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 80: Liar Liar
It was a couple of days after they had parted ways with Mary and Henry. The brothers had officially been apart of the crew for a little over two months now, and the three were still amazed every day that they had gotten lucky enough to have stumbled upon one of the only friendly pirates in the world.
Luffy definitely had some crazy good luck when it came down to it, that's for sure.
Ace groaned when he felt Sabo slap his chest in an attempt to wake him up.
"Five more minutes." Ace mumbled as he rolled over onto his side, facing away from the blonde.
"You have until Luffys finished writing in his journal," Sabo grumbled out, just waking up himself. Sabo was woken up when Luffy had a nightmare but he'd fallen asleep shortly after, only waking up when he heard breakfast finishing up in the galley. Luffy was sitting at the desk, tongue poking out as he concentrated on writing his nightmare down and Sabo was still slightly amazed they had all stuck to writing in their journals. Already they had quite a few pages full of their writing and Sabo wondered how long it would take to fill their entire journals.
"How much more you got Lu?" Sabo asked with a yawn as he sat up, stretching. Luffy's concentration broke, turning to look at Sabo.
"Not a lot. Almost done." He said, turning back tot he book.
"Breakfast is ready so we can go once your done and Ace is awake," Sabo said, Luffy nodding to show he heard him. The blonde got out of bed and started getting ready for the day, trying to tune out the sound of Aces snoring as he did. When he was ready he noticed Luffy seemed to be finishing up so he picked up one of Aces boots, chucking it at the sleeping teen.
"Ow... wha' was that for?" Ace mumbled, rubbing the back of his head which had been nailed by the heel of the boot. Luffy snickered from the desk while Sabo rolled his eyes.
"Get ready Ace, we're leaving," Sabo said as he crossed his arms over his chest. Ace grumbled about it, but did it anyways, sluggishly sliding out of bed and getting ready while Luffy finished writing, closing the book and putting it and the quill away.
"All good?" Sabo asked, turning to assess whether Ace was awake enough to leave the room.
"I'm good." He said with another yawn, rubbing his eye as he did. Sabo shrugged, because even if Ace wasn't awake enough they wouldn't have to go outside until after breakfast so his eyes shouldn't have too much of an issue until then. The three left their room and Sabo tilted his head once they did, picking up on the conversation in the galley.
"What?" Ace asked him, knowing the look Sabo wore meant he was hearing something.
"I think there was something in the news about us," Sabo said with a frown. Ace and Luffy frowned now as well because that couldn't be good.
"What's it about?" Luffy asked softly, but Sabo could only shrug.
"I don't know, but the commanders are wondering how we're going to take it, so odds are its nothing good," Sabo said with a sigh. Couldn't they just live without the marines trying to ruin their lives every day?
"Great, of course it's not." Ace mumbled with a scowl as he kicked his feet. The three walked silently, the anticipation of whatever they were about to find out stopping anymore conversation from happening.
Finally, they were walking into the galley, the three of them heading straight to their seats at the commanders' table, already feeling the stares.
"So, what's the news?" Sabo asked with a sigh, and the commanders looked momentarily confused before understanding shown on their faces and Izo slid one of the papers towards trio huddled together, all trying to read the paper at the same time.
"The Demon Trio Found Out?" Sabo mumbled to himself as he read the title, mind racing with different thoughts, all trying to figure out what that meant.
The three read the article quickly, no one at the table speaking as they all watched the brothers. No one wanted to speak or interrupt them, so they merely ate silently, waiting to see how they reacted.
Finally, they finished reading, sitting back as Sabo opened the paper to look at the bounties, each having gone up yet another 50 million for a grand total of 200 million. Now, along with their numbers, their names were plastered on the pages as well.
"So they found out our names then," Sabo said with a sigh as he studied their posters. His own didn't have a last name, and he silently wondered if his noble heritage had anything to do with that. Having the family name plastered alongside the number of an infamously feared teen would surely ruin his family's reputation, and he knew they would do anything to keep that from happening. Ace had been spared from a last name as well, and he was grateful for that. If they had seen the four letters spelling out the last name Ace despised, there would have been much more of an uproar then this. Luffy hadn't been as lucky, and his poster had his full name on it, Monkey D. Luffy, which led them to believe someone had made the connection between Garp and his grandson.
