Luffy wanted to laugh, like Makino or Gramps, but he never managed. It had always been like this and Luffy hated to. And like always, when Makino noticed it, that he was failing at something, she came to him, hugged him, stood up with him in her arms and walked back to the counter. She sat him on the chair next to grandpa and gave him a glass of juice.
"There you are, Luffy." He wanted to say 'Thank you' like Makino taught him to say, when one got something, but like always, no sound left his lips.
"What do you say?!" Luffy bit his lip, as Gramps fist connected with his head. He felt the sting of his lip, as his teeth broke the skin, the sting in his eyes, when the tears came and the overwhelming pain of Gramps's fist. The irony taste of his blood made Luffy stop adding pressure to the damaged skin.
"Oh god, Luffy!" He felt Makino's worry, and it just made him feel so much worse. He just wanted to say thanks once. Once! Was that to much asked!?
"Are you okay?" He wanted to shake his head, scream and yell at the world, that everything was wrong. But, Makino didn't deserve that, so he grinned and nodded. Ignoring the blood, that rolled down his chin before dropping down onto his shirt. He heard her sigh and smile lightly, which in return made him a little happy. His grandpa wasn't so easily shaken off and Luffy knew that Gramps was mad. He'd probably throw him into the forest again… So, he wasn't too surprised, when his grandpa grabbed him by the scruff of the shirt and walked out of the bar.
"As of now, you are going to live with friends of mine. And Ace and Sabo as well." Personally, he didn't want to go somewhere else, he wanted to stay with Makino. But, that might be good for Makino… After all, he must have hurt her, with never answering, even though he wanted to badly. So, watching the village become smaller and smaller, he couldn't help but start crying silently, sobs wracked his body, yet no noise was heard.
For Ace it was normal to see nothing other than darkness. At the start he believed that everyone was the same as him, but realized at some time, that he was the only one, who ever ran into something, like a wall. That was probably when he was around two or so. He once asked why and the only answer he got from the loud voice, that his grandpa knew more than them, which confused him. Weren't they who raised him? So, shouldn't they know more, than his grandpa, who was never really there. He was happy that Dadan, the loud voice, let him do whatever he wanted around the hut. He wasn't aloud to go outside, unless the was tied to Poochi, the dog, so the most of his time he stayed in the house or just outside of the hut, where he could feel the sun. He liked the sun, it made him feel warm, yet at the same time like something very big was missing. It became better after finally meeting Sabo, but some odd loneliness still gnawed at him and he knew Sabo felt the same.
After living though sever pain, being yelled at and in the end losing the ability to hear, he was finally brought to a doctor, who managed to heal him again. Mastoiditis, whatever that was, he had it and a sever case of it, that now stole his hearing. He lost his balance all the time, when he was running from tugs, yet he still liked that trash heap here way better than the stuffy nobles in High town. It was the same week he was abandoned, when he met that tall intimidating marine, that talked to him, probably asked about his, probably infected operations wounds. It took a while trying to explain and he wasn't really sure what he said, but being grabbed and brought to a hut of bandits wasn't really something he had in his mind. But he liked it there. While they weren't nice or anything, well the two males tried to be nice, probably out of fear of that marine, they didn't shun or attack him. Then he met Ace. A boy, who simply walked past him, no reaction to his presence at all, but nearly had a panic attack, when he accidently bumped into Sabo. After that Sabo figured out rather fast, that Ace was blind and he was kind of happy to know that there was someone his age, that managed normal life with his disability.
When Luffy saw the other two boys, he though be might not be all alone with bandits. His grandfather had literally dropped him off by the bandits, saying he was an arrogant brat that needed training. He wasn't arrogant, he just couldn't say anything, no matter how much he tried. Luffy didn't grasp what arrogant actually meant. Makino said some of the boys, that always bullied him in town, were arrogant, demanding and things like that. He just couldn't put that and him together. So, he believed that he wasn't arrogant. Luffy sat outside under a tree. That bandit Dagan or something like that didn't allow him to sleep inside, yelling something that he absolutely didn't get. It went in one way out the other. And he didn't like it, he just wanted to go back down, but he knew if gramps found out… Luffy shuddered. While he was alone now, he at least was alone with other people. He shivered at the thought of having to be alone without anyone.
