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Luffy felt sick to his stomach when he woke up, not knowing what the hell was even going on. He knew that they had made it to Laugh Tale, had managed to find the One Piece and call himself King of the Pirates.
Sabo had been there too and he remembered wishing that Ace could be there to see it too. Until it all went to shit as Sakazuki and Imu launched an attack as soon as they were on the way back to their allies. Shanks had let them know his brother called, and the concept that Shanks had an older twin was still strange to him, but Shamrock had let them know Imu, the God Knights and Sakazuki wouldn’t let him get far from the final island. Too scared of what the change would do to their dogma.
“We all make sure we get out of this alive”, he had said, “Captain’s Orders.” His crew had cheered and made that promise without even thinking twice. Luffy had been sure that would be the end of it, they were the majority between every crew that had beef with either the World Government or Sakazuki. SWORD, the Rouge Marines, had allied with Luffy as well. Not that surprising seeing as Coby and Uncle Bogard were leading there.
His dad, like Sabo, stood behind him fully and had sent out any person he could spare for the Revolutionary Army. While he and some others would be infiltrating Marigeose now that it was unguarded to wreck Holy Hell on the place. Shamrock would still be there too, so he’d be extracted then as well. To make sure that everyone of their Allies could live on the surface in this New Era.
He could still smell the lava Sakazuki threw around, even at his own men. How the bastard wasn’t afraid to use his devil fruit to burn whoever opposed him no matter what side they were on. His Ultimate Justice was going to his head and in a way Luffy knew that at the end of it he wouldn’t stop until every blemish was gone.
To make sure he could keep an eye out, he had his observation haki spread out, spread out so he could send others to give support to whoever needed it.
What he didn’t expect was for Imu to use the Mother Flame to burn their ships. To make sure that no one would be making it out of there alive, that no matter who was on there; be they Pirate, Revolutionary or Marine, no one would be coming out of there so he alone could create a new world.
Luffy remembered jumping or falling in the water. Nika at the forefront as his gear 5 had been active. His crew had been in the water with him, most of whom had been hanging off of some of those non-devil fruit users. Beck had been holding onto Luffy as Shanks needed his one arm to keep afloat.
Sunny was sinking, as was the Red Force and the Big Top. All the ships that had been gathered there were sinking and those with Klabauterman were calling out how sorry they were that they couldn’t do more for their crews. It felt like losing Merry all over again. Just as painful, just as hard, and still this wasn’t the worst of it as the sky was rumbling above them. The Mother Flame recharging once more and this time they couldn’t just jump in the water to evade it.
“Captain”, Zoro had called out, a sad look in his eyes that was shared with everyone else he could see.
Haki around him made it clear that not everyone had evaded the attack. Some voices forever silenced and he could feel tears running down his cheeks at the implications of it. His crew was here, all of his Nakama were here, but it hadn’t been enough. He hadn’t been enough and for once in his life Luffy felt regret enough that the Ocean answered.
I cannot save you here, Little Sun. But I can give you a chance to right it all.
Licking his lips, Luffy had looked at each and everyone of his Nakama, before deciding that he wouldn’t let this be the end. He told them as much, knew that despite being in the water his hair was turning white. He could feel the power surging, the way that everything seemed to make sense on what he could do. The Ocean was helping and seeing as everyone he wanted to bring with him was in the ocean (even his father and Shamrock where they had jumped in close to the Red Line) he could forge a connection there. He could Imagine what he wanted, could see it happening and with the Ocean’s help he was able to do the impossible and turn it all back.
So, now that he had opened his eyes, he felt sick. Looking at his hands, it was clear that he was back to being a child. The sounds around him put him at Dawn Island. Shaking his head, he opened his eyes and had to bite his lip to keep from tearing up.
Ace was looking down on him, a child, about 10 years old. Looking shocked and angry and relieved all at once. Around them was fire, the Terminal Fire no doubt. Which meant that they needed to act now before they were in danger of burning alive.
“Luffy”, his older brother started. But Luffy just shook his head, “We need to get out of here, before Bluejam shows his face again, he doesn’t plan on letting us leave here alive.”
If Ace doubted him his older brother didn’t show it. Luffy was trying to think about what happened last time, how Bluejam and his ilk had been so desperate that they had wanted to kill two kids because they would be dying in those flames anyway. Regardless of what they did, no Noble in Goa would ever accept them being a part of the Upper Class.
Standing, slowly, Luffy moved around and had the door to the shack they were in open in a second. While he was a whole lot younger, his haki was strong enough to flicker for the second he needed it. He’d need to train again, but he would, this time it would go differently, he would make sure it would all go differently. For now that meant leaving the Grey Terminal and making their way either to Dadan or to his dad.
