SUMMARY: Monkey D. Luffy was just having a short break in a bench when he fell asleep-and woke up in another world where pirates and weird men roam free. What was he to do?

Maybe get some meat.

AU.

(Different!Luffy, Smarter!Luffy, Differentworld!Luffy)


AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is about another world Luffy, so obviously, he'll be quite OOC. But don't worry, he'll fall to the 'correct' character soon enough. If you guys still don't understand the summary, it's about a different(and definitely not a pirate) Luffy going to the One Piece world and witnessing the bizarre things there. This is my first time writing a fic, so excuse me if I have any mistakes!

Also, this shit of a chapter might be boring as hell, but it gets better... I hope. Welp. I mean...this is the prologue. I need to keep it calm.

NOTE: I AM LOOKING FOR A BETA-READER! IF YOU WANT TO BETA READ MY WORK, PLEASE PM (or do whatever) ME! *begs* PLease! I need a beat-reader!

DISCLAIMER: I own One Piece...if hell freezes over.


CHAPTER 1: A NEW START


Crash!

Another empty can of soda fell into the tiled floor, joining more empty cans in their mission to dirty the white tiled floor.

"Luffy! Breakfast is ready!" A man's muffled voice was heard beyond the room. There was no movement at first, but moments later, the pile of blankets resting on the table shifted. A pair of black eyes slowly revealed itself, blinking owlishly as it removed the sleep from it. Blankets fell to the ground in a messy heap, and a small body slowly unfurled itself.

"Crap! It's 8:00 A.M. already?!" A boy stood up abruptly from his stuffy spinning chair and stretched his limbs, each giving a satisfying pop. He groaned, ruffling his messy hair before sweeping past the empty cans, papers, and pens on the floor, not paying any mind to the mess. He ran out of the large room and ran downstairs.

"Good morning, Shanks." He politely greeted.

Shanks grinned. "Luffy." Setting down a plate filled with greasy looking meat, he sat down on the dining table (AN: what a barbarian. Welp, I do that too) and took a long swig.

Luffy nodded and grabbed a piece of meat. His calculating eyes swept pass the room before focusing back on the red haired man who was now opening a bag of chips. "Is Ace out?"

"Yahh, picking fights with delinquents."

"Sabo?"

Shanks waved his hand in a dismissing manner. "Dunno. Probably doing something stupid."

Luffy muttered a soft 'thank you' and continued to chew on the piece of meat. Suddenly, the screeching sound of a chair scratching against the floor made him look up. Shanks was pulling a chair beside him, a serious expression plastered on his normally goofy face.

'Uh-oh. Here comes the talk.' Luffy grinned inwardly, thinking of the contents of the 'talk', before grabbing another piece of meat.

"Luffy..." Shanks started. If there was no context, Luffy would have thought that Shanks would be telling him that he was pregnant judging by how serious his tone sounded.

"Yes?"

"Why won't you go to school?" There was it. The question his guardian kept repeating for the past years. If he had less self-control, he would already bonked Shanks's head for asking such a stupid question.

Luffy resisted a sigh. "Shanks. How many times should I tell you that I don't need those boring education?"

"But-"

"Those high school lessons are like for kindergarten. I've already learnt them when I was eight."

"But-" Shanks protested, but Luffy cut him into it. "And I don't think I need social relationships. Hooking up with a girl would just be impossible. Sorry to burst your bubble, but I've got no interest for them, sorry."

He looked like a kicked puppy. Luffy sighed. "Look." 'How do you say this...' "Shanks, you must have noticed by now, but I can't fit in with society."

Shanks sighed. "...I see...so it's impossible?"

"Yes."

The problem wasn't simply not going to school, he himself knew. It was something deeper, something they both don't want to talk about. Even Ace and Sabo seemed to give up on his 'condition'.

"..."

Silence followed him. Luffy sighed again. This problem was getting out of hand, and if not treated immediately, it might grow to a much bigger problem in the future. "I'll-I'll try to go to school...sometime...when I'm ready...Shanks."

"Really!" Like a sunflower, he shot up, face radiating happiness. "Thank you!"

And with that, he ran out of the house, cheering and shouting all the way. Luffy shook his head and continued to munch on the remaining pieces of meat, which-was not much. Honestly, Shanks acted like a five-year old, and he sometimes wondered which of them was the kid.

He glanced at the wall clock. It was 8:30 A.M.

Maybe he could go back to his laboratory to continue monitoring Ussop's blood cells.


It was in the late afternoon where he stood up from his spinning chair and jotted down the results he got from observing Ussop's blood cells for the whole day. Looking at the results, he concluded that there was no change. He kicked his sandals to the floor and groaned in annoyance. It had been years, yet there was no change in his friend's condition!