Neither Sabo nor Ace really knew what to do with the boy. While Ace couldn't see him, nor actually 'hear' him. Sure, Ace heard his steps, but that was because that boy put so much effort in being loud and unknown to everyone he could feel the boy. It frightened Ace a little, that someone that felt so loud, was so quiet in reality. It just didn't make sense to him. Gramps was loud, both in feeling and reality. Sabo was quiet and calm. This boy was the embodiment of contrast. Quiet in reality, forcing himself to be loud, while his inside was louder that the loudest storm Ace was ever heard. Sabo on the other hand was wondering how old the child actually was. He looked so small, so frail. He had translated how Garp-san had told Dadan, that his grandson was apparently arrogant and needed some lessons in behaviour, learning how to read lips had been really smart. But Sabo looked at the boy and immediately knew that Luffy? wasn't arrogant. Something about the boy was wrong, he just didn't know what. Ace agreed after explaining to him in an odd way, that Luffy was actually loud but was somehow forced to be quiet. Maybe that was made him feel odd. Wrong in the right way.
Somehow, they became close, even if it was really hard to communicate with each other. Sabo sat next to Ace, who stared at Luffy, but only because Sabo had moved his head in the right direction, while he watched Luffy flailing his arms around in a way to gesticulate. Luffy and Sabo managed to communicate halfway well, Sabo could see and speak, Luffy could see and hear, but with Ace it wasn't so easy. Ace couldn't see what Luffy was showing, but Ace could talk to Luffy, which alone made the 5 – Sabo had been shocked – year-old-boy happy. He and Ace had similar problems. Ace could hear what he said, but he couldn't hear Ace. Through some strange kind of luck - Sabo actually doubted it was luck - they found a book with sign language. Not that it would use Ace something, but if Luffy could translate what Ace said to him, he could answer for them both. Though explaining to Luffy why they needed it was hard. Luffy at first didn't understand, but then after a while had and both Sabo and Luffy spent a lot of time to learn it. But Sabo had seen the new light in Aces eyes, when Sabo once answered a question Ace had asked. They finally had found their way of talking.
To Ace it was heaven to finally be able to communicate with his two friends. Luffy was still loud in his personal way and over time Ace just knew where Luffy was, even if the boy was sleeping. Sabo had noticed first, but shrugged it off, similar to Ace himself. Luffy soon became theirs to 'protect', how much trouble that kid managed to attract was beyond Ace. Though it was hard protecting Luffy from people. Luffy could see and hear, which was a real problem. Ace couldn't see, but he heard them, Sabo saw them, but couldn't hear them and that made it so hard. Luffy only had violence to defend himself. And neither of them liked it.
"Luffy?" he asked into the room. He felt a hand at his and gripped it. It was strange without Sabo, but Dadan had to bring Sabo to a doctor every so often, leaving them alone ( with the bandits, but bandits didn't count as company.)
"How about we ask Dadan, when she gets back to give us a map?" Ace knew it was strange, but he felt Luffy confusion.
"So, we can go and visit Fuusha." Suddenly Ace senses were assaulted with happiness that had him a grinning mess. Luffy's emotions spoke for him, even if Sabo couldn't feel them, he did and that is how they communicated with each other.
