Warnings: Dark themes, lots of mentions of death, strong language, human experimentation, experimenting on children, child abduction, graphic descriptions of experimenting, lots of needles, lots of violence, poor descriptions of panic attacks, descriptions of blood, rated M for safety.
*If I need to add anymore warnings please tell me in the reviews or a PM and I'll be sure to add it!*
Chapter 32: A New Home
"Alright old man, you've officially gone insane." Ace said with wide eyes. Sabo couldn't help but find himself agreeing with his brothers' statement. First, they found out that Garp didn't want them to be marines, and now they were finding out that he wanted them to stay with pirates?
Luffy, who had been silent up until then, staring at the table, looked up with an almost questioning look, a small frown playing on his lips as his shifting stopped. He was trying to read his grandfathers' feelings, but it was hard, the man feeling shame one second, guilt the next, and then relief, but now, it was... calm. He felt almost a resigned feeling coming from the Marine and it confused Luffy more than ever, not sure how to take that.
"You want us to stay with pirates," Sabo asked slowly, trying to wrap his mind around Garps' thinking.
"It's not really that I want you to, it's more that... at this point in time, its the safest place for you three." Garp tried explaining with a shake of his head. Sabo's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Since when did you think staying with pirates was safe?" Ace asked, eliciting a frown from Garp.
"When the marines took my Grandsons for seven years," Garp muttered darkly, effectively silencing the brothers. Everyone sat in silence, thinking over Garp's plans.
"Good people?" Luffy finally asked, gaining everyone's attention. Garp raised an eyebrow, not quite understanding the youngests question.
"Are they good people? Shanks said they're good people, and they've been nice, but there are so many colors and if we have to stay with them they have to be good people because bad people are mean." Luffy rambled, Garp finally understanding the question.
"Yes Luffy, the Whitebeard pirates are very good people, they would never hurt one of their own," Garp said confidently, knowing that that was rule number one when becoming a Whitebeard pirate.
"But we won't be 'one of them,' we'll just be... there." Ace countered because if this was happening, he was going to make sure that these people wouldn't hurt them.
"Just being there will make you one of them Ace. You don't have to have their mark for them to think of you as their family." Garp explained, and it was still a strange contrast to see someone who once expressed daily their hatred for pirates suddenly start praising them.
"They won't hurt us?" Luffy asked, wanting to make sure.
"They won't, I promise Luffy." And Luffy believed him, not only because he was his grandfather, but because he could feel the sincerity in the man's emotions.
"Say we do agree to this, are we just supposed to stay with them for the rest of our lives?" Ace asked, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at his grandfather. They had always dreamed about becoming pirates because pirates were free, but when you're forced to become a pirate with no other choice in your life, it takes that freedom away, and when that freedom is gone, were they really becoming the pirates they had always dreamed of being?
"For now, yes, but hopefully, in the future, this will all blow over. If you stay hidden long enough the Marines may just believe you three died and give up on the search. If that doesn't happen to be the case then... I can't blame you if you decide to leave the Whitebeards, or even become pirates." Garp said, and it sounded like he didn't want to be saying the words, yet he did.
"You've become... much more understanding..." Sabo said in surprise. Garp sighed.
"Well, a grandfather can't be picky about how his grandsons choose to live their lives, especially when their options have been significantly narrowed," Garp said, looking to the ceiling with a frown.
"That's great and all, but have you talked to the big man about all this? What if he says no? What then?" Ace asked. Sabo nodded in agreement, surprised Ace was bringing up such great points. Garp laughed not his normal bellowing laugh that the brothers were used to, but more of a knowing chuckle.
"Oh, believe me, I don't think it'll take that much convincing," Garp said, the smile not leaving his face. This only confused the brothers more but they shrugged it off.
"Why don't you let us talk this over for a few minutes?" Sabo asked, the marine nodding as he stood up and left the room, leaving the brothers alone. Sabo waited until he heard the man's footsteps get far enough away that he wouldn't be able to hear their conversation and turned to his brothers.
"Well, what do you guys think?" Sabo asked, already having a feeling he knew how they felt about it.
