I know I usually don't have an author's note before the chapter, but this chapter is special. :) We've reached over 100 reviews, guys, and almost 100 followers! I never expected this story to receive such good feedback, and it makes me unbelievably happy. So, thank you. This chapter is for everyone who has read this story, and most especially the people who take time out of their day to write a review. I appreciate you all so much.
This chapter takes place when Luffy is a child, before any of the Straw Hats arrive, while Ace and Sabo are still alive. Enjoy~
Disclaimer: If I owned One Piece, then why the hell would I be here writing fanfiction?
Luffy watched in fascination as a vein seemingly tried to escape Smoker's forehead. The man was red-faced and scowling in irritation, and Luffy had to physically restrain himself from laughing. He could hear Sabo snickering quietly beside him and Ace cursing under his breath.
"Really, Ace?" Smoker asked, exasperated. "I told you three to stop messing with Crocus' goddamn hair. What on earth gave you brats the idea to set it on fire?"
His brother looked at the man blankly. Luffy giggled. Really, what a stupid question.
Apparently realizing that nothing he said would have any semblance of effect on the boys, Smoker sighed and staked away. At that point, Luffy could hold it in no longer, and he let loose an impressive round of laughter. Soon after, his brothers collapsed beside him, and they all lay giggling on the floor.
"Told you you'd get caught," Sabo said breathlessly.
Ace scowled at him, face still flushed. "You two were supposed to keep watch."
With an eye roll, Sabo replied, "I never wanted to be part of this in the first place. I told you not to do it, but you and your damn pyromania. Besides, my hands were full trying to keep Luffy quiet." Ace didn't argue after that. He knew full well how difficult it was to control an excited Luffy. It was damn near impossible.
Sabo stood and the other two followed suit. "Race you!" He announced and took off running toward the doors leading to the back gardens. Ace and Luffy protested at his head start, but followed anyways. They all arrived out of breath and the two black-haired boys argued about who won.
"I got here first, stupid Ace!"
"As if!"
"It's true! Tell 'im, Sabo!"
The two of them turned to their blonde brother, and the boy put his hands up in surrender. He took a step back, refusing to be pulled in to the argument.
"A weakling like you could never beat me!" Ace insisted.
Luffy puffed his cheeks out. "Yeah I could! And I did!"
Adamantly, Ace replied, "I say that you didn't. Listen to your big brother."
"Stingy," the youngest complained.
Sabo grinned fondly at his two brothers and made his way to the tree house ladder. The others went after him, still bickering. They all climbed quickly and sat in a circle on the wooden floor. The house was haphazardly thrown together, and clearly not made by a competent builder. There were nails sticking up dangerously, and the planks were lopsided. In the corner were three torn old blankets and some food crumbs were scattered about. There were large three gaps in the wood structure, meant to serve as windows.
They briefly argued about who would play what part this time, and ultimately decided to all be co-captains. They promptly went to their respective positions and began. They played for hours, never tiring. Luffy always loved playing pirates with his brothers. He'd admired the romantic idea of freely sailing the sea since he was young, and was pleased to discover that his brother were just as fascinated.
The trio pretended to fight rival crews. They would shout out orders and warnings, slashing the air with invisible swords and shooting invisible guns. Luffy's cheeks ached from smiling for so long, but he couldn't care less.
Eventually, Marco called them in. They reentered the facility, dragging their feet in a satisfyingly exhausted manner. The plopped into their usual seats in the cafeteria and Thatch brought lunch over to them. He set their plates down in front of them and grinned at their tired, dirty faces. Luffy perked up immediately, and even Ace and Sabo lifted their heads a fraction.
"Long day, huh." Thatch remarked.
Ace and Sabo nodded wearily. Luffy was already consuming everything within reach, invoking a laugh from the cook. He stood, bid them enjoy their meal, and left.
They then began another fierce battle for food. The other patients were long used to this behavior from the boys, and some even laughed when Ace would shout angrily at Luffy for stealing something from his plate, or when Sabo would sneakily grab a piece of meat without either of his brothers noticing. If nothing else, those boys definitely brought some excitement to the institution.
