A/N: Sorry I have not updated this yet, life just got real hectic. If you can see where this is heading, then you get brownies... yes, this is headed somewhere, so don't worry. As for all the reviews I recieved about how all the Straw-hats died, it will all be explained eventually, just let the story build. Thank you to those that review, I love you all! Standard disclaimer: Don't own, so don't sue...

Ever since he could remember, he had dreamed of being a pirate with unusual powers. He would even wake up from his dreams with the feeling that he could stretch his body in weird ways, often as a young child tying to. Sometimes his dreams made him miss certain people that he didn't even know.

To say that he was a normal boy was saying that a monkey was a fish. His parents were dotting and attentive, yet he just didn't seem to fit in with the family. He was the youngest and only son, he had four older sisters, all of whom spoiled him when he was young and fought with him as he grew. He idolized his cousin with the nickname of Ace.

Ace used to let Luffy follow him around, often blaming Luffy for the many fires that he liked to start. So in the family, Luffy was considered a budding pyromaniac, and was taken to counseling for it so that he would not grow up as a full blown arsonist. Never once did he tell anyone differently. Even the therapist thought Luffy was to blame.

The older Luffy got, the more vivid his dreams were, and sometimes he would be so distraught when waking up that he would be in a near panic, soon his dreams turned into a searching mission. He was searching for different people, always after they had died horrible deaths.

It became so bad for him that when he was seventeen, he talked his therapist into admitting him to a crazy hospital; for the young teen really thought he was going crazy. When he dreamed of these people, he could see every vivid detail about them, even the way they sounded. Upon waking up though, the images began to fade, and all he was left with was a faint feeling of loss and longing to have them with him.

So that was what brought Luffy to the Bellemar institute. He wanted everything to be normal, for him to no longer have the feeling of loss, to no longer be haunted by dreams of people slowly being executed in front of him, with him unable to help them. One by one losing all those he loved.

His first day in the institute was uneventful, by the time all the paper work had been completed, it was time for bed, so once he was shown to his room after having a snack of an apple and a peanut butter sandwich (with no jelly), he was shown to his small cubicle of a room and told that he would be required to go to the cafeteria between six am and seven am for breakfast, at which time he would receive his schedule, making him feel like he was still in school; even though it was mid-July.

With the dream slowly fading, Luffy got up out of bed. He was slightly disoriented as to his surroundings till he saw the picture of Ace and him that had been taken last Christmas. Something had woken him up, a loud buzzing sound out of a speaker over the door. Glancing at the clock, he realized that it was five forty five. Even when he went to school, he had never gotten up this early; in fact the last time he had gotten up before six had been when he was still in elementary school and had to for a field trip.

Stretching his arms over his head, he didn't realize that they turned at odd angles. It just was natural for him to stretch, almost like he was supposed to.

Off to the side of his cubicle was a small bathroom, large enough for a shower and a toilet. The sink was next to his bed. On the other side of his bed a small closet and a chest of drawers was placed between the bed and wall, last night he had put his few meager possessions in them that he had brought. Three pairs of jeans, four tee-shirts, and some socks and underwear; he hadn't brought much, not knowing what all he would need.

Jumping in his shower, he hurriedly washed up. It didn't take him longer than ten minutes, including getting dressed. He had never been one of those types that took long showers; especially since he had four older sisters all his life that took long showers before him, making it so that all he got was tepid water at best. Even as they one by one left home, he had been quick in the shower.

Once he was in the halls, he could hear others in cubicles most likely identical to his own stirring. The sound of showers going, echoing in the empty halls; even a blow dryer here and there.

The signs were visible, pointing in the direction of the cafeteria. Other signs pointed out different rooms with names like the tangerine room, lemon room, and well you get the meaning; they were fruity rooms, Luffy thought. He was pleased to see that they even had a gymnasium, and as he glanced into one open door labeled 'Reflections,' he was pleased to see it was a small stage.

He needed no sign to go to the cafeteria however, for his nose picked up the delectable aroma of food as he turned down another hall. Once inside the cafeteria, he glanced around, only one other person was in there already. It was a slender blond guy placing chairs around the tables, he looked too young to be a worker, yet he was working so Luffy assumed that the guy worked in the kitchen.

"Hi!" Luffy cheerfully said as he picked up a tray and started to pile dish after dish of delectable dishes on it.

"You had best eat all you take." The blond said as Luffy headed over to the tables to sit.

"I will," Luffy promised, "it is one of the five most important meals of the day after all."

"Five?" the blond arched his one uncovered eye and paused in his task, "What do you mean by five?"

"Just what I said," Luffy started to dig into his food, a look of sheer bliss on his face as he tasted how good the food was. "Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Supper, and dinner."

The blond looked at him as if he were crazy, "You eat that many meals?"

Nodding his head, Luffy said; "When I can." Between bites he added, "My name is Luffy, I just got here last night."

"Sanji." The blond replied automatically.

"Do you work here?"

The blond snorted, "Not likely, I been in here now though for about a month. I don't like to sleep, so I help out in the kitchens."

"How many people are in here?" Luffy asked as he looked around the spacious room, brightly decorate.

"About two dozen. Give or take a dozen."

"Hmm," Luffy was thoughtful for a moment, "So anywhere from twelve to thirty six."

Sanji sat down across from him and smiled, "Yeah."

