ethanmaloney62: I mean, it does say Charlotte Katakuri in the characters below the summary. I've never written a beast pirates one because we don't know them personally much. Plus, my favorite villains mostly come from the Big Mom pirates so I used them. And I love Katakuri, no matter what light I paint him in in this fic.
This chapter is darker. And it will continue to get darker, as this is nothing like my young Luffy on Whitebeard crew fics. Enjoy~
Taking the kid was easier than anyone could have imagined. Katakuri hadn't even been planning this far ahead before the kid was already in the Mirror World. Garp the Fist wasn't happy when he heard about the boy, Luffy, already being gone even if he ran back to the room the kid was staying in.
But, that didn't matter much as Katakuri had left with his siblings and subordinates while the marine vessel sunk into the calm East Blue. No one would be coming after the kid anymore. At least not that he knew of.
When Katakuri and the rest of his siblings entered the Mirror World, they saw Luffy interacting with a mirror that had a frog in it, completely trusting of all of the strangers who had just taken him from the ship he'd been living on. But really, the kid had to be younger than four, so everyone expected it would be easy to distract him and convince him they were the good guys.
They had it even easier with the likes of Pudding. She was still in the New World, far from them, but could come to visit through the Mirror World. She was planned to arrive soon, after notifying Mama that they got the boy. Luffy looked like he was well taken care of, clean and with the right amount of chubbiness for his young age. The Charlottes would be taking good care of him, too. Raising him as their own to become possibly the strongest member of the family.
It would have been so much harder to deal with him if he had been older, or raised in a way that taught him strangers were dangerous. Compared to the children in the Charlotte family, and those who had been children long ago, Luffy was noisy and boisterous. After his brainwashing, they wondered if he would still be so cheery.
But, they would keep him as happy as possible. Nurturing and pruning this child to perfection was important. A new task, a long term one as well. With many still after him, including marines now that they sunk Vice Admiral Garp and Momonga to the bottom of the East Blue, he would need to be kept close to the family for now. He needed to learn that he could trust no one but the family, as all of them did.
Luffy looked up at Katakuri with a gaping mouth. Oven was on their ship, not in the Mirror World. Amande watched from a distance, looking at the boy in skepticism. Katakuri was by far the largest person he had ever seen, and it showed on his face. Katakuri did his best not to give off bad vibes to the kid, not knowing how he would react to someone who looked like Katakuri. But, he wasn't afraid of Brulee's odd appearance. He'd need to get used to that.
"You are very big, even more than grampa," Luffy said conversationally. Katakuri crouched down in front of him and reached out a hand.
"My name is Katakuri. Grampa has left you in our care. There were some bad people on the ship, and we need to keep you safe," Katakuri explained patiently, though in the cold voice he used for everyone.
"Oh! Then you're a good guy," Luffy observed. A few of the Charlottes, minor and supportive ones, chuckled behind Luffy's back. No, they were not good guys. And Luffy wouldn't be either.
Luffy was easy to entertain while waiting for Pudding to arrive. Katakuri kept his attention focused on him and his mochi sculpting, which Luffy tried to do, very interested to meet another devil fruit user. He clearly didn't have good control over any of his fruits, but he was very new to it. At least he could function properly and wasn't crippled by the variety of powers he now had.
As of now, they planned to carefully teach him how to use the most useful abilities. Not all were needed. No one needed to turn into hundreds of tiny balls. But, big ones would be the most useful. Including the Whitebeard Pirates' fruits, Donquixote Pirates' and more.
Whitebeard's power especially. Though that was agreed to wait until he was much older so he didn't accidentally destroy all of Totto Land. Everyone, including Mama, agreed that this would be one of the most important missions and they had to do it right. They couldn't just toss Luffy into the daycare room with the other younger children.
They still hadn't figured out who would be doing what, but this could only be trusted with someone or someones who were blood relatives of Linlin. Katakuri humored the boy until Pudding arrived, wearing her fake smile and third eye hidden under her bangs. Luffy looked up curiously when some new people started walking towards him.
"Luffy, why don't you sit down?" Katakuri asked, forming a hardened mochi chair just the right height for him. Luffy nodded and sat down, wondering what would happen next. The new lady stood in front of him with a warm smile.
