Disclaimer: How mad would you guys be if this story ended in tragedy? O.o

"When can we set sail?" Luffy asked, watching his navigator impatiently as she put in the final details into her latest map. She ignored him momentarily as she measured the distance between two points, correcting it as needed. With the mistake fixed, she spun around to be met with Luffy's usual bored expression. She exhaled.

"Jimbei isn't back yet. We agreed on one month, remember?"

"I'm bored," whined the Pirate King, reminding her more of a child than a formidable adversary. He'd been like that the past two weeks. He'd run out of amusement and needed to get moving. They rarely spent this much time in one location. On any other occasion, they would have left only days after arriving. However, Jimbei had insisted that they take a month to test the pirates who would eventually join their crew. He was a convincing man and had somehow managed to make Luffy agree, but then the Captain's patience ran thin. They hadn't seen him since that first day. He was somewhere off in the island's jungle, making his men face constant danger to keep them on their toes. With such little progress, there was no telling when their Captain would finally snap.

"Why not bother that boy?" she inquired, ready to say anything that would get him away from her. She wanted to finish the map, not take care of a childish Pirate King.

"Ace?"

Nami froze at this. Though she had heard from Sanji that the boy was named "Ace", she hadn't heard Luffy mention it before. The cook had also mentioned Luffy's reaction to the name. After what he told her, she never expected him to openly say it. When she spoke, she stuttered. "Yeah."

"Can't."

"Hm? Why?"

"Robin's with him. I'm not allowed in when she's there."

"Ah." A bout of recollection flashed through her mind. After Luffy's frustration with teaching the boy to speak reached its peak, Robin stepped in. She spent the larger half of the day alone with him – teaching him – and allowed no one to interfere. Unlike Luffy, she was good at it. Despite that, the boy wouldn't talk openly. He had learned, but he wouldn't show his progress to even Luffy.

Nami had peeked in on one of their lessons only days earlier. She watched as the bandaged boy focused intently on what Robin told him. He would mouth every word she said but would not speak. It looked like he was enjoying himself, even if that scowl of his never left his face.

Ever since Robin began her lessons, Luffy had all but stopped visiting the boy. Instead he would pester his crewmates and mess with them whenever he had a chance. It was during times like these – when he had nothing to do – that the maturity he had gained throughout the years would vanish and leave behind a whiny mess of a pirate. Spending time with the man when he was like that was nothing more than babysitting.

"Then go explore the island."

"Already did."

"And?"

"The animals are hiding from me," he declared, brow furrowed and head lying in his palm. He pouted as he remembered his many strolls across the land mass.

Nami couldn't help but let out a laugh which resulted in a confused frown from the man next to her. They were hiding because he never bothered to conceal his strength. Something that was natural to every other Straw Hat pirate was a rarity to Luffy. His will was so overpowering that he scared away everything in his path. He knew this, too, but he forgot so often that he might as well not have known. It was something he had to get used to, being labelled the strongest man sailing the seas, but he was Luffy and common sense wasn't his forte.

"Then go bother someone else. I want to have this finished by tonight."

The Pirate King moaned as he left his navigator's room.

"What did you say, Love Cook?"

Luffy's ears perked up to the familiar sound. He'd been taking a nap on Sunny when he suddenly heard crashing sounds followed by the voice. He looked over his shoulder, a bit curious about the sudden outburst. He hadn't heard that in a while.

"You heard me, shitty marimo!" Sanji whipped back.

As usual, the two were at each other's throats. They hadn't seen much of each other the past few days; Zoro had been training on the island and Sanji had remained on board. The swordsman said that defeating Mihawk was not enough of a reason to relax. After attaining his title as the world's greatest swordsman, he wasn't about to lose it.

Luffy hopped to his feet and watched as the two came out of the kitchen, each prepared to kill the other. He didn't need to know the cause of the fight to know that it was stupid. At least now he could use them as entertainment. He spun himself around and watched their bout continue.

"Damn good-for-nothing swordsman!" Sanji spit, raising his leg in preparation.

"Good-for-nothing? Wanna test that theory out?" The green-haired man reached for one of his three swords and unsheathed it. He took a rather lax stance, taunting his opponent as if to say "I don't need my full strength to defeat you".

"Better get out the other two."

"You're not worth it."

"What was that?"

In the middle of their insults came a sudden "shishishi" from the other side of the deck. They both turned to see a very amused 27-year-old man. "Don't mind me. Continue!" Embarrassed, the two men lowered their stances and walked in opposing directions. Seeing that his only source of entertainment was gone once again, the man pouted and scratched his head.

"Oi, Luffy," Zoro caught the attention of his Captain, "I'm gonna go back out. We need more supplies."

