Chapter 6
Sabo stayed by Rosinante’s side, pressing his hands gently against the wounds as Ace worked. His chakra flowed steadily, acting as a temporary seal to control the bleeding until the bullets were out. “Ace, keep your chakra flow steady. Don’t rush it,” he instructed, his voice calm but firm.
“I am steady!” Ace shot back, though he was sweating from the effort. “Do you know how much control this takes?”
“Just focus,” Sabo snapped, his eyes narrowing as he kept stabilizing the wound.
Rosinante, struggling to stay conscious, blinked and looked at Sabo’s hands. He wondered if he was hallucinating—because they were glowing green. A soft, shimmering light emanated from his palms, spreading over the wound and slowing the bleeding almost instantly. It didn’t feel cold or sharp like the snow around him but warm, soothing, and strangely reassuring.
“Am I… seeing things?” Rosinante murmured, his voice weak and barely audible.
Sabo didn’t look up, too focused on his task. “You’re not hallucinating, old man. This is chakra control. We’re using it to help you.”
Ace grinned from the other side, glancing at Rosinante while still working on extracting the next bullet. “Cool, right? We’re kinda amazing,” he said, his tone more playful than the situation warranted.
Sabo shot Ace a warning glare. “Stop showing off and focus, Ace! One mistake, and we’re in trouble.”
Ace rolled his eyes but returned his attention to the bullet removal. “Yeah, yeah, I’m on it. Geez, Sabo, you’re like an old man yourself sometimes.”
Rosinante couldn’t help the faint chuckle that escaped him. The glow from Sabo’s hands and the warmth spreading through his body felt surreal, but these kids—despite their bickering—seemed to know what they were doing.
“If this is a dream,” Rosinante muttered with a tired smile, “it’s not such a bad one.”
“Oh my god, Bo, our patient thinks he’s dreaming!” Ace exclaimed dramatically, holding up the last bullet he had just extracted. He grinned as if he’d won a prize, his tone filled with playful disbelief. “Seriously, how does he not realize how awesome we are?”
Sabo groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose like a tired parent dealing with a hyperactive kid. “Ace, maybe it’s because he’s literally half-dead and probably in shock. Quit messing around and help me finish stabilizing him.”
Ace shrugged, tossing the bloodied bullet aside and wiping his hands on the snow. “Relax, Bo. The hard part’s done. All the bullets are out!” He leaned back, looking far too proud of himself. “Man, I’m good at this.”
“Good at being annoying, maybe,” Sabo muttered under his breath as his glowing hands moved to seal the wounds further. “Now that the bullets are out, I’ll focus on stopping the bleeding completely. You get ready to help heal him.”
Ace gave him a playful salute, his grin never fading. “Aye, aye, Captain Bo!”
Rosinante let out a weak laugh, the sound raspy but genuine. “You two… really are something else,”
Sabo glanced at him, his expression softening for a moment. “Just hang in there, old man. We’ve got this.”
Ace leaned closer, his face full of mischievous energy. “Yeah, don’t give up yet! You’re our first real patient who is gravely injured, so no dying on us, okay?”
Rosinante chuckled again, though it turned into a wince. “I’ll… do my best.”
Ace and Sabo placed their hands right above Rosinante’s chest and abdomen, their hands glowing with that same green light as they poured healing chakra into his battered body.
Rosinante could feel the warmth spreading through him, soothing the sharp pain and knitting together torn tissues. The drowsiness that had been dragging him toward unconsciousness began to lift, and he felt more alert as the wounds on his body started to close.
Ace glanced at Sabo, his face slick with sweat, his expression strained but focused.
“Bo? Did Sensei teach you how to fix broken bones yet?” he asked, his voice a mix of curiosity and exhaustion. Despite his energy, it was clear the effort was taking a toll on both of them.
Sabo shook his head, his own face equally drenched in sweat. “No—not yet,” he admitted, his voice steady despite his fatigue. “Sensei said we’d start learning that next month.”
Ace groaned dramatically, looking down at Rosinante. “Great. So, we can patch up the outside, but the guy’s still gonna have broken bones.”
Sabo frowned, his hands trembling slightly as he maintained the flow of chakra. He shot Ace a look but didn’t lose focus. “We can leave that part to Sensei when he gets here. He’ll know how to handle the rest.”
