A/N~ Zomg, guys, your feedback on the last chapter? Astounding! Thank you so much, you really helped lift my spirits!

This one is a little short, unfortunately, but I hope you'll find great satisfaction in what I have to offer, because it was really hard to write :) Also FYI, updates might be a little slower in the future because...well, I haven't actually finished writing the story DX I've still got about three chapters plus a possible epilogue to do, and I haven't done it XD XD

I OWN NOTHING. AND TITANIC SHOULD HAVE KEPT AT LEAST THREE DELETED SCENES IN THE MOVIE THAT WERE REALLY GOOD.

Enjoy :)

Chapter 25: Bullet Wounds and Cruel Irony

When Luffy noticed Outlook watching them from the top of the pretty staircase from the corner of his eye, he'd paid him no attention at first. He was too busy hugging the living daylights out of his big brothers – both of them – screwing the promise he'd made to not cry again as he sobbed his heart out into Ace's shirt, clinging to him for all he was worth.

And Ace, the big idiot he loved so much, hugged him and Sabo just as tight, muttering about cry-baby brothers when he was crying too. Hypocrite.

God, they'd been so close to leaving Ace behind, so close to regretting everything, so close to never seeing his oldest brother ever again…the very thought of it was so unbearably painful that Luffy could've broken down all over again.

But they weren't going to lose him. He and Sabo had agreed – without words, because real men didn't need words to be awesome – to screw whatever plan Ace or even Sabo's Bastard Dad had in mind and jump right back onto the ship. It was a stupid thing to do, but they did it anyways. Because Ace was an idiot. A stupid, stubborn, balls-off-the-walls idiot to think for a second that they didn't love him that much, to think they would just leave him to die on a sinking ship while they rowed away to safety.

They were brothers for God's sake. They were family. Family never abandoned each other for anything, no matter what.

Before Sabo had come along and squeezed his way into their lives, Ace had been the only person in his life that Luffy had loved more than anything in the world, more than the sea, more than freedom. Ace – and now Sabo – was his whole world. There was no way he'd leave him, not ever.

(And if Sabo ever tried to pull the same thing later down the line, well, somebody's ass was going to get kicked right after they saved said ass.)

They were brothers, family, and they were going to get off the ship together.

And not even Outlook, the noble bastard that continued to watch them from above with growing disdain, could stop them. Nothing would stop them now.

Unless, of course, Outlook suddenly decided to lose his mind and pull a gun out on them.

Which he totally did.

As the three of them drew away – Luffy wouldn't admit he whined a little when they did, he would stick to Ace like a spider for the rest of the night if he could – Luffy looked up again, eyes tracking to the staircase, briefly meeting Outlook's gaze. There was rage in his black eyes, dark and crazed like a man possessed, as he reached into Bluejam's coat and ripped a pistol from its holster, aiming it down at them.

At Ace's head.

Luffy froze, and his face went white.

Oh Christ.

For a moment, everything around him slowing to a crawl, Luffy couldn't think. His heart pounded in his ears like thunder, blood draining from his face, bile rising from his stomach, eyes growing impossibly wide as he watched Outlook's finger pull the trigger, ready to kill Ace, or even Sabo, the madness in his eyes a terrifying thing, reminding him of Porchemy from way back then –

He's gonna kill my brothers.

He's gonna kill Ace. He's gonna kill them he's gonna –

Luffy blinked.

What the hell am I doing? Move, Luffy, MOVE.

Almost too late, Luffy shook himself, ignoring Sabo's worried gaze fixed on him, and he rammed into his brothers with a ragged scream –

"LOOK OUT!"

– and they toppled into a messy heap on the floor, moments before a shuddering BANG echoed across the foyer like rolling thunder.

Screams rang aloud in the once pristine room as the carved cherub at the foot of the center railing exploded in a shower of wood.

From where he lay half on top of a freaked-out Ace and a confused and breathless Sabo, Luffy had a moment to look back up at where they'd been standing and think 'wow that was freaking close'…but at the same time 'wow, he's actually a really bad shot, he would've missed us completely even if I hadn't pushed us out of the way'.

