It has been FAR too long. Life's been kicking my ass. But if you're looking to waste your time I have some new fics up that might be interesting, even if the stories are simple and short for most. ANYWAY this is long overdue, so sorry for the wait. I'd like to say I'm gonna update all of my older stories that are in need of updates but I really can't say for sure with everything going on. So I WILL say that I'll be updating when I can. Whether the stories are new or old, I'm still here, still writing, and I don't plan on going away.

You may also notice that we have a new cover image for the story~ I doodled Blue for my ask-Sabo blog on tumblr and thought I'd update our image since it hasn't been updated in like... 3 bloody years. So that's how I personally envision the Sabo of this story, but if you pictured him another way then keep that image of him. He's whateeeever you want him to be.

Just like the last actual chapter, the first scene backtracks a bit, to before the last scene of chapter 46.

Enjoy~

Vivi was nervous, seated there all by her lonesome at the end of a long table that stretched across the expanse of the room, wearing finely-crafted clothes so foreign to her own. She was advised to dress in attire more suited to the atmosphere of Goa, and a dress was laid out for her in her room that evening. The fabric was light, soft, and she felt a chill run through her as she forced her arms to sit delicately atop her lap. Servants eventually entered, setting the table for a grand dinner for two, soft jazz being played out on the gramophone against the wall. The whole world seemed to shift the moment she entered the palace walls. No, it happened before then—as soon as she entered High Town. Everything was calm, sophisticated. Fake, maybe, but… deceptively pleasant.

Time passed, and her host remained absent. An unopened wine bottle sat across the table, bouquets of flowers—deep reds and striking whites—lined the white tablecloth, and she let out a sigh as she fiddled with some of the lace on her dress. Pleasant, yes, but also extremely uncomfortable. She was a princess, born and bred, the heir to her father's throne had she not agreed to marry Goa's crown prince, but this culture was foreign and their customs were nothing like her own. What she experienced with Nami and the Strawhat gang only hours before—that felt real. A part of her wondered if she could ever get used to this quiet lifestyle. Nobles here were… intimidating.

The door creaked open and she lifted her eyes as a servant—no, this one looked more like a slave—pushed it open, and standing in the doorway behind the girl was a blond clad in white. White gloves, a white suit, striking against the dark reds and rich browns of the room. He was pale, too, his skin almost translucent, almost sickly. Like a spectre, she thought, and the more she thought the more her eyes widened as the weight of who this was donned on her. The slave left, the door shut, and she immediately rose from her seat to bow.

"Greetings, Sire. It is of the utmost honour to—"

"Quiet."

She flinched, peeking up to see a hand held up in pause. She'd… never been interrupted like that before. It was disrespectful, and what she heard of the prince told her that he was a fine gentleman, the picture of formality. But as she rose her head further she blinked, catching sight of a polite smile that washed away the effect of that last commanding word. It was gentle, and kind, and perhaps just as fake as the roses on the table. But she couldn't tell, and that… that both unnerved and intrigued her.

"Nefertari Vivi, correct?" She nodded and watched as the prince rounded the table and knelt before her, taking her hand in his and pressing his lips to her knuckles. It… wasn't as though she was unfamiliar with the custom, but knowing who this man was made it a bit uncomfortable, and yet… he still held that strange charm. "It's an honour and a privilege to have an Alabastian princess visiting our small country. I welcome you."

Ah, he was one of those… He would hold his formalities to the highest regard. That didn't bode well, though she supposed some semblance of structure was necessary. So Vivi offered a smile, and waited until their eyes met. "Prince Thomas Outlook, I presume?"

He nodded, his smirk broadening. "But I have to say, I am not much a fan of speaking so formally to my fiancée."

Her smile fell and she was at a loss, watching in silence as he rose to his feet, using the table as a crutch to support himself. It looked awkward and pained, the way his movements hitched periodically whenever his torso would twist or contort, and she couldn't help but gawk at him. This… was not what she expected from the stories she heard.

"Apologies if I do not meet your standards, my Lady," Thomas continued, slowly shuffling his way back around the table to the other side, taking a seat across from her chair. She followed suit, lowering herself back down as she tried to think of how to respond. "I realise that in my current state I am a grave disappointment."

"Not at all," she hurried to correct, anxious hands back to fiddling with the thin fabrics of her dress. "I just—you look unwell. Are you ill?"

"Mm. Well, some would say." He shook his head and was soon back to smiling.

