? '------ {. ' 'SETTING SAIL ' '.} '------ '?

Sabo grinned as he threw his bag over his back, his gloved fingers grabbing his signature hat and placing snug over blond curls. Today was the day, he would finally set sail, and he was happy to leave the island. He loved Dawn Island, of course, his family lived and grew up here, but his biological 'family ' have been on his ass lately despite the last time they ran into each other ended with a lot of Haki and a dark threat from a young Luffy.

Law had set sail almost seven months ago, his three crewmates and him shoved onto a boat by a stern Luffy despite how Law said he really should wait a bit longer. Luffy and Law always understood one another on a higher level than the rest of them were ever able, so none of the other brothers or their Nakama knew why Law stayed on the island until a few months before his twentieth birthday, but there was no doubt in their mind that Luffy knew.

When prompted, Luffy said Law was scared. Not of setting sail, Law was obviously itching to get out there, but of leaving them alone. It had made Cora-san cry his eyes out and Dadan yelled that she just had something in her eyes as she dabbed at her watering eyes with a handkerchief.

Ace left on his birthday just a few months ago, and now it was Sabo 's turn. Just like with their previous brothers, their friends and family were sitting on the edge and waiting for Sabo to set sail. Sanji and Usopp even managed to be here for the day despite them being in different places, for the most part. Sanji was on the floating restaurant him and Zeff made most of the time, Usopp went back to his home island every few months to stay with his mother, and Nami rarely had time to come to the island to train (physically, since she was always going over navigation at her home island) due to her mother not really wanting her to be a pirate.

(They all knew Nami would be a pirate anyways, Bell-mere knew this too but tried to stop her daughter from turning to piracy even if it was pointless.)

'Sabo! ' Luffy called, smiling widely, and holding a wrapped box in his hands.

He had given Ace a present the day he left as well, but he said sternly that it was to be opened when they were at or near the Grand Line. Sabo smiled softly when he was given the same instructions, and accepted the hug his little brother gave him, the younger 's limbs wrapping around his body in a way no regular human will ever be able to do without his brother 's fruit.

'Please, ' Luffy 's voice was soft, for Sabo 's ears only, 'Be safe. '

Sabo 's smile softened and he ruffled messy raven locks, 'Always. '

Cora-san was next, tripping over his feet slightly as he made his way over, and wrapped Sabo in a hug, lifting the former noble and clutching him to his chest.

'You better be careful, and write me lots, got it! ' Cora-son demanded; eyes watery.

Sabo hugged him back for all he was worth, 'I will, Dad. ' he promised.

Cora-san set him down after a long moment, fixing his top-hat and smiling proudly, 'You better get going before I keep you here, ' Sabo 's precious dad said.

Sabo never thought leaving would be such a task. He never thought he 'd have a dad who actually loved him.

'Be safe, Sabo, ' Makino held his hands, squeezing them with a proud smile.

'I will, Big-Sis Makino. ' Sabo hugged the woman before she handed him a box, it was wrapped in what looked like one of her bandanas.

'This is for emergency use only, ' she said firmly, smile wide.

'Got it, ' Sabo laughed, and quickly moved to Dadan. 'Thank you for taking care of me! '

'Damn brat! ' the bandit turned her head, sobbing loudly while tugging a handkerchief from her shirt. Sabo was surprised when the expected 'Get out of here ' didn 't come and watched as the bandit who was sort of a mother to him, tugged a small bag from her pocket and handed it to him. 'Get out of here already! ' she cried.

Sabo laughed and bounded his way to his boat. He waved until he needed to start navigating the boat. Unagi pushed him out of the coast of Dawn Island, leaving him with a small huff that only Luffy would be able to understand, eyes teary, and Sabo finally set out on his journey.

In the bag Dadan handed to him, a shiny, red-beaded necklace glittered in the sunlight.

? '------ {. ' 'CREWMATES ' '.} '------ '?

It didn 't take Sabo long to find a crewmember. A woman in her early thirties quickly became his first crew mate, her lips painted black and her eyes an eerie purple. Indigo was her name, and her reasoning for being a pirate was to spite her parents who 've wanted her to be nothing but a good, quiet wife or a marine. Neither fit Indigo, and when Sabo asked her to join his crew, she agreed without hesitation, leaving a loveless marriage and hateful parents behind.

Soon, more and more crewmates started to join, and soon Sabo was setting sail towards the Grand Line. Bindi, an orange and green fish-woman, navigated them safely towards the Reverse Mountain with Sabo 's help, and they arrived into the Grand Line safely. Sabo quickly tugged the box his brother gifted him out of his room and undid the leather tie holding the box closed.

'What 's that? ' Falan, the ship 's swordsman, asked.

'My brother gave it to me, he told me to open it when I got to the Grand Line. ' Sabo said, pulling the box open.

Makino definitely helped Luffy wrap it, since it was so neat. Sabo folded the protective tissue away and stared at what looked like an oddly shaped bracelet with a needle in the center. There was also a book labeled 'Log-Pose ', and a few other trinkets, and two other books. Both were labeled with his name in Makino 's beautiful cursive, one in blue saying, 'Sabo 's Adventures ' and the other in yellow saying 'Sabo 's Journal '.

'A Log-Pose? ' Bindi questioned, squinting at the object in the box.

'You know this? ' Sabo asked, carefully taking the bracelet out. It was surprisingly heavy, not light like Sabo would 've assumed, but it didn 't weight a ton. He slid the smooth, blue wood over his hand, and made sure to strap the pose to his wrist tightly.

'That 's the only way to navigate the Grand Line, ' Bindi said.

Sabo grabbed the book labeled 'Log-Pose '. It was clearly Benn 's writing, and Sabo smiled as he skimmed it. This wasn 't just a gift from his brother but his whole family. It was kind of them.

Once he got the basics of the Log-Pose, he cheerfully informed his crew to set sail.

? '------ {. ' 'BOUNTY WITH TEARS ' '.} '------ '?

Sabo 's first bounty was amazing. Sure, he totally thinks he 's worth more, but twenty million isn 't anything to scoff at for his first bounty. The picture, he still isn 't sure when it had been taken, was a side-profile of him. He was looking at something in front of him, off to the side of the camera, smirking, amusement in his eyes. His weapon of choice, a pipe of course, was raised in view, darkened with Armament Haki (though it didn 't seem so in the picture), his blue-themed clothes (which mocked nobles) was also seen.

What stood out, however, was the red beads fashioned in an intricate knot holding his cravat.

'Wo-hoo! ' Sabo cheered, 'This calls for a party! '

(Maybe, and this was a huge maybe, he spent a little too-much time with his Uncle Shanks.)

? '------ {. ' '? ' '.} '------ '?

'Sabo, ' Rosinante sniffled, not even bothering to hide his tears as he gazed at his third-eldest 's bounty. Dadan started sobbing a river the moment she saw the beads stark against Sabo 's cravat, but insisted she just got dirt in her eyes.

Wanted Dead or Alive: Rosi D. Sabo

That brat was going to give Rosinante grey hairs soon, but hell, did he make Rosinante want to cry, his heart warm.

'That 's my son! ' Rosinante turned to the pirates piled around him in the Bandit hut, 'Shanks, we have to celebrate! '

'Shishishi! Go Sabo! '

A sea away, one Portgas D. smiled, touched beyond belief when he saw his little brother 's bounty. In a submarine, islands away, Trafalgar D. Law grinned.

'Doing damn good, little brother. ' The Surgeon muttered.