the   vibrations   were   strong   as   luffy   stared   down   sabo   ,   that   infamous    too   big   for   his   face    smile   running   from   cheek   to   cheek.     “   didn't   think   i'd   see   you   on   my   ship   again.   ”       he   greets   with   a   chipper   tone   ,   fists   on   either   of   his   hips.

"Ace got hurt protecting luffy from admiral akainu during the battle at marineford. I just grabbed Ace and made a run for it throughout all of the chaos, not sure how I did it to be honest." Deuce started off, cradling Ace's body in his arms. He truly didn't know how he managed this, he wasn't strong like Ace or any of the others fighting in the war were.

Sure Deuce knew enough to where he could defend himself but that was all he could do in terms of combat. His skills were more in the medical field, keeping his gaze on the chief of staff instead of his injured captain. He had to convince the revolutionary army to help him, no matter the cost that came with it.

They hadn't even made it all that far from what was now the wreckage of the Victoria Punk, when Rockstar up in the crows nest managed to spot yet another ship approaching. The poor man didn't even get the chance to identify the flag before Shanks was running forward to the bow, his senior officers now in tow. He couldn't be too sure if it wasn't one of Kidd's allies who was simply running late for the show, or a Marine ship, as unlikely as it was. Whatever the case, the chief of the Red Haired Pirates wanted to leave nothing to chance, not after what Kidd tried to pull just moments before.

Luckily, or not so much, depending on how the encounter would go, they weren't in immediate danger, and if worst was to come, they knew how to protect themselves. A hand raised, Shanks signalled to hold fire, then to lower some of the sails to slow down and come to a pause once the ships were close enough to one another.

❝ We don't get to see many Revolutionary Army ships in these waters. ❞

@ryusokcn semi-plotted Starter (Escaping Death Verse)

It had been over a year since he'd woken up. His body useless and the strength he'd once had sapped from months of lying on a hospital bed. It was why he'd gone back to the East Blue. Returning to his hometown and slowly recovering in secret. Building up the strength that he'd once taken for granted and yet still aware that it was nothing compared to before. There was no substitute to muscles developed over years of training.

A fact that his body was reminding him of....again. The old pain of the wound that had nearly killed him echoed as he disembarked from the ship he'd caught a ride with from Dressrosa. Gaze sweeping over the neighboring island before he sighed and tipped his gaze towards the sky. He'd missed Luffy by hours it seemed and now the trail had gone cold.

"Where the hell are you Luffy?" Muttering the words under his breath he lowered his gaze, hand rising to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun as he paused. A flash of coloring and a voice that seemed familiar in the way sometimes dreams overlayed reality. His attention rising to the ship that had just pulled up to the dock and settled upon a form that had him stumbling back slightly.

His eyes widening as the older features slowly blended with the memories of his childhood. Old scaring from burns marked his features now, but the hat and iron pipe were the same.....and so was that grin. "What the hell?"

Could he see ghosts now? Or had essentially dying and then being brought back to life caused him to just lose his grip on reality? Because that was Sabo. That was his brother. His dead brother. But then again he was supposed to be dead.

Breath coming in fast bursts for air he took a step forward this time, hand lifting slightly to reach for the other even as his voice cracked. Too lost in the moment to consider that he might be mistaken as he croaked out. ".....Sabo?"

" Luffy. " Breaking the tense silence, Sabo places a hand at his shoulder. He hasn't quite been the same since that incident. " I think you need to talk about it. "

sabo was right, as usual, it was smarter to talk about what had happened than to keep it all locked up inside. so, feeling the hand on his shoulder, luffy just let out a sigh as his eyes looked down to see his hands.

from: 𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝑵𝑶𝑵𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑩𝑨𝑳 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺 . [ I'm so sorry Sabo oh god- ] Maintenance day meant docking at the nearest port. It ALSO meant laundry day, restock day, explore-the-island-day… Penguin whistled to himself as he walked through the halls of the Tang, his laundry basket of clean uniforms and other clothes ready to be put away. He set it down in the common area; he’d grab Shachi’s and fold it up later, too, when he comes back with them. Old habits die hard, you know? The Tang was empty aside from Umi- who he was almost certain was sleeping after taking the night shift. Can’t blame him, night shifts here are killer. 

Sighing, he rolled up his sleeves. Maybe he could help Ikkaku out a bit and go do some maintenance on the propellers, make sure that they’re still working good… Yeah! Nodding, his steps were casual, loud, echoing against the walls as he made his way into the engine room. As his fingers settled around the handle of the tool chest, something caught his attention. What was that… Sound? Penguin suddenly stood upright, almost inhumanly still with how he stood, his eyes narrowed beneath the brim of his cap. 

Someone was in here. He could hear them breathing. 

His fingers twitched, curling around the edge of a wrench that was sitting on the top of the chest. Slowly, he raised it, his footsteps suddenly oddly silent as he crept around the wall that cut the room in half. Someone was in the Tang that shouldn’t be here; he couldn’t recognize their scent- fire, smoke. Civilian? Marine? Pirate? He wasn’t sure, but he also didn’t care. He didn’t cry out, didn’t make a single sound as he spun around the edge of the wall and grabbed hold of the man, all but throwing him down with a surprising amount of force.

"Are you accusing me of something?"

"it's not really accusing when i saw the whole thing with my own eyes." maybe he shouldn't be one to judge right now, who hasn't stolen food to get by from time to time? he sure has. "i'm just wondering if you have enough with you to share, that's all."

ㅤ⠀The Revolutionary Army had been something of a tall tale when she'd been younger, whispered about by her aunt during meetings with her cabinet, or murmured by her father as they sailed the seas. Stories of a man named DRAGON ( she used to picture an actual dragon, fire breathing and larger than life! ), who was fighting against the World Government as a whole. Who wanted the Celestial Dragons knocked down from their perches! Truthfully, it seemed like a fairy tale, something kids made up in games and boasted about seeing in person while someone else cried that they were lying.

ㅤ⠀Guess there always is some truth to those tall tales.

ㅤ⠀Jade tracked the movements of the Chief of Staff curiously as he met with the other Straw Hats. From what Robin had told her, she'd become quite good friends with the fellow named Sabo; he was kind hearted, if a little reckless. ( As well as the other stories of her time with the Revolutionary Army; Suma had hardly believed what she'd heard. ) Hands fiddled with the ( sadly broken; damaged beyond repair during their final fight on Dressrosa ) flintlock. Sabo was Luffy's OTHER brother.

ㅤ⠀Ace. Sabo. Luffy.

ㅤ⠀❝Where'd you get your hat?❞ Suma asked as Sabo wandered closer, her head tilting as she studied the article. It was well made; something that Izumi would have loved. ❝’s nice make. I'd offer to trade you for this flintlock, but I don't think that'd be much of a fair trade.❞