Jordansdevil: Aw, thank you!
Idoray: Thank you!
cantstopwontstop4u2so: Lol, I hope it isn't too predictable.
I know I just posted the last chapter but I don't want to have posting Sons of Beasts and this one on the same day. So, early chapter!
The blood Ace had donated no longer smelled anything like Ace, to Luffy's happiness. He didn't know why his juice had smelled like Ace that time, but now it just smelled and tasted like his juice was candied. He liked it, making Jojo's night. She was worried all of the work would have been for nothing and would have just wasted Ace's donation.
It got her thinking about something else. Blood desserts. Surely Luffy would like that. That would be her new project. She was looking for something new to try out, and here was a whole blank slate to work on. But, she would do it with the extras they had once the crew restocked. She wouldn't needlessly waste whole bags, just maybe a tablespoon here and there.
Ace's blood was just enough to reach the next island, which had them concerned. They'd sailed all of the East Blue, slowly and leisurely, as they had no real place to go. Just to not be in one place too long, or expose Luffy to anyone untrustworthy. But here they were, once again at Logue Town. Easily the most dangerous place in the East Blue for Lu.
He knew bounty hunters were here a lot, as well as marines who were too weak for the Grand Line. Would they go back in a circle? Or would they try going someplace new? Surely the Grand Line was still too dangerous for Luffy's safety. Plus, their crew was quite small, and they only had a few true fighters. This would need a meeting between everyone. Including the youngest resident.
When they were nearing Logue Town, at night, the ship stopped and lowered the anchor for the day, getting everyone out on deck. Luffy sat in Ace's lap, playing with Ace's much bigger fingers and the ring he wore, twisting it around Ace's finger absentmindedly.
"What is everyone talking 'bout?" Luffy wondered. But he was happy, everyone was out for him to see. Usually, many of the crew, if not all, were asleep when he woke up. But here, everyone was!
"Where we're going to go next, Lu," Sabo answered. "We've sailed around the East Blue twice for the last two years. Do we want to go someplace else? Not the Grand Line, but any of the other Blues?"
"Will they be safe for Luffy?" Aggie 68 asked seriously while he polished his sword. Luffy looked up in surprise at his name being mentioned.
"Not safe for me?" he wondered, looking up at his big brother's face. "Why?" Ace looked down with a reassuring smile, not that Luffy seemed worried. He didn't think of things like danger. He was always protected by his big brothers, and as long as he could remember, this ship was his safe home and sanctuary.
"The Grand Line can be a scary place, a place not for children," Ace explained patiently. Luffy cocked his head to the side, his red eyes openly confused. "Little children could get into trouble in a place like the Grand Line. That's why we'd go to one of the other Blues. More adventures somewhere else, right?"
Luffy beamed. "Adventures?" he asked. He always wanted to go on an adventure like in the stories read to him. "But, safe adventures?" Ace nodded.
"Exactly. We want safe adventures," the teen replied.
Jojo spoke next. She had come from the North Blue, proof that they could move through the Blues. "I would suggest not going to North Blue. Not with the political climate from a few years back. We don't want to put ourselves and Luffy in needless danger," the chef said. Sabo nodded in agreement, knowing what she was meaning.
Though it was unlikely that they would be inconvenienced, it was still a danger they didn't need or want. "What about the West blue? Or South Blue?" Aggie 68 asked, chewing on a piece of beef jerky.
"Those would be the only two options," Sabo said, looking at his notes. "The West Blue would be my pick. South Blue is known to have giant animals. Best to avoid any and all danger." Luffy's bright eyes lit up.
"Giant animals? Like big giraffes?" he asked excitedly. Sabo turned a patient eye to him.
"Giant animals who are dangerous. Animals that would hurt us. We don't want anyone getting hurt. And giraffes are already very big. I know you want to see one in real life, but South Blue has monster animals that aren't giraffes," the older brother explained kindly. Luffy's little mouth formed an "o" in understanding before nodding.
Jojo got up and left for a moment before coming back with a sandwich for Luffy once his tummy rumbled and he poked at it. Luffy ate the large sandwich happily. It had all of his favorites. Tomato, roast beef, lettuce and honey mustard. Easily the least complicated chosen sandwich for any on the crew.
