Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Good luck, Ace!"

Luffy continued to wave until the distant figure of his brother and the boat he was on were out of sight. A bittersweet smile played on his lips as he let his hand drop to his side. He was so excited for his brother, finally able to set out to chase his dream after all these years of waiting, but it just reminded him of how much longer he had to go until he too could set out.

The feeling didn't last for very long and all too soon Luffy turned away from the sea and strode back towards the jungle that he called home. He had a lot of work to do if he was going to become stronger, and stronger, and stronger so that he could protect all of his friends. He cracked a grin as he grasped on tight to that feeling of determination. Ace had a three year head start which meant that there was no time to lose.

The beginning of the end of the world started on a fairly average day in January. It occurred about a few weeks after a certain Portgas D. Ace set out to make a name for himself. The skies were clear, the sun was shining brightly, and the temperature was actually fairly pleasant, if a bit brisk. The jungle was still teeming with deadly animals, going about their day, hunting prey to devour so they could survive this winter season. Really, a normal day all things considered. It was on this seemingly normal day that one Monkey D. Luffy began to experience something odd.

"Ouch," Luffy groaned as he held his stomach. He glared down at the mutinous part of his body. "I just ate, now stop hurting!" As if responding to his demand, his abdomen gave another sharp throb, causing Luffy to hunch over, curling into himself in an attempt to lessen the pain. He growled in pain, waiting for the waves to die down again. He wasn't even feeling hungry  right now, so why did his stomach still hurt? Maybe he was sick? He quickly shook his head. No, he didn't get sick. Maybe he ate some bad meat? Luffy laughed outwardly at such a ridiculous thought. Bad meat? No such thing!

He stopped laughing abruptly as the cramps came back with a vengeance once more. "Ughhhhh, this is so annoying," he whined. "I need meat. Meat always makes things better." He took a few minutes to fantasize about all the meat he could have. "Should I get boar? Deer? Oh! How about alligator!" Now having a plan, the teen stood up quickly, determined to ignore this discomfort in favor of the promise of a delicious meal, however he quickly fell back to the ground and let out an unhappy wheeze.

"Right, too fast, got it!"

It had been four weeks since the pain started, and things just kept getting worse for poor Monkey D. Luffy. He found himself getting tired faster than before and it took longer to recover his energy. This was beginning to get really annoying as it made it harder to hunt, therefore making him unable to get as much meat as he wanted. He'd even missed a chance at breakfast this morning because he had to stop to catch his breath while chasing after a boar, giving the (lucky) creature the chance to escape!

"Isn't my body supposed to help me fight, not fight against me?!" The raven-haired teen complained to the sky, lying on his back in the middle of a clearing. That was another thing to be upset about. "I haven't even eaten that much, but my stomach feels like it's full!" He huffed in annoyance.

Being made of rubber meant that he was perfectly capable of stretching, not only his limbs but his organs as well. This was a skill the teen took full advantage of, able to pack away more food than the human body should be capable of. But now it felt like he was constantly in his balloon-like state, an uncomfortable swollen feeling that really shouldn't have hurt his rubber body, yet somehow did. Really, this whole situation was beginning to get ridiculous. The rubber man was seriously considering taking a visit down to Foosha Village to see if his old caretaker Makino might know what was happening.

The boy climbed to his feet, taking his time to stand up so as not to upset his body any further. He gave himself a few seconds to reorient himself before he set off in the direction of the bandit camp. He'd tell Dadan that he was heading down to the village, see if maybe there was something he could bring back.

The trip back to the bandit hut was relatively quick, luckily nothing tried to attack him as he made his way through the jungle. When he made it to the camp he instantly pushed open the door and strode into the building, not even bothering to announce his presence or greet any of the bandits strewn throughout the room, all appearing determined to sleep until the late afternoon in the hopes of avoiding the results of a late night of drinking. Those that were awake were gathered around a table near the center of the room, absorbed in what seemed to be a high stakes game of cards. There were various coins and other valuable items spread across the table, probably there to make the gambling aspect more interesting.

Dadan, a large and burly looking woman, sat at the head of the table, and glanced up briefly at Luffy's approach before returning her gaze back to the cards in front of her. "What do you want, brat?" It seemed there was no need for greetings, and judging by the irritated tone of her voice, one could guess that this round wasn't going well for the bandit leader.

"I'm going down to Foosha, gonna visit Makino."

There was a grunt of acknowledgement as the boss of these thieves threw down a card and picked up another one. She grumbled a few miffed words, obviously not happy with her luck at the moment. Finally she looked up at the raven-haired teen. "Any particular reason why?"

The rubber man shuffled his feet a bit, feeling uncomfortable. His head was spinning at the heavy scent of smoke and booze that filled the air, and his stomach was giving off a dull ache. "Well, I haven't been feeling very well so I wanted to see if she knows what's hap—" Before he could finish his sentence, one of the bandits at the table let out a loud whoop as he slammed his cards down in front of him. He threw his arms out and up in celebration, knocking over the bottle of sake sitting next to him, spilling its contents all over the table and the floor.

"Suck it boys! I win the whole pot this round!"

There were angry mumblings and affronted cries of despair from those who had just gotten beat this round. Dadan sighed and set down her cards, turning back to the teenager next to her. "Not feeling very well?"

Luffy opened his mouth to speak, taking a deep breath to make sure his words would be heard over the commotion of the other bandits, but all he could focus on was the now completely overpowering smell of alcohol, it burned his nose and his thoughts came to a grinding halt as his gut gave a particularly vicious roll. He only had a moment's notice in which he hunched over, just enough time to grab onto the edge of the table and brace himself before he felt his body reject everything and he threw up onto the floor.

Immediately all movement ceased as the bandits froze in shock at the sight in front of them. Monkey D. Luffy, the kid that could eat them out of house and home, whose appetite could be classified as a bottomless pit, had just thrown up the contents of his stomach.

Suddenly, panic filled the room as everyone began to freak out in earnest. The kid never got sick, but here he was, puking his guts out. Never had this happened before, with any of the brats, over the many years that they had been raised here. Was the rubber teen dying? Surely this was a sign of the apocalypse!

Indeed, the end of the world began on a seemingly normal day in January, when a young Monkey D. Luffy fell ill for the first time in his life. Dadan was the first one to come to her senses amidst all the confusion and chaos that filled the room, her leadership position demanding that she take charge of the situation. She ordered Mogura and Dogra, along with a handful of other bandits to bring Luffy a glass of water and then accompany her down to the village with the rubber man in tow. They were going to figure this out one way or another, and they wouldn't come back without an answer.

Little did they know their troubles were just beginning.

Chapter Text

"Pregnant?!"

Dr. Kembell leaned back away from the now shouting group seated in front of him. He waited for a few seconds to let the ringing in his ears die down before he confirmed his previous statement. "Yes. Young Luffy here is showing all the signs of a fairly new pregnancy. I'd need to run a blood test to be absolutely positive, but I'm confident in my diagnosis."

"But—But— This isn't— He can't— Only girls can get pregnant!"

Luffy blinked, confusion filling him as chaos descended upon the group following this proclamation. Dadan appeared to be firmly wedged in between both anger and denial, while the other bandits were screaming something about armageddon, and Makino appeared to be completely frozen in shock. "Wait, does that mean I'm a girl?"

The loud shouting and desperate cries went silent as everyone registered this statement. Finally, Dadan broke the still air with an exasperated shout. "NO!"

"But I'm pregnant! And you said—"

"No you aren't! You can't be! That's impossible!"

"Actually, it is possible," Dr. Kembell corrected Dadan. "There is a rare condition that some males are born with that allows them to conceive and bear children."

Dadan didn't look convinced whatsoever. "Then pray tell, why have we never heard of this before?"

"There's actually quite a few reasons. For one thing, this particular condition is believed to only affect less than 1% of men, and—" Dr. Kembell was quickly interrupted by a curious Makino.

"What do you mean by 'believed'?"

There was an exasperated sigh before he continued, sounding a touch annoyed. "Well, it's not like we scientists and doctors can figure out the exact numbers. Many would either lie about their condition for fear of being estranged, or otherwise be completely unaware of their condition. After all, they'd have to become pregnant for them to even find out that they can get pregnant, and most don't find themselves in a situation where there is a possibility for conception."

There was a pause as everyone in the room absorbed that information, except for Luffy who was casually swinging his legs back and forth from where he sat on the examination table, bored out of his mind.

Makino spoke up once more. "What do you mean by that?"

The doctor shifted uncomfortably in his chair, already fearing the blowout his next words would cause. "It's not all that different from regular pregnancies, it's just, well…" He trailed off, trying to find a way to phrase it that wouldn't cause an immediate panic. With a resigned sigh he gave up. There was no way to put this lightly or make the ensuing conversation any less awkward. He figured he might as well just rip off the bandage and get it over with. "In order for a male carrier to get pregnant he would have had to have had… intercourse… with another male and been on the, um... been on the receiving end so to speak."

He might as well have just told them that there was a volcano erupting right outside the building, the group's reaction would probably have been no different. Pandemonium filled the office as everyone's brains tried to desperately hold onto their sanity, all while common sense lied in the corner having been beaten to death with a bat.

In all their minds there was no way, absolutely no way, that Luffy— Monkey D. Luffy— denser than a rock MONKEY D. LUFFY— knew how babies were made. Hell, he probably still believed the stork story they had told him several years ago! And now this doctor is telling them that, apparently, not only does the teen know about the process that results in making a baby, but that he actually engaged in such an action with another human being?! AND ENDED UP PREGNANT BECAUSE OF IT?!

Makino seemed to recover what was left of her wits after a minute of horrified silence.

"Luffy, did you— do you know how— are you aware—?" The poor woman just couldn't get the words out, each phrase seeming more damning than the next.

That quiet inquiry alone caused the bubble to burst, like a dam that is just holding too much back, as questions flooded out of everyone. The noise grew as everyone desperately tried to get answers from the rubber man, who now looked overwhelmed as everyone shouted over each other in an attempt to be heard. Finally, Dr. Kembell stood.

"Can everyone just quiet down for a second! Ask your questions one at a time! I'm sure all of you are confused and want answers, but you'll never get them with that sort of nonsense! Now, Ms. Makino, was it?" At the nod of confirmation the doctor gave a polite smile. "Please go ahead and ask your question, and no one interrupt this time!" He shot a quick look at the assembled group who looked properly chastised and settled down.

"Luffy," she questioned softly, trying to inject as much calm as she could into her voice. "How did this happen?" The raven-haired boy looked around the room, expression completely blank.

"We had sex."

"How do you even know what sex is?!" Mogra blurted out a question before anyone else could.

"People do it all the time in those picture books you guys have lying all over the hideout." At this, Dadan whirled around on the handful of bandits that came with her, giving them a glare that promised a slow and agonizing punishment for the gang when they got back. She'd told them before, 'don't leave that stuff lying out in the open', well now look where they are! Luffy made things decidedly worse when he continued. "It looked like fun so I wanted to try it. What's the big deal?"

Makino gave him a sad smile. "Sex is an adult activity, Luffy. Kids shouldn't even be considering such an activity."

The teen crossed his arms in frustration and glared grumpily at the wall to his right. "I'm not a kid!"

"No, you're not." Dadan let out a frustrated sigh. "But you're not an adult either. You shouldn't even be in this situation. You're too young to handle it."

It seemed like that was the breaking point for the bandit group who up until now had been listening patiently. With all restraint gone they joined in the interrogation.

"Forget the age, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that the brat had a physical relationship with someone!"

"Right under our noses too!"

"How long has this been going on?"

"Yeah, when did this happen?"

"Based on your symptoms and how they're developing, I'd say you're about 5 to 6 weeks along," Dr. Kembell interjected, hoping to give them a clearer timeline. The doctor endured the shocked stares before their gazes swiveled around to the teen in question. Luffy looked to be thinking hard about something before he nodded slowly.

"That sounds about right, yeah."

"How did you even manage that?"

They were interrupted by a harsh laugh from one of the other bandits. "You decided to lose your innocence so soon after your brother left? Of course you did! His brother complex wouldn't have allowed someone to so much as dream about you without him kicking their ass! Damn, your partner has the patience of a saint and the bravery of a war general!"

"Lose my innocence?"

"Means you popped your cherry! Joined the ranks! Became a man!" He was quickly silenced by a pissed off Dadan who hit him over the head with a club, angrily yelling at him about corrupting the boy.

Dogra let out a tired huff. "He means you lost your virginity, kid. 'Means you had sex for the first time."

"Oh! But I didn't lose my veggie tea." The raven ignored the mumbled correction. "We did it a lot, it feels good!"

It seemed that the one loudmouthed idiot in the back hadn't learned his lesson, even after a club to the head. "Wait, it wasn't a one time thing? You had a lover? And you went behind Ace's back? Didn't know you had it in you!" The man howled in laughter before Dadan smacked him with the club again, making sure that he lost consciousness this time.

Dr. Kembell spoke up, returning to a professional tone. Drama aside, he still had a duty as a doctor to make sure his patient was okay. "Luffy," he called, getting the rubber man's attention. "How long have you been sexually active?"

The teen considered the question for a moment. "Few months, I think."

"And how many partners have you had?"

"Partners?"

"Yes, that would be the people you have had a physical relationship with."

"Oh. Just one."

"You've only ever had one lover?" A nod confirmed this. Dr. Kembell chuckled lightly. "Well, at least you've kept it safe in that regard." He glanced down at the teen's stomach which was still flat, at least for now. "Well, not exactly safe, but things could be worse. Do you know if your partner had been with anyone else?"

The rubber man shook his head furiously. "He is mine and I am his. No one else ever."

Makino gave Luffy a small smile. "You really love him, don't you?" The boy gave her a brilliant grin, that which would be impossible for anyone who wasn't made of rubber, giving her an enthusiastic answer.

Dadan groaned, already accepting that this was her life now. 'Damn D's,' she thought. "You're really serious about this guy?" There was a vigorous nod. "And the baby?"

"It's my child! I'm keeping it! It's Nakama!"

"Fine, fine, fine. But that lover of yours better take responsibility for his actions! If you're going through with this we're making sure this guy is good for you." She gave a wicked smirk as she thought of the shovel talks this poor man was going to get. "Now tell us, who exactly is this mystery lover?"

Instantly, the teen clammed up, his eyes darting around the room wildly and sweat beading on his forehead. "I don't know," he spoke from the corner of his mouth.

Every person sweat dropped at the obvious lie. Why the heck wouldn't the kid just tell the truth about this? A chill ran down their spines. 'What is he hiding?' "Why are you lying, Lu? Just tell us. It will be okay, we promise." Makino tried desperately to avoid the dark thoughts that had just occurred to her. It seemed that everyone else was beginning to think along the same lines.

"I— we— he said we need to keep it secret." Alarm rose through everyone present, all of them soundly beginning to panic as their minds ran wild with implications.

"Is he forcing you into this?"

"What?! No!"

"Did he threaten you?"

"Of course no—"

"Is he hurting you?!"

"ACE WOULD NEVER HURT ME!"

"…"

"..."

"?!"

The concept of sound was dead. The air itself seemed to understand that the slightest movement would cause the universe to crack in two. Luffy looked horrified and slammed his hands over his mouth, but it was too late. One of the bandits swayed on his feet, his brain giving up and sending him into blissful unconsciousness. His body crashed to the floor but nobody either noticed or cared, their poor, abused minds throwing in the towel after all the bullshit they'd had to process today.

"Ace?"

Luffy flinched at the uncharacteristically dead tone that came from Dadan. He uncovered his mouth and looked to the ground. He gave a quick jerk of his head in a pitiful attempt at a nod.

"Portgas D. Ace?"

A hesitant nod.

"Your brother, Ace?"

An agonizingly slow nod.

"Brother?!" Dr. Kembell squeaked as he tightened his grip on his clipboard. "The father is your brother?!" Luckily enough, the fear in the doctor's voice was enough to snap Dadan out of her seemingly endless loop, recognizing what the doctor was thinking.

"They're not blood related".

The doctor turned to the teenager, looking for absolute confirmation. Luffy just nodded pitifully. "Yeah, Gramps adopted Ace when he was a baby. We started living together when I was seven." Dr. Kembell's shoulders slumped in relief.

"Right, well Mr. Luffy, the good news is that adoptive siblings and step-siblings can conceive without any issues arising from that, so your child should be fine in that regard." The boy's eyes shifted away from the ground, the slightest glitter of hope within them.

"Really? There's nothing wrong with the kid? Or me?"

"Well, I'll admit that this is an odd situation from a societal standpoint, and there's always the issue of your age," the rubber man clenched his fists and tensed up but the doctor was quick to continue. "But technically and biologically speaking there is nothing wrong with your situation. And yes, you and the child are perfectly fine."

The teen relaxed and gave a small smile.

"Now, I do suppose some congratulations are in order!" Many looked at the doctor, confused. "Congratulations Mr. Monkey D. Luffy, you and, um, Mr. Portgas will soon be parents!"

The teen let out a loud cheer, excitement successfully restored. Makino shook her head and pat Luffy's shoulder affectionately. The bandits' brains turned back on in time for them to mumble their own praise, still too out of it to deal with all the implications. They needed alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol. This was a problem to deal with tomorrow morning. Afternoon. The day after tomorrow.

"I can't wait to tell Ace! Should I send a letter to Shanks? Do you think Jiji will be excited to have another grandkid?"

The blood drained out of everyone present. More than one person had taken to eyeing the window, looking like they'd rather try their chances with gravity than stick around for that bomb to drop. Perhaps the man's wrath would be less painful if they were in a coma. And there would be pain, oh yes. There will be no mercy left for them when Garp the Fist, Hero of the Marines, comes back to find his precious, underage grandson pregnant with his other grandson's child. Especially while they were supposed to be taking care of said grandchild. One of the bandits let out a strangled giggle, sounding more than a little deranged as he did so. "Garp is going to kill us."

Luffy seemed all too happy to hammer in the last nail on their coffins. "Shishishishi! I guess that means I should call Gramps 'Great Gramps' now!"

Yep. They're dead.

Chapter Text

It's funny how much someone can change in two months. For instance, if you'd asked the Dadan Family a few weeks ago how they felt about the inevitability of Garp's eventual visit, they'd have told you that they were hoping against all hope that he'd get dementia and straight up forget that they existed. Now? Well now they'd beg you to drag the man back here so he could put them out of their misery. As it turns out, the only thing more terrifying to the bandit gang than a member of the Monkey D. family, is a pregnant member of the Monkey D. family.

The mood swings were the absolute worst. The gang wasn't even aware that it was possible to be so... sunny. The bright demeanor paired with the pregnancy glow practically radiated light and goodness. (Dogra swore he saw some forest animals following Luffy around like they were in some kind of fairy tale.) It honestly hurt to look directly at the boy. Still, anything was better than the waterworks. They'd thought that the rubber man had been a crybaby before but that was nothing compared to the sobbing hormonal mess the pregnancy had brought about. "Why did he leave me? I miss him!"

 "Don't worry Luffy! You'll see Ace again!"

"Not that bastard! He's the one who got me in this mess in the first place! I'm talking about Shanks!"

The anger was as amusing as it was terrifying. On one hand, its hard to take a glaring teenager seriously. But on the other? Well when that teenager can knock down full grown trees and shatter boulders with a single punch it makes the tantrums that much more unpredictable. They still had to replace the back door after the rubber man had tried slamming it shut while he was upset and accidentally ended up taking the whole door frame with it.

Initially the cravings had been the part they had dreaded the most out of this whole ordeal, but they were pleasantly surprised to find that other than a strange obsession with eggs and an unexplained hatred for grapes, it actually wasn't that bad. Truth be told, the bandits were lucky that they'd gotten used to feeding two blackholes as it soon become obvious that the brat's brat took after both of its parents in that regard. And with the teen eating for two? You'd never be able to tell that the food stores had been filled to the brim at the beginning of each week.

The sound of splintering wood interrupted the precious few moments of peace in the hut. Several bandits just sighed in resigned annoyance. Yet another hole in the wall they'd have to patch up. "SCRAMBLED EGGS, NOW!"

"Six more months of this?" If you listened closely you could hear the cries of despair coming from the dwindling remains of what was once the funds designated for food. Funds which were supposed to last the whole year.

"And it's only going to get worse."

"Forget about Garp. I don't think we'll survive the second trimester."

Luffy was lying on his back, giving his sore legs a rest as he tried to entertain himself by watching the clouds. It was annoying being unable to run around the jungle and do everything he wanted to. But the doctor had expressly forbidden him from stretching all but his arms and neck! How was he supposed to move around now? He couldn't even walk for more than ten minutes without becoming completely winded and feeling his legs start to cramp.

The fourteen-year-old sighed and rested his hands on his lower belly. It would all be worth it once this kid was born. He couldn't wait to meet them.

It started while he was in the middle of daydreaming what they would look like. Would they look more like him or Ace? A mix? Would they be a boy or a girl? He didn't even notice it at first, his rubber body dulling much of his physical perception, but even then he felt his hands twitching ever so slightly. Confused, the rubber man looked down, wondering why his hands were moving on their own, before removing them from their position atop his stomach. His eyes widened in shock as he bent his neck forward at an unnatural angle, curtesy of his devil fruit, to get a closer look at what was happening.

Sure enough, the bump on his abdomen rippled and rolled, reacting to the movement inside. The baby—! It was moving! Holy shit! Luffy was frozen in place, watching with rapt attention as even the slightest shift was easily seen through his rubber skin. Now that he was focusing, he could pick up the feather-light kicks that felt like butterfly wings flapping against his inner walls. The fetus continued squirming around for a few seconds more, but to the expecting father it felt like an hour. But much to his disappointment they stopped, much too soon in his own opinion. The teen continued watching, but unfortunately there was no more movement from the baby. After two minutes of waiting the teen finally snapped out of his trance.

He scrambled to his feet, lethargy forgotten as adrenaline flooded his system in wake of such an exciting moment. 'I've got to show them! This is awesome,' he thought. The raven took off in a frenzied rush, his only focus on sharing this new development. Honestly, the boy was lucky that his devil fruit lessened the pain of his organs being squished, or he'd be in for a world of pain after his sudden dash. Trees, rocks, and even animals blurred past him as he hurried towards the bandit hideout with single minded determination. Unfortunately for the teen, he had no way of knowing that he was on a direct collision course for an absolute shit show of epic proportions.

Makino was aware that she lived quite an odd life. After all, not everyone can claim to be penpals with a Yonko, much less a very close (but not yet close enough in her own opinion) friend. There was also the fact that her best friends were a marine vice admiral, the leader of a bandit gang, and the self-proclaimed future Pirate King. On top of all of that, said future Pirate King was a pregnant fourteen-year-old whose unborn child also belonged to his sworn older brother who was Oda knows where in the world at the moment.

Keeping all this in mind, she didn't even find it odd that she was barreling through the jungle in a mad race to warn a bunch of criminals that the world was going to end. She'd been in such a hurry that she didn't even care about the glasses she'd knocked off of the counter of her bar as she sprinted out the door, not even bothering to flip the sign in the window to closed. And honestly? No one could even blame her for her actions, in fact they'd probably applaud her for not curling up into a ball and sobbing the moment that a ship with a dog figurehead appeared on the horizon.

'It would seem that our luck has finally run out,' the young woman mused as she hopped over a protruding root in the path. 'Well, we knew this couldn't stay hidden forever.' Some might wonder how she managed to keep such a cool head considering the catastrophe that was approaching. You see, the human mind is a strange thing, and when faced with a dangerous situation, it will usually opt for either fighting off the threat, running away, or even just freezing in place. However, there are some times when the brain might get a bit confused. For poor Makino, this resulted in her emotions freezing, while her body took off in a wild flight to warn the others.

After a heart pounding mad dash through the jungle she caught sight of the hut. Within a matter of seconds she'd broken out of the tree line, crossed the small clearing, and reached the front door, which she threw open without a moment's hesitation. She gave no thought as to presentation, there was no time for it, nor would it be possible to break the news in a way that wouldn't cause distress, so instead the bar owner just opted for loud and direct.

"HE'S COMING!"

Such a vague statement would normally lead to confusion which would have to be cleared up, but for the bandits there was only one meaning those words could hold. Instantly there was screaming as furniture was knocked to the floor, everyone scrambling for their weapons or the door in a panicked attempt to either prepare for battle or run for the hills and never look back. A few fell to their knees and began to pray, to any thing that would listen, that they would be spared. One or two just laid down on the floor, sobbing. But there was no escape for any of them, as the distant sound of loud crashes reached their ears, as if someone were running through the jungle without a single care for obstacles and instead just crushing everything in their path.

"Bwahahaha!"

Everyone present experienced the odd sensation of their entire life flashing before their eyes. All their regrets, dreams, fears, and victories passed through their minds as they witnessed their plans for the future literally crumble to dust. Some could have sworn that they saw a thin figure cloaked in black beckon to them with a hand made of bones. These visions were so rudely interrupted by the wooden door being ripped off its hinges and flying through the room before embedding itself in the back wall.

All eyes turned towards the doorway, being greeted by the sight of a large, hulking silhouette of a man, both eyes and grin glowing white in a predatory way. There was the tiniest whimper from one of the men on the floor.

"I want my mommy."

The sentiment was echoed within the terrified minds of everyone present.

"What's wrong with all of you? You look like you've just seen a demon! Bwahahaha!" The doorway splintered as the man walked inside, now completely visible. Sure enough, there he was, pristine, white uniform and all. Garp the Fist.

This was fine. Everything was okay. Absolutely nothing wrong with the world. Nope, perfectly normal, nothing bad what-so-ever. They were safe.

"Where is that troublesome grandson of mine?"

This was NOT fine. Everything was NOT okay. Absolutely nothing right with the world. Nope, terrifyingly insane, nothing good what-so-ever. They were doomed.

"He's- somewhere! Perfectly safe and sound! Thanks for checking up on him! We'll tell him you said 'hi'! You can go now, for the love of all things holy please leave." Well, I suppose you'd have to give the poor guy credit, as one of the bandits made a last-ditch effort to somehow stop the absolute train wreck that was about to happen. It was a futile attempt. There was nothing they could do except beg the universe for a miracle.

"Nonsense! That boy needs training in order to become a strong marine! Apparently I was too soft on the boys before, just look at the mess Ace has made!"

'If only you knew.' No one dared to voice the treacherous thought as the Vice Admiral pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket, opening it to reveal what turned out to be Ace's bounty poster. Several of the bandits noted the amount listed on the poster, one even whistled at the impressive number.

"Not bad for a rookie."

"Bah!" The marine quickly re-folded the paper and shoved it back into his pocket. "That brat didn't learn anything! Does Luffy still have that ridiculous idea that he's going to become Pirate King? Maybe some discipline will set him straight!"

Poor Makino. Poor, beautiful, brave Makino. Blessed with a spine of steel that men in the Grand Line would kill for, she just couldn't stand by and let this happen. "He is in no condition to be put through one of those horrible trials! Shame on you Garp! That boy needs to take it easy and take care of himself!" The young woman refused to let any harm come to the teen. And if she had to face down the wrath of a Vice Admiral in order to protect him? So be it, her own safety be damned.

"Condition? What condition? Did that brat go and get himself nearly killed by a bear again?"

"No."

"Swallowed by an alligator for the 27th time?"

"It's 29 now, but no."

"Ate some weird mushrooms we told him not to?"

"No, not since the last incident."

"Tied his own limbs together and got them stuck in a knot again?"

"My lord, no! He hasn't done that in yea-"

"Got stuck under another rock?"

"No! Can't you just sto-"

"Oh! Did he try to-"

Dadan was done with everything. This whole situation was beyond ridiculous and she was absolutely fed up. Each guess the man made was stupider than the last, and reminded her just how much trouble the entirety of the Monkey D family was. She could practically feel her brain begging for an end to this absurd conversation. "FOR ODA'S SAKE! THE KID IS PREGNANT! NOW WILL YOU PLEASE SHUT UP?!"

Garp's mouth snapped shut, cutting off his next words with a sudden click of his teeth. The bandit leader sighed in relief at the beautiful sound of silence. Finally, she could hear herself think again! 'Did I seriously just yell that, and then tell the Hero of the Marines to shut up?' Alright, so thinking was not good, not good at all. Truly a terrible idea. The woman desperately wished for a distraction, literally anything to take those wide, startled eyes off of her before the man unfroze and 'oh dear lord, he is opeNING HIS MOUTH-'

"Guys! Guess what!" And there was Monkey D Luffy, charging across the clearing and up to the front of the house. "The baby moved! Look! Look, you can see it moving!" The teenager suddenly skidded to a halt, stopping just a few feet inside the house. Standing there in all his rubber glory, onyx eyes wide in complete terror, arms having frozen in the middle of enthusiastically gesturing to the sizable bump on his abdomen.

Dadan solemnly vowed to herself that she would never wish for anything ever again.

Garp turned, entire body stiff and halting, until he was facing his grandson. Slowly, so agonizingly slowly, his gaze lowered to the obvious curve of the rubber man's stomach. Time seemed to stand still, as everyone watched the scene unfold before them. No one even dared to breathe. It turns out that this nightmare could only get worse, as the unborn child apparently decided to introduce itself by giving a particularly vicious kick at that moment, causing the skin there to stretch outwards.

Because of course- of course- that child had to make a scene.

Fucking D's!

Turns out, it wasn't the end of the world. If we're being honest, the fall out wasn't even that bad- well, compared to what everyone was expecting. There were no casualties and there was less damage than the bandits had even dared to hope for. At least three quarters of the jungle were still standing, so the environment hadn't been completely decimated. On top of that, the hut was- somehow- still standing! They'd needed to replace all the windows (an unfortunate consequence from Garp's initial shout), but at least they still had a roof. A true miracle! As it would turn out, the marine had actually known that such a condition existed, one of the side-effects of long-term exposure to the insanity that is the Grand Line, and had become a true believer in the idea that absolutely nothing was impossible.

Really, they should have remembered that the man himself was the oldest living member in the Monkey D line, and he understood better than anyone how those who bore the Will of D had the uncanny ability to get into absurd situations. He probably figured that things could have been worse. (And maybe he held onto the hope that a child would dissuade his youngest grandson to stay on dry land. An utterly useless desire, but hey, whatever stopped him from throwing trees around like they were pencils.)

Granted, that was before the other shoe dropped and the man found out about the other guilty party in this whole debacle, but he'd also gotten over that part fairly easily, if a bit more begrudgingly. Sure, Mt Corvo was about 20 feet shorter than it had been before, but really it could have been worse.

"I'm going to drag that brat back here-"

"No Jiji, you can't! Ace is following his dream!"

