Seven years later on January First, Ace stood on the edge of the cliff and started out at the sea. He was going to be leaving the island later today, just after noon. He had been preparing for this day for his entire life! So, why was he feeling doubts creeping up on him? Why was he suddenly doubting that he'd be able to survive out there? Why did he feel like he wouldn't be able to fulfill his dream? He was gonna be a pirate captain, damn it! He didn't have time for mindless worries like these! But the 'what ifs' just kept coming.
"You okay, Ace?" Sabo asked quietly from a few steps behind his older brother. He didn't know why Ace was up before dawn, and he was determined to find out why.
Ace jumped slightly at the voice of his slightly younger brother. Despite Naguri's training all those years ago, he could never sense his brothers sneaking up on him. He had the suspicion that his brothers had the same problem. "Yeah," he finally answered after a few seconds, "Just thinking."
"About?"
"About whether or not this is the best thing to do."
"What do you mean? You've been talking about leaving for years!"
"I know! I just- What if I'm not good enough? What if I end up dying before I can accomplish my goals? What if-"
"Stop." Sabo was suddenly right next to Ace, his hands on both of his shoulders, "You are going to be fine. Besides, this island will always be here if you decide you want to come back. And, if you ever need to talk, I'm sure Luffy wouldn't be opposed to giving you the den-den number in the base."
The small reassurance helped Ace a little, but it wasn't enough to completely get rid of the doubts. But, it was enough to get him to go and start saying his goodbyes…After breakfast. Together, the two oldest boys walked back to their home of the past few years to wake their little brother. Then, they'd all go hunting one last time together and share a fancy breakfast with the bandits. After that, they'd spend time at the cliff and renew their brotherhood and redeclare their dreams. Lastly, they'd all head down to the shore and Ace would set off. They'd had this day planned for a bit over a year, along with Sabo's farewell. They wanted to plan Luffy's, but he said they didn't need to worry about it.
"You awake yet, Lu?" Ace yelled up to the tree house they'd lived in for the past seven-ish years.
The answer was a series of mild curses and a few thumps as the fourteen year old struggled to get himself ready for the day. Then, he jumped out of the window and landed as gracefully as a cat next to his brothers.
Sabo shook his head, "I know you're rubber, but that always looks painful."
Luffy laughed, "Shishishi! I know. Now, what's for breakfast?"
The question was directed at Ace who thought for a second before answering, "Let's get some snake meat. It sounds good today." The other two nodded and all three were off like flashes.
After an hour, the three made their way to Dadan's Bandit Hut to eat breakfast with them. It was the last time all three brothers would be able to have a meal with their caretaker and her family of misfits - dare they say foster mother and uncles? - for a long time, if again at all. When they walked into the hut, fruits and drinks had been set up in the main room and the bandits all waited patiently for the boys. The meat was cooked and breakfast was served.
"I can't believe you're seventeen, Ace!" Magra stated from his seat, "It doesn't feel like you've been with us for that long."
"The same could be said for the other two," Dogra piped up, "You were all tiny when you first started to stay here!"
"Not to mention completely unwanted at first." Dadan said. No one missed the last two words, but they didn't bring it up.
When not a crumb of their meal was left, the three boys bid the bandits farewell. Sabo and Luffy promised to come back later in the week while Ace said he wouldn't be back for a while. If he did ever come back, he promised that he would stop by the hut for a drink. His parting words told them to keep an eye out for his wanted poster in the newspaper.
The three boys made the light hike through the forest and to their tree home. Ace was to finish packing his things while Sabo and Luffy set up a surprise at their cliff for him. As the blond and the raven left the oldest at the tree, they said they'd come get him in an hour. He had until then to pack his things. Then, Sabo took the Sakazuki cups and the sake while Luffy grabbed some paper and a pencil.
"I'm gonna miss him." Luffy said as he wrote on the paper he'd taken.
"Me, too, Lu." Sabo sighed and put the last Sakazuki cup down, completing the triangle. Standing, he declared he would go get Ace because it had been an hour. Luffy nodded in acknowledgement.
