When the cherry blossoms fall to the ground...
And the scent of perfume fills the air...
The air sparkles with a new life and light...
As the gates of Whole Cake Academy open for the day...
The air was suffocating...
A chill lingered, making everything appear freezing.
Heat, unmistakably and unbearably so, made him uncomfortable.
His eyes closed tightly as his fingers clenched the sheets of his bed.
A cough, then another, exited out of a sore throat.
Over the constant sniffling of a snotty nose came murmurs from a sleeping young man.
The murmurs that haunted his very dreams, those of a nightmarish scenario!
"Good morning Police Commissioner Garp! Is Luffy available for a study session?"
It was surprising to Garp to see a bright young face standing outside his door...on a Saturday no less.
What was more surprising was that this fresh young face was that of a young lady.
Said young lady was shifting on her feet, side-by-side, looking around the home with a distinct blush on her face.
Who was this pretty young thing that was waiting outside his house?
"Uhh...who are you?" Garp asked, a bit rude, but curious.
The young lady bowed her head. "I apologize for the short notice! You see, I attend Luffy's after school activities center and we had plans to hangout this weekend for a study session. He did mention me, right?"
Garp rubbed the back of his neck, laughing a bit. "Why of course he did! How could I, his grandfather, forget such a cute date of his? How about you come on in and I'll go fetch him for you...uh..."
"Oh! Where are my manners?" She winked at him. "My name's Ann Dawn, and I'm an old friend of Luffy's."
"Hey Luffy, when we get older, I want to marry you! Wouldn't that be fun?"
That voice...he hadn't heard that voice in years. How long had it been since he ventured to his mother's home town and chatted with the locals?
Speaking of said local, a familiar face with blonde hair and brown eyes appeared to be staring down at him. This girl had a big smile on her face, her hair in twin tails, and wore a cute white dress. He could smell the light aroma of lemons on her, aiding to her memorable appearance.
"Luffy-chan, wake up! I want to do it today!" A stick poked his nose, making him leap up and hold his nose furiously.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR, YOU PSYCHO!" He yelled at the girl, who held the stick tightly in her hands.
"I don't want to wait for our lives to be over before we do this! I want to marry you right now!" The girl demanded, her eyes puffy from crying. "You are moving away soon and I can't have the last thought of you sleeping in my memories forever!"
"Geez, can't you write to me or get my number like normal girls? Why can't you be normal...Silk?"
Silk?
Silk?
Wait...this girl wasn't Silk...was she?
The entire memory started to fizzle out as Luffy felt himself slipping deeper. The world went dark as he saw the sinister face of the girl looking down at him.
"Commissioner, let me pour the tea for you."
Garp smiled as he watched Luffy's study buddy brewing him a pot of tea on the stove. It was rare for someone of the opposite sex to step foot into the household whenever Ace and Sabo were back in school. Normally, when either of them visited, they would bring along Koala or Itsuka who would happily help with keeping the house tidy. Ann was just doing the same thing as any of those girls were doing; dusting off the furniture, cleaning the kitchen down, and even making a hearty breakfast. He sat down at the table, reading the morning paper that she had retrieved from the stoop.
Ann hummed to herself as she cracked a couple of eggs on the side of a large mixing bowl. With a whisk, she stirred in the spices and fluffed them up goof.
"Say, where are Sabo and Ace? Surely they would be back around this time? It's almost spring break for university." She asked politely, pouring the eggs in the pan.
"Bah, those two are away on vacation. Some of Ace's fraternity brothers made plans for a road trip while Sabo has a couple of rallies he's heading to for his club."
"What about your son? He works there too. Is he not coming home?"
"That boy never comes home unless it's a holiday that matters, so no! It's usually just me and the boy here. That's why I'm happy to see him getting out more and enjoying life!"
"Is that so?" Ann sprinkled in some extra seasonings on the eggs while the bacon sizzled. "Do you still like strawberry jam on your toast?"
"Ooh yes! Don't tell Sengoku, but a little jam never kills my cholesterol!" Garp held out his mug as she poured his tea. "Say, you seem to have our entire meals in memory!"
