Chapter 11 - Awakening Part I

By the time Shanks had run down to the infirmary, the fire was blazing from out of the room. Hongo had Lily thankfully pulled away and was taking care of burns on her arms and hands. Schaden was by her side. He didn't see Marco so he had to assume he was already inside.

He turned to Lily, "What happened?!"

She looked up at him though he could see she was using her devil fruit powers and thus couldn't quite see him. "His heart stopped suddenly and he went into arrest. His body suddenly seized and this huge wave of haki came out of him, and then the fire followed!"

Shanks turned to Kino and Ko who were nearby, "You need to get these flames under control before they take too much of a hold! The Ren is not made of Adam wood; we can't have it sinking!"

The two twins nodded before running to get water from the galley and from up on deck. The damage was going to be the worst part to deal with here, especially to the actual medical equipment in the sickbay itself, but right now that was a minor issue in comparison to keeping the fire contained.

The breach in the ship's hull was also an issue, but the sickbay was located above the water line and as long as the ship remained stationary it would be relatively okay until the ship was repaired.

However, none of this mattered unless they got the source of the fire under control.

Shanks turned towards the inferno and sighed before allowing his mouth to form a slight grin. Come on, kid. We haven't come this far for you to have a temper tantrum.

Azure and golden flames mixed with the roaring orange and red as Marco used his own Phoenix fire to protect himself. He was trying his best to at least keep the flames from exploding even further. But even while he was going full power, Ace's fire was actively pushing him back. And that wasn't even the sporadic flares of haki that were pulsing from out of him. Jeez, Ace…where was this kind of power hiding?

He knew that Ace was strong. His abilities as a fire logia were unmatched and he had always been a physical powerhouse. And yet it was nothing like this. Ace's entire body was white with flame, and blazing arcs of fire radiated throughout the room.

The bonfire had already consumed the bed below him and had now landed on the floor in a mass of charred cloth and melted twisted slag. The only reason he wasn't burning through the wood of the floor down below, was because Marco was attempting to use his own non-consuming fire to encase Ace's own.

He had built up a base both underneath and above him and was slowly working to enclose the "fire bubble" towards the middle. However, using his phoenix to fend off the fire, was difficult enough, mixing that with the wild pulses of Supreme King haki that Ace was unconsciously giving off was making it more than a challenge.

He has no idea what had set the kid off. Before this, his body had been subconsciously defending itself by using sudden combustion, which he or Shanks had been keeping at bay. But this was a much greater response than he had ever seen before. It was wild and untamed, without any reservation whatsoever. It was both beautiful to look at and dangerous to behold at the same time.

He was sure Ace was still unconscious, still in a coma from what Lily had informed him when he came in, so whatever was happening here was a subconscious response to some form of danger or physical jolt. Had it been the storm? Was it a response to another strong person like Rayleigh, entering his proximity? Was it something else entirely?

Right now it really didn't matter. Marco was used to dealing with strong haki, so he tried to bend Ace's to his will using his own, but he was severely at a disadvantage while trying to battle the fire as well. He knew Ace had had conquerer's haki, but he had never used it really in combat or at all really. They had trained him to be able to keep it under control, but that was about it.

Now, he was beginning to realize that all they had really done was stop up a vessel that was steadily growing under pressure for the last few years. With Ace in such a vulnerable state with nothing but his inborn instincts to guide his body's movements, the shackles were off and the stopper had been released. It was like being a single firefighter battling an out-of-control wildfire on two fronts. If nothing changed, eventually they would be overwhelmed by one side or another.

Thankfully, the orange and red fulminating bolts were soon combated by another presence and the two clashing pressures would have seen the vast majority of his weaker brothers and sisters to their knees. He could only imagine the sharp changes all this was doing to the atmosphere in the skies around them. He watched from the side and Shanks entered the room, splitting the flames in his wake. Using a mixture of armament and supreme king, his skin began to gain a black luster and the air wavered around him with power as he walked into the room and through the fire.

Red and black lighting arched throughout the room and the red-haired pirate came over to the bubble he was attempting to form. Reaching through the fire, his hand and arm now completely ebony in color, he placed a hand on Ace's chest, and almost instantly the wild haki bursts began to subdue. Marco was happy to make room on that front for the other man, and turned his entire attention to battle the flames before any form of flashover could occur.

"Come on Ace…stop fighting me. You're only hurting yourself…" Shanks spoke calmly as he pushed against the kid's haki storm.

Marco knew this to be true as well, which is another reason he was so desperate. While turning into his logia form would normally be rejuvenating to Ace, the strain it did to his body would actually begin to tear it apart because of the fragility of his physical body as a support for his noncorporeal one. The longer he stayed in this form, the more damage would be done. He could already see Lily watching from the doorway just outside of the fire's reach. There was a look of worry and concentration on her face, her white glowing eyes in full intensity. She was trying to keep his body together as much as she could even while Ace was unconsciously undoing her work.

He ground his teeth, speaking under his breath, "Come on Ace, I'm not going to let you mess up all of our hard work. I might forgive you for being such a big lout, but I'm not letting you do that to Lily. She's done too much for you to be such a jerk to her."

"AHHH!" With a final push, he yelled at the strain of finally closing both ends of the capsule, trapping Ace and his bonfire inside of his own blue phoenix fire.

