Luffy is seven, and fishing with his brothers.
"Luffy!" Ace snaps impatiently. "Stop fidgeting so much, you're going to startle the fish!"
"But Aaace," Luffy whines. It feels like it's been days since his last meal, he's so hungry. "I want to eat."
"Then stop moving around so much and help us catch a fish!" Ace releases his fishing rod with one hand and bops Luffy on the head with the other. He settles down moodily, a scowl still present on his face.
Luffy pouts, trying to ignore the pain from his head and the tears welling up in his eyes because crying only makes Ace angrier. He sniffles a couple of times, and Sabo shoots him a few concerned looks, but no one speaks for a long time.
That is, until Luffy gets bored again.
"Hey, this time, can I have something besides the tail?" Luffy asks hopefully.
"No," Ace answers immediately.
"But Ace!" Luffy's voice picks up a whine again, less childish this time, but a whine nonetheless. "I'm starving! I want to eat the juicy, meaty parts!" He begins to salivate at the very idea.
"You're the little brother," Ace reminds him, a smug smile of superiority breaking across his face. "The older brothers are bigger and need more meat than the little brother."
"Sabo!" Luffy changes his tactics, trying to appeal to his more reasonable brother. More often than not, Sabo takes Ace's side anyway, but it's worth a try. "Please let me have the meaty part?"
It seems to work, and Sabo poses thoughtfully for a moment, one finger tapping against his chin as he weighs his options.
"I suppose it would be fair for Luffy to eat more," Sabo begins, and for one moment Luffy radiates happiness while Ace seems to deflate in defeat.
"If he can catch a fish," he finishes, looking at Luffy seriously. "A man must always earn his meal," he nods wisely.
Neither Ace nor Sabo have ever seen Luffy sit so still; he is the model fisherman, determined to catch his fish. Both older brothers scramble to follow his lead, and the three young boys become unusually still and calm.
Luffy feels the tug on his line. It worked! Careful not to lose his catch, Luffy starts to pull it in, slow and steady, the way he's seen his brothers do a hundred times before. Once it gets close enough, it breaks the water with a mighty splash, thrashing and lurching, attempting to free itself from the line. Both Ace and Sabo move to assist. The idea of this being a competition is gone; now it's a fight for their dinner.
The boys win, and the fish's impressive body slaps against dirt of the outcrop they are sitting on.
"It's huge!" Luffy declares, a beaming smile on his face. "Let's eat!"
Ace divides the fish up, giving Sabo the large slab of the meat right behind the head. For himself he takes the next section, leaving Luffy with the barest amount of meat at the tail. There's silence as Ace starts to eat, taking a large bite out of his portion of the food and chewing happily for a moment before he notices he's the only one eating.
Luffy is watching him with anger in his eyes - anger that he's never felt before. It isn't just anger either; he's hurt, and Ace is a liar, and now he doesn't know what to feel. Sabo is looking at Ace too, the disapproving look that Sabo gives when you did something really wrong, so Luffy knows it's not just him.
"What?" Ace asks around his mouthful of food.
"I caught the fish," Luffy reminds him sourly.
Luffy can see the realization dawning on his brother. The bite of fish seems to get lodged in Ace's throat for a moment as his older brother's eyes widen. He watches Ace look at Sabo as if expecting the other boy to disagree with Luffy, but Sabo continues to give Ace that same displeased look.
Finally, Ace sighs. "Fine," he says, tossing the remainder of his portion to Luffy, taking the fish tail for himself instead.
Luffy happily eats his meatier section. It's a softer meat than the tail, flaking apart in his mouth, and it's twice as delicious. He beams at Ace, and the freckled boy sulkily chews at the tougher meat.
This is the first time Luffy ever gets to eat something other than the tail, and Ace will be making sure it's the last time for a long while as well.
Luffy is thirteen, and hunting with Ace.
"Why does it have to be a bear?" Luffy asks curiously.
"Because," Ace pauses to investigate a track. "It's a lot of meat."
"So?" Luffy frowns. "Why can't we just get a deer or a few rabbits or something?"
"Because, idiot, this should last everyone a while," Ace answers.
"Why does it have to last?" Luffy is getting frustrated now. "I'm hungry! We can just bring a few rabbits back or get some fish, and then tomorrow we can—" He cuts himself off.
Tomorrow Luffy will be on his own, because tomorrow is Ace's seventeenth birthday, and Ace is going to set off to become a pirate. It's what they've always planned on, Luffy just didn't expect the day to come so fast.
"Stuuupid," Ace laughs, dragging out the word to really rub it in.
They find the bear not too long after that, and their last hunting trip together is over far too soon for Luffy's liking. He doesn't say this out loud though, because he's too old to be crying to Ace anymore, and he knows it.
