"To be able to watch your children grow up is a blessing" – Unknown

Nothing would ever stop changing. Neither the shape of the land nor the culture of the people living on it remained the same as time changed their shapes. It was a quality the most apparent in children, who seemed to grow from helpless infants to chubby toddlers and to impatient teenagers in the blink of an eye. It was impossible to catch all of these changes, there will always be one gone unnoticed.

Spring had come to Dawn Island. Flowers of nearly every color bloomed among the boughs of the jungle and the youth of all ages ran through the jungle, playing games or running for their lives, but never far from their guardians.

Garp found it hard to suppress his laughter while he watched his grandsons plan his downfall from their chosen hiding place. They still had a lot to learn if they thought that a simple trap could stop him from spending some quality time with them, or if they thought that a bush was enough to conceal them from him. He wasn't a marine Vice Admiral for nothing, even if he didn't always appear to be suited for the position. Usually he didn't even like his orders! The job came with not enough influence and too many stupid responsibilities. Those responsibilities being the main reason he hadn't been able to visit since last summer.

"We should go search for Luffy," Sabo said and Garp grinned to himself, just a little maniacally.

"And I'm telling you, he already got Luffy!" The marine heard Ace hiss. "There's no way Luffy managed to stay hidden on his own!"

"You should give Luffy a little more credit, I'm sure he's fine."

"No way! He's too much of a crybaby for that!"

Sabo snorted. "He's not that bad, Ace. You know that. But fine, what should we do instead of searching for Luffy?"

His grandsons had come quite far since his last visit. Garp had expected them to grow, but he had been in for a surprise when seeing their tree house for the first time. They lived on their own now and were mostly self sufficient. Garp was sure that they were completely unaware of the bandits' more or less regular checkups or the kids would have long since made sure that they would be left alone. They didn't exactly appreciate being treated like little children who needed to be watched all the time. The fault of that probably laid in their upbringing. Since bandits weren't exactly quality parenting material, life had taught them to watch out for themselves. It certainly hadn't been Garp's brightest idea to let the sons of the government's most hated men be raised by bandits, but it wasn't like there had been any other remotely safe place. At least, not one where they could grow up freely.

And seeing his grandchildren now, their number having risen to three with Sabo, Garp knew that he hadn't messed up entirely. The bandits' hideout wasn't the gentlest place for children to live, but it was safe from the world and gave them a chance to become strong. They probably wouldn't grow up to be strong marines, he was not so much of a fool as to believe that they would choose that path in life, but at least they could grow up at all.

Silently, he wondered how much Roger and Rouge had contributed to the children's enormous growth in strength. So far the trio hadn't mentioned anything about their training and Garp was curious to say the least.

Not that Garp actually needed any verbal confirmation. He had seen Luffy play around with throwing knives, which pretty much guaranteed that Rouge was teaching him. She had been quite terrifying with them, made him question how she had escaped getting a bounty on her head during the time she spent on the Oro Jackson.

"I say we go hide now and search for Luffy later when gramps is eating," Ace proposed. "The shitty old man will be too distracted then."

"Who are you calling a shitty old man?" Garp took the opportunity to invade their shelter and took great delight in the alarmed expressions which rose to both boys' faces.

Ace and Sabo paled and turned to face the marine. There was no running now. Holding their pipes in front of them, they braced themselves for battle. There was no way in hell they would go down without a good fight!

But before it could even get to that, a scream sounded through the jungle.

"Surprise attack!"

The two pre-teens and Garp ducked down as a few knives flew haphazardly from the underbrush and passed harmlessly around every possible target. Then Luffy jumped out of a bush, his pipe on his back and one last knife still in hand. As usual he was smiling brightly, proud that his plan of attack had worked out.

"Ha! I got you!" Luffy shouted and raised his right hand up, two fingers proclaiming victory.

"No, you didn't!" The three shouted back at the same time.

"Did to!"

"No! You didn't!"

"I did, I did!"

With a sigh Garp sat down, while his grandsons continued fighting. Within a few seconds the first punch was thrown and the battle of words took a more physical turn. Since he'd last seen them fight they had become less predictable and their movements had gained a degree of fluidity and grace. There was trained skill behind their moves, it wasn't just mindless brawling anymore.

