The Nobles Insidious Plan...

Chapter 8 - The Nobles Insidious Plan...

*With Luffy*

Luffy just stood there gapping at his older brother, who continued to grin at him as if he had just told a funny joke.

"But… you're dead…" Luffy said quietly, more to himself than to Ace.

"Pretty much," Ace answered brightly.

Luffy blinked a few times, trying to make sense of this. Ace was dead… he knew that. But he was here with him… so that could only mean…?

"AHHHHH!" he screamed out in panic, gripping his head as he stared around him in horror. "THAT MEANS I'M DEAD TOO?!"

What had he done? How'd this happen?

"Oh-no my crew will kill me if I died!" he kept crying out. He died before he could become the King of the Pirates? He couldn't believe this! "Sabo is going to be disappointed with me for dying too!"

"Luffy…?" Ace said, but Luffy wasn't paying attention.

"So this is the great beyond?" Luffy asked himself, staring around him, "Oh, this all sucks! After those two years training with Rayleigh too! Well, they better at least have some good meat up here! Oh wait… what if I'm in hell? Then that means that there can't be! WAHHHHH! You mean I'm in Hell?!"

"IDIOT!" Ace yelled and bonked him hard on the head to snap him out of it.

"OWW!" Luffy howled, glaring at Ace, "THAT HURT!"

"Dammit Luffy you aren't dead!" Ace shouted at him, for a moment this was just like how they used to argue ever since they were little kids. It was so familiar that Luffy had to stop—unable to stay angry with him.

For a few minutes, the two just stood there looking at each other. A light breeze swept over the training site, ruffling their hair as they continued to gaze long and hard. Finally, Luffy blinked.

"I'm not?" he asked as Ace shook his head, the smile still tugging at his lips.

"No, you aren't," he said seriously as he gently bumped his knuckles against Luffy's forehead—silently telling him what an idiot he was being. "It's a long story…"

"But I don't like long stories," Luffy whined, still not understanding any of this.

Ace only grinned wider, and seeing that smile made Luffy feel as if his insides were being squeezed. "I know you don't," Ace admitted happily, "But you'll enjoy this one. Let me explain…"

*Straw Hats*

The Straw Hats meanwhile were following the memory of the two boys through Trash Mountain, looking for Sabo. Ace kept picking up scraps of metal and pieces of lumber every few feet—just anything he thought might be useful to repair their base. While Luffy wandered a little behind him, still looking for that telescope.

As Usopp watched, he had an idea to make a special telescope for the Sunny when he got back—one that could see for endless miles around in all directions. But just as he was getting around to designing it, Ace suddenly dropped everything he was holding and pulled Luffy down to the ground.

"Ace—what?" Luffy cried out startled.

"Shhhh," Ace hissed, forcing his head down. "Stay quiet."

"What's going on?" Chopper asked, not liking the tense look on Ace's face.

"Don't know," Zoro said, his hand on his sword, though there wasn't any need. He just felt more in control of the situation with his swords with him, "But I'm guessing that Ace heard it too."

"Voices," Sanji added softly, his head turned in one direction. "Over there…"

Whether or not Luffy did as he was told, or he heard something as well, he stayed quiet as the two boys crawled up the mounds of junk and cautiously peered over it. At the bottom of the mountain was Sabo… and he was completely surrounded and outnumbered.

"Oh, no!" Chopper cried out, "He's in trouble!"

"Don't worry," Franky smirked as Ace and Luffy shared a look and they nodded together. "Like they're gonna leave their brother to fight all that on his own. Looks like some thugs from town want some revenge from a beating."

"I don't know about that," Robin said with a slight frown as she got a good look at the men. "They don't look like ordinary street thugs…"

"Wait…?" Nami started slowly, a horrible idea suddenly coming to her, "Are they…?"

"I never would have guessed that one of the infamous three troublemakers was a noble," of the men said—and judging from his clothes and demeanor, he was the leader of this whole thing. He was a tall man with short hair that was all tied back on the top of his head so that they looked like stripes, while the rest of it flowed down long and unkempt down his sides. And as he smiled, half of his molars were missing in an alternating pattern… but what really got them was the air of malevolence that surrounded him. They didn't know who this man was, but whoever he was, the Straw Hats all suddenly hated everything about him.

"Who's that?" Luffy asked Ace quietly as Ace put a finger to his lips to silence him.

"Bluejam, how do you know that!?" Sabo yelled at once.

Ace paled, looking uncharacteristically fearful.

"Bluejam?" Brook repeated in confusion, knowing that he heard that name somewhere before, "Oh, I know that name! That's the pirate captain who they… robbed from… oh dear…"

"Oh, shit," Sanji hissed, feeling a little sweat fall from the side of his face. "This isn't good. They may be good fighters, but they're still kids here. And they're up against heavily armed pirates."

"Bluejam?" Luffy repeated quietly before his eyes widened and he got up. "Sabo's in trouble!"

He looked ready to jump down and fight, but Ace grabbed him. "Not like that idiot," he hissed, looking around quickly. That was when he spotted an old barrel lying near them and he grinned. "Perfect," he said, leading Luffy to it. "We'll use this!"

"Hey, don't hurt him now," Bluejam smirked evilly, calling from below them.

"Why do I seriously doubt that?" Usopp said, wondering just what Ace had planned, hoping that he'd hurry up.

Sabo knew that he was in trouble, but he couldn't run with so many pirates surrounding him on all sides. However, when the first idiot tried to grab him from behind, he kicked him hard, yelling out, "You wanna fight, bastard?!"

"In this case, there are only two things he can do," Robin said softly. "Fight… or flight."

"I vote for fight," Zoro smirked at the idea.

"You always chose fight," Usopp yelled at him. "He's just a little kid and he's up against pirates on his own! He can't win!"

"How said that he was going to be alone for long?" Franky asked with a merry laugh, jerking his thumb to Luffy and Ace.

"Hey, what're they doing?!" Chopper cried out, and they looked up in time to see the two climb into the barrel.

"It looks like they're gonna…" Sanji said, planning it out in his mind before he grinned. "Oh, this is gonna be good."

Before Chopper could ask, Ace kicked off and suddenly they were rolling down the hill of junk towards the pirates. At once, the men were all distracted at the sight of the rolling, and before the nearest pirate—the one standing behind Sabo—could react, the barrel went slamming into him, knocking him clean off his feet and he was out cold before he hit the ground.

