Sabo leaned against the outside of the hull of the formerly wrecked boat I was fixing up, eyeing me with a speculative gleam in his eye. "Do you have any other siblings?" He asked, "Blood ones, I mean?"

I looked up at him hesitantly, "Well..." I paused to look up at him, and the look in his eyes made me tell the truth, "Technically, yes, though I never met them. Another half-brother, or half-sister, by my father."

He stared at me for a moment, taking in the shape of my face, my dark grey eyes, and my short black hair, then shook his head, "Definitely not," he muttered.

I blinked at him curiously, "You think you might have met them?" I asked, almost excited at the prospect, though I maybe shouldn't have been. Part of me had always wondered about the other child of the Pirate King, wondered what he or she thought of our father. Del had been more of an uncle for me and now both he and mom were gone. I wondered if he resented our father's choices as I resented my mother's selfish choice to become pregnant with the Pirate King's daughter, and resented them both for Ma and Del's deaths. In truth, I might not have minded so much if it had only affected me, but Rowan and Glyph are orphans now, thanks to my birth.

Sabo snapped his fingers in front of my face, an amused glint in his eye. I jumped, and then glared at him, but he only laughed, his head shaking, "You looked just like Ace does, right then, whenever he's brooding," the blond boy informed me.

I shot up to my feet, "His name's Ace? The one who looks like me?" I asked, shocked. I stopped myself before mentioning the 'Gol D.' part, guessing that my half-brother would have taken his mother's name, like I did. "Is it Portgas D. Ace," I asked, as calmly as I could manage, but I knew I was going to start rambling, "That's what it should have been, if it was a boy, and his mother's last name 'cause he wouldn't be safe." I clapped a hand over my mouth and took a few deep breaths, "Sorry about that," I said once I could control my mouth again.

He was blinking at me in some amount of shock, but then he shook his head, "Yes, that's his name. So then, your father, it was... Him, right?"

I gave him a serious look, "If you don't know, I can't exactly tell you," I told him.

He lifted his hands, "No, I know who it is, but it's just, it's Ace's secret, and I don't feel right telling anyone else."

I nodded understandingly, "Well, if his name's Portgas D. Ace, and he has a father who's name can be summed up with 'Him,' then I can't really see there being more than one." I smiled at him, "I guess I'll be coming with you and Glyph to Dawn, then."

-East Blue, En route to Dawn Island-

The boat was working fine, which was almost a surprise to me, though I did my best to hide it. Night on the open water was beautiful, as the ocean that night had been practically glass smooth, not a cloud in the sky or a wind in the air. Seeing the constellations laid out above and below me like we were sailing in a sea of stars was a breathtaking experience. I wanted to capture the sight and keep it forever, or maybe just get the chance to see it again and again.

I think that was the moment I first truly considered being a pirate.

-Dawn Island-

The boat had been beached around ten, and we were halfway up to 'Dadan's Place' as Sabo called it within twenty minutes. Dawn was definitely bigger than Sunset was, but so far had been less dangerous. That might have been the three brothers' fault, though.

The anticipation was killing me, the thought of actually meeting a person I'd only really heard of as an almost abstract idea when my mother was deep in her cups that last year made me almost giddy. We were within five minutes of the base when I finally calmed down, telling myself firmly that it was stupid to set myself up for a possible disappointment, and reminding myself not to get my hopes up too high, after all, this could be a misunderstanding.

But it kind of felt like destiny to me. Or maybe more like 'D'estiny.

There was a shout just before we caught sight of the building, and before we'd even entered the clearing Sabo was thrown back by a speeding missile made up of a boy in a straw hat. A second blur followed close behind it, resolving itself into a black haired boy my age.

Once I'd caught sight of him, I couldn't stop staring. It was like looking at myself, only as a boy. From the corner of my eye I could see Glyph looking between the two of us and shooting me bewildered looks. I put a hand on his shoulder, "I'll tell you later," I said quietly, 'maybe,' I amended to myself.

A bit of drama and a black eye for Sabo later, and the two black haired boys had turned to look at the two strangers in their midst. We weren't exactly much to look at, though then again neither were they, really, we all looked like a bunch of kids.

Glyph stood at my right shoulder, wary but willing to trust these brothers of the boy we'd saved. His golden hair was held back by a bandanna, and he wore an old pair of Rowan's shorts, and one of my old red shirts. I wore black shorts and a worn grey shirt, and neither of us wore shoes, as was our habit. The two boys, Ace and Luffy, Sabo had said, had given Glyph a quick once over before their attention was focused on me. I figured this was a combination of my obvious leader position and the 'holy crap, she looks just like me/Ace' factor.

The younger boy was looking between me and his brother with alarming speed, which honestly didn't seem natural. He stopped for a moment, his eyes very wide, "Ace, he looks just like you!" The kid bellowed.

I scowled at him, which made Sabo chuckle, I can only assume because it made look like Ace again, "I'm a girl!" I shouted right back at the idiot.

He frowned, "Really, you don't look like a girl," he said, then he was sidetracked, "Are you Ace's twin? I bet you're his evil twin! You're gonna take his place and steal all my meat!" The kid's eyes widened with horror, "Noooooooooooo!" He screamed racing past me and back into the building, presumably to protect the precious food.

Glyph laughed, "He's like a more hyper version of Izumi," he said. We both paused for a moment to consider this thought, then shuddered in unison, giving the two boys sympathetic looks, "I don't envy you," Glyph informed them.

I pushed the dark thought of a more hyper Izumi into the deep recesses of my mind, and refocused on the current situation. Then I frowned, "I don't look like a girl?" I asked, looking at my little brother.

He shrugged, "You sort of look like you could be either," he told me.

