Chapter 1: Simple Day Turned Confusing

(Hey guyz~! So this story had the most votes! Kinda wish it was one of the others I described since I have more planned for them but hey. This still works. I usually get ideas for other chapters while writing anyways. On to the crap!)

Warning: I have not seen the Marineford Arc or any of Ace's memories except for when he was a kid with Sabo and Luffy. I will most likely mess up certain scenes. If you get upset with how I chose something to happen, either leave or tell me. Odds are, I'm not happy with it either but I couldn't think of anything else at the time. And now I'm stalling…

He laid there in his favorite spot on top of the whale shaped figure-head, doing nothing but staring out into the sky and enjoying the perfect day. The sky was clear, the waves were calm but enough to make the ship slightly rock, and the breeze was perfect and carried the smell of the sea. He couldn't help but close his obsidian eyes and pull his orange cowboy hat over his black messy hair and tanned yet freckled face.

'It should be alright if I take a nap.' He thought to himself before letting out a small and content sigh.

He stretched his arms slightly before putting his hands under his head, making a small pillow of them, and crossing his ankles loosely. He listened to the sound of the soft breeze and the soft sound of the waves splashing onto the sides of the ship. The slight rocking of the ship made him feel as if he were a small child in their crib. Although he didn't remember if he had a crib, he was sure it would have felt something like this.

"Hey Ace!" A voice called from the deck of the ship.

Said man's eyebrow twitched underneath his trademark hat but he made no other movements. 'Don't move. He'll think you had another fit.' He mentally told himself, partially happy with the fact that he had narcolepsy.

He heard an annoyed sigh which was followed but a small chuckle. While trying to figure out who it was that the voice belonged to, he felt his hat lift off his face. As the sunlight slowly rose to his eyes, he turned his head and covered his eyes with one arm.

"What the hell?" Ace questioned with annoyance.

"Knew you weren't sleeping." The owner of the voice stated with an obvious smirk.

After a few moments, Ace opened his eyes and looked at the person nearly hovering above him. He saw a tall man dressed in a light blue posh uniform, with calf-length pants and a black belt around his waist, and brown shoes. Looking higher, he saw the man's yellow foulard before seeing the black goatee and stitched scar around his left eye. Finally he saw the orange-brown pompadour which made it obvious as to who it was.

"What do you want Thatch?" Ace asked.

"We found an island about six kilometer's on the starboard side. Oyaji's sending me and a few others. Wanna come?" Said man asked with a smile.

"Sorry man. I have plans to take a nap." Ace stated with a small smirk.

"Marco and you-know-who told me to tell you, if you aren't coming with me, they have things for you to do." Thatch said before turning to walk away.

"Chores? Really? I'm not a kid!" Ace shouted in annoyance.

"To them you are." Thatch chuckled, jumping off the figure-head and heading towards the railing.

"I'm older than him!" Ace argued, sitting up and pointing towards the entrance to the lower levels.

"That's what you say but… How you two act says differently." Thatch stated before laughing at Ace's growl.

"Can I come with you?" Ace nearly pleaded.

"Nope. Too late." Thatch stated before jumping onto the railing. "Good luck dude!" And with that, Thatch jumped onto the small boat below and started towards the island.

"I'll need it…" Ace muttered before slowly standing up and making his way towards the deck.

"Ace!" A voice shouted from within the large ship.

"I'm coming! Calm your tits man…" Ace mumbled before heading below deck.

-x-x-x-

After a few hours of chores, Ace was headed back to his favorite spot to finally get his well-deserved nap. As soon as he got on top of the figure-head, he saw someone else in his spot. Quietly, and with slight annoyance, he walked over to the person and stared at them.

He noticed the man was wearing black combat boots, black pants which were tucked into the boots, a white dress shirt and a dark blue – nearly black – tail coat that would have reached his knees, had he been standing. Instead, the coat was open and stretched slightly due to the wearer having his hands under his head.

Ace's eye twitched as he realized the man was laying in his spot and was in the same position he was in earlier. Realizing what had happened, Ace glared at the faded and aged black top hat which had blue, slightly cracked, goggles around its base. "Really? Make me do chores so you can steal my spot?"

