I... I finished. My god... IT'S OVER! ;A; This took so long, you don't even... A month! I worked on this for over a damn month! And finally... FINALLY it's complete... But I didn't proof-read. Sorry... I just am really excited and want to get it up for you guys right away. But it's 19,242 words! Seriously!

***Please, please, PLEASE review this bonus, even if you normally don't review. Please. This is the equivalent of 7-9 chapters and I put A LOT of effort and time into it. It's just one installment yet it's long enough to be its own story. So please give me some feedback, even just a little. I'm using this as a test. Dependant on reader response, the next long bonus will either be in one big chunk like this or in segments that I upload over the course of a week, simply because this is a lot of work. To anyone who thinks writing these fanfics is easy: it's not. It's very hard work. I'm sick as hell and still worked on it. So please, even if you only review for the bonuses and not regularly, just tell me what you think ;_;

NOTE: There are questions in the bottom Author's Note for you to answer if you want to.

Keep in mind that this is a bonus and is not connected in any way to the main plotline.

Special thanks to Son Goshen for being the awesome, lovely person she is and letting me work off of her fic Two Worlds. I love you forever for that. Also I changed a lot hehe... It kind of took on a mind of its own.

Also, there were some people who wanted me to skip the bonus. If you're one of those people and are reading this then I suggest you don't continue. It's not part of the main plot, after all.

Disclaimer: I may not own One Piece but I am indeed the one who wrote this monster. Seriously guys it's been a long journey working on this while keeping up my fics so please keep that in mind. So much typing...

"Luffy, I'm telling you I'm okay," Ace stated, giving an exasperated sigh as his brother's bottom lip quivered into a pout. Clearly he didn't believe him. Ah, well, he couldn't blame the kid; he was shot through the chest a couple of times. But really, was that so surprising? His line of work was do-or-die—that was not the first time he risked his life and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

"Are you sure?"

He smiled at the puppy-dog eyes his little brother gave him, running his hand through the younger's strands. "Would they be releasing me if I wasn't?"

"…No."

"And there's your answer."

Luffy heaved a sigh of resignation and the two exited the hospital side-by-side to begin the long walk home. It was probably not the smartest thing to do, seeing as Ace had been firmly told to rest by head nurse, but he really didn't want to call a taxi. He missed the fresh, open air… Okay, it wasn't so fresh, but it was a hell of a lot better than hospital stench. The sterile smell that lingered in the room, the thick air of sickness that emitted from each patient—his entire stay all he could think about was that people were dying in other parts of the building. Not that he wasn't familiar with death—he was—but the people there were all ordinary civilians uninvolved in underground affairs. It was different.

Three weeks ago Ace was involved in a risky mission. It wasn't supposed to be risky but, Ace being Ace, he just had to up the stakes. A member of the enemy's family decided it would be a wise idea to badmouth Edward Newgate. That led to Ace tearing into the man and foolishly getting himself shot three times in the chest and gullet; not a terribly smart move on his part. If it wasn't for Marco saving his sorry ass he wouldn't have made it to the hospital in time. He'd have to remember to thank him later.

That led us to his occupation: unbeknownst to his little brother, he was a Mafioso belonging to the Whitebeard family. It was a gruesome lifestyle, he would admit, but it was thanks to the family that he and Luffy were able to live so comfortably. Because he took it upon himself to do Newgate's dirty work he was able to send Luffy to school to get an education. Because of that they weren't living on the streets.

"Hey, Ace," Luffy began, snapping the older out of his thoughts; "I'm going out tonight, okay?" He gave his brother a large, toothy grin.

"Oh yeah? Where?" He quirked an eyebrow. Honestly he'd been suspicious of the teen for the past three months. He'd go out with friends to hell-knows-where and stay out until dawn. Sometimes he wouldn't return for days. Ace had his suspicions but no solid proof.

"Just out with Zoro and the others," he shrugged, eyes moving away from his brother's. "You gonna be okay alone?"

Ace snorted at this. He was the one who always took care of Luffy, not the other way around. In fact he normally had less trouble when the boy went out. He loved him to death but sometimes he could be a handful. "Of course. It'll be nice having the place to myself," he teased, eliciting his brother's usual pout. He ruffled his hair and continued onward.

"Ace! Ace!" the man cried, staring down at the small bundle in his arms as he ran. Nothing—no movement, no sound. He was completely still. "Damn it, wake up!" he commanded desperately, eyes pricked by tears. He continued in a mad dash towards wherever, trying to get as far from the battlefield as he could. Injured, bleeding and unable to fight back, the Pirate King had been backed into a corner. He could do nothing but flee in the hopes that there would be someone, somewhere, who could help his little brother. Please be okay.

Separated from his crewmates and allies, he had no one to turn to. They were all back on the ship—back on Sunny—and far away from where he was. The only people there were the damned Marines and that damned Yami Yami no Mi user, each in heavy pursuit. He was running out of options; if he fought back he'd be killed and if he surrendered he'd be executed. Only once before had he ever felt so helpless, useless—Marineford.

Luffy's pace slowed and he hid behind a dilapidated building, sliding down its wall when he didn't hear any approaching footsteps. He winced as the rough material of the building rubbed against his shoulder wound. The pirate looked down at the tiny boy he carried, desperate pleading in his eyes. He couldn't be dead. Ace couldn't be dead. He was okay just a minute ago. Cautiously he reached two fingers over to the boy's neck, pressing firmly onto the skin near his jaw. He released a shaky breath—though weak, there was a pulse.

The Pirate King wiped off some blood that fell onto Ace's face as he ran and held him in a close embrace. This wasn't supposed to happen. He felt weak, unable to do anything further to protect the boy, but there was nothing he could do; his body was riddled with bullet holes and his blood dripped from each. It slid down his body and coated his clothing in a dark crimson. Chopper would be mad if he saw this.

Breaths heavy and sporadic, he was starting to feel the effects of the injuries. As the adrenaline wore off he was left with only pain. It hurt. It hurt but he couldn't be bothered with it. His first priority was getting his little brother to safety, no matter how long or hard he had to run. He cursed the fact that he had to run at all—it was a damned, dirty setup and otherwise he wouldn't have had a problem taking them out. They weren't playing fair. Even that bastard with the Devil Fruit—the one who claimed to be the strongest in the world—went along with their cowardly trick. And now he was dying. Damned Marines.

The edges of his vision were going dark. His teethed clenched tightly and he knew he couldn't stay conscious much longer. He had to fight it. He couldn't let them hurt Ace. He was the Pirate King's responsibility and like hell he was going to let his brother die in his arms a second time.

It was only when he heard a gun being cocked that he realized he shut his eyes at some point. They shot open to see one of the Marine officers pointing the barrel of his weapon his way. But then he realized that it was aimed at the boy's head and not his own. His eyes widened to near-impossible levels and he went to move—to shield the child—but it was already too late. He pulled the trigger.

"Stop!"

Ace yawned. He'd just woken up after one of his narcoleptic fits to see that the sun was going down. With a sigh he wondered where his day went. Well, no matter—his nights were busier, anyways. In a few hours he would get the chance to stretch his muscles for the first time in almost a month and he was more than a little eager to be back out on the field. Sure, he wasn't fully healed, but he felt fine enough to get in some action. Now he just had to hope Oyaji would let him.

Stretching, he stumbled into the living room and grabbed hold of his phone, dialing an all too familiar number. It rang a few times before the person on the other end picked up.

"You already out yoi?" the voice asked nonchalantly.

"What, no congratulations?" He could practically see his friend roll his eyes. "So what's the plan for tonight? They haven't kept me up-to-date."

"Nobody bothered telling you because you're not coming," Marco stated in his usual bored fashion. "Get some rest."

"I'm tired of resting!" Ace whined, collapsing onto the sofa with a pout that greatly resembled his little brother's. "I've been sitting in bed for three weeks, Marco—if this keeps up much longer I'm going to go insane!"

A sigh came through the phone. "Quit being dramatic yoi. Oyaji's worried about your health. You can come back when you've fully recovered yoi."

"Marco," he started, voice firmer than it was before "I'm fine. Would they release me if I wasn't?"

"They wouldn't have released you at all if they knew you were just going to go right back to playing with guns yoi," the older man stated. Ace's eyebrow twitched. That had worked on Luffy but Marco wasn't as simplistic as his little brother. He was beginning to get desperate—there was no way he was just going to sit at home and do nothing when he finally escaped that hell-hole.

"I want my freedom!"

Another sigh. He knew he was being childish but the commander didn't understand; he'd been in the house all of three hours and already he was stir-crazy. Ace wasn't the type to just laze about at home—he needed to get out there and do something. Bullet wound or no, he was going to have his way.

"Fine, you can come to the meeting tomorrow if you promise you'll take it easy tonight."

"Then I'll get ready and—"

"Tomorrow," Marco repeated with a hint of irritation. "Stay home tonight yoi. I don't feel like dragging you back to the hospital."

"Cheh," Ace rolled his eyes, "you act like I'm going to get myself shot again."

"You probably would yoi."

"I'm not that careless," Ace shot back, leaning into the sofa, "nor am I stupid enough to get hurt right after being free of that god-awful place."

"No, but you're reckless enough."

"…" That time, Ace would admit, Marco had a point. He had a habit of not thinking things through, especially when pissed off, hence the bullet holes in his chest and stomach. If he wasn't so thoughtless he would have realized that going after the guy who insulted Oyaji put him in perfect position to be sniped by the enemy. He just knew that the pineapple-head wasn't going to let him live down that mistake ten years from then. But everyone makes mistakes! "…I'll give you that. But I'm not about to make the same mistake twice."

"We'll see about that yoi."

"Ah! You're impossible!" He flung his free arm into the air to express his exasperation to the person who couldn't see him. "Fine, I won't go tonight. I'll just… bother Luffy or something."

"Good. Get some rest."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. See ya."

Ace hung up the phone before he was forced into making any more annoying promises like that. His mouth curved into a wry grin—he never actually said he'd stay home. He'd been interested in confirming his suspicions about his little brother and when better than tonight to do so? Luffy had already left for his friend's house, but he would wait until it got darker. After all, he didn't need his brother learning of his profession just yet. Sure he would tell him eventually but for the time he wanted him to focus on school and he just knew that after he found out he'd start saying he was going to create his own gang or mafia family—though Ace suspected he'd already done just that. That kid was too much trouble sometimes.

His stomach growled and he begrudgingly headed into the kitchen to prepare something. He really didn't want to waste time cooking but leaving the house on an empty stomach was not on his list of things to do. It would be nice to eat something other than hospital food anyways.

When Luffy opened his eyes he didn't recognize the area. He was surrounded by tall, towering buildings and bright lights. The sun was down, giving way to darkness. Ace was still tightly in his grasp—breathing. He sighed in relief and picked himself up off the ground, leaning against the brick wall he had been laying against. His vision was cloudy, out of focus, and his legs felt like they were being held down by lead, but he pressed onward. He may have not known where he was or how he got there but he knew that if he ran into an armed enemy in his current condition he wouldn't last.

As he stepped into the dark crevice between two buildings he left a trail of blood in his wake. He realized but it seemed unimportant. After all, there was nothing he could do about it. His only hope was moving forward.

Luffy stopped when he spotted a figure standing only a few feet away. His eyes narrowed as he tried to focus on the man in order to get a better look at his outfit—was he a Marine or an ally?

"The hell are you looking at?" the man asked, tone dangerous and dark. He didn't seem to be much of a fighter and didn't have a gun. Instead he had an oddly shaped stick resembling a club without spikes. He beat the wood into his other hand threateningly as he looked the Pirate King over, eyes settling on Ace' limp form. "What's this?" He leaned forward to get a better look.

Within moments Luffy thrust his fist into the man's gut. He coughed up blood as he dropped to the ground, bat rolling out of his hand upon impact. He curled unto himself. Luffy glared down at him, eyes sharp and determined. "Don't you dare so much at touch him, bastard."

