Year Three...

During the years spent out at sea with his crewmates, Zoro had managed to admit to himself that his sense of direction was actually worse than nonexistent. Of course, the man would never admit that to anyone else, even upon his dying breath, but knowing about it and admitting it to yourself were two different things. It took years for the swordsman to start depending on his nakama for that aspect of their adventures, after all. Years.

Considering this, he wisely chose to travel with a merchant ship to the various islands in East Blue. Initially, Zoro wanted to just steal a rowboat and set out, but even he wasn't that stupid and eager to get going. He waited two years to leave, he could wait another week for the large merchant ship to set out for its next destination. The trip to Dawn Island dragged on for a few weeks, because the damn merchants needed to stop at two other islands. The mossy-headed pirate just counted himself lucky that they were willing to allow an unattended eleven-year-old travel with them for so long.

They docked at Goa Kingdom, when they finally arrived. Zoro itched to get off the ship and find his captain after so long. He kept his sword, Wado Ichimonji, strapped tightly to his waist as he wandered around. He'd spotted more than a couple greedy stares from among the nobles of High Town (what a descriptive name...), and was particularly wary about the few he'd seen twitch their fingers in an aborted attempt to hide their desire for the finely-crafted blade.

It had to have been several hours spent wandering before he sensed something familiar on the edge of his perception. A bright presence, one the swordsman had missed these years gone by, steadily edged closer to his current location. There was a second presence, just as powerful as the first, attached to what had to be his captain. Maybe Ace...? It didn't matter, in the end, as Zoro just picked a comfy place to sit and wait. They would find him soon.

Luffy fell flat on his face when he sensed his precious nakama's presence on the island. That he tripped during the middle of a particularly vicious spar made Ace burst into laughter, but once the younger boy called a halt to their match and explained why, the fiery preteen nodded with understanding. They'd set off immediately for Goa, aiming to retrieve the wayward Strawhat before hunting down their lunch (crocodile stew that night, delicious).

Zoro had stopped in High Town, and while it proved a challenge to get through the dense city undetected, the two brothers managed to completely avoid drawing attention to themselves. They were wanted criminals, after all. The residents from everywhere except Low Town hated or at least disliked the two of them.

Ace held back by a couple alleys, unwilling to impose on his little brother's reunion. The boy looked forward to training with a third person, and meeting someone else who could tell him about his precious Luffy's adventures in the future(past?). The whole thing still hurt his brain a bit, but hey, he didn't complain. He loved Luffy from the bottom of his heart, and always believed his little brother's amazing stories. It was one of his favorite things, actually. Listening to the rubber pirate tell Ace how he managed everything, about Luffy's precious nakama, how strong his weak little brother would get... it calmed him down and eased his worries.

In fact, while Ace never admitted it aloud, he'd been worried about leaving Luffy alone when the freckled boy turned seventeen. His little brother's biggest fear was being alone again, losing his nakama and family. Now that Zoro had arrived, Ace felt a tightness in his chest ease at the thought of setting sail. Leaving no longer meant Luffy ended up alone.

"Ne, wanna join my crew?"

A cheerful voice caught Zoro's attention, and he twisted his body to face the speaker. Adrenaline rushed through him at the familiar face, and the question finally registered about a minute after it'd been asked. The young swordsman threw his head back and laughed, shoulders slumping in relief. Those mischievous eyes glinted at him and the younger boy's smile widened impossibly, stretching the kid's cheeks and threatening to spill off his face.

Once he'd calmed himself down, Zoro turned back to face the kid. "I don't know. What are you aiming for? I won't settle for anything less than the future Pirate King, y'know!" His teasing tone was not lost on the kid. As he listened to Luffy's response, he drank in the sight of his captain like a starving man. Luffy as a kid was kinda adorable, in a puppy-like way, and he already had that distinctive scar under his eye. There wasn't much visible muscle tone, but Luffy was a kid, and a rubber human, too. That was to be expected at this point.

"Shishishishi~! Then it's a good thing I'm gonna become the Pirate King, huh? What about you, Mr. Swordsman? What can you offer to the future Pirate King's crew?" Luffy replied in turn, teasing right back.

"I will become the World's Best Swordsman, of course," Zoro stated seriously, and anyone listening could hear the capitals in the title. Luffy just nodded in assent, still grinning his signature smile. "Still want me for your crew?"

"Of course! It's nice ta meet'cha, Roronoa Zoro! Welcome to the Strawhat Pirates!"

