Time Moves Through You

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/50012788.

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: Gen
Fandom: One Piece (Anime & Manga)
Relationship: Monkey D. Luffy & Portgas D. Ace, Monkey D. Luffy & Whitebeard
Pirates, Monkey D. Luffy & Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward Newgate
Character: Monkey D. Luffy, Portgas D. Ace, Shirohige | Whitebeard | Edward
Newgate, Akainu | Sakazuki, Jinbei (One Piece), Whitebeard Pirates,
Fushichou Marco | Phoenix Marco, Kizaru | Borsalino, Aokiji | Kuzan
Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, but in a silly way, Marineford Arc, Alternate
Marineford Events, Wano Arc (One Piece) Spoilers, Time Travel, Time
Travel Fix-It, Time Travel Elements, Family Feels, Gear 5, I will add
more tags in the morning I am so tired, Gear 5 isn't just fun and games
folks, i mean it IS but it's also more than that, Luffy is a silly little guy,
and also a little feral, And also a bit traumatized, BAMF Monkey D.
Luffy, Badass Monkey D. Luffy, Age Regression/De-Aging,
astriiformes's AU Roulette Challenge 2023, Portgas D. Ace Lives, Child
Monkey D. Luffy, Protective Monkey D. Luffy
Language: English
Collections: AU Roulette Challenge 2023
Stats: Published: 2023-09-10 Completed: 2023-09-25 Words: 11,833
Chapters: 3/3

Time Moves Through You

by lampalot7

Summary

The Jikan Jikan no Mi was a fruit capable not of pushing someone through time, but of
pushing time through a person. A person's future self is brought to the present and,
afterwards, time snaps back to bring their younger self forward. When Luffy collapses at
Marineford, its holder comes forward and offers to use her powers rather than let him have
a second hormone injection from Iva. The power is not without its risks, but Luffy does not
hesitate to accept. If he had a chance to be stronger—or to bring a stronger him in his place,
even temporarily—then he would take it.

He would do anything to save Ace.

Or:

Luffy closes his eyes on the Sunny as they sail away from Wano, and he opens them on the
battlefield of Marineford.

Notes
 I have this almost entirely written. It'll all be up very soon, probably each Monday starting
next week, so it's a bit more spaced out from citw updates.

Written for astriiformes's AU Roulette Challenge! I got Time Travel AU! And thank god,
I'm not usually one for AUs but I do love time travel x)

See the end of the work for more notes

 Chapter 1

Everything hurt. Luffy had known pain before, had been tortured even. Pain was an old friend. But
the way his body was betraying him now was new. He wanted to move. He needed to move, but
his body wouldn't listen to him. He'd never felt so tired before either.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't manage to do more than twitch his fingers. He scanned
the crowd gathered over him until he found who he was looking for.

"Iva-chan," he said. "I have one last request… You have to listen! I need to keep going." Iva-chan's
eyes widened, and Luffy knew that he understood, but he also saw him flinch, so he said it anyway.
"Give me another shot."

Iva-chan was already shaking his head. "No, Mugiwara-boy. Another shot of vigor hormones
would be outrageous! You can take no more. After fighting your way through Impel Down and
nearly being killed by Magellan’s poison, your body is far beyond its limit already! If you push
yourself any further than this…” Iva-chan met his eyes steadily, seriously, and Luffy held his gaze
through the blood and sweat dripping into them. “You’ll truly be throwing your life away.”

But Luffy wouldn’t accept that. Couldn’t. He forced his arm to move, to stretch and grab hold of
him. “I’ll do whatever I can,” he said, panting with exertion. “If I die, then fine. Just let me fight.”
Luffy gritted his teeth, and every word ached. His arm trembled as he fought to keep his numb,
throbbing fingers twisted in Iva-chan’s clothes. “If by not fighting now, I failed to save Ace…
that…” Luffy felt tears sting at his eyes, wanted to squeeze them shut, but he couldn’t waver now.
Iva-chan may not agree, may doubt him even though Luffy meant every word. He took in a shaky
breath and raised his voice as loud as he could manage. “That would make me want to die!” His
vision was fading. He couldn’t see Iva-chan’s expression and he didn’t know if he’d attracted any
unwanted attention. All he cared about was getting back on his feet. “Please… just give me the
power to fight right now.”

“I thought I told you this already!” Iva-chan yelled, and Luffy’s heart sank. “If I let you die, I will
never be able to face Dragon again, you utter fool!”

Luffy’s arm came back to him slowly rather than snapping like it usually did. If he couldn’t scrape
up the energy to keep arguing, then he would be useless.

Then, Iva-chan sighed. Luffy’s breath caught in his throat. “Very well,” he said. He clearly wasn’t
happy about it, but that didn’t matter. Luffy had convinced him. He’d be able to keep fighting.
“Have it your own damned way!” Iva-chan yelled. Luffy braced for the prick of the injection, for
the burn of it coursing through his muscles, but none of it came.

“Wait!” someone else yelled. Luffy didn’t recognize her voice. Slowly, so slowly, he lifted his
gaze and blinked to clear his vision until he could make out the blurry figure of one of the pirates.
Luffy didn’t know her name, but he thought he might have seen her with some of the Whitebeards
earlier. She was holding Iva-chan’s arm back before it could reach Luffy.

He wanted to yell. He wanted to get up and shake her and throw himself on Iva-chan’s nails if he
had to. How dare she. Wasn’t she here to save Ace too?

Luffy thought some of his thoughts may have managed to come across because he could hear her
swallow. “Just wait,” she said. “My name is Sela. I’m a member of the Dream Pirates, here under
alliance with Whitebeard. I know your brother. Just… Rather than this hormone, whatever it is,
will you let me tell you about my power? It will only take a moment.” She spoke in a rush, toward
the end, and it took Luffy a moment to parse out the words. Hesitantly, he nodded. She let out a
gusty sigh and released Iva-chan’s arm. “Thank you. I ate the Jikan Jikan no mi. It allows me some
degree of power over time itself.” Luffy’s breath catches in his throat. Could she go back and save
Ace? Why hadn’t she already?

Sela shook her head. “I can’t go back in time, or forward. My fruit doesn’t work like that—I can’t
move through time. I can move time through others.” Luffy stared. She made an unsure noise. “It
can be dangerous, it’s why I didn’t use it on everyone before we came here. There’s no telling
what kind of future lies before you; the you that results may be seriously injured and unable to fight
anyway. You could even be dead. But it sounds like this injection is plenty dangerous on its own,
and my power could bring a stronger you here instead. One with years more experience and
training.”

Iva-chan opened his mouth to object, but Luffy didn’t hesitate. “Do it,” he said. Luffy wasn’t
strong enough, not yet, but he would be someday. If there was any chance he could make someday
today, he would take it.

She took a deep breath and crouched down beside him. The others let her pass but helped roll him
onto his back instead of his stomach. Her hands hovered over him, hesitating for a moment before
she laced them against his chest and closed her eyes. Her hands glowed, his skin began to tingle,
and then he didn’t feel anything.

Luffy didn't know what was happening. He was on the Sunny, leaving Wano with his crew and
setting out for whatever the middle island ended up being. All Luffy cared about was that it would
be an adventure.

Then, suddenly, he wasn't on the Sunny anymore. The ground beneath him was solid and
unmoving, and he was on his back rather than sitting perched atop the lion figurehead of his ship.
He looked around, and the sight was familiar. He'd been here a hundred times since he left, heard
the yells and screams, and smelled the blood, but this didn't feel like the other memories.
Flashbacks, Chopper had called them. He didn't get them often after he reunited with his crew, but
he still knew what they felt like, and this wasn't it. It felt even more real than those ever did.

Luffy looked around and saw the worried faces of Iva-chan and everyone else, and suddenly, he
began to remember. He knew this didn't happen the first time he was here, but new memories were
forming as he lay there. He remembered begging Iva-chan for the second adrenaline shot, and he
remembered him giving in. He remembered the way it burned through his veins and remembered
forcing himself to his feet. He also remembered Sela reaching out to stop the injection before it
reached him. He remembered her explaining her power and he remembered agreeing.