Ace followed him out, not even commenting on the way Luffy’s hands flickered black so he could open the door that was hot with the flames around them. He just followed after him as Luffy turned towards the sea and not the forest. “Hey Lu, wait, we need to get to Dadan!”
Glancing back, he shook his head, “My dad is here, he came to get as many people out as possible. He’ll have Sabo with him, or I hope he does, as…” He doesn’t know how to mention it, as the last time they had let this play out Sabo had set out on the same day as the Celestial Dragon arrived and shot down.
Going by his theory that everyone who had been in the water with him had been transported back in time, that meant that Sabo would be smart enough not to set out but make his way to the Wind Granma.
A firm grip of his wrist had him looking back at Ace, his big brother who looked like he didn’t know what to believe, “Luffy… Sabo died.”
Blinking once, before doing so a second time, Luffy’s eyes grew big. The reason Ace didn’t mention anything, seeing as he had been a part of a New World Crew and as such knew what Haki had been. He knew something had happened, but going by his memories up until Marineford he wouldn’t have known…
Sighing, Luffy just dropped the bomb, “Sabo never died… After… After Marineford he remembered seeing your dead announced in the Newscoo. He never quite forgave himself for that. I… Shit happened close to Laugh Tale and I took a gamble I didn’t think I’d ever could take and here we are.”
Ace didn’t look all that convinced, but he followed along. The look in his eyes made it very clear that Luffy, and Sabo, would be giving him the whole of the story once they were able to sit down over it. Nodding, Luffy moved his hand so he was gripping Ace’s on his own, running between the flames and using little bursts of Conqueror's haki to dampen them so they didn’t get burned.
“You’ve gotten strong, Luffy.”
The repeat of the words Ace had told him at Marineford had him smiling, until they came to the shore and could see the Granma docked there. Dragon was overseeing it all, and at his side Sabo was standing. His blond brother noticed them instantly, his eyes widening before he was jumping off of the side of the ship he was on to run towards them. Tears streamed over his cheeks as he hugged them both close.
It felt normal, in a way that Luffy had felt off kilter since Ace had been killed. But to have them both here once more it helped in a way he didn’t think it had ever before.
Once they hugged and pulled back slowly, Luffy revealed that Ace also remembered up to a certain point. Their older brother looked lost, in a way that neither of them had seen on him often. Which is when Sabo took the time to explain everything.
Meanwhile, Luffy set out to talk to his dad. Dragon had kept his eyes on him since Sabo jumped off of the Granma. Smiling softly and opening his arms as soon as Luffy threw out his arms to pull himself up. Not even caring for the screams that got him from people who didn’t know what a devil fruit was, or didn’t expect a child to have it.
Giggling as Dragon caught him, looking on as he rolled his eyes at the way Luffy went about as if this was an everyday occurance. “Hi Dad”, he offered, which shocked a whole lot of other people. Even Iva-chan didn’t know what to do about that.
Dragon shook his head, “You never change, do you.”
Shaking his head, Luffy gave a bright smile, “Not really, although I did change a lot this time around.”
Nodding at that, Dragon sighed, “I’ve been receiving calls left and right from people asking what the hell you did. Haven’t been able to explain, hope you’re able to, but with Sabo arriving I knew you had something to do with all of this.”
His smile got even bigger, before he looked back at his brothers and the way Ace was gaping and his eyes wide, “Ace remembers too and I don’t know how I did that. But everyone else… They should remember because the Ocean didn’t agree with how things were going and She helped me give us a second chance.”
Humming, Dragon felt relieved to know this was something Luffy had done consciously. He was still in awe at what his son could do, even after seeing his Devil Fruit and hearing from more than one person that the thing that Monkey D. Luffy was known for were the miracles he seemed to pull out of thin air. Maybe this time around he could stick around closer, as Revolution followed Luffy anyway, so that made it easier for them to establish a name for themselves being the Revolutionary Army.
Glancing back as Sabo and Ace came on board again, the older of the two still looked as nauseous as Luffy had felt when he first settled back here. Eyes wide before he came closer and opened his eyes for another hug. Whiggling for his father to set him down, Luffy did exactly dad. Not commenting on the way Ace held him close, shaking, as tears fell. No doubt having gotten the whole truth from Sabo and not knowing how to deal with Luddy dying in Wano, the sacrifices he made to get Ace out at Marineford or the things that happened to lead them to being here once more.
“This is a second chance, and I for one plan on making sure we’ll use it as intended”, Luffy declared. Feeling the Ocean and the Winds around him act on his declaration. Making him smile widely, as he would see it through this time around. The first change had been made, and more would follow, but for now this was a good start.
Sabo smiled where he came closer, tugging both his brothers into his sides before asking, “Now what?”