Your dreams: My nightmares

Glaringly, the sunrise cast the vast ocean in a deep orange glow. It's bright hue illuminating an emerging petite ship, which peeked over the horizon, marked by the spade beneath the customary skull and bones, the constant waves of the sea, contorted by the moon, persistently crashed against the hull of the boat, creating splashes of water which would reach above the deck in individual droplets before reforming back into the ocean. Diligently wiping the sweat of his brow, the captain of the ship gazed off into the distance, fiddling with his necklace of shiny red beads as he considered his next destination, unsure what new adventures and places he'll discover, an experience he took great pleasure from as that was the joy in freely roaming the seas, devoid of rules and responsibilities.

He'd set out though not with a sole purpose of proving his strength, or to become King of the Pirates, or even to escape out of his own father's shadow. No, he's always traversed the endless seas with an additional intention. An intention of thanking a great man for taking care of his careless brother, of meeting and greeting one of the Yonko, the infamous Red-haired Shanks, though that would have to wait as a dire feeling arose in his gut as the wind began to stir the ocean, causing him to grip his hat less it fly off, the powerful winds taunting the very waters into rising as ominous clouds grew fifty shades darker, turning a fine grey and blocking the overbearing sun he soon sorely missed as the dread of a storm presented itself in all its glory.

Feeling that sense of dread tear into his insides, he tore his eyes from the once beautiful view of the ocean, rearing his head to catch the sight of a growing tidal wave being swept upwards, expected un-expectable weather in the New World, it towered above their ship as a looming giant, threatening to crash into and overturn the ship.

An exuberant flash of the hands and twists of the wrists sent a burst of fire flying from the ship, splitting the wave into two perfect halves in a clean vertical cut to pass by on both sides from evaporation, collapsing the curtain of death and sweeping up leftover driftwood into their sight; remains of destroyed fleets littered the once beautiful water with darkened-coloured wood contrasting against the light of the ocean, casting it in a veil of imperfection.

Here a crossroad appeared before him, out of sight with no tracks set for neither the long journey ahead nor a map to set the location at the end of the path. Yet two choices nonetheless were forced upon him. Two simple choices that'll shake the very foundation of the entire world…

…To take or not to take?

Drifting on the endless sea, an unassuming barrel floated off into the distance off their planned course in the blinding horizon they just had set from. To any naked eye one would see a barrel of rum, a common link amongst pirates and stereotypes alike, unneeded loot and so with no further alcohol necessary, having looted and stockpiled too much already, one would have thought to simply disregard it. As why alter the ship's set course to intercept a single barrel of fine drink? Yet destiny forced the Captain to not sit idly, and ordered his men to turn his ship around and capture that barrel of unknown treasures hiding within. Ordering his crew to go retrieve it, one of his men brought it to him, prying the lid open with a crowbar, to reveal a child of unknown origin lying within, disturbingly fitting inside quite neatly as the signs of starvation made itself apparent.

Yet the Captain only saw an innocent child in need of help, and even from the first moment he laid his eyes on him, thought he could let no harm come to him. Though at the time he didn't quite realise how fate was a cruel and ironic mistress, as those exact thoughts caused the reverse reaction to occur, an occurrence which still haunts his dreams, as although he aimed to keep the child hidden and sheltered from harm, he instead actually invoked the child to seek and embrace it.

In spite of this horrific series of events that resulted from choosing to collect that one, lonesome, unassuming barrel that floated adrift the natural tides of the great sea, that one day…

Who'd of knew he'd of found such a diamond in the rough.

(Six Months Later)

Crystals of ice showered the group of travellers from above, glistening in the brief moments of sunlight that crept in, sneaking through the misty fog created by the swirling blizzards raging in circular motions, masking the snow-capped mountains in a white veil. The towering mountains almost hidden in plain sight which painted the scenery of the back-end island, setting the background of the hash dreary landscape; it's once calm winds turning violent in sporadic patterns, whipping up more volatile blizzards, blinding the crew within a white screen, in turn causing the Captain to tightly grasp his cowboy hat before it flew off in the stormy wind. "Are you serious Captain!? Why bother coming hereof all the places on this God-forsaken world!" questioned a groaning subordinate within his crew, heavily disgruntled by the freezing conditions of their current location. "If you wanted to freeze to death so badly, I could've just thrown you overboard into the depth of the sea without as much as your pants! I feel it hardly necessary to venture here so far off course".

