Authors Note: I'm sorry this is so late but RL has been kicking my butt recently. I've also been informed this last week by my manager that the team is going from a healthy number of seven down to four! As a result, the posting schedules gone out the window. I'll just have to update when I can as I can't make guarantees anymore.
Ok, rant over! A big thank you to Mithril for giving me permission to reference her fic Kyoudai in this chapter. If you haven't read that already, go do so because it's awesome :D
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Chapter 4: You Have My Gratitude
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The silence that had fallen across the Going Merry, despite the lateness of the hour, was not a peaceful quiet. Instead, it was tense and uncomfortable, filled with the knowledge that they were against the clock.
Nami's illness had unsettled the entire crew. It had happened so fast and unexpectedly; none of them had been prepared for the eventuality that one of their crew might get sick. Injuries, they all expected on a daily basis. Illness, they did not. The medicine that Kaya had stocked the crew with way back in Syrup had disappeared alarmingly fast, leaving them with nothing that could help their ailing navigator.
Luffy sighed unhappily, his forehead resting on the kitchen table with his arms limp at his sides. He rolled his head to his left and glanced down to where Usopp was spread out on the bench next to him, sound asleep. Luffy was almost envious. He wished he could fall asleep, but a strange restless in his limbs that he usually attributed to wanting to beat something up kept him awake.
He sighed again and raised his head to see Sanji was still puttering about the stove, muttering quietly to himself occasionally. A glance through the porthole in the kitchen door showed the lone figure of Vivi, wrapped up in a blanket to ward off the night's chill at the insistence of the chef. The princess and former Baroque Works' agent had finally left her bedside vigil out of necessity to keep the Going Merry and her precious cargo on course. Next to Nami, she had the most navigational experience of them all and speed was of the essence.
Luffy had half a mind to find Zoro and spar; he desperately wanted to burn off some nervous energy, and he hated sitting around waiting. He didn't do waiting very well. But no doubt they would be told off for making too much noise and he suspected Zoro was, for once, actually using his turn on watch to actually watch rather than sleep. They had been taking it in turns to stand in the crow's nest, their eyes peeled for any sign of a life on the calm ocean of the Grand Line. Another would sit for a stint in the dimly lit bedroom, keeping watch over their afflicted nakama, whose bouts of unconsciousness were increasing with every league they sailed.
Between the two of them, Sanji and Vivi had managed to rouse Nami long enough to force some much needed fluids into her, but with every passing hour, it was becoming harder and harder to wake her long enough for her to take the sips of water.
"Here," said Sanji, and despite the fact he had practically whispered, his voice cut through the silence and made Luffy jump. He turned to his chef and saw him holding out a steaming bowl of clear broth. "Take this downstairs to Nami's room while I take Vivi her portion. And don't you dare even think about taking a single sip, Luffy!" the blond ordered.
"Fine," Luffy grumbled, accepting the bowl carefully and rising to his feet. He had just spent the last two hours watching Sanji meticulously prepare the broth; he had seen exactly how much attention he had put into preparing Nami's food. Luffy wouldn't dream of ruining the effort if it made her better.
"When you get back, I'll have the leftover meat from lunch ready for you," Sanji promised in return for his captain's cooperation. "Just don't spill that!"
Luffy shook his head wildly and hurried down the stairs to Nami's cabin, carrying his cargo as carefully as he could. He picked his way across the darkened room as best he could, trying not to trip on the rugs, and set the bowl on the bedside table.
Despite the promise of meat waiting for him back upstairs, Luffy paused and stared down at his navigator. They hadn't known each other long, but even he could tell after a few short months that to see the fiery young woman so still was unnatural. She should be up and about, and bossing them all over the place; she should be complaining they're not lashing the sails correctly, or that port is left, not right, and how could they call themselves pirates if they didn't know that?
Luffy stood and listened to his nakama's harsh and laboured breathing. Her cheeks were flushed a brilliant red that clashed horribly with her hair. With the same amount of care he usually only showed towards his precious straw hat, Luffy reached out and gently laid a hand against her cloth-covered forehead. He frowned at the dryness of it and concluded it needed changing. He knew Sanji would probably take care of it when he came down to feed her the broth, but Luffy had been feeling pretty useless all day, and Sanji was exhausted, they all were, so he could at least do this small task.