"Again?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"You ate everything," replied the swordsman as he palmed his face, realizing just who he was talking to.

"Oh. Shishishi!" Luffy found this funny only because of the look on his first mate's face.

As Zoro left, the door to the infirmary creaked open. Luffy jumped off and walked over to the two who exited. Chopper was rubbing his shoulders tiredly and Robin's face held her usual sweet smile. He hadn't realized that Chopper was in there as well and was even more confused by the exhausted look on his friend's face. He raised his brow when the doctor mumbled something under his breath.

"Eh? What is it?" The pirate asked and looked down in curiosity as Chopper's head lowered.

"That boy…" he began, breathing rather hard, "He's a handful. I think he'll be ready to leave the infirmary soon, though."

Chopper had only wanted to take a few tests to see how Ace's recovery was going. At the sight of the needle, he quickly slapped away Chopper's hand and tackled him to the floor. Of course, he could have overpowered him, but he didn't want to cause him injury. Because of that, Robin had to intervene with her devil fruit ability. That scared the boy to the point where the lessons couldn't be resumed.

Oblivious to all of this, Luffy let out a hearty laugh. The boy was definitely more interesting than his crew had been the past few days. He hadn't been to visit him in half a week. Until that day Luffy had been away with Zoro to help him train. The two had spent the past four days sparring and only stopped to eat and sleep. He had agreed only to quell his thirst for excitement, but in the end he had returned bored once more.

"So how is he?" Luffy turned to Robin.

"I'm not sure. He hasn't spoken at all, but he seems to be learning."

"Mind if I go in?"

"By all means."

As the two walked away, Luffy entered the infirmary. When the door was half open a pillow flew in his direction. He stared at it momentarily to study it before continuing to walk in. The boy prepared to throw another pillow. He stopped and studied the man's face in silence. Noticing this, Luffy smiled.

"Hey, brat."

The boy lowered his arm and started wide-eyed at the man. He rubbed his eyes a few times to make sure of what he saw. While he did this, Luffy scanned the room. It was a mess. No doubt Copper and Robin had left in fear of his temper getting worse. Apparently he was too unfamiliar with needles and other medical equipment to trust his doctor. He'd been through the tests before, but every other time he'd been asleep. The pirate marveled at his chaos.

"Luffy!" His attention was brought back to the child. He bolted off the bed and ran at Luffy. Ace stopped in front of him and stared up at him with large eyes. He was shocked to see him.

"Hm? What is it?" Luffy asked as he crouched down to the boy's level. As he did so, Ace kicked him in the face. Luffy reacted in shock rather than pain. Though the kick hadn't hurt, he was caught off guard and fell backwards upon impact.

"Hmph!" Ace scoffed at the man and folded his arms. He looked down on the pirate who was now in his back. Luffy rubbed his cheek at the slight bit of pain the boy had caused before watching him blankly. "You're slow."

"Seems your energy's back."

"Where were you?"

Luffy hadn't expected that. Robin mentioned that he hadn't said a word, but here he was talking openly. His sentences were also improving, which was a bit of a shock. He hadn't expected the boy to learn grammar so quickly. Then he realized he'd missed what the boy said. "Hm?"

"Where were you?"

Luffy noticed Ace clench his fists. He was frustrated. He recognized that look all too well. It reminded him of that day ten years ago. He remembered his brother's frustrated look as he watched a war break out in front of him. He burned the image of his brother's wounded face into his mind. That was a look of both pain and happiness. And then there was that time – the last smile his brother showed.

"Thank you for loving me."

He was brought away from his thoughts to look at the boy. Ace bit his lip. His faced scrunched up as he tried to hold back his emotions. Though he looked rather calm still, Luffy could tell the difference. This boy, who was like his brother in every way, was far too easy to read. He had already experienced those expressions.

"Were you worried?" Luffy teased, sticking his tongue out.

"Idiot!"

Ace turned away. The man ruffled the boy's hair. Then he pulled him closer and cupped the back of his head. "Thank you." Luffy's actions were met with confusion as Ace stared at him. He tried the words out for himself and fumbled over them a bit. The inquisitive look on his face just charmed Luffy further.

"What does that mean?"

"Well…" Luffy, being Luffy, was never good at explanations. He was the one who always stated that concepts he couldn't understand were mysteries. But this kid wasn't Luffy. This was Ace – Monkey D. Ace. He wasn't going to be satisfied with something like that. So, still thinking of a suitable answer, he staggered over to his usual chair and pressed his hand around his chin. The small boy crawled back onto his bed. He leaned forward as the pirate's lips parted. "It means that I'm grateful to you for worrying, I suppose."

"Grateful?"

