Author Note: I love this arc, I think it's possibly one of my favourites!
Again, thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapters.
Shout out to my beta, AuthenticAussie!
XXX
Chapter 3 - Water 7
XXX
There were not many things that could put Sabo in a bad mood. He was naturally quite bright and cheery. Certainly not to the extent that Luffy took 'bright and cheery', but he could still be described as a generally content person.
But if there was one thing that made him angry and set his blood boiling, it was when people – more specifically the World Government – targeted those he cared about.
The blond had been furious when Bunny Joe had contacted him to report that three high ranked Revolutionary officers had been assassinated, and worse still that civilians had been caught in the cross fire, resulting in a total of twenty three deaths on a simple reconnaissance mission.
Sabo had immediately reported in with Dragon and requested permission to hunt the assassins down. Needless to say, Dragon wasn't particularly happy at the thought of Sabo going on a revenge vendetta despite his own fury, but when Koala's intel revealed that the assassins were part of CP9, Dragon had granted permission.
Dragon had informed Sabo, in complete confidence, that CP9 were suspected of being on the hunt for the blueprints of the ancient weapon, Pluton.
Sabo's blood had run cold when he had learnt the details. He never wanted to see that weapon created and swore to do whatever necessary to destroy the blueprints. He had been mildly shocked that Dragon believed Nico Robin, the only survivor of the Ohara genocide, was also capable of restoring the weapon from the depths of history and finally understood why his leader had tried for so long to locate the young woman. They really couldn't afford to let her fall into the wrong hands.
Sabo's job therefore was twofold; destroy the blueprints and recover Nico Robin, who had been sighted in the area.
He certainly hadn't expected to see his little brother wandering the backstreets of Water 7 in the middle of the night.
Sabo stood poised on a rooftop and watched as Luffy and his small crew trudged into a hotel across the street. They looked like they were carrying everything they owned on their backs, including a couple of orange trees, much to Sabo's bemusement.
To say he was confused by the sight was an understatement. He was relieved to see his brother looked in one piece at least, if he discarded the obvious cuts and scrapes of a recent fight, but that relief was tempered by concern over Luffy's absent smile. It was like someone had turned off his inner light. He was hunched in on himself and looked miserable, a word not very often associated with the rubber teen.
Sabo waited patiently for another glimpse of his brother. If he knew Luffy, the boy wouldn't be content shut away in a hotel room. He preferred open spaces where he could see the sky. It had been Luffy after all who had requested that their old secret base have numerous open windows all around. It had been a tricky design to accomplish but to see Luffy's delighted face when he could fall asleep watching the twinkling stars had made all the hard work worth it.
The blond's patience was rewarded a short while later when the rooftop door slammed open with a resounding bang and Luffy emerged, straw hat hanging lifelessly around his neck. He walked straight to the edge of the building and leapt up onto the side, letting his legs dangle down towards the canal below.
"Luffy," a small voice called, as two more people emerged from the stairwell.
"Chopper." The green haired man - who Sabo immediately identified as Pirate Hunter Zoro thanks to his wanted poster and vibrant green hair - gently tugged a small creature back from running up to Luffy. "Luffy's fine, you've patched him up. Let's just sit, okay?" he suggested in a surprisingly compassionate tone.
The furry little creature looked like it was about to burst into tears any second but nodded and sat next to his companion, mindful of the swords laid out next to them.
Clearly something had happened and it couldn't just be a small thing. Luffy could bounce back from almost anything and for him to look so despondent it was obviously a serious matter. Sabo frowned as he observed his brother's isolation from his crew. Luffy hated being alone, he thrived when he was with people so for him to remove himself from the company of his nakama as much as he was physically able meant that he was very obviously hurting.
The blond was torn. He couldn't very well just leave Luffy looking like that – it nearly broke his heart just watching at him. Luffy was one of the single brightest things in his somewhat shady life and he refused to let him hurt if he could help it.
But Sabo also had a job to do. He knew that when he signed up to the Revolutionaries he would sometimes be required to make a choice between what was needed and what was wanted. This was very much one of those times and Koala would have his hide if he abandoned her to all the reconnaissance. Again.
"Luffy, do you maybe want some dinner? Sanji's waiting at the ship for Robin but I'm sure the hotel has something," Chopper called, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen over the three crew mates. Zoro cracked open one eye to stare at his captain's back.
There was no response from the rubber boy.
Enough was enough, Sabo thought, sighing heavily and making to jump the distance between the two buildings. He sent a silent apology to Koala as he landed soundlessly in the shadow of the stairwell. None of the roof's occupants even noticed.
