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cyborg-franky · 11 months

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Confessions

Thank you so much @whitewineandpizzapuffs for the support and the suuuuuper super fun prompt. I had fun with this big boy. I hope you enjoy <3

Ace x F!Reader SFW Ace Lives AU 5 + 1 trope WC: 4,400

He was a highly ranked commander on one of the strongest crews in the world but that didn’t stop Ace from being unable to handle his feelings. He was never one to express how he felt, other than anger and annoyance. Pushing everything else down deep to be ignored and to deny to himself and everyone else.

Despite being in such a position of power he still hid from her in Marco’s office when he knew she was on lunch break. Sitting across from the phoenix as he worked, watching as Marco’s quill danced across the paper the sound of the tip dragging along the parchment paper.

“Marco, your handwriting is terrible, how do you even read it?” Ace mumbled, staring over at the notes the other commander had been working on. Marco paused, sighed, and looked over his red frames at Ace.

“Shouldn’t you be doing something else? Like anything else?” Marco sat back in his seat and watched how Ace fidgeted in his seat, reaching over for a piece of paper to pull at, to fiddle with the edge before Marco shot him a look, Ace chuckled and dropped the paper.

“Yeah, I guess. I’m on break and I thought I’d keep my bestie company.” Ace batted his eyelashes which earned him a scrutinising gaze from Marco. “You mean your avoiding her because you have feelings and haven’t worked out how to cope with those yet yoi.” Marco watched Ace straighten up, how tense his shoulder became as he stumbled over his words.

Gotcha

“Listen,” “I’m listening.” Ace folded his arms over his chest, Marco mimicking him with a growing smirk on his lips as Ace wrinkled his nose.

“I’m working on it.”

Marco rolled his eyes, a chuckle as he shook his head, standing up from his desk and walking over to his filing cabinet as Ace sulked over his situation. “If you don’t find somewhere else to mope around I’ll tell her for you yoi.” Marco hummed, acting nonchalant as he glanced over his shoulder, seeing the color drain from Ace’s freckled face.

“Don’t fuckin’ do that birdbrain!” He flapped his arms, waving them in a no fashion as Marco watched him. “Fine, I’ll work on it… I’ll confess to her!”

Famous last words Ace thought as he ran a hand through his hair with a deep sigh.

–

The first time he almost confessed to her was on a summer island, the pair walking through town. She brushed her hair back as she talked with one of the traders in the marketplace. Ace watched her with a dumb look on his face, the fondness clear as day on his face. He watched as she laughed, joking with the man selling her supplies.

He felt a little tinge of jealousy when the trader seemed to take the banter as an invite, offering her a deal because she was so pretty. His eyebrow twitched in annoyance as his jaw was set in a firm line, not impressed with the man trying to flirt with her.

Ace tried to convince himself that he was just looking out for his best friend, and that he was making sure no one hassled her. He told himself desperately it wasn’t anything to do with the growing feelings that bloomed in his chest, wrapping around his heart like ivy. Flowers of affection alive and well.

“Hey buddy, come on, don’t hassle her.” Ace stepped forward, he placed his hand on her lower back in a reassuring manner. The trader blinked and laughed at Ace’s bravado.

“Her boyfriend or something pal?” He laughed at Ace and that was one thing he wouldn’t tolerate, he hated to be mocked, to be laughed at, he grit his teeth as the hand not on her back balled into a fist.

Flames licked across his bare shoulders, and she couldn’t miss those sparks, knowing his temper was about to flare and there would be a bigger problem. “No, he’s not. Come on Ace, he’s just being friendly.” She replied and turned to look at him, he tried not to feel the stab in his heart at her words, the dismissive nature of her reply.

He needed to calm down before he set this asshole's cart on fire. He bit the inside of his cheek as the trader carried on flirting with her, his hand on her shoulder, suggesting she come inside his shop to have an adult conversation.

“Come on, this guy's shit isn’t worth it anyway, we got given a list we should stick to it.” He grunted and wrapped his hand around her wrist, gently pulling her from the trader's grasp. She had no idea what had come over Ace, he was normally so chill and full of laughs and smiles when they went shopping together.

She excused them both, saying sorry to the trader as Ace tugged her away by her wrist. Once out of earshot, she yanked her arm away from him, glaring, hands on her hips as she waited for an explanation.

“Why were you jealous Ace? We aren't together.” She started as she tapped her foot on the floor, trying not to let her temper get the best of her, not wanting to start a shouting match in the middle of town with him.

“He was being a sleaze! I know we aren’t together but come on, he was all over you!” Ace huffed, puffing his chest out, thinking he had the high ground here until he felt her poke his chest, instantly letting the air out of him. He saw the anger in her eyes as she opened her mouth. “No Ace, I was in no danger whatsoever and maybe I enjoyed the flirting? I’m single after all and again why are you jealous?” She demanded to know, voice raising as Ace stood there, shoulders sagging. Not enjoying the feeling of being scolded by the woman he was in love with.

“Maybe I want-” He cut himself off, he couldn’t confess, not here, not like this. He would never forgive himself. And she was pissed off with his antics, it would only cloud her judgment and spur on the rejection.

He sighed, shaking his head and picking up his bag, starting to walk. “It’s nothing, I’m sorry,”

—-

The second time he tried to confess, he actually did she just didn’t believe him.

She was sitting in Marco’s office, looking at the door to the operating room, she couldn’t stop worrying about Ace. Her foot bounced and he knee jiggled as she played with the hem of her shirt, her cheeks hurt from anxiously chewing the insides.

Ace had been hit pretty bad, he’d been cocky and showing off and ended up with seastone bullets lodged into his chest, arm, and thigh. Marco had managed to heal him enough using the phoenix ability but he still needed the bullets out.

The door opened and she looked up, a worried expression painted across her face, tear-stained cheeks as she waited for Marco to appear. “He’s fine, you can come see him, he’s coming around from being under so he’ll be a bit goofy yoi.” Marco explained and she nodded, rushing to the door, pausing and staring at Ace laying there, mumbling to himself.

She wanted to blame herself for Ace getting hurt, she felt that somehow, some part of this was her fault, like Ace was showing off just for her benefit. They’d both been lax, both too comfortable in how strong Ace’s power was to think he could be hurt.

But the sneak attack from behind had been enough to level the commander. She bit her lip, not sure if she should allow herself to see him, blame dragging her under until she felt Marco’s hand on her lower back, ushering her into the room, pulling out a chair for her to sit by Ace.

“Ace,” She said and reached over, taking his hand as Ace with his lop-sided grin faced her, he slurred, sounding drunk as he was slowly coming too. Marco sat on the other side, a chart in his hands and only half paying attention to her and Ace as he scribbled more notes.

“How are you feeling?” She asked, rubbing his knuckles gently he laughed loudly, grabbing her hand, bringing it to his face, and kissing the back, she blushed and stared at him before groaning when he started to kiss her skin, this time sloppy and leaving drool.

“Much better now your here, your like an angel.” He gushed and smiled at her, trying to grab at the hand she’d pulled away.

“You know, I really love you.” He mumbled, looking a little forlorn at his admission. She blinked at him and noticed Marco was no longer writing, her eyes met with Marco’s over his clipboard. “Do you think he means it?” She asked and Marco blinked slowly, “Who knows..” He said with an awkward chuckle, quickly going back to his notes, knowing this wasn’t his call to make.

She sighed and looked from Marco back to Ace who seemed to have fallen asleep, trying to nap off the remaining effects of being under… At least he was okay..,

–

The third time Ace almost confessed she thought she was going to die.

Ace’s beloved striker, how fast he could move that thing, How it blasted through the waves without a care in the world, cutting through the water like a hot knife through butter. Nothing could stop it nor Ace.

Fire flared around him as he held on to his hat with one hand, letting out a laugh as he felt freedom and the sea breeze fill his chest. The way the striker skipped across the water’s surface like a pebble skimmed across a lake.