Zoro didn't tend to be one to grin like Luffy, but in that moment, he was just too happy not to. "Thank you, Captain. Glad to be a part of the crew!" They beamed at each other like idiots, and when Luffy offered a hand to help up his crewmate, Zoro eagerly accepted. They were together again, and they would stay that way for a long time.

Year Four...

Robin chuckled lowly as she listened to Franky rant about his most recent 'customer' and their god-awful pickiness. As a business that scrapped ships too damaged to repair, the Franky Family often got their fair share of odd or annoying customers looking to make a quick buck on a ruined boat. This last one, some asshole who didn't even give two shits about his own pirate ship, had really managed to piss the cyborg off.

It was one year before CP-9 came to begin their undercover work in search of the blueprints for the ancient weapon, Pluton, and two years before Robin had to be 'recruited' by Sir Crocodile to take part in his plot against Alabasta's royal family. Once CP-9 appeared, she'd have to stop visiting Water 7. Both Chopper and Franky were unhappy with that, but they'd more than understood her reasons, given what happened the last time around.

Initially, Robin had planned to visit East Blue and put her worries to rest involving Luffy, Nami, Sanji, Usopp, and Zoro. Talking it over with Chopper and Franky dissuaded her from that course of action, though. If those five could make it to the Grand Line without much trouble the first time around, then it should prove a piece of cake, this time (knock on wood, don't jinx it). After that conversation, the trio were more at ease with the long wait.

Usopp remembered the extra training Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji had given the rest of them, in their downtime between islands. He remembered painful little bruises, blindfolds, and then later, what had to be the backs of Zoro's precious katana. He remembered the sheer awesomeness of actually being able to feel his nakama's presence. What Sanji and Zoro had taken to explaining mean that he was progressing with Kenbunshoku, or Observation, Haki. That they were proud of him for learning so quickly, and being willing to sit and get hit until he could sense the blows before they came.

Robin knew a bit about haki as well, even before the others bothered to train the rest of them in it. When he'd asked her, the archaeologist explained that there were two types you could develop and train, and one you had to be born with. Usopp went to Luffy after that. He wanted to learn Armament Haki, to be as useful to the crew as possible. It felt like atonement for not being there when his captain needed him most. Plus, being able to protect your friends was always a great sensation. Nothing compared to it, in the sniper's own experience.

Figuring out how to retrain his Observation Haki took a while. At first, he didn't want any of the villagers, or Kaya, or his pretend pirate crew to know about it, but there was only so much you could do with meditation and traps. After getting a sense of things again, he'd eventually caved and told the three children who follow him around about the 'mystery power' he attained, and that he needed their help to train it even further. The advantage for them was that, the more Usopp managed to dodge, the faster they had to move to hit him. Their attacks, while not very strong, sped up a lot as the sniper's training progressed. They were able to even defend themselves, with a few pointers from their 'captain'.

Usopp spent the majority of his time working on ammo, training, and playing with the children he viewed as under his protection. This was his home village, and he would leave them in a little over five years... he didn't want them to be helpless once he set sail! He got better at making traps and laying plans to catch people in them, too. It probably wouldn't be useful on the Grand Line until he got a lot more skilled, but he had the basics down pat. Until he had a chance to learn more, that would have to do.

Grinning, the sniper wondered what Luffy would think of his new skills.

Year Five...

Initially reluctant, Ace warmed up to Zoro faster than he'd expected. Luffy just shot him a knowing grin when he mentioned it to his little brother, which was annoying, but not entirely unexpected. The mossy-headed swordsman was laid-back, quiet, and best of all, knew how to deal with Luffy well enough to keep Ace's brother out of the worst of the trouble he could get into. Failing that, Zoro was always there to bail them out. Them, because Ace was always dragged along by Luffy into whatever hare-brained scheme the rubber boy thought up that time.

Some of their more recent adventures had them wandering into some uncomfortable territory. At least, uncomfortable for Ace. He had no intentions of letting Garp give Luffy 'The Talk' on his next visit, but it still proved a daunting concept. That also dragged up the concept of death, and Ace knew his little brother was one of those people who'd leave their enemies alive, if at all possible. It was enough for the rubber pirate to defeat them thoroughly. The hot-headed teen needed to be sure that Luffy was willing to do the deed, should it prove necessary. That honestly scared Ace, though. The thought of Luffy, killing? It was wrong.

He glanced over to his little brother, who leaned against Zoro, using the other teen as a pillow for an afternoon nap in their treehouse. "Hey, Lu? Got a minute to talk? There are some things we need to go over."

Luffy grinned, all signs of sleepiness gone, and scooted over to his brother. Ace snickered, and ruffled the smaller teen's black hair. "This isn't gonna be a fun conversation, but it needs to happen. You okay with that?"

