2

.

The Partys Bar was one of the few lively places in the little village which was probably due to the fact that it served exceptionally good sake. But tomorrow would be a weekday and it was near midnight, already. That is why two Marine Vice-Admirals were the only customers enjoying a drink.

Kuzan savored the peaceful moment because he knew that it wouldn't last. Garp had something on his mind and he was far too stubborn to be put off by Kuzan's nonchalant demeanor.

"Anything else?"

"No, thanks, Makino."

The girl disappeared, not bothering to linger around at the bar. She'd probably sensed that Garp wanted to be alone with him right now. Bartenders seemed to have good instincts when it came to their customers' moods.

Garp was stalling, which was strange. No doubt was the man an expert at deflecting when others needed something from him; But when he was the one who wanted something, he usually got straight to the point.

The silence was interrupted by the creaking sound of the wooden bar door being opened. It was an old man supporting his short figure with a cane that entered.

"Garp," he greeted with a croaky voice before shifting his gaze to Kuzan to acknowledge him with a nod. "Vice-Admiral Kuzan."

He nodded back and returned to sipping from his glass of sake. He hadn't introduced himself to any of the villagers but someone must've recognized him and spread the word in the little community.

"Hey Mayor Woop Slap," Garp retorted. "How's it going?"

"Fine. But there's something I have to talk about with you before you leave again."

The old Marine nodded in silent understanding, as if he already knew what the guy with the cane wanted to speak about.

"Well, go ahead. I've got some time right now," he prompted.

Kuzan didn't miss the Mayor shifting his glasses and trying to shoot him an inconspicuous look. Whatever he wanted to bring up, it was a private matter. Kuzan was about to excuse himself when Garp said, "It's alright. He can hear whatever you have to say. It's about Luffy, right?"

Kuzan was glad that he wore his shades because they were the only barrier between the people in the room and his confused expression. Garp and he had known each other since some time, the man had even once saved his life. Still, they had never been exceptionally close. He couldn't grasp why the old man would trust him with something that seemed like it was a sensitive issue.

Woop Slap nodded and pulled a chair back to sit at their table. "Yes, it's about Luffy. I'm here to warn you, Garp. He's been talking about it again."

Garp scoffed half-heartedly. "Luffy talks a lot. We know better than to take him serious."

Woop Slap, disgruntled about having his concerns brushed off, hit his cane harshly against the wooden floor. "And we also know that the boy's got the attention span of a goldfish. But he's been repeating this nonsense for months now!"

Garp's weathered skin sagged down, making him appear tired and defeated in a way that seemed out of place. It was weird to see the man who always exuded so much confidence and energy, be so exhausted. "I know," he sighed.

Turning to Kuzan, he explained, "Luffy's been being a pain. He's been prattling about wanting to become a-" He paused and, judging by the red color his face took on, finally returned to his angry self that Kuzan knew all too well. "Kid's claiming that he wants to go to the sea and become a pirate!"

Kuzan barely managed to suppress a chuckle. "Are you serious? Your grandson wants to become a pirate?" Life had some strange sense of humor.

Before Garp could answer in an enraged fashion, the Mayor returned to the root of the problem. "You have to do whatever it takes to keep these thoughts from festering in his mind. Nip these buds while they're still fresh."

Garp exasperatedly threw his massive hands up in the air but Woop Slap didn't even flinch like many others would've. He must be accustomed to the other man's mannerisms.

"Every time I catch him talking about that nonsense, I give him a good, grandfatherly fist of love and a speech about his future as a Marine. What else can I do?"

Crossing his arms, Woop Slap huffed and replied, "That fist of yours is doing no good. I'm starting to believe it's only strengthening his resolve to become the exact opposite of what you want him to. He's your grandson, Garp. I've never experienced this obstinacy that runs in your family to skip a generation before."

Although Kuzan had tried to drown the discussion out since he didn't believe that it was any of his business, he was alert enough to notice that the Mayor was implying towards something else.

"I know, I know," Garp grumbled. "But all you do is complain. If you think that I'm approaching this the wrong way, then, go ahead, tell me what I should do instead."

Woop Slap leaned back and rolled his eyes. Kuzan caught him gazing at their sake as if he deeply wished he could have some, too. "Isn't it obvious?" the man asked while restlessly tapping his cane against the table leg. "Keep him on a tighter leash. You're gone for months at a time and when you return, you never spend more than a few weeks with him before leaving again. Of course, your influence doesn't stick."