He glanced quickly around the room and spotted a bowl of water on the desk. He delicately peeled the cloth away from Nami's sweaty forehead, relieved when she didn't stir, and crossed the room to dip the cloth in the tepid water. As he picked up the now soaked cloth, he suddenly flashed back to the last time he had done this.
"Luffy, were you pouring water or something on him?"
"No, I was putting the cloth on his forehead like you told me to."
"You're supposed to get the cloth wet, wring it out, then put it on his forehead. You don't want to just drop a wet rag on his face."
Luffy smiled to himself, Ace's voice echoing at him from the past. He remembered the time Sabo had been sick. He'd picked up a virus, from Ace of all people, and Luffy had been put in charge of looking after his blond brother for the day while Ace had sought help from Makino. It had been a daunting task, making sure that their treehouse was defended from potential dangers and that Sabo had been comfortable at all times. Of course, he hadn't realised that he had been practically drowning his brother in water until Ace had pointed out the correct way to use the dampened cloth.
Shaking himself out the memory, Luffy made sure to wring the cloth thoroughly before he crossed back to Nami's bedside. He laid it carefully across her forehead, brushing a few errant strands of hair from her face before stepping back and admiring his work. He was pleased to see that it seemed to bring some comfort to Nami almost immediately.
"What are you doing?"
Luffy turned to see Sanji standing at the bottom of the stairs, his gaze flickering between Luffy and the bowl of water on the desk. Luffy wondered how long he had been stood watching him.
"I was just changing the cloth," he explained, stepping back and allowing Sanji to take his place. The chef inspected his captain's work, and Luffy saw a flicker of surprise cross his face.
"Huh. You actually did it right," he said in disbelief, but the dark-haired teen also detected a hint of gratitude. He looked down at Luffy curiously. "Where'd you learn to do that?"
Luffy just grinned and bolted from the room, ignoring the question completely. He bounced towards the kitchen, the smell of warmed meat driving him on. As he flopped down onto the bench, jolting Usopp from his restless sleep, he mused that it was a shame Dadan's relative, Nadan, wasn't around. Sabo had gotten better almost immediately in the weird guy's care. He figured Nami would too, but they'd all travelled too far to turn back. Now, they could only hope that a doctor would appear ahead of them.
xxx
Sabo guided his small vessel down the narrow river way, grateful that he had done the task so often that he could let his mind wander freely while his body worked on autopilot.
Brothers. Brothers plural, he thought, still in a state of disbelief. Portgas D. Ace and Monkey D. Luffy. Sabo shook his head. To say that the last twenty-four hours had been surprising would be a massive understatement. He had hardly been able to believe his eyes when Ace had waved about the very same wanted poster he had spent hours examining.
He felt a little guilty at his initial outburst seconds after Ace had revealed who the pirate was. Ace had been elated to hear that Sabo knew Luffy, until he revealed the reason was that they had briefly met in Logue Town. The other's disappointment had been clearly evident in the way his whole body seemed to slump. He had picked himself up pretty quickly though, and had proceeded to badger Sabo for all the details about their little brother. Sabo had been only too happy to oblige, eager to know more about the pirate that had captured his attention and interest.
"He what?!" Ace had shouted upon hearing about Luffy's escapade on the execution platform. "How'd he get out of that?"
Sabo chucked. "A lightning strike hit the stand and destroyed it. It practically fried Buggy but Luffy brushed it off like it was nothing. He just stood up in the middle of the wreckage and said 'that was lucky'!"
"The execution platform was destroyed?" Ace had asked, a strange expression briefly crossing his face. Sabo had nodded. "Good. Remind me to thank Luffy when I see him."
The cabin door clattered open, dragging Sabo back to the present, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Ace step out into the weak winter sunlight. He had thrown on a long black trench coat and was lazily buttoning up the front.
Ace caught his inquisitive gaze and grinned. "I figured I'd best cover up the tattoo. The information I got about this place is that they've had problems with pirates recently. They might be more willing to share if they don't know I'm one," he explained.
