Um, I don’t know. If you weren’t a devil fruit user, I’d say use something water based, maybe,”
he said, thinking of the first thing that came to mind, but Luffy seemed to be contemplating the
idea more seriously than he’d anticipated.

“Aha! Found it!” Ace crowed and rose to his feet beside them. Clutched in one hand, was a white
piece of paper, no larger than a beli note that he promptly tore in two and handed one piece to each
of Sabo and Luffy.

“A vivre card?” Sabo sought to clarify.

“A what?” Luffy wondered.

“A vivre card. It’s a special piece of paper that’ll point and move towards me. Look, lay it flat on
your hand and watch,” explained Ace.

“Oh cool!”

“Now you’ll always be able find me if you need to.”

Sabo pocketed his own piece carefully, noting Ace left out one rather important detail from his
explanation, but deferred from mentioning the paper’s other talent. If Ace wanted Luffy to know,
he would mention it.

Luffy tugged Sabo’s arm lightly. “Do you have one too?”

Sabo hesitated. Technically he did but he never carried a piece of his on him. “No, but let me give
you a number instead,” he said, thinking quickly. He pulled Ace’s bag unceremoniously from his
shoulder, earning a huff of indignance for his trouble and tore off the corner of Ace’s map to
scribble on. He threw Ace back his bag and handed the small note over to Luffy.

“Never give that out to anyone. That’s the den den mushi number of my friend. She’ll be able to
get a hold of me if you ever need me until I can get you one of my vivre cards. I mean it though,
Luffy,” he said firmly, catching the younger’s gaze pointedly. “Don’t tell anyone you have that!”

Luffy nodded and for once his face was perfectly serious. “I’ll ask Nami to sew them both into my
hat ribbon.”

“Well, that’s as safe as they’re ever going to be considering how much you treasure that hat,” said
Ace, tapping the rim of the hat in question teasingly. “Are we ready now?” he asked and Sabo
nodded.

“You’re all set!” Sanji affirmed from below them on the deck of Sabo’s small ship. The cook
cleared the small space between the two ships with one graceful leap. “I’ve stocked your galley. It
should be enough to last you a few days if you do some fishing as you go.”

“And I’ve put in all of Chopper’s medicine,” Usopp huffed, scrambling to follow Sanji back over
the railing and landing with a soft thud. “And your Striker’s tied up to Sabo’s boat!”

“Thank you,” Sabo smiled gratefully, accepting Sanji’s offered handshake. It was the signal the
rest of the crew were waiting for. They all jostled forward, voices once again rising over one
another as they said their goodbyes in the form of handshakes, a couple of slaps on the back and
hugs; one from a teary-eyed Chopper and a much more enthusiastic backbreaking hug from Luffy,
who clutched at them both tightly before finally allowing them to step back.

“Hey, guys, thank you,” said Ace with a warm, lazy smile, turning to look at each of the crew in
turn. “Having a little brother as reckless as Luffy makes a big brother worry, and I know he gives
you all grief too, but take care of him for us?”

The words produced a couple of light-hearted chuckles from the crew, but each of them nodded in
turn.

“Huh?” Luffy asked, head cocked. Sabo couldn’t help but smile at his puzzlement. He rather
suspected Luffy had no idea of the enormity of Ace’s request of the crew to look after his little
brother in his stead.

Luffy’s still a weak cry baby but he’s our little brother, so take good care of him!

Sabo paused, one foot off the railing in readiness to follow after Ace. His temples throbbed again.
Ace stared at him curiously, so he quickly jumped down, trying to ignore the stab of pain in his
head. He couldn’t think where that thought had come from. Luffy was hardly weak and he
certainly wasn’t a cry baby that Sabo had seen. He pushed the notion away, and turned to wave up
at the crew, already meters away from them.

“Bye!”

“Take care!”

“Stay out of trouble!” Luffy shouted over the rest.

“Hey! That should be our line!” Ace shouted back. A smattering of laughter was all that returned to
them.

The pair waved until the Going Merry’s captain and crew were only small blobs in the distance.

“Think they’ll be okay?” Sabo asked quietly, finally dropping his arm but still unable to tear his
eyes away from the ship. With only the waves around them and Ace’s quiet breathing next to him,
he was suddenly struck by how very quiet his ship was. He thought he might miss the pirate crew’s
 incessant chatter and noise.

“Yeah, they’ll be fine,” Ace replied, knocking into Sabo’s shoulder gently. “Luffy’s our little
brother after all. We taught him well.”

Chapter End Notes

Please remember to review and let me know what you thought! We're through what I
think of as Part 1 of this ridiculously long adventure!
 The Concealed
Chapter Notes

Thank you to everyone who commented last chapter! I had a blast reading all your
guesses of when you thought Sabo might regain his memories

Also, nerdismysafespace has gone and done it again! There's more fanart! Go check
out their tumblr, it's amazing!!! https://www.tumblr.com/nerdismysafespace-01

“Wait, wait,” Sabo snorted, wiping the ale that splashed from his tankard down his chin hurriedly.
“So, you met this guy while you were both shipwrecked and just randomly gave him a name?”

“He refused to tell me!” Ace laughed, taking a large gulp of his own drink before nodding. “Said it
didn’t fit him anymore when he left for sea! So, I just gave him another. Why, you got a problem
with the one I gave him?” he grinned cheekily.

Sabo hummed. “Not at all. Ace and Deuce of the Spade Pirates. Fits well. Not sure I’d be willing
to let a stranger name me, though. Thankfully ‘Sabo’ was scrawled in a couple of things the
Revolutionaries managed to save with me or who knows what they’d have wound up calling me. I
hate to think what Iva would’ve come up with!” he exclaimed, taking a much smaller sip of his
drink, smiling wide when Ace laughed. It was a full bodied, deep from the belly laugh Sabo
doubted he’d ever tire of hearing. The Ace that came out around Sabo and Luffy was much more
likely to completely let his guard drop than the Ace around everyone else. It was an amusing
discovery. He hadn’t really noticed it while they were sailing with the Strawhat Pirates. Ace had
been comfortable and happy enough in their company, but he was apparently much more relaxed
with just Sabo around. And much more willing to talk about himself. Ace would – and could – talk
about Luffy and their shared childhood for hours on end in anyone’s company but Sabo hadn’t
failed to notice Ace rarely - if at all - talked about himself.

Sabo was going to soak up all the stories he could while Ace was in a sharing mood. Much like his
little brother, Ace had some amazing and unbelievable tales to tell, many from his time as a
Whitebeard Commander, but even more from when he was captain of the Spade Pirates. A time in
his life where, Sabo suspected, Ace had felt true freedom for the first time.

It also presented Sabo with some amazing information in which to tease the pirate with.

“I can’t believe how many times you managed to shipwreck yourself,” he chortled, shaking his
head in fondness.

Ace shrugged. “Eh, it got better. Deuce wasn’t just an awesome doctor, he was pretty good at
keeping us on course too. Besides, it worked out every time so I can’t complain! We were able to
meet some pretty cool people. There was this one time we…”

Sabo took another sip of his ale, allowing Ace’s animated voice to wash over him. Ace made every
adventure sound exciting and fresh. Sabo had been to many, many islands himself, more than he
could probably hope to count in his capacity as a member of the Revolutionary Army but rarely had
he the chance to stop and really enjoy them. He often saw the islands at their worst, when they
were in dire straits and in desperate need of assistance. Time was often against them and left no
opportunity to explore like Ace had two years ago and like Luffy was doing right now.

At the thought of the younger pirate, Sabo glanced down at the newspaper spread out across the
table. It was dated several days ago but the headline proclaiming Warlord Crocodile’s arrest in the
Kingdom of Alabasta stood out in big, bold letters across the front page. While the paper made no
mention of pirates and instead laid the credit firmly at the feet of the marines, it looked like Luffy
had managed to uncover and thwart Mr. Zero’s plans, Sabo thought proudly.

Listening to the other’s stories, he could see why he had once dreamed of being a pirate and it
explained his childhood fascination with the adventure books that Baltigo’s – admittedly small –
library offered.

Watching Ace wave his hands around exuberantly, leading Sabo to absently move the other’s pint
of ale before he could knock it over, he felt a small wave of guilt rise up and settle uncomfortably
in his chest. He had a small ulterior motive for encouraging Ace to talk about his own life as a
pirate and while it didn’t make him feel good at all by doing so, it did offer Sabo a small reprieve
from the stories of their childhood.

Sabo wanted to learn more about Ace and Luffy before he had been forced apart from them. But
hearing about himself and who he had once been made his chest tighten and each time a deep ache
he couldn’t push away settled around his heart like a cloud blocking the sun. His and Ace’s
friendship stretched back many years before they had even met Luffy. What started out as a simple
truce that allowed them both to dominate the trash heaps of the nobles had quickly solidified into a
tight friendship. Sabo would never, ever, begrudge Ace for the joy he had in finding that
connection again.

But it honestly felt like Ace was still waiting for that smart-mouthed little kid to wake up and walk
through the door and Sabo wasn’t sure if he would be able to make that happen. He wanted -
probably more than he had ever wanted anything in his life - to be able to look Ace in the eye and
say he remembered, but he couldn’t and it was breaking both their hearts.

He thought he made his peace many years ago with his lost memories, but now faced with the
reality of all the tenryuubito’s attack truly cost him, Sabo knew he had been naïve to think so. He
glanced down at the scratched wood of the table beneath his elbows. He knew how each and every
mark had been etched into the surface, could remember nearly all the dinners his small
Revolutionary teams had had as they travelled between jobs. He could remember all of that, but
nothing from before his life before Dragon saved him. He loved his team, he loved his job; they
were both things he wholeheartedly believed and trusted in, but more and more he felt he was
missing something. It was like his attention had been gliding over a stain, a black spot that Ace and
Luffy had forced him to notice, and it was right where they should’ve been all along.

“Oh hang on, we’re going off course,” Ace said, abruptly and making Sabo jump. Ace grinned and
waved his log pose under Sabo’s nose, barely allowing him even a glance at it before he was rising
to his feet. He ducked out of the galley and into the darkness of the night that enveloped the ship.
Sabo watched him silently through the open door, his Whitebeard Jolly Roger standing out like a
beacon.

He wanted his memories back.

Sabo swallowed thickly, glancing away sharply as the realisation washed over him. It was not a
thought he had allowed to cross his mind for many years. It felt like a wasted dream but that was
before he knew them. And he wanted them back. He knew Ace and Luffy were trying their damned
hardest to make sure he knew what they had been to each other as children but he wanted more. It
wasn’t just the memories of it all. He wanted the feelings that went with them. The joy they
must’ve felt taking that sip of sake; the terror every time Luffy managed to get himself eaten or
chased. He could imagine it all, but he knew the memory of it would be even better.

He felt like he was trapped inside a fortress, forced to look out through the window but never able
to step out into the wider world.

He could never tell Ace. He knew that without a shadow of a doubt. He might not know Ace as
well as he knew Koala, and Ace wasn’t an open book like Luffy, but Sabo wasn’t blind. He could
tell Ace wanted to share and enjoy all their past together but Sabo could hear the sadness and effort
it sometimes took the pirate to recite their history. Sabo felt a spike of regret and anger every time
he didn’t react how Ace expected, or when he had to stop him and ask a question half way through,
or didn’t finish an old, worn out joke.

No, Ace could never know because he would break himself before he could fix Sabo.

He wasn’t quite sure what it was Ace was looking to achieve by reliving it all, especially without
Luffy to act as a buffer, and he was the only one to remember between them. He found himself
hating the fleeting glimpses of pain that flickered across the other’s face. He’d tried his damned
hardest the last couple of days to gently steer the conversations away from them and instead onto
more neutral territory. Sabo had even broken down and shared some of his own past, making it as
vague as possible and sparing Ace some of the worst details. Ace at least seemed to enjoy hearing
about his teammates in particular. Mercifully, Ace either didn’t notice his avoidance tactics or just
decided not to call him out on it and Sabo couldn’t have been more relieved. He would carry the
burden of his loss alone if it meant protecting Ace and Luffy.

