To the guest reviewer who mentioned Sabo already hearing about Luffy being 17:
Sabo was in a bit of shock, in a way. He'd gotten over it by the time Ace said it, and he was trying to lighten the situation (but was also kinda wanting to make sure he'd heard right).
Thanks for mentioning it—if it confused anyone else, then they have this author's note to explain it.
Also, I can't believe you guys gave me 19 reviews with only two chapters! I'm just so happy right now I can't. I really hope you guys like this story and read it to the end.
By the time Sabo had arrived at the Moby Dick, Ace had (literally and figuratively) cooled down quite a bit. Some of the newer members of Whitebeard's crew tensed, as if expecting an attack from the Revolutionary ship, but after Sabo boarded with Luffy in tow, they tossed the idea out of the window.
"Oh, shit, I was hoping that this was a joke. I would fry your ass, but at least Luffy would be full grown, and, y'know, not a midget." His eyebrow had a noticeable twitch, straining his self control to keep himself in check. "Are you... S-Sabo?" His voice was not shaking, dammit! He was unsure how he would feel if this guy, who looked like what he would imagine Sabo as an adult would, had that name, too. Slug him. Yeah, he would probably slug him.
"Yeah, that's me. Hey, Luffy, this is the Ace you were looking for, right?" Ace lifted his fist, blowing on it in preparation for the punch he was about to deliver, when he directed his attention to Luffy and the question Sabo asked.
Luffy looked over the raven-haired man in front of him, hand loosely wrapped around Sabo's pointer finger. "Nope."
Many of the Whitebeard pirates nearby face-planted at the blunt answer.
Ace crouched down in front of his little...r brother, grinning.
"Luffy, I can prove that it's me." Sabo raised a brow. Ace pulled Luffy closer and whispered, "Sake."
"YOU ARE ACE!" said the child as he stretched his arms around Ace's neck and wrapped his legs around the older's stomach, hugging him. Sure, he was older, but he was still Ace. Wait, did that mean that this Sabo was his Sabo?
It took only a few seconds for Luffy to realize that Ace would probably hit him if he remained clinging to him like a leaf to a tree.
"Ace," Luffy began, eyes tearing as he looked up at his older brother. "Please don't kill me."
Ace was silent for a minute, during which everyone around was inching closer, ready to pull the little boy in case Ace actually did want to kill him. Luffy's eyes glittered, and Ace met his stare unwaveringly...or so it appeared.
"You... are so fucking cute." Ace muttered, before crushing Luffy against his chest with sparkling eyes, red cheeks, and a sappy smile. A trickle of blood was coming from his nose, and Luffy was struggling in his arms as his oxygen intake was decreasing alarmingly quickly.
"Help," he wheezed, "I think...he's...killing me." Sabo's face contorted in alarm and he immediately attempted to pry Luffy out of Ace's arms.
Ace, unaware of Luffy's soon-to-be death, growled at the blonde, his eyes burning as he glared. He pulled Luffy tighter against his muscular frame, deaf to the little 'squeak' sound the rubber body made, akin to a chew toy.
Sabo glared right back at the freckled pirate, "He's suffocating, Fire Fist."
Ace looked down at the child in his arms and immediately released him as he took into account the blueness that replaced his skin tone. "Shit, I'm so sorry, Luffy!"
Luffy huffed in an attempt to regain the oxygen in his lungs, eyes wide with fear. "I'm... not... dead...? I thought... I was a goner!"
There were a few chuckles from the crew surrounding the trio, but they were mostly strained and nervous. While they had trust in Ace, they also knew that he adored his little brother to the point of some dubbing it a complex. And this was a child version of that very person, so they had their worries.
.
After the commotion had died down, Marco lead the sulking Ace (He almost killed his little brother, dammit!) and Sabo to a room away from the majority of the pirates, with Luffy sitting atop the phoenix's shoulders, playing with his "pineapple" hair. Marco did his best to ignore the teasing looks he'd get from Thatch, who was tailing the group.
"So, uh, Sabo..." Ace began. "I take it that Luffy's told you about someone else with that name?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, his older brother. By the way, which one of you is older?"
