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Chapter Text

Shanks paused, the glass of whiskey halfway to his lips. He had to be sure he’d heard correctly.  

“Yer full of it. Devil Fruits aren’t real!” said the man sitting on the barstool to his right.   

“Huh,” his drinking buddy snorted. “Shows what you know! It’s alright, you can tell us you’re just a duded-up landlubber playin’ sailor.”  

“Am not!” the first man protested.  

“Are so!” his friend replied. “And Devil Fruits are real. I seen ‘em with my own eyes.”  

“Nah, yer full of it! Besides, even if they were, yer story don’t make sense. There ain’t no Devil Fruits in the Four Blues, only on the Grand Line.”  

“Yeah, there are,” the drinking buddy insisted. “Just two – no, three months ago – me and the lads were in the East Blue pickin’ up some cargo in Goa, and we heard from the dockhands that there’s this little kid living’ up in the mountains who’s made of rubber .”  

“Made of rubber? That’s the single stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”  

“It’s true! Swear on me mum’s tits.”  

“Bull. And you ain’t seen it with your own eyes, either.”  

“As good as! I trust those tars with my life. If they say there’s a rubber boy livin’ feral in the mountains, then there is.”  

Shanks felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. If the dockhands on Goa knew about a kid with rubber powers, then that meant every last sailor who’d been to Dawn Island must also know about a kid with rubber powers. And if civilian sailors knew, that meant the Marines knew. And if the Marines knew, that meant the World Government knew, and that meant –   

Word had got out.  

The second Shanks’ glass hit the counter, Benn was at his side – his left side – placing a supportive hand on his lower back, and leaned down to speak softly in his ear. “You okay, Chief?”  

Shanks looked up at him. Benn’s expression was gentle, but concerned.   

“ We have to go ,” Shanks said, trying to keep his voice from wavering and letting Benn know just how rattled he was.   

“Chief?”  

“Before the tide’s out.”  

Benn blinked. “That gives us less than an hour –”  

“And the next tide that’ll get us past the reef isn’t in for another two days, so we better haul ass,” Shanks replied, slipping off the barstool.   

The rest of the officers on the Red-hair Pirates crew were starting to catch on to the shift in their captain’s mood, too. Each of them stood up in turn, leaving their unfinished drinks behind, and Yasopp threw a small drawstring purse down on the bar to cover their tab.   

“You heard?” Shanks asked his assembled crew.  

Hongo nodded. “You wanna leave in an hour?”  

“Less than,” Shanks reiterated. “Could be a matter of life and death.”  

“You got it, chief,” Limejuice replied, and he and Yassop, Hongo, Roux, Bonk, Monster, Snake, and Gab swept out of the bar without another question – the lot of them as trusty as ever.  

Only Benn remained. “Shay, are you alright? What happened ?” he asked.   

“Luffy’s in trouble,” he replied. “We need to get back to Fuchsia Village immediately .”  

Benn paled. “You sure?” he asked, following Shanks out of the little dockside bar and down to the quay where the Red Force was moored, keeping pace on his left side, always his left side, now.   

“Positive,” Shanks replied. “Or at the very least, if he’s not in trouble yet, he will be. And by the fucking gods, if we don’t get there first –”  

The Red-hair Pirates were better practiced than most Marine outfits. In the ten or so minutes since Shanks had given the command that they depart, a vast majority of the crew had already reassembled on the ship and were giving it their all to finish loading new cargo, strap everything down, adjust the rigging and the sails, and get ready to weigh anchor.  

Shanks marched up the gangplank with Benn right behind and met with Limejuice on the quarterdeck, beside the ship’s wheel and a small lectern that held navigation equipment. “What’s our heading, chief?” Limejuice asked.   

“Dawn Island,” Shanks said, then paused. “No, wait, let me think. Orange Town.”  

“You don’t want to go right to Fuchsia?” Benn asked.  

Limejuice raised an eyebrow. “Fuchsia Village? So soon, Boss?”  

“No, no, Orange Town,” Shanks insisted. “And I have my reasons,” he said, giving Limejuice a significant look. “And we’re cutting through the Calm Belt. I don’t care if we have to sail through a goddamn hurricane, just get us there like the mother of all Sea-kings is after us.”  

“Aye,” Limejuice replied, and went back to his sea-charts. “Normally we’d catch the tradewinds off the northern coast of Kerrolita Isle, breeze right through the strait between San Bijoux and San Faldo, avoiding the crags, of course, and then cut into the Calm Belt here. Minimal weather, minimal Marine activity.   

“But it would be faster to swing by Galilbáo,” Limejuice continued. “Wouldn’t normally recommend it since there’s a Marine base on the cliffs on the south side of the island, and as of yesterday reports say they’re expecting a tropical storm, but it’ll get us there maybe three days sooner if nothing stupid happens.”  

“Then that’s our course,” Shanks said, “stupid or otherwise.”  

Shanks stepped forward and leaned over the rail of the quarterdeck to address the rest of the crew. “Listen up! We’re gonna make for Orange Town in the East Blue – and as you’ve probably already figured out, we’re gonna go in a big fucking hurry! You all remember Luffy?”  

The crew stopped what they were doing to cheer, “ Luffy! Luffy! Our Anchor! ”  

“Well, he’s in trouble. And as much as I am a man of my word – I swore to the kid that we would only meet again once he was a proper pirate – I can’t allow –”  

Shit . Shanks hadn’t anticipated the lump in his throat that formed as the image of his daughter blossomed in his mind – and how he’d failed her, how he’d failed his entire crew and everyone who loved her – how he hadn’t been strong enough to keep his family together –  

“I can’t allow another member of our family to – be lost. On account of me. So please – I hope I’m wrong in thinking that Luffy’s in danger, but if he is, then it could mean his life. And he’s gonna need our help. In fact, we never should have left him in the first place. I kind of – I think I kind of fucked this one up, guys.”  

The crew were silent for a moment, but then Hongo piped up from down on the main deck. “’S okay, Chief. We’re not saints, we’re pirates. You know?”  

“Yeah,” Yasopp said. “Don’t worry about it, Boss. We got you.”  

Shanks couldn’t help but smile, just a little. “Thanks,” he said sheepishly. “I know I can always count on you. And this isn’t for me – gods know I have my own treasure-trove of hangups and vices I carry around – this is for our kid. Our Anchor. This is for Luffy.”  

Chapter Text

Benn had played several roles in Shank’s life over the ten years they’d known each other. When Shanks was young, Benn had been a mentor in the ways of the world. In the ways of hangover cures, of dealing with the pubescent mood swings and acne Shanks had had when they’d first met, of flirting and dating – although Shanks had never made any pretense that he’d wanted anyone but his future first officer.  

In those days, Benn had spent most of his time and effort caring for Shanks’ wellbeing than anything else. They’d met when the lonely, bright-eyed kid had stumbled drunkenly into the shitty bar where Benn had been working at the time, and he was instantly smitten. He couldn’t help but follow him, to make sure Shanks had enough to eat, make sure he was warm enough at night, keep him out of trouble, see that he didn’t drink himself blind before he was twenty, hold him and soothe away his nightmares.   

Shanks had first propositioned Benn when he was just barely seventeen. Benn had been twenty-seven. True, the age difference was a sticking point sometimes, and it wasn’t as if the two didn’t talk about it, but Shanks could have had his pick of any number of men or women as partners over the years closer to his own age.  

Benn was protective, but not possessive. There was the occasional fling, of course, which was understandable for someone as charismatic and fun-loving as Shanks, but he’d always come back to Benn – not out of shame, but as a matter of comfort and loyalty and love – and Benn always received him with open arms.  

As Shanks had grown, Benn had become more of an advisor, watching him come into his own, not as a sailor – because let’s be honest, the kid had been raised by the sea, and it showed – but as a leader, someone who could command respect, make decisions, and who had developed the emotional fortitude necessary to accept the consequences of decisions that affected more people than just himself and his close friends.  

Although the responsibility of the captaincy wore on him. Especially on nights like tonight.  

Roux had brought Shanks’ and Benn’s dinner to the captain’s stateroom so the two could eat alone. The cook had correctly intuited that the two had things to discuss – personal things, the sorts of things that only Benn could ask the Chief about.  

Namely about Shanks’ decision to return to the East Blue so soon.  

Benn watched Shanks across the table. The captain wasn’t eating. He’d instead spent the last twenty minutes staring glassy-eyed into his mashed potatoes and carrots, poking at them with his fork but partaking of nothing on his plate. Granted, he’d been eating a little slower since he’d had to learn to use utensils with his right hand, but this was getting ridiculous.  

“You need to eat,” Benn said.   

“I’m not really hungry,” Shanks said, finally putting his fork down.  

So Benn did the same. “No? Why not? What’s wrong?”  

Shanks finally tore his eyes away from the dinner table and met Benn’s gaze. Funny, how Shanks had looked much younger than his twenty-seven years earlier that day, when he and the crew were drinking and carrying on – and how he looked much older now, brows drawn, eyes dim, a weighty frown on his face.  

“How can I be sure we’re doing the right thing?”  

