Chapter 17: The Dream
Koala was something like 23 years old, and she’d been a member of the Revolutionary army for going on ten years.
Sabo had known her for all ten of those years. Up until his memories had returned, he had essentially known her all his life. The Revolutionary Army was how they met. Their work in it together was how they had become close. Up until two years ago, the Revolutionary Army, and their relationship within it, had been their entire lives.
Two years had changed so much.
Their lives were bigger. Their relationship was bigger.
The world seemed bigger.
Sabo’s memories were bigger.
Sabo felt bigger in every way.
Too big to remain with the Revolutionary army.
But how did Koala feel?
Koala who had been his rock for eight years of their lives. Who was still his rock. Did she feel small? Did she feel pushed into a corner, or blown around by the winds of fate?
Koala who had worked so hard to become something more than what she had been made; to be her own person. To be more than just a smiling people pleaser.
Koala, whose first worry when he regained his memories had been that he would leave her, and the Army.
Sabo didn’t want to overshadow her wants and needs. He didn’t want to be the wind of fate that blew her around.
He didn’t know what the hell he was going to do.
I’m sorry, Ace murmured in their mind for the thousandth time. If I hadn’t died we wouldn’t have this problem. If I wasn’t in your body–
Like hell we wouldn’t! You think if you still had your own body I wouldn’t still want to sail with you? If anything, it’d be harder to stop me!
But…
Sabo’s thought cut off Ace’s protests. If it was anyone, anyone but Koala, Ace, I’d just kidnap them with us and be sure it would all work out. But I won’t do that to Koala. She’s her own person. I won’t make decisions for her.
Which is even harder, because you know her first impulse will be just to do what you ask her to do.
Yeah.
So what are we going to do?
The same thing that we’ve done from the start. Be open and honest with her, and hope that it’s enough.
Sabo felt Ace’s smile creep over their lips. It’s been enough so far, right, brother?
They were docked for resupply on one of the outer fringe islands of the Totto Land archipelago, and Sabo had ordered most of the crew down for some shore leave. That had included Deuce and Isuka, who Koala had seen him hand a fairly hefty amount of berry to, before they left.
Koala, however, had been asked to remain behind for now.
“I wanted to talk to you for a bit, before we go out,” he’d told her.
She wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to talk about, but she always considered herself Sabo’s partner. Whatever it turned out to be would be just fine. So she’d agreed, readily and happily, before she’d fallen back and waited for him.
Her body still felt weird, but she was getting more and more used to it by the day as it went on. Even so—a little more time before she set out into town wasn’t going to go amiss while she did a last check over of herself.
Now they were alone together in the large meeting lounge at the back of the ship, a wide view of the sea behind them visible through the window there.
“So what’s up, Sabo? Is it about the mission?” She leaned on her hands with a broad smile— only slightly exaggerated for his benefit.
Sabo wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling her from behind. As had been the case since Dressrosa, his shared body exuded a gentle warmth against her..
“Not about the mission at all, I’m afraid.” Sabo chuckled and kissed her cheek. His tone was light, playful, but thanks to their long relationship she could hear just a hint of nerves- or perhaps excitement- behind it.
She nuzzled back into his body, flushing a little, he was always like a little stove now, or one of those warming irons you’d use on winter days. And now with her changed constitution, she felt him warming her even more effectively as it dispersed through her body.
She looked up at him with a laugh. “Well now you’ve got me curious, Sabo.”
“It’s about the Kuma intel,” he explained. “And what to do about it. At least, indirectly. There’s more to it than that.”
Koala had been the one to receive the information first hand from Raise Max- that Kuma was being held as a slave in Mary Geoise. There had been no decision yet on what to do with that information, in fact, Sabo had said to the Army that he didn’t yet want to discuss it.
“So you’ve actually figured out what you wanna do already?” Koala leaned back into him with a tilt of her head. “The army’s still waiting on your word for that. You’ve got my attention.”
“It’s something that I want to talk with you about, before anyone else.”
That wasn’t all that surprising, Sabo often bounced things off of her before the rest of the Army. It was just how they worked together. But still…there was something about his manner that made her think this was different than usual.
Or maybe it was something Ace had a hand in too.
“Alright, well—I’m all ears, Sabo. Lay it on me and let’s figure this out!”
