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Chapter Text

Mornings on the second part of the Grand Line are calmer than most people would think. Those who make it this far are more than formidable warriors and there are few who dare attack a crew brimming with beasts and infamy before they drink their obligatory morning coffee. At Thousand Sunny, however, mornings have never been calm no matter where they are. This morning, of course, is no exception. When barely half the crew have woken up, the sound of energetic and hurried footsteps approaching the deck alerts them all.

Monkey D. Luffy’s nest of dark hair peeks out the door tentatively. His twenty-one-year-old face, which has lost most of its baby fat and round shape, has a mixture of curiosity and innocence as he gazes up at the beautifully renovated deck of the crew ship.

The few pirates on deck continue their business without giving the young man more than a look of recognition. They let Luffy satisfy his curiosity by hanging around the ship until he finally approaches one of them. This morning, it's Robin who has the honor of facing her captain's sweet but confused smile.

“Hi!”, Luffy greets enthusiastically as he approaches the woman. "I don't know how I got here, is this a pirate ship?"

Robin smiles, her tone overflowing with love and happiness, and says: "Good morning. You're right, we are on a pirate ship.”

Luffy's lips turn into a perfect 'o' while his eyes widen. He looks around letting out a very long "ooooohhhhh".

"A pirate ship! Where is the captain?”

"Right here", she replies, hiding a smile behind her cup of coffee.

If Luffy is surprised by her answer, he doesn't show it. He puffs out his chest, puts his hands on his own hips and smiles.

“Good! I am Luffy, I will be the future King of the Pirates! Who are you? If you also want to have the One Piece then we will be rivals!”

To her credit, Robin's laugh is more subdued than it should have been. While waiting for a response from the woman, Luffy doesn't seem really offended at her mocking his statement.

“I'm sorry, I think there's been a misunderstanding”, she says, moving the spoon in her cup absently. “I didn't mean that I'm the captain, but that you are.”

For a moment, Luffy freezes. The next second, he shrugs and smiles.

“Oh, ok!”

Behind him, someone snorts. Luffy doesn't turn around fast enough to avoid Sanji's affectionate pat on the head in time.

"Stupid captain, accepting everything so easily...", the man places a tray of sandwiches on the coffee table where Robin is sitting. "If you don't remember us, at least ask us our names."

Luffy nods in understanding and turns to look at the raven woman with bated breath.

"Nico Robin", she introduces herself.

"Sanji, the cook", the blond man contributes. “Here's your breakfast.”

“Cool!”, Luffy exclaims before sitting down to eat breakfast happily. “And what are you? The musician?”, he asks Robin, bouncing in his seat.

"Maybe", the woman replies giving Sanji a knowing look. The man rolls his eyes fondly and walks away.

As the rest of the pirates start to wake up, they all come over to introduce themselves to Luffy as if it were a well-trained routine. This is what has been happening for the last year and they are all more than used to it.

A treasure is also a curse, part of the sacrifices they had to make in Laugh Tale was leaving behind the precious memories of their adventures. Every morning since the day Luffy became King of the Pirates, the Straw Hat crew meets a captain who remembers nothing of their years together. It was not easy for any of them to adapt to the circumstances. Even now, their hearts twist in pain at the unrecognized eyes that look at them after every sunrise. Luffy is oblivious to their suffering. Every time his mind resets, the captain reverts to being the seventeen-year-old who set out on adventure from the East Blue.

"Is everything alright, Luffy-san?", Brook asks, seeing the disoriented boy after lunch.

The captain turns to look at the skeleton in fascination. Although neither of them can think of the situation with optimism, Brook can't deny that he loves the boy's reaction every time he meets him. Many times there are astonished cries and many times the pattern of 'sugoi!' and 'hey, can you shit?', but other times he surprises him with something new like 'who ate all the meat on your body?!' or 'you should eat more!' The joy on his face when he finds out that he is a musician is also something that is engraved in his head and that pushes him to keep going in difficult days. What Brook finds the sweetest, though, is the offer to join his crew every day. It shakes him to the bone knowing that Luffy would choose him over and over again.

The young man hesitates at the question. He looks at Brook with his black orbs and never ceases to be amazed at how much he hides his captain's gaze. Luffy shrugged looking around.

"Have you seen Usopp? He seemed sad, I was going to invite him to eat something. Maybe he's hungry", he replies.

"Usopp-san is sad?", the skeleton tilts its head in confusion, remembering having seen the sniper eat normally. “Why do you think that?”

"I don't think so, I know”, the captain says obviously. “I met you today but I already like you a lot”, his face breaks into an excited smile. “Oh, I know! I'm going to invite him to join my crew!”

Chopper, who was sorting out some medicinal herbs near them, stumbles at the statement. Brook gives him an empathetic look, then looks back at the captain.

"Yohoho! What a great idea, Luffy-san! I'm sure you will make him very happy! Maybe you can find him in his workshop, do you need help getting there?”

Whatever Luffy was going to answer is interrupted by Chopper, who gives them a shaky smile.

“Actually, I was going to ask Brook to help me with something here. Why don't you find Zoro so he can show you how to get to Usopp?”, he suggests.

“Nice! Thanks Brook, Chopper!”

The two Akuma no Mi users see their captain walking away somewhere with that 'captain sensor' that always leads him to find Zoro even after losing his memory. Brook takes one last look at the rubber man before turning to the reindeer in bewilderment.

"What was that, Chopper-san?"

The doctor grimaces as he turns his attention back to the herbs he was ordering.

“Luffy’s right, Usopp has been down for a few days. I heard him cry last night when I was on duty.”

Brook's –metaphorical– heart clenches at the news. The sniper in their crew is a very emotional person. He's a bit like his captain in that regard, he doesn't usually hide what he feels. If he's happy, he'll show it. If he's scared, he won't hesitate to say so. If he's sad, he'll ask for a shoulder to cry on. Knowing that his friend has reached a point where he tries to hide his emotions hurts Brook in a way worse than any physical attack.

"Have you tried to talk to him?", he asks with concern.

Chopper nods and takes the notepad he never leaves from his pocket. "He asked me if there had been any progress in my research", he opens the notebook to reveal the drawings and diagrams of his study of memory. “He was very bummed when I told him no. I think he's disappointed.”

Brook cringes at the young doctor's plaintive tone. At nineteen, Chopper is already the best-known doctor on all the seas. It is, in part, because of the inevitable fame that being a Mugiwara brings, but it is also undoubtedly due to his own merit. Still, Luffy's condition is quite a blow to the doctor's self-esteem. Quoting his words verbatim: "How am I going to cure all diseases if I am not even able to cure my captain?"

The skeleton drops a bony hand into the fluffy fur of the little animal and tries to convey its affection. "You know this isn't your fault. You are doing everything possible, but we are not talking about physical damage. Even Law-san entered Luffy-san's head to see if there was something wrong and incidentally find out if it came with built-in defects", Chopper elicits a wet chuckle as he remembers how curious the creepy doctor was to enter into Luffy's mysterious brain. “We've talked about this many times, Chopper-san. He decided it.”

There is a moment of silence in which the doctor does not seem entirely convinced. Then he sighs.

"Yeah, and that's why I think it's best to get Luffy away from Usopp for a while", Chopper finishes.

"Okay", Brook nods. “I'll keep him distracted for the rest of today until he forgets again.”

The day passes quietly. Luffy finally goes to sleep and Usopp doesn't show his face again.

“Hello?”, Luffy peeks into the kitchen the next morning.