"I think its a horrible idea. They're pirates, and now we know the marines are looking for us too! If they find out we're the ones they're looking for whose to say they won't turn us in for money? Or use us for our power?" Ace asked. Sabo nodded, understanding where his brother was coming from, and to be honest, he was having many of the same thoughts himself.
"You're right about that Ace, but, playing devil's advocate, where would we go instead? We can't go back to Dawn Island and we have no idea where in the Grand Line we are. Even if we just go to the nearest island we have no money, no supplies, and no experience with sailing these waters. We would also be much more vulnerable to attacks, marine or pirate." Sabo said, not quite sure himself what the right answer was.
"We could fight 'em, and besides, we could just... borrow a few things." Ace said with a shrug. Sabo sighed, shaking his head.
"We're trying to stay hidden Ace, not raise attention towards ourselves by stealing and using our powers against anyone we come in contact with," Sabo said. Ace pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.
"So you're saying you wanna stay with the pirates then?" The eldest asked accusingly, narrowing his eyes at the blonde. Sabo frowned, shaking his head again.
"No, that's not what I'm saying at all, I'm just being realistic. The last thing I want is to go back to the Whitebeard ship and stay with them for who knows how long, but our other options aren't looking that great either." Sabo argued, leaving Ace silent.
"Jii-jii said they were good people," Luffy said eventually, not meeting his brothers' gazes.
"Since when do we listen to the shitty geezer?" Ace asked with a raised eyebrow. Luffy shrugged meekly.
"I dunno, but he wasn't lying, and Shanks said they were good too and he wasn't lying either," Luffy said softly.
"Lu, they may have said that, and meant it, but that doesn't mean its true. The Whitebeard Pirates might be completely different people when Garp and Shanks aren't around, so of course, they would think they were good people, even if they really weren't." Sabo said slowly, frowning as he spoke. Luffy frowned now as well, shaking his head.
"Bad people have bad colors and feelings, the Whitebeards didn't have those. If we leave the bad people might find us again, and I don't like the bad feelings, they're slimy and gross." Luffy said with a grimace. Sabo looked up to Ace, hesitating.
"But if we stay with them they could turn into bad people too, like those doctors that started blue and turned grey." Ace said. It wasn't that they wanted to scare their younger brother, but they were just trying to take into account every side of this story.
"But bad people don't keep promises and don't have the warm feeling. Giant Mustache had lots and lots of the warm feeling, he's not bad. And Mr. Chef kept his promises too, he's not bad." Luffy argued, glaring a bit now. Realizing things were beginning to escalate Sabo tried to calm the boy down.
"We believe you Luffy, they might be good people and they might stay good people, but what about all the others? What are the chances of everyone staying good? It only takes one to ruin a bunch and we have to be aware of the fact that, even if things are good for a while, when they find out about us, there's a chance they might turn on us." Sabo explained slowly. Luffy went silent now as he began thinking.
He knew Sabo was right, that there was a chance that they would turn on the brothers once they found out about them, but Luffy didn't really like their other options either.
"So what's our choice then?" Sabo asked with a sigh, leaning back in exhaustion. This was all emotionally taxing on him and he just wanted his life to go back to simple normalcy.
"If we stay, who knows how long we'll be with the pirates, but if we leave, who knows how long we'll stay hidden before we're found out," Sabo muttered, running through every outcome as quickly as he could. It seemed like a hypothetical question, one that, no matter what answer you gave, it was never the right one.
The three sat in silence, none of them liking either option more than the other, but all of them knowing they needed to choose, and soon.
"Assuming they don't find out about us or turn on us then staying with the Whitebeards would be the safer option," Sabo said eventually, though not because he liked saying it. In theory, it was easy to keep their past hidden, but reality was much different. They would have to keep Ace and Luffy from using their devil fruit powers around the pirates which was easier said than done. It was a miracle they'd kept them hidden this long.
"But if they do turn on us then they'd be the worst option." Ace countered.
"If we keep this up then we'll get nowhere." Sabo sighed, leaning over the table and putting his head in his arms.
"I think we should stay with the pirates..." Luffy piped up. Sabo raised his head back up in shock while Ace raised an eyebrow at the statement.
