Chapter Text
-Are you sure this is a good idea Ace? I mean, maybe we should have warned before? Sabo tried in a small voice.
All he received in response to his concern was an exasperated eye roll. Fine. He was definitely not going to find support from his brother who scoffed:
-You weren't such a coward when you broke into Whitebeard's boat. Which, I remind you, is a yonko.
-Now that I have to take my place as a reasonable brother, I'm starting to have doubts about this plan...
-You're just afraid of his reaction, cooooooward.
The blond gritted his teeth and glared at him. He knew the pirate was trying to bait him, which unfortunately worked very well. Maybe because his words were a little too truthful. Joining Ace's ship had been a hasty decision, made on a whim as Sabo was coming out of ten years of amnesia. He blamed the state of confusion and the emotions aroused by the hundreds of letters, awakening this instinctive desire to find his brother. Even though everything had gone perfectly well, he was a little more stressed now that he had had enough sleep to think. His desire to rush headlong was clearly diminishing.
-What if he is mad at me?
His brother stopped and looked at him.
-Really Sab'? Do you think he's capable of being mad at anyone? Him ?
Okay, Ace had a point. The youngest was so pure and naive that despite the years, no imaginable version of their little brother would be capable of holding grudges. It was simply inconceivable, defying the most basic laws of the world.
-I don't know, the last time I saw him he was eight years old, he muttered nevertheless.
-Well I assure you it's still exactly the same, just a little taller.
Ace tapped him on the shoulder a little too hard to be truly reassuring. Anyway, the blond appreciated the effort.
-He's going to cry so much, it's going to be messy, he argued in vain.
The other did not even honor him with a response, continuing to progress into the city. Their footsteps naturally synchronized into a single sound on the cobblestones of the street. They walked alongside the buildings, trying to stay as sheltered from the blazing sun as possible. It was unbearably hot and the revolutionary regretted his clothes were too warm for the climate. Reluctantly, he had gotten rid of his coat and leather gloves, but he remained determined to keep his shirt, scarf and top hat. Ace, for his part, walked around shirtless without any embarrassment, ignoring the giggles of a group of young ladies.
-How are we even going to find him? the blond finally asked.
-It's simple, just look for a hustle, then go back to the source of the trouble. Like for example this group of marines chasing these gu...
He stopped talking mid-sentence and narrowed his eyes. Under the dust of sand caused by the stampede, they seemed to be able to distinguish the brim of an all-too-familiar hat. They exchanged a long, disillusioned look.
-That hasn't changed, Sabo finally smiled shaking his head. Should we go save him?
The logia smiled back, the fire already beginning to wrap around his bare arms and outline his impressive muscles. Which was, according to his wink towards a passer-by who admired him, quite conscious. Ace was such a show-off...
-As if there was even another option.
Sabo bowed, gesturing to the group of marines with one hand.
-Then I leave you the honor.
The flames leapt forward in long, blazing trails, striking against Officer Smoker's thick smoke. Fire was a very flashy power so it obviously attracted everyone's attention. Even from the group of fugitives who stopped their flight to admire the spectacle.
-A...Ace?!
And of course, in their midst, Luffy.
-It's really you ! Did you eat a devil fruit? Too cool!
Sabo's breath hitched as he stood frozen to finally hear his little brother's enthusiastic voice. He had grown shockingly but changed so little. This face, this gesture and his intonation: it was definitely this same child who relentlessly chased them across Mount Corvo to not been left behind. As before, he stared at his elder with eyes full of admiration. Fortunately, the marines in this part of the Grand Line were content to mindlessly watch the events rather than loading their weapons. Either way, the chances of them having Sea Granite bullets capable of hurting Luffy were extremely low. However, this could still hurt his nakamas. For once, Ace was the most reasonable.
-This is not the right time to talk, Luffy. Run away, we will find you.
The youngest smiled brightly like a miniature sun and took off, dragging his crew after him. Sabo finally breathed, somewhere between relieved and disappointed at not having been noticed. This would have definitely stopped their little brother in his escape. And they could now fully concentrate on the naval officer who didn't seem very happy. Ace bared his teeth in a dangerous smile.
-My dear Officer! Sorry but my friend here and I are, as it were, opposed to capturing Luffy.
-We are unfortunately rather attached to this brat.
Sabo took a step forward, tapping nonchalantly his pipe on the side of his boot. This attracted some of the attention of the marines who remained quietly in the background.
-Firefist and... who the hell are you? the superior asked him, looking up and down as he tried in vain to remember if he had seen him before.
The revolutionary pouted as Ace silently mocked his anonymity. He promised himself he would take revenge later.
-It doesn't matter, you don't have to remember my name. Just know that Straw Hat has powerful allies. And knowing him, this number only increases every day.
-This kid would be able to tame and become friends with any creature... Even this weird beetle he found a long time ago.
Sabo lost focus for a second, turning to his older brother, curious.
-Oh, that's right, what happened to Mr. Socks? he asked.
-Luff' accidentally sat on him...
There was a short duration of respectful silence in memory of this precious companion gone too soon. Even the marines were silent, although this was possibly more out of disbelief than contemplation. This moment was, however, rudely interrupted by the marine biting his cigar hard in annoyance.
-Pirates, this is my last warning. Surrender and deliver Monkey D. Luffy.
For good measure, he threw a plume of smoke towards Ace, wrongly believing him to be the most dangerous target. The blond's smile stretched, sharp as a razor blade.
-That's where you're wrong, Mr. the Marine-san.
