Ch. 14- Growing Up
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Kovar, and Monkey D. Star © Me
The Straw Hats found themselves in the forest, once more, but none of them spoke. The memory of Ace's promise to his little brother left them speechless...and yet, they also felt rather guilty. They felt as if they were violating Luffy's privacy by watching his memories...but they knew that they had to keep looking, because somewhere, their real captain was lost and they had to find him.
As the Straw Hats watched, they saw Luffy and Ace in the middle of a clearing, the former rushing the latter while swinging his fist wildly.
"Here I come, Ace!" Luffy shouted. "Now Gum Gum...PISTOL!"
He threw his arm forward, but Ace simply side-stepped out of the way. Then, Luffy's fist retracted, which caused him to spin out of control before he fell to the ground.
"Well," Franky began, "at least it's not hitting him in the face, anymore."
"Still, Luffy needs to work on his powers just a bit more," said Robin.
"Hahahahaha!" Ace laughed. "What the hell are you doing, moron?!"
"Ugh..." Luffy groaned, dizzily.
"Just admit it," Ace said, cockily. "Rubber just isn't meant for fighting!"
"Shut up!" Luffy shouted. "You just don't have an open mind!"
"I guess that's kind of true," said Nami.
"Luffy just needs to work on aiming just a bit more, that's all," Zoro said. "He'll get it, eventually."
"You think I'm wrong or something?!" Ace asked as he and Luffy started to butt heads. "You gave up your ability to swim for some useless power! The only thing it's good for is that you're immune to punches and stuff!"
"Oh, yeah?!" Luffy questioned. "Well, just you wait! I'll make up even more moves than just the Gum Gum Pistol alone, and then I'll kick your sorry butt! You'll see!"
"Good job, Luffy! Your arm stretched even further today!"
The Straw Hats gasped upon hearing that familiar voice.
"Big Brother Sabo?!" Aika asked, excitedly.
"Hey, Ace! It's my turn to spar with you, now!"
"Shut up, Sabo!" Ace barked. "You're spoiling Luffy too much!"
"Yay!" Luffy cheered. "I really am getting stronger! Right, Sabo?!"
When the two brothers looked up...all the saw was a rock.
"...W-wait," Aika said. "I could've sworn I heard Big Brother Sabo's voice."
"Yeah, me too!" Kumi piped up.
"They were hallucinating," said Blizzard. "They miss Sabo so much, they still want to believe that he's there with them."
"So...they thought that they heard him?" asked Aika.
"It seems so," Brook agreed. "I understand how they feel...to dream about lost loved ones."
"...Sabo was always a lot nicer," Luffy said.
"What is that supposed to mean?!" Ace questioned. "Are you saying you wish I died instead, you little jerk?!"
Soon, the two started bickering again, and before too long, they found themselves not speaking to each other for the rest of the day. It got so bad, in fact, that the two established their own "countries", right outside the Dadan Family house. Really, they were just wooden forts (although Luffy's was more shoddily made). Franky actually almost wanted to cry at the sight of Luffy's country, but he knew it was only a memory. Besides, it didn't fall over Luffy's head, so he must've done something right.
Still, the sight of the brothers fighting seemed to upset Aika a bit. She knew it was a memory, but she always hated it when her family fought, even back when they were young. Sensing her unease, Nami gently pet the girl's head while Kumi nuzzled her face, which made her smile a bit.
The memory shifted, showing Luffy in the forest...getting cornered by the bear that tried to eat him back when he was following Ace, who was currently up in a tree, lounging in the branches.
"A-Ace, help me!" Luffy called.
"Why should I?" asked Ace. "You said you wanted to do things on your own, right?"
"How cold," Brook said.
"That jerk!" Usopp barked. "Luffy could hurt without his help! Doesn't he realize that?!"
"Yes, that bear is liable to tear Luffy to shreds with just one swipe," Robin surmised.
"NOT HELPING!" Usopp and Chopper shouted.
Luffy tried to fight the bear off...but it was no use. The beast raised its huge claws, causing Luffy to gasp in horror before it brought them down...and not long after, Luffy's hat flew through the air, followed by blood spraying, and the Straw Hats could faintly hear Ace screaming out Luffy's name as the boy faded into unconscious.
