Mira Mira no Mi

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, only my idea

Summary: After nightmares of his brother's death plague his sleep, Luffy wanders into the night and sees a shooting star. He makes a wish: to have the power to protect his nakama from danger and to never fail them again. The next day his wish is granted in the form of a fruit. With this, Luffy rockets himself into the past with the goal to save Ace from death. AU.

Luffy woke up panting. He was clutching his chest with one hand. It hurt. Slowly, he released his grip but the pain never went away. He didn't know why. He never really knew the reason. It had started ever since that day.

Quickly, Luffy shook his head to clear away the thoughts. He shouldn't think about it—he couldn't think about it. Closing his eyes, he tried in vain to fall back asleep. It never came. Instead were the images of fire, fighting, blood.

Trembling slightly, Luffy silently slipped out of his bed and walked into the pitch-blackness of the night, illuminated solely by the light of a handful of stars and the moon.

He gazed up at the stars, looking for the one his brother might have turned into after his…

No! He mustn't think about it. It was a taboo.

For an immeasurable about of time, Luffy lay in the frosty grass, watching the tiny lights in the night sky twinkle gently. Then, with a flash, a star raced down to earth and disappeared into the sea.

Sighing softy, Luffy closed his eyes and made a wish.

{I}

Luffy opened his eyes to the blinding sun. Blinking rapidly, he sat up and found himself where he had finally fallen asleep, outside in the grass. When he looked around at his surroundings, one brightly colored object caught his attention.

It was a fruit closely resembling a ball of some sort… was it a pomegranate? Luffy curiously poked at its orange and black-coated skin. As if on cue, his stomach let out a long gurgle as if crying for food.

Rapidly, Luffy popped the fruit into his mouth but was immediately assaulted by a horrible sour-dry taste. Though true to his nature, he finished it in a single gulp without a complaint. Of course, his hunger was far from satisfied and growled for more.

With a pat on his head to make sure his straw hat still adorned it, Luffy stood up and dashed off. But within his first step in search of food, he froze. There was a searing pain working its way from his torso through the rest of his body. It was like none other that he had felt before. It was almost like icy claws gripping his limbs and slowly pulling them away as if he didn't have the powers of his devil fruit.

Collapsing to the ground, Luffy gasped for breath, vying for oxygen. If this was what death felt like, he'd become a ghost in the afterlife because there were tons of regrets in his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping for the agony to go away. And it did after what felt like centuries (however many years that was).

Slowly, Luffy opened one eye, and then another. Something didn't look right. Instead of the calming scenery Amazon Lily provided, shouts and fierce battle cries filled the air accompanied by a sea of bodies squirming for victory over the other

Where was he? It looked familiar, but Luffy couldn't quite place a finger of where he had seen the place. Although it did seem like a war was currently in action. The only war he knew of was the Battle of Marineford and that had occurred almost two years ago. Before he could ponder it any more, Luffy felt his brain explode. Too much thinking. It made his head hurt.

"Luffy, what are you doing? Don't tell me you're spacing out in the middle of a fight!"

Luffy jerked his head to the side at the sound of a familiar voice that sent chills up his spine. Ace?

Under an orange hat, two fierce eyes were glaring at him. Luffy would have hugged the man on the spot if not for the furious onslaught of Marines that attempted to hurt him. But as he dodged to the side, he stumbled slightly. Looking down, he saw a serious extent of injuries decorating his body.

Since when did he get hurt? Maybe it was from that weird fruit. Yeah, probably. But that didn't explain why Ace was here. Must be another nightmare. He had had a lot of those lately.

Suddenly, there was a rumble, one that shattered the ground and caused many to lose their footing. Ahead, the Marine Headquarters crumbled like a mountain split by an earthquake. It was soon followed by a wave of smoldering hot lava and a shout from one person to another. He recognized that voice, it was one he would never forget.

Akainu.

Luffy looked around wildly. He remembered now. These were the events of the Battle of Marineford. Pinching his arm—a trick Hancock had taught him after learning about his nightmares—Luffy checked to see if this was, indeed, all a dream.

Only the dull sensation of pain registered in his mind. Hancock had said that if it hurt, he was not in a dream. Luffy didn't quite understand what that meant, but got a general idea what Hancock had been trying to tell him, enough to know that something was not right.

There was another yell from Ace, one filled with rage. And with a slow feeling of horror, Luffy watched dancing flames erupt from Ace's body and head towards Akainu, only to be sucked into shimmering red and black walls of magma.

From then on, everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Luffy watched as Akainu's form appeared before him, fist cloaked in steaming magma. He watched as Ace let out a strangled cry, and began to jump in front of the attack in order to shield him from the blow.

Images of Ace dying at Akainu's hand flashed before his eyes repeatedly as someone had hit a replay button. He clutched his head, shaking it an in attempt to vanquish the scene. But it didn't stop, only ending with the picture of Ace in his arms, whispering his last words.

Luffy's feet moved mechanically, as if controlled by an otherworldly force. Distantly, he could hear the roar of the war surrounding him still to a soft drone. And then everything sped back up.

Liquid fire tore through his body. Hot, saliva like beads of magma spurted through the air accompanied by smaller drops of blood that quickly dissipated from the heat that surrounded them. The smell of burnt rubber permeated the air but surprisingly, Luffy couldn't feel anything.

He saw Akainu withdraw his fist, the marines and pirates around him pause in the middle of their battles, looks of astonishment, horror, or triumph decorating their expressions. But his view was lost as all strength left his body, making him land face-first into the unforgiving cement.

He could feel warm hands, shaking with something Luffy couldn't identify, gently pull him into the owner's lap. The distressed face of his brother appeared above him, tears crawling down his cheeks, nose running slightly, and his mouth scrunched up in an attempt to hold back sobs.

Luffy flashed a large grin. "Shishishi! I'm glad it wasn't you."

With a sinking heart, Ace watched as his little brother's head lolled back and eyes slowly close, smile still there. Voice choked with emotion, Ace hugged Luffy close to him, trying to pass all his warmth into his little brother's cold body.

"Why?"

A/N: Man, I love writing dramatic moments. They're so fun.

Just in case you're wondering, there will be a second chapter. This isn't a one-shot. And the title of this story (Mira Mira no Mi) is a shortened version of the word mirai, which means future. So in English it's the Future Future Fruit.

Please review!