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It was pouring again. Lightning and thunder occasionally cut through the steady sound of rain pelting against the roof and aluminum awning. Sabo stood by the window, close enough for his breath to fog up the glass, and sighed into his coffee. Taking a sip of the bitter drink, now much colder than when he'd filled his mug, Sabo sighed once more and glanced down at his watch. It was ten past four. Turning back to the window, he stared out into the darkness at the front lawn. The street was dimly lit by a single, flickering lamp post a bit farther down.
"Ace?"
A low grunt was his only response so Sabo turned away from the window and faced his brother who was lying down, face first on the shag rug in the living room.
"Has Luffy texted you?"
A groan sounded from Ace's prostrate form before the other man rolled himself over enough to squint up at Sabo with one eye.
"No, whaz th' time?" he mumbled sleepily.
Sabo worried his bottom lip for a tense moment before setting his cup down carefully and reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"Well after three," he replied curtly, worry and frustration leaking into his tone.
Ace hummed and then heaved himself up with a long string of old man noises before he finally straightened up and shuffled over to the genkan.
"Look, you know how forgetful our brother is. He probably conked out on Zoro's couch," Ace said, pulling on his beat-up sneakers as he spoke, "I trust Lu's friends but fine, if you're worried I'll go drag him back, okay?"
Sabo frowned, hands finding themselves on his hips as he huffed indignantly.
"Yes, Luffy can be forgetful at times but I've never not known if he was going to be late. If he didn't tell me himself, one of his friends always did," Sabo tugged at his hair as he spoke, "Plus, I've called him four times and all of them went to voicemail."
Ace paused, glancing back at his little brother with a frown.
"You're sure he's never forgotten to let you know?"
"Yes," Sabo replied, exasperated, "I've even gotten texts from Zoro's phone from him before. He always lets me know."
Nodding grimly, Ace plucked a jacket off its hook and tossed it to Sabo before tugging on his own sweater.
"Okay, let's head to Zoro's then."
Grabbing his house keys, Sabo rushed after Ace and hurriedly locked the door before joining his brother in the fading pick-up truck in their driveway. They were silent the whole seven minute drive, both stewing in their worry. It seemed like hours had passed before they finally reached the apartment complex Luffy's friend was living in. Sabo didn't wait for Ace to shut off the ignition or grab an umbrella before rushing into the lobby and pushing the intercom button for Zoro's apartment.
"'Llo?"
"Uh, Zoro…"
"Luffy 's that you?" a low, rumbly voice answered, "Don't tell me you forgot somethin' again?"
Sabo felt his heart drop to his stomach. Luffy was supposed to be at Zoro's. They were having a movie marathon with their friend group there. His curfew had been three. It was now nearing four thirty. Panic welled up in Sabo's chest as he attempted to speak but his throat felt closed off and painfully dry. Ace squeezed his shoulder reassuringly, sharing a look filled with worry before he turned to the speaker.
"Zoro, it's Ace. Luffy hasn't come home so we were checking to see if he was still here," he said, voice even and calm, everything opposite of what he felt.
There was a pregnant pause before Zoro's voice echoed out of the speaker once more.
"Luffy left a long time ago,," he said, sounding much more awake now.
"How long ago?" Ace pressed, his grip on Sabo tightening.
There was a shuffling noise and then Zoro spoke.
"Like…a little over an hour and a half…," a heavy silence followed his words before he spoke again, "Wait, I'll be down in a sec."
The line clicked and Sabo and Ace were left in suffocating silence. Sabo met Ace's gaze, both their eyes filled with fear at what could have happened to their baby brother.
"Ace…" Sabo whispered, voice tight with terror.
"He's fine," the other ground out, "Luffy's a big boy, he can take care of himself."
Another long silence, broken only by the sound of the elevator opening to reveal Zoro's harried form.
"He's fine," Ace whispered.
Sabo couldn't tell who Ace was trying to convince, but it was clear both of them were unable to to think anything but the worst.
The three of them took off into the rain, down the path that Luffy would have taken to get back home and they found no signs of the brunette anywhere. After coming up dry in their search for signs of Luffy, Zoro called up his friends while Sabo and Ace debated calling the police.
"They won't do anything," Ace said, running a hand through his hair, "You know we'd have to wait twenty-four hours."
"What if we call Gramps? I'm sure he can pull some strings…get us at least one or two officers to help."