Before he could say anything more the door opened again, and three servants began setting out the food. One took the bottled wine and began pouring it into their empty glasses, the liquid sloshing about between them as their eyes remained locked. This man was… strange, far stranger than Strawhat from the night before or any of his gang. His presence was almost unnerving, and as she went to speak she caught Thomas's narrowed eyes, telling her all she needed to know to keep her mouth shut.

Thomas called out to one of the men quietly as they passed his chair, and soon a short exchange in a tongue she couldn't understand was taking place. It didn't last, the servant nodding his understanding and taking his leave before the others.

The other servants left and soon the room fell silent as the record reached the end of its track, and with it the prince's smile fell, as though a worn mask was finally being removed. He let out a breath, but silence still returned.

Eventually she looked down at her plate, at a full course meal set before her, and tried to think of what she could say to get things moving. The quiet was unnerving, and she thought it rude to press on about his condition further. "You speak French?"

Thomas looked up then, almost at a loss for a second before that gentlemanly smile made its return, and he straightened his posture almost painfully. "I like to pretend, you could say."

Vivi stared, not quite understanding. "French is the secondary language of High Town, correct?"

"Oui. I am not fluent, however," he confessed, and the smile felt oddly natural as he said that. "It seems I've picked up a few words and phrases here and there, but that is the extent of my knowledge."

"I see…" It seemed to her that he spoke well enough to the servant, but the language wasn't something she'd familiarised herself with. Perhaps he was only good enough to fool foreigners like herself… This wasn't important.

Thomas's eyes scaled to the door before he hunched, another tired breath leaving him as his body seemed to crumple in on itself, and it was then that she noticed the sweat beading down the side of his face. "Forgive me… I had hoped I could meet you under better circumstances."

She swallowed, unease growing, and she forgot her manners as she leaned over the table. "You need a doctor. I'll call for—"

"Don't."

She frowned. "Why? Something's clearly wrong—you look like you're in so much pain—"

"Don't." The force with which the word was repeated kept her silent, watching carefully as Thomas let out a loud, heavy exhale. "...I apologise. I don't mean to snap. But I really will be fine… I would like to continue, if it's all the same to you."

She thought about it a moment before reluctantly sitting back in her chair and picking up her utensils, a stern look on her face that expressed her concern well enough. For now she would abide by his wishes. So she left him to his stubbornness for the moment and turned her attention back to her food, ignoring the amused smile of the one seated across from her at the table.

"Thank you."

Vivi snuck another glance his way, a frown on her face as he began eating, taking small, delicate bites before sipping from his glass. She hadn't drank from hers, and she likely wouldn't.

"A toast, my Lady?" Thomas held his glass up. "To new friendships."

She eyed him warily. "I'm underage, Sire."

He let out a soft snort, uncharacteristically crude of him. "If you are old enough to wed then you are old enough to drink, my dear."

That thought stuck with her in the following seconds before she rose her glass, hitting it against his. A short chime filled the silence and she took the smallest of sips, making a face at the bitter taste of the wine.

Thomas laughed, a sound easy to the ears even as it ended in a wince. "Quite terrible, isn't it?"

"Horrific," she agreed, placing the glass back down far away from her.

The tension had eased and she gave time to recollect her thoughts as they ate, her eyes drifting from one painting to the next, all hung on the wall behind her fiancé. They looked expensive, not unlike everything else in the palace… Even the palace back home wasn't so bathed in riches. She had to wonder what living in such luxury did to a person… Though she supposed Thomas himself was the perfect answer to that.

Towards the end of the meal she found herself fidgeting, and eventually met the prince's eyes. "I have to ask… are you alright with all of this?"

"Hm?"

"The engagement," she elaborated, setting down her fork and placing her hands back onto her lap. "I agreed to this on my own terms, but you… did you even have a choice?"

Thomas stilled, his face blank as he watched her in silence, and she had to look away.

"I'm… coming to understand what type of place this is. You don't… have any say, do you?"

The pause stretched on before Thomas eased up, dabbing at the corners of his mouth with a handkerchief. "You're doing this for your people, aren't you? That's admirable dedication." He fiddled with his cravat, head tilted slightly. "But the reasoning you use makes you just as trapped as I am. So, what are we to do about it, then? We could mope and wallow about having this forced upon us, or we could embrace this new circumstance and try to use it to our advantage, this combined power we're granted."

Vivi pressed her lips together. "Bold words, Sire. You've really thought about this a lot, haven't you?"

He never answered, simply rose from his seat and offered an outstretched hand. "So, what say you?"

