Author Note: This fic is special for two reasons; first and mostly importantly it's Mithril-chan's birthday fic, which was way back in August and yes, she did get it to read it before all of you! She has also very kindly beta'd for me, which now that I think about it is a little odd as I essentially said "Happy Birthday! Here's some beta work for you! Enjoy!"

Secondly, today is also the first anniversary of when I posted my first One Piece fic, Connect the Freckles :D Thank you so much to everyone who's stuck with throughout this past year and here's to the next!

Dedicated to Mithril for being an absolutely awesome nee-chan and huge inspiration! ilu 3

Warning: This is a direct sequel to A Brother's Dilemma and contains very brief spoiler for chapter 794.

XXX

A Brother's Lesson

XXX

It was an honest accident on the part of those involved.

The Straw Hat Pirates - at the insistence of one very stubborn captain - had been anchored with the Revolutionaries just off the coast of a small, sparsely populated island for the better part of a week. Luffy had refused to leave whilst Sabo was still recovering from his altercation with Admiral Fujitora, and neither Sabo nor the rest of the crew had the heart to turn down his request to remain with his brother after the scare he'd suffered.

Sabo hated that he'd practically traumatised his brother and awoken memories Luffy was much better off forgetting. He could hardly blame Luffy for wanting to make certain that his brother was safe and in one piece after his last experience with a burning vivre card, despite the fact that by the time the Thousand Sunny had finally arrived alongside The Liberty, Sabo barely had any marks remaining from the encounter.

Unfortunately for Sabo, despite the small concussion he had suffered, Koala had refused to allow him to abandon his paperwork. Paperwork that proved to be extremely hard to complete with a rubber ball of boundless energy bouncing restlessly around him at all times. Sabo had rather enjoyed the company in his otherwise boring cabin, but by the third day, Sabo's work output had dropped yet again as his attention was continually drawn to Luffy. Koala had looked ready to have a small heart attack at just how behind Sabo was.

The blond had finally taken pity on her and bribed Luffy into remaining on the Sunny and giving him a couple of hours of complete silence in order for him to complete his work and speak to Dragon. Luffy hadn't been particularly happy with the idea, especially since Chopper – who had examined Sabo upon arrival – had declared the blond needed a couple of weeks rest and he'd be as good as new. But with the promise of meat from Sabo, and Koala's reluctantly sworn oath that she wouldn't give Sabo any more reports until after Luffy had left, the pirate had agreed. Sabo had offered to let Luffy speak to Dragon, but as expected, the pirate had little interest in meeting his father over the den den mushi.

Sabo privately admitted he was very surprised Luffy actually followed through with his promise and stayed well out of his brother's way for a few hours. Sabo's guess that Luffy's crew had proven themselves good at distracting their captain proved to be correct shortly before lunch time when jubilant laughter wafted in through the open port hole of Sabo's cabin.

"Wow, I can't believe you actually finished it all for once."

Sabo swivelled in his desk chair to stare up at Koala, who was stood beside him, one hip resting against the edge of his desk. Which, for the first time in weeks, was completely free of parchment.

Sabo watched her efficiently flick through the oh-so-important reports to double check he wasn't trying to skive off early. It certainly wouldn't be the first time he'd hidden a few incomplete reports in the middle of the stack. Unfortunately, it was a trick she'd quickly caught on to, and Sabo was now subject to checks before she let him go anywhere. And she wasn't above threatening physical bodily harm if he tried to sneak out before she'd finished with him, either.

"I should use time with Luffy as bribe more often if this is the result," the brunette teased gently.

"Haha," Sabo replied dryly, slowly stretching out his cramped back until it released a satisfying 'pop'. "Need I remind you, I know where you keep your stash of blackmail photographs back on Baltigo, so if you don't want me telling everyone else where they are, stop teasing me already."

Koala blanched slightly before an amused smile broke out across her face. "I'm sorry, Sabo, was the paperwork painful?"

