"Swear to god, Ace. Magic fingers." Sabo moaned, leaning back harder into his hands as he pressed and twisted his fingers just so against the muscles of Sabo's back. Just because his oath brother didn't have wings any more didn't mean he no longer had those muscles that were supposed to move them. Muscles that when pressed just so on Ace caused his wings to appear in a fluttering mass of contentment. So he knew exactly how good this felt.

Once a week the two of them took the time to do this preening, usually out of sight of Dadan and her men. No point in rubbing the bandits faces in the fact that both boys were winged Ds, after all. Today, though, it had been threatening to storm all morning. So after a quick run to procure meat for everyone both boys had retreated to the roof of the hut where their activities would draw less attention. They could still beat a hasty retreat inside once the storm hit and stay dry though.

Ace felt Sabo tense under his hands before the blond spoke, "Jiji alert."

"What the hell is the shitty marine doing here?" Ace growled in reply, hands stilling as he rested his chin on Sabo's shoulder to watch Garp's approach. "He was here just a few months ago."

"Tell me about it. I still have bruises, you know." Sabo groaned in reply. "Looks like he's got a tag-along."

"Dadan is going to love this. Bet you it's his bratty grandson." Both studiously ignored the fact that Garp had adopted them. They didn't want to be marines, they never had. As far as they were concerned, the old man was crazy and was welcome to focus all of his attention on his actual grandson. They reasoned he would have more luck with the brat, anyway. Judging by the way the kid was kicking up a fuss they could be wrong, though. "That is one angry brat."

"Looks like he ate a devil fruit - he's all stretchy. No wonder Garp is pissed. He thinks those things are cheating."

"He thinks everything is cheating." Ace pointed out, watching the kid as he was unceremoniously dropped to the ground so Garp could pound on the door. They felt the vibrations all the way on the roof. Dark hair, dark eyes, short. The brat didn't look all that smart, either, as he went poking at the dog. Hopefully Dadan wouldn't cave.

"What the hell do you- Garp?! What are you doing here? Whatever those boys did I have nothing to do with it, you-"

"Dadan," Garp cut her off, "this is Luffy. He'll be staying with you from now on."

"This isn't a daycare! I'm not taking in another!"

"I wanna go back to the village! I don't wanna stay with any stinky bandits!"

"What was that, you brat?"

"You don't scare me, I'm gonna be a pirate!"

As both the adults stared at the boy in shock, Sabo started to snicker. "That is perfect. Even his real grandson wants to be a pirate. Kid has guts, I'll give him that."

"He can go have his guts somewhere else." Ace huffed, earning a look. "We don't need him here, he's a loudmouth, Sabo. What if he sees your scars? Or worse, my wings?"

Both watched as Luffy argued how he was going to be a great pirate and that Shanks said people who ate devil fruits weren't monsters so shut up stupid Jiji! as well as whatever else seemed to pop into his head.

"We're doomed." Sabo moaned, agreeing with him. This kid was a loud mouth. The moment he figured out that Ace had wings he was going to blab to Garp, at least.

It was sheer luck he'd stumbled across this island on his way to the one his log-pose was pointed too. After dropping his anchor, Corazon had quickly explored the island, hoping to find some supplies to aid them on their journey and instead had realized they'd stumbled across the perfect hiding place. The island wasn't big per se, but it would be more than big enough for the two of them. There were plenty of fruit-bearing plants, fresh water, and even some smaller game animals- nothing too big or dangerous that could be a threat to the slowly recovering child he'd sworn to protect no matter what the cost. The chances of his brother finding them here were impossibly slim. Hell, Corazon wasn't even really sure where they were; he'd ignored the log post's change in direction for the last three weeks of sailing and taken his chances in navigation to get as far away from his brother as possible. A risky gamble that seemed to have paid off.

