"Come on Luffy; don't get lost when we need to go hunting!"

"If you do, we're not going to split any of the meat with you!"

Luffy could only snicker, always delighted to be around his big brothers. Quickly he caught back up to them, not at all affected by the threat of no meat- which threw his brothers off, but other than a shared bewildered look, they said nothing.

"Sorry! I saw a big beetle though! It's shell looked like different colors, so I wanted to catch it!" However he was, as always, distracted by running with his brothers to look for their next hunt.

Ace huffed with exasperation, "Pay attention; we all have to hunt and we can't waste time saving you all the time."

"Really, Luffy, you can be such a handful." Came the gentle, fond scolding from Sabo, who had his own amused grin.

"I can always count on my big brothers! I love you guys!"

That caused both of the older brothers to trip in their running, Luffy's laughing continuing. "Don't say stuff like that!" Ace roared, smacking Luffy with his pipe, though it did nothing to deter him.

"What, can't handle Luffy's affection all of a sudden?" Sabo teased, though he was sporting his own blush. He, at least, didn't lash out in aggression, and accepted the happy warmth that blossomed in his chest without question. Ace, however, still wasn't used to that sunshine that never faltered and didn't know how to handle it in any other way than his usual anger.

As his older brothers began bickering, Luffy let his thoughts wander, thinking how amazing that Mystery Person had been.

There was reasoning behind Luffy's more affectionate behavior, and while he may not be the smartest, he knew his brothers wouldn't believe him. If they'd ask, he'd tell them the truth, as he saw no reason to lie, but he wasn't going to say it on his own.

No, he'd rather get to cherish the week he got to spend with his two, beloved brothers.

You see, Luffy was alone on the island of Rusukaina; Rayleigh had left a few weeks ago, leaving the young man to finish training on his own.

Not only that, but Luffy was alone without either of his brothers, now.

Nightmares had plagued Luffy the entire time, and though he strove to do his best and get stronger anyways, he could admit that they were tiring to have. To be haunted by the events of Marineford- of his failure- over and over again. The smell of burning flesh, the sound of fighting and his brother's quieting voice as he said his last words. The feel of his body going slack as more and more of Ace's blood spilled over him.

How the world became silent as his mind shattered, having lost one brother too many.

For Luffy didn't just have nightmares of Ace, but of Sabo, too. While he had never seen Sabo's death, he had been imaginative enough to think of the scenario of his brother burning on a boat and sinking to the bottom of the ocean, trying to swim up but failing.

For years, he had been plagued by those nightmares; while Ace and he never really spoke of Sabo, too afraid of their broken hearts revealing anymore cracks in their strength, Ace would pull him into his arms and quietly hold him, brushing his hair as Luffy trembled and cried.

It took a couple years before the nightmares stopped, but they had slowly become less frequent, as well- and less harsh. He had stopped waking Ace up with them, and simply rolled over to fall back asleep, the warmth of his older brother reminding him he wasn't alone.

Now, with the painful death of Ace, Luffy was treated to not just nightmares of Ace, but nightmares of Sabo as well, reinvigorated with new sounds and smells.

Sometimes, Luffy dreamt of them both, burning around him as he was too weak to do anything but watch helplessly as they died; sometimes he screamed for them, screaming their names until his voice went raw. Other times, he was in shock, utterly silent as he watched them get ripped from his hands, over and over again.

No one knew about the nightmares involving Sabo, beyond Rayleigh who had said he heard Luffy calling out that name, but they never talked about it. They never talked about any of it; Rayleigh had simply been a steady presence, but it wasn't like having his crew with him, and it was most certainly not like having Ace around.

Luffy was grateful he hadn't been entirely alone, but he knew these nightmares wouldn't fade completely, not like how the nightmares of Sabo had.

Others would suggest it was because he had been a witness this time, and maybe they were right.

But to Luffy, it was because he had no brothers left to reassure and comfort him.

Being alone hurts more than anything, after all.

One day, when Luffy had woken up after a rather brutal nightmare, one where it took him awhile to get his breathing under control, gasping sobs wracking his body and making him shake uncontrollably, there had been a Mystery Person.