Seeing as his opponent wasn't making a move to stand, he continued walking away as fast as he could which, as it turned out, was barely more than a slow stride. He pressed himself flush with the building in an attempt to steady himself. He panted heavily as every step he took sent white-hot pain shooting through his body. "Just… Just hold on, okay? I'll get you out of here…"

Ace sighed when his speculations were confirmed. He watched from a rooftop as his little brother and his friends fought with some enemy gang, bashing heads in left and right. Really he wasn't at all surprised. Luffy always had an interest in fighting and what better way to get his fill than form a gang? He conveniently stopped mentioning his fondness for battle a few months ago when he started staying out all night. He was terrible at keeping secrets. It was too obvious.

After watching a little longer, Ace determined that his brother chose a good family; they were all watching each other's backs and fighting as a team. When one was hit another was immediately at their defense. Since their opponents weren't anything special he wasn't sure how they'd fair against the big gangs and the mafia that they would eventually catch the attention of but he deemed them strong enough for the time. If it wasn't for his injury he would have 'attacked' them to see how they stood up to a formidable member of the underground such as himself but Marco was right—he really wouldn't be up to fighting until he was at full strength. He hated to admit it, though.

Satisfied with his investigation, he turned back and made his way down the building. He was tempted to head to the base, seeing as he was so close, but retracted the thought when he remembered what he said to Marco earlier. Damn, he always had to ruin his fun.

He stepped into an alley and his black clothing blended into the darkness. For a while he didn't know where he was headed; he just wandered aimlessly, looking for something to do. Then he spotted something through the darkness—a man leaning against the side of a building, slowly inching closer. At first he was tempted to leave him, assuming him to be a member of some gang or an enemy mafia family, but his interest was piqued when he saw that he was carrying something rather large in one of his arms. So he waited to get a better look once curiosity got the better of him.

Luffy saw someone standing about twenty feet away. His vision was so poor at that point that he couldn't make out any defining features. He tensed every muscle in his body, ready to make a mad-dash in the opposite direction, but relaxed as he got closer. He couldn't see him well but there was something familiar about the man.

The Pirate King pushed all of his weight onto the bricks and waited to see what the man would do. He didn't seem threatening and so he allowed it when the man started to approach.

"Oi, what happened?" he asked nonchalantly, as though he was seeing something he saw every day. Luffy didn't have the strength to explain. Hell, he was so out of it he wouldn't remember half of what happened. There was only one thing he was sure of in that foggy state of mind.

"Help him," he begged, gesturing to the small bundle in his arms.

Ace bent forward to get a closer look at what the stranger was holding. His eyes widened when, through the blackness, he made out the figure of a child covered in blood—most likely from the one holding him. Before he had time to properly react, though, the man began falling. Ace instinctively caught him and grabbed the child with his free arm before he slipped out of the older one's grasp. He sighed, glad they didn't hit the cement, and wondered what to do next. Both were unconscious and he had no clue who they were. Still, he knew he would feel guilty if he left them there.

Marco's going to be pissed when I show up.

The room went quiet when Ace burst into the hideout covered in blood with a man slung over his shoulder and a child resting in his arm, panting heavily. The other commanders just gawked, trying to take in the sight, as he stumbled inside completely exhausted. That was not something that a person who got shot should be doing.

"Ace, what—" Thatch began, getting cut off almost immediately.

"No time to explain, just get the damn nurses!"

Izo and Thatch rushed over and grabbed the two from his arms, carrying them into the base's infirmary. Ace walked over to a chair and collapsed in it, trying to catch his breath.

"I thought you were going to stay home yoi," Marco stated as he walked over, looking at the limp bodies being rushed away.

"If I had they might have died," he replied as his breathing slowed and evened.

Luffy stirred in his sleep. He felt like hell but whatever he was laying on felt nice and so he snuggled deeper into it, trying to get comfortable as he ignored the searing pain that burned through his body.

"You awake?" a familiar voice asked. Momentarily Luffy pondered over where he might have heard it before but resigned to open his eyes when he couldn't recall. As his fuzzy vision adjusted he could make out black waves and sun-kissed skin. Then he saw dark eyes. Then freckles. As his sight cleared his eyes shot wide open and he thrust himself into a sitting position. Immediately, however, he was pushed back down by firm, unyielding arms. He simply gawked at the man, trying to convince himself that he was seeing things. "Don't get up; they'll kill me if you open up your wounds."

"Ace…?" Luffy couldn't believe what he was seeing—his brother, alive and just as he was eleven years before. No, wait, there were differences; he was wearing strange clothes and didn't give off as imposing an air as what the Pirate King recalled. Still, it was him.

The freckled boy tilted his head, his brow furrowing warily. "You know me?"

Luffy blinked a few times. Well, it wouldn't be much of a surprise for his brother to not recognize him, right? After all, he had changed a lot in eleven years. But why was Ace alive in the first place? Little Ace was Ace—there was no denying that. And why hadn't he aged? The Pirate King decided to be cautious and not mention his identity until he learned more about the man. It was rare for him not to blurt out everything he knew but he tried his best.

"I think… Maybe."

"Hm? Well, whatever." Ace found the man suspicious but decided not to press it. He figured that even if he turned out to be an enemy it wouldn't be hard to take him down in the state he was in; he was shot twice in the shoulder, four times in the chest and once in each of his legs. He also had deep gashes all across his body, as though he was used as target practice for a couple of swordsmen, and several broken bones. Forget walking—it was amazing enough that he survived. "So what the hell happened to you? Got on someone's bad side?"

"Shishishi something like that. Oh! There was a boy with me, right? Where is he? Is he okay?" His voice was starting to sound a little frantic.

"He's fine, don't worry. He's resting in another room. We'll tell you when he's awake." Ace saw the patient relax and couldn't help but smile at the obvious bond he had with the kid. At the very least he knew that he wasn't a bad person, enemy or not.

"Okay. Be careful when he wakes up, though."

Ace blinked. "Why?"

"It's hard to explain. Just try not to scare him."

"Alright." It sounded easy enough so he pushed it to the back of his mind. "You hungry? The cooks just finished preparing dinner; I could go grab you something if you want."

"Shishishi thanks!"

Luffy watched as the Ace look-a-like walked out of the room. He seemed a lot different than the brother he remembered—less tense. While he wanted to ask him if he remembered 'Luffy' he used all of his willpower not to say anything. He still needed to observe him more thoroughly. After what the Marines did back on the battlefield, he wasn't going to trust anyone so easily, even if someone looked like his brother.

Ace sat in one of the two rooms the family used as infirmaries, lazily staring down at the child he rescued only hours before. He had yet to wake and after seeing the way his companion ate he was scared the kid would have an equally large appetite when he did finally open his eyes; the cooks had enough trouble satisfying one bottomless pit.

He looked the kid over, baffled at how such a young boy could have such injuries. Though he couldn't be compared to the older patient he was still severely beaten with cuts everywhere, bruised from head to toe. He assumed that the older protected him which led to him being in a less severe state of damage. He came to them with a head injury but the nurses had determined that he would be alright. It explained his unconsciousness, though.

The boy groaned, catching the attention of the Mafioso. He leaned in as he watched the kid stir and wake. He remembered what the other one had said—don't scare him. With that thought, he stayed perfectly still in an attempt to avoid surprising him as his eyes opened.

The child looked around in a slight confusion as he assessed the area. When his vision rested on Ace he bolted upright and sprung to his feet in a swirl of flames. Before the Mafioso could so much as register the movement he was lunging at him, punching him in the cheek with a flaming fist. The force pushed the man back into his chair and within seconds his hand was on the wound, trying to assess the damage. What the fuck just happened? Nobody told him he could set himself on fire!

"You're one of them, aren't you?" the boy asked, practically spitting out the words in disgust. "What did you do with him?"

Ace adjusted as he tried to make sense of what was going on. Apparently the kid saw that as a threat because he thrust himself forward with another flaming fist. That time he was ready, though, and latched onto his opponent's wrist. He tried pulling away but Ace wasn't about to let him attack again.

"Calm down a—" He was cut off when sparks flew from the child's arm and he released just in time to not get singed by the fiery appendage. "How the hell are you doing that?"

"Where is he?" the boy asked in a dark, low tone as fire licked his shoulders and arms, flickering around him. He was glaring up at Ace with piercing, dangerous eyes. Just why was he being so violent? And then his stance changed. He shifted, pulling back his arms. Flames swirled around his hand as he readied himself. "Hiken," he announced calmly as he forced his closed fist forward.

"Ace!" a voice called, stopping the boy's attack. Both turned to the doorway to see a man bandaged from head to toe leaning against the entrance. Ace was about to answer his call when the boy went running to him, latching onto his waist. The Mafioso blinked, wondering what he was witnessing. And then the kid spoke.

"Luffy!"

What…?

The older bent down to embrace the child, rubbing soothing circles on his bandaged back. The boy held tightly to the other patient, as if to confirm that he was really there.

"I thought they killed you," he mumbled into the other's shirt, pressing himself up against it. The larger patient simply smiled.

"Takes more than that to kill me," he stated, sticking out his tongue as the younger pulled away.

The boy shot him an irritated glare before hitting him on the head, eliciting a bit of a yelp. "Don't be stupid—look at you! You're half dead!"

"You're getting so violent," he said while rubbing his latest injury. In the following moments of silence the pair turned back to see a bewildered Ace gawking at them. The older of the two took note of his seared cheek. "Did he do that?"

"…Uh, yeah…" he replied, remembering the injury that he really didn't care about. He was more concerned with what that kid had said—Luffy. And when the other patient called out 'Ace' he wasn't addressing him. What was going on?

"Ace…" Luffy began, eyeing the kid who just glared back.

"He had it coming," was his only reply as he crossed his arms and broke eye contact with his companion.

Luffy sighed. "Hold back once in a while."

"Oi, what are your names?" Ace asked bluntly in an attempt to learn the truth. 'Luffy' and 'Ace' weren't common. He had to confirm that what he heard was correct. Then he could freak out and wonder what was going on—the perfect plan. Flawless, even.

"Monkey D. Ace," the younger replied, sending a weary glance Ace's way.

The Pirate King was hesitant but resigned himself to reply when he realized that the Ace look-a-like probably knew who 'Luffy' was. Really, he had no idea what was going on. How could Ace be there when little Ace was Ace? Ah, so frustrating! "…Monkey D. Luffy."

For a while they just stared at each other, none making any movements. Then the most confused of them all decided to speak up. "…That makes no sense. The kid aside, you're way too old to be Lu. And I highly doubt two people have that name."

Luffy groaned. He didn't really get it either; he wasn't good with confusing stuff like that. Why couldn't life be straightforward? "You're Portgas D. Ace, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then you're supposed to be my big brother. But you're younger than me and my brother's dead."

"…This seriously makes no sense." He was starting to see similarities between the patient and his younger brother—the scar under his eye, those big, curious eyes—but it couldn't be true, right? Luffy was just a teenager and that man was older than Ace! And he was supposed to be dead? Why, exactly? He survived that damned sniper's shots and really he couldn't remember ever being in worse danger than that.

The boy blinked curiously as the two conversed. He then looked up at his companion. "That's your brother?"

Luffy looked down at the little Ace and smiled. "Maybe."

"But he died, right?"

"Yeah—a long time ago."

"Then how is he here?"

"…It's a mystery! Shishishi!"

Both the child and Mafioso sighed—it was just like Luffy to give a response like that.

"Alright, let me get this straight: you're supposed to be Luffy, right?" The Mafioso pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing instinctively that the whole thing was going to annoy him.

The Pirate King nodded firmly, sitting across from him. Little Ace had fallen back asleep while the adults argued back and forth, trying to figure out what was going on.

"And where you're from the two of us are pirates?"

He nodded again.

"And I'm dead."

"…Yeah. Well, sort of."

"What do you mean?"

"…Another mystery."

"Ah."

