Archive of Our Own ^beta

Sabo honestly hated that it took them uncovering themselves before the Revolutionary Army found out that there had been a CP unit undercover in Water 7. In fact, they only got word after some of their people disappeared and the mayor had been shot. Shortly followed by a group of Pirates that had taken down CP9 (which was quite the marvel) at Enies Lobby at that.

They had lost a good number of men and women without even knowing why. All of them had been investigating without a real lead and truly that should have been the first clue.

Dragon shares that the Oro Jackson had been made in Water 7, that there were a number of great ships commissioned there so it did make sense for the World Government to stick their noses where it didn’t belong in an effort to get any and all information on those ships or the crews that used them to sail.

Secretly he had cheered, never happier that he was close to check in on them. Even more so at the notion that their captain was Monkey D. Luffy. As one of the few people who knew Dragon’s real name and the fact that he still had family out there, he wanted to see what kind of man his son was. On top of that, and he didn’t share that with others, was that Strawhat and one other Pirate ‘Fire Fist’ always seemed to make headache appear. It was linked to his lost memories, he knew it was linked to that, but he never had the chance to see for himself.

“No better time than the present”, he’d tell himself cheerfully. Especially as Koala wasn’t here to serve as his impulse control. He knew that she, and some of the others, were scared that he would leave the Revolution once he knew. They had nothing on him from before. But he didn’t think that, but knew that they were still scared.

As no one was here to stop him, he could sneak a peak at Strawhat and maybe have some of his memories returned to him. If it didn’t happen there was no problem. If it did, he’d deal with it all then. Still, nerves creeped up on him as he got closer, especially as he could hear Strawhat talking to someone, and even that other person’s voice sounded familiar. A chill running over his back as the image of a large figure was conjured in his mind.

Shaking his head as he tries to ignore the growing pain in his head, now he really needs to find out.

As he sneaked past a number of marines and entered the house, locking eyes with Luffy almost instantly and feeling it all come back in an instant. His headache became a migraine as he whispered, “Luffy”, before passing out. Never seeing the shocked look his baby brother and grandfather shared at the sight of him and his tophat.

—

Luffy could sense someone watching him, so looking past Gramps, he locked onto familiar blue eyes. Eyes that widened before the stranger whispered his name and passed out, he was running past Gramps in an instant to catch the blond before he hit the ground and looked him over.

Blinking as he took in the way he was dressed, the tophat, the blond curls he had always kept short as they looked too much like Ace’s hair if longer. It was still the same, done to the scar on his chin and the dimple in his cheek.

“Sabo…”, he whispered, but the blond just groaned as sweet started to bead on his forehead. Not even thinking about it, he looked back, “Chopper, something is wrong with him.”

As he stepped back, Gramps was there to catch his shoulder, “Brat, he died…”

Shrugging, Luffy didn’t want to think about that. He didn’t want to think about the fact that Sabo left and if that was really Sabo what happened that he didn’t return to them. Something was telling him that this was Sabo and he had come too far just to let that gut feeling go. Pressing his lips together as his doctor shared that there was nothing seemingly wrong with him. Just that he was running a large fever.

Seeing the scars on Sabo’s face, Luffy sighed, “Chopper, let’s say someone got hit by cannon balls and their ship exploded. What would the outcome be of those injuries?”

His doctor started summarizing, death, disfigurement, blunt force trauma and if they survived either loss of motor skills or amnesia. It got Luffy thinking, he wasn’t all that smart, but Sabo had looked shocked at seeing him there. What if he did survive and he lost his memories (he had to ask Chopper to explain amnesia to him), not coming back as he didn’t know.

Biting his lip to keep it from trembling, he shared as much with his crew. Mentioning that Ace and he had another brother but as far as they knew he had been lost at sea at age 10. None of them protested when he stated they’d be taking Sabo with him. The look he shot his grandfather at the fact he wasn’t about to let him take Sabo with him.

Garp seemed to understand, sharing the name of his father and going on to explain that Luffy shouldn’t tell anyone else. The Marines that came with him were shocked, almost as much to know that Luffy (and by extension Dragon) had two other relatives out there.

Luffy and Garp didn’t correct them and maybe that was for the best. No one needed to know they weren’t blood related. Even less so when the three of them did look alike enough to pass as siblings.

Once setting out from Water 7, Luffy kept checking up on Sabo every now and again. Chopper was often there too to keep an eye out. Maybe for the best too as Thriller Bark had been a shitshow and a half.

To his surprise, Sabo had been awake when he returned and helped Zoro onto a cot in the infirmary before being swept up in a hug from his older brother. Sabo shared what had happened, that he had amnesia indeed and didn’t know what had been going on before he set out. Dragon, Luffy’s dad, had been the one to find him and fish him out and he had been a part of the Revolutionary Army since. He still planned to stay there, but right now Luffy was more important.

At least, he was, until Robin knocked on the door with a pale face. Mentioning that the black den den mushi they had picked up from Enies Lobby had picked up on a signal from near them. Regarding the capture and transfer of a prisoner by the name of Portgas D. Ace.

