Chapter Text
Sabo was wondering what it is that he could do. Staying in Goa wasn't an option, he would be miserable while there. On the other hand, he knew that as soon as Outlook found out he was gone the man knew to look for Ace and Luffy, which was something he wouldn't let happen. He'd already lost his brothers once before, he wasn't in any way going to make it so they had to go through this again.
At first he'd been contemplating just making a run for it. Taking one of the small boats in the harbor and setting out, but then he had heard that they were going to burn the Grey Terminal and knowing Luffy and Ace he was certain that they would be there when it happened. As much as he loved his brothers he was certain that they would be in the middle of it regardless of what might be the better thing to do. They were just like that, he believed it had something to do with them having the D-initial.
He didn't know what to do. He was well aware that Outlook III wanted him in Goa, he would do whatever it took to keep Sabo in Goa and that alone was enough to want to run.
But, he had also heard that a Celestial Dragon was on their way. If he set out when the World Noble arrived that would be a death sentence.
He didn't want to leave his brothers, didn't want them to be endangered because Outlook couldn't have it that his son and heir was gone from his household. But he couldn't just leave alone, least of all now, as he was certain that he would end up dead.
So the other idea was to get his brothers, hide until the World Noble was gone and set out then. It was way earlier than they had intended, but he was certain that if it kept them together that was one thing they could do.
But that meant throwing away the initial plan he had, before knowing about the fire and the World Noble.
So, he tried to come up with a different plan. One where he figured he could go and look for Ace and Luffy before setting out on their own. All three of them wanted to become pirates anyway, what would happen if they set out sooner? They would stay in the East Blue a little longer and head for the Grand Line after. When they were older and would be able to tame that sea, as he was certain both Luffy and Ace would be able to do.
They just needed to bide their time in an effort to stay hidden until they were able to set out without too many consequences. Makino should be able to help them with that, Windmill Village was on the other side of the island, so that was the last place they would start looking. It didn't need to be long, just long enough to avoid suspicion.
At the same time, he was certain that in all her years as a barmaid, Makino had gotten quite some inside information on sailing these seas. He remembered Luffy telling them that she and Shanks had been very close. Given that Shanks was a Yonko now, there had to be something said there.
There was more than enough still happening during and after the visit of the Celestial Dragon, he was certain. But that would also mean his parents, if one were to call them that, were too occupied with the arriving world noble than with their rebellious son.
If he could use that time to hide together with Ace and Luffy at Makino's and set out when no one was watching the ocean, they would be able to get away from there.
Getting out of the city was easy, most of the guards were busy keeping those from the Grey Terminal at bay. With the fires already starting, they wanted to get away. He could see some of the guards paling at the knowledge that this many people would never make it out of there tonight. Sabo hoped that they would see just what was going on and how none of the people in High Town gave a shit about those of lower birth.
He had hated that way of thinking, didn't think that this could last and had left before. But now, for one reason or the other, Outlook III needed him again which is why he came to look for Sabo. If there was no need they would have happily pretended that nothing was amiss even if their son wasn't in their home.
Shaking his head, Sabo made his way past the people and into the crowd. He would manage to get to the tree line soon enough. No one dared to go into the forest, which is where Ace and Luffy should be hiding. As long as he made it into the trees he would be safe.
Sabo hoped that his brothers weren't caught up in whatever was going on, that they were indeed safe in the forest, in their three house or at Dadan's.
Still, he set out now that the guards were busy. By the time his father would notice him gone it would be morning. Not only that, but if everything went right, the three of them would be off of Dawn Island by the time anything happened.
“Now I just have to find them...”
Standing at the edge of the forest, something didn't feel right. Sabo didn't know why, but he didn't enter the woods fully. Instead he turned around and went towards the fire, towards where the fire had started. His gut was telling him that something was wrong.
Good thing he did, as soon as the flames started becoming hotter and hotter, he could hear Ace and Luffy calling out. They were in trouble, he was certain of that, so he upped the pace to stop at a hit that was locked from the outside. The voices from his brothers were coming from within, so even with the flames licking at his skin, Sabo set out to open the door.
