I do not own One Piece

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Beta read by the wonderful rose7anne101, who has a much more in depth and thought-out version of this sort of story.

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Ace Lives

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Captain Gol D. Roger of the Roger Pirates blinked and looked around and assessed the situation with the experience of a veteran survivor of the New World.

"WHAT HAPPENED!?" he shrieked. "RAFTEL WAS RIGHT IN FRONT OF US! WE WERE ALMOST THROUGH THE MIST!"

Instead, suddenly they were face to face with clear skies, and pathetically calm water.

Ship's Apprentice Buggy was on his knees giving prayers of thanks that they were somehow out of the madness of that insane sea, while Shanks was elsewhere.

"Oh thank thank thank thank you for heeding my prayers! We're alive! We're ALIVE!"

Rayleigh, good old Rayleigh, was already barking orders to the others, so Roger took matters into his own hands and in a single bound leapt right to the top of the crow's nest of the Oro Jackson, spinning around to see the horizon.

Yep, bland water as far as the eye could see.

Put off by the sheer boredom of it, he let himself fall back down to the deck. "Captain."

"Partner," Roger growled in frustration as his right-hand came up. Unlike his Captain, Rayleigh remained cool and collected, obviously collecting information to try and come up with a theory. "I've used my Haki and I can't hear," emphasizing that strange ability of his, "anything of note either. Is this some sort of final test? We were so close to reaching Raftel."

"Who knows?" Rayleigh countered, taking a sip from his flask before handing it over to his Captain.

Before Roger could have a drink however, Shanks rushed back on deck. "Captain! Vice-Captain! You've got to see what the Den-Den Mushi are broadcasting."

"Smart lad," Rayleigh noted. "Checking the channels to see what's happening nearby."

However, when they went below deck, they saw it was not the normal Den-Den, but the larger one that could actually project visual broadcasts. Why did I want that again?Rayleigh wondered. Something to do with Oden wanting to see broadcasts of more of the world, maybe…?

Buggy, who was an excitable character that always made Roger laugh –in a good way— and who's hidden courage could surprise people, was already watching the video display. "They're just panning around showing off the marines, and there's a lot of them," the ship's apprentice gulped. "I mean a lot. But something's weird about the admirals, they're the wrong colours."

Catching a glance at the three men sitting in front of the execution scaffold as the image panned upwards, Roger had to agree. Yellow, red, and blue, were not the distinguishing outfits of the admirals he knew.

"What's Kong up to?" Roger wondered aloud, referring to the Fleet Admiral. "And where's Sengoku?"

The others were also curious at the absence of the wily Admiral, failing to recognize the newcomers.

"Wait!" Shanks snapped his fingers. "The one with the dopey expression kinda looks like Vice-Admiral Borsalino!"

As one the Roger Pirates blinked, and realized that if you changed the man's outfit from grey to yellow, got rid of the hat and cigarettes, added on extra facial lines, stupid fuzz, and sunglasses, than it really did look like the eater of the Glint-Glint Fruit.

"And that one's Kuzan!" shrieked Buggy.

"Isn't he the one that almost froze your balls?" teased Shanks

"He didn't! Shut up!"

"Oh great, Sakazuki's there too. What a waste."

"Did Kong snap while we were away, and decide to change the whole line-up of admirals," mused another. "Bring in some new blood and all?"

"Pffh," scoffed someone else. "Those guys aren't stronger than Sengoku and Garp. Don't be nuts."

"And we haven't been gone that long for something like this. Only a few months away from the news."

Vice-Captain Rayleigh merely stroked his beard in thought.

Then the view held steady to display a young man chained down between two waiting executioners. He was young, maybe not even twenty if Roger was to guess, with scruffy black hair, red bead necklace, and a naked, muscular torso covered in dried blood.

"I don't recognize him from the wanted posters," muttered Crocus, the ship's doctor. It was thanks to him that Roger was in particularly good shape today. "So what'd he do to warrant such a show?"

Rayleigh was quiet, keen mind doubtless ticking away.

Then the people on the platform were joined by someone that Roger dimly recognized.

"It's Sengoku," breathed Rayleigh. "But he's gotten old. And a new outfit."

