Home Simswriting and CaptainCartoonist Summary:
In which at first part, Luffy only really feels at home when he's at sea. Then it goes way further...
- YEARS AGO
"So you want to run the whole sea?" - Luz B. N.
"I don't wanna control anything, the pirate king is just the freest person on the seas" - M.D. Luffy
There's only been one thing.
Luffy's eyes stay fixed on the horizon, the pale sliver of sky where the hopeful pink sky meets the ruthless sea.
His legs are curled around the head of his ship, the hair on his bare legs beginning to prickle.
He sighs, the curl of warm breath hangs around him for a moment, before vanishing in the cold.
It's getting late, he tells himself.
He should get inside before the stars come out and it starts to get really cold.
But try as he might, he can't tear his eyes away from the sight before him.
It's almost like he's in a trance.
It's almost addicting.
The sound of the waves lapping against the Sunny, the salty tang of the air, and the humidity that never clears- not even on the sunniest of days.
It would all be well and good if he only loved the good things, who doesn't love the sight of a seemingly endless sea?
But Luffy thinks he may even be addicted to the bad things- the cruelty of the waves, the same waves that brush against his ship, during a thunderstorm.
The sheer vastness of it, how you could roam endlessly never to see your loved ones again, if you made just one wrong turn.
Luffy even loves the fishy smell that clings to all his clothes.
It's just always been like this.
He's always loved the sea, for as long as he could remember.
He still remembers the folktale his grandfather would tell him as a child.
That far, far away, in the east of the east, there was a group of children who were born from the sea.
Birthed from sea foam and light.
And though they may drift to distant shores, they always find their way back home.
He wonders if he's one of those children too.
Because he only feels at home when he's close to the sea like this - staring into the horizon.
"Luffy it's time for dinner! You're going to get sick if you keep staying up there!" Nami's shrill voice is accentuated by a sneeze.
Without hesitation Luffy's eyes tear away from the horizon, from that small sliver of pale blue sky that holds the promise of tomorrow, and looks to the red haired girl behind him.
"Sure would be pathetic if our Captain got a cold from daydreaming too long" Zoro calls out mockingly, his mouth arched into a grin.
"Come inside, we'll drink something warm-" Sanji starts, "I'll stick to my beer" Zoro interrupts. "- The rest of us will drink something warm!"
Sanji shouts through gritted teeth.
Zoro's mouth opens as if he's about to say something, but before he can Chopper and Usopp rush over and cover his mouth.
"No more fighting! I want to eat!" Usopp hisses, Chopper furiously nodding from beside him.
Despite himself Luffy feels a grin curl onto his mouth, as he watches the scene unfold below him.
A chuckle erupting from behind his lips.
Well, there is one more place he feels at home. "Alright, but I want a ton of meat too!"
He can't help but recall a certain raven haired friend he didn't see in a while...
He wonders if she felt the same... did the sea give her the same feeling as him?
He didn't know...
"Oh well, guess I'll find and ask her when I'll accomplish my dream"
After all he has all the time in the world
- YEARS LATER
On a far away there is a certain island of Dawn that now is free of the greediness and violence of bad nobles, on a remote area of the Goa kingdom there is windmill village of Foosha, in a partys bar some call Evergarden there is someone reading a newspaper.
An unnoficial king of the world in his 39 age is laughing quite a lot at what is written as he flashes back ot his promise at the cliff with Sabo and Ace
'He he! I'm gonna turn the whole world into my pirate island!'
Quite a ridiculous dream it was until now. He never accounted that there was once a kingdom like he wanted in his dreams to be sure but now his brother, his dad, his friends are building exactly that in place of once oppressive world governement.
Many who heard it believed it to be unreal. Hell some even now can hardly believe it as they are catching up on all the stories. Some stupid people even call him the hero of the ages, which Luffy didn't like. At least not initially. He loved heroes like his grandpa. But he was a pirate... no a pirate king! Pirates shouldn't be praised. He was doing things he wanted to do. Or so he believed but that was before he saw all the atrocities of the world of dystopia. IN a world of oppressive rule, the most free person on the sea is considered a true hero...
Still he didn't exactly love the label.
He cant do anything about it now though... not that he cares really. He does care about one thing at the moment
His belly which is empty. He did go to Dadan and ate some good stuff but he is still hungry
"Oi there! Is there something funny written in there?"