"Fine. Call him. Just as long as we find Luffy."
Zoro, having just finished his last call, stepped closer to Ace and Sabo who were standing underneath the bus stop shelter. His face was grim, mouth pressed into a thin line.
"I'm sorry, I should've walked him home…" he said bitterly.
Sabo smiled sadly and reached out to pat Zoro's shoulder.
"This isn't your fault," he replied.
Zoro nodded in response but Sabo could tell he wasn't convinced yet. Just then the sound of someone running reached their ears and the trio turned to see two tall figures racing towards them through the rain from the right.
"Zoro! Zoro! Have you guys found anything!?" the shorter of the two called out.
Shaking his head as they approached, Zoro addressed the speaker.
"No, nothing" he frowned, pressing his fingers against his temples as he took a moment to think, "Oi, Sanji, does Zeff know anyone who can help? I know he's made a lot of connections through the restaurant."
Sanji tilted his head and hummed thoughtfully.
“I’ll ask,” he replied, fingers tapping nervously against his thigh, “You guys haven’t found any sign of him at all?”
“No.”
“Has anyone tried calling him?” the other newcomer asked, tugging a strand of his blue hair nervously.
Sabo nodded, lips pressed in a tight line.
“Every call went to voicemail,” he said, voice filled with worry, “Let’s just get everyone here and then start looking again. Sanji, can you call your dad?”
The lanky blonde scuffed his foot against the pavement and nodded grimly.
“Okay. I’ll call the old man and see if he can help.”
Just as Sanji dialed his adoptive father, another pounding of feet had them turning to the left as three more people ran up.
“Usopp, Nami, Robin,” Zoro greeted, taking in their worried expressions, “Ace n’ Sabo are calling Luffy’s grandpa up and Sanji’s calling Zeff.”
“Where do you think he could be?” Nami asked, wringing her hands together as tears gathered in her eyes, “What if he’s hurt somewhere…?”
“I-I’m sure Luffy’s doin’ just f-fine,” Usopp placated, hands trembling where he placed them on Nami’s shoulder.
Ace stepped forward, garnering their attention.
“Let’s split up. Half of us will search around Zoro’s place, the rest of us will search around ours,” he said, pushing Sabo a little closer to Usopp and Nami, “I’ll take Sanji, Robin, and Usopp with me to our place. Zoro take everyone else to yours.”
The green-haired man nodded and turned back the way they’d come. Ace began making his way in the opposite direction, three of Luffy’s friends trailing behind. Before they left each other's sights, Sabo and Ace turned to share one last worried glance before they turned their respective corners and were swallowed by the darkness.
Sabo tugged his bottom lip in between his teeth, the silence grating on his shot nerves. Zoro’s brows hung low over his eyes and his mouth was set in a thin line. Tensions were high and it felt like they were on the clock. The rain was letting up but none of them even noticed.
“Should I try calling him one more time? Just to check?”
Sparing a brief glance back, Zoro turned to Sabo who nodded.
“Yeah, Franky, maybe we’re worried for nothing and he just fell asleep…” the blonde replied.
Franky pulled out his phone and began dialing Luffy’s number just as Zoro's apartment building came into view from above the treetops. Just then, a faint sound reached their ears and all four of them stopped, faces pale and eyes wide.
“That…that’s Luffy’s ringtone…” Nami whispered, eyes darting left and right as she tried to pinpoint the location of the sound.
In the eerie darkness the McDonald’s jingle echoed around the four, further deepening their fear for what may have befallen Luffy. Zoro and Sabo stepped forward, looking through the overgrown bushes by the sidewalk for Luffy’s phone. Franky and Nami turned to the opposite side of the walkway to also search for the device.
“Guys! I found it…” Franky called out after a few moments of silent searching, “Over here by the corner.”
Sabo, Zoro, and Nami rushed over to where Franky stood on the sidewalk corner, Luffy’s phone held up in his palm and dripping wet.
“Oh my gosh…Luffy…” Nami breathed out shakily, latching onto Zoro’s arm as she suddenly swayed, “Zoro…that's...”
“I know…”
Sabo felt his heart clench as he carefully took Luffy’s phone from Franky’s hand. The screen was almost completely shattered, much more cracked than it had been before, and the device looked irreparable thanks to all the water damage.
“L-let’s keep looking…” Sabo choked out, “Gramps should be calling me back soon…”
The three younger adults nodded and spread themselves out to search the surrounding area. Sabo took a moment, breathed in deeply, and then pulled out his phone to text Ace.
