A/N: Hey, I'm back! 😁

Thank you for all the comments for this story so far, I'm glad you guys really love it.

This chapter is probably my favorite so far, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did in writing it.

Chapter 11 - Dawn Island Pt. V—The Storm's Eye

Sabo held Luffy's trembling form against his side as he sat against the cave wall. The ground continued to shake and it didn't seem like it was going to end anytime soon. He rubbed comforting circles against the little one's back as he felt his tears soaking his shirt. He was actually surprised that Luffy was so quiet, but he guessed it was more shock than anything else.

He could understand the feeling quite well himself. He was struggling to keep the panic down but the longer this went on—and with every creak and groan of their surroundings, the sound of each salvo impact reverberating through him, each moment threatening to be his last—the harder it got.

Sighing, he looked over at Ace who was continuing to futilely claw against the rocks that entombed them, his angry curses at everyone and everything from Dadan, to the Marines, to the rocks themselves, barely being heard over the constant pounding and quaking that was going on outside.

He clenched a fist as he watched the rocks gain a slightly darker shade, having started to take on the blood from his brother's ruined fingers.

"Would you…just give it a rest, Ace!"

The other boy rounded on him in a flash, his silver eyes almost glowing wildly in the gloom "Shut up, Sabo! Don't you see I'm trying to get us out of here!"

Unintimidated, Sabo just rolled his eyes. "Yeah? How? By causing a cave-in that could crush us all? Those rocks are part of a landslide that has caused this whole area to become unstable. You beating them along with everything else the marines are doing outside is only going to make the situation worse, you idiot."

His long unbroken tirade took all of the wind out of him and he began to cough while trying to catch his breath.

This only caused the elder boy to become more alarmed, which translated to more animosity. Ace trembled with barely restrained anger and frustration, "Then what are we supposed to do, huh? Sit here and die?!"

The blond worked once again to control his labored breathing.

"How… huff, huff …how am I supposed to…know, Ace? I don't have…all the answers!" Sabo retorted in frustration. "But…I can tell you…beating yourself…bloody is NOT…going to help. You're just wasting air."

Gritting his teeth, Ace whirled around and stalked back to the wall loudly cursing up a storm. Kicking it hard before slumping down on the ground.

The blond sighed, well at least he had stopped hurting himself. He became aware of the lack of warmth by his side. Looking around, he saw that Luffy had moved a little distance away, his knees against his chest and his trembling hands grabbing the brim of his straw hat, pulling it down over his face.

"Neh, Sabo? A-Are we really going to die here?"

He paused, trying to think of the best way to answer. As it was, the idea of anyone finding them was unlikely. Not many went up into the mountains as it was, and while he didn't completely understand the consequences of everything that was going on out there, he knew it wasn't good.

Ace however didn't hesitate in his response, "I already told you, no we're not. Stop crying already."

A small hiccup echoed in response, the little one's body trembling as he tried to keep his sobs in check. Sabo let out a small sigh, gently reaching out to pull Luffy back into his side, all the while glaring at his twin. This was not the time.

"Hey…we're not going anywhere. We're still here aren't we?" Sabo managed a small, weak smile, hoping it was reassuring enough for the teary-eyed boy clinging onto him. "We're together, and you don't have to be scared alone, okay?"

Lu nodded hastily in response. This situation would have been unbearable—200 times worse—if he were alone. Normally, the idea of being stuck in a cave where they could explore and have adventures and find their way out was a pretty fun idea. He was never against a chance to explore new places and was always curious to try cool new things. However, this was very different. He wasn't having fun. Not at all. Everybody he loved was getting hurt, and he was in so much pain, and there were explosions all around him that would not stop!

He didn't know if his loved ones were safe or not—Makino, the old man Mayor, Dadan, the bandits, grandpa...the list went on. No matter how hard he tried to stay strong and not cry, the fear and tears overwhelmed him. Everything was going wrong, and he couldn't stop shaking and crying.

Ace fell back against the wall again, his chest heaving, despair beginning to set in as he struggled to think of what to do. Sabo was right, trying to dig their way out was hopeless and he'd already checked and found no other way out, the one emergency exit having been sealed long ago.

He watched his brothers cling to each other, Sabo clutching at his side, the red seeping through his fingers a stark contrast to the pale fear etched on Luffy's face. Their breaths were ragged symphonies to the chaos outside—each note a countdown to the end. He had promised to protect them, to be their shield, yet here they were, slipping through his fingers like grains of sand.

