This story is co-written by both Syrisna and Rose7anne101, you are welcome to check our other works.
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The chapter was beta'd by the wonderful Black' Victor Cachat, he has written some amazing stories, go check it out yourself.
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Our awesome Cover Image is done by Syrisna. :)
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This story will be posted in both of our accounts.
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UniLiliCornia
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Here it is!
Hope you enjoy the new chapter! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
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Dear Guest
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Garp does mean business when it comes to protecting his home :)
Hope you enjoy the new chapter! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
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A/N:
1) This chapter covers more of Sabo's thoughts about his brothers. If he comes off as overly angsty or something, please keep in mind this chapter is set only several months after the Marineford Arc, and almost two years before he sees Luffy again.
2) Ivankov and the residents of Kamabakka Kingdom make an appearance in this chapter. To make things easier, Ivankov will be referred to as MALE unless he changes his gender again, while everyone else will be referred to as FEMALE.
3)The chapter's full title is Keep your Tigers close, and your Dragons closer.
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We don't own One Piece (things would be different if we did).
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Koala was just about ready to tell her blonde superior off for taking his sweet time collecting his things, when her Den Den Mushi rang.
They were supposed to have left the inn to their journey fifteen minutes ago, but Sabo had said that he still had to get a few things together, so Koala and Hack had opted to wait for him outside in the small waiting area next to the stairs. Fifteen minutes passed quickly, and they had gotten bored waiting outside, and had went to check on Sabo and help if need be, instead they were standing by the wall while Sabo was moving nonstop around the small room. She wasn't sure what he was doing exactly.
If she hadn't known better, she would think he was deliberately procrastinating.
Koala took out the Den Den Mushi from her pocket, all the while eyeing Sabo who was still aimlessly moving around and gave no indication whatsoever that he had heard the incoming call.
"Y-"
"Koalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" The moment the receiver was picked up, the person on the other end started whining, momentarily stunning Koala. The brunette had never thought she'd ever hear her name being called in such a desperate and pathetic way. Her first impulse was to snap at the person, because the whining was honestly grating on her nerves. However, she didn't have a chance to act on it, because the voice continued.
"Come back, pleaseeeeeeeeeee… Koalaaaaaaaaaaaa… we need you. I need you. I can't take it anymore. Please… Koala..."
Koala didn't bother to answer. Instead, she handed the call over to Hack with a decisive nod and glared heatedly at the snickering Sabo as she marched out without saying a word. Her actions spoke volumes of what was currently going on in her head, and both men had long since learnt to read Koala's body language for survival purposes. Neither of them wanted to unknowingly set off a landmine.
"Please… really we need you here… it's chaos… just chaos I tell you... Koala…. It's impossible to handle…."
"Ehmm... Ahemmm..." Hack wasn't sure what to say.
"Pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeee… Just you… don't bring Sabo… he's a big boy, he can handle himself… we can't… we are babies... Toddlers…. We need youuuuuu…."
"Ummmm… Koala's not here now…"
"Who is… Hack… where is Koala? Bring her to the phone!" demanded the voice.
Now that the whining quality was gone it was easy to recognize the voice: Crutch.
Hack looked at the now deserted doorway, and then at Sabo -who was still snickering annoyingly- with a pleading look asking for guidance or any kind of help. The poor fishman somehow always ended up stuck in the middle of such situations. Yet, no matter how many times he had experienced these types of situation, he never had any solid idea on how to handle them. 'Time brings experience,' his FIN.
"Did I hear someone laughing? I know I heard someone laughing! Is that… Sabo…. Sabo you son of..."
Hack did the only sensible thing he could think of.
Clank.
He ended the call, chucked the Den Den Mushi in Sabo's direction and fled.
Watching his retreating form, Sabo broke into fits of laughter yet again.
The Den Den Mushi has yet to land after Sabo missed it, when it rung again and subsequently landed on the floor.
purupurupuru…...purupurupuru…...purupurupuru…. purupurupuru...purupurupuru
Sabo took his time picking up the Den Den Mushi and answering the call. He tried to get himself under control first and put on his leader persona. 'Tried' being the keyword.
"Crutch, what is the mission status?" he asked calmly and fast, giving Crutch no time to say the first word.
"..."
No answer was forthcoming.
Sabo tried hard not to snicker; he was biting his lips and breathing from his nose trails slowly.
The faint cursing under breath that was being transmitted loud and clear by the Den Den Mushi made Sabo bite harder.
"Ahem… we arrived at the appointed dock, and dropped anchor, we then introduced ourselves to the appropriate authorities using the official papers we acquired…"
One would need to be deaf to miss Crutch stressing specific words with venom. Sabo wasn't deaf per se, but he obviously had a very selective hearing.
"Did they suspect anything?"
Sabo fired his question, cutting Crutch's monologue before it took hold.
"No. Everything went without a hitch."
"I see. What about selling and trading the goods that we brought? It shouldn't be a problem to attract people to buy our merchandise; not many merchants traverse between the Grand Line and the Blues, after all," the Chief said 'wisely'. "I'm sure a lot of people would be interested in exotic goods from the Grand Line, especially the nobles."
"It's all going as planned for now; we'll be entering the markets today. We've managed to secure a temporary spot near the wharf to sell our wares. Runo will be heading a team to restock the ship."
"Why temporary? We need a better place, we need to attract the nobles!"
"I know. And I'm sure they will once word gets out about 'Grand Line wares'. The harbour manager promised we will get a better spot next week as some of the other merchant ships will have left by then."
"Good, have some of the guys bring the guards some sake, let them make it happen causally and naturally. The guards know the best gossip, and then we can draw out the information we want."