The important thing was that he'd missed. He'd missed them, and Luffy's brothers were okay. Scared witless, maybe, and Sabo looked about ready to be swallowed while by the ship at the sight of his own dad with a gun – yikes – but they were alive.

But that didn't stop the madman from tearing down the stairs, gun still in hand, intending to finish them off and oh wow he was seriously pissed off, wasn't he?

"Move it, guys, MOVE!" Ace shouted, grabbing Luffy and Sabo by their wrists and hauling them to their feet, narrowly missing the wooden shards of the devastated carving as they broke out into a run across the foyer.

Going back outside was a bad idea, because of the crowd. They could've evaded getting spotted in the throng of people, true, but to be caught in the pushing and shoving whilst a guy with a gun was chasing you wasn't exactly ideal.

Also, Luffy hazarded a guess that it wouldn't matter to Outlook if he shot a few innocent bystanders in his quest to get to him and his brothers, and Luffy really didn't want that on his conscience.

So Ace led them toward the stairs going down to the next deck. Good thinking.

Well, kind of.

Because on the one hand, they were getting away from Outlook without endangering anyone the other hand, they were on a sinking ship, and they were going down, where the water was cold and rising faster and faster.

Luffy hoped Ace had a plan if Outlook decided to keep following them deeper into the ship. They'd probably end up drowning before getting filled with led if he or Sabo didn't think of something.

Outlook fired again, running down the steps towards them. A bullet blew a divet out of the oak paneling behind Sabo's head, and the blond cried out and ducked his head down as he pulled Luffy down the next flight of stairs, flying after Ace.

Outlook stepped on the skittering head of the cherub statue and went sprawling gracelessly, the gun clattering across the marble floor. He quickly got up, reeling drunkenly, and went over to retrieve it, buying the brothers precious seconds as they temporarily disappeared from his sight.

"Why the hell is he shooting us?!" Ace cried, keeping his head low and one hand wrapped securely around Sabo's arm as they raced down the stairs, nearly tripping several times over their own feet. "I get that he's pissed but isn't this a little much even for him?!"

"I think he finally cracked!" Sabo breathed, flinching as another shot rang out. "I'm surprised that he's shooting at me, though I really shouldn't be. Guess he's throwing a fit since his plans for the last decade or so have gone up in smoke – whoa! Christ, that almost hit me!"

"Just keep going, don't look back!" Luffy shouted, one hand on his hat to keep it from flying off, his other squeezing Sabo's hand tightly as they turned a sharp corner and ambled down the next flight of stairs.

Again, why were there so many bloody stairs? They needed to invent moving stairs or something, at least, sometime in the future because this was just too much.

The bottom of the grand staircase was flooded several feet deep when they reached it. Luffy remembered this place; it was near the dining hall where they'd had dinner with Sabo and Koala and Hack and the other nobles. It had been beautiful then – stuffy and fake but Luffy could appreciate beauty when he saw it, sometimes – but now there were chairs and tables and other fine furniture floating around in disarray, the room pitch dark and haunting compared to the night previous.

Had it only been last night that they'd been down there? It felt like a lifetime. And soon it would join the ship at the bottom of the Atlantic.

The brothers jumped down the stairs two at a time and ran straight into the water, ignoring the violent cold as they waded through as quickly as they could.

Outlook was getting closer.

"Come on!" Ace called, shoving Sabo and Luffy ahead of him whilst he took the rear, fording across the room to where the floor sloped up. They were almost to the dining saloon. Just a little further and they would be okay, hopefully, because Luffy was willing to bet that Outlook feared for his own life too much to chase them any deeper into the ship –

Outlook reeled down the stairs seconds later, catching the banister with one hand, and he fired at them again, growling out loud like an animal. The first one missed, barely, sending bouts of spray near them, and dangerously near Sabo.

But as the man raised his arm a second time, he had the perfect angle to shoot Sabo in the back, or even in the leg, and there was no way in hell Luffy would let that son of a bitch get that chance.

He's been hurting Sabo for ten years. Like hell I'm gonna let him hurt him anymore!