At the same time, when the barrel hit him, Luffy and Ace broke out and charged ahead to join Sabo.

"Ace! Luffy!" Sabo cried, grinning wildly and turned back, ready for a fight now that his back-up had finally shown up.

Luffy was stumbling around, looking slightly green as he muttered, "My eyes are spinning…" and then he fell to the ground with a loud 'flop'.

"That is cute," Robin smiled. Ace on the other hand turned to Sabo, quickly asking if he was alright.

Sabo just nodded with a relieved smile, "Yeah."

Ace turned to face the pirates, still grinning—clearly not afraid at all. "If all three of us work together, these guys aren't scary at all!"

"That's right!" Luffy exclaimed, getting back to his feet, his dizzy spell over with, "We even beat the Great Tiger of Mount Corvo!"

"Yeah, after fighting that thing, these guys don't seem that scary," Chopper said, thinking of that monster tiger.

But the Bluejam pirates were now looking angrier than ever as they slowly advanced towards them.

"You little brats!" one of them yelled threateningly, holding up his sword.

Ace just kept on smiling. "To finish this fight quickly," he said to his brothers, "we just have to go for the captain!"

"Yeah!" Luffy yelled in agreement and they ran together, Sabo dropping the supplies he gathered and they took care of business. Ace and Sabo were dodging out of the way of the blows, Luffy not even bothering with the clubs as he let them hit him, only for the blunt weapons to bounce off uselessly.

"Now that's teamwork!" Brook called happily as Luffy jumped up and head-butted one man.

"Now they're starting to really become a force to be reckoned with," Franky cheered on with Usopp and Chopper.

"They're all monsters," Nami said shaking her head, but still grinning like everyone else. What she did wonder however was how Sabo could be one… with Luffy and Ace's fathers, they had reasons to be… she glanced over at Sabo, wondering just how he got so strong having been born a noble—especially the son of the type of nobles who hated something so harmless as dirt. Then again… she reasoned with herself as Sabo clubbed one man out with little effort, he had practically grown up here in the Gray Terminal. She supposed that you had to get strong just to survive here.

Once the boys took out all the underlings, they ran at Bluejam—looking ready to finish the job.

"Yeah!" Usopp yelled, punching the sky eagerly, "You show him!"

But Zoro was frowning at the annoyed look on Bluejam's face. He didn't look worried at all—even with all his flunkies taken out and the three boys charging ahead with those pipes. It wasn't until his hand went flying to the gun that was tucked into his belt did he understand.

"Hell, they better run!" Sanji yelled, but even as he shouted, Bluejam had pulled it out and fired. Thankfully, it missed them but it was a narrow miss… just inches from Ace's foot—it was enough to stop them all dead.

"What!?" Ace exclaimed, having not guess he'd do that. That was when they all ducked and covered, with Ace and Sabo hiding behind what looked like a broken ship's mast, and Luffy actually covering his face with a plank of wood on the ground.

"Did he really think that would be enough to stop a bullet?" Nami asked, sweatdropped. "Not that he needs it since he's bulletproof but still…"

"I can see that these guys aren't used to fighting someone with guns," Sanji said with a frown. "I hope that they weren't over-confident."

"Using guns can be a bit of a hassle," Usopp said knowingly, "There's the loading and the gunpowder… though lethal when they hit you, they can cause a lot of trouble in the heat of battle. It is easier to use swords because they don't need re-loading."

"Wow, you really know a lot, Usopp!" Chopper said in amazement.

"Hee hee," Usopp laughed, rubbing his long nose with his thumb. "What'd you expect? I'm Master Usopp! Of course I'd know something as trivial as that!"

"Why's Luffy-san hiding at all though?" Brook asked, not understanding why Luffy looked scared, as he poked his head around the board to look at the gun.

"Well, if they're not used to fighting against someone with a gun, then what are the odds of him knowing that he was bulletproof?" Zoro asked him. "It's too bad… if they knew that, then he could've taken him on."

"Is this where he gets shot and finds out?" Nami asking carefully, not liking where this was going.

"I'm not sure, Nami-swan," Sanji said, having a bad feeling as well. "But I'm sure we'll find out."

Bluejam had them where he wanted and laughed darkly. "Alright brats," he said, grinning evilly, "Stay where you are."

"Like we're scared of a gun!" Ace yelled out, though he didn't sound as confident as he did a moment ago.

"Behind you, Ace!" Chopper screamed out, but he might've just not said anything for all the good it did. At that moment, a few extra men had jumped out from some of the junk and grabbed them from behind.

"Damn," Zoro hissed, "It was a trap!"

"They must've guessed what they were going to do, and had some of them hide until they were distracted," Robin summed up as Ace and Sabo cursed at the men, fighting to get free.

"Move!" screamed Luffy's voice, and they saw that while they were watching Ace and Sabo being grabbed, another had Luffy pinned to the ground—it was hard to hear what he was saying with his face held down like that, but they could all understand what his words were… "Or I'll send you flying!"

"They should've run while they had the chance," Robin whispered softly.

"For once, I agree," Franky said, now starting to sound unnerve, as he looked at the pirates—who were looking very pleased with themselves. "They look like they mean business. You think they're still angry about the loot they took from them?"

"Of course they would be," Nami said angrily. "What kind of pirate wouldn't be angry at someone who stole from them?"

"Not only did they steal from them, but they injured their pride by not only getting robbed by a bunch of pint-sized kids, but also beating up some of their men who worked directly for them," Zoro added.

"Even if they give it back now," Sanji said frowning, biting down on his cigarette, "I doubt that they'll be letting them go that easily."

"But they'll be alright won't they?" Chopper asked, looking scared.

"Y-Yeah," Usopp stuttered, trying to convince himself that. "I mean, come on…" he laughed nervously, "Luffy's obviously makes it out of this alive doesn't he? I'm sure that they'll find some way to get out of this in one piece. All they have to do is stay calm and run when they get the chance!"

"You think?" Chopper said, sighing in relief, "Thank goodness. I was worried."

But Zoro just kept frowning, that uneasy feeling back in full swing, and it was worse than ever. For some reason, he couldn't stop looking at Sabo, who continued to try and get free. "Let me go, you bastard!" Sabo yelled, looking ready to bite down on the man's arm, but stopped dead, staring horrified directly at the Straw Hats, as if he could suddenly see them. It was so sudden, that Zoro thought for a second that Sabo could see them… at least until he heard the footsteps behind them and he looked behind him at once—cursing himself for not being able to sense anything while within a memory.