Shanks continued to push against the kid's supreme king haki with his own and was surprised at how difficult it was! It was like trying to fight against a waterfall or trying to plug an already compromised dam, or probably even more apropos—trying to restrain a wildfire.

Shanks had trained his own abilities in many ways, but primarily offensively, and while Ace's haki was strong–ridiculously strong–his body was not strong enough to maintain the reverb. Right now, all he was trying to do was bring the other to heel and bring him under control. It was usually not hard considering Ace was unconscious, but it looked like this time was going to require something a bit stronger.

The only problem was that if he used anything stronger, it would more than likely severely hurt or even kill the kid, which was the complete opposite of what they wanted.

Ughhhh…

"Marco…can you help me out here?"

The blond was looked up with luminescent fiery azure eyes. He quickly surmised the issue before shaking his head and responding grimly, "I can't! If I let go even a little, his flames are going to break through again."

"Reaaaallly should learn to multi-task, Fledgling."

"How about shut up and think of something else?"

The Red-Hair captain was already wracking his brain. What else could he try? He could attempt the weakest coated attack he had, hoping that the decrease in force would be able to balance off the destructive nature of his will. But that was extremely risky. A drop of sweat slid down his neck that had nothing to do with the heat. He looked down at the boy who he'd interacted more with, in almost death than he ever had during the kid's life.

If you don't manage to burn my ship down, we're gonna have to change that when this is all over…eh, Wildfire?

Portgas' face had become completely composed of flame. And yet despite the conflagration, his visage was still at rest, appearing much younger even than his meager 20 years. It made him hesitate, knowing that if he misjudged this, it would probably kill the kid instantly, with very little chance for even Lily to bring him back. And yet, the constant waves of haki and flame would eventually destroy the ship and with it plunge everyone into a whole ton of trouble.

Deciding that he had to take the chance, he changed his stance, pulling his arm back in order to strike.

A calm, slightly admonishing voice halted him.

"What have I told you about being so heavy-handed, brat?"

A strong hand held him back by the elbow, effectively stopping his action. Another hand, laced in black, reached through the flames and laid securely but gently against FireFist's brow.

Shanks only glanced over at his old vice-captain, both surprised and yet not, to see him standing by his side.

Rayleigh held a heavy smile on his face, one that seemed to be full of so many meanings and thoughts and ideas and dreams all at once.

He murmured low to himself, "So much fuss for no reason…you're definitely your father's son, kid."

Glancing over at the redhead, his grin became even more confident. "I've told you countless times, sometimes you need a sledgehammer and sometimes you need a scalpel."

Or more than one scalpel …

Shanks let his own grin burst through, "Well, ya know…I sometimes fell asleep when you would drone on and on and on."

He relaxed and returned his own hand to Ace's chest, matching his old teacher's moves exactly.

"Stop digging, brat. There is only so deep of a hole you can dig yourself into before you can't get out again. On three."

The power dynamic of the small sickbay changed once again, and the power of three supreme king haki users active at the same time was causing even Marco to have a headache. The twin assistants who had been trying to put out the flames had already fallen unconscious on the ground and he could see those huddled at the door were struggling under immense pressure and strength. Hongo was doing only a little better than Lily, who looked to be holding on by sheer strength of will alone.

He shouted out, his voice battling the fierce gusts that had built up. "Schaden! Take Lily to the deck!"

The shadow who had been mostly sticking to the Revolutionary's side perked up.

"I have to stay, Marco! We're going to have to go back in immediately after he's out!" Lily tried to argue back.

"Exactly why you have to go! If you stay, you'll get knocked out, and you won't be able to do anything!" He retorted.

Before she could return the statement, Schaden seemed to get it and surrounded his partner without another word and the two disappeared.

When the two reappeared on the outer deck, what once been a quieting night had quickly changed. The storm clouds that had begun to dissipate, had returned with a vengeance. However, they seemed to be centered above the ship, lightning and thunder crashing like heavenly timpani, huge black and red bolts crashing into the sea. Only seconds after they had appeared on deck, a huge shock wave rocked the ship, the barometric pressure shifted rapidly and the clouds above split in half, rolling away from each other in a mighty cascade!

Even with the distance, Lily could feel herself nearly blacking out, spots floating in her vision. The display of power was incredible! The smell of ozone permeated the air, and strange colors refracted in the air, streaking the clouds as what felt like a tempest had once again overtaken the Renata.

Then, just like that, it was gone.

The clouds broke, the winds quieted, the lightning ceased and everything became quiet. The only evidence of the display was the small amount of debris that had torn off the ship, the ocean still in the process of settling, and the tremble in their bodies that could still be felt down to the bone.

Schaden watched it all with wide eyes. 'What kind of monsters are we traveling with?'

Lily shook her head in disbelief, "I…I'm only glad they're not our enemies…"

Aboard the Polar Tang, the Seas of Paradise, On Route to Amazon Lily

It was the middle of the night as Law sat in a rather comfortable chair in the OR, reading through one of his latest medical journals. It wasn't too interesting, most of what it talked about he already knew, but it was always good to keep abreast of the goings-on in the medical world.

