Everyone except Garp in the dining room is shocked. Just who in their right mind would ask a random kid to become their grandchild?! Definitely, not Garp.
"You didn't hear me? You will be my granddaughter from now on" Garp repeated.
You blinked once then twice and looked into his eyes to see if there is any lies or deception but there is none so you were completely confused.
"I-Its not that I didn't hear you. Are you serious about this?" you asked for confirmation.
"No, kid. I rarely say this to anyone"
You looked around at his subordinates with a face full of disbelief. Yea, that sounds hard to believe.
"Wait, I have another idea. Since we're on our way to Dawn Island, I decided that you will help me look after my grandson"
You raised a brow. He had a grandson? He didn't seem to look like the person to have a family.
"So, you're just going to dump me on a random island to look after your grandson? Until when?"
"Until he's old enough to be a marine!!" Garp replied with confidence while grinning. "And you're the most suitable candidate to train him until then!!"
"And why is that?" you tilted your head in confusion.
"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you the basic information about yourself" Garp said.
Your eyes lit up. You wanted to ask him that but you couldn't find the opportunity to speak up about it and the topic of being adopted by him caught you sidetracked and almost forgot about it.
"You're 16 years old and you used to be a marine before I found you on that island. How you got in that shape is that you were defeated by pirates and you might have hit your head as you washed up on shore which is how you lost your memories" Garp explained.
You nodded while slowly taking in the information given. You fully believed it however there is this feeling nagging at the back of your mind that disagrees with it. You felt conflicted. Should you believe it? But there's no one else besides Garp who can tell you your background. Does that mean he was half truthful?
Then a question came to mind. "I heard from your subordinates called you Vice Admiral, do you know what rank I was in?"
He gave you a nod and replied, "Yep, from what I gathered, you were at least a Commodore. Don't know how come I've never heard of someone like you"
The surrounding subordinates almost felt like vomiting blood when they heard this. [What the hell!! That's two ranks below Vice Admiral Garp's rank!! How come he had never known about her?! Or how did we not know anything about her at all?! It's as if she had never existed!!]
"I have to admit. That's an amazing feat for someone your age to have reached Commodore rank. Bahaha!!" Garp laughed.
"Was it that high in the Marines?" you asked curiously while trying to hide your anticipation.
He grinned. "Of course!! I've been in the marines for the longest time so I know it when I saw one"
You stared in awe. You have no idea that you were once a well-accomplished marine before you lost your memories but you were confused when you thought of this.
"If I was that good, why can't I return to the headquarters since I'm alive? Someone like me who is at a higher rank and very useful to them so what caused the change?"
Garp turned silent and you noticed a slight hint of hesitance in his eyes but he replied as he became composed again. "Your previous mission was complicated and they decided to decommission you and lay low. You were presumed dead to them which is why it ended up like this"
"So in short, I'm fired . . ."
"Yes"
You don't know whether to laugh or cry. That doesn't make sense at all!! You wanted to go over there and knock some sense into him because what kind of lie is that?! Look, even his subordinates gave him a deadpan look!! However, he looks like he won't tell anything more than that so you can't press him any further.
You sighed and leaned against the chair. Just talking through is enough to make you tired. The subordinates all glanced at you with sympathy for dealing with Garp's weird antics.
__________________________________________________________
A few weeks later~
You finally reached Dawn Island where Garp's supposed grandson lived. During the journey, you learned the general knowledge of the world you woke up in and managed to catch up to the current news of it.
When the ship stopped by the docks, you followed Garp to find his grandson. The village you're in is Foosha Village and the villagers greet Garp as you pass by until you reach a bar.
You were behind Garp while listening to their conversation. Garp sounded displeased when he found out that his grandson ate a superpowered fruit called a Devil Fruit which you learned back at the ship and a pirate the kid called him Shanks came here as a base of operations.
To be honest, you learned that pirates are the natural-born enemies of marines and they were portrayed as some kind of evil but when the kid talked about him, why did it sound like admiration instead of the opposite? You don't understand.
After Garp ruthlessly beat some sense into the kid, he pushed you aside from behind into his grandson's line of sight.
The boy had raven hair wearing a shirt of design anchor and blue pants and brown sandals. The most peculiar of his appearance is a small stitched scar under his left eye and a straw hat with a red ribbon on his head.
"Luffy, this is (First Name), a former marine who will be taking care of you from now on. She's 9 years older than you" Garp introduced you to the boy in front of you who was called Luffy.
Luffy turned his gaze to you and grinned. "Shishishi, hello!! I'm Monkey D. Luffy. Nice to meet you!!"
His smile felt contagious and bright that you couldn't help but return it with a small smile.
"Nice to meet you too, Luffy" you replied.
"Not only will she take care of you but she'll also train you so that you can be a strong marine!!" Garp added.
"No way!! I want to become the King of Pirates!! I made a promise to Shanks!!" Luffy argued.
"That damn Shanks is a bad influence!!"
Which led to where you are now a couple of minutes later. Garp was grabbing Luffy by his cheek while walking with you through the forest pathway.
"Why did it hurt? I'm made of rubber!!" Luffy wailed in pain.
"Rubber? Is it related to the devil fruit you ate?" you asked.
"Y-yea. I ate the Gum Gum fruit" he replied while trying to break free from Garp's hold.
You hummed in response and continued walking with Garp. Earlier, he told you to call him grandpa but you decided to call him Old man from now on. While walking, Luffy was still trying to break free of Garp and hugged around a tree which causes his neck to stretch. You saw the tree was about to be pulled out so you managed to dodge out of the way without getting hit.
After that little fiasco, you reached a wooden shack not far from here. Garp knocked on the door. It opened revealing a curly orange-haired woman and two others side by side. You tuned out most of the conversation until you felt picked up.
"Luffy, (First Name), say hello," Garp said.