[ We found his phone ]
[ Where?! ]
[ A little bit aways from Zoro’s… ]
[ Anything else? ]
[ No. I’ll keep you updated. ]
[ Yeah ok same here ]
Letting out a shaky sigh, Sabo turned to begin searching the bushes for any other signs of his little brother as he blinked back tears.
Please be okay, Luffy…
A sharp ringing startled him out of his worried thoughts and Sabo pulled his phone out once again.
“Gramps…”
“I’m on my way with some men. Zeff sent a few of his cooks over too.”
A relieved sigh escaped Sabo’s mouth unbidden.
“Okay…Ace is over by our place. Have him bring you down to Zoro’s, we found Luffy’s phone.”
“Alright. We’ll be there soon.”
The line clicked and Sabo swallowed thickly, dropping into a crouch as he tugged at his hair.
“Sabo?”
Looking up at Zoro and blinking away tears, Sabo smiled brokenly as he stood and dusted himself off.
“Yes?” he replied, clearing his throat and glancing around.
“We found Luffy’s hat. It was farther up the street,” he said, offering the straw hat to the blonde man.
With all the gentleness he had in him, Sabo took the hat and carefully pressed it to his chest, nodding as he held back his tears.
“T-thanks…” he sniffed, “Garp’s on his way.”
Zoro nodded, hesitating for a moment before turning and making his way back to Franky and Nami.
Less than five minutes later, Ace along with the others and Garp and the group of men arrived. The older man took in Sabo’s red-rimmed eyes, the phone and hat clutched in his hands, and the grim faces of Zoro, Franky, and Nami and he pressed his lips together tightly.
“Sabo, what else have you found?”
“Nothing. Just his hat and phone.”
Ace stepped forward and wrapped his arm around Sabo’s shoulder, staring Garp down with determination.
“What do we need to do? It’s been too long already…this isn’t like Luffy.” he said, brows furrowed.
“We split up and spread out. There’s more of us to look for him so we can cover more ground.”
Garp began splitting everyone off into groups of three or four, making sure to include at least one of his men in each group. Sabo and Ace landed in a group with Coby, one of Luffy’s other close friends, and they headed left from the spot where Luffy’s hat had been found.
“What time was he supposed to get back?” Coby asked quietly.
“Three…” Sabo replied, “Usually one of us stays up to wait, just to be safe. I started getting worried around three thirty because usually he texts to let me know if he’s running late…”
“And he left Zoro’s when?”
“Zoro said he left a bit before three…”
They fell into silence as they moved their flashlights back and forth among the trees and houses.
“I just don’t get it,” Sabo whispered, “It’s not even that far from Zoro’s to ours’, what could’ve happened to my baby brother?”
Ace gripped Sabo’s upper arm tightly and shook him gently.
“Sabo, stop, he’ll be fine. We’ll find him.”
The brothers stared each other down for what felt like any eternity but in reality was only a few seconds.
“Right…right.”
They turned back to their search in silence, each one of them holding fear in their hearts.
It was now after five in the morning and there was still no sign of Luffy. Coby had been in constant communication with the other groups who all reported the same; it was as if the boy had just disappeared into thin air.
“Ace, Ace, what are we gonna do if we can’t find him?” Sabo whispered, desperation and fear lining his tone, “Ace, what if we can’t find our baby brother?”
Ace’s face was grim, eyes dull and shadowed as he held Sabo close.
“We’ll find him,” he said harshly, “We have to.”
The small search groups reconvened at Ace and Sabo’s home where Sabo and Ace immediately handed out towels. All of them looked exhausted, dark shadows under their eyes and weariness lining their faces. Sanji made tea to help calm people down but it wasn’t helping much. Even though he drank some as well, he’d already worked his way through six cigarettes by the time everyone had finished their own cups.
“I’ve called in a detective friend of mine,” Garp announced, the usually boisterous man now very subdued, “Hopefully we haven’t accidentally ruined any possible clues.”
While they waited for the detective to arrive, everyone spread out around the place engaging in hushed conversations. Sabo and Ace retreated with Garp, Coby, and the rest of Luffy’s friends to the kitchen.
“Luffy’s a strong kid, he’ll be fine.” Garp said, lightly knocking his knuckles against Sabo and then Ace’s foreheads.
