The Change: Danni's born the same year as Gol D. Roger, and instead of Benn Beckman being her father, she is his mother. Danni ends up being recruited by Roger to be on his crew, and she agrees easily enough, finding the man amusing. She's married and has had Benn before she joins the crew, but the sea's always called out to her, so her hubby tells her to go when she asks for his opinion. She leaves her husband and Benn (who's about 8 or 9 when she leaves).

She has a rather close relationship with Roger and Rayleigh and was usually the one put in charge of Shanks and Buggy (the crew's reasoning being that she's already had a kid). She was a very much feared pirate during that time, but after Roger died she vanished without a trace, and not even the marines could find her. Before Roger's death, he asks her to take care of his son for him, which she agrees to, as a personal favor to a close friend and her captain, and because she's missed being a mother despite loving being a pirate. By then, her husband's died, and her son has begun his own journey on the sea.

She settles near Foosha Village, in the forested area close to the mountains.

Genre: Family/Humor

Warning(s): Major Alternate Universe; probably a bit of Super!Danni; Danni isn't sick; blatant denial of things on my part; major screwing with canon happenings

SWITCH

Danni quietly let herself in through the back door before heading for the kitchen where she could hear a quiet humming. She knocked on the door frame leading into the kitchen and smiled when the blonde woman spun around, cradling her extremely heavy stomach and smiling in shocked surprise. "Danni!" Rouge cried out, waddling over to the gunner of her now deceased lover's ship to give her a hug. "What are you doing here?"

The dark haired woman returned to the hug, careful of the protruding stomach, and answered, "A favor of Roger's and because I am not going to let you go through giving birth alone." Rouge blinked at her in confusion, pulling away from the gentle embrace.

"A favor? For Roger?" she asked curiously. Danni nodded, humming in answer and resting a hand on the blonde's stomach with a gentle look in her eyes.

"Yes, he wants me to take care of your guy's son," the gunner answered quietly, a solemn look on her face as she turned her gaze to her captain's lovers. Rouge had a sad but relieved expression, gently caressing her stomach. "I will take care of him," Danni promised firmly.

Rouge smiled at her with teary eyes and responded, "I don't doubt it for one second, Danni." The two stood in a quiet moment before Rouge blinked and really took in Danni's appearance for the first time since she had arrived. "What happened to your hair!?"

Danni blinked at the blonde, startled and automatically reached up to tug on the now short strands of her hair. She frowned and asked, "I cut it. Does it look bad?" She'd admit it was a little dramatic (more like a lot dramatic) since her hair used to be down to her hips, and now it was just brushing her neck with a few long strands braided randomly.

Rouge pouted, tugging one of the braids, "No, but why did you cut it? I'm going to miss braiding it!" Danni rolled her eyes and began leading the blonde over to the table so she could sit down, while she would finish dinner instead.

"I had to change my appearance somehow if I don't want the blasted marines finding me," the older woman explained. "I figured since my hair was one of my most recognizable features, I'd cut it off. I packed my rifles away, too. I'm gonna be sticking to pistols and knives for awhile." Rouge pouted even further, making a whining noise, but didn't say anything else.

xxx

"It's okay; just one more push," Danni urged softly, clutching the hand holding her's back just as tight. Rouge panted, letting out another scream as she pushed. There was a brief moment of silence before the loud wail of a newborn baby split the air. The doctor's moved swiftly, cutting the cord and washing the crying babe before swaddling him up in a blanket and handing him to Rouge, who Danni had helped to sit up.

"What will you name him?" the doctor asked, an old friend of Rouge's and one who would rather die than give away her secret.

Rouge cradled her child close, a gentle smile on her face even as tears spilled from her eyes, "His name will be Gol D. Ace." Danni sat down on the bed next to the blonde and wrapped an arm around the trembling woman's shoulders. Rouge looked over at her and asked almost desperately, "You'll tell him about me and Roger, won't you? You won't let him think we didn't love him?"

Danni tightened her grip around the rapidly paling woman, and nodded firmly, responding, "I will. I told you, I will take care of him." Rouge smiled, leaning back against the pillows once more, still cradling her crying child close, before her eyes slipped closed. With one last shuddering breath the weak (but so strong) woman breathed her last, her arms going limp around Ace.

