San Sebastian, despite its name, was covered with a thick mantel of snow. The sky was still cloudy and the wind played with the snowflakes in a reverse snowfall. Ace couldn't really feel the cold, or better it wasn't harmed by it, but he was still grateful of the freezing breeze. His head was still dizzy for all the party they had thrown in the last two days.

He understood him joining the crew was something big enough to be celebrate, but they had gone too far. And if Ace said so, it means they definitely had went too far. And theoretically both him and Sabo were minor and not supposing to drink... But they also were pirates so they didn't give a fuck and they had drunk so much Ace was sure he had more rum in his veins that blood.

So he rested on the railing, trying to clear his head. He heard the voices of his new crewmates leaving the ship for the snow ground, but only when Sabo was there, Ace stood up and looked at them. He was wondered if throw a snowball against one of the Commander could be a good idea, when the said snowball hit him in the face.

Sabo was there, with a satisfied smile in the face. The other men, despite their being old pirates, had already joined the battle, and soon enough Ace was there with them, throwing how much snowballs as he can. He didn't need gloves, as the nose and the cheeks of the other were now bright pink. One could hardly beat in a snowball battle someone that didn't get cold.

The battle stopped only when one of the pirates noticed the arrival of the crew they were waiting for - a brave act that costed him to be buried with snowball, since everyone though he was lied to distract them. But he was right, the poor guy, so Sabo, as wiping his red face from the snow, stood up to greeted them.

"Squardo! How are you?"

"Sabo, it's a pleasure to see you. Snowball battle?"

They shook their hand and patted their shoulder like old mates. "You can join if you like."

"I think I'm gonna pass this time."

Ace was a little behind, but he was looked curious at the crew. He knew that the emperors have a lot of crew under their command - after all, it been said that in the New World you can survive only if you got the protection of one of them. But it was the first time Ace met one of said crew, especially now that he was actually a part of an emperor's crew, which was still a little unrelieved. He got near only when Sabo nodded to him.

"Can I introduce Ace to you? He and his crew just joined us."

"Nice to meet you" Ace said with a smile, lifting his hand.

Squardo shook his hand, but his face was still on Sabo's. "Joining joining?" It was more common for crews to become alley. And, at the same time, it was curious for Whitebeard to ask someone to join him, since how big the crew was now. Ace knew all this very well.

"Yes" Sabo confirmed, and Ace showed, under his open coat, the bandages that covered his new made tattoo.

"Wow. Nice to meet you, mate." Finally, Squardo looked at him and he was actually impressed, but happy.

"You know, Ace came from my past" Sano said, with a lot of enthusiasm. "We're brothers."

Squardo blinked. "Oh." He probably knew about Sabo's amnesia.

"Sworn brothers" Ace specified, with an amused smile. "We definitely aren't alike."

"Oh, well..."

Any other discussion was interrupted by Marco, still on board. "Pops is waiting" he announced. "Are you done with the idle talk?"

Sabo looked at him annoyed, but then sighed. "We're coming." Both him and Squardo looked at Ace, but he shook his head.

"You got work to do. We'll get in touch later." He was the last in that crew, and he didn't want to be treated better just because one of the Commander was his brother. He could handle be like everyone else in the crew. So he turned to the others crewmates, ready to restart the snowball battle.

Marco wondered if it was a good idea for Sabo to go around and tell everyone that Ace was someone he had met in the past. It wasn't a secret, of course, and in the crew everyone knew, as much as they knew it was just a coincidence because Pops asked him to join long before finding out about his tie with Sabo.

Still, Marco wondered if their alley would be cool about that, and if they could give Ace a change other than his relationship with Sabo. Luckily, Squardo didn't seem so fazed by it, only a little bit surprised. Which was understandable.

"What?" Sabo looked at Marco, suspicious.

"What what?" Marco replied.

"You got that frown" Sabo pointed out. "The frown said you're worried."

Marco rolled his eyes. "Sure I am. You almost started a war."

"Hey. It wasn't my fault. Kaido should tell better his men, that's it."

Marco smirked: of course it was joking. He gentle touched his red cheeks, and then arranged better his scarf. Sabo pouted, but for the joke and for the act, and he didn't move. "I can dress by myself, you know."

Squardo, who was two step ahead, chuckled. "Marco is just scared to lose his place as brother."

