Stolen // One Piece

chapter fifteen

A week and a half had passed since the Straw Hats had set out to find their captain. The last island was a bust; if anyone knew anything about Bluejam, fear or the World Government kept them from saying anything. Word had travelled fast about the disappearance of Monkey D. Luffy, and it was all anyone could talk about. All across the world, people were gossiping, saying he was murdered, or turned himself in, or, the most recent and most illogical, he had turned into a monkey by the witch navigator aboard his crew and now lived somewhere in a jungle. Regardless, the Straw Hat crew now explored the newest island they had found, and it bustled with people everywhere the crew looked.

The group split up in search of supplies, but Sabo walked alone through the busy marketplaces. He was becoming restless, not knowing how his baby brother was doing. He hoped that the boy was okay, and that he was somehow holding on to the fact that the crew was going to save him. He felt as if he had failed the young boy, not being there with him, wherever he was. Sabo's stomach was in knots as he strode through the streets, trying to distract himself from the horrible imaginary situations of Luffy being injured, that were running through his head. The aroma of fresh cooked seasoned meat wafted through the air, along with the sounds of conversations and vendors selling their products.

"Fresh fruits!"

"Best meat in town!"

"Fish! Get your delicious fish, here!"

The blond man's mouth watered at the smell of searing steak, and, unable to help himself, he walked over to the stall. He peered at the selection, and picked out a couple bags of meat. As he was handing his berries to the vendor, he spotted... something. He wasn't sure what it was, but his gut told him to follow.

He had tried several times to ignore it, but he caught the flash of... something again, and again, causing his gut to squeeze. Uncomfortable, he decided to follow it, because trying to ignore it was impossible at this point. So he dashed between people, stalls, and through alleys, until he was out of breath. He stood, panting, in an alley.

He found it incredibly ridiculous; he didn't even know what he was chasing, but there he went, running around like a cat chasing a mouse. He didn't know why his gut kept insisting he chased it, but decided it was probably useless to ignore the flash he had seen. Perhaps it was an animal? A cat, maybe? No, Sabo decided, it was too large to be a cat, but boy was it fast like one... His stomach clenched.

"What the hell?" he muttered, looking down at himself. His stomach clenched again, and he simply rolled his eyes, sat down, and began eating the pieces of meat he had bought.

Suddenly he froze. Someone was nearby. He immediately crouched behind the barrel sitting next to him, holding his breath. He couldn't hear any movement, but he held himself still nonetheless.

"I swear he was here a minute ago," a voice said, sounding incredibly confused. It was a woman's voice, bright and vibrant, like a newly-tuned piano.

"Dammit," another huffed. This one was lower, rougher, grittier.

Smoker.

Sabo was going to sneak away before he was caught, but Tashigi had said something interesting, piquing the man's interest. So he held still.

"Damn you, Fire Fist," she muttered. Fire Fist? Did she mean Ace, or Sabo? She had to have meant Sabo, the blond thought. He tasted metal in his mouth.

"Are you sure it was him, Tashigi?" Smoker asked. Sabo heard the soft swmp of a match against stone, followed by the smell of burning herbs. He must have lit another cigar, Sabo concluded.

"I'm certain, Sir. It was him." The Marine vice admiral hummed irritably.

"We can't let the news get out."

"That he's here?"

"That he's alive."

That was a strange thing to say, Sabo decided. Did someone think that he had died? A made-up news story, perhaps. That made sense.

Sabo heard their solid footsteps as they marched away. He waited a long moment, making sure that no one else was around, before leaving his hiding spot. He stretched, trying to ease the cramp in his leg from crouching for so long. He heard more footsteps, and his stomach clenched again. He clutched his pipe weapon, and turned quickly.

A man stood at the end of the alleyway, with his arms crossed. He smirked as Sabo froze.

The pipe clattered to the ground.

"Hey," the dark-haired man greeted casually.

There was a long moment of silence.

"Ace," Sabo breathed.