"Really?" Sabo asked. Luffy wasn't fond of strangers or large crowds in general after everything that happened in the facility, more so than Ace and Sabo, so for him to be saying that was surprising.
"Mm. I think they're good people too." Luffy said, determined.
"But-..." Ace trailed off, not quite sure what to say to that. It was obvious Ace wanted nothing to do with the pirates anymore, and Sabo still wasn't sure where he stood on the whole thing, but to hear Luffy so boldly claim that he wanted to stay made them hesitate.
"Why? What if they're not good people?" Ace asked. Luffy shrugged, swinging his feet as he looked to the ground.
"We leave. Ace and Sabo are strong, I think they could beat 'em up and get us out if we needed to!" Luffy said confidently, raising his head and beaming at his brothers. Sabo looked away from Luffy, looking towards Ace now.
"Ace?" He asked, wanting his brother's opinion at this change of events. Aces lips thinned as he thought about it, his eyes narrowing and eyebrows furrowing.
"If, and I mean if, we stay with the pirates, then we need to set some ground rules." Ace said sternly, Sabo and Luffy nodding in agreement.
"We can't let them know about the facility or our powers." Ace said, beginning to count off on his fingers.
"And that means no devil fruits either, alright Luffy?" Ace asked with a pointed look to Luffy who pouted but nodded regardless.
"And we won't ask for much. We're gonna avoid them turning on us any way we can." Ace said, ticking the rule off on his finger. He got more nods of agreement in response.
"If we are staying indefinitely they're probably gonna make us do chores or something, so no complaints about that either," Sabo added as a bit of an afterthought, Ace nodding in agreement along with Luffy.
"And Luffy, you'll still have to keep an eye out for any dark colors." Ace said, Luffys face growing serious as he continued nodding.
"Sound good?" Sabo asked, mostly to Luffy. The youngest still had a determined, serious look on his face, but he nodded.
"Let's get this over with then." Ace grumbled.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Hey Thatch, they're coming back," Blamenco muttered from where he stood, seeing the three along with Garp finally emerge from wherever they had gone to. Thatch practically ran to the railing, beaming brightly.
"Finally! Its almost the end of lunch!" Thatch said happily, some commanders laughing at the chef's over enthusiasm. The entire crew watched as they reboarded the Moby, Ace scanning over everyone with a glare while Sabo was speaking quietly to the youngest who was looking at the ground as he walked, Garp leading them.
"Hey, you guys! Lunch is almost over, but I've still got enough for you if you want to go eat." Thatch greeted the brothers who looked to Garp. The marine nodded.
"You boys go on, I'll talk to Whitebeard." He said, the brothers nodding and following Thatch who began talking animatedly.
"Garp, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Whitebeard asked as Garp made his way over, sitting in front of the Captain.
"I've got a bit of a favor to ask you Newgate." Garp began with a sigh. The giant raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?" He asked, waiting to hear what this favor was. Garp nodded, frowning.
"I want you to watch over my brats for a bit." The man requested. Whitebeard leaned back in his chair while the commanders watched in confusion.
"And how long is a bit?" Whitebeard asked, not having expected this request. Another sigh escaped Garp as he looked at the giant.
"As long as you would be willing." Whitebeard frowned along with some of the Commanders.
"Wouldn't you want to take them with you? After all, you just got them back after they've been gone for years, yoi." Marco said, watching Garp nod in agreement.
"I would like to take them with me, but I can't keep them safe anymore," Garp said softly, only confusing everyone more.
"You're a marine, are you implying that pirates are safer than the government?" Izo asked with a raised eyebrow.
"For those three, that's exactly what I'm saying." The marine said almost painfully. Whitebeard frowned.
"And why would that be?" Whitebeard asked curiously, wanting to know more about the three he was interested in. He did want to take the brothers in, they would make good additions to his family, but it didn't make sense why their real family would want them gone so suddenly after finally reuniting with them again.
"The place they escaped from... it was a government-run facility..." Garp said, looking away and frowning, hearing some of the commanders gasp.
"That place was allowed by the Marines?!" Jozu asked, having seen first hand what was happening in that place. Others nodded, showing they were thinking the same thing.