This was something Sabo had figured out even before losing his memory, while he and his brothers snuck around the guards in and out of town. With long, BORING hours just standing around, especially in such a peaceful place that had not seen any real conflict in generations, guards tended to be even better gossipers than housewives. It would not take much for them to start giving out handy information -their patrol routes and schedules, for instance-, especially if it was mixed in with complaints about their rich, snobby superiors, over some good sake.
"I will send Zoe and Yue to take care of it… Those two are experts when it comes to things like this. Not to mention the guards will likely loosen up more around them, considering how harmless they look."
"That, and they can take care of themselves should the guard try anything funny," Sabo added darkly. It wasn't the first time their female members were harassed during missions, and it, unfortunately, wouldn't be the last. Of course, for that reason, the men tended to become more alert and protective whenever they had to send any of the girls on such missions; it was their job and pride as men after all. (Even though it -justifiably- annoyed and irritated the hell out of all the women; they could take care of themselves for Roger's sake! Stop with the macho BULLSHIT! The men learned the hard way what would be the consequences for such behaviour in front of Koala or Belo, or god forbid the Queen of Okamas, so they tuned it down some and didn't show their protectiveness openly. Still sometimes they came back black and blue from missions, all because they opened their big moronic mouths. And if they were really unlucky, they came back as women themselves to get an idea what it felt like.
"I guess we'll use the money from selling stock to buy the guards sake," murmured Crutch pensively. The navigator also sounded somewhat unwilling.
"Of course, we are here to further our mission, and not to make profit," pointed out Sabo. Then he added in a fake chiding tone, "You do remember we aren't actually merchants, right?"
Sabo lived by the mindset 'to never let an opportunity slip you by', especially ones that he could "tease" his subordinates with. His smirk was replicated perfectly by the snail on the other end.
"I know, that wasn't what I meant-"
"Good job. Keep us updated!"
"Hey! Wait a sec-"
Clank.
Sabo cheerily eyed the Den Den Mushi and didn't bat an eye when it began ringing again. He expertly wrapped some clothes around it, muffling the sound -and taking care not to suffocate it by accident- and put it in his bag.
That was how it was done. Don't let the enemy catch his breath and think.
Grabbing his pack off the floor, Sabo headed out of the room and locked it behind him, going down the stairs with the key swinging around his pointer finger to the lobby, where he was sure his companions were a) both waiting for him, or b) both had ditched him. Probably the latter.
When he reached the lobby, only the innkeeper, Iris, and Hack were there. The two were making small talk across the counter, pausing only when they noticed Sabo.
"Where's Koala?" The blonde asked, not seeing the third member of their group anywhere.
Hack gestured towards the bar opposite of the inn. "She went over to talk to Makino."
Sabo nodded in acknowledgment as he returned the room key to Iris together with a word of thanks to the kindly innkeeper.
Waving to the innkeeper, Sabo and Hack headed to Party's Bar, where they found Koala at the counter sipping on a smoothie as she chatted with Makino about various things. One of them being the barmaid's first meeting with Sabo apparently.
The two men entered the bar just in time to hear the end of the story, which was the three of them ditching dinner to run away from an irate Garp.
"God, don't remind me." Sabo muttered, recalling his painful first meeting with Garp that night. Even ten years later, he could still remember the great pain the crazy vice-admiral had inflicted on them under the guise of 'training'.
"Sabo!" Makino clapped her hands together happily when she saw the blonde at the door. "You guys are going to see Dadan now, right?"
Sabo scratched the back of his head and grins sheepishly. "We're not exactly going to see her, but we will stop by the cottage."
Makino didn't look impressed with his answer.
Sabo didn't cower, he really didn't. He just felt like a naughty little boy that was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. It's funny and unbelievably ironic, because his biological mother had never allowed any forms of sweets or pastries. Their teeth, as nobles, should be perfect.
"Fine," grumbled Sabo. "I'll definitely drop by to see her."
Makino still didn't look convinced.
"I promise."
"Great, then you can take this box of sake with you for them."
"What? Why?"
"Hmm, think of it as a peace offering."
Sabo and the others looked at her strangely, waiting for her to explain more. But Makino only smiled mysteriously.
Koala and Hack looked around in wonder at the forest that Sabo used to call home. Despite being in the East Blue, the forest was even larger than some on the Grand Line, and it felt so alive with all the sounds around them.
Ahead of them, Sabo sighed in relief at the familiar surroundings. It had been too long, and he's missed this forest a lot ever since he got his memories back. Granted, forests were pretty much the same everywhere, but the forest on Mount Corvo was special, because it held so many memories. He grinned to himself as he recalled days spent running through the forest with his brothers. Those were the days…
Caught up in his recollection, Sabo didn't notice the understanding looks that Koala and Hack traded.
Even before he got his memories back, the Revolutionary Chief-of-Staff had always had this thing for forests. Baltigo didn't have forest; just lots of rocks, dust, wind and earth. As a result, every time work brought them to some place with a forest, no matter big or small, the blonde would always send sad, wistful looks towards the trees. The looks were fleeting, but it hadn't gone unnoticed.
Not to mention whenever Sabo did get a chance to spend some time in the forest, he would look like it was his birthday, Christmas, and every other vacation all rolled into one. No one ever understood why the Chief liked forests so much -to most of them it was just a bunch of flora and fauna- and Sabo never could give an answer when someone asked him, but it showed a different side of the blonde that was rarely seen. For that, the Revolutionaries were content to just let him be.
Of course, that was as long as Sabo returned within an expected time frame and brought back some game if there were animals to hunt. There was no reason to refuse extra foodstuff, after all, especially since they did have Sabo 'The Black Hole' to feed.
