Hey, guys~! My sister kept urging me onto writing this chapter all week. I'm super excited - you guys are gonna love it! :)
It's been so long since I've published a chapter! So many things have happened! Let's just say this: SPOILERS: Traffy's a... D?! Who would've guessed?! It's so sudden, but makes SO much sense! God... what am I gonna do with Luffy and Law's relationship in here now!? Gah! I'll just leave it. They won't be family! They'll just be friends still! ... Or... I could always... Aha! I've got it, I've got it! Never mind!
I'm basing their cabin off of a really large house/mansion that my family stayed for my aunt's wedding in Vermont. It's at a place called the Grafton Inn, the White Gates House. It's super pretty and very big. I'm kind of basing the interior off of it.
Anyways! Enough about my boring life! Let's get this camping trip started shall we? (Finally!) Let's go! :D
Luffy jumped as his eyes suddenly flew open. He sat up in his seat in the back of the car. When he looked over he saw that Ace was also sitting up in the passenger's seat in front of him, the jacket that he had covered over himself while he slept slipping off of his shoulders. Sabo slowly drove along a thing road in the middle of a deep, sunlit forest.
The black-haired teenager leaned forward to stare out the window beside him. Twigs, dead leaves, and bushes were scattered all over the ground as immense trees towered high above his head. He always enjoyed visiting their cabin. Technically, however, it was really Sabo's cabin, but, as his brother, it was his cabin as well.
Finally, they pulled up into the dirt driveway that encircled a large oak tree beside the house. There was already a dark blue jeep and a black car parked on the other side of the house already. When the brothers stared out their windows at the vehicles, Sabo told the two with a large smile, "Ah! Great! It looks like Marco, Koala, and Hack have already made it here!"
Ace grinned as well. "I'd guess that Marco got here overnight while Koala and Hack just got here, going off the times they gave us. I can't wait! This is going to be a great trip!"
"I agree!" Sabo nodded. Luffy grandfather, Garp, had taught the three brothers that he best way to spend time with friends was to go on adventures together. The stress of the wilderness would increase their bonds because of their immense fear, he told them. So, Sabo, Ace, and Luffy never went to the movies or games with their friends; instead, they did adventures in the middle of nowhere. Only the bravest stayed, that or the ones that could survive without a single injury.
Luffy sighed as he opened up the car door and stepped out onto the dirt. As he stood up, he let his breath take in the wonderful, cool scent of pine and dew-covered leaves. He loved the smell, it made him feel happy, at home, and, most of all, free. The black-haired teenager turned on the ball of his foot, suddenly feeling fully awake after his long nap, making his way to the trunk to grab his own bag.
Luffy stopped, he looked over to see Ace take a step out of the car as well. His face... He had that look on it again... That look of impatience and restlessness... He hated when he got that look on. When he did, it always ended the exact same way... Luffy shook his head. Maybe he would decide not to today; after all, they were at the cabin. The cabin was supposed to be peaceful and calm. Not stressful. With that, Luffy continued to make his way towards the trunk.
Just as he took his dufflebag out, the door to the cabin flung open and a woman with light brown hair and a lean figure ran onto the porch. "Sabo-kun? Sabo-kun! You're finally here!" The young woman jumped off the porch, running as fast as she could toward the three men.
"Koala!" Sabo called out to her with a large smile. Koala let out a squeal of excitement as she gripped Sabo's chest in a huge hug, the top of her head only reaching up to the bottom of his neck.
Ace and Luffy's eyes widened at the scene. They suddenly lost the grip on their bags, letting them fall to the dirt. Never before had they seen such a touchy woman, nor had they ever seen someone hug Sabo so easily like that! Sabo smiled a little, feeling a little weird that she was hugging him as well, but put his free hand around her back. "S-Sabo...?" Ace finally whispered.
Sabo jumped and turned to his brothers, suddenly feeling very awkward that he was hugging her. He pushed Koala away from him not too gently without even realizing and said quickly, "Um... This is Koala, guys!" The blond-haired man turned to Koala again with a smile, "These are my brothers, Koala! The tall one in orange is Ace and the smaller guy in red is Luffy!"
Koala gasped in glee, running over to them. "Oh...! I've heard so much about you two!"
Luffy snapped out of his confusion and blinked. "Y-you have...?"
