Sabo wondered what the crew would think of Luffy's bottomless stomach. He pushed open the door to the galley and kitchen, where almost everyone looked to him. They had sensed his warm haki, if it even was haki in the first place.
"Welcome! You two can sit with the commanders if you'd like. We've made a special seat for Luffy so he can reach the table," Thatch told them loudly to be heard above the boisterous talking of well over a thousand people. Luffy followed where his friend pointed, Sabo holding his hand.
Luffy's head barely reached the table's edge, so Sabo lifted him into a raised seat. It had handles on the side, but wasn't like a high-chair. The food hadnt been served yet, though the smell was delicious.
Amber came in and sat near them, going to tell the captain and commanders about Luffy's wings. Just when Luffy was about to ask where Ace was, the boy came walking in with Marco. Ace ran over to the two and sat beside Luffy.
"Where you been?" Luffy asked curiously while Ace stared at the splints around his wings.
"I went and got all of our belongings from the treehouse and our pipes. And your bee, Luffy, don't worry. I even saw the room we'll be staying in. it's a mattress big enough for all of us to sleep on. There are also some simple sleep clothes set on the blankets.
"Even Luffy has one that fits around his wings," Ace informed his brothers. Luffy smiled. He was tired of these messy clothes. He was sure they still didn't smell the best, but were not even close to how they smelled before their bath.
"Your wings look a lot nicer now, Luffy," a tan man with long and curled mustaches said. "I'm Vista. It's nice to meet you." Luffy smiled at him and nodded. Then Vista introduced himself to Ace and Sabo.
"Nice to meet you, too. It's nice to meet all of you," Sabo said politely.
"Oh, looks like this one has manners," Marco said, teasing Ace since he hadn't been the friendliest person to Marco, though he didn't mean to be rude. Ace scowled at him.
"I'm plenty polite!" he snapped. Sabo laughed.
"Yeah, because yelling at someone is the epitome of friendliness," Sabo joked, getting some laughs out of the other commanders. "We're not kids living in the woods anymore. You have to be nice." Ace humphed and turned to Luffy.
"Ace is nice to me," Luffy pointed out. He wasn't a mean person.
"Only to you, Luffy," Sabo replied. Then a thought popped into Luffy's head.
"We pirates, too now?" he asked curiously. "Sabo say pirates bad people." The others smiled at the table.
"Well, we don't consider ourselves bad pirates. We don't pillage or murder innocent people, Luffy. We are bad to the marines and civilians, but you'll never catch us hurting people who don't deserve it."
"Sabo and Ace beat people for stuff," Luffy said innocently. "Dey strong with sticks."
"Well stealing isn't allowed on the ship," Marco said.
"We werent just gonna rob for no reason! We stole food and tools from obviously bad people. Don't go telling people stuff like that with no context, Luffy. And they're not sticks, they're pipes!" Ace said irritably. Everyone found his floundering amusing, while Sabo put his hand to his face. Ace needed to learn how to be social.
"When is food?" Luffy asked, the subject easily changed. Just as he said that, Thatch began serving food. Ace and Sabo noticed now that there were a couple other chefs serving as well. It made sense because there was no way one man could cook all of this for such a large amount of people.
When the food was set on the table, Luffy reached for all the food around him and piled his plate with an amount enough to fill multiple full grown adults. But, even though he'd been eating with his hands with no napkins for a few weeks, he still ate neatly like mommy taught him, though quickly as well. The commanders watched him in shock as he packed away so much food so quickly. Then he reached for more.
Then they noticed Ace and Sabo swiping the food he wasn't taking. "Better hurry before he eats all of it," Sabo said as he ate with manners as well. Ace on the other hand, was not so neat. He did use a fork, but couldn't figure out how to use a knife, so he just sawed through the food with the side of his utensil.
So the table near Luffy was soon empty as the people sitting there snatched as much food as possible from Luffy's reach.
"Luffy, you don't have to eat so fast. There's more food," Thatch said as he sat down and ate as well.
"I no fast, you slow!" he said as he ate some more.
By the time the meal slowed, Luffy was patting his tummy, which didn't look any bigger, which confused and slightly amused the others at the table. Even Whitebeard, who wasn't sitting far at all, thought it was entertaining.
The room had quieted down after some of the pirates left to do other things.
