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Sabo's a little tipsy. But, half of Baltigo is drunk off their rocker, so he’s doing pretty well for himself if he has anything to say about it.
Even Dragon’s got a small smile on his face as the cafeteria was turned into a party room. He typically isn't one to celebrate victories, but keeping morale is good for the Army. He also, may be a bit proud that they're little off chance rescue, amnesiac, born noble has accomplished so much and now been promoted to Chief of Staff. Even if he had been the one to officially call the final promotion, it was obvious to everyone here that Sabo had worked hard and deserved it.
Dragon leaves his place as a wallflower and heads over to the man of the hour. He’s enthusiastically talking to Hack about something. Sabo always makes broad gestures when he’s intoxicated.
Dragon places his hand on the boy's shoulder to get his attention, he turns so quickly that Dragon’s afraid he got whiplash.
“Dragon!” Sabo yells with a smile.
“Sabo,” Dragon says in greeting, “I was wondering if I could talk to you,” Sabo stares at him, waiting for Dragon to keep talking, “I meant in private,”
“Oh,” Sabo says, he still doesn’t move for a minute, a blank look on his face while he thinks, he turns back to Hack. “I’ll finish this quickly and meet you in your office.”
Sabo doesn’t wait for Dragon to agree, he goes back to what he was saying to Hack like nothing had interrupted them. Dragon slinks off to stand outside his office waiting.
–○—○–
“Since you’re the second in command around here, I think it’s only right that you know my weaknesses.”
“You,” Sabo laughs a little gesturing to Dragon, “have weaknesses? Couldn’t be,”
“Everyone has weaknesses, it’s not something one should be ashamed of,” Dragon says.
“Oh, I know, you don’t have to get all philosophical on me right now, not everything has to be a life lesson,” Sabo throws his arm around, maybe he’s a little bit more out of it then he thought.
“Maybe this should wait til tomorrow then after you’re done celebrating,” It isn’t meant to be an insult or jab, Sabo knows that, Dragon just wants to make sure he’s happy.
“No, no, I want to know now, you can’t leave me hanging now,” Sabo pulls out one of the chairs in front of the desk. He sets his glass down and then falls into the seat, crossing his arms waiting for Dragon to continue.
The older man sighs and sits in his desk chair. He’s not getting out of this now, Sabo might be all giddy right now but he’s not gonna give up. He’ll also take Dragon seriously even if he’s tipsy. Dragon knows this, the two have worked together well in the past few years.
“I’m not as heartless as everyone says,” Dragon starts.
“I know that already,” Sabo says, quietly, when Dragon looks over the boy has a soft smile on his face and slightly gestures to his scarred face.
“I typically try to treat everyone equally, no ones more important than anyone else. Everyone is important and should have equal opportunity,”
“I also know this,” Sabo says to keep the man talking.
“Except, there is one that has a special place in my heart, one that can be used against me. My weakness, I don’t know if I could be impartial and not risk the Army” Sabo leans forward slightly. Intrigued with what Dragon’s secret is.
“My son,” Dragon finishes, his hands folded together in his lap, he doesn’t look at Sabo. Sabo himself falls back into his seat and picks up his drink.
“Oh, it’s just Luffy,” Dragon immediately tenses, Sabo’s drink gets to his lips before he freezes.
“What?” Dragon questions.
“What?” Sabo responds, looking over at the man, both in shock.
“What did you just say?” Dragon asks, Sabo’s never seen the man so shook.
“I don’t know, what did I say?” Sabo is starting to panic now, what had he said? He doesn’t understand.
“You said- well you said Luffy?” Dragon says it like a question, like he’s asking Sabo if he said Luffy.
“Oh,” Sabo says, yeah, he knows Luffy.
“How do you know his name?” Dragon questions, it’s no use trying to hide it now. He was going to tell Sabo anyway.
“Well, he’s my little brother,” The two stare at each for a minute or two, no one moves until Sabo speaks again. “I think you just jogged my memories?”
“What?” Dragon asks again. Sabo hums, then picks up his drink again, taking a sip as he leans back and crosses his legs, staring off into the distance.
“Sabo, what is happening?”
