Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ace shivers as he wakes up, opening his eyes to see the dull colors of Impel Down surrounding him. He shifts in his chains, grunting slightly as spikes of pain shoot up his back. The injuries that Teach had caused flare up as Ace tries to relieve the pain in his back, and Ace gives up trying to find a more comfortable position, slumping back in his chains.

He closes his eyes, hoping to fall back asleep when memories flash before his eyes. He scrunches his eyes shut tighter, trying futilely to ward the memories away.

Thatch…

Fine trembles wrack Ace’s body as he is once again reminded of his brother - of his death (of Ace’s failure). He sees Marco’s face, mouth opened wide in shock, denials spluttering out of his lips. He sees Izo’s tears, makeup running wildly, caused both by the rain and the tears running down his cheeks. He remembers his Pops’ face, devastation marring every feature even as his haki roared in anger. He remembers his own anger, and how it had overruled everything – even his own common sense and the cries of his crewmates.

And now I’m here, he thinks bitterly, reminded of his “accommodations” as the chains around his wrists restrict his movements. Teach had done him in, and he curses the devil fruit that had started the entire thing (the devil fruit that caused Thatch’s death). Without that devil fruit, Thatch would still be alive. Without that devil fruit, Ace wouldn’t be stuck here, slated for execution. Without that devil fruit, Ace wouldn’t be about to leave his brother alone.

Though, Ace thinks wryly, at least I got to see him before all this happened.

Luffy will be so mad at him, Ace knows, but he also knows that Luffy will be fine. He’s resilient, and strong, and he has his crew. Pride fills Ace as he remembers the people Luffy had surrounded himself with. He has a good crew, and Ace knows they will be there to pick up the pieces after Ace dies.

(Ace desperately ignores the fact that he had promised Luffy not to die after Sabo’s death; how that had been the only thing able to bring Luffy out of his slump.)

He’s just about to drop back into a fitful sleep when the sound of the elevator arriving at Level 6 rings throughout the level, bringing him back to alertness. He keeps his head bowed, peering through the hair hanging over his eyes as footsteps ring throughout the level.

The footsteps continue on until they stop right in front of Ace, and a figure is unceremoniously shoved through the doors. They are forced into a sitting position, chains being wrapped around their chest. The guards finish chaining them down, and the resident Jailer Beast brings its club down on the prisoner’s head in the ceremonial hit. The prisoner lets out a grunt of pain as the guards vacate the cell and walk away.

Ace keeps his head bowed as the footsteps fade. Once the last echoes of the steps trail off, Ace chances a glance at the new prisoner, doing a double take as he notices who exactly it is.

“Jinbe?!”

The fishman raises his head and nods to Ace, who is staring at him in shock. “Hello, Ace-san.”

“What the hell are you doing here?!” Ace scans his friend for injuries, finding none that are prominent, other than the obvious ones that were just left on his head. Memories flash through his head of their first fight, five days and five nights of non-stop fighting, and the friendship that had bloomed after Ace had finally accepted his place on his crew. Jinbe swung by frequently, both as an official representative of his island, but more often than not, as a friend. Ace and he had grown close after their rough start, and dismay fills Ace at the thought of his friend being stuck here with him. What the hell is he doing in this hell?!

Anger flashes across Jinbe’s face, and he says tightly, “I refuse to fight a war against your crew. You all have done too much for my island and for me, and I will not betray that by agreeing to this foolishness.”

“War?” Ace breathes out, dread creeping its way up his throat. He had considered it, of course. The Whitebeards are famous for not letting anyone get away with taking one of their own, and Ace is no exception. But fighting the entire government? Fighting the world? Just for Ace?

…is he really worth that?

Unknowing of Ace’s internal turmoil, Jinbe continues, “Yes. The news has not been released yet, but I have no doubt that your crew will refuse to allow this to happen, and I refuse to stand in the way of that.”

Bile rises in Ace’s throat as he thinks about the danger his crew would be in if they came to save him. Countless scenarios race through his head, with the outcomes getting worse and worse as Ace gets further and further into his own head. If anyone gets hurt trying to rescue me, I will never forgive myself, Ace thinks to himself as he bows his head. Please, guys, I’m not worth it!

Ace can tell Jinbe is staring worriedly at him. Ace wants to reassure him, but the thoughts running through his head prevent him from coming up with any sort of reassurance. Thoughts of what could happen if his family goes to war for him haunt him, fear choking him as he thinks of how many could die.

Jinbe sighs and turns away, and Ace closes his eyes, trying desperately to fight the images of his family dying from his mind.

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“Did you hear about what happened at Enies Lobby?”

Ace startles as Jinbe speaks. They’ve been sitting in silence for a while, Ace continuing to worry about his crew, and Jinbe not interrupting his brooding (until now, that is). He looks up to find Jinbe staring at him, awaiting an answer to his question.

“…no, I must have been fighting Teach already at that point,” Ace says warily. “What happened?” The government stronghold is known for being one of the pillars of the World Government, and almost nothing of note had happened since Ace has been at sea. What could have happened that gained Jinbe’s attention?

Jinbe, surprisingly, chuckles as he opens his mouth to answer. “This crazy rookie upstart’s crew attacked Enies Lobby to get Nico Robin back.” Ace gapes in shock at him.

He splutters, “Seriously?!” Who the hell would be crazy enough to invade Enies Lobby for a single crewmate?! Especially a rookie crew? “Who was it?!”

“Straw Hat Luffy and his crew. I swear, those kids are so crazy…” Ace’s mind short-circuits has he processes what he just heard. Of course it would be him and his crew, Ace snorts internally. Of course.

He then shocks Jinbe by bursting out laughing, cutting off his explanation of what happened. Ace gasps for breath, trying to regain the composure to explain. He feels tears in his eyes from laughter, and his chest is aching from how much he’s laughing, the shaking doing his injuries no favors. Ace can’t bring himself to care at that moment.

“Luffy is-” Ace gasps, attempting to get his breathing back under control. “Luffy is my little brother!” Jinbe gapes at Ace, and his face just sends Ace off the deep end again. Ace doesn’t know why he was surprised at first. This kid was the one to hunt Ace down for three months, even with Ace trying to kill him. He let himself get tortured for him, for god’s sake. Of course he would attack Enies Lobby for a crewmate. He probably didn’t even care that it is a government stronghold, Ace thinks, the thought sending Ace into another fit.

“Your little brother?!” Jinbe still looks absolutely bamboozled, and Ace has to breathe deeply through his laughter a few times to regain his composure.

“Yeah, the reckless idiot is my little brother.” He never changes, Ace muses fondly. He then leans forward eagerly, catching Jinbe off guard as he says, grinning, “Tell me everything!”

Jinbe then spends the next few minutes catching Ace up on what he missed while he was in prison. Ace laughs throughout the whole story, thoroughly enjoying Jinbe’s interpretation of, in his words, “The recklessness of the younger generation.”

“Seriously, Ace, they’re even worse than you are,” Jinbe says exasperatedly as he leans his head back against the wall. And, really, Ace can’t argue with that.

“Luffy’s always been a crazy little shit,” Ace chuckles as his memories turn back to how they first met. Ace isn’t proud of it, but his decision to spit on Luffy was the start of something amazing. Though, Ace thinks fondly, there are definitely better ways to start a relationship.

“What was he like when you were younger?” Jinbe asks, looking strangely intent as he stares at Ace. Ace stares back at him for a moment, before leaning his head back against the cell wall and smiling. Memories of him, Luffy, and Sabo running through the forest flash before his eyes, and nostalgia fills him. The months that the three of them spent together are Ace’s most treasured memories.

He grins, shaking his head and chuckling as he says, “Well, I guess if I’m going to talk about him as a kid, I should talk about my twin first.”

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I’m really sick of this fucking prison, Marina groans internally as she and her partner patrol the passageways of Impel Down. She’s been stationed in Level 6 for just over five months, and been stuck at Impel Down for almost two years now, and the constant sounds of torture are really bringing her down.

Their duty is to patrol Level 6 five times a day, and since each patrol takes at least an hour, it’s not the most entertaining of jobs. She has to admit that there are worse places to be stationed, though. She shudders as she imagines what it must be like being stationed in Level 4, a sudden sense of gratefulness rushing through her.

No, I’ll stick with monotony over the suffocating heat and constant smell of burning skin, thank you very much, she decides.

Though, if the company was better, maybe she wouldn’t be as bored. Marina glances to her left, to see her partner scanning the hallways around them. Nathan is pretty much the definition of a typical guard, all no-nonsense personality and dull demeanor. He’s always the one reminding her to stay on task, not get distracted, always be paying attention, etc. Which is probably what she should be doing right now, but she can’t be bothered to care.

“…worse than you are!” Marina perks up as she hears the faint echoes of a conversation happening down the hallway to her left. She glances at Nathan, and sees that he is glancing that way too. They share a look and Nathan is already saying-

“No.”

Marina pouts, saying, “It’s Level 6! No one will escape from here! We can spare two minutes to listen to their conversation!”

“But-”

“No one will know! Plus, I bet they’ll say some compromising things that we can take back to Magellan,” Marina says mischievously. Nathan pauses in his ranting, a considering look appearing on his face. He then turns promptly on his heel and heads down the hallway he had been poised to abandon.

Marina stifles a snicker and follows after him. Nathan is a sucker for finding out compromising information, and Marina feels no guilt in taking advantage of it to alleviate her boredom.

They stop at the last turn before their specific cell block, and Marina crouches down and sticks her ear as close to the edge as possible to listen.

“…always been a crazy little shit.” Marina turns towards her partner and mouths, ‘Fire Fist?’ He nods in confirmation, and if Marina’s attention wasn’t already piqued, it sure was now. Fire Fist Ace is the most high-profile prisoner at the moment, so he’s sure to have interesting stories.

“What was he like when you were younger?”

“Do you know who they’re talking about?” Nathan mutters to her, leaning in close to her ear. Marina shakes her head and shushes her partner as Fire Fist starts talking again.

“Well, I guess if I’m going to talk about him as a kid, I should talk about my twin first.”

Marina and Nathan freeze and slowly turn to stare at each other. The implications of this news race through Marina’s brain, and she can already sense the headache that the Fleet Admiral will have when he finds out about this.

(Part of her laughs in vindictive glee at the thought.)

There is a pregnant pause in the air, and Marina faintly thinks, compromising information indeed. She and her partner break the silence in the only reasonable manner.

“WHAT?!”

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“Your twin?!”

Ace laughs at the look on Jinbe’s face. “Yeah, his name was Sabo.” Ace watches Jinbe’s face contort briefly, and he knows he noticed the past tense. “He was my opposite in pretty much every way,” he snickers. “I was very loud and brash-”

“Was?” Jinbe cuts in.

Ace chuckles, “Okay, yeah, I still am loud and brash, but I was even worse back then. Sabo was calm and collected most of the time, though he definitely still had his moments,” he mutters under his breath. “He was also always the one that came up with the plans. I didn’t have the patience for it.”

“I remember the very first time we met, he saved my ass from a bear,” Ace continues nostalgically, leaning his head back against the wall.

He remembers it like it was yesterday. Ace had been five years old and was just learning how to fight, and he was overwhelmed (though he was loathe to admit it) by a bear he was fighting. A paw was slashing down towards his face, and Ace had just about accepted that he was about to die when this body comes and shoves Ace out of the way.

“Wha-” Ace crashes into the ground, grunting as the other kid lands on top of him. The kid quickly jumps up, brushing himself off (and who the hell wears a cloak in a forest?) and turns to face Ace.

“Run, you idiot!” The kid yells, hands on his hips and scowling. Ace ignores him and stands, turning around to face the bear again.

“I never run!”

The kid stares at him dumbfoundedly before swearing and grabbing a stick that was nearby and joining Ace in charging at the bear. Weirdo, Ace thinks as the kid attacks the bear, why are you helping? The kid gets batted back easily, but his attack allows Ace to jump in and hit the bear in the temple with his pipe. The bear sways before crashing down onto the ground. Ace grins at the kid before remembering that he shouldn’t trust him. He scowls, putting back on his suspicious persona.

“Who are you?” Ace had never seen this kid before. Why would he even try to help him? “Why did you help me?”

The kid gives him a look. “Are you an idiot? You were about to get killed!”

“I was fine!”

“You were about to get claws to the face?! How is that ‘fine’?!”

“I would have figured something out!” Ace snapped before turning his back on the kid. “I’m taking this,” Ace throws over his shoulder as he drags the bear along with him. The kid glares balefully at Ace’s back before huffing and walking off in the other direction.

“We kept running into each other after that point. I later learned his name, and we got closer and closer over the course of five years.” Ace regales Jinbe on the tales of his and Sabo’s (and later, Luffy’s) escapades. He talks about how Sabo was the first person Ace was ever able to fully rely on, and how he taught Ace the meaning of trust. He talks about how he met Luffy; his bright personality and contagious laugh, and how Luffy taught him what it was like to be loved unconditionally. He talks about their adventures in High Town, and how the three swore brotherhood with each other.

“Wait,” Jinbe interjects, “does that mean you and Sabo aren’t actually blood-related?”

Ace paused before laughing. “Oh, yeah, I never clarified that, did I. No, I call him my twin because of this one lady who used to visit me where I lived.” Ace leans his head back against the wall, grinning as nostalgia fills him once again.

Makino has always been a presence in Ace’s life. He remembers her coming up the mountain every so often, bringing clothes for him and booze for the bandits. She was always kind to him, but he was jaded, even that far back, and refused to let himself get close to her. She tried, he knows she tried, but she simply wasn’t around enough for him to truly trust her and let himself be himself around her.

However, that all changed when Luffy came along. Luffy broke down the walls to Ace’s heart, and Makino was finally allowed to make her way in. She still brought clothes every time she came by (which was much more frequent than before as Luffy was no longer holding her down in Foosha). Ace and Sabo grew closer and closer to Makino as time went on, and he remembers the fateful conversation that had happened soon after he, Luffy, and Sabo had sworn brotherhood.

“Brothers, huh?” Makino says while smiling, measuring out Ace’s new clothes. Ace usually still blushes somewhat while getting fitted, but this time he’s smiling brightly as he remembers the pact they had sworn a few days ago.

“Yup!” Ace says, sharing a grin with Sabo, who is standing next to him, waiting his turn. Ace feels warmth fill him at the sight of his brothers. Unconditional love was something foreign to Ace, but these two had broken down his walls and made themselves at home in his heart. He snickers as Luffy, next to him, gets scolded by the mayor, him and Sabo sharing a fond look and laughing at Luffy’s fake-remorseful face.

“I’m happy for the three of you,” Makino smiles softly, nudging Ace off to the side and motioning Sabo forward. “Have you figured out who’s the oldest?”

Ace and Sabo freeze, slowly turning to stare at each other. “…Have we really never told each other our birthdays?” Sabo asks in disbelief.

Ace crosses his arms and says grumpily, “I don’t like my birthday, so it’s not like it matters. Why do we even need to know who’s oldest?” It was the day his mother died, Ace remembers. He wants nothing to do with it.

Sabo gave him a considering look, then said, grinning, “Well, if you refuse to tell me your birthday, I guess that makes me the oldest one!”

Ace turned around fully, snapping, “How does that make sense?! I’m definitely the oldest! I’m tallest!”

“Well I’m more mature!”

“I’m a better fighter!”

“Um, excuse me, we were even yesterday!”

“Yeah, ‘cause you distracted me by saying Luffy got hurt!”

“Oh, so you’re a softy, is that what you’re telling me?”

“Get over here!” Ace tackles Sabo, causing them both to go rolling across the dirt. Luffy, noticing his brothers having fun without him, laughs in glee and jumps on top of the both of them, causing Ace and Sabo to splutter and grunt.

“Luffy, don’t do that!” Sabo coughs out.

Luffy pouts, saying, “Ace and Sabo were having fun without me! I wanted to join in!”

Ace and Sabo shared a fond look before dragging Luffy over, Ace saying, “We were fighting, Luffy, not playing.”

“What were you fighting over?” Luffy’s innocent gaze stares both of them in their eyes, imploring them to tell him.

“I’m definitely the oldest brother.” Sabo stuck his tongue out at Ace, laughing as he dodges the rock Ace threw at him.

“No, I am!”

“No, me!

“No, me-”

“Why don’t both of you be the older brother?” All three heads turn over to Makino, who smiles as she sees the befuddlement on their faces. She comes over, and crouches down in front of them.

“We can do that?” Ace says uncertainly, looking over at Sabo, who has a look of contemplation on his face.

Makino smiles as she pats both of them on the head. “You’ve heard of twins, right?” She waits until the both of them nod before saying, “Who cares that you weren’t born to the same parents? You’re brothers already, so why not call yourselves twins?”

Ace looks over at Sabo, who stares right back. Ace says, “Twins, huh? I kinda like the sound of that.” I’ve never had a twin before, Ace marvels. It sounds like home.

Sabo laughs before saying, “Yeah! We have to use your birthday, though,” Sabo says mischievously. Ace gapes at him in shock.

“What, why?!”

“You can’t hate your birthday if it’s my birthday, too, right?” Sabo grins as Ace flushes. Ace admits it is a good plan, but damn Sabo for reading him as well has he did. Ace lets it go, though, and grins, clasping his hand with Sabo’s.

“January first it is, then.” Then, he and Sabo squawk as Luffy laughs in glee and tackles them both again, leading to yet another play-fight.

“So yeah, I call him my twin because of a stupid argument we had as children in front of Makino,” Ace snickers. No matter how stupid the beginnings, though, it had meant a lot to Ace to share that day with someone.

(Even if it didn’t last that long.)

“Eventually, though,” Ace frowns as memories flash in his mind, “…Sabo had to go back to his family.”

“His family?”

“Yeah, he was originally a noble.” Ace chuckles humorously and shakes his head. “His father saw him one day while we were in High Town and eventually tracked us down. He threatened me and Luffy, and Sabo went back with his father to protect us.”

Jinbe frowns, and said, “I’m so sorry, Ace-san. That must have been so hard.”

“That wasn’t even the worst part!” Ace bursts out before slumping. God, why am I even talking about this? Ace thinks sardonically. All this is doing is bringing back the hurt. Yet, he forces himself to finish the tale, saying, “…a lot happened, I’m not going to go into it right now. But we found out three days later that Sabo had tried to set out to sea, but ran into a Celestial Dragon.”

Jinbe’s eyes widen as he processes what that means. “You mean…” he trails off.

“He got fucking blown up,” Ace chokes out as he bows his head. He had gone out to sea the next day, stealing a rowboat from Makino, trying to find any trace of his brother. He couldn’t find anything, not even Sabo’s stupid hat.

After hours of searching, he went back to Dadan’s and locked himself in his room. Luffy was distraught, Ace remembers. I could’ve helped him so much more…His younger brother didn’t eat for days, and Ace remembers having to remind him for weeks after the fact. Luffy only started eating again after Ace promised not to die.

(Yet another promise Ace will fail to keep.)

“I’m so sorry, Ace.” Jinbe still looks distraught, and Ace feels a little guilty for putting that look on his friend’s face.

“It was a long time ago,” Ace says. “I’ve gotten over it, though I’ll always miss him.”

Ace then bows his head, thinking back to the times when he was with his brothers, wild and free. Jinbe takes the cue for what it is and quiets, their conversation ending.

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Marina stands in shock as the conversation closes, and slowly edges away from the cell block, walking back in the direction of the elevator. Well, I’m really glad I sent Nathan away, Marina thinks blankly as she processes what she had heard. It had taken a fight, but Marina had managed to convince him that they needed to spread the news that Fire Fist has a twin brother.

“This is big news, Nathan! You know how much stock the marines put in blood!” Marina hisses at her partner. “You need to go run up to Level 4 to tell Magellan! You know the marines will want to capture him!”

“Why do I have to do it?! Can’t we just call it in?” Her partner argues, clearly not wanting to miss the rest of this conversation.

“This information is too sensitive! Will you just listen to me for once and go?”

“Fine, I’ll go. This is way too important for you anyway,” he scoffs before turning on his heel and walking off.

“Good riddance, asshole,” she mutters after he turns the corner, shifting her attention back to the conversation at hand.

“I’m so glad I sent him away,” Marina repeats aloud, running now that she’s out of range of hearing of the cells.

She reaches a wall and slides a stone back into the wall, and then turns the revealed switch, causing a hidden door to open. She then dashes through, closing it behind her. Marina climbs the many sets of stairs before finally reaching another door. She knocks a pattern onto it, waiting for a person on the other side to open it.

“Come on, come on, come on,” she chants as she taps her foot impatiently, pacing from side to side. “Could it really be him? It fits…from what I know, it very well could be him…” she trails off.

“I don’t remember my childhood,” A gap-toothed grin flashes in her head, the echoes of the voice of one of her closest friends ringing in her ears. “But that doesn’t matter. I have all I need here now.” She had drawn him into a hug anyway, not even being able to imagine what it would be like to lose her memories in the way he had.

Now, she is really glad he had seen fit to tell her his story. “Seriously, how long does it take to open a freaking door?” she curses, running a hand through her hair agitatedly.

Finally, the door opens, drawing her from her memories. She dashes through, barely waiting until there was a gap large enough. She tosses a “Sorry!” over her shoulder at the poor soul that was knocked over by her, then rushes towards the front of the room. She heads towards the door where the sounds of a party are coming from, and slams it open. She breathes deeply for a second before calling out to her old mentor.

“Iva-san, I need to use your transponder snail!”

Chapter Text

Magellan is having a good day. He’s barely had any diarrhea all day, which is always nice, and his soldiers had just brought in the Knight of the Sea. The traitor had been locked up with Fire Fist (which should be a nice bit of emotional trauma for the both of them). He is currently patrolling the second floor, making sure everything is in order before he retires to his office.

(Not that anyone would dare do anything while Magellan’s up there, but, still. Protocol is important.)

He’s just finishing patrolling the final hallway when a grunt runs up to him, breathing heavily. “Chief Warden Magellan, sir!” He pants before pulling out a sloppy salute.

“What is it?” Magellan grumbles dismissively as he turns away and starts to head to his office. No need for this small interruption to delay his return, after all.

The grunt struggles to hurry after him, and says, “I was just down on Level 6, sir! My partner and I overheard something from a conversation between Fire Fist Ace and the Knight of the Sea that we thought would be of importance!”

Magellan side-eyes him as he continues walking. What could be of this much importance? A plan that only the Whitebeards are privy to? He waves impatiently for the grunt to continue talking.

“W-well, while we were down there, we overheard Fire Fist mention that he has a twin. I know this may not be what you expected…” Magellan feels the blood rushing in his ears as he processes that statement.

Cutting the grunt off, he grabs him by his collar and says, “A twin?! You’re positive that’s what you heard?!” The grunt chokes in fear while nodding vehemently. Magellan curses and drops him.

“Return to your post!” The grunt nods quickly before sprinting back the way he came, and Magellan starts walking quickly towards the stairs to Level 4.

A twin?! The devil child has a twin?! Magellan rants in his head as he descends the stairs. Chills run down his spine as he remembers what Sengoku had told him regarding Fire Fist when he had been imprisoned.

“Magellan,” Sengoku begins while pacing across his office, “I am only telling you this because it is for this reason that it is of vital importance that Fire Fist Ace remain secure in your prison until his execution.”

Magellan bristles at the implication that he may not be capable of containing a single prisoner. “As I recall, Fleet Admiral,” he responds tersely, “Not one prisoner has escaped this prison in my many years of being Chief Warden. What makes you think I’ll start now?” The implication is simply insulting, and Magellan will not stand for it, not even from the Fleet Admiral.

Sengoku waves a hand dismissively, saying, “This is not due to any lack of trust, Chief Warden. This is simply another incentive for you to remain vigilant the entire duration of Fire Fist’s stay there.” Sengoku then pauses in his pacing, placing his hands on the desk sitting between the two men and leaning forward.

“This execution is of prime importance because Fire Fist Ace is not just a Whitebeard Commander.” Magellan keeps his face stony, but feels confusion swirl within him. Not just a Whitebeard Commander? What else could he be? Sengoku sighs, and then continues, “He is also the son of Gold Roger.”

Magellan freezes, shock making its way through his stone mask and showing on his face. “The Pirate King’s son?!” How? How could he have survived? Magellan cannot believe this, and it must show on his face, for Sengoku sighs and explains the story of Portgas D. Rouge and how she managed to protect her son, hiding from the marines and holding him for 11 months past the norm.

Even for a criminal, Magellan thinks blankly, that is some amazing willpower. He begrudgingly raises the respect level he feels for her as Sengoku finishes the tale. He then stands tall and glares at Magellan.

“So, now you understand why it is vital that we do not allow Fire Fist Ace any chance at survival.” Magellan is still too shocked to get angry at this clear doubt in his skills, and nods before exiting the room, the door slamming shut behind him.

Magellan slams the door of his office shut behind him again. Dammit! He thinks furiously, so there are two Devil Children?! Magellan paces around the office, debating what to do. Finally, he sighs, bites the bullet, and pulls out his transponder snail.

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Sengoku is sitting at his desk, looking over the transfer documents needed to call all the marines necessary over to Marineford for the upcoming war. Though the news has yet to be released in the newspapers, Sengoku knows Whitebeard will not stand for one of his sons being captured and executed.

It will be war.

Signing the last set of documents, he leans back in his seat and sighs. A missive to his left catches his eye, and he groans as he is reminded of the events that occurred at Sabaody Archipelago two days ago.

Damn that Straw Hat Luffy, Sengoku thinks as he rubs his head. And damn that Kuma for sending those brats away instead of capturing them. The headaches that brat has given him are unreal, and Garp has not been helping with his constant laughter at the antics of his grandson. He has thankfully been more subdued due to the capture of his other grandson, but Sengoku knows this is too good to last for long.

Puru-puru-puru-puru.

The ringing of the transponder snail interrupts Sengoku’s musings, and he glances over to see which transponder snail is ringing. Seeing that it is the one for Impel Down communications, he places a white transponder snail next to it in case the communication contains sensitive information. With this step complete, Sengoku picks up the transponder snail.

Gacha.

“Fleet Admiral Sengoku speaking.”

“Fleet Admiral!” Sengoku frowns as the panicked sound of the Chief Warden sounds over the phone. What could happen to make him sound this panicked?

A sinking feeling settling in his gut, Sengoku asks, “What’s wrong? Don’t tell me something has happened to the prisoner?”

“No, nothing has happened to the prisoner.” Sengoku lets out a subtle sigh of relief, but worry still remains as he remembers how panicked Magellan had been at the beginning of the call.

“Why are you calling, then?”

“One of the Level 6 guards happened to overhear a conversation between Fire Fist Ace and the Knight of the Sea.” Sengoku nods slowly, and lets out a sound that prompts Magellan to continue. “You may want to sit down for this, Fleet Admiral.”

“Are you underestimating me, Chief Warden?” Sengoku growls into the transponder snail, which shrinks back in fear at the golden hue surrounding the Fleet Admiral. He does, however, reluctantly take a seat.

“No, I’m just warning you that this news is shocking-”

“I’m sitting down now, Chief Warden, you can go ahead and spit it out now,” Sengoku cuts in. The nervous feeling has turned into full-on dread, and Sengoku finds himself on the edge of his seat waiting for what Magellan has to say. His goat eats the now forgotten-about missive about the Straw Hats next to him, but Sengoku can’t be bothered to care.

“I’m afraid there’s no soft way of putting this, so I’m just going to come out and say it. Apparently, Fire Fist Ace has a twin.” Sengoku freezes, clutching the receiver in his hand hard enough to almost shatter it. He takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly, and releases the receiver.

“…are you positive that this is true, Chief Warden?”

“No, the only proof we have is the conversation Fire Fist had with the Knight of the Sea earlier today.” Sengoku breathes out slowly before nodding, a plan already forming in his mind to find out whether this is true.

“Thank you for telling me, Chief Warden. Is that all?” Perhaps noticing the terseness in Sengoku’s voice, Magellan is quick to nod his head yes. “Then that will be all. Good day.” With that, Sengoku hangs up and promptly smashes his forehead into the table.

A twin?! Sengoku thinks furiously. The Devil Child has a twin?! Sengoku had heard nothing of this, but given Fire Fist had managed to stay hidden for almost twenty years, it’s not too much of a stretch to think another devil child may have been hidden away. The implications of this are huge if this rumor turns out to be true – they will have to find this second Devil Child. There is no other option. They cannot execute one without the other, after all.

And there’s only one person who will be able to reveal whether this is true or not.

He takes in another deep breath, lets it out, and stands up. He then walks to the door, opens it, and lets out a bellow that shakes Marineford to its very foundations.

“GARP!”

(His goat, used to his antics, gnaws on the somehow-not-finished-eaten-yet Straw-Hat missive. It seems massively unimportant at the moment.)

----------------------------------------------------------------

Ivankov sighs, collapsing down into their chair. Cheers echo across Level 5.5 at Ivankov’s most recent performance, and Ivankov grins before calling Inazuma over, who is already carrying their favorite drink. They give a nod in thanks and Inazuma smiles back before returning to where he (at the moment) had been sitting, enjoying the show.

Even though we’re in Impel Down, Ivankov thinks, sipping at their margarita, I suppose there are some upsides. Though it is kind of dull, being stuck in the same place for two years. Sometimes Ivankov wishes something interesting would happen in Impel Down just so that their daily routine can change even just a little bit.

Well, at least we have interesting performances. Ivankov turns to watch the next performance (oooh, flamethrowers are involved? Delightful.) when a loud crashing sound rings throughout the room. A hush falls over the crowd as they turn towards the doorway, where a heavily-breathing Impel Down guard stands, hands on knees, catching their breath.

What the hell? Ivankov thinks as they look at the almost recovered guard. They walk closer to the guard, on guard in case they decide to try to run away or attack (though both seem unlikely at the moment). The guard looks up at Ivankov, and Ivankov gasps as they recognize her face.

Before they could say anything in recognition, the guard finally pulls herself together enough to say, “Iva-san, I need to use your transponder snail!”

Ivankov pulls up in shock, rapidly trying to figure out what was happening. Why is the one person who is never supposed to reveal herself suddenly showing herself to everyone and demanding to use the transponder snail? Why does she need to use the transponder snail in the first place? And why does she look so panicked?

Finally finding their voice, Ivankov calls out, “Mari-girl, what’s wrong? Why are you here?” Marina gives Ivankov a look before shaking her head impatiently.

The spy says, “Sorry, Iva-san, I’d love to catch up and explain what’s happening, but I don’t think we have much time!” Time before what?!

Ivankov shakes their head and jerks their head for Marina to follow them into the communications room. The easiest way to get answers is probably to give her what she wants, Ivankov grumbles internally, yanking the door open and leading the way to the sole transponder snail with a white counterpart.

“I’m assuming this is confidential, Mari-girl, so use this one.” Marina sends them a nod of thanks before picking up the receiver and dialing in what Ivankov recognizes as Dragon’s personal den-den number. Their confusion intensifies as Marina taps her foot impatiently as the transponder snail rings. Those few seconds feel like forever to Ivankov, but finally, the ringing stops and the ‘gacha’ sound rings out.

Marina rattles off a series of letters and numbers so fast that Ivankov can’t keep up, and soon after, Ivankov hears the voice of their oldest friend sound out through the phone, rattling off a code in return. Marina nods, satisfied, and says, “Hello, Dragon-san.”

“Hello, Marina. I can’t say I was expecting a call from you today. What happened?” Ivankov can’t see their friend’s expression clearly, but they can imagine the well-hidden bafflement that would be on his face at this time. After all, it isn’t protocol to have one of the Revolutionary Army’s only spies within the Impel Down guard network call out of the blue.

“I have important news to tell you and Sabo. It involves Sabo’s memories and Portgas D. Ace.”

Well, Ivankov thinks as they process that bit of information, shock flooding their system. I guess this counts as something interesting happening.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Garp sits at his desk in his office, for once not being a loud nuisance to everyone around him. He’s quiet, staring at the picture he holds in his hand. Three faces beam up at him, and memories flash through Garp’s head of the three boys he used to know, and the men they’ve grown up to be today.

Well, two of them grew up to be, Garp thinks morosely. Though he had only had a chance to meet Sabo once, what had happened to him is still a damn shame. He remembers arriving at Dawn Island one time, arriving at the Bandits’ hideout to find the boys weren’t there. That wasn’t abnormal for them, wild boys that they were, but the somberness surrounding the bandits had caused a sinking feeling to appear in his gut.

Garp goes out to track down the boys, worry filling him as he doesn’t see them at the treehouse they had been so proud of the last time he had been there, nor at the training grounds they spend most of their time at. Working off of a hunch, he heads towards the cliffside that he had found Ace at all those years ago, knowing it is the place he (and now Luffy and Sabo) goes to think.

Finally arriving at the clearing right before the cliffside, Garp pauses, extending his senses to gauge whether they were there. A sense of dread fills Garp as he notes that only Ace is there. Ace never leaves Luffy alone anymore, Garp knows. What could have happened that would cause Ace to leave him alone?

Apprehension filling him, he strides towards the cliff, because subtlety has never been his strong suit (and Ace would notice him soon anyway so there’s no point), and stops beside his grandson.

Ace is sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest, a well-worn letter sitting next to him. He glances at Garp before looking away, and if everything before this wasn’t a sign that something is really wrong, this certainly is. Garp sits down heavily next to Ace, looking out to the ocean in front of him. If Ace wants to speak, he will, and Garp won’t force him.

After a few moments of silence, Ace murmurs, “Why do you serve them, Gramps?” Garp contemplates the question briefly, glancing down at his grandson, who is staring down at the letter in his hands again. 

His loyalties have always been a sore subject for Ace, Garp knows. He’s surprised a conversation like this hasn’t occurred before now.

He responds, “…because it’s what allows me to do the right thing.”

“Then why do you all protect the Celestial Dragons?!” Ace bursts out, and oh, Garp knows what this is about now. He sighs, suddenly feeling twenty years older.

“So you saw them do something while they were here, huh?” Garp frowns, staring down at the ground. He had known about the Celestial Dragon visit, but hadn’t been able to get away in time. He curses that fact as he pictures what sort of tragedies his grandson may have been privy to.

Ace snaps his head towards him, anger shining in his eyes. “The bandits really didn’t tell you anything, huh?” He hisses, and Garp feels that wariness shoot up another level. “Sabo had to go back to his parents. They’re nobles-” Garp restrains the urge to interject that he already knew that – he could tell from his clothing and demeanor, “-and they decided they wanted their heir back.”

Ace spits out the word ‘heir’ like it’s something ugly, and Garp can’t help but agree with the sentiment. Nobles, especially those on Goa, are some of the worst people he knows, hence why he dropped Ace and Luffy off as far from them as possible at this island.

(Not far enough.)

“There was a fire a couple weeks ago- which of course you weren’t here for,” anger and fear fill Ace’s tone, and self-loathing shoots through Garp, “-and as soon as Luffy and I were safe from that, Dogra comes and tells us that Sabo was killed. He was killed by those you vow to protect,” Ace chokes out, and oh. It’s even worse than Garp could have imagined.

Garp sighs, feeling bone-deep weariness sink in as he tries to figure out how to lay this out in a way that Ace would, maybe not accept, but hopefully understand. Though, Garp sighs internally, I’d be surprised if he even tries. He can’t find it in him to blame Ace either. He hates those bastards too – even more now that they have caused his grandson to have even more pain in his life.

Garp sighs, saying, “I’m so sorry about Sabo, Ace.” Ace glares at him, tears shining in his eyes, a hand clutching the letter that Garp belatedly realizes must be from Sabo. “…there are some things that even I can’t control, no matter how much I wish to.”

“Why?! Why, then, do you take so much pride in a system that killed Sabo?! That killed my brother?!” Ace chokes on the last word, and Garp wishes that he could take this pain away from him. 

He’s too young to have this sort of pain, Garp laments, looking sadly at Ace. He figures nothing he could say would help, so he remains silent, looking back out over the ocean.

A few moments pass, with Ace rereading the letter yet again, tears slowly rolling down his face. “…I’m never going to be a marine,” Ace lets out. “I’m going to become a pirate, and be free. Freer than anyone. Free like Sabo never got a chance to be.”

And Garp really doesn’t have anything to say to that.

“That was really the turning point for you, Ace, wasn’t it?” Garp mutters to himself. Sabo’s death was the final straw in a series of injustices in Ace’s life paving his way to becoming a pirate. He could never let himself serve a system that had killed his brother, and Garp understands that - no, respects that.

(He determinedly refuses to think of Ohara, and the sole survivor that had been hunted for twenty years for something that wasn’t her fault.)

(He refuses to think of Baterilla, and the thousands of innocents who had been killed for a child that only had a possibility of existing.)

(He refuses to think of the Celestial Dragons and the millions of civilians whose lives they’ve ruined.)

(He refuses to think about the fact that he serves a system that not only carried those events out, but would demand them be done again.)

(He refuses.)

Hiding the picture away in his desk, Garp leans back in his chair with a sigh, the hard wood digging into his painfully tense shoulders. His eyes fall on Ace’s most current wanted poster, and a frown forms on his face as he is yet again reminded that his grandson is slated to be executed in a week.

He’s family, part of him screams. Do something, do anything!

Carry your duty, the part of him that has been a Marine for the majority of his life snaps. He’s a pirate. He signed up for this.

Garp forcefully shakes his head, banishing the thoughts. There’s nothing I can do, Garp convinces himself. He ignores the voice still screaming in the back of his head and grabs at some rice crackers. He is about to put one in his mouth, but jumps and smashes the cracker in his hand when a bellow sounds throughout the top floor of Marineford.

“GARP!”

----------------------------------------------------------------

“Sabo!”

Sabo, slumped over his desk in a half-asleep daze, jerks his head up, groaning at the light that’s suddenly stabbing his eyes. He closes his eyes, opening them slowly so as to let them adjust. He rubs his eyes as he turns to address Koala, who is giving him a deadpan stare as she glances over his disheveled form.

“You fell asleep doing paperwork again, didn’t you?” She asks critically as she walks towards him. He can see her looking over his mussed hair and the bags under his eyes, and a frown of disapproval forms on her face. “You haven’t been sleeping, have you?”

His shifty eyes and hunched posture give him away, and Koala sighs before tugging him up. “Come on, we have a meeting with Dragon-san. After that, I am dragging you to bed and you are sleeping for at least ten hours.”

“Koala-”

“Don’t Koala me, Sabo! How do you expect to be of help on the mission if you can’t even keep yourself awake? Boy, why do I always have to take care of you?” Sabo groans as Koala drags him along the hallways leading to Dragon’s office, the now-familiar tirade washing over him as he deliberates why Dragon would even be calling them over in the first place.

They’re supposed to be leaving on a mission in a day or so, but all the debriefs regarding that mission had already taken place, so Sabo has no idea what this meeting could be about.

“Koala,” Sabo cuts into her well-worn rant. “Do you know what Dragon-san is calling us in for?” Koala side-eyes him in annoyance for interrupting her, and he just grins innocently at her. She lightly slaps the back of his head and finally smiles as he snickers at her.

She tugs him around the corner and says, “No, all he said is to come quick, so I’m assuming it’s some last-minute info for the mission.” At this point, they have arrived at his office, and Sabo knocks quickly on the door before walking in. Koala sighs at his typical rudeness and walks in after him, closing the door softly.

Sabo quickly scans the room, noting Hack’s presence with a slight frown. This isn’t the typical ensemble for a mission briefing, he muses. He walks over to where Dragon is standing by the transponder snail, noticing that it’s not the usual transponder snail that’s used for communications.

He glances at Koala, and her slight shrug as she takes her place by his side shows she is as confused as he is. He quickly rubs at his eyes, trying to get rid of the lingering tiredness. He can tell this isn’t going to be a simple mission briefing.

“What’s up, Dragon-san?” He glances at his superior’s face, and frowns in confusion as he sees the faint signs of confusion on his superior’s face. Even Dragon-san doesn’t know what’s happening? What is this about?

Dragon turns towards the transponder snail that Sabo belatedly notes has its receiver off. Dragon picks it up off the table and says, “Marina, Sabo is here now, along with Koala and Hack. What did you need to tell us?”

Sabo does a double-take in shock, sharing a bewildered look with Koala. Marina is one of their closest friends, but she’s been gone in Impel Down for the last two years, and she’s not supposed to contact them unless it’s an emergency.

She’s also one of their only spies within the Impel Down guard force, and the only one within the three lower levels, hence the need for her to be very careful. What the hell is going on? Sabo thinks bewilderedly. The transponder snail turns its attention towards Sabo as Marina starts to speak.