“You can’t,” Benn said. “Not really. Not entirely. You just have to do what seems best in the moment.”  

“I mean, I thought that’s what we were doing – but what if leaving Luffy behind in the first place was the wrong call? We left him all alone with one of if not the most dangerous and valuable Devil Fruits in the world, on an island allied with the World Government, with nobody to protect him and no way to call for help – And what if going back to Fuchsia just makes things worse? What if we end up drawing more attention to Luffy’s powers? What if we get to him, take him with us, and then they send Cipher Pol after us, or Fleet Admiral Kong, and they end up taking Luffy anyway –”  

“Shay, that’s enough,” Benn interrupted. “You can’t beat yourself up about this. We took a good long time to discuss our options before we left Dawn Island and we decided that having Luffy stay was the best thing for him. Things have changed, and our position has changed accordingly. That’s all there is to it.”  

Shanks set his elbow on the table and rested his head in his hand. “No, no, that’s not all there is. Gods, Benn, how did I fuck up this bad? What happens if we do sail into a hurricane? What do we do if the Marines get to Fuchsia first? Why am I such a shitty parent? Why am I such a shitty person ?”  

Benn stood up and made his way to Shank’s side. “You’re not a shitty person.”  

“Yes, I am. We had two amazing kids . And I just abandoned them both? Who fucking does that? What kind of person just leaves their children behind? Rayleigh and Captain Roger never would have left me or Buggy, no matter what, no matter how tough things got –” Shanks started to tear up and his voice started to shake.  

“Hey, we’ve talked about this,” Benn said. “You’re not doing anyone any good by comparing yourself to them.”  

Shanks didn’t seem to absorb what Benn had said. “And now Uta is stuck on a fucking island with just one other person on it, and she’s probably wondering what she did wrong, when it’s my fault, it’s my fault I wasn’t strong enough to keep that fucking monster away from our baby, and Luffy might be dead by now for all we know, because I was too afraid to bring him with us where he’d be safe, because I was too scared I’d fuck it all up again – ”  

Benn knelt down next to Shanks and took his captain’s hand gently in his. “ Shh, shh, shh , hey, it’s gonna be okay,” he soothed. “You heard the guys. We all make mistakes, it’s alright.”  

“No, no, they meant mistakes like getting drunk and crashing your ex-girlfriend’s wedding on a stolen unicycle, not abandoning your fucking kids,” Shanks said.   

“Who on the crew did that?” Benn asked.  

“Bonk, I think,” Shanks said. “I can’t remember, I was drunk, too.”  

Benn smiled. “That sounds about right.”  

But the remark meant to reassure Shanks just made him double back, his breath catching in his chest again. “Oh yeah. And I’m an alcoholic. Almost forgot. Thanks, Benn.”  

“Come on, now, that’s not fair,” Benn said. “Your alcohol consumption doesn’t have anything to do with the value of your character.”  

“No, I just use the booze to cover up the shit smell,” Shanks said. “Like a fucking coward.”  

“Shay, look at me. You’re a good person. Okay? Making mistakes doesn’t mean you’re inherently bad. Even if you see those mistakes as pretty big ones. You know what would make you a shitty person?”  

“What?”  

“If you didn’t care,” Benn said. “If you weren’t still worried about how Uta’s doing, if you didn’t want to go back to Fuchsia to make sure Luffy’s alright. If you didn’t feel the need to apologize to the crew earlier about getting us in this mess – which we don’t mind, by the way. Hell, it’s shit like this that makes the job interesting. We’re all in this because we love Luffy and we love you. Plain and simple. Mistakes and all. Alright?”  

Shanks leaned forward to wrap his arm around Benn’s shoulders, and Benn returned the embrace. Shanks tucked his face into the crook of Benn’s neck and heaved a shaky sigh. “Fuck,” he mumbled against Benn’s skin. “Fuck, I’m tired.”  

“I know you must be. You’ve had to make some really difficult and impactful decisions over the last few months, and with all that and your arm, I can’t imagine the pressure you’re under, the weight you’re carrying.”  

“You know better than most,” Shanks said, giving Benn a squeeze. “And you’ve been awake and sober for more of it than I have.”  

“Purely out of necessity,” Benn said. “Comes with the job.”  

“I wanna do better, though,” Shanks said. “I don’t want our family to fall apart again. I can’t –” and it was obvious that Shanks swallowed down a sob – “I can’t. I just can’t. Not again.”  

“Then we’ll do everything we can to get Luffy here,” Benn said. “And we’ll do whatever it takes to keep him safe.”  

“Yeah, I thought that’s what we were doing the first time.”  

Chapter Text

The Red Force had made excellent time to Orange Town in the East Blue. It was winter in the East, so the wind was biting cold, but the tides were fair and even as could be hoped for.  

Upon Shanks’ orders, the Red-hair Pirates’ colors had been taken down, and a stolen merchant flag had been raised in their place. Benn had even taken time to forge a highly convincing merchant ledger to go with the literal false flag in case any Marines came snooping around, so the crew would have at least some bullshit lifeline to use before things got complicated.   

It wasn’t a foolproof plan by any means, since the Force’s figurehead was a giveaway in and of itself to anyone who had seen her in person before. But the hope was that the fake merchant flag and counterfeit ledger would be good enough for the two or three days required for Shanks and Benn to take the longboat to Dawn Island, get Luffy, and come back. They left the crew at Orange Town with strict orders to lay low and stay quiet .   

Even though the weather between Orange Town and Dawn Island was decent for the time of year, and the wind and tides very favorable, Benn ended up doing most of the manual work on the longboat while Shanks minded the rudder and the compass and kept wrapped up in a wool coat, blanket, and cap.  

There was no doubt that Shanks was a formidable sailor – everyone who had ever traveled with him knew that, had seen him scurry up the rigging with lightning speed and agility and dangle himself from the yardarms in a storm with no fear. He’d taken his first steps and learned to walk on the decks of the Oro Jackson , for gods’ sakes.   

But he was still relearning how to do it all with his non-dominant hand and arm. Of course Shanks could adjust the singular sail on the longboat himself, but they were in a hurry and Shanks was stressed out enough as it was.   

Right before landing at Fuchsia village, Benn helped Shanks tie his hair up and hide it under the knit cap he was wearing. Again, not a perfect disguise, but when one’s wanted poster specified “Red-hair,” hiding Shanks’ defining feature might at least keep people from scrutinizing him and Benn. Especially when the locals were already somewhat familiar with the pair.  

The two docked at the edge of the icy little pier and headed to Party’s Bar. Luffy was bound to be nearby – especially since it was cold out, and the kid would need warm food and drinks and a fireplace to huddle by after playing in the snow – and if he wasn’t there, Shanks could ask Makino or even the mayor for help finding him.  

The bar was mostly empty. There were a few uninterested locals scattered around the dining room and a small fire burning in the hearth. Shanks and Benn entered quietly and took their seats at the bar as discreetly as possible. Either the townsfolk didn’t recognize them in their winter hats, coats, and scarves, or they just didn’t care.  

It only took Makino a few seconds to greet them – a warm, broad, but very confused smile on her face. “I thought it was you two,” she said, trying her hardest not to gush. “You’re here in disguise, right?”  

“Right,” Benn affirmed. “So we’d appreciate your discretion.”  

“Alright, but I don’t get why,” Makino said, lowering her voice to just above a whisper. “Everyone here still remembers how you saved Luffy. It’s not like we’d throw you out or call the Marines.”  

“We appreciate it, but it’s still better if nobody knew we were here,” Benn said.  

“Oh,” Makino responded, “So what’s going on? Disguise or not, I wouldn’t have expected you back so soon.”  

“We didn’t expect to be here either,” Shanks said. “But we have reason to believe that Luffy’s in danger and we need to find him right away.”  

Makino’s face fell. “Oh, no. Again?”  

Shanks’ brow furrowed. “ Again? What do you mean, Again? ”  

Makino bit her lip. “A lot’s happened since you left.”  

The barmaid spent the next hour or so filling Shanks and Benn in on all the details of what had happened since they’d seen Luffy last. She told them about Garp taking Luffy up to live with the Dadan Family bandits in the mountains, about the Bluejam Pirates kidnapping Luffy and the fires in Grey Terminal. She told them about the two other boys who lived (or had lived) with the bandits, and how Luffy had come to call them his brothers.  

She also told Shanks and Benn how one of the boys had died.   

“I only met him a couple of times,” Makino said, eyes downcast. “His name was Sabo. He was smart as a whip, and so sweet and really gentle and caring, and Luffy loved him so much . It was awful, what happened. And even worse is they didn’t even write about it in the paper. That or what happened in Grey Terminal. It’s almost like they don’t want anyone to know that poor little boy existed at all.”  

“They most likely don’t,” Benn said. “Everyone knows the Celestial Dragons are monsters, but putting it in print is a different thing entirely. Leaving things out of the paper, throwing trash over the city walls and forgetting about it – it’s all the same.”  

“In the end it’s just sad,” Makino said. “But I’m sure Luffy and Ace are the ones who were affected by it the most.”  

