sailedfirst | I. Video

Entry tags:

[video],
arrival

I. Video

[Hello, Luceti! Great day today, isn't it? The sky is blue and there's a good wind blowing... Perfect day to set sail and leave this weirdass island with its weirdass wings. Which is what this particular boy is planning to do today.

That is, once he figures out how exactly in hell this weird raft works.

Sabo had woken up in the shores of Luceti yesterday, in a state of panic and utter devastation. That's what happens when the last thing you remember is having a cannon ball that will kill you on impact flying straight towards you while you're trapped in a burning ship; that you're barely out of your prison, barely grasping your freedom, and you're going to die. Then he spent several long, long minutes agonizing whether he really did survive or this is some cruel, but real crazy dream he's having right before his death, before he finally shook his head and accepted the fact he'll get nowhere just by thinking about it.

That's when he began exploring this new island he landed in, starting by having a mild freak-out after discovering the wings on his back. His familiar blue coat was folded nearby, with a weird book on top of it. So next, he fiddled with his journal, read a bit of the guide, listened a bit to other people's broadcasts, and more or less gathered three important things:

1) he's in a different world (different island, he translated, or maybe the dream world?)
2) these Malnosso are assholes
3) there's no leaving this place

Fact number 3 is very much full of crap, Sabo decided. There's a whole ocean right in front of him, isn't there? He only needs a boat and then he's out of this weirdass place. But there's no port town in the map. This Luceti Village is too far inland, so they definitely won't have ships there. Maybe there's a dock? There has to be! Where else would they put their fishing boats and how else would the villagers travel to other islands? And so with the thought, Sabo begins walking along the empty beach in search for the docks. Luckily, he and his brothers spent so much time living outdoors that sleeping under a tree-root is no problem at all (he hasn't slept a wink though).

Early this morning, he finally reached the docks. But there's only a single vessel he could possibly use. He somehow managed to steal away the said vessel from the docks and navigate it farther down the beach. But that's the extent of the distance he can manage without using the raft's engines.]

[Video]
[The video opens with a stunning view of the sea and the clear blue sky. Almost immediately though, the screen is knocked sideways, and a blond boy in a blue coat and a New Feather pants appears in the screen, bending over the inside of the raft and the sound of tinkering and muted mutters can be heard.]

[Sabo pulls himself up, wiping sweat from his face, looking at the raft with a frown.] Looks like I won't be able to sail this thing far. Not without a power source, I guess. Dammit, why aren't there any normal fishing boats in this place?! [This complaint is followed by a few curse words no ten-year old should be using. Then he turns his sight on the "horizon", eyes narrowing. He heard something about a barrier, but Sabo's not ready to believe that yet. He's not ready to be told he's trapped again.

The next words are softly spoken, barely heard against the waves on the shore.] ...I can't stay here. I need to go out to the sea.

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THIS WAY, THEY WON'T HURT ME OR ANYONE I CARE ABOUT! It'll make things better! I don't know if they'll go after Luffy or me or my future nakama! I DON'T WANT TO TAKE THAT RISK!

[After Sabo yells more and grabs him, Ace just full on headbutts his brother square in the forehead. Because FUCK YOU.] YOU HONESTLY THINK I'D ONLY REMEMBER YOU THAT WAY!? There's too much else to remember than just your death! I'd remember our first fight! Or when we met Luffy and fought to get him back! And when we became brothers! I'M GONNA KILL THEM TO PROTECT MY FAMILY! I don't want to be stuck just remembering everyone!

[Sabo took the hits earlier because he deserved it for lying to a brother. But over this? He's not going to take this lying down. The second he regains his balance from the headbutt, Sabo whirls and kicks his shithead brother hard in the stomach.]