It was also good to know if anyone else had reached his level of surgical skill, making them a prime target for certain people who didn't care for him having the power of the Op-Op fruit. If someone like that came into prominence, Law's life could be in danger from certain parties wishing to kill him and replace him with a more pliable user for his fruit.

So far, there was no danger, but Trafalgar Law was always one who like to minimize risks.

Speaking of risks…

He looked over to the bed by his side, watching the continuous steady breathing of the young raven-haired boy lying there.

There has been no change for about a week as they had continued to travel to the island of women, alongside the Empress herself and a runaway Marine vessel carting some Revolutionaries and escaped convicts. Not the Heart Pirates' usual fare, but it seems that this kid drew people of all kinds to him.

Jinbe had woken up not long after they had made contact with Boa Hancock, and while he needed time to recuperate, Law reasoned that Fishman biology was a bit hardier than that of humans, which allowed the ex-warlord to be up on his feet for any significant amount of time post-surgery.

Currently, the male was sleeping on the other side of the OR, still under observation, and also he didn't want to be too far from StrawHat, who had yet to awaken.

The sound of beeping broke through the silence and cut through his thoughts, causing Law to sit up and place the journal aside. Ever since "The Incident", he had been watchful for any strange–possibly manic laughing style–behavior. So far there had been nothing, but one couldn't be too careful.

Watching the monitors he examined the screens and readouts. Hmmm.

Scanning his patient, he listened for a moment to his heart. Then taking out his penlight, he quickly looked into the eyes before reaching over, flicking some switches, turning some dials, and pressing a button or two. Moving an apparatus and IV around the operating bed to make room, he then just stood and waited.

The breaths of the patient below him were no longer as regular and shallow as before, getting deeper and longer. A slight groaning could be heard and the eyelids began to flicker.

With ever-exaggerating slowness, Monkey D. Luffy slowly but surely began to open his eyes, awakening for the first time since he'd been on board.

Law watched carefully as hazy brown eyes gazed out through half-open lids, not quite seeing yet, not quite aware. He waited a moment, letting the pirate adjust a bit before calling out to him.

"Welcome back, StrawHat. Can you hear my voice?"

At first, there was little recognition and Law made a mental note of his reaction rate and cognizance. But slowly but surely, a bit of brightness began to make its way through the haze. Finger and toes twitched and shifted, but no major movements, though he hadn't been expecting that anyway.

Using his penlight once again to watch for dilation of the pupils, Law continued to speak to his patient in a way that affected conversation, even though he knew that the teen would probably be capable of very little after being in a coma for the last few days.

"My name is Trafalgar Law, I met you on Sabaody. Do you remember that? You are currently on my ship. You are not in danger. You sustained several major injuries and complications to your body which is why you are here. Do you understand me so far?"

The North Blue native watched for any sense of comprehension or response but could see very little recognition of what he was saying. StrawHat appeared to be lucid, but not quite aware.

His lips began to move ever so slightly and Law realized that he was trying to say something. Reaching over, he carefully moved the oxygen mask down to allow him the freedom of movement.

His first attempt at speech was barely a croak, and it took a bit more moisture to build up in his mouth and for his tongue to loosen up enough to be able to get any form of words out. When he finally was able to speak, it was barely a whisper, but Law's hearing had always been exemplary.

"A….Ace?"

He knew he probably should have expected this from one such as Strawhat who had gone through such a violent mental break prior to going completely unconscious because of his injuries. But somehow it didn't make it any easier to deal with.

Empathy reflected in his own eyes as he spoke, his northern accent getting just a bit thicker as he responded.

"I'm sorry, StrawHat-ya. He's not here."

For just a second, those tired brown eyes looked up directly into his, before the eyelids once again closed, succumbing to the pull of sleep.

Revolutionary Army HQ, the island of Baltigo, New World

A mismatched pair of crystal blue eyes snapped open and as they adjusted to the lantern light, and out of habit, they rapidly and thoroughly scanned the room for any pertinent details, as well as all possible entrances and exits. Once assured of the familiar confines of the organized chaos of the bedroom, they then turned to the other two occupants in the room. An auburn-haired young woman was sitting by his side in a chair, clearly dozing. Across the way, a silver-haired Fishman was sitting in another chair by the closed main door and he too seemed to be asleep. Finishing their survey of the surroundings, the two sapphire orbs closed with a sigh.

Stretching out his body on the bed, working out muscles and kinks, caused a piece of paper to crackle loudly, shattering the comfortable silence of the room, and waking the other two occupants immediately.

The woman looked up and was the first to notice that he was awake, causing a huge grin to appear on her face. "Sabo! You're awake! Do you know how worried I was? Why do you do these things to me?!"

Hack came up beside Koala to look over the blond. "How are you doing, Sabo? Everyone's been worried about you."

Despite their words, the blond had yet to pay them any attention. Moving his hand up, the source of crinkled paper came into view. Both of the other occupants sobered when they noticed his diverted attention.

"You haven't let go of it since you blacked out in the hallway," Koala spoke quietly.

Continuing in his silence, he used his other hand to straighten the scrunched newspaper, allowing it to reveal the worn and tearstained article. A broad smile and smirking ashen eyes greeted him.

And just like that.