The sun was blazing above them, watching as the fire-fueled vessel burst through another wave, seaspray spittled across Ace but not enough to slow him down or to hinder his powers. She was clinging on for dear life, the wind in her hair as she shrieked and held the mast as tight as she could.

Ace looked back seeing her clinging onto the pole, the smirk spread across his face as slowed down, just a little before coming to a stop. She could breathe finally, she could feel her heart beating against her chest, and her mouth felt dry from her open-mouthed gawking and shouting.

“Wasn’t that fun?” He asked, stepping over to her, and placing his hand on hers. peeling her fingers from grasping so hard at the mast, seeing her knuckles white as she took a breath to calm herself.

“I can’t believe you and Deuce made this thing, it’s crazy,” She said letting her legs wobble, she almost fell back into the seat until Ace set his hands on her hips, keeping her in place, his smirk softened to a smile, enjoying how this felt. As he met her gaze, she was stunning.

“Yeah, it’s pretty neat right?” He said with pride, remembering the day the striker was born. “Deuce screamed even more than you did,” he teased gently nudging her before draping an arm across her shoulder, letting her lean on him for stability as she carried on trying to regulate her breathing.

“I don’t doubt that for a second.” She said, brushing messy hair from her face. “I’m really good at making people scream ya know…” He saw her furrowed brows as she elbowed him in jest, cheeks pink as she rolled her eyes. “Oh yeah? Maybe you should show me how else you could make me scream for you Portgas,” She fluttered her eyelashes and saw the blush that spread across his freckled cheeks, laughing when he dipped his hat to cover his face.

“Whatever,” he said and nudged her back, to and fro this went until they both sat down next to one another, a tight squeeze but neither seemed to mind. The striker was gently lulled by waves, birds overheard letting out excited cries.

“So, wasn’t it fun?” He asked again, playing with a loose thread on his shorts, staring ahead at the shimmering blue waves, feeling her shrug a little. “Scary and fun, like dating for the first time.” She said, looking across the same waves as him, feeling the sun on her skin as the boat just bobbed in place.

“Dating huh?” Ace turned to look at her now, examining her face as she met his eye once more, a small smile on her lips as she nodded. “Yeah, you know when your feelings are rushing to your heart and you feel it beating harder and harder when you spend time with the person you love, how fast the first few days and weeks feel. How alive it makes you feel but just how deep your feelings go keeping your feet rooted in place,”

He listened to her and mused it over, it was true, that summed up how he felt about her, but he wasn’t scared of being with her, he was terrified she would reject him, that he’d ruin a friendship along with the hopes and dreams of getting to hold her hand, kiss her, smell her hair first thing in the morning.

To hold her against his chest and listen to gentle breathing as she fell asleep by his side. He knew he was in deep, he knew his feelings were scarier than any storm on the sea, and joy ride on the striker.

He could cope with the fear of falling into the sea by now but he couldn't take just how his heart ached at the thought of losing her. But the bottled-up feelings carried on being shaken up inside, fit to burst and overflow any second.

Ace wanted to explode. “Would you ever… date someone?” he asked, hearing his heartbeat loud in his ears. She tilted her head to one side, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she thought about it, really thought about it. “I don’t know, I don’t think romance is on the cards for me,” she hummed and shrugged.

“Maybe I just need the right person…”

“What about if it was m-” he was cut off by a large wave rocking the striker, making them both yell in surprise.

Ace looked up into the sky, one of the fabled out-of-nowhere storms that rolled across the world, typical of the grandline. The storm clouds above rumbled, they felt the sound of thunder rattle their chests as the waves picked up again.

“I guess we should go.” She sighed in annoyance at the same time he let out a defeated one. Both standing and Ace made sure she was holding on tight as he fired himself up once more, sending the boat rocketing over the waves, being chased by the storm.

All the way safely to The Moby Dick.

Had it been his imagination or had there been something in that conversation?

—--

The fourth time he tried to confess he was drinking one night, everyone sat around the tables, enjoying the end of another hard day. Bellies full of food, tankards full of beer as everyone laughed and cheered, singing and dancing.

And there she was, coming over to Ace’s table, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her as she sat down, sitting across from him. He grabbed his mug, bringing it to his lips as he downed the biggest gulp.

“Hey,” He said, hoping he sounded as casual as he’d intended though he’d straightened up and put a smile on his face.

“Can I join you?” she asked and he nodded, she sat across from him with her own drink, he admired how she looked, the backdrop of the sunset giving her a halo of orange light, like she also had his devil fruit and was on fire. He tried not to take too sharp of a breath as he admired her.

“Today was rough, I can’t believe so much went wrong.” She sighed and brought the tankard to her lips, taking a drink and all Ace could do was think lucky mug. He let out a chuckle and shrugged his shoulders. “That’s the way it goes sometimes on a ship, everything can go right one minute then you'rer in the ship's guts knee-deep in salt water.”

“Has that ever happened to the moby?” “Nah, back on my old ship.” He explained and she mused over his comment, remembering just how Ace came to be on this ship. His journey to the man he was today. “I bet that was a pain in the ass.”

“Deuce still brings it up.” Ace snickered and she giggled thinking of the doctor and how he didn’t seem to let anything go. “That checks, I bet it was your fault… right?” She raised an eyebrow, a smirk growing when Ace mock gasped and pointed to himself.

“Me? How could you imply such a thing!” he tutted, seeing how she stared at him, not believing his reply in the slightest. “Alright, alright, it was me.”

Drinks flowed as did the conversation, both taking turns to go and grab two more drinks. Ace’s freckled cheeks were tinged pink, as was hers. They’d moved their little party to somewhere more private. Bottles of beer stolen from the kitchen, some laying empty around them.

“Sometimes I think you and Marco would make a cute couple.” She teased and nudged him, Ace snorted and spat out his drink, coughing as some dribbled from his nose. She laughed loudly, holding her stomach as he gave her a confused look, he grabbed the hem of her shirt and wiped his face off on the fabric as payback which caused her to squeal in amusement.

“Really?” He said, voice croaky, another cough as he watched her face, seeing the smirk. “Maybe so,”

“Come on, don’t say that! I might be trying to woo someone else and wouldn’t want them to think I like birdbrain!” He huffed and stretched his legs out, grabbing another beer and leaning back against the crate they’d set up camp in front of.

“And who would that be?” She asked, leaning closer to him, half-lidded eyes, and long lashes fluttering as she waited for a reply. Ace gripped the bottle in his hand before he chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “Why do you wanna know? Would you be jealous?”

She was a little taken aback by his flirty comment, she was glad for the dim light provided by the strings lights above. She could feel her face getting hotter at his reply, her palms sweating. She would be jealous, wouldn’t she? She sat back leaning on the crate and picking up her beer, staring at the stars.

“And what if I was? What would you do about it?” She said, turning to face him, watching him shift and lean forward. Eyes meeting hers. “Well, the last thing I’d wanna do is make you jealous..” He said, not a lie.

His eyes dropped to her lips where she was smiling at him, he wanted to kiss her so badly, the booze making him fearless, the back-and-forth flirting between two friends sending a buzz, an electric charge in the air as their bare arms touched.

“Oh? Why?”

His heart was racing, he licked his lips as he found he couldn't look away from her mouth, couldn’t think of anything but his desire to kiss her. She cleared her throat and he forced himself to make eye contact.

“Well, what if yo-” “There you two are!”

Ace groaned when Thatch turned the corner, standing in front of them. “We are about to start a big game of poker! Come on you two, quit making out and join us!” Thatch reached down and ruffled their hair. Ace huffed and slapped his hand away.

“Alright, alright!”

—-

The fifth time he tried to confess was just a simple evening.

Ace hunched over a table in the dining room late in the afternoon, brows furrowed in concentration as he scribbled notes on the paper, He chewed on the end of the pen as he glared at the paper in front of him. Something all commanders had to do but he still hated this part of the job.

