A/N: Sorry for the Title Change! I decided that with the developments in the end of this chapter that Children Of The Sun(COTS) was a more appropriate title for this story arc/plot.
One last note: Warning: First half of this is gonna be a shitty chapter. Which is to say there is 'Potty Humor'.
Songs for the Chapter:
Fallout Boy - My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light Em Up)
Thomas Bergersen - Children of the Sun
…
Children Of The Sun
Ch. 2: Escape From Goa Kingdom
Sabo was already packed when Ace appeared outside the newly barred bedroom window.
"Ace-!" Hissing with relief, the blond abandons the map he's studying to meet his brother, hands dwarfed as the grip the iron bars between them. The older boy looks like a wreck, like he'd been through hell and back, which Sabo has no doubt is true. Still, even with the steely, haunted look in those dark eyes, Sabo feels tears of relief threatening to break free.
"Thank god you're alive!"
The hard eyes soften for him, revealing the maelstrom of emotion and vulnerability being held back.
Right now, there was flare of rage, and Ace growls.
"Speak for yourself, idiot. That bastard hit you."
Sabo laughs, bitter and bemused despite himself. His own scrapes and bruises were nothing compared to his brother.
"Yeah, he did… but most of this was from the guards. They wouldn't let me out of the gate to warn anyone." His blue eyes sharpen, "Listen, Ace- I know where they took Luffy. The Royal Family has him, and they'd only ever put him in the castle dungeon."
"Then we're breaking you both out tonight." There's no question about it.
"Right. The guards and nobles are as distracted as they'll ever be with Gray Terminal, but the Royal Guards are going to still be trouble."
"Then we bring the fire to them, and give them something to worry about."
"Ace that's-" Reckless, dangerous, vindictive and painfully righteous. "…No homes, alright? We don't want to sink to their level."
"Obviously." His gaze flickers into the bedroom to the overstuffed backpack. "You're ready, then. You know we can't carry that into the castle, right?"
"Of course not-! We'll leave it in here High Town near the West Gate, and pick it up after we get Luffy. We're gonna need to get a ship from the docks anyway."
"Alright, but you're carrying it and I don't want to hear any complaints. So grab it and lets go already."
"Ace, as much as I'd love to bust out of here, there's the small problem of the six iron bars on my window, and my bedroom door has been locked, so I'm gonna need you to find the key to-"
Slate grey eyes stare back at him like he's an idiot, before Ace vanishes from the window.
"…Ace, wait! Where do you think you're-"
CRASH. "AAAAAIIIE GuardsHNK-"
…or he could just simply break through Stelly's window and use brute force.
"RAAAGH-!"
Sabo wisely gets the hell out his doors path, right before a decorative stone column sends the ornate wood shooting off its hinges. Sometimes, the best answer was the direct approach.
Staring at his brother with renewed respect, the outcast noble laughs for the first time in weeks.
"Come on!" Dashing out the petrified noble's room, the pair take off into the night leaving the Outlook Estate waking to chaos.
…
For once being small and young was to their advantage. The sewer canal was just large enough for them to crawl through it, and although it absolutely reeked, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Fresh water was constantly streaming through, taking advantage of a natural underground spring.
It was still one of the least pleasant places he'd been in, elbow deep in literal noble .
Ace almost wishes he'd objected harder to the discrete option, but knew deep down that Sabo knew what he was talking about. He knew the city the best, and trying to climb the castle gate or wall would be needlessly long. It'd also give them away, alerting the guards, and potentially putting a thicker wall between them and their baby brother.
"Sabo, I swear this is one of your shittiest ideas."
"Yeah well, even my crappiest plans are better than your best ones. "
If making poop jokes was one of the only things getting them through the miserable trek, then by god they'd keep squeezing them out.
"Look at it this way Ace, we've always been on Goa's shit list, at least now we've earned it."
"…" he struggles to come up with a dung related response, "…damnit, if I could turn around right now, I'd make you earn that shit eating grin of yours."
Thankfully he can see the end of the canal, and it wasn't long before they were out of shit creak. Standing up in the large space under the simple outhouse, Ace waits for the telltale brim of his brother's hat before speaking again.
"Let's promise to never mention this again to anyone, especially not Luffy."
"Afraid he'll give you shi-" Ace grabs him by the neckerchief and Sabo sputters, "-alright alright! I'm stopping I'm stopping!"
When he's released the blond takes a moment to loosen and straighten his neckwear.
"Alright, seriously now, we should be in the stables. The creek ought to run all the way up into the castle, but they'd almost certainly updated it to modern plumbing."