"So you are crazy too huh?" Luffy smiled.

Murder flashed over his face, and he stood up so fast that Luffy was momentarily startled, a long slender leg heading straight for him, "I am not crazy," the blond said as Luffy ducked from the kick that was aiming for his chest.

"Whoa," Luffy moved his tray of food as he got up as well, "Okay, so you are not crazy."

"He just has anger issues." A voice spoke up from behind Luffy.

Turning his head, Luffy saw who it was that had spoken. A slender teen stood in the doorway; he had curly black hair and the longest nose that Luffy had ever seen.

"Shut up Usopp." Sanji smoothly said, "I am not an angry person."

The teen smiled at Luffy and said, "My name is Usopp, I run this joint, so if you want to cause trouble, you will have to deal with me." He puffed out his chest as if he was the most important person ever.

"Hi there." Luffy smiled, "I'm Luffy."

"He's new." Sanji added as two teenage girls walked in behind Usopp. "Nami-swan… Vivi-chwan."

"Usopp," the red headed girl sighed, totally ignoring the blond; "you could step aside you know."

Usopp turned red slightly and went to get his food, mumbling, "Sorry Nami."

Slowly the others trickled in, Luffy counted an even thirty; all ranging in age from it looked like twelve to about nineteen. Usopp sat next to him, along with the youngest kid at twelve, Chopper.

"So what are you in for?" Usopp wanted to know. "Me, I killed two hundred men. My gang at home turned me in, so they didn't know what to do with me, as a result I got stuck here."

Sanji, who was sitting across from Luffy still, said, "Usopp, I thought it was five hundred you killed, all single handedly."

The long nosed teen nodded his head and said, "Oh yeah, it was five hundred."

"You told me it was a thousand." The red headed girl said dryly.

"Well a grand total of a thousand," Usopp said nervously.

Luffy and Chopper both looked at the strong teen and said, "Awesome."

Nami snorted, Vivi giggled into her hand, while Sanji rolled his one eye that was not covered by his hair.

"Zoro!" Chopper jumped up as a green haired older teen entered the cafeteria, looking slightly disoriented, "Come sit with us."

The teen randomly grabbed items to put on a tray and made his way to where Chopper was frantically waving his arms back and forth.

"Oh," Sanji groaned, "It's him…" When the green haired teen sat down on the other side of Chopper, and across from Vivi.

"Shut up euro-cook." The newest member to the group at the table said to the blond.

"Did you sleep well?" Chopper asked, all concerned about the green haired guy.

All the new guy did was nod his head before absently eating his food.

Laughing, Luffy got up and took his tray back to the line where he shoved the trash in a trash can while putting the tray on top of it, he would like these people; they were fun. Usopp was trailing him and asked, "What is so funny?"

"I think I will get better here."

"You never did tell me what you were in here for." The long nosed teen said as they headed out of the cafeteria with all the others eyes watching as they left.

"I am crazy; some people think that I will be an arsonist when I get older, even though I really don't like fire." Luffy laughed once more.

"You can join my gang if you want."

"Nah," Luffy laced his hands behind his head, under his straw hat that he wore everywhere, and added, "I think I will form my own gang."

"You can't do that."

Looking at the other teen, Luffy asked, "Why not?"

"Because I am the leader of this place." Usopp said as they were walking down the hall.

"Oh well…" Luffy grinned, "say, where do we go now?" he changed the subject, "Last night when they took me to my room, they said I would find out after breakfast."

"Well for now we go to the tangerine room for group therapy. At least I do, if you want to stick with me you can."

"You know what?" Luffy said as they headed towards the tangerine room, "You remind me of someone."

"Do I?" Usopp was intrigued, "Who?"

"Don't know." Luffy shrugged his shoulders.

"Then how can I remind you of someone?"

"You just do."

"Oh…" Usopp opened the door to the tangerine room and groaned, in the room was already two strong looking guys that were sitting in the semi-circle of chairs. "Don't mess with them." He softly told Luffy.

"Why?"

"Shh," Usopp reprimanded, "Keep it down, they are mean."

"Who are they?"

"Well if it isn't Usopp…" the dark haired man stood up, he was tall and slender in a sinewy way like a cat almost. His hair was wavy, lightly touching his shoulders, with a black matching goatee. His large black top hat making him seem even taller, he was dressed all in black, same as his friend. "Go ahead and have a seat, we will let Nico Robin know her group has started to arrive." With that said, he headed out of the room, followed by his companion who made Luffy think of a giraffe.

"That was Rob Lucci, head of security here; nothing gets past him, and his subordinate; Kaku." Usopp said as they disappeared down the hall. "I wonder why they were in here. Both of them give me the creeps." Sitting as far away from where the two had been sitting earlier as possible, while watching the now open door.

Within a minute, Nami and Sanji entered. She headed straight for Usopp quietly asking, "Did you see them?"

"They were in here when we got here." Usopp informed her, acting all brave, "I scared them away though."

She looked at him skeptically.

"What?" Usopp asked indignantly. "I did scare them away, didn't I Luffy?"

"Why does this place need security anyway?" Sanji mumbled as he sat down on the other side of Nami.

"To keep the other people out." Nami stated.

"To keep us in." Usopp said. "This is a government run loony bin."

"Damn government," Sanji mumbled, "Making me stay here against my will. Can't even have a damn cigarette."