Paperwork.

She’d been looking for him, missing his company, his banter, and jokes, the warmth he would radiate with his smile and his body. She pushed open the door and saw him working hard, she felt herself smiling, gazing at him, fond of the commander that she was increasingly getting closer to, knowing him inside and out.

Seeing more sides of him than he ever let others witness. She walked over and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, he glanced up, and the irritated look vanished the moment he realized who it was. He placed his hand on hers and smiled.

“Hey,” “Hey, was wondering where you were.”

“Yeah?” He asked as she sat down on the other side, looking at the paper he was toiling over. “You have beautiful handwriting Ace..” she said with awe in her voice, pulling the sheet closer to her, and reading over his notes.

“Something I picked up from my childhood, from one of the good people I met.” He shrugged, even with her he was cagey about the past. She never pushed or pried though, never.

“Your writing is better than anyone else in fact.. Marco’s looks like chicken scratch, Thatch has more food stains the ink on his paperwork, and I don’t even want to mention the mess that Jozu makes and Vista.. His is far too fancy to understand.” She said as she looked over the page, Ace leaned on the table, cheek cradled in the palm of his hand as he admired her.

He wasn’t really listening, too focused on watching her lips move, watching the way she brushed hair behind her ear. He snapped out of it when she handed him back the paper. “Oh, thanks, yeah.” He mumbled in reply and tapped the nib of his pen on the paper.

“But yeah, beautiful Ace,”

“I can think of something more beautful,” He started, watching her stare at him like she was expecting something. He managed to catch himself, realizing in his daze he’d almost let everything slip again. He sat up and nodded. “Yeah, the stars tonight! Pop’s said we should have a harvest moon! Those things are huge!”

She sighed inwardly, she felt he’d been so close to something…

“Wanna go see it together after I finish this up?” He offered, taking the paper and quickly returning his attention to his work, tipping his hat down to hide his face.

“I’d like that.”

–

She felt tears running down her face, and snot from her nose as she rushed after the others, Ace in Jozu’s arms as Marco became a beacon of blue fire, hands on Ace’s chest as everyone rushed aboard the ship.

Ace had been hit pretty bad, he’d have been dead if Marco hadn’t been there at that second. She couldn’t swallow the lump in her throat as she followed them to the infirmary, Marco only allowing her access because her name was all that Ace could manage to say as he came in and out of consciousness.

He looked so pitiful, a dimming flame that flickered in the wind as he was laid out on the bed, Marco never moving from Ace’s side, hands splayed out on his chest, keeping the wound from getting worse, from killing him.

She’d never seen Marco so frazzled, the normally laid-back man was shouting, a frown on his face as he carried on barking orders. Deuce and Tate rushed around the office, grabbing the things he asked for as you sat by Ace’s bedside.

His eyes opened, he didn’t seem all there as he reached a bloody hand out, grasping for hers. She held his hand tight as Marco’s flames got brighter, swallowing the room, and chasing away the shadows as the phoenix worked its magic.

Deuce hooking Ace up to a drip, Tate grabbing all manner of things. She had no idea what was going on, she didn’t dare ask Marco as he growled out “Come on Ace!”

Everything was a blur, the shouting, yelling, clatter of things, and frustrated mumbles soon died down as Marco’s healing flames dissipated. Marco had never looked so ragged or old, she bit her lip when she saw his knees wobble and he sank to the floor, heavy breathing.

“Is Ac- is Ace okay?” she asked and saw Marco nod. “I have him stable, we have him stable.” He added seeing Deuce and Tate at Ace’s bedside, checking on things.

She didn’t leave his side, she hadn’t let go of his hand. Deuce opened the door and peered in, seeing her half slumped on Ace’s bed. “Want something to drink?” he asked, stepping in and checking a few things with Ace. She shook her head and politely declined.

Exhausted and too drained to think of anything.

Deuce sighed and nodded, hanging up the clipboard before he left, to report to Marco no doubt. She felt Ace’s hand twitch and glanced up. He was staring right back at her, he looked rough but alive. He was going to be fine, thank the gods.

“Hey,” he clutched her hand, doing his best to smile at her. “Hey,” she sat up and offered him a weak smile.

“We almost lost you there Portgas.” She sighed and watched him struggle to sit, she reached over, helping him sit, adjusting his pillows. “I know… but almost doesn’t count right?” he chuckled and winced, hand going to his bandaged chest.

“Your so cocky,” she sighed but the smile never left.

“I’m glad I’m alive, I would have hated myself if I never got to tell you how much I love you.” Ace didn’t look away this time, it was out there, it was wild and free, the confession he’d been sitting on for as long as he could remember.

Her eyes opened wide and she bit back a sob, hearing those words… “I love you too Ace, you idiot,” She sat on the edge of the bed, leaning her forehead against his, sobbing softly as Ace closed his eyes, feeling complete at last.

–

Marco leaned on the door frame, hearing the tearful confession from the pair. He smiled, glad two soulmates weren’t taken from one another before they had a chance to flourish together.

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brainfuzzz · 1 year

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Becoming A Pirate Ch. 1 "I Promise."

AU where the East, South, West, and Noth Blue is land masses all connected by the Grand Line. Luffy goes to a Naval Academy to follow in Shank's footsteps with the goal to become the pirate king. Crocodile and Dragon are married, Whitebeard is Crocodile's dad/Luffy's grandpop. Shakky is a warlord so that Boa can be a student. Robin and Franky are going to be the same age as the others. Happier timeline in AU.

This was 100% inspired by the noodle commercial.

Having the ability to sleep through virtually anything is both a blessing and a curse. It’s a trait shared by his father and grandfather that was unfortunately inherited down to Luffy. In his 17 years of life, he’s discovered many sounds that fail to wake him from his deep slumber: the wind, heavy thunderstorms, distant gun shots, loud vehicles speeding past his house, his parents yelling after losing him at the park, his grandpa yelling after losing him on a hike, his brothers yelling after losing him on a different hike, and pretty much all public transportation. His alarm, unfortunately, is also among these sounds. So, on the one day that Luffy had actually planned on getting up early… he sleeps in.

Luffy doesn’t jump out of bed, but rather flings himself from the mattress. Unfortunately, he does this headfirst, so instead of potentially landing on his feet, he instead falls face first onto the hardwood floor. He hits hard causing the small house to shake.

“What was that?” His dad calls from downstairs.

Luffy fumbles towards his nightstand for his phone. It’s nearly 7:30. He runs an aggravated hand through his messy hair and shouts, “Nothing!”

In a mad dash to get ready, he scrambles to his dresser and grabs his brand new uniform that his pa had neatly laid out the night before. He tugs the stiff itchy fabric over his head while simultaneously shoving legs into perfectly ironed pants. Once clothed he pauses to glance at his reflection in the cracked full body mirror hanging on the closet door. His uniform is already covered in wrinkles thanks to his hurry to get dressed, but other than that it’s fine. Afterall, Luffy has never been one to care about wrinkles. His pa on the other hand might strangle him. The uniform itself is a near copy of the marine uniform except on the back it has NA in large blue letters. Luffy can’t help but wrinkle his nose at the thought of wearing a marine uniform, but eventually he lets it go and crosses over to his nightstand to pick up his straw hat. He stares at it for a long moment, letting distant memories echo in his mind. He gives a small grin and places it on his head.

The floorboards on the stairs creak under his feet until he skips the last two steps, hopping to the first floor. He takes an immediate right into the kitchen where Dragon is setting a large plate of bacon on the table that is already piled with food.

Dragon glances up at Luffy and frowns with an arched brow, “How did you already wrinkle it? Your pa isn’t going to be happy.”

“I tried keeping it pressed but,” Before he’s even fully seated at the table, Luffy is stuffing his face. When he swallows his large bite he says, “I woke up late.”