“Give me a minute,” Sabo says, and takes another sip of his drink. His brain is processing a lot right now as it sifts through old memories. Of his parents, his life as a noble and when he ran away. Meeting Ace in Gray Terminal, their dreams, memories, and days spent together. The times that were just the two of them and how they laughed and played as children. How Ace was his other half, the only person Sabo needed, the first person to love Sabo without any strings. Then his mind turns to the topic of their conversation, him meeting Luffy, the younger boys smiles and laughs. The three becoming brothers and spending their days in the forest. The two accepting his background without any other reason besides that he wasn’t loved, because they thought he deserved to be loved. Their tree house, the sake, the Tiger Lord, Dadan, Makino, a hundred fights a day, hunting for food, playing games.
“Sabo?” Dragon breaks him out of his haze and he turns to look at the older man. He’s now aware there are silent tears streaming down his face.
“Dragon?” Sabo asks, quirking his head to the side, a small but shaky smile on his lips.
“Are you alright?”
“I’ve- I’ve never been better,” Luffy has Dragons eyes. Sabo remembers, he remembers leaving back to his cage to save his brothers. He remembers dying for them and the pain of being burned in his ship wreck. Except it was nothing compared to that house. To that room. His brother's pain hurt him more than the crash. The loneliness that hummed in the walls of that house hurt him more than the explosions. The pain of not being able to open that stupid gate and being picked up and held by Dragon hurt more than drowning.
“Sabo,” Dragon says softly, it makes Sabo smile, because that is his name after all.
“Yeah, so-” Sabo’s not sure where to start, “The Fist of Love, am I right?” Sabo says awkwardly. Dragon looks at him incredulously, even more confused. Sabo’s never seen the look on the usually stoic man. He starts bursting out laughing freely.
Dragon takes a deep breath at the boy, he straightens his expression, because they really have to get to the bottom of this.
“I’m sorry,” Sabo says in between laughs, “Sorry, whoo- that was just so funny- okay, okay, I’m good now,” Sabo swallows down the last of his laughs and takes a few breaths.
“Are you okay?” Dragon asks seriously. Sabo answers him seriously.
“Yes, I am, thanks Dragon,”
“What are you thanking me for?”
“For everything,” Sabo shrugs, “For saving me, for taking me in and teaching me, for giving me purpose, for reminding me why I even want this purpose in the first place.” Sabo runs his thumb across the surface of his glass.
“And what is the reason?” Dragon asks him, now that Sabo’s relaxed and calmed down, the Dragon is calmer as well.
“I have a weakness as well, well, two weaknesses actually. Luffy and Ace,” Sabo whispers the names, he brings his glass back up to his lips, he doesn’t drink but he uses it as an excuse to stare fondly as he thinks back on his brothers.
“They’re my brothers, my sworn brothers. I left Dawn to protect them and keep our promise to each other that we’d be free.”
“Be free?”
“Well, Luffy’s always been a free soul, too free sometimes if you ask me, but he- well he wants to be the freest man in the world.” Sabo smiles at Dragon cheekily, hiding it slightly behind his glass, “Luffy’s dream is to be King of the Pirates. His love for adventure is unlike any other.”
Dragon smiles, “And? Who is Ace?”
“Ace- Ace is-” Sabo stops himself trying to think of what to say. He could talk about Luffy easily for hours, but Ace is different.
“Ace is different. He’s my best friend, the first person to ever love me, to care for me, to truly smile because of me, and I could make him laugh even if it was condescending it was real. He was real. I wouldn’t be here without Ace, I’d either be another dead body in Gray Terminal, or rotting away in some prissy mansion, or I’d be just another asshole like all the rest.” Sabo’s glass rests in his lap, both hands wrapped around it to keep him from getting up or throwing his arms about.
“Ace is who I am today, the reason I am today. He taught me to fight, to love, to laugh, he taught me to be selfish and take. He taught me what it means to be cared for and to care for someone else. Luffy’s my little brother, I’d protect him with my life and make him smile or laugh in any way I could. But Ace- of course I’d do the same for Ace but he was more like- like an extension of myself. I could count on Ace, lean on him and I know he’d do the same to me…” Sabo trails off, he’s not sure how to describe Ace.