"So how are the little one's wings?" Whitebeard asked while Luffy looked tired, taking a sip of his milk through the straw. He stuck his thumb in his mouth, apparently alerting the brothers to bed time. It was hard knowing what time it was when they were inside and not outside in their treehouse.
They bid goodnight as they took a very sleepy Luffy out of the room and to theirs, Ace leading the way.
"The bones had splintered and severed the nerves. So his wings are permanently paralyzed. The splints are to try and get the bones to heal, though the nerves are permanently destroyed," Amber said sadly. Thatch frowned deeply. But at least Luffy had never learned to fly, so he couldn't miss it now that it was no longer possible. They all sat in silence for a moment.
"That's too bad," Whitebeard said honestly.
"Pops, why did you approve a little kid coming with us?" Vista asked curiously. "Was it because you felt bad for him? Or is there another reason?"
Whitebeard didn't speak for a moment. But then he said, "Angels are good people. I've never heard of or met one who wasn't. Plus, some of us know what it's like to be put in his shoes, and then, those healed by being a part of this family. Who am I to deny him? He is very young, but it's not like he will be getting into fights with marines or other pirates. Plus, it is a sin to cut an angels wings. That is why they are so valuable. There aren't many who risk the curse to take wings.
"We can protect him easily. And I know things have been down lately. But look at how everyone reacted to him today. And Ace and Sabo as well. Those are my reasons," the captain concluded.
"Do all angels give off that warm feeling?" Marco asked. Whitebeard shook his head.
"No, I've never met one in my long life that has given out that feeling. It might be his age, or some other reason we don't know of. But it is a nice feeling, is it not?" the man said. Everyone nodded.
"I wonder when he'll fall apart," Izo said, having not been a main part of the conversation, but had been listening.
"Probably tonight if I'm correct," the aged man replied. The others frowned in pity and sympathy.
The three brothers fell asleep easily, dressed in comfortable and clean clothes, each having a blanket on themselves though they laid side by side. Luffy was holding his dirty bee tightly as he laid on his stomach.
"Take them and go!" his father said as Luffy's mom ran away. Luffy watched from behind, as if in slow motion, as his daddy's wings were sawed off and he screamed in agony.
Usopp was screaming in terror while Luffy looked to mommy's scared and upset face. She was crying. Mommy rarely cried in front of her boys.
"Where daddy, mommy?" Luffy heard the screams stop, and now knew daddy was death. Mommy looked even sadder when daddy stopped yelling.
Usopp was still crying as Luffy rewatched everything, though now the worse parts were slower. The boys were dropped to the ground painfully when mommy got attacked from the behind and fell to the hard cement.
Mommy yelled at Usopp and Luffy to run as her wings were stepped on and quickly sawed off. Usopp was next. Soon they both stopped screaming as blood poured from their backs. But this time, Luffy couldn't move, and was kicked and stepped on, his own wings beginning to be sawed off. And he could feel it. It hurt so much…
"Luffy, honey, wake up," mommy said as Luffy jerked upright. What a scary dream! "It was just a nightmare, Luffy. I'm here, like always." She pet his hair lovingly. "Why don't you come sleep with me and daddy. Usopp is there, too. He had a bad dream as well."
Luffy got up off his bed, holding a clean bee stuffed animal, and he walked to his parent's room. Daddy and Usopp were already sleeping in the big bed, and Luffy and mommy joined them, sleeping peacefully.
Luffy opened his eyes, filled with tears that splashed down his cheeks. He wasn't in his room anymore, and mommy wasn't there to comfort him after a bad dream. She was never going to be there again. No more cuddles and hugs, or drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows, or mommy reading him a book. And Usopp would never come over and try and get attention as well. But he'd just end up doing what Luffy was doing, now mommy reading to both of them.
He slowly got off the bed and opened the door, which he could barely reach the handle. Luffy needed to cry, but he didn't want to wake anyone else up. He wandered in the direction he knew the door to the outside was. He saw no one on his way, which he was thankful for.
He stuck his thumb in his mouth, trying to keep the tears at bay until he was completely alone. But they were coming out, so he ran down the halls, his bare feet not making much noise. He finally reached the door he could feel cold air coming from. He opened it loudly. Everything was so quiet out here, except for the soft sloshing against the still ship.
He walked towards the railing, sat down with his legs through the bars, and cried. Sobbed horrible, heartbreaking sobs and wails. He felt like he was going to throw up or pee himself or both. He wanted to go home. He wanted his family. Why didn't he get to go with them? Then they could have all been together, forever, wherever they went afterwards.