The galley door slammed shut with a bang, making Sabo jump again.

Ace smirked. “Falling asleep over there, Sabo? Too much ale?”

He scoffed. “It’ll take more than a few pints to knock me out cold,” he boasted. “You’re the one
more than likely to fall asleep at any moment.”

Ace chortled loudly, gracefully dropping back down into his chair with a small thump. Sabo forced
himself to push away his darker thoughts in the light of Ace’s contagious good mood. He had no
idea how much more time he had with the pirate before their respective duties separated them and
he wanted to enjoy their remaining time together as much as he could. He could deal with
everything else later.

He caught sight of the newspaper again and he turned to squint at Ace who was watching him
curiously. “You mentioned the Warlords earlier,” he said, tapping the photograph of Crocodile. He
thought it might’ve been when Ace was chatting about Jinbei. “Have they ever asked you to be
one?”

A wry smile crossed Ace’s face. “Yeah,” he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. “It was a bit of
a surprise, actually. Obviously, I said no. There was no way in hell I’d ever want to work for
them.”

Sabo grinned at the other’s words before turning thoughtful. “Hm, I wonder why they asked you so
quickly.”

Ace had a very powerful devil fruit and he knew how to wield it well – that was indisputable - and
he had made incredible progress through the Grand Line and into the New World well before he
had established himself as a Commander in the Whitebeard Pirates. But so had many other older,
more experienced pirates, most of whom would have a much more level head than the eighteen
year old the World Government had asked to fight on their behalf.

Sabo glanced at Ace and was taken aback to see a level of discomfort he’d never seen before from
him flicker across the pirate’s face. He frowned, poised to ask what was wrong before a thought
flashed through his mind. A horrible, gut freezing thought. There would only be one reason the
World Government would be interested in a rookie pirate. He sat up from his comfortable slouch
slowly, staring intently at Ace who squirmed under the scrutiny.

“What did you do?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. A heavy weight settled itself
across them both, echoing in the silence. “Ace, what exactly did you do that they wanted you to
work for them?” he pressed, leaning forward urgently, worry making his fists clench
unconsciously. Ace had said he’d refused the position. That would’ve made them angry. He felt
sick. He was used to the World Government being on his heels. The fact they were also apparently
on Ace’s didn’t sit well with him and made his blood run cold at the very idea.

Ace sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Sabo desperately wanted to reach across the table and
shake him. The only thing that stopped him was the struggle he could see on Ace’s face as he
fought to find the words.

“It’s not what I did exactly,” he said finally. He pushed to his feet, his chair scraping across the
floor loudly. He paced the length of the table like an agitated lion and Sabo could only watch
helplessly, his own body tense with nerves. Ace came to an abrupt halt in front of the
Revolutionary and nodded once, like he had come to a decision. “Okay, you might as well know. I
mean, technically, I guess you already know it even if you don’t remember.”

“I do?” Sabo asked, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. The World Government had something on
Ace that stretched back that far, to when they were children still running around a jungle, and
Sabo’s mind raced with the possibilities. He had no idea what in the world a child could have that
the World Government would’ve been interested in them.

Ace drew in a deep breath, almost like he was stealing himself. “It’s because of my father,” he said
stiffly.

Sabo frowned. He suspected Ace wasn’t talking about the man he affectionately called ‘Pops’. The
timing didn’t fit if Ace received an invitation before ever meeting the Whitebeard Pirates.

“Your father?” he repeated slowly. Ace nodded once. “Who is your father?”

Ace squeezed his eyes shut. “Gol D. Roger.”

Distantly, Sabo registered he was staring at Ace dumbly, jaw hanging open in shock. “You’re the
son…of the Pirate King?” he whispered, his feelings a mixture of disbelief and amazement. Ace
didn’t look at all happy and while he refused to meet Sabo’s gaze head on, he was obviously
watching attentively for Sabo’s reaction. Sabo knew whatever he said and did next will be
carefully examined and judged by Ace. He had to tread carefully, he acknowledged, settling back
into his chair but never taking his eyes off the pirate. His heart went out to Ace. Whoever his father
was didn’t make Ace who he was, but he knew many people wouldn’t be able to separate the son
from the father.

He’d had no idea – not even an inkling – the Pirate King’s lineage had continued after his death. It
was no wonder the World Government had tried to get Ace under their thumbs by making him a
Warlord. The propaganda they could have used if they so desired to acknowledge Ace’s parentage
was unthinkable.
Briefly, he once again cursed the tenryuubito who cost him his memories. Ace had said he
technically already knew all of this and he hated Ace was being forced to once again speak aloud
what was probably a very painful secret. He didn’t know how he reacted the first time Ace told
him but he decided to trust his gut. Facts Sabo could work with, so he decided to focus on them.
From the aura of discomfort surrounding him, Gol D. Roger was not a man Ace enjoyed talking
about or even relished having a connection to. If Sabo got all the facts, he might be able to protect
Ace from the World Government.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Ace asked, abruptly breaking the silence.

Sabo blinked; his stupor broken. “What do you want me to say, Ace? I don’t care who your father
is. Did you ever care I was born a noble?”

“No,” he said, weakly.

Sabo shrugged. “There you go. I hate the World Government knows though, not gonna lie. It’s
never good when they have dirt on you. Does Whitebeard know?”

Ace nodded. “Yeah, and most of the crew too. I think Pops knew before I told him though.”

“Well, they were apparently old rivals so that doesn’t surprise me at all,” said Sabo, tapping his
chin thoughtfully. “How many others do you reckon are in the know?”

Ace frowned. “Um, probably Roger’s old crew. The ones that are still around anyway.”

“Luffy?”

“Yeah. Where are you going with this?”

“Nowhere,” he promised. “Just compiling a list, that’s all.” He was pleased to see a wry smile
broke out across Ace’s face and the remaining tension bled out of his shoulders. Ace fell back into
his chair, loose limbed but looking so very tired. Sabo hated pressing but he needed to know. “How
did you manage to stay under the World Government’s radar for so long? They obviously knew
you existed, so how come they didn’t find you sooner?”

Ace laughed but there was no joy in it. “Gramps, if you can believe it. My mother… she died
shortly after giving birth to me and Gramps… he took me and hid me away on Dawn Island. For
years I was nothing but a rumour. They had nothing solid to go on that told them I’d survived too.”

“How’d the Government realise who you were if you’d managed to stay hidden for so long?” he
asked. “Surely your Gramps didn’t say anything, did he?” Sabo thought that defeated the purpose
of keeping Ace safe in the first place but honestly marines were a contradiction sometimes.

“Nah he never said anything. I took my mother’s name to honour her. She died for me, I wanted to
remember her,” Ace admitted.

Sabo’s heart clenched at the underlying pain in his voice when he spoke of his mother, but there
was a deep fondness overlaying it told him Ace felt none of the same animosity he felt towards his
father when thinking of her.

“She sounds like she was a very brave woman,” he said, smiling softly.

Ace grinned. “I think so. I took her name when I left Dawn Island and the World Government
knew she was Roger’s lover. Shockingly, the marines can apparently put two and two together and
get four sometimes!”
Sabo snorted but followed Ace’s attempts to lighten the mood. “Yeah, once in a decade maybe!”

“Bet you weren’t expecting me to tell you that, were you?” Ace asked, reaching over and snagging
the jug of ale and pouring them both a healthy refill. Sabo accepted his with a nod of thanks.

“Yeah, no. Of all the things you could’ve come out with, that wasn’t even on the list. That you’re
Roger’s son, its - ”

“No!”

Sabo froze, drink raised halfway, taken aback by Ace’s bitter outburst. Ace grimaced. “Sorry, but
no. That man may be my father by blood, but he is not my father!” The resentment raging through
the pirate’s voice was unmissable. “Whitebeard is my father. All Roger did was paint a giant target
over mine and my mother’s heads. You know she spent her last remaining months alive hiding
away just so she could keep me safe. I hated him when I was a kid,” he admitted with a dark
chuckle.

“You don’t anymore?” Sabo asked, hesitantly.

“It’s more complicated now,” he said, and took a large gulp of ale. “I think when I was a kid, part
of me was angry at both of them for leaving me. Even if they didn’t want to. Which is stupid. I saw
with you and your father what it’s really like to be unwanted by your parents and just seen as a tool.
I wasn’t unwanted. It was just bad luck I was left.”

Sabo wasn’t sure what to make of that information. Ace said he had run away from home a couple
of times so he hadn’t deluded himself into thinking he’d had an amazing life as a noble but he also
hadn’t expected to be told he’d merely been a means to an end in the eyes of his parents. He pushed
it away. He was free of that life; none of it mattered now.

“Ace, it’s okay to feel like they abandoned you,” he said instead.

“Yeah, maybe,” Ace conceded. “I used to go around beating people up who talked shit about Roger
in front of me. You used to yell at me for getting into fist fights without backup,” Ace grinned.

“Why would you do that?” Sabo was bewildered. He could understand defending Roger if he liked
him but that wasn’t the case here.

Ace smiled, his grey eyes clear and steady after the storm of emotions. “Because my mother loved
him. She must’ve seen something in him, right?”

Sabo stared at him before he returned his smile easily. “I guess so,” he agreed. He raised his
tankard in a silent toast to the fallen woman and Ace grabbed his own to clink them together.

“You know,” Ace said, while Sabo kicked back in his chair and threw his booted feet up onto the
bench next to him. “I’m not the only one of us with a famous father.”

Sabo choked on his drink, which in turn caused Ace to laugh and nearly upend his own drink with
the force of his shakes.

“That serves you right!” Sabo huffed, hurriedly wiping the front of his shirt and smudging the wet
patch. “Who the hell else has a famous…” he trailed off. It was obvious. “Luffy too, huh?” He
sighed heavily. Of course, Luffy too, he thought helplessly. He selfishly hoped this was the last of
Ace’s little revelations because he wasn’t sure his nerves could take many more, especially not
when they involved the World Government and the two pirates he had grown incredibly fond of
over the past few weeks.
Ace nodded, and he looked pleased to see Sabo catch on so quickly. “Yep! Did you hear about
Luffy before you met him?”

“What? Do you mean while he was still in East Blue? I heard about him when he defeated Arlong.
That was the first time news of the Strawhat Pirates broke, I think,” he explained.

“No, I mean did anyone ever mention Luffy before that,” said Ace.

Sabo frowned. “Like who?”

Ace quirked a brow. “Like Dragon, maybe?”

“Dragon?!” he repeated dumbly. He shook his head slowly. “No, he’s never mentioned Luffy.
Honestly, the Revolutionary Army doesn’t usually affiliate itself with many pirates.”

Ace cocked his head inquisitively. “Wait, you don’t? Are you breaking the rules by being with me
and Luffy then?”

Sabo waved one hand dismissively. Pirates made up some of their intelligence network but they
were rarely involved beyond that. “No, it’s not a rule exactly. More of a guideline,” he said
absently, barely paying attention to Ace going off point, his mind instead racing with Luffy and
Dragon. “Dragon was in Logue Town,” he said softly, trying to connect the dots. Dragon hardly
ever travelled outside of Baltigo now unless it was absolutely necessary since their success in
South Blue. Ace watched him silently. “Specifically, Dragon went to Logue Town when he knew
Luffy would be there. Is Luffy… Is Dragon Luffy’s father?” he asked, gaze jumping back to Ace.

“Yes, he is,” Ace confirmed. “I knew you’d get there and I’ve also not broken my promise to
Gramps to never tell anyone. Although, I think he’d make an exception about you knowing,” he
added absently.