He glanced at the setting sun before deciding that visiting his friend would be a good idea.

Running to a small drawer in a dark corner of the room (where all his personal belongings were), he pulled out a white long-sleeved shirt and a pair of clean pants. After putting them on and making sure that his research papers are placed in a box where he could easily see them when he gets back, he opens the window and jumped off.

A few shouts of surprise were heard.

"Woah, kid! That's the third floor!"

"Careful, there!"

He paid them no mind as he landed on the balls of his feet. Continuing his journey, he noticed stares and heard hushed whispers. He was completely left out. What were they whispering about, anyway? Was there something bizarre happening? A part of his mind told him that they were talking about him, but he shot down that idea as fast as it appeared. There was nothing interesting about him to talk about- just a normal scrawny nerdy boy walking down the road.

Scratch that- he was the most boring person one could ever meet. His mind was only filled with knowledge- science, mathematics, you name it. But that's it. Nothing fun.

He snorted. Soon, a large white building came into view. He felt his heart drop as he pushed the glass doors open and walked inside. A lady dressed in a nurse uniform noticed him and bowed. "Sir Luffy! Are you coming to visit your friend?"

Of course the nurse knew the answer, for that was what he always came for, but for the sake of respect, he nodded and answered with a curt 'yes'. Walking pass the nurse, he entered the elevator and pressed the fifth floor, his heart clenching more and more as the floor level went higher. With a ding!, the elevator doors opened and he stepped out.

As soon as he stepped in, all eyes turned to him.

"Sir Luffy!"

All eyes were looking at him like he was a piece of meat being displayed, and frankly, he didn't like it. But their attitude was not questionable, for he was considered a 'hero'. Though he wouldn't agree. "Please, continue what you are doing. I'm just here to visit Ussop."

The doctors bowed and continued their bustling, as the nurse hurried to help the busy doctors.

Luffy continued to journey deeper into the floor level. After many minutes of seemingly endless walking, he arrived on the metal door that was labeled "Do Not Enter-1UO"

He disregarded the warning and marched in the room, not caring of the shocked stares or the surprised doctors. He just strolled into the center of the room, where a frail boy with long nose was lying down in a hospital bed filled with countless machines. The boy was deathly pale, his body just skin and bones. His eyes were closed, and his breathing shallow- wheezing, even.

Luffy bit his lower lip and whispered, "Ussop".

The boy in the bed did not respond, but the heart monitor beside him showed his heartbeat quickening. He took a deep breath and willed himself not to break down seeing his closest friend fighting for his life everyday. Instead, he grabbed Ussop's bony hand and rubbed it against his own.

"I-I hope, I hope you're doing well." Luffy paused before snorting, a stray tear falling down. "Of course you're not. I should be blind to think that you're fine."

"..."

"Anyway, did you know...I promised Shanks I would go to school someday?"

"..."

"You should have seen his face. It was like he went to heaven." Luffy wiped his eyes.

"..."

"Oh, Shanks? He's my guardian that adopted me a few years back..." When you were still healthy.

"..."

"Anyway, he is a fun guy. I hope you can see him one day."

"..."

Luffy smiled, a smile filled with pain and suffering. "Oh. Did you know? I dreamt of the sea again. It was of endless blue, it was insanely big, it was...breathtakingly beautiful. I had many people behind me, like they were supporting me with everything they got. Friendly bunch of people they were. They were just silhouettes, though. "

"..."

"Ah, let me see. There was a guy with green hair, then a handsome man with long legs, a girl who looked like a thief- a friendly thief, then a woman, a fluffy ball, oh- and giant robot. Plus, there was a guy who looked like you. He would have passed off as your twin, you know? Besides them, there were countless people I couldn't remember, but they all looked so sure and confident."

"..."

"You must be laughing right now. Me, the genius loner boy, having a lot of friends."

"..." The heartbeat slowed down.

Luffy's sad smile disappear. "Of course you're my friend. Forever. Right, U-Ussop?"

"..."

"Wake up soon, please."

"..."

Keeping a poker face, Luffy glanced down at Ussop, taking in his features before standing up, steeling his heart and nodding to himself.

"Nurse." A nearby nurse taking Ussop's blood pressure jumped up and hastily bowed. "Yes, Sir Luffy?"

"Take care of Ussop."

"O-Of course!" She stuttered, probably too shocked at the fact that someone considered a 'hero' was talking to her.

Luffy allowed a small smile to slip. "Thanks."

With that, he spared one last look and got out of the stuffy room.