Merely smirking into a full-blown grin at his subordinate's cheek, the Captain ignored him a while before he finally decided to indulge his men's curiosity, "I want to meet him, no matter what, Red-haired Shanks!"

Traversing the hazardous weather conditions and steep mountains, the Captain finally caught the sight of smoke billowing out of another mountain farther in the distance, a gaping hole craved out the side of it, where haughty laughter could even be heard from this distance. "Follow me men, I think we've found him". Following a quick decline down the side of one mountain, proceeding a steep incline up the next, the Spade pirates entered the cave only for the laughter inside and the general uplifting atmosphere to halt as the familiar screeching sound of a sword being drawn echoed throughout the cave, the sound coming from one of the Yonko who calmly began unsheathing his sword with his only arm in an elegant manner, "The Spade Pirates, super famous rookies… have come looking for me?" Shanks spoke as he fully drew his blade.

Fearing an attack the child from before, all bandaged up beyond recognition, clambered up to stand beside the Captain with a mean snarl along with it. Not threatening at all considering no man of his peer would fear a child barely reaching his Captains knees. "No, no that's not what I'm here for. My little brother owes you his life and he never stops talking about you. I just wanted to meet you in person to say thanks" Ace spoke quickly, hoping to avoid an unnecessary violent confrontation.

"You mean Luffy?" Shanks asked with a beaming smile, "I never knew he had a brother. I see. I'm glad you came. Please, have a drink with us and tell me more. Let's have a party!" Answering with carefree cheer, both crews sat down to indulge themselves in sake and meat, delicacies for pirates around the globe. "He still talks of becoming Pirate King, it's practically his catchphrase, it's a shame too, considering I'm gonna become the Pirate King myself" Ace stated arrogantly.

"Oh is that so?" Shanks replied.

"For sure, first I'll make every sea recognise my name by defeating the so-called strongest man in the world…

…Whitebeard!"

(One Month Later)

A thick mist lingered in the sky, bathing the surroundings in a white hue; the clouds cover overhead further blocking any sunlight, enveloping the forest in darkness. Hidden within the shadows emerged an enormous incoming ship which docked on the edge of the island. The silhouette of a man appeared, standing proud and defiant amidst a large crew of cut-throat men below him, as the gap between the ship and its temporary port shortened.

"Where's the kid who wants to take my head?" questioned a giant who wore an open lengthy white overcoat draped on top of his shoulders, sporting a white moustache and several scars on his muscular chest with an ebony sash wrapped round his beige trousers. "As you wish, I'll take you on; I'll take care of you myself". His footsteps seemingly echoed out as he approached, the sound of his spear scraping the rough-trodden ground shed light onto his ominous presence. Closing in, he let loose a terrific shockwave that blasted a dozen armed pirates off into the distance.

"Flaming Net!"

Raging fires erupted from the earth, circling around the two combatants in a towering wall of flames, the fires separating their respective crews from the Captain's inevitable showdown. Time seemed to slow before a gaping gap appeared in the cylindrical tower of spewing flames, interrupting them and allowing a petite child with blinding blonde hair, that flowed and waved in a sudden gust of wind, enrapturing blood crimson eyes stared blankly upon the two warriors who each remained unwavering in their refusal to back down.

The closest to the child looked back in worry, revealing black locks from underneath an orange cowboy hat, a beige open shirt partly covering bulging muscles, black knee-length shorts matched his similar coloured boots which pressed deeply into the ground in preparation of battle. Across the battlefield, a much larger man, carrying a giant spear that matched his enormous height, regarded the child with a slight incline of his head; his great white moustache twitching in the breeze brought on by the sudden wind, "this is no place for a child, retreat back to whence you came from, little boy".

