Disclaimer: I am not responsible for any injury caused by the crap-tastic fight scene in this chapter. I tried my best, ok? ;_;


"Oyaji, I found this at the entrance to our Eastern base," Thatch announced, holding out a small device.

"Hm?" Whitebeard turned to the commander and eyed the item in his hand; a baby den den mushi. He raised an eyebrow and took it, studying it further. There was a black paper taped securely to its shell. Upon closer inspection he noted the white outline of a top hat. It didn't take him long to realise who it belonged to. "The brat's?"

"Yeah, I think. He must have left it for us," he stated, throwing his arms behind his head. He couldn't understand that kid, no matter how hard he tried. The boy hadn't contacted them since their search for Ace ended and, while he understood that they weren't necessarily allies, he wondered how they were expected to help each other. Sure, Whitebeard had a lot of man power and the Blue Gent was talented in finding out things nobody wanted him to know, but couldn't he have taken Blackbeard on his own? Of course he was glad for the support, but there was something strange about it; that kid was known for his fighting and, however much he didn't want to admit it, could probably take out some of the commanders singlehandedly. Was he just being cautious?

Before he could delve deeper into that thought the snail began making noise.

Purupurupurupuru. Purupurupurupuru.

Aside from the old man, he and Marco were the only ones there and the phoenix wasn't exactly in the mood for a meeting, so that left him and his boss. Oyaji placed the den den mushi on a stand beside his massive chair and answered the call. He waited.

"Greetings, gentlemen," a voice chorused through the snail's mouth, far too familiar for them to forget. His tone was confident and bold, as always. "A fine evening, is it not?"

"Oi, oi, get to the point—we're a little stressed out right now, you know?" Thatch said, lacing his words with exasperation. After losing one of his brothers he didn't want to deal with the Blue Gentleman's games. They heard a sigh.

"Very well, then, Thatchy." The older man grimaced at his choice of a nickname; it was the same as what some of his fellow commanders would call him and he hated it. "I've gathered some juicy intel," he stated proudly. Even though the blonde wasn't there with them it was clear he was grinning.

"What is it?" Newgate asked, resting his cheek on his knuckles.

"Blackbeard Teach was never after Fire Fist."

The room fell deaf. Marco heard from the far end of the space, his normally lidded eyes opening widely. Both commanders' mouths were agape as they tried to understand the boy's words. He killed Ace for no reason?

"…What do you mean?" Marco asked as he neared Oyaji, brows knitted together in serious contemplation.

"Ah, Phoenix is there, too?" They remained quiet, a little surprised over how well he could identify their voices after barely hearing them talk. "Teach wanted someone worth more to show off to the government. He wanted one of you."

"Then why would he kill Ace?" Thatch questioned as anger and frustration welled in his gut.

"Convenience." The Blue Gentleman paused to allow the word to sink in. "He was an easy target. But he made a bit of a blunder."

"And what's that?" Newgate's voice bellowed, watching his sons intently.

"He didn't expect officials to ask for the corpse. Didn't take it."

"Then where is it, yoi?" Marco asked, folding his arms to keep himself calm. The murder of his family member caused one type of anger he couldn't supress. With Ace dead, it was hard for him to keep his temper – which very few people knew he had – in check.

"That's the thing; Fire Fist—" Before the Blue Gentleman could finish there was a loud clank. All went quiet. Then shuffling was heard. Banging—gunshots. "Shit!"

"Oi, what's going on over there?" the 4th division commander asked, listening to the shifts and scuffles coming from the snail's mouth.

"Nothing, I'm—" Something metal scraped against stone before a foreign voice was caught, too quiet to understand. Then there was a loud, metallic slam followed by a thud. "—entertaining guests."

"Guests?"

"Very energetic guests." The blonde's voice was uneven and lacked its usual prowess. They could hear his den den mushi fall to the ground and shortly after there was a bang. The quiet returned. "I have business to take care of, gentlemen. Adieu." Before they could respond the line went dead.

"…What the hell just happened?"

"Not sure, but I don't like it, yoi," Marco replied, thinking deeply about what he heard. It was definitely a fight, but with who? Why? He knew he should doubt the boy, seeing as he was keeping something from them, but it was hard after all the help he'd given them. Something was off about the whole thing and, by the looks of it, Oyaji had reached the same conclusion.

"What should we do?"

"We wait," Newgate answered, deep voice resonating through the underground cellar of their base. "I won't risk any more of my sons. I trust the boy, for now."

The commanders faced each other and then turned back to their boss with curt nods.