The freckled boy glances up at the source of light above them.
"So we're in an old toilet."
"Exactly. None of the stable hands should be up, so we should be able to climb out without notice. Come on- give me a lift."
"What?" Dark eyes widen, " No way! I should go up first so I can pull you up."
"But I've always been a better lookout!"
"But I'm taller than you and have a better chance lifting your ass out of the hole you had us crawl into."
"I-" The ex-noble's mouth twists and contorts with a grimace. "…fine. Just hurry up- and take my hat with you! No way am I getting this sludge on it!"
Smug in his victory, Ace does just that, donning the tophat before climbing his brother's shoulders. Their times sneaking into town as a human totem pole made it easy, and soon they both were climbing out of the crapper.
"…okay, now we can never speak of this again."
Sporting two foot size smears on his shoulders, Sabo has to agree.
Save for the collection of inbred animals (Sadly not the Royal Family), the stables were deserted. Using the water faucet to wash off somewhat, the two boys had time to strategize. Having a good look at the grounds outside Sabo planned their path into the fortress and kept lookout while Ace began opening the stall doors. Soon every sleeping animal had an open door, and after switching lookouts the younger boy finds a lantern. Using the matches with it, Sabo lights the wick and waves his brother over to an empty stall. Filled with clean straw and hay, it would burn like oil.
Standing together the pair views their generous amount of kindling, then each other. The air of mischief from before grows heavy between them, blue and slate eyes steeling themselves. Once they started this, there would be little to no chance for rest, not until they were sailing far out of range of the rotten town. They'd be wanted men; they'd be on the run the rest of their lives.
They'd be pirates.
Sabo is the first to speak, hoisting the lantern to eye level, the faint flame illuminating them both.
"…Are you ready for this?"
Silent for a time, Ace reaches over to join his brother's grip on the handle.
"I'm ready to save our brother."
Any trepidation Sabo held melts away with a nod and smile. A beat later, Ace returns it.
As one, they swing the glass lamp and let go.
…
Screams and yells echoing off stone reach him, and Luffy wakes up with a frown.
"What're they all doing up there?"
Rubbing his eyes, the spends a good amount of time inspecting his cherished straw hat. It appeared that the rats hadn't made an attempt on it, and he gladly dons it. As the ruckus continues above him, Luffy decides it must be a party and stands up. Giving a wide, uncaring stretch, he strolls over to a corner.
Shiiiink.
…or he would have, it the chain on his anklet didn't pull taunt.
"Damnit. How's a man supposed to pee in here?!"
He considers his options for all of a minute before shrugging and making due. His aim is about as good with urine as it was with his rubber punches.
Well, if they didn't want him pissing everywhere they shouldn't have put a chain on him.
Having relieved himself he trots back to where his chain meets the wall, and begins to pull and fight with it. He'd made a significant effort already to bite and pull the metal cuff off his ankle earlier, so it was only fair to give the other end a shot.
"Arms… stop… stretching!"
He might've had better luck if his limbs didn't pull like taffy, but at least he was doing something productive in his mind. Escaping was hard work, as he had found, and once he was huffing and puffing from exertion, it occurs to him that he can only hear himself.
"Hmn? Did the party stop? Royal people are weird… they don't even know how to party right."
…
If you squinted from afar, it looked like a party had gotten a little out of hand in the Royal Palace. They were a little too enthusiastic with the bonfire, most likely. There was certainly enough yelling and movement for one, and plenty of animals.
The nobles, staff and guards of the Royal Palace were anything but jolly partygoers. Awoken to screams of fire and of animals running loose in frenzy, it was all they could do to not pass out from the nightmare. As it was, no man was left at their post, split between chasing thoroughbred horses throughout the massive grounds and fighting the growing inferno.
Ace and Sabo didn't get so much as a glance as they slipped past and into the palace.
Greeted with the glamorous, echoing and empty grand hall, they wait and listen for any possible stragglers until the raven muses.
"…that worked pleasantly well."
Sabo grins devilishly, "Yeah, it did. Now let's find Luffy."
There were a ridiculous amount of doors and staircases that went 'down' on the ground level. A stupid amount of wine, food and furniture filled most of the basement cellars, and even with just glancing at each room the search was maddeningly tedious. Frustrated and fruitless, they both return to the grand hall.
Ace is red in the face with frustration.
"Rrrgh this place is so stupid! Where the hell is it?"
"I don't know, but it must be down here somewhere. The only place we didn't really look is the hall here, so lets give it another look over."