As she stared at the hand her eyes drifted behind it, and she let out a small gasp before shooting up from her chair and rushing over at the sign of deep red bleeding through the white of Thomas's clothes. She crouched down to get a close look at the stain, ignoring the quiet noise of surprise that escaped the injured man, and suddenly the entirety of their conversation fell away from thought. "You—you're bleeding. What happened?!"

Thomas hissed as her fingertips grazed a tender spot but tried to keep a straight face. "A flesh wound, is all. N-nothing to fuss over."

She frowned. What a proud man… "This is not a flesh wound, Thomas. That's it—I'm calling the doctor."

"You will not—"

The creak of the door had them both falling silent, a short woman poking her head in—the slave from earlier. She blinked at the scene, Vivi unbuttoning the prince's shirt, and raised an eyebrow. "...Huh."

Thomas rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh. "Koala, be a dear and fetch me my blazer, would you?"

The slave girl looked skeptical but nodded, slipping back out of the room and leaving them in a dull, awkward silence. Vivi stared at the floor, a little unnerved by the sudden interruption, and glancing over at Thomas, well… he just looked exhausted.

"I'm not going to ask what happened," she stated, lifting her eyes to meet his, "but you really need to get that looked at. You shouldn't be moving around so much if you're hurt…"

"I'm well aware," Thomas muttered, his body sinking into the plush surface of his chair. "I've had that beaten into me quite enough over the years, thank you."

"And yet here you are."

He let out another snort. "Well, my dear, I've never been one to listen."

No matter how many times he was forced to wear that damnable suit Ace swore he would never get used to it. The material was stiff and binding, the layers were heavy and thick… and wearing it, he looked like one of them. That was the biggest insult of all.

Today was worse than usual, though. It wasn't because he was going to confront his little brother, or because he was uncertain of just what the blond bastard was plotting between their gangs; it was because this time his hair was tied back. It looked wrong. He didn't look like himself and when he stared into the mirror he felt like someone else was staring back. But he was starting to feel like this was something that needed to be done, as every time he would pass through the front gates of High Town the guards looked… unconvinced. They would let him through, sure, but lately they had started questioning him. Wearing the same suit every time he entered and left was probably suspect enough, but he'd heard one or two comments on his unruly hair, and when looking around at the people who lived there… theirs was always styled back, tied or slicked like Sabo's. Or their hair was short, and he wasn't going to cut his hair just for this bullshit.

But fuck, reasoning or no, it still looked awkward as all hell.

"What's the occasion?"

Ace's head snapped to the doorway of his room to see Thatch leaning against the frame, arms crossed over his chest with this knowing look in his eyes that had Ace nervous. He'd managed the past few times, convincing his brother that it was all for some girl that he was sneaking off to go see. But…

"I'm not stupid, Ace." The easy grin on Thatch's face was sign enough that he wasn't in trouble, but it did little to ease his nerves. Thatch pushed off the wall and approached, hooking his arm around Ace's shoulders and pulling him in. "I've played dumb a good while now, but I think it's about time I find out what has you so interested in High Town lately."

He stiffened at that. "Noth—"

"It's that Luffy kid, eh?"

Ace blinked, lips pressed together. He mention Lu to Marco, but… he couldn't remember bringing him up in front of Thatch. Still, he wouldn't question it. "...Yeah."

"Must be somethin' else to get you all dolled up like this," Thatch laughed, pulling away to pat him on the back. "You look terrible."

"Shut up…" He sighed, glaring at his own reflection. "Gonna head up to High Town to have a talk with him. Got some things I wanna say…"

Thatch hummed to himself, looking Ace over. "Well, you pass. Terribly, but you pass."

"Oh shove it."

The bastard just laugh, clapping him on the back before wandering out into the hall. "Don't worry; I won't tell the chicken."

The guards didn't scrutinise him as closely as usual, so Ace considered that a minor victory as he stepped into the walls of High Town. It was… strange how normal it felt doing that. His first few times going there he'd slipped through the hole in the wall, but at some point it just seemed a bit redundant. He understood why Sabo and Lu still used it—they would leave wearing Low Town attire, and the gate was closed late at night—but when the sun was out and he was dressed like he belonged there… why not come in through the front entrance?

