One night I had a dream.

I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord..
Across the sky flashed scenes from my life..
For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand,
one belonging to me, and the other to the Lord..

When the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life
There was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in my life.

This really troubled me, so I asked the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said once I decided to follow you,
You'd walk with me all the way.
But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life,
There was only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed You the most, You would leave me."

The Lord replied:
"My precious child, I love you and would never leave you.
During your times of trial and suffering,
When you see only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."

-Mary Stevenson

Chapter 28 - Footprints in the Sand

Sometime Earlier

Ace had been training his muscles and his haki for the last few days while in Styx, and he was pretty sure that he was getting much better at it too.

However.

Right now?

He wished he had stayed in bed.

Darn that old man's training regimen! He knew it was going to be hard, but his body was currently screaming at him! And he didn't think his stamina could keep his haki up for one more step.

He had all but collapsed against a large tree in the forest, his lungs were on fire and pools of sweat had begun leaking from off his brow.

He had been completely exhausted. So much so that he had inexplicably fallen prey to his narcolepsy. Because it turned out that the unknown "hungover pirate" he thought he had been talking to all this time, just so happened to be the ghostly vision of his long lost dead younger twin brother.

Man, he really must have been tired…

It had stunned him at first. He hadn't realized he'd fallen asleep. Just simply talking to some poor sloshed guy on the other side of the tree.

He hadn't recognized his brother's voice.

It was funny, but he'd never imagined Sabo growing up. Never imagined him actually living on and becoming an adult. In his mind, he was still the gap-toothed, fast-talking, 10-year-old boy he remembered from the last time they had ever seen each other.

Yet, the voice that cheekily spoke, word for word, the same proposition that had been a turning point in their relationship—had been that of a man. One that seemed to exude more confidence, possessing an air of maturity, strength, and experience, than the boy had ever had.

It filled Ace with pride. Heaven had done wonders for his brother it seemed.

Made sense, but he had never really thought of people actually being able to grow up there. He wished he could actually see what he looked like. Though, he was afraid that if he made any sudden moves, the spell would break.

It had been a bit surprising when he thought back on it, that Sabo had not been there when he was "dead". His mother, father, Pops—but no Bo?

The reasons why had circled his brain on more than one occasion since he had woken back up. He had tried not to think about it, but the obvious absence had never truly left his mind.

So in a way, this was a chance that he'd wanted for a long time. A chance he had thought he'd missed and hadn't dreamed he would get again. Who knew that his narcolepsy would be good for something other than other people's amusement?

Sabo laughed, a depth and richness that hadn't been there before accompanying it. "'I see'? That's all you have to say?"

It had been a decade since they'd spoken, and yet he was able to immediately pick up on the hesitation and nervousness hidden in his brother's voice. Sabo was as nervous about this meeting as he was.

Ace attempted to halfheartedly lighten the situation, "Well you were always the one who was better with words than me."

It worked a tiny bit as his voice relaxed just a little. "Hmm, so you say…I've heard you got much better with your words. The feral alley cat learned some manners it seems."

Ace fell into easy conversation, "Hmph, of course I did. I had to thank Shanks for what he did. I also had to be a good influence for Luffy after you…"

He stopped, the old pain flaring up in his chest, the gravity of the situation and the full impact of who he was actually talking to, beginning to sink in.

"...after I left you…you mean?" Sabo whispered back hollowly.

A heavy atmosphere of guilt and tension surrounded them and Ace was surprised that it seemed to be coming not just from him. What was Sabo feeling guilty about? It wasn't like he had asked to be killed by a celestial douche bag.

"I didn't mean it like that, 'Bo. It wasn't your fault."

It had been his fault for letting Sabo go in the first place…for letting him go and allowing him to think he was all alone…

When his brother didn't respond, Ace sighed before leaning his head back against the tree, the wood pulling at his ebon strands.

"I honestly didn't think you'd come talk to me…that you were mad at me. At the time I didn't notice, but then I thought maybe…maybe you didn't come, because you were paying me back."

