Portgas D. Ace X Reader - The boy from the church

17

The next day, after you woke up from a long sleep, Ace was still feeling hungover from last night, but that was fine, because all you could think about in that moment was that you finally went on a real, official date with Ace since you became a couple. You almost even forgot about who gave you a ride home last night, but that guy's connection to Luffy seemed kind of important, now that he also knows your full names. It was such a strange interaction, and you couldn't ignore the fact that you were so lucky that day.

Ace was still sleeping at noon, and you didn't wanna wake him up yet, so you came downstairs to Luffy. He asked you how your date went, but your thought shifted to Sabo, and the fact that, as much as the guy talked about how good of a friend Luffy was to him, you've never actually heard him talking about Sabo. You knew you could call him, since he gave you his number, but you decided to tell Luffy first.

"Sabo?..." Luffy was shocked after you mentioned his name. "He's alive?!"

"I suppose so? He said he knew you and that he hasn't talked to you in years." you tried to match his vibe.

Luffy paused to process that information, while Ace finally came downstairs, barely keeping his eyes open and struggling to keep his balance, but he was immediately asked by his brother if he remembers meeting Sabo yesterday.

Ace sobered up immediately after hearing that name. "Sabo? What? He's alive?" he shouted, reaching for his head.

"That's what I thought, as well... Something's not adding up." Luffy scratched his chin while Ace was looking at you all confused, as if he didn't just expose himself last night.

"H-he gave me his number..." you said, not knowing if it was a good thing or not. "And he also found out Ace's full name..."

Luffy glanced at you and looked you serious in the eyes. "If that's truly him, that might be a good thing." he stood up, then started going in circles around the room. "If you're saying that he reacted as if he didn't know you, but still offered to help you and even insisted to take you home, he might be on to something..."

"Are you saying that he faked his own death and he's now trying to help us?!" Ace yelled, still in a state of shock.

"There's no way he knows where I live. This was Shanks' house, and I haven't seen him at all since he got adopted. Plus, it's impossible for him not to remember Ace's name... Especially with all this fuss going around at the news..." Luffy entered full detective mode.

You managed to pick up from that conversation that Sabo was Luffy and Ace's childhood best friend, and that they met in the orphanage. They don't know if they come from the same biological family or not, but they sworn to always call each other brothers, no matter where they are in the world. Apparently, Sabo got adopted first by a rich family, and not too long after that, while Luffy and Ace were still in the orphanage, they heard the news that Sabo had died from an incurable disease. They didn't attend his funeral, because his family did not announce anything, and that was a clue as for why they believe that he's back.

You were so invested in this story, that you almost forgot you had to call Sabo to check if Luffy's theory was correct, because that could mean a lot to you, and also, to Ace's safety. If that man can fake his own death and get away with everything, while still wanting to help you, potentially also faking the fact that he didn't know you, so you wouldn't freak out on the spot, he must be the key to everything you need to get out of this nightmare.

You called him and put him on speaker. He responded almost immediately, and let him know it was you first.

"Listen, I'm with Ace right now, and, this might seem weird, but he said that you were his brother at the orphanage, and I know this may sound crazy if you don't know what I'm talking about, but..." you tried to sound as neutral as possible, until you were interrupted by a copious laughter.