"That dream involves him being a wanted criminal! He needs to take responsibility! You can't be a single parent!"

"But I'm not! Ace is the other parent!"

"That's not what I- Ugh, I mean he should be doing his job as a father and be here for the kid! He's lucky he's been keeping his movements on the down low, or so help me I'd- " He sighed, wearily rubbing a hand down his face. "I swear, this is just like what happened with your dad, running off to go take on the world, not even raising his own son."

"I have a dad?!"

Still, the man had taken things remarkably well, probably in the wake of realizing that he was going to have another grandchild.

"Great-grandchild!"

"I'm going to be a grandpa!"

"YOU ALREADY ARE, YOU IDIOT!"

Still, it was odd to see the Hero of the Marines knitting a blanket. ("What?! You've got to entertain yourself somehow when you're out at sea for as long as I've been! And what if they get cold?!") Garp had extended his visit from only a few days to several weeks, and even then he still dropped by a few times a month, just for shorter periods of time. The personality shift was just as shocking, the bandits still doing a double take anytime they saw the man scold Luffy for doing anything that might be bad for both himself and the baby.

"I don't want to eat this!"

"Brat! You need to eat some greens! It helps with the pregnancy! And its healt- where do you think you're going, young man?!"

"Hunting! I want some meat!"

"DON'T YOU DARE!"

With his grandfather being so- so overbearing, it didn't come to anyone's surprise that Luffy would take every opportunity to get away for some peace and quiet. He understood where the man was coming from, but seriously, it was like the man thought he was made of glass! The teen chuckled at the thought and glanced down at the swell of his abdomen. No, if he was made of glass this whole ordeal would've been much harder. He'd been told by Makino and Dadan that apparently there was supposed to be a lot more pain involved, but his devil fruit ability made the changes in his body go so smoothly that it was almost laughable.

Even now, when he was due anyday, he barely felt any discomfort, and that's also accounting for the fact that this kid seemed to be trying their best to have a dance party nightly. Nope, he slept right on through everything. Nobody could tell if that was due to the fact that he was rubber, or if it was a testament to his family's ability to sleep no matter the circumstances. Actually, it was probably both.

"Shishishishi! I can't wait to meet you!"

He'd started talking to them shortly after Garp had found out, when the man had mentioned that a fetus could find the sound of its mother's voice to be comforting. Many had tried to talk him out of the singing part, but that was a losing battle from the start. The teen would tell them all about his day, and anything else he thought they would find interesting, from the shape of the clouds to his favorite types of foods. (It was meat.) But his favorite thing to talk about was all the people they'd meet.

("Your dad isn't here right now, well I mean your other dad, 'cause I'm also your dad! But he's really strong, I could never beat him when we fought! He's a pirate, and I'm going to be the Pirate King, which means that you'll also be a pirate! We're going to have a big ship, and our nakama will be great! Oh, and we'll have a musician who can teach us new songs!")

The rubber man enjoyed their little moments together, especially when it seemed like the baby would wriggle around like they were just as excited as he was.

"You're going to love Jiji, and Dadan, and Makino! Oh, I guess you'd call her Aunt Makino?"

"I'd be honored to be called that."

The teen looked up as the green-haired woman made her way over to where he was sitting. "Makino! I was just telling them about you!"

The bar-owner laughed cheerily. "So I heard! Did you come out all this way just to talk to them?"

Luffy huffed. "Well, not really. Gramps was being annoying again." The young woman sighed at this. She stopped a few steps away from the tree the boy was sitting against.

"I know he can be a bit much, but he just wants to make sure you're okay. Both of you." He rolled his eyes, but didn't argue. "Speaking of which, we should probably get the two of you back to the hut, before Garp has a heart attack." This got a laugh out of the raven.

"Alright, fine." He braced himself against the tree, taking Makino's hand when she bent over to help him, and allowed himself to be pulled up. Being so big was annoying. It was hard to stand up, sit down, lay down, anything really. He'd even been forced to do some kind of weird waddle-walk combo just so he didn't pitch over his own belly.

After a few seconds of intense teamwork, with Makino pulling him up while he tried to keep his balance, he found himself firmly on his feet. The rubber man went to take a step forward when he felt something that was similar to when he would return to normal after ballooning up. He had only a second to wonder what had happened before the uncomfortable gushing sensation hit him. Luffy blinked before glancing down, wishing he could see past the bulge in his way. Makino's eyes quickly followed the boy's gaze before she froze, inhaling suddenly.

"Oh."

"Did my- did it just-?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"..."

"..."

"The baby is coming?"

"The baby is coming."

"..."

"..."

"THE BABY IS COMING!"

The two turned towards the direction of the hut, and ran.

Chapter Text

The tension in the waiting room was so thick you could practically cut it with a knife and eat it. You would, of course, spontaneously combust and die instantly because the human body cannot handle that much stress. Luckily, the anxiety was split between a handful of bandits, one Marine Vice Admiral, and one barmaid.

It had been a few minutes since the group had watched Dr. Kembell and a surprisingly calm Luffy walk into the doctor's examination room, which had been temporarily converted into a delivery room. Everyone had settled down, taking up positions in chairs, on the magazine covered table, or simply spread out on the floor, preparing themselves for hours worth of waiting. There was a terrible apprehension as they knew the pained screaming would inevitably begin soon. It had been decided on the way over that Garp, Makino, and Dadan would join the teen in the private room for the worst of it, they just had to wait for the doctor to give them the go ahead.

A faint click sounded from the lock as it was unbolted and echoed around the tense room, doubling the anticipation in all its occupants. The three who had been picked for the job of comfort and support stood up, already making their way towards the door as it was slowly pushed open. Dr. Kembell looked up from his clipboard and had to fight the urge to jump back away from the caretakers that were crowded around the doorway. He swore he could feel their breath, they were so close.

"How is he?"

"Is everything okay?"

"Does he want to see us?"

"Are we starting now?"

"Is something wrong?!"

"Let us in there!"

The doctor sweat dropped as everyone talked over one another, all desperate for reassurance. They quieted down when he raised his hand and motioned them to stop. Taking the hint, the three took a step away from the poor man, who let out a breath of relief before dragging a hand through his messy hair. "Luffy is fine, so is the baby. Actually, they are more than fine." Dr. Kembell blinked a few times to clear away his thoughts. "Um, yeah, you guys can come in, but you should probably-" He quickly threw himself to the side, pressing against the wall as three very frantic adults charged forward. It was a miracle they didn't shove each other out of the way in their mad haste.

Luffy looked up from his position on the medical bed, watching as his caretakers barely avoided tripping over one another as they raced to his side. Within a second the teen found his hand being squeezed in a death grip by his grandfather, who started spouting encouraging phrases about 'fighting through the pain' and 'not giving up'. Makino's fingers were brushing through his hair in an attempt at providing the boy with some comfort, while Dadan had turned towards the wall and burst into tears, yelling that she wasn't ready for this, and she wasn't crying dammit! She was just so proud- The teen only stared at all of them with increasingly growing confusion.

Garp stopped his attempt at coaching in the middle of saying something about the valor of giving it one's all in the heat of battle to yell towards the door. "Where is that good-for-nothing medic? He needs to get his ass over here and do his job! This kid ain't going to deliver itself!"

"I mean," Dr. Kembell's voice came from their right. Six eyes shot towards the man, pinning him with a mix of glares and frantic worry. The man ignored this and just gestured helplessly towards the bassinet next to him. "He kind of did."

"What the hell are you talking about you damn quack?" Ah, it seems that Dadan had finished her tearful panic and opted to release her stress through anger instead. Though to be fair to her, this was a serious situation and it really wasn't a good time for jokes.

Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you look at it,) for the bandit leader, this wasn't a joke. It was just that the poor doctor was really at a loss for words in light of what had just happened. The man was quite literally rendered speechless at what he'd witnessed. Dr. Kembell finally shook his head and allowed himself to finally register the three unamused and heavy stares directed at him. He just sighed. 'This whole situation is beyond ludicrous,' he thought.

Without another word he leaned over and gently picked up the small bundle of cloth, lifting it out of the crib. Wordlessly, he strode over to the bed, ignoring the strangled sounds and choked off gasps coming from those gathered around the teen, who had wrenched his hand free and was now holding both of them out expectantly. The doctor carefully deposited the small package into Luffy's waiting arms, which instantly curled around the blankets before he pulled them towards his chest in a protective embrace. Two small, blue eyes peered up in curiosity at the rubber man's face.

Dr. Kembell took two steps to the left and collapsed into the open chair next to the bed, and released a few incredulous chuckles. "Congrats, Monkey D Luffy! On both the new son, and quite possibly the quickest birth in the history of the world." The teen laughed in delight, gaze never straying from the newborn in front of him.

"Wha- how did he…?"

"Rubber." The doctor threw his head back and cackled. "The lucky son of a gun is made of rubber! Stretchy, elastic, bouncy, magical rubber!"

Makino tittered. She placed her hand against her lips, trying to smother the sound, but it quickly grew into bright peals of laughter. This was followed by an undignified snort from Dadan, who joined the other woman in cracking up at this ridiculous realization. Finally, Garp threw his head back, his guffaws shaking the room.

Rubber. Stupidly useful rubber!

And that was how one Monkey D Portgas Jack entered the world. Odd name, right? Well you aren't alone in your thoughts. No one really got it either until Luffy explained the reasoning behind his seemingly random choice.

"Jack! Because his dad is Ace, and I'm also his dad and I'm going to be Pirate King! So he will be the son of the King of the Pirates and Ace!"

"Oh!" Makino clapped her hands together in excitement. "Like a deck of cards? Ace, King, Queen, and Jack!"

"Shishishishi!"

"How did you even come up with that, brat?"

"Well, I was thinking about naming him Sabo-" (somewhere on the Grand Line, a certain Chief of Staff felt the sudden urge to cry as an inexplicable wave of pride filled him from top hat to toe,) "-but it didn't feel right, so I had to come up with something else! The bandits get really excited when they have a royal flash-"

"Flush."

"-and since we're gonna be pirate royalty it's the perfect name! We have an Ace and a King, so Jack for a boy and Queen for a girl!"

'Oh my god, he actually thought something out!' Dadan was convinced once more that this was just another sign that the end of the world was drawing near. "That's not even a royal flush. You need an ace, a king, a queen, a jack, and a 10 to have a royal flush."

Luffy huffed in frustration, before his face twisted in pain, slowly turning red. You could practically see the steam rising from his forehead. Just when they thought he might explode from the effort, he brightened, grinning widely and nodding with a sagely wisdom. "Yosh! We'll just have to have more then!" And wasn't that a thought?

Garp was quick to change the subject, hoping that such a terrifying idea would be banished to the darkest corners of their minds, never to be seen again. "So, Monkey D Jack? A strong, dependable name! I approve!" Oh boy, he did not like the mischievous look in Makino's eyes.

"Will you be using Monkey for his family name? I had thought you'd maybe want to use Portgas." The barmaid was lucky that she was holding the newly named Jack, or there would have been hell to pay for what she had just started. (Who was he kidding? The young woman was too nice for him to ever so much as lay a finger on her.)

"Portgas D Jack? But he's my son too! Monkey D Jack! Oh, do you think Ace would be mad if I didn't use his name? Monkey-Portgas D Jack! No, that doesn't sound right. Portgas-Monkey D Jack? Nope. Monkey D Portgas D Jack! He could be a double D!"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

The next few hours would go down in history as The Great Name Conundrum, until Luffy, feeling exhausted as all the excitement of the day caught up with him, declared that Jack "can be whatever he wants to be" before promptly laying down, asleep before his head even hit the pillow. This eventually led to the creation of a betting pool between the bandits (plus Garp and Makino) on what the child in question would eventually decide for himself when he was old enough. A few years of waiting would be well worth the amount of money on the line. Unfortunately for all of them, this child would turn out to be just as stubborn and troublesome as both of his parents combined.

4 Months

"Babies are the worst."

Makino sighed as she continued rocking the crying infant. "They're not that bad. Sure, they can be a little fussy sometimes, but you just have to comfort them and they're back to being the little angels they normally are," she cooed down at the baby in her arms, but he just kept yelling his little lungs out. Dadan scoffed.

"I raised one, remember? They're loud, and needy, and will keep you up at all hours of the night. I haven't had a decent sleep since the brat was born." The bar owner was about to reply, when the front door opened, Luffy stepping into the hut.

"Dadan, I hope boar is alright for dinner tonight. I ran into a herd of them and managed to catch a lot!"

Jack stopped crying immediately. His small head turned towards the sound of his dad's voice. The moment he laid eyes on the rubber man, he began to wriggle incessantly, small arms waving in the direction of the teen. "Shishishishi! Did you miss Daddy?"

"Un!" Luffy laughed at the babbling sound, walking over and taking his son from a relieved Makino. He grinned down at the infant, and was delighted when the action was returned.

Both women froze at the sight. Normally, one would be overjoyed by such a precious moment shared by father and son, but the two could only focus on the shiver slowly creeping up their spines. They'd known three people who carried the mysterious Will of D, and after several years of constant interaction with them, it was easy to recognize it. Even with the lack of teeth, it was impossible not to recognize the signature curve of the mouth, lips stretched into a very distinct shape. If they'd had any doubts before, they were obliterated instantly.

The people of Dawn Island jumped in shock as lightning split the sky in two, and was quickly followed by a roll of thunder that shook the very ground itself. It was a bright, sunny day, not a single cloud to be seen, so why did the weather briefly turn for the worst? Well, the average citizens down in the village had no way of knowing that a storm was brewing on the horizon.

Jack had used the 'D smile' for the first time.

6 Months

"You know, if someone had come up to me a year-and-a-half ago and told me that I'd be defending the Gomu Gomu no Mi as the most useful devil fruit in the world, I'd have had them sent to an insane asylum." Garp watched his grandson and great-grandson playing together in amusement. "But now, I have come to realize the truth: there is literally nothing that could entertain a child more."

Luffy quickly stuck out his tongue, allowing the muscle to stretch much farther than it physically should have. Of course, being made of rubber tended to more often than not throw physical limitations out the window. "Fwog impwession." He crouched down onto the floor and then crossed his eyes slightly. "Wuhbbit!" The teen hopped upwards onto a tree branch above him. On the ground below, Jack waved his arms wildly while giggling.

Luffy allowed his tongue to snap back into his mouth, and grinned at the sight. He quickly wrapped his legs around the branch and allowed himself to hang upside down. He shot his arms forward, stretching them out until he reached his son and then grabbed the infant, pulling him upwards until the boy was just a few feet off the ground. He started moving his arms back and forth, acting as a swing for the delighted baby. "ah! ah!"

Garp allowed himself to chuckle at the scene in front of him. It was times like this, that made life worth living.

9 Months

Dadan nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt something tug at her pant leg. A quick glance revealed the offender to be none other than one Monkey D Portgas Jack.

Who she could have sworn had been playing with some toys in the corner of the room a few seconds ago.

"What are you doing over here?" There was no response from the baby, but then again she wasn't expecting one in the first place. She huffed as she lifted him into her arms, carrying him back over to the box of toys and setting him down on the blanket laid out for him.

She quickly returned to the table where she had been reading the newspaper, but angled her chair so the boy was visible from the corner of her eye. The infant pouted at her, like she had somehow offended him, but he quickly got distracted by one of the stuffed animals near his leg. Sure that the troublemaker was busy for now, she focused back on the article she had been reading.

Halfway through a short story about how some dime-a-dozen pirate crew had raided a village near the entrance to the East Blue, Dadan caught sight of odd movement in her peripheral. She turned towards the commotion and quickly froze at the sight that greeted her. Jack had apparently pushed himself to his feet with the help of his toy box, and was slowly and shakily, but somehow surely, taking several wobbly steps in her direction. She didn't even dare to breath as the infant stumbled a few times, but eventually made it to the table, and grabbed her pant leg again. He looked proud of himself.

Well. Fuck her sideways. The brat was mobile.

1 Year

"Where's Makino?" There was a pause for a few seconds, before a small hand pointed at where the green-haired woman was sitting. "Yosh! Good job! Okay, now how about Dadan?" Onyx eyes stared blankly at the rubber man. Dr. Kembell had told him that it was around this time that most babies' eye color was finally permanent, and it seems that Jack had inherited his dark eyes. (Makino called it 'dark chocolate', Luffy didn't really see the need to call them that. Dark brown was dark brown.)

"Oh, right. Simple words. Where is Dadan?" This time the infant pointed at the back of the large woman, who definitely wasn't crying, she just had something in her eye, dammit! "Shishishishi! Now whereeessss… Daddy!"

"Ba!" A tiny finger dug itself into his cheek.

The teen snickered. His kid was really good at this game. They'd run into a slight problem though, trying to get the soon-to-be toddler to differentiate between him and Ace in a picture. It wasn't that Jack couldn't tell them apart, or didn't recognize his other father. No, it was actually the adults' faults. Most babies could easily understand the words 'Mom' and 'Dad', but trouble had arisen from the fact that the title 'Dad' had been used in tandem for referring to both Ace and Luffy. Now the poor kid had to play a brief guessing game anytime someone talked about his 'Dad'. This had led to the decision of assigning two distinct titles for both men, and after much deliberation, they had opted for 'Daddy' and 'Papa'. Luffy had instantly claimed 'Daddy' for himself, arguing that "Papa sounds like an old man!" (No, he was not sorry. Ace deserved a little grief for not being here.)

"Okay, hard one. Where is Jack?" The baby looked confused, scrunching up his face as he tried to figure out what to do. He still hadn't quite grasped the concept of pointing at himself. Suddenly the boy started to babble excitedly, and pointed at something over his father's shoulder. "No, Jack isn't over there, that's-" Luffy turned around to look at whoever his son had pointed at, only to find his own face staring back at him from across the room… in the mirror. The rubber man threw his head back and laughed. Guess he was the one who got it wrong!

Jack's world wasn't complicated. If he wanted to sleep? Cry until someone helped him. Eat? Cry until someone helped him. If he wanted someone to pay attention to him? You guessed it! Cry until someone helped him. He liked to do fun things, like playing with M'ino, Gamps, and Dahn. Daddy was really fun! He liked Daddy a lot. Gamps was funny, not as funny as Dahn, but still funny. Sometimes his face did funny things when he told him stories. Like now.

"Papa….boat… sea…. no good… pi rat." Jack happily wiggled. He liked hearing about his Papa! And he really liked to hear about this 'pi rat' thing. Daddy was really happy when he talked about pi rats. He told a lot of stories about it! He said he was going to be Pi rat keen! Gamps must like the pi rat. He always talks about them! "...mah iens… not go… bad." No! Jack did not like mah iens. Daddy said they are bad. Daddy is not happy about mah iens. Not like pi rat. Gamps wasn't happy. Gamps should talk about pi rat. Pi rat is happy and good! Jack wanted to make Gamps happy. "Daddy… home… stop… pi rat." Yes! Gamps talk about good happy now!

"Piwate!"

There! Now Gamps would be happy! But Gamps didn't look happy. He wasn't sad anymore, but he still looked not good. Gamps was not happy? Did Gamps not hear him? He tried it louder. "PIWATE!"

Gamps started being really loud. He was yelling! Was something wrong?! Why was Gamps yelling?! He felt like screaming too. He heard loud sounds come from outside the door, and then Daddy was there! But Daddy didn't look happy. He looked at Gamps with the same look he gave Jack when he was upset. Was Daddy upset too? "What... wrong?...bad?!" No! No bad! Need to be happy!

"PIWATE!" Daddy looked like Gamps now! No! Not happy! Just staring! Don't yell! Happy, yes! "PIWATE, PIWATE!" Gamps was crying now! Why was he crying?! Daddy fell over. Is Daddy okay?! Daddy was also crying, but he was smiling? Daddy was happy, but he was crying?! No, Daddy is happy, he should stop crying! He yelled louder, hoping Daddy would be happier and stop crying!

"PIWATE! PIWATE! PIWATEEEE!"

Jack had no idea how much chaos he had caused in that moment. Garp would claim that everything was ruined that day, and would be stuck in such a depressed funk for the next month, confusing the hell out of his fellow marines when he returned to headquarters. When asked, he would just grumble something about how those "damn sea dogs ruin everything!" What was he supposed to do? Tell them that the true reason he was in such a foul mood was because his great-grandson's first word was 'pirate,'? No. He couldn't say a damn thing. He was so conflicted. He was supposed to be proud of his great-grandson talking for the first time, but how could he when he had been betrayed?!

Luffy declared that it was the best day of his life.

2 Years

"Luffy! Stop teaching him how to fight! You're almost as bad as your Grandfather!"

The rubber man pouted. "But how else is he supposed to protect himself? What if he ends up getting chased by a bear?!" Makino sighed in exasperation. She almost wished that Luffy would stop worrying about everything now that his son had started to go off and play on his own. Just the other day, they'd caught the boy trying to wander into the woods, despite being warned not to. It seems that the boy's growing independence and subsequent defiance had awoken a new set of protective (dare she say maternal?) instincts within the sixteen-year-old.

"He's still too young to be traveling that far into the jungle! He's just curious about the mystery area that we won't let him go into." The barmaid clucked her tongue disapprovingly as she observed the toddler, who was still trying to copy the simple punch that his dad had been showing him. The child was covered in dirt and sweat. "Look, he's all filthy now! He'll need a bath."

Bath was a magical word to any who knew Monkey D Portgas Jack, as it was a signal for anyone within reach to quickly snatch up the two-year-old before he attempted to run off. It seemed that a hatred for cleaning one's self ran in the family, because the boy absolutely despised being submerged in the tub for any period of time. Unfortunately for the child, his father happened to be the only rubber man in existence, and thus had the ability to stretch his limbs to incredible lengths, which meant that the tot only made it to the nearby treeline before rubber arms wrapped around him and dragged him back to where the two young adults were standing.

Jack grouched as Makino used a rag she'd brought to wipe at the toddler's face, cleaning away the grime that had accumulated. The green-haired-woman frowned after about a minute of scrubbing, having gotten most of the soil off of his cheeks, except for a few small spots that were stubbornly refusing to wash away. She folded the rag to a new section and wet it with her tongue, before rubbing harder at the remaining marks. After a few seconds she pulled the cloth away, only to reveal that the splotches were still there!

Makino's frown deepened and she was just about to suggest the Luffy bring the child inside so they could use some soap and hot water, when she paused. She leaned closer to the toddler, who delightedly tried to grab onto the bandanna keeping her hair back, and peered at the spots with a new focus.

"Huh. Well that's interesting."

"What," the young father asked, curious but slightly worried that something might be wrong. "What is it?"

"Look closely at his cheeks." Luffy was a bit confused, but did as she told him to, studying his son's skin. "I don't see- oh. Oh! That's awesome, shishishishi!" Well, it would appear that the heavens themselves were determined to make it obvious that the young Jack was a member of the Porgas D bloodline, because right there underneath his dark eyes, still faint from their recent development, was the beginning of what would soon be a great smattering of freckles.

(Meanwhile in the afterlife, one Portgas D Rouge accepted a handful of gold coins from her partner. The late Pirate King had been so sure that the kid's skin would remain clear! There was a larger amount of people in this child's family tree that didn't have those distinct sun spots! Rouge just shook her head at the sight of the once most fearsome man in the world looking like a child who'd just gotten his toy taken away. Though her hair was much closer to pink, she was still technically a redhead, and if there's one thing she knows about redheads, it's that their genes are stubborn.)

2.5 Years

Luffy would honestly tell you that he was happy to be a dad, even despite his circumstance being stranger than others. His son was awesome! The rubber man could already tell that his son was going to be strong one day, and the boy seemed to have inherited both of his parent's sense of adventure. Even now the bandits had their hands full trying to keep the toddler from going beyond the shallow part of the shore, while the child seemed determined to dive into the waves that were rolling in.

The devil fruit user was strictly forbidden from going anywhere near the surf, as the bandits had argued that the last thing they needed was to worry about two non-swimmers being swept away. One was already enough work, thank you very much.

The sixteen-year-old sighed as he looked out over the ocean from his position higher up on the beach. He'd be leaving in a little less than a month to fulfill his promise and start working his way towards his dream of becoming King of the Pirates. The idea was so bittersweet now. If you'd asked him about three years ago how he'd feel before his 17th birthday, he'd have answered that he wanted nothing more than to sail out, no regrets what-so-ever. But now?

Well now that meant leaving behind his son, who had just turned two-and-a-half. It broke his heart to know he'd have to say good-bye to the boy, even when he knew that their separation wouldn't be permanent. And it would be temporary, at least until Jack was older and Luffy was strong enough that he knew he could protect his son out there on the wild, open sea. He couldn't, in good conscience, bring the toddler along.

(Could he? No. No, he couldn't. Well maybe- NO!)

He'd thought long and hard about it, until he felt like his brain would catch fire from all the mental exercise it was being forced to do, but he'd finally, finally decided that he wouldn't be taking his son with him. Don't get him wrong; he really, really, really wanted to, but he had a responsibility as his father to keep him safe. And the safest thing for Jack was to stay here on Dawn Island. One day, maybe a few years from now, he'd be able to take his son aboard his ship and show him all the world had to offer, but that day was not today.

They would be reunited one day, he'd make damn well sure of that. And just thinking of reunions, Luffy's gaze became determined. He set his sight on the distant horizon, the area where sky met the sea. It was filled with the promise of adventure, excitement, and endless possibilities. His very blood sang with the knowledge that the rest of the world lay beyond that seemingly unreachable line. But it was reachable, and he would go to meet it very soon. Luffy knew that it was where he was meant to be, like his heart contained a compass that was always pointing out towards some far off place. His dream was out there. His crew was out there. His adventure was out there. His brother (and so much more) was out there. Somewhere in the seemingly endless waves, he'd find everything he was looking for.

"Wait for me just a little longer," he whispered into the wind, and the world, so vast and wild, held its breath and listened. "I'll be there soon."

Chapter Text

Luffy was having the time of his life.

He'd only been traveling the seas for a handful of months, and yet he already had some great nakama, the beginnings of an amazing crew, his very own ship, and a bounty! Really, what more could an aspiring rookie pirate want? 'Well,' the young captain conceded, 'it would be nice to have his family here.' He loved his nakama! They were awesome, and he wouldn't trade them for the world! It's just- well he missed his son already. Had been missing him. Even when they were still in the East Blue. From the moment he left Dawn Island. He just really missed Jack, okay?!

But it was better like this. This way, he wouldn't have to worry about the child constantly getting hurt or in trouble. There was just too much uncertainty and danger that came with having a child on board, especially on the ship of an inexperienced pirate crew who had neither the reputation nor strength to dissuade others from even thinking about trying to hurt one of their member's families. So no, Luffy couldn't have taken Jack with him. The boy would just have to wait until he was older to come with them.

"Shanks was right," the recently dubbed 'Straw Hat' pirate mused in a rare moment of introspection. "The seas are no place for a kid." Even Luffy himself had waited until he was seventeen- practically an adult in his own right- to set sail. The raven glanced over his shoulder from where he was seated on the ram-shaped figurehead, and quickly found their newest crewmember.

Chopper was AWESOME! He was a magical, talking, transforming reindeer that was going to be the greatest doctor in the world who could cure all illnesses one day. Plus, he was literally the second cutest thing in the world (right after his son, of course). The small reindeer was also the youngest member on their crew at fifteen-years-old. (Well, from what they can figure. The whole, half-reindeer half-human thing made age a bit confusing but Luffy just figured that there was more important things to worry about in this life so it didn't really matter.) While some would argue that fifteen was too young to be sailing the ocean, Luffy firmly believed that Chopper was old enough to make his own decisions and join them on their adventure in order to follow his dream.

After all, Luffy had been a father at fifteen, and he did a pretty amazing job if you ask him! Fifteen-year-olds were totally responsible enough to handle the life of a pirate! Still, the young captain now bit his lip and furrowed his brow. Chopper most certainly didn't look his age, largely due to his Brain Point zoan form, the one he tended to use the most, being so small. (And adorable, did he mention adorable already?) The kid still had a child-like innocence despite being such a skilled doctor and fighter, and that combined with his small stature just kept causing Luffy's pattern snail instincts ("Damn it, brat! We've told you a thousand times: it's paternal!") to flare up.

(No one had had the heart or patience to try to explain to Luffy that he also showed some surefire signs of what were largely considered maternal instincts as well, being capable of acting in far gentler ways and prone to flying into a protective rage when his son was threatened in any way, shape, or form. There was a crater the size of a house where a wolf's den had once stood that served as a very vivid reminder of that fact.)

Sometimes he found himself scooping the doctor up into his arms, and perching him on his hip like he used to do with Jack. Thankfully, the reindeer didn't seem to mind and probably just assumed (correctly) that Luffy was a physically affectionate person. And if Chopper found it weird that Luffy would hum lullabies while the two were resting together on the deck, well he never said anything about it.

It was also apparent in moments like this. The poor reindeer had been feeling less and less well with every hour they got closer to Vivi's country. His thick fur was made to handle freezing temperatures, but was suffocating in the desert country's climate which they were sailing even closer to. Luffy wished there was something he could do for their newest crewmate, or at least give him a hug, but rubber was good at holding in heat, not getting rid of it, so it would only make matters worse. It bothered him that he couldn't do anything to help ease the discomfort of the young doctor, after all, he had promised that Old Lady Witch that he would take care of her son, from one parent to another, and he understood the whirlwind of feelings that came with letting your child go. (He'd silently promised the same thing to that Zeff guy, who was clearly Sanji's father no matter how much the blond denied it when he asked.)

This understanding also made Luffy that much more determined to get Vivi back to her country. She was his friend, first and foremost, and if saving her country would make her happy then that's what he'll do. But he made a personal promise to himself to make sure he reunites the King with his daughter. Family was important to Luffy, along with dreams and freedom. Yes, he missed his family everyday, but with each passing minute he was reminded of why he had to set out. He loved his crew wholeheartedly, and he had considered them to be family from the moment they got on his ship, and that included Vivi as well. He was going to make sure that Crocodile-bastard served as a warning to the rest of the world: Do Not Mess With His Family.

"Look! I can see it!"

"Where, where, where?!"

The captain grinned as everyone quickly gathered towards the front of the deck, following Nami's excited shout.

In the distance, the large sandy shores of the coast were coming into view. Alabasta Kingdom. They'd made it! Luffy took in the excited cheers from his crew, joining their celebration rather quickly.

Finally, it was time to kick some ass.

...

...

...

Alright, so maybe it wasn't quite time to kick some ass.