"Last I checked, it didn't have your name on it." A tired and somewhat smug voice came from underneath the top hat.

"That's evil Sabo. You should know never to steal a man's spot." Ace said with fake hurt.

Slowly, the man moved his hat and sat up before placing it on top of his wavy blond hair which fell just below his ear and covered part of the burn scar that reached from his left jaw and over his left eye. "Did you really just say that?"

After a few moments of silence, both men burst into laughter. Soon enough, both of them were laying side by side and clutching their stomachs as they laughed. As the minutes passed, their laughter faded until they were lying on the giant whale head and watching the sunset.

"Ya know, Thatch said, due to how we act, he thinks you're older." Ace said, turning his head to the blond next to him.

"Wait, what?" Sabo asked with a small chuckle as he turned to his brother.

"Earlier, before he left, he told me you guys had chores for me to do. I yelled at him that I'm not a kid and that I'm older than you and he said, and I quote, "How you act says differently'." Ace stated.

Sabo couldn't help but chuckle and smile. "Thatch… Just because I do work and hangout with Marco, doesn't mean we act different. We act the exact same if you ask me."

"I know!" Ace said as he sat up quickly.

"If we do act different, it's because of our position. I do all the desk work, which isn't much, and you do all the physical work, which – again – isn't much." Sabo stated as he slowly sat up.

"Exactly. And we still get to do whatever we want." Ace added.

"You know, when they asked us to be the Second Division Commanders, I expected more work. It's been pretty easy." Sabo stated.

"Well, for one person it might be, but we figured out a system so it's easy for us." Ace explained.

Sabo sat silently and stared at his brother for a moment. "Am I finally rubbing off on you?"

Without a sound, Ace started looking around with a thoughtful look on his face before finally looking at Sabo. "Nope."

"Did you really have to think about it?" Sabo asked with a slightly confused look.

"Sadly yes…" Ace said before both brothers started laughing again.

Soon enough, their laughter was interrupted by a growl. After a moment of silence, they heard the growl again. This time, it was louder and coming from Ace's stomach.

"Dude, your stomach is so loud. I think you could eat an entire banquet and still be hungry." Sabo said before his stomach growled just as loudly.

"Hello pot. I'm kettle." Ace said before both their stomachs growled loudly.

"Thatch! We're hungry!" The brothers yelled in unison.

"Thatch isn't back yet!" Someone called from the deck.

"What!?" Ace and Sabo whined.

"Calm down! I'll get to the kitchen when I get there." A voice said from the railing.

Quickly, the brothers turned to the railing and found Thatch jumping on deck. "Thatch!" They yelled happily before running over to said man.

"Sorry it took so long. The island was bigger than we thought." Thatch said with a nervous chuckle as he scratched the back of his head.

"It's nothing. See anything cool?" Sabo asked.

"Nah. It was kinda boring. But Ace, I found something interesting." Thatch said, holding up a small chest.

"What is it?" Ace said excitedly.

"What are you? A kid on Christmas morning?" Sabo asked teasingly.

"I'm older than you!" Ace shouted.

"By two months." Sabo stated.

"Still! Older!" Ace argued.

"Do you want to know what it is or not?" Thatch asked with amusement.

"Depends on what it is." Ace said.

Thatch couldn't help but sigh before shaking his head. Making up his mind and deciding for the boy in a man's body, Thatch opened the box and showed what was in it.

Ace stared at the purple and swirly fruit curiously before realizing something. "It's a Devil Fruit."

"No shit Sherlock." Sabo muttered.

"Shut up. Doesn't it look kinda like the Mera Mera no Mi? Just… Purple." Ace asked.

"Huh… It kinda does." Sabo said after looking at it carefully.

"Do you recognize it? 'Cause I don't." Thatch asked.

"Nope. I don't know what any of them are." Ace stated.

"Then how'd you know it was the Mera Mera no Mi?" Thatch asked.

"I didn't. It looked cool and I was hungry." Ace said before his and Sabo's stomachs growled.

"Speaking of which…" Sabo muttered with a slight blush of embarrassment.

Thatch couldn't help but laugh. "I'll start dinner."

Sabo watched as Thatch started walking away and put the fruit back into the chest. He was about to do the same as Ace and follow the Fourth Division Commander when something caught his attention.