"West Blue then?" Ace and Sabo nodded to Zeno's question. "Then we should restock at Logue Town. Who's gonna stay with Luffy?" Sabo raised his hand. Ace was stronger physically then Sabo, even if it's only by a little bit, so he was better at carrying boxes and such. Sabo would stay on the ship with Lu, making sure nothing bad happened while the boy was asleep.
-x-
Sabo stood on the deck, watching the island with a hawk's eye, spying out any danger to their vessel or the little one inside. It was the middle of the day, and the others were on the island buying food and anything they'd need. Including maps of the West Blue. Saber and Deuce were in charge of things like that, while the others bought food and Ace snuck into the large hospital on the island and swiped multiple blood bags. Enough for two months of feeding their resident vampire.
Things went smoothly, and soon the ship was en route to Reverse Mountain. It was much easier to get into the Grand Line than into another one of the Blues, but it was possible. Jojo knew how, and was going to be directing them.
Luffy was told he had to hang onto his bed frame while they went up the mountain at fast speeds. Luffy's bed was bolted to the floor of his room for added safety since he stayed in there so long. A storm would wreck his room if the furniture was not securely in place and unmovable unless the screws were removed by one of the crew.
So, the tired boy clung to his bed frame as the whole ship tilted backwards. Luffy was exhausted, and his weak arms with sleep unlatched from the bed and he fell onto the headboard of his bed. It hurt his neck and he started crying, something he rarely did anymore. Even though he cried a lot as a baby, his brothers and crew were able to keep him constantly happy.
But now, his neck hurt and he was dizzy from the ship's movements. He cried all alone in his room, until someone heard him and entered the room. The baby monitor was still in the kitchen. For once, when they really needed it, Ace and Sabo didn't have the device on them.
Jojo heard him first, but had to get outside with the spare compass since the other had fallen and cracked from the sudden jolt. They had only a few minutes of going up before they had to turn diagonally and down the canal that lead to the West Blue.
"Captains, Luffy's crying!" Jojo shouted. In their panic of their baby brother crying, all alone, both of them ran into the ship, both of them thinking the other would stay. Sabo let go of the wheel, but Ace wasn't there to catch it. "Someone take the wheel!" the chef screamed.
But it was too late. A few seconds too late, as the wheel wasn't turned at the right time, and the ship naturally turned down the only canal that flowed downwards. "Shit!" Aggie 68 shouted as they descended down the one canal they most definitely didn't want to go down. They were heading to the Grand Line.
-x-
"Lu?" Sabo asked as he and Ace entered the room. Luffy was crying, big tears down his face and skin splotchy red. "Lu, what's wrong?" The big brothers both were inside, the ship tilted at an angle backwards, until they suddenly were pitched forward and into the wall. Luffy was thrown off of his bed, but Ace caught him gently, even as he smashed into the wall, though not hard enough to cause serious damage.
This made Luffy cry harder. Ace rubbed the boy's back, shushing him. Sabo winced from the crash into the wall, but was fine. He'd just have some bruises later most likely. It had been a hard fall. "What's wrong?" Ace asked quietly.
"Hit m-my bed an-and hurt my ne-ck!" Luffy cried. Ace moved his big hand to Luffy's neck and gently rubbed it as he was pinned to the wall. Ace looked pointedly to Sabo to go see what was happening and if they were in the West Blue yet. Sabo nodded and left the room, supporting himself against the wall to not fall again.
He came out of the cabin and held onto the door. The six sailors on deck all looked scared or angry. But, no one lashed out at Sabo. They knew that he did it on instinct, thinking his little brother was in trouble or hurt.
"Are we heading to the West Blue?" Sabo asked, though he didn't understand why they would all be upset about that. Zeno turned to Sabo, upset, but not angry with the captains.
"No, we're heading to the Grand Line. The ship turned automatically at just the wrong time. We're not sure how to go back up Reverse Mountain this way," he explained. Sabo's mouth went dry. The Grand Line was populated with pirates. Dangerous pirates. Sabo put his head in his hands as the ship evened out. What a nightmare.
Sure, the brothers had always planned on going to the Grand Line, but that was before they had a baby brother to take care of. His safety and happiness always took precedence over Ace and Sabo's desire to some day be pirates out on the sea. But now, they saw pirates as the bad guys. They would want Luffy. He was unique, the only one of his kind.