"What?" Garp shouted indignantly. "How can you say that I don't have any influence on him?"

"Well, I do have to admit that you're both completely insane, but that's something that runs in the blood," the old man replied dryly.

This time, Kuzan couldn't help but crack a small grin. So everyone in Garp's family was so… eccentric? The Marines could barely handle their famed hero and his antics; what would they do if Luffy ever chose to join them?

"Regardless," the Mayor continued, "my point stands. These dangerous fantasies of his are only going to get worse if you don't spare more time for him in the future."

A tense silence settled in the air as Garp straightened up in his seat, never breaking his stare to Woop Slap. The strengthened lines in his skin, now somehow deeper than usual, made him appear even more serious. "I don't have the option to return home at the end of the day, you old geezer. Sailing from one end of the world to the other takes some time."

"I know. But maybe it's time for you to realize that a man of the sea cannot be a man of his family at the same time."

It was a clear, final statement. Sure enough, Woop Slap used his cane to stand up, apparently having said his piece. Just for a moment, he halted his movements. "Remember," he added, "that you can never make the same mistake twice. The second time you make it, it's a choice. Have a good night."

With that, he left the bar.

Garp groaned and grabbed the sake to drink straight from the bottle, leaving Kuzan to mull over the Mayor's parting words. The man had implied that the mistakes that Garp was currently committing with the treatment of Luffy weren't new. They had already been done before - with a son or a daughter who was currently nowhere in sight. Going by the Mayor's hints, it didn't exactly seem like they were a law-abiding citizen.

"So what're you planning to do?" Kuzan asked carefully, not sure whether it was his place to question the other man.

Garp sighed and put the liquor bottle down. "Old Woop Slap wants me to leave duty but I can't do that."

Kuzan nodded. He couldn't imagine Garp retiring anytime soon either. His restless energy wouldn't allow it.

A loud snap ran through the air when Garp hit his fist against the table. Disimpassionedly, Kuzan watched the sturdy construction break apart like a house of cards and the liquor bottles shatter into shards. Pity, the sake really had been good.

"This is all these pirates' fault!" Garp hollered. "As if being criminals wasn't enough, they romanticize their lifestyle and corrupt young children's minds!"

He rose from his chair and restlessly started to pace through the room. "Luffy's a kid and he's looking for fun. We have to convince him that being a Marine is fun, hip…"

"Cool?"

"Exactly!" Garp stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at him.

Kuzan raised his eyebrows. "Oh my - well, good luck with that. Though your chances aren't very good if he's still so opposed to the idea despite everything you've apparently already done."

"I know," Garp retorted and sat back down on his chair. "And you know why he doesn't listen to me?"

He shrugged. "Not a clue."

"Because I'm his grandfather," Garp answered resolutely. "Someone else needs to show Luffy that being a Marine is cool."

"Okay…" Kuzan commented carefully. He didn't have a good feeling about where this might lead towards.

Garp leaned forward until his elbows touched his knees to stare at Kuzan with hardened eyes. "Like I said," he continued, "I'm the coolest grandpa out there, Kuzan, but kids nowadays don't listen to their grandparents anymore. Leave a mark, impress him. I only want him to become an upright Marine one day."

"What?" Now Kuzan was glad that Garp had shattered their table and caused their drinks to spill. If not, he probably would've choked on something. "Are you honestly expecting me to deal with your kid grandson?"

Garp nodded as if his suggestion had been entirely sane and sound. Which it wasn't. Kuzan didn't deal with kids, he didn't know how to do it. Children seemed to have their own language. If you didn't speak it, you couldn't communicate with them – at least not in the way they needed to.

For a short moment, the face of a little, crying girl with black hair and blue eyes flashed in his memory. Nico Robin, the only child he had felt a connection to – but she wasn't even all that little anymore, she'd have to be sixteen-years-old by now. All those years ago, he had went against his orders and had let her escape from the island Ohara. Ever since, he'd felt as if he was somehow responsible for her.
But even that had only ever been a distanced relationship – if it could be called that. It was rather a fragile tie, a thin thread that bound them together, created when Kuzan had made the decision to spare her young life.

"I can't handle kids," he asserted. "I wouldn't be of any help."

Garp shook his head. "Nonsense! Luffy loves everything abnormal! You'll feel an instant bond!"

Kuzan kept silent, not even offended at being called somewhat unconventional. Garp refused to let up, though. "You'll impress him because you're the very definition of cool – get it?" The old man threw his head back to laugh at his awful pun.