“Sabo, does the name Portgas D. Ace mean anything to you?” Sabo shakes his head. Hack hands him a wanted poster, and upon glancing at it, Sabo sees the picture and epithet for Portgas D. Ace shown on it, the smirk somehow causing a sense of recognition to form within him.

A spike of pain shoots through his head as he looks at it, causing him to wince. Marina, unaware, continues on, “This hasn’t been released in the news yet, but the Shichibukai have been notified. Fire Fist is set to be executed in one week’s time.” Sabo goes shock still, his mind failing to process what Marina just told him.

Ace…executed…one week…

No matter how many times those words run through Sabo’s head, he still can’t make sense of it. A clawing sense of fear and urgency fills Sabo’s body, and he finds himself staring down at the freckled face smiling back at him, his smirk seeming to see right through him. Another spike of pain shoots through his head.

“…never run!”

“That’s right…” Sabo mutters under his breath, “I never could get you to run away…” What? Who to run away? And from what?

He brings his hand up to his forehead, wincing. Seeing Koala glance at him out of the corner of his eye, concern written all over her face, he shakes his head at her to alleviate her worries. Though she looks unconvinced, she turns back to the transponder snail. 

Marina continues, “That’s the first piece of news I needed to tell you all. The second piece of news is solely involving Sabo and Fire Fist.” Sabo feels eyes on him, but he can’t make himself look up from the face in front of him. The clawing sense of fear and urgency along with the sense of recognition tell him, this is important. He is important. He can’t look away.

“Sabo, he started off by talking about this kid named Luffy, who I later found out is his younger brother.” Hack ruffles through the wanted posters in his hands before he hands Sabo a second poster, and Sabo flips it around, hands shaking as he sees an unknown (but familiar, so, so familiar) D-shaped grin staring up at him. The sense of recognition heightens, and Sabo clutches at the piece of paper, pride filling him along with confusion.

Why is he so proud of this kid?! Why is he so scared for Ace (and why does he think his name with such familiarity?)

Why can’t he remember?!

Sabo staggers back, yet another stabbing pain shooting through his head. Koala grabs his arm to steady him, his name a worried murmur that barely makes it through the blood that is suddenly rushing through his head. He is faintly aware of his breathing becoming erratic, and forces himself to calm down slightly and listen to what Marina is saying.

“…and finally, he also said that you were his twin, Sabo. He said you three swore brotherhood.” Everyone’s heads snap towards Sabo, who is only slightly aware of that happening.

…Ace…Luffy…brotherhood…twins…

“…brothers already, so why not call yourselves twins?”

Oh, yeah, Sabo remembers faintly, we had that argument about who was older, and Makino-san suggested that we call ourselves twins.

“…twins, huh? I kinda like the sound of that…”

Ace was trying so hard to act nonchalant, Sabo thinks fondly. I could always see right through him.

Another spike of pain makes itself known, and Sabo cries out, slamming his hands on the table that the transponder snail is on to steady himself. He’s vaguely aware of Koala trying to steady him and the calls of his name from both Koala and Hack, but can’t bring himself to reassure them at all.

Who are these two to me? Sabo thinks desperately. Why can’t I remember?!

As soon as the word remember floats through his head, a spike of pain larger than any other hits him, and he cries out before falling backwards.

“Hey, you guys know this? If you exchange cups, you can become brothers!”

A D-shaped grin appears in Sabo’s brain, along with a cry of, “Brothers?! Really?!”

Ah, that’s right, Sabo thinks.

“When we become pirates, we might not be on the same ship together, but the three of us will always be brothers!”

Ace, Luffy…they’re my precious brothers!

“No matter where we are or what we do, this bond will never be broken!”

How could I have forgotten?!

“Starting today…we’re brothers!”

The last thing Sabo is aware of is his back, hitting the cold, cold floor.

Chapter Text

Garp walks into Sengoku’s office to find his friend pacing from side to side, clearly fuming. Sengoku looks up as he enters the room, and Garp reels back in shock as he notices the golden hue surrounding him. 

Oh shit, Garp thinks numbly, he only gets this way when he’s super pissed.

…Well, whatever.

“What’s wrong, Senny? Did someone steal your rice crackers again?” Garp says, bellowing out a laugh. He’s not the type of person to treat someone softly when they’re upset (excepting his grandsons (and even then, it’s rare)), and Sengoku knows that. Though, given by the glare Sengoku sends at him, he doesn’t appreciate his levity.

“This is no time for jokes, Garp!” Sengoku snaps at him, ceasing his pacing in favor of stomping over to Garp and grabbing his collar. “When the hell were you going to tell me Gol D. Ace has a twin?!” Garp stifles the urge to snap Portgas before the words Sengoku said process in his head. He freezes, the implications of that statement sinking in.

“What are you talking about?” Garp looks off to the side, probably not helping his case as he frantically tries to figure out what the hell is going on. A twin? How had Sengoku gotten to that conclusion?! Sengoku takes his honestly confused answer as a lie, growling before throwing him away.

“I received a call from Magellan just now, and he told me that one of his guards overheard a discussion between Fire Fist and the Knight of the Sea, talking about a twin of all things!” Ah, Garp realizes. He must have been talking about Sabo. Garp ponders what to tell Sengoku as he continues with his diatribe, before settling on what he does best.

Utter bullshit.

“Bwahahahaha! Is that all you’re worried about?”

“‘All I’m worried about?’ What the hell do you mean, ‘all I’m worried about’?!” Sengoku throws his hands up in frustration and returns to his pacing. “If Gol D. Ace-” Garp resists against the urge to interject with ‘Portgas’ yet again and decides to listen to his ‘superior’ for once, “-has a twin, it throws everything off! Why did you not tell me?!”

Garp sticks his finger up his nose, turning his head to the side as he mumbles, “I didn’t think it was important.” Given Garp had seen Sabo a grand total of once before his death, learning most of what he knows about him from asides from Ace and Luffy, he can be forgiven for thinking not mentioning him was okay. Should I tell him? Garp questions himself. The little voice inside of him, the one always questioning what he was being told to do, is screaming right now.

If I tell him, Ace will still be executed in a week. If I don’t tell him, maybe this wild goose chase will last long enough for the Whitebeards to find out and to free him. It’s a long shot, but it’s one Garp is willing to shoot for.

(The vindictive part of Garp is also thinking, let him suffer. He’s trying to execute his grandson; it is perfectly within Garp’s rights to send him on a wild goose chase in retaliation.)

Sengoku freezes for a second before turning towards Garp with a stony expression, and Garp knows he’s fucked up. Garp backs away rapidly, hands up as Sengoku stalks towards him, and says, “I’ll tell you everything about him! Just don’t kill me!” Sengoku pauses before sitting down at his desk, glaring fiercely at him.

“Talk.”

Garp then spends the next few minutes telling Sengoku everything he knows about Sabo, which, admittedly, isn’t that much. Garp keeps quiet about Sabo being dead (and not biologically related to Ace, can’t forget that), though the part of him that’s been loyal to the marines for decades violently rebels against that.

(He tells that part of him a vehement shut the fuck up.)

“Blonde hair?” Sengoku repeats in disbelief. “Fire Fist has black hair. How could his twin have blonde hair?”

“Bwahahaha! His hair color comes from his mom! They’re fraternal twins, not identical!” Sengoku gives Garp a suspicious look before nodding, jotting down what Garp has told him. With any luck, Garp thinks gleefully, this little delay will allow the Whitebeards to have enough time to save Ace.

Garp asks casually, “What are we going to do about the execution?”

Sengoku groans as he says, “We’re going to have to delay it, which is a pain considering the Shichibukai have already been contacted…” Sengoku mutters to himself for a second, and Garp can only guess what is going through his brain. It’s nice not being Fleet Admiral, Garp crows internally as he grabs another handful of rice crackers.

“Here’s what we’re going to do.” Sengoku stares Garp in the eyes, reminding him just why he has been Fleet Admiral for over twenty years at this point. A strategist from the very beginning, Sengoku has always known what to do to do the right thing, and Garp has followed that leadership with pride. Even before they were different ranks, just two rookies making their way up the hierarchy to where they are today, Garp has followed him. 

He knows Sengoku will do the right thing.

(A small voice makes itself known to Garp, whispering, but is this really the right thing? Garp forcefully shoves that thought aside.

He’s been doing that a lot lately.)

“So, what’s the plan?”

----------------------------------------------------------------

“Elder Nyon! A missive has arrived for you!” Luffy looks up from his dinner, watching as Marguerite walks quickly over to Gloriosa, who grabs the newspaper and opens it. She frowns as she reads the contents. Luffy, losing interest, returns to his meal.

“That’s interesting…” Gloriosa mutters as she quickly scans the missive. “They’re delaying the execution of one of the Whitebeard Commanders, though still requiring the Snake Princess to go to Mariejois at the same time. What could cause that?”

Luffy perks up in interest, hearing the name of the crew his brother is a part of. “There was going to be an execution?” He asks, ripping off a piece of meat from a drumstick while reaching for another one.

Gloriosa nods, saying, “Yes, the Snake Princess is required to help fight with the Marines at the execution, much to her chagrin,” she mutters at the end as Marguerite stifles a laugh. Luffy feels worry claw its way into his chest, and though he feels he has no reason to worry, dread still settles in his stomach.

Ace had been hunting down a traitor, Luffy remembers. But he wouldn’t have lost, right? His big brother never loses. Ace always wins, always has since they were kids. He would hate it if Luffy worried about him. Ace’s voice from Alabasta echoes in his ears as his worry intensifies.

“I’m the one who’s supposed to be worried about you, idiot,” Ace says fondly, ruffling Luffy’s hair. “I won’t let a dirty traitor beat me.” Luffy smiles in relief, trusting in the words his brother said to him.

After all, Ace has never lied to him yet.

Still, Luffy can’t shake this feeling of dread creeping up into his throat. “Which Whitebeard Commander is it?” Luffy asks casually, reaching out for another piece of food, trying to ignore the way his hand is shaking.

“Well, I don’t know how this happened, but Portgas D. Ace was recently captured and brought in. His execution was scheduled…” The words Gloriosa is saying fade into the background as the blood rushes to Luffy’s head.

Ace…execution…one week…

The words bounce around in Luffy’s brain, yet Luffy can make no sense of them. How is this possible? Ace, his big brother, the one Luffy had never been able to defeat, captured? His overconfident, cocky, but loving and kind brother? Defeated? Captured? How? Luffy thinks numbly. How is this possible?

He launches himself at Gloriosa, startling both of the women who had been staring at him in worry. He grabs her shoulders, shaking her slightly. Uncaring of their discomfort, Luffy yells, “He’s my brother! Ace is my big brother!” Gloriosa gapes at Luffy as he frantically tries to process what he was just told. “I didn’t know he had been caught! What do you mean executed?! Does that mean he can’t get out of it?!”

Gloriosa regains her composure, frowning thoughtfully. “Well, if Whitebeard wins this war, he might be able to save your brother.”

“What should I do?! Where are they going to execute him?!”

“Well, the execution has been delayed, so we don’t know when exactly your brother will be executed. It was originally scheduled for six days from now, and for all we know, they will reverse the decision and have him executed on time since the Snake Princess is still being asked to go to Mariejois at the same time. He will be executed at the plaza at Marineford.”

“How many days is it from here to Sabaody?!” His crew will be there. He has to get to his crew.

“At least a week.”

Luffy curses, saying, “Ace could be dead before I even reach my crew, then! How far is Ace from here?!”

“He’s in Impel Down right now, which is seven days away by pirate ship and four by Navy Battleship.”

“Are Marine ships really that much faster?” Luffy asks, mind racing as he tries to come up with a way to save Ace while also not abandoning his crew. There’s just not enough time! Luffy thinks desperately.

Gloriosa shakes her head. “No, there’s a current that the Marines use that pirates can’t access which gives them a lot of speed.”

“Dammit!” Luffy curses, grabbing for his hat and pulling out his brother’s Vivre Card. He freezes as he notices the paper has reduced down to a tenth its original size. The voice of Lola explaining what it means for the paper to be burning rings through his head. He shakes his head quickly to dispel that memory. He forces himself to turn to face Gloriosa and Marguerite, trying to keep his trembling at bay.

“This was originally ten times this size. Ace must be in really big trouble, then!” Luffy pauses, frantically trying to get his thoughts in order.

The memory of Ace’s promise hits Luffy like a train.

“I will never die, Luffy!”

Memories quickly flash before Luffy’s eyes – his and Ace’s first meeting. Meeting Sabo. Swearing brotherhood. Losing Sabo. Ace’s promise, and his own vow to become stronger. The countless spars between Ace and him, and the many dine-and-dashes. Luffy shakes at the thought of losing Ace. He can’t lose Ace. He just can’t.

He can’t lose another brother.

Luffy closes his eyes, breathes deep, and murmurs, “Sorry, guys.” An image of his crew flashes in front of his eyes. They’ll forgive him for this, he’s sure. “I need to take a detour.” He opens his eyes and turns to face Gloriosa.

“I need to go save Ace.”

----------------------------------------------------------------

Ace cracks his eyes open as he hears footsteps approaching the cell block he and Jinbe are in. He glances at Jinbe, unsurprised to see him alert and watching out the cell door. Ace turns to face the door as well when the footsteps stop, and Ace’s breath catches as he sees the face of his grandfather.

“Gramps?” What is he doing here? Why is he here? Ace knows his grandfather well enough to know that he won’t – no, can’t – anything to stop this execution. He isn’t expecting help. So why is he here? “What are you doing here?”

“Bwhahahahaha! What, I can’t come visit my favorite grandson?” Garp sits down heavily, pulling out a package of rice crackers. Does he always have those on him? Ace thinks exasperatedly.

Ace frowns, scoffing and saying, “You liar. Luffy’s always been your favorite.” Garp bellows out a laugh, startling the prisoners around them and causing Jinbe to jump slightly, getting an amused look from both Ace and Garp.

“Seriously, what are you doing down here?” Ace asks, dropping his head back onto his chest.

I don’t need your pity, Ace doesn’t say.

I don’t need another lecture, Ace doesn’t say.

I definitely don’t need another reminder about how reckless I was, Ace doesn’t say.

Garp grins, popping a couple rice crackers into his mouth, and says, “I have news for you! Your execution’s been delayed!” Ace jerks his head up, eyes widening in shock as he looks at his grandfather, seeing on his face that what Garp is saying is true.

He shares a bewildered look with Jinbe before asking breathlessly, “Why?! Aren’t I the ‘catch of the century’?” If Ace could move his hands, he’d be making air quotes. Sadly, all he has is his mouth, so he injects as much sarcasm into his tone as possible. “Why the hell would they delay it?!”

Garp smiles sharply, and oh, Ace thinks. He’s done something. That’s the kind of grin Ace has seen very few times in his life. He’s seen it when Luffy was up to something particularly mischievous, or when Garp had come up with a new (and more painful, Ace thinks while shuddering) way of training. This grin means trouble, or so Sabo had put it, “recklessness incarnate.”

“You always do something reckless when you get that look!” Sabo complains, groaning as all Ace does is grin and continue walking, Luffy hopping beside him excitedly. Even as he complains, he still follows after them, and Ace laughs, enjoying the feeling of having his brothers both beside him.

Ace knows that look, so he simply asks, “What did you do?” Jinbe gives Ace a confused look, but Garp lets out another loud laugh before answering.

“Talk about Sabo, recently, have you?” Ace jerks slightly in shock, glancing at Jinbe. 

No one was supposed to be around us, Ace thinks confusedly. How had they been overheard? 

Ace gives Garp a nod, and Garp grins even wider. “Seems someone overheard you talking about your ‘twin’, and that someone told Magellan, who told Sengoku.”

Ace freezes, the implications of that racing through his head at light speed. If someone thinks he has a twin, then that can only mean…

Ace bursts out laughing, startling Jinbe and bringing an even bigger grin out of Garp. “You’ve led them on a wild goose chase, haven’t you?” At the laugh and nod from Garp that question gains him, Ace promptly loses his shit.

Oh my god, Ace gasps soundlessly. They’re searching for a dead man. And they’ve delayed Ace’s execution solely due to that. This is the prank of a century! Ace thinks, still losing his marbles in the cell. He can tell others are looking weirdly at him, laughing in the middle of a prison. Ace cannot bring himself to care.

Now wishing he could wipe the tears from his eyes, Ace asks, “How long have they been searching?” How much time have you bought me? Goes unspoken between them, but Garp hears it all the same.

“Three days and counting.” Ace loses it again, and Garp simply laughs along with him, tossing a few more rice crackers into his mouth. Jinbe joins in this time, letting out a few hearty laughs, and man, it feels good to laugh again.

Soon, Ace will remember he is still a prisoner on death row. Soon, Garp will recall that he still has to guard his grandson from the very people who want to save his life. Soon, reality will return. But for now, three unlikely people lose their shit in the lowest level of the most secure prison in the world, solely because of a wild goose chase.

All good things must come to an end, however, and the ringing of a transponder snail interrupts their laughter. Ace can see Garp considering not picking it up, and considering the location, Ace muses, not picking it up might actually be the smarter choice. Garp obviously doesn’t care, and promptly picks up.

“Hey Senny!”

“Garp! Where the hell are you?!” Sengoku sounds oddly cheerful on the other end, and Ace and Garp share a confused look, because a wild goose chase should not yield this sort of response.

Garp motions for Ace and Jinbe to remain quiet, which, duh, Ace thinks. Like hell is he going to interrupt a conversation between two top men in the Marines. Actually, on second thought, that actually sounds fun, Ace considers. Out of a (minimal) sense of respect for his grandfather, though, he restrains himself and contents himself with listening.

Garp responds, “Bwahahaha! I’m heading back from visiting my idiot grandson!” 

That’s rude, Ace thinks, pouting. He can see Jinbe laughing at him out of the corner of his eye, and in a fit of immaturity, sticks his tongue out at him. Jinbe rolls his eyes at him, and Ace snickers to himself.

Garp continues, “What’s got you in such a good mood?”

Ace can hear Sengoku’s sigh on the other end, and really relates. “You know, I really should scold you for going to visit him,” Sengoku groans out.

If only you knew, Ace thinks humorously. I’m still right here.

“However, I am in a good mood, so I’ll just tell you why I called. We have a solid lead on the twin of Fire Fist! Apparently, he is a revolutionary, and a pretty highly ranked one at that…”

Garp and Ace stare at each other in silence. What. The. Fuck. Ace’s mind short-circuits hearing that information. A lead on his dead brother. Who got blown up. Who he grieved. Who he loved. That brother.

(Who he never was able to find a body for.)

A lead, Ace thinks numbly.

He absentmindedly notes Garp saying something along the lines of, “That’s great!” before hanging up rapidly. He and Garp stare at each other, and Ace can see Jinbe looking between them, as confused as the both of them are. Ace and Garp stare at each other for a few more moments, before opening their mouths in sync and yelling the only possible response.

“WHAT?!”

----------------------------------------------------------------

The first thing Sabo is aware of when he wakes up is a massive headache. He must groan aloud in pain, because he hears multiple calls of his name in response. He opens his eyes, squinting before closing them tight again as the light stabs at his sensitive eyes. He hears a voice murmur next to him, and the lights dim around him.

He blinks his eyes open again, the headache receding slightly. Koala and Hack hover over him, and relieved smiles spread over their faces.

Koala, as soon as he makes eye contact with her, launches herself at him. “I thought you were going to die, Sabo-kun!” She blubbers, getting snot all over him.

Ew, Sabo thinks fondly as he brings his arms around his best friend automatically.

She leans back slightly, punching his chest as she cries out, “When I said you needed to sleep, this wasn’t what I meant, dammit!” She then wraps her arms firmly around him.

He turns to Hack, who answers the question that must have been showing on his face. “You had quite the high fever, Sabo!”

Koala rears back, punching his chest slightly as she says, “You’ve been passed out for three days! I’ve been worrying about you!”

Sabo pulls Koala back a little bit, looking her in the eyes and smiling softly. “I’m alright, Koala. You don’t need to cry anymore.”

“Then stop making me worry, asshole!” Koala whacks him upside the head, but smiles slightly as she vacates Sabo’s lap. Sabo makes to get up before pausing, the reason for him passing out finally occurring to him. He curses, jumping up from the bed, causing Koala and Hack to jerk back in shock.

Ace!

“Shit, you said three days, right?!” Sabo doesn’t wait for an answer, heading for the door. He says, “I need to talk to Dragon-san. Now.” Koala and Hack hurry after him, struggling to match the fast pace Sabo is moving at.

“Whoa, Sabo-kun, hold on! What’s this hurry all of a sudden?” Koala gasps as she makes the connection. “Did you get your memories back?! Was all Marina-kun right about your connection to Fire Fist?”

Sabo nods hurriedly as he turns the corner. “Yes, that utter idiot is my brother. Goddammit, Ace, what are you thinking letting yourself get captured?!” Sabo curses to himself as he arrives at the door to Dragon’s office. Koala pulls him back before he can barge in, spinning him around so he faces her. Annoyed at being stopped, he meets her eyes, before faltering as he notices the tears in her eyes.

“You’re not leaving the Revolutionaries, are you, Sabo-kun?” She implores, catching his eyes and twining her fingers with his.

Giving her a reassuring squeeze and Hack a glance, Sabo says firmly, “No, I’m not.” With that, he lets go and walks into Dragon’s office. He walks right up to him, and Dragon glances up before grinning, setting the papers he had been looking at aside.

“I know that look, Sabo. What is it you need to do?” Sabo looks at Koala and Hack, the people he had grown up with; he looks at Dragon, the person who has been the closest thing to a father figure Sabo has had for most of his life, and suddenly thinks about how thankful he is to have such amazing people in his life.

Grinning sharply, Sabo looks Dragon in the eyes and says, “I have an idiot twin to save.”

Dragon nods as if he had expected that the entire time, which, for all Sabo knows, he had. “Well, we’d better get to planning then.” He motions for Koala and Hack to sit down, and brings over a stack of papers. Sabo startles at the sheer amount, and looks to Dragon.

“You’ve been planning already?”

Smiling a soft smile that rarely is shown to anyone but Sabo, Dragon nods. “I had a feeling what Marina was saying was true. Plus,” and Sabo recognizes that grin. The sharp, mischievous grin that caused so much trouble in Sabo’s childhood and has led to many a victory for the revolutionaries; the grin that Sabo would recognize anywhere. After all, having grown up with three Ds, how could he not?

Dragon continues, “I’ve been thinking it’s about time for a mass breakout anyway.”

Sabo, Koala, and Hack all share a wild grin, before Sabo leans over the table, saying eagerly, “Let’s get started, then.”

----------------------------------------------------------------

Garp sighs as he swirls his drink in his hand, glancing around the run-down bar he finds himself in. Sabaody Archipelago has its perks, but the bars in the lawless areas sure aren’t where he would like to spend his time. Unfortunately, he doesn’t seem to have the choice at the moment.

He sighs yet again, gulping down half of it in one go, the burn of it rough against his throat. The taste of the drink is horrendous, but Garp can’t bring himself to care as he dwells on the impending execution of his grandson.

He still can’t believe that there is a chance that Sabo is alive. He can’t even comprehend what that would mean for the execution, nevertheless the effect it would have on Ace if he is actually captured and executed alongside him. Then again, maybe the combined might of the Revolutionaries and the Whitebeards will be enough to save them.

After all, Garp knows his son. They may be on opposing sides, not allowed to interact within the space of the law, but Garp still knows him. He knows his tendency to take those who are lost and make them his own, giving them purpose and a home, but most importantly, love. His loyalty to those he leads is unmatched, and Garp knows what Sengoku doesn’t.

If he does capture Sabo, and he does carry out his plan to execute them together, it won’t be war. No, it will be a massacre. Regardless of whether the Marines (especially now, he can’t bring himself to think ‘we’) manage to execute Sabo or Ace, it won’t be a victory.

Garp is brought out of his musings by a presence making itself known by walking through the door. Garp doesn’t turn to acknowledge the figure, but they don’t seem to care as they take a seat next to Garp.

“Hello, dad,” The Most Wanted Man in the World says.

“Hey, brat,” The Hero of the Marines decidedly doesn’t turn to face him. “How’ve you been?”

Garp can tell Dragon isn’t there for small talk, but he can’t resist the opportunity to needle him a little bit. After all, he started a revolution against the organization Garp has been a part of since before he was born. The least he can do is mess with him a bit in retaliation.

Dragon gives Garp a deadpan stare, but responds, “Well enough, I suppose.”

“Bwahahaha! Good! Why are you here, then?” Garp knows his son well enough to know he never reaches out without reason, especially in the current political climate.

Dragon motions for another drink, seeming to contemplate what to say next. “Would you happen to know the reason my Chief of Staff is suddenly getting hunted down by people who know his real name and looks, but aren’t aware of his scarring?” He asks mildly, swirling his drink idly in his hand.

“I don’t even know who your Chief of Staff is! Why would I know why he’s being hunted down?”

“Maybe because he’s the long-lost brother of your two grandsons?”

Garp freezes. So, the lead was true, he thinks numbly. Garp reaches for his pocket, bringing out the picture that he has stared at so much since the news of Ace’s capture reached him. “So, he’s alive…Sabo is alive…” Shockingly, Garp feels tears prick at the corners of his eyes, relief flooding him. “I’m so glad…”

“So you do know him,” Dragon muses as he finishes his drink. He places the glass on the counter, turning around fully to face Garp. Garp side-eyes him before stowing his picture away and turning to face him properly. He still hasn’t revealed why exactly he is here, and Garp is about ready to interrogate him to get it out of him.

“I suppose I should actually tell you why I asked to meet you here, then,” Dragon says, unconsciously (or maybe not, Dragon has always been perceptive, he probably could tell). 

Which means he was probably screwing with me, Garp grumbles internally.

He says, “Just get on with it, brat.”

Dragon grins, a sharp, cutting thing that immediately causes chills to run down Garp’s spine. “What if I told you that you could help Ace while keeping your job?”

Garp freezes, the implications of that statement sinking in. The voice inside of him that has been screaming at him ever since Ace had been captured – the voice that he had been suppressing in favor of his loyalty to the Marine Corps – is roaring in full force right now to listen to what Dragon has to say. The voice crying out his loyalties is drowned out, and Garp turns his full focus on Dragon.

“I’m listening.”

Suddenly, the door slams open, and a blonde man, tall and lean, walks in. He is wearing a long coat, with a cravat around his neck, and oh, Garp knows who this man is.

“Hey, Shitty Gramps,” Sabo says with a smirk. “How’ve you been?”

Garp stands, stalking towards the brat, and grabs him in a rough hug. “Bwahahaha! Glad to see you alive, brat!” He releases Sabo with a grin, who gasps for air as he rubs his chest. He then brings down a solid punch on Sabo’s head. “Fist of Love!”

Sabo whines, clutching at his head and saying, “What was that for?!” Garp gives Sabo a deadpan stare before bursting into laughter.

“Bwahahahaha! That’s for running off and becoming a Revolutionary! You boys were supposed to become great Marines!” Sabo recovers from the punch and glares at Garp, and Garp is strangely reassured at seeing the familiar fire that all three boys have shining in his eyes (even though it’s aimed at him).

Sabo scoffs, “First off, they saved my life, so it’s only fair that I joined them.” 

Alright, I suppose that is fair, Garp thinks begrudgingly. Plus, it is reassuring, knowing his son has been looking after his grandson - Dragon is many things, but he always takes care of those he loves, and Garp has no doubt that Dragon loves Sabo as if he is his own.

“Second off,” Sabo continues, “You can’t really think enlisting us, especially Ace and Luffy, in the Marines would be safe. You know what they would have done if they found out their birthrights, regardless of their loyalties.” Dragon stands next to Sabo, and even though he has his best poker-face on, Garp can tell that he’s remembering all the times he has told Garp this exact thing, and Garp has laughed his reasoning off, ignoring him. 

(The thing is-

Garp knows. He knows that to the Marines, regardless of Garp vouching for them, regardless of his own standing, regardless of how loyal and how good of Marines the boys could have been - it wouldn’t have mattered. 

If anyone caught wind of Ace’s or Luffy’s fathers, Garp knows they would have been killed - and no one would have batted an eye. Because, in the Marines’ minds, in the World Government’s mind, in Sengoku’s mind, even, the sins of the father are the sins of the child.

Even if they were abandoned at birth.

But, even though Garp knows that, even though it’s probably more dangerous for them to be in the Marines, he couldn’t help trying to get them to join. Even if it meant they couldn’t live their dreams; couldn’t have true freedom, it was the only thing that Garp could do.

If he didn’t have that, that would mean there was no possible way for Garp to protect his grandsons.

That would mean there is no way that he could save them from who they were born to be.

And that’s the thing that scares him most of all.)

“Plus,” Sabo adds, cutting into Garp’s inner turmoil, “At least, this way, they have reliable crewmates to protect them if they need it. Which, obviously, at least Ace does.”

“Yeah, that’s fair, brat,” Garp sighs, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Gah, when did my grandsons get so good at convincing me of when I’m wrong? He thinks wryly, suddenly remembering Ace, ten years younger, grief-stricken, saying the exact same thing, if not in as many words; remembering Luffy, showing him through his actions - punching a Celestial Dragon, declaring war on the World Government - that there are ways to fight. That there are ways to make change from the outside.

“Ace is going to kill you, you know,” Garp says, changing the subject as he sits back down, leaning back. Sabo and Dragon exchange a look, but to Garp’s relief, they seem to decide to have mercy on him, dropping it and heading towards the bar where Garp is sitting. 

Even given the heavy subject matter, Garp can’t prevent relief from flooding his system as Sabo sits, healthy, safe, alive. He feels more relaxed than ever. All my boys are alive, he thinks in relief. 

Sabo nods, grinning. “Yeah, I’ve accepted that I’m going to get punched.” Garp snorts, knowing that Ace would probably do much worse than that once they’re able to reunite.

He’ll probably try to keep a strong front, but end up sobbing all over Sabo, Garp thinks humorously. He then frowns as he remembers Ace’s situation. Well, assuming they’re able to reunite safely.

“So, what are you doing here? Are you part of the plan?” Of course, he is, Garp thinks. It’s his brother after all, Garp would be shocked if Sabo could let it lie.

Sabo looks affronted, and Garp feels a spike of guilt for doubting him for even a second. “Of course I’m part of the plan! I can’t let the Marines kill Ace! I’d like a chance to do it for myself for letting himself get captured,” Sabo mutters at the end, and Garp snickers.

“So, what’s the plan?” Sabo and Dragon share a look, and Sabo stands up, presenting his hands to Garp. What the fuck?

Sabo says, “I want you to capture me.”

Garp’s brain short-circuits for the second time today. Did he really just say that?!

He puts down his drink, calmly turns around fully to face them, and responds in the only proper manner – like a reasonable, responsible adult would.

“WHAT?!”

Chapter Text

Dragon sighs in relief as he sees the entrance to Baltigo, the sight of his home lifting a weight off of his shoulders. He steers his ship into the inlet that even years later is difficult for him to maneuver through (which, admittedly, is what makes it so perfect as an entrance). 

A set of aids rush out as he arrives, boarding the ship to unload the supplies he had brought as he departs from the ship. Walking briskly towards the door, he is met by Koala and Hack, who have looks of equal worry and anticipation on their faces.

“He agreed,” Dragon informs them, and relief spreads over their faces. However, a sense of urgency returns to them as they follow Dragon into the building. Of course, they’re worried, Dragon thinks, frowning slightly. 

They had just sent their Chief of Staff into the world’s most secure prison, after all, and even though their plan is solid, there is still a chance it could go wrong. A somewhat large chance, even, Dragon considers while walking into his office. Plus, we’re still missing a pretty large piece.

Koala and Hack follow him into his office, and take seats as Dragon grabs the transponder snail and white transponder snail before sitting down in front of them.

A fairly large piece of their plan hinges on this call, and though Dragon is sure they could make it work if the people in question refused to help, it would make their job a lot harder. They had talked about their means to escape earlier that week, and Dragon thinks back on what they decided on while he digs in his desk for the number he rarely calls.

Sabo paces from side to side, frowning as he says, “We still need an escape route.”

Dragon nods, and Koala pipes in, “Would our own resources be enough? We can probably get about three coated ships to the prison in time.”

Considering that, Dragon flips through the papers in his grip. “No, we have over two hundred former prisoners who joined our ranks, plus whoever takes advantage of the confusion to join in with us. Three ships wouldn’t be enough, with how small our ships are. We’d have to steal a battleship instead.” 

For the first time, Dragon curses the fact that their ships are more built for speed and stealth than for size. Having a few large ships capable of moving quickly would be a massive boon at this moment.

Sabo pauses his pacing, looking up with a glint in his eyes. “What if we abandoned the stealth aspect?” Hack, Dragon, and Koala all look up at him.

“Abandon the stealth aspect?” Hack frowns. “We don’t have the manpower available to spare for attacking the prison with the intent of actually breaking in.” 

Dragon pauses what he’s doing, considering the possibility. No, we don’t have the manpower, Dragon agrees internally. But maybe…

Sabo quickly shakes his head as Dragon thinks, and says, “Not like that. Look, guys, who else are we aware of that has a vested interest in getting someone out of this prison?” Comprehension dawns on Koala and Hack’s faces, and Dragon grins, already thinking about what to say to their…allies, of a sort.

Sabo continues with a wild grin, “After all, who has more stake in Ace getting out safe than the very crew he is a part of?”

Drawing himself from his memories, Dragon finally finds the paper and sits back in his chair. Picking up the receiver, he dials in a number. The familiar ringing sounds out, and the three sit in silence, on edge as the ringing continues. They wait for a minute in silence before the ‘gacha’ sounds. 

Dragon picks up a paper and reads off a series of letters and numbers, and there is a pregnant pause on the other end before a voice responds with a series of their own. Dragon nods in satisfaction, placing the paper to the side.

“Hello, Commander Haruta of the Whitebeard Pirates. May I speak with your captain?”

----------------------------------------------------------------

Haruta is not in a good mood. It’s currently five in the morning, she’s tired, and she had just checked Ace’s vivre card (for the fifth time in as many hours) to find it still burning. With no news in the papers, she has no way of knowing whether her brother was okay and it’s burning because of him recovering from a fight, or if something horrible had happened to him.

Goddammit, Ace. You had better be okay, Haruta vents internally, turning to leave the communications room to head for bed. Ever since Thatch (her pranking buddy, her best friend, her brother) had died, she has not been sleeping well, and last night had been no different.

She’s halfway out of the door when ringing penetrates the tired haze in her mind. She has half a mind to ignore it, but the fact that the most secure snail on the ship is ringing is a sign that it’s important.

“This had better be worth it,” Haruta groans, turning back to the snail. She picks it up, and a voice she doesn’t recognize starts rattling off a series of numbers. No way, she thinks numbly as she recognizes the code the person is speaking. The Whitebeard Pirates keep in contact with the Revolutionaries in various ways, knowing it is important to stay updated on what they were doing so that they wouldn’t get in the way.

Plus, Whitebeard recognizes the good the Army is doing in the world and wants to be able to offer his help as much as possible.

She rattles off the return code by muscle memory alone, still reeling at the fact that the Revolutionaries are calling right now, and from the sound of the voice, Dragon the Revolutionary himself. 

Why would they be calling now? Haruta wonders. Their biweekly check-in had just been a few days ago, and as far as Haruta knows, nothing big has happened since. A sense of worry makes itself known to her as she finishes saying the return code, and she can see the satisfied expression on the other end.

Dragon the Revolutionary himself says, “Hello, Commander Haruta of the Whitebeard Pirates. May I speak with your captain?”

Haruta freezes, knowing that only the most important matters, and often personal matters, go directly to her captain. She says a quick affirmative answer, already running out of the door, towing the transponder snail with her. She ignores the calls of her name from concerned early-bird crewmates, and knocks impatiently at her captain’s door.

Hearing him say to come in, she barges in, gasping out, “Pops! Dragon the Revolutionary is on the transponder snail!”

----------------------------------------------------------------

Whitebeard is worried. His son is missing, his vivre card is burning, and Whitebeard doesn’t know what to do. He rubs his forehead, sighing as his headache flares up again. Sometimes he really hates his role as a captain, and his need to show full confidence at all times. It would be really nice just to let himself worry for once, but he can’t. After all, it would not do for his children to get nervous because of his own worries and concerns.

Marco glances up from the paperwork he is doing at Whitebeard’s side, concern showing on his face. Whitebeard waves him off, and he reluctantly returns to the paperwork. My children are always worried about me, Whitebeard thinks fondly, reaching down to ruffle Marco’s hair.

“I’m not a kid anymore, yoi,” Marco protests while batting Whitebeard’s hand away, but the grin on his face gives away his true feelings.

“Gurararara! Just because you grew up doesn’t mean I’m not allowed to do things I did while you were younger,” Whitebeard chuckles, fondness for his children warming him. Ace will be fine, Whitebeard reassures himself. His son is very capable, after all, and Whitebeard is sure he will bounce back from whatever setback had hit him.

As soon as that thought crosses his brain, a presence pings on Whitebeard’s observation haki, notifying him to one of his children approaching his room. They’re coming at a fairly fast pace, too, Whitebeard thinks, frowning. Marco looks up as well, and they glance at each other before Marco sets aside his work and turns to face the door.

Soon enough, a knock sounds on the door. Whitebeard calls them in, and the door slams open to reveal Haruta. She immediately says, “Pops! Dragon the Revolutionary is on the transponder snail!”

Whitebeard glances at Marco, subtly questioning whether he knows of anything that would cause Dragon to reach out to him directly. Marco shakes his head, frowning worriedly. Feeling a sinking feeling in his gut, he reaches out for the receiver.

“Gurararara! It’s not like you to call out of the blue like this, Dragon. What is it?”

“I have important news to share with you,” Dragon says, getting right to the point. “I don’t know if you are aware, but just in case you’re not, something has happened to Portgas D. Ace.”

The three Whitebeards freeze, sharing a worried look before Dragon continues. 

“He has been captured and slated for execution.” 

At the confirmation of all their worst fears, Haruta sits down heavily, putting her head in her hands. Marco quickly crosses over to her, sitting next to her and putting an arm around her shaking shoulders, murmuring comforting words in her ear.

Whitebeard, gripping the receiver tightly, grounds out, “When?” He will not stand for anyone hurting his children, the Marines least of all. Allies will need to be contacted, and plans will need to be made for an assault on Marineford. 

Ace will be saved. There is no other option.

After all, Whitebeard is well aware that Sengoku is a smart man; a strategist at heart. He wants to make a statement, and Whitebeard will not let him.

It will be war.

There is a pause on the other end, before Dragon responds, “The execution was originally scheduled for four days from now.” Whitebeard notices the addition of the word ‘originally’ into the sentence, and glances at Marco to make sure his confusion is mutual. Haruta is still crying slightly, but looks up at the word as well.

“What do you mean by ‘originally’?” Whitebeard frowns. An execution being scheduled and then delayed requires extreme circumstances, and Whitebeard can’t think of any that would apply in this circumstance.

“…I’m assuming you’re aware of Portgas D. Ace’s true parentage?” Whitebeard makes an affirmative sound, glancing at Marco and Haruta to see neither are surprised. Whitebeard, pleased to see that Ace had shared it with those two as well, feels a sense of pride rise within him. He quickly tempers it, though, and gets back to the matter at hand.

“Well, a couple of Impel Down guards overheard an interesting conversation the other day. It seems that Ace decided to share some of his past with his cellmate, Jinbe, and mentioned a ‘twin’.”

Whitebeard startles slightly in shock, sharing a bewildered look with Marco, before saying, “Ace doesn’t have a twin. His only brother is three years younger than him, and he would have mentioned if another shared his parentage.”

A female voice comes onto the line, saying, “Ace wouldn’t have mentioned a twin because he thought he died ten years ago, and he isn’t biologically related to him in the first place.” Confusion fills Whitebeard, and he grunts impatiently for whoever is talking to continue.

“Well, ten years ago, Ace, Luffy, and a boy named Sabo swore brotherhood. Later, Ace and Sabo, not knowing who was older, or not caring, decided to call themselves twins. A few months later, Sabo was presumed dead after he crossed paths with a Celestial Dragon.” Marco growls in anger, and Haruta clenches her fists at the mention of those wastes of skin. Whitebeard, noticing he’s clenching the receiver too tightly in his own anger, takes a deep breath to regain his composure and loosens his grip.

The female voice continues, saying, “What Ace doesn’t know is that Sabo was saved by the revolutionaries ten years ago, at the cost of his memories. He only just recently got them back due to learning the very news you’re hearing now. I’m his partner, Koala, and have been for quite some time.”