Sabo blinked. "What do you mean?"

But they reached Pops' office before they could start some embarrassed conversation. Marco wasn't scared. On the contrary, he was happy Sabo got someone from his past that loved him so much. He was just worried that things could get out of control, which was a normal worry for a big brother. Because yes, Marco was still Sabo's big brother. And also Ace's now.

"Finally" was Izou's way to greeted them.

Squardo raised his arms. "Sorry. I got caught in a snowball battle." The other Commanders looked at Sabo, who just shrugged.

"I'm sorry I distracted you from such an important matter" Pops said, with an amused smile. Then his tone became serious. "But I'd like to hear what you know about Kaido's problem before anything else. Then I promise you we'll welcome you better."

"No problem, Pops." Squardo shook his hand in dismiss. "I was just listen about this new guy, Ace, and how it is connected with our Sabo... And I could have some information about-" He stopped, because all the Commanders were looked at him with wide eyes, making him realized the big mistake he did. But it was too late.

"You got information about me?" Sabo was already near him. "What kind of information?"

"Nothing really important" Squardo stuttered. "Just something that came in my mind speaking about Ace, but it's not..."

"Tell. Me."

Squardo looked around, searching for some sympathy or help, but none of the Commanders were useful. They just watched, knowing that Squardo put himself in trouble and in no way Sabo would have let it go now. Marco just nodded: he better told him everything.

"Some voices... They says that Doflamingo has a peculiar Devil's Fruit user in his crew. A fruit that can read minds."

"And how could that help me?" Sabo was disappointed. Marco was inclined to agree with him: Sabo needed to remember, not having someone else told him what was in his brain. He already got Ace for that. Still, Marco was relieved. The last thing he wanted was Sabo going after Doflamingo just because of that.

"No idea. I told you it was nothing really important!" Squardo was outrages.

"Yet you told me."

Squardo sighed, looked at Marco that shook his head. "Yes, because you forced me to do. Still... Devil's fruit got more powers that usually. Who knows, maybe it is able to find your memory in your brain and bring it back."

Now Sabo was interesting. His eyes were wide, and the other could almost hear his brain working. When he turned his head to them, Marco groaned. From the expression on Sabo's face, Marco just knew he had already set up his mind and he was ready to convince them to approve it. And Marco also knew they would give up soon enough. He was the first one not able to tell Sabo a no.

"I think it's worth a try" Sabo said. "Doflamingo lives in Dressrosa, right? Me and Ace could be there in less than a week. Not a very long time."

"Son..." Pops began.

"I know we're in the middle of something with Kaido, but it's nothing you couldn't handle by yourself, right?" He looked directly to Marco, and smirked. Marco rolled his eyes, but didn't speak.

"And I'll be back in no time. Can I go? Pleaseee..."

Marco groaned. With that puppy eyes, there was no way any of them could tell him not to go. He looked at Pops' face, just to find out that even him has already surrendered.

"Go, son. I only hope you won't be disappointed."

"And don't put a fight with Doflamingo, yoi!" Marco yelled to him. They definitely couldn't afford to be at war both with Kaido and the Government. But Sabo had already left the room, leaving Marco nothing but sighed.

Ace didn't like Dressrosa, that was his conclusion after a couple of hour there. Everything looked fake, starting from their king. True pirates held a grudge against Warlord, but for Doflamingo things were even worse, and not only for his attitude. Pirates weren't suppose to be king - not in that way.

Still, they should speak with him and spend time in that island, two things that didn't make Ace happy. Lucky, the hope to recover Sabo's memory was enough to keep him on the line.

"So, what is your plan?" Ace asked Sabo, as they finished their meal in the restaurant of the hotel they had chosen as their base.

"I wonder..." Sabo burped. "I mean, it's fairly impossible Doflamingo will be just okay with it, even if we ask him nice. And I'm asking if the better solution is just wait for him to find us."

"Well, we definitely didn't keep a low profile." And Ace nodded at the enormous pile of dirty dishes they have on their table.

Sabo smiled. "We go nothing to hide. But, at the same time, maybe it'll be better to surprise him before he got the time to realize we're here."

"And, I have to admit, I'd like to turn back sooner than later." He joined few days ago and he had to leave the crew already. "Waiting for him could take days."

