Chapter 3: Meeting Some of the Crew
(Hey guyz~! So it's been what? A week since I updated at all? I'm sorry! I had like, a four way tie and was going to write them but then I woke up too late – wouldn't have been able to finish – had orientation, spent a day with my best friend, went to a gun show, and then dyed my hair yesterday. Half of it is now blood red and looks amazing! When I looked at the poll, I saw that two choices had the highest so that makes my week easier! One update and one new. On to the crap!)
-x-x-x-
Previously:
"You have a funny accent, yoi." Luffy said with a grin. "Yoi, yoi, yoi, yoi, yoi, yoi, yoi!"
At that, everyone burst into laughter while Marco just wanted to punch the kid. "Ace. Sabo. He's staying in your room, yoi." Marco stated.
"Got it!" The two brothers said through their laughter.
"Keep him away from me, yoi…" Marco muttered before walking out of the room of laughing hyenas.
"I don't think I want to!" Ace said while still laughing.
"I love this kid!" Thatch stated, laughing so hard he was holding his stomach.
Luffy couldn't be more confused but, since they were all laughing, he chose to laugh as well. He may not have his memory, but he knew he was in good hands at least. He knew his brothers would help him through this.
-x-x-x-
After everyone was done laughing, Ace and Sabo decided they would talk to Oyaji. Waiting a few minutes for the nurse to finish up what she was doing, Ace and Sabo were telling Luffy about all their adventures. The one Luffy loved most, was how they became brothers. With every story told, Luffy had a flash of memory. The flashes wouldn't show the entire story but only a key point. When he was told of the Tiger Lord, Luffy remembered shooting Ace towards the beast and watching it flying into the air and fall unconscious. Soon enough, it got to the point where Luffy would laugh with his usual 'shishishi' whenever he got a flash. Ace and Sabo had quickly realized this and couldn't help but grin whenever the youngest laughed.
About three stories later, the nurse told them Luffy was able to leave. Luffy had immediately jumped out of bed and was about to run out the door, but Ace and Sabo had grabbed him first. The nurse quickly explained how Luffy wouldn't be allowed too much stress and that he shouldn't run too much with the chance of him fainting. With a quick nod, the brothers left the infirmary and headed to Oyaji.
While walking to the captain's chair, Luffy looked around the deck. He noticed a dent in the mast and couldn't help but wonder what had happened. Deciding to ask about that later, he continued looking around. Soon, he noticed all the people looking at him with various looks. Some were confused, some were happy, some worried, and some with distrust. Not paying attention, he didn't realize Ace and Sabo had stopped causing him to bump into someone.
When he looked up, Luffy saw a person wearing a pink and purple kimono and a Japanese-looking, light red spotted garment tied around their waist. Looking up, he realized the person was flat chested, somewhat pale and was wearing lipstick while their hair was tied up. He couldn't help but stare at the person. Only one question was running through his mind though. 'Why is a guy wearing a dress?'
"Sorry Izo. He doesn't pay attention much." Sabo said apologetically.
"It's fine. As long as he didn't ruin my kimono that is." Izo said, looking to the blond before looking down at the boy in front of him. After noticing Luffy was still staring, Izo started to feel annoyed. "Can I help you?"
"Why are you dressed like that?" Luffy eventually asked.
"Luffy!" Ace and Sabo practically growled in unison.
"Why do you want to know?" Izo asked suspiciously.
"Well… You're a guy right? So why are you wearing a dress?" Luffy asked bluntly.
Izo was slightly shocked. Many people had asked him questions about his appearance – mostly asking his gender and his sexuality – but very few actually could figure out his gender. Even less asked why he wore the outfit. "Because it's comfortable and I like it." Izo stated after a few moments.
"Oh. Cool!" Luffy said with a grin. "Can I-?"
"No." Sabo said, cutting off the younger.
"But Sabo!" Luffy whined, looking at the blond.
"Not gonna happen." Ace stated.
"Why?" Luffy whined as he looked at the eldest brother.
"I don't wanna see you in a dress." Ace stated simply.
"It's not a dress. It's a very high quality kimono." Izo said in annoyance.