Luffy sat on a bench outside the hospital, a can of his favorite soda on his hand. It seemed like Ussop's condition just got worse, and he was totally helpless against his friend's worsening condition. If only he could help! If he only had more knowledge!

He threw his head back and sighed. Suddenly, as his eyes opened, he was greeted with a vast expanse of the blue sky.

"I want to travel the world!"

"Really? Isn't it like just riding an airplane?"

"No! I want to sail the seas and discover!"

"Like a seaman?"

"See-man?"

"No, Luffy, seaman. It is someone who sails the ocean."

"Nu-uh. I want excitement. Travel. Discover. Comrades. Fight!"

"Ha ha. It this was in the 16th century, I'm sure you would be a pirate!"

"Pirate? I want to be a pirate, Shanks!"

"I don't think there are pirates anymore in these days."

"Pirate pirate pirate!"

"Pirate..huh?" Luffy wryly smiled. As he stared at the blue sky, he stretched out his hand as if to grab the sky. "Rather than pirate, I just want to be free."

"Free". Such a beautiful and relieving word. He just wants to let go of all his problems, all the problems he is carrying. The problems no child should bear. If only there was a choice...

He closed his eyes. Again, a silhouette of a group of people popped into his mind, but he wasn't sure why. It was just another of his childish dream, those dreams that would help him escape reality. Those people, 'friends' of his are just a figment of his imagination, nothing more, nothing less.

But why was he feeling so happy when he sees them?

At some point, he gave in to sleep. What he didn't know was that a simple rest would turn out to be the best thing that happened to him.


It was dark. It was cold.

Cold! Freezing cold! It was putting dry ice all over your body. His skin felt like ice, and his limbs were numb. He tried to move, but he couldn't. Then suddenly, a warm burst of air erupted within him, the heat flowing all over his body, from the innermost of him to his fingertips. Then there was laughter. Loud, obnoxious laughter that grated on his nerves. A distorted image of a large, burly man formed in front of him. The shackles that prevented him from moving broke free, and before he knew it, his hands reached out and crushed the distorted image. Well, tried to, anyway. The image dissipated.

Anger filled him.

Pure anger with no meaning. He didn't know why he was angry, but his body seemed to know.

"Luffy!"

Luffy?

There was someone calling him.

Who?

"LUFFY!"

"LUFFY!"

Eyes snapped open in shock. Luffy took a deep breath, breathing in salty air. What was that about? He silently wondered. Wait. SALTY? He saw blue. Endless blue. A beautiful blue not even the most complex solutions and paints could create. Waves were crashing against a small dinghy. Fishes were swimming in the blue ocean.

His eyes widened.

Was this a dream?

Was he really, really seeing Blue?

No, he reminded himself. It was only a dream, a dream world that only appears before him when he was asleep. A world where he could see Blue. That's right. He fell asleep in front of the hospital, didn't he? How careless of him. But even though it was just a dream, he couldn't stop himself from looking at the endless Blue. Smelling the salty air. Hearing the whispers of the wind. Feeling the soft breeze on his skin.

It felt real.

He felt free.

"LUFFY?!" A voice cut him out of his silent thoughts.

"HM?" He turned around. "Sanji?!"

Truly, the blonde cook who was supposed to be working in a restaurant not far from his house was standing before him, a shocked expression plastered on his face. Though he didn't really consider him as much of a friend like Ussop, Luffy still thought that the cook was a great guy (if you ignore his constant foul language and random kicks).

"Oi oi oi! Why are you crying?!"

"Ah?" He let out an incoherent noise. Crying? Him? His hands reached out to his face; he felt something wet sliding down his cheek. He immediately wiped it away. And was it just his imagination or did his face feel more...rubbery than before?

"No. I'm not. Probably just some dirt." Luffy ignored the back of his mind who agreed with the cook. "And why are you here, Sanji?"

"Hah?!" He raised a (curly) eyebrow. "Are you saying that I shouldn't be here?"

"No, aren't you supposed...!" In the middle of speaking, Luffy lurched forward and fell to the ground. Oddly though, he didn't feel the familiar pain of skin hitting the ground. Instead, he felt like hitting a giant pillow. Weird. As he pushed himself up,it was just then that he noticed that he was on a boat. A REAL BOAT. It was rocking with the sea, following the wind's lead as it journeyed to a place he didn't know.

"W-what is this? Is this some kind of hallucination?! O god!" Luffy wailed. Was his brain that horrible to him? To let him indulge in his dreams of being free then plunging him back to the harsh reality?!

In his peripheral vision, he saw Sanji running to him. "Oi! Luffy!"

