Story Title: Portgas D. Luffy
Author: The Dark Crimson Blood
Genres: Family/Hurt comfort/Angst
Main Character(s): Luffy/Ace/Trafalgar
Summary: Portgas D. Luffy and Portgas D. Ace are siblings; he hated her because her birth was what caused the death of their mother. Let's watch as she makes new relations with unexpected people.
Words: 4,028

oOo

A seven year old girl sat at the base of a tree; hands lazily thrown behind her head as she silently contemplated what had happened the previous day. She remembers all too clearly how horrifying it had been to fall to the bottom of a pit, get chased by wolves, and then forcing herself out of the aforementioned pit in order to save herself.

She had been clumsy on her way up, and so when she fell back down they attacked her again. She was absolutely positive that she would die, so she curled up and prepared herself for the worse. She yelled. It hadn't been just any yell, and she knew it. It was a yell that even year old Luffy sat in the base of a tree; hands lazily thrown behind her head as she contemplated what happened the previous day, when she had finally escaped the wolves at the bottom of that… Whatever it was, they had jumped her again; and this time she thought she really would die- but then she had yelled.

She knew it wasn't just any yell; it was a yell that was strong enough to knock the wolves unconscious. She wasn't sure exactly what she did; but whatever it was, she wanted to be able to do it again. She had seen Shanks use it before; it was some sort of force called 'Haki'.

As she sat on the ground of the pit, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of Haki she had. Maybe her Haki was stronger than the Haki Shanks had. It was such an exciting thought that soon, Luffy found herself wanting to get stronger. She wanted to be strong like Shanks; so she thought that maybe, if she trained harder then she'd be able to force herself to use it! In her mind, this was a perfect idea. In addition, she'd be able to train her devil fruit abilities too!

With a new-found determination, she smiles up at the bright blue sky above her.

A week passes, and Luffy is later found holding onto two trees with her right and left arms. The small smile on her face spreads even wider as she steps back far enough to feel the stretch in her arms; she buries her feet into the dirt as she waits. Before long, a large bird comes into view and Luffy shoots herself towards it without a second of hesitation.

Her body flies across the same trench she had fallen into days ago, but she pays no attention to it. In midair, she flies right next to the surprised bird and contorts her body go grab it. She slams into the ground just a couple of second later, leaving a Luffy- shaped hole in the ground where she landed. Laughing and uninjured, the girl jumps to her feet and smiles down at the dead bird. It would be plenty for lunch, considering that it was at least twice her size.

Her training for the past week has defiantly paid off.

That much is obvious.

oOo

Portgas D. Ace didn't know how to explain his feelings as he walked down the same path he usually went down to catch and kill his lunch. By his side, Sabo walked with a bo staff leaning on his shoulder and a smile on his face. Both were happy to know that a certain child was leaving them alone, so they'd be able to do what they wanted in peace from now on.

Their 'threat' had stopped stalking them for a whole seven days, which was pretty amazing considering just how much she liked them despite their attempts to kill her. Ace wonders if she gave up, and the second this thought runs through his head he can't help but scoff and think that she was simply like everyone else. In his mind, Luffy was simply a child who gave up when the going got tough.

Ace doesn't know why he stops at the large trench that he had accidentally knocked the child into. He left Luffy for dead after the child plummeted to her death, and even though Ace didn't want to admit it, but it was kind of lonely without her. He would never admit that he missed her though.

A tap on the shoulder pulls him out of his thoughts, and when he comes face to face with his blond haired companion he notices just what he's pointing at. There was some idiot, flying through the air and grabbing a rather large bird that could probably feed both of them. Ace doesn't know what to say as he sees the idiot plummet towards the ground and slam into the earth hard enough to make a idiot-crater. "What was that?" Sabo asks, as their gazes fall upon the hole.

"That, was an idiot." Ace replies, deadpanning as they continue to watch the hole for just a few seconds before someone or something shot out of it. Then, said thing started laughing. Out of all the things he or she could have done, it was laughing that had been chosen as the correct action. The very second Ace realized just who it was, he shakes his head and forces himself out of the temporary shock he had been force into. "Keep walking Sabo, we need to find something to eat." Ace wasn't surprised to see Sabo obey him and follow, exchanging several curious glances towards the idiot on the other side of the trench.