"Yo!"
"Hey"
"Garp-san, who are they?"
"Luffy is my grandson while (First Name) will help you take care of him from now on" Garp answered.
"Eh?"
"EEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH?!"
"T-that brat is G-Garp-san's grandson?!"
Garp put the both of you down as Luffy got distracted as he chased after a butterfly. You don't want to hear Garp's conversation, so you watch over Luffy for a while. You don't have any memories of the experience of taking care of kids so you were pretty nervous about it.
Just then, Luffy got spit on his face and you turned to the source of it. On top of a rock was a boy wearing an orange tank top and black shorts sitting cross-legged and cross-armed while holding a metal pipe. He had raven hair as well and have freckles on his face with a small band-aid on the side of it. If it weren't for his stare, you would think that he look cute.
"Hey!! Say sorry!!" Luffy shouted.
You patted Luffy's head. "Calm down, Luffy. Although it is rude to spit on someone, it's not something to get angry for"
Luffy stopped and thought of the incident with Shanks. He slowly calmed down and was not angry anymore.
"Luffy, this is Ace. He's 3 years older than you. And (First Name), he is another one of my grandsons so you both will be living here with them from today" Garp said.
"Huh? You never told me you had another one. You said grandson, not grandsons" you were surprised when the kid in front of you is another one of the brats to babysit.
"Well, now you do"
An irk mark appeared on your forehead. You want to punch him in the face but you held back.
"Is it decided?!"
Garp turned around and glared at the mountain bandit trio. "Any problem with that?"
"We'll take him!!" they quickly did a 180.
"That's all from me. I'll stop by when I have time"
"Uhm . . .what about some child support?"
"Put it on my bill"
"This is not a bar . . ."
"Huh?"
"You're always welcome!!"
While you were watching the show, you decided to take another look at Ace. When your gaze landed on the older boy, he quickly averted his eyes away. You raise a brow, wondering why he's behaving like that. Is it because of what you're wearing? You're not that ugly, right?
(Unfortunately, I can't add pictures here so if you want to know, go to Wattpad. I'm just adding this for convenience)
After saying goodbye to Garp, Luffy already went inside the shack while you follow. Inside, you found that Luffy was surrounded by the other bandits with a knife to his throat.
"Who are you-"
"Give us your money or we'll kill you!!"
"I don't have any money!!"
"Then tell your parents to bring some money here!!"
"I only have Ji-chan!!"
"That's fine. What's his name?"
"Garp" Dogra stepped in and answered.
All the bandits looked at Dogra with shocked faces and their eyes popped out of their eye sockets. You watched in amusement as they complained about the extra person living with them from today onwards.
"Keep quiet you all!! It's time to eat!!" Dadan shouted and all the bandits ran and fought for the cooked meat.
[Well, this is quite chaotic . . .] you thought as you quickly snatched some of the food for yourself and Luffy before the others could.
After Dadan looked done with Luffy, Luffy pouted about the small quantity of food he was given. You patted Luffy on the head and handed him the meat you snatched.
"Here, take it, Luffy. I snatched some of the meat for us to eat" you smiled.
Luffy's face brightened. "Really?! Thanks, (First Name)!!"
He took most of the meat and ate them while you ate it until you were satisfied. Dadan was staring at you but didn't say anything while Ace did the same while he was eating. Dadan taunted Luffy by pretending to let Luffy take a bite but was quickly pulled away before he could do it. "These are all from the bison Ace caught!!"
"He gave us a cut of the take so everyone could eat. The mountain bandits' world is rough sailing so you both are gonna have to work pretty hard tomorrow!! Cleaning, laundry, polishing shoes and weapons, burglary, robbery, fraud, and murder!! Remember, you can't tell Garp what we make you do!!"
"So you're doing the almost opposite way that old man asked you to?" you asked with a bored look.
"Shut up, brat!! Don't think I forgot about you. You will be doing all those chores and that brat's weight if he didn't do any!!" Dadan snapped back at you.
"Sure. Whatever you say. I'm just here to help you take care of the two brats anyway" you shrugged.
"Shishishi, you're funny, (First Name)!!" Luffy laughed as he finished eating all the remaining meat from your plate.
"One bowl of rice and one glass of water for a day!! That's all I can guarantee for you, you gotta get everything else by yourself and grow up on your own" Dadan said.
"Alright!!" Luffy replied with a blank face.
"Alright? Why don't you cry or something?"
You were keeping silent while drinking a glass of water and hearing the conversation.
"Plus I will become a pirate someday so . . .I must be strong like that!!"
You wanted to ask Luffy why he wanted to be a pirate when it is not considered a good thing to most people. It's just that you couldn't find the time to ask. You saw Ace get up when he finished eating and leave the shack with a metal pipe in his hand.
"Where is he going?" Luffy asked.
"Probably doing something alone somewhere" you replied.
Luffy stood up and ran out of the shack to catch up with Ace. You hoped the two boys would get along well and not cause trouble.
"Where are you going?!" Dadan shouted with irk marks forming on her forehead. "Did you just say 'pirate'?"
Luffy already left without saying a word.
"He's not listening!! That's why I don't want to take care of Garp's grandson!!"
"Leave him be, Dadan. I doubt he's the kind of person to listen to reason" you stopped Dadan from dying of anger. You got up and said, "I will help you with the chores since I came here to take care of them with you but I won't do anything that involves stealing and killing people"
_______________________________________________________
Timeskip~
Time went by and the sun started to set. Dadan showed you the room where Ace and Luffy slept since there aren't any spare empty rooms right now and you helped out with all the chores she gave you. It was hard at first considering that you have no memories of it but you succeeded and got used to it after a few tries.
"Ace is back!!" One of the bandits shouted.
Ace came back with a lot of fish for dinner but Luffy is nowhere in sight.
