I had this fish, for like four years. It was a super mean fish. It spent its entire life trying to bite me. And now it's gone and it is the oddest thing, but I didn't realize how much I liked him until the empty tank is just sitting there on my desk.
Inspiration is such a weird thing.
XXX
Warning for brief mentions of torture
Izo sat patiently against the railing, going through the motions of cleaning his guns. He was actually keeping a close eye on his captain. The man sat in his great chair on deck a little ways away, talking animatedly about something on the Den-Den to one of their allies.
It was a good sight to see. The last few days Oyaji had been confined to his cabin. There were rumors that he was dying spreading like wildfires among the crew. There were a lot of rumors now. And Whitebeard had done nothing to dispel any of them. Not even his commanders understood what was happening. But as always they were following his lead.
"Oh, is that so?" His captain asked and there was something wonderful in his tone. Izo could feel the contentment bursting from him.
"Well I surely hope that's the case!"
Izo smiled as he turned back to his task. Satisfied that his captain was happy.
The ship hadn't been the same since the most recent betrayal. Something that Izo felt deeply responsible for. If he had done his job like he had been asked, then none of this would have happened. But he hadn't counted on Ace being that clever nor sneaky. It wasn't like him at all.
Everyone on the ship had heard the crash as the entire section of the wall in Oyaji's office crumbled. They had rushed to him at one. But all he told them was that Ace had attacked him and when he had failed to kill Whtiebeard he had thrown himself into the ocean.
They dredged the water again and again, going as far as to enlist Namur but his body was already lost to the ocean.
Ace's bag had been abandoned in Oyaji's office. Whitebeard had already searched it before he handed it over to his crew. Sure, enough they found an active baby den-den that confirmed it. Ace had been a spy, Teach's spy. Who knows for how long? And who knows what really happened to Marco.
The crew had felt the blow from this. Ace of all people, after everything Whitebeard had done for him. And before they could even begin to process what could have possibly been going through the young man's head he was gone- just like that.
The general consensus among the crew was he deserved whatever he got. A traitor was a traitor after all. Any mixed feelings they might have had were pushed so far down- for another day.
Those among them that had known Ace the longest were shocked. They refused to believe that he would do something like this. After all pirates that betrayed their crews were the people that Ace hated the most. But despite that there were no answers. So the entire crew carried on with a cloud hanging over them. They did their best to try and forget Ace, with his bright smiles, quick retorts and absolutely no regard for his own safety ( the last one drove them crazy). And they did their bests not to think about Marco either. No one wanted to be the first to give up on him. After all phoenix's could never really die could they?
So, they focused on those they could still help. Their captain and Thatch, who somewhere out there was waiting for them. No doubt he had suffered greatly while in Teach's clutches.
Personally Izo tried to stay above the rumors. He did feel great fear just a few days prior when it seemed like Whitebeard was succumbing to some sickness. But his health had taken a turn upwards and he seemed to be getting better. Although it was always hard to tell with the man.
"Be sure to tell your wife not to worry," Whitebeard continued his voice getting softer. "Children always strain our hearts, especially when they are so far away. But families have a way of coming back together- and children are strong. Particularly this one."
He waited a moment as the snail continued to speak- it's words too soft for Izo to hear.
"Yes of course! I think a three day vacation sounds wonderful. Although not for you. You will have to act quickly if you want to make it to the party on time. Ah, I almost forgot, make sure to say hello to your mother in law. Her pet birds are really quite hard working. How nice of her to lend them to us."
He paused again to listen to the reply and Izo tucked his guns back into their holster.
"I can't tell you how good it was to hear from you again my dear Margo. I thank you for the support you have shown the Whitebeard pirates. Alliances are not such an easy thing to come across these days. I look forward to seeing the lot of you again," Whitebeard said. "Make sure to keep an eye on your extended family. They seem like a handful."
Whitebeard smiled as he hung up, reaching up with his giant thumb to wipe at the tear that had collected under his eye.
Izo watched him silently as he rose to his feet. Whitebeard caught site of him after a moment, smiling despite his tears.
"Ah my son, life is a precious thing isn't it?" Whitebeard shook his head slightly with a laugh. "You were always one of the smartest weren't you."
Izo smiled. Yes he was. "Children strain our hearts?" He asked.
"A story for another time," Whitebeard told him. "Would you do me a favor and gather a few of your brothers for me? I think it's time we go get our children back!
XXX
He looked exhausted, not even his own mind could deny that. There were dark circles under his eyes and his skin was completely pale. If there was ever a bad time for… whatever this was, Sabo thought in annoyance as he washed his face once and then again. He had hoped the cold water would help him but all it did was make his headache worse. The very same headache that refused to go away.
"What the heck," He muttered gingerly feeling his face with his hands. Why did he look like he was dying? Why did he feel like he was dying? Was this like a brain tumor thing? He hoped not. That was the last thing he had time to deal with right now. Ever since he had cracked his head open as a kid he had been waiting for it to catch up to him. But after all these years whatever brain damage this was could wait a little bit longer.
When he was sure the blood was stopped, he washed his face again. Then he scrubbed all evidence of the nosebleed off his collar and gloves. That would only make Ace worry and he was worried enough as it was.
The three of them had stopped on a tiny island in Paradise. It was more of a rock then an island. Marine presence was non-existent here and the tiny island was plagued with it's fair share of criminals. But it was a good place for them to gather supplies and maybe get a few hours of sleep.