Now, Koala thought she finally understood why her friend loved the forest so much. Because it reminded him of home, even if he had not been able to consciously remember it.
"I wonder if our tree house is still there?" Sabo murmured to himself, thinking about the place he and his brothers had built for themselves. Back then, they had made sure the tree house was sturdy enough to withstand storms and strong winds, since it was at the top of the tallest tree on the mountain. However, that had been years ago, and Sabo knew the elements would have worn it down without anyone to maintain it, as Ace and Luffy almost never went near it after his 'death'. Or so Makino had told him.
Of course, Sabo wasn't being particularly quiet about his thoughts, and Koala squealed when she heard him mention their tree house. She had always loved the concept of treehouses, ever since she had first heard of them. Whom she heard it from was long forgotten, but the idea had stuck. Unfortunately, the main base didn't so much as have a single sapling, let alone an entire tree. As such, she'd never gotten the chance to build one herself.
"You built a treehouse as a kid, how cute!" exclaimed Koala.
"Well, yeah. It was actually after I met Makino and Garp. To put it simply, we decided to live on our own, so we just pinned a note on the wall while Dadan, Garp, and the bandits were all out cold and moved out."
"How old were you guys then?" Hack asked. He knew Sabo had been found when he was around ten years old, so the blonde would have been ten or less when they did that. Even just safely building a treehouse on your own was pretty impressive at that young age (yes, fishmen built tree houses, albeit out of corals, seaweed and shells).
Sabo put a hand to his chin, looking up thoughtfully. "I believe me and Ace were ten going on eleven, and Luffy was seven."
"Wow." Koala said, even more looking forward to seeing the aforementioned tree house. She couldn't really imagine how it would look, having never seen one before. The closest imagery she could conjure up was a house nestled amongst the tree branches, but it was doubtful that that was how it actually looked.
"We could see the sea so clearly from the top, and even had a flag flying above the canopy." Sabo mentioned, grinning as he remembered their treasure.
"What kind of flag?" Hack asked interested.
"A pirate flag of course. Without the skull and bones though, just three letters - ASL. We'd imagine we were pirates, and the tree house our ship."
It was their vessel, carrying their dreams for the future. They would imagine what kind of adventures they would have when they grew up and sailed the oceans.
"ASL… What does it even mean?"
"Ace, Sabo, Luffy."
"That's so cute, using your initials… How did you decide the order?"
Sabo shrugged. "The L was for Luffy, and he was the youngest, so it was naturally the last. As for me and Ace..." The blonde grinned devilishly. "We fought for it, of course, since we were the same age. Even though Ace was older by two months, and by right his initial should be first, I wasn't going to just give it to him." It had been a long-standing argument between the two older brothers, who always found reasons as to why one should be older than the other, despite their biological birthday telling exactly who was older.
Koala sighed dramatically. "Why am I not surprised."
Sabo was pleased to have the 'cute' factor disappear from the description of his childhood memories. It was a true and honourable fight. He had lost it to Ace, and he was proud of it.
Besides, being the middle brother wasn't so bad, since it meant that he possessed both 'older brother' and 'younger brother' rights, which Sabo had never hesitated to use. It wasn't so bad… except when he had to break up fights between Luffy and Ace over some stupid thing, mostly Ace taunting Luffy about his lame powers. And it was usually -if not always- Ace who started the argument.
Sabo was about to continue telling the others about his childhood, when Koala suddenly grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop in his tracks. He raised an eyebrow questioningly, noticing that both Hack and Koala had stopped walking and were observing their surroundings.
"I feel like we've been here before." Hack said, arms crossed over his chest as he studied a cluster of trees that looked really familiar.
Koala rolled her eyes exasperatedly. "That because we've passed this place like, three times already." She whirled on Sabo, eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Sabo, are you sure you know the way?" Koala asked, her eyes watching him like a hawk watched its prey.
Cold sweat started breaking out on his back under the brunette's stare. "Of course… I do." Sabo replied nervously, his body tensing in preparation to dodge if Koala decided to punch him.
"You don't sound so sure." Koala sharply accused.
Sabo tried to argue. "It should be here somewhere..." Although it proved futile.
"We're lost, aren't we?"
"Uh… Ace may or may not have altered the trails… to throw people off… I think?" It sounded like something Ace would do. And if Sabo knew Ace, he probably did just that. The oldest brother was paranoid like that. Even back then he was tough enough to uproot and move trees if he wanted to… Sabo wouldn't be surprised if Ace DID 'rearrange' the forest, either for security purposes, or simply because he was bored, or even just frustrated with no one to take it out on except Luffy, which was (outside of training) absolutely not an option. No doubt Luffy had helped; Sabo had spotted a tree or two that was haphazardly splintered, certifiably the results of a badly-aimed Rocket.
…
In the end, the trio finally found the clearing where the tree with the treehouse was located, albeit with a lot more time spent than they'd expected.
"See? I told you I wasn't lost."
"Of course you weren't. Because we didn't just spend three hours looking for this place. Yeah, you weren't lost at all."
"Ahahaha…"
Sabo laughed apologetically, looking wistfully at the remains of what had once been the three brother's home. The epitomization of their dreams. None of his companions remarked on the tree house -or what's left of it- and Sabo was very thankful for it.
The tree was still there, but all that remained of the house was rotted debris still stuck to the tree in different angles. He could somehow still see the outline of the tree house. Except, in few more years those would disappear too.
His heart ached a bit. He wanted to cheer himself up and say, 'at least the memories of this place would stay in your heart forever', but that wasn't reassuring. Far from it. He had lost them once, and it could happen again. Needless to say, it was a lot easier to join the Army and become a soldier when you had no past, ergo, no relationships or ties to worry about. Sabo's job was dangerous, and if he did lose his memories once more, there's no saying if he'd ever get it back. In the first place, he'd only remembered this time because the news about Ace had been too much of a shock for him. It had made Sabo wonder more than once, if he had been subconsciously taking for granted the fact that Ace was alive and well, even when he was amnestic.