He faced Sanji and looked at him in the eye. Now that he noticed it, he looked a bit different- wilder, stronger, happier. "Ne, Sanji. Am I having olfactory, visual, and auditory hallucinations right now? You shouldn't be here! Blue should be here! There shouldn't be a boat! Cause if I am, please snap me out of this self-induced torture. I-I can't bear to see freedom that I know I will never have." A tear slipped from his eye.

Sanji's visible eye widened. "Are you okay? You're spouting strange things that Luffy wouldn't say. You're not dying, aren't you?!"

"No." Luffy sighed. "Sorry. It's just that I think I'm seeing me in a boat right now, traversing the ocean."

Sanji snorted. "Well yeah, that's because you are. Did you forget your memories or something? Because I won't follow an amnesiac captain."

Captain?

"Captain?"

A loud roar interrupted Sanji from replying. Looking up, Luffy froze. In front of them, hovering over the boat, was large fish(?), cow(?) with bony scales littering it's slimy body looming over them with a fierce expression.

Fear.He never seen such a large animal! Moreover, it looks ready to kill. He tried to move, but his feet wouldn't obey at all, and his hands seemed content staying limp at his sides. As the animal roared, he felt like he was being drenched in ice cold water.

"Get...out!" Sanji kicked the large animal in it's stomach(?) and sent it tumbling on the angry waves.

"What was that?" He choked out.

"It's coming back!" A man he didn't know cowered beside him. Just like that man, he felt like a coward, and he want to hide somewhere safe, like his laboratory.

As the large unknown animal came back, he saw the scales shine like rare jewel when the sunlight struck it's body. That piped his curiosity.

'I wonder what the composition of that scale is? No, more importantly, is that animal a hybrid of a cow and a fish? I need to research more about it. I need materials. For now- mission- get that scale.' And just like that, Luffy's fear of the cowfish completely disappeared. Well, he wasn't supposed to be afraid of something weaker than him, anyway.

Luffy grinned his famous-I-see-a-research-material-and-I'm-going-to-get-it-at-any-cost grin.

Time to get to work.


After getting a makeshift knife from a dirty plate, Luffy went near the cowfish and told Sanji to get out.

"You," Luffy eyed the cowfish up and down like a predator "are something veery interesting. Please stay still and let me get some of your beautiful scales, ne?"

The cowfish started to sweat as it slowly backed away from the scary human holding a dinner knife.

With speed he didn't know he had, Luffy sprinted towards the cowfish and started to cut its scales skillfully, careful not to cut the skin underneath. After a while of cutting, he stopped his movement and brought the dinner knife down. Small scales rained down on him.

As he saw the shining scale on the ground, he grinned. "Thanks for cooperating with me!"

The cow sweated bullets, nodded, and swam away faster than any fish could.

Luffy looked at his newest research material and rubbed his hands in excitement.'But wait. If I'm hallucinating, how could I know which is real or not? Ah! So confusing! For now let's just take these scales somewhere safe.'

What he didn't know, in his excitement, he didn't notice his hand stretching a bit and snapping back.


Sanji and the other man looked at him weirdly.

"Who are you and what have you done with Luffy?!"

Luffy looked at Sanji and blinked his eyes as innocently as he could. That always work with the cook. "I'm Monkey D. Luffy..."

"..."

"...what?" Sanji was starting to weird him out.

"Won't you add your famous line?" He pointed out.

"Uhh...famous line?" He tilted his head. He had a what now?

"Your dream,"

"...Be free?"

"I knew it!" Sanji harrumphed and pointed an accusing finger at him. "You're an impostor! Luffy couldn't cut to save his life, he wouldn't be spouting nerdy things, and he would always announce his dream to the whole world!"

"What the fuck is my dream!" He was starting to lose patience with Sanji- well, hallucination Sanji.

"To be the pirate king!" Sanji said in a -duh- tone, as if he was talking about the weather. Behind him, the man nodded with vigor.

P-Pirate King?!

Oh shit. His hallucination is getting out of hand.


HAHAHA. LOL.

I don't know what to say about this thing.

I think I'm the first one to make this type of Luffy-falling-into-One-Piece-world. Poor Luffy. He had to live a boring life. Well, at least he is smart. And poor Ussop! *wails* Dont get me wrong, I ABSOLUTELY love Ussop, it's just I need to do this to add to the drama.

Ha. As if there is drama, girl.


AN: YEY! One chapter done!

Please leave a review to tell me about what you think! Should I continue this story or not?

(If I don't get anything, I'll assume no one likes this so I'll take this story down).

YOUR REVIEWS ARE IMPORTANT GODDAMMIT.

~Heartless and Homeless