His plan was to go straight to the mansion, get there before Luffy woke up and demand some answers. And, well, yell at him for the mess he caused the night before. Fuck, Ace hadn't gotten a moment of sleep because of that. His mind just kept racing and racing, and…

But his plan soon fell away when he noticed something odd about the residents. They were… outside. Hundreds—thousands of them, all out of the comfort of their homes, all headed in one direction. Ace hadn't seen the nobles acting like that before. It would have been a lie to say that he wasn't curious, and he started to figure… Lu wouldn't be up yet, right? There was no way. And he'd hate to keep the little shit from his rest…

Biting his lip, he followed the crowd.

It annoyed him, the way that, despite his attire, he felt underdressed amidst the crowd. The blond bastard dolled himself up, sure, but even his fucking ironed suit was nothing compared to what some of those people wore—so much embroidery and so many layers that it looked gaudy. And he knew from his own suit just how fine those materials were, how expensive. They felt different against the skin, a less obvious symbol of status used only to make the wearer feel important.

Ace let out a snort and dropped the subject. Admittedly he was getting a little nervous the further he got. He'd never really gotten that far into town, normally sticking close to the wall to find Lu's place, as it wasn't that far off from the hole. The further he walked the more carriages he saw. The already large mansions turned larger, buildings stretching into the sky all pristine and white. Creams, beiges. It took nothing of the gritty greys of Low Town, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. The streets grew more crowded, too, as time went on, and soon he was squeezed closely between the citizens, getting far closer to the nobles than he ever wanted.

Everyone was flocking to the palace. Why? But he could only ask himself that for so long, standing in awe of the the massive building they surrounded, metal gates blocking even the nobles from entrance as they all watched, eyes set on the balcony of the highest floor. A man was speaking—the king, the crown told—but he couldn't make out a fuckin' word of it from where he stood, barely able to even enter the plaza in front of the palace. He doubted many of the others could hear, either, yet they were so fixated on it. The whole thing got boring fast, and he started wondering how far he'd get if he tried to, say… knock the fucker down a few pegs. But a quick scan of the plaza showed an impressive amount of guards, and if the blond bastard could afford seastone weapons then he had no doubt the king's men could, too. He wondered if even the soldiers were nobles. Nobles were the only people allowed into High Town, right? Nobles and slaves, and from what Sabo said many of those slaves were nobles. Discarded ones. But it didn't seem right; nobles doing ground work like that went against their whole code of ethics. So then who were the servants, the guards, the gardeners? The bakers, or the coachmen, or the cooks? They couldn't all be slaves. So… who was lucky enough to live there with the rich cunts who'd torn their country in half?

Ace blinked, his eyes catching on a very short brunette amidst the guards lining the inside of the gates. She didn't reach the height of the rest, and she looked a bit suffocated in the fancy ceremonial armour they were made to wear. It almost looked too big for her. But as the unheard speech of the bastard king continued on he watched the girl mutter something to the much taller guard to her left before slipping back, towards what Ace could only assume was the servants' entrance of the palace. The line of guards quickly adjusted for their missing member, spreading out ever so slightly.

Huh. The hell was that about?

Ace was ready to leave, having seen more than enough of those assholes, but it was hard to fight his way through the crowd. No one could hear from back there and yet still they were glued in place, watching with focused eyes. Like zombies. He shuddered at the thought and squeezed between the two women behind him, muttering curses when 'excuse me' was met with an insulted glare.

A roaring cheer washed over the crowd and Ace growled his annoyance as the nobles' excitement grew. He turned back to face the palace, wondering what had them so hyped, and he saw that the king was done speaking. Yeah, he'd be cheerin' for that, too. Except they weren't. A man, a bit shorter than the king, stepped out onto the balcony, spinning around with his gloved hand outstretched, a woman allowing the gesture as she joined him. She was foreign, he could tell from the style of her dress, wearing the same white as the man walking with her to the edge of the balcony. A clean, simple suit was all the man wore, contrasting greatly with the over-embellished garb of the king, but he assumed from that distance Ace just couldn't make out the more ornate details. And what was all this shit about?

They both turned to face the crowd, charming smiles on their faces, and—

Sabo.

Ace took a step back, ignoring it when he bumped into the man standing closest to him. He ignored the way he staggered, the man's insulted lecture. All of it fell away and soon the only thing he could see was the blond standing at the edge of the balcony, seen and not heard, waving to the crowds below as someone else spoke for him.

Wh… what…

"My, I haven't seen Prince Thomas since he was a boy."

As Ace recomposed he could make out the voices of the crowd, distant and weak amidst his thoughts, but they were there, and they caught his attention. Thomas…? But that was—that was Sabo, the blond bastard, the Blue Gentleman. That man up there was the scourge of Low Town, he was—that was Luffy's brother!

