This is a spinoff/prequel-of-sort to an amazing one-shot by Tonko called "Overlap", which can be found at this link: (insert website name) s/7446264/1/Overlap (Geez, it's so hard to post links here, sorry this was the best I could do)

The original story consists of Zoro falling (quite literally) into an alternate version of the Thousand Sunny, in a world where each of their crew members were replaced by their counterparts. So Ace as captain instead of Luffy, Kuina for Zoro, Kaya-Usopp, Nojiko-Nami, Gin-Sanji, Lucky Jumper (an OC lapahn who ate the Hito Hito no Mi instead)-Chopper, Bon Clay-Robin, Paulie-Franky, Perona-Brook. A crew that was similar, yet so different. Another key difference is Ace and Luffy's ages are also inverted, with Luffy being the older brother.

I asked for permission to do a spinoff from Tonko and got the green light to go ahead, so here it is! Thank you, Tonko!

This fic shows snapshots of some key events in the timeline, and I'll be exploring some of the differences in that would result from such a situation and also reasons being certain intention-changes (Ace is the one who wants to be the Pirate King in the AU; Luffy's presumably with Whitebeard, it wasn't explicitly stated in Tonko's work but it will be in this one). I relied on my own gut feeling to decide which canon "Luffy-events" to keep with Luffy and which to switch between the brothers, and I really do like how it turned out.

I hope that you'll like it as much as I do!

Enough talk for now, read on!

"Don't expect us to feed you, brat! You're going to be taking care of your own needs! Do you have anything to say?"

Ten year old Monkey D. Luffy beamed. "Yup! I hate bandits!"

"Hi, I'm Luffy! I'm a rubber boy! Shhee?" The end was punctuated by an unnatural stretching of his cheek, followed by a rather painful-sounding thwack as he let it go.

The freckled boy crossed his arms, unimpressed. "What kind of stupid power is rubber?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm gonna make it cool!" Luffy grinned at him, completely unaffected by his coldness. "Anyway, you're Ace, aren't you? You can be my little brother!"

Ace twitched. "Who'd be your little brother, you idiot!" Growling, he landed a solid kick on the older boy's forehead. It was rather unsatisfying that an imprint didn't form at the impact, the skin yielding weirdly. Rubber, Ace recalled.

Irritation growing, he stomped as hard as he could on the other's foot (it didn't look like it hurt at all, damn it!) before streaking off deeper into the jungle.

It had been a week since the crazy older boy had arrived at the mountain hideout, and he was proving to be an absolute nuisance to the youngest resident.

"Ace~~~!"

The younger boy balked, increasing his pace. "Argh! Leave me alone!"

Luffy's extended arm latched onto a branch that he had just passed. "Don't wanna, shishishi! Gomu Gomu no Slingshot!"

"GYAAAH!" Ace yelped as a solid body crashed into him from behind, sending them both tumbling into the underbrush.

"Shishishi, I caught you, Ace."

A rock collided with his face. "Leave me alone!"

Dogra shook his head as he took in Luffy's battered appearance, contrasting to Ace's mutinous expression as he stomped into the hut.

"You really don't know when to give up, do you?"

"Nope! I'm gonna get Ace to like me, and we'll be friends! No, better than friends, he'll be my brother." Luffy beamed, heedless of how the mix of dried blood and dirt on his forehead cracked away. "I've always wanted a brother!"

"Acceee! Acccccceeeee!" Luffy picked his way over the mountains of rotting trash and debris that littered the place. "What is this place? It stinks!" Luffy looked around. "Where did Ace go?"

His face lit up when he heard Ace's voice nearby, talking to an unfamiliar boyish voice. A new friend! And what they were talking about…

"Pirate ship!? You guys want to be pirates!? Me too!" Grinning, he scaled the tree easily, unheeding of the two younger boys' stunned and aggravated expressions. He beamed at the blond boy.

"Hi, I'm Luffy, Ace is my little brother! Are you Ace's friend? We can be brothers too!"

"Who's your little brother!?" the freckled boy yelled, a vein popping out of his forehead in annoyance.

"Ace?" The blond shot a wary sideways look to his friend, asking for confirmation on what to do.

Ace narrowed his eyes coldly. "Let's kill him."

Sabo shifted his stance. "Agreed."

