It's been two years since that day. I hadn't changed much, except for the fact that I grew an extra inch and a half, now standing 5'11". My hair had also grown out a lot, going from a skinfade to now, a messy head of hair, not unlike Luffy's, except my hair is brown. My build has also gotten bulkier, my voice slightly deeper and, well, that's about it.
I kept my old clothes, my shoes were still in pristine condition, mostly because I hadn't worn them all that much, instead opting for sandals in the hot climate of the East Blue. My hoodie had become faded, my jeans grew some rips in them, but again, I hadn't worn them all that much.
My outfit right now, consisted of a slightly oversized white t-shirt, my gold chain, and some jean shorts that reached down to my knees. Oh, and the sandals I had made for myself using the skin of an alligator. Back in Miami, alligator skin was used as a fashion piece, but I had only used it because there was nothing elss to use.
I still kept my gun in my waistband, still fully loaded because there was no use for it on the small island I now called home. My switchblade had become dull, but I did try and sharpen it a little bit, but I'm not really the best at sharpening knives. And by not the best, I mean, I fucking suck.
I had found a couple seeds in that bag of marijuana, and I did plant all of them, but only two of them ended up growing. I didn't care though, because it was a start. They had flourished into tall, pungent plants that could be smelled half a mile away. I kept them in the forest because nobody really liked the smell, other than me, and that smell reached quite far.
That didn't matter though, as it was almost time for me to leave. Ace had left last year when he turned 17, and my 17th birthday is today, so I decided I'd journey out as well. Luffy still had to wait another couple of years to leave though.
"Randall!" Luffy called, bringing my attention away from my backpack, which I still had yet to pack for my departure.
"Gimme a sec!" I answered. I got up, brushed the dust off my shorts and made my way down my treehouse, which I had constructed over the past year, as my living arrangement. I felt intrusive sleeping in Ace and Luffy's treehouse, so I made my own as a living arrangement, not far from the ASL treehouse.
I climbed down the treehouse, looked around, but Luffy was nowhere to be found.
"Luffy!" I called out, and he appeared with a large cake, that read 'Happy Birthday!' in icing. "You didn't have to get this for me," I told him.
"I wanted to though! I asked Makino to make it so I could surprise you!" He informed me, as energetically as ever.
"I'll have to tell her thank you before I leave then," I said, although mostly to myself.
Luffy set the cake down, then pulled a bottle of sake that was hidden behind him in front, along with two cups, and sat down. "I want you to be my brother!" He exclaimed.
I just looked at him, sat down and watched him pour two cups. "If we drink this, we'll be brothers," he told me. I agreed.
I picked up a cup filled with the sake, held it up and said "cheers," before we tapped them together and downed them at the same time.
We then ate the cake, just the two of us. I kind of wish Ace could've enjoyed this cake along with us, but it wasn't too big of a deal. More cake for me, I guess.
We made quick work of the cake, mostly Luffy though, as usual, but my appetite had increased over the years.
"I have to finish packing my things," I said. "We can spend some time together when I'm done though."
"Okay!" He agreed, and then watched me climb back up the treehouse.
It didn't take long for me to finish packing. I didn't have a lot of things, really, just a bit of clothes, and some other things I could probably fit on my person instead of stuffing inside the bag.
Finishing up, I brought my backpack down and called, "Luffy! I'm done packing!"
He appeared in less than a couple seconds, and then knocked me down, grinned and told me to fight him. "No holding back this time!" He ordered.
I swiftly got back on my feet, placed my feet apart and held a fighting stance.
Luffy attacked first, which put me on defense. "Gum-Gum... pistol!" He called out, stretching his right arm back and then extending it towards me.
I barely managed to dodge. He had gotten a lot better at his technique ever since he figured out how to aim it last year. Still, it had a weakness. I grabbed his extended arm with both my hands, and, using all the muscle in my body, I pulled him and used his stretching ability against him.
I sent him into the ground at breakneck speeds, got on his back, and tied his arms into a knot.
Still, he got up and started using his legs and his head. He used his stretching ability to step on my chest, knocking me to the ground. Then, he stretched his neck back, called out, "gum-gum... bell!" and headbutted me hard enough that it gave me a migraine.
I clutched my head in agony, and meanwhile Luffy got up, grabbed onto a tree and freed his arms.
Once I was done agonizing, although my head was still throbbing, I walked back up to him, and socked him right across the jaw as hard as I could, sending him into the ground and skidding a few feet back. If my punches had any real effect on him, it would be a much better fight, but they didn't, and the fight was rather one-sided.
"This is pointless. I can't do anything to you," I said, sitting down.
Luffy sat down next to me. "Do you have a dream, Randall?"
Now that I thought about it, I didn't really have one. I know Luffy wanted to be King of the Pirates, Ace wanted his name to be heard around the world, but me? That was hard to answer. I always did think bounties were cool to have, so I guess my dream would be to have a high bounty, but that didn't seem like enough for me. Thinking about it really hard though... "I want to be able to walk into a store, restaurant, and have everybody know exactly who I am. I want to have stories about me told fifty, no, a hundred years after I die. I want to make an impact on every island I step foot on. Yes, my dream is to become a legend."
Luffy listened to every word I said. I thought of myself as corny at the moment, but Luffy looked at me in fascination. "That's so cool!" He yelled energetically.
I smiled. If nothing else, his words motivated me even more.