"Ace, did you come back alone? Where is Luffy? I thought that you were with him" Dogra asked.
"I don't know" Ace replied blankly.
You stared at him quietly. Just what the hell happened to Luffy? When Ace noticed someone staring at him, he turned around and saw you staring at him in the eyes. He flinched and his face turned mild red. He quickly turned his head away and clicked his tongue.
You raised a brow at his behavior but you didn't want to bother him and decided to wait a little longer for Luffy.
Night falls and Luffy is still not back yet. Dogra and Magra are keeping a lookout for Luffy.
"That idiot . . .He's making the others worried for him. If Old man finds out about this, he's gonna have my hide" you muttered.
You stood up from the couch and left the shack. Dogra saw you walking into the forest and shouted, "Oi, (First Name)!! Where are you going?"
"I'm going to go and look for Luffy. If he's dead, I could at least find his corpse" you replied with sarcasm.
"Let's hope he's not dead yet or else Garp will kill us" Dogra sighed while Magra nodded in agreement.
__________________________________________________________
A few days later~
You and Luffy managed to get back to the shack alive although Luffy is covered in wounds, you barely got any damage on your body, just a few scratches here and there. You were carrying Luffy almost like a baby.
You knocked on the door loudly. You could've just broken down the door but you don't want to deal with Dadan scolding you for the broken door. Dogra answered the door and was shocked and speechless that both of you are alive.
"You!- Luffy and (First Name) are back!!"
"You fools . . .You, kids, are alive, you . . ." Dadan said, grinding her teeth while pulling Luffy's cheeks.
"Easy, boss" Magra and Dogra tried to calm her down.
"Where were you?" Dadan asked Luffy.
"I've been chased by wolves at the bottom of the valley" Luffy replied.
Dogra and Magra stared at him with concern on their faces and asked, "What were you doing at the bottom of the valley?"
Luffy stayed silent while you sighed as you stopped Dadan from stretching Luffy's cheeks.
"We'll be going to bed now. I need to take care of Luffy's wounds" you said as you walk into Ace's room.
"Well, it's nice that you two are okay," Dogra said while Magra nodded.
"No, it's not okay!! These pests came back!!" Dadan started to burst out shouting.
Dogra and Magra tried to calm her down while you ignore them as you placed Luffy on the mattress. You went to find the medical supplies to help heal his wounds.
"Hold still, Luffy. This may hurt a little bit" you warned as you prepared the anesthetic and the cotton swab.
When the cotton swab made contact with one of the wounds, Luffy hissed in pain silently. One hand was holding his small shoulder while the other hand is holding the cotton swab and dabbing gently on the wound.
You decided to start a conversation. "Luffy, why do you want to become a pirate? When I heard of your admiration towards the one who saved you . . .I can't help but wonder why would you like people like them?"
You pursed your lips. "Is there anything you would like to do or conquer?"
"What do you mean? I don't want to conquer anything. I want to be free!!" Luffy grinned close-eyed.
Your half-lidded eyes widened a little. Freedom . . .That's not something you have ever thought of before.
"Free, huh? That's. . .some dream you have"
"Yep!! I also made a promise to Shanks that I will return this straw hat to him once I'm stronger and become the King of Pirates!!" Luffy continued talking about his idol and savior as well as the stories that he heard from them. You gave a small nod sometimes to show that you're listening while you're cleaning his wounds.
Once you're done cleaning, you started dressing the bandages on him to cover up.
"Okay, Luffy. I'm done with your wounds. You should get to bed. It's already late at night" you dusted off the nonexistent dust on your dress.
Luffy went asleep instantly and you chuckled lightly, amused. You put back the medical supplies and walked back to your sleeping spot.
It's been a few days since you went out to find Luffy and you're still not tired. Probably due to the benefits of a marine body you trained in.
You turned over to Ace's sleeping form. "Did we wake you up?"
Ace flinched but quickly pretended that he is sleeping. You chuckled in amusement and went to sleep.
.
.
.
.
Please . . .
.
.
.
.
Take care of her. If she dies and fails the trial . . .give her burial on -------- Island . . .
.
.
This is my last order as your superior
.
.
.
.
.
Your eyes snapped open and instantly woke up from your slumber. Your face and back are cold in sweat, panting heavily and unevenly.
What the hell was that? A dream?
You want to know what just happened but your mind is cluttered with confusion that you can't even think straight.
I don't think I can sleep after this . . .I need some fresh air
You got up and left the room quietly without interrupting the two sleeping boys' sleep.
Ace's POV
[What is she doing? Did something happen? Hang on, why do I even care or bother?] I thought while trying not to pry into her business but I couldn't help but wanted to take a peek and noticed that the girl is sneaking out of the room.
Just where is she going so early in the morning?
Your POV
You decided to do the chores early as a way to distract yourself from that weird dream you had. You even went out to hunt for breakfast and thought of it as bonus training since you have nothing else to do other than taking care of the shack and the two brats.
You tried cooking but you have no idea why or how you do this but it felt as if your body knows what it's doing. You conclude that it was related to your lost memories.
Maybe that dream is related too . . .
___________________________________________________________
3 months later~
It's been three months ever since you and Luffy got here. Luffy still chases after Ace in his attempts to be friends but fails and comes back injured. You always take care of his wounds at the end of the day and it was during those tending wounds was when you both started talking and hanging out with each other. Luffy began talking to you about pirates and he's very open-minded. You worried that if he became too trusting with other people, he might get himself in trouble and you can't always look out for him.
Of course, you aren't slacking off either so you decided to train yourself to be familiar with the movements whenever you have free time. As expected, your body is reacting on its own and was familiar with fighting.