“Why are you telling us all of this?” Marco interjects impatiently, clenching his fists in a way that Whitebeard recognizes. Marco is close to losing his composure. Whitebeard places a hand on Marco’s shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly, and Marco looks up at him before taking a deep breath and unclenching his fists, returning his attention to the transponder snail. “And why isn’t this ‘twin’ of Ace’s here, yoi?”

“We’re telling you this,” Dragon rejoins the conversation, “So that we can hopefully work together for a common goal. And Sabo isn’t here for a reason that I will explain shortly. But first,” Dragon’s voice changes slightly, slight worry and pleading now making itself known. Marco and Whitebeard share a look of confusion at why he would be concerned, while Haruta belatedly grabs a pen and paper to jot down anything necessary.

Dragon continues, “I’d like to ask you to rethink what I’m sure you’re considering for saving Ace. Instead of going to war for him-” Whitebeard makes an annoyed noise at Dragon trying to convince him to change his plans, but Marco shoots him a look, convincing him to remain quiet for the time being. “-how do you feel about attacking Impel Down instead?” 

Marco and Whitebeard share a contemplative look, before Marco leans forward, looking intently at the snail.

“We’re listening.”

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“Good afternoon, Makino!”

Makino smiles as she returns the greeting, waving towards her neighbors as she walks through the village. It is a beautiful day, the ocean calm and the breeze warm, gently brushing past her in the sun.

She turns towards the well-worn path that leads towards the forest, humming as she enters. She has plans to visit the Dadan family today, and she smiles at the thought of her friends as she drags a small cart behind her, full of booze and other gifts for the bandits.

Her thoughts turn towards the boys who had been raised by the bandits she was going to visit. Though, Makino thinks with a smile, ‘raised’ might be too strong a word. Makino knows that the boys (well, she notes sadly, two of them) wouldn’t have survived without Dadan’s help, and they relied on her more than they realized. She remembers Luffy and Ace’s departures fondly, remembering how emotional Dadan had gotten but how much she had tried to hide it.

She really loves you boys, Makino thinks affectionately, and I know you both love her in return.

She’s brought out of her musing when a news coo catches her eye, flying above her. Noticing that it’s carrying a large quantity of papers, she calls out to it, catching its attention. The bird swoops down, and she grabs a paper, slipping a few coins in its pouch before it flies off.

She hums as she opens the paper, wondering what the news could be before stopping in her tracks, gasping as she reads the headline. Unnoticed, the cart bumps painfully against her legs. She can’t bring herself to care, however, as fear and disbelief fill her, and she quickly scans the rest of the article before cursing, sprinting up the hill. She clutches the paper in her hand, her cart left behind, forgotten.

The front of the paper, crushed in her hand, only has the headline visible.

“FIRE FIST ACE AND REVOLUTIONARY SABO CAPTURED, TO BE EXECUTED IN FOUR DAYS!” 

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“Bwahahahaha! Guess who’s back, Senny!” Garp grins at the curse his friend lets out, the undignified squawk and spin something only Garp is privy to.

Sengoku glares at Garp, his goat chewing incessantly on his pant cuff. Sengoku absently nudges the goat away, falling into his seat before groaning, “What do you want, Garp?”

“I followed up on that lead you gave me on Sabo!” Sengoku sits up straight, eyes piercing into Garp’s, and Garp can see the hope in his eyes. He grins as brightly as he can, saying, “I’ve got him captured in my ship!”

Sengoku jumps out of his seat, coming around to where Garp is and clapping his shoulder. “Well done, Garp! I knew we’d get him!” Garp keeps his grin firmly on his face, refusing to let it fall and reveal his inner turmoil. “Wait, did you say on your ship?! Why is he still there and not in Impel Down?!”

“Bwahahaha! I wanted to let you know first! Don’t worry, Bogard is guarding him, along with Coby and Helmeppo.” Not that my brats would be much help against the other brat, but Bogard should be enough to tide Sengoku over, Garp thinks.

Sengoku sighs, saying, “You really need to get your priorities in order, Garp.” Even as a joke, that hits Garp a little too close to home, and only what he is actually doing stops him from flinching at that thought. “Go take him to Impel Down!” Garp nods at the order, turning towards the door.

“And Garp,” Sengoku says, turning and giving Garp a piercing stare, “Don’t forget your duty. Don’t let the fact that these are your grandsons blind you to what needs to be done.”

Garp freezes briefly, removing all emotion on his face before laughing, “Bwhahaha! Of course, Senny! I’ll carry my duty!” Sengoku nods firmly before turning his back on Garp, heading back to his desk.

Yes, I’ll carry my duty, Garp thinks as he walks back to his ship.

Just don’t assume my duty is to you.

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“Dadan!”

Dadan raises her head from the book she had been reading, setting it aside as Makino crests the hill, gasping for breath. Her customary cart of booze trailing is missing, and Dadan pauses in confusion as she takes in the panic emanating from Makino. Dread settles in her stomach as she looks at the uncharacteristic fear (yet joy?) on Makino’s face.

She comes to a stop before them, panting, trying to catch her breath. Hands on her knees, she catches her breath enough to bring out the paper that Dadan belatedly noticed is clutched in her hand. She looks up, and Dadan’s concern heightens as she finally sees the tears shining in Makino’s eyes. She unfolds it and holds it out, crying, “Look at this!”

Dadan grabs the paper from her, turning it around so she could read the headline. She promptly chokes on air, clutching the paper tight enough that it starts to rip before Magra knocks it from her hands. She stands there in shock, barely noticing as chaos erupts around her as the others read the news.

Fire Fist Ace and Revolutionary Sabo…to be executed…four days…Ace and Sabo…execution…

Tears start pricking at the corners of her eyes, and she rubs her eyes furiously. This can’t be happening, she denies. Tears start trailing down her face in earnest as she processes the news – processes the revelation that two of her boys are about to be executed. Two of the boys that she helped raise.

Ace, fiery and bright, a pain in the ass from the very beginning (she still loves him). Sabo, the boy who had shadows nearly as dark as Ace’s even as he covered them with a bright smile. Executed. How? Dadan thinks desperately. How could this happen?

A sudden hush descends around her, and she glances up to notice they’re all huddled around the newspaper, debating something furiously.

…Wait a second.

“Did that article say Sabo?!” Dadan shrieks, diving for the paper, uncaring of the dozen bandits she just ran over. She grabs the article from Magra, reading the headline and the following article furiously. A shaking finger points out a photo, and she turns to see Makino standing next to her, a look of terror, yet pure relief on her face. She follows the finger to see the black-and-white photo of a young man.

He looks tall, and is wearing a top hat on his head. A cravat is around his neck, and in a close-up of his face, she can see light, wavy hair emerging from under the hat, hiding almost completely what looks to be a nasty scar on his face. Dadan traces a shaking finger over the image, memorizing the once familiar features.

She turns, grabbing Dogra. “Could the…explosion…” Dadan chokes out through her newly-renewed tears, “Have caused scarring like that?” Dogra examines the image briefly before meeting her eyes and nodding, with eyes just as teary as hers appeared to be (though she can barely tell, with the tears obstructing her vision more and more as time goes on).

Dadan shifts, turning to face Makino, who had a look of wonder on her face. “Sabo…he’s alive?” She whispers shakily. Makino nods, smiling through her tears, and grabs Dadan in a hug. Dadan clutches Makino back, for once not trying to hide her tears. My boys are alive, Dadan thinks joyfully. My boys are all alive!

After a few moments, Dadan and Makino separate, Dadan wiping her tears away as Makino grabs the newspaper again. “They’re set to be executed, though…” Makino murmurs, her good mood evaporating as she rereads the article once again. Dadan frowns, dread sinking in her chest as she stares at the headline. 

(She just got Sabo back. She can’t lose them before she gets to see them all together again.

…Maybe she won’t have to.) 

“Yes, they’re set to be executed. But, look at it this way!” Makino, along with the rest of the bandits, turns to face Dadan as she grins, a wild, crazy thing that she learned from a specific set of Ds. “That means they’re still alive. Plus, the Marines just challenged the might of the Whitebeard Pirates, the Revolutionaries, and the insanity that is Monkey D. Luffy – who we all know is going to be all over this – all at the same time.”

Shaky grins form on the faces in front of her, and Dadan laughs, wild and free.

“The Marines aren’t gonna know what hit them.”

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“Luffy!” Luffy turns at the harsh whisper, seeing Hancock make to close the door behind her. He just is able to catch a glimpse of the soldiers peering in after her before the door slams shut.

“Hammock!” He says brightly, greeting his friend. He then frowns in confusion, seeing her look almost sick. Is she okay? He worries, but she soon stands up straight again and brings out a newspaper. He glances at it, about to dismiss it before his eyes catch on a picture on the front page. He gasps, ripping it out of Hancock’s hands, staring into the picture of his brother.

Ace looks so happy in that picture, but all Luffy can imagine is his brother in chains; his brother no longer free. He clenches the newspaper as anger fills him yet again.

Ignorant of Luffy’s rising anger, Hancock leans around Luffy to look at the newspaper, saying, “The news just came out about the execution, which is now scheduled for three days from now. They must have found the person they were looking for.” She points out the headline. “Originally, it was just your brother that was going to be executed. Now there’s this ‘Revolutionary Sabo’ in the mix.”

Luffy freezes, what Hancock just said echoing in his mind. Memories flash before his eyes of the brother he had lost, gone as quickly as they came (just like Sabo). He slowly turns his head towards her, letting out a shocked, “…Sabo?” He then jerks his head back to the newspaper, finally reading the headline that he had ignored in favor of the sole picture of his brother. He scans the headline repeatedly, trying to get himself to accept what he is seeing as the truth.

Luffy shakes his head, trying to shake the hope that had flared up in him. My brother is dead, he forcefully reminds himself. He’s gone. Yet, he looks to the picture he had ignored, reeling back as he sees the face emblazoned on the paper. 

Light hair is the first thing Luffy notices, gleaming in the sun. The curly waves frame the man’s face, and Luffy traces the beginnings of a scar on the left side of the man’s face, hand shaking slightly as he takes in the features that he had once known like the back of his hand.

He then shifts his own eyes towards the man’s eyes, and gasps as he sees the eyes he had never thought he’d see again. Even in paper form, he would never forget those eyes – the eyes of the person who soothed Luffy’s nightmares at night, the person who had saved him time and time again, the person who had taught him how to fight.

(The person who he thought was dead.)

He lets out a gasp, tears clouding his vision even as he clutches onto the paper even tighter, as if letting go of the paper would cause what was in it to become untrue.

He hazily notices Hancock trying to get his attention, but pays her no mind as he stares into the paper, tears dotting the paper as they begin to escape his eyes. He belatedly notices the picture to the right of the close up of the man’s face, and gasps, tears falling at a faster rate as he recognizes the outfit that the man is wearing. 

It’s exactly the same.

It’s really him!

Hancock finally manages to gain his attention, gently taking the paper from his now-slack hands and putting it to the side. He looks up at her, barely able to make out her face as she says, “What’s wrong, Luffy?”

Finally able to accept that the man is actually his Sabo, Luffy chokes out, “Sabo…Sabo is my other older brother! He’s alive!” He is just able to make out the shock on Hancock’s face before he lets out a wail, finally letting himself cry in earnest. He’s alive, Luffy thinks joyfully, my older brother is alive! He continues crying as Hancock stares at him in shock. However, his joy is short-lived upon remembering how he had discovered Sabo being alive in the first place.

Sabo is imprisoned. Ace is imprisoned.

He has to save them.

(Because his brothers are no longer free. They are going to die.

He can’t be alone.)

(Again.)

Roughly rubbing his eyes, Luffy stands suddenly. A single-minded focus washes over him, and he walks over to the table, his previously-abandoned food still there waiting for him. He begins to stuff everything he can into his mouth, replenishing the energy he had lost while celebrating Sabo being alive and his fights on Amazon Lily. Hancock lets out a frustrated sigh before crossing over to him.

She sits before asking, “Luffy, what are you doing? And what do you mean, your other older brother? Why did you think he was dead?!”

Luffy grins through his mouthful of meat, before saying, “Shishishishi! I’m eating! I need energy! Sabo was shot at by one of the Celestial Dragons, and we thought he was dead! I guess he’s okay now!” He jumps out of his seat, running to look out the window at the sea around them.

He grins, watching the waves splash around them. His brothers are both alive, and he’s on his way to save them. Even the intimidation of what he’s about to do doesn’t stop him from laughing gleefully. He faintly notices Hancock trying to quiet him, but ignores her as he continues laughing.

His two big brothers are alive, and nothing will stop him from keeping it that way. 

Chapter Text

“Sab-!”

Ace startles awake, jerking his head from side to side before slumping as the dark surroundings of Impel Down register in his mind. Jinbe shoots him a concerned look, which he waves off with a small shake of his head. He notices Jinbe sigh slightly before he returns to staring blankly at the wall across from him.

Lingering memories from his haunting nightmare cause fine trembles to shake across his body. He slumps again as the trembles ease, the chains digging painfully into his wrists. Ace, too mentally exhausted to care, closes his eyes and drops his head onto his chest. The same dream that had haunted Ace ever since the inkling that Sabo might actually be alive flashes across his eyes, and he shudders once again, scrunching his eyes shut as if that would remove the images from his brain.

No matter how much he tells himself it isn’t possible, no matter how many times he reminds himself that Dogra had seen the boat blow up, no matter how many times he scolds himself for even hoping – he still finds himself thinking about it. I never found a body, Ace recalls. He shakes his head quickly, forcing that train of thought out of his mind as quickly as it comes. Hope always makes the heartbreak even worse. Plus, he had already grieved his brother once. He has no desire to do it again.

(He’s not sure he can pick up the pieces if his hopes are crushed.)

(Again.)

The sound of the elevator touching down rips Ace from his brooding, and he drops his head back down as he awaits yet another session of a visitor coming to gawk at Ace; of the vice-warden taunting him from across the bars. Footsteps head towards Ace’s cell, and he glances over to Jinbe to see that he is awake and seems to be staring out the door. 

Knowing that Jinbe has a better view than him does and that he doesn’t typically react like that, Ace drops his head back down, but keeps his ears open. The footsteps pause in front of the cell, and Ace looks up in shock as the doors open. What the fuck?

A figure is shoved in – shoved in by Ace’s own grandfather, Ace notes, baffled. The figure is shoved against the wall to the right of Ace, facing towards Jinbe. Garp quickly winds chains around the figure, creating an X pattern across their chest and chaining their hands behind their back. He leans back, checks his work, and nods, satisfied. 

He stands, walking towards the cell door in silence before turning and winking at Ace, saying, “There you go, brat, a prime spot.”

Garp walks away from the cell with that, but Ace doesn’t find himself paying that any attention. He stares at the figure, who is staring back at Ace with something akin to heartbreak on his face.

(The expression is hauntingly similar to the one he had worn the last time Ace had seen him.

Ace shakes his head violently. This man can’t be Sabo. He can’t be.)

Ace can see the man’s eyes flicking from injury to injury, his face getting more and more distraught the more injuries he notices. Looking at his face (he can’t be his brother, he can’t be Sabo, and he refuses to call him that) is too painful, so Ace hones in on the clothes the man is wearing.

The first thing Ace notices is the cloak, the noble-looking cape that always was a statement when they were (he was, not they - Sabo’s dead, he’s dead, he’s gone) younger. He flicks his eyes to the cravat he always used to make fun of as a kid, the white greyed out slightly from use and torn from various fights, Ace has to assume. 

His eyes catch on a mark on Sab-the man’s shoulder, and he must let out a choking sound because Sabo-the man jerks his head to see what Ace is looking at, a sad look finding its way onto his face as he realizes what was it is Ace is looking at.

A massive burn scar mars maybe-Sabo’s face and left shoulder, a reminder of the explosion that nearly took him from Ace (did take him from Ace, for ten years, Ace reminds himself bitterly). When did I start shaking? Ace asks himself numbly, the subtle rattling of the chains making him aware of that fact. He memorizes every inch of that scar, trailing it as far as he can before maybe-Sabo’s clothes hide it, and dammit, why does he always wear so many damn layers?

His eyes shift towards maybe-Sabo’s face, to his blond (so blond, he never let that color go, calling him goldilocks teasingly, constantly) hair. He looks to his nose, still just as pointed as it was when they were younger. Maybe-Sabo’s mouth, no longer missing a tooth, is parted as he drinks in the sight of Ace, looking grief-stricken as he finishes cataloguing the injuries that Ace has accumulated over his fight with Blackbeard and his stay at Impel Down.

Then Maybe-Sabo looks up, and meets Ace’s eyes with his own. Tears start beading in Ace’s eyes as he stares into Sabo’s – his clear, blue, eyes, exactly the same as they were 10 years ago. The eyes that glared into Ace’s the very first time they met, the eyes that pierced him right to the core whenever he let his insecurities overcome him, the eyes that Ace relied on every day for five years. 

He would recognize those eyes anywhere. More than anything, this is the thing that serves to convince him that this is really him, this is really his Sabo.

Ace opens his mouth, and says, choking out through his tears, “Sabo?”

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Sabo drinks in the sight of Ace, still not believing that this is real. His brother, (his best friend, his other half, his twin), is staring at Sabo with such a brokenhearted look that Sabo feels his own heart constricting in his chest, guilt nearly overwhelming him. He scans Ace’s body, looking from injury to injury, anger filling him more and more with every injury he spots. Damn Blackbeard, Sabo curses, and damn those fucking Impel Down guards – because Sabo knows how to recognize starvation and dehydration, and those symptoms are clear on his brother’s body.

Sabo notes where there are scars where there hadn’t been ten years ago (that one on his nose is new, Sabo’s sure, he’ll have to remember to ask where he got that). His eyes catch on Ace’s waist, and smiles softly at the memory of how he got that particular scar (the idiot was running too fast through the forest and almost impaled himself on a branch, Sabo remembers fondly). 

He runs his eyes up and down Ace’s upper body, and though there are clear signs of neglect, the firm chords of muscle are obvious.

He’s grown up so much, Sabo thinks sadly. And where was he, while his brothers were grieving and mourning and healing and growing? 

With the revolutionaries, oblivious to the pain his brothers were going through. A spike of self-loathing shoots through him.

(Can he even call himself their brother when he’s missed so much? When he caused them this much pain?

He doesn’t know.)

Sabo shakes off the thoughts, and tentatively tilts his head up to meet the eyes of his brother.

Teary grey eyes meet Sabo’s, and he can feel tears prick at the back of his own as he stares into Ace’s. Ace’s eyes, the grey eyes that had kept him sane the first year out of his home, the eyes that were always wary, guarded, never filled with joy. 

The eyes that slowly changed to become filled with happiness the longer Ace spent around him and Luffy.

The eyes that are now wide and teary, and god, Sabo doesn’t know how to deal with this. Emotion was never a huge factor in their relationship; the few times Ace needed reassurance, it came more in the form of a swift punch to the arm and snapped retort of, “Yes, I trust you, I need you, stop worrying.” This is completely uncharted territory, and Sabo finds himself at a loss for words.

Luckily, Ace takes away Sabo’s need to say something first. 

Unluckily, it comes out in the form of a choked out, “Sabo?”

Sabo feels more tears pricking at the back of his eyes at how broken his brother sounds. He tries for a smile, but he knows it comes out more as a slight upturn of lips in the form of a grimace than anything. He says softly, “Hi?”

Ace jerks slightly in his chains, and god, Sabo wants to punch whoever caused him to be chained up. Hard. In the face. 

Not the time, Sabo, he reminds himself.

Ace bursts out, “‘Hi’?! ‘Hi’ is all you can say right now?! Sabo, where the fuck have you been?! We thought you were dead!” Ace’s voice breaks a little at the word dead and god, Sabo feels like the scum of the earth.

Sabo looks down at the ground, biting his lip to hide the emotions coursing through him as Ace continues, choking out, “Where have you been, you bastard?” Sabo bites his lip harder, feeling a couple of tears trail down his cheeks as Ace slumps back down in his chains, jerkily rubbing his face against his upper arm to rid himself of the tears rolling down his own cheeks.

Sabo notes that Jinbe looked away as soon as Sabo was taken in – I need to remember to thank him for that later – and tries to put together his thoughts enough to give his brother the explanation he deserves (no, needs, Sabo left them alone for ten years, Ace needs this explanation). 

Sabo breathes deeply a couple times, regaining control of his breathing, and manages to choke out, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Is that all you have to say?” Sabo tries to speak but Ace continues over him as tears continue trailing down his cheeks. “Dadan cried when we found out. Luffy didn’t eat for days and kept sobbing whenever he thought of you for weeks!” Sabo’s breath catches. His baby brother didn’t eat? The same boy who always ate all the meat at dinner if they didn’t keep a close enough eye on him didn’t eat for days?

If I hadn’t felt like utter shit before, I sure do now, he thinks wryly.

Ace continues, “I cried, bastard! Where have you been?! We thought we lost you!” Ace breaks down after choking that out, tears running down his cheeks as he returns to furiously rubbing his face on his arms to hide his emotions.

Sabo’s breath catches as he tries to breathe, tears running unrestrained down his cheeks. Oh god, he thinks repeatedly. I caused all of this suffering. His brothers have been hurting for ten years, all because of him. All because I forgot, he thinks bitterly. How can I even talk to him after causing them all this pain?! The heartbroken look on Ace’s face as he waits impatiently for an explanation only serves to cause Sabo’s heart to constrict even further, but he forces himself to take a deep breath and calm down.

I owe him this, he reminds himself. Even if Ace can’t find it in him to forgive Sabo for leaving him for ten years, for forgetting them, he still deserves to know why Sabo was gone. Sabo takes in one last deep breath before starting to talk.

“As you know, my boat was blown up by a visiting Celestial Dragon a few days after the Grey Terminal Fire.” Sabo can tell that Ace wants to scream for him to get to the point, scream that he already knows what happened, but he has to set the stage for the rest of the explanation.

Sabo continues, “What you don’t know is that right after I was shot on, as I was drowning-” Ace chokes a little at the word ‘drowning,’ glancing at the scar on Sabo’s face, before shuddering and looking down, away from Sabo. “-I was saved by the leader of the Revolutionary Army.”

Ace’s head jerks up, and Sabo jumps as he interjects, “Wait- Dragon the Revolutionary? Monkey D. Dragon? That Revolutionary?”

“Yes, that revolut- wait, hold on a second. Monkey D. Dragon? That’s his full name? He’s Luffy’s father?!” Sabo’s brain short-circuits as he processes what exactly that means. His leader, the stoic man who leads them into battle and has been like a father to Sabo since he was ten, is Luffy’s dad? The same Luffy who is bouncy and cheerful and joyful and everything that is good in the world? Sabo can’t picture the connection.

(But, then he remembers the strange intensity Luffy gets sometimes – that intensity that causes someone to listen, the same intensity that made Ace and Sabo realize, yes, he will be king someday. He compares it to the look Dragon gets on his face as he leads armies; as he inspires thousands to find their own freedom and control their own destiny.

Maybe it does fit, after all.)

Sabo shakes himself from his musing to find Ace staring at him in frustration. Ah, right, Sabo thinks. I still haven’t explained anything yet.

He says, “Well, that doesn’t matter much right now. Anyway, yes, Dragon was the one that saved me. However, when I woke up, I had no idea who I was.” Sabo looks at Ace carefully as he says this, and can see the moment when the realization sets in, heartbreak setting into his expression, again. Sabo hates himself just a little bit more for putting that expression on his face (yet again), and stares at the wall on the left side of Ace’s head as he continues telling his story.

He tells Ace about his vehement refusal to go back to Goa, explaining that the only memory he had about Dawn Island was fear and hatred of his parents. He tells Ace about meeting Dragon, and Hack, and Kuma, and Marina, and Koala, and all the friends and family he made there. He tells Ace about how though he forgot about them, his body never forgot how to fight, how to survive, how to thrive off of very little.

He tells Ace about how far ahead of the curve he was and how everyone was baffled at how this little noble boy was as strong as he was. He chances a glance at Ace’s face on this one and sees the pride that shines through the sadness that is still lingering on his brother’s face, his heart warming slightly at the softness that Ace is showing. 

He tells Ace about his weird obsession with his top hat and goggles combination (he hears the teasing Ace used to put him through about his strange obsession echoing in his ears, and can tell the same memory is going through Ace’s head based on the small smile breaking through his tears). He tells Ace about his immediate liking to fighting with a pipe when he rediscovered it (and all the chaos he proceeded to cause with it).

He tells Ace that even though he was happy with the Revolutionaries, even though he had found a family there, he still had a sense of longing – a sense that something was missing. “And now,” Sabo says wryly, “I know why I felt that way. So just know-” Sabo implores, his voice breaking, leaning forward as much as he can in his chains to look Ace in the eyes, “-that even though I may have forgotten who you both were, even if I forgot the family I created with you both, I never stopped feeling our bond; I never stopped feeling our brotherhood.” 

He stares Ace in the eyes, letting Ace search them – for any sign of a lie, for the emotion that Sabo knows has to be painted all over his face, for anything at all. Ace finally leans back, and a true smile spreads across his face. 

Though there is still a sense of betrayal and heartbreak lingering in Ace’s eyes, he sees acceptance, relief, and, above all else, love shining through them. Sabo feels a surge of relief hit him, the force of it powerful enough to cause him to slump in his chains. 

Finally, Ace says, still smiling with tears still trailing down his cheeks, “I’m so glad you’re alive, Sabo.”

This is the last straw for Sabo, and he just breaks down, relief overwhelming him.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Ace smiles as Sabo breaks down, his brother not even attempting to hide the emotion written all over him. Tears roll down Ace’s cheeks unchecked, but Ace can’t bring himself to care as he continues drinking in the image of the brother he never thought he’d be able to see again. 

He still wears that stupid napkin, Ace thinks, overwhelming fondness washing over him. They’ve both changed so much, but the similarities are still there; the little nuances that Ace would know about Sabo in his sleep still apply, and it provides a massive sense of assurance for him.

He hears a faint sniffing sound, and turns his head away from Sabo to see Jinbe looking away, but clearly sniffling and trying to hide his tears. 

Oh, right. Jinbe is still here. 

Ace feels like he should be at least a little embarrassed at the emotion he was just showing, but the joy still surging through him makes him disregard that thought. Instead, he gives Jinbe a nod of thanks and a smile for giving him and Sabo the illusion of privacy. Then, Ace takes a slow look around, and awareness hits him like a bolt of lightning.

He sits up straight, jerking his head towards Sabo, who is wiping his eyes with his shoulders and still smiling so hugely. “Sabo, what the hell are you doing here?!” Holy shit, I can’t believe I forgot, Ace thinks as Sabo jerks his head up, startled by Ace’s outburst. 

Worry begins to fill him as he remembers what Garp told him about them trying to track down his ‘twin’. Don’t tell me they think he’s also the son of that man, Ace curses internally. He looks Sabo, who has finally regained his composure, in the eyes, and is surprised to see no fear there, only mischievousness.

Sabo grins, and oh. It’s the same grin that Garp wore when he revealed the fact that he sent the Marines on what he thought was a wild goose chase, the same grin that Luffy wears whenever he gets a terrible idea, the same grin that Ace knows he wears whenever he’s about to fuck shit up. 

He finds himself leaning forward eagerly, wanting to know what Sabo has cooked up that causes him to wear that grin. Sabo glances around, making sure none of the other prisoners are looking at the moment, before moving his hands out from behind his back and wiggling them a little bit before putting them back behind his back. Jinbe and Ace share a shocked stare, and Sabo leans in, whispering slyly to them. 

“To break you out of here, of course.”

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Luffy stares out of the window, the giant gates opening before them. Battleships surround their ship, and he winces as he remembers the last time he saw this many battleships in one place. In fact, there are definitely more now, Luffy admits. He shudders lightly as he remembers the close call that was Enies Lobby, but takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly to calm himself. He succeeded then. He rescued Robin.

He will rescue Ace and Sabo too. 

(He refuses to remember that he had his crew with him at Enies Lobby; refuses to remember that he will be alone once he leaves Hancock.)

He watches as they pull in next to the dock. Hancock then comes up behind him, whispering for him to climb into her cloak. He climbs inside, closing his eyes and controlling his breathing as she leaves the room, walking to join Momonga at the front of the ship. Luffy absentmindedly notices the catcalls and jeers from the Marines surrounding them, but decides to ignore them as he focuses on the task at hand.

He closes his eyes, memories from his childhood flashing before his eyes. He remembers the boy who had nothing but shadows in his eyes, hatred and malice all he had ever known from anyone but Sabo (and Dadan to an extent). He remembers the way Ace had slowly opened up to Luffy, learning to laugh and love over the course of the seven years they spent together. He remembers the man he came to be, a bright, cheerful person who brightened up the lives of everyone around him, especially Luffy’s.

He remembers the lonely noble boy who had bonded with the boy who had known nothing but hate and broke him out of his shell; the boy who hated his parentage and who hated who he was born to be. He remembers the way Sabo had opened up and blossomed after revealing his parentage and swearing brotherhood, and the way that he sacrificed himself for them. He imagines the man he grew up to be, saving countries and liberating people the way that Luffy can easily imagine his younger self having done.

Luffy opens his eyes, fierce determination shining in them. He has two big brothers to save.

He’s stronger now. He will not fail.

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“…and so that’s the plan.”

Ace stares at Sabo in shock before bursting out in laughter, shocking everyone around him. Laughter has no place in Impel Down, but Ace is defying that notion yet again - having laughed with Jinbe before, and now laughing with Sabo. To them, it was like a completely different person had emerged yet again. Ace can’t bring himself to care, laughing without abandon. He hadn’t laughed like this since Thatch died, but being Sabo here makes everything seem better.

Jinbe stares at Sabo in awe, and Ace is still losing his shit. A slight sense of worry creeps up his gut, knowing that his family is going to be assaulting Impel Down to save him, but his relief at knowing they have help from the Revolutionaries and knowing that the Marines are in no way ready for an assault on Impel Down is enough to make Ace lose his mind.

“You really haven’t changed at all over these years, have you,” Ace chokes out through his laughter. His brother still has that cunning sense that kept him and Ace alive so many times when they were younger, (and getting them into other sorts of trouble). It’s reassuring to see that part of him emerge after their emotional reunion earlier.

Ace can tell Sabo is incredibly guilt-ridden – another thing to address when they get out of here – but this mischievous side of him is incredibly familiar to Ace. It’s nice knowing that even ten years later, he’s still the Sabo he had grown up with. Ace is still somewhat raw as well from the revelations, so he gladly turns his attention towards planning on how they will escape.

“Wait, seriously, Gramps is helping us?” Ace, though he knows his grandfather loves him and wants him to live, never would have expected him to go this far. He’s basically betraying the Marines, though in a way that nobody would expect or suspect him for. He remembers all of the tirades Garp used to go on, tarring all pirates as criminals, and saying that he would have no mercy for them if they followed their dreams.

Yet here we are, Ace thinks, mildly baffled. Sabo seems to have similar thoughts, a haunted look appearing on his face. He’s probably remembering the first time Gramps came while Sabo was with us, Ace snickers internally. Sabo shakes his head, seeming to rid himself of whatever thoughts he was having.

He then laughs slightly, saying, “I know, right? Dragon-san came up with the idea, and I thought it was insane at first.” Sabo grins, the smile lighting up the face that had been so down since he was brought in. “Yet here we are,” he finishes, straining against the chains slightly, as if checking to see how well they would hold them in.

Which he probably is, now that I think about it, Ace thinks somewhat embarrassedly, sneaking a glance at Sabo to see if any of his thoughts had shown on his face. Thankfully, Sabo still looks focused on his restraints.

Sabo, seemingly satisfied with his assessment, looks up at Ace. He begins to say something, before frowning and glancing in the direction of the elevator. Ace narrows his eyes, focusing his attention to the cell door. He then hears the sound of the elevator arriving at the level, and realizes that Sabo must have sensed them coming down before Ace was even aware. 

His observation must be leagues better than mine, Ace realizes, and adds yet another thing to the list of things he and Sabo (and Luffy, he adds belatedly), need to talk about once they get out of here.

Speaking of Luffy, Ace thinks, he’d better be okay after the shit he pulled at Enies Lobby. His reckless little brother always makes him worry, and Ace can’t wait to get out of here so that he can track him down and make sure he’s okay before punching him for making him worry. 

He is shaken out of his thoughts by footsteps coming closer and closer to their cell. He curses his momentary lapse of attention, turning his attention towards the cell door. Nothing, however, could have prepared him for who appears, eyes widening and mouth gaping slightly as he takes in the figure in front of him.

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Jinbe starts, staring through the cell door in disbelief. “Boa Hancock?” he breathes, wondering if he’s finally lost his mind. Glancing at Ace and Sabo, he sees the subtle signs of shock on them, and confirms, no, he is not hallucinating. Then why is the Pirate Empress, the most aloof of the Shichibukai, here?

She never even attends the meetings held for us, Jinbe recalls, baffled. Why would she be here, in the most secure prison in the world? And cuffed, on top of all that! Jinbe can’t come up with a reason for her being there, so he brings himself out of his thoughts, turning his attention to Hancock, who is in the middle of responding to a question one of the brothers must have prompted.

“…have no business with you. I just wanted to take a look at the men who are the trigger for this war I’m about to participate in.”  Jinbe growls at the thought that Ace and Sabo are just simple commodities for the Empress to look at. They’ve gone through plenty already, he thinks angrily. Don’t make it worse!

Ace hangs his head against his chest, tiredly responding, “So we’re just curiosities, eh?” Sabo glances over at his brother, and Jinbe can see the anger growing on his face at the anguished state his brother has been returned to.

Sabo jerks his head to face Hancock, snapping out before Jinbe could find a retort, “You disappointed, Your Highness?” The biting sarcasm takes Jinbe aback, but the Empress seems unperturbed. Sabo leans back, glaring daggers into the Empress, while Ace looks somewhat surprised at the outburst from him. Hancock simply stares imperiously back, making to say something before the jeers from the surrounding prisoners begin to drown her out.

Hancock rolls her eyes, turning to face the crowd. She says something that Jinbe can’t hear, and a surge of cheers overwhelms the prison. Jinbe frowns in annoyance as even Magellan reacts to Hancock’s actions, rearing up and attacking the prisoners in a move that is incredibly effective in shutting the prisoners up, Jinbe has to admit.

Magellan turns back after taking care of the prisoners, and Jinbe turns back to see what Hancock has to say to Ace and Sabo. However, Jinbe is surprised to hear Hancock say, “My business here is finished.” Confused, Jinbe turns towards Ace and Sabo to get answers, and is surprised to see them frozen, staring at the Empress with shocked expressions.

Seeming to break out of his frozen state, Ace bursts out with, “What? Is that true?!” Meanwhile, Sabo seemed to still be in shock, staring at the cell door with something akin to terror on his face. Jinbe notices their faces have paled to an extent Jinbe hasn’t seen from them yet, and now he really wants to know what Hancock said to make them react in this way.

Hancock turns back slightly, responding with a simple, “I have no reason to lie.” She then seems to consider something before turning her head around fully, a soft smile on her face (Jinbe has never seen a look like that on her face before, what could cause her to smile like that?) 

“Oh, yes. He was afraid you both would be mad at him.” With that, she turns on her heel and strides out of sight, Magellan and Hannyabal trailing like puppies behind her.

Completely lost now, Jinbe turns to face his unlikely companions to find them still staring at the cell door, completely frozen. Then, suddenly, Ace’s head drops onto his chest as he lets out a frustrated groan, and Sabo curses before starting to mutter furiously under his breath. That’s the breaking point for Jinbe, and he asks, “Ace-san, Sabo-san, what did she say to you?!”

Ace and Sabo share a quick look, before Ace looks away with a distraught look on his face. Sabo turns his head to face Jinbe, saying, “She said our little brother is here.”

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Jinbe looks between the two, pure shock on his face, rendering him speechless. A few seconds later, he shouts, “The boy with the straw hat you talk about so much? How foolhardy!” 

Yeah, Ace thinks hysterically, yeah, it’s incredibly idiotic. And unlucky for us, idiotic is practically Luffy’s middle name!

Sabo mutters something similar under his breath, the words, “Exactly the same, dumbass little brother,” making it to Ace’s ears.

He almost snorts – he would have snorted if not for the fact that his little brother had just infiltrated Impel Down to try to save him and Sabo! Goddamnit, Luffy, what the hell are you thinking? Ace thinks furiously to himself. “Sabo, what the hell are we going to do?”

Ace is trying very hard not to panic, but now his two most important people (his treasures) are in Impel Down, all because of him. It’s all his fault. He shouldn’t have chased down Teach, he should have been smarter, more careful, anything to keep Luffy from being in danger. Now both my brothers are in here, solely to save me, Ace thinks, dropping his head onto his chest and closing his eyes in despair. Why me?! I’m not worth it, they should have just left me-

“If you’re thinking, ‘they should have just left me here, I’m not worth it,’ and all that crap, kindly stuff it before I stuff you,” Sabo snaps, ripping Ace from his thoughts. Ace snaps his head up to face Sabo, seeing the blonde glaring at him. His shock must have been far too obvious on his face as Sabo just shakes his head with a long-suffering sigh and says, “Look, I know it’s been ten years, but I know you well enough to know when you’re going down that path, and I’m telling you to stop it.”

“But-”

“No buts,” Sabo stops that train of thought before it can even begin. “We’re here because we fucking love you and you need to get that through your thick skull! Though I would also much prefer if Luffy wasn’t here, I also understand that he’s here for the same reason I am, and that’s because we need you to stay alive!”

Ace feels his breath catch in his throat, and he feels a suspicious burning in his eyes as Sabo continues, “You’re our older brother, and we would be lost without you. So get it through your thick skull that we want you here and that it’s good that you were born, or I’m going to smack it into you when we get out of here!”

Sabo is breathing heavily, and his eyes, fierce and unguarded, make it very clear to Ace that he’s saying nothing but the truth. Ace just finds himself staring at Sabo in shock. 

How does Sabo always manage to cut to the heart of the matter? He always knows how to cut Ace down right to the core, reading him perfectly and knowing exactly what to say to relieve Ace of his insecurities. Ace rubs his head on his shoulders quickly, jerkily wiping the tears off his face – god, he really wishes he could use his hands right about now.

Jinbe glances between the two of them, saying hesitantly, “I don’t know what that woman was up to, you two, but maybe she wasn’t telling the truth.”

Ace snaps, “Do you really think she would come all the way here to lie to us?!”

Sabo cuts Ace a look, and Ace bows his head in apology as Sabo continues, “Believe it or not, this is pretty normal for Luffy. He’s always been like this, making us worry every single second!”

“Ever since he’s been a little kid, I’ve always had to worry about him, the reckless idiot!” Ace bursts out, before slumping in his chains, looking at Sabo pleadingly. “Dammit, Sabo, what the hell are we going to do? We have to get to him!”

Sabo snaps, “I know, Ace, Luffy is my brother too! Just let me think for a bit and figure out what we’re going to do!”

Ace drops his head onto his chest again, scrunching his eyes shut.

Please, Luffy, he begs internally. Please be safe until we can get to you!

Chapter Text

“Senny!”

Garp bursts through the door, laughing at the shock on his friend’s face that quickly fades to exasperation. He can’t make himself feel bad about startling him, especially since given the amount of time they’ve known each other, Sengoku really should be used to it.

Plus, Garp thinks bitterly, you did lock up one of my grandsons, and just locked up another one. The only reason Garp isn’t a complete ball of self-hatred and spite is because he knows there’s a plan; a plan that Garp helped with.

He doesn’t know what he would do if the plan goes wrong. He just found out one of his grandsons he thought lost was alive, and if he loses him, and Ace, this quickly, he would probably break, regardless of how strong he is. Please, boys, he pleads internally, please stay safe.

He then notices Sengoku is giving him a strange look, and quickly belts out a laugh, coming around the desk and slapping him on the back before reaching around and stealing his rice crackers.

Sengoku growls, stealing the crackers back before saying, “If you’re just here to steal my rice crackers, I’m just going to kick you out of here!” Garp laughs at the empty threat before sitting heavily in the seat unofficially reserved for him in the corner of Sengoku’s office. He is about to mess with him a little bit more when the ringing of the transponder snail cuts him off before he can even begin.

Sengoku looks slightly confused before rising to answer it, answering Garp’s unspoken question about whether they were expecting a call. They had released the information for the execution yesterday, the Shichibukai are all gathered and ready to go with the exception of Hancock – who is visiting Impel Down for some ungodly reason – so there is nothing that should warrant a call to Sengoku directly. 

Garp watches closely as Sengoku answers the transponder, shifting slightly closer so he can hear better.

“Fleet Admiral Sengoku speaking.”

“Fleet Admiral, sir!” The voice of the Chief Warden comes through, and Garp notices with narrowed eyes that there is a hint of annoyance and panic threading through his tone.