"Well, this is unexpected," said Sabo, walking forward slowly, hands calmly down by his side and showing no resistance when the swordsman leapt to his feet, weapon in hand. There was a small cry of alarm as the little creature, which Sabo was pretty sure was a reindeer despite the blue nose and obviously human intelligence, hid very badly behind his nakama's legs.
Luffy turned slowly, all his movements lacking the energy and vigor he usually he had in spades. There was a small, confused frown on his face as he tried to spot the speaker in the shadows.
Sabo smiled fondly and stepped forward out of the inky darkness. "I never thought I'd run into you here, Straw Hat Luffy," he said softly, catching his brother's eye.
Luffy's breath caught in his chest, eyes widening ever so slightly in surprise.
"Who the hell are you?" Zoro growled but Sabo ignored him, all his attention focused on his little brother.
Luffy swung around from the edge and slowly started walking towards him, head down.
"Luffy?" Chopper called, clearly nervous as Zoro's gaze flickered between the two of them, poised to strike as soon as he saw any threatening move towards his captain. If Sabo hadn't been so concerned for his brother, he would've taken a moment to admire the swordsman's dedication.
Luffy came to an unsteady halt directly in front of Sabo, face shrouded by the rim of his straw hat. The blond reached out and gently raised Luffy's chin, his own head tilting to one side, scar becoming visible in the dim light. Zoro paused, calmly sheathed his sword and stepped back.
"What's got my little brother looking so despondent, hm?" Sabo asked quietly. Luffy drew in a shuddering breath and closed the final gap between them, wrapping his arms tightly around Sabo's waist, head burrowing into his shoulder. Sabo returned the embrace immediately, clutching securely at Luffy's quaking shoulders.
"Little brother?" Sabo heard Chopper mutter.
"You must be Sabo," said Zoro, carefully trying to remove Chopper's vice grip from his leg.
The young Revolutionary cast the swordsman a quick nod of confirmation before turning his attention back to Luffy, who was trembling in his arms.
"You okay, Lu?" he asked quietly. There was a minute shake of the head against his shoulder.
Zoro, clearly more tactful than he looked, guided Chopper towards the stairwell. "Come on, let's leave Luffy with his brother. Luffy, we'll be in our room if you need us," he added as the door swung shut behind them, leaving the two brothers in silence.
Sabo exhaled softly and gave Luffy a quick squeeze before gently pulling back enough to look him in the face. His eyes narrowed, scrutinising every detail about his brother's face. He could see straight away that Luffy had been crying, his eyes were red rimmed and he looked very pale.
"Luffy?" Sabo tried again. "This isn't like you at all. What's wrong?"
Luffy's gaze dropped to the floor. "I'm tired," he finally whispered. Sabo hummed in acknowledgment. He gently untangled Luffy's grip and pulled him towards the edge of the building. He sat down and tugged an unresisting Luffy down next to him to lean against the wall.
Luffy immediately slumped against Sabo, eyes falling shut when the blond wrapped an arm around his shoulders and ran a comforting hand through wayward black hair.
"You want to tell me what's been going on?" asked Sabo. There was a short silence before Luffy began talking quietly.
xxx
Sabo sighed thoughtfully as Luffy's unbelievable tale finally drew to a close. He had heard of the island in the sky but it was just like Luffy to do the near impossible and actually find a way there. He absently returned to running a hand through Luffy's hair where his brother's head rested on his thigh, the teen having slid down during his storytelling.
"Being captain is hard," Luffy mumbled with a small pout and shielding his eyes against the rising sun.
Sabo smiled. "Yeah, it is," he agreed. "Ace found out the same thing when he first set out but for what it's worth, you're doing great."
Luffy frowned. "How can I be doing great if one of my nakama decides to leave and demands to duel over the ship?" he asked, hurt bleeding into his voice.
"It's all well and good being friends with your crew mates Luffy, but first and foremost they have to respect your authority as captain. Otherwise, there's no point to them being on the ship. You'll just be putting everyone else's lives at risk," Sabo said firmly.
"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Luffy commented, head tilting up to stare at his brother.
"Well, not all the Revolutionary's allies are happy about answering to someone half their age. Even if I can beat them into next year," said Sabo with a small grin.
Luffy snorted, but there was still no sign of his usual smile.
The rooftop door slammed open, startling the pair. Luffy dragged himself up to sit against the wall as Zoro, Chopper and a blond inhaling heavily on a cigarette approached them.
"Guys, this is my big brother, Sabo. Sabo, this is Zoro, Chopper and Sanji," Luffy said, finally remember introductions were required. Sabo nodded at them all with a small smile.
Sanji exhaled a plume of smoke. "I stayed at the bay all night. Robin-chan didn't return to the ship," he told Luffy, who frowned.
"Robin?" Sabo asked, dread beginning to fill him. "Do you mean Nico Robin?"