She felt his breath hitch in his chest against her as he sucked in a deep breath.
“I was thinking that if we could get Kuma back, then it would be possible that he could take up the mantle of second in command.”
Second in Command—the significance of that position was impossible to miss.
Second in command was the Chief of Staff; Sabo’s position. Ever since he’d risen up the ranks with her by his side, he’d held that title firm and directed the army towards bigger, better things.
So if he was thinking of giving it to Kuma…
“You’re thinking about stepping down?”
“I’m thinking about it, yes. Me and Ace.” He nodded, his arms still around her. “I wanted to talk to you before thinking about it went any further.”
Koala felt a sting of nerves well up inside her, bubbling to the surface as she leaned her head back against him, into his warm arms. “I imagine not just to step down into a less chaotic position?”
Sabo leaned in gently against her, his warm body an anchoring weight against her. “No. Ace and I have been talking about turning pirate.”
That stopped her dead for a moment, her eyes widening as she thumped her head back against him to stare at him with wide eyes. “Turning…pirate??”
That explained it; why it’d been coming up more and more lately. Her talk about the Sun Pirates, Isuka’s return fresh off a pirate crew, and the Spade PIrates, Ace’s old crew.
She could only imagine they both felt the pull of the sea, like anyone else touched by piracy…
He nodded, tipping his hat up to give her a better look at their serious expression.
“I didn’t want to keep it a secret from you that it had come up. Which is why I’m telling you.”
Koala chewed her lip thoughtfully. “I’m honestly surprised it took so long to come up—I thought for sure when Deuce joined you’d have mentioned it a few times.”
Sabo shook his head. “After we talked that day with you, we did as we agreed and put the idea on the shelf. No one wanted to jump the gun and go haring off half cooked.”
Mixed metaphors. Sabo was definitely a bit nervy.
She sighed softly, and reached her arms up to squeeze him tight. She knew how he got when he was nervous. She just had to reassure him, right?
“But now there’s an opportunity if we can save Kuma. It’s less jumping the gun and more of a possibility of a real plan—if that’s what you wanted.”
“Exactly. There’s the possibility of making a move without it being… rash. Even if I were to leave, I can’t leave everyone in the lurch…”
Koala shook her head.
“We can’t…absolutely not. The Revolutionary Army’s treated us too well to just leave them behind without a backup plan…” She chewed her lip. It was her home. Her only home for a long time, and the only one she’d shared with Sabo so closely. But at the same time, she was a pirate first, wasn’t she? “I can see why it’d come to mind, Sabo.”
“With Ace’s devil fruit, and Isuka with us now, and the opportunity to get Kuma back… It all seems like it’s adding up to a possibility.” He gave her a shy, soft smile. “But that’s all it is, dear, a possibility. I want to hear your thoughts on it.”
Koala thoughtfully chewed her lip.
“You’d take me along too, wouldn’t you? If you were to actually do this?”
It was an obvious lead in—the first question that should be asked even if you knew the answer.
Sabo inhaled softly and his arms tightened around her.
“Darling, if you don’t want to go, then I don’t want to leave. Taking you along is prerequisite to going at all, unless something dreadful were to happen.”
Koala smiled slightly, just enough to reassure him that she wasn’t upset as she leaned into his arms.
“Well, that’s good to know at least! heh…It’s a heck of a proposition isn’t it? Getting the army it’s lost leader so we might set off as pirates.” She scuffed her foot against the ground and murmured what was on her mind. “It’s a romantic idea, I often miss the call of the sea.”
“I remembered that you’d mentioned as much,” he murmured back. “Talking about your times with the Sun Pirates.”
Koala flushed. “Yeah, I mean, I used to dream about going back to sail with them when I was younger. Before I really settled in with the Army. Before I really met you.”
“I guess we both dreamed about being pirates when we were kids. Though, for a long time, I’d forgotten that dream.”
Sabo’s amnesia. Koala’s heart sank again as she thought about it. When they were growing up in the army, while she was living with memories of her own mistakes, and losses and the Sun Pirates, Sabo couldn’t remember a time before it. He’d been picked up adrift without a single memory of any time before.
It was one of the things that drew her to him initially, trying to help him feel comfortable in the situation they’d both found themselves in, especially when they were paired up.