NO! You fight for those who're still alive! For those who you still can save! Isn't that what you said?! That you and Luffy swore you'd get stronger so you wouldn't have to lose anyone again? That's how it's supposed to work, dumbass!! YOU DON'T GO THROWING YOUR LIFE AWAY FOR THE DEAD, NO MATTER HOW IMPORTANT THEY ARE! You call me selfish, but you don't even think of what'll happen if that recklessness gets you killed! What d'you think Luffy will feel?! Or the nakama you're going to leave behind?!

[He heaves a huge breath in and lets it out in a long sigh.] Look, I... I'm not dealing with this very well. I still can't accept that there's only death waiting for me back home, that all my dreams and plans for the future just end there in that bay. That I'm never going to see you and Luffy again. So hearing you say all these stuff... it worries me. Because I won't be there to stop you from doing stupid things. I... I won't be able to watch your back for you. Not anymore.

[That get the wind knocked out of Ace, and he stumbles back a bit, clutching his stomach. He grits his teeth, though, and moves to knee Sabo right in the chest. Like fuck he's going to let it go on like this.]

WEREN'T YOU LISTENING!? I'm doing this to protect people! If they hurt you, they'll hurt again! I want to stop them before they hurt anyone else! That's why I'm getting stronger! TO GO AFTER THOSE BASTARDS AND MAKE SURE THEY WON'T HURT ANYONE!

[He just glares at Sabo more, punching his arm hard. Just because.] Stop being so goddamn depressing. You're here now, and you're alive. [Ace is also bad at dealing with this because he doesn't want to think about how he won't see Sabo alive in his world anymore.] I'll be fine, okay!? I'm not like Luffy. I'm stronger.

[Stumbling a step backwards from that knee, barely stopping himself from falling flat again. Wheezing through clenched teeth, Sabo glares furiously at Ace. He knows his brother is a stubborn bastard, but this idiocy is going too far.]

You... YOU STUPID IDIOT! [Using that extra step to swing a powerful hook right at Ace's face.] THEY'RE NOT GOING TO STOP! There'll always be new enemies that can hurt the people you love! And I know you, you dumbass! You don't stop fighting, not even when you're dying! If you want to always protect people, MAKE SURE YOU'LL STAY ALIVE, DAMMIT!

[He hisses and rubs his arm. Then Sabo's paying that back with a heavy fist on Ace's head. Just because.] Hey, I never died before. I didn't know it'll be this damn depressing, okay?! Cut me some slack here! [He looks at his hands. Yeah, he's alive, isn't he? He's here... And Ace and Luffy are here. This second chance is already giving him more than what he expected to have. For the first time since arriving here, he's going to sound genuinely hopeful.] ...Yeah, I'm here, aren't I.

[Just like that, there's a fiery blue phoenix descending in their mix and trying to break up the fight, attempting to get in between them without kicking either of them in the face. While Marco can handle any damage either of the boys throw at him, he doesn't think the reverse holds true.]

Knock it off! It's great you're together again, but if you're going to start bleeding all over, at least do it someplace without sand.

What the hell is this all about anyway?

[It's probably a note of what kind of nakama Marco is that rather than trying to protect Ace from Sabo, he seems to think Ace is likely to be the more unmanageable of the two. Blame it on childhood stories and a good memory of Ace's endless rage and hot temper. That said, he's got fiery blue wings up between them so any attempts to go through him will be less effective than punching a pillow, all the damage ready to be absorbed at a moment's notice.]

[Ace was about to punch Sabo again until he saw Marco's wings in the way. He rubs his own head, glaring at Marco for interfering.]

None of your damn business! So just fuck off! [And in an attempt to make you go away, he kicks your leg. So there's that.]

I don't need you butting in here!

[Sabo's expecting another punch, so he's just gearing up for an attack of his own when he gets a face-full of warm phoenix-wing instead.] GHK! Hey, w-what the hell?!! [And then he sees it.

A fiery blue phoenix might not have distracted Ace from the fight, but to Sabo, it's super effective. He goes completely still and stares open-mouthed at this huge mythical, talking (with a vaguely familiar voice) sparkly bird... which is trying to get him and Ace to quit fighting because... they'd get sand in their wounds? ...Huh?

