Curled up in her arms under the starlight, three small children, now her children, slept in deep silence. This made her a mother once more. Well, to a certain extent. In the end, one cannot mix pretending and being in the same basket. The only thing she had clear was that she was not going to lose her family again.
《Hours before: 9:00 am》
"What is happening here?" Ace kept pulling his younger brother's hair, which distressed Palila, who asked anxiously about his rough actions. Ace explained that Luffy kept insisting on going to the beach, even though he had repeatedly told him it was forbidden.
"I don't see what's wrong," Palila couldn't understand why. To her, it sounded like a good idea. "Until he starts drowning," Sabo added mockingly, to which Luffy murmured that it wasn't true. "You are impossible to control in the river, let alone in the open sea," Ace reproached upon hearing his complaint.
"Ace is not lying, miss. Our little brother is a restless bee. That's why we only take him to the river," Sabo confessed, to which Luffy added with a pout that the river is boring. Ace wanted to strangle his brother right there.
"What if I take him?" Palila offered while picking Luffy up in her arms. "Do you think you can handle him?" Ace asked seriously.
"Of course," Palila replied.
"You can take him, I'll trust you," Sabo declared with confidence, seeing how carefully she held his brother. Ace was about to contradict him when Sabo preempted him. "Consider it a test of trust. Besides, you know this could serve as a break for us." Ace didn't argue, they needed a break from their little brother to some extent. They love him, no doubt about it, but It can be exhausting taking care of him all day long.
"Alright, but if anything happens to my brother..." Ace accepted with a few threats.
"Just take care of him, please. And you, don't be so hard on her!" Sabo scolded Ace, who growled in response.
Palila and Luffy soon set off towards Fosha Village. According to Palila, they needed to buy a few things before going swimming. And there was no better place than the village near where they were going to swim. Ever since Luffy found out about this, he kept insisting on going to Makino's bar, which piqued Palila's curiosity. She asked with a smile who Makino was. "She used to take care of me before Grandpa took me to live in the mountains," Luffy replied while picking his nose. "So, is she your mom?" Palila looked at Luffy with doubt. "I don't know, Makino is just Makino," Luffy's response was vague but accurate. For him, Makino was like Dadan, a person his grandfather entrusted him to. Deep down, Luffy knew Makino was like an older sister.
"I see." They continued until they reached the village, where Luffy ran off, leaving poor Palila behind. He burst into Makino's bar, crashing into her. "Luffy?" Makino was taken aback by his appearance, especially knowing well that the boy was forbidden to return to the village. Before she could question him, a young woman came running to the door, her dark hair flowing behind her as she stopped, out of breath. Despite her haste, her eyes showed a mix of relief and joy at finding Luffy there. Makino's eyes met those of the unknown woman, trying to understand who she was and why Luffy greeted her so warmly. Something else caught Makino's attention at that moment. It was the way the sunlight illuminated the woman's face, highlighting the warm tones of her skin and the shine in her dark eyes. There was a serenity in her smile, as if she carried the peace of a distant place.
"Hello, miss, I..." Makino began, trying to find the right words to welcome her, but was interrupted by the stranger. "You must be Makino, right? It's a pleasure to meet you, I am Palila," said the woman, extending her hand with grace and warmth, dissipating the tension in the air. "The pleasure is mine, but who are you?" asked Makino. "She's my mom!" Luffy announced enthusiastically, his eyes shining with love and excitement.
"Mom?!" Makino and Palila exclaimed simultaneously, their minds trying to process what the boy had said. The room fell silent for a moment, broken only by the distant sound of birds outside.
"What did you just say, Luffy? I think I didn't hear well," Palila asked, her voice a bit trembling. "Once Makino said that a mother is a unique person!" Luffy explained quickly, his contagious enthusiasm filling the room." And I had never seen anyone write on the fruit, that's unique." Laughter filled the room, a mix of disbelief and joy that broke the tension.
"So, have you been taking care of them?" Makino asked Palila while Luffy was busy coloring with crayons. "Yes," Palila replied with a smile. Curious about the unusual visit, Makino asked, "And what brings you here?".