Luffy pouted. "That's not nice, you know." The two boys ignored him as they kicked him off the tree as one, intent on knocking him out then tying him up. Unluckily for them, Luffy's rubber properties made him practically immune to the fall, and eventually he was the one who trapped both of them together in the rubbery vice of his stretched arms.

"GYAAAHH! GO AWAY!"

Luffy grinned. "Don't wanna."

"DAMMIT!"

"Hey, I hear voices! Childrens' voices!"

Three pairs of eyes collectively widened. Luffy just had enough time to throw his two captives into the nearest foliage before a bunch of men rounded a heap of rubbish and caught sight of him. He froze, determined not to make any sort of movement that would reveal the younger boys' location. Thankfully, the pair made no sound even as he was hauled up by the back of his t-shirt.

"Huh, it's a different brat."

"I'm sure I heard that damn kid Ace's voice just now!"

The man holding him, presumably the leader, narrowed his eyes at him. "Hey kid, why don't you tell us what you know? You know them, don't you?"

"Know who?"

"Don't play stupid! About those brats! Ace and Sabo!"

"What's a Sabo? Is it a kind of food? Is it yummy?"

A vein throbbed in Porchemy's forehead. "Are you taking us for idiots?"

Luffy dug a finger into his nostril. "I dunno. Am I?"

The pirate's face was turning puce. "You asked for it, brat!" Without warning, he flung Luffy to the ground and slammed an enormous hammer down onto him, flattening him to the ground. "HAHA! Not so good now, are you?"

In the bushes, Ace clapped a hand over Sabo's mouth before his gasp could be heard. His eyes watched the scene sharply, feeling uneasy even though he knew of Luffy's abilities. That attack looked really powerful… He let out the breath he was unconsciously holding when the hammer lifted to reveal a completely unharmed Luffy.

Wait, why was he worrying about that clingy idiot!? He should be happier if he was gone!

A yell broke into his thoughts, and he looked back at the scene to see Porchemy carrying a struggling Luffy away.

Once he determined that the pirates were out of earshot, he stood and ran towards the tree. "Hey, come on! We should move our treasure before those bastards find it. That idiot's gonna spill sooner or later! We can't let the past two years go to waste!"

Sabo followed, but shot Ace a serious look. "Are you sure, Ace?"

Ace paused for a moment, but quashed down the niggling of guilt stirring in his gut. "I'm sure."

"Ace!"

The black-haired boy looked down from the new tree they had found to see his best friend streaking towards him. "Sabo! What is it? Did they come looking for the money over there?"

Sabo set his hands on his knees, breathing heavily. "No… They didn't! That Luffy… That son of a bitch… He hasn't said a word!"

"What!?"

Sabo looked at him, determination burning in his gaze. "Let's go and get him."

The three collapsed into a panting heap once they felt that they had finally lost their chasers. Sabo was the first to recover, pushing himself up by his arms to glare at the oldest boy. "Are you stupid!? Why didn't you say anything? They would have killed you!"

Luffy flopped onto his back, grinning at the blond despite the blood decorating his whole body. "Didn't I say so before? You're my little brother too now. It's the job of the big brother to protect his little brothers, shishishishi."

Luffy, Ace…

…One thing led to another, and it looks like I'll be setting sail ahead of you guys…

…Once all three of us have become pirates with more freedom than anyone in the world, let's meet again someday. Somewhere out there in the wide, open sea, I know I'll see you both again!…

…When you catch up with me, I'm gonna be strong enough so that you won't have to protect me anymore, Luffy…

…I'm not sure if I've said this before, but this bond of ours is my greatest treasure…

…Thanks for being my brothers.

"Idiot… Idiot… That idiot!" For the first time since they heard about Sabo's death, tears escaped from Ace's eyes as he huddled to the ground. Luffy wrapped his arms around Ace tightly, the tears pouring down his face mixing with his brother's.

"Sabo…! I… I can't even protect my little brother… I'm weak! Weak… I'M SO WEAK!"

Two figures stood at the shore of a small island in East Blue. The taller of the two had one foot on the bow of his boat. The wide brim of his straw hat casting his face into shadow did nothing to lessen the blinding grin that he was sporting. The younger teen couldn't help but grin back, even with the slight heaviness of his heart, as his older brother hopped onto the little sailing boat.

