Luffy's eyes stung with the effort it took to open them. He was met with a blinding flash of light, the glow of it dimming the more he blankly squinted at it. Beneath him, the grass was sharp and dug into his back. Coughing, Luffy heaved and gasped, twisting to hold himself up as he tried to gain footing in his new location.

He had a second to recall the memories of what happened before he was swiftly thrust into the air by the nape of his shirt. Groggily, Luffy stared down at the massive figure in front of him. Being held like a kitten, dangling in the air was familiar to Luffy. A sense of deja vu washed over him, as he gazed down at a noticeably younger Monkey D. Garp. Luffy's grandfather.

"What the..." Garp mumbled, moving Luffy so that he could inspect him like one would with a newspaper. "You look like Luffy, but you're not Luffy," Garp concluded, dropping the teenager to the ground in a fit of agitation.

Luffy coughed, not quite feeling like himself, as he shakily stood to his feet, his sandals digging into the ground. "Gramps?" Luffy muttered, fists clenching and unclenching as he attempted to gather his bearings. Mind still fogged, his hands unconsciously sought out the straw hat atop his head, finding it still sat snugly upon his tangled mop of black hair.

Garp was staring at him, his head cocked in wonder as he pondered the situation. Luffy could sympathize. "What did you do now, Brat?" Garp questioned, one bushy eyebrow raised in alarm. Clad in jorts, similar to Luffy's and an orange and red Hawaiian shirt, he looked ridiculous. And like he was on vacation. The last time Luffy had heard, Garp hadn't been on vacation since Ace's death. The wrinkles that adorned Garp's face were lesser than the amount he had when Luffy had last seen him. Something wasn't adding up. Luffy shrugged it off.

Luffy tilted his head, unknowingly copying his grandfather as he spoke. "I was fighting a Devil Fruit user, then..." Luffy shrugged, "I guess I got teleported here." Luffy regarded the clearing they were in, hesitant. It was vast, with trees surrounding them like a cage, their trunks grand and thick. Luffy had seen similar trees before, all the way back on Dawn Island. Of course, he couldn't be there, though, as he was in the New World. "Wherever, here, is."

Garp was huffing, boots slapping against the ground as he began to pace. "Here is Dawn Island, Brat." Luffy's eyes widened comically as he stared at his grandfather. His knees buckled under the weight of the revelation. The Marine was too busy to acknowledge his grandson's crisis on the ground. Luffy was on Dawn Island. To reach his crew he would have to travel the East Blue, navigate Reverse Mountain and spend months traveling Paradise. Only to attempt to cross through Fishman Island, once more. He would have to sail the New World, again. All without his crew by his side. The thought of again was daunting.

Luffy began panicking, pulling at the loose strands of hair that fell in waves along his face. "Gramps," Luffy called, the beating of his heart increasing the more he remained a mess of limbs on the ground. His grandfather did not hear him.

Many thoughts began to overwhelm Luffy, like dark clouds they encompassed him and weighed him down. His crew was somewhere in the New World. This was the first time he had seen his grandfather since Ace's death. He was on Dawn Island. The last time he had been here, Ace had still been alive. Short breaths escaped Luffy's lips, huffing and puffing he grasped at the grass. The sharp emerald blades stabbed at his skin but it didn't cut. It didn't bring Luffy back from his panic.

Garp's pacing slowed to a stop. He stared down at Luffy with a twist to his eyebrows, hands clenching and unclenching repeatedly. He sighed in resignation of his situation. "Hey, Kid," this was his grandson, even if he was a bit older. Still the same brat, judging from the scar along his left eye and the straw hat. "Stop wheezing, we got to figure out how to get you back to your own time."

Luffy's shoulders tensed, finding it in himself to look up at the Vice-Admiral. "Time?" His voice came out croaky. He had grown stronger over two years for this exact scenario to never happen. He had never wanted to be separated from his crew again.

Yet here he was.

Garp rolled his eyes. "Yeah. I was just training your kid-self when you decided to pop in." Underneath his rough exterior, worry laced his words. He had no idea where his youngest grandson was.