"Oh so he gets away with calling it a dress?" Ace questions, pointing at Luffy.
"He doesn't know. You, however, I've told multiple times." Izo said before leaning down next to Luffy's ear and whispering something, causing Luffy to grin.
"Okay!" Luffy said before Izo started to walk away. "Bye Izo!"
"Wait… You actually heard his name?" Sabo asked.
"When you said his name, I remembered it. Only the name though." Luffy said with a small huff.
"So, you think you've met the crew before?" Ace asked.
"Mm." Luffy sounded with a nod before looking around again. "Some of the faces are kinda familiar. Others I don't know."
"Well I guess that makes it a little easier." Sabo said before continuing the walk to the captain's chair.
After a few minutes, Ace and Sabo were starting to get annoyed while Luffy was getting slightly scared. Multiple people had started walking over to them and questioning Luffy and them. They kept asking about how the kid had such good timing, if they were actually brothers, and various other questions. Along with the questions were people thanking Luffy for saving Thatch, though he didn't know what that meant.
Eventually, Ace had just picked up Luffy and started running with Sabo alongside him. Only when they were next to the massive chair did they stop running. Gently, Ace put Luffy on the deck again and the trio calmly walked in front of the chair. When Luffy saw the captain, he couldn't help but stare.
"Is this the boy I've been hearing about?" Whitebeard asked, his strong voice booming across the deck.
"Yes sir. Oyaji, this is our little brother Luffy." Sabo introduced with a grin.
"Gurararara!" Whitebeard laughed with a large grin. "So this is the boy. He seems older than I thought he would be."
"That's the thing Oyaji. Our Luffy is sixteen, almost seventeen. But this one is nineteen, almost twenty, and has no memory. The nurses ran some tests and it's obvious he's from the future. We can't exactly send him back to East Blue if the tests are telling the truth." Sabo explained before getting to his question. "Do you mind if he stays here? With us?"
"I've considered him one of my sons ever since I first heard of him. Of course he can stay." Whitebeard said happily.
"Thank you Oyaji! Thank you thank you thank you!" Ace said with a grin.
Looking over at Ace, Sabo realized Luffy was still staring, almost blankly, at their father-figure. "Lu? You okay?"
"Huh?" Luffy sounded before turning to Sabo and nodding. "Mm."
"Good. Now come on! We have people you have to meet!" Ace said, acting almost like an excited child.
"Okay." Luffy said, allowing his brothers to walk ahead of him before turning back to Whitebeard with a smile. "Thank you. For taking care of Ace. And for making him feel like he belongs."
"No thanks necessary, boy. He's my son after all." Whitebeard said, trying to keep his voice down after getting the sense that this was a private conversation.
"I know. But he's always been hated and the people that loved him never showed it correctly. From what I've heard, only Sabo and I ever showed it before you came along. So thank you." Luffy said, slightly serious with still wearing a small smile.
"Oi. Luffy. You comin' or what?" Ace asked, popping his head out from around the corner of the massive chair.
"Yeah!" Luffy said, running over to Ace but not before sending one last thankful glance to Whitebeard.
"That boy… He's been through a lot. I can see it in his eyes. He's suffered pain and tragedy yet also love and freedom… He's just like Roger, now that I think about it." Whitebeard muttered to himself, low enough that nobody else could hear.
-x-x-x-
After leaving Whitebeard, the three brothers ran off to find any of the Division Commanders. They had quickly found Jozu, Kingdew, Curiel, Fossa, and Blenheim. After introducing Luffy to them and talking for a while, the brothers left to find the other commanders. After that, they met Atmos, Speed Jiru, Namur, Rakuyo, and Blamenco along with Haruta and Vista. After a round of introductions, the three went to Marco's room to apologize for what Luffy had said in the infirmary, only to be kicked out after Luffy made fun of his accent again.
"So now all you have to meet is Thatch. Everyone else you'll meet as you go." Ace said, walking ahead of his two younger brothers.
"Okay! But where are we going now?" Luffy asked.