It turns out that Alabasta is a much bigger place than Luffy had anticipated. And Crocodile was really far away. Like, really really far away. He'd thought that the jungle back home on Dawn Island was huge, but this entire place was beyond explanation. And was it really so hard to find some food in this country?!

He continued sprinting down the dusty streets, searching for any place that had food. Really this was just getting ridiculous! He whipped around the corner onto another street.

THERE! A restaurant! FINALLY! The captain shot his arms forward, gripping onto the swinging doors at the entrance of the building. He could practically taste the food already!

"Gomu Gomu no-"

If you'd told Ace that seeing his brother for the first time in three years would involve getting launched through several walls, a chase with the marines, and a destructive fight of epic proportions, he wouldn't have even batted an eye.

That's just what being a D meant. It was physically impossible for them to do anything 'normally', and if they weren't the ones causing trouble, trouble would find them. You either revelled in the chaos, or- actually there is no 'or'. Every single D that had ever existed was crazy in some form or fashion. Now whether the insanity was the cause of the madness around them or a coping method for it, that was still unclear. Regardless of the answer, the fact still remained that a D's natural habitat was wherever the world was tilting sideways, and if their environment wasn't suitable for them at the current moment, they'd soon make sure to change that.

This is why you can easily expect to find a D at the center of whatever pandemonium is going on, often being the cause of it, either directly or indirectly. Now, it was hard to make a D feel out of their comfort zone in these types of circumstances, because the stubborn bastards are so used to being the craziest things in a 20 island radius. It's not impossible, just extremely hard. Probably because it involves using another D, and the very thought of more than one of them being in the same sea, much less the same island is more than enough to send a few people into a nervous breakdown. Unfortunately for the less insane part of the population, such an event occurs sometimes.

It was truly a battle for the ages, like a massive crossover event that would pit characters who could never survive together in the same arena. Only one D could remain standing, and claim their title as 'Craziest Bastard Alive'.

The Straw Hats would eventually come to realize that from the moment they'd had that signature grin targeted at them, that they'd been forsaken by all that keeps order. They had sold their souls to the bringer of chaos who would drag them along for the storm he'd bring down upon the world. They would love every second of it, but constantly wonder if the heart attacks were worth it. Most who witness a D clash and live, walk away with a new appreciation for life, often comforted by the thought that "at least ours isn't as bad as that one." The Straw Hats would always be the losers in these battles, on the account that their captain Always Won.

Case in point, the reunion of the D Brothers. It was mentioned earlier, that it's possible to send a D into a mental breakdown. The trick is actually pretty simple. If you want to stop a D from shaking the world to its foundations, you just have to shake their world to its foundations. And unfortunately for one Portgas D Ace, the most chaotic thing he'd done in his life, was something he was completely unaware of.

So yeah, reuniting with his brother in (literally) the heat of battle was par for the course. Having to save him and his crewmates from some stubborn Marine commander with a nicotine addiction? Completely predictable. His brother getting separated from his crew while watching the huge explosions? Well that's just Luffy, but still, expected. Sharing a heated kiss in an alleyway while hiding from the marines? Okay, that one wasn't planned, but really he should have seen it coming.

He'd dropped down off the roof, ready to make some suave remark worthy of his reputation, when those dark eyes locked onto his, and suddenly those three years apart felt like an eternity and he needed to touch right now and-

"Ace!"

Which is how they'd ended up here, with Luffy's back pressed against the wall, arms wrapped around one another, and kissing like the world was going to end if they didn't. He really hadn't changed, had he? Same elastic, bouncy skin, and pliant lips that taste like meat and honey. Same enthusiastic tongue trying to shove itself down his thro- hey is it getting longer? The flame man ripped himself away from the kiss, gagging. "What the hell, Lu?"

In response, the rubber man just snickered as he bent over, trying to catch his breath, and wow, he needed air too. "Missed you, Ace!" The older of the two just shook his head and smiled, reaching over to ruffle the younger one's hair, ignoring the indignant yelps he got in protest.

"It's good to see you too, Luffy."

And just like that, the hole in their hearts that they didn't even know were there filled instantly, brimming with familiar joy. I love you, I love you, I love you-

Seeing Ace again felt better than great. It was amazing, and just perfect! Well, almost perfect. All Luffy needed was Ace to hurry up and get to the ship and for Jack to be here, and then everything would be perfect.

He knew he was getting weird looks from his crew, who were interrogating him about that bomb that he just dropped on them before he vanished. (Oops, he forgot about that.) He didn't really see what the big deal was. Ace was his brother. He couldn't even imagine their reactions if he told them everything. He couldn't even imagine how Ace would react to the ne-

Oh god.

He still had to tell Ace.

And he had no idea how to do it.

Ace was busy getting rid of the bounty hunter ships, and Luffy still had no idea what to do. Well, he'd have to get him alone, so he didn't freak out the crew, so probably in the Men's room below deck. He hit his fist against his palm, Yes! A perfect idea! He rushed to the stairs, and down into the Going Merry, heading to his designated drawer near his hammock. He opened the small compartment and dug around his small collection of things before he pulled out a photograph, the edges worn from being held so often. "Yosh! I should probably get the Den Den!"

Luffy carefully set the photograph on the top of his drawer, before making his way out of the room. He thinks he might have left it in the front cannon room, where he went to call Makino a few days ago in privacy. He climbed up the stairs and disappeared down the 2nd hallway, heading to the room at the end of it. He pulled the door closed behind him and it was still for only a moment, before the door at the top of the stairs swung open.

'Damn, I go and pull out all the tricks to give him a show, and he doesn't even watch it till the end?' Ace was a little miffed that his brother hadn't been there when he got back, the swordsman (who he thought was sleeping) had told him that his brother went below deck, "probably to the men's room" before he was quickly interrupted by the orange-haired woman (Nami, he thinks) gave him the directions to get there.

He entered the room, all the way at the bottom of the stairs, two doors down, and took a look around. Several hammocks were strung up around the room, paired with several storage units of various kinds lying around. "Well, there's only one person I know who owns that many primary color shirts," he blanched. They were shoved haphazardly into the dresser drawer and stuck out like some sort of brightly colored mane. Never one to organize things, his brother. Ace walked over to the dresser, planning on trying to at least make the drawer close, when he saw it.

It was a picture of Luffy, but the main focus of the photo was on the toddler that was perched on his shoulders. The rubber man had been caught mid-laugh, eyes shut and grin wide. The kid had his hands buried in the black strands beneath him, probably to keep him from falling over. What caught Ace's attention the most was the child's face. The wide smile was familiar to him, hell he saw it anytime he looked in a mirror, or at his brother. Those eyes were a perfect match to the ones that he knew were hidden behind eyelids in the picture, but the shape was...off. Less wide and innocent looking. The jet-black hair was just as messy as the man's below him, and both males' skin was naturally tan.

The freckles were the biggest clue. Sure, there were other features, but they were slightly harder to determine with the remaining child chub that the toddler had. The small sun spots were spread out across the boy's cheeks, "like tiny little stars," Luffy had told him once.

Now Ace was putting together pieces in his mind, pulling from two key sources. The first being his memories of the baby pictures he'd seen of himself. Dadan might've pretended she didn't care, but that woman had several scrapbooks worth of pictures of all the boys that she's raised at one point, (even though the third only showed up in about a dozen) and this child sure looked a hell of a lot like the one he'd seen in the beginning of the book with his name on it. Secondly, he'd been living in the New World, as a high-ranking member on the crew of the Strongest Man in the World. He had experienced and witnessed many things that people couldn't even dream of. And he remembered a day that happened almost 7 months ago, on the Moby Dick. They'd thrown a farewell party for two men who had decided to leave the crew to raise their child together. Their biological child. That one of the men had been pregnant with. 'A rare phenomenon,' Ace had been told. 'Males who are capable of childbearing.' It was weird, but then again, this was the Grand Line where anything is possible.

'But this isn't the Grand Line,' Ace thought to himself. No, this picture was clearly taken on Dawn Island, he could see the Bandit Hut in the background. He quickly scanned the photo, desperately searching for an answer, any kind of explanation, anything that would save him from the realization of- he flipped the picture over, and there on the back was writing, a nice script that he recognized as Makino's work.

'Happy Father's Day, Luffy!'

But there was no way, it couldn't be. Because the only- he was- they couldn't have- No. No. No! NO! He refused to believe it, because that could only mean that-

The door crashed against the wall, but Ace didn't even jump at the noise, so petrified at the picture that was forming in his head. Luffy strode into the room, triumphantly carrying the Den Den Mushi, when he saw his brother already in the room. "Hey Ace! I've got something I want to-"

"Tell me we didn't."

"Wha- tell you we didn't what?" Luffy placed the snail on top of Zoro's dresser, and walked towards his brother. "Whatchu lookin a-" the rubber man froze. That was the only answer that the commander needed. It made too much sense, and of course they did, they're D's and Fate likes to mess with them just as much as it favors them. It was just his luck, along with one Monkey D Luffy's seemingly endless amount of the stuff, that they should be so lucky. One percent chance didn't mean shit to D's, who pulled off the impossible greater than even the Grand Line itself. And this should have been impossible.

Because Luffy had a child.

And Ace was the father.

Chapter Text

Ace stared at the photo in his hand, still trying to absorb the truth. He was so lost in his own head that he didn't notice when Luffy finally unfroze and shuffled over to him. When the rubber man grabbed his bicep and gently guided him to the nearby couch, he went without a fight, suddenly aware of the feeling that his legs were going to give out. With a light push, he found himself seated on the cushions, the open space next to him quickly filled by his brother. Luffy tenderly pried the picture out of Ace's hand setting it down in his lap. Ace's gaze followed the small photo all the way down. The two sat in silence for a few seconds. There was a slightly shaky intake of breath, a quick attempt to gather some strength and courage.

"His name is Jack. Monkey D Portgas Jack." Ace's breath hitched.

"Luffy, please-"

"He's going to turn three this September. He has my eyes, and your freckles." The teenager's voice was just as shaky, and he kept his eyes glued on the picture. Ace glanced up and noticed the small trembles that wracked the younger male's body. Automatically, he moved his arm to rest around Luffy's shoulders, a gesture of comfort. The boy leaned into the embrace, pressing the side of his body up against the older's. With an infinite amount of care, Ace removed the beloved straw hat and placed it down on the cabinet beside him, quickly doing the same for his own orange hat.

Luffy felt the familiar sensation of fingers running through the dark strands that were usually covered by his hat. He'd tensed up at first, but quickly relaxed once the soothing motion continued. He took another breath that shuddered its way through him. "His temper is just as bad as yours." He didn't even know when he started crying, but his voice became choked as tears streamed down his face. "A troublemaker to the core, might even be worse than us." The teenager sniffled, wiping his eyes. "And he's the greatest kid in the world." He snatched up the photo and pressed it to his chest, clutching it tightly.

The hand continued to stroke through his hair. He pressed deeper into the other's side, resting the side of his head on the broad chest there. Luffy could hear the heartbeat jumping around inside of it, feeling the quick rise and fall of every breath. His body continued to shake. He didn't dare look up at his brother, terrified of what he'd see. 'What if he doesn't like him? What if he doesn't want to be a dad?! I never even thought of that!' He stopped shaking as his entire being froze in fear. 'What if he hates me? What if he doesn't want anything to do with me? What if he leaves me alone?! I can't- I need-'

Luffy's breath caught in his throat. He couldn't live with that. If Ace rejected him, then he'd- he would- his body heaved, and he choked out a strangled sob. "Ace, say something, please!"

Portgas D Ace found himself totally and utterly speechless. The world was falling down around him. So many thoughts and emotions were flying around his head. He felt like he was stuck in the middle of a cataclysmic storm that was threatening to sink the small boat he was on. He couldn't even process what was going on, everything was moving so fast. He barely even heard the words from his brother, absent-mindedly noting the way that his voice became increasingly frantic with every sentence. The jumbled mess of thoughts and feelings only worsened when the rubber man fell silent and stopped moving completely. Concern and worry joined the turmoil within him, absolutely wrecking what little bit of clarity he might have gathered. The commander felt the shudders from the other boy increase tenfold as the rubber man let out a heart-breaking sob. "Ace, say something, please!"

He tightened his grip around the boy, his hand freezing from where it was buried in the younger's hair. Luffy was begging him, practically crying his heart out, as he waited for him to react, to reject him. 'He must be terrified.'

Ace remembered how scared he himself had been when he'd told Luffy how he felt all those years ago. The seconds it had taken for Luffy to reply to his sudden confession had been one of the most anxiety filled moments in his life. He could feel his heart already breaking as he knew- he knew- that Luffy would never want to speak to him again.

(He would tell Ace that he was gross and then he'd tell Garp who would drag him to the Marines and hand him over because freaks like him deserve to die. Ace wouldn't even try to stop him, hell he'd make it easier for the old man and throw himself to the sea because he'd rather be dead than have to live with knowing that Luffy hated him, even for just one more second. Luckily for him, he was saved from his imagined fate by Luffy. Luffy, bright and loving Luffy, who didn't care about the blood that ran through his veins, who knew and loved him in spite of it, had kissed him on the cheek. "Shishishi! Okay! Ace can have my heart, but only if I can have his!" That adorable dumbass. Didn't he realize that he'd already had it?)

Now their positions were switched, but instead of a confession of feelings, it was the revelation of a child, the physical proof of the love the two shared. Love that had been tested by both time and distance and survived. Love that had beaten the constricting rules that society was built upon. It was strange and unusual- a love beyond all comprehension. It was unconventional, they knew, but it was theirs. Just like this child. This would make or break them, and well, Ace refused to let Luffy go. Not now, after everything they had been through. They needed each other then as much as they need each other now, and right now, Luffy needed him. To say something. Anything.

"Why Jack?"

Well. That wasn't exactly the first thing he wanted to say, but it was the first comprehensive thought that had escaped from the storm that was slowly calming down inside his head. Actually, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that it was a good question. For one thing, he was genuinely curious about the name, and secondly it had made Luffy stop shaking. Ace could feel the feather light sensation of (unintentional) butterfly kisses on his chest, as Luffy's eyelashes fluttered against the skin there when he blinked. Once. Twice. Rapid fire. The young captain finally raised his head and looked up at Ace.

"What?" His voice was small, but not as shaky, obviously caught off guard by the response, er- question.

"Why did you name him Jack?"

The rubber man blinked again, still reeling from the emotional rollercoaster he'd just been on and confused as hell. He hiccupped. "He's Jack, like in the poker game."

"Wha- Poker? As in the card game?" There was a nod. "What do playing cards have to do with naming a kid?"

"Y'know, cause he's the son of the future Pirate King, and his dad is Ace. King, Ace, and Jack."

Ace just stared down at his brother; eyes wide. "You- you named our son" and wow he nearly had an aneurysm just saying that out loud, "because of a pun?!"

"It was a clever pun."

The two stared at each other, both still feeling emotionally unstable and tired from the mental trials they just went through, and they were talking about the joke behind their son's name. That the boy would be stuck with forever. Ace couldn't take it anymore. He felt the laughter bubble out of him, loud and uncontrollable, and within seconds he was full on cackling. Only Luffy. Their son's name was a joke. Didn't the bastard realize what he'd done to that poor child? He'd be teased for the rest of his life! And speaking of the bastard, Ace glanced down at Luffy, who was doing his absolute best to keep glaring at the logia user but kept having to cover his mouth with his free hand to stop from giggling, and the whole attempt was completely ruined by the unrestrained joy swimming through those near-black eyes.

It was a breath-taking sight to Ace.

He quickly turned to the side, and slipped his other arm around the rubber man, dragging the smaller male into his lap. The teen whined in protest but was quickly cut off by a swift peck on the lips. Ace then tugged the stretchy body towards him and into a hug that would crush anyone whose bones weren't made out of rubber. He chuckled, "oh my god, you are such an idiot."

"Hey!" The captain gave an indignant shout, but still continued to melt into the warm embrace. "You try naming a child sometime! It's not easy!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure. I'll name the next one."

Both of them froze. Eyes meeting each other, their faces an equal reflection of terror. The idea of raising more than one child who possessed the Will of D was so downright horrifying that it felt like they were threatening the very world's existence just by suggesting it out loud. No thank you! There was a reason why both of them were only children. Reality could only handle so much breaking. In fact, the thought was so ludicrous that it sent the two into another laughing fit, which lasted for several minutes as it kept starting back up every time they so much as looked at each other.

When the final wave of giggles had passed, the two found themselves in a new position, having moved during their little episode. Now Ace had slumped over and was leaning against the armrest, one leg on the couch and the other planted firmly on the floor to keep him stabilized. Both of his arms were still wrapped around Luffy, who was laying on top of him, gently tracing one of the small, faint scars on his chest. (If he remembered correctly, he'd gotten that one from an incident involving an attempt at being a human grill, which did not end well. Luffy must never hear of this.)

The flame human let out a satisfied sigh. He had missed the younger male. "Is it bad that a part of me thinks this is a dream?"

"Nah. It was a shock for me too."

"Liar! You probably just laughed about it and wondered what was for dinner later."

"Shishishi!"

The twenty-year-old shook his head. "I just… can't believe it. I mean, wow, you had a kid, my kid. We are parents. Holy shit, I'm a dad! I- I have a son! And I- I-" His eyes became unfocused, the excitement slowly leaving him. How could he have forgotten this part so soon?! He didn't deserve to feel such joy. "And I never even knew. I'm a terrible human being."

"What?!" The smaller man pushed himself up into a sitting position, straddling the other's hips. "No, you're not!"

"Don't you understand? I left you there, Lu! I- I- abandoned you. Both of you." Ace chuckled humorlessly, running a hand through his hair. "I've had a son for two years, and I didn't even know. I'm no better than he was."

"You're not him. Ace is Ace. It's not your fault!"

"But I- I should have checked in on you! Or- or given you some way to contact me! I could have stayed with you- ugh, this never would have happened if I hadn't been so weak-"

Luffy jumped up angrily, glaring at his older brother. "You were the one that said we should live without regrets! Do you regret your time out at sea? Do you regret us?" The teen snarled. Snarled!

Ace sat up quickly. "Wha- no of course not! I will never regret loving you, and I'm so happy that I chased my dream, but I should have-"

The young captain shook his head. "Nope. None of that. What happened, happened, and I don't regret any of it. I. Love. You."

The commander stared up at the determined teenager in front of him, before letting a small smile grace his lips. "You always know the right thing to say, Lu. I guess you're right, there's no point wondering what could have been." The rubber man smiled, joining the fire logia user on the couch once more. He quickly reached between them, the older meeting him halfway as they clasped their hands together.

"Silly Ace, you're here now, and that's good enough for me! Shishishi!"

"You sentimental dumbass," Ace leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the younger's forehead. The two sat there, leaning against one another while holding hands, simply relishing in the feeling of being in the other's presence again. It reminded them of how it used to be, back on Dawn Island when they were younger. Just little moments like this, that belonged only to them. After a few minutes of comfortable quiet between the two, Ace finally spoke up.

"Tell me about him. About Jack."

Luffy tilted his head slightly to the side with a lopsided smile. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

"Hmm. Why don't we have someone else tell you?"

Ace had only a few seconds warning as Luffy's smile turned into a devious grin. The rubber man flung one of his arms behind him, letting the limb stretch across the room before it snapped back, an object clutched in his hand. "Where the heck did you get a den den mushi?" Ace asked as he watched the teen spin the dial to several numbers in a practiced motion.

"Gramps gave it to me for my seventeenth birthday."

"He told you to keep in touch or something?" Ace did not like that glint in Luffy's eyes. His brother could be downright clever when it came to messing with people or figuring out how to annoy or anger them on purpose. It was honestly one of his best skills, and the world should be more grateful that he didn't do it very often.

"Something like that."

After a few seconds, the snail made a slight clicking sound that signified that the other person had picked up the call. Before they could say a single thing, Luffy erupted. "Hello! This is Monkey D Luffy, the man who will be King of the Pirates!" Ace slapped his hand to his face. He didn't even know what he was expecting.

Well he definitely wasn't expecting the familiar sound of light giggles that came from the snail. He whipped his head upwards and stared in shock, the wheels slowly turning as he realized who the captain had just called. "It is nice to hear from you, Luffy! You're calling pretty early this week. Didn't we just talk two days ago?"

Luffy snickered at the teasing tone from the other's words. He had the upper hand in this conversation. "Yeah, but it's important. Is Jack there? Today should be one of the days he's with you, yeah?"

Makino's voice had returned to normal, the snail showing that on the other end of the phone the woman had a light smile. "That's right, he's sitting down at one of the tables coloring. Do you want me to get him for you?"

"Shishi! Yeah! I've got a surprise for him!"

"Oh! A surprise? What kind of a surprise?"

Luffy looked away from the snail, quickly motioned at Ace as he moved the receiver towards him. He must be the surprise. The logia user took that as his cue to make his presence known, and with a steadying breath he finally spoke.

"Hey, Makino. Long time no see huh?"

There was a loud gasp followed by a faint crashing sound that echoed from the snail, which was trailed by some muffled curses that were muttered so far under the woman's breath that she'd practically whispered them. "Is that Ace? You found him?! Holy Oda! Give me one second, I'm going to go grab Jack!"

Ace tried to stop the panic rising inside of him as he glared at his little bother. That small devil knew damn well what he had done, and Ace wasn't prepared for it. Come to think of it, that's probably the exact reason he did it. Luffy never did put much stock in the phrase 'look before you leap.' He much rather preferred to rip off the bandage and get it all over with as soon as possible, even if it would be painful. The commander gulped nervously. Very painful. 'Oh dear lord, I'm not ready for this!"

The sounds coming from the den den mushi grew louder, suggesting that someone was approaching the receiver. Approaching pretty quickly if the rate at which the noise grew was anything to go by. Suddenly, there was a very clear, and loud voice from someone who was yelling into the mic.

"Daddy!"

'How the hell does he know I'm here?' Before the man could ask for clarification, Luffy eagerly yanked the receiver towards him. "Jack! How are you doing, bud?" Ace was a bit confused, as the boy started to chatter on about his day (and holy shit, that was his son's voice). So, Luffy is 'Daddy'? He would have thought Lu would be 'Mom' and he would be 'Dad'. Afterall, he is the Father, so he should be called 'Dad'. But Luffy wasn't a woman, even though he was the one that carried and gave birth to Jack, so it made sense that he'd want a male's role. Wait, if they were both going to have a father title, then what the hell is he?!

Ace snapped back to attention when Luffy finally spoke, having patiently (and wasn't that a shock?) waited for the boy's scattered rambling to finish. "Hey! I have a surprise for you!" The little boy squealed on the other end. "Guess who I have here with me!"

"Gamps!"

Luffy chuckled. "Nope! Guess again!"

"Nakama?"

"Shishishishi! Kinda in a way, but nope!" The snail's face morphed to show complete confusion, and Ace could only imagine what the expression looked like on the toddler's face, trying to understand how someone could be nakama, but not? He smiled at the image that his brain supplied him with. He could totally imagine the kid's face slowly turning red like Luffy's does when he's thinking hard about something, or maybe his son scowls like himself, frustrated at the lack of answers? The Whitebeard pirate didn't get much time to ponder that fascinating question, before his brother turned to him with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face and placed the receiver in his hand. "Say hi to your son, Ace!"

Is this what a heart attack feels like? No, he's pretty sure that a heart attack feels like a chest cramp, (he'd have to ask Marco when he saw him again) and not like it was trying to escape from his chest. 'Calm down, Portgas. You can do this. You're just talking to your son for the first time. No pressure!' He'd faced down enemies that could have killed him easily, he'd challenged the "Knight of the Sea" Jinbe and fought him to a standstill for 5 days straight! Hell, he'd gone after the head of the Strongest Man in the World for a hundred days! This would be way easier than all of that! Still, his breath shook when he inhaled. "It- it's nice to meet you Jack. I'm your fa-"

"PAPA!"

…

…

…

What?

…

…

…

No, seriously, what was happening? He felt like he was being torn in two, flipped inside out, and upside down. The world was too silent and the blood rushing through his ears was too loud. He became uncomfortably aware of his heartbeat as it skipped, raced, and then slowed down drastically. The world could have ended in that moment and Ace wouldn't give a single shit. Because his son- (whose name was Monkey D. Portgas Jack, and had Luffy's eyes, and his freckles and was the perfect mix of himself and the man he loved the most-) knew him. He called him 'Papa'.

He couldn't breathe.

Jack- his son- knew who he was. And he'd sounded so excited. Like Ace was the greatest surprise in the world. The only interaction they'd had with one another was hearing each other's voices through a den den call. But the snail had projected such a wide smile, black eyes shining in awe, and to think that his son- his flesh-and-blood child- would look at him that way, without a single trace of hatred or resentment… 'Oh my god.'

A worried voice snapped him out of it. "Daddy, what wrong? Mushi has a funny face."

Wow. He hadn't even noticed when Luffy had let go of his hand. Rubbery finger pads gently swiped at his cheeks and around his eyes, and it was only then that he noticed the wetness on his cheeks. Oh. He was crying. He finally met his brother's gaze, concerned eyes searching his for… something. Ace didn't know what Luffy was looking for, but it seemed that the younger one had found it, because his face relaxed and he gave him a soft and gentle smile, quite a rare sight on the normally hyperactive teen. There was something swimming in those deep, onyx eyes. Understanding. "Nothing is wrong, Jack. Ace is just a little shocked right now."

"Papa is okay?"

Ace felt a watery laugh escape from him. "Yeah. I'm fine, Jack."

He wiped his eyes with the back of his arm, before placing his hand on top of the smaller one that was resting on his cheek. He looked Luffy— his friend, his brother, his lover, the one who carried his child and looked at him like he was the best thing in the world— in the eye, making sure the younger one knew he was alright. He then gave him the warmest smile he could manage. Trying to convey everything.

'Thank you,' he mouthed. He received an affectionate smile in return. He turned his head gently and pressed a light kiss into the younger one's palm. Their hands slid off his face, twisting on the way down so they could line up with one another. They came to a rest in his lap, their fingers intertwined. Ace felt a firm and reassuring pressure as his hand was quickly squeezed. Right, they were in this together. He could do this.

"Papa's fine."

The couple had no idea how long the conversation lasted but agreed that it was too short. Their son could have kept talking to them forever and they wouldn't mind. The only thing that could have made that moment better was if their son was with them in person, but for now this little sliver of heaven was perfect to them.

Jack had been rambling on and on about all the things he could think of, with Makino and Luffy occasionally 'translating' for Ace. The newly realized dad absorbed everything he could, determined to carve these moments into his memory. The logia user had learned so much about the son he didn't know he'd had this morning. Like the fact that Jack had taken to carrying around a large stick that he used to 'hit the mean animals' in the Jungle. Or how Jack's first word was pirate and it had partially been Garp's fault, (he'd nearly passed out he was laughing so hard).

There was also the time that Jack had been younger and prone to repeating whatever sounds he heard, and he'd copied one of the bandits after he'd swore when he dropped his bottle. (The terrified man had literally thrown himself out the open window the moment that Luffy's head started turning in his direction. The unfortunate soul was chased by a pissed off… mother? Father? Parent. Ace was still deciding what he's call Luffy. The chase had lasted two hours before the man eventually fell unconscious from exhaustion. When he woke up, he'd been tied to the back of one of the boars and set loose into the forest. Luffy's only comment had been that the man had it coming. Ace agreed.)

Their son also loved spicy peppers, for some inexplicable reason.

("Think it has something to do with your devil fruit?"

"What does that have to do with anything? They can't be passed on through genetics."

"You boys seem to be forgetting that Ace didn't have his devil fruit when Jack was… conceived."

"Oh yeah. Forgot about that… How the hell would that even work?"

"It's a mystery."

"For once, I agree with you on that.")

Ace's favorite story had been about the time that a guy had been hitting on Makino while she was carrying Jack in the town. He'd been aggressive when she refused and grabbed her by her free wrist, not letting go when she yelled at him to release her. Before any of those nearby could step in to help the beloved barmaid, the man had been knocked on his ass, out cold by a small but sure fist.

But sadly, the conversation had to come to an end. The toddler had continued talking for as long as he could, but eventually he kept getting interrupted by a yawn. The yawns kept growing closer and closer together until the boy had started to mumble and babble nonsensically. Makino finally stepped in and declared that it was nap time for Jack. Luffy and Ace were devastated but said their farewells without a fight.

Which is how the two found themselves a few minutes later, cuddling on the couch together. After a few minutes of blissful, contented silence, occasionally peppering each other with kisses, Ace finally decided to approach that subject.

"So. Papa, huh?"

Luffy smirked up at him. That little shit. "Well it's not like he could call you 'Dad'. He has two dads! It got confusing."

Ace sighed, knowing this conversation was going to devolve into something stupid. "I get that, but why the hell do you get to be 'Daddy'?"

"I raised him!" (He felt a stab of pain run through him at the reminder, but Luffy quickly bumped up against his shoulder, both as a form of comfort and an apology.) "Which means that I get to be 'Daddy!"

He shook off the rest of the dark thoughts, he was having a good time dammit. Just some friendly banter between him and his fellow parent. "But why do I get 'Papa'? Makes me feel old."

"You are old."

There was an indignant yelp. "Hey! Take that back!"

"Shishishishi! Ace is old!"

"You little-" He rolled off the side of the couch, flipping their positions so Luffy landed with his back on the floor. The rubber man was even a good sport about it, letting out a quiet grunt as if the impact had hurt his rubber body. How nice of him. But sportsmanship wasn't going to stop Ace, oh no. This was personal.

The D Brothers' (totally mature, it was a battle for our pride and honor, we swear) tickle fight was interrupted by a puzzled Usopp opening the door and walking into the men's room. He blinked twice as he stared at the sight before him. "What are you two doing?"

"Wrestling."

"Just bros being bros, tell him how it is, bro."

"Yep. Really manly wrestling, you know how it is."

"Just two guys being dudes!"

The sniper continued to gawk at the scene. "Ummm. Right." He finally walked past them, carefully avoiding the tangle of limbs that the two had become. "I'm just gonna grab my- yeah." While he was searching through his drawer for whatever it is he was looking for, the brothers swiftly separated from one another, straightening hair and clothing. The awkward and stiff atmosphere remained until Usopp finally found what he came here for, and then beat a hasty retreat out of the room. The two waited until even his footsteps disappeared from hearing range. They glanced at one another, both thinking to themselves, 'That was a close one.'

"So, I'm guessing from the fact that he walked in here shamelessly to ask us what we were doing after hearing us making all this noise, while we had the door closed, that you haven't told your crew about us?" Ace's tone was hard to define, but he'd like to describe it as a mix between annoyance and acceptance.

