"We are all failures- at least the best of us are."―J.M. Barrie

Sabo woke up pretty early that morning which wasn't that unusual but still rather weird. He turned to see if Ace was awake and wasn't too surprised to see the brunet brother all spread out with his blankets tossed to his feet. Ace had his mouth open and a trail of drool was slipping from the corner causing Sabo to laugh slightly.

"And you say Luffy is a weird sleeper." He smiled as he tried to step lightly onto the ship's floor boards without waking anyone else in the room. He said anyone else because he saw the moment he moved how Luffy and Zoro's eye opened up to look at him before closing once more.

"Really, nothing gets past you guys does it?" Sabo whispered knowing that Luffy was a bit more cautious now than he was as a kid.

Stepping slowly he climbed the stairs up to the deck where a fresh wave of sea air hit him. Sabo loved the air here; he loved the way it was so fresh and clean with nothing to pollute it. Smelling the air he could swear he smelt bacon and eggs being cooked but his nose was nowhere near as strong as Luffy's or Ace's to prove that until he went to see.

"I was wondering when you'd come up." Sanji said flipping his bacon on the pan before stepping over to flip the eggs properly.

"Yeah I like to see the morning sun." He admitted and Sanji chuckled.

"Breakfast won't be ready for a while why don't you go clean up?" He asked Sabo who just shrugged.

"Nah I'm good." He said taking a seat and Sanji looked back at him.

"The lovely ladies don't like it when we get dirty." He said to Sabo who shrugged.

"We've only been here a few days and we'll be home soon enough so no thanks." Sabo said to him and Sanji sighed beginning to see where Luffy learned his stubborn nature from.

"Then if you're not going to clean yourself up get out of my kitchen you shitty brat!" Sanji said to him and Sabo laughed quietly knowing that the chef meant no harm.

"Mn, I'm gunna wander around." He said leaving the chef to his work and morning routine. Walking around the ship he took every inch of it in. This was Luffy's home, not the jungle, not the forest, not anything else just this place. This place was where he belonged now and he could see Luffy in every crack and corner of the ship.

"If I'm not dead then where am I?" Sabo asked himself since that had been bothering him. Luffy had said he was elsewhere when Ace died meaning he wasn't there to prevent it.

"Why wasn't I there?" He questioned again and as much as he wanted to ask the crew about it he knew they knew nothing. Robin seemed to be the only one with a clue on him in this time but she didn't look like she was going to say a word.

"What are you thinking about, Little bro?" A large man asked and Sabo had to stop himself from walking into him he was so zoned out.

"Nothing." Sabo lied quickly and the man who if Sabo remembered correctly was named Franky looked at him not believing him.

"I've seen what thinking about nothing looks like. Luffy has that look quite often; your look was not so super." He said placing his large hands on his hips.

"Uhmmm Why aren't you wearing pants?" Sabo asked him carefully knowing this guy was a lot bigger and probably a lot stronger than him.

"Because they would get in the way of my perverted SUPER self." He said and Sabo just blinked at him.

"Riiiggghhhtttt...." He was starting to wonder where Luffy found these people.

"Sanji is still making breakfast so why don't you help me out little bro." Franky said and Sabo raised a brow.

"But surly I'm not you're little brother in this time?" He asked and Franky laughed.

"You're younger than me no matter the time difference so are you going to help me or not?" He asked and Sabo who was as curious as ever decided to join in.

"What is this place?" Sabo asked in amazement as Franky lead him into the work shop where he helped build all of his new weapons.

"This is my space; I do however share it with Usopp from time to time when he needs to work on something special." He said pleased with Sabo's reaction.

"Ace would love this place." Sabo said in wonder turning in a circle to see everything.

"Then we'll have to show him later right now I need little hands and while mine are super amazing yours will do much better." He said grinning and Sabo looked confused.

"What do you need my help with?" He asked and Franky's grin grew wider.

"Well I'm so glad you asked." Franky said and Sabo felt like he might have gotten into something he wasn't too sure he could handle.

