Title:
Characters: Sabo, Shanks, Dragon, various Red-haired Pirates, nameless Revolutionaries.
Pairings: None
Warnings: Creative License on my part. I took the assumption that Sabo is alive and with Dragon and ran with it. Or rather, it ran with me. Just for fun. Relatively spoiler free, but if you are confused by the name Sabo please hold off reading.
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

Setting: Shortly after Ace has met Shanks, but before Ace becomes a Whitebeard pirate, so probably about a year before Luffy sets out as a pirate.

"Is that his ship?" Sabo asked, peering through a well-loved spy glass at a pirate flag in the distance. Dragon took a glance and nodded quietly.

"That's it. The Red Force." He confirmed.

'Are we going to talk to Akagami?' Sabo wanted to blurt out, but the past few years living with Dragon had taught him that asking questions wouldn't get him anywhere. When Dragon wanted to him to know something he would know.

"Veer to starboard." Dragon ordered his helmsman and the man obeyed immediately, setting the ship on course for the pirate Emperor.

Sabo smiled inwardly. Finally, he would get to meet the man Luffy loved like a father.

"Hey, boss," Yasopp called to the infamous redhead. For once, or so it seemed, Shanks was neither drunk nor hung-over, but rather having a rational conversation with his first-mate, Benn Beckman. Okay, so maybe rational wasn't the word to use, with how Beckman looked relieved to have a distraction, but the boss was trying today.

"What do you see, Yasopp?" Shanks asked cheerfully.

"Big ship. Started heading for us." He reported.

"Enemy ship?" Shanks asked more seriously. Yasopp squinted.

"…" The sharpshooter gaped.

"What do you see?" Shanks asked again, gently.

"Dragon." Yasopp blurted out, surprised. Shanks' arm on his shoulder snapped his out of his shock and the sniper met his brown eyes.

"What should we do?" Beckman asked quietly, not wanting to alarm the crew unnecessarily.

"We have no quarrel with the Revolutionaries." Shanks answered, "But if they should choose to attack us then we'll be ready. Prepare arms, but hold fire until my command."

Beckman and Yasopp nodded, each going about alerting the other Red-haired pirates until the ship was ready for battle.

"Sir, the Red-haireds are taking up arms." A revolutionary whose name Sabo hadn't caught reported.

"Are they making moves to fire?" Dragon asked.

"No, sir."

"Put up a white flag." He ordered, not looking at the man or Sabo. "There are a few things I'd like to say to Red-haired."

'Me too.' Sabo thought to himself.

"Akagami." Dragon called across the night sea, startling Sabo from his thoughts. "I have no intention of fighting you, but I will defend myself and my men should you attack."

"Then we are of one mind." A deep voice answered back, and the sounds of the Red-haired crew standing down were heard.

"I would speak with you." Dragon called again.

"I'm curious as to what someone as important as Dragon of the Revolutionaries would have to say to me." Akagami Shanks came into view as the ships drifted closer, his red hair hanging about his face. Somehow, Sabo was disappointed with his first sight of Luffy's hero.

"Permission to come aboard?" Dragon called, then glanced at Sabo. "For myself and one of my men."

"Granted, with pleasure." Shanks' men tossed a line to Dragon's ship, but the Revolutionary leader ignored it and jumped the distance between the ships.

"Come along." He commanded Sabo, who scurried along the rope to the Red Force.

"Can we offer you any refreshments?" The fattest man Sabo had ever seen held a plate with milk and cookies.

"Or perhaps something stronger?" Shanks suggested.

"This will be fine." Dragon accepted the plate, handing a glass and the sweets to Sabo.

"Are you sure? I would hate for you to think me a bad host." Shanks' eyes were bright, but guarded Sabo noticed and he was sure Dragon saw it too.

"I'm sure. What I need from you won't take long, but this is a conversation that shouldn't be held in front of others." Dragon stated boldly.

"Very well. My cabin is at your disposal." Shanks gestured with his arm and Sabo noticed for the first time, although he knew what had happened from Luffy's stories, Shanks' missing arm. Shanks seemed to notice his gaze and flashed a wicked smile his way, daring Sabo to comment.

