Chapter Text
“Get away from here, you devil!!
Your eyes are terrifying!!
Are you even human?!
Useless!
Don’t come near my children!!
. . .
Why?
Why?
I didn’t do anything.
I never hurt them before…
Why do you hate me?
. . .
The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, is dead.
That’s wonderful news… he won’t hurt anyone else.
Yes, we’re finally rid of him.
But you never met him yourselves, so why judge him only by what’s said?
Shut up… what business is that of a child?!
Stay away, you bringer of misfortune.”
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---
With the rise of a bright morning sun promising a new day, a small boy stepped into the tavern of his village.
A child with soft, jet-black hair and wide crimson eyes that seemed to glow faintly when first seen.
He was only seven.
Inside, he found the pirates he adored, with the kind, pretty waitress serving them their drinks.
His crimson eyes turned toward the red-haired captain who was watching him, waiting for the boy to come closer.
He ran over and climbed onto the chair beside him.
The green-haired waitress set a breakfast plate in front of him.
Captain Akagami no Shanks began to speak.
“Good morning, little prince. What dream did you have today?”
The pirate greeted him as always, ever since Luffy had told him he wanted to become the Pirate King, and so Shanks called him “prince.”
“Yes… I dreamed that I was sitting with two heads resting on my legs.
There were two children sleeping.
Then a fire appeared and started to consume the head on the right.
I tried to put it out and it calmed down without hurting him.
But then it moved to the other one, and this time he bled… and I couldn’t move.
Then the place turned black and the second head vanished, leaving only me and the one still burning.
Then… then…”
He stopped speaking as the rest of the dream came back to him, his eyes beginning to glisten with oncoming tears.
The pirates fell silent, their attention fixed on their favorite child, worry written across their faces.
Shanks grew tense and pulled the boy onto his lap, trying to comfort him.
Despite his tears, the child continued.
“Then the blood spread across our bodies and stained the walls red.
There were so many corpses around us.
I stood up and clung to the child with me, but I couldn’t see his face… and then I woke up.”
It wasn’t normal for a child to dream of scenes so drenched in blood.
The red-haired pirate held the boy more tightly and gently in his arms.
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Days passed, and the time came for Shanks to set sail again.
The little one would have cried if he didn’t know Shanks would return in a few months.
Even though it was the first time he had seen the pirates in months, the parting was still hard on him.
He said his goodbye and went back to stay with Makino.
A week later, his grandfather Garp came back on leave.
The boy was always a bit afraid of his grandfather, who treated him harshly and sometimes jokingly called him a demon—
but those words hurt more than he let on.
This time, as soon as Garp arrived, he took the boy up a mountain to a strange place.
They stopped in front of a small wooden hut.
Garp knocked on the door.
Shouting erupted from inside, followed by the door slamming open and a large woman stepping out, two men behind her.
From their conversation, the boy quickly understood they were bandits.
But… would his grandfather really leave him with people like this?
Garp tossed him forward and walked away.
It seemed the old man had grown tired of the villagers’ complaints about the boy…
So he left him with bandits.
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Some time later, he learned of another child, two years younger than him, named Ace.
At first, the younger boy disliked having the older child around.
Ace seemed strange to him.
But when night fell and the darkness covered his restless thoughts, his feelings began to shift.
Ace, for his part, was startled to find someone else sharing the place.
He wasn’t used to anyone being there.
What caught his attention first was the absence of fear in the boy’s eyes.
The villagers and bandits all looked at Ace with fear, pity, or disgust—but this boy’s gaze was different.
It wasn’t pity.
It wasn’t hate.
It wasn’t revulsion.
It was… gentle?
Why?
Why did he smile so much when Ace was near?
Why did he want to talk to him?
Why did he want to befriend the son of a demon?
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Two days passed as Luffy tried every way he could to get close to him,
and at last he broke through the wall between them.
Ace began to answer whenever he spoke.
Ace’s POV
Two days have passed since the old man brought that kid.
At first he seemed like a spoiled child.
But… why did he want to be my friend?
I don’t know.
What I do know is that I want more of that look.
His eyes may be strangely red,
but they’re gentle too.
I want more of those wide smiles of his.
Maybe—just this once—
I’ll allow myself to let him be my friend.
. . . .
Three more days went by, and I decided to introduce him to Sabo, my dear friend.
A boy I met in the Grey Terminal, a year younger than me.
I’d only known him for a few months, but he was already the closest to me.
I told Luffy I wanted him to come with me into the forest, and he agreed right away.
When they met, shock spread across my face.
Were they really talking about all the things they liked that quickly?
They became friends the moment they met?!!!