Luffy nodded. "Yeah. She's our arch-ologist," he said, somewhat proudly, though he did stumble over the word.
"Archeologist," Sabo corrected absently, processing that little bit of information.
How typical that the one woman who had eluded the network of not only the World Government but also the Revolutionary Army would wind up on his brother's crew, Sabo thought with a small shake of his head.
He did feel slightly better about the situation though. Luffy had amazing instincts when it came to judging people and if Nico Robin had joined his crew, there was certainly more to her than the rumors suggested.
"Do you know Robin?" Luffy asked, finally appearing to look a little less weary.
Sabo shook his head. "Not personally, but Dragon-san has been looking for her since he heard about the incident at Ohara," he told them, only to receive blank stares all around. Sabo frowned. "How much do you actually know about Nico Robin?"
The Straw Hats all shared puzzled looks.
"She worked for Crocodile," said Zoro dryly.
"She loves book, like me!" Chopper exclaimed with a grin.
"And coffee," Sanji added with a little shrug.
"So, nothing then," Sabo concluded with a sigh, raising a hand to rub at his temple. He could feel a headache coming on.
"It doesn't matter what we know," Luffy said firmly, crossing his arms defiantly. "Robin's our nakama." The other three were quick to voice their agreement.
"How much do you and the other Revolutionaries know about Robin-chan?" Sanji asked, reaching into his pocket for another cigarette. Sabo had to wonder how many he could get through in a day.
"Enough," said Sabo. "But if she's decided not to tell you all I'm not saying anything. It's not my story to share. When was the last time anyone saw her?"
"I was with her yesterday but then she disappeared with someone in a mask," Chopper said, hesitantly rubbing his hooves together.
"I saw her with the same guy but when I tried following them I came to a dead end. It's like they disappeared into thin air," said Sanji with a put out frown. "He better not have done anything to hurt Robin-chan," he grumbled unhappily.
Sabo frowned. This was far too much to be coincidence. With CP9 agents known to be in the area hunting the blueprints for an ancient weapon and Nico Robin, the very woman who had escaped the organisation's clutches on Ohara, disappearing in the same town, to say that Sabo was worried would be putting it lightly.
"Sabo?" Luffy called, pulling him from his thoughts. "Something wrong?"
"I hope not," he said. "But maybe you should try finding Robin sooner rather than later, yeah?" he suggested.
"Do you think someone's after Robin-chan? Why?" Sanji asked, completely baffled.
"Because some people consider her a very dangerous woman," Sabo said flatly. "She knows a lot more than she lets on. If she gets caught by the wrong people, it won't bode well for anyone. Just do me a favour, Luffy," Sabo pleaded, turning to his brother. "Don't take anything you hear at face value, I think there's something going on in this town."
Luffy hummed. "Is that the reason you're here in Water 7?" he asked.
"I can't tell you the reason I'm here. I'm not giving the World Government a reason to go after you, too" Sabo said adamantly.
"World Government?" Sanji asked, looking more than a little alarmed. Sabo nodded, pleased that the severity of the situation registered with at least one person. "What have they got to do with anything?"
"When don't they have anything to do with everything," Sabo muttered darkly.
Luffy suddenly shrugged. "We'll just do what Sabo said and find Robin. She can't have gone far. Maybe she got distracted or met an old friend," he suggested, and Sabo was pleased to see him putting his straw hat on. "We can-"
"What's all that noise?" Zoro suddenly cut in and peering over the edge of the building, instantly on guard.
Everyone else paused as the noise of a large commotion down in the street and canal finally reached them.
Purupurupuru. Purupurupuru.
Everyone jumped as Sabo's baby den den mushi screamed loudly from deep within his pocket. Sabo reached in and pulled it out, connecting the call quickly, suddenly very aware that he had forgotten all about checking in with Koala a couple of hours ago. She was going to kill him.
"Hello?"
"Sabo! Where the hell have you been?" the young woman screeched loudly down the snail at him. Sabo winced.
"Sorry, Koala, I ran into Luffy. What's wrong?"
"We have a big problem!"
Sabo frowned but before he could question her further, the rooftop door slammed open again, revealing a highly panicked redhead.
"Luffy! We have a problem!"
"The Mayor's been shot!"
"Iceburg's been shot!"
xxx
"This is a dozen levels of stupid! One just doesn't walk up to Enies Lobby and demand they free a couple of prisoners!"
Sabo hummed distractedly, quickly rummaging around underneath his cabin bed in search of his pipe. He could've sworn he left it on the bed but with the annual Aqua Laguna currently bearing down on the city, the ship was rocking violently every which way despite being docked in a sheltered port and he couldn't seem to locate it.
"Are you even listening to me? Sabo!"