Ace heaved an aggravated sigh and swept his hand across his brow in an attempt to halt his ensuing headache. He spent the last ten minutes or so listening to the patient ramble on about his life, trying to explain something that neither understood. It was more than just a little aggravating.

"…Alright. I have two theories: the first is that you're insane." Luffy scrunched up his nose in displeasure. "Yeah, didn't think you'd like that one."

"And the second?"

"…I don't know much about the multiverse theory, but it might apply in this situation."

"Multi-what?"

"Multiverse. It's, uh, basically a theory that states there may be multiple universes out there. Together they make up everything that exists and can exist. They exist beside each other and make up all possible space, matter, time and energy and are assumed to have different laws and constraints that govern them. They're also called 'parallel universes' because they're the same yet different."

Luffy's eyes lit up; he didn't know what the hell Ace was talking about but it sounded amazing. "Wow, that's so cool! You sure know a lot about it!"

Ace rolled his eyes—that reaction was so typical of his brother. "When you're bored on the internet you tend to find shit like that."

"…Internet?"

"It's—you know what? Forget it. You don't need to know. What I'm trying to say is that you and the kid might have come from one of those alternate realities. Get it?"

"I think so, but how?"

The Mafioso sighed. "How the hell should I know? Anyways, I'm not going to bother hypothesizing about this any further so let's just go with it, okay?"

"Shishishi sure," Luffy replied, flashing his trademark grin.

"Now that that's settled…" Ace leaned forward in his chair, curiously studying the other. He accepted the man as Luffy—there was no other man alive as thick-headed—and had thousands of questions for him. It was weird seeing him like that and he wanted to know more about the other world. But there was one thing he asked first. He pointed to the sleeping boy in the bed. "Who the fuck is that? Your son? And how the fuck does he set himself on fire?" He was a bit jealous of the ability.

Luffy blinked owlishly at the Mafioso before yet another smile graced his features. He laughed. "Nope, not my son!"

"Then who is he?"

"Um… Well…" He furrowed his brow and rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he thought of what to say. "He's you." That would work, right?

"…Excuse me?"

"He's you," Luffy repeated.

"I heard you the first time."

"Then why did you—"

"Elaborate," he commanded, crossing his arms over his chest. There was no way that kid was his counterpart. They may have looked a bit alike and shared the same name, but he was not going to be equated to some runt—it was a blow to his pride. "I thought the 'me' from your world was dead."

"He is! Or was… I don't know, it's confusing."

"Clearly." He groaned his annoyance and looked between the two patients. "Mind explaining?"

Luffy looked down into his lap. He didn't think he'd be able to explain while looking into his brothers eyes—too painful, even after eleven years. "…Ace died at Marineford."

"Marineford?"

The Pirate King nodded. "He was sent there to be executed by the government. Whitebeard started a war to free him."

"Wait, wait—Oyaji? My boss? He started a war for something like that?"

"Yeah. Is it surprising?"

Ace's eye twitched as he thought. "…Now that I think about it… No, it's not. Go on."

"I came a little later and joined in and we managed to get him free, but…"

"But…?"

Luffy clenched his shorts as he continued with the part that hurt most to recite. "…There was an Admiral and they were fighting… I was tired and didn't know what was going on a-and Ace…"

"He saved you?"

The Pirate King looked up in shocked, staring straight into the Mafioso's eyes. "…Yeah. How did you…?"

"I would have done the same for Lu."

"…Oh."

Ace gave him a moment to recompose. He looked pretty upset, with good reason. Once Luffy relaxed he decided to press further. "So how does that relate to the kid?"

"He's… Well, he's Ace's reincarnation."

"That so?" It explained the age difference, at least. "How can you be sure?"

"He doesn't remember but he recalls." Ace crooked his head to the side, causing Luffy to pout. "I'm not good at explaining these things!"

"Deal with it—I have a lot of questions."

"Can't we eat first? I'm hungry!"

"You just ate!"

"That was a while ago!"

"It's only been an hour!"

Silence.

"…Fine. I'll get you some damn food, you brat…"

"Shishishi!"

Luffy stared at the front door to his apartment unit with furrowed brows. It was already the early hours of the morning and he was worried his brother might have already woken; Ace would sometimes rise at five to prepare breakfast and ready himself for work. The teen didn't want him to see his injuries and become suspicious of his whereabouts—it would only lead to trouble. His brother didn't like it when he fought and expected him to go to a good university and get an education, even though he wasn't very bright. But that wasn't him—he wasn't the type to get a degree or go far in the academic world.

Three months earlier Luffy came across a man wielding three swords and they talked. He was told that the man, Zoro, wanted to be the world's strongest swordsman. Luffy was so inspired by the man's resolve that he agreed to help him, provided they strived to reach his goal as well: world's strongest Mafia boss. Of course, it wasn't that easy to start a family like that so they formed the Straw Hat gang instead and were quickly gaining members. They would meet up at least twice a week to challenge other gangs in the area and afterwards would hang out and talk—nothing very interesting, but it was fun.

Ace didn't know about his nighttime escapades. He remained blissfully unaware, going about his business as usual. Luffy didn't say anything. How could he? There was no doubt that his brother would try to stop him if he found out the truth, especially after the accident three weeks ago; he was the victim of a gang fight and got shot, thus being hospitalized. Since then Luffy had contemplated telling him, just out of guilt. He had a right to know, but the younger couldn't bring himself to say it.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and padded into the living room. Everything was dark and untouched, left just as it was before he left—except the phone. Seeing that he was safe for the time, he cautiously walked around and checked for his brother's whereabouts; he wasn't in the living room, kitchen, or bathroom. That left only his bedroom unchecked. Luffy shuffled down the hall to the end and swallowed heavily before peeking through the crack in the door. Nothing.

When Ace arrived at his apartment door he breathed a sigh of relief. He had to walk all the way home from the base wearing bloodied clothes because he didn't have anything to change into. And damn were they bloody—with how much red was on him, he was surprised the other-world Luffy was still breathing. It was disgusting the way his shirt was sticking to his chest and he wanted nothing more than to take a long, boiling-hot shower. It was almost six in the morning and after having three abnormally long narcoleptic naps while talking to his brother's counterpart he wasn't particularly tired.

He stuck his hand in his pocket and rummaged through it in search of his keys. Once he located them and grabbed the knob, however, he found it to be unlocked. His eyes narrowed, cautiously opening it as he removed his pistol from its holster—someone was inside.

When he saw that his brother was absent, he went inside the bedroom in search of a clue to where he may have gone. The clothes he was wearing the night before were thrown haphazardly onto the bed—atypical, seeing as he usually kept his things organized. Was he in a rush?

The laptop was on, still plugged in, and his email was open. Being his usual, curious self, Luffy opened the only unread message and scanned it quickly. It was from Marco, a man he only heard about and never met, and simply read 'don't come'. Don't come where?

At this point the shaggy-haired boy was getting worried. Ace was still injured and was told repeatedly to take it easy, yet he was nowhere to be found. Then there was that ominous message sent by the man Luffy didn't know—what was that about? Was it a warning?

Biting his lip, he closed the laptop and look around once more. Ace's cellphone was on his bedside table, which was strange because he always kept it with him as a precaution against any sudden events. His wallet was, too. It seemed that he didn't take anything with him to… wherever he went.

Ace stalked stealthily down the hall with his gun facing forward, ready to shoot whoever was stupid enough to cross him. He made not a sound and remained light on his feet. After checking the kitchen and living room, finding nothing out of the ordinary, he knew that only the bedrooms and office were left.

Before he had a chance to turn around, Luffy spotted a stack of stapled papers that had been sloppily shoved under the bed. He picked it up and flipped through the pages, eyes widening as he did. Listed was a seemingly random group of people. It was hard to see in such darkness so he squinted, not bothering with the lamp. At first glance there didn't seem to be anything similar between them but after reading some of what was written it became apparent that they were the identities of gang members and Mafioso. It detailed their affiliations, weapon of choice, epithet, notoriety and status. The first seven pages had every name crossed out in black ink.

His jaw hug low and he was about to turn the page again when he felt something ice cold touch his skin. It made him jump and then he stayed perfectly still as he realized the metal against his neck was the barrel of a gun.

"You have ten seconds to turn, face me, and explain why you're here before I turn this room into a crime scene. Got me?"

…Eh?

The voice was low and dark and held a tone that said the owner of it wasn't messing around. Who was it? How did they get in? Crap! In his nervousness to get past his brother when he got home he forgot to lock the door. What a stupid mistake. He wasn't scared of the gun, though—if he could time it right he could knock it out of the man's hand and turn the tables. He just needed a moment to think…

"One. Two. Three."

As the countdown pressed on, he turned slowly to face the assailant, hands in the air. The man's body was a black silhouette against the faint light of the hall. It was likely too dark for him to make out Luffy's features, either.

"Four. Five. Six. Seven."

Luffy was waiting. He needed the man's focus to shift before he could make a move. But the pressure was daunting—he could feel sweat run down the sides of his face as time ran out.

"Eight. Ni—"

As the attacker cocked his gun Luffy swung his leg upwards and knocked his weapon into the air. The man startled for a moment but returned his focus when he saw the teen's arm coming at him. Luffy's punch was dodged and he was shoved against the wall, his body flush with its cool surface. Before he even knew what was going on the gun hit the ground and fired randomly into the room as a switchblade emerged from the assailant's figure and was pressed taut against the flesh of his throat. He gasped.

The man stopped when he head Luffy's cry and his grip loosened a bit. The teen shut his eyes, awaiting a final blow that never came. He peeked curiously and saw that the other was making no movements.

"…Luffy?"

Eh?

The voice that time was lighter and higher—more natural than before with a hint of worry. When Luffy opened his eyes fully to the sound of his name he was close enough to make out the man's features through the pitch dark—his brother.

"…Ace?"

The older pulled back and released his brother from where he pinned him, moving quickly to turn on the lamp beside them. Both sets of eyes enlarged when they saw the other. Everything remained quiet.

Seeing his brother's front dyed crimson was enough to make Luffy scared. At first he thought it was his own blood but that didn't seem to be the case—if it were his, would he even be able to stand? Seeing that it was someone else's he wondered just how Ace had received those stains. The weapons hinted at something Luffy didn't want to think about. Ace was a good brother and a good person; he would never…

"…What are you doing here? I thought you were out with your friends." Ace was doing his best to sound calm but on the inside he was panicking—he just attacked his brother! And Luffy saw him in his work clothes! Covered in blood!

"I-I came back to get some clothes…" he stated shakily, still going over the events from a minute ago. "A-Ace, you…"

The freckled man looked away, unable to face the younger. He knew his brother would find out eventually but he didn't want it to be like that. He was going to explain it properly once he graduated and was old enough to take in something so heavy. But that plan wasn't going to work, was it?

"Sorry, Lu. Didn't think you'd be coming home tonight."

"You… You're covered in blood…"

"…Yeah."

"W-why?"

"It's… not important."

"How is it not important?" Luffy asked, raising his voice into a bit of a shout. He loved fighting and being in a gang but never could he bring himself to murder, no matter what the profession said. Could Ace? "…What did you do?"

"I didn't kill anyone," Ace stated bluntly, finally looking into his brother's eyes. Luffy looked betrayed, which was fitting in that situation. "Didn't even fight—not this time."

"…This time?"

"Yeah, this time." He wasn't going to lie anymore. He was done with that—wasn't much of a point after what happened. And he didn't like keeping secrets from his little brother. Luffy meant everything to him. He was his only family and the one thing he wanted to protect. If he hated him for doing everything he could to support him, he wouldn't mind.

"…What do you mean?"

Ace backed onto his bed and took a seat. He grabbed onto the stapled pieces of paper and looked them over with a grimace. He turned it to Luffy and pointed to one of the blacked-out names. "These are my targets."

"Targets… Ace, you…"

He nodded. Might as well just say it, right? "I'm with the Whitebeard family—sort of like their 'hit man'. They send me names and I take them out." He lowered his head and scanned the pictures of his victims. He didn't feel remorse; they were all murderers and convicts themselves. "Sorry you had to find out like this."