Sabo was a little put out that she didn't seem too disturbed by his threat, but his mild annoyance quickly dispersed when she gave his shoulder a small nudge.

"Go on, be free," she muttered, quickly stacking the reports into one neat pile.

Sabo didn't need any further encouragement. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he chanted, leaping to his feet and quickly snatching up his hat from his bed before she could change her mind.

"What are you going to do this afternoon, now you don't have me to torture?" Sabo enquired as he exited his cabin, Koala close on his heels with the reports safely clasped in her arms.

"Robin's offered to show me some texts she has in the library on the Thousand Sunny," she said with an excited smile. "She found a few books about Fishman Island she thinks I might like!"

Sabo had to smile at her enthusiasm as they parted ways; Koala to safely deposit the reports, and Sabo up into the beaming midday sun.

Glancing around as he emerged and squinting slightly in the rather harsh sunlight, he noticed the usually bustling deck of The Liberty was completely empty save for the single revolutionary on watch in the crow's nest, who waved cheerfully down at the blond.

Unconcerned by the lack of crew aboard - he suspected they were all on the island, taking advantage of their unexpected break – Sabo easily jumped the gap between The Liberty and The Thousand Sunny, rather thankful that Luffy had yet to see him as he would've insisted on rocketing them both over so Sabo wouldn't have to strain himself. Not that the fifteen foot gap needed any effort to leap, but as always, Sabo had a hard time saying no to Luffy. And whilst his brother's aim when rocketing both himself and other people had drastically improved, it was still rather a terrifying experience. Sabo still rather rued the day Ace had invented the damn thing.

Landing easily, Sabo's attention was quickly caught by a distant clanging and rattling from within the lion figurehead itself.

"Hey big bro!" Franky shouted jovially as Sabo ducked his head to peer inside. "Finish all your work already?"

Sabo grinned and looked around the small quarters with admiration. "Yes, or you probably would've heard Koala screaming at me by now."

Franky chortled and appeared to be about to say something further when a shriek of laughter interrupted him. "They're playing a game," Franky explained needlessly when Sabo turned to investigate.

Sabo nodded once, leaving the cyborg to his repairs and meandered over towards the railing. Soft snoring had him pausing as he passed the helm. Slumped on the floor, with his head at what looked to be an incredibly uncomfortable angle, but quite clearly in a deep sleep, was Zoro. His three precious swords were resting across his chest, rising and falling gently with every breath the man took. Sabo had to wonder how he was managing to ignore the ruckus echoing up from below. Giving the swordsman a wide enough berth that his presence wouldn't disturb him, Sabo stared down at the commotion below.

Leaning on the pristine white wood of the railing, Sabo propped his chin on one hand, making himself comfortable at the display unfolding before him. Just below on the grassy deck, Luffy, Usopp and Chopper were quite obviously playing a game of tag. Only Usopp was blindfolded with his trusty Kuro Kabuto in hand, an arsenal of seeds spilling from his bag and scattering across the deck in an array of shapes and colours.

Sabo easily recognised the game for what it truly was; a training exercise to further awaken Usopp's Kenbunshoku Haki, which had so far proven to be rather tricky for the young sniper to get a grip on.

Not that such information surprised the Revolutionary. Haki was notoriously difficult to master for even the most dedicated student; but with Luffy passing on the training techniques Silvers Rayleigh had taught him, and two other skilled Haki users on the crew, Usopp surely wouldn't struggle for long.

Content to watch for the time being, Sabo only moved to nod politely at Robin when she emerged on deck opposite him to greet Koala, who had finally decided to join them. The two women quickly disappeared inside, just in time to avoid being struck by some stray seeds.

Sabo laughed quietly when Chopper shrieked in false terror as Usopp levelled the slingshot in his direction. Thin, rubbery arms quickly wound themselves around the reindeer's midsection, before lifting the creature straight up into the rigging and depositing him next to his snickering captain. Usopp paused, clearly losing track of Chopper's aura with his shaky control. His small, unbalanced dance as he tried to sense the pair again had the two devil fruit users in stitches.