He could, of course, rebuild the tree house, but it wouldn't be the same. It would feel like an empty house. A shell. Void of meaning without Ace and Luffy.
Sabo let out a sigh as he caught sight of something sticking out of the ground on the other side of the tree.
He walked over to get a closer look, only to stare dumbfoundedly at a wheel that was half-sticking out from the undergrowth. It wasn't just any wheel; to be specific, it was a ship's steering wheel.
Their wheel.
Picking it up, Sabo sighed again as he pulled it out, brushing dirt, bugs and dead leaves off it, remembering how he and his brothers had loved playing with it, and sometimes fighting between them on who should be the one to steer it. It always returned to the 'captain issue' with them then.
Sabo could recall their childish arguments with extraordinary clarity; could hear their laughter and see their bright, naive faces with those big, carefree smiles.
It would never be the same.
...
The sun would be setting soon, so the three of them decided to camp there for the night and resume their trek in the morning.
At some point while Hack and Koala were busy setting up camp, Sabo had climbed up to the tree house and came down a moment later, carrying a crate that was miraculously still intact despite the years. It was a wonder the crate was even still there, considering how most of the house wasn't.
He had then sat down on one the tree's large roots, a fond but sad smile on his face as he studied the contents of the crate. The brunette and the fishman were curious yet judging from how Sabo had sat away from them, he probably wanted to keep it private, and they respected his privacy. If he wanted to share, he knew where they were.
...
They were just about to grill some fish they had caught when a sudden roar got their attention.
"That sounded a bit too close for comfort..." Hack noted, his ears more sensitive than Koala and Sabo's.
"Don't worry…" Sabo's grin was lopsided as he continued stoking the fire, seemingly unperturbed by the roar. Koala knew that look; it was the look he always had when he knew what was going to happen and they didn't (And Sabo never shared his endless knowledge with the awaiting masses. According to the Chief of Staff, he was setting a good example by keeping them vigilant on their toes, as they were being hunted as a resistance movement, except they all knew the unspoken truth: 'because it's super amusing to watch them get all twitchy and attempt to make him tell.' They have yet to succeed in finding a way to make him talk in a timely fashion; Sabo only told what he wanted, when he wanted).
"It's just an old friend," Sabo said mysteriously. Koala was neither charmed, nor lulled into letting her guard down.
Not too long after that, the revolutionaries heard the tell-tale signs of something approaching. Koala and Hack felt their jaws drop when they caught sight of what that 'something' was, the firelight basking its yellow coat in an orange light and illuminating the predatory glint in its eyes as it stepped into the clearing.
"Old friend?" murmured Hack with raised eyebrow.
Yep. This place was definitely more 'Grand Line' than 'East Blue'.
"Ermmm… Sabo?" Koala leaned slightly towards the blonde. "When you said the animals here were big… you meant huge, didn't you?"
She was pretty sure the tiger in front of them was at least a story tall.
Smirking, Sabo finally lifted his head up, his blue eyes meeting the tiger's obsidian ones.
"Why hello there, Tiger Lord. We meet again."
The tiger was eyeing Sabo with undivided attention, his nose twitching as he sniffed the air.
Koala took a few steps back getting into a fighting stance and the tiger crouched as if it might pounce.
"Sabo," she hissed in a whisper.
The animal snarled, Koala snarled back instinctively. She was skilled enough in Observation Haki to assess that she could most likely best it, however she had not lived this long by taking chances with oversized carnivores. Especially not ones that were eyeing the three like they had 'Dinner!' written all over them.
Beside her, Hack too took up a defensive pose, his hands raised in front of him prudently. Although his eyes were looking with at the magnificent animal's jaws and claws appreciatively.
"We used to fight him," said Sabo nonchalantly. "Good days, good days…" His voice was filled with pleasant nostalgia, as if he was having tea in a peaceful garden rather than sitting on a log in the forest with a large carnivore looking ready to pounce on him at any moment.
"WHAT? Why?" Koala snapped. Her voice still low but her words showed her irritation. All the while her eyes didn't leave the huge predator as she murmured under her breath about stupid boys, and their idiotic fights and how was he still alive now was -really and utterly- beyond her.
"We had planned to form a crew together originally, though we couldn't decide who would be captain since all of us wanted to be it… We fought Lord Tiger to decide who would be the captain of the three of us... But we could only win against it together. The three of us. Of course, we were only small brats then. In the end, we just ditched the idea and decided we'd form separate crews." Sabo was speaking calmly and normally, eyeing the tiger back with soft smile.
"You're still a brat now," Koala grumbled, not bothering whispering anymore.
"Did he come here for revenge then?" Hack asked.
"It's been ten years, I doubt that oversized cat would remember him. More likely, he's just looking for something to fill his belly." Koala answered. 'Something meaning us' went unsaid.
Sabo sighed standing up and looked at the tiger raising his eyebrow as if they both were marvelling at the stupidity of their companions.
"Sabo, what…"
Sabo moved forward in slow, measured steps in the tiger direction. The tiger stayed in his place, not a muscle moving, only his eyes narrowing.
"Sabo..."
Sabo turned and gave them the look. 'Hush… Be quiet, I know what I am doing.'
"I am not going to patch you up when you came back crying full of scratches," cursed Koala as Hack shrugged. He was accustomed to Sabo's ticks and mannerism. It was better to go with flow. "And I reserve the right to tell you 'I told you so'."
Sabo ignored them and turned his gaze back to the tiger.