"Relieved. I'm happy."

The boy blushed from embarrassment, not used to being told something like that. Even now he was still adjusting himself to that form of communication. "Why would that make you happy? Stupid."

"Because, you're my nakama."

There was that word again – the one whose meaning eluded him. Luffy hadn't answered his questioning gaze the last time he had brought it up. This time he would have to bluntly ask. It was clear that he wouldn't answer otherwise. He inched closer to the much larger man in anticipation.

"What's nakama?"

Luffy paused briefly. The boy really wanted to know and, though he wanted to tell him, he felt an explanation wouldn't be enough. He beamed at the boy who sat only a foot away from him, eyes locked intently on the other.

"That's something you're going to have to figure out for yourself."

"Why?"

"It won't hold any meaning otherwise." He watched as the boy both pouted and glared at him. This caused his smile to grow even more. His interest in the subject was good. He wanted to learn more. "Nakama are forever, Ace. Remember that."

As Luffy exited the infirmary, he was greeted by Robin's knowing smile. He beamed back at her and the two went below deck. They sat at one of the tables in the dining hall for lunch. While Luffy was stuffing his face, her knowing grin grew wider. This bumbling Pirate King seemed to be the only one that boy would open up to. He held a sort of admiration for Luffy that he didn't for anyone else. That's why he spoke to him. That's why he learned to form sentences so quickly. He wanted to be able to talk to Luffy.

"It seems your charm has even reached that boy, Captain-san." She took a sip from her glass and saw the man gaze her way. It seemed that had caught her attention. Before continuing, she looked him over. He had grown. Not just physically – he matured. Yet, at the same time, he was still her childish Captain. Seeing him now, 10 years later, made her so proud. With each passing day she became more grateful for the chance he had given her back then.

"I want to live!"

It was then that she had finally felt accepted. She no longer had to run. They were her nakama. And he had helped so many others since. Even now after reaching his dream he still stretched out his hand to that boy. Luffy had lost a lot since she met him. He lost Merry. His brother died in his arms. Many of his friends were now dead. And still this boy held that same innocence from long ago.

"You can help him, Captain-san." Luffy stopped shoveling food into his mouth to make contact with his archeologist and scholar. "He will not speak to me of Chopper, but he does so openly with you. I think you can heal his wounds."

"I thought Chopper was doing that." He shoved another morsel of food into his mouth. She giggled quietly at this.

"In his heart." When she said this, she stretched out her arm and pointed to a spot on his chest above his scar. He finished chewing and dropped his utensils to listen seriously, leaning on the table with interest. He prodded her with his gaze, urging her to continue. "That boy was thrown away."

He said nothing and simply lowered his head and allowed his bangs to cover his eyes in darkness. He had already suspected that. To hear it said aloud, though, made him lose his appetite. Robin noticed his change in mood and decided that it would be best for her to continue. He was angry, but still interested. "He sobs in his sleep sometimes. And though he's silent during the day, he's begun talking as well."

Luffy glared at her in silence for a moment. "What does he say?"

"He's alone."

The moon was high in the sky but Ace couldn't sleep. He was tired of that room and the darkness that it brought with it. When night fell, no light entered the room. He couldn't even make out shadows. Everything went mute at that time of night. The shouting and noise that filled his ears in the early hours dissipated and the crew that both scared and intrigued him were gone. It was then that he felt the most alone.

"Oi," a voice whispered to the boy. He snapped to attention and noticed a black figure standing in the room's doorway. He recognized the voice. The man motioned him over, so he hopped out of bed and shuffled over to the door. He watched the man with confused eyes. Before he had time to object, Luffy picked him up and carried him below deck against his will.

He was brought to an unfamiliar room. When he was put down, he shuffled around to look at everything in it. There was a bed and night stand with a lit lamp on top. Papers with the faces of different people were tacked to the walls. It was a sight to behold. He recognized some – the ones of Chopper, Robin, Nami and Sanji. The rest were unfamiliar but he still marvelled at them nonetheless. Then he noticed one of a raven haired boy with a goofy grin. He looked very similar to a certain man he knew. Atop his head was a straw hat with a red band.

"Who's that?" He pointed at the picture of the boy.

"Me." Well, he figured that. It was a bit strange to see him so young, though. "From 10 years ago."

"You're old."

"Oi!" The boy laughed under his breath. Luffy let out a relieved sigh. He hadn't heard him laugh before. He composed himself and went to sit on the bed, patting down on the spot next to him. Ace complied hesitantly and took his spot next to Luffy. Still his eyes were wandering from poster to poster. It was obvious what he wanted to ask. "They're my nakama. I keep their bounty posters so that I can keep them close."

