Izuku gingerly got out of bed and tested his weight on his left leg. He didn't feel a single twinge of pain.

"Amazing," Izuku said. "Back where I'm from, it would've taken weeks for the bone to heal. Unless, well, you had a Quirk for that."

Crocus snorted. "And you keep going on about how amazing all their medical stuff is. Weeks for a broken bone? How long does it take to grow a tooth back?"

"They don't. They drill implants into your jawbone."

Crocus shivered and swore under his breath. In the bed next to Izuku, Shanks groaned and rolled out of the covers. He rubbed at his jaw and winced. "How many teeth did I lose?"

"Six. And I've half a mind to send you with Izuku so you can get your teeth fixed his way."

"I heard something about drilling bone? I'll pass on that, thanks." Shanks took the offered glass of milk and chugged it down. He grimaced and clenched his hands as new molars grew in. He gave his teeth an experimental click and said, "There! No drilling needed."

In unison, both Izuku's and Shanks' stomachs grumbled. Crocus rolled his eyes and said, "You should be in time for breakfast, assuming Luffy didn't eat it all already. Couldn't even get his bandages off before he made a break for the kitchen."

Izuku and Shanks shared a horrified look before bolting out the door. Thankfully, they found the giant wooden tables stacked high with food as pirates tucked into a breakfast of pickled eggs and slices of local cloud-fruit. Luffy made a valiant effort of cleaning the tables himself, devouring entire plates in each mouthful, but Izuku had no trouble swiping his own grub until he felt comfortably bloated.

A pirate ran down and pounded a fist on the table. "Hey everyone! They're bringing up gold!"

Heads snapped up. Pirates swiped one last bite to eat as they made a stampede out the door. Izuku more leisurely nibbled on a fruit pastry before going out to see what all the fuss was about.

White-clad Skypieans and painted Shandians worked side-by-side, hauling entire chests of gold towards the shoreline. Roger stood next to Gan Fall and a Shandian, chatting amiably. When Roger caught sight of Izuku's hair, he waved him over.

"Rise and shine, Izuku!" Roger boomed. "You fought well, yesterday."

Izuku's face flushed. "Um, thank you. So, what's all this about?"

"Them? Well, as it happened, the Shandians there were trying to keep a promise to an old friend of theirs, while the Skypieans thought the bell was sacred and shouldn't be touched. Turns out ringing the bell yesterday helped settle their differences."

Off in the forest, the giant snake roared and raised its head into the sky. Izuku flinched and backed away, while Roger laughed and waved at it.

"Oh, and that guy had a bunch of gold in his stomach. That fight made him throw it all up, and they decided to give it to us." With a wink, he added, "Keep it a secret between us, alright?"

Roger laughed loudly, and Izuku chuckled nervously along with him. Gan Fall limped up to Izuku, still visibly battered from the previous day's events, and inclined his head. "You have my thanks, Midoriya."

"And ours as well, for ringing the bell," the Shandian added. "It has been almost three-hundred years since our people made our promise to Montblanc Noland. He may no longer be with us, but we hope he heard our bell wherever he may be."

Gan Fall raised an eyebrow when the Shandian said 'their' bell, but he glanced at Roger and held his silence. The Shandian looked sheepish and added, "Also, sorry about trying to stab you yesterday."

Izuku felt confused for a moment, before he looked closer. The war paint was gone, but Izuku recognized the tanned skin and thin, angular cheekbones.

"Uh, no worries? Everyone else was, so, fair's fair, I guess."

Izuku's half-hearted joke got a chuckle out of the Shandian and a full-bellied laugh from Roger. Gan Fall grimaced as Roger gave his back a hearty slap.

"Ah, I'm going to miss you, Midoriya," Roger said. "Though, I say that to everybody."

"You'll miss me?" Izuku asked. "What do you mean?"

"You haven't figured it out yet?" Roger asked. With a wink, he added, "Give it some time."

Time. The word echoed in Izuku's head. Mei made sure the DeLorean was still working, even after it crashed into Roger's ship, but how were they-

Izuku felt a flash of inspiration. He looked off at the horizon, trying to gauge how high up they were. From how thin the air felt, they were more than high enough to hit eighty-eight miles an hour.

