FINALLY! This was so hard to write, and I don't even know why. I tried repeatedly to write this chapter since I uploaded the last, but over the course of a month I only wrote 234 words. Yeah. It was THAT bad. But then today I thought of a scene I want to put it towards the end of the fic (which I'm REALLY looking forward to writing) and was so inspired I managed to write the rest of the chapter in one sitting. And it's over 2,000 words, as promised :D Hope you enjoy and please drop a review to tell me what you think!
Also, the next chapter will likely be a bonus. Or the one after that, depending on how long it takes me to write. It'll probably be around 5,000 words. All I can really say about it is that it involves time travel, which is how it connects to the story. I'll start working on it either tomorrow or Saturday :D
**I started two new stories called Within (Ace is an amnesiac - typical memory loss story) and Flame and Phoenix (About what happens after Marco dies) so check them out if you think they might interest you ^^
Disclaimer: Have I ever owned One Piece? No? Then I don't own it now u_u
Luffy grinned like a madman from his place on the figurehead of the Moby Dick, laughing to himself in anticipation. Finally he could leave. Finally he could search for Ace. It'd been a while but the old man was allowing him to go out and join his brother—maybe change a few things he wasn't supposed to along the way. That he would have to keep to himself, though.
Breathing in deeply, his lungs filled with the sea air. It felt nostalgic, especially seeing that he was in the past. He wanted to savour it while he could because he knew his next stop would be Alabasta. Spending a while in those deserts was sure to exhaust him just as it did before. Staying for long voyages on land wasn't really his idea of a good time. Still, he had no choice; he had no idea where Ace was at that point and since the man didn't bother to take a damn den den mushi with him there was no way of contacting him, nor pinpointing his location, so he'd have to wait to run into him in the desert.
Briefly he wondered if Ace missed them—Luffy and the Whitebeard pirates. He'd been gone for so long already yet never bothered to contact them. Was he still fuming over what Teach did or had he calmed down? More importantly, would he get mad when his brother demanded they travel together?
Luffy's unwavering grin started to sag a little. Ace probably wouldn't like having his older-younger-brother there. He'd feel like he was being babysat, and by the boy who never won in a fight against him no less. The Pirate King mused that thought for a while. Sure he didn't win against him when they were children, but he was sure he would if they fought then—he was the strongest man to sail the sea in his time. But he wasn't invincible. As much as he'd love to spar with Ace again after so many years, he wasn't sure if he could. His brother was strong, but Luffy saw him die. Even though he tried to be strong, just thinking about it scared him. He wasn't willing to fight him—not after just getting him back. What if he lost him… again?
"Ah!" the pirate shouted, scrunching up his face and shaking his head. There was no time to worry about that! He had to leave soon—to find Ace! If he truly wanted to save his brother, he had to keep his calm, even if that wasn't the easiest thing for him to do. Ace knew he was going to die but didn't know when or where. He was moving forward blind. That meant it was up to Luffy to protect him, even if his brother didn't like it.
"Alright!" the Pirate King shouted again, stretching his arms into the air. He was starting to get pumped up again. He would keep Ace safe! That was his mission! Then, when he returned to his time, maybe… maybe Ace would be waiting for him. Maybe he would get his brother back.
Laughing from behind him brought Luffy away from his internal pep-talk. He blinked at the sound then turned to face it, met with the smiling faces of the 4th division commander and first mate.
"What are you getting all excited for?" Thatch asked, taking interest in the Pirate King's outburst.
Luffy's face curved into a grin. "It's 'cause I get to see Ace! Shishishi!"
Marco shook his head, amused, before walking up to the man sitting on the whale figurehead, offering a backpack. "This is for your journey yoi."
"Is there meat?"
The phoenix sighed. "Yes, Luffy, there's meat."
"Made it all myself," the redhead chimed.
Luffy eyed the bag momentarily, scrutinizing it. "…It's small."
"Hm?"
The pirate pouted. "That's not going to last me all the way 'til Alabasta."
"Deal with it yoi."
"But I'll starve!"
Marco sighed and rubbed his temple in the hope of quelling his ensuing headache. "Then take a fishing rod and catch your own food yoi. If we gave you your fill, we'd have nothing left onboard."
The pirate seemed to consider that before his grin returned. "Shishishi! Okay!"
The first mate let out a breath of relief, then tossed the bag into the arms of the other.
"We're giving you one of our smaller boats," Thatch began, throwing his arms behind his head. "It's no match for Striker, but it's still pretty fast. If you know where you're going you should be able to beat him there."
Again, Luffy's face sagged. "I'm a horrible navigator. Nami said so herself."
They ignored the part about the girl they didn't know. "Will you be alright?"
He nodded.
"Good," the redhead continued. "I would hate to meet a Pirate King who couldn't find his way through the Grand Line," he teased.