Out the corner of his eye, Sabo saw Teach staring at Thatch but mostly staring at the box. He noticed it wasn't just a simple stare. It seemed almost like a sinister look. "Teach. Do you know what it is?" Sabo asked simply after turning towards said man.

"Hm? Not at all. Why do you ask Commander?" Teach asked simply, the nearly sinister look having vanished.

"You had a strange look about you. Almost as if you knew what it was. I suppose I was wrong." Sabo stated before following after Ace and Thatch.

"Hey Thatch, you gonna eat it?" Sabo heard Ace ask.

"Dunno. If it's cool then maybe. I kinda like swimming though." Thatch said.

"You're right. It might not be worth it. It might be something stupid like rubber." Ace said in an almost teasing voice.

"Ace. Stop teasing Lu." Sabo warned.

"Yes mom…" Ace whined.

Until they turned the corner, Sabo knew he was being watched and he knew who it was. Teach knew something about the fruit and, most likely, he wanted it no matter what. 'Looks like I better start finding out what it is…'

-x-x-x-

All during dinner, Sabo didn't make a sound. All he did was search through what little information they had on Devil Fruits while slowly eating. He was so focused on the information that he didn't notice Ace stealing his food until he reached for his bread and it wasn't there. He started reaching for other things but quickly realized his plate was empty.

Slowly, Sabo looked up from the stack of papers and books to glare at his brother. He realized Ace had finally decided to be smart and run as soon as his head started to move. He sighed and left the dining hall before going to his shared room.

Sabo sat on his bed and continued reading. When he was picking up the final book, he realized it was near midnight and that he had been reading for a few hours. He sighed and opened the first page. Quickly, he realized this book had a picture of each Devil Fruit right next to the description. He started turning the pages in search of the picture he was looking for. He smiled slightly when he saw the Mera Mera no Mi and the Gomu Gomu no Mi.

After a few minutes, Sabo finally found the picture he was looking for. 'Finally! Alright. Yami Yami no Mi? The Yami Yami no Mi is a Logia-type Devil Fruit that allows the user to create and control darkness at will, making the user a Darkness Human. The fruit is considered 'unique' even for a Logia type…' As soon as realization hit Sabo, he slammed the book shut – ultimately waking up Ace, who had snuck in earlier – and ran for the door before he heard a loud slam on the deck. Fearing it was his friend, he ran faster than before.

-x-x-x-

Ten minutes earlier…

Thatch was still cleaning the dining room. Usually he was done by now but he chose to let the other chefs go to bed early. He couldn't help but think about the fruit. He wanted to know what it was, what it did, if it was worth losing the ability to swim, etc. He didn't know anything about it and he didn't like that. It made him feel almost stupid.

Deciding he needed a break, Thatch stepped out of the dining hall and headed to the deck. He walked around for a minute or two before he noticed someone else was on deck with him. He walked towards the person and noticed it was Teach.

"Hey Teach. What're you doing up?" Thatch asked kindly.

"Oh, Commander Thatch. I have watch tonight. What about you?" Teach whispered, not wanting to wake anyone nearby.

"Cleaning the dining room." Thatch said before leaning on the railing and looking at the sea.

"Still?" Teach asked with slight surprise.

"Yeah. I told the others to get some sleep. Didn't think I'd be able to sleep tonight anyways." Thatch stated.

"Why not?" Teach asked, leaning against the railing as well.

"It's that Devil Fruit. I've spent all night trying to figure out what it is but I have no clue. I know a few things about Devil Fruits but this one doesn't go by any of the info. Usually, they'll have a certain design on them that tells what type it is but I can't tell with this one. It looks closest to what Logia usually looks like but, again, I don't know.

"Then there's the color. Sometimes, the color helps you figure out what it is but it doesn't. Like the Mera Mera no Mi. I've seen a picture of it and it's obvious as to the ability. It has the same shape and pattern of a Logia and its coloring makes it look like fire. But this one… It looks like the power of purple!" Thatch whispered in annoyance, causing Teach to chuckle slightly. (1)

"Power of purple?" Teach questioned. (2)

"Exactly… You're confused about the stupid name I gave it and I'm confused about the entire thing." Thatch sighed in frustration.