"But wait," Izuku said. "I get that we can fall off, but how are we supposed to stop?"

Gan Fall held up a flimsy, shriveled squid. "That's where these come in. Balloon squids. They stay high up by holding gas inside of them, and they have a strong grip. Visitors use these to safely return to the seas below."

"You can inflate yours by holding it outside once you get back," Roger added. "Just be careful not to drop it, alright?"

Izuku imagined plummeting into the sea at terminal velocity, gulped, and nodded. Then again, Izuku thought, couldn't he hop through the air with Geppo? He could even carry Mei with him. But the DeLorean, while light enough for him would be way too heavy while walking on air.

While Izuku was hyper-analyzing the logistics of time-travel via falling from a ridiculous height, Mei came running over with a bundle of papers.

"There!" Mei said. "That's the blueprint for everything we need!"

Roger leafed through them. "I have no idea what any of this is, but if anyone can make it happen, it's Tom. Your journey will take you to Water Seven. He should have it ready by then."

"Make sure it has the Hatsume Industries logo on the side! He might be making it, but those are my plans, and that makes him my employee!"

Roger chuckled warmly and said, "I'll tell him you said so."

A loud caw overhead made everyone look up. A News Coo swooped down, bearing the morning paper in its beak. Roger took a sliver of gold from a passing chest and tossed it to the bird. It tapped the metal with its beak before giving a satisfied squawk and plopping the paper in Roger's hand.

"Hmm… looks like an update after that scuffle on Jaya. Any changes? One, two… no, still nine zeroes. Anyone else? Hmm… oh! Izuku! You got a bounty!"

Izuku's stomach sank as he took the paper Roger offered. His picture was a bit blurry, with him standing mid-punch, but his face came through clearly enough to pick out his freckles on the faded paper. "Wanted for assault on officers on the Marine Corps and association with the dreaded Gold Roger… fifty million!"

"Not too shabby for a first bounty, eh?"

"Fifty million!" Luffy's head stretched out from the ship and stared at Izuku's poster. "No fair! Mine's only thirty-million!"

"Not anymore, it's not!" Roger waved another poster. "You also got fifty-million."

Luffy's hand shot out and snatched it up. While Luffy cheered from the ship, Mei peeked over Izuku's shoulder at the poster.

"Am I wanted too?" Mei asked.

"Hmm… nope! But something tells me you'll have your own poster before long."

"Cool. I better make sure they get my best babies in the shot. Is there somewhere I can get my picture taken?"

Roger roared with laughter. "What a fun idea! If there was, it'd be swarming with bounty hunters, and that's assuming the marines didn't simply try to catch you themselves. Nah, they have specialized Marines tasked with gathering information. We have a little understanding with them. If they leave us alone, we leave them alone. They get their pictures, and we get bounty posters to hang on our wall."

"Why would you want that?" Izuku asked. "Isn't it just a wanted poster?"

"It's a badge of honor for pirates. It proves that what you're doing means something. It's not the number itself that matters, so much as what you do to get that kind of attention. Some pirates go out of their way to raise their bounties, torching islands and killing civilians. But good pirates, they get their numbers sticking it to the Marines. Sinking their ships, raiding their bases, why, one time, I went after some Vice-Admiral's base and painted the walls pink. I even mixed red socks into their laundry! To this day, they're still called the Pink Brigade, or the Pink Pansies if you're a pirate."

"Nobody calls them Pink Pansies," Rayleigh called over his shoulder.

"I do!" Roger huffed. "Well, anyway, you get the idea. Keep it. There's no better memento of your time as a pirate."

Izuku looked around, at Roger, at the Oro Jackson, and at all the pirates busily loading gold and adjusting the rigging as they prepared to set sail, and he realized that he did enjoy his time as a pirate. He enjoyed playing card games and dice below deck in the dead of night, when a rough wave could upend everything and fights would break out over who won. He enjoyed pushing his body to its limits, hauling cargo until he could feel every muscle burn like a radiant star. He enjoyed staring out over the railing at the next island to appear over the horizon. He enjoyed the food, and the company, everyone smiling and shouting out to him.