“Does Luffy know?”

“I’ve honestly no idea,” Ace replied with a shrug. “And I’m not gonna be the one to tell him if he
doesn’t. Gramps said he would do it, eventually. I don’t know why the old man’s so freaked out
about Luffy knowing though. He’s never told a soul about who my father is. The kid can keep a
secret when he wants to.”

Sabo glanced away, nervously. He knew intimately why Garp wouldn’t want Luffy being told. It
was the same reason he didn’t want Ace or Luffy to know he was Chief of Staff of the
Revolutionary Army. It was a dangerous and unpredictable job at the best of times. While he did
know some Revolutionaries still had families, they could go months or even years at a time without
contact. None of them could risk the World Government Cipher Pol agents ever making a
connection to anyone on the outside. At best, they would only be put under constant observation; at
worst, their very lives could be in jeopardy. And it would hardly be fair to ask a child to understand
why their father was absent, Sabo thought. Sometimes not knowing was the kinder choice. He
could completely understand why Garp made the decision he did and never mentioned Dragon to
Luffy. He felt a sudden spike of admiration for the man for taking in not one, but two children of
wanted men. He might be a marine but the man had morals, which was refreshing.

“I don’t actually know if Dragon even knows Luffy grew up on Dawn Island,” said Ace, resting
his chin on one hand.

Sabo groaned and buried his face in his hands. Suddenly, his conversation with Dragon back on
Drum Island made so much more sense.
“What’s wrong?” Ace asked, alarmed.

“He did know,” he said, roughly.

“What makes you so sure?”

“I was rescued by Dragon. Not any old sympathetic Revolutionary, but Dragon himself. He’s the
one who pulled me from the water,” he started, ignoring Ace’s jerk of surprise. Obviously, he had
forgotten to mention that specific little detail before. “You asked me, back when we first met, if
Dragon had been with the Revolutionaries who were visiting Dawn Island ten years ago,
remember? You even said you knew a few of the same people! You meant Luffy and Garp, didn’t
you?” He barely waited for Ace’s nod before ploughing on. “Dragon knew exactly where Luffy
was the whole time. He was at Dawn Island back then because the tenryuubito was there!”

Ace hummed thoughtfully. “Couldn’t it have just been because Dawn Island’s convenient to reach
from Baltigo and not because he actually knew anything?” he wondered.

Sabo scoffed at his weak attempt at clutching at straws. “It’s very inconvenient to reach actually,
and we don’t go around staking out every island the tenryuubito’s visit. Dragon must’ve been there
to make sure they weren’t going to do anything,” he concluded, scrubbing his eyes tiredly.

“Do anything? Like what?” Ace asked, incredulous.

Sabo dropped his hand and let his head fall back against the hard wood of his chair. He stared up
blankly at the ceiling. “A Buster Call eradicated the entire island of Ohara just because a few
historians were poking at ruins. What do you think would have happened if any one of the agents
that were undoubtedly crawling around Dawn Island back then discovered the son of the Pirate
King and the son of the head of the Revolutionary Army were on the same island?” he asked softly.
He rolled his head to stare at Ace. The pirate looked sick.

“Just when I thought they couldn’t get any worse, they still find ways to surprise me,” he
muttered.

Sabo laughed hollowly. “Oh, Ace. You have no idea what lows they are capable of sinking to.”

xxx

The next morning, Sabo stepped into the galley and sighed at the mess that greeted him. After all
the revelations Ace had thrown at him the night before, Sabo figured they earnt themselves a few
stiff drinks and had cracked open another barrel of ale. While not exactly as wild and rowdy as
some of the late-night drinking parties Sabo had attended before, it’d been a late night all the same
and they hadn’t bothered cleaning up before they’d headed for their hammocks.

Sabo drifted slowly towards the table, pushing their tankards to one end to wash later and picking
up the newspapers he’d left behind. He couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he re-
read the headline about Crocodile. He’d trusted Luffy when he’d said he could pull off saving Vivi
and her country and he’d been proven right.

Making a quick decision, he carefully tore the article from the paper. It didn’t make any mention of
Luffy or the Strawhats by name - since all the credit for uncovering Crocodile’s deception seemed
to have been credited to Smoker, which Sabo knew would grate on the man if nothing else – but all
the same, Sabo decided the article was worth keeping. He wondered briefly if Koala kept any of
the articles that detailed Arlong’s defeat a few months ago. If she had, he would rather like to keep
a copy himself. Ace happily went around parading a Wanted Poster of Luffy; Sabo felt it was
within his right to keep his own copies of Luffy’s achievements and milestones, just in case he
forgot anything again, he thought.

His froze and his hand hovered over the remains of the paper. He hoped he never forgot Ace or
Luffy again. Beyond the memories lost to him before the attack, Sabo never struggled with
remembering anything but he didn’t want to take any chances.

He carefully folded up the torn-out article and tucked it into the pocket of his waistcoat. Maybe he
would put them into some sort of scrapbook, he thought. In the captain’s cabin of the ship – which
Sabo had all but given up using since meeting Ace, preferring instead to bunk down below in the
hammocks in the hold rather than the pokey room that was barely larger than a cupboard – there
was a desk. He might store everything in there until he could get back to Baltigo and put them
somewhere more permanent in his room.

“Hey,” Ace greeted as he stepped inside. “There’s an island within sight. We should be there
within the hour.”

“Great,” said Sabo, balling up the rest of the paper and tossing it into an empty barrel.

“Do we need anything besides food?” Ace asked, striding over to the corner where his bag and
their hats were.

“Ale.”

“Ale?” he repeated, swinging around in surprise. Sabo gestured to the two empty barrels and the
tankards he still hadn’t collected. Ace grinned sheepishly. “Ah yeah. We were a bit heavy on it last
night, I guess. I can pick some up on my way back. We good for other things?”

Sabo nodded and idly reached up to rub at his temple. It was throbbing again, although thankfully
nowhere near as bad as it had been recently. He wondered if Kureha was right about his eyes.
Maybe he was straining his eyes too much.

Ace smirked when he caught the motion. “Do you have a hangover?”

Sabo snorted. “No,” he denied. The heavy night of drinking had left him with a disgusting
cottonmouth but ale – especially the watered-down kind they had been drinking – rarely left him a
hangover. Wine, on the other hand, was a whole other story.

“It’s okay to admit you can’t keep up with me, ya know,” Ace teased, crossing his arms and
leaning against the wall. “The mera mere no mi burns through any alcohol I drink really quickly.”

Sabo cocked an eyebrow. “And just how many people have you swindled in bets over the years
with that little trick?”

Ace shrugged, completely unrepentant. “Eh, a few. Some of the Whitebeard pirates haven’t even
clued in yet.” He reached down and snatched up his bag and hat. “I’ll grab some ale. You can stay
aboard and nurse your hangover,” he teased, gently knocking into Sabo’s shoulder as he passed.

“It’s not a hangover!” Sabo shouted after him. Ace’s laughter was all that drifted back to him
before the door slams shut. Sabo groaned and reluctantly set about tidying up. “It’s not a
hangover,” he grumbled to himself. “Not every headache’s a hangover!”

xxx

Purupurupuru. Purupurupuru.
Sabo sighed as the screech of the den den mushi filled the deck and pulled it out of his jacket
pocket.

“Sabo here,” he said absently, dropping it onto his knee so he could keep cleaning his lead pipe
with both hands.

“Wow, you answered that quick,” said Koala, her voice came through loud and clear. “Are you
feeling okay?” she teased gently.

“Oh, come on! I can answer the call quickly sometimes, can’t I?” he laughed.

“That’s how you should be answering every time! How are things going?”

Sabo tilted his head back against the wall of the galley cabin. “All good. Still really weird to hear
about myself as a kid though,” he admitted quietly.

“I bet,” she said. “Back in those days I was taller than you!”

He snorted. “Barely taller,” he corrected. “How are things with you guys?”

“Business as usual. I’ve got to chase up one group later though, they still haven’t sent me a
report.”

“See!” Sabo cried, glancing back down at the snail to see it was mimicking Koala’s typical
unimpressed expression perfectly. “It’s not just me who doesn’t get them in on time!”

“That may be true but you are by far the worst culprit!” she retorted. Sabo couldn’t refute that
fact. “Anyway, I didn’t call about reports - ”

“Hold up, let me just check the sky hasn’t turned green or something,” he smirked.

“Shut up! Do you want to hear the rest of this or not?”

“Sorry, please go on.”

Koala huffed and he could almost picture pouting. Nobody mocked Koala’s reports and got away
with it scot free so Sabo expected there to be some retribution when he returned to Baltigo.
Probably in the form of more reports.

“I still haven’t been able to find anything on Blackbeard.” She actually sounded offended there
was something out there she hadn’t yet managed to find. “Wherever he is, he’s hiding himself
pretty well. But I think, going by the course I’ve been plotting with the information you gave me
from Ace, Jaya might want to be an area you guys want to take into consideration. There are a
couple of islands around there which fit the profile of places he’s been to before.”

Sabo gently picked up the snail and pushed himself to his feet. He strode into the galley to study
the map Ace had pinned to the wall, large red crosses overlayed the islands they had already
visited. “Jaya, huh,” he muttered, following the course. Instinctively, he also followed one of the
plots the Strawhat Pirates might have taken from Alabasta. “I hope Luffy doesn’t wind up heading
that way if that’s the case,” he said.

Koala giggled. “You’re such an overprotective big brother! Who knew?”

“I am?!” Sabo asked, baffled. He hadn’t considered his thoughtfulness towards Luffy would be
construed as overprotective.
“You sound like one at least,” said Koala.

“Right, okay,” he said, giving himself a small shake. “Thanks for the info. I’ll let Ace know when
he gets back.”

“I’ll keep an ear out for anything else, but he’s one man in a very big ocean,” she conceded.

“I’m sure you’ll find something soon enough.” She always did.

Hanging up the call before she could give him her usual threats if he didn’t answer her just as
quickly next time, Sabo pocketed the snail and gave the map one final glance before heading back
outside. He glanced up at the sun and was surprised to find it was already well after midday.

Ace had been gone a long time, he thought. With a heavy sigh, he threw on his jacket and collected
his now clean pipe. He gave the ship a cursory once over and, seeing nothing out of place, he
jumped the small gap to the old, rundown and disused jetty they’d found. He quickly set off in the
direction of the small town Ace had been determined to check out in search of the wayward pirate.
 Everyone is a Road
Chapter Notes

Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! They got me through last week
which was a pretty tough work week!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Consciousness returned to Ace in increments. First was the sensation he was laying down flat, on a
surface much softer than any he was used to. He thought dumbly there might even have been a
fluffy pillow under his head and that was a rare luxury indeed. Second was that his body hurt
something fierce; from the tip of his toes to the top of his head. An ache had settled into his very
bones that left him feeling sluggish and weak. It was a sensation that had become intimately
familiar to him in the last few years, recurring every time he submerged himself for a wash, and
told him that he had had an unfortunate and unexpected encounter with water.

He remembered the days when he used to endlessly tease Luffy about his reaction to water. He’d
ignored the complaints whenever he had to fish him out from wherever he had fallen that it made
the rubber boy’s limbs feel like lead weights; that moving became next to impossible and his head
went fuzzy and lethargic. It was only when he had eaten his own half of the mera mera no mi
many years later and felt the full effects of the power that water had over devil fruit users first-hand
that he had realised that - possibly - his little brother hadn’t been exaggerating.

Unlike some devil fruit users he’d encountered over the years, Ace had never regretted losing the
ability to swim, despite the dangers it posed to a life at sea, but he really didn’t like it when he was
caught unaware by it.

Pushing aside the remaining lethargy, Ace cracked open one eye before slamming it shut again
with a weak groan. Wherever he was, it was far too bright.