"Fleet admiral?"

"Did Kong suddenly die, or retire?"

"Nah, knowing that old gorilla, he's too stubborn to die or leave the marines."

"More importantly, is he growing his hair backwards? Front? It's so silly!"

"He finally added to the famous mustache a…braided…goatee."

Now Roger recognized him, as the Buddha's beard had grown longer, age-lines marked his mouth and face, and he wore the uniform befitting the Fleet Admiral.

Oden was desperately trying to make sense of this. "Maybe some sort of illusion? Joint hallucination? No, we'd have sensed that by now? Parallel worlds?"

"Or maybe we all hit our heads during the last of that insanity," Buggy deadpanned with utter serious. "That's the only logical explanation left to us."

"This is the New World," a more senior crewmember reminded him. "Logic comes here to crawl up in a corner sobbing, waiting for someone to put it out of its misery."

"Maybe twenty years?" Rayleigh mused, with his Captain instantly catching on.

"Time travel," groaned Roger as he slumped over, before perking back up with a bark of laughter. "Raftel's certainly not making it easy for us to reach her! But we'll see it through!"

The rest of the crew were panicking or making various exclamations, but Roger just rolled with it. Still, a Captain should ease them. "Even better," he went on, his eyes glittering with glee, "we got to see how badly the stress would eat at Sengoku. Now all we can do is try and find a way to make it worst." The chortles at that indicated that Roger had done his duty, and just in time as it appeared the show was about to start.

"I have some to say to you all," Sengoku said into a transponder snail. "The execution of this man Portgas D. Ace…is a matter of enormous import!" The old man paused again at this, letting the tension build while Roger glanced at his crew. They all shrugged or made other signs of dismissal. The name 'Portgas' meant as little to them as it did to their Captain. Not surprising given the issue of time travel, except it still would have been nice. And he's a D at that, Roger silently thought, appreciating how the young man was obviously angry, yet fearless as D should be. Poor soul, I bet I'd have liked to meet you, he mourned.

"Ace…What is your father's name?"

That got the young man's attention, as something flashed through his eyes, but he still maintained his composure better than many others Roger had seen in similar straits. He closed his eyes and bowed his head to proudly declare, "My father is…Whitebeard!"

Roger gave a soft whistle at that, with Rayleigh nodding alongside him. Unless Whitebeard had gone senile, or was dead come to think of it, he would be coming to unleash upon Marineford a wrath that defined comprehension.

Roger and Whitebeard were rivals, but it was nothing personal. It was fun even (according to Roger, not his crewmates) at times, if only because at no point had any of the old sourpusses' adoptive sons had been killed. Oh sure, they had been roughed up, thrown around, smacked through walls, hacked up, etcetera, but never leaking so much blood that that a good medic could not have them back on their feet in due time, or anything else serious. If it had gone any further, than the older man would have hunted the Roger Pirates down for a winner-takes-all-including-your-lives duel.

Frankly, Roger almost felt sorry for the marines, given the nightmare that was about to fall upon them. Knowing the kid was one of Whitebeard's Sons also only made him want to meet –Ace was it?— more. Hah! Maybe even ask for him to join, if only to rile him and his 'Pop' up!

"Not true!" bellowed Sengoku.

"It is true!" Ace snapped back. "Whitebeard's my Father! There's nobody else!"

Looks like the kid had no love for his biological parent, Roger ruefully thought. Still, how could Sengoku be so stupid? Whitebeard'll do what any proper father will do, and level Marineford to rescue his Son. Heck, even I don't want to know what he'd do to avenge one of his children.

And if I can figure this out, then Sengoku's probably thinking it's a bright idea to use a son as bait to kill him. Pfssh. If he wanted to pick fight with Newgate, he only has to ask…

Huh, that means old Newgate's still alive and kicking after twenty years, and the marines are still afraid of him! Hah! Good on him!

"We were looking everywhere…" Sengoku dramatically continued. "When we got word from Cipher Pol about the possibility that one of his children—"

Wait, whose children? Roger wondered.

