Longest... One-shot... I've ever typed up! This was supposed to be a chapter fic, but I was thinking 'why?'. And here's the final result. Enjoy!
Strawhat on a Broom
***
I: Heading Out on a Full Moon
It was a clear blue sky day with one or two fluffy clouds, lazily moving across over a small country town surrounded by lush green fields. About half a mile away from this town laid a young man of seventeen, wearing a red shirt vest and jeans that were cut from the knees. He has black hair, but when the light hits it just right, there is some dark brown or blue within the ebony mess. His eyes were closed as he listened to the radio. He has a small, crescent scar under his left eye, but did not hinder the boyish face.
"Tonight is a wonderful night!" Announced the weather reporter on the radio. "The temperature will be around the seventies and it will be a full moon tonight."
The young man opened his eyes, showing the dark brown with sky blue specks around as he stared up at the sky.
"It's going to be clear all day and all night, so if you have anything special planned, tonight is the night."
He turned off the radio as he got up, and excited smile graced his lips as he grabbed the radio, stood up and started to run towards the town.
By the time he reached the streets, a large jolly man called out. "Oi! Luffy!" He waved a drum stick as the young man ran pass his meat shop.
"Hey Lucky!" The young man called.
"Where's the fire!?"
"I'm heading out tonight!" Was all he said as he ran a corner.
"NANDA!?" The man and some of his workers said in unison.
Luffy ran up the worn dirt path to a decent sized cottage, where he heard and saw an explosion from the shed out back.
"Damn it, Ace!"
He chuckled as he went around and saw two men putting out the burning shed, while the third man, the main cause of the chaos, just watched. "Oi! Ace!" He called, making the mentioned man look at him.
"Oi! Luffy!" Ace called, his mature face slightly covered in soot, as his hair was tied in a pony tail. He was a man in his twenties and was built like a construction worker.
"Guess what!?"
"Hm?"
"Guess!"
"Lucky finally got that teriyaki sauce for his shop?"
Luffy shook his head. "Tonight there's going to be a full moon!"
"And?"
"I want to go tonight!"
"Eh!? Next month is what you told me!"
"But what if it's cloudy? Or storming that time?" Luffy whined. "Tonight is the perfect night to head out!"
"What's this?" A man said, half soaked and half covered in ash.
"Hi Ben!" Luffy said as he and the other looked at him.
The man, Ben, was tall and fit for his age with thunder cloud grey hair tied back in a pony tail and calm understanding black-grey eyes.
"Ben! I decided to leave tonight!"
"Tonight?" Ben said as he looked up at the sky. "It does look like it will be a perfect night to do so."
"Ben!" Ace said as Luffy cheered.
The man shrugged. "They say leaving under perfect conditions bring good fortune."
"I'm going to pack!" Luffy cheered and ran towards the cottage.
"O-Oi! Luffy!" Ace called as the other ran off.
"Don't worry, Ace, you know how he is when he has made up his mind."
He sighed and nodded. "I know… I just can't believe he's already seventeen."
"Time does escape us when we least expect it." Ben said with a chuckle. "I still remember the day you were his age and he was only fourteen then. You came in town on a broom you made especially for the both of you."
He smiled. "Yeah, but at least I know how to ride a broom, he could barely stay on his."
"There's nothing we can really do about it." Ben said as the second man came out and whacked Ace behind his head.
"What the hell were you thinking!?" Shouted the man with soot covered smoke hair and a body fit for a body builder.
"Trying to control fire…" Ace said as he rubbed the lump on his head while Ben laughed.
In the cottage, Luffy brought out a duffle bag and started picking out things he was going to need.
"What are you doing, Luffy?"
The young man looked over his shoulder and saw a very small reindeer with a blue nose. "Chopper! We're leaving tonight!"
"Huh?! Is it already that day!?"
"Nah! It's a month early, but there's going to be a full moon tonight and everything is going to be perfect!"
"B-But, Luffy, I liked the old plan."
"And we may never have something like this again! So we're going to take it!" He shoved his tooth brush and hair brush in when he heard a car driving up the driveway. He ran up to his open window to see a man with a worn straw-hat on his head, brilliant red hair, a loose cotton shirt that hid a nice, young athletic body that contrast his age, and when he looked up, his dark chocolate eyes shown that they still have a youthful spark, three slash scars occupied his left face, but did not distract the handsome face.
"Oi! Luffy!" He called out in greeting.
"Shanks! I've decided to leave tonight!"
"Nanda!? I thought we were gonna go camping?"
"Gomen!" Luffy said happily as he went back into his room, leaving the man, Shanks in a stupor.
"What was that about?" He asked himself.
"A perfect full moon weather." Ben said as he got some of the ash off.
"Ah! That explains it."
"I'm going to make some calls then."
"You do that." Shanks said as both of them went inside the cottage, went their separate ways, passed a huge collection of pictures on the wall that he had taken himself of the two boys and couldn't help but smile sadly.
"Luffy, if you're serious about going, you're going to have to wear this." Ace said as he has some clothes in black in his arms.
"Okay!" Luffy said as he quickly stripped to his boxers and grabbed the clothes that were given to him.
"Everyone decent?" Shanks asked as he poked his head in.
"Come on in, Shanks!" Luffy said as he got his pants and shirt on.
"Well, well, well! Don't you look sharp." Shanks said.
Luffy was wearing a black cotton shirt that has sleeves that reached his elbows and black cargo pants with a lot of pockets. He chuckled as he spun in place before stopping to face the man.
Shanks smiled calmly. "Has it really been three years?"
Luffy nodded as he ran up to hug the man. "I'm so excited, but I won't forget to write!"
"You better not. And if things don't work out, you can come back."
"As a failure!? You serious?!"
Shanks laughed as he ruffled the young man's hair.
"Oh! Can I take your radio with me?"
"I don't have use for it anymore."
Luffy cheered as he looked back on anything he might've overlooked.
That night, the whole town was at the cottage's backyard, having a 'good-luck' bash for Luffy. Everyone was laughing, singing and there were some tears.
"Ready Luffy?!" Announced a huge man.
"More than that!" He said as he positioned himself on the old broom his brother once used.
Chopper was in a secured open box at the back of the broom and the radio tied at the front.
"Wait Luffy!" Shanks called as he went up to the young man. "I want you to have this." He took the straw-hat off his head and placed it on Luffy's.
"Your Boshi?"
"It'll give you good luck." The man said. "Just don't lose it, okay?"
"I won't!" He said with confidence.
Then the townspeople cheered him off as he struggled a moment to get his broom up. He gave the wooden pole a whack, making it go up suddenly and hit a tree, making the tied bells chime out and did the same with the next tree. The crowd was silent, wondering if he was okay.
"Later everyone!" Luffy called.
"You think he'll be okay?" Lucky asked.
"He'll be more than okay!" Shanks said as he patted the man's shoulder. "He's Luffy after all!"
"I'm going to miss hearing those bells now." Ben said.
"We can throw Ace up there to make up for it." Said the smoke haired man.
"Smoker-kun!" Ace whined as he received a glare from the said man.
Up in the air, Luffy got control of his broom and seemed to know where he was going.
"Luffy, do you know where you're going?" Chopper asked.
"South, where the ocean is."
"The ocean?"
"I want to go to a city or a big town by the ocean."
"Really?"
Luffy nodded as he turned on the radio to a music station. "It's going to be great, Chopper!" He said with a smile taking half of his face. "I can't wait to see what kind of people there are."
"Aren't you a bit worried?"
"About what?"
"About not being accepted?"
Luffy just laughed. "Since when do I worry about stuff like that?"
"Well… Witches are supposed to be female and have a black cat."
"I like being different. It's the same with Ace."
Chopper sighed as he looked down. "We're so high…"
"Yep!" He said as they saw an airplane above them.
"Sugoui!" Both said, never seeing a plane before.
"That must be the normal people's way of flying." Luffy said as he checked the compass. "We're doing good, Chopper!" He said as they continued to glide across the night sky.
About three hours in, Chopper woke up from a short nap to see something across from his view. "Luffy!"
