:note:

So here is the next chapter! Thank you to the people who reviewed, followed and favourited the last chapter, this is for you.

I won't talk long…my habit might kick in again.

SO.

Onto this chapter! xD.

Disclaimer: Do I really have to do this? No. I don't own it. Though imagine all the money…the sweet, swee- You saw nothing.


Chapter 2


"L-Luffy?" He wondered out loud. There was his brother, settled close to him sleeping; a calm and composed look plastered on his face as he mumbled in his sleep.

This confused him even more. If it had been a dream, would he not have woken up on his striker; Oyaji's ship even? As far as Ace knew, Luffy had been far away from both areas, so why was he here now, sleeping beside of him?

"U-Um…" Another noise hit the air; Ace instinctively lighted himself up, staring at an orange haired girl who looked similar to the age of Luffy who had knelt beside his bed, mirroring his wide eyes.

Continuing to stare at the girl, the girl simply smiled, handing him a wet towel, though obviously still showing signs of caution. "This is for you, to bring your fever down…" Her eyes quickly guided to the fire which was dancing on Ace's shoulder, before looking back at his face with a stunned expression. "Y-You might want to pu-put it on that instead though…"

Raising an eyebrow, Ace looked over to his shoulder, the girl now pointing at it with a horrified look, unable to tell why the man is not already screaming in pain. Ace sighed, controlling the fire to dye down, making the girl calmer, but still confused.

"H-How..."

"Who are you?" He interrupted, bluntly getting across his thoughts to the girl. She did look familiar, wasn't she one of Luffy's crew?

"Eh?" The girl returned to look at the freckled man's face, lowering her hand and bringing all her attention to him. She slowly gave him a distant smile, raising her opposite hand over her right shoulder. "I'm Nami, This ship's Navigator." Ace simply nodded in response to her answer, his eyes still glazed, trying hard to figure out what was going on. "And you are?"

Breaking out of his thought, he raised an eyebrow. Hadn't he already introduced himself to Luffy's crew back in Alabasta…?

"You don't know?"

Crossing her arms, the girl –now known as Nami-thought, her own eyes wondering off, searching her mind to see if she could match his face to ones she knows. "Am I supposed to?"

Ace nodded slightly, before holding out his hand to shake, a slight look of confusion on his face. "My name's Ace. Pleasure…pleasure to meet you."

Taking a hold of his hand, Nami sent him a pleasant smile, before her eyes wandered over to her sleeping captain, her eyebrow raising. "D-Do you happen to know Luffy?"

Turning his head to see his brother, Ace gave a small laugh, nodding as his sight returned to the questioning girl. "Yeah, I do." This was strange. Sure, he didn't expect everyone he met to remember him, but hadn't he spent nearly a week with Luffy's crew? Not only that was strange, but the fact that he was even alive was…unexpected. "Uh, do you mind telling me where I am?"

Nami smiled as she put her hands on her hips. "You're in the East Blue, and we're currently heading towards Lougetown. The ship you're on is the Going Merry, and our idiot of a captain is Luffy over there."

Ace stared at the girl with wide eyes, as he made sure what she was telling him was correct.

East Blue…

and…Louge…town?

"…W-What."

….Shit.

No,no,no,n-. This couldn't be happening.

He knows for definite that Luffy had already visited Lougetown. He remembers him telling him about it back when he visited him in Alabasta.

He also knows that Luffy would never turn back and visit East Blue; it would go against his absurd pride of his.

Not even to mention the fact that he knows that where he previously was, was nowhere near where he was now.

If this girl wasn't lying then…

…then that leaves only one thing.

Only one explanation came to mind when he put all his problems together.

One ridiculous and crazy explanation which shouldn't even exist.

"O-Oi. Are you okay?"

The sound of the orange haired girl startled the fire-thrower from his thoughts, his sight turning to her as he brushed his hand through his hair. "Yeah, sorry. Was just, surprised…that's all."

"Ace…?" Before Nami could ask, a mumble came from the side of Ace's bed, before a mixture of black, blue and red attacked Ace, flinging him back onto the ground. On top of him laid a beaming Luffy, a toothy grin plastered on his face as he looked down on Ace. "It really is you!"

Unknowingly smiling back at the straw-hatted boy, Ace put his hand on Luffy's back nodding. "Been a while Lu…" The words left his mouth before he realized what he had said. That wasn't right, was it? Hadn't he just been on the battlefield with him?

Flinging his hands up, Luffy rolled off of the ex-commander and turned to Nami, who was standing there a little startled. "Hey! Nami! Have you met Ace?"

Glad to see that her captain did in fact know the man in front of her, she smiled back, nodding. "Yeah! I've only just though." Her stare returned to the said-Ace, as she slightly pointed to him. "How do you two know each other?"

"Eh?" Looking at Nami with surprise, Luffy laughed. "I haven't told you? Ace is my brother!"

"Br-other?" Nami question, her eyes widening, before her mouth hit the floor. "The Whitebeard Pirate is your brother?!" Shrieking, she yet again pointed at the fire thrower, surprise obviously showing throughout her face.

"So you did know who I am."

Holding her face in her hand as she tried to calm her senses, she sighed. "Of course I know who you are. The tattoo on your back was obviously telling of your status. You're a Whitebeard commander, right?"

Luffy tuned in at this, turning to face his brother. "Eh? Ace, you joined a crew?!" Luffy stretched to fling himself onto the bedside in front of Ace, crossing his feet.

Silent, Ace was devoured by his thoughts once more.

Luffy didn't know he was a Whitebeard Pirate.

Unfortunately, to Ace's dismay this only confirmed his crazy idea of an explanation even more.

Now don't get him wrong, he wasn't known for being the most observant commanders under Whitebeard's command -actually, it was quite the opposite-, but he could easily tell that none of this was right.

Standing up from where he was laying, -surprising the company he had- he quickly fell on the side of the wall, suddenly out of breath and gasping for air. Keeping himself steady from falling, his eyes quickly peeled down to his chest, where the pain was coming from.

He nearly choked on air when he saw a gaping hole in the center of his chest, bleeding and surrounded by wounds from Impel Down.

He had died...

He was dead.

This was all some deluded dream, not the opposite.

...Right?

Quickly looking back up to Luffy, he saw a startled face staring at him as he felt his brothers hands grasp his shoulders, reality settling back in as sounds started to vibrate against his ears once more. "Ace..?! Can you hear me?"

Glancing back down at his chest again, he saw nothing. Not one scratch lay across his skin. Tiredness started to drain down his veins, as he pleadingly looked at his brother once more before darkness took a hold of him again.


T'IS DONE.

*IT-TOOK-2-HOURS-TO-WRITE-DAMN-YOU-WRITERS-BLO-* Yup. A short chapter like this took a long time to write.

But, I did just update another story, so don't go all Godzilla on me, 'kay? xD.

THANKYOU!-To all the people who reviewed in the last chapter, I honestly love to read your reviews -good or bad- and it makes me heart jump a bit when I see them in my mailbox. *cheesy music plays*.

Also a thankyou to all the people who pressed the favorite and follow buttons. I don't forget you guys.

So yeah.

That's all folks ;3

-aslMeno