The Gallant Scorpion:

-x-

The desert sun shined down on a cluster of rocky crags. Rings of smoke were rising from the flat top of the tallest crag which had a cave carved into its side and a tent pitched in it. The top of the crag was incredibly messy and was cluttered with empty bottles and cans of food. The only movement on the crag came from a large ostrich wearing a black battle helmet with goggles on it.

"Caaawww..." the ostrich crowed as it stared off in a distance and saw smoke rising from the middle of a clearing in between a group of boulders that were all half buried in the sand at the bottom of the crag cluster.

The ostrich turned over to the other occupant of the crag top and the source of the smoke rings, a man dozing on a hammock as he blew out the rings of smoke from a corncob pipe. He had tanned skin, scruffy brown hair and a scruffy brown beard and mustache, the man's black bowl-shaped battle helmet which had a red scorpion on the front was tilted down over his eyes. The man wore a short-sleeved red plaid shirt and blue denim overalls that ended in shorts. Coming out from under the red shirt was a black long-sleeved shirt, and out from the denim shorts were dark blue pants.

The ostrich walked over to the man and started pecking him on the head in an attempt to wake him, KONK! KONK! "Caaaaww!"

"Huh?" the man grunted as he lifted his helmet up to reveal his dark reflective sunglasses and a tattoo on his right temple it was of two small hearts with a white arrow going through both of them. "What is it Popo?" The ostrich motioned to the smoke it had noticed. "Smoke!" The man reached down to the stuff cluttered around his hammock and picked up a telescope.

The man stared through the telescope and saw that the smoke was coming from a campfire which had a group of travelers gathered around it. But the man zoned in on the shirtless figure wearing an orange hat and black shorts.

"Is that... the tattoo on his back..." the man focused his telescope on the purple crossbones with the white crescent shaped mustache that adorned the traveler's back. "There's no doubt about it! 'Fire Fist' Ace! He finally showed up! PORTGAS D. ACE! I've been waiting for this day!"

"Poooohhhh..." Popo the ostrich crowed.

-x-

"THIS IS ALL THE BREAKFAST WE GET?" Usopp complained as the Straw Hats and the three Whitebeards sat around the fire in their makeshift campsite. "COME OOON!"

"SEEECOOONDS!" Luffy ordered as he stood tall by the fire and smacked a spoon against a metal bowl. KLANG! KLANG! KLANG!

Luffy and Usopp suddenly found Sanji's feet planted in their face, THWAK! THWAK! "Don't be greedy!" Sanji growled at them. "You've had enough for one meal."

WHUUP! Luffy's rubber arm stretched out and snatched a chunk of meat off of Zoro's plate from where he had been sitting eating quietly with Han.

"LUFFY! WHAT'RE YOU... COME ON!" the swordsman snapped. He got up and glared down at the Captain, "KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF OTHER PEOPLE'S FOOD!"

THWAK! Sanji kicked a still complaining Usopp and knocked him on his back, "THERE ISN'T ANY MORE, OKAY?"

"Why are they like this every time we eat?" Vivi wondered as she and Nami sat on top of one of the round boulders calmly eating their own breakfast.

"Don't make eye contact," Nami advised.

"Like that'll stop Luffy from stealing your food," Y/N said from down at the bottom of the boulder where he sat eating breakfast in between Ollie and Chopper. "Luffy has absolutely no self-restraint. You can either eat all your food before he can steal it or outright stop him from stealing it."

SHUUUWHUP! Luffy's rubber arm stretched out and swiped meat off of Y/N's plate. Y/N glared down at the empty spot on his plate while Ollie grinned.

"You were saying?" she teased him.

"Now... I outright stop him from stealing it," Y/N resolved as he got up and stalked over to Luffy who had ignored his 'fight' with Zoro to steal Y/N's food. "Zoro... hold him down..."

Vivi looked over at Ace who was sitting on top of a tall boulder quietly wiping off his fork, knife and plate with a napkin. His black and red desert cloak was neatly folded next to him with his rucksack placed on top of it. "Ace is so calm and orderly," Vivi noted, "He cleans his fork and plate after each meal."

"Makes me think that there's hope for his gender after all," Nami remarked as she glanced over at the other male pirates.

"Let's see you steal our food now!" Y/N taunted as he and Zoro stood over Luffy.

"MMMMM! MMMMMMM!" Luffy mumbled, Y/N had tied his rubber lips in a knot, binding his mouth closed.

"Ace is cut from a different cloth than those guys," Nami commented to Vivi. "Judging by his well-mannered personality you'd never guess that he has a staggering bounty on his head."

"Ace has a bounty on his head?" Chopper asked.

"Yup," Ollie replied, "A big one too. Bounty Hunters all around the world are after him. There's not a pirate alive that isn't intimidated by the name 'Fire Fist' Ace Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates." Everyone thought back to how Ace had roasted the five Billion battleships with his Flame Flame Fruit Powers, it seemed odd that such a well mannered man was capable of such a devastating feat.

"If Ace is imposing enough to scare his peers then this Blackbeard he's chasing must be just as terrifying," Vivi commented.

Ollie tensed, "That bastard is a monster," she spat. "He was in our division and even then I thought he was creepy. He showed his true colors by killing one of his own crew and then thinking nothing of it. He tried to do the same thing to Y/N... and now he's all... different." Ollie frowned and looked over at Y/N who was standing silently over Luffy with a small grin playing across his face while Zoro loudly ate the reclaimed food.

