Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. It wouldn't be nearly as good if I did.

A/N: Did you enjoy the ride? You did? Wonderful, now hold on. I'm told the end is the toughest part.

Chapter 14: A Different Decision OR Capitalizing on an Opportunity

The capture and planned execution of Fire Fist Ace were publicized and used as propaganda for the Navy, mitigating Blackbeard's involvement and emphasizing the looming death of a remarkably infamous pirate. The Navy was either idiotic or willfully blind to a number of facts, otherwise, they wouldn't have done something so stupid.

Fact one: Ace was a Whitebeard Pirate.

Fact two: Whitebeard defended his people jealously.

Fact three: even as an old man in poor health, Edward Newgate was regarded as the strongest man in the world. This included both halves of the Grand Line which were widely acknowledged as the most insane places in the world where it wasn't unusual for islands to be reshaped or flat out destroyed by battle.

Fact four: Ace was Strawhat Luffy's brother.

Fact five: Luffy was a crazy thrill seeker who had a track record(even if it was somewhat under wraps) of waging all out war on those who, by all rights, should be out of his league and not only surviving but winning. Not to mention he beat the tar out of his opponents and crushed their spirits too boot.

Fact six: imprisoning Ace would have Whitebeard and his allies along with Strawhat gunning for Impel Down to break him out. Executing him would have Whitebeard, his allies, and Strawhat Luffy laying siege to Marineford to save the hothead.

Fact seven: whether or not the Navy could beat back, arrest, and or kill all or most of the attacking pirates along with Ace was irrelevant as the war would require all hands on deck and leave the rest of Marineford exposed to a sneak attack by the Revolutionaries.

Fact eight: Dragon was as not as stupid as the rest of his family and he was as crazy and stubborn as both his father and his son.

These eight facts lead up to one outcome that should have been the most likely but for some reason wasn't.

Dragon ordering a raid on Marineford during the execution of Portugas D. Fire Fist Ace.

And who would be leading that raid? Who else than the Chief of Staff?

/*/

Sabo smirked as he lead his team through the deserted halls of Marineford. "Anyone else get the feeling the Chief's a kid in a candy store?" the man behind him asked. Sabo chuckled lightly even as he unlimbered his pipe and bashed the head of an unlucky marine into the wall.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" a wry feminine voice asked over a symphony of cracking bones and a quiet moan of pain.

"He's skipping, Koala," the man replied, breaking an unfortunate young man's nose while knocking him out.

"I'm not skipping, Danton," Sabo said as he danced around the last of the patrol and sending her to sleep with a rap to the head.

"Really? Because it looks like you're skipping," Danton drawled, rushing ahead to guard the corner while Sabo and Koala went around.

"You really enjoy making fun of your leaders, don't you," Sabo remarked drily.

"What can I say? I'm a rebel, I rebel," Danton shot back with good humor. Sabo snorted.

"You're a Revolutionary, Danton, not a rebel. We seek to build a better government, not send the world into anarchy," he said.

"Boys!" hissed Koala, drawing them back to the task at hand.

"Yes ma'am," they said together, heads bowed. Swiftly and efficiently, they scoured each office they came across, explosions and screams echoing outside. "Yeesh! They're really going to town out there," Danton remarked as the whole building shook.

"Whitebeard has gone to war," Sabo remarked dully, his eyes growing distant as a shaky grin spread across his face. "If today is the day he dies... he's going to take down as many with him as he can and do his darn best to shake the world to its core." Danton stared at his Chief for a moment before shaking his head.

"Always knew you were an odd one," he muttered. For a few more precious, dangerously thrilling minutes the three man cell worked quietly and methodically. Then a wave of presence swept over them and all three heads turned to the window as the faint echo of a raw, primal scream made its way into their very souls.

"DON'T DO IT!"

Sabo jolted toward the window and saw Ace's shocked face as he stared out over the hoard of marines and pirates. As the bodies fell from the force of that one shout, Sabo saw a head of black hair, tanned limbs, a yellow vest, red shorts, and... "Strawhat," Sabo muttered, watching the small figure run through the failing chaos he'd caused toward Ace's execution platform.