"Oi!"
"Either way," Marco interrupted, "remember your deal with Oyaji yoi."
Luffy thought about that for a moment before giving the blonde a far less energetic nod. One of the terms he agreed to in order to go see his brother was that he would return to the Moby Dick periodically throughout his journey, even if it meant separating from Ace. It was the Pirate King's job to keep track of where they went and what they found. When they regrouped he was to update them on everything that happened. Whitebeard would alter his plan according to any new developments. That way they could assure to a fuller extent that nothing would interfere with their rescue of the fire user. As much as Luffy didn't want to part with his sibling, he knew it was best for him to do so.
Absently he accepted a baby den den mushi from Marco. He stared at it momentarily, noting the ASCE lightly etched into its shell before slipping it into his bag.
"Give that to Ace," the blonde commanded. "If he has that we'll be able to keep track of you two yoi."
"Alright!"
"And remember what Oyaji told you: no changing things yoi."
Luffy rolled his eyes. "I know, Marco," he stated. It was true—he was fully aware of what the Yonko said to him. That didn't mean he was inclined to listen, though. If he were to stumble upon a favourable situation he would take it wholeheartedly. But he would keep quiet about it, for fear of another lecture from the blonde. Marco may have been his nakama and drinking buddy but he was too strict! "Hurry! I wanna go see Ace!"
The first mate gave him a weary look before gesturing for the younger to follow him. "You won't see him right away, you know."
"I know that." He paused. Before allowing the commander to lead him to the boat he would take, he turned to look at Whitebeard. The captain was sitting in his chair as usual, a bottle of sake in his hand, much to horror of his nurses. Luffy smiled at him then waved. "Thanks for everything, old man!"
"Cheeky brat," Newgate mumbled as his mouth curved into a smirk. "Get going."
It was a hot day—hotter than any other since Luffy set out. With not a cloud in the sky, the sun beating mercilessly down on his small, wooden boat, everything seemed nostalgic. If it weren't for his inability to swim he would have dove into the water for a chance to cool down.
The pirate king found himself lying against the deck of the small ship, arms and legs spread out in all directions. He breathed shallow breaths, tongue hanging from the corner of his mouth. There was no food left—hadn't been for a while. It'd been so long since he had to cook for himself that he forgot how terrible he was. Sure he could do the basics like frying a couple of sea kings but otherwise his skills were lacking. Oh how he missed Sanji and the magic he worked in the kitchen. He was regretting not dragging Thatch along—that guy made amazing meals, too.
He wasn't sure how many days had passed since he left the Moby Dick. At some point he lost track. His homesickness was getting stronger. Being out there on the sea, all alone, had him missing the crew he left in the future. How were they doing? So much time had passed since the day he fought that Yonko and ended up where he was… They all got out of that battle alright on their own, didn't they? He was sure they did. He may have held the title of the strongest but they were all capable of protecting themselves. In fact, were it not for them he never would have obtained that title. Yeah, they were fine. He still missed them, though.
Tap.
Luffy would've given up half of his meat if it meant he could hear one of Brook's songs. It didn't matter which—be it Bink's Sake, New World or any in between—he just wanted to hear one. He wanted to dance along to the music and sing with Usopp and Chopper, goof around on deck until lunch was ready.
Tap.
They would all gather in the mess hall to eat. He would get yelled at by Sanji for trying to steal Nami and Robin's food, promptly followed by a kick to his skull. Then he'd give up and go after Zoro's plate. But, well… Zoro was really good at guarding his food. Luffy probably would succeed. Still, there were other members of the crew he could steal from, Like Franky and—
Tap tap.
"Ah!" Luffy shouted as he shot up from lying on the wood, causing the birds pecking at his head to scatter and fly off into the air. He eyed them with irritation, hating that his daydream was interrupted. Stupid birds…
Looking out onto the water, Luffy's eyes widened. He took back whatever internal curses he had for those birds. It was because of them that he was seeing what he was—an island off in the distance, approaching quickly. Or, well, he was approaching it. But forget technicalities—he couldn't contain his excitement. Finally he was nearing land. He loved the sea but spending that long alone made solid ground look so inviting.
Glancing down at the eternal pose resting beside his leg, his mouth widened into the brightest smile he could manage. That was Alabasta. He'd finally reached the desert island he'd been searching for. There he would meet Ace. And…
Luffy blinked. The first time he saw his brother after he set out to become a pirate was at Alabasta. Then… his younger self would be there, right? His crew? Would he be able to meet them? He wanted to, even if he couldn't say who he was—even if they didn't recognize him. They were his nakama, his family. Other than the two years they spent apart after the Marineford war, he hadn't been away from them for very long. Ten years they were together. Seeing them became a part of everyday life. Being separated from them for so long… it was hard.
