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How to Take Care of your Older-Turned-Younger Brother

http://archiveofourown.org/works/90121136

On Tumblr and AO3

Fandom: One Piece Characters: Monkey D. Luffy, Portgas D. Ace, Sabo, Strawhats, Dadan Content: Angst, Chronic Pain, bullshit time travel that doesn't get explained, protective and loving siblings, dressrosa spoilers, 3rd person POVs for Luffy, Ace, and Sabo, angst and fluff Wordcount: 8,573

There's a stowaway on the Thousand Sunny, one that's seemingly been hiding out for days given how long ago they set sail from the last island. He picks fights and talks back, and nobody seems to know who he is. Except for Luffy.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Early afternoon baked the deck of the Thousand Sunny, the Straw Hats scattered across it. Everyone was in their usual spot, which left Luffy perched on top of the Sunny's figurehead. The wood was warm, almost painfully so, but Luffy didn't mind. Staring out at the horizon, waiting to see what came next overpowered any other physical discomforts.

Well, they usually did.

A throbbing, itching pain started building in his chest. It wasn't anything new. He'd felt it a lot over the past two years, started out screaming with the agony it had brought before, but now it was just a reminder. He absently scratched at his scarred skin.

One of the inside doors burst open and Luffy turned to see Brook scurrying over to Franky's side at the helm.

"Does the Sunny happen to have a brig?" He asked, whispering way too loud for the conversation to be secret.

"A brig?" Franky raised his eyebrows. "No way. We don't usually take hostages, you know that. And any time we do we just leave them on deck."

"Is something wrong?" Luffy stretched his neck out around the Sunny's mane, looking upside-down at Brook and Franky.

Brook cleared his throat and folded his hands behind his back. "Captain, I'm afraid we have a stowaway."

Luffy felt his eyes go wide. He snapped his neck back into place and climbed off the figurehead, landing in front of the two. "Who would stowaway on a pirate ship?"

"Someone pretty desperate, I'd say," Franky said. "You want some backup down there?"

"Indeed," Brook said. "Captain?"

"Where'd you see this?" Luffy asked.

"Down in Bay Four. I heard something fall over and there was someone in there."

Luffy jumped over the railing, rolling onto the lawn and raced inside. He heard Sanji let out a tired sigh as he passed—he was pretty hungry, but figuring out who was on the Sunny took priority—and hurried into the downstairs hall.

Brook caught up just as Luffy reached the docking bays. He didn't plan on waiting, so he opened the Bay Four door and flicked on the light.

A shallow pool of water sat in the middle of the floor from the last time the bay opened, a few crates and tools scattered around, a half-finished project of Franky's hidden under a sheet.

"You're sure it was Bay Four?" Luffy took a step inside.

"I am," Brook replied, his bony hand already grasping his cane, ready to draw his sword. "I only caught a glimpse of a face before I came to find you."

Luffy nodded and looked around again—even under the sheet. "I think whoever it was ran off."

"Then they're still on board! What if they attack someone?"

Luffy turned, ready to give the order to search the ship, when something slammed into the back of his head. It didn't hurt of course—he was rubber and the attack clearly hadn't held any Haki—but he stumbled anyway, reflexively reaching for the spot. Brook let out a screech as he was knocked to the ground, light, fast footsteps quieting down the hall. Luffy let out a growl and jumped over Brook's recovering form.

From what he could see in the lower deck's dim lighting, their stowaway was a little kid, bare-footed and scrawny. He had one of Franky's hammers clutched in his hand, and ran like his life depended on it.

He tripped on his way up the stairs and Luffy shot his arm out a few dozen feet as the kid looked behind with wide eyes. Before he could run, Luffy had pinned him to the stairs with one hand, and was pulling his hat onto his head with the other.

"Why are you on my ship?" Luffy asked, cocking his head to the side.

The kid gasped for breath and clutched the hammer tight in his hand, then swung the claw hard onto Luffy's arm. It bounced off and the front bit struck the kid's nose. He dropped it with a heavy thud and covered his face, glaring at Luffy through his fingertips.

"Don't do that!" Luffy took his hand off his shoulder and moved to lean over the kid. "I've got a doctor on board, but you have to answer my questions when I take you there, okay?"

"Screw you," The kid shoved Luffy with one hand, but it didn't even make him stumble like last time. "I don't need your help!"

"Then why are you on my ship?!"

He glared again and looked away, taking one hand from his face, small, brown eyes going wide when he saw the amount of blood coating his palm.

"Fine," Luffy said, squeezing past him on the stairs. "We'll drop you at the next island unless you give a good reason for being here. A stowaway means more people to feed, which means there's less food for me, got it?"

The kid kept glaring. Must be his favorite expression. "Heartless asshole."

Luffy grumbled but continued up the stairs. His heart belonged to everyone who deserved it. Mostly Nami, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Brook, and Franky, but there were others. Like Dadan, Makino, Sabo. Shanks.

Ace.

Luffy didn't care if the kid thought he was heartless, he just wanted to know if the reason he was here was something that would lead to a fun time with the crew, or a fight with some asshole. If he just needed a ride to the next island, that was fine too, but they were pirates. The Marines could attack at any time, and in the New World, the Emperors could be around any corner. This wasn't a safe place for someone as little as he was.

Unless he had a Devil Fruit or something, but he'd decided to use a hammer instead of any powers, so that was out of the question. For now.

The throbbing grew in Luffy's chest and he paused, placing his hand on the stiff skin of his chest. It would be fine, it flared up like this sometimes—usually around this time each day, too—some days were better and some were worse.

