Yeah, yeah. I know. Long wait. I'm sorry. And there's been a bit of a rewrite, starting from chapter 7, so if you haven't read the updated version, go back. And Enjoy :)

Sanji tapped his fingers impatiently against the circular wooden table as he looked around the room. There were four others besides him in the room as well, two of them still hovering above a strange looking grey box with machine parts spilling out of it, and the other two working on the benches lining two of the walls.

None of them were paying close attention to him, and Sanji occasionally though about making a break for it. But these people were his only way back to his own world at the moment, and they hadn't done anything but asked him questions.

He stopped drumming when one of the two working at the lab bench slid into a seat across from him, and dumped a folder of paper onto the table.

Sanji raised an eyebrow as the man started to pull out papers and set them up. "What's that?"

"Work," The man said. He looked up, "You're part of the crew that took our crawler, aren't you."

"Crawler?"

"A machine that walks and has a camera on the front. It's about this big," He held his hands out, "And it was taken by someone with blue hair, and had a long nosed companion. Sound familiar?"

"Franky and Usopp," Sanji said, nodding. "I was wondering what that thing was."

That caught the attention of the others in the room. "Why'd you take it?"

"Because it was there, and we're pirates. It's not like we care about stealing. Besides, I wasn't the one who took it. Franky did. He likes machinery."

"So where were you?" Nathan asked, elaborating when Sanji just stared at him. "We could catch the video stream the crawler was sending out, and there was one video we got that had us thinking. The idea that you were underwater came up, but we didn't think that was right."

"What did you see?"

"There was someone named Surume there," Nathan recalled. "And Shirahoshi."

"We were underwater," Sanji said. "And I was probably in the cabin."

"What?! How?!"

"Because I was making lunch."

"No, I mean, how'd you get underwater?"

"We coated our ship with resin from Sabaody," Sanji said, "It created a bubble, trapping air so we could breathe. It's not unusual."

"Here, it is," Nathan muttered, grabbing a chair, pulling it out and sitting down. "What else isn't normal here?"

"How the hell should I know?" Sanji asked irritably. "I don't know what this world is like."

The door opened, and Sanji didn't bother turning around. Nathan waved, "Mornin', Ace."

Ace. That was the name of the guard. He twisted in his chair, taking in the man who had just walked in. He was wearing the same black shorts, and he walked forward, dumping his bag onto the table beside Sanji.

"Morning." He glanced at Sanji, offering a small smile before he opened his bag and dug out a folder. "Where's Mr. Thomas? I have the shit he wanted."

"I think he's in the next room," Harriet said. "You haven't met Sanji yet, right?"

"I'm Ace," The newcomer introduced himself with an amused smile.

"And you're late," Mr. Thomas entered the room.

Ace shrugged, "Sorry, I had to walk."

"Couldn't you have left earlier?"

"I had something to do," Ace said. "Besides, I'm here, aren't I?" He held out the folder, "Here's my work."

Mr. Thomas took the folder with an exasperated sigh, "I can assume you've met our… guest."

"Sure," Ace nodded and sat himself down beside Sanji, who was examining him with suspicious eyes. "So you're from the other world?"

"He's a pirate," Nathan said excitedly. Both Sanji and Ace regarded him with blank stares and the math major backed off, looking embarrassed. "You missed a lot of the explanation, so you'll have to read the report and catch up."

Ace waved his hand, "Marty filled me in," He said, and Marty nodded. "So what's your story?" Ace asked, turning his attention back to Sanji.

Sanji seemed startled at the question, but he composed himself quickly. "I'm a pirate, and don't like being in situations I can't control."

Ace laughed, "So how are you holding up here?" He paused, sobering slightly. "Marty said that one of the Emperors is dead. Is that true?"

"What do you know about the Emperors?" Sanji asked.

"Just curious," Ace said, "Please?"

Sanji sighed. "Whitebeard. It sets us back to three Emperors, so the territories that he once governed are up for grabs, and it's causing an uproar in the New World."

Ace's gaze darkened, and Marty gave a sympathetic smile before turning away.

Harriet slid into the seat on Sanji's other side, "So that means the pirates are just as important as the government, right?"

