Chapter Text
“The suns on the horizon.”
Luffy was with his brothers, watching some marines that were in the forest. It has been a couple of months since Sabo was rescued from the wreckage of his ship. Ace was close enough to the scene to see Sabo going down the water. He jumped in and got Sabo out. He had some memory problems, but that was fine since his brothers were right there to help him. Sabo still had a bad scar over his left eye, but all of his other injuries were healed with time. Luffy has never been that afraid before. He sat by Sabo’s side until he woke up, and even then, he didn’t move away from his brother's side.
Luffy did not have that many people in his life, and one of his most precious was close to being taken away from him. He was scared. He never wants to feel like that again. Ace felt the same, even though he tried to hide it, but Luffy knew. Ace took Sabo’s situation like he would when talking about his dad. Explosive anger and rage towards himself. Luffy didn’t like that. Luffy was seven, he was a big boy and knew things, and Luffy knew that Ace blames himself for Sabo’s actions. Ace was an idiot.
Dadan helped Sabo with his injuries, and that gained Luffy’s loyalty. She might not be the best, like Makino, but she tried with the best of her capabilities, and Luffy knew that. Luffy doesn’t like bandits, but Dadan is the exception.
Luffy tensed at the marine's words. He remembers his Gramps lessons, and what that sentence means.
“Luffy.”
Luffy stopped eating and looked toward his Gramps. He was oddly serious, and Luffy did not like that. Gramps was either happy or jolly, but never serious. He was like Luffy that way. Only serious things made him like this.
“Luffy, I am about to tell you something that you need to remember, no matter what.”
Luffy nodded, not even trying to fight his grandfather on this. Gramps sighed and sat down heavily. He looked at Luffy and ruffled Luffy’s hair.
“If you become a marine, you won’t have to worry about this, but on the off chance that you don't become a marine, I want you to be prepared.”
Luffy tilted his head, confused at Gramps's wording. Gramps never said anything about not being a Marine ever since Luffy met Shanks. Even before that, Gramps only said that he would be a marine or law officer.
“If you ever hear a marine say, “The suns on the horizon”, I want you to run. Get off whatever island you’re on, and run far. Don’t look back and get to safety.”
Luffy was now a bit timid. Gramps never tells him to run. It was barely computing in the seven-year-old’s head.
“Why?”
Gramps looked in pain, and he grimaced.
“Don’t question me brat. When I tell you to run, you run. If you don’t leave that island after you hear that, you will be killed.”
Luffy felt dread. Gramps was serious. He looked at Luffy, and his eyes were pleading.
“Promise me you will run.”
Luffy hesitantly nodded, and Gramps took that as a promise.
Luffy grabbed his brother's hands and ran, dragging his brothers away from the marine. His tiny heart was pounding, and Luffy was panicking. He was heading to the old man's boat he and his brothers helped build. He died of old age a week ago and he won’t mind Luffy using the boat.
“Oi, Luffy! What are you doing?!”
Ace yelled that, and Sabo seemed to ask the same thing. Luffy didn’t answer and just dragged his brothers to the boat. Ace was fighting Luff’s grip, and Luffy couldn’t take it anymore.
“Gramps said to run when a marine says the suns rise on the horizon! He said to run, and I promised I would! We have to go!”
Ace and Sabo looked at each other and went along with Luffy. They made it to the boat, and they got ready to leave. Luffy was fidgeting and was afraid. He remembered how afraid his Gramps was, and Luffy was shaking. His brothers looked at him oddly. They managed to get the boat off the shore. They started sailing away from the island, his brothers noticing Luffy was still afraid. They were a good way away from Goa when Sabo shouted.
“Hey, are those marines warships?”
Ace looked sharply to the side and paled. Ten marine warships were surrounding Goa. They didn’t seem to notice their tiny ship, but the brothers noticed the ships aiming their cannons at the island. The loud booms echoed over the water, and all of them flinched. They all looked on with horror.
The Goa Kingdom was burning. The entire island was, and the brothers watched in horrified silence. Luffy started crying, shaking and his arms curled around himself. Sabo had a hand over his mouth, tears in his eyes. Ace was gripping the railing so hard it started to crack.
The booms went on for who knows how long. They stopped when the brothers were finally out of sight of the marine warships. They all sat down, not caring about where they were going, letting the sea take them where she wanted.
Ace spoke, still in shock at what happened, “Luffy did you know that was going to happen?”
Ace wasn’t blaming Luffy, but Luffy felt like he was. Luffy curled into a tighter circle, and he shook his head. He sniffled. Makino, Mayor, Dadan and the bandits. They were all probably dead, and Luffy did nothing.
“ Gramps just said to run. I promised I would.”
Luffy went silent after that, and Sabo came to hug him. Ace hesitated but came to hug him too, a group hug between the brothers. Luffy broke down, crying and crying out for his precious people he couldn’t save. Luffy felt tears run down his cheeks but didn't care to stop them. Ace was crying as well. That place was his home, and the marines destroyed it. Sabo was in shock, but still aware of himself to hug his brothers. He hated the nobles, but not to that degree.
The brothers went to sleep crying that day, mourning for their home and the people who cared for them. They were the only survivors of the Buster Call. And the world will only find out in years to come.
But now, the brothers could only hold onto each other, not letting go in fear that they will die as well. The pain shared between these three boys only made them want to become stronger, stronger so that no one will harm another one of their precious people again.
Garp was sitting in his office, eating rice crackers and procrastinating on his paperwork when Sengoku entered his office. Sengoku had a pained expression on his face along with dread. Garo stood up, a bit worried. Sengoku was never like this. The last time he was like this was when his son was killed.
“Garp, I have news.”
Garp did not feel comforted. At all.
“Rember that Celestial Dragon that came to Goa awhile ago?”
Garp just felt more dread pool in him. He nodded, not speaking.
“They found it dirty and were angered at the Goa kingdom.”
Sengoku seemed to gather himself and looked even more pained.
“They ordered a buster call, Garp. Goa kingdom no longer exists.”
Garp felt the blood rush out of his face. Felt his body go numb. Emotions choked him up and stood up and slowly walked over to Sengoku.
Sengoku looked down and let Garp get in front of him.
“I couldn’t stop it, Garp. They already ordered the Buster Call before I could deny it. I am sorry for your hometown.”
Garp gabbed Sengoku’s shirt and pulled him close. Hands shaking in grief.
“Senny.”
Sengoku grimaced, “I’m sorry.”
“ Senny!”
Garp was breathing heavily, and it was hard to control himself. His body was shaking in rage, and Garp was very close to destroying the entire fort.
“My grandsons were on that island. They were there!”
Sengoku’s face went into a blanche. His face steadily turned water than it was before. Sengoku heard so many stories about Garp's grandsons. Garp loved them, so much that he bragged about them so much that the marines stationed on his ship's ears bled from how much he talked about them.
Garp was crying now. Devasted at the loss of his grandsons.
Sabo. Ace. Luffy.
Garp broke down. He fell to his knees. His precious grandsons lost the marine's own cannons. They were children. They were his life, and now they were gone. He broke his promise. He couldn’t protect them. What was the use of having a high rank when he did nothing?
“I… didn’t know.”
A fist to the chest knocked Sengoku straight through Marinefords walls.
Garp sobbed on his knees in his office, not caring how it looked to the marines who came to see what that noise was.
His grandsons were gone.
And Garp no longer wanted to be a marine when they just killed his grandsons in cold blood.