"Yep! Ne, Ace, what did you want to talk about?" his little brother asked cheerfully.

Ace rubbed his temples. "When I set out to become a pirate... I'm going to be leaving you to Zoro's care, right?" After Luffy nodded, he continued quietly. "I need to be sure you understand what you're getting into, with this. As I've gotten older, I did a lot of thinking. Something I don't really have a problem with is killing my enemies, but I think that you would take offense to being told that. Luffy, there are some people who will keep coming after you, no matter how many times you beat them. If they're bad people, it's alright to kill them, okay? You wouldn't want them to come back and hurt - or even kill - one of your nakama, right?"

A tense silence stretched after Ace finished speaking. The topic had weighed heavily on the freckled teen's mind for days, but he knew it had to be addressed. They only had two more years together, before Ace set sail on his own. He watched Luffy carefully before deeming it safe to continue speaking.

"You understand what I mean, though, right?" Ace asked unhappily. He needed Luffy to know it, one way or another. His little brother did what he wanted. Luffy never caved in to others' demands for him and his actions, and this would be no different, but he had to understand what Ace was trying to get through his thick head.

Luffy tilted his head, face shadowed by the brim of his straw hat. "Aa. I understand, Ace. That doesn't mean I have to like it, though. I'm not that kind of a person."

"And I understand that, Lu. I'm not saying you have to kill your enemies. There are just sometimes where... that is the best choice available. If I was strong enough, I would have killed Bluejam and Porchemy for what they did to you, Sabo, and I. Those are the kinds of people who wouldn't take defeat well," Ace replied hastily, offering an example.

"Mn! Okay, Ace, I understand," Luffy stated confidently, a serious expression on his usually smiling face. "I don't like it, but there are some people I would probably kill, given the chance, too. You don't have to worry!"

Ace grinned in relief. Luffy was such a warm-hearted person, and Ace was grateful for every single day they'd been together since he decided to trust and let in the little ball of sunshine. His little brother was the best.

Zoro, across the room, peeked one eye open before returning to his nap with a satisfied grin. He knew his captain could kill certain people, and would, if the need arose. Now Ace knew, too, and the older brother was able to relax in peace. It was a good day.

Year Six...

Over three years passed with Zoro hanging out on Dawn Island. A little under two years had passed since he'd met Garp for the first time (in this timeline). Just barely had a year gone by since his little slip-up of calling Luffy 'captain' in front of the old Vice-Admiral, and he'd been thrown head-first into 'marine training' by the insane old geezer. Luffy and Ace practically cried tears of joy when the attention of their grandfather shifted to the poor swordsman, despite feeling a sense of terror on Zoro's behalf.

The results spoke for themselves, but the mossy-haired teen was of the firm opinion that Garp's training long since ran past the border of abuse, leaving clouds of dust in its wake. Never before had he thought that Luffy's childhood sucked ass, but there it was. His captain's endless will to live stemmed from being left with a bunch of mountain bandits and constantly having his life put in danger by his own grandfather.

"How... did you put... up... with this?" he panted one day, after managing to climb out of a ravine he'd been thrown into. "Luffy, your family... is... insane!"

Ace nodded solemnly. He was perched in a high branch, half hidden by leaves. "Gramps may love us, but... if we didn't train on our own, Luffy and I would have long since succumbed to the shitty geezer's training from hell."

"Na, Zoro, you okay?" Luffy asked, worried for his friend. A thumbs-up from the collapsed teen reassured him a bit, and he giggled. "Jii-chan is a big meanie, but I still love him! Without him, I wouldn't have met Ace, or Sabo, or set sail at seventeen!"

"Lu, you're still thirteen..." Ace reminded him in exasperation. Sometimes, his little brother would forget how old he was, or that he still hadn't set sail, yet. It happened a lot more often, now that one of his nakama hung around the island. While Ace found it funny on occasion, it hurt to see the lonely expression on Luffy's face when he called out for one of his crew and no one responded, or when Zoro had to remind him they hadn't met the others, yet.

"Oh, yeah." Luffy grinned sheepishly. "Can we go hunt for dinner before Jii-chan comes back? He's probably off drinking with Dadan, anyway. Can we, Ace? Can we? Pleeeeease?"

Ace laughed. "Oi, you don't have to beg! I'm getting kinda hungry, too. Zoro, you up for a little hunt?"

The poor teen just groaned. "No way. You two go ahead, I'm gonna drag my ass back to your base. Maybe there'll be enough time for a nap before you finish..."

