Chapter Five


ALABASTA


"Excuse me sir, have you seen this girl anywhere around here?" Ace asked as he pointed at Luffy's gummy smile on her bounty poster.

The old man had blinked, shifting his head forward to get a closer look. "No I haven't. Sorry young man."

Ace frowned, a frown painting his lips.

"If you're looking for somebody you should probably ask the owner of the restaurant over there," The old man pointed, noticing the boy's disappointed look. "He knows everybody in this town."

"Ah. Thank you." Ace smiled and scratched the back of his head, his nails getting caught in his dark strands. He bowed politely before leaving.

How convenient, he had been feeling hungry anyways.

He groaned. This had been the eighth day he'd been waiting for Luffy. A part of him had been worried she'd gotten lost or into trouble- but another part of him thought that she'd probably forgotten about him.

That's just like her. He thought to himself, a grin growing on his face.

Well, no worries. He still has two days left.

Ace couldn't lie about how disappointed he would be if he couldn't see Luffy in the flesh. He had first taken a short detour from chasing Teach, just because he knew she'd be here. He didn't want to waste anymore time- but for her, it was worth it.

He couldn't be any more obvious of how much he'd been waiting to see his baby sister again. Was it even right to still call her his sister?

Not to mention he still felt guilty for what he did to her. Kissing her and then leaving? He was better than that. He knew that.

He wanted to make things right this time around.

Ace's stomach felt jumbled in knots. It was the first time he'd be seeing Luffy in three years! He was restless and excited but also felt the days he'd spent in Alabasta waiting for her had dragged on for far too long.

The Alabasta air had been hot, while the sand on the ground had been dry. The air was rather humid from the many barbecue stands surrounding him. It didn't bother him much though- not something a flame man couldn't handle anyway.

Ace continued walking, taking whiffs of the delicious aromas of glazed meats, candied fruits and caramelized vegetables. He breathed in the dense Alabasta air, dragging his sandals in the gritty sand.

His arm reached over to grab her poster once again. He opened it up gently taking a good look at her face.

"You've gotten prettier Luffy." He whispered.


"Young girl.. You're sure you won't tell anyone about the dance powder right?"

"Sure! I don't care mister because I'm a pirate!" Luffy announced causing the old man's jaw to drop.

"Thanks for the lunch gramps!" She continued as she parted from the old man's cottage.

Her hand moved to the knot of her boxed lunch as she started to pull the ribbon apart.

"Shishishi! What a nice guy!" Luffy said to herself as she swallowed the salted rice ball from her bagged lunch in one bite. She groaned feeling her stomach growl.

"Not enough!" She complained with a bout, her right hand holding her stomach.

She was hungry, and it had been hot too.

It hadn't even been an hour since Luffy and her crew had arrived in Alabasta, but she'd already separated herself from them due to her selfish needs. She sighed fearing the wrath she'd be faced with when being met with Nami's fist.

Luffy shivered but quickly shook off the thought. She must eat first. She was really craving meat right now. And water. Lots of water.

She looked off in the distance. She wasn't sure if the blazing hot sun had been causing her to hallucinate but she could swear she sees silhouettes of steaks and chicken legs where the horizon should be.

Her eyes widened enchanted by the illusion of juicy meat dancing in front of her. She nodded to herself before running toward it like a maniac.

"MEATTTTTTTTTTTTTT!" She screamed dashing toward the horizon.


Ace awakened from his slumber, covered in debris, wall paint and a navy captain? He squeezed his eyes closed trying to remember what had just happened before his narcolepsy had kicked in.

He was eating and.. His eyes quickly shot open seeing his dear sister inhaling as much food as she could in front of him from a distance. He felt his smile tug the sides of his freckled cheeks.

Some things never change. He had many questions on his mind at this point.

Ace knew she'd gotten prettier, as he'd seen her wanted poster already. But he was speechless.
Her hair was longer, the boyish cut still remaining- but her facial features had gotten softer. It was a good look on her, he admitted.

The last time he had seen the strawhat girl was when she was fourteen, but now seeing her after three years was a big change for him. She was now seventeen, and puberty had done her good.

Ace mentally slapped himself feeling like a shameful pervert. He thought those three years on the seas would clear his mind- but spending time with those dirty pirate ossans had made him the complete opposite. He was twenty now so- why was he acting like an hormonal teenager?

He gulped.

Did she miss him as much as he missed her?

Would she be happy? Upset?

He was dying to know. He inhaled the air before he spoke, grabbing the courage to get his message across.

"OI! Luffy it's me-"

"MUGIWARA!"

Ace was rudely interrupted by an angry navy captain, who'd pushed his head back into the fragmented rubble.

"Eh? Smoky!" She'd heard him say, though she continued attending to her meal. Her rubber cheeks have been expanding rapidly, as she continued to stuff food into her mouth. Her body was like a never-ending black hole.

