Chapter 2

This one's a little shorter. Enjoy~

One day, he wanted to go find his family more than he wanted to be a good boy and do what Ace and Sabo said. So he left during the night, climbing down the rope ladder wearing his thick leather jacket that reached to his knees. He followed along the trail he and his two saviors had made. He'd be back after he found his family, so they didn't have to worry too long. He'd be back soon to introduce them to his missing family.

By the time he got ot the sketchy town, it was early morning and the sun was coming up. There was no one around, no one to hear him calling for his parents and brother. He wandered around the small town, looking inside trash cans and behind boxes in the alleyways, wondering where they could have gotten to.

When there were people now on the streets, he'd ask them if they knew where his mommy and daddy had gone. Everyone either ignored him or dismissively said they didn't know and walked away. But Luffy wasn't deterred. He frowned as he stood in the middle of the road, not realizing he was on the street that he'd been attacked on.

He wandered up to a nice looking man with big hair who was walking with a man who looked bored. It looked like a plant sprouted out of his head. It made him laugh as he hurried over to the men to ask if they'd seen who he was looking for.

Thatch walked down the worn street with Marco, both of them looking for some place to get fabric since Izo needed more supplies to fix and create new clothes. He was angry his supplies were going so fast because of the rest of his siblings fights damaging his hard work. So Thatch, the prime suspect for ruining the clothes, said he'd shop for some himself. Marco only came to keep an eye on the man and try and find Pop's favorite booze since he wasn't feeling too good today, and he had demanded alcohol.

Thatch and Marco were walking leisurely before they stopped and saw a tiny boy hurrying over to them in an oversized leather jacket. They both stopped walking as the kid approached them. Thatch crouched down in front of him so they were eye level.

"You lost?" Thatch asked him kindly.

"No, I looking for mommy and daddy and Usopp. Have you see dem?" Luffy asked with a frown. He was getting frustrated that no one knew where his family was. It wasn't like they were hard to miss!

"What do they look like?" Thatch asked kindly. He'd always liked kids, and wasn't around them much anymore.

"Mommy is pretty and daddy is strong and Usopp has a long nose," Luffy said, trying to be helpful.

"Can you describe them some more?"

"Dey all have wings, but no one see dem even dough is easy to see dem!" Luffy exclaimed.

Marco and Thatch were surprised, but then looked to the little boy's massive jacket. "Are you an angel?" Luffy gave him blank stare.

"I not suppose to say yes," Luffy replied. Thatch looked to Marco. This confirmed Thatch's question.

"What's your name?"

"I Luffy. I looking for mommy and daddy and Usopp but I can't find dem and I fink dey were hurt when I last saw dem," Luffy explained.

"Who did you come here with, Luffy?"

"I come myself cause Sabo and Ace say mommy and daddy and Usopp are kay but dey no let me look for dem even dough I ask to!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Well, let's find Ace and Sabo and we can all have a talk and figure out what to do next. How about that?" Thatch asked. Luffy frowned but then nodded. "Can I carry you? I'm too tall to hold your hand," Thatch said gently, trying his best not to scare Luffy. When Luffy nodded, Thatch reached down and picked him up until he was sitting on the man's shoulders. "Where are Ace and Sabo, Luffy?"

"I no know. They prolly mad at me now… But I worry about mommy and daddy and Usopp cuz dey wings cut off! And we have to get to doctor's to see dem, but Ace and Sabo say dere is no room at dat doctor's place so I have to stay wif Ace and Sabo but I want mommy and daddy and Usopp cuz my birfday was rooned!" Luffy exclaimed. Thatch's face went white when he heard what Luffy said.

If Luffy saw his family's wings get cut off, they were dead. And this Ace and Sabo were trying to help him by protecting him from the truth. It was tragic. Thatch wanted to cry for him. Poor, poor Luffy.

Luffy startled the two men when he gasped and pointed to the gutter. "Look! We mus be getting close!" he shouted happily as he pointed out the red tipped feathers. Thatch looked at Marco, who for once didn't look bored. He looked grim. "Let's follow da trail," Luffy said, patting his legs while they walked slowly own the street, happy that he was getting closer to his mommy and daddy and older brother.

