Disclaimer: I'm sick ;_; and all I have to eat is bread and other grain products, no fruits or vegetables. I can't leave the house like this so I'll probably continue updating a chapter per day until I get better. Anyways, sorry for complaining! Here's the next update!
"No fair!" Luffy whined as he eyed the bags of meat Zoro and Usopp were hauling onto the ship. "I didn't see anything when I was on the island!" He pouted. The two rolled their eyes as they moved their bags into the kitchen. They didn't want to deal with his complaining, nor did they want to interrupt the more important conversation their Captain was having with his navigator.
"Luffy, pay attention!" Nami shouted to her easily distracted Captain. Luffy turned back to look at her, though he was clearly not interested in what she was going to say. His eyes drooped as he looked at her and tried to resist tearing into the kitchen for a taste of the new meat. She sighed at this and continued. "We need to figure out what we're going to do with that kid you found."
"He's coming with us," Luffy announced bluntly, as though it was obvious.
Nami's head hit the table and she grumbled in annoyance. Luffy never thought these things through. A kid shouldn't be on a pirate ship; it was too dangerous. He didn't seem to realize that this boy wasn't a monster like he was – that he couldn't deflect bullets or handle attacks from the Marines. "Listen," she began, lifting her head once more, "you're just going to be putting him in danger if you bring him with us."
Luffy was about to speak up but Chopper interjected. "Have you seen the boy, Nami?" The navigator flinched at this. No one had met the boy aside from the Captain and Chopper. They had all gotten back only a short half hour ago, aside from Sanji who was dragged back earlier in order to prepare a meal. All she knew was that there was a hurt boy sleeping in the infirmary and that Luffy had taken a liking to him. "If Luffy hadn't brought him to me, I don't think he would have lasted much longer."
Her eyes broadened at this. No one had told her that. No one had said that the boy was near death. Just what had happened to him?
"Even so…" she stuttered before her voice faded out.
"The brat's malnourished," Sanji stated as he leaned against the kitchen door frame. He remembered the serious look his Captain's face held when he dragged him back on deck. With a puff of his cigar, he continued. "That's why Luffy brought me back here before the rest of you. I'll be preparing his meals so that he can get his diet back in order."
Sanji found a bit of nostalgia in the boy's situation. He remembered the time he and Zeff had been starving on an island. That pain was unforgettable. Though this kid wasn't as bad off, he still felt sympathy for him. If Luffy wanted to allow him aboard the ship, he would readily comply. In fact, there was no telling that the boy would survive otherwise. He hadn't done a good job of it so far.
"Because of that he's become very sick. All of his exterior injuries are infected as well." Chopper studied his friend's response to this, noting her shock and confusion. He had felt the same when he first saw him. This time, perhaps Luffy's whims had led to something good. He was not going to abandon one of his patients, no matter the responsibilities that came with it.
"Then," Nami began, taking a deep, inward breath, "when he's healed we can drop him off somewhere." She looked around at her crewmates. They weren't opposed to the idea. Even Sanji and Chopper backed down at this point. So long as he was brought back to full health, they didn't mind.
"Nami-san, what a brilliant idea!" the cook yelled merrily, wriggling in excitement over the girl's beauty as he always did.
"He can't speak."
All of the division commanders turned to Luffy then, alarmed by what he had said. Robin seemed the most affected by this. Though she remained silent, she was noticeably disturbed. A sympathetic look crossed her face, and she leaned in closer to listen to what he had to say.
"He's scared of people, too. He can't fit in with a normal group anymore." Luffy was facing away from them, sitting cross-legged on the figurehead in his usual fashion, but the weight of the air around him grew heavy. The raven-haired man glanced over his shoulder at the four crewmates still on deck. They held confused expressions and remained silent. Chopper didn't know about this, either. "Don't believe me?"
He sprung to his feet, grabbed hold of Nami's wrist and led her to the infirmary. They entered the room while the others huddled around the doorway quietly. The boy was awake again and glared at Luffy his usual manner of distrust.
"Yo!" Luffy greeted as he let go of Nami and raised his hand in a friendly manner. The boy relaxed a bit, realizing it was him. He still was weary of the strange man but, because he had helped him feel better, he no longer felt the need to be aggressive. As the man who he now knew as Luffy walked nearer, he revealed another person behind him. At this his eyes narrowed. He was prepared to attack if necessary.
Nami noticed this and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He was distrusting of her even though she was part of the group that had saved him. She scanned his body and saw all of the bandages covering his arms and chest. Then she noticed how thin he was becoming which almost made her sick. Not sure what to do, she waited for Luffy to act.