On the other side of the trench; Luffy continues to repeat her actions over and over again until her enegry ran out. By the time she finally stopped, the exhaustion on her face was obvious. She was drenched in sweat, covered in dirt, and leaking blood from many scrapes. She wipes her forehead and sighs, turning to face the rather large pile of dead birds that she had collected.

Her face is blank as she stares at them; she has no idea how to cook them, and she really didn't want to eat them raw or waste food...Luffy had repeated her previous actions over and over again until she finally stopped; obviously tired considering the fact she was covered in sweat and dirt; a little bit of blood too. Wiping her forehead, she turned to face the large pile of dead birds she collected; staring at them blankly, she didn't know how to cook them…

It took her a second to think, but eventually she came up with the idea of taking the meat to Dandan. Even though she wouldn't get to eat as much as she wanted, she'd at least be eating cooked meat. She carries the dead birds to the base, and the very person she sees first is Dandan herself. "Old lady, cook this for me!" Luffy demands with a cocky smile, she crosses her arms over her chest and stands with her feet shoulder width apart.

"Don't order me around, brat..." The woman pauses as she turns her attention to the large pile of meat behind the child in front of her. Her anger contorts into confusion. "Where'd you get all of that meat?" An ear splitting smile appears on Luffy's face.

"I shot myself across a giant hole and grabbed birds out of the air! I got to be a sling shot today!" She says jokingly, arms finding their way behind her head as she laughs. "Anyway, I can't eat all this; so if you cook it for me and give me some wood, I'll share with everyone."

"Sling Shot? Birds? Holes? What the hell!" Dandan yells; Luffy can't tell whether it was amazement or disbelief that was written across the woman's face.

"Do we have a deal?"

"Fine" the woman sighs in recognition.

Thirty minutes later Luffy finds herself eating as much meat as she can grab, shoving it into her mouth and taking it from others in order to solve her hunger problem. To her disappointment, it was gone far too soon for her liking. Though, as she patted her stomach while leaving the mountain base, she felt as if she'd eaten enough for now. It's because she's far too busy thinking about what she was going to eat next that she never realized the single pair of eyes watching her as she walked.

Dandan owed her wood; she only just remembered this now and it was just a little too late to turn back. She was tired, so she planned on collecting the wood later. With her arms tucked behind her head as she took large, slow steps, she stared up at the sky and didn't really pay attention to where she was going. All she was doing was searching for a perfect location for the fort she was planning on building, a fort she would have all to herself. She would be in charge and no one would be able to boss her around.

Not only that, but she could train freely that way.

Her grandfather wouldn't be able to get in her way anymore, with that annoying fist of love which left bruises that lasted for weeks... And she was rubber, for god's sake! A sigh leaves her mouth as she finally reaches the area she had previously been training in; there was a target set up around three fallen trees that she had knocked over. She jumped up into one of the standing trees and shifted her body so she was lying against the trunk comfortably, curled up into a fetal position. She closes her eyes and lets sleep overtake her.

The sun was still out.

Luffy woke up around an hour later; she back flipped out of the tree the very second it fell. If she had remained, then she would have gone through a rather painful experience of falling with the tree and having hundreds of branches scrape across her skin. They might have even impaled her too, all while she was sent to soft ground. Luffy wasn't sure how she had sensed danger in the first place, and she defiantly wasn't sure she had managed to perform such quick reflexes. Right now she was just happy that she was uninjured.

She shakes off the adrenaline and turned to glare at the man who had cut down the tree she had been trying to sleep in. "What was that for?!" She yelled, however instead of looking angry she just looked like she was pouting. The man seemed as equally surprised as she was angry, and he raises an eyebrow at her sudden appearance.

"Where did you come from?"

oOo

(Luffy:7/Ace&Sabo:11)

"Don't 'cha know it's annoying to knock down the tree someone's napping in?" Luffy states with her arms crossed over her chest. The dark haired man blinks at her and raises an eyebrow, he can't help but be curious as to why she was sleeping in a tree anyway. Out of all places, why there? He doesn't get an answer, and soon his attention is derived from her to the rather large animal coming up behind her. It seemed to be aiming for the bright colored straw hat lying on her head; her back was turned so it was obvious that she didn't notice.

