Chapter 1

This is my first story not focusing on the Strawhats or ZoLu centric. I hope everyone enjoys this one, since it was a bit hard to focus on the brothers and Whitebeards crew. Enojy~

Songs: Happier, Bastille

Length of story: 66 pages (word count not accurate at this time.

It was a cold, cloudy day at the small city Luffy and his family was visiting. But they were all happy. They'd all just gone toy shopping for Luffy and his brother, Usopp. It was Luffy's fifth birthday, but he didn't want Usopp be sad about not getting any presents like Luffy did. So Usopp got a toy slingshot, and repeatedly picked up rocks to shoot in front of him. Neither of their parents scolded him. The rocks werent hurting anyone after all, since there werent many people in that part of the little town.

The four passed bakeries and restaurants. Cafe's and grocery stores. They were heading back to the train station that allowed angels to ride. Some trains didn't allow angels to ride because their wings could be too big for the doors, and they couldn't even fit inside. It was a bit of an inconvenience, but there was nothing to do about it. It was how it was, and since angels were rare these days, they couldn't hold it against the humans for not remodeling things to fit them.

Luffy hopped on each of the wide cobblestones as they grew closer to their destination. He giggled as he watched a frog jump into a puddle since it had just rained earlier that day. Luffy hoped it would rain again soon and that mommy and daddy wouldn't make him go under the umbrella. He liked the rain!

Usopp continued to play with his slingshot, while Luffy held onto his first present of the day, which was a bee stuffed animal. Luffy was very happy, and was excited to go home and open more presents and eat some cake.

The clouds were getting grayer, and the temperature was starting to drop, so Luffy put on his jacket with the help of mommy, since she had to connect the fabric around the back of his wings, so that they were still out in the open, but the rest of him was warm. The same was done for Usopp, and by then, both Luffy and his brother were holding one parents' hand each, trying to get some warmth from them.

The train station was a few blocks away. They had to go through the shady part of town, but it was the only way to get back to the right station. They'd get through it quickly though, and weren't worried.

As Luffy splashed in a big puddle that was forming over the rain that started to fall, his daddy was hit from behind. Luffy didn't hear the thud of him falling to the ground, feeling incredibly sick from where he was hit behind the neck. Luffy heard Usopp scream and Luffy jolted, spinning around and calling daddy's name.

"Take them and go!" his father said as Luffy's mom took his hand. She hesitated, her face contorted in misery, but then picked up both small boys and ran from the scene. But Usopp and Luffy could see over her shoulders and saw two big men with large knives with serrated edges, coming closer to them.

Luffy couldn't understand what was happening, but he was scared. Mommy was very upset, and he didn't like it. Usopp was also hysterical, screaming. Luffy was just confused.

"Where daddy, mommy?" Luffy asked, unable to see the man anymore because of the corner they'd turned. Mommy didn't answer. She then sped up as the three heard Luffy and Usopp's father scream in agony.

His wife knew what was happening. His wings were being sawed off. Tears fell from her eyes as they neared the station where hopefully they could get help. But one of the men had stopped the chase from behind and cut around a corner, lunging at the mother from an alleyway, knocking her and the two boys to the ground. She screamed at them to run, but both little boys were frozen in fear from the big man.

Luffy's mother screamed as her wings were stepped on, and broke since wings were fragile. They were limp now and she couldn't stand, even if she was not being held down. After she screamed at her sons to run, only Luffy could. He didn't notice Usopp hadn't followed until he heard Usopp scream, too.

Luffy continued to run. If he got to other big people, they will help! He turned around when he heard blood curdling screams and saw that one of his mommy's wings was being held in one of the man's hand, completely unattached from her body. Then he began to saw off the other one, blood pooling on the ground as she thrashed to get free.

Usopp was crying loudly as he kicked at the man to get off of him. But Usopp was hit across the face and fell silent, unconscious. Luffy couldn't move. One of the men approached him, running quickly, finally prompting Luffy to run again, big tears flowing out of his eyes as he screamed for help. But his voice was quiet since he was so scared. He couldn't scream.