Sengoku’s slight frown betrays that he noticed the same thing, and he replies shortly, “Why are you calling?”

There is a slight pause on the other end before Magellan responds, “…there’s a bit of a situation. We have it mostly under control, but Straw Hat Luffy has broken into Impel Down and is on Level 3 right now.” Sengoku and Garp freeze, before Garp looks off to the side, whistling. He can already tell that Sengoku is going to blame this on him.

And this brother isn’t even my fault! Garp thinks, as Sengoku slowly turns to face Garp, glaring a hole into the side of his head.

“Is he contained?” Sengoku grits out, looking seconds from throttling either the snail or Garp. He wouldn’t be surprised at either possibility.

“Yes. Sadi-chan and Saldeath are dealing with him right now, but I thought it would be prudent to let you know.”

“You thought right, Chief Warden. Is there anything else you’d like to share?”

“No, Fleet Admiral. I will keep you updated on any changes.” The ‘gacha’ sounds as Magellan hangs up, and Garp can’t contain himself anymore.

“BWAHAHAHAHA! That grandson of mine is crazy!” A sense of impending doom creeps over him, and Garp turns to see a glowing Sengoku glaring fiercely at him. Sengoku takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he steps towards Garp. He stops laughing, but can’t keep the grin off his face as Sengoku finally reaches him, grabbing him by the collar.

“DAMMIT, GARP! WHY IS IT ALWAYS YOUR FUCKING FAMILY?!” Sengoku roars, shaking Garp back and forth.

“Bwahahahaha! Luffy sure is crazy, isn’t he?!”

“Pay for the sins of your blood, dammit!”

“Bwahahahaha!”

Sengoku’s tirade continues on, and Garp lets his mind wander as he tunes out the fact that he’s still being shaken. My brats, he thinks fondly, are a bunch of reckless idiots. First one gets captured by tracking down a traitor, then another lets himself get captured to save the first, and then the third breaks into Impel Down to save the two others. Raising them with bandits was a bad idea, Garp realizes in hindsight, and promptly busts another gut laughing.

(Deep in his mind, Garp worries.)

(Worries for the boy who hasn’t truly learned what it’s like to want to live; who thinks himself worthless. Who loves so fully and doesn’t believe that he’s loved in return.)

(Worries for the boy who lost a part of himself for ten years; who is taking on a potentially suicidal mission in order to save his brother. Who has such guilt-ridden eyes that Garp could practically hear his heart crying out for the brothers he almost didn’t realize he almost lost.)

(Worries for the boy who doesn’t know how to take care of himself; who gives, and gives, and gives, until there is nothing left. Who would give absolutely everything to save those he loves, at the cost of himself.)

(Worries for the three brothers who are in the most dangerous prison in the world, with Garp having no way to help them should they need it.)

(Worries that he might lose them.)

(Forever.)

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Luffy stumbles forward, making it only a few steps before collapsing. Magellan stands imperiously over him, staring down at him as Luffy reaches forward. I can’t…stop now, Luffy thinks desperately. He has to save his brothers. He has to. He can’t lose them. He can’t. He crawls forward one more foot before collapsing, not even being able to shudder in pain as poison courses through his veins.

Magellan scoffs, grabbing Luffy and throwing him carelessly over one shoulder. “Your run is over, Straw Hat. You won’t save your brothers, and you will die before they do.”

Luffy attempts to move, desperately trying to move his limbs to put up some semblance of a fight. His vision is swimming, and he can feel himself about to pass out. His vision starts to fade out, and one thought lingers on his mind as his brain shuts down and his vision finally goes black.

Ace…Sabo…!

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Marina stifles a yawn, tiredly following the routes that she could trace in her sleep. A glance confirms Nathan is as alert as ever, and she frowns and rolls her eyes as he sends a glare at her for yawning. You try staying up for 36 hours and not yawning, she thinks grumpily. 

She’s been up since the previous day, planning and making contingency plans with Ivankov and Dragon between her shifts. It has been slow-going, especially since she couldn’t sneak away all the time, annoyingly enough. Finally, though, her shift is finally almost over and she will finally be able to sleep.

She’s brought out of her thoughts by the faint sound of knocking. She frowns before her eyes widen in realization, turning slightly towards the cell block they’re walking past. The cell block that Fire Fist Ace and Revolutionary Sabo, aka her Chief of Staff, one of her best friends, are being kept in. She casts a side glance at her partner, who’s staring straight ahead. Rapidly making a decision, she ducks down, quickly untying her shoe before catching her partner’s attention.

“My shoe came untied, go ahead without me. I’ll catch up.” He gives her a look of disdain before turning and continuing on his way. She waits a few seconds before tying her shoe quickly and hurrying down the hallway towards her comrade. She stops a far enough distance away that no one can see her, but she knows that her movement would have pinged on Sabo’s observation haki, prodigy that he is.

The knocking resumes, and Marina curses as she realizes what it’s relaying, thinking back to the conversation she and her revolutionary comrades had had while planning this operation as she listens to the sound intently.

Marina frowns, tapping her fingers on the table next to the transponder snail. “We need a way of communicating in case something changes while you’re down here.” She still thinks the plan is insane – sending their Chief of Staff into the renowned prison is absolutely nuts, no matter what Dragon seems to think – but also knows that it was the only way to save his brothers while also freeing their comrades in one fell swoop.

She hears muttering on the other end before Sabo’s voice comes through, saying, “What about knocking? From what you’ve told us of the prison, the hallways are incredibly echoey, so if I need to tell you something, knocking is a subtle way of doing it. It’s also subtle enough that your partner wouldn’t suspect anything if he heard it, or if you did the same.” Marina frowns in thought. That could work, as long as she’s nearby.

“How will you know if I’m near enough to hear it?”

Marina can practically hear the smirk in Sabo’s voice as he responds, “Oh, trust me, I’ll know. Don’t worry about that part.” Oh, right, Marina remembers belatedly. Sabo’s one of the best haki users in the Revolutionary Army; this will probably be child’s play for him. She notes down the codes Sabo suggests, committing them to memory as she does so.

The knocking repeats, only confirming what Marina thought she heard the first time.

‘New plan, break out ASAP.’

Shit.

Marina hurries away from the cell block and catches up with her partner, mind racing as she tries to figure out why they would try to break out nearly two days early. She asks her partner casually, “Hey, has anything happened within the past few hours here?”

Nathan gives her a deadpan stare, seemingly in disbelief about the question she asked. “What, you didn’t hear?” He responds sarcastically.

No, obviously, I didn’t, she thinks viciously.

He continues disdainfully, “Straw Hat Luffy broke in earlier. Last I heard he was contained on Level 4, with Chief Warden Magellan about to close in on him. I’m sure he’s been dealt with by now.”

Marina freezes for a split second, her brain short-circuiting as she processes the news. She soon wipes all emotion off her face, laughing haltingly as she catches up with her partner again, having fallen behind when she froze up. “Wow, what an idiot,” she says, mind racing as she finally connects why Sabo wants to break out as soon as possible.

Nathan gives a short nod as they reach the guards’ quarters, and Marina splits off with him as she heads towards the girls’ quarters. Straw Hat Luffy is a complete dumbass, Marina concludes. He breaks into the most secure prison in the world – one where he is completely out of his depth as a rookie – just to save his brothers?!

Sabo must be hysterical, she thinks wildly as she arrives at her room. Along with the other brother, probably. She strips down to her underwear before pulling on a second uniform, completing the look with a brown wig, which hides her distinctive red hair. She stuffs it under the wig, pulling on sunglasses and leaving the room in a hurry.

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Bon Clay staggers to his feet, the wolves surrounding them attacking him without mercy. He refuses to let the wolves get to his friend (he already failed him once before). He fights, clawing, biting, kicking, doing anything he can to protect Luffy. 

Eventually, however, despite his best efforts, the wolves overcome him, converging on his prone body. I’m sorry, Straw-chan, he thinks, wincing in pain as the wolves bite every bit of flesh they can.

A yell catches his attention, and a wave of power washes over him. He sees Luffy, standing tall before collapsing. “What…was…that?” He manages to choke out as he falls, the pain overwhelming him once again. His vision starts swimming, but he is able to make out an unfamiliar figure standing above them. Please, he begs the unknown person, save him. Help him save his brothers.

With that final thought, Bon Clay succumbs to the pain and fades away.

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This sucks, Sabo decides as he sits in his shared cell, leaning his head against the wall and staring at the ceiling. Ace had quieted down a while ago, and though Sabo can’t see what’s going on inside Ace’s head, he can guess that it’s nothing good. He’s probably still worrying about Luffy, Sabo thinks, glancing at his brother as he hangs there limply, chin to chest and eyes closed.

Not that Sabo can blame him, of course. He had barely been able to restrain himself from freaking out as well when he had found out Luffy had broken in. His lessons in composure had proven very helpful, and the fact that they had contingencies in place just in case helped as well.

Those facts still don’t make the waiting any easier, though, and Sabo finds his anxiety and guilt rising up more and more as time goes on. He had sensed Marina nearby a while ago, and knows she had gotten his message. However, he is well aware that waiting for the other parties is the worst part of a mission, and this is no doubt the worst wait he’s had to deal with (and he’s had to deal with a lot of them). He spares a bit of sympathy for Jinbe, knowing the tension and worry seeping into the atmosphere can’t be easy for him to deal with either.

Speaking of Jinbe, Sabo frowns as he remembers that they hadn’t had plans in place for him to come with them – Marina had only been planning for breaking him and Ace out, and will probably not be bringing his key.

It’s a shame, Sabo thinks as he glances at the dozing Jinbe out of the corner of his eyes. Jinbe would be a great ally to have as we break out. Plus, he and Ace seem to be pretty close, though they’re not talking much at the moment. Worry is still emanating from Ace, and Sabo is finding it hard to not fall into that same trap.

(Luffy is in Impel Down. Luffy, their young, precious, weak little brother is in the most dangerous prison in the world. He’s alone, and Sabo can’t do anything to help him yet.

Well, weak may not be accurate anymore, Sabo thinks, mind flashing back to the newspaper and reports he had seen a couple weeks ago – flashing back to the utter shock he had felt when he saw that Enies Lobby had been burnt down, CP9 utterly destroyed, by none other than the Straw Hat Pirates.

Pride had spiked through Sabo at the news, and he had had no idea why at the time. He had brushed it off as simple happiness at one of the thorns in the Revolution’s side being taken out, but now he knows why he felt that way.

No, his little brother isn’t weak anymore. He’s not the same Luffy Sabo knew as a child.

Sabo can have faith that Luffy’s alright.

He has to have faith. 

Otherwise, he doesn’t know what he will do.)

Footsteps echo in the hallway in front of their cells, ripping Sabo from his thoughts. Sabo extends his senses and grins as he confirms that the presence approaching is Marina. He wipes all emotion off his face, though, giving Ace a look when he looks excited. Ace makes a face at him before returning to his brooding state, and Sabo stifles a grin at the familiarity of the interaction.

An at-first unfamiliar-looking figure appears in front of their cell, bringing out keys and opening their cell door. Sabo stifles a grin yet again as he recognizes his comrade. Though she looks completely different, Sabo would recognize her anywhere. You haven’t changed, Sabo thinks fondly. He grew up with her, and he can’t help but remember the fiery redhead he clashed and bonded with.

He remembers the last day they had spent together before she had to come here two years ago. She, Sabo, and Koala had just spent the day goofing off, playing games. The possibility that Marina could get caught was hanging over their heads the entire time (infiltrating anywhere in the government is very dangerous, Impel Down triply so), but they did their best to ignore it and just enjoy each other’s company. Koala and Marina (and Hack) are Sabo’s closest friends, and he treasures every memory he has with them.

He shakes himself from his memories as she approaches Jinbe, checking his chains and making sure everything is in order.

Appearances are important, Sabo knows, and ever since Sabo was brought in (and even since Ace was brought in), their cell has been a source of intrigue. While telling his story, he had to be incredibly careful so as to not reveal any incriminating info to the surrounding prisoners. Now, keeping their escape unknown for as long as possible will also be a pain.

Thankfully, prisoners like spending more time asleep than awake (there’s not much to do in a prison, after all). There is a window from six pm to ten am where most prisoners are asleep (thank god Marina is as observant as she is, there’s no way Sabo could have figured all of this out in just a day). That window will hopefully give Ace and Sabo enough time to find their little brother before they try to escape for real.

Marina then moves onto Ace, checking his chains with slightly more gentleness due to his beaten-up state. She checks his wrists and then his ankles, and it’s only due to his trained eyes that Sabo notices her slipping a key into Ace’s left hand and his hand wrapping around it tightly. She lingers a little longer for appearances’ sake before moving onto Sabo.

Once with Sabo, Marina checks the chains wrapped around his chest before moving onto his hands behind his back, slipping two keys in before leaning in slightly and breathing into his ear, “Four hours. Good luck.” Sabo nods slightly as she leans away from him, leaving the cell without any fanfare, locking the door tight behind her. She walks off, and Ace and Sabo give each other a tight grin before returning to their prior worried states, settling in to wait a long four hours before they can save their brother from himself.

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“It’s time.”

Ace startles in shock, waking from the doze he had finally managed to fall into, staring at his brother before the words that he had just said register in his head. He sighs in relief. Thank god, he thinks. It had been a torturous four hours, with Ace spending the majority of the time worrying about what danger Luffy could be in. Countless scenarios had run through his head, each one worse than the last, until Ace was a ball of anxiety, fear, and worry. He had finally fallen into a fitful sleep at Sabo’s prompting, but it didn’t help when his dreams were full of his worries as well.

“Finally!” He says. Ace is amazed that Sabo could keep track of time like that while also having worry about Luffy on his mind. And I’m sure he is just as worried, Ace thinks, glancing at the serious face of his brother as he frees himself. The blonde has been a mess of guilt and anguish since he and Ace had reunited, and Ace has no doubt that Luffy’s intrusion had compounded that guilt. 

I’m going to need to talk to him about that later, Ace thinks as Sabo comes over to free Ace as well. This is in no way his fault.

Ace stands as Sabo removes the last chain, rubbing his sore wrists. He stumbles a little bit, his legs unused to carrying his weight again. The weakness of his body isn’t helping either, and, not for the first time, Ace curses the treatment prisoners get in Impel Down. Minimal water, and next to no food – barely enough to even keep them alive.

Once he regains his balance, though, he draws his brother into a tight hug, clutching onto him with all he has. Sabo stiffens slightly in surprise, but Ace doesn’t let go, holding tight onto the brother he thought he had lost. Sabo tentatively wraps his arms around Ace in return, and they just stand there for a moment, clutching at each other, simply breathing. 

The hug’s tight – too tight to be fully comfortable – but it doesn’t matter. What does matter is feeling Sabo – feeling his breath, shuddering slightly against him; feeling his back, much broader than it had been before; feeling his hair, longer than ever, brushing against his temple.

(Even having spent the past day in Sabo’s company, it still didn’t quite feel real to Ace – the fact that Sabo is alive, even though Ace had spent the past ten years mourning him, missing him.

Yet, holding Sabo close, Ace finally allows himself to fully accept that Sabo is here – he’s alive, breathing, warm – so, so warm.

Sabo’s alive. He’s here.)

Ace holds onto his brother for a little bit longer before reluctantly letting go, tightening his embrace just before releasing him. They’ll have all the time in the world later for Ace to reassure himself further that is brother is alive. 

But not yet. Now, they need to move.

They need to get to Luffy.

“I’m sorry we can’t take you yet, Jinbe,” Ace says, turning towards his friend. The thought of leaving one of his friends in Impel Down, even for good reason (he curses the fact that Sabo hadn’t been able to know that Jinbe is here), especially since he’s there because of Ace, leaves a sour taste in Ace’s mouth. Jinbe deserves better, and though they have a plan in place to come grab him later (or have someone else do so), Ace still doesn’t like it.

Jinbe shakes his head, saying, “Do not worry, Ace-san, I will be freed from here soon enough. I will be fine.” Ace nods reluctantly, before turning towards where Sabo is waiting by the now-open door. The snores of the prisoners surrounding them are enough to drown out any sounds the two make, but they are still cautious as they exit the cell, closing the door behind them.

Ace and Sabo glance at each other, before turning and sprinting in the direction Sabo indicates. 

They have an idiot little brother to save.

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Ivankov sighs, sliding the window shut and walking away from the chained door. They flinch slightly as yet another heart-wrenching scream sounds out before shaking their head quickly and walking away. Straw Hat was aware of the amount of pain he was going to be in, and he would have died had Ivankov not done what they did, but it still doesn’t make it any easier to listen to those screams.

Five hours. It had already been five hours, but it has felt like an eternity for Ivankov. Their comrades had already started drinking and partying, trying to drown out the haunting screams echoing down the hallway. Ivankov can’t blame them in the slightest. Honestly, I’d like to join them, they think, shuddering slightly at the memory of Luffy chained, writhing in pain.

Ivankov hisses suddenly, bringing their hand up to their forehead as pain suddenly spikes through their head. They haven’t been getting much sleep lately to begin with, with all the plans being made surrounding the upcoming breakout commanding all their attention. Migraines are an unfortunate side-effect of the lack of rest.

Ivankov finally arrives at the area where their comrades are congregating, and shakes their head when multiple people turn towards them. Everyone bows their heads at the confirmation that there has been no change (though they had to expect it, what with the screams still echoing down the hallway behind them).

Ivankov slumps in their chair, and Inazuma, amazing friend that she is, already has a drink waiting for them. They give Inazuma nod of thanks, receiving a comforting look in return as Inazuma walks away.

Ivankov throws back half the drink at once, the burn coursing down their throat a welcome distraction from what had been on their mind. Thankfully, there’s nothing that requires their attention at the moment. Straw Hat is dealt with, the plans for the break-out are mostly set and Marina isn’t set to come back until the next day, so Ivankov relaxes into their chair, ready to finally get some rest.

Of course, just as Ivankov is finally unfocused on what’s going on and relaxing, a frantic knock sounds on the door to Level 5.5. The pattern is familiar, and Ivankov frowns as they realize only two people in the prison are aware of that pattern, and both of them aren’t supposed to be coming for at least another day. A sense of foreboding filling Ivankov, and they head to the door to let in whoever is there. Only something serious would cause Marina to come early, so this must be a big deal.

Ivankov opens the door, expecting a fiery redhead, and is instead faced with the impatient faces of the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army and Fire Fist Ace.

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Why are there so many fucking stairs?! Ace thinks furiously as he and Sabo rush up the stairs towards Sabo’s comrades. We don’t have time for this! Ace can’t help but think about his little brother; small, weak Luffy, alone and in danger in the hellhole that is Impel Down. Ace doesn’t know what he would do if Luffy is hurt badly, or, god forbid, dead. Please, Luffy, please be okay, Ace pleads internally as he and Sabo turn to face yet another flight of stairs.

Sabo side-eyes Ace as if he knows what he is thinking and wants to scold him, but all he says is, “Only a couple more flights, and then we’ll be in level 5.5.”

“Finally!” Ace says. “Why the hell did we have to wait so long before leaving again?!” He is well aware that Sabo already told him, but his stress and worry for Luffy is overwhelming everything else in his brain. 

“I told you, it’s because 6:00 was the earliest time that the guard patrols aren’t close enough to notice us leaving and entering the passage that is nearest to us to Level 5.5, and is when most prisoners are asleep. If we had left any earlier, we definitely would have been caught! Even if we weren’t caught by the guards, we would have been ratted out almost immediately by the other prisoners!” Sabo bites out as they climb yet another flight of stairs.

“Fine, fine, I get it, doesn’t mean I have to like it though,” Ace grumbles. “How the hell do you know all this stuff anyway? And come to think of it, why is there a Level 5.5 in Impel Down anyway?”

Sabo sighs as they turn around a corner. “Marina knows a lot about the prison. Dragon-san also has a ton of informants, so it was child’s play getting this information. And I have no clue why it’s there, just that it is, and that’s not really one of my concerns right now. Now, we’re only a couple flights away now, so can you please shut up and let me run?”

“Fine.”

They continue in silence for a little while longer and then, finally, they see a door atop one last flight of stairs. Finally! Ace thinks, bolting up the steps. He is about to knock on the door furiously when Sabo yanks him back. He gives Sabo his best baleful look, but Sabo ignores it easily and begins knocking a pattern on the door. It seems Sabo still is unaffected by Ace’s ire, and Ace feels warmth rush through him at the familiarity of the interaction despite his lingering annoyance.

Sabo finally stops knocking, and Ace waits impatiently as footsteps sound on the other side of the door. The door opens, and Ace would have snickered at the pure shock on the person’s face as they jerk back in shock if it weren’t for the situation at hand. As it is, Ace simply watches impatiently as the figure (Ivankov, Ace thinks he remembers Sabo saying) recovers.

“Sa-boy!” Ivankov yells, wide-eyed. However, that look soon disappears and a wide grin appears on their face. Ace softens slightly at that, remembering that Sabo had told him that Ivankov has been in Impel Down for over two years. This would be their first interaction with someone originally from the Revolutionary Army other than their partner and Marina.

That must have been rough, Ace thinks sympathetically as Sabo glomps Ivankov, knocking the wind out of them.

Sabo turns suddenly, facing Ace with a wide grin. “Ace, this is Iva-san, or Emperio Ivankov! Iva-san, this is my idiot twin Ace!” Sabo seems to radiate with joy, so Ace ignores the insult and turns towards Ivankov, bowing slightly.

“It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. My name is Portgas D. Ace. Thank you for taking care of my brother for all of these years.”

Ivankov looks shocked at how polite Ace is, and Ace sniggers as they turn towards Sabo and say, “Are you sure you’re brothers, Sabo? He seems way too polite to be your brother.” Sabo gasps in mock outrage, and Ace laughs as Sabo elbows Ivankov before sending Ace a glare that is far too happy to be genuinely mad.

Sabo’s happiness is contagious, but Ace can’t help but be reminded of what they were there for, his worry for his little brother returning as Sabo and Ivankov turn away, walking inside further and talking. I can’t blame him for being excited about reuniting with Ivankov, Ace acquiesces, but we really need to get a move on.

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Ivankov jumps slightly as Ace says from behind them, “Sabo, I’m really happy that you guys have been able to reunite, I really am, but we came here for a reason.” Sabo stops still, slapping a hand against his forehead.

“Of course! How the hell did I forget?! Iva-san, have you seen our brother?! He supposedly broke in so that’s why we’re here early – we need to find him and help him! He’s not ready for this!” Ivankov freezes, hoping beyond hope they did not just hear what they think they did.

A boy wearing a Straw Hat, breaking into Impel Down on a seemingly suicidal mission.

The famous wanted pirate, Straw Hat Luffy.

Ace and Sabo’s third brother, who is named Luffy.

Shit.

Ivankov curses audibly, causing Ace and Sabo to stare at them. Ivankov says, lingering hope remaining that they are wrong and there was another break-in they missed somehow, “Does your brother happen to have black hair and wear a straw hat?” Twin eager nods answer Ivankov’s question, and dread sinks in Ivankov’s gut.

“Yeah! Does that mean you’ve seen him? Where is he?” Sabo and Ace look around frantically, as if Luffy’s just going to jump out of the woodwork if they look hard enough. Ivankov frantically tries to come up with an explanation as they look around.

How the hell do I tell them their brother is on the brink of death and going through the worst pain in his life right now?! Ivankov frantically tries to figure out what to say when a bloodcurdling scream echoes from the hallway to the side from where they’re standing. Ace and Sabo freeze before turning slowly in that direction. Horrified recognition shines on their faces, and Ivankov curses as they both bolt down the hallway to where their brother is.

Ace reaches the door first, recoiling visibly as he notices the chains crossing in front of it. Sabo comes to stand next to him, and the look of shocked anguish on his face tears at Ivankov’s heart. Another scream rings out, and Sabo and Ace both get heartbroken looks on their faces, looking as if their very soul is being torn apart at the thought of their brother being in this much pain because he came to save them. 

Ivankov, despite knowing this is what needs to be done, still feels a spike of guilt go through them at the looks on their faces.

Sabo, who he had raised along with Dragon and Kuma. Sabo, who is one of the brightest, sassiest little boys Ivankov has ever met. Sabo, who would tease and rib absolutely anyone he could at any opportunity.

Sabo, who is now standing stock-still, tears running down his cheeks as he looks at the door keeping his brother from him. Ivankov finds tears pricking at the corners of their eyes watching the emotion on his face.

Sabo and Ace soon find their voices, and Ivankov’s heart breaks just a little bit more at their reaction to yet another scream ringing out.

“LUFFY!”

Chapter Text

Another scream cuts through the air, and Ace jerks back in horror, feeling the scream of pain reverberate down to his very bones.

He launches himself at the door, ripping open the small window and recoiling violently as he sees his brother, chained to the table and crying out in pain. “Luffy! Luffy!” He claws at the door, and rears up to punch it inwards before deciding otherwise – the door could hit his brother. 

Anger finally overwhelming the horror in his system (Luffy’s in chains – he’s screaming while in chains!), he turns to face Ivankov, heat radiating off of him in waves. He stalks towards Ivankov, who is staring at the heartbroken look on Sabo’s face. The tears trailing down Sabo’s cheeks are the final straw, and Ace launches himself at Ivankov, murder in his veins. 

Unfortunately, Sabo catches him as he throws himself at Ivankov, stopping him from attacking the one who is torturing their brother. He yells, “Sabo, let me go! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY BROTHER?!” He thrashes violently in Sabo’s grip, wanting to get free, needing to get free. “HE’S TORTURING HIM! LUFFY! LUFFY!” 

His cries turn to sobs soon enough – dammit, why can’t he do fucking anything? His little brother is right there, possibly being tortured, and he’s can do nothing.

(Just like what he’s been doing ever since Teach.)

He deflates in Sabo’s grip, sobbing violently as Sabo’s grip turns into a hug. He can hear Sabo’s shuddering breath in his ear, can hear that he’s murmuring things into his ears and trying to comfort him, but nothing is reaching Ace.

After a few moments, Ace’s sobs lessen slightly, and Sabo shifts him so that he could stand on his own. He slips his hand into Ace’s and Ace clings onto it like the lifeline that it is. Sabo steps up next to Ace, pinning Ivankov with a glare more frigid than ice. He asks, “What the hell are you doing to our brother?!”

Ivankov wipes their eyes before giving the both of them a considering look, and Ace is about ready to launch himself at them again to demand answers when they sigh and plop down onto the floor. Ace and Sabo remain standing, attempting to glare down at them. Ivankov sighs again before saying bluntly, “Your brother ran into Magellan.”

Ace freezes, shock and despair flooding his system yet again. He is faintly aware of Sabo’s hand crushing his own as Ivankov continues. “He’s alive, obviously, but he was hit with over twenty different poisons, both liquid and gas. He’s in very bad shape.”

Ace closes his eyes, despair starting to overwhelm him. His brother, his baby brother, is almost dead – is on death’s door. Because of him. Sabo’s voice knocks him out of his misery slightly, saying, “What did you have to inject him with?” Ace starts, turning to face Sabo as his grip turns steely, nearly crushing Ace’s hand in his own. Sabo’s eyes are wide and staring into space, his body trembling minutely. His eyes are unfocused, as if remembering things from long ago.

Oh, Ace thinks. He knows something I don’t.

Ivankov sighs again, saying, “I didn’t even have to use these on you, Sabo,” and Sabo’s grip loosens as pure terror shines on his face. Ace steels himself for what Ivankov is about to say as Ivankov continues, “I had to use my healing hormones on him.”

Sabo gasps as if his worst fears had been realized, and Ace feels his stomach drop as Sabo starts trembling violently. Sabo hides his emotions. He always has. For Sabo to be reacting this visibly and violently to something means it’s horrible, and this horrible thing involves Luffy.

Ace starts trembling right along with him.

“What is it, Sabo?” Ace whispers urgently, crushing Sabo’s hand in his. “What did they do to him?”

Sabo closes his eyes, taking in a deep, shuddering breath before responding, “Those hormones are an all or nothing last-ditch effort way to save someone’s life. Iva-san injects them, and it raises their chance of survival from zero...” at this Ace’s face loses all its color and snaps over to stare at the door which bars their younger brother from them. 

He starts trembling again as Sabo continues, “...to...2-3 percent, at the cost of…ten years of his life.” Sabo shudders again and sits down heavily, wrapping his arms around his knees. He buries his head in them, and the fine trembles wracking their way through his body make it clear what he is doing. 

“God dammit,” Ace chokes out, dropping to his knees and punching the ground in desperate anger, before his guilt overwhelms him. Wrapping his arms around his knees tightly, he buries his head in them, trying desperately to bite down his sobs.

Luffy is in Impel Down because of him. He’s got poisoned because of him. He’s dying because of him.

All my fault, all my fault, Luffy could die, this is all my fault.

These thoughts run like a mantra through Ace’s head, as he buries his head further into his knees to try to block out the sounds of Luffy (his baby brother, the one who lit up his bleak existence and taught him how to not just survive, but live) screaming in pain right next to him. 

Unknowing to him, the mantra (-all my fault, all my fault-) that had been solely in his head has made its way into muttering as Ace continues to sob for his little brother.

As another bloodcurdling scream rings throughout the room, a violent flinch wracks its way throughout Ace’s body, and, unknowingly, his mutters grow in volume until unfamiliar arms wrap around his body (no, not unfamiliar, different, ten years older, but still the same ones that were his safe place for five years), and Ace just breaks, falling into the safe place of his brother’s arms. 

Sabo holds him, slowly rocking him as he breaks apart.

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Sabo’s heart breaks a little bit more as Ace shudders in his arms, completely broken listening to the screams of their little brother. The fact that Ace is even letting him cradle him like this is testament enough to how stricken Ace is, and the trembles only confirm it. He listens to the screams, flinching as if every scream was an arrow right to his heart. He listens to the words that are spilling from his brother’s lips, cursing all those people who ruined Ace’s image of his worth as a kid (a five-year-old kid! Who tells a five-year-old that they shouldn’t have been born?!)

Sabo listens, and when the murmuring shifts from all my fault to never should have been born, everything would be better if I wasn’t here, Sabo has to stop him right there.

“Hey, look at me.” Sabo slowly shifts so Ace can face him and tilts his chin up at him. Seeing the bloodshot eyes and the self-loathing that covers his face, Sabo wants to punch something. 

Instead, he slowly wipes the tears that are still trailing down his cheeks away, flinching when yet another scream comes out of their baby brother.

Ace shudders again, fresh tears bursting out of his eyes, and god, Sabo has never seen his brother this broken. Not when Luffy got eaten and they almost couldn’t find him that one time, not when Sabo almost got slashed by the Bear Lord and Luffy tackling him out of the way was the only reason why he lived, (not even when Sabo left them), and Sabo almost doesn’t know how to deal with this.

But…

Sabo knows his brother. Ace occasionally had moments like this as a child, especially after they lost Luffy one time when Ace wasn’t paying enough attention (Sabo shudders at the memory of not being able to find Luffy for days), so he (hopefully) knows how to get through to him.

“Hey, this is in no way your fault. No, listen to me,” Sabo interjects when it looks like Ace is about to interrupt. “You told me yesterday that you both promised to live a life without regrets.” Sabo watches Ace’s face carefully as he continues, “Do you regret chasing after Teach and trying to avenge your fallen brother? Would you have regretted it more if you hadn’t chased after him? Did you give it your absolute all in that fight against him?” Though shudders are still wracking through Ace’s body, he slowly shakes his head no.

“Then how is any of this your fault? Yes, you were captured. Yes, Luffy broke in to try to save you. Yes, he got poisoned in doing so. Yes, this is tragic and Luffy could still d…die,” Sabo barely manages to choke out and Ace trembles and tries to shove his head into his knees again. Sabo catches him and forces Ace to look him in the eyes.

“Yes, all of those things happened. However, absolutely none of that was your fault. You control your own actions. We control ours. If anything, this particular situation is my fault for not having plans in place for us to escape sooner,” Sabo says with self-loathing winding through his tone.

Even as Ace shakes his head frantically in denial, Sabo continues, “But, it’s still not all my fault, and it’s not yours, either. We decided to come to save you because you are our brother! You’re the boy who eased Luffy’s loneliness, who helped me survive in the woods as a lost ex-noble boy. You’re the man who will do absolutely anything to protect the ones you care about and who your crew adores. We all love you so much, Ace, we all think you deserve to live!” Ace’s breath catches a bit at that, and it breaks Sabo’s heart a little bit more knowing that he still doesn’t believe that he deserves to live.

That won’t stop Sabo from trying to convince him.

“So get it out of your head that all of this is on you, and let’s instead focus that energy on helping our little brother, eh?” Ace looks down, rubbing his eyes jerkily to rid himself of the tears before nodding slightly, and Sabo counts that as a victory.

Sabo stands, yanking Ace up with him to give him a proper hug. “Plus, though Luffy could still…die…” Sabo says, barely able to make himself consider the possibility. He then gets the ghost of a smirk on his face, even as another scream echoes, causing both Ace and Sabo to flinch. 

He continues, “This is all based on willpower. And we both know that Luffy is a little shit that will never give up, and he sure as hell isn’t about to start now! He isn’t the Pirate King yet, after all.”

A real smile spreads on Ace’s face – a small one, but still a real one – and he says, wiping tears from his eyes, “Well, we’d better cheer him on, shouldn’t we?” Their brother has always been stronger with other people supporting him, after all. Even with only 2-3% chance of living, Sabo knows their little brother won’t give up without a fight.

Sabo gives him a slight grin, glad to have his brother back with him, and says, “That’s exactly what I was thinking.” They then turn towards the door, ready to yell for however long it takes to help encourage their little brother to come back to them.

To live. 

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Dragon looks at the ringing transponder snail, frowning. Glancing at the time, he sets the papers he was looking at aside. 

It’s too early for any call to be coming in. The plans with the team in Impel Down have been set, and nothing is supposed to begin until the next day. Slight nervousness creeping up his spine, he picks up the snail and settles in his chair – he has a feeling that this will be important. All set, he picks up the transponder.

He picks up the transponder and is immediately bombarded with the voice of one of his oldest friends. “What took you so long, Dragon?! I’ve been calling for at least a minute!” Dragon’s eyes narrow as he sits up in his chair. Ivankov sounds harried and worried, which isn’t something they sound like very often (genuinely, at least).

“What’s wrong?” Dragon then notices the faint sounds of yelling in the background, which are different from the normal sounds of partying that are normally there when Ivankov calls.

Ivankov responds, “Straw Hat Luffy, Ace and Sabo’s brother, broke into Impel Down to try to save them!” Dragon freezes as Ivankov continues, “Ace and Sabo had Marina break them out early, and now they’re cheering him on as he goes through my healing hormone treatment. It could take another two days, but his brothers seem certain it won’t.”

Ivankov’s skepticism is plain, but they continue, “The guards will notice Ace and Sabo being gone soon, and this place won’t be able to stay hidden forever! We need to be able to escape as soon as he wakes!”

Dragon says, “Compose yourself, Iva.” Luffy’s going through the hormone treatment? He thinks, mildly horrified. He hadn’t even considered that his son might infiltrate Impel Down (though, given he’s punched a Tenryubito and attacked Enies Lobby, he really shouldn’t be surprised). 

He shakes his head, forcefully dispelling those thoughts. His son is strong, he will be fine. 

(He hopes.)

He then frowns, focusing as he tries to come up with how they’ll get them out. The Whitebeard Pirates should be in Paradise by now, so hopefully they will be able to get to Impel Down before the guards notice anything is amiss with Ace and Sabo. He says as much to Ivankov.

“I’ll tell them to stay on standby until you reach out to me, saying that you’re ready. They said they have a permanent coating, so I’ll tell them to use that.” He’ll have to call them right after this is over to make sure they’re on board with it. “Go support the brothers and make sure they’re ready to fight later. I’ll call you later to confirm the plan.” Ivankov gives an affirmative response, and Dragon hangs up the snail.

He then picks the snail up again, dialing a different number. He waits for the ‘gacha’ sound, says the code, then says,

“Commander, can you take me to Captain Whitebeard? Something happened in Impel Down.”

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Bon Clay opens his eyes slowly, scrunching them shut again against the light that insists on stabbing him in the eyes. A few seconds later, he tries opening them again, blinking a few times to let his eyes adjust. He is in an unfamiliar room, with no windows to be seen and only a faint light source illuminating the room. 

Where am I? Where’s Straw-chan? His last memory before passing out was Luffy’s last stand against the wolves in Level 5, and that is most definitely not where he is now.

Confused, he opens the door and emerges into a large cavern. There is a stage to the side, a bunch of chairs and tables in front of it as if ready for a show. Yet, there is nobody there. Bon Clay, now even more confused, walks further in and stops shortly as he hears faint cheering coming from the side. Turning in that direction, he spots a crowd of people, all shouting in the same direction. He turns and walks in that direction, stopping in his tracks when he hears a bloodcurdling scream ring out above the cheering.

Shit, what the hell was that?! He thinks, horrified as he breaks into a sprint towards where the screams are coming from, coming up to the crowd of people. They’re standing in front of a door with chains crossed in front of it, and a sense of foreboding fills Bon Clay as he looks at the door. He scans the room for someone who can give him answers, and sees someone standing off to the side, sipping out of a wine glass. Relieved, he runs up to them.

“Excuse me? What’s going on?!” The person turns to face him, and they look faintly familiar to Bon Clay. He frowns in thought, before a face flashes in his mind. He perks up, saying, “Oh! Were you the one who came up to us earlier today?”

The person nods. “I am Inazuma. You are in Level 5.5, the Newkama Paradise.” Paradise? How is there a paradise in Impel Down? Wait, Newkama Paradise? As in, the place he’s dreamed of finding for years? Could this be it?

Bon Clay shakes his head. That’s not important right now, Bon Clay reminds himself. Where’s Straw-chan?

“Where’s the boy I came in here with? Straw-chan?” He was dying when Bon Clay passed out, and the thought that his friend could already be dead terrifies him to his core. And he hasn’t even saved his brothers yet…

Inazuma nods towards the door, saying, “He’s in there.” Bon Clay freezes, mind short-circuiting as he processes that information. He’s in the room where the heart-wrenching screams are coming from? The room that everyone is cheering towards? Rather belatedly, Bon Clay focuses his attention on what the voices are cheering, and makes out various variations of, “You can do it, Straw Hat!” or, “Come on, Luffy!”

The two loudest voices are coming from two men at the front, who are leaning heavily on each other as they yell. They look like they’ve been through a lot, Bon Clay notes, scanning their bodies and noting various injuries across their arms and backs, which are all he can see (for one of them, at least).

“Wondering about those two?” Bon Clay starts as Inazuma brings him out of his observations. Inazuma nods towards the two Bon Clay was looking at, and he nods. They look much more desperate than everyone else around them, and he’s wondering what stake they have in Luffy’s survival. Inazuma continues, “Those are Straw Hat’s brothers.”

Bon Clay jerks his head to stare into the backs of their heads, and belatedly realizes what tattoo the dark-haired one has. That’s Fire Fist Ace! Bon Clay marvels. That’s Straw-chan’s brother! He then shifts his attention towards the figure Fire Fist is leaning on. That must be Straw-chan’s other brother, then, he concludes. They’re leaning on each other as they yell for their brother to come back to them, and oh, right. Bon Clay still doesn’t know what’s happening with Luffy.

Seeming to notice where Bon Clay’s thoughts have gone, Inazuma says, “This is Straw-Hat’s treatment.” Treatment? It sounds like he’s being tortured! Just as he’s thinking that, yet another scream rings out, and Bon Clay flinches. This is what his friend has been going through since Bon Clay passed out?! 

Inazuma continues, “Iva-san had to inject him with hormones to detox him from all the poisons he was hit with, and it’s incredibly painful. The odds are against him, but his brothers have been cheering him on for five hours now. The treatment will probably take another two days, if he survives that long.”

Two days?! We don’t have that sort of time! 

Bon Clay gasps, saying, “I’m going to go join them!” He runs over to where Fire Fist and the other brother are, yelling, “You can do it, Straw-chan!” He glances over towards where his brothers are, to see them staring at him in shock, before giving each other a grin and turning back to the door to continue cheering. 

The whole room, hour after hour, yells, and yells, and yells, and keeps yelling. Bon Clay yells along with them, ignoring the weariness weighing his eyelids down and the pain radiating from everywhere. There are things that are more important than that, right now. 

Bon Clay knows all of them are of the same mind as the entire room roars for the man who inspires them all. 

They’re going to do their damn best to make sure Luffy survives this.

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Ace leans heavily against Sabo. His body is heavy, he has a throbbing headache, his voice is hoarse from pain and exhaustion, but he can’t let himself stop. 

