Four of a Kind

A/N: As promised, a time skip. The poll closed in December, and as it follows, we'll be going with a mostly canon-influenced scheme. Once I finish with the Whitebeard Pirates Saga, there will be several time gaps where the chapters will consist of scenes most heavily influenced by LASL childhood experiences. Luffy will more or less gather the crew the same way, but I'll summarize some of the more pertinent differences as needed. I want my story to focus more on the relationships between the brothers, and that can't really happen until Sabaody. But, we have time until then, so on with the story!

Thanks to all viewers, followers, voters, and reviewers for your lovely encouragements.

One more thing; do I hail from Japan? Do I write manga? Or am I a dead man who died smiling at the end of his life? Nope. So, I don't own One Piece.

"Dialogue"

Thoughts

Attacks

*Sounds*

/ Flashbacks /

- Significant Temporal/Spatial Changes -

Narration, messages, etc.

- Two Years Later -

- The Moby Dick -

"Hey Pops! I got this morning's edition!" greeted the first commander as he approached his captain sitting in the galley. Whitebeard nodded his head and thanked his son for bringing him the paper.

"Hmm…" grumbled the large pirate. "As usual, there are more reckless young pirates in Paradise stirring up trouble."

"The marines seem fixated on this one group in particular," commented Marco. The phoenix Zoan leaned on one elbow casually in a simple wooden chair set to his father's right.

"Is that so? Anyone we know?"

"Only as much as anyone seems to know. A real mystery, whoever they are. Call themselves the Wild Cards Pirates. Their captain is a devil fruit user, the Mera Mera no Mi probably. Dubbed "Fire-Fist" Ace of Spades, but for some reason, no one can get any information on whether he really is named Ace, his crewmates names other than Diamonds, Hearts, and Clubs, or even what this guy or his crew look like beyond really crude drawings. Marine photographers find their cameras broken or missing parts before they can snap a picture, plus the guy attacks from afar or too viciously for anyone to get a clear idea of who's attacking them. They might have another devil fruit user judging by how well they managed to keep their identities hidden despite the amount of infamy they've generated in such little time."

"Oh? How long have they've been sailing?"

"The guys in the communications and intelligence division approximate they arrived in Paradise maybe a year or so ago. But no one knew about them until they made a stop in East Blue not too long ago. After that, they been knocking off some of the bigger fish and pissing off the marines."

"Amazing for some rookie brats to make the marines nervous in so little time. This Fire-Fist has a decent bounty for a newcomer, too. 90 million berries already. Say, anyone know where he comes from?" asked Vista as he set his mug of coffee down.

"Nope," simply relied Marco, lazy stare subtly relaying interest piqued by a good mystery.

"Any idea where these kids are?"

"Last reported, their ship the Sleight of Hand was set on a course toward Pucci."

Rakuyo frowned. "Wait, didn't some of our brothers decided to vacation there for a few weeks?"

"…Damned," cursed the usually stoic first commander.

Whitebeard chest rumbled with laughter at the expression on his eldest son's face. "Is it really that bad?"

"Rumors run a hundred different directions but all of them agree Fire-Fist is easily provoked. Putting a short-tempered fire user, Thatch, and Haruta on the same island?"

"Well, didn't Izo come along as well?"

"…" The commanders questioned who thought it was a good idea to let the resident two pranksters and their short tempered and shorter trigger-finger cross-dresser loose at the same time without supervision.

"Perhaps we should join them. It would a treat for the crew. It has been a while since we visited the Gourmet City," conceded Captain Whitebeard, mirth still sparkling in his eyes, much to Marco's great constraint.

- Pucci –

*Drip, drip*

"If you drool anymore Luffy, you're liable to drown in your own spittle river," remarked Sabo dryly. Luffy whined but obediently wiped his face.

The twelve-year-old had grown well these two years. His face was thinner, traces of baby fat all but gone as he approached adolescence. The long blue coat, white frilled cravat, and worn black top hat mimicked the appearance of a noble save for the blue goggles fastened along the rim. The younger boy was painfully thin in comparison, all legs and arms in a red T-shirt and blue shorts. Both boys also wore dark cloaks over their clothes, hoods obscuring their faces to anyone not directly next to them.

"Sabo-ya's right, Lu," chuckled the raven-haired sixteen-year-old, a long black nodachi slung against his shoulder and a white furred and speckled hat crowning his head. "We'll be staying here to restock for a few days before we continue on. I rather not have to deal with a life-or-death situation within six hours of landing. That's more of Fire-Fist-ya's style."