How they had gotten any of their names in the first place was still a mystery though. Maybe there had been a few surviving marines that had heard them during a fight, but other than that they had no clue, and probably would never know.
"Because of course, those bastards did. It was only a matter of time." Ace muttered bitterly, scowling. Sabo felt that it was too early in the morning to have to deal with all of this, but he didn't have the luxury of choosing when they got bad news.
"At least they won't call us by our numbers," Sabo said, trying to find any bright side to this. The brothers hated being called by their numbers, because every time they heard someone say them it flashed them right back to being in their cell, listening to Haru list off names as he chose who was getting tested on that day.
They began eating after that, normal chatter taking place as they did. The brothers were thankful none of the commanders pressed them anymore about it, and before they knew it, they were done with their meals, heading out onto the deck. Their sour moods didn't last all that long, not when they could freely go outside, look at the sky, bask in the sun, admire the ocean. No matter what happened to them, they could always rely on the sky, and ocean, to put them at peace. It had a calming effect on them, one that could soothe even their darkest thoughts.
Of course, talking with Whiskey was starting to have its benefits too. It wasn't too obvious yet, and they still needed a lot more help, but taking Whiskey's advice was already beginning to seem like an option to them.
Deep breathes. Remind yourself you're no longer in there. Tell yourself that your safe here- that was still a difficult one for them. Focus on the now, not the then. It wasn't something they thought they'd need to use so soon, but now that they were, the three were glad they had kept up with the sessions.
The deck slowly filled with people as time ticked away. After getting over the news Ace, Sabo and Luffy had gone and joined the commanders sitting with Whitebeard, enjoying listening to them talk amongst each other. It was also something that helped them, to see others living so peacefully here, so calm and safe. Almost normal.
"Nuh-uh, no way Ruta. You've got to be lying about that one." Thatch said, shaking his head and crossing his arms, a look of doubt on his face as he looked at Haruta.
"One hundred and ten percent the truth Thatch," Haruta said with a grin.
"So you want us to believe that you saw a dog talking? Like a human? And they weren't a Mink?" Jozu asked skeptically. Marco stood by with a bored look on his face, listening but not actively joining in on the conversation, while Izo was sewing as he listened and Atmos watched, invested in the conversation so far. Whitebeard was also watching with his usual fond smile, chuckling at his sons' actions.
"Why wouldn't you believe me? I'm your brother after all." Haruta said with a hint of playfulness to his tone. Ace and Sabo listened on silently, eyebrows raised as they tried deciphering whether the commander was lying or not. It definitely sounded like it, but he seemed pretty adamant that it wasn't. In between them, Luffy laughed.
'He's lying.' Luffy tapped to his brothers, not noticing Marco and Whitebeard's eyes flashing to him as they caught his taps.
'Oh yeah? I thought so. He's pretty good at it.' Ace said genuinely, smiling now as well as he watched Haruta continue to try and convince the others he had really seen a talking dog.
"What did that first tap mean son? I don't think you've taught it to me before." Whitebeard asked, his fond smile growing more playful as he took a sip of his drink.
It was true that the brothers hadn't taught them the word for lying, but the context was easy to pick up on after what Ace had said. Luffy could feel the playfulness in Whitebeard and his smile widened, Ace and Sabo's as well.
"That one?" Sabo asked, all of the other Commanders stopping their conversation to watch as Sabo retapped the word for lying.
"Yes, that one," Whitebeard confirmed, trying to hold in his laughter as he did.
"It means lying!" Luffy said cheerfully, laughing afterward. Whitebeard laughed as well and Marco smiled to himself, shaking his head while the Commanders watched in interest.
"Lying? You think Rutas lying too? See, even Luffy knows how ridiculous that story is!" Thatch said with a grin, pointing to Haruta.
"I don't think so, I know so," Luffy said, head tilted as he continued smiling. This intrigued everyone once more as they looked at him.