Revolutionary Sabo formerly Outlook Sabo of Goa Kingdom formerly Sabo of the ASL trio, also known simply (and most importantly) as Sabo, younger twin brother of Portgas D. Ace and elder brother to Monkey D. Luffy—remembered that he had remembered.

An entire decade of memories swam around his brain and with it came the knowledge, the emotions, the dreams, and the promises of his childhood. The bonds of friendship and fraternity, or family and love resolidified themself as if they were never gone. And truly, had they ever been? His soul had recognized his brother. His spirit had cried out in agony and grief, even if it took the body a bit longer to catch up.

He remembered the farce of a family that he loathed…

He remembered the rabid hellspawn that became his best friend and partner in crime…

He remembered the joy and adventure of the jungles of Mt. Corvo…

He remembered the hyperactive ray of sunshine that came into their lives like a lightning bolt, changing them forever…

He remembered the bitterness and burn of sake going down his throat, even if in the end a deep sense of satisfaction remained…

He remembered the halcyon days of having everything he ever wanted and knowing exactly who he was…

He remembered the utter gut punch of having it all stripped from him and being forced to a life of imprisonment in order to save those he loved most…

He remembered the injustice of a burning city, rotten to its core…

He remembered the smell of cooked meat and realizing that it was him, and the feel of flames licking at his skin wanting to devour him…

He remembered the hope that his brothers would forgive him as his body succumbed to his wounds and a piece of wood was on course to smash into his skull…

He remembered it all.

Sabo felt his body begin to tremble, and his arms automatically curled around himself in an effort to self-comfort. In only seconds, a wave of anguish and grief slammed into him, and tears began to fall. Their well-worn tracts down his cheeks showed that the path was well-traveled.

Koala could only look on with a pained heart and a small amount of fear. She had never seen her friend and partner in this state before. And as much as it hurt to say–it scared her.

Sabo could be unruly and agonizing and aggravating, and at times, when he wanted to be, kind and lovable and charming. He was an excellent leader, brave, courageous, and true. Not afraid to get down and dirty, and could be extremely lethal if you crossed him, but was always someone everyone could look up to in any situation. When she had seen him break down in that hallway…and now shivering violently, his fiery eyes now hollow. It scared her down to her very depths.

It was so unfamiliar…so not like him…it was nearly anathema to his nature.

Or at least the side of his nature that she had known…

Hesitatingly, she reached out and touched his shoulder. He jerked before looking up at her as if just now noticing her presence. There was something in them now that she had never seen before.

"You've gotten your memories back, haven't you?"

Taking a few heavy breaths, Sabo swallowed a few times before trying to respond. Instead, he sputtered into coughs, his throat raw and ragged and clogged with disuse.

Hack poured some water into a glass and handed it to him. He didn't mention that the cup constantly shook in his grip. "You've been unconscious for several days now with a fever. We feared for you. One of us has been by your side every day, and Dragon has been here when we were not. The doctors could only guess that you had some form of mental break caused by some great shock. I…I'm going to guess it came from the news of the Paramount War."

Koala watched Sabo take a few swallows of water before attempting to place it on the nearby nightstand. However, his movements were so shaky that Koala slipped it from his hand and placed it there herself.

He didn't respond to this, his face was now shadowed by his long hair, his hand still holding tightly to the newspaper. His voice was like gravel when he finally spoke. His tone was as lifeless as everything else about him. "How long ago was the war?"

Koala looked up at Hack with helpless concern before responding. "It's been practically a week since it ended. You arrived here from a mission a day after its end and collapsed after reading the news. You've been in bed unconscious ever since with a fever that would come and go and just today finally broke."

She then heard a hollow laugh that only increased her fear as he whispered quietly, almost to himself "'A mission', huh? Of course, I was on a mission..it's always a mission."

Beginning to freak out and not being able to stand it anymore, she grabbed his arm, "Sabo, please talk to us! Tell us what's going on!"

She saw him take a deep breath as if to gather himself, but rather than reveal anything, she watched unhappily as he let one of his many masks slip into place.

The tears stopped flowing outwardly and his face calmed. His back straightened and a fake light smile appeared on his face. "I'm okay, Koala, stop worrying. And yes, my memories came back."

Koala smiled, tears gleaming in her own eyes, truly happy for him even if he didn't want to fully tell her everything. She knew that considering the inciting spark has been the article related to the death of FireFist Ace, she had to guess that Sabo had known the pirate in some way.

"I'm happy for you, Sabo. After all this time…. Y-You won't be leaving us, will you?" She asked hesitantly, not sure how the blond's newfound past would affect his current present.

For just an instant, a flash of resentment flared to life in those cerulean eyes, and Koala flinched at the anger she saw reflected there. But then just as quickly, the fire went out and the mask returned.

"No…I'm not quitting the revolutionaries, Koala." He then shifted over and looked up at Hack.

"I'm a bit hungry, Hack. Is it possible to get something to eat?"

The Fishman arched an eyebrow at his obviously strange behavior but nodded anyway, "I'll go let the doctor know you're up and see what they recommend after being unconscious for so long."

He glanced over at Koala for a moment, as if asking if she would be okay alone, but she simply nodded. Hack then sighed before heading out the door in search of the medic wing.

Koala turned back around to her friend, only for him to look back at her with a serious gaze. "Koala, can you find Dragon for me? I need to talk with him."