Something sparked in Shanks’ memory.   

Ace if it’s a boy, Anne if it’s a girl.  

“Ace?” Shanks asked.  

“Luffy’s other brother, the other boy he’s been living with. He’s about eleven years old. Oh, you’ll like him. He’s a little spitfire. Rude as anything, cusses like a sailor, and the poor thing acts so tough, but I can’t blame him after the life he’s had. He’s sweet deep down, though, and loves Luffy more than anything.”  

“They couldn’t be. I mean, they’re not biological brothers, are they?” Shanks asked.  

“Don’t think so,” Makino said. “But they almost look like it. They have the same curly-wavy black hair and dark brown eyes, but Ace has freckles.”  

Huh. Captain Roger had been in love with a girl with freckles once, a long time ago.  

Benn stood up. “Nearly dusk. Makino, could you put us up for the night?”  

“Nope, hold up,” Shanks said. “Not tonight.”  

“No?” Benn asked.  

“We’re going up the mountain to the bandits’ cabin.”  

“Now?”  

“Now.”  

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Makino said. “Beck’s right, it’s almost sundown. There’s not really a clear path that leads to the cabin from here, so it’s really easy to get lost. Especially in the dark.”  

“Then it’s a good thing we’re expert navigators,” Shanks said.   

“But it’s freezing out,” Makino protested.   

“And it’ll be just as cold in the morning,” Shanks countered.  

“But –!” Makino protested.  

“He’s the boss,” Benn sighed. “If he says we’re going now, we’re going now. No two ways about it.”  

Makino and Benn followed Shanks out of the bar and into the frigid evening air. “Can you point us in the right direction?” Shanks asked, looking up at the mountains beyond the village.  

“There,” Makino said. “Their camp is on the other side of that one. Mount Colubo.”  

“Due East,” Benn remarked. “I’ll get the lantern out of the boat and we can get going.”  

Chapter Text

Shanks and Benn didn’t speak much during the first leg of their hike up the mountain. The snow was about knee-deep, so Benn, being the taller of the two, led the way and carried the lantern to make it easier for Shanks to follow.  

“You’re awful quiet,” the first officer remarked. 

“Am I?” 

“Sure are.” 

“Huh.” 

“You nervous?” 

“About what?” 

“About meeting Luffy again.” 

To be honest, Shanks had been thinking about something else entirely.  

Ace if it’s a boy, Anne if it’s a girl.   

Ace if it’s a boy.  

“Did I ever tell you about this girl that Captain Roger used to be sweet on?” Shanks said. 

Benn gave Shanks a quizzical look over his shoulder. “No, I don’t think you ever did.”  

“They met when we visited a tiny little tropical island in the South Blue, about six months before we started our last trip across the Grand Line. It was a paradise. Like heaven on earth. White, sandy beaches; clear, bright blue water; and the whole island was full to bursting with hibiscus bushes. All of ‘em different colors, all in full bloom. 

“Anyway, there was this girl – she was about ten years older than me, I think? – she had long, wavy, gold hair, beautiful eyes and the most amazing smile – and she was so much fun to hang out with. She was smart and funny and cool – I think everyone on the crew had a crush on her, not just the captain. And she had the cutest freckles.” 

“That so?” Benn asked. “Funny. Not unlike this Ace kid.” 

Of course Benn had made the connection, the smarty-pants.  

“Maybe,” Shanks said. 

“Look, never mind whatever theory you’re working on, the facts just don’t add up. If your captain had a son, the youngest he could possibly be is twelve, and Makino said Ace is eleven. And the island you’re describing – it’s Batilleria, isn’t it?” 

“I’m not sure,” Shanks admitted. “I don’t remember the names of all the islands we visited when I was a kid, and I haven’t been back to that specific island since. But it could be.” 

“Well, you know what the Marines did on Batilleria, don’t you?” Benn said. “In the year after Captain Roger died?” 

“I do.” 

“It’s not just unlikely, Shay, it’s impossible,” Benn said, trudging along through the snow. “Besides, I thought you said Captain Roger and Rayleigh didn’t take other partners while they were both alive.” 

“They didn’t,” Shanks said. “At least, I don’t think they did. But Miss Rouge was special. And if she and Captain Roger did conceive, it would have been after he left the crew. I don’t think the Captain would have counted it as cheating since he and mom had already said their goodbyes. And he did tell mom once he wanted kids of his own someday. The captain even said he’d name his kid Ace, if he had a boy.” 

“Wait – wasn’t his sword called Ace?” Benn asked. 

“Yeah,” Shanks admitted with a small half-chuckle. “Mom blew up and told him that naming a kid after his sword was the stupidest thing he’d ever heard.” 

“Although it sounds very on-brand, based on the stories you’ve told me,” Benn said.  

“It was. Just remind me if I ever have a kid, the name Gryphon is entirely, completely off the table.” 

“Don’t need to ask me twice, Chief,” Benn said, switching the lantern to his other hand.  

The pair hiked along in silence for a few more minutes, and then the terrain started to even out. They were getting close to the top of the mountain.  

“Benn?” 

“Yes?” 

“I kind of hope that Ace isn’t Captain Roger’s kid.” 

Benn stopped to look at Shanks, standing in the footpath he’d cleared for him. “Why not?” 

“Because it would mean that the captain left us this amazing gift, he left me and Buggy a little brother, and he left mom another son – and none of us ever claimed him or told him how much we love him. We never even got the chance.” 

Benn paused. “Well, if he is Roger’s son, you’ll finally have your chance.” Benn doubled back and took Shanks’ hand in his. “Just stay focused for now. We’ll process when we get there.” 

Shanks nodded and followed Benn the rest of the way up the mountain to the bandits’ cabin. 

It wasn’t too hard to find, once they got close. The light pouring out from the windows gave it away, beckoning the pair closer to the small dirt clearing. It was a longhouse, of sorts, with high-sloped roof and a little watchtower built next to it.  

Shanks took a deep breath and prepared to knock on the door. He was nervous – but closed his eyes for just a second to picture Luffy smiling at him. Gods , the kid was bright . Just the thought of him beaming up at Shanks with his dark, sparkling eyes and rosy cheeks was enough to make Shanks crack a smile of his own and make his heart a little lighter.  

He knocked, and the voices coming from inside the cabin fell quiet. “Hello?” he called. “Anyone there?” 

Shanks could have sworn he heard someone whisper, “ The fuck? ” before a very short man wearing a turban and polka-dot overalls opened the door just enough to stick his head out. Warm air that smelled of roasted meat and woodsmoke escaped through the crack of the door behind him.  

“Who’re you?” he asked, glaring up at Shanks and Benn. “And what the hell are you doin’ out in the snow?” 

“I’m Shanks, and this is Beck,” Shanks said. There was no point in using fake names. If Luffy was inside, he’d blow their cover in an instant anyway. 

The short man gulped nervously. “Shanks?” he said. “As in Red-hair Shanks ? The pirate?” 

“That’s me,” Shanks said, trying to sound friendly. “And Beck’s my first officer.” 

The short man shook his head. “Nuh-uh. We don’t want nuthin’ to do with pirates, especially you,” he said, pulling his head back inside and making to close the door. 

“Wait, please,” Shanks said, sliding his foot in the door jamb. “This is important. We’re not here to bother you – but we’re looking for a little kid named Luffy. About yea high, black hair, scar on his left cheek – he might be with another kid named Ace?” 

“You kidding?” the short man said, a fearful warble in his voice. “You come in outta nowhere and ask me the one thing we’re absolutely, positively not supposed to tell you? You know what Garp’d do to us if he found out you were within ten miles of here?” 

“Why?” Benn asked, eyes narrowed, backing Shanks up. “What would Garp do? Go on.” 

“Dogra, who the hell is it?” came a booming voice from inside the cabin. A moment later a very tall, sturdy woman with curly auburn hair and a cigarette sticking out of her mouth opened the door a little wider so she could see who’d come to call in the middle of the night. “Somethin’ about pirates?” 

“We’re here for Luffy,” Shanks repeated, and this time he wasn’t asking. “Word around the village is that he lives up here with some bandits – I assume we’re at the right cabin.” 

The woman looked down at Shanks. “Luffy, huh? Who’s askin’?” 

“That’s Shanks , Dadan,” Dogra said. “ The Shanks.” 

Dadan just about swallowed her cigarette. 

“Oh, hell no!” she said, pushing the short man out of the way to slam the door shut, but it caught on Shanks’ foot. “You gotta get the hell outta here!”  

“Not until you tell us where we can find Luffy!” Shanks said. Benn reached out and braced the door open with his arm. 

“Not in a million years,” Dadan said, muscling up to try and pull the door away from Benn. “We’re not telling you shit ! You, or any other filthy, stinking pirates!” 

“Ma’am,” Benn said, trying to de-escalate. “If we could talk this over –” 

“Over my dead body!” 

“Ma’am, please – ” 

“No, fuck you! ” 

“ THAT’S ENOUGH! ” Shanks shouted, his voice layered with just enough haōshoku to cause everyone’s heart to skip a beat, to make them stand still and shut up and listen – but not an iota more.  