Sanji laughed loudly, and they had to wait for him to compose himself before he spoke. "The government is idiotic and doesn't give a damn about anything except making sure they look good. Several of the Emperors take islands under their protection and keep other pirates away. Marines don't set up on small islands, leaving them vulnerable. What's the government like here?"

"Better than that," Mr. Thomas said.

"They threaten people to get what they want," Ace said.

Mr. Thomas narrowed his eyes, "We don't appreciate that kind of talk, Ace."

Ace shrugged, "Don't care. And you know it."

Sanji watched with slight amusement as Mr. Thomas gave up and handed the folder Ace had given him off to the head scientist. "Just try and get some work done today, please." He left, and Ace gave his back the finger. He waited until the door shut before shoving himself up and walking over to one of the messy benches.

"So what exactly do you guys do here?" Sanji asked.

Harriet shrugged, "The discovery of another world is a revolutionary breakthrough. We're studying it to compare it to our own, see if it's habitable to us. Since you're here, and not dead, it gives us a better chance."

"Why would you want to live there? You have your own world."

Ace snorted, "You should watch some of the movies about this. Stealing resources and taking over are popular choices."

"Those are science fiction movies," Georgia said. "Don't scare him."

"That might become a reality," Ace said. "Who knows? Maybe the government on the other side wants to take over this world."

Nathan laughed, "That's ridiculous. How? We've got superior technology, they couldn't take us."

That caused Sanji to laugh, "Don't underestimate us. I don't know what you've got, but we've got technology too. Not to mention the Admirals, Emperors, and Warlords are a lot more powerful than any ordinary person."

"So, how many people is that?"

"Fourteen if they fill the empty positions," Sanji said, shaking his head, a grin still present on his face. "And fifteen, if you include the Pirate King."

"How powerful are you talking here?" Marty asked, glancing at Ace.

"Considering my crew almost leveled Enies Lobby, and at Marineford it took an entire crew to take down a single Emperor, I'd say you can't make any assumptions yet."

Ace flicked a wadded up ball of paper at the back of Nathan's head, "I'd listen to him. He's the only one from that world you've met."

"He's the only one who's come through," Nathan countered.

Ace shook his head, "Remember what we were told on the first day? That things have been coming through for years? And three years ago, the blood and bead? There are people on this side. They just haven't come forward."

Nathan shivered, and Sanji leaned forward, curious. "Who?"

"We don't know," Harriet said.

"I do," Ace said.

All heads turned to him. "You know? Don't be stupid. Why haven't you told us before?"

"Because I had no reason to," Ace said. "Don't be naive. None of them want anything to do with the government. Most of them have given up on returning home."

"Who are they?" Sanji asked. "I might know them."

"Most of them went through near death experiences," Ace said. "There was a drowning, eaten, execution, and… Well, they thought they were going to die."

"Eaten?" Georgia asked, looking disgusted. "How would they survive that?"

"If they were eaten by a Sea King," Sanji said. "They might have stayed alive in its stomach."

Georgia shivered again, "That sounds disgusting."

"So who were they?" Sanji pressed. "You know something." He pulled the scrap of paper out of his pocket. "What was this?"

"Ace," Marty started. "Are you…"

Ace shrugged. "They're going to find out sooner now that he's here. I was warning you, because I know you wouldn't trust them. And to answer your question, well, I've only met five of them, but I'm told there's about twenty people. Kepper, been here twenty five years, doubt you've met him. Howler and Yashi, both have been here fourteen years. And Thatch, who's been here just over three years." He stopped.

"But you said you've met five people," Harriet pressed. "Who's the last one?"

"You've heard of him," Ace said to Sanji, "But you've never met him. Gold Roger."

Sanji spluttered slightly, "The first Pirate King?! But he was executed over twenty five years ago!"

Ace shrugged, "That's what he told me."

Sanji grimaced, "If you know his name, then you must be telling the truth."

"So why didn't you tell Mr. Thomas? We could have–"

"Could have what?" Ace asked. "It's not like they could do much more than talk."

"That still would have been helpful."

"Not really," Ace said. "You didn't believe me when I said the ship was underwater. And guess what, I was right. Would you have believed them? None of them have Devil Fruits either, so it's not like they could have helped you that way either." Ace pinched the bridge of his nose and turned away, grimacing. "What do you think would happen to them? They're not legal residents, no passports or anything. But that's because they're not required in that world. I know that because I'm not a resident. I came to the US three years ago, no papers or legal documents. And that's how they roped me into this stupid project."