But then Ace is attacking it, so maybe it's an enemy? Getting a hold of his sheer amazement enough to shift back into an offensive stance, ready to attack the phoenix at his brother's notice.] Ace, you know this thing?!

I'm Marco.

[Takes the kick without much notice, though he bats at Ace with a wing to make it even harder on the punk. He switches to hybrid, so it's a bit clearer who the phoenix is, though he's no less in the way from it.]

Ace knock it off. I've taken your grandfather's punches at full force to the jaw, so trust me when I say the only reason I'm not kicking you is because it might kill you.

The bastard's apparently my nakama when I'm a pirate. Tch. [Though it's clear he's not happy about that at the moment. He expects the wing to hit harder, so he's a bit surprised when it barely hurts. However, he continues to glare at the intruder, turning away from the both of them.]

Just go away! This has nothing to do with you, okay!?

You're Marco?!! [Oh, okay, there's the pineapple head. Sabo relaxes now that their guest is confirmed an ally and goes right back to being utterly amazed by the half-man, half-phoenix in front of him.] Huh, well that explains the flying... So you're a Devil Fruit user? What's it called?

[But then he sees Ace turn away and he frowns, remembering what exactly they'd been fighting about. He approaches his brother and lays a hand on his shoulder.] ...He's right, Ace. We better stop this. Didn't we say we'd just be glad we're all here together?

Mythic zoan: phoenix. [Yeah, it's not that creatively named.]

Ace, you don't have any clue how lucky you are to have your brothers here, all right? I've got one out of 1600 and you have 3 out of 2. Try appreciating it a little more and bleeding on them a little less. It's got everything to do with me when you'll both be living with me, jackass.

[He knows he's lucky. He knows he's probably one of the luckiest people in the world right now. And Ace sure as hell doesn't want to fight with Sabo. He'd rather fight alongside him. But dammit, he's not listening. Sabo's death isn't the reason he wants to kill people. He wants to be able to fight and protect his family?

Why is that so hard to understand? At the touch, he just jerks his shoulder away and glares at the both of them.] How can I be glad when you still don't fucking get it!? When you still just think I'm insane or crazy or some shit like that!? HOW CAN I BE GLAD WHEN YOU'RE NOT LISTENING!?

And you. [He just turns to give Marco a cold, angry stare.] Maybe I don't want to live with you.

[Sabo lowers his hand slowly, his face going blank. He and Ace had argued and fought each other countless of times before, but neither of them ever doubted each other. Not after the first few times they met. So for Ace to start doubting him now hurts.

And it's enough to anger Sabo again. He's pulling back his arm and punching Ace right in the nose, completely forgetting they have a guest now.]

Oh, I was listening. You said you want to grow stronger and fight to protect the people you care for? FINE! But guess what?! I'M WORRIED ABOUT YOU, YOU IDIOT! You've always got a death wish. I've lost count how many times I dragged you half-dead away from a fight. You never know when to stop! So can you blame me for being scared for you, huh?! CAN YOU BLAME ME FOR WANTING TO KEEP MY BROTHER ALIVE?!

[Marco (outwardly) calmly, grabs each of the boys by the back of the neck to forcefully tug them apart, giving little care to what blow he receives in return for this. (Because he doesn't realize it'll hurt a lot more in Luceti, but even if he did realize, he'll hold up without letting on it hurts.) His words are a little cold, deadpan, but so much more obviously sad than he meant them to be. Watching brothers die wasn't easy and now it seemed all three of them had been forced to do just that. No wonder emotions were running rampant.]

Sometimes, the most selfish thing you can do is try to hold back your brother from being his reckless self. It doesn't seem like it, because it's to keep them alive, but you'd be asking them to stop being themselves. And sometimes the hardest part of being a big brother is trying to look after reckless idiots even when you know they're doing something that will get them killed.