Luffy has been suffering for twenty hours. The least he can do is support him through this pain. 

Especially since it’s mostly my fault he’s here in the first place, Ace thinks self-deprecatingly. Sabo had gotten through to him earlier for the most part, but Luffy is still going through all this pain because he was trying to save Ace. It’s really hard not to blame himself for that, and he flinches as yet another scream rings out. Ace lets out another yell in return, Sabo echoing him, and everyone else following them.

The support from everyone else is overwhelming to Ace. He had expected it to be only himself and Sabo cheering Luffy on, but everyone in this “Paradise” is here, cheering Luffy on. It awes Ace that they all care about Luffy this much – enough to yell for fifteen hours straight to help him survive this. 

Then again, Luffy has always been incredibly charismatic, and Ace overheard at some point that they were watching Luffy on the screens, cheering him on as he attacked the prison.

It’d be hard not to cheer for Luffy after that, Ace thinks, letting out another hoarse yell of support.

Ace glances to his side as an emotional yell rings out. Another person had joined them a while ago, and Sabo had muttered that they look way more injured than everyone else. He had theorized that they came in with Luffy, which had Ace looking at him contemplatively. The emotion on their face was real, and deeper than just admiration. Ace had shrugged internally and told himself that he’d talk to him after this nightmare is over and Luffy is safe. 

Because he will be safe. He can’t afford to think any differently. 

Suddenly, a hush emerges from the room containing Luffy. Quiet descends over the crowd outside, all eyes focused on the now-silent room. 

A gushing sound.

Blood spills from underneath the door. 

Ace stares at the blood blankly before turning slowly towards Sabo, who is looking as pale as Ace feels. Foreboding fills Ace as the silence continues, murmurs filling the room in its absence. 

Luffy’s friend says faintly, “His voice…”

Ivankov says, haltingly, “This treatment is excruciatingly painful from beginning to end. If his screams have stopped…” Ace swallows around the knot on his throat, shaking his head in denial as a sob starts welling out of Sabo’s throat.

“Please,” Ace chokes out. “Please be alive, Luffy.” Sabo grasps onto his hand desperately, shaking his head frantically as he stares at the door in horror.

Bon Clay says, “Straw-chan…” collapsing onto his knees as he starts sobbing.

Ace staggers forward, reaching for the door. “Luffy…Luffy…” Ace cries out, Sabo silent at his side, tears trailing down his cheeks as he stares numbly at the door. Hope fleeing Ace’s body, he’s about to collapse in despair when a massive thunk reverberates throughout the cavern.

Shocked stares turn towards the door as another thunk sounds. Relief floods Ace, and he glances over to see that same relief shining on Sabo’s face. Cheers start bubbling out of the crowd behind them as Sabo reaches to open the door. Just as he is about to reach the lock, a loud roar sounds out.

“FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!”

Ace and Sabo share a shocked look, before a wide grin spreads on Sabo’s face, which Ace mirrors before turning towards everyone else.

“What’re you guys waiting for?! Get him some food! All the food you have!” Ace calls out to them with a massive grin, and then turns to Sabo, “Hey, you wanna bet he cleans this place out?”

Sabo smiles, turning towards the door. “Is that even a question?” He then laughs joyfully, dragging Ace into a hug. “He’s alive, Ace,” Sabo breathes into his neck. “He’s alive!”

Ace nods, overwhelming relief almost causing him to fall over. He clutches at his brother, tears trailing down his cheeks, this time of happiness. He ignores the wet spot forming on his opposite shoulder, and repeats, “He’s alive!” He closes his eyes, so, so thankful that his little brother made it through.

After a few moments, Ace releases Sabo, clapping him on the shoulder as he smiles, wiping at his face quickly. They turn to see the chaos that is trying to feed their brother, and grin at each other before jumping into the fray.

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“Bring more food! Keep bringing it in, even if it’s raw! Just bring whatever we have!”

Ace and Sabo sit off to the side as a procession of food continues making its way through the door, Luffy consuming everything they put in front of him. “His appetite’s the same as ever, huh?” Sabo chuckles as he watches the food disappear into the bottomless pit that is his little brother. He waits for a response for a second before a weight falls on his shoulder, and he turns his head slightly to see that Ace has fallen asleep on him. 

He chuckles fondly, brushing Ace’s hair back, and mutters, “I’m a little bit surprised you managed to stay awake this long.” Sabo rubs his sore eyes with one hand. He can’t wait until he will actually be able to sleep again.

They’ve been up for over twenty hours, between waiting for Marina to come, to escaping, to cheering on their little brother for over fifteen hours. That cell wasn’t designed for long-term sleep, anyway, Sabo thinks as he glances at his brother, eyes catching on the dark circles under his eyes. Sabo frowns. He’d be surprised if Ace had managed to get a good night’s sleep in that cell, especially with the way he was chained up.

Normally, Ace would be alert and ready to defend at a moment’s notice, especially since their younger brother is here and vulnerable. However, Sabo being here seems to bring some peace to Ace, and he’s glad for it.

Younger brother. He still can’t believe it. For ten years, he had been completely unaware of what he had been missing. To think, if Marina hadn’t overheard Ace mentioning him, he could have never realized what he was missing. The thought that his brother could have been executed without him being aware of it causes him to shudder slightly, squeezing his eyes shut as if that could block out the possibility.

I could have helplessly lost both my brothers, and not even been aware of it! Tears start slowly making their way down his face against his will, guilt overwhelming him. He scrubs at his face furiously with one hand. How could I forget them?! How can I call myself their brother if I forgot about them?! I-

A hand raises up and cups Sabo’s cheek, brushing Sabo’s rough hand off and gently wiping the tears away. Sabo opens his eyes and turns to see the concerned face of his brother. “I thought you were asleep,” Sabo says, turning his face away while hurriedly wiping the tears off his face.

“What’s wrong?” Ace ignores his weak redirection, a reassuring arm coming around to wrap around Sabo’s shoulder. Ace’s newfound maturity and calmness still boggles Sabo’s mind sometimes. He missed so much growth, both from Luffy and Ace. He should have been there! 

He shakes his head slightly, trying desperately to rid himself of those thoughts as Ace looks at him worriedly.

“I’m fine.” There is no need to worry him, he already has enough to worry about with Luffy-

“Evidently you’re not if you’re crying. Come on, Sabo, talk to me.” Sabo remains stubbornly silent, and Ace lets out a small sigh. “Luffy’s being taken care of; we can’t see him until he’s gotten his fill, you know this. Now tell me what’s wrong before I punch it out of you.” A self-deprecating chuckle escapes Sabo, and before he can stop it, a few more tears escape.

“I’m just stressed about Luffy, don’t worry about me,” Sabo brushes off before making as if to stand up and head towards where people are taking food to Luffy. Before he can do that, however, Ace grabs his coat, stopping him in his tracks. 

Fucking coat, why am I even still wearing that anyway? Sabo thinks furiously, trying to shake off his coat and bolt away, but Ace tackles him, sending them both tumbling to the ground.

“Fuck, Ace, that hurts!” Sabo yells as they continue rolling across the ground. They finally end up in a position of Ace on top of Sabo, pinning him to the ground, glaring at him.

“You’re not going anywhere, bastard,” Ace grumbles while manhandling Sabo so that they’re both sitting next to each other, Ace’s arm tightly wrapped around Sabo’s shoulders to keep him from leaving. When did Ace get so strong anyway? 

Oh, right, sometime during the time he forgot about them. 

Ace’s face loses some of its anger, becoming more concerned as guilt rises within Sabo. Great, I’m making him worried about me.

“Fine! Fine, I’m just feeling guilty because I fucking left you two! I forgot you! How can I forgive myself for that?! And it fucking terrifies me because-” Sabo’s voice chokes off here, and Ace’s face loses all of his anger, his face a blank mask that both he and Luffy do so well. “-because I could have lost you both without me even knowing! How can I call myself your brother-” 

Sabo cuts off sharply as Ace suddenly stands up, yanking up Sabo with him. Sabo closes his eyes, awaiting the promised punch, when suddenly Sabo is yanked into a rough hug. His eyes shoot open, and he chokes out, “Ace-”

“Stop being so guilty by yourself, bastard,” Ace grumbles through the hug. Sabo closes his eyes and struggles to find a response when Ace continues, “If I’m not allowed to feel guilty about you guys being here, you’re not allowed to feel guilty about things you definitely couldn’t control.”

“But I-” left you guys, I left you alone, how can I-

Ace leans back slightly and gives him a piercing stare. “You left to chase your freedom. You left to chase your dream. You left to protect us. Yes, I was a little pissed-” Sabo shoots him a look and Ace chuckles self-deprecatingly, “-okay, maybe a lot pissed, but I would have been even more pissed if you had allowed yourself to not chase your dreams; to stay trapped in a place where you could never be free. Yes, you forgot us, but it’s not your fault the Celestial Dragon was a fucking asshole who decided shooting a kid in a boat would be a great idea!” 

Sabo lets out a small snicker, surprising himself, and feels the tenseness that’s been tightening his shoulders loosen a little bit. His brother doesn’t blame him for leaving. His brother forgives him.

His brother turns suddenly, showing him his left arm. “Do you see this, Sabo?” Sabo chokes as he notices the tattoo printed on Ace’s left arm, the crossed-out S immediately attracting his eyes. Tears prick at the corners of his eyes yet again as Ace continues, “I never once regretted becoming your brother, Sabo, and I’ll never blame you for chasing freedom. We both love you so much, and I’m just beyond relieved that you’re alive. And you know that if I can forgive you without any punching involved, Luffy will take no time before forgiving you and hugging the life out of you.”

Sabo ducks his head to wipe at his eyes and nods, grinning shyly at Ace. Ace shakes him a little bit, grinning at him, and says, “Let’s just focus on the fact that we’re all alive and soon to be together again, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Sabo grins, hugging his brother back at long last. They pull apart after a few moments, and Ace yanks him into a headlock, giving him a rough noogie. “Hey! Stop!” Sabo laughs, shoving Ace in the side.

“I think we’ve had enough heart-to-hearts to last a lifetime in the past two days,” Ace mutters as he shoves Sabo away, wiping the few tears he let out away. “I’m so sick of crying.”

Sabo snickers before nodding in agreement. He’s about to respond when the sounds of Luffy eating come to a sudden halt. Ace and Sabo share a glance before sprinting over to the doorway where everyone else is, to see their little brother, with his middle comically distended, start walking to the door. He somehow slims himself down again, which, sorry, what?!, and then makes his way through the door.

Luffy shouts to the world, “ALL BETTER!”

He then falls to the ground as Ace tackles him back through the door, hugging the life out of him.

Chapter Text

Wow, that meat was good!  

Luffy smiles contentedly, rubbing his distended stomach before concentrating and converting everything he just ate into energy and muscle. “Shishishishi! I’m ALL BETTER!” He makes to leave the room when he is suddenly tackled backwards. 

“Whoa! Wha-” Luffy starts to exclaim before he hears the voice coming from whoever is holding him.

“You stupid idiot, reckless younger brother, dumbass! I could have lost you, you could have died, why-” Luffy’s eyes widen and he beams at the familiar voice of his older brother.

“ACE!” He wraps his arms around Ace - his brother’s here! His big brother’s here! - and says, “What are you doing here?! I was coming to rescue you! I mean I’m happy you’re here but what-” Ace shushes him while grinning down at him, tears running down his cheeks. 

Ace pulls away for a second, readjusting slightly before pulling Luffy into an even tighter hug. Luffy feels tears landing on his head, and confusion fills him. Why is Ace here? And why is he crying when he has never seen Ace cry before? He hugs Ace a little bit tighter and listens to the rambling Ace is letting out once again.

“You absolute dumbass, why would you come here? You could have died!” Ace’s voice chokes at the last word. Luffy frowns, not understanding the question. How could he not come here? Ace is here!

“What do you mean, why would I come here? Ace is here! I had to come here!” Luffy’s head cocks in confusion as he looks at his older brother. Is he dumb? “You were going to be executed! Like hell was I going to let that happen! But how are you here? I thought you were on Level 5!”

“That’s not important right now! Luffy, what on earth possessed you to enter the most secure prison in the world, where there are people who would kill you without a second thought, just for me?!” Ace shudders and clutches Luffy even tighter. “I could have lost you, I almost did lose you!” His voice trails off as Luffy stares at him in shock. 

Luffy feels blood soaking into his shirt; feels how bruised and beat up his brother is; feels how Ace is shaking slightly in exhaustion as he grips Luffy’s shoulders. Anger fills him even as Ace clutches him closer, shoulders trembling in Luffy’s hold.

“I’M YOUR LITTLE BROTHER!” Ace pulls back a little bit in shock as Luffy yells at him. “Of course I was going to come to you! What the hell do you mean ‘just for me?’ Ace is Ace! You’re my big brother! I don’t care about what happened to me, you could’ve died! Like hell I’m going to let you get executed if I can help it! I’d rather die!” 

Luffy breathes heavily as he finishes his lecture, the shock in Ace’s face hurting him even as his anger leaves him. “I can’t- no, I won’t live without you!” Luffy pulls Ace closer, and feels tears soak into his skin.

“You dumbass little brother…” Ace murmurs as he clutches Luffy tighter. Luffy smiles, and then hears a chuckle from behind Ace. He looks up, and tilts his head to the side as he considers the figure standing behind Ace. A newspaper flashes in his mind, and Luffy finally makes the connection. 

His eyes widen as he scans the person, his outfit matching perfectly to what Luffy remembers. His hair color is exactly the same, though much longer than when they were kids. Luffy then looks up, eyes catching on the scar that was left behind before looking into the eyes of the one person he never thought he’d see again. 

Luffy starts trembling, and tears start welling up in his eyes as he cries out the name of the brother he thought he had lost so long ago.

“Sabo?!”

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Sabo stands off to the side as his two brothers have their reunion, smiling softly as Luffy reassures Ace of all that Sabo has been trying to convince him of since they reunited. Was it really only two days ago that we reunited? Sabo muses. So much has changed for Sabo in the past week. 

A week ago, he was in Baltigo, preparing for a mission, unaware and uncaring about his past. If someone had told Sabo then that he had two brothers who he would do anything for, he would have laughed in their face before punching them, thinking they were mocking him.

Yet here I am, Sabo chuckles as he watches Ace pull Luffy closer as he finally gets through to him, tears dripping down from Ace onto Luffy.

He wouldn’t change this for the world.

Sabo watches as Luffy perks up at the sound he made, heart climbing into his throat. What if he doesn’t forgive me? Luffy’s eyes catch on his face, head tilting in confusion, and even as nervousness fills him it warms Sabo’s heart to know that his brother still has the same mannerisms that he had ten years ago. 

Luffy starts scanning Sabo’s body desperately, looking at his outfit before looking at his face, glancing briefly at his scar before his eyes meet Sabo’s. Sabo can see when the realization sets in, and watches with trepidation as tears fill his little brother’s eyes. 

Luffy chokes out, “Sabo?!”

“Hey, little brother. It’s been a while,” Sabo says tentatively while watching Luffy’s every move. “I’m sorry…” for forgetting you, for leaving you, for everything… “I’m sorry for not being here for you.” Sabo closes his eyes as Luffy’s eyes flit across his face, cataloguing everything that has changed about him. Of course, Luffy won’t forgive him that easily. 

‘I’m sorry for not being here for you’? Really, Sabo? You owe him so much more- 

As Sabo’s guilt starts overwhelming him, he starts to open his mouth, saying, “Sorry, I meant-”

“SABO!” Luffy launches himself out of Ace’s arms and into Sabo’s, knocking the two of them over. Sabo’s eyes jerk open to see his little brother clinging onto him, crying his eyes out. Sabo looks up to find Ace looking fondly at them. His eyes meet Ace’s, and all that’s in them is pure happiness. 

Ace mouths, ‘told you’ at Sabo, and Sabo trembles minutely before finally bringing his shaking arms around Luffy, closing his eyes as a few tears escape and trail down his face. He brings Luffy closer as he finally absolves himself of most of the guilt he had been carrying.

“Thank you, Luffy.” Luffy brings his face away from Sabo’s chest, looking him in the eyes as sobs continue to rip themselves from his chest. Sabo brings a shaking hand to Luffy’s face, brushing his hair aside gently as he says, voice thick, “Thank you for being alive!” 

Thoughts of what could have happened to both his brothers within the past twenty-four hours haunt Sabo’s brain. Images of Ace, chained, being led to an execution platform flash before his eyes; of Luffy, eyes vacant, killed by the poison that he just barely escaped death from.

He forcefully expels those images from his mind as he looks at Luffy, safe in his arms. He looks up to Ace, safe and healthy, who is still smiling softly at them, and mouths, ‘you too’ to him. Sabo holds out an arm, and Ace comes over to bring the both of them into a tight hug. 

His brothers are alive.

Sabo closes his eyes, this time in contentment, as he allows himself to soak in the presence of his two most important people.

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A few moments later, footsteps sound near the brothers. Ace glances up to see Ivankov heading towards them. He catches a glimpse of the crowd gathered outside the room they’re in - Ivankov must have kept them from interrupting their reunion. Ace makes a mental note to thank them later. Ivankov is holding two plates of food, obviously meant for the two older brothers, and holds them out. 

Ace accepts them with a nod of thanks, holding one out teasingly in front of Sabo’s face. Sabo’s eyes, which were still closed up until now, snap open as he jerks a hand away from around Luffy to snatch a piece of meat off of the plate and devour it in two seconds flat. Ace snickers at the familiar action, watching as Sabo continues to devour what’s on the plate.

He muses that it really shows how much Luffy missed Sabo and how glad he is to have him back that he still hadn’t noticed the food right in front of his nose. Though, Ace considers, he just ate for a half-hour straight, maybe he’s finally full.

Of course, he eats his words shortly as Luffy’s nose perks up, and he straight-up inhales what’s left on Ace’s plate as Ace reaches to eat more. Ace stares dumbly at his plate before sending a dull glare at Luffy, who is…snoring? 

That’s new, Ace thinks in surprise as he watches his brother devour everything left on Sabo (who has fallen back asleep somehow)’s plate, still sleeping soundly. I guess him being full was too much to ask for, even asleep, Ace grumbles internally as his stomach growls.

“Would you like more food, Ace-boy?” Ace jerks to face Ivankov, having forgotten he was there somehow. He must be more worn out than he thought. He nods gratefully at the miracle-worker, and as Ivankov makes to leave, a thought occurs to him.

“Could you get some more for Sabo, too, for when he wakes back up? And, while you’re at it, can you bring Luffy’s hat? I’m sure he’ll be asking for it back sooner rather than later,” Ace smiles at Ivankov as he ruffles Luffy’s hair. “He never wants to go too long without it,” Ace continues fondly.

Ivankov smiles down at the brothers, and says, “Of course,” before leaving them alone again.

Ace, overcome once again by how thankful he is to have his brothers back with him, safe and relatively healthy, rejoins the hug. Sabo opens his eyes tiredly and smiles at Ace in welcome, and Luffy’s giggle as he wraps his arms doubly around him, waking up just enough to bring Ace back in, shows how loved he is. 

I’m the luckiest man in the world, Ace thinks, swallowing around the knot in his neck as he wraps his arms around his two most important people.

I’m so lucky to have this.

With that thought running through his head, Ace allows his eyes to close, joining his brothers in finally falling asleep after over twenty hours of wakefulness.

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Ivankov walks towards the room the brothers are in, carrying the requested plates of food and hat. They enter to see the three brothers wrapped up in each other, content smiles on their faces, and smiles fondly at the aura of contentment and love that emanates from them. They set the food down gently next to them, knowing that eventually they’ll wake up and want it.

Inazuma comes up to stand next to them, and Ivankov asks, “Can you grab a blanket? I know Ace-boy should be able to keep them warm, but a blanket still goes a long way in terms of comfort.” Inazuma nods, heading back the way he came. Ivankov looks back at the brothers, and softens at the look of contentment that is on Sabo’s face.

Sabo had been stressed and worried since showing up at Level 5.5, and it is reassuring to Ivankov to see him be this calm and happy. I don’t think I’ve seen him this way except a few times with Koala-chan, Ivankov muses fondly as Inazuma arrives back with the blanket and Ivankov wraps it around the three. 

It’s a testament to how exhausted they all are that they don’t even stir as Ivankov places the blanket around them. They simply snuggle closer, and the sweetness is nearly enough to make Ivankov tear up. They quickly turn around, leaving the room before that indignity can happen.

Shutting the door gently, Ivankov turns to address the crowd that is still gathered outside. Bon Clay is still standing there, though he looks dead on his feet. Frowning, Ivankov makes a mental note to get him back into bed as soon as possible – he needs rest almost as much as the three in the back room do. 

Ivankov shakes their head, leaving that for later as they say, “They’re all okay and healthy!” Well, relatively healthy, Ivankov admits to themself as cheers sound around the room. Bon Clay collapses soon after they announce it, and Ivankov signals for Inazuma to take Bon Clay to another quiet room to rest.

Smiling, Ivankov strides from the room, their comrades following them. This day started off pretty crappy, but things ended up alright, Ivankov reflects. They arrive in the dining hall, take a seat, and let the celebration sweep them away.

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“FOOD!”

Sabo groans as a voice rings in his ear, before gasping in pain as a foot shoves itself into his diaphragm. Cracking an eye open, he tilts his head up until he sees his younger brother dashing out the door to where he must have smelled food. He’s even left his hat behind, Sabo notes before trying to sit up. 

Sudden soreness hits his body, and he lets his body fall back onto the floor, closing his eyes and groaning yet again. A chuckle meets his ears, and he cracks his eyes open again to send a dull glare at his twin.

Ace is smirking at him, having obviously noticed Luffy stirring and gotten out of the way in time. Sabo gives him the finger and forces himself to sit up, a crick in his neck making itself violently known as he stretches it. He winces, bringing a hand up to rub it before calloused hands move his hands out of the way and start rubbing it. 

Pleasure slugs Sabo, and he groans, leaning into the hands. He says drowsily, “When the hell did you learn how to do that?”

Ace chuckles, continuing his ministrations as he replies, “A few times, a crewmate has needed help with tense muscles or back pain or something and I couldn’t help them, so I got Marco to teach me. Apparently, warm hands make for a great massage,” he snickers, moving his hands so that they’re massaging Sabo’s shoulders.

A pleased groan escapes Sabo against his will, and Ace laughs again at the raw reactions he’s getting from Sabo. Sabo can’t bring himself to care, though, the massage soothing muscles he didn’t even realize were tight. He closes his eyes, leaning back into his brother as he continues massaging him.

God, he missed this. Even when first recuperating after losing his memories, he has clear recollections of missing touch; of missing casual intimacy. He hadn’t known why, and hadn’t cared to find out after the lingering hate of Goa that stayed with him, but at times he still had wondered why it was that he felt so touch starved. Upon regaining his memories, he suddenly remembered his childhood, and knew why he felt that way all that time ago.

He recalled days spent in their treehouse, pouring down rain surrounding them, legs tangled together as whispers and giggles filled the room, smiles on each of their faces. Recalled the days of sparring, never going too long without getting touched (even if that touch was a punch), and then, when all of that was over, getting tacked by Luffy and crashing into a laughing heap. Recalled Ace grumbling, but soon giving in and laughing right along with them.

Recalled nights, heads together and staring at the ceiling, telling stories of dreams too big for their bodies and spirits larger than life. Recalled the times filled with play fighting and laughter; of hunting and running through the woods; of hugs and love, so, so much love. It was the first time Sabo had felt truly surrounded by love, and that feeling of belonging, of unconditional love, never left him.

(Even if it had felt like it.)

Ace, having finished with his massage, noogies Sabo and stands up, saying, “We’d better get to the food before Luffy cleans them out.”

Sabo snorts as he stands as well, saying, “Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s all gone by now.”

They share a grin before bolting out of the room, Ace grabbing the hat on his way out. They spy a buffet at the end of the hallway and Ace and Sabo share a look - they will be lucky if the buffet isn’t completely cleared out when they arrive. To their surprise, though, they emerge from the hallway to see their little brother not stuffing his face. 

Instead, he is embracing the friend Ace and Sabo had noticed yesterday (or earlier today, the times have melded together for Sabo). They are both crying and Sabo smiles slightly at the relief on both their faces.

Luffy spies them and grins brightly. “Bon-chan! These are my brothers!”

‘Bon-chan’ starts spinning on his toes, to Sabo’s amusement, and says, “Hello, Straw-chan’s brothers! I am honored to finally meet you!” He continues spinning, and Ace starts snickering next to Sabo. Sabo elbows him and gets a dirty glare in response. Sabo sticks his tongue out at him before stepping forward and bows slightly, sweeping his hat off his head and bringing it to his stomach.

“Hello, Bon-san. Thank you for saving our brother. We much appreciate it.”

Ace steps forward, smiling and smashing Luffy’s hat onto his head before instantly knocking it off so that it’s hanging off Luffy’s neck, capturing him in a headlock and giving him a noogie, much to his protests. “Yeah, thanks for helping our idiot out. He’s helpless without us, so I’m glad he had you to help him.”

Luffy finally escapes from Ace’s grip, turning to face Ace. “Hey! I’m strong now!”

Ace smirks, putting a hand on his hip. “Oh, yeah? So much so that you could beat me?”

“Yeah!”

“Yeah, somehow I doubt that.”

“I could beat you!” Luffy looks so petulant that Sabo has to laugh at how similar to his seven-year-old self he looks.

“Nope.”

“Yeah!”

“Nope.” Ace sticks his tongue out at Luffy. This is the final straw for their younger brother and he launches himself at Ace, both of them hitting the ground hard. Sabo sighs as they roll around, ignoring the fondness that is rising in him as he turns to face Bon Clay.

“Sorry about them, apparently they have some energy to use up.” Though how Luffy still has energy left after that treatment he went through is beyond Sabo.

Luffy and Ace continue rolling around until Luffy finally seems to realize how hungry he is, at which point he perks up like a lost puppy and follows the smell to a table with a buffet of food on it.  He starts eating, stretching his limbs and stuffing his face with all that he can possibly get his hands on. A crowd starts to surround him, murmuring about how much he is eating and starting to make bets on how much he’ll eat based on earlier.

Sabo slides into the seat next to Luffy, grabbing all the food he can reach and stuffing it into his mouth. Ace plops down next to him, already stuffing his face with all the meat he can. Sabo, easily slipping into old habits, grabs at a piece of meat next to Ace, who retaliates by snatching a drumstick from right in front of Sabo. Luffy steals any food he can indiscriminately from the two of them. 

Sabo absently notices Bon Clay sittting down a safe distance from the three, starting to eat himself while staring at them in awe.

Soon enough, it devolves into a full-fledged food fight, and Sabo grins as he steals as much as he can from his brothers, with them giving as much as they get. Memories of them fighting like this at Dadan’s flash across his eyes, and he laughs as Ace and Luffy get into a tussle over a particularly big piece of meat. The chaos is drawing the attention of everyone around them, and Sabo sees some money switch hands out of the corner of his eyes.

Leaning back and patting his stomach, he snickers at the grumbles of those who thought he would win. Ace and Luffy are still going at it, and Luffy is comically bloated, bandages somehow stretching with him. Sabo frowns at the memories of Luffy’s harsh recovery, but shakes his head to get rid of them. 

Luffy’s alive; he’s (somewhat) healthy. It doesn’t matter anymore.

Ace sits back, apparently full, and rubs his stomach with a contented smile. Luffy keeps eating, and Sabo just shakes his head at his brother’s limitless appetite. Looking around, Sabo spies Ivankov as they exit from what Sabo assumes is the communications room. Sabo slips out of his seat and rushes over to them. He whispers, “Were you just talking to Dragon-san?” Ivankov nods shortly and climbs onto the stage.

A hush falls over the room, and even Luffy looks up from where he’s stuffing his face. Ivankov annouces, “Our escape route is secured!” A cheer rises up, and Ace and Sabo share a grin across the room as Luffy laughs in glee. Ivankov continues, “The Whitebeard Pirates are our allies in this endeavor, so when you see them, know they’re on our side! The start of their attack is our cue to escape!”

A roar meets Ivankov’s words as people start moving around, gathering weapons and changing into clothes more suited for fighting. The clamor surrounds the three brothers as they come together. Sabo claps a hand on Ace’s shoulder, grinning as excitement and relief show on his twin’s face at knowing his crew is coming for him. Sabo knows that even though he told Ace the plan earlier, it’s still something else hearing the confirmation that his crew is willing to attack the prison for him. 

Ace grins back at him, before turning to Luffy.

“Hey, you’d better finish stuffing your face, we need to go!”

Luffy jumps up, grinning, before wobbling on his feet and staggering to the side, where Ace catches him, cursing in surprise at the sudden weight. Apprehension fills Sabo, and he shares an alarmed look with Ace before Ace carefully sets Luffy on the bench again. 

Sabo calls for Ivankov, who rushes over to see what’s wrong, before sighing and saying, “He’s still exhausted from the treatment. I knew he wouldn’t be right as rain after an operation like that, regardless of the two-hour long nap you three had!”

“I can fight!” Luffy tried to stand up, struggling before collapsing back in his seat. Ace shakes his head.

“Luffy, you can barely stand! How are you supposed to fight?” Ace turns to Ivankov in worry. “Is there anything you can give him to help?”

Ivankov hums before responding, “Well, there is something-”

“Do it!”

“Straw Hat-boy, if you take this, it will hurt in the long run!”

“I don’t care, do it!”

“Wait, Luffy!” Luffy turns to Sabo impatiently, and the minute shakes in Luffy’s body worry Sabo even more. “You don’t have to do this! We’re here, we can protect you!”

Luffy shakes his head vehemently in denial. “If there’s a possibility I can fight, I’ll do it! I won’t be a liability!” The intensity in Luffy’s eyes is as strong as ever, and the stubborn set in his body makes it clear he won’t be convinced. 

(He’s seen that stubbornness way too many times, and not one time has he seen that used against him and won. He knows when to quit.)

(Damn Ds and their fucking stubbornness.)

Sabo sighs before nodding reluctantly.

Ace opens his mouth as if to protest, but before he can do that, Ivankov says irritably, “On your own head, be it! I’ll give it to you right before we leave!” He then turns and strides away.

Ace rounds on Sabo, snapping, “Why would you agree? We can protect him!” Sabo sighs, gesturing to Luffy.

“You try to convince him.”

Luffy sits there, arms crossed and glaring at Ace in challenge. Ace meets his glare with one of his own for a moment before closing his eyes, bringing his hand to his forehead as if he had just gotten a headache (which Sabo wouldn’t blame him in the least for). 

“Dammit, Luffy, why do you have to be like this?” Ace groans, and Luffy grins, knowing he’s won. He then turns back to his food and keeps eating as if nothing happened.

Ace and Sabo exchange a long-suffering look before rejoining Luffy at the table. Soon enough, the food has completely disappeared. They stand, and Sabo is walking up to Ivankov to finalize their plans before an earth-shaking boom hits the prison. Sabo curses, grabbing the chair nearest to him to stabilize himself, seeing everyone around him doing the same. Everyone is mildly panicked before Ivankov gains their attention, a wide grin on their face.

“That’s our signal!”

Ace, Sabo, and Luffy share a wide grin before dashing for the door. They’re almost there before Ace stops still, swearing and turning towards Sabo. What the hell could have him this panicked?! Sabo thinks, baffled.

Ace says, panicked, “We need to get Jinbe!”

Oh, right, Jinbe’s still locked up, Sabo remembers belatedly.

Fuck.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Dammit, I used way too much poison against Straw Hat yesterday.

Magellan is suffering. He is on the toilet, having been there all day. My devil fruit can be really inconvenient sometimes, and this is one of those times, he laments. Thankfully, it seems like the flow is finally slowing down and he will finally be able to relax.

After the day he had had yesterday, he definitely deserves a break.

Of course, just as he’s feeling the flow let up and he finally lets himself relax a bit, he hears a guard running towards his office before stopping stiff at the door. Frantic, he doesn’t even wait for Magellan to address him before saying, “Straw Hat Luffy, Fire Fist, and the Revolutionary have all disappeared from their cells!”

Magellan freezes before cursing. “What?! When was the last time they were seen in their cells?” If he loses those prisoners, he can kiss his job (and his pride) away.

There is some shuffling of feet before an answer comes. “The last time any of the guards can remember checking those hallways was yesterday.” Fury hits Magellan like a bus, and he balls his hands into fists and takes in a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

“Why the hell was no one checking those hallways?” Keeping his voice calm is a major challenge, and Magellan suspects some of his ire is plain in his tone as there is a notable squeak in the guard’s voice when he responds.

“The guard rotation schedule didn’t have anyone scheduled for those hallways except the same pair, sir!”

A traitor.

Magellan closes his eyes, taking in a deep breath and letting it out. “Did you ever consider that that pair held a traitor, or a spy, and that’s why they took all the slots?” A sharp intake of breath makes it clear that no, he hadn’t considered that. 

Magellan is about ready to kill someone. 

“Where are the suspects?”

“Uh…” The guard seems to be making a quick call to see, and Magellan supposes that is reasonable. “They have already been dispatched to look for the missing prisoners on levels four through six.” Fucking wonderful. Then they could be anywhere. 

(Magellan is really glad he had been forced to take anger management classes along with the rest of the high-level Impel Down personnel. At this point, that is the only thing preventing him from flooding this entire room with poison.)

“Search for those two and bring them right to me.”

“Understood!” The guard wastes no time in walking as fast as is possible away from Magellan, and he really can’t blame him. He sighs as the last of his diarrhea finally dries up, and stands up. Can this day get any worse? He laments as he exits the room to grab a transponder snail to communicate with the rest of his team.

Before he can get too far, though, a massive boom shakes the prison. Magellan curses and grabs the closest thing to him. What the fuck? Another guard rushes up to Magellan and is visibly shaking. Magellan glares at him to convince him to get to the point, and the guard swallows in what Magellan can only assume is fear before speaking.

“The Whitebeard Pirates are attacking Impel Down!”

“WHAT?!”

----------------------------------------------------------------

Koala stands on the bow of the Whitebeards’ ship, watching grimly as the famous prison grows larger and larger as they approach. The small revolutionary ship floats beside it, practically unnoticeable in the shadow of the legendary Moby Dick. She glances to the side, where the members of the crew responsible for infiltrating the prison are standing. 

Marco the Phoenix will lead them, along with Izo, Haruta, Curiel, Jozu, and Vista. 20 from each of their divisions are behind them, all of them looking like they’re out for blood. Whitebeard stands behind them, ready to guard their backs and protect their ship. It’s hard to escape without an escape route, after all.

And he’s a great help with decimating the enemy troops, Koala notes as Whitebeard casually swipes his bisento to the left, destroying the three ships attempting to fire on them. I’m very glad they’re on our side, Koala thinks, shuddering slightly at the killing intent radiating from the Whitebeards before straightening her shoulders and facing forward. 

Sabo’s in there, too. Sabo, who could have been tortured or starved or dehydrated or any number of things, and even though it was a voluntary mission – a necessary one – Koala will not stand for anyone hurting her partner, best friend, brother. She readies herself as Whitebeard, standing tall at the very front of the bow, bellows for everyone to charge in.

A war cry echoes around them as the Whitebeards, plus Koala, Hack, and a few other revolutionaries who wouldn’t take a ‘no’ for an answer, charge into the prison. She reaches the first guard in her way and punches him hard, launching him into a few other guards. A wild grin spreads on her face as she charges into the fray, the Whitebeards flooding in around her.

She has a partner to save.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Haruta dances and slashes her way through Level 1, anger in her heart and fire in her veins. They had captured her brother. Her best friend. She has no mercy left with her for the Impel Down guards, and the deep cuts in anyone that got in her way show that perfectly. She knows her main goal is to get to the control room to get control of the gates, but she also knows she can have a little bit of fun before getting there. 

After all, having an inside man (or woman, in this case) in Impel Down has been majorly helpful. She already knows where the Control Room is and that there is no way she won’t get there in time.

Thus, the fun she’s having is completely logical.

She catches a glimpse of the types of torture equipment on the walls and shudders as she takes out yet another guard. Even though it’s unlikely Ace had gone through the types of torture that are common on the top levels, she is well aware that he has to have faced unimaginable horrors in here. A chorus of war cries meet her ears and she turns slightly in that direction, seeing some of her crewmates tip over the “bath” that the prisoners have to suffer through onto the guards nearby.

Karma, Haruta thinks with a vicious smirk before turning from the carnage, heading in the direction of the control room. She cuts through anyone who gets in her way and soon arrives at the control room. She slashes the door open, kicking it in once it’s weakened. The severed door pieces hit a couple guards in the back of the heads, knocking them out as the remainders turn towards her and the few companions that are with her.

They make short work of the guards, and Haruta takes a seat at the control table, humming in thought as she searches for the switch that will cause the Marines much stress. A victorious smirk on her face, she flips the switch that will lock the Gates of “Justice” closed and promptly smashes the system, cackling in glee as panicked shouts meet her actions. She then leans back in her seat, pulling out her baby transponder snails, ready to direct her crew through the prison.

After making sure everything is set, she leaps up from her seat, setting upon those trying to get back into the control room with vicious glee.

There’s no reason business can’t be mixed with pleasure, after all.

Chapter Text

“Garp!”

Garp quickly stows away the picture he was looking at, the three smiles being shifted under papers (execution papers) before he turns to face Sengoku. His eyes catch on the stress lines covering his friend’s face, and the bags under his eyes are testament to the stress both the war and his job in general are bringing him. 

Sengoku glances dismissively over the papers on Garp’s desk before saying, “You ready for two days from now?”

No, Garp thinks, recalling the plan that should be put into the works tomorrow. I’m not ready because it won’t happen. 

He refuses to consider the possibility that the escape won’t work. He refuses to accept that by two days from now, his three grandsons could be dead. He refuses to accept the possibility that the organization he staked his life on could end up taking three of the most important people in his life.

He refuses to accept that he could be the reason they die.

“Bwahahaha! Of course I am!” Sengoku gives him a considering look before nodding in acceptance and moving away from the door. Sengoku seems oddly intent on the rice crackers in Garp’s hands when the ringing of the transponder snail erupts. The two share a confused look before heading into Sengoku’s office, where he picks up the snail.

Immediately, Sengoku jerks back slightly in shock as sounds of chaos erupt from the snail. Not waiting for whoever is on the other line to speak, he says, “What the hell is going on?!”

“Fleet Admiral, sir!” The harried voice of Magellan sounds out, and Garp and Sengoku trade looks of alarm at the realization that the chaos is coming from Impel Down. Anticipation fills Garp as Magellan continues talking. 

“I am afraid there is no good way of saying this, so I’m just going to come out and say it. Straw Hat Luffy, Revolutionary Sabo, and Fire Fist have all escaped their cells due to, we assume, a traitor in the guard ranks.”

Relief is the first emotion that hits Garp upon hearing those words - they’re out of their cell. Luffy’s found them. They’re all still alive. 

His grandsons are still alive.

Relief is most definitely not the emotion that Sengoku is feeling at the moment; his friend is gripping the transponder tight enough that Garp can see cracks starting to spread through it (much to the distress of the poor snail).

Magellan (reluctantly, by the sound of it) continues, “The Whitebeard Pirates are also attacking Impel Down.”

The look on Sengoku’s face is one Garp will treasure forever. It’s a light shade of purple, having gone pale upon hearing the news before rapidly darkening as he starts shaking with rage. A golden glow starts radiating off of Sengoku as he clutches the snail tighter. He takes a deep breath and stops strangling the snail. “What happened.”

As Magellan fills Sengoku in on the details, Garp is having to try very hard not to laugh. His grandsons are insane, and their plan might actually work! The Whitebeard Pirates have the element of surprise, the Marines (and when did he stop referring to the Marines as ‘we’?) are as of yet not aware with the much-larger-than-expected Revolutionary presence in Impel Down, and his grandsons are free and able to fight. 

This is going to be a day for the history books! Garp gleefully realizes, and as Sengoku wraps up his conversation, he is no longer able to contain himself.

The ‘gacha’ rings out, and Sengoku turns to glare at Garp. This is the final straw for Garp, and as he readies himself to laugh, he hopes that his friend can find it within himself not to kill him.

“BWAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“DAMMIT, GARP!”

----------------------------------------------------------------

Unbeknownst to the two marines, a lone reporter walks outside the door to Sengoku’s office, heading towards the stairs after talking to the Admirals about war coverage.

“No war coverage,” the reporter grumbles. “How can we not cover this in person?! It’s the war of the century – against Whitebeard, of all pirates! Like hell I’m going to let them hide this!”