"Or weeks. He's a smart son of a bitch." Sabo leaned on his chair. "So my plan is to just smashed the door of his palace and ask him a meeting."

Ace looked at his satisfied smirk in awe. "And I used to be the reckless one."

"Is that a yes?"

Ace didn't answer, but smiled, so Sabo jumped up and stormed out of the restaurant. Ace followed soon after.

The palace was at the top of a small hill, and it had good surveillance. They walked around to check a weak point to use. Ace was sure they could handle all the guards altogether, but that would take time he wasn't willing to spend. So, when they arrived to the steeper part of the hill, he grabbed Sabo's arm.

"Do you mind a fly?"

Sabo looked at him, curious. "I got Marco as brother, but he rarely let me fly, so I'm all for it."

"Keep tight." Ace didn't informed him that Marco had made him fly, because it was just a poor excuse to kidnap him. He focused on his plan, that consisted to aimed with his palm at the ground and then shot fire to push themselves in the air.

It wasn't a move he used usually, because it was hard to control the drive, but it definitely was useful in that kind of situation. And maybe he really needed to use it better. They were shot in the air, so high they could see the palace small in the distance.

"Here" Sabo pointed out. "I felt their presence."

Ace drove the fire to made sure they were above the place Sabo undivided, then just erased all the flamed. They started falling, so they left each other to prepare themselves to hit the ground. They landed in the behind garden of the palace, lifting a mist of earth and open a not so small chasm.

"Oh, sorry" Sabo said, with a casual tone not very sorry. "I'd like to meet the king, but I'm not really into netiquette, so I just skip the formality."

Doflamingo laughed. "But you sure didn't skip the drama. Really nice show, I had to admit." He didn't look as surprised as he should be, but definitely the big flame Ace had used was a giveaway of their arrival. Still, Ace was sure that his calmness was a very good act, because the rest of his crew looked concerned, ready to attack.

"What do the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates... and Fire Fist Ace?" Doflamingo looked at Ace under his glassed, his smirk still in his face. "Now I know why we haven't got news from you recently."

Ace blinked, a little surprise, but then smirked. "Yeah, I've been busy. Nice to know that my career is followed even by a Warlord."

"It's hard not to, after your refusal of joining us."

"Well, he chose a better group" Sabo chipped in, in a very protective matter. "Now, can we speak about business... alone." His gaze was on the guards and the prostitutes and the other member of the crew.

"You got a very powerful bodyguard and I can't keep one?" But Doflamingo didn't seem scared at all, or upset. He kept smiling, and then nodded. "Go." As everyone left the garden, Doflamingo returned his attention to them and widened his arms. "Now we're alone."

Sabo took a couple of minutes. "I've heard you have, in your crew, someone that can read mind. I'd like to borrow him."

Doflamingo became serious. "Well, I can't confirm I have such a interesting power... But if I have, why do you want it?"

"I want him to read in my mind."

Now Doflamingo was surprised. "If it isn't an unusual request. I wonder..."

"None of your business" Ace interrupted. Sabo was unease, he could feel. He didn't know how many people outside the crew were aware of his condition, but sure Doflamingo wasn't on the list and, at least for now, it wouldn't be. "Either you have that power, then give us your price, or you haven't, so we're both waste our time."

Doflamingo smirked. "So it is better be a bodyguard than a government dog, I suppose" he commented. "I'll think about that and let you know" he added, after the glare Ace threw him. It didn't scare him, Ace knew, but still he got his nerve.

"Think fast. We didn't have much time" Sabo affirmed. "Let's go." He regretted to order Ace a second later, giving the satisfied smirk Doflamingo shot them, but Ace didn't mind. Sabo was a Commander for the reason he was the right person, and he respected that. He accepted the deal of a new Captain and of a Commander when he had joined and he was okay with that.

As they left the palace, nobody spoke. They made nothing wrong, but still having to deal with someone so dirt as Doflamingo made them definitely uneasy. Ace would be happy only when they would be the hell out of that damn island.

"Do you mind if I join?"

Ace was sitting at the counter, and turned his head at the young man who was pointed at the free chair next to him. "No. No problem." He inspected him, wondering if Doflamingo send someone to check on them, or he was just searching for a place to drink.

