Chapter Text
Koala sighed before running after Sabo. They were on a mission to retrieve valuable information for the Revolutionary Army. Unfortunately, the weather had not been in their favor. A violent storm had struck their ship, causing them to be stranded on an unknown island.
The two friends had begun exploring the island in search of help when they stumbled upon a hidden laboratory. Koala had a bad feeling about it, unlike Sabo, who was eager to explore it. The young woman had no choice but to follow her partner.
"I’d like to remind you that we have a mission to complete. We don’t have time to go exploring," Koala grumbled.
"And how exactly do you plan on leaving without a ship?" Sabo pointed out. "Maybe there are people here who can lend us one."
"Oh, sure, we’ll just find a bunch of crazy scientists doing experiments on kids," the revolutionary muttered.
"Well, then we’ll free the kids!" Sabo replied with a grin.
Koala didn’t respond. She really hoped they wouldn’t run into anything too weird. The shipwreck had exhausted her. She wasn’t sure she would be able to fight properly, and Sabo was probably in the same condition.
They now found themselves in a long, dark corridor. They hadn’t encountered anyone yet. The doors weren’t locked, yet the place didn’t seem abandoned. Koala wasn’t sure if that was reassuring or concerning.
Suddenly, the two revolutionaries stopped. They had heard a noise. Sabo, who was leading the way, quietly moved forward to inspect the end of the hallway.
Then, Koala saw Sabo freeze completely. When he didn’t respond to her calls, she stepped forward. That’s when she saw the silhouette of a man at the end of the corridor. And she recognized him. And she understood why Sabo was so shocked.
***
Even though he was far away, and they hadn’t spoken in an eternity, Sabo recognized him instantly.
His brother. Ace. Alive.
It was impossible. If Sabo had regained his memories, it was because they had been triggered by Ace’s death. And his death had been undeniable. It had been reported in the newspapers. Thousands of people had seen it with their own eyes. Even Luffy had mentioned it when Sabo had met him in Dressrosa.
And yet, there he was, alive, standing right in front of him. Sabo couldn’t believe his eyes.
"Ace? You… you’re alive!" he exclaimed, stepping toward his brother.
But the closer Sabo got, the more he realized that something was wrong. Ace still hadn’t reacted. Maybe he didn’t recognize Sabo? The revolutionary had changed a lot in the ten years since they last saw each other.
But what disturbed Sabo the most was Ace’s gaze. It looked cold, empty, lifeless. His face was expressionless. Sabo had never seen Ace like this before. Maybe he was just as shocked to see his brother alive after twelve years of believing he was dead?
"Ace, it’s me, Sabo, your brother," the revolutionary tried again. "It’s been a long time, huh? I’m sure you have a lot of questions, and you must be really mad at me. I have a lot of questions too. How are you even alive?"
Still no response. Ace continued staring at Sabo with that emotionless look.
"Uh, Ace? Are you okay?"
Sabo was getting more and more worried. What had happened to his brother to make him so unresponsive?
"What is this laboratory? And why are you here?" Koala asked, finding this reunion between brothers increasingly strange.
Silence.
"Are there other people here?" the young woman pressed.
Silence.
"Are they the reason you’re like this?" she added.
Silence.
"Ace, they hurt you, didn’t they?" Koala guessed.
Sabo’s eyes widened in horror. Koala’s theory made sense. Something must have happened to make Ace mute and so… empty. What had happened over these past two years?
Ace finally moved. He turned around and started walking back the way he came. Sabo and Koala immediately followed. They tried to catch up to him, but Ace suddenly broke into a run, putting distance between them.
They ended up entering a large room filled with laboratory equipment and machines. There were people there. Scientists in white lab coats. But there were no signs of children, which reassured Koala.
Ace went to stand near the scientists, who looked curiously at the new arrivals.
"Well done, Ace. Your escape attempt led to your brother being captured in the end," one of the scientists sneered.
"You! You’re the ones who made Ace like this!" Sabo accused.
"Listening to you, one would think we tortured him. That is not the case," a woman calmly replied, twirling a strand of hair that had fallen from her ponytail above her square glasses.
"I knew it. We were bound to run into mad scientists," Koala muttered, unconvinced.
"I’m going to make you pay for what you did!"
Sabo was about to lunge at the scientists when he suddenly felt a sharp sting in his arm. He looked down and saw a dart embedded in his skin. A groan from Koala confirmed that she had been hit too.
Sabo felt dizzy and quickly collapsed to the floor. The last thing he saw was his brother’s still expressionless eyes before everything went black.