Hello there nakamas!
I'm amazed at the response I've got after the first chapter, and it was only the prologue, I really appreciate it. So I sure hope you enjoy this chapter.
This chapter isn't beta read, sorry; my beta Hana-chan is been sick for a while, so Hana get better soon! In the meantime if you guys find any grammatical horror tell me, I'll try to fix it :)
As if Fell From the Sky
Chapter I: Introduction
The crew surrounded the "crash" area and stood frozen for several seconds while trying to comprehend where this child had come from. Zoro glanced back and forth towards the sea but he couldn't see any ship nearby, the island where they were currently anchored at, Long Ring Long Island didn't have any living person on it since the old man with the stilts had left days before.
Luffy's muffled voice could be heard complaining below the broken deck boards while he squirmed around trying to free his head. It was as if action started all over again, because Chopper got into his doctor mode when he noticed the injury on the child's head.
"Where did this child came from?" Nami screamed in shock while Chopper handled the child carefully.
"That isn't important right now Nami, this child is hurt! He has a concussion. Usopp, quickly, bring me my backpack! Nami, help me with his head!" The navigator had no other choice but to comply with the doctor's orders, carefully easing the child's head on her lap-
While this was going on, Sanji and Zoro were pulling Luffy's legs trying to free their captain's head. Luffy kept shouting something but nobody understood his words.
On the other hand, Nami just watched the child's face silently, a face extremely familiar, but young and without a scar on the cheek, she combed the child's bangs away from his eyes with her fingers, a movement born of pure instinct.
"He banged his temple real hard when he fell, but luckily Luffy's body absorbed most of the impact… I don't see any fractures or other type of injury" Chopper said professionally in his doctor mode, more for himself to keep a check list than for the sake of the others around him.
Finally, the cook and the swordsman managed to free their captain from his silly imprisonment while the rubber boy just scratched his head while looking at the new arrival.
"Who is he?"
Zoro gritted his teeth and looked at the boy with wide, incredulous eyes while Sanji felt confused, choosing to light a smoke to ease his mind.
"That isn't important right now! I have to take this child inside and treat him properly" Chopper shouted in his commanding, I'm the doctor, voice. Nami nodded and stood up the child cradled carefully on her arms, walking back to the galley with Chopper in tow.
Nami eased the boy on Luffy's mattress, the one he had been occupying while recuperating from Aokiji's attack, next to Robin's. The archeologist had awoken with all the commotion going on deck and her eyes widened when she noticed Nami rush inside with an unfamiliar child on her arms.
Chopper treated the child, cleaning the injury and placing bandages tightly on his head; he took his temperature and blood pressure, sighing in relief when he noticed everything seemed normal. But with a strong concussion like that he couldn't tell for sure so he took out a flask containing a strong smelling substance and passed it below the child's nose.
Instantly the child started to wake up, at first his eyes were disorientated and unfocused, but widened instantly when he noticed he was surrounded by a bunch of strangers, in a place totally unfamiliar for him.
He screamed in surprise when Chopper tried to calm him down.
"WAHH!" he stood up in panic, his head hurt and the bandages were so tight he couldn't see well, quickly, he jumped off the bed and started to run around looking for an exit. Everyone called out for him to calm down but they had no luck as the child ran all over the galley, dodging Usopp passing between his legs with incredible agility and finding a broom, he took it and stood on the corner of the room, looking like a caged wild thing, snarling at them while gripping the broom handle as a weapon of sorts.
"Who are you people!" he said raising his weapon.
"Easy there! Calm down!" Nami said smiling, "You are safe"
The child clenched his teeth, his head was pulsating in bouts of pain and he couldn't remember things well, he didn't know where he was, but he was sure he didn't knew this people…. He was taught that he shouldn't trust strangers.
"Just leave him be until his fear passes" Zoro said waving a hand dismissing the boy, almost indifferent to him… almost, because the brat had his captain's face and he wanted to know WHY.
"I'm NOT afraid, I'm a pirate" the child roared at the top of his lungs. Everyone smiled at such brave declaration.
"Pirate huh?", Luffy said smiling widely, his arm stretched and grabbed the child from the cuff of his blue shirt, rising him in the air while the child kicked back and forth.