He seemed to sense his brother's spirit startle at the words. When he spoke, his words were heavy with emotion. "Why would I be mad at you? Ace…if I had known, I–I would have been there! I swear I would have been right by your side! You have to believe that…"

It was a relief to hear that his brother hadn't been punishing him by not showing up when Ace had been in the spirit before with the rest of his family, but he was surprised at the tears that were coloring his twin's words and instinctively reached backwards around the tree with his hand. He didn't know if he was allowed to see Sabo right now in the spirit realm, and he couldn't move his body anymore now, then he could when was awake. But he still wanted to instinctively comfort his little brother as well as he could.

He shushed him, similar to how he had comforted and quieted Luffy yesterday, "Hey…Hey, it's okay. You're here now, and that's what's important."

But it seemed Bo was a lot harder to calm than even their stubborn little sunspot. "Would you stop it! Stop being so….SO…so nice ! Yell at me! Blame me! It was my fault for not being there! I'm—"

Ace cut him off, his fingers curling up into the dirt. "I'M SORRY!"

The outburst shocked Sabo into silence, and as planned, Ace made use of it. He hadn't gotten a chance to tell his mom everything he had wanted to say to her when he "died", he wasn't going to waste this opportunity with Sabo. He didn't know how long it was going to last or if he would ever have it again!

His silver eyes shut tightly as he continued to speak, his own voice shuttering with restrained emotion. "I'm sorry! It was my fault. If…If I had just been strong enough…if I hadn't been such a stubborn, hate-filled idiot! I should have come back for you! I should have never let you deal with your damn family on your own!"

When he had told Luffy that he had believed Bluejam's words, it had been the first time he had ever admitted to anyone how vulnerable he had felt after his twin had left.

He'd hinted as much to Ange, and when he was a kid he was loath to admit it, but he had been lost without his brother's steady guiding presence. He had been the leader of their little trio sure, but Sabo had been just as much his partner and his confidante. Without him, he had felt out of balance, practically lopsided.

It had pissed him off to no end! Why was Sabo allowed to just be fine with his new fancy-shmancy family, and he was left adrift, alone, to pick up the pieces?

But then Sabo was gone. Not just gone, but gone gone. Gone forever. And he realized after he had read his brother's letter, how the blond had been just as lost as he was. In fact, probably worse since he had at least had Luffy and the relative freedom of the jungle.

Sabo had had none of that. And when his twin had needed him the most, he hadn't been there.

As his brothers would say, if he hadn't been too far into his own head, he would have figured out some way to bring Sabo home, to at least get him out of the horrible prison he had been trapped in. Done something so that his brother wouldn't have had to resort to such desperate measures!

He had failed his brother, and for 10 years, that guilt had hung on him, another millstone around his already burdened neck. This was actually his chance to finally apologize properly, to try to lighten a bit of that burden, and hopefully receive his brother's forgiveness in return.

He felt the darn tears once again prick at the corners of his eyes. "Back then, I was angry that you left us…abandoned us. But I realized once you were…gone…that it was the other way around. I abandoned you. I'm so, so sorry… Can you?…can you find some way to forgive me, 'Bo?"

The silence that followed his plea was deafening. It seemed to stretch on indefinitely, making Ace feel more and more uncomfortable and exposed. If it wasn't for the fact that he was attuned to the spirit of his brother's presence, he would have thought the man had gone, leaving his question unheard.

However, when he finally spoke up. It wasn't the response he expected.

In a tone of complete bewilderment Sabo returned, "What the heck are you talking about?"

Back Aboard the Polar Tang

Rayleigh yawned as he exited his room and stretched, making his way down the hall. It didn't usually take him much more than a few hours nap and half an aspirin to get over any hangover, and it was about time he went and checked in on his brats. Both of them were way more trouble than it was worth, but he found he didn't mind.

At his age, you tended to appreciate the twists and turns almost as much, if not more so, than the steady and expected. And honestly, it would just be plain dull otherwise.

The younger D. should be still out for the count and healing, while the elder—if he had obeyed his instructions—should be completely exhausted somewhere in the jungles inland of the cove.

Checking in the sickbay's OR, he saw that indeed Luffy was still where he had left him last night. The kid was resting in his unconsciousness, which in a way was a good thing since the kid would inevitably aggravate his body if he woke up too early and was left to his own devices.

