Hi again guys, Merry Christmas. I really cannot say anything more, I had such a long absence I almost forgot about this story...sorry. Ok, so my first semester in university is almost over and I really REALLY want to take a break and now is my best change, yey. Without further explanations, this is the last chapter that explains the beginning of the story. Enjoy!
Chapter 8
To say Luffy was hungry was an understatement. The boy was always hungry. And finding food in a jungle was extremely difficult. There were many reptiles, insects and tiny but dangerous animals.
"Man, I'm hungry! Why aren't any restaurants around here?" Poor Luffy. The mere thought of a juicy steak made the boy's stomach rumble.
Just when he thought he was going to pass out, the forest ended, revealing a small village surrounded by a river. From his position he could see that the village was throwing a big party. Music could be heard from where he stood and the smell of food flooded his senses. This was all Luffy could ask for. He made a run for it towards the village in hope of finding delicious meat.
At the gates he was stopped by a pair of guards who looked kind of scary, not that Luffy cared very much.
"Who are you? You aren't from around here, that's for sure" asked one of the guards. The boy eyed the two men carefully before giving them his signature smile.
"Do you have any food?"he asked. Without waiting for a reply he continued "Pleeeeeeaseeee, I'm starviiiiing" he begged the guards. Seeing his cute face, the guards thought for a moment before taking the boy by his arm and began dragging him to their leader.
They soon reached a place indifferent type of flowers decorating the stone columns around them. Everywhere he looked he saw happy people, some dancing, some chatting and some even sleeping. When the guards stopped, the boy looked up and was amazed by what he saw. 10 stairs lead towards a big platform where stood a throne made of stone and decorated with many flowers, pearls and many other small details. The man who stood on the throne was old, with a long beard that reached his ankles and blue eyes that held within them kindness and knowledge accumulated over the years.
Luffy felt kind of intimidated by this powerful yet gentle presence.
"What is the meaning of this? Why have you restrained the boy?" asked the elder. The guards quickly freed Luffy and the boy was able to stand properly now. He looked again at the man in front of him and smiled widely.
"Thank you, old man! Hehe, i really am hungry, could you give me some food please?" he pleaded, earning a small laugh from the man.
The elder stood up and gave orders for more food to be brought to them, even if there was still plenty of food left.
When the food was brought, Luffy quickly began to dig in, forgetting his manners.
"So, boy, after almost leaving the entire village without food, can you tell us how did you find this village?"
At them Luffy gave them a quizzical look and began explaining the people around him how he got in the forest, his ship falling into a tornado and then waking up in this jungle and finding the village. He even specified the small details like the conflict between Sanji and Zorro. By the time he finished explaining, most of the people around were either having headaches or have fainted. After all, it was kind of hard to comprehend the idea of falling from the sky. The elder smiled a little and then asked the boy:
"Luffy, was it? Do you want to remain in this village or you want to go search for your friends?" The boy remained quiet for a little then replied
"I want to repay you for the food, thus I will stay here a little longer. I's sure my friends are strong and they will survive without me a bit longer. Is there anything I can do here?"
The elder rose from his seat and motioned for Luffy to follow him. They left the party and went to a part of the village that was a bit isolated from the others. There were 2 barracks, with mud surrounding them and a faint smell of dirt lurking in the air.
Luffy quickly covered his nose with his hand and followed the elder as the latter opened one of the barrack's door. Inside the boy saw 12 children whose parents were either dead or left them there.
"Women who give an unwanted birth leave their infants at our entrances so we may raise them instead of them. it's not good for the children but their parents don't care about them so we are out of options." the elder said.
The children were all scared and close to crying but when they saw life, hope sparked in their eyes.
The boy just smiled and laughed
"Don't worry,old man I will take care of them!The kids are cute!"
The man laughed wholeheartedly and announced the kids:
"Children, this is Luffy and starting today he will take care of you!"
At that the kids were overjoyed and ran to embrace Luffy who was laughing along with them.
This day was getting better and better!
Okay guys, this is it for now. From now on I will not say when I will upload in case I break the deadline. I really can't say anything about the next chapter because I have no idea how will I write it or who will be about. If you have any ideas feel free to send them to me!