Without a second thought, Luffy pushed Sabo out of the line of fire, grinning when the second bullet missed him by a hair –

BANG!

"AAAGH!"

– and then he shrieked when the third one hit home.

Luffy went down, head under water, as the bullet tore through his left thigh.

He heard Sabo and Ace shriek his name, their horrified voices muffled under the roar of the water in his ears and the cold and the pain.

He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, it was the lake thing all over again only this time he'd been freakin' shot and he was gonna drown in seawater running red with his own blood –

And then he was being lifted out of the water, coughing and spluttering and choking, closed eyes burning with sea salt.

He was cradled bridal style against a solid chest in a pair of strong arms that could only be Ace's. Though his eyes were glued shut and his head lolled back limply like a broken doll, he knew they were moving, knew that Ace was freaking out and unbelievably scared from the erratic beating of his heart against his ear.

For a moment, he forgot why. Why was Ace scared? What was going on –?

"I hope you enjoy your time together!" Outlook bellowed after them from a distance.

And then Luffy remembered.

Oh yeah, that bastard shot me in the leg…ow. Sure hope this doesn't kill me, 'cos that would seriously suck…but it shouldn't, right? It's just my leg…but if I'm bleeding a lot…and salt doesn't help with wounds, right…?

"Luffy, Luffy, can you hear me, kiddo?" said Ace's voice, panicky and distant, and getting fainter.

Oh hell, was he dying already?

"Luffy, say something, please, open your eyes!"

He didn't want to. He really didn't want to open his eyes.

He just wanted to go to sleep. His leg was hurting so much and he just wanted to sleep.

But at the same time he knew he had to stay awake, because that would ease Ace and Sabo's fear, show them that he was still sort of okay, and because there was the slight chance he wouldn't wake up again if he went to sleep now.

But he was so tired. He was tired and he was hungry and cold and wet, and he had a hole in his leg and he was bleeding, shivering, hurt a-and…and he…h-he just…wanted…

…to…go…

…to sleep…

"LUFFY!"

Sabo slapped his face hard enough to jerk Luffy out of his lethargy and back into reality, breathing hard and fast, his leg twitching with spasms of pain.

He was lying on his back on dry land, which was odd considering they were waist deep in water like five seconds ago. They were in the middle of the dining room, his head pillowed on Sanji's now ruined jacket – and when exactly had they taken that off him, and how? His memories of the last few seconds were pretty much non-existent, so…

Oh God he was gonna be sick.

Ace and Sabo were hovering over him. Their faces were white as sheets, eyes wide and searching and pleading, etched with fear and agony so deep that it was hard for Luffy to even look at them. They weren't supposed to be worried about him, not over something so stupid. He'd been through way worse after all.

Then again, he supposed blacking out the way he did and that he'd been shot after pushing Sabo out of the way, plus blood was kinda sorta leaking out of him and he was probably going into shock, they had a reason to look that way. But damn him to hell if he was just gonna let Sabo blame himself for Luffy's actions, or just let Ace look like his whole world was crashing down around him.

So he smiled up at them, best as he could, ignoring his burning eyes (probably with tears again, God) and ignoring how his lips trembled.

"I – I'm ok-k-kay," he stammered through shaking pants for breath (and wow that didn't help at all). "It-It's…it's really not that b-b-bad, I swear –"

"Shh, you idiot," Ace whispered, leaning down to press his forehead against Luffy's, eyes squeezed closed and fingers carding through his hair, and the familiar loving contact was an instant comfort. "You're not fooling anyone. But don't worry, you'll be okay. You'll be fine, I promise, you'll be fine…"

Luffy hated the way Ace's voice cracked like glass, hated that his brother was worrying over him again when they had bigger things to worry about, like how the ship was sinking and they had to find a way out before they all died. But he leaned into Ace's touch anyways, because even he had to admit that he was a little scared.

Ace was warm and safe. Always had been, always would be.

"Luffy, listen to me," said Sabo, and Ace pulled away so that Luffy could see his other brother kneeling by his left leg, tugging his cravat from around his neck – aw, not that thing, too! Why the heck did Sabo have to strip so much? Was he advertising?

