Hey guys! I wanted to thank you all for supporting me so much! I'm really happy to see my readers enjoy this story, that's so great!

roo17: -blushes-Thanks! :3 I don't think I'm that good but I love to draw, so well^-^I'm glad you thought it was cute! :D Yeah, I found it pretty sad that Ace hated Roger so much. Aw, thank you! Ah, sorry for causing a bad feeling^^'' That's so kind of you, thanks! Your reviews always make MY morning! :D Have a wonderful day too~ =)

ShikaTachidoriKitsuneHebiTaka: Thanks for reviewing again! :D

Lyneel: Wow, thank you for this awesome compliment :,D It makes me soo happy to hear that, really! Thank you so much! I just love your reviews! :3

KTDLover: Yosh! :D Great to hear that, many many thanks! :D

Minako1013: Thanks! Me too, Ace is one of the most amazing anime characters ever ;) Thank you for your kind review!

Son of Whitebeard: Thank you! :)

Pls enjoy this chapter, it's for all those kind people who made my day for reviewing! :)

Special thanks to Silver Shadowbreeze for beta'ing!

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.

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Chapter 14: Thoughts and a new adventure?

A few weeks had passed since the incident with the Ixion group. Much to the crew's delight, Ace seemed in high spirits. Luffy was more than happy about that; truth be told, if Ace had dropped into a depression, then Luffy would have been totally lost. He would have had no clue as how to cheer him up.

Once Ace was down, as in really depressed, he tended to turn all the sadness and anger to himself . He'd blame and tear himself apart until there was nothing left of him, because there was a part in his body, in his soul, that Ace could not and would not forgive. That part was Roger's blood. Apparently, though, and against everything Luffy and the others had feared, Ace had won against that part. Maybe... there was a chance of not only him healing from deep wounds, but Ace's deepest and oldest wound also healing? Luffy didn't know, but he knew one thing: he'd do everything to support Ace from now on.

However, Ace wasn't the only concern Luffy was wracking his brain about. Of course, Luffy hated thinking so much, but he just couldn't help it. What had happened at Sabaody Archipelago a year ago showed him that sometimes life didn't work the way you wanted or planned. Quite the opposite; life hardly went as planned. Or maybe it did follow a plan. Luffy wasn't blind nor was he stupid. He'd known about this for a long time, but this incident had made it painfully obvious.

The disaster also told him that you just couldn't get out of some situations in one piece if you just relied on your own luck and strength. Some things in life could be avoided beforehand, but you had to use your brain for that. And that's what Luffy was doing, or at least trying to do. He didn't want to run away from hard situations, but he didn't intend on running straight into one he couldn't control either.

If only he could figure out who this ominous boss of the Ixion group was! Rube told him he'd already met him... Luffy's brows furrowed in thought, and he pulled his hand up for support. He began to count on his fingers; in his mind he went through all the people he met on his journey. Thumb, Alvida. Immediately, the strawhat boy halted and he tried to imagine the fat-turned-skinny lady with her ridiculously huge mace in front of the Ixion group, smiling cruelly. Her mouth opened, and she whispered: 'I'm gonna get ya, mugiwara.'

Luffy's eyes snapped open and he couldn't suppress the shudder that went down his spine. No way. No frigging way. Besides, Alvida may have been a pain in the butt, but she never was a real threat to him. She was too weak to be the leader of such dangerous bounty hunters. Though, some men reacted funny in her presence, maybe...

Luffy forced himself not to end that thought. He didn't know why but he got the arbitrary feeling that it was definitely NOT her but someone really strong. Someone he should better not cross paths with... some miscreant. Shaking his head, he shooed that thought away. That would lead nowhere.

Well, who came next? Luffy sighed, pressing two fingers against his forehead in deep concentration. Crap, he was beginning to get a headache. Thinking really wasn't his thing! Suddenly, the eighteen-years-old blinked, an idea forming in his mind. What if...?

That moment, Ace walked across the deck. Well, walking wasn't the right word; Ace strode to the mast, trying to ignore everything around him. He was not in the mood to talk to anyone right now, not this early in the morning. Not after what he'd dreamed about again... However, Ace was in for a surprise as he spotted his little brother lying on the figurehead, staring into the still dark sky. What the...? Ace could've sworn he was the only one up, and he definitely hadn't expected to see Luffy of all people! Maybe Sanji, the cook sometimes had to get up early to prepare the breakfast, but his little brother? That was new to Ace.

