AN: Hey, guys! :) I'm now on sembreak, woot! To celebrate, here's your new chapter, and I hope that all of you enjoy. I'm hoping that I'd be able to update one or two more times before I have to return to the hellhole called "college." HAHA. Joke! It's not a hellhole-the workload is. :) I'm sure a few of you would be able to relate with me over there. So, anyway... here's your chapter. :) Enjoy~ Oh, and warnings for food and Korean music. :D
I've always wanted to do a disclaimer...
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. If I did... this story would have happened. :)
Twenty Seventh Bite ~ Monkey D. Luffy
Hurts.
"Luffy? Are you okay?"
It really hurts.
My eyes forced themselves closed. I couldn't see whoever was holding my head—or wait, was I the one holding my own head? I couldn't tell. Everything was dark.
Everything felt so painful.
"L-Luffy?" Ace sounded worried, "What's wrong?"
"My—My head hurts," Why's my body shaking? I didn't want it to. "Aah—Ace, w-what's happening?" Why wasn't it listening to me? Stop it already!
"I'll call the nurse." I could hear him stand up, his footsteps sounding farther and farther away from me. Was he going to leave me?
I whined, trying to reach out for him, but I couldn't—my body still didn't want to listen. It only made me curl into a ball. Ace—please don't leave me. Don't leave me like Grandpa.
I don't want to be alone again.
It became quiet. I was alone. My body kept shaking, but maybe it was because I was freezing. I gripped onto my sheets, wrapping them around me. Why was it so cold around here? I wasn't cold when Ace hugged me earlier. He was warm. I wanted to feel warm like that again.
Someone. Anyone. Please help me. Ace—come back, alright?
It didn't take too long. Just when I thought I was going to turn into ice, I could hear voices. "Oh dear—" Was that the nurse? "I'll administer some painkillers on him."
Then, I heard his voice. "Will he be alright?" Ace came back.
Did he hear me when I was asking for help? He's always there to save me—he's always my hero. Maybe he did hear me.
I continued to listen. The nurse was telling Ace stuff about a medicine—something about how long it would take for it to work—before asking him to leave. I wanted to say something because of this. Why does Ace always have to leave me? I want him here! From my bed, I looked at Ace, hoping that he wouldn't listen to the nurse.
Ace looked at me before saying, "I'll be back, Lu." Awww.
"Promise, Ace?" I whined.
"Promise, little bro." I didn't know why, but for some reason, I felt a lot better when he said that. Maybe Ace is medicine, and if he just stayed with me a bit more, I'd feel much better! It's a good thing to me because Ace was way better than injections and yucky medicines that doctors and nurses would give to their patients. He's like—like Chicken Soup for the Soul, some book that I tried reading once, but I didn't like it because it was boring, and there wasn't any chicken soup in there. Okay, so Ace was like chicken soup—but even better than that and medicine!
I groaned. Okay, that's kind of confusing, but still! Ace shouldn't leave! He has to come back!
After Ace left, the nurse told me that it was time to take the evil-tasting pill of doom. She made me sit up properly, so I wouldn't choke while drinking it down. I didn't mind that it was large, but I didn't like the aftertaste it left. So, what if I was sitting up? I felt like choking anyway. I slammed the glass on the side table, coughing because it was so bitter, and I hated it as much as my headache. Stupid headache—why did it have to make me feel like this?
"Now, stay in bed and don't move, okay?" the nurse said to me, "That's the only thing that can ease the pain." I pouted when she told me that. Staying in bed was boring! I'd rather do fun stuff like eat, hang out with Ace, eat, hang out with my friends, eat, hang out with Shanks, eat, play video games, eat, watch anime, eat, do a bunch of other stuff, and eat! Those things were way better than staying in—
Huh? I blinked, poking myself in the head for a bit. Weird. Where did the pain go?
"Feeling alright now?" Beside me, the nurse was beaming.
"Yup," I nodded a bit while returning her smile, "Thanks, Miss!" The medicine was yucky tasting, but at least it worked! Chick-Ace soup's still the best, though!
"Bellemere."
"Eh?" I tilted my head, "What's 'Bellemere'?"
"My name, Luffy," she chuckled softly, "You don't remember me? I'm Nami's mother. I picked her up from Usopp's house when the three of you wanted to take a swim after school," she paused thoughtfully before adding, "Then again, I only saw you from inside my car."
I blinked. "Usopp's house? I remember the mocking sheep and the Japanese sweets."
Mrs. Nami's mom—named "Bellemere"—laughed even more. "You're such a character!" Huh? I didn't get it. Nothing was funny about that mocking sheep which didn't want to help me swim until Usopp convinced it to.
That sheep was evil.
After she finished laughing, she asked, "So, you're Nami's new friend?"
"Uh-huh!" I nodded. Then, from her kind smile, she switched to a funny one. Why? I didn't know, but it was like she was going to tease me.
"Boyfriend?" she asked in a lower tone.
"Uh-huh!" That's so weird—doesn't "friend" and "boyfriend" mean the same thing? I'm a boy, and Nami's my friend, so that means that I'm Nami's boyfriend. It's called "Logic!"
Mrs. Nami's mom—or Bellemere—changed from the funny smile to a shocked face. It was like her eyes were going to pop, and her mouth was shaped like a small donut. "Nami already got herself a boyfriend, and she didn't tell me or Nojiko?" Mmm, donuts—yum!
"Really?" Wait a second—I was confused. Isn't Usopp Nami's boyfriend, too?
Mrs. Nami's mom—whose name's also Bellemere—started talking fast. I didn't really understand much even if it was in English. Maybe Mrs. Nami's Mom—or Bellemere—was an expert rapper, and she just wanted to practice her latest single right now! Cool! Nami never told me that her mom could rap! So, I just continued to sit there, and I listened to her rap while forming a few beats in my head to match the tune. Catchy! I began to rock back and forth.
Okay, I decided! I don't want to be a businessman like Ace's Dad or some government guy like Grandpa! In the future, I'm gonna be a DJ!
Mrs. Nami's mom—Bellemere—took a deep breath. "I'm so sorry," she exhaled, "I was pretty worked up, wasn't I?"
"S'okay!" I giggled, "That was so cool! Did you ever rap for an anime opening song?"
She snorted. "Where did that come from? I wasn't rapping!" Really? "I was just expressing how shocked I was!"
"Eh? How come?"
"Well," Mrs. Nami's Mom—or Bellemere—paused before saying, "It's very saddening. Nami has so many people around her, but she's very selective of the company she chooses to hang out with."
"Is that a bad thing?" I asked.
"Well, it's bad for her social life. She can be a very awkward girl towards others."
"Really?" Was Nami really like that? "I didn't know." Maybe her other boyfriends and girlfriends knew about that.
I didn't know what to say. The room became quiet again. I was trying to understand Nami's problem—and it's pretty hard because girl problems, like what Bonney once told me, were way harder than guy problems—and my nurse looked like she was thinking about something. Come on, Luffy! Think, think—what would Bonney do?
"You're Nami's boyfriend, right?"
Well, if I was Bonney, I'd eat some pizza first—the one with pepperoni, mushrooms, anchovies and extra cheese because that tastes really good. I could hear a tiny little voice talking to me. Don't you think that's the best? "Uh-huh!"
"Will you do me a favor?" A four-cheese pizza is good, too, you know? Why do you have to make choosing difficult? The tiny little voice whined, Can't you just have both?
"Sure!" I grinned. Two pizzas are always better than one!
"Would you help her 'open up' to other people?"
"Huh?" I blinked, turning to Mrs. Nami's Mom—Bellemere. Wait, she was talking to me, right?