His sharp ears catching the sound, Usopp's head whipped upwards, swift hands loading and releasing the ammunition faster than most eyes could follow. Luffy and Chopper dived in different directions, both taunting and teasing as every single one of Usopp's seeds missed their mark.

Sabo noted idly that the seeds didn't sprout as they usually did. He suspected the fiery red-haired navigator, who Sabo noticed relaxing under the shade and protection of the main mast, had something to do with the lack of aggressive ammunition being fired all over the deck.

"Stop moving already!" Usopp panted heavily, drawing Sabo's attention back to the group. Sweat was dripping down his face and Sabo wondered exactly how long the boisterous pair had been 'playing' with him.

"Nope!" Luffy cried, moving as quick as a monkey as he scaled higher into the rigging. "You have to catch us, Usopp!"

Usopp actually growled in frustration before randomly firing his dud seeds every which way.

Sabo snorted with amusement as several shot towards him. He let them pass through his bodily harmlessly, the fire easily devouring the small seeds.

"Sabo!" Luffy shouted eagerly when the small flicker of flames caught his attention. He waved his arms wildly, legs wound loosely around the thick ropes, leaving him hanging in a rather precarious upside-down position.

"Luffy," Sabo greeted in return.

"Hey, come play with us! You can be on our team!" Luffy exclaimed.

"That's not fair! You already outnumber me!" Usopp cried indignantly, nimble fingers blindly reloading his slingshot as he completely disregarded Chopper dancing about his feet in favour of taking aim at Luffy.

Glancing behind him to make sure no seed pods were burning on deck, since he was certain Franky wouldn't appreciate having to remove any scorch marks, Sabo almost missed what happened next.

But it was an honest accident on the part of those involved.

One moment Sabo was listening to Luffy cackle madly, the next there was a whistle of air as something travelled through it at high speed before Luffy cried out in alarm.

Sabo's head whipped around, immediately on alert. Usopp must've accidently mixed an active seed with the bag he used for training because Sabo could only watch in disbelief as Luffy tumbled from the rigging, wrapped within the tight stranglehold of a large, snapping plant. The sniper's pop greens ordinarily wouldn't be something that would trouble his brother, except today, Luffy was the wrong side to land safely on the deck.

As if in slow motion, Sabo, Chopper and Usopp - who had quickly ripped off his blindfold - watched Luffy disappear over the side of the ship, all of them expecting a rubbery hand to whip up and catch ahold of something.

Sabo stared at the spray that showered up over the edge of the railing as a loud splash rose up from below.

For a single heartbeat, Sabo felt his body poised to jump after his little brother, his instincts screaming at him to help. In a second heartbeat, he remembered that he couldn't. If he was to let his body touch the water, he would be completely useless and in just as much trouble as Luffy.

"AH! Luffy's fallen overboard again!" Chopper shrieked, his little hooves grasping dramatically at his hat as he ran around aimlessly. "Usopp! You knocked Luffy overboard!"

"I'm sorry!" Usopp cried, his arms flapping. "Quick! Get the life jackets!" Unfortunately he ended up tripping over Chopper, who was rushing around his feet in a panic, before he could make himself useful.

But before Sabo could even think to scold them for wasting time while Luffy sank ever deeper, three swords were thrust into his arms, catching him somewhat painfully in the midriff, and a blur of green rushed past him before disappearing over the side.

Sabo blinked at the sound of a second splash. He glanced down at the katana he'd been left holding somewhat bemusedly.

"You idiots!" Sabo glanced over to the opposite side of the deck and saw Nami descending the stairs, an annoyed scowl decorating her face and a colourful beach towel draped around her shoulders. "I told you training like that on deck was a terrible idea!"

Sabo felt the tension slowly drain from his body as he watched the three bicker amongst themselves, with Chopper and Usopp now completely unconcerned about their captain being thrown overboard and instead trying to find ways of excusing their 'idiotic behaviour'.