He'd felt worse pain than this. When Crocodile had stabbed him, after his fight with Lucci, even being soaked in poison in Impel Down had hurt more. Still, right now this was worse than them all. He threw his hand onto the wall for balance and clutched at the skin, rough and tight.

"Let go of me!" The kid was shouting. Luffy glanced up through half-lidded eyes as Brook limped up the stairs with the boy tucked under one arm like a potato sack. He was punching with one hand and still covering his bloody nose with the other. "You freak! I'll break your other leg!"

"That's just rude," Brook sighed, then turned to Luffy. "Are… you alright?"

Luffy nodded and took a few breaths. Rayleigh had told him that relaxing himself could help with the pain most times. The crew had all seen Luffy on his good days, his mild days, and the bad ones—ones where he couldn't bring himself to move from his hammock, when Chopper needed to bring him medications that made him feel weird. Like he was locked off from the world around him. When he took them he couldn't sleep, his body desperate to move despite the heaviness of his limbs.

He didn't want those. He wanted to remain his cheery and light self. To be free.

"Yep. Small flare-up," He smiled. "Not even an eight on Chopper's scale."

The kid grunted and kicked into the bend of Brook's knee. They both dropped to the ground and the kid pushed past them. He disappeared down the hall while Luffy gave chase. He'd end up on the deck soon and the rest of the crew could help catch him.

Maybe Sanji could ask the questions. The kid clearly didn't like Luffy, but maybe a hot meal would help him open up. Especially if it was one of Sanji's.

Shouts came from the deck, and Luffy glanced over his shoulder to see Brook was managing to keep up. Once Luffy ran back out into the light, the kid had already been cornered by the mast. His bloody fists were raised, ready for a fight, and the rest of the crew stood a few feet away in a circle, ready to grab him if needed.

"Who are you?" Nami asked gently, taking a careful step forward from his right. The kid glared at her, too, and pressed his back against the mast. "We aren't going to hurt you, okay?"

"How'd he break his nose?" Franky asked. "Captain, you do that?"

"Nah," Luffy placed his hands behind his head as he stepped into the circle around the kid. "He hit me with a hammer and it bounced back."

The kid just kept glaring, growled, and charged right at Luffy. He slammed into his waist and knocked him to the ground. None of the punches to his face hurt, they barely phased Luffy, He rolled his eyes and caught both of the kid's bloodied hands, holding them away from his face.

"Just tell us why you're here already!" Luffy said. "You don't have to beat me up about it."

The kid was gasping for breath again, but instead of glaring, he just squeezed his eyes shut and tears slipped from between his eyelids.

"I don't know why I'm here," He said. "I don't know where here is! I just—I just want to go home. I want my brothers back."

It wasn't a glare as he cried, but his brows were furrowed and teeth clenched tight. His small hands shook and looking at him, memories that Luffy didn't even remember having surfaced.

Ace leaning on his shoulder, crying as all he could do was whisper words of thanks. Luffy started shaking too as he looked at the pudgy face and freckles he hadn't seen in years—that he had started to forget.

It was the little boy's tears and bloody nose, tracks dripping down his chin and neck, that made Luffy realize who he was—he didn't know what was going on at all, he couldn't begin to guess.

He really didn't like how he only managed to recognize Ace when he was hurt and crying.

"Chopper!" Luffy shouted. "Help with his nose!"

"On it!" Chopper place a hoof on Ace's shoulder, but he flinched away and sat against the mast again, making himself smaller.

He was still shaking, holding back his tears but still sniffling. He cast a glare at the Straw Hats. "Nobody touches me until you tell me where my little brothers are!"

Luffy wasn't sure what to say, he wasn't even sure he could move. The others hadn't realized who this was, they were still apprehensive.

"Your brothers aren't on board the Sunny," Nami explained. "How about you let Chopper fix you up and we can figure out where you were before all this, okay?"

"Good idea," Sanji added. "I'll make something for you to eat while that happens. We've been at sea for a few days, and I know you haven't been sneaking into the pantry. At least you're better than our captain."

"Sanji!" Luffy pouted. "I was hungry!"

"We've got a kid who hasn't eaten in days and hasn't stolen our food, so until he isn't hungry, you're not getting anything more than the usual serving."

Luffy looked back at Ace, his fists balled up in the grass, knuckles bruised and split open. He'd only ever seen him afraid once, and it was back… then. But he was shaking now, and so much smaller than he'd been. Luffy nodded once and sat up.

"Franky, back to the helm," Luffy ordered. "Nami, find somewhere we can stock up on extra supplies for him."

"He'll need a proper place to sleep," Robin pointed out. "Usopp, come help me find some space."

"We can set up a new hammock," Usopp suggested as he followed Robin into the bunk room. "Brook! Come find spare blankets!"

Brook gave a small yohoho laugh and started after them. "Of course!"

"Hey," Zoro crouched a few feet from Ace, hand resting on his swords. "What's your name?"

Ace glanced at him, then scooted a few inches away.

"You're scaring him!" Luffy stood and grabbed the back of Zoro's shirt. "Be nice!"

"I was!"

"The three swords might be it," Chopper suggested as he returned with his medical bag. "The resting bitch face definitely doesn't help."

"I heard that!" Robin called from the bunk room.

"Zoro does have a resting bitch face!"

After a bit more bickering, Chopper and Luffy convinced Zoro to go help Robin and the others with setting up a bed. There wasn't much to do for Ace's nose, other than wipe the blood off and plug his nostrils with tissues. It was bruised, but not severely broken. One of his teeth had been knocked loose. The left canine, Chopper had said. It got pulled as quickly as they could do it.