"I finally found you!" The smoke man continued catching his breath from the awkward crash-landing he had earlier.

"Ah." She replied, before shoving the last of the food in her mouth before running out of the restaurant.

"Sorry! Put it on my treasure tab!" She told the owner as her voice faded out into the distance.

The owner's eye had twitched a bit but then found himself dumbfounded, giving up on life at this very moment.

Ace smoothly stood up, patting down his shorts, freeing them from the dust and wreckage. He then proceeded to walk through the houses he'd left holes in, bowing to the restaurant owner before making his leave to catch up to Luffy.

"Sorry about that." He stated before making a run for it himself.


Luffy continued running, trying to get out of White Chase's reach.

"Leave me aloneeeeeeee!" She complained, annoyed that he'd still been chasing her after a whopping ten minutes.

"Shut up Straw Hat! Your journey ends here today!"

Luffy groaned knowing her crew would be fed up if she kept them waiting any longer. Despite the amount of twists and turns she'd made, Smoker was able to keep up with her. It was never-ending.

"Don't worry Luffy! I'll take care of this!"

She heard the familiar voice coming from behind her, as her eyes were tearing up from happiness.

Could it be?

Luffy turned around and caught a glimpse of flames trailing behind her.

Her pout had then shifted into a bright smile.

"Ace! You ate a devil fruit!" She exclaimed, surprised.

Luffy didn't know what was bigger news to her- seeing her brother in Alabasta or the fact that he'd become a devil fruit user like her.

Ace smirked as he got a clear view of her now. Maybe he'd used this opportunity to show off infront of her.

"You're pretty brave for showing yourself to me, Fire Fist." Smoker interrupted, causing the two siblings to dart their attention to the naval captain.

"C'mon Smoker. Thought you were better than to pick on a little girl!" Ace smirked playfully, causing Smoker's eyebrows to smooch together.

"I don't know what your relationship with straw hat is but I'll capture you if you don't get out of my way."

And as the three continued to run after one another, Luffy had caught a glimpse of a green haired man and a guy with a swirly brow arguing.

"My crew!" She announced. "I see them! OI! Guys!" She roared causing their heads to turn around.

"Luffy! You go ahead! I'll catch up!" He yelled out, to which she responded to him with a nod.

The straw hat girl went ahead, launching herself toward her crew.

Once she'd landed on her feet, Nami had retaliated with a punch to Luffy's head.

"That's for causing trouble again!"

"Ouch!" Luffy retorted with a pout.

"Eh Luffy? Who is that guy?" Vivi had asked pointing toward Ace.

"Ah! He's my nii-san!" She stated with a chuckle.

"WHAT?" The seven crew members had shouted in unison.


Her sandals had been scraping against the cement, and she could feel the vibrations through her feet. She almost tripped, losing herself in thought. But how could she not? She had a lot to process.

Luffy couldn't believe what had just happened. She'd seen Ace for the first time in three years!

Three years since they- Luffy covered her lips with her hand. Her face was painted red, and she felt heat rising in her body. She winced but continued to run.

Eh? She looked around visibly confused. The seven silhouettes that had been surrounding her just now had vanished.

She was lost. Again.

She tilted her head left and right, pondering as to where she went wrong. She shrugged knowing they'd show up to her eventually.

She let out a loud sigh, and relaxed her gum body against the wall. Her back glided against the building as her legs reached to sit down. Luffy pulled her straw hat down, trying to cover up her blush.

"So he's finally shown up." She grinned sighing slightly.

"Who? Me?"

The deep voice had caused her to shoot upright from her sitting position.

"ACE!" She shrieked before pouncing on him, pulling him into a deep hug.

Her fingers digged into his tattooed back, as she nuzzled her face into his neck, erupting a blush from him. Ace froze before he wrapped his arms around her torso, shifting his feet, trying to balance him and Luffy who'd been clinging onto him. She continued giggling as the hug continued, the two embracing each other until satisfaction.

The two finally pulled apart, and eyed each other awkwardly. It was quiet for a while, until Luffy finally said something to break the silence.

"Ace! You look different!" She stated honestly, "But.. You look good." She finished.

Normally Ace would've shit himself if he'd processed what she'd just said to him. (Not that it meant anything weird to Luffy.)

His eyes were too busy examining her, his brain was trying to get used to her new face.

She continued to talk, but then she pouted.

"Are you even listening to me?" She questioned, her cheeks puffing up.

Ace had been still dazed as studied her closely.

He kept reciting these four words in his head. Seventeen year old Luffy. Seventeen year old Luffy. Seventeen year old Luffy. Seventeen year old Luffy.

He still couldn't believe how much the little brat had grown up.

Luffy, tired of being ignored, grabbed his face pulling him closer to her. She took a step toward him before standing on her tippy toes. She had realized now that Ace had grown way too tall for her own reach.