The young man looked at the small reindeer then looked to see where the other was looking and saw another witch flying gracefully with her head held up high, pink pigtails blowing steadily in the air with a black cat sitting like a statue in front of her. He smiled and went up to be next to her. "Hi there!"
She looked at him briefly, studying him. "You must be new."
"Yep! How'd you know?"
"It's obvious."
"Really? Oh well. What about you?"
"Returning home to show off my skills."
"What kind of skills?"
She giggled. "Talking to ghosts of the dead."
"Sugoui…"
"To you maybe."
"What's it like being settled?"
"Oh it's quite difficult and many things can go wrong."
"Really? Like what?"
"It depends on where you get settled." She said as she looked down at a big town laminated by lights. "That's my hometown there."
"Wow! It's huge!"
"To you, it is." She started to descend. "Bye!"
"Bye!" He called out.
"She didn't seem nice." Chopper said.
"Chopper… What do you think my skill is?"
"Huh?"
"Ace can control how fire reacts and she can do fortune telling. What is my skill?"
"Maybe you can figure that out when we get settled."
"Yeah!" He said when it started to rain. "Damn…" He went down, only for it to pour.
"Don't panic! Don't panic! Don't panic!" Chopper cried out as Luffy saw a train that had an opening at the top.
He dived in there and made it.
Once they were in Luffy closed the top and drew a huge sigh of relief. "Man! We're lucky!" He said as he took off his shirt and pants to lay them out by some straw.
"Are you sure we can stay here, Luffy?"
"Yep, unless you like rain that much."
"But what if we're found?"
"Then we won't." He said simply as he moved the pile of straw over him. "We better get some sleep." He moved his hat over his face.
"Luffy… I don't think we're alone here."
"Good night, Chopper."
Not long as they settled to sleep, the train moved and it was heading further south.
II: City by the Ocean
The next morning Luffy and Chopper were still sleeping when Luffy suddenly jerked awake with a yelp, making the reindeer jump.
"What's wrong Luffy!?" Chopper asked while the other was laughing before getting his leg up from the straw when they heard a sound of a cow and the teen dug his way down to see that there was indeed cows.
"Morning!" He said as he went back up, grabbed his duffle bag and took out a bento box. "Breakfast!" He took out a smaller bento box for Chopper.
After eating and getting dressed, Luffy opened the lid to see the ocean. "Chopper! You gotta see this!"
Chopper poked his head out and saw the ocean as well. "Sugoui! That's the ocean!?"
"What else could it be?!" He said as he looked at the never ending length before spotting something. "Chopper! Look over there!"
He did and saw a huge land mass with buildings. "A city?" He asked in awe.
"By the ocean!" He said excitedly as he grabbed his broom and duffle bag. "Get on Chopper! We're taking off in 3… 2… 1… Take off!"
Chopper got on and braced himself as Luffy, once again, hit a tree and almost disbalancing them to the blue water, but the teen regained his balance on the broom and headed to the city.
"It looks so big!" Chopper said as they glided along with the seagulls.
They passed overhead some fishing boats and Luffy called out his greetings, making curious eyes stare at him.
"Oi… Franky…" Said one man with dirty blonde hair and a cigar in his mouth.
"I see it…" Said a muscular topped man with light blue hair in a back wave. "But this is the first I've seen a guy on a broom. I've never even seen a witch before."
"Don't they have black cats?" Asked the other guy as the teen passed them overhead.
"Must be different for male witches…" Franky said.
Back with Luffy, he was heading towards the clock tower.
"Look at all those big houses!" He said. "And everything looks so clean!"
"Luffy! Look!" Chopper said when they are above a busy street filled with automobiles and people. "So many humans…" He was having a moment of culture shock as Luffy was in awe.
"Sugoui…"
"L-Luffy… Maybe there's already some witches living here. And you know the rules, right?"
"No more than three witches can occupy an area. I know Chopper."
"Yohohoho! I can't believe what I'm seeing!"
They looked to see a tall, thin man with some scars on his face, a huge black afro, and was wearing sunglasses.
"Morning!" Luffy said as he glided up a little. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and this is my friend Chopper."
"I'm Bones Brook, it's nice to meet you."
"Same! Do you know if there are any other witches living in this city?"
"Not for a very long time."
"Yosha! Hear that Chopper!? We're staying right here!" He said as he said later to Brook and glided down.
He was above the people's heads, gaining attention from everyone.
"Luffy… They're staring…"
"I know, they probably haven't seen a witch before. And Ace said to make a good impression." He said when he felt the straw hat blew off of his head. "Shank's hat!" He dived down to get it.
"Bus!" Chopper cried out as Luffy quickly got out of the way, losing a little control of the broom before settling and went to the ground.
As he got off of his broom and Chopper getting out as well, he saw that there was a few people staring at him. He put on a big smile and bowed. "Hello. I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and this is my friend Chopper. You're so lucky to live in this cool city and you got the coolest clock tower!"
The people looked a bit uneasy and only one seemed to respond with a 'thanks' before hurrying off.
"What's wrong with them?" He asked.
"Hey!"
He and Chopper looked to see a female run up to them and tripped.
"Oi! You okay lady?" He asked as she quickly got up and had a stern face.
"Just who do you think you are!? Flying around like that in traffic?"
"I'm sorry, but I just got here and I lost my hat."
"You almost caused an accident!" She said as she reached for a pad and pen. "Give me your name and address."
"Huh?"
"I'm going to contact your folks about this. That's my job for minors."
"Are you going to tell my big brother?"
"If he's responsible for you, then yes."
"Thief!" Someone suddenly called out. "Thief!"
The woman looked over where the sound was coming from and quickly looked at the young man. "Stay right there!" She said as she ran out into the crowded sidewalk.
'No way am I going back home now.' Luffy thought as he grabbed Chopper and quickly got away.
"Luffy! She told us to stay there!"
He didn't answer as he found a quiet street to walk. He placed the small reindeer down on the ground as they walked.
"Luffy?"
"I have to find Shank's hat somehow…" He said as he looked for any possible openings back out to the busy street.
"Oi!"
He looked back to see a guy a bit older than him with a look that would make others thing he's a gang member.
"This is yours, right?" He asked as he lifted the worn straw hat with the red band around it.
"Boshi!" Luffy said happily as he grabbed it. "Thank you so much!" He placed it on his head and looked up only to see the man is gone. He looked from side to side to see the man again and ran up. "Oi! Wait up!"
"Luffy!" Chopper called as he chased after the other.
When the teen reached up to the man he decided to introduce himself. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy, I'm the new witch here. And this is Chopper, he's my pal!"
"You're kind of old fashion."
"Huh?"
"Listen, you can't be caught talking to me."
"Why?"
"The cops are after me as well, if they caught you talking to me, they'll suspect you as well. You already got to a bad start with one of them."
"You still haven't introduced yourself."
That's when the other stopped. "You better fly away right now." He said as he shoved the other into an alley. "I'll distract them." He said as he started running.
"Oi! Stop!"
Luffy saw a couple of officers run pass the alley, while he got onto his broom, Chopper getting into the box, and they were off.
About a little after noon, they were at the park, having the little lunch they had, but Luffy wasn't eating.
They spent the whole morning looking at hotels and motels for a place to stay.
"Aren't you going to eat, Luffy?"
"No…" Luffy responded uncharacteristically.
Chopper knew what the other was feeling as he looked around the park. "Where are we going to stay at?" He asked when he noticed the uniforms of cops, let the young man know, and they got away from the park.
Later that day, Luffy was certain that he went through the whole city. He was tired and a bit frustrated about the day.
They found a really good view point at the hill, pass the small bakery, and leaned against the stone railing and just looked at the sunset and the ocean.
"Luffy… Why don't we go somewhere else?" Chopper asked, but knew the suggestion was out the other ear.
That's when a young woman with a clutch went out of the bakery and went up to the stone rail.
"Ma'am! Your baby dropped his pacifier! Ma'am!"
Luffy looked to see a woman in a light magenta dress, pushing a baby carriage.
"Oh…" The young woman said. "That poor baby will cry all night without this." She limped towards the bakery door and said to someone that she'll be out.
"I can do that for you." Luffy said.