He took another two steps, standing right in front of the huge animal.
He extended his hand slowly, maintaining eye contact.
..
.
The tiger remained crouched in his place.
The animal was strangely quiet as if it was holding its breath.
Shouldn't it be me, who is holding his breath? Sabo mused to himself. Size-wise, I am at a pretty obvious disadvantage.
..
.
At the first contact between Sabo's hand and the tiger's head. Sabo felt the animal stiffen.
He waited with bated breath.
It was still rigid and taut.
Sabo caressed the fur-covered head softly, his hand moving slowly back and forth.
He thought he felt vibration under his hand. But it took him awhile to realize that the Tiger Lord was emitting a low vibrating sound.
Sabo was using both of his hands to caress the back of the tiger -what he could reach- as it stretched its huge limbs beneath his hands. The sound getting higher and higher.
Sabo took a step back purposely and the tiger followed him immediately rubbing his great head fondly against him. Sabo obliged and began massaging his ears with triumphant grin.
"It's purring?!" Koala's voice was full of incredulous disbelief. She looked at Hack beside her and repeated "It's actually purring?" She seemed to be waiting for confirmation that she wasn't hallucinating. Hack could only nod, looking impressed. Koala turned, squinted and strained her ears. "It's purring, isn't it?"
It seemed that the third time was the charm, because the fact that a tiger was purring courtesy of her friend seemed to finally sink in.
"No need to be jealous Koala, I will rub your ears later." Sabo deadpanned.
Koala growled, cursing him and the big cat, and stomped away. Sabo was sure he saw her ears turn red before she fled. He snickered to himself.
"Ehmm… I think you messed up the roles..."
"Hmmm?"
"Koala loves furry animals."
"I know."
Sabo laughed out loud, and the tiger seemed to purr louder as if laughing with him.
"So, who was it that tamed you? Luffy or Ace?" he whispered to the animal.
Probably Luffy. Young Ace would never be caught petting this fluffy cat anytime soon. He would think it would ruin his reputation.
A small jingling sound caught Sabo's attention, and he noticed a small tag dangling from a ribbon around the tiger's scruff. It was tangled within the fur, which would explain why they missed it before.
"I see he gave you a name too... Even though I am surprised that he didn't eat you instead... Guess it means he likes you."
Sabo caught the Tag in a fisted hand while the other rubbed the animal's behind his left ear. To its pleasure.
"So what kind of name would Luffy give…?" Sabo murmured and tried to guess.
"Fluffy maybe… it does fit… but no, maybe something involving food… Meat...or Crocodile… he loved Crocodile meat especially… it will be like Luffy to name an animal with another animal's type...or maybe king? No, Luffy is the only king... let's see…"
Sabo finally opened his fisted hand and looked at the simple upside-down tag in his palm, with a bell attached to it too. On one side, there were a few letters written on the tag in Luffy's chicken scratch handwriting, but Sabo had seen his youngest brother write enough -even if it was rare occurrence- to decipher the writing.
"Tora-chan... How very normal!" And totally predictable. Of course, Luffy would name the Tiger Lord 'Tora-chan', only his fearless brother would dare give the furry beast such a cute name.
Sabo laughed and let the tag fall from his hand and used both hands to knead the big cat's head.
He wondered if he could smuggle it onto their ship when they were finished here without anyone noticing.
He could probably persuade them if they did notice. After all, no one in their right mind would reject such a cute, fluffy pet, oversized or not.
Right?
He was positive that the Tiger Lord would love all the attention and loving care the Okamas back home were sure to bestow on him.
"Who's a good Kitty. Yes, you are. Tora-chan"
Emporio Ivankov, the Queen of Kamabakka Kingdom woke up with a gasp on Momoiro Island, his home where those with a maiden's heart lived together in harmony.
The pink filling his kingdom everywhere, in plants and animals, also filled his heart to the brink.
He had a dream. The best dream. And the maiden's way was to share with his lovely candies.
Ivankov hurried from his bedroom to the hall were his candies waited for him every morning.
"Candies!" he greeted, bursting jovially through the doors more dramatically than usual. "Good Morning~~"
The residents of Kamabakka Kingdom were already milling about the hall; at the appearance of their queen and his loud greeting, they chorused back their own greetings with similar volumes.
"Perfect Morning, isn't it? Iva-sama." Tibany replied, already pouring a fresh cup of tea as Ivankov settled into his throne.
"Ivan-sama, you're just in time. Breakfast is just being served."
"Good morning, Iva-sama! We made you breakfast...you will love it!"
Holding a hand up to request for attention, Ivankov stood up and cleared his throat.
"Candies, Vi had the best dream ever!" the queen announced.
"What?"
"Of course you did!"
"What was it about?"
Hushing his subjects, who immediately fell silent, the Okama Queen continued his story.
"Ahem! In vmy dream, vwe had a huge fluffy cat. Vit was the fluffiest cat Vi have ever seen!"
"A cat?"
"A huge fluffy cat?"
"How big was it?"
"You mean a lion?"
"Or a tiger?"
"Maybe a regular cat? I know a place with animals that are really big... there was this hamster that was three times bigger than me..."
"What did you feed him?"
"Candies!" snapped Ivankov. Not accustomed to being ignored. He was always the queen of any show. "Stop interrupting vme."
"Sorry Iva-sama."
"Iva-sama...we apologize. It won't happen again."
"We're so sorry!"
Ivankov huffed and looked at them from below his long lashes. When he felt that their apologies were heartful enough, he added nonchalantly.
"Anyway... vit was a cat. A very big one. All fluffy with beautiful, black and gold fur..."
"Tiger..." whispered someone in reverence.