But the scared and shocked look on Sabo's face was enough to tell him that something was dangerously wrong. And what he saw made him freeze as well. A large group of men were approaching them, each one wearing what had to be gas masks, and each was carrying loaded rifles as they marched. But standing there with them was one man he did recognize… the same man that had called out to Sabo in one of the past memories they'd seen…

Sabo's father…

"Is that…?" Nami asked slowly, staring at Sabo's father.

"It is!" Usopp said, pointing wildly at him. "That's Sabo's dad! What's he doing here?"

"I don't know," Sanji said, his eyes narrowing as he and the armed men walked right passed them all to face the Bluejam Pirates, "But I can guarantee that it can't be good."

"You don't think that Sabo's dad isn't here to help them?" Chopper asked them.

"Looks more like he's the one behind the attack," Franky said, suddenly being vividly reminded of how that idiot Spanda used his battleships to attack Water 7 years ago.

"But why?" Chopper asked, not understanding.

Just then, Sabo's father spoke, looking over them all with a cold look in his eyes; he was annoyed, as if he could think of a million things he rather be doing than see his son. Speaking of which, he was now looking at Sabo with disappointment as he spoke, "Looks like we came just at the right time."

"Father…" Sabo whispered in terror, too scared to move. At that one word, Ace and Luffy were also staring at him shock, unable to believe what was happening.

Bluejam looked over at Sabo's dad and said, in an oily voice, "Master, he doesn't have a single scratch on him."

"Master?" Usopp repeated hoarsely, "What's going on?"

"It sounds like…" Brook said softly, realization sinking in, "That those pirates are working for him!"

"What?" Sanji yelled out. "Since when do pirates work for nobles?"

"Well, there are pirates who work for the government, or so they claim," Robin said, thinking of Crocodile with distain. "I guess anyone can be bought with enough money."

"What lowlifes!" Franky growled, "Instead of going out to the sea, they rather become servants?"

"And not just any servants," Zoro said angrily, "But to scum like them. They shouldn't even be called pirates anymore."

"Mercenaries," Franky nodded in dark agreement. "Or thugs. They do dirty work for hire."

"But why are they here?" Usopp called out, not liking the cold look in Sabo's dad's eyes. "He can't be planning on hurting his own son is he?"

Bluejam turned towards the man holding Sabo, and gestured for him to come over.

"HEY!" Sabo called, suddenly remembering how to move as he fought tooth and nail to get away. "LEMME GO!"

"Sabo!" Ace yelled.

"Oh, I get it," Sanji growled, his hands curled into fists. "Sabo refused to come back on his own, so this piece of shit hired them to bring him back by force."

"But why now?" Nami yelled. "He didn't seem to care before? He didn't bother looking for him for the last few years so why does he suddenly want him back home?"

"Most likely, word's gotten out about his son being one of the three delinquents terrorizing the town," Robin answered.

"I see," Sabo's father said, looking over at Luffy and Ace as if examining a pair of stray dogs, before turning his nose up at them in disgust, "It must be because of these two. They led Sabo down a path of evil?"

"What'd he just say?!" Zoro yelled out, growing more pissed off by the minute.

"Path of evil?" Franky repeated at the top of his lungs, now seething, "Oh, I'll show him evil! Just wait until I get my hands on him!"

"Well, it doesn't mean much coming from someone like him," Nami said, her eyes flashing in rage. "He thinks that he can't do wrong after all!"

"Give Sabo back!" Luffy demanded though he didn't sound that threatening, since he still couldn't break free.

"Yeah! That's right!" Chopper yelled out loudly. "Sabo doesn't want to go back with you!"

"What do you mean 'give him back'? Sabo is my child!" Sabo's dad asked him, as if arguing with someone over a piece of property. "It is the responsibility of every child to live according to the will of their parents who gave them life!"

"What kind of reasoning is that?" Usopp yelled out feverishly, "That doesn't make sense! Parents bring you into the world so that you do everything your parents tell you to do?"

"He's a child! Not a piece of property!" Brook yelled out with him.

But Sabo's father went on by pointing a finger at them, accusing them of lying to Sabo and that they convinced him to run away from home.

"Oh, come on!" Sanji yelled, "I don't believe what I'm hearing here!"

"And Sabo had to live with this?" Franky yelled out. "I don't think it took much for him to leave!"

"Are you attempting to steal my fortune?" Sabo's father went on to ask.

"Did they ever ask you for any money?" Usopp shouted out, though they were just wasting their breaths. "Maybe if you treated Sabo like a son instead of a bargaining chip, then he wouldn't have run away!"

"I can't believe they're related," Nami cried out angrily. "If I had to live with that, I'd run too. Screw the money."

"Did you just say that?" Usopp yelled at her in amazement.

"I love money," she told him. "But there's a limit to what I'm willing to put up with! And if I had to live with someone like him?" she jerked her thumb at him, "I'd rather run and be free."

"What was that, bastard!?" Ace yelled, looking almost as angry as he did when he fought Naguri that first time. But then, the pirate holding him slammed him into the ground to get him to shut up, Ace's face was cut on something sharp and blood splattered everywhere, including hitting Sabo's father's cheek.

As if getting hit with mud, he yelled as he wiped the blood off with his handkerchief, "Hey now, pirate, be careful how you handle these children!"

"That's right!" Chopper agreed, glad to see that he was on their side now.

"You got some of this inferior filth's blood on my face!" he finished, throwing the cloth away onto one of the garbage piles like it was something disgusting.

"WHAT?!" Chopper screamed out.

"I dare you to say that again!" Franky screamed out, holding his hands up, prepared to shoot a beam—only for him to rage out at not being able to do anything

"Just a few seconds," Zoro growled to himself, his hands on his swords and flicking one out of its sheath. He was almost trying to will the memory to become real… just a few seconds to slice him to pieces… that was all he wanted.

"How can someone say things like that?" Chopper whispered as Sanji was venting some of his anger out with Zoro by getting into a fight. "To treat them like this…?"

The whole time, Robin had been quiet as she watched the scene. She had been with the Revolutionaries for the last two years, and she had seen a lot of things that made her feel sick. Dragon had been working hard for years to overthrow the World Government, and it was because of nobles like these could she completely understand way.

These people were heartless monsters, so arrogant in the fictional world that they live in, they think they could do anything they wanted… that they were better than others and they could do no wrong.

"This is just a hard view of what the world is truly like," was all she said. "Nobles like them and in the World Government are everywhere. They control everything with money and manipulation. To them, being a noble means that they are better."

But as she thought about Dragon, she felt her lips twitch a little in a smile. Even after travelling with them, she had only met their fearless leader a few times… It had been a surprise when she first laid eyes on him. While it was easy to see the family resemblance with Luffy and Garp, it wasn't as so with Dragon.

"Ace!" Luffy called out in worry, seeing the blood dripping from the cut on his brother's face.

Robin just watched everything silently. Personality-wise, Luffy was different from his father's calm and collected attitude… but as she watched the little boy still fighting to get free… she knew that in other ways they were just the same.

"Soulless bastards," Sanji hissed, "Wish I could break his face."

Sabo had finally broken free and ran to his father, standing between him and his brothers. "Please stop!" he cried out desperately, "They didn't deceive me! It was my choice to leave home!"

"Yeah!" Usopp called.

Sabo's father just glared at him in irritation and told him to be quiet as two soldiers grabbed him and pulled him back. Once Sabo was out of the way, he looked back to Bluejam and asked, "I trust that you pirates will take care of the others?"

"What does he mean by that?" Brook cried out, suddenly feeling a chill in his heart—not that he had one—but he didn't bother to laugh at his joke.

Bluejam merely grinned at the idea, and continued to speak in that oily voice, "Of course we will, master."

"I feel like I'm about to be sick," Zoro said in repulsion.

"For once, we're in agreement," Sanji said, fighting the urge to throw up.

"After all, we've received payment," Bluejam went on, "Rest assured, I will finish these two so they never bother your child again."

Chopper's eyes widened and he cried out, "You mean they're…?"

Nami covered her mouth, unable to believe what he was saying. How could any father actually tell someone to kill his own son's friends?

"T-They can't really… how could…?" Usopp stuttered, feeling as if he was being punched in the gut with an iron fist. Franky was grinding his teeth together as he glared back up, feeling like he was about to lose his mind from seeing this.

"How could he just tell them to kill them?" Brook yelled out. "How do they sleep at night?"

"They have no conscience," Robin whispered, "They hire someone else to do the dirty work and tell themselves that they're better… that it's justified… and they somehow believe that."

"It's one thing to force your kid to go back home, but to say for his friends to be killed in front of him?" Sanji asked darkly, "How much do you want to bet that he would've made him watch it?"

"I think that's what Sabo's thinking of too," Zoro commented softly, watching Sabo's eyes widen in horror.

"Wait a second, Bluejam!" he screamed out, looking ready to do just about anything as he glared back to his father. He then spoke, as if every word was hurting him, "Father, it's alright! I understand!"

His father looked down at him, his eyebrows raised as he asked coldly, "What do you understand?"

Sabo didn't say anything at first, but he was biting down on his lip—looking as if he was about to be sick and burst into tears at the same time. Robin's eyes widen, recognizing that look at once… it was the same look that she knew she bore when she said goodbye to her crew back at Water 7… back when she believed that she was sacrificing her freedom for their lives.

"He isn't…?" Nami whispered—she too recognized it. She knew that look in his eyes anywhere. For that same look had been on her mother's face as she stared down Arlong…

"I think he is," Sanji gulped.

Brook nodded as Ace's eyes widened, realizing what Sabo was about to do. "He has to choose between his dreams… or his brother's lives."

"There's really no other choice," Zoro said, feeling his respect for this little boy rise greatly.

"NO!" Ace screamed out, "Don't do it, Sabo!"

Sabo's mouth was trembling as he finally croaked out, "I'll do whatever you ask." Every word looked as if they were physically hurting him, "I'll live just as you tell me to, just… don't hurt these two. That's all I ask. Please… they are my irreplaceable…" he paused for a fraction of a second before he finished, "brothers."

Luffy and Ace were staring at Sabo, unable to believe what they were hearing.

"Sabo…" Ace whispered.

"He's sacrificing everything…" Nami whispered, staring at Sabo, "Giving up his own freedom for Luffy's and Ace's sake…"

Suddenly, everyone but Brook turned to look at Robin, who hadn't moved a muscle as she stared ahead—looking completely lost in thought.

"There are some things more important than your own life," Robin said softly. "It's something I learned the hard way… it's not about staying alive… when you make a choice, you have to figure out what's most important to you. You have to be able to live with the choices you make and hope you don't regret it."

"Robin-chan," Sanji said to her softly as Brook looked on in confusion.

Sabo's father then said, "In that case, come back home now!" He said it all in such a way, that they knew that if Sabo said no, than he wouldn't hesitate in ordering Bluejam to kill them. "Stop with this ridiculous pirate game, right now!"

"It's not a ridiculous thing!" Usopp yelled at him, wishing that he could say it to him face-to-face. Sabo took a deep breath, his lip stop trembling as he held his head up.

"S-Sabo's really gonna leave?" Chopper whispered softly.

"Like I said," Brook said, "He doesn't have a choice. It's the only way that all three of them can live…"

Nami's eyes widened at that, remembering hearing those exact same words when the Arlong Pirates arrived at her home. How the doctor had pleaded with her and Nojiko to leave the island… how he explained how it would be the only way that the three of them could survive. Thinking back, she knew that he was right—though that didn't make it right. In the end, one of them was lost forever because of those pirates.

Sabo didn't react at all. He didn't say anything, nor did he even look at anyone as he slowly turned and left with the soldiers—but as he left, they could see the tears in the corners of his eyes, his face was nothing but complete misery as he walked away from everything. His dreams… his hopes… his sworn family…

"Sabo…?" Usopp whispered, suddenly stunned by this show of trust and love that these three had. Sabo was willing to give up everything and go with his father—back to a life that he hated—all just to save the two he had come to see as his brothers.

He and Chopper suddenly started to cry as the others stood there, staring at Sabo's retreating back.

"HEY! Sabo, don't go!" Ace screamed after him, but then the pirate that was holding him, slammed his face back into the ground again, warning him to stay quiet.

Naturally, Ace kept screaming, "Sabo! Just run!"