Kuzan rolled his eyes. "I knew that you were planning something when you invited me so readily over."

Garp's laughing died out as he grew serious once again. Sighing, he rubbed his eyes with one hand while using the other to massage his temples wearily. This man, who was celebrated as a hero for being able to corner the Pirate King several times, had been brought to his knees by mere worry for his little grandson.

"I don't know what else to do, Kuzan. I'm scared that he will stray from the right path."

Kuzan suppressed the urge to groan. Fear didn't suit Garp. "Don't expect to get anything out of this. I doubt that I'll be the one to convince Luffy of anything."

.

He awoke to the sound of high-pitched ringing. He waited, hoping for the noise to let up, but the nerve-grating toll wouldn't stop. Behind his eyes, he tried to imagine being on a lonely island, waves washing against the sand the only sound in existence.

"Sorry Kuzan, did I wake you?"

He lifted his head from the feathery pillow to spot Luffy pitter-patter on bare feet through the kitchen-part of the house's main room.

"Wasn't me, though, it was the egg-timer. If I don't use it, I always forget that I left the eggs in the boiling water," the boy chattered away.

With a low groan, Kuzan let his head ease back to the pillow.
From one moment to the next, the face of Luffy obtruded his view to the ceiling, his large eyes staring down at him with curiosity.

"Why do you sleep with your sunglasses on?"

"So that the light doesn't bother me too much when morning breaks."

"They don't break while you're sleeping?"

"No, I lie completely still."

Luffy lay his head to the side, looking as if he was trying to understand something immensely difficult. Then, "How many eggs do you want to eat?"

Kuzan shook his head. "I'm not hungry." They had eaten a lot of steak yesterday evening. All the sake he'd drunken afterwards killed the rest of this morning's potential appetite.

Shortly after he had agreed on having a conversation with his grandson, Garp and he had both returned to the man's house. It had already been far past midnight when they had arrived to Luffy, who'd woken up to have a midnight snack. Upon seeing that the kid had prepared a mattress and a pillow for him to sleep on, he had decided to spend the night with the little family when Garp had invited him to do so.

"Where's your grandfather?" he asked and sat up. His hair was probably a mess. As much as he loved to stretch out his long legs on a proper mattress, his curls suffered less when he just opted to sleep on his feet.

Luffy shrugged and returned to the kitchen counter. "Gone."

Kuzan stood up and bound his bandana around his head to tame the hairy chaos on his scalp. "Gone? You know where?"

The boy shook his head and opened the fridge to carry food to the little round table. "He always disappears for a day when he arrives here."

After putting the mattress and the pillow to the side and tidying his sleeping place up, he walked towards a coffee machine at the far end of the counter. It didn't seem to have been used often in the past, but it still worked. Grabbing his full cup, he sat down at the table. "You don't seem to be too sad about that," he commented.

"Hm?" Luffy grunted, apparently having forgotten what they'd been talking about.

"You don't seem all that sad about your grandfather being gone," Kuzan repeated.

The child grinned and sat down on the chair facing him. "I'm just happy that he didn't take me with him."

Kuzan raised his eyebrows and finally decided that the caffeine had given him enough energy to push his shades up and face the sunlight flooding the room. "Why's that?"

Luffy looked up from the egg that he futilely tried to remove the shells from. Seeing that it was too hot for his tender hands to hold, Kuzan reached over to shell it himself. The heat didn't reach him through his calloused skin.

"Thank you," Luffy said with a large smile upon receiving the shelled egg. "And I don't want to go with Gramps because he will only try to toughen me up again. The first day he arrives is nice because he's in a good mood and brings gifts; But after that, it isn't fun, at all."

While sipping from his coffee, Kuzan found that talking with children maybe wasn't that hard, after all. Actually, everything was going well, the conversation was flowing. The atmosphere was warm and relaxing.

"What do you mean, 'toughen up'?" he asked and gulped down some of his black brew.

Luffy shrugged and bit into the egg-sandwich he'd made. "You know, leaving me in the jungle over the weekend, throwing me into the abyss, stuff like that."

On the other hand, to hell with this. "What?"

"Gramps says that it builds character but it only hurts and makes me hungry," Luffy mumbled through his mouth full of half-chewed food. If Kuzan hadn't been too preoccupied with his concerns about Garp being a lunatic, he might've been disgusted. However, he didn't doubt Luffy for a second. The boy seemed so honest about everything he did and, frankly, this sounded exactly like something Garp would do because of how crazy it was.