"That was some SUPER aim, Usopp!" Franky cheered, coming up behind Sabo to peer over his shoulder at the group below.

"That wasn't aiming," Nami snapped up at him. "That was pure, dumb luck."

"Yohohoho! We all need some luck now and again, Nami-san!" Brook laughed from the open door to the galley. Sabo could just spy Sanji behind him, shaking his head somewhat despairingly.

Amused, Sabo felt a rush of warmth spreading through his chest as he listened to the bickering coming from his brother's crew. Whilst Chopper and Usopp's cries of alarm had at first appeared to be useless noise, they had succeeded in alerting the people who were likely to be of the most assistance. Zoro's immediate leap overboard was purely instinctive and Sabo had no doubt Sanji, or even Nami would've done the same had they been that bit closer to Luffy when he'd fallen. At Nami's order, Usopp and Chopper quickly gathered up their wits and quickly set about throwing the rope ladder over the side in readiness to haul in their soaking crew mates.

Gingerly juggling the three katana and trying to get a better grasp on them, Sabo slowly descended the stairs. He'd seen exactly how important the weapons were to Zoro and dropping them was certainly not the way to repay the man for helping rescue his somewhat accident-prone brother.

One booted foot had just sunk into the grass spreading out across the deck when Zoro finally emerged over the side of the railing, Luffy slung over one shoulder. He looked very disgruntled at having been forced to take a dip in the somewhat chilly water, whilst Luffy looked decidedly dazed.

Sabo's heart skipped a beat, as it always did whenever he saw Luffy looking anything less than his normal, boisterous self, but he was reassured by the somewhat pathetic spluttering Luffy was managing to produce.

"Stupid captain," Zoro half growled when his feet finally touched the deck. "You don't have a single excuse for not dodging that."

"But Zoro!" Luffy whined loudly, and Sabo didn't need to see Luffy's face to know he was pouting. The swordsman simply rolled his eyes and completely ignored the whining coming from the younger pirate. He gracefully sidestepped the rest of the crew, who were now slowly edging away to give Zoro some space if he decided to suddenly drop Luffy. Instead, he made his way over towards Sabo, who was still hanging back in fear of accidentally hitting someone with his rather hefty burden. He was honestly surprised the young man was able to wield all three at the same time; they weren't exactly the lightest of things.

"Here, you take this idiot," Zoro said gruffly, although Sabo easily spotted some poorly disguised amusement in those sharp hazel eyes.

Sabo barely had time to react before had Zoro yanked his three katana from Sabo's grasp, and quite literally dumped Luffy into his arms before he stomped away, each step making a soft squelching sound. Adjusting for the sudden weight imbalance, Sabo grimaced as Luffy's cold, wet body quickly soaked his own clothes, and whilst there was barely enough water dripping onto him for him to feel its effects, it was still extremely uncomfortable as Luffy slowly slid down to stand on his own two feet.

"Hi Sabo!" Luffy grinned weakly up at him, seemingly content to sag against his older brother and trusting the other to keep him upright.

"Did you enjoy that little swim?" Sabo teased lightly, running a hand through Luffy's dark hair to shake some of the water free.

"Shishishi! Usopp's aim is improving!" Luffy acknowledged. Usopp laughed nervously in the background before Nami swatted him.

"He is not improving anything, other than maybe your ability to fall over the side for ridiculous reasons," she sighed heavily. She dragged her beach towel from around her neck and tossed it at Luffy who caught it weakly. "You need to go get dried off," she said sternly.

Luffy shook his head. "No I don't, I'm fine," he said, completely disregarding the fact he was shivering lightly in the cool sea breeze.

Sabo smiled while Nami rolled her eyes. "Come on Luffy," he said, raising his body temperature a touch to warm up the space around them so Luffy wouldn't get too cold. "Let's go get you into some dry clothes at least."

"Okay, Sabo!" Luffy chirped. Nami gaped in disbelief at her captain's immediate agreement.

