A Dragon's Priorities (A SaboxKoala story)

Part 10: Survival

(Sabo POV)

I still struggled to take in the fact that I was looking at Ace. If I could see him, I was definitely dead.

"So... I'm dead"

"Yes and no. It's more 60-40. You're dead mentally-" Ace took note of his brother's worried look at those words. "-not to say you're braindead. Your body's fighting to keep itself going. It won't succeed unless you decide to fight alongside it."

"I'll still... live?"

"Yeah, but then there's the shock and pain that comes once you actually go back to your body. Your heart rate increases, your muscles spasm, and you get it from there. But enough of that. I haven't seen you in Whitebeard knows how long!"

The voice of an old man was heard from nowhere.

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP USING MY NAME AS COMPARISON! I'M NOT THAT OLD!"

Ace ignored it, though Sabo could feel his head shaking from the booming echoes.

"So, how's Luffy?"

"He's doing great. Took down a vice admiral, a warlord, two yonkos, and CP0!"

"I mean, I saw all of that, but I want to know how he's been! There was stuff I didn't see!"

"Well, he's a master at all kinds of haki. You'd think that's enough to suffice the New World."

"It is. Remember Gol D. Roger? No devil fruit, just haki and his sword."

Sabo observed Ace's reluctance to refer to Gol D. Roger as his father, even after his death. Then a thought crossed his mind.

"Have you got a chance to properly reunite with your dad? And Rouge?"

Ace's face slowly allowed that smile of his to wither away.

"I can never face my dad. I joined the crew captained by his sworn rival, and openly refused to accept him as my father when I was still alive. I guess I kind of know how you felt. Never agreeing with your parents. Well, parent. I've caught up with mom."

There was a solemn silence, interrupted only by the irregular clinking of medical instruments.

"I say..." Ace finally broke the silence.

"Hmm?"

"You've been keeping a good distance away from that orange-haired girl, huh? I don't get it. Why did you jump into the water with a bomb that was going to kill her?"

"There were other people on the Sunny-"

"I'm seeing a bit more than that..." By now Sabo was just offended.

"Look, there's nothing going on between me and Koala, okay? I almost incinerated her 4 months ago, and she hasn't talked to me since then! If you're so insistent, there's about as much going on between us than you and that daughter of Kaido's. Or is it son? I don't know actually."

Ace accepted that he met his match with that one.

"So, are you gonna keep going, or rest in peace?"

The answer was obvious, and they both knew it. Luffy was not about to lose another brother.

"I'm going with Luffy. I'm sorry, Ace, but this guy, he's wasting himself away once I die."

Ace gave a warm smile, and gave Sabo a tip

"If you do see her again, just let her know"

"Whoa, whoa-"

"You can't deny it. Neither can Luffy with that navigator."

Sabo chuckled, and gave Ace a tip to use himself.

"Try and get back with your dad. Even if you joined his rival crew, he'll forgive you. Only people like Big Mom would kill their own children. You never saw him in your life, so be together in death."

Ace opened his mouth to object, but decided against it.

(Sabo POV)

I woke up, and immediately felt the shockwave of pain I didn't feel from dying after the explosion. Take the feeling of the Sun on your back, multiplied by the temperature of lava- dammit, stop with all the lava stuff! Anyway, from there you'll have a starting point. In all of this, one single thought raced through my mind:

"SURVIVE."