Happy One Piece 20th anniversary! The series we all love so darn much. Out of everything created in 1997; Naruto, Deans car, Pokémon, me, and harry potter, One piece is by far the best.
"Find that damn kid or you will regret it."
Teach's voice seemed to carry across the ship and permeate into every crevice. Which made Luffy both angry and a little worried at the same time. He couldn't be found out so soon. Not until he found Thatch. By some miracle he had found the ship once more and boarded while everyone was out searching the streets for him. Apparently they did not expect him to come back here, who was the dumb one now? Unfortunately while he was partway through searching below deck they had returned, angry, disgruntled and ready to start a fight. Luffy had no choice but to duck into the nearest room. Which was Teach's office. Luckily enough that was where the prison keys were kept. Unfortunately the sea stone keys weren't with them.
As footsteps approached Luffy crouched down near the desk, resting his chin on his knees as he watched the shadows move under the closed door. Furious voices drifted through thin wood to reach his ears.
"He mustn't get far! We can't let him get away."
To his vast relief the footsteps didn't stop and instead continued past the door and down the hallway.
Luffy let out a breath of air he hadn't realized that he was holding as he pushed himself back onto his hands and knees, continuing his crawl towards the door. He had no way of telling where they were on the ship, if they even were on the ship but it would have to be okay.
Luffy was half way to the door when a familiar ringing sound caught his attention.
'Peda peda peda peda.'
"Boss did you hear something?" A far away voice asked.
Luffy froze, glancing back at chess teeth's desk.
'Peda peda peda peda peda.'
Without waiting any longer he stood up making a dash for the snail that rested innocently on the corner of the desk, snatching it up just as he heard heavy footsteps approaching the cabin. Ducking back under the desk he answered the snail, if nothing else but to quite it's calling.
"Was that your den den boss?" A voice just outside the door asked.
"I could have sworn it was." The voice replied to a question too far away for Luffy to hear.
"You're hearing things you dumb baffoon." Luffy heard Teach's response that time.
He waited once more as the footsteps slowly began to recede, hopefully for good this time.
"SPEAK! I have little time for your games today." Boomed a deep voice.
Luffy jumped in surprise nearly dropping to den den. He had forgotten someone was on the other line. He felt annoyance well up in his chest at them for inconsiderately trying to get him caught.
"SHHHHHH!" He hissed back way louder then he intended.
There was a few moments pause before the person on the other line came back angrier then before.
"HOW DARE YOU SHUSH ME, YOU CALLED ME YOU BRAT!"
"You were being too loud!" He insisted firmly, defending his initial stance of annoyance. All thoughts of stealth were forgotten.
Instead of a fiery retort like he had been expecting he instead got a pause. When the man spoke again his voice was much quiter, and more patient.
"You're not Marshal I take it?"
"You mean Chess teeth?" Luffy asked wondering how a man that evil could have a name like Marshal.
He heard a series of gruff noises that could only be laughter. He had managed to amuse the man on the other end. What he had said was any bodies guess though. Still Luffy decided he was forgiven for nearly ruining his hiding spot.
"So not one of his lackeys then?"
"Huh? What kind of idiot would do that?" He asked honestly earning himself another laugh from the man ,although he still didn't think he said anything particularly funny.
"So what's your name then? What are you doing with Teach's communicator?"
Luffy was about to respond when he heard the sound of an argument somewhere above deck. He should probably be paying more attention to when Teach would return to his office. He scanned the room looking for something to use as a weapon to surprise the man should he come knocking again.
"Are you still there?"
Luffy's dark eyes saw something he had missed before, a mirror. Except this one was the cabinet type that you could open. The mayor used to have one in his office. Luffy liked to go through it when he wasn't looking.
"Hey, are you still with me?"
"Hmm?" Luffy questioned bringing the forgotten Den Den back up to his face.
"Tell me what's going on?" The man on the other line said, his voice much kinder then when he first answered the call.
Luffy had once been told he had a habit of oversharing on Den Dens but personally he didn't see it.
"I'm looking for a key." He said opening the mirror.
"Why do you have Marshals Den Den Mushi?"
"Because it was ringing and I needed it to be quiet." Luffy told him absentmindedly, rummaging through the cabinet. As far as he could tell it was full of medicine just like the mayors had been. But maybe this was a good thing. There was still no key but wasn't Thatch sick? And didn't medicine make people feel better? Luffy could give the medicine to Thatch so he would feel better and then they could run away together…once he found his key.
There was silence from the other end of the line followed by an audible sigh. Past experience had taught Luffy that meant he was irritating someone, historically through a combination of misread social cues and his own 'unique blend of personality.' Luffy thought his frustration was unfounded, he had called him after all.
"I got that," The man's voice was fighting to stay patient. "Why do you need to be quiet?"
"Cause I'm hiding from him." Luffy mused reading a label on one of the bottles. Were these even real words? Oxy-co-done? What was that, like a pill form of meat or something? Maybe this dude would know, not like he had been that helpful up till now.