"That's what you taught them in a few months?" Garp said dryly. "They will be monsters by the time they set sail."

He couldn't hear or see Roger's laughing or Rouge proudly declaring that her sons would be the strongest of the Grand Line one day. But he wasn't wrong in thinking that the ghosts were amused by the marine's reaction.

"They better become the best, can't have my grandsons be anything but the strongest!"

He hadn't exactly made his peace with them becoming pirates, just like he hadn't made peace with Dragon leading a rebellion. But at least they would be the greatest at what they wanted. He'd be proud of their pirating no matter what, after all, they would be good pirates and not like the scum the marines were there to corral. Another benefit would be the immense pleasure he'd gain from shoving their bounty pictures in Sengoku's face – and a hell lot of awkward pride.

Garp was torn out of his thoughts when one of Luffy's knife impaled the tree he'd been resting his head against.

"Be careful with that, you brat!" He snapped.

But Luffy just laughed.

"Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends." - Czech Proverb

If Sabo had to decide on a favorite season, he would definitely choose spring. Dawn Island's summers were too hot and the winters too cold. The last winter especially had been a nightmare of snow storms and late sudden freezes. The trio had had no choice but to steal food from the bandits whenever their own storage got too short. Autumns were usually pretty similar to springs, but they were never as beautiful and there wasn't as much game.

Spring brought more animals to hunt, new people to mug and a jungle that came to life again. Sabo also couldn't deny the sentimental value that this particular season had for him on top of all its other advantages.

It had been the season in which Sabo had run away from his parents. The blonde boy couldn't quite believe that it had already been five, nearly six, years since he had reached for his freedom. It had been, and would probably always be, the best decision of his life. Seeing the stuck up nobles while he and his brothers ran through High Town in their disguises never failed to remind him of the horrid life he'd left behind. Compared to their self-made home in the trees and all the space of the huge jungle, the houses and streets of High Town seemed so constricting and narrow despite how big they actually were. Those nobles lived in a world built by the money they spent but Sabo… Sabo lived in the real world. It was rougher and didn't give him what he wanted when he clapped his hands, but it was worth so much more than High Town's golden streets.

"Oi, Sabo!" Ace spoke and the blond started, pulled from his thoughts. "Gramps is gone. We can quit hiding now."

"You sure?" Sabo looked up to his brother, who was already standing with his arms crossed, frowning down at him. Ace had probably called him a few times already and had gotten annoyed when he didn't react. He couldn't blame his brother, they had been hiding in the bushes for the past hour or so and Ace was probably eager to get moving again. It was extremely uncomfortable sitting between the undergrowth of the jungle with sticks and stones digging into their skin. Never mind that Ace had never possessed much patience for hiding.

"Of course!" Ace rolled his eyes. "I'm not stupid. A little trust won't hurt you."

Sabo smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, catching a few leaves while he was at it. Another disadvantage of hiding in the bushes from their insane marine grandfather was that leaves, flowers, sticks and all sorts of other junk ended up everywhere.

"I can't feel my legs anymore," Sabo groaned as he stood. As soon as he was up, he shook his legs to get rid of the tingling in them. "I'm pretty sure, Garp was worse than last time."

Ace shrugged before grinning at Sabo, eyes shining mischievously.

"Did you see his face though when Luffy showed him his drawings of us and Mom and Dad?"

Luffy had enthusiastically shown Garp the picture he had drawn for Ace's birthday. It was done pretty well considering Luffy's abysmal art skills. The drawings portrayed the three of them together with their parents standing in their tree house. After describing in great detail every aspect of the picture, the seven year old had continued on with telling the marine how much he loved his parents and how awesome and strong they were.

The marine's face had been priceless.

"I'd trade a week's meal to see him make that expression again," Sabo laughed.

"A whole week's?" Ace repeated skeptically. "It wasn't that good."

"Says you! I bet Luffy agrees with me!"

"Nu-uh!" Ace protested and crossed his arms. "Luffy loves food too much to trade it for anything."

Sabo frowned as he thought about it, then slowly started to nod. "Right. Food stands above everything for him."