"I'm back in time?" Luffy asked, taking a closer look around the clearing. He had recalled this particular area being burned on the night of the Grey Terminal fires. It was the area Garp had loved to take Ace and Luffy to train.

Ace.

If Luffy was back in time, then Ace was still alive. It was the fastest way to verify Garp's theory, so he bolted to his feet. "Luffy—" Garp began but Luffy was already sprinting down a familiar path. Winding past the sprouting of roots and hanging branches, he bounded over rocks and fallen logs alike. Garp was pursuing him, but Luffy wasn't the same seven-year-old he used to train. He was an Emperor now, or at least in the future, he was one.

Not only had his strength and control over his Devil Fruit increased, but he was also faster. Much faster than his old grandfather. His pace slowed as he neared Dadan's hut, but before he could burst through the doors of the shabby den, a small body collided with his. In shock, Luffy reeled back but caught his balance. A mop of black curls greeted him, but it was swiftly replaced by a scowling boy. Ace.

Ace.

That was Ace. Luffy could recognize Ace anywhere. His black hair—the curls more pronounced when he was older. The brown tan he had during his childhood was a similar shade to Luffy's beige-tawny colour.

The sharpness of his nose, the wrinkles along his eyes whenever his eyebrows furrowed. It was Ace. Alive. And screaming at Luffy.

"What the hell did you do with Luffy?" Big, brown—nearly black—eyes glared at him and Luffy retreated, Ace falling to the ground as he prepared the pipe higher in the sky. A sense of longing engulfed Luffy, recalling the moments when he hounded after Ace, begging for the boy to be his friend.

There were thundering footsteps behind him and Luffy shook himself from his daze.

He was back in time. Ace was alive.

A large body collided with his and instinctively Luffy knew it was Garp. "Hey, Brat, just 'cause you're older, doesn't mean you can go off running like a demon escaped from hell!" Luffy ducked from his grasp, jumping back and watched as his grandfather stumbled over empty air. Ace and Garp were facing him now, one with threatening intent.

"Old Man, where's Luffy?" Ace was glaring at Luffy, pipe helt taut in his hands as he pointed it Luffy's way. Garp grunted, mulling over his next words before blurting out:

"Somewhere," Garp muttered, picking at his nose—now that the older version of Luffy was in front of him and standing as still as a statue. Luffy was ignoring their conversation, however, his gaze solely fixated on the short figure in front of him. In his time, before Ace had died, Ace had towered over him. Now, back in the past, Luffy was the taller one. He didn't know how to feel about this.

But mostly, he just missed his brother.

Ace's eyes were comically wide, darting between his grandfather and the man in front of them, who eerily resembled Luffy. "Was he..." Ace trailed off, hands white from clenching his pipe too hard. "Was he kidnapped?" When Luffy was younger, Ace had never shown an ounce of uncertainty. He'd always stood steadfast in his decisions and never cowered. And that trend continued into adulthood, until the very moment that Ace died in Luffy's arms.

Shaking himself from his stupor, he took a step forward only to be met with Garp's broad figure. He was blocking Ace from view. "Look, Brat, you may look like Luffy, and you could be him from the future," Garp began, words like steel. "But I want you to act carefully." Luffy blinked owlishly at his grandfather. Luffy recalled the last time he saw the man, during Marineford and the wounded look he wore. It was so different from the one he bore now. Luffy frowned.

"I'm not going to hurt Ace." Not in a million years would Luffy ever lay a hand on his brother that wasn't classified as brotherly fighting. Even when they had been pirates competing for the same goal, Luffy never had the intention of harming his brother. Garp's eyebrows furrowed in thought, as though not believing the teenager's words. "I promise." Luffy would sooner die than hurt the boy across from him.

Ace let out a scoff and shoved at his grandfather. Garp went easily. He accepted Luffy's promise. "I'd kick his ass before he could even touch me." Luffy knew full well that the threat wasn't empty, but it certainly didn't disturb Luffy. He had grown stronger, after all, and considerably so. Especially compared to the strength of when they were kids.

