WinterRose61 - To be honest... I had put in Namur at the start to have him appear more for Ace's revalidation... but then I forgot about him whilst writing. Literally even only remembered I put him in and had planned to use him more when you pointed him out and it made me go like... Ah sh- Namur! That's right!

Marco and Thatch are kids at heart haha. Kind of happy ending yeey! I had thought about it being healed but... nahhhhhh the bean can't always have a true happy ending hahahah. But I promise you can know that Ace will live happily and will be able to swim even if with a device.

Thank you for reading!

Marco has a life outside of his house!?

At a fancy business building in the city

"Was that all-yoi?"

"Hmm?"

Hearing the question, the one working on some papers looked up to see a tall blond man dressed in suit standing before him. "Mister Newgate!" the man's assistant smiled at his boss. "It's so good to see you again! It's been a while since you came in personally!"

"Yes, I have been working from home. I came in for the meeting with the CEO. Is there anything else on my agenda that requires my presence here?"

"Let me see one moment." The assistant turned to her computer and typed away before scanning the screen, "There's a briefing about the next product re-lease in an hour."

"Please send me the documents regarding the product and let them know that I'll follow along online."

"Certainly, sir. There's a get-together with a few of our partners at 1 o'clock, just a casual lunch together to keep our bonds well."

"Tell them I have other arrangements."

"Noted. Lastly, no actual time is appointed for this, but Mister Vander Decken wanted to see you."

A sigh came from the blond and the assistant had to laugh at it, knowing the two didn't have the best relationship... Actually, no one really had a good relationship with the other, especially not the female colleagues as he could get touchy. But with Vander Decken's pull in the company, no one dares to say anything to him. That is everyone counting besides his awesome boss Marco Newgate! The whole reason their relationship was the worst of all was because Mister Newgate always came up for the others and talked back to the man about his behaviour. And Vander Decken couldn't do anything as Marco's position was about the same rank as him!

"Why are you smiling like that-yoi?"

"No reason, sir! Just really happy to work for you!"

An eyebrow raised from the blond and he asked what he wanted this time.

"He didn't want to say. He said that if he put in a reason, you would say that it could have been an e-mail and not show up."

"Then he knows that whatever it is that he wants to talk about could still have been an e-mail. If not, he would have given the reason. Tell him that he can e-mail me whatever it is or schedule a call if it's really that important."

Typing away the assistant nodded, "I will send him a notification right now!"

"Wait 5 minutes until I'm gone, I don't need him storming out here."

"You're leaving already? You just got here... I missed you sir!"

"I have business to attend to at home."

"Booo, here I thought we could go for coffee together!"

"Next time-yoi." And took out his wallet, pulling out a few notes and putting them on the desk, "but do treat yourself and your colleagues to a coffee and slice of cake at that new shop, I've heard you quiet liked it."

The assistant awed at his boss, he was so kind! And even if he wasn't here, he kept track of his what went on with his staff! "Waa thank you very much, mister Newgate! Yes! It's a really lovely café indeed! Everyone will be ecstatic!"

Marco nodded to that before turning around to leave, giving a wave as the other called a 'get home safely!' to him.

POV of the other very mysterious blond in this story

A sigh left his lips as another passerby just brushed him off when he tried to show his brother's picture. Why did no one even bother to take a look? He wasn't trying to promote anything or do a questionnaire, he just... "I just want my brother back..."

As tears started pricking his eyes he quickly rubbed over them, he shouldn't cry! That would scare of even more people! Keep on the smile yet a tiny desperate look!

"Hello!" he called out to a woman about to pass by, "Have you seen-"

"Not interested."

"Ah!" The blond slapped his hand away that held Ace's picture, the paper slipping from his hands and flying off, "No! Ace!". He ran after the paper, even if he had so many other copies and was sure the ones he had passed out would be thrown away, he couldn't get it over his heart to just let one fly off like trash.

It was like life was against him as every time the paper had fallen still, it would get swiped up by the wind again the second he was about to grab it.

To his cheer luck the paper flew against someone's leg and the man reached down to pick the paper up.

Without hesitation he called out to businessman standing before a billboard, "Please don't drop it! That's mine!"

Running he closed the distance, taking the paper as soon as he could, panting as he finally had it and smiled at his brother's face looking back at him, "T-thank you. Thank you. I've been- wooh- wow, I haven't run in a while- Thank you for catching it."

"You're the one posting these-yoi?"