"Oh sure! Listen to Sabo without argument," she huffed.

Luffy cocked his head to the side, his wide eyes blinking in confusion. "I always listen to Sabo. He's my big brother," he said with a grin. Behind them, Usopp and Chopper snickered at the typically Luffy response.

Sensing an argument on the horizon when Nami's cheeks puffed up in a fashion eerily reminiscent of Koala, Sabo gently tugged Luffy around the young woman. "I'll get him sorted out," he promised, shooting her a pleasant grin.

Nami deflated quickly. "Well, while you deal with him, I'm going to deal with them," she said, voice sweet as pie even as she jerked her thumb somewhat roughly in the direction of Usopp and Chopper, who both shrunk back in alarm, their laughter instantly evaporating.

Sabo nodded and easily guided his brother down into the heart of the ship, leaving Usopp and Chopper to Nami. He could still hear their cries of dismay as she shouted at them to clean up the deck even as the door swung shut behind them.

"Which way?" Sabo asked. Luffy had found exploring The Liberty to be a more entertaining pastime and as a result, Sabo had spent very little time inside the Sunny after his initial tour.

They were finally approaching the corridor leading to the men's quarters (after a somewhat quick detour when Luffy tried to guide Sabo towards the kitchens in search of a snack before the elder caught on) when they bumped into Robin and Koala.

"Luffy, Sabo-kun," Robin greeted warmly. "It certainly sounded noisy up there a few minutes ago. Is everything okay?" she asked lightly.

Sabo laughed and Luffy grinned. "I went for a swim!" Luffy explained, shaking his head like a dog and causing the two women to take a step back before he could scatter water droplets over the books they held in their arms.

Sabo felt Koala's scrutinising gaze roving over him and he turned to her questioningly. She smiled, catching his gaze, although she looked somewhat surprised.

"You're bone dry," she summarised. Sabo frowned, not understanding her comment as he glanced down at himself. The front of his shirt and jacket had a large dark blue wet patch where Luffy had been leaning against him. He glanced back up at her and she rolled her eyes. "I mean, you don't look half-drowned. I'm surprised. I thought you'd completely forget yourself and try and jump in after Luffy."

Sabo felt a soft smile break out across his face, and although he tried to hide it, he knew the other three could see his slight tinge of regret. "Well, as you said, I can't exactly do that anymore. Besides, there was no need," he added.

"Very true," Robin confirmed gently. "I imagine Sanji will have lunch ready soon so I wouldn't take too long changing, Luffy," she added.

Luffy's eyes widened at the implication of being late to lunch and he quickly tugged on his brother's arm, silently urging him to hurry up and help him along.

Once in the men's quarters, Sabo left Luffy to towel himself off whilst he found something clean and dry. It was easy enough for Sabo to find Luffy's crate of clothes. Nearly everything inside consisted of red and blue, with the occasional splash of yellow thrown in to break up the monotony, Sabo noted, amused at how Luffy's choice of clothing had changed very little from when they were children. Although he certainly couldn't talk, he mused and with a clean shirt in hand, Sabo turned back to Luffy to find him stood shivering in the middle of the cabin, having only bothered to remove his damp t-shirt.

Sabo's heart clenched painfully when he caught sight of the large X-shaped scar slashed across his little brother's chest, but he forced himself to once again ignore it. It obviously no longer bothered Luffy, and he knew exactly how uncomfortable it could be to have people staring unabashedly at his scars.

"You're meant to dry yourself off with that, you know," said Sabo, quickly picking up Nami's discarded beach towel from the floor and throwing it over Luffy's head. "Not just stand next to it." Luffy yelped, his rubbery limbs flailing, although he made no effort to escape Sabo, letting his brother dry him off without protest.

Sabo would've preferred some noise or conversation from the younger. It would've nicely distracted him from his thoughts, which were once again wandering as he continued to assist Luffy, who, judging from his rather content smile, seemed quite pleased to bask in the undivided attentions of his brother.