It had been five days now since Dragon had called Sabo with the location. In that time the three of them had been continuously on the move. No one had really slept more then two hours a night. They were too busy or impatient to sleep. Apparently his… father- Ace and Luffy's Grandfather had given it to him. Sabo was still trying to wrap his head around the kind of man who dedicated his entire life to the world government, then fatheres Dragon and willingly takes in the son of his enemy. Yet through all of that he kept his beliefs cemented in the World Governments methods. And now! When they had taken his grandson away from him, he still believed that he was on the right side. What an interesting guy. Sabo hoped they would never meet though.
He spotted Marco on the other end of the bar. He was sitting in the corner, talking to the baby den-den on his shoulder. And Ace was… who knows where. When Marco caught sight of him he stopped for a moment. After a series of letters, thanks to the tireless efforts of a very sleep deprived Karasu, Marco had been communicating with his captain again. This was the first conversation he was able to have with his leader in months (even if it had to take place entirely in codes) and Sabo didn't want to bother him right now.
'Are you okay?' Marco mouthed across the crowded area and Sabo froze.
Did he really look sick enough that even Marco was worried? But the next moment Marco tugged his collar, signaling to Sabo the blood trail on his own shirt that he had missed. Frowning, he turned his coat collar out trying to hide the evidence of his latest nosebleed the best he could. He turned back to Marco putting a finger to his lips, silently asking him to keep it a secret from Ace. The man didn't promise anything either way but Sabo could work on him later. And Sabo didn't want to add any more to Ace's burdens. Because Ace seemed to have this weird thing about Sabo. It was like- well maybe not quite- but it kind of reminded him of the times growing up when Koala pretended to be his mom. Not in the literal sense, but she would scold him when he did stupid stuff, or shirk his responsibilities, or sleep through meetings- especially when he slept through meetings.
It was that sort of thing except Ace didn't get mad. Instead he would get sort of quiet whenever the blond did something he deemed as particularly stupid. Which was saying something considering recklessness was Ace's entire personality.
Sabo stood on the steps of the bar, waiting for Marco to finish up. He prayed to whatever gods may or may not be out there that the idiot was sleeping like he had told them he would.
Earlier, right before the marathon nosebleed, Sabo had been talking to Dragon. He would help them. Of course, he would. It turned out that despite everything he loved his son. Parenting techniques aside that meant something. But the revolutionary's power wasn't infinite. Reinforcements would take time. Time neither Ace or Sabo were willing to waste for Luffy. Dragon hadn't asked for Sabo to wait. He must have realized it was pointless. He did after all, know him pretty well. But instead he asked Sabo to be careful. To not be spotted before their reinforcements arrived. Because strong as they were, they couldn't take on the force of the military alone. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. But after what they had done, all bets were off about how much caution they would have preceding forwards.
He should probably be sleeping as well. But he would wait for Marco to finish up. He needed to know what Whitebeard said. He wouldn't be able to sleep a wink until he knew if he and more importantly Ace, had just became the new targets of the Whitebeard pirates. Figuring this might be a while he allowed himself to take a seat on the steps, watching the people passing by.
His eyes flickered across the crowd, landing on a nicely dressed woman trying to let the catcalls brush past her as if she didn't hear them, then to a man clutching a briefcase to his chest, looking as if the world was about to end, an old lady waggling her cane at some boys and then the boy's themselves. They had tried to steal something out of her purse. Naughty children. They had realized her reflexes were slow and were circling her like a shark. When the taller one ventured too close to her she wacked him viciously with her handbag, the type of thing that would leave bruises for sure. While she was distracted the smaller one came closer only to get a face full of what Sabo now suspected was a purse full of bricks. The kid went down like a champ, scraping up his arms as he did. Realizing they were beat they glared at her as the old lady cussed them both out viciously before carrying on her way. The kids rose, dusting themselves off, scowling the whole while.
Sabo reached into his pocket, fishing around for the oat square he knew Ace had slipped in there this morning with the specific instructions of 'this is for you to eat'. He whistled to catch their attention. They both turned their scowls onto him. The little one holding his now bleeding arm.
Sabo held up the oat square. The bigger one stayed exactly where he was, his eyes full of fire as he glared at Sabo. But the little one risked venturing forwards. Sabo tossed him the food. The kid caught it easily and his scowl broke into a smile.
"Thanks mister!" He beamed as the other boy reluctantly came over. "Got- anything else," The kid continued still smiling.
Sabo had no food on him. He had a little money also a knife, but he definitely wasn't going to give them that. He pulled the coins out of his pocket and briefly considered telling them not to steal from grandmothers but then he thought better of it as he handed the money over to them as well.
The little guy looked content as he beamed at Sabo turning to leave but the other boy held off a moment longer, eyeing Sabo.
"If we told ya we were sick would you give us more?"
"It's all I have on me," Sabo told him.
"Liar."
He turned out his coat pocket to show them. They both stared at him a moment longer and then the little one bluntly asked, "What happened to your face!"
He had gotten that question a lot. Before he could answer the other boy smacked him across the head. "Idiot, ya can't ask stuff like that."
"Why not?"
"Cause it's not nice an'stuff. I don't know!" He said in frustration turning back to Sabo he tilted his head in gratitude.
"Thanks for the food and stuff old'guy. Sorry my little brothers a shit."
Sabo felt the 'old guy' comment pierce him much deeper than anything the other boy had said. As much as he deserved it. He had been way worse when he was their age, blunt enough to make soldiers cry.