He opens his mouth to warn her, but his words are rudely interrupted for the second time that day as she steps out of the way at the last second. The medium sized animal that had just jumped to attack its prey was thrown off guard, soon hitting its head against the base of a tree before running off crookedly.

"How did you dodge that animal if you couldn't even see it?" He stares at her with his mouth agape as multiple ideas of what just happened before his very eyes run through his head. She cocks her head to the side and stares back at him in reply, seeming utterly confused with his sudden question. "Do you possess Haki?" The girl's eyes seem to widen so slightly that if he hadn't been looking for a change in her facial expression, he wouldn't have seen it.

"How did you know I have Haki?" She pauses. "Weren't we just talking about something else? Like how you woke me up?"

The man's left eye twitches, and he can't help but think this child was rather slow in the conversation area. However, he was still surprised. He never thought it was possible for such a young child to have Haki and be able to use it to such an advanced point. It was unheard of, and at the same it was an opportunity for him to learn and study something new. A child. His lips curve up in amusement. "What's your name?"

"I'm Portgas D. Luffy." The child, now known as Luffy spoke to him with a slightly depressed tone. The word 'Portgas' was forced out of her mouth and seemed to be a word that made her feel sick to her stomach. It was hard for her to say, but he didn't ask questions. This girl seemed more excited to announce her given name than her last name, and she did so with a smile as she spaced her legs apart from each other.

"How about I train you, Mr. Luffy?" He smiles. This child was a D, and he knew full well that D's were meant to be sent out into the world and change everything. He had a sick desire to see what would happen if he unlocked her potential early and sent her out into the world.

It would be quite the sight.

"Really mister? Thanks!" The child excitedly jumps; she looks up at him with wide innocent eyes that were brimmed with emotion that the man didn't want to recognize. Guilt, sorry, misery, and regret. He didn't ask why she had these emotions, and even though it's none of his business he can't help but feel that it was unnatural for a child to have such emotion in her eyes. The corners of his lips turn downwards at the thought, but he shakes his head silently and simply tells the child to follow him. Yes, he knew full well that he would bring out the child's true potential.

He trains her until dawn.

By then, hours have passed and even though the sun had barely risen into the sky; Luffy was still awake. She found herself lying on the ground, her chest pointed upwards as she panted heavily. She tried her best to catch her breath, trying to fill her lungs with the massive amounts of oxygen that she needed to breathe right now. It had been hours, and her body just wasn't used to this training yet.

Her whole body was sore, and she felt her conscious wavering on a thin line. She forced herself to stay awake as she remembers what the man had told her; how did she expect to become the pirate king if she gave up so easily? She takes one last gulp of air before pushing herself to her feet; and though she wobbles and wavers, she finally stands on two feet. She's hunched over in exhaustion.

Luffy had known full well what she was getting into; the man had warned her that the training would be hell, but she'd benefit from it. She would become strong, and so she accepted the consequences. She needed to do this, and maybe if she became strong enough; Ace would accept her! She'd finally make friends and she wouldn't be alone anymore. Just the thought made her work twice as hard as she ever thought was possible, but before long she's stopped.

"That's enough. I'll give you a five hour break. You're weak so you must rest." He says bluntly; she remains unaffected by him calling her 'weak'. She knew for a fact that she was indeed weak; she wouldn't have needed this training if she wasn't. So, she couldn't help but be slightly grateful when gently pushes her back towards the direction of the mountain base base; "Go,"

"But—"

"Go rest up and decided whether or not you want to come back later; okay?" She nods, and even though she's pushing her limits; she runs back towards the mountain base. However, the second she arrives her body goes limp and she falls to the ground in exhaustion. The pain of hitting her head against the doorstep never comes, as she's asleep far before her head comes into contact with the ground.

oOo

Upon waking up, the first thing Luffy registers is the throbbing pain in her head. The second thing she notices is just how heavy her body felt and how hard it was to move. The room is dark, yet Luffy knows that Ace is sleeping in the same room not far from where she is right now. "Hey, how long was I sleeping?" She asks, but she's only ignored. Ace rolls his eyes and turns away from her. She sighs and forces her body up, she uses the wall to maneuver herself over to the door where she comes face to face with Dougra.

"Go back to bed, you're exhausted."

"How long was I sleeping?" Luffy asks ignoring his statement completely and asking him the same question she had just asked Ace.