Rosinante, gradually becoming more aware, watched them in awe. These two kids—so young, yet so capable—were doing everything they could to save him. He could see the strain on their faces, the sweat dripping down their brows, but they didn’t stop. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he whispered, his voice weak but sincere, “You two… are better than any doctor I’ve ever met.”
Ace’s face lit up at the compliment, his tiredness momentarily forgotten. He beamed at Rosinante, his usual grin back in full force. “Of course we are! After all, we were taught by the best!”
Sabo rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Don’t let it go to your head, Ace. Sensei’s the one who’s the best. We’re just doing what we’ve been taught.”
“Yeah, but Bo,” Ace replied, his voice practically buzzing with excitement, “this is our second time saving a guy who’s at death’s door! And this time, it’s just the two of us doing it!”
Sabo hummed thoughtfully, clearly considering Ace’s words. “That’s true, but Ace, it’s different. The previous guy… he was literally on his last breath. He was unconscious when his son brought him to Sensei. We were allowed to practice on him because Sensei taught us how to keep a heart beating.”
Rosinant blinked, unable to comphernd the shocking conversation the two kids were having. They saved a man that was on the brink of death -he was also dying but he wasn’t on his last breath when those two kids found him.
He opened his mouth to speak but hesitated, still trying to comprehend what he’d just heard. "You... you saved someone who was already dying?"
“Yeah, but it wasn’t just us. Sensei was there too. We just helped out.” Sabo replied, a small, almost shy smile tugging at his lips. Despite the exhaustion in his eyes, there was a hint of pride in his voice. It had been difficult, but also amazing in its own way. That experience had shown him just how powerful medical ninjutsu could be. They hadn’t just patched up wounds—they had kept a heart beating when it seemed like nothing else could.
Ace, still full of energy despite the strain, nodded eagerly. “Sensei taught us how to keep people alive even when their body’s shutting down. We worked together to save him!” He didn’t seem to grasp the full gravity of what they’d done, but his excitement was unmistakable.
Rosinante lay there, taking it all in.It was just unimaginable—even absurd—to hear that someone could keep a heart beating when it was supposed to stop. If he weren’t being treated by two kids who were barely seven years old, he might not have believed it.
‘How come I hadn’t heard about this when I was searching for a cure for Law?’ The more he thought about it, the more the pieces started to fall into place. He had been desperately looking for a solution, a doctor who could help Law, but no one had mentioned anything even close to this.
Unless...
Rosinante’s eyes widened, a realization struck him. His voice came out in a barely audible whisper, "Doctor from nowhere?"
The two kids didn’t hear him, they were focused on treating his body.
The mysterious figure who had taught these children—someone capable of imparting such advanced medical ninjutsu, someone whose abilities seemed to transcend the very boundaries of life and death—could it be? Could this “Sensei” be the one he’d been searching for all along? The one who could save Law?
His heart raced as the possibility took root in his mind. Could it really be him? The doctor he had spent years searching for, the one with the knowledge and skills to heal even the most hopeless of cases. Rosinante’s pulse quickened, the thought almost too much to hope for. But then, just as quickly, the excitement began to fade.
He remembered.
He had already made the decision. Law had already eaten the Devil Fruit—the Ope Ope no Mi—and with it, his fate was sealed. He had already done everything he could to save him. Even if he found this doctor now, even if he found the one who could perform miracles, it was too late. The fruit was already inside Law, and its power was already altering him, whether for better or worse.
“Finally!!” Ace slumped down, his voice filled with a mix of exhaustion and relief as he wiped the sweat from his brow. His shoulders drooped, and for the first time in what felt like hours, he allowed himself a moment of rest.
Sabo, on the other hand, didn’t say a word. He simply let out a deep sigh, his shoulders slumping in exhaustion as well. His hands trembled slightly from the prolonged effort, but he didn’t complain. He had been focused so intently on healing Rosinante that he barely noticed the strain on his own body until it was over.
Rosinante, still lying there, felt a deep sense of gratitude for the two children.
“You guys… are amazing,” he managed to say, his voice hoarse but sincere. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
Ace grinned, though his face was flushed with fatigue. Sabo gave him a tired look but didn’t comment. The relief of finishing their task was almost palpable, yet neither of them fully relaxed—there was still too much at stake.
“You two did well.” A stoic voice cut through the silence, startling the three of them.