Luffy was out of the infirmary in a second, Sabo following behind him. Entering the Sunny’s Captain Quarters, which dubbed as everything they might need as Luffy didn’t use it as his own room. Settling down as they heard someone speak to a Marine about the exchange as if it were cargo and not a human being. The voice was recognizable as the man he had spoken to in Jaga, when he called himself Blackbeard it was clear that he was the man Ace had been chasing. He shared as much with Sabo.

“There have been reports about Blackbeard for years now, always operating in the shadows. Until a couple of months back when he started being in the open”, Sabo shared.

Frowning, Luffy explained that Ace had been chasing him as Blackbeard had killed one of the other Commanders on the Moby Dick. He’d been in Ace’s division too, so it made sense that Ace would be the one to bring him in.

Sabo bit his lip, “That would make sense as he seemed to stick to Whitebeard Territory which was odd as the old man wouldn’t let someone like that roam around. Additionally, if he was a part of Ace’s division he’d be a navigator and that explains why he knew where to stay and how to keep out of sight. He knew what to look for.” Luffy and he exchange a glance before Luffy is hollering for his crew to prepare to set out and intercept them.

—

The time until they closed in on Blackbeard’s ship was spent in unrest. Sabo and Luffy talked some more, but it was quickly decided Ace needed to be there for the rest of it. He needed to be brought out of the situation he was in first.

As they’re closing in on the agreed meeting spot, it was clear that they were early. So, with some tinkering of Usopp, Franky and Chopper they had canisters with sleeping gas at the ready to shoot on deck as soon as they knew everyone was assembled. It seemed Blackbeard loved to brag so that worked in their favor. As soon as his crew was there, the canisters were in the air, releasing the gas and making everyone drop.

Robin checked with her devil fruit before Sabo, Luffy and Nami hurried onto the ship with masks covering their mouth and nose to keep the gas out. Sabo and Luffy would be retrieving Ace, as he most likely was hurt they would have to carry him. Nami, in the meantime, would be stealing them blind for as long as they had with the gas active.

Finding Ace was easy, luckily. There was only one holding cell and their older brother looked beat. Sabo, easily the one most familiar with lock-picking and not above using haki to get everything done, opened the celldoor to get to Ace. Picking the locks on his seastone cuffs and hushing the man when he woke up, “What?”

Luffy smiled, “We came to get you out, Nii-san.”

As if knowing that Luffy was there, that he was safe, was enough for Ace to fall unconscious once more. Luckily, once he was free, his devil fruit stayed dormant as Sabo picked him up in a princess carry to get them out of there. Meeting up with Nami in the hallway and making their way to the Sunny. A coup de burst at the ready to get them out of range for when the Pirates woke up and the Marines they agreed to meet found out they had been deceived.

Settling Ace down on one of the cots in the infirmary, Sabo settled back to look on as Chopper went to work dealing with his injuries. Clicking his tongue a couple of times, before announcing that it was mostly exhaustion and exposure to seastone. “He’ll be fine with some rest, Captain, but I'm sure you and Sabo can stay here to keep him company to help him be at ease once he does make up.”

Beaming at that, Luffy settles in one of the chairs next to Ace’s bed. Taking a hold of his hand and bringing it close as if to make sure his big brother is indeed there and alive. Sabo settles on the chair next to him, both of them keeping an eye out knowing that Ace could wake at any moment.

—

Ace woke slowly, feeling the warmth of his devil fruit coursing through him as he sighed in relief. Knowing that it hadn’t been a dream when Luffy and someone else came to get him out of Teach’s ship. He was free, and he had his little brother to thank for that.

Opening his eyes, they widen at the sight of just who is sitting next to his bedside. Luffy had been a given, but the other man; a blond about his age and height. Still wearing a tophat and that stupid napkin, “Sabo?”

Said blond grinned widely, “Yo, Ace!”

He’s seething, “Don’t you ‘Yo, Ace’ me, you bastard! Where the fuck have you been!”

“He got blown up and had amnesia because of it. He’s been working for my dad for the last ten years”, Luffy offered up as an explanation. Doing so quite bluntly, grinning at his older brothers as they turned to look at him, “He explained it all to me once he woke up, that was. Apparently recovering 10 years of memories hurt. But it does mean both of my big brothers are here and with me again, so that’s good!”

Blinking once, Ace nods slowly, “I guess amnesia is a pretty damn good excuse.” Smiling slightly, with misty eyes, he grins, “Welcome back, ‘Bo.”

Sabo grins widely, “Good to be back!”

They keep to themselves for a little longer until Chopper comes to check up on him and gives him a complete bill of health. At his request Luffy turns the Sunny back to get to Banero Island to pick up Ace’s little ship and his belongings as they hadn’t been on Blackbeard’s ship.

It’s only then, taking out the snail he carried, that he called his own crew to share that he was coming back home if they were willing to let him. Sharing that he would be on Sabaody in a week, as he’d hitch a ride with his brothers. They had a lot of time to catch up after all, so getting a chance to do that now seemed as good as any.