Throwing it open and catching Ace where he had been in the process of trying to ram the door open. His shoulder was burned, not as badly as Sabo's arm. But still enough that they needed to get medical attention and soon.
“Ace!”
Steadying the other boy, Sabo looked on relieved at seeing him. The same was true for Ace, who just hugged Sabo close as soon as he was aware of who was standing there.
“Sabo, you're alright.”
Nodding, Sabo looked around, “Where is Luffy?”
At the mention of their little brother, he appeared from the house and hugged his brothers close while tears were running down his face. He wasn't burned, which was a good thing. With his devil fruit they didn't know how fire would impact that.
“Sabo, you're here!”
Hushing Luffy, Sabo nodded, looking at Ace and back at Luffy, “We need to get to Dadan's. We can make our way to Makino after, but right now the both of us need medical attention.”
Ace scoffed, but nodded after a moment. The burn on his arm was pulling at his skin more likely. Sabo could also feel the pain but he was willing to power through. They needed to get to Dadan and after that he could talk to his brothers on what they needed to do. They couldn't stay on Dawn, but that could wait until later.
“Let's go.”
Setting Luffy on his feet, Sabo made sure to keep a hold of Luffy's hand while keeping an eye on Ace. The three of them were in the forest before long, setting out towards the bandits' hut and sighing in relief when Dadan was waiting for them there.
“Brats, what the hell happened?”
All three of them exchanged looks, “The nobles set the Grey Terminal on fire because a Celestial Dragon is coming here in a few days.”
Blinking once, the bandit leader looker at Sabo, “Blond brat, I was sure you weren't around anymore.”
Shrugging, Sabo just stated that he got out of High Town again and he had no intention of returning. He didn't add anything, that could wait, but did mention that both he and Ace got burned and needed some medical aid.
Clicking her tongue, even if she looked worried at hearing that, Dadan pointed into her hut and closed the door behind her. The way she looked at her men made it obvious that someone needed to be on guard from that point forward. They couldn't deal with nobles, or with thugs trying to make a claim at their territory.
Sabo wasn't worried that someone would get this far into the woods, but better to be safe than sorry.
Sighing in relief when burn cream was spread over the wounds on the left side of his face, it appeared that there were more than he knew there were. The pain was getting to him, but he felt so much better knowing he wasn't alone. His brothers were there with him and that made all the difference.
“Sleep brats, I'll keep an eye out”, Dadan took a seat next to them. Which seemed to be all they needed as they cuddled close and were asleep within moments.
The night passed quietly and without anything worthwhile happening, there were moments one of them, or all three of them, were awake because of commotion outside of the hut. But nothing ever made it inside so they would fall asleep soon enough.
Sabo was just happy that he was here and that he was safe from whatever Outlook III wanted from him. The man wouldn't be able to find him here, he wouldn't have been able to find him in the forest anyway. But Sabo had been stupid enough to go to High Town and later on, go to the Grey Terminal where he was an easier target.
When the morning dawned, there was smoke covering a lot of the forest, the fire seemed to still be smoldering and with everything that was part of the Grey Terminal it would be odd if the fire was out already. But it seemed too much, too fast, and honestly it was still heartbreaking to know that the Grey Terminal wasn't even there anymore.
“We can't stay here.”
Ace looked at Sabo, “Here as in Dadan's?”
Shaking his head, Sabo elaborated, “Here as in Dawn, Outlook III will eventually realize I'm not there anymore. He'll turn over the whole island and I don't want to put either of you in danger. So... I guess the best course of action would be setting out already and seeing where that will take us.”
Luffy's eyes lit up at the idea, and even Ace seemed to be contemplating that.
It was Dadan who vetoed to idea, with a “Your grandfather will kills me if I let you leave.”
Ace shrugged, “Then don't tell him? What you don't know can't hurt you. We'll slip off at Windmill and Makino is more than able to tell him no.”
She seemed to be thinking about this, before sighing, “At least wait until you're healed a little bit more. I'll bring you to Makino's after, but stay here for a little whole longer.”