"Of course! Sabo's always talking about you boys!" Koala giggled at Luffy stepping an inch closer to the teenager, "It's so good to meet you, Luffy! Aww~! Look at you! You're so much cuter than I imagined you'd be!"
Luffy gasped, an embarrassed blush coming over his cheeks. He hated being called 'cute'...
Koala laughed at him. "Oh, I'm sorry about that!" She looked down at Luffy's bags, picking one of two up and walking away, calling over her shoulder, "Come on! Everyone's been waiting for you!"
When she was a fair enough distance away, Ace and Luffy huddled up close to Sabo and hissed with an evil smirk, "That your girlfriend, Sabo-kun~?"
Sabo's teeth went jagged and his eyes turned white as he snapped with a large blush, "Shut the hell up, you two! Koala's just a touchy person, okay? She just likes hugs! There's nothing wrong with liking hugs!" Ace and Luffy looked at each other, biting their lips so that they wouldn't burst into a fit of laughter.
Sabo frowned deeply at them and walked away. They giggled as they followed close behind their brother. When they walked up onto the porch, Koala clicked the door open, lifting it ajar for the three. When they walked in, they all set down the bags beside the tall, spiral staircase that sat to their very left the moment they opened the door, along with a large entryway to the long dining room. In the dining room was a small doorway the led to the kitchen that also included a small table that could also be used for eating at. When you looked to your right when you came in the front door, there was a large entrance to the huge living room.
It was a cozy, quiet house. Old lanterns hung above for lights, dimly illuminating the old house. "I have to say, Sabo-kun," Koala said as she turned to the blond-haired man, "this is a very beautiful cabin!"
"Cabin? It's barely that! It's more of a mansion than a cabin!" The small group looked up to the top of the tall spiral staircase to see Marco leaning over the railing on the other end, staring down at them.
"Marco!" Ace called out with a smile. Marco grinned back at him and jumped all the way down the stairs - which, of course, made Sabo have a second-long panic attack - falling on his feet in front of Ace. "Hey, man!" Ace laughed as they grabbed each other's hands and pulling the other to them so that they bumped shoulders. "How yah been, dude!"
"Pretty good! Really tired, though. Didn't get much sleep last night, you know, man?" Marco replied.
"Did you get in late or something?" Ace asked him.
"No. I couldn't fall asleep I guess." He leaned closer to whisper in Ace's ear, "This place kinda gives me the creeps, man!"
"Heeeeeeeeeeey!" Sabo complained from behind them as Ace burst out laughing. "I can hear you guys, you know!"
"Sabo?" Sabo turned around to see the large fishman, Hack, standing in the doorway to the living room. "Ah! You three made it. That's great." He said with a smile.
"Hey, Hack!" Sabo replied. "How do you like the cabin?" The blond asked as he walked up to Hack, standing beside him.
Hack grinned at him. "Oh, it's beautiful, Sabo! For being such an old place, it sure is magnificent!"
Sabo laughed. "Yeah! It's been in my family for years, but... my parents gave it to me because it wasn't 'as good as the other thirty mansions my family owned'... So they gave this place to me. Now it's mine!" Sabo turned around to the others. "Well, anyways, Ace, Luffy, and I will just go upstairs to put our bags in our rooms. We'll be right-"
"H-hey, Sabo?" Ace suddenly interrupted, reaching down to reach and grab something in his pocket, "Could you actually go put my bags up in my room for me? I... left something in the car..."
Sabo and Luffy stopped. "Why can't you do it, Ace? Your bags aren't going anywhere-"
"Can you just do it for me?" Ace said harshly.
There was a very long pause. The atmosphere of the room had instantly changed. There was a sick aura of shock everywhere, save for the beams of anger that radiated from the blond-haired man. Suddenly, Sabo growled to Ace, "Ace! Can I talk to you in...private, please?"
Ace frowned. "Sabo, I didn't-"
"Not yet, you didn't!" Sabo roared. He turned to everyone else, trying to calm down as he whispered, "I'm sorry, but can you guys all go somewhere else for a moment?"
Koala and Hack were the only ones that nodded. Koala, Hack, and Marco slowly made their way into the living room while Luffy stood his ground. "S-Sabo...?"
"Can you... leave, too, Luffy?" Sabo asked him quietly.
"B-but, I-"
"J-just go put your bags away, okay?" Sabo insisted.