Luffy sat on the cliff's edge and stared at the paper he'd been writing on for the last thirty minutes. It hadn't taken long to set up for Ace's farewell, so he'd doodled for the first thirty minutes. But then he decided to write the lyrics of a few songs down for his oldest brother. So, he wrote 'Danny Boy', 'Davy Jones', 'Don't Forget Your Old Shipmate', and 'Bone's In The Ocean' down. He'd never sung the last one for his brothers, but he would today. It was a sad song, but he figured it was better to only sing it for them as they leave him behind. He didn't want them to be sad, but he was going to use this to indirectly tell them that he's suffered a lot more than they thought. Besides, he had the small inkling in the back of his mind that they'd figure out about the whole time travel thing eventually, he was just hinting at it. Speaking of, his brothers should be near enough to hear him soon. Taking a deep breath, he began his lament.
"I've never heard this song." Ace whispered to Sabo as they came into the clearing.
"Neither have I." the blond agreed. Both older boys agreed that they didn't much like the tone of this song. It gave them both a sense of what Sabo had called 'Survivor's Guilt'. "Where do you think he learned it?"
"Don't know," the raven shrugged, "Probably Shanks."
About a minute and a half later, Luffy turned and smiled at his brothers, not acknowledging the song he'd just finished. "Here, Ace," he held the three pieces of paper out to his brother, "Some songs for you to remember in case you get lonely." As if suddenly remembering, Luffy quickly added, "The den-den number is on the front page, too."
Ace smiled softly and took the papers gently. He'd never let anything happen to these as long as he lived. So, he folded them and put them in his back pocket where he knew they'd be safe.
"I don't have anything as sweet as that," Sabo led his brother's back to the edge of the cliff where he said, "But I can say this," he then turned out to look at the sea and yelled at the top of his lungs, "I'm gonna travel the world and write a book about my adventures!"
Luffy, who knew what Sabo had planned, shouted next, "I'm gonna become the King of the Pirates!"
Ace smirked at his little brothers and stepped between them and followed their example, "I'm gonna be a great pirate and make a name for myself that's even bigger than Gold Roger's!"
Smiling with one another, they fell back onto the grass and laughed together. They stayed like that for long minutes before they decided to move. They moved themselves over to the old tree stump where three red sakazuki cups and a mostly full bottle of sake sat.
"Did you know," Ace picked up the bottle like he had several years ago with a smirk, "that when men share a drink, they become brothers?" Sabo and Luffy smiled and lifted their glasses. Ace filled the cups, leaving the bottle a little under half full, "Renewing our oath from seven years ago, no matter where we end up - even if we're on different ships and crews - we're brothers!"
"Yeah!" The three tapped their cups together before drinking every drop in their cups.
With their dreams redeclared and their oath of brotherhood renewed, the boys walked through the jungle and to the Gray Terminal. There, they picked up a new pipe for Ace and made their way to the cove they'd sent Naguri off from all those years ago. There was a small fishing boat they'd built waiting to be taken out to sea. Ace pushed it into the water and got on.
"We'll keep an eye out for your first wanted poster, Ace!" Sabo waved.
"Give em' hell, Ace!" Luffy, too, waved.
"Good!" Ace responded with a wave of his own, small tears gathering in his eyes, "And I will!"
Sabo and Luffy waved goodbye to their older brother until he was out of sight. Even then, they started at the horizon line for hours afterwards. It was gonna be quiet without Ace, but they'd figure it out somehow. Though, there was a hole where they knew Ace normally stood.
Sighing, Sabo put his hand on Luffy's shoulder and guided him through the Gray Terminal and back to their home in the jungle. It was gonna be weird for a few days, but they would manage. Nothing was going to keep them down for too long, not even one of their own leaving.
The months without Ace were empty, but not enough to drag Sabo and Luffy down. They spent almost every second together and almost never fought. There was one time where the Bear King had almost killed them both after a fight, and they hadn't fought again after that.
Now, it was March thirtieth, the day of Sabo's seventeenth birthday. It was also the day that the blond would leave the island. So, Sabo was up before dawn. Ace was up this early when he left, so Sabo would be, too. It wasn't planned, but it happened and he wasn't complaining. He stood on the edge of the cliff and started out at the horizon line. It was beautiful and seemed to be calling for him.
Like Ace, Sabo had doubts swimming around in his head. What if he wasn't cut out to be captain? Would he be able to be a good captain for his crew? Though, the biggest question was whether or not he wanted to be a pirate. He'd always said he wanted to be a pirate, but he wasn't so sure anymore. He'd seen the injustices that the World Government committed, and he'd lived in the shoes of a noble; he wanted to do something about it.