"I'm going to get some spare bandages for your knuckles," Chopper said. "Stay here."

"Like I could go anywhere!" Ace snapped.

Luffy stayed. The rest of the crew had dispersed, and some part of him wondered if he was wrong, that maybe this wasn't his brother, just some kid that looked like him. But no, deep in Luffy's heart and soul, he knew this was him. Not a ghost or an imposter. He pulled his black coat off and wrapped it around Ace's shoulders.

"What are you doing?"

"Blankets usually help me when I'm scared or hurt," Luffy explained. "All the blankets are in the cabin, so you get my coat."

"Why do you care? As far as you know, I snuck onto your ship and am here to steal all your precious food! I attacked you! By all rights you should throw me overboard! Or are you just a shitty pirate who doesn't know what he's doing?"

"Shitty?!" Luffy crossed his arms. "I'll have you know I'm on my way to be King of the Pirates!"

Ace scoffed.

"What's so funny?"

"My brother's gonna kick your ass one day. He's the real King of the Pirates."

"Oh yeah? How do you know I'm not your brother?"

"Cause Luffy's seven! I'm ten! You're like… thirty."

Luffy felt like shriveling up. "I'm only nineteen!"

Ace looked him up and down, then cringed. "Really?"

He pulled his hat off and shoved it down on Ace's head. "You wanna know where your brothers are, right?"

"Do you know?" Ace sat up a bit straighter, but didn't drop his guard. "Did you kidnap them? Are they hurt?!"

"Calm down, look at me," Luffy said. Ace glared, his eyes watering up again, which made him look down at the grass of the deck. Luffy grabbed his face in one rough and scarred hand and gently brought him to meet his gaze. "Ace, look at me."

Ace gasped and pulled away. "What did you call me?"

"Portgas D. Ace."

"Portgas? That's my mom's name."

"You recognize me, right?"

Ace squinted, then wiped his eyes with his thumb. "Kinda, but… the person you look like is way younger than you. Like I said, he's seven."

"Yeah, I was seven twelve years ago! I'm Luffy!"

"No, my brother's shorter than me! And he can't swim! He also doesn't have any friends aside from me and Sabo, and—and he's got—" Ace blinked and absently put a hand on top of the hat on his head. "A—a straw hat… and a scar under… his eye…"

Luffy smiled, Ace just backed away, glaring again. "What did you do to him?!"

Luffy groaned and threw his head back. "I told you! I'm Luffy, your brother!"

"No! Prove it!"

Luffy crossed his arms and sighed. "After Sabo's accident you made me a promise. Remember?"

"Accident?" Ace's eyes shot wide and he grabbed Luffy's shoulders. "Is he okay?! What happened?"

"You don't know?"

Ace shook his head. Maybe he was too young to know what happened to Sabo. If he'd known about the accident, he wouldn't have asked where he was, right?

"Look, Sabo's okay now, and I'm your brother. Got it?"

"You still haven't proven it," Ace crossed his arms and sat back down.

"You dad's Gold Roger. Sabo told me. Good enough?"

He just stared wide-eyed at Luffy. Small footsteps approached, and Chopper sat beside Ace. Luffy watched as Chopper dabbed disinfectant over Ace's knuckles, his brother wincing at the pain. He clenched his teeth and fists, his brother shouldn't be hurt ever again.

Chopper gave him a concerned look that he brushed off with a smile. Then he climbed to his feet and hurried up to the kitchen where their Transponder Snail sat by the door.

Usually Luffy was picking up calls, they never sent any out, but they still had a list of people who they could contact for help if needed. Most of the numbers belonged to the members of the Straw Hat Alliance—nobody would let him burn them—but a few were for other friends.

Sanji glanced over from where he was at the stove. Luffy took a careful breath as he punched in the numbers. He hadn't spoken to Sabo since everything happened on Dressrosa. With everything going on, they didn't even get to say goodbye.

The snail puttered on for a minute before letting out a small ca-lick.

"Who's calling?"

"Hey, Sabo," Luffy started. "It's me. I need some… advice."

"Luffy? Since when do you need advice? And from me?"

"Something weird's going on and I don't know what to do about it," His voice trembled. He was supposed to be a captain, one who always knew what the next step was, and now for some reason his mind was blank aside from his memories of Ace, who had died. Who was sitting on the deck at ten years old. "Can you come to the Sunny?"

Sabo inhaled slowly. Luffy knew he was busy but that didn't mean that right now his big brother was the only person he could think of who could do anything about his other big brother who was now his little brother and somehow not dead.

"What's going on?"

"I have no idea. It's… it's Ace."

"Ace?"

"Yeah something happened. And now… can you just come here? I don't know what to do."

"Of course. Anything for you."

The snail clicked off and Luffy placed the receiver back into the shell. Sanji stood at the counter now, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. The food sizzling on the stove smelled so good, and Luffy had half a mind to go scoop up a few mouthfuls—but Ace needed it more right now.

"How's lunch coming?" He asked, moving past Sanji to look at the jumble of fried rice and chopped veggies. "Almost done?"

"That's Ace out on the deck?!"

"Yeah. Like you said he's probably really hungry so—"

"But Ace died. The War of the Best and everything, don't you remem—" He cut himself off and put a hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Look, are you sure it's Ace and not some kid who just looked like him? How would he be alive—as a kid, even?"

"He's my brother," Luffy stated, his vision blurring. The pain in his chest was rearing its head again, squeezing tight on his heart. "Do you have any ideas, Sanji? Do you think someone brought him back?"