Luffy hesitated. He paused before cautiously nodding his head. The black-haired teenager made his way up the stairs, a bag in each hand. He only looked back once to see Sabo and Ace glaring daggers at each other. As Luffy unlocked the door to his room, he could hear his brothers walking up the other stairs that were in the small dining room to the other rooms to discuss.
Luffy slowly walked in and set his bags down on the bed. Ace and Sabo's room was connected to his. There was a very tiny hallway that bound them together, inside the hallway was an entrance to a medium-sized bathroom.
From the other side of the door, Luffy could hear everything that they were saying loud and clear. "You're doing it again, Ace... You're doing this... this... maniac thing you do! I thought that you told me that you'd stop it! I thought you had told Luffy and I that you had stopped doing that!"
"I have!" Ace insisted.
"Then what were you doing to do outside?"
"I was going to get my phone."
"You didn't bring your phone, Ace... We've never brought our phones to the cabin... There's no cellphone connection out here and you know that!"
"Why don't you just shut the hell up!"
Luffy sat down on the bed, staring down the small, dark hallway to the brown, wooden door. He was doing it again... Ace had been getting distant... He had been ever since he found out his father was Gol D. Roger, the famous treasure-hunter and criminal. He had found out in middle school when their grandfather told them. Ace instantly got interested in his father and wanted to know everything about him. And so, he would ask about him. All he received in response were spats and nasty remarks. Apparently, there was nothing good to say about this man.
This habit of his that he had developed most definitely got stronger after Luffy was given the opportunity to go to New World High. It was where Gol D. Roger had gone to high school. Ace and Sabo had a long argument about his going there. Of course, Sabo's logic won. That or their throats had gotten too sore to raise their voices any longer and the last one to make a wise comment was Sabo and that was where the conversation ended.
Ace had been doing it ever since he found them in high school. And he hadn't stopped since...
"This has got to stop, Ace... You've taken it far too long! It's not good for you!"
"I know that, Sabo!"
"Then why don't you listen to me?!"
"You think that I don't try to? Of course I listen to you! Your complaints are so loud that I feel like I'll go deaf! But..."
"But, what, Ace? Their screams are louder than mine!?"
"Yes!"
The argument suddenly stopped for a brief moment. Luffy felt his heart stop its loud, anxious pounding, hoping to hear that it was over for good. He had always loved his brothers. But, whenever this happened...he hated them so much that he felt like running up to them and knocking both of their lights out...just so the ringing in his ears could stop. Luffy found himself trying his hardest to hold onto the moments when everything was simple as best as he could, fretting that they would disappear just as quickly as they began.
"I'm sick of you..." He heard Sabo mutter.
"Right back at you, bitch..." With that, Luffy heard a door in their room slam shut, later hearing the front door bang closed as well.
Luffy sighed. Slowly, he rose to his feet, making his way over to Sabo and Ace's room. The black-haired teenager turned the knob and pushed it open. There on one of the beds, Sabo sat, staring down at his knees.
"S-Sabo...?" Luffy whispered.
"I thought that he was getting better, Luffy..." Sabo muttered as Luffy sat down beside him. "I thought that he was getting better..."
Sorry if this took a huge drop in the mood, guys. I'm still trying to show you guys a little bit more of their personalities. If this didn't make sense, don't worry, it'll all make a lot more sense in the next chapter. I'll explain everything. (I think that you'll be able to tell by the name of the next chapter... But I don't know, I might change the name when it's done.)
Don't worry, though, guys! This whole cabin trip will NOT be this depressing. It'll be super fun and happy. :) This is the only part that'll make you frown, I promise. :D
Good God, did that take a long time! I was trying my best to finish it up as soon as possible because I knew that you guys'd want this as quickly as possible. (All I'm wanting right now is to lift the mood again! God, it's sending weird nostalgic vibes...! I won't talk about it... You guys don't wanna know about my past! XD)
SPOILERS: Can't wait for the chapter~! I think... Goda?! Are you gonna make us cry? Is Cora-san gonna die next chapter? Nah, I don't think this is the chapter where he's gonna die. I think in a few more chapters... I'm really confused, though, on how Law's gonna be cured! Maybe, just, maybe...! Next chapter will tell us...! MAYBE!
Okay, I'll try my best to be quicker next time! I promis- Actually, I probably shouldn't promise that... I'll just TRY, okay? Okay!
Bye, guys! I hoped you liked the chapter! Please comment! :D Have a wonderful week~! :3