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‘There’s no finer place for a summer evening than a mountain top,’ Dadan observes as the sun sinks through the pinkening sky toward the tree line. Soon, it will fade to purple, and after that the enormous clear sky will be awash with stars. The air is cool and crisp, buzzing with cicada song and swarming with fireflies. Today the boys have brought home a whole cartload of watermelons, and there’s so many that there’s barely any point in fighting over them. Of course, that doesn’t stop some of the more ambitious lot from trying to claim the biggest one for themselves. The rest are content to spit the seeds at each other, or just fight for the hell of it.
Yup, those suckers living in town don’t know what they’re missing.
As Dadan makes herself comfortable under the eaves of the house, she spots Luffy careening toward her out of the trees. Belly showing from under his too-small shirt, he raises a huge jar of fireflies above his head. Brats grow fast. She’d have to ask Makino to bring new clothes next time she made the trip up the mountain.
“DADAAAAN! Look what I got!!!” He skids to a stop and thrusts the jar out for her inspection.
“Where’d you get those, kiddo?” She takes it, surprised by how many of the things he was able to catch.
“Ace helped me! He showed me how to grab ‘em without squishin’ ‘em. We’re gonna catch a thousand an’ light up our secret base.”
“Yeah, well, poke some holes in the lid if you want ‘em to live ‘til morning.” Dadan says as she scans the scene for the older brother.
These days, it was suspicious for Ace to be separated from his tiny, rubber shadow. She only dismisses the instinct to look over her shoulder when she spots him on top of the watermelon pile, screaming like a wild animal with the biggest melon in his arms. After headbutting, kicking, and biting his way through the throng, he makes a beeline for the two under the eaves, cackling with delight.
“WHOA Ace!” Luffy practically has stars in his eyes, “That one’s almost as big as me! Gimme a piece!”
“You think that’s cool? Watch this!” Ace raises up the enormous fruit and brings it down over his knee with a wet crack. Juice flies in all directions and the melon falls to the ground in two uneven chunks. Smirking, Ace picks up the larger half and shoves it into Luffy’s arms, then he grabs the smaller one before running back to rejoin the pandemonium.
Luffy and Dadan watch on in relative peace as the seed war escalates in the yard.
“Ace has been a lot nicer to me since Sabo died,” Luffy says out of nowhere. He looks up at her, brow furrowed, juice running down his chin, “Why?”
Dadan sputters. There goes her relaxing evening.
“Geez, kid. What’re you asking me something like that for?”
Luffy bites another huge chunk off his melon, “I asked everyone, but the guys told me to ask you.”
Cowards. Leave all the hard work to Dadan and her natural maternal instincts, huh? She scrubs a hand over her face.
“If I had to guess, I’d say he’s trying to do the work of two brothers. What did Ace tell you?” Luffy was thoughtlessly, disturbingly honest. She doubted he’d go asking questions behind his brother’s back.
“He said, ‘Shut up! What do you know, crybaby?’”
“That sounds about right.”
Always the stubborn one, Ace. Growing up with that chip on his shoulder because his parents went and died on him, and now his first friend, his brother, has left him behind, too. The kid’s been grieving his whole life, and just when he figures out how to let someone in—gone. Sabo is gone with the tide, and Ace is still here with no way to follow.
Dadan sucks air through her teeth, trying to think of something worth saying out loud.
“The thing you need to remember about Ace,” she tries, “is that he’s an expert at holding grudges against the dead. You can hardly blame him sometimes. They always leave unfinished business.” She looks down at Luffy, slurping down his watermelon half like they aren’t talking about grief. The worst thing Sabo could have done was leave Ace alone, but Luffy’s still here. “I suppose this time around he’s decided that he has to be the one to pick up the slack.”
Luffy hums. Then the slurping sounds pause after he swallows another melon chunk.
“He’s really angry at Sabo for leaving us behind. We can’t even follow him out to sea now, or prove who will be the greatest pirate.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“He’s mad, but I don’t think he hates him.” Cicadas hum. The sky grows more purple.
“No, I don’t think so either.”
“He’s never gonna be two brothers, though.”
Dadan can’t help but laugh, “Don’t forget that Ace is stubborn. That won’t stop him from trying.”
Luffy laughs too, and picks up the jar again, holding it close to his face so he can watch the insects blink and crawl around inside.
“Just means it’s even more important now for the two of us to go out to sea. We’ll make sure Sabo can see us.” The sun may not have fully set, but the dim light of the fireflies is enough to project a tiny fire into both of his eyes.
Every so often, Dadan catches herself really believing in this kid’s fantasy. She looks up at the rising moon and heaves out a sigh. Twenty years ago, she would have laughed herself hoarse if someone had told her this is where she’d end up. Well, things could be a lot worse.
She must have been staring for a while, because when Ace reappears, Dadan nearly jumps out of her skin.
“What are you sitting around for, crybaby? Break’s over! You won’t catch enough for our lamps if you wait 'till it gets all the way dark.” Ace has two more jars in hand. Big ones, too, which tells Dadan he’s probably been planning this for a while. Finding that much unbroken glass in Grey Terminal isn’t easy.
“What!? We’re never gonna fill those, Ace!”
“Not if you keep being slow,” Ace smirks at his little brother and takes off towards the woods.
“Wait up!” Luffy hops to his feet, stretching his arm around the jar so he doesn’t drop it as he runs. It’s rare to see him do anything with care.
“Hold on!” Dadan calls after them, "Why do you little monsters need so many jars of bugs!?”
The kids shout over their shoulders as they disappear into the night.
“For Sabo!!! Duh!”
That’s the last time she sees the kids that night, but later, when the starry blanket has fallen over the mountaintop, Dadan can pick out three dull pinpricks of yellow light against the pitch black of the jungle.