"—might be on a certain island. We examined newborns, unborn infants their mothers and found nothing. But that was only natural. Your mother used a trick to hide you…that cost her her life! But we were fooled. The whole world was fooled!"

Roger was impressed. Sounds like a woman I'd have liked to have known.

"Your mother lived on the island of Baterilla in the South Blue. Her name was Portgas D. Rouge. She did something we never imagined was possible. She hid her child in her womb for twenty months, in order to save it! She bought your life…at the cost of her own."

Now it was Crocus giving a soft whistle at that medical miracle, while Rayleigh held up his flask in a silent toast to this mysterious woman. Truly she had been someone to admire. Roger though was struck by the look on Ace's face, with a throbbing forehead vein and a look in his eyes that concerned him. The poor lad.

Mercilessly, Sengoku continued. "Your father was executed one year and three months before you were born. The blood of the most terrible fiend the world has ever known…runs through your veins. Don't pretend not to know!

"YOUR FATHER WAS GOLD ROGER, THE PIRATE KING!"

The look on the boy's face confirmed it was the truth, except it still took a precious few seconds for it to sink in. To connect 'Gol D. Roger' with 'Gold Roger'…

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.

A smack to the back of his head shook Roger, and he realized that Rayleigh was shouting his name and slapping him again.

With a shake of his head, Roger regained his senses to see the Den-Den Mushi prostrate on the counter, foaming at the mouth. His nakama were staring at him with wide eyes, sweat beading their pale faces, and belatedly their Captain realized that he was the cause.

Protective instincts came to the fore as he drew in his power that had slipped free, so as to not hurt those more precious to him than his own life. Then Roger turned and stormed out.

The crew stood aside to let him pass, with only Rayleigh daring to come up beside the man. "If this is from Marineford, we've got that Eternal Pose we took from the Marines as a lark," he informed his partner, holding up the navigation device. "Helmsman, get us there," throwing it to the appropriate crewmember.

Reaching the rear of the ship, Roger drew his sword and then paused, turning his stupefied face towards Rayleigh, and whispered, "Are they really going to kill my son?"

Rayleigh sighed. "You heard what he said. Both of them, Sengoku and this Ace kid."

Numbly, Roger nodded. "I have a son. A boy. Somewhere on these seas, the South Blue even, I found someone that I chose to give my heart to her, this Portgas D" —he almost stumbled upon that name, and the implications it held to those in the know— "Rouge. And we had a child," he whispered the last. Who is she, this woman from the Blues? Who is she, with such strength of will that she held…? His wits returned, and he gritted in teeth as his heart beat a drum of war. "A child that she performed a miracle to save, at the cost of her very life. A child," he snarled, "that they are planning to kill." Venting his wrath, Roger sheathed his blade and swept one arm around behind the Oro Jackson.

The sheer force and might of the man who twenty years ago had been known as the Strongest Man in the World, now returned in the full richness of his prime, roared free as his steed leapt forward. The ship's Adam's Wood hull surviving the stress even as the water beneath them was forced down by the sheer impact.

Buggy screamed at the wind shear buffeting them all while Kozuki Oden was giving a frantic lecture about something called Newton's Third Law (he was educated like that), while again and again Roger waved his arms, trying to vent his fury even as he sped them on to Marineford.

Truthfully, with all of the conflicting emotions turning inside of him, Roger did not know how he felt. Although he did had strong suspicion he would feel much better when he went to Navy HQ and punched the face of every loser marine sailor he could find.

Again and again he accelerated his ship to greater and greater speeds.

Then maybe spend some time with Ace. Some fath—no, manly-bonding. Yes, his s-s-ss-suh-suuh-sonn-son, had made his feelings quite clear on who he considered his father. Roger was still optimistic however, knowing they could get to know each other while burning down the island of Marineford and salting the ashes.

Faster. Faster. Roger struggled to calm his thoughts. He had to think about this, and was weirdly reluctant to ask Rayleigh for help.

. . . Maybe break out the booze to share a drink with him? Yeah, that's an idea! We've got some, huh . . . Oh, right, all we've got aboard is stuff we stol—borrowed from Whitebeard's personal stock in preparation to celebrate at Raftel. He probably remembers that even . . . What else then?