He loved both of them more than life itself, more than anything. His relationship with Luffy is quite obvious, Luffy’s his little brother, that he’d protect and love with every fiber of his being. Ace was different, because there’s a part of him that is Ace, and there was a part of Ace that was Sabo, the two practically raised each other, taught each other, explored what the world had to offer together. They learned together and forever became intertwined in trauma, dependency, and joy. Ace was an extension of himself, and he was an extension of Ace.
“Sabo?”
“I- I- I want to see them again,” Sabo says, tears fill his eyes once more. Luffy- Luffy would still be on Dawn island if they kept to their original promise. Waiting out his last year before storming the seas. But, Ace is out there, on these waters. Sabo just knows it, that he’s out there alive and free.
“What’s his name?”
“What?” Sabo questions, breaking out of his mind again to come back to the present with Dragon. The man is leaning on his desk.
“What’s Ace’s full name, we could probably find him,” Dragon has the best communication and intelligence system in the world, the only one that could rival it is the World Government. But Sabo would know if the World Government got their hands on Ace, because to them he’s Gol D. Ace, he’s the son of the Pirate King and would be killed for it.
“Portgas D. Ace,” Sabo says, Ace always said he’d use his mothers name.
“Whitebeard's Second Division Commander?” Dragon questions. Sabo shoots his gaze up to look the man in the eyes.
“What?”
“What?” Dragon responds.
“We are not doing this again,” Sabo says. He shakes his head, trying to shake off the many surprises that have hit him tonight, “Whitebeard's Second Division Commander?”
Dragon reaches over to a file cabinet and pulls out a bounty poster, turning it over and showing it to Sabo.
“Portgas D. ‘Fire Fist’ Ace,”
It’s a picture of Ace. Of an older Ace. One who has sharper features and more muscles, one who is also on fire and wears an ugly cowboy hat, red beads that remind Sabo so much of Dadan it hurts, he also isn’t wearing a shirt. There are more freckles across his cheeks, his hair is styled the same. But his eyes are the same, unchanged, the gray that Sabo has seen a thousand times. Sabo’s felt anger towards and from those eyes, he’s felt sadness and joy, to and from. He takes the poster from Dragon.
“Ace,” he whispers, this is his twin brother, living out their dream for him. Just at the edge of the poster he can see the tattoo. The tattoo with his crossed out S, the one he still uses as his signature, the one that was his Jolly Roger and was what he signed his last letter as.
Ace thinks he’s dead. But he’s lived through it, he’s brought Sabo with him everywhere just the same as Sabo has done for him without knowing.
The world can take his memories, and can take him away from his brothers. But no matter where they are or who they become, they are brothers. Nothing can take that away.
“I have to see him,” Sabo doesn’t even realize he’s shaking. Dragon moves around to his side of the desk and rests a hand on his shoulder.
“You will,”
Sabo looks up at the man, and he feels like he’s a kid again.
–○—○–
A little ship approaches the Moby Dick. It waves no flag but a plain white sail. A merchant boat that would hold a few for a week or so on the sea. Typically this wouldn’t cause such unnerve amongst the seasoned pirates, but it was the fact that the small vessel was heading towards them instead of away.
No ordinary civilian would be heading straight at the Moby Dick, not even the citizens from their own territories were this forward. Typically they’d send a letter, call, or a subordinate captain to get in contact with the mother ship.
As the ship got closer it looked even smaller with the size of the Moby next to it. More crew members headed up to the top decks to see what was going on. It was quite the boring day, with beautiful weather. Any repairs the mother ship needed had been done, and there weren’t any threats today, so far.
The ships sits there for a moment, like it’s unsure of what to do.
“What’s going on?” Vista asks Namur, who’s leaning over the railing watching the little ship. Vista, Ace, and Fossa had just come up from below deck.
“No Idea, just a little ship that seems to brave, and everyone else seems to bored to care about anything else.”
“Got that right, Haruta and I were just discussing future prank plans. Not that that’s boring of course.” Haruta jumps up to high five Ace in their typical duo mischief way.
“You were planning pranks without me,” Thatch comes up from behind, with Marco.
“Well yeah, some of them are gonna be pulled on you,” Haruta says, and he and Ace high five again. Thatch gasps dramatically, hand to his chest.
