Notes/Warnings: Hi! Here is the next chapter! I just really wanna thank all of you guys for the favorites and feedback! I'm really glad you guys seem to be liking this story so far and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
OH! Last time I made a mistake! Ace d Luffy are actually seven or so years into te future! didn't mention the setting for this fic, but its post timeskip. It's an AU in which Ace survived Marineford. I should have mentioned that last chapter cause its kind of important, but I have the attention span the size of an ant, so...
CHAPTER 2: Awake
If they had been lesser people, the crew would have flinched away from the glare Ace was giving them.
The room is silent after Ace asks his questions, the tension growing by the second.
Chopper slowly takes a step closer to the brothers, causing a reaction from Ace. The teen bares his teeth and throws his arms out to pull Luffy closer into him, every inch of his body screaming at them that he was ready to attack if necessary.
"We aren't going to hurt you two," Chopper puts his hoofs up in front of him, trying to assuage the teen's anger.
Ace's glare falters just momentarily at the sight of the talking Tanuki before intensifying.
Luffy gasps in wonder and grasps at the hem of Ace's shirt, tugging at the fabric. "Ace, that Tanuki just talked! Do you think we can eat it?!"
"I'M A REINDEER NOT A TANUKI! AND YOU CAN'T EAT ME!" Chopper realizes that he shouldn't have yelled after the fact and covers his mouth with his hooves as Ace looks absolutely primal.
Wisely, Robin decides its time to step in. She walks closer, standing next to Chopper; her face calm and expressionless. Ace's eyes follow her every move.
"You're on the Thousand Sunny: our ship. We are the Straw Hat pirates, our captain is Monkey D. Luffy."
"Eh?" Their smaller captain cuts in, wide eyes blinking. Ace looks taken back. "But I'm not a captain yet."
"That's because, for reasons we are not aware of, you two were changed into children when you went into the forest. We found you two as you were and brought you back on board."
"Oh," Luffy blinks and smiles up at Robin. "Okay!"
It seemed to be that their captain didn't change a bit with age, causing certain members of the crew to sigh or shake their heads with fondness.
Ace, however, clearly changed a lot since he was a child.
"That's bullshit!" Ace seeths. "Just because he'll believe everything under the sun doesn't mean I will!"
"It's the truth." Zoro speaks up, eyes boring into Ace's, causing a reaction in the silent seconds that go by.
Somehow, something in the never blinking gaze had managed to convince Ace of something.
They can all see that Ace still doesn't believe them, but he's at least reluctantly willing to listen to them.
"Follow us and we'll explain everything we know." Nami reassures.
Ace is still tense and has a wary look in his eye, but he nods and grasps Luffy's wrist tight, who doesn't seem to mind in the slightest.
"Hey, do you have food?" He asks Chopper, who is closest to him in height. Really, no one expected their captain to be so short when he was younger.
The reindeer is about to answer, when the last two members of the crew decide to show up.
Sanji had been in the middle of making today's dinner when he hears a loud crash from the infirmary.
The blond chef jumps at the sudden sound and is automatically alert. He's about to run out of the kitchen when the oven dings.
Sanji curses lowly and hurries to turn the oven off; not wanting to waste food by letting the three pastries burn. He turns the oven off and takes the pastries, placing them on the counter.
The cook reaches for the door that opens up a small passage to the sick bay. Without hesitation, he slams the door to the sick bay open.
Sanji is greeted with the sight of his crew, plus his younger captain and his brother, as he expected. The only difference, however, was that the two smaller boys were now awake and on their feet.
Luffy stands a few feet away from Sanji - next to his brother and across from Chopper. He's much smaller than before; not that he was the tallest guy around in the first place. His clothes are ones they had borrowed from Chopper, bandaids peeking out of the clothing. He still has the small scar under his eye and the straw hat planted on his head, looking much bigger than ever before and like it was going to slide over his eyes any second.
Wide blue eyes blink and look up at Sanji before his body is pulled back and a younger Ace comes into view.
The younger freckled teen glares at Sanji sharply and holds his little brother closer to him, eyes darting back to the rest of the crew momentarily.
"How many more of there are you?" He bites out, face stony.
Nami puts her hands up in attempt to assuage Ace's temper. "Just one more person. None of us will hurt you, we just have to talk to-"
Brook decided that it would be a perfect time to pop up from behind Franky.
"Is everything okay, I heard a noise- AH! Luffy-san, Ace-san! You're awake!"
Almost on cue, both of the boys' mouths fall open at the site of the living skeleton. Luffy's eyes get that familiar sparkle in them and before Brook can say anything else, the young boy grabs Ace's shoulders and starts bouncing in place.
"Ace! Ace look! It's a skeleton! He's moving and talking! That's so cool! Hi Skeleton-ossan!"
Ace seems to be thinking something similar, because he looks at Brook with confusion and awe, the only non-guarded look on his face so far. The guarded expression quickly comes back, however.
"Yohohoho, good afternoon Luffy-san! How are you today? Would you like some music?"
