Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece; that belongs to Eiichiro Oda.

A/N: I measured my hair in real life recently, which is something I hadn't done in several years. Turns out it's about 127 cm (or 50 inches). It's longer than Sabo and Ace are tall at 10. Considering I have imparted Sabo with my love of having long hair (and the mild fear of having it cut since it's tied to our sense of self) this is only somewhat important. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

WARNING: Sabo comes out as non-binary to people. There are mentions of people not taking it well. Child-slavers suck and remember that children don't typically fight and win against adults.

Chapter 3

She had liked magpies. They still do. The demon birds that all Australians knew to fear, especially during the spring. She'd befriended one that lived near her house, feeding it cheese and staying between her and the dog. Magpies apparently like shiny things, which she'd never seen evidence of in real life but had heard often enough.

Sabo couldn't help but sometimes compare Ace to one. Fierce but adorable, able to be befriended through lots of food and guarding his back against threats, and he's supposed to steal shiny things, not that they've seen evidence of that yet.

That's not to say they're properly friends yet. Ace still hadn't given his name back, but at the very least, they're allies. If Sabo saw him, they'd go steal a hug and then have to cook some meat in return. Sometimes they'd fight again. Sparring a few times and then they'd go through some stretches together. Ace had been getting a lot better at them. Clearly, he'd been doing them on his own too.

They so desperately wanted to call him their friend, but they couldn't do anything that might run him off. Which they might have done with this latest encounter.

"Are you wearing a fucking skirt?" Ace practically screeched.

"Yes." They replied, crossing their arms and staring defiantly at him.

Said skirt was nothing more than a piece of cloth wrapped around their waist and no longer than his knees. They were still wearing shorts underneath, but they might be a little hard to see now.

"Are you a girl?" Ace looked like the world made no sense anymore as he asked that.

"Yes." They replied easily enough.

The jungle boy studied them carefully, glancing at their growing hair. It was now about ten centimetres long and was longer than the character adult Sabo's. They've already started hoarding some hair ties and ribbons for when it would be long enough to use. It'll be a nice Christmas present for themselves, not that the holiday existed here.

"I thought you were a boy." Ace said, confusion very evident.

"I am a boy." They said proudly. It made the jungle boy look like he wanted to hit them.

"What the fuck?!" So, so confused. Poor winter child.

They decided to help him. "I'm a boy but I'm also a girl. I'm both."

"I thought you could only be one." Confusion seemed to have made him a bit more subdued than normal.

"Most people are, and there's a lot of arseholes will say you can't be both. But I am." They shrugged but finally telling someone about what they were felt so freeing. "Heard a lot of people calling me a freak of nature and saying I shouldn't exist because of it."

They might have taken a page out of Ace's book and asked some drunks that wouldn't remember about it. Earlier than that though, they'd asked some of the nicer staff working at their blood parents' household. They both had the same reaction. The less said about Outlook's reaction when he overheard the question, the better.

Ace very visibly stiffened at that. Sabo mentally swore as they realised Ace must have already asked people about what they do to a Child of Roger. They carefully didn't let on they realised this though. Maybe they could fix some of the damage those scum left. Ace made them so happy, it hurt to realise he wasn't happy too.

"I didn't choose to be like this though. For some reason, a lot of people think it's a choice. It wasn't. I just woke up one day and realised that I am a girl too. There was never a choice." Well, she kind of did, but they hadn't. They remove their hat and run a hand through their now wavy instead of curly blonde hair. "I want to wear skirts and have long hair, but I also want to wear shorts and I don't care about walking around topless."

Their gaze was fixed on the ground, they glanced back up at Ace when they realise it had done that. He's quiet. Face oh so carefully blank as he looked back at them.

"What… What would you do if Gold Roger had a child?" Ace asked.

They blinked at the question. "Do you mean, what would I do if I met them?"

Ace nodded. His grip was white from clutching onto his pipe so tightly.

"Dunno." They said, Ace immediately did a double-take. "It depends on what they're like. If they're a jerk, I'd either avoid them or hit them. If they're nice like you are, I'd probably try to be their friend. Why's it matter?"

Ace was gaping at them like they destroyed reality again. He turned away but they saw the tears. The sniff was a good indicator of what he was trying to hide too.

"I'm going to hug you now." Ace let them, even turning so he was facing them again. Their shoulder was very quickly drenched. They said nothing about it.

A couple of minutes passed before Ace finally spoke again.

"You weren't supposed to say that." He choked out.

"Say what? The truth? My parents are jerks and I know I'm nothing like them. Parents don't matter, jungle boy." They replied.

"Jungle boy?" Ace seemed so confused.

