A/N: Hi there! Sorry bout the fact that I keep side-tracking my stories, usually when I have sudden one-shots in mind I'll just write them immediately, so forgive me:)

This one-shot is what I imagined may have happened during the Alabasta Arc where Nami had once commented that Ace was very different from Luffy.

I rarely see fics on other characters describing Luffy so I've decided to write this, I had previously planned for it to be kind of a little romance between Ace and Nami but it simply turned out to be nice friendship. Oh wells, since Ace left really early I don't think their relationship would have developed that fast.

Just a small note: my next one-shot would probably be about Luffy being Pirate King, since I had been requested on it before:) Hopefully, I'll have the time to write that soon, but as for now go and read 'Vacation with Luffy' if you liked this;) Whoops, this author's note is getting WAY too long, thanks for reading again!

-Sam

Luffy's Brother

Apparently, it has come to Nami that Luffy's brother was completely, absolutely, ultimately different from her idiotic captain. I mean, who would have thought that Luffy's brother would actually use a fork (a decent utensil) to eat? Very strange indeed…

Then again, upon seeing the two D brothers fight over the last piece of meat, she had to admit – they could possibly be related.

It was already dark; the luminous flame coming from the fire (no prize to guess who lit it) was rather comforting so Nami didn't want to leave just yet. Besides, Zoro's snoring would probably keep her in a state of irritation if she wasn't tired enough to flop into the sleeping bag anyway. She stared vacantly at a distance, eyeing the aimless rocks that spread across the endless desert and let out a small sigh.

Footsteps approached, though she continued sitting nonchalantly, waiting for the night visitor to speak. She had half-expected Vivi's gentle voice to convince her back into the tent, but instead a relatively polite tone broke the silence.

"May I sit here as well?" The orange-hat man took a seat near the fire, playing with the dancing torch, obviously it couldn't hurt him.

"Mm." Nami answered mildly, still gazing into space. Often, she craved for quiet time like this, unlike the usual chaos that ensued the moment her nakama woke up – Sanji swooning, Luffy yelling, Zoro training, Chopper squealing, Usopp boasting…

Her night routine included map drawing, but since they were in a desert it was quite inconvenient, and not to mention she didn't have her materials with her right now. Without them, Nami felt a little lost, after all. Stealing a peek at the freckled man beside her, she watched his calm posture, neither planning to disturb her nor strike a small talk conversation. If it were Luffy next to her, Nami wondered if she'd ever get a moment of peace.

"Are you and Luffy really brothers?" She had blurted out unknowingly; the question was at the tip of her tongue ever since she'd met the infamous 'fire-fist'.

He had a strange, lopsided smile present on his face, as though she'd ask something very obvious. "Family doesn't have to blood-related." Nami could only respond by gaping at him, this certainly wasn't the answer she thought she would hear. Ace chuckled, turning his body to face her. She could clearly make out the three letters ASCE on his arm, often she wondered what they meant. Still, there was a whole lot she didn't know about Luffy - except that his whole family is not normal.

"And you are the navigator." It was more of a statement, really. She nodded slowly, an eyebrow raised.

Scratching his head, Ace continued, "Trust me, Luffy's rambled on and on about all his nakama." The faint smile spread across his lips; at that point, Nami was quite taken aback by the fond manner he regarded Luffy. Not only that, it reminded her of Nojiko.

She missed Nojiko.

Nami heard him snort in amusement, probably due to the fact that a sleep-walking Luffy was coming towards them.

Staggering, Luffy hardly took a few steps before crumbling into the sand with a mighty trip, as Ace got up immediately to carry (more of fling) his brother back to his sleeping area.

"The first time I met him, I flattened him with a boulder." Ace remarked casually. Nami tilted her head in slight confusion – that man reminded her of someone who could bear all of Luffy's antics.

Sitting cross-legged on the sand again, Ace said quietly, "Luffy does have knack of making friends with just about anyone huh?"

The flashbacks of her village, the grave, Arlong's domineering presence, her misery came flowing back to her, but Nami knew well enough that there was no reason to have angst. Weakness gets you nowhere, and she had this gut feeling that Ace knew as well. To Nami, Ace seemed like a nut that could only be cracked by pure Luffy.

Ace was quite curious about Nami, why would a barely adult girl be an aspiring pirate? The seas weren't kind, yet she had this tough exterior to her. Perhaps Luffy had taken his advice which was to never recruit crybabies. Adventures had no need for people preferring the safety of their homes.

His fingers trailed the sand with forced deliberation, almost as if he had many things cooped up inside. "We'll meet again."

"When Luffy becomes pirate king?" She interjected, albeit rather jokingly.

"Nope, when I am."

Oh that overconfident bastard.

Let's take a vote! Should I write about Luffy being Pirate King, or do you have any other ideas for one-shots? One shots are like a way to de-stress for me... anyway hope you liked it!