"Where's Sabo?" Luffy wondered aloud, glancing around like he might find him hidden among the branches. His eyes caught on a woman peeking through a door and he beamed. Bounding over, he burst through the entrance and embraced the burly woman, who'd been his caretaker as a child. "Dadan!" The shack of the bandit's home was as rundown as he recalled, which he supposed, made sense. After all, he was in the past. The bandit let out a squawk of protest, attempting to push the body off of her but it was futile. Luffy's rubber limbs had already encircled her like a snake. She was trapped.

"What the fuck?" Dadan exclaimed, staring at Garp and Ace through the doorway. Garp was largely unhelpful as he continued to pick at his nose. There was a pat against Luffy's back, urging him to unravel his arms and retreat. He only did so after a drawn-out minute. The last time Luffy had seen the woman, Ace had been alive, and Sabo had still been dead.

Gasping, Luffy whirled on Ace and Garp, fist knocking against his palm in realization. "Is Sabo at our treehouse?" He didn't want to ponder the thought that he was too late.

Ace dumbly stared at Luffy, eyebrows furrowing as his gaze flitted between Garp and Luffy before landing on the straw hat atop Luffy's hair. He froze in place, his glare growing sharp in realization. His dark—nearly black—eyes travelled to where Luffy knew a scar lay under his left eye, unsuspecting. "Old Man," Ace murmured, quiet and unsure. His fist was clenched tightly around his pipe, as he attempted to process the situation. Luffy could sympathize. Behind him, Dadan had appeared to come to the same conclusion—after all, she had felt the winding of rubbery limbs encompass her. And only one person could do that. "What happened to Luffy?" Ace hissed between clenched teeth, taking a step forward to inspect the more grown-up version of Luffy.

Luffy blinked down at him, watching as Ace circled him like a predator with a perceptive eye—Luffy having been pushed out of the hut by Dadan. Garp snorted, "I didn't do anything, Kid." Garp remarked, finding that he had to defend himself preemptively before Ace drew the wrong conclusions. Ace stilled, eyes wandering toward Luffy's bright expression and flinched away.

"Why is..." Ace trailed off, cringing away when Luffy tried to reach out. Ace was in front of him, alive and breathing. Luffy thought he would never hear the smooth drawl of his older brother's voice, again. And even if it was childish, he could still hear the makings of what his brother would grow into. "Why is he older?" Luffy picked his nose, finding he also didn't have an answer for this.

His grandfather had said time travel, but he hadn't recalled anything as spectacular as that during his brief fight with the Devil Fruit user. But then, it had been a spontaneous battle, one which his crew hadn't taken very seriously.

Dadan grunted, moving to the side of Luffy so she could scowl at the man, properly. She was fiddling with a cigarette as a considering expression dawned on her rugged features. Inside the hut, Luffy could hear the scrambling of bandits as they attempted to listen in on their conversation. "Garp, what the hell is this?" She rarely spoke so boldly with the Vice-Admiral, but Luffy supposed the situation called for it.

"I think future Luffy," he gestured to Luffy like he were an animal and not his actual grandson. "Got himself into some trouble." Ace's eyes widened, his gaze raking across Luffy's frame with a gleam in his eyes. Ace's pupils were caught on the ugly, red scar shaped like an X. And they remained there until Luffy adjusted his shirt to hide it from view.

"Future-Luffy?" Ace mumbled, awestruck as he watched Luffy with a vague sense of curiosity. "Sabo is going to love this!" Relief washed over Luffy like cold water—Sabo was still here, alive and memories intact. He wasn't too late.

Dadan bristled, "Hey, don't get too excited! What if he's an imposter and he's actually kidnapped our Luffy?" Her wrinkly face blanched, as she began to panic. "Oh my God, what if Luffy is dead?" She began pulling at her ginger roots, coughing up smoke in her state of panic. Ace scoffed and grasped Luffy's right arm; Luffy let him do so freely, relishing in the warm skin.