He looked Dadan dead in the eye, charisma and power radiating off him in waves, shaking the air. “ We are not here to hurt Luffy. We are here because he is in imminent danger and we want to protect him .” 

When Shanks saw that he did, in fact, have Dadan’s full attention, he returned to his normal vocal register. “I can understand your concerns, given all that the boys have been through over the past few months. Makino filled me in. Pirates aren’t your friends, and me and Beck here are about as pirate-y as they come. I get it. I wouldn’t trust us, either. But please believe that we care about Luffy just as much as you do , and we have very good reason to believe he’s simply not safe staying here anymore.” 

Dadan seemed unmoved, unconvinced – at least, so far – but she had stopped slamming the cabin door on Shanks’ foot. That was a start. “You do know that Garp sent the kid up here specifically to keep him away from you, Red-hair,” she said. “You’re a bad influence on him.” 

Shanks grinned. “You flatter me,” he said cheekily. “But you’ve got the wrong idea. I’m not the reason why Garp wanted to hide Luffy away from the world.” 

“Oh, no? Then what is?” 

Shanks hesitated for a moment, and decided on telling Dadan as much of the truth as he could. “His Devil Fruit powers are extremely valuable,” he said. “If the World Government found out he has them, Luffy would be hunted down and imprisoned, tortured, and likely executed.” 

Dadan and Dogra exchanged skeptical looks before bursting out laughing. “ Hoo, gods, that’s a good one!” the short man cackled. “Sure, the government can’t wait to get their hands on the rare and magical power of chewing gum! ” 

“No, no, rubber bands !” Dadan roared, laughing so hard her cigarette did fall out of her mouth. “You’re gonna have to come up with a better answer than that, pretty boy,” Dadan said, wiping the mirthful tears from her eyes. “That one’s not gonna hold up in court.” 

“Fine, then, fill in the blanks with whatever reason you’d like,” Shanks said. “I’m trying to be as polite as possible about this whole thing, but I don’t actually need to explain myself to you . Please just tell us where we can find Luffy.” 

“Nuh-uh, that’s one thing I can’t do,” Dadan said, crossing her arms. “Look, you can threaten or try to convince us all you want. Hell, you can even burn the damn house down. But I’d sooner die than tell you where the kids are.” 

“That’s admirable,” Shanks said. “If the threat we were facing was anything less than the entire World Government, that might actually ease my mind. It’s clear you really care about Luffy, too. I appreciate that. But we’ll find the boys with or without your help.” 

“Without,” Dadan said. “And gods help you if you try anything. Although I’d pay money to see that – little Ace’d bash your head in before he let you lay a finger on his baby brother.” 

That made Shanks smile. 

“Chief,” Benn called. He’d left the doorway and had knelt down in the snow at the treeline, scanning the ground in the light of his lantern. “Prints. Two pairs of kids’ shoes.” 

Chapter Text

It only took about another ten minutes for Benn and Shanks to follow the trail of footprints to its natural end. The prints led deeper and deeper into the mountain forest, freezing and wintry-silent, until they stopped at a tree. They looked up. 

There the treehouse sat, sleepy and blanketed in snow like the rest of the woods. There was no light or noise coming from inside, but there was no doubt they’d found the right place. 

Shanks could feel Luffy’s and presumably Ace’s Presence above him. “Why are they sleeping in a treehouse?” Shanks thought aloud. “It’s fucking freezing out.” 

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it,” Benn said. “Even if they wanted to camp out here, you’d think a responsible adult would tell them no. Or at the very least, come with them and bring some kindling and some rations or something.” 

“You’d think so,” Shanks said. “I don’t like it, either. C’mon, let’s go up.” 

“You okay to climb?” Benn asked, following Shanks to the first tree branch within his reach. 

“Sure,” Shanks said. “If a kid can do it, so can I, gimpy arm and all.” 

“Careful, Shay. Looks slippery.” 

“Yes, mom ,” Shanks teased, and made his way up the tree. It was relatively easy to climb. The branches were sturdy and mostly parallel to the ground, almost like rungs on a ladder, and it looked like the boys had trimmed some smaller boughs along the way to make climbing easier. He reached the top and poked his head inside. 

There, curled up in a bundle of blankets on a straw mat, was Luffy. Fast asleep, Captain Roger’s straw hat right beside him. His hair was longer and wilder than it had been last time Shanks had seen him, and it looked like he’d grown a little, too.  

But there was no way he was warm enough sleeping like that, Shanks thought, as he reached out towards him. Someone would have to be truly heartless to leave his sweet, precious little Luffy out to freeze on a night like tonight – but it was going to be okay, Shanks would bundle Luffy up in his coat and hold him close, and carry him back to the cabin to get warm, and then he’d make whoever was responsible pay – 

But before Shanks could enter the treehouse fully, he sensed there was someone lurking in the tree fort – right side, small, agile, metal pipe, right temple – DUCK!  

Shanks heard the whoosh of the metal pipe swinging through the air, through the space where his head had been a split-second earlier. “Dammit!” the attacker cursed, as Shanks pulled the rest of his body into the treehouse and spun around. 

It was the other kid. 

Ace if it’s a boy.  

Ace.  

There was no mistaking the kid’s features, even in the darkness, not to Shanks’ eyes who already knew them so well. The boy had the captain’s wild, wavy, jet-black hair and piercing brown irises – they even had that purple-red tint to them like Roger’s did when the light caught them, like rich, bloody-dark garnets –   

And the freckles. The sweet, rounded shape of his eyes. His chin. His nose. All Miss Rouge’s , down to the last living, breathing detail. 

It was like Shanks had stumbled into a dream. He was seeing and feeling something that couldn’t possibly be – two people who he thought he’d lost, alive and standing there, right in front of him. 

“ Get the fuck outta my treehouse! ” the kid shouted, brandishing the metal pipe at Shanks.  

Shanks didn’t move.  

How could he? 

“You deaf , old man?! Get the fuck out or I’m gonna smash your head like a fucking watermelon !” 

The noise had woken Luffy. As Shanks sat still and Ace glared at him, Luffy sat up and rubbed his eyes, turning over to keep as much of himself under the blankets as possible. 

“Ace?” 

Ace immediately shifted his stance to place himself between Luffy and Shanks.  

“Luffy, stay back!” Ace said harshly.  

“Wha’s goin’ on?” Luffy said, opening his eyes. It took him a moment, but he saw Shanks. 

Then a few more seconds to register. 

The second Luffy realized who he was looking at, the recognition spread all over his face. He smiled so brightly, eyes wide and sparkling, round cheeks pink with excitement.  

“SHANKS!” he screeched, catapulting himself into Shanks’ chest and nearly knocking him over.  

Shanks couldn’t remember ever holding anyone tighter.  

“ You’re okay! ” he exclaimed, pulling Luffy close, holding his tousled little head, kissing his icy little nose and cheeks and fingers.  Shanks hugged Luffy so tight it almost hurt.  

Luffy wasn’t dressed properly for the cold. He was wearing shorts, a thin secondhand long-sleeve shirt, and a pair of dirty, too-big cotton socks. “Gods, Luffy – you’re here, you’re okay – I mean, shit , you’re freezing –” 

Shanks undid the buttons on his coat and Luffy immediately wiggled inside, curling into a little ball settling directly over Shanks' heart. Then Luffy pulled the coat closed around him so only the top of his head was sticking out of the collar. 

“Oh, no,” Shanks said, flopping dramatically onto his back, one arm still cradling Luffy securely to him. “Benn, help! Luffy has officially murdered me with his cuteness! You better go back to Orange Town to tell the guys how I died, and I’ll just stay here. Bleh . I’m dead.” 

“ Shishishishi ,” Luffy giggled, the glorious sound only slightly muffled by the wool fabric covering most of his head. “I missed you.” 

“I missed you too, kiddo,” Shanks said, craning his neck to kiss the top of Luffy’s head. “More than you know.” 

Benn chose that moment to come to his captain’s rescue. “Hey, what’s this thing on you, Chief?” he asked. “Looks like a clingy barnacle to me.” 

“No, Beck! It’s me! Luffy!” 

“Luffy?” Benn said incredulously. “Nah, couldn’t be. Luffy’s not this big. It’s gotta be a barnacle. Although there’s only one way to find out for sure,” Benn said. 

“What’s that?” Shanks asked, playing along. 

“It’s an old sailor’s trick, handed down through the generations – the tickle test! ” Benn said, lunging in to tickle Luffy’s stomach and sides, holding him up as Luffy kicked and screamed with laughter. 

“No, it’s me!” Luffy wheezed in between bouts of whole-body laughs. “Beck, it’s me!”  

“Huh? What’s that?” Benn said, “Did you hear something?” 

“I dunno, Benn,” Shanks said. “But I could’ve sworn that barnacle just talked.” 

Benn turned Luffy upside-down in his arms. “But there’s no such thing as a talking barnacle! You need your hearing checked.” 

“I’m not a barnacle!” Luffy said, still grinning from ear to ear. “It’s me!” 