They retired to their rooms, happily full. When they were first admitted into the facility, the employees had tried to give them each separate rooms. It wasn't until Marco entered Ace's room one day to find them all curled up together that the faculty decided to place them in a room together. Luffy jumped exuberantly into the bed, landing with a muffled 'oomph.' Ace and Sabo lay on either side of their younger brother and shifted to get comfortable.
"Ace? Sabo?" Luffy's voice rang out into the darkness after a few minutes of silence.
"Yeah?" came two sleepy responses.
The smallest turned onto his back. He gave a large grin. "I love you guys." They didn't return the sentiment vocally. Instead, Ace opted to respond. "Shut up and sleep, idiot."
Somehow, they all knew it meant the same thing.
Luffy wrinkled his nose at the sight of the man in front of him. Bluejam was scolding him for stealing from the kitchen again. Luffy picked at his nose, having heard this lecture too many times before to care now. This only seemed to infuriate the man more, and he shouted with renewed vigor.
Now, Luffy liked most people, even those who were assholes. Yet, there was something about this man that made Luffy want to punch him. Bluejam made him edgy. Ace and Sabo agreed that there was something wrong with the man, but they didn't get the same feeling around him as Luffy did. He'd told Marco and Smoker about it, but they casually dismissed his thoughts on the matter. They insisted the man was trustworthy.
The seven-year-old winced as a drop of spit flew from Bluejam's angry mouth and landed on his cheek. He wiped it away in disgust. Luffy was tired of hearing the man speak, and plugged his ears with his fingers. He tuck his tongue out cheekily. Bluejam's face was on the verge of turning purple. Luffy couldn't help but be intrigued by the pretty reddish-purple shade. He wondered if they had a crayon that color. He'd have to ask Sabo.
Thankfully, Luffy's ears were saved when Thatch came by and took Bluejam away to discuss work matters with him. The man winked at him before turning back to the fuming employee.
Luffy wandered off to find Ace and Sabo. He found Marco walking down the hall and went to ask him. Marco told him that they were both in counseling. The two of them had legitimately troubling disorders, and as such, they were sent to group therapy every other day. Luffy, only having ADHD, didn't attend these sessions.
With a huff, Luffy explored the facility. They had only been in the institution for a few months—not nearly enough time to discover all the nooks and crannies of the place. Luffy brightened. He'd go on an adventure!
Luffy went around the entire institution, occasionally receiving a wave from some of his friends in the institution. He found a supply closet, which he got himself locked in. He was there for nearly half an hour before a janitor opened it to get a mop. The old man was surprised to see that instead of a mop, a small boy came tumbling out.
After that, Luffy persistently poked at a snake for a few minutes in the gardens with a stick. He quickly reeled back when the reptile snapped at him. The boy laughed as he landed firmly on his behind.
Then, Luffy attempted to climb some vines that crawled up the back wall, only to fail miserably. He pouted. The people in the stories Sabo told him could climb vines! Maybe Luffy just needed to find a green hat, then he'd be like the hero in Sabo's story! With that decided, Luffy endeavored to find a green hat. He really wanted to climb those vines.
The closest he received was a green shirt from Thatch, who laughed when Luffy told him what he wanted it for. The chef helped Luffy wrap it securely around the boy's own straw hat, not even questioning the flawed logic of a hat allowing someone to climb vines.
Luffy determinedly made his way to the vines once more after he was prepared. However, on his way, he noticed a large crack in the wall—large enough for him to fit in. Vines forgotten, Luffy excitedly attempted to squeeze into the crack. It would be his own secret hiding place! Not even Ace or Sabo would know about it!
He giggled once he finally forced himself all the way in. He stood there, imagining scenarios where he'd be playing hide-and-seek with his brothers, only for Ace and Sabo to find that their little brother disappeared. He laughed. For once, Luffy could actually win!
Despite his initial excitement, Luffy quickly began feeling cramped within the tiny space. He wiggled around and his face slowly morphed into one of surprised horror.
He was stuck.
Sabo held his stomach, bending over due to the force of his chuckles. Ace was on the floor, letting loud laughter escape him.