The older boy grabbed the others arm, yanking him roughly away as the kid unwrapped the food shoving it entirely into his mouth. As they left, he turned to wave at Sabo, mouth stuffed. Sabo smiled and waved back as they disappeared into the crowd. When he was sure they were gone he leaned down to rest his forehead against his knees. Feeling the pain collected there pound more forcefully then it had in a while. Like someone was hammering on the inside of a skull with a sledgehammer. Apparently being nice really was going to kill him.
"They were cute." Sabo's head shot up despite the pain. He was surprised to see Marco standing there, for who knows how long.
He forced himself to stand back up, using the wall to help. "How did it go?"
Marco waived his hand. Signaling they could talk about it later.
"That old lady is glaring at you," Marco pointed out. Sure enough, the old woman with the weapons grade handbag glowered at him from one of the shop windows. Apparently, she too had seen that.
Sabo just waived at her and her face pinched up in anger as she turned away. She did not approve of him helping her attackers and not her. Then again you couldn't please everybody.
"Aren't you guys supposed to be for the people and what not?" Sabo guessed Marco too had seen that whole thing. He shrugged as he fell into step besides the man.
"I don't like to discriminate." He told him. Just because she was old didn't mean she was any less capable of defending herself. "If they were stealing from the elderly then it was because that's what they have to do to survive. And kids that young could hardly be faulted for a system were becoming low grade thieves and surviving were one of the same.
"God," The man moaned after a minute. "That is such a revolutionary answer isn't it."
"It's a me answer." He said as they made their way down the street.
"I have a soft spot for kids like that." He always had. Ever since his meals and bed became guaranteed, he felt for the kids who went to sleep cold and hungry. He was thinking about those two kids. The way the older one let his brother eat the food without comment.
"Your nose."
"Huh?" Sabo reached up to feel blood once more trickling down his face and groaned. Not again. The loss of blood was making his headache worse.
"I'm seriously thinking of bringing you to a hospital," Marco told him as he handed over a napkin. Sabo accepted it great fully tilting his head back.
"You guys need me," He reasoned. "Besides I promise you want your friend to be safe more then you need me to be healthy. So don't worry about it."
Marco sighed clearly annoyed. "That's not really an answer."
Sabo shrugged again. He didn't know what to tell the man. He had no clue what was wrong with him. Nor why now of all times. But he was willing to hide it the best he could if Marco was willing to look the other way.
"Just don't tell Ace alright."
"Why are you so worried what Ace thinks?"
"I'm not," Sabo defended. "I am just trying not to get put in the time out zone by him." Which is exactly what he would do if he found out.
"Come on," Sabo persuaded him. "You don't even like me. So, who cares what happens to me." He was teasing, mostly at least. Trying to lighten the other up a bit. But apparently that had been the wrong thing to say as Marco turned to him angrily.
"Great another one!" He told Sabo in irritation. "No wonder you and Ace are friends if you are both like this."
"Like what?" Sabo asked baffled by the tone shift. Clearly, he had set the usually calm man off. But Marco was done talking about it as he set off down the street, Sabo having no choice but to follow him.
XXX
The revolutionary had been oddly quiet in the last few months. They had maintained their ground and continued to support the rebellions in progress, but few outside conflicts were started. They had been… behaved. Which was exactly why Koala was surprised when she was called into Dragons office to give the order to start assembling whatever forces they could spare.
"But do it discreetly."
"Boss?" She tilted her head sharing a look with the commanders besides her. She couldn't outright ask her boss in front of everyone. Especially considering she wasn't even supposed to know. Luckily for her she didn't need to.
"We can gather our available fighters' boss, but it's going to be a challenge to do it without the government taking notice."
Dragon nodded, "I understand. Let the government notice, but not yet. Buy as much time as you can with whatever discretion we can afford. But act quickly we don't have much time."
"Time for what?" Someone asked.
"A partnership against the navy." He said it like it was simple. But there wasn't anything simple about a toe to toe confrontation with the world government.
"Who would the partnership be with boss?" Ivankov, who had been silent up until now finally spoke out.
"The Whitebeard pirates."
Silence fell once more over the room as the members contemplated that. While they did have an enemy in common, they rarely allied themselves with pirates. To the eyes of the world government, criminals were all the same. But the revolutionaries did have a strict honor code, one that not every pirate shared. If they aligned themselves with a group that later proved themselves to be cold hearted then they would be supporting the very thing they hated. So the impromptu news of a partnership were sudden to say the least. Although the Whitebeards had a reputation for being a fair and merciful group.
"Did they agree to a team up?"
Dragon fell silent before he answered, choosing his words carefully. "I spoke a short while ago to Whitebeard. It seems we have something in common. The government has taken hostages as a premeditated act against us. Since they targeted us together it is only fair we fight back against them together. But a confrontation with the government is not something I take lightly. I understand there will be heavy causalities on both sides. I have my own reasons for fighting." A few heads shot up but Dragon continued on before the questions could come. "I choose to keep those to myself."
"Clearly, I am not without my own motivation, so instead I ask the question of you. Knowing the circumstances would you team up with pirates? The decision is yours to make this time."
Dragon abstained from the vote. But it didn't matter. It was unanimous.
They were going to war.
XXX
It was a bit of a surprise to be called to Whitebeards office in the middle of the night. The man had taken special care to keep the spirits of his crew high even though they were going through difficult times. But this felt different.
Haruta got the summons earlier that day from an oddly cryptic Izo. He was to go to Oyaji's office at midnight. If that wasn't odd enough, per the whispered instructions of Izo he was supposed to keep the meeting a secret. So he did as he told. When midnight rolled around Izo stuffed his bed like a teenager sneaking out. He was running a bit late as he knocked on his captain's door.
"Join us my son."