"How are you feeling?" Luffy asked, realizing his mistake as soon as he said it. Nami saw that the boy paid no mind to his words. "Oh, right. Good?" He pointed to the bandages as he did before and the action clicked in the boy's mind.
"Mm!" he said enthusiastically at the chance to communicate again. Then he tried forming another word with his mouth. "Luffy." He pointed at the man mentioned and blushed when the man let out a loud, bellowing laugh. He turned his head away and looked at the sheets resting on his legs defensively. He admitted to himself that it made him happy to be able to communicate like they were, but he didn't want to show it.
Nami was both fascinated and mortified when she saw this. Luffy was telling the truth. In fact, it might have been worse than he had mentioned before. Then she noticed that her Captain was motioning her forward. She complied and at this the boy shot to his feel and readied himself for an attack. His glare gave her chills. There was no way a boy like this could live in a village.
Suddenly the boy launched himself at her. He prepared to punch her and run off but was met with a sudden pain in his head before he crashed into the floor. He rubbed his throbbing head at looked up at the source of the attack, confused when he noticed a rather indifferent raven-haired man.
"Luffy?" he questioned, looking up at the man he thought to be trustworthy.
"Moron," he began as he picked up the boy, "wait 'til you're healed to go pickin' fights."
Nami sighed at this. That's not the problem, Luffy.
He set the boy back down on the bed. The boy gave him a disheartened look, as if to ask why he had betrayed him. Luffy wasn't sure what he should say to that, or what he could say that the boy would understand. "That girl there is Nami. She's our navigator." He pointed towards her in an effort to emphasize this. "Nami."
The boy mimicked his action. "Nami."
"Right. She's our nakama."
"Nakama?"
"Right." The boy tilted his head at the word, having never heard it before. Again Luffy would have to think of a simpler way to explain it to him. "Nami's good." This the boy understood. He nodded in recognition, though he still shot the girl a glare and Luffy soon after when he threatened to punch him again.
"Luffy," Nami began, rubbing her arm, "I understand."
At this the Captain grinned ear-to-ear and laughed. The boy didn't know what she had said, but Luffy's reaction had made him curious. At this all Luffy knew to say was "good", leaving the boy just as confused as before.
Sanji had entered the room himself to deliver the boy's last meal for the day, along with another glass of water. Luffy had been in and out of the room throughout the past 6 days. Even then he was trying to teach the boy new words. It seemed that the only time the boy wasn't hostile was when he was being spoken to. That was his weakness.
He didn't know how Luffy's progress had been, but he had remembered seeing the Captain stumble into the kitchen to grab some food in anger. Apparently he had decided that eating was the best way to quell his frustration. Still, it was amusing to see him act that way. Luffy was normally very calm and laid back but every time he tried to teach the boy he returned in a rage. That was probably due to him not being very language-savvy himself.
This was the first time Sanji had entered the room. Before then Luffy had been the one to deliver the meals. Chopper was the only other person to visit him regularly and that was only to continue treating his baffling amount of injuries. This was because of his dislike for people. Chopper had suggested that they take it very slow when introducing themselves to the boy so that he could adjust. It would be a while before he could tell them about himself but it was clear he hadn't had much contact with people.
He placed the tray on the table, glancing over at the boy. Luffy was in the middle of telling him something, most likely related to speech. He seemed pretty intent on listening until he noticed the blonde. He gazed back at him as if to warn him. Cheeky brat.
"Ah, Sanji!" Luffy called in recognition. He was so absorbed in talking to the boy that he hadn't noticed him walk in. "Brought dinner?"
"Yeah," he replied, handing a second tray over to him. Luffy's already large eyes increased in size as he took in the sight and smell of his meal. His mouth dripped with drool at the sight.
"Food!" Luffy shouted, shoving a large chunk of meat into his mouth. Then he noticed the kid watching his friend, finally realizing that he didn't know him. He did think that he had made progress, though, since he hadn't tried attacking him yet. It was because he didn't want to be hit again, though. "Oh right. This is Sanji. He's the one who's been making your food."
"And yours, dumb ass." Luffy laughed at this.
Sanji watched the boy. He nodded. The cook narrowed his eyes. He had understood. Somehow, his Captain had managed to do something right, and in under a week. He recalled the boy not being able to understand much of anything before and had to wonder if Luffy was actually good at teaching or if the boy was more intelligent than he gave him credit for. He assumed the latter and with good reason: the boy seemed to analyze them every time they spoke. He was doing what infants do but at a much more alarming rate.