"I know. I'm sorry. It sounds like something hard, don't you think?" she sighed, "But, it would mean so much to me if you could help her in that way. She needs that." Oh—was she asking me for a favor?
"Alright! I'll help her in opening upwards to other people!" I didn't really understand what that meant. Did that mean that she had to open her head or something? Wait, won't her brains spill out for the zombies to eat? I thought about it some more, but it was tiring for me, so I shrugged. That's okay! I'd probably find out what that meant later, so I'd be able to help Nami from there!
"Thank you, Luffy," Mrs. Nami's Mom—whose name is Bellemere—smiled, "You're a good boyfriend for Nami."
"No problem!" I laughed a bit.
She nodded before looking at her watch and then blinking. "Oh, well, I have some work to do at the Nurses' Ward, alright?" she stood up, "I'll be back as soon as possible. Don't move!"
"Okay!" I nodded. Ace would come back anyway, so he'd be able to keep me company! The nurse gave me one wink before leaving me alone in the room—alone with Mr. Boredom.
Alright, now what do I do? I looked around.
I could see a small TV box hanging at the upper corner of the room. I smiled, happy to see one of my best friends ever since childhood—Mr. Sony! If I slept this long, then I must have missed one or two episodes of Romance Dawn! I didn't like this, so my head switched from left to right in search of the magical metal wand called the "TV Remote." There had to be re-runs! There just had to be! I didn't want to miss the fight between the main character and Alligator at the Royal Desert Island! The fight scenes are one of the best parts of the anime!
It wasn't to my left. It wasn't to my right. Where's the remote? I pouted, unable to find it. Was it mocking me by disappearing just because I was asking for it? That wasn't right! Mr. Boredom must be playing tricks on me. I glanced at the TV. Mrs. Nami's Mom—named Bellemere—told me not to move, but the remote wasn't next to me. Maybe if I stared at the TV and asked nicely, then it'd turn on for me, and I'd get to watch Romance Dawn and all the other animes that I wanted to watch! Yeah, that's right! A lot of people always say that it pays to be nice! Santa Claus says so, too!
So, I stared—and stared—and stared.
Can I watch now?
Please?
Please?
Pretty, pretty please with sugar on top with cake and icing and brownie bits and sprinkles and ice cream and chocolate chips of all flavors, and chocolate syrup, and extra scoops of ice cream and with a cherry on top? On a candy waffle cone, too?
Okay, I think Mr. Sony's mocking me, too.
Luffy – 0. Mr. Boredom with Mr. Sony – 1.
You know? Grandpa always told me that when things weren't going my way, it's always good to use that. I cracked my knuckles. Maybe I could use it before Mrs. Nami's Mom—or Bellemere—arrived. I shifted a bit and got up, ready to teach Mr. Sony a lesson because he had to take sides with Mr. Boredom and not me. I grinned, raising my fist.
Time for the Fist of Love—Luffy Style!
It was just one punch—but it didn't happen. The moment I was about to use Grandpa's Ultimate Move was the moment when I heard ringing. It was coming from behind me, so I spun around and saw the telephone from one of the side tables.
A phone call—for me?
I walked towards the phone and answered it, picking up the handle and placing it over my ear. "Hello?" Who could it be? Did this person have a TV remote? What if this person's a reinforcement who's also been mocked by Mr. Sony, too? We should team up!
"Monkey D. Luffy."
I blinked a few more times. Wait, hold on—this guy wasn't a reinforcement! He sounded very familiar. After some quick thought, my eyes widened when the answer came to me. Could it be—
"I am not your conscience." Oh. Never mind.
"Eh?" I glanced at the speaker, "Then, who're you?"
"It is I—your friend, Basil Hawkins."
"Hawkins!" I grinned over the phone. "You called!" How come I didn't think of him first?
"Yes."
"I really, really miss you, you know! The last time I talked to Kidd, you weren't there, so I asked and Kidd said that you were sick! You sound okay now, but are you really fine? Have you been eating right? I hope you are! You always drink these funny stuff instead of eating—what're the name of those drinks? Oh, wait, see? I don't even know their names! By the way, how did you know that I was in the hospital? Oh, wait! No! Never mind! Hawkins always knows a bunch of stuff, so I don't need to ask that! I think it's more important to know if you're eating real food, so you could stop getting sick! It's not good for your health, you know. So, anyway—how're you?" I grinned, waiting for him to tell me everything that's been happening lately. Hawkins always has something funny to say.
"Monkey D. Luffy, listen to me—" Hey, that didn't answer my question! "You have to leave the hospital immediately."
"Eh?"
"Go as far away from the hospital as you possibly can. Do not talk to anyone on the way out. Do not engage with anyone in any way. Most of all, stay away from Portgas D. Ace. Do you understand me? It is it for your own good."
I stared. "Why?" Okay, Hawkins was acting strange again! I didn't get it—what does he mean by "my own good?" Oh, wait a second! "Nee Hawkins—is this a game?"
There was a moment of silence between the both of us before he answered, "Yes, Monkey D. Luffy. We will play a game."
"Now it makes more sense!" I giggled, "Why didn't you say so? So, Hawkins, when are we playing?"
"Now."
"Oh!" Wow, Hawkins must be really bored, too! Good timing! "Okay, So, I'm the target, right? Wait, my nurse told me that I shouldn't move because I—"
"Stay safe."
"Eh?" I was about to say something, but it was too late. Hawkins hung up. I stared at the phone handle for a bit before shrugging and putting it down. Whatever Hawkins planned for me, I thought, was way better than being stuck with Mr. Boredom in all ways!
I checked the drawers. People were going to catch me, and it'd be super easy if I wore something like my hospital gown outside the building. Every videogame character changes clothes, so stats would be raised! The same thing should go for real life, I guess. I needed to be as strong as I could get.
It was a good thing that Shanks packed some clothes for me! I smiled, pulling out a shirt—it had a "56" printed on it, my favorite number—a pair of jeans, socks and my sneakers. I ran to the bathroom and quickly placed these on before Mrs. Nami's Mom—or Bellemere—came in and caught me. Hawkins told me not to engage with anyone in any way, so if she came in now, then it'd be game over. I didn't want to lose that quickly!
Sneaking out was like passing through Level One. There wasn't anyone outside the corridor, and people only started showing up when I went down a few levels. That was okay, though, because as long I ignored them, they'd ignore me. I'd still be able to get past them without losing the game. Besides, Kidd always told me that I was the best in slipping past people. Maybe it was because of my size—who knows?
It didn't take me long to find the exit. It was very close, just straight ahead. I was about to walk towards it, but there was something that stopped me from leaving.
My nose twitched.
What was that smell? It smelled really good. I could feel my mouth watering as my stomach grumbled painfully.
It made me wonder—when was my last mealtime?
My nose picked up the smell, and I followed it. It wasn't far away, just inside some café restaurant near the hospital lobby. I walked towards the place and peered behind the glass windows, my eyes catching all the yummy food that I could see. Turkey club sandwiches and BLTs, seafood linguine and creamy carbonara, cakes of different shapes and frostings, chocolate cookies and muffins of different flavors—all the stuff that I wanted to try out right now. It almost made me mad that Hawkins told me to play this game right now. I seriously wanted to eat, and this was the perfect place for me to fill my stomach.
I looked around. Hawkins wasn't here right now, was he? Right. Left. Up. Down. Oh, well! He doesn't have to know!
Slowly, I walked inside. They were serving some chicken nuggets and stewed beef briskets at the meat section. Maybe if I could pick on a few pieces without anyone noticing, I wouldn't have to talk to anyone, and I'd still be in the game. Good plan, Luffy!
I turned towards the meat platter.