"Holy crap!" Usopp cried.
"I-I-Is Luffy gonna be okay?!" Chopper asked.
"Calm down! He obviously isn't dead!" Zoro shouted, although even he seemed a little unnerved by that.
A little while later, the Straw Hats saw Luffy, lying in a futon, his forehead and torso wrapped up in bandages while Magra tended to him. Ace, meanwhile, sat in a corner, sobbing while he covered his eyes.
"Easy there," Magra said. "This is no joke...if you arrived any later, Luffy would've died by the time you got here."
Aika gasped while Nami covered her mouth in shock.
"Come to think of it," said Magra, "didn't you, Luffy, and Sabo used to hunt beasts like the bear together?"
"...Dammit...!" Ace cursed through his sobs. "This is all my fault! I should have known better! Fighting alone...doesn't make you strong! I'm...still no good! I'm a worthless piece of shit!"
Luffy grunted in pain as lightning flashed outside.
"I'm sorry, Luffy!" Ace cried. "I'm SO sorry! Buhuuhuuuh!"
"Finally, he gets it," Sanji said.
"Gets what?" Aika asked.
"Without Sabo around," Zoro began, "Ace realizes the full gravity of the situation: it's up to him to protect Luffy from now on."
"After all," Blizzard started, "Sabo asked him to do that much."
The memory shifted again, revealing it to be mid-morning, and Makino had come to visit, again. Luffy was out in the yard, playfully chasing a lizard, while Ace talked with the bartender woman.
"You want to know about manners?" asked Makino. "Why is that?"
"Well, I am Luffy's older brother, after all," Ace said in a matter-of-fact tone, "so it stands to reason that one day, I'll have to go out to sea and thank this Red-Haired Shanks guy for saving Luffy's life. It's the least I can do, right?" He then noticed that Makino seemed to blink at him in confusion before she gave him a soft smile...which seemed to irritate Ace.
"GOT SOMETHING TO SAY TO ME?!" Ace questioned, his cheeks turning red.
Makino only gave a warm chuckle.
"Sorry," she apologized. "So, what do you want to know?"
After callling Luffy over, the lessons started...although it wasn't really easy, since Luffy tended to be rather distracting and Ace was used to badmouthing people. Plus, Luffy thought that Ace's mannerisms and rude dialogue was more interesting. The Straw Hats couldn't help but find it rather amusing.
"Hey, Ace!" Luffy spoke up in the middle of the lesson. "Earlier today, I found an anaconda's nest full of eggs!"
"Really? Eggs?!" Ace asked, excitedly.
"Oh, boy," Nami muttered.
"You can tell those two are brothers," Sanji mused.
"Shishishishi!" Aika giggled. "Silly Big Brother Ace!"
"I guess it is a bit silly, isn't it?" Robin queried with an amused smile.
"I-I mean..." Ace stammered before he turned away. "Sorry, but no...I have to learn to pay my respects, first."
"Aww~!" Luffy whined. "Please come with me? I feel a lot safer if you go with me, Ace!"
"Aww~!" Nami cooed. "He's so adorable, wanting his big brother to go with him~!"
"I guess it just goes to show you how dependent Luffy was on Ace," Franky added.
"Indeed," Brook concurred. "It's almost a bit heartbreaking."
The scene changed, once more, and the Straw Hats were treated to a series of memories. They saw Ace and Luffy, pulling off more eat-and-runs in the city before "thanking" the chefs for the meal, followed by them having more sparring matches, and they even managed to kill the bear that almost mauled Luffy to death. They would even be seen going back into the Gray Terminal, again, despite what happened there. There was some new trash and new residents at the Trash Mountain, almost as if the fire never really happened at all. It was almost sad, really, consider the events that happened before this. When they weren't in the Gray Terminal, the brothers would often have a race together in the forest, and the Straw Hats began to notice that Luffy was beginning to keep up with Ace a bit more than he used to.