"You're an alien?"

"Yes. I'm not a legal resident. I snuck in. And you know what? It wasn't my fault!"

"So you finally told them," Mr. Thomas said, standing against the door.

Ace glared at him. "Fuck off. I don't give a shit about what you think."

"You should. I have the power to arrest you."

"I'm not ever going to allow myself to be behind bars again," Ace snapped, snatching up his bag and storming out of the room. On his way past Sanji, he glanced down and mouthed, "I need to talk to you," Before leaving the lab, slamming the door behind him.

Mr. Thomas stared after him, a pained look on his face. Harriet glared at him too, before turning back to her station sharply. "He'll be back," Mr. Thomas said.

"You sound so sure of yourself," Sanji said casually.

"That's because I know he won't abandon this task." Mr. Thomas said.

Sanji laughed, "There's only one person I know who can speak with that much confidence and get away with it. Can you handle the consequences? That man reminds me of someone I knew, and if they're anything alike, pissing him off is a bad idea."

"They can't be the same person," Mr. Thomas said. "I'm not worried."

"I know, the man I'm thinking of is dead. But they do have similar attitudes. They even look alike. I'm just giving you a heads up."

"It's unneeded." Mr. Thomas said bluntly, turning away. Sanji shrugged, and Marty gave him a sympathetic look before returning to his work.

The secretary waved happily as Ace left, oblivious to his bad mood. He headed to the beach, shedding his shoes and stuffing them into his pack on top of the folder of work he was given, and dug his toes into the warm sand.

"Fuck the world," He muttered, walking until he was far from the building, tossing down his bag, and laying in the sand. The feeling was so familiar it hurt, and he had to close his eyes to keep from crying. He hated it. He felt so weak. And it was his own fault. "I just want to go home, see Pops, and forget this ever happened."

Pops death hit him hard then, the news still sinking in. He wasn't there. He had already… Well, he didn't die. He was alive. Maybe he was in hell. It certainly felt like it. "GAH!" He grabbed a rock and hurtled it over the water as hard as he could. He grabbed another one and sent it in the same direction, taking a deep breath and watching it sail over the water.

He blinked when it stopped suddenly a few hundred feet out and plummet into the water. Did he imagine it? He picked up a third rock and aimed it at the spot the second rock went down and threw it. The same thing happened.

Scanning the area, he made sure no one was in the area before forming a ball of fire and launching it over the water. It hit whatever the rocks had hit and dispersed. "This isn't good," Ace muttered, backing away from the water's edge and grabbing his bag. He froze, wondering what he should do. He didn't want to go back. Mr. Thomas would be smug knowing that he came back so soon.

Ace dropped his pack and picked up another stone, turning back to the ocean. He pulled back, aimed higher than he had the first few times, and threw it again. This time, the rock didn't bounce off anything, or hit the water. It vanished, and ripples formed in the air where it disappeared.

"Shit," Ace scrambled for his bag, threw away his pride, and ran back to the lab. His bare feet slapped against the tiles as the secretary glanced up in surprise, but Ace just ran past and down the stars.

"Guys, we got a problem," He said, bursting through the doors.

"I thought you weren't coming back," Mr. Thomas said, and Ace blatantly gave him the finger. "That's not polite."

"Sanji, how far from the ship were you when you first saw the window?" He demanded.

Sanji looked startled at being addressed. He pulled his cigarette from his lips, "I don't know."

"Would you say about four hundred, maybe even five hundred feet?"

"Something like that."

"What's wrong?" Marty asked.

"Something's going on outside." Ace said, running a hand through his tangled hair. "Andrew, have you tried turning the window on again?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to run it right now," He said, looking up from the controls. "Zip. Nada. Nothing."

"I think having something as big as a person come through messed with its coordinates."

"Why?"

"Just check them," Ace snapped. "I think it moved. There's something outside."

"That's absurd."

"Do it!" Ace shouted.

Andrew shook his head, but picked up a screwdriver and opened a panel, revealing a small screen. He tapped a button on the bottom and it lit up, drawing a startled look from Sanji. He started messing around, and paused. He tapped it a few more times and paused again.

"That can't be right."

"What's wrong?" Mr. Thomas picked up on the head scientist's worried tone.

