– Bellamy –

There existed many phenomena in the universe, against which man had little hope of prevailing. At least not without sufficient forewarning and extensive preparatory work done beforehand. Tsunamis, giant asteroids, the great ice age… you could probably keep the list going indefinitely, but you got my point. Some things were nigh on inescapable. And Luffy's attempts to (re-)gain his adoptive brother's friendship were one of them.

Sabo discovered that the hard way.

Regardless of how fervently he denied having any memories of the two brothers, Luffy simply refused to accept that answer. It wasn't as if Luffy was unaware or incapable of understanding that Sabo didn't remember him. Rather, Luffy fully accepted that his brother was unwell and decided that fixing him was the most urgent task at hand.

Of course, like with just about anybody who didn't have a degree in that field, his knowledge of psychiatry and other head trauma related health complications was… limited. And that was a most generous assessment. However, this did little to deter the youngest member of the ASL trio, and Luffy being Luffy, had a ready solution to any problem he couldn't beat into submission with his fists.

It was meat.

Lots and lots of meat.

Before he really understood what was going on, the revolutionary chief of staff had been roped into joining a hunt for old time's sake. His meagre protests were quickly overrun by Luffy's enthusiasm, though I did note that they had been very meagre. The trio soon fell into a proper routine, working flawlessly together despite the years of separation. I even caught Sabo catching himself having a good times on multiple occasions.

Ace had looked hopeful every time that happened, but unfortunately for him, the desired outcome remained out of reach. Such a state of affairs easily gave way to rising frustrations, which grew with every iteration of hope and despair the 2nd division commander experienced.

Hence, it wasn't all that surprising when Ace's impulsive nature reared its ugly head again after dinner. With no signs of Sabo's memories returning and with his brother insisting on maintaining a professional and – from Ace's point of view – distant stance towards him… Ace decided to escalate the treatment plan.

"You said you were rescued by Dragon-san from a shipwreck, right? With your boat dashed to pieces" Ace asked, to which Sabo easily nodded.

"That's right. Those are some of my earliest memories."

"I might be wrong, but by being involved in an accident which caused such immense damage to a boat, it wouldn't be that unrealistic to have suffered some grave injuries yourself. Broken bones, hypothermia… a blow to the old noggin." Ace said, ticking off examples on his fingers.

"Yes…that would be theoretically plausible." While he didn't move to take up a defensive stance, Sabo's eyes did narrow somewhat. Perhaps, if Ace had made any aggressive movements, Sabo may have reacted a bit more proactively. But, as Ace remained outwardly relaxed, he eventually followed suit.

"If we then assume for a moment, if only for the sake of argument, that you did lose your memories because of said head trauma, it would make sense that a repeat experience would fix things, no?"

"Hahaha, I don't think it works that way, Ace-san." Sabo chuckled, deciding to play the commander's words off as a joke. They hadn't been.

"Well, why don't we try it out?" Ace smirked, before leaping forward to try and grab ahold of Sabo. "Luffy! NOW!!!!"

Never let it be said that Luffy was slow on the uptake when it came to action needing to be taken. Especially if said action involved his healthy brother – with whom he had spent the last year together – giving him subtle signals on how he wanted to help their mutual sick sibling. This went double when Luffy already had experience fixing a sibling with a love tap to the head, as he'd done to Ace near the end of the Summit War.

A year of training under Rayleigh's tutelage had seen Luffy grow by leaps and bounds. It wouldn't have been an understatement to say that the pirate swinging a gum gum pistol at Sabo's head was a completely different beast from the Luffy who had fought his way through Marineford. But rather than make contact with the unguarded cranium, his fist was stopped cold by the metal pipe Sabo placed in the way. Ace's follow-up tackle was similarly avoided in an elegant manner, as all three of them scrambled to their feet in a

stand-off.

Most people would have gotten angry or at least upset if they'd been ambushed by ostensible friendlies during dinner. Remarkably enough, Sabo did not.

"I think I'm going to enjoy this, actually."

"Sabo, do you need help?"

"Thanks for the offer Bellamy, but no need." Sabo grinned. "I'm surprised I'm saying this, but I'd rather do this myself."

"You sure?"

"I don't know why but it just seems like the right decision."

