Number One
It had been a nice day, with beautiful sunlight, a glorious breeze, and the small patches of grass as green as could be, and Luffy had left his bedroom window open to soak in nature. It was only on days like this where his neighborhood looked nice. He didn't quite know what it was, but the sun could make even the worst Detroit or Gary neighborhood look charming in one form or another. However, that beauty faded by the evening and the clouds gave way to gentle rain. The wet concrete soon became the spokesperson of Luffy's mood- dark and waterlogged.
Even though it was raining, Luffy still half-way enjoyed the pleasing sound, and so he decided to leave his window open with the curtain partly drawn. The smell that lifted up to his face was pleasant and refreshing- so long as he didn't have to look at the darkness it was turning his home into, he could manage.
He had been working on a summer geography project off and on with his atlas for about an hour when he began to hear the "thunk" of an approaching basketball headed to the court across from Luffy's house. It was interrupting the mojo of the environment, and Luffy pulled back the curtain and threw a disdained look out at whoever was causing the ruckus. Why would they want to play when it was raining anyway?
The subject of attention was a tall man alone with his friend, pants sagging and bare-chested with hair put back in a bandana. He had a large tattoo across his shoulders that covered a long, jagged scar, and Luffy could tell, even from behind, that his whole upper body was ripped. It seemed as if it never occurred to the man that it was raining on him. Luffy noted how pale he was, but nonetheless the first thought that popped in his head was "gang". It did not matter to Luffy who was and wasn't in a gang; even if his swagger and thug-status was undeniable, the "thug" was being annoying. Luffy regretfully closed his window and gave the red-headed man one last glance before refocusing.
That task seemed to be harder than he had previously thought.
As the sun passed on along with the time, the park lights came on across the street, and while Luffy stood up to go to the bathroom, his curiosity got the better of him. Leaning on the sill, Luffy peeked over at the court. He saw the two men still across the way, playing with several other neighborhood regulars that had wandered out and joined them. Luffy found himself in a trance standing at his window, watching the one dribble and bump, turning with a lay-up. Taking off his bandanna, he ran a pale hand through his wet hair and tucked the bandanna into the side of his boxers. Luffy caught himself smiling and turned away, shaking his head. Of all people, why was he, this pale gangster, the object of his fascination?