"You do? How, yoi?" Marco asked, an eyebrow raised.
"I felt it. People don't have genuine feelings when they lie." Luffy said with a shrug as if it was common knowledge.
"So you know whenever anyone lies?" Jozu asked in amazement. Luffy nodded in confirmation, grinning toothily.
"I hate Thatchs cooking," Haruta said, eyes slightly narrowed. Thatch gawked at his brother, a look of hurt on his face, but before he could speak Luffy laughed.
"Liar!" Luffy said happily.
"I have three books in my room right now," Atmos said experimentally, interested in whether Luffy could really tell truth from lies just from how they felt.
"Liar!" Luffy chirped in response.
"I have an entire bag of candy hidden somewhere on the ship," Jozu said confidently, grinning.
"Truth!" Luffy said with another laugh, the commanders looking at Jozu who shrugged.
"He's right." He said, not even explaining why he had a hidden bag of candy.
"I love drawing," Izo said, more for the fun of it. He believed Luffy was telling the truth, but it was still amazing to see him use the powers they didn't know much about.
"True!" Luffy said, seemingly having a good time.
"Mmm... Ah! I won the snowball fight between Jiru and I last year!" Thatch said confidently, feeling that this would stump Luffy.
"True!" The boy chirped easily, causing Thatch to wilt. Everyone turned to Marco who looked back, eyebrow raised.
"What?" He asked, not liking the expectant look they all had in their eyes.
"Your turn," Atmos said with a shrug as if it were obvious.
"Why? I believe him, yoi." Marco said.
"Yeah, but if anyone can trick someone it would be you, Marco! You're good at that stuff." Haruta said, everyone, nodding in agreement. Ace and Sabo continued to watch on, enjoying the entertainment being provided to them. Whitebeard seemed to share their sentiment as he continued sipping from his drink, still grinning.
"Fine, yoi. These guys are all idiots." Marco said, jutting his thumb over his shoulder to point at the group of Commanders. They all gave shouts at that, but Luffy's laugh once again stopped them from speaking.
"Lies!" Luffy declared, shocking them.
"Lies? So... we're not idiots?" Jozu asked.
"But you sure as hell act like 'em, yoi," Marco said with an eye-roll, confirming that Luffy had gotten it correct.
"Amazing! Luffy, that ability of yours could tell us once and for all if Thatch is telling the truth whenever he tells his crazy stories!" Haruta said, stars in his eyes as he said this. Thatch began trying to stop Haruta from this line of conversation while Izo looked to Ace and Sabo.
"Can you guys lie to Luffy?" He asked curiously. They knew Luffy's powers almost as well as their own, so it was a good question to ask. If anyone knew how to lie to the boy, it would be them. This stopped Thatch and Haruta's argument as they turned to the two brothers.
"Us? No way, he always knows." Ace said, smashing Luffy's hat on his brother's head.
"Yeah, not even we are immune to his lie detection," Sabo said with a shake of his head, smiling.
"Shishishi~! You always feel guilty whenever you lie to me! You guys are the easiest to tell if your lying!" Luffy said, making the two flush a bit at his words.
"So it's not always the same feeling? Like... you cant just feel a lie?" Jozu asked, not quite sure how to word the question.
"Nope. Sometimes people feel guilty, or they feel ashamed, or they feel confident and stuff, but it's stronger or weaker depending on the situation. Marco was the hardest to tell, but it was still easy." Luffy said as he tried describing the things he felt into words. Everyone seemed to understand that it was hard to explain and left it at that. Thatch was quick to turn back to Haruta and exclaim that he had known all along his story had been a lie, a smile on his face as he said so.
The brothers watched with smiles once more, still amazed that the pirates could hear them talk about their powers and not call them monsters or turn them back into the marines.
More and more, these pirates proved to them that they were trustworthy, and maybe even safe.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Alright you three, you're up!" Thatch announced as he walked over to them, long strides reaching the lounging brothers within seconds, a smile lighting up his face.