"Excuse me?"
"The woman in the dress, I can give it to her in no time!"
"Really?" She seemed happy to hear that. "That's very kind of you." She handed the pacifier to him.
"No problem!" He said as he quickly headed for the stone railing. "Let's go Chopper!" He got on his broom and jumped.
"Oh my Kami!" She called out as she rushed to the rail only to see him glide.
"Vivi? What's wrong?" Another young woman came out and stood next to the other.
"Tell me you see it too."
The other woman looked and couldn't believe what she was seeing. "No way…"
With Luffy, he went to where he saw the woman and followed the sound of a baby crying. When he found the woman, he went down and walked up to her. "Excuse me lady, the girl in the bakery was trying to give you this." He said as he saw how irritated the baby was and placed the pacifier in, quieting the babe down.
"Thank you." The woman said as she took out a piece of paper and wrote something down before handing it to him. "Would you mind taking this back to the bakery?"
"No problem. Have a good night!"
"You as well."
He got on his broom and headed back to the bakery.
Upon arriving, he went in and caught Vivi's eyes, who smiled.
"Hey there! Would you mind waiting a minute?"
He smiled and stepped aside for an old couple to go through the door.
"When you jumped, I thought there was something wrong. You gave me quite a scare."
"Sorry about that." He said as he handed the not to her.
"This him?" The other woman said as she helped out the other customer before going up and stood next to the other girl to see the note.
"Thank you for returning the pacifier. Your delivery boy is quite special." Vivi said.
"Well… we better be off then." Luffy said, thinking he done his good deed of the day.
"Hold up now." Said the woman. "Won't you join us for some tea? It's the least we can do."
"Sure!" He said as he followed the two young women, only to see a young man, still a couple years older than him, taking out the last batch of bread. "Smells so good…"
"Who's the kid?" The man said.
"Oh! We haven't introduced ourselves!" Vivi said.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy, age seventeen, and I'm currently in training. And this is Tony Tony Chopper, he's my friend."
"I'm Neferari Vivi, age sixteen, and I just work here."
"I'm Mikan Nami, age eighteen, I'm the owner of this bakery."
"I'm Black Sanji, age nineteen, and I'm the co-owner and cook here."
"Well, now that we got that out, this is where we work, and upstairs is home." Nami explained.
"You mean this place is also a house?"
"I live here, yes." Nami said.
"Sugoui!"
She giggled as they headed upstairs. "Make yourself at home." She said as she got tea cups, place tea bags in the cups, and grabbed a kettle to pour in the cups. "So, you're some kind of witch?" She handed out the cups before placing a bowl of water for Chopper.
"Well… male witches are called wickens, but they're always rare, so I don't mind being called a witch."
"You said you're here for training?"
"Yep. I have to spend a year away from home to train."
"Wow. A whole year?"
He nodded as he took careful sips of his tea before gulping it down. "Yep! And I just love this city! Where I'm from, there's not an ocean to see!"
"So, where do you live now?" Vivi asked.
Luffy didn't have trouble showing the dark spot of the situation.
"I see…" Nami said as an intelligent business woman smile graced her face. "Why don't you stay with us? We got an unused room that we use as an attic."
"Huh? You're letting me stay?"
"Is that so surprising?"
"I just thought city people don't' like having a witch around."
"Then you came across the wrong people." She said with a wink.
"You hear that, Chopper? We got a place!"
"On one condition!"
"Huh?"
"If you're going to live under this roof, you're going to have to work."
"Oh, I know that. My brother worked with the blacksmith while he trained."
"Well, I got a job offer for you."
"Really?"
She nodded. "But I'll tell you about it tomorrow. You look like you had a long day."
"I did." He said as he stood up and bowed. "Thank you, Mikan-san."
"Call me Nami."
"Okay!"
She smiled before looking at Sanji. "Sanji-kun, would you mind showing Luffy to the spare room?"
"Hai! Nami-swan!" He said as Luffy grabbed his duffle bag and followed the man out to the backyard and towards the stairs that lead up to the joined building. "It's a bit dusty and covered in flour."
"That's okay." He said as they entered the room.
The room looked powdery as they walked in.
"Damn, it's a lot worse than I thought." Sanji said.
"It's not all that bad." He said as he threw his bag on the mattress, causing puffs of flour to rise.
"Well, I think you're good for tonight. I'll help clean this place tomorrow."
"Don't worry, I can get it clean."
"With magic?"
"Nah! My skill isn't that."
"Skill?"
"Each witch has a certain skill they have, and that's one of the reasons why we spend a year training."
"So, what's your skill?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. The only thing I'm good at is flying."
"Well there's nothing wrong with that." He said with a smile. "I better get going. See you tomorrow Luffy."
"See ya Sanji!" With the blond out of the room, Luffy took a good look around his new room and opened the only window there. "Sugoui… Chopper! You gotta see this!" He said as he picked up Chopper and they looked out at a picture perfect view of the ocean with the last rays of the descending sun.
Sometime later, bother were in bed and Luffy was still awake. "Chopper, I decided to stay here. Maybe I could meet other cool and nice people here like Nami, Vivi, and Sanji. Even that strange guy that got Boshi back."
Chopper was fast asleep through the talk, but he didn't mind that much as he fell asleep as well.
III: First Delivery
The next morning, Luffy and Chopper went out to see Nami and Sanji setting up breakfast at the small outdoor table.
"Morning!" He called out happily.
"Morning Luffy. Did you sleep well?" Nami asked as he nodded as he went down and sat down on a chair next to the young woman. "Say, Luffy, what do you think of being a delivery boy?"
"Hm?"
"Delivery. You can fly around the city and be paid for it."
"That sounds fun."
She smiled. "Good to hear!" She said as she took a bite of the pancake. "Delicious as always."
"It makes me so happy to hear you say that!" Sanji said.
Luffy took a bite and his eyes went wide. "This is the best pancake I've ever had!"
"Thanks." Sanji said as he seemed proud of it.
"Chopper! You've got to taste this!" He gave the little reindeer a single one, took a bit, and made happy noises as he gobbled it up. "He loves it!"
"Sanji's the best cook in this whole city." Nami informed.
"Please Nami-swan, I can't be all that great."
"Quit being modest!" She said.
"Morning!"
They turned to look to see Vivi coming up to them with her clutch.
"Morning Vivi!" Both Nami and Luffy said as Sanji got up from his chair and allowed Vivi to take it.
"Morning lovely Vivi, and how do you fair?"
"I'm well, thank you."
"You sure? The doctor told you to take it easy." Nami said as she looked at the girl's leg.
"I'm fine, I just can't run is all."
"Well! I just told Luffy about the delivery service and he agreed to do it."
"That's wonderful!"
"Well, my only skill is flying, so may as well do that." He said as he cleaned his plate. "I usually eat more, but since I'm not in Fuusha Town, this will do."
"You like to eat do you?" Sanji said.
"Yep! I don't like to waste food, even if it's on the ground."
"That's gross." Nami said.
"It doesn't kill anyone…" Luffy countered.
"It could make you sick though." Vivi pointed out.
"I never been sick."
"Then you're just unreal."
Luffy just giggled, which made the group join in.
"Back to the delivery business." Nami said.
"I'm going to check on the bread."
"Okay Sanji."
As he headed back towards the bakery she became business. "Anyway, I'll let you save up your expenses for your first five deliveries. After that you have to pay the rent."
"Okay, I understand."
"It may be awhile before he can get customers though." Vivi said.
"I know, but it will take the first two or three to make him well known."
"What should I do until I get customers thought?" He asked.
"Just help around the shop. I'll even pay you a bit for doing that."
Vivi nearly choked on her orange juice when she heard that.
"No thanks."
"Work is work, Luffy." She said as she looked serious. "But if you eat anything without my okay, I will dock the small pay I'm willing to give you. Got it?"
He nodded. "Thanks Nami! You're the best!" He said as he looked at his reindeer friend. "Come on Chopper! Let's go see if Sanji needs help." He and the reindeer headed into the bakery.
Luffy ended up sweeping the bakery and Chopper was deemed the shop pet when Nami called him.
"Luffy! You got a customer!"