The kid wouldn't sleep for long though, it just wasn't in him… And he had to be prepared for what was going to come next.

The government was still a problem and was going to come after the both of them, and he had yet to hear back from Shanks about what was going on on his front. They needed to approach the two boys about their futures.

He wasn't too concerned about Luffy. The kid was pretty easy to read, and he would have to deal with him in a different way than he did with Ace, but he was pretty aware of what Luffy's goals were and therefore what his response to the offer of haki training would be. He would have his pride of course, and he would be concerned about his crew, but if he understood the warlord/revolutionary Kuma's strategy well enough, as well as the nature of the rest of Luffy's crew, everything would fall into place accordingly.

Turning away from the doorway, he was about to ask Marco about the kid's status so that he could give an accurate report to Ace—only to find the man wasn't there.

Glancing about the empty room and the abandoned cold coffee and paper left on the table, he frowned in annoyance. If Ace had asked the Phoenix to watch over his brother, Marco wouldn't abandon such a task unless it was an emergency. Maybe he was taking a leak?

Using observation, he checked for the blond only to be surprised that the man was now pretty far away on the other side of the ship. And even more strange was the fact that Schaden and Lily were with him and Trafalgar and the mink were nearby. There was a torrent of fear, hesitation, anger, and despair hanging over that entire area and he frowned with concern. What has happened now?

Ray turned around to go and investigate the situation hoping they hadn't somehow added even more complications to the ones they had already brought with them. He wasn't all that concerned with Trafalgar or Marco as they could handle most things, but he was indebted to the missy and he knew both Shanks and Ace would be upset if anything happened to her, and so she took up most of his notice.

As he made his way toward the aft of the ship, he scanned over the island, looking for Ace in order to make a note of where he was and his situation.

It didn't take him long to find the brat. He was about where he expected, having gotten actually a bit farther than his initial goal. He was a good few miles inland and seemed to be stationary, so he was either resting, or more than likely, had collapsed.

He smiled—good. The kid could use the challenge. He was woefully unpracticed where haki was concerned. This was good for now. He wouldn't have him overdo it of course. He was still healing and—

The Dark King stopped in his tracks.

It had only shown up in his periphery for a moment.

A presence that wavered for a second before becoming distorted and smothered—a tell-tale sign that whoever it was, was trying to hide their presence.

This fact alone set off alarm bells, but on top of that, the person–in that split second–showed a malevolence, a coldness, and a vicious, murderous intent that immediately had him changing targets once again.

That presence hadn't been far from Ace.

And now that he was looking closer, the boy was surrounded by a vague cloud of similar distorted space that spelled nothing but more trouble. And unless a bunch of Kuja hadn't gotten the memo, it meant that they had intruders on the island.

And Ace was very much completely vulnerable…

Changing trajectories to the operating room rather than wasting time and going back to get his own weapon from his room. Rayleigh dunked back into the OR and grabbed Trafalgar's sword that had been left near the hospital bedside. It crackled a bit through him at first, but he quickly willed the thing to calm down.

A cursed blade, huh? Nice.

"I'm only borrowing you for a bit, you'll be back with your master soon enough." He murmured soothingly before hefting the odachi against his shoulder. He usually didn't like such an unwieldy blade, but he could make it work.

As he swiftly left the room he almost immediately ran into Jinbe who was coming in from a morning swim. The fishman quickly moved aside even as the older man sidestepped around him, sensing that the man was on the warpath.

"What's wrong? What happened this time?"

Ray didn't stop to explain but rather pointed back to where Luffy slept. "Look after Luffy, I'll be back."

Jinbe looked over at the sleeping teen, "Of course, but where did Ace go—"

Before he could even finish the question, the man had already vanished.

Back in the Amazon Jungle

Sabo couldn't believe his own psyche. Was his brother always an idiot? Why in the world would he blame himself for—nevermind. Perhaps his mind remembered Ace's nature a little too accurately.