"I suggest that you save that for another today. He just woke up, so talking about something like that may be too heavy for him."
"You're right," I stared, seeing Ace sitting near the Holy Meat Basket was, "I'll tell him about it some other time."
I ran towards the exit and hid behind the door before they could spot me. I almost lost there, huh? It made me think—why would Ace sit near the Holy Meat Basket? Was it a trap? Or wait—
Was Ace going to be the Final Boss? Did this mean that he had "One-Touch-Kill" moves? Why did Hawkins have to set the difficulty to Hard Mode so fast, huh?
Slowly but surely, I poked my head over the glass windows to take a peek. I should just spy on them for now—like how Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid would.
I could see Ace sitting behind a table, talking about something with Mr. Pineapple Head. Both of them looked really serious. I stared, trying to take a guess. What were they talking about? I peered closely at Ace who drank from a cup before placing his head over his hands. He looked very sad.
How come?
Some part of me ached—not like the painful ache from a while ago. It was the kind of ache that I didn't understand, the one that only came to me when I was feeling sad. I felt like going to Ace, so I could do something for him. I didn't want him to be sad. I wanted him to be happy. Because of this, my mind was made up, so I decided to approach him.
Most of all, stay away from Portgas D. Ace.
I froze on my tracks and automatically doubled back. Did Hawkins just speak to me from the back of my head? Crap! He could see whether I was cheating or not? That was really cool, though. I wish I could do something like that.
It's for your own good.
That's what he said—this game was "for my own good." I shifted a bit. I still didn't get what he meant when he said that. Something was really weird about all of this, but I couldn't put a finger on it. Did Hawkins say it's for my own good because it could solve my boredom? I shook my head. It's hard to think about something that I didn't understand. All I knew was that whatever this was, it was something really important. My gut feeling told me to listen to Hawkins.
I had to stay away from Ace.
So, I left Ace alone. I didn't like what I did, though. I thought that it only made the ache inside me even more painful.
Why was it so hard to leave when I knew that I had to?
I exited the hospital at last. That's one checkpoint down! I saw a lot of people walking down the sidewalks while cars and buses rushed by. I looked around, thinking of what to do. Hawkins told me to got as far away from the hospital as possible, but he didn't tell me exactly where.
So, where do I go now?
I thought of my apartment—it was far away from the hospital, wasn't it? When I had to visit Ace, I had to take my bike, but right now, I didn't have my bike. I also didn't have money right now, so I couldn't take a bus or the train. I couldn't call Shanks, too—my cellphone wasn't with me, and that was against the rules.
So, Hawkins told me to go far away from the hospital. My apartment was far away from the hospital. I grinned before turning left. Looks like I know where to go next! I'll just have to walk it.
This was going to be an adventure, right?
So, I kept walking and walking and walking. I went down the sidewalks and crossed a few roads. I stopped when the pedestrian light was red, and I continued when the light turned green for me. There were a lot of crowds in the area, but I made sure not to mind any of them. It was a good thing that my sense of direction brought me to the area where I could only see warehouses and old buildings. Not too many people were around there.
Wait, was this the way to my apartment?
I stopped for a moment and stared. This place looked completely new to me, but I guess that's just how it is! I laughed to myself. This was just all part of the adventure. Besides, that guy in the black suit who's been following me for a bit would probably keep me company. I looked over my shoulder, seeing him hide behind some lamppost. Yup, still the—hold on. I blinked. Now, there were two men in black suits! Weird. Where did those guys come from anyway?
You think Hawkins told them to play the game, too? I frowned at this. No way was I going to lose! Quickly, I switched my head forward and ran.
Was it me or were those guys multiplying? Whenever I'd look back, I'd see more of them. First, there was one. Next, there were two, three, and then five. I looked back again, and this time, those guys were slowly trailing after me from inside a car. I frowned even more. This was starting to get annoying. Why were these people following me? Were they trying to make me lose or—
Were they following me all the way to my apartment, so they could eat my food?
"Hey, you can't do that!" I turned around, ready to give them a piece of my mind, but when I did, something smashed against my head. I fell off balance and landed on the ground, holding my head while groaning in pain. Hurts! I could feel blood dripping down my eyebrow. Who—?
My head continued to spin. I could feel arms grabbing me. "We've got our hostage," someone said. These arms weren't gentle—I was being dragged somewhere. I opened my eyes a bit to see where the arms were taking me. "Portgas won't hesitate to turn himself in if we use this guy." I could hear a car door open.
Wait—why were they talking about Ace? Were these guys going to use me to hurt Ace? I wriggled a bit, trying to move, but the people who wanted to hurt Ace were horrible. I could feel a hand grab me by the head before slamming it against black metal. White light. More blood. More pain. These guys were going to use me as a hostage. I couldn't—
I couldn't let that happen.
I could hear a crack—a very loud crack. Someone was screaming, and suddenly, I was thrown to the ground. I went on all fours before slowly turning to see what just happened.
"Figlio di una cagna rotto il polso!" Son of a bitch broke my wrist—Italian? I could understand Italian, too? I stared, seeing the man's good hand holding his other wrist. It was twisted pretty badly.
Did I just do that?
"G-Get him!" English.
One of them rushed towards me. I stared my body springing up in response before punching him hard in the face. His body flew a few meters backwards, spots of red dripping from his cheek. My fist was red, too.
"Porca puttana." Italian—For fuck's sake.
What's happening to me?
I couldn't stop myself. I couldn't control my body. I punched. I kicked. I tackled. These guys had guns—but how did I dodge all of their bullets?
Something fell on the ground. My eyes landed on it. Small yet sharp—I could see a knife waiting to be picked up. Throwing aside one of them, I dashed towards the knife and picked it up. Blood dripped down from my cheek. My hands were red. The knife glinted brightly.
No! Let go!
I clutched my head.
Let go! Let go!
The pain was coming back.
I just wanted to beat them up! I-I don't want to kill anyone!
Kill. Kill. My body wanted to kill even if I didn't want to.
I could hear myself screaming. I could feel my knees touching the ground. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts! My hands were on my bleeding head again. It was going to split. I could feel it. I was going to die.
I was going to be with Grandpa.
"Pr-Prenderlo!" Get him.
One, two, three—three people were holding me by the arms. A white cloth with a very bad smell placed itself under my nose. I tried to break free, but my body felt so heavy, and my head just kept spinning. I couldn't breathe—
"—let him go—bastards!"
Screaming. I could hear one of the guys in suits crying for help.
"No one—my—employer's grandson!"
Then, everything went black.
I'll see you soon, Grandpa?
It was dark. I closed my eyes and opened them again. Pitch black. I couldn't see. I could feel, though—
I could feel warmth.
"Nothing. Everything's fine. It's going to be okay." There was a voice—a soft and gentle one—that was whispering these words to my ears. This voice made me feel safe. With not much to lose, I cuddled closer to the warmth.
"I don't like the dark." I heard myself sniff. I realized that I had a sweet-smelling-something in my hands. It smelled like—an orange?
"Me, too," Pause, "Me too."
I laid there, rested and settled—protected by the person with the gentle voice and warmth. Even if it was dark, and even if I didn't like the dark, I felt fine. This person was here. I closed my eyes, trying to sleep and imagine good things.
I still wished that I had a little bit of light, though.
Then, my wish came true because it did become brighter. My eyes snapped open, feeling a cold and wet rain shower drenching us. We were in an alleyway. We were surrounded by a bunch of guys who held metal bars. One of them grabbed me, tearing me away from my protector. I screamed, trying to pull away from this guy while my orange fell to the ground.
"Luffy!" All I could do was cry.
It was so cold.
