Disclaimer: I do not own the complete suckiness of this chapter. You brought it upon yourselves. Deal with it. And if I get complaints about length, lack of action ect like I did with Skip I will raise the proverbial gun to my temple? Understand? Good.

...Skip is killing me. Seriously. I like you guys so much more because less of you complain T^T I'm fine with criticism but not liking that the story's going in a different direction than you hoped is your problem, not mine (Again this is directed towards Skip reviews, and only a few of them at that. Don't mind me, I'm ranting).

"Do I deserve to live?"

Luffy's heart skipped. That was something his brother would ask, but never to him. It was always to their grandfather, the one who kept him alive despite his bloodline. He overheard them talking once, hiding in the foliage when they were sitting at one of the cliffs overseeing the ocean. The boy from back then, the same age as the one now, had echoed those words. Luffy didn't understand what they meant back then – not until Marineford. And now he was asking him, his brother, despite having no recollection of his past or former lineage. That's not fair, Ace…

"Of course!" he shouted, anger seething from his every word. How could he even ask something like that? It wasn't long before his features softened, and he washed his gentle gaze over the frightened boy before him. Luffy must have looked murderous when he said that. It was rare for him to lose his temper in battle, let alone when he was simply asked a question. He couldn't help himself – it hurt to hear. But it wasn't Ace's fault. Regardless of why he asked it, he was just being honest with the one person he confided in. And Luffy blew up in his face. He scared him. I'm so stupid!

He reached out for the boy who flinched as his hand approached, mimicking their first meeting. He rubbed his head softly, trying not to break the small form beneath his fingertips. Then he wrapped a towel around the child's shoulders, pulling it taut against his frame.

"Sorry," he said simply, hoping that the calmness of his voice would bring back the younger one's usual attitude. Ace had a habit of regressing his behaviours to those that he used while on the island whenever he felt threatened. It was almost like a self-defence mechanism. He would stop talking, flinch under someone's touch, and sometimes even attack people who approached. Luffy learned of it the hard way when they first set sail and were attacks by a group of Sea Kings. The boy was so scared that he briefly forgot everything he learned during his stay with the crew and tried biting the Pirate King when he neared him. He had to remember to be careful around the boy but, Luffy being Luffy, he was terrible at controlling himself. And so there they were.

Ace smiled lightly as he put on his new garbs and felt the material run under his fingertips. Nami and Robin proceeded to show him the rest of the outfits they picked up at the market, laughing at his excitement. It wasn't long before Luffy joined them and asked the boy to follow him, which he did.

He was led back to their shared room and admired the newest addition to it – a second bed – but was then motioned over to Luffy's own bed, to which he shyly complied. They hadn't said anything to each other since their conversation in the bath area and he felt more than a little awkward. He took a seat next to Luffy and watched as the man picked one of the bounty posters off the wall. He held it tightly in his hands, looking it over fondly before handing it to Ace.

He was staring at a picture of a smiling, black-haired man with an orange hat and words that he couldn't understand scribbled beneath. He traced his hand over the person's features, remembering the last time he looked at that poster.

"He's…your brother?" he asked, trying to bring the memory of the last time he saw that photo to the forefront of his mind.

"Yep! Portgas D. Ace!"

"Portgas…" He never heard the man's full name before. Well, other than when Sanji mentioned it, but that he could barely recall. It had a familiar ring to it. It also felt strange, having the same name as the man.

"When you look at him what do you notice?"

Ace scanned the poster slowly, unsure of what Luffy expected him to find. "We both have freckles," he stated frankly. The boy blushed a bit when he heard the Pirate King trying to contain his laughter. Apparently he guessed wrong.

"What else?"

"And…" He gave the paper in his hands a hard glare, determined to get it right that time. He didn't much care for getting laughed at again. After analyzing it with squinting eyes his features softened and eyes went wide, realizing the obvious answer Luffy wanted him to find. "…He's smiling."

"That's right," the older replied, patting his brother on the shoulder. "He's happy."

