The first side story has been posted!

The title is 'Of Top Hats and Family', and ties directly to events in this chapter.

/s/11125200/1/Of-Top-Hats-and-Family

I'd like to say I wrote a fic with Sabo as main character to celebrate his birthday, but I only remembered that after uploading the document to FFN.

Also, the posting of this chapter coincides with the 100 follows milestone. Thank you~

000

-Straw-colored Daybreak-

And thus, coming and going

Are merely two sides of

A single trip

000

Inside the box, there were bottles and bottles of painkiller. We usually kept them in stock for customers who stayed the night, especially Shanks' crew, and they "chugged down the stuff like candy", as Ace once said.

'Adding the special 90% volume distilled drink to that wine in a ratio of one to one results in approximately 60% of alcohol content. For an adult male, the lethal dose would be… four mugs, give or take.'

If I hid painkiller pills in the fillings of the crunchier snacks, would they notice? I decided to break those into smaller bits. Considering how much they ate, it would be much harder to discover it.

'What kills faster: alcohol or drugs?'

"Time to experiment."

"This is the good stuff!" Higuma exclaimed, downing another mug of the concoction.

I personally took care of the leader and the thugs who looked stronger, making sure to top up their mugs regularly. Ace went around distributing more of the painkiller-laced snacks.

A while later, Sabo returned from his errand. "Have you finished preparing the fruit juice?" He entered the bar, carrying a few bags from the fisherman.

One of the thugs looked at the door. "Isn't dat kid…?"

Higuma stood up and examined Sabo closely. "Yeesh. The brat dose blue bla-blu-bloods are lookin' fer!"

A chill ran down my spine.

"What we gonna do, boss?"

"Get him, boys!"

"Hehe, we cam'ere for booze an' hit da je... jac... jackpot!

Well, there went my plans.

"You won't touch him, scumbags!" Ace screamed and jumped on the nearest bandit.

'Scumbags? Really?'

I shook my head. Now was not the time! "To hell with it!"

A hand touched my back. I was barely able to stop the punch before it connected with Makino.

"Ann, what is happening here?"

"Makino, go hide somewhere! Those guys are—"

"I'm not going to stay out of the way like a fucking coward while you slaughter those pigs, damn it."

I wasn't sure what was more alarming: Makino swearing or the fact she was hurling the cleaver at those men as if she did it regularly… which, come to think of it, she kind of did. Does that mean those bandits are meat waiting to be sliced?

Sabo was nowhere to be found, even after I climbed the counter. Wasting no time, I picked up a knife from the kitchen and exited the bar. Ace could take care of himself better without distractions.

Somehow, the fight had spread to the outside, and Sabo was fighting off a group of bandits, alone. Although their skills were severely impaired by alcohol, Sabo, who had no weapons, was still losing.

I ran as fast as I could, dreading the worst. Only to momentarily stop when a loud bang echoed and one of the thugs fell to the ground, lifeless.

Higuma turned to the direction the bullet had come from. Panicking, he threw a smoke bomb.

"Damn smoke! I can't see—!"

When it finally dissipated, the bandit was far away, sword slicing a thin line on Sabo's neck.

But in that direction was…

"Stop! Don't—"

"Do ya really think I'll stop fer you, girly? If any of you try anything funny, I'll slit his neck!" He backed away.

Away…

And away…

And fell from the cliff, taking Sabo with him.

I could see the water slowly turning red—there was a reason diving in that area was forbidden: rocks, many of them sharp and hidden by waves.

'My fault, my fault myfaultmy—"

"He's still alive." Like a beacon, Shanks' voice brought hope to my panicking heart. "But not for much longer." And promptly stomped on it.

"Captain, you aren't thinking of…"

Shanks took his hat off and dove.

"Too late." Benn sighed resignedly and took a piece of cloth to clean the blood from his rifle.

"…he really jumped." Then, it occurred to me… nope, forgot. "I think I'm forgetting something very important."

"If it's really important, you'll remember. Also, we must think of a way to pull them up. If anyone's injured, it wouldn't be prudent for them to swim towards the shore."

"Where are the others anyway?"

"They stayed at the bar to fight off the bandits who were still standing by the time we arrived. I'll go call a few to help."

"Right. I'll wait here."

It had something to do with fish, I was sure. Right then, a slight wind blew on my face, bringing with it the scent of fresh blood… oh. Crap. Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap— "The Sea King!"

And, as if summoned by my expletives, it appeared.

…Only to turn back and flee. After taking care of the nuisance, Shanks slung Sabo's prone form on his shoulders and began climbing the cliff. A twenty meters tall vertical slope, with no tools.