"Well then, I'm heading off first, Ace!"

"I'll definitely catch up to you, just you wait!"

"Shishishi, I look forward to it," Luffy laughed as he released the sails, allowing them to snap open in the steady breeze. As he got further away from the island, he caught sight of the port that was the village he grew up in. Grinning broadly as he recognized Makino and the other villagers standing at the jetty, he started waving madly. He could just see Makino's smile as she raised her arm to wave back.

A ripple in the surface of the sea beside his boat caught his attention and prepared him for what was to come. His teeth gleamed in the bright sun as he turned to face the rearing Lord of the Coast.

"I've been waiting for you, sea monster! Today's your unlucky day! I'll show you what I've learned in the past 7 years!"

"Take this! GOMU GOMU NOOOO…PISTOL!"

He waved cheekily back at the now tiny figure of Ace as the sea monster fell. With that, Luffy turned his back to the island that had been his world, looking out to the wide horizon. He pushed his hat down firmly as a breeze swept by, and raised his fists in the air victoriously.

"I'M GOING TO BE THE STRONGEST IN THE WORLD!"

"FOOOOODD! MEAT! I WANT MEAT!" he shot into the empty bar right onto a barstool and started banging his palms on the table. "GIMME MEAT!"

The dark-haired woman wiping glasses behind the counter looked at him unimpressed. She let the rag fall back onto the bottom shelf and inhaled languidly on her thin cigarette. "That's no way to ask for food, young man. Try again."

"Ehhh!? Erm…" Luffy racked his brain for some of Makino's old lessons. "May I have meat? …Please?" he tacked on for good measure.

"Very good. Here you go." There was a hint of laughter in her voice as she fetched a heaping dish from the kitchen, Luffy's eyes following the food eagerly. The dark-haired woman steepled her fingers together on the smooth counter as she watched him dig in with gusto, a secretive smile playing about her lips. "Now what brings you to these parts, Straw Hat Luffy?"

Luffy looked up. "You know me?"

"In a way. You're famous around these parts, Luffy-chan."

"Really? Cool." Luffy looked thoughtful as he contemplated her question, or at least as thoughtful one can be while still stuffing his face. "I want to go to the New World. I heard there's a lot of strong people there," he said simply. "I want to become stronger than all of them."

The barkeeper hummed in encouragement. "And why is that?"

Luffy tilted his head at her curiously, wondering why she was so interested. But there was something about her that reminded him of Makino, and so when he finally spoke, and there was complete sincerity in his voice. "When I was small, I was saved by someone I really respected. I told him that I would become stronger than him, to prove myself. That hasn't changed, but now I have a new reason to fight. I want to be become stronger than anyone else; strong enough to protect everyone I care about, including Shanks. I want to be able to protect him just like he protected me back then."

The barkeeper smirked around her cigarette as she tilted her head towards the shaded staircase. "Heard enough now?"

Sandaled feet clicked against the wood, revealing a white-haired man who came to sit on the stool beside the young pirate.

Luffy blinked. "Who are you, ossan?" Another thought pressed to the forefront of his mind. "Are you strong?"

The stranger chuckled lowly. "I certainly like to think so."

Shakky rolled her eyes. "Don't mind him, he's just trying to be dramatic. This is Silvers Rayleigh, Luffy-chan. Former first mate to the Pirate King."

Luffy's eyes popped out of his sockets, food spraying everywhere. "YOU SAILED WITH THE PIRATE KING!?" Shakky hid her chuckle behind a hand.

Rayleigh's eyes twinkled with amusement. "I've heard a lot about you from Shanks. It looks like he wasn't off the mark."

"Hmm, you know Shanks, ossan?"

"Oh didn't you know? He was an apprentice on our ship."

"SHANKS SAILED WITH THE PIRATE KING!?"

"Are you hard on hearing?"

Luffy closed his mouth and swallowed with difficulty. His face turned serious as he met the white-haired man's gaze squarely. "I want to be strong. Train me, ossan!"

Rayleigh smiled. "You really do remind me of him. Alright, I'll train you. But be warned, boy, I'm not an easy taskmaster."

"Shishishishi, I wouldn't want it any other way."

"And it's Rayleigh-sensei to you."