Ace shot Sabo a triumphant smile and continued following their path upstream. They patrolled this route every morning and every evening, checking for signs of Bluejam's men coming closer. In their hunt for Sabo, the men had become a great deal bolder, now also going past the border of the jungle. Gray Terminal had become unbearable about a month after the three of them had become brothers as Bluejam's own men, and whoever else had taken interest in the hunt for Sabo, were lingering on nearly every corner of the trash mountains. It would be incredibly stupid and unnecessarily dangerous for the trio to go search for valuable objects there. They still went to Edge Town sometimes if they needed to, heavily disguised and trying to avoid most of Gray Terminal by entering the area close to the city wall.

The jungle was their refuge, but as Bluejam came closer, the more did the security in their jungle territory shrunk. Slowly but steadily, the brothers had had to give up parts of their home, and at this point the river full of crocodiles was the last big obstacle Bluejam had to overcome before some lone wild animals and a few poisonous/carnivorous plants were the only things standing between him and the capture of Sabo.

Therefore, Sabo and Ace had taken to patrolling their side of the river to keep up the last big line of defense while Luffy had his knife throwing lessons. If Bluejam and his men managed to surprise the two boys, the chances that they'd make it out unharmed were bigger than in a version where Luffy was there too. Luffy of course had complained at first, but after the third time he accidentally set off one of the smaller traps they had put up to further secure the area, he had given in.

It helped that their mother had promised to teach Luffy some 'super strong techniques'.

"Speaking of food," Ace spoke up again, "we should hurry. It's nearly time for dinner…" The black haired boy trailed off, his gaze fixed on something in distance.

Sabo followed Ace's look and found himself staring at one of their traps. In some distance it laid on the ground, utterly broken. The two of them shared a look of momentary panic before rushing over to the construct.

They both kneeled down on the moss covered ground and looked at the broken trap in front of them.

"That was definitely a human," Ace said and pointed at the food prints next to the broken trap. "Damn it!"

"They've gotten closer again," Sabo muttered, the frown on his face making him look older than he was. "If this goes on for much longer they will find us."

The blonde's right hand was curled to a fist while the grip of his left hand on his pipe was strong enough for his knuckles to stand out white against his tanned skin.

"We have to do something."

Ace grimaced, Sabo didn't have to voice the obvious.

"The two enemies of human happiness are boredom and pain" – Arthur Schopenhauser

The wind rustled through the tree crowns, the sound mixing with the light squeaking of birds crying to their parents for food. Silence like this was rare to find in the jungle as usually children's laughter rang through it. Considering that, it was no surprise that it had to be broken by a complaint rather similar to those of the birds.

"Ace and Sabo are taking so long," Luffy whined as he picked another of his knifes off the ground. "It's so unfair that I have to stay here! I'm already super strong!" He hurled the knife at a tree but the weapon simply wobbled in flight and disappeared into the bushes.

Rouge offered her son a kind smile, meant to calm him. She understood that he was angered by having to stay back when Sabo and Ace were both out, she would be worried if Luffy didn't complain. Nevertheless she found it a little hard to stay serious. Luffy's pouting face was adorable.

"Yes, you're already super strong," Rouge agreed with her son. "But Sabo and Ace are just a little bit stronger than you and that's why you're here with me practicing. If you practice a lot, you'll become just as strong as them and then you can go with them!"

This seemed to do the trick as Luffy drew himself up and snatched another knife off the ground. Sticking his tongue out in concentration he took aim and lobbed it at the tree and its painted target. With anticipation he watched as the knife raced through the air. A dull 'klock' announced that the weapon hit its target, not perfectly in the middle of the cross, but pretty close still.

Luffy's eyes widened and with a victory cry he jumped up, his right hand raised towards the sky.

"I did it!" he cheered and turned to Rouge who smiled just as bright as him. "Mom, did you see that? I did it!"

"I saw it," Rouge confirmed. "How about we start preparing a celebration dinner now?"

At that Luffy's eyes began to sparkle. "Yes! Meat, meat, meat!"

Luffy collected all his knives and they walked back to the tree house where Rouge checked over their food supplies, planning what to help them cook tonight. To her surprise there was enough leftover from yesterday's meal so she instructed Luffy on how to cut the vegetables, fruits and meat. The cooking itself she'd leave to Ace or Sabo. As skilled as Luffy was becoming with knives, she wasn't quite as comfortable with him working with fire.

The first time she and Luffy had attempted to cook together, they had nearly burned down the tree their house was in. Any further tries to get her youngest to prepare himself a cooked meal hadn't been attempted.

