Disclaimer: I own nothing except Yami, her powers, Jaden's powers and some of the cards used by the Mugiwara Crew and Yami. (If they have a © symbol then they belong to me.)

Dueling Pirates: The Beginning

Prologue: Childhood Memories

Two teens sat on the cliff overlooking the ocean, about a five minute walk away from the Slifer Dorm.

"Hey Yami?" the brown and orange haired boy asked, leaning against the other.

"What is it Jaden?" the other teen's crimson eyes opened slowly, her voice slightly confused.

"Well..." the boy began, adjusting himself so that his head was in the other's lap, "Do you remember when we first met the D brothers?"

"Yeah. We had gone to visit Dad, but we had to make him believe that we were braver than other kids, so we climbed one of the tallest trees on the island..."

Sea of Time: Flashback!

Eight Years Ago

A nine year old Jaden held his little sister's hand as they climbed the tree together. Yami threw a quick glance down to the ground, some twenty feet below. She squeezed her brother's hand as her acrophobia took a tight hold of her.

Jaden glanced down, seeing the clack and crimson top of his sister's head instead of her face. "C'mon Yami! I got you, so you don't have to be scared."

She smiled up at him, using her free hand to pull herself up even with her brother.

They smiled at each other as they reached the top. "SUGOI!" they chorused, settling on a sturdy branch.

Sea of Time!

"That's when Ace and Luffy scared you right off of the branch." Jaden chuckled, holding his side. He waited a few minutes for his sister to continue, but was met with silence. "Aw c'mon sis!"

"What? Do you want me to continue the story?" Yami smirked as her brother glared lightly. "Alright Jaybird."

Sea of Time!

The Yuki siblings looked at each other as two young voices met their ears.

"Hey, Ace! Can we go all the way to the top?" this one sounded younger than Yami, and male.

"Okay Luffy, but just this once." that voice sounded older than Jaden, and also male.

A hand suddenly shot up through the leaves, making the black and red haired girl scream. Yami fell backwards, falling off the branch.

An arm wrapped around the eight year old's waist before supporting her against a small shoulder. "Are you alright?" the older boy's voice reverberated through her.

A small squeak was his reply.

"Yami!" Jaden poked his head down from the leaves, another boy joining him quickly.

The other boy grinned, giving his brother an upside down thumbs up. "Good catch Ace!"

The older boy sat down, settling Yami on the branch next to him. He had shoulder length black hair framing his slightly freckled face and near black eyes.

The smaller boy also had black hair and near black eyes, but he had short hair and no freckles but a scar beneath his left eye.

Both boys were thinly muscled and lanky, but that's how most island boys look.

Jaden looked over at Yami's blushing figure. "Wow sis... you're as red as Dad's hair."

"Shuddup Jay!" the girl yelled, eyes flashing.

"Hey! Don't go pyrokinetic on me!" the brunette boy yelped, hiding behind the smaller boy.

"Naw, I won't do that...considering we're twenty yards in the air." Yami turned to the freckle-faced boy next to her, "Thanks for saving me! My name's Yami Yuki, by the way."

"It was nothing. And I'm Ace." He smiled, offering his hand to the girl.

She took it, a grin on her face. "Nice to meet you."

Jaden smiled, turning to the kid next to him. "Name's Jaden Yuki, what's yours?"

"Monkey D Luffy!" the kid's grin was so big it looked like it hurt. "Where are you guys from? I've never seen you two before."

"We're from Domino, bot we're visiting our dad." the elder Yuki smiled, pulling his baseball cap out of his pocket.

His sister mimicked his actions before tossing a small container at her brother. "There's your bracelets bro." It hit him square in the forehead.

The older Yuki shook off his shock before taking out his bracelets, two red braided pieces of leather with two fourths of a Jolly Roger. Jaden separated these, giving one to Luffy. He then watched Yami pull out her black bracelets and separate them, giving one to Ace.

"Why are you guys giving these to us?" the ten year old asked, looking at the bracelet in apparent curiosity.

"Because...We have a feeling that we'll be friends for years to come!" Both Yuki's chorused, each wearing a smile upon their lips.

"AWESOME!" Luffy yelled, his arms stretching beyond human limits.

Yami and Jaden blinked, remembering what their father had told them about the Cursed Fruits as Ace laughed at his brother's childish behavior.

The four talked about anything and everything as time passed, except about the Yuki siblings' parents, so when a certain childish red-haired pirate stumbled by looking for them, Ace and Luffy were fairly surprised.

"Dad! We're up here!" the eldest Yuki yelled down.

"Shanks is your dad?!" the D brothers chorused, looking back and forth between the pirate and the other two children.

"Yup!"

Sea of Time! Flashback End

"Then we had to jump out of the tree...though Ace had to pull you out." Jaden smirked, seeing his sister's blush.

"Aw, do you have to do that?" Yami groaned, hitting her forehead with her palm.

"Love you too, Dark Fire."

Both laughed before standing and stretching. "Best be heading back, we've got an assembly tomorrow, and Crowler will probably make us show the new kids around." Yami groaned.

They walked back to the Slifer Dorm, grinning as their friend Syrus ran out and tackled them both.