Haruta was surprised to see three other commanders standing before his captain's desk, serious looks on their faces. It seems like he was the last one here. He closed the door behind him before coming to stand beside his fellow commanders. Izo stood to his right while Vista and Juzo were on his left. Only then did Whitebeard begin to speak.
"It pains me greatly to admit this to you my children. But I have not been entirely honest with you. Nor can I afford to be at the moment." Of all the things Haruta had been expecting that was not it. Their captain was apologizing to them! For keeping secrets. He risked a side glance at Izo but the man hadn't so much as blinked. Apparently this was not news to him as it was to everyone else. Izo always had been pretty quick on the uptake.
"But that secrecy has not come without benefits. We now have our best lead to where Teach may be."
"Captain are you sure?" Vista asked in shock, mirroring the rest of them.
"Nothing's ever certain," The man replied patiently. "But I am fairly certain."
"How did you do that!"
"That is a very long story my sons."
"This is great!" Haruta said unable to contain himself. "How far is he! Are we heading there right now?" But Oyaji stopped him with a knowing smile.
"Not so fast. Like I said this is more complicated than I care to admit to you. I can tell you that Teach has aligned himself with the world government." Sickening as it was there was no real surprise there. It was a logical move for a criminal who had just sold out their crew and were looking for power. Although it did not bode well for them… or Thatch.
"If we start moving our forces Teach will catch on and he will be ready."
"We can't do nothing!" Haruta said unable to stop himself. "We will never get Thatch back if we do not act on this." Otherwise he could be lost forever.
"I fear that if Teach thinks his power is being tested he will kill Thatch before we make it."
"If he does that, he looses the advantage he holds over us." Izo pointed out, practical as always.
"Not entirely," Whitebeard told them. "As I said this is complicated. But much of this story is not mine to tell."
"What does that mean?" Haruta pressed. But Whitebeard was not fazed by his desperation. He met the looks of confusion with love and sympathy.
"You deserve nothing less than the truth. But I cannot afford to tell you it right now. I fear that keeping it from you may come at your expense but the consequences of not will be greater." He paused for a moment to look down at his chosen commanders. "So as always I ask for your trust. In exchange for a temporary delay in answers I swear to you that we will take Teach down, what's more we will save your brother. So my children, what do you say?"
The effect was immediate and all the burning questions in Haruta's mind silenced themselves as he joined the others in the burst of agreement.
"Aye-aye captain!" The cry rang out through his small office and despite everything it brought a smile to the old man's face.
"Thank you." He told them sincerely. "Now would you like to hear my plan!"
There was honesty nothing Haruta wanted more. He had been waiting for a chance like this one ever since Thatch was taken off their ship. One moment he was there and then….
Ace was the next to go. Ace- Haruta had been trying his best not to think about Ace. Teach's betrayal had stung but Ace's down right hurt him. The two had been close, although not quite as close as he had been with Thatch. Which made it hurt so much more that Ace had decided to throw in his lot with that man. What could make someone- someone like Ace who valued freedom and loyalty above all else, betray them like that. But Haruta quickly chased those thoughts away. Whatever his reasons were Ace did not deserve his sorrow. He chose instead to focus on Thatch and… and – Marco.
He was still missing in action. Ace said he was dead. But Ace was a liar. Marco could still be out there. Or at least Haruta thought that was what Whitebeard thought. The man hadn't offered his opinion one way or another on the topic of his missing right hand. So, while the world went on counting Marco dead as if he was just another weed to be mowed down Haruta still held on to hope that somewhere in the world Marco was there. Waiting until he could come back to his family. He might be delusional. But what was the problem with that.
So he forced himself to stand there patiently, like one who hadn't just heard the best news of the year, and listened to Oyaji's plan.
"It hurts me to say this," Whitebeard told them mournfully. "But I suspect we might have yet another rat problem onboard. So for the time being everything we talk about tonight needs to stay between us."
The commanders nodded and Whitebeard continued. "I will inform the crew of the location in a few days. Then we will summon our forces and we will face off against Teach and whatever naval support he has managed to weasel his way into commanding. Hopefully that is time enough."
"To do what?"
"To save your stolen brother."
"Captain?"
"I told you my fears of what Teach could be capable of when pushed. I want you guys to go ahead and infiltrate his fortress. Intervene if he tries to kill any of his hostages. It will be dangerous. I won't pretend otherwise. But if the three of you can stay hidden for just a few days backup will arrive." Whitebeard trailed off although the words unspoken were heavy in the air.
When the Whitebeard fleets did arrive, they would unleash all hell upon Teach
"You said the three of us?" Juzo interrupted.
"Yes. This might not make sense right now but you will understand when you see it. The base Teach is seeking refuge in is something of a fortress. He has a perfect view of approaching ships. There will be no sneaking up on him. It is a risk in itself to send one person let alone three. I know you have power in numbers, but this is a stealth mission. If you are caught you cannot beat them with strength, regardless of if there are three of you or four or ten. The military powers simply outnumbers you guys. No matter how strong all of you are. So I think the three of you will have to do." Whitebeard told them.
"And what about me captain?" Vista asked.
"I have another job for you," Whitebeard told him. "Someone was just mentioning our vermin problem to me today. I need you to try and single out whatever traitors may be hiding on our ship."
"Kill them."
"Oh no," Whitebeard corrected him. "There are more than just one way to get rid of pests. You will tell them the truth."
"The truth?" Vista repeated stupidly.
Whitebeard nodded, "-That we are hopelessly in the dark about Teach's whereabouts. And when it becomes obvious that we have found the location then you tell them that we are attacking blindly. That as far as you know our allies are sitting this battle out and our numbers are depleting- understand?"