"Was Usopp playing wif paint?" the little angel said curiously as they saw more smears of blood leading down the street and through alleyways.

"Go look ahead," Thatch told Marco quietly. If the blood was leading to Luffy's dead family, they definitely didn't want him to see their bodies. Does Luffy even know the concept of death? Marco nodded and walked quickly down the street, following the trail of dry blood, since it hadn't rained for a while. It was almost completely obscured, so Marco was impressed Luffy was able to spot it. But he also wished Luffy hadnt been able to.

As Marco followed the trail, the blood smears got thicker, now having added dried blood. Someone dragged multiple somethings, and Marco was positive he knew what those somethings were.

As he turned a corner, he faced the woods. Blood was smeared on the grass between the trees, until it dead ended at a semi-wide space of dirt, with a single branch marker at the top of the middle. Marco sighed. Well, at least there werent any dead bodies, but he now knew Luffy's family was dead. Whoever was taking care of him knew that and that was the reason Luffy hadnt seen them or was allowed to look for them.

The man walked back to Thatch, an excited Luffy on his shoulders.

"I gonna see mommy and daddy and Usopp again!" he cheered. "Usopp is gonna be jelly tat I live in a tree house now! And he can meet Ace and Sabo!"

Thatch saw Marco turn the corner and come towards them with a resigned look. "Well?" Thatch prompted quietly as Luffy continued to talk about his family and how interested they'd be about where he had been living for a little while.

"Blood trails end at a grave. His family is dead," Marco said very quietly. Luffy didn't hear. "We should bring him there. Even if he doesn't know what the patch of dirt is, his family will be near him one last time. Then we should find the two who have been taking care of him." Thatch nodded in agreement, and the three headed to where Marco was leading them to.

"Why we stop here?" Luffy asked as he and the two men faced the large grave. "Where mommy and daddy and Usopp?"

"Well, we haven't found them, and the trail of paint ends here. Now, where are Ace and Sabo?" Thatch asked, sounding flat as he stared at the grave, unnoticed by the little angel on his shoulders.

"Ace and Sabo live in da woods in a tree house. Is fun and I pee over da edge," Luffy said with a giggle. Thatch couldn't help but smile. Luffy was really cute, if you didn't pay attention to how terrible this situation was. What did Thatch get them into? But he wouldn't have been able to live with himself if he had just left Luffy wandering around the street full of creeps, who were unnoticed by the little boy.

They didn't have to wonder where the other two boys were too long before they came running down the trail from the direction behind the small group, shouting for Luffy.

"Ace, Sabo!" Luffy cheered happily, turned around on Thatch's shoulders. Both boys glared at him.

"What were you thinking! Going to town alone, through the forest?!" Ace exploded, making Luffy pout.

"I looking for mommy and daddy and Usopp! You no let me look and I miss dem so I find dem myself if you no help," Luffy said grumpily. Ace's face fell. Sabo looked sadly at Luffy, and then turned his eyes to the other two men.

"Give Luffy back," Sabo snarled, feeling and sounding fiercely protective. The tone of his voice surprised him. Ace, too. It had only been two short weeks, but they were completely attached to Luffy. If Luffy's family was alive, and they reunited, it would be hard for both boys to see him go.

Luffy was a handful, and could be a pain sometimes, but it had given the brothers something to live for. Not just to survive, but to live. Both boys had had terrible home lives, and had run away, dead to the world. They did what they had to survive, even killing. But Luffy came, freshly traumatized and alone, and Ace and Sabo couldn't just leave the little boy to die and get his own wings cut off. They wanted to keep Luffy smiling, which was why they hid his family's death from him.

When Thatch lowered himself so Luffy could get down, Ace shot forward and stepped in front of Luffy. Sabo pulled Luffy away from the two men and hugged him, glaring defensively at them. Luffy pouted.

"Dey are nice people, no glare at dem," Luffy said to Sabo, who sighed, his glare disappearing but still giving them a look saying "come towards Luffy and you die".

Marco surprised everyone, even Thatch, by being the one to break the uncomfortable silence. "You should tell him."

"You don't know anything! Don't talk like you know what's best for Luffy," Ace growled. Luffy just looked confused. Were they keeping a secret from him?