Ever since that day, you have been getting these dreams every night that made you wake up in a cold sweat. You tried to sleep back but it didn't work so you haven't had a good night's sleep. Dogra noticed the dark eyebags under your eyes and tried to make you rest but you refused which caused him to worry.
While exploring the forest, you came across a place that looks like a junkyard. When you ask the locals, you found out that this place is called the Gray Terminal where the lowest class of people lived. It would be a lie to say that you aren't disgusted but didn't show it. When you try to walk through the gateway to the upper class, you were blocked by guards. You weren't surprised by this so you gave them a neutral expression although that gave the guards red faces instead.
Another day of exploring and not forgetting to slack off in training, it was the same old walk until you saw a familiar straw hat. Curious, you followed him into the forest to find that it was Luffy, Ace, and another boy. You stopped and hid behind a tree to eavesdrop.
The boy was wearing a black top hat with goggles on it, a black shirt, and a blue jacket with sleeves pulled back until his elbows along with a white frill, light blue shorts, and black shoes. He had blonde hair and a chipped tooth when he smiles.
Both Ace and the top-hatted boy nodded at each other as they understood each other and tied Luffy to a tree. You walked closer to hear more of their conversation and were dumbfounded that they had to kill Luffy to keep their secret hidden.
[They're just kids. Do they have what it takes to take people's lives?]
You were watching them arguing about who should take Luffy's life and Luffy just blurted out to not throw him into the water. You facepalmed yourself.
[Figures. That kid's too honest for his good . . .I should intervene before it gets way out of hand]
"What's this am I hearing? You want to kill someone. Do you have what it takes to take a life?" you moved out of your hiding spot and walked toward them.
Ace and the boy were stunned that there was another person who found their secret hiding spot. Luffy was glad that you were here.
"(First Name)!! You're here!! Please save me!!" Luffy cried out.
"How did you find us?!" Ace questioned.
"I saw a familiar straw hat at the Gray Terminal so I followed him and here we are" you replied.
"(First Name) . . .Is she the girl you talked about?" the boy asked as he turned to Ace.
You raised a brow. "You talked about me?"
"I told him how you're always stuck up, trying to impress the old hag while doing your work" Ace snorted.
"Eh? But you told me how pretty she is-" the boy said confusedly before his mouth was covered shut by Ace.
"Sh-Shut up!! I didn't say that!!" Ace retorted with his face turned beet red.
You blinked a few times while staring at him in a shocked daze. Your lips curled up into a smirk and felt something within you had awoken. "My, my~ Is that how you genuinely feel about me? I'm deeply touched"
Ace's face had gotten redder like velvet and you couldn't help but snicker. His reaction is very amusing and cute.
The boy broke free from his friend's grip and turned to you. He took off his top hat and bowed to you respectfully as he greeted you.
"Hello, my name is Sabo and it's nice to meet you" the blonde boy now known as Sabo grinned.
"It's nice to meet you too. You already know my name thanks to your friend next to you" you gave him a small smile.
Sabo looked like he was completely calm when deep down, his brain is malfunctioning while also trying very hard to keep the hot temperature cool down. When he heard about you from Ace, not to mention that he said that you're very beautiful, he thought that he was exaggerating and wondered when to meet you but he had never thought that it wasn't an exaggeration at all or meet you so soon. Plus why did it have to be at the wrong time?
You heard noises and footsteps nearby and nabbed both Ace and Sabo behind the nearby bushes.
"Hey!! What are you-!" Ace started shouting until you silenced him with your hand.
"Shut up. I heard footsteps coming" you whispered.
That was when he quietened down and hid behind the bushes quietly. Sabo was the first to realize that an extra person was missing.
"Hey, where's Luffy?" Sabo asked, looking around.
"Oh, shit . . ." your face turned pale.
"Don't tell me . . ."
The three of you peeked your head out from the bushes and there it was. Luffy is being caught by the very people you tried to hide from.
[HOW COULD YOU GET CAUGHT?!]
"Can't believe I forgot about him" you pinched the bridge of your nose in frustration. If Garp were here, he would give you the fist of love but it's not like it affects you much.
"Let me go, you dumbass!!" Luffy shouted while trying to break free with his tiny body.
'Can't he just use his devil fruit powers?' you thought.
"Who's this little jerk?"
"Help me, Ace!!" Luffy blurted out.
"That fool!! He's calling my name!!" Ace gritted his teeth.
"Help me, Ace, (First Name)!!" Luffy continued.
"I would have saved you if you stopped making things worse!!" you seethed.
"Did you just call out to Ace?"
"So what?" Luffy asked.
"Do you know Ace?"
"I'm his friend!! Oh, but he just tried to kill me . . ." Luffy trailed off.
"That fool!! He's such a big mouth!!" Ace whispered talked.
"I don't know if you know this but I heard Ace stole some money from us and ran today. You know where it is, don't you?"
You turned to Ace. "You stole their money? You're asking for trouble"
"Sh-Shut up!! That's not the main point!! Right now, I hope that fool doesn't tell them!!"
"So, what do you say?"
"I don't know" he replied, averting his gaze away while whistling and sweating a bit.
[A terrible liar!!] Everyone including you thought while sweatdropping.
The big guy who is holding Luffy by the back of his shirt grinned. "Okay, it can't be helped that you don't know"
"Don't worry!! I will help you bring back the memory!!"
The two boys watched in horror as Luffy was dragged away.
. . .
"What should we do?" Sabo asked.
"You know what we have to do" Ace replied.
"You're just gonna leave him like that?" you asked.
"It's only a matter of time before Luffy tells them!! We have to move the treasure somewhere else!!" Ace said.
You sighed as you watched them helplessly. You wanted to be mad at them for leaving Luffy alone but there isn't much time left. Who knows what will happen to him? You're responsible for leading him into that state so you have to go and save him.
"Okay. You guys do your own thing while I go and teach these punks a lesson" you said as you pointed your thumb behind you.