This was his fault. He had brought this upon them all.

It had been his power, whatever it was, thanks to his demonic blood that had set this whole chain of events in motion. Dadan was right. Their entire lives were being destroyed because of him.

In that moment, Ace tasted the bitterness of failure, the sting of powerlessness against the cruel tides of fate. They were but children playing at being heroes in a world that devoured such innocence without remorse.

He had finally felt like he had found his place, with his brothers by his side. He had somewhere he belonged and a purpose. He could allow himself to be happy, knowing there was a reason for his existence.

And somehow fate had deemed that he wasn't allowed that.

That very morning, he had done everything in his power to protect Sabo, only to have it backfire and lead to all of this.

It was all his fault. He was cursed and somehow brought destruction and doom to anyone associated with him. Sabo had been almost killed because he hadn't been strong enough. Luffy had almost been killed in a fire multiple times because of his mistakes. The old hag had betrayed them all because of the trouble his demon blood had brought on her. He had killed his own mother with his birth, and his scumbag of an old man had abandoned them both, probably wanting nothing to do with a child cramping his pirate lifestyle.

And now his brothers were going to die once again, because not only had his mere mistake of an existence brought all of this on them, but he was also so useless that he wasn't able to find them a way out either.

Blood oozed out of the wounds on his hands as he clenched his fists. He was such a waste of space. In fact, if he wasn't here, he wouldn't be taking up precious air that the other two needed much more than he did! If it came down to it, and they had no other choice, he could—

Sabo's voice, though softer than usual, pierced through his mind with a commanding tone that left no room for debate. "Enough, Ace."

His shadowed gray eyes snapped open, as he was pulled from his melancholy thoughts to look up at his twin.

Sabo met his gaze, his blue eyes sharpened and piercing as steel. His expression, despite the dust and dirt and blood, stared him down with a disapproving, resolute glare.

"Knock it off. This was not your fault."

Ace glanced away guiltily, his brow furrowing. "You don't know anything, Sabo."

"I know enough to know that you're thinking stupid thoughts again. In fact, they're so loud that they're giving me and Lu a headache, so stop it." Sabo shot back, his brief rest allowing him a second wind.

The raven growled in helplessness and frustration, his emotions exploding out. "How would you know? Huh?! You weren't awake for any of it!"

The blond frowned in understanding, "This is about after you saved me from my boat blowing up."

There was a bit of a twitch by his side as the briefly forgotten Luffy, peeked up at him from beneath the brim of his straw hat. "Sabo was in an exploding boat? That's how you got hurt?"

Sabo grimaced, his own bit of guilt flaring up, not knowing how exactly to explain the situation to their youngest.

That didn't stop Ace though. His looked back up at the ceiling as he barked out an unamused laugh, a snide grin appearing on his face. "Go ahead, 'Bo. Tell him. Tell him how you were going to leave us without a word. How you were going to just sail away forever without so much as a goodbye!"

His head jerked back over at him with growl, "I had to go, Ace. I couldn't stay in that city anymore, but I couldn't let him use you two as leverage either! I told you that! Setting sail to leave that island was the only thing I could do!"

"Oh yeah? And how did that work out for you, huh?" Ace snapped back, his temper flaring. "Oh wait, I remember! Your boat was blown up by some fishbowl bastard, who was going to have you shot!"

This new information, threw him off balance a bit. "Shot? What are you talking about? You mean the Celestial Dragon blowing up my boat?"

"No, not just the boat." Ace spat, his fists clenched. The fire in his eyes flared brighter as Sabo recoiled. "He wasn't satisfied with just destroying your ticket out of there, he wanted you dead. He came after you even after you passed out."

"What?" Sabo choked out, disbelief etching itself into his features. He hadn't had a lot of time to really contemplate the attack on his life and who his attacker had been and why. The shock had taken over everything after Ace had yelled at him to jump, and then everything else after that was murky.

However, the reality of the fact that someone had tried to murder him…that it wasn't an accident. And if what Ace said was true…whatever he had done—what had he done wrong?—was so worthy of death that they had relentlessly tried to go after him again, even while he'd been completely vulnerable, a threat to no one.