Despite that Luffy didn't have Makino anymore, he was happy. Ace and Sabo were like him. Ace couldn't see, and Sabo couldn't hear but they understood him, laughed with him, were there if he cried. They were his most important people. Even the old hag was funny, she'd scream, yell and point to a part of the woods and yell at them to answer. Luffy always had to laugh. He couldn't answer, Ace didn't see where he had to go, and Sabo had no clue what Dadan had just yelled. Though secretly all three were glad they were treated as if they were normal. Luffy was sitting outside with Ace and Sabo, listening to Sabo who read a story. Luffy loved his two friends. That's when he noticed a familiar woman. He grinned ran to her, hugged her, listening to her telling him that she had missed him and that he had grown so much in the last nearly two years. That had surprised him, and he knew Ace as well, but both other boys were surprised by the three newcomers. A man looking like a doctor and a man with red hair and three scares over his eye. Luffy grumbled when they had a doctor fully check him.
"I'm not surprised that he can't speak." Luffy listened, like the others did too, but he didn't need a doctor telling him what he already knew.
"The young boy can't speak, because he has no vocal cords." Luffy frowned. While the other looked rather shocked. What were vocal cords? He was suddenly hugged by Makino who cried, which he didn't understand, while the man with the red hair had gently petted his shoulder twice before he tried to calm down Makino. To be honest Luffy didn't understand why it was so bad. He could gesture with Sabo and Ace understood his emotions.
After getting a shocking diagnose of Luffy's disability, Makino had taken the three boys down with her to the village, where she realized that Ace was blind and Sabo deaf. Ace had been walking between Luffy and Sabo, nearly clinging to them, while up the forest he had moved around quite freely. That was how she realized the grey-eyed boys' disability, Sabo's she had realized much later, but had seen the scars behind his ears. Now she was standing behind her bar, giving Shank's crew more to drink. She had been watching the boys over the course of the evening. Ace and Luffy were at Shanks lips for stories, while Sabo had been allowed to read the log book. Something important to pirate's apparently. What did she know? But seeing the light in the three kids eyes she found herself with a certain fear. What if the boys got the idea in their heads to become pirates? It only turned worse when Luffy had eaten that strange purple fruit and now was apparently rubber, while also somehow having managed to impress Shanks enough to gain his straw-hat.
Starring at Ace, Sabo was close to losing it. First Luffy, now his other brother.
"This tastes shitty."
"That was a devil fruit, you moron!"
"Huh?" Next to Sabo, Luffy was laughing his silent laugh. Then Ace suddenly started to burn, flames licking up on his shoulders, but out of Ace's non-existent eyesight. Taking a deep breath to not lose it, Sabo had to force himself to not do something, while his little brother just laughed harder. And poor Ace, who completely couldn't understand what was happening. Sabo grabbed a stone, which as conveniently laying at his feet and shot it at Ace's hand, wanting to test his theory. When it shot straight through it, leaving a hole that was closed by the same fire that licked at Ace's shoulders. Ace was a logia, which clamed Sabo tremendously. It just made Ace that much harder to hurt, similar to their little brother who was completely immune to blunt attacks.
"What…" Luffy had stop laughing and jumped to hug Ace within a second of hearing Ace's slightly quivering voice, which hightly worried Sabo.
"What was that? … It… It was so … bright." Sabo froze. That wasn't possible, shouldn't be possible. Had Ace just seen his own fire? Shaking away the feeling, Sabo starred at the tangled heap that were his two brothers and suddenly had to laugh. They'd be fine, they always were, as long as they had each other.
Ever since Luffy meet Shanks he wanted to go to the sea, be free. Ace and Sabo quickly agreed and for their dream they trained every day. Ace mostly trained his fire, scared that he might actually burn his brothers or the villagers. (The bandits were way tougher and would heal just fine.) Luffy also trained his devil fruit not wanting himself with his hand anymore, which left Sabo training mostly with his pipe and Luffy as a sparring partner and sometimes Ace but fighting with an intangible Logia wasn't fun. But they were happy, and they had become very good in hiding their disabilities. Sabo and Luffy had the least problems, though Ace had it hard until they realized Ace couldn't just see his fire, he was fire and because of that he could see every source of fire like a normal person and Ace's grey eyes hid the rather empty look of blindness along with the fact that the fire had giving him that much life back. Hunting gave the brothers that bit of freedom they desperately needed, not matter how many people tried to stop them, last time someone had tried to stop their dream of sailing the oceans, the three had spent around a month in the jungle of mount Colubo, which had scared the shit out of everyone but Dadan. Dadan, who was the only one who never tried to stop them, she only gave them rather rude hints and all three were so glad that she didn't fight their dream.