Sanji only pauses for a moment before continuing to make breakfast. Jinbe smiles at the boy and Zoro opens his one eye. The room fills with the sound of the coffee pot and the rain in the background as Luffy watches with interest. He looks at Zoro first, not so much because of the scar on his eye as because of the aura he emits. Then, using his nostrils, his attention turns to Sanji and his work. He is about to take a step towards him when the third member of the room moves and Luffy looks at him in fascination.

"Woah", he mutters to himself. "What are you?"

The utter astonishment in his voice is laughable and for a moment Jinbe has to remind himself to keep his seriousness in order to calmly answer any questions his captain might have. Luffy approaches him with interest, obviously not feeling any fear or revulsion towards the unknown race.

"I am a Fishman", he explains. “We are a species that lives in the depths of the ocean.”

“Under water?!”, he asks with surprise. "Wow, I'm a rubber man so I drown in the sea."

Jinbe is unable to suppress a giggle. Sanji sighs, but it's Zoro who reprimands the young man.

"You go around telling everyone your weaknesses? You're a bit stupid, aren't you?”, he comments looking at the jet lazily.

Luffy lets out an indignant squeal and points at the green-haired man with a scowl.

"You are the stupid one!", and then: "Who are you?", he asks belatedly.

“My name is…”

"Marimo", the cook interrupts. “Marimo, that's his name.”

A vein jumps on the green-haired man's forehead and deepens when he hears Jinbe's giggle and his gullible captain humming.

“I see! What a silly name!”, he laughs.

“That's not my name!”

Zoro stands up to fight the blonde when he hears him laugh out loud. Luffy watches the discussion with a confused smile.

“Hey, marimo, where are we?”, Luffy asks looking around.

A girl with orange hair stops at the kitchen door upon hearing the question. Her sleepy expression changes to one full of amusement.

"Sanji has done it again, hasn't he?"

Jinbe is the only one who hears her enter. He greets her with a smile and an invitation to sit next to him.

"They shouldn't fool poor Luffy-kun like that", he says, though he doesn't seem really sorry.

“Marimooo!”, Luffy calls. “Oi, Marimo! Do not ignore me!”

"I told you that's not my name!"

Luffy looks at him intensely for a second. Then, with that serious tone that he usually uses when he says what to others sounds like nonsense, he says:

"No need to be ashamed, I'm sure there are guys with more ridiculous names than you out there."

Sanji bursts out laughing again. Chopper walks in and cheers up at the jovial atmosphere in the kitchen.

"Today is going to be a good day", he says watching his captain jump with excitement when he sees that Zoro and Sanji are about to start a fight.

"I hope so", Nami sighs, looking fondly at the monstrous trio of crew. “Good morning, Sanji-kun~”

The blonde immediately breaks away from the fight to surround the girl with hearts jumping out of his eyes.

"Good morning, Nami-swan! I have prepared this wonderful breakfast for the most beautiful lady!”

"Oh, so our navigator is the most beautiful woman in your eyes, cook-kun", Robin jokes, walking into the kitchen.

Sanji pales and tries to excuse himself while Chopper, Nami and Jinbe hide their giggles. It doesn't take long for Franky and Brook to show up, and the room is filled with quiet chats and the delicious smell of food. They are aware of Luffy watching them all in fascination, but as always, they let him make the first move.

"Hey, Marimo", he says in an attempt at a low-key whisper. “Where are we?", he repeats.

Zoro sighs knowing that all his attempts to get Luffy to stop calling him that will be in vain. Once something gets inside the rubber boy's head, there's little you can do to get it out.

"A pirate ship", Zoro says, watching intently as his captain's face fills with childish wonder.

“Oh really?!”, he gasps. "It's even better than Shanks's! Are you pirates? You are all so weird…”

"Look who's saying it…”

"I am Luffy!", he introduces himself.

"Nice to meet you, Luffy-kun", Jinbe smiles. “My name is Jinbe, I am the helmsman of the crew.”

The rest of them introduce themselves while they eat breakfast. Luffy soaks up all the names like a sponge, but deliberately ignores the swordsman. Zoro resigns himself, well aware that he will have to wait for Luffy to go to sleep before the stupid name comes out of his head.

“You've met almost everyone by now”, Robin says. “Although it's strange that our sniper hasn't shown up yet.”

“Oh? That's right. What is Usopp doing?”, Nami wonders.

"He wasn't in the men's quarters when I came out so he must be awake by now", Brook says, looking at Chopper with concern.

"Usopp?", Luffy asks. "Who is that? His name sounds familiar to me.”

"Oh right, you've heard of Usopp before from his father's stories, right?", Nami remembers.

“I remember! It's Yasopp's son! Is he here? Where? I want to meet him!”

Chopper frowns a little. "Maybe he's tired, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't go out all day", he admits sadly, remembering how discouraged his friend was the day before.

"Uhh? I want to meet him!”

“Maybe we could…”

A music begins to play. « Sogeki no shima de... umareta ore wa... »

Chopper gasps. “It's not possible…”

«hyaku patsu hyaku chyu»

Everyone in the kitchen turns to look at the figure in the doorway. He wears a tight brown jumpsuit under a red cloak and his face is hidden under a golden mask. One of his hands holds a slingshot while with the other he makes an attempt to be disguised by moving the cloak so that it appears to be billowing in the wind.

«ru ru ra ra ru»

Luffy looks at him with a flashing expression and patiently waits for the song to end up capturing every detail in surprise.

“Sogeking of Sogeki Island?!”

"That's right, young man.”

“Sogeking! How long!” Chopper exclaims in amazement. "It's been years since we last saw each other!"

Jinbe blinks. "Isn't that Usopp-kun?"

"Don't ask, don't ask", Nami sighs.

"That... That cloak... Are you a hero?!", Luffy asks. “It's the first time I've seen a hero!”

“That is! He's a hero!” ,Chopper exclaims.

"N-Nice to meet you", Luffy says offering his hand shyly.

Sanji arches his curly eyebrow in amusement.

"What are you doing here, Sogeking? Will you stay for breakfast?”, asks the blonde.

When the Sniper King sees the expectant looks of the more gullible crew members, eager to see what's under the mask, he is forced to decline.

"Thank you, Sanji-kun, but accepting your kindness would be breaking the traditions of Sogeki Island."

"Traditions?!", Chopper and Luffy exclaim.

Sogeking scratches his long nose and proceeds to tell an epic story about his ancestors, the god Sniper-sama, and the long list of traditions and sacrifices a sniper must make. Even when breakfast is over and the crew members get up from their seats to go about their daily chores, Luffy and Chopper don’t separate from their host.

"What do you think this is about?", Nami asks with a frown.

"I don't know, but I'm a little worried", Sanji admits. “Usopp has been a bit down lately, he didn't go out all day yesterday.”

"Everyone has their coping methods", Zoro comments, still looking at his captain and his two friends.

Sogeking does a good job of keeping Luffy distracted, but the sniper can't do miracles. When the rain stops, the young captain distracts himself from the stories, showing his sudden interest in the mystery of the unknown ship he is on. He heads straight out to explore the Thousand Sunny under the supervision of the rest of the crew.

"Ne, Jinbe", Luffy calls out as the fishman rescues him from the sea for the third time. “Why don't I remember meeting you?”

There is a slight tension in the air when the question is uttered. The shark-man sighed heavily before looking at his young captain. His usually serious features melt into a sad smile.

"Luffy-kun, what is your dream?"

The young man blinks in bewilderment at the change in subject, but answers easily.

"I'm going to be the Pirate King!", he says with an accurate tone.

Jinbe smiles longingly. "But Luffy-kun, you already are."

Luffy's face turns into a blank expression. He stares at Jinbe, assessing the truth of his words.

"I...", he says, not knowing what to say for the first time.

“This is your ship, we are your crew and above us is your flag. We had incredible adventures, Luffy-kun, and we managed to find One Piece.”

