A/N: I jumped in late on MarcoAce week…like really late. I didn't even know it was going on until like the 3rd day. So, here is day 7 (random)late and it is totally AU. I blame seeing repeated SAO commercials. This took forever because I type too much. The plot I had going was forcing my head to scream "7-10k" and my hands are going "Noooo 2k!" I ran out of words at 5, bleh. And I kept falling asleep while writing this. I've said this before (somewhere) but I have chronic insomnia so trying to get stuff done can sometimes be impossible. And no, I am not narcoleptic.

I'm positive the Navy scenes are inaccurate. Especially since you can't get me within 5 feet of water and you can't blow people up.

This hasn't been beta'd but I am going to be swamped in a day (and I keep falling asleep) so I had to rush the ending.

…

A False Reality

Ace turned over odd helmet in his hands. He had no idea why Sabo used this beyond the promise of virtual reality—every gamer's ultimate dream. He was lucky Sabo wasn't a hardcore gamer or he would never tear his brother away from the screen. As it was, it took a good hour to get him to power down the Intragear. Ace picked at the tiny electrode devices on the inside of the helmet. How did people become so willing to have those things attached to their nerves?

"Ace," Sabo sighed, "It's not going to bite you."

Ace yanked the helmet out of Sabo's reach before the other could snatch it. Sabo wouldn't sneak up on him this time! "It's bad enough you drag me to your gamer clubs." He spun the silver helmet in his hands again. He would rather be doing his daily workout in case he received an emergency call than play a stupid game. His reality was fine as it was; he didn't need to create a false illusion just to have fun. "…and you don't know that. What if there's a glitch? This brainchild of a mad scientist might fry my brain!"

"Just put the helmet on already. Luffy and I have already set you up an account and an avatar." Sabo plugged the end of the reality gear into the computer and nudged Ace out of the way. His fingers danced across the keyboard, bringing up a list of selectable games, and scrolled down to the favorites list. "I have a few games here that you might like. Do you like dragons and wizards?"

"If I liked that stuff, I would have played before the gear came out." Ace grumbled from his bed. Sabo hold stolen the chair—his favorite chair. Sabo slipped the device onto his head with a smug grin. Ace frowned and watched patiently as Sabo calibrated the helmet to record his basic data such facial distinctions and user profile.

"I've got just the game for you. What do you want your username to be?"

"Username?" A username as in those weird names like 'Istabyou' and 'Zxerona'? Coming up with cool names was not his forte. "I don't know."

"It can be based on anything—a pet, a profession, or made up."

"A profession?" Ace said, "How about 'Fire Fist." Fire Fist was the nickname given to him by all his comrades in the navy—an ironic nickname—from his tendencies to light everything on fire. What could he say though? He loved the way the burning flames ate away at everything.

A rhythmic tapping broke the silence. Regular keyboards were still popular seeing as the holographic ones were expensive. "Hm. Sounds good." Sabo pushed Ace onto his back and placed a tiny remote, single red button in the center, in his hands. "I'll be on in a bit to come meet you at the starting zone. I chose East Blue for you since it's the easiest starting point. Press the button whenever you're ready to start." Ace nodded and watched Sabo leave the room to prepare for his own game.

Which one did he pick? Ace flipped the visor down and his vision was shrouded in darkness. Sabo had told him it protected the eyes from damage while under immersion but Ace found the loss of a sense unnerving. For someone like him, who was always on the alert, sense deprivation was the worst possible scenario. Ace gingerly fingered the remote in his hand. He wasn't sure he wanted to make himself so vulnerable for an hour of play.

Taking a calming breath, he mashed the button down and jolted forward as his muscles locked and his senses went haywire. Colors flashed around his mind, forcing his eyes to roll in a vain attempt to block out the temporary overload. The multitude of colors faded and Ace found himself on a dusty ground gasping for breath and shaking uncontrollably.

The quiet chattering of birds compounded with the warm sensation of the sun burning against his back as the wind caressed his skin. The all too familiar scent of the sea carried by the wind touched his nose. Ace forced his wobbly legs to stand and he gasped as he took in the scenery. The hill he stood on overlooked a quaint village located by an expansive ocean. Sabo had a knack for picking out all the things he loved.

"You must be new." Ace spun around and found an elderly man staring up at him. "What is your name stranger?"

