The Next Morning~
You woke up comfortably for the first time under the same human pile. You slowly moved the boys aside and cleaned yourself. Once done, you went out of the shack and went to catch the beast for breakfast. When you came back, you did the cooking as usual. You heard some yawning from a distance and noticed that Dadan and the bandits woke up first.
"Dadan, I'm done with the cooking. The food is in the other room over there" you pointed at the room which was filled with a delectable aroma. The bandits all ran through the room and started fighting over the food.
The boys all woke up and ran downstairs to the source of the food before the bandits could finish it all.
After everyone are satisfied with their stomachs full, Dogra noticed that you haven't been eating anything after you finished cooking.
"(First Name), have you eaten anything yet?" he asked.
"No, I haven't. The moment I finished cooking, there isn't anything left for me to eat. They all went inside your stomachs" you chuckled.
Everyone's jaws dropped. You cooked the food for them but you didn't eat anything at all?! That's absurd!!
"Idiot!! Why didn't you say anything?!" Ace shouted, exasperated.
You blinked. "Have you ever looked at yourselves? Even if I did say anything, you wouldn't listen because you guys are too hungry to even care" you then waved it off. "It's okay. I can survive without breakfast for a while. I need to go do the chores in the shack"
"No way!!" Dadan yelled which startled you.
"Huh?"
"You will not do any chores until you eat something and rest!! You told us to look at ourselves but have you ever looked at yourself?! You have black eyebags showing since you haven't slept for god knows how long!! Let us do the chores around here. You can take a break"
You were dumbfounded. "But . . ."
"No Buts!! You go and eat something filling and take a break from chores for now!!" Dadan interrupted.
In the end, you gave in and let the others do the chores around here. Honestly, you were quite surprised Dadan showed that she cared since she doesn't usually show it to the boys. Nonetheless, you were glad that you can take a break.
"Come on, (First Name)!! We will hunt a big beast to make roasted meat for you!!" Luffy grabbed your hand and dragged you out to the forest.
"Hey, wait for us!!" Ace and Sabo quickly got up and chased after you.
______________________________________________________
You wanted to cook the beast but the boys insisted that they will cook it for you so you let them be as you sat and lean against the tree. It was the first time that it was so peaceful without any disturbances. It was making you feel sleepy. Huh, maybe you do need some rest. Thanks to those nightmares, you haven't had a good night's sleep most of the time.
When the boys came back with a huge boar, they started the fire and cooked the meat. While the roasted pork is heating, Luffy stared at it, drooling.
Ace smacked him upside the head. "Oi, snap out of it. This meat is meant for (First Name), not for you"
Luffy rubbed the sore spot and tried to resist the tasty aroma of the meat. He knew that it was for you since the three of them caught it but it was so hard to resist.
When the meat was done, Sabo cut the piece and gave it to you. Luffy couldn't help but pout as he stared at the delicious roasted meat in your hand.
You took a bite and moaned in delight. "That was delicious"
Ace looked away and gave a small hum in response while Sabo smiled.
"You can take the remaining meat. There's no way I can finish it all" you said.
Sabo shook his head. "No, it's okay. We already ate and the meat was all yours so you should take it"
Ace grabbed Luffy and dragged him away with Sabo while Luffy tried to be free from his hold. You chuckled at the funny sight as you continued biting down on the delicious piece of roasted meat.
___________________________________________________________
Timeskip~
After you finished eating all the meat, you hummed in satisfaction as you rested your head on the tree. Since the boys are planning to leave the island once they turned 17 years old, what will you do after that? You haven't even thought much about it.
Should you leave when you're 17 as well? But that will be a year away left on the island and the boys will be all alone. However, they were so determined to help restore your memories which you appreciate very much. It's just that who knows how long it will take to get it back.
You decided to leave the island as well but your goal is to recover your memories and maybe explore the world. You will try to avoid becoming a pirate since it will become troublesome from what you heard. Being a traveler would be nice and you need to learn the necessary skills to travel safely. Plus you heard the Grand Line was called the Pirates' Graveyard and the most weak-hearted people turn tail the moment they stepped foot in there.
But that's just a great place for you to get stronger because the stronger they are, the better your opponent can help you get stronger. And of course, you'll learn from it while trying not to die.
One year is not enough to get strong so your journey at sea can help you but it's enough to give you time to learn the basic skills to sail.
Now, the next problem is how are you going to break this to the boys . . .
_______________________________________________________
ASL's POV
They were done making trouble at the Grey Terminal while avoiding the BlueJam Pirates at the same time and are on their way back to the shack when they almost forgot about you.
"We should go to the campsite to see if (First Name) is there or not," Sabo said.
The other two brothers nodded and headed to the campsite when they saw the fire had already died out. They looked at the spot and they see you sleeping peacefully under the shade of the tree.
"She's sleeping," Luffy said.
"Let's leave her be and not wake her up," Sabo said while dragging Luffy away. "Ace, come on. Wait . . .where is he"
He looked around until he saw Ace was in front of you, staring at your sleeping form.