Seasons came and seasons went. There was actually a time where Luffy got sick again...this time with pneumonia, the same disease that took his mother away. Ace, knowing there was no other choice, carried Luffy all the way to Windmill Village (temporarily riding on the back of a wolf on the way), and for a brief moment, the Straw Hats could've sworn that they saw Sabo leading the way...but they knew that in the heat of the moment, he was more than likely hallucinating again. Thankfully, Ace managed to get Luffy to a doctor in time, where he was soon cured of his illness.
Occasionally, Garp would visit the boys and beat them senseless, again, but sometimes, he would often take them out camping or fishing. During that time, he would try and convince his grandsons to be Marines instead by telling them about the atrocious crimes that some pirates caused, but they wouldn't hear of it. In fact, it only seemed to intrigue them more. Ace even said that he wanted to kill Whitebeard...although not for reasons that Garp actually liked.
Makino would still come and visit, too, and bring the Dadan Family food and liquor while also giving presents to Ace and Luffy. One present she brought was a bag of candy for each of the boys, which she told to eat sparingly. Ace listened, but Luffy on the other hand, ate his up right away...which turned out to be a big mistake on his part. The sweets were a bit heavier on his tummy than expected, and he ended up vomiting on Ace's shoes by mistake. Of course, that got Ace mad but when he saw how sick and sorry Luffy looked, he decided to just let it go, and after that, Dadan sent Luffy to bed so he could sleep his stomachache off. Thankfully, Luffy was well enough to eat dinner that night.
As time went on, Ace took it upon himself to be Luffy's "scholar", as well, teaching him how to read and how to do simple mathematics, as well as what types of food were okay to eat and what weren't. Luffy didn't seem to listen, though. He either fell asleep due to boredom or he was too hungry, to listen. However, in time, Ace began to learn to be more patient with Luffy and didn't yell at him or hit him in the head like he used to.
The Straw Hats also noticed that Dadan seemed to be growing more fond of the boys. So much so, she actually started making scrapbooks of them. So far, she actually had three albums of them. Of course, there were still times they'd make her panic, but at least she didn't threaten them like she used to. It was almost as if she had truly become a mother to the two brothers, something that touched Nami a bit.
Gradually, the Straw Hats started to see Ace and Luffy beginning to mature both mentally and physically. Ace was getting taller and a bit more muscular, so much so, that he had developed a six-pack. Not only that, but he stopped hitting Luffy and scolding him so much. He was a lot more polite and calm now, thanks to Makino's lessons. However, he still had a bit of a temper issue whenever it came to Luffy being in danger.
As for Luffy, he also gotten taller and his limbs were a little lankier, too. He had lost a lot of his baby fat, but not very much of it. The only thing that seemed to remain the same was his face. Plus, he dropped his crybaby personality and was becoming more and more confident. He was able to hold his own in a fight a lot more than he used to and didn't need Ace to protect him as much. Still, he often followed his big brother around, anyway, refusing to go anywhere without him.
Eventually, the scene stopped and the Straw Hats found themselves in Edge Town, and it was nearly sundown, too.
"What's gonna happen here?" asked Chopper.
"I don't know," Blizzard answered.
Suddenly, the Straw Hats heard what sounded like someone struggling.
"Lemme go, you shitheads!"
"That's Luffy's voice!" Usopp exclaimed.
As the Straw Hats all turned, they saw Luffy being surrounded by a bunch of thugs, one of which had his arms bound while another held up a glass bottle, the bottom of which had been shattered. It seemed that the thugs already had various injuries on them, so it looked like Luffy had already put up a fight before he had gotten restrained.
"Well, well, well," said the one holding the bottle, the ring leader perhaps. "Looks like Ace isn't around to save your hide this time, Luffy."
Luffy grunted as he struggled to get free, but the brute holding him had a firm grip on his arms.
"Now then," the leader said as he held the glass bottle dangerously close to Luffy's neck, "where should I make the finishing blow? Here?" He then lowered it to Luffy's chest. "Here, maybe?" He pointed it at Luffy's stomach. "Or here, perhaps?"