Despite Luffy sprinting as fast as he could, he was much smaller than his chaser. He was caught and fell to the ground. His wings got stomped on, breaking them like they had done to his family, who had stopped screaming. There was no more noise other than Luffy's sobbing. He hurt and was scared. He wanted someone to save him.

He turned his head, still struggling, as he saw a serrated knife going to cut off Luffy's small white wings, which were limp and unmoving. Unable to move, even though Luffy tried.

But suddenly, the man wasn't on Luffy anymore. He was against the brick wall across the street, unconscious. Luffy looked around, only seeing two kids running towards him. Luffy was scared though, and tried getting up to run away from them. Run away to get help for his family. They were all asleep and couldn't call for help. Luffy had to get big people to wake them up.

But he stumbled, his legs shaking intensely. He cried out while the blond boy hurriedly picked Luffy up onto his back. Luffy wanted to tell him to go back and help mommy and daddy and Usopp, but he couldn't speak.

After they ran for awhile, the other black haired, freckled boy following behind them, Luffy asked when they would go help his family. Neither boy answered at first. They couldn't tell this little boy that his family had been murdered and robbed of their wings, which sold for hundreds of millions of belis.

Finally, the blonde answered. "You can't go see them again. They are being helped, and you just have to be helped somewhere else. You won't see them for a while, though, so you have to be strong." Luffy sniffled once.

"I can't feel my wings!" Luffy cried. He only felt dead weight on his small back, his wings limp and imobile behind him.

"It'll be okay," the other boy said, who was now in front of Luffy and the one carrying him, looking around corners as they ran down alley after alley, heading into the forest in front of them. "What is your name?"

"I Luffy. I five today. Is my birfday," Luffy said, trying not to think of his family. But they would be okay.

The two boys who saved him felt their faces fall. Luffy's family had been murdered on his birthday. It was cruel.

It was raining harder, and Luffy's wings grew heavier as the rain soaked the feathers. The clouds seemed angry to Luffy. Like they were crying while he did as well. He wasn't having a good birthday like he thought he would. Today had been so happy but them mommy and daddy and Usopp got hurt and didn't have their wings anymore. He hoped that could be fixed.

He buried his head against his saviors shoulder blade and tried to tune out everything and distract himself in some way. It wasn't working. All he could do was hear the screams of pain in his mind.

Soon the three were in the forest, not having met anyone on their way. They wanted to get Luffy out of sight of anyone as quickly as possible since his wings were bright white, and would attract attention easily. Ace and Sabo hurried to their tree house deep in the forest.

"Wow! Thas a cool house," Luffy said in wonder as they approached the tree house high in the largest tree in the forest. "Are we goin inside?" Luffy wanted to go inside! He can see so much from up there! He couldn't fly yet, and his wings were numb so he couldn't even move them, so being up there would be the most like flying he could.

"Yeah, this is where me and Sabo live. You have to hang on to Sabo's back, okay?" Ace told Luffy.

"Kay. I hold on tight," Luffy said, wrapping his arms and legs around Sabo as tightly as he could. Sabo wasn't hurt by this. He was tough and Luffy was small and pretty light, even with his soggy wings.

The climb was fun to Luffy, and he wasn't scared of heights since he'd flown with mommy and daddy once. Usopp was scared though and had walked the rest of the way home with mommy.

Luffy was set down once they were up in the house. Luffy loved it. It was creaky and cold, but he liked it.

"Is like a bird nest!" he exclaimed as he peeked through the leaves blocking his vision of the island below them. Sabo smiled. He'd never thought of it like that, but it was a wooden home high in a tree.

"You're right. I never even thought about it like that," Sabo said as he pulled up the rope ladder after Ace was up and with them. "You'll be able to see lots of animals in the forest, Luffy. But you should never walk around the forest alone. Okay? It's dangerous without me or Ace."