Sabo stopped for a moment, though he didn't look at them, they could tell that he was listening to every word he was saying. "We'll be fine! We were going to share our freedom together, remember!?"

"Sabo, don't go!" Luffy begged out loudly, as if something was ripping out his heart.

Ace then continued on, now sounding angry, "Are you going to let it end like this!?"

"Doesn't he understand that he's doing it for them?" Usopp asked.

"He does," Nami said, her eyes blank, remembering this same helpless and angry feeling that had been in her heart when her mother gave up all the money she had for Arlong to spare her and Nojiko. "He just can't accept it."

Sabo still refused to look at them, the tears now falling down his face—and it was clear to them that he wanted nothing more than to do that… to run away and never look back… but he still couldn't bring himself to do that.

"Sabo!" Ace screamed the loudest one yet, but nothing he said could change this… he was trapped there, watching Sabo being led away by the soldiers.

"Sabo!" Luffy screamed, fighting harder than ever to get himself up.

As he watched this, Usopp felt ashamed… this kid was a bigger man than any of those damn nobles. He remembered how he was inspired by Luffy, Zoro and Nami and decided to go out to sea, following his dream of becoming a 'Brave warrior of the sea'. But this kid had more heart than anyone else he'd seen…

As he continued to walk away, something small and broken fell out of Sabo's coat, and he stopped at that, looking ready to grab it.

What it was actually made Nami cry…

"That's…" Franky croaked out, able to believe it…

"It's… a telescope," Chopper cried out, feeling as though someone was squeezing his heart. "He actually found a telescope for Luffy…?"

But Sabo was pushed along while the soldiers stepped on it… breaking it even further so that it was just a smash bit of metal and glass. Brook and Franky had joined the 'Weakling Trio' as they cried.

"SABO!" Ace screamed out so loudly that it was as if he was trying to tear his throat… but still nothing. Sabo was led away, surrounded on all sides by guards as if he were a prisoner being led away to prison. Which, in a way, he was.

Zoro lowered his head, shaking it softly. Was this why they never heard about Sabo from Luffy? Was this the last time that they ever saw him? He didn't want to think about it, but he couldn't see any other explanation.

"That's got to be one of the noblest things I've ever seen," Franky cried, pulling a handkerchief out and blowing his nose into it. "To give up your dreams all the sake of someone you love? Sabo… you're a true man!"

Sanji was now shaking in silent rage, feeling a deep surge of hatred well up inside him. He remembered those smart-ass, pompous jerks at the Baratie… he remembered how they felt like they could walk over everyone else and expect them to just deal with it. Lowlifes who think they're better than anything ticked him off more than anything.

"Damn those nobles to hell," he growled, puffing harder than ever on his cigarette. "If they don't end up going there, I'm going to kick each and every one of them down there myself."

"Wish I could have a go at them all," Zoro said angrily, his hands itching for a chance to slice them all into pieces.

Nami rubbed away the tears. Now she was willing to do almost anything for money, she had a bad habit of accepting any challenge that comes along so long as there was treasure at the end of it all. She loved money since she had grown up so poor… but the one thing she will not do is sell out a comrade; no matter what the sum. She is loyal to her money, but no matter how much she denies it, her loyalty to her friends comes first. As she watched Sabo's retreating back, heading to the wall to Edge Town, she knew that even with all the money that Sabo would be getting… the price would've been too high.

Chopper gulped, suddenly having a hard time using his throat. "Is… is that were Sabo is now?" he asked, looking at them all, "You think he's still in High Town?"

"I'm afraid that's something that we can't answer you, Chopper," Robin said, watching Sabo disappear through the gate. She understood that feeling as well… Sabo couldn't even hope for a good tomorrow… "I think the only way we can really find out is to ask Luffy."

"How are we supposed to ask him about this?" Usopp cried at him, rubbing his head and messing up his hair. "Damn! This was a bad idea! We shouldn't be here! We shouldn't have watched this! This isn't fun anymore! Let's get out of here before we see something we're really going to regret!"

"Captain," one of Bluejam's crewmates said, "What do we do with the kids?"

He jerked his head to the still struggling Ace, and Luffy who was staring after Sabo with tear-filled eyes.

Bluejam looked over them both before he said, "Bring them back to the base."

And at those words, the memory went dark.

"Hey wait!" Brook called hurriedly. "Why didn't they let them go!? Sabo went with them!"

"You honestly expected them to fulfill their promise?" Franky asked, looking over at Robin out of the corner of his eyes. Her own eyes were shadowed over by her hair as she kept her head down.

"They agreed not to kill them," she said, her hands like fists as it brought back memories of Spandam. "But they never said that they'd let them go."

"Why those lousy…" Sanji yelled out.

The images came back, and they were now standing in a beaten up old shack—much like the one where Luffy had been tortured by Porchemy. Speaking of which, Luffy was tied back-to-back with Ace, and he glaring around at the pirates. Despite all that was happening, he showed no fear as he yelled at them all, "You bastards, untie us! Fight us again! This time we won't lose!"

"He's got balls, you gotta give him that," Franky said.

"Why did you bring us here!?" Ace demanded, his wrists working hard to break the rope.

"This is their base?" Usopp asked, staring around them.

"What a dump," Zoro said, his eye narrowed at the pirates who were all smirking at the helpless boys, as if they knew something that they didn't.

"You think that with the money that those nobles are paying them, they'd be able to afford better living conditions," Franky said bitterly.

"Those nobles have it made, huh? You kids think so too, right?" said Bluejam's voice and they turned to look behind them to see him in a chair large enough to support his bulk. He merely looked down at them both with that same smug look that made them all angry.

"They better let them go if they know what's good for them!" Usopp snapped.

Enjoying his drink, Bluejam then asked them, "They look down on all of us and think we're trash, while they live their proud, carefree lives. Wouldn't you say he's better off living as a noble?"

"What the hell are you trying to say?" Ace demanded hotly, looking ready to fight.

"Pirates are much better, of course!" Luffy added, just as angrily. "Sabo thinks so too!"

Bluejam didn't seem fazed by their words as he took another swig of his drink. "I feel sorry for you two," he said before glancing at some of his men, "Untie them."

"Right," one guy answered as he pulled out a knife to cut the ropes.

"He's letting them go?" Nami said, startled.

"There has to be some kinda catch," Sanji said frowning. "They wouldn't let them go after all the trouble of bringing them here."