When Ace woke up he was surprised to not see Sabo beside him, looking around he blink back the sleep from his eyes and stretched the kinks out of his body.

"'Bout time you woke up." Zoro said to the boy who yawned and hopped from the hammock to the floor with a loud thud.

"I like my sleep, especially when I can sleep knowing nothing's going to attack me." Ace yawned again and Zoro shook his head pushing the kid up the stairs.

"Where's Sabo?" He asked and Zoro shrugged as much as he liked the brats it wasn't his job to babysit them.

"Ace where's Sabo?" Luffy asked swinging up to him from the upper deck and landing right in front of his brother.

"I don't know!" He all but shouted at Luffy who just laughed.

"Oi has anyone seen Sabo?" Luffy called and Ace felt like hitting the loud man.

"Don't shout so early in the morning!" Ace scowled and Luffy turned to look at him with a pout.

"But you're shouting Ace." He said and Ace just stared before sighing. Lesson number one with Luffy is not to argue with his logic, you'll only end up with a headache and on the losing end.

"Why are you guys shouting?" Sabo asked from above them he was covered in what appeared to be oil and dirt but he had a huge smile on his face and his eyes were bright.

"Breakfast is ready." Luffy said to him happy to have found his brother.

"Let's go eat Ace." Sabo said and Ace just shook his head at his brothers, for better or worse they were his.

The moment Sabo and Ace walked through the galley doors you could feel the chill in the air.

"Uhh what's wrong?" Ace asked his guard slowly coming back up.

"Do you really think I'll let anyone that messy into My kitchen?" Sanji asked them and Sabo finally looked down at himself.

"Go get cleaned up then come back!" He shouted pushing them out of the galley.

"But breakfast!" Ace protested or more like his stomach did.

"I'll ensure there is plenty of food when you return." Sanji said but the pleading look in Ace's eyes made him stop and sigh rubbing the back of his head.

"No one will ever starve while I am the chef on this ship. Go get cleaned up and I promise there will be food ready for you when you get back here." He said remembering now that these were children and not the pirates he knew they would become.

Accepting the chef's words the boys took off to the shower area to get clean before returning for food.

"What were you doing Sabo?" Ace asked looking at the boy who was usually very clean.

"I was helping Franky with the new weapon he's building It was amazing Ace he could build anything he wanted to!" Sabo was getting very animated talking about what they had worked on and Ace found himself a slight bit jealous that he had slept in and missed out.

"I'm going to help him finish it after breakfast you should join in." Sabo requested and Ace nodded happy to know Sabo could read him well.

"Sure, I'd like that." He said and turned the tap on letting the warm water flow over him and found he really liked being able to take a shower whenever he wanted.

"Hey Ace..." Sabo started getting in as well causing the boy to look at him.

"I like it here." Ace said suddenly and Sabo nodded.

"I wish we didn't have to leave," Sabo whispered but Ace shook his head.

"I like it here, I feel so...Loved. You can almost feel how much they care about us, about Luffy! But... No matter what I will never follow Luffy and call him my captain. Even if I like it here I just can't ever do that." He said to Sabo who nodded understanding the feeling well and how conflicting it was.

"I wish we had more time that's all." He said and Ace nodded.

"Me to, I'm all done and I want food now so hurry up." Ace said suddenly standing up leaving Sabo to laugh at him.

"You're always thinking with your stomach Ace. I'm actually quite surprised you were able to get all that out actually! Normally it takes until after lunch for your brain to start working." Sabo dissed him and ducked as Ace threw the bar of soap at his head.

"Shut it blondie or the next thing I throw won't be soap." Ace shouted and Sabo smirked at him.

"Oh yeah?" He challenged and the war of bubble throwing began causing Ace to forget about his hunger momentarily and a bunch of laughter to ensue. Luffy was standing on the outside of the door with fresh towels but a soft smile graced his face at the sounds of both his brother's laughter. He had really missed hearing Ace laugh, even when they had met in Alabasta Ace didn't laugh like this. Turning around Luffy opened the door to see the two boys covered in soap and wearing large grins.