“Me?” Benn asked. “Me who?” 

“Luffy!”  

“Oh, Luffy!” Benn overacted, flipping Luffy right-side up and placing him safely on the floor and kneeling down to Luffy’s eye level. “Why didn’t you say so?” 

“I did!” Luffy shouted, stretching his little arms to wrap around Benn’s neck for a hug. 

“I almost didn’t recognize you,” Benn said, returning the embrace. “You got so big!” 

“I know!” Luffy said. “I’m seven now!” 

“It shows,” Benn said, reaching around Luffy to grab one of the blankets and wrap it around him. “And Shay’s right, you are freezing. C’mere, Anchor, or you’re gonna catch cold.” Luffy allowed Benn to wrap him up and set him on his lap. “Sit still, I’m gonna give you my cap.” 

All the while, Ace had been watching. He was about a head taller than Luffy, but was just as thin – although he looked much sturdier than his baby brother. He was wearing shorts, too, and a sweatshirt and a beat-up pair of house slippers. Not dressed appropriately for the season, either. His breath was visible in the dry, frigid air.  

Ace was still gripping the metal pipe he’d repurposed as a bo staff, but he seemed more confused than wary now. “Luffy, who the hell are they?” 

“It’s okay, Ace!” Luffy said. “This is Shanks and Beck. They’re my friends!” 

“ Shanks? ” Ace said, incredulously. “The guy who got his arm bit off by the sea monster? The guy who gave you the hat?” 

Luffy nodded as Benn shifted him into his arms, adjusting the blanket to keep Luffy wrapped up. “Yeah, that’s him,” Luffy said. “And Beck’s his nakama . They’re really cool and super strong!” 

Shanks could feel Ace’s eyes on him, searching him. Still skeptical, still mistrustful. Although based on what Makino had told them about what the boys had been through in the past few months – being overly-cautious in situations like these only made sense. Shanks didn’t blame him. 

So Shanks was surprised when Ace stepped forward, put his pipe down, and bowed to him.  

“Thank you for saving Luffy’s life,” he said. “I don’t know how I could ever repay you for rescuing him from those bandits and that sea king. I’m in your debt.” 

Shanks blinked. “Why would you say something like that?” he asked, trying to be as gentle as possible. “You don’t owe me anything.” 

“You saved my little brother,” Ace insisted. “He’d be dead if it weren’t for you.” 

“Maybe,” Shanks said, maneuvering himself so he was seated cross-legged on the floor. “But I saved Luffy because I love him. He’s my family, too. And families look out for each other.” 

Ace raised his eyes. “He’s my brother.” 

“I know,” Shanks said. “But I consider Luffy family, just like you do.” 

Ace looked confused. “So, why are you here?” 

Shanks looked to Benn, and Benn nodded. “We’re here for Luffy,” Shanks said. “We’re gonna take him away with us on our pirate ship.” 

Something in Ace’s expression fractured. As closed off as he already was, he took a shambling step backwards, away from Shanks and Benn and Luffy, as if he’d suddenly lost his balance.  

Luffy, on the other hand, gasped in surprise, eyes wide and sparkling, and let out a cheer of excitement. “That must mean I did it!” he cried. “I’m a great pirate now, right? That’s why you came back! So I can be on your crew like you promised!” 

“Oh, no, Luffy,” Shanks said gently. “That’s not why we came back – it’s too soon.” 

“What’s that mean?” Luffy asked, big innocent eyes shining. “Whadda ya mean it’s too soon? Too soon for what? Breakfast?” 

“No, kiddo, it means you’re not ready to be on my crew yet. I know you’ve gotten a lot bigger and stronger, but you still have a lot of growing to do before you become a great pirate.” 

“Oh,” Luffy said, looking disappointed. “So, do I still have to give your hat back?” 

Shanks grinned. “Not a chance,” he said, picking Captain Roger’s hat up off the floor and placing it on Luffy’s head, over top of Benn’s knit cap. “Couldn’t think of anyone better suited to wear it.” 

Luffy beamed. “Ace, guess what?” he shouted. “I get to go on a pirate ship! A real live pirate ship! It’s gonna be so cool, we’re gonna go on adventures and stuff – Ace?” 

Ace had his back up against the wall. “Why?” he asked, eyes blazing. “Why do you want to take Luffy away?” 

Shanks knelt down to Ace’s level. “Because it’s not safe for Luffy to live here anymore,” he said plainly.  

Ace scoffed. “Oh, all of a sudden it’s not safe anymore?” he said. “But it was when there were other pirates and Celestial Dragons and asshole nobles in High Town tried who to set him on fire? Now it’s not safe!?” 

“Ace – please allow me to explain,” Shanks said. “It’s about Luffy’s Devil Fruit powers – if anyone from the government found out about them, Luffy would be in danger.” 

“That’s bullshit!” Ace shouted. “Me and Sabo and Dadan protected him before. We don’t need you.” 

“Ace, don’t yell at Shanks!” Luffy said, his little voice rising. “He’s my friend!” 

“Well, he’s not mine!” Ace yelled. “I said Thank You already, so now you can go and leave Luffy alone!” 

Shanks frowned. “I can’t do that, Ace.” 

“Yes, you can!” Ace said. “You already did once, just leave again!” 

“I won’t ,” Shanks said. “Luffy means too much to me. I’m not going to leave this island without him.” 

Ace brandished his pipe staff at Shanks, snarling, hackles up. “Then I’ll fight you for him!” he declared. “I don’t care if you beat a sea king, I can take you! I’m way stronger than all the other kids my age and I’m stronger than most grown-ups, too!” 

Shanks stood up. “I’m not going to fight you, Ace. Please, put the pipe down.” 

“Fuck you!” 

“Put the pipe down.”  

Haōshoku  could take many forms. Simple, instinctual Will was usually angry, bombastic, and painful – but it could also be gentle, warm, and inviting.  

Whereas Shanks might have wielded his Will in the form of an icy-cold, shivering wave of negative pressure to get an enemy to fall to his knees – in this instance the Will that washed over Ace was like a heavenly-sweet summer-evening breeze, still compelling and all-encompassing as all Will was, but endlessly soft, washing over him in waves that felt like a peaceful sea caressing a white, sandy beach. 

Put the pipe down, Ace.  

Slowly, easily, Ace lowered the pipe. And as he did so, the anger seemed to melt from him – he slumped, tense muscles letting go, the mask of rage slipping away to expose the real emotion underneath.  

Ace’s eyes misted over and big, fat tears rolled down his cheeks, leaving little rivulets of ice in their place. His lip trembled, his nose started to run. He shivered. 

“It’s gonna be alright, Ace,” Shanks said as gently and sincerely as he could without Will in his voice. 

But it seemed like the emotional tumult was more than Ace could handle. Before Shanks could reach out and offer him a hand, he threw down his pipe and ran to the treehouse’s entrance. Faster than Shanks or Benn could stop him, he darted down the tree and off into the night. 

Chapter Text

Shanks sent Benn and Luffy back to the Dadan Family’s cabin with instructions to get Luffy warm and fed and tuck him in to sleep. Luffy did seem a little reluctant to return to the cabin, but quickly forgot his apprehension when Benn promised him his very own cut of roast boar when they got back. Shanks didn’t think anything of Luffy’s hesitation at the time.

Luckily for Shanks, Ace was easy to follow, both by the tracks he left in the snow and by his Presence. It was so, so hauntingly similar to Captain Roger’s, that Shanks wondered how he hadn’t felt it sooner. He’d been on Dawn Island dozens of times, and Ace had been right there all along.

Benn had told him to wait and process when the time came – well, it was time.

Shanks tracked Ace for about ten minutes – ten more minutes Ace had to be out in the cold with no real winter clothes – and found him sitting hunched over on a small hill overlooking the sea, knees drawn to his chest.

Shanks approached and sat down wordlessly beside him. Ace didn’t even acknowledge he was there.

“Guess I was kind of an asshole back there,” Shanks said, trying to strike up a conversation. “I didn’t mean to make you upset or embarrass you.”

Ace grumbled, still staring out over the open water. “You made me cry in front of Luffy,” he said.

“You, uh. I take it you don’t normally do that.”

“No, ‘cuz I’m not a wuss,” Ace said.

“Well who said anything about crying making you a wuss?” Shanks said.

“I dunno,” Ace said. “It just does.”

“I cry sometimes,” Shanks said. “Does that make me a wuss?”

Ace finally looked at Shanks, just long enough to shoot him a skeptical glare. “Name one time,” he said.

“Well, I cried when my dad died,” Shanks said. “That was about thirteen years ago. I watched the Marines kill him right in front of me. Actually, I still cry about it sometimes.”

Ace just stared at him, nonplussed.

“Need another example? Okay, I cried when I got my arm bit off.”

“That doesn’t count,” Ace said.

“Why not?”

“Because that’s like, you almost died.”

Shanks shrugged. “I dunno, I’ve watched a lot of people die in my time. Not all of ‘em cry.”

“What about your dad?” Ace asked. “Did he cry when he died?”