And then, Luffy understood. This was all real. He was back in Marineford, and… he jolted upright,
ignoring the concerned questions and hands reaching out to support him. He pushed himself to his
feet and spun to face the platform so quickly that his head spun a little.

His breath caught in his throat and his eyes stung. Because there he was, up on the platform,
kneeling and bleeding and chained and alive.

Ace.
Ace was alive, and Luffy could still save him.

He turned to Sela and she looked startled at the attention. Maybe Luffy had been ignoring them too
long.

"Thank you," he said. She nodded, still looking a little bit stunned, and then Luffy was moving.

Marineford in his memory was a blur with flashes of sharp clarity, and time and nightmares warped
it further, but he knew the important bits. He knew what he had to do. He roared and started
running. Iva-chan and the others ran alongside him, taking out anyone in the way before they could
get to him.

“Mugiwara-boy! Are you alright? Do you know where you are?”

“I’m fine,” he said, not even slowing down. “I don’t really understand, but I was brought here by a
fruit, right? I was on the Sunny, and then I wasn’t anymore.”

“The Sunny?” Iva-chan asked.

Luffy didn’t answer. “Coby!” he yelled, but his friend didn’t back down. He knew he wouldn’t. He
hadn’t the first time either. So Luffy pulled his fist back, just a little bit, and snapped it forward. It
wouldn’t be fair to face Coby with the results of his two years training when Coby himself hadn’t
had time to do it yet. It was more than enough to bring him down.

The Pacifistas moved to block him instead, raising their hands to attack, but Luffy didn’t hesitate
there either. He could feel Hancock rushing to block it, and he remembered them leaving her alone.

“Thanks, Hancock!” he yelled over his shoulder.

“Is that not the Empress?” Iva-chan asked. “How on Earth do you know her?”

Luffy could sense all the disappearing “voices” on the battlefield. He could feel the old man and
Pineapple struggling, but they were strong. Luffy had to focus on Ace. It was what they wanted
him to do anyway. The old man spoke with unwavering strength, even though Luffy knew he was
badly wounded by this point. He couldn’t look. The executioners were raising their blades.

He glared, still running, and yelled out, commanded, “Stop!” He let his Conqueror’s wash over the
field, focused on the “voices” of the Marines. Stronger Marines than he could manage last time fell
with them. He heard the gasps and cries of shock when they fell by the thousands. This time, he
had the control to keep the pirates upright. He could feel their stares and attention afterward. They
may not have noticed before that he was different, stronger, but they’d noticed now. The scar
displayed openly across his chest was visible proof of that.

Again, Iva-chan spoke. “You—” he started. “That was…!”

Luffy still ignored him. What it was was obvious enough without needing to say it. “I’m coming
for you, Ace!” he yelled.

Some of the Marines moved back, staying out of his way. It was pointless, though. Luffy’s range
more than covered the entire field. There was fear spreading among the Marines, and some of them
lashed out with it rather than cowering. Distantly, he realized that not everyone had noticed that
Luffy wasn’t the same one they’d been facing before.

“And when exactly did you obtain a power of that nature?” Iva-chan asked again.
“After this,” Luffy answered. “Rayleigh taught me.”

“Silvers Rayleigh?” Iva-chan exclaimed. “The Dark King?”

Just as before, the old man yelled out. “Support Straw Hat Luffy with all your might!”

Luffy could handle most of the Marines here easily now, but he appreciated it all the same. He
could move more quickly if he wasn’t interrupted, and if the Admirals converged on him, he
would need the energy. The Whitebeards surrounded him and kept all the enemies out of his way.
“Hurry, brother of Ace!” one yelled. “The Marines are focused on our old man right now. Miss this
chance, and you’ll never get past the Admirals.”

“It’s going to be tough to break through,” another said. “Come with us!”

“This is big, Mugiwara-boy,” Iva-chan said. “The world’s greatest pirate is putting you to the test!
Are you prepared to live up to Whitebeard’s expectations?”Luffy rushed past him when he paused
to take out an approaching Marine with a cry of, “Hee-haw!”

Luffy grinned, sharp and wild. “I’m only here for one reason,” he called. “The same reason I
always was! Who cares about expectations?”

“Dodge!” Iva-chan yelled, but Luffy was already moving. “It’s the Hawkeye!”

Luffy avoided it, shooting forward with a burst of gear second, and Daz Bones kept Mihawk from
following. “Crocodile’s orders,” he called after him. “For now, the Marines are my enemy!”

Mihawk pushed past him with ease. Crocodile took his place, and Luffy paused, just for a second.
Just long enough to turn and yell, “You’re not my enemy! You’re Zoro’s to defeat!” Mihawk
blinked in clear surprise, but Luffy didn’t think he’d be following him again. He couldn’t interfere
with Zoro’s dream, and fighting someone so powerful would take more time and energy than he
was willing to spare anyway.

“We are almost at the execution platform, Mugiwara-boy!” Luffy knew it. He was so close. Ace
was right in front of him, close enough that Luffy could see the sweat on his face. “Just keep
running straight ahead! We’ll take care of the rest.”

The ground lifted into a ramp, leading right to his brother. “Crab-chan!” he yelled, gratitude
swelling.

“Go forth, Luffy-kun,” was all he said, standing guard at the foot of the ramp.

Luffy grinned again. “Right. Thanks.” Crab-Chan returned his smile as Luffy ran past.

He took a deep breath and yelled as loudly as he could. “I’m here for you! Ace!” The words burned
in his throat like acid, like he was mocking himself for his weakness, but he wasn’t. He was there
for his brother, and he wouldn’t fail this time. He refused to. The Marines fought back, Luffy could
sense them attacking, but the Whitebeards kept them at bay, cheering for him. All he had to worry
about was Gramps.

He knew what happened last time, knew Gramps chose duty before taking a dive, but he tried again
anyway. “Gramps! Please move!” His face was anguished, even as he stood his ground, and it
killed Luffy to see it.

“Like hell I’m going to move. Luffy, I am a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters!” The others
were shouting down below, but Luffy tuned them out. Gramps was staring at the scar on his chest.
Luffy couldn’t read his expression. “I’ve been fighting against pirates since long before you were
even born. So if you want to get through here, you’ll have to kill me first. Straw Hat Luffy, this is
the path that you two chose!”

Luffy knew what he really wanted to say. What his words meant. He’d been too preoccupied the
first time, too distracted to respond properly. But right now, he was freshly recovered from his
injuries and spent the last week praying in Wano. The words came more easily. “I know,” he said
instead. Gramps faltered. “I know you wanted us to be Marines so we’d be safe, so we wouldn’t be
enemies, but I’m not sorry.” He’d said it himself earlier: Gramps’s path was set before he even
knew to consider what Ace and Luffy’s would be. He couldn’t ask him to change it now.

Gramps’s face fell, but he raised his fist all the same. He attacked when Luffy did, and just like
before, he let himself fall with a single hit. Luffy leapt onto the platform just as the ramp crumbled
completely.

And there was Ace, breathing and close enough to touch. Luffy’s heart caught in his throat and he
felt like crying, like collapsing to his knees and holding his brother to his chest, but he wasn’t safe
yet. Ace wasn’t safe until he was far away from here, far from Alaina’s reach. Luffy couldn’t stop.

“Ace,” he said, voice wet as he fumbled for the key.

“Luffy…?” Ace asked uncertainly. “What… What the hell happened to you?” He was staring at
Luffy’s scar too, at a face that had aged two years since he saw it months ago.

Luffy wanted to answer, but there was no time. The Fleet Admiral was growing big like last time
and Luffy needed to hurry. “Hold it,” he said, voice booming. “Do you really think I would just let
him escape?”

Luffy ignored him for now, he just needed to focus, needed to get Ace out of his cuffs, and then-

The key broke as a beam of light flew past. Luffy startled and cursed. How had he forgotten? But
with that reminder came another. Luffy whipped his head to face one of the collapsed executioners.
One whose “voice” he’d spared from his Conqueror’s on instinct and one that wasn’t quite as
unconscious as its body seemed to be. Luffy kicked him.

