Ch. 11- Independence
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Kovar, and Monkey D. Star © Me
The Straw Hats smiled fondly at the memory they had just seen: how the three brothers came to be. Some of the Straw Hats were actually still in tears, namely Usopp, Chopper, Franky, Blizzard, Brook, and Aika due to the heartwarming. However...some frowned, knowing the fate of one of them.
"God...that was just beautiful...!" Franky whispered, wiping his eyes.
"So that's how they became brothers," Aika spoke up.
"Yeah," Nami said before she looked down, "but...it's actually pretty bittersweet, when you consider that..."
"We know, Nami," Robin replied, "but...if we're going to save Luffy, we have to see EVERYTHING."
"...I know," Nami replied as she looked down. "I know that."
Soon, the memory changed to an alleyway, likely somewhere in Edge Town, where a group of thugs had Sabo surrounded.
"Sabo!" one shouted. "I thought I told you to stay out of our turf!"
"Your turf?" Sabo smirked. "Heh...I think you idiots need to get your facts straight."
Before they could process what he meant, Ace suddenly came swinging from behind, using Luffy's leg as some sort of rope.
"Take THIS!" he shouted as he slammed his pipe into the skull of one of the thugs.
"Crap! It's an ambush!" one cursed as the fight began. Luffy was about to join in the brawl, but when his leg rebounded, the force caused himself to be sent flying.
"Whoa~!" he cried.
"Jeez," Usopp muttered. "Luffy still hasn't gotten the hang of his powers yet, looks like."
"He'll get better!" Aika exclaimed. "Just watch!"
While Ace and Sabo were busy, down below, Luffy came crashing back down, hitting the back of a thug's head as he did before he turned to his next opponent, whom he tried to hit with his Gum-Gum Pistol, but he was punched in the face before he could do so. Instead of bouncing off, though, his face ended up sinking inward, instead.
"Mmmph! Mmm-hmmmph!" Luffy cried, his voice muffled.
Suddenly, two police officers appeared.
"Crap, the cops!" Ace cursed. "Let's go, guys!"
"Right!" Sabo answered as he jumped over a wall, followed by Ace, who looked back at Luffy.
"Yo, Luffy!" he called. "Over here!"
Hearing his brother's call, Luffy stretched his arm toward the wall, where Ace grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward, which caused Luffy to hit his face against the wall, but the result caused it to return to normal.
"I'm back!" he exclaimed as he flew over the wall, while Ace smirked and followed after him.
"What a bunch of troublemakers," Nami muttered while Robin chuckled.
"They looked like they were having fun, though," Robin added.
"I'd have fun, too, if I were them," Zoro smirked.
The memory shifted again, and this time, it showed the boys arriving at Dadan's house.
"We're back!" Luffy called.
"Don't come back here, you stupid brats!" Dadan barked, only to get hit in the face by a dead deer carcass.
"That's for dinner!" Sabo said as he walked by.
"Hurry up and cook it, already," Ace added, rudely.
"Dinnertime~!" Luffy cheered while Dadan fell to the floor.
A bit later, the meat was set out and the feeding frenzy began, once again. However, unlike the first time, Luffy actually managed to get more than the bandits, this time around. Ace and Sabo were also hogging most of the meat, themselves. Luffy and Sabo actually pushed each other away, fighting over a particularly tender piece, while Ace sent one bandit flying, just for attempting to grab a piece that he wanted.
"I see their table manners haven't changed," Sanji muttered in irritation.
"You know," Blizzard began, "I almost feel sorry for those bandits, now."
"Me, too," Kumi added.
"At least Luffy finally got the nutrition he needs," said Chopper.
Dadan was trying to keep as calm as possible, but when two slabs of meat hit her cheeks, followed by a sake cup hitting her in the face, she had decided that she had enough.
"GAAAAAAAAHH!" she shrieked. "DON'T WASTE FOOD, YOU IDIOTS!"
"At least that's one she knows right," Sanji said...but then he gasped when he saw Luffy bite on Dadan's head.
"AAGH!" Dadan cried as she ran around. "HE'S GONNA EAT ME!"
Aika couldn't help laughing at the scene unfolding while the others grimaced.
Soon, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were thrown into a different room...without their clothes on.
"AAH!" Nami shrieked as she covered Aika's eyes.
