Chapter Text
In the back of your mind, you knew you had overstayed your welcome. It was a little rule you created that said, 'Never stay in one place for too long.' You didn't mean to break it, your time with these three boys had unintentionally created a comfortable routine, which made way for stability that took the guise of security.
For only a brief period, you fell into this role of a caretaker, it was easy when it was fun. For once, you weren't worried about what the future had in store. Pretending you could watch over these characters forever was foolish, but any normal person would prefer to relive childhood memories than acknowledge the unknowable future.
...Maybe it was the fact that you can't remember your childhood and wanted to see it through their eyes. As if they were just 'normal' children, as if it would make you feel better.
At the very least, your little cave had become a second home. Painted with stars and three small shadows lit up by the fireplace, where you could eat until you were full and sing until everyone was tired, and you could tell stories. The boys loved your stories.
A few were about your actual adventures in the world of One Piece, and the rest were stories from your world. Sabo seemed to like those stories best, maybe you were becoming a good storyteller.
The fire illuminated your wicked grin, "'You best start believing in ghost stories, Miss Turner.' Captain Barbossa stepped out into the moonlight. His flesh vanishes to reveal a withered skeleton, 'You're in one...'"
Luffy gasped while Ace and Sabo tried their best to put on a brave face, failing miserably.
At the peak of your pause, you skipped behind the trio and grabbed the older kids' shoulders. "BOO!"
"AAAAH!!!" The two nearly jumped out of their skin from your devious scare, you doubled over laughing while they prepared to get some payback.
Luffy found it funny when their attacks passed right through you and hit each other instead, he took the opportunity to jump onto your back, "I wanna skeleton in my crew!"
You wobbled while trying to stand upright, glancing at the troublemaker attached to your back. "I'm sure if you sail the ocean long enough, you'll find one."
"Can you help me?" He asked with a beaming grin.
His question garnered the attention of Ace and Sabo, still rubbing their sore cheeks from each other's punches. "What's that s'posed to mean?"
"Meshi's joinin' my crew," Luffy said. Your heart dropped at the horrifying realisation that he was being completely sincere, he must've forgotten what you'd told him during your first meeting.
The other boys also reacted poorly to his claim, Sabo was the first to retort. "What!? No way, she's joining my crew."
You had to step in before it became an all-out brawl. "Hey, hey! I never said anything about joining any crew, I can't do that." The silence was unsettling as all three sets of eyes turned to you, the fire's crackle roared in your ears.
"...Why not?" Ace broke the ice.
"I... I told you, didn't I?" You sighed heavily, this conversation would have been easier if you hadn't stuck around for so long. "I'm not staying here forever, I have to leave once you get along with your little brother." It was subtle, but you saw the young boy tense while Luffy's arms held you a smidgeon tighter.
Sabo was the only one who didn't look away from you, failing to understand why, "But... you like us, right?"
What exactly were you supposed to say at this moment? You're not sure if you could have this conversation even if you were granted a whole day to prepare, being put on the spot just made things more impossible. "Sabo, it's not about that it's- Ace...!" Before you could blink, the older brother had swiped his lead pipe from off the floor and run outside. "Come back here, let me explain-!"
"I'm not comin' back! EVER!" Leave it to Ace to never listen and lash out.
"Ace!" Sabo was quick to follow him, he glanced back at you and felt some of his worry fade when you nodded back at him. You trusted him to keep Ace out of trouble, wherever he was going this late at night.
You did not trust Luffy nearly as much to venture out in the jungle after dark. Yanking him back by the shirt the moment he tried jumping off of you. "They'll be fine."
Luffy whined, trying to pry your hands off. "But Ace said he's not comin' back! I gotta beat him up for being dumb!"
"You can pick a fight tomorrow if they return. It's getting late, we should get some rest." You carried him under your arm as you were setting up the blankets for bed. A technique you could safely say was mastered from the months you had spent with the Strawhat kid.
All the while, Luffy grunted and kicked his legs. "That's not fair...! Why can't you come with me? You're super strong, none of the animals can touch you!"
"It's too dark, I'll get lost." Was your simple excuse.
With that, Luffy lost all fight in him, "Okay." He decided to stay because he didn't want you to be alone either.
