A/N: UhH, I lied. I don't think I can finish this in just two chapters. There's officially something wrong with me.
(edit notice is at the end of the chap)
Disclaimer: One Piece©Eiichiro Oda
Brother O' Mine (2)
Feltor was the name of the island. They have lived in peace under Whitebeard's flag for many years, and Sabo would've thought it to be a friendly place if he hadn't gotten Belo Betty's report of it secretly harboring slaves for the island's nobles.
The first time Sabo heard of that he immediately grabbed his pipe without a second thought and declared he was going to "murder some entitled sons of bitches", only to have Koala pin him down and telling him not to go "absolutely apeshit" over something that was supposed to be covert information. He saw some sense in that. The damned island was under Whitebeard's protection for god's sake.
Problem: Whitebeard probably didn't know all of this was happening under his huge, white mustache. Attacking Feltor island recklessly would result in pirates getting involved and Dragon said that that was a bad thing. They don't want to make enemies out of Whitebeard and his family after all.
Solution: Talk things over. The Whitebeards were the right sort; They'd understand. It was an easy plan by far.
Problem 2 (Personal): That thing was on the Moby Dick. This was the most problematic by far, and it didn't even have anything to do with the mission. Sabo hated everything about it, the fact that he had to walk into a fray of good people, only to find the one that had been plaguing his mind ever since that blasted wanted poster came out-
He took a swig of his beer, chugged it down, clattered it on the countertop and wiped his mouth. He gave the barmaid a winning smile. "Thanks for the food!"
She flustered, red to her ears. "Ah, no, thanks for coming by- Oh!" She clumsily caught the coins tossed to her by the man. She looked up, a bit miffed, but Sabo was already outside.
For all it was worth, the sky in Feltor island was as clear as the rest of it. Sabo knew of slave ridden islands with smoke filled skies, somewhat already implying that yes, sir, we do work people to death here. Feltor was good in hiding it's evil and frankly, Sabo hated it more than the ones blatantly showing their exploits.
A general sweep of the town didn't really raise any red flags. If Sabo looked closely though, he could clearly see nobles with their pompous faces looking down on commoners who looked like they wanted to be in anywhere else other than in Feltor. The blonde bit the insides of his cheek, fingers tapping incessantly on his pipe.
Parasites. Vermin to be eradicated. Barbarians posing as decent men.
A bell tolled and Sabo's attention was snatched into reality. The afternoon bell signified the people's monetary offering to their god on a hill somewhere to the south of the island- but Sabo knew better. It was obvious. Blatant. Clear.
When nobles are faced with the threat of insubordination, they pose as a more greater figure than decent men. They mimic god, to have a taste of luxury similar to those in Mariejois- They were careful though like ants cornered into the gaps of cracked walls. They could not afford to be seen by the pirates who were protecting them. They could not afford the pirates to know what they have hidden behind their so called veil of decency.
Sabo smirked. He stared at the hill with eyes full of purpose, and without further ado, jumped on the nearest roof.
Problem 3 (totally unofficial but something he thought would benefit the mission greatly): Evidence. Those Whitebeards may not be trustful to revolutionaries, but given the right evidence, Sabo would get them to turn their heads in no time.
He prayed to all of his previous success streaks and wished himself luck.
"-He's a revolutionary, sir! He said- He said it himself!"
Koala groaned, looking up at the ceiling in tired exasperation. The wiretapped conversation went on ("Why the hell's a revolutionary on the island, yoi?"- "I- We don't know but please help us! He's destroying the island as we sp-"- Crash- "Aah!") but the woman held her breath instead of listening in.
1.
2.
3.
"Fucking shit!"
Hack swiveled in his chair, and "What, what happened?"
Koala slammed the receiver hard on the snail's back, ending the shouting match between Marco the fucking Phoenix and some poor sap from Feltor island. "Sabo happened. Son of a bitch- He went to Feltor instead of just going straight to Whitebeard's ship." Her hands were fast- She dug through her bag and found the transponder snail that was connected to Sabo's and rung it instantly.
When the receiver picked up, the sound of crumbling buildings greeted her. There was a shift then, like static, and then a familiar voice.
"Yello!"
Koala was seconds away from strangling him.
"What did you do?! Why are you on Feltor right now? I thought we agreed on Whitebeard's ship!"
"Change of plans! Trust me; I know what I'm doing!"
Another scream.