She looked at him surprised before thinking out loud, "Dragon? Umm…I'm actually not sure where he is. He has been staying near the compound since you collapsed. I'm pretty sure he was pretty worried about you. I guess I can go and call him."

She got up and headed to the door before swinging around with a chastising finger pointed at him. "And don't you even think of getting up! You haven't eaten since you fell out. You vomited your entire stomach up before that, and you just woke up after a fever. Stay in bed until the doctors arrive, understand?"

He smiled wrily up at her. "Yes, mom."

She grimaced at him, before heading out of the door to search and see if Dragon was in his office before she had to actually track him down via transponder.

A few seconds after she was gone, the mask slid off, and the calm mismatched azure eyes turned as dark and stormy as an evening thunderstorm.

Sabo slipped out of bed, one leg at a time, testing his weight with each. A bit of slight wavering once he was on his feet, but he'd pushed through worse. He whispered a quiet apology. "Sorry, Koala, but I didn't even obey my own mother. Though you are indeed better than she ever was."

Carefully tearing out the newspaper article, he folded it as carefully as he could and placed it in an inside pocket close to his chest. Quickly getting dressed in a simple shirt, pants, and boots, Sabo headed out of his bedroom with purpose. He didn't have time to sit around.

For once, the Revolution could wait.

Heading down the stairs in soundless footsteps, Sabo avoided all the crowded thoroughfares, not interested in meeting anyone at this moment. Coming to Baltigo's archives room, Sabo's icy eyes carried a determined glint as he concentrated on his chosen destination. Hardly anyone frequented here, and the blond was glad for the solitude as he began his task. Moving through the rows of ceiling-high file cabinets, he headed directly to the section the R.A. kept on piracy and the different pirate groups that it had tracked over the years.

The files on the Emperors of the Sea and their crews and affiliates came first, and then the other smaller players such as warlords came next, and then other big names before the tinier files on individual small-timers.

Sabo headed to the beginning, yanking open the many drawers on one Edward Newgate and his many commanders and an entire clan of crewmembers. Being the oldest of the emperors, with a long and varied history, the Whitebeards section in the files took up quite a number of sections. But that didn't deter him. Sabo could flick through files for what he desired to know with dizzying speed when needed. And right now, he needed more than he had anything else in his life.

With such astute concentration did he search, that it was actually two to three whole minutes before he gradually realized that he wasn't alone…

"Good evening, General." a smooth voice spoke up quietly.

He stiffened at first before pushing himself to relax and turn around to talk to the two revolutionaries he should have honestly expected to be down here.

Sitting casually at one of the study tables, covered with books, file folders, and a steeping tea set placed at the center on a tray, two men were watching him with quiet, shrewd eyes.

Darn it, he forgot those two always took their after-dinner tea or coffee in the archives room. Most never bothered to come down here, but those who did knew the two directors of their arms and tactics department had basically made a secondary unofficial office down here.

The man who had spoken, his hair more golden than blond with an almost unearthly luster that put his own locks to shame, smiled at him intelligently, his clear blue eyes displaying a keen edge. The other, a redhead, who sat to the right of him, also carried blue eyes that were a slightly darker shade. They held a more sympathetic light in them than his partner and best friend, but in his own way.

He actually stood up as Sabo turned his attention to them. "Commander, it's good to see you up and about again."

Sabo solemnly nodded to the blond, "Good evening, Reinhard." And then to the redhead, "You too, Kircheis. I remember you're the one who helped me before. Thank you."

Kircheis, being the one who had first reached their second-in-command, had witnessed most of the raw pain and anguish firsthand. His eyes became even softer as he shook his head. "I only wish there had been more that I could do, sir."

Sabo casually waved him off, "It's okay, thanks. You two don't mind me. I'll be out of your hair as soon as I find what I'm looking for."

The golden blond, Reinhard, gracefully stood up from his chair as well, before picking up a couple of files from off the table. "Already done, General."

Sabo frowned as the man walked up to him, handing him two medium-sized files. He looked down at them in confusion. "What?"

Reinhard spoke solemnly, "Everything we have on one Portgas D. Ace….or Gol D. Ace as the papers have taken to calling him now…whichever you prefer."

And just like that, once again the mask shattered, and Sabo looked at the man ruthlessly, his eyes turning into an unforgiving slate blue gray. The quiet of his voice was a warning. "Excuse me? What did you say?"

Neither man seemed troubled by his change in demeanor, in fact, they seemed to expect it. Kircheis came up from behind his partner and held out yet another file folder. This time, Sabo didn't move to take it.

"This is everything we could find on StrawHat Monkey D. Luffy."

Unbidden, Sabo reactively flinched at the name, but still pressed forward, "Why?"

This time Reinhard answered, traces of empathy lacing his tone. "We assumed you would be down here sooner than later, most likely the moment you woke up. It wasn't hard to figure out the trigger for what happened had been FireFist's death."