Sabo sighed as the man he had strapped to a chair lost consciousness—couldn't handle the interrogation, he supposed. It was probably a good thing, seeing as he had to call Whitebeard for their 'meeting'. As a result of circumstance, he couldn't be there in person. Giving one last glance to the bloodied man he picked up his baby den den mushi—the one he used for his Underground business. As he waited for the line to be answered he fingered the edges of his mask. He was wearing it because the place he used for his interrogations had enough light to show his enemies his face. Didn't like how it felt, though.

There was a click, signalling that someone had picked up. He didn't bother to wait for him to speak.

"Greetings, gentlemen," he began, turning away from the light hanging from the ceiling. He placed his hand on the table and put all of his weight on it, getting into a more comfortable position. "A fine evening, is it not?" He stared out a small window located in the center of one of the stone walls and saw the stars and moon, noting that the light they brought with them meant he had to be careful while returning to High Town; the bit of extra brightness could tip off any pursuers that might tail him home. Ordinarily he could stick to the shadows and vanish in minutes but on as fine a night as that he would have to take extra precautions.

"Oi, oi, get to the point—we're a little stressed out right now, you know?" he heard a voice shout slightly. Giving a smile no one could see, he recognised him as Thatch. He was well aware of what the commander meant, seeing as he'd been keeping eye on Edward Newgate's moves as well as Teach's. The gang was searching for information as well, hoping to—at the very least—recover Ace's body for a proper burial. Funny enough, the corpse they were so desperate to find was in his brother's spare bedroom, alive.

"Very well, then, Thatchy," he teased, disappointed his fun was over before it began. "I've gathered some juicy intel." While saying that, he glanced back at the man tied to a chair a few feet away, wry grin on his face. It was rare for him to dirty his hands but every once in a while stealth wouldn't cut it. This was one of those times.

"What is it?" So the old man was there after all, huh? Good—he was hoping he wasn't only speaking to the 4th commander, seeing as Newgate needed this information far more than any other. He stopped to wonder about what to ask in exchange for his services once this whole ordeal was done and over with.

"Blackbeard Teach was never after Fire Fist." This wasn't really the most interesting of what he'd gathered and was simply what he heard from the goon behind him. What was on the tapes would remain his knowledge alone for the time being. He would need it later on.

Silence. If that was their reaction to something as small as that, what would they do if they were told Portgas D. Ace was alive? He snickered, imagining the looks on their faces.

"…What do you mean?" That was a surprise; after how affected Marco was when Ace 'died' he expected the man to refrain from attending meetings for a while. Was he there so he could be a part of Newgate's 'avenge Ace' plan?

"Ah, Phoenix is there, too?" Since no one bothered to say anything he assumed he was correct. "Teach wanted someone worth more to show off to the government. He wanted one of you." Though Fire Fist was a great asset with a heavy bounty on his head he was new to the gang—joined about a year ago—and before then he went rather unknown. The commanders above him had eluded the government for a long time. Marco had been on their most-wanted list for two decades. Jozu and Thatch were a force to be reckoned with, as well. Needless to say, Teach would prefer a more known catch and so Ace was targeted simply because of circumstance.

"Then why would he kill Ace?" The man was gaining a temper.

"Convenience," Sabo began, and then paused. "He was an easy target. But he made a bit of a blunder."

"And what's that?" Finally Newgate was engaged in the conversation. He needed the gang boss to hear this, to gage his reaction. He wanted to see if the man known as the ruler of the Underground could catch the meaning behind his words.

"He didn't expect officials to ask for the corpse. Didn't take it."

"Then where is it, yoi?" No, not you, Marco—let Whitebeard reply. He needed to know what he thought of that. Still, it was interesting to hear the agitation in his voice. That man was known for how laid-back he was. Was he close to Ace before he 'died'?

"That's the thing; Fire Fist—" A loud clank rang behind him. He spun to see that Blackbeard's goon was awake. Not only that; the chain holding him to the chair was severed into small links at his feet, yet he had no weapon to cut it. A Devil Fruit user? He didn't think of that. They stood still for a moment and the enemy eyed the gun Sabo confiscated on the ground between them. They both lunged at it. He cocked the gun and Sabo clasped his wrist, yanking the barrel from his masked forehead. The man in black fired in quick succession. The first bullet pierced Sabo's shoulder while the other two missed when he repositioned their arms, narrowly evading the blonde's ear. "Shit!"

"Oi, what's going on over there?" He could hear Thatch's voice from the dropped den den mushi on the floor as he struggled to dominate the enemy. Having no other option, he relinquished his hold and backed up to give his armed appendage a kick, knocking the pistol out of his hand. Before the enemy could react he dove to the ground, grabbed the firearm and held him at gunpoint. They both froze. Seeing that the man's retaliation stopped, he backed up and held the snail once more.

