Konan ruffled Luffy's already messy hair, "It's been a while."
"Toooo long," Luffy whined, looking up at her with puppy eyes.
In her other arm, Ace turned away, his face in a scorn though he did nothing to break free from her embrace. He relinquished in the warmth, feeling like nothing could hurt him anymore. Maybe, for once, it wasn't so bad to rely on someone else.
Konan looked away from the two brothers to see the officer warily point at her with his gun. She sighed at his stupidity, maybe if he had run away, he could have gotten away.
"Stay here, I'll take care of him quickly," she smilingly said, before releasing them. The next second, she was standing with her leg raised in front of him. She swiftly kicked him, sending him flying through the forest. Once out of their sight, she walked up to his barely conscious body and looked down at him, pressing her heel sharply on his diaphragm till he coughed blood.
Paper appeared over his mouth, covering all struggling sounds. "You picked the wrong targets," she whispered, watching the light die down in his eyes, a dagger struck in his heart. The weapon soon transformed into papers that disappeared. No traces were left leading back to her. She glanced one last time at the unwilling eyes bitterly watching her, before turning around and leaving. It's not like she wasn't used to it.
Meanwhile on the other side of the city, Sabo was running desperately through the city, trying to stay out of sight, paying close attention to the sounds around. He was running away, away from his family, away from the disgusting city that turned a blind eye to injustice, and away from his life as a prince. He wanted to be free, to set sail and not have to be shackled by obligations.
In a back alley, he tried to catch his breath, salty tears running down his face. He crumbled down, emotions overwhelming him. Through the veil of tears, he saw a shadow at his feet.
When he glanced up, he saw a man smiling down at him, his face half tattoos.
"You alright, little boy?" A gruff voice asked from above, as a warm hand softly patted his hair. Somehow, he felt trustworthy, the same comfortable aura he often sensed around Konan or even Garp. The opposite of his family, people that were rotten inside-out.
And somehow, that was all it took for Sabo to burst out and start rambling, "I hate this kingdom," Disgust seeped in his voice, as he lost control over his anger and frustration. "I truly hate it; it is corrupted inside out. People are dying and nobody cares," he glared at the peaceful façade around them, people laughing gently, playing around while smoke rose up on the horizon, and faint screams were heard, still no one moved. "And I'm stuck here powerless, my voice is stifled, my moves are restrained and my eyes blinded." He punched the wall, in despair, head down in shame, he was a prince yet beyond the title, he held no power.
Dragon looked with pity at the young boy, one of the countless victims of the system. He couldn't have been much older than his own son, yet he seemed to have seen too much horrors. So, all Dragon could do was stop him for further mutilating his hand and gently bandage the bleeding knuckles. He faintly heard Sabo mumble something under his breath, "they- dead." Seeing the far-away look in Sabo's eyes, he didn't dare to ask.
"Thank you for listening," Sabo bowed down, before faking a strained smile and running away, his conviction to leave strengthened. As he turned away, he didn't see in the distance the vague form of an angel surging from the forest to fly above.
But Dragon did, and he couldn't help but wonder. What was a pirate doing here? However, said pirate quickly disappeared from view.
Konan was flying over the forest, with her two little loads in one arm each. They were looking down, trying to see anyone in need of some help—request of the two kind boys, one she couldn't resist.
So here they were, helping the lowest of scums to escape, but she didn't have to heart to go against their pure wish. She formed paths for them to flee, frowning ever slightly when she didn't even receive some form of thanks but she kept her mouth closed, though her heart healed at the sight of the two glowing boys.
She could already see their future as pirates with purer hearts than the Marine itself. Konan could somewhat understand why Garp wanted them as marines, it really could do with some innocent souls. Not that she was one to talk as one of the countless pests herself.
After their little act of kindness was finished, they settled on a hill overlooking the sea. Konan suddenly felt a heaviness settle in her guts. She surveyed her surroundings, her instincts on edge as she hugged the two boys nearer.
"Look!" Ace exclaimed, his finger pointing at the sea where she saw a familiar giant boat, an undercover marine one, on which she knew her escort to be in. But what attracted her vision was the smaller boat setting sail beside. Time seemed to slow down as she saw a cannonball fly with a whistle toward it.
A loud 'boom' ensued and then, nothing.
Dust settled in and silence spread before the boys started screaming, running towards the edge, "Sabo‼" Before they could jump off the sharp cliff, she caught them. Her heart was thumping against her chest while her mind ran a mile an hour. She glanced down at the furious boys. Distress was visible on their faces as they struggled with all their strength against her grip.
"Let me go!" Luffy shouted at her, tears forming in his eyes while he stared at the spot where remains of the boat floated, a scribbled pirate flag slowly sinking. When he forced against her grip again, she let go, her hands falling down, her eyes lost. Ace and Luffy stumbled forward, before leaning against the edge, they needed to confirm. He couldn't die so easily. He was their brothers. He couldn't leave them behind so early, they promised.
He couldn't.
They jumped.
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don't kill me :)
and happy easter ~(˘▽˘)~
(PS : my country is back in quarantine for at least the next month so I'll probably release more chapters)