Chapter 3 – First Taste

The first rays of morning sun glinted off the windows of the elegant mansion, their fiery sheen only slightly dampened by the mist drifting across the grounds. A few snatches of birdsong echoed through the air, but the rest of the estate stood still and quiet, as if all the life within was holding its collective breath. And suddenly, with a slight click, the near-silence was broken as a door eased open, and a dark-haired boy stepped cautiously out of the house.

Luffy looked all around him; then, seeing no one, quietly shut the door and moved out into the grounds. A glass bottle clutched firmly in his hand, he crept along the path, stopping at last in front of a delicate wrought-iron gate. He pushed it open, gritting his teeth against the expected squeal of metal – but the gate moved smoothly on well-oiled hinges, and Luffy entered the garden without a sound.

There are so many plants, he thought as he moved along the path. We didn't have half these flowers back home. He smiled and held the bottle closer. Maybe Usopp's right after all. If I were a pixie, I'd definitely want to live in a place like this.

After taking a few detours to look at all the interesting flowers and trees along the way, Luffy eventually found the vegetable garden. Under a tree just inside the entrance, Luffy found a shallow stone basin. Perfect. He removed the top from the bottle, and carefully poured the milk in. "Hey! Pixies!" he called. "I brought milk! You like it, right? Come on out!" He stepped back and waited.

Nothing stirred. The garden continued to look perfectly ordinary, and it wasn't long before Luffy was growing restless. He decided to search for the pixies himself; perhaps they were hiding in the vegetables, and wanted to play. Setting off through the neatly tended plants, he began to look, checking under leaves and behind fat melons and squash.

After nearly half an hour of fruitless searching, Luffy, munching an apple he'd picked from a tree along the way, was beginning to feel quite tired. I guess you can't expect to get to the bottom of every mystery on your first try, he told himself, but still. They could've let me see something. He turned to head back, and found himself facing a crossroads of paths, any one of which could be the one he'd taken to get in. Aaah, why does this garden have to be so big? Well, guess I just pick one. They all have to lead to the exit eventually, right? He noticed his legs trembling slightly as he stepped forward, and frowned a little. Hold it together, body. I gotta make it back to the mansion and get inside before Nami comes to check on me!

Picking a path at random, he was just stepping towards it when two things happened that halted him in his tracks. A sudden breeze sprang up, pushing him to the left and away from his chosen path. At the same time, Luffy felt a tug somewhere in his chest. He whipped around. The pull was stronger from that direction, and as he stared into the distance, he could make out the shoreline of the bay, shrouded in mist. Luffy took a few hesitant steps forward. Whatever was pulling him was definitely this way. What is it? he tried to say, but the words caught in his throat and wouldn't come. Are you…?

The breeze ruffled his hair, and Luffy felt moisture on his cheeks. I'm…crying, he thought. Why…? He began to move faster, something telling him that he had to follow the pull, needed to see who was reaching out. It was important. He didn't know why, but getting to that water was suddenly more important than anything he'd ever done in his life. I'm coming, he thought, still unable to speak the words aloud. I'll be there soon. Just… A wave of dizziness hit him, and Luffy stumbled and nearly fell. No! He took a few swaying steps towards the bay. I have to get there…have to…reach…

But it was no good. His vision was blurring, the darkness creeping in, and on his next step, he found his legs suddenly wouldn't support him anymore. He toppled forward, but just before he hit the ground, strong arms caught him from behind. "Hey, you okay, little bro? What are you doing out of the house?" The voice sounded far away, and though Luffy tried to answer, he couldn't manage more than an incoherent mumble before the darkness took him.


He was dreaming again. Definitely a ship; he could feel the gentle rocking of the waves, smell the salty air. Looking around, he saw he was surrounded by people. My friends, he thought. My…family. He couldn't see their faces clearly, but there was a girl with orange hair who reminded him strangely of a younger Nami, and…was that Usopp? He looked a little older, but… Maybe I'm seeing the future, he thought. It seemed to be very noisy. Talk and laughter echoed throughout the dream ship, and when Luffy glanced down, he saw food – a feast beyond his wildest imagination, stretching across the entirety of the long table they were all seated at. He reached for a piece of meat and popped it into his mouth. His eyes went wide. It was the most delicious thing he could ever remember eating, and Luffy abruptly realized he was ravenous. He grabbed at everything within reach – and somehow, his arms were long enough to reach all the way to the ends of the table without moving from his seat. Well, it is a dream, I suppose. Can't expect everything to make sense. Luffy ate. And ate. He was eating more than he'd ever eaten in his life – more than he'd eat in a month, and everything was just as delicious as that first heavenly bite.

"Hey, Luffy, slow down a little! The rest of us would like to eat too, you know!"

"But it's good!" Luffy protested, his full mouth making the words almost unintelligible. He reached towards a particularly juicy piece of meat on the orange-haired girl's plate. The next thing he knew, a heavy black shoe had come flying out of nowhere and kicked his hand away.

"Keep the hell away from Nami-san's plate, shitty captain!" An angry voice assaulted his ears, no doubt belonging to the owner of the shoe. Luffy opened his mouth to whine at the man, but with no warning, a piercing pain shot through his head, and the room and the ship faded out.