"I—well, if they brought him back, wouldn't he be an adult? Besides, I studied Devil Fruits when I was younger, none of them would let someone else come back from the dead."

"Brook's did!"

"Brook can't bring other people back. Plus, if he brought your brother back to life, wouldn't he have told you?"

Luffy nodded and spun around, throwing himself around Sanji and burying his face in his jacket. "What do I do? I don't know how to be a big brother!"

"You think I know?" Sanji scoffed, then got quiet. Luffy looked up to see a distant, almost sad gaze in his eyes. "The food's going to burn, let's go."

Ace was alone by the mast when they emerged, everyone still working on the tasks Luffy had passed out. He and Sanji made their way over. Turned out, Ace had fallen asleep, and was lightly snoring. Luffy shook him awake.

"You're really Luffy?" He asked as Sanji handed the bowl of fried rice over.

"Yep."

"And you're a pirate now?"

"Mhm."

For the first time that day, Ace smiled wide. He gave Luffy's arm a light punch. "Who knew you'd be the first of us to do it?"

"Actually, I think you were the first," Sanji said. "You were already a pirate back in Alabasta."

"Alabasta?"

"Long story. Eat up, okay?"

As the minutes passed and Ace ate, Luffy's chest burned harder. Itches crawled under the surface of his skin, only got worse the more he scratched. It grew and burned like the day he'd gotten it and every time he moved while recovering.

It wasn't because Ace was somehow here, he knew that logically. He'd had days like this countless times over the past two years. Still he pulled at the tight skin hoping that'd make it stop.

Luffy wasn't that lucky. He hissed as another wave pulsed through his body, teeth clenched in an attempt not to cry out because if Ace freaked out, then Luffy might freak out and right now, as the older brother, it was Luffy's job to make sure everything was okay. Or at least to make his younger brother think everything was okay even when it wasn't.

"Luffy?" Ace asked, setting his bowl aside quickly and jumping in front of him, hands on his shoulders. "Luffy! What's wrong?"

He smiled at Ace, as wide as he could muster. "Nothing. Promise."

Ace took a step back, looking around at the empty lawn. From where he sat, Luffy could see Usopp and Brook moving around in the bunk room. Robin was up in her garden, plucking a handful of flowers. The ones downstairs were wilting.

"Let me go introduce you to everyone, okay? They're great."

Ace pouted and Luffy ruffled his hair a bit before opening his eyes to the ceiling of the bunk room. Usopp, Brook, Chopper, Robin, and Nami leaned over him with fear over their faces. Nami squeezed his left hand, Usopp his right, and Chopper shined a small light into Luffy's eyes. He winced and turned away.

He'd been outside with Ace. Panic shot through his body as he jolted up and started scrambling to his feet. Had it all been a dream? He didn't want to lose him again, he couldn't handle that!

"Hey, take it easy," Usopp put a hand on Luffy's shoulder trying to keep him on the ground. Luffy gripped his wrist on reflex, but stopped when everyone else put their hands on his arms and eased him to sit on the ground. "You okay?"

He was gasping, hands shaking. There wasn't enough air in the room. He felt like he was back on Amazon Lily.

"Ace," He choked. "Where's Ace?"

"Your brother?" Nami asked, glancing at the others. She bit her lip and blinked a few times. "Luffy, he—"

He's dead. It was a dream. One good to live in but horrible to wake up from. His brother was dead.

His big brother was dead.

A weight slammed into Luffy's back and two small arms wrapped around his shoulders. Someone sobbed into his shoulder, and Luffy felt like he was going to start crying too. The arms squeezed tighter. "I'm here."

The already quiet room went dead silent. That moment in Marineford had been so quiet, hadn't it—

"Huh?" Usopp blurted.

Luffy spun around and scooped Ace into his arms. He felt his heartbeat through his shirt, strong and steady. He kept one hand braced on his back, the other held his head gently. Ace was crying into Luffy's shoulder, and Luffy squeezed his eyes shut. If he opened them he worried his hands would be bloody, that Ace's back would be burnt with a hole through it.

"That's not Ace," Usopp said.

"Yeah," Chopper added. "You know what happened, Luffy."

He hugged tighter.

"I thought your brother was older than you," Brook stated. "Do you have a second brother named Ace or…?"

Ace grumbled and Luffy heard everyone shuffle a few inches away.

"Okay that's a very familiar glare," Usopp said. "Welcome back Ace!"

"Hold on," Nami said. "What's going on here? There's no way that's Luffy's brother! We all know what happened!"

Chopper cleared his throat and put one hoof on Luffy's shoulder. "Um, Ace? I need to make sure Luffy's alright."

Slowly, Ace pulled away, and Luffy kept his focus on the way he moved. He didn't fall, just sat with his knees to his chest as he wiped his eyes. Chopper checked over Luffy's body for any physical injuries, then frowned at him.

"Any other pain that I wouldn't know about?" He crossed his arms.

"Nothing," Luffy said. "Everything's so weird right now. That's it."

"He—" Ace coughed once. "He was clutching at his chest before he fell over."

"You narc!" Luffy tackled him and Ace returned a quick kick to his gut. Luffy rolled to the side and pushed himself up, ready to throw a punch, but stopped. Maybe if he was smaller or if Ace was bigger he would. Right now, he'd risk hurting him for real. He settled for a light smack on the back of his head. "I'm fine, okay?"

"I'm getting your medicine," Chopper sighed. "And if you don't take it I'm gonna make Sanji do that thing that pet owners do. With the peanut butter."

"Oh come on," Luffy groaned. "Just get me one of the basic painkillers. I don't need the big stuff. I'm better now, I promise."