The kids' faces brightened instantly at the sound of the familiar voice. They turned their heads quickly, their expressions shifting from exhaustion to excitement. Standing just a few steps away from Rosinante’s feet was Sasuke, his gaze as calm and unreadable as ever. But what caught their attention most was the small, unconscious child cradled in his arms.
Rosinante slowly, carefully, propped himself up to a sitting position. His body still ached, but the healing had worked wonders. His gaze locked on Sasuke and the child in his arms, and a jolt of recognition hit him.
It was Law.
His breath caught in his throat. Law looked so fragile, pale and unmoving in Sasuke’s arms. His chest was still rising and falling in shallow breaths, but the boy was completely unconscious, his face drawn in a way that suggested something was terribly wrong.
"Who is that? Sensei?" Ace asked curiously, his gaze locked on the small, unconscious boy in Sasuke’s arms. His sharp eyes immediately took note of the child’s malnourished state and the signs of weakness, his small frame looking far too fragile.
“Don’t know, found him passed out on the other side of the mountain,” Sasuke replied, his voice calm as always. His steps were steady as he walked towards them, the boy still cradled carefully in his arms.
As Sasuke approached, he handed the child to Sabo, who was already recovering some of his chakra faster than Ace. Sabo took the boy with a careful, practiced ease.
Sasuke's gaze flickered to Rosinante, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took note of the older man's clothes.
Ace snickered, clearly amused by Sasuke's unspoken judgment.
His hands glowed faintly as he checked the man’s injuries with his chakra, carefully assessing the extent of the damage. Once he was satisfied that the bones were the primary concern, Sasuke set to work. With focused precision, he began mending the broken bones, his movements swift and controlled.
“You know that kid?” Sasuke asked the man, he had seen the recognition in the man’s eyes when they landed on the kid in his arms.
Rosinante’s eyes never left the boy’s face, the concern in his gaze deepening as he nodded. “Yes,” he murmured softly, his voice betraying a tenderness he rarely showed. “He’s... someone important to me.”
“Alright, your bones are healed,” Sasuke said, motioning to Sabo to give the child over to Rosinante.
Sabo, who had been waiting patiently, gently passed Law to Rosinante. The moment the boy was in his arms, Rosinante visibly relaxed, his features softening with relief. It was clear just how much the child meant to him. Law’s tiny body seemed to fit perfectly in Rosinante’s arms, and for the first time since he’d found himself in this situation, Rosinante allowed himself a breath of relief.
Sasuke took a step back, observing the interaction quietly. He wasn’t about to take the child away from the man who had been so protective, especially since the boy had been calling his name.
“We’re leaving now,” Sasuke said suddenly, his voice taking on a more urgent tone. "There are Marines coming."
Rosinante looked up, his gaze flickering to Sasuke, who stood with his usual stoic expression, showing no sign of concern despite the urgency of the situation.
“Are we not taking them with us?” Ace asked, stepping up to Sasuke’s right side, while Sabo positioned himself on the left.
Sasuke shook his head, his expression unchanging. “No, it’s not necessary.”
“Is he connected to the Marines?” Sabo asked, piecing it together as he looked at Rosinante, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Sasuke didn’t directly respond, simply humming in acknowledgment. Neither Ace nor Sabo pushed the issue further. It was clear that Sasuke wasn’t interested in giving them a full answer.
A year had passed since they returned from Minion Island. Ace and Sabo were now nine years old, and Sasuke was twenty-two.
“Sensei!! Ace is once again doing strange experiments!!!” Sabo’s horrified voice echoed through the mountain, carrying all the way to the bandits’ camp.
Dadan and the other bandits froze mid-action, their eyes darting nervously around the camp, as if expecting Ace to suddenly appear holding some suspicious concoction.
Sasuke let out a tired sigh, leaning back against the tree he had been resting under. His gaze drifted to the sky, and he silently cursed himself. Why had he ever taught Ace how to blend herbs and medicine? Worse yet, why had he shown him how to experiment with it?
Back in the clearing, Ace smiled sweetly as he held a small vial of strange black liquid, his expression pure and almost angelic. With steady hands, he approached the rabbit inside the cage. The creature twitches its nose in fear as Ace carefully feeds it the mysterious substance.
‘How can he smile so sweetly while doing something so terrifying?’ Sabo thought as he unconsciously backed away from his brother. He couldn’t bear to watch what would happen next.