The young man seems utterly confused and deeply devastated by the fact that the words ring true but he can't remember any of it. He frowns slightly.

"That's impossible, I think I would know if I was already the Pirate King", he says.

Jinbe shakes his head. “No. Knowledge requires payment. When Roger's pirates came to Laugh Tale, they had to sacrifice what mattered most to them: the life of their captain.”

"Roger died when he was executed, but at that moment his life was already hanging by a thread", Robin interjects, seeing the twisted face of his captain.

“And in our case, the most precious thing we have of you is not your life itself, but the memories we made together. It is what you have taught us, captain, to appreciate each and every one of the adventures we have lived”, Jinbe explains.

Luffy is strangely silent. The captain's pensive expression makes their hair stand on end, and the pirates grow restless with each passing second. Memories or not, their captain is more than unpredictable. While this isn't the first time he's asked this question, there has been a different reaction each time.

"Come on, Luffy, what's that face?", Sogeking says nervously in a high-pitched tone. “Don't think about it so much, you know what they say, live day by day and…”

Luffy mutters and the sniper freezes.

“Uh? What did you say?”

"I was wondering if it's really worth being the Pirate King", the boy admits. “I wanted to be the freest person in the world. But now…”

He has been eternally chained to a loop. He has to depend on other people to tell him about the adventures that he himself has lived and he is not allowed to move forward in life because he will end up forgetting him. It could be the complete opposite of the freedom he seeks so much.

Nobody answers.

"Do you know anything about my brother?", Luffy asks patiently. "I want to look for him, he always knows how to fix me when I'm wrong. Surely you have met him, his name is Ace.”

Sogeking rises noisily from his place on the deck, and the pirates watch his cloak disappear into the cabins as he leaves without a word. Chopper's brow furrows with concern and Franky sighs loudly.

"Hey Luffy, have you seen that giant Sea King over there?"

“What?! Where?!”

The boy leans over the railing to look out over the sea and ends up falling a fourth time. Jinbe shakes his head wearily and lunges for him once more.

It's midnight when Luffy falls exhausted in the cabin. Knowing that not even a storm would wake her captain in such a state, Nami loudly calls for Sogeking to drag him into the kitchen.

“You can't hide for the rest of your life”, she says, tossing the sniper onto the couch. “Take that off.”

Sogeking puts his hands to his face to hold his mask tightly. Nami snorts angrily and growls, which Zoro takes as a cue to move forward himself.

"I can cut your mask without cutting your arms, or I can do both", he warns.

The sniper is unfazed, knowing they are empty threats, but he also doesn't resist when Sanji sits down next to him and removes his hands without using brute force. The mask falls into her lap, revealing a tanned face, with a big nose and big bags under her eyes.

“Eh?!”, Chopper gasps. “Usopp?!”

Robin bends down to hug the little animal. The pirates' faces are stained with concern.

"You look like shit", Zoro says. “Have you slept in the last few days?”

"Do you think I have?", Usopp responds sarcastically, taking the swordsman off guard.

"Usopp, we're worried about you", Nami says. “We know it's hard to see Luffy like this, but…”

"Have you heard what he said before?", the sniper does not lift his eyes from his lap when he speaks with a small voice. “He was wondering if it was worth it, he regrets it.”

His comrades look at each other with strange worried grimaces. None can refute, the pain and desolation in Luffy's voice is still spinning in their heads. For more than a year now, doubt has been at the back of their minds.

Would Luffy regret it if he knew it would end like this?

"Usopp-kun, I don't think that's what Luffy-kun really thinks", Jinbe says, patting his back. “We know what he is like, he has more determination and will than anyone.”

"Ruffy knew what he was up against", Franky nods. “You have to have more faith, brother.”

They all nod solemnly until, unexpectedly, it's Zoro who rebuts.

"I understand what you're saying, Usopp.”

The young man blinks in bewilderment looking up.

“You do?”

Zoro walks over and sits down on the other side of Usopp. He rests his elbows on his thighs and drops his chin into his hands.

“I've been thinking about it for a while, but hearing it come out of his mouth is more painful”, he admits shamelessly. “Now I can't get it out of my head: how painful must it be to regret your own ambitions? I can't imagine.”

Nami's eyebrows crinkle. “Zoro... It's clear that it's painful, I think we're all suffering from it.”

"We are", he nods. “At first I thought that this was our destiny, that we should be by his side until the end”, he pauses, looking at each and every one of the crew for a few seconds. “I've stopped thinking that way.”

A deafening silence settles in the kitchen. Some give him shocked looks, others look like they've seen a ghost.

"Bastard”, Sanji gasps. “What are you...? Did you just suggest that...?”

"Not a suggestion", Zoro growls. “Tomorrow will be the last day of the Straw Hat crew.”

Chopper, Nami, and Brook jump up and start talking over each other; outraged, scared and devastated. Usopp has paled to an ashen shade, and if not for him standing in the way, Sanji might have hit Zoro with one of his most painful kicks.

“Wait!”, Usopp composes himself a bit when he sees the swordsman get up from the sofa. “Is it my fault? Is it because I've been weak?”

Zoro doesn't answer. Robin narrows her eyes for a second, running a hand down the back of the little reindeer in her arms.

“I don't think you're the weak one here.”

To the ears of her nakamas, Robin's voice sounds like the bells of the apocalypse announcing the end of the world.

Chapter Text

Luffy wakes up feeling strange. His mind feels foggy and his body weighs down in a way that fatigue couldn't achieve. Yawning sleepily, Luffy scratches his belly, his hand hesitating a little as it runs over the bumpy skin. His eyes drop to his chest, where a huge scar rests. Confusion floods him; where did this come from? Blinking, Luffy realizes that he's nowhere he recognizes.

He tries to remember. The farewell and the whirlpool. The last thing Luffy remembers is diving into a barrel of apples and falling into a peaceful sleep, leaving his fate to luck.

“Shishishi, it seems I'm alive!” He laughs. “Where am I?”

The strange scar on his chest fades into the background as Luffy's eyes are drawn to everything around him. What an interesting place! There are a lot of hammocks of different sizes and colors. Each one seems to have an assigned space, more or less ordered depending on which one you look at.

Seduced by the thrill of the unknown, Luffy climbs the stairs to explore the rest of the place. The gentle rocking gives him the clue that he is on a boat, isn't that interesting? He passes several places (a bathroom, a fairly neat and clean room with two beds, and even an aquarium!) before finding his way out of the ship.

It is fascinating. The deck of the ship is filled with manicured lawns. The amalgamation of warm colors of the boat and the figurehead clash against the blue of the crystalline water. An orange haired girl is looking at the strange bracelet on her wrist.

“Hello!” He greets enthusiastically.

The girl freezes for a second. She swallows and turns to look at him with a shaky smile.

"Good morning, Luffy," she says. “Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah! Very good!” He exclaims. “Ah, how do you know me?”

Her smile still remains, but the girl's eyes look increasingly sad. Unable to respond, she hesitates for a few seconds before quickly approaching him and hugging him. Luffy accepts the hug with confusion and pats the girl on the back.

"I'm sorry about that, I didn't want to surprise you," she says, moving away from the hug with a choked voice. “You should go to the kitchen. Sanji-kun is preparing a big meat feast just for you.”

Luffy doesn't know where the kitchen is, he doesn't even know who this Sanji guy is, but the mention of meat –a feast, no less– is enough to make him obey. He turns around and walks. His instincts, his sense of smell, and a hint of something resembling muscle memory get him to his destination much sooner than he expected.

“...kidding! He's not the captain! He has no right to make that decision!”

Luffy blinks at the muffled voice echoing in what appears to be the ship's kitchen. He stands still at the door, watching as a big-nosed man sighs in response to a snail.