For the first time, Izuku felt like he belonged somewhere. Maybe he could like it here. Maybe he could be a pirate hero, roaming across the waves and helping whoever he could.

But then, he thought of his mom. Of Musutafu, and Kacchan, and All Might, and his promise to be a hero. Though a part of him yearned to stay with Gold Roger, home called to him.

"Thanks for having me, Captain."

"Anytime, Izuku!" Roger stroked his mustache. "But before you go, there's one last thing I have to give you."

"Really? What is it?"

Roger grinned. "Oh boys!" He called out towards the ship. "Guess what time it is!"

A raucous cheer rang out, and everyone rushed onto the deck. Izuku followed behind Roger, feeling very confused and just a bit worried.

On deck, everyone cleared out a space in the center, leaving a barrel covered with a tattered flag.

"Izuku Midoriya," Roger said gravely, "You may not have been formally inducted into my crew, but you've dined with us, you fought with us, and you bled with us. In every way that matters, you're one of us."

Izuku felt his chest stir with his words. He fought back the tears forming in his eyes.

"And in just a bit, you'll be leaving us to make your own way in the world. But, before you go, we have a special gift for you."

Roger pulled the flag away, revealing a vibrant blue fruit, dotted with bolts of cyan.

"I got word that a Devil Fruit was on a nearby island and sailed off before someone claimed it. With how well you held off Shiki's men, even killing his Second Mate…"

While Izuku's stomach turned at that reminder, the whole crew cheered for him. Izuku tried finding Mei in the crowd, and a part of him was thankful he couldn't see her.

"It's only fitting," Roger continued, "That this fruit is yours."

Izuku cautiously approached it. He ran a finger over the surface. It had a firm, smooth texture, like a squash.

"What is it?" Izuku asked.

"That is the Goro Goro no Mi. A Logia type, with the power of lightning at its command."

At the mention of the word Logia, Izuku turned towards the crewmate with the wind powers. With a grin, the man turned his hand into a swirling vortex.

"Wait," Izuku said. "When you guys say 'Devil Fruit powers', does that mean…"

"This is a Devil Fruit," Roger confirmed.

"And you get Devil Fruit powers from them?"

"By eating them, yes."

Izuku's head spun. This whole time, he had merely assumed that their powers were like Quirks, that they were born with them. He tried wrapping his head around how that might work. Genetic manipulation, completely rewriting every cell in his body, seemed far beyond what a mere fruit could accomplish.

"Fair warning," Roger added, "Once you do, you won't be able to swim in the sea again."

"Might be a problem," Shanks chimed in, "With the way he keeps falling out of boats!"

As the pirates laughed around him, Izuku numbly stared at the fruit. His whole life, he dreamed of having a Quirk, always thinking it impossible. And now, here he was, in a whole other world, with a pirate captain offering one on a silver platter.

"Why me?" Izuku asked Roger. "Is it because I'm weak? That I can't be a hero without it?"

Roger knelt and put his hands on Izuku's shoulders. He had a fond smile on his face and a sad look in his eyes. "Izuku, you're already strong. Or did you forget already that you took out fifty of Shiki's little lions?"

Izuku gulped nervously, and his thoughts wandered involuntarily back to that fight. Analyzing his own moves, Izuku knew he was nowhere near the level of a pro hero. All Might could've taken on the whole crew, Shiki and all, by himself. Same with Endeavor. Even the lower-ranked heroes would've held up far better than he.

"You don't need this Devil Fruit to be strong," Roger said. "You don't even need it to get home. You would find a way, no matter what it would take. That said, this Devil Fruit would make the journey a lot easier, and it will help you save a lot of people. Will you take it?"

Izuku's eyes drifted over to the Devil Fruit, then back to Roger. He hesitated, thinking himself unworthy. Glancing over to the crowd around him, his eyes met the other pirates, ones he worked with, ate with, played dice and card games with. He found Luffy at the front of the crowd, uncharacteristically serious. When they locked eyes, Luffy gave a solemn nod and smiled. Izuku remembered, months ago, when he had first come on the ship, yelling to the waves that he would be the number one hero. Shanks gave him a thumbs-up, and Buggy grumbled under his breath until Shanks elbowed him in the shoulder.