"What was that, you polka-dot bastard?!" snarled said reckless pirate. The other twelve-year-old wore a bright orange cowboy hat with two smiley faces decorating it in the same manner as Sabo's goggles or Luffy' red ribbon on his own straw hat.

"How creative," mocked the older boy who quickly ducked a flung fire ball.

"Cool it, you idiots! No fighting before or during our visit to the Gourmet city, unless you want to play dodge the angry mob of townspeople, marines, et cetera?" scolded the top hat wearer. Both older boys grudgingly backed off.

Sabo scrubbed a hand across his face. Ever since they sailed off on their own, no, when they became brothers, the oldest two were always getting into one verbal and/or physical fight per day. The fire-user and operation-man were like hydrogen and water, dangerous when forced together. However, when they could redirect that energy towards something, like an enemy, the two could make a frightening combination. And that didn't even include the youngest set of brothers.

The four brothers set off from their home island over two years ago due to Doflamingo's lackey kidnapping the noble and doctor, threatening the lives of the other two if they misbehaved. The brothers defeated him, saved Sabo, but the incident forced them to leave all too soon. It was a combination of Sabo's research, Law's experience, and luck that pulled them through their many misadventures. They were now an infamous pirate group of their own, the Wild Cards, with Ace as the captain, Sabo as the first mate and navigator, Law as their doctor, and Lu as the ship's resident brawler and secret weapon. The latter two, though, didn't really acknowledge themselves as members of the crew since they had every intention to leave and start their own crews at age 17 as they previously agreed. Even their current infamy was really more of accident on Ace's part. Flame-brained idiot couldn't hold his temper and lambasted this one fishman bastard just before they left East Blue for hopefully the last time. Made an island pretty happy, and the East Blue had one less bigwig pirate causing mayhem. But Sabo still ranted at the freckled pre-teen for a good ten minutes after the news coo came by. From then on, it was one thing after another. No one reported their real appearances so far, but it was only time.

Before landing on Pucci, the blue-coated child made all three swear on their bonds as brothers to not stir up a huge mess like they almost always did. The visit to the Gourmet city was strictly a supply and rest stop, nothing more or less.

Although, it was doubtful that the blond's plans would pan out that way.

Once he had everyone's attention, Sabo began to plan out their stay on the island.

"Okay, Tait and Lora are handling food and some of the miscellaneous ship supplies while Edgar is keeping watch on the ship. Law, mind keeping an eye of Lu while you restock on medicine and the other medical needs of the ship?"

The teen gave Sabo a blank look that seemed to say everything.

"…I'll lend you a few hundred extra berries for your lunches and some of the more exotic equipment you've been eyeing in those recent journals you've been reading."

"Deal, then, Sabo-ya. I'll make sure our trouble magnet doesn't start a brawl or runs off again," replied the teen with a self-satisfied smirk, much to the younger's irritation.

"Just get out of here and take Lu with you, ya smug bastard," snapped Ace. Law laughed as he snagged the nine-year-old by the scruff of his shirt using the hilt of Kikoku.

"Why are we brothers again?" grumbled the hot-headed pre-teen.

Sabo clicked his tongue. "Because, I would be driven mad if I didn't have someone else besides Edgar to share in an intellectual debate."

"Hey! What's that suppose ta mean?"

Sabo simply chuckled as he turned towards one of the roads leading into the city proper.

"Hurry up, Spades. Edgar swore he would play nothing but funeral dirges if we don't return with ammo, metal polish, and the other weapon supplies. And he's going to play right by your side of the room, too."

"Why my side?"

"Because, as I recall it, a certain pyromaniac forgot to mind his temperamental flames and blew up part of the ship. We still need to make a trip of Water 7 since a quick patch job isn't enough."

"Well, maybe he should have put the gunpowder somewhere else!"

"…he put it in the ship's storage room below deck," pointed out Sabo. Ace stopped talking and sullenly stared out to the side as they went off in search of a weapon supplier.

- Meanwhile… -

"Laaaawwww!" whined a certain straw hatted individual. "Why can't I have more?"

"Because," responded the surgeon dryly, "you already had three cakes, five muffins, a dozen cream puffs, and an assortment of candies. I still need to buy our lunch plus medicine and equipment. Just wait until then. It won't hurt to wait a bit."