Unlike many, including the old mayor of Fuusha, her bandits, the villagers of Fuusha and Makino, Dadan didn't discourage her boys. She always knew they'd one day leave this tiny island. The sea was calling for them and right now she was rather glad the boys didn't find Grey Terminal that interesting. Ace was the son of the late Pirate Kind, Luffy the son of the leader of the revolutionary army and Sabo was the kid that barely escaped his golden cage, so logically they'd yarn for freedom. It was in their blood and heart. That red-haired, drunk pirate only made them realize it earlier. Dadan groaned when she saw the large number of scrapes on Luffy and Sabo, who also had quiet a lot of bruises, Ace thanks to his fruit unharmed. Those stupid idiots were going through too many roles of bandages a week! Starring at her boys sleeping in a warm looking pile, Luffy between his two brothers, she looked down at the three books in her hand and sighed. At least Dragon still cared, where his father didn't. Garp hadn't been here since he dropped Luffy off 2 and a half years ago or was it already 3? Shrugging, Dadan dropped the three books on the ground, making sure that she didn't upset Luffy or Ace's sharp hearing. Dragon had given them that book on sign language, which she was grateful for, because despite Luffy's shitty use of it, it made talking to the boys so much easier. With one last look to the three books, she left the room, the names still burned in her mind. 'Book on basic navigation', 'Haki for starters' and 'grandline weather', what an insane man.
7 years had passed since Shanks had been on in island and Makino still wondered if it had been a good thing to interduce him to the boys. The three were laughing, while Ace had Luffy in his grip, tickling him. The two 17 years olds had changed a lot from their child days. Sabo had let his hair grow a little, now similar length as Aces. Starring at the blond boy's scarred eye, Makino felt guilt stir in her. She hadn't saved him. Sabo had somehow ended up in the burning of Grey Terminal and was rescued by a man with a strange tattoo on his face. Luffy and Ace had reacted with severe aggression, attacking the man for hurting their brother. Ace nearly set the village on fire, while Luffy as least destroyed 3 houses. Since then she knew not to provocative the boys. Makino knew they wouldn't hurt or anything, but their strength did frighten her. And ever since that day the boys had called each other brothers, maybe even before, but since then openly and the longer Makino looked the more similarities she noticed. While Ace and Luffy had obviously the same hair colour, they also acted very similar, not even batting an eye and just picked their noses with their finger, at the same time. Sabo and Luffy had similar eyes, Sabo's smaller but still. Many soon then just assumed Sabo came more after their mother while the two others from their father.
The next morning was a rude awakening to reality for Makino. The boys who she knew had been sleeping when she had gone to bed, were gone only leaving a letter. Their goodbyes. And she couldn't help but worry about them.
Dadan woke up with a headache and knew it was her boys. A few of her bandits were running around like headless chicken, waving around the newspaper. Growling loudly, she grabbed it and looked through it. Then she starred at three familiar faces. Luffy's happy smile which lacked any potential to scare people, Ace's smirk along with the shading of parts of his face, due to his flames was so much more scaring than Luffy's, though still not what Dadan would call frightening, Sabo was the only one who wore a rather dark look, but despite that neither of them had a terrible bounty. Well shit they had trumped her already. 25,000,000 Belli, 'Hiken no Ace', 20,000,000 Belli, 'Strawhat Luffy' , along with 22,500,000 Belli 'Sabo'. Either the marine's lacked anymore 'creative' names or they didn't deem Sabo that threatening. The bandit leader wondered if they had left the Monkey D out of Luffy's name on purpose or if they hadn't realized who one of those pirates was.
