A/N : I curse my brain doing this to me during my exam week. I will get back to answering reviews this weekend, till then, please enjoy.
"Luffy, do you understand?" Makino brushed her fingers against the cheek of the boy whom she cared for like her own child. "Shanks-san is very strong but you're still young. Stepping out to the sea as a pirate means becoming a criminal. You won't have the law's protection."
"I know Makino-san," Luffy thought of Ben and Yasopp, always half a step behind Shanks and just as ready for the world. "I'll have better."
(One day, a small boy who only just learned to dream will shout out a warning, but Luffy will not flinch. Instead, he will trust the movement from half a step behind him, listen to the whistle of a blade knocking another away, and grin.)