"Only one way to tell," he muttered tersely and began pulling. Expectedly, the limb stretched like gum and all suspicions vanished within the group. Ace hummed, dropping Luffy's arm to the forest floor. "Huh, I guess he really is Luffy." Ace cocked his head to the left in wonder, "But where is our Luffy?" Ace spun on Garp, then, eyes narrowing to slits. Garp got the message well enough.

Casually, like most things Garp did, he shrugged the matter off. "I'm sure he's fine," a hearty laugh escaped his dry lips. "Good to know he grows up into a fine man." Luffy unconsciously winced—he knew the next words that would fall from his grandfather's tongue. "So, you're a marine, then?"

Quite the opposite, actually. But because Luffy had a lack of self-preservation, he blurted out his inner monologue: "An Emperor!" Not that he was scared of the repercussions of his words—but a grandson didn't just lose that fear of his grandfather in two years. "I beat Kaido!" Silence engulfed the forest—he could even hear the heavy breathing behind him—Dadan.

Ace was the first to speak, perplexed as he attempted to grasp the tension that had draped over the group like a comforter. "Who is Kaido?"

This appeared to pull Garp from his puzzlement, as he whirled on Luffy.

There was a thought—sour and distant, of a time both so far away and recent. The last time he had seen his grandfather—a face of rage as he challenged Luffy on a bridge to his brother. And with that glimpse of a memory, encompassed by bitter melancholy, Luffy reacted instinctively.

When Garp reached out to grasp the nape of Luffy's shirt, again, Luffy's fist was already swinging and making contact with coarse skin. Armament Haki infused with his hand as he punched his grandfather—the man went down to the ground with a surprised gasp. That silence was back again—shocked—scared—horrified—Luffy could not gather the underlying emotion of it.

Luffy's wide eyes glared daggers at the man beneath him; Garp wasn't down for the count. A hit like that—weak, similar damage to that of a pinch—would never bring the Vice-Admiral to the ground. But the blow from his older grandson had certainly left the Marine stunned.

Worst of all, however, was that Luffy didn't feel an ounce of guilt. Perhaps, he couldn't find it in himself to blame his grandfather for what happened at Marineford—he was old enough to understand that Ace had made his decision to be a pirate. As did Garp. And there was no changing that. But childish rage had resurfaced with only a brief flash of a memory and well—

Garp stood to his feet, looking far from affected by the hit. Luffy hadn't expected any different—his grandfather had never been weak. "An Emperor, eh?" Garp whistled, glimpsing the beginnings of a bruise along his left cheek with his palm. "You certainly don't punch like one. I know rookies who hit better than that." Luffy didn't rise to the bait, cowed for the moment.

Ace was left dumbstruck between them, a smile curving along his lips—and while it certainly wasn't unusual for the older, adult version of Ace—Luffy recalled little memories of his childhood where Ace had smiled so genuinely. It was only in his later teenage years when he'd finally learned to accept that there was no getting rid of Luffy's love, that he reached that point. Luffy relished in the moment—if it took punching his grandfather a thousand times, for the sake of Ace's smile, he would do it.

Dadan shoved at Luffy, moving forward with tense shoulders. She was ushering Ace away from the scene and Ace grumbled in protest. Luffy thought it was awfully motherly of her, but Ace didn't see it like that. "Hey, move over, Old Hag, I want to see Luffy—erm—Older Luffy kick the old man's ass!" Luffy considered the thought—he had yet to fight the Marine in the future—present? But that wasn't the most pressing matter at hand, even if the thought was exciting.

"So, you're from the future, then?" Dadan grunted out, the cigarette in her mouth clenched between pursed lips. She was covering Ace, protectively, and it filled Luffy's heart with yearning. He had missed the old bandit. Her big, brown eyes narrowed on Garp's still figure. "An Emperor?" She pulled the cigarette out and spit on the ground—ignoring Ace's disgusted cry—she levelled her glare on Luffy. "You may look and act like Luffy," she gestured to the pirate, from head to toe. "And you may have his powers, his hat and his scar... But don't you think you can go starting fights. I don't trust you for a second!"

