Leska: Aww, thank you!
Smiley-Nami: I will always continue. I'm glad you like it.
VisitorNo.18: All will be answered in good time. And there is A LOT more of this story to come! Hope you find it interesting enough to stick with it!
Riverway14: Thank you! Hope you stick with it.
My plan worked! I got a lot more comments on AO3 for it! And on there, with the same username, is a picture I drew of Luffy. It's not that great as I haven't drawn in awhile. Some were confused about Luffy's anatomy, so I'll explain it a bit more. No horns on him, no spikes except small ones on his tail, which will grow bigger. His wings are too small to fly now, as he is a baby. His arms can work like humans in that fact he can wrap them around Ace in a hug, and can use his hands, though it's not really needed yet and uneccessary to use most of the time. He has a very long tail. When he grows bigger, he will be around the same size as Toothless from HTTYD. He has big eyes with round pupils, like a human's. Since this chapter is shorter than the last, I'll update sooner in compensation than last time. Enjoy~
The moment Ace woke up, he immediately looked around for the egg, forgetting he had hatched in his hazy sleep state. But then he felt the little creature next to him under the blanket, and grinned. That's right, his brother had hatched yesterday. He was so happy.
Ace then noticed Sabo was gone. He sat up slowly, not wanting to disturb Luffy, and looked around. Sabo had folded his blanket and the window was open when it had been closed last night. Where did he go? His pipe was gone, so meaning he went hunting.
How would they hunt with Luffy? He could probably still fit in the backpack if he scrunched up. Ace didn't want him walking around in the forest, even if he was right next to Ace or Sabo. Not yet. They knew nothing about how fast he would grow. Did he count as six years old, or one day old?
At least he didn't need milk or anything hard to get. Ace would just take care of him, and maybe ask Garp about it next time he saw him. Next time he wasn't being beaten up. It had been over a year since he'd visited, and Ace didn't know how to feel about it.
One one hand, at least he hadn't been beaten in awhile. But on the other, Garp was his only family, since he didn't think of the bandits as family. And him not visiting made Ace feel extremely unimportant.
He was lost in his thoughts until the little dragon stood up and put his front feet on Ace's lap.
Sad? He asked in concern. Ace shook his head, not wanting to worry the baby. "I'm fine. Just thinking," he replied. Luffy cocked his head, wanting to know what Ace was thinking about. The boy confessed his thoughts. "Grandpa doesn't visit me much, and sometimes it makes me sad. He's my only family, except you."
The mean one who hit you? Luffy asked, having a visible frown on his face. Ace looked surprised.
"How much do you remember from being in the egg?" Ace wondered, stroking Luffy's smooth skin.
Lots! Ace cry a lot when baby. And eat a lot, too. We go on adventures in the backpack. Ace sleep with me at night, and yell a lot. Ace protect me!
Ace's eyes were wide. Luffy remembered even back to when Ace was a baby? Well, at least he wasn't completely bored in the egg. "What was it like being in the egg?" the boy asked curiously.
Was warm and soft.
"Do you miss it?" Ace asked quietly.
No. I get to meet Ace. Waiting for long time.
Ace swallowed, trying to conceal his tears. "Do you love me?"
Lots!
Ace bit his lip, trying his best not to cry. Luffy loved him, even when he couldn't see or touch him. No one loved Ace. No one ever had, as long as he remembered. Garp had never once said he loved his grandson. "Thank you. I love you, too," Ace said quietly, picking up his brother and hugging him close. "I promise I'll protect you with my life."
Ace didn't know Sabo was waiting outside the window the whole time, though he was only able to hear half of the conversation. He had a sad smile on his face the whole time. Luffy would be good for his friend. Sabo just knew it.
The blonde waited a few minutes before he appeared in the window. "Ace, help me with this," Sabo said as he tried to shove a boar through the window. They wouldn't be sharing with the bandits. Not now that they had an extra child and growing baby dragon. This food was for them. There was only a matter of time before they Ace was kicked out, along with Luffy and Sabo. Then Sabo's idea would probably become a reality.
