Hi hi hi! Regular readers, who is surprised to see another child Luffy fic? lol NO ONE. This has tons of fluffyness in it with some dashes of angst with Ace and Sabo. It's 86,000 words, so I'll be posting it for awhile. Disclaimer about Luffy: His speech may be too advanced for a four year old, but I didn't feel like making the speech mistakes too much in this fic. Some OCs on the Spades crew, and some unrequited Marco/Ace love on the side. Enjoy~

Luffy sucked his thumb while he was relaxed in Ace's arms, the tiredness of his sleep drifting away as what was left of the light of the sky darkened and disappeared completely. The moment the sun was completely gone, Luffy yawned and said, "Ace, down! Let's play!" Ace set him down as he asked and smiled at his brother.

"What do you want to play?" the eighteen year old asked with a grin. The grin was returned, though with Luffy's slightly sharper canines making his smile more… unique. Luffy put his finger to his chin in thought, his dark red eyes looking up, trying to come up with something to play.

"Tag!" Luffy cried and zoomed away, Ace chasing after him. Luffy erupted into giggles that were as nice sounding as wind chimes. Luffy wasn't good at focusing it yet, but he was in a sort, hypnotizing. His smile made you warm inside, his laughter was like music, and he even smelled nice. Everything a vampire had to lure in humans, Luffy possessed.

Ace caught him and tossed him high into the air, as the child was very light to Ace's strength. Luffy squealed and giggled, before he latched onto Ace's neck and grinned. His stomach growled, and he giggled again. "My tummy is hungry. It yelled at me," Luffy said.

"Want some breakfast now?" Ace questioned, already walking to the kitchen of their ship. The crew were not pirates. Not yet and not for awhile. As long as Luffy was still a vulnerable child, they were merely sailors. They flew no black flag or jolly roger. Luffy's safety came first. Always came first.

"Yeah! I want cereal," the toddler vampire said. Luffy, not being full vampire, could eat human food most of the time. He only needed blood once a week, and a small amount at that.

"Cereal, huh? What kind?" Ace asked as he walked with the boy, who wanted down to hold onto Ace's short's leg. He had a bounce in his step, but both were quiet now as much of the ship was asleep. Only a few people took night watch and slept during the day. This role as well took turns between the sailors.

"The flaky ones," Luffy replied as they entered the galley and kitchen. Ace sat Luffy on his seat. The older teen prepared the flaky cereal and milk, bringing over a glass of orange juice as well to the table and setting it in front of the little boy. Luffy gladly scarfed all of the food down, asking for seconds and then thirds.

Sine he had two meals a night, at sundown and sunset, he ate quite a lot during those times. He did sometimes wake up in the middle of the day, hungry and tired, but then he went back to sleep after eating.

Even though Luffy was part vampire, and no one else on the ship was, it was surprisingly easy to take care of the boy, despite how much trouble he liked to get himself into whenever possible. Feeding him was like feeding the rest of the crew, and he didn't have bloodlust like full vampires did. He was just a little boy, growing and maturing slowly, who only had to drink blood not often and had a different sleep schedule.

Even though he was part vampire, he was able to go into the sunlight for a very short amount of time, but it gave him bad sunburns, so he never went outside. He was three when he went outside the last time, and it had been painful for him. So, Ace and Sabo made a handicap for him and alternated their schedules for spending time and taking care of Lu.

Once Luffy was done with his food, belly stuffed full for most of the rest of the night, Luffy and Ace played more games before relaxing and Ace reading the boy his fairy tales. Sabo wrote new ones for Luffy often, many including vampires like himself as the good guys. The two did their best to keep Luffy away from being exposed to the human publics feelings of his kind.

Luffy was no blood thirsty and murderous vampire. He was just a sweet boy who had been caught up in an unfortunate situation while in the womb. Luffy lounged in Ace's lap on the boy's bed he shared with a brother while the stories were read to him.