Luffy was pouting at them, arms crossed. "Stop laughing!" He demanded.
"Alright, alright," Sabo conceded. Once Ace was able to stifle his snickers, the two took firm hold of their younger brother's free arm. They pulled harshly. Luffy shouted in pain and didn't budge. They tried again, only to find that Luffy hardly moved an inch. They continued this for quite some time until Luffy finally came free.
They collapsed in a bundle of limbs, Luffy landing on top of the other two. After catching his breath and allowing the ridiculousness of the situation catch up to him, Luffy burst out into airy laughter. His brothers soon joined him.
They fell asleep there, exhausted by the events of the day. Marco came by soon after and smiled at the sight before him. Ace would murder him for thinking it, but those three were undeniably adorable. He lifting them into his arms, not bothered by the weight of three growing boys.
Marco shook his head fondly. "These kids…"
Sabo's eye twitched. "I'm telling you," he insisted. "He's there."
The therapist shook his head adamantly. "It's all in your head, Sabo. There's no one out to get you or your brothers."
The blonde stood up, slamming his palms on the table angrily. "I'm telling you, he's there." Sabo paced around the room agitatedly. "He'd always watching us, trying to find the right time to hurt my brothers. I know he is."
With a sigh, the counselor gathered his papers together. He realized that he wouldn't get anywhere with his patient so upset and flustered. He told Sabo he was free to go. Sabo glared at him. He knew the man didn't believe him.
Sabo exited the room, slamming the door behind him. His fists were clenched. What did that man know? His father was definitely out here, plotting ways to get to his brothers. He could feel it.
Sabo was suddenly jerked from his thoughts as a body slammed into his, and they both fell to the floor. Sabo's back hit the floor hard, and the body on top of his rolled off so that it was lying beside him. Unsurprisingly, it was Luffy.
His brother was smiling widely, looking at the blonde. "Hi, Sabo!" he chirped.
Sabo felt his anger dissipate. It was impossible for him to hold onto his annoyance in the presence of his little brother. Luffy's cheerful, bubbly demeanor could instantly brighten anyone's mood, and Sabo was no exception.
They laid there on the floor, side by side, receiving odd looks from passing patients and employees, but they didn't care. Luffy babbled on, waving his arms dramatically, and Sabo listened contently. He swore he'd protect his brothers from his father, therapists' approval or not.
Because, really, what did they know?
I want to thank you all so much. You have no idea how much your support means to me. If it weren't for you, this story wouldn't be nearly half as good as it is. You all give me inspiration, ideas, and motivation. I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate you guys. As thanks to you, I wrote this up. So many of you are curious about Ace and Sabo, and while I didn't give everything away, I hinted at things, and put in some ASL bonding/fluff/whatever you want to call it. I also wrote it earlier than usual. Just a little something to show you guys how amazing I think you are, and how thankful I am. (I'm becoming redundant, aren't I? Oh well).
So, you guys got to see what Ace and Sabo were actually like! I loved writing this. This was probably my favorite chapter to write so far. :)
Ace has pyromania, as was stated briefly in the beginning. Pyromania is an impulse control disorder in which a person can't resist the impulse to set things on fire. It made sense to me because, you know—Ace, fire…it fits.
Sabo's disorder was displayed during the final scene. He has persecutory delusions, which means that he irrationally believes that someone is spying on him and his brothers and is trying to harm them. Sabo thinks his father is the one trying to hurt them. This is only a part of his disorder; Sabo's father is not really out to get them.
I probably confused you a lot when I wrote that Luffy only has ADHD, when in earlier chapters I blatantly hinted that he has something else too. That is a complicated matter, and I am having so much fun confusing you all with it. I'm not just writing shit to confuse you; I promise it's actually accurate to Luffy's history, but it is confusing when you don't have all the facts.
Question: What was your favorite part of this chapter?
Once again, thank you all so much for your support! Each and every follow and favorite (hell, even every view) makes me incredibly happy. Every time I get an email saying that I got a review, I get all giddy inside. Honestly, I start bouncing and grinning like an idiot, and people look at me oddly, but I don't care. Thank you guys! ^^
-Spoons