Disclaimer: I own One Piece! Take that Oda! No...if I did Ace wouldn't have died in the first place and this fanfic wouldn't be necessary. Ah well. Oh, for the people who long angst, you'll love this chapter. For the people who don't, don't worry! The story will progress again next chapter. I just felt that this was necessary.

The two Captains sat alone on the Thousand Sunny's deck, just as they did the previous night, only this time they were alone. They poured some sake into two sakazuki cups and watched the moon as they drank. While they remained quiet, the world around them continued its noises: the ocean, the wind, and the ships' sudden moans. It was hard for them to say anything, though they both had the same subject in mind. What could you say that the other didn't know? Realizing that they couldn't remain silenced forever, Shanks was the first to speak.

"You've noticed, too," he stated, receiving a light nod from the black-haired man to his right. "When did you find out?"

"…" Luffy wasn't sure he wanted to bring the subject to attention. He wasn't sure how to answer, either, but knew he needed to. Shanks wouldn't move on otherwise. "He'd act strange once in a while, but today was the first time it was so obvious. " He avoided a direct answer but succeeded in satisfying the Yonko. He always suspected something – was even hoping for it – but now that it happened, he doubted his previous enthusiasm. Was it right?

"Worried?"

"…Yeah."

"About what?"

"Ace…" He took a deep breath and prepared himself for his next words. "My brother is dead."

"And?"

"Even if they're the same person, I'm not sure this is a good thing." Shanks tilted his head, waiting for the Pirate King to continue. He could hear the hesitation that coated his voice and could see how restless the younger man had become. It was so unlike Luffy that he thought for a moment that he was talking to a different person. "I don't want him to remember."

Skanks poured a bit more sake into his cup. He swirled it around, watching the moon's reflection in the clear liquid, before turning his eyes to his friend. "Why?"

"Ace is Ace but…" Luffy wasn't good at those types of conversations. He was terrible at expressing his emotions and explaining his thoughts and always tried to avoid talking about those things, even around his crew. Still, he had to say it. Shanks was stubborn. "Portgas D. Ace died back then. If he's returned in that form then it's best he doesn't remember." The growing confusion on Red Hair's face was met with a sliver of understanding. He was starting to realize what Luffy was trying to say. However, he had to be the one to vocalize it. He needed to realize for himself just what it was he desired. Shanks waited. "He has a second chance. His past self as Portgas is only going to cause him unneeded pain."

Red Hair took another sip from the cup, watching the Pirate King trace his index finger around the sakazuki's rim. This was really out of character for him. Sure it was normal for him to worry about his nakama but there was something very off in the way he spoke and moved. Shanks knew what he was trying to say: Portgas held a dark past that ultimately led to his death. If his reincarnation began to recall that former life, he would attain all of the baggage that came with it. Luffy was so worried about this that he didn't care if his now younger brother didn't remember him. Being forgotten felt terrible, but he would endure it if he could keep the boy just as he was, growing up as his own person without the shadow of his former self pulling him down.

"What are you going to do?"

Luffy exhaled in an exhausted matter and scratched his head. "I have no idea." He chugged the drink in his hands and poured more from their shared bottle, resuming his previous action of watching the moon's reflection. He was starting to feel his face flush, no doubt a result of the alcohol he'd consumed. It didn't matter – getting drunk once in a while was ok. At least he didn't drink like Shanks.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" The Yonko teased with a similar redness on his cheeks.

"You're telling me that?"

The red-haired man opened his mouth to say something back but soon realized the boy had made a good point. Instead he laughed and smiled at the man across from him. Luffy did the same. He had a sudden recollection of the promise he'd made himself to see Luffy drunk and realized that his goal would soon be met. It was a shame that it was a result of the boy's sorrows, though. "It's not like you to drink like this." He had to sympathize with his raven-haired friend.

"I know, I…" His voice trailed off with his thoughts. He'd drunk a lot in the past few weeks. He usually did around that part of the year. It was an unpleasant time for him and the alcohol helped him take his mind off it. A petty reason, he admitted, but it was the only explanation he could give. Throughout the rest of the year he would intake such a minimal amount of sake that he might as well have not touched it. Just that one time once a year. Just that month. "It helps me forget."

"About…"

"His birthday. And his death."

The Yonko recalled the time of year: January. Ace was born on the 1st and died roughly one month later. It was known by the Marines and everyone who sailed in the New World as the timeframe in which the Pirate King was least active. The government normally kept away from the Straw Hats and their allied territories during that time because, when he was faced with a battle during that one month, he was extremely aggressive, more so than Gold Roger ever was during his reign. Luffy had taken out Marine fleets for simply approaching his ship in January. That was more than likely the reason the government hadn't tried to intervene after discovering that a Yonko and the Pirate King were meeting. There was no doubt they knew about something as big as that but did not act on it as they usually would. Too scared.

