"Luffy!"
Sabo bit back a sigh and closed his book, getting up from his seat by the helm to go investigate the nose. Luffy's rambunctious laughter filled the air around the ship and Sabo found himself smiling as he approached a fuming Ace, who had his hair sticking up in random directions, having clearly just woken up. Ace spun to face him, feeling his approach and Sabo burst into laughter, pointing at his brother's marked face. His freckles were connected by black lines and made crude images of animals out of the dots. Sabo didn't even mind getting tackled, it only gave him a better view of his brother and made him laugh louder. He sputtered when he and Ace were sprayed with water from a sea king and Luffy's laughter grew stronger at the look of betrayal he shot his younger brother. The caw of the newsco cut through the noise and Sabo called for a truce, heaving himself up to pay the bird and take the paper, thoroughly ignoring Ace's pouting.
He and Ace already had bounties, a respectable 30 million each. They weren't trying to hide their own actions, but they didn't go out of their way for the attention either. They had already beaten a couple of rival pirate crews out on the east blue, though now that they wound up in the grandline he doubted that the pickings would remain easy. What he really wanted to do was go back to another blue, they weren't ready for the grandline yet, especially when Luffy was still so young. After scolding Luffy for allowing the seaking to lead them to these more dangerous seas, he and Ace had both sat down to discuss the next possible blue, the west seeming to be the better option out of them all.
Sabo skimmed the cover of the paper and turned the page before freezing, his eyes widening as he caught sight of his brother's wide, smiling face staring back at him. His little brother's. He and Ace had gone out of their way to make sure Luffy remained hidden while they went on their raids and fended off pirates and marines alike, but somehow, his baby brother was now a wanted man.
Luffy should have never even been seen. Sabo picked his jaw up from the floor and shoved his face into the paper, trying to ignore the dread welling up in him while carefully reading the article and trying to determine where his brother could have possibly been spotted. It didn't help his anxiety when he got a better look at the photo, one that Luffy was clearly posing for with a peace sign and a wide smile. He clenched his jaw, noting that Luffy had been spotted at some backwater village an island away from Loguetown. Still, he was sure his brother had done nothing of notoriety there.
He skimmed further down and frowned, Monkey D. Luffy, Only Alive. Sabo paused, his blonde brows furrowing before his eyes blew open in fear.
"Luffy!" He jerked his attention away from the paper and to his brother. Ace was the first to notice his distress, immediately stopping his tickling session on Luffy and looking up at him with a concerned frown.
"Sabo?" Ace was up in an instant and dragging a protesting Luffy behind him. Sabo ignored his brother's questioning gaze and firmly grabbed Luffy by his shoulders, looking down at his little brother with what he hoped was a collected expression.
"Luffy, at the last island we visited, did you do anything that would have given you a bounty?"
Ace's gaze was now sharp and his eyes moved down to the paper in Sabo's hand, his eyes widening when he saw a glimpse of a straw hat.
Luffy pouted up at him with innocent eyes and shook his head, tilting it to the side and asking why. Sabo hesitated, knowing his brother was telling the truth because he was a terrible liar, but also flabbergasted at how this could have happened so soon. He swallowed, feeling his throat go dry.
"Luffy I believe you, but, here take a look." He removed his hands from his brother and opened the paper facing out to show them both. "I don't know how or why, but you got a bounty. And you posed for it!" He was still mad about the last part, Luffy could have at least tried to run.
He saw understanding dawn on Luffy's face before he sputtered and reeled back. "No! I didn't mean to! I promised I would try not to get one yet!" Luffy gripped at his black locks and tugged, his eyes wide in panic. Sabo sighed and drew his brother in for a hug, knowing how seriously he took his promises.
"Shhh, it's okay. Nothing to be done about it now. I know you tried." His quiet moment was ruined when Ace's fist slammed into Luffy's skull and made him jerk back in surprise, least he be hit too.
"Idiot!" Ace's fist was steaming as he loomed over a crouching Luffy who was holding his head, his eyes wet.