"Good thinking. Plus, they'd probably think it weird you didn't seem bothered by the cold," he added, as a chilly gust of wind rattled the ship's sails. "Although, considering it's a winter island, I thought we'd see a bit more snow," he mused, glancing up at the surprisingly clear skies.
Ace laughed. "Sorry, that's probably my fault. It never snows around me anymore. Luffy would be disappointed if he ever found out, he loves the stuff," he grinned.
Sabo nodded. "Well, you've done us a favour, anyway."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, now we won't have to pretend not to see the locals who are approaching us," he said, discreetly glancing up and to the left, towards the riverbank that towered over them where he could sense people approaching.
Ace followed his gaze and caught sight of a man ducking for cover in the tree line. He grinned. "Guess we don't."
"Pirates!"
The two turned to the other bank and towards the voice. An imposing man with slicked black hair stared down at them, his deep green tunic and armor-plated arms standing out sharply against the backdrop of fluffy white snow. He was flanked by several others, and each one had their weapons trained on the pair. Sabo eyed the weaponry with an expert eye and was a little dismayed at the wear everything showed. If it wasn't dented, it was blunted.
"Pirates! I ask that you depart peacefully, immediately!" the man ordered, arms crossed. The command was backed up by the sound of dozens of rifles being cocked.
If it had been anyone other than the two stood quietly on deck, it might have been an imposing display of strength, but as their boat drifted in the current, Sabo could see the faces of the men were either very old, or very young. Besides the man staring them down, there were very few able-bodied men amongst them. And despite the heavy winter gear they were wearing to protect them from the harsh elements, out the corner of his eye, he could see many were trembling.
Sabo cast Ace a quick glance and saw he had also noticed the naked fear on the men's faces.
The blond sighed and stepped forward slowly. "We can't leave yet, I'm afraid. We have business to attend to here," he explained. He didn't miss how nearly all the men glanced to the large man in green to gauge his reaction. He was obviously the current appointed leader.
"We don't do business with pirates. And yes, we know you're pirates. The man behind you is Fire Fist Ace, is he not?" the man gestured.
"Damn," Ace cursed, although he smiled pleasantly. "Guess the coat was pointless?"
Sabo silently cursed the fact that Ace was so well known. He didn't usually work with people who were so easily recognisable at first sight. Protection of one's identity was key in the Revolutionary Army and it was imperative to be careful of who knew such information. If the marines were ever able to put a name to a face, stealth work was out of the question. It had actually been Ivankov's downfall, to become so well known.
"I'll ask again, please leave our island quietly and no one will come to harm," the man repeated firmly.
"Look, yes, Ace is obviously a pirate, but I promise you, we're not here to cause trouble. I'm actually hoping to prevent any trouble," said Sabo. "I have some information for you."
"We're not interested in whatever it is you have to share."
"It's about Wapol," Sabo informed them.
The men's reactions were instantaneous, with dozens of voices shouting "Spies!" and others crying from pure dread. Panic quickly set in, which hadn't been Sabo's intention, but at least he had the men's attention now.
"We're not with the tyrant," said the blond, raising his voice slightly so that the leader, who had notably paled at Sabo's revelation, could hear him. The leader appeared to remain steadfast in the wake of his men's near hysteria but Sabo could see the unspoken fear in his eyes. "My name's Sabo. I'm a Revolutionary. If you'll let us dock the ship, I'll tell you everything we know about Wapol's recent activities. And in return, we're hoping you might be able to assist us," he admitted hopefully.
The man considered the request. "What do you need our assistance for?"
"I need to seek out a doctor, and Ace needs help finding someone who might have passed through recently."
"A pirate and a Revolutionary," the man muttered, ignoring Sabo's words. The blond got the impression he was buying time to weigh up the pros and cons of letting them ashore. "You certainly make an odd pair."
"We're brothers," Ace supplied, helpfully.
The man frowned, his eyes jumping from one to the other, likely cataloging the obvious differences between them. "You certainly don't look like brothers."
"So?" the pirate asked, shrugging nonchalantly.
The man sighed heavily and finally dropped his arms, uncovering his broad chest for the first time.
"Dalton?" one of the men muttered, stepping forward. "What do you want us to do?"
There was a tense pause before the man, Dalton, waved at the few who had managed to keep their composure and weapons trained on the ship below, to lower their guard. They all fell back immediately.