"Kay, I no go in forest myself." Luffy said as he walked around the small room, taking in the sights with a smile. "Usopp would be scared here. He scared of high places. But I not," the little angel said absentmindedly. Ace and Sabo looked at each other sadly.

"When we find him, I show him here." Ace and Sabo shared another sad look. There was no way they could tell Luffy his family was dead and gone forever. They both hoped they'd find those murderers and pay them back in full for what they'd done.

"I'm sure you will," Ace said gently. "Are you hungry, Luffy?"

"Sure! I ate yummy food today for my birfday. It was fun." Then his eyes widened. "Where my bee?! I had my bee, it was my present!" He sounded panicky.

"I'll find it while I go and get food, okay?" Ace told him. Luffy calmed down and nodded.

"Wha's for dinner?" Luffy asked. "I like popcorn."

"Well, we don't have popcorn here, but tonight we'll eat some alligator. Do you eat meat?" Sabo questioned. He and Ace didn't know much about angel culture, since they usually kept to themselves. Which was the right thing to do considering what some hunters did to get their wings. Like they had done to Luffy's family and almost Luffy himself. Well, they got halfway there, since Luffy's wings were both broken.

"I love meat! Is my favorite!" Luffy cheered. "Mommy makes yummy chicken."

"Well, we don't have chicken, so you'll be trying something new," Ace told him, walking over to Sabo, who was sitting near their new little roommate. "I'm going to snag a big jacket in town when I look for his bee. We can't let anyone see him. Not after what just happened." Luffy started to hum a tune as Sabo agreed, wishing Ace good luck. Be careful."

"I will. Good luck with him," Ace said before he dropped down the rope ladder and climbed down the tall tree. As he hurried away from the tree, he's able to hear Luffy ask Sabo if he had any pets.

This was going to be hard. They had no idea how to deal with a little kid. Especially one as seemingly clueless as Luffy. But they couldn't just leave him alone when he'd either get himself killed in some accident, or he'd be murdered after getting his wings sawed off. Ace and Sabo had seen the whole scene from a distance, and knew they couldn't help the others that had already been caught, but then they heard Luffy crying, and couldn't resist going to the source and kicking the hunter away from the little angel and into a wall. No one else had been around, so they did it themselves.

Ace searched the streets cautiously, his pipe out and ready to bash someone's skull in. But no one came, and when he walked to the scene, what was left made him want to vomit. Luffy's brother, Usopp, and his mother were both lying still and bloody on the street. Ace felt like vomiting. He'd seen blood enough times, and had beaten people bloody before, but this was horrible. He had a faint tie to these people. Who they used to be. And he couldn't just leave them here. Hunting could wait. He needed to bury these poor bodies. They looked so wrong with the jagged vertical wounds on their shoulder blades. To be killed over some pretty wings was sickening.

"I'll protect your son. I promise," Ace vowed to the dead body. He then dragged the bodies down the street and to the forest, the same path that he and Sabo had taken to flee with Luffy. It really was a sick part of the town when no one said anything when they saw Ace dragging dead bodies through the streets. What was a family of angels doing here in the first place? It was a stupid mistake.

It took a while to dig a big and deep hole with no shovel, the father now resting with his wife and son. Ace made a grave big enough for all three to fit in. He put the mother and father next to each other, handling the limp little boy and setting him between both parents. Ace didn't cry, but he felt like he was going to.

He stuck a single, large branch as a headstone over the freshly turned soil, and once again told them he'd take care of their child. Then he left, his heart heavy, to search for Luffy's bee and a jacket for the little boy.

Finding the bee was easy, since it was bring yellow and still in the middle of the road, lying there sadly. It was soaked and soggy from the heavy rain, but it would dry and he'd bring it back to Luffy. Ace then went hunting for a jacket, and came across a big man with a large leather jacket. It was big enough to hide Luffy's broken wings, which they had no idea how to fix. Use a splint for a broken bone, but they didn't have a clue about wings. They'd never even helped a bird, much less an angel.