Sabo returned the smile as he moved down Luffy's arms, trying not to pull too hard, knowing from past experience that if he did, the skin would only stretch and make the task twice as long as it needed to be.

Sabo glanced at the puddle of seawater starting to gather around Luffy's sandals, trying to avoid stepping in it. He'd never thought there would be a place he couldn't follow his little brother, but the sea was now just as unforgiving to Sabo as she was to Luffy. It was a strange feeling; he couldn't deny it. Back when they were children running wild on Dawn Island, Ace may have been the physically stronger of the two, but Sabo had had the fastest reflexes, and was therefore usually the first to react to Luffy being in trouble.

"I hate water," Luffy sighed, hopping around on the spot, trying to slip out of his shorts and into the dry pair Sabo had tossed at him. He hadn't removed his sandals so he wasn't making much progress.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help," Sabo said quietly, knowing had he been able to, Luffy wouldn't have been in the water as long. Zoro may have had amazingly quick reflexes, but Sabo knew he would've been faster.

Luffy shrugged but the motion unbalanced him and he ended up toppling over. He grinned unabashedly up at his brother. "I don't mind that Sabo can't save me from water anymore," he said, finally managing to slip on the shorts as he rose to his feet. "If you could, that'd mean you didn't have Ace's fruit, and that wouldn't be right because Ace would definitely want you to have it! This way's much better!"

Sabo stared at Luffy for several seconds, slightly overwhelmed by the statement. They'd agreed when they first reunited that it would be best for Sabo to eat the Mera Mera no Mi but Sabo had wondered exactly how Luffy felt at seeing Ace's flames coming from Sabo. It was nice to hear confirmation that Luffy was happy for him to carry on Ace's will.

Sabo's attention was drawn back to Luffy, who was stood before him, twisting his hands nervously as though he wasn't quite sure what he should be doing with them, and staring up at Sabo through his fluffy black hair.

"What?" Sabo asked.

Luffy bit his lip uncertainly. "I did good, right? Because I don't think I could've found any others who are better."

Sabo frowned, wondering what in the world Luffy could be referring to. There were a lot of things Luffy had done over the years that he could be referencing. Despite his tendency to act in a way that most would view as stupid, Luffy easily filed away the smallest pieces of information and would later ask if he'd done it right, often confusing his two big brothers until they could get out of him exactly it was he wanted reassurance over.

"Probably," said Sabo, "but good with what?"

"With my crew," Luffy said bluntly. "When we were little, you told me who I'd need if I wanted to be Pirate King."

Sabo paused, having to think back carefully until he recalled the exact moment Luffy was referencing and causing a small smile to slip free.

xxx

At first, Sabo wasn't quite sure what had woken him, until he heard a soft giggle from a few feet away.

The blond blinked blearily, staring up at the ceiling that was almost invisible in the dark of the forestand noting it was still very late. Or very early, depending on the point of view. Wishing very much he could return to dreamland, but knowing he couldn't until he checked on the youngest occupant of their treehouse to make sure he wasn't getting into any mischief, Sabo rolled onto his side. He came face to face with a lumpy figure, the blanket having been pulled up and over the other's head. The bundle shifted and another muffled giggle emerged.

"Luffy," he croakedsleepily. The bundle froze before a dark-haired head popped out and an almost blinding smile was flashed in Sabo's direction. Sabo returned it easily, unable to find it in himself to be cross that his little brother had woken him up. "What are you doing?" he asked, pushing himself up onto one elbow.

He noticed Ace was still snoozing peacefully on Luffy's other side, completely oblivious to Luffy's nighttime activities. He turned expectantly to Luffy, waiting patiently for him to explain himself.

Luffy grinned before reaching back under his blanket and pulling free a slightly crumpled piece of paper and a few crayons. Sabo recognised them as being the same ones Luffy had badgered him to find before they went to bed, only Sabo distinctly remembered leaving them atop a crate for Luffy to play with in the morning. Clearly, Luffy had decided the middle of the night was a good a time as any to do some spontaneous drawing.