Luffy then gleefully throws it away "Hihi kind of"
He then gets smack to the head by Makino
"Oi don't throw things around here!"
Luffy - Yeah yeah I hear you Makino. Do you have meat please!please!'
Makino - "Honestly! When you grow up, you should grow your head too not just stoamch you know"
Rubbing his head he giggled at her.
'You look a lot like him now really...'
The face of her husband Shanks came into her head, right dowqn to the matching dark cloak
"Well what can we say he's got more heart than brains!"
Luffy - Very funny Usopp.
Usopp - Hehe sorry. You good to go yet?
Luffy - MAKINO I ASKED MEAT PLEASE!
Makino/Usopp - So you are not!?
Meanwhile in the woods
"This was some good booze. Shame it's almost done... oh well not that I have anywhere to hurry"
The world's greatest swordsman drinks up the most of the sake he's had before going back to training
Training with his style of four swords was trickier than expected which is what he liked. Many would say he had no more obstacle after he overcame his original foe, the world's ex greatest Dracule Mihawk. Except he disagrees, there always was a person that he could continue to overcome : Himself. In reality that was always the case, and Mihawk was an embodiment of that certain part of his.
"Not yet good enough!"
Zoro yelled to himself so loudly that the birds flew away
It was then that he heard a yelp from somewhere near
"Oi I think ive told you not to come near"
It turns out to be Ann. A young kid from Foosha village, she's been watching him for a while.
He didn't mind her for a time, thinking she'd leave after seeing his training. So he tried not to cut her way.
To his surprise, she didn't seem to shaking in fear... if anything she had stars in her eyes
"THAT WAS SO COOL! UNCLE ZORO PLEASE TEACH ME HOW TO DO THAT! PLEEEEASE!"
She was stubborn really. This was a fourth time he'd decline
"I told you I am not intereted yet"
He instantly wanted to take the last word 'yet' back ut it was too late
Ann jumps up in excitement "OOOH YOU SAID NOT YET!? SO YOU CAN TEACH ME WHEN I GROW UP!?"
Zoro sighs again
Ann - Aww uncle zoro is it because Im a girl? I thought you knew better!
She said it in a mean tone as she hummed and turned to leave
Zoro however didn't like the tone
"Oi! Listen Ann!"
She stopped at his call
"Listen, a gender has no say in your potential or capabilities only you have. You may not be as physically stronger naturally but even I had people tougher than me. That I coulnt beat just with the force"
Mihawk's words rang in his head 'Your attack is strong but it lacks grace'
It was actually true. He had no problem with having students, girl or not. He never believed that crap to begin with, especially with his childhod friend Kuina... or Tashigi as he known her for a while.
Hearing all of this, Ann turns back to him "So.. then... will you teach me?"
Zoro gave it a thought before nodding
"I will think about it okay? That's as far as you'll get"
Ann exclaims "COOL!"
A loud yet caring voice
"ANN WHERE ARE YOU!?"
"Oh no!" Ann hid behind zoro
"It's big sis!"
Zoro - Huuuh? And you're surprised?
The one calling out was Uta. One great diva on the All Blue, daughter of his captain's idol and emperor of the sea Red haired Shanks...who is also Ann's father
Uta - You sneaked away again? I thoguht I've told you not to leave alone.
Ann - Aww but it gets boring at aunt Dadan's house... and smelly too!
There was sometimes smell of drinks, wine, sake and booze there. She already had enoguh of that at her mom's bar.
Ann - Watching uncle zoro is more interesting! Right?
She looks at Zoro who was the wrong person to ask
Zoro - A bit of a booze isn't too bad sometimes.
Ann puffs her cheeks as she ran off again
Or she tried until a big monkey catches her by the hand
She yelped as she was dragegd upward into the trees
Zoro - OI!
Uta - ANN!
The two went after them wtih Zoro mistaking directions again luckily Uta was there to turn him back
Lukily it ended with monkeys getting a smack on the heads
Zoro - Heh no one shouldn't be that stupid to mess around.
Uta - You mean them, Ann or yourself?
Zoro - Eh? You have a problem Duckta? (uta does have duck like wings lol)
Makino - I was so worried!
Makino holds her daughter in bear grip
Ann - Mooom! Don't do that when my future teacher is here!
Zoro - I said I'll THINK about it!
Usopp - Well I think you ARE in age to start tutoring...
Zoro glares at him, apparently the swordsman didn't agree with the sniper "You think?"
