A/N: Hey everyone! As of last chapter this story has over 50 reviews (ohmygodwhereareyoupeoplecomingfrom?!) and it is my most reviewed story! Thank you so much for all your support guys, you're all amazing! Due to this I'm thinking about making a bonus chapter for next chapter which will be cute scenes from Luffy's childhood. Is that good for you guys?

Answers to reviews are at the bottom of the page like always~ Also, if you can guess what Sabo has figured out at the end of this chapter I will include a scene of your choice in the bonus chapter~ Last week's winner was PirateDragons121 who has given me an amazing idea so look out for it in later chapters!

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece...:(

Ace felt a thrill of excitement run through his body, sharing a quick grin with Sabo before focusing his attention back on the waves lapping against the hull of their small landing boat. Well, small compared to the size of the Moby Dick. Their simple cartel was being piloted by Sabo and Namur whilst he and Marco were on look out: Marco from the air in his phoenix form (something Ace would never admit to admiring) and Ace from the deck while Joshua, Ryan, and Sara from the second division made sure the rest of the ship was functioning properly. They had also brought along Ace's old first mate, Makou, who was now part of the tenth division like most of the old spade pirates. He had been brought along just in case Ace did anything stupid. It was bad enough he had Sabo for a babysitter, he didn't need two; he wasn't Luffy!

"So Ace, any clue where we're going or is that up to Sabo and Commander Namur?" asked Makou from where he was leaning on the railings.

"Pops wants us to check out a disturbance on one of his Islands" Ace explained, leaning over the railings in order to catch a glimpse of the fast approaching island.

It rose out of the sea on the horizon like a green fountain. He could already see the lush, tall green trees that covered what looked like a small mountain from the distance. He had no doubt that when they were actually on the island it would be taller than Mt. Corvo. The thought made him feel slightly homesick for the jungle of their home island and for the only mother figure he had ever known. He briefly entertained the notion of sending her a letter, deciding to think more on it when they got back to the ship.

"Apparently the villagers are worried about a pirate crew nearby. We've got to check this out, see if the pirate ship is a threat, and what it wants, docking so close to one of Pops' territories."

Makou made a noise of comprehension before being called off by Sara to help her with a problem she had found below deck. Ace stared at the steadily approaching horizon, humming under his breath as he tried to keep his nerves from getting the best of him. This was the first mission he'd do as a Whitebeard pirate and he certainly wasn't going to screw it up. For that, he had to stay calm and not let his fire react to every little change in emotion he had.

"I didn't know you knew Bink's Sake, yoi." commented a familiar voice from behind him, making Ace jump out of his contemplations and turn around with a sheepish grin. He hadn't noticed the phoenix come back, let alone notice him transform back into Pineapple mode.

"Luffy taught us it." He explained with a grin, thinking back to when they had first taught the Spade Pirates the old sea shanty and all the nights they spent drinking and singing under the stars when they had first reached the Grand Line.

"Luffy teaches you a lot of songs, yoi." Marco observed, a mild curiosity entering his eyes.

Ace nodded in agreement, a soft smile playing on his lips. That smile made his entire face seem softer, warm contentment flickering in his eyes. It was amazing to behold; how just the thought of his baby brother could calm the fire user down and put an almost paternal look on his face.

"He learned most of them from Shanks though."

As soon as he mentioned that name the entire atmosphere seemed to freeze. Looking around curiously, Ace noticed the closed off look that now masked his new brother's face (and that was damn weird to think about; he wasn't the eldest anymore!).

Without so much as an explanation Marco transformed back into a bird with a burst of blue fire that leapt out and caressed Ace's bare skin as he soared past him, flying high into the sky again without even a single sound save for the crackle of fire and the beat of his wings. Ace stared after him for a few minutes, baffled. What had he said that upset Marco so much? Or was Marco angry with him, or even Luffy, for admiring another Yonko? It would kind of make sense; there was no way that Marco could have not heard of Shanks, if he hadn't at least met him already.

A slow chuckle broke him out of his thoughts for the second time that day, making him turn to face the weathered face of Ryan, soft brown eyes twinkling in good humour as he gazed after the first division commander.