"Nope." Luffy's was more casual than spending a Saturday in your pajamas. "Why, does your crew know?"

It was Ace's turn for being accused, and the older man rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, ignoring the incredibly faint blush on his cheeks. "Well… not exactly. I think they've all had their suspicions but just chalked it up to me having a massive brother complex."

"Why didn't you just tell them?" Luffy sounded genuinely curious.

Ace rolled his eyes. "Yeah, cause it's so easy to say 'Hey everyone! I'm dating my little brother!'"

"We're dating?"

"Why are you acting surprised?! And are you seriously asking if we're dating!?"

"Ace never said we were dating." The man in question just stared at his younger brother.

"Luffy, we have a child. We are parents."

"Yeah, but Ace never asked me to date him."

Ace was seconds away from tearing out his hair. "Does it matter?"

"Yes!"

"Why?!" He really wanted to facepalm right now.

"Cause I wanna make it official!" His brother could be oddly romantic sometimes. Now was not the time for it though.

"You want to- wait a minute. You really want me… to ask you… to date me?"

"I can ask Ace to date me."

Fuck it, he slammed his hand to his forehead. "That's not the point! We've been in a relationship for years, why the hell does formality matter now?"

"So we can be boyfriends."

"Luffy. We are lovers. We literally made a child together. I think we're past the stage of 'boyfriends'."

"But lovers don't sound official!" Alright, fair point.

"Are you kid- Fine. How about partners?"

"Doesn't that mean we're married?"

"Well, it can mean that, but it doesn't have to."

"But we're not married yet!"

Ace's brain malfunctioned. It just… stopped. 'Yet.' They weren't married, yet. That wasn't even a thought that had ever crossed his mind, but it was clearly something Luffy had, for once, thought about ahead of time. Upon hearing the word 'yet' tacked onto the end of that statement, Ace's mind decided to take a vacation, leaving one single brain cell to work overtime to understand the ridiculousness of this situation.

"Yet?!"

Luffy couldn't actually be saying what he thinks he's saying? Right? Cause there is no way that he just heard Monkey D. 'I'm Going to be King of the Pirates,' Luffy just imply that he wanted to- "Yeah! We should get married! But first we have to be boyfriends!"

Whoop. There it goes. His final brain cell just handed in its extended leave of absence form. Signed and checked. Really, it deserved a raise after all this was over. Discharged with full honors and all that.

"Really."

"Yeah! That's how it always goes in Makino's stories! And Makino is really smart!"

"She is."

"So let's be boyfriends!"

"Okay."

"Wait, really Ace?!" He was so done with everything happening today. He really wanted to take a nap after this. Maybe he could blame his narcolepsy?

"Yes."

"You want to date me!?"

"Yes."

"You sure!?"

Nope. Ace wasn't doing this song and dance again. He interrupted his excited brother. "Monkey D. Luffy," the younger male froze at the use of his full name. "Will you be my boyfriend?" It was the most dead sounding, un-romantic request to start dating in the history of the world.

Luffy kissed him like it was the best.

"YOSH!"

Chapter Text

The newly dubbed boyfriends, (and wow, that was still something Ace couldn't get over,) had decided that telling Luffy's crew about their relationship would be a wonderful idea! In other words: Luffy had gotten so excited to tell everyone about this new development and Ace is so smitten with the man that he couldn't say no.

Even if he wanted to.

He really wanted to.

But his boyfriend, 'boyfriend- holy shit-,' had given him the most kicked puppy look he was capable of when he'd tried to protest. (Ace had decided right then and there that there should be a law that prohibited that look from ever appearing on his brother's… boyfriend's face. It was just too powerful.) The commander sighed as he thought about the inevitable drama that was about to go down on the deck of the small ship they were on. At least there was a silver lining to this whole situation, that being the fact that this crew was used to Luffy's shenanigans, so they've probably dealt with more shocking situations.

"Ace worries too much."

He let out a dry laugh. Luffy had always had a knack for figuring out how others were feeling. "Yeah, I'm sure you're right, but I just- It feels weird after keeping it hidden for so long, y'know?" He allowed himself a small smile when he felt the teen's hand slip into his own, the warm grip helping to ground him. "Besides, I'm sure that their reaction to us can't be any worse than how they reacted to hearing about Jack."

He was met with silence.

"Luffy."

The grip on his hand tightened.

"Luffy, please."

He looked over at the young captain, knowing that if he were to lift up the straw hat he'd find the teen's forehead covered in sweat.

"Luffy. Please, for the love of all that is holy, tell me that they AT LEAST know that you are a father?"

"...No."

"Oh my god." He was going to be killed by these rookie pirates for defiling their captain. "Okay. Fine. We can work with this. First things first, we'll tell them about our relationship." Maybe that would convince them to spare his life when they found out about the second part. "Be nice and gentle about it."

"Right."

"And then we'll ease them into the idea of a child."

"Got it."

"And when they're comfortable with that, we'll start dropping hints."

"Sounds like a plan."

There was a beat of silence between the two.

"You haven't been listening to a word I've said, have you?"

"Nope!"

This teenager would be the death of him. He could see the headlines now: 'Man dies from overexposure to dumbassery - scientists everywhere left stunned!' Okay. That was pretty stupid, he'll admit. It will probably be fine, and if not, then he's sure Luffy's insane luck will kick in and everything will turn out fine! Yeah. And if it doesn't… Well, they can change their names and form a new crew who would be none the wiser to the truth. Solid back up plan.

"You ready, Ace?" Oh. He hadn't even noticed they were at the door to the front deck. Guess there's no point in stalling. The commander smirked at the young captain, hoping to regain some semblance of courage from the familiar action.

"Do you even have to ask?" The rubber man grinned at him as he pushed the door to the main deck open. Those that were scattered across the small ship looked up from what they were doing, except for the green haired swordsman who continued to nap undisturbed. Ace knew better than to believe that. His brother— boyfriend— ...Luffy's right-hand man wouldn't just let his guard down when a stranger was on that ship, even when that stranger was supposedly his captain's brother. 'Oh this just keeps getting worse,' Ace thought to himself as he turned his attention to the others. The orange haired woman, Nami had been talking to the other girl with blue hair, who happened to be none other than Nefertari Vivi, the previously missing Princess of Alabasta. Honestly, he wasn't even surprised that she was here, these sort of things just happened around his little brot— boyfriend. Luffy was his boyfriend now.

What the hell do they even call each other anymore? They had sworn they'd always be brothers, but now...? Ace minutely shook his head. That was a problem they could discuss later. Now was the time to focus on a bigger problem: breaking the news to Luffy's nakama. Who he had just met a few hours ago. When he'd introduced himself as Luffy's brother. A brother that Luffy hadn't even mentioned before. Could this situation be any worse? Oh yeah! He's also the father of Luffy's child. Who they also don't know about.

…Shit.

Yeah, this wasn't going to end well for poor Ace. 'Nothing for it, I suppose.' The logia user squared his shoulders, shaking himself out of his thoughts as Luffy calls for everyone's attention. He glances over at the younger male who was practically vibrating in excitement. Ace cleared his throat, everyone's eyes focusing on him as he stepped forward. (He even caught a glimpse of the first mate's left eye barely cracked open, but open nonetheless. Ah Ha! He knew he wasn't sleeping!) "I think some reintroductions and explanations are in order."

He really shouldn't have been surprised. How could the second division commander have forgotten who he was standing next to? He grew up with the boy, hell, he and the teen had been the closest to each other for a solid decade. The three years apart must have done something to addle his mind. (No, he knew this wasn't true. He would always know Luffy better than anyone, even the man himself. Time and distance apart meant nothing.) And yet, somehow, he still found the floor sweeped out from under his feet when the excited rubber man blurted out the news before he could so much as gather together the words to even begin to explain. "Guys! This is Ace! He's my boyfriend!"

Ace choked.

Well there goes the nice and gentle approach.

The Straw Hats were used to their captain pulling some crazy stunts. Luffy was always at the epicenter of some type of trouble, whether he caused it or it just happened to find him, all you had to do was look for wherever the chaos was loudest and you'd find him. Really, they were beginning to get used to all of these impossible and stupid situations that happed around the rubber man. This, however?

This was on a completely new level.

After hearing Ace's statement, they had assumed that they were going to get to know this mystery man, who had turned out to be Luffy's brother, in greater detail. They hadn't had very long to talk when he'd jumped ship to deal with the enemy ships, and upon his return he'd quickly vanished below deck to find his brother. Maybe he needs their names again, or explain what he was doing here. It would be fun to get to know the man who they hadn't even been aware of until a few hours ago. Plus it was pretty cool to be in the presence of such a strong pirate, especially with his reputation being what it was. It wasn't everyday you met a Whitebeard commander, and learned that he was your captain's older brother.

It also wasn't everyday that your captain announced that he was apparently dating said older brother.

Sanji was the first to react. The cigarette between his teeth slipped out as his jaw dropped. The stick of tobacco tumbled through the air before it hit the wooden floor beneath him, bouncing once before it landed, rolling a small distance away before it came to a stop where it continued to burn away pitifully and completely forgotten. The chef's face turned ash white, his eyes wide with terror and disbelief. You'd think he'd seen the devil himself with the expression on his face.

Zoro, who up until now had been ready to continue his light nap after the announcement, gave up all pretense of sleeping, both of his eyes flying open, staring unabashedly at the two men in front of him. The swordsman looked alarmed, but it was hard to tell exactly what he was thinking. He just looked… surprised.

Nami's eyes were wider than they'd ever been before. Her face contorted rapidly, shifting between multiple expressions. Confusion, anger, disbelief, denial, before finally settling on terrified. She looked ready to cry.

Usopp found himself completely and utterly speechless. There wasn't a single thing he could think to say, no story, or joke, or even a question. A sound crawled all the way up from his chest, slithering up his throat before prying it's way out between his shut lips. It sounded like an unholy combination of a shriek, a whine, a sob, and a laugh all at the same time.

Vivi appeared to be doing her best to transform into a stone statue. Her mind raced as she tried to figure out what she was hearing. She was desperately trying to understand this situation, but she hadn't had the months worth of experience being in one Monkey D. Luffy's presence like most of the others had, which meant that her poor brain was still clinging onto the belief that common sense could exist when the rubber man was around. Truthfully, the only reason her psyche wasn't shattered completely was the fact that she'd been born and raised in the Grand Line. She had some experience with weird situations, so that helped cushion the blow that was 'Straw Hat' Luffy.

Chopper, poor Tony Tony Chopper, who had known Luffy for the shortest amount of time amongst the crew, just found himself confused beyond all comprehension. Being a reindeer meant that he wasn't exactly an expert on human customs or relationships, but even he was aware that this situation was more than a little strange. Even in the animal world it wasn't common practice to mate with one's kin, in fact it was frowned upon and often the last resort when there were no other options available. Humans were especially weird, and judging by the look on his crewmates' faces, it appeared that this went beyond the standard taboo. He decided to look at it from the perspective of a doctor. Medically speaking, this situation was not okay. Close relatives were at risk for possible complications when reproducing, specifically genetic defects having a higher probability of being passed on. But again, humans didn't always make sense. They didn't form relationships with others for the sake of mating, but rather for romantic reasons, which was a subject that Chopper still had a hard time understanding. Needless to say, he had more than a few questions that he wanted to ask.

The crew continued to be stuck in their various states of shock and confusion, even as the two… brothers(?!)- half argued, half conversed with one another.

The older one- Ace- had smacked a hand to his face a few seconds after Luffy's outburst. He dragged it downwards, groaning in annoyance and tired resignation. Briefly the senior members of the crew pitied the poor man, having been in his position more than a few times when dealing with Luffy's tendency to cause mayhem. "Nice going, Lu. You broke them."

Their captain just laughed, sounding both carefree and amused at the same time. "Shishishishi! They're being pretty funny."

The Whitebeard pirate removed his hand from his face, shooting a quick glare in the rubber man's direction. "Don't 'shishishi' at this! Look at them! You traumatized them!" The straw hat wearer just snickered, flapping his hand from side to side in a gesture of dismissal, as if he was waving away all the problems happening.

"They'll be fine! They're my nakama!"

"They could have been better if you hadn't just practically shot them at point blank range with that bit of news!" The second division commander just rolled his eyes, sounding beyond tired. "Why am I even surprised? Of course you wouldn't be gentle about this. It's honestly a miracle that they haven't tried to commit mutiny yet."

Luffy gave the other a mischievous grin, humor apparent in his voice. "Then they'd have to be captain." This gave Ace a moment of pause as he considered those words. Finally he nodded.

"Good point. With crews like these, that's a fate worse than death. At least I've got the other commanders to share that responsibility with." Finally he allowed himself to smirk at the other man. "Not that that's saying much. You've never been responsible for a day in your life."

The poor crew was sent spiraling once again at the uncharacteristically serious look on their captain's face, as he raised a single brow and frowned at his… brother(?) looking disapproving. "Oh really? Cause I'd say I did a pretty good job with-" Nope. Nami was sick of this bullshit already.

"What the hell is going on?!"

The two stopped their jesting, seeming to just now remember that the others were there. Ace looked sheepish and startled, like a deer in the headlights, while Luffy just tilted his head questioningly. "What's up, Nami?"

"You- what did- you guys are- I thought he was- UGH!" The navigator looked ready to tear her hair out. She felt like she was seconds away from strangling the moron in front of her. Finally she just threw her arms towards the sky, each movement jerky and stiff. "What the hell do you mean he's your boyfriend?! I thought he was your brother!"

"Yes?" Nami was considering taking Ace's idea of mutiny to heart. Luckily for both Luffy and Nami, Ace had decided that it was a good time to implement the 'explanation' part of this conversation.

"It's complicated." Well. It was a start at least. "We- I- no, yeah. We can explain."

Zoro finally spoke up from where he was sitting. "Then you better start explaining." He pushed himself to his feet, pulling his swords up with him. The green haired man slid them into place by his side in an easy motion before he crossed his arms, leaning back against the railing. His position seemed stern yet relaxed, but anyone with even an ounce of preservation in them could recognize the look of a predator poised and ready to strike at any sudden movement. "For everyone's sake, and fast."

The logia user opened his mouth, ready to talk, but no sound came out. He paused and shut his mouth, grimacing at the tension in the air and in his head. "I don't even know where to begin," he sighed.

It was Vivi who spoke up this time, having finally collected herself again. She was still extremely confused, but now she was just as curious to find out what was happening. It felt like there was something that all of them were missing, and she was desperate to figure this mystery out. "How about starting with clearing something up. You said you two were brothers just a few hours ago, but now you claim to be boyfriends? What is going on?"

Luffy was the one to answer this time, cheerfully repeating the announcement. "Well yeah, Ace is my brother, but we're dating now!"

"That is not helping, Luffy." Ace sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time in this conversation alone. He should have just taken that nap. "Like I said, it's complicated. We haven't even had the time to figure all this out."

The sniper, who had been having a mental breakdown up until this point finally squeaked out a comprehensible question. "What do you even- when did this happen?!" Ace decided to answer again.

"Well, technically speaking we just made things 'official'," he used his fingers to make air quotes around that word, "but we've known we were something other than brothers for quite some time now." He shrugged. "We just never got around to figuring out the specifics of it all. Labels included."

"Wait a minute! Pause! Hold on! What do you mean by 'something other than brothers'?!" Usopp just looked between the two incoherently. The bewildered expression reflected by the others as well.

Ace saw Luffy grin out of the corner of his eye, and turned to stop the teen but he was too late. "We were lovers! But now we're boyfriends! Ace asked me a few minutes ago!" The beaming smile on the boy's face blinded the others, momentarily distracting them from their thoughts. When they finally registered their captain's words, their frantic thoughts returned with a vengeance. What the hell? Did he actually mean-? They'd thought that Luffy wasn't even capable of such a relationship.

"Really?" Zoro looked at his captain, searching his expression for something. "You've never shown an interest in that type of thing before."

The rubber man just tilted his head again, as if he found the question to be useless. "Why would I have? I had Ace." The man in question felt flattered and his cheeks warmed slightly. Good to know he was still the other's one and only. 'Now is really not the time for this, Portgas.' He chastised himself. There would be plenty of time for thinking about that after this whole mess was finished.

Nami's voice finally joined the interrogation once more. "You had- but that would mean that you two were already…" She frowned at the men, but her eyes seemed to show the beginning of some type of understanding forming. "How long has this-" she gestured back and forth at them, "been a thing between you two?"

Luffy had moved to speak once again, but Ace was prepared this time. He quickly covered the younger one's mouth, wincing at the wet feeling of the rubber tongue swiping at his palm in protest. He apologized to the boy in his head, but he wouldn't be deterred. This situation required a certain amount of finesse that the teen just lacked. "Several years. We were already… er, involved long before any of you met Luffy."

Ace paused for a few seconds, narrowing his eyes and pursing his lips together in thought. "If I remember correctly, this relationship started about… seven years ago, I think. So it's not like this is a recent development or any-" He cut himself off, yanking his hand away from the other's mouth shaking off the saliva that had just accumulated there. "What the fuck, Luffy?!" He stared at the boy in open mouthed disbelief.

The Straw Hats had jumped at the sudden movement from the logia user, and now followed his gaze towards the captain, confused. They weren't left wondering for very long as they quickly realized what had happened. They watched with a strange fascination as the teen's tongue, which was stretched far beyond its normal length, was quickly retracted into his mouth, snapping back into place with a wet smack. "Ace wouldn't let me talk." The younger one glared without heat at the other.

"Fine. I'm sorry, okay?"

The captain grinned and laughed, easily discarding the matter entirely. "Okay!" The crew would never admit it, but they found the scene to be somewhat adorable in a funny way. (Also really weird, as was any time that Luffy did something that unnatural using his devil fruit that they'd never seen him do before. The foot long tongue was a thought they didn't want to dwell on for very long.)

It was Chopper who broke the moment. The poor doctor had remained silent for the rest of the conversation, unable to follow all the complexities that the humans had seemed to focus on. He did have one major concern that he needed addressed, however. "But you're brothers." Every single pair of eyes darted over to the small reindeer, the Straw Hats' all widening at the reminder of the elephant in the room. "There's subconscious psychological reactions that stop mammals from becoming attracted to their genetic kin." He furrowed his cute little face in frustration. "That should have resulted in you both having an instinctive aversion to mating with one another. Even the idea of it would cause you to feel repulsed."

The two males flushed deeply at the word 'mating', quickly glancing at one another and looking away, growing an even brighter red. The rest of the crew also squirmed or even coughed into their fist awkwardly at the blunt use of such a primal phrase. Ace was quick to clear his throat.

"We're not brothers by blood." The Straw Hats finally brought their eyes back towards the direction of the flustered man. He kept his solely trained on a small dent in the wood railing off to the side. "Different parents and all that. In fact, we're not even related to each other."

It was a bit odd for them to see Luffy looking so self-conscious, but he quickly shook it off, meeting their gazes unflinchingly. "Gramps kinda adopted Ace when he was a baby. Sorta. It's weird. But we didn't even meet each other until Jiji took me to live with the mountain bandits when I was seven." He scrunched up his face. "I didn't even know he existed until then."

"Mountain bandits?!"

The crew's shouts were so loud that it startled Ace out of his embarrassed state. He took a quick peek at Luffy, who appeared completely unbothered by their reaction. "Have you told your crew anything about our past?" The teen just rubbed the side of his nose. "What the hell, Lu?"

"They never asked."

The commander just shook his head. Same old Luffy. "You really should mention these things. We wouldn't be in this situation otherwise. To answer your questions, yes. Shitty Gramps sent us to live with mountain bandits. They raised me and Luffy showed up one day when I was ten."

"That explains so much," Sanji muttered, the rest of the crew nodding in agreement. "Though you certainly don't act like it," the blond raised one curled brow as he looked at the logia user.

Ace just smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I've changed a fair bit since I was a kid."

"Ace tried to kill me the first few months." Luffy threw that little tidbit out there helpfully.

While the crew was sent reeling once more the older male shot a glare at the younger one. "I've apologized for that already!"

Nami broke in quickly. "How do you go from- from that-" she gestured wildly, having no words for the picture the two were painting in their minds. "To calling yourselves brothers?"

"Luffy was an annoyingly persistent child." He blinked a few times, resting a hand on his chin. "Actually, he's only gotten worse, come to think of it." A quick glance towards the others on deck revealed a shared look of complete understanding. Yep. Thought so. He shook his head, continuing on. "He just kept following me and wouldn't leave me alone until-" he frowned sharply, a brief look of anguish flashing through his eyes.

"Ace became my friend!" Luffy was quick to jump in, realizing where the other male's thoughts were heading. "It took a while, but then we drank sake together and became brothers!"

"Okay. I get the whole 'close friends' to 'sworn brothers' thing," Usopp looked at the two, no longer uncomfortable but just plainly curious. "But how exactly did you two get together after that? Isn't it a bit weird to go from brothers to… y'know, having a romantic relationship?"

Ace barked out a laugh, surprising the others. "As kids we knew we were more than just friends, and we both wanted to be even closer," Luffy nodded beside him, confirming his words. "Brothers was the closest label we could think of at the time, so brothers it was. That was perfectly fine for a while. Of course, puberty changes some things, especially feelings." He looked amused, his gaze becoming unfocused as he dipped into the memories from that life-changing time period. The others quickly realized what must have happened, smiling faintly.

"Shishishishi! Ace had a crush on me!" The sing-song playful tone of their captain only served to lighten the mood more.

The logia user reached out and ruffled the other raven's hair. "I don't know what you find so funny about that. You felt the same way too!"

Luffy snickered as he bumped the other's shoulder. "Ace was acting really weird when he figured it out."

A light dusting of pink filled in the space between the man's freckles. "Shuddup." He returned the small nudge.

"It was cute."

"I am not cute. If anything, that's you."

"Nuh-uh!"

"Are too."

"Am not!"

Ace leaned down a little, placing a quick peck on Luffy's lips. "You're adorable, accept it!" The younger one whined in protest, but the moment was ruined by the sound of something hitting the ground hard.

The couple turned towards the commotion, freezing as they were suddenly reminded that there was an audience. Vivi and Nami had directed their eyes towards their feet, their faces glowing red. Chopper just continued to look confused, but he was smiling slightly. Usopp was very clearly looking out towards the ocean, seeming intent to give the two a bit of privacy. Zoro met Ace's eyes with his own, before inclining his head a tiny bit in his direction in a small gesture of approval. Ace buried his face into his hands, groaning in embarrassment. Luffy just gave everyone a sheepish grin.

"Whoops. I forgot about them."

Ace shot his boyfriend an exasperated glance. "Geez, really?"

Everyone ignored the unconscious blond sprawled out on the deck from where he'd fainted.

Chapter Text

"Absolutely not."

"But whyyyyy?"

"We do not need," Ace turned around and scanned over the crowd of small mammals gathered behind them, "two hundred more children!"

There was some nervous laughter from the rest of the crew as they swiveled their heads back towards Luffy as he responded. "But Jack needs some friends!" Their gazes swung to the commander once more as he uncrossed his arms and threw them above his head.

"You are not adopting them!"

This had been going on for a few minutes. The Straw Hats had been watching the couple argue back and forth about this subject like it was a demented game of verbal tennis. Things were still a little awkward between the couple and the crew, but they seemed to have taken the news pretty well so far. The boyfriend pair had decided to take it easy and let the others have some time to adjust to the idea of them being an item. But, of course this would happen. Something crazy always had to happen to the poor Straw Hats.

They'd been ready to leave the Going Merry in order to continue their mission to stop the war here in Alabasta, when the Grand Line decided it would be a good time to remind them that it simply oozed Chaotic Bastard Energy. It would appear that the Will of D within Luffy took this as a personal challenge for the insanity crown. Thus, giving us the engaging debate taking place here.

"Luffy-san, your partner is right. You cannot take the Kung-Fu Dugongs with you. They are aquatic creatures which means they can't stay far away from the ocean for very long." Both the crew and Ace mentally thanked the princess for putting a stop to this particular shenanigan that Luffy had been so insistent about. The rubber man pouted, along with all the Kung-Fu Dugongs, looking absolutely heartbroken. Of course the teen had gathered a following of battle hungry critters within seconds of setting foot on land… Why did they have to be so cute though?

"Sorry, Lu. You have to leave them behind."

"I can't even take just one with me?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

They'd been walking for about an hour now and Luffy still appeared distraught. He was lagging behind the others, not paying attention to anything going on around him. The crew kept glancing back, concerned now. It was easy at first to just explain his odd behavior away as disappointment in having to leave his new friends behind, but now it was looking like something else was troubling him. The normally chatty and energetic teen had barely said anything or reacted to the others this whole time.

"I still can't believe you resisted the 'Puppy Dog Eyes of Doom.' Even Nami and Sanji give in eventually." Usopp had to admit that he was impressed, as were the other Straw Hats. The second division commander just smirked.

"Many years of practice."

"So what I'm hearing," Nami spoke up, hope apparent in her voice. "Is that there's a chance for us in the future?"

"Not a chance in hell. I still fall for it more often than not." He sobered up. "And it feels even worse when you don't." The other's glances in the rubber man's direction, seeing the evidence for themselves.

If the Straw Hats had to describe it they'd say he seemed lost in thought, but as far as they knew the boy was incapable of thinking deeply about anything for more than 5 seconds without smoke coming out of his ears.

"Do you think he's okay? He seemed really upset about the dugongs…" Vivi was concerned for her new friend.

Ace knew better.

How could he not? He and Luffy had lived together for seven years. They'd fought side by side, traveled through the jungle hand in hand, went to bed together and woke up in each other's arms more often than not. They knew the other's greatest fears, their hopes, their dreams, their worries. There were no secrets between them. Hell, they probably knew the other better than they knew themselves!

Which is why Ace knew that something else was going on here.

"Don't worry. I'll talk to him."

He dropped back, waiting for Luffy to reach him before falling into step with him. It was as natural as breathing to slide their hands together and let them swing gently between them. There was an easy silence between the two, one that could have stretched on forever if needed, but also set the stage for any conversation that was to be had. It didn't take very long for Luffy to finally confess what was bothering him.

"Jack would have loved to play with them." He gave a small but bittersweet smile. "I really miss him."

Ace rubbed the back of the younger one's hand with his thumb, tracing formless figures onto the skin there. "Yeah. He sounds like the best kid in the world." The two stayed quiet for a while after this, aimlessly listening to the bickering and chatter from the other pirates in front of them.

The logia user felt the grip on his hand increase in pressure. "I also missed Ace."

He squeezed back. "I missed you too, Lu. Every single day."

Onyx eyes met brown.

"Really? Didn't you have a lot of fun adventures though?"

"I did. I'm also part of the greatest crew in the world." He ignored the protest from his boyfriend, who was claiming that his crew was the best. Ace continued to tell Luffy all about his fellow commanders, the second division, and his Pops. His boyfriend couldn't keep track of all the names he heard, but it didn't matter, because the absolute joy and warmth in his eyes and voice made Luffy think that he could listen to him talk for hours without getting bored. Then again, this was Ace, his friend, brother, partner, and more. He could never get tired of him. "They really want to meet you by the way. Pops says he can't wait for the waves you're gonna make. The rest of them don't believe there's someone crazier than me out there."

Luffy grins at this, excited. "Shishishi! They sound great! Good to know that Jack has so many aunts and uncles." Ace's steps faltered for a second and he almost sent them both crashing into the sand. There were three seconds where the world was dead quiet, as if everything within a two mile radius had just had the same revelation as one Portgas D. Ace.

"Oh boy. How am I even going to explain this situation to them? Not like I can just call them on the den den mushi and say 'Hey guys! Know it's been a while since I checked in, but I just want to tell you guys that you have a nephew! Pops is also a grandpa now because it turns out that I got my lover pregnant a few years ago and I have a son-"

"WHAT?!"

"Pregnant?!"

"You have a son?!"

"Wait, you're a father?!"

"What the hell?!"

The couple jumped at the loud shouts from in front of them. Looking forward, they noticed finally that everyone was looking at them in shock. It appeared that at some point the crew had slowed down to listen to their conversation.

'Well, that explains why it was so quiet… Shit.'

Ace wondered if it was too late to write a Last Will and Testament.

(He was leaving everything to Luffy.)

"I can explain!"

That statement has and never will be a promising start to a conversation. It always meant that something complicated or outrageous was happening. Would it be an interesting story? Yes, yes it would, but you also had to deal with the situation that warranted that excuse. For Portgas D. Ace, the circumstance certainly warranted the use of desperate justification.

This was especially true when confronted by your little brother/lover's crew about the apparent existence of a baby. It is just as terrifying when said little brother/lover's first mate, who uses more swords than he has hands for, growls out, "Then you better start talking, and fast."

Oh perfect! The man has a fighting chance! "I- don't even know where to start." Annnndddd he's missed it!

Despite the fact that half his face was hidden behind his hair, the blond cook's glare still burned through to the second division commander's core. "Let's start with the basics. You have a son?"

The logia user nodded slowly, feeling like he was the cornered prey, and this crew was a starving lion. "Yeah. His name is Jack."

"Is he like, adopted or something?" Usopp sounded skeptical even as he said it.

"No, I'm his biological father."

The swordsman narrowed his eyes. "So, you got a lover of yours knocked up?"

Ace sputtered at such a crude and blunt interrogation. "Well, we didn't mean to- I didn't know- it was unplanned."

Nami's tone was pleasant in the fakest of ways, like a rose in permafrost, beautiful but cold and hard. "How old is this son of yours?"

Luffy speaks up "Jack turns three in September."

Nami gave a small nod, her smile looking more like a wild animal baring its teeth. "Uh-huh. And you and Luffy have been lovers for how long again?"

"Seven years now."

"THEN HOW COULD YOU?!" The red-haired woman looked more pissed off than a shark on fire...

Speaking of fire, "I- wha- what?!"

Usopp gnashed his teeth together. "Don't give us that shit! You cheated on Luffy!"

"What- NO! I would never!"

The sniper scoffed. "Oh yeah? Then explain that baby-mama of yours!"

"What are you even- I already told you! It was an accident, we didn't know-"

The chef took a quick drag from his cigarette, releasing it in a puff of smoke the next second. "What? An accident that you slept with a woman and got her pregnant?!"

"Him."

"You are so… what?" The blond froze.

"I got him pregnant."

There was silence as everyone absorbed that information. It was quickly broken by Sanji, who looked close to a break-down. "Wha- but that's not pos-"

Finally, Chopper spoke. "No, it is. Some males are born with the ability to bear children, it's just extremely rare. So much so that it's practically unheard of." Vivi nodded, backing up the small doctor.