The fire met the smoke, projecting an opaque fog for several yards. Sabo focused his observation haki. And he moved.
-I'm.
Engulfed in the mist, Smoker saw a flash of silver, almost too fast to notice.
-Not.
Ace blazed. His fire caught every glance that automatically directed towards the light. A spray of flame passed through the smoke, menacing. The crackling masked the almost inaudible sound of footsteps.
-A.
The officer turned around at the voice now coming from behind him. Too slow. A pipe cut through the air, infused with haki.
-Pirate.
The man barely had time to react before the shock. He collapsed with a blow to the temple, overcome by the effect of surprise. Sabo leaned over the unconscious body to whisper his last words:
-And no one touches my little brother.
*
Ace sulked the rest of the way, unhappy that he hadn't been able to fight properly. Once their superior was on shore, the small fry of the navy surrendered without resistance, terrified. Some of the most dramatic had even fallen to their knees, begging for mercy and to be spared. The duo left without a backward glance, while the men whispered behind their backs:
-These guys... They're monsters... They're not human like us.
-Even Officer Smoker couldn't do anything. A single hit felled him.
-Facing them, we can only flee or surrender...
-Two Whitebeard commanders...
-We must report them to an admiral...
Sabo grimaced. If this incident caused a war with the marines or revealed his identity as a revolutionary to the world, Koala was definitely going to kill him. He was just supposed to go find his family, not create a diplomatic incident. She didn't even know that her brothers were actually two pirates destined to shake the lands and seas. He absolutely had to keep a low profile.
Just meeting Luffy, letting him cry on his shoulder for a while then sailing fast and far towards new adventures before the situation becomes catastrophic. Yes, he could follow this plan. Easy. But for this, it was necessary to avoid bringing in an admiral here.
-Ace, I'm going to take a little detour to the local marine base, disrupt a few snail phones before they raise the alarm. I don't really want a raid on the island.
His eldest wanted accompany him but Sabo firmly refused. It was the kind of mission that required discreet infiltration. And therefore a minimum of stealth, something his other two brothers seemed completely lacking in. Oh, who was he kidding? Each of his own missions ended in disaster involving one or more explosions as well as large-scale buildings demolitions. But this time he was definitely going to try to do better.
-Go find Luffy, I'll be back soon.
He knocked out a lone marine wandering the street to steal his uniform while his brother left after one last unsatisfied nod.
Sabo had a mission to accomplish.
It was surprisingly easy. The infiltration, sabotage and evacuation took only a short time. And if it happened by the greatest chance that the building collapsed just after his passage, who could prove that he was the cause? This sort of thing happened all the time. Soon, Sabo was already going back in search of his brothers, jumping from roof to roof to get a better view. When he finally found them, it was obviously in the middle of an attack by a group of pirates.
Did these fools really think they had the ability to defeat a Whitebeard commander?
Luffy alone could easily take them down. And this, since the age of 7.
Useless, Sabo sat up from his perch, watching his youngest twist, dodge and strike without a second of hesitation. He used his devil fruit better and better, with a lot of creativity. It seemed almost choreographed seeing how easily he knocked out each of them. His crew was out of sight, leaving him free rein to run wild.
He and Ace automatically fell back into their old attack patterns and synchronized with each other in a deadly dance of fists and feet. Sabo fought the all-consuming urge to slide into their side, taking back the place that belonged to him. A few seconds later, there were only two or three enemies left standing. Sabo took a breath and pushed away the jitters.
Then jumped off the roof.
He landed with both feet on the back of one of their opponents, knocking him to the ground and crouched on his back.
Immediately, Luffy got into an attack position.
-Eh ? What do you want ? Do you want to fight too?
Sabo smiled, aware that his top hat still hid his eyes and his identity. Not for long. He stood up, dusting off his pants despite the lack of dirt. He kept his head bowed, just to make the suspense last a little longer. After all, Ace wasn't the only dramatic one in the family.
-It seems that my dear brothers are incapable of staying out of trouble for more than a few minutes.
There was a moment of silence. Then the pirate captain took a small step back, his eyes wide in an almost comical expression of shock.
-B... brothers? You can not...
Slowly, Sabo raised his head, finally looking into his little brother's gaze.
-It's been a long time, Luffy.
Tears began to flow down their younger brother's cheeks. He looked to Ace for validation, still not believing it.
-It's not... It can't be...?
The other smiled at him in response.
-I promise it's real. It's Sabo.
This was the only confirmation Luffy was waiting for. His arms stretched out, grabbing the blond's shoulders. Then he threw himself at full speed into his chest. His eldest's breath was cut off once again by the brutal impact which almost made him fall.
-Saboooooo!
He found himself caught in a tight knot of limbs, his little brother sobbing against his chest. The revolutionary barely managed to free one arm to pat him on the back with an almost soothing "There, there...". The grip tightened again on his ribs with much more force than expected. Luffy had become strong. Which would have been great, if only Sabo could just breathe.
He sent a glance towards Ace, silently begging him for help. The traitor only scoffed. That is, until Luffy extended his arm again and captured their eldest as well, forcing him to join the group hug.
They all ended up falling to the ground laughing. Luffy wiped his wet face against Sabo's shirt, soiling it in the process and the blonde wrinkled his nose in disgust. The ground was uncomfortable, hot, dusty and full of small sharp stones, while the sun beat down brutally on their bodies tangled in abominable heat. A few yards away, hundreds of armed marines roamed the streets of a country on the warpath.
It was definitely a beautiful day.