The words popped out of his mouth before he could comprehend the question, "Fire Fist." Ace clamped his hands over his mouth. The program must be designed to automatically force a response in regards to a name. Ace already knew he would hate virtual reality. Letting his body be controlled in such a way did not count in the top of "things to do before I die" list.

"Fire Fist hm? I've seen all sorts of men." The man eyed him with suspicion. "Where do you fall under?" A blue holographic menu screen popped up with the words Pirate, Marine, Bounty Hunter, and Revolutionary displayed as separate choices. In parenthesis, it said 'you can change your profession at the profession headquarters found in each section of the Blue Sea.

Sabo didn't explain a damn thing to me! How am I supposed to pick one of these? I'll choose the one that sounds like the most fun. "Pirate." Ace tapped the button.

"A pirate, eh? I would be careful if I were you. Marines like to hang around this island." The man lifted a bony finger and pointed at the dense vegetation behind them. "But maybe we can make a deal. I'll give you a boat if you capture a boar from the forest. I've been running low on money but an old man like me can't hunt for food."

"A boar?" Great, this was already lame. There goes Sabo's 'ingenious plan' to get Ace to hang out with him online. "Sure, whatever. I won't be able to advance unless I do anyway." Ace turned back to the overgrown forest with a grimace on his face. This would be easy.

"Be careful, miss." Ace screamed when he looked down.

Why the hell was he a female?

…

"Get this thing off of me!" Ace shouted as the boar came charging at him. How did the controls in this game work? Swinging your fists didn't work how it should. "Virtual reality sucks! You hear me Sabo?"

The animal came crashing into him as his fist narrowly missed the gigantic enraged boar. Ace swore he felt something crack before he hit the ground and the screen went black. Game over. Five minutes into the game and he died. His body lurched forward on the bed as his senses returned to the normal world. Growling in anger, he tore the helmet from his head, and watched with satisfaction as the helmet slammed into the wall.

"Luffy!" Ace called downstairs for his younger brother.

"Yeah?"

"I'm headed out." Tomorrow was Sabo's birthday and he still didn't have the gift prepared between his work and Sabo's unceasing attempts at getting him into virtual reality gaming. "Do you want to come with me?" There were hollers of joy as Luffy shuffled around to gather up his mess. A loud crash followed a moment later.

"Sorry! Ace, was the vase on the stand important? Whatever. It's broken now. Sabo won't be too mad will he?"

"Luffy…"

"Yeah?"

"We have to clean it up as soon as possible!"

Sabo was going to be pissed if he found out his favorite vase was broken and Ace didn't want to be anywhere near that explosion. He would definitely be blamed for starting the incident. Rule number one—never let Luffy gather his own things. Something always gets broken when he does.

"Luffy, Ace…what was that sound?"

"Crap! Run Luffy, run!" Ace shouted as Sabo leaned over the upstairs banister. The throbbing vein in Sabo's forehead could be seen from the second floor as he reached for the pipe he always kept handy.

"Get back here!" Ace turned to see Sabo dashing after them, an absolutely irate expression on his face. "That vase was a gift! A two hundred dollar gift from Koala! Ace, don't you dare corrupt Luffy!"

"Sorry Sabo!" Ace said "I didn't like the game!"Sabo paused and pulled up a holographic screen. He read a few details before wicked grin split his face.

"I can't believe it! The great Navy Captain got killed by a boar!"

"It's not funny!" Ace swung around the street corner with the blood hound Sabo not faltering a step. "Besides, why am I a girl in the game?"

"Blame Luffy."

"Ah," Luffy held up his hands in peace, "I can explain." Ace stalked closer to his brother and Luffy backed away. "Wait!"

"It better be a damn good reason." Luffy's shuffled nervously, whistling to himself, as he looked at any spot other than Ace. "Well?"

"I thought you would like feeling pretty."

"Get back here you little—!" Sabo rubbed his temple and sighed as Ace and Luffy ran circles around him having completely forgotten that they broke his precious va—his vase!

"Hey! You owe me money for the vase!"

…

"Oh, Ace!" Marco greeted his caffeine deprived coworker as he stumbled through the door. "Rough night yoi?"