"Yes, well," another woman's voice spoke from his right with a sigh, "I've heard he's been very sickly since childhood. The dear's spent all of his time cooped up in the palace, they say. Poor thing."

Sick—he wasn't sick. He was fucking fine, except—except that he shouldn't have been moving because of his bloody injury! Sabo grew up with Luffy. He was out of the palace all the fucking—why was he in the palace?

"Such a pity," a man stated, staring up at the royal family with a scowl. "I've spent years grooming my daughter so that she may be considered a suitress for the prince, but it seems they've gone and bought that Alabastian swine. What a waste."

"Really now," the woman huffed, her arms crossed over her chest. "I haven't a clue what His Highness is thinking, choosing that desert rat over the upstanding women of Goa. He'll regret it later, I'm sure."

"Most certainly."

"As soon as he is king I'm sure Prince Thomas will throw her away. We'll have our chance."

Ace's stomach turned and he covered his mouth, forcing his way through the crowds, closer to the gates, shoving aside whatever noble scum dared to get in his way because he needed to hear this from the blond bastard's fucking mouth. But the outer row of guards stopped him when he got to the front, crossing their sabers, and it was enough to give him a moment of pause, his eyes wide. Shit. He was making a scene. He knew he was but all this time Sabo had fucking—

"Cease your advance," one of the guards commanded, and Ace glared at the man, only to realise that he was being scrutinised by the guards nearest to him. And some of the nobles. "Where is your crest?"

"My—let me through so I can roast that fucker!"

They narrowed their eyes, and then one of the sabers was pointed at his throat. He felt the cool metal brush against his skin and he smirked, flexing his fingers. Not seastone. These fuckers had no idea what they were—

There was a sudden impact to his cheek, a heeled foot digging into bone, and he heard a crack as he was sent sprawling to the ground. The nobles parted to allow his fall, the attention of the closest ones now fully pulled from the royal family, and Ace was just left rubbing his cheek and gawking dumbfoundedly at his attacker.

"My, what revolting behaviour."

"He has no crest—a slave, wearing such fineries? Absurd."

But Ace wasn't listening, staring at the tiny woman guard he saw before, now wearing little more than a dress shirt and vest, her armour forgotten and a western bowtie around her neck. She stood over him with her hands on her hips, an unimpressed look on her face. "Stand down, kid."

Her accent was an odd mix between the one of the nobles and his own, and she spoke with a sharpness worthy of her position. And Ace could tell right away that her confidence was warranted.

She hit him. She hit—a logia with the heel of her shoe. It was something that hadn't really happened since…

"Ever heard of haki, Commander? What about seastone?"

His stomach dropped. It was something he hadn't had to think about for a long, long time, and the reminiscent words of Marshall D. Teach were something he rather soon forget. This girl, whoever she was, was a lot more dangerous than she let on.

But Ace was stubborn, and Ace was angry, and he clenched his hand into a fist. "I ain't doin' nothin' you—"

"Ace." There was a tone of warning in that voice, that oh so familiar voice, and his head snapped around to see a short noble in an unfitting suit, a crest emblazoned across the breast pocket. Luffy didn't look right wearing that, and Ace could only watch as the boy stepped in front of him, blocking him from the lady guard's sight. "Sorry, he's with me. I'll be sure to correct this behaviour upon our return home."

The woman narrowed her eyes. "You should be more careful with your slaves."

"I know. Sorry."

She gave Ace one last, long look before stepping back, hopping over the gate and taking her place in line from before. But when she turned around Ace spotted something on the back of her neck, discoloured skin—a brand—and he wondered…

"Get up."

Ace shuddered at the sound of Luffy's voice. It was wrong, that tone he was taking, the words he spoke. It didn't sound like him. It sounded like…

His eyes fell on Sabo above, the king still addressing the crowd in a speech that Ace could now hear but didn't bother listening to. Sabo was looking there—looking at him. It made his skin crawl, and he growled his frustrations even as Luffy guided him back through the gathered nobles, kicking the dirt, wondering just how far he would have taken thing if that girl hadn't stopped him.

As they walked the crowds thinned out, and soon there was next to no one. Lu hadn't said a word, which on its own was unnerving enough, but Ace couldn't bring himself to break the silence, either. The palace was still in sight, off in the distance, and it just had him angry.

He caught something out of the corner of his eye, though—a dark figure moving away from the crowds. The only one. He lifted his head out of some weak curiosity and frowned as he caught the tail end of a dark-skinned man dipping into one of the alleyways. He didn't mention it, didn't move to follow, but thoughts began turning in his head.