With gentle hands Danni plucked the newborn baby out of her friend's arms and cradled him close, running a gentle finger over the baby's cheek. "Gol D. Ace," she murmured, ignoring the tears dripping down her cheeks, and the deep pain in her chest. "You have a bold future in store for you." She smiled quietly, soothing the child with soft humming and noises. The crying dwindled away as the child was soothed into sleep and Danni sighed deeply.

"What are you going to do?" the doctor asked, careful to keep his voice down.

Danni looked over at him, and then back down at the slumbering boy in her arms. "I won't be staying here," the former pirate answered. "I have a place in the East Blue. I'm going to raise him there." The doctor only nodded and Danni left, murmuring quietly, "I hope I do your parents proud, Ace."

xxx

Danni was startled when the front door slammed open and the sound of pounding feet and stifled sobs echoed through the house. It was the only warning she got before a small form crashed into her knees and if she had been any other woman, the sheer strength of the crash would've sent her flying. She immediately picked the crying boy up and asked worriedly, "Ace, what's wrong?" The boy shook his head, burying his face in the crook of her neck and clinging to her tightly.

She frowned and rocked the four year old gently, making soothing noises and petting his hair. Slowly, the sobs dwindled into the occasional sniffle and she had to strain her ears to hear the boy's mumbled words, "Was daddy a bad person? Everyone says if he had a son, he never should've been born."

The gunner stiffened, fighting back a furious snarl at the insult to her captain, and the hurt those words must have caused in the child currently in her arms. "Shh, shh. No, Roger wasn't a bad person at all, love," she replied soothingly, settling down on one of the kitchen chairs a bit heavily. "People only say that, because they didn't know him, and they fear pirates. Your dad was a great man, Ace. Do you think I would've followed him if he wasn't?"

Ace sniffed, pulling his head away from her neck to look at her. He shook his head and answered, "No."

Danni smiled and pushed their noses together, "There, see?" Ace giggled and smiled back, hiccupping slightly. Danni chuckled and pushed the boy's bangs back and placed a kiss on his forehead. A knock sounded on the door, and the two blinked, slightly startled. Living out in the forest like they did, they didn't get to many visitors. The one's they did get were usually the mayor and Makino.

Danni stood up and turned the stove off, but kept Ace on her hip as she made her way to the front door. She opened the door and shoved the initial instinct to run immediately when she saw just who was standing on her doorstep. "Hello? How can I help you?" Danni asked politely, her grip on Ace tightening.

She had to pretend she didn't know the man standing on her doorstep.

"Are you Mrs. Devi?" the man asked instead. Danni bit her cheek and sweat dropped. She'd changed her name, because honestly, keeping her actual name was just to risky.

She swallowed and said, "Miss, actually. Who's asking?"

The man shifted, one hand going up to rub the back of his head, while the other held onto something. Her eyes drifted to what he was carrying and barely refrained from blanching in shock. In the man's arms was a child of one year, who was blinking at her innocently and sucking on his thumb. "Monkey D. Garp. I'm a marine, so I don't get to come home often, but my son had a child, but he can't take care of the boy," the man started in explanation. Danni had the sudden urge to grab one of her smokes and start smoking like a chimney. "There isn't anyone in town who can take care of the boy for me either, but the mayor mentioned that you had a little one of your own."

"Monkey-san," Danni started, wondering if she had stepped into the twilight zone. "Are you asking me to take care of your grandson for you?" The man nodded, his signature grin never leaving his face. Danni sweat dropped and then sighed. She'd probably regret doing this, but she couldn't say no. Who knew what Garp would do if she did...

And so Monkey D. Luffy entered the household.

xxx

Having two D's in the household was close to a nightmare. Both of the boys had enormous appetites, and until Ace had gotten over his jealousy of sharing his Devi, the boys had gotten along like two peas in a pod. Of course, this meant they had become partners in crime, especially when Luffy finally figured out how to walk, which meant running.

The days never got boring that's for sure.