As soon as they were free, they jumped up, to face them all. Luffy was glaring around at them all, almost foaming at the mouth for a fight, while Ace just stood there stiff as a board. "Why do you think a child of a noble would leave High Town and go to Gray Terminal?" Bluejam asked them as if asking what the weather would be like tomorrow. "All nobles are the same, whether they be kids or adults. There's no doubt he thought we were all fools. In his heart, he was looking down on you as well."

"Well, that's your opinion now isn't it?" Franky called out. "It doesn't matter."

"Yeah, Sabo's not like that!" Chopper cried out angrily. And they were glad to see that they weren't the only ones who thought so.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ace yelled stubbornly. "Sabo isn't like that at all!"

"That's right!" Luffy agreed without a shred of doubt, "we're brothers!"

Bluejam looked ready to laugh as he waved his hand down at them. "Is that so?" he asked sarcastically, "Then please forgive me. But you two won't ever be going near that kid again, will you? If you're planning to do that, I've got no choice but to kill you right here. If you think he's your brother, then it's better for him too if you left him alone."

"Does he really think that they would abandon him?" Brook demanded darkly.

"If we know Luffy, then no," Zoro answered him.

"But if they do try to take him back, then they'll kill them," Nami said anxiously. "Just how are they going to get out of it?"

But Zoro didn't answer her; he was distracted by Ace's sudden expression… as if he was thinking over what Bluejam just said. Zoro frowned, wondering just what was going through Ace's head at that moment.

Luffy however wasn't even listening as he declared, "But Sabo hates High Town!"

Bluejam laughed, clearly not understanding why anyone wouldn't choose to be a noble. "Just forget all about that," he said. "That's what kindness is. You'll understand when you're grown up. Oh… right…" he added, thinking something over. He then leaned back in his seat and asked, "We've had our differences in the past, what with that Porchemy's incident, but what's past is past." He then grinned almost evilly and added, "Or rather, I like strong guys like you. So, I've got a suggestion for you. It's not a half bad deal."

"A deal?" Chopper asked, confused.

"What kind of deal?" Nami asked, having been forced to make a lot of 'deals' with pirates when she was still a thief. Of course, she also knew that those pirates never intended to keep their end of the bargain, so she learned to take what she could and leave before things got ugly. "Whatever it is, I don't think they should take it. They should just leave when they get the chance and forget about them."

"That would be the best course of action," Robin agreed.

"I'm short on men at the moment," Bluejam said, "Will you help me with a job?"

The suggestion took, not only Luffy and Ace, but the rest of the Straw Hats by surprise.

"Is he serious?" Usopp cried out incredulously. "What's he thinking?! After everything that's happened, after they helped to take their brother away, what makes him think that they'll help them with anything?"

"Not only that, but they were going to kill them earlier!" Chopper added.

"That might make it hard being friends," Zoro said lightly.

"What is with you?" Usopp said to him, "Can't you at least try to act concerned?"

"Oh, it's a simple job," Bluejam reassured them, "There's nothing dangerous about it."

"Well, that doesn't sound so bad…?" Chopper said slowly.

"Which is why we shouldn't trust him," Franky asked, moving his sunglasses up so that he could glare at Bluejam. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Bluejam gestured to the barrel in front of him where a knife held a map covered in dozens of X's all over. Nami quickly looked over it before blinking in surprise. "It looks like…" but before she could finish, Bluejam had finished speaking.

"I got a map of Gray Terminal here," he said, waving dismissively at the map, "You've got to carry some goods to the spots marked with an X. That's all. Are you up for it?"

"That's it?" Nami asked.

"Though it sure sounds easy, what's it about?" Usopp said darkly.

"I smell a rat," Sanji agreed, not liking the suspicious looks on each of the pirate's faces. "These guys are planning something and I bet you all anything it has to do with these 'goods' of theirs."

"But what could they be carrying?" Brook asked, looking at all the X's and asked, "You think that it's treasure?"

"Like they would be delivering treasure where they know two boys who had robbed from them before would be helping them?" Nami demanded.

"Besides," Zoro added, watching Bluejam roll up the map after pulling his knife out of it. "They were all over the map. What kind of pirate spreads treasure out in so many places?"

"Then what could it be?" Brook asked them.

"Something dangerous is my best bet," Robin said. "In any case, they should just leave. They don't want to be part of this."

Luffy looked as if he was about to do that, but the biggest surprise yet came from Ace who said, "Alright."

They all stared at him, Luffy included, staring at Ace as if seeing him for the first time. "How much will you pay us?"

Bluejam just smirked a little wider, and that was when the familiar darkness took over.

"I don't believe it!" Franky called angrily as they were left in the darkness again. "What was he thinking?!"

"He agreed to something that is clearly nothing good just like that?" Nami screamed out.

"Not that they have much other choice," Robin pointed out. "Even if they said no, I doubt that they'll let them go that easily."

"I don't like this," Brook said, hugging his feathered boa around himself as if hoping that he could keep warm. "It gives my skin goosebumps… not that I have skin to begin with, Yohohoho!"

"No offense, Brook," Sanji said darkly, "But no one's in the mood for a joke."

"But Sabo!" Chopper asked, bringing them back to the matter at hand. "I want to know about Sabo!"

"If he's as wild as his brothers, I'm sure that he'll make a break for it as soon as he gets the chance," Nami comforted him.

"You think so?" Chopper asked, suddenly feeling a little better. "I hope so. I like Sabo… and there's no way that they'd leave him alone like that if Sabo really hates it."

"You saw how close they are!" Usopp said stubbornly. "Like they'd sell out one of their own! But still, I think that I've had enough of Luffy's memories."

"I'm with you there," Nami said, "I learned more than I ever wanted to about Luffy."

"But aren't you curious about Sabo?" Chopper asked her.

"Of course I am," Nami said at once. "But come on, Luffy never bugged us about our pasts. I don't want to know anymore."

"Again, how the hell do we get out of here?" Zoro demanded. "I'm all for getting out of Luffy's head, if that's where we are, but we're still stuck here."

Of course, before anyone could come up with any helpful suggestions, the memory came back and the first thing they saw was Luffy and Ace walking side by side, carrying several small crates—each one that had a small pole attached with a little red flag.