At first, I thought he was simply having trouble with finding places to grip, but as he approached the top, I realized he was injured. Badly.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm the one who should be asking that!" I took Sabo from his arms and laid him down. Apart from being drenched, his breathing was stable and he appeared unharmed from the fall. I then went back to examine Shanks' wound. "You're bleeding so much!"

"It compliments my hair, doesn't it?"

"No! It clashes horribly. Don't you know? Redheads can't wear red. The only red you are allowed to wear from now on is the blood of your enemies, you hear me?" I tore my skirt with the knife and pressed it to his left shoulder, trying not to look at it.

"Hear, hear. Mind if I sleep now? I think I drank a bit too much…

"NO! No sleeping! Bad Shanks! Bad!"

He blearily opened his eyes. "What? I'm a dog now?"

"You will be less than a dog if you sleep now. So stay awake! Please…"

"If you insist… but it's really hard."

"You can't di—sleep yet! You haven't told me the lyrics from that song!" I breathed deeply and screamed as loudly as possible. "BINKUSU NO SAKE WO TODOKE NI…"

Between sobs and erratic heartbeats, what came out was an off-key mess.

"Whoa, the little missy has an amazing pair of lungs."

Whatever embarrassment I'd usually feel was eclipsed by a strong sense of relief.

It was safe now.

Open clavicular fracture.

Comminuted scapular fracture.

Severe blood loss.

Every single ligament, tendon and muscle around his left shoulder had suffered some kind of injury.

It was a miracle his lungs weren't punctured, considering the number of pieces his shoulder and some ribs had been reduced to. Scratch that! How the hell had Shanks managed to climb in that state?

"I reinforced my body with Haki before diving. I wouldn't really jump without doing that first."

"Did I say that out loud?"

"No, but your question was practically written on your face." Shanks then tried to reach the cup of water on the nightstand, but before he could touch it, Makino slapped his hand.

"The doctor told me you shouldn't move. He also said I could tie you down if needed."

"I'd like that very much, although in a different—"

Slap!

'Ah… as the saying goes, one should not meddle in a lover's spat.'

And so, I tactically retreated to the adjacent room.

"Hey, Sabo? You alright?"

"Yes." He put his book down. "Finding out they are still looking for me here is infinitely better than if we were closer to the city, especially because the bandits are in no condition to blab. On the other hand, I lost my hat. And the goggles you gave me all those years ago."

"We can buy another!" Seeing his downcast expression, I held his hands, "As long as we're alive, we can always get another."

"Yeah, that's true. But the hat was the last gift my aunt ever gave me." He looked away, shoulders hunched. "She was the only one who… who cared."

"Sabo…"

"I never really told you why I ran away, did I?"

"You said something about the princess, but it's not only that, is it?" I sat down beside him.

"Whoever married the princess would eventually become king," he recited. "My family intended to rise in status through me: they arranged all sorts of lessons. Sabo looked at the window and sighed. "I was never good enough."

I hugged him.

"But I had my aunt. She was different from the other nobles. Aunt Luka was the only one who ever cared about Sabo the person, not Sabo the heir." His hands fisted around the sheets. "Then, she was betrothed to a noble from far away, and I was so angry… after I screamed at her, we never saw each other again."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"

"It's not like you knew, screechy witch."

"Shut it, top hat mania—" I covered my mouth.

"That's more like it!" He smirked.

"Y-you did it on purpose!"

And just like that, all the tenseness had been dispelled. He was always the one who lightened the mood.

"Hey Ann, how's Shanks?"

"Why don't you go see him yourself?"

"I-what am I supposed to say? Thanks for saving my brother?"

I sat down by his side and leaned on the table. "Yeah, that sounds like a good plan."

Ace frowned. "But that was Sabo's life! Shanks was hurt to save a kid he's known for less than a year! How do I even thank him for that?" He looked at me, then. That expression of confusion and relief, mixed with something else…

"Ace… come with me."

We exited the bar and walked to the cliff in silence. I sat down, legs dangling by the edge, Ace right beside me. The sun was slowly descending, rays of light painting the sky a vivid orange.

"Mother didn't have to see us even once to give her life for us. Willingly."

"But that's… that's what mothers are supposed to do. Maternal instinct, isn't it?"

"Ah, but fear for one's life… it overrides any other instinct other than self-preservation. No, what moved her, what moves people to help others to the detriment of their own lives… is love." 'That, or a complete lack of self-esteem, at any rate.' I turned to face him. "If it were you, you would have jumped too, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah. And I probably would have died without doing anything."

So that was what truly bothered him.

"That's why we have to get stronger—strong enough to protect everyone."