"Ace, forgive you for what? You have nothing to apologize for. We were just kids back then. Scared, stubborn kids trying to survive however we could. I ran from my family because I was too weak to stand up to them. Even after having been away from them for five years, I still wasn't strong enough, but by then I had you! I had Luffy! I had something to protect…I had something to lose. That was why I left."

His voice hitched at the memory of seeing weapons trained on his brothers, the only things in the world that were truly precious to him.

A decade later he would have been able to fight back with ease. He was an excellent sharpshooter, an expert in hand-to-hand combat, and a master at armament and observation haki. Fighting back against his father and his goons would have been less than child's play. But back then…

"The only way I could protect you guys was to use myself as a bargaining chip. I wasn't strong enough then…"

He heard the elder try to interject. "But I—!"

"You weren't strong enough either!" The blond shut that down before his brother could even try it.

"We were both kids, Ace. Yes, you were plenty strong. Yes, you were always the protector. But you weren't bulletproof, Ace. You didn't have a devil fruit or haki or anything like that yet. If you had fought back, or if somehow we escaped, they would have found us eventually. My bastard father would have never stopped once he was on my trail. He would have used you two, both you and Luffy would have been captured or killed and do you think I could have survived that? Huh?!"

"Sabo…" Ace whispered falteringly.

Currently having lost one of his brothers was enough to turn his entire world upside down and send it through a meat-grinder as it was. Losing both of them when he was only 10 years old? He didn't think he would have survived it.

"It would have crushed me! Even my freedom wasn't worth that!" His voice cracked with emotion as he tried to explain his actions from all those years ago. He never wanted his brothers to blame themselves for their separation, but it was the most likely thing for his twin to do.

Ace always blamed himself. He had to for some sad, horrible reason that Sabo had understood, but always had tried to combat without fail. Even now.

"You really mean that…"

His brother sounded so incredulous, so surprised, and yet sad. Once again probably blaming himself for not doing more, for him having been put in that situation. And so Sabo went back into his role he had once been so used to.

"Of course. My freedom will always be second to you and Luffy. Always.", If he could have given his life in exchange for Ace's on that scaffolding, if he could have traded his life for his, he would have done it in a heartbeat.

"Leaving you both was the hardest choice of my life. But it was my choice, my burden to bear. You have always been strong Ace, so much stronger than you realize. Strong enough to carry burdens that were never yours to carry. This one is mine."

And he meant not just the one of giving himself up to Outlook and his minions, but also the burden of having abandoned them, the burden of forgetting them, the burden of letting his twin die…

They were onuses he would have to carry for the rest of his life.

Ace's eyes widened in shock as he processed what his brother was saying. Tears welled as he listened to his brother's strong, heartfelt argument. On one hand, he still wanted to refute Sabo's words, that he should have been enough to carry it all, but his words to Luffy earlier stopped him.

He couldn't do everything. He was only human. It was a hard pill to swallow, but he forced himself to choke it down.

And on the other hand, he hadn't realized how much he had needed to hear those words of absolution. It was like a weight had been lifted off his chest. The idea that Sabo had never blamed him, even though he had every right to…

But that was Sabo. He'd always made sense of things. He always understood—even when he himself did not.

"I missed you, ya know." He spoke quietly. "Even after you were…gone…we never stopped thinking about you. The amount of times that I asked myself 'what would Sabo do?' you wouldn't believe. We'd fight and I'd hear your voice telling me to 'be the bigger person'. Lu would get on my last nerve and you'd say, 'be patient'. I'd be tempted to…to go back to those taverns and get into another fight and your voice would stop me, telling me how I couldn't afford to be such an idiot anymore, that Lu needed me."

There was silence on his brother's side, but Ace was okay with that. He just needed to get this off his chest.

He gave a small affectionate laugh, "It's like when we were walking barefoot in the sand and Lu kept trying to trace our footprints?"

This time Sabo gave a small huff of laughter too. "He loved doing that."

He smiled, "Yeah, he couldn't go in the water and we had to keep him from getting washed away by the surf, and half the time it was one of us having to carry him…but it was always the both of us, two sets of footprints side by side. And then…you were gone, and it became only one pair. One set of footprints making this path through the sand…"

He paused as he was trying to get his emotions together and Sabo tried to interject contritely, "Ace, I…"

But like before Ace cut him off. "'Bo. Leave it."