After seeing the first bounty of the boys, a part of Makino was proud of the boys. Though worry nearly overshadowed it, but they weren't doing so bad after all. Though that was quite a while ago. The last she heard of them was, when they had burned a Marine base to the ground for whatever reason. Their bounty had risen even higher, getting all three way over the 100 million mark. Reading though the newspaper, Makino saw three familiar faces and smiled when she pulled out the bounties at the end and nearly dropped them. Their pictures still hadn't changed, but that didn't really surprise her. Garp had once said they change over longer intervals, such as every few years. Or if the person looked different enough to pass them off as poor a soul that sadly looked like a criminal. That's when she noticed one particular detail that now filled out the three papers which had lacked before. Last names. Makino laughed when she realized that now even the world fell for the fact that the brothers looked enough alike to be passed of as blood siblings. 'Hiken no Ace | Monkey D. Ace' 265,000,000 Belli, 'Strawhat Luffy | Monkey D. Luffy 300,000,000 Belli, 'Haki Dragon Sabo | Monkey D. Sabo.' Poor Ace, having a lower bounty than both his younger siblings. She could really see them teasing him, especially Sabo.
Had he not heard the story of one of his sons, he wouldn't believe what the newspaper said at all. Two 18-year-olds and their 15-year-old brother sailing these waters alone. Though that wasn't what surprised him so much it was rather the fact that they had not only obliterated Enies Lobby for no good reason but escaped a buster call as well and still pulled the same kind of shit only a few months later. They completely flattened the Auction house on Groove one on Sabaody, killed a family of Tenryuubito, risked a fight with an admiral and actually escaped the mess again. For a crew of three people, they were either incredibly stupid, had too much courage or were plain and simple insane. Whitebeard knew the standpoint of his son's very well. Marco was firm that the three were completely stupid and left the discussion, Thatch complemented on their courage, if it indeed was that. Izo's opinion was simple. Insane. While Whitebeard was rather sure it was a mix of all of the three mentioned attributes, although even he leaned more towards insanity doing a large part of it. Roger had always pulled shit like this. Looking at the three pictures, he couldn't help but grin. He wanted those three brats. A loud groan from Marco, who had seen him grin and the entire crew that was on deck erupted into laughter. He wanted Garp's three brats, even if that old man went after him.
A part of Sabo was actually surprised that they actually hadn't been targeted by 'larger' forces. They were only three people on a rather tiny vessel in the New World. Maybe that was their advantage. Because they were so small that they got overlooked rather easily. Ace was sitting in the crow's-nest as their lookout. One of the most hilarious things Sabo ever had agreed to. Ace as their lookout. Luffy had been a laughing mess, much like himself and Ace. But Ace was by far the best with general Observation Haki and could easily sense a few kilometres. On very good days he could even sense quite a few kilometres. Once he had sensed an entire island. Sabo wasn't too surprised, Ace had shown the use of Haki when he was about 9. Sabo and Luffy had achieved it about 3-4 year before leaving Dawn. He himself was the best with Armament Haki, also unsurprisingly due to having a logia brother and a rubber little brother, both immune to blunt force. Sabo felt good knowing even the marines fared his use of Haki enough to give him an epithet with it. Though Luffy had surprisingly unsurprising Conquers Haki and damn that kid knew who to weald it. Luffy was so much better than Ace at it. Where Ace could take out at max 1000 people and be slightly winded, Luffy knocked out 10000 and didn't look beat. Not that Sabo'd ever tell Ace that. Some things better remain unsaid. He really didn't want to repeat Ace's sulking after that he and Luffy had a higher bounty than him. Sabo couldn't even tease Ace, without the older refusing to talk for an entire day.
He had jinxed it. Starring at the huge man, Sabo wasn't too sure what to do. Luffy's rubbery skin did calm his nerves, but not by much. How he hated being the sanest one in their little family. Ace at least had some kind of common sense, Luffy absolutely lacked it…
'He's got a banana moustache.' Luffy signed in his terrible sign language and Sabo wanted to smash his head into a brick wall. … and a sense of survival.
