Luffy was his. He just didn't realize it yet, and that was alright, because he was still the same sweet bumbling little brother Sabo remembered. Albit with a lot more power, but basically the same Luffy. The Luffy who'd gone rushing to his other brother's rescue only to almost end up dieing. True, Sabo might have… suggested to Blackbeard that Ace would make a better target. He might have hinted at his lineage to the right people… but Luffy was never supposed to see that. He was supposed to have been far way. Safe. Trust Luffy to muck up the best laid plans… And trust Ace to put his fucking pride before his brother's safety! Any residual guilt he'd felt over orchestrating Ace's death had long since faded over those two years of silence from the youngest member of the trio. He had loved Ace, but the man on his own was too dangerous to Luffy. Not to mention there was no way Sabo had ever been able to compete with him. Not in Luffy's eyes.
Sabo had expected Luffy to be angry when they'd met for the first time in over ten years. For him to know, somehow, that he was behind what had happened to Ace. Instead, Luffy had embraced him, thrilled to see him, babbling how he thought he had been dead- and Sabo started to cry as well. He'd forgotten that they'd thought that. Foolishly he'd hoped Ace would have told Luffy he was alive after he'd hunted down the other, but apparently the idiot had forgotten. He saw for himself the scar marring the perfect skin, a constant reminder and once again affirmed his resolve to be the one to win the Mera Mera no mi. No one was ever going to use it to hurt his brother again, either directly or indirectly… And if it make Luffy draw unconscious parallels between him and Ace, all the better. He had always been the supportive brother, after all.
"So you would be Trafalgar Law." Sabo smirked, looking at the bruised and bloodied man who glowered in response. "I can't say I'm impressed."
"Sabo," Luffy pouted, dragging on the surgeon of death's arm, " Law's cool, isn't he?"
He saw red. "Luffy, how do you know Law?"
"Mugiwara-ya is my ally."
"He's my friend!" That was not something Sabo wanted to hear. Alliances were fine. Sabo was no fool, he knew his brother would need allies to become King; that was something that he had made peace with. Allies would have their own motivation and naturally be less important to Luffy then his own crew. A crew that was no threat to Sabo. Luffy might need them, but it wasn't the way he needed Sabo. Friends, however. .. friends were a potentially dangerous threat. Before they had been brothers, the three of them had been friends. "Right, Law?" It was not comforting that Law frowned and leaned away from his little brother - it reminded him too much of Ace when they had been children.
His smile was rigid as he looked at the two of them. "Right. I need to borrow Taffy for a second."
"It's Trafalgar. " Like he cared. Still, the man rose and followed him while Koala thankfully distracted Luffy. After they'd put sufficient distance between them the young Shichibukai glowered at him. "What?"
"Stay away from Luffy."
"I don't see how it is any of your business."
"Luffy is mine."
"Mugiwara-ya belongs to no one." Gray eyes bore into him and he felt his flames rush to life.
He didn't bother to suppress them, "He is mine! He will always be mine! No matter what he does, where he goes, he will always be my Luffy! Ace couldn't change that, so don't think for a moment you can." He grinned, "So stay out of my way, Taffy."
"Are you threatening me?"
Sabo could have laughed at that. He didn't need to lower himself to threats. Threats were for Pirates and Marines, not Revolutionaries. "You're not worth the time, Taffy. It would be much easier to just crush you, your crew… the only reason I'd consider putting up with you is because Luffy seems to like you."
"Room!" He'd almost missed the slight twitching of Law's fingers, signaling the activation of his powers. It was a foolish move, but one he'd expected the man to make. The Pirate was vain, and Sabo was sure his pride was still smarting after being rescued by Luffy. So he allowed the attempted attack, easily dodging the drawn nodachi. Trafalgar was good, but he was by no means one of the best. Swiftly he brought his own weapon of choice around, swinging his pipe with precision and aiming for the weak points. The look on the other's face when he realized the pipe was tipped with sea-stone was priceless as he was bodily slammed into a wall, jacket sliding down off his arms slightly. "Bastard!"
"Got that right, Taffy." Casually he snapped his fingers, lighting his whole hand on fire as he grinned sadistically at his pinned opponent. Law's eyes grew wide as he struggled. "I'm gonna let you off the hook with a warning this time… but cross me again, and you're dead. Got that, Lawzy?" Carefully he placed his burning hand against the other's upper arm. He had to give the guy credit, he didn't scream. Pulling his hand away he admired the burn with a sick grin, "Stay away from Luffy, unless you want to get burned, Taffy… you and your crew."