"Let go you asshole, let go I'll kick your ass!" he was throwing punches and kicks while Luffy's arm pulled back and the boy ended up dangling in front of Luffy who just grinned at him.
"If you are gonna be a pirate you have to be stronger than this" Luffy laughed almost mocking the child. The kid went still, crossing his arms with a stubborn, defiant look while his face turned red in restrained rage, and suddenly, he exploded and jumped towards Luffy, biting his head while the captain's arms flew around in panic. The cabin turned into chaos as Luffy ran in circles screaming
"TAKE HIM OFF TAKE HIM WAHH!" everyone stood watching by with their mouths agape.
Zoro's eyes widened in shock. "That brat…" he whispered… he didn't finish the sentence aloud but he thought… he acted the same as Luffy would
"Oi BRAT!, spit your name" Zoro commanded.
The child instantly stopped his assault on Luffy and glanced at Zoro with interested eyes, that moment was enough for Usopp to reach for him, gripping the child under his arms. The sniper had his arms extended as far away from his body as possible, as if he was handling some type of bomb. That brat was dangerous, like a wild little animal.
"Edd" the child answered finally, keeping eye contact with the first mate without even flinching. Zoro's gaze could make grown man pee themselves and this child didn't even flinch.
"Edd? Your full Name, kid" Zoro demanded.
The child stuck his tongue out and pulled his eyelid down, "I won't tell it to such a strange old-man brr!"
Everyone laughed at Zoro's expense and Sanji finally sighed.
"Are you hungry Edd? I was about to make dinner and Robin-chwan here has to rest. We can't have her up with all this chaos" Sanji offered with a smile… after all, he knew what it was like to be a child on a desperate situation…. Everyone in that room, knew.
The child's stomach grumbled loudly… and then Luffy's
"Got meat?" both asked at the same time. They glanced at each other with murderous eyes and snarled like wild dogs, bared teeth and all.
"You wanna fight?" Luffy asked gripping his upper arm and changing into a battle stance. Nami sighed and decked him hard on the head.
"Idiot, don't put yourself at a five year old's level"
"I'M SIX, And I'm NOT a child", the kid shouted loudly.
"Oh my, a man already" Robin said smiling to the child, as to calm him down. Edd nodded at the woman and steam came out his nose, finding solace on the strange woman that somehow understood his manliness.
Luffy was nursing the steaming bump on his head and groaned while taking a seat on the table, looking at Nami with resentment, "He started it" he mumbled.
The navigator sighed and walked towards the boy, leaning in front of him, "Edd, why don't you come sit on the table with us? Sanji will make us something nice to eat, yes?"
The child nodded, Nami seemed trustworthy enough somehow, and he was hungry, so he obeyed and took a seat next to her, across from Luffy. The woman smiled and glared at Luffy with hard eyes, as if daring the captain to misbehave while Sanji prepared dinner.
Robin was still seating on her mattress with several covers on her shoulders and above her legs, she still felt cold and sore after Aokiji's attack, but these turn of events were interesting enough, so she forced herself to be awake and listen to everything that was going on.
Things settled down in the cabin and everyone stared to take a seat on the table, Edd looked at them with weariness and perhaps he leaned on Nami just an inch closer for comfort.
Sanji placed a glass of fresh juice in front of him so the child could drink something while he was waiting for the food. When the mood finally calmed down, Nami dared asking.
"Ne Edd, where are your parents?"
Edd's eyes froze in shock, he gripped the glass while his hands shook and he finally dropped it while grabbing his head in pain.
"Where are they? … WHERE!" he shouted while his eyes became desperate, as much as he thought nothing came up on his mind, and suddenly…
He had a flashback… a long haired woman ran clutching his hand as they ran down a forest, her voice, her back, were familiar, explosions boomed around them as they ran.
"EDD! RUN WITH YOUR FATHER EDDY!" the woman shouted with wild, frantic eyes. He could remember an explosion, and then, no more.
"MOMI!" he shouted suddenly, filled with anguish and crying out for the woman when the images were too much for his young mind to handle. Everyone was startled when he gripped Nami's blose and buried his head on her lap… she was shocked and stood frozen for a moment… but then she couldn't help to stroke his back and whisper soothing words to him… everything is gonna be okay..
"I think we should leave questioning for later" Robin sighed… Everyone else nodded, and even Luffy felt uncomfortable.