"I know enough to know you need to stop pretending and tell him the truth before the next time he runs away and has his wings cut off as well," Marco said with a hard tone of voice. Ace and Sabo's glares loosened a bit.

"What?" Luffy questioned. Thatch crouched down and gave him a warm smile. He wasn't going to be the one to tell the boy, but he wanted to still be seen as a nice and trustworthy man.

"No. We can't tell him," Sabo said, his voice shaking.

"Then you will lie forever?" Marco countered coldly. Sabo and Ace faltered and looked at each other, sharing something without words. It was defeat. Their lies had become sloppy, even though Luffy believed most of them.

"What's goin on?" Luffy questioned, confused with the tense air around the group.

"Luffy… you won't ever see mommy and daddy and Usopp again," Ace said before Sabo could stop him. But now that Ace had said that, they couldn't take it back and had to continue.

"Why not?"

"They are gone. You can never see them again," Ace told him softly and sadly.

"Where did dey go? I can find dem and we can be togefer again!" Sabo walked up to Luffy and gently took his little hands into his own.

"They are no longer on this world. They have gone to a happier place," Sabo said softly. Luffy looked devastated.

"Why did they leave wifout me? Wha I do wrong? Dey woun't leave me alone!" Luffy cried, big tears running down his face. He couldn't comprehend what the two boys meant, but he wanted to see his family again.

"They had no choice, Luffy," Ace said. "They didn't want to leave you on purpose. Just know that they are in a happy place, even though I know they must miss you dearly."

"No! Dey woun't just leave me!" Luffy said angrily. His mommy and daddy would never leave him alone! And Usopp wouldn't go anywhere without him either. Why were Ace and Sabo lying to him? "You lie!"

"Luffy, do you know what death is?" Sabo asked. Luffy looked clueless and shook his head. "Death is when someone or something leaves this world. Their body may still be here, but their soul is not. Death is permanent, and no one likes facing it. But your mommy and daddy protected you to their deaths. I know they didn't leave you on purpose. And it wasn't your fault. Bad men took them from you.

"They will never come back."

Luffy's face scrunched up and he began to sob and wail loudly, crouching down and curling in on himself while he cried.

"C- can I death, too? I wanna go wif dem! I no wanna be alone!" he sobbed. Ace and Sabo surrounded him with a hug.

"You have to live, Luffy. They wouldn't want you to give up, even if they got to see you again. Maybe someday, when you're old and ready to pass, you could reunite with them. But only when you are older. You have to grow up and be the kind of man they'd be proud of," Sabo said softly. "You will never be alone."

"Me and Sabo can be your new family if you want. We will protect you and never leave you alone. We didn't tell you because we didn't want to hurt you. But now you know, you can't run off to look for mommy and daddy and Usopp, because you will never find them." Luffy continued to sob.

"We'll be your new brothers. We can never replace Usopp in a million years, but we will live with you as your new brothers. We love you, so stay with us, okay?" Sabo hugged him tightly. Luffy just nodded against Sabo's tear soaked shirt sleeve.

The three boys had completely forgotten about Marco and Thatch, the latter crying silently as he watched the depressing scene.

"You have to live for them, Luffy. And yourself. Your family will watch over you forever, even if you can't see them, I'm sure they're watching," Sabo said softly, running his hand through Luffy's dirty hair. Luffy rubbed his red eyes with his small fists, sniffling uncontrollably, trying his best not to cry. If mommy and daddy were watching him, they didn't want to see him cry. It would make them sad.

Ace pat Luffy's back softly while Sab turned to Thatch and Marco. "Thanks," he said simply. "Are you ready to go, Luffy?" the blonde said as he gently took the hand that Ace wasn't already holding. Luffy nodded, looking at his feet, but holding his new family's hands tightly.

"Wait."

The three boys turned to look behind themselves. Luffy was still crying softly but quietly, which Ace and Sabo were looking at Thatch in expectation, as was the other man.

"What?" Ace snapped. He wanted to get away from this grave he'd had to dig and cover as fast as possible. Away from the bodies of Luffy's family so close to him.

"If Luffy wants, we can give his parents and brother a proper send off. A little memorial, if you'd like," Thatch offered softly.

"What do you have in mind?" Ace asked.

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