San jolted upright. “What the hell!” he yelled.

“Make a wall and protect Ace,” Luffy ordered. He bit his thumb. The longer they underestimated
him, the better, and Gum Gum Balloon had worked just fine the last time around. There was no
need to face the Fleet Admiral head-on.

His golden form towered over them, attacking just as San finally obeyed. “Make a key, now!”
Luffy called as they fell.

“Stop ordering me around!” San answered, even though he was already doing it. “I am here to
fulfill the final wish of my lost comrade… would you laugh at me for that?”

Luffy’s heart panged at the memory of Bon-chan, but he smiled at it anyway. “Of course I
wouldn’t,” he said.

With a turn of the key, Ace was free of his chains. He yanked Luffy toward him by the back of his
vest, dispelling the bombardment of attacks with his flames. “You never change, do you?” he
asked, voice choked with emotion. Luffy knew him too well for Ace to hide it. “Never listening to
a damn thing I say, always doing the stupidest damn things!”
Luffy laughed through the few tears he couldn’t quite hold back. He thought of all the adventures
he’d had since Ace died, of all the stories his brother would be there for this time, of finding out
Sabo was alive, and smiled. “Ace!” he yelled, chorused with Ace’s crew and friends on the ground.

“Don’t let your guard down, Luffy,” he called, sending a pillar of fire at their feet to chase away
the enemies waiting for them below. Everyone was yelling but Luffy could pick out Jinbe’s voice
in the crowd, cheering. Luffy smiled as they landed. He had some of his crew here with him after
all.

Ace eyed him warily. “That still you in there, Lu?” he asked. Luffy nodded, beaming widely. He
hadn’t heard that name in a long time. Sabo used to call him that too, but he hadn’t when they met
on Dressrosa. Ace sighed, reaching back to ruffle his hair. “Yeah, I thought so. How far in the
future are you from?”

“Two years,” Luffy chirped.

Ace laughed, bright and loud. “You sure got a lot stronger in two years!” Luffy couldn’t help but
preen a bit under the praise.

“You have no idea,” he said, punching out a Marine.

Ace glanced back at him again. Luffy could tell he was looking at the scar on his chest. His smile
dimmed. “I bet a lot happened.”

Luffy hummed. “Yeah. I had lots of adventures. I’ll tell you about ‘em someday, when I’m back.”

Ace shot him a grin and sent a wave of fire in front of them to clear a path. “I’ll hold you to that,
little brother. Though I must say, I never thought I’d see the day when you had to come to my
rescue.

Luffy giggled as he ducked a blow and returned it twofold. He rubbed his nose. “I had plenty of
help from the Old Man and your crew. Plus some other friends too.”

Luffy stretched a hand out to catch a bullet headed for Ace, sending it back where it came from.
“Don’t touch my brother!” he yelled.

Ace jumped up and pushed down on his head to avoid a swinging blade. It passed harmlessly
through his body, dragging a trail of flames with it. “That’s my line, you brat!” Ace shot a Fire Fist
and sent the Marines screaming. “Who’s the older brother here, huh?” Luffy grinned. The Marines
were yelling, calling for their deaths, and Luffy grinned.

Luffy stepped to the side when he sensed an attack from Aokiji approaching. Ace glanced at him
as he stepped forward to intercept it. He still looked a little conflicted, but there was pride there
too. It made Luffy’s chest warm. Ace was alive. He couldn’t get over it. Ace was alive, and he was
proud of him.

“Not too good to let me cover you, now, are you?” Ace asked, grinning. Luffy laughed and shook
his head. Ace launched a wall of fire to meet the Admiral’s ice. Luffy needed to conserve his
energy for when it mattered, just in case; he couldn’t collapse this time.

Besides, it was nice to have his big brother around to protect him again.

Luffy heard the commotion of the boat approaching on land and then of Whitebeard stopping it.
He knew what was coming next. It was almost time. Ace paused to listen as the Old Man spoke, so
Luffy stayed on guard and watched his back.
He glanced over and wondered if this too was something he should be changing. Luffy was strong
now. He was so much stronger than he used to be, than he was the first time he was here. He could
probably cover the retreat and stop the worst of the impending wounds from ever reaching Ace’s
dad.

As if sensing his thoughts, the Old Man met Luffy’s eye when he spoke next. “I am only a relic of
history,” he said, voice booming out across the battlefield. “I don’t have a place on any ship that
sails toward the new era.” Luffy met his gaze steadily; he understood. He looked away from Luffy
to face the rapt crowds instead. “Go, my children!” he yelled.

Luffy listened to the cries of protest and refusal, even at an order from their captain. The Old Man
looked at Luffy again and nodded. He wondered if he could tell, somehow, that Luffy was an
Emperor too now. Maybe he could just tell that Luffy was strong—that he was holding back.

The Old Man’s next words weren’t for Luffy or for any of his crew. “My journey has been long
enough as it is. Let’s end this, Marine H.Q.”

Some of the Whitebeards were still resisting the order and yelling at their dad, but Luffy didn’t pay
any attention to them or to the Old Man’s response. He’d already made up his mind, and even if
the others didn’t accept it yet, Luffy knew there was no changing it. It wasn’t their place to,
anyway. He focused on Ace instead.

“Ace!” he called. His brother was frozen in place. Luffy needed him to move. Iva-chan was trying
to urge Luffy forward, but there was no way he was leaving without Ace. “Ace,” he called again,
“we need to go, or the Old man’s resolve will be—”

“I know,” Ace said through gritted teeth. “I won’t let it go to waste.” The words sounded like they
were torn out of him. Ace roared and sent the Marines around them flying with a blast of flames.

The Old Man turned back to them while Luffy helped Ace to his feet; he shouldn’t be wasting his
energy when he was so injured, but Ace would probably hit Luffy if he tried to say that. “No need
to speak,” the Old Man said. “Just answer one question for me Ace… Was I a good father?”

Ace didn’t hesitate. “Of course!”The Old Man laughed.

Luffy turned around as Jinbe came up behind them and offered a bright grin. To his credit, Jinbe
hesitated only briefly before ordering Ace and Luffy to run. “You guys are targeted,” he said.
“Oyaji’s wish is for you to live on as long as possible.”

They ran, making their way through the crowds of enemies as their allies fled to the ships alongside
them. But then, Luffy sensed him. The attack didn’t reach them—it was for the people blocking
him from reaching Ace—but Luffy would never forget the heat of it. He would never forget the
smell. Luffy knew what came next, and he couldn’t let it happen.

Luffy stopped in his tracks and turned around. It took Ace a second to realize it, but he doubled
back once he had.

The man opened his mouth to say the words that had damned them last time, and Luffy cut him
off. “I'll handle him,” Luffy said, keeping his gaze on Akainu. The Admiral raised an eyebrow at
his claim, not pausing in his measured approach.

Ace squawked in protest and tried to yank him forward again, but Luffy didn’t budge. “Luffy, are
you crazy?” he asked. “He’s an Admiral. You only set sail a few months ago! You’re seventeen!”

“Nineteen,” Luffy corrected, but Ace waved him off.

“Still younger than me,” he argued. “Here, you go on ahead. I’ll fight him, and—“

“No,” Luffy barked. Ace paused. He may have even flinched, but Luffy couldn’t look. He needed
to be prepared if Akainu lunged for Ace. “You’re not gonna fight him. I’ll be fine.” Luffy felt
around with his haki and found who he was looking for hovering nearby. “Oi, Pineapple!” Luffy
could hear snickers from around him and what sounded like a crash, maybe as Pineapple fell to the
ground, since he was in his cool bird form. “Look after Ace for me, okay? Take him back to the
ship. I’ll catch up later.”