Ace looked up at him with large eyes, taking an interest in what he was saying for one reason or another. Something that he said struck a chord with the boy. He wanted to hear more.

"My brother had a secret. He was always worrying about it – wondering if it was ok for him to be alive." Ace felt a pain in his chest. Luffy's brother seemed to be a lot like himself and he knew that he was being told this because of their conversation earlier. The Pirate King was worried. That made him happy. "But when he died he realized how many people cared about him."

It felt strange to be telling that story to his brother, who had lived it. Still, he was happy he was saying that to the boy. A weight lifted from his chest as he explained and looked over to see the brightness in Ace's eyes. Then those eyes turned away to face the poster and his expression soured.

"But," the small one started, fingering his new shirt, "I'm different."

"Hm?"

"I'm strange, right? The people in town…even the crew…they look at me weird." Well, it was true that he was seen in an odd light. It was clear to anyone that he didn't act like a normal child – especially after attacking those pirates on shore – and the rest of the Straw Hats were still trying to figure out how to act around him now that they knew he was Fire Fist. They all looked up to his brother because he saved Luffy and was an all-around admirable guy so seeing him as a tiny boy was awkward. They needed some time to adjust to that. "I'm not like everyone else."

"That's true," Luffy began, watching the boy grimace, "but it's ok. There's nothing wrong with that." Of course he was going to be different from everyone else; he grew up fighting for survival on a deserted island. All things considered, it was amazing that he was able to function as well as he did in such a drastic change of environment. It was doubtful that he would ever be what society considered 'normal' but, really, Luffy didn't care about all of that. His crew was made of outcasts, after all. Each member had something to them that could be called abnormal, himself included. "Ace," he called, grabbing the boy's attention.

"What?"

"Life is a right, not a privilege. You were born to live," the pirate declared in an uncharacteristic, sagely tone, watching the poster in Ace's hands. Both went silent. The quiet was broken when something made a tapping sound. Looking over, he saw water droplets hitting the paper, tears streaming down his brother's cheeks.

"Huh?" Ace murmured, placing a hand to feel the warm liquid. "I…" He tried wiping it away but it was soon replaced. Before long he got tired of wasting his efforts and spun around to cry into Luffy's shirt, hiding his face. The man simply smiled down, stroking his back. He never got to say that before Portgas died. Finally he did.

"I'm happy you're alive, Ace."

When dinner arrived, the crew found themselves staring at their captain as he shoveled mounds of food into the hole under his nose. While that was normal enough, it was strange seeing Ace sitting next to him doing the same. It baffled them that he would enter the mess hall of his own free will, but seeing him savagely grabbing at the food in the same manner as Luffy was…pretty funny, actually. They never realized how big of an appetite he had. That might have been due to the malnutrition, though.

The brothers grabbed onto the same piece of meat. They paused and exchanged dark glares, waiting for the opportune moment to make the morsel their own. Luffy pulled it away with his superior strength but before it reached his mouth he felt a sharp blow to the back of his head. Ace broke his kick and snatched the meat from the pirate's grasp, tearing at it with his teeth before his foe had a chance to retaliate. He huffed triumphantly when he saw the older one's expression.

"Using haki is cheating!" he cried, rubbing the sore spot on his skull with a pout. That kick shouldn't have had any effect on him, seeing as he was rubber, but it did which meant one thing: haki.

"I don't even know what that is," Ace stated between bites, mentally laughing at the grown man's reaction. Luffy knew he wasn't aware that he was using it – the same had happened multiple times before when they fought – but he was still going to voice his complaints.

While Ace feasted on the last of the Sea King meat, Luffy began devouring everything else in sight, quickly met with protests from the former.

The crew did their best to hold back their laughter, not wanting to interrupt now that Ace was finally trying to eat with them. They didn't want to drive the kid away, after all. Robin let out a small giggle as she took in the sight. Ace's progress was staggering. Having been the person that spent the most time with him – aside from Luffy, of course – she felt she had learned quite a lot about him. He held darkness within him just as she did, a past he would rather forget. He kept everyone at an arm's length, not unlike Robin before Enies Lobby. But he was recovering a lot faster than she did. Knowing that, she couldn't help but smile.