He knew Sabo felt bad for leaving them, but if it couldn't be Ace's fault, it definitely wasn't Sabo's fault either. And this wasn't the time for an unending circle of blame anyway.

Besides…his little brother was wrong.

He continued with what he'd been trying to say before. "This is going to sound kinda sappy, but…even though it was only one set of footprints in the sand, it never felt like you left. You were with me every step of the way. I began to think that maybe…maybe that single set of footprints weren't mine at all. They were yours…from all the times you carried us—especially me—through everything."

Tears streamed down his face and he could sense Sabo crying as well, even though not a single sound could be heard from either.

After a while Sabo gave a choked laugh, "You're right…"

He smiled despite the heartache, "Glad to hear you finally admit it."

"…that was pretty sappy."

Oh brother...

And of course, his twin couldn't just leave it at that.

"And since when were you so articulate?"

"Uh…always?"

"Right…your vocabulary was basically 90% swear words and the rest was relegated to words about food and pirates."

"Oh come on, I've gotten a lot better!"

"How exactly?"

"…lessons…and reading…?"

"You can read?"

"Oh come on!" The raven rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Ha, ha. I'm pretty well read now, ya blond jerk. Trying to have a nice moment here!"

All he got was tittering laughter in return. See, this is what he gets for being nice, opening up, and giving the dolt a compliment!

But as Ace listened to Sabo's laughter, he heard it slowly transform into uncontrollable sobs. The sound echoed throughout the area, raw and heart-wrenching.

"I…sob…I missed you so much," Sabo choked out between broken cries. His voice cracked and faltered, but his words were filled with genuine emotion.

And with that, all was forgiven. Ace just wanted to take his little brother into his arms again, just like the other small one he had had to comfort yesterday. Even with the risk that Sabo's ghost might vanish the moment he came in contact, he'd be willing to still try if it meant that for the first time in—well? ever—that he could embrace his long lost sibling.

His body once again wouldn't move though, just like earlier, so he could only reach his arm around the tree trunk and hope that his presence would be enough. He could almost feel the presence and heat from his brother's own hand near his fingertips.

He gritted his teeth in anguish. He shook his head realizing how foolish he was.

It was hard to remember that this meeting was only temporary and Sabo wasn't alive and would vanish once again.

He was with him in spirit, and probably always would be. But he wouldn't be able to meet Ange or Rayleigh or Marco or any of his friends. He still wouldn't be able to go drinking with him. They couldn't go adventuring or stealing treasure together, or fight against the odds side by side again. He wouldn't physically be there with him to watch Lu become the Pirate King and achieve his dreams.

He took a deep shuddering breath before breathing it out again.

In general, it was going to be pretty hard to wake up to reality after a dream like this.

The two figures sat together, two brothers sitting in silence beneath the canopy of green leaves. One with tears threatening to spill down their face, the other with his hand tightly pressed against his mouth in an attempt to silence his cries. The trees around them stood tall and still, their leaves rustling gently in the breeze. A moment cut out of time for just the two of them.

Ace took a deep breath to steady himself, wiping the traces of tears from his eyes and sighed before looking ahead into the jungle. He had of course expected to see more of the lush greenery stretching before him.

Only to be startled to see that he was no longer alone!

There, among the woods, a familiar figure stood silent and still. The look on Rayleigh's expression was stalwart and determined, not a bit of the usual levity. The silver-haired swordsman put a finger to his lips, motioning for Ace to stay quiet before beckoning him over slowly.

Ace is surprised to see Rayleigh here in this dreamscape, wondering what he could want? He feels no fear towards Rayleigh, but he was totally confused at his sudden appearance. Why would the old man be here in this place between life and death? How did he get here?

There is a shift in the air, a certain ominous feeling overcoming Ace as he realized something was amiss. Something wasn't making sense. Rayleigh…Sabo…as far as he knew these two pillars in his life had never met each other or been in his life at the same time. So what was one doing here in his dream reunion with the other?

