24 Sabo, Ace and Luffy

Shaking my head of those existential thoughts, I refocused on the present. Taking a deep short breath, I did my best to steady my mind and calm the sound of my heart.

It's not like I've never seen a dead body before. As a casino worker, In a less than savoury environment, I saw my share of overdoses and suicides. That's why I left. And it wasn't odd to find a dead body or two laying around the Grey Terminal. So death isn't anything new to me. I grappled with it my whole life. But to be responsible for the death of someone else, to take a life with my own hands…sort of… that's something else entirely.

It took me a long moment to centre myself and clear my mind.

When I felt I was ready, I re-entered the remains of Porchemy's hut, greeting Luffy with a smile. Looking to my left after I entered, I set eyes an intricately forged scimitar with a blue hilt resting against the wooden wall on the far side of the hut.

'To the victor go the spoils.' I thought briefly, pushing the memory of killing Porchemy to the back of my mind.

'He must've put it down to torture Luffy with those spiked gauntlets.' Walking over to the first real sword I've seen since I arrived in this world, I lifted it with ease and rested it on my shoulder. It's weight not bothering me in the least.

'Though I'll have to get a scabbard for it, it's quite a fine prize.' I thought while walking over to Luffy.

"You did well watching over them. Thanks to you I could fight Porchemy uninterrupted." I said with a soft smile. Porhcemy's goons had seemingly woken up but apparently decided not to move. All of them were laying still right where I left them.

And Luffy, true to his word, kept the "gun" I gave him trained on them the entire time. Of course the gun is merely Morph taking the shape of a flintlock pistol from my memory, meaning it doesn't actually fire. But it was enough to fool them.

"Did you really beat that big ugly guy?" Luffy asked with stars in his eyes. Morph transformed back into his normal pink form, much to the shock of the injured goons, before flying over and rubbing his face against mine in a show of affection. That is before he dove straight into my pocket looking for treats.

"Hey, watch it. That's not! Oi! It's in the other pocket you jerky hound!" I said with a laugh as my previous worries flew from my mind. Morph popped out of my pocket a second later and dove into the one containing the rest of my snake jerky.

Turning my head back to Luffy I was reminded of why I went so far in the fight with Porchemy. He is still covered in dried blood and small bruising. Kneeling down so as to be at eye level with him I patted him on he shoulder with a smile.

"Your damn right I beat him!" I proclaimed proudly with no small amount of bravado. "Was there ever any doubt?"

Right when I was about to continue healing whatever wounds Luffy has left, one of the only unbroken walls caved in as Ace and Sabo burst through the thin wood separating us from the elements.

A short freckle faced 10 year old with shaggy dark hair stood next to a well dressed boy of equal age, with blonde hair and a blue top hat. They came in roaring wildly, swinging their metal pipes as if their lives depended on it before actually looking around.

They quickly took stock of the place. Noticing the broken walls and Porchemy's goons sprawled out on the floor. It was then they realized the fight was already over.

Looking to Luffy they could see the blood and tears still marring his appearance. Making them grimace and look away in shame. Yet they still looked around as if hoping to piece together the remains of the puzzle. Shifting their gaze to the bundle of ropes at his side and the large scimitar resting casually on my shoulder they both seemed to come to the same conclusion.

After all this is very same weapon they had seen Porchemy wielding earlier today.

"Ace!" Luffy yelled while running forward, more tears streaking down his cheeks.

"I thought I was gonna die!" He laughed with a huge smile splitting his face as snot dripped down his nose. "But Casper Mapple saved me." He added causing me to face palm.

"My name is Caspain Maverick." I said with a laugh while looking over the two ten year olds. Both of whom have far more combat experience than I do.

If it wasn't for my Atlantean biology, combined with Sinbad and Percy's abilities, as well as Naguri's training, I wouldn't have stood a chance against someone like Porchemy. I mean the dude needed both Sabo and Ace to defeat him. I just took advantage of what I have at my disposal.

"You defeated Porchemy?" Sabo asked seeming sceptical as his eyes remained fixed to the scimitar of my shoulder.