"Ace! I'm talking to you!" She complained, unaware of how close the two of them were. Her thumbs were perfectly aligned to the freckles of his cheeks, as his eyes shuddered at their closeness.

He bit his lower lip.

"Heh. You're finally paying attention to me." She spoke beaming brightly. She let go of his face, unaffected by the moment the two of them had shared just then.

Ace desperately wanted to kiss her just then. His lips started to tingle, remembering the warmth he'd felt from the night before his departure. Their lips had been locked and loaded, the kisses shared were hot and heavy. He craved for her -but he hesitated. Why did he always have to hesitate?

He shook off the feeling, masking his feelings of disappointment. She poked the middle of his back tattoo, causing him to turn around.

There she sat, her elbow resting on a barrel. She was signaling him for an arm wrestle like old times, knowing Ace wouldn't pass up an opportunity like this.

Ace laughed before bending down, a clear confirmation that he was totally okay with kicking her butt.

He sat eye level to her, which was quite a sight for him- but he ultimately ignored his perverted mind and interlocked his fingers with hers before taking on her challenge.

Ultimately, the barrel had broken and there was no winner.

"I'm strong now Ace!" She beamed looking up at him proudly.

He could tell that his younger sister had become very strong- but he couldn't help but get worried when seeing men chase after her. The Smoker incident earlier made him a bit nervous for sure- not to mention she probably has men in her crew.

He couldn't help but ask her.

"Luffy? Tell me about your crew."

In that moment he could see fireflies in her eyes. Her whole expression had changed, and she started talking about them with no hesitation.

She started off talking about a swordsman who sleeps during the daytime, and then continuing to talk about a greedy navigator that throws pillows half asleep, a liar, a racoon dog, and a perverted cook.

The perverted cook part made Ace's eye jerk a bit.

"Oh! And we have a princess and a duck too!" She exclaimed, finishing her quick rundown of her crew.

Ace couldn't help but chuckle. "That's an interesting bunch you got there." He responded, his eyes teary from laughing.

She laughed with him, her hands holding her stomach.

After their brief fit of laughter Luffy quickly turned to him, her expression turning serious.

"Ace?"

"Hm?" He looked at her intensely, though still not quite used to her still.

"I missed you, a lot."

"Ditto."

She gleamed, happy that they were together like this again.

Suddenly, a thought had come to Luffy's mind, as her face stiffened noticeably, as her cheeks turned a rosy pink.

"Ace."

"Yeah?"

"That day, before you left. Why did you kiss me?"

He cringed knowing she'd ask him that question eventually. It was fine, ultimately. It wasn't like he was going to pretend it never happened.

He covered his face with his left hand, trying to hide the blushed tone surfacing on his face.

"Ah."

He paused in between his speech, before he finally asked the question that'd been circling his mind the past three years.

"Luffy? How do you feel about me?"


Hi! I'm back! Sorry to keep you guys waiting, this week has been so so busy ;-; !

To make up for it I made this chapter extra long for you all, though I was planning on making it longer heh. I also had writers block for a good three days but Ace's comeback motivated me to write. God, I just love him so much you know? LOL

Also! Thank you so much for 1k reads :O I was super shocked to see how fast this story has grown! I hadn't expected so many people to like Fem!Luffy stories so it mades me glad that i'm not alone in this department :D

No kiss scene this chapter! Sorry bubs, I was originally going to but It wasn't fitting for this chapter in my opinion. However lets see what happens when its time for adventures in the desert :D

Anyways, I try to update every week and I should be able to write more frequently now that my SAT is over. Of course I have another one in June but thats pretty far from now. And spring break is after this week! YAYY

I still must make heavy edits to chapter three, please excuse that horrible chapter LOL. I'll edit it eventually.

Watching Dressrosa, I ended up getting some ideas for Law and Luffy interactions _ I'm super stoked to write about them so I'll try to hurry to Saboady when I can,, I think their interactions will be supah cute!

I actually got a very interesting question asking if I planned to genderbend any other characters, and as of now I've decided on only Boa Hancock. Just incase anyone was curious!

I feel like it gets harder to write Female Luffy at times, like canonically I know Oda says a female Luffy would like to eat salads, but I personally couldn't see it that way and went constantly back and forth for deciding whether or not I wanted to use Oda's take on Luffy. Ultimately, I try keeping her "masculine" traits.

Oh a quick PSA that this story will stay teen friendly! I don't write smut (or I just never have) and I personally because Luffy is depicted as probably the most asexual character in this universe, so its hard to see him or should I say her! engage in sexual activity. I will still write very detailed kiss scenes though :D hopefully that is enough! Sorry if this disappoints you.

Like always, I love hearing feedback from you guys. Feel free to send questions or suggestions, I usually respond when I can! Thanks so much for reading!

I am currently in my online class writing this so I must leave! I'll see you guys next time.

- Himech4n