"Where are your parents?" he wondered before he could stop himself.

Way to go - Ask a child whose only apparent relative was his crazy grandfather about his absent parents. He'd do better keeping his mouth shut around kids.
Still, what mother or father would trust their child with Garp, a man who left little children unprotected in a jungle or threw them single-handedly into an abyss?

Remaining distracted by his egg-sandwich, Luffy answered, "Don't have any."

Surprised, Kuzan noted that Luffy didn't seem all that upset by admitting that. If anything, he seemed to be occupied with his food.

"Why?" he decided to ask upon filing the unfazed reaction away.

"Don't know, never heard of them. I'm taking the last of the orange juice, okay?"

"Aren't you upset?" Kuzan finally wanted to know. Why was this kid so uncaring?

Finally, Luffy looked up from his plate to watch him with genuine, confused eyes. "Why be upset?"

Kuzan briefly debated whether he should voice his next question. It was somewhat - actually, immensely - insensitive. But his curiosity won out in the end. "Your parents are either gone because they're dead, or because they left you. Doesn't that make you sad or angry?"

Luffy leaned into his chair, all eggs finally finished, and contemplated the question as if he'd never thought about it before. He couldn't have tried too hard because he shook his head soon.

"I don't know them so I don't really care if they're dead," he answered bluntly. "And if they left," he shrugged, "I can understand that. I don't want to stay here either." A large, toothy smile spread over his face. "I'm gonna go to the sea and experience a lot of adventures!"

Kuzan gulped the lukewarm remains of his coffee down and remembered why he was talking with the boy in the first place. Convince him that becoming a pirate was a bad idea, right.

"You want to go to the city with me, Luffy?" Kuzan had to return to the port anyway and maybe they could speak on their way.

"Yeah!" Luffy cheered excitedly and hopped down from his chair. Not sparing the messy table another glance, he grabbed Kuzan's arm to get him to stand up. His energy really knew no bounds.

Kuzan finally gave in and stood up to stretch out the kinks in his back while Luffy watched his tall form in amazement. The man grabbed his dark coat that he'd slung over the sofa the previous night and exited the house with the little boy on his tails.

As they walked down the little hill, Luffy asked, "Is your ship at the city's port, Kuzan?"

He nodded and pushed his sunglasses back to the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, we've docked there yesterday afternoon."

"Hey," Luffy called while struggling to keep up with the pace that Kuzan's long legs inevitably set. "Can I look at it from the inside? Gramps always says that it isn't a playground, but it must be fun to sail on such a big ship."

"Yeah, sure." Burying his hands in his pockets, Kuzan finally decided to steer towards the topic that Garp had wanted them to talk about. "Why don't you join the Marines when you grow up? They'd give you a ship once you've reached a certain rank."

Luffy crossed his arms. "I'm gonna get my own ship," he huffed.

"Do you have that much money?"

"I will when I find a big treasure," the child countered without an ounce of hesitance, as if his answer should've been obvious. Kuzan wondered whether overestimating one's own capabilities was something that kids did, or whether it was just ingrained in this family's blood. Probably both.

"Why not become a Marine, though?"

Luffy shrugged. "It's not fun."

Kuzan decided to put the lure out. "You get to experience a lot of adventures."

But the Mayor had been right when he had said that the boy was obstinate. Luffy frowned, which looked a little funny on his pudgy face, and declared, "Marines always have to do what others tell them to. I don't want to listen to anybody."

Kuzan couldn't negate that. In this system, even the Fleet Admiral received orders. You could always try to bend or avoid them as you saw fit, which was usually Garp's way of doing his job, but rarely could you outright refuse them – at least not without receiving some sort of counteraction.

"Everyone has to listen to somebody."

Luffy shook his head. "Not pirates, they do whatever they want."

"Even a pirate has to listen to their captain."

"That's why I'm gonna become the captain!" the child cheered self-assuredly. Kuzan realized that Luffy, though appearing to be an airhead, had extensively thought his plans for the future through.

"What if another, stronger pirate crew comes around to force their will on you? No one will protect you because you're an outlaw."

But Luffy's smile didn't falter. "No one will force me into anything."

Kuzan shook his head exasperatedly. "You're fantasizing."

His stride came to a halt when Luffy grabbed his coat and pulled it hard enough to gather his attention. He looked down, and was met with a grim expression. How had his mood taken such a sudden turn?

"There is one man who can do whatever he wants."