But at least they were numb and didn't hurt Luffy. The freckled ten year old knocked the man out, again not attracting any attention, and robbed him of his thick jacket. He ditched the unconscious man's body and went running back into the familiar jungle.

"No, we don't have any pets, but there are lots of animals to see here even if you can't pet them."

"Do dey have names? I give names good," Luffy said, sitting across from Sabo, a ratty blanket around the angel's shoulders and wings.

"No, they don't have names. If you see one, you can give it a name though. I'm sure they'd appreciate it," Sabo responded kindly. So far, while Ace was gone, Sabo was doing a good job entertaining the little boy. Luffy asked what kind of animals were in the forest. He was told this was his new home. For however long Luffy was going to be staying with them. He just smiled and told Sabo that mommy and daddy would be glad he was staying with nice people. Sabo grinned at him.

"There are tigers, bears, pandas, all sorts of birds and little bunnies. Alligators, big and small fish, and even more. There are lots of friends and foes in the forest. But, you shouldn't go up to them unless one of us is with you and say it's okay. The forest is a big place, and getting lost was bad."

"Kay, I be with you and Ace." Luffy smiled, his eyes bright, as he said, "You and Ace nice people. I like you." Sabo blushed slightly.

"We like you too, Luffy. We'll try fixing your wings later, okay? Until then, don't lay on your back. We don't want to make them worse. Can you fly yet?" Sabo questioned curiously.

"No, I no learn yet. Is hard to learn say mommy, but I be good at it some day!" he cheered. "Dey small now, but I grow bigger soon." Sabo smiled.

"They're very pretty. We have to keep them clean, so no rolling around in mud, okay?" Sabo said nicely. He was surprised at how at ease he was with the little boy, when he wasn't referencing his dead family.

"Is dere a baff here?" Luffy asked curiously.

"There is no bathtub, so we have to go to the creek and bathe. We also don't have an official bathroom, but I can help you down to use the bathroom," Sabo explained.

"No baffroom? That's icky!" Luffy said with a scrunched nose. Sabo laughed.

"Well, it's what we've got. So you just have to get used to it. It won't be icky once you get used to it." Luffy frowned.

"If no baff how I get clean after accident? Mommy say have to be washed before goin' back to sleep," Luffy said. He wet himself a lot, and mommy always washed him and cleaned his sheets on his fluffy bed.

"Do you pee yourself?" Sabo asked in concern. Luffy would have to wear clothes he'd peed in since they didn't exactly have a clothe washing area.

"Sometimes," Luffy admitted. "But mommy say I get better soon." Luffy looked at his hands, somewhat embarrassed. "I turn five now, so I no suppose to pee at night. Daddy say so dis morning."

Sabo tried to give a reassuring smile. "Well, we'll just do what we have to, won't we?" He wasn't grossed out that Luffy had accidents, though he didn't really want their home to smell like pee. But Luffy was barely a five year old, so they couldn't expect him to do or don't do things older people would. He knew Ace would say I didn't wet myself even when I was five! but Luffy had lived a sheltered life until now, and wasn't the same as Ace growing up himself, basically taking care of himself since being a young child, along with Sabo after they found each other.

"Sabo!" Sabo heard and went to the side to see Ace standing on the ground, a large alligator behind him and a thick jacket on along with a stuffed animal under his arm. "Dinner time!"

Luffy was suddenly there, peeking over the edge. Sabo grabbed his scruff and pulled him back before the little boy could fall off the edge. "Wow! A big animal! Ah! My bee!" Luffy called excitedly. Ace smiled up at him, looking very small to Luffy and Sabo.

"Careful Luffy. You'll get hurt badly if you fall over the side, and can't fly yet. Okay? You have to not fall," Sabo said sternly. Luffy nodded to him with bright eyes. "Alright. It's dinner time now. Hold onto my back, okay?"

Luffy had trouble falling to sleep. The floor was hard, and he only had his bee as a pillow. He was cold, too. He missed his own bed, or when he slept with mommy and daddy in their big bed. He tossed and turned before he got up and tapped on Sabo's shoulder.

