East Blue was the weakest of the four Blues. This was a well known fact. Nobody ever argued against this fact, yet here were three boys who shattered that fact at its very core. While only one had been born here in East Blue, the other two had lived here all their lives, so they were as much a resident of East Blue as the blond-haired boy was.

Sabo was the smartest of the three and also the oldest. He reigned the other two in whenever they needed it, not that such a thing was needed often. The blond also seemed to be a brilliant strategist.

Ace… Ace was a perfect blend of Rouge and Roger, with his mother's gentleness and affection for her loved ones and his father's dogged determination in facing down someone who threatened his loved ones, yet he was so very much his own person. It was almost like being with his former Captain all over again, watching how Ace mothered his siblings, and that is exactly what they were.

Finally there was Luffy. Even though he was completely unrelated to Roger by blood, the mere sight of the youngest boy evoked such a strong sense of the late Pirate King that he was certain he carried his Will. It was frightening how naturally he led the young trio wherever they went, and the boys could be found everywhere.

His very first run-in with the young trio had been memorable, in that he and his crew had arrived at Fuusha and had gone straight to the local tavern, where a group of bandits had taken over the dining room and were harassing the barmaid, a slender woman with shoulder length black hair and a patterned kerchief tied over it. She smiled despite the rudeness of her patrons, even if it didn't quite reach her eyes, as she flitted from table to table refilling their drinks.

One of the bandits, a greasy, sallow-faced man, had the audacity to rise from his seat as she went past his table and grabbed her by the waist. The empty mugs on her tray clinked and clattered, but the hand holding it aloft was steady enough that the tray didn't tip over, not even when the bandit boldly grabbed her ass. "C'mon, honey, why don't w-" He was suddenly cut off by an arm wrapping around his throat not once, like a normal human arm, but several times with an elasticity that only rubber had.

Devil fruit user.

There was no way around that little tidbit. Whoever that elastic arm belonged to was a devil fruit user, and they had spectacular control over their ability given that the bandit hadn't been pulled back towards where the arm came from at the opposite end of the tavern. It would have pulled the barmaid with the bandit, and would have sent her heavy tray of dirty cups crashing to the ground.

"Let Makino-san go," a surprisingly young voice commanded from beside the bandit. A young boy, possibly nine years old, with wavy jet black hair and achingly familiar features had seemingly appeared from thin air. At least that is what it looked like to the bandits.

It was a blink and you would miss it kind of thing, but Shanks had been paying attention and had seen the boy move from the back of the room, where the stretched arm originated from, with a speed that no one in East Blue should be capable of. Vice Admirals and up in the Marines were capable of such speeds, as were a good number of pirates who had made it past the first half of the Grand Line, otherwise known as Paradise. That a mere nine year old boy from East Blue could pull off that speed meant something. And as for who-

"You were warned," a second young voice stated as another boy appeared on the other side of Makino and the bandit. He had short, curly blond hair peeking out from under the top hat he wore, his eyes hidden by the brim. His lips were pressed together into a thin line, with a very slight downward curve at the corners of his mouth to indicate that he was scowling.

It was clear that these children meant business, yet the trapped bandit decided ignore the obvious signs and reached up to tug at the arm firmly wrapped around his throat. It didn't budge, but the two boys on either side of him moved, using precision far beyond their years to hit very specific pressure points that forced the bandit to let go of Makino.

As soon as she was freed Makino expertly twirled away from the bandit and the boys, as though this were an every day occurrence, and calmly proceeded to the back of the tavern house. "Please try to keep the damage to a minimum, boys," she called out as she took the tray of filthy glasses to the back to wash them.

"We'll add the cost of any damages to their tab, Makino-san," the blond boy called out almost jovially, and after a few seconds, almost like an afterthought, he added, "He's all yours, Lu."

The rubbery arm around the bandit's throat tightened and then the bandit was pulled back towards the bar where, standing atop one of the stools, there was a boy that was a few years younger by the look of him, and he looked pissed. As the bandit flew closer to him, the arm unwound from his throat and the boy drew his opposite arm back to unleash an overhand punch and drive the bandit headfirst through the floor.