Garp waved her away, with a huff. "Enough. I know my grandson better than anyone," Garp interjected, eyeing the tense set of Luffy's shoulders and the way he covered the scar across his chest. "And I'd be a fool to not recognize his fists." He guffawed, then, "I've been hit by them too much to count—of course, now, you can't land a hint." He rolled his shoulders, the fabric of his Hawaiian shirt painted with dirt. "But I guess you got better at it." He discerned with pride and Luffy laughed with him, the tension easing with each round of chuckles.

"My punches really are as strong as pistols now!" Luffy boasted, flexing the muscles of his bicep in jest.

A scoff from Dadan and Ace, that both grandson and grandfather ignored in favour of shared laughter. Garp halted, suddenly, "Don't think I've forgotten you're a pirate, Brat!"

Luffy paled.

-

Ace's hand was small in his.

It's a thought that haunted Luffy, as he trailed after his younger—older—brother. "You're still so slow, even though you're older now, Luffy!" Luffy didn't have the heart to tell him that he was intentionally keeping pace with Ace. Besides, he had missed Ace's teasing remarks—why not indulge in them?

Luffy laughed, the sound light and everything free, as he vaulted over an overgrown root. Ace was leading him to their treehouse, remarkably trusting, especially so, considering Ace's character. But Luffy wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. The trees loomed over them, like giants. And Luffy should know, he'd met quite a few.

The branches engulfed the sky like a canopy of leaves, leaving only minuscule holes for the sun to peak through. The beams of light rained down on them and illuminated their makeshift path. Dawn Island was as beautiful as ever—even if Luffy had explored a plethora of islands, he thought that nothing would ever compare to the home forests of his island. Nothing would hold a torch to the treehouse nestled in the groves of a large tree—dusty and old in the future but perfectly maintained during Luffy's childhood. He and Ace had never had the heart to touch the treehouse without Sabo at their flanks. So it remained a faint memory, within a clearing of many, on Mt. Corvo.

Now, staring at it, in its former glory, Luffy felt the freedom of his childhood wash over him like a shower. Warm and comforting. The sun cast it in a gentle glow, the afternoon fresh breeze wafting over him like the rocking of the ocean—both of them similar to a lullaby. The treehouse, fixed around the bulky trunk of the tree, was constructed with wood from Grey Terminal. The roof of it was shabby, looking a second from collapse—but Luffy knew better. The spare pieces of wood, supported the roof occasionally, creating makeshift windows along the building.

It was perfect, and Luffy expressed this by immediately beginning to climb it. Ace called for him to wait, but Luffy was a crawling monkey in search of his treasure; the embrace of his childhood memories.

Pouring into the treehouse, through the hatch at the bottom, Luffy was a giggling mess of limbs. But not for long, as he was promptly smacked in the head with a pipe. He could still hear the faint cries of Ace, demanding that the pirate wait—but it was too late. Luffy had already made contact with the other inhabitant of the treehouse. And subsequently jumpscared the blond child.

Sabo, alive and in the flesh, and lacking his distinct scar that had marred the left side of his face in the future. But his eyes were as bright as then, the blue of them rich with buried memories but a resounding hope lingering in the cerulean. The striking blonde of his hair only stood to pronounce the paleness of his skin—a feature which hadn't changed in the future, even if Luffy knew the man had spent countless hours in the sun. The long, navy trench coat only served to dwarf Sabo. It was weird—when Luffy had been younger, Sabo had seemed terrifyingly bigger than him. But childish worship had clouded his eyes then, Sabo had been surprisingly short as a child.

"What the hell?" Sabo exclaimed, poising his pipe higher to land another hit against Luffy's skull. Luffy caught it before any damage could be made to his straw hat. "Let go!" He wrenched the pipe free of Luffy's grasp, but that was because the pirate had made the conscious decision to let it go. He was aware of how skittish his brothers—at this age—had been.

"Sabo!" A voice called, followed by a mop of black curls. Ace. Ace heaved himself over the entrance and regarded the scene in front of him with a dissecting gaze. "Shit, Luffy, when did you get so good at climbing?" He shook his head, as though chasing away the question; it had been stupid, after all. Luffy was older, and this meant he had advanced in a mountain-high list of skills.