They didn't say much, and while Luffy had been curious what this person had been doing here, as he was supposed to be alone, he knew they weren't a bad person. It was his instincts, and he never doubted them.

The person didn't introduce themselves, instead walking over and crouching by the trembling boy, who simply looked back down at his hands. While it wasn't a comfort like Ace's, Luffy had felt himself steady in the few minutes the person had sat next to him.

When he had finally calmed down, the Mystery Person spoke.

"You're full of agony, Monkey D. Luffy." They said, their voice otherworldly. "You've had not one, but two brothers taken from you."

Biting his cheek, Luffy said nothing- he didn't know what to say. He never knew what to say when it came to the pain in his heart, so he said nothing. Maybe he should have questioned how this person knew about Sabo, but he didn't question it.

"I can let you see them, in a place other than your memories and nightmares."

Now that got his attention, and Luffy's head snapped up to stare at the person, eyes wide. "Eh? Really? I can- I can… I can see them again?" He edged closer, trying to see if there was any lie, any falsehood to what this person was saying to him.

They stared forward, eyes flickering towards him briefly before they set their jaw resolutely. "Yes; I can send you back for one week. You will be a child with your brothers once more, in the time before Sabo's tragedy. It will be during one of your better weeks with them, where your only concern will be of hunting and playing. No nobles, no celestial dragons, and no pirates will haunt you."

"I…" Luffy was speechless, but he missed them, his big brothers. "Please, I can go and be with them again?"

This time, the person had turned to him. "Yes; you're filled with agony, Monkey D. Luffy, Captain of the Strawhat Pirates. You are alone, and I understand… that nothing hurts more than being alone. I have the ability to send you back, but only for a week. When you return, you will remember it like a dream. You can say what you like to them, but it will have no effect on your present life. You're simply going to visit them; I cannot change the actions this world has already taken."

Luffy thought they looked alone, and he'd normally like to fix that, as that's why he had his crew, his precious friends, but… right now, he was more focused on his brothers. "Ace and Sabo… I… I want to see them- I want to see my big brothers again!" He cried, tears welling up again.

They turned to Luffy entirely, shifting their body to face him as they took his hands- trembling, hands, but now from anticipation- in their own.

"You understand, Monkey D. Luffy? I can return you for a week, merely a week. Perhaps this will hurt you more, to be with them and come back to a world where they are dead, or it will offer a comfort that Dark King Rayleigh could not, that your friends will not be able to." They forced his eyes to meet theirs; a calm, lonely gaze meeting that gaze of a boy who was agonizingly alone. "Do you understand what I am offering, what I can do?"

Luffy nodded, and just like he did with his crew when they told him things, he repeated what he got from it; "You can send me back to see my big brothers, and let me see them one last time." He looked down, a smile on his lips. "This will be the last time I get to see them, but… I won't have them taken away from me."

Yes, that was the deciding factor. Sabo was taken by his father, and then killed. Ace was captured by the marines, and then died protecting him. Both his brothers died suddenly, leaving Luffy no chance to cope until they were ripped away from him, and he had to deal with the aftermath.

Even if this was all just an elaborate dream, Luffy wanted to spend time in the happier memories of

"So, you want to go back?"

"Yes! I want to see my brothers again!"

And then Luffy fell asleep, only to wake up again in their treehouse, with Sabo and Ace on either side of him, sleeping. Despite knowing it would be annoying to them, Luffy couldn't help the giddy happiness, hugging both his brothers with his rubber arms and pulling them close- waking them up much to their displeasure.

He didn't care as they grumbled and scolded and yelled, Ace trying to hit him- all he could do was laugh and tell them he loved them, immediately silencing them both as their faces got all red. Had he told them he loved them? He knew they knew, but he would take this time to tell them as much as he could.

Luffy loves his big brothers, they're so important to him.

That was a few days ago; he was on day three of his week back, being extra clingy with his brothers- they kept shooting him weird looks, but he didn't care. All that mattered to him was getting to spend this happy time with them; even if it was a dream, it was much more vivid than what he usually dreamt of.