"Four hours. It's eight in the morning right now and when you came back, it was four am."

"I... I have to go get something to eat, I've gotta go in an hour too..." She mutters to herself, ignoring every other question she was asked as she pushed past Dougra with her head down. She forces herself out the door, planning on eating anything edible that she could find so she'd be able to regain her strength. There was no way in hell she'd be able to train properly the way she was, she was dead exhausted and she couldn't have herself passing out.

By the time she was done, she found herself standing in front of the man who planned on showing her yet another glimpse of hell; in the form of training. Today they were in a different location, the terrain was different and he had said something about this place being called the Gray Terminal. Luffy couldn't help but agree with the name; the whole area was gray. There was absolutely no wild life and there was trash everywhere; even the sky seemed to be gray. "I'll be throwing projectiles at you today; from multiple directions. As this trains your sensory haki; you'll be blindfolded.

Well, that would explain why he was currently tying a small black cloth around her head that covered her eyes, completely blacking out her vision and preventing her from seeing a thing. "Now we need a safe word to know when you're need to stop. What do you want that word to be?"

"Shanks!"

"Okay then. The safe word will be 'Shanks'. Remember you've got to be loud when you say that word, if I don't hear you, I won't stop. " The man says as he ruffles her hair. The hat that usually rested on her head had been left back at the mountain base, which was the safest place Luffy could think of to keep it. If it was pierced or destroyed due to her carelessness, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to face Shanks without it. For the briefest of seconds, things are silent. Then, he opens his mouth. "Begin."

The first projectile that came at her wasn't dodged correctly; she moved her body to the right when the correct way to dodge would be either up or down, considering that the object was a long pipe. However, despite being hit, she bounced back up to her feet dodged the second object with the slightest movement of her head. This surprised him greatly, considering that she hadn't been able to dodge the pipe that had been both larger and slower. It was like she was learning by trial and error.

A small smile appears on his face as he speeds up, throwing multiple shards of glass that have their blunt ends aiming straight for her. She evaded them all with the smallest of movements, and as she does this his smile widens.

He was amazed that she was already this strong, that she already had this haki mastered to such an extent. It was fun and he loved it; this was amazing and exciting at the same time and he just didn't want to stop. Before long, Luffy was dodging everything he could throw. She dodged so efficiently with the slightest of movements that the man decides to take his 'experiment' even further.

He picks up a metal pipe that he had thrown at her in the beginning, and he repeatedly swung it at her and watches as she dodges with ease. The smile on his face widens, nearly splitting his face and giving him a demonic look that Luffy can't see. He goes faster, and though her moves become clumsy and tired, he continued. At some point of time, a certain train of thoughts pertaining to her training ran through his head.

She had to be trained harder! She was a 'D', she should be able to do this by now! Luffy falls to the ground and immediately rolls to the side, missing the oncoming pipe by only a centimeter. She kept moving though, the initial shock mixed with adrenaline was far too much for her to stop. She knew for a fact that if she stopped now she'd be dead; if she gave up now she would never be able to face Ace, let alone befriend him. Finally, she'd never be able to give Shanks his hat back because she'd never become the pirate king.

With childish determination, she pushes forward and just barely dodges the next attack. She knew full well that she needed this training; and yet as she dodged each and every attack she could, she inwardly thought that she would become stronger and stronger and stronger and then even stronger than that! Ace would respect her and she wouldn't be alone anymore! She'd be able to stand up to Garp, and she wouldn't be a crybaby anymore!

With new, burning determination; the scrawny girl forces her body up. She finds new energy and new confidence when there wasn't any to be found; she dodges yet another attack and distances herself but it's not enough. The hits were getting faster and rougher, they were becoming deadlier and harder to dodge. Luffy knew she had to do this, she had to prove everyone wrong! With this in mind, she moved just a bit faster with every step. The man before her is becoming frustrated; he swings harder and faster and before long he can no longer hear his own ragged and excited breaths or her confused, fast paced breathing.

At one point of time, she opens her mouth and yells 'Shanks' just as the sea stone covered pole whams into her head; knocking her unconscious in an instant.

Whoops.

OoO

A/N: I consolidated chapters #2 and #3.
Rewritten/Cleaned. Leave some feedback (A review)
~Crimsy