Searching once more with a critical eye, they were close to barging upstairs and dragging the king himself to show them where he had the nerve to hide their brother. To some fortune it didn't come down to that as, while Sabo opened a curtain to check on the activity outside, he was greeted instead with a blank space of wall. Interior decorating at its finest.
"…Ace, the curtains! Not all of them are covering windows!"
Needless to say, after pulling half the drapes open the boys found several more doors and one staircase. Descending together they didn't know what they would find. God knew though that if Luffy was in a bad way, the royals would soon have more to panic about.
"Luffy!"
Standing with his fists raised and a defiant fire in his large eyes, it takes barely a second for the armor he raised to fall and for tears to swell.
"Ace! Sabo!"
He immediately sprints forwards but falls short off the cell bars, tripping as he's snared by the restraint. While the freckled boy and blond take in his situation Luffy climbs back to his feet, teeth bared in a wide grin.
"You're both okay! I'm- I'm really glad!" He looks about ready to cry now, his lip beginning to quiver. The way he'd been carried away, he'd seen Bluejam's men beat Ace brutally, had saw the blood. He'd been terrified. Not only was Ace okay, but he'd brought Sabo back. They were going to be together again!
Rivers of tears begin to fall as the child struggles with the storm of emotion, uncertain of what he should be feeling right now.
"Speak for yourself, stupid! You're the one in the castle dungeon."
"He means we were worried about you to, Luffy. Are you okay? They didn't do anything mean or weird to you, did they?"
"I really-" he blubbers, "I r-really hate those guys! Them a-and Bluejam a-and your dad too, Sabo! They're- they're-"
"Don't worry Luffy, we do to, and we'll get them back for everything, I promise. So stop crying, and let's get you out of there. "
Rapidly nodding the eight year old puts a stopper on his waterworks. They needed him to be strong now, again, so he could hold the tears back a little bit longer.
…
Months ago when Luffy had been taken and beaten by Porchemy, Ace had felt rage and indignity towards the pirate along with selfish fear. Fear for himself, for Sabo, and for their treasure. Even when they were rescuing the loudmouth baby who didn't squeal their treasures location, Ace did it mostly for selfish reasons. He wanted answers. Afterwards, when he and his brother confronted the annoying brat, he'd found the constant waterworks to be yet another pain in the ass quality of Monkey D. Luffy.
This time, as he watches Sabo console their gentle, big hearted brother, it takes all the control Ace has not to storm up the numerous flights of stairs just to throttle Goa's King.
He doesn't need to ask to know the ex-noble feels the same.
They find the cell keys on the guard station. One day Luffy would be able to reach through the bars and snag it without a second thought, but for now it was still well out of his clumsy reach. Their brother gets very clingy as soon as they enter with him, and his squirming makes it difficult to try the keys on his ankle cuff.
SNAP.
Sabo freezes as the key he was trying breaks off in the hole. He and Ace share a look, before turning their attention to the still bouncing monkey.
"DAMNIT LUFFY!"
That was how Ace and Sabo wound up carrying Luffy and ten feet of iron links. It was their luck that the key to the chain's anchor point was there.
Unfortunately the sound of clinking chains didn't help them sneak by when the grand hall was filled of exhausted, dirty nobles.
"RUN!"
They bolt up the grand staircase for a good head start, the sight of three dirty children carrying a chain leaving the dungeon taking several seconds to process in the royals brains. Reinvigorated at the thought of losing the Tenryubittos gift, they give chase, their shouts and curses echoing off the oversized walls of the great room.
"Well this is great- which way?"
"I- uh- just keep going up!"
Ace doesn't think to question him, fully trusting the blonde's judgement. As they scale staircase after staircase, the number of pursuers drops significantly until all have been left behind clutching banisters and wheezing something fierce. Mildly out of breath themselves from the extra weight of Luffy's burden, Ace and Sabo drop both the chains and their brother onto the ground to recuperate.
"O-… okay, so thankfully… they're all out of shape, so we should have some time to figure out a plan."
"A plant to what? Escape? Can't we just go out the window?"
"No, Luffy- maybe you could, but Ace and I can't handle that big of a drop."
"Then I'll swing us down!"
"Luffy, if you lose your grip at all-"
"No! Listen! You're always saving me; it's about time I help. Trust me! I won't let go!"
Trading a look, Sabo nods and after a pregnant pause, Ace sighs.
"…alright Luffy. If we can't find any other way to escape, we'll do it your way, but ONLY if there's no other choice."