"Are you insane?! Porchemy will kill you!!" Sabo shouted and tried to stop you. "Besides, what you're doing is suicide!!"
You scoffed. "What kind of marine do you think I am if I can't even defeat a bunch of bandits? They're probably a speck of dust compared to all the pirates I dealt with"
You turned around and followed their trail. "Although thank you for your concern, blondie"
__________________________________________________________
You managed to reach their base, and two of the lackeys are by the entrance. It's time to put your training to good use. You sneaked past one of them and gave him a headlock. You tightened your hold until he passed out. The other guy charged at you with a sword but you dodged to the right and gave him an uppercut which caused him to be sent flying up and crash landed somewhere far from here.
If it were a normal person, you would feel bad for hurting them but you couldn't care less about these two.
You positioned yourself in front of the door and ran towards it as you high jump kicked it. After knocking down the door and the person in front of it, you took a stance, preparing to fight.
"What the?! Where did this bitch come from?!"
"I don't know, boss!! But two of our guys are beaten up!!" one of the underlings answered.
"Useless!! Go and deal with her!!"
All of his underlings followed his command and charged at her with weapons in hand. You smirked and cracked both your knuckles.
"Very well. I hope you don't disappoint me"
_____________________________________________________________
It's been a couple of minutes since Ace heard from Sabo that Luffy didn't tell Porchemy and his gang anything about the money they stole and are running to their base to save him but when they reached the ground, the scene in front of them was shocking.
You were sitting on a pile of unconscious bodies while holding Luffy in a tender embrace and comforting him as you rubbed soothing circles on his back.
"There, there, Luffy. It's over now" you comforted Luffy again.
Luffy's face was buried in your dress, and a spot of tears and snot was visible, but you didn't care.
"Y-You . . ." Ace pointed at you in a shocked daze.
Your head turned to the boys and they flinched a little. "Oh, you came. Don't worry about them"
You got off the body pile and walked past the boys as you carried Luffy to the door. "Come on. Let's get away from here"
They didn't say anything and just followed after you in a daze. It was silent walking back to the shack. You looked behind the two boys who were staring at you and when they saw that you turned behind, they averted their gaze away.
[Is it awkward for them when they saw me sitting on top of a pile of unconscious bodies? Sigh, I better break the tension. It won't do me any good if we can't be on good terms]
You stopped and told Luffy that you will carry him on your back. You moved him onto your back as he wrapped his little arms around your neck. You turned to Ace and Sabo and they stopped walking, confused.
"Come on, you two. I'll carry you both to the shack" you said as you squatted.
"What?! Why should we? We're not crybabies like him!!" Ace refused as he pointed his pipe at Luffy.
Your mouth made a thin line. "If you don't want to, you could've said so nicely . . ."
"But . . .wont this be troubling for you? You're gonna carry all three of us and the distance to the shack is quite far" Sabo asked worriedly.
"Oh, don't worry about me. It's not troubling at all" you replied. "Since Ace doesn't want the ride, how about you, Sabo?"
Sabo smiled and nodded. "I don't mind!!"
He walked towards you as you opened your arms and wrapped them around Sabo's body. You lifted him with ease and continued walking.
Ace was watching from behind and couldn't help but feel a small tinge of jealousy. He was confused about what he just felt so he just shrugged it off. Sabo peeked at him from the side and smirked.
"What's wrong, Ace? Why are you acting like that?" he asked.
Sabo knew what Ace is currently feeling so he decided to tease him a little. Ace saw that smug look on his face which caused irk marks to appear on his forehead.
He huffed and tugged your sleeve causing you to stop and turn to him.
"What are you looking at me for? Didn't you say that you would carry us back to that old shack?" Ace said in disdain.
You raised a brow and smirked. "Weren't you complaining earlier? What's with the sudden change of attitude?"
"Never mind that and just carry me!!" Ace snapped back with a face that was turned 50 shades of red.
You chuckled and shook your head. [Who would have thought that he can act so cute? No, snap out of it, (First Name)!! You're feeling like a . . .What was the term called? Right!! A pedophile!! He's a fucking child and you're a teenager for goodness sake!!]
You internally slapped yourself for thinking those stupid thoughts. You moved Sabo to your right arm while you use your free arm to sling Ace up close to your body and adjusted it.
"Alright. I will start running now since the sun is about to set soon" you said as you took a stance to start running. Both older boys were confused when all of a sudden, they felt a gust of wind on their faces while unconsciously gripping your dress.
You were running through the forest at full speed; you didn't know you were this fast.
When Ace and Sabo saw the cliff ahead of them, their faces paled in horror and turned to you with frightening looks.
"Oi!! Turn around!! We're heading for the cliff!!" Ace shouted while trying to escape the nearby doom.
"We're gonna die!!" Sabo added.
"Wahhh!! (First Name), I'm scared!!" Luffy who was finally awake managed to grasp the situation and started wailing and tightening his hold around your neck but not enough to choke you.
"Don't worry. I won't let you die" you assured them but that was not enough to ease their fears.
They're screwed!!
When you jumped off the cliff, the three boys closed their eyes and screamed, awaiting their death but you landed on your feet on the ground and sprung up to the branch of the tree. You then started running through the trees.
"You can open your eyes, you punks"
They slowly opened them and are shocked that they are still alive and you are running through the trees.
"What the hell!! You almost got us killed!!" Ace said.
"I thought . . .hic . . .we were gonna die" Luffy sniffled.
"Please don't scare us like, (First Name)" Sabo wiped off the cold sweat on his forehead.
"Pfft, sure but I can't guarantee that" you chuckled. "We're here but don't drop off yet"
You kicked open the door and went straight upstairs while ignoring the shouts of Dadan. You opened the door to Ace, Luffy, and your room. You slowly dropped off Ace and Sabo first then Luffy from your back.