What followed was something most accurately described as a friendly scuffle. Trees were uprooted, boulders were shattered and deep craters were left everywhere. Nevertheless, the tone remained upbeat. Almost playful, even.

"Stand still!"

"I'd rather not."

"Luffy, get him!"

"You need this Sabo! Ace said it'll be good for you."

"I'd rather keep my brain cells intact, thank you very much."

"What are brain cells? Are they tasty?"

Oh for sure, Ace was shouting a lot and Luffy was obviously desperate to get his brother back. Sabo for his part was hard pressed keeping the two of them at bay, which he was only succeeding at because neither of the two manicas claiming to be his loving siblings were actually trying to hurt him. However, from where I was standing on the sidelines, the joyful glint and the energetic upward journeys the corners of their mouths kept making were impossible to miss.

And although the individuals involved were fully grown men, it was a scene very reminiscent of the sparring bouts they did in their childhood. Or at least the glimpses of which we had been privy to from the show and like the show, it ended with all three exhausted and lying in a circle.

"That was fun. Surprisingly fun, actually."

"Does that mean you remember, Sabo?" Expectation filled Luffy's voice as his eyes began shining with hope. In response, an indulgent and gentle grin spread across Sabo's face as he dashed Luffy's hopes to pieces with a smile.

"Nope. Sorry."

"Fucking hell."

"Ace?!?" I wasn't sure who was more surprised. Luffy, who hadn't even been able to start processing Sabo's statement because Ace had broken out one of the forbidden swear words after nearly a decade of abstinence.

Or.

Ace, who had his habitual politeness, so painstakingly drilled into him by his surrogate sister, broken in a fit of vexed disappointment. In either case, being the more experienced and worldly of the two brothers, Ace recovered more quickly and began engaging in active damage control.

"…Luffy. Makino doesn't get to know about this."

"But Aaaaaace…" Luffy whined, only for Ace to repeat the order.

"Not. A. Word." Ace repeated, staring his brother down with the haunted look of a wanted man. "Do you understand?"

Sabo just looked amused by the whole thing, closing his eyes and breathing in deeply to enjoy the moment. A moment in which he could get away from the stress and responsibility of managing a global military operation in Dragon's absence.

"I will say though, that if I had to have brothers, I wouldn't be opposed to them being you. Honestly, I haven't felt this comfortable in ages." Sabo breathed out, trying to burrow deeper into the grass. "But, sadly we don't choose our family."

"Adoption is a thing, you know. It's not like Ace and Luffy are related by blood or anything." I interjected, pulling out a set of items I had brought along just in case. "Plus. nothing's stopping you three from rectifying that situation now, is there?"

Three sets of eyes fell unto the little stack of three cups and the bottle of sake I laid out between them, two of them in recognition and another in understanding.

"But he's already our brother." Ace protested, but I gave the man a shrug. Luffy was already reaching for the cups anyway. "We can't do the ritual of brotherhood a second time."

"Think of it as reconfirming your bond if you must. But isn't it better to regain a sibling than to not have that relationship at all?" I whispered, doing my part to tear down his feeble resistance. "This way you can at least begin work on rebuilding what was lost in that accident on Goa."

"How do you even know about that?"

"Uh…"

"Ace, please?" When Luffy's pleading eyes were added to the mix, Ace had no choice but to relent. That it served as an adequate distraction was an added bonus.

"Alright, fine. Memories or no memories, Sabo is Sabo."

"Hey, don't I get a say in this?"

"Of course you do. You get to say yes." Ace replied. "If I can't say no to Luffy, neither can you."

"Of all the crazy ideas…" Sabo chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief at the ridiculousness of the situation. "Were you in on this, Bellamy?"

He was right, of course. By any rational measure, what I had suggested was ridiculous. Few, if anybody at all, would have seriously entertained the idea of forming a bond of brotherhood with two individuals they'd only met a few hours prior. Frankly, the fact that Sabo hadn't laughingly dismissed the suggestion out of hand was astounding in and of itself.

And yet.

"Not really. But I do know that Luffy can't lie to save his life. If he says that you were his brother, I'm going to believe him over a self-professed amnesiac."