Shanks knew just as well as the Straw Hat crew that Luffy was violent around then because of them: as the anniversary of Ace's death approached, a terrible worry arose within Luffy that caused him to act recklessly. What if he lost another nakama? What if he couldn't protect them? Everyone else could see that his crewmates could take care of themselves except Luffy. He forgot their strength in his helpless remembrance of that day ten years ago. He was scared.

"Are you sure you want to forget?"

Luffy looked up at the mid-aged man in contemplation. He loved celebrating Ace's birthday with him when he was alive, but he couldn't do that anymore. His brother was gone. He'd been gone for ten – almost eleven – years. That pain never left. "It hurts."

"I know." Shanks smiled weakly. Very few people had witnessed the Pirate King's vulnerable side. They saw his boundless energy, flawless optimism and unrivaled confidence but his weakness was known only to a select few. The ones he confided in. His nakama. His important people.

"He's determined – that brat of yours." After Luffy had opened up like that, he realized that the man had forgotten one important detail. He always did. A very slow thinker, that Pirate King.

"…What?"

"Even after dying he still made it back to you."

Luffy's eyes widened. He hadn't thought of it like that.

Ace lay in bed, restless and worried. He now held the powers of the Mera Mera no Mi and never felt so complete, but there was a clear downside: his comrade's reactions. Ever since that moment, they drifted away from him and his world fell into silence. Even Luffy, the one he thought would be happy for him, had not spoken one word. He knew it was his fault. He knew that Luffy didn't want him to eat the Devil Fruit, but he ignored him. Something had come over him back then. He didn't know what it was but it caused him to act very different from how he usually would. He spoke in a tone he never used before – one with confidence, superiority and vigor. Sure he'd used similar tones before but that one was different. Instead of asking in his usual manner, he demanded the item in the form of a question, giving the pirate no choice but to agree. Why did he do that? And why did he know what Devil Fruit it was? The prospective answers scared him. Just what was he?

He leapt into a sitting position and scanned the room. Luffy left earlier to who-knows-where when he thought that Ace fell asleep. Of course he wasn't asleep. Too much to think about. So, to quell his worries, he exited the room and began his search around the ship. He wasn't in the galley or lounge, so he headed to the deck. When he arrived he was met with the Pirate King's back. The man was all alone on deck, sipping sake and staring into the sky. In front of him were five bottles – no doubt most were empty – and a second sakazuki cup. It appeared that he hadn't been alone the whole time.

Ace approached the man cautiously and he, to the boy's surprise, didn't notice. Luffy always knew when people were near him. He always turned around. Why was this time different? With that thought, he stopped walking and stared at the much larger man's back. Fear and unease crept into his chest. What if he was mad about that morning? What if he was in a bad mood? What if he hated him?

"Really, you're such a troublesome brother!" Ace jumped, scared that the pirate noticed him. To his surprise, though, Luffy didn't turn around or even acknowledge him. He kept watching the sky and the booze and the sea. His voice was a little uneven – something Ace noticed happened to the pirates the night before when they had too much to drink. Now he was really worried. Even after how much he had chugged during the celebration he hadn't succumbed to the alcohol. Just how much had he drank? "Going off and dying like that…you're selfish, Ace."

At the mention of his name the boy perked up, curiosity lacing his actions. Then he realized, again, that Luffy was not talking to him. He was talking to his brother who wasn't there. He had suspected the Pirate King's brother was dead for a while because every time he was mentioned he was spoken about in past tense, but no one had told him outright and so until then it was mere speculation. Now he was certain. The thing that shocked the boy was the mention of his name. Why was it the same? Luffy had given him that name so why was it the same as his brother's?

"And then returning…" He poured more of the clear liquid in his cup, completely oblivious to the eavesdropper behind him. Ace found each thing Luffy said to be stranger than the last. He walked a little closer, prepared to reveal himself and ask about what he had heard, but was stopped by the King's words. "…as a kid."

Ace's heart sank. He gripped his chest with wide eyes, trying to grasp the meaning behind those words, denying himself the ridiculous thought that they were related to him. It wasn't. It couldn't be. He was alone his whole life, beaten and tossed aside by the various men who had ruled over him. Luffy saved him from that loneliness. There was a before – a time when he couldn't speak and wasn't on that ship and was not able to be happy. He only just met the Pirate King, so why did his mind want to convince him that Luffy was talking to him?