"I'm Jonas" he introduced himself.

"Ace." His handshake was firm, but not hard. Ace decided to trust him, for now.

"So, can I offer you something to drink?"

"Actually..."

In that same moment, Sabo came back with two glasses in his hands. "Found them!" He noticed Jonas and frowned.

Ace smiled. "That was I was trying to say."

"Oh. I didn't know you had already company. Sorry."

"Well, you could stay... Sabo, may I introduce..." But Jonas left the chair and came back to the table he was sit before without a word. Ace felt a little disappointed, even if now he could be sure Jonas wasn't a Doflamingo's spy.

Sabo sat down next to him and passed him one of the glasses. "Do you notice he was hitting on you, do you?"

"Really?" Ace turned his head to look at Jonas. He had already joined another table. "Well, too late, I suppose."

"Was it your first time?"

"No, it happened before." Ace drank his glass and sighed. "But sometime it was hard understand if they wanted to fuck me or arrest me."

Sabo laughed. "One of the problem of being a pirate."

"Yeah..." Ace smiled slightly. "And besides I never get why people would hit on me."

"That's because you're hot" Sabo stated, as a matter of fact.

"You think so?"

"Yep." He was smiling behind the glass. "You got a nice, muscular body, with a nice ass. Piercing black eyes, mild face, and that freckles..."

"Okay, that's enough" Ace interrupted him, slightly red on his cheek. "That's kinda embarrassing."

"Hey, you asked for it." Sabo was clearly amused.

"I made a lot of mistake in my life." But he was smiling too. "I will trust you about my hotness, but please let's not talk about this anymore."

"As you wish." Sabo moved his glass, letting the ice tinkling. He didn't want the argument to end, but he didn't know how to go on either. "Don't you recognize hotness?" he asked, at least.

"Not really. I mean, I can like someone, but I don't really grasp the concept of beauty." Ace was speaking with a nostalgic tone. "Maybe it was because I grew up in a forest, and I really didn't have much time to think about that before reaching the Red Line."

"And after?"

"Neither, actually." Ace stopped a little, to think about that. "I had sex with some people I like, and I enjoyed it, but it's not something I search for. I'm not the one starting it. So physical appearance is not something I pay attention to."

"I see."

"What about you?"

"Well..." Sabo sighed, and he leaning on his chair. "I lived in a crew of one thousand and six hundred man, all of them with their preferences. And they all gave me a vivid example of said preferences. So I got to decide what exactly I like."

Ace smiled. They definitely had difference experiences in life. Ace wouldn't mind to much, since he was something they accounted when they had decided to become brothers, but the problem was Sabo having all his experience without his previous memories.

"Hey, what about you and me?"

"You and me what?"

"Having sex. It could be fun."

"Oh." Ace looked at his hope expression, and felt bad. Again, the difference that ten years without memory made were showing. "I'm sorry, Sabo, but I won't feel very comfortable with it. I like you, but..."

Sabo understood immediately. "Oh, sure. Sorry. That was inappropriate."

"It's fine, don't worry."

They remained in silence, drinking from their glass. Ace still felt a little embarrassed, but more than that he was reflecting about growing up with Sabo in Goa. That definitely would have helped explaining things to Luffy, but at the same time Ace wondered how much their relationship would have been different. He liked this Sabo, and he was his Sabo nevertheless. But still, difference were there. And Ace should accepted them.

Breaking the silence was one of Doflamingo's men, coming in the pub searching for them. "Young Master will see you. Please come with me." It was the distraction they both need, so they hurried after him.

"That was fast" Ace commented. "Maybe too fast."

Sabo nodded, but said nothing. They followed the man until the palace.

That second time, Doflamingo met them in the throne room. He wasn't alone, the jelly looking man from before was sitting next to him, but Sabo decided to pay no attention. It was very highly that the man already knew everything. He waited for the man that had accompanied them to leave, and he didn't sit down in the armchair Doflamingo was indicated.

"So?"

"There something I need to do, but I can't leave the island, neither send someone of my crew" Doflamingo began. "It's not something I can entrust to anyone, but we can made an agreement... with the little mind reader you'd like."

"What's this something?"