"Okay, Rayleigh!"

"I want to meet Whitebeard!" The fire in Luffy's eyes had cowed many a lesser man.

The stocky fishman however stood firm and unfazed. "I'm afraid I cannot let you pass. Young ones like you are too often daggers. I cannot let a dangerous boy like you meet the old man. Return to the seas and do not seek him again."

"No."

Jimbei shifted into an offensive stance. "Then you leave me with no choice. I am not a member of the Whitebeard Pirates, but I am grateful to him… and so I will face you in their stead. Come!"

"Which of you said he wished to meet me?" a booming voice carried over the battered plain. "Here's your chance! I can fight my own battles." The earth shuddered as the great man stepped forward. His eyes were like flint as he surveyed the hunched bloodied figure on the ground.

As beat up as the youth was, he still struggled to his feet instantly at the challenge and to everyone's surprise, beamed at the older man. "So you're Whitebeard! I heard that you're the strongest man in the world, ossan!"

Whitebeard threw back his head in a rumbling laugh, sharp eyes still fixed coolly on the boy. "Gurarara! So what if I am, brat?"

"Train me!"

Silence fell. The surrounding Whitebeard Pirates looked on with surprise and growing interest, their formerly menacing auras lessening just a little. That was new. Usually all the young upstarts who came to challenge their Oyaji were in pursue of fame, not to learn from him. The youth wasn't done yet, it would seem, for he stared Whitebeard fearlessly in the eye, determination etched into his face.

"I want to become stronger than anyone else! My name is Monkey D. Luffy, and I will be the strongest man in the world!"

"Are you suggesting that I take under my wing a brat who ultimately wants to defeat me and take my title?"

"Yes!"

Whitebeard erupted in genuine laughter this time. "Gurarara! I like you, brat. Take my mark on your back, and become a son of mine!"

Luffy grinned back. "No can do, ossan! I'm my own man, I swore that I would never stay below someone else." The brunette tilted his head to the side in thought for a moment, before his smile returned at full force. "But I can be your son if you want! As long as I don't have to join your crew."

A glimmer of approval entered Whitebeard's eyes. This kid had spunk, and he could respect him for his independence.

"Welcome then, brat. You can start by calling me Oyaji like everyone else."

Rubbery fingers stretched to clasp the big hand without hesitation. "Okay, Oyaji! And I'm not brat, I'm Luffy!"

Whitebeard snorted. "You'll be a brat until you show that you can beat me. I said I'll train you, boy, but you've got to prove yourself first. Defeat all my commanders, and we'll see about me teaching you personally."

Luffy listened to the rules with interest. He could deal with that. And it sounded like good fun too! He bounced on the balls of his heels, cracking his knuckles excitedly. "So! Who's first?"

"Oh no you don't! You're coming with me to the infirmary to treat your wounds right this moment!" A firm hand clamped onto the rubber boy's ear and proceeded to drag him away.

"Aww… Spoilsport," the crew heard the boy whine dejectedly as he let himself be towed away and couldn't help but laugh.

Things were going to get interesting with this one onboard.

"OYAJIIII! Fight me!"

"Gurararara, you're still a thousand years too early to think about challenging me, brat."

"GOMU GOMU NO JET BAZOOKA!"

A leg intercepted his punch with no apparent strain. Blue flames entered his vision as he met half-lidded grey eyes. The First Division Commander smirked.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Luffy! There's still me, yoi!"

Luffy laid splayed out flat on the deck like a human starfish, almost giving an appearance of melting onto the wood. The crew chuckled as they weaved around him.

Suddenly he perked up and sprung upright.

"FOOD!"

Thatch laughed, holding the plate out of reach. Though reach was a relative term, for a rubbery arm stretched and snaked up. He swatted it away. "Down, boy."

Luffy pouted.

"Don't look at me like that. Anyway the food is for you, but just let me settle down first."

The youth flopped back down on the deck, eyes never leaving the heaped dish. The cook chuckled again and handed the plate over. Luffy was already on his third drumstick by the time Thatch found a comfortable position.

The swordsman nicked a piece of chicken from the plate as well. "Having trouble with Marco?" he commented amusedly.

Luffy gave a little put-out whine as he inhaled his midafternoon snack, but the light in his eyes told that he was more excited by the prospect than disappointed. "Pineapple-ossan is really strong!"