On their way down to find a transponder snail to report to Morgans and figure out a plan for infiltrating Marineford and covering the war secretly, the reporter hears a booming laugh coming from within the room next to them.

They slow down slightly to hear their Fleet Admiral yell, “DAMMIT, GARP!”

Whipping out a notepad, they edge closer to the door to listen. “This has to be big to get this kind of a reaction out of the Fleet Admiral…” they mutter, jotting down the time.

They wince as Sengoku continues yelling, “THE WHITEBEARD PIRATES ARE ATTACKING IMPEL DOWN, WHICH IS ALREADY BAD ENOUGH, BUT THEY’RE DOING SO FOR FIRE FIST ACE AND REVOLUTIONARY SABO, AKA THE TWO CHILDREN OF GOL D. ROGER, AND EVEN WORSE, THEY ARE NOW FREE ALONG WITH STRAW HAT LUFFY IN THE LOWER LEVELS! WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING, GARP?!”

Sengoku continues yelling, with Garp’s laugh still booming through the wall, but the reporter hears none of it, mind still stuck on what Sengoku had said towards the beginning. They begin slowly edging away from the door, slowly writing down what they heard.

“The two children…of Gold Roger…” they say, getting lightheaded as the implications of this news sinks in. “Revolutionary Sabo…and Fire Fist Ace…are the children of Gold Roger…no, Gol D. Roger…that’s new…” If this gets out, there would be a massive uproar. And if it gets out and the Whitebeard Pirates (plus Straw Hat) succeed in freeing them…the public opinion of the Marines would drop ten-fold.

Like a lightbulb goes off above their head, a smirk makes its way onto the reporter’s face, and they quickly run down the stairs and enter into their temporary office. They close the door, and grab the transponder snail, placing the white transponder snail next to it. They dial in the number they know by heart, tapping their foot impatiently, as the transponder rings.

‘Gacha.’

“What is it?”

The reporter’s smirk widens, and they struggle to hold in their maniacal laughter as they start to speak.

“Hello, Morgans-san? I have some news that would be of utmost importance to you.”

“…I’m listening.”

The smirk morphs into a wide grin.

“It involves the execution of Fire Fist Ace and Revolutionary Sabo. You see, I just found out some interesting information about these two’s parentage.”

The transponder snail perks up in interest as the reporter continues with a massive grin.

“I just found out that these two supposedly completely unrelated outlaws are, in fact, from the mouth of Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself, the sons of Gold Roger, whose name is in fact not Gold Roger, but is in fact Gol D. Roger.”

The transponder snail matches their smirk, and the reporter can only think one thing while Morgans starts plotting for how to release this world-breaking news.

That’s what you get for trying to lock the media out of a war. Payback, bitches.

----------------------------------------------------------------

“I cannot believe we forgot about Jinbe!” Sabo huffs out as they sprint down the stairs to Level 6. Ace nods in agreement as they turn the corner to descend yet another flight of stairs, Inazuma and Luffy following after them.

Just before they were about to leave, Ace had reminded Ivankov that they still needed to save Jinbe – they promised that they would come get him; how the hell did they forget about him?

(Well. Luffy almost dying might have something to do with it.)

Ivankov was rightfully irritated at the timing, but told Inazuma to go with them so they could save him quickly. They had given Luffy the energy hormone (which had Luffy bouncing around with energy unlike what Sabo had seen since they first met) and warned that it would only last for 24 hours.

Sabo, upon hearing that, thought, if we’re still here in 24 hours, chances are it won’t matter whether the energy hormone will cause him to crash or not.

Bringing himself back to the present, Sabo glances at Luffy. He’s bouncing around, full of energy after getting Ivankov’s shot. Sabo shakes his head, following Luffy as he charges ahead of them with a loud cry. Ace snickers beside him, but Sabo can see the faint signs of relief on his face as he looks at their little brother. 

Sabo feels that same relief. Both of them had been out of their minds with worry during the operation, but seeing their brother energetic and relatively healthy takes a weight off of their minds.

Soon enough, they finally see the entrance to Level 6, and, unsurprisingly, there are guards waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. Luffy sets upon them with a war cry, and Sabo and Ace follow. Sabo hears cries of confusion, wondering why they’re back here, and smiles grimly. 

Like hell we’d let you know why, he thinks as he punches a guard into a few others, haki coating his hands. The guards are no match for the force of the three brothers and Inazuma, and they quickly make their way towards Ace and Sabo’s former cell.

Jinbe is already looking up in shock when they arrive. He scans over them, eyes lingering on Luffy before focusing on Ace and Sabo. “Why are you here?! It’s far too risky coming back down here this late!”

Ace shakes his head, saying, “Like hell we’d leave you behind, Jinbe! You’re my friend - you could be killed if you stay here and you’re here because of me, so of course we’d come back!”

Jinbe sighs in frustration, but says, “Fine, Ace-san. Thank you both for coming.” Inazuma swoops in, cutting into the lock to the door and then cutting the cuffs off of Jinbe. He stands, rubbing his wrists and flexing his hands. Sabo idly notes he must be preparing himself to fight, having seen Hack and Koala do the same motion while preparing to use Fishman Karate. 

Jeers surround them as they run towards Level 5.5, and Sabo sends a glare at the offenders as they run past. Ace, evidently sick of the yelling, sends a flash of fire behind him to shut them up. Sabo stifles a laugh, and Ace smirks at him.

Business dealt with, the unlikely group travels back through the passageway into Level 5.5, Luffy leading the way. Ace, the mother hen that he is, insists Jinbe grab some food before they leave, stating, “You’ve been down there for a week, you need food! They’ll still be fighting when we get up there regardless of whether we take two minutes to get some food in you!” Sabo snickers as Jinbe sighs, acquiescing to Ace’s demands.

Ace is right, after all. 

The fighting isn’t going anywhere.

----------------------------------------------------------------

God, we are not getting anywhere, Vista complains internally as he cuts through those coming at him, vengeance singing in his veins. He’s guarding the line along with Izo as Marco kicks and punches at the wooden door down to Level Two with a vengeance, taking out all of his anger on it.

Even if they’re not getting anywhere; even though they’re attacking the most secure prison in the world, the fact that they already know their brother is free (well, as free as you can be in the gaol that is Impel Down) is reassuring. 

That doesn’t stop Vista from having no qualms against cutting through anyone attempting to stop them from getting to Level 2, though, and his siblings are with him every step of the way.

“Shark Brick Fist!”

Vista turns his head slightly to see one of the revolutionaries attacking the guards with a vengeance, no mercy given at any point. Her red hair flutters at every hit, strangely graceful in this chaos. He sees the anger he feels reflected on her face, and feels a strange sense of kinship with her even though her brother hadn’t even been captured for real (does it really matter, though?)

Marco finally manages to break down the door (seriously, there must have been some seastone in it, there is no way it would have stood up to Marco for that long otherwise), and they let out a cry as they rush down the stairs. They bulldoze through anyone that gets in their way, and Vista lets a bloodthirsty grin fill his face as he cuts through anyone who crosses his path.

They break into Level 2, and the guards cry out as they notice them, charging at them. Vista’s crew roars right back, and the two sides crash into each other with a vengance. The Revolutionaries are right with them, and Vista notices a fishman taking out anyone who comes near him with some impressive fishman karate. The red-haired girl is right with him, using her karate with a viciousness that Vista matches as they make their way to Level 3.

(He would comment on the beasts that try attacking them, but they are taken care of in half a second as the Whitebeards and Revolutionaries take out their frustration on them. Within two minutes, the beast population of the Level is decimated and the remainders are cowering around the corner as they run past.

All in all, hardly a setback worth mentioning.)

He then spies someone on the other side of him, running the opposite direction that they’re going. He tracks the figure as they sneak towards a cell, looking left and right furtively before creating a key-like shape with…wax, it looks like?

Oh, this could be useful.

Cutting through his current opponent, Vista sneaks away from the chaos and grabs the figure, ignoring his yelp of surprise (or pain, Vista can’t be bothered to care), and carries him back to where he was. He absently swings at a couple of guards rushing him before reaching Marco. He brings the protesting figure up in front of the first commander and says, “This man can make keys out of a wax-like substance. Since speed is of the essence, I figured he would be helpful in getting through to the next levels, given how bothersome it was getting down the door to Level Two.”

Marco gives the man a considering look before nodding, saying, “Help us get to the next levels and we’ll give you a ride out of here.” The man looks terrified, but he nods frantically and starts running with them, no longer needing to be carried.

(Around the corner, Vista spots a red-nosed man snickering at the other man and dashing away. He considers tracking him down, but decides against it. There is no time to waste, after all.)

The Whitebeard and Revolutionary forces continue making their way through the second level with ease before reaching a familiar big, wooden-looking door. The man, who Vista learns (through his frantic screaming along the way) is named Galdino, unlocks the door and they flood through, cheering all the way.

The guards continue to attempt to mount a resistance, but it’s nothing against the angered might of the infiltrating force. Vista is having the time of his life, and the grins on his siblings’ faces reflect their own glee. After all, these people had stolen Ace from them.

They don’t stand a chance.

The cry that they had been waiting for finally comes, a chorus of, “Chief Warden Magellan is coming!” meeting their ears as they reach the midway point of Level 3.

Marco launches himself at Magellan with vicious glee, and Vista sets himself at his brother’s back, intent on not allowing anyone to attack Marco while he’s fighting.

Whitebeards have each other’s back, and like hell is someone from the government going to hurt one of his siblings again.

----------------------------------------------------------------

A battleship is approaching Impel Down

A battleship, not full of any marines, is approaching Impel Down.

Whitebeard frowns in confusion, considering the ship that is drawing closer and closer to the prison. The Gates of Justice had closed a little while ago, and he hadn’t thought any ships had managed to slip through, but it looks like one did.

Not that it would do any good, even if it did house some marines, he thinks, glancing around at the devastation surrounding them. The battleships and vice-admirals that had been stationed to protect the prison were a great warm up for his sons, and great stress relief for those who weren’t chosen to invade the prison. Why Sengoku thought those Marines would have had any effect on his crew should they decide to attack Impel Down, he has no idea.

He extends his senses towards the ship, feeling panic and doubt overwhelming everything else. He reaches out deeper, and growls as he recognizes the presence of the one who killed one of his own.

Marshall D. Teach. Blackbeard. The man who killed Thatch.

Traitor.

Whitebeard scowls, turning towards the ship in full. He didn’t think his former son would be cocky enough to come this close to him after betraying him, but apparently, he was wrong. Then again, Whitebeard considers, he may not have known that they were assaulting the prison when he left. It’s possible the news hadn’t reached wherever Teach was yet when he left to come here.

Good for us, Whitebeard thinks with a bloodthirsty grin. His children have started to notice what he has, and a vengeful air is settling upon the ship as the ship draws closer. For whatever reason, the traitor is here now, and Whitebeard has no intentions of allowing this chance to slip by.

Raising his voice, he calls out, “Ready for battle, my children! The traitor is here!” A roar meets his words as his children, both those who were aware or not, become excited for the upcoming battle. 

Though it’s unlikely to be a true battle, Whitebeard notes, feeling out the presences on the ship. Other than Teach, none of the presences are particularly strong. His children will be able to handle the rest of the crew with ease.

“Pops,” Whitebeard glances down as Fossa addresses him. “Do you want us to wait until they attack first to attack, or should we attack right away?”

Whitebeard hums thoughtfully. Both options have their advantages. Waiting would allow them to feel out what their intentions here are, and give his children time to allocate the best match-ups among themselves. On the other hand, attacking first gives them the surprise factor and doesn’t give the opposing crew time to gauge their strength before fighting.

Given Teach used to be a part of the crew, however, he’s probably already shared what he knows of the various crew members with his crew, so waiting shouldn’t harm anything.

“Let’s wait to attack. I want to find out why they’re here.” Fossa nods, turning to relay orders to the rest of the crew. Whitebeard turns back to the ship that’s now close enough to them for them to shout across to each other, and sees the figure of the traitor at the helm, facing Whitebeard. 

Whitebeard’s blood starts to boil, remembering the sight of his dead son; the sight of his newest son running off in a fit of rage and vengeance; remembers finding out that said son was going to be executed.

This is all Teach’s fault, he thinks as he glares across the water at the one he once called son. 

The bastard calls across the water, “Zehahahaha! Long time no see, Pops!”

Blood boiling, Whitebeard growls out, “You are the only one I won’t call son, Teach!” He killed Thatch. He caused Ace to go off on a suicide mission, and caused his imprisonment. Whitebeard will never forgive him. “You broke the only iron law on my ship! You murdered your brother!”

“Zehahaha! Live and let live, old man!” Whitebeard hears growls from his sons next to him, and holds out a hand to silence them even as anger sings in his veins.

“What are you here for, Teach?”

Teach pauses and considers the question, before shrugging. “Ah, well, may as well tell you. I want to go down to Level 6! There are so many criminals down there, just ripe for the picking! Zehahaha!”

Chills run down Whitebeard’s spine at the thought of Teach getting his hands on those monstrous criminals. He overhears one of Teach’s crewmates mutter, “Should you have really told him that, captain? What if he tries to stop us now?”

Teach just laughs before saying, “Ah, well, can’t be changed now. Plus, I doubt they would have let us go without a fight anyway.” 

That would be right, Whitebeard thinks viciously. The thought that Whitebeard would let the one who killed one of his sons go is laughable. 

Teach continues, “It’s just unlucky that we happened to come here at the same time as you, huh?”

The sniper steps up, saying, “Not luck, captain. It’s simply our fate that we come across them at this time.”

Whitebeard’s children jeer at that thought, and Whitebeard can’t help but agree. Fate nothing, it’s no coincidence that Teach came at this time. “You were always planning on attacking the prison for the prisoners, weren’t you? Ace’s capture just hastened it.”

“Zehahaha! As sharp as ever, Pops!” Whitebeard resists the urge to cut in and tell him not to call him ‘Pops.’ “Yes, I’ve always planned on this. I knew that as a Warlord, I would be able to access the prison, and get to the prisoners! After hearing about the chaos Straw Hat was causing, I figured this would be as good a time as ever to attack! I didn’t count on you being here, however, but I suppose it’s just fate telling us to meet up quicker! Zehahahaha!”

Rolling his eyes, Whitebeard signals to his children to be ready for an attack. “Teach is mine,” he growls, and he gets nods in confirmation as they all ready themselves to attack. They have all the info they need now, and Whitebeard is honestly getting sick of hearing the traitor’s voice. He brought his arm across his body, saying, “Well, you’re about to be cursing fate then, Fake D.”

He then unleashes an earthquake on the ship and its inhabitants, and chaos erupts, his children launching into battle.

The battleship capsizes, and the Blackbeard Pirates scream.

----------------------------------------------------------------

“Here they come!”

Ace grins wildly as the panicked yell reaches them. They had spent only ten minutes in Level 5.5 after retrieving Jinbe, yet there are already guards lying collapsed around them in Level 5, shivering and half-covered in snow. Their peers had made quick work of the guard presence here and are likely already at Level 4. 

Ace picks up his speed, his body raring for a fight tougher than the one he faced in Level 6.

Chancing a glance at Jinbe, Ace’s relieved to see his friend is already looking better, the food obviously having done him good. Considering the fact that Ace can hear the faint yells that accompany the fighting from the base of the stairs to Level 4, he’s going to need that energy.

A cackle causes Ace to turn his head to the other side, and he sees Sabo and Luffy laughing in glee, launching themselves into the stairway. They are clearly eager for the fight. Ace laughs and, shaking his head, follows his brothers up the staircase.

His brothers had always been rearing to go whenever there was a fight to be had (though Sabo had always tried to hide it, before).

It’s definitely not hidden anymore, Ace snickers internally as Sabo dashes up the staircase, shouting with glee as he sees the fighting in front of him. That bloodthirstiness is fully on display now, and Ace grins, his own blood singing with the excitement he’s sure is coursing through his brothers’ veins. 

There’s a cry of fear from the first to notice their arrival, and heads turn to face them.

Ace smirks at the looks of horror spreading on the guards’ faces and the cheers from their allies that meet their arrival. Sabo sprints towards the fighting, and Ace expects him to launch into the fray immediately. Instead, Sabo stops short, staring intently into the crowd, a considering look on his face. He then smiles widely.

Ace pauses in confusion as Luffy rockets past him, joining the fray. Jinbe comes to a stop beside him as he also processes that Sabo stopped.

“Do you know what Sabo-san is doing?”

Ace shakes his head at Jinbe’s murmured question. He strides forward, coming up on Sabo’s left side and elbows him, saying, “Why did you stop? You were more excited to fight than any of us.” Even Luffy, which is surprising. Luffy was always the one asking if they could beat up any thugs they came across in Edge Town as children (though Ace and Sabo always indulged him). 

Even Luffy’s endless energy for fighting has its limits, Ace supposes, cutting a glance at Luffy, who has taken out many a soldier but is panting heavily.

Sabo just gives him a wide grin and turns away without answering, instead letting out a shout of, “Marina!” Remembering the “guard” that had helped them out yesterday, Ace let out a sound of understanding, scanning the crowd of fighters for the guard. Her non-distinctive look isn’t easy to find, however, and Ace soon gives up in favor of looking where Sabo is focusing.

Soon after Sabo’s yell rang out, a girl’s voice rings out, saying, “Take that!” 

Ace turns just in time to see an unassuming woman punch the guard next to her in the face, muttering, “Fuck you, Nathan.” Ace recognizes her as the guard that had helped them out earlier - Sabo’s comrade and friend. The chaos masks the newly-revealed traitor as she rips off her...hair?

Ace shakes his head, focusing on her again, realizing that it was a wig that she ripped off.

An embarrassed flush makes its way onto his face, but thankfully Sabo is preoccupied with what is happening in front of them. Sabo is smirking, seemingly waiting for something next to him as the guard, face now revealed, puts her distinctive red hair up in a ponytail.

She then, to the shock of everyone around her, flips over into a handstand and spins around in a circle, kicking everyone around her and landing lightly on her feet as what must be at least 10 soldiers drop down around her. 

The guards stop fighting for a moment, the betrayal of one of their own stilling their actions, causing the rebellious force to make even more headway into Level 4 before they regain their equilibrium. The girl (Marina, Ace thinks is her name) walks up to them, and, without preamble, punches Sabo in the chest, causing him to double over in pain.

Ace lets out a bark of laughter as his brother whines in pain, and Marina smirks, placing a hand on her hip. “Miss me?” She taunts, and Sabo simply groans, hunching over and catching his breath.

“What was that for?” The petulant whine in his brother’s voice causes Ace to lose his shit again, and he absently punches a guard that was trying to sneak up on them, smirking at them as they fly away.

“Don’t interrupt their reunion.”

Marina gives Ace a nod in thanks, before grinning at Sabo and saying, “Just ‘cause!”

Ace grins, elbows his not-yet-recovered brother in the side and says, “I like her!”

Marina gives Ace a grin as Sabo mutters something like, “Surrounded by jerks, I swear,” which just causes Ace to laugh harder.

Marina then yelps as Sabo, recovered from the punch, pulls her into a tight hug. He then leans back slightly and noogies her, and Ace smiles at the pure joy on his brother’s face. He remembers Sabo telling him stories about Marina and him growing up. The two were always very close, but it has been two years since they’ve seen each other. 

Ace is glad, at least, his screw-ups lead to these two getting reunited. Seeing the contentment on Sabo’s face as he catches up with Marina, a little more of the guilt he’s been carrying melts away.

Sabo pulls back from the hug, an eager look on his face as he asks, “Did you get them?” Marina smirks and nods, and Ace watches as she pulls a hat out of…somewhere, placing it on Sabo’s head. She then pulls out a pipe, and Ace almost bursts out laughing at the reminder of his twin’s fighting style. 

Warmth fills him even as he loses the battle against laughing at the look of pure glee on Sabo’s face as he grips his pipe. The reminder that Sabo, even without his memories, still kept a piece of Ace and Luffy with him makes Ace feel some really cheesy feelings, and he quickly turns back to the fighting to hide the soft smile that is on his face.

Marina then pulls out a familiar orange monstrosity, and Ace laughs happily as she tosses his hat and dagger at him. I thought I lost these forever! He thinks delightedly as he catches them. The hat had been a gift from Luffy, and he’s so glad he hasn’t lost it. 

He places them on their rightful places on his head and hip respectively, and gives Marina a nod in thanks. Feeling better than he has in ages with the familiar weight back on his head, he launches himself back into the fray.

Sabo and Marina follow him in, jumping into the fight with a vengeance. The guards really don’t stand a chance, Ace thinks gleefully as they tear through the limited resistance remaining on this level. Soon enough, they reach the base of the stairs to Level 3. The last obstacle stands in their way, a fierce glare on his face.

“You will not pass here!”

Vice-Warden Hannaybal stands in their way, resolve clear in his stance as he stares the Pirate and Revolutionary alliance down, steel in his eyes.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Whitebeard stares down at Blackbeard, unimpressed at the blubbering state he has been reduced to. His crew lay around him, all either unconscious or dead, his children not feeling particularly charitable to the crew of the traitor. Whitebeard can’t blame them.

It had been almost too easy to defeat the Blackbeards, Whitebeard thinks absently as he presses Blackbeard’s face tighter to the ground with his foot, shutting the man up briefly. Fossa, Namur, and his other children had set upon the remainder of the crew with a bloodthirsty rage that spoke of why they’re known as the strongest crew in the world, and it really hadn’t been much of a fight at all.

Whitebeard’s original earthquake capsized the ship, and though Blackbeard was able to land on a piece of debris and pull himself up onto the Whitebeard ship, the rest of the crew was not that lucky. It’s only due to Whitebeard’s previous orders to leave Blackbeard to him that he was left alone, but his children had been vicious with the rest of the crew, Namur taking out the big sumo-wrestler looking man almost immediately once he hit the water.

The doctor had not taken much strength to beat at all due to his illness, and the horse was not helpful in the water. It had just taken one good hit from Rakuyo’s blade to take him out. The remaining two joined Teach out of the water, but that hadn’t helped them, the sniper being taken out with a hit to the head from Blamenco, his skills not being suited for close-range fighting. 

The jester had taken the most energy out of all of them, but soon enough Atmos was able to get a hit into the solar plexus and Fossa a hit to the back of the head, knocking him out.

The rest of his children are disappointed they didn’t get to fight. Whitebeard sympathizes.

As for Teach himself, he hadn’t been a challenge to Whitebeard, regardless of his condition. Teach was cocky, clearly thinking Whitebeard didn’t know how to fight without his devil fruit. 

How foolish he must have felt when Whitebeard cut his arm from his shoulder. How scary it must have been when Whitebeard grabbed him and used his power on him, almost blowing his head up. How anguished he must have felt when he realized he had no chance of winning, seeing his crew collapse around him and Whitebeard stand over him.

Straining his face against Whitebeard’s shoe, Teach blubbers, “You wouldn’t kill your own son, would you, Pops?!”

Raising his bisento, Whitebeard growls out, “You are no son of mine, Blackbeard.” With that, he brings it down, separating Blackbeard’s head from his body. A spike of sorrow goes through Whitebeard’s heart, and he allows himself to shed one tear for the memory of the son he used to know. 

There is some sniffling behind him, but when he turns around a moment later, all he sees are resolved faces.

He nods to the rest of the crew, “Get this scum out of my sight.”

“Aye, Pops!” His children quickly toss the rest of the crew overboard. Fossa moves to throw Blackbeard’s body overboard, but Whitebeard stops him. Remembering the dismay on Ace’s face - the resolve to avenge Thatch that had eventually led to his capture, he says, “Leave him here until Ace gets back. He deserves this closure.” Fossa nods, moving away from the body.

Whitebeard turns back to the prison, and grins. Blackbeard is gone, and his son will soon be away from the prison and free. He stands, eagerly awaiting the return of his youngest son.

A thought occurs to him, and he grins sharply. “Actually, Fossa, we still have that box, right?”

His son nods, understanding dawning, and Whitebeard continues, grin widening, “How about we put that to better use?”

Chapter Text

Luffy is having the time of his life.

He’s with his brothers again, Sabo is alive, Ace is safe – nothing could make this day any better.

Well, maybe not being in a prison fighting for his life would be nice, and the constant tiredness in his limbs even as adrenaline sings in his veins is annoying, but he knows with his brothers beside him he can face anything. Even the annoying vice-warden in front of him can’t dampen his mood.

“I got this!”

“Luffy, wait-”

His brothers cry out in protest as Luffy launches himself at the vice-warden, but Luffy doesn’t care. He has to show them what he can do! He unleashes a gatling gun at the vice-warden, excitement singing in his veins at the thought of an actual fight. The guards leading up to here were super boring, but this Hanny guy seems like he’ll be fun!

Luffy grins as the Hannyabal blocks his strike, feeling him balk under the pressure. Luffy continues his onslaught, internally thankful for the food and rest he had gotten after his operation. Luffy knows he would have been a lot worse off if he hadn’t gotten that. Luffy dodges a swipe with the flaming blade (which is really cool! He should suggest that to Zoro later), and nails Hannyabal with a jet bullet.

Hannyabal gasps for air, barely managing to stay on his feet as Luffy follows up with another jet gatling, pummeling him until he falls. Luffy glances around, noting that his brothers have made quick work of the soldiers surrounding them. He makes to lead them up the tunnel when Hannyabal staggers back to his feet, visibly trembling but still ready to fight.

“It’s…not over yet!” Respect rises in Luffy as he grins sharply, pulling back his fist and punching Hannyabal in the face. The vice-warden responds by whipping his blade at Luffy’s face, who hastily drops back.

“Whoa!” Luffy launches himself to the side as Hannyabal swipes at him again, catching Luffy off guard. Not good enough! Luffy scolds himself as he bites his thumb, activating his Gear Third. His now-ginormous hand stretches behind him, and he hears faint yells of surprise as he yanks his hand forward, yelling, “Gomu Gomu no…Giant Pistol!”

He drills his fist into Hannyabal’s face, and Hannyabal flies until he hits the bazooka troops behind him, a sick cracking sound reverberating across the room as he then hits the stairs, finally down for the count. Luffy releases his Gear Third, shrinking down as he runs at the remaining guards. His shrunken-state only lasts a few seconds, and he bounces back, twin punches meeting the next guys’ faces as he launches himself into the stairwell.

Ace and Sabo come up on either side of him, a flaming fist and a pipe taking out many guards on either side of Luffy. Luffy grins, nostalgia rising within him as he punches those in front of him, unleashing another gatling on the unsuspecting troops in front of him.

He missed this. The feeling of having his brothers on either side of him, both supporting him and driving him further brings back memories of his childhood – memories of fighting bears, tigers, thugs, and anything in between. The feeling of having Ace and Sabo guarding his back and him doing the same for them is intoxicating, and joy rises within him. He didn’t think he’d ever experience this again.

He will never give it up again.

Feeling eyes on him, Luffy punches the guard in front of him before turning slightly to see Ace. He sends a flaming fist forward, torching a number of guards in front of him before saying, “You’ve gotten strong, Luffy.”

Luffy’s eyes widen, memories from their childhood flashing through his mind.

“You’re so weak, Luffy!”

“You’ll never catch up to us!”

Ace is still grinning at him.

“You’ve gotten strong, Luffy.”

“Shishishishi!” Luffy grins and brings his finger up, rubbing beneath his nose. “I’ll surpass you soon, Ace!”

Ace snorts and Sabo reaches around, ruffling Luffy’s hair as they continue fighting. “Not that soon, Luffy!” Ace teases, and Luffy puffs up in outrage – his brother is underestimating him again! However, he is cut off when they finally crest the top of the stairs, a sea of guards awaiting them. Luffy makes to charge forward with a roar when Sabo puts his hand on his shoulder, halting his momentum.

With a cocky smirk, Sabo says, “I’ve got this.” Curious about what Sabo’s plan is (and wanting to see his brother’s full strength), Luffy remains in his place. Ace comes up next to Luffy, arms crossing over his chest as he watches Sabo contemplatively, seemingly as interested as Luffy is.

Luffy knows Sabo has been with the Revolutionaries, but he knows nothing about how strong he has become. He was with his dad, so he’s sure Sabo is really strong now!

Sabo strides forward, stopping a few feet in front of the guards, crouching down. The revolutionaries around them suddenly start cursing and start backing up. “Come, Ace-boy, Strawhat-boy! You don’t want to be in the middle of this!”

Confused, Luffy follows Iva to the side, Ace following as Sabo knocks at the ground. Bemusement stills the troops for a second, which is all Sabo needs. He brings his hands up, a wild smile on his face.

He punches the ground, and says, “Dragon Claw Fist!”

Luffy watches in awe as cracks appear in the sand and stone floor below the sand, and Sabo continues, “Dragon…Breath!” Waves of sand and stone assault the guards, and Luffy dodges a couple of waves of sand that come his way. Sabo stands up, tilting his hat up as he watches the guards fall over in a heap after getting assaulted by the attack. He smirks, walking back towards Luffy and Ace.

…His brother is so cool.

“That was so cool, Sabo!” Luffy babbles, a wide grin on his face as Sabo reaches them. Ace sidles beside Sabo, punching him in the arm, scowling halfheartedly.

“Hey, you hit me with that!” Ace manages to keep his scowl on his face for a few seconds before snorting, slinging an arm around Sabo’s shoulders. “Where’d you learn how to do that?! That was pretty damn amazing.”

Sabo coos, “Aww, that’s so sweet!” Luffy laughs at the flush that spreads across Ace’s cheeks. He shares a grin with Sabo.

It’s nice to have someone to mess with Ace with again, Luffy thinks, snickering.

Sabo continues through his own snickers, saying, “I learned from pretty much all of the Revolutionary higher-ups, but I learned that particular move from Dragon-san.”

“Dragon himself taught you?” Ace is gaping in shock at Sabo, and Luffy wonders what the big deal is. Of course Sabo was taught by the strongest guy there, he’s super strong! That’s the only thing that makes sense!

Sabo nods, and is about to speak when Luffy decides to pipe in, saying, “How was it being taught by my dad?” Everyone freezes in their tracks, the remaining guards, revolutionaries, and Jinbe alike turning to stare at Luffy.

Oops. I wasn’t supposed to say that.

“YOUR DAD?!” Everyone gapes at Luffy, and Ace sighs and facepalms while Sabo bursts out into laughter.

“Shishishishi! Forget I said that!” Luffy grins. There, now it’s fixed! He then launches himself at the distracted guards, laughing in glee as Sabo and Ace follow him into the fight. Jinbe joins them in fighting, though he seems more tired than he was, eyeing Luffy with a look he doesn’t recognize. Maybe the heat has something to do with it? Luffy shrugs. Jinbe seems to be doing fine, so he’s not too concerned.

Sabo comes alongside Luffy, saying, “Never change, Luffy.” He’s still laughing, and Luffy smiles at the happiness on his brother’s face.

“Of course I won’t!” Ace ruffles Luffy’s hair and then turns back to the fighting. Luffy follows suit, a wild grin on his face as Sabo joins them. Sabo’s friend swoops in on Sabo’s other side, a scowl on her face.

“Why’d you have to knock out so many?” She grumbles, kicking one guard into five others, causing them to land in a groaning heap in front of her. “You could have at least left more than this for us!” She motions to their surroundings, and Luffy looks around to see that there are barely fifteen guards left, and Jinbe, Ace, and Ivankov along with the rest of the Revolutionaries are setting upon them with war cries. Luffy pouts too, not having realized there were so little left.

Sabo laughs, knocking the final guard out with his pipe as he says, “You guys got plenty down at the lower levels! It’s my turn now!”

Sabo’s friend spins on her heel, glaring at Sabo. “I barely got any! I only joined last level! Don’t be selfish!”

“It’s not selfishness! I was helping!”

“Were not!”

“Was too!” Sabo sticks his tongue out at her, and Luffy bursts out into laughter.

Sabo is so happy, Luffy thinks gleefully. It’s so much fun seeing his brother interacting with his friends, and Luffy is glad Sabo has good people surrounding him.

Both of them turn to face Luffy, and he tilts his head in confusion as Sabo’s friend murmurs, “You sure he’s Dragon-san’s son?” Sabo smiles thoughtfully, and Luffy’s confusion rises. Of course, he’s his dad’s son, who else would he be?

Though I didn’t know I had a dad until Gramps told me, Luffy reconsiders as they continue running up to Level 2.

He overhears Sabo muttering, “Yeah. You’ll see eventually, but it’s not as much of a surprise as you’d think.” Not worrying about their conversation, Luffy continues running (“Wrong way, Luffy! It’s this way!”), turning on a dime at Sabo’s words, and they can finally hear fighting noises that aren’t their own.

Sharing a grin, the unlikely alliance sprints towards the fighting. Luffy can see anticipation rising in Ace, and his own excitement rises the closer they come to the fighting sounds reverberating in front of them. Luffy understands his excitement, and a pang goes through his heart at the thought of the crew he abandoned in order to save Ace.

Soon, he promises. I’ll be back soon.

They turn a corner, and Ace immediately sprints in the direction of the fighting noises, which are getting clearer by the second. Luffy follows his older brother, excited, and sees Sabo and Jinbe next to him, grins on both of their faces. Freedom is so close he can almost taste it.

Soon enough, the fighting comes into view. The Whitebeards don’t seem to be struggling too bad, two of the four monster beasts down for the count, face down on the floor. Their master is laying on the ground, cuts littering every inch of her body, and the little man who stopped Luffy briefly on Level 3 on the way down is also defeated, bruises covering every inch of him.

Luffy glares at the sight of Magellan, flashes of the fight (massacre) between them; of pain, and helplessness, and fear (not for him, no, never for him – for his brothers, chained and helpless (or so he thought)) running through his head.

Luffy shakes away the memories. They don’t matter anymore.

Magellan’s fighting a big, blue bird (cool! Luffy needs to see if he can get one of those for his crew!), who seems to be almost finished with the fight. However, Magellan soon shifts into a form Luffy hasn’t seen before, and his eyes widen at the sight of the bright red poison dripping off of him and onto the floor.

Not having noticed the incoming alliance behind him, Magellan says, “You will not pass here! I refuse to let you rescue the two devil children!”

The bird smirks, (Luffy hadn’t even realized that was possible for a bird to do), and says, “You sure about that?” The bird can talk?! Cool! He then shifts his vision slightly to the side, looking straight at Ace, who has launched himself at Magellan’s unprotected back.

Magellan reacts too late, and Luffy watches in glee as Ace unleashes a ginormous, “FIRE FIST!” into his back. Magellan curses as the fire hits him, and he gets launched into the wall, hitting with a loud thud and barely remaining standing. Ace lands next to the bird, who shifts into a man (with pineapple hair! Now Luffy really needs to figure out where to find one of these people!)

Ace smirks, tilting his hat up, and says, “That’s for my brother, you asshole.”

The guards and Whitebeards alike finally notice the presence of the allied forces, and the Whitebeards, ecstatic, let out a huge cheer.

“ACE!”

----------------------------------------------------------------

Sighing, Sengoku gives up the ghost, hanging up the ringing Transponder Snail.

He’s been trying to reach Magellan (or anyone) from Impel Down to get a status update, but no one picked up. He supposes he shouldn’t be surprised that Magellan isn’t at his main Transponder Snail, given he’s probably fighting the Whitebeard Pirates right now, but he was hoping someone would still be available for status updates.

Unfortunately, it looks like that’s not the case (which really does not bode well for the state of the prison at this time).

Looking out over the water, Sengoku sighs yet again, frustration filling him at his own helplessness. The Shichibukai will be absolutely no help at all, having been at Mariejois when the information came. They will not be able to make it on time. His ships will be hard-pressed to make it on time as-is, and he shudders as he imagines what state the prison may be in when they arrive.

(Both the Whitebeard Pirates in all their strength are attacking and there is an inner break-in, involving Fire Fist Ace and Revolutionary Sabo, and the wildcard of Monkey D. Luffy. Even with the leagues of ships and soldiers guarding the prison, Sengoku would have to be naïve to believe that there would be anything left for them to defend by the time they get there.)

Especially since we can’t use the Tub Current, Sengoku thinks disgruntledly as he looks around at the calm (too calm) sea surrounding the ship. Chances are that the Gates of Justice are closed to any Marine, as one of the last communications sent from the prison had told them of the Whitebeard Pirates approaching the control room. It’s unfortunate, but expected once Sengoku found out about the Whitebeards attacking Impel Down.

Thus, Sengoku had ordered his strongest men onto the ship as soon as possible, and they had left shortly after. Since they had to avoid the Tub current, their arrival time is four hours from now, even though they had been traveling for a couple of hours at this point. There’s next to no hope of the guards managing to delay until the fleet could get there, but still Sengoku presses on.

There’s no other option but to press on.

Garp comes to stand next to Sengoku, chewing on his ever-present rice crackers. Anger fills Sengoku at the thought of what Garp’s blood has brought, but he manages to calm himself slightly as he remembers that it isn’t entirely Garp’s fault. Plus, he has loyally served up until now (disregarding his insistence on letting Straw Hat Luffy go at Water 7).

However, he can still be pissed at Garp’s seemingly ever-present grin.

“Sakazuki’s spitting mad,” Garp mutters to Sengoku, ripping him from his thoughts. “Can’t say I blame him, really. We were played like fools.”

“Stop acting as if the fight is already over, Garp.”

Garp cuts him a look, and Sengoku sighs, conceding the point. It really is unlikely that they’d be able to do anything at Impel Down, but Sengoku has to stay confident.

After all, Sengoku thinks as he turns to face forward again. If I’m not confident, who are my troops going to rely on?

----------------------------------------------------------------

Taking out the Chief Warden with a flaming fist is a pretty damn cool entrance, Koala has to admit.

She fights her way to the front, punching past a few guards that have the nerve to get in her way. She doesn’t even know why they’re fighting at this point, honestly. Magellan is finally down, Sadi and her monster guards have been defeated since they reached this level, and Saldeath was barely a footnote on their record. The guards don’t warrant even that, in Koala’s opinion.

Impel Down is clearly defeated, yet they keep going. She can respect their grit, at least.

Finally reaching the front, she smiles at the sight of her partner-in-crime, fighting next to his brothers as they finish the guards in front of them. Relief fills her at the sight of his (mostly) unharmed figure, and the happiness on his face makes warmth flood her chest. Being with his brothers has been good to him, she can tell.

(He had been filled with so much guilt and shame when he got his memories back. She had tried to convince him that it wasn’t his fault he lost his memories; his fault that his brother was being executed and he almost hadn’t known. Nothing she said had helped him, and he had left for Impel Down, standing with guilt weighing down his shoulders.

Koala’s glad his brothers seem to have eased it.)

She looks around, looking for her other friends, and brightens as she spots Marina and Ivankov fighting side-by-side against the last remaining monster guard. Marina lands the final blow, and Koala can see the moment she turns and sees Koala and Hack (who has come to stand next to Koala after defeating his current opponent).

Marina’s eyes widen, and a huge grin forms on her face as she nudges Ivankov, muttering something. Iva-san turns in her direction and an excited look appears on their face, and Marina starts running over. Koala meets her in the middle, crushing her in a hug. Memories flash across Koala’s eyes of a childhood with her, growing up and learning to fight and survive together (and teasing Sabo every chance they got), and she smiles, burying it into her friend’s neck.

She had missed her. Two years was far too long.

Pulling back, Koala smiles brightly at Marina, and Marina grins back. They release each other to fist-bump, and Koala says, “How’ve you been?”

As Koala glomps Ivankov as well, Marina snorts, placing a hand on her hip. She says, “You know, for a mission, this has to be one of the most boring ones I’ve ever been on. Until now, at least,” she says with a smirk, cutting a glance at Sabo, who finally seems to notice Koala’s presence.

Hack had made his way over to Sabo first, and smiles as he claps Sabo on the shoulder. Koala grins, laughing at the look of glee on his face as he starts heading towards them.

Koala releases Ivankov with a bright grin and says, smirking in Sabo’s direction, “We can always count on Sabo to add excitement to any mission, huh?”

Having just come into hearing-range, Sabo pouts, saying petulantly, “This time wasn’t even my fault! This was all Luffy!” Marina and Koala laugh, sharing a grin. Sabo has always been so much fun to needle, and it’s always been Marina and Koala’s favorite activity.

(Koala’s relieved Sabo regaining his memories hadn’t changed this part of him.)

“The fact that you even have to say ‘this time’ means that it still happens way too often,” Marina snickers, and Koala laughs as she moves to embrace Sabo. Wrapping her arms around him, she breathes in his scent, reveling in the familiarity of the action.

Even though it’s been barely a week since she’s seen him last, she’s still worried. Impel Down is known as the strongest prison in the world for a reason, after all, and even the most solid of plans can go to shit easily.