"He's over there, buried in a ditch, If you'd like to see for yourselves." I replied nonchalantly as I pointed my thumb to the hole I made when the fight started.

"Holy crap he really killed him!" Sabo yelled with mixed amounts of joy and confusion in his voice after coming back from surveying the battle ground.

"You…you saved me." Luffy balled as tears filled his eyes once more and the excitement of the moment had passed. No matter how you look at him he's still just a seven year old kid. It really sucks he had to go through something like this.

"Why didn't you just cough up what he wanted in the first place? It wouldn't have gotten so bad if you just gave in." Ace practically yelled as he looked over Luffy's injuries. A flash of guilt clear in his dark brown eyes.

"Everyone knows they're the kind of people who'd kill women or kids without hesitation!" He continued as his voice climbed higher and higher.

"I… I thought… if I said anything… then you wouldn't be my friend." Luffy's lip trembled as he spoke and he tucked his head in as he clutched at his shirt. It's clear he's trying his best not to cry.

Damn, it I'm not crying, I swear.

"It's better than dying, isn't it?" Ace remarked, his voice softer this time. "Why would you do to that extent just to be my friend?"

"Because…" Luffy's voice was barely more than a whisper as Sabo and I watched from the sidelines, not wanting to interrupt.

"Didn't I give you a hard time until now?" Ace asked, legitimately curios. "How could you follow me this far?"

"Because…because I have no body else to turn to!" Luffy sobbed, tears flowing unreservedly as he continued to speak. "I can't go back to Windmill Village and I don't like the mountain bandits! If I didn't follow you, I'd be all alone! Being alone is more painful than getting hurt!"

'Oh god definitely I'm gonna cry. No child should ever feel that way.' I thought while stifling my tears. Morph beside me wasn't as strong and turned into a literal puddle of tears as he heard Luffy's story. Sabo wasn't fairing much better either. His deep blue eyes glistening as he listened to Luffy.

"Where are you parents?" Ace asked, taken aback at Luffy's painful revelation.

"Grandpa is all I have." Luffy muttered, half to himself.

"Is it easier for you when I'm around?" Ace asked again, seemingly unsure how to proceed.

"Uh-huh." Luffy merely nodded in response.

"And It's hard without me?" Ace continued, his vice growing softer by the minute.

"Uh-huh." Luffy nodded once more as he looked up at Ace.

"Do you want me to live?" When Ace asked that question I could practically hear his inner voice and see the memories he had experienced. The feelings of loneliness and solitude are something I'm all to familiar with.

"What if Gold Roger had a child?" The voice echoed in my mind as If I was seeing things through Ace's eyes.

"Hahahaa! I hope that there isn't such a 'thing' in the world. If there was he'd be nothing but a devilspawn. Something like that is just better off dead!"

"What would be the point in living a cursed existence like that? If I were Rogers kid I'd have offed myself years ago."

"What if Roger had a Kid? Don't ask such a stupid question. Something born to a monster like that would have been hunted down long ago. Nothing good would come of a thing like that living in this world."

The voices built into a crescendo as I stared at Ace's back.

'I wonder how often he heard things like that when he asked that question?' I thought to myself as I looked over the freckled boy before me. Taking him in properly for the first time since his abrupt arrival.

"Of course I want you to live!" Luffy yelled truthfully, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I see." Ace said as he turned away, unable to look Luffy in the eyes as he moved to hide his embarrassment. "But I still don't like spoiled kids like you." He added while rubbing his eyes.

"I'm not spoiled! I'm strong!" Luffy exclaimed while flexing his muscles.

"Strong? You're not strong at all! You cry like a little girl!"

"Have you ever gotten hit by an adult with spiky fists? I'm only 7! When I'm your age I'll stop crying and become stronger than you!"

"Dumbass when your 10 I'll be 13 and I'll be way stronger than I am now. I wouldn't even cry if I were a 7 year old! I'm not like you stupid!"

As I watched the two go at I couldn't help myself and keeled over laughing. Sabo just stared on with a blank look on his face as if he was fed up with dealing with them already, but there was a warm smile on his face.

"Okay that's enough." He eventually stepped in between them, separating the two like a good middle child.