"Luffy?" Sabo dumbly questioned, gaze catching on the straw hat against Luffy's neck, and the rugged pink scar under his left eye. He met Luffy's eyes and whatever he saw there, had him lowering his weapon. "What's going on, Ace?" Apprehension laced his words, as he took a pensive step back. Luffy stayed quiet (an achievement of a lifetime) and watched as Ace attempted to put the situation into comprehensible words.

"Uh—" But Ace had never been good with sentences. He preferred his fists over talking, so Luffy filled in for him.

"I'm Luffy!" Silence, then a snort, as Ace leant against the thick trunk—the centre of the treehouse. There were knife marks against it and Luffy recalled those being from Ace, who'd had too much fun with his knife.

"You're not Luffy. Luffy is smaller," his blue eyes caught on the making of Luffy's scar, reminding the older boy to cover it before the duo got too curious. He didn't want to explain it. "And younger."

"Oh, I'm from the future!" Luffy said, foolishly honest. Sabo stumbled on his feet as he looked to Ace for confirmation.

Ace shrugged, eyes lingering on Luffy's casual posture. "I mean, the old man says it's him." Sabo paled at that, seemingly accepting the revelation with ease.

"Garp is here?" Sabo began biting at his nails in panic, as he paced against the floorboards and threatened to burn a hole through them. Luffy watched him with vague curiosity. Seeing his two brothers in the same room left him subdued—at a loss for words. Captivating was the picture of Ace and Sabo, talking easily like it came naturally to them. Of course, it did, they'd been friends for years prior to Sabo's "death". But Luffy could only recall the estranged brother he knew in the future. The warm but haunted smile he wore when he grinned Luffy's way in Dressrosa. So strikingly different, but similar in the ticks of their moments. The twitch of Sabo's fingers, the click of his tongue—anything and everything about him was eerily familiar. And while Luffy supposed it made sense—he had known Sabo as a child, after all—he could not help but feel unsettled with how close younger Sabo was to the future version of him.

Like all those years lost between them had never even mattered.

"Yeah, he took Luffy to train. Came back with this," he pointed to Luffy's sitting frame. Luffy smiled and waved, watching as Sabo's face contorted into horror.

"Where's our little brother, Ace?" Sabo muttered, whirling on his brother like a one-boy storm. To Ace's credit, he didn't flinch. But he did seem rightfully abashed.

"I don't know..."

Sabo heaved a breath, "You don't know?" Sabo was like a snake with how he hissed the words, seething with a quiet sort of rage. Not that both Ace and Luffy couldn't feel it burning hot underneath Sabo's skin like a bonfire from the pits of hell.

Ace shrugged, twisting his head to stare at the wall to the right of him and pointedly away from Sabo. Like that would save him from the blonde's wrath. "The old man said this Luffy was from the future."

"Future?" Sabo turned to him then, assessing him. He was fixated on the straw hat that Luffy wore. He took a step forward and outstretched his hand, making a grabbing motion with his slender fingers. "Can I see that?" He didn't need to specify what he was talking about. They all knew.

Luffy pulled the hat over his head, disregarding the way the string got caught on his chin for a second. He handed it to Sabo, carelessly, and watched as Sabo stared at it dumbfounded. Ace spoke up first, "You gave it to him?" He was in awe.

Luffy frowned, "What's the big deal? It's just my hat."

Sabo scowled at him, fingers brushing along the frail straw. It was weathered from the amount of adventures it'd experienced, but it felt just the same under his grasp. "Just a hat? This is Luffy's treasure. He wouldn't just give this to anyone." Sabo punctuated his words with a wave of the hat—remaining delicate each time he swung it. "That's how I know you're not Luffy."

Luffy blinked at his brothers before a brilliant grin lit up his features like a Christmas tree. "You're right, I wouldn't give it to just anyone. But you're my brothers, I trust you with my treasure and my life." Luffy meant each word—there was never a question of whether or not he should trust his brothers—never a how or a why, only a feeling of utmost faith that they would have his back and he would have theirs.