None of the other bandits had moved by this point, in fact they seem rather cowed, and even when the dust and debris settled they all remained at their tables, frozen. It completely went against what Shanks had seen in regards to any other groups of bandits he and his crew had come across prior. For several heartbeats they sat there, their attention fixated on the boy at the bar. In return the boy looked them over before he finally directed his gaze at Shanks. There was a very minute, blink and you'll miss it look of recognition before a very closed off expression took over the boy's features.

"Makino-san, you have more customers," he called out in a weirdly flat tone, his gaze boring into Shanks'.

"Hai, hai, Luffy. Make some room for them, please," the barmaid called out all too happily from the back of the tavern.

It was at this sudden announcement that all of the bandits scrambled from their tables and practically stampeded out of the tavern, forcing Shanks and his crew to move aside, but not without paying for their respective tabs and, it seemed, the cost of the damages from the rather one-sided fight. The older, dark-haired boy went around collecting the money while the younger one, Luffy, used his devil fruit ability to collect the dishes and send them to the back where Makino was.

"Please excuse the mess and sit wherever you like," the blond boy directed to the Pirates with a vaguely cheeky smile. Without sparing another second of his attention on the Pirates he turned and went over to the still unconscious bandit and easily dragged him out of the hole. He gave the hole a critical once over then nodded to himself and proceeded to unceremoniously drag the bandit out of the front door past the Pirates.

Shanks watched as the boy dumped the bandit in the middle of the road then disappeared off to the right. He wondered just where the boy was going, but it really wasn't that important. "Come on, men, let's help these kids clean up." He moved further into the tavern, his crew following after without question.

"Oh no, we insist that you gentlemen take a seat," Makino said as she reappeared from the back of the tavern, holding up a tray of fresh mugs filled to the brim with beer. She made her way around the cleaned up tables and began setting them down, at which the pirate crew needed no further prompting. She smiled brightly when they sat down, her beaming gaze coming to rest on Shanks who was the last one left standing.

"Well since you insist, Makino-san," Shanks replied with a weak smile and walked up to the bar where the curiosity that was Luffy was now sitting down at. "Mind if I sit here, kid?" He motioned to the stool next to the one the boy occupied, his smile growing when Luffy glanced at him. "That was a pretty impressive punch you used back there."

Luffy's closed off expression wavered into a small grin, happiness sparking in his eyes at the mention of his punch being impressive. "You think so?"

Shanks took this as an invite to sit next to Luffy and gave the boy his undivided attention. The punch had been pretty impressive, the control of it coupled with Luffy's devil fruit ability piquing his interest. "I think it was cool, especially with how you used your devil fruit ability. You handled that situation pretty well."

Luffy's expression shut back down immediately at the mention of his devil fruit power and he shuffled a bit on his stool as he looked away from Shanks. He looked like he was going to say something but stopped himself when the older brunet appeared on his other side.

"Help me count the money for Makino-san, Luffy." The older boy looked remarkably familiar for reasons that Shanks didn't understand at the time, but his intervention seemed to be welcomed on Luffy's end.

"Okay, Ace." Luffy's mood seemed to lift immediately with Ace's presence, a much more genuine smile blossoming on his face as he looked to who Shanks assumed to be his brother.

"I'll leave you boys be," Shanks said as he started to get up, only to be stopped when Luffy's hand shot out to grab the edge of his sleeve. Without even looking in his direction.

"Actually, Pirate-san, could you tell us about your adventures?" Luffy asked as he turned back to Shanks, letting go of his sleeve.

Shanks glanced at Ace over Luffy's head, the older boy eyeing him with a slight smile, then back at Luffy. "Absolutely, but call me Shanks," he exclaimed with an enthusiastic grin.

