'how's my favorite girl!'

ace blanches when garp barges into the bandits hut, it hasn't even been a month and he was back.

he glares at dadan when he notices her creep towards the back door, if he has to endure garp than so does she.

dadan sighs and resigns herself, another day another garp.

'huh? just you two, where's luffy?!,' garp swings his head around, it was awfully quiet when he brok- stepped in.

'she went down to the village,' ace grumbles, his hands detangling string, he had just about straightened it and the beads had already been sorted.

'alone?,' garp sounded oddly concerned, 'at this hour?'

ace stares at his grandfather, 'yes alone, like she always does,' gears turning in his head. his grandfather never had a problem with luffy doing anything alone, but now his attitude changed.

garp scratches his head, 'argh i better run before she gets hurt. I'll be back later.'

ace shares a look with dadan, unsure if he heard right, his grandfather never cared if they got hurt. he always said it was the building blocks of being a man- that was it wasnt it? luffy was a girl now but surely-

'ji-chan acting weird?,' luffy hums, 'i dont think so, well he got mad yesterday. said i shouldnt go off by myself, that was weird,' she laughs.

sabo turns a page, not bothering to listen to his brother and sister, if they really needed him they'd call him. speaking of calling, the book he 'borrowed' on transponder snails was interesting, psychic waves to transport sound, he'd ask gar- his grandfather when he got back.

'what do you think,' ace asks, frowning when sabo didn't react.

'ne sabo, whys gramps acting weird,' luffy jumps on sabo, grinning when he shoves her off.

'he's treating luffy like any other girl, he'll be back to his old self when he realizes luffys still the same old luffy,' sabo grumbles, straightening his coat, 'it's a subconscious reaction.'

'how long do we have to put up with,' ace gags when he remembers the affection garp so easily gave away, 'that.'

sabo shrugs, 'could be a few days or months.'

he opens his book back to the previous page, eyes glossing over the tiny print.

'then again, it could be permanent.'

ace drops to the floor, head in hands, luffy poking him. the old man would never be the same? that should be a good thing, right, but why does it feel like a death sentence.