Danni was a bit relieved that Garp only ever visited rarely, and when he did it was usually only for a day or two to check in on Luffy and fill his head with ideas of being in the marines. Danni had to scoff at that. It was when Garp visited for a week or more, that she had to fight the urge to get her rifle's out of storage and send the marine flying. When he did he took Luffy away, and whenever the boy came back, he was shaking and usually heavily wounded.

However, she kept her mouth shut, and only took Luffy back silently and took care of the boy with gentle hands and soothing words. Ace hated Garp with a passion, and often kicked the man's shins, when he thought Danni wasn't looking. Garp didn't dare retaliate like he would have if it had been Luffy doing so, for fear of having "Devi's" wrath fall upon him. That woman could be scary as hell when she wanted to be.

When Ace was six and Luffy three, they gained another addition to the house.

xxx

Sabo didn't know how it had happened, but somehow he'd gotten lost on the way back to the Grey Terminal from the forest, and he had no clue where he was. He'd been wandering the forests all day, and he was cold, tired, and hungry. It was beginning to get dark and he didn't want to admit it but he was scared.

The blonde shivered and huddled into himself, peering around at the growing shadows of the forest. He jumped a bit when his eyes caught sight of a beam of light in the distance, and before he even fully processed it, his feet were already heading in that direction. It was completely dark by the time he reached the source of the light, which turned out to be a house.

He could hear the faint murmurs of voices coming from inside, and he shivered again when a cold burst a air swept by. Sabo knew he probably shouldn't, but he was already heading for the back door before he could completely psych himself out. He bit his lip, hand hovering above the door indecisively, wondering if he should actually knock or not. The boy didn't get a choice in the matter as the murmur of voices died and the door suddenly swung open, bathing him in warm light.

Sabo would deny the girly screech that left him at the sudden light.

He gaped at the woman standing in the doorway, and the two pairs of eyes peering at him from behind her legs. The woman had pale skin and short, dark hair that had random long pieces in braids, and there was a knife in her hand. A sharp knife. He squeaked in fear, falling back on his butt and scrambling away. "Oh my," the woman murmured and the knife vanished from sight. Sabo stopped moving, staring at her with fearful wide eyes, but she made no move towards him.

There was movement from behind her legs, and a chubby toddler stumbled into view, clutching at the woman's pant leg. Wide, brown eyes peered at him, and around the thumb in his mouth the boy asked, "Who you?"

"Who are you, Luffy," another boy corrected, appearing from around the woman's other leg and giving the toddler a pouty look. Luffy, the toddler, simply made a face back at the older boy.

The woman laughed gently, before smiling at Sabo and asking softly, "Would you like to come in? You look like you could use a nice hot meal." Sabo swallowed before getting to his feet shakily. He knew he shouldn't. It wasn't safe. Once they found out he was a noble they would no doubt send him back to that hell.

But his feet led him forward and he took the offered hand of the woman.

xxx

Luffy hummed cheerfully, swinging his connected hands with his older brother's, and skipping as the three made their way towards Party's Bar to visit Makino. Devi had sent them over to the Bar while she went shopping, muttering something about how she couldn't take the boys anywhere without them causing trouble. Whatever that meant.

"Luffy, wait," Ace started, but it was too late and the younger boy had already entered the bar. Sabo shifted closer to the darker haired boys, still a little skittish in town, despite it being three years. The reason for Ace wanting Luffy to wait, was because the closer they had gotten to the bar, the more loud and rambunctious it had seem, which was normal for the time of day it was.

The noise was explained, however, by the pirates that were now all staring at the three kids that entered the bar like it was normal. Ace tightened his grip around Luffy's hand and shifted closer to the younger (and much more naive) boy. Luffy, oblivious to the sudden dead silence, smiled cheerfully and called out happily when he spotted Makino, who was looking at them with wide eyes and a pale face from where she was serving a table of the pirates, "Makino! Do you have any milk?"

The hyperactive boy bounced forward, his ridiculous strength making Ace and Sabo get dragged along for the ride. "Luffy! Ace, Sabo," Makino stuttered, casting her eyes around at the pirates nervously. "Where's Devi-san?"