"What did that idiot say now?" He saw Ace's lips move and just tapped a later on Ace's shoulder.
"That's not our problem right now, Ace! We're standing before Whitebeard right now, flamebrain!"
"'Who's that?'" Sabo left Luffy sign it on his skin, the same time Ace questioned that out loud and groaned. Sabo's keep eyes picked up on the laughter of the man's crew. He noticed a blue light coming from the gigantic ship of the Whitebeard Pirates, before realizing who it was. Marco the phoenix. His Haki and by now nearly subconscious use of it, were the only things that saved him from Ace's flames. He had no clue what was happening, but he heard his older brother scream, his fire raging like an inferno, a second before Sabo felt Luffy Haki smash around them. Shit, Ace lost it, why he had no clue, but it happened. He felt another presence smash into Luffy's and he lost the struggle of trying to fight them both. As darkness crawled close, he saw Ace's fire growing smaller, but he couldn't find his younger brother.
Blinking Thatch starred at the three kids. They looked younger than they were, especially the little one. Looking around he wasn't to sure if he wanted to get off the Moby. The land, that had until a few minutes been a nice and fresh green, was burned down, ground still smoking at parts and the heat was still there. Looking to Marco, who looked equally confused as he did. Neither nor the crew had a clue what on earth had set of the taller one of the two raved haired boys. The little one probably lost it when his big brother lost it. Staring into large black eyes, who stared back at him, Thatch really wondered what was wrong with this kid. Conquerors Haki, that strong that it easily knocked out half of their ship, despite being maybe a quarter of Pop's size. Probably not even that. He had always been terrible at guessing hights.
"You okay brat?" The boy looked to their captain and tilted his head like a confused puppy. Oh god, if the nurses saw this… Thatch suppressed a shudder, before turning back into the rather one-sided conversation. Suddenly the boy grinned a sun-like smile and nodded.
"Your boat sunk, want to stay on ours for a while?" … well actually if the Marines hadn't been faster than them, they would have sunk it, but no one needed to know that, especially not them. The boy – Luffy – shrugged, starring at them, at least all that he could see, for a while, before grabbing both his older brothers and dragging them behind him. The sight was hilarious. Thought both of them will have rather a rather cruel headache.
Luffy found the people on this ship funny, especially the pineapple head and the bread-loaf hair, but he was concerned about his big brothers, both have been unconscious for about 2 days now. Ace, Luffy wasn't surprised about. The banana moustache was strong and to stop Ace's panic attack he knocked him out, but Sabo just dropped. Pineapple head had said that it could have been because both his own and banana moustache Haki and he was fine and just needed rest. Now he was sitting between banana moustache and the nice dressed lady-man and playing a fun game called UNO. He only had to put same coloured cards on a pile or one with the same number, easy. It also was funny to see how banana moustache struggled with the cards.
Marco was working on his paperwork, ignoring the half-asleep Thatch in his bed. That least he as quiet for once. A firm knock, startled Thatch from his dozing and Izo walked in.
"And?" He had noticed something and wanted confirmation.
"Like we thought. Luffy's disabled. Can't speak and never will. Kid's got no vocal cords." Well that was bad enough. The kid was a ball of energy and sunshine.
"But that's not all." Marco wanted to Goran, this nearly couldn't be worse or?
"The brat got another illness or something?" His brother shook his head and Marco noticed Thatch relax slightly. His other brother was already attached to the kid.
"The blonds likely deaf and the last is probably blind." Marco starred at Izo, not believing a word. Risking a quick look to the calendar. While he didn't trust Thatch at all, but that Izo would participate in something as stupid as that…
"This strangely reminds me of the three wise monkeys." Both him and Izo looked to their brother, who starred back for a few seconds, before getting the hint.
"You know, hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil." That actually sounded reasonable. Surprisingly. He actually voiced that, getting an angry "Hey!" back. Well that was going to be interesting.