Thatch chuckled. "That he is. You've done quite a feat by actually managing to beat the rest of us, but that doesn't mean that you'll be of match to Marco. Marco's stronger than any of us, second to only Oyaji himself. He's been with Oyaji the longest, you see."

Luffy blinked, tilting his head to the side to contemplate that piece of new information. "How old is pineapple-ossan?"

Thatch shook his head, eyes twinkling. "No one knows for sure. And I wouldn't ask him if I were you."

"Hmm…"

The brunette dusted his pants off as he stood, hand falling to the twin swords hanging from his hip. "Well now, fancy a rematch? I have some reputation to keep up, you know, can't just let it lie." He pulled a face teasingly, looking mock-regretful. "Goodness, I shouldn't have fed you! Now all you've got is more energy! But I won't let you beat me this time!"

Luffy grinned back as he bounced to his feet. "Shishishishi, you're on."

"Hey, how old are you, pineapple-ossan!?"

The crew winced at the crash that followed. That kid just didn't have any sense of self-preservation.

Ace awoke to buzzing mutterings about desert strawberries and poison or something to that effect. He yawned and lifted his head from his lunch, wiping his face free of bits of scrambled egg. "Ah damn, I fell asleep."

"YOU FELL ASLEEP!?" the room collectively spluttered.

He shot the people around him an uninterested look as he shoved a piece of meat into his mouth. "What's got you all so worked up?"

When they gave no coherent reply, Ace shrugged and continued digging into the huge plate of food in front of him with gusto, heedless of the incredulous looks the other customers were shooting him. It wasn't as good as Lucky's food, but hey, food was food and exploring Nanohana made him hungry! He didn't look up even when the door swung open with a bang and heavy boots thudded to a stop behind him.

"You have some nerve eating out in public, pirate. I came here looking for Straw Hat, but you'll do for now, Portgas D. Ace!"

Ace blinked as he swiveled in his chair to face the Marine. "Who are you?" he asked, but given how his mouth was stuffed full, it came out more like 'Ooh ah ooh?'

A vein in the Marine's forehead twitched violently. "Yes, you'll do very well indeed. You remind me entirely too much of him."

Quickly stuffing a few more pieces of chicken into his mouth, Ace took that as his cue to hightail it out of there. He got perhaps five steps away before a stream of smoke cuffed around him like a straitjacket. Instinctively he brought his flames to the surface in retaliation and the smoke loosened enough for him to slip out and continue his sprint to freedom.

The Marine tackled him a step away from the door and they crashed through the brittle wood together, elicited an aggrieved moan from the owner and startled shrieks from passersby as they wrestled on the dusty street in a blaze of fire and smoke. Ace released the hottest fire he could muster, aided by the already hot desert climate, forcing the Marine to let go.

He didn't see his opponent draw the pronged weapon strapped to his back until it slammed him to the ground. Instantly he felt his strength draining, the loss of fire leaving him suddenly chilled.

"Urgh." Ace squirmed as the tip of the jitte dug painfully into his back. His logia powers weren't working at all, no matter how hard he tried to draw them to the surface again. Damn seastone!

The Marine Vice Admiral grunted grumpily, hand falling heavily on his shoulder to haul him away. "It's your unlucky day, Fire Fist, to have run into me here. Now–"

"FOOOOOODDD! Gomu Gomu noooo SLINGSHOT!"

With a startled yell the Marine above him was thrown a good ten meters away, back through the back of the already battered restaurant. The owner swooned into a dead faint.

Ace winced. He remembered the feeling of getting hit by that exact move.

But more importantly…

"Luffy!?"

"Heya, Ace!" The straw hat-wearing youth waved brightly as he bounced back to his feet.

The Marine let out an animalistic growl as he shot back upright and charged back out into the open. "STRAW HAT!" he roared.

"Oh it's you, Smokey! I didn't see you there!"

Ace could hear the Marine gnashing his teeth. "I've been looking for you, Straw Hat! I'll just have to take both of you in, then!"