Break it up for now, you're not going to get your points across with punches.

[Ace stumbled back a good few feet at the punch, and managed to throw one last hit of his own at Sabo's jaw. Yeah. He'll feel that in the morning. Then again, both of them will, and they'll feel a lot more than the pain from the punches.] IF I RUN, WHAT IF I LOSE SOMETHING IMPORTANT TO ME!? I HAVE TO STAND AND FIGHT TO PROTECT WHAT I CARE FOR!! If I lose it all running away like a coward, I can't even say I'm good enough to become a captain!

[He tries to land a kick on him, but he's suddenly tugged back by Marco. He shoves his hand away, fist trembling at his side.] WHY IS THAT SO HARD FOR YOU TO GET!?

[He pretty much ignores Marco and what he's saying, even if it sounds like he's on Ace's side. He's still getting in the way.]

[Good thing Marco's speech is directed to the more reasonable brother. Sabo's still very much upset, but his anger's dying out much quicker now, recognizing the sense in Marco's words.

With one last glare at Ace, he turns away, gingerly rubbing his aching jaw.] ...Let's just stop. Too many crazy things happened today, and I'm damn tired of everything right now. All I want is some food and a good long sleep, and you need it too, I bet... We can talk better after.

[He walks (wobbles) back towards the raft, pausing in front of Marco.] Hey, sorry we have to meet this way. He lives with you, right? Do you mind taking him home? I still need to return that raft...

[Marco holds Ace's head back with a fiery blue hand.] Why is it so hard for you to get that maybe all those people you want to protect are trying to protect you right back, Ace? Maybe that fear you feel about losing them, we all feel about losing you.

[An exasperated sigh and Marco shakes his head before turning to Sabo.]

Return it to where? You're both coming with me, eh. No offense, I'm sure you can take care of yourself, but otherwise it'll be harder for you to find the place and it's eight stories up besides.

[He stumbles back a bit from the flames. He stays quiet for a while, and eventually just stares at the ground. He's the older brother, though. He has to protect them more, it's what he's supposed to do.

At his brother's words, Ace feels kinda shitty for fighting with him like that. He wants to help him move around, but he's still to angry to just do anything. He should probably get better at controlling his anger. He turns away from both of them and crosses his arms. He'll just... kinda stay silent for a while and fume and let all of this fly around in his head.]

[Sabo frowns, then points at the docks.] I stole it from there, when I thought I could leave this place. Since I'm stuck here, and I kinda promised someone I'll take care of the boat, I gotta return it.

[He glances at Ace, and lowers his voice so that only Marco could hear him.] Besides, I don't think it's a good idea if I stay with you now. It's better to let him cool off by himself. And if I'm around, he's just going to be pissed all the time.

All right. We're CH3, Room 40. There's no elevator, but give me a call if you get stuck, eh?

[Taps the journal.] I can guide you through that.

All right Ace, come get food, you can talk on the way. Or be quiet, if you wish.

[Ace keeps his silence, for a couple of reasons. He doesn't want to open his big mouth and say more stupid shit. That, and he really just doesn't want to talk. He starts walking back on his own, completely silent and probably ignoring both of them.

Yeah, sorry, he's not happy at all.]

CH 3, Room 40. Got it. [He looks at Ace again, watching him walk away, with lips pressed together. Sabo doesn't like this; he's parting with a brother again, and it's almost as awful as the first time, even if the circumstances are different. More awful, maybe, since they brought this on themselves this time.

He shakes his head and looks up to Marco.] Thanks for looking after him. I'll get there by sundown. [And he's walking to the opposite direction.]

See you then. [A small sigh, no help for it, but he would like to get some sort of doctor to take a look at them at least.]

[He's going to just keep walking at a fast pace away from both of you. He doesn't want to talk or look at you, he's afraid he'll flip his shit again. But he is hurting himself by doing this.

Uh... physically and emotionally.]

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I. Video

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