"Commander Marco doesn't much like Red Hair Shanks." he explained with a merry laugh, the lines around his eyes deepening as he smiled. "There are few on our ship that do."

"Why?" asked Ace, curious as to what could possibly make them dislike Shanks. From what Luffy had told him he seemed like an alright bloke (he may have to re-evaluate his source though as Luffy used to worship Shanks when they were younger).

"It nothing against him personally" Ryan explained with a hasty surrendering motion of his hands. "Well, maybe it is as far as Commander Marco is concerned, but most of us don't have a problem with his personality. He's a good man, and he certainly has good taste in booze but still, there are a lot of us who remember what he was like as a teenager so we ere on the side of caution around him."

At Ace's confused look Ryan knew he would have to explain a little better.

"We knew Shanks back when he was a cabin boy and he was a menace even back then; very similar to Luffy in that respect." Ryan smiled as Ace started to laugh, no doubt agreeing with him that though Luffy was a lovable idiot he was also a menace to have around (especially as far as the kitchen staff were concerned). "Also when he returned to the Grand Line after forming the Red Hair Pirates he didn't recognise Commander Marco and tried to recruit him to be part of his crew."

"Bet Marco loved that" chuckled Ace, grinning so broadly Ryan was surprised his face hadn't split. What Ryan didn't know was that Ace was mentally comparing what he had heard about a young Shanks with how he knew Luffy would act. It amused him to no end to find how similar the two were, no wonder Shanks had all but adopted Luffy; he was practically a black haired mini-me judging by these stories.

Ryan sniggered quietly.

"The best bit is that Shanks still insists on Commander Marco joining his crew; it's sort of become a running joke with all of us. So if you your life, or at least your say in what chores you do, then don't mention Red Hair too much around Commander Marco."

With that helpful piece of advice Ryan ruffled Ace's hair before returning to stare out at the ever approaching horizon. Ace found himself with wondering thoughts as he carried out his duties automatically, finding more of his time occupied with wondering about Shanks than with thoughts relative to the mission. He supposed that there was little to no chance of him or Sabo meeting Luffy's hero now, seeing as he wasn't exactly the most welcome aboard the Moby Dick. He probably should be glad about that as well though, knowing that Luffy promised the next time he'd meet Shanks would be when he was a great pirate (and while Luffy could now put some power behind his punches he still couldn't aim for all the meat in the world).

It was only when they were roughly ten minutes away from docking that Marco came back. Unfortunately for him, Ace had several questions to ask about this mission as his nerves had started up again the closer they got to the island.

"So Marco, why exactly did Pops want you to take us along with you?" Ace asked, peering at the now human Marco. This was a question he had been dwelling on since he was told to go on this mission; they were so new to the crew. Sure they'd been living with them for a few months now but they only really got their marks yesterday.

"He wanted you to get some experience, yoi." Marco explained with a patient smile, watching the docks get closer and closer, seeing Sara and Makou preparing to cast on to the jetty. "Seeing as you're so new, he wants you to learn how we operate."

"Why didn't you tell Luffy to come with us then?"

"With how protective you two are of him, do you really want him to come on a potentially hostile mission?"

Ace conceded that he had a point. They weren't sure if whoever was causing the islanders to worry was a hostile person with ill intent towards the Whitebeards. He hoped that wasn't the case. While Ace loved to fight, he also didn't want any place under his new father's protection to be harmed. And things tended to catch fire whenever he was on a battlefield.

"Marco?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you expected Sabo and I to do? Sabo's better at gathering information than I am but we can both be stealthy when we need to be. I'm guessing you don't want these unknown pirates knowing we're investigating?"

"No we don't, yoi. We need to be quiet, and we can't draw too much attention to ourselves which means you can't go around picking fights with anyone, yoi."

Ace nodded his head to show he understood before gesturing Sabo over to him. The only other blonde on the ship bid a polite good-bye to Namur before heading over to stand by his brother's side, both of them ready to jump off the ship and onto dry land as soon as possible. They had been at sea for a long few months and they couldn't wait to get back on dry land again.

"So, sneak around, gather information, try not to beat anyone up, and then regroup at the local pub for dinner?" Sabo suggested with an easy grin, jumping up onto the railings and facing Marco as Ace took a leap off the rails, rolling as he landed on the wooden planks of the jetty so as not to hurt himself.