Would the Spades need to declare themselves as pirates to keep safe from other pirate crews? But then they'd attract marines, too. It was a lose-lose situation. Jojo sighed. "Is Luffy okay?" she asked quietly, trying to distract Sabo from their problem.
Sabo took a deep calming breath. "He fell and hurt his neck, but he should be fine. Ace caught him before he crashed into a wall. Lu is probably back asleep by now," Sabo explained calmly. "I'm sorry both of us bolted. One of us should have stayed at the wheel; this is our fault."
Saber frowned. "We know it was natural for both of you to go. No one blames you. If anything, it's Jojo's fault for telling you at that moment when we needed no other distractions." Saber said it in a joking way (slightly), but it was true. Though they couldn't blame her for doing her duty and reporting that to her captains.
"We'll figure it out. For now, weigh anchor at that shore over there," Sabo ordered. "I'll be out in a minute."
On his way inside, he heard Jojo say, "Thank God I did the unnecessary and bought a log pose." Sabo walked to Luffy's room to find that he was back asleep, tucked in, nice and warm, in his thick blankets. Ace was running his fingers along Luffy's arm. "Goobums" he called it. Luffy liked the feeling of goosebumps when fingers trailed along his skin. It helped him relax when stressed, or fall asleep those rare days where he had trouble with it.
"Ace, we need you out on deck. The ship weighed anchor. Luffy will be fine," Sabo said. Ace looked concerned, but quietly and slowly removed his hand from Luff's small, soft arm and left the room. The door shut lightly, the nightlight projecting stars across the room's walls.
"What's wrong? Are we in West blue now?" Ace questioned, though he knew from Sabo's body language that something bad had happened. Something hadn't gone as planned. When everyone but Luffy was out on deck, Sabo told Ace where they were. And it was not in one of the Blues.
Ace looked horrified. "Please tell me this is a fucked up joke," Ace said. Sabo hadn't heard Ace swear in a long time. Not since Luffy was old enough to mimic words. After all, even through walls, an awake Luffy was able to hear you. The brothers had stopped swearing anything but "damn" after two year old Lu repeated "chit!".
"No, it's no joke Captain," Deuce replied quietly. "Going back into the Blues from the Grand Line… we don't know how to do that. We have no maps of this sea, but we can follow the log pose to the nearest island and buy one."
Sparky sighed. "The Grand Line isn't like the Blues," he began. "There are random storms, pirates, uninhabited or dangerous islands, marines, dangerous sea creatures, and long stretches of no islands. We don't have to worry about marines since we don't fly a black flag, but the rest of the stuff is dangerous.
"If we didn't have a child on board, we would be strong enough to fight off any 'bad guys'. The main problem we have is keeping Luffy safe and secret. It's even harder when Luffy can't come out during the day. We need everyone aware together, but somebody will always be tired during the day, or needing to sleep to make up for time spent with Luffy."
Sabo and Ace both looked very worried.
"Plus, the further you sail into the Grand Line, the more dangerous the islands get," Zeno said. "The good thing about this sea is there is bound to be more vampires. Just as long as no one sees Luffy as a vampire, he won't be that big of a deal. Even here, I assume it is frowned upon to change children."
"...Now that we're here, maybe we should start training Lu," Ace suggested. Sabo glared at him.
"He's four, Ace," Sabo said harshly. Training Luffy would be different than Ace and Sabo training when they were young. They had incentive, and something to protect. Luffy would probably end up goofing off and ruining the ship by still not being able to control his strength.
Ace glared at him. "So what? We were five when we started training."
"Captain, Luffy could end up destroying the ship on accident," Aggie 68 said cautiously. Ace replied with, "All the more reason to train him now."
The others sighed and looked at the cabin, where said boy was sleeping. They were caught between thinking it was a great idea, but also a horrible idea. "Why don't we start by trying to train his senses and not his strength?" Jojo offered. Ace and Sabo thought about it for a minute. Jojo then elborated. "If he can sense others around him, it could help him keep out of any bad situations. Besides, you guys think he's too young to learn to fight, right?