"Yeah," Ace replied, bitterness seeping into each word. "I dragged you back to shore and begged anyone I could to help you. You were just lying there…bleeding to death and not ONE would do anything! Not even those worthless ratbags you called a family!"

His face snapped up at that, "You saw them?"

The brunet's mouth twisted in amused disgust, "Yeah, that son of a bitch dad of yours disowned you in front of everybody. Acted like he'd never seen you before in his life. But even those pig-nosed nobles knew that was bullcrap and called him out on it."

His hands shook as he looked away, knowing deep down that his family was capable of such behavior. It came as no surprise when his father suddenly disowned him after trying so hard to bring him back into the fold. He had fled from this toxic environment of indulgence and hypocrisy. But despite wanting to distance himself from them, the fact that his own family had abandoned him still stung. He hadn't expected to feel any pain over it. And yet…

It hurt.

His tone was morose as he asked "What happened after that?"

Ace paused for a second, a rare pensive moment before he spoke again, his tone still agitated and upset, but lowered. "Your dad was a rat-bastard, but your mom…she, your mom actually was able to save your life before I could get to you…"

Sabo looked up at him in shock, "What? My Mom?! But how? Why?!"

A part of him couldn't believe it. His mother? The one who had turned away from him when he was hurt or abused if it meant catching the favor of the rich and powerful, social butterfly and debutante Didit, saved him?!

"The fishbowl dragon guy was going to shoot you right then and there…and I couldn't get past the guards in time" he responded despondently, "She told him no, shouting to stop him. First one of all those snobs to actually act normal for once."

Sabo's mind was in turmoil as he stared at his hands. Did his mother truly have even the slightest bit of love for him? Or was it just a fleeting moment of weakness in her cold heart?

He couldn't wrap his head around the idea. After so many years of feeling rejected and unloved, this revelation left him with conflicting emotions. Part of him wanted to believe it, but another part was skeptical and afraid of being hurt again. Confusion and doubt battled within Sabo as he tried to make sense of the situation.

It was silent for a while as both boys quieted down in thought, the ambiance of cannonade surrounding them. Eventually Sabo cleared his throat to try and speak sensibly, "Look, we can talk about all that later, when we get out of here. But don't think you distracted me, Ace. Whatever happened, you trying to take everything on yourself and then beating yourself up when things ultimately go wrong is stupid. Whatever happened, Luffy and I will never condemn you for it. We'll never turn our backs on you."

Luffy, who had been laying on Sabo listening quietly the whole time, nodded hastily. "Ace and Sabo are brothers. Even if Sabo had l-left us, that would never change. Right?"

He looked up at his blond brother with the question swimming in his eyes.

Sabo looked at the other two—at Luffy's innocent trust and faith in him, waiting patiently for his reassurance, and at the withdrawn, melancholic Ace who was trying hard to not look as if he cared about his response—and realized at that moment how much his brothers had been affected by his absence.

They had probably been as lost as he had been during all that time forced apart.

That was why Ace was so edgy.

Luffy had the faith of a child…Ace had lost that ability long ago…

And Ace had had to watch him leave the island with little to no explanation, right before watching his ship going up in a fireball, swimming alone to save him, and then somehow having to save him again from being shot to death and dragging his blood body all the way home.

No wonder Ace had been acting so confrontational. He'd been practically traumatized and hadn't known what to do with those feelings.

He would be too if their spots had been switched.

For all three of them, their relationship and camaraderie had been challenged and shaken and threatened for the last month. It seemed that everything seemed determined to try and tear them apart—even death itself.

Well, no more. Sabo's gaze hardened as he made a decision to let this fragility between them go no further. Calmly, he took a deep breath to steady himself before bearing down, he pushed himself up off the floor, struggling to stand despite his injuries.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ace jerked up at his actions in alarm.

Sabo ignored him and nearly gasped with pain, but he grit his teeth and pushed through, even as blood began to once again gush out.

"Sabo, stop!" Lu called out fearfully, attempting to keep him in place with his one good arm.

However, in spite of that, the blond stubbornly continued with his efforts, perspiration rolling down his face. He fought to finally get one leg beneath him before his balance inevitably failed and he toppled over.

As expected, Ace didn't hesitate before he came to his side. Catching him before he fell to the ground, the elder boy snapped. "Is losing all that blood making you stupid or something? Why in the world would you even try to get up? It's not like you have anywhere to go. Did you need to take a piss or something?"