"...and vwe, vmy candies were giving him alllllll~~our love. Vwe made him shine... He was so beautiful and graceful ...and colourful… Vit was a masterpiece."
"Ohhh...that sounds beautiful!"
"What a wonderful dream..."
"Ivan-sama… did I put on him my pink ties?"
"Did he have my purple bands?"
"Did he have my hair crown on his head?"
"Hair claws?"
"Disc chain!"
"Ohhh...that would look stunning..."
"Maybe those flower you make Tina-chan..."
"Yes, we can put them on his ears. Or weave a flower crown for him~~"
"What about lipstick?"
"Shades?"
"Black... And purple..."
"Nooo~~pink would look better!"
"Red! Red all over!"
Ivankov hummed his approval. Such vision shouldn't stay a dream. No, that would be a crime, keeping it all to himself.
The queen had made a decision!
"Where is candy-boy?" He asked loudly.
"Sanji-kun?" Tibany answered, pressing a finger to her lips. "I think Caroline-chan was disciplining him."
"Again?"
"He was giving her the cold shoulder again."
Ivankov sighed loudly. "Such a naughty boy!"
"Poor Caroline." The candies murmured their sympathies.
"At any rate, will someone go bring Candy-boy here now." Ivankov demanded and his candies scattered to obey his order. And not a few minutes later, said Candy-boy was brought in all his glory to the queen, with a fierce scowl on his face and vehemently glaring at everyone. By all his glory Ivankov meant, he was wearing the sweet, rosy princess dress (Let it be known that Rose does NOT suit Sanji. At. All.) for naive virgins.
It seemed that his candies had interrupted Caroline when she was still applying makeup. The Candy-boy looked like he was punched thoroughly only in one eye and the right side of his lips looked like it lost the fight to a ripe tomato.
"Ivan-sama… I've brought you Sanji-kun." Caroline announced, her cheer a bit dampened.
"Vi am sorry for interrupting your fun, Caroline-chan, but Vi have an important mission for Candy-boy here."
Candy-boy was still struggling to get out of Caroline's grasp without success. His cursing was getting louder by the second.
Although, it was also getting more colourful. She would have to remedy that, Caroline noted to herself.
"Candy-boy, vwe have mission for vyou…"
Sanji eyed the Okama Queen warily. "Which is?" He had stopped struggling for the moment, if only so he wasn't strangled by the stupid frilly choker that had been forced on him along with the dress.
"...Vwe need vyou to bring vus a cat!"
"A what?" Sanji repeated, unsure if he'd heard wrongly or not.
"A cat, Candy-boy."
"No way in hell! We already agreed on the challenge, you ugly hag...man...agehhhh...Ugly." Sanji grumbled angrily and loudly. He'd sooner give Luffy the combination for the locks on his fridge than willingly do anything for these bunch of violence-prone, overly aggressive queers.
The Okamas gasped in alarm.
"Calling the most beautiful queen with that filthy… word."
"How dare you!" snapped Caroline. "You need more discipline."
Sanji rolled his eyes. Right, and you shitty okama-idiots need a fashion magazine. Or ten. Maybe a hundred. And make-up tutorials. He didn't say his thoughts out loud; he knew from first-hand experience that these 'maidens' considered themselves fashion gurus and insinuating otherwise would have extremely dire consequences. He did not, under any circumstances, want to go through that hell again, so he wisely held his tongue.
"Oh Candy-boy… vmy heart is breaking..." Ivankov clutched his heart dramatically, his other hand coming to rest in his head, hiding part of his face. Fluttering his lashes, as to hide a tear. Sanji only managed to hold back from gagging at the sight. Nami-swan...Robin-chwan...where are you...
"No! Ivan-sama~"
"You are beautiful~!"
"The most beautiful!"
"Don't listen to this virgin maiden!"
"Vi...vi'm breaking… into small…. tiny...Bits..." Ivankov gasped, taking a deep inhale and letting it out slowly. It sounded like a sob of small poor animal. His huge body shrunk into a small cocoon.
Everyone rounded on Sanji, shouting at him for his unladylike behaviour. The blonde cook only rolled his eyes again. Who cared if his behaviour was 'unlady-like'? He was a man. A true gentleman. And he was goddamn proud of it.
"Iva-sama…."
"Apologize, you monster!"
"Look what you did!"
Ivankov jumped, flinging his hands out to his sides and shouted, "OR NOT...Heehaw!"
"..."
"Your heart is not broken?" her candies asked in surprise.
"You got us, Ivan-sama! … We were so sad!"
"You got us again!"
"We were panicking!"
The Queen ignored her candies sweet complaints.
"Heehaw! Candy-boy… Are vyou saying that vyou can't catch vus a big cat!"
"How cowardice!"
"The dress does fit him!"
"Maybe he's just becoming more girly..."
"He's finally accepting his inner maiden, isn't he..."
"Oh? Have vyou lost vyour manhood already?" Ivankov remarked with wink, "That was quick!"
"Shut up! Of course… not!" Sanji choked in rage. "No way! Alright, big cat… I will get it! Now, SHUT UP!"
He was ignored.
"A very big cat..."
"Huge..."
"Beautiful!"
"Graceful!"
"Lovely~"
"Okay… Is that what you want to eat for dinner?" Sanji groaned. He had already accepted his fate -HELL- of being stuck here for the time being.
Sanji had accepted the challenge of fighting for the 99 secret vital recipes. The new kama kempo techniques training for married life.
Sanji had decided he would win this challenge, beat up those fake ugly women...men and make his crew stronger with his cooking and most importantly make Robin-chwannn and Nami-swannn even more sexy. He would win. Wait for me, Nami, Robin.
The okamas gasped again in horror and outrage.