At that moment, the door to their shack creaked open, revealing Sasuke. He took one look at Ace and the rabbit, his sharp eyes taking in the black liquid and Sabo’s horrified expression. Without a word, Sasuke slammed the door shut again.
“It’s too early for this shit,” he muttered, walking off toward Foosha Village.
Foosha Village, the Party Bar.
Laughter and music filled the warm, lively room as Shanks and his crew enjoyed themselves, mugs of ale clinking together in celebration. The scent of roasted meat and the faint tang of spilled beer lingered in the air.
The door creaked open, and a handsome man with raven-black hair stepped inside. His presence drew Makino’s attention immediately.
“Ah, Sasuke-san!” she exclaimed, a bright smile lighting up her face.
Sasuke gave a curt nod, his tired eyes and calm demeanor contrasting sharply with the raucous atmosphere. He made his way to his usual seat at the counter, two stools away from the red-haired captain.
“The usual, please,” he said, his voice low but firm.
Makino nodded and moved toward the coffee machine, already familiar with his preference for a strong cup of black coffee.
Just as the bar settled back into its jovial rhythm, the door burst open with a loud bang. All heads turned toward the entrance except for Sasuke and Shanks.
Standing in the doorway, panting heavily, was a blond-haired boy with an urgent expression.
“Sensei!!!! That idiot is burning the forest!” Sabo shouted, running up to Sasuke’s side. His voice carried the kind of panic only Ace’s antics could inspire.
Shanks finally glanced over, his curiosity piqued by the boy and his outburst.
Sasuke, however, didn’t even look up. He calmly took a sip of the coffee Makino had just placed in front of him.
“Let him burn it,” Sasuke said dryly. “Better than his experiments.”
Sabo paused, his mouth opening to protest before the words sank in. He frowned, thinking it over, and finally gave a reluctant nod. “That… is true.”
Satisfied, Sabo hopped onto the stool next to Sasuke, a grin replacing his earlier panic.
“Makino-san, one glass of juice, please!” he said cheerfully, as if he hadn’t just run in shouting about a forest fire.
Shanks chuckled quietly, leaning back in his seat.
“What did Ace do again?” Makino amusedly asked as she placed the cup of coffee and juice on the counter for them to take.
Sabo was reaching out for his juice when he paused at the words, he reluctantly smiled. “He finally completed making a liquid bomb, and he is testing it in the forest on wild animals.”
Makino froze mid-motion, her warm smile faltering as her brain processed Sabo's casual statement.
“A liquid bomb?!” she exclaimed, her voice rising in pitch. The bar went silent again, all eyes now on Sabo.
Shanks’ crew, mid-celebration, collectively turned their attention to the blond-haired boy. Faces that moments ago were beaming with laughter now displayed a variety of expressions—slack-jawed disbelief, wide-eyed shock, and a couple of half-hidden grins.
“A what?!” Yasopp sputtered, nearly spilling his drink. “Did I hear that right?”
“Liquid bomb,” Sabo repeated matter-of-factly, as though it were the most normal thing in the world.
“Did the kid say bomb?” Lucky Roux asked, lowering his plate of meat for the first time that evening.
Shanks nearly choked on his ale, his laughter breaking into coughing fits. “That kid’s got some guts—or a death wish,” he managed to say, his grin widening.
Sasuke sighed heavily, setting his coffee down with a deliberate slowness. “It’s not a liquid bomb,” he muttered, rubbing his temples. “It’s an unstable alchemical mixture with a small chance of combustion.”
Sabo raised an eyebrow. “It exploded, Sensei. And it set a tree on fire.”
“Small chance, huh?” Shanks quipped, clearly entertained.
Benn Beckman leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. “That’s... ambitious for a nine-year-old,” he said dryly, though his sharp gaze revealed his curiosity.
“Ambitious? That’s insane!” Yasopp shot back, gesturing wildly. “Who lets a kid play with explosives?!”
“I didn’t let him,” Sasuke muttered darkly, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. “Ace has a talent for ignoring instructions. Or common sense.”
Makino’s worries returned to full force. “Shouldn’t you do something? If the forest burns down—”
Sabo shrugged, his earlier panic completely gone. “Eh, it’s not that bad. He only burned, like, three trees this time.”
Yasopp gawked at him. “Only three trees?! And you’re just sitting here drinking juice?!”
Sabo smiled innocently. “Sensei says it’s better than his experiments with live animals.”