Most of Bluejam's crew was surrounding them, keeping a close eye on the boys to make sure that didn't run off. Luffy stuck close to Ace, with a frown that clearly said that he didn't want to be here. Ace just kept shooting the men dark glares—just daring them to try something.

"I'm guessing that these are the 'goods' that Bluejam mentioned?" Franky asked, looking at them all suspiciously.

"What's in there?" Sanji asked with a frown as they walked along side them.

Chopper was sniffing the air a little, "It's hard to tell," he answered them, "But I'm picking up traces of… gunpowder?"

"Gunpowder?" Usopp repeated in surprise.

"Yeah," Chopper nodded. "It's hard to smell anything here in a memory, but I can also pick up traces of oil in there too."

"Gunpowder and oil?" Zoro said slowly, not liking where this was going.

"But if that's true, why are they putting them all over the Gray Terminal?" Nami asked nervously.

"Ace…" Luffy finally whined to him, carefully moving to look at him since there was a crate balancing on top of his head, "I don't like it when Sabo's not around."

Ace didn't even look at him as he said in a harsh tone, "Just deal with it. I want to go get Sabo too. But I don't know what would really make Sabo happy."

"What's he saying?" Nami demanded, getting angry again, "He's not seriously thinking that Bluejam was right is he? I mean, even Luffy sees that guy's rotten to the core!"

"It's hard to say at this point," Robin stated, looking at the sad look on Luffy's face. "They're not at all happy about this, but they aren't sure what to do."

"So what, they're just gonna leave him there?" Usopp demanded, unable to believe what he was hearing. "After everything they've been through…"

"Yes, but it is understandable," Robin offered. "After all, Sabo does have parents, money, a home… it would be hard to walk away from all that unless you are completely miserable."

"Yeah, but don't forget that Sabo said so himself how miserable he was with them!" Franky pointed out.

"Let's see how things go," Ace said, more to himself than to Luffy. "He's strong. If he isn't happy, he's sure to come back to us. We have to keep collecting the pirate fund in case that time comes."

"That's true…" Usopp said slowly, thinking over. "I didn't think about that. I doubt those nobles be able to hold him in for long…"

"But that would be dangerous," Nami said at once, "If he does escape, then they'll know that he'll go back to Luffy and Ace! And then they'd…"

"EHHHH! YOU DON'T THINK THEY'D KILL THEM?!" Chopper cried out in panic.

"They would've done it if Sabo didn't agree to go back in the first place," Sanji said, feeling more frustrated at every second.

"But… but then what're they supposed to do?" Brook asked weakly.

"The only way that the three of them can live is for Sabo to stay in High Town and for Luffy and Ace to stay away," Robin whispered. "Other than just leaving this island completely, I see no other way to ensure their safety. And even if they did leave, there's always a chance that they'd find them."

"But that's not fair!" Chopper cried out. "Then there's nothing that anyone can do?!"

"It's impossible to say," Zoro said, sounding grim as the darkness faded so that they could see the next scene.

They realized that it was night, and they were back at the treehouse. Peeking in, they could see that the two boys were laying there in the mess of blankets—Ace on his side, turned away from Luffy—who was gazing up at the wall above him with a sad look.

Following his gaze, they spotted an old clock that obviously came from the Gray Terminal. It had a chunk of it taken out, but it still seemed to be working. It was past midnight, and through the feeble moonlight through the glassless window, there was a small net that held the three red sake glasses the boys had shared when they declared themselves brothers.

"I never knew that they held onto those," Nami said softly.

"I wonder what Sabo's doing?" Luffy said quietly, to no one in particular. It was very strange to see such a gloomy and unhappy Luffy, compared to the happy and energetic child they had been seeing… and the happy-go-lucky captain that they knew all too well.

"Shut up," Ace sighed next to him, obviously still awake, "Just sleep now."

Luffy looked at Ace grimly, staring at his brother's back, just waiting for him to speak.

"We promised we'd forget about Sabo for now, right?" Ace asked him, almost sounding like a recording. "So sleep."

"Alright," Luffy said, closing his eyes.

"That's a first," Sanji said, breathing hard on his cigarette, "Luffy doing what he's told."

"I just think he's not in the mood for anything else," Brook sighed, knowing how painful it was to miss someone and how much hard work it was to try and do anything when you're feeling depressed.

As Luffy started to doze off and the memory started to turn hazy, they heard Ace whisper, "He might be happier this way?"

"Who other than a stuck-up noble could be happy in that place?" Franky demanded in a hiss.

Luffy sighed softly. "Sabo…"

Ace sighed as he sat up, looking over to him, probably to tell him to be quiet and to go to sleep again. "Luffy," he said, only to see that Luffy was already pretty much sleeping.

"Telescope…" he muttered in his sleep.

"He still wants that telescope?" Sanji asked in amazement.

Usopp remembered how he planned on designing that special telescope for them all to use when he got back, and was now starting to plan it over again. He looked over at Franky, the two of them sharing a silent agreement to start working on one when they find their way back to their ship.

Ace just sighed tiredly as he pulled Luffy's blankets up around him before he laid back down and the memory faded quickly again.

"This is really getting dangerous," Robin said grimly. "They shouldn't go back. I don't care how much money they're promised."

"How can they ever think that they'll keep their word anyway?" Nami demanded as the memory changed quickly this time so that they were standing somewhere in the Gray Terminal, near the sea where a large pirate ship painted red and a gruesome red skull out front. It appeared to be the late afternoon, and there were Luffy and Ace with the rest of the Bluejam Pirates, and they seemed to be talking.

"What a crappy ship," Franky frowned at it. Honestly, don't these guys even bother to take care of her?

"I want to know what's going on here," Usopp said fearfully.

"Everything's ready, Boss," one of the pirates said with a proud grin. "We're all set. All we need is the signal and everything's ready to go!"

"Good," Bluejam grinned back. "Well done. And hopefully, this will be the last job that we'll do as the Bluejam Pirates."

Luffy and Ace looked at him in surprise.

"What?" Ace questioned skeptically. "You mean you're quitting being pirates?"

"Why would you do that?!" Luffy demanded, in a tone that he couldn't believe anyone would want to give up being a pirate.

"Yeah, why?!" Chopper demanded.

"Because there's no more need for it," Bluejam answered in a bored tone. "We were made an offer that we couldn't refuse. Now that it's almost over, we have no more need to stay as criminals."

"Idiots," Ace snapped. "You all honestly think that you're gonna retire just like that?"