"You guys about done? Sanji wants to start on dishes and can't until you guys have eaten." Luffy said placing more of his old T-shirts on the floor for them to wear.

"Yeah sorry!" Sabo apologized as him and Ace scrambled out of the water and into warm towels to dry off.

"Here let me help." Luffy walked forward grabbing one of the dry towels and helping Ace dry his hair with it.

"I help Chopper dry his fur sometimes after a bath so I know how to make sure you get nice and dry." He said to them and as much as they didn't want to admit it they liked having someone help them. They enjoyed the fact that others were being kind to them and helping them out because they knew it's not something they will get again probably for a long time.

"Thanks." Ace whispered and Luffy smiled while helping Sabo fit into the new shirt.

"No problem, what are brothers for?" He said and Ace didn't stop his own smile this time.

The boys once dried ran towards the kitchens to finish the breakfast they missed which caused Sanji to smile at them as he lite up another smoke.

"I'm glad you like it." He said placing two glasses of juice in front of them." Ace grabbed his drinking it slowly savoring the orange fruity taste.

"When I become a captain I'll have to find a chef as good as you!" Sabo said and Sanji smirked blowing out smoke.

"Good Luck." He offered and Ace looked up.

"Why don't we just recruit you?" He knew they were going to leave before Luffy.

"Not going to happen kid. The only one I'll ever follow if that shitty rubber brained idiot." Sanji said to them and they nodded knowing there was no changing the man's mind.

"Then I'll have to find someone better." Ace said causing Sanji to twitch in slight annoyance.

"There isn't any one better than me." Sanji said as they handed their plates and glasses over to him.

"We'll see about that." Ace said and the boys ran out of the galley towards the Franky work shop.

"You're brothers are really pushing my buttons." Sanji said to Luffy who was leaning on a wall smiling.

"That's what we're good at." He smiled and Sanji sighed.

"Get out, they left no scraps behind you shitty vulture." Sanji said and Luffy left the galley pouting.

Franky was happy to Have Sabo back to help him work and welcomed Ace's help as well. They were working on a new type of shooter gun that could also be used as armor.

"So if I put this here it will do that?" Sabo asked Franky and the man laughed.

"And if you add this it will-see!" he said and Sabo laughed in happiness. Ace could see that Sabo was having the time of his life and decided not to interfere with the two. Taking a few steps back he quietly left the room and sighed.

"If you sigh like that you'll get wrinkles." Nami said her eyes on the sky above but she smiled at him.

"I'm too young for wrinkles." Ace countered her and she laughed before letting her smile fall away.

"What's wrong?" She asked him turning her eyes to him now.

"Nothing's wrong." He said moving away from her but she put her hand on his shoulder.

"You and Luffy are much the same the only difference is that he can't lie." She said to him and directed him to the stairs that led up to the figure head for him to sit down on.

"Why am I sitting on the stairs?" Ace asked her after she had stepped away from him.

"I can see the clouds better from here." She said and he made a face.

"The weather here in the New World is unpredictable so I as the navigator need to be on my feet all the time so I can predict it properly." She said but that confused Ace.

"But if it's unpredictable how can you predict it properly?" That was so contradicting for him.

"I've spent enough time with Luffy to know how. One of your brother's best talents is that he is unpredictable which has saved his butt more than once." Nami smiled and Ace looked at her in Awe even he had trouble working with Luffy's whims.

"How can you guys read Luffy so well?" He asked her and she laughed at him.

"I never said I can read him, I've failed more than once at knowing what he wanted from us. I've learned that Luffy will do what he wants and all you can do is just go with it and even if things get bad they'll always be okay." She said to him

"How do you know things will always be okay? What if they aren't?" He asked her and she smiled not even having to think of her response.

"Because it's Luffy. If Luffy says he'll do something he will whether that be kicking someone's ass or helping a friend he makes it all okay." She told him and Ace just smiled at her a little.

"Want me to teach you the meaning of those clouds?" She asked him and he nodded happy to help.

"Maybe, it might help me predict my brother better." He said and she shook her head.