A soft gasp from somewhere to his left was the first indication that he wasn’t alone, followed in
short order by a gentle, melodic voice. “You’re awake!”

Ace shot upright from where he lay, alert and ignoring the lingering stiffness of his limbs. The thin
blanket that had covered him fell from his shoulders and pooled in a heap into his lap.

Hovering nervously a few feet away, a young girl with mousey brown hair and startling blue eyes
waved at him uncertainly. She couldn’t be any older than fifteen or sixteen, Ace thought, and could
barely be called a threat but he kept her in his direct line of sight until he chanced a look at the rest
of the room for anything untoward. All that met his scrutiny was a circular bedroom, sparsely
furnished with only the most basic of possessions. Strangely, there were a lot of paintings of cows
on the walls.

The girl took a few halting steps forwards, causing Ace to snap his full attention back to her.

“Thank goodness you’re awake!” she said, smiling gently. Ace allowed himself to relax. She had
the same type of smile as Luffy; open and honest. “I was so worried I was too late! I didn’t know
how long you were in there for!”
Ace frowned, feeling the odd droplet of water running down the back of his bare neck that told him
his hair was still damp. “Um, what exactly - ”

“Oh, I’m being so rude! Here, please drink this!” She darted forward and picked up a glass from
the bedside table, offering it out for him to take. He stared dumbly at the white liquid. She smiled
reassuringly. “It’s very good, I promise. It’ll help refresh you,” she tried to reassure him, nudging
the cold glass into his hands.

Ace eyed it warily. He gave it a discreet sniff and frowned. It smelt like…

“Milk?” he asked, before he took a large mouthful. The cool liquid felt good on his sore throat and
tasted amazing. The girl hadn’t been wrong, it was very refreshing.

The girl beamed and nodded. “Yes, it’s fresh this morning! My name’s Moda! It’s a pleasure to
meet you!”

Ace shook her offered hand, noting the calluses on her fingers that told of a life of physical labour.

“Portgas D. Ace,” he replied. He looked out of the window closest to him. All the view offered
was gently rolling green hills and blue skies that gave away nothing about his location, but it
certainly wasn’t the small town he had been in earlier. “Um, I don’t suppose you mind telling me
where I am?”

“At my farm,” said Moda. “I saw you in the river at the bottom of the field and you looked like you
were struggling! You were completely submerged! So I fished you out and brought you home with
me when you wouldn’t wake up,” she explained, a worried frown appearing on her face. “You’re
very lucky it’s not a very strong current or I’d never have gotten you out!”

Ace couldn’t quite stop the groan of dismay before it left his mouth. He shook his head wearily, his
memory returning to him in a flash. That was right. He had been in town, intending to pick up some
more ale for the ship since he and Sabo had cleared out their supply and follow up on a lead on
Blackbeard. He hadn’t been hopeful. All the other islands they’d stopped off at the last few weeks
had either no news at all or misinformation. He had gotten hungry half-way around his tour of the
town and ducked into a little restaurant. It had only been when the waiter had asked for payment
that Ace had realised he’d forgotten to bring any beli from the ship with him. He had had no choice
but to resort to the old dine and dash.

He remembered wishing he had forced Sabo to come with him rather than letting him remain
behind on the ship. Dine and dashes were never all that much fun alone, and they hadn’t had much
opportunity for them to eat out on the islands they’d stopped off at, both instead preferring to keep
to their own company and making competitions from who could catch the most meat or fish.

Ace had wondered if Sabo still liked ramen. It had been one of his favourites when they were kids
and he had taken every chance he could to usher his brothers into any restaurants that served it.
Thatch had asked him, his first birthday aboard the Moby Dick, what he would like for a birthday
meal and, in a fit of nostalgia, Ace remembered requesting ramen, much to the chef’s surprise and
delight.

The rest of his search of the town had led him to a local man, a Dr. Black Beard – a large and
imposing man whose coal black beard and head of curly hair had looked remarkably like Teach
from behind.

Ace winced when he remembered how quickly he had lashed out at the man with a fierce kick. He
hoped he hadn’t injured him; he hadn’t exactly muted his strength, choosing instead to let his
recent frustrations and anger get the better of him. His plan from the night before to loosen Sabo
up a little with alcohol to see if it made him a little chattier had not exactly gone as he’d planned.
He’d ended up spilling more about himself and Luffy – again – than he had learnt about Sabo, and
the blond didn’t look like he was any closer to getting even a handful of his lost memories back
despite Ace sharing every little thing he could in an effort to get him to remember something.
Anything at all. But Sabo was still annoyingly talented at changing the subject.

What had been a useful skill when they were kids to wheedle their way out of any chores Dadan
threw at them was now just infuriating to be on the receiving end of. Ace didn’t even know Sabo
had done it most of the time, not until he realised he hadn’t had an answer to a question he’d asked
over an hour before.

Thinking of the blond, Ace frowned, glancing at the sun now high in the sky. He must’ve been
gone for several hours and he wondered what Sabo was doing. He should probably get back to the
ship.

Ace glanced back to Moda, who stepped back a little and was now perched on a small stool a few
away. She was gently smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt. The cheap cotton looked stiff and
heavy, and the bottom few inches were stained with mud and water, making it much darker red
than the rest. Ace noticed his own shirt and boots hanging in the corner of the room and took a
moment to appreciate and feel slightly guilty that Moda had put his own needs and comfort before
her own. She wouldn’t have known, but sleeping in damp clothes after a dunking in a river
wouldn’t do him any harm at all.

Speaking of which, Ace clenched his hands into the blankets. “No one can ever hear about this,”
he muttered to himself. It was not something he was at all proud of. Getting tossed into the river by
irate locals was more like something that would happen to Luffy rather than Ace.

“Did you say something?” Moda asked.

Ace shook his head quickly. “No! Well, yes, thank you for saving me.” And there was no doubt in
his mind that she had. He could have been in serious trouble had Moda not spotted him floating
downstream.

She smiled warmly. “You’re welcome!”

“Um, how’d you manage to carry me?” he asked. Unless Moda was hiding her own devil fruit, she
was a scrawny, lithe little thing and he couldn’t picture her carrying his sorry, half-drowned ass all
the way from the river.

“Oh, I used the milk float and Clarabelle!” Moda explained.

Ace frowned. “Clarabelle?”

“Yes, she’s my best cow!” She twisted to point at one of the pictures on the wall.

Really, no one must ever know about any of this, Ace thought, suppressing a groan, determined to
take the knowledge he’d been carried by a cow to his grave.

He glanced around the room, looking for any distraction possible to forget the entire embarrassing
incident, when he realised how quiet it was. He would’ve thought a farm would’ve been noisier but
there didn’t appear to be anyone.

“Are you here all alone?” he asked.

Moda’s smiled slipped and her gaze dropped to her lap. “Yes. It’s just me. My parents are both
chefs and they’re away at sea right now.”

Ace nodded once. It wasn’t an uncommon story. It wasn’t just pirates and marines who set out to
sea to make a living. “How long have they been gone?” He crossed to the window to peer out at the
vibrant green fields.

Moda shrugged. “About a year. I’m not sure when they’ll be back next.”

“And you manage to run this place all by yourself?” he exclaimed, spinning around in surprise.

She laughed lightly. “Well, it’s true it’s hard work but I’m lucky that the cows mostly take care of
themselves. It would be good if I could get a few more people besides the locals to buy our milk
though. Then my parents might not have to work away as much. And of course, there would be a
lot less waste.”

“Waste?”

She nodded, hair bouncing around her shoulders. “Yes, I have more milk than I can sell.” She bit
her lip nervously. “My parents are always saying food waste is terrible and I know I should try and
do more but I haven’t plucked up the courage to go to the base yet.”

Ace frowned. “Base?” he repeated, curiosity peaked.

“Yes, there’s the G-2 marine base not far offshore to the north,” she explained.

Ace’s heart sank. He wasn’t worried about the presence of the marines since it was very unlikely
they’d pose a threat to him, but Sabo had said that Teach had been avoiding places close to marine
bases as he hopped from island to island.

His hunt had hit another dead end.

xxx

The town was picturesque. The beautiful grey stone buildings and cobbled streets made an idyllic
scene set against the backdrop of the rolling fields off in the distance and the cry of gulls overhead.
He loved harbour towns like this, Sabo thought, stepping aside to let a few carefree children dash
past him, racing towards the harbour wall.

The only thing he didn’t particularly like about it was that Ace had somehow managed to
completely disappear in the winding streets.

He’d had no luck wandering aimlessly in search of the pirate, so he had turned for the docks,
thinking if Ace stuck to his usual habit, he would ask the local fisherman and sailors if anyone by
the name of Blackbeard had been around recently.

But… nothing. Not even a glimpse.

Sabo sighed and started for the nearest boat.

“Excuse me!” he shouted, waving a hand to catch the attention of the men aboard. “Any of you
heard of a man by the name of Blackbeard?” Find Blackbeard; find Ace, was Sabo’s hope.

“Nah, mate!”

“Oi, second time I hear that name today!”

Sabo spun on the spot. It took him a second to locate where the voice had come from. Tucked
behind the larger fishing boat, a lobster boat was bobbing, so small Sabo had to look down in order
to see the old man smiling cheerfully up at him.

“Don’t suppose you could be kind enough to point me in his direction?” Sabo smiled charmingly.

“Sure, just head up that lane an’ keep followin’ it ‘til you reach the town square. He’s usually
round there this time a day,” he said.

“Many thanks,” said Sabo, tipping his hat.

“You wanna be careful while ya in town!” the old man added hurriedly. Sabo paused to listen, and
the man’s words caught the attention of a few other fishermen. “Me daughter says there were some
sorta commotion up there earlier.”

A couple of passing fishermen slowed down at the news, coming to a halt next to Sabo and staring
down at the lobster boat’s captain with interest.

“Really?”

“Did someone run off with one of the mayor’s daughters again?”

The old fisherman shook his head quickly. “No! She’s hearing someone got tossed into the river!”

“Come off it, ya old geezer! They did not!”

“Yeah! Besides that piddly little stream is hardly a river! Ain’t gonna hurt no one if they get
thrown in!”

Not an ordinary person, Sabo thought quickly, but it would hurt a devil fruit user. He stared up the
lane that would lead him into town, ignoring the other fisherman’s continued jibes at the old man’s
story. He wondered if it was possible Ace had actually found Blackbeard.

“Oh, shut up the lotta ya!” the old man shouted at the other men, but his gruff words were
dampened by the fact he was smirking. “My girl ain’t no liar! You go on up to town, lad, and
you’ll find Black Beard,” he encouraged Sabo. “The doctor sure is popular today, I gotta say!”

“Doctor?” Sabo asked sharply. He might not know much about the man, but he did know that
Marshall D. Teach was not a doctor.

The old man stared at him. “Yeah, the town doctor. Ain’t he who ya lookin’ for?” Sabo smiled
tightly, his heart sinking and nodded once. “I hope you ain’t gonna buy out the town supply of
medicine like those damned marines do! We’re a small island. We don’t come by some of that
stuff easy, ya know.”

“Of course not,” Sabo assured him.

Internally, he groaned and hurried in the direction of the town square. He hoped that Ace hadn’t
done anything rash but he also had a horrible suspicion that he might soon be literally forced to fish
for the errant pirate.

xxx

Ace stood one hand on his hip, a gentle breeze ruffling his shirt and hair, and occasionally sipping
from another cool glass of milk that Moda had only been too happy to share, listening to her
explain her recent troubles. Ace had the feeling the young milk maid hadn’t had a sympathetic ear
for quite some time and was happy to listen. It was the least he could do after she had saved him.

He was quite impressed by her courage. He was sure not many people would go as far as to
arrange a boat to a marine base just so they could sell milk.