"I'm on my way!"

Danton and Koala watched as Sabo stared out the window, watching that small figure run through the battlefield strewn with fire and ice, the pirate's limbs stretching to impossible lengths to punch out those in his way. "Luffy..." the blond breathed and then...

"OI! IDIOT! YOU CAN'T FLY!" Koala yelled after him as Sabo leapt out the window.

"DON'T NEED TO! THERE'S BIGGER FOOLS TO BREAK MY FALL!" the falling blond bellowed back. Danton laughed while Koala smacked her forehead into her palm.

"He's got you there!" he laughed... until Koala smashed him into the stone wall of the office building. "Worth it."

/*/

Ace watched Luffy come in shock. Conqueror's Haki. Luffy had Conqueror's Haki! And hadn't he told the idiot not to come for him? "TOLD YOU THERE WERE BIGGER FOOLS!" a voice yelled in the stillness as a dark blue form landed on one of the larger marines present. Everyone still conscious stopped and stared at the newcomer. The first thing Ace noticed about him was blue. Then the top hat he wore perched atop soft blond curls. Light blue pants, solid brown boots, leather gloves, a spinning pipe, a wide grin that challenged the world. "Hello," the man said, bringing the pipe to rest on his shoulder as he grinned at the arrayed Marines and Pirates. "I couldn't help but notice the bond between Ace and Luffy. It was so oddly nostalgic, I couldn't stop myself from joining the fray," he continued. Luffy broke out of his shock and launched himself at the newcomer.

"S... Sabo?" he asked, his soft, scared voice echoing over the battlefield like a gunshot is a church.

"Ah, that'd be my name," the man said, smiling softly at Luffy. Tears started to run down the infamous pirate's face, snot bubbled out of his nose, and before anyone could quite register what was happening... Strawhat Luffy threw back his head and wailed as he held fast to Sabo. Ace wasn't much better, to be honest, only instead of instantly accepting that his brother was back from the dead, he felt rage bubbling up in him, fighting against the mind-numbing property of the seastone that bound him.

"OI! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, USING THAT NAME!" he bellowed, fighting against his cuffs for the first time, a new fire ignited in his eyes. Sabo turned dark blue eyes on the man... and smiled that same soft smile.

"I'm Sabo, from Dawn Island," he said. Ace growled and thrashed with renewed vigor.

"STOP IT! STOP LYING! SABO IS DEAD! I SAW HIS BOAT! I HEARD THE BLAST! THE WORLD NOBLE KILLED HIM! ALL BECAUSE HE WAS TRYING TO LEAVE US! HE WAS TRYING TO ESCAPE! HECK, I CAN'T EVEN BE MAD AT HIM! NOT WITH PARENTS LIKE HIS!" he howled. Sabo's smile faltered and his eyes widened before he glared up at Ace.

"Stop trying to convince me I'm dead, Ace. It may have taken me a while to remember, but I'm here. Stop trying to send me away," he said evenly. Ace jerked back with a 'gurk,' face a picture of shock.

And then the war started up again.

"We have to make it to the platform!" Sabo told Luffy, prying the rubber man from his side.

"WAH! SABOO!" said rubber man wailed. Sabo felt a sweatdrop form on his left temple.

"Ah, Luffy, if you don't let go I really will be dead, and so will you and Ace," Sabo said. Luffy snapped off and somehow managed to nail a beefy marine who was attempting to flank them. "Nice shot," Sabo remarked idly as he swatted another and charged forward.

"I can't believe you're alive," Luffy breathed. Sabo grinned at him.

"Save it for when we're out of here, yeah?" Luffy nodded and the world was swallowed by chaos.