Okay, wait, that was kinda dirty.

Wow, that was incredibly dirty, couldn't go there again. How much blood had he lost, or was it because he'd swallowed seawater because his thoughts were going places –

Oh, wait, yeah, Sabo was still talking. He had to focus, or he really would black out for good.

"I don't think the bullet is in your leg. It went straight through, which is good, so I'm gonna go ahead and wrap it up real quick to stop the bleeding. It might hurt a lot, okay? So, bite down on this." Sabo ripped off his gloves and wound them together tightly before all but shoving them into Luffy's mouth for him to bite down on.

The last thing Luffy coherently thought was 'ew they taste like leather and blood and sweat, freakin' gross' before pain, in every inch of his leg, seared through him as Sabo started to bind the wound with his cravat.

Luffy bit down hard on the gloves, muffling his scream, his eyes squeezed shut as he clawed out for Ace's hand to take and clench with all his might. Ace hushed him and stroked his damp forehead, whispering in his ear, telling him that he was okay, he was doing great, he was gonna be just fine.

And Luffy, though everything burned and hurt like a mother-hugger, believed him.

He was stronger than this. He'd been through worse. He could handle it.

Doesn't mean this still doesn't hurt like an absolute bitch.

"Okay, done!" Sabo announced after what felt like an eternity, tying the final knot before shuffling over to Luffy's head to take the gloves out of his mouth and card his now bare hands through his hair. There were kinda bloody from wrapping up Luffy's leg and from when he'd punched the glass earlier. He didn't seem to care at all, and neither did Luffy.

"You're okay now, Lu," he said, smiling warmly and warding off any chill Luffy had felt since falling into the water. "You were very brave, little brother."

Still panting a little through the pain, with both of his brothers (finally) smiling down at him, Luffy gathered his remaining strength and smiled back, albeit weakly. "…h-hell yeah I was," he breathed. "T-Told ya it wasn't that bad. B-Besides, 's not the f-first time I got shot."

Sabo's smile dropped instantly. "It's not?" he asked, his voice flat but cold as ice, his eyes immediately darting to glare at Ace accusingly.

"It really is, Sabo, seriously, don't look at me like that, he's a lying turd," Ace said, glaring at Luffy when he snickered cheekily, but the glare lacked any heat at all.

And then Luffy's smile fell. He felt bile rolling in his stomach.

"Oh…"

He quickly turned his head to the side and threw up.

Sabo drew back and cursed, and Ace grabbed Luffy by the shoulders and helped him sit upright, letting him lean over so that he didn't choke on his own bile – freaking gross, it buuurned – and patting Luffy's back as he dry heaved.

When he was pretty sure he was done, Ace used Sanji's coat sleeve to wipe Luffy's mouth – Sanji probably never expected to get that back, but still, he'd be so pissed if he saw Ace using it to wipe off vomit.

"You okay, Lu?" Ace asked worriedly, casting the ruined coat aside.

Chest heaving, Luffy just looked at Ace. So did Sabo, but his deadpan was more obvious as he rubbed soothing circles on Luffy's hunched back.

Ace rolled his eyes at their stares. "You know what I mean, shut up."

Luffy offered a breathless laugh. His gut and his leg both hurt like sonsofbitches, but hey, he wasn't dead. Not yet, anyways.

Sabo huffed and shook his head at their antics as he hopped to his feet, shrugging out of Outlook's coat to wrap Luffy's shivering body up with it like a blanket. Ace carefully picked Luffy up again, cradling him in his arms like a child. Luffy didn't argue, wrung out and boneless as he was, and he wrapped his arms around Ace's neck for support as they hurried across the room, weaving through tables to get to the door on the other side.

Outlook had clearly chosen not to follow them any further, otherwise he'd have caught up to them already and shot them dead, but they weren't about to linger around nor were they going to go back the way they'd come in case the noble was waiting for them.

They had to find another way out. Again.

(Seriously, all this running around was driving Luffy absolutely nuts. And he couldn't even run anymore.)

They reached the door, but when Sabo grabbed the handle and tried to open it, it wouldn't budge an inch.

