Title: Of Dreams and Desires
Pairings: Smoker x Ace, Sanji x Zoro, and other side pairings
Ratings: T - NC-17
Chapter: 47 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: It's SUNDAY FOOTBALL! Ok I'm done.
Shout Outs: Thanks to everyone who viewed the last chapter. I hope everyone is enjoying the story still.
Beta Reader: descriptionsalive21, thank you so much!

Kuzan Aokiji

Purupurupuru. Purupurupuru.

The admiral held up his wrist, answering the tiny black snail's call, "Kuzan."

"Portgas D. Ace has been captured."

Aokiji slumped against the handrails on the bike, "What did the Gorosei decide?"

"We tried to offer the sentence of imprisonment, but they weren't having it. I could see it in their eyes; they crave bloodshed to assert their power."

Kuzan clicked his tongue, "Madness. As if the world doesn't bow to them already." He huffed, "Sengoku has ordered for me to speak with Garp. When I'm done, I'll return to HQ and come see you."

Kong hummed, "After you've finished with Garp, let him know I wish to see him."

"Do you want me to let him know?"

"It doesn't matter. He'll find out sooner or later."

With parting words, the call was disconnected and the admiral continued his journey towards the port.

Parking his bike at the docks, Kuzan pulled out his baby mushi and dialed a code. He adjusted his sleeping mask on his forehead, giving a nod to some passersby. The snail stopped ringing and Garp's tired voice flowed from the speakers, "Aokiji, what do you need?"

Said man sighed, what he was going to ask the man to do wasn't fair, but it was work and in their line of business, work came before pleasure. "Where are you?"

"Leaving Water Seven."

"Can't have you leaving there just yet."

The snail's eyebrow rose, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kuzan squinted his eyes as he looked out into the distance. He saw the Marine ship and grinned, "Weigh anchor, Garp. I'll be boarding shortly."

Communication was severed and Aokiji pocketed the mushi. He mounted his bike and rode to the end of the docks before calling upon Hie and creating a ramp of ice leading to the ocean, shocking nearby fishermen. The admiral pedaled to the vessel and when he was near, he called up to the men on the deck, asking them to lower a ladder. His devil created a frozen path to the object and soon he was climbing up the dog figure-headed ship.

Bogard greeted him when his feet hit the deck, "Sir, Vice Admiral Garp is waiting for you."

The men walked to the foredeck where Garp stood with his arms crossed, a scowl plastered on his face, "What do you want, Kuzan?"

Sad eyes regarded the elder and the vice admiral's shoulders drooped, "What happened?"

Aokiji shook his head, "We've received word that your grandson was captured."

Garp turned his back to the other Marines. His hand covered his face as he let out a shaky breath. It took him a moment to respond, "What will they do to him?"

The admiral looked at the back of the man he'd always seen as a mentor and sighed. He couldn't find it in him to deliver the news, "Kong would like to speak to you when you return to headquarters. He'll completely fill you in."

The silence was uncomfortable.

Bogard cleared his throat, "Shall we continue to HQ, sir?"

Garp poised his lips to respond but Aokiji's voice sounded, "No, you aren't to return to HQ yet."

The eldest turned to glare at the tall man, "You said that over the mushi as well. What is your true purpose?"

"You've been given the order to capture Monkey D. Luffy."

Garp's face turned red as anger filled him. Bogard took a small step forward, "Sir."

Hie prodded his partner. Poor man.

Kuzan looked up at the cloudless sky before his gaze drifted back to his subordinates, "Bogard, get your men to pull my bike on deck and circle the island. Look for the Straw Hat's ship."

Garp's right hand man hesitated, but when no words came from his superior, Bogard nodded, leaving the presence of the higher ranking Marines. Aokiji took tentative steps towards his longtime friend and when he was near, he clasped a hand on the other's broad shoulder, "We'll make the attempt but by no means do I expect you to complete the mission."

The tension in Garp's shoulders lessened but he was still on edge. He pulled out of Kuzan's grasp and walked towards the side rail. The ship began to move and he watched as the stem broke the water. He rubbed his mustache before he spoke, "I had three grandsons, you know."

Aokiji's brows furrowed, "I've only ever heard you speak of the two."

"Luffy and Ace were always bringing in stray animals." He chuckled softly, "I came home one day and their guardian had told me the kids had a surprise for me. I expected another animal but when I went into the hut, there they were with a boy. They were so excited to tell me they had become sworn brothers which meant I was their sworn grandpa."

