【One Piece】Dawn in the Darkness

"Sabo, are you even listening to me?" Lucci looked at Sabo, who had been inexplicably laughing ever since they met. Was this kid stupid? Or was this bastard actually laughing at him in his current state? Thinking of this, Lucci instantly lost his composure and glared angrily at Sabo, "Can you please stop laughing?"

Seeing the doll glaring at him with an almost resentful look, Sabo's heart skipped a beat. How could it be so cute? Every little expression on the doll's face made him feel adorable.

Sabo's fingertips twitched slightly, wanting to reach for the camera Den Den Mushi he was using to take pictures, but seeing the displeasure on the doll's face, Sabo reluctantly stopped himself from taking a picture of the little guy. He had a premonition that if he did this in front of it under these circumstances, it would be very angry and difficult to appease.

"Sabo!!" Lucci shouted again. Seeing his brother still staring blankly at him, Lucci finally couldn't help but wonder if his brother had hit his head again. Last time he had amnesia, could he have been driven mad by the impact this time? Otherwise, he wouldn't be unable to understand what he was saying! How many times had he called him!

Sensing the anger in the shout, Sabo chuckled and scratched his head, realizing he couldn't afford to be distracted anymore. Sabo coughed lightly, controlling his wandering thoughts, and began to seriously consider the current situation.

First of all, how could the blonde doll he'd been chasing for so long possibly know him? And then it seemed very familiar with him, as if it knew him.

But he was certain he had never seen it before today, nor did he know it. If he had seen it before today, he would have definitely taken it back.

Secondly, his own behavior was a bit off. Even though he had never seen it before and had no related memories, he was acting a bit too excited.

Although the doll is indeed very cute, he has never shown any particular liking for cotton dolls before, so we can rule out the possibility that his fondness for it stems from its adorable appearance.

Sabo frowned. Only Ace and Luffy could give him this feeling; only when he was with them did he feel such a fullness of love in his heart.

"What's your name?" Sabo bent down, picked up the cotton doll standing on the junk box, and asked softly with a gentle smile.

Upon hearing Sabo's words, Lucci, who had been struggling to jump off Sabo's arms, was stunned. No, this kid was acting so strangely, and now he actually said he didn't recognize him.

Lucci really wanted to roll his eyes, but it was obvious that his cotton doll body wouldn't allow him to make such a difficult expression. In the end, Lucci just sighed and looked at Sabo speechlessly.

"Are you an idiot? Sabo, it's me, Lucci! You've been acting so strangely, and after all I've said, you're telling me you don't recognize me! Then why didn't you have a single question when you saw my body?"

“But I…” Sabo’s eyes were blank. Although he was unwilling to admit it, he really did not have this name or the doll in his memory. “I have never heard of this name.”

"Huh?" Lucci looked at Sabo in shock. "Sabo, you don't recognize me?"

“I’ve never seen you before, nor have I ever heard of this name.” After he said this, Sabo saw Cotton Doll’s already large eyes widen instantly, as if he had heard something incredible. So he tried to ask in the most reassuring tone, “How do you know my name?”

Sabo was also confused. Judging from his own behavior and the cotton doll's attitude towards him, they at least knew each other.

Moreover, he didn't sense a single lie in the doll's tone and body language, and he was always very accurate in judging truth from falsehood. Furthermore, the cotton doll's joy and the genuine emotions it displayed couldn't possibly be fake. Sabo frowned; they must be connected.

Judging from the doll's behavior, their relationship should be very close. The only confusing point is that he really doesn't have this name in his memory, nor is there anything related to it. Sabo is certain that he has not recently lost his memory.

"Sabo, are you kidding me?" Lucci asked incredulously, completely baffled by Sabo's words. What did he mean by not recognizing him or having never heard of him? This kid must have hit his head.

Thinking of this, Lucci immediately put his arm around Sabo's neck and pulled his head down. Sabo's top hat tilted to one side with the movement. "Did you hit your head and become stupid? It's only been two days, and you're saying you don't recognize me?"

Sabo straightened the crooked hat but did nothing else, simply letting the doll examine his head; he could feel that it was genuinely worried about him.

Sabo instinctively reached out and supported its back, closing his eyes and burying his face in the doll's soft belly. He suddenly felt very satisfied, and his anxious heart calmed down. He gently nuzzled it before answering, "I didn't hit my head."

"Then why don't you remember me? And your behavior is a bit strange. You say you don't know me, but your actions don't seem to say that..." Hearing Sabo's words, Lucci tried to put the hat back on Sabo, but... Lucci frowned and stared at Sabo, who had buried his face in his arms, with a puzzled look.

Lucci pulled his body away from Sabo, looking at Sabo who kept trying to bury his face in him, feeling both puzzled and worried.

The sudden silence finally made Sabo lift his face from the doll's belly. Looking at the thoughtful and somewhat worried expression on its face, he was somewhat lost in thought, as if he had never seen it show him such an expression before. No, he had never seen it before, Sabo thought to himself. He was brought back to his senses when he heard the doll's increasingly worried guesses.

"Sabo, do you feel unwell, or is something wrong?" Lucci finally asked, looking at Sabo with some concern. Thinking of Sabo's previous amnesia, he asked again, "Or is it because the brain injury that caused your amnesia has caused problems again?"

“No.” Sabo smiled as he looked at the worry on the doll’s face and tried to answer in a calm tone, “I’m not sick, and I don’t feel unwell. I don’t know why, but I feel happy whenever I see you.”

Seeing the doll lost in thought again, Sabo's gaze involuntarily fell on the beautiful blonde hair. His fingers twitched slightly, and he could no longer restrain himself, reaching out to stroke it.

Sabo stared intently at it, admiring how beautiful it looked in his hand, as if he had grasped something precious that had slipped through his fingers sometime earlier.

Sabo's eyes revealed a tenderness and intoxication that even he himself was unaware of, while the only person who could see them was now lost in thought with his head down.