Dismissive, Kuzan mocked, "Yeah? Who's that?"

"The Pirate King! I'm going to find the One Piece, become the Pirate King and be free!"

The Marine watched this child who had just proclaimed that he wanted to become the biggest criminal in the world. Luffy stared back unabashedly with unfaltering determination that brimmed and infected the air. He'd meant what he'd said.

Drowning out the serene sounds of nature, Kuzan tried to figure out what else to tell the kid. Luffy wanted freedom – something that the future as a Marine could never provide, at least not in the amount that he desired.

"Being a Marine will make you into a hero," he tried, because wasn't that something children wanted to be? Someone who other people loved and admired? "If you become a pirate, others will fear and shun you."

"Don't care," Luffy asserted without the slightest bit of hesitance. "I will have my crew by my side."

Kuzan found himself running out of arguments. "It is dangerous. The Marines, the World Government, bounty hunters and other pirates will target you." If Kuzan hadn't been Kuzan, the very embodiment of cool, calm and collected, he would've sounded desperate by now.

Luffy, oblivious to his inner turmoil, giggled. "Of course, silly. It wouldn't be exciting if it wasn't dangerous. That's part of the adventure!"

It was then that Kuzan decided to go the last step. The mere idea of doing this hadn't even occurred to him before; he hadn't thought he'd be pushed this far. But now, it was the single option that was left. If someone was so determined, there was one thing that could steer them away from trying to achieve their goal.

A familiar cool rush flowed through his veins when he created a wave of ice to wash the little boy against the solid trunk of a tree. The high-pitched yelp of surprise rang through his ears and almost let him consider letting the child go, but he persisted.

When the initial shock that had caused Luffy to freeze up died down, the boy started struggling and hitting against the ice that continued on enveloping and pinning him to the tree behind him. Soon, all movement was restricted until all that Luffy could do was tremble from both cold and fear.

"What- What is that? Kuzan, help me!" Luffy shouted, his voice shaky with panic, while futilely struggling to break away.

Hearing Luffy's jittery voice made Kuzan consider whether he was taking this too far. But there was no alternative road to choose from. With ease, he grew an icicle in his hand, forming its end to be long and sharp. One touch and it would cut.

"Kuzan? Did you make the ice?" Miraculously, Luffy had calmed down. Instead of flaying around, he was curiously inspecting the ice-spear in Kuzan's hand.

"Cool," Luffy whispered. In the matter of one second, his energy had returned and a bright smile had spread over his face. Kuzan could feel him quivering with excitement against the ice-wall. "Can you show me how to do that, Kuzan?"

The man didn't answer or gave any indication that he'd heard the child speak. He merely lifted the sharp-edged ice up until only a hair's width of distance separated it from the boy's soft skin of his throat.

Amazingly, Luffy grew still, as if the ice hadn't only enveloped but actually frozen his whole form up. It was strange to see him this motionless.
Kuzan watched him begin to gulp before changing his mind and wisely deciding to refrain from it. Even the littlest movement would've caused his fragile skin to come into contact with the sharp edge of the blade.

"If you're that resolute on becoming a pirate, there's only one thing left for me to do," he announced, his tone of voice frosty and monotone. "Since I am a Marine, it is my duty to exterminate potential criminals."

As Luffy watched him, Kuzan wondered when this kid had become so unreadable. During the entire time they had been together, he had been an open book. Now, his face was a blank canvas.

His grip around the ice-blade tightened when the neutral expression morphed into a smile. Luffy kept on staring into his eyes, his coal-black irises shining in mirth and glee, as he said, "Okay."

"What?" he managed to ask, his voice steady despite the surprise and confusion that consumed him.

Luffy giggled. "I guess that's it."

Numbly, Kuzan registered the blood seeping down his ice, pearling over the cold, solid substance and eventually sinking into the grass underneath. Its source was the open cut on Luffy's throat that had been caused when he'd spoken.

But he could only focus on Luffy's smile.

Kuzan knew fear of death. Every human being, even a child who couldn't grasp the concept of death, had it instilled in them. It was something instinctual that every creature with some sort of consciousness possessed.

This peace, this acceptance in the face of ceasing to exist – Kuzan had only seen it once before. For the first time in years, Kuzan felt a chill run down his spine.

He let the ice that was constricting Luffy melt away. "Do you want to die?" he mused, almost to himself.