Shanks paused for a moment and took a turn looking out to sea himself. “Nope. He smiled.”

“Good. At least he wasn’t a wuss.”

“Nope,” Shanks said. “Not at all. He was the bravest, strongest, kindest person I know.”

“Must be nice,” Ace muttered. “I never knew my father.”

“Did he die before you were born?” Shanks asked.

“Yeah,” Ace said. “But, wait, how did you know that?”

“Lucky guess,” Shanks said. “It’s sad, but it happens to a lot of people, believe it or not. What about your mom?”

“She died too,” Ace said. “Gramps said she died giving birth to me.”

Shanks’ heart sank. He’d hoped for a happier answer, but he supposed that the inescapable finality of death was the only thing that could have kept Rouge from her son.

“I’m so sorry,” Shanks said, and he was. “I bet she was a great lady.”

“Gramps said she was,” Ace said. “But he said my father was a monster.”

“He did –?” Shanks asked, his heart picking up pace. Did this mean that Ace knew he was the son of Gol D. Roger? Shanks was at once both relieved and confused – if Garp had told Ace about Roger, that was one less subject Shanks would have to breach with him now – but what lies had Garp been feeding Ace about the Captain?

“So, does that mean you actually know who your dad is even though you never met him?” Shanks asked.

Ace nodded.

“Who was he? Can you tell me about him?”

“Gramps said he was a pirate captain,” Ace said. “And that he spent his life breaking the law, stealing, killing Marines and hurting innocent people. Gramps said he was a demon, that everyone was terrified that he was gonna attack their town next. The whole world cheered when they finally caught him for good and executed him.”

“Well, that’s just not true,” Shanks said. “Not everyone cheered. I already told you, I cried when they killed him.”

Ace looked up sharply and stared Shanks dead in the eyes. “You knew my father –?” he asked, the gears in his head turning feverishly. “You know who he is –? And you were there when they killed him –? And you were there when your dad died –?”

“Captain Roger wasn’t my birth father,” Shanks said, preempting any more questions. “But he and his first officer, Rayleigh, adopted me when I was just a little baby. They raised me all the way up until I was a teenager, took care of me, taught me how to sail and fight and be a pirate.

“They spent their lives making sure I knew I was safe and wanted, they were fun-loving and patient and so, so good to me – and we had tons of amazing adventures together, so many good times – and I miss Captain Roger so much it hurts, even though he died years ago, it still hurts. Having him as a father was the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Ace was completely, utterly silent, his face truly blank.

The two stared out at the sea unspeaking, unmoving, for what seemed like hours. The frigid wind coming in off the East Blue didn’t seem to bother Ace as it whipped the hair around his face and ears and tugged at his thin sweater. He just sat and watched the waves roll in.

He allowed Ace to break the silence. “How did you know Gold Roger’s my father?” he asked.

“Partly because you look a lot like him,” Shanks said. “You have his hair and your eyes are the same color. Brown, but with flashes of red and even purple when the light hits them. Also because he used to say he’d name his son Ace, if he ever had one of his own.”

“Did you know my mom?”

“I met her once. I didn’t know her very well, but I could tell you a little about her if you want.”

Another few minutes passed in silence.

“Shanks?”

“Yes?”

Ace looked up at Shanks one more time. He wasn’t angry, he wasn’t confused – there was no more posturing, no more trying to act tough. There was a deep, childlike, vulnerable longing in his face now. A lifetime of questions he dared not to ask, questions the world had yet failed to answer, swam in Ace’s eyes like the sea of stars reflected in them.

“Do you think it’s a good thing that I exist?”

He was an eleven-year-old kid, just a kid, and he was desperate for something of which Shanks had never, ever been in need.

“Yes, Ace,” Shanks said. “It’s a good thing you’re here. You’re good, you’re a good person, you’re brave and strong and smart, you deserve to be safe and warm and have a roof over your head and food to eat, and Benn and Luffy and I all love you more than anything in the whole world, and so do so many other people you haven’t even met yet –”

Ace hurled himself headlong into Shanks’ side, buried his face in Shanks’ coat and wrapped his arms around him so tight, Shanks could hardly breathe – Ace held him like a drowning sailor clinging to driftwood in a storm – and finally, finally, Ace started to cry again – enormous, ugly, heaving sobs that nearly suffocated the boy as they wracked his body.

Shanks immediately returned the embrace and gathered Ace up as best he could with one arm, holding the kid’s tiny, freezing form as close as he possible, the emotion catching in his chest, too.

Shit, he needed this as much as I did.

“I don’t understand why Captain Roger wanted to keep you a secret,”  Shanks said biting back his own tears, tucking Ace’s head under his chin, “but I’ll be damned if anyone tries to take you away from me. Our family’s been split up enough already. I’m not gonna let it happen again.”

“You’re – you’re – you’re –” Ace stammered, trying to speak through the hiccups and tears.

Shanks patted Ace’s back gently, whispering gentle nothings to him, the same way that Roger had used to for him. “Shh, shh, shh, it’s gonna be alright. Deep breaths, kiddo. Shh, shh, shh. Easy, easy.”

“You’re – you’re taking me w-with you?” Ace asked.

“What?” Shanks asked incredulously. “Of course we are! Did you think we were going to leave without you?”

“I d-dunn-no,” Ace mumbled. “Maybe.”

“Is that what all this was about? You thought we were gonna take Luffy away from you?”

Ace nodded before hiding his face in Shanks’ shoulder. “No, no, no, of course not. I’m sorry if I made you think that, Ace. Look – when Benn and I got here, we didn’t even know you existed until we met you in the treehouse –” Shanks was babbling now, “I don’t know how we could have missed you, visiting this island all these years – I don’t know what kind of goddamn idiot I’ve been, not being able to see what’s right at the end of my stupid nose – Gods, I wish we’d met sooner. I would have taken you away from here years ago if I had known, I’d have come up and whisked you away in a heartbeat.”

“R-re-eally?”

“Really,” Shanks said. “You’re my family, you belong with me. With me and Benn and Luffy – you have a huge family out there, people who wanna meet you, people who – Gods, just the fact that you exist is a miracle, you know that? You’re a gift, Ace, you’re the most precious and wonderful treasure there is. You and Luffy both.”

Chapter Text

Ace allowed Shanks to carry him back to the bandits’ cabin, wrapped in Shanks’ coat and tucked into his side, head resting on his shoulder, half-asleep.

It was a long hike, and the wind and snow bit at him, but Shanks didn’t mind – he was still all aglow with the miracle of luck that just occurred, radiating ecstatic energy and warmth from his core outward, enveloping both himself and the child he was holding.

After twelve long years, he finally had Roger’s son in his arms.

It’s okay, Captain. I’ve got him.

When they finally arrived at the cabin, it was Benn that opened the door and let them in.

“Gods, get inside. You two must be frozen damn near solid.”

“I think Ace might be,” Shanks said, entering the one-room cabin and kneeling down in front of the fire in the center. “He kind of fell asleep on the way back.”

Luffy was asleep, too, bundled in a futon and downy quilts by the fireside next to Shanks. Benn lifted Ace out of Shanks’s arms, and managed to take off his shoes and sweatshirt without waking him. Ace just hummed and scrunched his eyes as Benn tucked him in next to Luffy, before he was still again.

“Did you and Luffy make it in okay?” Shanks asked as Benn sat down next to him and pulled him close, both of them soaking up the warmth from the fire.

“We did,” Benn said. “The hike was fine. Little trouble when we got here, though.”

“What trouble?” Shanks asked.

“I’ll tell you what trouble,” came a voice from the corner of the room. Shanks hadn’t noticed them all crouching there, all the dozen or so members of the Dadan Family bandits huddled on the floor, all looking like dogs that had just been scolded.

Curly-hair Dadan, their leader, had piped up. She stood and strode across the room, putting her hands on her hips, and stopped to lean over Benn and Shanks as if to intimidate them.

“Your man here came back and tried to bully us out of our own house,” she said.

Shanks raised an eyebrow. “Oh?” he said. “That doesn’t sound like him. What’s this all about, Benn?”

“It’s just that I don’t take kindly to folks who are cruel to children, Chief,” Benn replied, placing a protective hand on the quilts covering Luffy and Ace. “So when Luffy and I got back, the grown-ups had a little chat, and we agreed it would be best for everyone if the bandits stayed out of my way.”

“Cruel to children?” Shanks said, brows lowering again.

“Aye. Luffy told me a very interesting story about how he and Ace had to fight for food at dinner tonight and were thrown out of the house for daring to ask for seconds.”

“They what?”

“Now, wait just a minute,” Dadan interjected. “My boys aren’t starving, they’re fed just fine. You know how big their appetites are? They’d eat me out of house and home if I let ‘em.”

Shanks rose to his feet. He was shorter than Dadan and had to tilt his head to make eye contact with her, but he stretched his Will to be as tall as he could muster. “So let me get this straight,” he said. “Ace and Luffy were hungry, and you intentionally kept food from them?”

“If you let a dog eat all it wants, it’ll make itself sick,” Dadan said. “Besides, what the hell were we supposed to eat?”