"Let them dock. We'll take them into the village. Two of you run back and prepare everyone and tell them not to worry," Dalton ordered. Two young lads took off immediately. "If your information is useful, I will consider your request for our assistance."
Sabo and Ace shared a glance before the pair nodded amicably. It was the best they could hope for, given the current circumstances. Sabo wasn't about to withhold information that might very well save the islander's lives if they didn't feel like returning the favour. Besides, it wouldn't be too much trouble to make it seem like they'd left the island and return using Ace's striker to look for the information they both needed.
"Is this a good idea?" another man asked, worriedly glancing their way.
Dalton sighed again. "I'd be a fool not to listen to what they have to say, especially if it concerns Wapol."
"Spoken like a true leader," said Sabo.
xxx
Sabo took another sip of the tea, letting it soothe his throat which had started to go croaky from sharing all the information the revolutionary's sources had managed to uncover with the large man sat opposite of him.
Sabo had been discreetly watching Dalton out the corner of his eye for several minutes now, as the man digested all he could. He had been naturally alarmed to learn Wapol had been sighted so close to the vicinity of Drum Island, but Sabo could tell the man had once been military because he didn't let his emotions run away from himself.
Instead, he had, as bargained for on the shoreline, provided them with the information they had asked for in return.
There was indeed a renowned doctor still on the island, although where she was at any given day depended greatly on her mood and generosity. The locals referred to her primarily as the Witch and feared her greatly. Sabo wasn't worried; he had hunted down bigger quarry on much larger islands than Drum, after all.
However, it was the confirmation that the island had indeed had recent problems with pirates that had led to the biggest trouble of all, Sabo thought, glancing to his left to where Ace sat beside him, also silent and apparently lost in his thoughts.
Ace had been furious as he listened to Dalton's tale of death and destruction at the hands of a small group of pirates. His body had practically vibrated with undisguised rage. If Sabo hadn't already witnessed firsthand the control Ace had over his devil fruit when he was upset, he probably would have been as concerned as Dalton had looked when the flames had started to jump from his body.
Sabo had been disgusted that the ones calling themselves the Blackbeard Pirates had stooped as low as to attack unprovoked. The island and its people, already weakened by the tyranny of its former King, had really stood no chance at all at defending itself.
Sabo sighed unhappily, setting his teacup down on the table between them, the clank of china on wood rousing both men from their thoughts.
"And you say this all happened months ago?" the dark-haired man asked, quietly.
Dalton nodded. "Yes, I know the damage still looks relatively recent though. Being a winter island, we've struggled to rebuild quickly, you see. We need the wood resources for fuel, so progress has been slow."
Sabo followed the man's gaze out the window and towards a house across the street which still had its roof missing. He turned back to Dalton. "The Revolutionary Army can help you with resources if you want them. We can easily have a few shiploads of timber ferried out to you," he offered.
"Thank you, I shall consider the offer," Dalton replied softly.
"Are you sure Blackbeard wasn't looking for anything in particular?" Ace asked, also staring at the wrecked house. "No offence, but this place is pretty out of the way. I don't get why he'd come this far out."
Dalton shook his head. "True, we don't get many visitors. But no, they didn't appear to want anything but to cause destruction and mayhem. We tried reasoning with them and they laughed at us. We tried bargaining with them and they mocked us. Nothing we had interested them in the slightest."
Sabo saw Ace clench his fists tightly where they rested on his thighs.
"If I may, why are you following this man? Surely it would be best to leave him for the marines to deal with?"
Ace met the man's curious gaze. "He was a Whitebeard Pirate," he admitted. Dalton's eyes widened in surprise. "That devil fruit you probably saw him using… He killed one of our crewmates to get it. Then he quite literally jumped ship."
Sabo grimaced. He didn't generally keep up with the world of piracy, but even he knew the Whitebeard Pirates' reputation for being a family. For a crewmate to turn around and disregard the values that held the very fleet together would have been a hard thing to comprehend. Add in the fact that a friend who was obviously dear to Ace had lost his life, and it was no wonder he was so set about finding the traitor.
"So, he hadn't had his devil fruit for long, then, when he arrived here," Dalton concluded. Ace shook his head. "Well, that explains a few things."