When Luffy was done cutting up the ingredients, she tried to interest him in some history. Unfortunately, unless her lessons and knowledge were wrapped into an adventure story Luffy had a hard time paying attention. For a moment Rouge considered having Luffy read a bit more but before she could voice her thoughts, Luffy had already grabbed pencils and some paper and began to draw. She sighed, unsure of how even one of her sons would ever get proper schooling, but then sat down next to Luffy. He had done a lot of training today, there was no use in overworking. Besides, oddly enough she was a little tired, a break would do her well. It's been years since she had felt even slight exhaustion like this.

"You get into the biggest fights with the people you care about the most, because they are the relationships you're willing to fight for." – Wiz Khalifa

Sabo wasn't really paying attention as he threw the pre-cut ingredients into the big pot they had liberated from the bandits before winter. He was preoccupied, thinking about the broken trap. With his lapse of attention came lack of care and the next time he threw something into the pot, the boiling water splattered over the pot's brim and dropped on Sabo. The blonde grimaced at the momentary pain and dropped the next piece of food more carefully into the stew.

Out of the corner of his vision, Sabo could make out Ace who was still pacing around, just like he had been for the last fifteen minutes. It irritated the blonde as it wasn't like pacing would do anything about the problem with Bluejam. And it certainly didn't help him concentrate on dinner.

"Ace, can you sit still for just ten minutes?" Sabo asked, more of his agitation leaked into his voice than he had wanted to show.

Ace stopped walking back and forth and turned to Sabo, the corners of his mouth pulled downwards as he knitted his brow.

"No, I can't," Ace replied, then pointed at Luffy. "He's moving around way more than me, why don't you tell him off."

Sabo focused on Luffy, who indeed was moving around more, jumping up and down and gesturing wildly while talking to their parents.

"Luffy's always like that," Sabo answered. "Not to mention he's cheerful and not brooding like you!"

"Sorry, I'm worried about our situation!" Ace hissed, anger seeping into his voice.

"Do you think I'm not? But just while we have this bit of calm, I don't want to worry and just-"

"Just what!?" Ace interrupted his brother. "Do nothing, forget everything and wait for the moment they come and get us?"

Ace's anger, directed at Sabo just as much as it was directed on himself and his own helplessness, burnt in his light brown eyes which suddenly seemed so dark. Sabo could see his silhouette in them, lit by, the reflection of their campfire .

"I don't know, Ace!" Sabo exclaimed, equally angered. "I have absolutely no idea what we could do! We're just three kids that got really, really lucky. It's a miracle they haven't caught us yet!"

By now, Luffy had noticed his brother's fighting. It wasn't unusual that the three of them had disagreements, they fought about the last plate of food at every meal, but the tone of those arguments was different. Usually those fights still had the undertone of it being simple, just jokes and games, but the way his brothers were shouting at each other now was completely different.

They seemed more aggressive and just... tired.

Luffy considered himself the expert on tiredness and bad dreams, of course he had noticed that his brothers weren't sleeping as well as they used to and therefore were more tired during the day. He looked up to his father, who was watching Sabo and Ace with worry written all over his face. Luffy then turned his attention to his mother who always knew how to solve even the most difficult problems. But instead of the usually so warm and assuring smile, Rouge appeared almost frustrated.

"There's only one way out of this mess as I see it," Sabo spoke up again. The blonde had already collected himself again, the weight of his almost done decision being a heavy load on his still so small shoulders. "They only want me after all. So when they get too close, I'll-"

"The hell you will!" Ace once again interrupted Sabo. "We go down together or not at all. You won't be a self sacrificing idiot, you- you idiot!"

Ace was breathing heavily, having talked himself into a rage.

"Well, you certainly won't suffer for my mistakes!"

"What mistakes? Being born into the wrong family? I won't be watching you die for something stupid like that!"

"Maybe you should!"

"Are you out of your-"

"Hey!" Luffy attempted to interrupt them. "Stop fighting!"

But Ace and Sabo didn't listen, they were far too caught up in their screaming match. Then, with a cry, Ace threw his pipe to the ground and tackled Sabo, pulling his brother to the ground with him. On the floor of the jungle they wrestled, each trying to gain the upper hand. Neither of the two wanted to give in and seeing the other's determination to have it go their way, the two boys only became more frustrated and angry.