And finally, he found Mei. Standing towards the back, balancing precariously on a barrel, Mei poked her head over the tops of the pirates in front of her.

Izuku felt his resolve harden. Before Roger could say anything, Izuku snatched the Devil Fruit and took a big bite out of its surface. He expected a tough rind, but his teeth met almost no resistance. The moment the spongy flesh of the Devil Fruit touched his tongue, a rancid, tongue-curdling flavor filled his mouth. Izuku gagged and put a hand over his mouth.

"Don't spit it up!" Roger warned. "Relax, and swallow."

Breathing deeply through his nose, Izuku scrunched up his face and braced himself. After a moment of herculean effort, Izuku forced the Devil Fruit down his throat. Gasping for air, he timidly reached for a second bite, but Roger stopped him.

"Just that bit is enough. How do you feel?"

"I… don't feel any different." Izuku felt himself panic. The deck spun out from under him as he readied himself for Roger to laugh in his face and tell him it was all a prank. Izuku chided himself, of course it was a prank, what kind of fruit could give people powers?

"Hey look, he's sparking!" Shanks said.

Izuku held up his hands. Green arcs of electricity coursed across his skin. With a yelp, Izuku threw his arms forward. A bolt of lightning shot forward and caught Roger in the chest.

"Whew!" Roger exclaimed as he patted smoke off his singed shirt. Beneath the hole burned through the fabric, Roger's skin shone black with Armament Haki. "That'll wake a man up!"

"Oh god, I am so sorry." Izuku tried to make the sparks go away, but that only seemed to agitate them even more.

"Here." Roger handed him a set of manacles. The moment Izuku touched them, he felt all his stamina drain away. It took all his willpower just to stay on his feet. Yet, when he looked down, the sparks stopped.

"Another going-away present. Sea-prism stone, it weakens anyone with a Devil Fruit power."

"You used these on Shiki," Izuku said weakly.

"Sure did! I'll get Luffy a pair as well. Some Devil Fruits prevent you from building muscle, so you'll need them to get stronger. Never hurts to have practice resisting them as well. In time, you could even break them with Haki."

"Thanks." Izuku set the manacles down, and though his strength returned, the sparks didn't come back.

Roger cocked his head. "The wind's about right. You better get going."

"Where is-"

Izuku got cut off by the sight of four pirates hauling the DeLorean sideways out of storage. Once they set it down, two more pirates loaded a couple crates into the back seat.

"Packed you a little extra as well," Roger said, "Though something tells me you'll come back here anyways. The Skypieans will have more gifts for you then."

After a round of goodbyes with all the pirates, Izuku slid into the passenger seat, while Luffy squeezed into the back. Even after months of musty, salt-tinged air, the upholstery felt brand new. Mei had made sure of it. The windshield was replaced with a thicker glass, no longer see-through, but at least it kept the wind out.

Mei started the engine and checked the lights. "Cool, everything's still working. Can you guys give us a lift?"

Roger strode forward and picked up the DeLorean with one arm. Izuku reflexively clung to his seat while he stared out at the long drop before him.

"Tell your grandpa that I said hi," Roger shouted, just as he threw the DeLorean.

Luffy stretched his head out the window and shouted back at Roger, "Okay! Bye everybody! Let's eat together again sometime!"

As the pirates' cheers dopplered away into the distance, Izuku braced himself for the fall. The speedometer rapidly ticked upwards, sixty, seventy, then started slowing down as they approached terminal velocity. Even over the roar of the wind rattling against the car's frame, the sounds of Luffy chewing on a snack filled the vehicle.

"Are we going to make it?" Izuku asked.

"I ran the numbers. We have plenty of leeway. See? We're at eighty-six already."

Izuku counted it up with her. Eighty-seven. Eighty-eight…

Nothing.

"Uh, Mei?" Izuku asked. "Shouldn't it be working now?"

Mei poked around on the console. "Oops."

"What do you mean, oops?"

"Izuku, time travel takes a ton of power. I got the biggest battery I could find, and it was barely enough for two trips."