Marco smiled and nodded.

"Sounds like a plan, yoi."

With that seal of approval Sabo jumped backwards from the railings, landing in a crouch before sprinting with Ace down the pier to the shore, racing each other as they enjoyed the freedom that always came with a new island.

"You're such a show-off sometimes" Ace teased his brother, laughing as they slowed down in one of the streets of the quiet seaside town. Sabo merely laughed along with him, nodding his head to show he knew.

The two brothers made their way through the cheery cobbled streets, drinking in the sites like it was their first time seeing civilisation: Laughter rung through the old houses, bouncing off the whitewashed walls as they passed. The rush and crash of the waves filled their ears no matter where they went in the town, the familiar sent of sea salt always there like a key to their home. Despite the clear joy and happiness in such a peaceful place there was still an undercurrent of something darker; fear, anger, helplessness. This little lazy town that reminded the boys so much of Foosha Village was terrified by these unknown pirates and it was making Ace angrier by the second.

With a sigh, Sabo dragged him into the nearest alley, laying his hand on his shoulder to try and get him to calm down.

"Ace we're going to help these people. We're going to find out who these pirates are, what they want, and how to get rid of them. But we can't do that if you're going to burn the place down." Sabo stressed, squeezing Ace's shoulder to encourage him to help. "So what do you say we go to the nearest market and try to find out some things, yeah?"

Huffing, Ace agreed, fixing his hat so it blocked out the midday sun and in an attempt to hide his pouting face from his brother. Sabo just chuckled as his brother's behaviour before leading the way out of the alley and along the streets, following his nose to the scent of meat being barbequed. The smell of food had never led him wrong before after all.

They emerged out into an open air market place, lined with little shops and filled with bustling people. There were stalls selling fish of the freshest quality, cheese that hurt his nose to go near, jewellery that glittered and sparkled in the bright sunshine. There were stalls selling meats and fine wines, fabric that pooled and flowed over the counters like multicoloured rivers, and many fine garments. There was even a hat stall! The smell of good food permeated the air, enticing them over to a stall where a rotund man was haggling with the salesman, a piece of meat already dangling from his mouth. The man glanced at the two of them with a grin before departing from the stall, a bag of what they could only assume was more food, clutched in his arms.

"Tricky customer?" asked Sabo with a grin, looking over the food on display, subtly kicking Ace to try and get him to stop drooling. Ace straightened with an embarrassed smile before focusing back on the food, mindful of his manners now.

The old salesman nodded with a sigh.

"He certainly didn't take no for an answer. Now, what can I get two strapping young lads like yourselves, hmm?"

Sabo let out a breezy laugh, smiling his most charming smile towards the old man.

"Do you have anything that can satisfy a bottomless pit?"

The old man laughed along with him as Ace pouted; he wasn't that bad! Again, he wasn't his youngest brother.

"I'll see what I have lad."

They spent the next few minutes hanging out by the stall, attracting many stares from the local people that went about their business.

"Excuse me sir, but you wouldn't happen to know why we're being stared at, would you?" Sabo inquired after the fifth woman did a double take when she saw them. They knew they were quite recognisable due to their bounties but they didn't think they'd be that well known in the New World yet. The Navy certainly hadn't cottoned on to the fact they had been with Whitebeard the whole time, something he was immensely thankful for.

The old man smiled at them, bringing out a large platter of meat, coated in a sticky brown sauce that smelled amazing.

"Two attractive young lads walking down the street? No, I've no idea at all at why they might be stared at; especially seeing as one of them has no qualm about walking around without a shirt on."

The salesman laughed heartily as his words caused a bright blush to appear on Sabo's face and caused Ace to duck his head in embarrassment. Sabo tried to stammer out a response but the old man cut him off, packing the meat into a box for them as he continued to speak.

"I think it's that, and the fact you're from Old Man Whitebeard's crew. I'm assuming you're here because Whitebeard heard about our troubles and has sent you to investigate."

Sabo smiled gently at him, nodding his head to show he had guessed correctly. The salesman nodded seriously before leaning over the counter to hand him the large box and whispering to him as he did. Sabo nodded seriously to show he understood before turning back to Ace with a sunny smile and a chirpy "let's go", waving good-bye to the salesman while thanking him for the meat.