"Gottcha," Sabo mumbled, fingertips brushing cold lead. He pushed himself to his feet and dusted himself off. He quickly turned to leave, not wanting Luffy to go ahead without him - which he would if he was made to wait much longer - and met the extremely angry face of his best friend.
Sabo stumbled back a couple of paces in alarm.
"Did you hear a word I just said?" the brunette demanded, hands on her hips.
"Um, yes, raiding Enies Lobby is a bad idea. And I agree, it's a terrible idea but I'm not letting Luffy run off by himself," Sabo told Koala firmly, stepping around her and storming down the corridor.
"Are you trying to jeopardise everything?" Koala raged, having to take two steps for every one of Sabo's. "Enies Lobby is going to be swarming with not only thousands of marines and government officials but every one of the CP9 agents are going to be there! You can't just dive headfirst into that mess! Someone's gonna get themselves killed!" Koala growled as Sabo continued to ignore her. "Why are you doing this? I know Dragon-san asked you to recover the blueprints if you could but this sort of goes beyond the call of duty," she grumbled.
Sabo stopped so suddenly that Koala ran into his back.
"I'm not going for the blueprints," Sabo said quietly, turning to look her dead in the eye. "And I'm not going to get revenge on CP9 for killing our officers either before you mention it. I'm going because Luffy's going. There is no way in hell I'm letting my little brother walk into that alone."
Especially not after seeing the state the CP9 agents had left the Straw Hats in after their encounter at Galley-La's headquarters. Sabo was under no illusions that the pirates hadn't give it their best – Luffy certainly hadn't – and they would no doubt come back stronger than ever when they came across the monsters a second time, but that still didn't mean Sabo was in any way, shape or form going to let Luffy go without him. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything happened to his little brother and he had been in a position to prevent it. Hell, Ace wouldn't let him live if he let anything happen to Luffy.
"I'm going to Enies Lobby, Koala, don't try and stop me," Sabo told her determinedly.
Koala's jaw clenched angrily as she stared him down. It felt like hours but could only have been a minute before her shoulders slumped in defeat. "You're crazy, the pair of you," she muttered shaking her head.
Sabo grinned. "I know," he said cheerfully turning to leave. "But just think of all the confidential government information that's going to be stored in that place. I think Dragon-san will forgive me for causing a ruckus if I bring him back something good."
Sabo smirked as he walked away and silently counted down from five in his head.
"Hold it!"
Sabo paused and turned to the brunette innocently. "What?"
"What kind of information?" Koala asked, casually sidling up to him.
Sabo had to hold back the laughter that was threatening to bubble up. Mention anything confidential and Koala was all over it. She loved finding secrets and Sabo was damn glad that circumstances meant she decided to join the Revolutionaries and hadn't been swayed to assist the World Government. She would make a formidable enemy. Sabo much preferred having her on his side.
"Well, it leads directly to Impel Down or Marine Headquarters. I'm going to guess the government officials are cocky enough to think they can store anything there and it'd be completely safe," Sabo thought aloud, swinging his pipe up to hook it onto his coat.
Koala's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You said mentioned that on purpose, didn't you?"
"Never!" Sabo denied, but he couldn't stop a smug grin breaking out.
"When Dragon-san finds out about this, I'm going to tell him you blackmailed me," said Koala, chin high as she stalked past him.
Sabo laughed. "So I take it that means you're coming too?"
"Obviously. Someone has to watch your back," Koala said haughtily. Sabo quickly caught up and swung an arm around her shoulders, causing her to pitch forwards.
"Thanks," Sabo told her, suddenly finding the whole idea of storming a judicial island slightly less daunting with his best friend at his side.
It was a shame Ace couldn't join them; he would've enjoyed the carnage.
xxx
"Seriously, how many stairs does this place have?" Sabo moaned as he turned a corner, Koala hot on his heels.
"Too many!" she replied in a huff as they threw themselves up another flight in the Tower of Justice continually heading up. From past experience, the pair had quickly learnt that confidential information would generally be kept well out of the way of normal building traffic. All evidence pointed towards the upper rooms housing the CP9 agents and Spandam's private offices as being the most likely places any useful information to the Revolutionaries would be locked away. And in this situation, that meant traversing an awful lot of stairs.
Sabo spared a quick glance back at his friend. She was still in one piece after their rather violent arrival but she was covered in fresh scrapes and bruises.
"You okay?" he asked as they dashed around another corner.
"No, I am not okay! The Sea Train I was riding on flew through the air and crashed! May I also add that it did this not just once, but twice! And now I'm in the very heart of Enies Lobby with a madman threatening to use a Buster Call! How could I possibly be okay?" she fumed, glaring at him.