"Luffy," Ace stood and frowned at him. "Are you lying?"

"No!"

They stared at each other for a few long moments before Ace turned to Chopper. "He's better. Give him the medicine anyway."

After a few minutes of back and forth, Luffy was given one of the lighter painkillers—he didn't want to be shoved into a shell of himself when Ace needed him right now—and the crew gathered up for lunchtime. The rest of the rice was split between the nine of them, and Ace still had some left in his bowl from earlier.

The five who had been present when Luffy woke up kept throwing glances over at him, and Sanji kept looking over at Ace, who must not have learned his manners from Makino yet. Clumps of rice fell from his mouth and stuck to his cheeks, he leaned hard on his elbows and was practically shoving his face into the rim of the bowl.

"So what's with the kid?" Zoro asked. "We just giving him a lift or what?"

"Nope," Luffy said. "We're gonna keep him around."

"Huh?!" Everyone—save for Robin and Brook—shouted.

Robin leaned forward, resting her head in one hand. "Well, it does make sense, with him being Luffy's brother and all."

"What?!" They all called out

—save for the group that had been downstairs.

"Your crew's loud," Ace yawned.

Luffy laughed and pat his back. "That's what I love about them!"

The room fell quiet as everyone stared at Ace, who returned a glare and tight fists. Always looking for a fight, never backing down.

He should've backed down.

Luffy cleared his throat and stood. "Okay, fire off your questions!"

"Oh, I've got one!" Franky raised his hand. "How many brothers do you have?"

"Answer—two!"

"Are you sure that's really Ace? Like, really really sure?" Nami asked.

"Of course I am! Hey, Ace," Luffy tapped his shoulder. "Tell them who you live with."

"Dadan," Ace said. "Do you guys know Dadan?"

"Luffy talks about her," Nami replied. "Still, I have one question—"

"How the hell is your dead brother walking around the ship?" Zoro asked. "And why is he so young?"

The silence came back and Luffy tensed. He didn't mind Zoro's bluntness, he was thinking the same thing, but Ace didn't know he was supposed to be dead. He didn't know anything! And now he was staring at Luffy with a confused fear in his eyes.

"No clue," Luffy shrugged. "Okay, question time's over. Nami, how long until we can stop for supplies?"

"Should be tomorrow. There's a city on an upcoming island, but I couldn't tell you what time we'll make landfall."

"Good enough for me! Come on, Ace, let me give you a tour!"

They went to every corner of the Sunny, and once everyone was back at their usual tasks and hobbies, Luffy gave introductions. It looked like Ace had at least started his manners lessons whenever he'd ended up on the Sunny, because he was polite and said 'nice to meet you' each time.

Despite what Zoro had said earlier, Ace didn't seem the least bit upset when Luffy introduced them. Though, he had spotted Nami giving Zoro a firm talking to while he and Ace were up at the helm with Franky.

"Hey, Luffy?" Ace asked after they'd been sitting on the figurehead for a while.

"What's up?"

"Why am I here?"

"I dunno," Luffy leaned back on his hands and smiled. "I'm glad you are, though. I haven't seen you in ages."

"Am I a pirate, too?"

"Yep. One of the best. It's not often that two great crews meet up. It's usually something the government tries to prevent."

"We're just that dangerous together, huh?"

"You know it."

Ace pulled his knees to his chest again. "What did Zoro mean when he called me your dead brother?"

Luffy pushed his hat further down on Ace's head and grabbed his small, pudgy hand. "Cause you are. You died."

His lower lip trembled and he squeezed Luffy's hand tight. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Well, if you told me I was gonna die, I wouldn't be happy about it."

"I knew it was gonna happen eventually," Ace said. "I'm Gold Roger's son, they were gonna find out eventually. I've always known that—that I wouldn't die of old age or anything like that. They're gonna put me down just for existing."

"Don't you dare talk like that!" Luffy grabbed Ace's shoulders. "You got that? You are my brother, Ace! And I'm glad you were born!"

They stared at each other in silence until…

Ace threw his arms around Luffy's torso and started sobbing. He'd never been told that and it was in his last moments that Luffy had learned what everyone should have been saying to him all his life. Now the words were out there, and he meant them to the depths of his soul.

They sat there, Luffy holding Ace while he cried himself out. After a while, Ace slumped, his arms going slack around Luffy. He'd fallen asleep again, and Luffy carefully lifted him into his arms, his head lolling on his shoulder, one arm under his legs and the other gently rubbing his back.

"He alright?" Franky asked as they passed.

"Yeah." Luffy smiled "This was pretty normal when he was younger."

The hammock Usopp, Robin, and Brook had set up was against the opposite wall of all the other hammocks, and Luffy eased Ace into it. He pulled his coat off once more and tucked it around his body. It seemed to swallow him up with its size.

Luffy wasn't sure he was doing a good job at this. He really wished Sabo were here.

*****

Hours of following Luffy's Vivre Card brought Sabo to the middle of the sea in the New World. Karasu was getting tired, and Sabo was infinitely grateful to him for carrying him all this way. Dragon didn't seem to understand when Sabo said he was leaving. He couldn't really seem to comprehend dropping everything they were doing for one person, but Sabo couldn't imagine ignoring Luffy for anything. Maybe it was because Sabo had always known Luffy and Dragon never had.

Spotting the Thousand Sunny was a task in and of itself since it was night, but a few lanterns on the deck helped. Karasu started a nose dive and Sabo held tight to his hat, readying to jump. Once they were low enough, he leapt onto the grassy deck and rolled to his feet. Karasu perched on the railing, slowly reforming into his human form.