Luffy growled as the leader snickered evilly, but then the raven-haired boy seemed to spot something behind the leader, which made the teen smirk, and the Straw Hats also grinned, knowing who was standing behind the ring leader's back.
"Huh?" the ring leader asked before he turned around...only to get slugged across the face, causing his minions to turn and gasp upon seeing Ace.
"That's my little brother you've got in your hands," Ace said as he cracked his knuckles. "I'd thank you to let him go, now!" On that, he drop-kicked the thug holding Luffy, causing him to drop down to the ground.
"Thanks, Ace!" Luffy said.
"Thank me when we're outta here!" Ace answered as a brawl commenced. The Straw Hats noticed that the boys weren't really using their pipes anymore, but instead had become accostumed to using fisticuffs.
"Go get 'em, Ace!" Kumi called. "Ooh, look out behind you Luffy! Come on, Ace! GO LUFFY!"
"Yeah, get 'em!" cheered Aika, rooting for her brothers.
"They really have grown, haven't they?" asked Zoro, an impressed grin on his face.
"Yohohoho!" Brook chortled. "Indeed! What form they have!"
"It's almost as if Luffy's become the Luffy we know, today," Robin added. "Almost, that is."
By now, the thugs had thinned out quite a bit, but some were rather persistent, for they got back up as soon as they were knocked down. Eventually, though, the ring leader had had enough and reached into his coat pocket.
"What's he doing?" Usopp asked as he looked...only for the leader to pull out a pistol, pointing right at Luffy just as the boy turned to him, and the sight of it caused him to freeze in his tracks while Ace gasped.
"Luffy!" he cried.
"Well, now," the ring leader grinned. "Things are different when you're staring down the barrel of a gun, aren't they?"
Luffy gasped, his body trembling and sweat beginning to form on his face.
"Luffy!" Ace shouted as he smacked two thugs' heads together, knocking them out cold. "Run! Get outta here!"
"I guess Luffy hasn't figured out that guns can't hurt him, yet," Franky said.
"And neither has Ace, by the sound of it," Sanji added.
"Run, Luffy!" Ace shouted, but Luffy didn't even flinch, and that only made the young man more agitated. "DAMMIT, MAN, YOU THINK I'M KIDDING AROUND?! RUN, I SAID! STOP STANDING THERE!"
"Say goodbye...!" the ring leader smirked as he pulled the trigger...and soon after, a gunshot rang out, causing the Straw Hats to gasp.
"LUFFY~!" Ace screamed in horror while Luffy stumbled back, grunting and gasping as he clutched his chest...but then, Ace, the remaining thugs, and even the ring leader gaped in shock as they saw Luffy's skin stretch right out the back of his shirt. Then, it snapped right back into its original position, while something whizzed through the air and hit the ring leader right in the shoulder, causing him to scream in pain.
"DAMMIT, I GOT SHOT!" he shouted.
"W...what the hell just happened?!" asked one of the thugs.
"Sh-shoot him again!" yelled another.
"NO!" Ace cried as he tried to stop a third one from shooting his gun at Luffy, but once again, that one got the same result: the bullet ended up hitting Luffy in the back, catching him by surprise, once more, but just like before, it shot right out of his body and ended up ricocheting off a wall and hitting the thug who fired it, causing him to scream as he fell down, clutching his knee. Luffy gaped as he looked down at his body, then, after a moment of shock...he began to grin.
"I'm bulletproof...!" he whispered before he laughed and threw his fists into the air. "I'm bulletproof!"
"So that's how he learned that guns can't hurt him," Zoro said.
"Better late than never," Blizzard said.
"Yay, Big Brother!" Aika cheered.
By now, the thugs were terrified while Luffy seemed to smirk at them. The boy then began to approach as they huddled together in fright before he got up in one's face, took in a deep breath, and said...
"Boo."
That was enough to send them running away, screaming like a bunch of little girls.
"SCREW THIS!" shouted one of them as they grabbed their injured leader and their friend. "WE'RE NOT CRAZY ENOUGH TO TANGLE WITH A DEMON KID LIKE YOU!"
"Shishishi!" Luffy laughed.