And yet, I knew for a fact that this wasn't a hopeless endeavor. Sabo still had his memories, as was proven when he recovered them in the original timeline upon receiving news of Ace's death. They were still in there somewhere, held back only by some sort of mental block.

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"You know, every rational fibre of my being is screaming at me that this is a bad idea. That a momentous decision like this requires much more forethought and information than can possibly be obtained in a single afternoon."

And if my observations of the trio's interactions were right, I had the feeling that Sabo's memories were on the verge of breaking free. They just needed that one final push.

"So, is that a no?"

"But I didn't join the Revolutionary Army because it was the sensible choice to make. I joined up because I followed my heart. And now my heart is telling me to do this for some inexplicable reason." Sabo grinned before reaching for the cup, much to Ace and Luffy's delight. "Ah, well. I've never been the most sensible person anyway. To brotherhood."

"To brotherhood!"

"To brotherhood!"

The three of them knocked the drink back in one smooth swallow, their eyes closed to savor the moment. Hence, neither Ace nor Luffy noticed the shift. Admittedly, it was subtle. There was no great awakening, no startled exclamations of surprise, no pain from the sudden flood of previously unknown information. But the signs were there. Naturally, I couldn't help but nudge Sabo a bit.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"Yeah… it certainly does."

----------------------------------------

My second audience with the Snake Princess went a lot better than the first. For one, the mood was far more amicable.

"I may have been mistaken about you, Springtrap. You were not Luffy's enemy after all." Hancock said while lounging on her snake. "Then again, no fool who raises a hand against a celestial dragon could possibly be anything but a good man."

"Err…thank you, I think?"

Part of that had been my role as Shakky's private postal service and the clearing of my good name. Especially after Gloriosa had shoved an old newspaper in Hancock's face.

"You should be honored. Not many males have been granted access to Amazon Lily." She told me with a flick of her hair. "Fewer yet have been granted a private audience with me."

"Not that I'm ungrateful, but may I ask what prompted this change in attitude? If you remember, you tried to sink us when we first met."

"How presumptuous of you, but because you're Luffy's friend I shall overlook it this once and humor you."

"…"

"You have made my love very happy. That alone would have garnered you a reward."

However, what had a far more significant impact on her attitude had been Luffy's impulsive nature. On account of my role in bringing him his brother back, I'd suddenly become one of his best friends. Which also meant that when I mentioned how crucial the assistance of a certain Snake Princess had been, my words carried weight.

"Not only that, but you have done me a great service as well." Hancock continued, a blush beginning to creep onto her cheeks. I'd have said that it was out of embarrassment if it hadn't been for her next words. "Luffy visited me to thank me! Oh, and when he hugged me…what a wonderful feeling it was! Is this what it feels like to be loved?"

"He was grateful. That's for sure."

Hancock's entire demeanor, from her voice to the minutiae of her body language, had been imperious. For all intents and purposes, she'd been the very picture of a haughty monarch. Which made her transformation into a lovestruck girl all the more jarring.

"You think so?"

"I am fairly certain that Luffy always means exactly what he says. Though I wasn't there so don't take my word for it."

"He loves me~~"

"…"

Had this all been planned? Not precisely. I'd had vague notions of introducing Sabo to Luffy in the hopes that things would work out, but the process had been a bit more rushed than I'd originally planned for. But all was well that ended well, right? The ASL trio was back together, Hancock got appreciated by her crush and I had gained a lot of brownie points as a result. And thankfully, Hancock returned to her old self fairly quickly.

"Hmm, hmm. Anyway." She coughed. "From this day onwards you and yours shall be counted as friends of the Kuja. Our home is yours and our waters yours to traverse. You may tell the former empress that her request is granted."

"You mean Shakky?"

"Yes. Didn't you know what was in that letter you delivered? In it, she speaks quite highly of you."

When I first met Shakky I hadn't been expecting much. A way to get closer to Rayleigh, a source of information and perhaps a way to train up my crew in the arts of haki. For her to have been aiding me (so much) without my knowledge… it was a cause to reflect upon my past thoughts and words if nothing else.

In the past, I'd often bemoaned the different attitudes displayed towards Luffy by important figures. He'd seemed to receive everything on a silver platter for no reason other than his heritage and his straw hat marking him as Gold Roger's spiritual successor. However, the last year had shown that I'd been in possession of above average luck as well.