Hugging her best friend tight, Koala finally lets herself be convinced that this plan, at least, is not one that has gone to shit. She pulls back, and Sabo gives a rare soft smile, apparently having read her thoughts off of her as only those very close to her can do. Koala smiles back before pulling away fully, stepping back as Ace and Luffy come over, Ace having reunited with his crew and all the fighting finished.

Ace slings his arm around Sabo’s shoulder, saying, “So, this is the girl you’ve been talking about?”

“Yup! This is Koala! And this is Hack, one of my other best friends!” Sabo’s joy at seeing them makes warmth bloom in Koala’s chest, and she feels heat rise in her face at the adoration in her best friend’s tone. Ace grins at her, and Luffy gives her a wide smile, and wow, she can see why so many people would follow that smile without batting an eye.

The boy in question bounces closer to her, saying with a massive grin, “You’re the people Sabo called his family!” Koala freezes, mind blanking at the word family. She shares a stunned glance with Marina before looking at Sabo, who is trying (and failing) to hide a blush and looking away.

So he did say that.

Koala feels herself blushing, but warmth is filling her chest, and she feels affection rise for the boy she had grown up with.

Luffy continues, obviously unaware of the shock he caused in their systems, saying, “That makes you our family too!” Koala laughs, shock gone, and slings an arm around Luffy’s shoulder.

“I guess so, huh.” Sabo grins at her words, embarrassment forgotten at their clear acceptance. Hack ruffles his hair, a soft smile on his face, and Sabo knocks his hand away, but the joy shining on his face belies any thought of annoyance.

Marina laughs and walks over to Sabo, punching him in the arm and saying, “Telling them all of our secrets, huh?”

Sabo grins sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head before saying, “We had a lot to catch up on?”

“Well, if we’re your family by association-” Marina continues mischievously, walking over to Ace, who has just been grinning at their interactions. She slings an arm over Ace’s shoulders, “-then we should obviously trade stories about Sabo as a child, right? For transparency’s sake, you understand.”

Ace stares at Marina in shock before bursting out into laughter. He slings his arm around her own shoulders in return, and says teasingly, “I think we’re going to get along just fine, sister.” Sabo squawks in outrage, obviously not on board with the plan to share stories.

Unfortunately for him, Koala doesn’t care what he thinks.

Dragging Luffy over to where Ace and Marina are, she says, “Hey, you wanna hear about the time Sabo-kun got surrounded by Marines and had to pretend he was a pole dancer to get out of it?” Hack barks out a laugh, clearly remembering that particular story, and Koala cuts a grin in his direction.

“No, they don’t! Aren’t there more important things to do than embarrassing me? Like, oh, I don’t know, the breakout we’re trying to do right now?” Sabo says, flapping his arms in outrage and gesturing around them.

Ah, right, Koala thinks somewhat embarrassedly, we’re not out yet. The rest of the Whitebeards and Revolutionaries had allowed them to have their brief reunion, but once they were broken out of their reverie, they quickly turned and started heading up to Level 2.

Koala turns, throwing over her shoulder, “You’re safe for now, Sabo-kun, but don’t think we’re going to be stopped from sharing embarrassing stories about you for long!” She hears snickers behind her as well as another squawk of outrage, and doesn’t hide the massive grin that breaks out on her face.

It feels really good to be back with her partners-in-crime (her family) again.

She starts running along with everyone else, snickering at Sabo’s still-present blush when a flash of blue catches her eye. She glances over, and familiarity slaps her in the face as she sees the man running alongside them. She jerks to a stop.

Could it really be him? She asks herself desperately, spinning around completely to face him. She frantically scans him, eyes catching on the kimono and familiar coloring. She chokes on a sob as she sees the familiar sun, her matching mark of salvation tingling on her back.

She tilts her head up.

Jinbe meets her eyes, and she feels tears prick at the back of her eyes at the devotedly tender smile on his lips as he looks at her.

Sabo and Hack glance confusedly at her over their shoulders, but Koala ignores them as she desperately takes in the figure of one of the most comforting (if not the most comforting) people of her early life.

Tears start trailing down her cheeks as her lips split into a massive grin, and she says joyfully, “Jinbe?!”

----------------------------------------------------------------

Well, Marco and the others did a really good job cleaning up around here, Jinbe thinks amusedly, taking in the utter carnage that surrounds them as the two groups reunite. He smiles as laughter and joy emanate from the group in front of him – seeing Ace and Sabo so happy as they reunite with their family.

A pang spikes though him as he thinks of the crew he left behind (he abandoned), but he shakes those thoughts from his head.

Soon, he vows. I’ll come home soon.

He watches as Ace meets up with Marco (snorting as Marco punches Ace before pulling him into a hug); as Sabo gets his hair ruffled by a relieved-looking fishman (Jinbe frowns as he is unable to place him from Fishman Island – he must have left a while ago); as Ivankov gets accosted by a red-headed revolutionary, who then turns to address Sabo-

Wait.

Red-headed girl, who’s about 20, who looks familiar-

“Koala?” Jinbe whispers in disbelief, staring at the woman as she throws her arm over Luffy’s shoulder, laughing, and he knows that smile.

It had taken so much time for her to be able to smile like that, after all.

Like hell he’d ever forget that smile.

Though, Jinbe thinks fondly, watching Koala laugh (at Sabo’s expense, given the indignant expression on his face), we never got to see her laugh that freely. He’s glad she’s found her happiness with the Revolutionaries.

(He can’t think of a better place for her – for Koala (driven, righteous, good), there’s nothing that’s more perfect than the Revolutionaries.)

(God, she’s gotten so tall. She’s grown up so much.

She’s changed so much from the timid, fearful little girl he met so long ago.

He’s glad. He likes her better, happy.

He always has.)

He resolves, right then and there, to leave her be (at least for now – later is a whole different story). She’s so happy, so free with her friends; he won’t interrupt.

Of course, fate has other ideas for him.

As soon as they start running (he stays a little to the side and in back of her – he may have promised not to interact, but he still wants to keep an eye on her; to see what else has changed about her), Koala glances around. He can tell the moment her eyes land on him, as she stops still, mouth dropping open in shock as she takes him in. His lips form into a soft smile as he sees her react to the sun – the same sun that he knows adorns her back.

“Jinbe?!” Koala says, shock coating every syllable, and Jinbe smiles hesitantly at her.

“Koala.”

“JINBE!” Koala repeats excitedly, and he startles slightly as she throws herself at him, but catches her easily, letting out a chuckle as she clings onto him. He ignores the tears soaking into his skin and holds her close.

Fuck, he missed her.

He hadn’t realized until she left (until his captain, friend, brother was dead) how much of an impact she made on his life – her bravery, her strength, her kindness despite everything having inspired him more than she could ever know.

Koala leans back slightly, grinning up at him. “Hi!” She chirps, and Jinbe laughs, gently placing a hand on her head.

“Hi, Koala,” he says, still grinning, and Koala beams, turning slightly to address her friends (who have stuck around as everyone else left – other than Ace and Luffy, at least).

As Sabo and the rest of the Revolutionaries that stuck around look at her inquisitively, Koala says, “This is Jinbe! He’s a part of the Sun Pirates – they saved me from, well, you know.” Sabo jerks his head towards Jinbe, and Jinbe can see the moment his eyes settle on the part of Jinbe’s tattoo that is sticking out.

He facepalms, groaning into his hand and mumbling, “How did I not notice that?”

“Because you’re oblivious!” Koala cheerfully shoots back over her shoulder as she walks around Jinbe and…climbs onto his back? He gives her a bemused look over his shoulder, automatically putting his hands under her legs to steady her as she wraps her arms around his neck. She gives him a sheepish grin as she says, “I missed these when you all left?”

Jinbe chuckles and indulges her, simply hiking her up further and turning to head towards where their comrades are rushing ahead (shit, they’re already almost at Level 2, that’s far). The extra weight on his back is barely a hindrance, and he feels himself soften as she lays her head against his back.

“I missed you,” she mumbles into his neck, and he allows a soft smile to form on his face as they continue towards Level 2.

“I missed you too.”

(“How is it fair that you get a piggy-back ride while the rest of us have to struggle down here?” Sabo whines from beside them.

Jinbe laughs as Koala responds cheekily, “Because I’m the favorite!” Sabo groans but doesn’t argue the point.

Ace laughs at him, and Jinbe smiles.

It’s really nice to see (some of) his friends and family this happy again.)

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Ace laughs, joy singing in his veins as they run back up the stairs to Level 2.

He’s back with his family, his brothers are running alongside him, and he’s never felt more alive and free. It’s ironic, really, that they’re still in the middle of a prison and he’s feeling that way, but the guards are all pretty much knocked out, with only a few stragglers trying to stop them at this time. Magellan has gotten what had been coming to him (Ace grins savagely at the memory of the man who had almost killed his brother unconscious on the ground, burnt and beaten).

The remaining beasts are kind of annoying, but Ace has experience with dealing with animals. He grins as he takes out a lion that’s launched itself at him, memories from his childhood fueling his punches.

The bruise on his arm aches at the sharp movement, and his mind flashes back to his reunion with Marco and his crew.

“You asshole!”

Marco punches his arm, hitting it hard enough to bruise. Ace whines, pain flaring in his arm immediately. That isn’t fair, he even used Haki! Though, given he had run off without permission, and fought Teach, and lost, and gotten captured…

Yeah, okay, so that’s fair.

“I’m sorry,” Ace says, looking at the ground and scuffing his feet. It would be well within his crew’s rights not to forgive him, even if they had come to save him. He’s done so much wrong – he left to track down a traitor, and failed.

Does he even have a place on this crew anymore?

Before he can get even deeper into his wallowing, he gets tugged into a firm embrace, and he is shocked to feel tears dripping down onto the back of his neck. Tentatively, he brings his arms around Marco as Marco chokes out, “Don’t scare us like that, you utter idiot!”

Choking out a laugh, Ace hugs Marco tighter, feeling foolish for doubting him. Sabo’s rebuke echoes in his ears. (“We’re here because we fucking love you and you need to get that through your thick skull!”)

They came to invade Impel Down for you! He scolds himself fiercely. Seeing his family here, surrounding him with smiles on their faces as they watch his and Marco’s reunion, how could he doubt them wanting to be there? Them wanting him to stay alive?

Them loving him?

Holding tighter onto Marco, he whispers, voice thick through unshed tears, “Thank you.” Closing his eyes in a futile attempt to keep the tears from leaking out, he leans against his brother.

Memories from the past few days flash in his mind, Sabo’s fierce glare as he yells at Ace to accept that he’s loved, Luffy’s indignant look when told he shouldn’t have come, Marco’s relieved smile upon seeing him come up behind Magellan, his crew’s joy at seeing him again – all of them are so happy he is there, so happy he is safe.

They all want him to live.

He continues, choking out, “Thank you all for coming for me!” Opening his eyes, he can tell he’s gotten Sabo and Luffy’s attention by the soft smile and wide grin (respectively) he can see out of the corner of his eye.

The tightening in Marco’s grip tells Ace all he needs to know about Marco’s reaction, but still he says softly, “No need for thanks, Ace.” Marco pulls back then, and gives Ace a warm smile through his tears. He ruffles Ace’s hair, startling a laugh out of him. Ace bats Marco’s hand away, but is soon dogpiled by his crewmates, their utter joy suffocating and making him smile widely.

Shaking himself from his memories, Ace kicks another beast aside as they run. He still can’t keep his wide smile off his face, and the energy surrounding his crew as they run forward (as well as from his brothers) is like adrenaline in his veins.

One thing doesn’t fit, though, and he frowns slightly as he considers the man running alongside them up the stairs to Level 2, looking like the last thing he wants to do is be there. The man jerks his head around, flinching at every beast that comes near him even as the pirates and revolutionaries around them take them out. He elbows Marco, muttering, “What’s his deal?”

Marco glances at the man dismissively before responding, punching a lion out of the way (and seriously, the guards thought these beasts were scary? His home island has scarier animals!) “We dragged him along because he has a power that’s useful for unlocking doors. I don’t know how he got free in the first place.”

“Ah,” is all Ace says in response as he contemplates the man beside him. Whatever, he thinks, shrugging. He isn’t all that important anyway, and it isn’t really his business what he gets up to as long as he doesn’t hurt any of their crew or allies.

The run through Level Two is largely uneventful, the beasts having been knocked out by either crossfire between the guards and his crew, or taken out with ease as they run through the level.

What is surprising to Ace is as they get closer to the stairs to Level One, the prison cells are suddenly wide open. A look at Marco’s confused face tells him he’s just as baffled as Ace is, and Ace frowns, trying to figure out how the prisoners would have been freed. There are no signs of struggles, and the doors are intact (plus, they’re seastone, so destroying them would have been very difficult.)

Ultimately, he shrugs, deeming it unimportant. Most of the Levels One and Two prisoners aren’t the worst type of criminal anyway, arrested for simple piracy or for just offending a Marine.

(Plus, they’re pirates. If they take away the freedom of others, what good is their own?)

Finally, finally, they arrive on Level One. The cells along there are all open as well, and they face no resistance as they run towards the entrance. Along the way, they reunite with their crewmates that had taken over the control room. Haruta barrels into Ace with a sob, and he grunts as the wind is knocked out of him.

“I was so worried!” She howls, and Ace brings his arms around her in a desperate attempt to calm her. He looks desperately at his brothers, but all Sabo does is smirk at him, and Luffy doesn’t even acknowledge him, running ahead, laughing. Ace settles for holding her tight, murmuring apologies to her until she lets up a little bit, her sobs calming down.

She pulls away, a watery smile on her face as she looks at him, and he scolds himself yet again for putting them in this position; for putting his crew through this much pain. She punches him lightly in the arm, yanking him from his thoughts, and says, “I’m glad you’re alright, dumbass.”

He grins at her, and tugs her along to introduce her to his brothers. They are so close to freedom, and he is only a few moments away from seeing his father again and being truly free from this place.

He can’t wait.

Chapter Text

“You have any idea where the prisoners may have gone?”

Marina glances to her left. Sabo is scanning their surroundings, frowning slightly as they pass yet another block of cells that has no prisoners. She shrugs in response to his question. “No idea. The guard room in Level Two had been abandoned when we passed, so maybe another person broke out and freed everyone else?”

It’s hard to believe that another break-out could have happened, but it is plausible, she supposes, and Sabo hums in agreement. She hadn’t even been aware of Luffy’s break-in due to her meetings with Ivankov taking up all her time and energy (and due to being in Level Six, which was totally unaffected by the break-in), so missing another break-out, lost in the chaos, is definitely possible.

And, she glances to the side, spying the lone man in a prisoner’s uniform here, there’s already been one break-out – the chances of there being another are slim, but they’re there, for sure.

(She can’t believe the thought of another break-out of Impel Down possibly happening isn’t that surprising to her.)

(What has her life turned into?)

They turn the corner, and Marina grins as she sees the light flooding into the area. The exit is close. She hears a bright laugh and a multitude of cheers from around her, both the revolutionaries and pirates excited to get out. She grins at Koala and Sabo, both next to her, memories of escaping from similar situations flashing through her mind.

Though, she thinks, snickering, escaping from Impel Down is definitely a first.

They turn yet another corner, and everyone stops shock still. Silence reigns over the exiting crowd as everyone, including Marina, tries to comprehend what exactly they are looking at.

A crowd of at least 100 prisoners, all looking tough and like they shouldn’t be messed with, are crowded around the exit, piling on top of each other as they peak around the walls they are hiding behind. They are all peering at the ship waiting outside (the sight of the Moby Dick gives Marina chills, and she can only imagine what kind of chills its captain will give her).

What the fuck? Thinks Marina, baffled, looking at the prisoners in confusion. A glance around tells her everyone else around her is thinking the same thing, and she snickers at the sight of absolute confusion on her comrades’ faces.

How the former-prisoners haven’t noticed them is beyond her, but she appreciates it as she finally starts listening to the whispers emanating from the crowd.

“You go ask!”

“No, you go!”

“Shit, he’s huge.”

“I’m not risking my life talking to those absolute monsters!”

“Then why should I?!”

Marina shares an amused look with Koala, and Ace, who has finally started listening to the conversations, bursts out into laughter. The entire crowd jumps, and she hears more than one shout of pain due to a misplaced foot (or three, she thinks, wincing as she sees one poor soul get stomped on by multiple of the surrounding prisoners).

Marco and the rest of the Whitebeards join in, and Marina can’t hold in her laughs anymore when the figure in front (who has a huge red nose, Marina didn’t even think that was possible) squeaks, “Holy shit, that’s Marco the Phoenix and Fire Fist Ace!”

Luffy, beside Ace, perks up in recognition at the voice, and shouts, “Oh, Buffoon!” The figure jumps yet again before scowling, and before Marina knows it, the lone prisoner (she really has to learn his name) they had picked up along the way sprints towards “Buffoon” and kicks him in the shins.

“BUGGY, YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!”

Marco snorts, and she overhears him tell Ace that he saw Buggy with Galdino (ah, that’s the prisoner’s name) before the Whitebeards took him with them to help get them to the next levels. Well, that would explain the anger she sees as he blasts into Buggy.

Luffy sprints ahead, laughing, and his brothers follow him. Koala and Marina share a fond look as they follow, and Marina laughs aloud, reveling in the feeling of being with her comrades again.

(She had been separated from them for two years. Even though she knew the job was necessary, even though she knew she would get out at some point and be able to reunite with her friends, even though she knew Ivankov was just a block away most of the time, it was still the loneliest time in her life.)

Running with Koala and Hack and laughing at Sabo, she can almost forget those two years of loneliness.

They’re over. She’s with her family.

She’s home, now.

----------------------------------------------------------------

They emerge from the prison, and Sabo sighs, breathing in the fresh air. He glances to the side, and Ace is grinning, looking happier than Sabo has seen him in days (or ever; Sabo wasn’t there when Ace learned how to smile like that. A pang goes through his chest at the reminder of all that he’s lost because of his memory loss, but he quashes that back down.)

(They’re together now. That’s all that matters.)

A rumbling laugh sounds from above them, and Sabo peers up to see Whitebeard himself standing on the bow of the Moby Dick, grinning down at the incoming group of pirates and Revolutionaries. Ace smiles back up brightly, and Sabo feels warmth in his chest at how happy his brother is.

Everyone has stopped around them, and even though Marco had told the prisoners surrounding the door that they could get a ride from them no problem, Sabo can still see the fear coating each and every one of their faces.

Not that I can blame them, he thinks as he looks back at the imposing figure above them. Whitebeard is known for being a monster, undefeatable, a relic from the old era. If it weren’t for knowing he is Ace’s family, Sabo would probably be nervous around him.

Okay, maybe not, he reconsiders, remembering his typical attitude around people more powerful than he.

Still, he’s Ace’s father. Sabo could never be scared of Ace’s family.

Plus, looking at his brothers, one beaming with so much joy that Sabo smiles in turn, and one laughing obliviously at the reactions of everyone around him, he couldn’t stand next to them if he was scared of someone like Whitebeard.

“Pops!” Ace calls up happily, and Whitebeard laughs, greeting his youngest son.

“Ready to come back aboard, son?” Ace nods rapidly, and multiple ladders are lowered, Whitebeard and Marco (who had flown up immediately) having apparently already called people over to handle lowering them. The crowd clamors for the ladders, and Sabo follows Ace to the nearest ladder. Ace is clearly planning on shoving through those not on his crew to get there first when Sabo feels something wrap around his waist.

Looking down, he gulps as he sees a rubber limb wrapped around him and Ace, and he hears, “Shishishishi!”

Ace startles next to him, before he swears and says, “No, Luffy, don’t-” Luffy gleefully ignores him, and sends his other arm towards the top of the ship. Sabo’s stomach drops as they are flung through the air, and they smash into the deck of the ship. Sabo groans as Ace lands on top of him, and Luffy, the little shit, is just laughing as he lands beside them.

Ace sits up, rubbing his back before standing and saying dangerously, “Luffy.” Luffy stops laughing at the growl in his older brother’s voice, and Sabo snickers at the look of fear that crosses his face as he backs away. “How many times have I told you not to do that?”

Luffy turns his head to the side, mumbling while gnawing on his lip, “A lot…” Ace nods, and starts stalking towards Luffy.

“Then you know what’s coming next.”

Luffy turns and sprints away, and Sabo laughs as Ace chases after him, yelling for Luffy to, “Get back here, you little shit!”

Sabo hears a chorus of laughs behind him, and turns to see Marco and Whitebeard plus a group of pirates gathered, obviously having watched the show. Marco, leaning against the railing with crossed arms, asks with a lopsided grin, “Are they always like that?”

Sabo laughs, looking over at where Ace is now mercilessly giving Luffy a noogie and says, “Yeah, pretty much. Ace has honestly mellowed out since we were kids.” Memories of Ace punching Luffy whenever he messed with Ace and of Ace’s constant anger at the world flash through Sabo’s brain. Ace has honestly changed so much, and Sabo’s glad that constant anger seems to be gone.

Ace is so much happier now.

Ace’s crew all has wide eyes, and Sabo snickers at the mutters of, “This is mellowed out?” and, “I’m afraid to ask about what he was like as a kid.”

Whitebeard lets out a chuckle before looking at Sabo contemplatively. Sabo unconsciously straightens up at the analytical stare, and Whitebeard says, “So you’re the mysterious ‘twin’, huh?”

Huh, so they do know about that. Good to know.

Sabo smirks, bowing slightly and is about to confirm it when he feels a heavy arm drape over his shoulder, and he curses and struggles to regain his balance. The warmth radiating off of the arm tells him it’s Ace, who says cheerfully, “Yeah, this is my twin, Sabo!”

Whitebeard chuckles at the obvious joy in Ace’s voice, and says, “Well, any family of Ace’s is family of mine, so welcome, Sabo.”

Sabo grins as Ace laughs, and Whitebeard’s attention turns to Ace.

“I’m glad you’re alright, son.”

Sabo hears Ace’s breath hitch, and Ace takes in a shuddery breath before saying, “…Thank you.” He removes his arm from Sabo’s shoulder and turns to face his entire crew, which is now crowded around, soft smiles on all of their faces. Sabo smiles softly and edges towards the Revolutionary contingent, which is to the side of the ship. 

This is a moment for Ace and his family. He shouldn’t interrupt.

He snags Luffy to stop him from interrupting as Ace continues, voice thick, “Thank you all for being willing to come for me. Thank you for loving me!” He bows his head, silent sobs shaking his body as his crew gathers around him. Marco reaches him first, pulling him into a tight hug and murmuring into his ear as the rest of the crew gathers around, loving words and cheers echoing as the reunion starts in earnest.

Luffy lets out a bright laugh as orders are shouted for them to set sail, and Sabo smiles and throws an arm around him as the ship sinks back under the water, a good burst of Conqueror’s Haki from Whitebeard keeping the sea kings from attacking. He shares a grin with his comrades, who have returned to his side, and they smile back.

He’s with his family, both old and new, and, for Sabo, things have never looked brighter.

There’s a shout that draws Sabo’s attention, and he turns his head to see someone running out with a large box in his hands. Marco takes the box, and, after the person whispers in his ear briefly, dons a massive smirk. He turns to Ace and calls out to him.

“Hey, Ace! We have a surprise for you!”

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Twenty minutes later, the ship has devolved into chatter and chaos, with food and booze being brought out and disappearing as quickly as it appears. The Moby Dick and small Revolutionary ship are sailing side-by-side, with only cursory attention being paid to the small ship as they celebrate. The fact that they have escaped has finally sunk in, and ex-prisoner, revolutionary, and pirate alike mingle and laugh together.

Impel down is behind them now, left desolate and empty in the upper two levels and devastated in the other four.

Ace grins as he looks around him, seeing all of his crewmates happy (and in many cases, already drunk.) The surprise reveal that Teach was dead, his head alone in the box (even gift-wrapped, seriously, how extra can his crew be) proving it quite well to Ace, had shocked him. The fact that Teach had gotten so close to his crew caused Ace to shudder, thinking of the last time Teach been around his crew, but he quickly shook those thoughts away.

Teach is dead. His father kicked his ass. That is all Ace needs.

He doesn’t need to worry anymore.

Luffy stretching around him, grabbing all the food he can and stuffing it in his mouth, brings Ace back to the present. He grins at Luffy, noticing his energy hormone is still going strong, and though that’s fueling his brother it’s still reassuring to see his brother acting as he normally does.

Sabo is right there with them, stuffing his face as well. Ace grabs for a large piece of meat, and grapples with Sabo for it. He wins and smirks at Sabo, bringing it up to his mouth. He’s about to bite down on it when a rubber arm comes across and steals it. Ace jerks his head around, mouth dropping open in disbelief as Luffy snickers through the food (Ace’s food) in his mouth.

“Luffy! You little shit!”

“Shishishishi!” His brother has the audacity to just laugh at him, so Ace takes the completely reasonable option and steals all the food that’s in front of Luffy from him. Luffy lets out an audible gasp of horror and promptly steals all of Sabo’s food.

Sabo jerks his head up when the meat in his hand disappears, and he glares at Luffy, who is now whistling ‘innocently’ as he stuffs his mouth full of food, his cheeks comically expanded. From there, an absolute free-for-all breaks out, and Ace grins at the familiarity of the interaction.

He vaguely notices his crew starting to gather around and place bets on who will eat the most, and laughs as the revolutionaries, who have experience with their appetites mislead them. He snorts as some mutter, “Oh yeah, Ace is definitely the biggest eater.” His crew buys it because they’ve seen his ravenous appetite but never seen Luffy’s.

It also helps that they don’t know the Revolutionaries have seen Luffy’s appetite, Ace thinks, snickering and grabbing more food.

Soon enough, he feels full, and he leans back at around the same time Sabo does, to the outrage of his crewmates and the laughter of those who had secretly placed their bets on Luffy. He shares a grin with Sabo, happier than he has been in a long time.

He’s with his found family, both old and new, and nothing in the world could make him happier.

(Unless Makino and Dadan could be here. That would be perfect.)

Luffy finally leans back, a satisfied look on his face. His stomach is comically extended, and Ace resists the urge to poke it like they’re children again. Money changes hands in the crowd around him, and Ace snickers at the mulish faces of his crewmates who lost the bet.

He looks around, spotting his father sitting in his chair, the IVs and other medical tubes reconnected to his body and him chugging some beer. He looks in high spirits, and that makes Ace happy even as he worries about his body failing on him. Marco is perched on him like a parrot, and they’re both watching over the festivities with smiles on their faces.

Pops notices him looking over, and toasts him with a rumbling laugh, and Ace grins and toasts him back.

(It still boggles Ace’s mind; Sabo let himself get captured for him, Luffy broke into Impel Down for him, his entire crew attacked the prison for him, even the revolutionaries helped (even if that was more for the purpose of a mass-breakout than for him).

He is so loved. They all couldn’t stand the thought of losing him so much that they risked their lives to get him (especially Luffy; god, the torture and loss of life Luffy had to experience and the screams he let out still taunt Ace and he knows they’re going to haunt his dreams forever.)

They all want him to live. Even though many don’t know he’s the son of the devil; that he has evil blood flowing through his veins, for the first time, he feels he may be accepted for who he is regardless of the blood in his veins.

He may not have to hide anymore.)

He is shaken from his thoughts when Sabo hums, looking at Luffy contemplatively. Luffy is oblivious, looking around at the various people with obvious interest, but Ace nudges Sabo and raises his eyebrows, not noticing anything wrong with their younger brother. He looks relatively healthy and in high spirits, though Ace knows better than anyone how good Luffy can be at hiding when he’s upset.

Sabo leans closer, murmuring while still keeping an eye on Luffy, “From what you told me, he is very close to his crew, and they are very reliable.” Ace turns to face Luffy, and realization crashes over him.

Luffy’s crew isn’t here. Luffy, who loves being around people. Luffy, who thrives on people being there to drive him forward. Luffy, whose greatest fear is being alone.

(Luffy, who broke into Impel Down to save him, alone. Luffy, who almost died, alone. Luffy, who gave everything to save Ace, alone.)

Where is his crew?

Sabo echoes the question running through his head right now, saying, “Then, where are they?”

And Ace doesn’t know.

----------------------------------------------------------------

“Hey, Luffy!”

Luffy turns away from observing the pirates around him (there’s a dude who can turn into diamond and a phoenix! How cool is that?!) to see his brothers waving him over. He hops up, grabbing another drumstick on the way (because you can never eat too much food), and joins his brothers.

(It still makes him giddy that he can say ‘brothers’ again. His grin widens and a bounce enters his step as he remembers he has both his brothers back with him, safe and sound.)

He plops down on the ground in front of his brothers, looking up at them expectantly. They share a look, loaded with something Luffy doesn’t recognize and then Sabo asks, more gently than he has since they reunited, “Luffy, what happened to your crew?”

Luffy freezes, mouth full of meat that he forgets to chew as those words echo in his head. He sees flashes of bubbles popping, of light, of Kumas attacking, of his crew disappearing, gone, gone, gone, Zoro, Brook, Usopp, Sanji, Franky, Nami, Chopper, Robin, where did you go?!

“What’s wrong with me…? I couldn’t save…any of my friends!!!”

The memory of the loss of his crewmates (of his family) crashes over him, and he shudders as he remembers them just...disappearing, from right in front of him. He feels wetness drip down onto his hand, and brings a shaking hand up to feel tears trailing down his cheeks. He looks up and can barely see Ace and Sabo through his tears, only just able to make out the looks of concern on their faces.

He looks back down, choking out, “Kuma attacked when we were at Sabaody…he sent my crew away. I don’t know where they are.” Luffy glances up and makes out Ace and Sabo sharing a look before tears flood his eyes again.

“Oh, Lu,” Ace murmurs, bringing Luffy in closer to hug him. Luffy buries his face in Ace’s chest, fighting against the tears stubbornly coursing down his cheeks. The arm that wraps around his shoulders from Sabo just makes him come even more undone.

“I failed,” Luffy chokes out. “I’m their captain, yet I couldn’t save even one of my friends - what kind of captain am I if I couldn’t even do that?!” He finally breaks, sobbing into Ace’s chest, barely able to hear his brothers murmuring into his ears. He vowed to become stronger, and stronger, and stronger, and yet here he is, having lost his crew. Did he learn nothing from losing Sabo?

…Almost losing Sabo.

That’s right! He frantically takes off his hat, digging around in it to find the precious piece of paper that Rayleigh had given them. He notices Ace and Sabo share a confused glance over his head, but ignores it as he finally locates the vivre card. He pulls it out, placing it on his palm.

Luffy impatiently wipes the lingering tears away as Ace and Sabo hover over the paper in Luffy’s palm, keeping reassuring arms around his shoulders. “Whose vivre card is this?” Sabo asks, eyeing the paper contemplatively.

“Rayleigh’s!” Luffy glares at the paper, willing it to immediately lead him to his crew. He needs to find them. He needs to.

Ace asks, “Does your entire crew have those?” Luffy nods distractedly, still staring at the paper.

Sabo hums, glancing around to where they have finally surfaced, now an hour away from the prison. Luffy barely glances up before returning his attention to the paper and asking distractedly, “What’s the best way to get to Sabaody?”

“Gurararara!” Luffy jerks his head up at the sound of a laugh, and sees Ace’s captain sitting to the side. “We can take you to Sabaody, brat.”

“Really?” This old guy is really nice! “Thanks, old man!”

Ace chokes next to him, and Luffy turns in concern (did he choke on something?) while silence reigns around them.

Sabo sighs, saying, “Luffy, you do know who this is, right?”

Of course, he does, he’s not stupid after all. “Of course! He’s Whitebeard, right?” Ace sighs next to him, and Sabo laughs. A thought then occurs to Luffy, and he jumps up, pointing at Ace’s captain.

“You want to be Pirate King, don’t you?! Well, I’m going to be Pirate King!” So there, Luffy thinks as he stares defiantly at Ace’s dad. Even though Ace really likes this old guy, Luffy still isn’t going to let him beat him!

“Gurararara! Cheeky brat, we’ll see about that.” The old man just looks amused, and aww, that’s not what Luffy was going for at all. He pouts as the entire crew bursts into laughter around them. He vaguely notices the prisoners that Buggy freed staring at him in shock and fear, and tilts his head in confusion. Why would they be afraid?

Ace sighs and drapes an arm around Luffy’s shoulders, saying, “Yeah, so, Pops, this is my idiot younger brother, Luffy.” Luffy beams before the words process in his head, and then he turns on his brother with a fierce scowl on his face.

“I’m not an idiot!” He could definitely beat that old man, anyway! Well, maybe not yet, he thinks as he glances at the captain, who has just started to laugh again. He looks pretty strong.

“Luffy, you just broke into the strongest prison in the world, without your crew, and challenged the strongest man in the world within 24 hours. I’m pretty sure that constitutes being a pretty big dumbass.”

Before Luffy can respond, someone in the crowd that is still watching shouts, “And punched one of the Celestial Dragons!”

Both Ace and Sabo whirl on Luffy, and Ace shouts, “You punched a Celestial Dragon?!” Luffy nods vigorously. He tried to buy Camie, he shot Hachi; of course, he was going to attack him!

Ace groans while Sabo slaps a hand to his face, saying, “I heard about some idiot punching a Celestial Dragon, but I was so busy with meetings that I missed that it was my idiot doing it.”

“Sabo,” Ace starts, turning towards him. “Isn’t it kind of your entire job to punch Celestial Dragons?”

Sabo sighs exasperatedly. “Yes, and I’m proud of you, Luffy, I really am, but we always have a plan to get out, at least! Though, I haven’t actually punched any Celestial Dragons before,” he mutters at the end, and Ace, a mischievous smile on his face, cuts in.

“So, Luffy’s doing your job better than you, huh?” 

Sabo spins on his heel to face Ace, snapping, “No, he isn’t, we’re just...lying in wait!”

“Wait, does that mean I’m winning, then?” Luffy asks, and both Ace and Sabo round on him, Ace contrasting Sabo’s fierce scowl with a wide grin. 

Ace says, elbowing Sabo and smirking at him, “I think you are, Luffy.”

“He has a point, Sabo!” Luffy glances over and laughs as he sees Sabo’s friends leaning against the railing, the one who had punched Sabo when reuniting in Impel Down smirking at Sabo. The not-Sabo-puncher laughs, and Sabo pouts at them.

He says petulantly, “You’re just saying that to mess with me, Marina.”

The two redheads share a look, shrug, and give Sabo identical cat-like grins. “Maybe so,” Marina says.

Ace snickers, throwing an arm carelessly over Sabo’s shoulder. “Guess you’re outvoted, huh?” Ace says, and Luffy laughs as Sabo snaps, tackling Ace and sending them rolling all over the floor. Luffy gleefully throws himself on top of his brothers, grinning.

(Luffy missed this.)

Unfortunately, their fun comes to an end when Pineapple-head grabs him and Ace by the collars of their shirts, giving them an unimpressed stare as he lifts them in front of him. “You guys done yet, yoi?” Luffy pouts, but nods, recognizing that stare (Nami always uses it when she wants him to stop - he knows to stop when he sees that). 

Ace opens his mouth, undoubtedly about to shoot out a petulant response, but at his friend’s pointed stare to the destruction around them (including food, oops), reluctantly nods. Pineapple-head, satisfied, drops them and walks back to his captain’s side.

Sabo picks himself off of the ground, straightening his napkin and saying, “My point was that I don’t punch Celestial Dragons right next to Marine Headquarters, Luffy!”  Luffy frowns briefly at the reminder that the punch ultimately was what caused his crew to become separated, but then perks up again at the reminder of what Ace’s captain had said.

(“You don’t punch Celestial Dragons at all,” Ace mutters under his breath.

Sabo elbows him. Hard. Ace yelps, and retaliates with a kick to the shin. Luffy laughs as his brothers continue subtly fighting, the familiarity filling him with warmth and making him grin brightly.)

He turns towards Ace’s dad, asking, “Old Man, you said you could take me to Sabaody?” Whitebeard lets out a rumbling laugh and nods, and Luffy jumps for joy. He can see his crew again. He’ll be able to see them soon, and he has his brothers with him!

The ringing of the transponder snail interrupts his celebration, and he listens curiously as Pineapple-Head picks up the snail. A lazy half-smirk makes its way onto the snail’s face, and a familiar voice rings out, causing Luffy to perk up.

“Hi, Newgate.”

Whitebeard lets out a rumbling laugh and says, “Well, hello there, Rayleigh. It’s been a while.”

Luffy dons a wide grin as everyone around him, including his brothers, shout, “THE DARK KING?!”

Buggy bursts out from the side, where he had been hiding from the pirates and rallying his prison-cult, and yells, “RAYLEIGH-SAN?!”

Luffy, at the same time, says brightly, “Old Man Rayleigh!” The pandemonium stops, and his brothers turn towards him with gobsmacked expressions on their faces.

“…Luffy, I can’t believe I didn’t question this earlier - how do you know the Dark King?” Sabo stares at Luffy as he asks that, and Ace’s facepalming next to him, though Luffy has no idea why.

“I met him at Sabaody!” He turns towards where Ace’s Pops is holding the snail and watching them with a grin on his face.

Ace spins on his heel towards his dad and says, “Wait, Pops, how the hell does the Dark King have your transponder snail number?” Oh yeah, that is a good question. Luffy looks expectantly at Ace’s dad, waiting for an answer.

The old man smirks, and a guffaw comes from the snail, as well as a few members of his crew (including the cool diamond dude!). Ace’s Pineapple friend, to the side of him, lets out an audible groan and slaps a hand to his forehead. “Please don’t tell them,” he pleads, and Buggy lets out a whine.

“Wait, no, stop, you can’t tell them!” Whitebeard just lets out another laugh before speaking.

“Well,” he begins with a smirk, “You see, son, when our and Roger’s rivalry was at its height, Marco here and Shanks and Buggy, two brats from Roger’s crew, were babies.”

Marco (nah, he likes Pineapple-head better – it sounds better) turns on his heel to glare at him. “I was not a baby, yoi! I was a teenager!” Buggy glares from the side, and Luffy’s surprised to see him not flinch when Whitebeard glances at him.

He waves a hand dismissively. “That’s basically the same thing. Anyway-” Pineapple-head sighs and Buggy lets out a scream in frustration and stalks away, which causes Luffy to let out a laugh and Ace and his crew to snicker at him, “-Rayleigh and I decided we each needed someone to talk to about the shenanigans of Marco and Roger’s brats.”

“Shishishishi!” Luffy laughs as Ace almost collapses on the ground laughing, clinging onto Sabo, who’s barely stopping himself from collapsing from laughter as well.

Ace manages to reign himself in slightly and gasps out, still clinging to Sabo, “So-” he hiccups on another laugh. “So, you were calling to complain? About Marco?” Pineapple-Head lets out another groan as everyone lets out another wave of laughter.

Ace’s Pops nods with a broad grin, and says, “Let’s just say Marco wasn’t always this good with his devil fruit. As in, I still have scars from him clinging onto me so he wouldn’t fall into the sea.”

The ship erupts into teasing and laughter once again. Luffy overhears a mumble of, “My reputation…it’s ruined…” from Pineapple-head and bursts out into laughter again. Buggy’s continued screaming in frustration is just the icing on the cake for Luffy.

(Someone crows, “He had to deal with Marco’s puberty! No wonder he needed to complain!” Everyone in the area laughs even harder.)

Luffy then remembers something Ace’s Pops had mentioned in an aside and bursts out, “Wait, did you say Shanks?” Luffy gets a short nod in return and a guffaw from Rayleigh and laughs in delight. Shanks’d been on Roger’s crew, Luffy knows, but he didn’t know he was a kid then! And Buggy, too! This is hilarious!

Sabo steps forward with a broad grin and says, “Wait, Whitebeard-san, why was it you and Rayleigh and not you and Roger?” Ace’s laughter dims a little at the mention of his birth father and everyone quiets a little bit in their laughter to hear the answer.

The snail just gives Sabo a deadpan stare as Ace’s dad lets out another loud guffaw. “Roger was basically a child himself; I called more times to complain about him than I did to complain about the brats.”

And everyone on the ship loses their shit again.

It takes a few moments for everyone to regain their composure, and once it’s relatively quiet again Ace’s dad turns back to the snail and says, “As enjoyable as this conversation has been, what was the real reason you called, Rayleigh?”

“Ah, yes,” Rayleigh responds, as if he had forgotten. Luffy perks up in excitement as Rayleigh asks his question, a smirk on his face.

“Do you mind if I pay a little visit, Newgate?”

----------------------------------------------------------------

“Shit.”

Sengoku finds himself fully agreeing with Garp’s assessment of the state they arrived to find Impel Down in.

It’s an utter massacre.