Sabo simply laughed and adjusted his top hat. "Fun isn't it?"
Before Koala could respond a roar echoed down at them from above.
"ROBIN!"
Sabo and Koala both glanced at the ceiling.
Koala frowned. "Your brother sure is loud, they'll hear him coming a mile off!" she exclaimed.
Sabo snorted. "Luffy doesn't do anything quietly."
"STOP!"
Sabo and Koala skidded to an abrupt halt as several guards blocked their path.
"There's always stragglers," Sabo groaned, whipping his lead pipe off his back and launching himself at the first guard brave enough to charge him. He easily ducked and dodged through the small crowd, knocking everyone aside.
Koala delivered a punishing punch to the face of the one of guards who slipped through, the force powerful enough to send him crashing into the wall. Koala blinked as the wall, rather than crumbling as expected suddenly swung open, revealing a hidden room. She grinned.
"I think we hit the jackpot, Sabo," she said, stepping over the unconscious guard and heading straight to the filing cabinets lining the walls.
Sabo knocked the final guard back and joined her, quickly assessing the room which was clearly being used as an office. He snorted. "A secret room, why does that not surprise me?"
"These are all hit lists," Koala observed, quickly flicking through a folder.
"These are too," Sabo said, throwing another couple of files onto the desk. "What about those?" He nodded towards the next cabinet.
"Um, records of people who've been transferred to Impel Down by the looks of it," she said, leafing through a few quickly.
"Hey, this looks like a one for Dressrosa. Isn't that the country Dragon-san's been wanting to look into?" Sabo asked. There was silence behind him. He turned with a frown.
Koala was sat on her knees, staring at the file resting in her lap, face white in the dim light of the office.
"Koala?" Sabo called, concerned.
Koala looked up at him, tear pooling in her eyes. "It's the records for Iva-chan and the others transferred to Impel Down," she whispered.
Sabo sighed and crouched down in front of her. He gently closed the file and tugged it from her unresisting grip. He patted her shoulder reassuringly. "We'll get them out. Dragon-san won't leave them there," he assured her confidently. He had unwavering faith in his leader that he would rescue their captured comrades when the opportunity arose. It would be a fine way to show the World Government that their impenetrable prison wasn't so impenetrable after all.
Koala nodded briskly. Sabo pulled her to her feet and handed her the several files labeled 'Dressrosa'.
"You take these and-"
"You shouldn't be in here. That's not part of the game, pirates. Chapapa!"
Sabo and Koala swung around, immediately on alert.
Standing in the doorway was the large round man with a zipper across his mouth. He was grinning manically at them.
"That's just creepy," Koala said, staring at the unzipped mouth in disgust. "You're Fukuro, right?"
The man laughed, the high pitched voice not at all matching the appearance. "Oh, you seem to have some knowledge. But why are you not trying to find the keys, little pirates? Chapapa."
Sabo grasped his pipe and stepped forward. "We're not pirates. We're Revolutionaries," he said with a small grin.
Fukuro's eyes widened minutely. "Revolutionaries? Like those we killed the other week?" He tilted his head in consideration. "They weren't very strong. I wonder if you'll do any better, chapapa."
Sabo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You have an exceptionally big mouth," he said, stalking forward. "Koala, make sure to take all the files you can carry for Dressrosa and then go meet up with the others," he called over his shoulder.
"Okay, don't take too long," Koala warned him, quickly adjusting her grip on the precious files.
"You're not leaving this room. I'm not letting you through," Fukuro grinned, completely ignoring the blond Revolutionary slowly approaching him as he took up a defensive position in front of the door.
Koala smirked as she walked to the far wall. She pulled back her arm, fist raised and punched forward hard. The wall shattered as the shockwave impacted, a thick cloud of dust and brick rising into the air. She sent a cheeky wink over her shoulder as she darted through the newly made opening. "Not a problem! Sabo, remember he has a key on him!"
"Got it," Sabo called after her as she disappeared. He turned his attention to the fuming CP9 agent in front of him. "And there's something you should get as well, Mr Big Mouth." Fukuro glared darkly. "You're the one who's not leaving this room."
The two stared at each other before both launched themselves forward in a blur of movement. There was a metallic clang as Sabo's lead pipe met Fukuro's arm.
Sabo smirked. "Looks like this could be fun!"
xxx
Purupurupuru. Purupurupuru.
Sabo groaned as persistent ringing sounded from down by his feet. He forced his tired eyes open to see it was pitch black in Galley-La's guest house. He was sharing a cramped single bed with his brother, who was sprawled across his chest and currently using him a pillow. It had been the only way to get Luffy to rest. The young captain had bravely resisted sleep whilst everyone was patched up by Chopper and sent off for some much needed rest. He had watched them all like a hawk, eyes flickering from one to the next as though expecting them to vanish at any moment.