-CtC-

"Man, Lu, I thought you would have been more excited to see Shanks again," Ace commented as he flopped down onto the bed they shared despite Makino's insistence that they all have their own beds. That had ended up with them pushing all three of the beds together to make a ridiculously larger bed in the center of their room. It had been a logistical nightmare to organize at first, but Sabo had made it work out in the end.

"I feel like I let him down," Luffy muttered into his pillow, which resulted in Ace smacking the back of his head.

"You're not back there anymore, baka, and you will save your Nakama when the time comes." Ace curled up next to him and slung an arm around his middle, dragging Luffy closer to him.

"We will save them," Sabo corrected as he finished filling out their latest excursions in the journal he kept for them. He set the book aside so that the ink could dry then joined his brothers on the bed.

Luffy smiled as Sabo occupied the space behind him and joined Ace in draping an arm over him. They always seemed to know just what he needed most, and Ace seemed especially attuned to his emotions. "You guys are the best," he whispered with tears forming.

"And you're the best little brother either of us could have hoped for," Ace said in a low, soft tone, to which Sabo nodded. "Now go to sleep, Lu. Tomorrow is a new day."

Luffy rubbed the tears from his eyes and turned onto his side to face Ace. "Goodnight, Ace-nii-chan, Sabo-nii-chan." He tucked his head under Ace's chin and closed his eyes. Within minutes he was asleep, something that no longer surprised the older two boys.

"You know, Ace, you should ask Shanks about your dad," Sabo whispered, not so much because he was afraid of waking Luffy, but because the subject was quite touchy with Ace.

Ace frowned at the suggestion instead of his normal reaction which was to explode with anger. He studied Sabo for several long moments, mulling over the thought of asking Shanks about his dad. "Everything I've heard about him up till now has been about how terrible he was, how much everyone hated him and that I shouldn't have been born."

Sabo remained silent as Ace spoke, as this was something that his friend and brother hadn't willingly spoken of before. With all of the points that he had brought up it made sense as to why he reacted the way he did whenever Roger was brought up. It had all changed when Luffy had forced his way into their lives. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I think I need to," Ace admitted with a little hesitation. "It might not change how I feel about him, but then at least I'll have a better idea of who he was."

"You'll still be you, Ace," Sabo replied confidently, because like Ace and Luffy not caring about him being a noble, Ace's parentage didn't matter either. "Our brother."

A warm smile broke out on Ace's face and he nudged Sabo's arm with his own in a silent thank you. Luffy stirred slightly at the action only to snuggle closer to Ace and settled back into sleep instantly. "We should go to sleep too."

"Yeah…. G'night, Ace. You too, Luffy." A small grin formed on Sabo's face and he shifted closer to Luffy once more, closing the slight gap the sleeping boy had made. The blond closed his eyes with a happy sigh and laid there listening to their breathing. Ace's evened out and synced with Luffy's in a matter of minutes, the soothing and rhythmic sound lulling him to sleep.

-CtC-

Shanks had been puttering around his cabin on the Red Force for the better part of the morning, the boys from the tavern on his mind. As far as he had been aware, they had all been born in East Blue, yet their fighting capabilities were on par with someone who had been through Paradise. They were only children!

Children did not run bandits out of taverns. They did not have fighting capabilities on par with pirates and marines of Paradise. They most certainly weren't standing in front of him without him having noticed them come in.

"Ne, Shanks, we were wondering if you could tell us about the Pirate King," the one called Luffy said without it even sounding like a question. He stood in front of his brothers, rather he was placed more directly in front of Ace and his expression was once again unreadable. Was this a test of some sort?

Whatever this was, Shanks knew it had to at least be important so he was going to bite. "Well, first off, Gold Roger was my Captain," he started slowly, using the accursed false name the World Government had taken to calling him so that the world would remain unaware that he was a D.

"Gol D. Roger," the boy behind Luffy started suddenly and moved from behind the protective rubber boy. "His name was Gol D. Roger."