“Yamato, this was not just his decision. We spent a lot of time arguing last night, but in the end, we agreed that it was the best option.”

The person on the other side of the snail grinds his teeth audibly.

“The best choice?” They respond. “I think it’s... cowardly.”

"It could be," admits the big nose. “I hope you can come, you know how important this is for him and for all of us.”

After a few seconds of silence, the call is disconnected. Luffy watches with curiosity as the boy passes a hand over his eyes, sighs and begins to dial another number at the Den Den Mushi.

“Luffy, what are you doing standing there?” Asks a blonde, startling both the snail man and himself.

Luffy turns to look at the man whose presence has gone unnoticed the entire time he has been in the kitchen. He has an unlit cigarette between his lips and his only visible eye brims with melancholy. He briefly wonders why everyone on the ship seems so tired and sad. Then he looks at his hands, which are busy with a knife and a piece of raw meat.

“Meat!” He screeches, ignoring everything else. “You’re Sanji? She told me Sanji had a banquet for me.”

"Yes, I'm Sanji." The man smiles slightly. “And 'she' is Nami-swan, treat her with respect.”

“Ok!”

Luffy nods and looks at him expectantly. The man turns around to continue cooking. Even though his shoulders are tense, his cuts are clean and professional.

“Wait a while and you will have your food.”

The boy cheers and sits impatiently at the table. Curious, Luffy looks at the other occupant of the kitchen. The big-nosed guy hasn't said a word since he became aware of his presence. In fact, he puts the snail aside and looks intently at some point on the wooden table without making contact with Luffy for even a second. After watching him for a while, he inevitably starts to get impatient.

“Hey, you! Who are you?” He finally asks.

The young man starts a little before looking at him out of the corner of his eye, not moving a single muscle in his body.

"My name is Usopp," he says dryly.

“I'm Luffy and I'm going to be the King of the Pirates” He responds, delighted to be able to properly introduce himself to someone on this ship.

Usopp doesn't flinch, he simply looks back at the table with that crestfallen posture he adopted the moment Luffy arrived. The one with the straw hat frowns. What's wrong with this guy? He thinks.

"Usopp," Sanji calls in a reproachful tone.

After thinking about it a few times in his head, Luffy perks up.

“Ne, why are you all so sad?” He asks without reservation.

The knife stops, hovering above the cutting board. Luffy looks from Sanji's back to Usopp's profile, both petrified.

"Because today is our last day as pirates," says a new voice.

Luffy turns to look at the newcomer. Wide, muscular and with an aura that screams 'predator!' , the green-haired man enters the kitchen and sits in front of Luffy staring at him. The raven young man processes his response and tilts his head.

“Last day as pirates? Why?”

The green-haired man lets out a small heavy sigh. There's a second where Usopp and Sanji look at each other over their heads.

“Each of us went out to sea with an objective,” the man begins patiently, “and over time we gained a second objective, a common one.”

Luffy listens carefully to the words and leans forward, enthralled by the intimacy of the conversation.

“Years have passed since we went out to sea, we have met all our objectives. Our captain was by our side each and every one of those moments, but he can't remember them. We've tried to make him remember, but…”

“He’s a bit stupid and always forgets?” Luffy completes with understanding. “Sometimes I also forget a lot of things, my brother always hits me for that.”

This brings a small smile from the three occupants of the kitchen, even Usopp.

“Yes, our captain is a big fool and his stupid brain is not capable of remembering. Still, we try to stay by the captain's side even if he doesn't remember us. We experienced a lot of new adventures, one-day adventures, and our captain was happy. But... Recently we realized that he was happy only because he didn't know that the next day he would forget them. He didn't know all the adventures he can't remember.”

The raven's eyes widen at his words.

"We are some of the strongest pirates in the ocean, but the captain is our weakness," Zoro admits. “His dream was freedom, and I firmly believe he deserves a way out of this endless cycle. We too, because if we don't, there will come a time when we won't be able to move forward.”

Luffy remains silent, thinking.

"I don't think you should be so sad," he finally says, shrugging his shoulders. “If you are going to say goodbye to your captain, you should do it with a smile. He may not remember, but…” He turns to look at Usopp and touches his chest with a finger. “It will always be there.”

Usopp's serious face melts into a mess of tears and snot as he finally allows his feelings to come out.

"Luffy, we're not abandoning you," he says between sobs. “We will come to see you, there will always be someone with you, we will call you…”

His friend stops him.

"I don't understand why I can't remember," he admits. “But Usopp, I know that if I'm making my nakama sad then I don't want to continue like this.”

"You're not a burden to us, Luffy, don't think it's your fault," Sanji says. “It’s us who are not strong enough.”

“Don't say that!” Exclaims the captain, frowning. “My nakama are the strongest!”

Zoro smiles and says "get it, ero-cook", causing a fight between the blonde and the green-haired boy. Meanwhile, Usopp rubs his nose smugly as he begins to narrate an exaggerated story about one of his adventures.

Chopper joins the kitchen timidly, afraid of what he might find. He relaxes a little when he sees that everyone is less tense and approaches Luffy to introduce himself. The same scene is repeated when, one by one, the members begin to arrive.

Like every day, the presentations and subsequent conversations are somewhat repetitive. Nami's chest tightens as she realizes that this will be the last time they all introduce together like this. At least for a time. Her thoughts must be reflected on her face because soon the atmosphere turns sour leaving Luffy speaking alone.

It takes the captain a while to notice the change in atmosphere. When he does, he frowns and chews Usopp's stolen food harder than necessary.

"Hey..." Luffy tries to speak, but Jinbe's deep voice drowns out his words.

"We have arrived," the helmsman announces.

The raven man tilts his head curiously. The pirates look a little devastated again, but he's incredibly excited.

“Where we are? I want to go on adventures!”

Without waiting for a response, he jumps out of his seat to run to the deck. The scene that greets him is one he has never seen before, a huge desert contrasting with the forest in which he grew up. He realizes that he is no longer in the open sea, but rather floating on the waters of a river. Luffy looks at the scene in front of him in fascination.

“I knew you were about to arrive. Welcome to the Kingdom of Alabasta!” Greets a blue-haired girl from the sand dunes of the river's coast.

“Hello!” Luffy exclaims animatedly. “I'm Luffy! You?”

Her eyes waver, but she maintains her composure.

“Pleasure, Luffy. My name is Vivi.”

"Vivi is nakama, Luffy," Nami says after him. “And she's a queen, so behave.”

The boy frowns in confusion.

“If she’s nakama, why should I behave? I don't care if she's a queen or whatever.”

Vivi giggles. The duck next to her lets out a quack.

"You're right, Luffy, just treat me like another nakama," she says kindly.

"Thank you for hosting us, Vivi-chan," Sanji comments with a nod. “However, we have invited many people. Will we all fit in the palace?”

She gives him a mischievous smile, and it takes everything in Sanji not to blush when his friend winks at him.

“We wouldn't all fit in the palace, but that doesn't matter. We are not having a royal banquet, but a pirate banquet,” she says, opening her arms towards the immense desert.

The blonde smiles. “Of course.”

It takes Luffy a while to understand what they are doing, but he is excited when he realizes it.

“We’re having a banquet?!” He shouts incredulously.

Everyone smiles at the excitement in his voice. Robin leans towards him a little.

“Tell me, captain, what is your dream?”

Luffy looks at her confused.

“To be the King of…” He blinks at the gazes on him and his eyes widen as he smiles. “To make the biggest banquet in the world!”

Some of them almost cry when Luffy jumps up and wraps them all in a giant hug. Being the King of the Pirates was his greatest ambition and they managed to fulfill it, but after what happened no one could find the desire to celebrate. If they are going to close their cycle as pirates now, they will do it in the right way.