But there was something about Luffy that really shocked Ace: The pensive look upon his face. Since when did Luffy take his time to think about something? It was completely unnatural for him to waste his energy for thoughts. For a moment, Ace's throat felt as if someone was trying to suffocate him with a nylon rope. Was Luffy thinking about his nakama again...?

His worries were cut short as Luffy noticed his presence. The younger one's expression turned 180 degrees and he smiled happily, jumping up to greet his brother.

"Hey Ace! What are you doing up so early?" Luffy asked, wearing such a big smile that Ace wondered why he had been worrying earlier. Luffy couldn't lie even if he tried. Ace could tell Luffy was sincerely happy. A feeling of great relief passed through him before he finally answered a bit gruffly, "Well, I could ask you the same thing."

Luffy blinked as if he'd just realized he was actually up early too, and then he grinned again. "Oh, that's right!" A short laugh followed and then Luffy continued. "Well, I couldn't really sleep and that's why I decided to get up and talk to old man Whitebeard! But he wasn't here when I went out, so I just lay on my special place."

Ace's face blanched a tad."Did you have nightmares again?" He asked carefully. Luffy didn't answer immediately, but he avoided his glance and that was answer enough for Ace.

"...Yeah. But it's okay now." Luffy answered, not as loud as before. Ace wanted to say something but Luffy beat him to it. "Anyways, I was thinking about this Ixion group and their mystery leader and all."

Ace raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised Luffy could remember that name. But he wasn't in a very good mood, so he bit his tongue to not reply with anything mischievous. Sensing Ace wouldn't say anything, Luffy continued, a victorious smile on his face.

"I figured out their leader's name!" Luffy exclaimed proudly and this time, both Ace's eyebrows rose so high they almost reached his hairline. Then Ace's rationality took over again and he narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure? Who is it then?"

Luffy's grin didn't falter. "Buggy of course!"

For a moment, Ace wasn't sure as how to react. Was Luffy trying to pull a prank on him? Nah, surely not. He must be serious. Ace nearly groaned but managed to suppress it. Then he decided not to grace that with an answer and just turned around, shaking his head and sighing deeply. Luffy blinked as his brother sat down and leaned against the mast, a nearly blank expression upon his face. But Luffy couldn't be fooled that easily, he saw the discomfort in his brother's eyes immediately.

"What's wrong?" Luffy said, the grin long gone. Somehow, his bro was acting really weird this morning. Ace shifted around uncomfortably, then he shook his head.

"Nothing. I just need to think about stuff. Why don't go and wake Sanji? He'll prepare you some meat and you can talk to him about this strange group and their leader." Ace answered after a while. Luffy suddenly felt like he was shut out from his brother. It was weird. Ace hardly was this... distant. What on earth was the matter with him?

"Is it about old man Whitebeard?" Luffy just wanted to know, completely serious by now. Ace frowned.

"No." Luffy could tell Ace was honest with this, but he still wanted to know what was on the other's mind. Before he could ask any further, Ace gestured to the kitchen, urging Luffy to leave him alone with his glance. The younger one got the hint and decided that he shouldn't interrogate further– at least for now. Ace looked like he hadn't slept that well with those dark circles under his eyes. Besides, if he wanted to talk about something with Luffy, he'd come to him when he was ready to do so. Or maybe Ace just wanted to sort things out himself this time. Whatever it was, Luffy was sure he could trust his older brother.

"Okay." Luffy said and it sounded slightly disappointed. Ace frowned a bit at the slight feeling of regret to shoo his brother away like that, but this was something he needed to think of alone.

Luffy put on his trademark grin and turned around, shouting an excited sounding, "Meat!" and began to storm off to the men's quarters.

"Luffy..?" Ace said and Luffy thought it had sounded almost shy. He shook his head. What a ridiculous thought. Ace, shy? Impossible!

Curious, Luffy stopped in his movement and turned to Ace. "Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

Luffy looked at Ace for five seconds that seemed like five minutes to Ace. "...Sure. Why wouldn't I be?" Luffy finally said and it sounded genuinely flabbergasted. Ace couldn't blame him though, he knew he was behaving rather odd at the moment.

"...Never mind." Ace dropped the matter and closed his eyes, signaling the conversation was over. Luffy watched his elder brother for another two seconds with a blank expression, then he shrugged and went to wake Sanji.

Ace breathed a sigh of relief as Luffy finally disappeared behind the door. He hated it when he was in this kind of mood, but it couldn't be helped. Ace had barely slept after he'd had such a weird dream again. This time -thank kami-sama, it didn't involve bloody tears but the image of a thoroughly upset Luffy was terrifying enough. He could still hear the echoes of his brother's voice lingering in his ears.

