Chapter 29: Changing Fate

Sabo yawned as he sat down on the couch in his tiny apartment at the revolutionary headquarters. It had been a month since the Alabasta incident and Dragon had, had him working nonstop the whole time from movement of troops in the North blue to placing people into the South blue to gaining access to the Holy Land Mary Geoise so that they could get into the city and free the slaves there. Sabo's head hurt and his body ached from the fighting he had done when he'd come into contact with Bartolomeo the Cannibal. That man was as crazy as he was strong with his Bari Bari no Mi fruit. The impenetrable barrier made fighting the man in a fair fight almost impossible. It was only when the other had learned that Sabo was Luffy's older brother did the green haired menace stop fighting him. He only came in contact with the man by accident in the South blue.

Just as Sabo was about to drink his tea the double doors to his apartment open to reveal Koala. The young woman ran into the room with a rolled up Coo News Newspaper in hand. She then threw it at him. "Your older twin is in trouble." She stated.

Ace? He wondered as he looked at the paper. The headline read, Portgas D. Ace; Dead or Missing? "Ace?" he questioned as his felt tears well up in his eyes. He read the article which stated Ace and another pirate had been betrayed by an islander who turned them over to the World Government but the two had fought, destroying the town of Tombstone, setting the island on fire with blue flames and almost killing Akainu. Sabo saw red. "Akainu!" He snarled. He knew what future Luffy had told Ace about him dying. Was it Akainu? Was this event that would kill Ace?

Sabo stood suddenly before reaching over and grasping his denden. "Koala, tell Dragon I've gone to Banaro Island. Ace needs me." He grabbed his blue jacket from the back of his couch. "I won't lose my brother."

"You didn't read the whole thing!" Koala yelled pointing towards the second article. Big bold letter read, STRAWHAT PIRATES GONE MISSING. Sabo froze at the words. Luffy? . ! The newspaper ripped in his hands as his top hat fell from his head. Think. Think. He looked at the window, a breeze of fresh air hit him. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his thoughts. "I will get to Ace first and then I'll find Luffy." He tossed the pieces of paper to the floor before leaving. As he brushed past Koala, he paused. "Find red haired, ask him if he knows where Luffy could be hiding and if he asked who is asking, tell him it's for Luffy's other brother." He then walked out of the room without waiting for her to say anything. He knew what she'd say any way and he wasn't having her come with him. These were his brothers and he'd be damned before he'd lose either one of them ever again!

Izo woke up to the sound of Ace's stomach growling. The young man was sound asleep with his head on the samurai's lap. The sound of his stomach was like a large wild animal snarling in warning. Gently he tapped Ace's shoulder only to hear the other groan. "Ace." Izo whispered his name. No response that time. Grasping the freckled teen's ear, he pulled. "Ace!" He growled into his ear.

This time Ace jumped as he sat up looking for the threat. Ace noticed that it was only him and Izo in the cavern. "Izo? What the hell man?!" He groaned as he grasped his head in pain. "I'm not ready to get up." He stated as he laid back onto the ground this time.

"We need to move or else we will be caught." Izo said as he stood up. He looked up at the collapsed tunnel above them. "We fell into a tunnel that you created. By the way, nice attack."

With his eyes closed Ace smiled. "Thanks." He said with tiredness evident in his voice. "Took me six months of training to realize that my fruit wasn't fully awakened." He tried sitting up only for a wave of nausea to hit him. "That was the first time outside of training that I have used that particular ability." He sighed as he laid back down. "I'm not moving for awhile." He closed his eyes. "You can go. I'll be fine."

Izo frowned at him before loading his gun. "Not happening, little brother." He said as he took up watch from the only other possible exit to the cavern they were in. "You're my family. Besides, Pops would get upset if I left you behind."

Ace gave him a tired grin. "True." He mumbled. "And Marco would get his tail feathers in a bunch if you left."

Izo gave a snort at that image. His best friend would do that. The high strung bastard. Silence fell over them before Ace's snores were once again reverberating against the walls as Izo stayed waiting for the attack he was certain was coming.

Luffy groaned as he bathed after the fight he had, had against Hancock's sisters. Those two were a lot of fun. He thought as he let the water soak into his body. He had a minute before the effects of the water began weakening him. After Alabasta, and then Ennies Loby which led to one adventure after another, it was nice to relax a little. Still, I have to find my crew. He thought as he reached for a towel. Getting out of the hot spring, Luffy wrapped the towel around his waist before walking out of the bathing room into the main bedroom. The huge bed screamed at him to come rest but he was really worried about his friends.