"These coordinates are wrong. It… It makes the window over a hundred times as big." He said, panic creeping into his voice. "And, about four hundred and seventy five feet west… Out over the ocean." He turned to Mr. Thomas, "Make the bay off limits until further notice. I don't want anyone accidently going through and destabilizing it further."

Mr. Thomas pulled out a cellphone and quickly dialed a number, pressing the phone to his ear and leaving the room.

"What was that?" Sanji asked, confused.

"A phone," Ace told him. "It's like a transponder snail, but without the snail."

Sanji looked mildly less confused, but Nathan looked over. "What the hell's a transponder snail?"

Ace ignored him in favour of looking over Andrew's shoulder at the screen. It was flickering with warning popups. "How screwed are we?"

"Very," Andrew muttered, grabbing a fistful of his hair and sent a hopeless look at the charred wall. "I don't know what went wrong."

"It's not my fault," Sanji called out.

"And I don't know how to fix it." Andrew continued. "You're a physicist. Have any ideas?"

"Not really," Ace said. "I may be good at physics, but I don't know much when it comes to machines. Just trying to get my TV fixed is a hassle."

"Great." Andrew groaned, releasing his hair and slamming his fist against the table. "This isn't good."

Ace sighed, "What's on the other side?" He asked. "If there's water, ships could pass by. And my guess is that it opened up near the place Sanji came through, considering it's open on its own right now. Right?"

"I turned it off."

"I doubt you've got control over it anymore. Something that big couldn't run on the power the city provides. It's probably got its own source of energy right now."

"What could it use?" Andrew asked. "There's not much out there."

"Maybe the energy between the worlds," Ace said. "Look, I'll talk to the other guys that came through, see if they've got any ideas. Maybe if we can determine what it's using to fuel itself we can remove that power and make it shut itself down."

"That sounds like a good idea," Andrew said. "I'll research possible ideas, you get other ideas from people that come from that side. See if you can convince them to stop by. I'll talk to Ben, see if he's got any ideas."

Ace nodded, "Keep an eye on the other side, too. If something as big as a ship came through, I doubt it would stay stable very long." He took a breath, "And maybe it's stable enough for people to go through, considering its size."

"I'll do the math," Nathan volunteered.

Ace nodded, "Great. Thanks. I'll be going."

Andrew nodded, turning back to the screen.

"Wait," Sanji caught his arm and stood up. "You wanted to talk to me, right? Let's get it over with."

Ace nodded, "Follow me." He led Sanji out of the building and to the beach, where they could see several coast guard boats driving other boats towards the docks. Buoys had been set up, deterring any other boats from entering.

"This world is very different," Sanji commented.

"I know. It took a lot of getting used to," Ace said. He sat down, digging his feet into the sand. "Do you recognize me?"

"You look familiar," Sanji admitted, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and pulling one out. "But you're from this side."

"I'm not," Ace said. "We've met before today."

Sanji pulled out his lighter. "So you came through the same as me?"

"Not quite. Marty's the only one who knows where I'm from. Actually, I have some theories of my own about how this happened, and why I came through. I was lucky, I suppose. I probably would have died if I hadn't."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, a fist through my stomach wasn't the most pleasant thing to experience." Ace said. "How's Luffy doing?"

"He's…" Sanji trailed off. "No way. Ace? As in, Portgas… Portgas D. Ace?"

"There you go," Ace laughed, holding up a flaming thumb. Numbly, Sanji lit his cigarette and took a long drag. "So, Luffy?"

"He's doing well. We've made it to Raftel, and we've made several alliances. With Shanks, Mar…"

"Marco, huh? It's alright. I know what happened to Pops."

"I'm sorry."

Ace nodded in understanding, turning his head and scanned the parking lot. "Hey! Marty!" Ace stood up, grabbing his boots from his bag and shoving them on his feet before running up the sand dune, gesturing for Sanji to follow.

"Yes?" The man turned. "What do you need, Ace? A ride?"

"Yes. I'm going to talk to some of the guys from the bar and see if I can get anything. Can you bring me to Bink's Bar?"

"Never heard of it. You'll have to give me directions."

"I can do that." Ace opened the back door and gestured for Sanji to get in. "This is a car, like a ship for land. Wanna come with me?"

"Anything's better than sitting in that building," Sanji said, climbing in.