Considering it a victory, Luffy chuckles smugly. The three brothers split up briefly to search for anything useful or an escape route. Ace finds the princesses room, and after an uncomfortable moment of scanning it, leaves empty handed. Sabo discovers the King and Queens bedroom: freezing, he spies a lantern sitting on the royal nightstand. Sitting blatantly next to it, was the Crown. Grabbing the oil lamp, he swipes the crown jewel for good measure. He stashes the gold status symbol under his hat before returning to the meeting place. Meanwhile Luffy finds the royal brat that taunted him earlier that day, and takes great pleasure in punching him unconscious. He may have knocked out a tooth or two, but didn't stick around to find out.
With the sounds of angry huffing and panting rising up the flights of stairs, the trio reunite, the youngest sporting an even larger smirk than before.
"What're you so happy about?"
"Shishishi- oh, nothing! Say, did you find anything Ace?"
"No way to climb down. Everything's a sheer drop."
"I didn't find any secret staircases either… "
"Don't worry! I saw a tower I could grab and swing from."
With another shared grimace, and the renewed vigor of the men cursing them, the elders groan.
"…well, we did agree to it."
"I still think we've got a better chance with them than him."
"Hey!" The two noirettes sneer, seconds away from butting heads.
"Guys!" Their fair brother is quick to interject. "If you listen to the angry mob on its way here, you'll realize we don't have time for this. Luffy, bring us to that where you saw the tower. Ace, break that window!"
With Sabo taking charge the infamous trio get back on track to freedom. The heavy metal chain come in handy when destroying the thick glass pane, and as they stand on the window ledge and evaluate their decent, Luffy suddenly goes silent. Ace notices it first, dark eyes finding the former prisoner with an entirely foreign look on his face. Following his little brother's gaze, Ace's own widens and narrows, the familiar weight in his gut making itself known again. Roughly he elbows Sabo to draw his attention, and not a moment later the former noble's gaze mirrors theirs.
The black clouds of ash had parted around the palace's peak, giving them the grandest view of all of Goa Kingdom and of the ring of fire surrounding its outer wall.
Stunned and dumbfounded, Luffy mumbles.
"…Gray Terminal."
"Luffy-" Speaking simultaneously and each gripping his shoulders, it was the blond that first found his words.
"Hey, Luffy, listen to me. That fire belongs to all the wickedness in this kingdom, to the nobles and royals, and there's nothing we can do to stop it. All we can do today is escape, so that we can beat them up later when we're strong enough, alright?"
Although spoken to Luffy, Sabo's words were meant as reassurance for all three of them. It helps to cut the edge off Ace's own sea of self-loathing, and eases Sabo's guilt. For Luffy, it manages to draw him back into the present and the spark and gleam in his eye has nothing to do with the blaze around them.
"…A-alright." He represses his tears once more, and in a blur of movement he is back inside the window, grabbing the nearly forgotten lantern. With an angry roar he smashes it against the curtains there, the oil soaking through and setting the thick fabric aflame.
"LUFFY!" Hastily pulling the rubber boy back with them, the children soon have a full curtain of flame at their backs, the fire spreading from the wall to the carpet in moments. A fresh round of screams and shouts of horror rise behind them, and the mob switches priorities to wake and save the royal family.
"Luffy you idiot- "That's not going to help anyone in Gray Terminal!"
"That wasn't for them! That was for us!"
"…"
"Come on. Let's go."
Swinging down with both his brothers and the weight of ten feet of chain, Luffy does a surprisingly well job of not killing them all. It wasn't at all a pleasant decent, it fact it was far more akin to bungie jumping than swigging down from treetops, but they'd made it down in mostly one piece. Even in their nauseous state after, they had time to recover. Much of High Town's population streamed into the palace grounds to combat the ever growing hell they'd unleashed. With the gate wide open the brothers were able to slip out with little trouble, the crowds and panic disguising them. There was a moment or two that the chain was tripped over, but that was solved by Ace piggybacking Luffy and Sabo trailing closely behind with the restraint. By the time they reached the West Gate, all of High Town was awake and in frenzy.
Retrieving the bag he had hidden earlier, Sabo finds his brothers making another attempt to pull the metal cuff from Luffy's leg with little success. After some discussion and scouting, they found that the West Gate had been all but abandoned by the guards, every hand and body was summoned to the Royal Palace. Between the three of them, they're able operate the lever to open the gate.
The curious, horrified faces of citizens turn towards the sound of the opening doors, but do nothing to stop the children that run down the street and for the docks. A small crowd gathers as they take a boat and set off, but the folk do nothing to intervene, too stunned and uncertain to act. Once the brothers are far out into the bay, it is too late to stop them.