"…Why would you do something like that?"

"Lu, did you really think I could afford to send you to the academy and pay all of our hospital bills with just a desk job?" Ace saw the younger's eyes widen in shock and realization. He narrowed his own as he thought back to their childhood and his first encounter with Edward Newgate. "…You were young, so I don't expect you remember, but we didn't have a home before. The only reason we've survived this long is because of what I do."

Luffy swallowed deeply. Everything was happening so fast that he just wanted to escape. "I-I have to go." Not waiting for a response, he strode out of the room.

Ace heard the front door close. He stayed put and sighed, running his fingers through his hair. That could have gone worse. It also could have gone better. He wished he could just erase that morning and do it over again—this time without trying to kill his brother.

The cellphone on the nightstand vibrated. He reached over and picked it up to check the caller. Begrudgingly he answered. "Look, Marco, I'm really not in the—"

"They're missing yoi."

"Who?"

"Those two you brought with you. Seems they snuck out of the base unnoticed yoi."

"What? How? There're like five guards at every exit!"

"The ones at the south entrance were knocked out."

"They attacked them?"

"We're not sure yoi. They aren't injured."

"What? Ah, this is so aggravating! When I find that stupid pirate I'll…" His voice faded before he could start listing all of the nasty things that came to mind. He was not in the mood for a manhunt, but it wasn't like he was going to just stay at home and do nothing. Whether he was from another world or not, Luffy was still his brother and he wasn't about to let him walk around in as dangerous a city as that being as injured as he was. He didn't even know how he was managing to walk at all with the injuries he had.

"Pirate yoi?"

"I'll go look for them. Call me if they come back."

"Alright."

"Che!" Ace kicked a can down the street to let out some of his frustration. They left the hideout only half an hour ago and they were already separated. He just looked away for a second and the Pirate King was gone—no doubt lost among the maze-like streets of that world. He hated how overly complex that place was. Luffy was hard enough to keep track of on the ship, let alone in the goddam city.

He stopped his absent walking when two shadows loomed over him. He glared up at them, hands in his pockets, mentally telling them to leave. But they didn't. What, were they honestly planning on beating up an injured little boy? Pathetic.

One of the two lunged at him and he dodged effortlessly before grabbing his wrist and setting it aflame. The man winced and cried out as he dropped to the ground, trying to stop the fire. The second went to help his friend but Ace wouldn't let them go so easily—No, he was a seriously pissed off ten-year-old and they tried to start a fight with him in all their pitiable 'might'. As he walked past them he shot a spark from his hand, instantly setting both of their shirts on fire. He snickered as he heard them shout profanities and squirm around in feeble attempts to remove the burning cloth.

It seemed that the people in the new world weren't as strong as the ones in his. Hell, they didn't even really get a chance to attack him and he was only a kid. Luffy briefed him on the situation when he awoke and, while he didn't understand the mechanics behind the concept, he knew enough to see the differences between where they were and where they came from.

The sun was high in the sky at that point. How long had he been walking? He was getting really tired. The lids of his eyes were weighing heavily over his sight. Shit! Not now…

After the incident with his brother, Luffy took to the streets. He knew that his gang members would all be asleep after the night's escapades and had no one to turn to, but he didn't want to return home; he was still trying to take in what Ace said about being a killer for some gang. Did he expect him to just accept something like that? Of all the secrets he thought his brother could have hid from him, being a murderer wasn't even a thought.

He dragged his feet along the sidewalk, deep in thought. He almost didn't notice when he stepped on something laying on the ground. He quickly pulled his foot away and stared blankly at the small body sprawled out on the cement. It looked to be a boy around age nine or ten with unkempt black hair. He lay motionless, face-planting into the sidewalk.

"Oi~" Luffy called as he bent down and poked the kid in the side. No response. His face scrunched up in confusion and he tilted his head, poking at him a few more times. After a moment the boy stirred but Luffy continued.

"Would you quit—" The boy stopped his annoyed shouting when he saw the man's face. His eyes widened and he threw himself into his arms, glad to be reunited with his companion. "Luffy! Where were you?"

The man in question blinked. He didn't know what to make of the kid firmly strapped around his waist. "…You know me?"

"…Eh?" Ace looked up at the man he was gripping. Though he looked a lot like Luffy, he appeared younger and scrawnier. His clothes were different, too. In fact, he looked identical to the wanted poster in their shared bedroom back on the Thousand Sunny. Then he remembered that they ended up in something called a 'parallel universe'. "…You're not him."

Luffy raised an eyebrow. "I'm Luffy." As the boy released him and stood next to his crouching form, he could make out more of his features: he had large, childish eyes that had a strange sort of sharpness to them; his face was dotted with freckles, complimenting his dark irises. In fact, he looked sort of familiar. "But who are you?"

The boy took a shy step backwards, contrasting his earlier attachment. It seemed that he wasn't quite scared of Luffy, but was being cautious of him. "Ace."

"…Ace?" That's where he saw him before—he looked just like his big brother when he was little! But why? It was weird that they looked alike but also having the same name just couldn't be passed off as coincidence… could it?"

The boy nodded slightly. "Monkey D. Ace." He was wondering if he should tell the other Luffy what was going on but was hesitant. After all, he knew nothing about him. Yes, he was Luffy, but he was also different. The Pirate King explained that both the world and people might not be the same as their counterparts from their home world. His counterpart was proof enough of that—they didn't look or act anything alike. He knew that the 'Ace' and 'Luffy' of that world were brothers, but knew nothing of the latter. So he would keep his distance and remain cautious until he could fully evaluate him.

"Monkey? That's my last name…" He furrowed his brow and scrutinized the boy's appearance who, in turn, began to sweat nervously. Why did he look like his brother but have his last name? It was strange. Unless… "Oh no, Ace! Did you shrink?" He grabbed hold of the younger's shoulders and felt him flinch which confused him more. It couldn't be… "Oi, you forgot about me, too? What happened? Who did this to you? I'll go beat them up!"

…Seriously? He was that dense? That's what he came up with to explain the situation? Well, it appeared that, no matter the world, Luffy was still Luffy and his thought process was slow-witted. In fact, that one might have been even worse than the Pirate King—a scary thought.

"Don't worry, Ace! I'll take care of you!"

"Wha—" Before he could finish he was hoisted into the air and over the teen's shoulder. "O-Oi!"

Luffy ignored his protests as he turned to head for home; if Ace was with him as a child then he couldn't be there as a hit man, right? As he walked he started to realize that he'd all but forgotten their earlier encounter as soon as he saw his brother in need. He could never bring himself to hate Ace, could he? Even if he was a murderer…

"There you are!" the angry Mafioso shouted as he spotted the Pirate King and pointed to him. The latter turned and paled when he saw Ace bolting over to him. Before he could escape he felt a hand on his shoulder spin him around to face the livid, freckled man. "Damn it, Luffy, I've been looking for you everywhere!"

"H-hey Ace," he replied nervously with a smile and wave, avoiding eye-contact. Even in his own world he never saw his brother so utterly pissed off. Probably shouldn't have left without saying anything, huh?

"Why the hell did you leave the base? You're in no condition to be wandering the streets!"

"Staying would put you all in danger," he stated, shifting to a more serious tone.

"…What?"

"Ace and I came to this world somehow, right?"

"…Right…"

"Well last I remember we weren't alone." That seemed to catch the Mafioso's attention because he loosened his grip and silently waited for further explanation. "We were fighting Marines, Ace. They led us into a trap. If they managed to come here, too, then they'll still be after us. Being with us puts you at risk."

"Like I care! We fight with the government all the time—it's nothing new."

"It wasn't the same as it usually is, though."

"What do you mean?"

"…They took away my ability."

Luffy sat across from what he thought was his now-younger brother who was sending him a dull glare, arms crossed. He was not pleased. That stupid Luffy counterpart dragged him all the way back to his place without listening to a damn word he said. Seriously, he tuned him out the whole way! After getting there, though, Ace decided to play along to see what would happen. Luffy thought that his brother shrunk and had amnesia—only he could come up with something like that—and he would play along, using it as a chance to finish assessing him. It was also revenge for dragging him all across the goddam city.

The teen stared worriedly at his brother who scowled in return. Ace never looked at him like that, no matter how angry he was or what stupid thing Luffy did. "So you don't recognize me?" He called me 'Luffy' earlier, but… Then he said that I wasn't him… What was up with that?

"I don't know you," Ace corrected, staring directly into his eyes. It wasn't a lie, really—he knew the Pirate King, not that teenager.

Luffy swallowed and furrowed his brow in deep concentration. That confirmed the amnesia theory, didn't it? But he wouldn't falter! He would stay strong for his big brother's sake and find a way to change him back! "Yosh!"

Ace really didn't like his enthusiasm—it always meant something bad.

"I'm your little brother, Luffy! Though now I guess I'm the older one…"

The younger rolled his eyes. It felt good to hear that, though, since the Pirate King was keeping everything from him. It was nice for him to openly and proudly state the relation that his counterpart would not. Still, he didn't trust the excitement in his eyes.

"Are you hungry?"

Ace blushed and averted his eyes when his stomach growled.

"Shishishi! I'll go make you something." He stood and wondered momentarily when the last time he cooked was. "And Ace…"

"Hm?"

"…About before… I know you don't remember, but… I don't hate you, okay? I don't like what you do but I think… maybe I'm starting to understand." With those words he left for the kitchen, deep in thought. Seeing his brother so small and not knowing who he was made him want to protect him, no matter the cost. He wanted to help him and thought that maybe that's how Ace felt when he joined the mafia. He could vaguely recall living on the streets, starving on the side of the road with Ace who would let him have any scraps of food they managed to find. He did all of those horrible things for him—to give him a home. It didn't make it right, but…

"…You're made of rubber?"

"Yeah. Or, well, I was. It's my Devil Fruit ability."

"The hell's a Devil Fruit?" Ace asked, helping the Pirate King as they walked back to his apartment. Luffy wasn't willing to go back to the base but, with a little convincing, resigned himself to go to Ace's place.

"It's this thing that you eat that gives you some sort of power. I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi so I became rubber. Ace ate the Mera Mera no Mi so he became fire."

"That one I got to know personally," he stated, rubbing the side of his cheek.

"Sorry, he's kind of violent…"

"Nah, forget it. I've been through worse. Go on."

"Well I was challenged by this guy and met him on this abandoned island. Ace insisted he come with me but everyone else stayed aboard Sunny."

"Sunny?"

"That's the name of my ship—Thousand Sunny."

"Ah."

"When we got there he used his ability to create a wall of darkness so that my crew couldn't interfere. Then all these damn Marines came out of nowhere and started attacking us. They hit Ace and I went to get him, but…"

"They tricked you?"

"…Yeah. One came up from behind me and injected me with this strange liquid." He remembered seeing the stuff before—it was used on Kidd about a year ago. When Law and Chopper took blood samples they found a very trace amount of seastone was one of the ingredients in the serum. It wasn't enough to kill but took away his ability—though not the 'hammer' bit—and made him feel tired and sick, thus making it hard to focus well enough to use haki properly. And then those bastards used it on him. "With my ability I can deflect bullets but when they gave me that stuff I stopped being rubber and felt too sick to fight back so they were able to shoot me. Ace was already badly hurt so I took him and ran."

"So you can't fight anymore?"

Luffy shook his head. "Not until it's out of my system."

"How long will that take?"

The Pirate King shrugged. "Don't know."

Ace clenched his fist and hit the man upside his head, eliciting a yelp and whimper. "Then don't go running off if you think they might be after you, idiot!"

"But—"

"I can protect myself. So can everyone else in the Whitebeard family. And, unlike you, we don't rely on freakish powers to do our jobs; even if they tried that it wouldn't really do anything."

"Yeah but—"

"Besides, if they came from the other world with you don't you think that they would have ended up where you did?"