"Back to the whorehouse for you!" one of the guys spat. I heard a loud crunch, like something hard bashed against something softer. It sounded painful. Then, I heard a thud. Someone fell on the ground.
"L-Let him go—! D-Don't—" Another crunch.
Tears were blurring my eyes. I couldn't really see anything except for the spots of red on the ground. Why did I have to wish for light? We were already okay in the dark. I continued to cry and scream, telling them stop hurting my protector. Then, I turned around and saw the one tried to protect me, the one they were hurting, and the one who was slowly dying because of me—
I could see Ace.
My cheeks were wet. Was it still raining? Or was it the blood?
"Hey, you've been crying."
I heard that voice before. Who could it be? Slowly, I opened my eyes and blinked twice. Tall and skinny, with short, messy blonde hair, brown eyes and a bandage over his nose—
"S-Sabo?"
"Glad you recognize me," Sabo grinned, taking off a pair of headphones from his ears, "You had your head hit pretty hard by those guys. I thought you would have gotten amnesia or something."
"T-Those guys?" Rain. Crying. Screaming. Crunch. "Y-You mean—me-metal bars a-and—"
Ace.
"Well—more of guns and knives, but—h-hey!" Sabo pushed me down when I tried to get up. I stared at this before glaring and thrashing under my sheets.
"S-Stay down, will you?" He kept pinning me on the spot. I tried to move more, but Sabo was good at trying to hold me still.
"A-Ace—Let go of me, Sabo! L-Let go of me!" I sniffed, and I didn't know why I could feel my eyes growing wet again. I just felt a bunch of things—I felt mad, I felt sad, I felt annoyed and confused. I didn't know what to do. "T-They're going to hurt Ace! Where is he? Did they—they catch him? Sabo, get out of my way!"
"Luffy—L-Luffy, stop! Stop it already!" He held me by the wrists. "You were just dreaming!" I froze, staring at Sabo in the eyes. He looked scared.
"D-Dreaming—? Was it all just a—?" Did that mean that those guys in suits and everything else that just happened to me—were they all just one big dream? I didn't kill anyone, right?
No wait—there were some parts that were real. The hospital was real. Hawkins—that's got to be real. Ace's my brother—was that real, too? I hoped so.
So, what's real?
"Wh-what about Ace?" I blinked, "Is he-Is he—Where is he?"
Sabo stared at me before laughing. "Well, he's not here, but Ace is fine!" he said, "I know the guy for years! He's pretty die-hard. Look, I'll call him. Would that be fine with you?"
I nodded. "A-Alright."
"Great. Now, you just rest and—" He stopped when he heard the door open.
"Alright, boy—" I heard a woman yell, "What sort of trouble did you get into now?" Huh? Now, that sounded very familiar—
Sabo and I looked towards the door, and I stared before grinning at seeing my old caretaker. "Dadan!" She charged towards me, and I giggled, spreading my arms wide open because I wanted a hug.
Instead, she rammed me in the head and tugged at my hair.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Dada—Ow!" Yup! Good ol' Dadan! Some things never change, do they, huh?
"Hey, Dadan—" Sabo blinked, "You want to be more gentle? Luffy almost got a concussion, you know."
"Oh, he'll be damn fine!" Ow! Ow! "I'd know! This brat was my former charge before you!"
"Small world."
"MOM!"
Dadan let go of my hair, and I blinked when I heard someone with the loudest voice ever, "MOM! SABO BROUGHT A STRANGER HOME!" Then, I saw the person who owned the loudest voice ever. It was some little guy with a weird head and a weird face who ran into Sabo's room and had his cellphone behind his ear.
I could see Sabo twitch. "Shuttup, Stelly!"
The loud one named "Stelly" gasped before screaming at the top of his lungs, "MOM! SABO TOLD ME TO 'SHUT UP'!" I think he should have been named "Yelly," you know? That makes more sense.
"DAEKCHE, STELLY!" Wow, so the understanding languages bit was real, too! I could understand what "Shut up" was in Korean!
Sabo turned to tackle Yelly, but Yelly was pretty fast! Yelly ran out of the room, and Sabo chased after him, but before Sabo left, he turned to me. "Just rest over there, alright? I'm just going to settle in and—"
MOM! SABO'S CHASING ME NOW!"
"DAEKCHE, YOO JIN!" Sabo had this evil evil look in his eyes before leaving the room and running down the hallway. Yoo Jin is Yelly's Korean name? Oh, so it's definitely "Yelly!" Yoo Jin begins with "Y" just like "Yelly!"
Giggling at this, I turned to Dadan. "So, Dadan, what've you been doing?"
"Well, as you can see," Dadan sighed, rubbing her temple, "I'm working for this family now. After you moved out, it didn't take me too long until I found work."
"That's great! This place looks fun already!" I smiled.
Dadan rolled her eyes. "So, boy, answer me—how did you get into that situation earlier?"
I looked up, trying to remember everything that happened. "Okay, I left the hospital—"
"So, you ended up in the hospital after two months? I always knew that Shanks is a useless bum."
"—because Hawkins—"
Dadan raised an eye. "Isn't that your strange friend?"
"—told me to."
"How many times have I told you, Luffy? Do notlisten to him! That boy's completely looney!"
"He's just funny," I giggled, "Oh, and then there were these guys who wanted to make me a hostage because they were trying to catch Ace."
"What?"
"I said—there were these guys who wanted to make me a hostage because they were trying to catch Ace," I scratched the back of my head, "Yeah, I don't really get it, Dadan. Do you?" Dadan got a lot of things, a lot more than I did. Maybe she'd be able to figure out things for me.
She was turning red, huffing and puffing like a giant teapot—or like the Big Bad Wolf. "And, just who is this Ace?" I giggled. Dadan's reactions never changed.
"My brother, Ace!" Dadan had the "I'm-gonna-beat-the-crap-out-of-that-guy's-face," but I hoped that she wouldn't! I still have to tell her about how cool Ace is and that he doesn't need to be beaten up for anything! "He says his name is Portgas D. Ace and that we're brothers! So, does this mean that he's Monkey D. Ace—or am I Portgas D. Luffy? Do you know, Dadan?"
"P-Portgas—D—A-A—" Dadan had her jaw on the floor. I couldn't help but laugh a bit. She looked really funny right now. "W-Wait—are you saying—Portgas D. Ace," she was breathing heavily, "S-Son of Ed-Edward Newgate—h-he's your long lost brother?"
"Uh-huh!" I tilted my head, "How come?"
"A-Are you sure?" she stammered.
I nodded. "Ace said so! He told me when I was in the hospital!" Dadan looked like she was about to faint.
I told Dadan everything else. I told her about my life here at Grand Line and how I met Ace. It started with me destroying his car ("You idiot! You destroyed his car? Thank you're damn lucky star that his father didn't aim for your head!"), and then it went to all those times where he helped me and was being really nice to me. The last thing I told her about was that strange dream I had where I was in some strange room with white light before I woke up with Ace who told me that we were brothers. Now that I thought about, it's really funny how all of this started with me breaking his car, don't you think?
After I finished, Dadan sat there, quiet, but then after a little bit, she spoke in a low voice, "D-Did he—Did he say anything about what happened to him before you two met?" I blinked twice before lowering my head and shaking it. "Huh—What's with the face? What's wrong, boy?"
"It's just that—" I bit my lip, "Ace didn't say anything about that. I don't think he wants to."
"What makes you say that?" Dadan asked, eyebrow raised again.
"When I asked him back there at the hospital," I explained, "He had this look—and I didn't know how to describe it—but it was like he didn't want to tell me anything. Nee, Dadan—Do you think he's hiding something from me?"