The former pirate returned to the ship, eyes landing briefly on the boy tossing and turning in his sleep before grabbing some extra cloth and returning to the shore to make a makeshift camp. He'd worry about making it better later, but right now he just wanted to get his young charge settled. Law was limp in Corazon's arms as he carried his small form from the boat to the sandy shore. The youth stirred groggily as he was placed gently down on the sail, squinting up at Corazon in the sun.

"Where are we, Cora-san?"

"An island." Seeing the boy tense, he smiled, "No one here but us, Law. We're safe. We finally got away."

Law's gray eyes were untrusting as he looked into the smile, breaking Cora's heart even if he understood it. The kid didn't voice his worries, though. "How long can we stay?"

"As long as we need to. You just focus on getting better and let me worry about the rest. I'll take care of it."

His only response was a weary sigh and Law rolling over, showing him his much abused back before drifting back off to sleep.

Luffy was nothing if not persistent over the next few months. For some reason he'd attached himself to Sabo and Ace, insisting on following them every chance he got despite the cold shoulder the older boys gave him. They consistently ditched him in the woods every day, only for him to stumble back to the hut later that night with a smile on his face in spite of the cuts and scrapes that covered his body. The silent treatment didn't work, neither did Ace's method of shouting curses and insults. All it did was make them feel bad, like kicking a puppy.

"This is pathetic." Ace groaned as he and Sabo took a route that wasn't quite as deadly as one they would have taken the first week. A glance over his shoulder showed their shadow merrily following along, humming away.

"What do you want us to do, kill him?"

"No! I just want him to leave us the hell alone. For one day at least. My wings itch, Sabo."

The blond sighed, "Well, why not ask him to stop following us?"

"Wait. We can do that?" Ace gaped at him before turning on his heels and walking over to the grinning boy. He frowned down at the boy. "Stop following us." Watching Luffy wilt was kind of painful so Sabo didn't blame Ace for looking away as he continued, "It's annoying. You're annoying. Just stop it and leave us alone. Go back to Dadan."

"But-"

"I don't want to hear it, brat! You're really starting to piss me off. Go away already!"

Luffy sniffled once before turning around and heading back towards the bridge leading towards Dadan's base. He looked so sad and lonely Sabo had to stop himself from calling the kid back. Looking at the way Ace was resolutely not watching said the other felt the same way. But it had been getting ridiculous. "We'll just bring him something nice back from Gray Terminal, yeah?"

His oath brother nodded, turning once more to continue down the path towards Gray Terminal. They'd walked maybe a dozen yards when a high pitched, frightened shout froze them in their tracks. As one, the boys spun around and raced towards the bridge, towards Luffy. He might have been a pain in the ass, but he was still a gutsy pain in the ass. Luffy apparently had managed to somehow break the bridge and was now clutching desperately at the boards closest to Ace and Sabo. Sabo swallowed dryly at the sight; Luffy wasn't even bothering to cry out for help, instead fully invested in stopping his slow backwards slide into the gaping hole in the boards. The blond knew why. At the bottom of the ravine was a deep river. One that, as a devil fruit user, would spell instant death for the brat instead of saving his life. The terror in those dark brown eyes spoke the truth of that. Quickly he and Ace cut free a vine and tossed it to the kid, both braced to pull him up. "Grab on, Luffy!"

"I'm scared!" The boy wailed as he scrambled for the vine and lost precious inches in the process before he caught it. "Don't let me fall!"

"Just shut up and hold on, you idiot! We're not going to let anything happen to you!" Ace bit out as they started pulling.

The boards creaked and the vine stretched with a snapping groan. Both older boys stared in shock as, with a yelp, Luffy vanished from view. "Shit!" Ace snarled, wings unfurling as he flapped furiously in an attempt to pull the vine up as fast as possible.

Sabo didn't say a word as he joined in, nervous at the sudden lightened load. He didn't want to be responsible for the brat's death! Garp would kill them! After what seemed like an eternity, a mop of dark hair appeared followed by wide, frightened eyes and - Sabo blinked as they gave the vine a final tug.