"Ace? When's the next place?" Luffy wondered, thumb in his mouth still.

"The next island? It's an island that snows during winter, so we can go play in the snow at night. I'm sure both me and Sabo can go with you," Ace said with a smile. Luffy grinned. He rarely got to spend much time with both brothers. The three used to always be night owls, but once they got on a ship, one of the older teens needed to watch what was going on.

With the daylight longer than the night, one of them could spare spending some time with the other while Luffy slept. They spent that time catching up with captain duties and talking about Luffy. Said boy was now very excited to see snow again. He hadn't seen snow in a long time. Last time, he'd only been able to play in the snow that had fallen onto the ship.

"I can't wait! Be with Sabo and Ace!" Luffy cheered, wriggling in Ace's lap excitedly.

"Shh, we don't want to wake our friends," Ace shushed, though with a smile. Luffy covered his mouth with his hands. "Do you want to hear an adventure story instead of fairy tales?" Luffy nodded. They were both in Luffy's big bed in his cozy room with a wall of books bought for him. Ace reached over and picked out an adventure story that Luffy hadn't read yet since Sabo bought it recently.

Sabo would always read the books he considered buying for Lu to make sure they were child friendly. This story was about a boy who tamed a magic horse, and the two went on an adventure to find the treasure everyone was after. They battled magic beasts and overcame trials and troubles, all to find the treasure.

But the treasure was not gold or jewels, but the power to bring back a loved one you lost. The boy chose to bring back the horses family. He let the horse go with his family. Luffy was sad they parted, but Ace added to the story that the boy, who was a man by then, encountered the horse again, and he went on another adventure with his long lost friend.

Byt the time the long story was over, as there were many details and descriptions to it, Luffy was hungry for his dinner. "Ace, I'm hungry," Luffy said. Once he was hungry, Ace and Sabo knew he would be sleepy soon.

"Alright, Jojo made some yummy meat, do you want some?" Ace asked and he carried Luffy on his shoulders through the short hallway to the galley once again, passed the bedrooms of crew members. Luffy was set down and scurried to the refrigerator, where he pulled it open and looked inside, searching for the meat.

"It's up there!" Luffy declared. Ace smiled.

"Good job. Can you tell what kind of meat it is? If you can, I'll give you an extra cup of orange juice," Ace said. He knew Luffy could do it, or he wouldn't have given that condition. Luffy sniffed twice, before he confidently said it was chicken. "Another cup of orange juice for you, it is," Ace told the boy with a grin.

Ace warmed up the food with devil fruit and poured the small cup of orange juice with the lid and straw. Luffy followed him to the table, like a cat or dog wanting their food and following their owner around. Ace lifted Luffy to his seat as both of them ate the leftover food. They had a good cook, whose food always tasted fresh, even heated up after being frozen or put in the cooler.

"Jojo cooks yummy," Luffy said while he ate his food happily. Ace had to agree, and playfully stole a tiny piece of meat from Luffy's plate. Luffy looked scandalized. "Ace! That was mine!" he said, shocked that Ace would steal his food?! Ace chuckled, and handed Luffy a piece of his own, bigger than the one he stole.

"Sabo says stealing is bad, Ace. I'ma tell him and you'll get in trouble," Luffy threatened with a pout.

"Oh no, don't tell Sabo!" Ace said in acted horror. Luffy narrowed his eyes, taking the fear as serious.

"Fine, I won't tell him. But no stealing again or I will!" Luffy said as he shoved the last piece of meat into his mouth. Ace put his hand to his chest and sighed out in relief, thanking Luffy for being considerate.

Ace looked to the fridge and calendar, realizing it was the day Luffy needed to feed. It was a Sunday, and he always fed on Sundays. "Are you thirsty, Lu?" he asked. There was a difference between Luffy being hungry for food, and thirsty for blood. The vampire hadn't seemed to realize the thirst until Ace said something.