Ace let his flames come up to the surface as a stream of smoke shot in his direction, but it never reached him. An arm coated in inky black shot out to deflect the smoke, grasping it with an iron grip that turned it back to flesh. Ace stared as Luffy's face changed instantly to uncharacteristic seriousness. He swallowed. His brother had grown strong in the three years they had been parted. Dark eyes stared down the furious Vice Admiral. "Your opponent is me, Smokey! Ace, get back to your ship, I'll meet you there!"

"O-Okay!" Ace yelled back and sprinted away, gesturing for his crew to go ahead of him. Turning, he set the road on fire to keep the remaining Marines from chasing after them.

Smoker narrowed his eyes at Luffy. "You know Fire Fist?"

Luffy's face was split by a grin. "Of course I know him! He's my beloved little brother!"

"That was completely stupid! You could have been killed! We told you not to draw attention to yourself, but you managed to get into a fight with a Vice Admiral!"

Ace puffed out his cheeks petulantly as his unofficial first mate and resident swordswoman lectured him. "But I wasn't even the one who started it!"

"You just be quiet!"

"By the way, who was that back there?" Lucky Jumper spoke up, taking pity on their sulking captain.

Ace beamed. "Oh, that was-"

His audience wasn't listening to him anymore, however. The gazes of the crew had all focused with visible confusion and slight alarm at a single point in the distance. Kaya pointed rather uncertainly. "Erm, Ace, behind you…"

"Huh?"

"AAAAAAACCCEEE!"

"Oooof!"

The crew watched with varying levels of shock and amusement as their captain got mowed down by a speeding projectile that quickly revealed itself as a grinning person. The stranger wrapped his arms more times than should be humanly possible around Ace. He nuzzled his cheek against the younger's. "I missed you, Ace!"

"Gah Luffy get off me!"

The stranger pouted. "But I missed you~" he whined.

Ace grumbled and tried to pry the clingy youth off him to no avail. Finally he sighed and gave a genuine smile, wrapping his arms tightly around the other. "I missed you too, Luffy."

"Shishishi!"

Nojiko thought it appropriate to interrupt at that point. "…Ace? Who is this?"

"Oh!" Ace's eyes widened, spinning round to face his crew, no doubt having forgotten that they were still there. "Guys, this is my older brother Luffy! Luffy, meet my crew! This is Kuina, and Kaya, Nojiko, Lucky, Gin, Kohza," he introduced, gesturing to each in turn.

They found themselves being looked over with serious dark eyes, before a bright smile took over the older youth's face.

"Shishishishi, thank you for taking care of my little brother!"

Each crewmember found their hand being shaken vigorously by the other in turn, going from one to the next at lightning speed. Goodness, this man was even more hyper than their captain!

"So, what are you doing here, Luffy?" Ace asked when the necessary greetings had been exchanged.

The brunette's face darkened instantly, an expression they hadn't expected from the happy rubber-man. "I'm looking for someone. His name is Blackbeard. Avoid him, okay, Ace? He's a bad person." His expression cleared when Ace nodded rather bemusedly in acknowledgement, smiling widely again. "Then I heard that you were nearby, Ace, and had to come visit my little brother, of course!" Luffy's eyes gleamed with interest. "And by the way, what's this I've been hearing about you and fire?"

Ace couldn't help but show off for a bit, letting flames dance over his shoulders. Luffy clapped vigorously, obviously impressed. "Ooh, that's cool."

"Cooler than rubber, definitely," he teased as he extinguished them.

"I bet I can still beat you, shishishi."

Thinking back on how he had countered that Smoke Logia Marine move for move, Ace had no doubt that he could. He still didn't want to admit it out loud, though.

"So what have you been doing for the past three years?"

"Training! I've been sailing with Oyaji for a while. He won't train me until I can beat Marco. Meanie." Luffy's mouth turned down in a pout for a moment. "But they're really cool! And Thatch makes yum-" He cut himself off, something pained flashing in his eyes. "Oh, and before that, I trained with Rayleigh! Shishishi." All of them detected the abrupt change in topic and the slightly forced laughter.

"Oyaji?" Kaya questioned to lessen the heavy atmosphere when Ace seemed too distracted by something to respond. "Your father is a pirate as well?"

Luffy laughed again, this time naturally. "No, my dad isn't a pirate, but Oyaji is! Oyaji is Oyaji! Oh, we all call him that, but people know him as Whitebeard."

The Spades had their eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "Whitebeard? As in the Emperor!? The strongest man in the world?"