A smile crossed Vista's face as he caught on. "Of course captain. Leave this to me."
They would show everyone who crossed them what Whitebeard hospitality looked like. After all – they protected their own.
XXX
Sengoku sat alone in his office. It was late. Most of his subordinates had turned in for the day. But for the last few days sleep had evaded him. There was no need to guess why that was. He had made a mistake. A big one. Possibly a career ending one. He had made a friend.
That in itself wasn't the mistake. People were allowed friends, even in the marines. But he had let his friendship get in the way of his duty. But it was more than that, he had let his personal feelings get in the way. Sengoku didn't like what they were doing here. Although he was no stranger to tough calls. Only this time the effects wouldn't be felt oceans away. No the one most hurt by this would be his longtime friend and confidant Garp.
Even so what had he been thinking, giving Garp the location. He had tried to tell himself that it was in his right. But it wasn't. Or at least that story wouldn't hold up in front of the council. It had been a moment of weakness. Perhaps the atrocities he had overseen for the 'greater good' had finally caught up to him. Maybe he was tired of innocence suffering while those who truly deserve punishment were rewarded.
If the government succeeded in this then his name would go down in history as the fleet admiral who single handedly brought down the two largest threats to the world government. He would be praised as a hero, a savior of the world.
And it would be so conveniently left out that in order to accomplish this great feat a murderous, traitorous criminal with no trace of a moral compass was given incredible power and influence when one of the kinder pirates of the century was torn down. All because Newgate cared for his crew like his children and would rather risk everything than abandon them. And Luffy- no Dragon's offspring (it was easier when he didn't use names), he wouldn't be mentioned at all. He would be some faceless civilian causualty lazily scrawled in one of the navy's archive books. They wouldn't mention that, tainted blood or not, Luffy was a civilian. Still a child. It would be one thing if they had killed him. Political assassinations happened often. Ace had been a rather brutal, and failed, example of that. But they didn't kill him. No they tortured him within an inch of his life, and beyond that, in his father's place. Going so far as to use Cp-0. The group was only reserved the cruelest of punishments. Death was a kindness compared it. Hell- an amputation with a butter knife was far better than even one day of that. They were feared for a reason. But he had allowed it to happen to L- to Garp's grandson.
Sengoku had read the transcript. It was protocol for all interrogation sessions be recorded in case of valuable information. But of course, this was hardly an interrogation as Dragon's offspring knew less than nothing about his father or his own lineage. But there was a record of it all the same, recording the grueling seventy hours. The stack of papers sat on his desk even now, impossible not to draw his eyes. He noticed how Garp avoided it like it would burn him if he so much as touched it. Perhaps that was why Sengoku had done it. Or perhaps it was how Dragon's offs- the kid, had acted when he was faced great pain…. And it was the same thing every other kid in the world would do. It didn't matter that he had a demon's blood in his veins. He hadn't opened his mouth to reveal a forked tongue or started chanting curses in archaic speech. No despite what everyone might believe he really was just a kid. A brave and extremely durable brat. But everyone had a breaking point.
But this wasn't an isolated incident. This type of thing happened. It was unavoidable. Justice wasn't black or white contrary to what people liked to believe. There was a grey zone and in it was where Sengoku made his decisions. Always for the greater good. God help them, he hoped so. The thing about this job was you never really knew. He wasn't a prophet; he couldn't foretell if something would ultimately do more harm than good. But hard or not, he often times had to make the call in the name of the World Government.
But that was what he needed to remember right now. His responsibilities came first. They had too.
Sengoku picked up his Den-Den. It was late but he knew the Admiral would answer. He was always diligent in his work like that. And he was not disappointed this time.
"Sir!" Came the quick response of Akainu.
"They know."
"What?" The man responded.
"They're coming." Sengoku told him.
"Who is they?"
"The revolutionaries and possibly the Whitebeards. Their coming. Don't take your eyes off the hostages."
"We will need reinforcements."
"And you will get them." As many as they needed. That was his job after all.
It was just a shame he wouldn't be able to keep his promise to his friend.
XXX
Ace hadn't been sleeping when the two of them got back. Instead he had been sitting against the wall, cheek resting on his knee. He looked up as they entered the room.
"Are we dead?" That was the first thing he asked. "It was all my idea, not Sabo's." That was the second.
But Marco just shook his head. "Nobody's dead. And you two are too similar for your own good." He gave Sabo a warning look which the blond pretended not to see.
"Oyaji agreed to go along with the plan," He told them both wearily. It wasn't like they left him with much of a choice. The messenger crow, Karasu, had dutifully delivered a letter or two between Whitebeard and Dragon, although what exactly they said to each other was a mystery to him.
"He will start to move in three days' time, that gives us a head start. He is sending three of our brothers to help us."
Ace looked up at that, the surprise clearly on his face. He opened his mouth to say something then seemed to think better of it as he nodded instead. Accepting whatever his ex-captain had decided.
"Ace," Marco tried. "Oyaji said-,"
Ace looked up at him, offering him a fragile smile. "It's okay."
"No, listen- he said."
"Marco," Ace told him softly, very unlike his usual blunt self. Marco sighed realizing it was pointless. Whitebeard could tell Ace himself when all of this was over.
"We should all get a couple hours rest," He told the two younger boys. "We can keep moving at daybreak. Both of them nodded in honest, but Marco knew they were lying. Neither one would get any rest. He second guessed his decision to keep Sabo's secret from Ace but thought better of it. Whatever was going on with the boy, he wouldn't be able to hide it much longer.