Beginning with Urouge's friendship and ending with Shakky's aid from behind the scenes, I really had no reason to complain. Honestly, the friendships and relationships I'd forged were more than my efforts would have entitled me to, if one ever could be entitled to a relationship in the first place. Shanks, Dragon, Sabo, Urouge, Bonney, Law, Moria, Izou, Marco, Ace, Byron and Shakky… that I'd held any bitterness at all towards Luffy was both silly in hindsight and shameful. In a word, it had been childish of me.

"I'm going to have to do something nice for her. Do you have any ideas, Snake Princess?"

"Hmmph, why ask me? She left the island before I was even born. Go bother the old hag instead."

"I may do that later, actually. Thanks for the idea."

"If that was all, you may leave."

"There was one other thing, if you don't mind." My own long overdue introspection aside, I was unlikely to come across a better moment than now to set a few other things in motion. Especially not with Hancock being in such a generous mood, buoyed as she was by the memory of Luffy's embrace.

"I do mind, but you may continue."

"How gracious of you." I nodded in acknowledgement. "Then without further ado… you are undoubtedly one of the most powerful individuals alive. I have the utmost confidence that whatever the future may hold, you'll be able to handle just about anything."

"That was never in doubt."

"But what about your people? What about your sisters?" I asked, staring intently into her eyes. "Can you honestly say the same for them?"

"Are you insinuating that my sisters are weak?"

"I'm not insinuating anything. I'm outright stating it."

"HOW DARE YOU!!"

"They were both beaten by Luffy. A hakiless, wounded Luffy who was exhausted and stressed by his ordeal on Sabaody." I continued, unflustered by her anger. "Yes, they are certainly strong by Paradise standards. Against most foes on this side of the Grand Line it is unlikely that they would struggle. But Luffy himself was a mere rookie from Paradise at the time."

"Luffy is strong…"

"And there are plenty of people who are stronger. The other Warlords, the Yonko and their commanders, the senior officers of the marine corps… need I go on?"

"…"

"Even if we put all of them aside, there are at least three people on my crew who would wipe the floor with your siblings."

"That can't be true." Hancock denied. "I won't accept it."

"We can test it out later if you want, but my point stands. Your sisters are weak. And your crew is even weaker." I continued. "Most likely because for the last ten years or so, they were content to ride your coattails. Paradoxically, it is because you were so strong that they are now so vulnerable. Deep down, you know this to be true."

"…"

"As you are likely aware, Akainu does not like the Royal Warlord system and wishes to see it abolished. As do many of the higher echelons. When, not if, when he succeeds your home will find itself facing a foe it is not equipped to handle. You will exact a heavy toll with your haki and your bows, but it will be one the navy will be willing to pay. But you?"

"…"

"You'll likely have no problem sending a Vice Admiral packing. Maybe even two or more. But an Admiral? Two Admirals? Every defeat you deal them will see them escalate as long as they have hope of an eventual victory. Sooner or later, you will need help."

"And you think you can offer that help?" Hancock scoffed, but I immediately shook my head.

"No, but your sisters can."

"???"

"Train them, Snake Princess. Train them hard. Train them harshly. Push them to their limits and beyond. Break and reform them into warriors who can stand beside you instead of hiding in your shadow."

"For what? Your fears and your worries of dangers which may not even come to pass? You'll need a better reason to convince me than uncertain rumors." Despite her words and the confidence she tried to exude, she was shaken by my words. Of that I was certain. There was no way someone of her calibre wasn't able to see the giant gulf between the monsters she'd met at Marineford and her sisters. But, if she wanted a more personal motive, a more personal motive I could provide.

"How about this then. You want to help Luffy, right? Both now and in the future?"

"Without question."

"You are aware of his dream to become the Pirate King, are you not?"

"Of course, I am."

"The World Government will do everything they can to stop him as will most of the Yonko. Not to mention that Luffy and Ace owe Blackbeard quite the debt. Wouldn't it be easier for you to assist Luffy if you didn't have to worry about the safety of your home or your people?"

"That's certainly true."

"Who knows? Maybe you'd even be able to join him on his travels."

"!!!!!"