Chapter Text
It was one of the usual days of dawn island specifically the gray terminal, Sabo,Ace and Luffy having finished their Supper were getting ready to sleep in their tree house when they heard distant screaming,
"Fire, fire, " could be heard echoing around.
"Help please," sounded another and soon the cacophony of noises stopped the brothers from hearing any coherent words, only screams of terror.
" Where"
"I think our best bet is to run away from wherever the screams are coming from,"
Sabo says getting up, Ace and Luffy follow him.
A police officer finds Sabo and even though he tries to run away, there's no way to go.
He kicks and screams with all his might he wants to save Ace and Luffy but his child body can only do so much against trained adults. So he's wrangled away; dragged back to the city separated from Ace and Luffy
The fire grows and grows, Ace and Luffy feel like they've been walking for days their lungs burn at the lack of oxygen yet there's no way to sit and rest. Tears stream down Luffy's face, eyes reddened from the smoke and ace fights the urge to rub at his eyes when suddenly a crash is heard and a huge wooden board from one of the houses falls on Ace.
"Ace Ace,"
Luffy screams trying to pull him out but to no avail.
"Run away Luffy, leave me here,"
"Ace I won't,"
" Listen to your brother, get away from here!"
Ace pushes Luffy away, Luffy doesn't know where to go it's an inferno everywhere he looks.
He hopes he will find someone. Anyone who can finally end this nightmare and save Ace.
Germa's job was to make sure that no news of this incident would spread to the outside world. The celestial dragons are rotten yet they would never publicize any of this dirty work so it was upto them to clean up the filth. With the rise of independent journalism and more and more records that are being made it was imperative that their image was pristine.
"How's the east end,"
"I don't see any ships and the people here don't seem to be literate"
"We have to confirm their deaths after the ashes settle, don't let them survive. The scum make the rich look vile,"
"Yeah yeah whatever. Wasn't there a better way than fire? It'll leave more survivors,"
"The city is right beside it, can't let the aristocrats be harmed. If they left the destruction to us we'd probably have a more efficient way to deal with this-"
Sanji notices a crying child in the middle of the fire, his instincts tell him to rush towards him yet his orders are to kill any remaining survivors.
What much could a child do anyways. It's not like the kid was like him a Germa soldier at the mere age of 16 could put most seasoned veteran fights to shame.
He feels his legs move toward him before even realizing he's doing it.
" Ur bleeding heart is gonna get you killed"
Says a commanding officer beside him.
" Don't. I don't have a bleeding heart I don't wanna watch a human child burn alive, shut the fuck up"
"That is no way to talk for a prince"
"A prince talks the way he wants to. The crown prince can go and kiss their ass"
Sanji separates from the main team after noticing a child crying in a blaze of inferno.
"Stop crying, why don't you get out from here? You scared?"
Sanji barks out and the sobbing child rubs his face and hiccups.
The fire licks at his hardened skin, it's uncomfortable. The shades, the mask everything makes it more difficult to breathe yet Sanji has always been particular in hiding his identity.
" Ace is, Ace"
The kid bawls again, his breathing shallow.
"Let me get you out of here"
The kid shoves him away and runs the opposite direction towards the fire.
Sanji follows, stomping his feet in the ground the discomfort increases his anger.
He's lead to another kid, could be the Ace; the kid is talking about.
The kid seems to be struggling, fists and hands struggle and push. The smoke infests in their lungs and suffocation is inevitable.
"Oi. Can you feel your legs?"
"Get this thing off of me!!!"
The kid screams back.
"I will. So tell me, did you break any bones? Is there pain?"
"Just let me out!!!"
"Listen here. I'm trying to not give you injuries that your daddy can't afford to pay for. Now answer my question,"
"No, there's no pain,"
Sanji takes a gamble and lifts and pushes the board away, light work.
"Thank you, I owe you,"
"You don't owe me, you don't know me, you don't know my face, my identity, my uniform or my voice. You. don't. know. me."
Ace nods his head and Sanji takes off.
Luffy stares at his cape and his head of black hair till he can't see him anymore and Ace tugs at him to try and take him away.