"What the hell?" Someone called out, and two spotlights shone onto Sabo. He winced and tried to block the light and see if anyone was over there. "Oh, it's Sabo! Hey man!"

"Franky? That you?"

"The one and only! What's up? Luffy call?"

"He said something about Ace," Sabo stated, clenching his fists. "How often do you guys talk about what happened?"

Franky made an uncomfortable sound and shut the spotlights off. Sabo blinked spots out of his eyes while Franky explained. "It's a tough topic around the ship. Even after we all met up again we didn't talk about it. That's why what happened today is so freaky."

"Where is he?"

"Asleep. Usually his night shift's before mine, but the rest of us decided that he can skip it tonight."

Sabo nodded and hurried off towards the bunks. Eight hung on the right wall, two empty. He quietly looked around and spotted an extra hammock in the far corner to the left, moonlight outlining Luffy's hat poking out from the fabric. He smiled and made his way over, crouching beside the hammock.

He gave Luffy a small shake, and his head lifted, but the face that looked up at Sabo's wasn't his little brother's. It belonged to a little kid, with big brown eyes, wide awake, and clinging to Luffy's side as he snored. His face was familiar, but Sabo couldn't place why.

Wait, Luffy had called him because of something about Ace. It'd been twelve years since Sabo last saw him like this, all of his pictures in the newspaper anymore showed him at twenty years old.

Sabo swallowed and stared at the kid. "Ace?"

His eyes narrowed as he kept looking at Sabo, then darted to his scar, his coat, his hat, then widened again and he smiled. "Sabo! You grew up too!"

"Yeah," He said. "I did. What are you doing here?"

Ace shrugged. "I can't sleep."

"That's nothing new," Sabo smiled.

Luffy stirred and Ace carefully climbed out of the hammock. He was wearing Luffy's hat and was wrapped up in a black coat. Sabo was reminded of all the old pictures of Roger he'd seen in his life, and decided not to mention them.

"You hungry?"

Ace nodded and grabbed Sabo's hand, dragging him outside and up the stairs to the kitchen. He couldn't quite reach the light, so Sabo turned it on while Ace climbed onto a barstool. He wasn't sure what was normal for the Straw Hat's fridge, but there seemed to be a few snacks, some bars of chocolate, leftover soup, fruits that weren't fresh anymore but weren't yet rotted away. Strawberries, bananas, peaches, and a whole watermelon the size of Sabo's head.

He decided on the bananas, took two from the bunch and set them on the counter while he scoured the cabinets for a plate so he could cut them up. Ace just picked at a splinter in the wood.

"Ace," He said eventually, taking a small, round plate from a cabinet and changing his search for a butter knife. What was he going to ask? He had so many questions that they overloaded his brain. The loudest one was—How?

"I know I'm supposed to be dead," Ace said simply. "Luffy told me."

Even as a kid, Ace never expected to live long. Ever since he got his memories back, Sabo had wondered if that ever changed. If he started looking forward to the next day, enjoying his life with the Whitebeard Pirates, maybe even forgetting for a moment how cursed he was.

Sabo peeled the bananas and started slicing them into small pieces.

"I see. How'd you end up on the Sunny?"

"Don't know," Ace shrugged. "I just woke up downstairs. For a bit, I thought all three of us were kidnapped."

"Dadan would burn this ship to ash if that were the case."

Ace chuckled and Sabo slid the plate of banana slices over to him. He ate a handful then blinked up at Sabo. "How is she?"

Sabo's mouth twitched in a smile. He'd checked in from a distance, never approaching or saying anything, but he'd seen how often she stayed in Makino's bar. Drinking. Always drinking. He wanted to visit, but the revolutionary army had priorities. The only thing that was more important to Sabo then that was Luffy.

Now it might have to include Ace.

The door slammed open, Sabo and Ace jumped to see who stood at the threshold. It wasn't someone Sabo had met before. On Dressrosa he'd met Franky and Zoro, sorta met Usopp—though he'd been asleep recovering from his injuries—and met Robin two years prior. That meant this guy was one of the crew members who'd stayed on the ship.

That left Cat Burglar Nami—a woman, not this guy—Soul King Brook, Cotton Candy Chopper, or Black Leg Sanji.

He glanced at the wanted posters hanging on the opposite wall.

"Something wrong, Black Leg?" Sabo asked. "We getting attacked?"

He took a few breaths and ran a hand over his face. "Nah, sorry. I just thought Luffy was raiding the fridge again."

Ace laughed. "Nope, just his brothers."

"I see where he gets it from." Sanji sighed and settled into one of the other barstools. "Couldn't sleep, huh?"

Ace shook his head.

"Luffy called me earlier," Sabo explained. "I came as fast as I could. Sorry I took so long."

"I had fun though," Ace smiled and ate another piece of banana. "I've never been on a pirate ship before! It's cool!"

"You should go tell Franky," Sanji pat Ace's head. "He built this whole thing from scratch."

"We helped a guy with his ship once," Ace said. "We didn't get to sail on it though."

The ship lurched and Franky yelled something from outside. Sanji was outside first, Sabo wanted to help, but he couldn't bear to leave Ace on his own right now. He decided the instant he jumped over the counter to scoop him into his arms. They were out the door in an instant, the rest of the Straw Hat crew stumbling out from the bunks. Nami and Robin came out from behind Sabo.

"What is it?" Usopp shouted. "Is there something out there?"

"Can't tell!" Franky replied, holding to one of the ratlines as two spotlights scanned the waters around the ship. "Something big, though."