"Up? For what?" Ace asked in confusion, eyes cracking open in confusion as he sat up away from the railing. Sabo and Luffy turned their heads in equal confusion, both having no idea what the chef could be talking about.
"Helping me out in the kitchen of course! I've got a baking list that a mile long and everyone else in my division is working on the feast, so I thought I'd ask you to help me out again." Thatch said, alluding to when they had helped him bake a while back. Luffy beamed at the memory, nodding his head happily as he spun to get off the railing, Sabo following as he smiled as well.
"I wanna help! It was really fun last time!" Luffy said excitedly, fists in the air in excitement.
"Exactly! Now come on, we have to get cooking if we want to be done in time!" Thatch said as he raised his fists as well, leading the way to the kitchen. Luffy cheered, Sabo laughed, and Ace shook his head, smiling, but they all followed willingly to the kitchen.
"So there's going to be a feast tonight?" Sabo asked, remembering Thatchs earlier words.
"That's right. We're celebrating today after Namurs division managed to successfully protect one of our islands." Thatch explained as they walked.
"Is there gonna be a party?" Luffy asked, thinking back to the party they had thrown when the brothers had joined. Thatch's smile widened as he nodded.
"You bet there'll be a party! If there's one thing the Whitebeards are good at, it's partying!" Thatch stated proudly. They entered the kitchen, all of the chefs bustling around in a hurry as they began preparations for dinner which would begin in a few hours. They walked passed them all and headed to the back like last time, Thatch telling the brothers to go ahead while he grabbed some ingredients that they would need.
Luffy sat on one of the big tables, swinging his legs back and forth as he watched the chef's work, a smile on his face and stomach growling as he smelled the delicious aromas engulfing him. Ace was in a similar predicament, because enhanced smelling or not, he could smell some of the stronger scents of food wafting his way, making his stomach growl as he leaned against the table Luffy sat on. Sabo rolled his eyes and shook his head at his predictable brothers, but smiled as he stood near them as well, turning to look at the chefs as well and watching them run back and forth, grabbing or cooking things.
"I'm back! Now, first things first. Wash your hands!" Thatch said, rolling his sleeves up and smiling after he set down the armful of ingredients he had brought over. The brothers all nodded and headed to the sink, Sabo stopping the brothers from starting another water fight in the process. When they returned, Thatch had already set out bread and dips for Ace and Luffy and had separated ingredients into three piles based on who was doing what.
"Luffy, why don't we work on cupcakes this time? Sabo, you've got pies, and Ace, you're on cookies!" Thatch announced, handing them sheets of paper with recipes on them.
"Those are my top secret recipes, so don't go giving them to anyone else, got it?" The chef asked them with a wink. They smiled, promising not to as they headed off, trusting Thatch with Luffy.
Like last time, the group of four worked efficiently to get all the baked goods done on time. With the breads to distract them, Ace and Luffy didn't eat any of the uncooked desserts, and with Thatch's guidance, they were all able to get what needed to be done done. As the hours passed and the desserts baked, the four shared stories, laughed, and generally had a good time.
These were the times that the brothers had been hoping for. After seven years in hell, this is exactly what they had been wishing for after escaping. This peace, this familiarity, this normalcy, this warmth.
If they could continue having good times like this forever, it just might make up for all the damage that had been done to them.
Transition over, and now we're moving on to the next mini chapter! 80 chapters in now and I'm still surprised by how many people read and support this story! I know you all are probably tired of hearing me say that, but its true.
Anyways, the brothers' bounty increased and the marines know their actual names instead of just their numbers. As mentioned, Ace doesn't have his last name seeing as he hasn't really gone around introducing himself as Portgas D. Ace yet in this story like in canon.
Also, quick question. Is anyone else participating in Nanowrimo this November? I decided to try it out for the first time this year and so far I'm really enjoying myself! Don't worry, this story will always come first to my Nanowrimo project so there's no need to worry about this being put on the back burner. I just wanted to say, to anyone participating in Nanowrimo, good luck! Manage your time and don't overwork yourself!
Thank you all as always for supporting my story! I'll see you Monday with the next chapter!