"Mr. Perfect, my ass." She hissed. Like clockwork, she placed the transponder snail on her shoulder and shifted through the papers on her desk. Eyes scanned the coordinates, and she came to a quick decision. "Haul yourself out from there. We'll send a ship-"
"-No, no, it's fine." His voice was more steady now, and the sound of carnage was far. She could hear him smile from the other side. "I'm gonna go to the Moby Dick after this. My boat's still good."
Koala marvelled at the fact that Sabo thinks he would be welcomed on Whitebeard's ship after all that he did. At another time, she would've responded to his daftness with sarcasm but time is of the essence. She slammed her hand on the desk.
"Whitebeard's First Division Commander was informed of your stunt, Sabo! Told him that a revolutionary wrecked the island. They could be on their way to Feltor right now!" Koala heard him curse under his breath.
"I knew I should've destroyed their snails!"
"Why didn't you?!"
"They're snails."
Koala gnashed her teeth. "Curse your little activist heart." Her voice turned sharp then, but it still maintained the same tone of urgency. "Listen; The Moby Dick's in Paradise right now. They can easily maneuver through the Calm Belt but I doubt they'll reach Feltor in time. It'll take them a day at most. Finish up whatever the hell you're doing there and get out. I would recommend you to not meet Whitebeard after that but we all know you won't listen."
"Aw, you know me so well!"
"You're infuriating. Get going now- the day's ending."
She could also almost hear the salute he gave her- like always, after they end their conversations- and slumped down in her seat after setting the transponder snail back on the desk, a sigh leaving her lips.
"Sabo slipping up is a bit rare." Hack piped up from behind her. She scoffed at that, because despite her knowing Sabo for just a year, she was confident that she knew him best out of everyone in the base.
"That wasn't a slip up. He just thinks what he's doing is right." She clicked her tongue, not out of anger but simple annoyance. "Dragon-san's not gonna be happy though. Maybe. I hardly ever know what he's thinking."
Hack chuckled a bit and set aside his papers. "For all it's worth, I hope he's okay."
Silence dipped it's head in the centre of the room, and Koala indulged in it like fish to water. She thought back on Sabo's words, and it rang of anything but okay- and there was something else to Sabo, something different but no less malicious...
"Yeah," she said. She rubbed her arms, an unconscious habit she does when she's nervous and, "I hope so too."
Five hours have passed since he disembarked from Feltor island, documents full of evidence in his possession.
In those five hours, Sabo didn't think he'd run into someone in the middle of the sea en route towards Whitebeard's ship.
"Hail and well met!" The stranger greeted. There was a jovial, cheery undertone to his voice, curling his words to fake sincerity and Sabo immediately knew that this was too much to be a coincidence. Like they were acquainted, the stranger strode (yes, strode, because what he was on was definitely not a boat and it looked more like a kayak with no paddles) right next to Sabo's boat. The sun blocked his eyes in a way that made it difficult for him to really look at the stranger, and Sabo frowned.
The blonde narrowed his eyes. "Hello?" He replied, unsure whether to stop for just the sake of one stranger or to continue sailing by. His hands met the ropes however, and he moved to raise the sails.
"I just wanted to ask you a little something, is all," Sabo heard the man say. The revolutionary had his attention on the sails, determined to watch it properly pulled up. The ropes coiled in his hands, and he looped it over his fingers after each time he pulled. "Thought I might as well, you know, since you're in the path."
"Ask away," Sabo offhandedly shrugged. He guessed he wasn't that much in a rush. Feltor island was far enough for him to be relaxed, and the likeliness of a Whitebeard pirate catching up to him wasn't that high. Sabo tied the rope- once the sails were raised- into a loose, effective knot as the other leaned in as if to whisper in Sabo's ears, but not close enough to drop into the sea.
"I'm searching for a man, see? Tall, blonde, covered in blue. Got a top hat with goggles on him as well, along with a mean pipe he uses as a weapon."
Sabo tensed.
This was it. This was the too much to be a coincidence. Fumbling with the knot (loosening it once more, as if running away would help), Sabo drawled, unrushed. "Who told you?"
"First Division Commander, Marco." The happy tone sang, and it made sense now that Sabo identified the man as a Whitebeard. "He said that you're a revolutionary. Mind telling me why you were wrecking shit up in Feltor?"
Sabo twirled the rope in his hand. "Found out they were corrupt." His other hand saw its way to the folders containing said corruptness, and he let go of the rope in favour of taking the papers in both of his hands. Running away wasn't really a smart move at the moment. He needed to convince him at least, that he was right in doing what he had done. Sabo turned to face him, and, "I got evidence-"
And he just stopped.