I really have befriended lunatics.
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---
Seven months had passed since Garp left him with the bandits.
In that time he’d enjoyed every moment with his two young companions, especially after they made their proud decision to become brothers.
While the three of them were running together, Ace tripped and fell into a pile of dry leaves, sinking right into it.
The other two laughed at first, then pulled him out—
only to hear sudden laughter echoing behind them.
The trio turned, and the eldest boy’s smile widened.
He shouted and ran forward, leaping into the arms of the man standing there.
“Shaaaanks!!!”
The two younger boys exchanged puzzled looks until Luffy stepped back from the pirate and answered the question written on their faces.
“That’s Shanks, the pirate I told you about!”
After quick introductions, Shanks scooped all three of them up and carried them back to the bar.
The pirates welcomed the trio warmly despite their curiosity about the two unfamiliar children.
Once they learned the boys were Luffy’s brothers, they loved them just as much.
The celebration began.
The three brothers listened to Shanks’s stories, so absorbed in the red-haired captain’s tales that they forgot he was a pirate at all.
When the day ended, Shanks escorted the brothers back to their place.
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Months later, the crew set out to sea again and returned with a Devil Fruit.
While everyone was busy arguing with the annoying bandits, Luffy approached the chest to take a look.
It wasn’t locked at all.
He began to hear faint voices inside—playful, eager, insistent, sorrowful.
“Take me…”
“Take me…”
“Free me…”
The moment he laid his hand on it, everything disappeared.
His consciousness vanished.
He now stood alone in a dark space lit only by the figure before him—
if it could even be called a figure.
A twisted body wrapped in a glowing white mist, showing only wide crimson eyes like his own and a grin stretched impossibly wide.
The silence was crushing until the thing before him finally spoke.
Its deep voice echoed in a way that made every word more terrifying than anything he had ever faced in his short life.
“At last, someone who can free me.
Perhaps not right away, but you will… with time.”
Suddenly the tone softened into sorrow and the grin faded into a frown.
“I’m truly sorry for you.
I know you’ll suffer many hardships because of me.
But I promise that all three of you will remain under my protection until you’re strong enough to face the world.”
Monkey D. Luffy…
I will be your servant…
The sun god , ‘Nika,’ at your command…
. . .
“Luffy.”
“Luffy?!”
Awareness snapped back at the sound of the voice and the tug of his younger brother trying to wake him.
Luffy looked at him and smiled when he noticed the worry in the blond boy’s eyes.
He answered softly, easing the tension.
“I’m fine, Bo. Is something wrong?”
“Yes—why did you eat that weird fruit?”
“What fruit?”
“The one in your hands.”
He pointed at the purple fruit Luffy was holding, half of it already eaten.
“Huh? How? I didn’t eat it—I only touched it.”
The trouble with the bandits was over.
Now came the trouble of the Devil Fruit.
(☀️Shanks: give me strength 🤦🏻♂️)
Everyone stared in shock.
Shanks jumped to his feet, trying to pull the fruit back from Luffy’s mouth, but it was hopeless.
(☀️Seriously, half the fruit is gone—how’s he supposed to get it back? give me strength ×2)
In the end, they could only accept the fact:
Luffy had become a user of an Akuma no Mi.
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And so the days passed, then the months, until a full year had gone by with the Red Hair Pirates staying in Dawn.
At last, the time for farewell arrived…
The three boys stood beside Shanks, watching as the crew carried the last of their supplies onto the Red Force.
Everyone tried to hide it, but the sadness was clear on every face.
Shanks handed each of the brothers a parting gift.
To Luffy, a black dagger etched with blood-red patterns that matched the deep crimson of his eyes.
To Ace, a green dagger inlaid with orange hibiscus designs the color of his own eyes—this dagger had once belonged to Portgas D. Rouge.
And to Sabo, a white dagger traced with blue waves the exact shade of his sea-colored eyes.
Finally, Shanks set his own treasured straw hat on Luffy’s head, and with that the ship disappeared over the horizon.
Months passed, then years, until seven full years had slipped away.
(☀️Ages now:
Luffy – 15
Ace – 13
Sabo – 12)
In all that time, Garp only visited twice a year at most, and his rare visits usually ended in disaster.
The brothers kept in touch with Shanks through the den-den mushi almost every week in Makino’s bar,
where he and Beckman patiently taught them the basics of haki.
(☀️Shanks can’t do anything the normal way—Mama Beck always has to be there to supervise.)
One evening the three of them were scavenging through the Grey Terminal.
(☀️In this story, there’s no tree house.)
As night approached, Luffy decided it was time to head back.