"There have been two documented cases of such an occurrence happening here in Alabasta. They were considered to be miracles and the children in question rose to a great position of power when they grew up. It was believed to be a gift from the gods. Stuff like this isn't exactly normal, but it's definitely not impossible. Nothing is here on the Grand Line."

"Ain't that the truth." Ace shrugged. "It was an accident because we didn't even know he could get pregnant. Hell, I didn't even know I was a father until this morning when Lu told me."

"Luffy, you knew about it?" Nami could feel an idea forming in the back of her head, and it terrified her as it continued to take shape. There was absolutely no way in hell-

Her captain, her moronic dumbass captain, looked at her like she had just asked the stupidest question on the planet. "Of course I know about Jack!"

She didn't even get a chance to speak.

"Oh. Oh! OHHH!" The small reindeer leapt off of the sled he was laying on, excitedly rushing over to Luffy. Chopper's eyes were shining brighter than the sun, stars dancing around them. He clutched the bottom of the rubber man's shorts, looking like someone had just informed him that Christmas (and his birthday) was coming early this year. "Luffy! Are you a carrier?!"

"A what-now?"

"One of the males who can get pregnant!"

"Oh! Yeah, I am. Jack's my son!"

Nami felt her legs give out from under her, causing her to sink to her knees before she fell straight on her ass, like a marionette with its strings cut.

Chopper squealed, an adorable sound really, as he clapped his hooves together. "Why didn't you mention it before!"

"Shishishi! You never asked!"

Sanji had slowly, but surely tilted forward, the heels of his shoes lifting out of the sand. When he finally lost his balance, he collapsed into the sand, stiff as a board, arms and legs straight. Within a few seconds the sound of muffled incoherent screaming came from where his face was buried in the sand.

"I have so many questions! I need to do an examination, update your file, check my books- I've never met a carrier before! I've only ever read about it in my medical texts!" The small doctor was jumping for joy, rattling off lists and words that none of the others could understand or keep up with.

Usopp was clutching at his hair, mumbling to himself about the end of the world, and that he was 'too young to die like this'. Reality was somehow stranger than the lies he used to tell when it came to Monkey D. Luffy.

Suddenly the youngest member of the crew stopped pacing. "YOU'RE A DEVIL FRUIT USER! YOU ARE MADE OUT OF RUBBER!" Chopper was talking a mile a minute, tripping over his own words. "That would mean- you could- oh then you must have- EEEEEIIIII!

Luffy just laughed at the sight of the reindeer's eyes trying to pop out of his head. "Yep!"

Zoro's response was slightly more dramatic than expected. The stoic swordsman's jaw had actually dropped, and he was staring at his captain in disbelief. It only lasted a few seconds before his mouth clicked shut. "Huh. How the hell does that even work?"

"What was the pregnancy like?! Your devil fruit abilities must have eased so much! Did your organs have no problem stretching? Oh! What about giving birth?! I need to take notes on this!"

"Pregnancy was weird. Being rubber is awesome! Yeah, they stretched. Didn't feel a thing!"

It was the best day of Tony Tony Chopper's life. "Kyah! Please- tell me everything!"

"What do you want to know?"

"How did you-"

"Luffy is a mother?"

Somehow, despite being in the boiling hot desert, the temperature around them dropped about 10 degrees. It was a testament to the strength and longevity of their relationship together, that Ace's instant reaction was to burst into flames and reform several meters away. A shiver ran up everyone's spines as Luffy froze mid-sentence, slowly twisting his neck towards the one responsible for the comment.

If you had asked Sanji that morning if he was scared of 'Monkey D. Luffy,' he would have scoffed and said, "afraid of his appetite, maybe." If you asked him now? There is nothing he fears more in the world.

"What did you just call me?"

The blond gulped from where he was still laying in the sand.

He didn't even know the teen's voice could get that low.

The Straw Hats didn't even know that Sanji's voice could get that high.

And yet…

It took them twenty minutes to catch up to the hunter and the hunted. They had watched as the chef made good use of leg strength as he hauled ass, sprinting over several sand dunes before he disappeared into the distance, being quickly pursued by a very pissed off rubber man. The shrill screams and raging bellows had grown quieter and quieter until they faded entirely.

When they saw them again… well… it wasn't exactly a pretty sight. They didn't ask what Luffy did, and he didn't offer up any information. Sanji was curled into the fetal position on the edge of Chopper's sled, still squeaking in pain. He wouldn't be walking anytime soon. Or sitting. Any hypothetical sex was also off the table for the next week or two.

The male members of the crew kept a wide berth between themselves and the captain.

Ace felt like he had dodged a bullet. So much for his 'payback' idea for the Papa thing.

Luffy was still giving off a threatening aura, grumbling about him 'not being a woman' and 'I'm a father.'

Vivi's face was pale but she looked steady on her feet, which was unexpected. You'd think she'd be running for the hills by now. She gave her friend a weak smile. "Luffy-san, can you tell us more about your son? His name is Jack, right?"

Hopefully, if the gods were willing, she could lighten the mood.

The effect was instantaneous. That was the signal. The air sirens before the explosion. The emergency announcement before the disaster. It would be this conversation that the Straw Hat Pirates learned a valuable lesson: Any invitation that the rubber man was given to talk about Jack acted as a trigger that caused the 'Dad Dam' within Luffy to burst open.

Luffy's grin shone brighter than the sun itself. "Yeah! He's the best kid ever! He's so clever and stubborn, and he is so adorable when he gets angry! One time he got so angry because he wanted to eat some tiger meat- his favorite- but all we had was alligator so he-"

Their captain began pulling a seemingly endless amount of baby photos from what looked to be thin air. (Seriously, where was he even keeping those?!) He chattered on excitedly about anything and everything that had to do with his son, passing them around eagerly. The shocked Straw Hats just accepted the pictures wordlessly, staring numbly at them. There were SO MANY. There was a series of what appeared to be 'pregnancy updates' tracking the development, dozens of an infant dressed in various different outfits which also showed the slow changes and growth of said infant becoming a toddler. There were several with Luffy and his son(?!) doing various activities, like napping together, making silly faces, playing games.

There had to be at least a hundred photos…

...

...he kept pulling out more...

…

...they still didn't know where he was hiding them.

Vivi decided then and there that the gods were sadistic bastards who enjoyed making things worse.

Luffy talked for hours. About the symptoms, the diagnosis, the reactions of the bandits, all the big changes through the trimester, the first time the baby moved, the birth, the first few nights, the milestones, the birthdays, everything. Yes. EVERYTHING. In those many hours, they had continued to make their way through the desert while listening to the captain tell them about his journey in fatherhood.

He probably would have kept going, but they were fortunately saved by the arrival of nighttime. Camp had been set at record speed, dinner was a brief affair, and everyone quickly made their excuses to go to bed. If they were lucky, they wouldn't dream about a small boy with dark-almost-black eyes and freckles whose favorite color was yellow or purple or pink depending on the day, and whose favorite toy was a stuffed turtle that he'd stolen from a store, his first theft by the way, which made the bandits so proud that they threw a party and-

The Straw Hats all mentally sobbed, regretting that they'd ever asked their energetic captain anything about his son. The kid was cute, and the stories were adorable, but he just-

Would.

Not.

STOP.

They were tired, okay?

Meanwhile, Luffy was still wide awake from where he sat by the slowly dying fire. He'd been given first watch so everyone could recuperate from the info dump they just experienced. Also, the rubber man was still so jittery from the joy he experienced while talking about his son. He was just about to throw in another log when the flames jumped to life.

He watched as they grew in length, dancing around to a soundless rhythm. Luffy gasped in delight and awe as several of the flames shot forward and swirled around him, flowing and fluttering like glowing ribbons. The enchanting ritual lasted for about a minute before the flames slithered past the rubber man, who turned around to follow their journey. He was met by the sight of the fire being absorbed into Ace's open palm, the man wearing a self-satisfied smirk.

The logia user strode over to where he was sitting and joined his boyfriend on the rock they were using as a bench. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Luffy grinned at the other, filled with joy after the little show. "That was Awesome!"

Ace's expression turned smug. "Better than rubber, wouldn't you say?"

"Shut up!" Luffy scowled. "Rubber is a great power! You just don't get it!"

"Oh yeah?" Was that a challenge in his voice?

"It's great for fighting!"

"Please. You couldn't beat me using your powers even before I ate my devil fruit, and fire is definitely stronger than rubber so what is it good for anyways?"

Luffy was ready to argue, when he paused, an idea popping into his head. He remembered something Dr. Kembell had theorized (though Luffy didn't know the word for it). The doctor had mentioned, after the shock of such an unprecedentedly easy birth, that a rubber body would indeed, be perfect for the pregnancy and birthing process. It was Luffy's turn to smirk.

"Dr. Kembell said I could easily carry and deliver twins or triplets. Maybe even more than that…" The captain let that thought hang in the air, paying close attention to his brother's face.

Ace choked on his own spit. The logia user hacked and coughed, trying to fill his screaming lungs with air. "By the sea, Luffy! You can't just say that! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

"What? I think it's interesting. Can you imagine it? Hey! We could have nine more and really make this family a 'Royal Flush'!"

There was a high-pitched strangled scream mixed with a groan as the commander buried his face into his hands, flustered and absolutely petrified. "No. Absolutely not. No more children!"

Luffy gasped, "you don't mean that!"

Dragging his hands down his scarlet face, the freckled man looked at the other with alarm. "You- you can't be serious? One is more than enough!"

Hook, line, and sinker. Luffy quickly tried to put on the flirtiest look he could, realizing that he was severely out of practice. (Not that he'd been very good at it in the first place. He was only good when he wasn't trying.) He persisted anyway, eyes dark and hooded, lips set in a sweet smirk, leaning in close. The effect was completely ruined by the barely restrained laughter that was evident in his voice as he spoke. "You don't even want to try for one?"

Ace snorted, realizing what game the other was playing. "I'd love to, but your crew is literally right over there."

"Then how about once we get to the city and have some alone time?"

The Whitebeard pirate lost his smile, looking apologetic and regretful. "Lu, I can't stay that long. In fact, I've probably stayed for too long already."

"What?" Luffy cried out. "No! Can't you stay a little longer! I just got you back!"

"Trust me, I don't want to leave you either, but I have something I have to take care of first."

Luffy threw himself into Ace, wrapping him up in a bone breaking hug. "Why can't it wait! It's been too long since we've been together!" Ace just returned the embrace easily.

"Don't worry. I just have to make this traitor pay for his crimes, and then I'll ask for some time off, I'm sure I'll have earned it. Then I'm going straight to you, after all, we've got three years worth of waiting to make up for." The rubber man just squeezed harder.

"Then don't make me wait forever!"

"Don't worry, it'll be sooner than you know."

Luffy looked up, his eyes burning with determination. "Promise me it won't be much longer."

Ace just chuckled quietly, pressing their foreheads together. "Alright, fine! The next time we meet will be at the Pirate Summit."

"Yosh! It's a date!"

"That's really sweet you two, but couLD YOU PLEASE START THE FIRE AGAIN? IT'S TOO COLD FOR THIS!"

Luffy snickered, watching as Ace flushed in embarrassment, calling out an apology to the irritated navigator before quickly flicking a fireball onto one of the unlit logs in the small pit. Ace might leave him again, but this time it wouldn't be so long. In just a few short months he'd be able to be with his brother, his boyfriend, his lover—Ace, again. They would see each other soon. It wasn't like this was goodbye.

That didn't mean that he wouldn't miss him all over again. He snuggled closer to the other, enjoying the warmth that flooded out of the flame man's body. If all he had was tonight then he sure as hell was going to enjoy every second of it. For now, being in each other's arms was enough. He could wait a little while longer.

Besides, Luffy smiled at the thought, he had his crew with him now, and there were more than enough adventures to be had. He wouldn't be alone this time.

Chapter Text

Nononononono NO! NO! NO! This was bad, everything was bad! This was Luffy's worst nightmare. This was wrong! Everything hurt. Where were they, are they okay, he didn't know. Oh god, what if they were hurt, or worse? Why, why, WHY?!

He felt like he was dying.

It all happened so fast. One moment things were rough, but then again, things rarely went smoothly for him. First Camie had been kidnapped, then the auction house, and that bastard with the bubble helmet had hurt Hatchan. Then the marines had shown up, he'd fought with those other strong pirates, and that was really fun, but when he'd caught up with his crew that weird dude had shown up and—and—

He was alone.

Stuck in this stupid, pink bubble, flying further and further away from his nakama, who were now who knows where, and possibly hurt or- Luffy's breath hitched.

No.

He's not even going to consider the possibility. They had to be okay. His crew was strong, they'd be able to handle themselves. And in three days they would all be there at Sabaody and everything would be fine. The raven tried to ignore how badly he was shaking, and how his vision swam with tears. It hurt so badly just to breathe, and he felt like his chest was being crushed beneath a mountain, and his heart continued to hammer frantically against his ribcage like it was trying to escape. He choked on a sob.

He missed them so much.

Brook, still new to the crew but still made all those hilarious skull jokes and sang such wonderful songs for them all. Who was just as afraid of being alone as he was. Luffy realized that he must be so worried now, having just been separated from yet another crew so soon after he got it. He'd already lost his nakama once, could he handle it a second time?

Franky, who had just started to call everyone by name, finally relaxing enough around them all to consider the crew to be family. Who built the wonderful ship that would carry them all the way to the legendary One Piece and then to their dreams far beyond that point. He would always show off his cool inventions and even humored his captain's weird and sometimes crazy requests.

Robin, finally living for herself, and actually enjoying life for once. She was safe aboard the Sunny and surrounded by the crew that loved her and would give their life to ensure her freedom. After all, they'd declared war on the world for her, and Luffy knew he'd do it again in a heartbeat. She would read stories aloud to him, letting the books take him on adventures that he'd never even imagined before, and patiently explain all of the hard and weird things he didn't understand.

Chopper. Poor Chopper must be so terrified. The reindeer was so young and was still getting used to all these warmer climates. He would nag the other's constantly about their health, taking his role as a doctor seriously, something which made Luffy extremely proud as his captain, even when the small zoan user would force him to sit still so he didn't ruin his bandages. Chopper had had so much fun exploring places he never thought he'd see, and dancing and laughing along with Luffy and Usopp.

Sanji, who might claim that he didn't care for his male crewmates, but Luffy knew he'd take a hit for any one of them. The chef that went above and beyond his duty and prepared the best food he could each and every time, no matter the circumstance. The blond always fed them and kept them alive, even giving in to Luffy's pestering for a snack, or rising early to make breakfast before anyone else woke up. A womanizer he may be, but he sincerely cared for both women on the crew, wholeheartedly.

Usopp, the first friend he'd had that was his age. Sure, he was a liar but he told such fascinating and intricate stories that delighted the others. Luffy loved how he came up with all the games and pranks on the ship, often dragging both him and Chopper into what was sure to be a wild and fun event. Their sniper who never missed, who might be a coward but would always be brave when they needed him most. He might prefer to run away, but he would never leave his friends behind when it truly counted.

Nami, his ever stubborn money-loving navigator. He didn't understand her obsession with wealth, but he knew that it was just something that made Nami, well Nami. Luffy knew he could trust her to guide them all towards their dreams, towards the One Piece itself, keeping them alive and safe from the dangerous seas they sailed upon. She might've officially joined the crew later than some of the others, but Luffy would always consider her to be the second nakama he'd gotten on his journey, all those months ago when the crew was composed of just two small boats, the future Pirate King, a pirate hunter, and a pirate thief.

And Zoro. His first ever crew mate, his right-hand man and the unofficial (man, he should really fix that) first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates. The one crewmember he could confide in with complete honesty, who he told his worries and fears to. Luffy knew he could trust Zoro with both his and the crews' lives, and Zoro would never disappoint him. They'd started this whole wonderful, wacky journey together. From just two guys in a single tiny sailboat, escaping from the town they'd just liberated, to this: one of the most successful rookie crews in the Grand Line.

Nine pirates from all different backgrounds, each with their own dream that was much bigger than themselves, all united under one flag- his flag to work along one another to chase after their dreams. Together, they were much stronger, and he knew that they would all succeed one day. They were his nakama. His family…

Family.

They were gone. A world away, separated by the seas that he loved despite his curse. He couldn't see them. He missed them terribly. He missed Jack, and Makino, even Gramps. He wished so badly that he could see them again. He wished Ace was here. Hell, he'd even take the father that apparently he has. Anyone, anyone at all because that would be so much better than being alone.

And he was.

Because his family was gone, lost, far beyond his reach.

He was completely alone.

He screamed and wailed until his throat was raw. His chest heaved like waves in a storm, and his head pounded relentlessly. It was so hard to breathe. Luffy felt like he was dying, it hurt so much. Why him? Why did this have to happen? Why was he all alone again? Why did he have to lose everyone he loved?!

He cried, and cried, and cried, until he finally fell into blissful unconsciousness, completely exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. Too much had happened too soon… when was the last time he just let his emotions go like this? It must have been years ago. He briefly considered that time period, trying to recall his last meltdown, but his eyes fluttered shut before he could figure it out, stuck in memories from long ago. As he drifted off into a merciful sleep, Luffy had no way of knowing that his dreams were shared by someone who was locked deep underground in a place many would call hell.

They dreamed of happier times, from long ago, on a small island far away.

At twelve years old, Portgas D. Ace was absolutely sure about several things.

First, Gol D. Roger was the worst father in the entire world. Second, nobles were terrible people but also really dumb, which made them easy to steal from. Third, his little brother was the best person on this entire, miserable planet. Fourth, anytime Luffy came within ten steps of an alligator, he was going to get swallowed. And fifth, he was in love with the one and only Monkey D. Luffy, self-proclaimed future Pirate King.

Did he mention that they're also brothers? Sure, they're not related by blood but still…

Brothers.

Realizing and accepting that you are in love with your adopted little brother is a terrifying spiral of utter confusion and despair. Oh sure, it started simply enough, and falling for Luffy was one of the easiest things he'd ever done, even if he hadn't understood what was happening at the time. Could you really blame him though? How the heck is a ten-year-old who was raised by mountain bandits and occasionally trained by his crazy marine grandfather supposed to know what falling in love feels like?

Well, that didn't really matter now, did it? What had happened, happened. All he could do was accept it and move on. It's not like this had to change anything. They were just some really stupid feelings after all. (Besides, they had to go away eventually, right?) He shouldn't- couldn't- wouldn't do anything about it. He was going to be a good older brother. It didn't matter that he wanted Luffy more than the younger wanted him. He'd take what he could get. There was no point in being greedy, and he refused to ruin what they already had. He loved Luffy, and he would continue to do so. The shape or form of that love didn't matter, as long as he could be with Luffy, he would be happy with that.

Luffy wanted to be brothers, so brothers they would be.

He could ignore these feelings.

Ace might have thought that he was good at hiding things, and maybe he was, but he stood no chance against Luffy. Luffy could read his brother like an open book, and he knew there was something going on with Ace. He was acting strange. Had been for the last year.

If Luffy had to give an estimate of when this all started, he would say it was probably the day that Ace came back to the tree house after a talk with Makino and spent an hour just screaming incomprehensibly into a pillow.

He'd been concerned then.

Now he was just… really confused.

There was the random blushing, and the stuttering, those inexplicable gentle smiles that he'd glimpse before Ace shouted at him when he mentioned them. Sometimes the older boy would just run off with no explanation, his cheeks practically glowing.

To anyone else, it was obvious what was happening. But this is Monkey D. Luffy that we're talking about. (He'd honestly thought that Ace might be allergic to him.) But now, after a year of concern, he finally, finally knew what Ace had been hiding from him!

He just hadn't seen this coming.

Luffy had expected to hear several different things when he asked Ace what he would wish for if they found a genie. Meat was always a solid option in his own opinion, with adventure being a close second. Luffy would also wish that Ace could always be happy! He'd gladly told Ace that, and didn't understand why the other turned so red. He probably should have given the older boy a few seconds after he said that before he asked him the question.

As it was, a flustered Ace had blurted out "your heart," without a single thought.

Unluckily for the poor boy, who looked like his soul was trying to leave his body, Luffy didn't quite understand what he meant initially. Thus, Luffy had become more than a bit worried. "Why would Ace want my heart?! I need it or I would die!"

The freckled youth practically glowed like a lava lamp. "Th- that's not what I meant!" It was a miracle that he hadn't exploded due to sheer embarrassment.

"What did you mean?" Luffy was just confused now.

"I mean- it's not… what I was going to say…" the thirteen-year-old trailed off. Whatever it was that he wanted to say, it was clear that it was eating him up inside. Luffy desperately wanted to know what was happening to make the other so… upset? He didn't even know what made Ace look so frightened.

After a half a minute of biting his lip, his eyes darting around wildly looking for an escape, Ace seemed to make a decision. His gaze became determined and he took a deep breath, squaring his shoulders and steeling himself for whatever he was about to say. This didn't surprise Luffy. He knew that Ace would never run from a fight, not even if it was against his own feelings it seemed. Like all other battles, his brother had decided to face this one head on. "It- it means that I… wantyourlove."

Luffy blinked, surprised. But then he started to panic. "Wh- But I do love Ace!" What the heck was Ace talking about? Did he think that Luffy didn't love him? He was worried now. Did Ace not feel loved enough? He loved Ace so much, did he not know that? Was he not showing it enough? Did he not say it often enough?!

"Not… not like that." The other looked like he wanted the earth to open below him and swallow him whole.

Luffy tilted his head in confusion. His worry lessened, but now he was just plain bewildered.

Ace mumbled something that sounded like 'too late to turn back now' under his breath before he glanced up at Luffy, making direct and deliberate eye contact. "I- I mean... romantically."

"Huh?" Did he… did he hear that correctly? Surely, Ace couldn't possibly mean-

The older boy swallowed harshly, tearing his eyes off of the other and glaring at the ground below him. "I'm in love with you, Luffy." He slammed his eyes shut and grit his teeth.

Oh.

Oh!

Luffy had always known that he loved Ace. There was no question about that. Ace would always be the best person in the world to Luffy. He knew Ace must have felt the same way about him! They were already brothers, after all.

But Ace wanted to be more? He wanted to be even closer? The idea sounded great to Luffy! He was so happy! Ace really, really, really liked him! And he really, really liked Ace!

And this just felt right.

Sure, he didn't quite understand everything about these romantic relationships, but he knew about them from stories that Makino had told him. That's how the fairytales ended after all, the two get married and live happily ever after and all that. Ace wanted that for them?

How could he say no?

He'd grinned as wide as he could, and practically skipped over to where Ace had been standing and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek. He laughed at the dumbfounded look on his brother's face, as his cheeks burned again. (Luffy could feel the slightest blush decorate his own as well.) "Shishishi! Okay! Ace can have my heart, but only if I can have his!"

Ace had quickly reached up to touch the place he'd just kissed, his jaw having dropped and his wide eyes wildly darting back and forth, searching Luffy's face for… something. He didn't know what the other was looking for, but then the older boy closed his mouth, teeth clicking together. "R-really?"

"Yep!"

"You're actually serious?"

"Uh-huh!"

"You do realize what you're saying, right?"

"I love Ace!"

It was at that moment that the older boy's legs gave out, and he collapsed backwards, his back colliding with the tree behind him before he slowly slid down. "Oh my god Lu, you can't just say that!"

"Why not? I do love Ace!"

The other just covered his burning red face, letting out some strange mix of a squeal and a groan. "Luffy!"

He just laughed cheerily, throwing himself at the other in a hug. Ace grunted as the wind was knocked out of his body, but he didn't even hesitate to return the hug, wrapping his arms around the younger boy's shoulders without even thinking about it. The two just sat there, enjoying the embrace as they rode through the new high of emotions that came from the dawning of this new relationship.

The rubber boy let out a small hum as he pulled back slightly to look at the other. "Hey, Ace."

"Hmm?" His older brother glanced down, meeting his eyes.

Luffy chirped, "I love you!"

The grin he got in return was blinding. A pair of lips pressed themselves against his forehead before he was pulled back into a tight hug. "I love you too, Lu."

Things had been going great these past two years, and Ace couldn't have been happier. Never in his wildest dreams would he have imagined that Luffy would have accepted his feelings, much less given a romantic relationship between them a chance. Sure, things hadn't actually changed all that much, but then again, they were both too young for a lot of that more involved stuff, especially with Luffy being only twelve. No, the fifteen-year-old refused to take things any further until the other was ready for it.

I guess you could say that they were taking things slow, which isn't totally wrong, but certainly didn't explain the intricacy of the unique relationship between the two. They were best friends, and brothers, and even more. They weren't lovers, but their feeling weren't completely platonic. Ace knew he was in love with Luffy, and Luffy was certainly interested in Ace. From what he could figure, he'd say Luffy's love for him wasn't quite so focused, and more playful. (We'd call it puppy love, not that the teen would ever use such a flowery term.)

Of course, things were bound to change at some point.

"Ace, what does being in love feel like?"

The freckled teen looked up from where he was setting one of their traps back up again. "Umm, why do you ask?"

The preteen's voice got shaky as his eyes darted around. "N-n-no reason!"

He just sighed. Well, it's not like there's any harm in telling him. "It's kind of a warm and light feeling, and your stomach feels weird, but not like hungry weird more like- like…"

"Like a fluttery feeling?"

"Yeah, actually." He stood up and turned around to look at the younger boy. "How did you even know about tha-" the words died in Ace's throat as he took in the sight before him.

Luffy's was blushing furiously, his gaze firmly set, despite the nervous fidgeting the rest of his body was doing. He was wringing his hands and shifting his weight constantly, like he couldn't contain his energy. "I uh… I think I might be." The boy gave him a shaky but small grin that couldn't hide his excitement.

"Wait, seriously?!"

"Y-yeah. I feel really warm and my heart beats really quickly when we hug and it feels really really really deep and I think-" The boy grinned, his eyes practically shining in his enthusiasm. "I think I'm in love with Ace!"

Before he even knew that he was moving, Ace had crossed the short distance between them. He'd thrown his arms around Luffy's waist and picked the smaller male up. When asked about it later, he would totally deny that he twirled them around together in his excitement (that would be embarrassing after all) but that didn't change the fact that Luffy had laughed in delight at the action, while Ace had found himself beaming at the younger boy.

"Holy shit! I love you, Lu!"

The rubber boy had gasped in delight, reveling in the surge of newer feelings that came from hearing those words. He'd heard them hundreds of times before, but now they meant even more to him. Ace had barely even had time to put the smaller boy back on his own feet before Luffy had surged forward and pressed their lips together.

They both froze at the new sensation. Ace felt his pulse kick into high gear as all the breath he had fled from his lungs. They just stood there, neither daring to move or even breathe, for at least half a minute. There was no pressure, just the gentle touch of lips against lips as they both just stared into each other's eyes, so close that they could see their own reflection staring back at them. It was awkward, ungraceful, and coltish.

Luffy was the first to react, a small giggle escaping him. Once it started, he couldn't seem to stop as the titters grew in volume and force. Ace found himself joining in, chuckling as well as they both started to process what was happening. Soon they couldn't contain their snickering and were forced to separate, both laughing openly.

It wasn't perfect, but it was amazing.

They'd had only a few seconds to calm themselves down, at which point Ace became aware of their position. His arms were still wrapped around Luffy while the younger had thrown his arms around his neck. Barely even a moment after he'd managed to calm his racing heart, it was sent into a frenzy again when Luffy looked at him and spoke in a breathless whisper.

"Again."

Which is how the two found their lips mushed together once again, not moving at first. They were both so excited, but unsure of this new development. What were they even supposed to do? Finally, Ace applied a little bit of pressure. Oh. That felt nice. They could both feel a sensation, not unlike a spark, ignite within themselves at the slight action. Luffy let out a small hum at the new development and returned the pressure enthusiastically. Slowly, but surely, they began to move their lips, exploring this newfound action. It was as pleasant as it was weird, but they still found themselves breathless.

Though Ace hated to end the moment, he still needed to breathe. He tapped Luffy's back, signaling that they should stop. The other looked at him for a second, before understanding seemed to click into place. The two pulled away at the same time, which resulted in a really weird sound as they broke the suction between them, kind of like a really loud (and wet) "Smack!"

They stared at each other, both surprised and embarrassed by the sound.

Then they devolved into a furious fit of giggles once more.

Their relationship had changed quite a bit after their first kiss, the two growing even closer after that. Suddenly, cuddling and hugs were just… different. They were so much warmer and more exciting and would fill the two brothers with such an indescribable feeling of pure joy. It was so easy and freeing, just being able to love and be loved in equal measure, knowing that the one for you was right in front of you. It was simply indescribable.

The two would continue to share many firsts together in the next few years. Such as the first time they tried making out. The experience had been… interesting to say the least. In Luffy's defense all they knew was that making out involved moving and wrapping your tongues together, feeling around their mouth with yours.

He maayyy have gotten a little too enthusiastic. At the very least he should have warned Ace before he tried out his idea. As it was, the poor teenager was left gripping at his neck while he gagged furiously.

("Did you just," he coughed. "Try to stick your tongue down my throat?!"

"I'm sorry, Ace! Shishishishi!"

"It's not funny! That was gross!")

Though things truly got interesting after they found the books.

Turns out, there was a lot of stuff that they didn't know about before. Though the two had been absolutely repulsed at first, they couldn't help the curiosity that grew after their discovery. They started pushing their boundaries a bit further, testing out the waters bit by bit. It would be several months after Luffy's thirteenth birthday when they finally decided to go all the way.

It had been awkward and amazing all at once, but the two couldn't say they regretted it at all.

Nor the time after that.

And the next time.

Or the time-

*Ahem*

Then there was the night before Ace's 17th birthday. Luffy still remembered the desperation and hurricane of emotions that ran through the two during those late hours as they frantically tried to get enough of the other so they could survive the three years apart. It had been more heated than usual, the two determined to make the last few hours they had left last. It had been slow, fast, soft, hard, and all the things in between. Everything culminating in a wonderful night of passion where-

BOOM

Luffy was suddenly thrown out of the blissful memories that had comforted him, and right during the good part too! He had been so rudely awakened by an earth-shattering impact. He didn't know how long he'd been in that weird bubble, or how far he'd flown. All he knew was that he had finally landed on a strange island in the middle of some unknown jungle, which seemed so hauntingly familiar after his trip down memory lane. There were also a ton of weird looking mushrooms all around him.

Things were a bit of a blur after that.

At some point he'd woken up in a cage, surrounded by a bunch of women, both his clothes and hat missing. (He knew there was some sort of joke to be told here, but he couldn't quite figure out how to phrase it. Those were more of Usopp, Franky, and Brooks areas.) It had taken him a few seconds to realize that it wasn't just another hallucination.