He didn't tell Luffy, but he'd found a newspaper a few weeks ago that was dated from a year ago. Inside was a news article on a group called 'The Revolutionaries'. The leader had a bounty on his head and was declared 'The Most Wanted Man In The World'. When he found the paper, he remembered a small thing Luffy had said about his father when he was seven. The two things didn't add up and Sabo had started to suspect something was going on. He would've confronted Luffy about it much earlier, but he couldn't find a proper time. He'd use today, though, to get answers.
"Hey, Sabo," Luffy smiled at the blond as he walked up to him, "You're up early. You aren't even supposed to be here until after breakfast!"
Much like when Ace left, the boys would be having breakfast with the bandits. They would hunt whatever Sabo wanted before heading over to eat with Dadan and her group. Then, Sabo would have an hour to pack as Luffy set something up at their cliff. After, they'd walk through the Gray Terminal and to the shore where a boat sat in waiting. Lastly, Luffy would see Sabo off of the island.
Sabo smiled at the younger boy and walked to him, "I was thinking about fish this morning. Is that alright with you?" Luffy nodded and the two went to get their meal. They decided that normal fishing would take too long, so they spear fished. It was fun and they both got soaked. Though, they were pretty much dry by the time they got to Dadan's for breakfast.
"So," Dadan took a swig of her drink, "You're finally setting off on your own?"
"You weren't with us for as long as Ace or Luffy," Dogra said, "But you're still a part of our group of misfits."
Magra smiled, too, "We'll miss being able to have civil conversations with you."
Sabo sweat dropped slightly at the last line. He didn't think these guys had ever had a civil conversation in their lives, but he withheld that thought. The last thing he wanted to do before leaving was start a fight or insult them.
Luffy promised the bandits that's come by the next day at some point when he finished breakfast. Sabo had promised that he'd send them a copy of his book as soon as it was written. He knew it would take a while and told them as such. His only response was a tearful 'You don't have to' and several denials after he thanked them for their hospitality over the last few years. He was going to miss these guys.
"I'll come get ya in an hour, okay?" Luffy said as he left Sabo and their tree home. He grabbed the sakazuki cups, half empty bottle of sake, some paper and a pencil before leaving to the cliff. The first thing he did was set up the three cups and sake bottle on the old stump. Then, he sat on the edge of the cliff and wrote down the lyrics to four songs he knew: 'Danny Boy', 'Davy Jones', 'Fiddler's Green' and 'Bones In The Ocean'. The third song was different from the one he'd written down for Ace because he didn't want them to be the exact same. He'd only ever sung Fiddler's Green once, but it was enough to know that his brother might like it. Just before the hour was up, he walked to the tree home to get Sabo. Just before stepping into the clearing, he started to sing 'Bones In The Ocean'. It would be the second time Sabo heard the song, but he didn't care. He was fairly sure Sabo was close to figuring him out, though. He finished the song just as Sabo came down from the tree, a bag thrown over his left shoulder. Then, they walked to their cliff together.
Luffy handed his brother the three pieces of paper, "I know this is almost exactly like how Ace left, but I couldn't think of anything better to do. So, I wrote down four songs for you, with the den-den number on the front. I think you can guess what happens next?" Then, he walked up to the cliff edge and declared loudly, "I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates!"
Sabo smiled at his little brother and gave a small pause of silence, Ace's dream reciting in his mind, before proclaiming his, "I'm going to travel the world and write a book about my adventures!"
The two smiled and sat on the grass. They didn't say anything for about an hour, just sat in silence. Then, Sabo spoke, "I found a newspaper in the Gray Terminal a while back." he started, "And I found an interesting piece of information that I think you'd like." he took a deep breath before continuing, "Would you care to tell me how you knew your father was at the top of the world's Most Wanted list before he was declared a wanted man?"
Luffy stiffened for a second before he let out a dry chuckle, his hat shadowing over his eyes, "You're a lot smarter than I thought, Sabo." he said, "I really can't hide anything from you, can I?"
"Nope!" the blond smiled, "In all seriousness, though, is there something you want to tell me?"