You put him down on the soft material and tucked him in. His blank expression made you pause, he made that face anytime he wanted to do something you didn't allow. "...Are you going to sneak off tomorrow to find them?"
Luffy pursed his lips and darted his gaze away, "...Noooo?"
"You can go, but you gotta get to tomorrow first." You heard his quiet 'ok' and lay down yourself. The painted stars greeted you when looking up at the cave's roof. "...Want me to sing a lullaby?"
"Yeah!" Luffy jumped onto your torso and bundled up with his blanket and your jacket.
You wheezed from the sudden weight on your stomach, recovering just as quickly to ruffle his hair, "Old song or a new one?"
"New!" He chirped.
It took a few seconds for your brain to pick out a fitting song that could be used as a lullaby, your eyes fixated on the ceiling stars as it clicked. You smiled as you began to hum a folk tune. "Happy hare, where have you buried all you're children?~ Tell me so I say~ Hmmhmmhmm~ Happy hare, where have you buried all you're children?~ Tell me so I say~"
Your hand brushed through your little brother's raven hair, "Forest walls and starry ceilings, barren curtains that you're weaving~ Like the stories that you keep inside your head!~ She can't keep them all safe, they will die and be afraid~ Mother, tell me, so I say... Mother, tell me, so I say...~"
Luffy's snores signalled you to stop, but you kept brushing his hair long after he fell asleep. It was therapeutic somehow, if that was the right word in this scenario. 'Strange... it feels like instinct almost?' It was as if you had done this before, but you couldn't for the life of you remember where.
When you slept, you dreamed of forgotten memories. Holiday parties at a relative's house, playing hide and seek with your younger family members. Except, for some reason, the usually faceless children were replaced with Luffy, Sabo, and Ace. It was a good dream, a rare, happy one.
You forgot it the moment you opened your eyes.
The moment Luffy finished breakfast, he was raring to go out and find his brother(s). "I'll bring Ace back and make him say sorry to ya!"
You knew declining his offer wouldn't work, his mind had been set since the moment his older brother had run off. "Be careful and be back before sundown, don't make me come rescue you if you get into trouble." You said playfully, fully aware that he'd fall for your teasing every time.
Luffy blew a raspberry at you. "I'm strong too! I'll be King of the Pirates one day!"
"I know you will." It was a slip of the tongue, your eyes widened as you looked over to Luffy to hastily clarify, 'If you train hard enough.' But you stop when you see his expression.
The way his eyes were shining, the way his smile was so wide it looked like it hurt his cheeks. For a fraction of a second, you didn't see Monkey D. Luffy staring at you with stars in his eyes.
You saw a little boy from back home, whose bright grin mirrored Luffy's in every way.
"I won't let you down! Bye, Meshi!" The Strawhat kid waved goodbye and sprinted off into the jungle.
He didn't see you stumble to the ground, clutching your chest frantically as your eyes glazed over. Who was that? You remembered his face, what was his name!? Was he your little brother? Cousin? A Nephew? You hadn't recalled a single face from your memories back home, not since you arrived in this world. What changed...
...You hadn't leapt through time for nearly three months; you'd never done such a thing before you met Luffy. Would you remember more if you stayed by him? Was this the universe's way of saying you could stay here and remember more?
'Maybe... I can stay longer.' If you did, you'd have to be the one to apologise to Ace. 'I guess I'll wait until they come back, the plot will finally kick in and those three can form an everlasting bond.'
The sun glided through the sky as you went about your day, tidying up the base, heading down to the Pirates' Bay, 'borrowing' some food and other essentials. You noticed one of the ships was bigger than the rest, more detail was put into the design. From the whispers among the background pirates, you learned this ship belonged to Bluejam.
You recognised that name. 'Isn't that who Ace robbed a couple days back?'
The way back to Base was quiet, your main focus was lugging the heavy crates back while your mind worked in the background to put the pieces together. 'Details mean relevance, a named character that's connected with one of the main characters of the Arc... This Bluejam guy must be one of the villains the boys will face. Huh, guess the plot is kicking in.'
The sun dipped lower and cast a golden hue through the jungle, Luffy had still not returned and confirmed your theory that some plot was happening right now. 'What could it be? If I were writing the story, it'd be something serious that would finally make those boys put aside their differences and fight together.' Like a deadly fight with a strong pirate, 'Guess that's Bluejam then, a dramatic fight they would obviously win, it's a flashback after all. So what would be at stake that hooks it all together?'