"Nothing, I'm—" His foe took that moment to charge him. Sabo tried to shoot but the gun was empty. The man probably knew that. Shit. Shit. Shit.

He crouched low and ran across the room to latch onto a metal pole that resembled a pipe; it was his weapon of choice. It appeared his opponent recognized it from their earlier scuffle because he visibly paled. Sabo dragged it along the ground, creeping closer with a wry grin hidden by his mask. The tables turned.

"Y-you won't get what you want," he declared, voice trembling as he watch the infamous Blue Gentleman approach. Sabo just smiled wider.

Without warning he sprinted at the man and slammed him across the skull with the pole. He dropped in seconds. Knowing that he was definitely unconscious now, he prepared to speak into the transponder snail once more. What was he saying again? "—entertaining guests."

"Guests?"

"Very energetic guests," he elaborated, kicking the downed man's side a few times to see if he would flinch. If that bastard faked it again he'd pound him until he was unrecognisable. It was bad enough that he could hear shifts around the building, indicated the enemy's company. Well, he was hoping there would be a challenge, but then he noticed how many there were. His jaw hung low as he saw their forms from the window. He dropped the den den mushi in shock. One of the goons outside the window raised his gun. Sabo tucked and rolled and the bullet zoomed past. He regained his composure, knowing that the last thing he needed to do was space out, as he recovered his grip on the snail-phone. "I have business to take care of, gentlemen. Adieu." He hung up and readied his pole. What a fun night.

He rose from behind the wall and jumped through the broken glass into the fray, smashing his pole across the shooter's head. His nose cracked and contorted. Blood coated his face and spewed from his mouth as he gripped the broken area. He cried out, falling to the ground. Sabo simply whipped his pole to get the excess red off its end.

Three men shot in unison but the Blue Gentlemen managed to dodge the bullets by leaping into the air. His foot came crashing down on one of their stomachs, sending the victim plummeting to the ground without breath. Someone came at him with a sword. He had some skills, but not enough. Sabo met it with his pole but the other two men continued to shoot. The bullets hit their weapons and luckily didn't damage his, other than making two small dents on its side. There were five others. Normally he would dominate in a situation like this. This wasn't a routine situation, though; he was hurt and bleeding fast.

He pushed the swordsman away and propelled forwards, planting the end of his pole on the man's neck, stopping just short of breaking his collar bone. Heaving heavy breaths, he turned. Who's next?

Suddenly the area was tinted in colour. He paused in recognition, looking around as the goons' body parts were dismembered, yet remained alive. The severed limbs and heads floated above as he spun his head around, looking for his acquaintance. It wasn't long before he spotted a dark man with a white and brown spotted hat.

"You're off today," Law noted, sauntering up to the blonde as his hands danced, swinging the bodies around his sphere. He stopped to take note of the shiny red gleam leaking onto Sabo's jacket.

"The friendly fellow inside decided to play Russian Roulette with my shoulder."

"That's your excuse?"

"Indeed it is."

"Why am I inclined to think that you provoked him?"

"Me? Never."

"Tell me or you can bleed out—your choice."

"…You play well, my friend."

"I try." Law meshed the different bodies together before releasing his sphere. The two quickly took out their alien forms and headed into Sabo's tiny hut. Upon entering he kicked the unconscious figure of his attacker once more, just to be sure. Law opened his case and removed a few bottle of antiseptic and lotion along with his gloves and tools. The bullet was logged deep in the blonde's shoulder still. "Remove your clothes."

Uncharacteristically, Sabo nodded and obeyed. He took off his jacket and white—now partially dyed red—shirt, revealing a gently muscled chest covered in different forms of scars. Law recognized all of them; hell, he treated most. He began inspecting the wound and pressing on different areas, causing the blonde to cringe. "How is it?" he questioned while wincing.

"It missed the bone, fortunate for you. Nothing you haven't dealt with before."

"It would be interesting to see a wound I haven't already suffered, Trafalgar," he teased. There was a lot of truth in that statement.

"So?"

"What?"

"Tell me—unless, of course, you know how to dislodge a bullet without damaging the surrounding nerves."

"Persuasive. You remind me more of myself every day. Makes me proud." Law gave his shoulder a rough tap, causing him to convulse and curse under his breath. He recognized this as the point where he had to speak seriously with his associate. "Blackbeard Teach—heard of him?"

"A member of the Whitebeard gang?"

"Former. He's the one who 'took out' Fire Fist."