"…" Sabo hurried after Dragon through the door Shanks had indicated.

"Now, what can I do for man the World Government has declared their number one enemy?" Shanks asked with a hint of a laugh in his voice as he joined them and shut his cabin door.

"I have only a few questions for you, Akagami, nothing more." The mysterious revolutionary told the pirate, taking a seat in a wooden chair. Sabo stood behind on his left, watching.

"You want to know what happened to my arm," Shanks nodded in understanding, "And if I'm any less of a threat to the World Government."

"I want to know if you know what you've done." Dragon's voice rumbled, thicker than Sabo had ever heard it.

"You already know that." Shanks smiled serenely. "A man with your resources wouldn't have waited so long to approach me if you were genuinely worried."

"The boy you sacrificed your arm for, tell me about him." Dragon commanded softly.

Shanks gazed at Dragon, his eyes half-lidded. "What is your interest in him? It isn't your style to involve innocent children."

"No, but Luffy could be important. Has Garp addled the boy's mind, convinced him to join the Marines?"

"You know than you're telling me." Shanks' voice grew deeper. "I won't allow any harm to come to Luffy, even if I must destroy you to protect him."

"Harming my son is the last thing on my mind." Dragon smirked.

"Your son? Luffy is your son?" Shanks yelped, nearly dropping his shot glass. "I'm going to need something stronger…" He muttered, searching the bottles in his liquor cabinet.

Sabo stood quietly Dragon's side, his jaw slack. All the years he had travelled with Dragon and the man had never told him he was Luffy's father.

"I suppose I should thank you for saving him." Dragon intoned politely as Shanks downed a glass of something foul smelling.

"No thanks necessary. Luffy is more than worth it." Shanks told him sincerely.

"Then why did you leave him?" Sabo burst out, startling Shanks slightly. The infamous pirate locked his brown gaze on him.

"And who is this?" The Emperor asked softly.

"Sabo. Luffy's brother." Dragon told him.

"Luffy's brother? Just how many brothers does he have?" Shanks asked rhetorically. Sabo glared questioningly. "Ace came to see me just a few weeks ago. Wanted to thank me for saving Luffy's life."

"Don't expect any thanks from me." Sabo grumbled. "You should have trained him. He could barely fight when Ace and I got him. And thanks to you, he ate a Devil's Fruit."

Shanks suddenly looked much older. "That is something I will never not regret."

Sabo glared at Shanks. "You better keep your promise to Luffy. I don't care if you're a pirate Emperor, if you dare let him down I will find you."

Shanks held his gaze evenly, making Sabo feel small and childish. "On my life, I will keep my word to Luffy." He vowed seriously.

Dragon's small snort of amusement drew them Shanks and Sabo from their contemplative gazing.

"We should be on our way. No need to draw attention to ourselves." The head rebel smirked.

"Aye, nothing like rumors of a joint pirate-rebel alliance to make the Marines take their jobs seriously." Shanks chuckled.

"Which is why we should keep quiet of it." Dragon proposed.

Shanks raised an eyebrow and nodded. "We have a common enemy in the World Government. Although I'm not an active revolutionist by any means, I have no objections to seeing the world change and if I can be of service to you and your men in my own small way…" He trailed off, making no promises, but laying implications.

"I will remember the sentiment," Dragon promised, standing. "But for now I have only one favor to ask."

Shanks raised an eyebrow and gestured for Dragon to continue.

"If you see Luffy, give him this." Dragon placed a small piece of paper in Shanks' outstretched hand. "I would like to someday meet my son, when he is strong enough to stand with me."

Shanks ran his fingers over the small sliver. "I'll deliver it to him the next time we meet."

"Come, Sabo. We have a great distance to cover by tomorrow." The Revolutionary left Shanks' cabin, pulling his hood over his face as he walked into the moonlight.

"Akagami. " Sabo gave Shanks a slight incline of his head, which was returned with a small salute.

"Sabo."

And with that, the Red Haired Pirates and the Revolutionaries cleaved from each other, all thinking of a young rubber boy in a too-big hat, waiting for him to grow into it.