Dragon chuckles with the shake of his head while leaning against the small island separating the dining room and the kitchen. “You have less than 30 minutes to make it there you know? If you’re lucky your pa will get up soon and take you.”

Luffy swallows another large mouthful of eggs, bacon, and bread, “No thanks. I don’t wanna be the only one being dropped off by his parents.”

Dragon rolls his eyes with a shrug and turns to walk around the island. The floorboards in the hall creak as his other father, Crocodile, steps into the kitchen. He’s holding up two ascots with a serious expression.

“Which one of these looks best?” he holds them up more as Dragon glances over his shoulder.

“The right one.” Dragon turns back to the dishes. Crocodile fastens his ascot around his collar before sitting next to Luffy. He eyes him suspiciously before frowning deeper.

“How did you manage to already wrinkle your uniform?” his pa turns in his chair making escape impossible. Luffy darts his eyes away and stuffs a pancake into his mouth using it as an excuse to not answer. Crocodile pinches Luffy’s ear, “Like having a full mouth has ever stopped you from talking before!”

Luffy continues to stuff his mouth in a nervous habit and says, “’mm ‘ory!”

Crocodile rests back in his chair with an exhausted sigh, “I should just be glad it made it through the night.”

Dragon slides a cup of coffee towards Crocodile and a glass of milk to Luffy. They both sip it graciously as Dragon sits on Luffy’s other side with a cup of coffee of his own. He passes Crocodile a copy of today’s newspaper and before long they both drift into their usual morning silence. Soon the only sounds are of the birds chirping outside the kitchen window, the windchime over the back deck, and Luffy’s obsessive chewing. After one last large bite, Luffy gets up from his chair.

“See ya!” He starts for the door making his parents put their papers down.

“If you let me finish my coffee, I’ll take you.” Crocodile says by the time Luffy has reached the front door.

“Nah!” Luffy calls back as he slips on his sandals.

“Have a nice day and be safe!” Dragon is calling by the time Luffy has swung open the front door and stepping out into the morning sun.

Luffy and his parents live in a small 2 story home that sits on a hill overlooking the wide open ocean. Down the grassy hill following a winding dirt road is his grandpa’s house only a few feet from the oceanside cliff. The only other people who live this far from Foosha village is Dadan and her mountain bandits, making this their own private quiet peace of paradise. Luffy stares out at the watery horizon, picturing himself setting sail just like his older brothers did. But just as he’s about to let himself get swept away in his daydream, his phone buzzes, reminding him of how late he already is. He shakes his head and starts running down the road to the tunnel of trees and towards Foosha Village.

Foosha Village is a small town based in the Goa district of the East Blue. There are four major territories known as the East Blue, the South Blue, the West Blue, and the North Blue. And in these territories are districts ruled by kings or some other higher ranking official, depending on its size. And within those districts are small towns like Foosha Village. By the time Luffy makes his way out of the tunnel of trees, he can spot the bus already waiting at the edge of town. Luffy takes a deep breath and charges full speed. Luckily there’s a line waiting to board, giving him some time to catch his breath.

“Luffy? What are you doing here so early?”

Luffy lifts his head to find Makino smiling at him. He returns her smile and says, “It’s my first day at the academy.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Makino starts reaching into her bag to retrieve a box and hands it to him. “I meant to give you this the last time I saw you. It’s a congratulations gift from me and the mayor. We’re rooting for you!”

Luffy rubs the back of his neck with a slight blush. “You didn’t have to Makino.”

“Nonsense, I know how much it means to you. Good luck on becoming a pi—” She stops herself before leaning in closer and whispering, “Good luck on becoming a pirate!”

By now its Luffy’s turn to board the bus. He steps up onto the first step and gives her a big grin, “I’m not just gonna become a great pirate, I’m gonna become the king of the pirates!”

Makino gives a nervous laugh as a few bystanders flinch at Luffy’s words. But before anything else can be said, the bus doors close and soon Foosha Village is in the distance.

The ride to the Goa district capital is a long and peaceful drive over slightly bumpy dirt roads and small bridges. They pass by countless windmills, rice fields, large pastures filled with cattle, and different thick forests that provide shade from the morning sun. But even with the calm of the quiet bus, Luffy can feel his excitement growing. He glances down at his phone. Illuminating on his cracked phone screen over a picture of him, Ace, and Sabo from the last summer they worked on his grandpop’s ship is two messages—one from each of his brothers.

Luffy, try not to cry on your first day! – Ace

Don’t listen to anything Ace told you. You’ll do great. – Sabo

And then,

But also, don’t cry on your first day. – Sabo

Luffy snorts a laugh and sends them both the middle finger emoji before sliding his phone back in his pocket. Luffy has been waiting for this day for a long time. While it might not be setting sail on a ship of his own, it is the first major stepping stone to becoming a pirate. The Marine Naval Academy is one of the most elite schools you can get into. They promote themselves by highlighting all the successful marines that have come out of it. But what they don’t promote is all the successful pirates that have gone there too. Among them are both his parents—a famous warlord and revolutionary—and both his brothers. But more importantly, Gol D. Roger graduated from the academy and went on to become king of the pirates. Luffy rests his head back against the old leather bus seat and stares at the edge of his straw hat.

Shanks went there too.

His thoughts are interrupted when the bus comes to a stop. The Goa capital surrounds the bus with its tall building and paved streets. Luffy can’t get off fast enough. He can’t remember a time he’s been so happy to be in the capital. Usually, he only comes to cause trouble with Ace and Sabo. But today he’s just passing through. Because at the end of the capital is a long tunnel that leads to the Grand Line.

Luffy runs down the street, making a few people jump away afraid that he might run them over in his hurry. The semi empty streets slowly begin to fill as he soon finds himself joining the morning commute through the tunnel. A large fence separates the people walking and those lucky enough to have a vehicle. Luffy wonders absently while shoulder to shoulder with the dense crowd if one of the cars going by is his pa. While Luffy stares at the cars driving past, light beams in his eye, pulling his attention away as the tunnel opens up to the Grand Line.

The Grand Line is a massive city that stretches along the large land mass that connects the 4 territories. Unlike the East Blue with wide open spaces, easy country sides, and green as far as the eye can see, the Grand Line is almost entirely city. Tall skyscrapers that seemingly stretch all the way to the sky sprout nearly everywhere. The roads are filled with heavy traffic while the streets are always bursting with thick crowds. There are countless of water ways for the mermaids and fishmen along with those who travel by yagara. Overhead in the airways people drive bon chari’s or ride flying fish. Luffy crosses a bridge over a water lane as a large screen displays one of Uta’s new songs from her new album. A little further down he sees a store promoting Doflamingo’s new line of sunglasses while on the other side of the street he notices a large cutout of Moria Gecko promoting his line of stuffed toys.

Luffy rolls his eyes. The warlords are supposed to be serious pirates pardoned by the marines to help balance the powers of the 4 emperors. But more often than not, he sees them promoting a new business or brand they’ve signed on with. While waiting at a crosswalk he notices a screen in a shop window showcasing his pa’s casino. A small group of girls stop to admire his pa’s looks. Luffy makes a face and turns away.

When he finally reaches the train that should take him to the academy, Luffy’s unable to sit still. He shifts his weight from side to side while constantly checking the time on his phone. His brothers messaged him back but he’s too antsy to even read them. He drags his fingers down his face in impatient frustration when he notices a girl bump into a man a few feet away from him. The girl looks about his age with short orange hair. She smiles and apologizes to the man but when she turns to do so, he sees her reach into the man’s pocket and pull out his wallet. When the girl turns to walk away, their eyes meet. She pauses for a moment before lifting a finger to her lips and giving him a wink with a smile. When someone steps between them and moves out of the way again, she’s gone.