"Do you think we can have hope?" Chopper asks Robin in a whisper. “After fulfilling his dream, will he recover his memories? Like in fairy tales?”

Neither yes, nor no. This is one of the few questions that Robin doesn't have any answers to.

Preparing the biggest party in the world is not an easy thing to do, but since Luffy is useless at these things, no one lets him help, so he is free of duties and spends the afternoon wandering while he watches his nakama's chores.

He mainly hangs around Sanji, who prepares a mountain of meat while Franky finishes setting up a giant barbecue. The blonde, who knows him better than anyone should know him, doesn't take two seconds to kick him out.

He doesn’t spend much time with Usopp. He and Jinbe build a long platform on the sand that is supposed to serve as a table. Luffy doesn't worry about his meat getting sand on it because he internally promises that he will eat it before it reaches the table.

Robin and Brook are sitting, Luffy joins them thinking that they have shied away from any work. The reality is more interesting: they are choosing the music for the party. There is a pile of sheet music and seashells around the musician and the archaeologist as they both take a look at them. Robin allows Luffy to choose some of the songs stored in the dials. He is surprised to hear from his nakama that most of the songs he has chosen are by a singer named Uta. Which turns out to be her friend Uta! However, none of them know how to answer when he asks them where she is.

He can't find Zoro anywhere, but eventually finds Chopper with Nami and Vivi taking some chests out of the Sunny. Luffy groans when he realizes that they aren't treasures or food, but clothes.

“Clothes are also important for a party!” Nami exclaims with her arms on her hips.

“Clothes are boring!” Luffy says with a tantrum.

The orange haired lets out a theatrical sigh as she waves a red cloth.

“Ah... I guess it won't matter if I put this captain's cloak back…”

Luffy's eyes widen and he snatches the cloth away quickly before putting it on. Beside him, Chopper compliments him with starry eyes, Vivi claps, and Nami looks incredibly smug.

"You have as good taste as ever, Nami-zou," says a voice behind them.

The orange haired stands up like a spring when she sees the group of girls in front of them.

“Lola!” Nami shouts, lunging at one of the two identical pinkettes. “And Chiffon too!”

“Pudding-chan!” Sanji exclaims, coming out of nowhere and handing a flower to the brown-haired girl.

“Sanji-kun!” She smiles. “Let us help you in the kitchen!” asks the girl.

"We've come before to help," says Chiffon.

"That's very thoughtful, thank you," Nami smiles.

Luffy looks at the newcomers with intrigue and walks towards them only to run into a wall. He blinks when he sees that, more than a wall, it looks like a pair of enormous legs. He raises his head to check.

“Woah! You're a huge guy!”

Wine-coloured eyes rest on him.

“Straw hat,” the man murmurs under his scarf.

“I see you're still as loud as ever!” Exclaims the witch next to the giant.

“Do you guys know me?” He asks curiously.

"There isn't a soul on the seas who doesn't know you right now, Mugiwara," says another guy in a suit, a fedora, and a cigar between his teeth. “Although, as always, you don't seem to be polite enough to remember names.”

And it is true. Luffy has already nicknamed them giant, witch and gangster. He shrugs and smiles.

“Tell me some adventures!”

From that moment on, more strange people begin to appear. One way or another, they all end up being memorable encounters.

“Luffy-san!” Luffy turns around before being tackled by a bubblegum pink blur. He feels the wetness on his shoulder when the man hugging him starts to cry. “Luffy-san!”

“A... Admiral Coby! Be careful! He is the King of...!”

A blonde gives the marine a shove earning a squeal that sounds like "Helmeppo-san!", then grabs the pink boy by the shoulders and walks him away giving Luffy one last look.

"I'll bring him back when he gets back together," he says.

The boy remains flickering at the layers of 'Justice' on the backs of the two men. Franky mutters under his breath as he watches them walk away.

“I said not to invite them, the Marines are never fun.”

Most guests are strange in their own way. Then two other pinkheads come; one calls him 'Luffy-sama' and the other 'Lucy'. The only reason they remember they are princesses is because they brought a lot of meat as an offering. Luffy accepts them as friends.

“¡Garchu!”

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! IT HURTS!”

“¡Luffy-dono!”

“Luffy! Luffy! It's me, Yama-o! Oden! Remember me? You have to remember! You killed my father!”

Luffy blinks and looks at Nami questioningly.

“Do I have to apologize?”

She sighs and shakes her head tiredly.

“Mugi-chan! I come to make you remember with the power of friendship! Okama Way!”

“Luffy! Remember me, degozaru!”

“Luffy! You have to remember! You promised me I could get on your ship!”

“Mugi-chan! Cheer up, Mugi-chan!”

Nami sighs again when she sees smoke coming out of Luffy's ears and hits everyone responsible for harassing her captain one by one.

“I want to see you helping instead of lazing around!” She blurts out.

“Yes, Nami!”

She watches them go with half-closed eyes. She glares as she sees a green ridge hidden among the sand dunes.

“You too, Bartolomeo.”

The man nods, so choked with tears that he cannot even speak. Nami wants to think that the last thing she hears coming out of him isn't "I'll soon forget everything too, Luffy-senpai, I'll sacrifice myself for you!" because ignorance is sometimes the best path.

"Looks like you've become popular," says a voice behind them.

Luffy turns around and...

“Shanks?!” The black-haired man panics when he sees the man in front of him and begins to look for a place to hide.

The redhead laughs and tries to calm him down, but Luffy is already running somewhere.

"Rejected..." Lucky laughs between bites of meat.

Luffy only stops when he crashes into a body. He opens his eyes and finds a tattooed torso.

"Hey, you look like a pineapple," he says when he meets the man's face.

Marco lets out a laugh.

“Even without your memory, you are still the same, Mugiwara. You're the same brat Ace was complaining about for years.”

At the mention of his brother, Luffy lights up. He hasn't had a chance to ask until now and the thought of seeing him in all this confusion makes him jump with excitement.

“Ace is here?!”

The blonde gives him a solemn smile and shakes his head. With his finger, he gently pushes the younger man's chest.

“Ace is here.”

Luffy's face wrinkles.

“Is Ace...?”

“LUFFY! WHAT TROUBLE ARE YOU IN NOW, YOU BRAT?!”

The pirate captain's eyes widen inhumanly as he hears the roar.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, GRAMPS?!”

Garp smiles wildly.

“I found you.”

Dracule Mihawk stands in front of the world's greatest swordsman and squints as he watches him wipe the blood off his arm with a piece of cotton. He sighs heavily and approaches. The former Shichibukai's chest sports a huge scar, twin to the one he left many years ago on the torso of the successor to his title. He crouches down, snatching the cotton from his former apprentice, and cleans the wound properly while glancing at the Sandai Kitetsu with its shiny red-dyed blade.

"Keep that sword in the bottom of a chest," he warns without looking at Zoro. “The way you are now, it will only kill you. After all, Sandai Kitetsu rejects the weak-willed.”

The banquet is delicious, the best meat Luffy remembers tasting in his entire life. Around him, everyone sings, drinks and laughs as if there were no tomorrow. Luffy himself screams so much that he feels like he could lose his voice at any moment.

He puts one arm over the tattoo guy's shoulders and grabs the spiky-haired redhead's metal arm with his other hand. He has nicknamed them 'Torao' and 'Gizao' because he cannot remember their names.

"I guess it's useless to keep trying over and over again, your stupidity goes beyond the limits," Torao said when she called him that for the first time. “You are a mystery to this world, Mugiwara-ya.”

Luffy nodded with a smile. Later, Usopp told him that it was actually an insult.