"Really!?"
"Hurry up!"
"Right!" He said as he set everything aside and went up to the shop front to see a beautiful woman in a light violet formal business dress.
"Oh?" She said as her startling blue eyes rested on Luffy's. "Is this the new delivery witch?"
"Yep! Monkey D. Luffy, at your service!"
She giggled as she handed him a covered bird cage. "Would you mind sending this to a friend of mine? It's his birthday but something came up at work and I don't think I can make it."
"No problem!"
"Here Luffy." Nami said as she handed him a map. "You'll need this to find the place."
"Thanks Nami."
The woman giggled. "And how much do I owe you?"
"Oh! I haven't thought about that."
"I got it Luffy." Nami said.
"Here." The woman said as she handed him the amount. "Will this do?"
He looked at about 20 belis. "Yep!" He said as he looked into the cage and laughed. "Chopper! Look! The toy looks just like you! Even the nose!"
Chopper came around and saw that the toy did resemble him.
Luffy grabbed his broom that was leaned against the wall, and went outside where the two women followed by Sanji to watch him take off into the air.
Not far from the group the punk-like stranger, who saw this and stopped to see him go higher and higher up in the air.
With Luffy, he went high enough that an airplane was below him while he looked at the well drawn map that Nami made him.
"W-W-We're higher than normal!" Chopper said as he was bracing himself on the box. "Now I know why witches chose cats! They have claws and can land on their feet!"
"They're still die from this height, and don't worry so much. I just don't want to be caught by any cops if we just go around the city like yesterday." He said as he looked down at the city below, then at the map to see where he was going, before grinning, placed the map in a secure pocket and braced himself. "Yosh! Hang on!" He went down, scaring poor Chopper before zooming across the sky towards the country side of the island some thirty miles away from the city, with a thick border of evergreen trees separating them.
Over the trees, Luffy saw a flock of geese and went up to them. "Hey there!" He called out as the geese started honking. "They're funny!"
"They're saying they're going to fly higher!"
"Eh?"
"There's a gust of wind coming in!"
"A gust of wind?" He questioned when that sudden gust knocked the birds around before hitting him and nearly lost his hold on the broom before catching Chopper and braced themselves for a crash landing on the trees.
"Itte…" He said as he saw an angry crow cawing at him. "What's your problem!?" He looked to see a nest that he missed. "Oh! Sorry about –" He was interrupted as he was being attacked by the crow. He managed to get back on his broom and flew out of there. "Go away! Stupid crows! I said I was sorry!" He shouted as the crows left him and Chopper alone as soon as they got out of the forest. "Yeesh! What's their problem!?"
"Well, Luffy, those geese warned us about that gust of wind.
"We wouldn't have dodged it anyway, Chopper." He said as he looked up to see the geese above him. "Sugoui… They're up soo high!"
"Luffy! We've got a problem! The toy's gone!"
Luffy immediately stopped. "We gotta go back!"
"To that Crow's Nesting place!?"
"Hold on Chopper!" He called as he turned around and sped back toward where he fell, only to the crows to start attacking him, forcing him to stay back. "What's wrong with them?"
"They're calling you an egg stealer and other unpleasant things."
"Damn it…" He said.
"We can come back in the evening…"
"It'll be too late then… Unless…" He looked at the reindeer, who already knew what was coming.
"Anything but that, Luffy!"
"Don't worry Chopper, I'll find the real one and come get you."
"But…"
"Don't worry Chopper, I won't leave you behind or anything." He said as he opened the cage.
Chopper sighed as he went in, flew towards the addressed house and landed on the ground.
"Ace stuffed, okay." He whispered as he landed and walked to an older, but not too old, man with a dog, lazing in the sun.
"Ah! You must be the delivery boy. You took your time."
"Sorry, sudden gust of wind nearly knocked me off my broom."
"Oh! Well I'm glad to see that you're well."
"Thanks. Here you go!" He said as he handed the cage to the elder, which then a young girl came out.
"Uncle Chief, is this the gift you ordered for Clover-san?"
"Yes dear, it is."
"Yay!" She called as she grabbed the cage and looked what was inside it. "It's so cute!"
"Take it inside, Rika, and make sure to hide it good from Clover-san. I'll be in shortly."
She nodded and ran inside.
"Would you mind signing the receipt?" Luffy asked, holding out a small book and pen for the man to sign and he was off. "Have a great day!" He got onto his broom and zoomed away.
"You too!" The man said, amazed by the boy.
Luffy went close to where he fell, went to the ground, and started to look for the toy on foot.
For an hour he looked around with no luck.
"Damn it… I know you're here…" He said when he came across a cabin and saw the toy on the window still. "There you are, Toy Choppa!" He said as he looked around, inside the cabin, and he couldn't see anyone. "Oi! Anyone here!?" He saw that the place was filled with paint in cans, huge cloths in paint smudges, and over all a messy place. "Anybody here!?"
"Yeah! I heard you the first time!"
He heard someone from above.
"I'm on the roof!"
He went back out and turned a corner to see a ladder.
"Come on up!"
He did and saw a crow cawing at him before going up to a young man who was around his age.
"What do you want?"
"The toy that's on the window still, you see it belongs to me."
"Then why was it in the forest?"
"I dropped it! Can I have it back?"
"Just wait a minute… I have to finish this sketch… Good girl."
He looked up at the changing sky and hopped Chopper was okay.
About half an hour later the artist finished his sketch and started his way toward the ladder.
"What's so special about this toy?"
Luffy explained everything as the artist came down.
"Why didn't you tell me you needed it in such a hurry?" He said as he ran in to grab the toy and handed it to him.
"Thanks." Luffy said when he noticed a tear around the neck. "The head's falling off!"
"Must be when the crows were fussing over it."
"This is bad… I can't deliver it like this."
"Oi, I know how about we make a deal."
"A deal?"
"Yeah, I'll fix up this toy and you clean my place."
Luffy was worried about Chopper, but he agreed to do so and got down to work.
About an hour and a half later, Luffy just finished scrubbing the floor when the artist was done fixing the toy.
"Okay! All done!" He called as Luffy walked out of the cabin.
"Thanks a lot… oh! I never got your name. I'm Monkey D. Luffy."
"I'm Sogeking Usopp. Nice to meet you."
"Same! I better go get Chopper."
"Yeah. Well don't be a stranger now!"
"Thanks again Usopp!" He called out as he got on his broom and got out of the forest and headed towards the lit house.
He landed behind the car and tried to think of a way to get inside and make the switch, which was when Chopper and the dog came out through the dog door. "Chopper!" He said as he embraced the little reindeer.
"What took you so long!?"
"I'm sorry Chopper." He said as he looked at the dog. "Who's your new friend?"
"This is Shushu. If we give him the toy, he'll take it in. He's a very smart dog, he'll do it."
He nodded as he handed out the toy Chopper as Shushu took the toy and walked to the dog door.
"Thanks Shushu!" Chopper said as he and Luffy headed back to the city.
"What a day!" Luffy called out as Chopper sighed and tried to keep himself awake.
"A bit much for a first day if you ask me."
"Man! We're going to sleep well tonight!"
"Oi! Stop!"
"Na?" He looked down to see a man running with some bag in his hand and two cops chasing him.
"What's going on?" Chopper asked.
"Don't know." He said as he followed from the air. He saw the guy running took a sharp turn and gained a lot of speed in that small alley, before turning right where another man was just walking.
"Here pal!" The guy said as he shoved the bag into the other's hand, knocking him over.
"What the hell!?"
Luffy recognized the voice as the cops caught up and told the man to stay where he is.
"That man that was running away is framing that guy!" Chopper said as the teen flew to where he could see the guy still running.
He went down, caught the loop of his jacket and airlifted the running man.
"Oi! Put me down!"
"Not until I take you to the cops." He said as he went over to where the cops just put handcuffs on. "Oi! You got the wrong guy!" He descended enough that the man was on the ground.
"You've seen this man?" Asked one cop.
"Yeah, you guys were chasing his one, he sprinted those last turns, shoved the purse to that guy you're arresting, and made you believe he took it, but he's not sweating like this guy."