Behind him, his crewmates adapted to the wind pressure and readied the ship, its canons, and their own weapons. They did not know exactly what their Captain was planning, yet they had a pretty good grasp of the gist of it.

The Roger Pirates were going to show the world what happened when peopled messed with their Captain!

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Whitebeard calmly considered the tableau before him as his Sons fought upon the harbor of ice, courtesy of that punk Aokiji. Now then, next Sengoku will probably—

"Pops!" the sheer terror from the Den-Den Mushi made the World Strongest Man pause, holding it up, recognizing the voice as A.O, which was a surprise given how Whitebeard had never heard him so afraid before.

"What is it?" he growled in concern.

"It's, it's, it's gotta be some sort of trick!"

Curious, Whitebeard reached out with his Observation's Haki, probing the region near A.O and found—What…!?

Whirling around, even turning his back on the marines, Whitebeard beheld the Impossible sight of the Oro Jackson threading its way through his fleet, a very familiar figure at the front.

Captain Gol D. Roger was not smiling.

Even at a distance it was clear the Pirate King was grinding his teeth in barely suppressed fury.

Unfortunately, for the seething man, the angle of his approach and the way Marineford's bay was set up meant the Oro Jackson could not reach the harbor directly. Moreover, there was a concrete and steel reinforced wall in its path, dozens of meters thic—

A blur of Roger's arms, and there was suddenly a wide gap in the wall for his ship to sail directly into the bay, braking with perfect control before hitting the ice.

Well that's interesting, Whitebeard automatically assessed. Such a casual display of power is the norm for Big Mom or Kaidou, but never for Roger or Shanks. Those two keep the monsters within them deep down, making people just see their 'party' side. Only letting it out when they want it to. I've never seen him so ready for a fight.

Whitebeard gave no thought to his own displays of power, because he was Whitebeard, and self-reflection like that was therefore unnecessary.

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"Mommy . . ." was all that one manly commodore could whimper, and no one thought any less of him.

"H-how is this possible!?" another exclaimed. "We killed him! The marines killed him and Justice prevailed! Did he never die!?"

Smoker quietly puffed out some more smoke, although Tashigi knew by his throbbing forehead veins he was thinking furiously. Did the Navy only pretend he was dead? Or assume he was and take credit for it? No. That was definitely Roger I saw on the execution platform all those years ago; it couldn't have been anyone else.

"No," one cried out in a voice that carried over the rest. "He did die, but now the Pirate King's returned from the Land of the Dead to show his displeasure to us all!" Voice shrieking now, "To drown us in blood and fury for daring to touch his son!"

"Why'd we think this was a good idea again!? Whitebeard was bad enough!"

"Be silent fools."

Those three words snuffed out all others, as Akainu stepped forward, gaze sweeping across the assembled marines. There were too many who had ushered such cowardice, goading on their comrades with treasonous thoughts, to deal with now. It would wait until after Justice was victorious. Justice was absolute.

"This is for the best," Admiral Sakazuki continued. "The first death of the Pirate King was not enough, and so we shall do it again. Not even Whitebeard's death could accomplish so much. When we present both their heads to the world, everyone will truly know the death of the Pirate Era!"

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Visibly taking a deep breath, Roger hopped down onto the ice as his ship stalled, briskly walking towards the Moby Dick. A quarter of the way there, he drew his sword and stuck it point first into the ice and carried on, a clear gesture of peaceful intent.

At half the distance from Whitebeard, he stopped, and called out in a fierce voice that carried across the island of Marineford.

"Whitebeard! Newgate! You've gotten old!"

The man being addressed was unsurprised, yet Roger was clearly disturbed, smacking his forehead, apparently having planned a more polite greeting.

"Uh—I mean, uhm, right. Nah you wouldn't believe me anyways . . . You don't seem too surprised to see me by the way, all things considered."

"If it's any consolation," Whitebeard grinned, "you squeezed into being number ten on my list of the strangest things I've seen on these seas. If you'd had the courtesy to bring some booze with you for once, I'd have happily made it number nine."