"Mmmmm," Zoro moaned, "It tastes even better now that Luffy can't steal it."

"MMMMM... MMMMPPHHH!" Luffy snarled with his lips still tied in a knot. He grabbed his lips and started stretching them in an attempt to yank the knot out.

"Even if he didn't kill him," Ollie continued, "With how he scarred and changed Y/N... Ace'll never give up hunting him until he's brought to justice for what he's done. Evil Devil Fruit Powers be damned."

Nami looked over at Ace then slid down the boulder and landed in the sand next to Ollie, "So... what was Y/N like before he lost his eye then?" she asked his former Nakama. Chopper and Vivi perked up and looked at Ollie with interest.

"He was a lot more emotional than he is now," Ollie admitted, she glanced around her and saw that she had her audience's full attention. "I suppose I could tell you some embarrassing things about him..." A predatory smile spread across Nami's face. "You should see what happens when he gets really drunk."

As Ollie launched into a potentially embarrassing story, Y/N shivered and glanced over at them, "I have a feeling that something really bad is happening over there."

At the same time, Han stiffened and glanced around him, "We're being hunted."

-x-

"Hah hah, 'Fire Fist' Ace!" the man on top of the crag chuckled as he held a bazooka on his shoulder and stared through the viewfinder on top of the barrel at Ace as he sat on top of his boulder. "Why don't we kick this party off with a nice little gift... now I want you to just relax..." Instead of pointing the crosshairs of the bazooka's viewfinder at Ace, he tilted it down so it was aiming at the boulder he was sitting on. "I promise I'm not gonna kill ya. I'm just gonna blow up that rock you're sitting on."

SKIFF! The man lit a match on his shoe and brought the flame to the fuse of his bazooka. He kept eying his target as the fuse slowly burned down.

Behind him, the smoke of the burning fuse tickled Popo the ostrich's nostrils, "GAAACHOO!" the ostrich sneezed and bent forward, the spittle and the sneeze put out the flame on the fuse.

"MY PRIDE DEMANDS THAT I SHOULD CAPTURE YOU ALIVE, ACE!" the oblivious man exclaimed, "AH HAH HAH HAH!" The man was left staring through the viewfinder of his bazooka with his eye on his target while he waited for the unlit fuse to burn down.

-x-

SKUSSSSHHH! Nami poured sand in the fire-pit and doused the flames. "There, done," she resolved, "It's time we get going."

"YOU ATE MY MEAT!" Luffy hollered at Zoro, he'd managed to get his lips untied and now the two were in the middle of a heated scuffle. Y/N had removed himself from the situation and was casually sitting against a boulder watching the skirmish.

"You guys!" Nami called out to them, "KNOCK IT OFF, YOU TWO, NOW!" WHOMP! Once again Nami won the fight between Luffy and Zoro and leveled them with a hard hit to the head.

But as Nami scolded Luffy and Zoro, two small figures peered around one of the round boulders and eyed the leftover meat.

"Here we go..." the first small figure whispered.

"Right," the second small figure agreed.

"Hurry and clean up!" Nami ordered Luffy and Zoro, "We're leaving for Yuba! Look at this mess!" Nami looked over at Y/N and gave him a hard look, "And that means you too!"

"I would..." Y/N admitted as he eyed a plate of leftovers and watched as a chunk of meat was hoisted off of the plate by a thin fishing line. To the untrained eye it would look like it was floating. "But either the food's cleaning itself up, or someone's stealing it."

"Huh?" Luffy questioned, he looked at the plate and saw the floating meat, "WHOA! AWESOME! FLOATING MEAT!"

"Oh know, they saw us!" one of the figures exclaimed.

"Hurry, big brother!" hissed the other one. The two figures took off running through the boulders, a wooden fishing pole stuck up in the air and pulled the meat along with them.

"IT'S TALKING TOO!" Luffy shouted as he pointed at the wayward meat. "SHISHISHISHI! WHOA, NOW IT'S RUNNING AWAY!"

"Idiot, someone's stealing our food," Y/N pointed out. "Come on, let's get it back." The Captain and First Mate quickly ran after the food thieves and the meat on their fishing line, Luffy jumped up on top of the round rocks and jumped across them while Y/N, who was still wearing two thousand kilograms worth of weight weaved his way through the forest of boulders in the direction the meat had gone. Ace shook his head and darted after them.

"LUUFFYY! YYYYY/NNNN!" Nami shouted after them, "GET BACK HERE!" The Straw Hats and Ollie ran after their Nakama.

Han remained alone in the clearing, "The stolen food was either a diversion, or there's two parties involved here," the monster hunter thought to himself as he glanced up at the tallest crag of the cluster, "Both theories are worth investigating."

-x-

"WAIT MEAT!" Luffy shouted as he jumped across the boulders. He ended up jumping clear over the meat thieves and landed on the other side of the boulder cluster. He stared ahead of him at the endless expanse of sand. "WHERE'D IT GO? THIS WAY?" Luffy turned and ran off in a seemingly random direction to continue his pursuit of the stolen meat.

Two brown haired boys peaked out from behind one of the boulders and smiled as they watched Luffy run away from them. They quickly ducked back behind the boulder and sat down so they could enjoy their meal.

"We lost him, Dip," the smaller lighter haired boy commented, he held the ends of the bone going through the meat and took a big bite. He appeared to be about five, had a bowl haircut, and a smattering of freckles across his face. He wore blue overalls and a green sweatshirt underneath.