Ace held up his index finger and grumbled, "Luffy," from his spot on the floor. The sound of snoring reached his ears and Marco sighed. Normally, the Navy would never let a severe narcoleptic in but Garp had pulled favors and somehow gotten his grandson a spot in the Navy. Despite his limitation and outward appearance, Ace could handle high pressure situations and generally managed his narcolepsy with only the occasional face plant. Setting the steaming cup of black coffee beside Ace's head, he sat in a nearby stool while he waited for his coworker to awaken.

His cellphone vibrated in his pocket and Marco glared at the caller id. Thatch had a nasty habit of always calling him during duty; he was lucky he had time due to Ace's mishap. He slid the answer button on his smartphone and reluctantly said, "What is it Thatch?"

"Marco! How's work going?"

"I was getting ready to start my shift before you called yoi."

"Sorry about that! I wanted to call and ask if you were going to be on tonight."

Ace began to stir on the floor. It was time for him to get off the phone and get to work. They had recruits to train. "Yeah. I've got to go yoi."

"Great! You haven't been to the gamer's club in a while. Pops is getting worried."

"Work has been real busy lately," Marco glanced at the dazed Ace, "Ace hasn't been sleeping well either yoi."

"You talk about him all the time. He seems like a great guy. Have you thought about inviting him to the club?"

"He doesn't like video games. There was an incident."

"Marco!" Ace asked, "Are you done on the phone? The new recruits need their water combat tests!"

Marco cupped his hand over the receiver of the phone, "Yeah." He removed his hand and continued, "I got to go yoi. I'll be at the club tonight."

"Wai—!" Marco hung up, turned off the power, and placed the cellphone in his pocket. If anyone needed him, they would text him on the work phone. He stared at Ace, a smirk growing on his face, and pointed out the window to the water field. "You ready to torture some new recruits?"

Ace cackled as he held up a lighter. "They're going to be fired up for this event."

There was a reason why they were the most feared instructors in the Navy.

…

Ace scribbled away notes of the newest recruits. Ace designed the course based on his training with Garp's insane training methods. He understood why Garp made him run it now that he joined the Navy—it was hilarious as hell. Ace's loved adding fiery explosions on the course and watching the recruits fly overboard and the best part about all of it was that they couldn't sue him for reckless training the moment they signed the paper. "Have they hit the fire trap yet?"

"Hm," Marco said, "I think that Helmeppo kid is getting close."

"Who names their kid Helmeppo?"

"Ace."

Ace adjusted his favorite cowboy and stared at Marco's blank expression."Yeah?"

"Have you seen your younger brother's last name? Have you seen your middle name?"

"The name suits him and D. is a perfectly legitimate middle name."

"That's not the poi—"A loud boom erupted across the center. The trainee bout swayed on the violent waves. It rocked back in forth, fire spurting into the sky, as the crew members screamed and dove into the violent water to escape the encroaching fire on deck. "What a bad time for the wave generator to go off yoi."

Ace held up his microphone when the last contestant on the obstacle course dove into the water. "You are the sorriest lot I have seen! All of you fail!" The water settled down and the recruits forced their bedraggled forms out of the pool. "I want a hundred laps! We're going to try this again each week until you get it!" Ace relaxed back on his seat and watched the exhausted recruits scurry past.

"Ace, Thatch invited you down to the gamer's club tonight. Everybody wants to meet you yoi."

"Sorry Marco. Sabo and Luffy have been begging me to play One Piece with them," Ace smirked, "But we can go get a drink if you want."

"I can't. I have to head over as soon as I get off. I promised Thatch."

"Some other time then?" Marco eyes Ace's tense figure—the lonely expression in his eyes—and the crossed arms. Ace always looked alone—perhaps that is what drew him to the boy. Both his parents were dead and now he took care of Luffy and money issues while Sabo worked to make his game company go big. Between the two brothers and his work reputation, Ace got little to no time for hanging out with others.

"I'll plan for it yoi."

…

Sabo's rambles could last for two hours straight and he would never notice. Usually, Ace would fall asleep twice, wake up twice, and he would still be talking about the latest technology in virtual reality gaming. His newest project involved some kind of Revolutionary Army, but Ace lost track of his explanation on the plot an hour and a half ago. "Ace," he said, "Are you listening?"