"Hnn?" Sabo said tiredly.

"I can't sleep. Will you sing to me?" Luffy asked, a thumb in his mouth while he talked.

"I'm not a very good singer," Sabo mumbled, exhausted from today, emotionally and physically.

"Tas kay. Is too quiet."

Sabo sighed and agreed. He didn't want Ace to wake up because he'd be embarrassed, but Luffy couldn't sleep and he didn't exactly want a grumpy five year old to deal with in the morning. So Sabo began to hum a song, since he didn't really know any songs by heart. But it was enough for Luffy, who curled up against Sabo, his limp wings off the ground. Sabo was a bit uncomfortable at first, but Luffy was soft and warm, and he didn't have trouble falling asleep with the little boy.

Taking care of Luffy wasn't as easy as the two thought it would be. Luffy constantly had to pee, or thought he had to, and eventually, they taught him to just pee over the side of the fort, which he thought was absolutely hilarious for some reason.

He also ate A LOT for a five year old. The two older boys wondered how the hell his parents had afforded his appetite and blackhole of a stomach. He did pee himself multiple times, and the room smelled like pee when there was no breeze, but they really had to deal with it. They didn't have the supplies for a diaper of some sort, so they just went to the stream a lot and cleaned his bottoms, which had become filthy from when Luffy would play in the mud when they didn't have their eyes directly on him. They also tried to keep his wings clean, but soon they were a grayish color with dirt. They hadnt been able to help his wings, so they just had him try to keep gentle with them. But he was unable to do so since he still couldn't feel them. They were completely limp and useless.

But the hardest part of it all was hearing him ask about his family, and talk about them happily. Both boys had decided not to tell him they were dead. They were just at the doctors. They never told Luffy when they'd be back, because they didn't want to get his hopes up. It was bad enough that he still spoke about them like they were alive.

Ace had it particularly hard to hear Luffy cheerfully talk about his dead parents and brother. He had seen them, and every time Luffy brought them up, Ace had a flashback of their deaths and then their dead bodies. He left the talking to Sabo when it came to asking when Luffy could see his mommy and daddy and Usopp.

Luffy thought his family was at a doctor's place and Luffy wasn't there because there were too many people and he couldn't fit. He was told that he couldn't see them for a while, which he was sad about.

When Luffy cried about things, even little ones, it was the loudest wailing and sobbing Ace and Sabo had ever heard. It even scared the birds away from the tree their house was in. He cried when he found a rip on his bee, and sabo was able to "fix" it by taking a vine and stabbing it into the sides of the tear and tying both ends together. After that, Luffy was very careful with Kieekee. That was the name of his bee, and he named the animals he saw with equally weird names.

The Tiger Lord was King Toesy because he saw the animal's toes first while they were hiding from it.

Luffy also had to be constantly supervised or he'd wander off and get into trouble, like trying to pick up a fox's babies, making the mother angry. Or when he wandered to a pond where he saw a ducky, only to watch the duck get eaten by an alligator and him almost as well.

Luffy had zero self-preservation skills and wanted to be friends with everything he saw. Even the damn Tiger Lord! It was tiresome, but protecting him was worth it because both boys loved Luffy like a baby brother, even though they lied to him constantly about his missing family. But it was because they cared about him that they didn't tell him. They didn't want him to feel the hurt and pain of knowing his family was gone forever.

Luffy liked Ace and Sabo, but he missed his mommy and daddy and Usopp. He had no concept of time, just that he hadnt seen them in a while. When he asked for them to let him go see them, Ace and Sabo would say no, not yet. But Luffy missed his family! Every time he was declined, he pouted angrily at them, and didn't talk to them for around an hour before he seemed to forget he was angry. He wanted to find his mommy and daddy and Usopp!

Story is a downer, but has fluff throughout. I literally cried myself while I wrote a few scenes. Whitebeards come in next chapters! Review!