That was a bald-faced lie to maintain his image, as in truth he was struggling to retain his composure. Roger's appearance was easily the third weirdest thing to happen to Whitebeard. For the top two, the only other soul who knew what they were was Marco, and they had sworn each other to secrecy, in the futile hope they would one day forget about them.

Taking another big breath, Roger braced himself. "Alright, I'll get to the point. I get it, this," sweeping his arm to take in the battlefield, "is a family affair. Your family. Someone was stupid enough to mess with your Sons –and not be me– and now you're supremely hacked off with them all. No problem. The kid's your Son, no custody dispute."

As if you have any right to him, Whitebeard inwardly seethed, letting a glower settle over his face.

"But he was clearly someone very special to a woman I cared for very much. So please, let me do this for her. Please," he repeated again.

Whitebeard's temper eased, and he opened his mouth—

—and a ship fell from the sky.

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Despite himself, Roger was curious.

A Navy ship fell from the sky, and disgorged a horde of people in what was clearly prison uniforms. Plus people dressed in a way that made Roger want to go get drunk.

It was not that he had any problem with people of different genders than the bodies they were born with, he was happy to see such free souls. It was just that it brought back some bad memories that alcohol had thus far failed to successfully repress. The most it had achieved thus far was making him forget why he had wanted to go to that frightful pink island in the first place, not what had happened there.

"—Shanks—"

Roger shook his head, bringing himself back to the present, at the sound of that squirt talking to Newgate. It had been amusing to see him 'save' the 'helpless' Whitebeard from that guy with the hook, yet now that he was looking more closely . . .

Is that my hat!? I mean, Shank's hat now. But now this kid has it? . . . Interesting!

"Shut up! That's not for you to decide!" the kid yelled at Whitebeard of all people. "I know perfectly well! You wanna be the Pirate King, don't you?!" All of the assembled marines and pirates (who were in their proper timeline) were frozen stiff as they watched this face-off, except to swivel their eyeballs at Gol D. Roger.

"I'm the one who'll be the Pirate King!"

Huh, right, that title again, Roger remembered. Maybe he can tell me about it.

In a blur he was standing beside the kid, breaking the starring contest between him and Newgate. "Hey boy, what does that mean?"

The kid turned to look at him, taking in his face and hat, and declared, "That's a cool mustache!"

Blinking, Roger grinned in appreciation. "Glad you like it! Takes a lot of work, fine as Whitebeard's wouldn't you say! No, better!"

The kid did not say anything in agreement –but neither did he disagree!—, instead saying, "I like how you've got it on your hat too!" pointing at the Roger Pirate's Jolly Roger on his hat.

"Of course! A good mustache is a source of pride! Just ask Whitebeard! He did the same!"

While Whitebeard raised an eyebrow, he stayed silent.

"Yeah, sadly a mustache really isn't for me," the kid admitted without regret, rubbing his bare chin. "I can't grow one."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

"Eh, give it a little more time, and maybe you'll be able to do it."

"Okay, but now I've—"

"Wait," Roger firmly asked, holding up one palm. "I have to ask you something."

"Well say it already!"

Dimly Roger heard some people say the cheeky brat was dead. The pirate merely laughed, and then told the boy: "What is this Pirate King thing you're talking about?"

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.

.

"Are you stupid or something?"

If Roger had felt like dropping a pin, it could probably have been heard from across the island as the audience to this little drama held their breaths. For his part, Roger just sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "It's a little complicated. Could you just tell me?"

"The King of the Pirates is the man who's the most free," the kid loudly declared.

A shiver of excitement rippled down Roger's spine. "The most free?" he whispered.
"Yeah, the most free! Some people have these stupid ideas it's about the wealth or conquering the seas, but who cares about that?"

"Ha ha! A man after my own heart!" Roger declared, clapping both hands on the kid—man's shoulders. "What's your name!?"

"Monkey D. Luffy, and I—"

"Monkey!? Any relation to Monkey D. Garp!?"

"He's my grandpa and I—"

"Grandpa!? That man actually reproduced!? How!? When!? Why!? Who!? How!?" Roger repeated, utterly shocked. "How'd he even know how to make a kid!? And you're a pirate!? Are you a Pirate Captain!?"