She noticed a difference during lessons as well; while before he would mouth the words and learn them that way, he began repeating them aloud and even asked questions for clarification. If he heard one of them say an unfamiliar word he would inquire about its meaning. This all seemed to happen the night they docked at the last island one week ago. She remembered seeing him go below deck with Captain. When he returned there was something different about him but she couldn't place it. Whatever it was, she was happy. He was opening up to the rest of the crew just a little more.

During the brothers' little spat, Usopp burst through the galley door, panting excitedly as he tried to catch his breath. Their quarrel ceased and everyone in the room turned curiously to the sniper, waiting in an eerie quiet to hear what he had to say.

"The island," he wheezed, the corners of his mouth doing an upward turn. "I saw it. We'll be there within the hour!"

"Super!" Franky cheered as he stood to pose.

"Heh, bout time," Zoro said, leaning back in his seat.

"Yohoho how wonderful! Shall I play us a tune, Captain?"

Everyone turned to Luffy. The pirate chugged a glass of water and wiped his mouth. "Of course! Shishishi!"

Brook began playing a song, which sounded amazing as usual, and the crew filled with both excitement and worry. They were happy that their captain would finally visit Fire Fist on the anniversary of his death, which would be tomorrow, but couldn't help the nagging feeling that it wasn't going to go well. Luffy was rather dark on that day every year. He would drink an attack any Marine or pirate ship that wasn't allied with them. It was the only way he knew to deal with his frustration – smash things. Their only hope was Ace; having him there might lower his anxiety. Maybe it would lessen the deep-seated depression that gnawed at him on that day.

When they got close to the island they saw the ship of the Whitebeard pirates already docked. They got there early. As they arrived on shore Luffy quickly took off to greet the Yonko, Ace trailing close behind. The man they were searching for was perched on a large rock at the edge of the beach. His crew was scattered on the ship and along the sand, each doing their thing. Because the two captains were on such friendly terms no one bothered to halt the Pirate King's approach and he was allowed to slip through them to the Yonko who was solemnly watching the waves.

"You're early!" Luffy declared as he approached the blonde, waving energetically.

"And you actually showed up," the Yonko retorted, mouth curving into a slight smirk. The Pirate King snorted as he took his place next to him.

"Marco?" a small voice asked shyly from behind the raven-haired man.

"Hm?" The man in question turned to see the small boy trailing behind his acquaintance.

He peeked out from behind the Luffy's captain's jacket and as his eyes rested on the blonde his face lit up, much to the latter's surprise. He ran up to him and stared like he was seeing some rare creature. "You're Marco, right?"

"Yeah," he replied, looking the boy over. He recognized the voice from Luffy's call a week before and now he could put a face to it. There was something eerily familiar about the kid but he couldn't place it.

"Are you strong?"

"…" He wasn't really sure what to say to that. It was an odd way to start a conversation – that was certain.

"Well?"

"I guess." Apparently the kid wasn't familiar with his Yonko title. Or he didn't care. Before he had a time to think, though, he was blocking a kick to his face. Using his arm as a catapult, the boy leapt back, smiling excitedly as he readied his next move. Before he had a chance to charge Marco again he was swiftly grabbed by the collar of his shirt.

"Oi, what are you doing?" Luffy asked the struggling child while using little effort to keep him in place.

"Let go!" Ace demanded, growling as his efforts brought forth no results. "I wanna see how strong he is!"

"He's strong enough to kick your ass," the Pirate King replied, rolling his eyes as he remembered having a similar conversation with the boy when he first started sailing with him. The brat was fixated on strength. Why? He might never know.

Grumbling, Ace folded his arms and resigned to listen to the older – for the time, at least. He was getting tired of only fighting Luffy and wanted a new challenge.