The cops saw the logic and cuffed the man that almost got away.
"I owe you one, Luffy." The man said.
"Tell me your name and we'll call it even."
The man grinned as he shrugged. "Sounds fair. It's Zoro."
"Zoro… that's a cool name."
"It's okay."
"Need a ride?"
"Nah, I'm fine. Besides, aren't you out a bit too late for your first delivery?"
"Oh yeah! Nami-san must be worried about me!" He said as he waved off. "See you around, Zoro!"
"No doubt, Luffy!"
He laughed as he headed back to the bakery, which still has its lights on.
As he landed, he saw something on the front window and saw a bread sign saying 'Flying Strawhat Delivery'. He went inside to see Nami, who looked up from her book.
"Thank Kami you're okay!" She said. "What made you stay out so late!?"
"I got into a bit of trouble."
"Like?"
He quickly explained the day's events and Nami couldn't help but laugh.
"So that's what happened." Sanji said as he came up from the kitchen.
"Yep. And the sign out on the window?"
"You like it?" Sanji asked. "We didn't know if we should call it 'Luffy's Delivery Service' or-"
Luffy tackled the blond cook to a hug. "Thank you, Sanji!"
Nami laughed as he hugged her too. "Okay! Okay! It's off to bed with you!"
He nodded as he gave the two another hug before running off.
"He's a good kid." Sanji said.
"Yeah, but I hope he doesn't worry us like that again." She said.
"Well, it is the first day, and some people fumble on that."
"And he fixed his fumble without any charge." She said with a giggle.
IV: Bad Delivery
The next day, Luffy was minding the bakery and he was completely, without a doubt, ultimately bored.
"Boring…" He said as he placed his head on the counter.
"Luffy?" Chopper said as he went up to the young man. "Aren't you supposed to be watching the shop?"
"I am Chopper, but today is so slow!"
"Slow?" Sanji said as he walked out of the kitchen. "About this time of day it get's busy."
"I mean my customers!"
"Oh, I see." He said with a grin.
"Sanji! If I don't get customers soon, Nami'll kick me out!"
"I doubt it, she thinks you're a great help, provided you don't mess up."
He pouted as he tried to look angry.
"I'll be on a short break while the bread is being made. Tell me if you're going to set off on a delivery." He said as he went back to the kitchen.
"Kay!" Luffy called as he just saw Robin walk by as she waved. He waved back as he saw her disappear from his vision. "She's very nice and she deals with a lot of old stuff."
"Yeah…" Chopper agreed when the phone rang.
"Hello? Bakery and Strawhat Delivery Service, ho may I help you?" He answered as he got a pen and paper ready to write down anything. "Okay, five o'clock it is." He hung up the phone with an excited smile. "About time we got a customer, huh?" He pulled up a map.
"Too impatient after your first one?"
He looked up to see Zoro. "Zoro!"
"Yo."
"How's it going?"
"Slow, as usual." He said as he dug into his pocket to grab some money out. "I'll take two of these." He grabbed two square cookies.
"Okay!" Luffy said as he worked the cashier and giving the change back.
"Keep it." Zoro said as he opened a pack and breaking it in half. "It's Chopper, right?" He looked at the reindeer and handed out the half piece of the cookie to him, who looked happy and gobbled up the cookie.
"Zoro's nice." Luffy said as the other gave him the other half.
"And you're going to be busy."
He took the other halve and munched on it. "Thanks."
"Say, Luffy… Would you like to see a kendo match when you have time after your five o'clock delivery?"
"A kendo match? You do kendo?"
"Yeah."
"When is it?"
"It's at six."
"Plenty of time! Where is it?" He placed the map on the counter top as the other pointed out.
"This is where most of the dojos are and it should be the eleventh dojo."
"Eleventh dojo at six." Luffy said as he smiled. "Okay!"
With that the other waved the teen as he headed out. "See you around."
"See ya Zoro!" He said as he finished off the cookie just as a man came in with a big cardboard box that looked heavy.
"I heard there's a delivery service here?"
"Yes sir!" He said as he got the box from the other man, which was indeed heavy.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm okay." He got it on the weight and followed the procedure that Nami taught him before she left with Vivi to see the doctors. When he was done with the charges for the man, Nami walked in.
"Hey Luffy, how's it coming?"
"I got two deliveries and I have to go see a kendo match at six!"
"Kendo?"
"Yeah! I better hurry!" He said as he grabbed the broom, struggled to bring the box out, and then took off with Chopper.
He delivered the heavy box first, having to use the stairs when he couldn't figure out which window was the right room. He then went really fast to the next one.
"Aren't we going a bit too fast!?" Chopper cried.
"We can't let our next delivery wait!" He said as he found the house, landed on the front porch and pressed the door bell.
He didn't have to wait long until the door opened to reveal an old, yet very fit woman.
"You the delivery boy?"
"Yes ma'am!"
"You're right on time." She said as she mentioned him in. "Mind if I take your broom?"
"Not at all." He said as he walked in.
"Is the delivery person here?"
He heard a young man, no older than he was, come out of the corner of another room.
"Oh, hello."
"Hi, I'm Luffy."
"I'm Koby." The young man said as he went up, showing the sling of his left arm. "I'm sorry, but the thing I wanted you to deliver isn't ready. The stupid thing won't work."
He looked to see a glass Tupperware with an unbaked crust on top.
"I'll pay you though for your trouble of coming here."
"I can't accept that though." He said as he looked over the other's shoulder to see an old oven. "Why not use that oven there?"
"Huh?" Koby said as he looked at the iron door and lock. "I don't know…"
"It used to make good bread." Said the woman. "I'm known as Dr. Kureha and I own this house. Koby here is staying with me as a guest."
"Hi, I'm Luffy."
"You've worked with an oven before?"
"Yeah, loads of times with my brother and Shanks."
"Okay then, I don't see anything wrong with using this oven."
With that Luffy ran out to where the fire wood is, gathered the wood and ran back into prepare the oven.
"Well I'll be damned…" The woman said as Luffy got the fire going, waited until they turn to embers, and move them so he could place the pie in.
"Thirty minutes sound right?"
"Defiantly." Koby said.
"Mind if I help around while it's cooking?"
"I do need the light bulbs changed." Dr. K said.
"Okay!" He said as the woman walked out.
"Are you sure about this Luffy?" Chopper asked. "What if we don't make it to the match?"
"We'll make it Chopper. Don't worry so much." He said as he was called to the living room and changed the light bulbs.
"You're unlike the witches told to me when I was young." The woman said.
"I like to be different." He said as he went down the ladder.
"Let's take a break, shall we?"
"Sure!" He said as they went into the kitchen, where Koby just made tea.
"So, tell me, what do you have to do after this?" She asked.
"After I drop this off, I'm going to see a kendo match."
"Really? When's that?" Koby asked.
"At six. A friend of mine is competing for the tournament."
"At six?" The woman said.
"Yep!"
"Kid, our clock is ten minutes slow."
"Huh?" He voiced as he looked at the clock, considered what the woman said, and panicked. "I got five minutes!"
The woman grabbed the basket while he rushed over to the oven and got the pie out, which looked perfectly done, placed it in the basket and closed by a lid.
"Luffy! Here!" Koby said as he handed him money, but the teen noticed that it was too much. "It's my payment and the doctor's for helping out. Now go!"
He nodded, pocketed his payment as he got on his broom and flew quickly, but saw the clouds beginning to look dark.
"This doesn't look good Luffy!" Chopper said.
"If I fly fast enough we'll beat it!"
But the rain came pouring down, used his shirt to cover the basket, and made it to the huge house, where there was obviously a party going on.
He landed on the porch, put his shirt back on, and rang the door bell. He quickly checked the pie before the door opened to a huge burly man with a missing right hand and a lower jaw made of some kind of metal.
"What do you want?" He asked.
"I'm here to deliver this." He said as he held it out.
"Is it by someone named Koby?"
"Yes sir." He said as, before he could act, the basket was slapped out of his hand and made the dish break.
"You should be careful with your deliveries." The man said with a laugh and slammed the door at his face.
Luffy was shocked to see that.
"Father? Who was that?"
He heard someone say.