"SHUT UP!"

Again the very concept of noise was dead, its throat slit from behind, and Roger felt another faint shiver go through him at the glare the wiry young man threw him. Not out of fear, but anticipation. Approval. A hint of kinship. "Yes I'm a Captain," the kid continued, "and your stupid questions are keeping me from saving my big brother Ace!"

Captain Luffy spun around and prepared to leap off the Moby Dick, before Roger's pleading voice made him pause. "Wait, Ace is your brother!?" I had another kid!? Who's somehow also related to Garp!?

He had to get to the bottom of this!

"Yes!" Luffy yelled over his shoulder before jumping into the fray.

Spinning his head around, Roger addressed Whitebeard while pointing at the lone figure charging the horde of marines. "Never mind, I'm with him now. See yah!"

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"Gramps," Ace whispered.

"Yes, Ace," the equally pale Garp replied.

"What's going on?"

". . . I'll tell you once I figure it out."

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Roger looked on with approval as his son(!?) beat down the marines in front of him with his fists and feet. Clearly he had consumed a Devil Fruit, even if it was only a weaker Paramecia. Not that eating a Devil Fruit was a bad thing. It was just that—

"He's not your son."

Roger spun around to see his partner had caught up. "What do you mean!?"

"He's too young," Rayleigh elaborated. "They must be step-brothers."

"Oh," Roger sighed with disappointment.

Then Sengoku started yelling about how Luffy was the son of someone named Dragon, and then the young captain took out a giant with a single massive punch. "Not bad for a rookie," Rayleigh admitted.

"What I still want to know is how Garp managed to have a kid," Roger mused, "and why he named him 'Dragon' of all things. I mean it's cool and all, but it seems too cool for Garp to think of. Must've been the mother's idea, although that doesn't explain why'd someone get involved with him of all people!"

Then Ace started yelling something about not wanting Luffy here, especially with that geezer (along with some unpleasant comments about Roger's heritage . . . which was Ace's heritage too, come to think of it), except then the little step(?)-brother yelled back for Ace to shut up and that he (Luffy) was going to save him.

Roger grinned at that, casually knocking away a dozen marines with a single swing of the sword he had retrieved before following the kid.

The rest of his crew were sweeping in from the sides, and according to his Haki, Shanks and Buggy were manning the ship. Rayleigh's orders no doubt, to keep them safe and make sure we can get out of here fast if needed. Shame though, I'd have like have seen what Luffy'd have said to seeing a younger Shanks. Hah ha ha! They'd have probably start fighting over their hats!

Hmm, I wonder what Luffy could tell us about the others. Has he met Buggy for instance?

Glancing back, Luffy took note of Roger and his Vice-Captain. "Hey, are you old man Rayleigh's kid or something?"

Rayleigh, the younger, blinked before collecting himself. "You've met someone like me, except older?"

"Yeah, a few days ago."

"Hmm," Rayleigh thought as he rubbed his beard. "How'd you get along?"

"Great!" Luffy grinned. "He's a real cool guy and helped out with a tough bind with an Admiral!" Suddenly he looked downcast. "And then a Warlord showed up and sent my Crew away."

"Horrible," Rayleigh helpfully said. "So you're saying this older man who looks just like me who got along with you, and even fought to help you? Did he approve of you, would you say?"

"I think so," Luffy answered with a confused expression. "Does that matter?"

"Why yes it does!" Roger boomed, knocking away fifty marines by simply glaring at them. So rude to interrupt!

"Huh," Luffy blinked. "You're pretty strong Mustache-Man."

Sengoku and the marines had been screaming a bunch of stuff again, although Roger had to admit it was getting pretty incoherent over the noisy battlefield. Even knowing what they must be saying, he could barely make out them saying his name and future title. It was a minor miracle that they had heard the part about Monkey D. Dragon, who did indeed sound a lot more fun than Garp ever was.

Anyways, the point was that it appeared Luffy was still unclear as to who Roger was.

"That's not important," Roger quickly assured him. "What is important is you telling me how one becomes the Pirate King!"