"What was all that about?" asked Ace when they were finally alone, sitting on the stone wall separating the town from the sea. Sabo carefully handed Ace a piece of the still hot meat, chewing on his own slice as he looked around to make sure they were really alone.

"...He gave us directions. He couldn't outright tell us who they were or where they were so he was giving me directions when he passed the meat over; that's why it was on the house."

"So you know where these guys are then?" Ace asked, leaning back slightly as he chewed on his piece thoughtfully. It was really good, he might have to go back later and get some to take back to Luffy.

"Yeah...Now what?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do we do with the information?" he turned to look at his brother, getting frustrated when he was met with a blank expression. "Do we act on the information now, or wait until we regroup with the others and tell them what we know?"

Ace made a thoughtful noise as he stared into the sky. Absentmindedly he noticed two seagulls flying together through the pale blue sky. As he watched them, another joined them; circling around the two before following them as they soared off. If Sabo noticed his lapse in concentration he didn't comment on it, just stared at Ace with searching eyes, wanting a second opinion on what they should do.

"...I don't feel right about waiting." Ace confided after a few minutes. "We came here to help these people and I want to help them as soon as possible. This place reminds me too much of Foosha to stay here longer than is necessary. At the same time, we were brought on this mission to learn how Whitebeard Pirates operate and I'm pretty sure there is a chain of command that we now have to follow."

"...So we're acting now?"

"Heck yeah we are"

XXXX Line Break XXXX

Acting on the information it seemed, was not a good idea after all. After spending at least an hour stumbling along in the jungle (no they were not slacking off to play jungle tag, whatever gave you that idea?) they came across someone who appeared to be some kind of sentry. If that was what he was supposed to be; he wasn't a very good lookout. Ace could think of twelve ways he could have incapacitated him already and he was sure Sabo knew even more than that. There was laziness and then there was just carelessness.

Sabo made a signal for him to stay back in the shadows before he moved out into the light. They had done this many times before; due to Sabo's blonde hair he was more easily noticed in the shadows than Ace or Luffy and so he often gave their enemy something to focus on while his brothers attacked from the sides or from behind. The setting sun filtered through the dense treetops, casting an unearthly glow around Sabo as he approached the sentry, who had dropped his gun and gapped at the blonde teenager that was walking his way.

"Hello." Sabo greeted with a cordial smile that did nothing to hide the frostiness in his eyes. "Do you know where I can find someone around here? I'm dreadfully lost. You're captain should be sufficient."

With that said, Ace jumped out of the shadows from behind the sentry, wrapped his arm around his biceps to restrain the man's arms and pressed his knife to his neck; not enough to make him bleed but enough to make him nervous.

"What are you doing on Pops' island?" he hissed into the taller man's ear, glaring at him when he refused to speak.

Sabo came forward with a smirk on his face.

"If you tell us, it will avoid a trip to your captain. Unless of course you want to harm the islanders; then we're going to see your captain regardless of what you say"

The sentry glared at the blonde teenager, seeming to beat himself up for letting his guard down so easily.

'Should have thought of that earlier.' Ace smirked in his mind, encouraging the man to speak by digging his knife a little bit closer to the man's jugular.

"You don't know who you're messing with you brat." The sentry replied, venom dripping from his eyes before melting to shock and rage when all Sabo did was laugh. The shadows that danced across his face made his eyes appear to glow in the ever increasing darkness. A look of dark humour flashed across his face as he reached out and pet the cheek of their captive. Even though Ace knew it was an act, seeing his brother like this always scared the hell out of him and made him appreciate how bad having Sabo as an enemy would be. Ruthless, cunning, and manipulative were the three best words to use when Sabo got like this.

"And you've obviously forgotten whose turf you're on Mr. Sentry" he replied in a soft voice that cut through the gloom like a shard of ice. "Now, why don't you inform us of who we're dealing with if you actually want to stand even the slightest chance of intimidating us?"

The sentry leaned forward (as much as he could without decapitating himself), relish in his grin as he spoke the name of his captain, one of the most feared men in all the Grand Line.

"Red Hair Shanks"

...

..

.