Oh, the women also wanted to kill him apparently.

Which had led to him running for his life from a bunch of crazy ladies who wanted to steal his man hood (No thanks, he needed that!) And the next thing he knew he was crashing into a bathhouse, interrupting the one and only Boa Hancock, who was apparently a warlord and totally could have kicked his ass if she actually tried, but he'd narrowly escaped with his life because her weird love beam thing didn't work on him. Then he was forced into a death match against her two sisters, who had then tried to smash his new friends into a bunch of stone pieces.

So yeah, he wasn't exactly having a very good day to begin with.

And then, and then, just when things were starting to look up for him- he learned the horrible news.

Ace, his best friend, brother, lover, boyfriend, the person that he loved the most-

Was going to be executed.

…

…

…

Luffy's heart froze.

He couldn't-

This can't be-

He couldn't stop shaking.

Why?

Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy-

WHY?!

What had he done to deserve all of this?! Why was this happening? How could Ace have- It wasn't possible! It couldn't be true! There was no way in hell that Ace could just- could just be killed-

…

…

…

No.

Luffy grit his teeth, his hands clenched together so tightly that he could feel his own nails biting into his palms, digging down into small silver crescent shaped indents. He refused to fall apart again. The familiar burn of pure determination and will power flowed through him, his body naturally preparing for a long and hard fight ahead of him.

He'd lost at Sabaody.

He'd lost his ship.

He'd lost his crew.

He would not-  could not  lose Ace.

No, Luffy would have to keep them waiting a little while longer. They would understand though. He was their Captain, yes, and he loved his nakama, truly he did, but he had a duty as not only a brother but a boyfriend and a father. He refused to standby and do nothing.

He'd already declared war on the government for a friend, so why wouldn't he join another for his lover, the father of his son? No, no number of marines could stop him. He would protect his family, and if he had to turn the world upside down to keep them safe, then so be it. He was Monkey D. Luffy, future King of the Pirates, and he'd be damned if he let them take Ace way from him.

First things first, he needed to find Hancock and inform her that there was a change in plans.

He had a prison to break in to.

Chapter Text

Centuries from now, entire chapters in history books would be dedicated to this single day alone. Yes, chapters. You can be absolutely certain that the sheer multitude of the events that will have occurred by the day's end would need to be split into different parts to be studied, so as to not overwhelm poor students trying to study and memorize the contents of a single chapter before they would test over it.

Actually, they would probably have to invent an entire course solely for learning about and analyzing the actions of one Monkey D. Luffy and the effects they had on the world as a whole. There was enough for at least a couple of units worth of study on the subject, just looking at all of the rookie captain's achievements. The events of the last two days alone were proof of that.

The boy had not only broken into Impel Down, the most secure prison in the world that up until a few hours ago had been considered impenetrable, but he'd also made his way through a large majority of the prison single-handedly. If that wasn't enough, he'd been fatally poisoned but miraculously survived, and then proceeded to battle the rest of the way down to one of the lowest levels of that hell, all to save his older brother. And, if that wasn't enough, the fact that he'd missed his chance did nothing to deter the rubber man who had led hundreds of prisoners on a mass riot back through the prison he'd just broken into, broke out, stole a marine ship, and had successfully escaped with a huge number of newfound allies. Again, all of these events occurred within the past 30 hours.

The day wasn't even over yet.

Far from it. Not even close to finished.

And neither was 'Straw Hat' Luffy.

Sengoku was seriously considering diverting a large portion of the marine's budget to give to Dr. Vegapunk with an order for the mad scientist to build a time machine.

What would he even use it for, you may ask?

Well for none other than the sole purpose of going back in time and stopping Garp's parents from ever reproducing. Seriously, if the other man had never been created, then about 80% of the Fleet Admiral's problems wouldn't even exist in the first place.

He wouldn't need to increase the number of therapists on staff to deal with traumatized troops after one of the man's training sessions got out of hand. His crackers wouldn't constantly go missing. Dragon and his merry band of troublemakers wouldn't constantly be threatening the world order. Gol D. Roger's son would have never survived past infancy. And finally, perhaps most importantly, one Monkey D. Luffy would never have been born.

Why would the considerably weakest of Garp's descendants be the biggest pain of the bunch? Well, the answer is pretty simple.

You see, usually, Dragon would be the worst of them with his goal of taking down the World Government and whatnot, but on this particular day, he'd expected for the eldest grandson to be the source of all his stress. After all, this whole mess revolved around the young man's execution, who just so happened to be under the protection of Whitebeard himself, which meant that this simple execution would inevitably become a war, so of course he'd be the one responsible for Sengoku's massive headache.

After further observation, he had concluded his earlier hypothesis as being 'incorrect'.

That honor went to Garp's youngest grandson: Monkey D. Luffy.

For all that the Revolutionary Dragon was cautious and subtle, his son was not. He was loud, in your face, and completely reckless. Oh yes, he knew all about the boy's accomplishments, even the ones that both the marines and government had meticulously made sure to cover up. Sengoku knew about the incident at Shells Town, his victory against all the biggest names in the East Blue, his supposed 'miracle' at Loguetown, his defeat of the warlord Crocodile within days of entering the Grand Line, attacked Enies Lobby where he and his crew proceeded to bring the base and CP9 to their knees after they declared WAR on the entirety of the WORLD GOVERNMENT. Oh yeah, and the entire crew had managed to miraculously vanish after their captain had punched a Celestial Dragon in the face and survived the buster call that followed. By all accounts, he shouldn't have made it this far. And yet, somehow- somehow the boy just kept succeeding.

Like now for instance.

The rookie captain had come from out of nowhere, screaming a battle cry as he literally dropped onto the battlefield. Yes. He fell out of the God. Damn. Sky. You know, as you do.

To make matters even worse, the newcomer had brought back up in the form of several hundred escaped prisoners fresh from Impel Down- according to the prison uniforms and few recognizable faces amongst them- which obviously meant that there would be even more paperwork that the Fleet Admiral would have to deal with after this. Surely, this small child couldn't have led a mass breakout of the infamous impenetrable and inescapable hell that was Impel Down. Right? The idea was preposterous but was the only thing that made any degree of sense. Because this was Garp's grandson and the ability to accomplish impossible feats was apparently genetic.

Jinbei announces that he's leaving the Warlords. Yeah, sure. It's the most reasonable and predictable thing to happen since this whole mess began.

As if that wasn't enough, the boy wasted no time in declaring his intentions to save his brother, before he proceeded to challenge Whitebeard, the Strongest Man in the World, to his face. A stupid move, or at least, it would be for literally anyone else on the planet, but no. This absolute pain-in-the-ass super rookie just had to earn the respect of Whitebeard himself with that little stunt.

Oh, would you look at that? It appears that he's leading the charge now.

Because of course he is.

Sengoku just watched as the underdog star-of-the-show continued to plow through his marines, carving a path for the rest of the pirates to follow as they advanced even faster than before. He wondered idly if he should start considering retirement. It would be so easy to just withdrawal from the marines and avoid the fallout that this day would result in.

It was only after the straw hat-wearing captain had managed to get past not one, not two, but three warlords (useless- all of them) while having a rather heated screaming match against his brother, that it occurred to Sengoku that it would be the perfect time to use the Pacifistas.

He should probably have them cut the video feeds while they're at it. This battle was just too crazy. It was making it appear that the Marines didn't have control of the situations, which was blatantly untrue, victory would still be theirs by day's end. It was just that the unexpected arrival of that brat and his backup that was throwing them off their game here.

And then Whitebeard joined the battle…

Great.

Not that it mattered, their plan was all coming together now, the pirates were all moving towards their doom by now, which meant that it was time for the next phase of the battle to commence. Sengoku gave the orders for their trap to spring and watched detachedly as the walls rose exactly as they were supposed to… except one panel that was trapped beneath the fallen giant's body. That might be a problem… but nothing that they couldn't handle. He tried to remain impassive as he watched the rain of hellfire fall upon the pirates, destroying everything in their paths.

Yes, victory would surely be theirs by the end of the day. The era of the Golden Age of Piracy would die along with 'Fire Fist' Ace and Whitebeard. Though the Marines had also sustained more than their fair share of tragedies, the loss of life from these good men would not be in vain, for their sacrifices would usher in a new age where Justice would prevail over all- HOW THE FUCK DID HE GET OVER THE WALLS?

While the admirals and other high-ranking marines were doing their jobs keeping that impossible pirate busy, the fleet admiral decided that it would be a good time to finally get to the entire purpose for this whole bloody and increasingly ridiculous mess, before things got even more out of hand. He gave the order for the execution, knowing that it was their best shot to do it now while no pirates could interfere.

Then 'Straw Hat' Luffy revealed that he was, in fact, a conqueror.

"OH, YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

(No. The powers that be in this world were not kidding the fleet admiral. In fact, they were laughing hysterically at his pain. Yes, there is a difference! They preferred to think of their schemes as 'cathartic emotional relief' as opposed to the blatant misuse of creative freedom and power that it clearly is. It was as if they were rewriting the script in some desperate attempt at coping with the death of a character that had occurred over a decade ago, and yet they still couldn't accept it.

But surely that was just a metaphor, right? Really now, what kind of being would dedicate so much time and effort into creating a world, painstakingly sculpting and crafting it, just for the sole sake of giving two fictional characters a happy ending? Why the idea is just downright absurd!

…

…

Welllllllllll- )

Sengoku could only watch as a large portion of his men (along with some pirates too) fell unconscious under the onslaught of pure weaponized willpower. Leaving their numbers spread too thin to effectively stop the wave of pirates now making for the pretty much cleared path to the execution platform. Luckily, it wasn't easy to get to the top, as it involved climbing which would leave any pirates exposed for long enough that they could be dealt with before even reaching the top which would prove to be an effective-

How.

How the hell… WHAT GOD DID THE BOY SELL HIS SOUL TO IN ORDER TO BE SO DAMN LUCKY?!

STAIRS. STAIRS CUT OUT OF THE GROUND LEADING STRAIGHT UP TO THE TOP OF THE PLATFORM.

HOW DO THEIR CRAZY AND STUPID IDEAS KEEP WORKING?!

While Sengoku was busy questioning his existence and once again pondering the various benefits of retirement, a new challenger approached the rescue party. For once, it appeared that Garp was actually going to do his job, and the ensuing interaction between grandfather and grandson went just how he'd expected it to go… well, that is until one particular line from Monkey D. Luffy caught his attention.

"Please, just let me get to Ace. Think about him, Great Gramps."

That phrase. That single key distinction gave both marines pause. For a split second, the vice admiral's hard and determined expression slipped off his face, taken over by a look of genuine concern and terror, but it was gone in the blink of an eye. The man quickly replaced the look with one of pure determination, his eyes set in a hard line. A decision had been made.

The fleet admiral just watched as Garp allowed himself to be beaten and thrown off the stairs, leaving the path to the chained Portgas D. Ace almost completely clear. Sure, Sengoku was still in their way and really these pirates didn't even stand a chance against him in combat. Or at least, that's how it should have gone.

It wasn't his fault.

No really, it wasn't.

Look, it's hard being an intelligent and observant person in this insane world. Sengoku had lived a long life, seen many things in his years serving the marines, but perhaps most importantly, he knew Monkey D. Garp. It is because of all these things that the Buddha found himself frozen in place as his mind scrambled to make sense of what had just happened before him. It could have just been a slip of the tongue, but- no. There had been significant meaning in the use of that title, the boy's voice and Garp's reaction had proved it. But it didn't make any sense. The brat was Garp's grandson, not his great-grandson. The only reason that Garp would be called that would be if his grandson had a-

He reacted a second too late.

Before he could even snap out of it, he'd found himself having to battle those allies of the straw hat-wearing pirate, one of which was Emporio Ivankov, a criminal that he'd been told had died in Impel Down. It took him far too long to knock the okamas off the platform, and he cursed the distraction that he really didn't have time for. He didn't even get a chance to get rid of the rookie as scarcely a second after he'd rid himself of the attacking men there had been a great explosion of fire from the other side of the platform.

Dammit, as soon as this blasted war was over, he was going to retire and take a weeklong nap just so his poor abused mind could have some peace and quiet.

He let his hand drop as the furious light died down, no longer blinding in its intensity. Sengoku glared at the two who were still standing at the epicenter of the flames, blinking away the dark spots that were still burned into his vision. His vision was still swimming, but he could finally make out the vague shape of the brothers standing together- wait, why was there only one? Oh, never mind. They're just really close to one another. He blinked again. Really close. He blinked several times, just to be sure. Nope, still looks like it. Maybe his eyes had weird after images burned into them because there was absolutely no way that they were- he frantically rubbed his eyes, fearing what he would see when he opened them again. He took the plunge.

…

His jaw dropped.

…

…

…

You know what?

Fuck D's.

Fuck pirates.

Fuck the World Government.

Fuck all of this bullshit.

He quits.

The Whitebeard pirates were used to madness, even more so than most New World veterans. It came with the territory when one was on the crew of the strongest man in the world. They had seen things that were inexplicable, things that existed beyond anyone's wildest imagination. Even things that so far no amount of alcohol consumption had proven to erase from their mind thus far. Nothing could phase them.

Hell, they even had experience dealing with someone who bore the Will of D. In fact, he was their second division commander. A narcoleptic pyromaniac with anger issues and a brother complex the size of the Red Line. Oh, and it turns out that he's the son of the one and only Gold Roger. Nothing- and they did mean nothing- could ever top the insanity that was their youngest brother.

And then Monkey D. Luffy dropped onto the battlefield.

Suddenly that claim wasn't quite so believable after all.

Many of them had to admit that the kid sure knew how to enter with style. He got bonus points for creativity at least. Falling out of the sky on a marine warship that is filled with backup in the form of hundreds of escaped prisoners? Yeah, that was a new one.

They'd also found themselves thoroughly impressed by the brat's guts, challenging their captain like that before the two proceeded to talk as if they were equals. The respect had only doubled when it became clear that Pops was interested in the young upstart if his order to Marco was any indication.

Learning that he was the son of the Revolutionary Dragon? Quite a nasty shock but it did make total sense. He had declared war on the World Government after all. Dismantling the flawed political system and upsetting the balance of power in the world probably made for some good old 'father and son bonding'. Maybe they'd even have a barbeque when they burned Mariejois to the ground. Now that would be a party.

The boy was an absolute force of nature, a being of complete chaos. Really, it was actually impressive to see him in action, especially after all they'd heard about him. And they'd heard a LOT. More than enough, really. It was still a bit hard to reconcile the boy in front of them with the same 'weakling little brother' they'd heard so much about. Instead, they were faced with this absolute mad lad. Seriously, how the hell did he come up with riding a stream of water up and over the walls entrapping them? And he was a devil fruit user for crying out loud!

They could understand now, why the commander was so obsessed with the kid. Scouring the newspapers for any hint of the boy's exploits. They would too if they had such a reckless and troublesome brother. Though the brother complex was a bit overkill. Speaking of which, they really should go through with that intervention they'd been planning. It was getting out of hand. Where were they going with this again? Oh, yeah.

It was clear that Ace absolutely adored the boy.

It was nice to see such love returned.

There had been an uproar of cheers as the flames engulfed the two brothers, for that could only mean that the insane bastard had done it. Against all odds, he did it! Just like he said he would. Now Ace was free and he-

Was kissing his little brother.

All around them weapons clattered to the ground as both pirates and marines alike stared at the scene playing out before them. Neither side could even judge the other for getting distracted because- Holy shit. The brothers were kissing on top of the execution platform.

It wasn't like it was a normal kiss either. No, it was a kiss that could accurately be described as earth-shattering. They were locking lips, sucking face, smooching, embracing like the world was going to end if they didn't. However, the opposite was true; they'd be killed if they didn't stop making out and get off the damn platform for the love of all things holy-

Actually, they'd probably be fine, considering the fact that the fleet admiral was too busy trying to become a fish if the way that his mouth was continuously gaping was any indication. Huh, in fact, the battlefield might as well be considered a pond at this point, so many people were getting in on that fish impression action.

There were a few exceptions to this reaction, however.

For instance, one Monkey D. Garp was laughing hysterically from within the crater he'd made when he hit the ground after his 'fight' with his grandson. (Of course his troublesome grandsons would choose now of all moments to reveal their relationship to the world. Their bloodlines and fathers had already been outed, unwillingly at that, so why not upstage this secret by unveiling one of their own? If Garp didn't know any better he'd say that the D in their names stood for dramatic, especially with their knack for startling others and rendering everybody speechless. Though this was no laughing matter, the man couldn't help but give in to his guffaws. This was just too damn funny!)

Anyone who happened to be standing near the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, had been quite confused when the normally ruthless woman dropped to her knees and promptly burst into tears. She kept sobbing while blubbering about "her beloved" and "husband stealers" thoroughly baffling anyone who heard her. What the hell was she talking about? Beloved? Husband? No. Nope. They'd already had their 'shocking relationship reveal' of the day, they didn't need another thank you very much.

If there had been someone present with the ability to read minds, they'd have been delighted to discover that one Dracule Mihawk was deeply considering just leaving this place and fleeing (though he'd never flee, he was simply leaving for the sake of his sanity) back to the nice, quiet peace of his castle where he'd be far away from any person with a D in their name. Too much drama for his taste.

Ace's crewmates could only watch the scene before them with growing concern. They'd known that Ace's brother complex was bad, but not this bad! They definitely needed to have that intervention, sooner rather than later. (Much, much sooner. Straight after their escape sounded like a frankly wonderful time for it.)

The two stubborn, crazy, reckless bastards just continued to stay up in their own little world for a few more seconds- seconds which they did not have- before they finally- finally GOT WITH THE PROGRAM and leapt towards their freedom.

Aww, they were holding hands. That's sweet.

NOT THE TIME!

The power couple, and that's what they were- a power couple- hit the ground running and wasted no time laying waste to the marines that got in their way. The way they fought together spoke volumes of the bond that the two shared. Every movement was done in perfect coordination, effortlessly reading the other's movement to react accordingly. The brothers punched, and ducked, and weaved through the sea of enemies, perfectly matched in their violent dance. In fact, the two were so at ease covering each other's backs, that they'd begun to- to banter in the middle of an actual war.

The fire logia had the largest, cockiest grin as he spared a glance towards his brother. "You reckless idiot!"

The younger, though busy taking out several enemies at once and thoroughly exhausted, just shot him a beaming smile looking unbelievably giddy and relieved. "Hey, Ace!"

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!"

This time the rubber man seemed to take offense. "I scared you?! You're the one who almost got executed!"

The older winced at the accusing tone in the other's voice, looking sheepish for once. "Yeah, sorry about that." He shook off the guilt as soon as it came. "Still, you really shouldn't have come here. A little brother shouldn't be rescuing his older brother!"

"Well, it's my job as your boyfriend to save your dumb ass!"

Those around them barely heard the commander's bark of laughter as he responded "touché." None of the marines near them made any move to stop the brothers (wait, were they even brothers?!) as they rushed by. In fact, most had found themselves frozen in place having been reduced to a state of pure shock and horror at what they'd just witnessed. Quite a few had fallen to the ground, both their bodies and minds giving up, which was understandable. They simply didn't get paid enough to deal with, well… this.

The Whitebeard pirates could only watch as the two continued to flirt as they fought an actual war. Had they heard correctly? Boyfriends? Forget what they'd said earlier. This went far beyond a bad case of brother complex, or even just a heat-of-the-moment confession.

Yeah… it was probably too late to have that intervention, wasn't it?

While everyone else was having a mental breakdown, the two D Brothers were riding their elated high as they made their escape. Both were battered, bruised, and worse for wear, but they couldn't care less, both too stirred up to care about their physical states or the reactions of those around them.

Okay, maybe they'd been a bit… enthusiastic when they reunited, and yeah, it was neither the place nor the time for such a... performance, but it wasn't like they could help it.

There were no words that could have possibly said everything that they'd wanted to communicate at that moment; the joy, awe, fear, relief, annoyance, pride, worry- well, you get the point.

'He's here!'

'I did it!'

'He did it!'

'He's alive!'

'He's okay!'

'Oh seas, I love him.'

Neither voiced those thoughts out loud, there was no need for it. They could see every emotion they felt clearly reflected in the other's expression. It was the most wonderful sight they'd ever seen. For a second the two had honestly forgotten that they were in the middle of a war, and even then that was literally the least important thing going on at that moment. They had come too close to losing each other. The fucking war could wait its turn.

So yeah, passionate kiss it was.

Again, not the smartest decision, but they certainly didn't regret it. They were together again and that was all that mattered. Now all they had to do was get to the ships and they'd be free. Things were going surprisingly well, all things considered. They might have been outnumbered and not in the best of conditions to begin with, but the swarm of marines didn't stand a chance against their combined might. Fighting side-by-side and watching each other's backs was as natural as breathing to the two D's, even with the other side's advantages they couldn't hold a candle against the perfect coordination and teamwork that was the result of years and years of experience. Not to mention that their strength had only been increased by their determination to get out of this together. (Yeah, they were never letting go of the other after this mess was over.) It seemed that there was just no stopping the power couple.

That's when things began to go wrong, as they do.

Both pirates froze when they heard the insults against the aged captain, one in anger and the other in dread. Luffy swore rather colorfully underneath his breath as he focused on his boyfriend's tensed frame. Anyone who knew Portgas D. Ace knew that the man refused to run from a fight. He cared way too much about his pride for that.

And now someone had gone and insulted said pride…

Yeah, it was pretty obvious where this was going.

Well obvious to literally anyone else (even Luffy, and that's saying a lot). The logia user didn't even seem to realize that this particular trait of his was being used against him, the magma bastard purposely goading them into a fight so that they wouldn't continue to retreat. It was a classic move that any antagonist knew, hell- it was probably in the introductory Villain 101 course. You know, 'get the hero angry so that they stop using common sense and throw themselves into a battle that they can't win'? Yep, works every time. Or at least, it should have.

See, in another universe Monkey D. Luffy and Portgas D. Ace had never fallen in love and then proceeded to enter a deep romantic relationship with one another which had eventually resulted in the creation of one Monkey D. Portgas Jack.

Things were a bit… different here.

In this universe, Monkey D. Luffy was a pissed off protective lover who had a child to think about, and he would be damned if he just let his boyfriend- who just so happened to be the father of said child- throw himself back into the war they were just escaping. No, he came here to save him, so save him he would. He had made it this far and he'd make sure they both walked away from this even if he had to drag the older male to the ships.

"Ace, we need to go, now!"

"You don't understand, Lu! He can't just get away with this-"

"The Old Man can take care of himself!"

"My father needs me!"

"OUR SON NEEDS YOU!"

Indeed, Akainu's plan would have been perfect, if it hadn't been for a single, major change that had and would continue to shake the world to its foundations. As such- Monkey D. Luffy did as he does best, delivering monumental information in such a blunt manner, dealing such a blow to a person's mental and emotional stability that one could equate it to being slapped across the face then having the floor pulled out from beneath them while they're unbalanced which sends them tumbling down a flight of stairs where at the bottom there was a vase waiting to smash itself over their head just for good measure.

Yes, that would be a fairly accurate description for how the poor second division commander was feeling at that moment, having just had that lovely reminder practically launched at him with all the grace of a trebuchet built by first-year engineering students. Nevertheless, it seemed to do the trick. Ace had gone stock-still, having suddenly remembered that he did, in fact, have a child waiting for him out in the world. Such a thought was strong enough to snap him out of his enraged state, no longer just seeing red. Now that he'd had a moment to cool off (or more accurately had an ice-cold bucket of emotions dumped over his head) he was able to consider his situation.

On one hand, he had a duty as both a son and the second division commander to defend the honor of Pops and the crew. It also went against his own personal morals to let such a blow to his captain's pride go unpunished. On the other hand… well, as both a brother and a boyfriend he needed to ensure that Luffy got to safety, and a quick glance behind him revealed that the younger male had been running on empty for quite some time now, which meant that he really should prioritize their safety over anything else, even his own ego. Not to mention that as a father it would be terribly irresponsible of him to recklessly charge towards what could be certain death and leave his lover behind to care for their son alone… again.

Yeah, there was really only one option for him.

Portgas D. Ace, the stubborn hot head who never ever backed down from a fight, turned around, grabbed his boyfriend's arm, and ran.

Chapter Text

For once, the world was completely still. There was no movement, no sound, not even the awkward hum of crickets in the background. No, nothing could penetrate the odd silence that had fallen over the people gathered at Sabaody. The air itself had seemed to freeze and people barely even dared to breathe lest they break the fragile moment of the calm before the storm.

"WHAT?!"

Ah, never mind. The silence was abruptly shattered by the single desperate yell of a random man in the crowd, and with the blanket of quiet having been violently ripped off, the world exploded into sound. There were no cheers from the civilians for the triumph over the 'evil pirates', instead there were screams and gasps and wild chattering as chaos descended upon the crowd who had just witnessed the broadcast for Marineford. The air was filled with shock, disbelief, horror, amusement, and excitement. It was quite a strange mix of emotions, but then again, the events that had just gone down on the screens before them were very far from normal, so their feelings were indeed warranted.

"What the hell just happened?!"

"The marines got their asses handed to them, that's what!"

On one hand, this was absolutely the most terrifying news most of the citizens had ever heard in their entire lives. They had been promised that they could count on the Marines, the powerful and reliable protectors in their world, and yet here they were. Helplessly watching as those they considered heroes were turned into a massive joke and couldn't even stop a Paradise rookie pirate! If they couldn't even handle one single pirate, then how were they supposed to handle all of them?!

"Are the marines really powerful enough to protect us? Are we even safe anymore?!"

"Protect us from what exactly?"

"Those- those pirates!"

"Are you kidding me? Those so-called 'criminals' don't seem that bad!"

"Not that bad?! Are you forgetting that two of them have the blood of devils in them?!"

"Forget their parents! I want to know about the love affair between Straw Hat and Fire Fist! How the hell did that happen?"

"Yeah, and what's this about them having a son?"

On the other hand, however, this was also the funniest and most entertaining thing they've ever seen. Forget theatre, this was better than any boring old play! This was a real-life soap opera! The plot was absolutely riveting, and it seems that they've just witnessed the first half of the season finale where everything comes to light! Not one, not two, but three secret love childs revealed?! Not only that, but two of them were the sons of some of the most dangerous men in the world! And if that wasn't dramatic enough, said sons were in a scandalous secret relationship, and now there was a baby involved?! Forget the execution and defeating a yonko, this was the best drama they'd seen in years!

"NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

The shout that came through the speakers was loud and sudden, but it caused a hush to fall over the crowd. It seemed that the ones who were keeping the broadcast going had finally gotten over their state of shock and unfroze. The one holding the recording den den mushi had jumped at the shout and quickly spun the camera around to face that weird clown guy.

"B-Buggy-sama! What's wrong?!"

Clown dude's expression kept switching between pissed off and terrified. "THERE IS NO WAY! YOU REALLY MEAN TO TELL ME THAT CAPTAIN HAD A KID, AND NOW THAT KID HAS A KID AND ITS FUCKING STRAW HAT'S TOO?!" Who was this guy again?

"OI! Turn back to the battle!" There were several shouts from other civilians agreeing. They didn't care about this dude! They wanted the camera to go back to showing them the good stuff, not this self-obsessed weird clown. A small voice from the back of the crowd yelled that they 'liked Buggy-sama' but they were quickly booed and shushed by those around them.

Luckily for the masses, something distracted the man holding the visual den den mushi enough to make him turn around. It appeared that during the time they couldn't see, the magma admiral had caught up to the retreating couple and was about to attack. There were many loud cries of worry and fear, both from the pirates on the broadcast and those watching it. However, before Akainu could launch his fist forward, he was suddenly struck from the side and sent flying a good distance away from the two. There were some cheers and gasps as it soon became obvious who had just defended the brothers.

Whitebeard.

"Daaaamn! Akainu got owned!" Several people whooped with joy at the insult. The handful of marines who were watching the crowd kept glancing at each other and shuffling their feet uncomfortably. The crowd's support for the pirates was worrying to say the least. They'd known that this whole plan was backfiring for quite some time now, but things just kept going wrong for the side of Justice.

While the entirety of the Sabaody Archipelago had been swept up in the chaos, a small bar in Grove 13 was filled with a lighter, celebratory atmosphere.

The woman behind the bar just gave an appreciative whistle as she listened to the events unfold via the den den mushi sitting on the counter. "You would think that the marines would learn their lesson about making famous pirates' executions into a grand spectacle, but no. Here we are yet again." The original Pirate King's first mate just sighed and shook his head, beyond words at this point.

Honestly, what could he even say right now? They did it. The boys actually did it. They broke the marines. They broke the news reporters. Hell, they might have just broken the entire world. Shakky slid him a glass of sake, to which he gave her a tired smile. That was exactly what he needed right now. (God, he loves this woman.) She only nodded, but her eyes were alight with amusement. "You're going to train him, aren't you?"

Silvers Rayleigh just chuckled as he swirled his drink. She knows him so well. "It would appear that the world isn't quite done with us old-timers. You'd think that we'd finally be allowed to rest." He'd been listening solemnly to the dying yonko's goodbye as he told his sons to leave without him, feeling quite sad to know that the world was losing one of the great men in it- when Monkey D. Luffy proved once more that he refused to bend to fate.

"What the hell are you talking about!" The world was treated to the sight of one Straw Hat Luffy glaring at the strongest man in the world. Again. "You are a father! You've got kids to take care of! You can't die here!"

"As a father, I will protect my sons! I am an old relic of an era long gone, there is no place for me in this new age. Leave this place and live! I shall die here with my pride and honor intact!

"That's bullshit!" "If you die here how are you supposed to meet Jack?!"

"…Jack?"

It was then that Fire Fist Ace spoke up, but whatever he said was too quiet to be heard on the broadcast. But based on the reactions from the pirates close to him, it was something big.

The pirates continued to converse with each other, unfortunately, they were too far away for the den den mushi to pick up what they were saying in their regular speaking tones. Suddenly there was a great booming of laughter that seemed to shake the ground itself. "Gurararara!" "My sons! Make your way to the ships! We're returning to the sea! I've got a grandson to meet!"

Rayleigh just shook his head incredulously. Not even Newgate could catch a break, being swept up in the mad pace of this rookie pirate. A member of the Worst Generation indeed. He considered for a second before he raised the glass to give a toast. "To the continued insanity of the Will of D." The bar owner gave a cheer as she lifted her own cup as well. The Dark King just laughed and downed the whole thing quickly. 'Wherever you're watching this right now I hope you're proud, Captain.'