“In the end, I couldn’t do it. Those marines are a little scary and when they come to town for
supplies or on their shore leave, they’re always super grumpy!” she finished bashfully, swinging
her feet and letting them bounce against the stone wall she was perched on next to him. “I mean,
what if they said no? Maybe everyone in town will stop buying from the farm too!” she worried.

Ace didn’t think it would come to that, personally. It seemed like a pretty small island and he
doubted there was another dairy farm hidden away.

“I can see why it would be pretty intimidating to ask them,” he agreed aloud. He doubted they
would even let a civilian dock at the base.

He grimaced at the thought he probably came across just as intimidating to the islanders as the
marines did when he kicked Dr. Black Beard. He didn’t blame them for throwing him into the
river. He was more than a little annoyed at himself for how he handled the situation. He’d seen
first-hand only a few weeks ago back on Drum Island the devastation some pirates liked to cause,
and the aftermath the occupants were left to deal with. He knew he should be more conscious of
the image he projected as a Whitebeard Pirate. He would hate to be as feared by locals as the
marines were. Respect rather than fear was what Whitebeard had inspired in Ace and he hoped
more than anything to emulate that same feeling in others. He knew by the very nature of being a
pirate that there would be no escaping the fear that that would incite in people, but that didn’t mean
they needed to fear Ace.

He scrutinised the girl where she sat atop the wall out the corner of his eye. He really did owe her
one for saving his life, and that milk she had him drinking really did taste exceptionally good. It
really was such a shame that so much of it went to waste.

He threw back the last of his drink. “You tried writing to this base?” he asked, wiping his mouth
with the back of his hand.

Moda nodded. “Yes, a few times but I never get a reply,” she said, sadly.

Ace hummed thoughtfully. It wouldn’t surprise him if the mail room just never handed any of
them over to the officers. And that just wouldn’t do.

“Write them another letter,” he said firmly.

Moda gaped at him, scrambling quickly to catch the glass he returned to her. “But - ”

“Write another and I’ll deliver it to the base myself. It’s the least I can do,” he admitted, refusing to
second guess his offer. A pirate going to a marine base was undoubtedly a risk but Ace figured it
was justified to help someone who had gone out of their way to help him.

Moda gawked wordlessly for several seconds before she recovered her wits. “You will?! But…
you’re a pirate! Isn’t it dangerous?” she asked, nervously.

Ace snorted. “Hardly the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done.” That honour probably went to
trying to kill Whitebeard. “Like you said, I’m a pirate,” he grinned.

“Well, if you’re sure, that would be a wonderful help!” she exclaimed, practically bouncing on the
spot.

Ace waved off her gratitude. “Go write them one now while I get my things.”

“You’re sure it won’t take you out of your way?” she asked, wringing her hands together.

“No, I’ve got to go past it anyway.” He wasn’t sure if that was strictly true but it wasn’t like he had
any more leads on Blackbeard to follow up on, he thought darkly.

“Thank you so much, Ace-san!” She scurried past him and back inside the small thatched
farmhouse. Ace followed her at a more sedate pace, leaving her to scribble a letter in peace at the
kitchen table. He purposely took a few extra minutes to wash up in the washroom, taking the time
to clean the worst of the river gunk off his bag and hat. He had no idea what his brother would
think of a side excursion but he was sure he would be on board with it. Sabo may not remember
her, but Moda reminded Ace keenly of Makino back when they were kids. They had the same
sweet nature.

Moda met him at the door and Ace was amused to see she looked to be vibrating with excitement, a
stark white envelope in her hands.

“Thank you again for doing this! You really don’t have to,” she said.

“I want to,” he assured her with a grin. She returned it easily and handed him the letter. It took her
a few moments to actually relinquish her hold on it and Ace didn’t blame her. She was effectively
putting her future into a stranger’s hands, after all. “I’ll make sure to personally hand it to an
officer.”

“Thank you! Will you go straight there?” she asked, following him down the short hall.

“Nah, I gotta find my brother first – hopefully he hasn’t wandered off somewhere – and then we’ll
go. We’ve done everything we needed to here now anyway,” he explained, settling his hat securely
on his head and opening the door.

A brief glimmer of flashing steel was his only warning before the top of his head exploded in pain.
He dropped to the floor like a stone, grasping his smarting head. That was gonna bruise, he thought
with a groan. Behind him, Moda shrieked in shock.

“Jeez, Sabo!” he whined, forcing his watery eyes open to stare up at the familiar figure silhouetted
in the door. The blond was leaning against the frame, idly twirling his pipe between his lithe
fingers, one eyebrow raised in question and a deceptively pleasant smile on his face. “What the hell
was that for?” he moaned, gently rubbing at the bruise forming underneath his hat and slowly
rolling to his feet.

Sabo rolled his eyes and levelled him with an unimpressed look. Ace had to bite the inside of his
cheek to stop himself from breaking out into a grin. He didn’t think it would go down well if he did
but it had been a long time since he had been on the receiving end of that look and he had missed it.
It was the only look that could immediately get Luffy to listen. When they had lost Sabo, he had
tried replicating it as best he could whenever he needed their little brother to really pay attention to
him, but he had failed miserably. Luffy had told him it looked like he was pooping. He had quickly
quit after that.

“You know exactly what that was for! The town doctor, Ace? Really?”

Ace grimaced at his brother’s scolding. He had forgotten how quickly small town gossip could
spread. “Yeah, yeah, I know it was stupid. I would’ve apologised to Dr. Black Beard had they all
given me the chance!” he said, in an effort to avoid a full dressing down. Nervous shuffling behind
him reminded him they weren’t alone. “Ah, Moda, this is my brother, Sabo. Sabo, meet Moda.
This is her farm.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Moda,” Sabo greeted, a charming grin breaking out across his face and
making the young woman blush.

“N-nice to meet you too, Sabo-san!”

“I can’t believe Luffy thinks you’re the nice big brother,” Ace griped, still rubbing his head.

Sabo’s gaze snapped to him. “I am the nice one,” he defended. “I did that for your own good,
therefore I’m being nice.”

“You hit me harder than Gramps!”

Sabo laughed. “From what you’ve told me about Garp, I really doubt that!”

“Well, was the haki necessary?” he muttered.

The blond shrugged easily. “You have a hard head, you’ll be fine.”

Ace glared at him but his only reply was a cheeky grin. “Whatever. I’ll get you back for it later.
Right now, we have a job to do.” He gestured towards Moda, who had been watching their
exchange, wide-eyed.

“A job?” Sabo repeated, glancing between the two of them, trying to work out what he was talking
about. Ace was pleased to see he looked more curious than exasperated. “I thought we already had
a job?”

“We do but since that’s hit another dead end,” he scowled, “we can do this in the meantime since
it’s important. Where the hell did I drop that letter?” he muttered, looking around. Moda cleared
her throat and tentatively held up the envelope she had saved from being squashed in his fall. He
grinned. “Excellent! I promise not to lose it again! We need to deliver this for Moda as a thank you
for helping me.”

“Ah,” said Sabo, a knowing smile breaking out across his face. “Don’t you mean ‘saving you’?”

Ace felt himself flushing in embarrassment. He supposed it had been asking too much that Sabo
hadn’t also heard that he’d been thrown into the river.

Sabo smirked and turned to Moda. “Thank you for saving this idiot. I hope it didn’t cause you too
much trouble.”

Moda shook her head frantically, her hair flapping around her face, a small blush still staining her
cheeks. “Oh, it was nothing! Really! I didn’t do that much!”

“In return for helping me - ” he stressed with a sharp glare at the blond to silence anything he might
have to say, “- I said we would deliver this to the marine base.”

Sabo quirked an eyebrow. “Marine base, you say?” he asked softly, blue eyes sparkling with
interest.

Ace smirked. “You up for finding some trouble?”

“I don’t think we’ll have to look too hard. Trouble always seems to find us,” the blond retorted.
“I don’t want you getting into trouble!” Moda exclaimed, wringing her hands nervously.

Sabo shrugged off her concerns. “We won’t, don’t worry.”

She sighed in relief and laughed lightly. “I never thought pirates would be so generous!”

Ace was surprised to see a somewhat rueful smile break out across his brother’s face.

“I’m not a pirate,” the blond corrected the young girl gently. “By all accounts, I was a pretty
rubbish one when I tried my hand at it.”

Ace frowned. A wave of confusion washed over him. He didn’t understand why Sabo would think
that. He hadn’t been a bad pirate. He’d barely had a chance and Ace really doubted he would’ve
been terrible.

“So, why are you trying to contact the marines anyway?”

“Oh, I’m trying to sell them the farm’s milk! Would you like to try some before you go?”

“Sure, why not. Might as well know what Ace is peddling,” said Sabo easily, a teasing smile
lighting up his face.

Ace caught Sabo’s elbow as he made to follow Moda into the kitchen, forcing the blond to a halt.
“Why would you say that?” he finally managed to force out, the words tumbling out in a rush.

“What?” Sabo asked, eyes wide.

“That you were a bad pirate?”

It was only because of his hand still rested on his arm, that Ace felt the blond tense beneath his
touch. Outwardly, Sabo remained unmoved and his face artfully neutral.

“Well, wasn’t I?” he asked, voice soft but flat and without a hint of emotion. “From what you’ve
told me, our greatest treasure wasn’t gold or jewels; it was each other. You, me and Luffy. I
couldn’t hold onto that. And good pirates don’t lose their treasure, Ace.”

Rendered into silence at his brother’s admission, Ace let Sabo slip from his grasp. He was left
staring blankly at the wall as the blond retreated into the warmth of the kitchen.

Stunned, and feeling more than a little blindsided, Ace leaned back against the wall behind him,
guilt pooling in the pit of his stomach and rising up to leave a bitter taste of regret in his mouth.
He’d had no idea that Sabo had managed to interpret any of what he’d shared with him in such a
way that it left him feeling like he had failed.

He hadn’t failed. He had dragged himself from the depths of the ocean that had threatened to
become his final resting place and become a part of a group that opposed one of the greatest forces
in the world. He might not have known it at the time, but he had saved their little brother in Logue
Town. He’d found Ace and had selflessly been helping him, putting both of his brothers’ needs
before his own. He hadn’t failed; not at anything.

“I couldn’t hold onto that.”

No, Ace thought weakly, squeezing his eyes shut tight against the memory of his brother walking
away from them, each step taking him closer to Outlook’s clutches and the weight of his sacrifice
falling heavily on trembling shoulders. We couldn’t hold onto you.
Moda’s joyful laughter and Sabo’s light chuckle filtered down the hallway. Ace drew in a deep,
steadying breath. As much as he wanted to storm into the kitchen and shake Sabo until he
understood he had never lost anything in the first place, he felt like the opportunity to address
Sabo’s comments had passed for the moment. Ace didn’t think he would appreciate it if brought it
up in front of Moda, sweet as she was. He would focus on the mess and confusion he had somehow
managed to cause his brother once they had helped Moda and were back on their way.

He would fix it, Ace vowed. They had plenty of time.

xxx

“Safe travels!”

Sabo glanced back over his shoulder to see Moda waving enthusiastically at the entrance to the
farm, one arm wrapped around her cow, Clarabelle’s neck. He tipped his hat one final time while
Ace shouted farewells in return.

“She seemed nice,” he said.

“Yeah, she is. Are you sure you don’t mind coming with me to deliver her letter?” Ace asked
quickly, glancing hesitantly out from under the rim of his cowboy hat.

Sabo blinked, surprised by the question and the uncertainty in the other’s voice. Ace had been
acting stiff and oddly unsettled since their conversation in the hall of the farmhouse and Sabo
couldn’t understand why. He decided he wouldn’t push the pirate, however. If there was one thing
he had learnt about Ace in the last few weeks, it was that he was better off when left to do things in
his own time. He was sure Ace would say something if he felt Sabo needed to know.