"Ne Edd, didn't you say you are a pirate?" Luffy said frowning, trying to make him feel better, in his own blunt way.
"Luffy!" several voices called out, thinking him insensitive.
Edd's small frame kept shuddering with tears of anguish but the intensity was lowered down considerably when he heard Luffy's words.
"Besides… I'm sure we'll find them". The captain said full of conviction. Edd stopped crying altogether, but the crew looked at Luffy with sad, hard glances. Because… what would they do … if the child's parents were… dead?
Edd looked at luffy with red, puffy eyes, but with a determined expression, "Really?"
"Of course, Shishishi"
"Shishishi" laughed Edd along with Luffy.
Everyone stood there with shocked faces glancing at the two.
Sanji, wordlessly finished making dinner and served everyone a simple but delicious meal of rice with vegetables and meat. Luffy absorbed his food like a machine like usual, while Eddy poked at it halfheartedly.
Sanji sighed, "Nami-san, please see that he finish his plate… the rest of you shitheads" he said while making a ´follow me' gesture with his head.
"Ehh?" Luffy said while Sanji started to pull him out, grabbing him from his red vest.
"Sanji! I'm not finished yet!" the captain whined and kicked around, without luck because the cook was determined to drag him outside.
Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Chopper and Luffy stood at the aft deck, most thinking deeply about the situation at hand… Luffy just looked at them with a vacant look. Finally Sanji lit a smoke and took a puff of smoke, only to allow the smoke to come out slowly from his nose, finding the task utterly relaxing.
"Luffy" he began seriously, "Is there something you need to tell us?" he began.
"Huh?" Luffy said cocking his head to the side in confusion; the others were non the wiser, looking at the cook with wondering glances.
"That child, is your spitting image. Do you have any brothers besides Ace?" his tone of voice was becoming threatening.
"No… Ace is my only brother in this world" No need to name Sabo… he was dead.
"Are you SURE, your parents didn't have any more children…" Sanji's voice trailed off.
"I don't have parents Sanji… only my grandpa" The captain scratched his head, "But… why so many questions?" he said furrowing his brows.
"you SHITTY BASTARD!" Sanji screamed while kicking Luffy on the face… the captain flew and rebounded on the main mast.
"Oi cook!" Zoro shouted stepping in front of Sanji, between his captain and the cook. Didn't the idiot know that Luffy was still weak? The least his captain needed was to be kicked around like that.
Luffy looked confused and he just sat on the floor, nursing his chin. Chopper ran next to him.
"Sanji! What is WRONG with you, can't you see Luffy's still weak" the doctor shouted. But Sanji was still looking at Luffy with cold, hard eyes.
"How is it POSSIBLE for a child to have your same shitty face and to fuck it even more, your shitty attitude!"
"I don't know!" Luffy said flinging his arms up in frustration.
"Tell us the truth! Who is the poor young lady you seduced and left with a bastard! Assume responsibility for fuck is sake!"
"Oi oi Sanji, calm down" Usopp said grabbing the cook's arm to restrain him.
Zoro scratched his face in exasperation,
"Oi Cook… that can't be possible.. that child is six years old… Luffy is seventeen"
Sanji didn't look convinced, his eyebrow still twitching in anger and his heated expression wouldn't leave his face, this kid had to have a blood relation with Luffy, he was pretty sure of that, as much as he liked ladies.
Luffy stood up, "I don't know what are you talking about Sanji, I don't know that child either", Luffy dusted his pants off.
"He smells familiar" Chopper mumbled, deep in thought.
"What do you mean, Chopper?" Usopp asked. The cook just walked away and stood by the railing, smoking while watching the fading sunset, trying to calm down.
"I don't know" the reindeer doctor continued, "Like Luffy… but different."
"Maybe he is his lost brother or something" Zoro suggested. Luffy cocked his head to the side and frowned… perhaps his grandpa would know more about it… but.. it was better if they didn't run into his grandpa…. He found the fact that he could have a lost brother interesting… and had to wonder what Ace would think about that.
"Whatever happened to him, it was a big trauma we should allow him to rest and recuperate a little before pushing him for answers" the doctor declared finally. Everyone nodded in agreement.
When Nami came out of the galley a while later, she had more information to share… information that would only confuse them even more
To be continued-
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