The answer came immediately as the crate fell out of your hands.
Flashback arcs introduce characters that don't show up in the present timeline. These characters' main purpose was to represent a motivation or goal for the characters in the present story. Ace and Luffy were brothers, Sabo was merely a friend of Ace, his design was different to theirs.
Any storyteller worth their salt would kill him off to strengthen an established bond. It just made sense for Sabo to die in this arc.
"...FUCK!" You were out of the cave and sprinting through the forest by the time the crate had smashed open on the ground.
"SABO! ACE! LUFFY!" You gasped for air as the scenery changed with each skip. The boys were nowhere in sight, and you were on the cusp of having a panic attack; you clung to the hope that you weren't too late to rescue them from whatever they were facing. 'They're kids, damnit! Kids shouldn't die for the plot!'
The further you travelled, the more potent a horrible smell became. It smelled like a dumpster fire but that didn't deter you, hell you would've jumped into sewer water if it meant you could save your little brothers.
The trees thinned dramatically as you stood on the cusp of a new area, it looked like landfill and stretched far beyond what you could see. 'Please, please god, let them hear me...' You filled your lungs with as much air as you could before yelling at the top of your lungs. "LUFFY!"
The call echoed out through the valley of garbage, a beat passed, then another, and then, "Meshi...!"
You blinked through time and narrowed down the location of the voice, in the fields of murky grey and brown were the distinct colours of blue and orange. Ace's eyes widened and Sabo rapidly waved you down, they weren't expecting to be suddenly tackled into a fierce hug, you were too busy trying to stop yourself from crying to notice the lack of protest. "Fuck...! You scared the shit outta me!"
"Why- How did you get here?" The top-hat boy asked, shocked that you somehow knew something was wrong, then again, you always seemed to know what was going on.
"Luffy never came back and-" You felt Ace tense up before Sabo, your brows furrowed as you quickly let them go. They were sweating and carrying their weapons, and the youngest boy was nowhere in sight. "Where is he?"
Ace refused to look at you, much less give an answer. Sabo grimaced as he confessed what he should have told you from the start. "H-He got captured hours ago, some pirates Ace robbed showed up and took him to get him to spill where our treasure-"
"Where?" Sabo gulped. The air felt heavy under your unsettling stare, he could barely think of something to say other than 'I'm sorry.'
Luckily, Ace had more courage and spoke up. "The house with a ship's hull on the roof, Porchemy's been torturing-"
You left the two in the dirt before he could finish, they managed to glimpse your form for a second before it vanished again. The two knew where you were heading and struggled to catch up. "Meshi!"
Spotting the house with Ace's description, you didn't hesitate to dash inside. All you saw at first was a massive wall of a man with spiked gloves, then he turned and revealed the tied-up kid hanging limply from a rope. Beaten and bloody. It was Luffy.
Before anyone could react, you cut Luffy from his binds. The startled shouts and angry yells were drowned out by the ringing in your ears. He was covered in blood, whimpering like a wounded animal. His voice was barely audible, "Won't tell... won't-"
You felt something horrible within you, an invisible force that crushed your heart. Luffy looked up and realised who was holding him, the tears that poured down his face cemented your decision. "M-MESHI...!"
"Oi! Answer me when I'm talking to you!" The walking corpse slashed his sword through empty air. He looked around, confused as did his other underlings, then he felt the air pressurise behind him.
You finished zipping up your jacket with Luffy tucked safely inside and pulled the hood over your head. You didn't kill people. That was the last resort. But these were not people, these were nothing but monsters.
You had no problem killing monsters.
Ace and Sabo arrived at the scene a few seconds later, hearing unsettling noises coming from inside. The two barely had time to dodge the body violently thrown out of the destroyed entrance, judging from the size, it had to have been Porchemy. Sabo found it hard to swallow, this pirate had a reputation for being one of the biggest brutes on the island, a cruel bastard who would scalp his victims, including women and children.
That man was now dead, his blood forming a puddle around him.