Concerning his brothers, it was also far more positive.

Reality or a dream, Luffy simply wanted to relish in not being alone.

"Hey hey, can we have crocodile?" He asked, smile growing. "I feel like it's been FOREVER since I had any!"

Which, for him, was accurate.

"What do you mean? We had Crocodile just a few days ago; you got eaten again and it's getting old fishing you out." Sabo sighed, even as he and Ace already shifted their direction towards their usual spot for getting crocodiles. "You should just sit aside, and let us take care of it."

"Honestly; you always get eaten!" Ace grumped, much more harshly as he bonked Luffy on the head with his pipe, well aware it had no effect other than making Luffy giggle. "If you keep this up, we're gonna leave you in one's belly!"

"Ace and Sabo wouldn't!"

"We will if you don't listen to us!"

"Okay! I'll listen!" Luffy laughed, unaware at the expression on his brothers' faces.

No, he won't listen. They thought, trading a look. Sabo just smiled and shrugged, in a 'what can you do about it?' kind of manner, causing Ace to roll his eyes, silently conveying how he thought Sabo was too soft on Luffy. Again, the blonde just shrugged.


Luffy was… actually listening. He was just sitting, barely hidden, on some rocks while Ace and Sabo were working on sneaking on their prey.

The two older brothers couldn't help but trade another bewildered look- not the first one that day, nor the first of the past few days.

One morning, Luffy just… woke up extra clingy and affectionate, telling them he loved them. They knew that, sure, but he rarely put it in words like that. While he often praised them, or expressed that he knew he could fail or get hurt and they'd be there, he never said he loved them this much. They all spoke the same language, which was expressing their feelings and affections through action more than words.

"Is he sick?" Ace whispered while they were still huddled together, working out a plan. "He's never waited for us like this."

Sabo shook his head, eyes glancing back to where Luffy was keeping himself occupied with… something. His own thoughts? Sabo snorted at the idea, and when he shared it with Ace, the other boy snorted as well. "Luffy hates waiting and sitting still; that's why he always just lunges in and gets eaten. He never listens to us; so why now?"

"I don't know, Ace." Sabo sighed, truly not knowing. "He's also been way more affectionate- I keep waking up to him cuddling us."

"Yeah, and he hasn't gotten annoyed or upset once these past three days." Ace narrowed his eyes, staring up at their little brother. "What's up with him?"

"I don't know; maybe we can ask when we finally- Ace!" Sabo pushed the other boy away as he jumped himself, a tiger's paw suddenly slamming down between them- had they not moved, they would have easily been crushed, given the state of the rocks.

"Damn! Where did he come from!" Ace shouted, already having found solid ground to get into a fighting stance- the Crocodiles having clearly run away. They had no desire of becoming the Tiger Lord's prey.

Unbeknownst to any boy, the ruckus usually caused by Luffy's disobedience and reckless behavior during their hunts deterred some larger animals that may want to fight them, not thinking all that sound was worth the effort. Since Luffy had been so quiet and well behaved, Ace and Sabo had the misfortune of being too quiet (and focused on their little brother's odd behavior) to notice something quietly lurking.

Sabo jumped away again- this time onto a log- as the Tiger Lord took another swipe, the beast stalking towards the two boys as they regrouped.

"I don't know! I was so focused on the crocodiles and Luffy-"

"Leave my brothers alone!" Horrorstruck, both boys turned with the Tiger Lord as Luffy shouted at the giant animal- taking its attention. "I'm having a nice time with them- stop ruining things!"

What did that mean? Ace and Sabo shared another look, filled with horror, confusion and anger that their precious little brother would do something so stupid and reckless.

"Luffy! What are you doing?!" Ace shouted, "You idiot! He'll crush you! Get out of here!"

But Luffy stood his ground, uncharacteristically quiet as child and beast glared at one another, but they didn't have time to think about that- not with worry and fear pumping through their veins.

The Tiger took a closer step to where Luffy was standing, yet their crybaby seemed utterly fearless.

