A/N: Sooo... To anyone who sees this and is reading my other story Crossing Boundaries, I am working on the next chapter. However, this idea wouldn't leave and nothing was coming to me for Crossing Boundaries, even though I do know what i want to happen. So instead, I decided to let my muse guide me and this is what I've got.

Okay, so this is my first One Piece fanfiction. I've read a lot of them, but I've always been a bit hesitant to write one, but like I said before, this idea wouldn't leave me alone.

A few things you should know before you read! This story is obviously AU. Ace lives and so does Whitebeard (though that last one wasn't intentional. I actually hadn't realized how injured he was before Ace died, cause I've been refusing to watch those episodes...) Anyway, I didn't feel like writing Whitebeard out, so lets just say he wasn't as gravely injured as everyone thought.

There may also be some discrepancies because I haven't actually seen Ace's death scene in full. I've seen clips of it, fan-art and music videos, but that's about it. Also, very little is known about Gol D. Roger's time and his journey, so if things come to light later, it's AU.

Finally, if there's any problem with the characterization, please let me know. As this is my first time writing these characters, I'll be a little shaky at first. There are some things that will likely be on purpose, but any constructive criticism is welcome.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy and you can get to the chapter after this brief disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece. It's characters and plot are the sole property of Eiichiro Oda and the holders of it licenses. This story is not meant to receive a profit or claim any kind of ownership of the work.

Chapter 1: Confusion on the Battlefield! Ace and Luffy Disappear!

The world was moving in slow motion. It was strange considering how just moments before everything had been moving too fast. But now, suddenly he couldn't move. It was ridiculous. The world was slowing down, and his body was going right along with it. All he could do was watch as the magma coated fist drew closer. Any minute it would reach him, bringing about his demise. There was no way for him to escape.

But then…it didn't come. Something warm and wet hit his face, but it wasn't magma from Akainu's ability. It was…something else. Something that Luffy could barely believe, despite seeing it for himself. All he wanted to do was shut his eyes and pretend that it was all some terrible nightmare that he could wake from.

But…

"Lu…ffy…"

But…

"A-Ace…"

But he couldn't.

Blood and magma mixed together on the ground beneath Ace. The smell was enough to make one choke, but it barely even registered in Luffy's mind. The entire battlefield seemed to have stopped moving, just like Luffy's world. Even as Ace coughed up blood, splattering Luffy's face and clothes, nothing penetrated the complete incomprehension of what had happened. He knew and yet, he couldn't understand.

And then something else happened.

Even many years into the future, not a single person who stood witness to the event would ever be able to explain it. In fact, most of them barely even knew what had happened, let alone how. It was so strange, so inexplicably random and completely unforeseen, that not a single living soul could do anything.

Steam began to rise from Ace, where Akainu's fist still penetrated. And then, in only a matter of seconds, some kind of explosion occurred. There was a flash so bright it blinded everyone and a thunderous banging that caused even the most experienced veterans of war to flinch. A dust cloud covering a hundred feet radius loomed over the area Ace, Luffy, and Akainu had last been seen.

Suddenly, only moments after whatever had occurred, a body was flung from the cloudy smoke. It took a few seconds for everyone to recognize it, but once they did, they were gob smacked.

"Admiral Akainu!" some of the soldiers yelled in shock as his body was sent flying some distance away.

"Ace!"

"Luffy!"

The pirates and their allies yelled in helplessness, not sure what to expect, but sure it wouldn't be good. Everyone watched with anticipation as the dust cloud began to settle. Some wanted to look away, sure that anything that could cause such damage to and Admiral would not leave pretty sight. But at the same time, there was a sort of morbid curiosity that kept them from looking away. When the dust finally did clear, no one could believe their eyes.

"Where the hell are they, yoi!?" Marco called out in agitation that he had lost his little brother and his little brother's little brother.

Where moments before the two D brothers stood was nothing but empty space. If it hadn't been for the large puddle of blood still there, it would have looked like there had never been anyone there at all.

"Th-they're gone!" Helmeppo called out in shock.

"What's going on?" Coby asked, horrified at the sudden disappearance.

It was Whitebeard who finally pulled it together enough to make an order. "My children! We must pull back!" As much as he wanted to stay and fight, he knew that it was pointless if the child he came to fight for was no longer there and possibly in danger elsewhere.

"Oyaji!?"

"Ace is no longer here and our first priority is to find him and Strawhat Luffy!"

"Y-yes, Oyaji!"