The two entered a medical supply store. Law strolled over to the counter to put in the order before asking whether they had received new medical equipment.

The teen was sure to grab the rubber-boy as the clerk escorted him to the back.

"Look, don't touch," warned the older boy as he went over to speak to the clerk about some of the displayed items.

Luffy nodded his head absentmindedly as he eyed the various machines and gadgets. He didn't have the faintest idea how one could fix people with this stuff, but Law was a good doctor and smart guy, almost as smart as Sabo and probably knew what everything did.

- ten minutes later –

Law swore. He took two fucking minutes to speak to the clerk, and somehow his rubber-brained brother had disappeared completely from the shop and the surrounding area. The teen pinched the bridge of his nose, a Luffy-induced headache already forming less than two hours after they docked. Think, Trafalgar. Where would that bottomless pit g- Bottomless pit. Law checked his timepiece. Nearly noon. The teen let his head fall into his hand and groaned. Then he began to question the locals on the nearest restaurants, particularly ones serving meat.

The moment Law walked into the restaurant, he knew his brother was there. One, there was a huge crowd of paling to green people. Two, several tables' worth of finished off plate towers were scattered about. And three, he could hear Luffy gobbling down on more food with the gusto of a typical D outside of himself and a few others. The fur hat-cladded teen didn't need to glance at his money pouch to know they didn't have nearly a quarter of the amount to pay for all the food, and the ship's medical supplies. So, without much bravo, Law used his Room to teleport himself, Luffy, and the remaining plates several streets away from the area, much to the waiter's dismay. Law didn't care, and the dine' n' dash was kind of nostalgic.

"Law," cheered the nine-year-old with his typical grin, straw hat sliding onto his back.

*SMACK!*

"You rubber-brained doofus! I told you to. Stay. The fuck. Put. I turn around for two minutes? No Luffy," gritted out Law.

"But Law," whined the straw hatted boy, "it smelled so good! And I was hungry. But you can have the rest."

Not even Law's deadpanned expression could last when Luffy sported his puppy dog face. The surgeon sighed, and reached over to nibble on a rice ball.

"Whatever. I have some more berries for equipment and other stuff since we left without paying for lunch. Come 'on, we'll walk around for a bit, preferably away from that fine establishment, and then grab the supplies. I hope to Roger Sabo is having a better time keeping a leash on Ace," grumbled the teen under his breath as he placed Luffy's beloved hat back on his head and directed him over to some market stalls.

- Elsewhere –

Instead of waiting to pay for their food – especially considering how short on berries the crew was with much of their treasure reserved for repairs – the captain and first mate of the Wild Cards opted to rely on one of their oldest solutions for payment issues just as Law and Luffy have done; they dined then ran off on the bill.

Only, unlike Law, the two didn't have the benefit of instant teleportation to some other location. Just as the two twelve-year-olds made their get-away into an alley, a pair of hands shot out and grabbed them by the collars of their shirts.

"Hey, you bastards! Put us down!" yelled the dark-haired boy, flames threatening to be set loose on said bastards.

The boy looked up and met jolly eyes of a redhead man with the most ridiculous hairstyle the pre-teen has ever seen.

"Don't you brats know running off from the bill is bad manners?"

Sabo gave the guy a sharp-toothed grin. "Maybe so, my good sir, but my brother and I may have found ourselves short on change – and evidently luck. Perhaps we can persuade you to forget about this? It'll only be a one-time thing." For this island, finished the gentleman pirate silently.

The redhead grinned, but didn't loosen his grip. "Now, little guys, I think you two know exactly what you should do when you've been cau-"

"Thatch! You gotta try and make this pastry for everyone back home. I- wait, why are you holding a couple of kids?" asked a short and rather youthful-looking brunet in a frilly green outfit.

Ace and Sabo knew a distraction when they saw it and had no qualms exploiting it. The moment the weirdo turned to the other weirdo, Sabo swiped at him with the pipe the top hat-wearer always kept on his person. Likewise, Ace let his collar dissolved in the thinnest of flames before rounding on the man and taking a slug at him. Much to the duo's bewilderment, the man ducked Sabo's swing and sidestepped Ace's punch. He even had the guts to chortle!

Ace forgot everything about subtly. With a growl, the small pirate captain took another swing, this time lighting his hand on fire.

"Fire Fist!" Instead of dodging, the man simply grabbed Ace's hand, flames somehow dispersed without burning the other. Unfortunately, he had to let go of the blond in order to effectively block the other flaming punch coming at him.