"Well, you haven't told me your name yet." They protested, covering up the pain with feigned indignation. "What else am I supposed to call you? Freckles? Pipe boy? My only friend? I mean they're all true but I'm pretty sure none of those titles is your actual name."

Ace was silent. He hadn't even said how he felt about them being they and not just he or just she.

They let him go then. "So, uh… do you mind that I'm a girl and a boy?" They asked nails digging into their palms and mouth dry. They couldn't help what they were, but if Ace didn't like it… if Ace hated them for it… they wouldn't know what to do. The thought of him and Luffy had been what kept them going for so long now.

"It's just another weird you thing." He said without hesitation. "Like how you stick your knife into the fire before chopping up meat or how you want hugs all the damn time."

They pulled him into another hug at that. Relief washed away all the panic and tension that was holding them up. Their knees felt really weak, but Ace was strong enough to hold them up when they tried to give out. "Thank you. So, so much."

Drenching his shoulder in tears could be seen as repayment for getting their own shoulder drenched earlier. "You're weird. You don't even know my name, but you called me your friend."

"Maybe I am. But you are my only friend. It's your fault for giving such nice hugs. You're the best." They weren't even trying to help him with his self-worth issues. They honestly believed that. Ace accepted them for them. He was the best. The euphoria was overwhelming.

"It's Ace." He spoke, subdued. "You give nice hugs too, Sabo."

It's the first time he's used their name. They laughed. "Thank you for existing, Ace." Thank you for accepting me when no one else would.

There's another sniffle and their shoulder got a bit wetter. They didn't bring it up.

It's November and they're fighting the Child Slavers again. This time though, they'd brought guns. None of their attacks was aimed to kill or permanently disable, but they're getting a lot more annoyed with the pair of kids that have taken to stealing from them and not just resisting capture and beating them up.

Sabo was actually kind of proud to be the one to suggest stealing from the slavers. They snuck into their hideout once and they stole so much money. Ace gleefully suggested they should eat most of their food too. They'd have eaten all of it if they could have stomached it.

Suffice it to say, the Child Slavers really wanted to capture them and break them afterwards.

Dodging bullets wasn't easy. The only thing saving them was the fact that the fight was chaotic. They and Ace were constantly moving, not letting them aim at them without potentially hitting an ally of theirs. There were still some shots taken but so far, they had all missed.

Sabo took down another with a pipe slammed into his gut, folding him over it, then targeting the back of the neck with an elbow while their pipe was trapped.

There was already an opponent behind him, but he didn't have a sword. The gun fired. They reactively dodged but it was too close. They cried out as searing pain shot through their right arm. The bullet had carved out a line on the inside of their arm. They were protected from gunpowder burns by the double layers of their coat and a long-sleeved shirt.

"SABO!" Ace screamed. He took out the enemy he was engaged with, bolstered by an extra shot of adrenaline, and rushed over.

They had nearly dropped their pipe, but they managed to switch it to their still healthy left hand and used it to lunge forwards and smack the gun's aim off when it tried to fire again. Their friend came in and smashed his pipe over their attacker's head. Instantly knocking him out.

There was still a lot of enemies, but Sabo knew they couldn't take them. Their arm was useless, they were a liability to Ace.

But she saw Ace's death, remembered it. He didn't run or turn his back on his enemies. He never ran from a fight. Even when it killed him.

They really didn't want him to die. He was their best friend. Their only friend. But they didn't know how they could save him here.

Another bullet passed by them too close. It really hurt, moving their injured arm like this. But in her life, she'd broken the school record for Javelin. It was her favourite Track and Field event to compete in. They knew the technique, they even tried it a few times on their own with their pipe for fun.

It's without a doubt risky and they'd lose their weapon because of it, but if they could get Ace out of here, then it'd be worth it.

They threw their pipe at the furthest person with a gun. It nailed them in the face, knocking them over and the landing took them out. They were without a weapon now though, and one of the arseholes came up on their side which Ace wasn't and thought they were helpless. The kick straight up in their balls drew winces from every male in the vicinity.

The part of them that was male commiserated with the painful hit, but their female part was sadistic. These arseholes deserved it. They didn't care, it was life or death. More importantly, it was Ace's life at stake. Like hell were they going to not pull out all the stops to keep him safe!

The attack left an opening. Sabo didn't expect to be the one dragged through it though. Ace was running from the battle, taking them straight into the woods, holding their left hand in an almost painful grip.

Ace ran.

"What the hell?" Slipped from their lips before they could stop it. He didn't respond to them.

The slavers tried to follow but Ace knew this forest better than all of them. Soon they were gone, left behind somewhere in the dense jungle. But Ace kept dragging them, he didn't even slow down. It felt like he was actually speeding up instead.