Chopper had been seriously concerned and suggested administering a sedative if it meant his captain got the sleep he needed.
Sabo had opted for the simpler choice and joined the dark haired teen on the bed, gently forcing him to lie down, whispering calmly and quietly so as not to wake the rest of the sleeping crew that they were all together, they were safe and no one was going to take them away. Lulled by the blond's soothing voice and gentle administrations, Luffy had finally succumbed to his exhaustion.
Sabo had joined him in repose a short while later after Chopper had taken to his own bed and he was most put out that he had been forced awake much earlier than he had anticipated.
Purupurupuru. Purupurupuru.
The blond muttered a quiet curse and reached down to grab his coat which he had thrown off. He struggled with one hand to tug out his den den mushi before it could wake anyone else.
"Hello?" he rasped, throat dry.
"Hey." Sabo felt a small smile spreading across his face despite his earlier disgruntlement as Ace's voice washed over him. "You sound tired, this a bad time?" his brother asked, concerned.
"No," Sabo yawned causing Ace to snicker quietly. "You okay? I think this is the first time you've called me."
"Yeah, just on a tough job. I wanted to hear a friendly voice. I honestly didn't think you'd be in range though," Ace admitted quietly.
"Ace," Luffy mumbled sleepily, unconsciously responding to the familiar voice near his ear. Sabo chuckled fondly.
"Is that Luffy?" Ace asked, surprised.
"Yeah, he's completely out of it though. We ran into each other here on Water 7. It was lucky timing too, we had some business with the same people," Sabo explained, closing his eyes, half asleep again as Ace's familiar tones and Luffy's heat lulled him into a comfortable trance.
"Have you been making trouble?" Ace teased softly.
"Of course. No doubt you'll read all about it in the papers over the next few days but don't freak out, we're both fine," the blond was quick to reassure his brother as Luffy muttered at them both to share the meat. "How about you?" Sabo asked with another yawn.
There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Sabo opened his eyes and stared at the snail in his hand, wondering if they had lost the connection.
"Ace?"
"Tell me not to be reckless," Ace suddenly pleaded breathlessly.
"Don't be reckless," Sabo parroted back without pause. There was silence. "Are you actually going to listen to me, or do I need to find and beat some sense into you?"
"No, I'm fine," Ace chuckled but Sabo could tell immediately it lacked any humour. "I just have a lead and I'm not looking forward to dealing with it if it pays off."
"Not a nice job then?" Sabo asked, a sense of foreboding settling heavily over him. He ran a hand up and down Luffy's back in an attempt to calm both himself and the teen who was shifting uncomfortably, obviously picking up on the tension running through his brother.
"You could say that. Luffy knows most of the details, he can fill you in. I need to go otherwise they might move on before I get to Banaro," Ace sighed heavily.
Sabo frowned. "Okay, be careful," he pleaded softly.
"Say hi to Luffy for me," Ace ordered as he cut the connection.
Sabo stared at the snail in hand, unsure of what to make of his brother's actions. Ace had sounded upset but not irrational, so Sabo hoped he kept his head and didn't rush into anything he couldn't handle. He was very aware that both his brothers were still rather naïve when it came to just how strong some people were on the Grand Line, and it was even worse in the New World.
Luffy shifted again, drawing Sabo out of his musings. He quickly discarded the den den mushi and let Luffy's solid presence against his side lull him back to sleep. Ace could take care of himself, and if he couldn't...well, that's what his brothers were there for.
xxx
"Monkey D. Dragon."
There was a resounding silence at Garp's sudden revelation.
"Hold on, Monkey D. Dragon as in my leader, Dragon? That Dragon?" Sabo spluttered, as he stared at Garp's back. "Well, that explains a few things," he muttered thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair as Luffy turned to him, a puzzled frown on his face.
"My father is your leader? You've been with my dad all this time?" Luffy burst into amused laughter.
"Dragon-san is the one who saved me after the Celestial Dragon attack," said Sabo quietly, beginning to understand why Dragon had been on Dawn Island in the first place. He must have been in the area because Luffy was there. Why else would the world's most wanted man go on such a small scale job like observing the movements of a Celestial Dragon?
"Wait, Dragon is your leader?" Garp swung around, the hammer in his hands flying free in his surprise, causing several marines to duck and cry in alarm. He stared at Sabo in disbelief. "You're a Revolutionary?!"
"I'm Chief of Staff, actually," said Sabo with a slightly smug grin. He knew it was rather risky to reveal his position as well as his face to the half dozen marines currently fixing the guest house and Koala would no doubt have his head if she found out, but it was worth it to see the looks on everyone's faces.
