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"Ace, you can't," Sabo is sobbing, keeping Luffy pinned to his side where the three of them were being put for an impossible decision.
Looking way to serious for the fact that he wasn't even eleven years old, Ace kept his foot down, "Someone has to, Sabo! And I refuse to let it be either of you that keeps these assholes chasing them. Things have already been going to hell and back. The both of you deserve your freedom and I was living on borrowed time anyway."
Luffy sobs at that, trying to get the words out that he disagreed. But the shackles they had put on him had him lethargic and tired all the time. One of the others called it sea stone, meant to keep devil fruit docile.
Things seem to be going from bad to worse, all things considered.
First there had been Bluejam and Outlook III coming to split them up. Only for the bastard of a thug to betray Outlook and shoot him dead. Grinning at the three pre-teens he now had in his grasp, mentioning that he had a buyer on the next island. Which lead to them being tossed onto a ship and carted off towards the next, bigger, island to be put on a slave ship heading to Sabaody.
It's there that Luffy had been discovered to be a devil fruit user and cuffed with sea stone, while both Sabo and Ace had been tied up tightly as both had shown they wouldn't take this lying down. None of them had any intention of just letting them take them.
But that hadn't been enough to stay away from Sabaody.
Once in the back of the auction house, Sabo had been able to undo his bindings. Doing the same for Ace and Luffy. Although the cuffs on their younger brother had to stay on, they couldn't just pick the lock and seeing as they had seen someone blow up no one was willing to risk that now.
Needing to get out of here, their best plan was for someone to play bait. Except Ace had every intention to make sure they'd keep their eyes on him, to stay behind if it means that his brothers could be safe.
Which is where said brothers had a problem with.
Leaving them discussing who would be doing what, between Sabo and Ace, as Luffy was too tired to do anything. Precious as he was in their eyes, they wouldn't let him stay behind. Then again, both Luffy and Sabo had an issue with Ace being so readily to do so. Muttering that he's share his real name to get the needed attention.
Ace tried to use the 'I'm the eldest' card, but that didn't work right now.
Luffy whimpered, "Ace needs to come home too, he needs to be free as well." His voice was soft, softer than they had ever heard it. But the resolve was still there. That same resolve that had him lash out towards the slavers on Yotsuba Island, in an effort to get them all free. It didn't work then, but it had taken a lot of guts and had, even for a second, given them hope they would be able to free themselves.
It almost seemed that this had changed Ace's mind, before he shook his head, "You and Sabo need to be free, Lu. I… I wouldn't be able to live with myself if they took that from you."
After it had been taken on that first ship, and that slaver's ship, they knew they needed to do something. Yet, standing here, deliberating on who would be staying behind wasn't something they had been counting on.
Sabo gathered himself, "If you're staying, I'm staying too. There is no way I'm leaving you to this hell hole alone." There is a glare on his face, getting close to Ace as if to dare him to counter that statement.
"Who is going to make sure Luffy gets out of here then," Ace hissed, pointing at their baby brother. "Don't tell me you want to leave him behind anyway."
Suddenly not as brave in his approach, Sabo opened and closed his mouth. Looking at Luffy and realizing that Ace was right. That one of them would have to stay behind, and he hated every second of it. It was an impossible choice and one he wasn't willing to make.
Lost in their thoughts, in their discussion, they hadn't noticed the riot that had been going on outside of the room they were in. Until a tremor rocked the walls. Yelping, all three of them huddled together, not knowing what was happening.
Was the auction house being attacked, had someone come to rescue them?
That last one was very unlikely, as chances were no one even knew they had been taken.
As such, the familiar bellowing voice reaching them brought tears to their eyes, "Which one of your miserable bastards dared to take me grandsons."
Luffy's crying now, big, ugly sobs as he finds the strength to call out, "Grandpa!"
The door to the room they were in was thorn off of its hinging, before Monkey D. Garp stepped in. Every bit the Vice Admiral in his Marine uniform, a pinched look on his face until he noticed the three of them huddled together. Stepping forward, before bending down and gathering them in his arms, "Boys, are you alright?"
All three of them are crying now, but Ace and Sabo get out that Luffy is in sea stone cuffs.
Gently putting them down, Garp pulls his youngest close before his hands turn black with one thing or another and he breaks open the cuffs with his bare hands. Gathering them close once more and standing, stepping out of the room and looking at the utter chaos that he left behind. Slaves are being freed left and right, a group of mostly cloaked men and woman going about doing that.
One of them notices and steps closer, the hood flying off to reveal a man with long black hair and a nose resembling Garp's, "Dad, are they…"
Garp nodded, "All accounted for, thank you, Dragon. I'll take it from here."
The man's eyes stay on Luffy's face for just a moment longer. Before turning around and gathering his own people and the slaves. Bogard appears, an older man with white hair at his side, "Everyone is taken care of, so no one can speak of what happened here." He grinned, "Although I doubt anyone will believe that you willingly worked with the Revolutionary Army and a retired Pirate, Garp-san."
Grinning, Garp looked at the white haired man, "I don't think they will either. After all, this is just Old Man Ray, no one has been laying that connection for 12 years now, so I doubt they'll start doing that now."
The man in question grinned, although his eyes strayed to Ace and Sabo, softening before looking back at Garp, "Take care of them, Garp, or I will call in the Calvary and you know how Eddy is with unattended strays."
Huffing, Garp nodded, pulling the boys closer and getting out of the now destroyed room, making his way to the Doghouse and placing the three of them on his bed, "Sleep, boys, I'll take you back to Dawn. Any questions you might have will have to wait until we're back on open sea."
They were out like a light after that, Luffy even before as he had fallen asleep during the walk to the Doghouse. Sabo and Ace needed a little longer, but the familiar feel of their grandfather helped in comforting them. Everything else would be able to wait until later on.