Whatever reaction he was hoping for, he didn't get. What he was probably expecting was for the two teenage boys to let him go, apologizing and begging for their lives (yeah right). What he actually got was two blinding grins and two teenage boys latching onto him, demanding he take them back to his captain. He was so shocked that by the time he realised that he had given in to their demands they were already in sight of his crew and, more importantly, his captain.

The captain of the Red Hair Pirates surveyed the three of them over his tankard of what seemed to be rum, taking in the pale face of his crewmate, eyes scanning the barely there line of a knife wound along his neck, and finally drinking in the two teenagers that hung off either side of his man. Carefully he got up off the log he had been using as a seat, never taking his eyes off the two boys as he rested his one remaining hand on the hilt of his sabre.

"So, who are the brats you've picked up Akio?" he asked, grinning slightly in welcome. He hadn't sensed any hostile intent from them and Akio didn't seem like he was harmed, just confused and slightly bewildered. The two teenagers traded a glance before they stepped forward together standing directly in front of him and staring into his eyes, assessing him almost.

"You're Red-Haired Shanks?" asked the raven haired boy, peering at him cautiously. There was something about those eyes and those freckles that sent alarm bells ringing in his head, but he ignored it in favour of replying to the boy.

"That's right. Are you two the Whitebeard brats that were seen by Lucky Roo earlier today?"

Both boys eyes flickered towards his more rounded crewmate, sitting by the fire with a leg of meat in one hand and nodded, recognition filling their eyes.

"I'm guessing you're here to chase me away from the Old Geezer's island?" he asked, grinning slightly at the slightly annoyed look the raven haired brat sent his way. The blonde boy stepped forward however, before he could tease the other boy anymore.

"Originally that was our goal, yes. But when we heard it was you we decided to meet with you for another reason."

Shanks raised an eyebrow, curious. What could they be here for if it wasn't to try and get rid of him? He was even more baffled when they both bowed low at the waist in a sign of absolute gratitude and respect. He quickly threw an S.O.S towards Benn before turning back to the brats with a befuddled expression. They still hadn't risen from their bows.

"Thank you." they choked out. "Thank you for saving our baby brother."

Shanks stared at them both before breaking out into a hearty laugh. Who knew Luffy (and it could only be Luffy) had brothers?

"Dahahaha, you're Luffy's brothers?" he asked in delight as he made motioned for his crew to make space for the two boys, gesturing for Yassop to pour them both a drink. They smiled hesitantly, accepting the rum with gracious nods before turning back to Shanks with excited eyes.

"Yeah, I'm Ace and this is Sabo. We've heard a lot about you from Luffy." The raven haired teen explained with a grin reminiscent of his little brother's. Shanks really missed seeing that grin.

"Really? So the little Anchor told you about me?" he asked, eager as a child to be told about Luffy. How long had it been since he'd seen that kid? Oh yeah, it had been two thousand, four hundred, and sixty-four days since he last saw Luffy (he had counted every single one of them...damn he missed that kid).

"Yeah" laughed Sabo, taking a swig of rum to be polite. It wasn't actually that bad. "He would always talk about all the stories you'd tell him and all the things you did to tease him."

All the pirates laughed along with the brothers, remembering fondly the year they spent with a lonely little boy that had stolen all their hearts and wrapped them tightly around his little finger.

"How's he doing?"

"Does he still suck at drawing?"

"How has his control over his devil fruit gotten?"

"He's not stabbing himself anymore, is he?"

The crew were a clamour of questions, firing so many off that Sabo let out a piercing whistle to get them to quieten down.

"He's doing fine, you can distinguish his elephants from his squirrels, he's gotten a lot more control over it but still can't aim," he rattled off, marking with his fingers when he had answered a question before they both blinked in confusion when they heard the last one. As one they let out a horrified yell, running to the crewmember who asked that and shaking him roughly by the shoulders.

"What do you mean Lu stabbed himself?"

Shanks doubled over laughing, recalling that day with a fond smile.

"He never told you how he got that scar under his eye did he?"

At their blank expression he started to tell them all about that day, reminiscing with a fond smile how stupid Luffy was and how he had given most of the crew heart attacks with that stunt. Ah, good times. Well, they might have been for him but two brothers looked very close to screaming. Sabo had gone bone white, muttering about how he was never letting Luffy near knives again whilst Ace was up on his feet, pacing around the fire and pulling at his hair, cursing violently under his breath about how much he was going to kill the little idiot.