"Yeah," Luffy replied. Ace got up and took the empty dishes before going to fill the plastic bottle with Luffy favorite type of blood from one of their blood bags in the spare cooler in the pantry. He came back with the bottle of red liquid and a towel he tucked into Luffy's shirt like a bib.

Seeing the child drink blood didn't bother Ace or Sabo at all anymore. Ever since Luffy was born four years ago, he needed some blood, even if it was a mouthful when he was an infant, and now a small plastic bottle.

They all knew Luffy was a very different vampire than full ones. Ace was sure no one else was like Luffy. The circumstances were just too unique. The situation had had many variables. Who was involved, the motive, and how Luffy was birthed. It was all too much to be repeated in some other way.

After Luffy was done with the blood and went to brush his teeth in the bathroom, it was bed time as the sun was starting to rise. Ace and Luffy went back to the boy's room and got comfortable in the bed. Ace turned on the star night light that made light travel around the wall and ceiling in forms of stars. It had been quite expensive, but worth it since Luffy loved it.

Luffy fell asleep easily, like always, and was out for the rest of the day. Ace slept with him for a few hours before he was rested enough to go top deck and talk to Sabo and help with captain duties. He pulled the soft comforter higher up to Luffy's chin and made sure to close the curtain over the porthole fully so it didn't wake Luffy up.

The teen shut the door quietly behind him, after picking up the baby monitor and turning it on, clipping it to his shorts. It was how Luffy would call them if he woke up. Ace smiled at his baby brother and left down the halls and to lunch. That was when he usually woke up. Ate Luffy's dinner for his breakfast.

Everyone was in the small galley, all six members besides the brothers gathered and eating the chef's delicious food. Ace sat down at their only table, which was large enough for everyone to fit comfortably. This ship was not designed for a big crew. But that was the plan. Ace and Sabo didn't want a lot of people knowing about Luffy.

"How is Lu?" Sabo asked after saying good morning to his brother.

After Ace swallowed his first bite of food, he answered, "Good. He's happy we're going to go to snow soon. Told him I'd have both of us play with him. He fed last night, so he's good for another week." Sabo nodded. No one at the table reacted to Luffy being "fed", even though they knew it was drinking blood.

Luffy had proved to all of them he wasn't like normal vampires. He was no danger to them, and they all kept the secret. "Did he like the meat this morning?" Jojo asked as she ate her own delicious food. Jojo wore the most plain clothes of everyone on the crew. Plain colored T-shirts with black pants and sandals. Most of the time she had an apron on as well.

"Yeah, he really liked it. We're almost out of cereal, too," Ace informed. Jojo wrote down on a pad of paper another thing they needed to resupply.

Besides Jojo, the others on the crew all dressed very differently. Ace was the only one who never wore a shirt, the others either wore dresses or shirts. Sabo were fancy clothes, like he'd always favored even though he came from the same poor family as Ace and Luffy. His jacket had loops on the back for his pipe he used as a weapon, unlike Ace's flame powers.

Saber, the navigator and second most responsible person on the ship after Sabo, fought with two swords, and wore a cowboy hat and open blue shirt.

The twins, who were identical unlike Ace and Sabo, were the ones who were extremely experienced with guns. They each had multiple guns on them at all times. Slung over their backs, in holsters, tucked inside boots.

Though they kept the ammo separate in bags around their shorts. They refused to put the crew in any sort of risk, and were skilled at very quickly loading their weapons.

Their snipers were both extremely expensive, so they took utmost care of those. They had their own locked and special cases, kept in their room most of the time while they were on the ship. But they both dressed distinctly. Zeno and Sparky. Those were their chosen names, as they didn't like having their birth names similar. They did everything they could to be easily told apart.

The Spade ship didn't have a first mate, as it had two co-captains, but they had someone who could be considered third seat, Masked Deuce. He always wore a mask and had blue hair. Ace had given him his name when he had none, so Deuce was closest to Ace and Luffy.