The two brothers both broke into an uproar of laughter and dashed out of the clearing, off to find some unsuspecting animals to make their meal. Zoro hauled himself to his feet and wandered after them, smirking at his friends' behaviour.

The letter arrived exactly as she'd expected it to. The first time around, Robin accepted the Shichibukai's offer because of the Poneglyph and the protection he could give her. This time, she ended up accepting simply because it would lead her to her precious nakama. She had no desire to inspect the Poneglyph (that was a lie, she hadn't been able to really appreciate it as it deserved the first time, but it wasn't a need anymore), and while she could always use a little extra protection, she was more than capable of protecting herself, now.

Crocodile. There was a man she would never risk actually trusting, because he always double-crossed the people he worked with. About the only person who could get on that man's good side was her captain, with his strange ability to turn enemies into friends and allies. She'd witnessed it a few times before, of course. Crocodile hadn't been exactly happy about playing nice with the Strawhats and their friends, but he didn't double-cross Luffy, ever. Not since the War of the Great, the Paramount War, the war for the execution of Hiken no Ace. Maybe he just realized that it was pointless. Maybe the man actually had a soft spot for Luffy. She'd probably never find out, and that was okay with her. It didn't matter why, in the long run, as long as he never betrayed her captain when they agreed to work together.

Pre-written reply in hand, she cheerfully bid the Alabastan messenger Coo goodbye and returned to her browsing of the international paper. It wouldn't do to slack on her duties, now would it? Just because things were going well didn't mean they'd stay like that forever. With their luck, something was bound to happen; when it did, Robin would be ready.

Nami beamed as she counted out her prize from the evening's work. She'd found a lovely job as a waitress while hanging around Loguetown for pirates to steal blind. Smoker had been recently assigned to the marine base in town, but as a (relatively) innocent civilian, the redhead slipped under his radar easily. It was unnerving to walk past the man she'd fought against in the past, but Nami was nothing if not a good actor.

Heck, she was already building a name for herself amongst the pirates she picked clean. They didn't know who she was, only that it had to be just one person robbing all the crews that stopped by the island before attempting to enter the Grand Line. Some called her variations of her old title, 'Cat Burglar', but the popular nickname for the unknown thief was 'Ghost Fingers'. How they came up with that, she'd never know. It was much less catchy than her last title, that's for sure. The lack of creativity was astonishing.

It'd been two weeks, though, and Nami knew she'd have to head back to the Conomi Islands soon enough. Arlong always got twitchy when she was away too long. So, the teen counted her money, took stock of any valuables she'd have to resell before returning home, and packed up. Her boss for the waitress job would be unhappy, but she'd told him ahead of time that she couldn't stay for very long. It was his own fault if he forgot to plan for her departure.

Smirking, Nami sauntered down the road to the local secondhand shop. She'd be done acquiring the 100,000,000 Beli much faster, this time around. All was going according to plan.

Year Seven...

Ace had dragged it out as long as he could, but once the weather started to warm, Luffy put his foot down. After the freckled teen's birthday, he'd managed to convince his younger sibling that it wouldn't be smart to set sail during the winter. Truth was, he only wanted to hang around because he felt like he was abandoning Luffy. Once winter gave way to spring, and Makino stopped wearing coats on her visits, Ace's little brother told him that it was time for Ace to set sail like they promised.

While it amused him that Luffy judged time passing by Makino's clothing choices, he still felt bittersweet about his seventeenth birthday having passed. So, after facing off against Luffy in one of their daily spars, he crossed his arms and stood unmoved.

"I don't want to leave you behind, Lu. What if something happens to you?"

This proved to be one of those rare occasions where Luffy actually rolled his eyes at his older brother. "Ace is being stupid. I'm strong! I have nakama to protect me, and I know how to use my haki! If anything happens, I can handle it, so Ace should stop being stupid and set sail already." Luffy glanced over to where his swordsman was napping. "Na, Zoro?"

"Right, Sencho. Ace, you should quit dragging your feet and go already. If you don't, you won't be able to go find Blondie and beat some sense into him," the muscled teen replied lazily. He yawned and climbed to his feet, ready for his turn to spar.

"Oh, yeah! Ace, you should go find Sabo and get his memory back!" Luffy cheered.

He gave in with a sigh. It was two against one, and both Luffy and Zoro had good points to convince him. Ace sighed again and stretched out the kinks in his muscles from the last fifty spars. He had to be ready to fight Zoro now so he could go pack up his things.

"Lu, I'm gonna fight Zoro next. If you could go let Dadan know I'm heading out soon...?" he asked hesitantly. The instant grin he received from Luffy showed him he made the right decision. The rubber human bounded off into the jungle, almost bouncing from tree to tree in excitement over the new situation. Both older teens watched him go with a quiet chuckle.