"How does it taste, Chip?" the larger darker haired boy asked as he watched his younger brother eat. He was about eight, his short brown hair was messy and he had the same pattern of freckles going across his face. He wore a light gray button down shirt, a pair of jeans with a patch on the right knee, and a backpack. "That's our first meal in two days, eat slowly."

"I can't believe we got meat," Chip remarked as he handed the meat over to Dip, "here, you have some, big brother."

"Yeah," Dip agreed, "We can't even get a scrap of meat in the badlands."

"Ah, the badlands," came Ace's voice as he crouched on top of one of the boulders and stared down at the two boys. "So that's where you're from, huh? Smells good, you enjoying it?"

"STAY BACK!" Dip yelled as he moved protectively in front of Chip, "I MEAN IT!"

"YOU CAN'T HAVE THE FOOD BACK!" Chip shouted, "WE ATE IT!"

Click! Dip pulled out a two-barreled pistol and aimed it at Ace. "You... you move a muscle and you're dead!" the boy nervously threatened.

"You're putting your life on the line pointing that gun at him," Y/N's voice cut in causing the two boys to flinch. They looked to their left and saw Y/N leaning against a nearby boulder. His sunglasses were on again, hiding his eye, but the boys knew he was looking at them.

"As rule, I'm not fond of people pointing guns in my face," Ace stated as he impassively stared down the barrels of the gun.

"Dip... h-have you ever shot a gun before?" Chip questioned. "Will it even shoot bullets?"

"It's not safe to point guns, boy," Y/N warned him, "especially at a stranger you know nothing about. Do you know what you're doing?" Y/N pushed off of the boulder and slowly started walking towards the two boys.

Since Y/N was approaching them while Ace seemed content to remain on his boulder, Dip turned the gun on him.

"ST-STAY BACK!" Dip stammered.

"NOOO!" Chip cried out, he lunged at his brother to keep him from shooting. BANG! The gun went off anyway and a bullet was fired at Y/N.

WHIP! The boys stared in shock as the bullet was knocked off course, out of the air, and down to the ground.

Y/N looked over at Ace and shook his head, "You and your depth perception."

"Wh... what happened?" Dip gasped as he stared down at his bullet.

"You're playing a dangers game, kid," Ace said as he stood up and stared down at the two boys. "Never draw on somebody unless you can hit what you're aiming at. You may want to protect your little brother but I won't let anything happen to mine either."

The boys continued to stare at the bullet and saw Ace's weapon of choice: a small piece of rock no bigger than the bullet itself. The fact that Ace had managed to hit the bullet and knock it down with just a rock spoke wonders for his speed, precision, and dedication to keeping his younger brother safe.

"He... he bounced the bullet right back with a rock!" Dip realized.

"I've never seen anyone that strong!" Chip exclaimed. "Are they gonna hurt us?"

"As another rule, we try to avoid hurting civilians," Y/N spoke up, he was now standing over the two boys. "Now... what's this food stealing thing all about? Why are you two all alone here in the middle of the desert?"

Chip and Dip shared a look before Dip dropped the gun and clasped his hands together, "Please sir, I have a favor to ask you!" he requested. "There's someone I need you to find and capture for me! Please! It's important!"

"..." Y/N and Ace shared a silent look.

"I can give you a reward if you catch him!" Dip continued, "I'll give you a million berries!"

"A million berries?" Y/N repeated. "Do you even have a million berries?"

"No," the boy confessed, "I won't be able to pay you right away. But I will as soon as I grow up, I promise! Help me... find this man!"

Dip showed Y/N a worn picture of a brown haired man with a scruffy brown beard and mustache. He had a tattoo of two small hearts with an arrow going through them on his right temple and wore dark sunglasses. Judging from the pitchfork he was holding, it looked like the man was a farmer

Y/N took the picture from the boy and showed it to Ace. The two had a silent conversation where Ace raised an eyebrow and Y/N glanced pointedly at the two boys and then back at the picture then tilted his head to the side and shrugged. Ace tilted the brim of his hat up to reveal his eyes and his grin, he nodded at Y/N.

"Alright kid," Y/N finally agreed, "And you promised to pay us later... so we'll set up a Treasure Tab for you."

It was then that Ollie and the other Straw Hats finally caught up with them. They came around the boulder Ace was standing on and stared at the two boys in surprise.

"What's going on?" Usopp inquired, voicing the question on everyone's mind, "Who're they?"

"We agreed to find this guy for these two," Y/N answered as he showed them the picture.

-x-

The same man from the picture still stood on top of the crag staring through the viewfinder of his bazooka. "Hah hah hah! Bear witness to Scorpion's ultimate weapon!" the man calling himself 'Scorpion' exclaimed, "One hit from this will demolish that entire rock. Then while Ace is buried I'll capture him alive, completing my flawless victory."

It took a moment of staring through the viewfinder for Scorpion to finally realize an important thing, his target was no longer sitting on top of the boulder he'd last seen him on.

"GAAAH!" Scorpion shrieked, "WHERE'D HE GO?"

"What are you doing?" Scorpion whirled around and jumped in surprise when he saw Han standing behind him with his arms folded across his chest.