"Man, what a bunch of wusses," Nami smiled. "That's why Luffy's my man."
"There's a lot of reasons why Luffy's your man," Zoro quipped.
"Yeah, but this is one of them," Nami replied.
At that moment, Ace began to approach Luffy...but he had his eyes hooded under the rim of his hat...which gave a bit of an ominous air to him, but as usual, Luffy remained oblvious as he turned to his older brother.
"Ace, look! Did you see that?!" he asked. "I'm bulletproof! Bullets can't hurt me-"
All of a sudden, Ace slugged Luffy across the face, knocking him down to the ground and unnerving the Straw Hats, once again while the older D. Carrier seethed angrily.
"What the hell?!" Franky questioned.
"What did he punch him for?!" Chopper asked.
"Yeah! He's just fine!" Kumi added.
"YOU MORON!" Ace yelled. "WHY DIDN'T YOU RUN AWAY LIKE I TOLD YOU?!"
Luffy only stared up at Ace, holding his bruised cheek with wide, hurt eyes.
"You are SO lucky you had those powers!" Ace shouted. "Do you know what would have happened if you didn't?! You could've died! Next time, when I tell you to run away, you RUN AWAY, Luffy! NEVER FREEZE LIKE THAT, AGAIN! EVER!"
Aika gasped silently...as she began to remember when Luffy yelled at her, earlier today.
"When I say 'run', Aika, YOU RUN! DON'T EVER FREEZE LIKE THAT AGAIN!"
"...Big Brother Ace...he was scared," Aika whispered. "Just like Big Brother was."
"...And he used his anger to hide his fear," Nami added. "Just like how Luffy did when he yelled at you, today."
"Can you blame him?" Zoro asked. "He came really close to losing another brother. If it weren't for his Devil Fruit powers, Luffy would've bled out, instantly."
"Yeah," Chopper answered. "He was shot, point-blank. Without those powers, that bullet would've hit his heart."
After Ace had composed himself, he turned to leave...only to stop upon hearing sniffling. He turned and he saw Luffy, chewing his lip and clutching at his pants legs...tears welling up in his eyes and his nose already running with snot, and almost instantly, Ace began to feel guilty.
"...Shit..." he cursed under his breath before he approached his little brother and reached his hand out to touch him. "O-okay...Lu, I-"
Before he could finish, Luffy's expression went from just hurt to being hurt and angry. Then, he pushed Ace's hand away before he ran passed him.
"W-wait, Luffy!" Ace called. "Luffy, come back! I'm sorry!"
But Luffy kept running, through the city gates, through the Gray Terminal, and into the forest while the Straw Hats felt their hearts go out to Luffy. They knew it wasn't really Ace's fault, but still, he could've been a bit less harsh.
The memory shifted, and the Straw Hats found Luffy, huddled up in a cave, trying to keep dry from the pouring rain as he sniffled and sobbed. It was almost like how he, Ace, and Sabo were huddled up underneath the large tree that would later be their hideout.
"Poor Big Brother," Aika said as she went to hug Luffy, only to phase right through him. "...Oh, yeah...this is a memory. You're not the real you, so I can't touch you."
The Straw Hats looked at Aika, sympathetically, knowing she wanted to comfort her brother, but couldn't. She was no doubt upset by all of this, but there was little to be done to console her.
Just then, they heard footsteps approach, and Luffy looked up to see someone peeking inside. The Straw Hats could immediately tell it was Ace, so they relaxed.
"Lu?" Ace asked. "That you in there, little bro?"
"Go away, Ace..." Luffy answered, sniffling.
"Oh, Luffy..." Nami whispered as Ace came and sat next to the 13-year-old boy, anyway.
"...I said go away," Luffy said.
A pause...but then Ace reached inside the pocket of his shirt and pulled out a chocolate bar, which caught Luffy's attention immediately. The older D. Brother unwrapped the candy, then broke it in half before he handed one half to Luffy.
"Here," Ace told him. "Take it."
Luffy took the candy bar and ate it in just two bites. The two brothers sat silently in the cave, listening to the rain fall outside while the Straw Hats just observed them.
