Little Traveler

AN: I'm way too inspired by both story and song of Little Traveler. No, before you guys have a big misunderstanding, I refer the title as a story tale of a certain place that I've forgotten which one it is, not other stuffs. I bet some people know about the story. They say it's a cute, touching tale of a little boy's experience during his wonderful journey. About the song, Little Traveler is sung by Hatsune Miku, a Vocaloid Diva. In this fanfic of mine, it is, of course, very different than the original plot. It's all about our beloved little Luffy with his caring brothers and his dear nakama.

Disclaimer: One Piece is not mine…Damn it :P

CH 1: You're My Brothers!

Monkey D Luffy had been left all alone by his own right after his family met an unexpected death. His grandfather, parents, and guardian were killed in an explosion of their car one day, though it was supposedly to be foreseen. Considered that the males in D family always fighting for justice and human rights, no matter if they had to oppose the current government or world system, preparing for the worst was probably had been their verdict for as long as they lived. The grandfather Garp, father Dragon, together with Luffy's godfather Shanks as their fellow activist were top names as revolutionists heavily hated by the authorities.

Little Luffy, being seven years old, cried helplessly once he heard the ill-fated update from Makino, a considerate neighbour girl. Not that he cared the lady luck got to his side for he was unable to follow them at the moment due to his increasing fever, made him hang around temporarily at Makino's abode. He knew so well, if people died, they would never come back.

Losing his whole family, Luffy wept and mourned for them day and night, thinking there would be no more gentle voices to keep him calm whenever he was scared, to lull him to sleep with several bedtime stories, to soothe him after he got bullied, to call him worriedly everytime he went missing in purpose, and those compassionate hands in which always hugging him with domestic love, patting his head for his every success attempt in doing things, making various delicious food and beverages just for him, tracing circles on his back to ease his fretfulness away, and…and lots of others he might get if they were still here beside him.

And Shanks…Before he got into the car with Luffy's family that hateful day, he entrusted his wornout strawhat – his treasure, his dream, his motivation – to the boy without hesitation. Now, Luffy carried on his life with those on his shoulder figuratively, on his head literally.

Feeling both sympathy and empathy towards the poor child, the young fifteen-year-old Makino begged her tenacious single mother to adopt Luffy. Obviously, Curly Dadan refused in an instant, her hands were burnt already by another troublesome brat she had picked up from a ruthless street decade ago. Regret still lingered from the first day she allowed the kid stayed in her house till today.

The distressed parent had her solid reason of course, though she could not have it any other way when her one and only daughter decided to wage her overseas scholarship study with Luffy's espousal. Finally agreed albeit reluctantly, Dadan brought the raven haired boy in, reminded him each rule and regulation to be executed without question immediately under her care. If he dared to break it, punishment awaited the youngster. Nonetheless, Makino comprehended her loving mother detailed than anyone else, for a concrete fact that Dadan was very, very rare to bestow such predicament on an orphan boy.

It was when Luffy opened the door to his room, his hazelnut eyes met a rather dark chocolate one. The owner of those pair of irises was sitting cross-legged on a bed while facing him with an unsatisfied scowl, hugging himself in angry manner. Luffy could make out the other's face despite of the dim light in the particular room, he had freckles on cheeks, same jet-black hair with Luffy's but wavier and a bit longer, and perhaps his height was taller as well.

Delight as there was a boy of almost the same age as him, the former held out a hand for greeting, "Hi! I'm Monkey D Luffy! What's yours? And can we be friend?"

"Don't get too close to me."

It was an unanticipated answer came from the other, yet little Luffy ignored it and kept grinning like a kid whom got his favourite toy. His tiny hand had not retracted, hoping that his reception would be reciprocated by his friend-to-be in a matter of minutes. The freckled boy got up swiftly and stepped in front of Luffy while casted a deadly glare to him.