Sailing south towards Foosha Village, they're forced to pass the coast of Gray Terminal which is nothing more than a sea of flame. Somehow the smoke seems to have thinned, the all-consuming black now a dingy grey. In the distance there is a new glow of flame, this one high upon the highest hill of Goa Kingdom.
The Royal Palace was now nothing more than a giant torch, centuries of noble history burning with it.
…
In the early hours before dawn, the sworn brothers arrive in Foosha. Weary of the King of the Coast, they had little choice but to chance it, hug the coast line and hope he was sleeping. To their luck, between shallow waters and the early hour they made it safely… but not without Luffy knocking himself out. He'd had some violent, terrified objections to the venture, and it was only after he'd fallen off the boat and been dragged back by his chain that he'd peacefully passed out. Ace and Sabo would later tease him for being a literal anchor, but at the time had been busy fuming over the scare.
The small town of Foosha was awake and restless, all its citizens glancing to the dark sky draped mountains. When the boys docked they were greeted with great relief by Mayor Woop Slap and Makino, the later embracing them tightly while the former summoned the doctor. Ushered into the nearest home to get cleaned up, the children let themselves mildly relax. They take turns exchanging stories while they're fixed up, beginning from when Sabo's father took him.
Ace skims over the week leading up to yesterday, unwilling and not ready to disclose his willful involvement with Bluejam. He's straightforward with his story after that: he and Luffy had been in Gray Terminal, hoping to catch glimpse of their brother, when they'd been ambushed by Bluejam and his lackeys. Once they got a hold of Luffy and threatened to kill him, it'd been easy to force Ace into cooperating… but it'd just been an underhanded trick. They had no intention of harming the rubber boy, not when he was worth so much more alive. Ace, on the other hand…
He had coincidentally winced then; the doctor finished stitching the skin of his skull with a sharp tug.
After pausing to allow the Doctor to give the other boys a once over, Makino thanks him for his service and dismisses him with the request for some spare medical supplies. He waves her off, insisting that he already had his son preparing a basic medkit, and leaves to double check its progress. Once Ace finishes up and explains how he made it into High Town, the raven preteen settles and back allows Sabo to detail his part.
The little dockside home they were in had at one point been crowded with activity, the towns folk curious and concerned. It wasn't until the Mayor chewed them out and ordered them away that they were given some space. The brothers were grateful for it, and if Woop Slap hadn't Ace would've only far more violently. Even so, the people of Foosha were willing to drop everything to do what they could for the boys. When it became clear from the brief exchange at the docks that the children had no choice but to set sail again immediately, they pitched in and begun preparing some basic necessities.
Luffy sits in Makino's lap as she tightly holds him, both for her own comfort and to still him while the blacksmith works. The best the tradesman is able to do is snap the chain off, but as it's broken a weight lifts from everyone's shoulders. As the optimistic child squirms and wiggles to test out his new freedom, the dark haired woman is reluctant to let him go. Eventually she has no choice but to do so, but as Luffy runs about mostly unburned, her eyes follow with a deep heartache. Eyes which turn to Sabo with the same emotion as he chokes on how the Nobles delighted in the burning of Gray Terminal's people, and finally settles on Ace the same way.
He can only hold her gaze for a moment or two before shame turns his head. He finds himself watching Luffy as the gleeful boy jumps and stretches, dashing around a table and taking joy out of not being tangled up.
With Luffy so preoccupied and only chipping in a word or two, Ace and Sabo tell the rest of their rescue and escape tale together, causing Woop Slap and Makino's already ashen expressions to pale.
"You… you burned the Royal Palace?"
"Not intentionally, but…. After all they've done, it's not so bad is it?"
"No. They deserve it."
"Yeah!"
"Boys."
"Still, after doing that… Ace, Sabo, Luffy… all three of you… there's no way that they'll let you roam free. You'll be wanted, hunted, all across the four blues! "
"We know that! We- we always wanted to be pirates someday, anyway... this just means we're starting a little earlier, is all!"
"Earlier!? You're not even teenagers yet! You'll be slaughtered! And for what-?"
"We're not the murders here, Woop Slap! They are!"
Sabo's retort and ice blue eyes silences the Mayors tirade.
"…what I don't understand- what none of us really get-" The blond continues again, watching his little brother climbing up into Makino's lap once more. "… is why Luffy?"
The question brings yet another pregnant pause, one of many of the early morning. Makino takes a moment to try and brush said boy's unruly black hair with her fingers, traces of ash coming off on her hand. While Luffy would normally find something snippy to retort to such a question, for once he remains silent as he comprehends the depth of their situation. 'Why' was a question he'd been wrestling with himself.