"Hello, I'm Pudding. You're going to feel a little off for a minute, but don't worry about it," she said kindly. Luffy nodded and was about to reply with something before Pudding's hand shot forward and embedded itself into Luffy's head. His eyes went wide and vacant as Pudding pulled out reel after reel of memory, tossing them to the ground.
There were two very prominent people in most of his memories. A blonde haired boy and a kid with black hair and freckles. It was lucky that Luffy was so young so there weren't decades of memories to take away. Drool formed from the side of Luffy's mouth as he stared forwards while his life story was ripped from him to make someone new. Someone different.
Pudding had to remove most of his explicit memories. They let him keep his name, just erased the full one. Now he was just Luffy. Not Monkey D. Just Luffy. Because Luffy was so young, and didn't remember his infant times, it didn't take as long as they would have thought to wipe his memory. Only half an hour.
Pudding didn't have any new memories to give him, so they would just start over. Luffy would start from scratch with life memories, while he still kept the memory of how to speak and function in other ways.
After Pudding was done, Luffy passed out cold. His eyes were still wide open and unseeing so she closed then gently. She turned to Katakrui and asked when he wanted to take Luffy back home. How that would work, as they were still technically all the way in the East Blue.
"We'll have him brought home through the Mirror World. Don't want to risk losing him on our way back the long way," Katakuri explained. "Doflamingo and his cronies are still out here. Along with Kaido's crews. If we lose him Mama will be furious. I and my crew will take the long way around and bring our ships back home.
"I would recommend not introducing him to the rest until he trusts a few of us," the mochi man said. "Don't want to ruin it from the start and then risk taking too many memories without needing to." Pudding nodded her head and picked up the limp toddler, handing the teddy bear that looked like it came from the garbage to Brulee to carry.
"Be careful, brother," Pudding said before following after Brulee to the mirror she came from her home. That's where Luffy would be going for now. He had no home to return to, even if he was supposed to have always been a Charlotte child. It was a good thing most of the older children were great actors because no one knew how this boy would react to having no memories of anything, being thrust into the arms of strangers. Many who are frightening looking. It would be played by ear for now.
When the three reached the right mirror, Pudding went to her bedroom above her bakery and sweet shop and tucked Luffy in. For good measure, she took the teddy bear away and into her dresser. His memory wipe was still raw, so it was best not to have anything familiar besides the clothes he was wearing.
-x-
Word got out quick that the hunt for the all-all fruit user was over and there was a winner. Marine HQ had been called during the attack on the vessel that held the vice-admirals and the boy and it was reported that Big Mom pirates had gotten to them first. The higher ups had no doubt the boy had been taken. Katakuri, and none of the Charlottes, were reckless or messy in their missions.
No one had seen Luffy taken, but there was no other outcome. They wouldn't have let their prize and goal die during the fighting. The Big Mom pirates were smart because they had to be. Stupid mistakes get people killed in the yonko's land.
Luckily for those living in the East Blue, it was now considered worthless to be there anymore, and the pirates all left to go back to the New World, upset that they'd come all this way only to lose the fight and not get the kid to make their own. Many crews had been wiped out in the East Blue, though, during this whole fiasco.
Even with the tragedy that was Garp's presumed death and Luffy's kidnapping, Ace and Sabo didn't lose hope. They had no way to get back to Luffy anytime soon, but they would find him some day and bring him home. His home was anywhere Ace and Sabo were. Not only did they now want to be pirates for freedom and fun, but the pirate world was now where Luffy was and would be for awhile. Though, they were both scared of what kind of people would be raising Luffy, and how they would do it. Hearing of an evil Luffy would be soul-crushing. They would do their best to get stronger for now, and look for powerful connections once they set sail, together now.
-x-
Luffy woke up in a fluffy bed, a horrible headache throbbing in his head. He was disoriented for a moment before he felt… wrong. Where was he? He didn't recognize this place at all. He didn't remember what he was doing before sleeping. He was suddenly scared. He was alone and someplace he didn't recognize.
But what was scarier was that he didn't know if he'd recognize anything. He couldn't remember anything. He knew his name, though. But where did he come from, and what was he doing before being in this unfamiliar room? He pulled the covers up over his head, not wanting to see the unknown place, and was trying to remember anything. But all that happened was a sharp pain in his head.