"Was. And, I think it'd me." It didn't seem like Sabo was their Sabo. But Ace felt something was off with that thought. But Sabo had died, and this was just the biggest coincidence-it had to be!
"What do you mean, was?"
Ace leaned closer, whispering in the blonde's ear grimly. "He died. He was forced to go back to his noble family, and he tried to escape or something by fleeing out to sea. His ship was shot down by a Tenryuubito. That's what one of our-caretakers?-told us."
Sabo's breath hitched. "I..."
"What is it?" Ace asked, concerned.
"Where did this happen?" Sabo's inquired frantically, his eyes wide, hair in his fingers and exhales ragged and shallow.
Ace's steps faltered. Luffy was peering back at them, as if he could sense the tension, and tugged on Marco's hair to get him to stop.
Ace put his hand on Sabo's shoulder, stopping the Revolutionary's movements. "Are you okay?" he asked, instead of answering Sabo's question.
Sabo's expression became desperate, his mind trying to fight against images and scenes that were playing rapidly, overlapping each other. He grabbed both of Ace's shoulders, roaring into the other's face, "WHERE?"
"East Blue, Dawn Island." Ace breathed, fear evident in his eyes. He wasn't intimidated, it's just that the raw desperation was like a cornered animal, almost. He saw Luffy run up and grab Sabo's leg, trying to calm him down and failing.
Sabo's expression fell, eyes darkened and lips pursed. That was where Dragon found him. His ship was blown up. He hated his noble family. He... He was...!
He opened his mouth, the images slowing down.
"I think..." he whispered hoarsely, voice shaky, "I think I'm your brother..."
The world tilted sideways as he began to fall towards the floor, eyes unable to spot Ace's widened and teary eyes, nor was he able to hear Luffy's worried cries as one last scene tore away his attention.
"From this day on," said the freckled boy, lifting a small cup. The other boy looked excited, his smile wide and bright. He could feel his own cheeks aching because of how big his own smile was. All three of them lifted their cups, sake spilling over as they clinked them together.
"We're brothers!"
"Yeah!"
"Luffy! You're gonna miss breakfast!" called Nami, surprised that he was still in bed. It was rather late in the morning, and everyone was waiting for their captain to arrive, shocked that he was late.
She expected him to burst out of the door and take off towards the galley, but there was nothing but a small hiccup from inside the room.
Nami opened the door, letting out a hum of confusion when she took into account the two children in her captain's bed. As she was about to question the wayward raven, she saw tears leaking from his eyes as he cradled the paler of the two children, a blonde boy in noble's clothing.
"...Luffy...?" she called.
Said boy whipped his head up to look at her, and she was stricken with shock when she saw the wobbly smile on his face.
It appears her voice woke up the two boys beside him and they slowly rose into sitting positions. At least, the blonde one tried. Luffy's tears dried quickly as he smiled gently.
"Luffy, get off me..." he muttered, rubbing his eye with his free arm. The other boy paused for a moment as he realized that the floor is not supposed to be so soft, and stood quickly.
The blonde noticed something similar, as his kid brother would not be able to hold him like this, and that the weight was actually an odd hug from... a stranger?
Sabo yanked himself out of the older guy's arms and stood beside Ace, ready to fight. The room was a bit dark, so they couldn't see the guy's face.
"Ace, where's Luffy?" Sabo asked, peering around to see if he could find Luffy somewhere, ignoring the "Huh?" coming from the woman at the door.
"How the hell should I know?" Ace replied, worry itching in his chest.
The lady had seemingly turned on the light, however, and they immediately found out that Luffy was not in the room with them.
Ace turned on the teenager before them, growling, "Where's Luffy?" Then his voice died in his throat.
"Hm? What do you mean?" The guy sounded confused; he tilted his head. "I'm right here."
It was Sabo who responded. "...Luffy?"
Sorry if this sounds confusing!
Also, DOUBLE CLIFFHANGER! HOW MANY AUTHORS HAVE ACHIEVED THAT?
Oh, a lot?
Okay...