"Waaahaaahaaa!!" Luffy then started crying. You sat down with a small sigh.
"We made a stupid mistake. Bluejam and his gang won't forgive us . . .They will come after us" Sabo said.
"Oh, that was so scary!! I thought I was gonna die!!" Luffy said with his voice shaken.
"SHUT UP. STOP CRYING ALREADY!! I hate cowards and people who always cry!!" Ace shouted, annoyed.
Luffy immediately stopped crying as he pouted which surprised the three of you. He then started bowing as he said with tears flowing down his face while being covered by the straw hat, "Thank you!!"
"You-!!"
"Oi, oi. He's just being thankful!! And Luffy, we aren't the ones who saved you. You should be thanking (First Name) for it" Sabo pointed out.
"It's okay. I shouldn't have left you behind before you got captured by them so it was my responsibility" you waved it off, not minding it.
"Why didn't you cough it in the first place?" Ace asked Luffy. "They are people who would kill women or kids without hesitation!!"
"I thought . . .If I said it, you wouldn't be my friend" Luffy replied with his tear dropped.
Your eyes went full attention on him.
"It's better than dying, isn't it?" Ace asked. "Why do you want to become my friend so much?"
"Because . . ." Luffy was about to answer when Ace continued.
"Didn't I give you a hard time until now? How could you follow me this far?"
Luffy stayed silent for a while and then tightened his hands. "Because . . .Because I have nobody else to trust!! I can't go back to windmill village and I don't like the mountain bandits!! If I didn't follow you, I'd be all alone!!"
"Being lonely is more painful than getting hurt!!"
Your eyes widened a little and sat up straight. You didn't know that Luffy was feeling that way, making your heartache. Your face contorted into sadness.
"Where are your family members?" Ace asked again.
"Ji-chan is all I have . . ."
"Well, you got one friend right here. Haven't we hung out during these past 3 months? Although we don't talk much, I consider you my friend" you said with your head resting on the palm of your hand, smiling.
Ace's eyes widened. This is the first time you smiled. Throughout the whole 3 months, you always had a stoic expression on your face.
"Really?!" Luffy's eyes brightened.
You nodded. "Yea"
Ace turned back to Luffy and asked, "It is easier for you when I'm around?"
"Uh-huh," Luffy nodded.
"It's hard without me?"
"Uh-huh," Luffy nodded again.
"Do you want me to live?" Ace asked for confirmation.
"Of course, I do!!" Luffy replied.
Ace stayed silent for a while then said as he turned his back, "I see . . .But I don't like spoiled kids like you"
"I'm not spoiled!! I'm strong!!" Luffy said.
"You, strong? Then how did you get into that state back there?" you teased.
"(First Name)'s right. Plus you cry like a girl!!" Ace agreed.
And that was when it led to them arguing about them stronger. You watch with Sabo in amusement.
"You know, you should smile more. It kinda suits you!!" Sabo said.
"Is it?" you asked. "Maybe I should so . . .arent you gonna stop them?"
He gave a thumbs-up and stopped both Ace and Luffy.
"Hey, by the way. I have a little problem" Sabo spoke up.
"What? A problem?" Luffy questioned.
Sabo nodded. "Bluejam and the others will try to kill the three of us after this for sure, right?"
"Well, I think so" Ace replied.
"This forest that I've been living in is close to where they are, the cove of pirates!! What if they attack me while I fall asleep exhausted?!"
Luffy and Ace answered, "You're gonna die for sure" and "You're gonna die"
"Then why don't you stay here? I'm sure Dadan won't mind one more" you suggested.
"Eh? You sure?" Sabo asked.
"Yea, I don't mind so you guys sleep first. I'll go and treat Luffy's wounds" you replied.
You got the medical supplies and returned to treat Luffy's wounds. After dressing his wounds, you moved to your spot and placed a blanket over you. You turned your head and saw that Sabo looked uncomfortable. You sat back up and tapped lightly on his shoulder.
"Why don't you sleep together with me?" you asked.
"W-What?" Sabo choked, flustered, and did not expect that.
"If it's because of those bandits that may come after you, you don't have to worry about them too much but if you're still feeling uneasy, you can sleep together with me. At least you can feel safe" you explained.
[Actually, I would feel the opposite . . .] Sabo thought while trying to be polite to refuse but ended up getting close anyway.
When Ace and Luffy overheard your conversation, they gave Sabo eye daggers but he ignored them. They do not know why they feel this way, but they do not like how he is getting too close to you.
Night falls and the boys can't sleep at all. Reason? It's because Ace and Luffy are watching Sabo who is resting right on top of you in case he does any funny business. You, however, are sleeping soundly and did not sense them staring at you.
Luffy couldn't take it anymore and decided to sleep with you whether Sabo liked it. He crawled toward your right arm and clung onto it. Ace noticed this and was fuming that he was left out so he went to your other arm and did the same thing.
Now it was Sabo's turn to throw eye daggers at them. Luffy stuck out his tongue at him childishly while Ace glared at him.
_________________________________________________________
The next morning~
"Why is he wounded? He's all bandaged!!"
"WHOO!! BOSS, WE HAVE ANOTHER PROBLEM!!"
"Hm? It's still early. What's wrong?"
"Wha- What's going on here?!"
Dadan started counting the small pile and continued until she realized the extra person.
"1, 2, 3 . . .huh? ACE, LUFFY, (FIRST NAME), WHO IS THAT?" Dadan yelled out, waking you guys.
Your eyes slowly opened due to the sunlight and you realized the extra weight on your body. You raised your head and looked around to see Ace and Luffy on each side.
Why did they sleep together with me? Did they toss and throw on me without realizing it? No, Ace is on my left side so I have to rule that out. Wait a minute. I just realized that I've been able to sleep peacefully without getting any nightmares.