“Are you kidding?” he chose to say instead, throwing Ace a blinding smile. “You’ve just handed
me a legitimate reason to break into a marine base! Of course, I’m coming along!”

Ace laughed. “How many marine bases have you snuck onto with illegitimate reasons over the
years?”

Sabo shrugged, unrepentant. “A few. While you’re playing postman, I’ll see if I can find anything
interesting to take back to Baltigo with me. And you can’t tell me that at least one part of this base
isn’t going to end up on fire by the end of the day! I can’t see you passing up the opportunity to
terrorise some marines!” he joked.

“Terrorising some marines is just an added bonus,” admitted Ace, grinning widely. Sabo was
pleased to see some of the tension he was carrying drop from his shoulders at the idea of a brawl.

“I guess the marines on the Grand Line could do with a reminder why it’s best not to mess with
any Whitebeard Pirates. You know, since you guys typically spend so much time drifting in the
New World,” he said, lightly.

“Oh!” Ace exclaimed loudly, taking a playful swipe at Sabo who danced out of reach easily. “Big
talk from someone who doesn’t even have a bounty!” he retorted.

Sabo paused and turned to him, head cocked. “I have a bounty,” he explained, puzzled. He was
sure he had told Ace already. “Nearly all the known Revolutionaries have one.”

Ace nearly tripped over his own feet in shock. “You do?” he spluttered.

He nodded quickly. “You know Dragon’s the most wanted man in the world, right? Of course, he
has a bounty.”

“Are they the same as the ones issued for pirates? Dead or Alive?” he asked, striding to catch up to
Sabo.

“Yeah. The World Government doesn’t care either way but the rewards are hardly ever given out
unless we’re brought in alive since it’s harder to prove someone’s identity when they’re dead,” he
said.

Ace frowned. “I’ve never seen a wanted poster for a Revolutionary before.”

Sabo scoffed and shook his head. “That’s because Revolutionaries are considered more dangerous
than pirates.”

“What?” Ace asked, flatly. “Why?”

Sabo stopped in his tracks and turned to the confused pirate. “Okay, say our bounties were made
public and a strong bounty hunter decided to take up the challenge and come after one of us. What
could happen?” he asked.

Ace squinted at him, his grey eyes dark and calculating. “Is this a trick question? You’d get caught,
wouldn’t you?”

Sabo smiled and nodded. “One possibility. Or me and the bounty hunter could start talking to one
another.” Ace frowned, face scrunched up in bewilderment. “If me and the bounty hunter started
talking, the bounty hunter could come to the realisation that us Revolutionaries are doing good
work. Work that benefits ordinary people and not just the nobility. That bounty hunter could decide
to join the Revolutionary Army instead. Then the World Government would have another strong
Revolutionary to contend with,” he explained. “That’s why they only ever send Cipher Pol agents
after us because they’re so warped to the Government’s way of thinking it’s a lot less likely we’ll
be able to ‘corrupt’ them.”

Ace whistled, low and impressed. “Okay, but does that really happen?”

“Zoro used to be a pirate hunter, but now he’s basically Luffy’s first mate,” Sabo pointed out.
“We’re constantly recruiting new people all the time. The less people blinded by the corruption of
the tenryuubito, the better chance we have of making a change. The South Blue is free,” he said,
his smile soft and proud. “It’d be amazing to see that everywhere.” It had taken a lot of hard work
and sacrifices but the seas of the south were now free of slave traders and civil wars. The
corruption of the tenryuubito had begun hundreds of years ago, quickly spreading like a disease,
tainting everything and oppressing the masses. It was only visible when people stepped outside the
box, and those that were brave enough to do so were considered some of the most dangerous in the
world.

Ace, who had been listening silently nodded once before he nudged him in the shoulder, propelling
him forward again. Sabo fell into step easily beside him.

“So, what’s your bounty, then?” he asked.

Sabo smirked. “Take a guess.”

The pirate took a few seconds. “400,000,000 beli?”

“Who do you take me for?!” Sabo asked, somewhat offended by the low figure. He hadn’t had a
bounty that low in years.
 “Higher?”

“A lot higher!”

Ace huffed. “Well, last I checked mine was 550,000,000 beli,” he started.

“Getting warmer,” he admitted.

“Really? Higher or lower?” Ace demanded shortly; eyes narrowed. “Sabo! Is yours higher than
mine? Come on! Just tell me!” he cried.

“Why?” the blond snickered. “This is much more fun!”

“See! You’re mean! You’re the mean brother! I don’t care what Luffy says!”

Sabo could only laugh in response, picking up the pace until he was running down the narrow lane
and back toward the ship, Ace hot on his heels and needling him the whole way.

Chapter End Notes

Manga readers will probably recognise where this arc is headed after this chapter.
Anime only viewers - this is a cover story that I adore and now seems even more
fitting given recent manga chapters. this chapter was written nearly two years ago but
I'm loving the retrospective link!
 Navy Headquarters
Chapter Notes

Thank you to everyone who commented last chapter! Credit to Sabo using the alias
'Obas' is from the lovely Sesshomarusama3. Thank you for letting me using it :D

“So,” Ace drawled, peering around the rocks they had hidden themselves to stare at the entrance of
the G-2 Base. “I hate to say it, but that’s pretty impressive. I was expecting something smaller,” he
admitted.

Sabo couldn’t help but nod in agreement. The base was one of the larger ones that Sabo had had
the pleasure of seeing up close and personal. Established as a permanent site, the only way to enter
was either from above or through the sea port; a large tunnel that had been cut into the bedrock of
the island itself and sealed tight with – Sabo suspected - sea prism enforced doors.

“No wonder Moda didn’t want to come and deliver her letter herself,” Sabo muttered. He carefully
peered around Ace, taking care not to let the marines on guard duty catch a glimpse of him. Above
him, he heard the pirate huff and gently nudge his top hat aside so he could still see. Sabo let him
do as he pleased, focusing instead on the sea port.

Besides the few guards, he could also see a couple of marines stood out on a small landing jetty,
waving through and guiding a small marine ship into the tunnel. It was a quick process that was
over in minutes. The reinforced doors slammed shut with a resounding clunk.

“It looks like that’s our only way in,” he said.

Ace grumbled. “Why is there never a backdoor to these places?”

Sabo snorted, amused and glanced up at the pirate hovering above him. “Why would they need one
when this place has clearly been chosen for its fortitude? They could withstand a siege in there for
weeks, if not months.”

“Wonderful,” Ace sighed. “Any ideas how we could get in?”

Sabo hummed thoughtfully and pulled back from the hiding place, catching Ace in the midriff with
an elbow and eliciting an annoyed grunt. He adjusted his askew hat absently before he fell back to
rest against the cliff face, crossing his arms and staring inquisitively at the pirate.

“What?” Ace asked, unsurprisingly refusing to back down from the staring contest.

He grinned cheekily. “So, you took on this little task for Moda without any idea of how to actually
do it?”

“Hey!” Ace exclaimed, pointing a finger at him. “There is nothing wrong with winging it!”

“I agree, it can be fun. But this was your idea, so why do I have to come up with the plan?” he
wondered.

Ace dropped his hand to his hip. “Yeah, that’s a good point. I doubt you’d stick to any plan
anyway. I’m fully expecting to lose you half way round in there,” he teased lightly.

Sabo couldn’t stop the small noise of indignation that escaped him. “Hey, I can too stick to a plan!”
he said, but he had to resist the urge to squirm with guilt under the other’s scrutinising gaze.

Ace scoffed. “Really? When was the last time you did? You wandered off in Alabasta. You
wandered off in the witch doctor’s castle. And the only reason we even met in the first place was
because you had wandered off course to that tiny island! Why should here be any different?” he
asked, gleefully.

Sabo grimaced, bashful and scuffed his feet against the rocks. “I got to where I needed to be
eventually, didn’t I?”

Ace’s laugh – light and full mirth – was cut off abruptly by the sound of small rocks clattering
behind them.

“Oi! What are you doing there?”

The pair snapped to attention and turned to see a marine struggling to scramble across the loose
rocks towards them. The rough ground hindered his progress and made it impossible for him to
point his rifle accurately at them. “This is authorised personnel only!”

Ace turned to Sabo, unconcerned by the new arrival. “You mind if I do the honours?”

Sabo shook his head. “By all means.”

The Whitebeard Pirate smirked with delight. He turned quickly, dashing over the rocks with speed
and dexterity that took the marine completely by surprise and catching the man in the jaw. Sabo
thought that Ace might be using his devil fruit to his advantage; fire weighed a lot less than the
average man.

The marine recovered quicker than Sabo expected but he was still too slow to stop Ace from
snatching the rifle from his hands and tossing it away into the nearby lapping waves. The marine
tried to kick out. Sabo caught sight of Ace’s smirk a second before he let the marine’s leg phase
through his own. The marine yelped with fear and hopped on the spot when his trousers came
away singed. He lost his balance, allowing Ace the chance to deliver a final punch that sent the
man careening into the bedrock next to Sabo.

The man slumped to the ground, unconscious. Sabo stared down at him uninterestedly.

Ace stalked forwards. He nodded towards the obscured entrance. “Did anyone hear that?”

Sabo glanced around the rocks, taking a quick peak. All still seemed calm at the port. “Nope, we’re
clear.” He heard a rustle and turned back to find Ace quickly stripping the marine of his uniform
shirt. He watched, bemused when Ace held it up against himself.

“Should fit okay,” he said critically.

“Ah,” said Sabo, clarity dawning on him and he grinned. “Okay, yeah, disguises should work.”

“Hopefully they won’t actually know which marine was meant to be on patrol,” Ace replied,
stripping his own orange shirt from his back and stuffing it into his bag.

Sabo shrugged. “Just say you switched shifts if anyone asks.”

Ace grimaced when he settled the stark white uniform upon his shoulders. Sabo couldn’t blame
him. It was a little disconcerting to see him in that uniform. It fit well but it didn’t suit him at all.

“I can’t believe after what Gramps put us through all those years in an effort to make us into
marines, this is what finally gets me into one of these,” Ace grumbled, tugging at the hem
awkwardly.

Sabo tried to smile but he felt it came out more distorted than he’d have liked. “Well, at least
you’ve not signed on the dotted line with them. They’d own your soul then,” he said, attempting to
be comforting.

Ace shot him a look that told him he’d failed miserably. He kicked at the booted foot of the
unconscious marine. “It’s a shame there weren’t two of them. How are we going to get you
inside?”

Sabo pondered the question for several seconds before an idea struck him. He grinned wickedly.
“You can be my guide,” he said.

Ace frowned. “Guide to what exactly?”

“The base,” he clarified, pointing at the concealed entrance. “I’ll be a Cipher Pole agent. I can be
waiting for the next marine ship’s arrival for my passage or something.”

“How the hell are you gonna impersonate one of them?” Ace asked, head tilted.

“It’s really easy actually,” said Sabo grimly. “They’re all a bunch of self-entitled assholes who
don’t ask, they tell. No one will question it because no one knows what they look like.”

“Seriously? No wonder they’re such a pain, they could be anyone!” Ace exclaimed. Sabo nodded.
“Have you met any of them before?”

Sabo could see Ace was alluding to when he had told him that they were the ones who tended to
hunt down the Revolutionaries. He hesitated for a single second. He could say he’d been lucky
enough to never encounter them but that would be a lie. “Yes, a few times,” he finally admitted.
Ace’s eyes darkened at the implication of what that meant hit him. “I tailed one once who thought
he was tailing me. That was pretty fun. He had no idea we were giving him the run-around until
we’d already finished what we were there to do,” he said, offering him one of the more humorous
meetings between the Cipher Poles agents and the Revolutionaries.