Unanswered, Sabo continues to press on, daring the Mayor to snap and share whatever secret was clearly burdening him.
"…what I mean is they already had me, and Ace has always been a bigger pain in the ass for Goa. Luffy… Luffy's annoying, sure, but he's never actually hurt anyone. Why would Luffy be worth so much money to the Nobles? To the Royal Family?"
The rubber boy bites his lip angrily, thin patience about to break, but before he can draw a breath and defend his bruised honor-
"…his father."
Ace's eyes sharpen like a blade, and Woop Slap faces the chill without flinching.
"Explain." The room watching him, the boys intensely and the barmaid with sympathy, the elderly Mayor sighs.
"…you both know of Luffy's Grandfather Garp, correct? Well he has a son of his own that grew up here in Foosha just as he did, and while I don't know the details of what happened with that man… there's good reason that Garp chose to have Luffy raised here, so far from himself and the Marine's radar. It would seem that his decision was the right one, if not safe enough."
"…I have a dad?"
Just like that, with the words of their little monkey, the room can breathe again.
Makino smiles weakly, and pats his head.
"O-of course you have a father, Luffy. Where do you think you came from, a cabbage patch?"
"Of course not!"
There is a small sigh of relief that Garp hadn't tried such an old tactic to explain away his lack of parents.
Luffy still look as if there's a bad taste in his mouth, "The royal bastards kept saying I was a dragon's son, but that's stupid to, right?"
Their small reprieve of tension ending, Woop Slap appears to age before them and draws out a weary sigh.
"…no, that's- that's actually his name, Luffy. Your father is named Dragon. But you must not ever mention it or your relation to him. Although… if they knew, it may not be long before it doesn't matter."
The words further draw Ace into a deep, dark stupor, dragging his heart through years of his own torment and struggling because of his blood. Sabo, faring barely any better, grits his teeth and presses for more answers.
"So you're saying that- this man, Luffy's father Dragon, has done something to make the royals of Goa Kingdom hate him enough to go after his son?"
"It's not just Goa Kingdom, I'm afraid. Even if you hadn't burned the palace- which I'm not in no way condoning! – Chances are that the whole world would still be calling for their blood now. "
Ace's chair clatters to the floor as he flies to his feet.
"Ace-?"
"That's so stupid! Luffy's done nothing wrong! What the hell does it matter who his dad is-? He doesn't even know the bastard!" An inferno blazes in his eyes, emotion consuming him. "He shouldn't- he shouldn't be hated by the world like that! Because of what someone else did!"
Sabo's mouth drops open, along with everyone else. He shares a look with his brother, heart clenching as he thinks. Do you understand now, Ace? That that's how we feel about you? The words remain silent, unspoken as Gol D. Roger's son struggles with a truth that he couldn't accept for himself.
Meanwhile, Luffy remains silent in Makino's lap, young face frozen in a stunned way even as his sister figure embraces him tighter.
"You're right." Woop Slap finally affirms, his authority backing it. "He shouldn't be, and there will be people who will see this. However, the world is cruel and heartless, and more than enough people believe what they're told. That or they're greedy enough to not care." He finds himself turning towards the window, looking out upon their small dock. There he can see his family of a village pitching in to ready the small fishing boat for a long journey, loading it with supplies, preforming quick repairs and most importantly replacing the merchants' flag who had owned it. "Even if you hadn't planned on sailing out today, I would have insisted on it; for all we know, Goa could already have assembled a fleet to take chase. You're just not safe here."
"He's right." Having been respectfully silent as the Mayor delicately handled the town secret, Makino takes her chance to speak, her voice as strong as iron. While the elder brothers immediately turn their attention to her, the youngest continued to sit unnaturally mute on her lap, his mind racing. "As much as I hate it… you boys will need to grow fast, just to survive. If that man was still here, it might be different but…
"Ace. Sabo. Luffy. " She smiles bravely then, the words managing to pull Luffy from his stupor and turn around to stare at her. "I know it may seem daunting now but one day, when you do reach the Grand Line…" She shares a knowing glance with Luffy. "… look for the crew of the Red Hair Pirates, and seek out their captain, Red Hair Shanks."
Everyone's eyes widen, and suddenly the spitfire known as Monkey D. Luffy was back to his normal, vocal self. Leaping off her lap like the woman threatened him with chores, he turns to face her with an indignant scowl of betrayal.
"But Makino-!"
"I know Luffy, you promised. But by the time you reach him, you'll already be a great, strong Pirate."