"Or, do you not want his innocence and vulnerabilty taken away?" the chef asked, a little darker now. They all knew the answer to that. Ace and Sabo enjoyed being Luffy's protectors. For a long time, that had been their sole purpose of living. To let their mother's last wish be fulfilled. But it quickly changed into them wanting to protect their baby brother from the cruel outside world.
The two brothers looked ashamed, knowing Jojo was right. "We'll settle for heightening his senses. Fighting can wait," Sabo decided for them both. Ace didn't protest as he shared Sabo's opinion on this. The others all nodded. "So, are we heading to the nearest island?"
The others all agreed, glad their captains listened to their crew's opinions. Jojo sighed and told the others she'd be making lunch now. Sabo went into the galley and to their shelves to get the Grand Line log pose. Their new lifeline. It really was lucky Jojo had bought one. It was like she was psychic.
They were all lucky two of their crew members had come from the Grand Line, but as children, so they knew the basics. And Sabo had studied up about the Grand Line as a child. He and Ace had once broken into an abandoned pirate ship and stolen all of the belongings, despite the fact the village thought it was haunted.
The two brothers were fearless. And the ship hadn't been haunted, it had just been old and dangerous for those who weren't as agile and aware as the boys had been. They had also gotten a fair amount of treasure from it. And quite a few skeletons. But that money had bought them some clothes and reusable diapers for their baby brother.
Ace and Sabo had done a lot to protect their brother, and would continue to do so. And Jojo was right. They liked taking care of Luffy, and wanted him to rely on them. But, for his own safety, they'd practice with him.
The blonde captain brought the log pose to their navigator, handing the tool to Saber. "Sorry about this. I know you're not used to the weather in the Grand Line, but I'll help you out. I read some about it, and you know I have a good memory," Sabo said reassuringly. He knew Saber would be nervous about navigating the Grand Line. Who wouldn't be at first?
But Saber smiled. "Don't worry, Captain Sabo. We'll all do the best we can to keep Luffy safe," Saber replied, knowing that was the first priority for Ace and Sabo. The blonde captain gave him a smile and thanked him.
They would all protect precious Luffy, their treasure and the most important thing in Ace and Sabo's life.
-x-
"Grand Line?" Luffy questioned after he had his breakfast. He was sitting at the galley table with Ace. Tonight was a double shift. Ace for the first half of the night, and Sabo the second. Ace nodded and explained that Luffy had to be able to help himself. The child vampire didn't seem to understand the point of him getting stronger when he had Ace and Sabo with him all of the time.
"If we somehow get separated, then we want you to be able to find us while we look for you," Ace explained patiently. "We know you can smell very well, but why don't we see how far?"
Luffy looked excited for whatever they would be doing. The ship was still sailing, despite it being dark out. This was part of Ace's plan to see how far Luffy could see and smell in the dark. Ace knew he already could smell very well and far, but since Luffy never left the ship, it was hard to tell just how far. No one left the ship for extended periods of time during the night and when Luffy was active.
Ace picked out a piece of meat from the refrigerator, which was cooked recently and smelled delicious, and tied it to a plastic water bottle. It was useless, so they wouldn't be losing anything by tossing it overboard.
Luffy followed after Ace like a duckling following its mother. "Now, let's see how far you can smell," Ace said, handing Luffy the meat to smell, and then tossed it far into the ocean. "I'm going to go away a bit, so you don't smell the meat on me. I'll be right over there, though," the captain said and pointed to on top of the cabin, where he could still see the meat with his binoculars floating on the water. It was only a matter of time before something comes and eats it.
"Tell me when you can't see or smell it anymore," Ace said, knowing he needn't yell, for Lu could hear him just fine. The vampire boy continued to look at the meat until it was a tiny speck on the horizon. He could smell it until it was long out of view, even in Ace's binoculars.
"Can't smell or see it 'nymore!" Luffy called. "I want some, can I have some?" he asked, bouncing on his toes. Ace answered that he could have it for his dinner. Luffy pouted, but accepted the decision fairly quickly for him.
Ace jumped down to Luffy and picked him up. He was so light, even for a four year old. "That was impressive, Lu," Ace said with a grin. "Why don't we try something a little less smelly?" he offered. Luffy wanted to continue to game, so he agreed.