"FireFist was first heard of in the East Blue and the war confirmed that he is the adopted brother of StrawHat, who was also known to be the East Blue. In fact, considering that "the Fist" Vice-Admiral Monkey D. Garp is now known to be related to both our Commander-in-Chief and his son, it is well known that Garp hails from Dawn Island of the East Blue." Kircheis continued

The blond picked up the explanation, "So, it wasn't too much of a leap to deduce that FireFist Ace was most likely also from Dawn Island. And both he and StrawHat would have been children at just about the same time that you were discovered near death in Goa Kingdom, which is…"

"...on Dawn Island." The redhead finished.

He once again held out the file, and this time Sabo took it carefully.

Reinhard spoke softly this time, an affinity and true understanding for what Sabo was going through could be seen reflected in his own blue eyes, "We're so sorry, Commander….I know what it's like to lose a sibling."

Sabo felt the back of his throat choke up and he couldn't even be bothered to ask how the two had made the connection as to the true relationship that he, Ace, and Luffy had shared. The two weren't two of the smartest people in the R. A. for no reason. On one hand, he was perturbed that the two had had the audacity to stick their noses into his affairs. And yet, on the other hand, it was freeing to have someone understand exactly how he felt and that his insides felt like they had been torn to shreds, to understand the pain of his loss, without him having to go through the agony of explaining it.

Hugging the files to him, he could only whisper a quiet thank you to them. Reinhard nodded before quietly returning to his seat, though Kirchies paused taking out a video recording Cameko transponder snail from his pocket. Sabo knew what it was before he even handed it to him.

"This is a recording of all we could get of the war. It cuts in and out at times, but it should be clear enough for you."

He took it silently before nodding and moving away without a word. The redhead hadn't expected it and had gone back to his friend at the table. Sabo left the archives and took to the stairs two at a time, moving out a small window and outside the base.

Near a small copse of trees along the sheer facing of the cliffside was a large hollow in the rocks. Sometimes birds would make their nests there, but Sabo had long ago made the spot a small hidden getaway for himself when needed. Placing the files against his chest and the transponder in his pocket, he hopped off the side of the cliff, hanging onto the rocks with one hand, finding the footholds with his feet. Climbing down with only the crashing waves below, he climbed down to where the entrance was concealed.

Settling in out of the wind, he carefully set the files on his brothers down to go through afterward. He wanted to take his time going through them in detail later. For now, he had something else he needed to see.

It took him multiple tries before he was actually able to push the button, The desire to remain oblivious was strong, as if not seeing it on screen would somehow help him deny the truth. But Sabo was no coward, never had been. And he…

He deserved the pain. The naked, raw truth of what had happened to his brother. Ace deserved at least that, and he had already wronged his twin in so many ways that nothing on earth could ever make up for it.

And then there was Lu, whom his brother had dutifully fulfilled his promise, protecting and raising their little brother on his own. Their Luffy, who had grown into a powerhouse pirate and had become a rising supernova that had challenged the world government itself from what he remembered.

Luffy had been at the Paramount War.

He remembered that from the newspaper article.

Of course, he had been. Luffy had always been strong of heart and strong of feeling, even if he sometimes wore those feelings on his non-existent sleeves. Luffy would never have been able to stand by if he knew Ace was in danger. (Not like you.) Luffy had been there and had seen everything. And what had happened to Lu anyway?

Luffy had to be okay. He just had to be.

And because he had to be, Sabo was the only big brother he would have left. Even if Luffy never wanted to see or talk to him again, he wanted to at least still be there to watch him from afar. He had to take up the position he had so callously tossed aside when he had chosen to give up and forget his brothers entirely, to the point where one had to DIE to give him a wake-up call.

He would never be able to face his little brother again if he couldn't even look at the same horrors that Lu had seen. He would never be able to face Ace in the afterlife if he couldn't even watch him in his last moments.

It was that deciding factor that finally made him push play.

When the footage ended, Sabo didn't even have the strength to move to turn it off.

He wanted to throw up, though because he had nothing in his stomach, he could only dry heave in reaction to all he had seen and heard. Of course, he was no stranger to violence and war, he found himself on the battlefield nearly every other week. But this was different. This had been personal.

Watching Ace, the man he had grown into, kneeling there at his lowest point, his every fear coming true as his father's sins were laid at his feet. He shared in his twin's desperation, in his despair, and in his humiliation. He felt his brother's fear when he watched Luffy arrive on the scene in the most dangerous ridiculous way possible. (He had gotten so big!) But had also surprisingly laughed at the kid's answer for why he had come. He agreed with Luffy, even after all these years, Ace was still an idiot when it came to accepting acceptance.

His chest and stomach had risen and dropped so many times throughout the footage of the broadcast. He felt hollowed out by the time he reached near the end. He was numb, his eyes glassy, in his head it almost moved in slow motion as he watched Ace shove Luffy away, taking the hit for him that even he could see was lethal the moment it had begun.

His soul screamed as he watched his little brother gather Ace's body to him, as the man lay dying in his arms. It was one thing to read it, but quite another to actually see it happen.

It didn't seem to hurt any less the second time…

There was so much whirling around his mind and among his emotions that it was hard to pin down any one specific thing. Instead, Sabo could only just watch on, practically detached from everything else happening on screen.

Poor Lu…

Who seemed to have gone through something similar, went comatose in the middle of the battle, his entire body just shutting down. And even he had not gotten away unscathed, facing the same hatred and punishment Ace had, persecuted simply from the blood that ran through his veins.