Luffy stares at the spot where the girl had been until the train pulls up and opens its doors. He steps into the train and manages to steal a seat. He plops down and pats his hands on his knees, starting to realize for the first time just how uncomfortable this uniform really is. He tugs at the handkerchief around his collar while tapping his foot. When the train finally starts moving, a new surge of excitement bursts through his chest making it impossible to stop smiling.

“Ugh, how can he sleep like that in a public space?” a woman hisses near him. Luffy lifts his head to see her whispering angrily to her friend. He follows their gaze to a green haired boy sitting a few seats down with his head tilted all the way back, mouth open, manspreading, and snoring louder than his dad Dragon. Luffy leans forward when he realizes the boy is wearing a Naval Academy uniform. He opens his mouth to call out to him when he realizes that if he’s asleep he probably won’t hear him. So instead, he rests back against the hard bus seat letting out a disappointed puff of air.

The train comes to a slow stop before it reaches Luffy’s destination. Luffy lets out another puff of air while watching people exit and enter the train. Further down, the boy sleeping snorts awake and leans forward on his knees. He rubs the back of his neck with a yawn and gets to his feet. Luffy watches the boy slowly exit the train in a groggy shuffle. Luffy finds himself standing and stepping off the train just before the doors close. The boy grumbles some sleepy words while blinking away the last of his sleep.

“Hey,” Luffy says startling the boy.

“Where the hell did you come from?” the boy yells with one hand darting down to the three swords hanging from his waist.

“You’re going to the Naval Academy, right?” Luffy points to his uniform.

The boy frowns with a raised brow, “So what if I am?”

“So, why’d you get off here? The Academy is one stop away.” This makes the boy tense up as he realizes his mistake.

“Well why the hell did you get off?” he shouts with his face growing red. It suddenly dawns on Luffy that he also got off at the wrong stop.

“I’m going to be late!” Luffy screams. They both start running but when they get to the bottom of the stairs, Luffy turns left while the boy turns right. Luffy skids to a stop and calls out, “Hey, you’re going the wrong way!”

The boy flinches and changes direction. They run side by side through the city streets in a complete panic. While doing so, they accidently crash through a cart causing vegetables to scatter into the road. At some point they leap over a parked car, angering the driver and both nearly fall into a water lane when they nearly miscalculate the distance after deciding walking across the bridge would take to long. The boy keeps wanting to turn down different alleys causing Luffy to grab his collar and yank him back on the right path. But finally, finally, after dashing up a set of stairs—skipping three steps at a time—they reach the Academy.

“I made it!” Luffy cheers with his arms outstretched towards the sky. The white stone building towers above them with big bold blue letters spelling out Marine Naval Academy. The boy with green hair stands at his side smiling up at the building with a hand loosely resting on his swords. They bask in the sun, taking in the moment… until the bell rings and they realize that they are the only ones standing in front of the building.

“Damn it!” the green haired boy shouts as they return to their panicked running. They bust through the front doors and dash down the pristine blue and white halls. They come to a stop in front of the auditorium doors. “I bet the assembly has already started!”

“Yeah, so we should be really quiet and try and sneak inside.” Luffy says right before kicking the double doors open causing a loud bang.

An auditorium full of students and teachers all slowly turn their heads to stare at them. At the front on a stage, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stands in front of a microphone in the middle of giving his speech. He narrows his eyes at them. Just behind Sengoku are two rows of seats. One row has the high ranking marines including his grandpa Garp who slaps a hand over his face at the sight of Luffy. On the other side is the 7 warlords including his pa Crocodile who is giving him a death glare. Luffy presses his lips tightly together with his foot still in the air from kicking the doors open.

“What was that about being quiet?” the green haired boy hisses at his side.

“Yeah… my bad.”

They quickly rush over to the closest set of empty chairs and take a seat. Admiral Sengoku clears his throat and continues with his opening speech. Luffy tunes out before he can even tune in to whatever the admiral is saying. Instead, he gets distracted by all the people in the crowd and the people up on the stage. The green haired boy lasts two minutes before yawning and immediately falling asleep. Luffy glances up where his pa sits. He’s thankfully stopped glaring at Luffy and has settled into a neutral bored expression. Doflamingo sits next to him with a wide grin. When he leans over to whisper something into Crocodile’s ear, Crocodile closes his eyes in clear annoyance before lifting up out of his seat. Shakky seems to have a silent understanding of the situation and gets up to switch seats with Crocodile. Doflamingo frowns and faces forward for the rest of the assembly.

Nothing else interesting happens for the rest of the assembly. By the time it ends, Luffy’s almost succumbed to sleep as well. When they’re signaled to stand, he smacks the boy next to him awake before they both stumble to their feet.

“Here at the Marine Naval Academy we hold ourselves to a higher standard. We expect great things from all of you.” And with that, Admiral Sengoku gives a proud salute, prompting the students to do the same, bringing the welcoming of the new school year ceremony to an end.

“So how are we supposed to know where to go next?” the boy asks while they glance around the crowd of students who have begun to slowly sift out of the auditorium.

“Oh!” Luffy says when he sees a table that reads registration. He grabs the boy’s collar and drags him to the table. The two marines behind the table flinch when they appear. “We’re here to register!”

“Geez, late on the first day and interrupting the fleet admiral’s speech. You two must be trying to get expelled.” The pink haired one says while grabbing a stack of paper.

The marine next to him with a long goatee and heart shaped sunglasses leans back in his chair, “At the very least, detention on the first day.”

Luffy and the boy say nothing.

“Alright, what’re names so I can find out who’s the lucky son of a bitch who gets to teach you two.” The pink haired marine leans against his brass knuckle fist.

“Monkey D. Luffy.”

“Roronoa Zoro.” The green haired boy says.

“So, your names Zoro? I’m Luffy.” Luffy holds his hand out. Zoro stares at it for a second before giving a smirk and shaking it.

“Luffy huh? Well thanks for pointing me in the right direction.”

“Oh yeah, I did that a lot. You’re really bad with directions.” Luffy turns back to the table while Zoro tenses and grits his teeth. The marine with pink hair flips through a stack of paper until he stops and pulls one out. He reads over it for a second before bursting out in laughter. The marine beside him lets his seat fall forward so all legs are on the ground.

“What is it?” the other asks while taking the paper out of the pink haired marine’s hand. He reads over it before bursting out in laughter himself.

“Oh, he’s gonna love you two,” the pink haired marine wipes a tear away. “You’re both in room 12A. Goodluck.”

“You’re going to need it!” the other calls as Luffy and Zoro start to exit the auditorium.

“Those guys are weird.” Luffy says as they walk.

“They’re marines, what’d you expect?” Zoro stuffs his hands in his pockets as they turn down a different hall. Luffy stares at Zoro for a moment.

“Does that mean you don’t want to be a marine?” Luffy asks. Zoro arches a brow and gives a slight grin.

“I have no intention of becoming some lousy marine.” Zoro comes to a stop so that he can face Luffy. “I’m going to be the world’s greatest swordsman.”

Luffy stares at him for a long moment. Then he smiles. “Okay, I’ve decided.”

“Decided what?”

Luffy starts walking again before saying, “You’re going to join my pirate crew.”

“What? You can’t just decide that!” Zoro shouts while speed walking to catch up.

“Yeah, I can, I just did.” Luffy grins.

“And did you say pirate crew? Why the hell would I want to join up with a bunch of criminals?”

“So what? The current greatest swordsman is a pirate. What’s the big deal?” Luffy shrugs making Zoro pause for a moment.

“Well when you put it that way…” he trails off in thought before asking, “Why do you want to become a pirate anyway?”

Luffy stops right in front of room 12A. He looks at Zoro from over his shoulder and says with a smile, “Because I’m going to be king of the pirates.”

He opens the door and steps through with Zoro close behind. The commotion of the room draws both of their attention. It seems Luffy and Zoro are also the last two to reach the classroom as nearly every seat is already filled. A small table is next to the teacher’s desk near the front with place cards on them. Luffy and Zoro both pick up the cards with their names on it.