The child dressed in similar attire to black haired pirate of an high collared open shirt yet orange, revealing an outline of an ace of spades etched into his skin and a slight cut across his throat where the voice box was located, simply continued to stare straight into Whitebeard's eyes, before glancing back at his Captain who still possessed a look of pure fear on his face, "now's not the time brat!" Ace hissed. "Go protect the others and leave him…" he ordered with an extravagant point towards the giant, "…to me".

Silently tsking, the child remained steadfast, ignoring his superior's demands and instead raising his arms, outstretching them in an effort to the reach the very sky. Seeing his partner waiting patiently with a deep sense of concentration straining his face, Ace, reluctantly, too stretched his arms out into the sky, calling forth a stream of fire, which was contorted into a condensed sphere by the unnatural wind currents emanating from the child. "So be it brat, but you better not die on me, God knows you would off been better off staying in that barrel".

Never once moving from the start or shifting from his position, Whitebeard glared passively at the ever growing sphere of death, twirling his huge spear into a blur causing a whirlwind to form before stabbing it into the ground and he too raising his meaty fists up high, "you should have listened to the other brat, it'd be a shame to let either of you die." Unleashing the fireball, Whitebeard responded viciously by violently smashing his fists against the very air, causing cracks to appear and annihilating the attack into oblivion; "It appears both your devil fruit powers work in conjunction together, to separate you two would be most unwise-"

Interrupting in a burst of speed with wind billowing out underneath his feet, the blonde disappeared before shimmering into existence beside Whitebeard, sending torrents of close-range invisible slashes with lightning fast kicks that his opposition merely blocked by causing the air to crack, dissipating the attacks. Following up on the offensive, Ace flew forward with flowing fire replacing his feet to hover above the earth, to let loose a series of flaming punches, all of which resounded harmlessly of his hardened body. Tiring of the endless onslaught, Whitebeard block both attacks simultaneously, grabbing each leg in a cast iron grip, causing him to laugh uncontrollably at the involuntary squeal that came from Ace's lips. Hearing no reaction from the wind user, he observed the child in admiration with him still in his grasp, before swinging them into a full on frontal collision with a resounded crunch of broken bones.

Sliding back with an extreme effort to remain upright both clutched their heads in agony, searing pain blinding them into submission. Recovering from a coughing fit of spitting out blood, both the black-haired and the blonde-haired pirates simply smirked, the darker toned one, broke out in a hysterical fit, laughing as blood spurted from his lips, his companion equally amused which showed through his giant grin distorting his round face.

The pair faced off, palms outwards and fingers spread, calling forth their respective elements to conjure from nowhere. Whirlwinds formed into fearsome cyclones, twisting the very fabric of nature and the nature of fire itself, contorting around the alit flame which burned brightly in the eye of the twister. Resulting in a tremendous flaming typhoon rapidly blowing towards Whitebeard, the destructive force of nature collecting any debris and shrapnel and people in its path, consuming them within its core, where a fate or being burned alive to a crisp or shredded finely by the wind awaited the victims.

Whitebeard never could be considered a victim; forced to resort to weaponry, he mentally congratulated the two, grasping his spear while sorely hopeful in his wish to avoid killing them as such powerful pirates, and such young children, didn't deserve such a fate occurring so soon in their lives. Restraining himself, he waited it out until the heat of the attack burned the skin of his nose before slashing upwards, splitting the fiery tornado and reducing it into a burst of a slight summer breeze which gently cooled the heated tips of his great moustache.

The duo gulped for air, thoroughly winded from their combined attack, neither one could hide the look of dread as they realised their conjoined efforts barely touched his enormous moustache that equally barely hid the owner's giant smirk. Fearful yet not backing down one inch, the pair glanced, eyes making brief contact with a gleam in each, nodding Ace dashed towards his partner, lifting him into the air before grabbing him by the wrists and twirling him around and around into a blur, Whitebeard standing firm as he watched on. Airborne, the child served and dipped lower to the ground before planting his feet deep and with the aid of the forces of the wind, continued to twirl Ace instead, then released him into flying into their opponent alit on fire with both arms outstretched and fists clenched, pummelling Whitebeard on contact, leaving behind two circular burn marks, who remained unfazed by their attack.