Ace was yelling protests and struggling but as Pineapple circled back around overhead, he gave
Luffy a firm nod. Luffy returned it, eyes darting to meet his for a split second, and then Akainu was
moving.
 Chapter 2
Chapter Notes

This is, uh... also largely unedited. Sorry. It seems that, for all that this is indulgent, I
rushed through much of it. I hope you're enjoying it anyway :)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Luffy cracked his knuckles and met Akainu in the middle. Luffy caught his magma fist in a haki-
coated hand. The Admiral wavered in surprise, but not for long.

Akainu growled. “Out of my way, Straw Hat. I’ll kill you later, but right now, the priority is
making sure that demon spawn doesn’t make it out of here alive.”

Luffy snarled and pushed. Akainu stumbled back. “Like hell,” he said. Slowly, a grin took over his
face, his hair fading into white. He remembered that CP0 agent ambushing him during his fight
with Kaido. He remembered the new picture on his wanted poster and his new bounty and that new
Admiral coming to Wano to crash the party. “But if it’s about priority, I think I can help with that.”
Luffy laughed and his heart pounded, echoing across the field. The ground beneath him became
rubber and he bounced lightly where he stood as his clothes turned white.

“Attention all troops!” the Fleet Admiral called. Luffy bent his neck ninety degrees to peek around
Akainu and see, laughing and pulling his torso to the side to avoid another attack. The Buddha
guy’s face was so pale that Luffy thought he might pass out. “You have new orders: forget Firefist
Ace! Your new priority is to kill Monkey D. Luffy at any cost!”

Luffy didn’t really get why, but his plan had worked, so it didn’t matter. He laughed and sunk his
weight into the ground, launching back up to avoid the next strike and landing on his head a few
feet away. It didn’t hurt and being upside down was even more fun than before. It made a funny
boing sound when he bounced, and his neck was scrunching down like a spring to launch him even
higher.

Akainu looked a little confused but mostly angry. Wasn’t he having any fun? Luffy pushed himself
up again when Akainu next attacked and landed neatly on top of his Marine hat, jumping off like a
diving board and flipping back to the ground behind him. He yanked at it and it pulled and
bunched like carpet, dragging Akainu backward and knocking him off his feet. Luffy pointed and
clutched his stomach, laughing so hard it hurt.

Akainu rose, clearly furious, and Luffy’s eyes bugged out of his head when he launched a ball of
magma right at him. “Wah!” he yelled, flattening himself against the ground and barely avoiding it.
When he popped back up, he pouted at his singed hair, pinching it with his fingers. It made a funny
sizzling sound and Luffy grinned when it turned back to white a moment later.

His turn!

Luffy twisted his arm back around his shoulder until it was wound tight. Then, he started spinning
his legs, kicking up the dirt in mounds behind him as he did. He grinned and let his legs carry him
forward, moving too fast to see. His arm unwound at the same time, and as he ran past Akainu, it
studded against his face over and over. Luffy laughed and laughed and laughed and then yelled as
he realized he couldn’t stop running.

Everyone’s eyes popped out around him. Luffy figured it would be fine. He’d run into a wall or
something eventually, after all! But then he stopped a whole lot sooner than expected, his legs
spinning all the way out when he was lifted into the air. “Whew!” he said, wiping at his brow. He
looked up and saw who was holding him. “Ah, Old Man! Thanks a bunch for catching me!”

He stared at Luffy, expression serious, and that was dumb. Couldn’t they hear the drums? Didn’t
they see him laughing? Luffy was as free as he had ever been, and everyone else should be
celebrating freely too. Plus, Ace was gone! Luffy was handling Akainu, and—

“Uh oh!” He leaned his head backward until he could see behind his back, scanning the crowd
until he saw the Admiral. He was almost to Luffy and the Old Man, and Luffy exhaled in relief.
Akainu braced against the wind of it, stopping for a moment. Luffy wondered if he could smell his
lunch on his breath, and laughed. Luffy went to go fight him again, but his body didn’t make it far
before snapping back into the Old Man’s hold. Right. “Hey, lemme go!”

Luffy pouted when he didn’t listen right away. “Sela’s work?” the Old Man asked quietly.

Luffy grinned and nodded. “Yep! Isn’t it cool?”

Finally, the Old Man smiled. “Yes,” he said, laughing, “yes it is.”

Luffy whooped when he dropped him—he was so tall!—and landed at an angle so he could spring
right back at Akainu. He coated his fist in ryuo and drove it through his face and laughed when it
stretched the back of his head out too.

When Luffy bounced back, Akainu was palming at his head, trying to get it unstuck almost
desperately and Luffy cackled at the sight. He couldn’t help it! He didn’t know why everyone
wasn’t laughing. He glanced around but the Marines’ faces were green and their eyes were big and
round and the black parts (Chopper told him they were what he actually used to see!) were super
tiny.

The ground was bouncing beneath him still, sending any nearby Marines stumbling, and all but one
was keeping far away from him. Luffy flipped around to face the bay. Ace and Pineapple weren’t
back to the ships yet.

Luffy felt something hot hit his head hard and knock it forward. It snapped backward again and
then rattled back and forth a few more times. He held his head, his eyes going swirly, and stumbled
around to face Akainu again. He looked angry, angrier than Luffy had ever seen him. His face was
back to normal. Although, it was probably a bit bloodier and more bruised than before. Luffy
couldn’t remember. He laughed again and Akainu charged with a yell.

Luffy pushed himself up onto the toes of one foot. He wobbled a bit before he got his balance, but
then he started spinning on it like Bon-chan did. He stretched his leg out farther and farther as he
did. He felt a few Marines who were too close get launched away by the blow, but when his leg
reached Akainu, he grabbed it in a searing magma fist.

Luffy yelped and snapped the limb back to himself. He fell back off his foot and bounced on his
back against the ground while he blew on his burned leg. He sighed in relief as his reddened skin
paled back to normal, and then yelped again as he dodged another blow.

“Straw Hat!” Akaiku roared. “What kind of monster are you? Die!”

Luffy laughed. “Why would I do that?” he asked. “This is great! Aren’t you guys having fun?”
Akainu snarled and raised his arms as his human form melted into magma. The ground in front of
him turned to magma too, bubbling up from the earth. Anyone near him at all scrambled to get
away.

Luffy could feel the heat radiating off of him from here. He panted heavily, face drooping and
sweating.

Akainu sent it at Luffy in a tidal wave. Luffy goggled at it, eyes popping out to go wider than his
face allowed.

An idea struck.

Luffy dug his fingers into the earth below him and yanked it up in a perfectly-sized surfboard. He
tossed it up into the air and bounced himself off the ground to land on it as the wave approached.
White wisps like clouds followed behind him as he soared through the sky, trailing out from under
the board. Luffy coated it in haki as it reached the wave and cheered when it kept him surfing
perfectly along it. It was really hot though. When magma started flicking up and landing on his
skin, Luffy yelped and drove his board to run over the top.

As he surfed down the back of the wave, he inhaled as deeply as he could and blew air across it.
The magma cooled down and hardened into rock behind him as he went.

Luffy giggled when he reached the end and crashed off onto the ground and bounced off of it. His
surfboard rock broke to bits behind him. That was so fun! He wished Ace could try it. Luffy
blinked. Ah, he could!

Luffy ducked when he felt heat approaching. He hummed. Right. Ace would fight if he came back
and then he would get hurt and it would be Luffy’s fault all over again. Maybe later, then.

Luffy stared up at the sky, still bouncing after he dodged Akainu’s last attack. He saw a cool bird
fly overhead. “Straw Hat!” it called. Luffy cocked his head to the side.

“Ah,” he said, smacking his fist into his palm and sitting up; he bounced in place with his legs
crossed. “Pineapple.”

The bird didn’t look happy, but he didn’t say anything about it. “Ace is safe. Let me take you back
to the ship, now.” Luffy blinked and then grinned, his smile stretching beyond his cheeks.

He whooped and cheered, flipping around the balls of magma Akainu sent his way. Luffy
wondered why he was keeping his distance all of a sudden.

“Thanks a lot, Pineapple!” He swooped closer to Luffy. “Ah, but I can’t go yet!” The bird paused
mid-air.