"We need to take it's attention again!" Sabo quickly hissed, and with Ace in agreement, they both jumped to proper ground, picking up rocks to chuck at the menacing tiger- their force growing as they saw Luffy take a familiar stance- if he tried hitting the Tiger Lord head on, it was going to be bad!

"Luffy, you idiot! Run!"

"Run! Let us handle this- you can't!"

Ignoring them, Luffy pulled his arm back. "I don't know why you're here, but I won't let you take any time from me!"

Luffy wasn't a strong child in the same sense as Ace was, but he could still pack quite the punch- but he could hardly aim and that was his greatest fault. Sabo and Ace beat him continuously because he had no skill when it came to fighting, and he wasn't strong enough to overpower them.

A rock landed in the right spot, finally getting the Tiger's attention.

"Luffy! Run!" Ace shouted, not even bothering to hide his fear. But Sabo knew it wasn't because of the Tiger Lord focusing on them, too close- it was because he was still too close for their liking to Luffy.

"We'll be okay!" Sabo tried to reassure.

"Gum-gum…"

"Luffy, DON'T DO IT!" They shouted simultaneously, already plotting the attack they'd have to do-

The Tiger Lord wobbled, clearly not anticipating a strong punch to the side of his face. With a roar, it turned back to the tiny strawhat wearing boy, prepared to attack him now- only, it paused.

No, it froze, as if afraid.

"I said, I won't let you take any time from me. Go away."

There was a… wave of power, Ace and Sabo swallowing as they watched the scene with wide eyes, still in the same battle stances, gripping their weapons so hard- Ace feared he might break his pipe with his grip alone. Adrenaline still pumped through their veins, even as the giant tiger decided to listen, backing up before hurrying back into the forest.

The bank by the river was silent- not even nearby birds seemed to want to chirp and break the tension.

"Ah… he scared away the crocodiles… and I'm hungry…" Luffy whined, pouting as he seemed to come back from… whatever that was. He seemed entirely unbothered by the event, simply staring at the water as if willing one of the reptiles to rear up.

For Ace and Sabo? That was enough; they needed to know what the hell was up with him.

"Luffy!" Ace scolded, punching the smaller boy over the head. "What the hell was that?! We told you to run!"

"I didn't want my time ruined! He had to go away- you can fight him later."

"Why you- you could have gotten hurt!"

Instead of teasing Ace for his worry that he usually tried to hide, Sabo put a hand on his shoulder. "Luffy, you said that three times now. What do you mean you don't want your time ruined?"

Ace, a little slower, blinked, as if finally registering those words. "And how did you scare him- and when did you learn to aim like that?" His eyes narrowed, using the end of his pipe to point at Luffy as if interrogating him. Sabo thought it was a bit much, but given Luffy didn't seem bothered, he said nothing.

"You've been acting weird the past few days; what's up with that?"

Luffy looked up at them, blinking as if considering before he laughed his trademark giggle. "Ah, well, I guess I can't hide it any longer."

Briefly hurt thinking their little brother hid something from them, both almost missed it when he answered them.

"I'm from the future!"


Happy New Years Eve! I've been thinking about this idea for days so I thought I'd finally write it!

I hope you like it so far; I've seen a lot of people say it's hard writing from Luffy's POV and GOD are they right- I must've written this 30 times before I finally decided fuck it, I just want the idea and story down.

I just want to see Luffy get comforted because, as far as he's aware, both his brother's are dead. And then I want to see him suffer because, as far as he's aware, both his brother's are dead. I always want to actually see him work through his tragedy with his crew or maybe even Sabo, but clearly that won't happen so *rolls up sleeves*

Mystery Person won't be expounded upon in the story, so I'll say here! They're a minor deity of sorts, who has taken pity on the boy who is all alone. We won't be seeing them again in the story, either, as what they did took the rest of their energy; they wanted to give Luffy a chance at something they themselves will never get :))

Comments appreciated 3 thank you and have a safe day/night! I only plan for there to be 2, maybe 3 chapters max :))