Sabo shook his head. He had other reasons.

Grabbing onto his brother's shoulder for support, he allowed him to help him settle back down to the ground. However, as he did so, he moved his arm up around his neck and pulled him down with him, using the action to whisper into his ear.

"The day I abandon you, is the day I abandon myself."

Ash gray eyes widened in response, he could only stand in place confused, not able to figure out a response to such words. But nevertheless, Sabo continued, his voice strong in his purpose, even though it was for his ears only.

"I'm not like them. I won't turn my back on you."

Ace wanted to say that he knew this, that this was completely unnecessary, but the words failed to escape his lips.

"I won't abandon you, so don't you dare think of doing that either, alright?" his voice became even harsher. "I will not let us lose each other again, especially not because of whatever nonsense you're letting yourself think in your head," Sabo affirmed, gripping Ace's shoulder tighter.

"You're my brother, and so is Luffy. Nothing can change that. Not even death. I'm alive right now because of you, so in a way you're responsible for me. You're not getting out of that responsibility now, don't even think about it. We're together in this from now on.

"Don't think you can sacrifice yourself now. I won't allow it. We have each other's backs, always. And I will tell you as many times as you need me to until you get it through your thick skull. And even after that."

Ace's pupils dilated and he had to inhale deeply to keep the tears from forming in his eyes. He was determined not to let them fall. He couldn't, wouldn't give in to such vulnerability…He wouldn't!

Sabo met his eyes to make sure he saw the vow within them before pulling back and releasing his brother, allowing Ace to only stagger back.

He was quiet for a long moment before he finally nodded, his face a mask of uncertainty and vulnerability.

He looked over at Luffy who was watching their exchange with wide hopeful eyes.

Turning to the younger one, his eyes locked onto Luffy's immense, tear-filled orbs. "And you," he said, his voice softening a little as he gave the boy's hand a reassuring squeeze. "You asked me earlier today when I woke up if I was going to stay or leave. I couldn't answer you then, but I can now—I'll never leave you guys again."

Luffy snuggled closer nearly chirping with giddy happiness before it was broken by Ace's inconspicuous cough. "That better not be an empty promise, Sabo," he muttered gruffly, though the small worry in his eyes belied the sternness of his words.

Sabo sighed at his brother's hesitancy and self-consciousness but took it in stride. "It doesn't matter where I go, no matter how far. Whether we're apart or together, I will always be your brother. I swore that on that sake cup the same day you two did and I won't break that oath. We'll always be a family no matter what, right?"

Unlike the eldest, Luffy wasn't afraid to let his tears fall as he smiled widely up at him, nuzzling against his side as he chirped, "Right!"

Ace looked off a bit embarrassed, but his smile couldn't be held back, even if it was overshadowed a bit by the youngest's.

Sabo let himself smile and relax in the presence of the two people that mattered the most to him. His issues with his birth family was something he would work through in time, but this family was something that he was grateful for right now. And hey, if his father didn't want him. Fine. It made things much easier.

His head felt a bit faint and light as he commented amusingly, "And hey, since my family seems to have disowned me, it means that I am free to go where I want and do what I want. So you guys will just have to be stuck with me. Sorry Ace, your time as the only oldest brother has come to an end."

The raven rolled his eyes, the light dancing in them like laughter, "Unh-uh, get back where you belong, in the middle where all troublesome slightly-older-than-little brothers belong."

"'Slightly older'? I'm less than 3 months behind you."

"And those three months make a difference."

"I thought we had decided that we were going to be twins?"

Ace shrugged as he plopped down on Sabo's other side, "We did, but that still makes you the younger twin. So in the middle."

Luffy laughed mirthfully despite his skin becoming worryingly pale. "I don't mind having two older brothers. As long as you two know that I'm going to the strongest."

Both of them pshawed this at the same time.

"No way."

"Not happening, Lu."

Luffy stuck his tongue out, "Just you two wait, once I get my powers back and my arm gets better, you'll see!"

Ace and Sabo exchanged a glance, their smirks nearly mirror images of each other. Ace then turned towards Luffy, his eyes twinkling with mischief. "Oh, you mean the powers that made you fall flat on your face when you tried to use them?"

Luffy's cheeks burned. "That was just because I'm still perfecting my aim! Once I do, I'll beat you both no problem!"