The difference in stamina quickly became evident. Sabo was used to stop-start activities, like fights and dancing. But continuous running like a cross-country race was different. They could recover faster, but they couldn't keep it up forever. It didn't help that the blood loss was starting to make their head feel light.

The first time they stumbled was the last as Ace pulled them over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and kept running.

"Ace, what-?" That couldn't have been their voice. It sounded so weak. They weren't! They could defeat adults and animals so many times bigger than them. They sparred with Ace often and they were pretty even in combat.

They clutched the wound. Their arm had already been drenched in blood and their hand was dirty, but if they were at risk of dying of blood loss otherwise, the risk of infection didn't matter.

Not again, not again, Not Again! I'm not dying of Blood Loss AGAIN!

They passed out on Ace's shoulder, the last sound they heard being Ace asking them to hold on, that they're nearly there. He sounded so desperate. Why?

They're in a building when they woke up. Sabo was more concerned with being happy they didn't die again to be concerned about their surroundings at first. They tried to raise their left arm but it was being held down. Their restraint groaned sleepily but stayed asleep.

They managed to lift their head, even when their vision blurred at the movement and caused nausea to rise up, to see it was Ace.

He's sleeping on their good arm and covered in bandages, but most importantly, he's alive. Their best friend was still alive. They really did get out of the ambush. Their vision blurred again but from tears this time.

The door to the room opened, a tall man with a rooster comb on his head walked in.

Ace was asleep, and the bags under his eyes suggested he was exhausted. Moving their right arm sent pain firing across their nerves. But their left arm was trapped, and they couldn't exactly use their legs in this fight.

There's a makeshift pillow under their head and they didn't hesitate before grabbing it and throwing it at him. It gave them enough time to lift their leg and grab the knife strapped under their skirt. Hidden weapons were both cool and useful.

"Hey kid, wait." The bandit raised his arms in surrender.

Bandits were the sort to fake surrendering to get an upper hand. They didn't trust this guy any further than they could throw them. With the condition and almost blinding pain their dominant arm was in, they knew they wouldn't even be able to lift the tall bandit.

They curled up to hide and protect Ace, who was slowly starting to wake up from the noise.

There's a commotion outside the room and another two bandits came in. One was short and wore a turban and the other was a large, ginger woman with a cigarette in her mouth. They instinctively knew she was the biggest threat out of the three of them. Something about them, but mostly her, was vaguely familiar. However, the pain and panic they felt prevented any chance of recognition.

But they needn't have been worried about an attack from them. Especially when the attack came from elsewhere.

"Sabo!" Ace tackled them and they had to drop the knife to avoid hurting him. Their arms came up to wrap around him, regardless of the pain that the movement caused. Hugs were an instinctive response to their friend being nearby.

Ace's grip was really tight, hurting their ribs a little but it was Ace. He could crush their ribs in a hug, and they wouldn't care. Just along as he still loved liked them. They gripped him just as desperately back. They'd nearly died again. They could have lost Ace. The possibilities started racing through their brain, creating an even worse hell than being trapped in their blood relation's mansion.

A wet patch on their shoulder was left to never be addressed. "I told you not to die." They're told.

"I didn't." They responded. Their voice sounded too weak, too croaky.

"You almost did!" Ace yelled, pulling back so Sabo could actually see the tears that were in his eyes and on his cheeks. They dripped off his chin onto them. Snot was also dripping out of his nose, mixing with the tears. It was probably on their shoulder too, but they couldn't care less.

They lay there in shock, why was Ace crying? Why was he showing them that he was crying?

Their left hand raised to wipe away the tears without their input. He shouldn't be crying. He shouldn't be sad. How could they let him be sad? How could they make him happy? As happy as Ace always made them.

"How are you supposed to ambush me with hugs or cook meat that sucks or have my back in a fight if you die?" He gasped through the tears. He was trying to glare but his eyes didn't fit. They showed too much vulnerability. He let their hand wipe away some of his tears. "You're not allowed to die, Sabo."

"I don't want to." They spoke. Clearly, it wasn't a good enough response judging by the continued glare. "I want to stay with you. You make me so happy." They couldn't see Ace's expression through their own tears. "I don't want to die, Ace."

They couldn't promise that they'll never die. Death was inevitable after all.

They couldn't make that promise when they could just as easily die tomorrow. They couldn't do that to Ace. He was their world, their happiness. If they hurt him or lost him… life would be hell.

"I don't want you to die either." They finished, finally going to wipe away their own tears. Rough hands helped them. They were being so careful, so gentle. They leaned into the nice touch. Into the first pair of hands that didn't hurt them (and him).