“Hey, I’m number 16 and your 17.” Luffy and Zoro hold their cards next to each other. They walk toward the back of the room, noticeably aware of the eyes following them. When they find a table with the numbers 15, 16, and 17, Luffy plops down in the middle seat. The person sitting in the number 15 place shifts away from him, making him take notice. When he recognizes the girl, he smiles and says a little too loudly, “Hey, you’re the thief from before!”

The orange haired girl from the train tenses as heads begin to turn in their direction. The girl springs forward and slaps a hand over Luffy’s mouth.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she hisses. Luffy says something but it’s muffled by her hand. Zoro props his chin up on the desk with his hand.

“You two know each other or something?” he asks with a yawn.

“Hell no, I don’t know him.” The girl sits back in her chair with her arms folded over her uniform. Luffy rubs his jaw confused.

“I thought it was really cool how you stole that guy’s wall—” before he can finish, she has slapped a hand over his mouth again.

“Would you stop that! Not everyone in this class needs to know!” she doesn’t remove her hand until Luffy gives an understanding nod.

“I’m Luffy by the way.” He says while pointing his thumb behind him. “And this is Zoro.”

“Names Nami. Just don’t go blabbing around school that I’m a thief and we’ll get along just fine.” She turns her head to face the front.

Luffy gives a grin and a chuckle, “Sure thing, Nami!”

When the door to the classroom opens again, a marine with slicked back white hair steps into the room. Everyone falls into a deep silence. He closes the door to the classroom with a bang making some of the students in the front jump in their seat. Luffy rests both his arms on the table already getting bored.

“I am Captain Smoker and I’ll be the one teaching you sad excuses for marines for the next year. You may address me as Captain or Captain Smoker and nothing else, got it?” Smoker drops a stack of papers on his desk causing another loud noise but this time the ones who jumped only flinch. Luffy absently wonders when lunch time will be. “I’m going to give roll call. Sound off when you hear your name.”

He begins listing off everyone in the class, but Luffy doesn’t listen because he’s realized his chair has a wobbly leg that when he tilts back, it makes a funny noise. Luffy continues to tilt back on his chair, grinning to the sound as Zoro’s head drops as he drifts back to sleep. A loud bang comes from their desk causing Luffy to let his chair fall forward so all legs are on the floor and Zoro’s eyes to pop open. Smoker stands above them, but Luffy can’t tell if he’s frowning more than usual or if its just his face.

“What the hell are you two doing?” he snarls out through gritted teeth. Luffy glances around trying to see what he’s talking about.

“Just sitting here.” He shrugs but that must not have been the right answer because it just makes Smoker look even madder.

“When I call your names I expect you to answer!” he slams a hand down on the table making the people in the front flinch again but Luffy and Zoro remain unbothered. Smoker looks them over before narrowing his eyes, “Are you wearing a hat in my class? And are those earrings in your ear?”

Luffy pats the top of his head, “Yeah, this hat is real important to me!”

“What’s the big deal if I am?” Zoro crosses his arms giving another yawn. A vein in Smoker’s right temple throbs.

“Hats and earrings are prohibited! Take it off and take them out or they become mine!” Smoker yells making Luffy’s ears ring. This time he and Zoro get the message. Luffy swipes his hat back so that it stays tied around his neck but is off his head, while Zoro begrudgingly takes his earrings out and slips them into his pocket. Suddenly satisfied, Smoker picks up his clipboard and loudly says, “Monkey D. Luffy, here. Roronoa Zoro, here.”

He walks back to the front as Luffy returns to leaning back in his squeaky chair. “What’s his problem?”

“His problem? What’s your problem?” Nami hisses at his side. She rubs her temple looking exhausted. “Are you trying to get kicked out on the first day?”

“Why do people keep saying that?” Zoro asks making Luffy shrug. Nami sighs with the shake of her head. When Smoker reaches the front of the room, he begins class. Everyone starts shuffling through their things to pull out books, paper, and pencils. Luffy pats his pockets realizing he didn’t bring any of that stuff.

“Hey Nami,” Luffy whispers, “I forgot to bring paper and a pen. Can I borrow some?”

“Me too.” Zoro leans over so that they are both looking at her. Nami stares at them dumbfounded.

“How do you forget to bring supplies on the first day?” She stares at them but Luffy and Zoro only shrug making her roll her eyes. “Fine, but its going to cost you 500 berries each.”

“500!” Luffy whisper shouts.

“I don’t have that kind of cash.” Zoro grumbles while Luffy scratches his head.

“I could give you one of my sandals, would that cover it?” Luffy starts to reach for his shoes, but Nami wrinkles her nose.

“No, that won’t cover it.” She turns back to her work.

“Here,” a voice in front of them says as sheets of paper are slid towards Luffy and Zoro. A boy with a long nose rummages through his bag and pulls out two pens and holds them out to them. “You can borrow some from me.”

“Thanks! I’m Luffy, this is Zoro. We really owe you!” Luffy grins as he takes the pen.

“I’m Usopp and don’t mention it. Anything to keep Captain Smoker from getting angry again.” Usopp shrugs while turning to face the front. With pen and paper in hand, Luffy buckles down ready to get serious about school.

Except, as it turns out, school is really, really boring. School has always been boring to Luffy but he had hoped since this was the place where all the really cool and famous pirates came from that it would somehow be different and more exciting. But unfortunately, it’s not. It doesn’t take long for Luffy’s enthusiastic note taking to dwindle off into mindless doodles as he starts to lose interest. Eventually he’s resting his chin on the edge of the table struggling to sit still.

“Zoro… I’m bored.” He glances at him only to realize that Zoro fell asleep almost immediately after Smoker started talking. “Oh, you’re asleep… you suck.”

He glances at Nami but before he can open his mouth she says, “Not my problem.”

He lets out a tired puff of air. He glances around the room trying to find anything entertaining when his eyes land on the guy sitting in front of Zoro. He keeps peeking over his shoulder at Luffy and then facing forward again. Luffy lifts his head intrigued. This time when the guy turns to glance towards him, Luffy is staring straight at him. This makes the guy flinch a little.

“What’re you looking at?” Luffy asks now leaning towards him. The guy frowns.

“I’m not looking at you I’m looking at…” his eyes drift past Luffy and towards Nami as a deep blush spreads across his face. “… I’m looking at the goddess next to you.”

Luffy looks between Nami and the guy. “Oh, you mean Nami? Whatever you say.”

The guy now turns in his chair so he’s half facing Luffy. “Hey, how about we switch seats? You can sit next to this guy who obviously doesn’t have an issue letting you bum off him and I get to sit next to Nami!”

Luffy considers it for a second before going, “Nah.”

“What, why?” Now the guy is fully turned towards Luffy.

Luffy shrugs and lets his chin rest on the table again, “Just don’t wanna.”

The guy frowns and turns to Zoro. He kicks his leg causing him to startle awake.

“What the hell is your problem?” Zoro rubs his leg where the guy had kicked him.

“Switch places with me so I can sit closer to Nami.” The guy demands.

“Screw you I’m not switching seats with anyone.” Zoro recrosses his arms.

Usopp lets out a heavy sigh and says over his shoulder, “Would you three quiet down? You’re going to get us in trouble.”

“Seriously, and I can hear you.” Nami says as she continues to take notes.

“Oh, then Nami how about you switch places with Usopp?” the guy suggests.

“No way, why do I have to move?” Usopp frowns at him.

“No one wants to switch with you so just shut up.” Zoro says and to make sure his point gets across, he kicks the back of the guy’s chair causing a small box to fall out of his bag and slide across the floor. The four of them follow where the box stops in front of someone that they hadn’t realized had approached them. Luffy has returned to making his chair squeak. The four of them tense as Smoker reaches down and picks it up.