"You're saying that he's hiding the truth from you?"
"Maybe he doesn't want to tell me the truth. I don't know why he'd hide it, but what if he is? What if-What if—" I gulped, finding it something hard to say, "What if he's been lying to me all this time?"
"Stupid boy!"
"Ow!" I pouted, rubbing my head after Dadan hit it, "But, Dadan—!" It still hurts from a while ago, you know?
"Now, let me tell you a few things, boy—th-things that your older brother's probably afraid to tell you himself," Dadan's voice shook, "Never did I think that I'd be the one to tell you these—rather not."
I stared at my caretaker. "What things? Nee, Dadan, what're you talking about?"
Dadan kept quiet for a bit. She looked like she was thinking hard about something. I waited for a bit, rocking back and forth because I knew that this was a secret that was going to be told to me, and I really really wanted to know what this was. Was this something that Dadan was hiding from me for a long time? Did Grandpa know about this, too? So, was he hiding something from me, too?
Finally, Dadan spoke. "You remember what you Grandpa said? That he found you in an orphanage after your parents died, right?"
"Uh-huh." I hated it when someone would ask about my parents. It wasn't because they left me—Grandpa told me that they didn't and that they loved me very much. It's just that—whenever I was asked, I wouldn't have an answer for them.
I just didn't remember them at all.
"The one thing that your Grandpa never told you—that he was afraid to tell you," Dadan paused for a moment, biting her lip, "H-He—He never found your older brother."
My eyes widened. "You mean—Ace?"
"That's right, kid. Your older brother, Ace. He wasn't with you in that orphanage. The man who kept you said that he died in an accident. Some car ran over him while he was playing in the road."
"Well, that can't be true!" I pouted, crossing my arms, "Ace is alive."
Dadan laughed loudly. "Well, that's what your old geezer thought, too!" she said, "He didn't give up trying. He kept searching and searching. It took him two years until he decided to give up!"
"So," I looked down again, "You think that one day—one day, Ace will tell me the truth? Ace won't lie to me—Ow!" I grumbled, rubbing my head again.
Dadan pulled her fist back. "You listen here, boy, and I'll tell you this—If your older brother has been spending all his means and resources that the Newgate Fortune can offer for years just to search for you, then that means something. You're the only real family he's got left and vice-versa. Understand me, boy?"
I placed my hand down. "I-I guess."
"So, whatever Ace has to say, he'll say it eventually. Not now, maybe not later, but soon enough. There's never secrets between family."
"Really?" I smiled a bit.
Dadan nodded, crossing her arms. "Your brother must love you. Don't ever doubt him—not even for one second."
Suddenly, after what Dadan said, I felt really happy inside. Remembering everything that Ace has said and done for me, I could see how Ace loves me so much. It made me even feel bad now that I left Ace a while ago, but I promised myself that the next time he shows up, I'm going to make him feel loved like any good little brother would do!
"Although, I'm a little curious, though—" I could hear Dadan talking to herself while I was thinking of ways on how to make Ace happy, "Granted, I forgot that his name was Ace, but how come Garp didn't see that when the whole Japan knows about Newgate's new son? Portgas—Rouge's surname! Not a very common one." "Portgas" sounded like a cool name, you know?
"Hey, Luffy! How're you feeling now?" I turned to see Sabo entering the room. He was carrying a wireless phone, and he had a yellow book in his hands.
"I'm fine!" I smiled, "Where's Yelly?"
Sabo snorted. "You mean 'Stelly'? I finally made the little shit shut up already—good nickname, though. I think I'll use that later on."
Dadan twitched, looking at Sabo. "Alright, kid—what did you do to your brat of a brother this time?"
"Nothing," Sabo shrugged, "Just made him play outside for a bit."
"DADAN! HELP!" Yup, it was coming from outside. I could even hear a bunch of dogs barking.
While Sabo was laughing evilly, I saw Dadan look through a window. I shifted a bit just to grab a peek of what was going on, only to see Yelly on top of a tree branch and holding onto it while Rottweilers and German Shepherds were barking from below.
Dadan turned to Sabo. "You let the security dogs chase after him?"
"I'm just giving them a little bit of exercise!" Sabo sniggered, raising his hands up. Dadan grumbled before leaving the room, and I joined Sabo in laughing. That's pretty funny!
Sabo let me rest in his bed while he settled in. He changed from his school uniform into his usual clothes, and placed on his stereo. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked when he did, "Since you're awake and all. Music helps me focus." I said that I didn't. Besides, I liked his Korean songs anyway.
After he shifted to a different song, Sabo flipped through the yellow book, switching the phone on. "Want some pizza?" he asked, "I'm up for ordering!"
"Pizza?" I grinned, remembering that I was craving for them a while ago, "Cool!"
He passed me the delivery pages which also contained all the pizza places, their numbers and even their menus. "Just pick what you want, and I'll handle everything else, got that?" Sabo said, "My treat!" I giggled. Wow, Sabo's really nice!
I asked for the flavors I wanted—pepperoni with anchovies and mushroom and extra cheese along with a four-cheese pizza. While Sabo was ordering, Dadan came back to check my temperature. Luckily, according to Dadan, I didn't have a fever.
"You better stay in bed, anyway!" she instructed, "Don't want you getting into more trouble!" She brought me somebulgogi and kimchi topped over rice when Sabo said that the pizza would take a while. I ate this up quickly because it was very tasty. Good ol' Dadan! When she's not angry and when she's not hitting me, she can be very nice.
A little bit after, Sabo gave me the chance to talk to Ace. I was a little scared to talk to him because I must have gotten him really worried—and actually, I did—but he wasn't mad at me.
"No, Luffy," he said over the phone, "Why would you be? You're safe now, and that's all that matters to me."
Dadan was right. Ace loved me so much, and that's what I loved about him. He always cares about me even if I get him really worried at times. It wasn't fair that I wasn't showing him love in return. So, how should I show my own love for him? I didn't know. Maybe I should start simple? I called him "Big Brother" when I talked to him over the phone, and he sounded so happy! If I'd be able to return all the love Ace has given me, will he always be that happy with me? It sounded like a good plan!
Oh, and I tried asking him about what happened years ago, too, but Sabo grabbed the phone cause he really wanted to talk to Ace about something. I giggled, seeing how Sabo had this funny look on his face while he was screaming over the phone ("DUDE! You're brothers and you didn't even tell me?"). Well, like Dadan said, Ace was my family, so he'd tell me sooner or later. All I had to do right now was to love him more and more.
"So, you guys are really brothers?" Sabo asked when he finished talking to Ace. Dadan left us to wait for the pizza outside, and Sabo passed me a glass of cold milk tea, "Seriously?"
"Yup!" I smiled while drinking the really sweet drink, "That's what Ace told me!"
Sabo placed a hand over his head. "Woah—you know, shit like this doesn't happen everyday!"
"Ushishishi—" I giggled, "Does this mean that I'm lucky?"
"Hell yeah."
"My Grandpa never told me that I had a long lost brother, but I think this is all really cool," I sipped on my glass, "Ace is a really awesome older brother, you know?" I drank again and paused before looking at Sabo.
Sabo blinked. "Yeah?"
"You're one of Ace's best friends, right?" I asked.
"Well, I've known the guy for ages—I'll tell you that." Sabo used his remote, and the stereo switched from one song to another. More Korean songs were playing.
"Do you know what makes Ace happy?"
"And, you're asking—why?"
"Well," I looked down. Hey—how come my cheeks felt really hot right now? "Ace is the best older brother I could ever have, so I wanna be his best younger brother ever!"
"Oh, trust me—" Sabo punched me on the shoulder, "I think you've got that handled!"
"Really?"