As he stepped back, the man finally took notice of him. His head shot around and when their gaze met the pirate's already large eyes grew tenfold. What had he just heard? How long was he there? Before he could ask, the child sprinted away from him, fully determined to deny either of them a chance to speak.

Ace ran half-dazed across the deck but was forced to a stop by a firm grip around his wrist. He turned slowly to the pirate, a look of guilt on his features that couldn't be placed. He didn't know why he was acting the way that he was, why he was upset or why he ran away. But that didn't matter.

Luffy's expression settled as their eyes met. He was still sitting in the same place, rubber arm stretched out to keep the boy from leaving. Really, he didn't know what to say or do, but knew that he had to say something. The boy's eyes were both confused and hurt and he, himself, didn't know why. But Luffy did. He knew why the child felt that way and that the boy knew nothing of the past that he'd lived. It hurt to see that. He could only blame himself, though. He was the one wallowing over the new discovery as if it was a bad thing. It wasn't. It wasn't and yet he couldn't bring himself to be happy.

He sighed. "Come here."

Once his grip on the boy loosened, he inched nearer to the pirate, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He noticed that Luffy's face was flushed a bright red from the alcohol but the rest of him was very pale, almost white. He looked sickly. Ace took a seat next to the man and looked down at his arms, noticing he was just as pale. He didn't want to look Luffy in the eyes. It felt like he heard something he shouldn't have.

"Ace," Luffy began, voice stern and bold, "look at me."

He didn't listen. For the first time the sound of his name didn't make him happy. Why was he being so distant now? He was starting to realize…

"Ace!" The Pirate King's patience was running thin. He saw the boy jump a bit and cursed himself inwardly, telling himself not to take his frustration out on the kid. When their eyes met, Luffy couldn't escape the guilt that washed over him as those confused eyes looked to him for answers. He sighed and rubbed his fevered head, trying to concentrate. "Sorry." He didn't want to be hated.

They entered an awkward silence as Luffy fumbled with his thoughts, desperately reciting the explanation in his head. He didn't want the boy to know about what was happening to him just yet. Was it too late?

"I had a brother," he began as they both stared out onto the sea. From the corner of his eye he could see the shock on the boy's face. He didn't expect him to say that. "He died ten years ago. I'm still kind of mad about it." He said that rather lightheartedly, not intending to sound serious. A small smile crossed his lips but it was torn away once the boy decided to speak.

"…Do you hate him?"

"No."

"But you said you're mad."

"I said that but…" He tried to find the best way to word his thoughts, smile returning. "I'm sad. I miss him. And I'm also grateful."

"Why?"

"He saved my life." Luffy's words made Ace feel strange. He was both happy and miserable and yet couldn't place the reason. The man noticed this and seemed to understand even when the little boy didn't. So, smile growing, he decided that he had something to tell his young "brother", something he'd wanted to say for a long time.

Before
the boy could react, he was swept up into a loose, partial hug. Ace went blank, unsure as to how he should react. Luffy wasn't the type of person to do something like that.

"Thank you, Ace. Don't leave again."

A/N: Lovelies, you're never going to guess my schedule...I have 9 hours of classes on Mondays and Wednesdays WITHOUT BREAK! Meaning I can't leave the building or even eat while I'm there! ARGH! But I only have 2 hours on Tuesdays, 1 hour on Thurdays and nothing Friday-Sunday so I might be able to survive. However, please bear with me because the updates are going to start slowing down more and more as the semester goes on. I do have a "study week" in February that I'll write a lot during and my summer vacation starts in mid-late April so just endure until then! :D But I promise I'll continue to work as much as I can except during midterms and exams because that will most likely not be possible (spent 47 hours on my final Image project, have 3 studios this semester meaning it'll take 100-200 hours to complete all 3). T^T This is going to be tough, but I promise I won't stop updating unless something serious happens.

Anyways, this chapter was important because I wanted to show you Luffy's reasoning for his worries and how he felt about finding out Ace was his brother's reincarnation. It's actually going to be very important for what happens in future chapters and, ultimately, the actions of the two at the very end.

Tell me how you think I did! And what you did/didn't like!