The clouds covered the sun. Sabo could see everything then, the sea and the wide expanse of the blue sky above. In front of him was a man, the Whitebeard pirate he had been talking to without knowing the face of, but knew it now that he could see.
"You keep drawing the same person but you never tell people who he is. Mind telling me, at least?"
"You're Ace. Firefist Ace."
The man smiled wide, like he was truly pleased Sabo knew who he was. "That's my name! Don't wear it out now."
Sabo tuned out the humour. He focused more on Ace's face then, trying not to think much of anything. The burn scar on his left eye was glaringly obvious, and the blonde couldn't help but stare. His eyes unwillingly went to the bridge of his nose, his eyes, and the freckles that dotted his cheeks, the general contour of his face.
Sabo didn't see, didn't remember how Ace looked like to compare the two, and his heart twisted.
But he laughed. A chuckle, more like. A smirk tugged on his lips rather forcefully, and Sabo looked at Fire Fist Ace like he would a stranger; as he should.
"Don't worry," he assured. He thumbed the papers in his hands repeatedly, felt the sweat running down his back. With an affirmation that was directed more to himself rather than to Fire Fist, he said, "I won't."
Fire Fist hummed, a fleeting sound amongst the wind. "That's good and all, but you still haven't answered my question."
"I didn't wreck shit up in Feltor, really." Sabo countered. His smirk was gone as he noticed the change in their conversation. "All I did was destroy a bit of the nobles' property, and I did that only because they tried to stop me. They chased me out of the island- Guess they really didn't want to be exposed."
Fire Fist frowned. "Exposed?" He crossed his arms, a skeptical look in his eyes. Sabo was just glad he was patient enough to let him explain.
"Yeah. I told you, they were corrupt. And I ran away with the evidence. This contains all the details they have on their slaves," He handed the folder over to the pirate, not missing the way his eyes lit up in shock. " And I also want to discuss with your captain about this matter. They had more than last year, apparently, and most of them are not from the island. The Revolutionary Army would appreciate it if the Whitebeard Pirates will lend us a hand in liberating them."
The raven haired man (teen, he realized, now that Sabo thought of it. [They looked to be of the same age as well] ) flipped through the papers with barely concealed confusion, and with each page he read his face contorted to that of disgust. Sabo felt the weight on his shoulders disappear, and he exhaled. His work here was done, it seemed like.
"I've been to Feltor, you know," Fire Fist said after a while. "It was one of the nicest place I've been to. I didn't think..." His lips curled into a near snarl, and he bit his lip.
Sabo would've felt pity but now that this was resolved, he regained the same sense of haste he got when he ran away from the island. He extended a gloved hand to Fire Fist, motioning for the papers back. "That's why I need to talk to your captain. This has been going on for far too long."
"Oh- I should escort you there."
That made Sabo pause. He blinked. Opened his mouth a bit out of disbelief. The next thing he did was trip over his own words. "Wh- Huh? No, no, I can very well travel there all by myself."
There was a familiar stubborn look that settled in Fire Fist's eyes when he smiled, and the blighter hid the evidence behind his back. "Come on, we're gonna go in the same direction anyway! And I have a vivre card. Doubt you have one."
Sabo pursed his lips. "I'm a member of the Revolutionary Army; I've been given coordinates,"
"Oh really? Where are they right now?"
"Docked on an island-"
"Nope." Fire Fist had the gal to look amused. "They've embarked, as soon as I left."
The second he said that, Sabo's transponder snail rang. Both of them knew what that meant. Fire Fist smiled wider.
Sabo shoved his hand down his pocket, picked up the receiver and put it on the snail again, mentally apologizing to Koala for hanging up. He took a deep breath, as if preparing himself for the journey ahead, and levelled Fire Fist with a heavy gaze.
The smile he gave him was crooked.
"Lead the way, then."
When Marco told Ace about Feltor's demise, he was- for the lack of a better word- furious.
Feltor had been nothing but nice. It was a beautiful island, with a tropical beach that had glimmering white sand he used to play in when he was young and innocent, when he marvelled at the grains of it between his toes. He remembered playing with his brothers after much coaxing from them, and that had been one of the best moments in his life.
When the revolutionary gave him the papers though, when he read through them- That memory was sullied. Stained. Tainted.
(He didn't know how to react because he was only a boy when he was in Feltor and honestly, he didn't remember much of it.)
So he offered to escort the revolutionary to his destination, out of the blue. It was a choice he picked at the top of his head, see, like some sort of a distraction. It was polite to do so too; Izo taught him that.