“Why not?” Pineapple glanced at Akainu, who was finally starting to approach again. “You’ve
already done more than enough, yoi. You were the one who got Ace down and you’ve been
holding back the Red Dog for a while now. He’s safe. Now it’s your turn.”

Luffy shook his head, still grinning. “Nah. I gotta make sure he can’t follow, right?” Luffy nodded
his head toward the Old Man. “Plus, I got something I wanna tell ‘im before I go.” Pineapple stared
at him for a moment. Slowly, he nodded.

“Alright, yoi. Be quick about it. The others are struggling to hold Ace back and you sticking
around isn’t making it any easier.”
Luffy laughed and a smile tugged at Pineapple’s beak. It looked funny. Pineapple flew away and
Luffy turned his attention back to Akainu. He was a lot closer now than the last time he’d looked,
but he still had time.

Luffy grinned, and then he started to grow. He grew and grew and grew until he was towering far
over even where the Buddha guy reached back on the platform. He couldn’t see the Marine’s faces
very well from way up here but their “voices” felt afraid. Luffy giggled. Why were they afraid?
Sure, they were gonna lose and maybe get hurt a bit, but didn’t they think it was cool? Luffy was
huge.

He yelped and danced in place a bit when his legs got pelted by attacks. They kinda stung a little.
The ground shook beneath him, bouncing as he jumped between his feet and knocking most of the
people down. He breathed a sigh of relief when they stopped attacking him because of it.

He may as well get it over with if no one else was enjoying it properly though. He raised his foot
and let it hover over some of the Marines—with Akainu right in the middle. They started
screaming and running as Luffy brought it down. The Admiral stayed in place and covered as
much of himself as he could in armament haki. Luffy laughed. Of course he was gonna survive,
Akainu wasn’t that week. Luffy wasn’t trying to kill him.

Luffy stomped his foot over all of them. Coby and the blond guy and Gramps weren’t in the way
and neither were any of the pirates or prisoners, so it was fine. The ground buckled beneath the
weight and force and Luffy kept pushing it down as far as it would go. When it stopped, the
groundlevel of Marineford came up to just below his knee. He pulled it back out of the hole and
stumbled back, shrinking as he fell.

When he landed, he bounced at an angle back to the Old Man. The Marines he was fighting had
paused to stare at Luffy—though it seemed like almost everyone had—and they ran off when he
got closer.

“Hey, Old Man!” Luffy said.

“Brat,” he answered. Luffy laughed.

“Are you sure you wanna stay? Ace and the others are safe. Akainu is fine, but he’s still stuck
down there.” The Old Man didn’t waver. Luffy hummed. “Y’know, last time around, the
Whitebeards fell apart when you died. Teach hunted ‘em down.” The Old Man froze, the weight of
his gaze heavy on Luffy, though it didn’t weigh him down. He bounced up and the Old Man stuck
his palm out for Luffy to sit on while they talked. “He stole your fruit after he killed you.”

The Old Man stared for another moment. “He comes here?” he asked.

Luffy nodded a few times. “Yep. After Ace died.” The Old Man’s expression hardened. “I can’t
tell you much more though. Jinbe told me some, afterward, but I was sleeping.”

“Unconscious,” the Old Man offered.

Luffy nodded again. “Yeah, that. I can ask him more when I get back, but I don’t think that would
help anyway.” Luffy was feeling kinda tired. He looked back at Marineford and saw the Marines’
forces in shambles. They were mostly running away and all the strong ones were either trapped,
staying out of it, or being held off by their allies. He hummed and then let Gear 5 drain away from
him. He sagged when the energy left with it, falling back to lie down and panting and feeling like
he’d aged a few decades in only moments. The anxious need to get anywhere else flooded back
into Luffy’s veins.
The Old Man watched but didn’t say anything about it.

After a few seconds, Luffy took a deep breath and sat back up. “They need you,” Luffy said. “You
don’t gotta be in charge, or anything. They don’t need you to be their captain still, they just need
their dad. You can retire.”

A laugh rumbled out of the Old Man’s chest. “Pirates like me can’t retire, brat.”

“Eh?” Luffy asked, brow creasing. “Don’t be stupid.”

The Old Man’s haki flared in warning, but there wasn’t much point. He barely used any and Luffy
didn’t think he would have wavered under even the full force of it. “Oh?” he asked.

Luffy nodded. “Yeah. That’s stupid.” The Old Man opened his mouth, but Luffy cut him off.
“Pirates are free; you can do whatever you want.”

The Old Man stared and then he started to laugh again. It was loud and joyful and surprised and
Luffy couldn’t help but join in. ‘Is that so, brat?”

“Mhm,” Luffy said, still grinning. “And the Pirate King is the freest man on the seas, so that’s
gonna be me.”

The Old Man hummed. “Maybe so.” Some of the marines started yelling again, but they were still
staying back, so Luffy didn’t say anything. Without saying anything else, the Old Man raised his
cool sword stick and brought it down, shaking the earth and the air around them as he did. “I think
I may want to see that,” he said. Luffy crowed a cheer, throwing his arms up as the old Man started
moving toward the ships, still carrying Luffy in his palm.

Luffy stared at the hole in his chest as they went. Torao could probably fix him, but Luffy didn’t
know if the Old Man would fit in his ship. He didn’t think so. Ah, they could probably just meet
after they left then.

Luffy shot himself across to stand on the Old Man’s shoulder once he had the energy so they could
move around more freely. He held on when the Old Man sidestepped a beam of light from Kizaru.
Luffy shifted, ready to jump down to meet him, but Jinbe beat him to it, taking another beam
through the shoulder. When Luffy sensed Aokiji approaching from the other side, the big sword
guy and Pineapple stopped him. “Pops!” Pineapple called. “Everyone else is on the ship! Get
going, we’ll hold ‘em off, yoi!”

The Old Man hesitated, and Luffy knew he was going to tell them not to fight his battles, so he
kicked him. Just a little. The Old Man glared at him but kept moving. But then Jinbe’s voice
reached him. “If by tearing this body apart I can delay you in the slightest, then I am content,” he
said. “I never intended to place value on my own life from the outset!”

Rage bubbled up inside Luffy and his skin steamed with Second Gear. He was beside Jinbe in a
second, stopping Kizaru’s leg mid-kick with his own leg.

“Luffy-kun!” Jinbe yelled. “Get out of here!” Luffy ignored him.

“Oh?” the Admiral said, that same look on his face he had when he’d taken Luffy’s crew away
from him. When he separated them for two years. Luffy could take him down—he knew he was
strong enough—and he wanted to. He could activate Gear Fourth and hold him here until the man
couldn’t move to follow them even if he wanted to. But that wasn’t why he was here.

Luffy glared and pushed him back.

He was here for Ace, and Ace wasn’t completely safe yet. They needed to leave. So Luffy closed
his eyes and listened for the drums again. He was tired and sore and all the wounds he brushed off
when he was in Gear Fifth the first time ached, but he paid none of it any mind. He could still
move, and this was the best way to handle everything. A laugh bubbled up in his throat when
Kizaru shot toward them again. Luffy stuck a hand out and grabbed him by the ankle in a haki-
coated grip, spinning with the momentum and carrying the Admiral with him. He spun and spun
and spun and then let him go. Luffy shaded his eyes and watched Kizaru fly off in the opposite
direction. Luffy threw him too quickly for him to stop it. It would probably take him a while to get
back. If he didn’t land in the sea, anyway. Luffy giggled again and turned to Jinbe.

“Hey!” he said. Jinbe startled, staring at him. “You’re not allowed to die! You’re my helmsman,
aren’t you?”

Jinbe blinked at him. He heard a few gasps and sounds of confusion around him too.

“Oh, right!” Luffy said, laughing. “Not yet, huh? Well, don’t you think it would be fun? Sailing
together?”

Jinbe kept staring until, finally, he smiled and laughed heartily. Luffy laughed with him. “Yes,
Luffy-kun. I think it would be very fun.”

Luffy grinned and bounded forward, dragging Jinbe with him. “Then let’s go! You can join us
when you’re ready, okay?” Luffy didn’t wait for an answer, looking at the Old Man. He held his
eye steadily; he would probably get it.