Sabo heard Ace stifling a gasp, he raised his head and did the same. You stood in front of the decrepit building with Luffy tucked away in your jacket, it could have been a relieving sight, if it weren't for the blood splatters on your body and sword.
You flicked the blood off your weapon before sheathing it, your eyes looked lifeless as you spoke. "...Why didn't you tell me?"
Ace and Sabo knew what you were referring to. Luffy was gone for hours, and they didn't tell her what happened that entire time. The question had no answer that proved their innocence, both were guilty of what happened to Luffy.
Sabo spoke first, "Th-They were gonna steal our treasure... we've been saving up for years..." The little courage he had was extinguished like a dwindling fire. It was a flimsy excuse at best, one of them could have gone to you and the other could have stayed behind to hide the treasure. What made it worse was that Luffy never tattled, making their action to move the treasure pointless.
"...He's your brother, Ace." They both heard your voice waver, steeped in disappointment.
Ace clenched his fists tightly, he couldn't find the will to say what he had been pushing down for the past month. 'Be nice to Luffy,' 'Don't make him cry,' 'He's your baby brother,' It was always about Luffy. You never cared about him. "You would've saved him without me..."
You walked forward, the two boys trembled as you passed them. "...Luffy would try to save you."
Ace found the guts to look back, his eyes widening at your words. But it was the look you gave him, the one that just knew everything without any explanation, the look that made him believe every word you said. No matter how much he refused to accept it, you were right, Luffy would be dumb enough to save scum like him.
"He needs medical supplies..." More than what you currently had inside the cave, but you had a feeling there would be more at the bandits' hideout. He could rest safely there while you took care of the loose ends, "Ace, lead Sabo to the bandits. Despite everything, Luffy still needs you two to be there for him."
In the blink of an eye, you disappeared.
The sun had disappeared long before the two boys had arrived at the Dadan Family's hideout. Ace had half a mind to ignore your instructions, if only so he wouldn't face the upcoming hatred and shame from the adults after you told them what happened, Sabo convinced him not to. After all, you said Luffy needed him, and you hadn't been wrong... yet.
Doubt reared its ugly head once the two boys were in earshot of the muffled yelling, the yellow light from inside the cabin poured out the window and illuminated their bodies. Ace didn't say it, but he was glad Sabo was by his side in all this, he might be the only friend he had once he entered these doors.
The boys saw you first, they expected an accusatory finger pointed at them, to have the bandits glare and call them horrible names. They instead saw that you were kneeling on the floor with your head bowed, the bandits were glaring... at you?
Dadan was holding an axe, looking ready to swing it down on your head. "If Garp finds out about this, he'll kill us out of frustration!" Her eyes flitted to the new arrivals, landing on Ace with... relief?! "Ah, there you are. Thank god you managed to tell this lazy piece of work what happened."
"...Huh?" Ace glanced at Sabo, who looked just as baffled as he did.
You sighed, a little too loudly, then spoke, a little too loudly. "That's right. I wouldn't have known Luffy was in danger at all if it wasn't for them. They could have saved him without me, I think I held them back."
"Damn right you did!" Dadan snapped.
This was wrong, all wrong. Why were you covering for them? Why were you the bad guy? You've been nothing but patient and kind, even when Ace was acting as harsh as possible. He stepped back as Sabo stepped forward, more angry than confused.
"None of that's true, you nasty old hag! Meshi saved Luffy's life, so you'd better be grateful because that means she spared yours too!"
"And who the hell are you, pipsqueak!?" With the bandits' attention on the top-hat boy, Ace searched the room for Luffy. You had disappeared again, probably watching over his younger brother.
He barely moved forward when he heard your voice behind him, "He's resting in the back room, stay with him." The chill of the night air suddenly vanished as he snapped his head back to see the door had closed behind him, but he never shut it in the first place.
No one saw you blink out of existence. No one except Ace, who quickly ran outside, but all that greeted him was the jungle ambience and the brisk night air. Ace looked back at the cabin where Luffy was and spotted Sabo storming over, the bandits had slammed the door behind him.
"Where'd she go?" Sabo asked.
He shook his head, "Dunno..."
"...Back to Base?" He wondered. Before they could decide on what to do next, a loud crash came from inside the cabin, followed by lots of yelling and the door being kicked open.