"So, but we only traveled…" Izuku's stomach plummeted when he thought it through. He had thought the first time got interrupted by that truck, but if it actually counted…

"Yeah, battery's dead. But hey, you can still do that air-hop thingy, right?"

Izuku looked down over the ocean. Jaya was still just a speck of green in a glittering landscape of blue. Sure, they could land there, but the Marines most likely still occupied the island.

Izuku slammed his fist on the dashboard. "There' has to be something we can do!" As his temper flared, sparks ran across his hands. Izuku stared at them in shock, then grinned. "Hey Mei. Do you think my new Devil Fruit can recharge the battery?"

"He said it did lightning stuff, right? Give me a sec, we can hotwire it from the dash."

Mei ducked down and pried open a panel underneath the steering wheel. She yanked out a long cord, pried off the insulation with her teeth, and held out the exposed copper strands. "I wired these to take whatever voltage they could get. I'd be shocked if you could overload it."

"Really Mei? A pun?"

"Are you going to criticize my humor, or are you going to stop us from falling into the ocean?"

Izuku took both ends of the wire. "Alright. Now what do I do?"

"What are you asking me for? It's your Devil Fruit thingy, isn't it?"

Izuku gulped nervously. He tried picturing electricity flowing into the wire. A gasp burst out of him as he suddenly felt the wire winding through the hood and into the battery. The minute flow of charged particles tickled Izuku's brain as the battery recharged.

"You're giving me just about enough to turn on the headlights," Mei said in a deadpan tone.

Izuku gritted his teeth and pushed. The trickle of ions turned into a deluge, and he felt the battery vibrating ominously.

"Alright everyone!" Mei shouted, "Back to the future!"

As a nimbus of sparks engulfed the car, Luffy shouted, "Oh, shocked! Like the lightning! I get it now!"

When reality returned, the car was still falling, though from a much higher distance. Izuku felt his head turn fuzzy from the lack of oxygen.

"We need to get that squid thing out," Mei said. "The sooner we can steer, the easier it'll be to pick where we land."

"Right." Izuku shook off his lightheadness and looked back. "Hey Luffy, have you seen-"

Izuku went silent as he watched Luffy tear into the tentacle of a squid. As Luffy gnawed on the chewy cephalopod, he said, "This takoyaki tastes funny. Want some?"

Izuku looked at the bitten squid. Then back at Luffy. "That was our parachute."

"Oh, it's called parachute? First time I've tried it."

Luffy stretched his mouth wide, plopped the rest of the squid inside, and swallowed the whole lump. As he patted his distended belly, Izuku felt a lightbulb flash over his head.

"Do you want some meat?"

Luffy snapped to attention, and he licked drool off his chin. "You bet!"

"Hop outside and grab the car with your hands and feet. Then flatten out your body and let it catch the wind."

"Like a sail? Cool! Let's try it!"

Izuku opened the windows, and Luffy slithered out one like a snake. His fingers and toes curled around the roof of the car, and within seconds, the speedometer steadily crept downward.

Mei unfurled a map, then checked it against the hazy blue landscape below them. "The Red Line makes this really easy. Let's see… that one's north, so we want the East Blue… that a way!"

Izuku tugged on one of Luffy's arms. The car pitched sideways, veering around until the East Blue loomed underneath them.

"And there's Reverse Mountain." Mei pointed at a sliver of rock jutting out of the ocean. Izuku felt a touch of nostalgia remembering the trip up those rapids. It felt like a lifetime ago.

"Which means Loguetown should be… there!"

Izuku recognized that tiny speck of land. It haunted his nightmares, the ones that ended with the DeLorean crumpled on the ground and Mei staring blankly at him.

"Whoa!" Luffy shouted. "I can see the Merry from here! Zoro! Sanji! Nami and Usopp! I'm back!"

The car lurched backwards. As their descent veered away from the island, Izuku tried tugging on Luffy's arms. The furious game of tug-of-war ended when the wheels slammed onto a wooden deck.

Izuku got out of the car. His eyes swept across the deck. The Going Merry felt pitifully small compared to the Oro Jackson, but the deck was well-swabbed, and the ropes tied tight. He nodded approvingly at the tiny grove of tangerines nestled in the back of the ship.