"One word to me and you'll be dead," just like that, he exited the room without spared a glance back, leaving the baffled parentless child at the entrance door. Luffy supressed his disappointment and sob, not letting the other's cold attitude got him good enough to breakdown his will. He had determined to make the wavy haired male his nakama no matter what.

Ever since then, Luffy would tail his target anywhere almost every single passing day. Thanks to Makino, he got to know the other's name; Ace, Portgas D Ace if he was not mistaken, three years older than him, and also an orphan. Now that the shaded green haired girl had gone abroad to pursue her sponsored study, Luffy had to put more effort on his own of understanding the hard-headed Ace, whom relentlessly gave a lot of hard times to him, bullied him, lied to him, and any other cruel behaviours the elder could think of.

At first, Dadan was quite concerned when she saw Luffy returned home with cuts and bruises all over his body each time he followed Ace outside, nevertheless what had her stunned was the boy's D smile shone brightly under the daylight notwithstanding his messed up form. She could sense Luffy's wish would eventually come true, his virtuousness and persistence should be able to tear down the so-called unbreakable wall that guarded the stoned-face Ace. Silently, she prayed for the cheerful kid.

Ace became soft to Luffy when Sabo was introduced to the little one, well, unintentionally. His best friend was blond haired, kind-hearted but a skillful fighter, whose lineage was one of the prestigious noble families respected throughout the country. In spite those fabled title, Sabo disliked their single-minded line of thinking, merciless to the poor and off standard. He met Ace during one of his runaway-from-suffocating-villa routines.

It was an accident actually as it happened, Sabo was just about to turn to a corner of a certain old building to meet Ace when both freckled face boy and Luffy ran in his direction. They three bumped to each other with a very loud hit, all sprawled on the ground. Rather surprised for having a boy in his arms, Sabo stared at Luffy with interest, huffed out a few groans courtesy of his sore arse, and beamed sincerely to him before he held his sight to the grumbled Ace next to him.

"Hey Ace! Is this the little Luffy you've been badgering about this whole month? He's cute, haha."

"Yeah. That's him. Just a troublesome twerp."

Sabo quirked one of his eyebrows, "Nah. Don't say that. Luffy, isn't it? I'm Sabo, Ace's nakama. Same age as him. Aww, your strawhat have crumpled. Here."

"Th – thanks…Sabo. Shishishi. Yup, I'm Luffy, nice to meet ya!" Luffy replied with eagerness and extended his hand for a shake, luckily responded by his new acquaintance. This however, got Ace to be irritated for an unknown cause.

"Are you hurt somewhere? It's a pretty hard knock, ya know," the noble son asked troublingly, they had to head to the clinic fast if Luffy injured himself. Relief washed him over since the strawhatted boy smiled widely to him instead. "Ohh damn, you're way too adorable~ haha," Sabo declared while playfully pinched Luffy's cheeks to raw.

Ace pursed his mouth to the scene, "Quit it, Sabo. It looks weird."

"Duh, Ace, aren't you being jealous right now?"

"No, am not!"

"The harder you deny it," smirking mischievously to the stubborn-idiot friend of his, Sabo continued, "the closer it is to be the truth."

Somehow Luffy inoffensively piped in, "Really?"

"Shut up, brat!"

Luffy clamped his lips tight, shock expression on his façade shown plainly which made the blond sent a warning glower to Ace, disapproving the harsh words uttered to the pitiful kid. Sabo then turned his head towards Luffy, ruffled his dishevel hair for any dirt or dust, until he noticed a downward arch scar under the youngster's left eye. Ace had told him, with a hint of guilty, that he by mistake had wounded the boy's face there due to his uncontrollable anger. Such motion caused a permanent mark as well in Ace's heart, thus he began to take it easy on Luffy, no more bullying, no more violent contact.

"Eventhough Ace has been nothing but being meanie to you, why're you always following him around?" Sabo inquired, flouting Ace's protest of Oi, I'm still here.

Straightforwardly, Luffy retorted, "Because I don't wanna be alone!"