So even Law was there, huh? Fuckin' traitor.

Eventually the streets began looking familiar, and Ace's shoulders slumped when he found himself at Luffy's front entrance. The boy fiddled with his keys for a bit before shoving the door open and they both stepped inside. Ace immediately went into the lounge, flopping down on the sofa with a stressed sigh. "Saved my ass there, Lu. Dunno what I was thinking."

"Sorry, Ace…"

Ace raised an eyebrow, looking over at the brat. Now he looked out of character in a whole other way, standing there all depressed. "What for?"

"Lying, and saying you were a slave…"

Ace eyed him before letting out a snort, resting his head against the cushioned back of the sofa. "Can't say I care much, ya saved my ass. The lying… yeah, kinda want to punch your head in for that. But at the same time I don't."

Luffy pouted, dropping onto the chair across from him. "You're not mad?"

"At myself, maybe. Should've fuckin' seen it coming. I could kick myself." He frowned, lifting his head to stare at the coffee table between them. "Can't say I blame you. Thought I'd come all this way to confront you about it, but fuck, after seeing…"

Luffy grinned, but it didn't last. "I didn't know, either. 'Bout Sabo. Shanks told me last night."

"He's—" Ace pinched his brow, exhaling a shuddering breath, trying to keep the anger and frustration from before from bubbling back up. "Sabo's the fucking prince?"

Luffy nodded. "He never said anything so I didn't ask. Just knew that his parents sucked."

Ace laughed, and it came out a little more hysterical than he intended. "This whole time that fuck—the Blue-fucking-Gentleman—was next in line for the goddamn throne? Why? He could just change things when he fucking takes over!"

There was a long silence before Luffy hopped to his feet and wandered out of the room.

"O-oi—"

"I'm hungry!"

"Is this really the time?!"

"Yup, shishishi!"

Ace groaned and rolled his eyes, following the little shit into the connected kitchen only to see that Luffy was already pulling everything they had out of the fridge. A part of him wanted to just take a seat but instead he turned on the oven, waiting for it to heat. "I'll make a roast or somethin'. Sit your ass down, runt."

Luffy grinned even as he took a few snacks for himself, consisting of a crate of fruit and a loaf of bread. "Thanks, Ace!"

"Yeah, yeah, you little shit. I—" He blinked and then frowned, drumming his nails along the top of the counter as he waited for the oven to heat. His eyes fell on his little brother, and his mind began working itself into the ground as thoughts overran it. Before worrying about anything else, he wanted to get things straightened out between them. It'd been a long while now since he realised who Luffy was, and he'd never had a chance to address it until then. "Hey, Lu…"

"Mmm?" His mouth was already stuffed—

Ace stared at the oversized cheeks of the little noble and paled when he saw them stretching far more than they should have. But before he could comment on it he remembered Strawhat, and rubbed his forehead. "...Fuck, you're rubber, aren't ya?"

"Mmm!" came the muttered response, followed by a curt nod. Well, that explained a few things… Another mystery solved.

"Fucking brilliant." He shook his head, trying to stay focused. "Anyway. When I was little I came across this brat. Noble kid, really small. Kinda banged up. Took care of him for a little while, 'fore his dad came to get him. That was you, huh?"

Luffy swallowed his food, an impossible grin stretching across his face. "Yup!"

His eyebrow twitched. That reaction. "...You knew."

"Uh-huh!"

"...You little shit—"

"Thank you!"

He blinked, looking back at the boy, eyebrow cocked in question. "The hell for?"

"For helping me!"

Ace reddened and promptly turned back to the oven, inserting the roast to distract himself. "Don't worry about it. Was… kinda nice, having a little brother, y'know?" He shook his head again, and his thoughts soured. 'Brother' just brought back the face of a smug blond, and his lip curled at the thought. "I can't fucking believe—our next king is that fucking psychopath?! With what he does to his 'guests' I'd hate to see what he's gonna do to the country! What the hell kind of name is 'Thomas' anyway?!"

Luffy fell into a fit of laughter, much to the exasperation of the elder, and shoved more fruit down his throat. "I dunno, shishishi!"

Ace rolled his eyes and leaned back against the counter with his arms folded over his chest. "Awfully calm about this, aren't ya?"

"'Cause Sabo's still Sabo!"