Bodies and broken parts of battleships litter the waters surrounding the dock and the dock itself, the silence surrounding the prison not boding well for the survival of those inside or outside the prison. There is no sign of movement or life within the prison, and Sengoku sighs as the implications of that sink in.

There is no sign of the Whitebeard Pirates; there is no sign that any sort of resistance to the pirates had succeeded. The chances of the devil children still being here are looking very low.

They press on to Level One, and see a complete absence of prisoners, and guards again cover the surface. Sengoku growls. Those bastards orchestrated a mass break, and the world is going to suffer for it. He can only hope the other levels are not similarly barren.

(If prisoners like Sir Crocodile and Douglas Bullet escaped, the world would devolve into chaos and destruction unlike anything seen since the start of the Great Pirate Age.)

The troops behind him start checking the bodies for survivors, and Garp sighs next to him as he surveys the carnage. Sengoku side-eyes him, and Garp is looking more desolate than he has looked since the news of the breakout reached them.

(Sengoku doesn’t want to accept it, but he knows that Garp was pleased that Whitebeard attacked Impel Down. He was pleased that one of the World Government strongholds was being attacked and that his grandsons could be saved.

He is pleased that they were saved.

Sengoku hates that he can’t quite bring himself to blame him.)

Sengoku shakes himself from his thoughts. Those things don’t matter right now. What matters is the complete lack of prisoners surrounding them as they pass through Level 2 and the fire markings they can see lining the staircase down to Level 3. The confirmation that Fire Fist indeed escaped causes a bone-deep weariness to seep into Sengoku. He shares a grim look with Garp, the implications of this event sinking in.

It is without a doubt one of the darkest days in the history of the Marines.

The world is never going to be the same.

----------------------------------------------------------------

A few hours after Rayleigh’s call (Ace still doesn’t know what that was all about), a shout rings down from the crow’s nest.

“The other Mobys are surfacing!”

A crowd of Ace’s crewmates rush to the railings, shouting down joyfully as the rest of the crew surfaces around them. They’d been absent at Impel Down – one ship full of crewmates was plenty, evidently – and now are here to assist with repairs (though limited, they’re still necessary). They’re also to provide cover in case the Marines manage to catch up to them.

The four ships surface with a vengeance, showering the original Moby Dick with water and plunging it into shade for a short moment. Sabo comes to stand next to Ace at the railings, bumping shoulders with him as they both watch as the water settles.

“Your old crew is on one of these ships, right?” Ace nods jerkily, drumming his fingers against the railing in slight nervousness as he watches gangplanks connect the ships to the main one. He knows his crew likely will forgive him for leaving, but that doesn’t stop him from worrying.

(Plus, his crew is scary while angry. And he has no doubt that this particular stunt will have them more angry than ever before.)

Still, Ace can’t prevent excitement from flooding his veins as he sees the familiar blue hair, skull mask, and polka-dotted figure, among others drop down onto the deck in front of Ace.

He missed them. Three months was far too long.

Sabo squeezes his shoulder, offering a last bit of reassurance before rejoining their younger brother at the table – which somehow still has food. Ace honestly has no clue how.

He is quickly distracted, though, as a familiar masked whirlwind of a man stalks up to him, blue hair trailing behind him. A fierce glower settles on Ace, and he braces himself for the punch he knows is coming.

“You absolute dumbass!”

True to form, Deuce immediately punches Ace on the top of the head, and Ace whines as pain erupts, gripping it and pouting at his best friend. Just as quickly as Deuce punched him, though, he brings Ace into a tight hug – almost painful as Deuce clings onto him, fingers digging into his back.

Ace wraps his arms around his first friend outside of his brothers, gripping him back tightly.

Fuck, he had missed him.

Deuce continues, managing to sound both relieved and completely pissed off, “First you run off on a suicide mission while we’re away on a different mission, then you disappear off the radar for three months, and then, when we finally know where the fuck you are, it’s because of your fucking execution being scheduled?! What the fuck, Ace?!”

Ace looks down at the ground behind Deuce in shame, but says petulantly, “It’s not like I meant to get captured.” Deuce releases him and crosses his arms, leveling an unimpressed stare on him as the rest of Ace’s first family-away-from-home gathers, each looking more severe than the last.

Ace finally says, looking up at them hesitantly, “I’m sorry?” His old crew lets out an exasperated sigh as one, and Banshee steps forward, knocking Ace in the temples and giving him a firm stare.

“Dumbass or not, we’re glad you’re safe, Captain.” The old epithet causes a knot to form in Ace’s throat, and he swallows thickly as he takes in the soft smiles on each of his old crewmates’ faces.

He grins shakily, and says, “Thank you guys.” I missed you, he doesn’t say, but from the looks on his family’s faces, they heard it, loud and clear.

The fondness shining in their eyes as they look upon him say, we missed you too. 

A small commotion sounds in back, and multiple of the old Spades snort, glancing over their shoulders. 

“This one in particular really missed you,” Skull says amusedly, and confusion rises in Ace before a distressed mrow rings out, and joy floods Ace as a wide grin forms on his face.

“Kotatsu!” Ace opens his arms as Kotatsu bursts through the crowd, yanking himself away from the crewmate that must have been holding him back from launching himself at Ace this whole time. He’s not stopped this time, and Ace laughs even as the wind is knocked out of him, falling to the ground. The purring lynx crushes his chest, and is intent on rubbing his face against his as hard as he can.

Ace laughs again, rubbing Kotatsu’s face with both of his hands and saying joyfully, “Hey, Buddy! How’ve you been?” Deuce comes over, crouching down next to Ace and giving Kotatsu a fond pat on the head. 

Mihar, coming on the other side of Ace, says dryly, “Driving us crazy because you weren’t there, but pretty good, all things considered.” Ace laughs brightly, sitting up and causing Kotatsu to fall onto his lap (which gains him a disgruntled mrow that only serves to make Ace laugh).

“Were you driving them nuts because you missed me?” Ace asks, a stupidly happy grin on his face as he scratches under Kotatsu’s chin. Kotatsu, shockingly enough, doesn’t give a verbal response, simply purring and shoving his face closer to Ace’s hand, chasing the pleasant warmth and scratches.

“More like ‘kept us all up way too late because he wanted his sleeping buddy,’” Deuce grumbles, but Ace knows how to read his best friend, and the slight upturn of lips belies his fondness as he looks upon Kotatsu.

Ace chuckles, rubbing the top of Kotatsu’s head as he settles against Ace, content to fall asleep against him as they sit on the deck. “Sorry for the trouble,” Ace says out of habit, but the grin that he can’t seem to take off of his face (not that he really wants to) betrays his joy at hearing that. Deuce sighs exasperatedly, but he breaks out into a grin as Kotatsu lets out a tired mrow, settling fully into Ace and closing his eyes.

Deuce then raises his head slightly, and, seeing the pure fondness shining in Deuce’s eyes as they meet his, Ace knows he is forgiven. Still, the slight narrowing of his eyes sends a clear message to Ace.

If you’re that stupid with your life again, I’ll kill you.

Ace grins at Deuce. I know. I won’t be that stupid again.

Deuce nods in satisfaction, turning away slightly before stopping still in his tracks. Seeming to have had an a-ha! moment, Deuce turns back towards Ace, pointing at him as he exclaims what Ace is now thinking seems to be the question of the century.

“Also, what the hell is this about a twin?!”

Chapter Text

“Permission to come aboard?”

Whitebeard rumbles out, “Permission granted.” Surprisingly, it’d only taken four hours for Rayleigh to arrive after his call, but Whitebeard supposes he shouldn’t be surprised. Rayleigh’s always been terrifyingly capable.

(Though, really, getting from Sabaody to where they are, a day’s sailing from Impel Down, shouldn’t be possible. Maybe Rayleigh was already out, for whatever reason?

…Whatever. He doesn’t really care.)

“Old Man Rayleigh!”

The dark king hoists himself over the railing of the Moby Dick, smiling as he sets foot on the deck of the ship. Whitebeard looks at him contemplatively. The former first mate of the Pirate King hadn’t been very forthcoming on his reasons for visiting, and the fact that Straw Hat had greeted him with such familiarity only makes his interest grow.

Straw Hat has a wide grin on his face as Rayleigh greets him, saying, “Hello, Luffy. It’s nice to see you again.” 

“Shishishishi! You too, old man!”

Rayleigh shakes his head fondly and sends Whitebeard a smile, to which he responds with a grumbling laugh and another swig of his beer.

(He swishes the container and sighs discontentedly. He’s almost out, dammit.)

Ever since the battle at Impel Down, even though he barely had to strain himself, his children (especially Marco) had been incessantly preventing him from having more than two jugs of beer a day. How is that fair?

At least I have interesting things to focus on, he thinks as he watches Rayleigh greet Ace and his twin, Ace managing to hide his disdain for anything related to Roger somewhat well. 

Whitebeard can tell that Rayleigh has noticed his dislike, though.

Not that he cares, Whitebeard notes with a snort, given Rayleigh’s slight smile and badly-hidden fondness as he looks at Ace. Recognition sparks in his eyes, and Whitebeard simply shakes his head. He’s not surprised Rayleigh was able to figure out who Ace is – he looks just like Rouge.

Rayleigh leads the brats towards where Whitebeard’s sitting, grabbing a seat at one of the tables. Ace and his brothers settle there as well, and Rayleigh leans forward, resting his head on his linked hands and addressing Straw Hat.

“Now that you’ve rescued Ace,” Rayleigh starts, “What are you planning on doing now?”

Straw Hat beams, bringing out a vivre card. It starts nudging its way in the direction that Whitebeard knows Sabaody is in. “I want to reunite with my crew!”

Luffy then pauses, frowning at the paper for a moment before looking up at Rayleigh again. “Wait, if you’re here, how is my crew supposed to find their way to Sabaody?”

Rayleigh waves a hand, assuaging his worries by saying, “I gave my vivre card to Shakky so I could move freely.” Straw Hat instantly brightens, nodding in acceptance before stowing the vivre card away. “Anyway, so you do want to return immediately to Sabaody.”

Luffy nods, and Whitebeard frowns in thought. From what he knows of the incident that caused their crew to be separated, Straw Hat had punched a Celestial Dragon, and then an admiral had come and nearly wiped them out. He doesn’t know how they escaped, but given that the newspapers had mentioned Kuma being there, Whitebeard assumes it’s probably related to his ability.

If they reunite immediately, the same thing could happen. Whitebeard frowns deeper, looking at Luffy contemplatively. Ace and Sabo are also eyeing their brother thoughtfully, and Whitebeard can tell they’re thinking the same thing he is.

Straw Hat is not New World ready. He’s strong, yes, Whitebeard can tell that much, but he hasn’t even awakened his Haki yet. He, and the rest of his crew, needs more training. They won’t survive long if they go to the New World as they are now.

Rayleigh voices all of their thoughts, saying, “Are you sure that’s a good idea?” He reminds Straw Hat of what happened, and Whitebeard can see worry set into his expression, haunted by his loss. Rayleigh continues, “I have a suggestion. Whether you accept it or not is, of course, entirely up to you.”

Ace and Sabo look to their brother in worry, but all Straw Hat does is close his eyes, reopening them, a fierce determination in them. Whitebeard raises his respect for the brat a couple more notches in his mind as he says firmly, “I never want that to happen again.”

He leans forward towards Rayleigh, demanding, “What should I do?” Rayleigh grins and Whitebeard smirks, recognizing that look.

(He remembers the last time he saw that look. Roger’s wide grin as he reveals what his last act will be isn’t easy to forget, after all.)

Rayleigh has a plan.

----------------------------------------------------------------

The atmosphere surrounding Marineford is…uncomfortable, to say the least.

Coby shudders slightly at the anger encompassing Marineford, officers storming around and collecting their troops to depart. They had only announced that the war’s cancelled hours ago, and the anger has only grown since that announcement – the announcement that Impel Down had failed.

All of the most powerful officers have already departed, taking their soldiers and anger with them.

The Whitebeard Pirates and Luffy had succeeded in breaking out Fire Fist Ace and Revolutionary Sabo from the great prison, and Coby had never seen his mentor more conflicted as Garp did when he arrived back at Marineford after surveying the prison. By all accounts, it was a loss larger and more devastating than anything the World Government has faced since the Great Pirate Age began.

Coby supposes that he should be upset about this loss, but he can’t bring himself to be.

(Garp had mentioned in an aside one day that Luffy has two brothers (one thought long dead), and that one of them was Fire Fist Ace. Now, having seen Garp’s somber face hiding pure relief when he arrived back after surveying Impel Down, Coby realizes just how hard this whole situation must have been for him.

He’s glad his mentor didn’t have to suffer the loss of his family.

Coby doesn’t want to imagine how broken Garp would have been, had the execution been successful.)

He shakes those thoughts from his head. They succeeded. That’s all that matters.

He determinedly ignores the fact that those thoughts are essentially treason.

Coby then tries to hide a giddy smile as he walks along the courtyard. Luffy-san’s gotten so strong! He thinks ecstatically. Memories of pain, of fear, of being chained flash through his mind – and he remembers the man who had ripped all that away and renewed his dream. Seeing his hero’s growth makes Coby so excited.

He has to get stronger so that he can stand beside Luffy and fight him as an equal one day.

He’s grinning at the thought when a shout echoes throughout the courtyard that causes everyone to stop what they’re doing and gape at the shouter.

“INTRUDERS! It’s the Dark King, Marco the Phoenix, and the Traitor, Jinbe, as well as Straw Hat Luffy, Fire Fist Ace, and Revolutionary Sabo!”

Shouts start echoing around the plaza, and Coby freezes. What the hell is a group like that doing at Marineford?! Coby thinks frantically as he runs towards where the commotion is coming from. The latter three had just broken out of Impel Down a few days ago, and now they’re here? Coby can’t make sense of it.

Well, Coby thinks absently, finally seeing them and staring at the six outlaws, Luffy’s the most chaotic person I know, and his brothers can’t be any better, so breaking into Marineford really shouldn’t surprise me.

What does surprise Coby, however, is the fact that the pirates (and revolutionary) aren’t holding any weapons (though Coby is well aware that all of them have no need for them). No, what they’re holding is something Coby can’t figure out what they’re going to do with.

They’re holding buckets and buckets of paint. Different colors, from what Coby can tell as he stares at the six that are just strolling casually through the streets of Marineford. Their nonchalant manners surprise Coby – they’re in Marine Headquarters!

(Then again, the Fleet Admiral and Admirals are gone, at a meeting with the Five Elder Stars (and probably getting screamed at). Garp’s gone to who-knows-where (Coby sure as hell doesn’t), so there’s another layer of defense gone. No one here stands a chance against five of the most powerful pirates on the Grand Line and one of the higher-ups of the Revolutionary Army.)

Coby startles as a hand comes down on his shoulder, but relaxes as the voice of his closest friend yells, voice squeaking at the end, “Straw Hat?!”

Luffy turns, and Coby smiles and blushes slightly when he beams and yells, “Coby!”

Coby waves sheepishly as everyone turns towards him, “Hi, Luffy-sa – Straw Hat!” He changes quickly as Helmeppo elbows him. He laughs sheepishly, thinking, yeah, letting everyone know I admire Luffy-san probably wouldn’t be the best idea.

Luffy’s companions turn, and Ace stares at Coby for a moment before turning a deadpan look on Luffy. “You’re friends with a marine, Luffy? Really?”

“Shishishishi! Of course! Coby’s really cool!” Coby blushes deeper as Luffy continues laughing. Helmeppo mutters complaints about why am I always ignored, huh? Coby just snickers at him and Helmeppo gives him a mulish look in response, which just makes Coby laugh harder.

Ace mutters, “Why am I not surprised?” and then continues in a louder tone of voice, “Luffy, you can catch up with your Marine friend another time, but we have shit to do.”

Mutters break out within the Marines, who had just been watching the conversation in awed fear. Reporters begin silently following the outlaws as they trek to the base of the main building, taking pictures all the while. Any soldier stupid enough to attack is quickly taken down, and soon the rest of the officers and soldiers remaining learn to stay away and just let them walk.

Coby stays to the side with Helmeppo and watches in confusion as the six stop at the base of Marineford. The stone walls stand tall above them, and the proud symbol of the Marines tells anyone who dared step there who’s truly in power.

Or, told, rather, Coby thinks in shock as he watches the three brothers share a huge grin, hoist the paint, and just…toss it onto the wall, covering the mark with sprays of red, blue, and yellow. There is complete silence before yells break out. Outrage overwhelms any common sense some of the officers may have, but Marco the Phoenix, Jinbe, and the Dark King step up with smirks on their faces, just daring anyone to attack.

(Coby has no intention of attacking (anyone who tries to attack that group is suicidal, to say the least, and the trembling of Helmeppo next to him betrays his agreement), but he still feels a chill run up his spine at the vindictive glee surrounding the pirates.)

Batting away a few soldiers, the Dark King calls over his shoulder, “Have fun, boys, but remember the one thing you must do!”

Luffy lets out a bright laugh and his brothers grin, yelling back, “Got it!”

For the next ten minutes, the three brothers gleefully paint the walls, leaving marks (Coby stifles a snicker at one depicting a middle finger,) and phrases, (Helmeppo groans as ‘Akainu is a whiny bitch!’ makes its way up there. “He’s going to blow the roof off this place when he sees that,” He groans. Coby hums in agreement, but can’t bring himself to be upset about that.

He’s always hated Akainu, anyway).

Reporters document them every step of the way, capturing every piece of graffiti they paint on as well as every laugh and smile shown by the culprits.

The brothers finally finish, and fight their way back to the bay with wide grins covering their faces. They’re aiming for the small ship they came in (how they came in as quickly and abruptly as they did, Coby has no idea).

Moments before the chaotic group will reach the bay, an incensed voice calls out, “FIRE FIST!” Ace spins on his heels, brow wrinkling in confusion before his face lights up.

“Isuka!” Ace calls out cheerfully, and Coby, becoming even more confused, watches as ‘Isuka’ pushes her way through the crowd. She looks absolutely furious, head practically steaming as she storms up to Ace, who just stands there, a grin on his face.

Ace asks excitedly, “How’ve you been?”

Isuka blinks, stopping in her tracks. “Oh, well enough, I suppose, work’s been boring other than the execution- wait, why am I just talking to you?!”

A fierce scowl appears on her face as she brings out her sword, and just starts…stabbing at Ace. She says, “How dare you let someone other than me capture you!”

Coby blinks.

That’s…not what he expected her to say.

Ace laughs, evidently completely at ease with a furious redhead screaming at him and stabbing at him, dancing around her attempts with ease. “I’ll be sure to give you the first shot next time,” Ace teases, and Isuka lets out a scream of frustration, glaring at him.

“What the hell do you mean, ‘next time’?” Isuka says exasperatedly. “I’m right here! I’m literally attacking you! I’m going to capture you!” Marco the Phoenix, Jinbe, and the Dark King stand there, looking utterly amused as Isuka continues ranting as if they’re not even there, still trying to stab Ace.

(Sabo and Luffy have already lost the battle against their laughter, barely keeping each other upright as they lose their shit in the background.)

Ace backs away, a shit-eating grin still on his face as he completely ignores Isuka’s declaration, ducking under a particularly vicious strike. “Well, it was nice seeing you!” He throws over his shoulder cheerfully, jumping back onto their ship. Isuka’s eyes narrow.

“Don’t you dare-”

She’s cut off by a sudden burst of flame from Ace, which sends their ship flying through the waters.

The only thing left behind is the echo of the brothers’ laughter.

Isuka stares blankly at where the ship had been. Coby cringes back slightly as her hands ball up into fists, and she aggressively stuffs her sword back into her sheath.

“Argh!” She throws her hands up in defeat and stalks away the same way she came.

Coby numbly watches her go, before turning slowly on his heel to share a bewildered look with his best friend.

…What a day.

As one, the marines turn towards Marineford, the silence devolving into mutters as everyone tries to figure out what the fuck just happened.

One message that they painted on, larger than any other and care taken to keep it uncovered by any other graffiti, baffles everyone. It dominates the stone, clearly the most important message left behind, though Coby can’t parse why.

“3D2Y?” Helmeppo mutters, staring at the wall as orders are yelled for the wall to get cleaned off. Coby doesn’t think it matters, though. The damage is already done – the reporters having already dashed off to write yet another story on the craziness that is Monkey D. Luffy and his friends and family. He hums, contemplating what the symbol could mean. A message, maybe? He voices that thought to Helmeppo, who nods in agreement.

Whatever it is, it sure has to be important for Luffy to risk coming to Marineford to publicize it. Coby grins, walking with a skip in his step towards the building. Helmeppo curses and jogs to keep up with him, but Coby is too happy to care.

He has reassurance that his friend is okay after that insanity from days ago.

And now, he needs to train.

He needs to be able to face the future Pirate King as an equal, after all.

----------------------------------------------------------------

“I can’t believe we just did that,” Ace laughs, climbing back onto the Moby Dick and grinning at his brothers. Messing with the Marines is always so much fun, and doing it right after breaking into Impel Down and as the admirals were probably getting scolded for letting them go free is such a satisfying feeling.

(Messing with Isuka had been fun, too. It’d been far too long since they saw each other.)

Sabo grins, climbing over after him. “Sengoku is going to be so mad,” he says gleefully, and Luffy laughs joyfully at their success in spreading chaos. The fact that they had had an important task to do hadn’t stopped them from having fun, though, and the happiness emanating from his brothers makes Ace grin uncontrollably.

Marco, Jinbe, and Rayleigh had fun too, he thinks as he glances over at the two. He can tell from the lazy smile on Marco’s face, Jinbe’s chuckles, and Rayleigh’s smirk hasn’t left his face since he first suggested graffitiing Marineford. A rumbling laugh greets them, and he turns and grins at his father.

Whitebeard chuckles and toasts them, saying, “Have fun?” Ace nods, and Rayleigh laughs and moves to grab some booze from where it’s sitting out next to Whitebeard.

A flock of news coos flies over them, and one swoops down at a call from Vista to drop a newspaper in his hands. He scans it briefly before cursing, and apprehension knots in Ace’s stomach as Vista runs over and yells, “Pops, Ace, you’ve got to see this!”

Whitebeard grabs the newspaper and shakes it open, and a small frown crosses his face as he reads the headline. “They’ve finally published the news about the break-out,” he mumbles, reading the article. The break-out being publicized shouldn’t draw this reaction from his father, and Ace frowns, walking up to peer at the paper over Whitebeard’s arm.

Rayleigh gets there a second before him, and his eyes widen, a startled, “Shit,” escaping as he reads the headline. Luffy and Sabo turn at that sound, and Marco has already reached Ace’s side, reading the article at the same time Ace does.

Ace freezes, stomach dropping as he reads those fucking words, barely noticing Marco’s sharp intake of breath upon reading it. No, he thinks frantically, no, no, no, not this! He scrambles back, and Sabo steadies him, murmuring in his ear, “What’s wrong?”

Ace points shakily at the paper, not trusting his voice to say the words without choking over them. He buries his head in his hands as the rest of the crew finally notices that something’s going on and comes over.

“What is it, Pops? Ace?” Izo looks concernedly at Ace, who glances up briefly at his brother before hiding his face again.

Smirks, cruel and mocking, flash through his brain.

“‘What if Gold Roger had a kid?’ Off with his head, I say!”

“What say we shove a needle in that kid for every person who hates Roger?”

“Let’s burn him at the stake! Right before he dies, the whole world will laugh! Everyone is sure to say, ‘Serves you right!’”

“I want his last words to be, ‘Sorry for being born the trash that I am.’”

Nothing but loathing has come from his blood – nothing but cruelty, and dismissal, and pure, undying hatred.

They’re going to hate me, they’re going to hate me, they’re going to-

He sees Whitebeard glance at him briefly out of the corner of his eyes before he recites the headline that will ruin Ace’s life as he knows it.

That will ruin his relationship with his family and everything he holds dear.

“Sons of Gol D. Roger saved! Whitebeard and Straw Hat Luffy’s breakout attempt successful!”

Everyone on deck freezes, turning and staring at Ace. Sabo, at Ace’s side, places a hand on his shoulder, causing Ace to look up briefly at him. Sabo is glaring at the crew and revolutionaries present, as if daring them to say anything bad about him. Ace shudders lightly, looking back down and wrapping his arms around himself, as if that would protect him from the judgement that’s sure to come.

Bracing himself as everyone opens their mouths, Ace closes his eyes and awaits his fate.

“WHAT?!”

----------------------------------------------------------------

“WHAT?!”

Garp laughs as Sengoku rages, clutching the newspaper tight enough to make it rip. Sengoku is breathing heavily, eyes focused on the article, steaming from all the pent-up rage the meeting with the Five Elder Stars had left him with.

Sengoku jerks his head towards Garp, and Garp shuts up, knowing this is one of the times where he should not push his friend. Sengoku closes his eyes, taking in a deep breath before letting it out slowly. He opens his eyes and glares at Garp, who gulps around the sudden fear in his throat, even though he knows Sengoku won’t hurt him.

“How…the fuck…did MORGANS FIND OUT ABOUT THIS?!” He finally bursts out, slamming his hands on the desk. Garp idly wonders how the desk doesn’t break under the stress as Sengoku sits down, bashing his head against the table. “First he reveals that the escapees were the sons of Gold Roger, and then he publishes that it’s actually Gol D. Roger? And speculates about a conspiracy around the D. initial? How in the fuck did he find out about all this shit?”

Garp wisely, in his opinion, decides not to point out that he had yelled about all that a couple days ago, and that it would have been easy for someone to overhear.

He doesn’t want to be killed today, thank you very much.

(Garp laughs, but he clenches his fists tightly, stomach twisting in worry.

His grandson has always hated his family name – hated who he was born to be in the eyes of the world.

He hopes this twist won’t make him hate himself yet again.)

“I’m done,” Sengoku suddenly grouses, face still plastered to the wood of his desk, ripping Garp from his needless worries.

(The other two brats are there, as well as Ace’s crew. Ace will be fine.

Ace is loved.

He’ll just need to be made to remember that.)

Garp hums for him to continue, grabbing some more rice crackers from the bag he’s holding. 

Sengoku grumbles, “Aokiji or Akainu or whoever can deal with this shit. I’m retiring.”

“Bwahahahahaha! Fair enough!” Garp has been thinking about retiring anyway, and now is as good a time as ever. Almost losing all three of his grandsons to the government has taken its toll on his loyalty to the Corps, anyway. He can always train the new generation (and hopefully make for a better government than the one they have now).

He’s done plenty to help the Marines, anyway.

(Probably too much, if he’s being honest with himself.)

He’s done trying to hurt his family for the sake of a Justice that isn’t just at all.

----------------------------------------------------------------

“The paper’s here!”

Dadan launches herself from the bar seat that she’s been perched on for as much as the past few days as possible, ripping the newspaper from the startled villager’s hands. Her family has been waiting in Makino’s bar for the news they know is coming – getting more and more anxious as days passed with no news of a break-out or execution. Only speculation, getting more and more wild as time went on.

(She knows the chances are slim that her boys would all be okay – it’s Impel Down, the impenetrable prison; the gaol that no one can escape from. It’s Marineford, the undefeatable, unbreakable, unstoppable core of the Marines.

Only one has escaped from Impel Down, and no one has escaped being condemned to execution at Marineford.

That doesn’t stop her from hoping.)

Makino grips onto her arm as Dadan reads the headline, and she collapses back into the bar, relief flooding her as she announces, “Sons of Gol D. Roger saved! Whitebeard and Straw Hat Luffy’s breakout attempt successful!” Makino falls against her in relief, lips turned up into a bright smile.

They did it, Dadan thinks joyfully, relieved tears trailing down her cheeks as she reads the article. They actually did it!

Muttering erupts around her, and she frowns as she takes in the shock that is suddenly suffocating the room. One villager says shakily, “Did you say…the sons of Gol D. Roger?”

Huh. The article did say that, didn’t it.

Dadan glares at him, saying gruffly, “Yeah, so what?” She stares into the suddenly-terrified villager’s eyes, daring him to say anything bad about her boys because of their birth. Just because Ace and Sabo had been born to the former Pirate King doesn’t mean they’re the devils, and she will not stand for anyone implying otherwise.

…Wait a second.

Two devil children?

“It says Sabo is Ace’s biological brother?” Makino says in shock beside her, echoing Dadan’s thoughts as Makino takes the newspaper from Dadan’s slack hands, quickly scanning the rest of the article. “How could they have come to that conclusion?!”

A thought occurs to Dadan, and she turns a deadpan stare on Makino, who meets her eyes with an identical look as they say in sync, “Garp.”

Of course, Garp would do something like this. That’s probably the only reason Sabo was hunted and captured. Which means, Dadan deducts, Sabo was probably captured willingly.

She pauses, taking in that thought before thinking numbly, my boys are absolutely insane.

She is so proud of them.

“A toast!” Dadan grins wildly, lifting her drink as everyone turns to face her. “All our boys are alive, and they’re free! Who cares who their parents are, what matters is they’re all children of Dawn Island, right?”

Grins erupt on the faces of her bandit family, and soon, everyone’s sucked into the happy atmosphere. She laughs, wild and free, as cheers ring out, signaling the start of what will be the biggest party seen in the Party Bar. She continues as drinks start flowing, Makino smiling brightly and serving to everyone, whether they be villager or bandit.

“A toast to the most batshit-insane trio of brothers the world has ever seen!”

----------------------------------------------------------------

Sabo sighs, stepping up next to his brother and bumping shoulders with him as everyone around them freaks out. Ace’s crew and his revolutionary squad had calmed down somewhat quickly – good for them, because he’s about ready to slap anybody who screams about Ace and him being the “sons of the devil” one more time. He can see his brother getting more and more withdrawn as the ex-prisoners continue screaming, his worst fears realized.

The yelling intensifies as time goes on.

Sabo is really ready to punch someone.

Luckily for those people, Luffy looks up from where he is chewing on some meat he found somewhere, and says, “What does it matter that Ace is Roger’s son?”

Sabo relaxes slightly, and he sees out of the corner of his eyes Whitebeard looking at Luffy in approval. Marco steps up and smirks, “Yeah, what does it matter?” Ace looks up at him in wonder, and Sabo feels yet another spike of hatred for those who instilled in him for so long that he’s the devil; that he’s worthless.

Ace says haltingly, “You…you guys don’t hate me?” The pure awe in Ace’s voice hurts to listen to, but Sabo can’t hide a smile at the responses to that stupid, stupid question.

Izo speaks up, saying, “You’re our brother, Ace.”

“We’re all children of the sea, and we’d never hate you for someone who has nothing to do with you!” Haruta pipes up, and a chorus of agreements echo from the crew. Sabo smiles at the tentative happiness that is starting to shine on Ace’s face. More and more encouragement floods from Ace’s crew, and he finally stands, wiping his eyes and smiling tearfully at his family.

Sabo slaps his back, smirking at him. “Plus,” he says mischievously, “It’s not like you’re the only one.”

Ace jerks his head around, bursting out, “Wait, Sabo, but-”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Sabo interrupts, grinning at the dawning realization and outrage forming on Ace’s face. “It says, quite clearly, the two sons of Gol D. Roger saved. It even mentions me by name later!”

(Also, how the hell did they find out it was Gol D. instead of Gold? Sabo remembers Ace telling him his real name, but also confessing that Garp had mentioned it being kept secret for some reason.

He shrugs. It doesn’t really matter, anyway.)

Shaking himself from his thoughts, Sabo grins at Ace’s face. That gaping-mouth look is really a good look on him, the idiot, Sabo muses and laughs as Ace continues to look at him in shock. He continues, “Oh, I bet I’ll get the moniker ‘Gol D. Sabo’ too! Not as cool as yours will be, of course, but I’m sure I’ll make it work.”

Ace’s face darkens at the reminder that his wanted poster moniker will almost certainly change now that his parentage has been revealed, but then brightens slightly as he realizes what Sabo is implying.

“You mean…” Ace trails off hopefully, and Sabo’s smirk softens into a smile and he nods.

Like hell Sabo would allow Ace to carry this burden alone if he has the choice, and he does.

He makes a mental note to tell absolutely everyone on this ship and in the Revolutionary Army not to let it slip that he and Ace aren’t biologically related.

Ace will never have to carry this burden alone, Sabo decides as Luffy, laughing, jumps on the both of them, causing both of them to balk under the weight. Sabo smiles as Ace loses the rest of his gloominess, surrounded by the love of his brothers.

Sabo knows Ace could never hate what he’s called if Sabo is called the same. Ace loves us too much for that, he thinks fondly as his brothers start wrestling over a piece of meat that Ace had grabbed from the food table and Luffy had decided he wanted.

Listening to his twin’s fake-annoyed grumbles and Luffy’s laughter, Sabo smiles.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Purupuruprurpuru. Purupurupurupuru.

Dragon stirs from where he’s slumped over his desk, blinking his eyes open and staring blearily at the ringing Transponder Snail. His eyelids are heavy, so heavy, worry and exhaustion both weighing him down.

He’s been waiting for days for any word on the Impel Down break-out. He’s put on a confident front – he can’t worry his subordinates with his concerns, after all – but secretly, he’s worried.

Not for the first time, he curses that it takes so much longer for newspapers to get to Baltigo, and that the Impel Down team sucks at communicating.

(Well, Koala and Hack are normally good about it. Hopefully, it’s excitement about getting Sabo and their comrades free that’s stalling it.

He doesn’t know if he could handle the worst-case scenario.)

(Waiting. The waiting is always the worst part. Not knowing whether a mission was successful and celebrations are needed or if they lost people and will need funerals – it’s a nightmare.)

The meaning of the ringing finally permeates his exhausted brain, and Dragon sits up, jerking a hand to the Transponder Snail and picking it up. “Dragon speaking,” he says, cringing slightly at the raspiness of his voice.

A familiar cutting grin forms on the transponder’s face, and Dragon sinks back in his chair in relief as Sabo’s familiar voice comes through. “Hey, Dragon-san.”

“Sabo.” Try as he might, he can’t keep the relief from his tone as he says, “I’m assuming this call means the mission got off without a hitch?”

Sabo snorts, saying, “For the most part, yeah, other than our dumbass of a little brother breaking in and giving us heart attacks.” Dragon sighs, a grin tugging at his lips at the faint complaint from who must be Luffy that comes through in response to that.

“I’m glad. Are the rest there with you?”

“We’re here, Dragon-san!” Marina’s voice pipes up. “Me, Iva-san, Koala, and Hack are all here.”

Dragon relaxes at the confirmation that all of his comrades are safe. “Good to hear. Anything interesting you need to share?”

“Nothing much – other than Luffy revealing something completely absurd,” Marina says exasperatedly.

“Oh, yeah.” Sabo says offhandedly, though Dragon thinks he can hear a hint of tightness threading its way through his voice. “I’m going to punch you for abandoning Luffy, by the way,” Dragon freezes before chuckling.

“So you did find out about that, huh?”

“Oh, yeah, Dragon, I have a bone to pick with you! How could you never tell me you have a son?!” Ivankov’s annoyed voice comes through, and Dragon can just imagine the annoyance that must be twisting his friend’s face.

“You never asked.”

A scream of frustration from Ivankov. Dragon snickers at the indignant, “How was I supposed to ask when you never even hinted at it?!”

“Wait-” Koala interjects. A pause. “Your son?!”

Sabo laughs suddenly. “Oh, yeah, I never told you, did I?” Sabo’s voice is filled with mirth as he says, “Yeah, Luffy’s Dragon-san’s son.”

There’s silence from the other end for a moment, and then a furious, “What?!” comes through, much to Dragon’s amusement.

He should reveal personal secrets more often. This is fun.

Sabo suddenly lets out a sound oddly reminiscent of someone choking on too-hot food, and says, “Wait. Wait. Dragon-san, does that mean Garp did his whole ‘Fist of Love’ thing with you, too?”

“Sabo,” Dragon says with utmost seriousness. “I have refused to remember that time of my life for decades now. I do not plan on stopping now.”

There is silence for a moment, and then Sabo proceeds to bust a lung laughing. “The mental image!” Sabo chokes out through his laughs, and Dragon can’t even be mad at Sabo’s reaction.

“Oh, is that Sabo’s dad?” A bright, happy voice interjects, and Dragon’s surprised at how intense the surge of fondness he feels at the sound of his son’s voice is. “Hi, Sabo’s dad!”

Wait.

He just called Dragon Sabo’s dad.

…What?

Silence. Then, an embarrassed, “Luffy, you do know he’s your dad too, right?”

Sabo’s not denying that he’s called Dragon his dad.

Dragon, for the first time in years, flushes, overwhelming fondness surging through him for the boy he helped raise.

“Yeah, but whatever, that’s not important!” Pain spikes through Dragon, but he shoves it down. He really hasn’t been a presence in his son’s life. It’s understandable that he wouldn’t care about insignificant things such as blood attachment.

(That doesn’t stop it from hurting.)

“Sabo’s dad, tell some stories about Sabo!”

…Ah, right.

He does have a son.

Maybe he didn’t lose the chance to be a father, after all. 

Dragon tilts his head back, smiling nostalgically as memories of Sabo growing up flash before his eyes. “Well, there was this one time…”

----------------------------------------------------------------

“Well, then, I guess this is it.”

Ace grins at Sabo, glancing at the small revolutionary ship that will be carrying his brother, Koala and Marina – aka his “sisters” – and the rest of their comrades away from them. Luffy had left a week ago with Rayleigh to start his training (though Ace is still a little bit suspicious of the Dark King, their escapade at Marineford and the time they had spent together on the ship (and the full story about what had happened at Sabaody) had made it clear Ace can trust him with Luffy, if nothing else).

They had also dropped the former-prisoners off at a random island, and Ivankov’s group off at Momoiro, leaving just the small Revolutionary contingent that had come with Koala to save Sabo on the Moby Dick.

After that very enlightening conversation with Dragon, Sabo had been allowed to stay another week, citing something about him having enough vacation days to “last a lifetime.” Sabo had grinned like a loon when Dragon said that, and Marina’s sigh and Koala’s instant reaction to slap Sabo upside the head had made it clear that there’s some inside joke involved.

(“No, he is just a workaholic, so he literally has not taken any vacation days since he joined with the Revolutionaries,” Koala had said, shaking her head at her partner.

“He only has enough days to ‘last a lifetime’ because we always have to force him into taking breaks.” Marina had added exasperatedly, and Sabo had only grinned, throwing an arm around each of them.

“Well, I’m Chief of Staff and was able to help save Ace, so it worked out,” he had said cheekily. All it earns him is twin elbows to the ribs.)

They had spent the time catching up, and Ace got to know his brother’s comrades. They all care for Sabo greatly, and Ace knows he can trust them with him and his reckless tendencies.

(He determinedly ignores the hypocrisy of him, of all people, calling someone reckless.)

Their new wanted posters had arrived yesterday, and Ace had groaned at the sight of his new moniker of ‘Fire Fist’ Gol D. Ace. He knew his mother’s name would likely be replaced, but his blood still boils at the thought of his birth father. However, Sabo’s had arrived at the same time, and seeing the ‘Gol D’ also added onto Sabo’s poster had made him feel better about his, as unwilling as he was to let it comfort him.

(First my birthday, then my name. Sabo is really intent on taking anything I hate and making it his own, Ace thinks wryly.

It works, though, and all Ace feels is warmth at the memory of Sabo taking on a name that could kill him – a name that means death on sight – just to make Ace hate it a little less.

He has the best brothers.)

He shakes himself from his thoughts, bumping the back of his hand against his brother’s. “Yeah,” Ace replies, grin still firmly on his face. He should be sad about parting with his brother, he knows, but all he feels is happiness.

Sabo grins back and hikes his bag up higher on his shoulder, vaulting over the railing and landing gracefully next to where Koala, Hack, and Marina are waiting for him. He’s the last to board the Revolutionary ship.

He lands and turns, flashing a smirk at Ace and waving his hand in goodbye.

“Don’t get captured again while I’m gone!” His brother says cheekily, and Ace lets out a laugh.

“Keep him out of trouble,” he responds, aiming that at the three next to his brother. They share a grin before turning back to Ace.

“We’ll do our best, but you know him,” laughs Koala, and Sabo splutters in indignation. Ace laughs yet again, waving at the ship as it turns, sailing away from the Moby Dick.

Marco comes up next to him, throwing an arm carelessly around his shoulders and says, “Not gonna say goodbye?”

Ace throws him a wild grin, shaking his head as he responds, “Nah. We’ll meet again soon enough, anyway.” He turns and walks towards the card game going on, being greeted with grins as he joins his family with a laugh.

Goodbyes are forever, and Ace knows that they’ll meet again.

Though their paths may part for a time, they’ll always come back together at some point.

After all, they’re brothers.

No matter how far they go from each other, their bond will never be broken.