In the afterlife, the late King of the Pirates was laughing his ass off. Next to him stood Portgas D. Rouge who had yet to stop applauding the wonderfully disastrous performance that just went down. She was grateful that the young captain had succeeded in saving her son, and honestly, the marines were lucky that he did. If anything had happened to her baby she would have gone down there and kicked their asses herself.

Yeah, she was dead, so what? She's Portgas D. Rouge. Do you think a little thing like death would stop her?

After a few minutes, Roger's laughter finally subsided and he wiped at his eyes. "Have I ever mentioned how much I love that kid?"

"Yes dear, many times." His lover looked at him fondly from where she was still sitting on the couch. She would admit that the situation was funny, but she had the decency not to roll around on the floor while she laughed.

Gol D. Roger picked himself up off the floor and settled back into his previous spot on the cushions. "Our boy picked a good one, that's for sure."

"He is certainly impressive, yes," The pink-haired woman turned her attention back to the screen showing them the living world.

The two looked back just in time to catch sight of the straw hat-wearing captain and Jinbei having an exchange. Whatever the fishman had said to the young captain had him frowning as he quickly knocked away the marines attacking him and started looking all around him, appearing to be annoyed. Finally, he must have spotted something because the supernova stopped moving and downright scowled before he began to march further away from the ships.

Their son had placed himself at the very back of the retreat and was continuing to launch wave after wave of fire at any marines that tried to get past him. He was clearly enjoying himself even though he had a few close misses with sea stone weapons and cuffs that the marines were trying to get him with, but he didn't seem to care as he just laughed and sent a large-scale blaze forward, which scattered all those around them and gave him a few seconds of break. Well, almost all of them.

Luffy planted himself about fifteen steps away from Ace, quickly winding back before sending his arm flying towards the unsuspecting male. Their son yelped as the appendage wrapped around him not once, not twice, but three times, trapping his arms at his sides. Both parents watched in amusement as their son glanced behind him and winced when he saw the fed-up and disapproving look on his boyfriend's face. The rubber man turned around and started making his way back towards the ships, still dragging the older male behind him, all the while scolding him. This had Roger losing it once again which drowned out most of the conversation, though Rouge was able to catch a few snippets of it. Something like, "Idiot! You… target… wanted dead… fight… frontline… reckless hothead!" The action had several of the pirates cackling at their commander who looked properly chastised.

'Yes,' she thought to herself. 'He is a perfect son-in-law.'

Lucky Roo whistled after he heard the announcement on the broadcast. "Damn, didn't expect that from Anchor."

Behind the man there were several crewmembers all gathered around the den den mushi. "He sure knows how to make an impression, doesn't he?"

"I'll say. Not even surprised that his father is Dragon at this point. It explains so much."

"Forget his father! I never would've thought that the kid would have a kid.

"Not only that, but he's dating Gold Roger's son too."

"Wait, I can't keep up with this. It's way too confusing!"

One of the crew members smirked. "No it's not. It's really simple you see: The kid is Dragon's kid and the kid's kid is also Roger's kid's kid."

There was a loud groan from one of the other men. "Say kid one more time and you're getting shot."

"Kid."

"That's it!" The annoyed man began pulling out his pistol but he and the others froze at the sound of a rifle being cocked. The crew turned as one towards the back of the room where the first mate was standing.

Benn Beckman casually flicked the safety back on his weapon and took a drag from his cigarette. "Knock it off. We have more important things to focus on right now, or did you all forget that we're here to stop the war?"

"That's easy! We show up, make a cool entrance, and then Captain makes an epic speech and single-handedly stops the war." There was a mixture of groans and hoots at the unintentional joke. "Oh. No pun intended, sorry Captain." There was no response. Several heads turned towards the corner of the room where the redhead was sitting. "Uhh… Captain?"

"Did you guys hear that?" The normally boisterous man's voice was oddly quiet.

The crew members glanced at one another. "Hear what exactly?"

"Anchor has a son." The yonko looked up from his lap, beaming. "Which means I'm a grandpa!"

One of the younger and newer members of the crew leaned towards one of the oldest members and stage whispered. "He does know that Luffy isn't actually his son?"

The look he got was an odd mix of tired and incredulous. "Look me in the eye and tell me that Captain would say no if Anchor asked to be adopted."

The young guy snapped his fingers. "Damn, you're right."

"Wait, no. I'd be an uncle, right?" The yonko looked like he was trying to solve a difficult math problem. "I mean Captain was my dad, so his son is my brother, but he and my son had a kid together, so am I an uncle or a grandpa? Am I both?"

Yasopp just sighed. "Captain, you're too young to be a grandpa."

"Uncle it is then!" The redhead was practically glowing with joy. "Yeah! Uncle Shanks! I'll be the cool uncle, the one that has awesome stories to tell!"

Lucky Roo snorted as he grabbed another chicken leg. "Annnnd we've lost him."

Benn just sighed, wondering for the 'not-even-god-knows-' time why he agreed to join this man. "Shanks. There is a literal war going on."

"But Benn, Anchor has a boyfriend and a son! We should celebrate!"

Seriously, why was he still here? "We can celebrate AFTER THE WAR!"

The captain, one of the four strongest pirates in the world, pouted like a small child. "Fine."

They all sat in silence after that.

It did not last long.

"You know," one of the er- less bright members on the crew spoke up. "It's probably a good thing that you're going with being Portgas' brother instead of Luffy's father, otherwise people might think you and Dragon had a kid. Ha! Imagine what the marines would think!"

The captain had frozen instantly.

Benn Beckman slowly looked up from the weapon he was examining.

Lucky Roo stopped moving, mouth still open and about to take a bite of the meat he was holding. His eyes darted towards the captain with uncertainty.

The crew's sniper just smirked and grabbed a new bottle, leaning back in his chair and ready to watch what was about to go down.

"Shanks." Benn sounded grave. His captain didn't move, except for the smile that was slowly creeping onto his lips.

"Don't you dare." The smile turned into a wicked grin. "SHANKS NO!"

"SHANKS YES!"

Captain and first mate continued to argue back and forth about the consequences/rewards of pranking the collective world, the rest of the crew laughed uproariously as they pictured it in their minds. "Man, I can't wait to see what the newspaper looks like tomorrow!"

Monkey D. Dragon was used to having his subordinates suddenly burst into his office, though rarely did they ever do so before breakfast was over. As it was, the most dangerous man in the world had been enjoying his morning cup of coffee to have at least some semblance of energy to start the day with, when he heard the telltale sounds of footsteps pounding down the hall. He'd barely had time to set his mug on his desk before his door was slammed open.

"Sir!" The poor man stopped for a moment, gasping for breath. He continued panting for a second before he looked up, eyes wide and face pale. When he spoke again his voice was panicked. "Something is wrong with the Chief of Staff!"

Suddenly finding himself wide-awake, the leader of the Revolutionary Army stood up and quickly strode across his office and out the door. The tired agent trotted after him, barely keeping up with the fast pace. "Where is he?"

"The- the dining hall, sir!" Dragon merely nodded and proceeded to hasten towards the crowded area. As he turned down the hallway, he could see the large swarm of people gathered around the middle of the room. The moment that he stepped inside heads turned his way. When it became obvious who had arrived, the group parted like the red sea for their leader to get through. With no one in the way, Dragon could now see the cause for all the commotion: His second in command who was lying unconscious on the floor.

He quickly looked to the young man's partner, Koala. "What happened?"

The orange-haired woman had the blond's head in her lap, where she was worriedly stroking his hair. She glanced at her leader briefly while biting her bottom lip. "We don't know, sir. He was just reading the paper and began acting a little strange, but before we could ask what was wrong, he started screaming all of a sudden and then he just- he just collapsed!"

A quick scan of the floor revealed a discarded newspaper, having landed a few feet away from where the blond had fallen. It appeared that he'd dropped it before he passed out. Dragon leaned down and snatched up the bundle of paper before rising again. "This morning's news?"

"Yes sir!"

"Right." He began to reshuffle the paper around so he could have a look at the front page. "Take Sabo to the infirmary and get the…" Dragon paused as he saw the headline and accompanying picture. He read the title again, nope. He hadn't read that wrong. The tattooed man found himself staring at the picture intently, before moving on to read the article itself.

"Sir?"

There is no answer.

"Get what, sir? The physician?"

Silence.

"Sir, are you oka-"

Dragon snapped out of it. "Ah. Yes," he replied, still thoroughly distracted.

"But- but sir, you seem-"

"Everything is fine." No. No, it was not, but he needed to be able to read this somewhere he wouldn't be interrupted. "Someone fetch the physician to check on Sabo. I just… I need to… Excuse me, but I must return to my office." Without another word he pivoted to face the exit, quickly retreating down the hallway. Behind him, he heard a great amount of commotion as his subordinates began their frantic scramble to get their hands on a copy of the morning's newspaper.

He made it halfway to his office before a shout came from the cafeteria.

"HE HAS A SON?!"

He only walked faster.

---

Several hours later, he still couldn't figure out how to feel about, well… this. There were too many emotions flying around his head at the same time, and just way too much to process.

Monkey D. Dragon just dropped the newspaper on his desk and placed his face in his hands. On one hand, this was sure to make the government squirm and freak out, which was always amusing. On the other hand... How was he supposed to react to all of this? Happy? Proud? Disappointed? Horrified? Angry? It wasn't like there was a parenting book for this situation!

He gave a frustrated sigh as he slumped further down in his chair. There was just too much that he didn't know. Too many questions and not enough answers. He'd need to hear the full story straight from someone who'd been involved and would tell it to him, and in truth, there was only one person that he knew that had that information and would trust him enough to give it to him.

He just really, really, really wished he didn't have to.

The leader of the revolutionary army lifted his head and looked towards the right side of his desk. Sitting innocently on the table, both in their resting mode, were two den den mushi. One white and the other a pale yellow. He pulled the two snails towards him, a hardened expression of determination on his face. He couldn't believe he was doing this, but as they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.

He dialed the number and waited. This call was worth any teasing or frustration that he might face, and even though he'd never hear the end of it, he had to know more about his son's family. He could deal with a little awkwardness. A second later, the call connected.

"Mushi mushi, who is this and what do you want?"

Okay, he could do this, he was known as the most dangerous man in the world, there was nothing that could stop him. "Hey, Dad. I have a few questions I need to ask you."

The change of emotion in the marine was instantaneous, the snail mimicking the wide-eyed and open-mouthed surprise and interest of the man on the other side. "Dragon? I wasn't expecting you to call so soon. It isn't Father's Day yet!"

Dragon just rolled his eyes. Okay yeah, he rarely ever calls Garp, but he certainly does it more than once a year! Whatever, he had more important things to focus on. "What's this about me having a son-in-law and a grandchild?"

There was a huff of laughter from the other end. "Figured you'd ask that. You better be sitting down because this is going to take a while. See, it all started back when Luffy was seven…"

Normally patients who awaken from a coma regain their consciousness slowly when they wake up, often finding themselves disoriented and unable to think coherent thoughts.

Sabo's situation was far from normal.

Instead of a peaceful and slow awakening, the blond's eyes had flown open, his body jack-knifing into a sitting position. "I FUCKING KNEW IT!"

Koala- who had been sitting in the chair next to him and peacefully reading a book up until then- jumped out of her seat and instantly slid into a defensive fighting pose, instinctively reacting to the sudden sound of his yell. "What is- Sabo?!" She relaxed immediately before rushing over to her friend's side to give him a hug. "You're awake!"

He ignored the massive headache he had in favor of the single imperative thought that raced through him like a bolt of lightning. He was so excited that he grabbed a hold of the orange-haired girl's shoulders before she could wrap her arms around him and begun shaking her back and forth. "I was right!"

"S-S-S-Sabo s-s-stop s-s-shaking me-e-e-e!"

He quickly released the poor girl, leaving her feeling rather dizzy. "I knew Ace had a crush on Luffy! God, he was such a tsundere but I never pointed it out cause he would bitch about it forever. Ha! I'm never going to let him hear the end of this!"

"Ace? Luffy?" Koala shook her head, trying to regain her bearings. "Hold on, are you talking about Straw Hat and Fire Fist?" The grin that she received was blinding.

"Yeah, those two reckless idiots are my brothers."

"Y-your brothers?"

"Yep, we shared sake and swore to be brothers ages ago." His smile slipped away, replaced by a melancholy expression. "Man, I can't believe I just forgot about them. I'm the worst brother ever."

The orange-haired girl furrowed her brow in confusion. "Forgot? Brothers? What are you- you've never mentioned that before-" suddenly her eyes went wide, a look of realization appearing as she gasped. "Wait, Sabo did you remember your past?!" A quick nod answered her and she clapped her hands together in excitement. "Oh, I'm so happy for you!" She scrambled into a standing position before she rushed towards the door. "Stay here! I'm going to go tell Boss that you're awake."

Sabo smiled as his partner's retreating back disappeared into the hallway. He was so thankful to have her as a friend. The blond shook his head gently, shaking away the thoughts. Right, he had something else that he needed to focus on right now. "Where did they put my- Ah!" He spotted his usual clothes at the foot of the bed. It appeared that someone had folded them after he'd been changed into the infirmary clothes. He was reaching for the pile when he caught sight of something more interesting. Lying beside his clothes was a familiar-looking newspaper, which he eagerly snatched up, flipping the bundle of papers open with a firm snap.

He scanned over the front article again, barely recalling what he'd been reading about before he passed out. That's right! His crazy, reckless baby brother's exploits were going to give him a heart attack someday. And Ace, what the hell had that stubborn idiot been thinking, getting himself captured and nearly executed like that? He switched his gaze to one of the pictures in the article, showing his two brothers sharing a heated kiss on the execution platform while flames raged around them. He snickered at that. He was so framing this paper. The chief of staff continued to read on, not even surprised to learn that those two had already been in an established romantic relationship prior to that moment. Revealing their relationship while bantering, huh? He rolled his eyes. 'Of course they would.' He shook his head fondly at the thought. Same old Ace and Luffy, always bickering while they fought.

He eagerly turned the page, not having made it this far before his little episode. The story continued for what appeared to be almost the entirety of the next two-page spread, only about a fourth of the second page being devoted to another article. The blond began to read the words hungrily but paused halfway through the first page. "Wha…?" He frowned, rereading the whole paragraph over again. '…what is this 'son' that Luffy mentioned?'

Desperate for answers, he continued to read the article, but there wasn't any more information about Luffy's sudden exclamation, only strange and outlandish theories from the reporter that sounded like something that belonged in a gossip magazine, not the biggest newspaper in the world. He highly doubted that this 'son' was a devil that the two had summoned from hell using their "ungodly powers", like the author of the article suggested. It was more likely that his younger brother was talking about some animal they'd been raising, it could even be that they'd adopted a kid or something along those lines. Or maybe even…

No. There was no way that they'd… Nah! They couldn't have… right? Sabo bit his lip in a mixture of worry and thoughtfulness, turning back to the front page so he could study the photo of his two brothers again. "Hmm… Luffy doesn't look pr… pre-nyegh." He couldn't even say it. He spared a quick glance towards Ace in the photo but quickly dismissed the thought. No offense to Luffy, but he was pretty sure that Ace would never let himself be- a shiver went down his spine. Nope. He didn't want to think about either of them doing that. (He accepted that they probably had, and he really didn't have a problem with it. He just didn't want to have that mental image in his head.)

He swept that thought aside and returned his focus to the paper once more. Well, if Luffy was pre- preg- hnn, pregnant, he shuddered, he wasn't showing which meant that he wasn't very far along if that was indeed the case at all, which he was sure it wasn't. Still… if Ace had knocked up their baby brother… Sabo's fists clenched around the newspaper, crumpling its edges. He shook his head and forced himself to relax, letting go of his death grip on the paper as he released a long sigh. No, Luffy was hardly his baby brother anymore. He had to remember that the two men in the photo were his brothers now; ten years older than when he'd last seen them and as two consenting adults, they were free to make their own choices.

Like starting a family together, for instance.

Still, if that was indeed the case… Ace was on thin ice. The blond dragged a gloved hand through his hair, further messing up the already pillow-brushed strands. Did those two ever think things through?! Neither of them were in a good position to deal with a newborn right now, even before this whole mess happened. And now, with the whole world, including the Marines, the World Government, and all of the rival pirate crews knowing their greatest secrets? Gosh, this was the worst time for them to have a child!

A knocking at his door disrupted his frustrated thoughts. He sighed as he put the paper to the side before calling 'come in' to whoever was on the other side. After a second, his boss- the leader of the Revolutionary Army and who just happened to also be his little brother's father (he chuckled internally at the thought) walked in. The usually stoic man crossed the room before coming to a stop beside the bed that the blond was currently laying in. It was only now that he remembered that he never did get dressed again.

"Sabo," the tattooed man gave a nod of greeting. "It is good to see you awake again. How are you feeling?"

"Thank you, Dragon sir, and I'm doing much better."

"That's good to hear." The smile was extremely faint, but Sabo wasn't the second in command for nothing, so he knew that the man truly was happy for his recovery. "Koala just told me some interesting news, she said you got your memory back?" The man continued after he received a nod of confirmation. "That is great. I was wondering if you would be willing to tell me more…?" The question was left hanging open, and Sabo realized that his boss wasn't forcing him to talk. He didn't have to explain himself if he didn't want to right now. He wanted to, of course, but he was grateful for the consideration anyway.

"What did she tell you exactly?" The fake small talk was a common occurrence between the two, a way to ease into a heavier conversation.

There was a slight hum. "She might have mentioned something about two very interesting brothers."

"I see. So you now know about our shared relation?"

Dragon gave an amused huff. "Yes. If I'd known that my pseudo-son was my biological son's sworn brother, I'd have signed the adoption papers a long time ago." The blond laughed heartily at this and even the stoic leader cracked a smile. "But still, knowing that you are the 'missing' brother certainly makes things easier."

The chief of staff sobered quickly, now confused. "Dragon, sir? What do you mean? Makes what easier?"

"Ah, right." His 'kinda-a-father-but-not-really-maybe(?) glanced at the paper by his side. "Based on your reaction earlier, you've already seen the news." At this, the man shifted in his seat. The movement was barely even discernable, but Sabo caught it. "Am I right in assuming that you've also learned about the child?"

Now he understood the hesitance. Dragon probably assumed (correctly) that he wouldn't exactly be happy about that little development. "Yes, though I don't know a whole lot. The paper wasn't very clear about it, and Luffy didn't say anything specific." He looked at his boss with a raised eyebrow. Surely, the man knew more about this.

"You're right about that, and it is certainly a good thing that the details are unknown, but yes, Luffy and his… partner," The uncomfortable tone suddenly reminded Sabo how odd this whole situation must be to the poor estranged father. His son, who he doesn't even really know, suddenly shows up with a lover who just so happens to be one of the most notorious pirates in the world and Luffy's brother? Yeah, that must have been a very rude wake up call. "-have a son. I had to call my father," there was a grimace here, "but he told me that yes, this child is biologically theirs, and Luffy is a male carrier."

So Sabo was right to be worried. Dammit, he was going to give those two moronic brothers of his a lecture on safe sex and responsibility when he saw them. He frowned suddenly, as a new thought occurred to him. So, they have a son, and from the sounds of it, they were sure about the gender. From what Sabo remembers, it takes about four or five months before a fetus's gender is discernible, but Luffy certainly didn't look that far along. Was it his devil fruit? Maybe he just didn't show very much? His confusion turned to alarm. What if something was wrong with the baby and it wasn't developing properly? He didn't know enough about male pregnancies for this! Unfortunately for the worrying blond, he was about to learn that the truth was much worse.

Dragon continued talking, not having noticed the shift in his chief of staff's mood. He was too busy digging through one of the pockets in his cloak. After a few seconds of searching, he finally pulled out a small photograph and handed it out to the young man who took it with a slightly shaking hand. "His name is Jack, and he's currently being watched over by a young lady named Makino on Dawn Island. From what I've heard, both of them are going into hiding now until Jack can be picked up and brought to a safer location. I need you to go check on your nephew for me and keep an eye on them until-" though the man was now explaining the details of this important mission, Sabo had stopped listening.

Sabo was good at his job, and some of the most important aspects of that job required him to be able to analyze, inference, make connections and deductions, and every single one of those skills was being put to use right now as he gazed at the picture in his hand. He quickly began to review what he knew and connect the dots.

1) This was a picture of his brothers' son, Jack, who in this picture, looked to be two-and-a-half, maybe three years old, which meant that Luffy had already given birth while he was still at Dawn Island.

2) Jack was Ace and Luffy's biological son, a child that they'd made together, which meant that the conception itself had to have taken place before Ace headed out to sea, so Ace had been close to seventeen at the time.

3) There was a three-year age gap between his brothers, give or take a few months, so Luffy was fourteen when he gave birth, and when you factored in the nine months that pregnancy lasted that meant that Ace had already left by then.

…

He had been wrong earlier.

That was the worst time for them to have a child.

…

Wait a minute. Wouldn't that also mean that Luffy had been thirteen when… when…

Sabo's brain malfunctioned.

…

…

…

The roar shook the entirety of the island of Baltigo.

"ACE, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

"ACHOO!"

"Gesundheit," a cheerful voice chirped.

The second division commander rubbed at his nose with the back of his hand. "Thanks, Lu."

"…is Ace feeling sick again?"

"Nah, someone's probably just talking about me." The logia user just flapped his hand from side to side in a dismissive manner.

Luffy twisted around to look his boyfriend in the eye, looking a little concerned, but also curious. "What do you think they're saying about Ace?"

"I dunno, probably cursing my name or something. I suddenly felt like I was in danger for a second."

The younger captain frowned and wrapped his arms around the older male. "Well they can't hurt Ace! I'd kick their ass!"

Barely a second later Ace tightened his own grip around the boy's waist. The freckled male flashed him a grin before he said in a teasing voice, "Aww, thanks Lu!" No sooner than he finished speaking, he had buried his face into the younger raven's hair causing him to giggle at the tickling feeling of Ace's breath on his scalp.

Marco just continued to lean against the doorway awkwardly. He'd been standing there for about a minute now, but neither had even looked in his direction… hell, they probably hadn't even noticed him walk in, too wrapped up in one another's presence. By the seas, these two were so in love that it was almost sickening.

A full fifteen seconds after the two had embraced it became obvious that they weren't going to separate on their own anytime soon. As much as he hated to ruin the couple's moment, it was starting to get a little awkward just watching them. Plus, he had come here for a reason. "Ahem."

The two didn't startle or jump like most couples would in this situation, they didn't even stop cuddling. Ace, the bastard, lifted his head and frowned at him in annoyance like he was personally offended that Marco would dare to interrupt their cute couple moment. The younger male just laughed in that odd way of his. "Hey Pineapple Guy!"

The phoenix's eye twitched. "It's Marco, yoi."

"Okay, Markus!"

He sighed. The boy had been out of the infirmary for almost a full day now and he still had yet to get Marco's name right. Really though, Markus? That was as close as he was going to get, wasn't it? His fellow division commander just snickered at his pain. "What's up, Marco?"

"The meeting started five minutes ago. We've been wondering where you two were, yoi."

Ace glanced out the porthole window, his eyes widening at how bright it was outside. "Wait, it's noon already? Shit, we lost track of time." Both males quickly jumped out of the bed and started grabbing their stuff. "Luffy, hand me my hat."

"Got it!"

Marco rolled his eyes as he turned around. "Come out whenever you're ready, yoi." He called over his shoulder as he stepped out of the room. Once in the hall, he listened to the bustling sounds coming from the room as the two prepared for the meeting and reflected on the interaction that he'd just witnessed. He was glad to see Ace in a much more cheerful mood, as the young man had been in an absolutely miserable state while waiting for his other half to wake up. The private little moment that he'd just glimpsed showed that there was a depth to their relationship that he had yet to see as well. Sure, he'd gotten to hear about Ace's little brother, but now he got to see Ace's boyfriend too.

Barely even a minute later the two emerged from the room, with Straw Hat riding on Ace's back. Marco raised an eyebrow at the sight but just shrugged it off. They'd almost lost each other, it made sense that they'd want to stay as close as possible.

(Come to think of it, had they even let go of each other once since the war ended?

…He wasn't sure that they had.)

As they made their way towards the meeting room the young captain kept 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over all the things that he thought were interesting, and eagerly pointing and asking questions. The logia user just answered and explained with a smile on his face, seeming to have no problem keeping up with the other's energy and enthusiasm. Many of the crew stopped their activities momentarily to watch the small group pass, a few calling out greetings, but all seemed especially interested in their 'honored guest' currently being piggybacked by their second commander.

Marco idly noticed all of this but was busy reflecting on the change that he'd seen in their resident pyromaniac. He was so used to seeing the young man as their little brother (who loved playing pranks and causing as much trouble as he could) that it almost gave him whiplash to see the same Ace suddenly become this mature, caring older brother, and even a few minutes ago a soft and affectionate boyfriend. The dynamic between the two was unique, seamlessly slipping between friends, brothers, lovers, and even parents.

He hadn't gotten to know Straw Hat personally yet but based on the few times he'd seen the boy in action he could already guess that the boy was able to play many different roles at any given time. As he came to a halt in front of the closed meeting room door, he couldn't help the small smile that bloomed on his face. Something told him that this would be a very interesting meeting.

---

"Brat."

"Old man."

The suspenseful atmosphere in the room only increased as the two captains continued to stare each other down. Even Marco had to admit to himself that he couldn't ignore the tension that crackled through the air at that second. He'd been right earlier; this meeting was already more entertaining than most plays he'd seen before and it hadn't even officially started yet.

Let it be said once again; Straw Hat knew how to make one hell of an entrance.

True to form, the rookie pirate had entered the room, did a quick sweep of his surroundings, and then proceeded to completely ignore the open chair they'd brought for him at one end of the table (a seat that traditionally marked an occupant as one of higher standing) in favor of plopping himself down in their resident pyromaniac's lap. That itself shouldn't have been all that surprising, of course he'd rather stay by his brother/boyfriend, but the way he held himself with such easy confidence and composure you'd think he was sitting on the highest throne made out of gold and jewels.

What a power move.

(They couldn't even tease their youngest brother for being used as a glorified cushion because the cheeky bastard had just moved the straw hat out of the way and rested his chin on the top of the small captain's head before giving them the smuggest look they'd ever seen. They could hardly believe it, but sure enough, Ace was showing off, yes, downright flaunting the male sitting in his lap. His body language screamed satisfaction.)

And now they were here, slowly suffocating under the weight of the two powerhouse's stares as they sized each other up. Marco glanced at his Pops again and could tell that the aged captain was once again impressed with what he was seeing. He had to hand it to the rookie, even with the difference in strength and the home-field advantage against him, Straw Hat still managed to command respect.

It was Whitebeard who broke the heavy silence. "So, you're the little brother we've heard all about."

The rival captain continued to meet the emperor's gaze. "And you're Ace's father." The boy's eyes flickered for a second as he looked over Pops one more time before he broke into a wide grin. "I wanted to say it before, but we were busy. Thanks for giving Ace a family!"

Pops laughed, and the tension vanished. "No need for that, it was my pleasure." The yonko returned the smile. "And thank you for saving my stubborn son."

"Shishishishi! Of course! I'd never let Ace get killed."

Their younger brother groaned in embarrassment and buried his face into the smaller raven's hair. "End me now."

"Now, now Ace." Haruta grinned mischievously. "Didn't you hear your boyfriend? You're not allowed to die!" A few snickers could be heard.

The logia just raised his arm and flipped off his fellow commander. "Fuck you."

The brunet gasped dramatically and placed a hand against their chest. "You kiss your little brother with that mouth?" Laughter rang out from all around the table.

The freckled man finally raised his head and looked at the first mate with a pleading expression. "Marcoooooo! I'm being bullied!" He rolled his eyes at the theatrics.

"Be glad that this isn't an intervention, yoi."

"An intervention?"

Jiru spoke up this time. "Well we were going to deal with that brother complex of yours, but it looks like we're a little late for that." He looked over the couple sitting together with interest. "How long have you two been together anyway?"

"A little over seven years."

"WHAT? And you never told us?!"

"It never came up!"

Izo's perfectly done-up eyes sparkled with intrigue. "Who made the first move?"

The young captain tilted his head questioningly, speaking up for the first time in a while. "What do you mean?"

Ace nodded in agreement with the other. "Yeah, are you talking about like, who confessed or…?"

The cross-dresser clapped his hands together gleefully. "Oh yes please! Who declared their feelings first?"

Luffy answered excitedly. "Ace did! He asked for my heart!" The man in question just flushed brightly and refused to elaborate. Izo cooed over that and a few of the other commanders chuckled.

Marco looked up at his captain and was pleased by the sight. Pops was smiling widely as he watched his sons have fun. It wasn't often that one of the commanders had a serious romantic relationship and they were thoroughly enjoying teasing their youngest brother.

The room quieted down when Pops motioned for their attention, but his gaze was focused on the other captain in the room. "You mentioned a son earlier?" There was a light chatter as the excitement rose once more, all of the commanders trying, and failing, to sneak glances towards the rookie's abdomen.

Ace perked up at the question, suddenly sitting up straight and almost shaking with anticipation. The younger raven leaned to the side so that he could look at the other and smiled at the giddy look on his face. "You wanna tell them?"

"Hell yeah!" Their youngest brother beamed at them, is eyes darting between all of their expecting stares. "I'm a dad!" Everyone erupted into cheers and congratulations, all thrilled to hear the news.

"We've got a nephew!"

"I've always wanted to be an uncle!"

"Holy shit, congrats Ace!"

"Do you know the due date?"

The celebration was put on hold once Izo asked that question, their full undivided attention back on the couple. This was just so exciting! Straw Hat was the one to answer this time. "September twenty-third!"

Everyone froze, their smiles still plastered across their faces as they did some quick math and realization began to set in. Marco was the first to speak. "That was two weeks ago, yoi."

"Yep!" The rubber man chirped, not seeing the problem. "Jack just turned three!"

Every single Whitebeard pirate blanched at once. Well… except for one of them. "Yeah, his name is Jack! Monkey D. Portgas Jack and he's seriously the best kid ever! Oh you guys are going to love him! His first word was 'pirate' you know? I would've loved to have been there to see the look on shitty Gramps' face! He also likes birds and spicey food and-" he continued to rant for several minutes, telling them every detail that he knew. When Marco finally shook off his shock, he scanned the room to gauge his fellow commanders' reactions and was pleased with what he saw. It appeared that Ace's enthusiasm had calmed down the initial panic from the earlier bombshell as they were now listening intensively to every word the newly realized father said. Glancing at his Pops revealed that the captain was watching just as eagerly, proud of his son.