XXX
Sabo spent a few hours checking in with the revolutionaries. A very miffed Ivonkov brought him up to date on what had happened. The divisions had happily agreed to fight with Dragon (as if there was ever any doubt they wouldn't) and they were going over their plan of attack. Like Whitebeard, Dragon had permitted them three days before he planned to drop all pretenses and move his forces in honest. It wasn't a lot but hopefully it would give them the head start they needed to get the drop on Teach.
By the time he hung up it was very late. But there were still a few hours until dawn so Sabo went looking for Ace. He wasn't surprised to see Ace's temporary bed empty. He wondered aimlessly around the tiny rooms they had been sleeping in. There was no sign of Ace but his backpack was still here meaning he must be close. Sabo knew this because Luffy's straw hat was in that bag and Ace refused to be without it.
So his search led him to the roof. Apparently Ace also liked to be up high when he was upset. Another thing they had in common.
Ace was sitting against the edge of the two-story building. Not quite as high as Sabo liked to go but it would do in a pinch. He joined him to look out across the sleeping town….It was peaceful.
"So what's bothering you tonight?" He teased and Ace groaned.
"Pick one honestly. When all of this is over, if it's ever over, I don't think I am ever going to sleep again."
Sabo knew how he felt, better then most. He mulled it over in his head for a few minutes. This situation reminding him so much of that night, right after Ace had 'killed Marco,' where they sat on the roof just like this. That had been only a month or so ago but it felt like years considering all that had happened since then.
"Want to talk about it?" Sabo once again asked.
Ace looked over at him, an amused smile tugging ever so slightly at his mouth.
"I know this isn't our thing," Sabo told him. And he was grateful for that he really was. But now he also understood that he may have been the closest thing Ace ever had to a confidant. But that wasn't a bad thing. No, the thought made him feel… glad to be trusted so much.
Ace shook his head as he turned back to look out over the sleeping town.
"Want to hear a story?" He asked out of the blue.
"A story? Why" Sabo asked confused.
Ace shrugged helplessly. "I can't sleep. It's the only thing on my mind. I can't seem to stop thinking about it."
"Okay," He agreed. "Just don't make it a sad one." He had had his fill of those for a long long time.
"Wuss."
"Tell me your story grandpa and then maybe we can both go to bed." Although he didn't think it was likely for either of them.
"Once upon a time in a kingdom that really really sucked-"
"-You missed your calling as a poet."
"Shut up- …In a kingdom that was really the worst, there was a little bird."
"Oh god, is this one of those animal stories! I hate those." Sabo moaned. They would always tell them to the revolutionary orphans when he was little. Apparently, it's less sad when bad things happen to animals in the stories. Apparently, that was their answer for trauma. Lost your parents in a war, how about a story about a misbehaving elephant to cheer you right up.
Ace shushed him again as he continued his anthropomorphized story. "This was a baby bird. Its mom had gotten eaten by a tiger."
"For real?"
"The tiger then tried to eat it too." He continued ignoring the interruption all together this time. "It bit off it's wing so the little bird couldn't fly away. It was just about to eat the little bird as well when it was scared off by a pack of kittens."
"A pack of kittens," Sabo asked unable to stop himself. "Against a tiger?"
"Kittens can be scary," Ace told him. "Their claws and teeth, their like reverse porcupines."
"How are you this bad at telling stories?" Sabo asked, bewildered. He had no idea why this was the one thing Ace was thinking about tonight. Maybe he was finally cracking for real after all those false alarms.
"-Then the terrifying pack of crime hardened kittens turned to the bird." He pressed on. "For they were going to eat the it in place of the tiger. But when they saw it there, wing torn off, all bloody and dying they realized it was still too little to feed them. So they wanted to leave it there but it kept crying out for it's mother. It was kind of sad, even to the mean little kittens. So the runt of the litter came back for it. The other kittens wanted to put it out of its misery so it wouldn't have to hurt anymore. But every time they got too close to it, it would drag itself away with its only wing, crying for its mom to save it."
"I don't think I like this story," Sabo told him.
"In the end the kittens couldn't do it. The littlest kitten thought that the bird was sad because it was lonely. So, despite what the other kittens thought, they carried it back to their nest and took care of it. They tried to patch its wing and gave it a little box of its own to sleep in. The smart kitten said that the chick wasn't going to last the night. But the littlest thought that the bird was a fighter. They made sure the bird was warm throughout the night and lo and behold to their great surprise the next mourning the little bird was moving around and chirping because it was hungry. So they fed it scraps, they were hungry too so it didn't get much. But it seemed happy. And every day the kittens would go to bed and when they woke up the chick would be chirping for food. They didn't take good care of it. Not really at least. It couldn't move much because of its wing so they left it in it's box all day while they were gone. But every time they came back it would chirp and run in circles. I think they figured that since it survived this long it was going to make it. Or maybe they didn't really think about it at all. I don't know. But one night they got back to their nest really late and they were tired. They tried to feed the chick, but it didn't want to eat. The kittens figured it was just being finicky and they went to bed but the littlest stayed up a while trying to get it to eat." He paused for a moment, looking thoughtfully at Sabo.
"What?" He asked.
"-The next morning when the other kittens woke up they realized that the chick had died. And only the runt kitten realized something was wrong with it. He had stayed up all night with it because… he said he didn't want it to be lonely when it died."
"Oh," Sabo said softly, finally understanding what this story was.