Sabo sat up slowly and scrubbed a hand over his face, trying to wipe away the final visage of sleep as Luffy waved the piece of paper at him. "You should be sleeping, Luffy. Why are you still up?" he asked, accepting the paper being wafted under his nose.

"I'm too excited to sleep!" Luffy explained, shuffling closer to Sabo on his knees. "Do you like my picture?" he asked eagerly.

Sabo frowned, both at Luffy's response and at the drawing, not quite able to make out what any of it was supposed to be. Luffy's drawing skills were tricky to decipher at the best of times, and this one had been drawn under the cover of his blankets in the middle of the night. It was an impossible task even for Sabo, who was usually pretty good at guessing. Although, in one corner he did see what looked to be some crudely drawn musical notes. Sabo glanced up at Luffy.

"Um, what is this?" he asked, knowing Luffy wouldn't let him get away with just saying 'good job'. He'd want to explain every little detail to his big brother.

"It's my pirate crew!" Luffy giggled. "I was thinking about who I'd want on my ship when I'm captain and this is them!" he beamed.

Sabo suppressed a weary groan and silently berated himself. He should've known telling Luffy a pirate story before bed was a bad idea. Luffy had obviously gotten all excited and become too restless to sleep, completely defeating the purpose of Sabo telling the story in the first place.

Sabo grunted softly when Luffy fell across his lap, leaning heavily on his knees as he pointed to the various stick figures in his drawing.

"That one's a robot! He has really cool lasers! There's the musician, because every pirate crew needs a musician. Shanks said so, so it must be true. And this one's the storyteller, and you're going to have to make sure they know all of my favourite stories so they can tell them to me when you're not around, because Sabo's stories are the best!" Luffy grinned widely, his round face stretching to abnormal proportions.

Sabo laughed softly before his gaze turned thoughtful.

"What's wrong, Sabo?" Luffy asked quietly, tugging lightly on his brother's arm. "Is it not right?" he wondered, glancing back down at the drawing Sabo still held and deflating slightly indisappointment.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to get out of having this conversation with Luffy right then and there, Sabo shook his head quickly and looped an arm around Luffy's skinny shoulders, tucking him comfortably into his side.

"No, it's alright to have these people on your pirate crew, Luffy," he assured the younger, who smiled, pleased. "But you're missing a few other important people."

Luffy frowned and accepted the drawing Sabo handed back to him. "Like who?" he asked, puzzled.

"Well, a doctor for one," said Sabo, smiling when Luffy's nosed scrunched up in displeasure.

"But I'm never sick," he protested. "I don't need doctors."

"You might not need one, but someone on the crew could," Sabo reasoned gently. "You don't want anyone to get hurt or sick and not have the right person to look after them, do you?" Luffy shook his head quickly. "And then you need a chef to - "

"Cook lots of meat!" Luffy cried excitedly.

Sabo hurriedly shushed him, glancing over at Ace, but he appeared to still be sleeping. "Not just to cook meat," Sabo grinned, poking Luffy in the side and causing him to giggle softly. "You might also need a sniper."

"A sniper like Yasopp?" Luffy asked, eyes shining with excitement.

"Like Yasopp," Sabo agreed. "Someone who will provide support from afar so that you can keep moving forward. Of course you'll also need a navigator, or you won't be able to find any adventures." Luffy looked slightly horrified at the mere mention of no adventures and nodded quickly. "But most importantly, you'll need to find a first mate."

"What's that? They don't sound very exciting at all," he admitted.

Sabo laughed. "A first mate has the most important job of all, Luffy, because they watch the captain's back and make sure he keeps himself out of trouble."

"What kind of trouble can the captain get into?" Luffy wondered.