"Hey, you sound old." Luffy told him. Old people tended to know more things after all. "What's Oxycodone?"
"It's a painkiller." The irritation was gone, replaced now by worry. "Are you alright, are you hurt?"
Luffy glanced down at himself. He had been bandaged up pretty well and whatever he had been given seemed to do the trick as he was feeling better. The food had certainly helped as well. But his legs still trembled with every step and moving his chest too much made black spots invade his vision and make his head all light dizzy.
"M'fine." He decided. He had had worse. "But my friend is sick, he needs medicine. What should I give him?"
"What's he sick with?"
"I don't know he's just started crazy talking. And he's really hot."
"Infection." The man told him. "That's given way to a nasty fever. Erythromycin and Paracetamol are your best bets if you've got them."
Luffy pursed his lip wondering if the man helped him or sneezed. Maybe he was messing with him. Usually he loved a good pranking but right now wasn't the time. He was about to hang up on the no good hooligan when a blue bottle caught his eye.
"Ery-throw-my-seen?" He sounded out carefully. Surely that wasn't a word. He tucked the bottle in his pocket with the oxycodone.
"Are you in trouble? Do you need help? Is he threatening you too?"
Luffy was only half listening as he looked for the last bottle. He wished there was food in here.
"What's your name kid?"
"Luffy," Luffy told him putting the snail on his shoulder so he could have both of his hands free.
There was a long pause from the other end, so much so Luffy thought he had hung up. He was about to count his losses when the snail snapped back to life, more urgently this time.
"Luffy listen to me you have to get out of there right now. Even if you have to swim for it. You cannot stay there with that man."
He rolled his eyes as he shut the medicine cabinet, convinced that they didn't have the one that started with P. As far as he could tell pills were supposed to fix you, so the more you had to more fixed you became right? Maybe he should grab all of them and see what happened?
"I told you, I can't leave my friend."
"You can't fight him." His voice was commanding and intense. Even over the Den Den Luffy could feel the authoritative aura that seemed to radiate from his voice.
"Leave now child, there is nothing you can do for your friend."
A lesser man would have cowered, a lesser man would have caved. But there was nothing 'lesser' about Luffy and if there was one thing he hated it was people who told him to abandon his friends.
"NO!" He stamped his foot, somewhat childishly. But he couldn't bring himself to care right now. This man needed to know that friends can't abandon each other.
"Put aside you foolish thoughts boy. The best thing you can do you friend right now is escape. You stand no chance against Teach. When he finds you he will not spare you simply because you are a child. He will torture you, he will torture your friend and he will use you to hurt your loved ones."
"I know that!" Luffy snapped. He wanted to leave so badly. He wanted to take a long nap, he wanted real food, he wanted to be dry, he wanted to be out of the crate, the dark and the cold. The thought of having to go back to that hellish box made him shutter. How could that stupid man sit there in, what were most likely, dry clothes and lecture him about consequences.
And then there was Ace. Black Beard had told him straight out that he was only here so he could get Ace to obey him. And then once they were done with him he would either join them or Teach would kill him. Luffy hate hate HATED the thought that he was being use to hurt Ace. That he could lose his big brother. The only one he had left… But as much as he despised it the facts were simple. Luffy never, and I mean never, abandoned his friends to save himself. Not now and not ever. People who did stuff like that were the ones he hated most of all.
"You," He said, mimicking the man's absolute tone to the best of his ability, "Cannot tell me what to do. I am going to go help Thatch, then we both will escape or we both will get caught trying."
No response to that one huh? Satisfied he had won the argument Luffy put the Den Den back in its original spot. He was about to hang up when the man responded once more.
"Wait," His voice had lost all of its authoritative quality and now he just sounded tired and very old.
Luffy really didn't have time for this crap, still he would feel bad about hanging up on someone when they sounded like that. That would be rude as Makino said.
"Is he alright…"
"Nope I think he's dying." Tact was not one of Luffy's strong suits.
"…"
"That's why I'm giving him medicine."
"I see." A few awkward beats passed between them and Luffy was starting to get impatient. He didn't have much time and he still needed to find the key to the sea stone cuffs or else apparently he would be stuck like this forever.
"Tell me son. Do you have any clue of where you are?"
"Yea we're in some town called Jaya, it's in the Grandline."
"How do you know this?" The man asked surprised.
"I saw it on a sign."
"You got to shore?"
"Umm," Luffy confirmed. "Really far. It took me forever to find the ship again."
Another awkward pause passed and Luffy half expected to receive another lecture. But instead he got a quite laugh.
"I understand. We are still far away but we are on our way as fast as we can."
Wait what? "You're coming here? Why?"
"I forgot to tell you," The voice boomed. "My name is Edward Newgate, but my children just call me Oyaji I am Thatch's captain. It is nice to meet you Luffy…"
"Monkey D. Luffy." Luffy supplied him with a grin. "Thatch told me about you guys."
"D huh? That figures…" Whitebeard mused to himself. Marshal and Luffy were probably tearing each other apart.