“Is this a pack of cigarettes… in my room?” Smoker says through gritted teeth. Its at this moment that Luffy finally sees his teacher glaring over them.

“Oh, what’s up Smoky?” He gives a little wave and in doing so, seals their fates.

The vein in Smoker’s head throbs harder than ever before as he shouts, “DETENTION, ALL OF YOU!”

And that’s how Luffy got himself and four others detention on the first day of school. When the school day is over, they all find themselves walking outside towards the old gymnasium where they’re supposed to report for detention. No one has said a word all day after the incident and Luffy can’t figure out why they’re all in such a bad mood. When they slide open the door to the gym and step inside, Nami and Usopp jump back when a man leaps out from behind a stack of old matts.

“Welcome students to the worst day of your life!” the man shouts excitedly. “I am the great and humble warden of Impel Down and the one to bestow upon you your punishment!”

They stare at him in a long and awkward silence before Luffy says, “Uh, no you’re not. The warden of Impel Down is this big creepy dude with horns.”

The warden impostor flinches as if Luffy had punched him in the gut, “Okay fine! I’m not the warden. I am the vice warden Hannyabal and still deserve some respect!”

“If you’re the vice warden of Impel Down, then why are you here supervising detention?” the blond haired guy asks.

“If you must know the staff at Impel Down is required to volunteer our time at the Academy just like the 7 warlords. We’re usually given the task of supervising detention and in school suspension.” He crosses his arms and frowns at them. “Though we weren’t exactly expecting anyone to get in trouble on the first day. Real overachievers aren’t ya?”

They have nothing to say to this. So Hannyabal turns and gestures to the gym. “For your punishment you’ll be tasked with cleaning this place top to bottom. You’ll clean it until your guardians come and pick you up in an hour. In the meantime, don’t bother me.”

They all gawk in disgust and horror of the state of the old gymnasium. Everything is covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs and they’re pretty sure they see something scurry into a crack in the wall. Hannyabal walks over to a chair and sits with his feet propped up on an old desk. Within seconds he’s out like a light and snoring almost as loud as Zoro.

“Geez, I can’t believe we got detention on our first day!” Usopp grumbles while passing out brooms.

“Don’t look at me, it’s curly brow’s fault.” Zoro says as he takes a broom.

“What was that moss head? You’re the one who kicked my bag!” the blond guy yells.

“Would you both shut it? As far as I’m concerned, it’s all your faults. Including you Luffy.” Nami folds her arms while trying to find a semi clean place to sit.

“I still don’t get why we got detention.” Luffy shrugs before pulling his hat on his head.

“What are you doing? If someone sees, you’ll get in trouble.” Usopp says.

“So what? I’m already in detention.” Luffy grabs a broom with a grin. He looks over at the blond guy with the curly eyebrow. “So, you got a name?”

“It’s Sanji.” He says with his hands in his pockets. He pulls out a different pack of cigarettes and slips one in his mouth.

“What is wrong with you?” Usopp shouts.

“What? He’s right. We’re already in trouble, might as well relax.” Sanji lights his cigarette and blows out a steady stream of smoke. Zoro shrugs and puts his earrings back in his ears.

“Honestly, I’m more surprised Captain Smoker was more concerned about your earrings than the 3 swords on your hip.” Nami says as she wipes off some dust on a chair and sits down. “What are you doing with 3 swords anyway?”

“I fight with them, what else?” Zoro shrugs while grabbing two more brooms. Nami rolls her eyes before catching Sanji staring. She gives a sly smile and leans back in her chair.

“Sanji, was it? Do you think you can clean my side of the gym for me? I’m just so tired from the day.” She says while fanning her face with her hand. Sanji immediately perks up.

“Of course, Nami dearest! Anything for you!” Sanji shouts while starting to sweep the floors. Zoro rolls his eyes with a snort making Sanji frown at him. “What? Scared I’ll clean twice as much space faster than you?”

This makes the hair on the back of Zoro’s neck stand on edge. He turns to glare at Sanji, “What was that curly brow?”

Before anyone can stop them, Sanji and Zoro are racing each other to see who can clean the most the fastest. Zoro sweeps with a broom in each hand and one between his teeth.

“What a bunch of morons. But if it gets this place cleaned up faster than who am I to judge.” Usopp shrugs with a smile.

“Yeah,” Luffy agrees as he sweeps his broom back and forth. Usopp smacks the back of his head.

“You’re sweeping with the wrong side of the broom you idiot!” He shouts as Luffy rubs the back of his head.

He gives a “Whoops” and decides to give up on sweeping and join Usopp and Nami who are sitting on the sidelines. He hops up onto a stack of old matts that reek of mildew. Nami and Usopp pull their phones out and get lost in it prompting Luffy to do the same. He sees that he has several new messages.

Did you really get detention on your first day? Sir Monkey D. Luffy we are going to have a talk when you get home. – Pa

To Luffy,

We talked about this. You can’t be getting in trouble like you did in your old school.

Sincerely,

Your Father. – Dad

So, did you cry? – Ace, followed by a later text of a series of laughing emojis.

At least it’s not expulsion – Sabo, he adds a shrugging emoji at the end.

Luffy lets out a groan and runs a hand through his hair. Usopp looks up at him. “What’s wrong.”

“My entire family knows I got detention.” He shows Usopp his phone who takes it and gives a laugh.

“Does your dad really text like he’s writing a letter?” He hands Luffy his phone back. Luffy nods.

“My older brothers have been trying to tell him how to text but he just doesn’t get it.” Luffy slips his phone in his pocket, not feeling like dealing with them right now.

“My mom’s pretty bad at texting too… and really all new technology.” Usopp puts his phone in his pocket as well.

“Same.” Nami adds with a stretch. “So, what’s a troublemaker like you doing at the Naval Academy?”

“Both my dads went here and so did both my older brothers.” Luffy explains while letting his feet dangle over the tall stack of matts.

“My dad went here too but… can I tell you guys a secret?” Usopp leans in so Luffy and Nami do the same. “I’m not here to become a marine. I’m going to become a pirate and great warrior of the sea!”

“Me too!” Luffy hops from his stack of matts.

“Oh really? Well maybe I’ll let you join my crew. They’re already 8,000 strong after all.” He gives a nonchalant shrug. Luffy gasps in awe while Nami shakes her head.

“I hate pirates. Can’t stand them.” She leans on her knees propping her chin up with her hand. Usopp and Luffy stare at her. Before they have a chance to ask why she says, “But you’re not pirates yet… so I guess I can tolerate you.”

“I guess that means you want to become a marine then?” Usopp asks while Luffy leans against the stack of matts. Sanji and Zoro continue to clean the gym, passing by every now and then usually in the middle of insulting the other. The question makes Nami give a small laugh.

“No way, its just…” she tilts her head while staring at a ray of sunlight. “… my mom always wanted either my sister or me to come here.”

They wait for her to go on, but she doesn’t. Not wanting to dredge up any bad memories, their conversation becomes much more lighthearted and easy going. Luffy finds out that Usopp and Nami are from the East Blue and when Zoro and Sanji overhear they reveal that they’re from there too. Usopp comes from a town almost as small as Foosha Village while Nami’s town is a much larger fishing village. Sanji and Zoro return to their competition before they can explain where they come from. Then the conversation turns to movies and music that they each like and before they know it the hour flies by.

Sanji and Zoro both collapse in front of Luffy, Nami, and Usopp. Through their panted breaths they continue to argue over who cleaned the most and the fastest. The gym isn’t spotless but its much better off then it was before. Usopp, Luffy, and Nami have positioned chairs into a half open circle with Nami’s feet lazily propped in Luffy’s lap. Luffy remembered the box Makino had given him earlier that morning and is sharing the chocolate inside.

“There’s no way that’s true.” Nami says with a laugh.