To his relief, it worked and Ace burst into startled laughter. The other shook his head, almost
fondly and Sabo could have sworn he caught a flash of pride on his face. Sabo had never sought to
make anyone proud before. Growing up, he had craved Dragon, Kuma and Ivankov’s acceptance
over their pride. He knew they were proud of him; they made no secret of it, but to have it come
from Ace felt different. It felt like it made what he was doing worthwhile.

“Okay,” said Ace, exchanging his signature cowboy hat for the marine’s own. He carefully
stashed his precious hat in the smally cubby hole of the Striker that anchored in the small surf.
They had both agreed Ace’s Striker to be the more suitable vessel if they needed to make a quick
getaway and had hidden Sabo’s ship in a small cove out at a rock outcrop, barely visible on the
horizon. “How are we gonna explain your arrival here? And are you sure it’s not going to draw too
much attention suddenly having a Cipher Pol agent on base?” Ace asked, brow knitting with
worry.

Sabo shrugged nonchalantly. “Who cares? They’ll believe anything from a Cipher Pole agent. If I
play my cards right, they might even give me access to all their records on the Revolutionary Army
that they have stored in there,” he said, excitedly, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. It would
be most interesting to see what information they had on them and how accurate it actually was.

Ace blinked in surprise and looked towards the base. “You really think they’ll have something
there that’ll be useful to you?”

Sabo nodded enthusiastically. “This is a permanent base. Who knows what sort of information
they’ll be keeping in there but I want to find out.”

“Okay, you can play investigator if you want to. I guess it’s the least I can do after all the help
you’ve given me recently,” he said smiling.

Sabo returned it easily. He hadn’t been thinking of a quid pro quo arrangement but Ace seemed
happy enough to let Sabo take the lead. “You still have Moda’s letter?”

Ace patted his short pockets proudly in response, jostling the elegant dagger strapped to his thigh.
Sabo rolled his eyes.

“What’s that look for?” Ace chuckled.

“It’s just you and Luffy are so alike,” he said. “Neither of you seem to be able to help yourselves
from helping others, despite the fact you’re both pirates.”

Ace grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. “That’s because we both know what it feels like to
be the downtrodden. Now come on. We’ve got a base to break into.”

xxx

Much to Ace’s surprise, getting into the base went without a single hitch. With him in uniform and
looking as generic as the next marine, nobody looked twice at him, and Sabo had barely finished
introducing himself as ‘Obas’, the Cipher Pol agent before the guards at the gate were falling over
themselves to let them inside. Sabo had raised an eyebrow in response to Ace’s incredulous
expression behind the guards’ backs and just about smothered his smug grin.

Once they were inside, however, they were faced with a building any maze creator would have
been proud of.

“This is just crazy,” Ace grumbled, opening another door randomly and, realising it was a store
room, quickly slammed it shut again. “How many damn rooms does this place need?”

Across the corridor, Sabo leant out of a tiny window, shoulders crammed in to try and orient where
they were in relation to the main gate. He looked down and saw that despite the numerous stairs
they’d climbed, they hadn’t actually made it very far up into the building.

He pulled himself back through and turned to Ace. “I don’t suppose that Garp ever told you what
the inside of one of these bases would be like, did he?” It was nothing like any of the ones he had
ever been to before. Those had all been a lot smaller. The twists and turns of the G-2 corridors
rivalled the rabbit warren he had called home for the last ten years.

“If he did, I wasn’t listening,” said Ace, moving to stand next to him at the window. “I mean, look
at that.” Sabo turned to see he was pointing at a cramped training yard where a unit seemed to be
running through a series of drills. Ace shook his head. “I honestly can’t believe that Gramps ever
thought that we would’ve been happy in a place like this. I mean, Luffy wouldn’t know an order if
it came up and bit him! He’d probably cause a riot within an hour!”
Sabo was in complete agreement, recalling Luffy telling them how he had met Zoro and the
ensuing chaos they had both caused. He thought an hour might have been generous. Watching the
marines run through their drills, a niggle itched at the back of his mind.

“He was training us like he did his marines.” He didn’t realise he’d spoken his thoughts aloud until
Ace jerked around to stare at him. “Garp… he made us do those things,” he pointed at the unit
below them. They were carrying proper weights rather than logs found on the forest floor but the
technique was the same.

“Yeah… I guess they are pretty similar,” Ace conceded slowly.

“Similar? It’s exactly the same,” Sabo snorted. He turned his back to the window and noticed
Ace’s brow was furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” he replied quickly. He bustled past Sabo and tapped his pocket. “Who the hell should
we give this letter to anyway?”

Sabo frowned at the abrupt change of subject. He hurried to catch up to the pirate. “I guess an
officer would be best? They might not toss it straight away, at least,” he hoped. He glanced up at
the ceiling darkly. “The officers’ quarters are probably on the higher floors.”

If it had at least a passing resemblance to the other bases that he had been involved in infiltrating
over the years, he figured the officers’ quarters would follow the same basic layout. The marines
liked to mirror their Powers That Be and, in that hierarchy, the higher one was physically, the more
important they were.

If they could put the letter in with the other mail and missives the officers received directly, they
would have done the best job they could for Moda, Sabo knew, striding down the hallway.

It took him several seconds to realise that Ace had disappeared from his side. It was only when the
unnatural warmth that surrounded the pirate like a comforting bubble disappeared, leaving Sabo
shivering and finally feeling the chill of the stone corridor’s walls that he noticed.

He stopped and looked back to find Ace was frozen in the middle of the corridor half a dozen
meters away, a deep furrow on his face underneath the marine hat. His gazed was fixated on the
floor.

“What’s wrong?” Sabo asked, concerned. They were the only ones in the hallway, so he couldn’t
immediately see anything that could’ve caused the pirate to come to a dead stop.

“What are the chances,” Ace said absently. Sabo frowned at the distracted response but before he
could press him further, Ace straightened and levelled him with a thoughtful look. “If this place
has information on the Revolutionaries, would they also have information on pirates?”

“On pirates?” A jolt of clarity rushed through the blond. “You mean pirates like Blackbeard
specifically?”

Ace nodded eagerly.

Sabo took a moment to think about it. He couldn’t find a reason why they wouldn’t have
information on pirates. Whether they had anything Ace didn’t already know through his own hunt
for Blackbeard, Sabo wasn’t sure. Being a permanent base, G-2 was probably used as a stopover
point for a lot of marine traffic; any number of the rooms could be storing a wealth of information.

He glanced back to find Ace waiting patiently. “I think,” he said slowly, because he really didn’t
want to get Ace’s hopes up that they would find something solid after chasing so many cold trails.
“I think this place will almost definitely have an ear to the ground on any possible rumours about
up and coming crews. Even if they don’t have anything official, they might have heard something
on the grapevine. Maybe.”

Ace grinned. “Great! Even a rumour is better than nothing at this point! And if we want gossip
then I know exactly where we need to go!”

“You do?”

“Yep! The kitchens!” he said gleefully and Sabo swore he heard the pirate’s stomach rumble. “If
it’s anything like it is on the Moby Dick that’s where all the interesting stuff gets shared!”

“Sounds good,” he replied. He had missed Ace’s earlier dine and dash back in the town so he could
eat.

“I think I saw smoke coming from one of those outbuildings a little way over there,” Ace said,
pointing north of their current location. “I bet that’s where the kitchens are and what is that noise?”
he asked abruptly, looking around for the source of the dim ringing. After a few seconds, he looked
to the pocket of Sabo’s black jacket. “Is that you?”

Sabo glanced at the pocket in question. “Yes,” he said, gently patting the shell of his den den
mushi until it stopped and silence was heard once more.

Ace tried valiantly to smother his laughter. “You not gonna get it?”

The blond shook his head vehemently. “No way! It’s not exactly secure here. I’d rather not have a
black den den mushi listening in on any conversations, thanks.” He forcefully kerbed the urge to
shudder at the thought of one of those tapping into his den den mushi. “It’ll only be Koala or Hack
anyway. I can call them back later. Let’s just get this job done first.”

Ace heaved a sigh but it was fond. He threw his tattooed arm around Sabo’s shoulders and steered
him down the corridor. “Come on,” he said with a smirk. “Let’s go see what these marines have to
say for themselves.”

xxx

Sabo could feel his eyes widen in shock and then delight when he set his sights on the spread laid
out in front of them. Next to him, he could practically hear Ace drooling. He quickly swiped up a
tray and set to work picking at everything within reach on the buffet table, Ace right beside him.

He had seen plenty of complaints in the news over the years from disillusioned and retired marines
who had plenty of complaints about the state of the equipment, the old past their prime ships and
the living quarters at some of the bases but food was an area in which the navy did not seem to be
cutting corners.

The blond elbowed Ace roughly when he pushed into him reaching for the mash potatoes. Ace
grinned cheekily and swiped a chicken thigh from his plate before he could shield it from him.

“Hey!” he moaned, stomping on the other’s foot. He smirked triumphantly when the pirate winced.
“Hands off my plate!”

Either side of them in the queue, marines were staring at them in awe as they continued to pile high
their plates with second, third and fourth servings. Ace caught the gaze of one of them and offered
the gawking man a cheery smile.
“It’s been a long shift!” he explained.

“Come on,” Sabo muttered, grasping at the back of Ace’s uniform and pulling him away. He knew
they probably shouldn’t be drawing any unwanted attention to themselves and two men practically
decimating the buffet table in less than five minutes was definitely attracting some astonished
stares.

Ace snagged another drumstick before Sabo could pull him away entirely.

“Come on, there’s a table over there,” he said, dragging the pirate along behind him, ignoring
Ace’s whining, eyes on his prize table. It was set off to one side of the room, close enough that it
would be easy to eavesdrop in on its nearest neighbours but not so far out that they looked like they
were trying to isolate themselves. It allowed them to blend into the crowded room. It also left them
both with a clean run to the door if things went south for whatever reason.

He grunted when Ace nudged him hard enough that he nearly fell into the chair that would leave
him with his back to the wall. Ace settled himself across from him, his own back to the marines.
While it afforded Sabo the better view the room, it also put Ace between Sabo and everyone else.

The blond smothered a grin. He had noticed it seemed to be an unconscious decision on Ace’s part
to always put himself between potential trouble and Luffy, and it now seemed to be a habit crossing
over to Sabo. He didn’t think it was because Ace felt that either one of them needed protection, but
instead it seemed to be a habit born long ago that he had yet to shake. If he ever did at all, Sabo
thought, taking a generous bite from his steak. He wasn’t offended by the pirate’s actions, nor did
he decide to ask him about it. If anything, Sabo thought he might miss it when Ace finally found
what he needed to track down Blackbeard and the pair parted ways.

Watching Ace scan the room casually so as to appear uninterested in his surroundings, idly
chomping down on his food, Sabo realised he had gotten used to having Ace watch his back. It was
different than when Koala, Hack or any other Revolutionary did it. They were always exactly
where he needed them to be and he trusted them with his life but revolutionary work was often very
isolated, each person working like a single cog in a very large machine. Koala and Hack were like a
support network that he could either fall back on or that helped drive him forward whenever he
needed it.

With Ace, it felt less like a safety net and more like an extension of himself. One of them would
step up, while the second fell back, trading off positions equally as needed and without any
conscious thought. It was unnerving how often the last few weeks he had started to compensate for
Ace being right there at his side, shoring him up and being a constant, welcoming presence.

Sabo caught Ace’s enquiring gaze and shook his head at the silent question. He was fine. He would
miss the pirate – just like he missed Luffy – but they had plenty of time before they would be
forced to split up. Even if Ace did manage to find any information the marines had on Blackbeard,
they would still need to get to wherever the hell it was he had been hiding himself and his small
crew.

Movement over Ace’s shoulder caught his attention and he slowly lowered his fork.