"Hmm." Sabo hummed in mock thought, "I seem to recall that the last time you 'perfected your aim', you ended up getting us all chased by a horde of angry bandits."

"Hey!" Luffy protested weakly, blushing even harder. "That was just one time!"

"Ah, yes, but it's always the 'one time'," Ace retorted with a teasing grin.

"You're just afraid to take me on once my punch is as powerful as a pistol!"

"Oh, you mean I would actually have to try when I fought you?"

Sabo chuckled at their banter. He enjoyed these little moments with his brothers more than anything else in the world. Just seeing Luffy on the defensive and Ace taking delight in teasing him brought a smile to his face. It was these times when they could forget about the dangers they faced daily and just be regular brothers.

"You two are just jealous!" Luffy huffed, pouting.

"It's so good to be home." Sabo laughed at all that he missed despite the fact that it hurt.

The other two smiled with him in affection.

He then gave a sigh,"Besides, with the Marines blowing the crap out of everything outside, I bet my father doesn't even have time to think about me anymore. He's probably busy trying to pay a bunch of people to protect his mansion while sitting safe in some bunker somewhere."

Ace got a strange, awkward look on his face, conspicuously turning away. "About that…Sabo, there's something you should know—"

Without warning, a loud crack echoed through the air and a shower of rocks and dust fell near them. It was a much louder explosion than the ones they were used to by now, which had just started to become background noise for the boys.

Reality that they had begun to be able to shut out for at least a little while, had literally come caving in around them!

All three cried out in alarm as fear rippled through them and they instinctively curled up and turned away, trying to shield themselves.

Ace had the mind to try and grab the nearest limbs to him and pull them close and underneath him.

The tremors continued for a few nail-biting seconds, and each could only feel the terror of some potential boulder simply ending everything right then and there.

Eventually the trembling subsided and they were left in relative stillness. They stayed still for a few more moments, afraid to move, basically petrified in place.

But thankfully, even after waiting several agonizing seconds, nothing more happened.

Ace slowly looked up, pebbles coming from off him and dust heavy in the air. The entire hideout hadn't completely collapsed, only a few weak areas of the ceiling had fallen. They were okay—for now.

Grunts and heavy breathing caught his attention and he sat up slowly pulling up off of Sabo. The blond began coughing, his already blood stained clothing becoming even darker. Worriedly Ace helped him to sit up.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm f-fine… cough, cough …but where's—"

"Ace! Sabo! Where are you?!"

Ace's head snapped up as he looked around for Luffy. "Luffy? LUFFY?!"

The younger boy was nowhere to be found!

Sabo sat up as fast as his wounds would let him. "He was right next to me!"

Luffy's muffled voice once again called out to the two of them in terror, "Help! I can't get out! I'm stuck!"

Both boys turned and were able to pinpoint the sound emanating from a group of stones that had come and blocked one of the previous corners of the room. "He's over there!"

Sabo watched as Ace automatically scrambled over to begin clawing at the rocks, paying absolutely no mind to his own ruined fingers and wounds.

His eyes wavered with panic, as he took account of the situation. When the explosion had sounded, Luffy must have moved or been flung in the opposite direction as them. The rocks had cut him off and sealed him away from the rest of the room. He was trapped!

"Help me! Please don't leave me here!" Lu called out in despair.

"Shut up and hold still. We're not going to leave you. Just wait." Ace called out with that no-nonsense tone that Sabo knew he used to hide his fear. He was flinging rocks to and fro, but making little headway and the bigger ones were just too heavy for him to move alone.

Sabo yelled out, "It's gonna be okay, Luffy, but you need to breathe slowly, I need you to slow it down and calm down. Can you do that for me?"

The tearful cry returned, "I'll try."

The blond tried to get up only to emanate a sharp gasp.

"Stay there, 'Bo." Ace ordered sharply, not even pausing in what he was doing.

"You can't do it by yourself!" he retorted with a hiss.

Molten silver eyes snapped over to him, "You get up and try to pull on one of these and you'll disembowel yourself. I can't be worrying about you too! Now just stay still!"

Sabo bit into his lip, hating when the other was right. He was hanged on by a thread as it was. He was already lightheaded and in danger of passing out at any time, but he fought it back with pure stubborn will. He wouldn't be able to truly do anything to help free Lu.

