Did Luffy obtain another mother figure?

NO Ace here yet, but soon~

Chapter 2 ~ Pink-Blonde Hair

The world was currently in an uproar after the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was executed. He was an honourable man that Luffy had actually met once, before there was a pirate king and before he had a name. The man had instantly recognised Luffy as something, other than human. At the same time, he didn't fear him and treated him as a friend.

The man had somehow realised what he is, and apologised for being called as the one who conquered the seas, though Luffy didn't care at all. The boisterous captain even had the gall to invite him to join his pirate crew.

This so-called great captain was apparently also an idiot, who got stranded on his own, and stumbled upon the siren. Luffy almost snorted when the man told him he got lost, laughing all the way. The man also proceeded to tell him all about his friends and family, without any suspicions. He also told him how he was sick and dying, even asked Luffy if he would watch over his wife sometime. Throughout all this Luffy remained quiet and only listened to his ramblings.

After the man left, Luffy would occasionally hear about the great pirate. Sometimes he would search for the man to watch his adventures, and even joined them several times. Though he wouldn't quite belong, seen as a weird and quiet kid. The first time he appeared the captain eagerly introduced him as their welcome guest, and whenever he was there they all treated him well. Talking to him even if he doesn't respond, which mostly the captain does.

Luffy often thought it was a shame that such a great man, which the ocean loved almost as much as himself, would die of sickness. However, surprising the deity, he had given himself up to the marines to ensure his crew's safety.

Even after the man was executed, marines still feared the blood of Gol D. and dispatched people to hunt for his wife, who may or may not be carrying his baby. Hearing this, Luffy realised again how shallow human's were for fearing something that may not even exist. While the marines fear him and his blood, Luffy decided on a whim to search for his wife, to fulfil the favour asked of him when they first met.

He found the woman after weeks of swimming and searching; she was on an island called Baterilla in the South Blue. Luffy had heard soft singing before he even arrived on the island as he swam underwater.

Luffy never actually got a chance to meet her while travelling with the Roger pirates, it seems like none of the crew have actually met her, beside Rayleigh. She looked exactly like how Roger described her, with long wavy and blonde pink hair that reached her thighs, decorated with a hibiscus flower. She also had blue eyes and freckles that splattered her cheeks. The blonde was wearing a flowy, strawberry-decorated summer dress with puffy sleeves and sandals, sitting and singing by the ocean. Her aura was bright and her voice was beautiful, but the song was notably sad. It made Luffy wonder if Roger actually told her his plan, or did she find out through the papers.

A person walked up from the ocean slowly, black worn out cloak soaked and dripping in sea water. But with every step they take, the water seems to glide and drip off their cloak effortlessly, leaving him completely dry.

They were fully covered by their black cloak, revealing nothing.

However, she gets a feeling that this person wasn't normal. Well no one normal would appear out of the ocean, calmly walking at that. She felt wary, and her hand subconsciously travelled towards her stomach where her most precious treasure was in the making.

The woman, Portgas D. Rouge, if Luffy remembered right, stared at him in apprehension, holding her still flat stomach. The siren tilted his head sideways slightly, he could sense another very small presence in her. She must really be pregnant, and would fight to protect her baby, if the fire in her eyes were any indication.

Luffy pulled off his hood to reveal his face, "My name's Luffy," he introduced with no preamble.

She stared, and took several deep breaths before replying cautiously, "hello, I'm Rouge, Portgas D. Rouge. Why are you here?"

"I know, Rouge-san. Roger once asked me if I would watch over his wife," the raven replied calmly and admitted with no shame, "I am also interested in- emotions?"

The raven said it tonelessly, as if he was delivering a message. But Rouge could see his confusion and yearning behind those blue eyes. She felt sad for the teen (because he looked that way to her) for not understanding these emotions.

Luffy offered her a small smile which he had learned from spending time with Merose, "so do you mind if I stay here, until the marines stop hunting you?"

The blonde smiled widely and reached her hand out to him, "sure, come with me."

She was a little surprised but understood later when he said Roger sent him, it made her smile at the thought of his husband taking care of her even when he's not there. Albeit still wary, she decided to follow her trustworthy guts that this man wasn't harmful, at least to her.

Luffy obliged, and had started living with her from that day on. He watched as she struggled, holding her stomach saying, 'please wait,' over and over again. The raven would stay awake at night, never needing to sleep, to watch over her. Sometimes she would insist that he needs to sleep, using 'accompanying her' as a reason, even when Luffy said he didn't need to.