"...I'm sorry I yelled at you, Luffy," Ace spoke, "and hit you, too."
"...It's okay," Luffy answered. "I should've run away like you told me to...but I was too scared."
"So was I," Ace replied, causing Luffy to look at him in surprise, but then he side-eyed him, skeptically.
"Yeah, right," Luffy said. "You're older than me. You're not afraid of anything."
"...I was today," Ace said.
"You were?" Luffy asked.
"Yeah," Ace answered. "I was afraid I would lose another brother."
Luffy's eyes went wide, finally understanding Ace's reasoning.
"It's still no excuse to punch him across the face," Usopp muttered.
"Let it go," Nami replied.
"...So I guess even big brothers get scared, too, don't they?" asked Luffy.
"Eeyup," Ace answered.
"...But you know what?" Luffy asked in a hushed tone and a grin on his face.
"What?" Ace whispered as he leaned closer so Luffy could whisper in his ear.
"I bet those jerks were more scared than you were...!"
Hearing that caused Ace and the Straw Hats to chuckle.
"Yeah, I bet they were," Ace smirked before he pulled Luffy into a headlock. "Come here, you little knucklehead!" He then proceeded to give Luffy a noogie.
"Oh, no, no!" Luffy cried in protest as he struggled to get free. "Ace, come on, stop!" He then twisted his head a bit before he pulled it free from Ace's grasp, then proceeded to tackle him into a mud puddle outside. The two brothers laughed as they began to wrestle around in the muck, getting it all in their faces, their hair, and all over their clothes, and the Straw Hats laughed at the pair's reconciliation.
After the rain stopped, the brothers headed back to the Dadan Family house...where they immediately given an ear-lashing from Dadan for coming back and tracking mud all over the floor. She soon forced them both to take a bath before they ate dinner, but she couldn't stay mad at them for too long...especially when Ace fell asleep in the middle of eating (which caused Luffy to eat his food while he wasn't looking).
"It seems like the reason why Luffy acts a bit harsh around Aika at times," Nami began, "is because he was influenced by Ace so much."
"I guess this is how he thinks he's being a good big brother to Young Miss Aika, in a way," Brook mused.
"I think he's a good Big Brother, anyway," Aika said.
The memory shifted, once more, and the Straw Hats found Ace standing on a dinghy with some barrels. Standing above him on a cliff was Luffy, as well as the rest of the Dadan Family. It was at this moment the Straw Hats realized that Ace had finally turned 17, and thus, it was time for him to begin his journey to become a pirate.
"Well, Luffy, I'm off!" Ace exclaimed.
"Take care out there!" Luffy replied, grinning proudly at his brother. "See you in three years, Ace!"
"You keep on training while I'm gone, hear?" Ace asked.
"You bet I will!" Luffy answered. "Just you wait! I'll be a hell of a lot stronger, next time you see me!"
"Goodbye, Ace!" Dogra called.
"And good luck out there!" added Magra.
On that, Ace sailed away while the Straw Hats watched him. Luffy just kept waving until his brother was out of sight. Once the bandits left, Luffy was alone...and the Straw Hats momentarily saw a look of sadness in Luffy's eyes.
"...He misses Ace, already," Nami said, sadly.
"Poor guy," Sanji said.
"He knew this day was coming," Zoro spoke.
"Yeah, but now Big Brother looks all lonely, again," Aika added while Kumi whimpered.
"He won't be for too long," Blizzard reassured. "Hopefully, anyway."
"...All right," Luffy said as he cracked his knuckles. "Can't waste any time, moping around. Gotta get back to training!"
With that, he headed off to his old training ground.
"He's using training to try and take his mind off Ace," Brook said. "I know how that feels."
"Me, too," Zoro nodded.
Before long, Luffy was standing in the middle of the clearing where he would spar with Ace and Sabo, staring at a boulder. The scoreboard was covered with moss and ivy, and the numbers had since faded away with time. The brothers' pipes now had a thin layer of rust on them, too.
"Okay," Luffy said as he began to wind his arm up. "Just 3 more years. I can't slack off if I wanna get stronger than Ace, one of these days! Now Gum Gum...PISTOL!"