In that instant Shanks had something of an epiphany, a spark of realization flashing through his expression as the three boys basically stared him down. Their asking of Roger was for a very personal reason, and he was almost certain that he could guess as to what that was. "Yes, yes it is," he mumbled out of shock. "Are you…?"

Ace shifted uncomfortably at the unfinished question and gave a very faint nod. "I'm his son, Ace."

The smile that split Shanks' face was genuine and it did not go unnoticed by him that Luffy gave a small smile of his own. Likewise the tension that seemed to permeate through the room vanished and he gestured for the boys to come sit. "As I was saying, Roger was my Captain and as fearsome as everyone claimed him to be, he cared for his crew a great deal."

-CtC-

Shanks smiled fondly at the hat in his hand as he stood on the dock where the Red Force was moored. Several of his crew members were milling about the dock, transferring the crates of supplies they would need to kick off the next leg of their journey onto the deck and finally into the hold. He looked up at the pattering of three sets of tiny feet on the dock and grinned when he saw it was the boys coming to see him off. They had changed so much in that short year, Luffy the most of all.

"Ne, Shanks, I wish you would at least come back and visit," the youngest of the three whined slightly and launched himself at Shanks' legs.

"Kid, I'd give up my arm for you," he patted Luffy's hair, not failing to notice that the boy had stiffened at that sentence. He didn't dare press for an answer, and instead placed the hat on Luffy's head with a gentler smile. "But I'll give you this instead." A brief glance at Sabo and Ace, who had held back a few feet away, revealed that they were both smiling. "Roger would have wanted you to have it."

Luffy looked stunned as he pulled away from Shanks, and he hesitantly reached up to clutch at the brim of the old straw hat with tears forming in his eyes. "I…. Thank you, Shanks! I'll keep it safe." Even if he didn't deserve to wear this hat again.

"And we'll take care of Luffy," Ace added and came up behind his brother to draw him into a one-armed hug.

"With those devil fruits you snatched from under my nose last month?" Shanks' tone was one of amusement as he eyed the boys, making both Sabo and Ace fidget uncomfortably. Luffy, however, just wiped his unfallen tears away and gave him a cheeky grin. "I'm not mad, neither is my crew. We all know you three are more than capable of handling yourselves. Just don't terrorize the villagers."

"Eh, we have better things to do than to terrorize Fuusha," Luffy stated with a peculiar smile.

"Should I be worried about anything you three have planned?" Shanks asked half-heartedly.

"Well storming Enies Lobby, breaking into and out of Impel Down and invading Marineford is a long ways off, so no, not really," Sabo said with a completely straight face.

"Uh…" Shanks honestly did not know what to say to that, and where had the boys even heard of those places? He glanced at each of them, noting that Ace and Luffy also had serious expressions fixed in place. The silence that followed was heavy, but it didn't last as Luffy broke out into a fit of giggles. The atmosphere immediately relaxed and the red-haired pirate realized that he had been had as Sabo and Ace grinned.

"Our Gramps is a Vice Admiral," Ace explained nonchalantly, his grin widening. "Garp the Fist."

"He's due back for another visit too, so you guys should leave soon." Luffy adjusted the old straw on his head, tipping it back so that his face wasn't obscured by the shadow it cast, and gave Shanks a warm smile. "We'll meet again on the seas, right Shanks?"

He really didn't want to process what he was being told, even though it changed nothing. He knew very well who Garp was, and he was making connections that would never be revealed to the world. A Marine had risked life and limb for the son of Gol D. Roger, and not just any Marine. Garp the Fist was a legend, even now. The man also had a heart, evidenced by the fact that Ace was here, hidden away from the world and those that would seek to harm him.

"Yeah, we will. I look forward to the day we meet again and seeing how much stronger all three of you have grown." Shanks gave them a broad grin, the thought that they would do anything dangerous pushed out of his mind. They were all kids, as far as he was aware, and credited what Sabo had said as simply that, a kid saying something they didn't mean. With a wave he turned and walked up the gangplank onto the Red Force, not even realizing just how wrong he was.