It was more or less settled that the Dadan Family would head deep into the forest to hunt and gather food for the coming days. Once the plan was decided, the group moved into action like a well-oiled but chaotic machine. Everyone was used to this kind of routine, accustomed to rough living and survivalist habits, so preparations began swiftly and efficiently.
Dadan herself, along with Magra and a few others who were unofficially in charge of cooking, stayed behind to watch over the hideout and handle household chores. The rest, led by Naru, who served as the quiet yet unquestioned anchor of their unruly band, ventured into the wilderness. Among them was Sabo, wide-eyed and eager, thrilled beyond measure to be part of something he had never experienced before. Having grown up caged within the rigid expectations and artificial warmth of noble society, he found this unfiltered, dirt-under-your-fingernails kind of life both terrifying and exhilarating..
Their efforts bore fruit, quite literally and figuratively, as they returned from the hunt with an impressive haul. They managed to get some wild game, fruits, and even some wild vegetables that could keep them well-fed for several days. Spirits were high. But as always, Ace could not just leave things alone.
"I'm sick of meat! Naru, let's go to the beach! Just for a little while!" Ace complained, eyes sparkling with mischief that promised nothing but trouble.
Luffy practically vibrated with excitement, bouncing on his heels like an overcharged spring. "Yeah! Seafood! Let's catch crabs! I bet I can get the biggest one!"
Naru exhaled through her nose, hands on her hips, already sensing the detour coming. She was ready to say no, but one look at their pleading, ridiculously hopeful faces made her pause. Her lips twitched, the stern façade beginning to crack.
"Fine," she said at last with a sigh, a reluctant smile tugging at her mouth. "We'll swing by the beach. But only for a little while. And whatever you catch, you're carrying it back yourselves."
"Deal!" Ace and Luffy shouted together in perfect harmony before dashing ahead like wild dogs set free.
Sabo followed at a slower pace, watching the scene unfold with a mix of wonder and longing. He had never seen siblings, or anyone really, interact with such ease. It was not only the boys' closeness that fascinated him, but also the way Naru took care of them, her affection plain to see in every glance and gesture.
It could not be helped that a small seed of jealousy took root in Sabo's chest, an ache he could not quite name. He had never seen a family like this before, let alone felt part of one.
When they reached the beach, the boys tore off their sandals and raced into the surf, their laughter echoing across the water and sand.
"Oi, Sabo!" Luffy shouted, waving wildly. "Come on!"
"Yeah, don't just stand there like a statue!" Ace yelled with a grin that could outshine the sun. "We need backup for our seafood mission!"
Naru set down her net and the basket she carried, her gaze drifting toward Sabo, who stood stiffly at the edge of the shore. "Take your time," she said softly, her tone gentler than usual. "No one's forcing you to dive in."
The kindness in her voice caught him off guard. He was not used to being given choices. Back home, everything had been decided for him, including what to wear, what to eat, what to study, even how to act. And after running away, most of his choices had been about survival. True options had never really existed.
He stared out at the water, where Ace and Luffy were now wrestling an octopus like it owed them money, laughing loudly enough to scare off every fish within a mile.
"Ever been to the beach before?" Naru asked casually as she sat on a warm rock, checking her fishing gear.
"Not really," Sabo admitted, scratching the back of his neck. "My family didn't... we never did stuff like this."
Naru raised a brow but didn't push further. Instead, she nodded thoughtfully. "It can be a lot your first time. The noise of the waves, the salt in the air, all that space. But it's freeing too. Like the whole world opens up out there. You should give it a try."
Sabo was quiet for a while before turning to her, curiosity flickering in his eyes. "Do you always take care of them like this?"
"Who, those two maniacs?" Naru snorted, nodding toward the boys who were now splashing each other. "Of course I do. Someone has to, or they'd probably burn down the forest trying to cook breakfast."
That made Sabo laugh, his shoulders relaxing a little. "You really care about them."
"They're my family," Naru replied simply. After a short pause, she added, "And you're part of this group now too, whether you like it or not. You don't have to sit on the sidelines."
Her words hit him harder than he expected. Family. The word felt strange on his tongue, something both fragile and far away. His own family had never made him feel the way this chaotic bunch did.