Luffy lay on the boards for the briefest of moments before throwing himself at them, propelled by two ratty-looking gray wings. "I was so scared!"

"You... Have wings." He pointed out in shock.

Luffy tensed, "So? Shanks says I'm supposed to have wings so it's normal. I'm not a monster or nothing!" He shouted.

Sabo glanced over at Ace for a moment before looking back at the younger boy, remembering their conversation when they'd first seen Luffy. "Does Garp know you have wings?"

Ace jumped slightly, eyes narrowing as he watched the boy. If Garp thought devil fruits were cheating...

"Jiji is a stupid head." Luffy huffed, wings fluffing up. "I'm not a- a freak! Shanks said just cause Jiji is scared for me doesn't mean he has to be an asshole about it."

"Did he threaten you?" Ace asked, his own wings flaring subconsciously.

"He hit me." Luffy replied, "then he brought me here and I don't like bandits."

"Right. But what did he tell you?" Sabo wondered as he pulled out a stick from the mud-caked gray wings. Luffy really needed a good preening.

"Not to use my wings. Ever. Hide them. Bunch of other stuff. I don't know, I wasn't listening. Hey, Ace has wings too!"

Ace punched him in the back of the head, "You're an idiot! You just realized this now?!"

The boy laughed, "I know. Hey hey, Sabo, do you have wings?"

Sabo wilted. "I did..."

"Cool! We're like brothers, then!"

"Who'd want an annoying little shit like you for a brother?" Ace snarled, trying not to grin as he met Sabo's eyes. They'd found another Winged D!

Sabo leaned back against the tree as he watched his two bond brothers spar. It was more of a slaughter, really. Luffy's form was horrible, his stretchy limbs getting in his own way, making him more a danger to himself than Ace. Of course Ace couldn't resist taunting the youngest in a way that sounded cruel, even to Sabo. Luckily Luffy generally knew Ace didn't really mean it. As he watched Luffy punch himself in the face the blond winced, reminding himself that the brat was getting better… slowly. If he had to hazard a guess he'd say that devil fruits were hard to get control of - and he was sure Ace would agree - but comparing Luffy's skill to what they were like at his age was painful.

He was going to ignore the fact that already the boy rarely lost a fight against a normal person or animal in the woods. His overly trusting nature meant that all someone had to do was offer his little brother food in the middle of a fight and the brat would lose. That was something neither of the elder brothers would allow. Sabo's wing sockets ached just thinking what would happen to the youngest of them if he was caught and found out. Being a devil fruit user was bad enough, but if someone found out he was a winged D? No, Ace might be being a bit cruel, but they all realized it was for their own good. Each pushed each other hard to improve, to get stronger and maybe someday soon leave the island that was both their home and their cage before Jiji Garp found out exactly what they were planning. Because there was no way in hell any of them would survive being marines.

"Come on, Luffy, you can catch him!" Sabo shouted, being sure to lag behind his brothers as the youngest raced after Ace. He wanted to be ready to help if Luffy's wings got tangled in a tree again. Every week since they'd discovered their new little brother was also a winged D and absolutely horrible at controlling them, they'd taken it upon themselves to work with Luffy. Mostly he ended up stuck in a bush at some point, but the run to Gray Terminal while flapping was the best way to learn. At least, that's what Ace said. Sabo agreed in part, but he thought that Ace might have just wanted to see Luffy get stuck a bunch. It was kind of entertaining. And he was progressively getting better, so there was that.

"WAAA! Sabo, Ace! HELP!" Luffy cried out, tangled up in some vines right at the edge of the jungle. Maybe Sabo was giving him too much credit about getting better….

"Hold still, you crybaby!" Ace snapped, his own wings flaring up in agitation as he stormed back. Despite his words Sabo could tell his hands were gentle as he untangled the downy soft, gray wings.

