Kitsune here with the usual disclaimers. You know the drill. I own nothing of any importance. Except for a lot of animals. Wish I did...

To explain the story! Well, like two nights before I started this, I had this kinda weird idea. This is a normal, everyday thing for me, and usually I just go "Huh. that's an odd one..." and maybe tell people about it later and we laugh. This time it was One Piece and NCIS. With Ace and Luffy, mostly, when I thought about it. I was half asleep at the time, and I was dreaming I heard Ducky explaining "Devil-fruit" to Tony as this super soldier project from WW2 that actually worked (when it doesn't, you know, kill you dead) but it's like really uber rare to run into people like that. So I thought, "that's all well and good, for an AU story but how do I work with that?" which woke me up more, and I was like, WOW! Holly CRAP! I can DO THIS! HELL YEAH! Weird thing is, I haven't seen NCIS in a few days, so I have no clue where the whole thing came from.

Let me just get some things straight. I have NO clue where it's going. I just have some ideas, and some things that will be established facts. This is basically set in the world of NCIS, the One Piece characters will be FROM THAT WORLD. There will be powers, no worries there. This is a winging it, ideas welcome thing. I'm thinking it'll turn into a snowball, like a "Dear Kami, what have I gotten myself into, STOP STORY! I SAID STOP!" I think.

Question of the chapter: "Have you ever seen a ghost?" I haven't. I've felt weird things, like being watched, and I've heard weird things...and once I was in a bathroom and the deadbolt rose up, slid back, dropped, and the door opened in on me, but I've never seen a ghost. (Yeah, that scared...let's just say it was a good thing I was in the stall, shall we? And yes, I screamed like a little bitch as I slammed my foot against the door to shut it. You would too.) Given all that, I believe in the paranormal. I know people who claim to have seen ghosts...I don't think I want to see one.

EIGHT YEARS AGO

Tony looked at the kid sitting across his desk. The teen's whole look screamed 'Rebellious youth' to the cop and he was sure the look he was giving him could peel paint. In fact, he was positive the brat had stolen the whole 'tude from some bad 1970's tough-boy movie. Ripped jeans, tight tank-top covered by a well-worn leather jacket... The busted lip just completed the look.

"So, you say your name is 'Ace'...?" He prompted, looking over his notes. Not that there was much to go on. Kid looked scrawny, fourteen, maybe fifteen years old. He had been in the middle of a nasty fight with one of the local gangs when the cops had rounded them all up, and by the 'middle of' Tony ment they were wailing on him. Not that you'd know it from his cocky ass, or the limp the gang members were sporting.

"Yeah. Ace. Got a problem with that," dark gray eyes darted down, taking in his name plate, "Detective DE-NOSE-O?"

Tony rolled his eyes, "As if I haven't heard that one a million times before, top-deck. Got a last name to go with that?" Really, the only reason Tony was involved was because that particular gang was suspected in a local murder.

"Yeah. Course I do." The kid smirked, slouching. DiNozzo was sure if it wasn't for the handcuffs, his hands would be in his pockets, too.

There was a pause. "Well, are you going to tell me what it is?"

"Why would I do that?"

"I gee, I don't know. Maybe so I could call your family?"

"Let me think about that for a second." Ace hummed for a moment, "Yeah, nope. don't feel like sharing."

Tony ran a hand through his very disheveled hair. This kid is a real pain in the ass... "Fine then, Ace-of-spades," he caught the glint of humor in the kid's eyes, "mind telling me what you were doing taking on five guys twice your size?"

"First, the biggest had maybe sixty pounds on me, tops. Secondly," The boy scratched the side of his freckled nose with his middle finger, "How about, 'No' ass-hat."

"Fine then. You can just spend the night in lock up until we get this all sorted out." Tony snarled, shuffling his papers together as he stood.

The brat had the audacity to snort, "Good luck with that. You can't keep me here."

"Oh, and why is that, Mr. smarty-pants?"

Ace began in a tone that one usually used for explaining things to small children, "Because, Detective, I am a minor. It's against the law to keep me here over night."

Tony rounded on the teen, wagging a finger at him, "Ah-ha! But you won't tell me your last name, so I can't contact a parent or guardian for you, so I can!"

"Damn." Ace frowned, "Forgot about that." dark eyes blinked up at him, "Oh! You can't keep me here because I am the victim! HA!" He crowed.

"How do you figure that?"

"Well, none of your officers saw me hitting the other guys, right?" He gave DiNozzo an infuriating shit-eating grin, "and I'm sure they all claim they fell down or something."

"You're going to be a lawyer someday, aren't you?" Tony sighed as he sat back down. He hated to admit it, but Ace was right. None of the gang members had admitted to actually being beat up by a kid years younger than them. Typical gang-macho bull-shit.