Sabo smiled faintly, a quiet warmth spreading in his chest. "Thanks."
"Don't thank me yet," Naru said with a grin that was equal parts playful and challenging. "You still owe me a seafood catch."
While Naru rowed a small wooden boat farther out to cast her net, Ace came striding from the waves, dripping wet and looking energized. He made a straight path toward Sabo, water splashing around his feet.
"Why are you just standing there?" he demanded, raising his brows. "Don't tell me you can't swim."
"I, uh..." Sabo hesitated, rubbing the back of his neck. The deepest he had ever gone into a river was belly-button deep. He had fished before, thanks to hanging around this group, but always with a rod or traps. He had never caught something with his bare hands before, and certainly not in the open sea.
"Ha! I knew it!" Ace shouted triumphantly. "No wonder you never joined us in the river!"
Sabo opened his mouth to protest, but Ace had already grabbed his arm without hesitation.
"That settles it. I'm teaching you."
"Wait, what? Hold on a second!"
"Nope! No backing out now!" Ace said with gleeful determination as he dragged Sabo toward the waves. "Come on, it's easy! Even Luffy can do it! You just have to trust me!"
From her boat, Naru watched with an amused smile, her eyes sparkling as Sabo sputtered and flailed. But even as he complained, he did not truly resist.
Ace's relentless energy was like a tidal wave. It was overwhelming at first, yet impossible not to be swept along with. Before long, Sabo was waist-deep in the ocean, awkwardly copying Ace's exaggerated swimming motions.
"You're doing it!" Ace yelled, grinning from ear to ear.
Luffy, floating farther out, raised both arms and shouted, "Sabo! You're awesome!"
The fear began to fade. So did the self-consciousness. In their place bloomed something Sabo had not felt in years.
It was a pure, unfiltered joy. The water was cool and refreshing, the sun warm on his back, and for once, no one was judging him or expecting perfection. He was simply a boy in the sea, learning how to live.
By the time they were done, the sun had started to dip and their baskets were full. They had caught clams, crabs, and a few fat fish. Ace and Luffy carried most of the spoils, proudly bragging about their haul like seasoned hunters returning from a victorious hunt.
Sabo trailed behind with a smaller basket, but he held it with both hands and a quiet pride. He had not caught much, yet what he did have was entirely his own.
As they made their way back through the forest, Sabo's thoughts drifted like leaves carried by the wind, stirred by fragments of memory from a life that felt distant, as though it had belonged to someone else. The grandeur of his family's estate, polished to a shine so perfect it almost hurt to look at, stood in painful contrast to the earthy warmth around him now. That sterile perfection had never brought peace, only suffocating silence.
Every meal in that house had been a performance of manners and invisible tension, a quiet war waged with silver utensils. The only sounds allowed were the soft clink of cutlery and the rustle of fine fabric, never laughter, never joy. Words were scarce and often wrapped in disapproval. Praise was a foreign thing, whispered about but never truly seen. Even now, the echo of his parents' sharp, controlled voices haunted him.
Sit upright.
Speak only when addressed.
That is not good enough.
Do better.
And yet, the warmth he felt with the Dadan Family now was like stepping into sunlight after years of cold shadow. There was no script here, no rigid choreography to follow. Meals were not quiet rituals, but they were wild celebrations. Laughter came in bursts, teasing was affection in disguise, and arguments over the last piece of meat were practically sacred tradition. The air thrummed with life as voices overlapping, jokes flying, and the occasional crash of someone (usually Luffy) falling out of their seat in spectacular fashion.
Sabo found himself marveling at how all that chaos, all that noise, somehow made everything feel wonderfully alive.
Even the forest seemed to mirror that change. It buzzed with cicadas, whispered with the sway of leaves, and carried the steady music of unseen creatures going about their evening routines. Each step reminded him that this place, untamed and unpredictable, was now his reality. For the first time in what felt like forever, Sabo was not suffocating beneath expectations built from noble blood.
Here, he could finally breathe.
As the hideout came into view, a ramshackle assembly of wooden planks and childhood dreams, Sabo slowed his pace. It was neither elegant nor grand, but it felt more like home than any chandelier-lit mansion ever had. Ace and Luffy rushed ahead, whooping and hollering, their energy boundless. Even Naru's steps quickened, light and sure. But Sabo lingered behind, his feet dragging slightly, weighed down by emotions swirling in his chest.