After a moment, the Old Man laughed. “You cheeky brat,” he said. “Who do you think you are,
giving me orders?” Luffy grinned and ran to grab Pineapple and Big Sword Guy. Aokiji followed
them and Jinbe stalled him with a burst of water. The tsunami approached just as Luffy reached the
Old Man.

The Marines started screaming again and Aokiji cursed, readying his powers. Luffy grew again,
though a lot less than last time, and wrapped everyone tightly in his arms. He pushed them off the
ground a bit and, when they fell back down, Luffy let them sink deeper and deeper and deeper
before launching them into the sky. As they passed, Aokiji froze the wave in place, trapping the
Marines behind a wall of ice.

The Pineapple yelped a bit and Luffy laughed. Shouldn’t he be used to flying? What a weird guy.
They crashed into the deck of the biggest ship in the bay, bending it inward and bouncing back
without breaking it. Luffy rolled over laughing as everyone squawked and protested. Some of the
people on the boat before them shrieked. The only person still standing, and the only one who
seemed to have enjoyed the ride like Luffy did, was the Old Man.

Luffy sat up. “Ah!” he said. “Torao!” Just as he said it, the yellow submarine rose out of the sea
beside them. Luffy ran to the side and looked down at Torao as he walked onto its small deck.
“Torao!” he called again, waving his arm. Torao turned and blinked at him, doing a double take
when he saw him. Luffy laughed at him. “Hey, Jinbe’s hurt, help him!”

“Excuse me?” Torao asked.

Luffy ignored him. “And the Old Man! So come aboard and help. We can meet your crew on
Amazon Lily!” Torao still looked confused, so Luffy just shot out an arm and grabbed him. He
yelled when Luffy pulled him up onto the ship’s deck and Luffy laughed at him again. Torao was
always so funny.
 Sitting on the Mini Moby and sailing away, conscious and sitting next to Ace while the
Whitebeards toasted to their captain, was a new experience. Luffy never got to spend any time with
Ace's dad or most of his other brothers. He already knew they were good guys because they were
Ace's family, but getting to know them a bit more was really fun. He almost wished he could stay a
little longer.

He could feel that he was about to leave, could feel his time calling back to him. He didn't know
whether the future he returned to would be different, if he saved his Ace too, but he would find out
eventually. For now, he wasn't quite done here yet.

"Hey, Old Man," Luffy said. The faces everyone else made made him laugh, especially Ace. He
looked so scandalized—like how Sabo would describe the nobles he flipped off when they were
kids. "Thanks for loving Ace." The Old Man smiled and Luffy turned his own grin on the rest of
the crowd on the Moby. "And everyone else too! Thanks for looking after him."

Luffy could see a lot of poorly hidden tears and embarrassed grins. A lot of them reached forward
to ruffle Ace’s hair or push his shoulders. Ace's face was all red, and he was glaring at Luffy. But
his eyes were misty too, and he looked happy.

"You stupid idiot," he said, wrapping an arm around Luffy's neck. "Which of us is the older brother
here, huh?"

Luffy snickered and leaned back into the embrace.

"Ace is. He's the best." Ace made another embarrassed sound and tried to pull away but Luffy held
his arm in place. "Ace. I'm really glad you're alive." He went quiet and still at that. The rest of the
ship did too. They may have thought so before, but Luffy probably just confirmed for them that
Ace hadn't made it the first time. Luffy took a deep breath, just laying against his brother for a
moment—feeling Ace's heartbeat against him and listening to him breathe. Ace was alive. Luffy
had done it. He opened his eyes and smiled.

Before he went back, he turned to Ace's brothers. "Hey, Pineapple and Pretty Sniper." They both
turned to him and blinked at the nicknames while their family snickered behind them. Luffy
laughed. "I'll see you guys later, okay? Ah, and tell Kiku I say hi!" Pretty Sniper looked surprised,
and Luffy laughed. It was the last thing he saw on the Moby before everything went black.

He wondered if Ace would be alive when he went back.

Chapter End Notes

I realized after I had already written this that it may be cool to have him use Red
Hawk, but Luffy is not one for symbolic meaning despite his penchant for grand
gestures. He wouldn't think about it. Ace was alive, so he could see it later anyway.

Obligatory reminder that I have a Discord for all of my fics! It's where outtakes,
updates on progress, and any fanart I receive can be found, as well as just being a cool
place to hang out. Come and check it out if you're interested!
 Chapter 3
Chapter Notes

This is technically not late, I have 20 whole minutes left in Monday. This chapter
fought me a bit, but the beginning is probably one of my favorite parts of this whole
fic. Also probably the most self-indulgent of all. I hope you guys like it!

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Marco had been told story after story about Ace’s adorable gremlin of a little brother. Most of the
crew was in agreement that half of it had to be bullshit and the rest was tinted by the rose-colored
glasses of a doting older brother. Hearing Ace gush about Luffy for the first time had been a
surprise of its own, after all the shit he put them through before joining. Meeting the kid, though,
made Marco wonder if Ace had been holding back. He crashed into Marineford, the stronghold of
the Marines, falling from the sky in a stolen Marine ship with hundreds of prisoners the man
himself broke out of Impel Down itself. He didn’t cower before Pops or waver in the face of the
seemingly impossible task before him; he didn’t care that he was butting in on a matter for the
Whitebeards; he ran straight in and got back up every time he was knocked down; he used
Conqueror’s haki without even seeming to know what it was; he didn’t hesitate to accept Sela’s
powers despite not one of Marco’s brothers taking the risk—they’d all decided that keeping their
numbers was more important than the potential power boost.

Straw Hat Luffy got more power out of it than any one of them could have hoped for.

And with that power, he did the most impressive of all: he saved Ace, and he talked Pops into
leaving with them. Every member of the Whitebeards owed him an unrepayable debt.

But right after the grinning, indomitable victor of the war between giants made his bold statement,
spoke plainly to the strongest man in the world whose respect he earned even before Sela’s powers
made him… this, he disappeared.

In his place was a small boy who couldn't even be ten yet, weeping silently and bloodied beyond
recognition. Marco's stomach churned. Ace made a wounded sound and shuffled forward, leaning
over him with his hands hovering uncertainly. He looked surprised, but Marco thought it was from
the change itself rather than the fact that his little brother had at one point been in such a condition.

The little boy, who must have been Luffy, didn't seem to have realized where he was just yet. Ace
looked so distressed and panicked, and after everything, Marco couldn't stand to see it even for a
second, so he moved to kneel across from his brother.

The kid, for how stark a difference there was between this small boy and the pirate he saw
moments ago, was clearly Straw Hat. He had a small scar under his eye—barely visible under the
blood and grime and what looked to be puncture marks—and his hat was hanging around his neck.
Luffy blinked his eyes open, seeming to realize that something had changed. He looked at all of
them and there was clear confusion in his eyes as well as fear.

"Lu?" Ace said, voice tentative.

Luffy turned to look at him. His eyes were blank and glassy. Marco didn’t blame him. Ace was
quite a bit older than he was whenever this version of Luffy saw him last. On top of that, the kid
seemed plenty out of it already from whatever hell he’d just been through. Marco didn’t even know
how long the two had known each other by that point.

Ace had also been through a lot though, and he didn’t seem to get that. He didn’t try and explain or
introduce himself. Marco tried to meet his eye and convey the message silently, but Ace’s gaze
never wavered from his little brother. He sighed. This really would be better coming from Ace
rather than a complete stranger, but someone needed to tell the traumatized, bleeding child that he
wasn’t entirely alone in a strange place.

Luffy spoke before he could. “Ace?” he asked, voice croaking and wrecked in a way that could
only mean he’d been screaming for hours.

Ace nodded rapidly, still not touching Luffy even though he clearly wanted to. “Yeah, Luffy, it’s
me.” Still, he offered no explanation, but Luffy didn’t seem to need one.