"Nooooooooo..."
"How barbaric!"
"So cruel!"
"I don't believe we have someone this savage here!"
"He needs taming."
"He is very far from having a maiden's heart."
…
Sanji shut out the annoying whines of the okamas, slamming the door loudly as he left the room to go find a 'big cat'. Which he did, after running around on the monstrously pink island for over an hour. The shitty, stupidly pink dress didn't help.
When he returned to Ivankov's place where he was staying, he had three "big cats" following behind him and batting their eyelashes. Sanji had to mentally stop himself from lashing out and turning the felines into barbeque.
The moment the ladies started breaking out the hair ties and ribbons and general dress up items, Sanji tuned them out in favour of listing in his head all the different ways he could put a tiger on the plate.
It couldn't possibly be harder than dinosaur or sea kings.
He thought as he made a strategic retreat to somewhere without those nightmares that were busy 'beautifying' the tigers.
Better you than me pal! Sanji didn't pity the tigers at all. In fact, if he knew how this island worked, those overgrown cats were surely enjoying the makeover (*cough*torture*cough*) session.
Sabo was staring aimlessly at the fire as the twig in his hand moved the tinder around while his other grabbed several more twigs from the pile next to him and tossed them into the fire.
He had gotten the first shift of keeping the fire going, and an eye on their temporary camp.
That being said, he doubted that anything would disturb or attack them -not with the huge tiger that was contentedly snoring behind him- but one could never be too careful.
Purupurupuru…...purupurupuru….
The sudden ringing of the Den Den Mushi startled Sabo from his thoughts. He fumbled around in his coat and hurried to answer, glancing at his companions in case the incoming call had accidentally woken them. Luckily, neither of them -or the Tiger (except some ear twitching) -showed any signs of waking. They were all fast asleep, worn out from their hike into the mountains. The journey up here was more tiring than they had expected.
"Sabo, what's the status?"
Sabo was startled once more when he heard their leader's voice, remembering that he had received a call. He looked at the Den Den Mushi that he answered.
Yup, it was the one connected to their base in Baltigo. He really should pay more attention to his surroundings.
"Everything is going swimmingly. We arrived at the harbour in Edge Town as planned and made our merchant debate. Right now, we are in the process of building ourselves a reliable and trustworthy reputation…"
"You were able to do all that without being there?"
"..."
"..."
"Why would you think that I'm not in Edge Town?" Sabo asked, faking being hurt by his superior's 'unfounded' accusation.
"..."
The Chief of Staff could just imagine the unamused expression on Dragon's face now as he listened to his subordinate's miserable acting, all the while knowing exactly what was going on.
"Who was the one that told on me?"
"You just did."
Sabo groaned.
"Agehhhh… dammit!… I can't believe I fell for it again," complained Sabo.
"Frankly, I didn't expect you to not go to see them."
No need to say who 'them' were.
"..."
"You're right, I'm not in Edge Town." Sabo finally admitted. "I had the crew drop me off in Foosha village with Koala and Hack, and told them to head on to Goa."
Dragon didn't say a word, knowing his second-in-command had more to say.
"I met Makino and the mayor… and some guys that fled from the Grey Terminal fire ten years ago. They are probably alive thanks to your powers, if what they said was true… It was honestly a bit overwhelming …"
Dragon hummed, waiting.
"I talked with Makino some, and then the mayor brought me to Luffy's house, I mean, your hous…"
"Technically, it's Garp's house. It hasn't been my home for many years now… I think it also stopped being Luffy's a long time ago. You told me you lived together in the mountain with Portgas D. Ace and the Dadan Family, didn't you? Besides, my father hardly stays there… the sea and the navy has always been more his home than the house in Foosha."
Dragon voice was blank, it didn't show any kind of emotions that you would expect like remorse, anger, nostalgia. He was just reflecting reality.
Sabo hummed under his breath and murmured, "I wouldn't be too sure about that." Sabo smiled wryly. "The mayor took me to a room… his bedroom. It's a mess, which isn't a surprise, but... there were pictures and notes everywhere in the room… there were also pictures of you as a kid." Sabo bit his tongue, stopping himself. He wasn't sure if it was his place to mention the woman in the picture. That woman was probably Dragon's mom, and Garp's wife.
He forced himself to put his confusing thoughts and feelings into words.
"…I found Luffy and Ace's wanted posters. They were both crumpled up, and he even wrote on them. I probably should have looked if he had yours too."
Sabo wrote a mental note to go back and check, wondering what Garp would have written on it. He was sure it would be filled with creative curses.
"The notes on the wall… they felt like a diary of some kind… filled with mementos and the like… of course it was very chaotic...and..." Sabo trailed of, he found nothing more to add. He shrugged wordlessly.
Sabo was sure that Dragon saw the 'shrug' somehow. He had the ability to see those kinds of details. Though the Army had rumours floating around that Dragon was secretly a mind-reader, a seer, and an emo-fashion-guru. The Revolutionary could be an awful gossips and conspiracy fanatics. Really, it came with the job.
"The old man was always the sentimental kind deep inside his tough shell. I don't agree with him or with his methods, but he is a good man."