"Nah. I'm just too fond of getting into trouble as my Gramps would say. I'd be a horrible lawyer." He held up his wrists and raised his eyebrows. Tony took the hint and removed the cuffs, expecting the kid to take off for the door the moment they were off. Ace surprised him as he settled in his chair instead, "So, whatcha got to eat?"

A fellow detective came up behind DiNozzo and tapped him on the shoulder, "Tony, someone's here to pick up your..." his eyes danced over the teen, taking in the lack of handcuffs. "witness."

Ace visibly tensed as Tony asked, "Oh, who?"

"Claims he's an uncle. His name is Teach Marshall." Both detectives looked at Ace, who was now gripping the chair like it was a life line. He looked anything but happy to hear that name.

"You know this guy?" Tony raised an eyebrow, not buying the whole 'uncle' thing, "Or do you want us to get rid of him?"

"Huh?" The boy blinked at him, obviously surprised by the offer. He smiled a little ruefully before shaking his head, "Nah. It's ok. I know..." He growled out the word "Uncle" with great distaste "real well." The teen stood. "Might as well go say 'hi' to the drunken sot."

Tony nodded to Detective Scott, taking over and leading the teen to the waiting room. As usual, the place was semi-full of the less-respectable of society waiting to pick up the ne're do wells. His green eyes fell immediately to a man standing off to the side. His black hair was long and greasy, kept out of his face with a bandana. Even from across the room, DiNozzo could smell the alcohol on the man's clothing. He marked the man as a criminal on sight.

The moment the drunkard's eyes spotted Ace, who stood next to the detective, radiating distaste, his face broke into a grin, revealing missing teeth. "Ace my boy! There you are." There was a dark gleam in the man's eyes, "Thank you Officer, for finding my boy." He reached out towards the teen.

"Actually, Ace here was brought in with a gang of thugs earlier today. The five of them seemed intent on beating the crap out of him after they, how did they put it again... fell down some stairs for no reason. Don't suppose you got any ideas on why that would be, would you, Mr. Marshal?"

"Please, Call me Teach! Mr. Marshal makes me sound old...As for why..." He looked over at the mop of dark hair, now lowered, "Who knows? Ace has always been a bit of a wild one. I knew he'd turn up eventually though. He always does...Isn't that right, Luffy?"

"L. Luffy?" Ace choked out. From behind the rather large figure of Teach came a boy, black hair, big, trusting dark brown eyes that watered slightly at the sight of Ace. A purpling bruise could be seen spreading across the boy's arm from under an oversized t-shirt. His shorts were also a size or two two big, giving him a look of being much younger than he was.

"Ace!" The boy, Luffy, sniffed, reaching out to the older teen.

"Hey there, kiddo, that's some bruise you've got." Tony cajoled "You ok?" The boy sniffled and stared at him wide eyed before looking back and forth between Ace and Teach. Tony could feel the tension in the air as the kid nodded.

"Luffy's a real trooper. Took a bit of a spill, but the kid's like rubber, isn't that right, Luffy-boy?" The man laughed, a dirty sound, "So no need to worry, Officer, he'll bounce back in no time. Especially with his big brother looking out for him so he doesn't have any more accidents."

Anger danced across Ace's face before it vanished completely, "Yeah. Fine." The teen sighed, shoulders slumping. He walked over to his brother and gave him a one armed hug. Tony thought he could make out him asking if the younger was alright and the slight nod.

He didn't miss the smug look on Marshall's face, though, like the man had just won the jackpot. "Well, thanks again. I'm sure you've got all sorts of important things to get to, so we'll just get out of your hair now. Come on, boys." He turned to leave, a hand firmly on Luffy's shoulder steering him.

"Hey Ace!" Tony grabbed the kid's wrist before he walked out the door. The boy scowled at him, mouth open, more then likely ready to let loose a string of biting remarks. DiNozzo turned his wrist up and placed his card in his hand, "Here. Take this. I don't know what you and your brother are mixed up in...and it might not be any of my business," Ace snorted, "Ok, yeah, it probably isn't. But I'm a cop, alright? I can't just let you walk out that door without at least offering to help. It's up to you if you take it. That's my personal number on that card. Call me anytime, day or night, alright?"

The freckled youth pulled his wrist free and sneered at him before looking at the door where Teach was waiting eyebrow raised and a sick grin, hand still on his little brother. "Bug off, man." He snarled making a fist and crumpling the card, letting it fall before running to catch up to the man.

DiNozzo sighed as he watched them go. As the door swung shut he reached down and picked up the discarded card. "At least I tried..." he muttered to himself as he opened it back up. He stared at it in surprise for a second and reread it a few times. "Cho-ming Chinese...Damn that kid is good." He smirked, "Alright, who want's take-out?"

A quick note: DiNozzo thinks Ace is older than he actually is because of how he acts. In reality, he's twelve, going on thirteen.