"Who's the kid?" the blonde finally asked, looking between the two raven haired boys.

"Ace," Luffy said simply, surprised that he hadn't figured it out yet. Then again, he never saw Fire Fist when he was a child, but that didn't stop his crew or Shanks from noticing the similarities.

"What?" Marco asked, his voice dark and dangerous. Luffy had better choose his next words wisely.

The Pirate King stared at the man, clueless to the nature of his question. "Ace. It's the name we gave him."

It was only seconds before Phoenix was to his feet, punching Luffy's left cheek. The pirate flew backwards and into the dirt, blinking a few times as he stared at the sky. He looked up questioningly at the man while rubbing his cheek. The Yonko was pissed. Apparently he hadn't made the connection between the two and made a very angry assumption.

"Why would you call him that? Trying to replace him?"

A/N: Yeah, so that happened. This is my third upload in 2 days :D Don't expect it again. Seriously, don't. I'm thinking of slowing down updates in favour of of quality, what do you think? Also I'm thinking of using my current fics as testing grounds for different ways to write. You've been warned. Now lets keep the hypothetical gun in the drawer, shall we? (I want to write something involving firearms...)

To my lovelies~

Big Sis of 8: As you can see, Marco appeared. I don't like rushing things; I'm sure you've noticed ;) So did you expect him to react like that or no?

Son Goshen: Though intensity-wise it's not a big cliffy, plot was it is one of the biggest the story will offer. The scene with Luffy and Ace was more important than even what was revealed in the chapter. Seriously, over the next 10 or so chapters, you will start to see the impact it has on Ace and the crew in general. But for now you can think of it as nothing :P To be honest, I have to really think about what I have little Ace say and do so that it falls in line with the reincarnation guidelines I laid out for myself. As some points I have to make him appear identical to Portgas and at others I have to make him really OOC. It's...really difficult to do it coherently without it appearing as a jumbled mess. Good question *nudge nudge*

Stelra Etnae: Yes, the question has been dealt with! Obscuring the details, its importance has not ended! It actually holds jus as much significance as it does for Portgas but in a different way because *spoiler* which you'll find out later. Your feeling is more correct than you could possibly imagine. It may not look like it but there is a downward spiral beginning to form. Good on you for noticing! Here's the latest!

Neko-VongolaPrimo: Their 'talk' is going to be set back by what happens in the next 10 chapters, sadly. Yeah, after one or two more the shift is going to go from Ace to a bigger problem. So development between the two will be put on hold. Well, it won't really ehehehehe...I have something evil I cooked up. I'm sorry - couldn't help it. But it's important, I swear! Yeah, that won't be the last conflict with overconfident rookies, unfortunately. Funny thing about that question: it's not a shadow from his past life. He thought it up all by himself. Though it seems that he's remembering it, it's actually a result of everything that's happened to him in his life. While Portgas was bitter about his lineage, Monkey D. Ace is more focusing on who his is in relation to the people around him. Did you expect Marco to react like that? I think a lot of people did. It was pretty obvious. Ah, the scar - like the question, the scar holds high significance for them and it's not going to be fully drawn out until later. I just planted Ace's seeds of curiosity.

RoXaS707: I am the Troll Empress, my dear, not a simple troll. And I will even troll you with an ending of one of my stories.

The Darkest wizard: Thank you! I have now updated, so enjoy! If you're ever feeling bored while waiting for an update then try my other stories - this and Divide are competing for the most deticated reviewers ;)

Guest: Funny thing: it appears that he has the same doubts but, though he asked the same question, there is a different meaning behind it. That will be explored at a later time. And you're welcome :) It's nice to hear someone thank me once in a while since I mostly get update demands. You've brightened my day!

ouyang393: Nah, Oda could do much better - though I am the Troll Empress, he is the Troll Overlord :P

K: Yay~ I love reviews ^^ They keep me going. Don't worry, there will be a lot more action where that came from! Though none of my stories are focused on action (and to anyone who wishes they were, please leave) there will be fighting and intense scenes as the story goes on. And I mean ACTUAL FIGHTING - none of this 'takes them out with one hit' crap that I've been using up 'til now. Still, main focus of all my stories is the characters. I liked that line too XD How was his reaction, do you think?

azab: Same question, different meaning ;)

RexLink: Lots of people call him 'Lu'. It's adorable, in my opinion. What do you think of what Luffy said to him?

