Two Children and a Pirate Crew

Chapter 1 Castoff

It was an unusually warm day as Sabo pawed through what many would consider garbage in Grey Terminal; but as the old saying goes "one man's trash is another man's treasure." The blonde was very meticulous in his searching, as he knew from firsthand experience the things that nobles threw out. In his younger days, he had watched his father throw away various things from gold watches that were broken but could be easily fixed, to the books that would hold information on how to fix them. Sabo always thought he his father had thrown that stuff out just to spite him.

"We're Nobles Sabo," The blonde heard himself impersonating his father with an overexaggerated sneer in his voice. "If something is broken and worthless we throw it away." Sabo shook his head from the thought, he hated thinking about his past life. In fact the only person who probably hated his past more than himself was his friend Ace.

It had only been around 5 months ago when he had learned that Ace was in fact son of the late Pirate King, Gold Roger. It had been a painful experience, Ace docked him pretty hard after he told him and Sabo just stood there gaping like a fish. In Sabo's defense Ace wasn't really the best at breaking earth-shattering news.

"Hey Sabo, my dad was Gold Roger, the Pirate King, so I guess you hate me now."

Who the hell does that? In the end however, after what felt like hours of punching, biting, kicking, screaming, and crying, they had both calmed down enough to actually talk about what Ace had told him.

Ace was the son of the Pirate King. As a child Sabo didn't really see anything wrong with it. After all it wasn't like Ace ever knew his father, so he wasn't raised by him. Everyone knew Gold Roger was dead, surely, they wouldn't pass his supposed sins down to Ace would they? But then Ace started casually asking people, "If the King of the Pirates had a son, what would you do?"

"I'd kill him."

"I'd skin him alive."

"I'd chop him up and send him in a box to the Marines with a note saying, 'You're welcome.'"

And those were some of the more savory responses he got. To say Sabo was worried about his friend was an understatement. The slightly suspicious, yet strong and clever boy, who had big dreams to leave Dawn Island and become a pirate just to spite his grandfather he had met when he was 8 was all but gone. Now he was angry, always suspect of everyone, and Sabo was afraid that the taunts of those in Gray Terminal and from Edge Town were getting to Ace. "Maybe it would be better if I was just dead."

Sabo hated it when Ace spoke like that, because there wasn't anything that Sabo could do or say that would make Ace feel any different. It would make him feel like a hypocrite because there were days when he himself didn't feel like he was worthy of life due to his own lineage. He just didn't have everyone and their mother reminding him of that fact, like Ace did.

There had to be someone out there who could truly convince Ace that his life was worth living, but who?

"You ain't gonna find shit in that pile." A familiar voice slurred between hiccups. "It was picked clean yesterday."

Sabo groaned. He knew that it was Rocko one of the resident jackasses of Gray Terminal. Although Sabo got along fairly okay with the other residents of Gray Terminal (meaning he stayed out of their way and they stayed out of his once he proved that he wasn't just some weakling kid.) Rocko was one of those types of people that would actively seek him out to antagonize him. Usually Sabo would ignore him. Messing with Rocko without Ace around to back him up could mean trouble later, especially if the rumors that Rocko was trying to get in with Bluejam were true.

"If you want summin real good, there's a pirate ship docked outside Foosha Village." Rocko continued with a smirk on his face.

Sabo found himself turning toward Rocko failing to hide the curiosity in his voice. "You mean to tell me there's a pirate ship in Foosha?"

The drunk nodded.

"Foosha. The same Foosha where Marine Hero Vice Admiral Garp "The Fist" regularly docks when he comes to Dawn Island." Sabo clarified.

Rocko nodded again in frustration. "Yeah, you know any other Foosha village? Anyway, I gots a proshshin fer ya."

Sabo frowned. "You mean a proposition."

The man merely waved a dismissive hand. "Whatever. Anyway, this ship is supposedly pretty nice, so if you and that spot boy steal the treasure from that ship then maybe Bluejam will forgive you for stealing his treasure."

"Bullshit," Sabo all but shouted. "We've never stolen anything from Bluejam and you know it."

Rocko snorted. "You think I care. Look if you get us the treasure we'll leave ya'll alone and if you don't we'll just kill ya. Either way we both win. Either we get treasure and you idiots don't have to deal with us or you die and spot boy gets his wish to die."

Sabo felt an involuntary shudder. "Ace doesn't want to die," he found himself saying quietly.