He let out a snort. "Well, can't argue with that logic…" But with how many layers of lies that had been told, Ace was finding himself questioning the bastard once again. He finally thought, after the morning before, that they were maybe coming to an understanding. But as soon as that happened this did, and they were back to square one, with Ace wondering just what in the hell was actually true about Sabo. What could he believe? What wasn't just… a fabrication?

But then he remembered that Sabo had never really… said anything about his family. He'd fabricated nothing—a dog, he called himself, and that was where the subject was dropped.

Everyone had things they wanted to hide, now and then.

He sighed. "A while back… you said the blond bastard was trapped. His parents?"

Luffy hummed in thought, placing a finger against his chin and looking to the ceiling. "Mmm… Sabo didn't listen to them lots when he was little. They'd correct him a lot, an' then he started listening and stopped getting hurt, an' he could come play with me!" His hand felt to the side and he frowned. "But Sabo doesn't like it there. But he won't leave."

"...Because he's trapped."

Luffy nodded.

Ace groaned. Well, he couldn't imagine the king just letting his son take off like that, especially if Sabo's intentions were to stay with Luffy and Shanks. He'd be hunted down. After all, the king was getting up in years. They'd need an heir sooner or later and the nobles were too stuck in their ways to take a ruler that didn't have 'royal blood'. And if he were to leave? Well. Ace didn't think that'd bode well for Jackass Jr.

He took a moment to collect his thoughts before looking up at Luffy, the boy's mouth watering as the roast cooked. "Got one more question for ya."

Luffy blinked. "Hm?"

"Thomas Outlook, prince of High Town. So why's he call himself 'Sabo'?"

Luffy stared before climbing off the table—when had he gotten on?—and slunk back into his seat with a smile. "Because he's Sabo!"

That was possibly the most empty explanation Luffy could have given him. He expected nothing less.

Killer folded his arms over his chest, whistling behind his mask as he stared in through the front gate. There was a large fountain just inside and, past it, the familiar silhouette of the palace was in clear view. "Quite the crowd, eh?"

Kidd snorted, his arm raised into the air, keeping the metal bars of the gate wrapped around the guards as they squirmed, mouths covered to keep them from complaining. "Expected nothin' less. You see him?"

"We're too far. But I think the crowd's answer enough."

"So he's alive, then." Kidd snorted, and as his hand lowered the gate—and men tangled within it—crashed to the ground. "Should've figured. Bastard's like a cockroach. Keeps comin' back."

"That's good, though." He looked around the entrance, poking his head in to peer around. No one. They were all at the palace plaza. So there was no worry of stirring up a commotion, and his shoulders slumped. "There'll be less of an upset." He caught some movement then, though, slipping into one of the alleyways.

Kidd shrugged. "Means we didn't lose another heir, anyway. Even if we did I bet they'd just cover it up. Grab whatever brat fits the description."

"Don't doubt that," Killer laughed, leaning against the High Town wall. "Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"Damn straight." The curled lip was all he needed to know how Kidd felt about the matter. Honestly, he felt the same. "I'm half tempted to go in there and crush it all into rubble."

Killer sighed, spinning back around to face his boss, walking back outside of the walls. Well, he couldn't blame Kidd for that. Even he was almost tempted, but… "The royal guard is a bit different from the thugs we're used to. Inner guards have seastone. There's the occasional haki or devil fruit user… We'd be outmatched. Could take out quite a bit before they got us arrested, though, but this time I don't think they'd let you wait it out on Death Row. How's the new arm, by the way?"

Kid sneered but eventually raised his hand and soon his ability had the metal floating, twisting and straightening and soon the gate was back to normal, looking completely untouched with the guards lying unconscious on the other side. He then flexed his metal fingers, staring at his palm. "Heavy. Works well enough, though." He balled it into a fist. "Next time I see that bastard, he's dead."

Killer sighed, shaking his head. Kidd had been saying that for two years now but he'd never gotten his revenge against Trafalgar Law. They weren't empty words but sometimes it was hard to see that they would ever be followed through, and the incident at Impel Down only furthered those thoughts.

He decided not to mention that he'd spotted Trafalgar Law within those walls. This wasn't the time for a fight.

He wondered if Trafalgar Law thought the same.

I don't know why, but I REALLY got into this chapter. It was a lot of fun to work on! Especially getting to show Ace's character growth, how he deals with new information...