Whitebeard woke up from a unique feeling of haki rushing past his room. That had to have been Luffy, which meant he had sadly been right before. If it had been any of his other sons, he'd have let them have their peace, but Luffy was a little child, and didn't really know anyone else on this ship besides Ace and Sabo, who were most likely still sleeping, or they would have gone after the little one. He was also the one with the freshest wounds in his heart.
He sighed and left his room and walked down the hall to the slightly ajar door leading to the deck. As he got to the door, he heard terrible sobs coming from the deck. It didn't take long for him to find where Luffy was once he was outside.
Luffy had to have heard Whitebeard approach, but didn't even try to conceal his crying. He couldn't. The giant man sat down next to him, so much bigger than the little boy next to him.
"What were your family like, little one?" Whitebeard asked softly. "I'd like to hear about them."
Luffy gave a wobbly smile, thinking of everything his family did with him. It hurt so bad, but he liked thinking about them right then. "Mommy is really pretty and she read to me at bed time and make good chocolate milk. And dere is always a story she tell me even when she has no book wif her.
"We have crismis and we have a big tree and socks wif candy. She make yummy food and cake and we always have popcorn. Daddy always eat snacks, but never get fat, and he lift me and Usopp and we go around like flying wifout wings. Mommy and daddy dance to music a lot, and me and Usopp watch from corner. Sometimes dey sing, too. Dey no know we watching.
"Usopp scared of everyfing, and I be good for him and we go outside and play in da snow. He scared of lots of snow in air, and I throw snow at him and he get mad and do it back, but he no scared anymore. We fight sumtimes, but love each oder anyways.
"I wanna be wif dem. I no wanna be wif anyone but dem and be home wif all my toys and books. I no want bad guys to have deir wings. I want to have dem so I can be wif dem a little bit." Then he broke into cries again. His face was puffy and red and he had a runny nose.
Whitebeard looked at him sadly and, being so much bigger, rubbed a single finger down his back to try and comfort him. "I know it's not the same, but you are welcome here into this family. It will never be the same, and we won't replace your old family, but you can talk to any of us. Most, if not all of us, has lost someone or something.
"I was an orphan when I was little, like you. My family was killed as well, right in front of me. I'd always wanted a family, so that's why I started this crew. Pirates like treasure, but there will never be any treasure more dear to me than this family.
"Each new member is a new family member, one of my sons. Even now, you and Ace and Sabo are new sons. I won't be daddy, but I can be a different kind of father for you. For as long as you want," Whitebeard said quietly. Luffy watched him as he spoke.
"Do you miss your mommy and daddy, too?" Luffy asked sadly, sniffling.
"I did miss them, very much, but the pain goes away after awhile. You will grieve and miss your family, but over time, it will get better, and then you can think about them with only happiness and not feel sad. You can smile instead of cry.
"No one on this ship will understand your situation more than I will, even if it happened many decades ago. But I remember the pain very well. I will always be here to talk. I will always be here for my sons."
Luffy sniffled once and then nodded his head.
"Why don't we both go back to sleep? The sooner we sleep, the sooner Thatch can make a delicious breakfast and you can explore the ship with Ace and Sabo," Whitebeard said as he stood up when Luffy did. He was so much smaller that Whitebeard would need to be careful not to step on him.
"Kay," Luffy said as the two walked back inside and the captain walked with Luffy back to his bedroom.
"I will see you tomorrow, little one," he said quietly. Luffy nodded with a smile. Whitebeard barely heard Luffy quietly thank him and close the door behind him with a small smile.
Luffy fell asleep easily and didn't wake up again.
Luffy hurried into the galley and to his table, where Whitebeard was already sitting.
"Papa!" Luffy called. "I no more have bad dream!" he said happily as he reached the table. Everyone looked at him in surprise. 'Papa'? They wondered what happened to make his attitude change so much just in one day.
Ace and Sabo came behind him and Ace lifted him to his seat. "You had a bad dream, Luffy?" the freckled child asked.
"Yah. It was scary… and den sad," Luffy mumbled. "And den papa help me when I go sad outside."
"Luffy, you went outside with no one being there with you? Don't do that again. You could get hurt and no one would be there for you," Sabo said sternly. Ace agreed, nodding his head vigorously.
"No, papa was dere for me," Luffy countered.
"But he might not always be there at that moment," Sabo told him as the food was served.
