Authors Note: Thank you everyone who reviewed the first chapter! The response blew me away and I'm super excited you guys enjoyed it :D
I've also decided that updates will be the last Saturday/Sunday of the month. This is primarily to give me time to stay ahead. If the posting schedule changes at all, it'll be noted on my profile page for ease of reference.
Right, enough of my rambles. Please enjoy!
XXX
Chapter 2: Introducing Ace
XXX
Sabo chuckled quietly and shook his head, almost fondly, before turning the page of the newspaper in front of him.
"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 attempting to suss out where he wanted them put herself, knowing from experience that Sabo had some sort of system to the mounds of paper currently occupying his room. She'd 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 that 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.
"So, 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?!" she shrieked right into his ear, causing him to flinch. "Sorry," she said absently. She snatched up the paper 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, which were beginning to itch and ache from all the reading he'd done in such a short period of time. "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 that 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 know even without any specific memory. I know that 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. "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. "Did you want a hand?"
Sabo shook his head and rubbed at his left eye again. "No. He's a rookie, there's not that much out there on him right now. And I kind of get the impression that 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 that 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 that by Koala drawing his attention to it, he suddenly couldn't ignore how itchy and 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 light. 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'd let his hair grow out.
"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, and started stacking the newspapers scattered across into a slightly more orderly pile.
"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 said with a heavy sigh. "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," the brunette argued weakly.
"What's getting worse?"
The pair both started and whipped towards the door, where they found Dragon, cloak discarded and smirking at the Chief of Staff and his partner's surprised faces.
"What were 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, we're still trying to work out the revised plans with the information that Sabo brought back, but there shouldn't be any problems. Although, as we all guessed, Bunny Joe is not 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 both of you recall Drum Island?" Dragon queried.
Sabo and Koala nodded in unison. "Yeah. It's the winter island not too far into the Grand Line. It was ruled by the king, Wapol, up until about a year ago," said the blond.
"Correct. And our scouts have just reported that Wapol has recently been sighted in the seas surrounding Drum Island," 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 that had 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, and both 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 under 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 searching though. I hear she keeps to herself mostly," Dragon grinned at him.
Sabo smirked. Very few of the associates Dragon had 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 towards the blond who caught it easily.
"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 his Dragon's wake as they strode down the hall. He was surprised when the taller man waved Koala along down the corridor and 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, and 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 Dragon's concern was as much personal as it was professional. It wasn't common knowledge that Dragon had rescued Sabo, and it may have seemed like preferential treatment to anyone who wasn't aware, but Dragon had taken an early interest in Sabo's 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 strength definitely lay in the pipe resting on his back.
"That wasn't permission to not 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 that 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 for days a time," he told her.
"No different to normal then," she sighed wearily. "I will be checking to make sure you made it 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."
"I know, 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 enough if you had a normal appetite!" 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 practically empty. The few that 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 ever 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 mark did cover the majority of his back, so he was used to people gawking at him. But right then, 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 that 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 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 that 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 that Blackbeard was stealing whatever was available at the time.
Drum Island 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 had really 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 that 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 that he had been able to commission his Striker at Water 7 with the savings, which led to him begrudgingly agreeing that Marco had had the right idea.
"Ni-chan! Stop, be quiet! He's a Whitebeard Pirate! It's 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 that 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 mind you, 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.
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 and a small cloud of dust erupting 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 a black top hat that 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, yanking the other man along behind him. He felt bad enough for possibly ruining what looked to be a somewhat expensive outfit (even with only a quick glance, Ace could see it was covered in 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 and, 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, that 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, and while he felt like finding Blackbeard and making him pay for what he had done to Thatch was his duty, Ace couldn't deny that 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, though, because he led Ace with confidence through 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 too tight a 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 past, igniting the contents easily. A swift kick had the bin rattling down the alley behind them. 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, and the locals had 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 that 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 in fact. 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 give 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 develop, in fact, from pure innocence into the powerfully deceptive weapon it had become. 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 that the man would raise his head. He needed to see. One thing would confirm the growing disbelief that the man in front of him was -
A pair of brilliant 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 from so long ago 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?"
XXX
Next Chapter: Embers of History
Yep, I'm cruel and ending it here. You should expect cliffhangers from me by now!
I forgot to mention last post, the chapter titles aren't mine either. I've 'borrowed' them from the English translation of the manga, so if you want hints as to what's coming next, they'd be your clue :D
Please remember to review! They feed the muse after all, and you're all more than welcome to come poke me over on tumblr whenever you fancy!