Rocko rolled his eyes. "Who the hell are you trying to convince? Anyway are you in or not."

Sabo rubbed his chin in thought. Honestly what could be the worst that could happen. They could get some treasure for their own fund even. Or hell, maybe they could just take the opportunity and leave Dawn Island now.

He quickly shook his head disregarding the idea. For one thing Ace would never agree to it and there was a chance that these pirates docked at Foosha could kill them. Then another thought occurred to him. If they gave all the treasure to Bluejam then there was a chance that these Foosha-docked pirates would kill Bluejam. The idea made him grin like a maniac. They would finally be free from Bluejam and his cronies. Besides he had always wanted to visit Foosha Village, he had heard from Ace that it was quite nice (too bad the idea of Garp frequenting the Village for some odd reason kept Ace away for about three years).

"Alright Rocko, you got yourself a deal."

Rocko grinned. "Knew you'd see it our way. Alright listen apparently these pirates spend most of their time at this joint called "The Party Bar" all you and Spot boy have to do is sneak aboard the ship and steal the treasure." his smile dropped to a frown. "And no funny business, we'll know if you try something."

Sabo kept himself from laughing. It was obvious that Bluejam was scared of this pirate otherwise he would just steal the treasure himself. Instead he was sending two kids to do his dirty work. Well too bad for him. They were going to find out the hard way that trying to get rid of him and Ace were going to be painful experiences for Bluejam and his crew.

Sabo felt conviction rise up inside him. Who the Hell were they to decide how and when he and Ace died. Only they could make that decision.

Without paying Rocko any mind Sabo leapt off the top of the garbage pile and headed into the woods to find Ace.

LINE BREAK

Ace panted heavily clutching his pipe tightly. Finally after hours of searching he found a boar large enough to satisfy him and the rest of the bandits per their agreement. This damn heatwave had been a pain in the ass for hunting. All of the animals were in hiding and hard to find.

The boar stomped the ground angrily, bristling its fur and getting ready to charge. However, Ace was ready. Squaring up against the monstrous animal Ace taunted the beast and the boar took the bait and began charging. Ace smirked in triumph as he jumped high out of the boar's way and swung his pipe smacking the animal square on the head.

The effect was instantaneous as the boar slumped over in defeat. Ace spun his pipe around expertly and jabbed it through the beast's skull. It was a quick and clean kill. Ace always hated seeing animals suffer, so he always made his kills as painless as possible.

The boy took out a knife and began quartering the animal ensuring that he drained the blood and removed the organs. Unfortunately though the process filled the wood with a thick aroma of blood which attracted predators.

"Ace Look Out!" A voice yelled in panic.

Ace heeded the warning and rolled out of the way of the massive paw of a bear. Ace bit his lower lip in frustration. How did such a large animal sneak up on him? Ace watched in growing anger as the bear began to sniff the dead boar with interest. How dare that stupid bear try to take his kill!

Ace began yelling and would have charged the bear if it wasn't for two small hands grabbing the back of his shirt and throwing him to the ground. "Damnit Ace, do you have a death wish?" Wait the voice from earlier that was Sabo's voice.

"Sabo what are you doing here? Hey wait, the boar!" Ace scrambled to his feet and started to go towards where the bear was lumbering deeper into the woods with his prize, but Sabo stopped him once again. "Sabo, why are you stopping me from getting what is rightfully mine?"

Sabo sighed before jabbing a finger into Ace's chest. "Look here you moron, We've got better things to do then have you die by a bear."

Ace crossed his arms and huffed. "I've could've easily taken on that bear."

Sabo snorted. "Since when? You and I have been trying to tackle that beast practically since we met and even together we can barely get a dent in its thick hide. What makes you think you can take it on by yourself?"

"Desperation?" Ace offered. "I've been hunting in this damn heat for hours and I'm starving then that damn bear took what was rightfully mine."

Sabo shot his friend a sympathetic look before smiling. "Don't worry about that. In fact forget the bear, We need to be in top condition for what I have planned." Ace shot the blonde a quizzical look, making Sabo's smile grow wider. "How would you like to steal a real pirates treasure?"

Ace grinned. "Do tell."

Line Break

"You know what Sabo, I've changed my mind. I don't want to go," Ace trembled slightly as he spoke. They were just outside Foosha and could see the famous windmills in the horizon.

Sabo rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me your afraid. What are the odds of your grandfather being there?"