“It is! I heard it from a very reliable source! They say that when the sun goes down if you walk the school halls, you’ll hear the ghost that haunts the Naval Academy! They say he’s the first pirate ever to be executed after the school was built so he stalks the halls singing Binks’s Brew!” Usopp wiggles his fingers with a ghostly groan.

Luffy laughs, “Ooo now I wanna see!”

“Binks’s Brew? That doesn’t sound very scary.” Nami rolls her eyes.

“Brew…? Did someone say brew? I could go for a cold one.” Zoro pants while still being sprawled out on the floor.

“Shut up moss head.” Sanji pants back. They both try to smack each other but neither have the energy. It’s at this moment that the door to the gym opens and a woman with a long nose steps inside.

“Mom,” Usopp says as he stands. “I’ll see you guys later.”

He waves a goodbye and goes to his mother. She gives a polite nod to them and looks unsure if she should wake Hannyabal before ultimately deciding to just leave. The next person to arrive is a woman with the sides of her head shaven. She puts her hands on her hips and stares in Luffy and Nami’s direction.

“Well, that’s me.” Nami says as she stands. She glances back at Luffy. “See you tomorrow.”

Luffy watches her leave before sitting on the floor with Sanji and Zoro. It doesn’t take long before the door opens again and a man with a long blond mustache and peg leg steps inside. Sanji stands with a grunt, saying his goodbyes before leaving. Another 10 minutes goes by before the doors open and a familiar face steps inside.

“Roronoa, lets go.” Warlord Hawkeyes Mihawk says. Zoro rubs the back of his neck as he stands.

“Zoro, is that your dad?” Luffy gasps. Zoro shakes his head.

“No, he’s my sponsor. It’s how I got into this school.” Zoro gives a lazy wave goodbye and stands next to Mihawk who eyes Luffy suspiciously.

“Monkey D. Luffy I presume.” He says.

“Yup, that’s me.” Luffy stares back at him.

“I should have known.” Mihawk finally pulls his eyes away to stare at Hannyabal but only for a second before leading Zoro out of the room. With it just being Luffy, he gets bored quickly. He finds himself wandering around the gym looking for something to entertain himself with. He finds a basketball but its deflated and covered in cobwebs. He then tries poking his head under the stage at the far end of the gym but when he sees big bat wings spread out he shuts the small door and decides that he better not.

30 minutes later when the sun goes down, the door to the gym finally opens. Luffy stops when his grandpa steps inside. He has one hand stuffed into one pocket and frowning at Luffy.

“Let’s go, boy.” He says. Luffy nods and follows his grandpa out leaving a snoring Hannyabal alone in the old gymnasium.

They’re silent the whole car ride through the Grand Line and through the tunnel to the East Blue. It’s not until they leave the Goa capital does his grandpa finally speak.

“So, besides getting detention, how was your first day?” He keeps his eyes on the road as Luffy finally lifts his head and cracks a smile.

“It was really boring, but I made a lot of friends.” He leans back in the passenger seat. His grandpa gives a soft smile and doesn’t say anything else. They’re silent the rest of the way home but the air is much lighter. When they finally pull into his parent’s driveway, Luffy starts to sink back down in his seat dreading what is to come.

“Lets go, kid.” Garp says as he slides out the car. Luffy reluctantly does the same. A warm breeze rustles his hair and hat as he stares at his house. Why is it so dark? Usually, his pa is working in the downstairs office while his dad watches TV in the living room. The only thing normal is the delicious smell of food in the air. His parents have never made him go to bed hungry but he’s always worried one day he’ll tip them over the edge.

He follows his grandpa down the stone path to the front door. His grandpa steps to the side making Luffy enter first. When he steps into the dark entryway, Luffy knows something is off. The entire house is dark and silent. A small surge of panic runs up his chest making him pad the walls until he finds the light switch. When it flicks on, he winces at the sudden brightness as a swarm of people jump out shouting “Surprise!” while someone throws confetti in his face.

“What?” Luffy blinks trying to make sense of what’s going on.

“Congratulations on not getting expelled your first day!” Sabo shouts while pointing to a paper banner across the entryway to the living room reading Congratulations On Not Getting Expelled Your First Day. Ace blows a noisemaker and throws another fistful of confetti in his face while Sabo slips a party hat over Luffy’s straw hat.

“Did you all really think I was going to get expelled my first day?” Luffy shouts.

Ace slings an arm around his shoulders, “More than I believe the sun will rise tomorrow morning.”

“You guys suck.” Luffy pouts but can’t stop himself from grinning. He wanders around the house saying hi to everyone who came. Most are familiar faces from Baroque Works, Dadan’s mountain bandits, and the revolution.

“Straw Boy!” Iva shouts from the back deck. Luffy maneuvers through his small living room filled with people through the open glass doors to find Iva, Bon Clay, Kuma, and his dad standing around a grill. “Glad you made it through your first day.”

“You did make quite the entrance.” Kuma smiles.

“I was fine!” He insists as his dad pats his head with a laugh.

“We’re just messing with you… kind of. Go get something to eat.” His dad points to a long table of food. Luffy’s mouth immediately starts salivating. He piles his plate high with food and takes a seat on the floor in the living room.

“… and he—he got detention the first day?” his pa’s loud laugh nearly makes him choke. He looks across the room to see his pa and Dadan leaning on each other laughing, both clearly drunk.

“Oh, that kid was always trouble.” Dadan says with the wave of a sake bottle. His pa takes a swig of the bottle of whiskey in his hand.

“But he was such a cute kid.” His pa says after a long gulp. That sends them both into a state of gushing over memories of Luffy as a kid. Luffy gives a slight groan but continues eating. Sabo and Ace find Luffy and sit on either side of him.

“So, where’s grandpop?” Luffy asks when he realizes Whitebeard isn’t anywhere to be seen. Ace and Sabo exchange a look.

“Pop’s had something come up. But he wanted to come.” Ace explains.

After that, Sabo steers the conversation to old memories that Ace and Sabo shared while they went to the Academy. Luffy told him about his day and the new friends he had made. His pa eventually made his way over and forced all 3 boys into a clingy bear hug. Crocodile only ever gets mushy when he’s really hammered. Dragon comes to their rescue and coaxes him onto the back deck with the promise of something whispered into his ear. Luffy, Ace, and Sabo didn’t care to find out what that thing was. Through the whole night people celebrated Luffy’s first day at the academy with drinks and good food.

When it finally gets late enough and the last of the guests are gone, Luffy lets himself fall onto the couch in a satisfied exhaustion. He rolls onto his side to poke at his pa’s cheek since he had passed out on the floor. Ace and Sabo shuffle through the house, collecting stray cups and plates.

“Just leave it boys, we can do dishes tomorrow.” Dragon yawns.

“You mind if we stay here tonight?” Sabo asks after a deep stretch. Dragon makes a face to say do you really have to ask?

Ace and Sabo say goodnight while Dragon reaches down to hoist Crocodile over his shoulder. He ruffles Luffy’s hair and says, “Goodnight kid.”

Luffy watches them disappear into their bedroom before settling into the silent stillness of the house. It doesn’t take long before he can hear Dragon’s snoring. Slowly, Luffy pushes himself up and places his feet on the floor. The moon shines in through the glass doors giving him plenty of light as the wind makes the windchimes sing. He walks through the creaky hallway and climbs the steps, wincing every time the stairs announced which step he’s on. He walks into his room and falls into bed before glancing over at the bunkbed. Ace has reclaimed his spot on the top bunk with and arm and a leg dangling over the side while Sabo sleeps like a normal person on the bottom. Luffy smiles and pulls off the part hat and sets it on the nightstand. He then carefully takes his straw hat off and holds it up in the moonlight.

This hat means a lot to me. Promise that you’ll give it back someday when you become a great pirate.

Luffy rests the hat gently on his chest and closes his eyes.

“I promise.”

Read full story HERE on AO3!!!

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