"Is it a sea king?" Luffy asked, wide awake and looking over the edge of the ship. He turned with a smile bright as the light coming from Franky's… wait he wasn't holding a flashlight. Where… "Sanji! If I catch it can you make a late night snack?"

Sanji shook his head, but smiled. "'course I can, Captain. Need a hand?"

"Nope. Hey, Ace! Watch this!"

Ace scrambled out of Sabo's grip and ran down onto the lawn. He kept his eyes fixed on his older-turned-younger brother. Luffy was powerful enough to handle this quick, so there was no need to worry, but it didn't stop Sabo from doing so.

Karasu had taken his leave, and Sabo didn't mind. He planned on staying for a few more days.

"Gum gum—" Luffy shouted as something struck the side of the ship. He stumbled and toppled backwards onto the lawn. "Ow! Damn it!"

Ace laughed and rested his arm on Luffy's head. "You can't even handle the sea monster outside of town! You think you can deal with this one?"

Luffy pushed his hand away with a glare. "I knocked it out in one punch when I left home!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it!"

"That's back in the East Blue!"

"Hey, guys!" Nami called. "We still have something attacking the Sunny to deal with!"

Sabo leapt over the railing, rolling onto the lawn and jumping onto the edge of the ship. He clenched his fist tight and let flames lick up the side of his arm.

"Whoa!" Ace shouted, and Sabo felt him climb up and stand at his left. "That's cool!"

Sabo smiled at him and put a hand on the side of his head, holding him close to his side. He pulled his fist back, the flames growing, the sea lighting up to reveal a long snake-like shadow.

"Fire-fist!" He shouted, the flames shooting off his body and into the water. Ace turned to shield his face from the sudden upburst of steam.

"Did you get it?" Chopper asked, perched on Robin's shoulder as the crew gathered at the edge of the ship.

It struck the opposite side of the ship, nearly turning it on its side. The Straw Hats weren't unprepared for something like this. Half grabbed onto the ratlines with Franky and Luffy wrapped his arms around the rest. He even wrapped around Sabo despite the fact that he closed one hand around the ropes of the ratlines too.

Slowly, the Thousand Sunny righted itself.

"Everyone okay?" Luffy called.

"Seems like it," Nami replied. "Chopper?"

"Here!"

"I'm soaked to the bone!" Brook said. "Though, I only have bones, so…"

"Sabo?" Luffy looked up.

"All good," He smiled, then it fell. "Ace? You alright?"

The ship's silence sent chills through Sabo's whole body. He scrambled down the ratlines as Luffy climbed onto the edge of the ship.

"Franky!" He called. "Shine your nipple at the water!"

"On it!"

Sabo didn't bother questioning that when the spotlight came back. Even if Ace wasn't missing, he'd seen weirder.

"Does anyone see him?" Luffy's voice was on the edge of panic, a tone Sabo hadn't heard in years. Without his hat and black coat, he looked too small.

Sabo pulled his gloves off, followed by his cravat and cursed his expensive tastes. "I'll go in for him. Franky, keep those lights on! Everyone else, get as many more as you can find!"

"No way!" Luffy gave Sabo a shove. "You can't swim!"

"You can't—" Everyone called at once, but Luffy had already dove into the water. "—either."

"Whose turn it is to fish him out?" Zoro asked.

"He might die!" Sabo shouted. "Ace might too! Why are you talking about turns?"

"It's Luffy," Usopp shrugged.

"I believe it's Sanji's turn," Robin said.

"Always my turn to get him out," Sanji grumbled.

Sabo just turned his gaze back to the water, looking for any silhouettes.

*****

Ace thrashed, reaching and kicking for any kind of purchase to get back to the surface. Up or down, he didn't know what direction he was swimming. His foot landed on something hard and slippery, moving.

Mouth and eyes burned, but Ace grabbed onto the creature's fin. If it kept attacking Luffy's ship, then it would try again. It would surface to do it.

Something gripped his upper arm, and Ace tried to push it away, but it stayed firm. Felt like a hand. It pulled him away from the sea king and a wave of fear pulsed through him and the water.

They were heavy. Sinking.

Ace really hoped Luffy hadn't jumped in after him. He couldn't swim at seven years old, now he was so much bigger and older. Ace still wanted to protect him. He was still his little brother.

Whoever was holding to him wasn't trying to swim. Ace held back a cough for air and kicked, his hand tight on the fabric of a shirt. Luckily they weren't far from the surface, so Ace didn't have to swim dozens of feet to break the surface.

Two lights shone not far, the figurehead of the ship outlined by those and the moon. Ace raised one hand, struggling to stay afloat with Luffy's weight—he really had jumped in after him. He was heavy, groaning and barely awake.

"We're here!" Ace called, head slipping below the water. He forced his head up. Holding Luffy might have been easier if he was a kid. That didn't mean Ace was going to let his brother drown. "Sabo!"

He gasped, shivering.

"Sabo!"

A light erupted and shot across the water. Ace kept his hand outstretched, even when the weight of his clothes and Luffy started to pull him down. Ace took his biggest breath as he slipped under the water.

His outstretched hand was snatched, and he and Luffy were pulled from the water.

"Sorry I'm late," Sabo smiled as he turned upright and pulled Ace into one arm, Luffy draped over his opposite shoulder. "Hold tight now, it's gonna be a bumpy ride."

And it was, complete with the three of them rolling into a crash landing on the ship's deck. Luffy coughed water out and climbed onto his elbows. Sabo pat Ace's back firmly while the rest of Luffy's crew gathered around.