Ace looked at Sabo directly grabbing his shoulders. "I am afraid and you should be too. You don't know the shitty geezer like I do. If he finds me here or finds out that I'm willingly walking onto a pirate ship he will kill me, bring me back to life, and kill me again."

Sabo removed Ace's hands from his shoulders and looked at him pointedly. "Look Ace we'll be real sneaky and not get caught. Your grandpa won't know anything. Besides what about the plan to get rid of Bluejam once and for all?"

"First of all, Gramps has his ways of finding things out. No idea how he does it but still." Ace pointed out. "Second of all, what makes you think that these pirates are just going to let us get away with stealing their treasure?"

Sabo shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes you just gotta take a chance Ace. You trusted me with your secret, I'm just asking you to trust me again."

"Fine," Ace muttered crossing his arms. "But if we run into the shitty geezer I'm using you as a human shield."

"Glad we can be so honest with each other." Sabo grinned and muttered with playful sarcasm and with that they were off.

LINE BREAK

It was easier than expected to make their ways to the dock without being noticed. Using years of stealth training from hunting and books Ace and Sabo read allowed them to sneak by people without being noticed. The thing was though that they barely had to use their techniques.

"This place sure seems peaceful for there being a pirate ship here." Ace pointed out. "Sabo, are you sure Rocko gave you the right information?"

Sabo looked around anxiously before grinning and pointing to the top of a fairly large ship. "See that black flag Ace? That's our pirate ship."

Ace peered at the top of the ship spotting the black flag along with bits of white and what looked like red in the creases. It was honestly hard to tell what the flag looked like due to the lack of wind. "Alright," Ace conceded. "So there is a pirate ship, but how are we supposed to get up there?"

Sabo frowned looking up at the large ship and was wondering the same thing. There was no gangplank leading up to the ship and getting one would be too cumbersome and noticeable for their plans. He continued to study the ship from behind the crates they were hiding when a slight gust of wind came and gave him an answer. A rope ladder swayed ever so slightly in the breeze. Sabo smiled, it was their ticket up.

Sabo grabbed Ace's arm and pointed at the ladder. Nodding in understanding they both made their way over ensuring that no one saw them. When they reached the ship Ace was first to jump over the short distance and grab the ladder. The plan was for Ace to go first because he had more firsthand experience in sneaking around without being noticed. He would board the ship and ensure that no one was on deck. If there was someone he would try to gauge their strength without actually engaging them and him and Sabo would come back and steal the treasure under the cover of night.

It was important for the plan that the pirates didn't find out that it was Ace and Sabo stealing the treasure or their grand plan to frame Bluejam would be for naught. Ace finally got to the top of the ladder and peered through the railing, seeing no one he scrambled onto the deck and began scoping the deck and other areas of the ship where some sort of guard would be placed including the mast. Luckily there didn't seem to be anyone aboard the ship. Ace signaled Sabo letting him know and the blonde made the same climb up that Ace did.

"These pirates must be idiots not having anyone on deck to guard their ship." Ace commented offhandedly as they roamed the deck. "Or maybe they don't have anything worth guarding."

"Let's hope not on that second point, otherwise we'll be in big trouble with Bluejam for not bringing back any treasure." Sabo commented back as they both headed towards the cabins.

"How did Rocko even know that this ship was here? I thought he stayed close to Grey Terminal." Ace asked as they continued deeper into the ship.

"Joe, you know that old guy who's always telling stories, told me that Rocko used to be a member of this group of bandits that frequent the area. Maybe he heard something from one of them." Sabo replied.

Ace snorted. "I doubt it. Bandits would never reveal the location of potential treasure."

"Unless they're trying to do the same thing to Rocko, what we're doing to him and Bluejam." Sabo pointed out.

They both paused for a brief moment and looked at each other. "Nah." Bandits were way too stupid to come up with a plan that smart. So they continued down thoroughly amused by their earlier thoughts searching for any sign of treasure.

"You know, I really like this ship," Sabo spoke up as they walked the corridors noticing all of the small touches such as empty bottles of alcohol and pictures of various adventures that the crew seemed to go on, in one room he had even seen a picture of a small child. Who knew pirates had kids? "It sort of feels like a home. Maybe our ship will be like this when we set sail Ace. What do you think."

Ace hummed in thought. "Maybe. I agree on the feel of the ship, but I've always pictured myself on something bigger."

They then began discussing their dream ships with each other each getting more elaborate than the last.