The marines and pirates all stumbled, and the fighting ground to a halt.

"Oh, that," Luffy said as if it were obvious. "You have to find the One Piece. Roger's treasure, which everyone says is on the last island of the Grand Line, Raftel! Why?" he frowned. "Are you trying to become the King as well?"

"Well, it sounds like a fine thing to do," and Roger's grin was as fierce and joyful as it ever could be. He held out one hand, "I agree with you on who the King should be, and I would happily be your rival!"

Luffy's face went blank once more, but then grinned a smile that reached from one end of his face to the other, and shook Roger's hand, sealing their pact. "You're on, Captain Mustache!"

"Ha ha ha! Well said!"

-0-0-0-

"This is a nightmare!" Ace moaned into his knees.

"I'm just saying, Sengoku," Garp argued, standing beside the Fleet Admiral, "that maybe we should cut our losses while we can. No matter what you say about the pride of the Navy, we can't fight Roger in his prime. Not with Whitebeard here too!"

While he and Sengoku were each still able to beat an admiral, age had their strength to the point they could only fight an admiral. There was no marine here that could take on Roger toe-to-toe.

Case in point, Vice-Admiral John Giant the Giant was standing over Roger, repeatedly swinging his sword down at the Pirate King as if the blade were a hammer, the pirate a nail, and the vice-admiral was a carpenter getting lip from his tools about his craftsmanship, and inability to please his wife.

For his part, Roger seemed to be entertaining himself by just standing there smirking. A miniscule little human blocking every massive overhand strike to drive home how impotent the giant was.

–Whoops, never mind, there went John Giant flying away with a trail of blood.

Sengoku was still grinding his teeth, yet he knew yelling at his old friend would be pointless. They needed something actually productive!

"Raise the Containment Wall!" he barked at Garp and into his Den-Den Mushi. "That should buy us some time!"

-0-0-0-

Roger glared at the metal wall blocking his path, deciding that yes, he did find it personally offensive.

They had been making such fine progress too, and the more he saw of Luffy, the more impressed he was.

Oh, sure, he had a few rough edges, and was at least a year away from being ready for the New World (he knew next to nothing about haki for instance), but frankly Roger was willing to overlook all of that given the hot chick he had as a fiancé. Apparently she was a 'Warlord' or something like that. So supportive too, having that key all ready for him! Huh, I wonder what it will be like when I meet Rogue . . . ? Well, anyways, I wish him best of luck!

Another Warlord, a guy with a massive black blade, had clearly been torn between challenging either Rayleigh or himself to a sword duel, until Rayleigh had pointedly indicated the yellow eyed man should fight Luffy first. Seems like his First-Mate wanted a better idea of what had made his older self so interested in this new rival, and seeing how he fared against an obviously superior adversary was as good a way as any.

The results had been harrowing, but the kid had kept himself alive long enough for one of Whitebeard's kids –who only looked vaguely familiar— to cheerfully lend a hand. The very act of someone so powerful coming to his aid proving the lad's potential

"Now Luffy," Roger lectured to the still alive, if slightly bloody, young Captain, gesturing at the massive wall that had raised before them. "This is why you always have a swordsman on your crew," while Rayleigh walked up to the massive barricade.

"But I've got a swordsman! Zoro's the first crewman I recruited!"

"Really!? Good for you! Same here for Rayleigh!" Roger praised, earning further stares from the pirates and 'revolutionaries' (or something like that), behind them.

"But aren't you a swordsman, Captain 'Stache?"

"Why're you shortening my name?" pouted Roger. "And for your information, Rayleigh is much better at the sword than I am."

With an exaggerated sigh, Rayleigh swung his sword in a manner intentionally meant to seem lazy, and then the obstruction fell down . . . onto the marines behind it.

"Let's save Ace!" roared Luffy.

"Goodness me," Ivankov muttered, sweat dripping down his brow. "I'm ever so glad I helped break out of that ghastly prison! I wouldn't have missed this for the world. Dragon, what will your son do next!?"

"Eh, this is a typical Tuesday for us," quipped 'Dark King' Rayleigh with a smirk.

Ivankov was too stupefied to even contest that.