Standing on the balcony he inhaled the scent of food and instantly his belly began to rumble. "Shishishi." He laughed. Dinner time. He grabbed his clothes, remembering that girls didn't like to see naked men. Something Nami had said about losing her appetite at seeing his naked body. He didn't see anything wrong with it. Heck Ace and him use to run and hunt naked in their early teens until Makino and Dadan got after them. Maybe it was just a girl thing.

He couldn't wait to eat the feast with the girls. Maybe they'd sing that song Brook had taught me and the others. It kind of is like the song Shanks taught me as a kid. He ran out of his room, down the hall to where the delicious scents were coming from. The huge hall was filled with girls and most importantly food! "Yum!" He cried out as he ran into the room and took up a spot next to his new friends.

The young blonde woman, Marguerite if he remembered right, was sitting next to him talking as the food was passed along. His stomach rumbled even as he ate. Luffy had noticed that since learning from Sabo a year ago that he needed more food to eat. It wasn't that he was being a glutton, like Sanji complained he was, but because he needed to replace all the energy he used in his attacks.

He was small, even compared to his two brothers, tiny compared to Garp. How am I supposed to get stronger, bigger even if I can't eat more? His friends needed him stronger! An idea popped into his head. What if I ask Rayleigh for help? Sabo taught me what he knows. So maybe I could get the former Pirate King's first mate to do the same? He frowned. But how?

A very large woman wearing a coat around her shoulders, like Marine Officers, that has a very square, thick chin and her hair in pigtails looked at the frown on Luffy's face. "Luffy? Is the food not good?" She asked. She'd only seen a look like that on people who had eaten bad food.

"Huh?" Luffy looked up at the larger woman confused. "It's good, why?" He asked confused.

"Because you look like you're in pain while eating." She replied as she took a bite of the food herself.

"Sweet Pea, leave him be." The child-like girl next to her spoke.

"But Aphelandra-" Sweet Pea began only to be interrupted by Luffy.

"I appreciate the worry, but I'm fine." He stated. "I'm just worried about my friends." He said quietly. He then noticed something after inhaling most everything he'd been given which had doubled his size and given him a rounded appearance. "I thought this was a party?"

"It is." Marguerite said softly as she stared at him in awe, even the black and green snake on her arm seemed to be awestruck by his new appearance.

"Where's the music then!?" He huffed getting annoyed. "You girls needed to learn to let loose and be loud! Make music that makes your body move!"

"We don't do that." Aphelandra stated. "Why should we?"

"Because it's fun!" He yelled. Grabbing some pots and pans from the different pans, causing some girls to gasp in surprise, Luffy began bagging them and singing the song Brook had taught the, Bink's Sake. His voice was off key, but the words were right on. The guards had thought he was going to attack them until he began dancing and singing. Within minutes he had the entire dinning hall laughing and singing with him.

Now this is more like it. He thought happily as the warmth in his chest spread. The joy around him made the young pirate captain want to bounce and jump and move like he shouldn't but before he could Boa Hancock's personal guards came to him. Without explaining why, they ushered him out and into the hall.

"Empress Boa needs to see you immediately!" One cried out. "She seems to be sick!"

Luffy gasped. "How?"

An old woman approached him. He'd seen her before but had forgotten her name. Was is Gorgy? No, Glory? Luffy frowned again. Why was he so bad with remembering names!?

"I believe it's a Love sickness." She said. "Lady Empress Tritoma died from it." The guards and Luffy looked at her in horror.

Not good. Luffy thought. "What can I do to help?"

This boy wants to help? Gloriosa stared in wonder. Perhaps he is different from the other men of this world. It would be a nice change for once. "There's no cure, however you could start off by talking with the Empress."

Luffy grinned. "I can do that." He agreed. He liked talking to people. Maybe she'll like to hear about my adventures I've had with my crew. He thought as he followed the old woman and the guards completely unaware of what was happening with his family and his friends.

Sabo looked at the navigational maps in front of him. He may not be the best navigator but he knew his way around the seas, that was one of his lessons that Dragon had insisted that most recruits went through. It was important for them to know their way to and from the islands, basically getting from point A to point B without detection without having to go through check points or stopping at smaller islands in order to get to their main objective.