Now, my lovelies~

Son Goshen: Lol yes, Little Ace is Ace XD But different. But the same. Yet not. *confuses self* And I know he didn't have to finish the fruit, but I assumed he wouldn't know that. I mean, he doesn't has any memories of it, he just recognized it and I thought he'd finish it just to be sure XD Well yes, he's going to start resembling Ace more, but the differences between Ace and Little Ace are going to become more obvious. He's not going to be exactly the same because he's lived a different life. Also I hinted at his past a pit here, the parts that he hasn't told Luffy, and that's going to play a key role in how he acts. Actually there's 17 years between them XD This takes place 10 years (almost 11) after Ace's death, not 10 years after the time skip :) So Luffy is 27. Lol well now your theory was proven correct as for his past...I'm planning on deticating an entire chapter to it later on. I'll be explaining his parents, the circumstances surrounding his birth, the reason he didn't learn how to talk, the reason he hates pirates, why he's scared of people, how he made it to the island and how he managed to survive. Heck, I might have to take up two chapters just to explain it all (it's going to be flashbacks, not him explaining it to anyone). Once you read it, it'll explain why he isn't exactly like his past self. But that won't be for a while :P I'm going to have some fun with the Mera Mera no Mi next chapter :3

bbhelen3162: Yep! :D How ypu liked it!

sammycircle: I'm sorry D': I didn't mean for it to be too confusing. Hoepfully this chapter clears everything up! But even I think this chapter is pretty confusing...XD I didn't want to blatantly explain Luffy and Ace's feelings because I felt it would be too easy. Here's an update! I'm glad you like it!

Neko-VongolaPrimo: Lol XD I'm glad you like it! Well at least now you know why he was worried :3 Revealing it all at once wouldn't be any fun. Marines will be appearing VERY soon! As soon as the time of the year that scares them passes, which will be in like another chapter or two XD Because the Marines are too scared to try anything when Luffy's likely to show no mercy :P Well I have a specific purpose for the 4th Yonko and so the person I choose has to meet that criteria so I'm still deciding. Lol why is it so many people like Skip? I seriously think all of Skip's readers are going to hate me once the story reaches it climax :P I'm going to start on another chapter of Reverse and then I'll try updating Skip later in the week when I have a chance.

K: Yes! Luffy, Shanks and Marco drinking and partying! :D Because that would be just awesome. Shanks will be in the entire story but he won't always be with Luffy. Can't have the Marines freaking out because a Yonko and the Pirate King are in the same place XD And sorry, no :( I haven't seen any fanart of Luffy as an adult sadly. Bah! Everyone keeps mentioning Skip! XD

Stelra Etnae: Marco will show up soon! Just you wait! And here's an update!

angelrider13: Lol really? I didn't think it was that interesting XD Hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much! Lol yes, Little Ace is cute, but he will eventually grow up! *covers mouth* I didn't say that. Sorry. You didn't hear anything! Ahem. So don't worry, Marco's coming XD As for why Luffy's worried, this should explain most of it so long as it isn't too confusing. As for something bad happening...yes. Multiple times. But it's not too serious until it reaches the climax. I'll probably be killed once I post that last chapter and epilogue. Sigh, oh well. Lol XD Son Goshen got what the hint was! But I shall troll you and not say. I'm sure you can figure it out! And there's some ironic foreshadowing in this one :P At this point I'm basically adding hints and stuff every chapter, though the one in the last chapter was the most important.

XxSaorixX: Then you're going to hate me for one of my fanfics hehehe...Lol honestly I feel bad for Luffy but he should be grateful! I gave him his brother back! Thanks and hope you liked the update!

MysteriousEyez: At this point Luffy isn't too worried about the fight. He will be, though. Well nakama is an important theme and is a plot device I've been using XD But actually the hint isn't anything that's been spoken by the characters. It's not like you need to find it or anything though XD

YingYang21: Thanks so much! Hope you liked the update!

Lily Noir: Yeah, it's been pretty obvious since the first chapter XD But it obviously wouldn't be obvious in a real-life situation so I couldn't just make Luffy realize right away or anything. Yes, lots of angst! This part of the plot is always going to contain angst, so hope you don't mind. The fluff will return though! Please, share all of your speculations! :D So far one person guessed what the hint was but no one guessed at the ending. Well, we're not even half way there. They haven't even left the New World yet! XD Hoped the update was to your liking!

Kitsune Foxfire: Marco is coming! :D And lol true, but that won't stop Luffy from teasing him :P

AkaNeko-san: Well as explained in the chapter, he doesn't normally drink much XD It's just becaues of the circumstances. He's not like Zoro and Shanks :P Hope it made sense in the chapter. Thanks for the support!

SioQu(9-11): Don't worry, it won't happen in the main story ^^ I promise! Him leaving his hat was symbolic. It'll be mentioned more throughout the story. And yes, it will definitely be hard on him. But that's for next time!

RexLink: Thanks so much! Enjoy the update!

(As usual, I love you all! Please continue your amazing support because I'm going to really need it to continue writing despite the loads of work I'm bound to get...you guys are really amazing! I don't think you realize how happy your reviews make me. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.)