Elbowing the attacker in the face to send him careering into a tree trunk, Whitebeard slowly sauntered closer, his opponents backing up, kneeling down in exhaustion to recover, each of them eventually finding the will to try to stand back up.

"Give up brats!" Whitebeard commanded with a mighty shockwave discharging outwards, forcefully driving the pair flat-faced into the dirt, "No man could ever defeat the strongest pirate in the world, never mind a brat! If even now, you still wish to fight, then take my name and roam the seas wild and free, both of you…" he spoke, trailing off as he reached out with an open palm.

"Become my sons!"

"…"

"…"

"Fuck no!"

Merely chuckling in slight amusement at his response, an answer he fully expected, before slamming his hand downwards in an arc to collide harshly against the Captain's back, "Amusing… you speak as if you have a choice". Standing upright, to tower over them once again, he let his devil fruit powers unleash a highly dangerous technique, emitting an unstoppable shockwave in all directions which robbed the consciousness of the duo's and of the rest of their crew behind the wall of fire, who weren't protected from the powerful attack by a simple contortion of fire. Retreating with extravagant flare of which only an almighty leader could produce, he ordered his men with swift flick of his wrist for his sons to carry their new family members on board, never once looking back at the two who would change the very nature of the vast world and everyone in it.

(Whitebeard's Main Ship)

Black faded into colour, as the darkness loosened its hold to reveal the light of the sun enveloping the retreating shadows of the tiny cabin. Groaning, Ace woke up with sweat pouring off his brow, leaving the room to gaze upon the vast ocean with a dead arm hanging loosely at his side where the child was desperately clinging onto in a painful vice.

"Your friend there wouldn't let go. Stayed by your side throughout the night, although it's great to see that you already have great nakama; it's time now to meet your new ones". A scar-faced man appeared in full view, dressed in posh light-blue attire with a black goatee, a yellow foulard wrapped round his neck and with an auburn pompadour hairstyle that raised his height by several inches. "I'm the commander of the fourth division, Thatch. Since you and your friend there will be joining our crew, I think we should be friends".

"Shut up!" Ace hissed, waking the child from its slumber with a cute rub of his tired puppy eyes in the beaming light of a new day, slipping from Ace's arm to fall onto the deck with an audible thump. Groaning himself, the child woke up fully from the jolt of the impact, noticing the stranger in alarm causing the wind to abruptly change pace and direction, accelerating around the stranger as the child outstretched a limb and contorted the speed and direction of the wind with a twitch of his fingers, proceeding him closing his fist into a tight grip, forcing the razor-sharp curtain of wind to enclose and engulf the threat.

Smirking, Thatch swiftly drew a pair of swords that were sheathed at his hip, before slashing furiously at the multiple wind-formed blades, emerging without a scratch or nick to his name before turning his back on the two and leaving with parting advice, "Don't worry about your other crewmembers, your nakama are safe on board this ship. Oh and you two might as well act friendly, you're going to be here a while anyway. That is until you accept father's crest upon your back, and truly become one of his son's".

Ace tsked, meeting the child's questioning gaze, "there's no way we're backing down now, not while we're on this ship, this's the perfect opportunity to kill the strongest man in the world!" In disbelief the kid made an obvious attempt at scoffing before running his index finger across his own throat. "Not if we can get the drop on him at night when he's sleeping, and don't start complaining already, your nervousness is starting to get on my tits". Seeing the sly roll of the eyes caused a tick to strain his forehead, "It's a figure of speech moron! Don't hound me on it, you know how sensitive I am 'bout my man-boobs" he mumbled pathetically.