"But- but-" The dreamer fumes and sputters, before giving up intelligent conversation in favor of a full blown tantrum. The past day had been an emotional rollercoaster, and it was astounding that the boy hadn't had a meltdown sooner. Arms swinging and feet stomping and tears leaking from his eyes, he dances a jig known by children the world over.
"Arrrgh it's not fair! I want to have my own crew by then! I want to be the captain!"
"H-hey, don't you worry Luffy! If Shanks is as cool as you say he is, I'm sure he'll understand. Besides, think of this as your 'startup' crew! Not only that-" Sabo barely passes Ace a glance before speaking for him, "-we can all be captain of this one!"
"No way." The freckled noirette comments flatly. Luffy swiftly turns on him with tears still glistening, his tantrum forgotten for his new target.
"What- Ace! Come on now, surely we let Luffy be captain some of the time!" Sabo quickly plays along, relieved that his brother picked up on his silent cue.
"There's no way I'm letting this crybaby be captain." While he tries to say it with a straight face, a familiar smirk quickly grows across his lips. Their straw hat brother looks about ready to burst with indignity, and shoves himself right up into Ace's personal space.
"What'd you say!"
"I said you're a crybaby, crybaby!"
"Well you're just a stinky sleep farting brother!"
"WHAT?!"
"YOU FART IN YOUR SLEEP ACE AND IT REALLY REALLY SMELLS!"
"DAMNIT LUFFY-"
Ace's face turns tomato red, the plan to cheer up Luffy backfiring miraculously well as his reputation is soiled in front of the kind, sweet and polite Makino. As Sabo breaks down into unrefined laughter, the two dark haired brothers begin a lighthearted brawl, none of their punches or bites having serious effort behind them. The two adults watch with barely restrained disbelief before the fairer smiles and snickers behind her hand. Woop Slap shakes his head and sighs, allowing it to continue for a minute before strolling over to the impromptu wrestling match and swinging his cane.
THUNK THUNK!
"AH THAT HURT-! WHY DID THAT HURT-!?"
"DAMNIT OLD MAN IM INJURED!"
"YOU SURE AS HELL DON'T ACT LIKE IT!"
As laugher and yells rings out from the house, the heavy air that had been lingering in the town began to lift. Their spirits lifting, the towns' people finish up their work with a smile, placing the last touches of paint on the old fishing boat. They were glad that the lonely little boy that they'd raised had found himself such good friends, and that they were willing to face down the whole world for the sake of him. Despite Luffy's often irritating and destructive quirks, the boy had a heart of gold and a will that inspired the little town of Foosha for all the years that he'd lived there. While they were saddened that things had come to this, it was a possibility they'd all accepted the day that Monkey D. Dragon and his wife had returned to give birth here, leaving shortly after. The battle that they had chosen to fight was a risky one, and while not all of Foosha agreed with it, they did agree that the infant left in their care deserved a chance to grow free of his parents' burdens.
While several of the fishermen begin loading and prepping up their own boats, taking the recently cut length of chain with them to dump, the little dockside house quieted down. Soon after the familiar boy wearing a straw hat dances outside, trailed by a blond wearing a tophat and a freckled boy with a red shirt. Following at a more reserved pace were Makino and the Mayor. As they make their way to the dock Luffy pauses to wave and greet the people there, some of the women going as far as to give him hugs, and the men a firm pat on the back. Before they can object to it, Ace and Sabo find themselves meeting a similar fate, embraced and encouraged by people they'd never met, but accepted all the same.
With how much laughter and tears there are, it feels like the trio was being waved off on a great adventure, as if they were leaving because they wanted to and not because their lives depended on it.
After they've made it through the crowd of well wishes and support, the children stumble out onto the wooden pathway and are mildly disoriented. Two are overwhelmed with emotion, and the third is laughing like a loon.
Their confusion only grows as, after several long moments, they realize the ship they stand before was their own.
"WHAT?!"
"HOW?!"
"SO COOL!"
The town shares a fresh round of laughter, and one of the fishermen pats the two gob smacked preteens on the back.
"Welcome to 'The New Dawn' Boys, treat her well!"
Sporting a quick coat of paint to cover any distinguishing marks, the worn fishing boat they'd liberated looked indistinguishable from the vessel they saw now. A couple patches of the deck, a repaired railing, a different sail, and a flag sporting a familiar windmill flew from its rigging. On the side of its cabin, written in blue paint, was also her new name.
"Careful about the paint- it's still wet, but should hold well enough that what's hidden should stay hidden." A man sporting white stained hands chuckles.