"…"

"See?"

"You have a point…"

"Always do. Big Brother knows best, alright?"

Luffy stuck out his tongue and the Mafioso glared at him. "You're younger than me."

Bam! Another blow to his skull.

"Still the older brother—you don't have enough brain cells to be considered an adult."

"This is your room!" Luffy announced, flicking on the light switch. He saw the bloodied clothes his brother wore when he ran out earlier scattered on the bed along with the set from the previous day. His cellphone was missing as well as the papers detailing his 'targets', but it was otherwise unchanged. Luffy momentarily wondered what Ace was doing before he shrunk but pushed the thought away, knowing that the boy wouldn't know in his current state.

Ace scoffed as he looked at the room. He didn't like it. Why didn't like it? Well, probably because it belonged to his counterpart—didn't like the guy. They were supposed to be the same person existing in different realities but personality-wise they were opposites. That man was carefree and sarcastic, greatly contrasting Ace's protectiveness. At least, that's what it looked like. He didn't interact with him long enough to know much about him.

Momentarily Ace wondered if there was another reason they were so different—if it had something to do with being a reincarnation and not the original. Talking to the Pirate King and gaging his reaction to a conversation indicated when he was acting like his brother and when he was being himself. He could see the sadness in Luffy's eyes every time he called him 'Lu' and whenever he would use one of his Devil Fruit attacks. He noticed that same sadness when the Pirate King talked to the other Ace; was he more like his brother? Or was it his appearance that elicited that response?

"—And then we'll eat!"

"…What?" He brought his attention back to reality, realizing that he completely tuned out Luffy's counterpart as he thought. He'd been talking that whole time yet Ace couldn't recall a word of it.

Luffy blinked and quickly noticed that the boy had ignored him up until then, giving a pout. Normally his brother would listen to everything he said, no matter how stupid, but ever since… whatever it was that happened, he became far less attentive. Maybe it was a side-effect. "I said I'll make lunch while you take a bath. And then we'll eat!" Luffy noticed much earlier that his brother's clothes were covered in mud and red stains. Where did they come from? How could he get injured in the short time they were apart? Or was it someone else's blood again?

Before Ace had a chance to protest he was dragged into the bathroom, having his clothes ripped away by the older.

"O-oi!"

"Shishishi! I'll get you something else to—" Luffy froze as he removed the shirt, stark-white bandages staring back at him. Ace was injured, but… not like that. As he looked fully at the boy for the first time he saw the discoloured skin on his arms and chest, indicating scars. There were more pronounced ones as well on his shoulder and collarbone, partially covered by the wrappings. Did his brother always have those scars?

Ace tilted his head when he noticed the counterpart's expression went blank. "What is it?" He always hated when the Pirate King looked at him like that—hated the worry and the pity that entered his eyes.

"Ace, you…" Luffy wasn't sure what to say. He wanted to ask where he got those marks, but… Ace didn't remember, did he? So he wouldn't know… right?

Finally Ace saw where the other was looking—at the old injuries decorating his figure—and pulled away. The Pirate King would look at him like that sometimes. It was ironic how there were eighteen years between them yet Ace was the one with the most scars. He didn't like to be reminded of that. He didn't like remembering the island or the things that he went through. It was too painful. So many years alone…

"…I'll get you some clothes," Luffy announced before hurrying out of the room. The atmosphere was thick and uncomfortable and Ace was glad to see him leave. Even if the teen thought he was his shrunken brother he was bound to ask questions. No doubt the Ace from that world wasn't so generously marked…

Ace turned and looked around at the bath equipment. It looked highly unusual and unlike the stuff back on Sunny, but he was used to discovering new things. He would figure it out… eventually.

Luffy sat at the closet entrance, digging through boxes in search of child-sized clothing. He knew his brother kept some of their old things, for one reason or another. If he was lucky he'd find something that would fit the boy perfectly. If not, well… at least the kid would have something to wear.

He couldn't get his mind off the disfigured skin sprawled across his brother's form. He never noticed it before… Then again, Ace's habit of not wearing a shirt seemed to vanish as he got older. When was the last time he randomly took off his clothes? He used to do it all the time when they were kids. Sabo would yell at him and they'd have some hilarious argument. Those were fun days.

Where was he? Oh, right—clothes. He managed to locate a few shirts and a pair of shorts and smiled proudly to himself. At least he wouldn't have to wear that bloodied top anymore.

…

Why was it bloody? Those weren't the clothes Ace was wearing before he shrunk… Just what happened before he got amnesia? And how, exactly, did he get amnesia? What happened?

Those questions rolling around in his head, he absently shuffled back into the bathroom. There he was met with Ace removing his bandages, revealing a fresh wound on his side—it appeared to be a bullet that grazed him—and torn skin all down his back. But… those weren't the injuries he had before. Ace was shot through the chest a couple of times, yet the boy's chest was almost unharmed. Maybe there was more to the situation than he thought. But he was too confused to really think.

"Here," he said with a toothy grin, placing the articles of clothing down on the floor close to the tub. He saw the boy eye the bath, scrutinizing it. Did he… Did he forget how to use it, too? While the thought was kind of sad it only made his smile widen. It was strange to see his brother in such a confused state but felt good to be the helpful, responsible, older sibling for once. He would prove that he could do just as good of a job taking care of Ace as Ace did taking care of him!

Luffy bent forward and turned on both taps. He waited there and tested the temperature of the water, turning back to see an embarrassed little Ace blushing. "Shishishi!" He remembered Ace acting like that when they were younger, too. Back then he kept to himself a lot and didn't talk much. That behaviour started right after they found a home, probably around the same time Ace joined the mafia. Eventually he became more social and extroverted—less awkward. Seeing him like that again was pretty funny.

Once the tub was filled, Luffy showed him where everything was and left to cook lunch. That would be his greatest challenge yet.

Ace let out an exasperated sigh. "Would you stop squirming already?"

"But we have to find Ace!" Luffy exclaimed, struggling in the Mafioso's grip. He'd been like that ever since they started heading towards the apartment and it was starting to annoy the other.

"I'll go search for him after I drop you off, alright?"

"He's alone! We have to look for him!"

"And what do you think you can do in the state you're in? Your wounds are opening, idiot!"

"But…"

"If he's supposed to be me then he'll be fine for now."

"But he's not like you," Luffy stated, voice low and slightly trembling. He was feeling weak. Of course he was; the blood loss from earlier combined with the reopened bullet holes would have killed a normal person. His resilience was astounding.

Ace blinked as he shifted the Pirate King on his back, being careful not to drop him. The struggles ceased. "What do you mean?"

"Ace… He's scared of people."

"Scared?"

Luffy nodded. "He was alone before we found him. He couldn't even speak. When he sees a stranger he freezes up, or sometimes he'll attack them, and there are a lot more people here than where we're from…"

Ace's eyes narrowed. He couldn't speak? What the hell kind of life did he lead in the other world? "…You sure he can't wait?"

Luffy nodded into his brother's back, eliciting a groan out of him.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Don't blame me if you drop dead, though."

The Pirate King smiled and relaxed his muscles. Even though that wasn't the brother he remembered, he still couldn't help but feel secure around him. Sure, Luffy was the Pirate King, but even the world's strongest had his moments of vulnerability. That little boy was his weakness and he couldn't settle knowing he was alone. Having his older counterpart there to help him out, though, reassured him.

Because Ace never lied.

Ace smiled proudly as he figured out how to work the bath. No, wait—he knew all along. Yeah! It wasn't like he needed Luffy's help… He just allowed him to do it instead.

Ahem.

When he exited the washroom he was met with a disgusting smell and a large puff of smoke. He drew back, covered his mouth with his hand and made a mad dash for its origins. Of course, he wasn't surprised when he saw that the foul odour and fire were coming from the kitchen—it was the counterpart's fault. Who else could set soup on fire so easily? Well, Ace could, but that was beside the point.

"Oi! What the hell?" he shouted as the older moved to put the lid on top of the flaming pot. And then he realized it; Luffy managed to create a grease fire while cooking soup. In a way it was impressive. He certainly had a talent for screwing things up.

When the fire diminished into the pot Luffy smiled and wiped the sweat from his brow, sighing in relief. He even laughed a little, and then even more when he saw his little brother's reaction. "Oh, Ace! Hi!"

"You idiot! What did you do?"

"Shishishi! I made lunch!"

After hearing that, the boy shivered—Luffy didn't intend to eat that monstrosity, did he? He was always so troublesome…

Then Ace noticed the fresh burns on the teen's arms and the lacking smell of burning rubber—that wasn't his Luffy. Still, his face softened and he looked worriedly at him, approaching with concern.

Luffy simply blinked and watched as Ace shuffled over to him and took one of his hands to examine the injuries. He smiled a bit when he realized that his brother was worried about him; ever since he shrunk he seemed very distant. It was like he didn't trust him, or was wary of his intentions. It made sense, seeing as he saw Luffy as a complete stranger, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. He and Ace were always so close…

Was that what Ace felt like when he ran out on him in the morning? Did he feel that sad when he saw the hurt in Luffy's eyes? Did he feel betrayed?

After scanning both his arms, Ace sighed. His worry was alleviated—only slightly—but still showed concern. "Geez, Lu, you're hopeless."

Luffy's eyes widened. He said his nickname. "…Ace?" Did he remember something?

"Be more careful next time. C'mon, let's go fix you up."

The raven-haired teen nodded absently before shutting off the stove and being led by the hand into the bathroom. Did he remember? Did he? Because he was acting just like he always did…

"Oi, Pirate-Lu, don't pass out on me yet," Ace commanded as he felt the man relax against his back.

"I'm… I'm not…" Luffy stated in a slur as his eyes fluttered, struggling to keep awake.

Ace rolled his eyes. What a horrible liar—same as his brother. He knew then that he needed to get Luffy some rest. The safest place was his apartment and, while he knew the Pirate King would protest if he said anything, he was heading in that direction. As much as he knew they needed to find his counterpart, he was well aware of the pirate's horrible condition. In all honesty he shouldn't have moved from his bed at all but no Luffy—be it his sibling or one from another world—could sit still for that long.

The Pirate King's wounds were open. His blood proceeded to slowly drip from his bandages and onto Ace's back, causing the material to stick to his flesh. His condition back at the base was so bad he was given a blood transfusion. Why did he always have to be so reckless? Why did he always have to worry his older brother?

…

Ace wouldn't admit he was growing attached. He wouldn't. After all, his Luffy was more than enough. But… they were different. Even though they were supposed to be the same person separated by parallel worlds, they differed greatly from each other. It was like he was seeing two different people and, truthfully, he liked them both. The teenage version would always hold a special place in his heart, seeing as he raised the boy, but the pirate was someone whom he liked. He was… fun. And friendly. And even though Ace was a murderer he didn't care. He didn't care because he was one as well.

…

That's right—the Luffy counterpart was a murderer. Though their circumstances opposed, they still shared the weight of that fact. It loomed over who they were. It always would. And that was okay. It was okay because they accepted each other. Both knew and understood the necessity of their actions. If they hadn't…

"Ace…" Luffy mumbled in his sleep.

The Mafioso sighed in relief. At least the man was asleep and not fully unconscious. That was a good sign. Still, it was a ways away from the apartment complex and he needed to be re-treated fast.

Just hold on a little longer, Lu.

After patching up Luffy's arms, Ace made lunch because he wasn't about to chance that… thing the teen made. He dared not touch the appliances—they were similar to yet different than the ones from his home world and he didn't want to risk doing something stupid—so he made something simple while dredging up the knowledge Sanji passed onto him.

Throughout the meal Luffy wouldn't stop staring at him. His bulging eyes were fixed on his form and he swore the teen didn't blink. It was aggravating. Sure he'd seen the Pirate King do the same numerous times but he understood it. His counterpart, however, had no reason to do so.

"What?" Ace snapped once he had enough of the gawking, glaring back at the youth with sheer annoyance.

"Oh, I…" Luffy paused. He couldn't help but think back to earlier when his little brother called him 'Lu'. Even though he used that nickname, he didn't say anything about having his memories back. Why did he say it? "Ace… Do you remember anything?"

Ace sighed and scratched his head. He supposed it was time to drop the charade—by then he'd more than paid him back for dragging him all across the goddam city. Just thinking about all the people he saw made him nervous… But that was behind them. He'd finished his analysis of that Luffy and determined him to be harmless, provided he kept out of the kitchen. So it was time to drop the act. Well, it wasn't really an act, seeing as the whole thing was a product of Luffy's stupidity. He felt kind of sad that it would end, though. It was nice being openly called his brother.

"Look, I… I'm not your brother, alright?" His face was downturned when he said that. It was his attempt at not seeing Luffy's reaction.

The teen just blinked. "…Eh?"

"You're mistaking me for someone else."

Luffy's heart sank. He knew that Ace lost his memories but hearing that still hurt. That was his one and only brother—his only family. "Ace, you… You just don't remember. I'm your brother Luffy and—"

"It's not that," Ace interrupted, sighing at the older boy's dense behaviour, "it's—"

Before he had a chance to explain there was a loud bang at the door. They both hurried out of the kitchen and froze when they saw a man in black carrying a man in red—their counterparts. When their eye's met the Mafioso's they just stared, remaining silent. The latter was shocked to see his brother home and even more so to see the small child he'd just spent two hours searching for.

"…A-Ace?"

"Lu… Didn't think you'd be back." He turned to the child and glowered darkly. Though he knew it wasn't the boy's fault he could help but be pissed that they looked for him for two fucking hours and he was there, in Ace's apartment, the whole time. "And you. What the hell? We've been searching for you everywhere!"

The younger snorted and crossed his arms, turning away. "Not my problem. I wasn't the one who ran off."

"You little…"

"Ace…?"

The older turned to his brother curiously, wondering what the tone was for. Was he still upset? Or… "What is it, Lu?" he asked as he moved to place the sleeping body on his back on the couch.

"How are there two of you? I thought… Hey, do you remember me?"

Ace raised an eyebrow at that question as the Pirate King slowly slid onto the cushioned surface. "Why wouldn't I?"

As soon as he finished the question he felt the teen thrust into his chest, wrapping him in a tight embrace. He was surprised by the action but quickly grew concerned when he felt him tremble. He returned the hug cautiously. "O-oi… What's wrong?"

Luffy's grip tightened. "I thought you forgot about me," he stated in a small voice, greatly contrasting his usual excitement.

"Huh? Why would I…" And then he remembered the mini-Ace standing a few feet away. He sent him another glare. "What did you do?"

"Nothing. It's his fault for making assumptions."

"Assumptions like…?"

"He thought I was you."

"…" Ace sighed. Of course. Only Luffy could think up something like that. He likely assumed that his brother had amnesia and was shrunk or something equally as stupid. That brat always had such a wild imagination. He turned to him with a bit of amusement in his eyes. "You idiot."

"But Ace… He looks just like you!" he said in his own defense as he mumbled into his brother's shirt.

"Well, he is me… sort of."

"What?"

"He's—"

"Luffy!" the child shouted as he moved and saw the weak state his companion was in. He quickly dashed over and gently placed his hand on the other's arm, studying his once-more open wounds, shallow breathing and unconsciousness. "O-oi…" He turned to his counterpart. "What happened?"

The Mafioso sighed. "He started bleeding again because he was walking around looking for you."

The boy's eyes softened and he turned back to look at the sleeping man's face, guilt welling up within his chest. It was his fault that he was hurt.

"I'll patch him up for now. If we're lucky he won't need to go to the hospital."

"…If we're lucky?" the child repeated with concern.

"…Yeah. He's bad-off."

Ace leaned into the couch across from the Pirate King and sighed. He managed to re-bandage all of his wounds and somehow stopped the bleeding, though they had to keep an eye on him for the remainder of the day and he was starting to feel tired…

The Mafioso turned to Luffy, his brother, questioningly. Despite their earlier… encounter, the boy wouldn't leave his side. He assumed it had something to do with that outlandish story he made up to explain away his counterpart. "You can stop clinging to me, Lu; I'm not going anywhere."

"…Really?"

"Yeah."

The teen released his hand and looked to the sleeping pair across from them. Little-Ace fell asleep while watching over the man who looked similar to Luffy. He never got an explanation for them because they were too busy patching up the older one. "Who are they?" he asked while watching his brother.

Ace stared ahead, recalling everything they'd went through over the past day. There was so much he learned about the two and yet he felt they were still strangers. But he liked them. Of course he did—one was Luffy! He was amazed at how determined the pirate was, especially when it came to the care of his young companion. He never knew Luffy could show that much responsibility for another life. He always thought of his brother as a happy, oblivious idiot. Maybe there was more to him than he thought.

"Us, essentially."

"Huh?" Luffy tilted his head and looked between his brother and the sleeping forms on the couch.

"They're us from another world. The little guy's supposed to be me," he stated.

"It makes sense now! He's just like you."

Ace narrowed his eyes. "We're nothing alike."

"Yes you are." He saw his brother scowl and couldn't help but smile. "Shishishi!"

"No, we're not. He's just a stupid kid."

"You acted like him when we were little. That's why… I thought he was you."

After a moment of silent contemplation Ace sighed and scratched his head. He supposed he was pretty violent as a kid. He also tended to distance himself from others—except Sabo and Luffy, of course. But he wouldn't admit it. "Anyways, the half-dead guy is your counterpart. He's a pirate."

"Really? That's so cool!"

Ace rolled his eyes—he knew Luffy would say that. He bet it felt awesome to see himself living out his childhood dream.

"But… Why is Little-Ace so young? He should be older, right?" Luffy questioned, blinking in confusion. His mind was starting to form explanations but apparently they were never any good, seeing as his last one about an amnesiac, shrunken Ace didn't go over so well.

Ace rubbed the back of his neck, wondering how to word it. "Apparently the other 'me' died a while back. The kid's his reincarnation or something. Pirate-Lu says he doesn't remember anything from back then, though."

"He… died?" After the scare he had with the boy earlier that was the last thing he wanted to hear. Thinking that his brother forgot about him was bad enough but if he were to die… what would Luffy do? Ace was all he had. Sure there was his gang but his only family was his brother and, if something happened to him, he would never have a connection like that again. Hit man or not, he was his sibling and nothing would change that. He didn't want it to change. Knowing that, how would the other Luffy feel?

"Yeah, something about Marinefo—" Ace stopped mid-sentence when he looked to see his brother hunched over, clenching his fists and trembling. "Oi, what's with you tonight?" He wrapped his arm around the younger's shoulders comfortingly and was a little surprised when the teen latched onto his waist tightly, burying his face once more into his shirt. "It's okay; I'm not gonna die, alright?"

"But…" He began, sounding more child-like than usual. "Sorry. I-I was so scared when I thought you forgot. If you weren't here, I…"

"Lu…"

Luffy felt his brother's strong arms envelope him. It was nostalgic; Ace always used to hold him like that when they were little. He would keep him close like that whenever he got scared or cried. Remembering that, he clutched the fabric of his shirt and allowed himself to be swept away by the memories. "…I don't hate you," he mumbled.

"Hm?" Ace looked down at the boy in his arms, barely catching his soft-spoken words.

"I don't like what you do, but… I think I get it. You did it for me… right? You just wanted to protect me."

"Luffy, it feels wrong for you to be all serious and contemplative. Try not to think—you might hurt yourself."

The teen pouted and glared up at the freckled man. "Will not!"

"Oh yeah? Well what about when—"

"That was only once," he stated defensively.

"Once is all it takes, my little brother."

"You're a jerk. I was trying to apologise!"

Ace smiled. "I know." He moved his arm up around Luffy's shoulders and gave him a tight squeeze. "Thanks, Lu. But you don't have to. It's fine, alright?"

"But I…"

The Mafioso sighed. "I already know."

Ace groaned as he woke from his slumber, cursing inwardly when he realized he fell asleep. After allowing his brother to go to bed he was supposed to watch over the pirate's condition but managed to doze off. It was no wonder, seeing as he was narcoleptic and had nothing but naps over the past twenty-four hours.

As his eyes opened he was met with darkness and noted that night had fallen. How long was he asleep? It had to have been a few hours at least. Giving a yawn he stared out into the room and looked at the Luffy that was from another world. Soft snores met his ears and he sighed in relief knowing that nothing bad happened while he was out.

Upon further inspection he saw that his young counterpart was not on the couch with the pirate. Glancing around, he saw him sitting in a chair by the window, staring out into the night sky. He made to get up but the boy looked at him before he did and he suddenly felt the need to stay put.

"Hey," he greeted awkwardly, hoping to break the silence. He never had much of a chance to talk to his other self. It felt weird not knowing someone that was supposed to be the same as him. He heard a bit from the other Luffy—he wouldn't shut up about him as they searched through the city—but still knew so little.

The boy looked at him for a moment and then returned to gazing out the window at the stars and moon. "You're lucky, you know," he said quietly, just above a whisper.

"Huh?" Ace blinked a few times, having no idea what he was talking about.

Sighing, his younger self turned to look at the Pirate King's sleeping form. "You get to be his brother. You don't have to pretend."

"…What do you mean?"

"Moron," the young Ace shot, sending him a dull glare.

"Oi!" Ace exclaimed, keeping his voice low enough to not wake the injured pirate.

The boy stuck out his tongue childishly before facing Luffy once more. "…I don't get to be his brother," he stated vaguely. "The other Luffy really admires you. He kept reminding me that we were siblings. Or, well, he thought we were. It was… nice."

"Hey, you…" Ace's voice trailed off, implying his question.

He nodded. "I remember."

"All of it?"

"Only a little," he stated while shaking his head.

"Then why not tell him?"

The child gave a weak smile. It was the first time Ace saw him with an expression other than a scowl or concern. "He doesn't want me to know." Taking a deep breath, he exhaled. "I want him to tell me. Right now, he… he doesn't like thinking of me as the person I was before. He won't call me his brother or tell me that we're related. I just want him to acknowledge it."

Suddenly the boy looked much older than he was. In fact, Ace almost thought he was seeing someone older than himself. He seemed aged and… content. "That so?"

Little-Ace's smile grew. "I think we grew up together."

"You think?"

"I can't really remember, but it feels like I've known him for a long time. It would be nice if he would come out and tell me, though."

"Hey…"

"Hm?"

"How did you come back? You died, right?"

The boy looked up and hummed as he thought, contemplating the question. Then, with nothing coming to mind, he shrugged. "Don't know. I just remember wanting to see him again."

"Hm…" Ace hummed as he leaned back into the couch, arms folded behind his head. "So you did it for him?" He grinned. "Sounds like something I'd do."

"Eh?" The boy turned to him with wide eyes, wondering what he meant by that.

"You're older than you look."

Blinking in silence, the child started to understand and sighed. He backed into his chair in a similar fashion with one arm resting lazily in his lap, the other held open for him to look at. "I don't like this body," he stated, glaring at the scars outlining his limb. "Ever since I started to remember I've hated it. I'm… weak."

Ace looked from the boy to the ceiling with indifference. "And tiny. And helpless. Don't forget scrawny, powerless, fearful, shy—"

"Don't rub it in, bastard."

Ace untangled his arms and shot forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Does it really matter? Don't try to be something you're not."

"…What do you mean?"

Ace smirked. "Now who's the moron?"

The boy sent him a dull glare. "Shut up."

"Look: you're a kid, alright? Bet you didn't feel like that before you started remembering." The look on his counterpart's face said that his assumption was correct. "You're not the same person. You don't have to be strong. Pirate-Lu cares about you and wants to protect you. Don't worry about your size, idiot."

"But I'm the older brother…"

"Not anymore. That's Lu's job. Just quit worrying about it and accept it. It's not important. Besides, it's not like you remember everything, right?"

"…No."

"Then forget about it. You're you—doesn't matter who you were before. Just be a kid." Ace paused and took a deep breath. "I regret not having a childhood. Don't turn out like me." By the time he was seven he was already part of the Whitebeard family—the youngest member. He was trained by Marco and Oyaji to become an assassin and had to take care of his little brother. He raised Luffy and by age 10 killed his first target. Then there was school; he did everything he could to graduate and got top grades but, at that point, it was too late to leave the mafia and pretend nothing happened. Besides, he owed the old man his life. Without him both siblings would have died.

He was a bit envious of his counterpart. After all, he was able to relive life and re-experience everything without the responsibilities of caring for his younger sibling. He understood where the boy was coming from, though; even he told the pirate that he was still the older sibling. It was hard to think of it any other way. He was the big brother—that's how it always was. Having things switched around was… odd, to say the least.

The sound of raspy coughing broke his thoughts. Immediately his young counterpart was at the Pirate King's side, lightly touching his arm. Ace had to smile at how attentive he was being—it was just like when he would take care of his little brother when he got sick.

"Lu? You okay?" the boy asked, gently rubbing the man's unmarked shoulder.

"Ace…" the pirate whispered as his eyes remained closed.

"What is it?" the child questioned softly.

"…Meat…" he groaned in response before snoring.

Irritation built up within him. He swiftly smacked the pirate upside the head and growled his annoyance. "Don't scare me like that, idiot! Thinking about meat when you're half dead… Stupid Lu."

Ace couldn't help but chuckle as that one word from Luffy lifted the heavy atmosphere weighing on the two. Only their brother could lighten the mood like that.

The Pirate King stretched and yawned as morning light greeted him from the window. He rubbed his eyes and looked around the room, trying to figure out where he was. The last thing he remembered was his desire to search for Ace; everything else was a blur. As soon as that thought entered his mind he spotted the boy, fast asleep on the opposing sofa. Smiling his relief, he went to stand but froze as he felt a sharp pain in his chest and abdomen. He was quickly reminded of his injuries.

Ignoring his body's protests, he walked over to the child and sat beside him, analyzing his wounds. Seeing that everything was in order he covered him in a thin blanket that was sprawled across the floor and resigned to continue his exploration of the place.

When he entered the kitchen he froze, met with the back of a very familiar man. As the Mafioso moved about, Luffy saw more of his face. Memories of Marineford and a certain few words danced in his head as he took in the image. Then, moments later, he recalled the previous day. That was Ace, but a different one than he remembered. It wasn't the brother who died but the man from another world. While that settled him a bit, he still felt uncomfortable seeing him. It'd been that way ever since he first woke up in the Whitebeard base.

Noticing his guest, Ace turned from the stove and smiled. "Hey. Feeling alright?"

"Meat!" Luffy cheered as he caught the scent of his favourite aroma. He drooled as he looked past the man and into the frying pan, longing for its contents.

Ace chuckled a bit, then turned back to his cooking. "Other world or no, I see your tastes haven't changed."

"Shishishi!" The pirate took a seat at the kitchen table and watched the other excitedly.

"It'll only be a few minutes," the freckled man stated. A thought went to the forefront of his mind and he spun around to take a look at the Pirate King. "I talked to the kid last night."

Luffy blinked. "Ace?"

"Yeah."

"What about?"

"Well…" Ace scratched his head, wondering how to phrase it. "He's not as oblivious as you think, Pirate-Lu."

"What?"

The Mafioso poked and prodded the meat, testing it out as it sizzled against the metal of the pan. He was buying time, wondering what he should tell his older-younger-brother. It became very clear the night before that his counterpart wanted nothing to be said to the pirate but Ace felt it was wrong to keep it from him. After all, if he were in Luffy's position he would've wanted to know that his brother was regaining memories. He felt guilty not saying anything. "He… remembers, you know."

"…Eh?"

Luffy stretched his arms out as he exited his bedroom and meandered down the hall. The living room looked empty until he peered over the couch and was met with the sleeping form of his little visitor. He smiled and immediately headed over, studying him. While that Ace wasn't the brother he knew, he really liked him. He acted a lot like the Ace from his childhood—before he became so extroverted. Seeing him was… nostalgic.

As he watched, the boy stirred. He twisted and yawned, rubbing his eyes as he woke. "…Luffy?" he questioned, unable to see clearly at first.

"Shishishi! Yep!"

The boy sat up, yawned, and blinked as his vision focused. He took in the youthful appearance of the teen and thought for a moment. Then he remembered the previous day's events. "You're the other one," he noted.

Luffy ignored the comment in favor of crouching in front of him, meeting him at eye-level. "Hungry?" he asked, grinning all-the-while.

Ace thought in silence for a moment before nodding. He didn't eat much in the past twenty-four hours and his stomach was more than just a little empty.

Luffy bounced to his feet and headed towards the kitchen. He stopped abruptly and turned around. "…I heard you last night."

"Huh?" Ace asked, still trying to wake up.

"Talking to Ace," the teen elaborated. He quieted for a moment and lowered his head. "You're my brother, too, you know."

Ace's tired eyes shot wide open. Brother—he never thought hear that word. Not like that. "…Eh?"

"You're still Ace, even if you're from another world," he stated. He turned to face the boy with a huge smile plastered onto his face. "So you're my brother!"

The boy stared blankly at the other, rolling those words around in his head, wondering how to react. Even though that was the other Luffy—not the one from his world—hearing that made him happy. Being acknowledged felt good.

When Luffy saw that the younger wasn't moving he rushed over and grabbed his hand, ignoring his protests as he dragged him into the kitchen.

"Oi," Ace began as he squirmed, getting annoyed with the teen toting him around however he pleased. He did the same the day before—when he was forced to the apartment—and was, again, being tuned out. "Let me go, stupid Lu!"

Their older counterparts immediately turned to watch the pair as they entered the room. A deep silence fell as the four stared at each other, the younger two questioning the heavy atmosphere. It seemed they walked in on an important conversation.

"Ace…" The Pirate King's voice faded as the Mafioso's statement rang through his head. Ace remembered. He remembered his other life, before all of… that. And he never said anything. Or was it that he never had a chance? Whatever it was, the pirate wasn't sure how to react. He simply swallowed and stared, hoping the boy would voluntarily explain.

The child glared at the freckled man standing at the stove, knowing he said something. Why else would Luffy act like that when he saw him? He knew something because his damn counterpart couldn't keep his mouth shut. But he didn't want to say anything. He didn't want to have that conversation—it was too early for something so dramatic—and proceeded wordlessly to the table, taking a seat across from the pirate but not looking at his face.

Luffy looked between the two from the other world, blinking in confusion. He didn't really get why everyone was so quiet. After a few moments he decided he didn't care and opted to take a seat next to the boy.

"Careful," the Mafioso began as he continued to cook, "he might set you on fire."

"Very funny," his counterpart replied, rolling his eyes.

Ace stuck his tongue out at the kid before he shut off the stove and motioned to the table to begin serving breakfast. He placed the meat and eggs on the already-placed plates, then took to the empty seat.

The teenage Luffy looked between them as they ate, tilting his head as he wondered about their words. His thoughts shifted once the sweet aroma of his meal wafted his nose and his pondering vanished as he began devouring everything within reach. What was he thinking about? Meat. It was always meat.

Ace watched from the corner of his eye, noticing the Pirate King hadn't touched the meal he made. Since when was Luffy ever not hungry?

Night arrived quickly. Ace went out to do his job, meaning that more bodies were going to be found come sunrise. Luffy disappeared as well somewhere along the line. That left the counterparts alone.

The Pirate King's eyes shifted to the boy sitting by the window, looking down at the foreign land below. He pulled his mouth into a taut line, wondering what to say. He never asked him about what the other Ace said and wanted nothing more than to be told the truth right then and there. But his young companion didn't seem very comfortable with the subject—didn't want it brought up.

Finally he decided to say something. "Ace—"

"Can I ask you something?"

Luffy was taken aback by the question and looked at the boy, seeing that he was still facing the window. "…Sure."

"Lu… why didn't you tell me?"

"Huh?"

The boy turned to him a bit, brows furrowed in contemplation and a hint of sadness. "You… You never told me that… you're my brother." Immediately he spun back to the window, hiding his expression. "Why?"

The pirate's eyes widened at that. "Ace… You remember?" He saw the child give a slight nod, confirming the Mafioso's earlier explanation. He got up off the couch and headed over to him, wrapping his arms tightly around his small shoulders.

"…Lu?"

"Sorry, Ace," he whispered, biting his lip. He never thought the boy would remember. That's why he never said anything; why confuse him further? In the beginning he had enough trouble just grasping the world around him. Complicating matters by telling the poor kid that he was the reincarnation of Luffy's dead brother would have been stupid. But… in the end it seemed that the real mistake was not telling him.

Ace hesitantly returned the hug, sighing heavily. He thought back several months ago to when he first met the Pirate King on that island and just how far they came from then. He wasn't mad—not at all. He was hurt. But it wasn't so bad if he could hear him say it then. "It's okay, Lu."

"I missed having a brother," Luffy stated, deepening the hug.

"Yeah… me, too."

Ace whistled as he returned his gun to its holster, admiring his handiwork as he looked over the blood and corpses sprawled out across the alleyway. It was nice to be working again. Sure it was a dirty job but after doing it for as long as he had he was used to it. Besides, anything was better than his time spent in that damn, dingy hospital bed.

He got a call from Marco sometime in the afternoon. After getting cussed out for not telling him he found their guests from the day before he was given orders to go assassinate a few rival Mafioso. Apparently Oyaji trusted that he was healed enough to handle a simple mission like that. And then the blonde proceeded to lecture him for missing the meeting as well. The term 'Mother Hen' was made for that man.

Ace snapped back to reality when he realized that he'd stumbled down a familiar alley on his way home—the one where he met the Pirate King. He smiled, still wondering how his brother managed to become the strongest fighter in any world.

His walk took him between more buildings until he found one with a lot of dried blood. He assumed it had to be the place Luffy and mini-Ace arrived at when they came to his world. Curious, he stepped closer, analyzing the area. There had to be some clue as to how they got there, right? How could they be sent to a whole other universe without leaving something behind?

He trailed his fingers along the brick wall, feeling the rough surface against his skin. Eventually as he got closer to the ground his hand jerked forward, sliding through the wall. He pulled back quickly and glared at the wall, wondering what the fuck just happened.

After a few seconds he tried again. The same thing happened and as his arm was pulled into it he noticed what appeared to be a bend appear around the area—like reality was distorted.

"I really need to stop watching sci-fi," he mumbled in response to his thoughts before swallowing and pushing his head into the wall.

It took him a while to open his eyes. In his mind he was wondering why the hell he did something so stupid and waited for something horrific to happen. When there was no change he peered out into the tear, tilting his head when he saw he ocean. On the other side of the… whatever it was… there was an island. More specifically, there was a beach that drifted out into the vast sea. After what the Pirate King told him, he was expecting a battlefield. Where was that, exactly?

Upon further inspection he spotted a very odd looking ship. It was massive and colourful with a sunflower—or was it a lion?—for a figurehead. Instantly he knew it belonged to Luffy. After all, who else would have such a bizarre-looking ship?

Smiling to himself, he pulled back into his world and grabbed his cellphone.

Ace flinched when he heard a sudden ringing. He and Luffy broke their hug and looked towards the noise to find what their counterparts told them was the phone. The Mafioso said before he left that he would contact them using that if anything came up.

The Pirate King stood from his spot and hurried over to the device, turning it on and pressing it to his ear. "Ace?" he asked curiously.

"You won't believe what I just found," the man stated from the other line.

"Huh?"

"I can get you home."

"And just what are you doing here?" Ace asked with a bit of agitation when he saw his little brother and not their counterparts nearing the tear.

Luffy gave a pout, stopping in front of the freckled man. "But you said they're leaving! I wanna say goodbye!"