“Ace and Luffy are children,” Shanks said, “not dogs. Children.” Shanks took a deep, shaky, barely-controlled breath and let it out slowly. His stomach was in knots, his entire body was beginning to flush with rage. “There was an enormous boar on the fire when we were here not an hour ago. You expect me to believe there wasn’t enough to feed them?”

“Like I said, you don’t know their appetite!” Dadan protested. “And I don’t expect a pirate like you to understand what us common folk have to do to get by on the mountain. Especially in the winter. Food’s scarce enough as it is.”

“Shay, it’s alright,” Benn said, interrupting what he knew was well on its way to becoming a full-blown haōshoku tantrum. “Luffy had dinner when we got back. We had leftovers from the roast boar, we’re fine. And there’s more than enough for Ace if he he’s hungry when he wakes up.”

“More than enough,” Shanks repeated, Will on fire still, despite Benn’s placating. “More than enough, and yet you allow them to go to bed hungry. No – you couldn’t even to that much for them, since that would require providing them a bed – you allow them to huddle outside in the cold in the middle of winter and don’t even do them the decency of giving them coats and shoes! You punish them for the crime of asking to be cared for, to be treated with a little common humanity –”

“How dare you come into my house, criticize the way I bring up my boys –”

“They’re not yours!” Shanks shouted, Will coursing through the room, sending an icy blast of dread through each of the bandits in turn. “They’re mine! They’re my kids! And if I’d known what they were being forced to endure here, I’d have come to pick them both up years ago and get them out of this Gods-damned house!”

Dadan fell to one knee. It was a testament to her conviction that she wasn’t immediately reduced to a pile of cold jelly when faced with Shanks’ righteously angry haōshoku, that she didn’t give in and allow herself to be cowed.

“Did you change their diapers?” she asked through gritted teeth, still meeting Shanks’ furious gaze with her own. “Did you teach them how to walk and talk? Did you have to hunt them down every night and make sure they took their baths and brush their teeth? Did you protect them from the Bluejam Pirates and the fucking garbage fire and every other shitty thing that’s rolled through here?”

“If you think that’s all there is to being a parent, you’re not fit to be one,” Shanks said coldly. “And for what it’s worth – I would have given anything to have the chance to raise them. Both of them. But since you see them as such a burden, you won’t mind if I take them off your hands.”

“I’m not gonna be able to stop you if you do,” Dadan said. “I’m not stupid. I know you could flatten this whole mountain with a single slash of your sword. But I will say this – Garp will hunt you down, Red-hair. He’ll hunt you down and take them back.”

“I’d like to see him try.”

Shanks and Benn stayed up late, sitting by the fire and watching over Luffy and Ace. They looked peaceful tucked in together, the color coming back into their faces now that they were warm again, their hair tangled together on the same pillow. At one point, Luffy rolled over without waking and nestled himself against Ace’s side, and Ace, also without waking, threw his arm around Luffy’s shoulder and held him close.

Shanks ate some of the leftover roast and had some of the watery ale the bandits had in barrels before calling it a night himself. Benn barked an order to the bandits to bring out another futon and more quilts, which they did with fearful speed before returning to the corner, and Benn set up a makeshift bed for Shanks to crawl into.

“So – what’s the verdict?” Benn asked.

“On what?” Shanks said.

“Ace’s parentage.”

Shanks allowed himself a half-smile. “Yeah, he’s Roger’s son. Him and Rouge. Like I thought.”

“But how can that be?” Benn asked. “Unless Ace was either told to lie about his age or the adults in his life have been lying for him.”

Shanks shrugged. “I dunno, Benn, but it’s not important. All I know is that he is the Captain’s. They look so alike – even their Presence is so similar. Feeling it again after all these years –”

Shanks was happy – overjoyed, even – Captain Roger had left him treasure not just in the form of gold or riches, but in a brother, in the form of family, the physical proof of Roger’s life on Earth and of how much, how freely he had loved while he was alive – it was for a good reason, a happy reason, but Ace had put pressure on wounds that were still tender, though they were over a decade old.

“I thought I’d never feel it again,” Shanks said, eyes misting over, swallowing down another batch of tears before it could start. “I know Ace isn’t Roger, but it’s like having the Captain near me. Reminds me how he used to make me feel when I was a kid, you know, happy and safe, like the world was a good place and everything was going to be okay.”

Benn rubbed soothing circles on Shanks’ back. “That’s great news, though,” Benn said. “Right?”

“’Course it is,” Shanks said. “But I gotta process, now, remember?”

“Of course,” Benn said. “Take all the time you need.”

Shanks took a few deep, steadying breaths. He had to get the boys back to the Force, get them properly fed and clothed – and Gods above and below, he had a long list of people to tell. Strategically, carefully, of course, to make sure the boys weren’t brought to the World Government’s attention.

“Captain Roger must have kept Ace a secret for a reason,” Shanks thought aloud.

“He was wise to,” Benn said. “Remember the World Government killed every newborn child on Batilleria just on the off-chance that one of them was Roger’s - so we should probably keep Ace a secret, too.”

“From most people, sure,” Shanks said. “I meant – I guess I just don’t understand why he kept Ace a secret from us. Didn’t he trust us? He told Garp of all people, but not mom?”

“Garp knows?” Benn asked.

“He has to. Because Ace knew before I brought it up, and I can’t think of anyone else who could have told him.”

“Ace knew before you told him?”

“Yeah,” Shanks said. “He just didn’t know that I knew. I also think Garp’s been lying to him about the Captain, feeding him a real crock of shit. It almost sounded like Ace was quoting headlines from the newspapers about how awful Captain Roger was, just trashy propaganda, and he said Garp told him.”

“That’s – interesting,” Benn said. “I thought you said that Garp and Roger were close in life.”

“They were,” Shanks said. “I mean, they were rivals, sure, but they liked each other. I remember Garp coming to visit the Jackson sometimes, and he and Captain Roger would drink together and laugh and party like they were old friends. It even made mom a little jealous.”

Benn thought for a moment. “Maybe Garp was just trying to turn Ace off to the idea of piracy.”

Shanks frowned. “Then that’s the worst way possible to do it,” he said. “Why would he lie about the Captain? Why would he drag his legacy through the mud like that? Especially because Captain Roger trusted Garp enough to tell him, and now Garp’s turning around and pissing on his grave.”

“I mean, I’m not a mind reader, Shay. It was just a guess.”

“Well, your guesses are as good as most peoples’ facts,” Shanks said, rolling over in his cocoon of quilts. “So that makes Garp a traitor to the family until I hear otherwise.”

Benn sighed. “Were you going somewhere with this?”

“Oh, right. Write Garp a letter for me?” Shanks said. “You always carry some pens and paper, don’t you?”

“Of course. I’m not an animal,” Benn joked, pulling a leather notebook and pen from his shoulder bag. “What should I tell him?”

“Oh, I dunno,” Shanks said, wriggling down into the blankets. “Say I’m super pissed he didn’t tell me about Ace and that he betrayed the family; I’m super, super pissed that he left the boys with these assholes who treat them like shit; and that he better not try and call us or send us any letters or else. Also, that if he’s gonna see the boys, it’s only gonna be if they want to see him, too. Oh, and tell him to go fuck himself, would you, Benny?”

“You got it, Chief,” Benn said, leaning down to plant a light kiss on Shanks’ forehead.

“And then come to bed?”

“Not tonight, Shay. I’m gonna stay up and keep an eye on this lot,” he said, nodding toward the bandits, still huddled in the corner, in various stages of sleep.

“You’re my hero,” Shanks yawned. “And I wanna leave early in the morning.”

“As soon as you’re up.”

“No, like, early.”

“Again, we’ll make an early start if you’re not a drama queen and actually get up when I wake you.”

“Ugh. Fine. You know me a little too well. Night, Benny.”

“Night, Shay.”

To Vice-admiral Monkey D. Garp:

Your grandson, Monkey D. Luffy, and Luffy’s sworn brother, Ace, have been taken away from Dawn Island by the Red-hair Pirates.

As we are sure that you are aware, certain rumors regarding your grandson, Luffy, have found their way into the stories of seafarers and have quickly circulated as far as Paradise. We understand this to mean that if common sailors have managed to spread these rumors halfway across the world, then the Marines must also have heard them; and if the Marines have heard them, then so, too, must have the World Government.

We cannot tolerate our dear little Luffy being left in such a vulnerable position on Dawn Island given the recent change in the intelligence landscape of the world, and have therefore taken him into protective custody upon the Red Force so as to prevent any ill-intentioned parties from abducting him or otherwise causing him harm; namely, to protect him from arrest or capture by the Marines or by World Government agents due to aforementioned rumors becoming more popular.

We have also taken Ace on board our ship, due mainly to concerns regarding the poor quality of his and Luffy’s upbringing and welfare while in the “care” of the bandits with whom you foolishly and negligently left them. Rest assured we will provide both children with a much-improved material standard of living, and the guidance and affection of which they have been in desperate want up until the writing of this letter.

