AN: This idea just popped into my head while I was trying to work on my other story. This should be a multi-chapter story drawing up Ace's remade childhood up until he meets with Luffy and sets off to assemble the Spades Pirates. Some of his characteristics will be altered due to his different upbringing. And I'll be throwing in new views on Shanks, Rogue, Rayleigh and Roger, along with anyone else who I happen to be inspired by. This is somewhat of a prologue so it's shorter than my target length. The next chapter will hopefully be much longer (once I figure out how to get it written down...)

Feedback on story pace, direction, characters etc will help improve my writing so please read & review!

Disclaimer: I don't own the One Piece, but enjoy hijacking random plots through fanfiction!

It sucked to be the youngest on a ship, Shanks thought darkly, as he clutched carefully at the badly rusted rods of a prison grill. Holding his breath & biting at an already abused lower lip, he shifted his weight onto the narrow ledge of the window. He did not look down at the jagged rocks and the ferocious, crashing waves that awaited his fall. Instead, pulling out a diamond file from one of the many pockets of his cargo pants, he started to saw at the iron rods baring his entrance into the prison. Scant minutes later, he was in.

"Come on, Shanks. It'll just be like picking a lock." Shanks muttered under his breath. "It'll be easy as taking down a marine grant, my ass." Rayleigh was a freaking sadist, and without the captain to somewhat control him, and after days of hounding by an all too scary female, he became almost analogous to the devil himself. Shanks used the term 'almost' because he knew who the real devil was- His captain when he got truly, blindingly mad. A shiver ran down his spine as he considered how likely his actions were going to put his captain into that dreaded state. But no, the mission came first, even if it was likely to get him killed. A slight twitch of his lock picks had the doors to his cell open, and Shanks slid into the shadows.

After the steep and slippery cliff face in the dead of night, it was almost disappointingly easy to make his way to his captain's cell. Either he was simply too good, or the marines were utter idiots for placing all their best fighters around the jail and only low level grunts within the building.

"The marines are definitely the idiots." Shanks decided resolutely as he broke through the locks of his captain's cell.

"Not that I disagree," Roger commented, "but why are you here, against Captain's Orders, hmm, Shanks."

"Ahaha, umm, hi captain. Here's an urgent message from Rayleigh." Shanks undid the complex mechanisms on Roger's shackles with barely a thought, shoved an envelope into his hands, and stepped far out of reach.

Roger sighed, smirked at his cabin boy just to see Shanks shiver, and tore through the envelope. His dearest Lei-chan did not mince his words.

Bastard excuse of a captain,

Thanks to your idiotic decision to surrender yourself to the marines, your men have been even more annoying than usual. You have finally turned all my hair white. Con-freaking-grats.

I would leave you to die like you so rightly deserve, but a recent guest on our ship has demanded otherwise. Your cute Rogue-chan has been causing chaos for days. She's pregnant, throwing up all the time, violent and crazy. Take responsibility for the poor brat you helped create.

Get your ass back on the ship tonight before she kills me, and I claw my way back to life just to make you beg for death.

Rayleigh

Roger turned his incredulous gaze from the letter to the red-head standing before him. "I'm a father."

"Yes."

"Rogue is pregnant." Roger stood from his seat, staggering slightly as his mind whirled with the implications.

"Yes." The word was infused with pain and a healthy dose of fear.

"How upset is she about this?"

"Very."

"Damn."

Shanks gaped as something akin to fear flashed through the Pirate King's eyes. Then, Roger was striding out the front door of the jail, easily felling high-ranked marines with fists that usually wielded a sword.

"Hurry up, brat. We don't have time to play with these low-level fools." Roger threw back with a grim grin. "A monster waits on my ship." The last, muttered sentence echoed through the abruptly silent night. As Shanks scrambled to catch up to his captain, he could not help but muse what the words portended.