As for Russel Douglas, well, yes, he did know of him.
In canon progression, it's just begun the second saga which ends with the Alabasta arc ; it's a testament to the author's skills that it stands with even the other Peggy Sue fics that have already made it past Alabasta.
Originally begun in 2008, the author began a rewrite in 2018, keeping the original premise but adapting with canon's revelations and twisting the entire fic to be , bringing the bad guys up to Luffy's level.