"I'm going to have an underwater viewing port."

"I'm going to have an aquarium large enough for a Sea King."

Well I'm going to have a ship made entirely of Adam's Wood."

"I'm going to have a kitchen so large it will feed an entire fleet of pirates."

"Of course you would think about food." Sabo teased lightly, but then frowned. "Hey, how are you feeling? You didn't really eat anything substantial before coming."

Ace rubbed his stomach in response. After the incident with the boar he decided to just pick some wild mushrooms and berries to tide him over until this mission with Sabo was over. "I should be fine, but maybe we should see what's in their kitchen before we get the treasure?" He suggested hesitantly.

"Maybe you could wait just a bit longer Ace, because I think I found the treasure room." Sabo replied happily.

They stood before a solid oak door which unlike the other rooms they had looked in was locked tightly. "If there's treasure anywhere it's here. Keep a lookout while I play with the lock." Sabo asked his dark-haired friend.

Ace nodded listening and watching for any unusual sounds such as footsteps. After what felt like too long but in reality, was only about 8 minutes the lock gave way and they were able to get in.

Walking in they couldn't get their jaws off the ground. The entire room overflowed with gold and precious jewels. Chests filled with belis and ancient maps also were placed round the room. There was more treasure in this room than either of the boys thought they would see in their entire lives.

"Holy shit." Ace said.

"I know." Sabo responded. They both looked at each other and grinned widely before running into the room laughing. They leapt into the gold grabbing handfuls of treasure. They laughed in absolute delight as children in a candy store or in this case children in a treasure room. However, while shifting through the piles Sabo began to get an uneasy feeling. This was way too easy. Every book Sabo read about pirates spoke about how fiercely they guarded their treasure. The books spoke about booby traps that would lay around a pirate's ship and yet even though they walked casually they sprung none of the traps.

Ace noticed how Sabo was no longer going through the treasure gleefully and approached him slowly. "Something wrong Sabo?"

"Ace, remember earlier when you said these pirates were idiots?" The brunette nodded. "Well they must be some of the strongest idiots in the East Blue, otherwise how did they get all of this treasure? "

"What are you saying Sabo?" Ace questioned.

"I'm saying that maybe…" But before he could finish his sentence several loud thumps interrupted them. Sabo and Ace looked at each other with wide eyes. Uh-Oh.

A loud voice was heard. It sounded young but Sabo and Ace were too much in shock to actually hear what it said, but they definitely heard the response.

"No way Anchor. There's no way in Hell I'm taking you with us! Especially since you ate that Devil Fruit!" The voice seemed to cackle with playful delight leaving Ace and Sabo thoroughly confused. What in the world was a Devil Fruit? Why was a pirate talking to someone that sounded like a kid and from the ending of the conversation it was probably the captain no less?

"We should get out of here." Sabo suggested.

"What about the treasure?" Ace asked.

Sabo grabbed a couple of large handfuls of treasure and stuffed them into a bag as response. "This should be enough to satisfy Bluejam and get him off our tail. I know our original plan was to frame Bluejam for taking the treasure, but these pirates could be strong enough to destroy the whole island."

Ace opened his mouth to respond but quickly shut it. Now was not the time to question his friend. He too grabbed a couple of handfuls of treasure for good measure and they both headed towards the door. There was just one small problem, the door was bolted shut.

"What the Hell? I can't open the door!" Ace panicked.

"What do you mean you can't get the door open?"

Ace and Sabo tried their best but couldn't budge the solid Oak doors. Whether it was part of a booby trap or the fact that they had foolishly let the heavy doors close behind them, Sabo didn't know, but there was one thing he was certain of.

"Ace, I think we're going to be leaving Dawn Island for a while."

Said brunette turned to his gap-toothed friend. "Don't talk like that Sabo we'll…"

"Alright Roo, raise the anchor. Let's castoff men!" It was the same voice from earlier.

Sabo and Ace felt a slight lurch as the boat began to sail. They looked at each other in slight panic, before Ace grinned nervously. "Well Sabo it looks like you were right we are leaving Dawn Island." Ace then did something Sabo didn't expect, laugh.

Sabo watched for several seconds while his dark-haired friend seemed to roll around in hysterics and he found himself laughing too. Of course that didn't last long as he felt a solid bony fist hit him square on the nose.

"YOU DUMBASS!" Ace yelled.

Ah, now that he expected.