"Why did this have to happen?"

Why had what to happen? Ace had absolutely no idea about the meaning of those... dreams. Ace didn't dare to call them visions, because that meant they would come true sooner or later. That was something the logia user couldn't accept. He couldn't do that to his brother; whatever that was. He just knew it wasn't good. What if these warnings really came true some day? Ace wasn't concerned about his own death, not in the least. But he had promised both Sabo and Luffy to stay alive as long as he could,"and that was a promise he couldn't afford to break.

Even with two of his nakama around, Ace wasn't sure if Luffy could take another huge loss. Ace knew how much Luffy adored him… thought of him as someone who just could not die- invincible. Ace had promised he wouldn't die, so that meant he wouldn't. It was a ridiculous thought, but it was so Luffy-like. That was how Luffy's logic worked; simple yet understandable. If Luffy would open his eyes and face the truth that Ace was just flesh and blood, that he was just human and certainly not invulnerable, then he would be even more careful and concerned for his well-being. Luffy would just regard Ace as someone he had to protect no matter what. How was the strawhat boy supposed to become the Pirate King if he had to permanently look out for Ace just to make sure he was always safe?

Hit by a sudden wave of determination, Ace clenched his jaw and jumped up at once. He crossed his arms and put on a defiant expression. Who was he to believe in such stupid things? He wasn't a medium or something, he was a pirate. And a pirate decided his own fate! Whether these dreams had special meanings to them or not, it didn't matter, Ace would not let destiny do whatever it had in mind with him. It was his life. He would fight and win, 'cause he was one of Whitebeard's sons, and goddammit, he was strong!

Exhaling a deep breath Ace hadn't realized he'd been holding, a huge grin formed on his lips. Yeah, that felt good. Why hadn't he thought of that earlier? It was so easy! He shouldn't always worry and think so much. They were just dreams, and he couldn't care less about such things. Whatever was standing in his way, he'd blaze it away.

Ace cocky grin turned into a soft smile. He'd blaze it away and protect his little brother and he would live.

His peaceful moment was ruined by a loud shout of "Don't BUGGY me at five o'clock in the damn morning!" followed by a girly shriek and sounds of things being thrown. Ace facepalmed. Of course Luffy wouldn't wake Sanji too kindly. He chuckled slightly. Some things would never change, huh?

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A few hours later (the Buggy-file finally closed after a long discussion, much to the crew's relief), the four friends were sitting or lying on deck, trying to kill time with playing cards. According to the log pose around Ace's wrist, the next island was near but it would still take about one or two days to reach it.

The weather wasn't hot but it was warm enough to be outside and enjoy the sun; the sea was calm for once and there wasn't a single sea king or any other living creature in sight. The Strawhats weren't used to these peaceful conditions anymore and now that absolutely nothing was happening, they felt bored out of their mind. Since when was the New World this calm?

Suddenly, a frustrated howl echoed over the place. "Aaargh, damn it!" Luffy had lost the fourth round of poker again and the others chuckled, amused by his reaction. Luffy was a terrible card player. He just didn't have the talent to keep a cool poker face. His twitching lip that tried desperately to move upwards into smile and the sweat on his face always gave him away.

Having enough of this 'stupid, unfair card game', he got up and leaned over the railing, a deep pout on his face. Sanji and Chopper looked at each other and grinned. Casually, Ace made a comment about how Luffy once tried to eat the chessmen because he had always lost against him, and the three of them erupted into hysterical laughter.

"That was the first and only time I saw Luffy getting an upset stomach. Oh boy, he never got near a chess board EVER again. I don't think he forgave his stomach for betraying him, either." Ace chuckled, wiping away his tears of laughter. The other two laughed along with him, the mere image of Luffy eating chessmen was absolutely priceless.

Ace grinned at them. He loved how Luffy's nakama were such a happy bunch. Every time Sanji would spot a pretty woman and drool all over her, Ace would freak out with laughter. Also, he got the feeling that he and Chopper had a similar idea of humor as him, and some evenings they would sit together and just tell jokes or funny stories from their pasts. By now, Ace felt fully integrated into this crew. He was a Strawhat pirate, just like Chopper and Sanji.

Actually, those two felt like two younger cousins to Ace already, and he enjoyed their company a lot. At the same time, both the reindeer and the cook liked Ace and his calm attitude. He was the complete opposite of Luffy, the always loud and bouncing Luffy who didn't even know how to spell the word 'manners'.