Suddenly an explosion rang out.
Without warning, the Grey Terminal erupted in flames.
Luffy grabbed Ace and tried to flee while searching frantically for Sabo.
They were trapped, smoke choking the air.
Cries of terror rose all around them—people burned, others lay dead.
The eldest had no choice.
He forced his younger brother out first—Ace was coughing hard from the smoke—
and then plunged back inside alone to find the youngest.
Ace suffered burns along his arm while Luffy’s shoulder and neck were scorched,
but somehow they finally escaped.
Perhaps it was Luffy’s haki guiding them…
or perhaps another spirit, the one dwelling inside the oldest boy, lent its aid.
Luffy wasted no time.
He dragged Ace back to the bandits for safety, then turned and charged into the fire again.
Using his haki to search, he found no sign of Sabo—not in the terminal, not in the forest.
At last he caught a faint trace… but it wasn’t in the burning ruins.
It was in the lofty city above.
He ran toward it, panic gnawing at his chest as midnight drew near.
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Hours earlier, in the Grey Terminal…
Night was falling, and Sabo knew it was nearly time to return to his brothers.
As he made his way back, he was ambushed by Bluejam’s pirates.
They tried to seize him.
He fought fiercely, but they outnumbered him and carried real weapons.
Despite his resistance, he was defeated.
Moments later, his biological father appeared, annoyed by the commotion,
scolding him for everything he’d done and declaring he was taking Sabo back.
But back to what?
Sabo now had brothers, a family who cared for him because they loved him,
not for what he could give them.
He struggled to break free, but one of the pirates struck him hard in the neck,
and darkness swallowed him whole.
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Luffy reached the city, desperately searching for his younger brother even after hours had passed since the Tenryubito’s arrival.
At last, he caught a faint trace of Sabo’s Haki—so weak it only deepened the dread twisting inside him.
He ran frantically, a wild voice echoing in the depths of his mind, guiding him toward the royal palace.
Suddenly, his red shirt shifted into a long-sleeved black one with a hood.
His short pants stretched into full black trousers, and black boots wrapped around his feet.
A black mask slid over the lower half of his face, covering his nose and mouth.
The scar beneath his eye vanished.
His hair turned snow-white.
Yet he did not care.
He stormed into the palace to find his brother sprawled on the ground in a pool of blood,
while the King of Goa stood a short distance away, laughing in delight.
The king raised his gun toward Luffy and barked an order for him to leave.
The boy’s crimson eyes locked on his brother, trembling with a terror that burned into rage.
How?
How dare they touch him?!
His little brother.
His child.
His treasure…
They would regret it.
The king fired two bullets at his head,
but Luffy slipped past them without even glancing.
In the next heartbeat, the guards fell—
their blood painting the palace floor.
The king trembled, collapsing as he lifted his weapon toward the intruder.
More guards rushed in, but every one of them met the same fate.
With Nika’s will flooding through him,
every soul inside the palace—guards, nobles, even the royal family—was slaughtered.
One of the darkest massacres in East Blue’s history was sealed in blood.
Luffy stood among the carnage, swaying like a drunk,
barely aware of what had just unfolded.
He stepped toward his brother and gently lifted him into his arms,
pressing the boy close to his chest.
Then he walked out, carrying his brother,
his hands stained with human blood for the first time.
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The streets of Goa were silent.
Empty.
The perfect path for escape.
Moonlight bathed the two brothers, guiding their flight.
But exhaustion finally claimed the elder.
His strength crumbled, and he collapsed onto the cold ground.
Still clutching his brother,
he braced for the pain of the fall—
but it never came.
Instead, a pair of warm arms caught him,
holding him with unexpected tenderness.
Through the haze of fatigue,
he barely managed to lift his gaze.
The face was unfamiliar,
yet somehow he knew… he was safe.
And so, he let the waves of exhaustion drag him down
into a deep, dreamless sea of sleep.
For the first time that night,
he felt… safe.
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Sunlight spilled into the room that afternoon, piercing through the wooden shutters.
Luffy’s eyes fluttered open, greeted only by a plain brown ceiling.
He lay there for a few seconds, mind blank—
until the memories of the night before came crashing back.
He shot upright in alarm, scanning the room for his younger brother,
panic rising like a tide.
A steady hand pressed onto his shoulder.
A calm voice followed, the words he’d been desperate to hear:
“Relax. Your brother is safe. He’s being treated right now.”
The words fell over his heart like cool water,
easing the storm inside him.
He turned toward the man who had saved him.
“…Dad?”
The word slipped out before he could stop it.
A word Dragon had never expected to hear—
especially directed at him.