"Go swiftly Monkey D. Luffy, and you have my thanks for helping my son."
"Don't worry about it." And he knew he meant it.
And just like that Luffy was gone, no doubt determined to carry out his impossible task without a moment of hesitation or fear.
He rose from his desk to go give the order for departure to his children.
"They really are brothers." He thought aloud. They were two of a kind.
Little did he know.
XXX
It was night outside. He could tell that much. He could see the stars in the sky and feel the humid summer air brush against his face. The sound of the nighttime cicadas drifted through the trees creating a soft rhythm. He was still half asleep. He vaguely registered two bodies on either side of him. He groaned, it was too hot for this extra insulation. He pushed a stray arm off of his chest and rolled over onto his side where the mat beneath him was cooler.
His peace was disturbed a few moments later when a foot smacked him in the face. Oddly enough he was used to it. He yawned, kicking back in the general direction for good measures and receiving a sleepy mumble of 'sorry'. And all was right with the world.
"Sabo," A lighter voice asked.
"Mhm," He mumbled back sleepily.
"S'rry about your goggles."
Sabo nuzzled his face into the mat beneath him.
"Z'okay." He told the mattress. He would rather go back to sleep. They were just goggles he had fished out of the trash after all. He was as sentimental about them as one could get about someone's throw aways. Besides it was nothing he couldn't fix.
"Kay."
And they lapsed back into silence once more.
Sabo woke up with a yawn, stretching his tired limbs. Weird dream he thought as he stood up.
The Duke was successfully slayed. Mr. Duke turned out to be so incredibly annoying and stuck up there was no way anyone would actually write 'save' before his name. So he had made an executive decision. One that greatly improved his headache. If he got in trouble he would blame it on Hack's handwriting.
He had hurried back as fast as he could but as it turned out it didn't make the difference. The kid was gone. Apparently the kind of trouble that boy was in was of the 'disappear in the night variety.' There was nothing he could do, it was out of his hands. So why did he feel like this then?
He grabbed his hat from besides him as he left the warehouse. He was meant to check in yesterday but things had gotten in the way. No use doing it now, he would receive the lecture from Koala either way. It was time to head back to base and take his lumps from her in person. Maybe then he could finally get some sleep aside from the hour catnaps he managed to grab here and there. Koala called him a workaholic. That was probably a faire observation.
His boots clicked across the floor, taking him back to the outskirts. He had summoned the ravens a few hours ago so they must be close by now.
'You're making a mistake.' His mind chided him.
"It's out of my hands." Sabo reminded himself and that annoying part of his brain called the conscience. The kid truly was gone. Sabo would know he had looked after all. It was anyone's guess why he was so invested in this.
Although he did feel a twinge of remorse as he remembered the kids face, He was hurt, he was scared and now he was alone again. He felt the same spark of rage as before but he pushed it down. What the hell was he doing?
"Let it go Sabo." He told himself sternly. When he got back to base, IF his conscience was still bugging him then he would take a look at some bounty posters and try to match the ugly mug with an equally ugly name. But that was a long shot.
He looked up to see the familiar dark shadows circling above him. The ravens were here. He reached up instinctually for his goggles only to remember halfway through the gesture. Oh that was right, he had given them away.
He climbed on the leaders back, sitting crossed legged as the flock took flight. Soaring above the forest which gave way to the town and eventually the sea. The fresh air stung his eyes making him remember their one good use.
'Maybe it wasn't a dream after all.'
He had always wondered how the strap had broken, and then subsequently been sewed back together. 'One mystery solved,' he thought sarcastically.
So was that like… a real memory? That was new. Maybe he would get them all back one day.
Sabo had never made an effort to recover them. As far as he could tell there was nothing worth salvaging. Dragon told him he had been a miserable noble child who had tried to run away. And was unfortunate enough to run into a tenryuubito and his fancy golden gun.
Overall it didn't sound like anything very memorable there. Probably just a lot of boring politic lessons and the mastery of skills no one would possibly ever need. Like the mastering of the mandolin, which had come as an unwelcomed surprise a few years back. Not to mention the feint scars on his back. Sounded like noble parenting at its finest.
He shook his head. What did it matter to him now? Just like those goggles he had fished out of the trash and kept all these years? Just sentimental B.S. that he thought was beneath him. Although if he was being honest he rather liked the way the broken strap made the lenses wobble. It was very…flawed.
XXX
Way to break his goggles Luffy. You guys really liked Sabo and you asked to see more of him so here is what he's up too. It's not overly exciting but things will pick up as he easily finds Blackbeard's wanted poster and realizes how much danger Luffy is really in. His brotherly instincts are fighting so hard to go save him, even if he has no clue why. Don't worry, Ace is near and things will start to heat up really quickly for him as Teach decides he's not suffering enough. To celebrate chapter ten, which doesn't sound so impressive, this story has some new cover art, which I swear looks much better in real life as my very limited skills extend to colored pencils only and no digital anything. But it's foreshadowing. Next chapter should be up much soonish.