Tears blurred his eyes, and soon the bed was soaking wet with foamy bubbles. He screamed and jumped out of the bed, leaving a trail of bubbles after him. It looked like someone dumped a whole bottle of bath bubbles on the bed. He hoped he wouldn't get in trouble.
He heard some steps come up the stairs outside the closed bedroom door and Luffy hid behind the side of the bed not visible from the entrance. He didn't know who was coming up, or how they would react to his mess he didn't mean to make.
The door opened slowly, but Luffy didn't see who it was, as he was still behind the bed. But, he didn't hear any angry yells or shouts, so he peeked his head above the surface of the bed to see a woman, younger but much older than he was, look at the bed in puzzlement for a moment. Then she focused her attention on Luffy. She looked uneasy for a second, but the look disappeared so quickly Luffy might have imagined it.
"What's wrong, Luffy?" she asked. Luffy didn't answer for a full minute, not knowing what to respond, before he mumbled, "Where am I? Who are you?"
"You're at my home. I'm Pudding, your big sister. You hit your head when playing on the playground, so you wont remember a lot of things. But you'll be okay. Are you hungry?" Pudding asked kindly. Luffy's stomach rumbled at the thought of food and he slowly nodded, but didn't come out from behind the bed.
"Are you mad about the mess?" Luffy asked quietly, looking to the foamy mess on the bed. Pudding smiled, one that showed she was a bit irritated, but Luffy didn't recognize the look.
"Was it an accident?" Pudding questioned. Luffy nodded. "Then I'm not mad. I just have to wash the sheets." She'll have to work on the mattress that was probably soaked through. Luffy then asked what had happened. Why he let loose so much soap all over the bed. "Why don't we talk downstairs while you can have some food?"
Luffy slowly creeped out from behind the bed and walked to Pudding and followed her down the stairs carefully. She picked him up after asking if she could and set him on a wooden chair at the table. She made him a sandwich and a single brownie as a treat.
"So... what happened?" Luffy asked through the food he was scarfing down rather messily. Pudding explained that he had eaten a devil fruit not long ago, and described what it was and what weaknesses devil fruits had. Luffy was amazed but also afraid of his new power. What if something bad happened from it? Worse than making a soapy mess?
The boy asked if he lived with Pudding, who said that Luffy had been in the hospital for awhile and needed to find someplace new to stay. "Our family has many members, and they'll all be happy to see you have woken up, even if you don't remember them. You'll just have to meet them all again. It'll be fun. Then you can meet Mama once she isn't so busy."
"'Mama'?" Luffy questioned. For some reason, having a mama sounded strange to him. Pudding nodded in response.
"Mama is the ruler of Totto Land, our home. We're both her children, along with all of our siblings. You are the youngest right now."
"Do we live with mama?" Luffy wondered. Pudding shook her head and patiently explained how things were in Totto Land, leaving out all of the negative aspects and the cruelty the yonko could do to her own children. Though, Pudding doubted that Mama would hurt Luffy. He was too valuable to have hate her or any of the family. Not when he would grow to be able to use his powers and possibly destroy the whole island chain or even the world.
Luffy was a huge liability, but under the right training, he would learn to control the fruit. It was both bad and good he was so young while eating it. Good because he had a long time to learn and a head start, but bad because he was still so young and could make mistakes, intentional or not. Though, Big Mom often destroyed her own territory when demanding a certain food.
The boy ate the brownie slowly, wondering if he would ever remember before. But, his sister was telling him he'd be okay, so he would try not to worry. Pudding kept him distracted with talking about each of her siblings, and now Luffy's, but only in good light. Didn't mention their temper, or the younger ones chasing each other with knives, or how cruel some of the Charlottes could be.
So far, from what Pudding has seen, Luffy was sensitive. He was scared, and wary about where he was. A stark contrast to the vibe she got from him when she first saw him. He had seemed to be happy and cheerful before the memory wipe. Probably because of how many experiences were taken away, his personality was changed.
Hopefully that wouldn't become a problem. She hadn't thrown the memories away, they were stored in a box with Katakuri. Like his trident, he was hiding the box in his body for safe keeping, making sure there was no way Luffy could retrieve them and ruin the plan that was still unfolding.
After eating, Luffy looked extremely uncomfortable around Pudding, despite now thinking she was his older sister. Maybe because she wasn't very understanding about Luffy being nervous of all the powers. He did understand now that it was a big deal. He looked forward to being able to control all of them, but until then he was a bit nervous. It was a stark contrast to how he was before his memories were stolen from him.
