Chapter Text
A general disclaimer for the remainder of this fanfic. I don't own the IPs (intellectual properties) this fanfiction uses. Both IPs are owned by their respective holders.
Afternoon sunlight filtered through the forest, casting a golden hue across the ground. The smell of earth mixed with sea air drifted through the landscape.
Three boys—young yet adventurous—wandered through the woods.
The forest, known to be dangerous for anyone venturing alone, was home to animals larger than the average man.
But despite these warnings, the trio walked through the woods with confidence and certainty, as if they had declared they claimed ownership of the forest.
This was evident to the beasts that resided there.
The animals kept their distance, well aware that if they dared approach the group, they would face severe consequences. The creatures had their side of the forest, and the boys had theirs—a fair trade to avoid dealing with the monsters that were these boys.
A soft breeze blew across the group, tousling their hair across their faces and rustling the leaves of the trees that surrounded them.
The trio came to a halt, turning to one another with expectant eyes gleaming with excitement and determination.
“Everyone knows the plan, right?” the older boy with raven hair asked sternly, expecting a response from the others.
“Yeah,” replied the other older boy, who had short blond hair.
The youngest of the group, also raven-haired, seemed deep in thought before speaking up. “I mean, do I have to stay back? I can—”
“Luffy, we’re not about to have this talk again,” the older raven-haired boy cut him off.
“Aww, come on!” Luffy whined. “You guys always have fun hunting for food while I stay back and do nothing!”
“We're not idiots like you, Luffy,” the older raven-haired boy said with a stern look.
“Hey!” Luffy shouted.
“Alright, break it up you two!” the blond boy of the group replied — trying to stifle his laughter. “Luffy, we don't want a repeat of last time, do we?”
He looked at Luffy kindly, though his words were serious, resembling the manner of a parent addressing a misbehaving child.
“Mmm… no,” Luffy grumbled, looking away from the blond and lightly pouting.
“Maybe next time, Lu,” the blond said, tousling the boy’s hair.
Luffy did not respond, instead muttering that it wasn't fair.
“Alright, enough wasting time,” the older raven-haired boy interrupted, turning and walking away. “Let’s go!”
The other two boys jogged to catch up with him, walking in silence until they arrived at their destination.
The location in question was a large ravine with water streaming softly through an open river mouth. Small islands were scattered about the open ravine, but the boys were not focused on the terrain. Instead, they gazed at the multiple alligators lounging lazily throughout the ravine.
“There are a lot of them,” the older raven-haired boy smirked.
“Remember, Ace,” the blond boy cautioned, looking at Ace with a stern gaze. “We’re not bringing back too much that’ll be too heavy to carry.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Ace rolled his eyes, though a teasing smile crept onto his face. “We’d be more worried about having too little.”
The blond boy chuckled lightly. “I know, but it would be a waste of food if we couldn't carry back extra before it spoils.”
“If that’s the case, we can just have Luffy carry the extra weight,” Ace suggested, turning his attention to Luffy, who was drooling at the sight of their future dinner. “Ain't that right, Luffy?” he said with a grin.
Luffy, who was too focused on the alligators, turned back to Ace with a toothy smile. “Yeah!”
Both older boys grabbed the pipes strapped to their backs and readied themselves.
“You ready, Sabo?” Ace asked, looking at the blond.
“Yeah!” Sabo smiled back at Ace.
They turned towards Luffy, who looked as if he were about to jump into the ravine, but they stopped him. “Remember, Luffy,” Sabo said sternly. “You're staying back until we're done hunting.”
Luffy was about to retort, but the stern gazes of Ace and Sabo stopped him.
He sighed in defeat. “Fine…”
“You better,” Ace replied curtly.
Ace and Sabo exchanged one last look with Luffy before they both jumped down and began their attack on the unsuspecting alligators.
Luffy, on the other hand, watched with envy as his brothers engaged the unfortunate reptiles.
“This isn't fair,” he muttered. “I might have been eaten by a croc last time, but it won't happen again.”
Pouting, he sat down on a rock and picked up a stick to trace patterns in the dirt. Luffy understood that his brothers were trying to look out for him. Ever since that incident, they hadn’t left him out of their sight. But their coddling can be very overbearing.
He wanted to be the King of the Pirates, a man strong enough to rival anyone and defeat enemy pirates without breaking a sweat—not just stand on the sidelines while everyone else did the work and had fun. He needs to become strong for his future nakama, so they wouldn't have to worry about him when he fights tough opponents.
Luffy lightly sighed as he stared at the ground, tracing patterns in the dirt. Everything felt so unfair; he wanted to be down there with his brothers, but he didn’t want to bother them if he got into trouble.
He looked out and saw Ace and Sabo hunting crocodiles—smiling determinedly and having fun. They were confident in their skills, sure they wouldn’t have a hard time finding dinner. And they weren't worried by the other doing something stupid or getting hurt.