"Making progress?"
"Yeah!" Luffy cheered, his words muffled by his last piece of meat. The boy hadn't touched his yet. He seemed to want to study Sanji more before he let down his guard. This kid definitely wasn't like most others.
"Seems you're good for something, then." His Captain laughed at this. "Did you find out his name yet?"
"Not at all."
"Hm?"
"Seems he doesn't know it."
"He doesn't have one?"
Luffy nodded. He gave the boy a blank stare.
"Then think of one. We can't just keep calling him 'the kid'."
"Mm…" Luffy was deep in thought – a rare sight. It seemed he couldn't think of anything, so Sanji would say what everyone else thought.
"Why not just name him Portgas D. Ace? He looks enough like him."
"No."
"Why not?"
"No."
He noticed the dark scowl shadowing Luffy's features. This was unlike him. That expression was only saved for battle, when the Pirate King got serious. It wasn't something he showed in leisure. He remembered seeing that scowl right before a fleet of enemy ships was destroyed. That man had become a monster in battle wearing that expression. Sanji had hit a nerve.
He was about to apologise when he was interrupted by a very young voice.
"Ace?" The boy repeated, testing the new word out for himself. Luffy was shocked. He hadn't wanted to hear the boy say the name like that. It scared him. This child reminded him so much of his dead brother that, at times, he thought he had been brought back to life. Hearing the boy not know that name made him feel lost.
He felt forgotten.
Luffy gritted his teeth in response. Sanji noticed. He recognized the stance he took. The Pirate King had this same reaction when they approached the last island – the one that held Portgas D Ace's grave. He was angry. He was upset. He needed some fresh air, Sanji knew that, but his attempt was once again interrupted.
"Ace?" This time the boy pointed to himself. When Luffy's head rose to meet his gaze he saw the boy smile, though reluctantly. Apparently he had liked Sanji's suggestion. "That's my name?"
The cook froze. His cigarette fell from his mouth as he gawked at the boy. He formed a sentence. How had he done that so soon? There was no way Luffy was a good enough teacher to do that. Something about this boy was unnatural. Then he noticed the same expression on his Captain's face. He was reacting to something different – the context of those words. He lowered his head again.
"Do you like that name?"
"Mm." The boy nodded.
Luffy let out a large sigh and scratched his head. After a brief silence, he groaned.
"Can't be helped, then." He looked up at the boy with his usual giant grin. "Then your name's Ace from now on, alright? Monkey D. Ace."
While the boy smiled slightly and nodded once more, Sanji had a very different reaction. "The hell are you saying, Monkey D. Ace? He your kid or something?"
"Well I'm not letting him call himself Portgas."
"So you give him your last name?"
"Can't think of anything better."
Sanji slammed his foot into Luffy's head, getting a yelp in response. "Damn moron. You should start thinking before you spout crap like that."
"Monkey D. Ace…" The boy interrupted Sanji's scolding.
"Like it?" asked the Captain, grinning widely.
"Mm."
Though his voice lacked enthusiasm, Luffy could tell something about him had changed. Sanji could as well. His eyes gleamed as he thought over the name in his head. He never had a name of his own. Until only a few short days ago, he didn't even know what a name was. The word made him feel warm.
"Good to hear, Ace." The boy blushed at this. "Shishishi!"
A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews for the last chapter! You people are so nice ;A;
For my lovely reviewers~
XxSaorixX: Yes, there are some scenes in the next few chapters that are going to do with Luffy's lack of patience :D Also you can see some of it in this chapter. And I'm very happy you're willing to be patient with my slow progress ;_; Thank you!
RexLink: Thank you for your support! I'm glad you like Luffy's altered personality. I keep worrying that it's too different. Glad to know someone thinks I'm doing something right!
angelrider13: I do too D: And yes, Luffy will take care of him! ...or rather the crew will take care of him and Luffy will take the credit :P The hat thing isn't going to be explained for quite a while, so hopefully you're not too curious XD Glad you like the way they interact, I had a lot of trouble with that during the last chapter. And lol well thank you for following me!
Lolext90: Thank you so much for the compliment ;_;
Stelra Etnae: I'm glad you do! I would have failed as a fanfictio writer if you didn't ;) I plan on adding Garp into the story at some point, though I don't think it's going to be for a while. And there will be Jinbei/Ace interaction in the next chapter! Remember, he's still testing the other pirates :P (I am so gonna have fun writing his return /shot)
Again, thank you my lovelies! You're the reason I've been writing so much. Knowing that people like reading my story makes me feel so warm inside.