Luffy opened his eyes with a gasp, but squeezed them shut again almost immediately as bright light hit his eyes. The sharp pain in his head was still there – worse, if anything, than it had been in the dream. His breath had a raspy quality to it, and as he moved, he could feel his sheets were damp with sweat. What…happened? Where…was I… memory returned with a jolt. The garden! His eyes flew open. The water! Something was…pulling…calling to me! He struggled to sit up, ignoring the pain is his head. I…fell. The darkness...I…didn't make it, did I? A strange wave of sadness swept over him at the realization.

"Luffy!" He jumped and turned towards the voice, then winced as the sudden movement sent a fresh wave of pain pounding through his head. Nami stood in the doorway, frozen with surprise. A moment later, she was moving again, and Luffy cringed as she towered over him with thunder on her face. "About time you woke up, you idiot! Do you have any idea how worried we've all been? What were you thinking, sneaking off like that? Were you trying to give me a heart attack? When you weren't in your room…we looked everywhere…and then Franky was carrying you back to the house, and you were…"

She paused for breath, and Luffy realized that there were tears in her eyes. "You were so still, Luffy, so pale…for a minute, I thought you were…"

Luffy gulped, guilt washing over him as he realized just how much he'd worried her. Nami might act tough, but at the end of the day, she really cared. Seeing him like that…it had to have hurt. He dropped his eyes to the bedcovers. "Sorry," he mumbled. His voice sounded hoarse, and his throat was dry and raw, as if he'd been screaming for hours, maybe days.

"I'm sorry, Nami. I didn't mean to…I just wanted…" He trailed off. What could he say? The pixies would sound like a feeble excuse to her, and the strange pull…he wasn't sure he could talk about that, to anyone. It had had something to do with his collapse, he knew. Weak as he was, he didn't go from being a little tired and shaky to passing out in seconds. The wave of sheer emotion that had flooded him as he moved towards the bay had overloaded his brain somehow. Is that why my head hurts so bad?

"I know what you wanted, Luffy, but you promised me you would be careful! If you keep running off and doing stupid things like this, you'll never get well enough to go on the kinds of adventures you keep talking about!" She turned away abruptly and strode to the desk.

"Sorry," Luffy repeated. He risked a cautious glance at the nurse. Nami had her back to him, and the thumps and bangs coming from the desk indicated she was preparing the medicine with rather more force than was necessary. "How…how long was I out?" he asked at last.

Nami stiffened. "Over three days. You had a terrible fever. We could barely rouse you enough to get some water into you."

Luffy stayed silent as Nami finished with the medicine and brought it over to him. After he'd taken it, followed by some water (for which his throat was very thankful), she told him to stay in bed if he valued his life, and that she would be back with lunch in a bit. "Not hungry," Luffy muttered. And it was true – between his aching body and the memory of just how much he'd eaten in the dream, lunch was the last thing he wanted just then. His stomach rolled uneasily at the very thought of food.

Nami frowned. "You need to eat, Luffy. Your body has been deprived enough as it is, after the last few days. Don't worry; I'll make sure it's something light and simple." She walked out, and Luffy let her go without argument. He'd just have to try his best to eat and keep it down; there was no way she'd back off on this after everything he'd put her through.

He felt worse, if anything, by the time Nami returned, carrying a tray with a bowl of soup. Despite his resolve to try, he felt sure whatever he ate wouldn't stay put for long. As she helped him sit up, he debated whether it was worth it to argue with her after all. He opened his mouth to speak – and the scent of the soup reached his nose and drove all thoughts of nausea out of his head. This smell…

Luffy's stomach gave a loud gurgle as Nami settled the tray in his lap, and he quickly picked up the spoon and took an experimental sip. The flavor was unique and better than anything he'd ever had in his life. Except for the dream, he realized suddenly. The soup had the same feel, the same deliciousness, as the food in his dream feast. Did the smell reach all the way up here from the kitchens while I was asleep? he wondered. But there would be time to think about that later.

The spoon dipped into the soup again, faster and faster as though the food would disappear if he took too long to finish. With every taste, Luffy felt a little better. A warm, comforting feeling was spreading through him, washing away the aches and lessening the pain in his head.

"Whoa, slow down, Luffy, there's no need to rush! I promise it's not going anywhere." Nami stifled a giggle as she looked at him. "It's good, isn't it? We had a new chef start yesterday."

Luffy looked up from the bowl. "A new chef?"

"Yes. The cook that was here when we arrived was only filling in until we could get someone more permanent to replace her, and this guy was hired just a few days ago. They say he can work magic with food, and from what I've seen, it's true." A spark of irritation lit in her eyes. "And the kitchen is the only place he'll be working 'magic', if he knows what's good for him."

Luffy blinked at her. "What do you mean? Did he try to cook in another room? Did something catch fire?"

"Of course not!" Nami's voice had risen noticeably in volume. "He's just – he's a little too fond of – oh, never mind." She waved a hand. "It's not important."

Luffy stared at her, seeing the rising color in her face, and something clicked. Oh. Well, if this new cook tried something with Nami, he'd better do it right, or Luffy would kick his ass, even if his soup was good. She might be strict and bossy – and charge more for her services than anyone else in the business – but Nami was his nurse, and Luffy wanted her to be happy.


Well, he's still in bed, but at least I left him awake this time? *sweatdrop* Anyway, unless something major crops up, I think you can count on at least two chapters a week, so...see you soon?

Thanks to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed!