Title: Of Dreams and Desires
Pairings: Smoker x Ace, Sanji x Zoro, and other side pairings
Ratings: T - NC-17
Chapter: 34 of ?
Summary: The road to One Piece is a dangerous one and each individual begins at different times and places. Some paths cross for a fleeting moment but the encounter could be so great that it can alter the initial direction. Every meeting is important and is planned by the souls long before the bodies see each other. Follow everyone's story and see what path they take.
Disclaimer: I do not make any profit from this story; all props go to Eiichiro Oda.
Author Note: Alright, so, things are looking up in life. Getting a better job and working towards my business but never fear! I will continue to update until this story is complete… which… it's nowhere near.
Shout Outs: Thanks to Leila Nami and linh90 for adding my story to your favorites list!
Beta Reader: descriptionsalive21, thank you so much!

Dr. Nocturne

The Russian scientist sat in his office scribbling things on his notepad when a holographic image of the world's most notorious doctor appeared in the seat next to him. The Karakuri native smiled, "Doctor Nocturne."

Said man looked up from his notes, "Vega, my friend. How are you doing?"

The doctor played with the bands on his wrist, "Fairing well. Had a few setbacks with my current project but nothing I can't handle."

"Still doing experiments for the government?" He questioned.

"An experiment, yes… for the government, no." He scratched his eyebrow, "Or at least it didn't start for the government."

Silence fell on the men. Nocturne looked at the sadden face of his colleague, "How is bear?"

"He's fine, taking the treatments well." The elder of the two sighed, "It kills me to see a piece of him gone every time he steps out my lab."

"But it is what he wants, no?"

Dr. Vegapunk pulled on the lapels of his lab coat, "Of course." He cleared his throat, "Onto brighter matters, how are you and that lovely wife of yours?"

"We're good." Dr. Nocturne looked up at the clock on the wall, "I believe she's with our guest now."

A knock came to his lab door, halting the conversation between the practitioners when an assistant entered, "Sir, Dr. Blackbeard has arrived."

The heavy weighted man gave thanks to his guide before he entered the room. He held his arms out with a smile on his face, "Greetings, my friends!"

The scientist shared a welcome as the large man made his way to the chair across from the hologram, "I'm happy you made the call to arrange this meeting."

Vega chuckled, "Yes, I have missed my fellow collaborators." He shook his head, "After that Caesar incident I haven't had many like-minded associates to bounce ideas off of."

Nocturne stroked his beard, "Ah, yes. Caesar. I heard he went a little…" He trailed off making a waving motion with his hand.

The elder nodded, "Yes, he took my experiments down the wrong path. It was time to let him go."

Blackbeard put his briefcase on the table and popped it open, "It's tragic when young minds go to waste like that. What was that other man's name? He worked with you, Nocturne."

"You mean Thaddäus?"

Vega clicked his tongue at hearing the name, "There was screw loose somewhere in that man."

Nocturne nodded his head in agreement, "His mind wasn't right. The experiments he wanted to run…" A shiver went through his body, "I wonder what he's up to now."

The curly haired African began to rummage through the copious amount of papers in his briefcase. "Speaking of experiments," he pushed his glasses down the bridge of his nose and looked over the rims at his friend, "I heard yours went well."

Doctor Nocturne laughed, "Yes, it went very well."

Before he could respond the door slid open and the beautiful Natalya walked into the room. She nodded her head in greeting to her guests, "Gentlemen, hello."

Vega and Blackbeard waved to her from the table and the elder of the two leaned forward so his elbows were resting on the hard wood, "Natalya, when are you going to come be my assistant? I need a beautiful mind like yours."

The red haired woman let out an elegant laugh, "When my husband no longer needs me, I'll for sure come to you."

Noc gave a huff, "I'll stop needing her when I hit my grave, Vega, so hands off until then."

Blackbeard shook his head at the banter, "While you're here, Natalya, spill the secrets on the experiment."

Said woman grabbed the clipboard that was hanging on the wall as she passed it to make her way to gathered men. She sat down and flipped a few pages before speaking, "As you all know we've been vigorously working at the attempt of resurrection. After many trials and errors we have finally made a breakthrough."

She looked up at her husband and smiled, "I am very proud of this accomplishment and today we'd like to introduce our project to you all." Her eyes glanced at the hologram, "Did you receive the papers I sent you?"

The doctor in the striped shirt reached out of view and grabbed a stack of papers, "They just came through today."

She slid some documents to her husband and friend, "His name is Don Quixote Rosinante. Age twenty-six. He's a former Marine and undercover agent. He is also known for his affiliations with the Quixote family and pirates. Due to his connection in the Marines we were able to use his body as a test subject." She flipped a few pages, "After finally getting the dosage correct he came back to us with strong vitals. Shortly after waking, we put him in physical therapy–his bodily functions are remarkable."

Vegapunk shifted through the papers, "How long after his awakening did it take him to get used to his surroundings?"

Nocturne cleared his throat, "He took his first breathe four months ago, his first steps a month ago, and just last week he spoke and interacted with us."

"How are his motor functions?" The dark haired man asked.

