Well this is a part of my ASL series, so it's one of my first One Piece fanfictions.
Summary: Sabo sets out from Dawn Island on his seventeenth birthday to become a pirate and to uphold his brother's promise.
~Ace's Departure~
The blonde stared at the raven haired boy in front of him as the other put the rest of his supplies in the boat. The wind blew calmly through the area, sweeping past the two boys, the Raven's long hair being blown about by it as he straightened up.
The blonde looked up at the trees hanging above him, watching the leaves rustle in the wind. The sound of footsteps drawing closer brought his gaze back to his brother. His black eyes met the blonde's own and he smile widely at his younger brother.
"What are you so worried about?" The raven asked.
The blonde sighed, "I'm worried about you, you idiot. Knowing you as soon as you step off this island you'll be in big trouble."
"What's that supposed to mean?" The raven asked frowning.
The blonde smirked, "You know what I mean Ace."
The two were quiet, the raven now frowning at the blonde who stopped smirking. They stood there in silence, just listening to the sounds around them and watching each other. The blonde uncomfortably pulled at the collar of his blue dress-shirt as the raven shuffled for a moment, both in deep thought.
"You're really leaving?" Sabo asked.
"Yeah..." Ace said after a moment, he grinned at Sabo, "Looks like I beat you to it, you said you were going to set out first."
Sabo glared, "I did set out first, but my ship kind of exploded."
Ace frowned as Sabo mentioned the incident from seven years ago, and Sabo felt guilty for bringing it up. It was a touchy subject amongst the brothers, especially Ace and Luffy because they had thought Sabo died. Sabo grinned at Ace after a moment, pushing the thoughts out of his mind.
"If you keep spacing out, I'm just going to steal your ship," Sabo teased.
Ace playfully glared, "Nope! I'm the eldest so I get to leave first!"
"You're only older by a few months, what would it hurt if I came with you now?" Sabo questioned.
Ace glanced back at the forest behind the blonde, "Luffy'd be alone."
Sabo raised an eyebrow, "And he won't be alone when I leave in three months?"
Ace scratched the back of his head, "Okay maybe I just don't want my kid brother tagging along."
"What was that," Sabo growled as he moved to hit the older boy.
Ace brought his hands up to block the hits that came from the angry blonde. Soon the two were wrestling like they did as kids, neither giving an inch. The blonde began to smile as he continued to fight with his brother, enjoying their daily ritual. As they stopped to catch their breathes the blonde smiled sadly, realizing he wouldn't be able to fight Ace anymore.
"You need to help him get stronger," Ace spoke up after a few moments.
Sabo jerked at the words, "Luffy?"
"Luffy's strong but he can still improve, you can help him do that..." Ace stated looking at the forest again.
Sabo glanced at Ace, "I suppose..."
Ace went to speak again but a shout from the forest interrupted him. He broke out into a huge grin as he and Sabo both watched the trail intently, waiting for their younger brother to come barreling out. It didn't take long till the youngest shot out of the forest, jumping onto Ace excitedly.
Ace hugged their baby brother tightly, laughing at Luffy's enthusiasm, Sabo only watched grinning widely at the pair. The crunching of footsteps approaching made Sabo turn back to the forest to see Makino, the mayor, and the bandits making their way to the brothers. Sabo nodded to Makino and she smiled, standing next to him, watching the two ravens.
Ace finally pushed Luffy off of him and turned to the others, Sabo smirked at seeing the older boy blush a bit in the presence of Makino. Ace glanced back at the forest, a frown on his face, and Sabo flicked is eyes back as well. He knew Ace was hoping that their foster mother would come see him off, but if the bandits had arrived and she wasn't with them, then Dadan probably wasn't coming.
Ace broke out into another grin as he approached his boat, standing tall. The others followed him to the coast, various looks on their faces. Sabo and Luffy stood at the front of the smiling and cheering group of bandits, some trying to hide their tears at the boys departure. Ace paused and turned back to the group, looking at the bandits more than anyone else.
"Can you pass a message on to Dadan for me?" He asked, his hat hiding his eyes.
A bandit moved forward, "What do you want to tell the boss?"
"Tell her..."Ace paused, scratching the back of his neck, he finally met the bandit's eyes with a huge grin, "Tell her thanks for everything!"
The bandits all promised to do so, some breaking down crying fully now, especially Dogra and Magra. Sabo smiled, standing next to his little brother, as Ace pushed off from the island, steering out into the ocean. As he got further out he turned back to the island waving his arm to them all.
"Good luck out there Ace!" Luffy shouted, the bandits joining in.
"You just wait! I'll make a name for myself in no time!" Ace yelled back.
Sabo moved forward, a took a deep breath, "Ace!"
Sabo could see Ace still on the ship for a moment, and he took a deep breath, just watching his brother begin to get further away. Sabo felt a huge weight on his shoulder but he closed his eyes and stilled his thoughts. Finally he looked straight out at Ace, a smile on his face as he watched his brother.
"Remember our promise!" Sabo shouted as loud as he could.
Ace thrust one hand high in the air, "To be free!"
Sabo threw his arm up in the air at Ace's words, and saw Luffy do the same from the corner of his eyes. The two stood there watching Ace sail away from the island, even as the bandits turned to leave. Sabo briefly recognized the comforting touch of Makino as she placed a hand on the remaining brothers' shoulders before leaving with Woop Slap.
The two stood there till they could no longer see Ace and all that was left to watch was the sea. Neither felt inclined to move from the spot though, just wanting to stare out at the ocean. Sabo took a deep breath, already filling the void that had formed with Ace's departure. It was weird not having Ace around after seven years. The longest Sabo had been away from his brothers was from when his father forced him away until he had been able to return to them months later.
"So...Ace is gone..." Luffy spoke up, and from his voice Sabo could hear the sadness at their brother leaving, though Luffy was still smiling when Sabo looked at him.
Sabo nodded, "Yeah...and in three months I'll be on my way."
"Then after that it'll just be three years till I'm out on the sea!" Luffy added with a laugh.
Sabo glanced at him, "By the time you set out Ace and I will be so well known that the marines will leave a small fry like you alone."
Luffy just smiled, "Maybe! That won't be for long though!"
The two brothers broke down laughing before heading back into the forest to finish their training for the day. They had a lot to cover before Sabo left in three months and he wanted to make sure Luffy was ready for when he left.
~End Ch. 1~
I hope you all liked the chapter, sorry if it's a bit slow! We'll get more to Sabo next chapter, especially more of his back story after what we saw happen in the Manga to him.
As we get further along I will be doing SBS corners similar to Oda-sensei's in the Manga. So feel free to ask any questions you want.
Also check out my other One Piece fanfic: A Promise from Brotherhood, it's the reunion piece of the ASL series, so you can see Sabo's complete crew there if you want to check it out.
Till the next time!