"Hey!" Aika cried. "Big Sis Nami!"
"You shouldn't see something like this!" Nami shouted.
"Kumi, that goes for you, too!" Blizzard added as he covered the pup's eyes, as well.
"Oh, come on! I'M naked!" Kumi complained.
"And don't come out until you dumb-asses are clean!" Dadan growled before she slammed the door while Ace and Sabo sat in an old oil drum filled with water while Luffy tried to rinse out his hair with a water basin. It was then that the Straw Hats realized that the boys were taking a bath.
"They call that a bathtub?" asked Nami.
"Even mountain bandits can't afford the luxurious stuff," said Zoro.
"True," Nami replied.
"Take this!" Ace exclaimed as he started to splash Sabo.
"Ah! Hey, quit it man!" Sabo shouted before he began to splash back. "How do you like it?!"
"WHOA!" Luffy cried as he fell back while trying to pour water over his hair, only for the basin to end up over his head. Nonetheless, the three boys laughed as they enjoyed their bath together. After a while, the brothers began to settle down and started to wash off.
"That feel good, Luffy?" asked Sabo as he scrubbed Luffy's back.
"Ahh...!" Luffy sighed. "Really good."
"Here comes the water," Ace said as he poured some more water over Luffy, who held his breath and closed his eyes as it rinsed off the suds. "There, how's that?"
Luffy responded by shaking his head like a dog, causing water to fly everywhere and forcing Ace and Sabo to shield themselves, the former making an irritated face while the latter laughed, as did the Straw Hats. Once the boys were dry, they grabbed some towels and ran out...well, most of them were dry, while Luffy's hair was still sopping wet, but he didn't seem to care. He just happily ran out into the living room, which had just been cleaned, with his brothers chasing after him.
"Luffy!" Ace called. "Get back here so I can dry your hair!"
But Luffy then grabbed onto a wok, which ended up dispensing dry ashes all over the floor...and that made an even bigger mess than before, which caused Dadan to snap her broom in half.
"...You know something?" Sanji asked. "I actually feel sorry for Dadan, now."
"So do I," Usopp replied.
The memory shifted once more, and the brothers were now in their own bedroom, getting ready to have one last spar before bed.
"Jeez, even now, they still have so much energy," Nami muttered while Aika giggled.
"My big brothers are so funny!" she said.
After all that tussling about, Luffy ended up crashing through the floor and landing on Dadan's stomach, causing her to cry out in shock and pain while the Straw Hats couldn't help laughing.
"Oh, my goodness..." Robin sighed as she wiped her eyes.
"Those three are just too much!" Nami added.
"Poor Dadan," said Usopp. "She really had her hands full with those three, didn't she?"
"We have our hands full with Luffy, even now," Zoro replied. "It's not much different."
The memory shifted, once more, revealing it to be morning, and Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were getting ready to go out and start their day. However, as Luffy was about to put on an old shirt, he found that it was a bit tattered and had a rather large tear on the side.
"You'd think these bandits would have the decency to get Luffy some new clothes," said Franky.
"Yeah," Chopper added. "He's started to outgrow them, now, plus he has been living in the mountain for a long time. It's no wonder his clothes are getting a bit ragged, now."
"Hey, Luffy!"
Luffy looked up upon hearing Dogra calling him before he got up and looked out the door.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Somebody's here to visit you!" Dogra called. "She says her name is Makino!"
Luffy gasped in delight before he eagerly ran down the stairs and headed outside, and sure enough, there was Makino and Mayor Woop Slap, the latter holding a basket.
"Makino!" Luffy exclaimed as he ran into her arms.
"Luffy!" Makino greeted as she hugged him back.
"Aww, how nice!" AIka exclaimed. "Miss Makino came to see Big Brother!"
"And it looks like the mayor cares enough to come along, too," Sanji added.
"You're so big and strong, now," said Woop Slap. "It's been six months, so we decided to stop by and see how you're doing!"
"Hey, Mister Mayor!" Luffy greeted.
"Don't tell Garp, okay?" Makino whispered with a wink.
"It's been six months since Luffy's been with the bandits, already?" asked Chopper.
"Wow," Kumi said. "He's been staying with them for half a year."
"Those six months sure made a difference," said Blizzard.
"So he's really got you sacked up here with mountain bandits, does he?" asked Woop Slap, referring to Garp in that sentence.