Zoro caught his attention with a quiet cough, and commented, "Luffy really will miss you. It's just that he wants you to be free, remember? That was always something that impressed me about you brothers. You and Sabo both stood back and let Luffy do his own thing, even when you were probably worried sick. You didn't interfere with his adventures, and Luffy was reluctant as hell to mess with yours."

"Yeah? What makes you say that?" Ace asked curiously.

The swordsman hesitated briefly, before giving the other teen an explanation. "When the Vivre Card you gave Luffy was burning, he was worried, obviously. One of the people we ended up saving from a Shichibukai explained what it meant. While we wondered whether our captain wanted to go check up on you, Luffy decided that you were strong enough to protect yourself, and told us that 'Ace would be angry if I interfered,' and left it at that."

Ace let out a short laugh. "That's true enough! If my weak little brother came charging in to save my ass, I'd be pissed as hell at him! While Luffy really isn't that weak, I'm still stronger than he is. If I got caught up in something I couldn't handle, I wouldn't want my little brother to be dragged into it, too."

Zoro grinned ferociously. "Yeah, ain't that the truth? Luffy always respected my fights and didn't get involved unless I wanted him to, so I understand that. Now, weren't we gonna spar a little? You've got fifty left, and I haven't even started!"

Ace nodded, and the two leapt away from each other, falling into battle stances. "I won't go easy on you just 'cause I'm leaving, got it?"

"Hah! Like I'd let you take it easy! Just give me all you got," Zoro taunted back. The two of them shared a grin from across the clearing and charged, adrenaline pumping. Soon, the clash of swords and fists echoed through the jungle, and the spars were underway.

Sanji had been shocked when a frighteningly familiar face wandered into the Baratie and politely asked to be seated. He practically shoved the other waiters out of the way in his hurry to accept their newest customer, still slightly stunned at the surprise. He thought back to his old memories, the ones from his last lifetime, and couldn't recall ever meeting that man before he joined the Strawhat Pirates. It was a change that he hadn't made, and it caused a sense of unease to fill the professional chef.

"Hello, sir, may I show you to your table?" Sanji asked in his kindest customer service tone. The man chuckled, and Sanji let himself smirk just a little. Maybe this was a good thing? If his captain had also come back... that would explain the sudden appearance of this man.

The man nodded and happily followed Sanji to a small table situated in the back of the restaurant, up against a wall. "It's good to finally meet you, Sanji-san. Luffy and Zoro told me to come say hello if I was ever in the area."

Sanji almost dropped the pen he'd just uncapped. "Luffy and...?" he muttered. "That damn mosshead met our shitty captain first?! God, he's gonna lord it over all of us, just like he did then. Fucking perfect."

The young man, still a teen himself, burst into laughter, drawing a few stares. "Yeah? When was this? They told me a lot of stories, but I haven't heard that one..."

"Let me get your order, and then I'll tell you," Sanji replied with a sigh. "Do you eat as much as Luffy? And anything you can't eat? Allergies, intolerance, anything?"

"Nope! I got off without allergies, thank goodness. I can eat almost as much as my little brother, though, so don't hold back. I'm in your care," Ace answered cheerfully, nodding. "Thank you for looking after my little brother, in advance."

"No problem, Ace. I'm just glad to see you're doing well." Sanji tucked away the unneeded notepad and wandered back to the kitchen to prepare one of his special Luffy-Meals. Maybe if he was quick about it, Ace would tell him how his shitty friends were doing. It made Sanji's chest ache, to think about what happened to everyone, but they had another chance. Like hell he was gonna waste it!

Year Eight...

Tending the medicinal garden Robin and Franky helped him set up always managed to relax Chopper. The little reindeer had eagerly accepted Robin's offer of bringing back herbs and other items with medicinal purposes from around Paradise when she brought it up several years ago, and now his little garden flourished in the greenhouse Franky had built for it. It was tucked away in one of the denser forests on the island, hidden from all the humans except Kureha. She had helped him grow the plants so their medicinal potency would be highest. Chopper learned that the woman held more knowledge than she knew what to do with!

Now, it was a common sight for Chopper to run around the edge of each village on the island, searching with his nose for sickness. The Isshi 20, Wapol's cadre of doctors, weren't allowed to treat anyone without express permission from the King of Drum Island. The reindeer's efforts in protecting and healing the villagers made him an open secret of the winter island. Almost everyone knew who he was, but most people didn't see him until they fell sick or became injured and needed a cure.

