Chapter 2: Questions

"Luffy!" Yamato yelled out. "That's your brother?!" The young man in front of him was white haired, wearing white clothes and a white cloud over his shoulders and arms. Just who or what is Ace's brother?

"I think so." Ace said with uncertainty in his voice as he finally pushed himself away from Luffy being careful not to push himself off the cliff. Maybe partying on a cliff side wasn't the smartest thing to do. His thoughts went from looking at the edge back to Luffy who was bouncing on the ground near them. The ground itself was reacting like it was made out of rubber too. "You…you are Luffy…right?"

Luffy had his arms crossed over his chest trying to figure something out. This all felt too real. Ace feels so real. Not like the dreams he had of his brother. "Uh-huh." He said absently. "But I'm confused." Luffy cocked his head at them.

"Huh?" Ace yelled out. "You're confused?" He asked white Luffy. Yeah. That's what he's dubbing this Luffy. "I'm confused!"

"Huh?" Luffy said even more confused. Ace never got confused about things. "Why?"

"Because!" Ace yelled back. Tightening his fist he felt anger filling him. "My little brother is back home. He's got another year before he leaves! You may share his looks but your body…" Ace felt an ache in heart. If his brother had been hurt like that. He shook his head. Luffy wasn't stupid enough to get hurt like that. The big red X in the center of white Luffy's chest made Ace's heart tighten further. "Luffy would never get hurt like that. He's not a weakling or stupid enough not to move out of the way of whatever did that to you."

Luffy stopped bouncing. Dream Ace had never brought up the scar in conversation before. Touching his chest, Luffy could still feel the heat from Akainu's attack from that day. The joy, the elation of rescuing Ace only to fail when his body had given out at the most inopportune moment which had forced his big brother to save him. Luffy looked up at his brother's face, a pout already forming on Luffy's face. Trying his best to force it down and away he pulled the hat from his back to his head to hide his sadness.

Ace's eyes widened as he saw the hat. He had grown up watching Luffy run around with that stupid damn hat. One time a crocodile had eaten it and Luffy had beaten the animal up just because of the hat that Shanks had entrusted to his dumb little brother. This white Luffy had to be real. There was no doubt. Guilt wrecked him at his previous words."Luffy?" Ace questioned concern appearing on his face. "What happened…to you?"

"Shishishi." Luffy looked up at his brother with laughter on his lips. "I failed." He stated matter of factly. "But I won't again."

Ace continued to look at him with concern. His little brother didn't look so little suddenly. Scars, beside the obvious one, littered his chest and face. His brother looked tired, exhausted even. What has Luffy brother gone through to become this strong? "Lu." He went to walk up to him.

"You died Ace." Luffy stated sadly causing his brother to go still. "You died in my arms after I failed to save you. I wasn't strong enough, but I am now." Luffy looked at his hands. "I trained for two years, as did my crew. We teamed up with Tora-o and took out Mingo's factories." He grinned. "We saved some kids he was testing stuff on." Luffy thought about that a bit when Ace began to approach him. "I gave them to Smokey who promised to help them and get them back their parents!"

Ace reached out to Luffy pulling him to his body into a hug. "It really is you."Luffy cocked his head at this comment. "I'm not dead Luffy."

"Yes you are." Luffy stated with a frown. "This…" Luffy pouted a bit. "This is just a dream." He then looked at Yamato. "This…this is a first for Yamato being here in my dream. Shishishi." He laughed as he threw his arms behind his head and leaned back onto the balls of his feet. "I must've passed out after defeating Kaidou!" He laugh.

"You fought Kaidou!" Ace yelled shocked. "Wait, how?" He asked confused. He didn't even get past Yamato. So he knew something was going on here.

"Jaggy, Tora-o and I combined our forces with the samurai!" He yelled excitedly.

Okay that's the second time he's mentioned Tora-o. Who the heck is that? Ace wondered, knowing full well his brother liked giving people nicknames because he had a hard time with people's names.

"I almost died when I found this new form." He said as he looked at himself. "I turned white and my heart feels like it's beating to a drum. I can't stop moving!" He began bouncing causing the ground to turn to jello. Once more "The battle was SO much fun!"

Ace laughed as his brother began to reinact his fight with Kaidou. His body changing with each movement. Puffing muscles out obscenely with overexaggerated movements. He and Yamato laughed heartily. Grasping his stomach, Ace fell onto his ass. Luffy saw this and ran up to him. "Are ya okay Ace?" Asking this Luffy put his face into his brother's space.

"Yeah." Ace said as he wiped tears from his eyes because he had been laughing so hard.

"Oh!" Luffy yelled out. "After you died your fruit was found by Mingo." He stepped back as he thought about that adventure. Ace's eyes widened. "When we were in Dress'a'rosa, Mingo tried catching me by using your fruit as a bait." He grinned at Ace's panicked look. "I fought a lot of tough guys who wanted it! But then you'll never guess who showed up to help me get it."

Ace calmed a bit before thinking for a moment about who would've wanted his devil fruit. Nobody really came to the forefront. "I give up Lu; who?" He shrugged his shoulders not really knowing who this Luffy may or may not know.

"Shishishi." Luffy's laughter gained momentum. "Sabo!" He burst out the answer as Ace's jaw dropped once again. "Sabo is alive and is part of the revs army. Robin says he's number two, but he forgot everything because he got hit on the head really badly. He's even got this big burn on his face because of it."

"WHAT?!" Ace yelled his jaw still dropped. That can't be. Standing up he grasped ahold a Luffy. "Luffy please. You're exhausting me." Ace begged his brother to sit still for him. He'd come to the realization that this version of his brother had to have come from the future. It was the only way this version Luffy could be here. Then there was the knowledge he held. "How old are you?"

"Huh?" Luffy cocked his head at the sudden weird question. "Nineteen."

Ace gave a sudden smile at the answer. "I'm nineteen right now. You are telling me things that haven't happened yet." Luffy's eyes became obscenely wide. "I don't know how this happened but I'm glad. Maybe this will change my fate. I don't know how I died. I'm sorry I did. I'm sorry I failed you and that I could keep my promise."

Luffy's eyes swelled at the apology. "Ace." Luffy pouted as the tears poured over and down his cheeks.

"If everything you say will happen then is by us knowing going to change things?" Yamato asked as he walked closer to the brothers the journal of Kozuki Oden in his arms. "There's nothing about a power that could bring people to the past." The two brothers looked at him annoyed. Quickly correcting himself, he continued. "It doesn't mean that one doesn't exist though!"

Luffy sighed. "I don't even know how I got here." Touching his chin thoughtfully as Luffy recalled what he was thinking about when he was pulled through time when suddenly his body began to glow.

"Lu?" Ace questioned his brother as he touched Luffy's glowing shoulder.

"I think I have to go." Luffy stated looking at him brother with a serious look he continued to speak. "Whatever you do, do not trust Marshal D. Teach. He's the reason you die and the Whitebeard pirates are destroyed." Upon seeing his brother's eyes widen, he knew he had struck a cord. "He'll betray you and them. Do not trust him brother."

Ace's eyes darkened as they narrowed slightly at Luffy's words. "I understand." Luffy knew he could trust Ace to be more vigilant and hoped things would change for his big brother when Luffy was suddenly yanked upwards and away from his sibling and simply vanished from sight.

M-Angel: It was independence weekend here in my neighborhood. So the inspiration fairy has been visiting me lately. Hope everyone has a great week!