But at the same time, he was also right, Ace wouldn't be able to free Luffy on his own.

He settled with trying to keep Luffy calm, "Luffy! Listen to me, I want you to breathe with me. Follow my sounds and copy them. Can you do that?" He began to take small shallow breaths and count out the seconds with them.

1…and...2…and…3…and…4…

He kept going, trying to keep Luffy calm and not to take up too much of his precious air supply too early. However, inside he was scrambling.

The situation had somehow become even more dire. They were stuck in a ticking time bomb where they could be crushed at any second. If they couldn't get Luffy out soon, he would suffocate to death. But even if they did! Their own air as a whole was quite limited! And those damn explosions just kept on coming!

.

.

.

And then, a sound pierced the gloom—a scraping, a shifting from beyond the barricade of stone.

It had been hard to hear at first, with the bombardment and both his and Ace's actions, but this sound had stuck out to the ex-noble because it was so unexpected.

It was the sound of someone calling out their names. A different, adult voice that was coming from…

Sabo pushed up and struggled to pull himself to his feet. He shouted out as loud as he could. "HELLO! CAN YOU HEAR US!"

Ace paused from what he was doing, looking at him in confusion. "What are you doing?"

Sabo turned to him with an urgent look in his eyes. "There's someone outside calling our names! They're looking for us!"

"And you answered them?!" Ace looked at him in outrage. "Did you forget, the marines are trying to kill us!?"

"I'm not an idiot, Ace!" Sabo snapped back ,"If it was the Marines, they could just leave us here and let the mountain kill us! Ace, we don't have a choice! We're going to get crushed to death if we stay here, Luffy's trapped, and neither of us are enough to free him alone. We NEED help!"

Somehow, Ace's eyes hardened even further. "I'm not going to let them get their hands on us!"

"Even if it means letting Luffy suffocate?" Sabo shot back, his voice echoing in the stifling silence that followed.

The words hung in the air between them, a damning accusation that Ace couldn't challenge. He grit his teeth, a muscle in his jaw ticking as he glared at the fallen rocks.

"Whoever it is...what if they're willing to help?" Sabo asked after a moment of silence. Are you really going to lose this chance because of your pride and distrust?

Ace looked torn between his protective instincts and the reality of their situation. His hands balled into fists as he locked his eyes onto Luffy's prison.

"We... we don't have a choice," he finally conceded, swallowing down his insecurities and fear. He turned to look at Sabo, determination burning in his eyes. "But if it turns out to be a trap, we fight our way out. Together."

Sabo didn't need to be told twice. "Always," he agreed fervently.

"Keep shouting, Sabo," Ace urged quietly as he went back to his efforts of digging Luffy out, muscles straining with the exertion.

Dragon felt fear shoot through him on finding the entrance to the old miners' cave completely closed off thanks to a landslide. However he shook it off with resolve. Luffy was going to be fine, he hadn't come this far to fail! He had to be!

Right now, he had to know if his son and the other boys were trapped in there, or if they had gone to hide somewhere else. Looking at the task at hand and ignoring all else around him, the man concentrated, stretching his observation haki.

He listened and searched desperately. Come on, they had to be close—

Almost immediately, three 'voices' appeared on his radar. Three lights flickering and fluttering in the wind, fighting to stay lit amidst all the forces trying to snuff them out.

One was a roaring flame, fierce and determined, pushing against the darkness like a torch in the night. Cutting through all opposition without prejudice, but guarding a vulnerable core.

Another was a steady heat, pleasant and warming, constant as an unfaltering drumbeat, echoing with loyalty and unwavering defense. A buckler to the first's sword.

And the last was sweetly familiar. A bright spark that emitted a piercing cry, filled with hope and innocence, yet somehow still carrying a weight far too great to bear. A sunny, shining treasure, hidden from the world.

All three were alive, but not for long if the elements and the Marines had anything to say about it.

Time was of the essence. And time was already not on their side.

Dragon threw his fist against the stones—hard enough to gain their attention but not to cause another rockslide.

"LUFFY!" The word still sounded rough on his tongue, feeling like new from the years of disuse.

He knew it would be hard to be heard over the cannonfire, but he was used to guiding his voice to be able to carry over crowds.

"LUFFY! Can you hear me! Answer me if you can!