“And then you remembered it, kicking off the last two years of our lives. Remembered old promises too, I’d bet.”
“Sure,” he nodded. “But even with those memories back now, I built a whole life between those times. My life in the Revolutionary Army means a lot to me.”
“And it means a lot to me too,” Koala nuzzled the back of her head against him. “We fought for real justice, and I got to meet you after all.”
“Sometimes I think meeting you is the best part of all of it.” He kissed her ear gently, and slowly unwrapped his arms from around her, moving to peer out the window. “We’ve done good work. I believe that. But, meeting you was the more important thing to me.”
Koala felt her face flushing. She was proud of the work she did too. Damn proud. She didn’t regret the impact she left on the world, or the lives they saved one bit.
But she couldn’t deny that it was the same for her.
“Meeting you was the most important thing to me too, Sabo.” Chewing her lip, she nuzzled him again with the back of her head. “You know I’d drop everything if it meant heading out on the sea with you.”
He put his arm around her again as she stepped back toward him, both of them looking out at the sea beyond. It was surprisingly gentle now, though any moment it could turn into a furious storm.
“Would you really? Would you want to? Or would you just be doing it because I wanted to?”
Koala’s eyes lingered on the sea.
It was a fair question, wasn’t it? Even with as far as she’d come—old habits and brutal training died hard. Sometimes, when she was stressed or when she cared for someone, she defaulted to whatever might please them instead of her own feelings.
She was better about it, a lot better about it than she’d used to be, but every now and again when she was taken by surprise it would creep up on her.
But the ocean’s calm surface worked to calm her as well as she nodded once.
“I love the ocean, Sabo. I used to think there was nothing I’d love more than to sail on it forever.”
His fingers closed around hers, and he turned toward her, his piercing gaze catching her straight on.
“Come and sail away with us, Koala. Come be a pirate.”
Koala’s heart skipped a beat, fluttering in her chest as she teetered on the edge of a childhood dream and the life she’d come to know.
She nodded , her fingers squeezing his.
“Once we save Kuma,” she murmured, “and set him up with the Army—I’ll sail away with you and be on your crew. Both of you.”
They nodded, Ace and Sabo together, blond hair fluttering in their face from the heat that rose off their body.
“One more mission,” they said softly. “We finally storm Mary Geoise. And when that’s done we sail away together, as pirates.”
A smile spread over their face, and it was at once Sabo’s feral sharpness, and Ace’s boyish charm, both of them looking at her with delight.
Koala’s smile bloomed across her face as well. The heat burning in his body radiated through her, warming her fluid body in a way that reminded her of a hot bath. She squeezed his hands again. “One more job, and we’ll be pirates.”
She closed her eyes, impish impulses guiding her as she leaned in and stole a kiss. The first of many things stolen in the name of their piracy, no doubt.
Deuce was sure that Ace and Sabo were scheming something when they pushed some berry into his hands and urged him to head into town to take Isuka out for a while. He didn’t mind, certainly, but he could always tell. Whatever it was, he’d drag it out of them later.
With a smile and a wink he’d set off, cash in hand, and obligingly taken Isuka out. It’d been a long time coming—and he was happy to take her out on a real date instead of a combat mission.
The two of them tried out a shooting gallery on the pier, neck and neck for the top prize until Isuka edged him out with a very pirate-like trick by distracting him at the last minute with a light zap and getting over him by 10 measly points.
She’d then thrust a stuffed rabbit in his arms with a look of victorious amusement, before the two of them set back off down the pier. A nice seafood lunch overlooking the water, and a trip into a bookstore for him to show her some of his favorite adventure classics carried them through the day in the pleasure of one another’s company until they got a chirp on the mini-transponder snail from Sabo.
Sabo and Ace had gotten a hotel room a bit away from the dock for all of them, and they wanted them to meet up there. So stuffed rabbit in one arm, and Isuka’s hand on the other, they made their way back to meet up with the crew.
Framed by the fading sun, he poked his head into the lobby to see Koala and Sabo—or Ace, it was hard to tell at the moment—waiting for them patiently.
Whichever one of them it was, they waved him over. And with the bright smile, and the call of “Right on time, Deu!” he knew it was Ace.
“Hey there, Ace” Deuce flashed a grin as he tugged Isuka with him. “And here I thought we were running a few seconds late.”