"I'm not gonna die, stupid Sabo." Ace said as their sight was restored.

"No one can promise that." They whispered, heartbroken.

He puffed up. "Well, I can and did. I'm not going to die, so you better not die either. That way we're even."

Their responding laugh was weak, but they nodded. "Okay then."

"Right, it's good that you two have that settled. But I need to check up on your friend again now Ace. I think he may have torn some stitches." The tall male bandit interjected, coming up to them.

They flinched, realising they had forgotten the threat in their midst. Ace noticed the reaction of course. He glared at the bandit. Sabo can't believe they forgot he was being raised by them. These ones must be them.

"Sabo's they, not just he. They're weird like that." Ace stated then turned back to face them. "Magra's a weakling but he knows how to help. I've got your back."

Tension leaked out of them at the reassurance, but they still tensed as the bandit approached. They grabbed Ace's hand and he squeezed their hand back.

Letting someone who wasn't Ace close enough to touch was hard. When the bandit did actually touch them, they flinched at the touch. It only hurt because of the wound, but it also wasn't their friend's hand. Their heart raced and they desperately wanted the detached touching to stop. They didn't trust him. Why was he touching them? What did they want? Was he just trying to figure out how to hurt them? Pull them apart, find their faults and hurt them even deeper?

Stop touching me! Stop looking at me! Their breathing stuttered and they wanted to close their eyes and wait for it to stop but they watched. He unravelled the red bandages on their arm, revealing a red, scabbed mess. Some parts of it were sluggishly bleeding. The sight of the wound didn't bother them. She had watched her own stomach acid dissolve her organs and flesh, scarring her arms as it ate away at the limbs trying to hold it in until there wasn't enough left to continue doing so.

But the stranger's hands were too close. They couldn't breathe.

They kicked out when they saw the needle. They knew it was to stitch the wound closed again, but it would hurt. They wanted people to stop hurting them. Stay away, stay away, stay away!

Ace pulled them into a hug, finally letting them breathe again. He had them. He didn't want them to die. He'd keep them safe. The prick of a needle in their arm was ignorable as they focused on their friend instead.

The treatment was finished relatively quickly, and the bandit doctor guy scurried out of the room with the guy with a turban. The lady stayed though. She came over and sat out of her arms' reach. They kept an eye on her even as they buried their face in Ace's chest.

"You going to tell me who this is and what you've been up to brat?" She asked, breathing out smoke.

Ace was silent for a bit but answered. "This is Sabo, they're my best friend. Some arseholes in the Grey Terminal had been trying to catch us but we'd usually just kick those fucktard's arses."

"And just what do these arseholes want from two brats?" She asked.

"They're child slavers." Sabo piped up. It was all the explanation necessary.

Dadan, because that was the woman - how did they forget Dadan? - gritted her teeth. "Right, where do you usually stay, blonde brat?"

"My name's Sabo," came the instinctive response. It's been a while since they'd said it though. "And I live in the Grey Terminal."

"They're also alone there." Ace joined in. "They're going to be staying here now."

She sighed, "this isn't a Daycare," but didn't put up a fight. "You better be prepared to do some chores, blond brat."

"If it means I can stay with Ace then sure." It's not even a bother, she had to do chores once upon a time too. Not to mention they were already cooking their own food, cleaning their clothes, and doing a bunch of other tasks.

Dadan had a complicated look on her face as she considered them. They're probably a weird child for not caring about having to do chores.

They didn't care. It meant they got to stay with Ace.

Sabo had to be careful when stretching their arm during recovery, but it was healed by the time December rolled around and no one was kicking them out yet. It was hard to warm up to the bandits while still technically injured and therefore vulnerable.

When Ace was out hunting at one point, one said they couldn't be a girl and a boy. They were unnatural for 'wanting' to be both. Dadan hit him over the head for that remark, but it did its damage.

The bandits didn't care about them. They were only allowed to be here while recovering because they were either scared of Ace or cared about him. It seemed to be a mixed bag.

"Would you rather be feared or loved?" one person said.

"Both." Replied another. "I want them to fear how much they love me."

It's just a memory without any context but it brightened their spirit anyway for some reason. They were further brightened as Ace returned with a huge boar to eat. He accepted the hug without question. It may just be a weird Sabo thing to him, but it meant a lot to them that he kept allowing it.

They loved Ace. They could put up with any number of arseholes or jerks if it meant getting to stay with him.

Any inaccuracies about my representation of Sabo's gender and mentality can and will be put down to Cosmic Fuckery. However, if anything is wrong with my depiction of it, please tell me so I can make any necessary changes. I don't want to insult, hurt or offend anyone.