KLAK! Scorpion was so surprised that he dropped his bazooka, the gun landed on the edge of the rock and tipped off of the side and began to fall. Scorpion dove after his gun and managed to catch it by the end of the nozzle while hanging by his ankles. But to the man's horror a spotted ball fell out the other end of the bazooka and dropped towards the sand and a boy wearing a straw hat who appeared out of nowhere.

"DAMN IT!" Scorpion screamed, "HEEEY BOOYYY! RUN AAWWWAAAYYY! IF THAT THING BLOWS UP IT'LL TAKE HALF OF ALABASTA WITH IT!"

"Huh?" said Luffy as he stood at the base of the crag and stared up at the spotted ball as it dropped down towards him.

"AAAAHHH!" Scorpion screamed as he pulled himself back onto the top of the crag and dove for cover, Han eyed the strange man but remained standing in the same place as before. "THE ENTIRE GRAND LINE'S GONNA BE BLOWN TO THE MOON!"

Nothing happened.

Han eventually broke the awkward silence, "Was something supposed to happen?"

"That round... it was..." Scorpion stammered, he crawled over to the edge of the crag and stared down it, "HEY! YOU THERE?"

"I'm here," said Luffy, causing the man to flinched in surprise as Luffy stood casually next to Han as if he'd been there the whole time.

"Hello there, Luffy," Han greeted him.

"What's got this guy so worked up?" Luffy wondered.

"What... what happened to the bomb?" Scorpion demanded. "Why didn't it go off?"

"This thing?" Luffy asked as he held out the spotted ball he'd caught.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Scorpion screamed in terror and scuttled backwards to get away from his bomb, only to scuttle over the edge of the crag. He nearly fell but managed to catch himself with his left leg which he hooked on the edge of the crag at the last second and left himself hanging upside down.

"SHISHISHISHI!" Luffy laughed, "You're one hilarious old guy!"

"GRRR... STOP LAUGHING YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Scorpion snapped.

"I'm quickly growing tired of all this," Han admitted, he walked over to Scorpion and pulled him back onto the top of the crag.

"So who is this guy?" Luffy inquired.

"From what I can tell, he's a bounty hunter who's after Ace," Han answered.

"Ooooh, you're after Ace?" Luffy questioned, "SHISHISHISHI! NEAT!"

"Of course I'm after Ace," Scorpion boasted. "I'm the greatest bounty hunter around, perhaps you've heard of me: SCORPION THE GALLANT HUNTER!"

"Nope," Han replied, "Never heard of you. And I'm a bit of a hunter myself. Although, it appears that I've stumbled across yet another scorpion living in this desert. But I must ask, why are you hunting someone as dangerous as 'Fire Fist' Ace? For his bounty?"

"OF COURSE NOT!" Scorpion replied, "IT'S A MATTER OF PRIDE! I promised them I'd capture him. And now he's here"

"Them?" Luffy repeated, "Who?"

"Wait a minute... ACE! I LOST HIM!" Scorpion suddenly realized, he turned around and stared through his telescope at the boulder he'd seen Ace sitting on. "GRRR! DAMN IT! THIS IS THE LAST THING I NEED! I CAN'T AFFORD TO LOSE HIM NOW!" Scorpion turned to his ostrich, "POPO! WE'RE HEADING OUT TO WHERE I LAST SAW HIM!"

Han shook his head, "He's going to great lengths to impress whoever he promised that he'd capture Ace," he thought to himself, "I'll bet he's the reason Ace is in Alabasta."

"So you're going out after Ace?" Luffy questioned. "If you're as tough as you say you are, this'll be a great fight!"

"HAH HAH HAH!" Scorpion laughed, "Of course it will! I am the Gallant Scorpion! I never fail to capture my target!"

-x-

Ace had taken the picture of Scorpion from Y/N and was staring at it while Ollie and the other Straw Hats gathered around him to question the two boys.

"My brother and I have been on his trail and I know he's close," Dip explained. "We followed him from the badlands."

"We need more details," Usopp said, "What's his name?"

"Scorpion," Dip answered. "He's a bounty hunter."

"Hold on, you sure?" Zoro asked.

"What possible reason would you kids have for chasing a bounty hunter?" Nami wondered.

"I have business with him as well," Ace admitted. "A man who defeated Blackbeard is somewhere in Yuba. He goes by the name 'Scorpion', one of my two reasons for traveling here was to meet this man."

"THAT GUY DEFEATED BLACKBEARD?" Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, and Vivi all questioned at the same time.

"I call bullshit," Y/N stated with a frown marring his face.

-x-

Desert Showdown:

-x-

Scorpion rode on Popo's back with Luffy sitting behind him in the saddle Scorpion had tied onto the ostrich.

"Hey kid, are you sure your friend will be alright on his own?" Scorpion inquired.

"Yeah, Han said he meet us wherever Ace is," Luffy answered, "I don't know him that well but if he says he'll meet us there, I believe him." Luffy grinned and changed the subject, "So old guy, are you really gonna fight Ace?" Luffy knew he was riding with someone who was actively hunting his big brother, but honestly, the thought of the funny old guy and Ace fighting sounded like fun. And if the funny old guy was as tough as he said he was then it should be a cool fight.

"HAH HAH HAH!" Scorpion laughed, "OF COURSE! You're a lucky boy, you get to witness a huge battle. Me, the World's Greatest Up-and-Coming Bounty Hunter locked in combat with one of the most vile man to ever cross these sand-covered parts! I've been on many a heart-pounding adventure, I've had epic battles with everyone from Double Barrel Danny to Hell Battler Luther and every fight ended with my opponent begging me for his life!"