"Explains the gaping chest wound. Go on." Law took his tools and spread the flesh apart carefully, locating the bullet. He heard the blonde whimper at that and gave in to the upward curve of his mouth. He saw the Blue Gentleman in the worst states of his life. He'd seen him cry out and scream in pain when even Luffy had not. Being a surgeon meant that you bore witness to the most desperate depths of humanity.

"I was doing a little 'checking up' on his motives. Seems he's got one hell of a war strategy cooked up."

"Know what it is?"

"Not fully, hence my friend over there."

"Keep me updated. I've been looking for some fun," he stated with a wicked grin as he finished cleaning, stitching and wrapping the wound. He gave his shoulder a pat just to see him cringe before he moved to replace all of his tools.

"What brought you here, anyways?" Sabo asked, rubbing the sore spot on his arm.

"Straw Hat."

"Luffy?"

"I went to check Sir Portgas and he asked me to keep an eye out for you."

Sabo sighed. "How much does he know?"

"Only that you're being uncharacteristically immature."

"…Shut up."


Sabo flung the bedroom door open, not bothering with keeping up appearances. After waking up with a throbbing shoulder wound and a medical bill that made even a noble like himself shiver, he wasn't in the mood for making up witty banter to go along with his visit. He saw the perplexed look on Portgas's face, probably wondering what happened to his usual bravado and why he was visiting in the first place.

"Babysitting, dear Portgas," he said simply as he dragged himself across the room and collapsed chest-first in his favourite padded chair, wishing to return to his earlier slumber. He spared himself the questioning glance of the fire user by burying his face into the seat's arm. "Luffy has…business," he mumbled into the fabric.

"In Low Town?" Sabo flinched at that. How much did his brother spill? The man had only been awake for a few days!

"Perhaps. I didn't inquire." An eerie stillness filled the room. Seeing as the man would usually never shut up, it wasn't hard to figure out that there was something on his mind. Luffy was the cause, no doubt. He picked himself up and sat properly in the chair, eyes narrowed to show his seriousness. "What did he say to you?"

"N-nothing," Ace stuttered, looking down at his sheets. He could still feel the blonde bastard's eyes on him, looking through him.

"Portgas," Sabo began, his voice dangerous and threatening, "tell me."

There was a long pause in which the fire user composed and glared right back into those wild, dark eyes. He swallowed loudly, indicating that the topic was a difficult one. "When you mentioned the slaves," he paused for a breath, "what did you mean when you said that you two aren't like the other nobles?" That question had been on Ace's mind for quite a time. He wanted to know. What made those two act so unlike the other bluebloods? What made him not hate them? Why did he find himself actually wanting to know more about his saviours, who he had previously rejected?

"Just what I said. We're different—that's all."

"What I want to know is why."

"No reason, really."

"You're lying."

"Am I?"

"You are."

"And what makes you say that?"

Ace paused, knowing he was going to regret his next words. It really wasn't his business—just forget it and talk about something else. Ask when that mentally unstable doctor was going to be around next. Inquire about the room they were in. Ask for food. Anything. "…You're a slave, right?" Anything but that, you idiot!


Omake

Law: -writes out bill and hands it to Sabo-

Sabo: ...This is robbery! No way my treatment was worth that much.

Law: I am a criminal, you know. Besides, it was a difficult procedure.

Sabo: Difficult how, exactly? You were talking to me the whole time—must not have required much conversation.

Law: That's because I'm a medical genius, Blue.

Sabo: -reads over bill- And what's this? Anesthesia? You didn't give me anything for the pain. Wait...why didn't you?

Law: No time.

Sabo: ...Why do I not believe that?


A/N: So that happened. Yeah. Sorry, I tried with the fight scene but I'm just so horrible at them :/ I've had almost no practice. Ever. It was necessary though so I tried. Don't be too mean ;_; Also I thought up the Omake randomly when I was looking over the chapter, realizing that Law didn't bother to numbe the wound. I guess I was inspired to do it because I read The Devil's Fruit and loved the little bits at the end. Tell me if you want more or not, otherwise it'll just be this on-time thing.

Oh, and to rub salt in the wound, Sabo and Ace's conversation isn't continued in the next chapter :P In fact, neither of them show up at all. It's all about the Straw Hat crew. Ha! Sorry, have to up the trolling once in a while.

We're officially above 200 reviews ;_; You guys make me so proud! Second most reviewed story! (Ain't got nuthin' on Resolve :P) Next chapter will be up after 234 reviews! And, of course, after I write it ahaha... Gonna get working on that now. And TELL ME what you think of the fight scene. Please! I'm trying my best with a type of writing I seriously struggle at and I would like to hear your opinions on it ;_;

To my lovelies~

Sully-van: The Makino thing will be touched upon in 5-7 chapters depending on how the development goes :) Hope this chapter was to your liking and that the fight scene wasn't too bad!