Gin piped up incredulously. "And when you said Rayleigh, you didn't mean Silvers Rayleigh did you?"

"Hmm? That's right. Rayleigh's a real cool old man! Oh yeah, Ace, he said he wants to meet you."

The brothers exchanged a loaded look that the crew couldn't quite decipher as they looked from one to the other.

Ace's eyes narrowed, arms crossing in front of his chest. "…Maybe."

That seemed to satisfy Luffy, for he didn't press further. Instead, he started rummaging about the pockets of his denim shorts, looking victorious as he finally fished something out.

"Hey Ace, I got something for you."

Ace looked at the blank piece of paper his brother had handed to him curiously. "What is it?"

"A mystery paper," Luffy said cheerfully.

When the entire crew including Ace sent him baffled (and more than a little skeptical, as if they were doubting his sanity) looks, the older youth laughed.

"It'll let us meet again! What, you don't want it?" A rubbery hand teasingly extended as if to take it back. Ace clutched it to his chest protectively.

"No, of course I want it!"

"Shishishi." The hand came up to ruffle Ace's hair instead. He swatted it away in mock annoyance, but a grin decorated his face as well.

The others couldn't help but smile as they watched the exchange. It was rare to see Ace completely relaxed like that.

A commotion from the shore drew their attention to the warships approaching. "STRAW HAT!" someone roared, audible even with the distance.

Luffy glanced over at the fuming Marine standing at the bow of the foremost ship.

"Geh, it's Smokey again." He pulled a face.

The Spade Pirates instantly launched into a frenzy. "Let's get out of here!" "Shit! They're coming too fast, we won't get away in time!"

Luffy pressed his straw hat firmer onto his head as he strode towards the stern of the Going Merry. "I'll take care of them, so don't worry."

"You're going against five warships on your own!? Are you crazy?" Gin yelled as he released the sails.

"Shishishishi." Was the only reply they got as Luffy set a sandaled foot on the railing and stretched his arms back in preparation. As he threw his hand out, the straw-hat wearing youth turned back to his wide-eyed brother with a grin, eyes bright. "Ace! Don't forget our promise! I'll see you again, at the top!"

With that, his arm snapped taunt and he shot away.

Ace rushed forward with a gasp, hands coming to up clutch the railings as his eyes followed his brother's increasingly small figure. The strong sea breeze whipped Ace's already messy hair as they picked up speed. He chuckled rather helplessly as he watched the chaos that they were leaving behind. He could still just see that red-vested figure swinging from mast to mast, and hear the panicked yelling of the Marines. He still had a long way to go before he got anywhere near his older brother's level. His grip tightened and he sucked in a deep breath.

"WATCH ME, LUFFY! I'M GONNA BE THE PIRATE KING!" he yelled.

And somehow over the explosions and rushing wind, he felt that Luffy heard him.

Well, that's it! Wow, that's definitely the longest one-shot I've written, but I didn't think it'd be appropriate to cut it up into chapters. Especially since I actually had the last few scenes completed first.

Just a small note: You would have noticed that I decided to keep Smoker as Luffy's personal nemesis, rather than switching him over to Ace - it simply felt more right that way. As such, most of the Smoker-Luffy confrontations (excepting Alabasta) would have occurred three years early. Therefore Ace wouldn't have met Smoker in Loguetown, and Alabasta would have been their first meeting. I based older-brother!Luffy's abilities loosely on post-timeskip!Luffy, and subsequently promoted Smoker to post-timeskip rank as well to match. I'm just rather sad that I didn't manage to squeeze in a cameo of Tashigi's counterpart, a bespectacled Zoro-lookalike named Dashi (character design courtesy of Tonko haha).

Now there's just one more thing. Would you be interested in seeing a second chapter of this verse, covering (*le dread*) Marineford? Going from that, do you want to see a canon-compliant version (or as canon-compliant as an AU can get haha), in straightforward terms one where Luffy dies? Or should I go for one where they successfully escape? Either way, I'll probably be bringing in the big guns (read: Dragon and the Revolutionaries), so it should be one epic war. No promises on how fast I can get it out, though, so prepare to wait patiently haha. (runs from angry readers)

I hope you enjoyed this story, and reviews are of course much appreciated!