Some of the people he cured wanted to give him monetary compensation for the help he provided, once they realized just how intelligent he was. Chopper always refused money, but if they offered food, blankets, or extra medical supplies, he was loathe to turn them down. Some of the craftsmen even offered to make him things, things he needed for his work as a doctor, or an item of his choosing. Chopper accepted those offers, as well. Some of the things he could use, and others would make good presents for his nakama. He was missing ten years' worth of birthdays and Christmases, after all!

His favorite thing at the moment was a little metal pendant he wore around his neck. The man who offered it to him was a metalsmith, and had contacts with some jewelers in Alabasta. It was a little skull and crossbones with a straw hat and two onyx eyes. Chopper loved it from the moment he saw it, and hadn't taken it off since he'd received the little necklace. It helped him to calm down when he woke up from nightmares, or when he felt lonely. With his pendant, the little reindeer always remembered that he had his nakama, and they would come get him in a little under two years. He could barely wait!

Usopp avoided Kuro masterfully, somewhat surprised he could be so stealthy. He still visited Kaya, telling her stories and cheering her up with his awesome talents, but since he'd improved his skills in Observation Haki, he kept out of sight whenever the pirate masquerading as a butler was around. A whole year playing a more extreme version of hide-and-go-seek with the other man none the wiser to his presence wore on the sniper, but Usopp didn't want Kuro to see him. He also didn't want to see the deceitful man himself.

Whenever he thought about the infiltrator in Kaya's household, Usopp grew angry. He was almost as angry as when the Going Merry was first declared unable to sail, and it shocked him how deeply he felt on the issue. Usopp didn't want to admit it at first, but after spending two childhoods with Kaya, he finally accepted the fact that he was in love with the young woman. It wouldn't amount to much, since he had to set sail in a little under two years, but the sniper knew what he felt towards the gentle and kind girl who laughed with him and accepted him, lies and all, before anyone else had.

He'd entertained the thought of telling Kaya, of asking her to be his girlfriend. It didn't feel fair to him, though. While he didn't resent his father, Yasopp had left his mother for the sea and life as a pirate. He didn't want to have Kaya fall in love with him only for that to happen to her, as well! She was too precious to him to hurt like that. Therefore, he kept lying whenever she asked him about those kinds of things. It hurt, but he thought he could keep her happy that way.

Now, with Kuro 'taking care' of Kaya, he'd had to be more cautious around the manor. If he saw that man... well, it wouldn't be pretty, and his love would probably hate him for it. Too bad, though, Usopp could have really used some stress relief.

Robin chuckled lowly as the newest bounty posters fluttered to the ground in front of her. She had kept up a seeming interest in new bounty heads as a guise for if and when she spotted some of her nakama or their allies in the news. Trafalgar Law had long since earned the title 'Surgeon of Death', but she liked to keep an eye on his group. He'd been a wonderful person to chat with after Dressrosa, and she respected him for his intelligence and skills.

This time, she was laughing over the most recent change to Portgas D. Ace's bounty poster. The man had, apparently, already eaten his Devil Fruit. The new moniker, 'Fire Fist', certainly fit the young adult captain. She wondered about that. It wouldn't be long, now, before he was assimilated into the Whitebeard Pirates and made Second Division Commander. She hoped that things would turn out differently this time. He was a kind soul, and Luffy absolutely adored his big brothers.

The rest of the bounties were uninteresting. There was something in the paper about Gekko Moria moving to the Florian Triangle a few months prior, but she knew her nakama would just defeat him again, so it didn't really interest her. None of their other allies were mentioned, and no new bounties had been released on relevant people.

That struck her as odd, until Robin remembered that Sabo hadn't actively gone on missions for the Revolutionaries until he'd turned seventeen. She felt a little surprised that he'd managed to go unnoticed for so long, but they did focus more on covert operations, so it wasn't that much of a shock. The archaeologist just promised herself to keep a more active eye out for the blonde revolutionary's participation in global events.

She shuffled the posters into a neat stack and tucked them back into the newspaper. Just in time, too, because a knock sounded on her door. Smiling faintly, Robin tucked the paper in the wastebin and wandered over to see who needed her.

Year Nine...

It took a while for Ace to give in and accept Whitebeard's offer. Despite the praises Luffy had sung for the massive pirate crew while telling his older brother all about the adventures he'd been on, Ace still couldn't bring himself to believe their offer was sincere. Sure, he may not have gone after Whitebeard's head as violently or persistently as he might have otherwise, but that didn't mean the young man actually liked them. At least, not from the get-go.