Luffy hated it when his brothers fought like this, out of anger and without… purpose? There wasn't any reason for stupid fights like this. They weren't training to get stronger, they were just hurting each other. Again he searched for his parents' attention, hoping for advice, and this time they noticed him.

"Tell them to stop, please," Rouge asked of him and Luffy almost crossed his arms at his mother. He had already tried that, but without much success. Wasn't there anything else he or his parents could do? It was a useless question, that much the seven year old already knew. As real and tangible the two adults were to him, they weren't really part of the world anymore. At least not enough to influence it without Luffy's help. The boy considered jumping into the fight too, perhaps that would stop Ace and Sabo. But the next second he discarded that thought. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he knew he couldn't keep up with his older brothers and so joining the brawl would useless.

So Luffy decided to listen to his mother, even if he'd already tried this approach. Maybe if he shouted really loud this time, they'd stop.

"I said, stop fighting!"

This time it seemed to work. Sabo and Ace immediately froze, still trying to hold each other's limbs down as above them all kinds of colorful birds flew away, alarmed by Luffy's sudden outburst.

"Why are you fighting?" Luffy stomped his foot, breathing heavily with his hands curled to fists. "We're brothers, right? So why are you fighting against each other?"

"We're not fighting against each other!" Sabo immediately argued.

"Y-yeah! We're fighting with each other!" Ace supported the blonde.

"That's different?" Luffy then asked skeptical, not sure if his brothers could be believed.

"Definitely," Sabo replied and launched into an explanation. "You see, 'cause if we were fighting against each other, we would hate each other. But we don't so we're fighting with each other!"

"But that's stupid! Why are you fighting at all?"

Sabo and Ace shared a look, not exactly sure anymore why they had started to fight in the first place. They had both wanted to solve their problems and the way it was now, they were only making it worse, playing right into the hands of their pursuers. The busier they were fighting among themselves, the lower the chances they'd come up with a solution and the higher the chances they'd be caught.

Ace let go of Sabo's arm, who in turn let go of Ace's leg. They grinned at each other, both smiles a little crooked with guilt. They had let their frustrations get the best of them, the last thing they needed when fighting between each other, at this point, could cost them their lives.

"We really overdid it here…" Sabo sighed and lay down on the ground.

"Dad says 'yes' and Mom says 'family shouldn't fight because everybody gets hurt and the problems are still there'," Luffy dutifully repeated his parents' words.

"Understood," Ace replied. "But only if Sabo won't be stupid and run away!"

"I've only-"

"No fighting!" Luffy interrupted, his arms crossed just like Makino and Rouge always had when they scolded him. It was like the universal gesture for 'don't talk back', Luffy was sure.

"We won't fight again, promise," Sabo said as he sat upright. "But still we need a good plan. If we don't do something, Bluejam will get us."

He looked at Luffy, who had become the fixed point when searching for their parents' proximity.

"Dad says we could make it to the next island with a fisher boat," Luffy said, eyes going wide at the idea of starting their adventure early on. Before he had time to imagine what their travels would look like, Rouge's "it's too dangerous" shot him down.

"Wouldn't have worked anyway," Sabo exclaimed. "The nobles would keep hunting us anyway, I'm their only son and chance for the throne after all."

"You on a throne? That's the last place you belong. Is there nothing that could make them stop searching for you?" Ace complained, while picking apart the grass beneath his finger, destroying the frail strands.

"Nothing," Sabo directly answered. "Well, nothing but my death…"

Silence followed at that somber thought, but internally Sabo's mind lit up with an idea. An idea that most likely wasn't anywhere close to something his family would accept.

It must have shown on his face because Ace leaned over and frowned at him suspiciously.

"What are you thinking of?" He asked. Between the two of them, he knew he was the most reckless, that was hard to argue with all of his split second decisions but Sabo wasn't ranked far beneath him in hastiness. His plans could easily escalate to be equally or even more dangerous and reckless than any of Ace's calls..

Sabo appeared to be considering his options just a little longer before starting to elaborate his idea.

"Those nobles will only stop if they think I'm dead so- so we could do that."

"Are you crazy!?" Ace shouted. "There's no way I'll let you kill yourself."