"Nobody, just trash."
He wanted to bust down the door and teach the man a lesson, but he knew he couldn't do that. Then the door opened again, this time a young, oddly figured man came out and saw the broken dish.
"Koby's strawberry pie…" He said as he looked at Luffy. "I'm sorry about my father. He hates Koby." He said as he grabbed the receipt book, signed it, and gave it back. "I'll call and let him know I got it. Okay?"
He just nodded as the door closed again and walked away, got on his broom, waited for Chopper to get on, and headed back to the bakery.
"Luffy… aren't we going to the match?"
He didn't respond as he made it to the bottom step that lead to his room.
"Luffy!" Sanji said as he was walking out. "That guy for that kendo thing came by and waited for an hour for you. Something about a match?"
"What's the point of going in these clothes!" Luffy snapped as he ran up to the door and went in.
He got some clothes line and clips, took off his clothes, and hung them before crawling into bed.
"Luffy…" Chopper said. "You should eat something first."
"I'm not hungry."
The reindeer looked sad as he went up on the bed and laid there, before falling asleep as well.
V: A Day with Zoro
The next morning, Nami went up to check on the young man, only to find out that he caught a fever.
"Oh Luffy…" She whispered as she put a cool cloth on the other's forehead.
When Luffy did wake up, it was Sanji that came up with oatmeal.
"Morning." Sanji said as he set one bowl down for Chopper. "It's still hot little guy." He warned as he set the other bowl down on the small table. "You should really eat something."
"Am I dying?"
"Eh? Nah! You just have a bit of a fever is all. You never been sick?"
"No… You?"
"Now that you've mentioned it, I haven't."
"It sucks."
"I don't need to be told." He said with a chuckle as he opened the window. "That guy came by earlier to see how you were. Nami-san was the person who talked to him, but basically she told him how you were and I've said my bit as well."
"And?"
He dug into his pocket and took out a metal. "He wanted to let you know he's going for the semi rounds. And to give you this as proof, as well as a get well gift."
Luffy reached out to grab the metal and smiled. "So cool!"
"Focus on getting better, okay."
"Okay." He said as the other walked out.
Luffy was better by the afternoon and happily went into the bakery. "Hello!"
"Hey Luffy." Nami said, a bit surprised. "Are you feeling better?"
"Lots better!" Luffy said happily.
"Well, okay then." She said as she handed him a bag. "You got a delivery and you can walk there."
"Really?"
She nodded. "Yeah, even paid up front and left."
"Who's it for?"
"Roronoa."
"Roronoa… that's a cool name."
"I guess. Well! Hurry along then!"
"Okay!" Luffy said as he grabbed the map and headed out to get Chopper, but saw the small reindeer sleeping soundly and left him be.
He followed the map to a view spot, where he saw the ocean. He felt completely at ease and enjoyed the salty breeze as well as the warmth.
"Oi! Luffy!"
"Huh?" He looked up to see Zoro, without the black bandana on. "Zoro?"
"Forgotten me already? You must've been really out of it."
He shook his head. "No, it's just that I never saw you without your bandana on."
"Oh… yeah, I forgot to put it back on."
"Why? I like your hair color. It's so cool!"
"You think so, huh?"
"I know so!" He said proudly before remembering he has a delivery. "Hey, Zoro, do you know where I can find 'Roronoa'?"
"I'm Roronoa. Roronoa Zoro."
His jaw dropped. "Are you the coolest guy in the whole city!?"
"No." He said as he pointed down the steps. "Just head down and I'll meet you at the front."
"Kay!" He said happily as he ran to where the front is located, while the other had a chance to meet him there. "This where you live?"
"Yeah. It's nothing much."
"I like it!"
"What don't you like?"
"Jerks."
Zoro chuckled as he grabbed the bag and took out two cookies but handed the second one to the teen.
"Thanks." He said as the other looked at his watch.
"I don't have to work for another hour. You have any other deliveries?"
"Nami didn't say."
"Probably waiting a few days to make sure you don't get sick again."
He sighed. "She shouldn't worry so much!"
Zoro chuckled as he finished eating. "Well, would you like to see a dirigible?"
"Huh? What's that?"
He smiled. "Seriously? It's the most talked about thing for a damn month."
"I only listen to music on the radio. Everything else is so boring."
He shook his head, but still has a smile on his face. "Why am I not surprised." He said as he mentioned the other to come with him. "I'll take you down there to see it." He went up to a garage door and opened it to take out a bike. "Hop on."
Luffy got on the back as Zoro peddled down to the coast road. "Sugoui!" He said as he looked at the ocean.
"Oi! Luffy!"
"Yeah?"
"Lean your body in when we're about to turn the corner!"
"Why?"
"We're going to have trouble turning if we don't!"
He looked up ahead and saw a curve on the road.
"Okay!" Zoro said as they carefully leaned and turned the corner before straightening only to do another curve. "You're doing great, Luffy!"
"It almost feels like when I'm on the broom!"
"Really?"
"Yeah!" He said as he pointed to something up ahead. "Is that it!?"
"That's it!" He said as they saw the dirigible.
Just then the car ahead of them was turning as they were turning.
"Shit!" Zoro said as he tried to avoid being hit, only to find out that the bike was gliding in mid air. "We're flying!?" He then saw a truck. "Luffy! Hang on!" He turned the bike completely off road, but not far from the ground, which the sensation of gliding suddenly turned off and gravity took over.
Both yelled as they fell a few feet, landed, tried to get control back before both got off of the bike and laid on the grassy pasture.
Luffy recovered first and went over to where Zoro was, who was on his back, groaning, before rolling to his side. "Zoro!" He called as he kneeled down. "Zoro, are you okay?"
"I've had worse…" Zoro said as though he was in pain. "Although I don't' think my balls will agree with me." He managed to sit up as he groaned.
Suddenly Luffy started to laugh.
"You think this is funny?"
He shook his head as he took some deep breaths. "Back there, I was scared that I thought I was going to wet myself!" He said with another round of laughing as he fell to his side.
Zoro had to grin as he watch the other laugh, which he couldn't help but chuckle before laughing out as well.
A little time later, they were at the sandy part of the road, sitting down to look at both the ocean and the dirigible.
"You help the other workers create that huge thing?" Luffy asked.
"Kinda. It was okay and all, but I only did it to have some money and training."
"So that thing flies around the world?"
"If it wants to. Personally I think you got a better deal when it come to air travel."
"I guess…"
"Huh? Why do you sound so down all of a sudden?"
"I don't know…" He said as he stared out at the ocean. "I've been flying for as long as I can remember. It was a lot of fun when I was little…"
"And?"
"I don't know… it's the only thing I have…"
"Well, I don't think it's a bad thing. In fact some might say those who want to fly would want your kind of life."
Luffy smiled. "Yeah I heard that one before."
"While we're still on the topic of flying, was it you that made the bike do that?"
"I don't know. It's possible."
"Well, I think it may have saved our lives, that car was turning that corner a bit too quick to avoid."
Luffy giggled as he blushed a bit.
"Oi! Aniki! That you!?"
They turned to see three guys in a car.
"Hey guys!" Zoro said as he looked at Luffy. "Would you like to meet my crazy tag-along friends of mine?"
"Aw! Zoro! Don't be so mean!" Said a guy with violet platinum hair as he went up and trapped the man's head in an arm lock.
"Saga! Let go!"
The guy laughed as he did.
"What are you guys doing here?" Zoro asked.
"We're going to see if we can have a test ride on the dirigible. Wanna join?"
"I work there so I don't have a choice."
"Lucky!" He said as he looked at the teen and playfully punched the man on the head. "Don't be so rude man! Introduce us to your new friend."
"Ow…" Zoro said as he glared at the other. "I was getting to that before you just showed up out of nowhere!" He looked at Luffy with a grin. "Luffy, Saga… Saga, Luffy."
"Hello." Luffy said with a smile.
"Whoa! You're that new witch guy people are talking about." Said a guy with an odd headband.
"Yosaku, this is Luffy. Luffy, Yosaku." Zoro introduced as the other man was still in the car. "And the other guy over there is Johnny."
