Author's Note: Okay, sorry about the really long delay. I'll try to minimize that in the future, but high school life and stuff kind of drove this out of my mind for a bit, and I totally forgot about this until like last week. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 2: Setting Sail

Ace nodded to himself as he finished checking his provisions, then turned to watch the familiar wharf of Foosha Village fade into the distance behind him. He was going to miss Luffy like crazy (not that he'd ever admit it aloud), but a promise was a promise. Besides, he thought as a huge grin spread across his face, he was so pumped for this adventure, there was no way in hell he was going to turn back now. After Foosha finally vanished over the horizon, he checked again to make sure he was headed in the right direction (and not about to get lost in the middle of the ocean for a week - his food was definitely not going to last that long), then settled comfortably against the mast of his ship to watch the clouds float by (because seriously - what else was was he to do during the long hours that were to follow? It's not like he brought any books to read - he didn't like reading that much anyway). As his body relaxed in the warm sun, he allowed his mind to drift.

He jerked awake, feeling slightly disoriented. When had he fallen asleep? Ah, right. His narcolepsy kicked in, didn't it. Letting out a yawn, he stood and stretched, feeling his joints pop, before checking his direction again. He'd gone slightly off course when the wind shifted sometime during his nap, but it wasn't a lot and he quickly corrected it. Looking out over the water that was on all sides of him, he wondered what had woken him. His naps were usually longer... "Wow, you actually learned how to use a compass?" Ace jumped at the voice behind him and quickly spun to face whoever it was, dagger in hand. "Who the hell are you?!" The newcomer blinked at him. "...You don't recognize me?" Ace narrowed his eyes as he quickly took in his appearance. His eyes were immediately drawn to the person's hat, and the familiar pair of goggles that sat on the rim. Then, the person's blond hair. The pipe on his back, the coat in that shade of blue, and... "That napkin around your neck..." Ace muttered, veins bulging on his forehead as his anger boiled over. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, TRYING TO PASS OFF AS MY BROTHER?!" he yelled as he lunged forward, intent on putting his dagger through the offender's heart. The blond's eyes widened. "W-wait! Ace! It's-" He broke off to dodge a swipe aimed at his throat. "Calm down-" He was interrupted again, by a slash at his eyes. "DAMMIT ACE LISTEN TO ME!" Ace, surprised by the volume of the shout, tripped over his bag and went sprawling, his momentum carrying him straight over the low edge of his tiny boat and into the ocean with a splash. He surfaced, coughing and spluttering, and was about to climb back into the boat when he saw that the blond man had taken off his hat. He gritted his eyes against the familiarity he could feel coming off the blond in waves.

At his silence, the blond man sighed. "It's me, Ace. Sabo." Seeing the blatant distrust and disbelief in Ace's eyes, he quickly searched his memory for something that would convince him. He landed on one of his most cherished memories, and his mouth curled upward wistfully. "We swore brotherhood with Luffy in the forest with sake that you stole from Dandan, remember?" Then his eyes became serious. "I would never lie to you about this, Ace. It's...it was the best thing that happened to me." Several different emotions flashed through Ace's eyes, too quick for him to identify - the distrust was still there but fading slowly. Then Sabo twitched as his brain suddenly and randomly reminded him of Ace's words from just a few minutes ago. "And it's a cravat, dammit! Not a napkin! Why the hell is that what you notice about me first?!"