Ace had respected their strength and close bonds from the beginning, and he'd been told by none other than his little brother that he actually took pride in calling the 'World's Strongest Man' his father. That Ace asked Luffy to join the Whitebeard Pirates, despite already knowing his answer. Knowing something and knowing something were two different things, though.

How could anyone on the ship accept him despite his father? Ace resisted until he finally had a heart-to-heart talk with Marco 'The Phoenix' one day. He'd become friends with most of the Commanders, and a good number of Division members from varying positions. Thatch and Haruta also included him in a few of their more elaborate pranks, when they needed another set of hands to pull them off. He'd let himself get close to the crew, and that was where he lost the will to keep resisting their offers of family.

He went to Whitebeard and privately confessed all of his fears. When the man simply laughed and accepted him anyway, Ace cried. Luffy had told him–! He knew better than to disbelieve his little brother. So, with his aching heart slowly being healed, 'Fire Fist' Ace accepted his new Oyaji's offer to join the Whitebeard Pirates and become part of the man's family as his newest son.

Nami snatched up the paper as soon as she spotted the image on the front page. Right there, grinning up at her, was Ace's photograph! The image was attached to a thrilling header, and the orange-haired navigator beamed as she read the words. Luffy's brother had joined the Whitebeard Pirates! She grinned and internally cheered the powerful young man on. All of the Strawhat Pirates knew how much the man loved Whitebeard.

Humming cheerfully, she folded up the paper and placed it back where she'd grabbed it from. A little over nine years had passed since she woke up back in her younger body, with full knowledge of what would happen in the future. Her personal stash of treasure was just as large as the one she kept at home, and both had nearly reached her goal of 100,000,000 Beli. While she wasn't as naive about Arlong, she still had to try. Nami wouldn't just abandon Cocoyashi Village to their fate, after all.

After several years of mapping out East Blue with the Arlong Pirates (and creating her own master copy of each and every map), her voyages away from home turned into more of an excuse to get fighting experience and develop her bo staff technique. She'd even spend a couple weeks at a dojo, learning the basics of bojutsu from a professional teacher, to give herself a bit of an edge. Zoro and Sanji would always be the main members of the Monster Trio, along with her captain, but that didn't mean Nami would allow herself to be incapable of self-defense. She wanted to help protect her nakama. No matter what, their journey wouldn't end like it had the last time. They would all accomplish their dreams, this time. Each and every one of them.

His vow to take Luffy's suggestions seriously and always believe his little brother's stories saved a nakama. Ace could only collapse in relief when the doctors and nurses exited the operating room at the back of the infirmary with smiles and nervous laughter. When Thatch, one of his best friends, discovered a Devil Fruit on a recent mission, Luffy's words of warning had come to the forefront of his mind. It was a good thing, too.

He'd stumbled into Thatch's room just as that damned bastard was reaching for the Devil Fruit resting innocently on the Fourth Division Commander's desk. Thatch was bleeding out, and Ace didn't have time to tangle with the asshole traitor. Teach bailed as soon as he noticed Ace, forbidden fruit in hand, shoving the younger man to the side and wasting precious seconds the freckled pirate could have used to help his friend.

Ace raised a shout, calling for help as he scrambled to the chef's side and carefully pressing his hands over the wound to staunch the blood flow. The man's yellow scarf was sacrificed, but Ace couldn't find it in himself to care. It would help save Thatch's life, the man could always get a new one.

It wasn't long before other people stumbled upon the scene, and doctors arrived to cart their emergency patient off to the operating room. Marco herded Ace along to the infirmary after making sure the situation was well in hand, sending off someone to let Whitebeard know what happened, and helped the freckled pirate wash the blood off his hands. Now, hours later, they finally got the good news.

"Commander Thatch is stable, and no longer in danger!" the doctor heading the hasty operation called. Most of the infirmary was occupied by worried pirates, as rumors traveled fast in a crew like theirs. Everyone who'd heard about the incident had been worried. They were finally able to relax and return to their duties.

Marco gently grabbed Ace's shoulder and steered him forward. "I know you won't leave 'til you get to see him for yourself, yoi. After we both make sure Thatch is alive with our own eyes, you can come with me to brief Oyaji on what happened."

Ace nodded absently. Fifteen minutes and one pale, unconscious man later, the two were on their way to the Captain's Quarters. When they arrived, all of the Division Commanders on board the Moby Dick were present, save themselves and Thatch, obviously.

"Sons, it is good to see you are well," Whitebeard greeted warmly. "Can either of you shed any light on the circumstances of this evening?"