“Hardly,” Isuka chuckled under her breath. “though he did stop and think about buying this pack of overpriced meat buns for a few minutes.”
Ace pouted dramatically, wilting like a flower on top of Koala.
“Oh man, and you didn’t?” He gave him an exaggerated puppy-dog-eyes look, and then laughed. “Oh well, let’s get up to the room.”
Deuce flushed. “I thought I’d buy them in the morning! When they’re fresh!” he hurrumped, and Koala started to laugh, giggling under him with a shake of her head.
“He’s got a point, Ace—they’ll be better fresh.” Koala gestured broadly. “Come on, we’ve got a pretty decent room all sorted out.”
Isuka grinned. “That’s good, because Deuce here has been running me all over the island. I could use a breather.”
“We’ll get comfy, but stay on your toes, ‘Suka- I might take your breath away again!”
With that ominous warning, Ace led them all up to the spacious suite he’d rented for them all. The perks of being in charge of the Revolutionary purse.
Deuce took a moment to look around the room when they arrived, mulling it over with an amused smirk. He’d known Ace was up to something…this whole little show with Koala was part of it. He knew it.
There was a kitchenette and living room and or lounge area where Ace immediately set himself up. It had a couple of couches and armchairs all arranged in a circle, shelves with out of date magazines and comic collections, a little table and chairs in the kitchenette. Off past the double doors that led to the bedroom, Deuce could see one very large bed, and a window overlooking the sea.
“Nice place, Ace—” he looked over his shoulder, seeing Isuka drop herself on the bed with a huff of breath as Koala bustled around with a wide and far too mischievous grin. “What’s the occasion?”
Ace waved from where he was laying across one of the couches already, silk top hat shading their eyes.
“Oh, nothing big, really. Just celebrating our soon to be glorious return to piracy,.”
Koala leaned on the back of the couch with a wide and knowing grin—but Deuce hardly noticed as he nearly tripped over himself, catching himself on the chair with wide eyes behind his mask. “EXCUSE MEEEE???”
Isuka looked struck for a moment, sitting bolt upright on the bed with a grin.
“…you guys are getting back in the game?”
‘Glorious return to piracy’…
but two years ago when it came up they’d all agreed to join the Revolutionary Army! There was only talk about a faraway ‘one day’ where they’d reform things and head back off as pirates. Koala wouldn’t have agreed to it, no way no how….so…
What finally changed?
Ace sat up and pushed his hat up, nodding. “That’s the plan, assuming things go right. There are a few steps between us and that. But yeah. I want to bring the Spade Pirates back from the dead. And I want all of you to join me.”
“But…but…” Deuce sputtered despite the growing smile on his face. “What about the Revolutionary Army? I mean—don’t get me wrong Ace, this is a fucking dream come true! The revival of the Spade Pirates was all I ever WANTED for fuckin’ years! But I thought you Sabo and Koala were like…”
“Attached to the job?” Koala said with a small smile. “Yeah, we were…are…I guess. But I was a pirate way before I was a revolutionary. And if it means sailing with you guys, as long as we leave the right way I’m happy to be a Spade PIrate too.”
“Hot damn,” Isuka murmured as she rubbed the back of her head. “I thought I’d missed my chance for good back then.”
The wide grin spread even further across Ace’s face. “Sabo’s on board, too. Provided, as Koala said, we do it the right way. We have an opportunity to pull one more big, daring Revolutionary Army job, and then vanish into a life of piracy. You two want to hear about it?”
“One more daring job?” Deuce pushed down the authorial part of him that felt a sting of dread and anxiety of ‘one last job’—and he leaned in with a sharp grin “lay it on me.”
Isuka brushed her hair from her face. “I’ll admit I’ve gotten to be a bit hooked on excitement since I went pirate. I’m interested too.”
It was a hell of a last job, Deuce had to admit, as Ace laid it out for them. Storming Mary Geoise during their big “Revelry” shindig, and stealing a very high profile slave, thumbing their noses at the whole occasion.
It was dangerous, almost to the point of insanity.
It was the kind of monumental ‘last job’ that always ended in tragedy in novels, but the kind that made history in real life, provided they succeeded.
If it worked the World Government’s image would be forever tainted, and their legacy would be ensured just in time for them to get that high profile comrade back to HQ and sail off to sail towards their own brand of infamy all over again.