It was nothing like his ‘fist of love’ but it brought them back from their depressive thoughts if only for a moment.
“Y-yeah! We’ve seen Luffy get up and d-do cartwheels after falling twelve feet o-out of a tall tree!” Usopp added, smiling shakily as he slammed his fist into the palm of his other hand, “There’s n-no way he isn’t fine!”
The occupants of the room laughed wryly at the recollection of that particular event. They fell into silence thereafter, the tension still running rampant but a bit more subdued at the moment. It was Robin who broke the silence.
“Did anyone inform Chopper or Brook?” she asked, sipping her tea.
“No, Brook’s out of the country right now and I didn’t think Kureha would take kindly to me calling her son out at ass o’clock in the morning,” he answered gruffly, “But now I’m thinking we should probably let them know…”
“I’ll call them,” Nami volunteered, everyone pretended not to notice the tremble in her voice, “Brook’ll want to drop everything and come so I’d be the best one to convince him to wait.”
With that she left the room, Robin following close behind.
“Any word from the detective?” Ace asked, fists clenched tightly against his thighs.
“Nothing yet,” Garp replied, “I sent him a picture of Luffy and the location of where we found his things. He said he’s already there but I haven’t gotten any new information.”
The room fell into a suffocating silence once more, the only sounds coming from Usopp’s nervous fingers drumming against the counter and Sanji’s lighter clicking every so often.
Hours passed. Sabo watched as the sky lightened and rays of sunlight poked their way through the sheer window curtains. Sanji made a simple breakfast which everyone barely managed to finish; they really only accomplished that because they didn’t want to let food go to waste in front of the blonde. It was now mid-morning and the only information Garp had received from his detective friend was that Luffy’s disappearance may be related to a case he was working on. A classified case. It did nothing to ease Sabo or Ace’s worries.
“Sabo, you should get some sleep.” Ace murmured, gently pushing his younger brother’s head so it didn’t bang against the cupboards, “You came home straight from the office and have been up all night, I’ll wake you just as soon as we get any info-”
“No, I can’t sleep. Not now.” Sabo protested, glancing tiredly around the room, “Luffy could be hurt and I…”
“It wouldn’t do any good for Luffy to come home and see you just about ready to keel over.” Ace said firmly, “Get some sleep, Sabo, I’ll take a nap after you wake up, okay?”
Sabo and Ace entered into a staredown, each of them just as determined to not back down as the other. After a minute or so, Sabo relented and nodded his head wearily.
“Alright, fine…”
He turned to exit the kitchen when Garp burst through, breathless and with a lightness to his face and shoulders that hadn’t been there all night.
“I’ve got news. Apparently the case was a human trafficking one; they’d set a raid on the base of operations for three days from now but my colleague got them to move it up to tonight.”
A bit of the worry, frustration, and tension that had permeated the room washed away at the declaration. Zoro was the first to speak.
“What if Luffy’s not there though?” he asked, concern in his features, “It’s possible he is, but also that he’s not…”
Garp laughed for the first time since he arrived and clamped a hand down on the teen’s shoulder.
“Don’t worry, they still have a few officers and promising junior detectives looking into any other places that Luffy might be in. I trust these guys, I’m sure they’ll find him soon.”
Sabo felt his knees go weak with relief and he leaned heavily against his older brother as they clasped each others’ arms.
“Alright, thanks Gramps. I’m putting Sab to bed, let me know if anything changes.”
Sabo spluttered out a ‘don’t say it like that I’m not a child, Ace’ but his protests fell upon deaf ears as Ace dragged him out of the kitchen and to his bedroom. Shoving the blonde onto the bed Ace sighed and dropped himself onto the edge before flopping down next to Sabo.
“I feel like I’ve aged ten years,” Ace muttered, running shaky hands through his hair with a groan, “Luffy’s grounded until he’s forty…”
Sabo let out a wet laugh causing tears of relief, fear, anxiety, and mirth to leak out the corners of his eyes. Rolling over, he stretched his arms across Ace’s chest and sighed.
“I’m so relieved that we’re closer to bringing him back home…” he whispered, “But I’m also so scared of how we might find him…”
Ace tugged on a bit of Sabo hair, eliciting a pained yelp from the other.
“He’s Luffy, however we find him, he’ll bounce back like nothing.”
“That’s not healthy.”
“Sabo, take a good look at our friends and family and tell me who among us copes in a healthy way.”