"Yup, and I'll help you in any way I can, alright?" Sabo said, "If he doesn't think that you're the best younger brother he'll ever have—just call me, and I'll beat him up for you. Got that?"
I pouted and raised my pinky. "No beating up Ace!" Sabo laughed at me anyway, and the both of us swore on our pinkies.
The pizza was taking long, but spending time with Sabo was really fun. He lent me his laptop, so I got to watch the latest episode of Romance Dawn online while he did his homework. After that episode was done, I looked at his room for the first time.
Sabo's room was a lot neater than mine. He had the usual stuff, like a large screen TV and a PS3. The big stereo—with an even bigger CD collection next to it—sat on a corner of the room, playing some Korean song right now. Other than that, I could see clothes, schoolbooks, a fishbowl with a cute goldfish on it, and tons of posters of Korean bands and singers on the walls. There was also a small table which carried a bunch of papers and pens. I got out of bed because I was curious, and I wanted to take a look at this.
"Hey, Sabo—" I picked up one sheet and saw Korean characters and drawings of a person dancing different moves, "What're these?"
"Huh? Sabo looked up from his homework and smiled, "Oh, those? They're my outlines."
"Outlines?"
"Yeah, I'm the Dance Club Head, remember? Someone's got to think of our dance numbers!" he chuckled.
"Oh, really?" I stared at the pictures and the words, "So, we're going to do these?"
"Well—maybe not this one," Sabo said, walking up to me and peering at the paper, "Sometimes, I have my own personal dance numbers."
"Really?" I placed down the paper and stared at Sabo, "Can I see? I wanna see Sabo dance!"
"Not here. Dadan just cleaned my room, so—" Sabo coughed, "Hey, you know what? I posted my dance videos on YouTube. Wanna check them out?"
"Sure!" Sabo's eyes shone brightly.
Sabo's a really great dancer. A lot of his videos showed him in a bunch of dance competitions where he won from first up to third place. Sometimes, he danced alone, and sometimes, he danced with others. He made it look so easy, too, doing one really complicated move before swinging his arms once to change moves. After I saw one clip where he partnered up with this girl on a street dance event ("I took her to the prom, right after!"), Sabo made me listen to a bunch of Korean songs that were really great. He was also nice enough to email me the names of the songs that I liked, so I could download and add them in my iTunes.
"Nee, Sabo—what's this song?" I asked.
"Love Rain by Kim Tae Woo," he answered while I listened to the song.
Nae sarangi meorie naerimyeon chueogi doesara nago. Gaseume naerimyeon sojunghaetdeon sarangi tteooreugo.
"If my love comes into your head, the memories come alive again. If my love comes into your heart, I'm reminded of our precious love?"
"W-Woah—wait, wait—" Sabo paused the video and stared at me, "There weren't any subtitles there. You can understand Korean?"
I blinked. "Huh? Y-Yeah—I guess. I understood Korean when you were telling Yelly to shut up."
"So, you do understand Korean—can you speak?"
I blinked before shaking his head. He looked at me for a bit before getting his cellphone, and I saw that he placed the recorder on.
"Mareul." Say something.
Okay, I understood that, but I couldn't speak! "I don't know!" I pouted.
Sabo pressed his cellphone button. "You just spoke in Korean."
"Eh?"
He urged me closer and pressed his cellphone button again. It played, and I stared when I heard my voice saying something that I didn't mean to say. "Nado molla!" Wait—did I just say that?
Before I could say anything else, the door slammed open again. Yelly—I guessed that Dadan helped him awhile ago—came in and did what he did the best: yelling. "SABO! Watch the news! Watch the news NOW!"
Sabo looked pissed and was about to yell at Yelly until Dadan came in. "Sabo," she said, looking serious for some reason, "You better take a look at this, too." Sabo and I exchanged looks for a moment before he reached for his remote and switched the TV on.
The screen showed this old geezer on TV who was talking about some stuff. "It's been thirteen years—thirteen long years—but I haven't forgotten. Oh no, I haven't finished what I've start—" Blah blah blah. I pouted, trying to listen, but then I couldn't because one, I didn't get it, and two, it's just really boring. Wow, this guy—he looked like a gorilla—liked to talk. I wondered when the station's gonna cancel his show soon.
Blah, blah, blah. "—Portgas D. Ace—" Blah blah blah. Huh? I eyed the TV, seeing Ace's picture. Hey, why was Ace's picture on TV?
Oh, but then again—Ace is cool, so he has to be on TV.
"—and I'll handsomely reward the winner! Don't worry, no discriminations! Anyone who's willing to take part in this challenge is welcomed! So, let the hunt begin." Hunt? There was a hunt? Oh—this is a game show, right?
"Nee, Sabo—why's Ace part of a game show?" I asked, but I blinked when Sabo was sweating. He looked nervous. "Sabo?"
"L-Luffy—" Sabo stuttered, "Th-That's not a game show. Yo-You're right—someone—someone's after A-Ace. It's D-Don Krieg."
"Don-wha?" Sabo immediately disappeared from my side. I watched as he grabbed his laptop before typing down a few keys while swearing in Korean. Yelly and I looked at each other before jumping towards the spot behind Sabo for a good look.
"OH MY GOD!" Yelly screamed when Sabo logged onto Twitter, Yahoo!Japan and searched under the Featured Videos in YouTube, "ACE IS TRENDING, AND HIS VIDEOS HAVE LIKE—5000 HITS PER MINUTE!"
Sabo gave Yelly a hit to the head. "NOT A GOOD THING, STELLY!"
So, that part of the dream was real?
"Sabo—" I was so confused, "What's going on? Who's that guy?"
"Only Don Krieg—" Sabo gulped "An international mafia lord who almost blew this city up thirteen years ago."
"Eh?"
Sabo gave me a funny stare before scratching his head and sighing. "He's—a really bad guy who's out to get Ace."
I stared before frowning. "Then, I'm going to look for Ace." He was my older brother. He was in danger. I had to do something. "I'm going go and beat up that Donkey Gorilla guy."
I headed towards the door but Sabo grabbed onto my wrist. "No," when I turned, I could see Sabo glaring, "You're not going anywhere. The reason why Ace was acting funny earlier—he must have been pursued while we were talking to him."
"So, we gotta look for him now!" I shouted, trying to break away from his hold, "What if—what if they got him or something?"
"What if they'll catch you again, huh?" Sabo yelled, pulling me forward, "They almost did that this afternoon! That's why they were trying to get you! They would have used you for ransom! You think Ace would like that? He wants you to be safe which is why he trusts you with me!"
I stared, not knowing what to say. Sabo released me, and I didn't do anything except biting my own lip and staring at my feet.
Why did—Why did I feel so useless all of a sudden?
I could hear Sabo picking up his cellphone and trying to make a phone call. He kept doing that for a few minutes while Yelly was screaming about something that I didn't really pay attention to, and Dadan was making him shut up. The only thing I listened to was Sabo who kept cursing in Korean while redialing over and over again. The only thing I could see was Sabo shaking his head. The only thing I could feel was worry. The only thing I could think about was Ace.
Finally, Sabo placed his phone in his pocket before going to his closet and grabbing his jacket from there. Dadan jumped before asking. "And, where do you think you're going?"
"I'm going after him," Sabo said, sliding his arms across the jacket sleeves, "I'm going to get him out of trouble."
"S-Sabo!" Yelly stammered before blocking his way towards the door, "I-If you go out th-there—I-I'm going to tell Mom and Dad!"
Sabo rushed forward, grabbing Stelly by the shoulders and tearing him away from his room's only exit. "Stelly get out of the way!" Yelly kept screaming, but he wouldn't budge. Dadan threw herself between them and picked up Sabo before pinning him to a wall.