(Whitebeard's cabin)

"Will you just stop already?" Ace pleaded, forcing back the child with the sole of his sandal to prevent said child reaching the axe he was currently holding. Eventually giving in, the child relented before pointing and wildly gesturing at the four foot long axe currently in Ace's possession, "No I don't know where on earth I found this". Ace spoke hesitantly without making eye contact, an effort to mask his obvious lie. "It must have just been lying around here somewhere".

An increase in volatile winds whipping up a storm outside showed the child wasn't convinced, "Fine! Of course I know where I found it; you can't have one though so quit moaning and help me kill this old fart already!" Ace shouted, tripping over a medical wire in his anger, dropping the axe mid-flight, making him fall on top of Whitebeard with a quiet thump before openly silently screaming, not moving an inch while praying he didn't wake up.

With a loud snore confirming his continued slumber, Ace stayed perfectly still in hope of not waking the sleeping giant, gesturing madly with vivid actions of stabbing and strangling the air to communicate the action of saying for him to kill the old fart before he wakes up and kills us instead!

Reaching for the axe sliced an indent into the floor, the seven-year old grinned manically, creeping closer and closer and closer, then abruptly luging forward with the axe in hand, slashing it vertically in a downward motion, skimming Ace's hat before nicking Whitebeards chin who in turn clutched the axe's head between his palms just before it could decapitate him and crushed it into pieces in a show of monstrous strength, proceeding him pummelling the child through three walls, sending the brat flying into the ocean along with Ace who shared the same fate of getting his face rearranged.

"The brat's fallen overboard, he can't swim right? Someone should properly save him. Like now would be a good time. Like right now. He's drowning. He's still drowning. Come on dudes! Fine! Fuck it! I'll save him" a crewmember hollered as he dived into the sea to rescue their newest nakama. "Fucking assholes" he muttered, "lazy shits ain't worth two shits".

(Later)

Following a series of failed attempts to assassinate the old fart, Ace conversed with his fellow prisoner on their options in a one-sided conversation on Ace's part, detailing every way man has ever invented and will ever invent to kill a man in the most painful way possible. Interrupting their thoughts was a blonde man with an open collared violet shirt, turquoise sash wrapped round a three shades darker pair of shorts and sandals that crisscrossed over his toes.

"How long are you gonna keep risking your life like this? Make up your mind already! You and the brat couldn't possibly take the old man's head in your current state. There's a reason we call him our father, not just because of his age, or his strength or even because we respect him, he simply calls us his sons, and treats us as so. So think on that, are you going to leave or are you gonna finally join us and become one of us, and accept Whitebeard's mark on your back, hmm, Ace? And what about you kid?"

Glancing at each other Ace looked back from the child to face Marco with a resounding shake of the head in an indication of a no.

"You speak for the kid too?"

"Of course, ever since the day I saved his life, ever since he pledged to follow me even if into the very depths of hell, ever since I told him no talkative loud obnoxious kid could ever become a Spade pirate. Ever since… he… took it upon himself… to rid himself of that".

"You mean the kid actually cut his-"

"Naruto!" Ace bellowed, "His name isn't kid, or brat, it's Naruto! You got that!?"

(Three Weeks Later)

"He doesn't seem to like me does he?" Asked Thatch in an inquisitive tone as Naruto started growling whenever he saw him come too close to Ace.

"It's only natural since your part of the crew who captured me, you see, he swears loyalty only to me, not that I'd wished for that, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time to save this troublemaker's life".

"Oh really? Well never mind that, I trust you've made your decision, so I'll ask for the last time. Are you ready… to take on our fathers name, to sail out on the vast ocean, to travel far and wide, free as a bird on a quest of grand adventure, a heartless journey of pain and suffering, to seek out the grand treasure of One Piece!?"

"Not quite sharing the enthusiasm", Ace spoke with a smirk, slowly backing away from the blinding radiance shining from the man, he's pure white reflective attire not helping in the slightest, "but yes I'm ready. I see now after what Marco told me about Whitebeard being your father; well I know he's quite the father figure, and I too could see him as mine, more than my own realfather anyway". He spoke with a hint of disgust at the end.