Luffy smiles and looks like he's going to answer, when Ace sends him a /look/ and he closes his mouth with a pout. Robin takes that as a sign to intervene.
"Follow us onto the deck and we'll explain everything we can."
Franky, Usopp, and Brook take that as their cue to start backing up from the doorway, making their way to the deck. Nami and Chopper follow, while Robin smiles at the two boys, silently beckoning them forward. Ace and Luffy follow Nami and Chopper out hand in hand with Robin following them.
Zoro stands up and shares a look with Sanji, who rolls his eyes after a moment and exits back into the kitchen. Last in the room, Zoro follows the rest of the crew, closing the door behind him.
"...So," Ace starts after everything is explained to him. "The two of us are now seven years into the future and none of you have any idea how?"
Ace, Luffy, and most of the straw hat crew all sit on the deck, Sanji being the only one absent due to dinner being prepared.
Nami, Robin, and Chopper had explained the situation to the best of their ability, while Zoro, Usopp, Franky, and Brook would stay quiet for the most part, commenting on something when they saw fit.
"That's everything that we know." Robin says calmly.
Luffy tugs at the sleeve of his brother's shirt once to grab his attention. "Ace,they're telling the truth, I can tell! That's so cool! Hey, am I the Pirate King yet?"
Ace's jaw locks, knowing that Luffy could tell when someone was lying or not for the most part by now, despite knowing how gullible the boy could be a lot of the time.
But what if this really was just another time Luffy's gullibility decided to shine through?
Ace didn't trust these people. The story they had told was absolutely insane, something that only Luffy could believe.
Quietly, the fifteen year old began hatching a silent plan to himself.
After dinner, it was clear that both boys were still rather tired, especially when Luffy swallowed the last bit of his dessert and slumped in his chair, snoring away.
Chopper explained that to the crew that their bodies were still recuperating from whatever they had gone through.
Ace had picked Luffy up easily, glaring at the members of the crew who offered to carry Luffy for him in case his injuries were hurting him.
Before dinner, Nami had given the boys each a new set of clothes to wear; Ace was given one of Usopp's bright yellow shirts and dark shorts that fit him well enough, while Luffy was given his own blue shirt - or so they claimed- with an odd design on it and red shorts from Chopper that were nearly hidden underneath the shirt that almost covered his bony knees completely.
Franky had shown the two boys to the men's cabin and guided them to the hammock bunk beds.
Ace protested furiously when Franky scooped the boys up in his large hands and placed them on a top bunk.
"You little bros need a SUPER rest!" The odd blue haired man started, easily dodging the kick Ace sent his way. "Tomorrow we'll probably go into the forest! Good night!"
Ace watches Franky leave the cabin and looks at his younger brother, who sleeps away peacefully.
Idiot never really knew when to be catious, did he?
Something had been odd about that blue haired guy. The speedo was one thing, the fact that his hands were hard like metal was another.
And he wasn't even the weirdest member of this crew, that position going to the skeleton. (Or Luffy, if this really was his future crew.)
He lays down next to Luffy, fully intending to not fall asleep. However, the young boy automatically cuddles against Ace, throwing his arm around Ace's torso and hugging him close. The familiar warmth quickly makes Ace realize how tired he really is and he's out before he knows it.
Brown eyes open a few hours later and Ace yawns.
The first thing he sees is Luffy, who he has an arm around.
He hears Luffy's familiar soft snores, but soon his register others and quickly he remembers the situation the two of them were in and his plan.
A plan that he had nearly ruined.
Ace sits up carefully and looks over to the other bunks. Everyone is sleeping in their bunks, except for one. The skeleton - Brook, his mind reminds him - is not in a bunk.
Did living skeletons even need to sleep?
Brook had eaten dinner earlier that night, so maybe he actually did.
That however didn't explain where he was.
They're pirates, so maybe he's on watch? He thinks. They would have to be much more careful then.
Ace turns to Luffy and shakes him until he wake.
Dark blue eyes open slowly and Luffy groans sleepily, turning around to face Ace.
His older brother quickly puts a finger to Luffy's lips and his own when he sees Luffy trying to speak. Silently, he gestures to Luffy to follow him.
Skillfully, he climbs down from the bunk with little sound. Luffy noticeably makes more sound after making sure he has his hat, but it doesn't have much effect on the still sleeping crew.
Ace notices their shoes next to Usopp's bunk and hands Luffy's sandals to the boy, grabbing his own, and taking Luffy's hand and silently guides his younger brother out of the cabin.
When they're alone, Luffy speaks up, still sounding sleepy.
"Ace? What are we doing?"
Ace grins at his little brother.
"We're leaving this ship."
Notes: Ahh okay so chapter 2 is done~! Ace is having some trouble believing the crew... Hm, things should get cleared up sooner or later...
Ok, so chapter 3 should be out next weekend or Monday or Tuesday at the latest! I really wanna try updating every week...
I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and I should see you next week :')
-Sully