Luffy sighed, "You can't tell anyone, not even Ace." A pause. "I'm from the future." He let that hang in the air for a second before continuing, not even glancing at Sabo, "Something happened and the world was thrown into war. I lost almost everyone in those two years." He had to take a second to calm himself before he could speak again, "Me and a few friends decided to come back to try and fix our mistakes."
"Then, that nightmare just after the Gray Terminal fire?"
"Was what happened last time."
Sabo was silent. This was not information he was expecting, but things were suddenly starting to make sense. He patted Luffy's shoulder and leaned against him in reassurance. Sabo didn't know what had happened to Luffy before he traveled back, and he wasn't about to ask. Though, he did ask who had come back with him and if or how he could tell them he knew.
"Dracule Mihawk, Red-Haired Shanks, Trafalgar D. Water Law, Jewelry Bonney, Eustass Kidd, and Marco the Phoenix all came back with me. Those who know - or will know soon - are Benn Beckman, of the Red-Haired Pirates; Bepo, of the Heart Pirates; the first mate of the Bonney Pirates; Killer, of the Kidd Pirates; Whitebeard, of the Whitebeard Pirates; and Zoro, of the Strawhat Pirates. You can let the others know you know by saying something along the lines of, 'I'm helping you become an inconvenience to your enemies.'. You and Ace weren't supposed to ever find out, but I guess I should've expected you to figure it out." he sighed again, "You're not mad at me, are you?"
"No," Sabo said without hesitation, "Now, we've let the mood drop. Whether you're from the future or not, it makes no difference; You are mine and Ace's little brother, and there's no changing that. Now that I know, I can help you! And don't tell me not to, because that's not going to stop me." He huffed before smiling, "I guess I should tell you my secret now, huh? I'm not going to become a pirate. I'm leaning more towards the idea of being a Revolutionary." he then nudged Luffy with his elbow, "What do you think? Think your father will have me?"
Luffy nodded, "You might even take the position of second in command!" When Sabo asked how he knew with a suspicious smirk, he only laughed, "Shishishi!"
Deciding they'd sat there for long enough, they two walked over to the old stump. Sabo then poured sake into two of the three sakazuki cups. Together, they lifted their cups and clicked them together, "We renewed our oath from almost eight years ago in January. Today, without the company of our oldest brother, we re-renew our oath. From the first time we declared ourselves as such, up until today and onward, we are brothers!" They shared a smile before emptying their cups of every drop, the bottle now having enough for one more drink.
Picking up Sabo's things, the two walked through the Gray Terminal and grabbed a 'new' pipe for him before heading to the shore. Just out of reach of the water sat a boat they had built. Sabo pushed it into the water before getting on it and spreading the sail.
"Take care of yourself!" Luffy waved his older brother off.
"You, too!" Sabo waved back.
"Tell my dad I say 'hi'!" the younger one smiled.
"Will do!" was barely heard as the small boat sailed further and further away.
Much like when Ace left, Luffy stared at the horizon after Sabo was long gone. He was once again alone. He felt the space on either side of him become cold and empty as he let the fact that his brothers wouldn't stand beside him for a long time sink in. It wasn't until just as the sun started setting that he moved from his place. He dragged himself through the Gray Terminal and Middle Forest. He didn't stop until he got to the cliff. There, he sat on the edge and watched the sea.
"We were playing in the sand, and you found a little band. You told me you'd fallen in love with it; hadn't gone as I planned. When you had to bid adieu, said you'd never love anew. I wondered if I could hold it and fall in love with it, too. You told me to buy a pony, but all I wanted was you." He hummed the song as he cleaned up the cups and drink. It was dangerous to walk alone in the jungle at night, but he managed to make it back to the now very empty tree house safely.
Luffy climbed the rope ladder and opened the trapdoor. It was a lot bigger now that he was the only one living there. He put the sake on the shelf next to the den-den mushi and the sakazuki cups back in their bag hanging on the wall. Then, he buried himself in a pile of blankets in the corner for the night. Humming the song again, he drifted off into a very cold and lonely sleep.
Three weeks after Sabo set off, Luffy finally forced himself to call one of the den-den numbers Shanks had left him. He didn't know which one was which, so he just dialed the first number on the small paper. After a few rings, the other end of the line was answered.
"Hello?" a deep voice spoke on the other side of the line.