Garp's eye widened. "That's worse than being a damn pirate!" he cried, as the marines all took a step back from Sabo in fear. Luffy and the Straw Hats watched them, all rather baffled by the reaction.
"I take it you don't approve of my career choice then?" Sabo asked innocently, propping his chin on interlocked fingers and leaning forwards.
"NO!" Garp shouted.
Luffy simply laughed and moved to pat his brother consolingly on his shoulder. "Don't worry Sabo, he doesn't like our careers either! Shishishi!"
"Your career, Luffy, will not get you tortured for information," Garp sighed heavily, dropping his head into his hands and rubbing his temples as though trying to ward away a headache. Sabo suddenly felt a small wave of sympathy towards the old man. He really did only want what was best for his grandsons; but what he wanted for them was not what they wanted from life and there would be no telling them otherwise.
"Tortured? Why would anyone torture Sabo?" Luffy asked, baffled and looking at the blond for an explanation.
"Chief of Staff means I'm essentially the recognised number two of the Revolutionary Army," Sabo told him. Luffy's jaw dropped. "If I was caught, I would no doubt be subjected to dozens of various torture methods to find out what I know about the World Government," he said with a small scowl. "Not that I'd ever let anyone know of any of our plans, nor would I be foolish enough to get caught in the first place," he assured them all casually.
"Hold up, let me see if I have this straight," Sanji stepped forward, a frown on his face as he approached his captain. "Your grandfather is a marine hero. Your father is leader of the Revolutionary Army. Your brother Ace is Whitebeard's Second Division Commander and your other brother is Chief of Staff of the aforementioned Revolutionary Army. Did I get that right?"
Luffy hummed thoughtfully before a wide grin broke across his face. "Yeah!"
"It's a family of monsters!" Nami screeched, collapsing into a chair next to Robin, who still looked remarkably calm despite all the revelations that were flying around.
"Hey, Sabo, does Ace know you're Chief of Staff?" Luffy suddenly asked, prodding the blond excitedly.
"I don't think so," Sabo said. His promotion was still relatively new; he doubted word had gotten around yet that Dragon had finally chosen a successor.
Luffy grinned mischievously. "Can I be there when you tell him?"
Sabo snorted and nodded. "Sure, why not." He turned to Garp who had risen to his feet. "Hey Old Man, any chance you-"
"Grandpa!" Garp shouted, causing everyone but Luffy and Sabo to jump a foot into the air. "Since you're Ace and Luffy's brother and you spent the last however many years gallivanting around with my son, you can damn well call me Grandpa!"
"Okay then, Grandpa," said Sabo, with a roll of his eyes, "any chance you could keep this little meeting quiet?"
Garp shrugged, flashing them a toothy smirk. "I don't see why not. It's already going into the report that Luffy left."
Luffy and Sabo shared a grin. He may be a marine but the old man knew how to break the rules just as well as any pirate.
"Um, is that a good idea, Sir?" Luffy's pink haired marine friend stepped forward nervously. Garp turned to him questioningly. "We have a high ranked Revolutionary within our grasp and we're just going to let him walk away?"
"Be my guest, try and catch him. It might be a good lesson for you all," said Garp, stepping aside and leaving a clear path to Sabo who calmly remained seated. Not one marine stepped forward. "I thought so," Garp muttered with a shake of his head. "Now hurry up and fix this hole."
Sabo watched as movement descended upon the room. The marines hurried to carry out their orders and the Straw Hats all jumped to stay out of their way, naturally untrusting despite Garp's presence.
Sabo stood and tapped Luffy on the shoulder. "I need a quick word with you," he said, casually walking towards the hole in the wall, trusting his brother to follow him. He watched with amusement as the marines scampered to get out of his way, the only one brave enough to meet his gaze head on being the pink haired officer. Sabo decided he would keep an eye on that one's career.
The blond dipped his head in acknowledgement as he passed Garp. The old man simply chortled and waved him off.
Sabo walked around the corner, out of view of the marines standing on the lawn. He thought he heard an undignified squeak and a blur as something disappeared into the bushes but he ignored it. It was probably only Usopp anyway. He had half a mind to speak to him about concealing his presence better if he was going to eavesdrop.
"I need to head off now Luffy," Sabo said as they paused a short distance from the guest house.
"Already?" Luffy whined, face dropping. Sabo grinned and nodded.
"Yeah, I don't trust the Old - I mean, Grandpa, to keep his mouth shut. He'll probably say something and be ordered to turn right around and catch us," said Sabo with a shrug.
Luffy laughed. "That does sound like Gramps," he agreed.
"Do you have a vivre card for Ace?" Sabo asked, the conversation with his brother a couple of nights ago still playing heavily on his mind.