"SHISHISHISHI! I DON'T KNOW WHO ANY OF THOSE GUYS ARE!" Luffy laughed. "But your name must be known throughout the world!"

"No," Scorpion confessed, "BUT SOMEDAY SOON! HAH HAH HAH!"

"YOU'LL BE FAMOUS!" Luffy cheered. "SHISHISHISHISHI!"

"I'll tell ya this, kid," Scorpion said, "I'm gonna beat 'Fire Fist' Ace. And after him everyone else is gonna be a synch."

"Whoa!" Luffy gasped, "This I've gotta see! Shishishishi!"

"Easy," Scorpion warned him, "You'll be mindful not to mock me, boy. Whenever I do something I make sure I do it right. A man should live his life to the fullest and set aim to big ambitions. It's important that I show 'em that."

"Show who?" Luffy questioned.

"Gah!" Scorpion gasped before quickly changing the subject and shouting, "HERE COMES SCORPION, THE GALLANT HUNTER!"

-x-

"Ace..." Y/N said as he sat next to Ace on the boulder and stared at the picture of Scorpion, "If this guy beat Blackbeard, I'm Marine Admiral Akainu."

"And since Y/N's clearly not an unwavering believer of Absolute Justice, you can safely say he's not Akainu," Ollie pointed out, "Ace, the only way that guy would've beaten Blackbeard is if he fed him a pie laced with lethal poison."

"I know," Ace admitted, "But even if rumors of him beating Blackbeard in combat aren't true, I'm hoping that he might at least know where he is so I can continue my search for him. And the only way to find out is to meet him face-to-face."

"Ace?" Chip repeated. "You don't mean you're... the real 'Fire Fist' Ace?"

TMP! Han suddenly landed on a nearby boulder. "Oh Han, there you are," Ace commented, he held up the picture of Scorpion, "Have you seen this guy?"

"Actually I have," Han told him, "But if you're looking for him, don't worry about it, cause he's looking for you. In fact... they should be coming right about now." Han turned to look off into the desert while the others all looked the same way.

"There's two," Ace stated as he stared off into the desert and listened carefully, "Maybe a bird."

Chopper's nose twitched, "They're here," he reported.

Y/N had reclaimed the picture of Scorpion and was staring intently at the tattoo on the man's right temple. Upon closer inspection it was made up of two hearts, a pink one and a blue one. The pink one had a 'D' on it and the blue one had a 'C'. Y/N looked over at Dip and Chip and grinned.

Scorpion rode Popo up to the top of a sand dune and spotted Ace standing on top of the boulder, "I'VE COME FOR YOU 'FIRE FIST' ACE!" the man shouted, "I'm the Scorpion, a true indomitable hero! I've traveled a great distance to challenge you!"

"It's him, that's Scorpion," Vivi realized.

"Hey kid," Y/N commented to Dip, "Looks like he found us. That means no charge."

The two boys silently peeked over a boulder and stared at the man in shock.

Just then, Luffy peaked out from behind Scorpion, "OH, HEY GUYS!" Luffy greeted them, "YOU'RE ALL HERE! AND HAN TOO!"

"LUFFY!" the Straw Hats all exclaimed.

"Why are you riding with the Scorpion?" Sanji demanded. "He's enemy!"

"It's really him," Scorpion thought to himself as he broke out into a nervous sweat, "'Fire Fist' Ace in the flesh."

"What's wrong Scorpion?" Luffy asked.

"It's uh... AAHH HAH HAH HAH!" the bounty hunter started laughing to hide his nervousness. "SO SORRY ACE, BUT THIS IS THE DAY THAT YOUR LUCK RUNS OUT! ALL THOSE HEROIC TALES YOUR SUPPORTERS FLATTER YOU WITH END TODAY!"

"Stupid... turn back..." Dip whispered.

"How come?" Y/N inquired as he knelt down next to the two boys, "Sounds to me that he really wants to fight."

"THIS IS SO EXCITING!" Luffy exclaimed, "ACE, THIS IS A SERIOUS FIGHT! So don't pull any punches!"

"I WASN'T PLANNING TO!" Ace snapped. "But before we fight, there's something I wanna know..."

Scorpion didn't hear what Ace was saying because he was currently fighting to keep from panicking, "Why am I falling apart?" he wondered, "This is what I wanted. I won't wimp out now! I'm invulnerable! I can't die... not as long as I remember that they need me!"

"READY! HERE I COME!" Scorpion shouted, "RAAAHHH!" Luffy jumped off of Popo as the ostrich raced towards Ace, who jumped up on top of the boulders and bounded towards him.

CLICK! Scorpion pulled a large red cartage that had a steel chord wound around inside it and snapped it onto the nozzle of his bazooka. "YOU'RE FINISHED!" KA-BOOOOM! Scorpion fired his bazooka and a steel net fired out of it and snapped around Ace who hadn't even bothered to move.

"Heh," Ace chuckled. FWOOSH! His body glowed orange and flames shot out and sent th steel net flying back the way it had come.

"GAH!" Scorpion shrieked as he saw his own net coming at him, "CRAP! CRAP! CRAP!" SHU-WHUP! The steel net snapped around the bounty hunter who was knocked off of Popo and began crying out in pain as the net that had been exposed to Ace's flames burned him. "AAAH! HOT! HOT! HOT-HOT-HOT!"