"No one," she breathed dangerously—and I knew that when Dadan sounded like that, everyone had to listen to her, "leaves this house! Got that, you brats?"
"Ace is in danger! He's my best friend!" Sabo yelled at Dadan before pointing at me, "He's Luffy's brother!"
"I'm just as worried as the both of you!" she kicked the door in anger, "That's my former employer's eldest grandson, but it's dangerous to go out there! Don't you realize how many shootouts and bomb explosions are occurring in the city right now? What good will it be if Ace's captured, and the both of you are dead?" No one said anything else after that. So, we just had to stay here and do nothing?
That wasn't right at all.
You're my heart heart heart heart heart breaker! Naega mwoljalmotaenneunji! You're my heart heart heart heart heart breaker! No way! No wa—
Sabo picked up his cellphone again, pressing a button before staring. "It's from Ace!" Yelly and I pushed each other as we raced towards Sabo. Dadan stood next to us.
"What does it say, Sabo?" I said while having a wrestling match against Yelly, "Is Ace fine? He's not hurt, right? Did he beat up Donkey Gorilla?"
"Sabo! Sabo! Tell us! TELL US!" Yelly yelled.
"Sorry I didn't reply sooner, had something to handle with Dad—" Sabo recited, "I'm fine. Will be there soon. Thanks."
"Ace's fine! Ace's fine!" I grinned, jumping up and down while hugging Yelly tight, "That Donkey Gorilla guy can't get him! Ace is too good!"
"Ack—! DADAN HEL—ACK!"
"Yeah," Sabo laughed, throwing his cellphone towards his bed, "Ace getting captured? Big joke!"
We were all screaming and celebrating at first, but when the pizza came, everyone was quiet while eating I chewed on my piece slowly, strangely not feeling hungry anymore. I think all my energy went to my mind, so all I could do was think about Ace. I wasn't the only one—I think. Dadan was quiet, and so was Sabo. He wasn't hitting Yelly, and Yelly wasn't yelling this time.
I guess we're all just worried.
Ace came in sometime later, but he wasn't alone. When the doorbell rang and when the door opened, a bunch of security guys entered the house first. While they did this, I rushed down the steps of Sabo's big house, so I could see Ace first. "Ace!" the moment I saw him, I hugged him tight, "Are you okay? Did you beat up that guy who's after you? Don't worry! I'm gonna help you beat up Donkey Gorilla!"
Ace blinked. "Donkey Gorilla?"
"That's his name, right?"
Ace snorted at this before shaking his head and brushing my hair. "I'm fine, Lu," he said, "but you're not beating up anyone, got that?"
"But, Ace-th-that guy—"
"You're not going to beat up anyone," he said seriously, "I'm making sure that that doesn't happen."
I looked down quietly, not sure of what to do or say. Then, Ace broke the silence when I felt him mess my hair the way that I liked. "Luffy," glanced at him again, and this time, I saw him smiling, "Listen—you'll just have to trust me on this. Everything's going to be okay." One look at Ace, and I already did.
"Hey! Care for an explanation here? You kind of lied to me a while ago!" Ace and I looked towards Sabo who stood at the top of the staircase, arms crossed, "Want to tell me why some international criminal is after you?"
Ace turned white for a bit, quiet for a few seconds before saying, "I—I can't really explain it."
"Try me!" Sabo snorted, "I've got all night, you know!"
Ace hissed, rubbing his temple a bit while closing his eyes. I pouted at Sabo, sticking my tongue at him before looking at Ace. Did he have a headache? I wanted to place my hand above his forehead. He looked like he had one.
"Okay, look," Ace took a deep breath, "All I know is that Don Krieg—" Not Donkey Gorilla? "—and my Dad had this sour business deal a long time ago, alright? I'm not lying when I say that I'm just as confused as you are. No one's telling me shit, and I'm just as frustrated as you are—probably even more—because no matter how much I try, I'm not getting answers."
"And, that's the truth, right?"
"If I lied to you like earlier, I'm sorry, okay?" Ace sighed, "It's just that I don't want anyone involved. Besides, who'd believe me if I said that someone with a rocket launcher is chasing me around town?"
"Coming from you," Sabo sniggered, "Sounds pretty normal."
"Oh, shut up, Dae Su." Sabo ended up cringing when he heard that. Dae Su is Sabo's Korean name, right?
"So—you're Ace?" Ace and I looked at Dadan who came down the steps, too. Ace blinked before looking at me questioningly, and I smiled at him. "That's my caretaker, Dadan! She used to work for me and Grandpa before."
"Really?" Ace smiled before turning to Dadan and bowing, "Thank you for taking care of Luffy."
"Oh, that one's trouble, but it's nothing," Dadan waved her hand before looking at Ace, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I am," he nodded before looking at me, "Does everyone know about Don Krieg over here?"
"Uh-huh!" I nodded. Ace sighed at this.
"So," Sabo punched Ace on the shoulder, "Wanna grab some pizza? I bet you had a long day."
"I'd love to, dude, but Luffy and I have to go." Ace shook his head.
"What?" I pouted, "But, I want us to be with Sabo, and pizza at Sabo's is only good if Ace is here!"
"Yeah, but, Luffy—it's not safe anymore. We need to go home," he said, "Dad only gave me enough time to come and fetch you." I pouted but I embraced my big brother anyway. He blinked when I did this and laughed a bit before glancing at Sabo again, "Maybe we should chill out on a better day, huh, Sabo?"
"Totally, dude." Sabo said, "I think I'm considered Luffy's brother, too."
"Not a chance, Sabo," Ace groaned, and I blinked when he pulled me really closed, "You can have Stelly."
"SABO! DID ACE SAY SOMETHING BEHIND MY BACK? I'M TELLING MOM!" Wow! Yelly could hear us from upstairs!
Sabo twitched. "DAEKCHE, YOO JIN!"
After we watched Sabo beat up Yelly, it was time to go. Ace's bodyguards brought us to his cool looking limousine while Sabo waved at us from his front porch.
"You know, I'm glad that you understand. I'm sure that my friends will understand, too," Ace said when the both of us got inside the car, "I'm just afraid of what the rest of the school will think."
Sabo crossed his arms. "Since when did youever care about outside opinions?"
"I'm just not eager to find out how many people would rather have me dead after today." Ace sighed. I hugged him, pouting and thinking of how I could beat up those guys if they'd ever say that about him.
"Well, fuck them! I've got your back." I noticed Ace smile when Sabo said that.
"You two take care, alright?" Dadan added, standing next to Sabo, "Ace—you watch out for your little brat of a brother, got that? He's two handfuls!"
"Yes, ma'am." Haha! Dadan's so funny!
So, after that, Ace and I left Sabo's huge place with the left over pizza and sodas ("Ace, you ordered ten boxes of soda? So cool!"). Instead of bringing me home, though, he brought me to his mansion instead.
When I saw this, I turned to him. "Ace, you got the wrong address!" I pouted.
"Luffy," Ace coughed, "We're brothers.We'll live together from now on."
I blinked again. "Really?"
"It's dangerous right now, so I don't want to leave you alone. You're better off staying with me," Ace said as the car stopped and someone opened the car doors for us, "Besides, I adopted you."
The first people to greet us when we entered the mansion were a bunch of girls who looked like they've been waiting for us for the longest time. They're really funny, too. When they saw me, all of them wanted to grab on to me like I was food or something.
"Is this Ace's little brother? He's so cute!"
"Oh, can I feed him? I heard he's an eater!"
"Alright, but I want to give him a bath!"
"No way—I want to do both!"