When he finally manages to put toothpicks in the two men's noses, he begins to dance.

“Come on Torao, Gizao!”

There is laughter around him. Nami has already taken down a handful of the Grand Line's powerful men in a drinking contest. Usopp tells a wonderful story earning sounds of surprise and admiration from his audience. Robin laughs and applauds his dancing. Chopper joins him.

Luffy doesn't remember these people, but his heart feels warm seeing them so happy. There are many things he doesn't know, probably serious things, but for some reason, he doesn't feel like he's missing anything. Even with the void in his memory, Luffy feels complete. He smiles as he sees the banquet guests collapse, drunk and tired. The nine crew members of the Thousand Sunny and himself are still standing amidst the resistance.

“Gentlemen, ladies,” Brook clears his throat as he finishes the song he was singing. “I want to dedicate the next song to my dear captain.”

Luffy perks up, his smile widening. Binks Sake starts playing.

“Let's toast, let's toast!” He says urgently.

His nakama smiles and everyone gathers in a circle. Luffy looks at them one by one. Happy and sad. Scared and hopeful. A painful mix of emotions and feelings that fight in the eyes of each and every one of them.

“What should we toast for?” Luffy asks excitedly.

The crew chuckles. Everyone looks at Luffy and raises their glasses.

“For the Pirate King!” Exclaim all nine at the same time.

“For the Pirate King!” The people around him shout.

The song continues and everyone pretends to ignore the tears in Nami or Chopper's eyes. Sanji keeps looking at Luffy, waiting for a change. Robin shakes her head.

Yohohoho! Yohohoho!

Yohohoho! Yohohoho...!

“Luffy.”

The jet-black man turns around curiously. He doesn't remember seeing this person at the party, but he seems to have been here the entire time. He is blonde and has a scar over his left eye. His lips are arranged in a soft, almost affectionate smile.

"It's time to go home," he says, pointing to the unconscious bodies of all those who have collapsed throughout the banquet.

“Who are you?” He asks curiously.

"It's me, Sabo," the blonde smiles. “Let's go home together, okay?”

Chapter Text

Roronoa Zoro has always been ready to die young. His ambition was as big as the world itself, and even if he was determined to fulfil it, there was no guarantee that he would get this far. What Zoro never got prepared for was death in life.

Without Luffy, nothing makes sense. They have known that for a long time. Even those who still have homes to return, find the idea preposterous.

After saying goodbye under the warm sun of Alabasta, the small crew left taking different paths; armed only with a small piece of paper that would guide them back to their common goal. So it's not at all surprising to come face to face with these people a few days later on an island in the East Blue whose name Zoro didn't bother to learn.

"You were the one who said we should abandon him," Sanji's hands go to the green-haired man’s neck, but he doesn't squeeze. "And now you have the nerve to show up here to stalk him like a depraved bastard."

"I mean, we're all stalking him..." Usopp interjects before being interrupted.

"I never said we should abandon him," Zoro's voice is cold. "I will never leave my captain unless he orders me to."

"Then why are we doing this?" Nami asks in a dull tone. "Why are we here and not at the Sunny?"

"You know why," he replies. "Because when you are inevitably overloaded, you will be able to run away. That is something we have never allowed ourselves with our captain."

It sounds bad, it sounds cruel, but it's the truth. In the Sunny, there is no place to run to. This is what happened to Usopp just a few days ago. Here, it's their choice, everyone is free to come and go as they please. In the end, that's what Luffy would want.

During the brief discussion, the target of their stalking moves closer to them. Luffy looks at them with curiosity and fascination for a few seconds before being distracted by the smell of a food stall and passing by. Sabo follows more slowly. As he passes them, he gives them a small nod before hurrying to catch up with Luffy.

The nine pirates watch them leave in silence. There is an air of sadness and irremediable melancholy between them.

"This is horrible," Chopper murmurs. "But we've been through this before. We're very strong!" He exclaims, trying to cheer himself up.

"What are you going to do from here?" Jinbe asks looking at the place where the boy disappeared.

"I...I'll go back to my village," Usopp says hesitantly. "I plan to visit Luffy several times a week, but I also want to spend some time with Kaya and the boys."

"I'll stay here," Robin gestures around her. "I bought a house, now I'm Luffy's neighbour."

"That's great, Robin! Do you think I can stay with you?" Chopper asks hopefully.

"Of course," she smiles.

"I've had a look at the main city on this island," Sanji interjects. "They have a great restaurant there, I think it will be good for me to keep myself distracted."

"I...I don't know," Brook admits. "I stand out a lot here..."

"You can stay at the Sunny with me," Franky offers. "It's on the other side of the island, you can all come if you want."

"I might accept that offer," Jinbe nods.

"I haven't thought about anything yet, but I think I'd rather live in the city," Nami says, looking at Sanji. "We can half pay the rent, I don't think I'll live there long since I can go back to my island whenever I want."

"What a wonderful idea, Nami-swan!"

"What about you, Zoro?" She furrows her eyebrows in concern. "You can come with us if you want."

Sanji grumbles but doesn't take back the offer. Zoro, however, shakes his head.

"I'm not going to get into any more debt with you, you witch," he complains. "I don't know what I'll do. Maybe go to an inn."

"Whatever, don't go around like a bum and take a shower once in a while," the woman mutters.

"Before we part, let's make something clear," Zoro says again. "Luffy never stays alone. The last time I spoke to Sabo he said that he would stay just long enough for the people of the village to become familiar with Luffy and his condition, but he will return to work soon. No matter how much time passes or how we all make a new life, he will always be our captain."

Zoro's words are met with only nods and grunts of agreement. If there is one thing they would never condemn their precious captain to, it is loneliness.

"Good night, Sanji! Tomorrow I'll go again for that delicious meat!" Luffy promises between yawns.

"No way, you little monster!" The blonde complains. "You will leave the restaurant empty!"

There is a small laugh before the door closes. The cook stares at the door tiredly. If his captain remembered today tomorrow, Sanji would be happy to give him all the meat in the world. However, at this point, the idea sounds like nothing more than a dream. The door of the house next door opens and his friend looks out.

"Do you want to stay with us tonight?" She offers. "It's late to go back to the city and Nami is visiting her sister."

Sanji nods, happy to rest. Spending a day with their captain is as hectic as ever, but it gets heavier with each day of not remembering. They all know it, it's an unspoken agreement between them to pamper each other when the day ends.

Tired as he is, Sanji soon closes his eyes and falls into a fitful sleep on Robin and Chopper's couch. It's only a while later that the nightmares begin.

Since they arrived in East Blue, nightmares have become usual for all of them. After spending a day with Luffy, they would be doomed to a night of horrors, reliving the hardest moments of their lives. At first, when they realized that it was a common occurrence among all of them, they thought that perhaps they were connected to their captain in some way. That maybe his nights of nightmares would become memories for him. Like all their illusions, it was quickly discarded when they saw that Luffy was still just as oblivious, without any recognition when he saw them every morning.

Sanji manages to escape from his nightmare thanks to his little doctor friend. He sits on the couch, sweaty and agitated. Chopper offers him a cup of tea and soft words.

"It's because of guilt, right?" Sanji asks quietly. "The nightmares that haunt us all... It's because spending a day with Luffy reminds us how much we've failed."

The young reindeer shrugs his shoulders.

"I don't know, Sanji. I think we're doing well. We've found new jobs and new hobbies. On the days we spend with Luffy, we manage to make him feel comfortable and happy. He's barely asked about Ace in the months we've been here. I think we are moving on and the nightmares will end as soon as we get used to this pace of life."

They both sit in silence, with Sanji staring into his tea as if it holds the answers to their problems.