And with that, the Whitebeard pirates and their allies began to retreat. Whatever had happened to the two brothers they were no longer there. Even those with mastery in Kenbunshoku Haki could no longer sense them. Fortunately for the pirates, the strangeness and abruptness of the brothers' departure allowed them to escape with almost no resistance.

Ace felt himself drifting. Everything was dark, though he couldn't tell if that was just because his eyes were closed or if they were open and the space he was in lacked any kind of light. His body felt lighter than it had ever been, even when he became fire. His head was stuffy, like someone had shoved cotton balls into his ears and mouth and nose, though he didn't have any trouble breathing. For a moment, everything was calm and peaceful as he floated. But then, he felt a weight on his hand, as if someone were squeezing it and the peace was broken.

Something heavy and solid settled in his stomach and his chest constricted. Suddenly the stuffy feeling left his head and his entire body came alive with sensation. It was a bone deep burning, like nothing he'd ever felt before. Ace wasn't used to feeling hot, he hadn't in so long, after all, but at that moment all he wanted was relief from the scorching heat and indescribable pain he felt. After only a few minutes his wish was granted and he was sent deeper into darkness and a state of unawareness.

The next time Ace regained consciousness he could tell he was on a boat of some kind. The gentle to and fro sway of the waves was enough of an indicator of that. He could also feel the rough, slightly damp wood on his back and smell the salty air. Another scent was also mixed in – ozone from a recent storm or a coming one. Ace hoped it was the former, because already he knew that the boat he was on was small and not very stable; probably a dinghy of some sort.

There was someone else on the boat. He could feel the warm weight against his left side, hear the light breathing, and feel the slow up and down movement of their chest. Ace felt like he should know who it was immediately, but his mind was still fuddled from whatever had just happened. What had just happened? He remembered being unbelievably hot, a sensation he hadn't felt in years. He was sure that Luffy had been there…

Ace's eyes snapped open as a sudden barrage of memories assaulted him. He sat up quickly with a gasp clutching at his stomach where he knew Akainu's magma fist had penetrated. The weight on his left side fell away a little and he looked over just in time to see his little brother sit up and look around bleary eyed. His eyes widened at the sight of him, but he didn't have much time to really take in the change in Luffy's appearance as his brother's eyes caught onto him.

"A-Ace…?" Luffy's voice was soft and quivering.

The sheer vulnerability in that one word sent spikes through Ace's heart. He had almost died, and his brother had been their watching. He would never take back his decision. If it came to his life or Luffy's it would always be Luffy's. But if he could help it, he didn't want to leave Luffy alone. He was determined to stop being so reckless. After all, it was his recklessness in fighting Teach and underestimating him that had put them in such a situation in the first place.

"Yeah, Luffy…" he said, trying to convey to his brother that he was there and not an illusion.

Suddenly he found himself with an armful of sobbing little brother. He couldn't hold back his own cries as he held the other boy tightly to him. He didn't think that he would ever have the chance to hug his little brother again and now that it had been given to him, he never wanted to let go.

"I'm sorry, Luffy. It's okay. I'm here."

He continued his placations for a good long while, until the sobbing had been reduced to occasional sniffles. Even once he was calm, though, Luffy didn't move from his spot, and Ace wasn't inclined to make him.

"I…thought you were dead," Luffy said, voice muffled from his brother's chest, but still audible.

"Me too…" Ace replied, giving his own little sniff at the end of his sentence as his own tears dried.

"Don't do it again," Luffy demanded firmly.

Ace smiled at the sincerity of the request, wondering not for the first time what he ever did to receive such love. No matter how much he wanted to make his brother happy, though, that was one promise he couldn't make. "I can't do that," he stated simply, but with a tone that brooked no argument.

Luffy argued anyway. "But Ace…!" he began, for once without the whining lilt the words often had, as he raised himself up to look at his brother.

"No buts, Luffy," Ace said sternly, before taking his brothers' face into his hands gently, forcing the other to look him in the eye and see his seriousness. "No matter what, if you're ever in danger, I'll give everything to save you, even if it's my life," his face softened a little. "You're my bumbling kid brother. How could I not?"

Luffy stared him in the eye critically, before finally letting a pout cross his features. "Fine," he said a little petulantly, before becoming serious again. "Then I'll get strong enough so you don't have to save me!"

Ace smirked. "You've still got a long way to go, little brother."

"I'll catch up in no time!" he said determinedly, before he paused and a quizzical expression crossed his face.

Ace furrowed his brow at the change. "Oi, what's wrong?"

"Hey, Ace, why are you so small?"