"You got a problem with that?" asked Dadan.
"You bet I do!" Woop Slap barked. "Mountain bandits are just as bad as pirates, I'll have you know!"
"Are the people from Windmill VIllage as annoying as you are?!" Dadan questioned.
"I guess after that mess with Higuma," Franky began, "who could blame him?"
"Indeed," Brook concurred.
"I brought presents for you!" Makino called as she held up the basket, which held some shirts and other clothing. "I didn't think Garp would have the decency to send you some new clothes, so I decided to bring you some." She then showed Luffy a beige shirt with a purple star in front. "Ta-dah! What do you think?"
"That shirt looks awesome!" Luffy exclaimed with starry eyes.
"I guess even if Luffy's not in her care, right now," Nami began, "it doesn't stop Makino from fulfilling her promise to Star."
"Clearly," Robin smiled, warmly.
"I also brought some clothes for your friends," Makino said, "though I'd have to adjust the length a bit." That's when she turned to Ace and Sabo, who were peeking from behind the doorway. "Could you two boys come over here? Please?"
Ace only scoffed while Sabo smiled, a light blush forming on his cheeks as he eagerly approached Makino, who handed him a light purple shirt.
"H-hey, Sabo!" Ace called.
"And you, too," Makino said, causing the ten-year-old to suck his teeth before he begrudgingly shoved his hands in his pockets and approached her, his cheeks also dusted a light pink.
"Hehehehe," Sanji chuckled. "Look at him, trying to keep up appearances."
"He's got it bad for her," Franky added, also grinning. "Your typical boyhood crush."
"You mean Big Brother Ace was crushing on Miss Makino?" asked Aika.
"That seems about right," Usopp said with a small snicker.
"I heard this Ace kid was pretty naughty," Makino said as she fitted Ace with a green T-shirt, "but you're surprisingly well-behaved."
"Y-you don't say," Ace answered, his face still flushed pink before he looked to his snickering brothers.
"What a dork," Sabo whispered.
"Ace, you're blushing~!" Luffy said in a teasing manner.
"Hey, shut up!" Ace barked.
"Hold still, please!" Makino urged, causing the boy to back down.
"You both are gonna get it, later," Ace sneered, causing Sabo and Luffy to break into a guffaw, and the Straw Hats also couldn't help but laugh.
"No matter which way you cut it," Zoro began, "Ace is still your typical kid, even when he tries to act like a tough guy."
"You got that right," Robin agreed.
The memory shifted, showing that it was nighttime, and Makino had prepared a huge banquet for the bandits. The Straw Hats couldn't help but feel their mouths water at the delectable-looking dishes.
"Eat up, everyone!" Makino exclaimed, and soon, everyone began to dig in.
"Yummy~!" Luffy exclaimed as he ate some crispy shrimp tempura. "Your cooking is almost as good as Mom's, Makino!"
"Oh, Luffy," Makino smiled. "You're still such a sweetheart."
"Lucky," Aika pouted. "I wish I could eat that."
"You just had a cookie!" Kumi retorted.
"Here you go, squirt," Sanji answered as he gave Aika another cookie, which she happily took a bite out of.
"Hey, wait a second!" Usopp shouted. "You said you didn't have anymore cookies!"
"Oh, yeah," Sanji muttered. "I lied."
"YOU JERK!" Usopp shouted.
"Shh~!" Nami shushed. "Guys, watch!"
"Man, this stuff is great!" Sabo exclaimed as he ate some roast beef. "Meals on a pirate ship should always be this good! When I become one, I'll make sure to get the best cook in the world on my crew!"
"I always thought Sabo was the smart one," Sanji smirked.
"He said best cook," Zoro began, "not shitty one."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Sanji questioned.
"Heh!" Ace chuckled. "Fat chance. Once I become a pirate, I'll get the best cook in the world before you do."
"Yeah, you wish!" Luffy piped up. "I'm gonna be a pirate before either of you dopes!"
Without warning, Dadan and the bandits did a shocked spit-take, to Luffy and Ace's confusion...but then, the Straw Hats heard a familiar gruff voice clearing his throat, and the boys' expressions paled before they looked over their shoulders...and saw Garp standing behind them.