"Ace!! What are you doing?!" Sabo whisper yelled, trying not to accidentally wake you up.
Ace ignored him and just stared at you as if he was looking at an interesting work. Now that his feelings are clear, just looking at you sleeping up close made you look beautiful. He shook his head and realized that he was staring at you for too long. He was about to get up and leave when he heard someone whispering. He turned to see that you shifted a little and your eyebrows are furrowed.
He frowned, knowing that it must be one of your nightmares again. It was the main reason why you didn't get enough sleep for months. He even knew that you stayed up late at night to stop yourself from sleeping so that you won't get any nightmares which are how you got those eyebags under your eyes.
Sabo noticed it too and his face turned heart-rending. [We told her to tell the others but she didn't want to worry other people so she kept it to herself. Only the three of us knew her situation . . .]
Your hand was clenched and trembling in fear and sweat started pouring from your forehead, your breathing became uneven. It was too saddening for them to see you in this state.
Ace grabbed your trembling hand and held it tight. Sabo grabbed your other hand while Luffy hugged you from the front.
Your breathing calmed down and you stopped shifting. Your eyebrows have relaxed and stopped whispering. The boys were relieved that you have calmed down from your nightmares and a content smile was revealed on their faces.
You held both Ace and Sabo's hands and rubbed them lightly, making their faces reveal a small tint of pink.
"I love you too . . ." you muttered.
They froze and slowly, their faces turned 50 shades of red, and short-circuiting with swirls appeared in their eyes. Luffy being Luffy, grinned from ear to ear and laughed as he snuggled his face on your stomach.
"Shishishi, I love you too, (First Name)" Luffy said.
Whether your words are referring to them or the one in your dreams didn't matter to them.
Ace and Sabo finally calmed down from having their brains fried and decided to sleep with you. They sat down on each side while still holding your hand and leaned against your sides.
If only they knew that they should've cherished this memory forever.
_____________________________________________________
Timeskip~
The following day, you were cooking like usual while the boys were gobbling down the food at an alarming rate.
"When I make my crew, the first thing I'm getting is the best chef in the world!!" Sabo exclaimed, shoving more into his mouth.
"Nuh-uh, they're gonna be on my crew" Luffy retorted.
"It's mine since Im sailing first" Ace countered cockily.
Luffy stood up on the table. "That's not fair!! I'm gonna be the King of Pirates they'll be on my crew!!"
He huffed triumphantly while the other two almost choked on their food and shook in fear. He didn't notice a huge dark figure towering over him.
"Bwahaha, you boys are still on about that pirate nonsense" the figure laughed with a dark look and readied his fist. "It seems that I have to knock some sense into you"
You heard some noise as you just finished cooking so you went out to take a look and were surprised that Garp came to visit. You saw Ace, Luffy, and Dadan on the floor with huge bumps visible on their heads.
"Old man?" you said.
Garp turned to you and his grin grew wider and you had a bad feeling about this.
"So (First Name), have you been training them as I told you to?" he asked.
"Yea, I did . . ." you replied, not sure where this is going.
"Hm. Do you want to become a pirate?"
You blinked. "Huh? Where did that come from? Of course, not"
"Eh? We want you to be our Pirate Queen so you're gonna be a pirate" Luffy tilted his head while Ace telepathically told him to shut up.
You choked. Since when?! This is news to you and when did these punks make a decision like this behind your back?!
"What?! I never said that I want to become a pirate!!"
"Then do you want to set out to sea?" Garp asked, eyeing you suspiciously.
You raised a brow. "I have been thinking about it and yes, I will set out to sea but not as a pirate. A traveler would be nice"
Luffy pouted while Garp laughed, nodding. "Bahaha!! So long as you're not becoming a pirate, then I'm fine with it!!"
You were thinking about how to break this news to them but it seems you're overthinking things.
"I will be taking these three to train them and see how much progress they have made" Garp grinned as he grabbed the boys including Sabo out.
You sweatdropped and hoped that they will survive the beating. You gave the boys a bitter smile and see them off.
________________________________________________________________
Timeskip~
The sun was about to set and the boys came back all beat up thanks to Garp's roughhousing. You gave him a huge bump on the head with a dented floor face down. The boys were stunned that their grandpa was beaten up by you and caused their worldviews to change.
You went to grab the medical supplies and came back to patch them up. When you took a look at their battered state, you couldn't help but chuckle.
"I assume you still lose despite my training with you for the past few months?"
"At least it's not as bad as last time!!" Ace snapped.
You gave him a smirk and your eyes were shaped like a crescent-shaped moon as you moved your face closer to Ace. "Really? I'll be looking forward to our next fight then"
Ace blushed furiously and stuttered, "D-Dont get so close to me!!"
You grinned and laughed with your hand covering your crimson eyes. "Uhohohoh!! Look at that face of yours. Your reaction is so cute!!"
His blush turned darker while Sabo and Luffy looked at him in jealousy.
"You know, you might just be my favorite" you added.