Luffy's face fell. They were locked in, again. Why the hell did the crew even lock the door in the first place? What, did they think people would rather steal a fancy plate over living as the ship freaking sank?! Come on!

Sabo probably thought the same thing as he kicked the door in frustration. "Goddamn it!" he snarled, running a hand through his damp, curly locks in distress. He turned to Ace, desperation in his eyes. "What now?"

Luffy looked up at Ace as well, taking in the anger and the barely hidden panic in his eyes as the older man ground his teeth and growled. "We'll just have to smash through it," he said. "You hold onto Luffy, I'll –"

Something splashed in the room beyond the dining saloon.

The boys whipped their heads around, listening, staring at the open doors. The splashing became gradually louder, closer, along with grunts of effort and muffled curses.

Sabo gasped, eyes going wide and wider still. He knew that voice. They all did.

"Bluejam…"

While it was true Bluejam had enjoyed the pleasures of being Outlook's bodyguard and the noble brat's subsequent babysitter for the last ten years, even he had to admit, there had to be a limit to how far he was willing to go to fill his own pockets.

The chase had been almost amusing. Watching the dumb blond and the straw hat kid get back on a sinking ship was confusing and stupid as hell, but seeing Outlook go crazy for not getting his way and shoot at his own son with his gun was the icing on the cake. It wasn't something you saw every day, after all.

But it quickly stopped being funny when the boys got away and Outlook realized, with horror one would only find when staring death itself in the face, that he'd put his most valuable diamonds and jewels and cash in his coat.

And (in an incredibly stupid attempt to trick the boy into returning to him via an act of rare kindness) he'd put the coat on Sabo.

Without even trying, probably without even knowing, Sabo had pulled yet another grand theft, this time on his own father.

Bluejam had to scoff at his employer.

What a freaking idiot. Seriously, who does that?

The nobleman, delirious with anger and a hint of desperation in his dazed eyes, had then turned to Bluejam, shoving the gun back into his hands with the promise of half the riches filled in the pockets of that coat if he could get it back and kill the brats before ambling back up the stairs to safety.

Bastard.

And because he was a greedy bastard himself, Bluejam went along with it.

Hell, if he lived or died, he wanted to at the very least take one of those brats with him. He owed them as such, after all. Plus, he'd never liked Sabo. Not one bit.

Shivering from head to toe, Bluejam entered the saloon, emerging from the freezing water. There was no sign of the boys as he moved among the tables and ornate columns. He walked over to the door on the other side, finding it locked. He didn't have anything on him to pick the lock, and even if he did he wasn't the best lock-picker out there. He'd left that sort of thing to his men, back in the day.

No matter. He didn't need to go anywhere. The boys were still in the room.

It was a sea of tables, and they could've been anywhere. Hiding, watching, waiting in the deathly silence. He kept his steps light and steady as he searched, listened, eyes tracking rapidly.

A silver serving trolley rolled downhill, bumping into tables and pillars. He barely swallowed a startled cry as the noise shattered the unnerving silence that befell the darkening room.

He swallowed thickly, holding his gun up and ready in sweaty palms.

Damn, this is kinda creepy.

Bluejam was sure he could handle the two third-class fools. The straw hat kid was a twig, plus he'd been injured already by Outlook (surprisingly) with a bullet to the leg. And that Ace kid, though he was bigger and stronger than his younger brother…he'd have a bullet between his eyes in no time. Easy prey.

But if he were honest, he wasn't sure about Sabo.

He'd seen Sabo in action as a child, had watched him rob him and his guys blind without even knowing it until it was too late. He was a crafty bastard, patient, quiet, almost scary even as a ten-year-old with that weird smile of his. If not for the display of power he'd witnessed earlier with Stelly and the punching bag – the damn thing had split – Bluejam would've been confident in dealing with that brat knowing he'd lost his touch after years of living the cushy noble life.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The kid was still very much in top form, meaning he could probably take Bluejam out if he got close enough.

Then again, bare fists vs a gun…the gun usually won.

Bluejam glanced behind him. The water was following him into the room, advancing in a hundred-foot-wide tide. The reception room was now a roiling lake, and the grand staircase was submerged past the first landing.