His outburst got the other two's full attention to him. As realization dawned on him of how his family was no longer there for him, Luffy howled like a newborn baby. The loneliness he felt after that was inexpressible, they had spoiled him so much before, to the point he could not grasp the fact he had to stand on his feet all by himself in a sudden. He severely needed a friend, a partner, a family. Plus, as a son of a wanted man, his life was in danger for every second.

"Right…" the gentlest boy absently trailed off, for he understood such kind of emotion. Sabo steal a glimpse to Ace, whom presently gazed Luffy with optimism. "That means, if Ace isn't here, it's bad, is it?"

Luffy nodded in keen, still sobbing profusely as his tears poured down like a river. "You… basically want me to live?" it was Ace's question this time, and he received the same gesture. "Although I…I –"

"Ace's dad is a real fierce criminal, Luffy. You don't mind?"

"Sabo!"

It sparked a small dispute amid the two kids while Luffy just watched them outside the line, already stopped crying. That was it, huh? Was that why Ace had distanced himself from him, importunately rejected to be his friend throughout those days? Little Luffy was too young, so he could not identify what was wrong with it, nor to relate two things together. Ace was Ace, his parent was his parent. Only that.

In between their brawl, the raven haired child sort of shouted out to them, "Why's that matter? I like Ace just the way he is! Shishishi."

The acquitted sentence halted the fight and had the other black locks boy blushed in embarrassment, to many things he predicted, certainly that was not in the list. Ace would never ever admit it yet he felt too happy to object right away. Unconsciously, silence got him, made him speechless and only managed to gape at Luffy. Meanwhile, Sabo let out a pleasant laugh, really, he loved the youngest fella by now.

Ace changed his sitting position, letting his back faced the others to hide his reddening mien. Seeing this, the blond lightly elbowed Luffy at his side, urging him to do something. The kid cleared his throat a bit, and mustered his bravery once more to utter an offer for the thousandth times, "Ace…? Will you be my friend?"

"…Just so you know, I hate crybaby and weakling."

Luffy beamed joyfully over the reply, the one he had waited for an entire solid month to hear from the older's mouth. Enthusiastically, he jumped here and there, hands threw up in the air as if he had won a tough contest, screamed several words about Ace and friend and some kind plus running in circle near them. Sweat dropped from sides of Ace's face whereas Sabo grinned as he shared the similar sentiment with Luffy. Feeling glad for him additionally. For Luffy, it was the happiest day he had since the departure of his dear family.

Three of them became close, much closer than day one. Spending time together everyday was very exciting and full of adventures, especially for Luffy as he rarely got to explore out in the field from the moment he was born, all for his safety and well-being. His mother had explained somewhat in regard to it but such memory was too vague for him to reminiscence again, thus he overlooked it for momentary.

They would play a prank on Dadan in occasion, earned them a big lump on their heads each from her powerful fist by the way. Oddly enough, they also learned how to fight, more to how to defend themselves whenever they might tangle in a risky situation. Nobody taught them martial arts, they simply observed other people did their training wherever and carried them out in hidden.

After weeks of outlaying time together, Ace decided to make a vow among them. A precise meaningful vow, declaring them three as brothers. Sabo had been thinking the exact equivalent thing, and Luffy's eyes glittered with awe to the idea. To materialise such oath, Ace took an example of Japanese culture, by drinking sweet 'sake' from the same bottle with all of them. Courtesy of Sabo, they got their hands on the said 'sake' and drank it. The sugary taste of its water symbolised their saccharine sibling relationship.

"Starting today, we're BROTHERS!"

Later on, Dadan's amazement slowly turned to a tender look as they told her one evening they had leveled up to be siblings and no one could alter the point. She phoned her daughter that night to convey the news to cease her worries on Luffy.

Makino cried.

AN: Review this or PM me if you feel like it, dear readers (-,-)/ The next chappy will be out about one or two weeks later. (If you notice, my English writing style is mixed up with both nuances; American & British, though i don't care which one HAAHAHAHA...ehem...)