They were like the girls who'd chase after Ace at school—except they were chasing after me this time, and they were in maid uniforms.
After Ace rescued me from all of them—See? This is why Ace is my hero—he brought me to my room which was as big as my apartment and was probably even nicer. There was air condition, a fridge, a wireless phone and a big TV—with a remote, too! The bed was huge, and when I jumped on it, I started rolling around and giggling because I really loved its softness.
"Sorry, it's super short notice, so I haven't had your room made yet," Ace scratched the back of his head, "I hope you don't mind this for now."
Ace left me, so he could ask his chefs to make dinner for us. While he did that, he told me to take a shower, and he lent me one of his pajamas since I didn't have any of mine right now. The size was bigger than me, though. When I slipped in it, I had to keep rolling my sleeves up, so it wouldn't fall off my shoulders.
Oh, and I also got to call Shanks because I figured that he's worried about me, too. He didn't pick up, though, but his message tone was still there to answer me.
"Hey, there—you callin' me? I'm not here at the bloody moment, so leave a message, will ya?"
"Hi, Shanks!" I smiled while rolling around the bed in all of its squishiness, "Are you okay? I'm fine! I'm over here at Ace's house, so you don't have to worry! Ace said that he'll take care of me! Are you out drinking with Uncle Ben? Don't act weird! Call me whenever! Goodnight!"
"Hey, Luffy, you done with the phone?" Right on time! Ace came in the room, still in this school uniform that wasn't really ours, "Dinner's ready."
"Yay!" I jumped out of bed and hugged Ace before leaving the room with him. Then, down the hallway, towards the dinner hall, I spotted a large painting of this really big guy with a funny moustache, and then I remembered something. "Nee, Ace," I asked, "Where's your Dad?"
"Our Dad, Lu," Ace corrected.
"Where's our Dad?"
"He's really busy at the moment. He said he'll be coming home late tonight, so we can eat dinner ahead." So, it was just the two of us. We had the pizzas from earlier, and we also had some other stuff like roast chicken, pasta, stewed tomatoes and pumpkin soup. I was busy eating all of them because they were all so tasty and I was really hungry. I did notice that Ace was talking to one of the housemaids about Mr. Pineapple Head and some guy named Juice.
Oh—Pineapple Juice. I wondered if Ace had some.
No matter how hard I tried, it wasn't working. Ace told me to rest already, but I couldn't sleep. Instead, I rolled around my bed and looked at my side, seeing no one else before squeezing my sheets. I wanted Ace with me.
I thought about Hawkins again. He told me to stay away from Ace, but was that really important, now? It was just a game anyway, and I already lost. Besides, I didn't want to leave Ace again. I wanted to be with him. "It's for your own good?" It didn't matter. Ace will protect me from whatever comes up. He loves me, and that's all that counts, right? So, it's decided.
I jumped out of bed, slipped on a pair of slippers that Ace gave me and left the room to walk down the halls. I didn't want to be alone. Maybe if I'd ask nicely, would Ace let me sleep with him?
I turned from one corner to the other. It was mostly dark, and no one was around. Ace said that it was really easy to get lost around this mansion, so I decided to use my nose to search for the kitchen. Once I get to the kitchen, then someone might just be there, and I could ask that person to bring me to Ace's room. Then, I could ask him!
I giggled to myself. A nice yet funny feeling was inside me when I thought about Ace again.
I wanted to be hugged by Ace again. Whenever he held me, I'd feel really warm. I paused for a moment, so I could think—do I make him warm? I hope I do. He loves me, so I have to return his love in every way that I can. I continued forward.
"—out of my house!"
"—ithout you giving him to me!"
My feet froze. I could hear screaming—loud and angry screaming. It wasn't too far. Following my ears, I turned left and went straight before arriving at the front hall of Ace's mansion. A lot of housemaids and servants were gathered there, watching the scene. Just so I wouldn't get caught, I hid behind a corner where I managed to peek from.
"Don't push it, Ace!" I stared, hearing Shanks' voice, "You're papers aren't finished in being processed—"
"To hell with papers! I'm his brother! I have every right!" Ace screamed, his voice shaking me.
"—Not to mention that an infamous criminal is after you!"
"That's none of your business!"
"I—along with a few others—are looking after Luffy's own good. Please, Ace—be reasonable. He should be placed back under my custody!"
"His own good? His own good?" I could hear Ace laughing, "He would have gotten killed this afternoon!"
"Ace, if you keep this up, it's considered illegal."
"I'd break a thousand laws for Luffy, and I wouldn't even stop from there! What do you even think he is? He's not property!"
My body kept shaking again. I tried to approach them, not wanting them to fight, not wanting them to argue—
Why were they fighting about me?
My head—it began to hurt again. I held my head, wincing while trying to fight the pain. Why—why was it—
Why could I hear voices?
"Come back, okay, Grandpa? I'll be waiting! Can you bring back yummy food from France, too?"
"Sure! You just wait for your Grandpa! I'll bring back some good food for you."
"Nee, Grandpa, why do you have to go again?"
"I have some business to take care of."
"Don't go. I don't want you to go!"
"Now, that's not what a man should say!"
"Ow! But, Grandpa—"
"Don't worry about me. Dadan will take care of you. Well, then, bye Luffy."
"Come back!"
Grandpa.
"You two take care, alright? Ace—you watch out for your little brat of a brother, got that? He's two handfuls!"
Dadan.
"Once you come over, we've got a lot to do."
Kidd.
"Most of all, stay away from Portgas D. Ace. Do you understand me? It is it for your own good."
Hawkins.
"Please, Ace—be reasonable. He should be placed back under my custody!"
Shanks.
"Everything will be okay."
Ace.
Help.
I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't be strong—I wasn't strong. I never was.
I started screaming.
~*~ Omake ~*~
Shanks: These records are pretty extensive, you know. I'm surprised how Cipher Pol managed to gather all of them.
Beckman: We definitely have our ways.
Shanks: They've got everything. Physical, Intellectual, Background and Lifestyle Data—Look! There are psychological records, too!
Beckman: Really?
Shanks: Yeah, just give me a name, and I can tell you what's wrong with him or her.
Beckman: Brook.
Shanks: Schizophrenic.
Beckman: Hody Jones.
Shanks: Superiority Complex.
Beckman: Jango.
Shanks: Inferiority Complex.
Beckman: Duval.
Shanks: Loser.
Beckman: -flips through a few papers and reads- Juzo.
Juzo: Psychopathic wack job.
Juzo: -in the Newgate Infirmary, miles away from Shanks and Beckman while pointing at Marco-
Izou: Really? –blinks-
Marco: Am not.
Squado: Actually… I can vouch for that. –covered in bandages and plaster-
Izou: Oh, poor thing, but that's fine! I brought tasty treats for all of you!
Marco: You brought…? Thanks.
Juzo: Oh, I'm hungry. Gimme some!
Squado: And, this is why I work with food. So, Izumi—what do you have?
Izou: -smiles while pulling out a jar- Well, let's have something small for starters. How's about some Blueberry Jam—
Squado: NOO!
Marco: -jumps out of bed while grabbing Izou- WHERE IS HE? WHERE IS BLUE JAM, DAMN IT?
Izou: EEK! MARCO, YOU CREEP! LET GO OF ME! EEK!
Juzo: See? Told you!
~*~ Omake ~*~
AN: I've obviously been listening to too much Korean music, I've been eating too much or I just get too much kinks from torturing Luffy.
... The last statement's false, you know? Aww, Luffy.
Oh, and is anyone up for some Shanks vs. Ace, mano-a-mano? :))
Reviews are much appreciated! Inspire me to make the next chapter as quick as I can! :D