/*/

Grap was proud despite himself. His grandsons were strong and devoted to each other. Too bad they chose to be pirates. Though... Garp could sort of see where they were coming from, despising the navy. Marines had to answer to the World Government which had to listen to the World Nobles and these boys had never had any good experiences with even the nobles in Goa, much less the World Nobles. And killing one of their brothers for a petty reason was not the way to endear yourself to anyone. And then there was that whole business with Shells Town. Not to mention Kokoyashi. Or Baratie. Then there was the fact that they'd been raised by bandits. Probably not his best decision. But it wasn't like he could raise the sons of Gol D. Roger and Monkey D. Dragon on the deck of a battleship, or even in his office here at Marineford. The property damage and food bill would bad enough but when you factor in the risk of someone discovering their heritage... Yeah. The bandits were a better choice than that. Which was another factor that lead to Garp acknowledging that his boys had reasons but... "LET ME GO YOU FLEA BITTEN GOVERNMENT DOG! I'LL BITE YOUR KNEECAPS OFF AND USE THEM AS SOUP BOWLS!" Garp winced. Maybe he could have left them in Foosha, even with Shanks haunting the area. Makino would at least have insisted on manners.

"OUTTA MY WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY!" Luffy yelled, an elastic arm clearing the way for Sabo to rush in and disable the bigger opponents.

"ALMOST THERE!" Sabo yelled.

"Not so fast, Brats!" Garp declared, placing himself in their way.

"BEAR LORD!" Sabo yelled, going low. Luffy roared in acknowledgment and sent both fists toward Garp's face. The pair had gotten faster since the last time Garp had fought them and even without their third member going for the gut, they managed to push him from their path and down into the melee below. "GOOD WORK, LUFFY!" Garp dimly heard Sabo yell.

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed before their words were swallowed by the din of battle. Garp sighed and closed his eyes, conceding the round to his Brats.

"You've grown well," he muttered softly enough to go unheard before he turned and did his duty to the Corp.

/*/

Sabo, who didn't have the time to sort through the memories he had suddenly recovered, was a little amazed at how well he and Luffy worked together. It took a ridiculously short amount of time for them to reach Ace and knock out the few Marines on the platform. A moment later and fire surged to life above the war. "Thanks," Ace said, rubbing his wrists, before he clocked Sabo in the jaw. "That was for leaving," he said. The blond rolled his jaw before shaking his head.

"Guess I kinda deserved that one," he said. Ace chuckled and punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"That... was for coming back," Fire Fist said with an unusually sappy smile.

"Thanks, but like I told Luffy, let's save it for where we're out of here, yeah?" Sabo said, nodding to the veritable sea of blue and white between them and the ships that would carry them to freedom and the open sea. Ace nodded and they began fighting their way to the shore. A large man with bad teeth and a scraggly black beard stepped into their path while a bullet ricocheted off of Luffy.

"Black Beard!" Ace snarled.

"NO TIME!" Sabo yelled, ramming his shoulder into Ace's side and forcing him into the scrum of Marines and Pirates. Luffy followed easily but Ace fought Sabo's direction.

"HE KILLED THATCH!" the flame man bellowed.

"HE'LL KILL US TOO IF YOU DON'T MOVE!" Sabo countered. This seemed to cool Ace's head slightly but the White Beard Commander still growled. "We're never going to make it to the ships like this," Sabo muttered before his head snapped to a window where a familiar orange hat flashed and a grin spread across his face. "LUFFY! ROCKET THATA WAY!" he shouted, wrapping an arm around Ace and pointing toward Koala's hat.

"OKAY!" Luffy shouted back, wrapping an arm around both of his brothers before his other hand shot out to grasp the window frame. A breath of perfect stillness and an eternal moment of heart stopping flight later the ASL brothers were sprawled out in the hall with a pair of stunned Revolutionaries.

"Well. I was always told he had a proclivity toward the dramatic," Danton remarked dryly.

"NOT THE POINT!" Koala snapped back at him. "Are you okay, Sabo?"

"Peachy," Sabo wheezed, giving her a thumbs up from the bottom of a brother pile.

"Who's this?" Ace asked from the middle of the heap, staring up at the admittedly cute girl.

"This is my partner, Koala, and our Recruit of the Week, Danton," Sabo said, waving to the two.

"A pleasure to meet you, Koala," Ace said, expertly extracting himself and bowing politely.

"Eh? Since when did you have manners?" Sabo asked.