What were the other two boys names? Oh yes.

"SABO! ACE! Talk to me! I'm here to help you!"

He pushed his ear against the rock, narrowing all of his senses to simply try to listen for the scurry of movement. Everything else was ignored.

"SABO! ACE! LUFFY!"

After a few tense moments he began to hear movement. There was distant scrambling before a faint voice finally responded.

"Hello, can you hear us?!"

Dragon finally released the breath he hadn't even been aware he was holding.

"YES, I CAN HEAR YOU! I'm going to get you out of there! But I need you to follow my instructions!"

There was no answer at first though he could tell the child was still near. There were voices speaking but it was not as clear as before. He shouted again.

"DID YOU HEAR ME? Come closer if you can!"

Long seconds rolled by before the voice returned. It wasn't Luffy's, he knew that. And yet, the voice for some odd reason sounded vaguely familiar.

"Hey! Can you help us?! We're trapped in here!"

Good he had their attention.

"Yes, but I need you to stay calm!" Dragon commanded, his voice echoing through the rock and bouncing into the space on the other side. "Is this Sabo or Ace?"

There was a bit of hesitance before a response could be heard, "S-Sabo…how do you know our names? Who are you?"

"I'll explain that later. For right now, I need you to do exactly as I say. Can you do that?"

Another pause followed, and then a loud, "Yes!"

"Good," Dragon had already decided his plan of action and he needed the children to cooperate. There was no room for error here. This had to be executed perfectly, or they would all be buried alive.

"Listen carefully," Dragon continued, his voice as steady as he could muster amidst the chaos. "I need you, Ace, and Luffy, to move away from the door as far as possible."

"Why?" The question echoed back.

"I need to make sure you're safe when I break through." His words were met with silence. He knew they were scared, uncertain. But there was no time for reassurance.

Finally a response came back, "How can you break through all this rock? There's a ton of it!"

He smiled a bit at that, "You leave that to me. I'm going to count down from five, and then I'm going to break these rocks blocking the entrance," Dragon instructed, expecting that his voice held enough authority to incite obedience. He was only used to commanding adults after all.

Another long silence followed where he could hear some movement and using his observation he could see all 3 boys had moved to a far back corner of the inner cave. It caught his notice that one of them—Luffy—never moved at all, rather the other two had moved back to join him. Was something wrong with the boy?

Eventually a very faint, "Okay! We're ready!" echoed from the other side of the cavern.

Dragon nodded, though he knew they couldn't see it. Positioning himself squarely before the blockade of rocks, he took a deep breath and carefully measured out his strength.

Armament haki ran along his arm, coating his hand and fingers as he searched out the best spot. If he didn't have the boys to think about, he could have easily brought down the whole mountain, but that was no help in this situation. For this, he would need more precision.

It wasn't going to be as exact as he would have liked, but they didn't have time.

The joints of his fingers cracked into place as he took ahold of the stone, a measured pulse of power flared out from him and almost instantly the rock began to split. Wind whistled around him, surrounding him in its embrace as the combined pressure of his strength and will built higher and higher.

Tension crescendoed until finally with a loud BOOM, the boulders acquiesced and the entire entrance the hideout exploded! A gust of wind swept through the area, carrying swirling debris and dirt in its wake.

Dragon tried to keep the majority of the remnants of rock from flying inwardly into the cave, but there was of course a few inevitable pieces that slipped by.

As he stepped through into the gloom of the chamber, he briefly felt out the edges of his makeshift entrance for soundness.

Hmm, it would stay for a bit, but with the Marines still continuing their onslaught, it was only a matter of time before it collapsed.

He pushed that to the back of his mind however as he made his way inside, his heart and pulse quickening in pace.

The small den wasn't that big, and was sturdily built, having been around since even before he had been born. But he could already see evidence that it wasn't going to hold up anymore. A small carbide lamp and the glow of the moonlight—as well as the fires that were making their way closer and closer—lit his path and before he knew it, he came upon two sets of bright eyes that were shining up at him from the darkness.

He had to pause for a moment as the two children finally came into view. One of them, he was shocked to see, was the young noble boy he had met only a few days ago in High Town!

The young child who had believed as he did that the world was rotten and he had made a promise of change to!