“I thought we had a pact,”
“Since when?” Both Ace and Haruta speak at once. All three were some of the major pranksters on the crew, and they did tend to team up, but that didn’t mean any of them were safe from the other two.
Then, a commotion was heard and four people jumped up from the tiny ship below. Which is impressive seeing as how much larger and higher up the deck to the Moby Dick is.
All four have dark cloaks in varying colors, from dark green, brown, navy blue, to deep maroon red. They’re faces are hidden, and the crew is one high alert as everyone tenses. Murmurs and whispers go through the Whitebeard pirates. They keep up an innocent demeanor but every crewmate is ready to strike at a moment's notice.
None of the Commanders speak, all are staring at the four figures, waiting.
The one in dark blue takes a deep breath and then speaks.
“I’m sorry,”
“You know entering a ship without the captain's permission is an aggressive act of war?” Thatch says condescendingly.
“Oh sorry,” The man turned his head around to look at the sea below, the person next to him grabbed him and said “You are not backing up into the sea,”
At this, some of the Whitebeard pirates chuckled, some just quirked brows in curious confusion. The man cleared his throat.
“I come in peace,”
Murmurs went through the crowd, some shrugs, some scoffs.
“I’m sorry,” He continues, the crowd quiets, “Sorry I forgot but I don’t regret what I did. Here I stand to reclaim what’s mine, to- um- be a pirate and, well, take my treasure back. But also you can keep him, I mean like I’m not really here to take him back it’s more like a figurative thing. Like I get-” The woman, based on her voice from earlier, elbowed him.
The crowd snickers and rolls eyes, obviously they're not a threat. This guy is so nervous being on the Moby Dick.
“I made a decision,” The man's voice cuts through the crowd again, “One that I don’t regret, that I’ll never regret. I made a choice based on our promise, oath, and dream. I may have once forgotten all those things but that decision was based on the very truth of love. No matter what though, I believed in you, I knew you’d always have my back and do what I could not. Do what I lacked to do. From across the blues. From pristine Kingdom to deadly jungles we met in a garbage dump, and now again across the seas and into the New World.”
A pristine kingdom, deadly jungle, and garbage dump sounded like the very definition of Dawn island to Ace, was that what the man was talking about.
“The seas have been our guide, because no matter what it’s you and I, always.”
You and I, always Sabo had said, smiling at him.
You and I, always, Ace whispered in the night when neither of them could sleep.
You and I, One of the two young boys, started.
Always, the other had finished.
“Let our world be burned in a blaze, let my mind be shattered to carry no remnants of you and let our fates guide us in opposite directions. It won't matter because you are the first oath I ever swore to and I was your first oath in the same.”
We’re gonna be pirates, because pirates are free!
“I may not be a pirate like our dream, but I promise I’m free, and that no matter where we are on the blue waters we will always be brothers.”
Sake cups, three dreams, and one promise to always be together even when apart. Ace felt hot tears run down his cheeks, but no one seemed to know but him.
The man takes his hood off, to reveal blonde wavy hair, blue eyes and a scarred face. The rest of the figures also took their hoods off, the woman that stood by him had cropped red hair, the one on the other side of the speaker was an older fishman with long light blue hair. The last one to take their hood off was a man with long black hair and a red tattoo over one eye.
The blue eyes seemed to pierce through Ace’s, and his alone. “I was saved by the Revolutionary Army that day our world burned and fell apart, I joined their cause because it was the same as mine.”
“Wait! You guys are Revs?!” The man had taken a breath to continue speaking, but was interrupted by Haruta. At that point the crowd went wild, all asking questions about different missions they had done, how they worked, and who exactly they were.
Some of the Whitebeards had met Revolutionary Army members before, some had even been saved by their acts against the World Government.
“Is no one gonna pay attention to what he was just talking about?” Marco asked. Looking across the ray of commanders with him.