Isuka was on board; maybe she had become a bit of an adrenaline junkie since joining Crocodile, because her glee at the idea of tearing the Revelry down was intense, or maybe it was just her hurt from those years she suffered as a lied-to marine.
He was on board too, despite his nerves, because he held hope in his heart. Hope that he’d one day be the first mate of the Spade Pirates.
Koala had given them a point by point breakdown of the plan; and he had to admit it was pretty sound.
Ace leaned on his arms, smiling at them eagerly. “So are you two in?”
Isuka didn’t waste a second. She slapped her hand down on the couch with a nod, grinning from ear to ear. “Aye, aye, Captain! Sounds like a real thorn in the World Government’s side—you’ve got my support.”
Deuce ran his hand through his hair.
“Well if the Spade Pirates are staked on it—I’m game. As your first mate I couldn’t let such a chance pass us by, right? And it’s like Isuka says, it’s really going to spit in the Celestial Dragons eyes’ if we ruin their stupid party.”
“Hell yeah it will,” Ace beamed brightly. “It’ll be a hell of a way to resurrect the Spade Pirates, that’s for sure!”
Later that night, Ace and Sabo lay curled around Deuce on one of the couches, while Isuka and Koala were cuddled on the other. All of them had gotten roaring drunk to celebrate the occasion, and the suite was a mess.
We should crawl everybody into bed, Sabo murmured internally.
In a minute, I’m comfy.
Me too, admittedly. But I’d rather not start tomorrow with a stiff neck. How about you?
Grandpa, Ace teased. He chuckled softly, his chest shuddering gently against Deuce’s back as they held him.
Deuce made a quiet noise, a little ‘hrmph’ before he snuggled back against him with a huff of breath.
“Geeze,” he murmured. “It’s like sleeping by a fireplace with you—always has been.”
“You love it, don’t you?” Ace murmured, chuckling again at that, too.
Admittedly, it’s probably nicer in the winter.
Well, if he was gonna complain he should have before now!
Deuce stretched against him with a huff of breath, before he turned to press his face into their body. “Course I do. But it means when I’m drunk off my ass you put me out like a light.”
Ace stroked his fingers through Deuce’s hair. “Old man Sabo was just saying we should all get to bed.”
Deuce arched against him with a catlike smile and a chuckle. “Aren’t you two the same damn age? Just ’cause you don’t act like it, Ace…”
“Are you saying I act immature, or he acts like an old man? Cause one I’ll agree with you!”
And I’ll agree with the other, Sabo drawled.
Deuce looped his arm around him in amusement , before yawning with a whole body tense. “I think both are pretty applicable, actually.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Ace chuckled. “Let’s get to bed, I guess. Are you excited though? About the Spade Pirates?”
“We’d better—the girls are passed out on one another. That can’t be great for their backs.” Deuce chuckled as he started to sit up with a tired grin.
Ace sat up, too, and leaned his chin on Deuce’s shoulder.
“Their backs? You sound just like Sabo. I guess I have consistent taste!”
“Yeah, yeah… But honestly? Yeah…Ace, I’d been wishing for a return to form for ages. Even back with Whitebeard’s bastards, I was hoping one day we’d sneak out together with a bunch of his treasure and reform the crew.”
Ace put his arms around Deuce’s chest for a moment. “I’ve been hoping to get back out there, too. I liked hanging around with the army, but…”
But it’s not what we dreamed of.
“But it ain’t the same,” Deuce murmured, echoing their thoughts.. “It’s been fun, and I like the folks there and the work they do—but I set out to be an adventurer…and I became a pirate that day with you on that shitty barren beach. That’s what I’ve wanted to be ever since.”
So many promises, so many dreams, ran through Ace and Sabo’s mind.
They rocked Deuce gently back and forth. “I’m glad we got our second chance. All of us here.”
Deuce hummed comfortably, nodding his head. “Yeah, me too honestly. I could tell Koala was excited—I worried she’d be a hard sell. Isuka’s been a pirate for two years now, so I know she’s ready to jump on board.”
She really was. From the way Koala reacted, I didn’t even have to worry about her just agreeing because it was what we wanted.
“Yeah,” Ace grinned. “This time we’re not leaving anybody behind.”