Ann - Ahaha you're so funny uncle Usopp!
Uta - Well your amnesia of directions clearly speaks for itself.
Zoro again butts heads with Uta who seems to enjoy teasing
Luffy - Shishishishi! Alright alright you guys!
After finding the one piece, his crew was disbanded.
It sure was fun, but he has more adventures onwards so one fun is done, and the other starts here.
Usopp - So you're coming Uta?
Uta - Apparently, I doubt any of you can navigate. You are lucky I didn't assign a definitive date for a concert this year. My fans may get upset-
Zoro - Ah your lyrics probably got old for 'em
Uta could feel veins on her forehead
Usopp - Oi oi! Seriously? First Sanji and now Uta?
Luffy giggles to himself. This feels nostalgic.
Makino - So you really are going there?
Luffy - Yup, I wanna see if it exists!
Makino - I see. I'll go along with your decision but it is a fairy tale...
Usopp - No one seen it in centuries maybe... doesn't prove that it didn't exist. Trust me we've had that kind of discovery in plenty!
Zoro - Can't argue here!
Luffy - See? Dont you feel the thrill of excitement?!
Dadan and Makino make faces before they laugh together
Dadan - Boy oh boy...Oi Luffy you're good to go but... can I ask, does it have anything to do with her?
She expected Luffy to be confused but to her surprise, his smile only grew bigger "Maybe?~"
Dadan - She didn't appear for many years now... we're not sure if she's alive anymore
Luffy - Exactly! We dont know yet! So we'll find out!
Dadan sighs in defeat, she should know better now that Luffy won't pull back. Well her and garp raised him so...
Dadan smiled "Then give her my regards when you meet"
Luffy - Shishishi sure I will!
And so everything was set in place. They had enough supplies for a while. Luckily Sunny was lage enough for some space.
It was time to leave.
As Luffy prepares to jump on the Sunny, he hears a ittle girl yeling for him to wait
"WAIT UNCLE LUFFY!"
Luffy - Hm? Oh Ann! You have something to say?
Ann - *breathes in and out* W-WILL YOU COME BACK SOON!?
Luffy doesn't drop his smile "Weeel I'm not staying in one place for too long... "
Ann - CAN YOU TAKE ME WITH YOU!?
Luffy - Wow wow hold it there! Makino will kill me if she finds out!
Ann - So you will take me!
Zoro/Uta - NO!
The two definitely didn't agree with that idea
Ann - Why not? I read of pirates having apprentices!
Zoro - Where we go isn't for you yet.
Usopp - You're too little for that yet Ann chan.
Uta then jumps down and hugs her little sister "I know you love adventures but this just isn't the time"
Ann - B-but what if I won't see you again?...
Uta noticed Ann's sad tone
Luffy - Oi oi whay do you think that? Of course we will meet again! And you know maybe when we do you'll have guts and smarts to be a pirate like material!
Ann - R-really!? You think so!?
Luffy then jokes around "Shishishi sure I am but can you be better though? You better be ready for a challenge when we meet!
Ann - I WILL BE! I WILL TRAIN TO BE STRONG AND BRAVE ADVENTURER! I WILL BECOME A GREAT PIRATE OF THE SEA LIKE MY DAD AND LIKE YOU!
She said it with a lot of conviction, and with lot of love and respect.
For a moment Luffy remembers that day when he said something similar to Shanks... on this very port... on this very shore...
'Maybe it is time now' he thought to himself
He then grabs his straw hat before removing it slowly "Oh? So you say you'll be like us? Well then..."
And then he did it.
He placed his treasured straw hat on her head. "If you speak truth, then here... this is the hat that Shanks gave me. It is very important to me... when you will become great pirate, come and find me. Return it to me..."
Slowly tears began to mount in her eyes as she nods her head "I... I WILL CAPTAIN LUFFY!"
Uta couldn't help but marvel at the sight before her
Normally she'd feel bad when seeing a crying child but for some reason she felt different this time. Somewhat she felt proud of her sibling.
She then patted her "Well said little sis"
To which Ann smiled widely "See you big sis!"
And so they set sailed forward to the east of the east
And we did that with a lot of songs on the way, especially their favourite that Brook used to sing to them. Bink's sake, one that came from ancient times...
He'd wish he was here, with Uta together they'd give his ears one heck of a fun time...