Ace hunched his shoulders defensively, keeping his eyes on the pirates around them, and answered, "Devi-bachan is shopping. She wanted us to stay here and wait for her." Sabo stayed silent, his grip on Luffy's hand rather tight (not that the boy noticed). He was getting uncomfortable with the dead silence and staring of the pirates.

Makino swallowed, finishing serving the pirates, and said nervously, "Well, then come here behind the bar and I'll get you guys a snack, alright?" She made her way over to the three boys, gripping Ace's and Sabo's shoulders and leading them to the bar, where she could set them up and keep a better eye on them.

When the boys were all seated at the bar and had some food in front of them, one of the pirates asked curiously, "Why would your aunt want you to wait for her at a bar? Why not just take you with her?"

Luffy answered before either Ace or Sabo could, a wide, cheery grin on his face, "She says she can't take us anywhere without us brats causing trouble!" Ace's forehead hit the bar with a solid smack, and Sabo squirmed uncomfortably.

A red haired man with a straw hat threw his head back and laughed, slapping his knee. "Man, that brings back memories!" the pirate snickered, before pointing at a smoking, dark haired man next to him and saying, "Your mom used to say the same thing to me and Buggy!"

The dark haired man merely quirked an eyebrow at the redhead and responded dryly, "I can't imagine why."

Luffy blinked at them innocently, sipping his glass of milk. "Who are you guys, anyways?" the boy asked around his glass, kicking his feet back and forth. Ace groaned, and Sabo sweat dropped.

"Luffy!" Ace whined, but he was ignored.

The redhead laughed again before he answered, "We're pirates, of course! Name's Shanks, kid!" Ace's eyes widened and his head shot towards the man, his mouth dropping open in shock. Shanks noticed and blinked at the boy in confusion. He didn't think a kid would know his name.

His attention was brought back to Luffy, when the boy gasped and he looked at them with sparkling eyes as he shouted, "You're pirates!? That's so cool! What adventures have you gone on? Have you been to the Grand Line? What about the New World? Huh? Huh? Have you, have you?"

Shanks and his crew stared at the boy, and this time it was Sabo's forehead that hit the bar. Ace was still in shock from hearing Shanks' name, and Luffy was now too excited about pirates, and Sabo felt like Devi-bachan was going to kill them all. "Lu, breathe and wait for them to answer before you ask another question," an amused voice said from the bar entrance.

"Devi-san!" Makino gasped.

Danni gave the younger girl a soothing smile and greeted, "Makino-chan. What's this I hear about pirates?" The dark haired woman swept an amused gaze over at said pirates all around her as she made her way to her boys. Makino squeaked, and Luffy spun around in his seat and leaped at the woman with a cheer.

"Devi-bachan! They're PIRATES!" the seven year old shouted excitedly, arms encircling her neck as she caught him easily, switching him to her hip with a grunt.

Danni smiled down at the boy and said, "Really? How exciting. Have you introduced yourselves?" Luffy didn't look at her, whistling as he looked at the ceiling instead. Danni snorted, "I'll take that as a no. Makino-chan, why don't you go get more alcohol, I doubt you have enough right now for a bunch of pirates." The green haired woman nodded shakily and scurried out of the bar.

The former pirate put Luffy back down on his seat and turned to face Shanks, who was gaping at her, and Benn, who was staring at her with wide eyes. "Hello, brats. It's been awhile, hasn't it?" she greeted easily, leaning against the bar, and closing Ace's mouth with one hand.

FIN

NOTE(S): This has been an idea that's been bouncing around my head for awhile. It didn't turn out exactly like I thought it would, but I'm still pretty happy with it. I didn't get much further than Shanks arriving at Foosha, so that's where I'm ending it (sorry it's a bit abrupt).

FOXGEISHA: Uhm, I don't really have anything to say right here, hahaha. I haven't started writing for Calls Me Home, yet, but I do know what I'm going to write, it just might take me awhile to do. In the mean time, enjoy this little thing, fff. I might update this thing more often, just because I have a lot of random ideas for Danni...(sigh)

But anyways. Reviews are much welcomed and appreciated, and suggestions are also welcome!