"Since I asked Makino to teach me so I could thank Shanks for what he did for Luffy," Ace answered easily.

"Huh. Okay," Sabo said, shrugging it off before turning to Koala. "When's that extraction coming again?" Koala slapped her face into her palm.

"You just moved up our timetable, didn't you."

"Well, a ballistic rubber man dragging along a screaming flame man and Revolutionary is kind of hard to miss so... yes. Yes I did," Sabo admitted unashamedly, nodding.

"Sometimes I question Dragon's decision to make you Chief of Staff," Koala muttered, shaking her head at her partner.

"And then I come up with a genius plan to save money, manpower, and accomplish our mission all at the same time and you love me again," Sabo countered. Koala rolled her eyes and started running down the hall.

"Yeah yeah, now let's move!" she called back. "We have no idea how long we have until this building is swarming with Marines and I'd rather not be here when that happens!" Sabo laughed and scrambled after her, Luffy and Ace a beat behind.

"No argument here!" Sabo said over the pounding of their feet on the stone. Time lost all meaning as they charged through corridor after hall in a mad dash for the extraction point. "Wait! Whitebeard won't stop until he knows Ace is free!" Sabo realized.

"Ace ate the Flare Flare Fruit, right?" Danton asked.

"Yes, I did. Why?" Ace answered.

"Well... Signal Flare anyone?" Three slaps echoed in the hallway as Ace, Sabo, and Koala face palmed.

"Thanks, Danton. We'll do that," Sabo said. Danton grinned and slid around the corner, knocking a Marine off his feet before driving his head into the floor with a vicious elbow strike. Not long after, they emerged from the massive base and leaped onto the waiting Revolutionary ship. As soon as they could see the war, Ace sent up a large flare shaped like Whitebeard's mark. Sabo watched with Ace as the Pirates disengaged from the Marines and began to pull back. "You know... Nico Robin wanted to join this raid," Sabo remarked quietly as he watched Marineford burn.

"Ah! Robin?!" Luffy yelled, forcing himself back up to stare at Sabo in shock.

"Yes. She arrived at our base three days before we began putting together this raid," the Revolutionary answered. "Said something about her captain being sure to put himself in harm's way and it was her duty as part of his crew to make sure he didn't die."

"Is she here?" Luffy asked. Sabo shook his head.

"No-one trusted her enough to let her come," he said and Luffy slumped. "She'll be staying with us for a time... but I can pass a message if you'd like."

"Two years," Luffy muttered. Sabo blinked.

"Eh?" Luffy lifted his head with an expression of world ending determination.

"We'll meet again at Sabondy in two years," he declared. Sabo nodded and Ace sighed.

"I wish I could be there with you... but something tells me not even two years will be long enough to convince my crew to let me out of their sight," he said. Luffy laughed.

"Then we'll just have to meet in the New World!" he declared. Ace stared at his brother for a moment before a slow grin spread across his face.

"It's a promise then," he said, holding up his fist. Luffy crossed forearms with him and laughed, eyes squeezed shut before he passed out from exhaustion.

"He's gonna be out for a while," Sabo remarked dryly.

"Something tells me it'll do him good," Ace said before turning to Sabo. "You and I, however, have a lot to talk about." Sabo sighed and picked up his sleeping brother.

"First let me get him to the infirmary, then we'll talk," he said. Ace nodded and followed his brothers, not willing to let either out of his sight just yet.

The future was uncertain and the seas more hostile than ever but in that moment, on that little ship with both his brothers by his side, Ace couldn't help but think... Life was good and he was so glad to be alive.

/?/

A/N: Okay, you can let go now. We've arrived. Please lift your safety harness and watch your step as you disembark. Don't forget to leave a review on your way out.

So yeah, unless I get a prompt that's too good to pass up, this is the end. Hope you enjoyed!

Oh, before you close the tab, I've decided to start a series based off these one shots. Uploads will be sporadic and I'm not sure when the first will be posted but check back every now and then for my planned 'Consequences' series. The first has the working title of 'Consequences: What a Glance can Bring.'

regenengel3 out, have a blessed day.