"Hey, Luffy," Ace calls his attention. He's smiling, but Luffy can see the hint of sadness in his brother's eyes too. "Make sure you share this with Dadan and the others."
Luffy doesn't protest as he usually would. Tomorrow Ace will be gone, and this might be the last request he makes of Luffy for a long time.
"Of course," Luffy assures his brother with a beaming smile. "Now let's hurry up, I'm starving!"
Luffy is seventeen, and he's finally on his way.
So the ship is just a dinghy, and their celebratory meal consists of an apple and water that he drinks from the palm of his hand because who would have thought he needed to pack a cup? It's not exactly what he has in mind for his future in pirating, but he's well on his way.
The green-haired man that joined him from the last island is eating with him, and it's the first meal Luffy's shared with someone since he set off to sea. Not only that, it's his first meal with his crew, even if his crew only consists of one grumpy guy who sleeps a lot. Zoro looks really cool with his swords though, and Luffy knows he's picked a really good crewmember.
He cups his hand and drinks a mouthful of water to celebrate his success in finding a crew member and drinks another because he's going to find a lot more really soon, he can feel it.
Luffy is seventeen, and he just declared war on the world government.
That old Ice-guy really knows how to throw a party! Things are in full swing, and Sanji's fried up more than enough meat for everyone. Even Luffy feels full for a moment, until he joins the others in dancing and finds himself ravenously hungry again after a few minutes. It's okay though, Sanji has cooked lots, and not even the usually irritable chef is in bad spirits tonight.
They have their nakama back, safe and sound. Well, Robin anyway. Usopp's gone missing again, but Luffy knows he was there, helping them out when he was needed, so he knows Usopp will join them again. Luffy feels better now than he had in days.
Robin is sitting off to the side, watching the festivities unfold. She doesn't look sad: in fact, her smile looks rather peaceful, and she seems happy. It's just not her personality to join in to loud parties. But this party is for her, and Robin should at least eat some meat.
"Robin!" Luffy greets, joining her. "You're not going to join the party?"
"I am joining in, captain," she holds her mug up to him; a small amount of beer swirls inside, but Luffy suspects it was never really full to begin with.
"Not by sitting here!" He complains. He tugs at her arm a bit, trying to lead her out to the dance floor where the party is in full effect. She's not moving though, and after a moment he gives up with a pout. He's not letting her sit here alone all night; if he has to, he'll bring some meat over and sit with her.
He's thinking about doing just that when she speaks again.
"Declaring war on the world government was a big move," she says. "I believe that will bring us many hardships down the road. I hope you're prepared for that."
Luffy laughs, feeling slightly proud of himself. He did do something like that, didn't he? He wasn't thinking of it at the time, he just wanted his nakama back, but hearing about it now sounds so cool!
"I'm not worried about stuff like that," he assures her. "We're pirates! We're supposed to make enemies!"
Robin looks a little surprised for a moment before she laughs; a full, honest laugh. It is a sound he hasn't heard Robin make before, at least not like this.
"Thank you, Luffy," she says, giving him a secret smile.
"Of course!" He laughs. "Now… let's party!"
Luffy is seventeen, and he feels better than ever.
He can't really explain it. Usually after being knocked around that much and falling unconscious, Luffy would feel pretty terrible when he woke up. This time, however, he feels great! Like all of his worries and troubles and pains both physical and mental have been lifted. He feels well rested and recharged.
Zoro is still unconscious, and while Luffy isn't happy to see him like that, he knows nothing can kill his swordsman. If Zoro died, he'd be admitting defeat to Death, and Zoro promised he wouldn't lose again. So, Zoro will be fine, and after spending a little time talking to his unconscious first mate, Luffy decides it's time to party.
Luffy joins in with Franky's dancing, sings along with the crowd of his new friends, and manages to play an elaborate game of tag with Usopp and Chopper. He can't remember ever feeling so good, and he suddenly feels like he has more energy than usual.
He hears Brook's backstory and knows the skeletal musician will be an excellent addition to their crew. They've even met Laboon before! What are the odds of their running into Brook here? Luffy can't be sure, but having Brook join their crew is going to be great.
After several rounds of "Bink's Sake" he's even happier to have found Brook. Luffy feels great and finally has the musician he's always wanted. Things have never been better.
Luffy is seventeen, and he has lost everything.
"You need to eat, Luffy-kun," Jinbe encourages.
Luffy obeys, biting off a chunk of the meat Hancock has brought for him. He chews it thoroughly, but it still goes down rough, scraping painfully down his raw, constricted throat.
In a matter of days, he's managed to lose everything. His crew first, one by one, were sent away right before his eyes. They were blasted away to who knows where, and he was powerless to stop it. Useless; he couldn't even protect one of them.