"Dining Hall. Thatch should be there and I'm getting hungry…" Ace muttered before his stomached growled, followed by Sabo's and Luffy's stomachs. There was a moment of silence as all three stopped in the center of the hallway. The three looked at each other with completely serious faces before bursting into laughter.
After calming their laughter, the brothers ran to the Dining Hall at full speed. At first glance, it looked like the trio were tied but in actuality Ace was slightly ahead while Luffy was slightly behind, leaving Sabo in the middle. As soon as they ran through the doors to the Dining Hall, the three collapsed on the floor, panting and laughing.
"Ace and Sabo tied while the new kid was close but in last." They heard a voice say.
Looking towards the voice, Ace and Sabo grinned. "Thatch!" The two shouted before noticing a small blackboard in the man's hands. "What's the score so far?" Sabo asked.
"Ace has twenty-three, Sabo has twenty-two and there are forty-six ties." Thatch said before recounting all the tallies and nodding. "Also, that's the third time you've broken down the doors this week. You get to put them back up this time."
Thatch watched as the two brothers groaned before standing and fixing the doors. A moment later, he turned to Luffy with a smile. "Hi."
Looking at Thatch, Luffy grinned. "Hey! You're the guy from before."
"Yup. Name's Thatch." The Fourth Division Commander said.
"I'm Luffy!" The straw hatted teen said with a small laugh afterwards.
"Nice to meet ya. You hungry, kid?" Thatch asked, choosing to forget the younger's previous comment on his hair. Before Luffy could answer, his stomach growled loud enough to nearly echo within the large and empty room. "I'll take that as a yes. What would you like?"
"Meat!" Luffy shouted instinctively, causing Ace and Sabo to chuckle.
"Alright. Sit over there." Thatch said, pointing to the counter before heading into the kitchen.
As Luffy ran to sit on one of the barstools at the counter, Thatch was grabbing ingredients from the large fridge and pantry. With all his ingredients in hand, Thatch walked over to the stove on the opposite side of the counter from Luffy. Looking at the teens grin, Thatch couldn't help but smile.
After a few minutes of watching, Luffy finally spoke. "I wish I could cook…"
"Everyone can and cannot do something. You do what I can't do and I do what you can't do." A voice muttered.
When Luffy heard that, a vision of someone's face flashed before him before he saw a different kitchen. The man he saw had blond hair that covered half his face and a swirly eyebrow along with a dark goatee and stubble on his upper lip. The kitchen saw smaller but more colorful and cleaner. The size was smaller but the amount of appliances was almost equivalent. With how neat everything was, there was still plenty of space for the blond chef to run around and move as he needed.
"Luffy?" Thatch spoke, breaking said teen from his thoughts.
"Huh?" Luffy sounded.
"I was saying, maybe you do know but you forgot. If you want, I could teach you to cook." Thatch suggested.
"N-no thanks… I'm good with my chef." Luffy muttered.
"Your chef? I thought you couldn't remember." Thatch questioned, working on the finishing touches to the meal.
"I don't… But… I thought I heard something and saw a face plus a different kitchen… I guess it was a small memory…?" Luffy muttered, looking at the counter in confusion.
"Well you shouldn't push yourself. The memories will come when they come. Give it time." Thatch said, placing a plate of food in front of Luffy.
"But I wanna know now. I want to at least remember my crew. I feel like I'm betraying them by not remembering…" Luffy said, looking up at Thatch with some sadness and worry along with a small amount of pain.
Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Luffy looked up to see Ace and Sabo smiling softly to him. "Don't worry about it Lu. If they mean that much to you then you'll remember soon." Sabo said softly.
"Thanks Sabo." Luffy said with a smile but the blond could still see the sadness in his eyes.
While silently eating, Sabo and Luffy heard something hard hit one of the plates. Looking over, Luffy saw Ace with his face in his food. "A-Ace…?" Luffy called out softly, worried for his brother. When Ace didn't react, Luffy panicked more.
"Luffy. Calm down. Ace is narcoleptic which means he'll fall asleep suddenly at random times. He's fine and will be up soon, alright?" Sabo explained.