He threw his arm forward, but his aim was just a bit too high, for he ended up smashing off just the top of the boulder.
"Ah, crap," Luffy cursed. "I can throw my punches without hitting myself, now...I just need to learn how to aim, that's all."
"Try aiming a bit a lower, this time, Luffy," a familiar voice said in his head, and soon, an image of Sabo appeared on the boulder.
"Is Luffy hallucinating, again?" asked Usopp.
"No," Robin answered. "I think he's using Sabo's mental image to try and encourage himself."
"I guess that would make sense," Franky said.
"Okay...here I go!" Luffy said as he began to wind his arm up again. "Gum Gum...PISTOL~!"
This time, Luffy's fist smashed the boulder right in the center, shattering it completely.
"Yes!" he cheered. "Yeah, baby! WHOO-HOO! I DID IT!" He then looked at his own arm. "...I'm getting there...I'm getting stronger!"
The Straw Hats smiled at Luffy's success and his growing confidence. Soon, the memory changed again, and the Straw Hats found themselves in the Dadan Family house, once more...but this time, he looked entirely different, yet familiar, as well: he was wearing the same red vest and blue jean shorts that he wore, two years ago, and he had an expression of confidence, pride, and innocence on his face...the kind the Straw Hats were always so used to seeing, but don't see as often as they did, two years ago.
"Wow...!" Aika whispered in awe.
"So...cool...!" Kumi whispered.
"...Look how much he's grown," Nami said, proudly.
"Heh," Zoro smirked. "Now that looks more like the Luffy we know and love."
"He doesn't have as much muscle as he does, now," Franky started, "but still...it's good to see him like this."
"He's in the prime of his life," Brook added.
"Indeed, he is," Robin agreed.
"...I think I'm gonna cry...!" Usopp sniffled.
"Me, too...!" Chopper added, tearfully.
"Take it easy, you guys," Sanji quipped as he put his hands on their shoulders.
Blizzard only smiled, a feeling of pride welling up in his chest as Luffy headed for the door, but then stopped and peeked into the room where Dadan and the other bandits were.
"Hey, guys, I'm off now!" Luffy called. "Aren't you coming to see me off?"
"How annoying are you?" asked Dadan. "You know that even though Makino and the mayor know us, the rest of the folks down at Windmill Village are afraid of us! Just go by yourself, will you?!"
"Aww..." Luffy pouted, but then he smiled. "Oh, yeah! One more thing! Dadan...I still hate mountain bandits!"
Hearing that caused the Straw Hats and the bandits to tense up.
"Just get lost, dammit!" Dadan barked.
"But...I like you guys!" Luffy added, causing Dadan to gasp before she reached into her shirt and pulled out a handkerchief, which she began to comically cry into.
"What did you have to go and say that for, you little shit?!" she asked. "Just get the hell outta here! Why am I surrounded by such fools?!"
The rest of the bandits only chuckled while the Straw Hats smiled warmly.
"...You know, I have to wonder," Nami began, "how did she take the news about...Ace's death?"
The others immediately fell silent.
"...I guess she was pretty shook up," Usopp spoke up.
"Yeah," Sanji muttered. "I mean...sure, Garp pretty much forced them on her, but still...Dadan treated those boys like they were her sons. She really came to love them."
"I wonder if Luffy even kept in contact with them," Chopper added.
A bit later, Luffy was standing in the Windmill Village cemetery...before his mother's grave, where a bouquet of fresh cut spider lillies lay on the soil. Makino stood behind him with a smile on her face.
"Well, Mom," Luffy began, "I'm leaving home for the first time. I'm sorry I haven't been here to see you much...but I promise that once I become the King of the Pirates, I'll come see you more often, okay?"
Silence...save for the sound of Franky sniffling.
"I'm not crying...!" he whimpered.
"Your mother would be so proud of you, Luffy," Makino said. "I know she would've wanted to see you set sail."
"Really?" Luffy asked.
"Of course," Makino answered. "All she wanted was for you to be happy and pursue your dream...and now you're making it happen."
