Paulo flew around at the bubbles that were carrying the things that the villagers offered to me as a gift to the bandits. Some even wanted to escort me to the mountain but I refused because I am perfectly capable of defending myself. Right now, Paulo sat on my head chirping in excitement knowing that we are headed to his other parent. I chuckled and whistled to sing along with him. Though this little bird isn't so little anymore, he still wants to be babied and sit on top of me. It is actually very adorable so I chose not to say anything about it.

"Oh?" both of our attention was caught when a gigantic bear blocked our path with fangs shown to threaten us. A sigh left from my lips, I didn't know I will encounter trouble on the way to where Luffy was.

"Please let us pass. We do not want trouble with you… so please, I beg of you, we do not want to cause trouble." Paulo made an unearthly screech that made the bear back off. Paulo was born by an ordinary sparrow… but he wasn't raised in an ordinary environment. That's why instead of a sparrow, he looks more like a big cat with feathers.

"I will say it again… please, let us pass. Even this bird on top of me is strong enough to gauge your eyes out." this successfully frightened the bear and ran off to the other side of the forest. Another sigh left from my lips, I patted Paulo on the head so that the poor child would calm down.

"Forgive me Paulo, did he frighten you? Would you like me to bring you back to the village?" it must be so sudden to him, but he flapped his wings telling me he was fine and he wanted to meet Luffy soon too. I could only smile and then take him to my arms and make him snuggle at the warmth.

"Who are you?" my attention was taken by a distant voice that sounded amused and interested. When I turned to look for its owner, I saw azure blue eyes that shown with curiosity. Could he be interested with my magic?

"Sadly, I cannot tell you my name until I meet the person I came for. But if you think that I am a threat, why not take my heart and keep it?" this made him blink and laugh. He stepped out of the darkness and then stood in front of me with a big and amused smile. Seeing such smile made me smile back at him. A child inside this forest filled with beasts isn't something common, especially when the child is blessed with nobility. I wonder what made this child live in here. Abandoned? Or could he have ran away? Who knows? If fate was kind enough to tangle me with him, then I will learn about him more.

"I like you! You are interesting. Who are you looking for? If it's in this mountain, I would guess you are looking someone with the bandits right?" I nodded and then made a bubble carrying a box of apples land in front of him.

"If you tell me which direction their home are then I will offer you my heart." he laughed and then took one from the box. He looked at it with a gentle gleam on his eyes, almost as if he found my joke very pleasing.

"Then I will happily accept your heart. My name is Sabo! Just continue walking forward, you will find a house there. Be careful, there are many traps on the way…"

"I will be fine, Sabo. Thank you for telling me directions. Next time we meet, I hope I could offer something else than that heart." I said it with a chuckle and started walking forward to where Luffy is bound to be. It's really nice to meet someone else. Also, the look on his eyes made me foresee his greatness in the future. Children of this generation are to make a big impact in this world. I wonder if I am going to partake such a great event created by fate… maybe it set me aside like it always do.

"Oh my…" I looked with a frown at the pit hole that seemed to have already taken its victim. The thing that made me unpleased the most is that I saw the straw hat laying on the side, left unattended. I took and wore it with a sigh. Luffy is still as clumsy as ever. This is why I just couldn't leave him be until I am sure he is capable of being independent.

"Luffy? Can you hear me? Are you hurt?" it wasn't hard to see him since it wasn't really that deep but I assume that it was enough for him not to reach with his rubbery arms. That old man… he is exaggerating on Luffy's training. No wonder why he didn't want me to come here.

"…Luffy?" there was no answer. This made worry scream inside my head. With no hesitation, I jumped inside the hole leaving my bubbles outside to hold all of the baggage that I brought.

'Catch me, my friends…'

The wind beneath me swirled and levitated me until I am safely landed on the ground. Luffy… he was sleeping peacefully in such a cold and unsheltered place. No one even bothered to look for him and take him to somewhere comfortable. Unforgivable…

"Really… what a troublesome Grand Father to have." I summoned bubbles and attached them to Luffy. Since my healing ability isn't impressive that it can heal a big wound, I only managed to heal the scratches and bring him back to consciousness.

"Cha…os..?" I made a small smile and helped the weary little child to stand up from the ground. He was confused and seemingly forgetting what had happened to him.

"Luffy… let's go somewhere we can patch up some of your wounds—" his stomach growled loudly making me blink and chuckle. It seems that someone has been eating less. Good thing I brought extra for him, I knew he would greet me with a hungry stomach. A wooden barrel filled with banana's fell from the sky and broke open from the impact. This should at least suffice for now.

"Well, maybe we should get you food first?" he nodded meekly like a little puppy. How cute, but having him starve and get trapped in this place is horrible. Thank heavens I came here… because from now on, Luffy will never starve and be alone.

"Luffy… I will be with you from now on, so don't worry okay? We will be training together so that we can protect each other. It's okay now… I am here." Luffy couldn't pick up anything what I said but I understood because he was feeling fuzzy from my healing. He will get back to his senses eventually, this was just a side effect that a low grade magic can make. I'm not a priest so it can't be helped. At least he is a little better and not in a critical condition.

I will protect you… my shinning light.

|To be Continued…|