Ace froze. They couldn't be doing this to him. He couldn't take it. Not again.
He wouldn't, couldn't, let them take Sabo away from him again.
His shoulders shook with rage, but he couldn't take it out on his brother. Not when he was wrapped up in bandages like a mummy and being gently supported by the pirate with the stupid bread shaped hair.
A choked sob from Luffy brought him back to his senses. He glared at the pirate, a slight growl breaking free of his lips.
"What the fuck did you just say!?" He could feel that old fire building in his chest, the one that told him to fight. To never run away, lest he lose something important.
The pirate sighed. "I said that we're going to have to take your brother with us to the grand line until his injuries are healed. There isn't anywhere in the East Blue that'll accept him into their hospital after the incident with the tenryuubito, let alone have the technology of being able to make sure he makes a full recovery."
He held his one free hand up in surrender when Ace took a threatening step towards him.
"Hey! I'm just repeating what the nurses told me! To be honest, we would have taken him straight there with us, if not for his insistence on seeing you guys before we left."
Sabo took a deep breath, physically shaking from the exertion of it.
"Look, Ace, These are good people! It won't be for long, just a year or so until I'm healed and then I'll come straight back! And then we can continue as if none of this ever happened, yeah?"
Ace bowed his head so that his hair was shading his eyes from view whilst bth Sabo and Luffy looked at him expectantly.
"No." He said quietly, willing his voice to be level. "No, You're not coming back Sabo."
A sharp intake of breath, tears threatening to spill over. Luffy's hand tightened minutely, balling Ace's shirt into his hands.
"W-What? Why? Why won't he be coming back, Ace? Ace?" Luffy asked his voice trembling.
Sabo gave no real indication he had heard what Ace had said, beyond the straightening of his back. His face was set in stone, ready to accept it. He'd broken Ace's trust, something he'd promised never to do. He was prepared for the consequences.
Ace put his hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Sabo won't be coming back, because we'll be going with him."
"W-What!?"
"Really!?"
"No way. Out of the question! Taking one kid on board is one thing, but taking three on is another matter entirely!" The pirate crossed his arms with an air of finality around him. Unfortunately he didn't know just how stubborn this particular set of brothers were.
"Y-Yeah, you guys don't need to do that for me." Fortunately, Sabo did, but that wasn't going to help their cause.
Ace grinned whilst Luffy bounced next to him.
"Yeah we do! You're our brother, we're not going to leave you!"
Ace ruffled Luffy's hair. "Yeah, We're in this together. We won't let you be taken from us, not again. Not now. Not ever."