"Huh?" Ace blinked, weariness weighing down his senses, as he sat up in the chair. Sabo rubbed his temple with a sigh.

"You know," he said picking up the intragear, "you can use this to rest in half the normal time period? Playing the game is almost equivalent to REM sleep."

"I told you I didn't like it." Sabo shoved the helmet into his arms. Ace held it awkwardly in his hands. He hated the infernal machine. It seemed hell bent on finding a way back into Ace's hands no matter how many times he tossed it out the window or hid it under furniture.

"I've been doing studies on the effects of virtual reality on the mind. Several people told me there sleep improved at night from playing during the day. With your narcolepsy, it might do you some good."

"Did I tell you I fell asleep in the game too?" Sabo stared at him for a moment.

"I don't even know how to respond to that." Sabo clicked the game icon on the screen. "Just put on the helmet. Luffy and I will me be there to help you this time. No running off!"

"I got it," Ace grumbled as he stuck on the helmet, "just press the stupid button."

"Luffy is waiting for you in town."

"Got it." Sabo pressed the button and the colors blurred together. Ace clenched his fists. There was no way this game could be fun, right?

…

Chirping birds and gentle wind greeted Ace once more the moment his form phased back into the world. The accursed old man sat in front of him complete with a cane, a smile, and a heap of 'help me' quests. "Have you gotten the boar meat yet?" happened to be the first thing out of his mouth.

"Screw your boar meat old man! I was maimed twice!" Ace said, "I'm leaving!"

"My name is Woop Slap not old man!" The sound of rushing wind forced Ace's head to turn on instinct. A wooden cane smacked him directly in the face sending him hurtling down the hill. Woop Slap leaned over the edge and shouted, "Serves you right! Get out of our town you mangy pirate"

"WHAT KIND OF GAME MAKES NPCS ATTACK YOU?"

…

"My name's Makino."

"Really?" Ace leaned on his elbow and angrily sipped at his beer. Luffy sat beside him with a large glass of orange juice in his hands while he talked animatedly with the bartender woman known as Makino. Ace deduced she was not a computer generated character but after the incident with Woop Slap he couldn't be entirely sure whether or not a player was a human. "I would've never guessed."

What was amazing was the beer in this game. You could taste it and get drunk even if you weren't actually drinking it in real life. So, you could take off the helmet and be hangover free provided you didn't drink for four hours straight in game. There were already a few incidences of new players drinking way too much in the bar and killing themselves; the poor saps were forced to start over with an empty inventory.

"So Luffy, did you two figure out how to work the controls yet?"

"Shishishi, Ace got killed five times before he figured out how to aim."

"Hey!" Ace slammed a fist on the bar counter shouting, "You got killed twice as much as I did!"

"Calm down Ace! I'm sure Luffy didn't mean anything bad by it."

"He made my character a female! A female! I'm a man!" Ace slumped back onto the bar table with a groan. Maybe he could have Sabo hack into the system and change his gender. "Where's Sabo? I need him to change this now."

"He ran off," Luffy responded cheerfully. "He said I could handle things."

"Any idea where he is?"

"If I may," Makino began, "He might be over in the New World battling for territories. It happens all the time. He's high level right?"

Ace pushed his drink away and placed the change on the table. He was going to chase after the idiot. "He's only been playing this damn game for five years." Ace tugged Luffy's arm, "Let's go Lu."

"No! I'm not done eating yet!"

"Luffy! Let go!"

"No!"

"Fine! Leave whenever you feel like it! I'll start my own crew and hunt down Sabo myself!"

…

The Moby Dick and its fleet was the largest and most heavily guarded naval force in the entire virtual game world. If it were to be put into real value, it would easily top fifty million dollars in construction costs alone yet the crew didn't mind. Known as Whitebeard to the gaming community, Edward Newgate created the largest crew in the entire world of One Piece. Out of respect and admiration, the crew affectionately called him pops. This guild stretched far beyond standard ideals—even going as far as to call each other family.

Marco, commander of the first division, gauged the situation they were about to delve straight into. The revolutionary army and its chief of staff, Outlook, were going head to head with the Marine's Admiral Red Dog while the Whitebeard Pirates sat off at a distance watching the territory war consume the island. They couldn't allow them to gain any more resources. Pirates once ruled the seas but now the new Marine faction garnered control of all the resources. Being reset to zero because of a mistake did not factor into the equation of beating the game.

