The red-haired pirates sang until they fell drunk on the floor at many of the parties they had at Makino's bar. Luffy loved listening to them because pirate songs told the stories of old sailors who sailed the seas.
When Palila became a regular part of his life, she began to tell stories of a boy who never grew up and always had adventures on Neverland. An island full of adventures and magic everywhere. The boy was the pirate captain of the Lost Boys, the infamous Prince.
These stories were his favorites before going to sleep. But the sung ones were also his favorites. Those stories or messages sung by his mother.
She sang them when Ace was sad, when Sabo had nightmares where he woke up in the house of his evil parents, or when Luffy felt so lonely that he couldn't sleep.
"Can't sleep, my sunshine? Would you like me to sing you something?" Palila asked softly. To which Luffy nodded.
"Golden slumbers kiss your eyes,
Smiles awake you when you rise,
Sleep, pretty baby, do not cry,
And l will sing you a lullaby.
Care is heavy, therefore sleep
While l o'er you watch do keep
Sleep, pretty darling, do not cry
And l will sing you a lullaby."
Nothing reassured him of love like his mother's voice. He wouldn't know what to do without her.
He may never be able to sing like his mother, so he asked her to teach him to play an instrument.
"Join my crew," Luffy proposed, to which she declined.
"I'm retired, so I have to decline your invitation. But knowing you, I have no doubt that you will find someone capable of erasing your doubts with their singing," Palila confessed while pinching his cheek affectionately.
Luffy nodded, not entirely satisfied, and went to where his brothers were, already with the instruments.
"What is that, Sabo?" Ace asked when he saw the long tube his brother was holding.
"It's a trumpet," Sabo replied before starting to play it.
It was no surprise to anyone when Sabo became a master at it. Motivating Ace to find an instrument he liked. But nothing convinced him.
"How about I teach you to sing?" Palila suggested. To which Ace agreed.
It was shocking to hear Ace sing after learning for a while. He sounded like Palila, full of love.
Luffy asked him again to join his crew, to which Ace replied that he would never be subordinate to a crybaby like him.
"Luffy, what about you? Isn't there anything that catches your attention?" his brothers and mother asked him.
He smiled and started hitting the drum with his two little sticks. To everyone's surprise, he wasn't bad.
"How did you do it?" Ace asked, astonished. Since it was Luffy's first attempt.
"By following my heart!" Luffy affirmed.
His brothers didn't understand his explanation. Instead, his mother immediately knew that her son was following the rhythm of his heart.
"First of all, there is something else I have to say," before continuing with the day, she sat down to talk to them about something she had been keeping to herself. "The royal phoenix lineage is divided into two clans. The main clan is the one that can use all the elements along with the healing flames. While the secondary clan can only heal."
"But the main clan has the most important duty of all. Preserving the songs of the past," she confessed the burden that had been entrusted to her dynasty to safeguard since long before the distant void century. "As far as I know, I am the last one left of the main clan. That's why I wanted to see if you would like me to pass these songs to you, to continue the tradition..." Palila said, a bit nervous.
They didn't hesitate to agree, after all she had done for them, the least they could do was help preserve what their mother valued so much.
Unable to sing them properly, both Luffy and Sabo learned the lyrics and melody by heart. Ace, on the other hand, was able to sing the songs without problems.
Those songs captivated Luffy because they were something special.
"Drift off through the clouds,
In your little boat,
And sail by the sparkling stars,
The marshmallow clouds,
So fluffy and light,
Will cuddle you all through the hours."
His mother sang while wrapping them in blankets as soft as the cotton clouds she sang about. For a child like Ace who had never known this kind of love, it was something new, but very much appreciated.
"So, hush my darling,
Until the morning comes,
Rest with me,
Until we see the sun,
No need to cry,
For here I will stay,
Until you are fast asleep."
The same for Sabo, who now knew that a mother could love you unconditionally.
"Wrapped up in your cradle,
Cozy and warm,
Every night, I will keep you.
Hush my darling,
Until the morning comes,
Rest with me,
Until we see the sun."
Luffy, on the other hand, couldn't stop envying his mother's ex-captain.
"And I will keep you,
I will keep you,
I will keep you safe from harm."
At the end, they all ended up asleep, even Palila, who even while sleeping, couldn't stop smiling.