He was currently drawing out the quickest route in order to get to Banaro Island. The island itself sat in the center of what was dubbed no man's land between the boundaries of Red Haired Shanks and Whitebeard's territory. He really hoped Shanks would show up because one his presence alone would deter any fighting and two, Sabo had yet to meet the Emperor in order to thank him for saving Luffy as a kid.

Still, Whitebeard might show up just because the island was closer to his territory. Sabo would like to avoid a war between two Yonko. Then there was is second worry, Luffy. The article hadn't said much, just that after a fight with Admiral Kuzan, the Strawhats had vanished when Warlord Kuma had appeared. Sabo rubbed his hands over his face to try and calm down. He needed to gather his thoughts. His fingers curled into his blonde hair as he tried to steady his breathing.

"Are you okay Sabo?" Koala's voice snapped him back to where he was.

"Koala?" He questioned as she walked into the captain's quarters. "You shou-"

She suddenly grasped his face, squishing it so he couldn't speak. "If you say I shouldn't be here, you're wrong." She told him. "Your brothers are your family and you're my best friend and friends help each other out!" She released his face. "Besides, this could be fun."

"Fun?" He asked as he felt a knot form on his forehead. "Knowing those two, I'm either going to die helping them or they're going to start a war."

"Like I said, fun." She winked at him as she looked over the maps with him. "Probably should tell you though, we've already left port and I may have not told Dragon what's going on."

"Wait. What!" He shouted causing her to giggle.

"Oops." She said with a semi-sweet smile.

With resigned sigh Sabo nodded. "Okay." He looked out the window of the room and knew they were too far out to actually go back to shore. It was times like this he wished he had a devil fruit that would allow him to teleport people or things. It would be so much easier if he did.

"Please tell me you are the only one to come aboard." He asked as he turned to look at her he could see she was looking away from him and doing that dance she does when trying to avoid suspicion from him. "Who else?"

Rubbing the back of her neck, Koala laughed nervously. "Well.."

Sabo felt sweat drip down his neck. Oh he was greatfull towards his friends for following him into the fire, sort of speak; but Dragon was going to kill him for this. He walked out of the captain's cabin and saw two more of his friends waiting for him; Hack and Lindbergh. He gave them both a bow. "Thank-you! Both of you, for this!"

"Are you kidding!?" Lindbergh growled. "That brother took two of my nine lives from me, consider this me wanting them back."

The old instructor snorted. "I may be old, but there's still some fight left in me." The fish-man smirked. "I may yet have something to teach you youngsters."

Lindbergh made a face. "Yeah right. More like you need one last hurrah before becoming Seaking food."

Hack looked horrified at those words. "I'm going to make you eat dirt for those words." He growled lightly at the mink.

"What's that?" Lindbergh asked holding a hand up to his ear. "I think I hear food talking."

Sabo held a hand over his mouth to stop from laughing at the two grown men arguing. Koala growled as she walked onto the deck with her hands on her hips. "Stop arguing like children you two!" She looked at their old instructor. "You're only here because you threatened to blackmailed Lindbergh and I." The older man grinned. "That's not something to be proud of!" She yelled at him.

"You still brought me." He then looked at Sabo. "Also this way I know young Sabo will return to his post after saving his brother; even if that brother is a Whitebeard Pirate."

Sabo was shocked. "You think I wouldn't return?"

"If it means to be near your brother, yes." The fish-man answered honestly. "Frankly I think you have an obsession with your two brothers." He eyed the young man. "You might want to talk about that with someone."

Sabo gave him a deadpanned look. "No." He then walked back into the captain's cabin.

"Admission is the first step in admitting you have a problem boy!" Hack yelled in frustration at the closed door.

Both Lindbergh and Koala gave each other a look. "I'm going to go look at some stuff I brought with me to improve my flightsuit." Lindbergh said not wanting to touch this subject.

"Yeah. I'll go do some training on deck." Koala agreed as the two left the old fish-man instructor to talking to the closed door and Sabo ignoring said man.

M-Angel: Okay, so this chapter was way longer than I was expecting it to be mostly because I had an ADHD fueled moment or two. ^_^ Sabo is heading to the island and Luffy is still unaware of what's going on but will learn of his brother being in trouble very soon.

I may need to extend the chapter count.