And thinking of fun, he had Grandpa's words play out in his memories again
"Far, far away, in the east of the east, there was a group of children who were born from the sea. Birthed from sea foam and light. And though they may drift to distant shores, they always find their way back home."
Uta - The light between the oceans... seems about right. Hard to believe this has been here all this time and no one notice?
Usopp - Well that's no wonder, this time of the year is full of autumn and bad whether. How should anyone tell if they even survived massive tsunamis!
Zoro - Hmm makes me wonder if the government knew and tried to hide it too. That and that east blue is considered the weakest on All Blue
Uta - That too can work although I wonder why...
Luffy - Well the way Robin said it, the place it leads to is full of really strong guys...
Usopp - Maybe they're like yonkou crew? I mean no one tried to attack Kaido when he had wano under his thumb
Zoro - Then we should be cautious. As strong as we are, one misstep may cost some limbs.
Usopp - OI! No need to pull a Robin here! Altough you're right!
Uta - Anyway Luffy who is that "her" Dadan mentioned?
Luffy giggled "I didn't tell you yet?...Well her name was Luz, and she is a witch!"
For a moment the three were speechless, wodnering if they have heard him correctly
Usopp - Uhm excuse me did you say a witch?
"Yup, well she was a beginner when I last saw her... she was on the streets in Foosha when I met her, sitting on a cardboard..."
Uta - She was homeless...
Luffy - I was little when me and gramps visited their home at Foosha, never met her dad though gramps did say he was a doctor... years later gramps said her mother got killed in attack by pirates... and her town didn't treat her good so she had to live at different places...
Usopp - The way you said it those places weren't quite desireable...
Luffy - Yup. I met her shortly after Ace left on his journey... she didn't remember me at first until we had a party with Dadan and Gramps!
Zoro - And then what happened to her?
Luffy - There was a old lady Eddie... or Ed ...Edna? Anyways she took Luz to some kind of door of light and... well that's it I never saw her after that.
Usopp - Door of light? I think Robin mentioned something of that in that poneglyph... then again there was much she mentioned on that rock.
Uta - OOh not a fountain of knowledge for nothing... So what did it say there? How do we create that light door?
Usopp - In ancient times, here was once a place here called "Field of Tumbas" where many wizards and sorcerers gather to travel throguh space and time. It was happening at the very center of East Blue. When it happens if you are at the middle of the blackened waters, then a country wide hurricane will form. And a strong light will strike at the centre by the Elve star. Leaving much sea foam behind that will be made by the agitation of seawater" The place it shows on the maps is of the Great Blue Hole...
Luffy - Blue hole? Is it also like Enies Lobby?
Usopp - Very much, it was a giant marine sinkhole off the coast of island of Belze which is now located at the cross of East and North Blues under the once present Red Line. That's where we are heading right now... we should be close...
Zoro - So that's also why the former Pluton raised that humongous wall around it. They must've ran for their lives...
Uta - Then I feel bad for those who got stuck behind... with them
Luffy then jumps up on Sunny's the head, the hair on his bare legs beginning to prickle.
He then rubs his eyes if he's imagining something... but no
Luffy - Uhm guys I think we've found the black sea!
The three then looked first at the horizon and then overboard, they noticed the waters indeed were far darker like it's in black hole of space...
It didn't feel like it had a bottom...
Uta and Usopp lean closer
Uta - This depth is creeping me out
Usopp - Same. And I thought falling from sky island is bad.
Zoro - Hmm it'll apparently get darker soon
Zoro and Luffy look at the horizon as the sun is slowly setting down... their senses were alerted as they noticed few stars in the sky glow up forming a heptagram
LUFFY/ZORO - EVERYONE INSIDE NOW!
The four then dashed towards the door inside or tried but were late as a strong wind hit the ship while the sea waters began to flow upwards for some reason
Luffy - WOOOAH! GUYS LOOK! THE WATER FLOWS UP!
Usopp - THERE'S NO TIME FOR THAT IMBECILE! HOLD ONTO SOMETHING!
They all held on tight.
Luffy definitely did hold them all tightly except it was getting hard due to all the storm swirling around.
A gaint rock was thrown their way as the ship was shaking but luckily Zoro cut it down in pieces before it made contact
Uta - DAMN WE DIDN'T ACCOUNT FOR HOW STRONG THIS WILL BE!
LUFFY - NAH WE'VE BEEN IN WORSE ONES BEFORE!