Disturbed by the snarl Ace held when he mentioned his father, Thatch decided to seek a change of subject, "I'm delighted though that you decided to finally take up on Whitebeard's name, and receive his mark upon your back, both of you". Spoke Thatch in an air of elegance.

"Not two, my partner already bears a mark, mine. He follows me and only me, my dream is his dream. Whether it's to become the Pirate King myself or to help your father become the King instead, he will see it done. So no, not two, just the one".

Ace left to enter a nearby cabin, where he chucked off his shirt onto the bed, kneeling silently in front with his head bowed. A crewmember of the Whitebeard's sauntered up, dragging a wooden curved chair with an irritable squeak. The forgettable face brought his equipment closer, before etching in ink the mark of their father, a purple cross of bones underneath a white-bearded skull.

(Seven Months Earlier)

"Smiley, heh Smiley… Smiley! Let me become your nakama! I want to join the Spade Pirates!"

Enduring the child's very existence could be the hardest challenge Ace had ever faced, at least right this second it sure as hell felt like it. "I told you before and I'll tell you again! Like hell I'd ever let a brat like you join! Arrogant, noisy, slow, giddy and has the most god awful obsession with orange" he listed, dredging out every reason why he would never consider it, and also why he currently suffered the urge to shove the kid right back where he came from: a barrel in the middle of the vast ocean.

"Shut up stupid Smiley!" the child cried indignantly, endearingly referring to the two smileys pinned to the Captain's hat, "Orange is God's gift to man, along with ramen, and miso ramen, and instant ramen too and don't forget the most important of them all, the greatest Hokage to be…

…Naruto Uzu-freaking-maki!"

"Well Uzu-freaking-maki, while it's true you are a freak if I've ever seen one, you're certainly no Hokage, whatever the hell that may be, and nor are you a spade pirate, just a loud obnoxious child trying to stick around the adults".

His outer appearance didn't betray the inner turmoil that sprouted within Naruto at the harsh words directed at him, the accumulation of the repeated denial to his desire, his need, to join his crew, to work for him, ran deeper than any mere flesh wound could. "So if I weren't so loud… I could join and stay by your side, and until you become the Pirate King I'll protect you, and I'll prove to myself my worthiness of becoming your nakama?" Naruto asked, abruptly turning dead serious.

"Heh, not like that's possible but sure, if you… weren't so you I'll let you join. Though no brat ain't ever gonna be able to contend with the likes of my crew, ain't that right brothers?" His query met with jeers and cheers from his loyal followers. "It'd be safer to just let you off on the next habituated island and leave you in the care of an orphanage". Ace spoke, not noticing the flinch as the last word rang out in the child's head.

Later that day the harsh glint of a stashed kunai reflected in the morning sun, its gleam as bright as the crimson blood that sipped out from a self-inflicted wound cut across a child's throat and face, slight cuts as to avoid endangering his own life.

A naïve child, so easily manipulated and controlled, so malleable and brittle, a child so easily influenced the child took it upon himself, to correct his error and to make him seem worthy to his saviour, and in order to avoid his fate to return to hell at "home" he etched the mark of his idol into the very skin of his own face.

That day thin scars barely scraping the skin surfaced…

That day the outspoken voice of a child's daydreams was lost…

That day the voice found a hold in another man's nightmares.

Author's notice:This is my first crossover fanfic so please bear with me on this one; it's not on original concept yet an interesting one all the same and this is merely the beginning, so don't knock it yet. This chapter only consists of introducing characters and setting the background of the story, which is why so many time skips occurred. Also, Ace may seem different because not only has Naruto influenced him through the usual bullshit, Ace also had to deal with the communicational problems of talking to one who can't talk back, which enabled them to further understand each other through those hardships, creating a bond between them. This story will diverge from cannon though the main events/arcs still occur although some will have to be completely non-cannon to keep it interesting. Anyway, pleasereview, it'll seriously make my day even if it's not a positive one, constructive criticism is desired though. That's all folks. Darkstreamers… out.