Garp laughed loudly before shaking his head, "Those boys stayed in trouble; and as their grandpa, I trained all three to be able to defend for themselves… to one day be Marines. It's funny how the three of them shared the same dream."

Kuzan scratched the back of his head, "What happened to him?"

Garp looked out at the sea, mulling over the words, but ignoring them, "I wanted to show them that the way of the Marines was the best to go. My son, despite all my efforts, went against my teachings and decided to rebel against the Government. I didn't want Luffy or any of them to go down that road. It's a dangerous path… one that leads to nothing but misfortune. So, I trained them in the jungle for months. I taught them the basics in combat while I was there, and I gave them strict training regiments to follow while I was gone."

The vice admiral shifted his weight, "One day, I came back to town and I went into the mountains to see my boys. Only, when I arrived, they weren't there. It took me a few hours before I found their guardian, Dadan. I heard her howls of agony before I saw her. She was crying and drinking near the cliffs. Judging by the many empty bottles, I figure she had been there for a while. When I asked her what her tears were for, you know what she did?"

Aokiji shrugged his shoulders, "What?"

He gave a sad chuckle, "She threw her bottle at me. She screamed at me. Angry at something that had happened…at me. I didn't know what for, and she was too drunk to form proper words. So, I left and went into the forest where I knew the boys' hideout was. When I got there, only Luffy answered my call." Garp paused as the memories made him shutter, "With snot dripping from his nose and tears pouring from his eyes, he climbed down the treehouse that the three of them built and ran to me. I remember his hands clutching my uniform as he wailed. The only thing I could make out was 'Sabo's gone!' and 'They killed him!'."

Garp wiped the stray tear from his eye, pausing to reign in his emotions before he continued, "I asked where Ace was. I knew he would be able to give me the full story."

When the man didn't continue, Kuzan questioned, "Did you find Ace?"

"I did."

"What happened to Sabo?"

Garp turned to face the admiral, "The Celestial Dragon's killed him for attempting to sail out to sea while they were docking."

Kuzan lowered his gaze, "I'm sorry."

Black eyes regarded the man before him, "I was stricken with sadness as I began to understand everything. That night I thought to myself, how the hell can I convince these boys that being in the Marines is what's best for them? They just lost a brother and there was nothing I could do to prosecute those who killed him. As a Marine, a solider who's supposed to uphold justice and help abolish evil from the world, how dare I not go after those grown men who wrongfully killed a young boy." Garp ran his fingers through his hair, pulling slightly on the gray strands, "If anything… it pushed them further towards the path of being pirates."

The elder rubbed his face, whispering to himself, "First Sabo, now Ace. My heart can't take much more. To put the cherry on top of it all, I've been given the order to capture Luffy." He shook his head, "Maybe Dragon was right."

Before Aokiji could comment, Coby approached them, "Sir, we've spotted Luffy and his crew. They are sailing out now."

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Garp gave the command, "Fire two warning shots and bring me my cannonballs."

Aokiji stopped Coby as he retreated to fulfill his orders, "Bring me a chair."

The boy saluted and Garp snorted, "You don't have to stay, Admiral. I'll make sure I confront Luffy."

The Marine shrugged his shoulders, "You're going back to headquarters after this, right?"

Garp nodded and Kuzan made comfortable in the lounge chair that was given to him, "Then I'll ride back with you."

As the ship fired it's warning shot to the Straw Hat's ship, Garp called out over his shoulder to the admiral, "Thank you, Kuzan, for giving me the information."

Said man nodded his head, "Was the least I could do."

Kuzan laid with his legs crossed on the chair as he listened to Garp and Luffy argue back and forth. The swishing of heavy cannon balls being thrown through the air filled his ears as he pulled out a small note pad. He jotted down the name "Sabo", tracing over the letters to bold them. Kong would be interested in the boy. A booming sound rang through the air and the Marines on the deck gasped, persuading Aokiji to look up. Garp's laughter followed the sound and he turned to the dark skinned Marine with a smile on his face, "Look!" He pointed to his grandson's ship that had taken to the air, soaring through the sky, "He got away! That's my boy!"

Aokiji chuckled as he shook his head. At least he tried.

He pulled the attention of a nearby solider, "Tell Bogard to set route for Marineford." With his command given, the admiral closed his eyes and pulled down his sleeping mask. He had a feeling he wouldn't get any rest for the next couple of days.

A little look into Garp's feelings. I hope you all enjoyed and stay tune for next chapter: Marshall D. Teach - Huredhiel