Monstrous groans echoed through the ship as the lights sparked and flickered on and off until finally they died, giving way to the darkness that was slowly consuming the entire ship. Dishes and chairs and cutlery clattered and cracked like bones rattling in a coffin as the water continued to rise.

This is freaking me out, he couldn't help but admit. And all this just to kill three lousy kids and get a few jewels back? Now he was sure he had a problem. Nevertheless, he was here now.

Any other day he would've enjoyed making them suffer, listening to their screams as thy begged for mercy, just like in the old days. But alas, time wasn't on his side.

Might as well find them and get it over with.

Sabo held Luffy close to his side, an arm wrapped around the boy's shoulders as the brothers crouched behind the tables. They crawled across the carpeted floor, silent as they were able despite the splashing of rapidly rising water.

Ace peeked over the edge once or twice to make sure the bodyguard turned hit-man didn't spot them, didn't get too close, before signalling the other two to follow his lead, treading lightly on their hands and knees.

Sabo had no idea why Outlook would send Bluejam to finish them off – well, he did actually, now that he thought about it. The man had thrown the tantrum of tantrums at Sabo's final act of rebellion and had decided to fix the problem by shooting them, and when he deemed it too dangerous to go any further, he got his lackey to do the job for him instead, as usual.

But considering the ship was sinking, it seemed pointless to go out of the way to murder someone when you could instead wait until the ship sank and took them with her. He'd even mocked them, hoping they 'enjoyed their time together' – that was as good as any 'screw you and go die' he'd ever heard from a noble, that's for sure.

So why, after all that, knowing that without a lifeboat or any means of escape they would ultimately die anyway, would his insane father get Bluejam to chase them down? It couldn't be to get Sabo back. He obviously had no further use for him if he'd gone so far as to shoot through Luffy to get to him.

His hand tightened on Luffy's shoulder at that memory, discolored eyes swirling with anger unparalleled as he glared at the ground.

He never wanted to see Outlook again. Not for as long as he lived. But if he did…not even God would be able to save him. Not after what he'd done to Luffy. Not after everything he'd done.

"Psst!"

Ace's whisper made them both look up. He motioned for them to stay put before peering around the leg of a chair, tracking Bluejam's movements across the room. Once he was sure he wasn't looking, the freckled raven soundlessly crept across the floor on all fours, hiding behind another table seconds before Bluejam turned.

The lurking man noticed nothing.

Safe and hidden, Ace grinned over at them. Luffy and Sabo grinned back.

"So cool," Luffy whispered in Sabo's ear. He was still pale and shivering, but the bleeding had stopped and he was much more aware than before, which was a weight off their shoulders to say the least. So Sabo smiled back, squeezing Luffy's shoulder again.

"I know you're here, brats."

They froze.

Sabo's heart skipped a beat. Bluejam was much closer to their hiding place now, almost on top of them. The way he carried himself across the room was lazy, cocky almost, like the prospect of killing them would be as mundane as watching paint dry.

That shouldn't surprise me, Sabo mused dryly, clutching Luffy closer. He was a gang leader at one point. Who knows how many people he's killed.

"No use prolonging the inevitable, y'know," he continued in that same, bored, monotone. "It's only a matter of time. Why don't you give yourselves up like good boys, eh? Whether I find you or not, no matter what you do, you're gonna die here. I'm doing you a favour by making it quick."

Luffy barely stifled a growl, glaring in the direction of Bluejam's voice with hatred. Sabo was no different, though his heart was pounding as his eyes darted this way and that, looking for something he could use for a weapon. There wasn't much other than chairs and cutlery, which sucked, because it wasn't like Bluejam was going to just let his eyes get stabbed out by a fork. Plus, he had a gun, so to take him out Sabo would have to get in close quarters without getting shot in the face first. He also had to protect Luffy, who couldn't fight, run, or even really walk on his own right now.

"Come on, kids. You don't wanna keep me waiting."

Bluejam was getting closer.

Think, Sabo, think! Weapon, strategy, Luffy, weapon, strategy, Luffy, weapon, Ace, strategy, Lu –

Sabo blinked.