Luffy beamed at them, brown eyes trusting - Sabo would even say too trusting. But that's what made the brat so precious to them both. They swore they'd never let anyone harm him the way Sabo had been hurt, or talk about him the way Ace had been talked about. Reaching them he went to help, once again surprised on how thoroughly Luffy'd managed to get himself tangled up. It took the two of them to get him down, unwinding the vines from the delicate wings. Neither were paying too much attention to their surroundings as they worked. When they heard a gasp come from behind Ace, both spun, Luffy falling to the ground free, just in time to see someone race away. Ace snarled, wings fluttering before he forcefully pulled them back in.

"What happened?" Luffy asked, confused.

"Don't worry about it, Lu…. it's nothing." Ace replied, worry in his eyes as he looked at Sabo. The man who'd seen them was too far away to go after now, but hopefully they could track him down by the end of the day and convince him he hadn't seen anything. If not, Sabo knew his brothers were going to be in danger. Wordlessly he promised himself to break their code of silence and ask Dadan and her crew for help incase the worst happened. He didn't think he could handle it if they were hurt because he had failed to notice something as stupid as someone spying on them.

Hightown was buzzing with the news that a tenryuubito was coming to visit. The already sparkling streets were scrubbed again until you could see your reflection in them. Every last bit of trash had been toss out into gray Terminal to be properly disposed of a few days before the noble being visited. The burning had lit the inside of the walls all day and night last week. It wouldn't do to have everything smell of burned rubbish. Especially the stench of those worthless beings who lived in that dump. Everything was going smoothly. The only problem was finding something adequate to present the esteemed tenryuubito as a gift. Each family had brought forth their best trinkets only for each to be rejected as not quite good enough. Secretly the families were relieved, though outwardly they sputtered and cursed, stating that they themselves had the best item.

The king of Hightown was beginning to panic. The tenryuubito would be visiting in just a few more days, and he still had not come across the perfect gift. He'd worked himself into such a state he almost didn't hear his advisor when the wizened old man cleared his throat. "What?" he snapped.

"My Lord. If I may be so bold?"

"Get on with it then, can't you see I'm busy!"

The elderly man cleared his throat again, glancing around before meeting the king's eyes. "It has come to my attention, my Lord, that there are rumors going around Hightown about a certain mischievous trio." The king almost rolled his eyes at this. There were always tales being told about those three troublemakers. This was not new. The advisor seemed to sense he was losing the king because he hastened to add, "Rumors about at least one of the boys having wings."

The king stared at him. If this was true….if it was true, he had his gift to the tenryuubito, and got rid of the pests. Because where one went the other two did. It was a fact of life. "Who told you this?"

"Gamal the merchant, who heard it from one of the pirates hired to burn gray Terminal. He won't share which of the little brats did. From what I could gather, the three of them gave him quite the beating to keep his silence. A few gold coins loosened his tongue easily enough."

"And you're sure of this?"

"Positive. There have been whispers before this, my Lord. But this time they were seen."

The king smiled, finally feeling the thrill his citizens did at the thought of the impending visit. True, it would be a little bit of work to catch them, but it could easily be done. They were only kids, after all. "Excellent. Here's what we're going to do."

Doflamingo watched as the Whitebeard pirate tugged futility, rattling the chains holding him. He found it ironic that the man had been so bold as to lead a raid into his territory only to get caught. Normally he'd have just killed the scum outright. Newgate wasn't someone to be trifled with lightly and keeping one of his children captive was sure to piss the man off. But this Whitebeard brat offered an opportunity too good to pass up. Doflamingo had caught the rather rotund man in his strings, tightening them slowly only for the man to surprise him by sprouting large, greasy black wings. He'd return his body to Whitebeard eventually… after he'd gotten all the answers he could out of the man.

"You're name is Marshall D. Teach, isn't it?"

"If you know who I am then you should know better than to mess with me. I'm a Whitebeard pirate!"