"Whoa!" Usopp exclaimed, "Ace just threw the net right back at him!"

Y/N looked over at Chip and Dip and noted that the boys were looking on with worry.

Scorpion threw the net off of him and looked over his shoulder to see Ace still standing the same spot with flames dancing on his shoulder. "AH HAH HAH HAH!" the man laughed, not allowing himself to be discouraged, "I GUESS I SHOULD BE THANKFUL! If defeating you were easy, it wouldn't be much of a victory! Hah hah!"

"Oh yeah?" Ace replied, "Well you have some skills yourself."

"I'm glad you approve," Scorpion said as he got back up to his feet, "Cause this fight isn't over! POPO! THE COMPRESSED EXTINGUISHER GUN!"

"CAAWW!" Popo crowed, the ostrich darted over and dropped a metal yellow backpack in front of Scorpion before running off to get out of the way.

Scorpion pulled the backpack on and pulled the long thin gun before he pulled a hose off of the backpack and snapped it onto the end of the gun. Clack! "A special compressed air gun filled with extinguisher foam!"

"Uh... it's what?" Zoro questioned.

"Looks like he did do his research," Han noted, "Ace is made of fir so he's decided to fight with a gun that's like a high powered fire extinguisher."

"But does it work?" Sanji wondered.

"DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE FOAM!" Scorpion called out as he ran at Ace, "this bad boy packs enough power to blow a hole clean through ya! RAAAAHHHH!" CHOOOOSSSHHH! Scorpion fired his air gun and a white torrent of foam fly at Ace, who quickly leapt out of the way, causing the compressed air and foam to blow a hole straight through the boulder that was behind him, SHOOM!

Ace ran at Scorpion and the man kept firing his extinguisher gun at him, CHOOOSSSHHH! CHOOOSSSHHH! Ace dodged all the bursts of foam and drove his fist into the man's stomach when he got in range, POW!

"GAAHHH!" Scorpion gasped, he doubled over and clutched his stomach then staggered forward and skidded down the edge of a sand bank.

"It was a nice try," Usopp commented, "But you never had a chance my friend."

"I suspected as much," Ace stated as he stared down the sand bank at the downed form of Scorpion, "You lied about defeating Blackbeard. You figured using his name would draw me out into the open. Am I right?"

"Ugghhh... that's right..." Scorpion groaned, "A clever... deceit... Hah hah... KOFF! KOFF! I'd say that first round was a draw! Now it's time to get serious!" The man attempted to push himself up off of the ground but his arms gave out and he ended up dropping onto his back.

"STOOOOP!" Dip suddenly shouted, "YOU CAN'T BEAT HIM, FATHER!" The boy's cry caused the Straw Hats to stare at him in surprise.

"I suspected as much," Y/N muttered.

"Did he say 'father'?" Luffy questioned.

"KOFF! KOFF! Son... I'll be fine," Scorpion coughed.

"STOP THE FIGHT!" Dip shrieked as he and Dip slid down the sand bank and joined their now identified father at the bottom of it.

"Chip... Dip..." Scorpion called out as his son ran over to him.

"Father, you don't have to do this!" Dip told him. "'Fire Fist' Ace is too powerful!"

"What're you doing here?" Scorpion asked as he reached out and gently ruffled his sons' hair, "why aren't you at home? When did you leave the badlands?"

"And here comes the flashback," Y/N noted as he casually sat down in the sand and made himself comfortable. WHAP! Nami promptly slapped him on the back of the head.

"What's a 'flashback'?" Chopper asked innocently as he sat down next to Y/N.

"Well you see..." Y/N started to explain but Nami cut him off by hitting him again, WHAP!

"DON'T YOU DARE!" she warned him.

"I guess I'll tell you when you're older," Y/N resolved as he rubbed the back of his head.

-Scorpion's Flashback-

Weeks ago, at a small farm in the badlands, Scorpion worked out in the field while his two sons helped out.

"FATHER!" Dip called out as he stood up and held out a big potato, "ISN'T THIS THE BIGGEST POTATO YOU'VE EVER SEEN IN YOUR LIFE?"

"Yes, that is a big one," Scorpion commented. "Hah hah hah!"

-x-

That night after dinner, Chip and Dip sat against the farmhouse and stared up at the star-filled night sky.

"We sure are lucky," Chip said, "Think of all the people out there that didn't get to eat a potato today. But I wonder what it's like to eat until your tummy gets full."

"You idiot, keep your voice down," Dip hissed. It was moot point though, because Scorpion heard him from around the corner and stopped his work so he could listen. "How do you think dad would feel if you were to say that? He gave up his dream of being a bounty hunter so he could support us." Scorpion got closer and listened in on the two boys.

"I heard about this hero who travels across the sea and goes on big adventures," Dip continued as he showed his brother the Wanted Poster of Portgas D. Ace. The depicted pirate was shirtless, wore his signature orange hat and was winking at the photographer while a smirk was spread across his face.

"Do you think maybe you and me would be able to do something like that?" Chip inquired.

"Of course not," Dip said, "We're gonna live our entire lives here working this withered land, just like father. So don't waste time dreaming, haven't you learned anything from him? Dreams don't ever happen in the real world."