His brother next. Ace was right there, running side by side with him. Luffy thought the hard part was over when Ace was freed from those shackles. Maybe it was that attitude that made him complacent. Maybe that complacency was the reason Ace was dead. He got to hear his brother's final words as he bled out in Luffy's arms. He was sure he'd never forget the feel of the blood slipping between his useless fingertips.
Everything he's fought to protect and loved dearly was gone. He was alone now: his crew, his brothers, everyone was gone.
"Luffy," Jinbe scolds, and Luffy takes another bite.
All hope isn't lost though. As Jinbe reminded him, his crew is still alive. He knows they are, because he picked them. His friends are strong, and all of them have dreams they need to live for. They wouldn't die, and in time he'll see them again. For now he needs to get his strength back. He'll recover. He'll train and become stronger. He'll see his friends again.
That in mind, he takes another bite, this time with more enthusiasm. The food still goes down a little rough, he must have damaged his throat somehow, but it's not as bad, and this time he's able to make out the flavors in it. He takes another, and another, and soon the whole leg of meat he's been eating is picked to the bone. He reaches for another.
He will see his friends again.
Luffy is nineteen, and tomorrow he gets to leave this island.
It's been two long years. Well, he supposes they were long to someone. For him they were lost in a whirl of training that seemed to fly by. There were hard days, days that seemed to drag on forever, days lost in pain and fatigue, but all in all, they seem to have gone by rather quickly.
Across the fire that he's lit, he can see his hat sitting on the rock where he left it two years ago. It looks slightly weather worn, but nothing Nami can't patch up in a snap. All in all, it's faired pretty well, much better than it probably would have if he'd kept it on his head. Rayleigh must have protected it in the beginning, keeping it safe from the various creatures that probably would have been curious enough to carry it away.
Luffy keeps it safe under his own power now. All the animals that live here know better than to mess with him, and learned to leave his hat alone by extension.
He pulls the roasting meat from the spit he's created and takes a bite. It's a little bland, but meat nonetheless. He misses Sanji's cooking, that much is for sure, and he can't wait to see what his cook has accomplished these past two years.
Yes, tomorrow he gets to don that hat again. He wonders what it will be like. For the first few weeks without it he felt really strange, kind of naked. He wonders if putting it on again is going to feel weird, like he's overdressed. He's really missed that hat though, so he doubts it.
Just eight more hours. He'll be up at dawn and ready to go. He can't wait.
Luffy is nineteen, and has his nakama again.
"Luffy!" Usopp complains. "Did you have to eat the last of the hamburger?!"
Luffy laughs around a mouthful of food, but he's quickly silenced by a foot to his head. Luffy recovers just in time to see Sanji's disapproving look.
"I'll make some more, Usopp," the cook assures the long-nosed man.
Luffy cheers, but Sanji silences him again with another look. He can't help it. Sanji's cooking really has improved in two years. What was good before is even better now, and Luffy can't contain his excitement to get to eat more.
Two years… looking at his nakama gathered around the table, he can really see how much time has passed. It didn't seem very long, but it was long enough for Zoro to lose an eye and for Nami to grow her hair out. Usopp has really gotten strong in the last two years, and Luffy never knew Sanji's eyebrows curled that way! Franky is so cool now, with his giant robot body, and after dinner Luffy can't wait to see what other cool things he can do.
Some of the changes aren't so physically apparent. Robin's hair has grown too, like Nami's, but she is more relaxed and open as well. Chopper looks about the same, but he doesn't hide as much, and he isn't as timid as he was in the past. Brook hasn't changed at all, but he seems to be more caught up with the times.
He can see the differences two years have made in his nakama, and he wonders what differences they can see in him.
"Luffy?" Chopper asks, suddenly sounding concerned. Their little doctor's concern brings silence to the galley as the rest of the crew stops to make sure their captain is okay. "Is something wrong? You haven't touched that plate Sanji brought you."
Luffy looks down, surprised to see a plate of meat, neatly stripped and nicely seasoned, sitting in front of him. It smells divine, but he hadn't even noticed it until now. Across from him, Usopp has a helping as well, but he's not even guarding it at the moment, too preoccupied with Luffy's behavior.
Luffy laughs, loud and boisterous, before snagging some of the meat from Usopp's plate. He manages to get some from Nami and Brook as well, but Robin is quick to cover hers with a pair of hands, and everyone else wizens up by then.
Through a mouthful of food and under a chorus of swearing and complains, Luffy shouts.
"I'm just happy to see everyone again!"
A/N: I wanted to include about 100 more of these, for every important event and major victory Luffy overcame, and I had a huge list of them. Then I forced myself to narrow it down. All of them were food-oriented, yes, and the title contains "meat" instead of "melancholy" because I doubt Luffy even knows what "melancholy" means or would ever use such a word. Meat is way more important.