Ace groaned, sitting up. His head throbbed in an uncomfortable way that reminded him of child days, when Gramps beat them black and blue. He slipped off the bed, knowing this wasn't their ship. He felt so many people. Then something baled into him, sending over the bed and back to the ground. He groaned but knew who that was. Happy emotions flooded his senses and he relaxed. If Luffy was this happy, where ever they were can't be too bad.
"Good morning Ace, nice to see you again." That was his other brother. Sabo's sarcastic greeting was pushed aside when said brother yelped as Luffy grabbed him and pulled him over the bed onto them. Ace laughed. Luffy was so ridicules, but again without it, he wouldn't be Luffy.
"I really don't want to break up this family reunion, but it's lunch time."
Sabo laughed, he finally felt fully at peace. They fit into the crew of the old man like puzzle pieces. While Luffy's disability was openly known (kind of given that the boy didn't talk), but his and Ace's were not known. Only the Commanders and Shirohige himself knew. He now also knew what had freaked out Ace back then. Marco's flames. Apparently, Ace could also see them and freaked out and had a panic attack (and burned down an entire beach of an island. That alone had caused their bounty to rise with about 10 million Belli. Each.) By know both Ace and Marco sent a lot of time together. Not that he minded, not at all. He had found himself a brilliant chatting companion in Namur. Though it did surprise Sabo that Luffy had bonded so close with two people like they had with one. Thatch, Sabo understood perfectly, they were similar, and Thatch was a cook. But Izo was a surprise to both Ace and him. Every time Thatch had something to do, he more of less waltzed Luffy onto the crossdresser, who then had to find ways to entertain the kid. The one way, he and Ace loved the most, was when Izo allowed Luffy to raid the sweets stock and hand Luffy back to Thatch, who then had to deal with a hyperactive 16-year-old on a sugar high. Highly entertaining.
Whitebeard laughed. He had been right when wanting those three brats, they fit into his family like fate had designed them to. His eyes fell onto Ace, who was chatting with Marco, who had a few of his flames licking different parts of his body. Purely for that Ace could see where he exactly was. Speaking of seeing. His third youngest son proofed to a better lookout out of the crow's nest than his sons in the crow nest. Much to an amusement of the crew. His old eyes fell onto Sabo, who was sitting on the railing listening, or better stated reading Namur's lips, then switching to Rakuyo before adding his two cents into the conversation. Sabo was highly knowable in navigation, giving most of his sons in said division a run for their money. Only excluding Namur, who simply had more experience to the younger pirate. A red blur passed a few meters in front of his face and slammed into Izo, who by now expertly and gracefully managed to catch himself. His youngest had brought out a side of Izo, even he himself had never seen. Luffy hugged the taller man, laughing in silence, despite the fact that if one felt closely, they could feel the laughter, the warmth and happiness in it. Izo sighed, when he boy wrapped his feet around Izo's waste and arms around the man's neck. Whitebeard laughed again, seeing Izo's futile tries to get out the rubber boy's grip. Staring down onto the letter in his hand and snorted in amusement. 'To the three wise monkeys on Shirohige's ship'. Turning it around he saw the sender of said letter. 'from a mountain bandit.'
"Luffy, Ace, Sabo." All three looked to him, as he handed Sabo the paper, who was closest to him.
"You know a mountain bandit?" was Thatch's only question, who was looked over Ace's shoulder.
"It's from Dadan! The manliest of hags." The entire crew broke out in loud laughter along with the boys. This was their family, their freedom. One day when Luffy was strong enough he'd fight Shanks and defeat him and give him back his hat. One day Sabo will finish his book of his freedom. One day Ace will be strong enough to protect his family from all and every harm. Ever since the letter they were nicknamed 'Shirohige's three wise monkeys.'
Finally finished this story. Worked on it way too long. Mostly editing… Reviews of all kind are wanted, as long as they stay nice and polite. Thank you for reading.