"He makes a fair point," Brook said. "Once you leave and become a pirate, you normally can't ever return to a normal life."

"Now that we're finished, might as well tell you everything," Bluejam declared. He grinned evilly and said, with no hint of a joke in his tone, "Tonight, we're gonna set off those 'packages'. And when we do, the Gray Terminal will be nothing but a pile of ashes by tomorrow morning."

The Straw Hat's eyes all widen in horror as they realized what those boxes of gunpowder and oil were for.

"They're going to…?" Nami whispered, her eyes widening and sweat pouring down her face.

"What are you talking about?" Luffy demanded hotly.

"Don't you understand?" Bluejam demanded rolling his eyes, "We're going to burn down the Gray Terminal."

"Huh? Burn down Gray Terminal!?" Ace demanded in horror, sure that he must've heard wrong, "Why are you doing that!?"

"They're gonna destroy it?" Chopper cried out. "But why do that? What's the point?!"

"You fool, don't scream!" Bluejam scolded, looking around to make sure that no one else could hear them. "We can't let anyone else know about this!"

"Not let anyone else know?!" Usopp cried, remembering all the marks on that map, and just how much explosives must've been in each one of those crates. "If he sets all those things off then the entire Terminal will be going up in flames!"

Sanji's cigarette dropped from his mouth. "And everyone in it as well."

"But why would they do something so terrible?!" Brook called in panic.

"This is serious! We gotta tell everyone!" Luffy yelled, looking ready to start running and screaming out what was going to happen to everyone he saw. "He's a bad guy, just as I thought!"

"For once, I have to agree with him," Sanji said, it was strange seeing Luffy as the rational one here.

"I told you not to scream," Bluejam said firmly, looking to his men and telling them to hold them down. Two of them came forward and grabbed the boys from behind and held tight as they fought and struggled to get free.

"But I don't get it," Franky yelled. "Why destroy the Terminal? What's the point?" But then Bluejam answered his question…

He repeated, "I'm not the mastermind."

"But who would hire them to do something like this?!" Usopp cried out, still staring at him in horror, as Ace stopped struggling; freezing where he was as he listened.

"There was oil and explosives in the boxes that you guys carried yesterday and today," Bluejam confessed with a sick smile. The boys had turned pale at the thought—understanding what they had done and they're part in it.

"It's not their faults," Nami said at once, "They didn't know."

"But they still feel responsible for helping them," Zoro said darkly. "Not that I think Bluejam needed the help in moving those crates, but the idea alone is enough to make them feel guilty."

"But can't someone explain who's behind this?" Usopp called loudly as Brook and Chopper cried out in fear. "Who would want the Terminal burned to crisp?"

"I think I might have an answer," Robin answered, her eyes turning to the wall—where the nobles were living—"I just hope that I'm wrong."

"But Robin why…?" Chopper began just as Bluejam started to laugh.

"There will be a massive fire that no one can escape from," he continued to explain to the boys with that same grin. It was clear that he couldn't have cared less for what they were doing.

"They're really going to kill everyone here?!" Nami cried out, thinking of all the people they saw rummaging through the junk here.

"Those soulless bastards don't deserve to live," Sanji growled, fire already appearing near his legs. "If we ever meet up with them for real in life, I'm going to kill them all!"

"Only if you save Bluejam for me," Zoro told him, his hand on his sword.

"This is bad!" Chopper cried out, tears now forming. "Those people are all going to be burned to death! I can't think of a worse way to go!"

"To disregard the lives of innocent people!" Brook called furiously.

"No…" Luffy whispered softly, voicing what they were all thinking, his eyes widening in alarm.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Ace screamed out, now fighting harder than ever to break free.

But all Bluejam did was laugh—which only caused them all to become even angrier. For Nami, that laugh was too similar to Arlong's laugh—the one he used after he killed her mother. One that sometimes still haunted her nightmares; these men were just like them. Evil monsters…

"Even punk kids like you two are freaking out?" he asked smugly. "But now you know about the plan." He calmly walked towards them both, "We can't let that go."

"I was afraid of that," Robin said softly.

"So they're really gonna kill them?!" Usopp screamed out.

"AHHHHH! Luffy-san and Ace-san are dead meat!" Brook called.

"They are?!" Chopper screamed.

"Would you all calm down?!" Sanji yelled, "They don't die remember?"

"Why not just let them go?!" Franky called out. "It not like they can stop it now can they? And I doubt that anyone will believe them, but at least they can give them all a warning before it's too late!"

"I wonder just what those scumbags were promised to agree to all this," Zoro said softly.

"I want to ask you something before the fire," Bluejam said casually, bending down to eye level with them. "Say you two? Do you have a treasure hidden away somewhere?"

"He's asking about that now at a time like this?!" Sanji cried out.

Ace glared at him angrily, keeping his mouth shut, but Bluejam already knew that they did. "Care to tell me where?" he asked them. Predictably, Ace didn't say anything as his cold eyes continued to glare into his own.

But Bluejam didn't seem interested as he stood up tall again. "Fine, don't tell me," he answered them, waving his hand to his men and gave them their orders, "Tie them to the ship. They can burn with the rest of the garbage."

"WHAT?!" screeched most of the Straw Hats at that as the boys were taken inside and they had to run after them to see what was happening.

"He's really just gonna let them burn like this?" Usopp called.

"Of course they are," Nami whispered softly, painful flashbacks of her miserable eight years working for Arlong came flooding back. "Men like him don't care how many lives they ruin."

"Men?" Brook demanded. "They're no men! Cowards more like it!"

"You're letting your own ship burn as well?" Ace yelled at him as they were being tied to a post—Luffy kicking and screaming the whole time. "How are you all gonna get away?!"

"That's a good question," Franky said, "But still, this ship is almost worn through. I doubt that it'll make it far anyway."

"No point," Bluejam told him, "We won't need it anymore."

"How could they just abandon their own ship like this?" Usopp screamed out, thinking of the Merry and her sacrifice for them.

"Won't need it?" Nami whispered, before getting angry again, "What's going on here?!"

But no one could answer her as they could only stand back and watch as the boys were tied to the post and left there. They sat there the whole time, both of them struggling to free themselves. For hours they fought and pulled at the ropes, desperate to get out—the whole time they could hear the wind blowing outside… growing stronger and stronger with each passing second.