"Who is who?" Luffy asked with droopy eyes and went back to sleep.
"It's still early. You are too loud!!" Ace added.
You shook those thoughts away. You can think about those later.
"How come there is one more kid?" Dadan asked, pointing at Sabo.
You slowly got up and the boys moved out of the way. "That kid is Sabo"
"Sabo, I heard your name before!!" Dadan said.
"Oh, yeah that makes it easier. Thank you for taking care of me starting today!!" Sabo said as he was going to shake hands with Dadan but she slapped it away.
"'Taking care'. Don't tell me you are going to stay here . . ." Dadan said but Sabo replied with a fart.
"DON'T ANSWER ME WITH A FART!!"
"And don't fart when there are people behind you, especially women" you smacked Sabo's head.
"You must be kidding. I heard that you are a worthless brat too!!"
"Oh yeah. I heard that you are a worthless old hag too"
"That's unnecessary information!! I don't want to look after one more brat!!"
"But I heard that you are a good, worthless old hag because you can't refuse a request" Sabo smiled innocently. "I heard that you are a truly manly worthless old hag!!"
"'Truly manly' . . . I'm a woman!! Not a gender bender!!" Dadan corrected.
Sabo and Dadan had a staring contest for a while until she sighed and gave up. "Ace, Luffy, Sabo, (First Name)!! I'm giving you a place to stay. You have got to get to work already!!"
"Thank you, Dadan!!" Sabo said.
The three boys went out of the room together. "See you!!"
"HEY, LUFFY!! YOU STAY HERE AND DO SOME LAUNDRY AND CLEAN THE HOUSE!!" Dadan shouted.
"No way!!" Luffy replied with his tongue out.
You chuckled and left the room to start doing the chores.
"(First Name), do something about those brats!!"
You waved your hand. "Let them be, Dadan. Once I'm done with the chores, I'll go and take care of these brats for you"
You watched the boys running outside into the forest before they went out of sight.
"Oh!! Ace, Sabo, wait!!" Luffy yelled out to them to catch up.
"Honestly, what annoying rascals!!"
"Yet, you care about those annoying rascals"
"No, I don't!! Now get to cleaning!!"
"Sure, sure~"
____________________________________________________
After you're done with the chores, you went out to find the boys until you found them setting up a campfire and eating some fish. You were sitting on a branch, watching and listening to their funny conversations.
Back then, you thought it would be a pain in the ass to take of the old man's grandsons but who would have thought it would be enjoyable.
These boys . . .are unique in their way.
Then all of a sudden, Luffy got eaten by a crocodile after being kicked by Ace to the middle of the lake, causing your eyes to widen in shock.
"Wait!! You can't just eat and run!!" Ace and Sabo shouted at the same time and chased after the crocodile.
You jumped down from the branch and jumped into the lake to save Luffy.
"(First Name)? When did you get here?" Ace asked, surprised that you were here.
"We'll talk about that later. Right now, we have to save Luffy" you said as you restrain the crocodile from moving.
___________________________________________________________
Timeskip~
"Well, what can I say? Let it go" Ace said.
"I can't. I almost got eaten!!" Luffy pouted.
You're carrying the crocodile on your shoulder for them as you walk behind them.
"Calm down. You can have a lot of crocodile meat for dinner" Ace replied calmly.
Luffy went back to his usual sunshine self. "Then I forgive you both!!"
Sabo turned to Luffy. "That easily?"
"If it's food, nothing matters," you said. "I'll go and cook something delicious for you all tonight"
"Thanks, (First Name)!! I didn't know you could cook!!" Luffy said, grinning.
You made an offended look. "Excuse me? You didn't know that all the delicious food for the past 3 months was made by me? Damn, I'm hurt"
"I want to eat the crocodile already. I can't wait until dinner" Luffy started drooling, thinking about the crocodile meat.
"Ace, I want to check something quickly. Can you come with me?" Sabo said.
That was the sign for you to leave. "I'll see you at the shack. Better come back fast before the crocodile meat is gone"
You and the boys parted ways and you reached the shack with the dead crocodile on your shoulder. You butchered it and cooked it in different dishes which were the ones you experimented with during these past 3 months.
By the time you finished cooking, the trio came back to the shack panting. You assume that they got caught doing something stupid. You were relieved that you weren't there with them.
The moment the boys smelled something so fragrant and mesmerizing, Luffy immediately ran towards the food. Ace and Sabo were snapped out of their stupor and raced against each other and Luffy towards the food. When they reached the food, they started wolfing down the food along with the other bandits while you chuckled as you eat the remaining food saved for you like an average person.
_____________________________________________________________
A few weeks later~
It's been a few weeks since the Porchemy scum incident and you always watch over the trio and keep them from trouble whenever you finished your chores at the shack.
It was always amusing watching the trio have so much fun with each other although you do not know why they slowly started to keep you out of it.
Luffy already warmed up to you and liked his favorite spot on your head when being carried. He always brightened whenever you cooked him food or trained him to become stronger. He also liked the nickname you gave him, Goma. When he found out about your lost memories and having trouble sleeping at night, he would always comfort you whenever you had a nightmare.
Sabo slowly started to become close to you and was always attentive whenever you helped him in training. He got extremely flustered when you gave him the nickname, Sunshine which you always tease him about it. When he found out you lost your memories before you got here and started to get nightmares at night, he was saddened and decided to help you as much as he can.
Ace was a little hard to please but it was fun to tease when possible at the same time. His face always turned red like a tomato whenever you teased him. He's the only one out of the three you find the most fun to be with because you always find his embarrassed face cute. When you decided to give him a nickname, Firefly, he started throwing a tantrum and said that the nickname was childish even though his face says otherwise. When he found out about your lost memories and sleep troubles, he looked like he didn't care but you noticed his knuckles clenched until they turn white. At night, he would hug you from behind to ease the tension in your body to stop the nightmares.