ASLfangirl: If you were dead you wouldn't have been able to review ;) I am the master of deception! There will be some chapters coming up after a big event that will detail more of the crew than I have been lately. They're important but I wanted to build up Ace's 'world' first. How was Marco's reaction, by the way?

Kitsune Foxfire: When do I not leave you hanging? I swear it's an oddity when I don't :P Hehehe funny you mention a bounty...well, you won't find out what's funny until long after the last chapter, but I'll remind you when it's mentioned!

Cyborgnetics: Yes it is! :D I'm glad you'll be patient. I wish I had patient reviewers for my other stories too. Well, I do, but some...one demanded I update more frequently with longer chapters and more action =_=; You're a nice contrast.

99 luffy: Sorry he only shows up at the end and that he only stays for like 3 chapters :/ But he'll return again, I promise. Just like Shanks. As expected, you guessed well XD Though I didn't think anyone would suspect otherwise, of course.

samettikettu: (Why can't you feel your arm? O.o;) Awe, really? I didn't think it would make anyone cry, it's kinda badly written. I love you, too, for your awesome review! You're awesome too! *hugs*

angelrider13: Yes he is! :D Lol really? Seriously, I love your reviews; you amuse me to no end. A LOT is going to happen with Marco over the next 2-3 chapters... You'll see ;) Thank you! I sometimes worry I'm going too slow, but I think it's nice to get all of the details in there. Though it's hard to keep the pace slow because of how excited I am for certain events that happen later on...

MysteriousEyez: The ruler of the trolls, actually! :D Yep for now he needs protection, not Luffy. But when he makes his return oh-ho-ho... Actually, forget that. You heard nothing. Seriously, I'll take a mallet to everyones heads if someone mentions it! Ahem. And yes, you guessed right! Most people thought it was him remembering or something, I'm glad someone noticed otherwise! My other stories are ok I guess (Skip is just...god no) but Divide seems to par with this story as far as responses go :D Yeah, I've noticed a lot of people like that I respond back. I would never leave you guys hanging though; your reviews mean a lot to me and I want all of you to know that.

Diclonious57: AGREED. Completely.

spoons-are-evil: Yep, age-wise he's the little brother XD ...Comments will indeed be made about his hair, though not immediately e_e;

one piece girl 99999: I'm glad you do :)

XxSaorixX: I'm not killing you - if I were you'd be dead. Know why? Because I am the embodiment of awesome (too much caffiene at midnight). I have continued. In fact, the next chapter is almost done as well ;)

SioQu: Yep, that is correct! Luffy does lots of stupid things. Dying I won't comment on.

Terrie1234: No. If you read the first chapter he found him on the island they sailed to after visiting Ace's grave, while they were training the new recruits. They are going back the way they came, but it's because they plan on heading to East Blue. Hope that helps. I'll update when I'll update. Please no rushing - got four fics going right now.

AkaNeko-san: That is okay! I'm just happy you reviewed at all ^^ Wow, I'm surprised you mentioned that. Everyone was so focused on his last line that they didn't seem to pay much attention to the conversation before that. Glad you brought it up! So how was this chapter? ^^

christienlowell: Thank you so much! I'm glad you think so highly of it. You could try to draw it if you wanted to XD Really happy it caught your attention.

(I love responding to this story's reviews T^T Seriously. I love it. Your reviews actually have substance, which is rare. I love you all so very, VERY much! It's because of your reviews that I posted this so soon. For those who read Divide - it will be updated in 1-2 days if all goes well. Adieu~)