"I always wondered what would become of us when we fulfilled our dreams. I thought we would separate and live normal, domestic lives on peaceful islands," the blonde admits. "But I miss the sea."

Chopper stops responding and Sanji feels bad for blurting all that out.

Usopp sighs looking at the boy rolling around on the deck. It's one of those rare days when Luffy manages to find the Thousand Sunny anchored on the other side of the island. The novelty of coming across a pirate ship sends him into a drunken state of happiness and excitement. Those days are usually hard, with a mix of feelings pushing into their chest.

"I wish we could go back in time," he says to the wind.

"Then what?" Usopp is startled to find Jinbe behind him. "What would you do to stop things from ending like this? Would you stop Luffy-kun from pursuing his dream?"

Usopp hesitates. "Well, I..."

"Exactly," the former Shichibukai shakes his head. "There are many things we could change if we could go back in time... But, unfortunately, this is not one of them."

"Oh!"

They both turn when they hear their captain's surprised exclamation. Luffy peeks over the railing of the Thousand Sunny to see a small boat being propelled by fire.

"Luffy! I see you've found the Sunny," the blonde greets as soon as he reaches the shore.

"Do you know me? That was amazing!" He exclaims without taking his eyes off the Striker.

"Right? I took it from someone very important to me," he says, giving the boat a fond look before addressing the boy again. "And of course I know you, how could I not know my little brother?"

Both Jinbe and Usopp sigh.

"After all this time, you'd think he'd learned to say it more tactfully," the shark-man murmurs.

"Brother? There are only two people who can call me that. One is my brother Ace, and the other died a long time ago..."

They both see the exact moment in which Luffy comes to the right conclusion and, like every time, he throws himself at his brother in a sea of tears. Sabo laughs and comforts him by patting his back.

"Jinbe, Usopp, I'm taking Luffy off the island for a couple of days. Will you tell the others for me?"

"Where are we going?" The young man immediately asks excitedly.

"Sure, don't worry about it!" Usopp nods, taking his Den Den Mushi to share the information.

"Have a good trip, Luffy-kun, Sabo-kun," Jinbe says goodbye.

"It must be overwhelming being stuck on this island, even if you don't remember it," Sabo says as they walk away from the Sunny to pick up some things at Luffy's house.

"Speaking of which, I have no idea how I got here! I was in the sea the last time I remember! By the way, how are you alive?"

Sabo laughs. "There's a lot to tell, be patient," he says with practised ease.

When they arrive at Luffy's house, Sabo asks him to gather a couple of changes of clothes and meat for the trip. They both stop when a sound fills the house. Luffy looks curiously at his brother taking a snail out of his pocket.

"Not now, Koala," the blonde complains.

"I'm not Koala," says a male voice. "We need you at the base, Sabo."

"Dragon-san! I'm visiting Luffy..."

"This is urgent," the man says.

"But..." The blonde looks at his brother and shakes his head. "I'll be there as soon as possible."

When he hangs up the Den Den Mushi, he looks at his brother exhausted.

"Luffy, I'm so sorry... I promise that next time I come I'll take you on a trip for a whole week, even if you won't remember it."

"It's okay, Sabo. I'm so happy you're alive!"

The older man smiles weakly and caresses his brother's head.

"Robin and Chopper live next door. I don't have time to stop and talk to them, but they're your friends. Go tell them that I had to leave urgently, okay?"

Luffy nods fervently.

"Good. I love you, Luffy. See you soon."

Luffy's eyes widen and he jumps to hug his brother, making him giggle.

"I love you too!"

When Sabo leaves, Luffy stares at the door sadly. He woke up in this house with no idea how he got here. Usopp walked through his door as if it were his house, introduced himself and proposed to go on an adventure. On his trip around the island, Luffy found a pirate ship, no less. Then he met Jinbe, who can live under the sea like a fish and is absolutely cool. Finally, his brother, who was supposedly dead, came to look for him.

Even if none of it makes sense, Luffy isn't bothered by all these mysteries. What does bother Luffy is the way everyone was looking at him. Sad. As if Luffy was hopelessly broken.

Luffy is not!

It's just the annoyance that everyone seems to think that Luffy can't take care of himself that leads him to disobey his brother's orders. Why does he have to go to his neighbours to tell them that Sabo won't be taking care of Luffy? He is already an adult, even if he doesn't know how old he is! No babysitter is needed!

Out of spite, he sits in the kitchen to attack his refrigerator. Then sleep takes over. Luffy sleeps obliviously at home while his friends think he is on an adventure in the East Blue.

The morning light wakes up Luffy. He is on an unknown couch, in a house he doesn't remember arriving at. He blinks curiously, observing everything around him. The place is not very decorated, it seems more practical than pretty. Of course, it's prettier than the bandits' house and better built than their treehouse. He gets up to look around the rooms. His first stop is the kitchen, completely devoid of food. This makes him grunt, the last thing he remembers eating is a bunch of apples before getting into the barrel that swallowed the whirlpool. He finds a bathroom and two other rooms. One of them seems more inhabited than the other.

In the bedroom, he finds a large mirror. Luffy looks out and freezes when he sees his reflection. He doesn't know how much time he's spent sleeping in that barrel, but what he finds is very different. His face has changed a little, less round and more profiled. His body is more muscular, even if it is not excessively noticeable. What stands out the most is the trail of scars spread across his body, the one on his torso being the most notable. Curious, he walks closer to the mirror and touches his scar.

Taped to the mirror, there is a note. It looks old. This says: 'If you wake up confused, it's after nine in the morning and no one has come to look for you yet, go to the house on the right. Robin and Chopper will explain.'

Luffy looks from the clock to the note. He's sure that handle means it's after nine.

"But I don't need any explanations," Luffy blinks. "I need a crew!"

It is clear that without a boat he cannot do anything. He leaves the room without taking a last look in the mirror and wanders around the villa. It is small and people smile at him as he walks by them. When he arrives at the port, he jumps excitedly at the number of boats there. Luffy surprises the boatman with his effusiveness.

"Hello! I need a boat to go out to sea!"

The man, a little old, blinks twice when he sees him. He turns to look at his wife before looking back at him.

"Luffy-kun, good morning. Are you alone?"

"Do you know me?" Luffy asks confused. "And yes, I am alone."

"Hm... Tell me, did you have breakfast?"

At the mention of breakfast, Luffy perks up. "No, but I'm really hungry!"

"Great," the woman smiles. "Why don't you come in and we'll chat while breakfast is made?"

Completely convinced, he enters the old people's house and sits in the kitchen. The woman starts cooking while the man goes back and forth from the food to Luffy.

"Luffy-kun," he begins. "Your brother has told us that we can't let you go out to sea alone," he explains.

"My brother?!" He gasps in surprise. "Is he here?"

The woman shakes her head. "No, no, but maybe you should wait for him at home. I'm sure there is money somewhere in the house, you should stock up on food and wait for him there. He will explain everything to you when he arrives."

Luffy is about to retort, repeating that he doesn't need any explanation. However, he stops. If Ace is in East Blue and wants Luffy to wait, there must be a reason. His brother would never go out of his way if it weren't for something important.

"Okay, I'll be back," he nods slowly.

"Good," the woman smiles kindly. "When we finish eating I'll take you home, okay?"

Luffy nods and focuses on the food. The small exchange between the elders is lost:

"It's strange that no one is taking care of him today. Luckily, tomorrow he will forget everything again."

After returning home, the afternoon is spent with Luffy eating and investigating his mysterious house. He gets distracted by a strange snail, but can't get it to work. The day is incredibly boring, but he tries to endure it for his beloved older brother. When night comes, he goes to bed promising that if no one comes to see him first thing in the morning, he will finally go out to find his adventure and fulfil his dreams.