"Hi!" Luffy said.
"So Luffy, how long have you been here?" Saga asked.
"About a week."
"And you're already buddies with Zoro!?" Yosaku said. "Did you cast a spell on him or something?"
"Yosaku!" Zoro and Saga said.
"What? You're the most difficult guy to be friends with. No normal person would do that!"
"Shut up!" Zoro said as he was red in the face.
Luffy suddenly felt uncomfortable and wanted to get away from the beach and head back to the bakery. "I have to get back to the bakery." He said as he got up.
"Luffy?" Zoro said as he got up as well. "Do you need a lift?"
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." He said as he ran before the tears would come down.
"Luffy!" Zoro called before glaring at Yosaku. "I hope you're proud of yourself."
"What?"
"Zoro's right, you were just plain mean saying things like that." Saga said. "We should go after him."
"Give him time to calm down first." Zoro said. "I'll give him a call later."
Luffy didn't stop running until he got to his room and collapsed on his bed and became motionless for a few seconds.
Chopper entered the room and went up to the teen.
"Chopper… I think something is wrong with me. Maybe I should've rested more. But…" He sighed as he grabbed a fistful of the blanket. "I really did enjoy spending time with Zoro. But Yosaku is right… I'm just different from them in so many ways that I actually believed that I could be a part of it. But Zoro said that it's a good thing though… I don't know! What do you think?" He looked to see Chopper was fast asleep. "Some friend you are." He slightly glared as he figured a nap would do him some good.
When he woke up, he made himself and Chopper for something to eat.
When Chopper started to eat, he started to try to talk to the other. "Oi, Chopper, I was talking about something serious and you just slept!"
Chopper looked up from the plate of food, tilted his head, and stared at the young man.
"Chopper?" He said as the reindeer finished his plate. "Chopper… say something…" He came up with an idea. "You're the best little reindeer in the world!"
No reaction.
"No…" He said as he grabbed his broom, readied himself, and floated before falling. He tried again and he was able to glide a bit before completely dropped. He looked at the broom with a horrid realization. "I'm losing it…" He got up, grabbed his broom, and headed to a secluded area, where he tried to fly his broom, only to fall and get back up. Then he fell into a ditch and broke the broom in half. "Shit…" He said as he gathered his broken broom and went back to the bakery and to his room.
VI: No Powers
The next morning, Nami, Vivi, free from the clutch, and Sanji were hanging the laundry when Luffy came up to Nami.
"Morning Luffy." She said as she clipped her bed sheet securely on the rope.
"I've lost my powers…" He said.
"Nani?" The three said in unison.
"What happened Luffy?" She continued.
"I don't know what happened…" He said as he was on a verge of crying. "But please don't kick me out! I'll work really hard at the bakery!"
Nami gave him a hug. "I'm not kicking you out, baka." She said as she was within arm's length of the other. "You probably just need a break is all. I'm sure your power will come back."
"Maybe…" He said with a sigh. "If I make a new broom…"
"Nami's right, Luffy." Vivi said. "Just give yourself a break, okay. I think that fever you had yesterday may have affected it."
He nodded, but he still wasn't sure.
"Oi, heads up!" Sanji said as everyone looked up to see the dirigible flying overhead.
"Looks like they're doing their test before the big opening in a couple days." Vivi said.
Luffy noticed Zoro, waving, but he couldn't bring himself to wave back.
Later he helped with the bakery at their busiest time of the evening when the phone rang and he answered it. "Hello, bakery."
"Luffy? Is that you?" Zoro's voice was heard at the other end.
"What is it, Zoro?"
"I wanted to know if you're okay. I'm sorry that Yosaku said that, he can say things he didn't mean most of the time and he feels really awful about it. Is everything okay?"
"Please don't call back here." He said quietly.
"Luffy? I didn't cat-"
He hung up and headed down to the kitchen.
"Luffy?" Sanji said as he pushed in a tray into an oven. "I everything okay?"
"I'm still in training to become a wicken. If I completely lose my powers then everything I've ever learned is a waste!" He said as he ran up to his room before the other could say anything and worked on making a new broom for the rest of the evening.
VII: A Break with Usopp
The next morning, Luffy got up, helped prepare the bakery for opening, and was going to finish working on his broom when someone called out his name.
"Oi! Luffy!"
He looked to see Usopp, carrying a bag that was bigger than him. "Hey Usopp!" He said as he went up to him. "How's it going?"
"Oh it's all good. Just thought I'd drop by since you didn't come visit me."
"Sorry…"
"Nah, that was bit of a lie. I'm getting some supplies."
"Oi! Luffy!" Sanji said as he walked out with a basket. "You should really…" He paused when he saw the new person. "Who's he?"
"Sanji, this is Usopp the artist. Usopp, this is Sanji the cook."
"Hello." Usopp said as he held out his hand to the blond.
"Nice to meet you." Sanji said as he shook the other's hand.
"Mind if I stick around a bit?" Usopp asked.
"Not at all."
With that Usopp and Luffy went up to the room.
"Whoa! You lucked out!"
Luffy giggled. "It's not much, but it's the best in my opinion. Would you like something to drink?"
"Milk if you have any."
"Sure thing."
Chopper came in through the open door and looked at the artist.
"Hey there, you must be Chopper. You really do look like that toy." He said as he took a bite of bread. "So, how are the deliveries coming along?"
Luffy looked sad as he placed a small plate of food for Chopper.
"Not going well?"
"I'm taking a break…"
"What's wrong?"
"I… lost my ability to fly."
There was a moment of silence before Usopp spoke. "Wow… I didn't know things like that happen…" He looked over at the long stick, no doubt a stick for the broom. "I know! How about spending a few days with me?"
"Huh?"
"Come out to the woods with me. You're on a break, right? So it'll be perfect."
"Is that really okay?"
"It's more than okay, otherwise I wouldn't have brought it up." He said as he seemed excited. "What do you say? I'm sure a change in pace and scenery is just the ticket!"
Luffy smiled and nodded. "Okay, Usopp, just let me tell Nami, okay." He said as he ran and told Nami everything. When she gave him the okay, the two young men headed out to the bus station.
"Hurry! The last bus is leaving!" Usopp said as they ran and made it. "Okay!"
They went to the back and set the huge bag down to the side of the artist.
"That was a really close call back there."
Luffy sat down and looked out the window for a moment before the other tapped him on the shoulder and he saw a piece of chocolate. "Thanks Usopp." He said as he took the offered treat.
A bit later they got to the cabin.
"Here Luffy, you put the stuff away while I get some water."
"Okay." He said as he grabbed the keys, opened the door, and started bringing the stuff in when he saw a huge canvas with a painting of a ship, sailing across the night sky with the moon in the background, and the pine trees below.
"Like it?" Usopp asked.
"It's awesome."
"Thanks. I started this just after you left. But I didn't get the face right though."
"Huh? That's supposed to be me?"
"Yep! I would help me a lot if you modeled for me." He said as he pointed to the chair. "Take a seat and hold still, okay."
He nodded as he sat down and looked out into space.
"Lift your chin up a bit." Usopp said as he sketched the face onto a pad of paper. "You know, Luffy, painting and flying are the same thing. Sometimes I couldn't paint a thing for weeks."
"Really? What do you do?" Luffy said as he looked at the other.
"Don't move, it's hard to draw that way."
He went back to looking out the window. "For a long time I did it without thinking. Now I'm trying to remember how I got it in the first place."
"Then don't think so much of it."
"Huh?"
"When I'm unable to paint, I don't think much of it. Go for long walks, take naps at noon, and just don't think about it. Just give yourself a break."
He looked out at the trees and just not think for the time he stared out into the forest.
"All done!" He said as he showed the sketch to the other.
"Sugoui! It looks so real!"
"Thanks." He said as he set the pad of paper aside. "You up for a walk?"
He nodded as they headed out with the artist explaining a few things before they reached the lake.
"So, enough about me… What about you?"
Luffy explained a few things about himself when he mentioned a bit more about Zoro.
"Roronoa Zoro?"
"Yeah! He's a really cool guy!" And he explained about the man all the way back to the cabin.
"Sounds like this guy is important to you."