That’s when Luffy felt it.
He stood up, glancing behind him at the forest before turning back to the ravine.
“What’s this feeling?” Luffy mumbled, slightly shocked.
He didn’t recognize this feeling—it was foreign yet somehow familiar, like seeing a family member after a long time. The sensation was strong, but it also felt...sad. No, not just sad; it felt angry, frustrated, and confusing.
Luffy furrowed his brows. He had never felt this way around anyone before! He knew it couldn’t possibly be Ace and Sabo—they didn’t look upset. Plus, nobody ever came to this part of the forest. So, where was this mysterious feeling coming from?
He knew he needed to get to the bottom of this—this feeling would only keep bothering him if he didn't find out what it was. That and he wanted to help whatever was causing it.
Luffy didn’t know why he felt compelled to help, but something about this sensation gave him a sense of déjà vu. He began walking into the forest, where the feeling grew stronger and more restless with each step he took toward its source.
After walking for a while, he started to hear something. Luffy stopped and listened carefully to the sound, which after a couple of seconds of concentration, it sounded like someone was crying.
He didn't think for a second before running straight towards the sound, the feeling intensifying the closer he got.
Luffy arrived at a small clearing in the forest, where light poured through the gaps in the trees. In the center stood a large tree providing shade from the sun. Luffy’s eyes focused on the only person sitting against the trunk—a child who was hugging their legs, face buried in their knees, quietly sobbing to themselves.
Luffy thought for a moment. He had never seen any other kids in the forest, besides him and his brothers. The last time he had gone to the Goa Kingdom and the Grey Terminal, he hadn’t seen this kid around before.
But he wouldn’t get any answers unless he said something. So if he asked where the kid came from, he could help them.
As he walked towards them, he noticed the child looked quite unusual. The kid had messy light grey hair with brown tips, wore a beige loose vest, pants, and slippers; with the most prominent item of clothing was the large gray gloves with a ring in the center in each glove.
Luffy assumed he had been quiet enough not to attract attention, but the kid noticed him almost immediately. The child, who was lightly shaking, tensed up and jolted their head up.
What Luffy didn’t expect to see were the child’s eyes.
Startlingly large crimson eyes, ringed around the pupils, stared back at him. Tears streamed down the boy’s face.
Those eyes appeared sharp, yet they expressed pain, sorrow, and anger.
They reminded Luffy of the first time he met Ace, a time when he knew very little about him and the many times Ace had tried to push him away. But despite Ace's efforts, Luffy never gave up; he kept chasing after him.
That same pain was reflected in the boy's eyes. Although Ace and this child expressed it differently, both shared a familiarity in their suffering.
The boy, now aware of Luffy’s presence, rubbed away his tears and glared at Luffy with anger.
“What the hell do you want?” the boy shouted.
Luffy was taken aback by the kid’s rude outburst but brushed it off.
“Hey! I heard you crying while I was hunting with my brothers, and I wanted to see what was wrong!”
The boy’s frown deepened. “You’re lying to me.”
“What?” Luffy replied, confused.
“I said you’re lying!” the boy shouted back.
Luffy was at a loss for words. He genuinely wanted to help the kid, but the immediate hostility towards him only frustrated Luffy.
“Why do you think I don’t want to help you?” Luffy asked, his voice laced with annoyance.
“Because nobody ever did!” the boy snapped. Tears started to form in his eyes again, laced with hatred and anger. “No matter where I am, I won’t ever change! Not when I lost the only person who cared about my pathetic existence!”
That feeling Luffy sensed intensified from the child, whose eyes now glared at him with raw intensity.
“I don’t need pity,” the boy spat.
“I don’t want to pity you!” Luffy retorted, not caring if his voice had raised in volume. The boy’s sharp eyes widened slightly, but he didn’t look startled by Luffy's outburst.
“I may not know what you've been through,” Luffy shouted, his voice filled with absolute resolve. “But I want to help you—no! I want to be your friend!”
Luffy may not have known the struggles the kid had faced, but a part of him—his stubbornness that refused to give up—was determined to help this child.
No, he WILL help them—even if the kid refuses.
After all, that’s what he did for Ace!
The declaration Luffy made startled the boy, who had been previously staring in shock at him before.
Never in his five years of existence within the Sphere had anyone cared enough to give him the time of day. He felt indifferent toward the townsfolk, who never came to his aid when he was beaten or pushed down. To them, he was merely a demon, born from the blood of a murderer.
Insignificant, a burden, an anomaly.
But instead of pity, disgust, or fear, the kid in front of him—whose eyes were wide yet filled with resolve and determination—did not back down.
For just a brief moment, he thought he saw Regto standing in front of him.
He stared at Luffy, dumbfounded.
“What?”
(To be continued!)