Benn brought the cigarette to his lips, watching the trail of smoke that it left. He took in a deep inhale, the tabacco tangy on his tongue and filling his lungs as he watched his captain silently. It was late now and the storm had passed but the ship was still dripping wet. The deck was slippery and the sails soaked through. Rope was wound tight in knots that led to the crows nest, water finding its way down from the upper masts. He exhaled, watching the cloud be swept away as he passed through it and to his captain. Shanks was staring out to sea and Benn idly noticed the tight grip he had on the railing. The tremor of harshly restrained haki was under his skin and if it weren't for his captain's tremendous control, Benn knew half the crew would be out from his will alone. Shanks didn't acknowledge him and Benn said nothing, taking in the silence for several moments as he waited for his captain to say what was on his mind. A cold breeze swept through them, flapping their coats and chilling his skin. The stars seemed far away that night, or maybe that's how it seemed given the tense atmosphere.

"If anything happens to Luffy..." Shanks broke the silence, a dark gleam in a visible red eye, the scar over it making it more menacing. And honestly, his captain didn't need any help in that regard. Benn noticed how the wood under Shanks' fingers groaned, his control slipping ever so slightly. His captain let out a sharp breath, his shoulders coming down but still tense, still weary. Benn chose to ignore the small signs of his captain's distress in favor of trying to reassure him, knowing Shanks was more than capable of making up any worst-case scenario in his head. After all, one didn't grow up on a pirate ship without seeing the horrors of the world, and Shanks was no exception. How he handled it was with an easy smile, a laid back persona and an air of being carefree, but Benn knew better. He could see the darkness in his captain's eye, something twisted and gnarled but buried deep. Could see it in how he kept that easy smile on his face when threatened or when being the one to rip a man's life away. It always seemed so convincing, but Benn knew.

And then his captain met Luffy. A part of him had been surprised at seeing the rare, genuine laughter of his captain and the practiced smiles falling away to reveal something more loving and fond. Something that was real. Benn could see why easily enough though, the laughter and bright smiles of the boy warmed his own heart simply by thinking of it, he couldn't imagine what it did to his captain's heart. One that was buried and shriveled under darkness and childhood trauma. Benn swallowed, tapping his cigarette and watching the ash be blown away into the sea. He was the only one who knew who his captain really was, knew how he cherished and hoarded anything he treasured above all and kept it oh so close. So, when he had let Luffy run free Benn was surprised, but not for long. He glanced at the empty spot on Shanks' head, the straw hat still glaringly missing after all these years. To Luffy, it had been a promise, yet Benn knew better, and he was almost sorry for the boy.

"Well, looks like the kid started off early," Benn began with a joke, testing the mood. Next to him, his captain shifted, haki flashing. Benn sighed internally; he should have guessed that wouldn't have gone over well. Shanks straightened, his hands falling away from the railing and that easy, practiced smile was on his face in an instant. Benn stilled and tilted his head towards his captain, watching as his face slowly relaxed into that mask of a smile. No matter how many years Benn had been with his captain, seeing it fall so easily into place still sent a shiver down his spine.

"Too early," Shanks agreed, keeping his eyes on the horizon. They were too dark to be paired with that smile. Benn watched as his captain raised a hand to the hat that was no longer there, instead threading his hands through crimson locks of hair. His smile turned more into a smirk, his hands clenching and tugging at the red threads.

"Anchor just has to hold out for a little while, besides, anyone in the new world should know who he belongs to." Shanks finished with a laugh and his hands slipped away to fall freely to his side once more. Red eyes pinned him down and Benn nodded, unafraid of the man he swore his life to. Shanks was a yonko, strong beyond measure and recognizable in an instant, so when he had come back one day without his precious hat, well, it had spread like wildfire.

Benn looked from his captain and back to the sea, watching the black waters and remembering a promise, a claiming. Shanks never lost that hat, he just placed it on something that he found to be even more precious. The vice-captain mentally shook his head from those thoughts, knowing it didn't matter in the end. Luffy was now his captain's most prized treasure, and they were pirates. That was all there was to it.

"We'll find him," Benn nodded and believed in his own words. There was no way Luffy wouldn't be a natural disaster, so it would have been easy to just follow the chaos. Though it was a good thing they had a destination in mind. He decided to say as much and Shanks laughed, full bellied and uproarious in the silence of the night. It was a genuine sound and Benn expected no less, it was related to Luffy after all.

"Yeah, Anchor will be fine." Shanks repeated to himself, and Benn felt his lips flatten to a thin line. For the sake of everyone involved, Benn hoped so.


xxx

Sabo laughed, chasing after Luffy who was dropping bits of stollen food as they ran. The angry screams of the shop owner behind them spurred them on further, running as fast as they could with sand shifting under their feet. The sun was blazing hot and shining down on them from a clear sky, the sweltering heat making sweat drip off Sabo in rivulets. Luffy jerked to the left and Sabo skidded to follow, his smile growing even wider at the sound of his baby brother's joyous laughter. Sabo sped up, his breaths coming in faster and he gripped the back of Luffy's shirt, hauling him into a nearby ally and motioning for him to be quiet. The small mob chasing after them ran past and after a moment Sabo let out a shaky laugh, cringing slightly at Luffy's louder tone.

"We did it!" Luffy celebrated and took a large bite out of the leg of meat closest to his face. Sabo nodded, threading his hands through Luffy's hair and giving him a gentle smile.

"You holding up okay?" He and Ace had both been worried when they docked at this island. They wondered how a sea child would handle the desert, but to their surprise Luffy seemed to be thriving in Alabasta.