Where the hell did Ace go?

He looked back at where Ace had been seconds earlier and gaped. He'd disappeared, like he'd never even been there at all.

Swallowing down another surge of panic, he shared a glance with Luffy, who only shook his head and shrugged. They hadn't even heard him move –

Luffy's eyes tracked to the side and he stiffened under Sabo's arm.

Click.

Sabo froze.

Damn it.

Ever so slowly, he turned his head. He met the smug, oleaginous face of his ten-year tormentor smirking down at him.

The barrel of the gun was aimed at Sabo's forehead.

"I've been looking for you, Master Sabo," he said, his smirk widening to a crazed grin, a dark glint in his beady eye.

Sabo's jaw clenched, fingers digging into Luffy's shoulder as stared into the barrel.

Bluejam's finger moved on the trigger –

And then he was viciously tackled from the other side by a livid Ace – ah, so he'd gone around to surprise the man, good thinking – and they slammed together into another table, crashing over it and then toppling to the floor.

They splashed into the water, which had since risen to thigh level and was rushing rapidly through the tables, and from there it was a flurry of movement, yells, fists and kicks and bangs as Bluejam fired at Ace once or twice, only for the young man to duck behind an upturned table in the nick of time.

Sabo used Ace's distraction to pick Luffy up and hurry across the room again, wading through the water as quick as he could without averting Bluejam's attention from Ace, much as it pained him to use his brother as bait. When he was a safe distance from the fight, Sabo set Luffy down on a chair that wasn't completely submerged, keeping his wounded leg above the water.

"Stay here, alright?" he said, and lifted a finger when Luffy opened his mouth to protest. "You can't fight, you're hurt, so stay right here and we'll be right back. I promise."

Luffy pouted, clearly disappointed that he was forced to sit out of a fight, but he nodded. "Kick his ass. And give him a couple of hits from me," he said.

Sabo grinned at him, ruffled his hair, and then he trudged back to where Bluejam was kicking Ace into the water, scanning around again for a weapon –

Oh. Wait.

Ace was losing?

Uh-oh.

"You worthless sack of crap," Bluejam spat through his remaining teeth, blood dripping down his face from where Ace had smashed it into a support beam. His glare was hot and intense as any flame, ablaze with an anger not even Sabo had ever seen.

Ace must've really pissed him off.

Said freckled man spluttered and coughed up seawater, blood dripping from his nose, crouched in the freezing water and glaring daggers up at the man as he leveled the gun at his head. Ace froze, locking eyes with the grinning ex-gang leader.

"What did I tell you?" Bluejam chuckled darkly, reveling in the moment. "I warned you didn't I, about hanging around that noble brat, that he'd give you nothing but trouble? And now look at you – about to die like a dog with its tail between its legs! And when I'm done with you and your friends back there, I'm gonna be swimming in riches while you –"

"OH SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Bluejam and Ace whirled around to see Sabo charging Bluejam, a broken leg from a table spinning deftly in one hand.

It wasn't as strong or as durable as a pipe, and it was almost too short and too thick to properly wield, but it was all he had to work with. Like hell he was just going to let Bluejam shoot his brother.

(Thank God he'd been monologuing long enough, loving the sound of his own voice, for Sabo to break the leg off in time.)

Using a table as a springboard, Sabo leapt at Bluejam as the man tried to process what he was looking at. With a loud cry, he swung the wooden leg with all the force he could muster and cracked it against Bluejam's temple, following up with a spinning kick to the gut when he landed, splashing into the water.

Splintered wood showered everywhere, and the older man fell to his knees with a howl of pain, dropping the gun in the water as he clawed at his swelling head and his bruising stomach.

Sabo grinned, somewhat sadistically, as he watched Bluejam wail and scream in pain. He really shouldn't have, but a part of him relished in the cruel irony as he tossed the broken table leg into the water.

I've been waiting a long time to do that.

"Sabo, that was awesome!" Luffy crowed, pumping his fists in the air.

Sabo grinned back. Hell yeah it was.