"I brought Luffy to the beach while his brothers take a little break from this whirlwind," Palila explained while ruffling Luffy's hair. "I'm so glad to know there's someone else taking care of them..." Makino admitted, her voice full of concern. "Tell me about it! They're like animals," added Palila with a soft laugh, finding humor in the playful and energetic nature of the brothers. Makino nodded, sharing a knowing laugh with Palila.
"I'm glad they can finally be kids," she commented, her gaze reflecting the tenderness and love she felt for each of the brothers. "Me too," added Palila, then took the opportunity to ask about a place to buy toys.
"I know the perfect place!" exclaimed Makino, enthusiastically sharing her knowledge of a nearby toy store. That store turned out to be a small gem, full of toys. Luffy was speechless, his eyes shining with wonder at the variety of options. Amid laughter and excitement, they chose swimming toys, anticipating the fun that awaited them at the beach. Finally, they reached the seashore, with Luffy eager to jump into the water.
However, his excitement was interrupted when Palila applied sunscreen to him. "What's this?" Luffy asked, intrigued by the liquid in his hands. "It's sunscreen," Palila explained patiently. "You need to use it to protect yourself from the sun and avoid sunburn."
"The sun can burn me?" Luffy asked, his eyes widening in surprise and awe. "Yes, it can! It's important to take care of your skin," Palila said.
After a while, they ventured into the sea and, as expected, Luffy had some trouble swimming, but the floaties helped him a lot.
"You can do it, Luffy! Come to me!" exclaimed Palila, encouraging him while they enjoyed their time in the water. Luffy was having a lot of fun. As time passed, he seemed to have understood how to swim. "Look, mommy, a strange fish!" Luffy pointed to a clownfish.
"That's called a clownfish," Palila commented, catching the fish with her hands. "Can I eat it?" Luffy asked, interrupting Palila before she could finish her warning about eating raw fish.
"Wait, did you call me mommy again?" Palila paused for a second, processing what she had just heard. Luffy simply laughed. "You shouldn't, but why do you call me that?" She asked.
"Why shouldn't I? You're my mom." Luffy seemed confused by the question.
With Ace and Sabo.
Ace pov
"That's a good catch, Ace!" Sabo said, inspecting the crocodile they had caught.
"We have to sell something soon, Luffy's birthday is coming up, and I don't want to touch our pirate savings!" Sabo reminded him.
"What if we sell some crocodile skin? Does that sound good?" Sabo smiled, to which Ace nodded without much thought. They headed to Edge Town, where they sold the crocodile skin. When they arrived, everything seemed to be going according to plan. They were even paid more than usual.
They finished their business and were about to leave when a guard stopped them, finding them suspicious. They were ready to flee when, suddenly, their hoods fell off, revealing their identities as the demon children of the terminal. "Don't let them escape!" Normally, they would be chased for a while and then left alone, but today was different. As soon as they knew who they were, they made sure to surround them. Ace was panicking. Never before had they been so persistent about capturing them.
"Outlook Sabo, we're here to help you, so we request you come with us without causing more trouble." One of the guards said. "He sent you, didn't he?!" His brother shouted. His body trembled like Ace had never seen before. "We have an order to bring back," the man pulled a photo of his brother from his pocket, "the son of one of the highest-ranking nobles from High Town."
"How dare they even think of taking my brother from me," Ace thought, filled with rage. "Leave or I'll kill you," Ace declared loudly as he attacked the guards frenetically.
But all his attempts were in vain. "Ace, stop! There are too many!" Sabo shouted desperately.
"If I go with you, will you leave my brothers alone?" Seeing that this was going nowhere, Sabo took a step forward. "Don't do it!" Ace shouted, he couldn't allow his brother to sacrifice himself like that.
"I'm sorry, Ace, but we have no other choice. Don't be sad for me, at least I got to taste what people call freedom," said his foolish brother as he walked away with the guards. When he returned to the forest, he screamed as he had never screamed before. He punched the ground as he had never done before. The anger flooded him, the helplessness of not being able to do anything at that moment.
There was no doubt, he had to save his brother. With determined steps and a racing heart, he returned home. Upon entering, he found Luffy playing with toys he was sure hadn't been there before. He would ask about the toys when everything else was settled. At this moment, his priority was something else.