"What?" Ace pressed.
Dalton grimaced. "Well, it looked to me like those pirates were stretching their legs, so to speak," he said.
Sabo and Ace both frowned, puzzled. "What do you mean?" the blond wondered.
"I mean, I've been training people on and off for years now and I know a practice run when I see one," Dalton explained. "It definitely seemed like they were testing themselves. Especially that big guy the other three followed. You know what it's like," he said, nodding to Ace. "Those first few months after you eat a devil fruit. It's like your skin doesn't quite fit anymore. You've got to learn what your body is capable of all over again."
"Are you saying," Sabo said slowly, "that it looked like Blackbeard was using this place to train?"
Dalton nodded. Ace stood up swiftly, knocking his chair to the floor. He ignored both it and the other two's startled gazes, instead making a beeline straight for the door. The couple of men posted outside both jumped when Ace threw it open with a loud bang and stomped away, leaving the door to bang weakly in the frigid wind.
"Should we go after him?" Dalton asked, hesitantly.
Sabo quickly shook his head, his instincts screaming at him to let Ace go for the time being. "No, he won't go far and it's probably best to let him cool off," he said, absently reaching for Ace's fallen chair and correcting it. "I'll go find him in a little while."
xxx
Ace carefully picked his way through one of the still-wrecked houses. He was a little ashamed of running out and leaving Sabo to pick up after him, but he had needed some fresh air. He had hardly been able to breathe as he had listened to Dalton's story. He had been chasing Blackbeard for a long time, trying to retrace his steps after he fled from the Moby Dick, but before today, the trail had always led him to larger islands, places Blackbeard could blend in easily with his small band of followers. He had never seen them leave such devastation in their wake before. Yes, there had been the odd destroyed or stolen ship - the expected confrontations with other pirates that crossed paths with them - but never had Ace seen them outright destroy entire villages.
It was heartbreaking what these people had suffered at the hands of both their King and Blackbeard, he thought, his boot crunching on an old and broken photo frame. The picture within was missing, but hopefully it had been recovered by the former inhabitants as they scrambled to save all they could from their ruined home.
Ace crouched down, mindful of the broken glass and shattered wood scattered about him, and carefully pulled a plank of what looked to have once been a floor panel, possibly from the ruined ceiling above him. He examined it, running a finger along the broken end. Whilst it was certainly a jagged break, it was clean, like it had been snapped sharply in two. Shaking his head ruefully, he tossed the plank to the ground and rose to his feet.
"It's not your fault, you know. What happened here."
Ace closed his eyes and drew in a shaky breath, resolutely keeping his back to his brother. It seemed Sabo hadn't lost any of his ability to see straight through Ace and deduce exactly what he was thinking.
"Isn't it?" he asked weakly. The sharp sting of tears threatened to overwhelm him, but he choked them down. "Blackbeard was in my division. I'm the one who isn't able to catch up to him to stop this kind of thing from happening!"
"Ace," Sabo said firmly, in a tone the pirate had usually associated with being spoken to Luffy. "From what you said, no one could've predicted any of this. Not your friend finding that devil fruit, and not Blackbeard wanting it. And certainly not what he would do to get his hands on it."
"Maybe not," Ace agreed reluctantly, finally turning to the blond. "But that doesn't mean it's not my responsibility."
He gave the house one final cursory look before slowly making his way back towards his brother. As he approached, he could see the deep green of Dalton's tunic in the distance. It wasn't at all surprising that they weren't going to be left completely alone until they departed the village, but Ace was grateful to the man for at least giving them the illusion of privacy.
Sabo offered Ace an encouraging smile as he stepped onto the solid ground beside him. Ace was suddenly struck with an overwhelming feeling of nostalgia. It was the same tentative but welcoming smile that Sabo had shown him when they'd first met all those years ago, two filthy strays standing small but proud amongst the garbage of a fetid city. Still unable to believe he was seeing that smile and face again after thinking it was lost forever, Ace clapped his brother's shoulder, squeezing it lightly in silent thanks. He was more grateful than he could express with words that he hadn't had to face this reality alone.
"Dalton doesn't know which direction Blackbeard went, unfortunately," said Sabo, as the two slowly meandered back towards their host, who seemed to be conferring with a couple of messengers.