He was the only one of the crew that the brothers trusted to be alone with Luffy completely. Being very close to Ace, he'd proven himself safe over the two years they sailed with him. At first, Deuce had thought Ace and Sabo were reckless and inconsiderate to have a two year old out on the sea with them, even if they were only sailing in the Blues. But, after learning some of the brothers' situation, he understood and vowed to help protect Luffy. After all, Luffy was the reason they left the island early.

Aggie 68 also cared for the three brothers, but was not as close to Ace as Deuce was. He was more friends with Jojo more than anyone else. He was the biggest crew member and the official doctor. Ace and Sabo were not nearly as tall as he was. He dwarfed Luffy's small size. He was only four after all. Aggie 68 used both a revolver and sword. He was most noticeable for this very thick sideburns and size.

Luffy was the only one on the ship that couldn't easily defend himself. Even if they weren't pirates, the condition for them joining was that they were trustworthy and strong enough to protect themselves, their captains, and above all, Luffy. The brothers had been very lucky to meet such good people in such a short amount of time. And, considering they were in the East Blue, the weakest sea, it was surprising to find strong members.

The captains and crew were coming up with a plan for their next island, who was going where. Ace and Sabo for once would both be with Luffy at night, and one will always stay with Lu when he was awake, so Ace would be the one going inland to help his crew gather the needed supplies, which included food, wood for repairs, and medication. And Ace was to sneak into the hospital they knew was on the island and swipe some blood bags. Ace was good at sneaking, and considering this was the East Blue, he didn't need to worry about hiding his presence.

They were all talking, food finished and in the kitchen to be washed, when the baby monitor went off. "Ace, Sabo?" Luffy's young voice asked over the device.

"What's wrong, Lu?" Sabo asked. They heard Luffy yawn and say, in a sleepy voice, "Water?" Sabo told Luffy he'd be right there with some water, and filled a glass from the sink, heading out of the galley and to Luffy's bedroom.

When he opened the door, Luffy was propped up against pillows against the headboard, looking very sleepy. Sabo walked over with a smile and set the sippy cup of water down on Luffy's night stand. "Here, Lu," Sabo said kindly. Luffy quietly thanked him with a smile, clearly very sleepy. As long as the sun was up fully, Luffy would always be tired.

"Sabo, do I get to come on the island this time?" the boy asked. Sabo smiled kindly and nodded.

"In a secluded area where we can play in the snow," Sabo replied, sitting on the bed and running his hand through Luffy's soft black hair. "Do you want to go inland?" Luffy nodded and frowned, his smile dropping and disappearing.

"Sabo, why can't I meet other people?" he asked, sounding surprisingly sad. Luffy was rarely sad. Sabo sighed quietly, though Luffy heard it with his enhanced senses.

Sabo touched Luffy's cheek with his thumb. The warm and soft skin of Luffy was very different than other vampires. "If people find out about you being part vampire, they might get upset. Even if the island was full of vampires, they might think you're a child vampire. A full one. That is frowned upon. That's why we want you to grow older before meeting many other people, vampires or not," Sabo explained honestly.

Luffy was confused, and it showed on his face. "Are kid vampires bad?" he asked. Sabo smiled and replied, "To some. You're different than regular vampires. You still age. Many others would think that changing a child into a full vampire would be stealing their future from them. They'd always be stuck as a child."

"Oh. But I get bigger, won't I?" Luffy questioned. He wanted to get big like his brothers, and be strong, too. Sabo nodded. Well, so far. They didn't know if Luffy would continue to age like a human. But, Luffy didn't need to know that. Sabo and Ace wanted him to look forward to his future.

"You'll get bigger and stronger, too. Promise," Sabo said, sticking his pinky finger out. Luffy wrapped his around Sabo's with a smile. Then he yawned. "Time to go back to sleep, Lu," Sabo said, tucking the vampire back in and leaving the room as Luffy's soft snores began. Sabo wished he could fall asleep as fast as Luffy. Blissfully ignorant of the world's view on him and his kind.