"Well he say he be," Luffy said with a pout at his brother before reaching for breakfast food. Some of it another pirate would put on his plate so he didn't just scoop up scrambled eggs with his hands or grab pancakes that were still hot.
The food that morning was just as good as the food the night before.
"Time for you three to have a tour of the ship," Thatch said after breakfast was cleaned up and the galley empty. Luffy grinned.
"Yay!" Luffy exclaimed. "More places to play." Sabo and Ace smiled, as did Thatch, who told Luffy that sometime everyone might play a massive game of hide-and-go-seek some day. "But first, we have to introduce you to the ship."
Luffy nodded and took both of his brothers' hands as they were shown around.
The ship was just as big on the inside than it looked on the outside. There were hundreds of doors, which held one to three people depending on what the pirates want. Some like staying together, while others couldn't imagine not being in their own room. The small library had stars in Sabo's eyes, and he decided he'd be spending a lot of time in that room.
Ace's favorite room was the training room, which had various weapons and courses. It was quite big. He could train a lot in this room. There were no windows, so nothing to break one by hitting the walls.
Luffy liked the smallest room in the whole ship the most. It was more like a closet, which had spare sheets, blankets and pillows. Everything was so soft and fluffy, that he exclaimed he'd visit this room a lot. When Thatch tried to explain to him that it was a closet, Luffy just said that a closet is another room, right? That it's just smaller.
Well, now Sabo and Ace knew where Luffy would probably hide. The little one was sad when they had to leave it and continue to tour. By the time the tour was over, the brothers knew they'd still get lost. The whole interior was a maze of hallways and stairs, which
Luffy wasn't allowed to be near by himself.
It wasn't that Luffy was clumsy, because he wasn't, but they just didn't want to risk him falling in any way. Just like Luffy probably could have climbed the rope ladder from their treehouse, but Sabo insisted he always held onto his back to be safe. Luffy didn't pout at being prohibited from going someplace because there was nothing in those floors that he was interested in.
They all really liked the room of the ship, though Ace and Sabo did miss the freedom of the forest a bit. But they were quickly becoming used to the ship and being around so many people. But the pirates were clearly having a harder time getting used to the children. They swore like crazy still, and joked about inappropriate things. Ace and Sabo would put their hands over Luffy's ears whenever they heard the voices of certain, very distinct members.
Those with haki, however, had it easier to adjust to Luffy and his brothers. They stopped swearing or their crass talk when they felt the warmth from Luffy approach. Luffy was the popular one out of the boys, since that warmth he gave off was relaxing, and he was also cute and entertaining. Sabo was the polite one whereas Ace was the one that got snappy more often. He hated being embarrassed and would bite back when "his pride was targeted!" (as he said to Sabo after being scolded).
Sabo clicked most with Thatch; Ace surprisingly connected with Marco, though he pissed Ace off a lot. Ace found it fun to try and push Marco so he didn't look so bored, whether he was getting the pheonyx human angry or entertained. And the littlest member clicked with the biggest.
Over the next couple of weeks on the ship, Luffy would follow Whitebeard around and try talking to him a lot. Whitebeard didn't mind, and found he had a soft spot for Luffy. Whenever Luffy was upset, and didn't want to talk to Ace and Sabo, he'd visit the captain, who would show his gentle side and speak with Luffy about whatever he wanted to talk about, be it sad or just babbling about random things he found fun or interesting.
Two weeks after they'd been on the ship, now very much adjusted, once they were docked at an island, Luffy finally got his big game with everyone. It was a massive game of hide-and-seek. Luffy was the easiest to find the first couple rounds, hiding behind curtains or under the blankets in his special closet.
Finally, he found a better hiding spot as Sabo did the counting in the galley. Whitebeard hadn't participated because, well there was no place big enough for him to hide after all. Luffy hurried over to the captain.
"You have big hands so I hide in dem?" Luffy asked happily. Whitebeard said nothing, just opened his big hands and curled them around Luffy so that Luffy was hidden completely. Whitebeard could hear his giggles, though.
An hour after the game started, everyone had been found except Luffy. When all of the ship couldn't find Luffy, people began to panic that he'd fallen overboard. Finally, everyone approached Whitebeard in panic, asking what to do. He just smirked at them all, and opened his hands.
Luffy jumped out, and exclaimed, "FINALLY I WIN!" Everyone just started at him in shock before the moment passed and the deck erupted in deafening laughter.