-0-0-0-

Sengoku was very nervous now.

Garp and the three Admirals were all fighting Roger and his first-mate, and even with two-to-one odds, and support of the rank and file, they were barely holding them back, and now Whitebeard was stomping onto the field of battle. Unless he could think of something, Sengoku himself, the Navy's last reserve, would have to fight their original target of this whole mess.

To add insult to injury, Straw Hat Luffy was spearheading the army of pirates and revolutionaries cutting their way through to the execution platform.

Oh well, it could not get any . . . worse . . . ?

"CUT THE VIDEO FEEDS! CUT THE VIDEO FEEDS!" Sengoku screamed.

They had been so distracted by Roger's return that they had forgotten to stop broadcasting it to the whole world!

A clank of metal on wood made him freeze.

Slowly, as if his neck were made of stone, the Fleet Admiral turned to see the figure of 'Fire Fist' Ace rubbing his sore wrists, while the floating head of Captain Buggy the Clown, grinned in a sick and terrified way. As if he knew he was about to die, but dared not roll over and show his belly with his one and only Captain here.

It had been Vice-Captain Rayleigh who had caught up to him while everyone else was watching that idiot Straw Hat yelling at Captain Roger. The wily man had pointed out that in all the insanity that was to break loose, no one would notice if a crafty little former apprentice slipped right past it all. It was stupid, suicidal, and everything else that Buggy had spent the last twenty years escaping from.

Yet none of that mattered.

Reflexes Buggy had thought long dead had sprung into motion the instant he had seen Captain Roger, instinctively knowing that the Roger Pirates were going to war . . . and that he would always be one of them.

In one hovering hand was a lockpick.

"Hello—?" Buggy managed.

With scream of rage, Fire Fist leapt down in a blaze of fire, joining the fight against Roger.

"Okay men, time to beat it!" Roger declared, turning and hightailing it out of there.

"No!" roared Akainu, striking down several of the Whitebeard's Sons as he barreled forward. "You shall not escape Justice! You and your sins end—"

A hand grabbed onto the crown of his head and slammed it down into the ground.

"Out of my way!" snarled Portgas D. Ace as he leapt over the random stranger –he was not really 'seeing' anyone right now except for one particular individual— in his race for . . . vengeance? Fulfillment? Eh, he just wanted to beat him up. "Come back here you coward!"

"Follow Ace!" yelled Squard, honestly shocked and ashamed that he had briefly thought such negative thoughts of his friend. His Brother. Together they would have their revenge against Roger!

Whitebeard just laughed, deciding it would be therapeutic for both his children.

"And Luffy!" Roger yelled over his shoulder. "One way or another, I'll be the Pirate King before you!"

"No you won't!" Luffy screamed back, trying to catch up with his brother. Meanwhile Garp was occupied holding back the remaining the Admirals, as there was no need to get the involved, and they should probably start evacuating the island before Whitebeard stopped enjoying the show, and remembered to sink it with a few earthquakes.

"Just you wait and see!" Roger grinned and laughed again.

-0-0-0-

Two years later

"Wait, hold on a second," Luffy demanded. "You're saying that was GOLD ROGER THE PIRATE KING I WAS FIGHTING WITH!?"

". . . .No one told you!?" squeaked Nami.

"No, but they kept muttering about some weird stuff after he disappeared into thin air like that," Luffy explained while picking his nose in disbelief. "He just vanished along with his ship. It was a cool mystery, except I just wanted to be with Ace. And eat meat."

"Unbelievable," Nami moaned while everyone except Robin shook their heads in resignation. Their resident historian was reconsidering how to get Luffy to give her more details about his encounter with the Pirate King. This had to be written down for history's sake.

Luffy's fist struck his palm. "Oh, so that's why Ace was so upset! And kept ranting. I thought he was just jealous of that mustache!"

-0-0-0-

Author Notes:

A little time travel idea I had in my head for a while that evolved into something different. My original idea was that Luffy came back as the Pirate King himself, while dragging Roger and his crew along too, but then I thought of the idea of Luffy and Roger becoming rivals for the throne and this was born! :-D

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Please review, and I will get back to you!