You were laughing so much that you didn't notice that steam started coming out of Ace's head. You finally calmed down and chuckled at the scene in front of you.
"But I must admit, being a Pirate Queen is kinda tempting" you placed your hand on your chin.
"So you're gonna be a pirate?!" Luffy beamed.
You chuckled. "No, silly. I said it was tempting but I didn't say I want to be a pirate. It's too troublesome"
Luffy pouted, looking dejected and you watch in amusement. Yea, you're fond of these idiotic dorks.
_____________________________________________________
After you're done patching them up, Garp called you over and wanted to talk to you in private. The boys were hesitant but gave in after you gave them pleading eyes. You walked into the room to see Garp sitting on the floor, waiting for you.
You sat down in front of him, curious about what he wanted to say. "So what is it you wanted to talk about?"
"Before we get to the main topic, I wanted to ask you again to confirm. Do you want to be a pirate?" he gave you a stern look.
"Of course not. I don't plan on becoming one. It's too troublesome" you reassured him.
He sighed in relief. "Okay. Now that's out of the way!!" he went back to his usual self. "I see that my grandsons liked you a lot"
"Yea, they do. I'm quite fond of them as well" you replied.
"Bahahaha. I don't mind them being with you" he laughed.
Your eyeballs almost fell out of your eye sockets. "EH?! Come again?!" you said, not believing what you just heard.
"I said that I don't mind them being with you" he repeated, not seeing anything wrong with what he said.
"Not you too!!" you shouted. "O-Old man, although I appreciate you being supportive and all but have you ever thought about our age gap? I'm 6 years older than Ace and Sabo while I'm 9 years older than Luffy!!"
"Eh. It's not that big of a gap. It's not that big of a deal" he waved it off, not thinking that it was a big issue.
(A/n: I mean Roger is in his 50s while Rouge is probably in her 20s so . . .)
You were seriously dumbfounded and your jaw dropped. [What do you mean this was not a big deal? It is to me!!]
You covered your face with your hands and groaned in annoyance. You can't with this family . . .You've had enough of this bullshit and Garp was just laughing at your misery.
While you were internally suffering, you didn't notice that Ace, Sabo, and Luffy had been eavesdropping on your conversation the whole time. They beamed brightly when they heard that their grandpa don't mind the relationship with you.
________________________________________________________________
1 year later~
You were packing your stuff into your duffel bag that Ace and Luffy stole to give you something to carry.
When you were done packing, you went downstairs to say goodbye to Dadan. "Dadan, thank you for taking care of me so this is farewell" you bowed to her in thanks.
Dadan's back was facing you so you couldn't see her expression. "You brat. Just get out and leave already. At least we have one less mouth to feed"
You knew that she was just putting on a front but you didn't say it out loud. "I'll be off then!!" you grinned.
After you left, Dadan almost couldn't hold on any longer so she started to cry while the other bandits tried to comfort her.
As you reached the docks, you saw Makino and all the other villagers in Foosha Village waiting for you. You smiled as you found the ship that was given to you by one of them.
It looked so expensive that you're not sure whether you should accept this but they insisted so you gave in. The villagers all gave you supplies to help you on your journey and you still haven't found Ace and Luffy anywhere.
Dejected, you hopped aboard the ship and placed your bag aside. While you are starting the boat, you heard muffled voices calling out your name.
"(First Name)!!"
You turned around to see Ace and Luffy running toward you, panting. They must've run a long way since they were panting so much.
"Sorry, we are late!!" Luffy said.
"We . . .We got something for you" Ace said, urging Luffy to take it out.
Luffy took out a pair of chain earrings from his pocket and gave it to you.
"We used a small part of our pirate loot to buy this pair of earrings for you," Luffy said.
Your eyes widened a little. "But isn't that all your money for the ship? You don't have to spend them from all the work you did to get them"
"Are you gonna take them or not? We'll take it if you don't want it" Ace said in a snarky tone.
You playfully pinched his nose. "Yea right. Since you paid for it so I have to accept"
Ace swatted your hand away from his nose with an angry expression and tried to hold back his smile.
You put on the earrings and brought the boys into a hug. "Im gonna miss you, idiots"
Luffy grinned and hugged back. "Im gonna miss you too, (First Name)!! When I'm 17 years old, I will set out to sea and find you to join my crew!!"
"That's crap. I'm gonna set out first before you so Im gonna get her to join my crew!!" Ace retorted.
Then they argued again and you chuckled. You ruffle their hair and said, "While I did say I don't want to be a pirate but maybe if fate allows, I might join your crew when you're older. You just gotta find me first"
"That's a promise then!!" Luffy shined brightly.
"You better keep that promise!!" Ace pointed his finger at you.
You smirked. "You make it sound as if I will break it"
You unfolded the sails and the boat started to move slowly. You waved everyone goodbye on the island until they are only a small dot. You turned around and held the steering wheel as you admiringly watch the dazzling scenery of the ocean.
"I wonder where will the ocean take me" you grinned, looking forward to it.
[Watch me, Sunshine]