There are times when you had sudden flashbacks in broad daylight and it hurts like hell. It was the boys that helped you through and you greatly appreciate that.
When you defeated them during training, their desire to defeat you grew stronger so they trained very hard. You gave them a smug look as you grinned at their defeated forms. You wanted to pat yourself on the back for the training you've been through and the marine body you had.
You just finished the chores and went out to find the trio as usual until you stumbled upon them when they fought with the crocodile. You decided to sit back and watch them because you can't always save their asses if you're not around. After they defeated the crocodile and emerged victorious, you clapped loudly to gain their attention, impressed by their fight.
"(First Name)?! When did you get here?" Ace said, astonished.
"I got here while you guys were fighting the crocodile and I decided to sit back and watch" you replied. "Though I have to say, for you three to defeat something like that is quite impressive"
The boys couldn't help but blush. You always praise them and they should be used to it plus it's normal so why . . .are they feeling like this?
You noticed the change in their faces and raised a brow. There's no way these bozos know, right?
Yea . . .but you'll soon eat those words shortly.
Timeskip~
You had another nightmare again but this time it's about a certain kind of fruit. It looked similar to the devil fruits that Garp described to you back on the ship. However, what they do is completely different from what you learned.
You looked around and it's still in the middle of the night. Luffy and Sabo are still sleeping soundly but Ace is nowhere to be seen. You got up and walked towards the window. You stuck your head out and turned behind upwards, revealing Ace in the flesh.
You got out of the window and climbed onto the roof and sat next to him. There was an awkward silence but it wasn't suffocating or comfortable either. The both of you just watched the moon in the starry night sky that was enveloped by dark clouds yet it still shone brightly.
"Another nightmare again?" Ace asked as he decided to speak up first.
"Yea. It was completely different from the previous hectic dreams" you replied.
Ace didn't say anything but you know that he wants you to continue.
"There was a fruit similar to the devil fruits I heard from the old man but its functions are completely different. From what I gathered from my . . .nightmare, the fruit doesn't affect the devil fruit user when they ate it so they won't die from having more than one, and instead of extra power, you will be able to swim despite having a devil fruit" you explained.
"However the thing is . . ." you trailed off as you're not sure whether to relay this to him but you trust him to not say this to anyone. "The origin of that fruit comes from my maternal family's lineage meaning that fruit was made from their bodies. Once I die, that fruit will reappear in a random place nearby for a new user that is an outsider"
That was when Ace turned his head to you. "You're telling this important information to someone like me? Don't you think I will tell everyone about it?"
"I know but I feel like I can trust you with all my heart that you won't do such a thing" you looked down as you fiddle with your fingers.
"Aren't you afraid I might kill you for the said fruit?" he questioned.
"Why would I be when I got nothing to lose? If you're still feeling uneasy about it, then I allow one of you three to eat it. At least it's someone that I fully trust that can put this power into good use" your eyes turned half-lidded. "Knowing this info, I can already tell how dangerous it will be if it spreads. I don't plan on telling the old man about this either"
"So what was the name of this fruit you saw?"
"It was called . . ."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
You exhaled. You wondered how long you held your breath.
"Now that I told you this, why are you staying up so late at night?" you asked as you lean back and lay down.
Ace didn't answer so you sighed. "If it weighs you down, you don't have to tell me now. It was none of my business if you aren't gonna tell me"
He went silent. You could see the tight grip he had on his wrist, the hesitation, and the slight body flinch. It shows that there is something personal he wants to talk about as well but the weight of it seems as heavy as yours.
"What do you think if the Pirate King, Gold Roger, had a son?" Ace asked, finally speaking up after much hesitation.
You glanced at him as you raised a brow with your eyes turning full attention to him. "Are you asking me as a marine or as your friend?"
Ace scoffed. "I don't know. A friend, I guess . . ."
"Well, I think that to me, it would be very cool that his son had a father like him but it's also because it was frowned upon, he would be getting these kinds of stares of contempt and disdain. All because he was the son of the Pirate King"
Ace listened attentively and slowly tried to digest every word you were saying.
"Of course, I have a bad opinion of the Pirate King himself"
His eyebrows furrowed and couldn't help but ask. "And what would that be?"
"That he was an asshole for leaving his son alone early before he got executed. The son must've known about his dad through the rumors about him and that left a bad impression on him. If he was the devil, then what would make of his crew and the people who knew him personally?" you huffed.
That got Ace to cock an eyebrow and stifle a laugh. He didn't expect to hear that from you but that last statement got him conflicted thoughts.
"The son better stop being in his father's shadow. I wanted to see him coming out shining like the wonderful star he is which is why . . ." you looked at him in the eyes. "I gave him the nickname Firefly because it was a small light shining bravely in the darkness which shows that you are worthy and shown a unique light. No matter how tiny you are, your light still shines the darkness"
Ace's eyes widened in shock. "Is that why-?"
"Ace, you think you are the only one who is suffering when there may be others who are suffering the same fate as you. Don't be so down on yourself, you idiot" you lightly tapped his nose.
Ace quickly slapped your hand away. "Who's the idiot? You're the one who went ahead with your speech!!" but his teary-eyed smile says otherwise.
You chuckled and pulled him into a hug with your hand patting his head while the other hand wrapped around his waist.
That was when the facade walls crumbled and Ace's true feelings started pouring out one after another. You didn't say anything so you continued hugging and patting his head until he finally calmed down.
You got up and reached out your hand to him. "So, little Firefly, we better get back inside before Dadan finds out we went missing. Are you coming?"
Ace's face flared up and was hesitant at first but reached his hand out and grabbed your hand.
[Maybe it wasn't so bad after all . . .]