"So you two are still spouting that pirate crap?!" he questioned, causing Ace and Luffy to do a spit-take, themselves. "I thought I told you boys that you're gonna be strong Marine soldiers and like it!"
"Oh, no, not Mister Garp again!" Aika exclaimed before she covered her eyes, knowing what was coming.
Sure enough, both Ace and Luffy suffered the wrath of Garp's "Fist of Love".
"I see he hasn't changed a bit," Nami muttered.
"I'm surprised that even Ace is afraid of Garp!" Usopp exclaimed. "Then again, who could blame him?"
"Even I'm scared of him," Blizzard murmured, sweating nervously.
"Dadan!" Garp barked, causing Dadan to stand at attention.
"Yes, Garp sir- AGH!" she started, only to get bopped on the head by Garp, too. "What'd you hit me for?!"
"Because you're not raising these two right!" Garp answered.
"...This coming from the man who left his grandson...with mountain bandits," Nami said.
"What a hypocrite," Sanji sighed, shaking his head.
"So that's Garp?!" Sabo whispered. "Never knew Ace and Luffy's grandpa was so cranky...!"
"Hey, twerp," Garp said as he looked to Sabo's direction, "I heard you spouting that pirate garbage, too."
"What's happening?" Aika asked, her eyes still covered.
"You don't wanna know," said Kumi. "Trust me."
"He's not a twerp!" Luffy exclaimed, going to Sabo's defense. "He's Sabo, and we shared sake cups together, vowing that we'd all be pirates one day, whether you like it or not!"
"Doesn't he ever shut up...?!" Ace grumbled in pain as he tried to pick himself up off the floor.
"Is that right?" Garp asked as he cracked his knuckles. "Well, I'm a Marine, so if you boys are gonna act like a bunch of criminals, then I'll tan your hides like a bunch of criminals!"
Hearing that caused the brothers to gulp, nervously.
"...Ohhhh, dear," Brook muttered with dread.
"Better start running!" Garp shouted, and before long, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were running through the forest for their lives, screaming like mad, while Garp wasn't too far behind them.
"Oh, no, you don't!" Garp shouted before he threw a punch at Luffy, who barely managed to jump over his fist. "Take this!" Then he tried to punch at Ace, who let out a high-pitch scream as he ducked under the punch, but Garp wasn't done there, for he grabbed Sabo and spun him around in the air. "How about one of these?!"
"This old man is a monster!" Sabo cried.
"No kidding," Zoro grimaced.
"...Those poor boys..." Nami muttered, worriedly.
"He just met Sabo that night, and he's treating him just as brutally as he treats his grandsons," said Franky.
"Can I look now?" Aika asked.
After a while, Garp managed to catch up to the trio and gave them all a good thrashing, leaving them with all sorts of bumps and bruises.
"Well, that's all for tonight," Garp said as he walked away. "Better stay alive, because tomorrow's gonna be even tougher."
"...Yeah...now we definitely know where Luffy got his will to live," Sanji added.
"...Can I look now?" Aika asked.
"NO!" the older members shouted before the memory shifted, again, revealing the brothers back in the bandit house, watching as a drunken Garp snored on the floor with the other bandits. It was obvious that Makino and Woop Slap had gone home long before then.
"Okay, Aika, you can look," Nami said, prompting Aika to uncover her eyes.
"If we don't get the heck outta here," Ace whispered to his brother, "the old man's probably gonna kill us!"
"And even if we do survive tomorrow," Sabo began, "he's not gonna stop pounding on us like that until we've all given up on our dream!"
"But I don't wanna die!" Luffy cried.
"Then we only have one choice," Ace said with a grin. "It's time for us to grow up...are you with me?"
"Grow up?" Aika asked. "What's that mean?"
"Not sure," Usopp answered.
"I think we're about to find out," Zoro answered as the memory shifted, once again, revealing it to be daytime, and Ace, Sabo, and Luffy were once again out in the forest.
"Oh, I get it now," Usopp said. "They couldn't stand the thought of Garp enforcing his beliefs on them, so they ran away."
"I don't blame 'em," Franky said. "If I were them, I'd run away from home, too!"
"...Didn't Star say that's what led Dragon to leave home in the first place?" Nami asked. "From what we know so far, Dragon left before Luffy was born, right?"
"Seems that way," Robin said. "Though, I can't help thinking that wasn't the only reason why Dragon left."