"I'm not planning to, idiot!" Sabo was breathing hard with apprehension and excitement. "But...I could fake it! People die all the time in Grey Terminal for the most stupid reasons too like- like falling down one of the trash heaps and breaking their neck! If we plan this right, we could pull it off. I wouldn't be able to go to Grey Terminal again for another few years and I'd have to change my appearance a bit but I think we could do this! And if those stuck up nobles get behind it, we at least bought us enough time to come up with something better!"

At the end of his rant, Sabo breathed more heavily but there was a determination in his eyes that hadn't been there before. He knew it was reckless and stupid but he didn't know what other option they still had. Besides, the three of them were strong and he was sure that they could actually pull this off.

He turned his head to Luffy, knowing that their parents couldn't be far. With Roger and Rouge helping, the chance of something going wrong was even slimmer.

"Your plan has way too many holes to go right!" Ace argued again. "Mom, Dad, tell him it's stupid and we're not doing it!"

Rouge buried her fingers in the blue fabric of her dress. Her children shouldn't be making plans like this. They shouldn't have to. But as it was too often in this world, fate wasn't kind and the life they led wasn't easy.

She looked at Roger, who appeared to be just as troubled as her. He too probably understood that Sabo was right. There weren't really any other options left. If they continued running, it would take perhaps a month before Sabo was captured and who the hell knew what would happen to Ace and Luffy. Escaping to the next island could be done with a proper boat and more knowledge on navigation than the boys had. The sea was dangerous and Luffy couldn't swim. Never mind if he could, the currents would still pull them into the deep and cold blue.

Faking Sabo's death, as dangerous and complicated as it was, held the only chance of everyone making it out well.

"Mom? Dad?" Ace spoke up again, still awaiting their answer.

"Luffy?" Roger called for the youngest' attention. "Tell your brothers that Sabo's plan is what we'll work on."

Luffy nodded and repeated his father's words, sealing their fate.

"If you risk nothing, then you risk everything" - Geena Davis

When Sabo woke up as night began to shift into very early morning; he felt sick to his stomach, as if he could throw up right that second. On shaking legs he stood up and carefully walked over to the water barrel they kept close by. He needed to drink something and get rid of the taste of bile in his mouth. He grabbed the small bowl drifting in the water and easily emptied it three times. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to make a difference, the bad taste didn't leave his mouth. The only thing the water had done was wake him up even more. A glance out of the window told him that it was still way too early to be up. For a moment he considered falling asleep next to his brothers again, but he quickly discarded the idea. He knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again anyway, and he would probably only wake Ace and Luffy up. Besides, he could make use of this free time to go through the plan again, look for some mistakes, something they had overlooked just to make sure that everything would go smoothly and that his fear wasn't justified at all-

"I'm scared."

The words left his mouth entirely unintentionally. He hadn't wanted to let them out, to have his fears be known.

The last week was nerve-wracking and hard work. The first thing the family of five had done was figure out how they would fake Sabo's death. They knew they needed a big audience so they had to play it off in the middle of Grey Terminal, somewhere close to the well-populated trading areas. Ace and Sabo would stage a fight ending with Sabo falling off one of the trash mountains and 'dying' when enough of Bluejam's men were there. Animal blood kept in multiple small bags would do its best to give Sabo the appearance of being fatally wounded, then Ace would have to get Sabo away from the scene, appearing guilty about having caused Sabo's death. By the end of the plan, everyone in Grey Terminal, convinced by seeing the blood and Ace's guilty reaction, would believe that the runaway noble was dead.

And then, finally, Sabo would be free.

From morning to night Ace and Sabo had practiced how to fight without actually trying to inure each other and how to fall from heights without getting hurt. If Sabo landed the wrong way, he could break his bones, worst of all – his neck. Whenever Luffy wasn't needed to translate while training, he collected blackberries to later dye Sabo's hair. They would obviously need to get actual hair dye as a permanent solution but at first the berries would have to be enough.

The plan was secure enough, it should work. They had worked so hard for this and when this was all done and over, they'd be safe. Still, worry bit into his flesh, leaving its mark. He was such a scaredy-cat, Ace certainly would make fun of him for stressing so much.