Ace nodded at him as he continued. "It was stupid to get sad over it. Animals died all the time. They knew this. How could they not. So the smart kitten told the littlest that chicks died without their families. But the smart cat felt bad because he was supposed to change the chick's blanket but he had forgotten, and the mean kitten felt bad because he should have tried to feed it better and the stupid kitten was just sad because his friend was gone. But there was nothing they could do about it now. So they buried the chick and the whole time they thought the littlest kitten was going to cry because that was just what he did. But he didn't. So they figured he was finally growing up. To make him feel better the smart-ass, I mean smart one, made them climb into the treetops when the sun rose. They could see all of the birds in the crappy kingdom flying around up there…. And that's when the runt kitten started bawling it's eyes out because he missed the bird. So the grumpy kitten told him to; shut the hell up because he didn't understand anything. He said that if the runt was this soft-hearted, he would never grow into a cat. And the little kitten just told him that if he stayed this soft-hearted when he grew up into a cat then maybe he could save the chick next time. That way he wouldn't have to feel the pain again. But no matter how strong he got in the future he was never going to see the bird again."
Ace finished and there was silence between them as they both stared out at the open ocean.
"I thought I asked for a happy story," Sabo said when he could bear the silence anymore.
"I know," Ace admitted. "But for some reason tonight even the happy ones turn sad when I think about them too long."
"Well damn… now neither of us are going back to bed tonight."
Ace sighed, falling to his bad as he looked up at the stars above them. "Why am I such an idiot!" He asked Sabo who didn't have an answer for him.
"I thought I understood before. I thought I was being practical. But the older I get the more I feel for that bird. How stupid is that. Life in unfair, I know that I really do. Sometimes things suffer. I've always understood that. Or I thought I did. But I still can't help feeling sorry for that bird. Because I remembered that the first night it kept me awake for hours with it's crying. And I think I wished it would just die so I could go to sleep. But when it was gone, I think I really wanted it back. And I felt bad about everything I didn't do for it. But it doesn't matter what I wish I had done; it only matters what I did. And I didn't do enough. How blind does a person have to be to make the same mistake twice!" Ace snapped and Sabo frowned.
"Ace it isn't like that."
"No offense Sabo," He said his voice sincere and without anger despite the words. "But how would you know."
"Give me some credit," He said after a moment. "I know enough, or I know you enough to know that if you could, you would blame yourself for the sun setting." Sabo told him.
Ace nodded; he knew that. He really did. It was just, "I just can't stop thinking about how he was scared that the bird would be lonely when it died. And at the time I thought he was being stupid. But now I am so worried that Luffy is lonely, or cold and hurt. And- and nobody cares enough to help him-" He trailed off when he realized that he was ranting. He needed to shut up now. Sabo had his own problems without listening to this. He sighed laying back against the roof. This was as good of a spot as any to get an hour or so of sleep. He felt a rustle besides him as Sabo also lay down. Apparently, they were sleeping up here tonight.
Ace closed his eyes, one thought repeating over and over in his head as he listened to Sabo's breathing begin to even out.
I hope he's not alone.
XXX
He remembered the boys from the town, the ones who tried to steal their way through life to survive. They weren't model citizens, of course not. You could hardly live in a place like this and be.
All the while something was tugging at the back of his mind- like a gentle knocking against the door.
"Wake up!"
And then again louder "Wake up!"
That would be Ace. He rolled over, unsurprised to see his brother standing over him. He looked a lot like the older theif boy from today had. Tall and fit but still rather scrawny and covered with a fine layer of dirt and bruises. He usually looked mistrustful, but right now he was smiling.
"Let's go!" He insisted.
'Where?' He pushed himself up all the same listening to his brother. He found that it made the pounding in his head easier if he did as he was told.
"Come here!" Child Ace insisted again. "Just a bit further."
He paused for a moment considering before stepping forwards.
Ace smiled at him. One of his real smiles as he held out his hand, silently telling him to take it.
"Wh…-the hell?"
Abandoning his caution Sabo took one final step over the edge, reaching out his hand to his brother.
-And then he was falling
He felt his left arm being wrenched backwards with a force that was enough to nearly yank it out of its socket. His side collided with something very hard and then he was falling again. He felt a hand squeezing his wrist so tightly that the bones might shatter.
He was unconscious even before he could hit the ground.
XXX
Just when things were looking up for them too. Something bad happens.
So first off WT-actual-fuck. I can't believe this story made it to two-thousand followers! How has my horrible spelling and weird sentence structure not scared you guys away? But either way I appreciate it so much. I wrote this entire chapter just so I could tell you guys thank you! So thanks for sticking with me!
Wow, what a long chapter. It got away from me a bit there. But I didn't want to cut it in two because I promised you guys five more chapters and I meant it! So sorry about this hulking thing. But I figured you would rather I hurry up with the rescue then get really into the technical stuff like strategy. But if you are confused about anything just ask me! Hopefully I will go into it more later.
Lol when I was writing Whitebeard all I could get was a Dumbledore vibe. Not at all what I was going for but hey, old wise guy was close enough. Whitebeard doesn't want to tell them about Marco and Ace being alive because he needs them to believe they are dead to fool Teach into believing they are still dead. Otherwise the whole plan is shot. So he was mostly apologizing for letting them grieve their brothers while he knew better. But he is willing to 'withhold the truth' if he thinks he will be able to save everyone this way.
So to clarify (on something I should go into in the future)- Teach and everyone knows Luffy isn't dead. The doctor was able to get his heart started again. Akainu chose not to report Luffy's near death to Sengoku because he would get removed from the assignment. The only one who thinks Luffy's dead is Thatch. And that is 100% Teach's way of torturing him.