"No surprise there," replied Ace, shrugging. Drum Island was close to the entrance of the Grand Line and he already knew from his quick visit to Little Garden that Blackbeard hadn't backtracked to the Red Line. He had a few ideas in mind as to where he could look next. He chanced a look at the tall blond walking in sync next to him and wondered whether he could persuade his brother to travel with him a little further. He had no idea where the Revolutionary Army's headquarters was located, or what Sabo had planned after finding the island's doctor, but he hoped they were headed in the same direction, at least for a little while. He hadn't let himself feel the loss of Sabo's steadfast presence after the initial shock and grief had worn off, but now that he was back, Ace was beginning to realize just how much he had missed it.
He honestly felt like a bundle of mixed emotions. He was ecstatic that Sabo was alive, upset, and, if he was completely honest with himself, a little hurt that Sabo didn't remember either of his brothers. He was also angry and frustrated that he was getting nowhere in his hunt for Blackbeard. It was exhausting, Ace thought. The last time he had felt so unsettled was when he had been offered a home aboard the Moby Dick, despite repeated attempts on the captain's life.
"So, you have any idea who else Blackbeard might have had with him?" Sabo enquired curiously. "From all accounts, this couldn't have been done by only one man."
"No one else has left the Moby Dick, so I think he was acting alone while he was part of the crew, but he was a loner. Used to disappear off by himself for weeks at a time. No one was concerned, though. We all take time off when we want to. There's no rule that says we have to stay, and since most of us had our own crews before we joined, it's pretty common for whole divisions to be away at a time. He definitely has some guy called Jesus Burgess with him right now; I think he's known him a while. They met up really quickly after Teach defected. He's pretty strong and I reckon it was him who practically ripped that house back there apart," Ace explained. Sabo's jaw clenched and his gaze darted back to the house in question. "One of the last places I tracked him down to, the locals swore there must have been a sniper too, but they never saw him. Instead, they only found the odd body that'd been shot," his sighed.
"Okay, well that's three we know of for definite," the blond summarised.
Ace had to his smile at Sabo's use of the word 'we'. He still had some doubts as to whether Sabo really did believe his story; it probably hadn't occurred to the blond that Ace knew exactly how he acted when he was proceeding with caution, and he was currently behaving exactly the same at twenty as he had at five when they'd first met. The biggest clue that he was gradually warming up to the pirate though, was the use of plurals. It had surprised Ace the first time Sabo had referred to them as 'we', or 'us', but he had quickly warmed to it. It had been exhilarating, to feel such unity with another person after spending years in the company of bandits who were more fearful of a child than any person who called themselves a 'bandit' should be.
"Hey, you never said," Sabo observed, and Ace walked several more paces before he realised the blond had stopped.
"What?" he asked with a frown.
Sabo's brow was furrowed. "What devil fruit does Blackbeard actually have?"
Ace realised with a jolt that he hadn't. "Oh, it's called the yami yami no mi," he said, the very name leaving a bad taste in his mouth. He was surprised to see Sabo pale alarmingly.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice almost inaudible across the short distance between them.
"Yeah," the pirate replied. "I guess you've heard of it?" It wouldn't surprise Ace if his brother had; Thatch had certainly seemed confident in exactly which devil fruit he'd found when he had proudly shown it off.
"Oh, I've heard of it, alright," Sabo admitted, crossing his arms. "And I can't say I'm too happy to hear that someone like Blackbeard has eaten it."
Before Ace could think of a reply – he hadn't actually done any research on the devil fruit, he just knew the general basics, and he couldn't see what made it so terrible other than the fact it was being used by Blackbeard – the crunching of snow under boot caught the pair's attention.
Dalton nodded amicably, drawing to stop before them and passing Ace the black coat he had left inside. "The messengers have returned. It seems the Witch, Doctor Kureha, was sighted in Gyasta only yesterday. She doesn't tend to stay down in the villages for long, though, so she's probably returned to Drum Castle." The man pointed to one of the mountains standing formidably in the distance. "Drum Castle's on the summit of that mountain."
Ace snorted, shrugging into his coat and turned to his brother. "Hope you're prepared for a hike, Sabo." The blond grinned in response.