There was that word again, but he knew this time that he wasn't going to receive an answer, even if he pestered him about it. So instead he turned his focus to the other unfamiliar word.

"Bounty?"

"A reward you get if you bring them to the Marines."

"So you bring them to the Marines?"

"Of course not! They're my nakama!"

This conversation was just confusing him further, so he decided to drop it. He didn't know what "poster" or "Marines" meant either, but he assumed he'd find out eventually. The black-haired lady had been teaching him hundreds of things every day. It was because of her that he was able to talk to Luffy now. Somehow when she taught him things it felt like he already knew them. He remembered when he first arrived and strung together his first sentence; Luffy cheered for him and ran to get food to celebrate. Apparently he was a fast learner, whatever that was. Ace just thought that he'd learned it before and so he would remember more as she taught him. He felt like he could speak before, but he forgot about words. It was strange.

"Where's your hat?"

Luffy froze at that question as the boy pointed back at the poster. Hanging his head low, he thought of a good way to reply to that question. He never told his crew and he certainly wasn't going to burden that kid with something so heavy. Still, he had to answer.

"With my brother."

"Brother?"

"Yeah." He stood up on the bed and pulled one of the posters from the wall. After a long, solemn stare he handed it to Ace. The boy looked at the man on the poster and traced his features with his free hand. He noticed words and numbers below the man's face, but he couldn't understand them. He then turned to Luffy questioningly and noticed a rather sad smile on his face. "I left it with him. He's my most precious nakama."

"Why?"

"I don't need it anymore."

Though the boy had questions filling his head in the dozens, he was hushed by the pirate. The pirate gently pushed him further on the bed and pulled the covers over top of him. He took a seat next to the bed and relaxed himself.

"Now sleep."

"But…" This was Luffy's room and Luffy's bed. He didn't belong there. It did make him happy, though, that he wasn't in the darkness anymore.

"Sleep. You're not alone anymore."

The boy did as he was told, but as Luffy put out the fire in the lamp he could hear the muffled sobs Robin had spoken of. However, these were different. Before he drifted into unconsciousness, he heard the boy's voice.

"Thank you."

A/N: Funny thing is, I thought this was going to end up the shortest chapter yet, but it turned out to be the longest. I had fun writing it but after finishing it I wasn't sure if it was good enough so I waited until today to reread it and see how it sounded and it wasn't so bad. Although while writing this an idea for the ending came to mind but you guys would hate me for it :P I thought I was going to get to the Jimbei scene in this chapter but I guess you'll have to wait for the next one. Also I'm going to work on the first chapter of another fanfic about Luffy today, as well as the next chapter for this story, so expect two updates tomorrow (if I can get them done). This story will always remain top priority, though. Updates will probably slow down once the break is over and I have to go back to university (bleh) so please don't hate me when they do. I still have over a week!

To my lovelies~

angelrider13: You're too kind ;A; Yeah, it ended up that the first bit of it is mostly fluff, but it was the only way I could think to write it properly. There's going to be a lot of angst once the plot thickens though. Poor Monkey D. Ace... /shot/

RexLink: Is this what you saw? :D

XxSaorixX: Glad you remembered to write it in English because the only other language I can understand is French XD Us Canadians are awesome like that :P And yes, it seems whenever I write abotu him in the story everyone says it's cute lol. Thanks I will do that! At least being sick gives me an excuse to write and read all day lol.

Son Goshen: Perfectly understandable! You don't have to review every chapter, I'm just happy knowing that you like it! Well he can and he can't :P But that will be explained later. It'll be a while though. Like I said, this is going to be a really long story (because I got into it and came up with so much to write OTL). Thank you!

Stelra Etnae: Thank you and here's your update! :D

Lolext90: Thank you!

bbhelen3162: I'm sorry :( I didn't mean to make anyone cry...yet...

Lily Noir: I'm glad you do! In exchange for it being slow it's going to be long. I'm at 21 pages in Word now but I'm certain it'll be over 100 by the time I finish. Lol your feeling it right! It's still going to be a while before it gets chaotic though XD Definitely, Lu is just regularly silly and he's not too bright which makes him really different from Shanks. Honestly I've already thought of plots for most of them so most if not all will end up in the story somehow. I have trouble thinking of people and places so you really helped me out! Here's your update!

darkfalkon: You catch on quick ;) That'll be explained eventually once Ace is more comfortable with them. I've been dropping a lot of hints about a lot of different things that are going to be explained/happen later on in the story and you guys haven't missed many of them :)

...My author's notes really are way too long...oh well, love you all! Until next time!

UPDATE: I went through the story and fixed all of the line breaks OTL...thanks to angelrider13 for pointing it out T^T