"Okay…" Luffy said before Thatch's mischievous grin caught his eye.
Noticing the grin, Sabo watched as Thatch grabbed a marker and drew a target on Ace's shoulder blades. When the drawing was finished, Thatch grabbed a few toothpicks and starting tossing them, causing them to land in the center almost every time. After a few more tosses, Thatch grabbed a few forks and spoons before tossing them and making them hit the center. After tossing random things, Thatch eventually grabbed a boning knife that had just been sharpened.
"D-don't…!" Luffy said, worried Thatch would throw the knife and stab Ace.
"I won't. Tossing was getting boring anyways. I was just moving this out of the way." Thatch said before doing as he had said and putting the knife in its slot in the knife block.
After a few minutes, Thatch pulled out one of his swords and started poking Ace's arm. He was starting to get bored and wanted the fire user to wake up already. After a while, Thatch was poking Ace more often. When Ace finally groaned and turned his head in his plate full of food, the three around him couldn't help but giggle.
Luffy was about to ask if he could poke Ace with the sword when he heard a different, yet somewhat familiar, voice. "Remember Luffy. A sword is a swordsman's soul. Never touch another man's weapon unless it's truly necessary."
When hearing that, Luffy froze. Suddenly, the image of a man with green hair and a scar running over his left eye flashed through his mind. In his vision, he saw the man either fighting, sleeping or training. He never seemed to do anything else. Then a vision of the man and the blond from before flashed by him, a vision of the two fighting as if they hated each other.
"Zoro… Sanji…" Luffy muttered.
"What?" Sabo asked, not clearly hearing what the younger had said.
"Zoro and Sanji… T-they were my nakama! Sanji was the chef and always made great food. Zoro was my swordsman and first mate. The two always fought with each other. It was always fun to watch." Luffy said with a grin.
"You remember?" Thatch asked, completely shocked yet happy.
"Only that much. I wish I knew more… It was only flashes…" Luffy said, almost sadly.
"But hey. You remembered that much right? See. You're remembering already. You'll remember them all soon enough." Sabo said with a proud grin.
"You'll remember everything. I promise." Ace said, having woken up and cleaned his face without his brothers noticing.
"I beg you! Ace, please don't die!"
"Listen carefully, Luffy! I will never die! … I promise that I'll never die!"
"So listen, Luffy. We have to live without leaving any regrets."
"If it weren't for the Sabo incident… And having a little brother like you to look out for… I would never have… wanted to live… Nobody else wanted me to, after all… So it's only natural…!"
"That's not true!" Luffy shouted, startling the people around him.
"L-Luffy…? What are you talking about…?" Ace asked, trying his best to hide his worry but failing.
When he heard Ace's voice, slightly clearer this time, Luffy quickly looked around only to find he was in the Dining Hall still. After realizing this, Luffy put his elbows on the counter and held his head as he tried to straighten his thoughts and calm his breathing which had turned more towards panting.
"Ace…" Luffy whispered under his breath.
"What's wrong Lu?" Said raven asked, worry growing slightly faster.
"You promised… you would never die, right…?" Luffy asked quietly.
"Yeah. Why?" Ace asked, getting confused.
"And that we had to live without regrets too, right?" Luffy asked, ignoring Ace's question.
"Yes…" Ace said slowly.
"Then… Do you regret being born…?" Luffy asked, looking up at Ace with watery eyes.
Ace was shocked to say the least. He stared wide eyed at his youngest brother who seemed on the verge of tears. "Why would you ask that…?"
"Do you?" Luffy nearly shouted in fear and panic. "I heard you say if it wasn't for some incident and you having to look out for me you would have never wanted to live! You said nobody else wanted you to live! So do you regret it!?"
Sabo and Thatch watched in complete shock and silence as Luffy screamed and cried in front of a speechless Ace. Thatch had never heard of any of this while Sabo was almost as lost as Thatch. The blond understood the first half but the second half of the conversation was between only his brothers.
"Luffy where did you hear that?" Ace asked, completely serious.
"You said it to me…! You said you would never die and then told me you never wanted to live… So which is it?" Luffy asked, ignoring the streams of warm salty water as they fell from his eyes, down his cheeks and to the floor beneath him.