As the brothers trekked through the forest, it started to rain, causing them to cry out in surprise before they ran to find shelter underneath a giant tree. Luffy giggled as he sat with his brothers, waiting for the rain stop, until they all huddled together and fell asleep, which caused the Straw Hats to smile warmly at the sight.
"Awww, how sweet," Chopper cooed.
"This reminds me of all the times I would sleep in Big Brother and Big Sis Nami's bed," Aika said. "Sometimes, I couldn't sleep in my own bed because I got scared from nightmares."
"That's right," Nami said. "Luffy would bring you into our room and then get in bed, and he and I would wrap you up in our arms and that always made you feel safe."
"Shishishishi!" Aika giggled.
As the rain broke, the brothers yawned as they got out from under their hiding spot and then looked up at the tree.
"...Say," Sabo began, "this place would make a pretty good hideout, don't you think?"
"Now that you mention it," Ace started, "this place is pretty outta the way, huh? Plus, it kept us dry from the rain, too."
"Yeah, a hideout!" Luffy piped out. "Let's do it!"
And soon, the brothers got to work. They decided to place to search for materials would be the Gray Terminal. There, they found lots of old wood and even an old ship's steering wheel. They even used Luffy's arms as a pulley system to bring up the wood into the tree. Day in and day out, the brothers worked, hammering the wood into the treetop, and after about perhaps a week or so, the result was a large treehouse that the brothers called their own. They even had a pirate flag set up, the insignia being the letters, "A", "S", and "L", signifying the trio's first initials, with a pair of crossbones behind them.
"Not too shabby," Franky smirked.
"I'll say," Zoro agreed.
"It's beautiful!" Aika exclaimed. "I wish I had a treehouse like that back on my island! Well...before it got destroyed, that is."
"Looks like something that I would build, back when I was a kid," Usopp added.
"Children and their whimsy," Brook said with a sigh. "How I long for those days of my youth."
"Don't we all?" Sanji asked while Robin chuckled.
Soon, Luffy was sitting up in the Crow's Nest of the treehouse, where he gasped in awe at the sights before him.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed. "You can see the Gray Terminal, the Windmill Village, and even the whole East Blue!"
"What's the big deal?" asked Sabo. "We've seen 'em all before."
"Yeah, but it's way different from up here!" Luffy exclaimed, which prompted his brothers to join him, and when they did, they gasped upon seeing the beautiful blue sea before them. Even the Straw Hats marveled at the sight.
"This is nice...!" Ace whispered as the wind ruffled his hair. "You're right, Luffy!"
"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed. "Told ya so!"
Before too long, the brothers began to fantasize about being pirates out at sea, fighting an enemy ship (which was in reality a pumpkin that they had found). After a tough "battle", the brothers emerged victorious.
"Yeah, we won!" cheered Luffy.
"That'll teach 'em!" Sabo declared.
"Yeah, way to go!" Aika exclaimed, as if she had been dragged into their fantasy, as well.
"Aika, they weren't really fighting somebody," Kumi pointed out.
"Let her be, Kumi," Blizzard smiled. "After all...it's normal for children to go into their little fantasy worlds."
"Despite all the crazy stuff that happened," said Usopp, "you gotta admit, Luffy's childhood was relatively normal."
"It was, wasn't it?" Robin asked.
"Yohohoho!" Brook chortled. "Indeed!"
Soon, the three brothers lied down on the floor, sighing happily.
"Now this is how you live," Ace said.
"Uh-huh," Sabo nodded. "No kidding."
"Shishishi!" Luffy giggled. "Man, what an awesome hideout!"
The Straw Hats all smiled at the brothers who had found their indepence...yet, they also felt a bit apprehensive, too, for they knew that sooner or later, they would be experiencing another tragedy.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within!
Sabo: What are you doing here?!
Outlook III: It's time for you to stop all this nonsense, Sabo! You're coming home, right now!
Luffy: Sabo, don't go!
Bluejam: I got a job for you guys. Wanna help me?
Zoro: What the hell are they thinking?!
Ace: *holding his pipe* You won't kill us so easily, Bluejam!
Bluejam: You call that noble kid your brother? He's probably laughing at you little turds, right now!
Luffy: ACE, HELP ME!
Ace: LUFFY~!
Next time: A Brother Is Lost
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