"Yea, that's me. He's my- huh?" Finally standing and looking up from his slightly bended down position, he noticed the other had few papers in his hand. "!" those were the posters he's been putting up to find Ace! One looked to the billboard next to them even showed him the empty space he had put one up not even 15 minutes ago. "Are you taking them down? Why are you taking them down? I'm trying to find- Do you know where he is?!"

His confusion, sadness and anger turned to hope when his thought process changed. Because why else would someone take down posters of a missing teenager if not that they had been found!? A million other posters for missing cats, missing items, promotions, job postings and other things still hung on the billboard untouched, yet only the poster of Ace was being taken down by this man.

He couldn't read the look that crossed the man's face for a moment and the hand holding the posters tightened just the briefest second before it was gone.

"Who are you and why are you posting these?"

"He's my older brother! He's been missing for weeks, please, if you have any information, any at all!"

His eyes widened as he caught a part of a whisper, '-no living relatives.'

He knew him! This man knew Ace or he wouldn't know they weren't really related!

"Yes! We're both adopted! We're not blood-related but he's still my big brother! Please, sir! Can you tell me where he is? Do you know where he is? Is he okay? I've been looking in every nearby city!"

"You've been putting these pictures up in more places-yoi?"

"Yea! This is the 17th city I've been to!"

"And you've put these up everywhere." At the vigorous nods, Marco frowned, "You need to take this down."

"H-huh? No! I need to find-!"

"Ace will get uncomfortable seeing these."

HE SAID HIS NAME! Logically he knew the name was on the poster, but this man said it with familiarity!

"You know him! You really know him!" a laugh came from the blond and his eyes got moist, "oh god, I'm so glad he's okay! Where is he? Can you contact him?"

"... You haven't told me who you are yet."

"ah- I'm Sabo! Sabo Outlook! I know He's a Portgas, but that's because we're adopted like I said before. They didn't want to register us as brother since we're not blood related, but we're practically twins!"

Sabo held in a laugh as the man seemed to give him a look over at his last words, probably because they didn't look alike, but this only made him more sure he knew Ace and could thus compare them and come to this conclusion.

He had to insist a few more times on getting more information about Ace before the man spoke.

"He's with me."

"Oh thank y- With you?" No one was with the man right now... unless! "Did you adopt him? Right before his 18th then! Oooh they just didn't bother documenting it since he would be gone in a few days then? You saved him from being on the streets?!" The smile on his face grew bigger and bigger, "Thank you so much!" Sabo bowed deeply, he knew how it usually went. Outgrow the system and you're on your own. He had been so worried Ace was laying in a ditch somewhere, but a hero had been there all along to adopt him just before he was tossed out and he had been living in a warm house instead!

"No-yoi."

"huh?"

"He's my love."

"You love?"

Marco nodded and raised a hand show his left hand.

Confused Sabo inspected the hand and gasped as he saw a band around his ring finger. "You-You're his husband!? Ace got married!?"

"My freckled darling."

Sabo melted at the look the stranger gave to the ring and said those words. There was so much love in there for his brother! His day only got better and better. Ace had always had self-worth issues, but now here he was, not only finding out where his brother was but finding out he was alive and healthy AND MARRIED to this loving man!

"Now that you know that my love is fine-yoi. Please take all of these down. Ace will be very uncomfortable if people start asking for him in different places and calling him missing."

"Yes! Yes! I'll go around everywhere and take them down!" He understood immediately as Ace would grow uncomfortable if he was in the centre of attention like this, being seen as missing when he was just trying to live his life. "Can I come to see him?"

"..."

"Please! I just need to know that he's really alright! We were separated and we had no real way of contact."

"I will discuss it with him."

Hurriedly Sabo pulled off one of the numbers on one of the posters he held and reached it out, "This is my number! Please give it to him so he can contact me. You too Ofcourse! For Ace I am free every single day! Please tell him to give me call."

Taking the number, "I will tell him you were looking for him... And give your number."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

"I need to go now. I have to pick up lunch for my love."

"Ofcourse! I don't want to keep you or keep my big brother waiting! He loves his food!" Sabo laughed and let the stranger who he forgot to ask the name off pass by him. A huge smile was on his face as he looked to the posters in his hand. "I found you! I found you Ace!" A few tears fell onto the paper, "You're okay. I'm so h-happy you're okay!". He took some time to really take everything in. His brother was alive and well. Alive and happily married. Soon he would get a text, a call, maybe even arrange a meet-up.

With a smile that no one could take off his face, he started his was back, walking his previous paths backwards to collect all the posters. Posters that weren't needed anymore. Everything was going to be alright!

THEY HAVE MET! THE GOOD BLOND HAS MET THE EVIL BLOND!