Ace was quiet, clever, composed and easy to get along with. And he knew how to navigate well. Of course, he wasn't a replacement for Nami. No one could ever replace any of their nakama and they wouldn't even think of it. Plus, Ace wasn't as good as Nami's been. Regardless, they were in safe hands; Ace seemed to know the sea and the weather's moods perfectly.

However, this was no reason for Luffy to feel left out or neglected. The other three loved him and he loved them; simple as that. Luffy was part of them. They were just like one big happy family... only that the 'mother' was male and a narcoleptic pyromaniac, and the 'father' was a noodle-dancing, sometimes short-tempered cook with a curly eyebrow. Not to mention the two 'sons', one rubber ball full of undying energy, the other a blue-nosed reindeer-doctor who had the ability to speak. A funny mix but they went along rather well.

As Luffy half lay slumped over the railing to cast a bored glance to the horizon, he suddenly got the feeling that there was something out there. Something big. He could sense it. Perking up his ears, he stood upright and the bored look was long gone. Instead, Luffy looked pretty serious and as if in concentration, staring straight ahead. "Nani? What's this?" he murmured more to himself but Chopper's sharp ears caught it.

"Eh? What's the matter, Luffy?" he asked innocently, but there was slight concern swinging in his voice. Sanji and Ace stopped in their movements and looked up, clueless.

"What is it?" They asked nearly simultaneously. Luffy waited for another three seconds to make sure whatever there was wasn't just his imagination. Then, he started to speak without turning around and the others realized that something was up. They quickly joined him at the railing, squinting their eyes as Luffy spoke.

"I don't know what it is, but it must be huge." Luffy said, a bit irritated. Then he began to smile and the others groaned inwardly. That was the typical I-smell-adventure-look and it automatically meant trouble for them.

"A sea king?" Sanji suggested, trying to ignore Luffy's excitement. Ace shook his head, frowning deeply but never taking his eyes off the vast ocean.

"I don't think so. Whatever we are nearing, it's not a living creature," he said self-confidently. Sanji took a long draft of his cigarette, and after a minute or two he realized Ace was right. The cook's haki wasn't bad, but he still couldn't surpass the logia user's haki.

"What is it?" Chopper asked, stretching to see over the railing. Ace smiled and picked the little doctor up to sit him down, then his glance wandered back ahead. "We don't know either. But we should prepare for the worst."

The others couldn't argue with that and began to move around the ship. They made sure to secure anything loose like barrels and crates, took care of the sails and Chopper quickly put the cards inside. After that, they were forced to wait anxiously for something to happen. This was weird. Their log pose was pointing into the other direction stubbornly and even Ace couldn't make sense of it.

"What the hell is this? I still can't see anything." Sanji said and lit his third cigarette in the past thirty minutes. He didn't like this feeling. The whole situation was practically screaming TRAP at them. Still, he didn't voice his thoughts out loud. Ace was probably thinking along the same lines.

"Yeah... that's pretty weird." Luffy agreed but didn't say anything about turning around. Instead, he continued to grin at the next adventure that was surely waiting for them. Sanji just didn't know if he wanted to be welcomed by an adventure with long, sharp teeth.

"M-maybe we shouldn't sail there... Luffy." Chopper asked timidly, not wanting to face the thing with the sharp teeth either. Luffy shook his head quickly, his messy hair flying in all directions.

"Don't be a scaredy-reindeer! Finally something to do! This is going to be so much fun!" Luffy laughed and the others didn't bother to reply. Chopper just managed a shaky smile. He was trying to believe Luffy but his instincts told him to turn around and run.

They continued to sail towards the invisible-whatever-it-was, until a strong current took hold of them and nearly threw them off their feet.

"Woah!" Luffy laughed. "Yahoo!"

"Idiot!" Sanji barked. "We have to do something!"

"Sanji's right! Either we go straight ahead and take a close look at the thing, or we just let the current lead us back to our old curse." Ace said and it nearly freaked Chopper out how calm the other was.

Sanji suddenly grinned, a hand on Luffy's shoulder. "So, what do you say, captain?"

Luffy's grin was wiped off his face and he nearly got a cramp in his hands, so hard was he clutching the railing. Had Sanji just called him captain? Numerous emotions were floating through him so fast Luffy was unable to decide whether he should feel confused, surprised, shocked, dismayed, horrified or just completely appalled. Probably, he felt a mix between all of them and was too taken aback to get his mouth to work. Captain. Somehow, he felt a little scared to be a captain.