"They kidnapped Sabo," Ace said. Luffy, with his innocent eyes full of confusion, looked at him in disbelief. "You're lying, right?!" His little brother was a crybaby, and like all crybabies, he soon started to cry like crazy. Something that on another occasion would be a reason for mockery or anger now only made him feel like scum. "Luffy, listen to me. I swear I'll bring him back!" His arms wrapped around Luffy in a protective hug, as if trying to shield him from the world.
At that moment, Palila, with a compassionate look in her eyes, approached. "It's nothing you should worry about..." Ace began, but he couldn't hide his anguish.
"It is. You're not alone anymore. You can depend on me," Palila responded. She was like a ray of light in the midst of darkness.
"Then..." Ace murmured before taking a deep breath. "What would you think if Gold Roger had a son?" His eyes reflected a mix of hope and fear.
Palila laughed, but it wasn't a mocking laugh, it was an echo of genuine joy mixed with understanding. "Roger with a son? That sounds too surreal to believe!" Her laugh was warm, as if trying to ease the tension in the air.
"It's not funny at all!" Ace shouted, enraged.
"Sorry, but it's hard for me to believe that someone so incompetent could have a child. I thought he didn't even know where they came from," Palila commented.
"Did you knew the Pirate King?" Luffy asked, his eyes shining with the excitement of meeting someone who had shared adventures with his idol.
"Of course. He was always behind me, trying to convince me to join his crew. He was a real headache. But if he really had a son, I have no doubt he would be as loved as him," Palila confessed, as if she were reading Ace's thoughts and responding to his deepest fears.
"Wait, you can't be serious," Ace exclaimed. What she was saying didn't make sense. That man was a demon. How could a demon be as loved as she suggested?
"I'm not joking. If you were his friend, there was no way to hate him. Even someone like me would have accepted his invitation if it weren't for..." Palila began.
Why not?—Roger asked her again.
— I'm a retired pirate, I've already had my own adventures,— she replied, the same answer she always gave him.
"I've already had my own adventures," Palila finished, her voice filled with nostalgia. Luffy looked at her with newfound admiration in his eyes. "Are you a pirate?" he asked, his voice full of awe and respect.
"From the best crew in history. Roger could never compare to my captain," Palila declared proudly.
"How old are you?" Ace asked, not really knowing what led him to ask.
"I'm still in my glory days. I'm 125 years old," Palila replied.
"So you're old," Luffy concluded. The answer didn't offend her; instead, she laughed, as if she had heard that comment before.
"Other races consider us immortal beings, but in reality, we just have a longer lifespan than others," Palila began to explain. "You've already realized, haven't you? I'm not human," she said as if it were obvious, but Ace could barely process her words. Palila's revelation shook his foundations but also awakened a new curiosity in him. This conversation was to see if she accepted him for who he was, but it had escalated to a level of strangeness Ace hadn't anticipated.
"If you're not human...what are you?" Ace asked.
"Someone capable of getting your brother back. So, tell me where they took him so we can plan his rescue," Palila said, her voice firm but full of compassion. Ace felt a lump in his throat as he realized that this woman not only had a connection to his father but was also willing to help him find his brother.
For that, and for other reasons, he ended up accepting her help.
Sabo's Pov
In High Town, everyone believes that children should thank their parents for the noble life they give them. How? By letting them control their lives like little puppets. At some point, things made sense, at others, they didn't. The cage was suffocating him. That's why he made the decision to escape and taste for the first time that thing people call freedom. It was incredible, like a candy so sweet it seemed lethal. And the lethal part drove him crazy. It was exhilarating. But as his father once told him, good things come to an end for naughty children.
That's why he's now back in the golden cage he hated so much. A cage that now included new beasts. A brother he didn't ask for. An obvious replacement for him. Was he really nothing more than a pawn to his parents? Are all parents like that? Or could they also be like Palila? Kind and understanding.
Though at this rate, he would never have an answer to these questions. That's why he tried to sleep. But it's almost impossible when the place reeks of bad memories.