I made a face, "Enh, oh well," I said. I turned back to the other two, then waved at Ace, "Hey," I said, "I'm Red D. Rogue. I found your brother on the east beach of my island a week and a half ago, fixed him up, and then me and my little brother helped get him home."

I could hear Sabo muttering something about 'being no help at all,' and 'she kept reading the map upside down,' but I valiantly ignored him. Glyph just grinned, "And I'm Morgan Glyph," he said cheerfully.

I gave him a sharp look, "You're going by Morgan?" I asked quietly. This topic had come up before, but he hadn't decided at the time.

He nodded, "If Rowan's gonna use mom's name, one of us has to remember mine and his dad." He said, equally quiet. I gave him a slightly strained smile, then sighed; it could cause problems, since the marines remembered Ma more as Morgan D. Rose these days, but I wasn't going to deny him this.

When I turned back again, Sabo elbowed Ace in the side. He scowled at him, rubbing there, before turning and nodding to us, "Portgas D. Ace," he said.

I bit my lip; there was really no denying the evidence, now. We looked eerily alike, just opposite genders, and he had a light dusting of freckles across his cheeks, which must have been from his mom. Glyph sighed from behind me, frustrated in his confusion, and poked me on the shoulder. I tilted my ear towards him.

"Maybe he has the same father as you?" He asked. It was loud enough for the other two to hear, and I clenched my teeth as I watched the black haired boy tense at this.

I looked Ace up and down, before closing my eyes, "Yeah, maybe. I've got this weird feeling where I kinda hope he does, but I also really don't want him to."

Glyph gave me a confused look, "What's wrong with him having the same dad as you?"

I gave him an incredulous look, "I'm not sure I'd wish my father on anyone," I said with a sigh.

Glyph frowned at me, "Stop brooding, big sis," he said, pushing me into the clearing, and away from Sabo and Ace, "Ro and I don't blame you, it's not your fault you were born to him."

The two brothers followed, the one more certain of his conclusion, and the other considering this new possibility.

-Ace POV-

Ace stared at his clone from across the room as Sabo (Sabo, who was alive, this girl had saved him, brought him back to them) introduced her to the bandits. He wasn't entirely sure why those two wanted to meet Dadan's bandits, but he wouldn't complain since it was giving him time to think.

She really looked a lot like him, no freckles though, he thought as they ate dinner. He brushed a hand over his cheeks and nose, as though checking they were still there, not that he could feel them. His eyes followed her as she patted her brother on the head (if she really is another of His children, would she want another brother?), got up from the table (where she'd eaten enough to prove herself a D, and also freak out Luffy about her possibilities as a meat thief again) and wandered out the door. He followed unthinkingly, semi-aware that she'd probably left so they'd be able to talk alone.

His thoughts were still muddled as he stepped outside, and followed her obvious trail (the other trail she and her brother had made, the one leading to Dadan's camp, was almost non-existent) into the trees, down the mountain to a river that ran close by. He just wanted to know if what he was thinking was true before making any decisions.

She was waiting for him on a large rock, tossing stones into the river and smiling an oddly satisfied smile at the sound they made as they splashed. He shrugged internally and sat down next to her.

A somewhat uncomfortable silence descended between them. It was pretty obvious why; neither of them were in the habit of acknowledging their father out loud. Then Rogue took a deep breath and turned to him with a determined look on her face.

"I'm willing to risk it, I guess, you look way too much like me not to be His son, I think. If I'm wrong, well..." She hesitated.

He shook his head, "I wouldn't tell anyone, if we're wrong. Either way I understand the dangers of a father like Him."

She smiled faintly, then nodded, and turned to look out over the river, "You could say I have two names," she said it like she'd rehearsed it, and he guessed he might have too if he'd had the time, but then maybe not, he tended to rush into things, "I go by Red D. Rogue. My mother's name was Red D. Rose, they called her the Red Queen."

He was slightly surprised at that, but he remembered the stories he'd been told by people in Foosha Village about the Red Queen and the Pirate King, and he became more certain.

"My father," she paused here, "My father was Gol D. Roger." It was both anticlimactic and not, because she said it in such an unassuming way, but the words... "Was yours?"

He nodded, "My father was the Pirate King," he said, and the words still tasted like ash in his mouth, but it also hit him that he wasn't the only one, and that thought felt wonderful and awful at the same time, 'cause it was so nice to share that burden, but at the same time, it was like she said, 'I wouldn't wish my father on anyone.'

They fell into a sort of companionable silence after that, thinking about what this meant. Ace figured she had probably always known she might have another brother or sister out there, but for him this was very surprising.

He wasn't quite sure what he should do with this; Rogue was his sister, in blood, but he didn't really know her well enough to feel comfortable calling her that. But at the same time, he figured he should give it a chance. She had saved Sabo and brought him back to them, after all.

He was interrupted from his thoughts when he felt her shift beside him, "You know," She said, leadingly.

He turned to look at her, arching one eyebrow. She raised both eyebrows back at him, "I'm not actually sure how old you are," she told him.

He frowned, "Well, I'm ten."

She shook her head slowly, "I'm eleven, but you really shouldn't be ten, I mean, you were... Uh... Well, you should have been born before me." She looked a bit confused at this point.

He frowned, "They told me my mom carried me for twenty months, but I thought they must have been exaggerating."

She shrugged, "If you were born ten years ago, they weren't exaggerating," she said, "I should be younger than you, not older. And, you know, even if she did carry you twenty months, you should still be eleven or twelve in body, it's not like you stopped growing in there."

The boy leaned back against a tree behind him, "I guess so," he said, "But what's the point of this?"

She grinned at him, "I just always wanted a big brother. All the others are littler than me," she said cheerfully, before hopping off the rock and heading back up the path to Dadan's.

Ace stared at her retreating form for a moment, then smiled slightly before chasing after her.