When it was all over, Sabo took several breaths in an attempt to compartmentalize and reorganize his thoughts and feelings.

Grief? Yeah, there was a ton of that.

Denial? He hadn't even really gotten a chance to experience that. It had come and gone around the time of him so violently regaining his memories back.

No, right now he could already feel himself quite solidly in the hold of building pure anger.

Anger at the World Government for all their deceit and lies and for making a spectacle out of his brother's death simply to try to get a step up on a fight that would never be won.

Anger at Akainu, the bastard who had murdered his brother and hurt his little brother to the point that the boy would carry physical and mental scars for the rest of his life.

Anger at the Navy for this entire farce, at Sengoku for using his brother as leverage, and at Garp, the navy dog who constantly insisted they call him "gramps" and yet would not lift a finger to do a damn thing, even as the boy he had supposedly "raised" died right in front of him.

Anger at Whitebeard Pirates, who for all their declarations of strength and family, hadn't been able to protect their youngest from harm.

Anger at the world who continued to condone the actions of the World Government and the Navy that supported them. That could condemn Ace without ever getting a chance to know him, for pushing his strong and brave and heart-wounded brother, to fear and fight against the smallest bit of warmth and love.

Anger at Ace himself for being so obstinate and headstrong and for getting himself in that situation in the first place. For still not being able to run even when it was the smartest choice and his friends and family begged him to. For not learning how to use freaking armament haki!

But the one he blamed and was angry at the most?

Himself…

"How did you make the sibling connection?"

Reinhard looked up at his best friend and right hand before giving a light shrug in response. "You saw him in that hallway did you not, Kircheis?"

His own eyes gained a shadowed hollow gaze, "One who has gone through the same completely consuming grief and pain, can recognize it in another."

Kircheis felt that same old phantom anguish at the great loss that the two of them shared. "Indeed….you made the connection once you found out about Dawn Island."

The blond shook his head, "On the contrary, I knew that the General and FireFist were brothers almost immediately. I simply worked backward from there."

The sound of running footsteps can towards them and while both could tell who it was using observation, they really didn't even need to. Both had suspected that the man might return.

The Chief of Staff, Sabo, came running back into the room only stopping, once he was in front of their table. They both sat up and waited until their CO had caught his breath.

After a few moments, Reinhard asked, "Did you need something more, General?"

This time when he looked up at him, there was a blazing inferno of rage burning deeply and coldly within those ice-blue orbs. His voice was deceptively cordial, even if his tone was barely above cutting. "Are you two doing anything right now?"

Kircheis sighed before standing up. He already knew where this was going. "No, we're currently free."

Sabo grinned ferociously, "Are you up for a late-night training session?"

The two men looked at each other, silent communication going back and forth between them for a moment before Reinhard responded.

"We'll meet you in 10."

When Koala led him to an empty bedroom, its occupant having suddenly vanished, Dragon wasn't all that surprised.

What Sabo was currently going through was not some trifling thing, and he wouldn't be surprised if the boy had gone off on his own to trudge his way through it all. Having his memories back after all this time would be a traumatic experience in and of itself, but Dragon had a feeling that the inciting incident—Portgas D. Ace's death—was also an extremely important factor.

"I can't believe this! He promised to stay here! That stupid liar!" Koala screeched in anger at the sight of the empty bed.

The man stopped the girl before she could start a manhunt for his wayward second. "Let him go, Koala. He's got to deal with things on his own right now. He's got a lot going on and he needs space. If he hasn't keeled over from exhaustion by the time he turns up again, then send him over to my office."

Sighing, the young woman looked about sadly, "Yes, sir."

Dragon left her to her thoughts, knowing she was unused to dealing with these changes in her partner and the worry they were causing.

He also worried over his charge, he'd watched Sabo grow from childhood to man in the last decade. He'd observed him find different forms of happiness and pain, change and mature, developing over the years, guiding him and teaching him as he grew. Remembering when had first met the boy crying out in anguish in Goa kingdom and instantly feeling a kindred spirit within him. It was not lost on him that Sabo wasn't much older than his actual son would be right about now, and that while he attempted to maintain the distinction of superior and subordinate, even he knew that his repressed paternal instincts were showing themselves without his express consent.

When he had seen Sabo falling apart in that hallway, breaking in a way he had never seen him. He knew something had changed forever in the man. Like Koala, he was deeply troubled, but unlike her, he knew what abject grief looked like. He had experienced it himself more than once. He knew there would be a time to talk, a time to comfort, and a time to come to grips with the situation.

For right now, it was time for the boy to process, and he wouldn't be able to do that if he was overcrowded by others. There was of course the fact that the kid could end up letting his sorrow bring him to do something dangerous, but they'd try to deal with that when it came.

Dragon wandered the dark paths of the compound, many of the personnel asleep for the night. His thoughts went to many different things that were on his mind. He had gotten calls from Iva recently and had been brought up to speed on his status, as well as Kuma's, and that of his son. Thoughts of Luffy, brought back other thoughts about Sabo, that night in Goa Kingdom, and the death of the man who was at the center of both, Portgas D. Ace.