“No? It didn’t really make any sense,” Thatch said, turning to look back at the four Revolutionaries, “Besides, that’s Dragon,” Thatch pointed, “And did you hear that guy say he was the Chief of Staff when Haruta asked,”
“No, I wasn’t really paying attention to everyone’s rambling,”
“Well it sure did liven up a boring day so I’m all for it,” Fossa said. Marco then turns his gaze on Ace and freezes. Ace doesn’t really pay any of them any mind. Even as tears stream down his cheeks uncontrollably. He doesn’t care, because that’s Sabo. That’s his Sabo, his best friend and twin brother. The person who taught him what it meant to live, to love and be loved. To care about someone and his first shining light in the dark hate the world bared for him.
“Ace, are you alright?” Marco put a hand on Ace’s shoulder, worried eyes glancing over the younger for any other signs of distress. But Ace was still in shock. Marco had caught some of the other Commanders attention as they all became worried.
Ace then heard the question being asked.
“What’s your name?”
The blonde man looks up, and then at Ace a soft smile then graces the man’s lips.
“Sabo,”
Everyone turns and looks, because it’s Ace who speaks, not Sabo. The tears pour out more, and Ace chocks on a sob.
“Sabo!” He shouts and throws himself at his brother. Sabo crouches down on the railing, making sure that neither of the two fall backwards off the ship, he catches Ace and holds him tight to his chest. Sabo’s nose is buried in his twin's dark hair.
“I’ve missed you,” Sabo says, and Ace just sobs harder. It’s odd, because he didn’t remember him and yet, yes, he did miss both Ace and Luffy. In the times when his room was too quiet for his liking. When no one else understood his love for roasted meat. How he hated swimming. In the way he had boundless energy when he was younger that would only be satiated after he trained.
At first, everyone expected him to be a noble; it hadn't taken them long to realize he was a jungle child. No one knew why, not even himself, but now he understood all those feelings that he once believed meant something else. There are many people who don’t like silence, it’s upsetting for children to not have a shared interest, there are plenty of those who would rather play in the sand than to swim, and he was just an energetic child.
Sabo was a jungle child, a street rat, a brother. Between Luffy, Ace, and himself, there was always a voice or giggles. The three ate meat everyday over a roasted fire. How many times had the older boys jumped in infested waters to save a drowning anchor. His body was so used to one hundred fights a day after five years of it with Ace and then months with Luffy as well.
Never was Sabo just quirky, or picky, or wanted things his way. What he wanted, was his brothers.
Sabo slides down the railing, his feet hitting the deck of the Moby. Ace is practically trembling in his arms and Sabo can’t blame him. He couldn’t even imagine what it would feel like if he thought he lost one of his treasures. So Sabo will hold him.
They may have grown up and grown apart, but Ace was once his other half and will always be his twin brother.
“Sabo?” The waterlogged, croaky, mumbled voice speaks.
“I’m here,” Sabo replies, Ace shudders and sobs again. Sabo knows there are tears streaming down his own eyes.
They never worried whether the other would show up when they were little. They always knew without a single doubt. Everyday, the same place, the same time. If one was late it was for a good reason, and not because they wanted to be. It was from unconditional trust and dependency. Now here he was, maybe a little late by oh eight years. But he was here. Sabo didn’t want to be late, and this isn’t there usual meeting spot either, but they were together, like they always were.
–○—○–
“I still really want to punch him,”
“How about you don’t?” Sabo replies. The two are sitting together, legs in between the baluster of the Moby’s railing, dangling over the edge of the ship. The sun was setting and the other pirates had given them privacy on the highest deck. Dragon had spoken to Whitebeard about recent and past events for them, so the two could catch up.
Ace is leaning into Sabo arms just slightly entangled, and he doesn’t mind. If Ace needs to hold on for proof that Sabo is really here, and won’t just disappear, then it’s alright. They’ve also got a game of on and off footsie going for a little over an hour.
“I suppose,” Ace pouts, it’s funny, because Ace may deny it but he always did pout when they were younger, it just used to be fused with anger versus now it’s just disappointment. Sabo likes it, he likes that it’s still the same even though it’s changed. He likes that even after all these years, throughout both of their great changes, they are at their cores, still the same.
At the core, they are dreamers, with the ambition to achieve it. They are thrill seekers and free souls. They have the will to help people and protect what they love with everything they have.
“But how much trouble would I be in if I really did punch Dragon?”
“A lot,”