"If you let me see it, I might be of help. I know a few things about Devil Fruits too." Teach said.

"Really? Oh my God, Teach. Thank you so much." Thatch said happily before rushing to his room.

Quickly, Thatch pulled the small chest out of one of his cabinets and pulled it open, reveling the strange fruit. As soon as it was in his hand, he felt a strange shiver go down his spine. Trying to figure out what it was, he realized the door was open and figured it was just a cool breeze. He walked out the door and showed it to Teach. "Do you really think you can figure it out?"

"Of course. I spent years learning what each Devil Fruit was and what it did. I even remember seeing this one." Teach said, looking closely at the fruit.

"Seriously? You know what it is?" Thatch asked with curiosity.

"I do. It's the Yami Yami no Mi. The fruit I've been searching for for years." Teach said with a slightly dark smirk.

"And… What does it do?" Thatch asked, slowly backing away and moving the fruit away from the large man.

"I'll tell you this; you were right when you said it was a Logia." Teach said before slowly reaching for his knife.

As soon as Thatch turned to run, Teach pulled out his knife and swung at him. Much to Thatch's shock, the blade barely grazed his back. He couldn't help but wonder why it hadn't cut him deeper.

His answer came when, not a second later, Thatch heard a loud slam coming from behind him. Curiosity taking over, he turned and saw Teach against the mast and unconscious. Slowly and carefully, he walked over to the mast. His intentions being, take the knife away before the large man wakes up but he stopped short when he saw someone else face down and next to Teach.

Cautiously, he moved closer to the second person and rolled them over to see their face. He was shocked when he found out it was teenage boy. He wore sandals, blue denim shorts, a red open cardigan that showed a large x-shaped scar on his chest and a straw hat, which was loosely tied around his neck. He noticed the black messy hair – which reminded him of Ace – and the stitched scar underneath his left eye.

Quickly checking if the teen was alive, Thatch checked the boys breathing and heartbeat. He couldn't help but let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. The boy was alive but unconscious.

After finding this out, Thatch realized people were running on deck and surrounding him, Teach and the teen. Everyone was asking questions at a rapid fire rate. He didn't know what to answer first.

"What happened?"

"Who's the kid?"

"What happened to Teach?"

"Why are you bleeding?"

At that last question, Thatch reached around and touched his back, wincing slightly. When he pulled his hand back, he realized he really was bleeding. Not heavily, but enough for people to worry.

"Thatch!" Said man looked up in the direction of the one who called him and saw Sabo trying to push through the crowd and towards him. "Are you alright?"

Thatch nodded. "Y-yeah… A little confused is all…"

"You're bleeding! You aren't alright you idiot!" One of the nurses yelled.

"I'm not dead like I thought I would be two minutes ago! So I'm fine!" Thatch shouted, ultimately silencing the crowd.

"Calm down. What do you mean, yoi?" Marco asked, making himself known.

Thatch took a deep breath before explaining. "Teach said he knew what the fruit was. He told me he had been searching for it for years. He told me what it was and I put two and two together… He pulled out a knife and I ran. He grazed me and then this kid shot out of nowhere and launched him into the mast."

At the mention of the boy, everyone looked at the unconscious teen. Quickly, a nurse kneeled next to the teen and checked him over. "Breathing is stable. Heart rate is good. A little fast but not too bad. Temperature is fine from what I can tell." The nurse muttered before turning the boy's head. "There's a cut on his head. It's bleeding and looks about a few centimeters to half an inch deep with a rather large bruise around the wound. We have to move him now." Quickly, the nurses picked up the boy and started towards the medical ward.

As soon as the nurses were half way through the crowd – which had made an opening for them and the unconscious boy – Ace and Sabo had made it to Thatch. "I'm sorry I was late. I just figured out what fruit it is. I came up here to tell you when I heard the noise. I thought he killed you. I'm happy you're okay." Sabo said.

As Sabo was talking to Thatch, Ace was watching the nurses carry the boy away. When he caught a small glimpse of a straw hat and messy black hair, panic kicked in. "Wait!" Ace shouted before running after them.

"Ace!" Sabo shouted at his brother.