Tears formed quickly and then he was sniffling and crying, reaching for his big brother with weak
arms. Ace scooped him up immediately, clearly caught between clutching him to his chest as
tightly as he could and trying not to aggravate his injuries. Marco still didn’t understand how
something like that could happen. He appeared to be coated in hundreds if not thousands of
puncture wounds.

Luffy hiccupped. “I knew you would come for me. I knew it. We’re friends, right? We can be
friends now?

Ace’s face crumpled and he squeezed his eyes shut. Marco could tell he was biting the inside of his
cheek. Luffy continued before Ace could answer.

“I swear I didn’t tell,” he said, voice a little more frantic. Like he thought Ace would say no. “I
didn’t. He kept asking, and it hurt so much, but I didn’t tell him anything, I promise.”

That at least spurred Ace to talk, even if he looked as nauseated as Marco felt. “I know, I know,
Lu. We can be friends.”

And then, miraculously, impossibly, the tiny child who had apparently just been tortured leaned
back to offer a beaming smile. Then he blinked and looked around, even if he was clearly trying
not to move too much; Marco thought it may not have even been a conscious effort.

“Where’s Sabo?” he asked. Ace froze. Marco could practically hear everyone on the ship holding
their breath; none of them had made any effort to conceal the fact that they were all paying
attention before, but now they were being downright obvious about it. Luffy’s brow furrowed
when Ace didn’t answer; he was worried. “He can’t be fighting the other pirates, ‘cause the mean
one killed them when they tried to stop him. And you wouldn’t have left Sabo to fight on his own,
even if it was just the mean one.” Marco had heard the name before, of course. Plenty of them had.
He was someone Ace loved, and he was dead, but no one knew any more than that. “Is he with the
treasure?”

Tremulously, Ace nodded. Then, he shook his head. “No, Lu, he’s…” He trailed off. Took a deep
breath and ran a hand through his filthy, tangled hair, and forced a tight grin on his face. “He’s out
hunting. Said he was gonna bring back the biggest haul ever so you can have a feast.”

Luffy crowed a cheer. He jumped to his feet and nearly fell right back over. Marco caught him
before Ace could, easing him back down.
“Easy there, Luffy,” he said. Luffy looked up at him and stared. It was almost unnerving, being the
center of such blatant, unreadable attention. Marco felt like he was being seen straight through.
Like his soul itself was being judged and evaluated. He swallowed.

“Pineapple,” Luffy said. Marco’s mouth fell open for only a moment before it twisted into a scowl
when his brothers began laughing uproariously at his expense.

“My name is Marco,” he tried. Luffy looked away from him and back at Ace without
acknowledging him.

“Where are we?” he asked.

Ace gave him a secretive grin, genuine in its excitement, and leaned in conspiratorially. Luffy
followed suit, bouncing in place once before it made tears prick and he stopped. Marco had only a
split second after realization struck to worry and to have the all-too-familiar thought of, Ace, you
idiot!

“We’re on a pirate ship,” he whispered loudly.

A pirate ship, he said. After Luffy had just been tortured by some.

Marco prepared for the tears barely held at bay to begin pouring and for the pain creeping into the
edges of Luffy’s expression to take over, alongside fear.

Luffy’s eyes shone, but it was not with tears. “Really?” he asked, clearly excited. Ace nodded, still
grinning. Luffy giggled but then stopped, tense. “Not Shanks, right?” He looked around again
before relaxing. The excitement returned almost immediately. “Whose ship is this?”

Marco didn’t know what to think about that. Obviously Luffy knew Shanks—Marco had
recognized that hat even before Shanks mentioned the kid—but he hadn’t thought there was any
animosity there. Hell, he’d thought they were friends. So why wouldn’t Luffy want to see him?

Marco didn’t want to think it, and he was pretty sure Shanks would do something like that, but he
couldn’t help but look at Luffy’s wounds again. He’d said it was a pirate.

Ace laughed, though. “Nah, don’t worry. You didn’t break your promise.” Luffy nodded, but Ace
wasn’t done yet. He turned to face Vista where he was loitering with the others. “Could you go get
something from my room for me?” he asked. Vista’s brow furrowed, but Marco knew exactly what
Ace was asking for.

“He wants to show them to Luffy, yoi,” Marco said. Vista turned to him and seemed to finally
realize. He smiled at Luffy, who was watching the exchange curiously, and then he left to go and
get it.

Ace brought Luffy’s attention back to him with a simple, “Hey.” Luffy was fixated on him again
immediately. “While we wait, why don’t I show you the ship. You can meet everyone.”

Luffy nodded rapidly but stopped just as fast with a small whimper. Marco winced. He should have
been working on treating him like he meant to when he came over rather than gawking. He reached
his hands out but paused when he heard a heavy sigh from behind him. He looked back to see
Trafalgar Law pushing to his feet from where he had been treating Jinbe.

“Let me see him,” he said. Marco frowned but complied, for now. He knew how powerful the Ope
Ope no mi could be. Luffy stared raptly as Trafalgar approached and began unsheathing his sword.
“Scan,” he said, holding the blade in front of him and moving it slowly over Luffy.
“Woah,” Luffy said, marveling. “Your tattoos are so cool! What are you doing?”

Trafalgar sheathed his sword with a grimace. He glanced at Marco; clearly, whatever he’d seen
with his fruit hadn’t been good. He turned back to Luffy. “I’m a doctor. I was examining you.”

Luffy cocked his head, wincing a bit as he did. “Really? It didn’t look like it.”

“He has powers, Lu,” Ace said. “Like you.”

Luffy squinted at him. “Huh. So what are you made of, then? I’m rubber.” He pulled at his cheek
far beyond where a normal human could and then let it snap back.
“Nothing,” Trafalgar grunted. “I’m a normal human.”

Luffy frowned. “That’s boring,” he said. Luffy turned to Marco. “Does anyone else here have
powers, too? Shanks said they’re rare, but your crew is a lot bigger than his was.”

Ace’s head whipped to face Marco, and he could tell his youngest brother felt conflicted. His face
clearly communicated that Luffy would adore his bird form and that Marco should show off, but
also that Ace realized he had a power to show off too. Marco smirked at him; Ace could deal with
a bit of impatient anticipation. They may have forgiven Ace for his idiocy, but Marco hadn’t
forgotten it either. Although Thatch would have denied it if he were still here, Marco was not in
fact above a bit of petty revenge.

Marco leaned closer to whisper like Ace had done earlier. Luffy leaned in again just as eagerly,
ignoring Trafalgar’s small protest. “I have one,” Marco said. “I’m a phoenix.”

Luffy’s little face scrunched up adorably as he straightened back up. “What’s a fennix?” he asked.

Marco grinned. “Phoenix. It’s a magic bird made of blue fire.”

Luffy’s eyes shone and Marco couldn’t resist preening under the attention. “Woah!” he said.
“Show me, show me!”

Marco transformed obligingly, limiting it to only his wings for now. Luffy struggled against Ace’s
hold and Trafalgar’s ministrations for a bit before giving up on escape. He settled for reaching an
arm toward him, stretching it a bit despite the tears pricking in his eyes at the movement. Marco
shifted one of his wings closer so Luffy didn’t have to move as far. He brushed his hands through
the harmless blue flames, marveling.

Ace put up with it for nearly half a minute before tapping Luffy’s arm to steal his attention back.
Marco didn’t blame him—he was actually surprised more of their brothers hadn’t come forward to
try and take some for themselves yet; maybe they were waiting until the kid was fully bandaged up
to descend for their own round of awed praise.

“Luffy, Luffy,” Ace said, “guess what?”

Luffy blinked up at him, immediately getting caught up in Ace’s excitement.

“What?” he asked

Ace held up a single finger in front of Luffy’s face and lit it aflame. Luffy stared, wide-eyed and
gaping. “Ace has a power, too?” he asked, reaching out again.

Ace doused the flame and pulled his hand back before Luffy could burn himself. “Yep. I’m made
of fire now. Cool, huh?” Luffy nodded eagerly. Ace gave him a shit-eating grin. “Cooler than
rubber, even?”

Luffy’s cheeks puffed out to comical proportions. Marco stifled a laugh. “Nuh-uh! Rubber is the
coolest!”