Sabo found himself nodding along unconsciously but paused mid nod. Was he? A good man? Once he would have agreed without a thought: 'A lesser man wouldn't have done what Garp had; The old marine had taken in three boys that the world hated and abandoned, loving them in his tough, unique way. Fists of love and all. Even so, that love had been unconditional. Even the part about them becoming marines was to keep them safe from the hard life of being criminals. That being said, his idea of good upbringing was truly questionable. Bandits as caretakers for future marines was a dreadful idea from every angle. Garp was in his own way, a good man. Someone he respected.' Except he didn't seem to be able to say it wholeheartedly now. "I don't know how to face him… I am angry at him...angry. He was there at Marineford. He knew. Yet…. yet he did nothing…. he sat back and watched when... Ace was to be executed, and after when he died... I know that he cares...that he loves… loved Ace, but he watched and let him die… so I don't know… I just...don't know…"
It was still hard for Sabo to speak in past tense when speaking about his older brother, which was kind of funny in a dark, miserable way. He had forgotten his past. No. He had left it, and only remembered it when it had truly and inevitably passed. When Ace had passed away. Sometimes, he wondered what was the point in remembering, if all it brought was a whole shipload of pain and regret that would forever haunt him. But then those thoughts ceased almost immediately as he remembered the life he lived and shared, and the future he was working to bring forward.
Sabo took a shuddering breath, trying to keep the other man from hearing it, knowing that he had probably failed.
Luffy! His younger brother's face swam in front of his eyes, shocking him out of his twisting,
depressed thoughts.
He was beyond grateful that he still had Luffy. It was a good thing he had remembered, or else Luffy would remain alone, thinking he was the only one left. Sabo wouldn't and couldn't let that happen. He would find him as soon as he could, and let him know. His little brother needed Sabo as much as Sabo needed him.
Luffy, you're not alone. You still have me.
He would beg and plead and apologise. He owed his little brother at least that much.
He owed himself that.
He owed Ace that.
Ace.
The one that stayed and kept their promise to take care of their little cry baby brother when Sabo had left them behind.
The roles were reversed with Ace's passing, and it was Sabo's job now. His turn to uphold the promise they made.
Despite all that pain, he would not give up on those all-too short years of joy they had shared together.
He will not regret remembering.
Dragon said nothing all the while.
"I don't know if I SHOULD meet him… maybe it would be better if he still thinks I am dead?" Sabo said, more forcefully than he intended. His thoughts had imbalanced him, and it showed in the quivering of his voice.
The silence was heavy, and Sabo felt like squirming…. He wanted. No. Needed to lighten the mood. He impulsively blurted out, "Makino said that Dadan… you know, the bandit boss that raised Ace and Luffy?... Makino said that she punched Garp hard when they-"
He never finished the sentence.
"Is that how you really feel?"
It was posed as a question, but it felt like an accusation.
Coward, he was being a scaredy cat. Like how Ace always called Luffy. Luffy would not approve. Ace would probably glare at him with hands on his hips. He always preferred to fight things head on and get it all out rather than let it sit inside and simmer. Those things not including the matter of his father - that was an exception.
He let out a long breath.
"I guess… I will cross the bridge when I see it."
"Good...now about your mission, Chief-of-Staff…"
Sabo groaned.
When Dragon called him by his position, Sabo knew he was in for a looooong night.
…
He was right. Dragon kept him awake for the next three hours, lecturing him all the way until after midnight. He even took Hack's shift, waving the fishman back to sleep when he woke up to take over, but found the blonde engaged in a rather one-sided conversation with their boss, and looking increasingly like a zombie.
But then again, Sabo doubted he'd have gotten any sleep even if Dragon hadn't kept him up. The least he could do was let his friends get some more sleep. They needed it.
And he really preferred not having to face Grumpy Koala in addition to all of this.
They were still putting out the fire when Sabo sensed them. Twenty...no, twenty-six people had surrounded them with hostile intent radiating from them in waves, though they wisely kept out of sight, making use of the forest's natural camouflage to conceal themselves.
Tora-chan had left earlier in search of breakfast, so there was nothing to deter them from attempting to mug the three people who looked like they belonged someplace else. Sabo supposed he and his comrades did look pretty out of place; with how they were dressed, they looked pretty similar to ordinary city folk. And those were usually easy pickings for any criminal.
Sabo focused his Observation Haki, locating the precise position of all twenty-six of them. There were five directly in front of Koala, three more to her right… six slightly scattered on the left, two behind him, five behind the treehouse's tree, four in Hack's direction and the last one in front of him.
It was admittedly great teamwork, with how strategically they had placed themselves.
"Sabo," hissed Koala from his side, noticing the encirclement as well. Both her and Hack had subtly shifted into position, ready to strike if need be.
Sabo ignored her, trying to concentrate on recognizing the auras he was sensing.
A voice boomed, and the blonde finally managed to place them at the same time they stepped out into the open.
"How dare you trespass onto the great Dadan Family's territory?"
The first thing that Sabo noted was that none of them had changed.
They were all the same, even their clothes. It seemed like he'd only left yesterday and arrived a day after. Not ten, eleven years.
Well, one of them looked a lot shorter than he remembered, but that was probably just him.
They were all wielding knives, or some other form of weapons and ACTINGmenacing. Had he not known how these people usually behaved at their base when they weren't out terrorizing the occasional passer-by, he might have believed their act. However, with the embarrassing insider knowledge he possessed… it was more funny than anything, ESPECIALLY since it used to be the other way around, with him terrifying them.
For a split second, Sabo entertained the thought of pretending to be intimidated and scared, just for the fun of it. It would be funny to see them squirm in their shoes when he revealed his identity.
It was so nostalgic.
Hack and Koala tensed, any pretences of being unaware gone already in place of sharp wariness. Sabo knew they would have already attacked viciously and quickly, but they didn't because they were waiting for him to defuse the situation.
Sabo, for his part, just laughed and laughed.
Oops! Now I can't act intimidated. Bummer!
"Hey you! What's so funny?!" One of them yelled, swinging his sword in the blonde's direction.
At that, Sabo just continued laughing.
He probably should explain and introduce himself once more, maybe add some flare for drama.
Yet.
Yet, he didn't seem to be able to stop.
..
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