"What should we get for Mr. Slithers?" Sabo added on as an afterthought, knowing that the sea king that was taking them to Sabaody didn't have a chance to eat as often as it wanted. It was terribly convenient though, not having to stop by each island to get to their destination. Sabo knew they had to go to Sabaody (they didn't know why though, and Luffy would just laugh when they asked), and the blues were no longer an option now that Garp knew of their escape with Luffy. That man would murder them on the spot, and they all wanted to live life to the fullest, not trapped under an iron fist.

"I'm alright" Luffy spoke through a mouthful of food before swallowing. "And he's okay! He said he was going to be around the island eating while we get our own food." Luffy nodded to himself, as if proud he had remembered as much. Sabo rolled his eyes, removing his top hat to run a hand through his sweat soaked hair. The thick fabric of his noble clothes was starting to be an issue but he knew they would be back on the ship soon enough.

A hot breeze fluttered through the alleyway and Sabo stood, dusting himself off and turning to give luffy a hand up. He paused, frowning down at his brother when the younger ignored him, his eyes seemingly locked on something far away and towards the ground. Blonde brows furrowed and Sabo followed his gaze only to see nothing but specks of sand littering white stone.

"Luffy?" He called gently, setting his portion of the stollen food down to kneel at his brother's side. Luffy didn't look at him, his eyes still fixated on something far away.

"Hey Sabo," Luffy's voice was low and he tensed, not liking the change in his tone. This particular one was related more to what made Luffy so unique, and Sabo never really had any answers to his questions.

"Yeah, Lu?" Sabo raised his hand and gently cupped his brother's chubby cheek, gently squeezing the baby fat on it and silently cooing at the adorable face of concentration Luffy had on.

"There's something we gotta see. I think?" His tone rose and it came out as a question, but Sabo smiled gently and nodded.

"Will it take a while? Should we tell Ace?"

Another breeze shuffled through the silent ally and Luffy shook his head. "No, it won't take long." Luffy finally turned to him, his dark eyes looking right into and past him. Sabo refused to be weary.

"Okay Lu, let's go."


xxx

(Slightly earlier...)

Izou waved his fan in front of him, long fingers stretching across the delicate paper with practiced ease. He watched as the dust dispersed away from him even as more was kicked up further down the street. Dark eyes watched as two boys ran from the angry mob, laughs spilling from their lips and wide smiles on their faces. He noted the armfuls of food that they both held and the way that the older one made sure the younger boy kept on track. He pursed his lips, looking at the grain being hauled onto his cart with a dejected sigh and pulled out his den den.

It only rang once before Marco's lazy face was reflected on the creature.

"What is it, yoi?" His voice was low and hushed, like he was hiding away and trying not to be caught.

Izou looked back to where the two boys had gone, remembering the black hair hidden under the familiar straw hat. Izou was weary about going after someone that clearly knew Red Hair, but he had orders and a part of him wanted to make sure that bright smile didn't have a reason to dim.

He raised the snail closer to his red lined lips, his face closing off further as he stepped away from his purchase to follow after them.

"I found him."


xxx

Sabo kept a steadying hand on his baby brother, making sure his lovable idiot didn't trip over his own feet and fall down the stairs they were descending. They were winding and carved out of stone that seemed to have lasted for a thousand years, weathering time and hiding this place away from the encroaching sands. He didn't know how Luffy knew where it was, was slightly afraid to ask, but he followed nonetheless. He wouldn't want Luffy to do this alone and it seemed like something the younger was determined to do. When His foot hit the last step he took a look around, eyeing the high ceiling made of old rocks and carved pictures in boulders. Luffy was still next to him, ignoring the imagery around him to stare straight ahead. Sabo followed his gaze and squinted against the darkness, stepping forward and watching as a dark, rectangular rock emerged from the shadows.

Sabo turned back to Luffy when he heard the scrape of his sandals, pursing his lips but holding back his questions. He walked beside his brother then, watching as lines became clear on the slab and morphed into a neat written language of some sort. Sabo couldn't read it and he wanted to know what it said among other things. He turned towards Luffy, pausing when he was unable to gauge his brother's expression. The upper half of his face was covered by his hat making his features unreadable.

He dropped the provisions on the ground and took a step closer to Luffy, gripping his shoulder gently and giving him a small shake. "Lu?" He whispered, not wanting to startle him. His voice, low as it was, still filled the empty cavern and echoed around. Small grains of sand dropped from the ceiling, the noise mimicking a slithering snake. Sabo moved fully in front of his brother, blocking his vision from the chiseled slab of rock and gently tilted his brother's face up to meet his. He swallowed, catching sight of whisps of white in the pupils of Luffy's eyes. Sabo stared, his own eyes widening in alarm as Luffy's pupils blew open and ignited in blazing white fire. Miniature suns glowed back at him, through him and unfocused.

Panic built in his chest and then between one blink and the next, the fire was gone and Luffy's eyes were back to normal. Sabo knew he hadn't imagined it, his heart was still pounding harshly in his chest from worry and his hands were trembling.

"Lu?"

Luffy blinked, seemingly broken from his trance as his gaze focused back on him. Dark eyes brightened and a wide smile split across rubbery cheeks.

"Shishishishi! Sabo! Let's go get Ace!" Luffy didn't give him a chance to respond, his brother jumping up into his arms and wrapping his limbs around him to cling to his back like a monkey. Sabo stayed frozen for a moment before swallowing the lump in his throat and nodding.

"Yeah, lets." Sabo agreed absently, making sure his brother was on securely before hastily making his way out of wherever they ended up. He needed to talk to Ace.

.

.

.

I'm channeling marinford Shanks. The most I've ever seen that man smile was with luffy fight me on it.