The Darkest wizard: Thank you. Here's an update.

one piece girl 99999: Yeah, I'm goin to show his brotherly side more after Ace and Luffy get closer ;) Law is very scary. But he's also a very, VERY important part of the story. If they ran from him he wouldn't be able to help them :P

Guest: If you didn't get it yet then don't worry because it'll be bluntly explained further into the story ;)

Stranger 1: I don't think you want to know people like Sabo ^^; He has a...different side to him that hasn't been mentioned yet, only hinted at. But I'm glad you liked the flashbacks! I tried my best!

StrawberryGirlKairi: Don't worry; if you keep reading it'll all be explained eventually. I honestly think up one of the fasted OP writers right now :P

Kiyoumi: Glad someone mentioned that! Sabo's fear of being hated by Luffy is going to play a big role later on. Lots of people are scared of Law XD Once I get to his past you'll see why. But that I'm saving for a while later. Hope this chapter wasn't too crummy with that poor excuse of a fight scene =3=

itachifangirl2424: All I'll say is that Dragon plays a role in the story. You'll have to wait to find out the rest.

Son Goshen: More than likely your assumptions are half or partially right. There's more to it then I'm letting on ;) Plus the part of his past mentioned is only one of many dynamics to his backstory. Your guess is both right and wrong on that one.

Writing Contradictions: Well that's coming up next XD Though I'll warn you now: they aren't finding out about Luffy's real identity in it. Mmm...not quite. You'll have to wait and find out.

Cyborgnetics: They'll be connected for you later on so don't worry about is ;) We all love Law. He's the best :D

RoXaS707: Yes, you either wait or never find out :P Ace is being pretty nice, considering he hasn't tried attacking anyone yet. And with what he's been through, keeping himself from decking any noble he sees shows true restraint.

spoons-are-evil: Yep, he is and always will be XD And yes, it somehow makes sense. There's a very good reason for him going through the window :P Honestly Luffy's told Ace so much at this point he's going to be killed by both Sabo and Law. He's...dense. Well the bit that Luffy was hinting at will be explained eventually. And the nap was fantastic :D

Kitsune Foxfire: Lol it's okay, I'm happy you reviewed at all ^^

ASLfangirl: I guarantee you only got it partially right :P But yes, I'm pretty evil. Then yes, you do understand what I'm going through with Shanks. But I gotta start liking him again because he's important to the story!

samettikettu: Like I said, that's not going to happen for a long time :P So you should probably forget about it for now. As far as any character(s) deaths, I have no comment.

Portgas D. Paula: Mmm...sort of? It's more complicated than that.

Darkspider: Finally someone caught on XD As far as Sabo's plan goes, you're going to get very angry at him for it, I'll warn you now. Hope you liked this chapter!

Stelra Etnae: Thank you! Hope this chapter wasn't too horrible!

Eigo: Actually Sabo was nine ;) He's 21 currently in the fic. Sabo a slave...not quite. It's complicated. Nope, Law was not involved in that situation. Nope they don't know. The creation of the Blue Gentleman has a very complex history. You'll see. You're welcome~

Shinju Ryuuzaki: Don't assume I'm going to kill a character just because of some vague foreshadowing, silly :P

Diclonious57: Umm...I don't get why you just put "horray(?)"

RexLink: Sabo always knows what he's doing ;)

siqwithaQ: Well you've got 1 of those 3 things now!

azab: Wait and find out.

Cow Master: You're welcome ^^

Sum1udontknow: I don't mind at all ^^ They're all around the same length at 3,000-4,000 words and I am planning on making them any longer. Glad you feel that way :D Not sure on chapters right now because this is the only one of my fics that doesn't have an ending decided. Probably 50 or more unless I change my mind. Thank you, glad you like! Here's more!

Neko-VongolaPrimo: Actually more of Sabo's past was revealed than Luffys ^^; Ace gave up on that in the last chapter, remember? :P I don't know, reviewers tend to only mention the last little bit of the chapter and the cute parts, not the rest :/ So very few people mentioned the child slaves. He will if everything goes well for them, that is ;)

Guest (2): Glad you like it :) And you're welcome~

MeikoKuran999: I'm glad you do! Hope this chapter wasn't disappointing!

Guest (3): Glad you like!

(Well that's everything for now. How many of you actually read the Author's Note, btw? And remember to tell me if you would like more crappy Omake or not, alright? I will continue them if you say yes. If not they will cease, so be sure to cast your vote! Next chapter is all about Luffy and his gang! Adieu~)