To my lovelies~

PutYourNameOnIt: Sabo being Thomas was foreshadowed for a looooooong time, only without the name Thomas being associated, but I tried to keep it vague enough that people wouldn't figure out too early XD PFFFFFT yeah Robin is, at this point, probably the strongest Strawhat of the bunch in this AU if you're going by devil fruit power. She's been training it up a lot over the years. I'd like to say SaboLaw will make a quick return buuuuuuuuuut... you'll have to wait and see. Kidd isn't paired with anyone in this story, he's on his own XD

XxFire-PhoenixxX: Me doing OP Big Bang and updating a story isn't really enviable... anyone can do it if they put the effort in. Marco and Thatch are always fun to write, but I think it might be a while before any more is revealed about them. Who knows?

Krystal 'Demon' Sanate: Glad you like~

namissalamis: *cough* Updates have been... sporadic lately. I write when I can but life likes to screw me over. Don't worry, there'll be far more SaboLaw flashbacks coming up! You'll be seeing more of the old Luffy in the future. A lot more, actually, because now a lot of his worries have been eased.

Guest: Thank you! Complicated stories are tough to get through but they're a lot of fun... if you can keep up with all the details while writing XD

bibliophile030: Thanks! Next chapter is here, better late than never!

Kitsune Foxfire: Maybe Shakky just doesn't age XD Oh Roger came up with the worst names alright... but they weren't as jokes. He was totally dead serious. Law has more than just brother issues to work out, I think... the kid needs therapy. Kidd and Killer are going to be a LOT more fun as time goes on, trust me.

OnePieceDoesExist: HERE IT IS MY FRIEND!

Mah-Blackberreh: Actually it was hinted at in an earlier special that Rouge was a noble XD Psh Jenna come on, you already knew Kidd was a noble. Nah, Shanks and Makino didn't care who Sabo was, they just knew it'd cause a headache. No prob hun~

Pirats Gold: Sorry for all of the waiting :''''D Thank you, I love reading reviews from you guys~

NovaTheHedgehog7500: Your reviews were honestly so entertaining to read, I loved it XD

Guest (2): Basil's prediction will come back into focus in the future, so I'm afraid you'll have to wait for your answer~

sam: Honestly I think Marco's past is going to be the most exciting part of the story for a lot of people. With the most 'wtf' moments.

samfree15: I apologise for the long wait :'D But it's back, so here you go! And thank you, I look forward to your future reviews~

Asylumurderess: Hahaha mindfuck is always a good response to hear about XD As for Luffy's noble side and the Strawhats, there may be members already away... *cough* Good thing almost no one reads these.

Seablue21: Awww you're so sweet ;v; God, you're giving me way too much credit... I think my writing was pretty bad when I first started this fic :'''D In fact it was shit, and the characters were kinda shit... I'm just really glad it grew into something people enjoy reading.

Alude: ANOTHER SABOLAW SUPPORTER, HUZZAH! Welcome to the cult my friend~

Guest (3): Nope, Sabo's eyes are brown XD They're normally described as 'dark' in the fic so that could be why you thought they were blue. But I actually don't really like Sabo with blue eyes XD I have a few stories where they ARE blue, though, like Wake Me Up, Imagined Life, Heavy Lies the Crown (though they change from green to blue with the use of his powers in this one).

Tidde13: Guuuuuuh god why are you guys being so flattering this time around sjkghlfds thank you ;v;/ Buuuut there is no possible way for me to update this story twice a month. Some months I can't find time to write at ALL, and I have a lot of stories going that I don't want to abandon, both short and long. So sorry, but I'll be keeping to the sporadic updates, probably until the story is complete.

thehereandnow33: The story isn't for everyone, there are plenty out there that'll be more interesting to you. As of this chapter though basically everything Sabo's doing is clear, you just need to put the pieces together.

Reincarnation15: Glad you like~

Headphone girl A15: Real life got in the way :'D Real life and other writing, and I got a job, and my cat died last month, so there was just very little time to get to it, and when there was time there was a lack of motivation. I'm trying to write more often, though, just not always the same story.

Smally: Your reviews are always my favourite, god XD There's actually something interesting about Ace's name, but I don't think anyone could realize without looking through all of the flashbacks and doing the math about how many years ago each one took place hehe. The lines between Thatch and Marco are veeery important when considering their past, especially Marco's. A big thing happened for Marco before he left to join WB. The SaboLaw seen was kinda a tipping point, and it's actually where I tried hinting at Law's betrayal *cough* Thank YOU for your review, they're always a treat to read~

myanimeobsession: This chapter should answer your questions XD And this and chapter 46 were pretty Ace-centric so hopefully that sates you~

Adieu~