The Russian threaded his fingers together, "As stated, his physical therapy is going well and has been improving each session. He took to walking easy and quickly progressed to other exercises."

"Have you introduced a devil to him?"

Nocturne grinned at the question, "That, my friends, is what I wanted to speak with the both of you about. We have found the devil he previously had before passing. It has not been administered but when asked how he felt without it, he stated he felt empty."

Blackbeard hummed, "I can only imagine. If he was chosen by the devil then it would have been hard to be separated from it."

Vegapunk took off his glasses and rubbed tired but equally excited eyes, "Can we meet him?"

Natalya grinned, "Of course. His personality is really starting to show and he's become quite the character." She stood and walked to the door, "One moment gentlemen."

She disappeared behind the door only to return with a tall blond. The scarred man eyed the occupants of the room before he swaggered to a chair and sat down. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a smoke before lighting it. He coughed a few times before trying again, taking a successful pull.

Blackbeard barked out a laugh, "Already destroying the lungs you gave him."

Noc shook his head, "Yes, he's quite adamant about continuing with his past habits."

Vega linked his fingers, "Tell me, Rosinante, do you remember how you died?"

The blue eyed man stiffened and the room became silent as the doctors waited for a response. Rosinante sighed deeply before he spoke, "My brother killed me."

Doctor Nocturne jotted down some notes, "Do you hate him?"

The tall man pulled from his cigarette, "No."

Natalya raised a neatly arched eyebrow, "Why?"

"Because I betrayed him…" He stared out the window in the room, "I knew the consequences."

"Do you think that's normal?"

Corazon chuckled mirthlessly, "When you live with the devil, you question what normal is."

The four doctors shared looks amongst themselves before turning wonder filled eyes at the patient. Blackbeard tapped his pen on his notepad, "They said you feel empty sometimes. Can you tell me the reason?"

Rosinante stared at nothing in particular on the table, "It's quiet without her around."

A smile lit Blackbeard's face, "You wish to have your devil back?"

He flicked gray ashes to the ground, "If she is not gone."

Vega grinned, "I believe we can arrange something."

The former Marine stood and made his way to the door. The healers watched him as he paused, "You said he lived?"

Nocturne cocked his head to the side, "Yes."

He stared at nothing in particular before he whispered, "When can I see him?"

"Not anytime soon, my boy. I'm sorry."

Rosinante dropped his finished smoke on the ground and lit another one, "Can I at least let him know I'm alive?"

Natalya approached him and patted out the small fire that started on his shoulder. She still wasn't too sure how he manage to continue to catch himself ablaze, "Wouldn't it be a better gift to return to him as the man you were? As the man he remembers rather than the shadow of him?"

The blond shrugged and proceeded out the room without a backwards glance. The red head returned to her seat and sighed, "If he's not asking about his devil, he's questioning about the boy."

Vega read through some of the notes before he spoke, "What's his attachment to Trafalgar Law?"

Nocturne raked thick fingers through his hair, "Not sure. We haven't done any research about him other than to verify that he was alive."

Blackbeard chuckled, "It seems your experiment was a success. He hasn't shown any signs of deterioration?"

"Not a single one."

A commotion happened, causing the hologram of Vega to blur before it became clear again, "My friends, it is time I take my leave. Thank you for letting me see your accomplishment. We will speak more regarding future experiments." With that he disappeared, leaving the three doctors.

Blackbeard began to pack his belongings, "I guess I need to start back working on my projects so that you all don't outdo me."

Natalya laughed and stood, "Here let me walk you out."

They proceeded towards the exit but something caught Blackbeard's eye. He stopped to look at the wall of bounties they collected, "What's with all the pirate bounties?"

The middle-aged woman walked to the wall as her husband explained the posters, "I want to surpass myself and in order to do so I need strong candidates. I call this the wall of possibilities." He shifted his attention to his wife, "We can do more on the next subject."

Natalya smiled at her husband's enthusiasm, returning his gaze with eager eyes. When Blackbeard's gaze fell on a certain poster he hummed and pulled it off the wall, "I met this young man before."

Slim fingers took the paper from him, "Ah, Portgas D. Ace. We had an encounter with him as well."

"He is an interesting pirate. His association with his devil is amazing."

The muscular doctor glanced at his wife, "Yes, he is a strong next candidate."

"Pirates don't live long in this day and age." Natalya smiled sadly at the photo, "All we have to do is wait for his fate, whatever it may be."

Blackbeard took one last glance at the paper, "I'll keep a look out for him as well. He's a good one."

"A very sweet young man." Natalya agreed.

The two doctors exited the room, leaving the remaining to look at the bounty poster. Nocturne placed it back on the wall next to Rosinante's and stepped back. After staring at the two photos for a while he tuned his lips upwards into a smirk before he followed his wife's footsteps out the room, switching off the light upon his departure.

*Bows* Yes, to all you Corazon fans out there, here he is. Alive and Kickin'! I'm happy lol. It was fucked up the way he died. D: Anywho, lemme know what you think and stay tune for next chapter: Kuzan Aokiji - Huredhiel