Tack, Tack, Tack*
A strange sound pulled him out of his laments. It came from the window. He approached. "Hello, little one..." he said to the small white bird in front of him. A bird had crashed into his window. So he quickly put it in his hands and petted it. Only for it to take flight and pull his shirt. Trying to lead him to the window. "You want me to go with you? How funny, it's not like I can fly..." If he could, he would have been free a long time ago. Especially because his parents made sure to put spikes under his window. "Wait! Stop!" The little bird was strong, throwing him effortlessly out the window. "Damn it!" Before hitting the ground, he saw the bird transform into a white, fiery creature that caught him on its massive back.
"A Phoenix?" He had read about them in books, but they were supposed to be extinct. But here, in front of him, was one. The phoenix seemed to ignore him, rising higher. The wind caressed his face, making him feel freer than ever before.
"Is this what flying feels like?" he asked, not expecting an answer. They descended enough to see two small figures running toward them. "Sabo!" They were his brothers; they had come for him. "Luffy, get ready, we're going to jump," With those words, the phoenix approached, allowing his brothers to jump onto one of its legs. Once there, it leaned, throwing them into the air and catching them on its back. Luffy hugged him, and he couldn't help but return the embrace.
To which Ace said, "Look at everything you made us go through to bring you back, idiot."
"Can someone explain why we're on top of an extinct creature?" He asked, to which his little brother cheerfully replied that it was Palila.
"Luffy, are you saying that Palila is this phoenix?" he asked, perplexed. "Luffy doesn't lie," Ace said. "It's too much to process," he replied, knowing that Ace wouldn't lie to him.
Now that he thought about it, doesn't the name Palila mean 'Bird'?.
"Wait, is her name even Palila?" he asked his brother, to which he replied that she had been using different names for years. But the real one, or at least the one she wants to be seen as the real one, is... "Thank you, princess," Sabo said with a smile, to which Palila responded with some small chirps.
Palila took them back to the treehouse. They still called her Palila because, according to Ace, she didn't really care, and she was also starting to like the name. After getting off her back, they watched as Palila returned to her human form. Once there, he turned to look at his brothers and Palila.
"I know I owe you answers, but also, I'm sorry for making you believe I was an orphan from the Terminal," he confessed through tears. "Don't be stupid," Ace hugged him while Luffy joined the hug. "I'm glad you're back," Luffy added.
"The truth is, I was born into a noble family but escaped from them. I thought I was free, but they want to reclaim their property. And they won't stop until they do. That's why I think the best thing is for me to leave…" Sabo bit his lip just having to say such a terrible thing.
"You're afraid they'll come after you and put everyone in danger," Palila added wisely, her words full of understanding as if she knew firsthand what Sabo felt. "I know I haven't been with you for long, and maybe I'm not your…" She didn't need to finish for them to understand.
"I wouldn't mind," admitted Ace.
"Palila is our mom," Luffy exclaimed as if it was already decided.
"You're kids are an amazing child," her voice trembled with emotion, "with a big heart. You don't deserve to live in fear." Palila said that while looking at Sabo with eyes full of sadness, as if just realizing his situation broke her heart in ways he didn't know. No one had ever said something like that. Or looked at him with such understanding other than his brother's.
"Would you really be our mother?" Sabo asked.
"You are children, undoubtedly strong children. But children nonetheless. And no child deserves to be alone without a guide." She began. "Someone to help you when the beasts are too strong to defeat alone. A person to accompany you until you can defend yourselves against the greatest beasts this world has to offer. It's okay if you don't want to accept me, but it would be an honor to be your…" Before she could finish, Sabo hugged her. "It's okay, mom," He whispered through tears, his heart swelling with a newly discovered sense of belonging, "we love you." With those words, the pain of the past seemed to fade away.
The word mom filled the void in their hearts that they didn't know existed. And so, our family of three officially became a family of four. Three children and their mother. Under the canvas of twinkling stars, cuddled in the warm embrace of their mother, they found comfort in her arms. On that unforgettable day, Palila made a sacred promise to herself, engraving it deep in her soul amidst tears and smiles. "I will protect you, no matter what," she whispered to the skies, "I won't lose anyone else." And at that moment, in the vastness of the universe, our little family found a love as powerful as no other.