"Whoa, kid! No need to go fire demon on me!"

Sabo wordlessly swore as he tried to figure out how the man had managed to grab hold of his brother who was the living embodiment of fire.

Haruta, Thatch, and Izo had no intention of getting into mischief. Really. They were on vacation, after all, and on one of their own islands, too. Anyways, the petite swordsman had just finished snacking on one of Pucci's many fine gourmet desserts and was looking for Thatch since Izo had gone off to sample the local styles of the Gourmet City. He did not expect Thatch to grab a couple of kids before getting nearly bashed in the head by the blond one while the other tried to punch him. Thatch was lucky he had been developing his Observation haki recently, else he would be sporting some fine lumps right about now. Then the angry-looking raven fist-fighter decided to make things interesting by bringing fire to the brawl.

Speaking of which… "Thatch, didn't the newspapers this morning report a pirate with fire logia abilities?"

At that moment, Thatch had to fling the fire brat away as the other one charged with his sea prism stone pipe.

"Wha- Haruta, I'm kind of busy her- You mean 'Fire-Fist' Ace of Spades? The guy no one knows about?" interjected Thatch between incoming blows.

"Well, what would you call that? Body parts don't just catch on fire for no reason." [A/N: as far as they know]

"This kid has a 90 million berries bounty? He's, what, ten?"

"I'm twelve!" snarled said pre-teen, as he lunged like a rocket of fire.

"Like that's any better!" remarked the swordsman nonchalantly. A flash of steel intercepted the incoming steel pipe.

"I take it you must be one of the other suits? If he's Spades, you must be…?"

The blond smiled good-naturedly and replied, "Diamonds, at your service. Grave service if the case may be."

The swordsman blinked. "That's pretty morbid, kid."

"Well, in this life, you can't take any chances," shot the pre-teen back as he struck rapidly. The brunet frowned, but his sword easily kept pace.

Thatch and Haruta exchanged a single look. Before either child could blink, never mind react, the flats of two swords knocked both into the ground. Heads slammed into pavement, and the two small pirates knew no more.

- Later –

"So, let me get this straight; you two thought it would be a good idea to bring two children into our rooms because they allegedly their members of the latest rookie crew to make headlines?" deadpanned the cross-dresser. Today, he had worn a rather flattering white and pink kimono with the design of berries and fruits used frequently in many of Pucci's finest desserts. Thatch and Haruta tried to sputter out their reasons, but the gun-toting pirate silenced them with a finger.

"No excuses! We, proud pirates of Whitebeard, may occasionally take the unconventional route to recruit new members, but we do not kidnap children!"

Said children gave the approximation of growls, gags muffling their voices.

"And another thing! Don't you think their crewmates will notice their absence? My friends made it quite plain that one of the most solid thing we have on the Wild Cards is that the people bearing the names of the four suits do not react well with the others being attacked. More so when their other crewmates are put into a corner. So, what made you think this was in any way a good idea? And someone, please untie them? What are we, brutes?" ranted the elegant man with a decisive sniff.

Haruta and Thatch very reluctantly released the two. Both boys glared with open hostility at the two.

"Well?"

"Yeah…sorry about kidnapping you," apologized both pirates with their heads down.

"Why'd you do it in the first place?!" bit out the fire-user. The boy in the blue coat spared the other a sharp look before turning onto the pirates with interest.

"Forgive, Spades, he can be a bit short-tempered, especially since he ate his devil fruit. But I am of the same mind. What did you two hoped to gain by kidnapping us? Our crew would stage an assault on the Whitebeard Pirates, as much as I would rather hope not, first and foremost despite the overwhelming odds."

"Led by Hearts and Clubs, I take it?" inquired Haruta with a tilted head.

Sabo nodded. "Yes, they would. They would even go as far as challenge the Emperor himself."

The Whitebeard commanders smiled. "Now, that kind of devotion we can understand," started Thatch. "In fact, it kind of strengthens the reason why we kidnapped you guys."

"Oh? And why that, you bastards," snapped Ace, flames roiling just below his skin from anger and a very reluctant dose of fear.

"Because, after Haruta and I knocked you guys out, we both came up with the same brilliant idea. Tell me, how would the Wild Cards like to be a part of our crew?"