A cold vise came around his heart for a moment at the thought of something having happened to the veteran pirate while he had been asleep. Echoes of the pangs of heartache he had felt when he had first discovered what had happened to Pops' after his own "death".

But he soothed his panic with the memory of the fact that there had been no immediate danger when he had fallen victim to his narcolepsy, and Ray was one of the strongest people he'd ever met. He wouldn't fall easily.

Pops was the strongest and he fell…

Shut up.

Anyway, it made no sense for that to have happened. Rayleigh seemed to be trying to get his attention and was utilizing stealth and haki to keep out of sight. Why the heck would he do that if he was simply greeting him from the afterlife?

Settling that in his mind, Ace wasn't able to move over to where the old man was in any case. He was about to just say so, but Rayleigh seemed to realize that and instead just emphasized with hand motions for him to be silent and wait. The man shifted back into the forest before completely vanishing into the shadows.

Baffled and disoriented, Ace shifted his gaze from the forest to the presence of his twin on the other side of the tree. Despite being separated by the massive trunk, he could still hear Sabo's muffled tears, and he seemed completely unaware of Rayleigh's presence.

Sabo was still here.

But so was Rayleigh.

Ace's heart began to race as he scanned the surrounding forest, keeping one eye on the towering tree behind him. A sense of unease and fear settled in the pit of his stomach, replacing the earlier feeling of contentment. What was happening? What in the world was going on?

He only had a few seconds to think about it before everything exploded once again into chaos…

Sabo's heart was torn in two. Getting a chance to "talk" to Ace again…to laugh with him, to banter and vex each other again…to cry together…

On one hand, he was overjoyed to have this strange chance to reconnect and reminisce about their childhood days together. But on the other hand, it was a painful reminder of all the time they had lost, the memories that could have been made if only fate had been kinder.

On one hand, it felt like they had never been apart, but on the other, this Ace was so different from the one he remembered.

This new version of Ace was filled with the same passion and stubbornness but had also matured with a newfound eloquence and depth.

He couldn't help but feel conflicted as he listened to Ace talk about how he had "always been there for them", even after their sudden separation. The guilt of not being able to protect his brother and the regret of not being able to grow up alongside him gnawed at Sabo's heart, making this "reunion" even more bittersweet.

Every word he was saying to him drove a knife further and further into his heart.

Footsteps in sand?

With him through everything?

Carried him through?

How could his brother say that to him while knowing that he hadn't given them a single thought in the last 10 years?!

How could he be so accepting, so forgiving…so loving…when by his absence, he had let his twin die?

Before, during those lonely nights tormented by nightmares, he had always heard Ace's voice calling out hazily venomous accusations and hateful scorn. It had been only what he deserved, but during those times his brother had been a faint whisper, a vague figment.

Yet now, when his brother was the clearest his visions had ever been—the man didn't treat him how he deserved. No, he acted as if it was his fault. He didn't even mention Sabo's faults, didn't even allow it!

He only spoke about footprints, and sand, and camaraderie, and family…

He acted as if he felt no resentment towards him.

As if he had already let bygones be bygones and his sins had been washed away—as if it had never been there in the first place!

It was at the same time, something he loathed, He didn't deserve his forgiveness! and yet something he wanted more than anything…

Sigh…

But Sabo also remembered that this wasn't real. So perhaps it was a good thing that this all seemed too good to be true?

This Ace, this reunion, it was all an illusion created by his troubled mind. It was a manifestation of his shame, regret, and longing for his twin brother. But he still didn't care.

He couldn't help but feel like he was walking on thin ice. Any wrong step or word could shatter this spell and bring him back to reality. And yet, he couldn't resist indulging.

Maybe he was going insane?

It wasn't something he had ever thought would happen, but Koala had always said he could act a little unhinged. Also his bastard of a father and his bitch of a mother had been quite loony…perhaps it had just taken time for it to truly sprout up in—

Whosshh…

.

.

.

.

It was a testament to his training that he was able to react as fast as he did.

Before he even realized it, his body had already reacted to the movement of air and a subtle glint of steel that caught his eye at the last second.