They could do it. A safe place for them. From Garp, the bandits. Where would it be? A treehouse would be cool, but how would they get Luffy up and down? Until he could fly. Ace was looking forward to that. Depending on how big Luffy got, maybe Ace could fly on him, too. That would be amazing.
Sabo had brought in some sticks to make a campfire. He asked Ace to light it. In hindsight, maybe making a campfire inside a small house with a wooden floor wasn't the best idea. Sabo brought some spears in and cut little pieces off of the boar with a knife he took from the storage shed with the weapons the bandits used and always wanted Ace to clean.
They shoved chunks of meat onto the sticks and held them over the fire. Luffy approached the flames, curious as to what they were, since he hadn't seen the flames last night. He was about to touch them when Ace gently pushed the little hand away, telling him fire was dangerous and not to touch it. Luffy sat down and watched the flames, only looking away when he was given a small chunk of cooked meat.
Once most of the boar was gone, filling all three's tummies, Sabo attempted to put the fire out, but blowing it had been the wrong move, for an ember flew across the room and landed on the blanket. It quickly went up in flames, and Ace and Sabo were shouting about how to put it out when the door burst open from the main room.
Dadan didn't even have time to shout at them when she started screaming for water to put it out. Magra ran to the bathroom to get the whole bathtub since the room had lit on fire as well, with the boys and the dragon all trying to climb out of the window, but the ground was lighting on fire as well.
Just as Magra was getting to the door, the large woman turned and ran from the fire, only to knock into Magra and spill all of the water. There was silence before the real screaming began, and the boys were calling for help while Luffy screeched in cries of fear.
The moment Ace saw the fire reach the dragon's tail, something kicked in and he shouted as all of the fire from the room was sucked away into Ace's hands. The room was left in smoke that was billowing out of the window and the walls and floor were scorched with black.
Ace bent down and snatched Luffy up into his arms tightly, staring at the room in shock. It hadn't even tingled. The fire felt… soft. What the hell was wrong with him? He began to hyperventilate. Sabo was about to intervene and help when Luffy reached up a little hand to Ace's face. Ace looked down, and looking into the dragon's eyes, he calmed on his own. It was like looking at Luffy put a warm and soft blanket over him, and he was quickly calm again. He took a few deep breaths and was okay.
Dadan and the bandits looking through the doorway stared at Ace in shock and fear. Ace hugged Luffy tighter, Sabo moving to grip his arm gently in comfort. Despite Ace's outward defiant look, he was terrified. Sabo would be too, to be honest. Suddenly, Ace had to question whether he was human. Surely normal humans can't have powers like this without eating a devil fruit.
Dadan looked at him hard for a moment, but suddenly her expression softened for just a second before she commanded them to wash the room and keep the creature inside. It was not to leave this room. Ace glared at her wording.
Luffy just looked at her with wide eyes, his emotion was hard to tell. Dadan faltered for a moment before she slammed the door shut, which promptly crashed down off its damaged hinges. Luffy startled in Ace's arms. Dadan sighed, telling them to clean it up again while she went and opened every window and door to the outside. The room reeked of smoke, and the boys finally start coughing in it.
Luffy didn't know what to do as Ace and Sabo tried scrubbing the walls with the little water that was left in the bath once it had fallen over. The walls remained damaged, but the dark spots faded a bit. Luffy sat in one corner, the blankets and matt burned to ash.
Once Luffy sees his footprints on the ashy floor, he began to doodle with his long fingers, moving them across the floor in straight lines and circles.
"I gotta say, making a campfire inside wasn't the best decision," Sabo said as he scrubbed. "But this just means we have to move out. There's no way we can keep living here. At least not till the walls and floor are fixed."
Ace shook his head. "The bandits won't replace this room. Especially since it was our fault the fire started," he grumbled. At least he was able to protect Luffy and Sabo at the last moment. He could start fire, as well as putting it out. If he was able to master it, Ace would become quite powerful. He could fully protect his baby brother. Did this mean Luffy could use fire as well? Ace only got the power after Luffy hatched.