"Do you like to draw? I have some paper," Pudding offered. Luffy looked puzzled.
"I… don't know," he said sadly, trying to remember anything, but it just wasn't working. "Can I try?" he asked timidly. Pudding got him a wax pastel and some plain paper to draw on. She was a bit bored of supervising, since she was never one to babysit the younger kids because of how nasty she could suddenly get.
She couldnt imagine being Perospero or Compote and only having children as siblings. Taking care of them since the day all of them were born. However, many of the older siblings didn't end up hating it, they were just very busy so the supervising was left to the middle children who werent too young but also weren't powerhouses that had a lot of responsibilities for both the crew and family.
Luffy attempted to draw on the paper, but it kept moving around on the hardwood floor, making him a bit frustrated. He used his other hand to hold the paper down before he felt something sticky on his hand. He pulled it up, bringing the piece of paper up with him. Some sort of green goop had come from his hand and was now sticky.
He looked up to see if he was in trouble, but Pudding wasn't looking. He rubbed it on his shorts, not wanting to get it on the floor. Pudding may be his sister, but he didn't want her to get angry. He didn't know how she would react.
The boy felt so alone and empty. He didn't recognize his family, or where he was. All he knew was his name was Luffy. And now some information from Pudding. What were his hobbies? What did he like to do? What food did he enjoy eating most? He hated feeling like this, but he was a stranger in his own life.
Why did he have to hit his head? It was stupid. He pouted as he drew on the paper, doing his best to not make the goop again. He drew what he felt on the paper, even if it looked like circles and squares to anyone else. He only had one color, but he still felt it was how he felt.
Part of him wanted to show it to Pudding, but she was practically a stranger, and he didn't want to be told his drawing was stupid. He didn't have any more room on his paper to draw, but didn't want to ask for more. He just wanted to go take a nap and try to remember in his sleep. "Pudding? Can I take a nap?" he asked quietly.
"Sure, Luffy," she said. Pudding was perfectly nice, but still, she was a stranger. "I'll show you to the couch." Luffy almost reached to hold her hand, but thought better of it. Plus, his hand was still a little sticky. The couch was really fluffy, and she helped lift him up, since it was a high couch.
He fell asleep easily. Pudding was the one to see him turn into a blob of mochi, recognizing her brother's ability. She wondered if he would ever learn her power. And how would that affect the memory wipe? Could he restore his own memory? She'd talk to someone about that, having that power be one of the last ones. Mama wanted to have him be able to control all of his powers.
She put a blanket over him, hoping he wouldn't ruin this one, too. Really, she wasn't the right person to be babysitting him. And how long would she have to? At least a couple more weeks until her siblings got back and they could form a real plan on how to move forward. The general idea was simple, but it was still another kid to raise.
Most of the family didn't know about the plan yet, as it was only known a few days ago that Luffy had, unfortunately for him, eaten the coveted devil fruit. So, they would be surprised by the news about the "adopted" child, who is now being told he is a biological descendent of Big Mom. Outsiders were generally not very inclusively welcomed, but things needed to be different with this situation.
Pudding was in the dining room, where there was a window in the wall for her to still see Luffy and if he was still sleeping or if anything else weird had happened with him. Besides now being a white blob. Honestly, Katakuri wasn't a very humorous man, but even he would find this entertaining. Might remind him of the instability he dealt with when he first ate the mochi-mochi fruit.
At the time he ate it, he was the only family member to have a devil fruit. And Mama hadn't helped him out with it. He'd figured it out himself, even though it took many years to use it well and decades to awaken it to its fullest. Perhaps he would be a good mentor for Luffy. If he showed that he welcomed the boy, then the rest of the family, who many were obsessed with him, might be more inclined to accept Luffy's presence and importance.
Pudding could see some potential problems with some of the family. The oldest ones might think he is not worth it based on their own views on the situation and current family strength, while the younger ones were all taught that blood matters, and had watched countless husbands tossed aside, exiled or killed.
It gave Pudding a lot to think about while Luffy napped. She had forgotten how long young children would sleep during the day since she wasn't involved with her younger brothers and sisters. But, at least she didn't have to entertain him or try and be fake-nice.
Poor Luffy. :( Review!