No wonder the voice had sounded vaguely familiar! It was unfortunate to admit, but he hadn't spared a single thought for the boy since ensuring that he had made it safely home. However, it brought some solace to his heart knowing that the child would make it through the night, unlike so many others who wouldn't...

Bright azure eyes met his and he could see the sudden surprise and recognition in them. The boy was covered completely in grime and dust, it was hard to even make out his sunny blond hair in all of the murk. He looked to be seriously wounded, laying down on the floor against the wall, blood covered him completely, and still more looked to be trickling out. it was a wonder he was still conscious.

However, before he could even think to reach over and help him, another boy, one much more mobile, stepped in front of him. His entire posture showing defensive hostility, like a feral cat that had been backed into a corner. This one had fierce silver eyes that practically glowed forth from all the mire and filth that covered him. These were eyes that he recognized even though he had never met this child before in his life.

He knew who this boy was, even though the fact that his father had taken in this child a few years before his own, had slipped his mind. He had never known what Garp had done with Gol D. Roger's offspring, and so had never made the connection between the "Ace" that Kino had mentioned, and the son of the Pirate King.

Even though he had never meant for Luffy to be separated from his cousin, it was good to know that he was among peers…

Speaking of Luffy, the two older boys were present, but where was—

Luffy's fearful cry echoed within the confines of the crumbling den, reaching Dragon's ears like a distress symphony. "Guys! Help me!" Luffy pleaded, the fear and desperation in his voice pushing him into overdrive.

Even before either boy could move, Dragon was already taking swift strides towards his son, moving past them to the pile of rocks that had obviously fallen in the collapse and had practically entombed the boy. He ignored the protests of the two older boys as well as the decaying walls of the den that creaked ominously under the assault from the Navy.

Dragon could only focus on one thing: Luffy—his own flesh and blood, trapped under the weight of fallen stone and rubble. He could practically sense his little body shaking with suppressed cries.

Dragon took hold of the slabs and began to heave them away with a strength having less to do with haki augmentation, and more so induced by paternal desperation.

His fingers dug into the rough surface of the rocks, scraping his skin raw in his frantic hurry to clear the path to his son. The pile seemed interminable, each rock he lobbed away only revealing several more beneath it. But that didn't stop him.

Subconsciously, he made sure as he flung the rocks away, not to hit the other two boys who were watching him wide-eyed and anxious. He had to be careful not to cause any more damage to these three children that had braved so much already this night.

At last, he began to see an opening. Pushing more basalt aside to open the narrow crevice, he pulled it wider and wider until finally, he could see a small, shivering form with a mess of unkempt black hair, and a pair of desperate teary chocolate-brown eyes wide with fear and pleading that mirrored his—and her—own so strikingly.

"Luffy," he whispered to himself, barely audible above the ruckus outside. The sight of his son gripped in terror struck a resonant chord within him. With renewed vigor, Dragon tore at the rocks, sweat and blood intermingling on his palms.

Eventually he was able to clear enough away that he could feel around Luffy's tiny form, his fingers trembling as they touched his son's face smeared with dirt and tears. Though barely visible in the dim light of the dying lamp, there were distinct bruises forming on Luffy's soft skin and dried blood streaked around his forehead and all along one of his arms. The sight alone was enough to kindle a inferno of fury inside him.

Feeling around just to make sure none of the boy's limbs were trapped under any rubble, with both hands securely around Luffy's torso, he pulled with one last surge and yanked the boy free!

The stones almost immediately collapsed right afterward, but the Revolutionary didn't even notice.

His eyes were only on the relieved, wailing form of his squirming son that he finally—finally—had found once again.

A wave of relief consumed him, finally breaking through the thick layers of numbness that had encased his heart for far too long. But as he gazed down at his injured son, another feeling began to bubble up from within, one that he had suppressed nor allowed himself to feel for years—pure joy…

Without hesitation (though careful not to hurt the boy further) he enveloped his son in a tight embrace, his arms nearly swallowing him whole.

For this one moment, it felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders, as he held onto his child with all the strength and love he had been holding back for so long.

A/N:

I'm a sucker for father/son stories and these poor boys have been put through the ringer. Dragon, under all that stern exterior is such a softie for his little "Sunbeam". lol

Tell me what you think, and also a reminder if you're interested and you've liked this story, I have two others that you might like as well. Both are ASL stories, including Water Lily, and my newest one, The Hive Long Survives.

See you next time! 😉