"Both… I had my reasons for not wanting to live, because of who I'm related to. But I also want to live because of the family I have now. I said I would never die because I needed to protect you back then but now I have more reasons. So… I'd rather live another day with my family." Ace said calmly, wiping away Luffy's tears with his thumbs.
"You want to live…?" Luffy whispered, not having much energy after the flashes of memory and the crying.
"Yes." Ace said with little to no hesitation.
"Good. 'Cause I'm not letting you die." Luffy said before hugging Ace. 'Not this time…'
(Aaaaaaand done! A little short but not too bad right? I intended to have him remember Nami somewhat in this chapter but I didn't know how to add it in and Ace kinda happened by accident. Also, did Luffy remember Ace died!? Find out on the next Dragon Ball Z! JK. Nah. I won't make him remember just yet. Luffy kinda guessed what happened after that last part by listening to how it was said. Also, if I make Luffy seem smart, it's an accident. I'm stupid as hell but can only make people in my stories seem like genius' when they're supposed to be dumb or moronic when they are supposed to be anything otherwise. Anyways, here's a little something to laugh at in case you were crying.
Omake:
Luffy: *walks around the ship, trying to find a certain room* Oh! There it is! *runs to the door and knocks*
Izo: *opens the door and smiles* Hello.
Luffy: Hi! You told me to come here?
Izo: Yes. Come in.
Luffy: *walks in and sees a red kimono with a yellow sash* What's that?
Izo: You said you wanted to try one on correct? Well now's your chance.
Luffy: Cool! *tries to put it on but messes up* Um…
Izo: *sighs and helps him* There.
Luffy: *looks in the mirror* Cool!
Izo: *brushes Luffy's hair back to add effect* Done.
Luffy: Suge…! *runs to the door so he can show off the outfit*
Ace: *opening the door* Izo- *sees Luffy and stares for a moment* Really?
Luffy: Ace! Don't I look cool!
Ace: *turns to Izo* Really? He gets to but not me?
Izo: Yes.
Ace: Why?
Izo: I like him. I don't like you. You would have burned it out of frustration if you tried – and failed – to get it on.
Ace: *glares at Izo before leaving the room without a word*
And that's that. Also, something unexpected, reviews!
PsychoRien – Luffy will eventually get Mr. Pineapple to like him. I just don't know what yet. Does this answer how he'll remember his crew? I think they're called triggers… Luffy will remember his techniques during fights- Shit… I just realized I have to make fight scenes now…
PirateDragons121 – I like the way you think. Meet people and cause trouble. Imma add that later.
Guest (1) – Thank you for your idea. It really helped. Simple but good.
OnePieceDoesExist – I usually read other fics but sometimes they end up being the distraction that makes writing take forever. Your idea helped plan the next chapter.
Gianti-Faith – I already thanked you I believe. If I haven't then thank you so much for helping with this chapter and the next.
Guest (2) – I'm glad I could make your day better.
iilLurvePancakesii – Did this chapter answer your question? Luffy will always love meat. Memory or no.
Son of Whitebeard – They will always be side by side. Especially when Luffy starts getting more memories. I love these guys too much to break them apart in any way.
minhthu12-Present – I'm currently trying to figure out how that will happen… I want it to happen. It will happen. Not completely sure how just yet though.
FaithandFantasy – That is dramatic as fuck and I love it. Who needs motives when you have good ideas? That's actually a pretty good idea. I might get it in here if I can.
sisimiura – Yoi!
LadyTeldra – I don't like to discontinue my stories unless I know they won't get anywhere and/or I don't have an ending planned. If it seems like a story I can't end and nobody likes it, then I'll stop it for a while but this story is both loved and has an ending planned out. If I were to get rid of it completely, you would see the word 'discontinued' in the summary.
pinkus-pyon – Yo no hablomuchoespañol. Lo siento.
And that's all for today. Fave, follow, vote, read my other stuff, and review! Bai~! c(X )
Start Time – 10:45 AM
End Time – 1:50 AM