Work Text:
Sabo had always been the odd one out, the only blond one in their trio of brothers. Not that he minded it that much, but Ace and Luffy looked alike enough to be able to pass as brothers. He on the other hand needed to be with both of them for someone to see the resemblance (which thinking back on it was nuts as none of them shared blood).
Maybe that’s also why he took so long to remember.
He had seen pictures of Luffy and Ace separately. But it wasn’t until the picture of them at Marineford popped up that it all clicked in his head. To see them standing on the cover of the newspaper side by side, his memories came surging back and he passed out because of the backlash from it all.
The first thing he asked about were his brothers, once he regained consciousness. Koala, Hack and Dragon at his side, all of them worried sick when he just dropped all of the sudden. Explaining what was going on, who those two on the cover were, he was not prepared to hear that no one knew if the two pirates had made it out alive.
Dragon looked wrecked as he shared that the last piece of intel they got was that the both of them had been taken away by Trafalgar Law, a member of the Worst Generation and a surgeon. But no one had heard from them since. Their contacts in the Whitebeard Pirates just shared that there were a lot of losses to deal with so they didn’t dare call out in their time of mourning.
Sabo hadn’t been willing to wait, had screamed that he had let them wait 10 years for him to return and he wasn’t planning on letting them wait any longer. Fighting anyone who tried to stop him until Dragon held him close and he was reminded he wasn’t the only one here who had a tie to Luffy. Gramps had mentioned it to Ace and him at one point. The name of his son, and what said son did for a living, the fact that he had Luffy and wanted to make sure he wasn’t in danger while growing up and had given the child to his father to raise. Anger for a different reason took over, chewing Dragon out for the way Luffy grew up.
To make matters worse, Sabo found out that Ace and Luffy did share blood. Their mothers had been sisters; Portgas D. Rouge and Portgas D. Rosa. Strongwilled women who had fallen in love with the heart their husbands had carried, and the same way they died while protecting their son in any way possible.
Rouge had died after childbirth because she had extended her pregnancy. Rosa had died protecting Luffy with her body when a CP unit caught up to her and Dragon. Choosing to protect their infant son instead of getting away with her life.
“That’s why they look so alike”, Sabo muttered. He had always wondered about that, but now he knew the answer.
Looking at Dragon, he stubbornly pushed, “I need to see them, even if they died. I need to make sure that they know I’m alive and that they at least had that together if either of them died in Marineford.”
He wasn’t allowed to go, not because Dragon didn’t want him to, but because they had no idea where either of them were and letting his second in command leave on a wild goose chase didn’t seem like the best thing to do. Sabo hated it, but he couldn’t fault Dragon’s logic there, so he stayed. Kept eyes and ears out for any possible whisper about his brothers.
When the call came, that Trafalgar had resurfaced with the both of them on board. When Iva-chan had mentioned they were unconscious but alive, Sabo didn’t even wait until he got the approval to leave, he just left.
Dragon would understand, and if he didn’t, Sabo had dedicated 10 years of his life to the Revolutionary Army; if they couldn’t allow him this now, he didn’t have a place there anymore. Ace and Luffy were his life and should he have remembered after the blast, he doesn’t think he would have joined at all (or not that soon at least).
Licking his lips as he arrives on the Whitebeard Island, he feels on edge. There are eyes on him as soon as he lands, with more than one Commander coming up to see what he wants with them. He keeps his hands visible at all times, has given his coat to someone to check and follows along with orders until he’s standing in front of Marco the Phoenix. Who, he guessed, with Whitebeard gone was the new Captain.
“I didn’t think Dragon cared -yoi”, he drawls, his eyes narrow as he looks at Sabo.
Shaking his head, Sabo explains, “He does, he just doesn’t think he’s welcome here. I… I came here for my own gain.”
A tilt of the Phoenix’s head had him continuing, “I came to inquire about the condition of Portgas D. Ace and Monkey D. Luffy, intel puts them in your care.”
If he’s surprised that there is such intel, Phoenix doesn’t mention it, instead he looks Sabo up and down again, “Why should I tell you. You’re an unknown, closely affiliated as it might be, with no real reason or cause to want to see either of them -yoi.”
He knows what they want, so he gives it, this is the crew that Ace claimed as his own and while not a lot of people know it, Sabo knows what it means to be claimed by either Ace or Luffy. Even more so by Ace, as the oldest of them had never truly felt like he belonged.
Sighing, he tells the truth, “Because I’m the third brother, you’re close to Ace, I’m sure he told you about Sabo at one point.”
It’s clear Ace did, as Phoenix is on edge in an instant, “Sabo is dead -yoi.”
Knowing that Ace talked about him is nice to know, but Sabo shakes his head, “No, I’m not. I lost my memories in the blast that should have taken my life and joined the Revolutionary Army. I didn’t even remember until I saw them in the newspaper together. I don’t want them to keep thinking I’m dead nor do I want to spend the rest of my life regretting that I wasn’t there if either of them died there.”
Oddly enough, that seems to have won Phoenix over. He sighs, rubbing a hand over his eyes, “They’re both still unconscious, so I can’t get them to verify anything you’re telling me right now -yoi. You’re welcome to stay, but it’ll be in one of the guest houses further away from the harbor, someone from the crew will be tailing you and the moment you step out of line you leave.”
Agreeing, Sabo lets one of Ace’s Spades lead him to the guest house, knowing from the look in Masked Deuce’s eyes that he knows about him as well and is just as on edge and indecisive as Marco is. But they are friendly enough and that has to do for now.
—
Sabo does get to see them about a week after arriving, Phoenix comes and gets them. Mentioning that both Ace and Luffy are awake and lucid. Apparently the commotion a couple of days ago was first one, then the other, waking up and making a mess because their last conscious thought had been the other and the danger they had been in.
Nerves creep up on him, especially as Phoenix mentions that they are different now.
He doesn’t know what to expect, but seeing two blond men in front of him isn’t really what had popped up in his mind. Neither of them were fully blond, but their roots were growing in blond, a light strawberry blond for both of them. Making it clear that they were related.
“Ace -yoi, someone is here claiming to be Sabo”, Phoenix mentions and he has the attention of both his brothers in an instant.
There is no hesitation as he rattles off certain phrases. The ones they agreed on when they were kids. He sees it in their eyes that they believe him, stands there as they let Phoenix know he’s the real deal and the other Commander leaves them alone after pressing a kiss to Ace’s cheek.
Once alone, he sits down slowly, starts telling them what happened. What he remembered and what he didn’t remember. Assuring them that it had nothing to do with him, that he had been hit in the head by the blasts too many times and no one knew if triggering his memories would have long term consequences so they didn’t.
Luffy’s crying, and even Ace looks like he’s on the verge of tears. Sabo isn’t holding on that great either, a soft smile on his face as he looks on, “But I’m here now, if you want me to be.”
The, “Ofcourse, you’re our brother”, he gets from both of them is answer enough.
It’s when the both of them are off of bedrest that he shares what Dragon told him.That they share blood; Luffy and Ace that is. He doesn’t know too much about it, but he did manage to dig out a wanted poster for both their mothers to give to them.
Both Ace and Luffy are silent after that, before declaring that now they could all be blond and that brothers were better than being cousins. Grinning brightly as they pull Sabo close, mentioning that blondes do have more fun. Something they show the world when they reappear; making sure no one doubts that they are there and there to stay from now on.