Marco glanced over at Ace, and the freckled pirate stepped forward. "I was going to see Thatch to discuss some ideas for a new prank when... when I opened the door, Marshall D. Teach was fucking standing over Thatch, knife sticking out of his back! The bastard just wanted the damn Devil Fruit Thatch found on the last mission! How could he do that?!"

Ace's hands gripped his hair tightly, eyes screwed shut. He was so angry! "I can't believe that happened... if I'd been any later, Thatch would be...! Oyaji, he could have died!" he yelled, a bit unhinged. The whole thing frightened him.

"Ace, my son, calm yourself," Whitebeard murmured comfortingly, reaching out to ruffle his newest son's hair. "Thatch is alive and stable, you've seen that for yourself. If not for you, I would have one less son, and you all would have lost your brother. This could have been worse, so do not despair."

The giant man continued discussing the circumstances, delegating duties to each commander, and by the time Ace managed to calm down, most of the others were gone. Ace found himself sitting next to Marco, in front of their Oyaji, as he returned to awareness.

"Was there something else you wanted, yoi?" Marco asked quietly.

Ace swallowed thickly. Luffy trusted Marco, and so did he, so the man could stay. "I need to tell you more about the... incident. I lied earlier, about the reason I went to talk to Thatch. I can't tell everyone this, but you and Oyaji... I'd trust you with more than my life."

Whitebeard leaned forward slightly, concerned. "Whatever it is, my son, you have my confidence in the matter." He smiled slightly and Marco nodded firmly, in definite agreement with his silent promise.

"My little brother, Luffy," Ace began. He was hesitant. "He knew this was going to happen. He knew that Teach wasn't to be trusted. He's a little bit of an idiot, and very straightforward, but he's a bad liar and more intelligent than people give him credit for."

When they didn't react badly, he decided to just let it go. "He's from the future. Far into the future, years and years from now. He told me everything when we were younger, and some things I didn't remember until recently. He warned me about that traitor, told me the man was a nakama-killer and can't be trusted. That Teach was the reason... the reason I died, in his original timeline. Luffy hasn't been wrong so far, and before... Thatch died in his original timeline."

Gradually, Ace told Marco and his Oyaji everything that Luffy had told him, about the War of the Best, Teach and his Devil Fruit, and the interactions the Strawhats had with the Whitebeard Pirates. It was a relief that they believed him, and when he was done, Ace smiled bitterly at the other two.

A considering look entered Whitebeard's eyes, and Marco groaned when he noticed. "No, Oyaji, don't tell me you're thinking...? Ace, yoi, tell him that your little brother won't join the crew!"

Ace blinked in surprise, and burst into laughter. "Sorry, Oyaji, but my little brother is determined to become the Pirate King. He's not one to sail under another's flag. As much as I'd like having him near, I don't think you could convince him. The most you could hope for is an alliance of some kind."

"We'll just have to see, my sons. Your little brother has yet to set sail, correct, Ace?" the man asked curiously. There were faint hints of amusement in his expression, and his low chuckles made both Division Commanders groan again.

"Less than a year," Ace replied. He gave up. Oyaji was interested in Luffy, and he'd just have to experience his little brother's unending will for himself.

Ace was really looking forward to that meeting, truth be told.

The local news went on at length about a bounty hunter with three swords. A sniper kept his senses open as he chuckled over the article, wondering if the swordsman was lost again. After all, it wasn't as if the man had a navigator to help him find his way. The girl who only stole from criminals made her way through her home village, cheerfully greeting the other villagers despite her situation. She was looking forward to the future, after all, when she was free to map the world and work on achieving her dream. On another island, a woman glared at the bounty poster in her hands and the accompanying new article, unhappy with the evil man but relieved that a friend's nakama hadn't passed away. A little reindeer carefully snipped some leaves from a plant to make a medicine for a little girl, eager to cure the small child of the simple illness it was. A shipwright-slash-dismantler drew and redrew the plans for a massive ship of dreams, wanting it to be more than perfect; his captain wouldn't settle for anything less than the best, after all. The musician leaned back and sipped his tea, awaiting the chance to play an upbeat melody for his friends and traveling companions, though he knew not where they were, because he knew they would come for him eventually.

On a small island in East Blue, deep in the jungle filled with tigers, bears, and boar, a young man stood with a straw hat on his head and adventures in his mind. He could see his future nakama, all eight waiting patiently in this peaceful ocean or the interesting sea of paradise. There would be more, of course. He'd made so many nakama on his adventures... but his most important nakama were waiting for him. He had to meet them soon, or they'd be upset.

Soon, his loneliness would go away, and he'd have his friends back. All of them.