"Good Luck with that one."

Sabo was looking at the creation him and Franky had put together with a big grin on his face.

"We did it!" He shouted and Franky smiled at the boy glad to have had some one work with him.

"That was SUPER fun." Franky said laughing and Sabo nodded.

"Let's try it out!" He really wanted to see it work, to see what he had helped build used in action.

"Why not, let's go to the super Franky testing area." He said directing Sabo towards that part of the room.

"Wow this place is so cool!" Sabo who was normally very composed couldn't help but act like the child he was seeing all of the amazing things in this part of the ship.

"Pull the trigger." Franky encouraged and Sabo couldn't help but do just that only for nothing to happen.

"Pull it a little harder?" Franky asked and Sabo did just that only for the weapon to just crack under pressure and break apart. Sabo stared at the now broken thing he had spent so much time working on, his happiness deflated a shadow coming over his eyes.

"That was perfect!" Franky said smiling at the mess and Sabo looked up at him wide eyed and a bit angry.

"It failed!" He shouted and Franky laughed some more.

"Of course it did and that's okay, not everything has to work out all the time." Franky said to Sabo who was not happy and not interested in a lesson right now.

"Bro, if you don't fail you don't learn. I have failed more than a thousand times but through those failures I ended up here." He said and Sabo looked up at him in curiosity.

"How did that happen?" He wanted to know and Franky sat down beside him.

"Back where I am from I did something bad because I was careless with the ships I had created. I was an outlaw on my island but I was trying to just make up for what I had done." He started and Sabo knew not to interrupt him.

"When I first met Luffy we didn't get off right away, he and I had some bad blood between us you could say." He smiled thinking of how he and Luffy had met and all that had happened between them.

"How'd you guys become friends then?" Sabo asked pulling Franky from his musings.

"Though a lot of fire." He smiled "Luffy and I fought together even though we had some troubles at first. Luffy welcomed me in and is helping me bring my dream to life." Franky said standing up and placing one of his large hands on the ships walls gently.

"This ship is my dream and as the one who built it I will see it to the ends of the sea and anywhere else my captain wants me to go." He smiled and Sabo stood up as well looking back at the broken weapon.

"Sometimes you need to make a mistake or many to grow and find what you need. Don't be afraid of slipping up kid, just make sure when you do you have people there to catch you when it happens and put you back on your feet." While he said those words in his mind he saw Luffy standing in front of him and the many people supporting him from behind and beside.

"You're really smart." Sabo said and Franky laughed loudly.

"Of course I am! I'm SUPER!" he said making a pose and Sabo laughed, Luffy had found himself amazing friends and Nakama, as a big brother he sure was proud.

"So why don't we try building this thing again?" Franky asked and they both nodded getting to work. Failure sucked but not getting back up to try again sucked even worse. He picked up the pieces and began to help sort them out.

"Let's make it better than we made it before!"

Hello! So this is random and what I get when I'm extremely tired. I wrote this last night after an exhausting day of family and driving and mess so yeah I had the mentality of a 5 year old as I was working on this :P I gave Nami Sabo time before so I switched it up and Gave Nami Ace time now. Franky and Sabo had some fun and Franky gave a lesson, I know he's probably way out of character but then again I just had fun with it. For those who follow my other story I won't be able to update this weekend and probably not next weekend either :/ I have reasons so please be understanding! I just graduated college yesterday (Yay!) and then I got pulled over on my way home from dropping my mom off at the train station (-_-) apparently my licence needs to be renewed and no one told me so I have forms to fill out this weekend (though I think me being over emotional from the day and bursting into tears in front of the cop really scared him enough to let me go :P) and I now have to figure out how to apply to University ^^;

I graduate my other class on Monday so I need to work on my last assignment for that day to hand in and my birthday is on Thursday so my dad and Grandparents will be coming next week to visit me. So all in all I'm swamped with life right now! Well there you have it and a new chapter! I have about 2-3 more left of this story as a heads up then I will be putting all my effort into my other one :) Well keep well everyone and have a fantastic weekend! DR