-x-

Luffy felt puffy in his thick jacket, pants and boots. But, he was so excited to go to the snow. He didn't like the sunglasses, though. It was night time, why did he need them? Most of the crew was awake now, with the two captains walking into the snow with Luffy, who was ecstatic to be off of the ship.

He could see fine, and Ace had a fire burning in the air, big enough to light up the area for the full humans. The fire was only made for a source of light, so it didn't melt the snow. Ace had perfect control over his fire.

Luffy was the one to start the snowball fight, nailing Ace in the stomach. Of course, it didn't hurt at all, even if he didn't have his devil fruit. He smirked at his baby brother and tossed his own snowball at him, who squealed and landed face first into the snow. Ace and Sabo laughed, knowing Luffy was fine.

The boy had a pout and then threw a ball at Sabo. He then sloppily built a wall to hide behind as Ace and Sabo threw small snowballs at him and large ones at each other. It got Sabo covered in snow, and Ace doused in water as the balls melted upon impact.

After tiring themselves out, the brothers grabbed Luffy to come build some snowmen with them. It turned into a competition that soon the whole crew took part in, besides the twins who were the ones asleep.

Luffy's wasn't the worst, despite being four. Aggie 68 was just abysmal at building anything. Luffy's little army of tiny snowmen were better than Aggie's single one. Then, Ace and Sabo buried Luffy in snow till only his head was peeking out, as they made up a story about the army of snowballs taking over the candy store and stealing the candies.

The boy had never been to a candy store, but Jojo was able to bake and create some for him, so Luffy felt he wasn't missing out on much. As the sun rose, everyone was getting tired, and Luffy was exhausted from all the playing and approaching sunrise.

So, Ace carried Luffy as they quickly walked back to the ship and to change and dry Luffy off for bed time after a quick dinner for him. Tonight, since both Ace and Sabo had stayed up, they would both sleep with Luffy in his big bed, which was made to fit all three. It was the biggest bed on the ship. There were three bedrooms on the small ship, all of them small. Ace and Sabo shared a room, which the others had their own room with hammocks. Jojo had been offered to have her own room, converting a storage room into half a bedroom, but she declined, a bit snappy about not wanting to be treated differently just because she was the only woman on the crew.

The ship was small, but it was what they wanted. Unassuming and simple, but safe at the same time, with reinforced walls and it had a very nice kitchen as well, thought it wasn't too big. The good thing about not being pirates, was that the Marines didn't come after them. No one had the chance of discovering Luffy by attacking them. Pirates or not, they were all strong.

Sure, they had one cannon that was below deck in storage, but they didn't fly a black flag, so no one saw them as pirates. The ship was docked in a secluded place, safe and with the twins awake now, they had watch on the ship. Zeno and Sparky had their snipers out, just in case since most of the crew were exhausted and would be asleep for awhile. They both were facing one direction, watching through the scopes.

Sabo and Luffy slept just fine that night, but the same couldn't be said for Ace. He dreamt of bad memories, of almost losing newborn Luffy who wasn't breathing, losing their mother to a vampire, the non-stop cries of Luffy, who was hungry and scared.

He woke up from Luffy patting his face. "Ace? You okay?" he asked in concern, sleep audible in his high pitched child voice. Ace gently pulled him close and into his arms.

"Just a bad dream," Ace mumbled against Luffy's hair, holding him tightly. "But now I have a snuggle buddy, so I'll be fine," he said, keeping his voice even despite the disturbing dream montage of memories. Luffy tucked his head against Ace's warm chest through the boy's giraffe pyjamas.

"Nighty night," Luffy whispered, and quickly fell bad to sleep. Ace felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Sabo had woken up. He knew of Ace's nightmare. It was the only one he had. No variation.

"Luffy's safe with us," Sabo said simply with a kind and understanding smile. Ace nodded and rested his head on Luffy's, falling asleep quickly, Sabo not long after.