The morning comes quickly. Luffy wakes up confused, blinking at the unknown space he finds himself in. Then remember; It's the house he woke up in yesterday. He was supposedly waiting for Ace, but his brother never arrived. That bothered Luffy quite a bit. One of two; Either yesterday's elders lied or his brother is really clumsy when it comes to keeping promises. Luffy doesn't know, but he has more important things to do than stay to find out.

He gathers all the meat he bought the day before and leaves the house. Instead of reaching the port where the elders detained him yesterday, he will go around the entire island and leave through the other shore. He just has to find an acceptable boat.

He walks quite a bit, but he realizes it's worth it when he sees a large, colourful ship illuminated by the dawn light. It's incredibly beautiful, and although it doesn't seem practical for one person to operate, Luffy can no longer imagine sailing on any other ship.

Throwing a silent apology to the ship's owners, Luffy boards. He is fascinated by the grass that grows on the deck, and the firmness of the mast. He approaches the figurehead and is completely enthralled by the sunny lion.

"Hello!" He tells. "I don't know your name, but I hope you want to travel with me!"

He doesn't know if he imagines the warmth that runs through him when he caresses the lion. What he does know is that his adventure begins with simply hauling in the anchor and hoisting the sails.

There he goes, world. This is Monkey D. Luffy, the future Pirate King.

"Puru puru puru. Puru puru puru."

Nami moans and pushes away the limb crushing her stomach. She looks around with half-lidded eyes before standing up. There are eight bodies spread out on the floor of the room. It's the first time since they arrived at Laugh Tale that none of them had to take care of Luffy and their 'day off' turned into a tear and alcohol fest that seems to have led them all to exhaustion. At least it was a night without nightmares, whether due to Luffy's absence or from taking the alcohol to the limit.

The Den Den Mushi plays again.

"Robin," she murmurs. "I think it's yours."

The woman, in a state a little more dignified than her own, yawns lightly before searching the pockets of her clothes. She takes out the snail making the muffled sound louder. Franky complains, no doubt with a headache like hell.

"Yeah?" The raven woman asks.

"Robin, hello," speaks a voice much more cheerful than all of them.

"Sabo," the woman says. "It's early."

"Early? I thought you were an early riser," the blonde laughs.

"Well, things happened... What’s the matter?"

"No, nothing," Sabo says. "I just wanted to see if you could get me to Luffy. I wanted to apologize for leaving so soon. Even if he doesn't remember."

There is a moment of silence in which the pain in her head stops. Then it gets stronger.

"Sabo..." Usopp mutters, crawling on the ground. "What do you mean by that? Isn't Luffy with you?"

The snail widens its eyes reflecting the revolutionary's current expression.

"What? No, no. I had to leave quickly and I told Luffy to tell Robin and Chopper."

The woman, more awake now, shakes her head. The little reindeer sounds a pained moan that is meant to be a denial.

"Wait," Zoro chimes in now looking a little more composed. "Since when haven't you been with Luffy, Sabo?"

"Since the day before yesterday. I had to leave right after picking it up from Usopp and Jinbe."

"What?!" Usopp jumps up agitated. "Have any of you seen Luffy after that?"

Everyone denies.

"You're telling me..." Zoro mutters in a dark tone. "That Luffy spent yesterday completely alone...?"

There is a tense silence between them. Sabo lets out a deep sigh from the snail.

"Okay, it's okay. The villagers know what to do if Luffy tries to go out to sea. The worst that can happen is that he tries again."

"Oh, but... Poor Luffy, he must have been so confused without anyone to explain to him what was going on..." Chopper laments.

"All right, no problem," Sanji says, standing up. "Let's all go and have a big meal to apologize. Just wait until the dizziness goes away. I feel like the ground is moving, for God's sake."

"Yes, it's like being at sea again," Nami sighs.

"Ow! How the hell does this thing work?!" A familiar voice shouts from the deck.

"And I told him not to touch everything he finds. This Luffy..."

A few seconds pass before they realize it.

"Luffy?!"

Dizzy, fatigued and exhausted, moving solely on adrenaline, the nine of them move as one to reach the deck. When they open the door, they find a Luffy tangled in the ropes of the sails.

"Oh..." The young captain murmurs with wide eyes. "I didn't know there were people here..."

"Luffy?!" Nami exclaims. "Is that...? We're sailing?!"

"Oh, you know me," Luffy blinks. "Yes, I wanted to go out to sea so I stole the boat and removed the anchor," he explains. "Although I suppose it's not stolen if its owners are here..."

"Hey! You can't steal the Sunny, bro!" Franky complains.

"Franky, he didn't steal anything, it's his boat," Nami mutters under her breath.

"Are you pirates?" Luffy asks with wide eyes. "Because you guys look really strong! Do you want to join my crew?"

Chopper gasps with teary eyes, as he always does when the question is asked. Zoro rolls his eyes and goes to untie his captain.

"You should be home," the man warns. "Your brother is coming to get you."

The relief of being freed from the ropes turns into annoyance when hearing the green-haired man's words.

"That's what the elders said yesterday and I'm still waiting for it!"

Sanji sighs to explain to Luffy that there is something called patience, but then processes the words and freezes. Around him, others imitate him.

"Did you... Did you say yesterday?" Usopp asks shakily. "Did you meet some elders yesterday? What happened yesterday?"

The captain seems annoyed at having to explain, but he responds anyway.

"I woke up in a strange house and there was no food. I went to look for a boat to sail, but the elders stopped me in the port, gave me breakfast and sent me home saying that my brother would come to look for me," he says with a pout. "And Ace never came."

Nami's heart twists at the boy's words. A mixture of hope and disbelief, which not even the mention of a lost brother can quench, stirs within her.

"So?" Luffy asks, oblivious to the emotions he has caused around him. "Do you want to be on my crew?"

No one knows what to say until Nami spits: "I have to think about it, ask again tomorrow. And don't even think about touching the sails again, you're a jerk."

Luffy looks slightly offended as the orange-haired woman turns around and begins walking into the ship. The others look at each other with equally sceptical expressions.

"I... You'll have to ask me the day after tomorrow," Usopp says with a shaky voice. "I'm very indecisive."

"I don't even know why I'd join a shitty crew. Ask me the next day," Sanji snaps.

"And me the day after that!" Chopper squeals excitedly.

"Then ask me the day after Chopper," Robin says with a soft smile.

"And the next day maybe I'll be your super nakama!"

"Yohoho! Then I hope I live so you can ask me to be your nakama the day after... Even though I'm already dead!"

"Luffy-kun, I can't be anyone other than your last nakama," Jinbe says with a smile. "So you'll have to ask me another day."

The young captain watches them in confusion before bursting out laughing.

"You guys are pretty weird! How funny!" He exclaims before looking at the green-haired man. "And what about you?"

"It's okay," Zoro says. "I'll join your crew here and now, let these losers take their time to think about it."

"Yahoo!" Luffy exclaims, jumping with excitement. "My crew will be the best ever! And then we'll go find the One Piece!"

Usopp's eyes widen. "I don't know, I think One Piece is overrat..."

Sanji elbows him aside to shut him up.

"Okay, idiot. We'll go find the One Piece as many times as you want to go after it."

Bonus.

"Finally," Sabo murmurs, putting away his Den Den Mushi. "He has left the loop, now he only has to recover his memories."

"As a recovered amnesiac, do you have any rehabilitation plans for him?" Dragon asks, sipping his tea with an impassive expression.

"Oh yeah, I was just going to use the same method that helped me and kill a brother," he says genuinely.

Dragon blinks. "Sabo, you're his only brother."

"Exactly."