With the island coming closer and closer, Luffy brought his thoughts back to the situation. He shoved his hand into his pocket and rummaged around. When he eventually removed it, there, between his fingers, was a tiny piece of paper with Edward Newgate scribbled on one side. Seeing that brought up a lot of old memories.
"Keep it with you, always."
Unfolding the paper, he smoothed over its creases and stared. He didn't use vivre cards much—not since back then. Whenever he wanted to find someone, he could usually figure out where they were on his own. Holding one wasn't very comfortable for him.
Despite his dislike for the cards, he made and exception just that once. That time he wouldn't allow it to become a burden. He wouldn't make it into a mistake. That small, seemingly insignificant scrap of paper would help him save his brother. He was certain. They could do it.
"It'll allow us to meet again."
I'll make sure of it.
A/N: So basically I took this chapter to show you Luffy's thoughts, since we really haven't been focusing much on that. Next chapter will be all about his time in Alabasta! And I'll try to update faster, just remember that this is still a side-fic so it's not my top priority. Sorry for taking so long!
To my lovelies~
Mel72000: You're welcome~ Yeah, I love Thatch. I don't know what it is about him but he's so lovable XD
Iris J.F. : Hehehe you'll have to wait and find out :P
mi-chan94: You'll have to wait and see ^^
xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx: I hate killing him off XD It was hard to do in Reverse.
VarisVaris: So did I ;_; Ace's death in the anime still makes me cry, no matter how many times I watch it...
Neko-VongolaPrimo: I think so too. Lol since when did I say it wasn't going to mess with time? I just said it wasn't a 'save Ace' story :P You'll just have to wait and see~
janzen222: Huh? o.o What's this about foreshadowing? There's plenty of it in the fic... you just have to look for it. Not nearly as much as in my other stories, though.
Bluebird42: Lol I'm sure you're not dead XD Yep! That's one win for Luffy and the WB pirates! Awe I love you too *hugs*
trisha23flow: Nope! He living! Yep. Damn it, Ace, making the story so much more complex -_-
Kitsune Foxfire: Yep! :) Hehe that was my favourite part of the chapter to write. Maybe, maybe not. You'll find out later!
Red-The-Drawing-Ninja: Glad you enjoyed ^^ Who knows? :P
Son Goshen: Yes it is XD He's alive and it was all a part of Whitebeard's plan. Maybe, maybe not. The only clue I'll give you to anything that happens in the future of this fic is that Reverse is worse. Make of that what you will :P
: Can't say :P
Guest: Yep the forth Yonko for Resolve and Skip are different people. You'll find out why later.
XxSaorixX: Lol that's IF Ace finds out about it :P
Girl-luvs-manga: Indeed he is.
Ari: Here it is :)
deadlycute17: Me too T^T But we always have fanfiction!
azab: Lol no need to apologise, I'm just happy you reviewed at all XD
The-Chibi-Master564: You're welcome!
Gol D. Liandra: Welcome then, new reader! :D Hehe isn't it? XD Well I'm really happy you're enjoying it and I hope you liked this update!
ASLfangirl: Lol it would be VERY weird XD
spoons-are-evil: You just know things aren't going to go as planned XD Pfft I don't believe in fate! But I've stated this isn't a 'save Ace' story, soo... well, make of that what you will. Nope, never does :P Lol he probably would be.
Mon Esprite Libre: Good ^^
man100141: You flatter me ^^ Oda's only sometimes magnificent :P There are some parts of One Piece that make me want to lecture him, but other than those, yes, he is magnificent. Really happy you like my rendition of adult Luffy, it was so hard to write him originally!
Artemis Decibal: Glad you like ^^ Lol you are? Great! It's nice to hear from new readers :) It's a secret plotline :P You'll find out the rules of this time travel and the Yonko's ability along with the characters, so I can't give it away. Hmm... well there are some where Ace goes back to when he's a kid, but... I don't remember the titles, sorry!
edboy4926: I will :)
Guest (2): Please be patient. I have 8 stories to keep up along with real life and this is only a side story so it's not my top priority. I try to update once a month at least but I can't promise any more than that. I hope you understand.
MemoriesOfVoxie: Glad you like!
Vaughn Tyler: Glad you like!
Hiiro Kumo: I'm happy you're enjoying ^^ Here's an update~
LyricojaeCassie: I can't say whether it'll turn out better or worse than canon, so you'll just have to wait and find out :)
(Gah, I missed you guys. I'm really hoping I don't have trouble with this fic anymore. Seriously, a month to write 234 words? That's ridiculous, especially when I wrote the rest of it in one night. But since I'll be starting the bonus, I doubt I'll have much trouble. I always have ideas for bonuses :D So I'll -hopefully- see you guys soon! Remember to take a look at my other fics to see if they're to your liking! Adieu~)