Luffy looked up from the ground he was now sitting on. He shook his head slowly, still oblivious to his wound. "Of course, not. But," he lay his head to the side and scratched his scalp, "when it ends, it ends. I did all I could do."

And it was that, what bothered him. Kuzan had seen people smile, even laugh when met with the prospect of death. But it had almost always been an act, ironic, or at least bittersweet.
But Luffy had looked genuinely at ease. There was no deeper meaning behind this placid serenity; just a grotesque form of acceptance that should go against human nature.

From one moment to the next, the calmness in the child's features was replaced with a familiar enraged one. "Why did you do that anyway?"

Kuzan crouched down, yet still found himself towering over Luffy. "Did I scare you?" Yes, he remembered, Luffy had initially been scared before he'd been introduced to the promise of death.

The boy bit down on his quivering bottom lip and shook his head resolutely. "No, not at all."

"You're a terrible liar," Kuzan noted. The kid looked like he was about to cry. But after what had just happened, Kuzan was glad to get some sort of normal reaction for a child of his age.

Luffy used his fist to rub the tears away and stood up. "You can try to arrest or kill me. I will become the Pirate King!"

"Don't you care, at all?" the Marine pressed, his voice now exhausted with the frustration he felt. "If not for your own life, than for your grandfather's? Do you really want to push him into the position of having to kill his own grandson? Can't you just show a little bit of selflessness?"

Kuzan stopped himself before he could continue his tirade. The last time he'd lost his cool like that, had been long ago. But this boy, a mere five-year-old, managed to drive him up the wall like no one else could.

Luffy seemed unperturbed by his rare display of strong emotions. "What does 'selfless' mean?"

The man sighed. "To set aside your own wishes for the sake of someone else."

Luffy frowned. "Then I can't be selfless," he declared. "Not like that. This is my life. Gramps can do with his life whatever he wants; I'm going to make with mine whatever I want."

It was then that Kuzan finally understood why Luffy had been so nonchalant about his parents possibly having abandoned him. The boy believed in freedom and following your dreams. If his parents had left to be free and fulfill their dreams, then that was okay with him; He planned on doing the exact same thing.
Kuzan wasn't sure whether that was an attitude too wise or too dumb for someone like Luffy to have.

His gaze moved to the cut on the child's throat that had fortunately stopped bleeding. He'd only wanted to scare Luffy. Fear for one's own life was usually a good motivator. Threatening someone's bare existence got people to forget about their ideals. He hadn't counted on Luffy not being afraid of death.

"Come on," the man prompted and stood up. After a short moment of contemplation, he took his blue bandana off and tied it loosely around Luffy's neck. No need for the people in town to know that he'd threatened a child's life, even if it only had been pretense.

Luffy grinned. "You will have to buy me lunch as an apology."

Kuzan forced the corners of his lips to lift upwards. "Oh my, I guess I will have to do that."

When the boy cheered and ran ahead to get to the city, and by extension to his next meal, faster, the Marine could only watch him as a terrible sense of foreboding ran through his bones.

This kid would live fast and steer his life to a sudden crash.

A romantic thought for so many people; They all wanted to live wild, yet no one had the courage to actually do it - of course, they didn't. It went against a basic human need, namely the desire for safety. Luffy wasn't interested in that and Kuzan had yet to decide whether that was a clear indicator for insanity.

Monkey D. Luffy would live his life to the fullest extent; wild, fast and always on the lookout for the next source of fun. But he would also die young. Childish, immature, innocent but happy, he would leave this world soon.

Kuzan didn't have the energy to judge whether this was the right or the wrong way to go. But he had only time until they arrived at the port to decide. Then, he would let the child loose, off to his own road, the station of death close by. Or, he'd give himself a push and do something bold for the first time in years. But he doubted that he was that selfless.

.

A/N: For everyone thinking that the last paragraph made no sense whatsoever: It hints towards the possible future of this series.
Originally, I intended this story to end with Kuzan coming to the conclusion that there's nothing he can do to change Luffy's resolve. That's the (untold) consequence of this chapter.

Then, some alternative endings popped into my head:
1. Kuzan taking Luffy under his wing to keep him safe/make sure he becomes strong enough to protect himself to prevent the gloomy end.
2. Kuzan convincing Garp to drop Luffy off at a Marine base to develop on his own.

Each ending will probably be some sort of 5k-words business and they will be posted as SEPARATE STORIES. The story you've just read will only be a prequel.

Anyway, thanks for reading:) Leave me a review, please!

You can also always contact me through my tumblr 'desiringparadise'