He had known years ago that his father had taken in the son of the Pirate King. It had given him the inspiration to hide his own son on Dawn Island for his protection. He often kept his own tabs on Luffy every few years throughout his childhood. So, he had known of the connection between Luffy and Ace for a while, but now the question was, where did Sabo fit in?

He could probably ask his old man, but seeing as they had been estranged for years, it would be a bit awkward. He usually had his own independent sources when it came to check up on his son. And with that reminder, he was beginning to be worried about the one he had asked to watch over him during the war. Lily and Schaden were trained enough to take care of themselves, but this had been their first mission, and he had been hesitant about sending either of them out.

Lily's abilities alone put a huge target on her back, not just of the world government, but from any group or organization that would seek to use and abuse her. He could himself see the vastness of potential within her power and so not wanting to fall into the same trap, allowed Lily to have carte blanche on what she wanted to utilize her abilities on, only calling on her in extreme situations. Schaden's species had also been hunted to near-extinction by the government, and he too was wanted for his power and abilities, though he had a much easier time escaping pursuers when needed.

Neither of the two had checked in since the war as far as he knew, which worried him. He had been busy in the last few days, and generally, it wasn't protocol, but perhaps it was time to risk contact.

That thought brought him to the communications room and over to Sabo's desk as he would be the one with his direct subordinates' codes and current transponder numbers. He was about to search for them when his keen eyes caught on something that had been placed on his desk. It was a small piece of paper in Koala's handwriting.

~White Egret and Black Heron had to leave the roost and are on their way back to the nest. Seems to have run into a little flight trouble, but they are fluttering fine for now. They would like to get together for coffee at your next available convenience.~

Translating the code in his head (never could be too careful when you had the possibility of a paper trail), he wasn't surprised that Lily and Schaden had to abandon their positions, in fact, he had expected it and had advised them to do so if it became unavoidable. He was glad they had been able to check in, though he was concerned about what kind of trouble they were having in returning that didn't seem to require any help from a retrieval team. They had asked for Sabo to get in contact with them ASAP, but of course with everything that had happened since, the communique had probably been forgotten and Sabo had been in no position to respond.

Finding the codes and numbers for them, he was about to head to his office in order to contact them, when he heard the sound of hurrying footsteps and calls for his name.

Koala came around the corner skidding to stop when she saw him, only to rush up to him in alarm. "Dragon!"

"Calm yourself, Koala, and stop shouting. I'm right here. What's the matter?" He responded coolly. If he had to guess, his wayward second had turned back up.

The girl looked up at him in dismay, though she did quiet her voice down into a loud whisper. "It's Sabo, sir!"

He simply stood silently waiting for her to expound.

He didn't have to wait long.

"Sir! He…he's on the training grounds—with the Binary Stars!" she looked up at him in panic.

He frowned at her words in an attempt of trying to understand what she was saying. "With the Binary Stars? Right now?"

She nodded rapidly.

"And they're currently training now? In the middle of the night?"

Again a rapid nod.

"But why—"

He faltered to a stop mid-sentence as his brain was struggling to comprehend the situation. Why would Sabo be training now, and with the Binary Stars, no less? No one purposefully volunteered to train with those two. It was equitable to having a death wish.

What in the world had possessed Sabo to do such a….

A dark shadow came over Dragon's visage as comprehension began to dawn on him. Slipping the note and numbers regarding Lily and Schaden into his pocket, he marched off toward a nearby window.

He spoke to Koala evenly even as he opened it, "I'll take care of this. Go to the medic center and wake the attending physician and inform them they are to make room for a patient."

Koala looked at him in question, "Sir?"

"They're about to have a long-term resident for the current foreseeable future." Dragon ground out menacingly before taking to the wind and shadow, disappearing from sight.

A/N:

Okay, wow! this one took a lot out of me. To be honest, this was originally all one big chapter but I realized it was just way too big and so much was going on, so I had to make it two parts.

So, Luffy is awake! Sort of. And Sabo is awake! But he's pissed and he's beating himself up pretty badly. Poor things, I really hate to make them suffer so. However, the dark always has to come before the dawn boys.

One thing to note is that so far, while I tried to let all the canon events continue to play out along the same lines as the original while also having the new alternate parts of the story still there, I did have to change Sabo's awakening scene quite a bit.

He's actually been asleep here for longer than 3 days, more like 5 or 6 in this timeline. Also, I decided to lean away from the comedy angle of his original awakening scene and give him a more involved, darker experience, especially considering how his mind basically shattered prior to him getting his memories back.

One last thing that I wanted to touch on was the Binary Stars aka Kircheis and Reinhard. As much as I would love to own these characters, I am actually borrowing them from Yoshiki Tanaka and his masterpiece, Legend of the Galactic Heroes.

When writing the scenes of the Revolutionary Army, I suddenly got the inspiration to include these two characters as I thought they would fit so well. Their stories have been changed and their characters tweaked enough to basically make them semi-original characters, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention their origin.

If you've never heard of them or haven't seen LoGH, first make sure you correct that mistake, and second, don't worry about it. You won't have to do any kind of homework for this. This isn't a crossover or anything. (For those of you in the know, if you're curious as to their design, they look like a slightly rougher, more unkempt version of how these two characters originally looked in their training days.)

Alright, that's part 1, see you later for part 2. I love seeing all your comments and reviews! Thanks all!