“Incoming,” he whispered, raising his gaze to meet the newcomers approaching their table.

xxx

Ace felt himself tense at his brother’s words before he forced himself to relax quickly. He really
hated having his back exposed to the room full of marines, but equally he also knew he preferred it
be him over Sabo.

He tried to tug inconspicuously at his left sleeve when the sound of booted feet came ever closer to
their table. He wasn’t wholly convinced his two tattoos weren’t completely unnoticeable through
the sheer white shirt of the uniform he had been forced into, despite Sabo’s assurances to the
contrary.

A couple of shadows fell across the table and Ace squinted up at the new arrivals. Two young
marines, probably not a lot older than Ace and Sabo, stood next to them, both grinning cheerfully,
their own trays laden with food.

“Mind if we join you?” the first asked, gesturing with his elbow to the rest of the room. “It’s filling
up pretty fast.”

Ace glanced at Sabo. Actually inviting marines to dine with them had not been on the cards but it
would be suspicious if they refused. He could see Sabo was of the same mind when he shook his
head.

“Not at all. The more the merrier,” he said, smoothly sliding from his chair and into the one on
Ace’s left before either marine could move. Ace breathed a quiet sigh of relief at the other’s quick
thinking. He had not wanted a marine sat either side of him, separating them. He didn’t doubt they
could take them if they needed to but he preferred presenting a united front.

Ace allowed Sabo to make the introductions while he continued to eat, observing the two marines
closely for any signs of deceit. He could see the pair checking out his brother’s distinctly non-
regimented clothes with undisguised curiosity. Thankfully, it seemed they believed they had an
exciting new visitor rather than a spy in their midst since they had barely given Ace a passing
glance, obviously comforted by his generic uniform.

He resisted the urge to scowl down at the insignia etched into the uniform that rested over his
chest. Even though it had been his idea in the first place, wearing the uniform had practically made
Ace a vanishing act in the base and while incredibly convenient, he loathed it all the same. But he
figured he would bear it for a little longer if it stopped any marine from suspecting that a pirate and
a Revolutionary had infiltrated their base.

“I don’t think I’ve seen either of you around before,” the first marine said.

“I just transferred in a few days ago,” said Ace, the lie Sabo had made him recite outside until it
sounded natural falling easily from his lips. He frowned when the marines barely noticed he’d
spoken.

Sabo, seemingly unconcerned that he was the centre of attention, grinned. “I’m with Cipher Pol.
I’m just passing through.”

Both marines’ eyes flared with intrigue and they sat forward eagerly. Ace couldn’t help but roll his
eyes. He’d worried that Sabo posing as a Cipher Pol agent would be too eye-catching of a job
description and he had been proven right. A sharp kick to the shin made him wince and he glared
as subtly as he could at his brother, who ignored him and continued to chat to the oblivious
marines.

Ace resisted the urge to huff. He snatched a slice of bacon from the marine closest to him and he
took a large bite, frustrated by the scrutiny Sabo was under. He didn’t know why. As Sabo had said
more than once, it was literally his job to infiltrate and gather intel from various sources and he
trusted that the Revolutionary knew what he was doing. But he still didn’t like it.
He allowed himself a moment of awe though at the ease in which Sabo conversed with the two
marines. Sabo had always been a natural when it came to lying, barely flinching whenever Dadan
had interrogated them about who ate the contents of the pantry again. Even with Luffy stood next
them, his cheeks bulging like an overstuffed chipmunk, Sabo had nearly always managed to weasel
out an explanation that twisted Dadan in circles long enough for them to make their escape. He had
been even better at bartering with the local stall merchants of Edge Town, spinning great tales of
the skins and furs they traded and practically robbing the merchants’ blind.

It was a skill Ace had never mastered to such a degree but he could see Sabo had nurtured the
talent well over the years. In fact, if Ace didn’t know his brother’s subtle tell – he still liked to tap
one finger near silently – he wouldn’t have even been able to tell he was lying, he spoke with such
ease and dexterity. It made sense that Sabo would know a lot about the agency that hunted down
Revolutionaries; after all, Ace made it his own business to know about the more notorious pirate
bounty hunters but he still doubted he’d be able to impersonate one so thoroughly.

Ace gave himself a small mental shake and forced his attention back to the conversation, annoyed
he had let his focus slip.

“I didn’t know we were expecting Cipher Pol on the base any time soon,” said the marine
immediately to Ace’s right. He was slightly older than the one sat opposite him and even eating his
lunch, he maintained a straight-backed posture. The other was slouched forward over the table,
hanging onto Sabo’s every word.

“I’m just passing through. I won’t be here long,” said Sabo. “The ship I was on was in a hurry to
get back to Marineford so they dropped me off the other side of the island and I just walked around
until I met Spades here on patrol.”

Two pairs of eyes suddenly landed on Ace and he couldn’t help but lean back in his seat slightly.
They were by no means intimidating – Marco had a better stink eye than either of them combined –
but he was taken back by the intense jealously on both their faces. Neither looked very impressed
that it had been Ace and not them who had ‘found’ Sabo first. It made him wonder just how much
sway and merit being connected to the Cipher Pol division carried. Gramps had rarely mentioned
them to him or Luffy when trying to persuade them to sign up, but he had got the impression the
old man hadn’t been particularly fond of them.

Ace glanced over his shoulder to double check their escape route. It was still relatively clear; he
felt confident they could bust their way out if they needed to. He noticed they had a lot inquisitive
stares aimed their way, but none of them looked they had the nerve to approach them. Still, Ace
shifted his chair a little, blocking more of Sabo from view and scowling at the odd person who
dared to glare at him.

“What’s it like working in Cipher Pol?” the younger marine asked eagerly, eyes bright with
excitement. “Is it really as dangerous as they say? What jobs do you do? Have you ever met any of
CP9?”

Ace could barely keep up with the rapid-fire questions. Sabo didn’t seem to be having the same
problem, but Ace could tell from the tightness around his smile that he was fast losing patience.

“I imagine that’s all confidential, isn’t it?” Ace said, butting in without shame and earning himself
a sullen glare from the marine. He didn’t care. It halted the barrage of questions. He resisted the
urge to childishly stick his tongue out at the scowling marine.

“I’m afraid so,” Sabo hurried to agreed.

The older marine shrugged. “We figured you’d say that,” he said and nudged his younger
companion until he lost his lost pout. “You know, we got through some new wanted posters for the
Revolutionary Army that need distributing.” Ace’s ears pricked with interest. He wouldn’t mind
seeing a few of those. He hadn’t been able to get out of Sabo what his bounty was before they
arrived. “They’re too sensitive to send via the News Coo so we’ve been waiting for someone to be
able to deliver them for a couple of weeks now. You could take them with you if you’re headed for
the Gates of Justice?”

“Sure I can,” said Sabo.

“Excellent, I’ll go get them,” the marine rose to his feet quickly, swiping up his tray and striding
away before anyone could say anything further.

To Ace’s great amusement, in the man’s wake, his younger colleague was left gaping after him,
completely dismayed. He recovered quickly though, and leant right back into Sabo’s personal
space. Ace stifled the urge to snap at him to back up.

“I CAN GIVE YOU A TOUR WHILE YOU WAIT FOR YOUR SHIP TO ARRIVE!” he shouted,
making Ace and Sabo wince at the volume.

“Yes, okay,” said Sabo.

His ears still ringing, it took a moment for Sabo’s words to register. His head snapped around to
stare at the blond.

“Yes?”

“YES?”

Sabo shrugged. “Sure, why not? A tour sounds fun.”

The marine jumped out of his seat, and in his enthusiasm, sent his chair careening into the table
behind them. He ignored the cries of annoyance that rose up from their neighbours.

“Let me just get rid of these trays for us and I’ll be right back!”

He snatched up his and Sabo’s trays, flashing Ace a triumphant smirked over Sabo’s head, like he
had just won a competition. Ace sneered at him in return.

Motion beside him had Ace reaching out to snag Sabo’s sleeve before he could rise to his feet.
“What are you doing?” he hissed. “A tour, really?”

Sabo grinned easily. “Come on, Ace! Do you think I’m ever going to be offered the chance to a
tour a marine base again?” he whispered back. “Think of what they might end up showing me. I
might hear something about Blackbeard.”

“Fine,” Ace grumbled, reluctantly.

Sabo patted him placatingly on the shoulder. “I’ll meet you outside at the Striker when I’m done.
Stay out of trouble and don’t draw any attention to yourself. And don’t forget to give Moda’s letter
to an officer.”

“I never look for trouble.”

“And yet it manages to find you anyway!”

Ace’s retort was cut short by the return of the marine, who stood at Sabo’s elbow like an overeager
puppy waiting for its master. He scowled at the teasing wink Sabo shot him before he departed.

Ace watched him go until he disappeared out the door. He glanced down at his near empty tray of
food. He scoffed down a final chicken drumstick before pushing the tray away, leaving it in the
middle of the table.

As he walks away, a small stab of grief sneaks up on him unexpectedly, taking him by surprise. If
he had dared not to tidy up after himself on the Moby Dick, Thatch would have chased him around
the entire ship until he’d caught him and stuck him on dish duty for the rest of the week.

Smiling sadly to himself, he exited the room and into a near empty corridor. Since meeting his
brothers, the pain of Thatch’s death, while not gone, had become more bearable and he had been
able to go days, rather than hours, without thinking of his lost friend but he was never far from his
thoughts.

He would delivery Moda’s letter, Ace thought quickly, but he would also see if he could poke
around in the meantime. The marines had to have heard something of Blackbeard. He had to have
caused enough chaos to have been noticed by them. He’d relied enough on Sabo’s generosity. It
was time he started pulling his own weight again in his hunt.

So lost in his thoughts, Ace nearly missed the conversation going on between the two marines
walking past him. It was only at the mention of ‘Whitebeard’ that he froze on the spot. He strained
to hear what the retreating marines were saying.

“- nowhere near as strong as he used to be. His only claim to fame these days is collecting pirates to
add to his crew.”

“Hm, he is still a Yonko though.”

“Pft, so what? He’s old. Everyone knows his entire generation of pirates is failing. I mean,
seriously, he should hurry up and disappear like the rest of them!”

Rage spiked in his chest – hot and fierce – and he just barely managed to keep a check on his mera
mera no mi before it overspilled into the hallway. He growled, low and deep in his throat, and his
teeth were clenched together so tightly his jaw ached from the pressure.

He couldn’t let an insult like that pass, he fumed. His Pops might be getting on in age but he was
still one of the strongest pirates of the age, and the damn marines should have a damned lot more
respect than they did.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Ace snarled, angry strides easily eating up the distance
between him and the startled marines. “Whitebeard would crush you with his thumb!” he said, eyes
never leaving the one who had spoken.

The marines frowned and turned. “Oi, who are y - ”

Ace’s fist in his face cut of whatever the man was going to stay. The force of his punch slammed
the stunned man into the nearest wall. He slumped to the ground with a pained groan.

“What the hell is wrong with you!” the other shouted angrily. He lunged for Ace, trying to get a
hold of his arm, but Ace shrugged him off easily. He hit the floor next to his colleague with a
grunt.

“Quit sprouting crap you don’t know anything about!” Ace shouted down at them.
 A chorus of voices rose up from the canteen down the hall.

“Hey! What’s going on out there?”

“Is someone fighting?”

“Fighting’s against the rules?”

“Oops,” Ace whispered, the red-hot anger in his chest disappearing like a smothered flame. He
glanced sheepishly down at the two stunned marines at his feet. “Well, that wasn’t me not drawing
attention to myself, was it?” he verbally chastised himself.

He quickly straightened his cap and legged it down the hall, sliding around the corner at full speed.
He glanced over his shoulder when he heard the dismayed shouts that told him the victims of his
anger had been found. He groaned aloud and slapped a hand over his face.

Sabo was going to kill him.

End Notes

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