"What happened to the sea king?" Usopp asked.

Luffy panted a few times and glared out at the water. "I told it to get lost."

"Lets get you warmed up," Sanji helped Ace to his feet, Sabo moved to Luffy, and the four of them, plus Chopper, hurried into the kitchen.

They ate warm soup and were wrapped in fresh clothes and blankets. Ace shifted into Sabo's side as he sat between them. One arm wrapped around Luffy's shoulders, the other around Ace.

"He can't stay here," Luffy muttered. "It's not safe."

"Dragon won't take another kid in," Sabo said. "He lets me get away with a lot, but this… he wouldn't."

"Then where?"

Sabo squeezed Ace's shoulder, and he yawned. His eyes were getting heavy now that he wasn't afraid. His head pounded, and he just nestled deeper into Sabo's shirt.

"Hey, Ace?" Sabo nudged him, and Ace looked up. Sabo was smiling. He should have expected by now that his missing tooth would grow back in, but a complete smile wasn't something Ace was expecting from him.

The same hat, the same eyes, but one was scarred over. Burned. Did it have to do with that power he had now?

"Hm?"

"Do you wanna go say hi to Dadan?"

"You're just gonna leave me," Ace pushed away and crossed his arms. "Shouldn't be surprised."

"Hey," Sabo flicked his forehead. "We grew up. You're the one who came back to life."

"Hmph."

Sabo smiled softly. "I'll come visit. You'd rather stay with familiar faces, right?"

"How am I supposed to be a great pirate if I'm back home? I could sail with Luffy! I can fight!"

"No," Luffy said firmly. "Ace, you don't know about the Emperors. They're dangerous. They'll kill you."

"Ain't that the truth," Sanji leaned on the counter. "Big Mom's no joke, and I don't think she's going to let up on us next time we see her."

"Having you around," Luffy turned to look at Ace. "It's nice. I've missed this. But…"

Sanji left them alone, and Sabo squeezed Ace's shoulder again. "We don't want to lose you again."

Ace grumbled and clung tight to Sabo's shirt. "Why'd you guys have to grow up and be all responsible and stuff? That's my job."

Luffy laughed and moved to pat Ace's back. "We'll both come visit you with Dadan. Sabo will be closer, and I'll come back as soon as I'm King of the Pirates."

Ace smiled and elbowed Luffy. "Save one of those so-called Emperors for me. I'm gonna be a pirate just like you and Sabo."

"Oh, I'm not a pirate," Sabo said.

"What? But you always said—"

"Yeah… Has Luffy told you about my accident?"

"Not really."

"It's a long story. Some other time."

Ace glared at him, but his body was too heavy, too tired. He just leaned into Sabo's side and let his eyes drift shut.

It took all of the next day for the three of them to reach the Goa Kingdom on the back of a giant bird that seemed to be Sabo's friend. They landed in the mountains, and Sabo led the trio up the familiar worn down path to the small cabin they grew up in while Luffy squeezed Ace's hand. He didn't like how his hand was smaller now.

"Dadan," Sabo called as he knocked on the door. "Are you awake?"

Heavy steps and muffled swears got closer before the door was nearly ripped open. Dadan looked a little bit older, a few more gray hairs, but it was still her. Bottle in one hand, cigarette smoking in her mouth.

"The hell do you want—" She sighed with her eyes shut, then leaned on the doorframe and opened them slowly. Her mouth fell open when she saw Sabo, the cigarette falling to the ground with the bottle. "You—"

"Long time no see," Sabo smiled.

"Brat," She sniffled. Couldn't tell me you're alive yourself, huh? Had to let me find out in the newspaper?"

"I was busy. But, I'm not alone."

Sabo stepped aside and Luffy waved with his free hand. He smiled and let out a laugh as Dadan pulled a handkerchief out of her shirt and started wiping at her eyes. "Both of you?! Not even a heads up, you'll give me a heart attack! You'll kill me, you brats!"

"That's not all," Luffy pushed Ace forward. He hadn't taken his hat back, yet. Ace just pulled it lower on his head. He saw why Luffy liked having it. Maybe he'd get his own in the future. "Say hi already!"

Ace peered up at Dadan and grumbled. "Hi."

"That's—" Dadan muttered. "I'm seein' things."

"No," Sabo put a hand on her shoulder. "That's him."

Dadan openly cried now and pulled Ace into her arms. She only ever got like this when she was really, really drunk. She must have had a bad day.

"We want to leave him with you," Luffy said. "The revolution can't take him, and I've got some bad enemies on the horizon."

"You and your grandpa," Dadan sobbed. "Always dumping kids on my doorstep."

"Ace," Sabo knelt and grabbed his shoulders. "Take care of her, okay?"

"And take care of yourself," Luffy said.

"You too," Ace pulled the straw hat off and passed it to Luffy. "Come back as soon as you find the One Piece."

"You bet!"

Sabo hugged him tight and met back up with his bird friend further down the path, having a quiet chat with him. Luffy gave Dadan a big, tight hug before kneeling beside Ace and wrapping him in a few loops of his arms.

"Be careful," He muttered. "Please."

Ace nodded.

"Call if you ever need me or Sabo. And say hi to Makino fro me."

"Aye aye, Captain Luffy!"

Luffy laughed and squeezed Ace one more time before heading back over to Sabo and the bird guy. They both looked over with smiles one last time before climbing on his back and flying off into the sky.

Dadan looked down at him, tears still in her eyes as she carefully lowered herself to the ground.

"So," Ace shuffled some dirt with his foot. "Want me to go get a boar for dinner?"

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