Simultaneously, Ace and Sabo gaped at him in wonder—the hat fell to the ground as Sabo's grip gave out. "You trust us that much?" Sabo murmured, dropping to his knees to carefully lift the hat from its position. He was gentle as he fondled it, staring at it with a fond gaze. And woah—he hadn't recalled his brothers caring for him this much when they were younger. Or more so, he didn't recall them being so soft. Not that he was going to point it out.

"Of course, you're my brothers." How many times would Luffy have to repeat it before they got the picture? Nothing they could do would shake his faith, it was as deep as the loyalty he had to his crew. And that ran deeper than the location of Fishman Island.

Ace huffed, rubbing furiously at the embarrassed blush that decorated his cheeks. He looked like a cherry. "That's enough. Point proven, you're our Luffy. Just older." His nose wrinkled at the thought. "That doesn't mean you can lord that over our heads. So, don't get any ideas!"

Luffy chuckled, easily relaxing against the floor. The uneven texture of it dug into his back, but he only relished in the contact. The ceiling above him was made up of several planks of wood, the nails hastily screwed in at random intervals. But Luffy thought it was perfect. "Don't worry, I won't!" He didn't promise not to make use of his heightened skills, though.

Sabo sighed, long and tired. "Where's Garp, anyway?" He didn't seem like he felt like touching on the most blaring issue at hand—that being that they had an older version of Luffy in their treehouse. Some things were best left for the adults.

"I don't know," Sabo looked murderous at Ace's carefreeness, so the older boy promptly continued. "He said he would stick around until the situation fixed itself." Sabo groaned in protest. "I know, I know... But there's nothing I can do." His gaze wandered over to Luffy, less judgmental and more curious. "Besides, I'd rather have him here to help."

"I'm too tired for this." Sabo settled on, dragging his exhausted body to where there was a nest of blankets and pillows, on the other end of the curricular room. "I'm taking a nap,"

"Oh! Can I join?" Luffy beamed, already standing to his feet and shaking off his sandals. Sabo was resigned to his future as a free cuddle pillow—he knew child Luffy's habit of cuddling well enough. And he doubted that had changed, judging by the excited jump of Luffy as he fell into the mess of blankets.

Still, Sabo found himself protesting by way of warning his older but younger brother. "Stick to your side!" Luffy laughed, finding peace in the treehouse filled with the voices of his brothers. He still had an ache for his crew—to be at their side—but that was a matter for another day. Today, he was gifted the opportunity of a lifetime. All of his brothers were alive at once.

"Jeez, you guys are embarrassing," Ace remarked, even as he settled in the middle of the two. He was out like a light the next second.

Sabo took longer to fall into the embrace of slumber, anxiety clawing at his frame as he whispered a simple question. "The future... Is it good?" Luffy paused, breath catching as he attempted to understand the simplicity of the question. Sabo hadn't asked for specifics, but it still felt like a gut punch coated with Haki.

"The best." He thought of Ace and Whitebeard who died on Marineford. Of Saboady, where Kuma saved his crew by tearing them apart until they were nothing but strings tethering each other to a lone ship, spread across the globe. He thought of being separated from them for two whole years, only to be thrust back into battle at Fishman Island. And the alliance with Law. And Wano—and Sabo's return from the dead. The memories his older brother grieved. The years of distance between them, only to be brought together by a shared ache for a person that was long gone. "It's the best, Sabo."

And he meant it. Meant it with his heart because he had to. He had to offer that assurance, even as the familiar, phantom throb of his scar resounded throughout his body. They had made it work in the future. Luffy had an amazing crew and Sabo was making waves as a Revolutionary. And Ace had died in Luffy's arms.

For the first time since his arrival, he understood that he was in the past. And that meant an opportunity to change things. Change the outcome of Ace's ending.

But exhaustion clung to him like an anvil, dragging him into its awaiting grasp.

He had no way of knowing how to begin to change the past. So, he let sleep take him as he heard Sabo's breath even out into tiny puffs of air.