3rd person POV

"You wouldn't strike your own children, would you, Rouge?" Aoi asked. Rouge and Roger froze.

"Wh... What?" Rouge asked.

"Remember when I was telling you the side effects of my bride's visions if one were to look in to her eyes? The part where one could travel through time? Well..." Ace started.

"This is that side effect. Because someone-" Aoi cast a pointed look at Ace. "-couldn't listen to a fair warning about the side effects." Aoi said.

"You're from the future?" Rouge asked.

"About twenty years ahead." Aoi said.

"Why should we believe you?" Roger asked. Aoi sighed.

"Allow me to properly introduce us." Aoi said and stood. She bowed respectively to the two.

"My name is Ocean D Aoi, however, I am of no importance to you." Aoi said.

"Aoi, don't say that." Ace grumbled.

"The fool that got us here behind me is Portgas D Ace." Aoi said.

"P-Portgas..?" Rouge started, staring at Ace. Ace stood and bowed like Aoi.

"Hello..." Ace said awkwardly.

"He is your son." Aoi said. Rouge dropped the hiking stick.

"S-son? I... I have a son..." Rouge said. Ace stood up right.

"Hi... Mom..." Ace said. Rouge cupped his cheeks. She began to cry.

"You're so beautiful. You look just like your daddy." She cried. She hugged Ace tightly. Ace returned the hug. Roger was so shocked he was frozen in place.

"S-son." Roger forced out when Rouge and Ace parted. Ace looked to his father. Roger reached out to Ace. Ace took his father's hand. Roger pulled Ace to him.

"Ace... Ha... That's the name... That I chose for you... Haha... My little Ace." Roger cried. He hugged Ace tightly.

"F-Father." Ace said. Aoi smiled.

"Aoi... You said children... Ace said he has two younger brothers... Does that mean..?" Rouge asked. Aoi gave Rouge a sad smile.

"I'm sorry. I can not tell you anything more than Ace is your son, and we're pirates. Oh, and I am Ace's fiancé. Unfortunately, if I tell you anything more, I'm afraid it will disrupt the timeline Ace and I come from. It could change it for the worst." Aoi said.

"Can I ask why Ace goes by his mother's name rather than mine?" Roger asked. Aoi shook her head.

"You can ask, but we can not answer." Aoi said.

"What can you tell us then?" Rouge asked.

"Nothing we haven't already." Aoi said. Rouge sighed in frustration.

"I'm just happy I get to see my son as a man." Roger said. Ace grinned.

"I'm glad to see you two as well." Ace said.

"I'm assuming you can't tell us much else after that?" Rouge asked. Ace and Aoi shook their heads. The couple sighed.

"It... It was an honor to meet you both." Aoi said. Rouge took Aoi's hand.

"I'm happy my son is marrying such a sweet girl." She said, then pulled the bluenette in to a hug.

"You better take good care of her, Ace!" Rouge said. Ace smiled and nodded.

"Th-then... You approve of me?" She asked. Rouge grinned and nodded at her.

"Of course we do, Aoi. You're a kind heart. Take good care of our son. If he's anything like his father, he's gonna need a woman like you looking after him." Roger said. Aoi blushed. Roger pulled Aoi in to a hug.

"Thank you for loving him." Roger whispered to her.

"How could I not?" She whispered back.

"Aoi-chan, are you ready?" Ace asked. Aoi nodded.

"Ready? For what?" Rouge asked.

"Its time for us to return to our time." Aoi said, taking Ace's hand.

"Good luck, you two. Thank you for meeting us." Roger said. Ace smiled.

"Thank you." Ace said.

"I love you, my son." Rouge said. Ace grinned brightly at her.

"I love you, too, mom." Ace said.

"Let's go, Ace." Aoi said. Ace looked in to Aoi's eyes.

Roger and Rouge watched with teary eyes as their son and future daughter in law faded from their time. They were surprised when six shirts -including the shirt and dress shirt Ace and Aoi were wearing- fell to the ground.

"Shirts?" Roger asked as Rouge picked them up. She began to laugh as she realized what they were.

"They're the shirts I bought for Aoi this morning." She giggled. Roger smiled.

"Ace..." Roger sighed. He lowered himself to his knees and stared at Rouge's belly where a tiny baby Ace grew. He grinned and nuzzled her tummy lovingly.

"I love you so much, my son." Roger said, placing a gentle kiss to Rouge's tummy.

Rouge giggled and stroked Roger's hair as he continued to nuzzle and kiss her tummy, baby talking to his still growing son. She didn't know that he had figured out why Ace and Aoi had come back from the future.

Roger had already figured out that he wouldn't live to see his son's birth. He knew that he would never get to hold his child. Ace and Aoi had come from the future so he could do just that. Hold his son. Even if his son was a man.

"I hope the path I cleared for you leads you to where you want to be." Roger thought. He waited until Rouge had fallen asleep before he let himself cry.

Aoi's POV

I groaned as I sat up, rubbing my head.

"Aoi-chan! Thank god!" I was met by strong arms wrapping around me.

"Uhn... What?" I groaned.

"You were out for a day longer than I was. Though, I guess that is understandable. After all, time travel for two people is probably hell when it's one person doing all the work." Ace's soothing voice came. I blinked a few times.

"How long was I out?" I asked as Marco entered the room. I expected them to say a few hours.

"A week." Marco said. My head snapped up.

"Oh no! The wedding!" I said, starting to get up. Ace and Marco grabbed me and eased me back down.

"Is next week. Don't worry, Aoi-chan. I took over while you and Ace were down. I followed your every word down to the last letter." Marco said.

"Thank you." I said. Marco smiled at me.

"You just rest now, little sister." Marco said and left the room. Ace stayed by my side.

"So? What did you think of your parents?" I asked Ace. He sighed.

"Mom is just as you said. Sweet and kind with an element of sass. And Dad.... Well.... I didn't expect him to be so much like Luffy. And I couldn't help but notice that he and I are similar in many ways." Ace said. I stared at him, hope in my heart.

"And?" I asked. He stared at me.

"And... And I guess he's not as bad as I made him out to be." He said. I felt my heart soar to the heavens and back.

Finally.