Captain Red-hair Shanks would like to express his deepest displeasure with you personally, both for failing to provide for Luffy’s and Ace’s material and familial needs, and for keeping the true nature of Ace’s parentage a secret from the captain; both of which he considers to be grievous sins against himself, our crew, and our family.

Captain Shanks wishes to inform you that neither he nor any member of our crew will accept any messages or calls from you or any other Marine- or World Government-associated persons, and that the only conditions under which you will be allowed to correspond with Ace and Luffy will be upon the boys’  explicit request, at their discretion, and in the manner of their choosing.

The captain would also like to inform you that he has given strict orders to open fire at your ship upon sight should we ever meet at sea, and has requested me to tell you, to quote the captain, to “Go fuck yourself.”

Regards,

Bennett Beckman

Red-hair Pirates

First Officer and Quartermaster

Chapter Text

Shanks would have slept well through the morning as Benn had predicted if not for the small child jumping on his chest at the crack of dawn.

“Wake! Up! Wake! Up! Wake! Up!” Luffy chanted, doing his best to bounce on a decidedly un-bouncy futon and the man trying to sleep on it.

“Luffy!” Shanks grumbled, instinctively grabbing the kid, hauling him under the blankets and holding him tight. “It’s too early for this shit, Anchor,” he said, only half-kidding. “Calm down and go back to sleep.”

“But I’m hungry!” Luffy whined, wriggling out of Shanks’ arms and throwing the blankets off both of them. “Breakfast! Breakfast! Breakfast!”

“Benn!” Shanks called, rolling over to bury his face in his pillow. “The kids!”

“Oh, no,” Benn said, peering down at Shanks. “You wanted a wake-up call, you got one. Up and at ‘em, Chief.”

“We got sausage!” Ace said, crouched down by the fire pit, roasting a few links on a stick over the embers.

Shanks rose to his elbows. “Coffee?” he said, groggily.

“Nope,” Benn said, handing Shanks a plate with a cooked sausage and a small baguette on it.

“Rum?” he said hopefully.

“You’re kidding,” Benn said. “Just eat.”

Luffy only settled after he’d been handed a roasting stick of his own and had sat down next to Ace to cook his own breakfast. The boys did eat a hell of a lot, Shanks noticed – they downed ten links, each, in a matter of minutes with no signs of slowing.

“We’re gonna have to make a shopping run before we leave Orange Town,” Shanks said, doing the mental math of the provisions they had on the Force against how Ace and Luffy were packing their food away.

“We’re gonna have to make a shopping run before we leave here,” Benn corrected. “We don’t have enough on the longboat to even get back to the ship.”

“Shit, you’re right,” Shanks said. “I knew I made you quartermaster for a reason.”

“Because nobody else would do it?”

“And because you’re so good at counting, Benny,” Shanks said playfully.

“Yes, counting. My intellect had almost met its match in the ship’s storerooms, but I managed to pull through, somehow. There I was, stuck at ninety-nine bags of flour --”

“A hundred!” Luffy shouted triumphantly. “A hundred comes next!”

“You sure?” Benn turned to Luffy. “You wanna help me count up the food when we get back to the ship, Anchor?”

Luffy nodded enthusiastically, but Ace just stuck out his tongue. “Counting? That’s boring! I thought pirates didn’t have to do lame shit like that.”

“Not so,” Benn said patiently, allowing Shanks a chance to finish his plate without interruption. “Any sailor – navy, pirate, merchant, fishermen – everyone has to know how to inventory and ration supplies at sea. It might be boring, sure, but it’s absolutely crucial. You know what happens if you run out of food and fresh water in the middle of the ocean, don’t you?”

“You get hungry?” Luffy said.

“You die,” Benn said. “A healthy man can only go for three days without water. Three days. That’s all.”

Ace looked thoughtful as he bit into his eleventh sausage. “So, you gotta makes sure your ship’s stocked before you go.”

“Yes, we do,” Benn said, getting up and taking Shanks’ empty plate from him and bringing it over to a small washbin in the corner. “There’s a lot of work that goes into running any ship, but pirate ships especially.”

“And Benn’s the best at it,” Shanks said, smiling up at his first officer. “If being a captain ever looks easy, it’s because he’s so good at his job, it’s almost like I don’t have to do anything at all. I’m lucky to have him.”

Benn returned the smile wearily. “It’s a privilege, Chief. Wouldn't have it any other way.”

Shanks finally got all the way up, stretched, and made to fold up the futon when he realized how empty the longhouse seemed to be.

“Wait a minute – where are the bandits?”

“They made a break for it,” Ace said, trying and failing to hold back a snicker.

“They made some excuse and left en masse right around dawn,” Benn clarified. “I think they were getting uncomfortable, all squished into the corner like that.”

“Serves ‘em right,” Shanks grumbled, as he finished folding up his futon and started pulling on his boots, coat, and hat.

“We leavin’?” Luffy asked, looking up at Shanks expectantly.

“Guess so,” Shanks said. “You boys can go ahead and get anything you wanna bring with you and we’ll head out.”

Ace and Luffy shared a significant look. “Are we gonna come back?” Ace asked.

“No, not for a long time. Maybe not ever,” Shanks said. “So if you have any clothes or toys or books, or anything really special you wanna bring with you, now’s the time.”

Ace nodded, solemnly, and turned to a ladder built into the corner of one of the longhouse walls. He climbed up and disappeared into what looked like a tiny crawlspace, tucked between the rafters, and tossed down an empty burlap bag; and three tiny, careworn bedrolls and three tiny pillows.

The other boy, Shanks realized with a pang. They kept his bed.

“These,” Ace said, climbing down as Luffy helped Benn gather up the bedding and fold it into the burlap bag, “and our flag.”

“Your flag?” Shanks asked.

“Yeah, our pirate flag,” Ace said. “We have to go back to the treehouse to get it.”

“Where we met you last night?” Benn asked.

Ace nodded. “Yeah. Me and Luffy and Sabo –” Ace stopped short. “It’s just important. We gotta bring it.”

“Yeah,” Luffy agreed. “We can’t be pirates without it!”

“Of course we’ll get it,” Shanks said. “Wouldn’t dream of leaving it behind, not when it means so much to you.”

After raiding the attic again, this time in search of warm clothes they could use to cobble together proper winter outfits for the boys – Shanks, Benn, Ace, and Luffy set out for the treehouse.

When they arrived, Shanks caught sight of what he’d missed last night – a small solid black flag with crossbones on it, and big, splashy, brightly-colored letters painted on top. “A S L”.

“Ace, Sabo, Luffy,” Benn said under his breath. The boys climbed up the tree and then Ace shimmied up the flagpole by himself to take the flag down. He dragged it behind him unceremoniously as he and Luffy climbed back down, and then handed it to Benn to put in with the bedding.

Neither of the boys noticed or said anything, but Benn shook out the small flag, brushed it off, and gave it the proper triangle fold before tucking it in the burlap bag, with the same care and reverence as he would have done with one of the Red-hair Pirates’.

Luffy looked up at the treehouse with big, wistful eyes. “You think –” he said, then stopped, as if puzzling out how to say what he was thinking. “You think Sabo’s gonna be able to find us if we’re not here?”

“Sabo’s dead,” Ace said, harshly. “He can’t come back, Luffy, and we’re never gonna see him again. No matter where we are.”

“I know,” Luffy said. “But – isn’t there a part of people that kinda – I dunno, sticks around?”

“Sabo’s not a ghost!” Ace shouted. “He’s just regular dead, Luffy!”

Ace stormed off. Benn waited a few seconds before turning and following him.

Luffy had started to cry, and leaned over to hug Shanks’s leg around the knee. “I miss Sabo,” Luffy said. “I don’t wanna go where he can’t find us.”

And there was that feeling again, those old wounds being pressed on, like bruises, still tender after years and years –

A brother he hadn’t seen in a decade, a childhood home he couldn’t go back to, family gone to the one place he couldn’t follow them –

Shanks bent down and scooped Luffy up, holding him tight to his chest. “You know, I think Sabo will be able to find you just fine,” he said. “You wanna know how?”

Luffy nodded into Shanks’s shoulder.

“Because Sabo loved you way more than he loved the treehouse,” Shanks said. “And I believe that if there is a part of Sabo that’s gonna stick around, it won’t stick around in one place, or with his old stuff, it’s gonna stick around the people he loved. And that’s you and Ace.”

“Sabo’s coming with us?”

“He is,” Shanks said, thumbing a tear off Luffy’s cheek. “At least, I believe he is.”

“But why doesn’t Ace think so?”

Shanks was near to tears again himself. “Because – sometimes – well, when someone you love dies – I’m sorry, Luffy, I just don’t know. Ace just might not be ready to believe it yet. Maybe he never will be.”

“I don’t get it,” Luffy said, quietly, arms wrapped around Shanks’ neck and face tucked into the collar of his jacket. “I know Sabo’s dead, but he’s not gone.”

“I think you’re right, Anchor,” Shanks said. Gods, what he wouldn’t trade for his left arm back, if only for a moment, if only so he could hug Luffy closer. “But everyone has to figure that kind of thing out on their own.”