Ace barely kept himself from face planting into the small life boat lest he tip it and drown them. "I should have figured you wouldn't notice until now," he said with a sigh, though fondness could easily be heard in his voice. "Luffy, I'm not really sure why, but it appears both of us have become younger…I'd say about five years give or take," he said looking Luffy up and down.

It was actually hard to tell, since they both still had all the same scars that they had had when they were older, but that was his best guess.

"What!? Really!?" Luffy said freaking out.

"Luffy! Calm down before you capsize us!" Ace yelled and Luffy quickly settled down.

"I don't really understand it, but we're not really in our younger bodies. I still have my Mera Mera no Mi powers and this scar where Akainu's fist was…" he said, trailing off at the end and running a hand across his abdomen.

Luffy frowned at the reminder and glared at the wound on his brothers chest as if the intense gaze could wipe away the scar.

"Whatever the deal is, we need to find land and figure out a way to contact Oyaji and the others. They're probably worried, and I can tell that this younger body is proportionally weaker than my old one."

Lufy nodded seriously. "Right," he said in agreement. "But first, we need some meat."

Both boys' stomach's growled then and Ace nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah. Can't fight on an empty stomach."

Once their course of action had been agreed upon, Ace looked around at their surroundings. There little boat was in the middle of nowhere and there was no way for Ace to know where they were. They had no maps or log poses and even the stars were covered by thick clouds. The only bright side was that the clouds weren't storm clouds, so the thick sent of ozone was from a storm that had already passed. The evidence of it was also scattered around in the form of debris from a broken ship, though not much more than a few planks seemed to have survived.

"It looks like we'll have to pick a direction and hope for the best…" Ace said aloud, though he was mostly talking to himself. "I suppose we'll just stay straight." Before he could make use of his Mera Mera powers, Luffy began to call excitedly to him.

"Ace! Look! Look!" he said pointing out to their port side.

"What is it, Luffy?" Ace asked as he looked to where his brother was pointing.

He frowned when he saw what appeared to be a ship sailing in their direction. He could already tell that it wasn't a marine vessel. Its colors were too dark, as all marine ships had white and blue coloring.

"I can't see the flag," Luffy said, pouting.

"Well, I don't think it's anyone we know. I don't recognize the shape of the ship at all," Ace said.

"Should we wait?"

It was a strangely reasonable question for the completely unreasonable boy, but Ace knew Luffy wasn't as stupid as people thought he was. More than unintelligent, Luffy was mostly brash and simple-minded. He took things at face value, rarely ever questioning what was before him. His tendency to seek thrills and adventure didn't really help people's opinion of him. But one thing Luffy did have going for him, was a natural instinct. He was a good judge of character and he knew when things didn't feel right. He just didn't always listen to his instincts.

"Yeah. At least until we see their Jolly Roger. If they're friendly they might help, if not, we can always storm the ship and take it."

"Yosh!"

They waited as the ship came closer. It was large, at least a galleon size, possibly larger, so it didn't take very long for it to come close enough for them to make out some more details. The sails were very dark, as was most of the ship. The color was hard to make out in the night, but light, almost golden looking wood covered the rails and most of the bow of the ship. Two mermaids carved into the lighter wood rose up from beneath the long dark bowsprit, hands stretched out as if holding it up. It was a rather spectacular vessel, but what really caught their eye was the flag they flew.

The Jolly Roger was one that Ace recognized, though Luffy didn't seem to at first. Ace knew that would change quickly. There was only one distinguishable mark about it, but it was undeniable. Four strange swirling lines rested across the upper lip of the skull, depicting a rather spectacular mustache – and a very familiar one at that.

"Luffy," Ace hissed, eyes never leaving the ship. "Don't you recognize that Jolly Roger?"

Luffy tilted his head, face screwed up in contemplation. "It looks familiar…"

"Luffy…that ship…It's the Oro Jackson," Ace told him.

Luffy glanced at Ace in surprise, before his eyes widened catching onto why the Jolly Roger was so familiar looking. "No way!" he yelled with excitement and disbelief, not bothering to keep quiet.

Ace didn't feel inclined to chastise him. He was too surprised and horrified to worry about that. After all, he was staring at his father's ship. Gol D. Roger, the pirate king who had died over twenty-two years ago and whose ship had sense been lost...was sailing right towards them.

A/N: Okay, so that was it. Not very long, but the next one should be better. Hopefully you all enjoyed it! The next chapter shouldn't take very long to come out, but I won't be making any promises. Anyone who reads my Crossing Boundaries story will know that sometimes life makes it difficult for me to update regularly. On the bright side, I have pretty much the entire thing outlined (or loosely outlined; there's still some room for changes and extra stuff).