Translation notes: Pai - Dad, Tio - Uncle, Avo - Grandfather, Dragao - Dragon, Mongas - Monkey. Ironically Mongas is also a fusion of Monkey and Portgas. So that was convenient.
They thought he was stupid, but that was far from the case. Luffy zoned in on the soccer ball before him, ran the three paces between him and the ball, planted his left foot at a forty-five, and then swung his right foot forward. His foot connected with the ball on his instep, sending the sphere into the top left corner of the net with a satisfying swish. It was getting late, but Luffy knew no one would be home. Luffy hated coming home to an empty house much too big for him to fill on his own.
Luffy sighed and gazed at the ball in the net before scanning his surroundings, his thoughts picking back up where they'd left off. He wasn't stupid. He knew why they had left Brazil, but he was frustrated that they'd felt the need to lie to him. That they thought he was a fragile child who couldn't handle the knowledge that both his Pai and Tio had been criminals. He knows why Avo came back from America to take him and Ace into custody and bring them back with him to the states. Luffy might have been seven back then, but he knew. He'd always known. They didn't need to hide it, but he would let them.
Luffy pulled the ball out of the net with the toe of his cleat and kicked it across the open soccer field, chasing after it with gritted teeth. It had been almost ten years since they came to America and they still continued to hold up that fake Façade, pretending that Dragao and Roger didn't get taken in for illegal trade. Slaves, drugs, you name it and that was their supposed crime. Luffy had a feeling that that wasn't the case, but it hardly mattered anymore. It was pathetic that they'd always insisted on telling him about how great his father was and how beautiful his mother was, but Luffy was glad that they'd finally stopped lying about his father at least.
Luffy knew everything, but he'd keep pretending that he didn't if it made them happy. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before sending the ball back towards the net again with a powerful kick, channeling all of his emotions into that single sweep of his foot. The ball flew true, right into the top left corner of the net with another satisfying swish.
"Mr. Mongas!" A young voice called from the sidelines as Luffy stopped mid-pursuit of his soccer ball. "You're really good at that!" the voice continued.
Luffy's lips curled up into his iconic grin as he recognized one of the girls from the elementary school latchkey program. "Thanks, Mocha! Shishishi."
"Do you think you can teach me?" the little first grader asked, eyes sparkling with hope.
"Sure I can!" Luffy accepted as he approached her. "You just gotta make sure that it's okay with your mom first and maybe you can join my soccer club, yeah?" Luffy negotiated as he crouched in front of her.
A grin immediately formed on Mocha's face and she squealed in excitement. "Mom! Mom!"
Luffy smiled, eyes following the little girl's path to her waiting mother. Even if Luffy felt as if his world was drifting away from him, he'd always smile for the children. They were very impressionable, after all.