There was a buzzing in in his back pocket; his baby denden mushi was going off. "Thatch, what wrong?"

"Marco! You've been spotted! Pops is ordering us to fall back."

"This is getting ridiculous. We're losing territory yoi."

"I can't help it. The second division needs a new commander but we haven't found the right person."

"I know a guy who would be perfect but he doesn't play game yoi."

"It's Ace isn't it?"

"Yeah. He told me earlier he was going to be playing the game because of his brothers but I have no idea what his user id is so I can't add him."

"Better get on it then. People have been bailing out of second division. Teach is trying to keep it together but he's not leader material."

Marco scratched his cheek out of habit. It was true that the second division was the worst link in the division right now. There were no competent people who could takeover; as soon as they found a person, they got left to join the other sides. The recent player buffs to both the revolutionaries and the marines did nothing to spur on players to continue pirating. "I'll try to find Ace. He'll take some work but I can't name a better guy yoi."

…

Several weeks passed and Ace found himself wishing he had tried this game sooner. Perhaps, one day, he would tell Marco but the man had been sent out for training in another state. Thus, Ace found his days full of torturing recruits, seeking adventure, and helping Sabo modify his newest intrgear helmets for the company. Now, if only he could get the stubborn blonde to turn his avatar back into a male he would be set.

The reflective surface of the virtual ocean caught the sun's rays, dazzling Ace as he sailed into port. He had yet to build a crew nor did he have the time to constantly maintain a position as captain but frequently meeting others and exploring all the nuances of the world helped to stave off the boredom. This time the island's trees stretched high into the sky, a smoky scent drifting in the air, with a soft orange glow constantly emitted from the vegetation.

"This is a strange place…" Ace muttered as he stepped off of his rickety sailboat, "the forest looks like it's on fire." Ace ran his hand along the leaf of a tropical plant. "It's warm." Shifting the pack on his back, he braced himself for whatever would pop out of the forest; he didn't want another Tyrannosaurus ambush. A tide of nervousness welled up in his throat the moment he passed the invisible barrier into the sweltering, humid forest. Something was here—something big.

Sitting on the ground, flowing with power, was a Devil Fruit.

…

"The name's Phoenix," Ace stared at the extended hand. Did he expect him to shake it? "Well?"

Ace took the offered hand, "Fire Fist," he replied apprehensively. For a member of the Whitebeard Pirates to take an interest in him, Ace wondered what he had done to merit their attention. "What's up?"

"I witnessed your fight earlier with those Marines—you have a devil fruit. Let's me say that we're currently missing a commander and I think you fit the bill."

"What would I get out of it?"

"I heard you're looking for the revolutionary army's chief of staff, Outlook." Marco smirked, arms crossed behind his head, as he reclined in his wooden chair. "Join us and you will be able to see him. We fight all the time."

"You can guarantee that I get a shot at beating him up?" Marco raised an eyebrow at the comment but shrugged it off. Outlook must've done something terrible to the kid to warrant his hostility.

"Yea."

"Alright," Ace said, "I'm in."

…

"Phoenix," Ace glared at the man beside him, "Do you mind telling me why we can't leave this island?"

"A server glitch. It happens yoi."

"Did you just say yoi?"

"Yeah? What's wrong?" Ace eyed the details of the man's features. They were skewed slightly and the hair and eyes were black but he could see similarities between Marco and this man in front of him.

"You would happen to be named 'Marco' would you?"

"Ace?" Marco took in the gender swapped version of Ace—the features matched. "No way! Why are you a female yoi?"

"Luffy." Marco nodded. It had Luffy's brand of mischief written all over it. With a smirk, he pointed in the direction of the town.

"Why don't we head down to the bar for a drink? I told you I would hang out with you later."

"Only if you pay!"

…

I hate my ending. It was supposed to be funny. I'll rewrite the alternate sometime and post it for you guys but for now it's not going to go. I'll be writing more one-shots and posting them on FF and Tumblr later. I'm also working on some art for silence of the soul write now. My progress is horrible! Don't expect quick updates this month either. DC and AL should be up soon but I'm slowing down a bit so I don't run out of steam.

And for all those who have favorite, follow, and review my stories, thanks so much! I love you guys!