Doflamingo nodded to his men, who advanced a few meters, enough to pass Sabo a piece of paper. Ace came close and look at it behind his shoulder. It was a bounty of a boy with very angry eyes. Ace read the name: Trafalgar Law. No, he didn't knew him. He checked the bounties from time to time, because it was important to gather informations about rivals, so it meant that probably this Law wasn't someone very famous right now. Even is bounty was very low.

Sabo raised an embrowns, waiting for an explanation.

"This boy is a member of my family" Doflamingo said. "I thought the marine had arrested him time ago, then that happened. I'd like to have him back."

"By force, I suppose."

"No, I don't think it'll be necessary. He used to be very loyal, just put his trust in the wrong person." Doflamingo realized he was talking too much, and he shut down suddenly. "Anyway, he's trying to come back, but that could take years. With you as guide, he'll be there in no time."

"Where is he now?"

"West blue." Doflamingo faked a sigh. "I know it'll be strange for a Whitebeard Commander to leave the Red Line, but it is something I really need... And that we'll make me really collaborative."

Ace didn't like the idea of travel so far. Not that his striker couldn't take the distance, but he was in the New World for just few months, and in the Whitebeard's crew for few days. He'd like some time to settle. But Sabo just nodded.

"Okay."

So Ace didn't have a word in the matter.

"I'm glad we have an agreement" Doflamingo chanted happily. Everything about that man was fake and irritating. "So, for just celebrate this... Violet, please."

Both Ace and Sabo had felt the presence of the woman as they had entered in the room, but now they got the chance to look at her as she approached Doflamingo. She was a beautiful woman, with a dance dress, but her expression war cold, of stone. Ace guessed she wasn't happy at all, but he couldn't get if the reason was their presence or something else.

"Violet, dear, would you please read this gentleman's mind for me?" Doflamingo touched her back casually, and she froze before barely nodded.

"Now?" Sabo's tone was a little too surprised, but he was caught off guard. Even Ace didn't expect Doflamingo to give up so easily.

"Just a little. To show that she really have this power, and my good will."

Ace looked at Violet as she put her hands in a strange position around her eyes. And he shivered. For the first time since Sabo dragged him in this adventure, he reflected how much dangerous was having the mind read by someone else. She could find about Luffy. Worse, she could find about his father, something Ace was hidden carefully.

Definitely not an information Ace wanted to give to a creepy man as Doflamingo.

Still, it was Sabo's desire, so he couldn't let his personal fear interfere. He just stood there, waiting for Violet to do her magic.

"No, it's okay." Sabo interrupted, agitating his hand. That caught Violet off guard, who stopped and looked at Doflamingo perplex. "I trust you to respect your part of the agreement when we'll come back."

Even Ace was surprised, but didn't ask anything and just followed Sabo out of the room, ignoring the piercing gaze Doflamingo was shooting them. Sabo didn't stop, not until they were far away from the palace. Only then, Ace noticed how much he was squeezed Law's bounty.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry, I can't do it."

"Do what?" Ace turned around Sabo to look at him in the eyes.

"In my mind... there's a lot of things. Pops' health, strength and weakness of my brothers, the position of our territories and our alley..." Sabo began. "I don't want anyone to know those. Especially someone as Doflamingo. So, when that woman came out... I panicked."

Ace felt bad. He had thought about his secret, but not Sabo's. No matter how much Sabo didn't remember, there were still seven years of memory that had the same importance of the ones he lost. Ace stole the bounty from his hand and burned him in a flash of flames.

Sabo's eyed widened, as he watched the ashes fallen as black snow. "But... How can I..."

"It's okay. We'll find another way."

"Marco and the others searched for years..."

"They are not me. But even if you won't remember... It's fine." Since Sabo was looking at him incredulous, he sighed. "It's not I don't want you to remember... But I believed you were death. And you're not. You being alive is more important that everything else, for me."

And he meant it. Ace was shocked when he had found out about Sabo's amnesty, but everything was attenuate by the thought that his brother was alive. Alive. He got a second chance with him, a second chance were Ace wasn't going to let him down.

"I understand your point" Sabo muttered. "But it's hard not to remember, especially after what you told me..."

"We'll find a way. But we can't sacrifice our family for it."

As the word 'our family' Sabo smiled. "Yeah. I'm not gonna do that. Never. Can you wait a little bit more?"

"Sure. Let's go home, shall we?"