Sabo reached for his clothes and began to dress himself and perhaps grab an apple or a banana. Something small, that wouldn't sit heavily in his stomach. Sabo doubted that he'd be able to get down the heavy breakfast that they usually ate.

Sabo clambered out of the tree house and climbed up onto its roof, settling himself to wait for his brothers to wake. He waited patiently as the red and orange vanished from the sky, leaving behind a pure and endless blue.

Ace and Luffy, as Sabo discovered about an hour later, were just as nervous as Sabo. They ate just a bit more than Sabo had but breakfast certainly wasn't a happy occasion, even if Luffy tried his hardest to cheer them up. Sabo appreciated the effort though.

The rest of the day passed in a fairly uneventful manner. They didn't leave the proximity of their home and lunch wasn't as lively or as big as usual. By the time the sun was setting above them and Grey Terminal was sure to be busy, Sabo had managed to keep from freaking out again. He counted that as a success. As it would only get darker now, he was sure any panicked expression he'd have, would be hidden.

Their walk to Gray Terminal was mostly silent, even Luffy didn't chatter as much as usual. When they reached the borders of the jungle, they checked their equipment one last time. Their weapons and Sabo's fake blood were all ready for use. All that was left to do was to act it all out.

"Ready?" Ace asked.

Sabo took a deep breath before nodding. They could do it, right now, and then at the end of the day they'd all return home. Together.

"We're ready too," Luffy spoke for himself and their parents. He and Roger would wait here at the borders while Rouge stayed with Ace and Sabo in case something went wrong.

"Let's do this then."

Sabo passed the tree line, running as fast as he could with Ace on his heels. He didn't even have to pretend to look scared.

"SABO!" Ace shouted as loud as he could, catching everyone's attention. "It's all your fault!"

Out of the corner of his eyes, Sabo could see the people turning to look at them, fingers pointing. Everything seemed to grow louder, from the words in their mouths to the blood rushing in his ears.

"You're a stupid noble!"

It took the men searching through the trash a split second to realize who exactly was fighting there. After months of searching for the noble brat and his friends, they knew their names well enough. Seemed like they had scared the brats enough to turn onto each other. Bloodthirsty grins spread over the men's faces. They stopped their work to start running after the black haired one, trying to pass him and get to Sabo first.

But Ace was faster and more agile as he could take the sharp curves easier than the grown men.

"I should have never trusted you!" Ace shouted again and sped up. The men were struggling more and more to keep up, nearly running each other over in their haste.

At least the brats weren't switching directions anymore as the blonde seemed to head straight for one of the biggest trash heaps Grey Terminal had to offer.

Soon the noble reached the pile and began to climb up. He stumbled a few times and his hold didn't always appear stable, but he made it to the top with Ace quickly behind him. The dark haired boy held his pipe right in front of him, easily falling into fighting stance that looked far too advanced for a brat of his age. The noble followed suit just before Ace had a chance to land a good hit. Metal clashed against metal, but neither of the boys lost footing.

"Get up there!" One man shouted, having become impatient.

A dozen attempted to climb up the mountain but their weight pushed them to the ground again, taking those below them with them.

"Don't! You can have him when I'm done with him!" Ace roared down at them.

The few men that had attempted to reach for the top, stopped climbing for a moment, unsure of their next step. Then the first ones dropped back to the ground again. It was common knowledge that these two brats were monsters of their own. It would be wiser to wait until Ace and Sabo would take each other out.

Sabo punched Ace into the face, signaling the start of the last fighting sequence before Sabo would stage his fall. Ace jumped forward, hitting Sabo's side with his pipe. It would definitely bruise.

Sabo went from holding his struck side to kicking Ace again. Now Ace would make Sabo lose his balance by pulling away the blonde's mainstay. But before he could do so, screams erupted everywhere. It took Sabo a few seconds to really understand them, but he saw what caused the panic before that.

Fire.

Multiple fires had started, billowing to life all over the Grey Terminal, quickly forming into an inferno and devouring everything that stood in their way. The various gases that fume regularly in Grey Terminal only made the fire burn faster and brighter.

"We have to go!" Ace shouted and jumped down the trash pile, Sabo following without a second's hesitation. The act was over, they had new priorities.

The mob that had gathered beneath them had already disappeared. They had been scared away by the flames that had already taken over two of the three passages towards the trash pile Sabo and Ace had fought on.