Anyways I may have broken my brain writing this chapter. I will do my best to hurry up with the rest of the updates. Until then please (pretty pretty please) tell me what you guys thought.
I hope all of you and your family's are staying safe and happy.
XXX
Guest 1: I'm glad you liked it! Yea, they go a bit crazy with each other. But it's because they love each other!
CrystalHeart27: Your review was so sweet! I am sorry it made you sad! I hate sad stories as a general rule, I won't go near them. So I have no clue why I chose to write this haha. It kind of turned sad all on it's own. But now I really enjoy keeping it that way. I think it's a lot less sad though when you're the one doing it. I was shooting for the wistful kind of sad. (Oh my goodness six hours! That's horrible). You need some hot chocolate and a nice blanket and a much happier story asap!
Don't worry! I know I say this a lot. But it's almost at the not sad part. Or I guess it's always going to be a bit sad but not as sad as it has been. Luffy is so close to getting rescued! And you shall get your war with Ace and Sabo being backed by the revolutionaries and the Whitebeards.
I am glad you like it! Sorry it made you cry though. Luffy's my favorite to write! He is so funny, sweet and selfless while still being selfish! Hoepfully the next part won't make you quite as sad! Soon Luffy will be safe and cared for and all his waiting will pay off!
But of course. Complimentary crying included : )
JustCallMeCookie: Thank you! I am good, just tragically unemployed haha. Hopefully you are doing well as well!
Aw, sorry to make you sad too. I'm sure this chapter didn't help that. But soon! Ace will fix everything. And thank you! That is really nice.
Things will get better for Thatch as well! If he hands on just a little longer. His family is finally coming for him. I will do my best to update quickly so you guys don't have to keep waiting.
And Happy Birthday of course! Fourteen is so exciting! Welcome the world of being a teenager! May all your birthday wishes come true!
RIAEVANS:
Thank you! I am glad you like it! SAbo and Ace are some of my favorites to write because they are so…siblingly to each other. But thank you for reviewing!
Stay healthy for you and your family as well! I hope you guys stay safe!
Onar27:
So some good news to come from this haha! On the flip side I used to complain that I had absolutely no time to write and now all I have is time so I might be enjoying this a little bit!
Don't worry they are really close. Or they were until… Sabo fell off a roof (the little dummy). Don't worry I can't wait to get to the reunion scnee, I have been thinking long and hard about it while I write the story so hopefully it will be really sweet. And there will be a huge fight scene and fluffy hugs all around… and then more fighting.
As for Marco, I think he is super confused by them. But mostly he is wondering why Ace is momming a revolutionary haha.
I will do my best to update again soon! But hopefully this hulkingthing of a chapter will keep you guys busy for a bit. Stay safe!
iyulia juuzou: AhI see. Thank you! That is so nice of you! Same to you and your important ones. I hope all of you stay safe.
Aw I'm glad the story is worthy of a second read! Thank you for reviewing.
Guest: Wow! That is a lot of times! I am glad you liked the chapter! Hopefully you will like this one as well.
midnightscar17: Update I shall!
OneMoreGuest: Thank you! I think Sabo is funny like that. But he is slowly growing on Marco.
Sophia Mendes-Coruja: Thank you! I am really glad you like it. It's nice to hear people are still enjoying it! I love writing the two of them, I always pictured grown up Sabo and Ace to be very sibling-esq. Too bad we never got to see them together : (
Thank you! You as well. I hope you and all your special ones stay safe through this.
Don't worry it is the story I told myself I had to finish by the end of may. There are just a few chapters left and fifteen is almost done. So hopefully the poor story can rest and Ic an get around to editing it! But thank you for staying with it all this time!
yukino76: They shall! Don't worry. Just a few more chapters now!
Miqila: Haha! I did get someone.
I heard that from a few people. I kept getting questions and I always felt so bad about not answering them. But hopefully it payed off.
Sorry if I wasn't super clear about that. But I was trying to stay away from those guys for the time being. Everyone but Thatch knows Luffy isn't dead. Teach just never told him they restarted Luffy's heart because he thought Thatch would be easier to deal with. As for the marines outside the island Akainu never reported the incident to his superiors in fear of being reprimanded since the entire thing was his doing. More on this later!
BlueThief: Don't worry, Luffy will be okay. Eventually at least. He will get all the cuddles and food he wants when this is over. Just a few more chapters now!
KnivesOut: More Dragon here for you! I am glad you like him. I don't know what I am doing with him since we have seen so little of him in fanfics. But he really is mysterious. At least we know he loves Luffy.
kagome11: Yes! And they will keep (mostly) getting better for them! Marco helps out a lot. Go him!
Hugs and well wises right back at you! Stay safe!
xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx : Thank you! I am glad you like it. Yea I know right. Boy oh boy was I ever wrong. But everyone liked the story so much I figured I may as well make it a bit longer. And then I got waaay too into it and now I'm panicking over how long this thing is going to end of being. Yes! The two of them get a lot more respect for the other as things progress.
Demon-night24:
I am glad you like it! That is so nice thank you. It got a lot bigger then I intended. But no matter what happy ending guaranteed. I am still thinking a lot about Shanks. I think I want him to be in this, although it's a bit more work for me. But it's important so I will do my best! And Teach will get what he deserves!
Thank you for the really nice review! Hugs back at you! Stay safe.
Mel72000: Of course! I am glad you like it! Hopefully more of those guys next time.
Arctisss: Aw, I'm glad you like it! Thank you for the support.
XXX