…

…

…

"No. Freaking. WAY!" both children yelled. The boy they knew as Diamonds cracked the pane of glass with his pipe before grabbing onto the Ace of Spades. Before they knew it, both boys rocketed out of the hotel room in a great burst of flames.

"Well, I think that went well," piped up Haruta, earning a solid thwack from Izo.

The saber-user glowered, but the 16th commander only turned about and headed toward their room door.

"Izo, where are you going?"

"Where do you think? I have to pay the manager for the repairs on that window…and our room. After that, I'm going after those brats. Those kids will probably stir up a riot. Plus, it's simply not done to let a bunch of kids sail the Grand Line like this. If the rest of the crew is around their age, I as a proper lady cannot condone letting them loose and possibly get hurt."

Haruta blinked a few times. "But, Izo, they've been sailing for 'bout a year on their own. And you don't know if they're all children," reminded the 12th division commander.

"But," interjected Thatch before the kimono-clad man could muster up his ire, "it won't hurt to keep an eye on them, don't you think? Their crew may not be the same ages as them, but I bet my last berry those four suits are probably around the same age considering their close bonds. And, well, they are identified as the major fighters and leaders of the Wild Cards…"

Izo narrowed his eyes, and, without a word, stepped out of the room, door closing behind him silently.

"Man, that guy," muttered Haruta. "He has to do practically everything with a bit of finesse, huh?"

Thatch shrugged. "He IS the mastermind of our communications and intelligence network." The chef followed after Izo, and Haruta, with a grin, did the same. Now, this is what I call an exciting vacation.

- Docks –

"So, let me get see if I heard correctly. Hearts and Clubs pulled the old dine' n' dash routine and got off scot-free, but when our illustrious leaders do it, they get nabbed. Not only nabbed, but kidnapped temporarily by none other than two, sorry, three Whitebeard commanders. While we are on said crew's island. What was that sir Sabo said earlier? 'Don't go stirring up trouble'?"

The blond stared down as the young woman reproached the two embarrassed pre-teens. Evers Lora may only be eighteen-years-old, but she could mother henpeck with best matrons. If she felt like the boys weren't listening…well, they call her their 'Queen of the Sunset' for more than her exotic looks. Beyond the fiery red hair, the fan-like fins blending into her dress, and a tail colored in bands of bold red, white, and black, the mermaid had venomous spines all over her tail and along her spine. For some, she was the vision of the sunset, the last one they'll ever see again. And considering her expertise in other poisons and her penchant for knives… let's just say even Law tried not to attract her ire.

"Tait, back me up here, buddy?"

Their third-in-command, chef, watchman, and everything else not already overseen, simply smiled and went back to helping Edgar, Lora's older half-brother, load the supply.

"Don't you look away from me, Portgas D. Ace! And Caelum, you better remember where my eyes are!"

Reluctantly, both men stared into the bottomless abyss that was their poison expert's black eyes.

"I hope you two have had your fill of trouble for a while. And don't think I forgot about you losing Luffy, Trafalgar! You're lucky he didn't wreck the place. We'll continue this discussion later, but I do believe our first mate advised our expedient leave-taking?"

Sabo went instantly from chided child, to the sly-minded and sharp-eyed mastermind of their small crew.

"Yes. Those Whitebeard pirates may decide to come after us. Or they inform those, ahem, fine establishments of our exploits. Or, they may just dismiss altogether. In any of these cases, it will be prudent for us to cut this trip short, especially as I have managed to procure an Eternal Pose to Water 7."

Ace snorted. "Why let those bastards chase us out? We can take them!"

Edgar paused in his unloading and loading of supplies. "Seriously, Captain Ace? You two, our best direct fighters after Dr. Trafalgar, got, in eloquent terms, schooled. They're pirates from the crew of an emperor! Commanders, no less. I agree with our first mate."

"Seconded," announced Lora.

"Third," yawned Tait.

Law smirked, "I think you've been outvoted, Ace-ya."

"Shut the hell up, you smug bastard!"

"Now where did I hear that before?"

Luffy being Luffy decided to join his oldest brothers in their short brawl on the piers while Sabo directed the rest of the preparations. Tait patted the serious twelve-year-old on the shoulder.

"Look at it this way, those guys will hopefully pent out their frustrations and energies for the day, and by then, we'll be long gone from Pucci."

Sabo glared at his next-in-command.

"Never mind," chuckled the brunet as he began to whistle a jaunty tune to drown out the crashes and thunks of flying fists, legs, and even bodies.