"Yeah, Nami sewed it into my hat," Luffy told him, removing his hat from his head and showing Sabo.
"Mind if I take a piece?" Sabo said.
"Sure, what do you need it for?" Luffy asked, handing over his treasured possession to allow his brother to carefully tear a piece of the paper away from the ribbon.
"You probably don't remember it, but he called me the other night," Sabo informed him. Luffy's eyebrows shot up. "He sounded weird, I just want to be able to find him."
"You think he's in trouble?" Luffy asked, brow knitted with concern. Sabo raised his half of the vivre card, relieved to see it wasn't burning.
"Not yet anyway," Sabo said, carefully tucking the paper into his pocket.
xxx
Sabo shook his head as he stood atop a small wall, watching over the crowd of onlookers who were screaming at the Straw Hats to run away as Garp's ship bore down on them. Sabo's keen eyes watched as Luffy's arm extended towards the beach and his remaining nakama kneeling on the shore line. He hadn't heard over the roar of the crowd but obviously the young sniper had groveled to his former crew.
"Hey, Sabo!"
The blond turned and a familiar crimson newsboy cap appeared directly below him. Sabo reached down a hand and pulled his friend up to balance on the wall beside him. He flinched slightly as the added weight tugged at his shoulder.
"You okay?" Koala asked, instantly noticing his grimace.
Sabo nodded. "Yeah, just stiff," he explained.
Koala eyed him with disbelief. "You took out a marine warship by yourself whilst we were escaping Enies Lobby and you think you're just stiff? Did you even let anyone have a look at it?"
Sabo smiled sheepishly. He hadn't wanted to bother Chopper with such an insignificant injury when there were so many more with much more serious conditions that had required his attention. In fairness, he could have returned to their own ship's doctor but that would have meant telling Luffy he was injured and he really hadn't wanted his little brother to feel guilty for no reason. It was only a strained shoulder anyhow, it wasn't like he didn't have time to rest it.
"Is that Luffy's new ship?" Koala asked as she observed the scene. Sabo nodded. "That was fast."
"It seems the shipwrights on this island don't hang around," Sabo said, shaking his head as Garp threw several dozen cannon balls in quick succession at the new pirate ship.
"Anyway, we really should make a move. We need to get the information from Enies Lobby back to base before the marines decide to focus on us," said Koala, tugging on his arm futilely.
"What's the rush?" Sabo asked, not budging an inch. "Gramps is having too much fun playing with Luffy."
"Well, I happen to have a new toy I want to play with," said Koala with a smirk. Sabo raised an eyebrow, instantly curious.
"A new toy?"
"Mm, one that happens to be very hard to come by," she said, reaching into her pocket and sliding out a small bracelet. She flicked it open to reveal the sleeping black snail. Sabo's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Where did you get that?" he asked, taking it from her for a closer look.
"I snuck it out of Spandam's office," she said proudly. "I'm thinking we should be able to hear some interest tibits from the marines, or maybe even some pirates. I was thinking we could give it a try as soon as possible."
Sabo nodded eagerly. He had always wanted to get his hands on one of the black den den mushi but they were notoriously hard to track down. The marines protected their breeding grounds fiercely.
He cast a quick glance out to sea again and just managed to catch a final glimpse of the fleeing ship before it blasted off into the sky and out of sight.
"Your brother is crazy," Koala whispered, mouth agape as the rest of the crowd around them burst into cheers and whoops. "Can't he do anything normally?"
Sabo laughed cheerfully. "He wouldn't be Luffy if he did things normally!"
Koala turned to him. "Do you think its okay we technically failed to do what Dragon-san asked? I mean, he wanted you to destroy the blueprints and recover Nico Robin. We didn't do either."
Sabo shrugged, not in the least bit concerned. "The blueprints were destroyed according to Franky and he swore that he never made a copy of them. No one will be able to use them and Nico Robin is with Luffy. I think Dragon-san will be happy with that," Sabo said with a soft smile. He nudged Koala gently. "Come on, let's head back before Hack sends out a search party."
The pair jumped off the wall and steadily moved through the crowd, blending in seamlessly as they departed.
XXX
To be continued…
I'm curious to see if any of you can guess where this is going…
Also, this is by far the longest chapter of the entire fic so I hope you enjoyed it! Please remember to review, they're keeping me motivated!
As you can see, I didn't re-write the whole of this arc, I certainly wouldn't have been able to do it justice and all the CP9 fights bar the one seen briefly with Sabo consisted of the same matchups with the Straw Hats. However, if there are any missing scenes you'd like to read from this arc, feel free to let me know and I'll give it a shot.
Fun fact: Koala wasn't meant to be in this fic at all but she muscled her way in! I'm still not quite sure how…