Ace extended his hands towards the fleeing sun. "Next time… no, there won't be a next time! I won't let there be a next time, it's a promise!"

A few minutes went by, silence broken only by the sound of seagulls and crashing waves.

"Hey, Ace."

"What's it?"

"I'm going to become a doctor."

"Why are you telling me this now?"

"I plan to ask for permission to take an apprenticeship. So, next time grandfather comes…"

"You're going away?"

"I'm sorry."

Ace punched my shoulder lightly. "Don't be. You're doing it for us, aren't you?"

I smiled and leaned my back on the ground. "Always."

Sometime after the Moon came out, I blacked out, exhaustion finally catching up.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Lulu darling!" I hugged him tightly. Amid all the chaos, everyone had completely forgotten about him!

"Can't… can't… can't breathe…!"

I put him down. Luffy wheezed. "You… you… why didn't you let me fight those bandits too? I'm strong!"

"I'm sorry, but there was simply no time to go get you at the mayor's house! If you were here, I'm sure you'd have been a great help…" A little misdirection from my part… but I wasn't about to let Luffy make his first kill so early, so I'd never involve him if there was another option.

"Ah, in that case, you're forgiven."

Growl!

"I'm going to prepare something for us to eat."

"Ok. I'll go see how Sabo's doing now."

Lulu's birthday party…! Ruined! Damn those bandits!

As I was turning, I thought I saw something flash in his eyes. But when I glanced over my shoulder, he was smiling confusedly.

"You never taught me anything about haki."

"Haha, I can't help you with that. You see, sometimes, when I use Conqueror's Haki, I can't target only enemies. So, I try to avoid using it when friendly fire can cause trouble… as for the other types, I'm a lousy instructor."

"You could have said that in the beginning!"

"But that would be no fun!"

Before our bantering could go on, Ace interrupted. "You're not coming back?"

"Nope. Not within the next few years, at least. Too risky." Shanks then turned to Luffy. "Are you crying?"

"No!" He wiped his face, smearing snot all over it. "Just you wait! Next time we see each other, I'll be stronger than you! I'll be the strongest pirate ever!"

"A shrimp like you?" Ace eyed Luffy dubiously.

"Yeah! I'll be Pirate King!"

Shanks smiled. "In that case… here, take this. But I want it back one day!" He patted Luffy's head. "When you become a famous pirate, return it to me, deal?"

"D-deal!"

Oh. I think I never missed a camera more than at that moment. Except for the Cake Incident, but that never happened anyway.

"History… this is history in the making."

"Did you say anything, Ann?" From my right, Sabo asked. It was still weird seeing him without a hat.

"Nope. Group hug!" I pulled Ace with me and tackled Luffy, who bumped on Shanks. Sabo shrugged and threw himself at our human pile.

With the golden sun of dawn illuminating their way, the ship slowly disappeared in the horizon. In the distance, the sound of laughter echoed.

Shanks' legacy would affect us in many ways; some of them, sooner than expected.

"Are you feeling well, Miss Makino?"

She sat down. "It's nothing. I must be coming down with the flu."

Her fatigue didn't pass.

"I… can't eat it."

"But don't you love garlic bread?"

She never refused garlic bread.

"My period is a few months late," she confessed when the boys went fishing.

Oh.

'I'm pretty sure this wasn't supposed to happen.'

Straw-colored Daybreak_end

Bonus: What Yasopp found there

He readied his pistol and sidestepped one more body. "A few kids and a petite barmaid did this?"

The only thing he could do after entering the bar was let out a whistle.

For the sweet lady love of the captain was cleaning a cleaver knife on the clothes of a mutilated bandit.

"Ah, hello! I'm sorry for the mess. But if you want to drink anything, just ask." She looked at the snack trays scattered on the tables. "Although you may want to avoid that. I think Ann poisoned it." She tsked. "What a waste."

One of the thugs started convulsing.

"Yep, definitely poisoned."

"Hey, Makino! That guy's got crap all over himself!"

"That's disgusting!" She turned to his direction. "Would you mind helping me dispose of the garbage? Letting it rot is not very sanitary… fortunately, we have free body disposal service here."

Were all women this scary? He didn't remember his darling Banchina being like that!

Then again, Makino had seemed like a perfectly normal person before.

Later, they made a Sea King (and what the hell was it doing in East Blue anyway?) very happy. And fat.

One teaspoon: 5ml.

Median Lethal Dose of Acetylsalicylic acid: 0,2g/kg.

Median Lethal dose of Ethanol: approximately 10ml/kg.

Comminuted fracture: when the bone breaks into multiple pieces.

Open fracture: exposed bones. *shudders*