"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed. "I am, huh?" He then turned to leave. "Well, I'm not gonna be the King of the Pirates just standing here! Let's head to the pier, Makino!"
"Right," Makino nodded as they headed off, together...but as they did, Luffy turned to glance at his mother's grave, one last time...and for a short moment, he could see Star, standing next to her tombstone, smiling sweetly at Luffy. When he blinked, she was gone.
"What's wrong, Luffy?" Makino asked.
"...Nothing," Luffy answered as he smiled.
Now it was Nami's turn to cry...because she felt a similar instance on the night before she left her village to join Luffy and the others. She could've sworn that she had felt Bellemere pushed her forward, but when she turned around, she was gone. The navigator wiped her tears away, knowing that on this day, she should be happy for Luffy.
Soon, the Straw Hats found themselves at the pier, where the people of Windmill Village had gathered to say their goodbyes to Luffy, who was standing in a small dinghy with nothing but a large barrel. It was almost surprising, seeing this peaceful little village again.
"Hey, Luffy!" called someone. "Why don't you take my old fishing boat, instead? You're liable to sink in that old thing!"
"No thank you," Luffy answered. "This is what I wanna start with!" He then turned around and looked up to the sky before he threw his fists into the air. "Hey, Sabo~! Watch me! I'm going out to sea, now!"
The townsfolk only glanced at each other in confusion while Makino chuckled, softly. Even the Straw Hats couldn't help laughing in slight amusement.
"Sabo was first," Luffy started, "then Ace was second...so I'm the third, but I'm not gonna lose to them! Wait for me, Ace! I'll be catching up to you, soon enough!"
"What are you babbling on about, now, Luffy?" asked one of the townsfolk. "Is that some kind of good luck charm or something?"
"And who's Ace, anyway?" asked another.
"It's not a charm!" Luffy corrected. "It's a challenge!"
"They don't know who Big Brother Ace is?" asked Aika.
"I guess it makes sense," Kumi answered. "Ace was living in the mountains and he hardly came down to the village."
"Well, I'm off now," Luffy said as he began to sail off with the tide. "Goodbye, everyone!"
Soon, the townspeople began to wave goodbye to Luffy while the Straw Hats smiled.
"From humble beginnings," Brook said. "The journey of Straw Hat Luffy truly begins, here."
Just then, however, something emerged from the sea before Luffy: the giant eel Sea King from ten years ago.
"Oh, no...!" Nami said in horror.
"Of course he'd get into some trouble, right away," Zoro muttered, but for some reason, he didn't seem very concerned, and neither was Luffy, who just smirked as he lowered his head.
"So it's you again, huh?" he asked while the Sea King growled. "I've actually been looking forward to seeing you...I'm not the wimp I used to be, ten years ago!"
The Sea King roared as it lunged for Luffy, preparing to devour him whole.
"Okay..." Luffy said as he began to wind his arm. "Guuuum...GUUUUUUM...PISTOL~!"
He threw his fist forward, and the punch hit the mark, perfectly, hitting the beast square in the jaw. The Sea King soon fell back into the water with a mighty splash while the Straw Hats smiled proudly. They'd seen Luffy take down Sea Kings that were much larger...but here, seeing him do it for the very first time...it showed that Luffy was truly coming into his own.
"Big Brother is so awesome...!" Aika whispered, her admiration for her older half-brother growing more and more.
"Okay then," Luffy said as he dusted his palms. "First thing's first...I gotta find me a pirate crew. About 10 people or so should do fine. Then I'm gonna have to find a flag, of course." He then grinned as he threw his fists into the air, one more time. "Look out world, 'cause here I come! I'm gonna be...King of the Pirates~!"
And with that, Straw Hat Luffy set sail...the fire of his ambition growing ever brighter.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within!
Nami: How could that moron sail right toward a whirlpool?!
Blizzard: Jeez, I thought he was stupid before!
Zoro: Isn't that Coby?
Aika: Who?
Alvida: This boy wouldn't happen to be Pirate Hunter Zoro, would he?!
Luffy: Zoro?
Next time: Meetings in the East Blue
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