"Shanks's voice isn't that deep, so I'mma assume this is Mihawk." Luffy smiled, "You ready to become an inconvenience to our enemies?"
There was silence on the other end before he heard, "Only in the best of ways. Luffy, I see you made it safely."
"As safely as you can after traveling to the first time you almost died."
"If I'm not mistaken, that was about eight years ago; I thought you would have called sooner?"
"My brothers wouldn't let me leave their sight after I almost died for them."
"Really? Where are they now?"
"Ace set out in January, and Sabo left three weeks ago."
"I see…"
"Which reminds me, I prevented Sabo from being taken back by his father, but he's planning on becoming a Revolutionary. Also, he knows."
"Excuse me?" Oh, no. He sounds mad.
"I said something a few years ago and he figured it out about a year before he left. He didn't have me confirm it until the day he left, though."
"No, and Sabo said he wouldn't tell anyone, either! He also said he wants to help us!"
There was a long sigh on the other end of the line. Mihawk decided to let the matter drop, and they would deal with it when everyone else joined them. Instead he asked, "Why did you call me? I thought you would call Shanks and explain all of this to him?"
Luffy laughed a bit awkwardly, "Well, the thing is," he slightly shrunk on himself as he spoke, he could practically feel the irritation radiating from the swordsman, "Shanks didn't exactly label the numbers."
"That idiot." was followed by a long sigh, "So you dialed a number and hoped for the best?"
"Yep! That about sums it up." Again, there was a sigh before both ends of the line fell silent for a few seconds. Then, Luffy decided to ask the older man a question, "Are you gonna meet me in the East Blue like you did last time?"
"What do you mean?" Mihawk vaguely remembers meeting Luffy in the East Blue and meeting Roronoa Zoro for the first time, but he couldn't quite remember why he was there in the first place. "Do you not want me to come?"
"Of course I do!" the almost fourteen year old yelled, "I just-"
A chuckle cut him off, "Don't worry, I'll meet you like I did last time. Though, I would appreciate it if you don't let your first mate try and kill himself upon our first meeting." He'd never admit it, but he'd gotten attached to the young raven and he didn't think he'd be able to handle his reaction if his crew got hurt because of him. "Besides, I need something to hold over the others."
Luffy also laughed, "But Shanks meet me first!"
"No, he met past you. I'm going to be the first to meet you as fellow time travelers."
If anyone asked, neither of them would admit to the arrogance in their tones, nor would they acknowledge the fact that they're happily having a conversation as if they were family. Though, the more Luffy thought about it, they really are like a weird family. Luffy's the youngest child; Kidd's the troublemaker child; Bonney's the motherly child; Law's the perfectionist child; Shanks is the dad; Mihawk is the cool uncle; and Marco is the drunk uncle. After voicing his thoughts, the two continued to laugh.
"I guess that really is how we all are." Mihawk confessed, "Though, I don't think the others will like their roles."
"Oh? Then how would you label our little family?"
"Drunk?" Again, the two laughed. "I'll keep my position as the 'Cool Uncle', and you'll keep your assignment as the 'Youngest-ball-of-sunshine-that-everyone-wants-to-protect'. No, you can't deny it, so don't even try. Shanks will keep his role as the 'Father'; Marco, I think, will fit best in the position of 'Sassy Aunt'; Law and Kidd, although separated by several years, are suited to be the 'Twins-that-hate-each-other-but-are-secretly-best-friends'; Bonney is the 'I'll-give-you-my-kidney-if-you-need-but-you-aren't-allowed-within-six-feet-of-what's-mine' sibling." He paused for a second to let Luffy catch his breath after laughing, an amused look on his face, "Any complaints?"
Luffy grinned, "Nope, none from me! How are we gonna tell the others?"
"In passing." Another comfortable silence overtook them for a few minutes. "It was good talking to you, kid. I'll see you in a few years." Then, he hung up.
With the den-den now sleeping, Luffy slowly put it back on its shelf and labeled the two numbers. He was going to wait to call Shanks, seeing as he hadn't eaten yet. He idly wondered what the others were doing and if they had come back to the past yet. Even though they'd gone over what ages everyone would be when they were all in the past, he forgot that small bit of information. Instead of dawdling, he decided to go get dinner. Crocodile meat sounded good, so that's where he went.