"Hey! I didn't mean to!" Luffy's bottom lip trembled and the glassy look in his eyes intensified. Sabo swallowed when he felt the sea jerk under him and he hesitantly glanced out to the ocean to see the waves become choppy. He ran a hand down his face and pushed Ace away, ignoring the disgruntled look he was given. He leaned down and picked Luffy up easily, his little brother always one for hugs and contact despite being a month away from fourteen. A part of Sabo relished in it, now old enough to understand how precious their younger brother was and these moments that they could still share as a family. Ace seemed to think along the same lines because his face softened when looking at them.
Luffy wrapped his arms around his neck like the little monkey he was and gave him an uncharacteristically somber frown.
"Really, I didn't know that old man was going to make a bounty poster for me!" The pout that followed almost distracted Sabo from the bit of information given.
"Wait, old man? Luffy tell me exactly what happened." He hoisted Luffy higher and took a seat on a nearby bench, adjusting his little brother so that he was comfortably sprawled in his lap, Ace flanking his right.
"Well I was waiting at the dock like you told me to, and I was talking to Mr. Slithers. Then this old man came out of nowhere and wanted a picture of us together so I said sure!"
Beside him, Sabo heard Ace smack his face against the fall and mutter curses under his breath about his innocently oblivious baby brother. He swallowed and tried not to follow the same action, his hand twitching from where it was securely against Luffy's back keeping him in place.
"Luffy," he started slowly, trying to make sure he understood. "What did we say about talking to the kings out loud?"
"To not!" Luffy chirped back, a wide smile on his face as he swung his legs.
"And what did you do before the man took the photo?" Sabo pressed, ignoring the small kicks against his calves from Luffy's kicks. His brother tilted his head to the side and the smile abruptly fell from his face.
"Ahhh!"
Sabo sighed while Luffy had another crisis and picked the wanted poster back up. This time he focused on the background and he could make out the outline of the seaking. It was safe to say that no one else would know what it was. However, if this wasn't the full picture….
His eyes glanced down to the letting, 'Only Alive'.
Dread pooled in his belly and he involuntarily squeezed Luffy closer to him. "Ace," he managed through clenched teeth. His brother was scowling, black marker still smudged on his face as he raised a brow.
"There's a sea king behind Luffy, they only want him alive."
Ace's black brows furrowed before they rose in surprise, his silver eyes opening wide as he stood and paced on the deck, fists clenched. "Sabo! It's been a month!"
He winced, knowing full well that Ace took it especially hard. They were supposed to be protecting Luffy from being exposed, and being on an island so long didn't seem like the best way to stay hidden. However, now he was questioning their judgment in brining their kid brother with them.
"Ace, Sabo?" Luffy's curious voice cut through both of them and when Sabo looked at him, he couldn't help but notice the baby fat on his cheeks or how small his limbs looked around his more muscular form. He swallowed and tried to keep the scowl off his face at his own incompetence.
"Luffy, you gotta be extra careful now okay?" He tugged at a rubbery cheek and forced his big black eyes to look at him. "We know that you're different then everyone, and that's okay. But some people will want you now that they know you can talk to sea kings. You have to be more careful Luffy. Not everyone will know about it, but if someone calls you out on it specifically, I just want you to run." Sabo was glad his voice remained even and leaned back to let Ace ruffle his hands though Luffy's dark hair.
Luffy bit his lip and stared up at them both, his wide eyes searching in a way that used to make him tremble when he was younger. By now, both he and Ace had gotten used to it, realizing a long time ago that no matter what feelings it evoked, Luffy would always be their baby brother. His brother blinked and frowned, nodding his head in agreement.
"I will. But you guys have to promise to run into the sea if you're ever in danger too."
Sabo was distinctly aware of the sudden stillness in the air. He chanced a glance at the ocean and swallowed when he saw still waters. It was like they were out in the calm belt. Ace shifted next to him, slightly uncomfortable and Sabo didn't blame him. Even after all this time, some things were still unnerving. Though, the older Luffy got, the stranger things became.
Eventually, Sabo managed to choke out a few words past the instinctual fear that tried to consume him. "Yeah, we promise. Just don't drown us Luffy." He added the last part in a teasing tone and Luffy let out a bark of laughter. Sabo couldn't ignore the sudden noise of rushing water that came with it and the gusting wind that began to blow again.