“Fair…”
It was comfortably quiet for a few moments before Ace spoke again.
“Besides, it doesn’t matter how mentally unhealthy any of us are, there’s nothing in this world we wouldn’t do for those we care about, our little brother especially,” he murmured, fingers brushing over blonde locks, “We’ll make sure Luffy’s always smiling and happy.”
Sabo hummed in agreement, eyes sliding shut as Ace continued to pet his hair. While the older of the three brothers was never as physically or verbally affectionate as his younger brothers were, he had his moments and both Luffy and Sabo loved it when Ace was the one to initiate a hug or a give out head pats. Before long, Sabo’s breathing evened out and he rolled over to sleep in a more comfortable position. Ace smiled softly, pulled a blanket over the blonde, and then stepped out, closing the door quietly behind himself. Making his way back towards the kitchen, Ace rubbed tiredly at the side of his nose and sighed. He was really hoping that Luffy was okay.
It was nearing midnight when they got the news. The raid had been set for around nine that night and as the time approached everyone was filled with nervous anticipation. Garp had squeezed himself into the raggedy armchair in the living room after sending home his men, aside from Coby, and everyone else had followed suit and placed themselves around the room. They tried all sorts of things to keep their minds off of the upcoming event but nervousness was contagious and Sabo and Usopp radiated enough nervous energy that the others fed off of it. Sanji was even made to stand outside seeing as how he couldn’t seem to stop smoking, and Zoro was forced to join him given that he kept gripping the armrests so tightly he splintered the wood on one. Ace was in the middle of berating Usopp and Sabo for biting their nails when Garp’s phone rang and the room fell into complete silence. Immediately the old policeman pulled out his phone and answered with shaking hands.
“Hello,” he greeted, voice rough and shaky.
Ace and Sabo stood up immediately, subconsciously reaching out to each other as they waited to hear what news of their baby brother there might be. Zoro and Sanji quickly stepped back inside. Everyone was on pins and needles, anxiety and hopefulness lining their faces.
“Yes…okay…” Garp stood up and wobbled slightly, Franky, being the closest to him, reached out to steady the old man, “Yes, okay. Thank you for your help…”
Garp pulled the device away from his ear and turned to look blankly at his oldest grandsons. Sabo clutched tightly to Ace’s upper arm as he felt his throat tighten. Ace squeezed Sabo’s wrists in return, eyes reddening ever so slightly.
“Luffy he…” a strangled sound that sounded like a held back sob rattled in the man’s throat, “He’s in the hospital, but they said he’s doing fine. Nothing major, just minor scrapes and bruises and a bit of loopiness from whatever he was drugged with.”
A collective sigh of relief swept through the room. Surprisingly, Garp was the first to burst into tears, Ace following right behind him.
Later that night, after everyone had shuffled through Luffy’s hospital room and took in his bright grin and tittering laugh to assure themselves of his well-being, Ace and Sabo cuddled up close to him on his hospital bed and wept (although both will deny it no matter how much Luffy insists they bawled like babies).
“Never do that again!” Ace snarled, punctuating each word with a fist lightly rapping against his brother’s head, “You had us worried sick!”
“Ow! Ace, that hurts!”
“Don’t care, you deserve it!”
Sabo pressed his face against Luffy’s neck and laughed, reaching out to wiggle his fingers against both his brothers’ ribs.
“Guys, stop.” he chuckled, “Ace, yes we’re going to punish Luffy for scaring us but not while he’s in the hospital. Let’s just be happy about him being okay.”
“Shishishi! Of course I’m okay!” Luffy crowed, “Those guys were nothing compared to that bull Usopp and I got chased by one time.”
Sabo gaped at his brother before he dropped his head into his hands with a groan as Ace proceeded to hit their little brother again.
“Oops I forgot you guys didn’t know about that…”
“That’s it. I’m buying you a leash.”
“Wha-?! ACE NOOO!! THEN HOW WILL I GO ON ADVENTURES!?!?”
“Tough.”
“NOOOOOOOO!!!!”
Sabo broke up the fight about to break out with his loud laughs, Ace and Luffy soon joining in as they all reached new levels of happiness. Later on, when Garp passed through to check up on the boys, he found the three of them fast asleep on the small hospital bed, limbs tangled up with each other and content smiles on their faces. And if he snapped a dozen photos? Well, no one but his work buddies would know.