That intervention was all Ace needed to snap out of his amazed daze (he would probably never admit it, though) as he clambered back to his feet, just as Bluejam staggered back to his and lifted his eyes in time to see Ace rearing his fist back.

"Compliments of Mr. Ace D. Portgas!" he spat and punched the bodyguard in the face, sending him careening back into the water limbs flailing and blood dripping from his nose.

Ace spared a moment to grin darkly in satisfaction. Apparently 'cruel irony' was a running theme tonight.

They didn't wait for the bastard to come to as they dashed back to where Luffy sat, the boy beaming at them like they were his greatest heroes. Sabo gently grabbed him and shifted him into a bridal carry.

Ace ran and rammed his shoulder into the locked door with a battle cry, smashing the thing open in a shower of wood and glass. He stumbled through the doorway, dazed for a moment, and then waved his brothers over. "C'mon, let's go!"

As Sabo ambled after Ace, Luffy looked over his shoulder at where Bluejam was slumped, barely conscious. With a scathing frown that Sabo had only seen once or twice in the three days he'd known the kid, Luffy raised his hand and flipped him off. "Swim in that, you crappy bastard!" he called.

Sabo let out a startled laugh. He'd been hanging out with Sanji way too much.

The brothers broke into a run once more, leaving Bluejam behind and entering the galley. Behind them, the tables had become islands in a lake, and the far end of the room was flooded up to the ceiling.

They ran through the galley, and Sabo spotted the stairs. Two sets, one going up, and the other delving downwards.

Adjusting his hold on Luffy, Sabo started up, but Ace grabbed his arm and led them down instead.

"Why the hell –?" Sabo started but Ace held a finger to hips lips, telling them both to shut their traps and listen. Confused but trusting in his brother, Sabo set Luffy down, draping the boy's arm around his shoulder for support, and he pricked his ears.

Footsteps, coming from the galley, were pounding unsteadily towards the staircases.

Sabo almost groaned aloud.

Bluejam again? Seriously?!

They crouched together on the landing below, plastered against the wall, as the bodyguard reached the stairs. His breaths were pained and ragged, and his curses were slurred but clear as day. His threats, whilst they would never be carried out if Sabo had any say in it, were unnerving and included a lot of stab-y deaths and throat slit-y deaths. Even Ace's eyes went wide at some of the things the man spewed and covered Luffy's ears, not that it mattered really.

Bluejam had seriously lost it, hadn't he? Perhaps at this point, he was no longer after whatever Outlook had ordered him to carry out.

Now he was just out for blood.

Finally assuming they'd gone up the stairs (because really, who wouldn't?) Bluejam climbed up two at a time. The footsteps soon receded, and they were finally alone.

The brothers let out a collective sigh of relief.

"That was fun, huh?" Luffy snickered as Ace removed his hands from his ears, beaming like he hadn't been shot in the leg and hadn't already escaped death numerous times in one night, be it by the water or two crazy guys with guns.

However, Ace and Sabo couldn't find it in them to really disagree as they, too, shared wobbly grins.

"Eh, it wasn't bad. I got to see Sabo finally kick some ass, so, yeah," Ace shrugged. "So, ah…nice going there, Sabo."

Sabo grinned wider, nudging Ace with his shoulder. "Why thank you, brother mine. But I only did it because I had to save your dumb ass from either drowning in waist level water or getting shot in the face like a –" he shrugged, "– well, a dumbass."

"Shut up."

"Aww, whassa matter?" Sabo egged on, delighted and teasing as he beamed at his frowning older brother. "Did I steal Acey's thunder and hurt his widdle pwide –?"

"No, seriously, shut up a sec," Ace held up a hand again, head tilted to the side. His brows furrowed. "You hear that?"

The urgency in his brother's tone silenced Sabo's playful jeering, and all three inclined their ears to listen. Was it Bluejam again? Couldn't be, he'd gone up, and whatever Ace heard was coming from down below, in the corridor behind them…

And then they heard it.

Sabo's heart froze to ice.

"Is…is that a kid?"

A/N~ Just when you think it can't get any worse XD

I hope you enjoyed that, please don't bite my fingers off :)

Reviews are writer chow :3