Scorpion couldn't take it any longer, he leapt around the corner and growled at his two sons, "I THOUGHT I TAUGHT YOU BOYS BETTER THAN THAT? You think I did all this so you'd stay here? Dreams are all that's worth having in this world! And I'll prove it! I'll track down 'Fire Fist' Ace and defeat him in the world's greatest battle! MY DREAM!" Scorpion lunged forward and hugged his sons, "Then I'll return home to you boys and we'll see how worthless you think a man's dreams really are!"

-End Scorpion's Flashback-

"Please, we understand now what you've been trying to teach us!" Dip said, "This battle's too much for you! You've gotta come home!"

"Hah hah hah hah!" Scorpion laughed, "Don't be silly! Remember boys, I'm the world's greatest bounty hunter. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times, I've fought the toughest, meanest men around and bested every one."

"Dad, you don't have to lie," Chip cut in.

"Uhhh hah hah," Scorpion chuckled, "You found me out. The truth is... I'm a terrible liar and a terrible father to boot."

"I'd hate to interrupt a touching family moment," Han cut in as he walked over so he was standing next to Ace at the top of the sand bank. "But any guy who's crazy enough to go up against Ace so he could impress his sons and show them the power of a man's dreams, is a good father in my book. Leaving your kids alone and risking your life to do that weren't the best ideas but you taught your boys a valuable lesson."

Scorpion smiled, "You see boys?" he asked them, "If you remember nothing else that I've taught you, remember this: even the most insignificant person can rise up to challenge the world's greatest hero if he believes in himself. That is the entire reason I did this, to show you... show you boys what it means to follow your heart's desire. Men need dreams, goals that burn deep inside like an eternal flame. That is what sustains us all. Ambition. Always challenge what other say can't be done, even if it seems impossible. Believe and life will deliver paradise. Hah hah! Forgive me boys, but the only way to make you see this truth was to put my life on the line. My sons, always follow your heart."

Scorpion stood back up and stared up at Ace, "WAIT FATHER!" Dip protested.

"WATCH AND LEARN BOYS!" Scorpion exclaimed, "WITNESS YOUR FATHER'S UNCONQUERABLE SPIRIT!" He slowly made his way back up the sand bank towards Ace. "So long as I hold onto my dream... I won't back down. DO YOU HEAR ME, ACE?"

"..." Ace remained silent and stood still in the same spot from before. Han slowly stepped away from him so he didn't get caught in the fight that didn't involve him.

"POPO!" Scorpion shouted. "THE BAZOOKA!"

"CAW!" the ostrich ran over and placed the bazooka in front of Scorpion then ran off again.

Scorpion picked up his bazooka and stared through the viewfinder at Ace. "PREPARE YOURSELF!" Scorpion shouted, "THIS IS THE END!" Fissshhh... Scorpion lit the fuse on his bazooka and waited for it to burn down.

"I WON'T LET YOU DO IT!" Dip cried as he and Chip ran up and grabbed their father from behind with a hug. "WE NEED YOU!"

"GET DOWN!" Scorpion ordered his boys, "TAKE COVER!"

"We understand you had to leave us to make your point," Dip admitted, "we get it father. We won't give up on our dreams, like you said. Please listen to us and stop fighting! COME HOME! We need you around THAT'S OUR DREAM!"

"I'm sorry, daddy," Chip apologized, "Don't be mad at us anymore! We'll be good, I promise. And I won't complain ever again. I'm scared daddy, I wanna go home!"

His son's cries finally reached him, Scorpion dropped his gun and hugged his boys. "I LOVE YOU TOO, BOYS!"

"LOOK OUT FOR THE GUN!" Han shouted. Scorpion's dropped bazooka bounced down the sandbank and bumped against a boulder. It landed with the nozzle pointed upward and went off, BOOOM! The spotted bomb that Luffy had caught earlier blasted out of the nozzle. SHUNK! Spikes shout out from the bomb and it slammed into the top of the crag that was towering over the embracing father and sons. KA-BOOOOOM! The bomb exploded and the rocky crag was blasted apart causing large chunks of rock to come falling down towards the man and two boys.

The Straw Hats and Ollie all gasped in shock while Y/N tore off his weight bands.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" Scorpion and his sons screamed, the man leaned over his sons and hugged them to protect them from the falling rubble.

Luffy ran down the sandbank looking to save the family, "GUUUMM... GUUUUMMM..."

"I got it," Ace interrupted. "FIIIIREEE FIIIIST!" FWOOOSSSHHH! His arm glowed orange and he threw a punch causing a mighty column of flames to fly out and engulf the falling rocks.

"Speed Step!" ZOOOOOM! Y/N's feet pounded the ground and kicked up a wake of sand as he sped down the sandbank in the blink of an eye. Then ran under the falling rocks and scooped up, Scorpion, Chip, and Dip, then sped back up the pass.

But Y/N's legs still weren't used to moving that fast, especially when carrying three other people, Y/N's legs gave out at the top of the sandbank and he tripped. But before he went crashing down to the ground he tossed Scorpion and his two sons away from him and shouted, "LUFFY! DON'T JUST STAND THERE, CATCH THEM!" Luffy nodded and sprinted after the airborne trio looking to get under them.

FWOOOOM! The flames from Ace's arm kept going and not only engulfed the falling rocks but the crag they'd come from as well. THOOOM! The crag toppled over and ended up in a ruined heap on the ground.

"GUUUM... GUUUM... BAALLOOON!" SHOOM! Luffy inflated his big body became round, BA-BA-BOING! Scorpion and the two boys came crashing down on the rubber pirate, Luffy grabbed Chip and Dip and held onto them but Scorpion bounced off of Luffy's rubber belly and went crashing to the ground next to him.