"We have to get Luffy!"

"Fire started near the gate, Dad will have brought him back to the jungle already," Ace said and coughed, the black smoke making it hard to speak and breath.

The duo tried to keep up their speed as they kept running, aiming for the forest. Ace was just a bit faster and passed the trash mountain to their right as it creaked, already taken over by the flames, and finally came crashing down right in front of Sabo's nose.

Hearing it crash behind him, Ace turned around, eyes going wide with panic as he was greeted with a sea of flames instead of the face of his brother.

"SABO!"

But he didn't get a reply. He called out to his brother a few more times, approaching the burning trash only to have to jump back when the heat lashed out. With shaking legs Ace abandoned the route towards the jungle and tried to find another way into the flames and get Sabo. But the flames got closer and closer, devoured more and more of Grey Terminal and closed off any access to the inside.

Ace coughed, his sight steadily dimming into a foggy, darkened perspective.

"Sabo!" He pressed out between coughs. "Sabo, where are you?"

He dropped to his knees, panting for breath. The last thing he noticed before losing consciousness was somebody picking him up.

Writer's ramblings:

Sooo uhm 7 months later I update? I'm very sorry! I (re)joined so many fandoms and kept getting side tracked. I had most of this chapter done by January actually but the last part kept giving me trouble and then exams happened and my wonderful Beta wordlet and I were both pretty busy. But I'm happy with this chapter now, so I hope those of you who haven't given up on this story enjoyed it!

With this, after 30.000 words, I'm finally done with the childhood arc! More or less. I hope I can keep the next Arc within that word count too (I highly doubt it though).

Reviews:

Yo Wazzup Lol (guest): Omg so many questions, this is a dream review, honestly! Don't apologize for it :D I hope I'll be able to answer all your questions in the future!

I need a life (guest): Well, Luffy has learnt some more manners but I guarantee for nothing! And I'm not giving away what ghosts will stick around with who just yet.

mapplepie: Ace is one of my favorite characters and he deserves a better childhood without self hatred (except I kind of messed that up too now right..?)

Awareness Bringer: Perona is one of my favorite characters! But I've decided to keep this story Gen!

Nettle-Inis: Not gonna tell, sorry. What happens to Ace is well, a secret for now.

Zeke Jones: You probably won't even read this but I felt like I need to write this anyway. Yes, I know Shanks didn't stay in Foosha for 2 years, but I thought it would be more realistic to have their relationship grow with Shanks returning to that city for a time period of two years. Not actually staying there the whole time. Devil fruits taste like crap, yeah I know that too. I got inspired by Tokyo Ghoul though where human food also tastes bad but the main character still describes it as having a a taste. So I thought about what food Luffy might hate and choose lemons. "Gross adult stuff" was meant to be about drinking and you know being an actual pirate. I know that I as a kid hated drunk adults and alcohol. I thought it was gross. Also, I don't write yaoi and I never will. I do however write gay pairing which to me is something different as yaoi objectifies gay men and is aimed at fangirls. So yaoi is a huge no-no for me, gay pairing aren't. And most yaoi fanfiction actually aren't even yaoi but I'm not gonna open that discussion now. Being gay also has absolutely nothing to do with masculinity. You know sexuality has nothing to do with gender and statements like being gay doesn't make you masculine pisses off a whole lot of people. Also, not be rude, but as a trans guy I probably thought more about the concept of masculinity in the last week than other people in their whole lives.

Sorry the rest of you had to read that, now to the next:

KingCreations: Omg thank you for your sweet words!

Ghostvu: THANK YOU! Like woah your review is so sweet and I just. Thank you.

Arxhaelogist: Happy that the scene of Roger possessing Luffy was a little scary. While I do try not to make this too dark, Luffy's power itself actually isn't as much of a happy one. But well, it's Luffy. He makes it work anyway :D

AcidicSnake: How many Arcs there will be? Uhh *starts sweating* No idea. And well, this is fanfiction. I guess some small changes to the crew won't hurt ;)

And to everyone else who reviewed: Thank you so much! All of you really made me happy and not give up in frustrations.

I'll try to get the next chapter done faster, but for those who want to read more of this verse: I've posted a side story called "Fragments of dreams" in which I post side stories or deleted scenes from this fanfiction.

Until next time!