"Well, the future captain in front of me will no doubt fall off his ship a few times, if you're as clumsy then as you are now," Sabo teased playfully. Luffy tried to pout but the effect was ruined by his rather sheepish grin. "You're going to need someone to rescue you from the ocean when Ace and I can't."

Luffy hummed and scratched his nose, looking surprisingly thoughtful, which Sabo was rather a relieved to see. For as much as he wanted Luffy to enjoy his adventures, he also knew he'd never get anywhere close to achieving his dreams without some assistance. "I didn't think about any of them," said Luffy finally.

"That much is obvious."

Luffy actually yelped in surprise and two heads jerked around to find Ace staring at them from his cocoon of blankets.

"I thought you were asleep," Sabo mused, keeping his voice quiet despite the fact the other was now very much awake.

Ace snorted. "How am I meant to sleep when you two are making so much noise?"

Luffy immediately started bickering with his dark-haired brother, protesting that they hadn't been making any noise at all. Sabo wasn't as fooled however. He could easily see the same glint of excitement Luffy always radiated reflected in Ace's eyes. Both his brothers were just as eager as the other at the thought of what awaited them when they set out for freedom.

xxx

"So, did I do it right? I got everyone you told me to, didn't I?" Luffy asked.

Sabo blinked himself back to awareness, dragging himself out of his childhood memories, which were still, even two years after recovering them, a rather novel thing to lose himself in.

"Yeah, you did," Sabo confirmed with a grin. He quickly tugged the dry red shirt still in his grasp over Luffy's head, trapping his brother inside its confines for several seconds until he managed to slip both his arms and head through the correct holes. "You even remembered to find the first mate to rescue you!"

Luffy laughed and jumped at his brother, elongated arms stretching to trap him in a warm hug. "Well, I didn't want Ace and Sabo to worry about me so I found the best one I could!"

Sabo shook his head, not bothering to point out that his big brothers would always worry about him, and raised his brow in disbelief. "You picked the first person that interested you, didn't you?" he asked, knowingly.

Luffy nodded. "Yep! Zoro was really cool though! They had him tied up at a marine base. And he really is the best," he affirmed.

Sabo thought back to barely twenty minutes ago, when a blur of green had rushed past him, unflinching as he threw himself over the side of the ship after his captain.

"Yes, he is," Sabo agreed quietly.

"Lunch is ready!" Sanji's voice echoed through the bowels of the ship. Luffy released Sabo immediately and lunged towards the open door of the cabin.

"Is there meat?" he shouted back eagerly.

"Yes, of course there's meat, you shitty captain!"

Luffy whooped with joy and bounded away, leaving Sabo to follow at a slightly more sedate pace, knowing Sanji would make sure to save him some if he wasn't present at the table straight away.

"Oh, and Sabo?" Luffy called back, pausing and glancing back to his brother before they entered the bustling galley, everyone else having already arrived judging by the chatter coming from within.

"Yes, Luffy?" Sabo asked, curious as to what train of thought had managed to derail his brother from his quest for meat.

"Before we leave, remember to make sure that Robin knows all my favourite stories so she can tell them to me when you're not here. I missed hearing them," he said, completely serious in his request.

Sabo stared at him for several second before he laughed. "Will do," he promised.

Luffy brightened at once before bursting into the galley. "Meat, Sanji!" he screamed, making a lunge for the table, only to dart to the right as a foot swung at him. He laughed, unperturbed by his cook's reaction.

Sabo stood in the doorway for several seconds more, silently watching his brother interact with the crew that he had brought together, each with their separate dreams, but all bound together as the crew of a Pirate King.

Sabo grinned as Luffy gestured for him to join them, his mouth full of meat, nudging at Brook who gladly slid over to make room for Sabo at the table.

Luffy was right for once, Sabo thought as he settled down next to the chuckling skeleton and swiftly knocking wandering hands away from his plate of food. He really couldn't have done any better.

XXX

I have one word; phew *flops*

Hope you enjoyed and please remember to leave a review!

The first chapter of my latest fic, Clipped Wings will debut at the end of October :D