"Hey!" Nami shouted from the helm. "What's the big idea, landing on our ship! Just who the hell do you think… wait… Luffy?"

Luffy's flattened, stretched body snapped back into shape. He slapped his straw hat back on his head and shouted, "Nami! I'm finally back!"

"Back? But weren't you just… how did you get up there?"

"Mystery box."

"Why did I even bother asking?"

Sanji came onto the deck, holding a fruit parfait. "Oh, Nami-swan, as requested, I have brought-" He froze when he saw Mei. He sprinted forward and came to his knees at her feet. "Why hello, my delicate angel! You look simply parched! I can offer a refreshing glass of fresh tangerine juice! Or perhaps you would prefer-"

Nami's fist slammed onto Sanji's head. "You idiot! Those tangerines are mine! You don't get to hand them out to whoever you please!"

"What's with all the racket?" Zoro asked, rubbing his head as he blinked sleep out of his eyes. As his eyes roamed over Izuku, his hands twitched towards the sword at his side. Zoro's wariness turned outright hostile when he looked closer at Luffy. His sword flashed out of its sheath and rested against Luffy's neck. "Who the hell are you?"

Luffy grinned. "Wow, Zoro, I thought you were just bad with directions! Don't you remember me? Everyone else does!"

Nami looked around nervously. "Zoro? What's going on?"

"You can't tell?" Zoro asked. "That's not our captain."

"Yes I am!" Luffy roared. "You want me to kick your ass?"

"It has to be him!" Nami countered. "I saw him stretch, Zoro! There can only be one of any Devil Fruit, right?"

Usopp came aboard warily. "Hey, I heard shouting, is everything - wait, Luffy? How did you get ahead of…"

Luffy's head poked around from behind Usopp. "Hey guys? What's all the fuss?"

Everyone looked between the two Luffys. Mei snapped her fingers and said, "Right, forgot to add that extra day we were on Skypiea. My bad."

A/N: Back to the Future! Luffy's started learning Haki two years early, Izuku's got the Rumble Fruit, Mei has Dials, and the three of them have twenty-year-old bounties with Roger's crew. What could possibly go wrong?

Retconned a thing, back to the future style. To save you the trouble, in Chapter One, Luffy now looks at Izuku and asks, "Did you get a haircut?" Implying the wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff that happens this chapter. I totally didn't just do that because I was mentally slapping myself for missing that opportunity earlier.

And now for reviews:

I don't want a unique username: "Ace's name isn't spelt Asce btw. The crossed out s is for Sabo."

Bardothren: I'm glad you pointed this out to me before it made it into an actual chapter! I'm too lazy to change it since it's a review response, but I totally would if it was actually in the story.

Chronosign: "If Roger is on Skypia, shouldn't Oden be with them?"

Bardothren: my knowledge of Roger-era One-Piece is extremely spotty. Honestly, probably. At this point, however, I can't be bothered to make that huge of a retcon. Let's just pretend he's in the background enjoying boiled noodles or something.

TheGreatBubbaJ: "Maybe the tear balm save will make the lad build up his kit before the next scrap."

Bardothren: tear balm is cool too, but giving Izuku lightning powers is way more fun. I'll be honest, the tear balm thing was just something random I came up with to explain why One Piece medicine is pure B.S. and I kinda just ran with it. Probably shouldn't have done it in the first place, but eh. I think it's cool.

Battlesny: "didn't Shiki cut off his legs close to Canon, so that he could escape his Seastone shackles while he was in Impel Down?"

Bardothren: you're quite right about that. Lucky for me, it was a quick edit to fix that. Thanks for catching it and pointing it out.

Colshan: "'You speak of gleaming towers, roaring machines, and tablets of infinite knowledge, but the world tells me that none of those things exist, nor will they ever.' Unless I'm completely blind, at no point did Izuku tell them any type of story.

Bardothren: you are right about that. Thing is, I did that on purpose. That's Voice of All Things at work. Went back and made that tidbit just a smidgeon clearer, but at the same time, I refuse to explicitly spell that out in-story.

That's it for this time. Writer's block has been a thing the past week, but I'm making enough progress that I should have the next chapter ready in two weeks. Until then!