He wanted to see Garp already. He wanted - needed - answers. What was he? Where did Luffy come from? Where did both of them come from? What made them so special? He had so many questions that would eat away at him until he had answers.
The two boys took a break to see that all of the bandits had left the hut. They couldn't blame them this time. It was Ace and sabo's fault. They took responsibility. For now. Once the room was somewhat acceptable, they were outta there. Ace wondered if Garp would even care, or would try and find him. Probably to "train him" to be a good Marine.
How would Luffy be treated if Garp popped up? Ace wouldn't let the man touch him. No, Ace could take a beating, not that he liked it, but Luffy was a baby, and would be for awhile. And Ace would not let anyone touch him. He'd protect his brother over himself. He'd been waiting for six years, and he wasn't about to lose him just after he was brought into the big world.
It took many hours before the boys, Ace holding Luffy, left the hut and went to the bandits who were outside to tell them the job was done as best as it could be.
"We're going to move out. We started the fire, and we aren't getting rid of Luffy, so we are no longer welcome here. But, while we build a new place, please let us sleep on the property, maybe in the shed."
The bandits looked at them like they were crazy. "Ace, you're six," Magra said. "You can't go live by yourself."
Ace frowned at him. "The bedroom is not good for sleeping in anymore, and I'm sure you won't welcome Luffy," Ace replied. Magra frowned, and then turned to Dadan for an answer to Ace's words.
"You can sleep in the shed for now. Then you can go back to build a new house, if you can. Even though your six," Dadan grumbled. Sabo looked confused. Why did the woman sound concerned? From what Sabo had seen so far, she wasn't a welcoming woman. And both boys had expected her to be screaming at them for lighting the room on fire, keeping a baby thing in there while not telling anyone.
She didn't say a thing about Ace putting out the fire by absorbing it. Was she in on something? But he wouldn't ask. He didn't want to hear the answers from her. He didn't know why, but he would only listen to Garp. he was the one who brought him there as a baby, after all. There had to be a reason he was dumped on bandits in the middle of nowhere instead of living with Garp or being adopted into a nice family. There had better be a good reason.
"Thank you," Ace said before walking into the forest with Sabo, carrying Luffy in his arms. He peeked over Ace's shoulder, watching the bandits until they were out of view.
Where we going? Luffy questioned.
"Well, we can't live with the bandits anymore. And we don't want to, honestly. So we're going to build our own place, somewhere. It'll be super cool, I promise," Ace said to the dragon, who seemed to be kneading on Ace's shoulder, but without any claws. Sabo smiled at the cute scene.
"Are you happy, Luffy?" Sabo asked. Luffy nodded. "We're going to try and find a good place to build a new home," Sabo explained with a light and cheery voice.
Ace hiked Luffy up a bit to have a more secure grip on him, while he said, "A treehouse seems cool. Maybe in one of the big trees. Should we search for the biggest?" he asked his friend. Sabo agreed and they went hunting for the biggest tree.
They went to the one holding their treasure and Sabo climbed up, Ace staying below with Luffy in his arms, pipe tied behind his back. Sabo looked around to find the tallest tree, and saw one that was absolutely massive, higher than any other tree. He was sure it would have a beautiful view.
"I found it!" Sabo called as he scurried back down the tree. Luffy perked up and turned his neck around to see Sabo. "It's super tall and would probably have a great view." Ace grinned.
"Now we just gotta draw some blueprints," the freckled child said.
Blueprints? Wha's that?
"It's a drawing of something we are going to build. A treehouse high in the tree. You'll get to see the whole island," Ace replied. Luffy was still kneading Ace's shoulder. Sabo and Ace walked to a patch of dirt with a stick and the blonde started to design a new house. He erased multiple ones until he came up with a design he felt would be both cool and they would be able to make it.
"It's probably gonna take a long time, so we have to find somewhere to put Luffy to keep him safe while we build," Sabo said as he lead Ace through the forest in the direction he'd seen the massive plant. "We also have to do something about bringing him to Gray Terminal to get supplies. It's very dangerous there."