Gratitude, hope, and something he had not yet found the courage to name.
It was Naru who noticed first. She stopped and turned back toward him, her expression calm but curious, a quiet strength glowing behind her eyes.
"What's on your mind, Sabo?" she asked softly, her voice laced with an open sincerity that made it hard to hide.
He gripped his basket a little tighter. Words formed in his throat, trembling on the edge of release. Speaking them felt like stepping off a cliff, but still, he took the leap. "I… I think I want to stay."
The words were barely above a whisper, yet they carried a weight that shook him from within. Saying them made the feeling real.
Naru's gaze softened immediately, warm and steady. "You're always welcome here, Sabo."
"Really?" he asked, voice uncertain. "Even though I'm…" He trailed off, unable to define himself anymore. A runaway noble? A lost boy with no place to belong? A pretender trying to fit into someone else's life? None of those labels felt right.
"Even though you are you," Naru said simply, but with a firmness that allowed no doubt. "And that's enough."
She glanced toward the noise ahead, where Ace and Luffy were still wrestling like a pair of overexcited puppies. A fond smile curved her lips. "Those two would be thrilled to have another partner in crime stick around. They like you, Sabo. It's plain as day."
A lump rose in Sabo's throat, sudden and tight. Her words cut through him, not like a blade, but like light breaking through clouds. He swallowed hard, emotion swelling in his chest like a tide he could not hold back. "Thanks, Naru," he said quietly, his voice heavy with meaning.
By the time they stepped into the hideout, the familiar chaos had already taken over. The Dadan Family was in full swing, loud and gloriously unrestrained. Luffy was in the middle of an impassioned retelling of their latest adventure, waving his arms dramatically and nearly toppling over with every word. Ace kept interrupting, correcting details, or rather, stealing the spotlight, with his own exaggerated version that somehow always cast him as the hero.
Their voices clashed and tangled, yet no one tried to quiet them. It was a sound that belonged here, a wild, living rhythm that filled the walls with life.
Sabo paused in the doorway, soaking all the laughter, the smoke, the scent of roasted meat, the pulse of belonging that hummed through the air. It was messy and loud and utterly perfect.
"Oi, Sabo!" Ace shouted, waving him over. "Don't just stand there like a statue! Come tell Dadan how useless Luffy was today!"
"I was not useless!" Luffy protested with an indignant pout. "I carried the big thing!"
"And then tripped over your own feet," Ace shot back, smirking.
"Shishishi! That was part of my plan!" Luffy cackled, completely unbothered.
Sabo laughed, the sound slipping out before he could stop it. He moved closer and dropped down beside them, letting their energy wrap around him like a warm blanket. For the first time in years, maybe ever, he felt steady. He felt seen. He felt like he was exactly where he was meant to be.
That evening, as the sun melted into the horizon and painted the sky in molten gold and cotton-candy hues, the family gathered around the crackling fire. Dinner was humble but hearty, a comforting mix of roasted meat and foraged vegetables seasoned with whatever herbs they had managed to find. The aroma alone was enough to make everyone's stomach growl.
Sabo sat with his bowl in hand, laughing along with the others as stories and jokes were passed around like precious treasures. Dadan complained loudly about how fast they went through food, but her voice was thick with affection beneath the gruffness.
Across the fire, Sabo's gaze found Naru again. She leaned back on her hands, watching the boys with a calm, contented smile. When their eyes met, hers sparkled knowingly, as though she could read the words he had not yet spoken.
You're one of us now, her expression seemed to say.
And she was right. Ace and Luffy didn't treat him like a guest. They treated him like he had always been there, like his presence was something natural, inevitable. The Dadan Family, with all their rough edges, laughter, and chaos, had given him something he had long believed he could never have.
The freedom to simply exist as himself.
As the first stars blinked awake above the treetops and the firelight danced in the clearing, Sabo leaned back and exhaled, a deep, satisfied breath from somewhere deep in his soul. He didn't need to say a single word. He didn't need grand declarations or promises.
He was not just passing through anymore.
For the first time in a very long time, Sabo truly felt that he belonged.