"Tell me, does Newgate know one of his sons is a winged D?" Don Quixote asked with a wicked grin, causing his captive to still.

"It's none of your fucking business! Let me go or Pops-!"

"But you just got here. And I have so many questions…" His grin grew, "Like for instance, how exactly to make those precious wings of yours appear when I want them to."

Lightning fast he struck out, aiming a blow in the area his strings had tightened around before. Sadly, the only result was a pained grunt from the rotund man followed by a glare. Obviously it had not been the pressure point he had accidently pressed upon before. No matter, he had plenty of time to find it before Whitebeard arrived looking for his wayward little bird. Too bad that by the time the man retrieved his son he would be nothing but a broken corpse. If those wings were as greasy as they'd looked, he'd even let the man keep them.

Garp looked down at Ace, suppressing the urge to shake the boy. He was so disappointed in him; not only had he been caught with his wings out and nearly given to the tenryuubito, but he had gotten Luffy caught, as well. If Sabo hadn't managed to get away and find him, two of his boys would have been worse than dead. It was only the knowledge that, despite appearing otherwise, Ace cared deeply for his adopted brothers that stopped Garp. "What am I supposed to do with you boys now?"

Ace tensed and shot him a glare. "It's not like you're responsible for us anyway, you shitty old man!"

"Watch your tone, you ungrateful brat!" He snapped, cuffing the boy upside the head. "I just put my career on the line to save you two-"

"No one asked you to!"

"Keep that attitude up and I really will cut those wings of yours off, no matter who I promised otherwise." He warned. Luffy flinched away, ducking into Sabo's side as both his older boys glared. It wasn't something Garp in any way wanted to do despite his harsh words to the contrary. But he would if it meant saving their lives, and since Luffy lacked the wisdom to hide them and Ace seemed to insist on flaunting his wings, it might be the only choice left soon. The old man sighed, "I'm returning to marine headquarters. In a month or so a ship will arrive to take you there."

"I don't wanna go..." Luffy whined.

"I don't really care. You three are staying where I can keep an eye on you. Maybe there you'll learn how to hide your wings."

Sabo gaped at him, "You can't be serious!"

"Very. Don't even think about not getting on that ship, either. If I have to come back here..." All three visibly cringed. With another sigh he nodded at Dadan, trusting her to watch them for the month. He felt like he had aged a decade in a few short hours. "Hate me now. But I can't be sorry. One day you'll understand that I'm doing this to protect you."

The denden mushi rang, and Doflamingo frowned at it. Vergo had only been with the marines for a little more than a year. Calling him on a denden was a risky move, something that the man would only risk if things were dire. He didn't like it at all. After letting it ring for a while the leader of the pirates picked up, but he didn't say anything, just in case his man had been discovered.

"I have news, Young Master. Monkey D. Garp will be transporting his three grandsons to marine headquarters in two weeks."

"Oh?" He wondered why this was important enough for Vergo to break radio silence.

"They're coming from Goa Kingdom in the East Blue."

Where there had been a rumor that some nobles on that backwater island had tried to sell a visiting tenryuubito a kid with wings only to be mocked by the tenryuubito - there were no more winged Ds according to his brethren. Doflamingo smiled, seeing where Vergo was going with this. "That is interesting."

"Isn't it? No one is supposed to know that is the real reason the ship is setting sail, either." There was a sound of knocking on the other end. "Your orders?"

He didn't even have to think about it. "Act like you know nothing. Stay off that ship, Vergo. Good job bringing this to my attention."

"Thank you, Young Master." The line went dead.

Oh, he had plans for that ship. The moment that vessel crossed into the Red Line he'd strike. The chance at not one but three winged Ds was much too tempting… and this time he'd be sure to show them their proper place at his feet quickly. He'd learned from Law and his brother that a D had to be broken quickly before they corrupt those around them. He knew just how to begin, too.