"As much as I hate to say it, yes. I didn't know what they were doing there, but after the boys told me..." Garp trailed off, and this only made the pirates more curious. They hadn't gotten anything out of the brothers about what happened in that place, but it seemed they had told the marine, not that that shocked them all that much, he was their grandfather.
"After they escaped the marines started sending search parties out for anyone with the numbers on their wrists. They especially want my grandsons back." Garp growled out.
"Why them especially?" Fossa asked. Garp frowned.
"Because they were there the longest, they have the most information on them. They don't know what they look like though, they only know their ages and their numbers, but just that much is enough for them to find them and take them back. I can't let that happen, not after I just got them back, so I'm asking if you'll take them with you and keep them safe." Garp said, nearly pleading now.
The doors to the galley opened and the brothers were walking back out, Thatch still talking happily beside them as they made their way back over to the Captain who was deep in thought, glancing to the brothers.
Sensing the serious mood Thatch slowly stopped talking, joining the other Commanders while the brothers joined Garp.
"I assume you know about what your grandfather was requesting?" Whitebeard asked, the brothers nodding.
"Yes Whitebeard sir, we would appreciate it if you took us in, but we understand if you cannot," Sabo said with a slight bow. Whitebeard watched them for a moment, the brothers resisting the urge to shift nervously under the man's gaze, before smiling.
"Alright, I'll take your brats in for you Garp," Whitebeard said eventually, eliciting a sigh from both Garp and the brothers.
"Thank you, Newgate," Garp said, standing. Whitebeard nodded while Garp turned to the brothers.
"You three be good, you hear? And no causing trouble for Newgate and his men." Garp said with a stern glare, the brothers nodding.
"I've raised you three to be good marines, but I guess that's no longer going to be the case, so... you better be the best damn pirates this world has ever seen!" Garp exclaimed, tears beginning to fill his eyes. The words filled the brothers with so much emotion it shocked them. They hadn't ever thought they would hear Garp encourage their dreams of being pirates, but they also hadn't expected to hear many of the things Garp had said that day.
"I'm gonna miss you Jii-jii!" Luffy cried, running to give Garp another hug.
"I'll miss you too Luffy, but I'll come to visit when I can so you three better not get weak on me! Next time I'm here training will resume!" Garp announced, sending shivers down the brother's spines as they remembered their grandfathers 'training' sessions.
"In that case, don't come back you shitty geezer." Ace grumbled, earning a glare in response as Garp cracked his knuckles.
"What was that you ungrateful grandson?!" Garp asked. Ace made a very unattractive noise before he bolted away, Garp chasing after him with his fist raised.
"Is this how you thank me for making you strong young boys?!"
"Who was thanking you you insane bastard?!"
"I told you to call me Grandpa brat!"
And now the brothers are officially staying with the Whitebeards for... indefinitely really. With everything the brothers have gone through and with how deep the facility and the marines ties run, it would be difficult to find a spot that the brothers could stay and remain safe. Naturally, people would believe staying with the Marines would be best, however that's not the case for obvious reasons. The next idea would maybe be a new island they could start new lives on, but that wouldn't be best either seeing as the Marines are sending search parties everywhere trying to find them. The matter of sending them to the Revolutionaries could work, however it'll be mentioned later on why we haven't seen much about them.
Don't worry, I've seen all the reviews where you're all wondering about the Revolutionaries.
Anyways, that's why I feel it would be best for them to stay with pirates, especially ones that Garp could even trust. It was asked why they don't just stay with Shanks, but I didn't want to choose him because, well for starters, this story is about the brothers joining the Whitebeards, not Shanks, and second, the Whitebeards have a far greater crew then Shanks. They have more allies, more territory, more members, and they're known for being the strongest crew. No one messes with the Whitebeards and gets away with it- still waiting for Teach to get his comeuppance- so the safest crew for the brothers to hide amongst would be the Whitebeards. Besides, there are so many members of the Whitebeards that another three would slip by the Marines' notice compared to them joining a smaller crew like Shanks'.
So with that said, a bit of news regarding updates, chapters will now be updated on Thursdays starting next week! New college semester, new schedule, new update day! I will still update weekly, so no worries about that, the only difference is it'll be on Thursdays.
I guess I'll see you all next Thursday then!