"Huh?"
"Never mind, what would you like to eat?"
"Anything's fine." He said as the two talked some more.
After dinner both were still up drinking hot chocolate.
"When I was little, I already knew I wanted to be an artist." Usopp said. "I would paint all day and fall asleep at the easel. But then one day I just couldn't paint at all. I tried to paint copies I've seen, and they're terrible. I thought I lost my ability."
"Like me…"
"Exactly! When you fly, you rely on what's inside you, right?"
He nodded. "Ace said it's our sprit that gives our abilities."
He nodded. "That's called trusting your spirit."
"Did I lose its trust then?"
"One can never lose their spirit, Luffy. It's what makes me paint, you to fly, your friends at the bakery to run it, and this Zoro guy to do what he does. But each of us has to have to find our inspiration to give the spirit meaning to be strong."
Luffy looked at the remaining of his beverage. "I've been caught up with this training thing because I wanted to be just as good as my brother. Maybe I have to find out what my inspiration is."
"That's right!" He said as he yawned. "Yeah, when I saw you earlier, I thought 'I wanna paint'!"
"Is that why I'm here!?"
"Nah! But it's better than you cleaning my place again."
He giggled.
"Well, we better get some sleep."
"Sorry about taking your bed."
"Don't worry about it."
"Good night Usopp."
"Night Luffy." He said as he turned out the lamp.
Luffy was up for a little while, thinking about some things before finally falling asleep.
VIII: A Delivery to Him
The next morning both Luffy and Usopp were at a rest stop and the male witch went up to a phone booth to call up Nami, while Usopp was trying to hitch him a ride to the bus stop.
"Hello Bakery." Nami's voice was heard.
They talked for awhile before Nami mentioned a delivery. "I don't know if you're up to it or not."
"No, I'll do it."
"Okay, Luffy, take your time coming back."
"I will."
"And Luffy."
"Yeah?"
"Some guy named Zoro came in asking for you."
"Zoro? He was looking for me?"
"Yeah. He seemed really worried about you. He said he called to see if you were okay and you just hung up on him."
"I'll visit him after I'm done with the delivery."
"Luffy!" Usopp called.
"Gotta go, Usopp found me a ride."
"Okay, take your time."
"Hai!" He hang up the phone and ran to where the care was waiting for him.
"Looks like you won't be taking the bus, this guy is on his way back to the city."
"Hey there!" Said the man with the light blue hair. "The name's Franky."
"I'm Luffy." He said as they shook hands before going in and said his thanks to Usopp.
"Take care of yourself!"
"You too! Try to come by the bakery more often!"
"Will do!"
With that he settled down and listened to the radio.
"Oi, Luffy-san?"
"Hm?"
"You know a Miss Nico Robin, right?"
"Yeah, she lives in the apartment studio next to the bakery."
The man blushed. "R-Really?"
"Uh huh… You know her?"
"From a distance…"
"Huh?"
"Well… you know what a crush is, right?"
Luffy took a moment to have the bits of information to make a realization. "You have a crush on Robin-san?"
The man blushed.
"Does she like you too?"
"I wouldn't know… I never got the courage to say that I would like a simple outing with her, since she's so busy and all…"
"She's really nice, so you don't have to be scared."
"Easier said than done Bro."
"What's the big deal?"
"I don't know…"
"Then ask her. What's the worst thing that can happen?"
The man sighed obviously going to drop the conversation.
Once they were in the city, Franky dropped Luffy off by the house that he had made a delivery sometime ago. "Take care Bro."
"You too, and I'll tell Robin you would like to go out with her." He said as he ran to the front porch before the man could say anything.
He rang the door bell and waited before seeing the old woman again.
"Hello there." She said.
"Hi!" He said as he was mentioned in and led into the living room.
"Hey Luffy." Koby said, a cast on his leg. "Sorry I couldn't stand, I broke my leg a few days ago."
"I even warned him not to go down the steps while they were still wet." The woman said as she left to the kitchen.
"I heard about what happened the other day." Koby said. "Helemppo's father never did like me being friends with his son, but that's in the past now. I made something else to make up for it."
The woman came in with a box and set it down at the table. "Has that thing taken off yet?"
"No, they're still praising it."
"Good." She said as she sat down in a chair in front of the television.
"She likes the idea of air travel." Koby filled in as he mentioned the box. "Would you mind opening it?"
"Sure." He said as he carefully opened the lid to see a small, chocolate iced cake with the white icing of his name and figures of a person on a broom and a reindeer. He looked at the other with a confused look on his face.
"Would you mind delivering that to a neat delivery guy? He was a great help and very kind to us. And would you mind telling me his birthday? I would like to make him another cake."
He felt like crying but he smiled and responded. "Of course! And maybe he would like to know when your birthday is to repay for the cake."
"It's a deal!" Koby said as screams were heard on the television. "What's going on?"
"It's the summer winds." She said with a certain glee. "These winds get strong about this time. It'll go away quickly though."
That's when they heard the branches hitting the window. "Or not."
The screams were louder as the reporter captured and spoke as much as he could as the large mound of people were falling. All but one wasn't on the rope.
"Zoro! That's my friend there!"
"Eh?!" The two said as they saw the dirigible go up in the air carrying the young man and a police car with it.
"Luffy, are you sure that's your friend there?" Koby asked.
"Gotta go!" He said as he ran out of the house.
"Luffy!" Koby called.
"That brat is going to get himself killed." The woman said.
"Luffy will be okay."
"I was talking about the moron that got himself in the air."
"Oh…"
"But Luffy is also in trouble."
"Huh?"
"He lost his ability to fly the other day."
"Nani!? He's going to hurt himself!"
"If he wasn't to save his idiotic friend, let him."
"Luffy…" Koby said as he saw that the wind wasn't letting up like it usually would.
IX: Found Inspiration in a Crisis
Luffy ran out into the street and headed to where the crowd of people were going. He stopped by a car and asked about Zoro's well being.
"All I know is that a police care fell into a pool."
He continued to run, keeping his eye on the floating grey mass until he was told to get out of the way so the police cars and ambulance can get through. He panted as he felt a bit frustrated about being grounded, since he knew he would never get to Zoro if he wasn't able to get to him.
"I'm sorry. Are you okay young man?" Asked a mid aged man , apparently a street sweeper.
When he saw the broom in the man's hand, he knew there was a chance to save Zoro's life. "Excuse me, may I borrow your broom?"
"I'm sor-"
"Thanks!" He grabbed it, ran to the middle of the street, mount it, and focused on finding that one energy, the force that helped him to fly in the first place. He felt it coming back as he felt himself being lifted.
"Fly." He whispered as he shot up into the air and shot across over some buildings. "Gotta hurry!" He said, which the broom responded by falling onto a roof, almost falling towards his own death. He regained his mounting on it , flew through a shopping alley, and back up into the air.
He saw the grey mass object crash into the clock tower as he heard someone yelling. "Zoro!" He called as he tried to make the broom cooperate with him.
By the time he got there he saw the other hanging onto the end of the rope. "Zoro!" He called, making the other look and looked surprised.
"Luffy! You can fly again?"
"I-" He was about to say something as the broom started to get a little out of hand. "Be a good broom!" He said as he tried reaching out to the other, who was also reaching out, seeing that the broom was going to make things hard in this life or death scenario.
"Where the hell did you get that broom!?"
"Later! Right now I have to save your life!"
Both tried to reach before the blood on Zoro's hand, which was grasping tightly on the rope for some time, made it difficult to hold on and his hand slipped.
Luffy dismounted the broom, gaining that extra few inches to grab onto the other's hand, while his other hand held onto the broom like a life line.
"Shit…" Zoro said with a smile. "That actually scared me." He started to laugh as Luffy did as well, feeling the same way.
When they got to the ground, the reporters surrounded them and started asking questions. Both didn't know what to do as a small, brown furry thing managed to get through.
"Luffy!" Chopper called.
"Chopper!" He said as he hugged the small reindeer.
"Young man! What's your name!?" Called out one reporter.
He smiled as he told his name, age, occupation, and the fact that he lives in the bakery, which was suddenly busy the next day.
***
End