Ignoring the blond, Ace kept running before catching up with the nurses. As soon as he saw the boy's face, Ace's fear was proven true. "Sabo…" Ace muttered as he turned his head to said blond.

When Sabo saw the fear, panic, and confusion on Ace's face, he stood up and ran over. As soon as he saw the boy's face, he could only make out three words. "What the hell…?"

"You know the boy?" A nurse asked them.

"Of course we do! He's our little brother!" Ace shouted.

"Luffy…" Sabo muttered in pure shock.

"He needs urgent care. In case you didn't hear-"

"We heard. Hurry. Please." Ace pleaded, cutting off the nurse.

-x-x-x-

A half hour later, Ace, Sabo, Marco, Thatch, and a few others were waiting outside the medical ward. Thatch had already been taken care of and was allowed to go but he chose to stay. Ace and Sabo were sitting side by side next to the door. The two brothers had explained their confusion about how the boy appeared – stating that he was in East Blue and not expected to leave for another few months – causing the people around them to think of every possibility.

While their friends were trying to figure out how Luffy got to the New World, Ace and Sabo were silently praying nothing bad happened. They didn't want to hear about the island being attacked or about their little brother and loved ones being banned for not being nobles. They wanted an explanation but they didn't at the same time. The explanation they feared most, though, was how he got the scar on his chest and why he looked a little older than they thought he would have. It wasn't much of a change but still noticeable to them.

Thatch, on the other hand, was thinking about two things; how the boy appeared so far from home and how to get rid of the Yami Yami no Mi. It was official. He didn't want it anywhere near him or his family. After a few moments of thought, he decided to throw it into the waters they sailed on. If anyone had that kind of power, there was no telling how dangerous they would be.

Marco, already knowing Luffy would be fine, was thinking of something nobody else was. What to do with Teach. He didn't know whether to turn him into the Marines or to just put him on a raft and send him out – if he lives he lives, if he dies he dies. Honestly, he couldn't care less which happened. As long as the traitor was gone, he would be happy.

All thoughts were cut short when the door opened and revealed a nurse. Quickly, they all stood – Thatch being careful and going a little slower – and waited for the nurse to speak. The nurse took a deep breath before speaking. "He is no longer bleeding and required only a few stitches. He's awake and sitting up-"

The nurse was cut off by Ace and Sabo running past her and into the room. As soon as they saw Luffy, they couldn't help but smile. He was looking around with that same clueless look he had whenever he wasn't smiling. When he looked at them, the clueless look didn't fade.

"Hey." Ace said with a smile and a small wave before walking over to the youngest brother's bed.

"Hey." Luffy said with a same wave and a small smile of his own.

"How are you feeling?" Sabo asked as he sat on the bed next to Luffy.

"Hm…" Luffy sounded as he thought about it. "My head kinda hurts but I feel okay."

Ace couldn't help but chuckle. "You've got a hard head. You'll be fine."

"Really? Cool." Luffy said with a small grin which disappeared with his next words. "Hey. I have a question."

"Anything. Just ask." Sabo said with a small smirk.

Luffy tilted his head slightly before asking. "Who are you?"

(Aaaaaaaaaaand done! For those of you who love Thatch – like I do – you are welcome. Now think about it. If Teach never got the Yami Yami no Mi, a few hundred episodes would not have happened. Just realized that. Sorry Oda! Anyways, I just have one question. How many of you would rather it be Luffy from after the time skip instead of 16 year-old Luffy? He would still have amnesia but he would get glimpses of his past and Ace's future.

Notes:

1.) Because I feel like someone is going to yell at me about it, how Thatch classifies the Devil Fruits and figures out what they are is completely made up. If it's true, well sweet Mother Teresa on the hood of a Mercedes-Benz (yell at Team Four Star for that one). I can see the future. Most likely though, it's false. So please don't yell at me.

2.) Power of purple… Now I know I'm stupid. It wouldn't leave my head so I ended up typing it! DX Also, it kinda fits Thatch's… Thatch-ness. Ya know?

So that's all. Hope you liked it. If you do then fave, follow, read my other stuff, and review! Bai~! c(X )

Start Time – 11:30 AM

End Time – 7:00 PM