"Living all the way up there, she doesn't strike me as the type to receive many visitors," he noted.
Dalton shook his head. "I can't say I advise you to traverse the mountain. Whilst Doctor Kureha is an amazing physician, I'm not certain she'll help you," he admitted. "She tends to exploit her patients, and well, neither of you look like you have anything to pay her with," he said, eyes darting between Sabo and Ace.
The pirate shrugged. "Doesn't matter if we do or not, I'm sure she'll help. Between the two of us, I'm sure we can persuade her."
Dalton sighed heavily, silently admitting defeat. "Well, if you insist. We can provide you with warmer clothing for your journey and you can set off in the morning."
Sabo darted a glance at Ace, who nodded discreetly. "We'll leave now. No point waiting around," he informed the surprised man, who spluttered.
"But! But it's nearly night and you don't want to be climbing the mountains in the dark! The temperatures will plummet! Although," he broke off abruptly and looked to the clear skies. "It is unseasonably warm right now… But still, It's not worth the risk!" he insisted.
Ace smirked. "The weather and dark won't trouble us. There's no point hanging around. This doctor could leave the castle again if we wait overnight," he pointed out.
Dalton huffed. "Very well. I can't say I'm happy about this, but if you insist."
Ace laughed. "We'll be fine! Thank you for your help," he professed, bowing deeply. Sabo titled his hat in his own thanks.
"Y-you're welcome!" Dalton stammered, taken aback.
Ace and Sabo had barely gone ten yards before he called after them.
"Oh! I forgot! Be careful of the monster that witch has!"
Ace and Sabo both froze. They glanced at each other, eyes wide in surprise.
"Monster?"
xxx
"I don't care what that Deaton guy says -"
"Man, you're as bad as Luffy! It's Dalton!"
"- that creature certainly doesn't sound like a monster to me," Sabo finished, ignoring Ace's interruption.
"It doesn't?" Ace asked, glancing back over his shoulder. They'd both agreed that Ace should go first, the unnatural heat from his body being able to melt some of the snow in their path.
Sabo snorted. "No. A lot of people view some of my fishmen colleagues as monsters too, but they're simply misunderstood. Just because they look different on the outside, it doesn't mean they're not the same inside. I mean, I've had a blood transfusion from a fishman before!"
Ace started. "You have? Do I want to know why you needed a blood transfusion in the first place?"
"Probably not," Sabo waved aside the other's concern. That incident had been years ago, anyway.
"So you reckon this creature is just misunderstood, the same as a fishman?"
"All we've heard so far is that it attempted to attack Wapol once," said Sabo absently, eyes fixed firmly on the tree line where he could just make out a few animals in the foliage. They were rather large, he thought mildly. "Sounds to me like the villagers should be offering a hand of friendship. Especially if Wapol really is returning. Maybe it could help them," he suggested.
"Hm, maybe," replied Ace. His shoulders slumped. "From what you say about this Wapol guy, he's the cowardly type, right? Someone who only cares about his own safety?"
"Without a doubt."
"Great," he retorted. "If he's coming back then he must've heard that Blackbeard is long gone from the area and I'm just chasing a cold trail again!" he exclaimed, despondent.
Sabo reached out and caught Ace's elbow. Ace turned to him, surprise decorating his face. He raised an inquisitive brow at the blond.
"Ace, listen. When you do find Blackbeard, you need to be careful," he stressed. "The yami yami no mi is no joke. I can't remember exactly what abilities it bestows on the user but it isn't something to be taken lightly. It's known to be one of the most powerful and dangerous devil fruits out there," he explained.
Ace frowned contemplatively and finally nodded. "I'll be careful," he promised, but his eyes were hard. "I'm not gonna run away from him, though."
He turned and stalked ahead, the snow melting quickly around him. The figures that had been shadowing them since they'd started up the mountain trail scattered fearfully from him. Sabo caught a glimpse of long claws and ears – rabbits of some sort then – before they disappeared from sight.
"I was afraid you'd say that," Sabo muttered. He watched after his self-proclaimed brother for several long seconds before following at a more sedate pace, his boots quickly sinking into the damp earth.
XXX
Next Chapter: Doctor Kureha
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