But Luffy had always known.
Makino had told him.
Dragon had checked on him countless times,
calling Makino, visiting whenever he could.
Garp never knew.
No one knew how much the revolutionary cared.
Makino made sure Luffy never felt unwanted,
never grew to hate a father who was far away.
The boy blinked back to the present, taking in his surroundings.
It was a simple room—just a wooden bed and a chair where his father sat.
Luffy’s black shirt was gone, replaced by bandages he hadn’t noticed before,
and his hair… it was still snow–white.
His crimson gaze shifted back to Dragon, anxious.
“Where is he?”
“In the infirmary. One of our doctors is treating him.”
“How long was I asleep?”
“Only through the night.
Now… tell me what happened.”
“…Huh?”
“With the king.”
Dragon’s voice was calm, but his eyes were sharp.
He had far more questions than answers—
about the hair,
about the blood,
about why his son was in Goa,
covered in wounds and the scent of death.
Luffy looked away, silent for a long moment,
before speaking in a low, unwavering tone.
“He hurt my brother.
I won’t let anyone live after hurting either of them.”
He averted his eyes, expecting at least a scolding for the slaughter.
Dragon, reading his thoughts, exhaled softly.
“Don’t expect me to be angry that you killed them.
My only concern is that you were the one who had to do it.
I don’t like seeing your hands stained with blood.”
“…I want to see my brother.
And, by the way, I know you’re surprised I recognized you.
Makino told me everything.”
“I’ll have to thank her when I see her.
Come. I’ll take you to him.”
Luffy nodded and rose to follow.
As they walked through the quiet halls,
a memory of his youngest brother drifted into his mind.
He smiled faintly and looked up at his father, catching Dragon’s attention.
“Did you know Sabo wants to join the Revolutionary Army someday?”
“Really?” Dragon raised a brow.
Luffy nodded again, just as they reached a door.
A tall man with a massive head of purple afro hair stepped out,
giving them a brief nod before leaving.
Inside, Sabo lay on the bed,
bandaged from head to toe.
Luffy approached quietly and sat on the edge,
his fingers threading gently through the blond hair,
finding comfort in the soft rhythm of his brother’s breathing.
Thoughts of Ace flickered in his mind,
tugging at him—
stay here, or return?
Dragon entered and closed the door behind them,
his serious voice breaking the stillness.
“The doctor says he’ll wake by tonight at the latest,
but his injuries will take at least a week to heal.
The worst is a third–degree burn…
it’ll leave a scar.
You, on the other hand, need to rest for a few days.”
“Dad… how long will you stay?”
“Until he can leave without a specialist.”
“I’ll stay until tonight.
Ace must be worried by now.”
“As you wish.”
Silence settled over the room again—
a peaceful, almost fragile quiet.
Night fell faster than expected,
signaling time to leave.
Though still exhausted,
Luffy forced himself to rise and return.
Dragon escorted him close to Dadan’s hut,
waiting until the boy stepped inside
before vanishing into the night—
like a shadow carried away by the wind.
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Luffy pushed open the door of what was now home and stepped inside.
Only Dadan, Magra, Dogra, and a few others were still awake.
Dadan’s face softened in relief—
then froze in shock.
He was wearing the same clothes he’d worn during the massacre,
his hair still a ghostly white.
But what startled her most
was the long green cloak draped across his shoulders,
its inner left edge bearing the unmistakable crest of the Revolutionary Army.
She knew its owner at a single glance.
“Luffy? What happened? Where were you?
Where’s Sabo?
And how… how did you meet him?”
Luffy’s voice came tired, heavy.
“Sabo’s fine.
He’s with my father.
Where’s Ace?”
Magra answered for her,
“Ace is upstairs.
We gave him a sedative—he kept trying to go out and search for you.
What happened out there?”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow,” Luffy muttered,
his tone frayed with exhaustion.
“I just… need to sleep.”
Without another word, he left them and climbed the stairs.
Ace lay sleeping peacefully,
hands wrapped in bandages where the burns would surely scar,
his left elbow permanently damaged.
The sight tugged at Luffy’s chest,
reminding him of the wound running from his own neck down to his chin—
another scar that would never fade.
But none of that mattered now.
He approached the sleeping boy and simply collapsed beside him,
pulling his father’s cloak tighter around himself
as sleep dragged him down into its depths.
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White mist swirled silently into the room,
gathering into a distorted silhouette with a smile too smooth to bear teeth.
A fog-shrouded hand reached across the space
and brushed through the elder boy’s pearl–white hair,
stroking it softly—
until the strands darkened once more
to their original coal-black shade.
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Not end