"The backpack burned in the damn fire," Ace grumbled irritably. "And I don't trust him to be babysat by the bandits. He's too vulnerable. And trusting, since he accepted you with only a few words."
"Or he just knows who is good and who is bad?" Sabo offered. Then he thought about Luffy's calm reaction to Dadan. Maybe Ace was right; Luffy might be too trusting. But, he is a baby after all. He hadn't been exposed to anyone or anything bad.
They came across a deer, with Luffy turned around to look at it.
Wha's that? Luffy asked curiously before the deer noticed them and bolted. Neither boy caught her because they weren't hunting. "It's called a deer. It's frightened very easily," Ace said, not telling Luffy that they had eaten one not long ago. Luffy looked around in wonder again.
Other than that, they came across no animals besides birds and squirrels. When they reached the tree, Luffy's eyes widened in amazement. That was big! Ace looked at his big eyes and slightly open mouth in fondness. "Big, isn't it?" he asked softly.
Yeah! I wanna go up on it.
"Not until you're much bigger, Luffy," Ace said seriously. Luffy looked sad at that. "We don't want you falling off and hurting yourself. It's much too high for someone, even a dragon, to fall from and survive. You're too little right now."
"I'll go up and inspect it," Sabo said, already climbing up. The boys were like monkeys. It was so easy for them to climb up trees or cliffs. Ace did wish he could go up, but he'd just have Sabo hold Luffy so he could go up and check it out also.
Ace trusted Sabo with Luffy. He'd been a great friend, who protected Ace when he needed to, like Ace did for him. He had no doubt that Sabo wouldn't do anything to hurt the baby dragon. Ace walked around the trunk to see how thick it was. It was probably as thick around as the bandits' hut!
The brothers could distantly hear Sabo calling Ace's name. He walked back to where Sabo would see him, and could barely see him beaming. Looks like the tree was a good choice. "Come hold Luffy! I wanna see!" Ace called down.
Luffy looked at the ground and started squirming. Down, down. Ace looked at the ground and saw a stag beetle walking past them slowly. Ace smiled and set the dragon down, who immediately pounced on it, covering it with his front feet. The beetle did its best to escape, and made it out of Luffy's fingers, but the dragon was soon on it again, batting it around like a cat would.
He sniffed it thoroughly, but didn't eat it. It was moving, so was it not food? What is it?!
"It's a bug. There's tons of them. They can fly or be underground. They're everywhere. This one is called a beetle. See, this one can fly," Ace said as it finally escaped, flying away, though it was injured. Luffy made a whine and chased it until it was too high for him to get. He went trotting back to Ace.
Got away, he mumbled sadly. Ace crouched down and put his hand on Luffy's small head.
"Don't worry, you'll have many more chances to catch a bug. Now I'm going to go up and Sabo will stay down with you. Okay?" Ace asked as Sabo hurried over, still beaming about the perfect location to build a treehouse. "Switch, Sabo," Ace said and hurried off to the place Sabo had just come from.
Sabo sat down next to Luffy, who was watching Ace climb. "We're gonna take good care of you. Promise, and I'll help. You can trust me," Sabo said kindly. Luffy cocked his head at him and walked closer. Then he sat down right next to him and watched where Ace had gone. Sabo hesitantly ran his hand down Luffy's smooth back, ready to pull back immediately if Luffy didn't like that.
But he heard faint purring noises. God, he was cute.
Luffy stood up and hurried to the place Ace was going to come down on as the boy climbed down the tree, sporting the same grin Sabo had. "It's huge up there! We're gonna make the best treehouse ever!" Ace shouted excitedly. Luffy put his toes on Ace's, wanting to be picked up again.
When can I see?
"Once it's safe enough for us to be up there, you'll see the best view ever." Luffy's eyes widened even more, and he slightly bounced on his front toes. Luffy clearly couldn't wait to be up there.
So Ace has powers now! Not surprising he has the power of fire, as in cannon he has the flame flame devil fruit. I think it's next chapter that things get explained in more detail, but you'll just have to speculate for now! Review, please!