The siren heard her pleading for her baby to wait a little longer again when he was leaving the house. After 4 months, Rouge's belly still hadn't grown, but she had gotten even weaker. So, Luffy had taken it to himself to do the menial chores. He never minded doing human chores, but it was something he had never tried. Though it took him only a while to learn them, now able to cook delicious and nutritious meals for the pregnant woman.

Occasionally, he would leave to the market, and had taken to wrapping his face in bandages. Adding to the cloak, he was hiding the top half of his face from view, including his eyes. His observation haki was so advanced, he didn't need his eyes to navigate the world. His beautiful eyes were also his weakness after all. Most people only assumed he was blind or scarred, this reduced the attraction he got from people. Though he would never wear it at home, yes, it was his home too now, according to Rouge.

During the 8th month of the search, the marines got even more desperate. Killing unrelated mothers and babies, all over the world. Luffy didn't help, it wasn't his place, and sometimes he couldn't really feel for people he didn't care about. It terrifies him, how empty his heart (if he had any) could be. Watching women slaughtered only made him wonder and fear for how he felt nothing, even after he stayed with the Monkey couple and Rouge.

He was hanging clothes when the marines appeared at their humble hut. Luffy pretended to be blind since his face was still wrapped, until they barged into the house, dragging Rouge out roughly. He was about ready to kill them at that point, fingers twitching. But she calmly told them how she wasn't pregnant and that he was her child, which they believed.

Luckily, for them. Because otherwise, Luffy would've slaughtered them.

Luffy didn't know why but after they left, tears soaked the bandages wrapping his eyes. Flowers blooming unnecessarily through the bandages. He never understood why his tears would cause flowers to bloom, shouldn't crying be a bad thing? However, when they bloomed on Merose's cold body, it had seemed fitting.

Rouge had panicked and quickly tried to talk to him. The siren didn't know why he was crying, why he felt so wrong when she claimed him to be her son. Significantly more undeserving compared to when he got his name.

"Why would you say that?" Luffy asked, his voice betraying no emotion.

"That you're my child?" Luffy nodded numbly to that.

"Oh," she mouthed, in understanding, "because you are, Luffy," she said softly, gently holding his face.

There it was again, that feeling of wrongness, So wrong! "I- I'm heartless, I have no pulse, no blood, I don't deserve this- this thing, you're giving me. I'm not even human," Luffy muttered blankly.

"Oh, my child, I loved you like my own since quite a long time ago," she chuckled softly, pulling his bandages off and cupping his face gently from where she sat.

"Which is why, I hope that when the time comes, you will take care of this baby too. Like you've taken care of me, with so much care. I know you know too, that I will not survive this birth, and I don't want him or her to be all alone."

The siren bit his lip, he knew that Rouge's life force had been waning as she held back the birth, again and again and again. Luffy took a deep breath and gave her a wide smile, the action itself was so unfamiliar that his cheeks felt a little strained, but it was genuine and beautiful.

"I promise, I'll take care of the baby," he promised with all his heart. For once, Luffy would meddle with human affairs if it meant he could take care of this woman's treasure.

Soon enough, the search for Roger's baby ended, and their life went on as usual. Luffy told her about what he is, and even his weakness, a small and few parts of his past that he could remember. She was horrified and had cried so much, it actually made Luffy panic uncharacteristically.

After the search ended, she stopped holding back and Rouge's stomach grew larger and larger, and at the same time, she grew significantly weaker. The pregnancy took up her energy, along with her life force.

Luffy was there when she screamed about how her baby kicked, it was interesting to say, and had made the siren smile tenderly. She spent her days singing while Luffy worked, or reading books. On some other days, when she's too weak, Luffy would be the one to sing or read to her.

The sea deity never expected that he would treasure these moments as much as he does now. He could only hope that his memory would not fail him over a very long time.

Woo hoo~ That's another chapter. I would have loved to write more of their interactions, but I honestly can't come up with anything really good so it's more like a narrated story. But planning for some flashback scenes in the future if any ideas pop up.

It was surprisingly hard to write about someone who is supposed to be emotionless :') Like they can't react and technically supposed to not feel things. But actually I'm building Luffy towards a more reactive person, slowly.

Do put in some scene ideas if you have any. See ya'll next time~

(1792 words)