"Oh, well Luffy has talked a dozen times about his family and how meticulously everyone eats. It's always nice to keep tabs on those kinds of things."
Garp hummed in thought, taking a swig of tea. "You know, he drives me crazy sometimes Ann. I want him to quit that girly school and work on the police force! However, he always says it's a waste of time and energy on his part. He wants to travel the world and explore new cities like some drifter."
Ann smiled, wiping down the counter. "He's always been like that, ever since he was a kid and saving everyone from bullies. A part of his charm is that he can bring a smile on your face with just a glance and make you feel better. It was something I often miss whenever I thought of him."
What she said made Garp pause and look towards the humming girl. He saw her sprinkling some cheese into the omelet she was making for Luffy and a plate full of cut fruit on the side. A mug full of hot tea sat down next to her as she began to spread the butter on the toast. That's when he noticed the pill bottle hiding behind the bottle of ketchup.
"Say Ann..." He said slowly as he continued to sip the tea. "What is that bottle of pills for?"
"Oh that? Seeing that Luffy isn't down here with all this food, I assume he must be sick. Perhaps...a fever with slight diarrhea?" Ann chuckled, turning slowly. "He probably caught it yesterday from that orange-haired girl from his math class."
"Okay...you never answered the question, Ann. In fact...how do you know so much about our family? You act as...if you've been...here the whole time..." Garp felt himself becoming drowsier as his vision started to flicker.
Ann turned around slowly, sticking her tongue out and winking. "For someone who works in the police, you sure don't know your narcotics~! It took me many tries to find the right dosage to take down the mighty Garp, but I think this should knock you out for a couple of hours."
The blue-haired girl smiled down as the captain began trying to get himself from knocking out. His hand reached out to her as she waved at him. With a loud thud, he passed out right in front of her. A loud sigh came out of her mouth as she put the breakfast she made for Luffy on a tray along with some orange juice and the medication.
"I can't believe that this family doesn't have some sort of security system. I mean, with two guys in this house, a couple of firearms, and a key under the mat, it's so easy! At least Luffy is all alone now and ripe for the plucking." She checked herself in the mirror before gasping. "I should probably take off this cheap wig. Maybe later."
Her hips shook as she made her way toward his bedroom with food for her lovely boyfriend. Seeing the cute sheep and lion on the door made her grin as she used her free hand to open the door.
"Hello, my prince! Your beautiful nurse is here to make sure the fever she gave you was worth seeing you in bed. This took many years to plan, so lemme make the most of this and feed you!"
Luffy's room was messier than she thought. Clothes were all over the floor, numerous memorabilia from his family and friends were on the walls and shelf, and his bed was even a pirate ship. She cooed at the stuffed animals that were on a shelf over his bed that represented all his friends and family. The iconic straw hat hung on the closet door, making her squeal. With her leg, she wiped off some space on the desk to put the tray down.
Luffy was currently tossing and turning in his bed, hands clenching on the red sheets. His bare chest glistened with sweat as his breathing was shallow. His hair stuck to his forehead. To her delight, he was only in his briefs as his shirt was on the floor. She came over and caressed his face gently.
"Hello Luffy, it's been a while. No parents, no sexy brothers, and definitely no pop stars or dog girls!" Ann's smile widened as she brought his head up to her chest. "Just you and me for the next couple of hours with no one interfering with our reunion. We have so much catching up to do."
His murmurs filled the air, making him squirm in her arms. Ann closed her eyes as she reveled in the proximity of their love. Her lips quivered a tad, wanting to plant a big kiss on his soft, sickly lips. Her beating hard drummed as her breath became shallow. The more she leaned over, the more she wanted to make out with her lover.
"This was much better than kidnapping. After all, the best place to be in love is at the home. Home is where the heart is. And thanks to me memorizing everything about you for the past few years, no one ever comes here unless on certain days in the week! But should anyone open the door or try to take away my time with you...I'm very handy with a knife."
Ann then remembered the food on his desk and went over to grab the fork and knife. If he wasn't waking up anytime soon, she might as well feed him~!
Visiting his mother's home town always brought about chaos.