Satisfied, the first mate fixed his eyes back on the couple sitting next to him and felt unbridled joy fill him. His little brother was a man, a father now and he could hardly believe it. A warm smile graced his lips as he noticed that the young captain was staring at his lover with undisguised adoration, just content to watch him talk about their son with such pride in his voice.

"WAIT!" The moment was violently shattered. All eyes turned towards Haruta who looked terrified. "The marines know that you have a son now! He can't stay hidden for very much longer! What are we going to do?" Luckily for the Whitebeard pirates, they didn't even have time to start freaking out.

"Don't worry about that, we made a plan." Ace and Luffy shared a look, both grinning widely. Their fellow commander turned back to them with a mischievous smirk.

"How do you guys feel about babysitting?"

Chapter Text

This was it. Today was the day that they had all been looking forward to for the past month. Every single one of the long planning sessions and a numerous day of preparation had all lead up to this one particular moment. At long last, sometime within the next couple of hours, they would finally be meeting the one and only Monkey D. Portgas Jack who was currently aboard the ship of the Red-Haired Pirates which was swiftly making its way through the New World. With every passing second, they knew that the child they had eagerly been awaiting was growing closer and closer to the place they were currently anchored. Everyone aboard the Moby Dick was practically buzzing with excitement!

Well, everyone except the second division commander who seemed determined to carve a hole into the deck with his anxious pacing.

"Feeling nervous?" The low rumbling voice knocked Ace out of his own internal conflict and thankfully got him to stop his relentless back and forth across the wooden floor. The second division commander followed the source of the question back to his own captain/father who had been watching him with a mix of both amusement and concern.

"I- yeah." The logia user forced himself to take a deep breath before he spoke, hoping to calm the whirlwind of thoughts that were currently swarming his mind. "Maybe just a little bit."

Pops nodded at him in understanding, though the small gleam in his eye gave away the fact that the man had found his behavior to be somewhat entertaining. "I would imagine so, what with the way you were wearing down the soles of your boots for the past hour and a half." The old captain let out a small chuckle at his own words before he sobered up and continued in a more serious tone. "What is troubling you, my son?"

"Well, I- what if… I just-" Ace could feel the tension within him start to rise again now that he had stopped pacing. Desperate for something to himself from the jittery feeling coursing through him he took off his hat and begin to fiddle with it in his hands. "Jack's coming here. Today. Like, holy shit, my son is going to be here soon and I- I know he sounded excited on the den den call but, well, we've never met in person before. What if he- what if I… what if I mess it up somehow?" His grip on the felt brim tightened until his knuckles turned white. "What if he ends up hating me?"

"Nonsense. That boy already adores you, even with your limited interaction thus far. Whatever could possibly make young Jack hate you?"

"There's plenty of reasons! For one thing, I was never there for him. Hell, I had no idea that he even existed until a few months ago. Not once did I ever even imagine that it was possible for Lu and me to have a kid together!" He sighed as his shoulders slumped. "I never should have become a parent. Ever."

"Should have, shouldn't have. It doesn't matter now. The fact is that you have a child whether you are ready for one or not. The only thing you can do now is be the best dad you can be.

"But I have no idea what I'm doing! What if I'm terrible at it?"

Pops huffed out a laugh. "Raising a child isn't a set-in-stone process. No one is ever truly prepared to be a parent even if they had planned to have a child in the first place. Sure, you're not going to be perfect, but no father is. What's important is that you're trying."

The freckled man ran a hand through his hair, the tension easing out of him as his fingers tugged through the ink-colored strands. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He looked up at the man before him, a large smile gracing his face. "Thanks, Pops!"

A massive hand came down and pat him on the shoulder firmly. "Anytime, my son!"

"Hate to ruin the moment," a certain blond First Mate interrupted, "but we've got bigger things to worry about right now, yoi."

Ace turned his attention towards the other commander as he returned his hat to its rightful spot upon his head. "Like what?"

Scarcely a second after he asked the water off to the side of the Moby Dick had started to ripple and bubble with increasing activity before the Red Force surfaced with a great spray of seawater, drenching those standing nearest the railing. The men who had been in the splash zone began complaining loudly about their impromptu shower as the other ship drifted close enough for boarding.

The mythical zoan just gestured over his shoulder at the commotion behind him. "That."

Ace could feel the excitement stirring within him as the importance of this moment finally struck him with its full intensity. 'My son is on that ship.' His breath hitched at the thought. 'He's so close. I- I'm finally going to be seeing him for the first time.' The jittery energy kept building until the logia user was practically vibrating where he stood, something within him screaming at him to get over there as fast as he could. He looked to his father for permission to go and received a nod of encouragement and a supportive smile from the man. Ace barely allowed himself time to shoot back a grin of his own as thanks before he took off after Marco who was walking over to the side of the ship where some of their crewmates were extending the gangplank so the two ships could connect.

"Ah, Newgate! Fancy running into you." The red-haired pirate shot a cheeky grin towards the other captain. "I have some really good stuff from the East Blue that you'll love.

The older man raised an eyebrow but decided to play along with the conversation. "Is that so?"

"Yes. It's an original recipe in a unique package that's been aged about three years."

Pops let out a huff of laughter at the joke, a few of the crew also chuckling at the other emperor's quip. It seemed that there was no room for the usual posturing and shows of power. Truly, nothing could ruin the joyful and eager mood of this occasion.

"Permission to come aboard, Eddie?"

"Permission granted, brat."

It seemed that Ace wasn't the only one who couldn't wait because scarcely a second later Red-Haired Shanks had jumped across the gap and landed on the deck of the Moby Dick at which point he noticed a certain blond and his grin stretched a mile wide. "Marco! How's life going?"

The man in question just looked at him, his expression screaming that he wished he could be literally anywhere else in the world right now. "Busy. Lots of paperwork and planning, yoi." As stilted as the reply was it seemed to make the one-armed man only smirk.

"You know, if you joined my crew you wouldn't have to do any paperwork."

The mythical zoan's eye twitched. "I'd rather die."

Ace couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight before him. He had almost forgotten how much the red-haired yonko annoyed the other. It was obvious from the set of his shoulders that it was taking all the willpower that the first division commander had not to punt the infamous party pirate back over to his own ship.

The rival captain apparently took notice of his sudden laughing fit. "Ace! It's good to see you again. How have you been?" The older man beamed at him.

Stifling his laughter after a few seconds, he easily returned the grin. "I'm doing well, all things considered, how about you?"

"Never better!"

Whitebeard once again drew the other emperor's attention back to him. "Didn't run into too much trouble on your journey, I hope?"

For some odd reason, the other red-haired captain's smile dimmed, not quite becoming a frown but it was clear something was bothering him. "No actually. Our trip here was surprisingly uneventful for once."

Every pirate who heard that was taken aback. They were all Grand Line veterans, one of the most experienced crews in the world. They knew that a smooth journey was practically unheard of in these seas. "Truly? Even here in the New World?"

The other captain nods seriously. Ace thinks he hears him saying something about the odd cooperation of the currents and the lack of extreme weather, but he doesn't actually register any of it. Whatever it was that Shanks had said next was lost to Ace as he had noticed a figure that had just stepped out onto the deck of the Red Force. The man's attire was achingly familiar and tugged at something deep within his mind but he ignored it because that wasn't important right now. Not when he had just laid eyes on the child in the man's arms.

The world seemed to narrow until the only thing that he could see was Jack. He looked so similar to the photo that he'd seen back on Luffy's ship aside from a few small details that had changed as the child had grown over the year. Even having seen his son in photographs did not prepare him for seeing the living, three-dimensional boy in front of him. The animated toddler was peering at everything with awe, his eager gaze sweeping over his new surroundings as they darted every which way. It was indescribable how it felt to see the minute shifts in the small features, the boy's astonished expression morphing into determination as he focused his sights on the pirates gathered on the deck. Ace could only watch in wonder as those wide, dark eyes (so familiar that they sent a rush of affection coursing through him) jumped from person to person before they finally locked onto him.

Ace froze.

He could pinpoint the exact moment that Jack saw him. It was as if time had slowed down as he watched recognition and fascination bloom onto the boy's face. Onyx eyes widened, eyebrows curved as they climbed upwards, mouth falling open as his jaw went slack. A single second stretched into eternity as father and son laid eyes on each other for the first time. Both stayed frozen for what felt like eons, their stares unwavering. Then the boy gasped. He was too far away for his voice to reach him, but his lips moved and formed two very distinct syllables and Ace swore his heart stopped beating.

'Papa!'

Time sped back up.

Jack began to squirm around furiously within the oddly dressed man's hold, trying to get out. The man clearly understood the child's desire because he quickly stooped over and set him down. Scarcely a second after his feet had touched the ground, Jack took off running as fast as he could in that slightly awkward, bumbling gait that three-year-olds do. He knew that toddlers, well, toddle, but Ace couldn't help but worry. It looked like the child was going to topple over at any second as he raced across the deck. On top of that, he wouldn't be able to catch the boy should he fall. He couldn't move, he couldn't breathe, he couldn't even blink for fear that Jack might disappear if he did. Ace could do nothing but watch as the enthusiastic kid jumped up onto the gangplank and crossed the worryingly rickety boards.

That's when he heard it.

"Papa!"

Something clicked into place.

The logia user instantly fell to his knees. He could hear the chattering of voices from his crewmates as they discussed plans and other important things, but none of that mattered right now. He ignored the dull ache in his knee from where it had hit the hard wood below him. He could feel his cheeks straining from the massive grin on his face which probably made him look crazy, but he didn't care. His son was here! On the Moby Dick! And currently barreling towards him at top speed. He threw his arms open and then-

Impact.

Ace grunted as all the air was knocked out of his lungs by the overly excited child who had just eagerly slammed into him and accidentally, yet affectionately, head-butted him in the chest. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around the toddler who was trying his best to crush his ribcage with his overly tight embrace. The boy couldn't wrap his arms all the way around him yet but it was more than enough. The first thing Ace noticed was the small hands clutching at his back. How could a human being have such small hands? Were his hands also that tiny at one point? It seemed impossible, and yet-

Much to his dismay, the hold on him loosened as Jack pulled away from him a little bit, however that feeling was quickly and forcefully banished as he looked down at his son only to be met with a blinding smile.

"Hi!"

The greeting was said in a high, boyish chirp. The joy was clearly audible within the young one's voice and those big chocolate-colored eyes were sparkling with pure glee. The somewhat new father could feel the small body still wrapped in his arms trembling with barely contained excitement like the boy was going to burst at any second. It was then that he became aware that he was shaking as well.

His heart was racing and the grin he wore was threatening to split his cheeks. (He'd never admit it but he could even feel the moisture gathering in his own eyes.) "Hey there, Jack." His own voice sounded breathless as if he'd just climbed a mountain. "It's nice to finally meet you."

The toddler let out a joyful shout as he jumped up and threw his small arms around his neck, accidentally slamming the top of his head straight into the underside of his father's jaw. Ace had to fight the urge to hiss in pain as he felt flames tickle the roof of his mouth and lick at his lips. He noted a distinct absence where his tongue should be and briefly thanked whatever forces there may be for his powers which had caused his tongue to become fire the moment he bit it due to the unexpected blow. The sharp sting in his chin was quickly forgotten when he felt the small arms tighten impossibly harder around him as Jack snuggled into his chest.

"Papa is really warm!"

Normally hugs are warm but to Ace, they felt cool. They reminded him of how it felt to swim around a pond on a hot summer day back before he had eaten his devil fruit. The soothing caress was like a balm to his skin and left him feeling refreshed afterwards. He knew the opposite was true for those who hugged him as they quickly learned that his status as a fire logia meant that his internal body temperature was much, much higher than a regular human being which meant that he was basically a walking heater.

"That would be because of my devil fruit." The toddler gasped and quickly wiggled out of the hug so he could see. "I ate the Mera Mera no Mi which gave me fire powers."

Jack squealed and started bouncing in excitement. "Show me! Show me! Show me!"

"Alright, alright." He held out a hand to placate the energetic boy. "I will, just give me a minute."

It was at this point that Ace had noticed the man from earlier standing a little way off from them, anxiously shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he waited to be acknowledged. The raven-haired male had no idea what this strangely familiar man wanted but he couldn't recall having ever met the man before. But since he had been carrying Jack a few minutes prior, it was safe to assume that he could be trusted. Perhaps he was a newer member of Shanks' crew? At any rate, his obvious discomfort was making the situation a tad bit awkward. "Can I help you?"

The stranger jumped in surprise. "Ah, y-yes." He cleared his throat briefly. "I have a few things I need to discuss with you." The peculiarly dressed man glanced discretely at the pirates standing nearby. "Preferably somewhere private?"

Despite the questionable nature of that request, the second division commander still remembered the manners that he'd had drilled into his skull years ago. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we've never met before. Who are you?"

The man's features are shrouded in shadows from the achingly- painfully familiar top hat he was wearing, but it was still possible to make out the bittersweet smile upon his face. "Really now, you don't even recognize your own brother?"

Ace tensed. He could feel his anger growing and the fire within him was writhing underneath his skin, desperate to be let out so it could burn. What kind of sick joke was this? He was seconds away from incinerating the man that dared to play this awful trick when the other tilted his hat back, bringing his facial features into the light. Everything froze, even the furious blaze within him was extinguished as he stared into the pair of deep blue eyes that he would never forget. The last time he saw those eyes was ten years ago. He could feel his emotions twisting themselves into a chaotic web that he couldn't untangle as he took a good look at the man in front of him. The hat, the familiar outfit, those damn eyes. If his features were softer then- yes. Ace could easily picture those features de-aged by a decade on a ten-year-old blond whose face had forever been burned into his memory. It couldn't be…

"…Sabo?"

"Hey, Ace."

"…"

"…"

"…"

His not-so-dead brother smiled weakly.

"Surprise?"

Usually, any member of the Whitebeard Pirates would be itching to jump in and help their fellow brother with a good old-fashioned tumble but this time they knew to stay out of the full-on brawl happening in front of them. They didn't know what was happening but judging by the yelling between the two males whatever this was, it was personal. As such they went with the smartest option: sit back and watch as the two fighters raise Cain.

"WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!"

"I HAD AMNESIA! IT'S NOT MY FAULT!"

"YOU CAN'T JUST SHOW UP AND SAY 'SURPRISE!' YOU ASSHOLE!" A non-flaming punch was thrown towards the oddly dressed man wearing formal clothes.

The punch was quickly caught by a gloved hand. "OH REALLY?! YOU'RE ONE TO TALK ABOUT SURPRISES!" The accusation was followed by a sweeping kick which their second division commander managed to dodge while also pulling his fist free.

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" The logia user was now on the defensive as the pissed-off blonde began to attack with strategical precision.

"YOU GOT LUFFY PREGNANT, YOU BASTARD!"

One particularly vicious blow managed to catch Ace in the shoulder, which surprised everyone watching. The man hadn't used any haki in that punch so why was the logia user allowing himself to remain tangible? And for that matter, why wasn't the second division commander attacking with his devil fruit powers? The two were just whaling on each other with reckless abandon. "IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"

"IS THAT SUPPOSED TO JUSTIFY ANYTHING?! ABSOLVE YOU FROM YOUR GUILT?"

"LIKE YOUR AMNESIA EXCUSE IS ANY BETTER!"

"IT IS A VALID EXCUSE; NOT LIKE YOUR ACTIONS!"

"YOU CAN'T SAY SHIT! YOU DISAPPEARED FOR TEN YEARS!"

The blond dodged a potentially devastating right hook but failed to stop the elbow to his jaw on the pullback. "THAT WASN'T MY FAULT!" He sprung backwards to create some distance between them. "I HAD NO IDEA ANY OF THIS WOULD HAPPEN WHEN I SET OUT!"

"YOU WERE ALWAYS THE RESPONSIBLE ONE! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WERE EXPECTING!"

"I COULDN'T HAVE POSSIBLY PREDICTED AN UNDERAGE PREGNANCY!"

"Say, Anchor wouldn't happen to be here at the moment, would he?" The question was enough to pull everyone's attention away from the two brothers still beating the hell out of one another. Whitebeard and the commanders surrounding him turned their attention back to Shanks, some shooting a final glance or two at the- er, family reunion happening on the lower deck before returning their focus to the expectant pirate.

"Anchor?" Whitebeard furrowed his brow in thought before realization seemed to strike him. "Ah, you're talking about Luffy, right?"

"Yep." The visiting yonko was eagerly looking around the deck as if he could catch a glimpse of the young man in question. Upon finding neither hide nor hair of the rookie captain he abandoned his search. "Where is he right now?"

This time "Straw Hat is currently off training with Rayleigh at the moment, yoi."

"Damn," he snapped his fingers in disappointment, frowning. "I was sorta hoping I might run into him."

"He specifically made sure he wouldn't be here today." The aged captain chuckled at the dejected expression the younger emperor was making. "Something about a promise between you two?"

The red-haired man's shoulders fell in despondence "You'd think we could make an exception for this event." He sighed and remained silent for a few seconds before perking up. "In any case, we really should be heading off. Wouldn't want the marines to catch wind of this particular meeting now, would we?"

"Are you sure?" Whitebeard's eyes twinkled in amusement and a hint of mischief. "You're not the type to leave a party early."

That certainly caught the other yonko's interest. "A party you say?"

"But of course," the giant man rumbled. "To celebrate the arrival of my grandson!"

Shanks grinned. "Mayyyyybe I can stay for a drink or two." Before any more plans could be made, however, they were interrupted by two earth-shaking roars.

"BITCH!"

"JERK!"

Two harsh cracking sounds rang out followed by twin thuds. All eyes were drawn to the area where the brothers had been duking it out only to be greeted with the sight of both males laying sprawled across the deck completely unconscious. There was a matching pair of welts on their temples that were sure to become nasty bruises within the next hour or two. There was only silence as everyone absorbed what had just happened. 'Did… did they really just knock each other out… at the exact same time?' Many could hardly believe what they were seeing.

Those who had witnessed the end of the fight would later say, "Yes, it was a textbook perfect Double Knockout!" Such a rare feat of equal strength and skill was usually the stuff of legends and this particular battle would be talked about for years as it was frequently brought up during the age-old debate of which of the ASL trio was the strongest. (To the elder two's shock and mortification, within a few years the decisive winner of this competition would be their so-called baby brother, however that is a story for another time.) As it was, there was one person who did not understand the true significance of this historical moment.

Jack looked back and forth between his unconscious uncle and father and came to a perfectly reasonable conclusion.

"Naptime!"

Without further ado, he ambled over to where the raven-haired man was lying and flopped onto the older male's chest. Seconds later, soft snores filled the air.

It had been very awkward at first, though that was to be expected considering they had just woken up in a room alone together after literally knocking each other's lights out. Then, of course, they had to have that emotional talk where they explained their situations which neither of them had been particularly thrilled about. Finally- finally, after an entire ocean's worth of feelings and sappy crap, (and if they happened to shed a few tears during that talk, well that was just their little secret), they had made up. With the air successfully cleared between them, they found themselves slipping into familiar banter as they caught up with each other after all the years they'd been apart.

"Bullshit!"

"Nope," Sabo smirked, looking more than a little smug. "I'm telling you, Ace, I've got you beat by two centimeters."

Ace scoffed as he shook his head. "I refuse to accept it. There's no way you're taller than me."

"Whatever you say, little brother."

"Who you calling little?! You're younger than me!"

The revolutionary blinked. "Wait, seriously?"

He received a sly smile from the freckled male. "Yep, your birthday is the twentieth of March which means I'm the oldest."

Sabo whistled. "Well damn. How did you find out?"

"Well, after you die- disappeared," they both firmly ignored that little slip-up, "we broke into your old house and stole all of your stuff. We found some of your medical records in the bottom of one of the boxes that were in your closet."

"You brok- wait." The blond's jaw dropped. "You broke into the mansion and stole the stuff from my room?!" He stared at the other incredulously.

"We even grabbed the curtains." He sounded way too proud of that little achievement.

Hysterical laughter shook the ex-noble. "I would have paid to have seen that."

"Yeah, it was great." The nostalgic smile slipped away as he sobered up. "But Sabo, I have to ask, do you only buy things in the color blue?"

"Uh, most of it, yes. It's my favorite color if that wasn't obvious." He gestured vaguely to his entire outfit.

Ace just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we figured that was the case since your entire wardrobe only consisted of different shades of blue." He shook his head fondly as he gazed a little above the taller male's eye line. (Internally Sabo was grateful that his brother had barely even given his facial scar more than an initial glance.) "I see that you still have your hat by the way."

"And I see that you finally got your own hat, even if it is…"

"Awesome?"

"…I was going to say unique but sure, let's go with that." He sweat-dropped. "Normally that thing would be an eyesore, but it suits you and goes surprisingly well with your overall look." He gave the other a quick once-over before meeting his eyes again. "I am curious though, what the hell do you have against shirts?"

Ace hiked his thumb over his shoulder in a vague motion towards his back. "They cover my tattoos."

Sabo nodded in understanding. "So, you're the second division commander of the Whitebeards now. I would have never seen that coming." The nostalgic feeling grew. "I guess a lot of things can change in ten years. I mean just look at us!" He gestured to the other. "You're an officer on a yonko's crew instead of a captain of your own ship," he then pointed to himself. "I'm the second in command in the Revolutionary Army, not a navigator writing a book about our adventures. And then there's Luffy-" He paused for a second as he flipped through his memory of recent events. "Actually, he's still aiming for Pirate King so at least his career goal seems to be consistent." At this, he chuckles. "Of course, the two of you fell in love and started a family together which I can safely say no one saw that one coming." When he looked back at him Ace did not like the glint in his eyes. "Though I don't think anyone could have predicted you and Loof taking a break in the middle of a war to play tonsil hockey on the execution platform either."

The logia user winced. "You saw that?"

"Who didn't?" The blond laughed at the horrified expression on his brother's face. "You had the whole world freaking out. I fell into a three-day coma after regaining my memories when I saw the picture of you two's little moment on the front page of the news."

"Ah." The raven groaned. "Yeah, that would do it."

Finally, the snickers stopped completely. "It was a bit of a nasty shock, I'll admit." He gave a lopsided smile as he recalled the event. "I certainly scared the hell out of my partner when I woke up yelling about my brothers and their crushes on each other."

"Partner?" Ace leaned forward eagerly. "Does my little brother have a partner now?"

Sabo punched him in the arm. "Shut up!" The blond scowled at him. "She's part of my squad in the Revolutionary Army. It's not like that." He turned away but not quickly enough apparently.

"That blush says otherwise."

"I'm not blushing!"

"You totally are!" There was some snickering. "Sorry 'Bo, but you're too pale to hide it!"

His conversation partner shot a glare at him, still glowing like a Christmas tree. "Well at least I don't turn into a watermelon when I'm embarrassed!"

That gave the logia user pause. "A watermelon?" Ace furrowed his brows in confusion.

It was Sabo's turn to smirk. "Yeah, you've even got the seeds." He tapped his own cheek. "See?"

Ace began fuming. "Wha- they're not-" he sputtered.

"Or I guess seeds isn't the correct term." The blond adopted a fake thinking pose, putting a finger to his chin. "What was it that Luffy used to call them? Spots, sparkles, sprouts? No." He mockingly hit his open hand with his fist as if he'd just had an epiphany. "Oh that's right! He called them stars."

"Piss off."

"I bet he still calls them that, doesn't he?" The revolutionary adopted a shit-eating grin on his face. "And you secretly adore it when he does, don't you?"

The logia's cheeks were burning. "Fuck you," he hissed.

Cackling was the only response from the younger, not at all riled up by the last-ditch insult. For several minutes, the scarred man sat there laughing his ass off while the other glared at him with fire in his eyes. If looks could kill- well, Sabo wouldn't be dead, Ace had just gotten him back after all, but he'd definitely be injured. After a little while the giggling tapered off and the raven just huffed, still colored a lovely shade of red. The two sat together in comfortable silence for a minute or two.

Finally, Ace spoke up. "So, the Revolutionary Army, huh?"

A self-satisfied smirk answered him. "Yeah, actively working to bring down the world government and striking fear into the nobles themselves? It's a dream come true."

The ex-captain snickered. "That's actually the perfect job for you."

Sabo grinned, "I'd certainly say so considering that they made me the Chief of Staff."

There was an impressed whistle from the commander. "Really? Damn, Sabo. Nice job! I wouldn't have expected any less considering that our family is filled with monsters."

The blond nodded sagely. "Indeed, it is. And to think, it is only going to get worse when Shanks reveals that Luffy is his and Dragon's son." His amusement grew as he watched his brother's features freeze before he ever so slowly raised his head to look at him in disbelief.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, he figured that since Luffy is practically his son anyways that he might as well… reveal the truth now that the jig is up anyways." He shrugged. "Within a month or two, the world will soon discover that Red-Haired Shanks and the Revolutionary Dragon had a secret affair about eighteen years ago that resulted in the conception of a child."

Ace stared at him. "…You're shitting me."

A wicked smile crept onto his face. "No, we're shitting the World Government."

The dark-haired brother's eyes widened in realization before his lips split into a mischievous grin. "Oh, this is going to be hilarious."

Any and all conversation happening on the deck around them stopped the moment that the young boy started to stir from where he'd been napping on Marco's shoulder. It had been less than an hour since the boy's impromptu nap had begun and somehow Marco had found himself with the responsibility of holding the sleeping child up until now. (He suspected that he was given this particular duty to keep him from punching the red-haired captain off of the ship.) The moment that he'd felt the kid start to fidget he'd redirected his focus to the toddler.

Marco couldn't help but think that Jack looked remarkably like both of his parents, though he supposes that he shouldn't be surprised considering that the two looked similar after all. All three had the same messy jet-black hair, the same tan complexion, and even the startlingly identical signature toothy grin that all the men within their family seemed to possess.

It seemed that genetics had played a rather fascinating game of roll-the-dice with the boy as there were several very clear instances of his parents' influence shining through in the child's features. Marco was more than familiar with the wavy hair texture and freckles that the kid had inherited from Ace but those wide, dark eyes that had just fluttered open and were staring at him in curiosity? Those were definitely Straw Hat's.

"Your hair is weird."

The child's observation broke Marco out of his own inner thoughts. It took a second for the words to register but once they did the first division commander found himself stuck between annoyance and amusement. Ultimately the latter feeling won as he felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips. "Really now?"

"Uh-huh!" The toddler nodded eagerly. "Looks like a pineapple!" The barely-there smile was wiped off his face in a flash and the mythical zoan user had to fight the urge to scowl. He'd never been more glad for Straw Hat's absence than he was in that moment. The young captain would have been beyond enthusiastic to know that his son clearly had the same thought about his own unique hairstyle.

(He'd also have to thank the other blond for knocking Ace out earlier. Oda knows that his fellow commander would never let him live down this moment once he finished laughing his ass off.)

He mentally shook off his annoyance at the comment and ignored the other commanders' laughter coming from all around him. This was just a child after all, it's not like he meant to be rude. However, before he could even respond the kid continued. "Pineapples are cool. Auntie Makino likes them."

Marco felt himself relax. (Yes, relax. He absolutely did not melt at the odd-compliment, thank-you-very-much.) "That's nice, yoi."

"What does that mean?"

"Huh?"

"Yoi."

The First Mate could only blink. No one else ever mentioned it, and it's not like he was the only one with such a tendency to add on a random word to his sentences. It was just a thing that was accepted without question. How does one even go about explaining a verbal tic to a toddler? Luckily for Marco, he was saved by the sound of voices coming up the stairs.

"He's sending Dragon a bunch of bouquets?" If that statement alone wasn't weird enough, Ace's voice sounded beyond incredulous as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

His conversation partner sounded equal parts amused and exasperated. "Yeah, that's the first step in his plan apparently."

Their youngest brother came into view while shaking his head in disappointment. "I'm just saying, delivering someone's worst enemy wrapped in chains to their feet is a better gift than flowers."

"Not very romantic though."

"Speak for yourself," Ace smirked.

"Oh?" The blond gave him a teasing grin. "Well it's nice to know what you're getting Luffy for you two's anniversary."

"Shuddu-"

"Papa! Uncle Sabo!"

The two brothers' heads snapped in their direction so quickly that it was a miracle neither got whiplash. Identical smiles split their faces when they laid eyes on the excited child that was now wiggling restlessly in Marco's arms. Within a second Ace had crossed the deck and taken Jack into his arms. "Hey buddy, how are you feeling?"

"Good!"

"That's great!" Their second division commander smiled back at his son before turning back to the First Mate. "Thanks for watching him, Marco."

"No problem, y-" He cut himself off abruptly, forcing himself to not add on the final word. The mythical zoan could see his fellow commander shooting him a curious look but he firmly ignored it. No way was he getting dragged into an endless loop of "why" that he had just barely escaped a few seconds ago.

The logia user continued staring at him for a few seconds before he lightly shrugged. "Whatever. Did I miss anything?"

It was Izo who answered this time. "Not at all. We were waiting for you to start." The Wano native walked over to them stopping in front of the blond brother. He gave the man a once over before nodding in approval. "It has been horrible not having anyone else around with a proper fashion sense."

"Tell me about it." Marco caught the other blond shooting a particularly judging glance at his darker-haired brother.

Izo's smile widened in delight. "Oh, I think we will get along splendidly."

"You're pretty."

The three adults blinked and as one they turned to the toddler who was unabashedly staring at Izo. The sixteenth division commander blushed faintly and fanned his face. "Why thank you! Such a little gentleman you have there, Ace."

"Izoooo! Stop hogging them!" Haruta whined from where they were sitting on a crate. "We all wanna meet the guests of honor!" They smiled at the toddler who giggled before turning back to his dad.

"Papa, who are they?"

"Right!" Ace shifted his son to rest on his hip, freeing up one of his arms. "Jack, these are your uncles." The child gasped in amazement as he turned to look at them with wide eyes. The older raven grinned and pointed to each of the commanders as he introduced them one by one. "And this is Pops. He's my father which makes him your grandpa."

Their nephew waved excitedly at them and everyone was rendered speechless by the most charming smile they had ever seen. "My name is Jack! *Yoroshiku onegaishimasu!" The boy looked to his uncle, Sabo who was standing beside him for confirmation. "Did I say it right?"

Marco couldn't help the smile that blossomed across his lips as he heard the other commanders cooing over how sweet Jack was while Pops laughed in delight.

This kid hadn't even been on the ship for a full day yet and he already had them wrapped around his little finger. These next two years were sure to be interesting.