Uta's jaw drops as she wonders 'how they are still alive then!?' but before she can ask her eyes were now seeing a powerful light all around her. And it was raining down hard!
Usopp - GAH MY EYES! HEY AM I BLIND NOW?!
Zoro - NO THERE IS SOMETHING SHNING DOWN HERE!
Luffy - OI! I THINK IT IS HERE! THE LIGHT DOOR OR SOMETHING!
Then slowly all four of themand everything that isn't attached to the ship were now flying upwards, graviatating towards the glowing sky.
Zoro - HUH?! THE HELL IS THIS!?
Usopp - WHOAH HEY WHO TURNED OFF GRAVITY?!
Uta - NOT ME I DIDN'T USE MY POWERS HERE!
LUFFY - WOAH THIS IS FUN! IT'S LIKE IM FLYING!
Uta - WAIT! WHY DO I SEE THE LOOOUT HERE?!
Uta sees the roof of the ship
Because they aren't holding onto it anymore
EVERYONE - AAAAAAAAAAAH!
They yelled out with all their might as they are seemingly sent hurtling towards the unknown of space.
...
...
...
...
He saw nothing but darkness . That was all that could be seen, all that the world was, a total void of blackness like one was inside some kind of bubble, isolated from the outside world, but it is possible to break through that bubble.
First, the sounds of crashing waves can be heared, and the noises a seagual like thing or something else makes when they call out in squeaks, along with the sound of the gentle wind blowing. Hearing, the first step in reading consciousness, second is feeling, when he hear the wind, he could feel it making contact with his skin, and then began to feel the surface underneath him, and he could feel a little on his face, he needed visuals.
"Ouuh ouch my head. Oh wait no my eyes are worse can't see!"
He began to open his eyes, light returned to the dark world aging, but at first it was blinding him, he blinked a few times to straighten out his eyes, until he could see the full image in front of him.
He saw sand, lots of it, and next to it was water crashing at the shore, he decide to try and move, but he felt his legs burning the moment he stepped in the water, but after a few moments thanks to the blazing sun, he dryer up a little, making him able to move his arms and legs to push himself up, to a point where he can stand.
He then rubs his burning legs blowing air at them until the pain decreased
He looked around to get a better understanding of his surroundings, he was on a beach, and next to it was a forest, full of green trees of all shapes and sizes, no different than any islands he is been to before, from all his time at sea.
Then he realised that no one else was around, not a single soul. He looked out into the sea and saw no ships, no even his own. Then again if the water is boiling then he liked that it wasn't here for it will set on fire
With that, he started calling out "hello? Anybody! Guys are you here? He kept calling, looking in all directions, where was he ? And where was his team?
Now that he thought about it, he had no idea how he got here, the last thing he remembered was sailing on the Thousand Sunny, and his friends, yelling about a storm shorty after leaving there last adventure, the storm come and, as Luffy could recall, the details were foggy in his memory.
After scratching his head a bit , he recalled the whole thing with the door of light and came to a conclusion:
"OOOOH! SO THIS IS THE BOIL ISLAND OR HOW THEY'RE CALLED!? SO WE FINALLY MADE IT HERE!YAYAAA!"
So he probebly ended up on this island due to that light "huh it does look a little different... then again I've seen weirder places, I'm alone though so that's unlucky" Luffy said to himself.
He remained calm, for the time being, he had been separated from his friends before, for two years even, but he wasn't gonna let that happen again, he had to find someway of fidning the trio sooner than that, but there was something important he had to do first, and that was to take care of his growling atomic "I'm hungry, Food!" It was a shame Sanji wasn't with him, oh well, looks like he'll have to get the food for himself.
And more importantly he can seek for his witch friend Lucia "Luz" Noceda!
"Just you wait Luz! I'm coming!"
40 yr old Luffy design here : watch?v=j4bS7tg9cbg&t=465s
Luffy visit Dadan : watch?v=xySXtX0W4dU
Ann is name of Makino kid. I decided to use name "Ann" from another one piece character but also chose it from real life irish-caribean pirate Anne Bonny - ( wiki/Anne_Bonny )
Elven Star - In pagan iconography, the elven star is a sacred symbol used in witchcraft. It's a 7-pointed star drawn in seven straight strokes, and is also called the Faery star, heptagram, or septogram. It's thought to represent the four directions—North, East, South, West—as well as the dimensions Above, Below and Within.