The revolutionary started to refuse. Ace won him over and now here they were, Ace sailing right beside the man he was supposed to hunt down in a more moderate pace than before.
It was also so, so, very quiet.
Ace should've realized it, should've known it when he invited the man to come along with him but really? Even after all that bravado of him acting confident when they first met, the revolutionary was now acting timid of all things. Not really timid, so to say- Nonchalant, more like. Distant. Indifferent. Apathetic.
It was ridiculous.
Heck, he didn't even know the man's name, for god's sake! It had been exactly thirty minutes since they set sail for the Moby Dick, and Ace wanted nothing more than someone to talk to.
So he turned to the only other someone in the area, and assumed a similar, nonchalant pose. Elbow on the gunwale, head tilted to one shoulder, and his mouth a thin line. He asked then, out of the blue, eyes to the front of Striker.
"You know, you haven't told me your name yet."
He saw movement from the other side. Some sort of a wince that averted his eyes from the front to the man in question. It was subtle but he definitely saw it. Ace curiously blinked. "Mind telling me?"
"...Sabo." The man said after a while. It was an unusual name- something he never heard of ever in his life. He told Sabo so.
Apparently that was the wrong move, because the mood turned awry almost immediately. Ace could see it from the slight downturn of Sabo's lips and the way his brows furrow, and it evoked a sense of alarm in Ace- that what he said was wrong and offensive. He apologized.
"No, it's alright. I didn't mean to react that way." Sabo told him. And under his breath, "Not anymore, at least."
Ace didn't know what that meant but he didn't want to pry. He didn't want to ruin whatever chances he had in continuing the conversation. He saw that Sabo was rubbing his arms, something to do with his nerves probably, and diverted his attention. He commented on the blonde's eye bags instead, asked him if he was trying to be a raccoon.
Sabo laughed at that. It wasn't forced, at least Ace didn't think so, so he kept churning out jokes that slowly turned into lighthearted conversations. Sabo's smile and loose shoulders made Ace relax too, and by the time they reached the Moby Dick a day and some hours later, Ace felt close to him despite the lack of actual conversing they'd done.
(Especially when Sabo revealed that he was only eighteen years old. He was the same age as him! Yes! Finally, someone his age! It was hard to mask his excitement.)
He hoped that Sabo will still keep in touch after his business with Pops. They'd be better friends that way.
(He's dead. He's dead. He's dead.
The hell are you doing, brain? Stop that! It's not like you remember how he looks like- You think they look the same, but they can't be, because he's dead! Push that fucking hope down, you absolute bastard of a man-
And oh. Oh now, he's asking for your name. Of course he doesn't know, stop getting depressed for fuck's sake. He's not the same, remember? Act like you don't know him, because that's what he is- a stranger. That's it. Smile. Laugh! He's telling a fucking joke, so laugh. Act like- Like he's a stranger. There's nothing more to this.
How the fuck do you act around strangers again? Relax. You're too tense. Shoulders, loose. Eyes, focused. That's it, that's it. Laugh when appropriate, at the right time. There's no reason for you to act distant- Both of you are practically strangers to each other! Act CORDIAL! Polite! Friendly! Sincere.
It's the least you can do. You're not going to meet him after this. Not anymore. [Throw this moment away just like you threw away your memory of Ace], because this is the last time you are ever going to see him. Then you're free! No thinking of him again. Ace thoughts, out.
Please, god, let this be the last. I don't think I can take much more of this.)
A/N: The thing with Sabo is that he remembers clearly how his Ace looked like, but since this "other" Ace looks exactly the same as the Ace he remembers, Sabo got everything jumbled up and thinks that "oh fuck they can't have the same face, conclusion: I forgot how my Ace looked like". So yeah. He's not okay.
(edit : changed the time for Ace's and Sabo's meeting into five hours instead of two. Ace was on Striker so he got there earlier than Koala's prediction of them reaching in "a day at most", and they had time to get to know each other for a day and some hours before they get on the Moby. Sabo sometimes doesn't talk that much though, but Ace still thinks he's a good dude. This is just to clear up some plot holes for the next chapter :p
As it is now, the Whitebeards are further into the Grand Line to pick up supplies or whatever, and Ace + Sabo caught up to them from West Blue and through the Calm Belt in a day and some hours. I shouldn't really worry about this because who cares, really, but the inconsistencies bugged at me)
Also FFnet doesn't have strikethrough? So have square brackets, I guess. I'm actually livid because of this.
And another thing- I drew something for this, y'all! It's on my Tumblr of the same name (homozyghost)! Search it up if you're interested.
Thanks for reading! Bye-o!