"Hope you don't mind flying Foosha's flag for a while. You can change it once you're out of Goa Kingdom waters, but it'll help you blend in with us as we see you out." Chimes in one of the fishermen. He is followed up by another carrying a large bottle of wine.
"All that needs to be done now is to christen it; want to do the honors boys?"
Standing frozen before the town and their seemingly unlimited, unconditional love, it is all that Ace and Sabo can do to not shatter into inelegant bawling. Their lives had been devoid of such people, of such concepts, and to think that all that separated them from an entirely different world view were the deadly mountains they had made their home.
Suddenly, Luffy's demeanor and attitude towards life was all the more clear.
They can't fight it, can no longer hold back the tears welling in their eyes nor the tightness in their throats.
Gritting their jaws in one last ditch effort they nod, and accept the offered bottle. With Luffy's grin blinding and eyes filled with passion, he grabs hold of the bottles' neck with them. Together they raise it above the hull; they pause to savor the moment, eyes shining bright.
"On three, boys!"
"One… " Ace chokes.
"Two-!" Sabo cries.
"THREE!" Luffy cheers.
The tinted glass shatters beautifully, early sunlight glistening off shards and alcohol as it baptizes the boat.
"To 'The New Dawn!'"
"THE NEW DAWN!"
All of Foosha cheers and celebrates with them, sharing their joy and tears, and all three boys feel at home.
Far too soon afterwards, they are sailing off into the bay with the rest of Foosha's fleet. The King of the Coast had long come to ignore the fleet, knowing it was they that he had been brought to guard, and so the boys were granted safe passage.
While Makino and Woop Slap wave from the edge of the dock, Sabo's eyes widen and he quickly hands the rigging over to Ace, his hands cupping and focusing his shout.
"MAKINO! TELL DADAN AND THE BANDITS THANKS FOR EVERYTHING! THAT WE'LL MISS THEM, AND THAT ACE IS GONNA MISS HIS MOM!"
"SABO!"
By the way she curls over with laughter, it's clear that the woman had heard him. That is more than he can say about his pleas and apologizes to Ace, who abandoned the rigging to throttle the blond. Consumed by his own up roaring laughter, Luffy does little good to help get the boat back on course.
Once Sabo was sporting a new goose egg they get The New Dawn back on track, much to the amusement of Foosha's sailors. As they reach the edge of the natural cove and of the sea king's territory, the brothers make their final goodbyes as they continue without them. Now, their own adventure would begin.
For good or bad, through thick or thin, this journey was theirs.
"From now on… we're pirates!"
…
We are the children of the sun
The love for everyone
Always on the run
The fire in our eyes
The passion never dies
We are the chosen ones
The children of the sun
…
A/N: Thank you everyone for your support! I'm glad that you're taking this journey with me.
Now for a little Q/A session.
Q: Will there be any romantic pairings?
A: Nope!Only canon relationships will be mentioned, as romance isn't the focus of TWF anyway. No, not even down the road after time skips. They (the characters) all too focused on Their Dreams and Adventures. Aside from Sanji, but he's just a hopeless romantic.
Q: Do you have an update schedule? How frequently can we expect chapters?
A: After this chapter is posted, you can expect a bi-weekly update schedule. This allows me to alternate between COTS and my other fic 'Thank God For Lifejackets'.
Q: Do you have a Beta/Proofreader? Do you need one?
A: Yes I do! His name is Gil, and at the moment I'm not searching for additional ones.
That's all I can think of for the time being.
Q: Why did Woop Slaps cane hurt Luffy? Does he have haki?
A: Nope, just a gift from Garp of a bit of sea stone. Not that he ever thought he'd use it like that.
Q: What is your anticipated chapter length? Ch. 1 was 2500 words, and this one is almost three times that.
A: Ah, well… I can't really say yet. The way I write the chapters so far is based on a list of 'goals' for each chapter. I have a very rough outline for the boys' journey to the Grand Line, and I'm hoping for the trip to take at least a year in-universe. They will be encountering most if not all of the East Blue Straw Hat Crew, (Sanji's being difficult as far as the timeline goes, but I'll find a way). But I shouldn't spoil much more than that this early on.
Now for one last thing…
OMAKE:
As they sail along the coast, the glow of the fire brings something back to Ace's attention, but he decides against mentioning it. Theirs was a dire situation, after all, too dire to bring up the brown smear on Sabo's nose.
Not that he would stop Luffy from doing it
"…hey Sabo? I've been meaning to ask- why's your nose brown?"
"What are you-"
Behind him was the grin of a devil.
"-damnit Ace!"