"You just want to see the other world," he shot back.

"Shishishi!" With that laugh, the teen pushed through the tear and into the alternate reality, not hesitating for even a moment.

"Oi, Lu! Get out of there!" Ace shouted as he followed him in.

By the time he was on the other side he found that his brother was already heading to the pirate ship. He bolted for him, hoping to stop him before he revealed himself to anyone. Of course, he was too late. By the time he arrived at what he assumed to be the Thousand Sunny, his brother was already on deck.

"So cool!" he shouted from his spot upon the rail.

Everyone onboard turned to him.

"Luffy!" shouted a man with a long nose and curly hair. As soon as he saw him, though, his smile faded and he looked confused. "Oi, what happened? You look…"

"You're super tiny, Straw Hat bro!" exclaimed a blue-haired cyborg.

The teen blinked and looked around at the crew, registering their faces. "Hey…" His voice faded as he looked closer at them. "Are you Usopp?"

The sniper blinked. "Yeah… Did you hit your head or something?" Suddenly his face held a look of shock. "Are you a clone?"

Luffy crossed his arms and tilted his head to the side. "I dunno, am I?" He shrugged the question off in favour of looking to the others aboard. "And you're Nami! And Zoro! And…" He paused when he was met with the others. "…Who are you guys?"

Before anyone had the chance to respond, Ace pulled himself over the railing. "Damn it, Luffy," he cussed as he adjusted his hat. When he looked up he was met with the stares of nine very confused pirates. He immediately understood the situation and rushed over to his brother. He grabbed the back of his head and forced the boy into a boy before doing the same. "Sorry for the confusion. And thank you for taking care of Pirate-Lu for me."

"…Ace?" he heard a female call questioningly.

…His sudden appearance complicated things further, didn't it?

"Can't be," came a raspy tone shortly after, "the guy's dead."

"Yeah, but… Just what's going on?"

Ace raised his head to look to the crew, studying them. He recognized three from his own world—the swordsman, redhead and longed nosed man—but the rest were foreign. They were all older than him, though there was a reindeer who looked quite young, and each of them were bizarre in some way. Smiling, he found them perfect for his brother, regardless of the world.

"I can explain," the Mafioso began, "but… it's kind of complicated."

"We have time," Zoro said with his arms folded. "We've been waiting for out Captain for three days and when he finally shows up he's a kid and his brat's an adult; I think we deserve an explanation."

"Right… Sorry about that." Again he forced Luffy into a bow.

"Ace let me go," Luffy whined, struggling against the hand firmly planted on his skull.

"No," the older sibling replied sternly, glaring at the teen. He turned back to the group. "Well we're not… them, really. Or we are, but… not." At that point he realized just how Luffy felt trying to explain how his young counterpart was the Ace of that world. "We're from another world. Your Ace and Luffy kind of got thrown into ours. They should be on their way."

"So they're alright, then?" Nami pressed, hand clenching tightly to the rim of her shirt.

"…Define 'alright'," Ace said in reply. Their expressions turned grim and he quickly made to correct himself. "Other than being beat up they're fine. Apparently the Marines ambushed them."

Zoro snorted. "I knew it. That's why I said we should've gone with him."

"Shut it, you damned Marimo," shot back a blonde Ace didn't recognize.

"Well, it was a pleasure but I think we should go meet our other selves," Ace stated as he pulled tightly on his brother's ear, eliciting a yelp and further whining. "Let's go, Little-Lu."

"Ace, it hurts!" he cried as he was dragged to the edge of the ship.

"What's that? I can't seem to hear you."

"Liar! Meanie!"

Before he hopped off he stopped and turned once more to the nine individuals his other sibling travelled with. "And really, thanks for what you've done for him."

The swordsman shrugged. "We didn't do much."

"Yohoho! I find that Luffy helped us more than we did him," said a strange skeleton with an afro.

Ace's smile morphed into a grin. "No, you did plenty. No way my little brother is competent enough to become the strongest man on the sea on his own," he stated.

"Hey!"

A few of the pirates broke out into laughter while some others smiled.

"So, really, thank you."

"I guess this is goodbye," the Mafioso announced as he fixed his hat, pulling it further over his eyes. It was strange; he only knew them for a few days but didn't want them to leave.

"Can't we keep them?" Luffy cried with a pout, holding tightly to his brother's counterpart and pulling him close, looking up at the man with puppy-dog eyes.

"They're not dogs, Lu," he replied with a sigh as he rubbed his forehead.

"But I like them," the bug-eyed teen replied, nuzzling his chin into the child's head as he cuddled him.

"Oi, let me go," the boy growled in irritation, scowling as the other's grip only tightened. He never got used to how clingy that Luffy was.

Ignoring the younger two, Ace turned to the Pirate King. He got to know the man over those few days they were together yet there was still so much that went unsaid. It felt like he was saying 'goodbye' to an old friend... a brother. "You sure you're going to be alright? You're ability…"

The man broke out into an impossible grin. "It's back!"

"Wait, what? Really?"

"Yep!" To demonstrate, he hooked the side of his mouth with his pointer and stretched it to lengths that shouldn't have been possible. He watched with amusement as the freckled man's eyes widened in response to the display, followed shortly by the same response from the other Luffy. "Shishishi!"

Ace composed himself—though it was hard since seeing that was a lot more bizarre than seeing his counterpart turn to fire—and settled. "Then I guess you're good to go."

"That's so cool! How did you do that?" the teen shouted, bolting to his feet and releasing the boy. He watched as his other self showed off, then turned to the child once more. "Do you have a cool power like that too?"

After blinking for a few seconds, the boy raise his hand and concentrated, allowing his pointer finger to burst into flame.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

He blushed shyly as he took in the compliment, extinguishing his fire.

Luffy turned to his older brother excitedly. "Let's live in there world!"

"No," he replied firmly, eyeing the teen.

"Awe, but I want a cool power too!"

"No means no, Lu."

"You're no fun."

Ace sighed and watched as the two from the other world neared the tear. Before the Pirate King entered he looked back at the two curiously. The boy did the same.

"Think we'll ever see each other again?" the pirate asked with a blank expression.

For a moment the Mafioso was quiet, thinking deeply on those words. Once he found his answer his mouth curved into a smirk. "Never."

The Pirate King smiled and turned back to the part of the wall that held the distortion. "Didn't think so." Without one word more both left into the portal, walking side-by-side.

As they watched them vanished, Luffy grabbed hold of his big brother's hand. Ace never looked away from that spot on the wall but returned the hold, tightly grasping to his sibling's appendage.

"I'm going to miss them, Ace," the teen confessed, face downturned to hide his expression with the rim of his straw hat.

"Why?"

"Because…"

Ace smiled. "We're already here."

A/N: IT'S FINISHED! ;A; Thank you for seeing it through to the end. I will proof-read it tomorrow and post the edited version. Sorry if the end is crap, by the way. I'm really sick and can't think straight. There also might be a lot of mistakes... Again, sorry, I'll fix them tomorrow. Also, I have some questions for you guys if you feel like answering them.

Questions

1. What would you like to see in future bonuses for this fic (or any of my others)? i.e. plots, themes, ideas...

2. I had a lot of fun with the part where Luffy thinks that his brother shrunk and lost his memories. Would you like me to make a mini-fic about that actually happening? (By mini-fic I mean about 3-5 chapters, probably around the length of this bonus. I would start posting once I finished the whole thing.)

3. What was your favourite part/scene?

4. Do you have any questions for me involving this bonus or future bonuses? This sort of feels like the first multi-part fic I finished (even though it's not) because of the length so I'm pretty proud of it and thought I'd see if there was anything you wanted to know about it :)

To my lovelies~

xxxWolvesInTheNightxxx: Here it is :D

Diclonious57: I don't know how to respond to that :P

Bluebird42: Happy late birthday then! No, that's not what the voice meant. The voice meant for him to forget about what happened to Luffy and by doing that his body sort of... You know what? Just wait for the next chapter - it'll clear things up :) Hehe hope the bonus matched your expectations!

teengens: Please don't review just for that - it does not speed it up at all and is actually quite saddening knowing that you have nothing to say and are only bothering to get more :(

MysteriousEyez: Lol never said kill, but think what you want XD That is correct! But he took it to the extreme... I thought it was obvious, too, but some people had trouble with it ^^; Yeah, it's sad, I guess, but it's going to cause some major developments later so it must happen! Seriously, the next two chapters are going to be pretty interesting :D

TheRoseJr: You know what? I want to try that now XD I wanna try to kill Brook without using seastone or the water in like a crack fic or something! Well I'm really happy you're enjoying my writing~

Haruka-desu: He hasn't forgotten anything other than Luffy's 'death', actually. Originally he was reincarnated so he never forgot because those memories were no longer his (if you read what Mafia-Ace says to him this bonus, he basically tells him that) and this time he remembers everone but forgot how Luffy got hurt and, well, cannot physically control himself (trying not to give spoilers... failing...) so yeah. It'll be explained properly over the next two chapters.

trisha23flow: Please don't review just to get the bonus. Seriously, I'd rather not post it if I'm just getting "I just want to get the bonus" as responses to the chapter... :(

Son Goshen: Yes! Give yourself a pat on the back! :D Well he's mentally sound, it's just he can't really control how he reacts. He's 'insane' in the sense that he can't be held accountable for his actions but not in the sense that he's nuts or psycho. Lol interesting theory XD Nah, not doing that :P Well here it is, finally! (Wow, I first asked you when we first started talking didn't I? That was so long ago...)

mi-chan94: No idea how to react to that, sorry :P

Starry Roses: It'll be explained more over the next two chapters so don't worry :) I've finished this but I'm still only at the beginning of the Sabo's Story bonus. That one's going to be even longer than this. Thank you!

deadlycute17: You're quite welcome~

WeissDragon: Hehe glad you like the bonuses ^^ I work really hard on them.

Neko-VongolaPrimo: Well there are a few reasons why Law can't help Luffy this time. You'll find that out later, though. I agree, but as humans it's natural to think like that.

azab: Hehe I love you too XD

TwilightRaven99: Wow! The whole thing? How long did it take you? XD Glad you like! Don't worry, I will ^^ Thank you~

LinaFair: Awe you cried? Sorry! I didn't think it was that sad myself hehe... Well I thank yo for your review :)

spoons-are-evil: His dream was a representation of how he feels about the situation. Mentally he's coherent but he can't be held responsible for his actions. You'll find out why he was scared of Nami soon :) Yes, VERY long. Like a story within a story. Yep you can find out all of the bonuses I'm planning/have written on my profile.

Kitsune Foxfire: I agree! Have more confidence, Ace! (I shouldn't be saying that when I wrote him into this situation...) I was tempted to do that honestly :P

Honeydee: It's not much of a cliffy. Also, if you're not interested in bonuses then I hope you didn't read this -_-' It's not hard to connect the dots. In fact you should already know the ending of Skip because of this fic. Well Promised Reunion was only the prologue, not the actual chapter. It ties into the story in an important way yet isn't part of the main plot. Skip should be nobody's favourite. It's too simplistic and I put very little care into the plot.

: Forget the bonus that I've been working on for over a month? No thank you. Though if you feel that way you should probably ignore this whole chapter =_=; You'll have to wait and find out. I'm not giving out anymore hints. You can guess who the 4th Yonko is if you want, but I'm not telling. It's too important to the plot.

ASLfangirl: Hehe XD And no worries, I'm just glad you bother to review at all. Life is annoying like that.

Red-The-Drawing-Ninja: I will make more bonuses, don't worry :D In fact there's one that's going to be longer than this after the epilogue so look forward to it! Hehe glad you like~ I'll work as much as I can on my fics, you can be sure of that :)

(There it is! Ladies and gentlemen, say farewell to the long-ass bonus. And please tell me what you thought of it! I would really love to hear! Now it's 2am so I'm going to go... eat. You thought I was going to sleep? Ha! Never!)