What thing Ace threw next was a towel that hadn't been used for awhile. It had Ace's scent on it, but it was faded as it had been forgotten in the bottom of the laundry basket. Ace tied the two ends of the towels over some balloons that he blew up. They had been for Luffy's fourth birthday party a couple months back, and it was convenient they still had some.
Ace dropped it in the water, as throwing it was harder than the meat and bottle had been. Ace returned to his spot on the cabin as look out. This time, with the towel less scented, and a dark color, Luffy's sight and smell weren't as keen as the meat had been. It was probably because the scent on the towel had faded substantially. But, Luffy's senses were still impressive.
They two trained some more with other objects, and it seemed Luffy was sensitive the most to Sabo and Ace's smell, which was good. That meant they'd be the first people he went to if he got lost. Ace and Sabo would do their best to never have that happen, but if it did, Ace was glad Luffy could smell them so well.
"Why don't we focus on your hearing, now?" Ace asked in a happy voice. Luffy grinned and nodded. It was almost time for Ace to trade with Sabo, so the older teen wanted to at least train with some of his hearing.
Ace went to one side of the deck, Luffy on the other, and whispered words, or dropped very small objects to see if Luffy could hear them. Luffy could hear most of the words, but hearing the sound of a needle dropping was too quiet. Luffy was disappointed in himself when he didn't hear it, but Ace was able to assure him that he did great. After all, none of the others on the crew could do what Luffy could.
It also helped that night time was quiet, so Luffy could hear better. It was the only time Luffy would be out without feeling uncomfortable and getting injured. Luffy hugged Ace and he kissed the crown of his baby brother's head as Ace switched with Sabo.
"What did you do with Ace?" Sabo asked as he carried Luffy back to the deck, holding a piece of paper. He'd designed a little test for the boy. To see how close up Luffy could see things.
"He threw stuff into the water and saw how far I smell or see it. Then he made sounds to see if I can hear him from far on the deck," Luffy explained, a blood lollipop that Jojo had made in his mouth.
"I have a test for your eye sight, too," Sabo said in a chipper voice, his happiness rubbing off of Luffy. He'd had a lot of trouble falling asleep, guilt and worry eating at him. But, being with Luffy erased those feelings, at least for the moment. "What's it?" the boy asked around his lollipop.
"Here, I'll show you. Stand, or sit if you want, right here. I'm going to show you some pictures and have you tell me what is it from far away," Sabo explained. He walked a few yards away, and pulled out the first paper. It had symbols on it. Stars, circles, Xs, and other shapes. The captain would put his finger at one of the symbols, which got smaller and smaller with each paper, and Luffy would tell him what he was pointing at.
Luffy's vision was incredible. He was able to discern the symbols from across the deck with the smallest sized paper. After doing this a lot, Luffy's stomach grumbled from hunger. "Sabo, Ace said I can have meat for dinner," Luffy said as he shot up and ran to Sabo. This time, Luffy ran at the speed of a human his age, not super fast like he sometimes accidentally did.
"He did? Well, I guess we'll go get some yummy meat for dinner. But, also some vegetables. People need nutrients to be healthy," Sabo said, holding Luffy's small hand as the boy swung it back and forth.
Sabo didn't know if Luffy needed vegetables or not, but it was best to help him feel normal and part human. Luffy got hungry, but they still didn't know if he needed food to survive. He may just like the taste of human food. He did need blood, as when he was a baby and wasn't given any, he became sickly. They had made sure to keep him ingesting blood when he needed it after that.
Luffy devoured the seasoned meat and steamed zucchini. Sabo had to urge him to eat the greens, but once he got started with the pepper and butter on them, he ate it enthusiastically. Sabo was the only one who forced Luffy to eat healthy human foods. Ace was a suck up. Even more than Sabo.
Everyone was glad that left overs made Luffy happy. The food was rarely not already cooked and put in the refrigerator. Luffy was just fine with that; it tasted good and he didn't know any different.
After his dinner, he grew sleepy once the sun was coming close to rising. Sabo carried him to his room, telling him, "This sea has a lot of storms, so I'm going to tuck you in tightly with the blankets, okay? So you don't fall off by accident." Luffy yawned and nodded. He was practically limp when Sabo tucked him in, tightening the comforter by putting the edge's under the mattress instead of draping over the side.
Luffy was fine and comfortable with that, and Sabo closed the bedroom door the moment the sun came up.