Chapter 4: Luffy + sugar bad idea!
Zolo was about ready to call a lion tamer to come and stick his head in the crew's mouths they were that wide.
"A nine year old!" Usopp screeched. Zolo nodded.
"He doesn't have any memory of where he is, or what he is. He doesn't even remember Trace." Zolo explained. Sanji was sitting beside Nami, his smoke sitting on the edge of his lips.
"Well, he can't be any more trouble at this age could he?" Nami asked. Zolo snorted.
"You should have seen him downstairs with Trace and me. Anything we said, he did the opposite of. The only thing he listens to are threats, food and anything about his hat."
"So, if he annoys us we just threaten him." Sanji said standing up again.
"Well, we could, but, I think it would mess with his head way too much. I think we need to be nice to him. Act cool and he'll respect us. And Sanji, you can't kick him like you used to, he's only small now and will fly much farther." Nami said taking charge. Sanji snorted but nodded.
"Ok, so where is he?" Chopper asked. Zolo pointed out the door.
"He's with Trace right now." he replied.
"Well, bring him in." Usopp said and then quailed under the glare Zolo gave him.
"Trace!" Zolo called. The oldest man on the ship walked in with a little Luffy on his shoulders. Nami and Chopper both went 'Awww' at the sight of the young Luffy. Sanji stared and Usopp laughed. Luffy grinned as Trace put him down.
"Hi!" he squealed. Everyone was silent but they smiled at him. "I'm Monkey D Luffy!" he cried and then jumped into a chair. His chin barely reached the table but he struggled up onto his knees so he could see. "Can I have some food please, Mr chef?" he asked. Sanji was momentarily shocked, he was so used to Luffy yelling at him 'Meat!' or simply 'Food!'. He nodded and put some rice on a plate.
"Did I mention that Luffy was a little politer when he was younger?" Trace asked. Zolo sniggered.
"He got stupider as he got older in other words." Zolo said. Trace chuckled.
"No, he just spent a lot of time by himself when he first set out to become a pirate." the older man replied as he accepted a plate from Sanji and began to eat. Nami was served next and then Chopper, then Usopp and of course, Zolo was last. Zolo didn't care, as long as he got something. Luffy finished food, with a little less ferocity than they were used to and thanked Sanji.
"Uh, I'm not Mr Chef, my name's Sanji." Sanji said feeling just a tad uncomfortable.
"And I'm the great captain Usopp!" Usopp cried. Luffy's head instantly snapped around in the direction of the long nose. Usopp raised an eyebrow and then beckoned Luffy over.
"I'll tell you the time I defeated the great demon wabble gobble of the sea!" Usopp said. Luffy sat in awe as Usopp told him the tale. No one told Usopp off or anything, because at least the liar had Luffy's attention.
The day dragged on and Zolo decided it was time for his nap. Usopp had gone into the crow's nest, Chopper to his lab, Nami to her cabin, Sanji was in the kitchen and Trace was leaning against the rail of the ship at the bottom of the steps. Trace was fast asleep and Luffy was bouncing around Zolo, so, Zolo didn't know how he was supposed to get any sleep with Luffy running around pretending he was King of the Pirates, but, even so, Zolo was becoming a little fond of the little Luffy.
"Hey kiddo, you wanna take a rest?" Zolo asked hoping the answer was yes, and, to Zolo's delight, it was. Luffy nodded and then charged over to him. Zolo was hit by a fast moving ball of straw hat, black hair and boy. Zolo 'oomphed' as Luffy hit him head on. It didn't really hurt or anything but, it made Luffy giggle.
"Kid, you're gonna give me a hernia." Zolo teased.
Little Luffy, he had found, was in awe of him and thought it awesome that he could wield three swords at once. He also liked the earrings in Zolo's ears and asked Trace if he could get some like that and Trace had then laughed and said no way in hell. Luffy had pouted for at least a half an hour after that.
"What's a hernia?" Luffy asked. Zolo chuckled.
"Never mind. Go to sleep." he said. Luffy yawned and nodded. Zolo was expecting him to jump off and go over to where Trace was and sleep there, but instead he curled up in Zolo's lap and drifted off. Zolo looked around to make sure no one was watching him, then let himself drift off.
Sanji screamed. He had never screamed before but now he did, and boy did he sound like a girl. Zolo jumped up once again, not even registering that Luffy wasn't in his lap. Trace was also woken up and they both hurried into the kitchen to see what the hell had happened. Sanji was staring in shock at the floor. He seemed about ready to either faint, or kick someone's arse. Zolo had only seen him like this once before and that was a scary experience he hoped not to repeat.
"Sanji?" Zolo asked. Sanji turned to him, his mouth agape and his smoke forgotten on the floor. Trace peered past him and then gave a weird sound similar to Luffy's squeak of shock. He then leaped forward and grabbed a small body off the floor. Luffy had eaten the entire bag of sugar. The entire bag and anyone who has children at this age knows that when little kiddies eat sugar, they go psycho!
This can't be good can it? read on!