Fwoooo... Han whistled in surprise as he stood in front of Ollie and the other Straw Hats, "Y/N and Ace normally had a great teamwork dynamic," the monster hunter admitted, "but with the way those three work together, it's clear that they're brothers."

"I'll say," Ollie agreed.

"Hey, you guys okay?" Luffy asked the two boys as he deflated leaving the two lying on top of his normal thing body. The boys scrambled off of Luffy and ran over to their father who was lying unmoving on his back having landed badly when he bounced off of Luffy.

"FATHER!" Dip exclaimed, "FATHER, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?"

"That's what we were about to ask you," Ace commented, he had Y/N's arm thrown over his shoulders and was helping his weak-legged brother over to the boys.

"Ace, please don't beat up on our dad anymore!" Dip pleaded as he and Chip leaned over their father and clung to him.

"Scorpion... hey... are you still alive?" Luffy asked as he looked down at the bounty hunter.

Scorpion sat up and glared at him, "Of course I'm alive!" Scorpion snapped, "You think I'd die and leave my sons behind? The Scorpion's not going out that easy!" Dip and Chip hugged their father and cried into his chest. It had been a close call. Scorpion smiled and hugged his boys consolingly. "I love you. You boys are my life. I was foolish. Now come on, let's go home."

"A word of caution," Y/N warned the man, he stepped away from Ace and stood shakily on his own. "Don't use Blackbeard's name." Y/N lifted his sunglasses and his eye patch to reveal the 'x' shaped scar over his right eye. "This is what he's capable of. I was his former Nakama, and he tried to kill me to get a treasure I had. If he hears about you claiming to have defeated him, he'll think nothing of killing you and your sons to keep his reputation intact."

Scorpion flinched, "I'm done bounty hunting," he told him, "Now I'm just going to go home and spend some time with my boys. He won't hear his name from me."

"Would you happen to know where he might be though?" Ace inquired. "I need to bring him to justice for what he's done."

"He hasn't been here in Alabasta," Scorpion admitted, "But I heard someone mention that he was sighted somewhere west of here."

Ace bowed to the man, "Thank you, that might be helpful," Ace said.

-x-

The sun was setting and the Straw Hats and Whitebeards were gathered at the edge of the crags.

"BYYEEE!" The pirates and the princess all turned and saw Chip and Dip waving to them as they sat on Popo's back. Scorpion walked alongside the ostrich as they headed home.

"BYYYEEEE!" Luffy called after them with a big goofy wave.

"So Ace..." Y/N said to his brother, "now that you know Blackbeard was never here, are you going to leave us?"

"Ace, can't we stick around a little longer?" Ollie requested. "Whitebeard gave us two and a half weeks leave. It's only been thirteen. We've still got a week left."

"You two are welcome to stay if you want," Ace told her, "But I've gotta continue my hunt."

"Ace, Scorpion said he was west of here," Y/N pointed out. "That could mean anywhere between the next island, Fishman Island, or the New World. Will sticking around another day or two really throw you that much off the trail?"

"C'mon Ace!" Luffy chimed it, "You could at least get to Yupa with us."

"Luffy..." Usopp groaned, "IT'S YUBA!"

"The lead on Blackbeard was only one of the reasons I was here in Alabasta," Ace admitted, "My other reason was to check on you two and make sure you were in good hands."

"And what's the conclusion?" Y/N inquired while the Straw Hats looked interested.

Ace smirked, "Requires further investigation." Luffy and Y/N smiled.

"Figured as much," Han whispered as he cast a quick glance over at Nami.

"So you're really gonna stick around?" Luffy asked with a big smile.

"Yeah," Ace answered. "I can spare a few more days."

"WOOOHOOOO!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper cheered.

"In that case, we'll have a bonfire tonight!" Luffy decided.

"Quit deciding things on your own!" Sanji scolded him.

"With how cold it gets in the desert at night, we might as well camp here for another night," Zoro resolved. "Who knows how long it would take us to find another suitable camp ground."

"WOOO! BONFIRE PARTY!" Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper cheered.

"Glad to have you staying with us," Y/N said as he patted his brother on the back. "But should I be worried that you still don't trust me alone with my new Nakama yet?"

"Nah, Ace is just a big old softy," Han told him. "He's doing his duties as a big brother by making sure you're taken care of."

Ace gave Han a hard look, "I think I liked it better when you were quiet," he commented.

"Taken care of?" Y/N repeated with a confused expression.

Tweek! Nami pinched Y/N's ear and pulled him down to her, "If we're camping here, you'd better help out setting up," she ordered. "Last night you spent the whole time the rest of us were setting up training with Zoro and Sanji, you didn't help at all, you lazy jerk." Ace watched with a smile as Nami dragged Y/N off by the ear.

"Yup, still gotta keep an eye on her," Ace remarked.

"At the moment, the kid looks like he's in good hands," Han commented.

"Yeah, till she gets angry again and hits him for no reason," Ollie muttered before she stalked after Y/N and Nami.

Han looked over at Ace, "I think she's forgetting how heavy-handed she used to be with him."

Ace nodded in agreement and watched his two younger brothers frolic with their Nakama and begin setting up camp. A smile crossed his face as he thought to himself, "I guess it wouldn't hurt anyone if I stuck around a little longer."

-x-

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!!!