He always wanted to be one, a really proud pirate captain, to keep the promise he'd made with Shanks. But he just didn't feel like being able to take over the role of a leader. Well, leader didn't sound so bad; but captain sounded awful. How was he supposed to be a captain after what happened? He felt ashamed, furious and unbelievable sad at the same time. He wasn't a good captain. He wasn't worth the title of a captain. Though, as this thought crossed his mind, he cringed slightly. Zoro would be so angry if he knew this... he'd probably threaten to cut him in two if he ever dared to say something stupid like that again.

Luffy thought of all his nakama who had entrusted their lives in his hands and had confidently called him their captain. He thought of how he failed them all and how they all died because he as a captain wasn't strong enough. How he always told them not to worry, everything would be fine. Should he really dare to take this step again and be a captain?

This all happened in less than one minute, but to the other three it seemed like an eternity. They all could see the battle Luffy was having, how he was struggling. They saw his clenched jaw and the reindeer was scared Luffy would bit his tongue off. As hard as it may seem for Luffy and the rest of them, they all knew they couldn't push this matter aside forever. This problem got to be solved, rather sooner than later. And now seemed a perfect moment; Luffy couldn't run away or try to shake it off now.

"...Luffy?" Chopper voiced quietly, bringing Luffy out of his thoughts. His shoulders relaxed for a while, much to everyone's surprise, and then he turned around. They all expected him to be smiling brightly and tell them something like 'Of course straight ahead, idiot!', but he wasn't.

Luffy turned to them, a thoughtful expression wearing, and then he gave them a short nod, as if to acknowledge the fact he was their captain. Ace, Sanji and Chopper smiled encouragingly at him. Luffy looked at their faces, and froze. For a moment he could've sworn that there were six other faces behind them, smiling back lovingly. The other three didn't seem to notice and just looked at him.

Luffy's eyes widened slightly, but the warm feeling in his stomach was growing and he felt completely at ease all of sudden. Only then, Luffy managed a full grin as he felt something touch his heart. It was weird, but nice at the same time and he felt no regret or anything negative. His energy was about to burst, and Luffy knew it was the right decision he'd made.

"Keep going!" Luffy said and it sounded a tad happier than before. "Keep going." He repeated, but this time it was barely a whisper. The others heard it and couldn't help but wonder whether Luffy said it to maintain their course or to encourage himself not to give up.

After a while, they decided they didn't want to know. It was Luffy's business, and it didn't matter because finally, FINALLY, Luffy was back; probably a tad more thoughtful and less naïve than before, but who could blame him? Sanji and Chopper were just happy to know that deep down, their captain hadn't changed at all. Ace closed his eyes for a moment, silently thanking anyone who'd helped Luffy making up his mind, and then he patted Luffy on the back.

"I never thought that you would be MY captain someday, captain." Ace joked slightly for good measure. Luffy giggled slightly. He was glad Ace was with them.

"I will surpass you, Ace." Luffy said cheerfully, but there was something in his eyes that made Ace believe his words.

"Yeah. No doubt about it, you will."

Before Luffy could answer, the wind picked up and it nearly knocked both his and Ace's hats away. Sanji swore under his breath and Chopper squeaked. Luffy inhaled deeply.

"Alright! Sanji, do the Coup de Burst, NOW! Set course straight to the invisible mystery thing!" he ordered, and it felt good.

Sanji couldn't keep the grin from his face. "AYE!" Seconds later, they flew through the air. The start wasn't as great as when Franky had did it, but as long as Sanji managed to get them flying it was okay. He didn't want to replace Franky or anything, either.

When they landed, there was no wind at all. The sun shone down on them mercilessly and the air felt tight and hot. "What's this now? Did we land in the Calm Belt...?" Ace blinked, trying to figure out what was going on now. The others agreed quietly, sounding just as confused as the logia user. Something was definitely off, this couldn't be normal!

Suddenly, the youngest crewmember gasped audibly and they all shot around. They expected to see a huge snake or a sea king twice the size of a mountain rising before them, or maybe another ship, but not THAT.

Just about one hundred meters before them, was something was emerging into view; it looked as if it was growing taller and taller, and it was extremely bright. The strawhat crew shielded their eyes from the blinding light. What they saw took their breath away. It was something neither of them had ever seen before. It was pretty, but there was a certain danger lying within this beauty.

It was an island. In the middle of the isle, there was a huge fire burning and it looked as if its blue flames were melting into the sky.

"What... on earth is that?" Sanji gasped. No one had an answer.

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I hope you all enjoyed this chapter =D I tried to make it longer than the last one because I'm going on a trip soon and won't be updating anything then. I'll try to write another chapter until then, but I don't know if I'll have the time. Sorry, it can't be helped :(

Reviews are always greatly appreciated~ :)

Until next chapter~

Neko11