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Luffy bites his lip to keep from speaking out about the hunger staring in his gut. He can’t whine about this, not when they’re in the middle of the ocean and it’s a wonder and a half he and his brothers managed to get off of the ship they had been on.
Looking at Ace and Sabo where they were huddled up together on the other side of the lifeboat. Tired and sleeping quite restlessly, they decided to take turns in rowing and hoping they’d get onto land at one point or another. The other two would sleep or rest at least.
He’s hungry, and it’s getting to the point that he won’t be able to last much longer. Fishing only gives them so much on these open seas and with no island in sight, they don’t know what to expect in the coming hours or even days.
“Luffy,” Sabo’s voice pulls him out of his thoughts, the blond smiling a little pained. The makeshift bandages on his face don’t look so good and it’s clear that the wound around his eye has started to get infected.
They hadn’t been thinking about that, though. Back when they had been taken on board a ship that was sailing towards the Grand Line. Bluejam had decided they were too much of a liability, so even if Outlook paid them to retrieve Sabo. The man had chosen to kill the noble and toss all three of them on board a ship headed to two islands over where a slaver’s ship was waiting for them. Luffy had been locked in some kind of cuffs that took away his devil fruit powers and made him tired all the time. While Ace and Sabo were tied up with ropes and gagged to keep them quiet once they started to yell that first time.
For all that they wanted to set out, none of them expected it to go like this.
Even less so when it became clear this wouldn’t be on their own terms and once arriving on the island the slaver’s ship was heading, they wouldn’t be able to get their freedom back like they wanted. So, a plan was hatched.
Because of them using just ropes to bind the older two boys, Ace and Sabo were able to undo them easily enough. Not that they let their captors know about that. Undoing the ropes but managing to make something like a blanket out of them so it seemed they were still tied up if someone came to check.
Ace, stealthy from all those years in the jungle, would venture out when they were certain no one was there. Sabo arranging himself and a still bound Luffy, to make it seem that there were three boys in that cell instead of just two when someone did come to check on them (their luck hiding in the fact that no one entered the cell, just looked at it from the bars). Leading to food, water and eventually keys to unlock Luffy from his restraints.
Sabo, once they knew the lay-out of the ship thanks to Ace’s escapades, built them a plan to get out of there. Releasing all the other prisoners even if they couldn’t guarantee they would get out of there as well.
Their luck ran out, however, as pirates attacked on the same night they put their plan in motion. Firing cannon balls, which is how Sabo got hurt and burned a large part of his left side. Pushing Ace and Luffy out of the way and taking the hit himself. Leaving Ace to drag him to a lifeboat and Luffy to undo the ropes holding the little boat to the side of the larger vessel before they were on the open ocean.
It had been three days by now, and they were all so very tired.
“Go and get some sleep, Lu,” Sabo said, “I can’t row well, but at least I can keep an eye on the sky. The current is making sure we move.”
Looking uncertain, except that Sabo is the older brother and the smart one, so he listened. Curling up against Ace, before closing his eyes and trying to ignore the hunger clawing at his stomach. He can hear Ace’s stomach making a similar sound, but in this case it lets him know he’s not alone in feeling like this.
They’re close to the end of the next day, with Luffy once again rowing into a direction they hope is the right one when something seems to be coming towards them. It doesn’t take long before it’s a ship and Luffy, thinking it might be the same one that took them, wakes up his brothers so Ace can help in rowing. It wouldn’t be enough, they realize as the ship only gets closer and closer.
But it does bring relief when Luffy recognizes the figurehead, stopping his efforts even when his brothers freak out. A familiar voice echoes from above, “You look like you’ve seen better days…”
Still too out of it knowing that they’re saved, Luffy stays silent as Ace calls back that they had been in a shipwreck and needed transportation to a safe harbor. Not giving his name or any other details, but he doesn’t have to. Even as he carries Sabo up on his back, Luffy climbs up after, peaking over the railing to see Shanks and the crew worrying over Ace and Sabo.
Until red eyes zero in on him and widen, “Anchor? What the… Luffy, what are you doing here?!”
Loud and ugly sobs pass by his lips as he tries to explain what happened, needing Ace to join in on explaining once Shanks is close enough to pick him up. Hearing the voice of his older brother explain what had been happening as he hides his head in Shanks’ shoulder. The familiar feel of the Pirate Captain is enough to let him know they’re well and truly safe.
—
He must have passed out, as Luffy wakes up in the infirmary to Hongo’s worried face, “Anchor, you gave us quite the scare. Your brothers too, the oldest seemed intent to fight the Captain when he saw you slump over in a dead faint.”
Smiling slightly, Luffy turned to look at Ace and Sabo sleeping on cots next to his. Both of them with an IV in their arm, with Sabo bandaged in proper bandages and the burns taken care of. A wobbly smile appears once more, “We’re safe.”
Hongo nods, “You are, I’ll let the Boss and Roux know. Boss wanted to check in on you as soon as you’re awake and Roux seemed intent on making sure you eat something, so he’s been keeping a broth going for you and your brothers to eat once you wake up.”
Nodding, Luffy sits up slowly as Hongo leaves the infirmary to go and get the men he spoke up. Returning with Shanks on his heels and a bowl of broth in his hands, “Let’s start with one, okay Anchor? I know you normally eat more, but as a D, and a child, I want to make sure you can keep this down before giving you another.”
Letting the doctor place the bowl on a tray and place that on his lap. He eats slowly, especially as Hongo pushes for him to do so. Still finishing the bowl in record time and finding that the heat from the broth does make him feel better. Holding the bowl to ask for seconds.
Patting him on the head, Hongo takes it to go and fills it up once more.
As he leaves, Shanks turns to Luffy, “I didn’t know you had brothers, Anchor.”
Humming, Luffy shares that he only found them after Shanks left Dawn. Grinning widely as he tells him about the both of them. Only stopping when Ace groans and also wakes up, looking confused before relaxing at the sight of Luffy awake.
Once Hongo returns, it’s with a second bowl that he gives to Ace. Mentioning he had expected him to wake up too. Sabo would be out a little longer, he explains, with the painkillers in his system as the wounds had been infected and he had needed to clean those and didn’t want to do that to a child as he was awake.
Worried about their brother, both boys looked at the blond in between them, but he didn’t look as grey as he did before. A rosy blush on his cheeks, even as he slept. Hongo also explained he had added nutrients into the IV drip, to make sure that even if they didn’t eat a lot, they didn’t keep on losing too much of it.
Shanks’ eyes glide over to Ace, but he doesn’t say anything. However, it’s clear that he wants to.
It’ll have to be for another day, something Luffy and Ace are glad for. They’re safe, that’s their main priority. All the rest can wait until they’ve recovered and healed some more.