"Of course not silly!" Luffy's voice was full of mirth, "Ace and Sabo are my brothers, she'll never hurt you!" Luffy spoke with such conviction that Sabo almost believed him, still, he couldn't ignore the nagging feeling in the back of his head that told him to be weary.
xxx
Sengoku sighed and cleared the papers off his desk as he felt Garp's fluctuating haki storm down the hall. He didn't flinch when his door was thrown off its hinges, but he did raise his brows in surprise. His old friend usually had some restraint when talking to him and he wondered what could have possibly gotten him so worked up this time. Garp had a fierce scowl on his face, his fists clenched hard and a paper was held tightly in one.
"Ah, Garp, nice to see you." He tried for diplomacy, but it only seemed to make the vice-admiral even more angry.
"Sengoku!" Garp slammed his fist on his desk and he felt his brow tick when the wood was split in half. Stray splinters flew past him and dust covered his face in an instant.
"Damnit Garp!" He stood and was ready to lecture his friend when he caught the look in the man's eye. He paused in surprise, the dust settling as he stared at Garp in shock. Sengoku had seen a lot of emotions on his friend's face throughout their time together, but fear was rare.
"Garp," he started again, stepping from around his ruined desk and to the furious man.
"What the hell is this!" A paper was thrust into his face and when his eyes adjusted he saw the bounty of a young boy smiling at the camera. 'Only Alive' was printed in bold letters first. He furrowed his brows and took a quick glance at Garp's stormy face before reading further.
'Monkey D. Luffy' Sengoku swallowed.
Monkey D.
He cursed under his breath. He wasn't getting out of this one.
xxx
Shanks smiled as he greeted his long time friend, silently enjoying how annoyed Mihawk looked. His crew was sprawled around the tropical island in a drunken haze, celebrating their latest find. The black haired man frowned and shoved a stray member off him before nodding to him in greeting.
"Red hair, I have a question for you." His voice was as blank as always and Shanks smiled, playing into his drunken role to try to annoy his friend further.
"Aweee you came here just for me?" He leaned forwards and swung an arm around Mihawk, silently laughing at the long, exasperated sigh he let out.
"I wondered where you put it after all those years, something so precious to you." Mihawk didn't even shrug him off as he pulled a folded paper out of his pocket. "I believe I found it. My question is, who is he?" Mihawk unfolded the paper and snapped it taunt, turning it to face him.
Shanks froze when he saw the familiar straw hat, all traces of drunkenness evaporating. A smiling boy with baby fat on his cheeks was wearing it and posing for the camera. He swallowed hard, his ears ringing as he shakily snatched the bounty away from the gold eyed man. The party around him stilled, seemingly sensing his distress. Shanks stared, his heart beating harder by the minute. He knew this day would come eventually, knew Luffy would hold up his end of the promise, but…
"Benn!" He shouted to his first mate, still not taking his eyes off the young boy in the photo. "How long has it been since we left the east!?" He already knew the answer, but a part of him hoped time flew by faster than normal.
"About seven years now," Benn's voice was to his left and he saw his first mate walk to his side. He didn't say anything when he heard the dark haired man's sharp intake of breath when he noticed the bounty. In front of him, Mihawk narrowed his golden eyes but didn't say a word, simply observing his no doubt, surprising reaction.
Shank's took a deep breath, trying to calm himself and failing miserably. Luffy was fourteen at most and he already had a bounty. His heart squeezing when he read further down, his fears being confirmed.
Only Alive.
He clenched his teeth, haki straining to be let loose. His stupid, stupid son was already out on the sea, and Shanks was certain that his 'uniqueness' had already been discovered if the bounty was anything to go by. His crew was stock still around him, clearly feeling his trepidation and anger thick in the air. He raised his voice, the hard edge lining it leaving no room for complaints.
"Pack it up! We're leaving now!" He was glad when everyone scrambled to move, leaving only he, Benn and Mihawk to stare dumbly at the boy in the photo. Shanks swallowed and tore his gaze away from it, hardly looking at his old friend before he readied himself to leave.
"My idiot son."
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