Ace laughed and Luffy started yelling and the whole damn crew, everyone watching and listening
in, was smiling—some of them were even laughing. Marco’s family was sailing away from a
warzone, the kid before them had just been tortured, and they were all laughing. Ace’s little brother
was full of surprises, wasn’t he?

“Hey,” Marco called, interrupting, “you wanna know something else?”

Luffy turned away from the argument easily and faced Marco. “What?” he asked, already smiling
again.

“You’re a pirate too, yoi.”

Luffy jumped to his feet. Ace glared at Marco and Trafalgar clicked his tongue but backed off.
Luffy was pretty much covered in bandages already, so he probably figured that he’d done enough
for now. And he was right, too. The kid was still flinching every so often, but he was moving
around normally.

“I’m a pirate?” he yelled. Marco winced at the volume. “Am I King yet? Is this my ship?” Luffy
looked around again, this time with a new vigor. “Are you guys my crew?”

“Ah,” Ace said, scratching at his cheek apologetically. “No, none of your crew is here, Luffy.” He
tugged Luffy back down to sit in his lap again. Marco wondered where they were, actually.

Luffy went easily, sagging a bit and pouting.

Jinbe cleared his throat. “Actually,” he said haltingly, “I’m your helmsman.”

Marco stared. So did a lot of his brothers. Even Pops had to have been caught off guard by that.
Everyone seemed to be. Well, almost everyone.

Luffy just perked up again. “Really? That’s so cool! You’re so cool! I bet I have the best crew in
the world.”

Jinbe smiled. “Yes, I think you probably do. I haven’t known you long, but I’ve seen more than
enough to know that your crew must be devoted. You wouldn’t take someone with you that you
didn’t trust.” His eyes looked suspiciously wet. Marco smiled; Jinbe believed that, and he was
clearly touched by it.

“Wait, since when?” Ace yelled, finally pushing past his shock.

Jinbe shrugged. “Some time in the next two years, it would seem.” As if both the assurance that it
would happen and the uncertainty of when were fine with him. Jinbe was a pirate captain and was
one of the Seven Warlords—he wasn’t usually so easygoing.

Ace stared, mouth agape. Marco understood the sentiment; it seemed like Luffy had already had a
bit of influence on him. Maybe they were a good fit after all. Jinbe deserved some laughter, some
>freedom. He’d held the weight of his people on his shoulders for too damn long. Marco could
already tell that Luffy would be more than happy to help carry the load. To help carry Jinbe.

Pops laughed, drawing everyone’s gaze. Luffy froze when he saw him. Marco wasn’t sure how
he’d missed him before, actually—Pops didn’t exactly blend into the background—but he’d
certainly noticed now. Luffy pulled out of Ace’s hold again, only limping slightly as he rushed
toward Pops’s chair.

“Woah!” he said. Marco wondered if he always said it as a kid or if they were just particularly
impressive. “Ace, look at this huge old man!”

Ace made a choked noise. Marco heard a few similar ones across the deck. He fought a smile. A
few of his brothers let out brief spurts of laughter before regaining their self-control. Pops grinned
down at Luffy. He started to lean forward and Marco jolted. He flew forward and picked Luffy up
with his talons, lifting him onto Pops’s palm when he extended it for him. Pops had nearly died at
Marineford. Marco wasn’t going to let him aggravate his injuries for something Marco could do
for him.

Luffy sat in Pops’s palm, sitting next to where Marco stood, and smiled up at him. Pops grinned
back. “Hello, little one,” he said. “My name is Edward Newgate. Some call me Whitebeard.”

Luffy cocked his head to the side, brow furrowed—he really was a cute kid. “But you don’t have a
beard. You have a mustache. Shouldn’t you be White-mustache? Maybe people are just dumb.”

Pops laughed hard enough that his wounds oozed blood and his hand shook under them. He shot
Marco a look to keep him in place. Marco wished he wouldn’t do that. The only reason he could
have for grandstanding now was to impress a child version of a rival captain. And wasn’t that a
ridiculous thought? Marco may have laughed at it, before everything. But now… there wasn’t
much else he could call him. He would be a force of nature soon enough—already was, in a way.
Even if Pops retired, and Marco thought he probably would, he’d still be Whitebeard. He’d still be
their father and their captain. And even if some facsimile of the Whitebeard Pirates remained, there
was no world in Monkey D. Luffy sailed under them or anyone else.

He was a rival captain, but Pops had his own priorities, so he didn’t treat him as such: instead, to
him, Luffy was first and foremost the little brother of his youngest son.

“He makes a good point, my sons,” Pops said. “Why don’t they call me Whitemustache? Maybe
they should start.”

Luffy giggled and smiled and Pops looked so damn fond and happy that Marco knew he’d have to
stop him from trying to adopt the kid. Especially before he was full-sized again. Marco wondered
when the last time Pops had gotten to spend time with an actual kid was.

Pops turned to all of them, warm and loving and grateful to be able to see this, to still be with them.
“In the meantime,” he told them, “I think we should celebrate!” His voice bellowed loudly enough
that Luffy covered his ears, even though he never stopped smiling.

Marco’s family cheered around them, already moving to make food and grab drinks for the
festivities, and Luffy gave a whoop of his own. Marco echoed him. Pops kept laughing.

Ace called for his little brother and Marco flew his back down, sending a disapproving look when
Pops used his now-free hand to grab a tankard. Ace took Luffy into his arms, lifting him up and
spinning him around before wandering off to show him something or other. Ace’s wounds had
been tended to and bandaged while Luffy was distracted. Marco found Trafalgar in the crowd and
sent him a nod in thanks. Trafalgar seemed off-put by it, but he returned the gesture all the same.

Marco sighed when one of his brothers fell overboard, cackling on the way down. He flapped his
wings and dove to grab him. Any celebration with his family involved was a rowdy affair, but
 tonight’s would probably be in a league of its own, after everything.

It was going to be a long night.

When dawn was breaking on the horizon, most of Marco’s siblings were passed out and splayed
around the deck. Some had gone to their actual beds for the night. Others were still going strong.

Ace sat against the banisters with Luffy in his lap. Both of them were fighting sleep. Luffy was
rubbing at his eyes and Ace kept jolting back to wakefulness. They’d been at the center of things
almost the whole night and they were both hurt and exhausted even before that. Marco was
surprised they were still up at all.

“Hey,” Luffy said, voice slow and slurred. Marco blinked and met his gaze. “You guys are Ace’s
crew, right?” Marco nodded. Luffy smiled. “He seems really happy now. I’m glad. You guys must
love him a lot, right?” Marco nodded again, firmer this time. Luffy hummed, still smiling. “Good.
Thank you.”

Then the brightly grinning kid sitting up in Ace’s arms was gone, and in his place was the Monkey
D. Luffy of their time—limp and unconscious and so damn injured, Marco wasn’t sure how he was
alive. If his chest wasn’t moving in shuttering, shallow breaths, Marco would have said that he
wasn’t.

Trafalgar didn’t waste another second before moving, coming out of wherever he’d been hiding
during the party. He was barking out orders, calling for a stretcher, and grilling Marco for
information about their supplies and facilities while he got to work on treating Luffy. Marco
adjusted quickly and got to work—they could grill Ace for more information when Luffy was
stable. And the rest, Marco supposed, they would find out in two years.

Chapter End Notes

I'm not currently planning to write any more of this, so feel free to imagine anything
you want coming after this! In fact, I'd love to hear how some of you picture the
fallout—I of course have loose ideas of my own, but the different ways people would
take this are definitely interesting to me. As always, feel free to come check out the
Discord! I love hearing from you guys and it's where fanart, discussions, and new stuff
will be.

Thank you all for reading this silly little story :)

End Notes

I have a Discord for all of my fics! It's where outtakes, updates on progress, and any fanart I
 receive can be found, as well as just being a cool place to hang out. Come and check it out
if you're interested!

I'll go through with a fine-toothed comb in the morning and edit this better lol I am so tired,
sorry.

Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!