Chapter Text
Sabo could barely believe it, staring at his brothers, alive and yet reported dead with corpses in military custody, he slowly edged closer his hand softly touching Ace, his twins face, unable to truly believe that they were here. His mind raced but all he could do was feel thankful, thankful that while his brothers were hurt they were alive.
“What happened how are they...?” He whispered, looking towards Benn Beckman, his youngest brothers manmi.
“Alive? Hell if I know kid.” Benn chuckled weakly, “When we got them back to the ship somehow they still head heartbeats. Despite...” He trailed off.
Despite Sakazuki’s hand going through both of their chests, despite Sakazuki’s hand, in full few of the camera wrapping around their hearts and melting the organs away.
Sabo breathed in shakily, before breathing out. Looking towards the still sleeping Shanks and his, well dad.
“Dad...?”
Garp shook his head. “I know how their alive.” He was suddenly sober; he had been since he arrived here and saw his boys after all.
“How?” Beckman asked, standing beside his husband.
“A D can only die if they truly want too, outside of sickness and old age that is.”
“You were only so sad because...”
“I thought they truly wanted to die when I didn’t see them stand back up.”
Garp breathed in sharply. “I thought I had let my two grandsons become so suicidal they wanted to die.”
Beck shook his head, “Anchor was like that when we first adopted him, and then he lived for us. Like Fire Fist lives for him.”
Garp had went to respond, but Shanks woke up at that moment, blinking blearily as a weak laugh left him. “Thought I heard my vati... but he wouldn’t be here..”
“He’s really here sweetheart.” Beck whispered, and at that Shanks shot up, his eyes locking on Garp. “V-Vati?”
“Hey brat.” Garp murmured awkwardly, “Hows... my grandsons?”
Shanks didn’t anwser, simply continuing to stare before a weak, harsh chuckle left him. “At least you show up for them.”
“Shanks-” Garp took a step forward, before Shanks surged forward.
“Shut up let me think of what I even want to say to you!”
Garp’s mouth clicked shut, he knew he deserved this.
“I needed you. I was a child who just lost my whole family, my dad was dead, and my papa left me! You promised you’d take care of me and Blue!”
“Roger told me about-”
“You could have brought us! You could have brought me!”
“Why’d you go to Dawn?” Garp whispered, “Why did you go to dawn?”
“Because my brother called and said he had a son he left with you vati! And I couldn’t let another kid go and be-be abandoned-!”
“I learned my lesson.” Garp whispered. “I learned my lesson Red.”
Shanks teared up, dropping into his dad’s arms, “I’m scared... what-what if Luffy wants to die...? What if my little brother wants to die...? What will I do...?! Va-Vati!!” He sobbed harshly into Garp‘s chest.
Garp shushed the man softly, “It’s okay Red, its okay. They won’t die, they want to live I swear it to you.”
Sabo let the two men have their relative privacy stepping closer to Luffy when he saw the boy, no now a man, twitch.
“Lu?” He whispered, but Luffy didn’t twitch anymore. Sabo sighed softly, sitting in Shanks chair.
“Hey Lu, hey Ace.” He whispered, “I’m here, you’re not alone anymore I swear it.”
There was a stirring, from behind him, a gruff voice speaking. “Who did that to your face Sabo...?” It was Ace, and all life in the room froze. “Oi answer me dumbass.”
“Ace...” Sabo slowly turned.
Ace sighed, “You got a massive bruise and I’m fucking hurting like a pinched nipple.”
Sabo couldn’t help it, he burst out laughing. “A pinched nipple? Really?”
“Well yeah.” Ace rolled his eyes. “Just wondering why my hallucination has a bruise and a scar is all.”
“I’m real.” Sabo whispered, a watery smile on his face.
“Yeah and I deserve to live.” Ace snarked.
All motion or words froze in the room, Garp’s grip on Shanks tightening.
“What did you just say?” Sabo’s smile disappeared.
“If you’re real I deserve to live.”
“Well seeing as I am real you do deserve to live.” Sabo crossed his arms. “Ace...”
Before Ace could respond to him, Garp had let go of Shanks and was making his way over. He grabbed Ace’s shoulders, pulling the boy into a tight hug.
“What?” Ace whispered, and Sabo could see tears forming in his eyes. “Why...? Why are you here gramps?”
“Because I love you Ace.” Garp whispered, and Ace let out a soft whimper. “I love you Ace. You deserve to live.”
“St-stop lying-” Ace whimpered harder, “Stop lying to me-”
“You deserve to live. You deserve to be moved. I loved Roger and I love you, son.”
Ace froze, tears beginning to run down his face. “No-No if you loved me you wouldn’t have left me with Dadan- You would have-”
“I couldn’t Ace. I couldn’t keep you with me. I was constantly being sent out to search for you for the first two years of your life son.”
“Gramps...”
“It’s not an excuse. It doesn’t take away the pain of your childhood I know and I’m sorry. I should have told you I was married to Roger and Rayleigh.”
Ace shook, tears starting to fall down his face, burying his head into Garp’s shoulder, arms where he had always felt safe, even safer then with Pops. Garp was always his dad before anyone else, even if Pops did feel like a dad to him as well.
Ace felt like he was a child again, unable to regulate his emotions, unable to control his tears.
He sobbed harder into Garp's shoulder, disbelieve in his bones, in his heart. No one could love him, because after all he was a monster's son. A monster who... his grandfather was seemingly married too.
“You’ll be okay kid.” Garp whispered, pressing a kiss to Ace’s forehead. “You’ll be okay because I’ll do what I should have done for all of my kids and protect you all. I am so sorry.”
Ace shuddered in Garp's arms, his chest aching but bearable when with the hole, covered as tightly as it could be. What hurt the worst was his eyes, struggling to hold back the brunt of his tears.
He struggled in that endeavor, until he fully broke, sobbing like a newborn babe in Garp’s arms. Garp, who loved him. Garp who wanted him around despite him being the son of a monster, except, was he truly the son of a monster? Garp had been married to his father, was he truly a demon spawned of a demon?
He didn’t give himself time to ponder for the tears ran before he could think. The tears overwhelmed him but thankfully Garp was there to hold him as he went limp, crumpling in the older man's arms.
Sabo let Garp comfort Ace, his heart hurting and wrenching and tearing through his chest. He wanted his brothers to be okay, and he didn’t know if Ace would ever be okay mentally.
He watched as Luffy twitched, his baby brothers fingers twitched on the bed sheets. “Luffy?” He whispered, Shanks to exhausted to make his way over to his son.
“Luffy come on.” Sabo whispered again, and then he heard a beep.