Shanks watched them both with a laugh, remembering how he had been stuck between wanting to smother Luffy so he would never be hurt again or ringing his neck for being such an idiot in the first place.

"Anything else we should know about our brother?" Sabo managed to get out in a strangled voice, looking at Shanks like he was the angel of doom itself. Some of the crew members groaned at that while others laughed. Little did they know they would be groaning too by the end of the night. With a smile full of glee Shanks launched into a tale about the entire year he spent with his little Anchor, love, pride, and happiness flowing off his tongue as he spoke, wrapping around the brothers of his special little boy, included them in his love as they to shared stories about a rubber-brained, straw-hat wearing boy that wormed his way into their hearts and was there to stay.

All three of them talked for hours, well through the night and into the morning. Sabo and Ace were barely keeping their eyes open as they recounted Luffy's first successful hunt that ended in the Tiger Lord stealing his dinner. Just as they were about to explain about the Tiger Lord Ace head dropped and he was out like a light, snoring softly on his new pillow that was Shanks' shoulder. Sabo chuckled softly and sent an apologetic look towards Shanks.

"Ace has norcolepsy." He explained in a hushed tone. "It means he-"

"-he falls asleep unexpectedly. I know" confided Shanks with a secret smile. "It only gets worse when they're physically tired too." At Sabo's inquisitive look he explained. "My captain had it."

Sabo made a noise of understanding,

"The one who gave you his hat and taught you the lullaby about the sea and kings?" he asked, barely suppressing a yawn with one hand. He was so tired he didn't object when Shanks covered him in his cape and allowed him to rest his head on his leg.

"Yup, that's the one. Captain Roger did a lot for me, and Luffy reminded me so much of him that day that I had to give him his hat." He revealed, missing the widening of Sabo's eyes as he gazed at the dawn light splitting the sky. "Now get some sleep blondie, you look like you need it."

As gentle fingers combed through his hair, the last conscious thought Sabo had was wondering if he had met Luffy sooner would he have also found a father figure in this man? A man who had already done far more for him than his real parents in just one day of knowing him. Unknown to Sabo a forbidden tear slowly trailed down his face, catching in the early morning rays. Shanks carefully wiped it off, looking down at the two teenagers as he felt his heart swell in a very familiar way.

"Luffy and his brothers have you wrapped around their little fingers, haven't they Captain?" whispered Benn, a steady, smug smile across his face.

Shanks chuckled softly, not wanting to wake up the sleeping teenagers.

"That they have old friend. And I never want them to let go."

A/N: And then Mama Pineapple finds them and blows a gasket~ So yeah, this is technically the end of chapter 5! R&R Please~

TheCaptainOfShips-...more Shanks you say...hehehehe...

Little Lady Slytherin- *jazz hands* Update has arrived~

Shiningheart of ThunderClan- He is the most adorable thing, and as long as you're a Whitebeard Pirate it's all okay~

Guest- I'm glad you find it funny~ I try and update every Wednesday so you should always see an update from me on those days, okay?

JadeOccelot- They're not going to really appear in this story apart from some hints. There is a pretty obvious one that involves Sabo coming up but it's a pretty crack ship so have fun trying to work out what it is~

MissJenca- Yay! All the hugs! Extra hugs to Mama Pineapple!

Little Bookwyrm- ...That is an excellent point...How come no-one does notice that? O-o

kickassdani- I'm so glad so many of you are finding it funny. I try to update every Wednesday so look out for them!

Pana-sule- I'm glad you liked it so much!

PirateDragons121- you're ideas were awesome and they have been officially written in to the plot, look forward to the next few chapters~

piratehnter- Here's another update for you~ And I hope you enjoyed al the Shanks love in this chapter!

MegDBrew-Oh there will be a lot of that coming up, especially in a chapter I have scheduled for after Christmas but I won't give any more away apart from that~

JoshRand1982- Oh don't worry, there is going to be a lot of confusion, and a lot of WTF moments in that chapter~

animesarecool- Thank you, I'm glad you're enjoying it.