One moment he was sitting on the ground beside the massive yew tree, and the next he had already rolled out of the way, his hand grasping his weapon out of its holster. He used the pipe to propel himself even further, narrowly avoiding being crushed as the entire tree shattered into pieces, crashing down to the ground!

He leapt to his feet, his gloved grip tight on the seastone pipe held at the ready, eyes already scanning the haze for any sign of his attacker. The air was thick with dust and debris, obscuring his vision. His first instinct was to look for Ace and make sure he had also gotten out okay.

When he couldn't see his brother's form anywhere in the detritus, Sabo's heart clenched with fear.

Where was he? Had he gotten out? Was he hurt? What happened?!

However, as the adrenaline spike began to calm and the logical part of his brain could take a step back into the forefront, he forced himself to calm and get a grip.

Ace was never there in the first place. It was all in your head, remember? Your sad, sick head.

He took a deep breath to try and get through the vicious ache in his heart, as well as the sobering headache that resulted from his inebriated state finally being acknowledged once again, when his blue eyes went wide with a realization.

Wait a minute…

Or was it?

Forcing himself to remain focused, he thought through his situation.

He had just been attacked. Whoever had just attempted to kill him could still be lurking nearby for another strike. He couldn't afford to be distracted. But not only that, it wasn't like the Kuja to attack this way. They would for sure attack any outsider they found on their land—especially a man—but they would have been outright with it. Demanding what he was doing there, attacking him head on and with little to no subterfuge.

His attacker had instead come at him without any warning. Had struck cleanly and efficiently with no theatrics before delving back into the shadows again. And he couldn't sense them either, even though he was pretty sure they hadn't fled…

His target had been to come here and collect his missing agents Lily and Schaden. Despite the emotional rollercoaster, the copious amount of alcohol, and his pep talk with a ghost, Sabo hadn't forgotten his mission here.

This had been Lily's first mission and despite his complaining to Dragon and the Binary Stars, he had felt responsible for her. He had been the one to advocate for her to finally step out into the field and if something had happened to her and Scha…let's just say he had enough on his plate in regards to things he couldn't forgive himself for.

However, keeping that in mind, Lily had been informed of their arrival and should have let the locals know as well.

And yet he was attacked…

While in the most compromising position he had ever been in in his life…

Where his mind had been at its most vulnerable…

Had this all been a trap?

Had Lily been forced to draw them out here?

Azure mismatched eyes dilated at the thought. Had the "Ace" he met not been simply a malfunction of his own mental creation? Instead, was something much more sinister at play?

His fists clenched tightly to the point that he could hear his bones creak against the metal of the pipe.

How dare they….

Fine, the first thing to be done was to catch and question his assailant. With enough persuasion, Sabo knew how to make anyone talk.

Focusing his senses to their utmost, the Chief of Staff analyzed the jungle around him. Squinting through the dust, Sabo thought he spotted a dark silhouette moving swiftly through the trees at the edge of the tree line. With a burst of speed, Sabo gave chase, intent on catching the assassin.

The trees flew past in a blur as Sabo pursued the shadowy figure deeper into the island's forest. He was gaining ground, but the assassin was incredibly quick and agile. Just when Sabo thought he had them, they would bound effortlessly over a ravine or across treetops.

In fact, the only reason that he ended up catching up at all, was that the swordsman himself had decided to stop, allowing him to gain ground.

However, what he found when he did…was the absolute last thing that he expected.

A/N: Well this is getting intense!

And we're back again! Right from where we left off. Ace and Sabo are both a trip to write, especially when both of them get super moody.

But, let's let them go at it I guess, and hopefully work this out.😏

It is not easy to write two people talking past each other and yet to each other at the same time!
Sabo thinks Ace is a hallucination, and Ace thinks Sabo is a ghost. Neither boy knows the other is alive yet, but now things have become complicated and questions are being asked.
If Rayleigh hadn't felt an actual threat to Ace's life, he'd be cracking up at the ridiculousness of it all! 😆

For those asking, we'll get back to Law and Lami in a bit, but the boys have been waiting for this so we'll handle them first.

And the evil presence that Rayleigh felt is obviously not Sabo. I wonder who it could be?

We're nearing closer and closer to the climax...😬