The family trips often ended with meeting her parents, them not approving Dragon, a big shouting match, kisses exchanged, and then leaving. They only stayed for a weekend, visiting the grands was always quite difficult and never fun for the adults. For Luffy, it meant being away from his brothers and the town he came to love. Although, he did get to meet some new friends and eat some new foods.
He walked down the hallway of the upstairs, hearing the yells of the adults from down below. His eyes glanced at his mother, who was fretting by the stairs before noticing her son. With a mischievous expression, she gestured for him to follow her. Not one to say no to her, he eagerly leaped into her arms as they ran out of the house.
The salty sea air hit his nose the moment they stepped outside. Waves slapped against the rocky shores of the beach house where his grandparents lived. Being by the sea was something that cemented in his mind as the only thing worth coming to when they visited. He saw the sun glistening off the water, shining like jewels that reflected off his eyes. His mother carried him down to the shores, both of them sitting down and letting their feet soak.
"I'm sorry Luffy." The soothing voice of his mother said. "Every time we come to visit, you seem to have to listen to all that yelling. It's not fair to you nor is it right."
"I don't mind." Luffy replied softly. "I get to have these moments with you."
He leaned against her shoulder, a blush evident on his face. His mother said nothing but placed an arm around her son and squeezed him tightly. It was a brief moment of peace between them as Luffy closed his eyes contented.
When he opened them again, the sky was dark, the ocean red, and sand black. He jumped up, noticing his mother was gone and the beach house abandoned and broken down. His heart began racing as a chill ran through his body. In the distance, he noticed a single figure standing in the shadows, a menacing grin on their face. Luffy wanted to run, but the sand gripped tightly on his ankles. He struggled a bit as the figure reached out towards him while giggling.
"Found you Luffy~!"
The rain came down harder outside as a familiar face was seen running in the downpour.
"Hey! Slow down, you crazy dogs! If I wanted to get messy, I would've baked with the little ones!"
The curvaceous appearance of Charlotte Linlin made her way down the block with her four very friendly dogs dragging her. Her bright pink raincoat, boots, and umbrella stuck out in the grayish world around her. With her feet splashing every muddy puddle, she was this close to yanking her dogs backward and going home. Life, as it seems, has a way of dropping you exactly where you don't want to end up.
Zeus decided to stop abruptly, causing Prometheus, Napoleon, and Hera to crash right into him. Linlin's eyes widened as she careened over the fallen dog pile and right into the soaked lawn in front of them. Her head slowly rose to glare at her dogs when she saw the mailbox.
Monkey Family.
Her face turned from a grimace to a snarl when she realized where she was. Of course, with her luck, she ended up where her biggest enemy lived. She cursed the various gods in her head as she stood up to allow mud to slide off her body.
Monkey D. Luffy was the bane of her existence and the most annoying creature alive!
"I'm not going to do anything petty. I'm merely here by coincidence and stupid luck. I should just go away and continue to walk my precious poochies back home." She spoke aloud while pacing the sidewalks. Her dogs walked alongside her, happy to be included in her pacing. "Then again, when will I have another opportunity to get revenge on him? It must be fate for me to ruin his life."
With a newfound pep in her step, Linkin skipped down the walkway to the door. Before she rang the doorbell or knocked on the door, she noticed it was slightly ajar. The notion didn't bother her as she told her dogs to stay on the stoop as she entered the home.
It was quiet, too quiet for it to be the home of a rambunctious teenage boy. From what she heard through the gossips of Alvida, he lived with a boisterous grandfather with a penchant for physical violence. Her eyes narrowed while she tracked mud into the house and looked around. It was modest, nothing too impressive. It was not as big as her home at least. Good for a smaller family that didn't have to feed eighty-plus people. Perhaps the residents were out and about on this rainy day. Maybe Luffy took his grandfather out for a warm meal on this rainy, cold day.
Linlin poked her head into the kitchen and bit her lip from screaming.
The police officer's grandfather was out you all didn't see that coming!
For those of you wondering who Silk/Ann is, look up concepts of One Piece. She's like the prototype of Nami before Oda decided upon our familiar orange-haired girl. Since she knew Luffy first, it's only natural that she would be obsessed with her future husband right?
And is Linlin going to be the hero of this arc?
Tune in next time to see what happens next!