Luffy, wrapped in bandages and gauze, was the only person who had glared at the two boys the entire night. "ACE!"
Dadan shook her fists at him, a couple of her men seemed to have been punched and kicked in unsavoury places. "LUFFY! Get back inside!"
"WHERE'S MESHI!? WE GOTTA SAY SORRY!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. His words hit the two boys hard, it was obvious now what they needed to do.
Sabo grinned, already starting to run off into the night. "Come on, Luffy!"
Ace huffed, barking back at his little brother, "Don't slow us down!"
All three of them had something to apologise for; Luffy had to say sorry for needing to be rescued from pirates, Sabo wanted to apologise for not telling you about what was happening, Ace needed to ask for forgiveness for... a lot.
The three boys ran down the mountain and ended up back at Base, but you weren't there, so they searched the jungle, their old hideout, and their new hideout. They had searched for so long, Luffy looked like he was sleepwalking, and Sabo was not far behind.
Ace didn't like the idea of them being out in the jungle while half-asleep. "It's getting too late to keep searching, let's head back." Hearing a sleepy protest and a begrudging grunt, he led his brothers back home. In hindsight, he realised this had to have also been a part of your plan, forcing him to take on the protector role. It felt so natural to do he never even questioned why he was doing it.
Luffy was out like a light the moment he hit the bedding on the cave floor. Sabo sighed as he sat down, but noticed Ace was standing on the edge of the cave's entrance. "You gonna go find her?"
Ace didn't reply, he simply left in search of their guardian. The young boy searched again through the jungle and the mountain, through Grey Terminal and the outskirts of Goa Kingdom. It was like you disappeared from the island entirely.
'I'm not staying here forever, I have to leave once you get along with your little brother.'
No... 'She wouldn't, she can't! Not without saying goodbye!' The last of his adrenaline, fueled by fumes and fear, pushed him to keep looking. As fate would have it, he was given a sign. There was a fire in Pirates Bay, and the smoke towered into the sky.
Ace was gasping by the time he made it to Pirates Bay, the sound of crackling fire roaring in his ears. The biggest ship was engulfed in flames; a few pirates rushed around in panic while the rest gawked at the sight, muttering about what had happened to Bluejam's boat. Despite the sleep deprivation, Ace didn't take long to put the dots together. But where were you in all this?
Something exploded inside the ship and a massive fireball bloomed like a flower before withering into smoke and ash. The young boy couldn't help but stare up as the smoke dissolved into the night and revealed the peak of a cliff, and standing over the edge of that cliff was "Meshi...!"
You stared blankly at the bay below, at your work born from a vain desire to redeem yourself, and unaware of how desperately Ace climbed to reach you. When he finally made it, calling out for you, you didn't react. Gaze fixated on the fire, its colour was brighter and angrier than the blood you've spilled.
A wave of exhaustion and tiredness hit the young boy all at once, his body just wanted to sleep. But his willpower was strong enough to press on and stumble towards you, eventually collapsing by your side.
He heard your voice ominously answer a question he was too tired to ask, "I finished the job. They won't hurt you anymore."
Ace lifted his head up, whatever he was going to ask died in his throat when he spotted the large bag beside you, filled to the brim with food and treasure. His heart sank into his stomach, ”...Are you leaving?”
”…” You barely acknowledged him, that was enough for confirmation.
Wide eyes narrowed into slits as he glared at you, seething as he hissed. “You asshole.”
“I can’t stay here, as much as I’d like to. I told you three I'd have to go someday.” You explained with no warmth, “I need to go home, it’s what matters most to me.”
”YOU’RE NOT EVEN SAYING GOODBYE!” Ace cried, his sudden outburst surprising you. “Do you know how much Luffy is gonna cry because he didn’t say goodbye to you!?”
“Ace-“ You stepped forward.
He wasn't done, “Or how upset Sabo will be 'cause you can't train him anymore!”
”Ace I-“ Your hand hesitated to reach out for him, it stung painfully when he slapped it away.
”SHUT UP! I SHOULD’VE NEVER TRUSTED YOU!” Unspilt tears were welling in his eyes, he sprinted into the forest before you could stop him. “Just go, I don’t care! You meant nothing to me anyway…!”
And then it was just you, alone again. You cradled your hand to your chest as you glanced at the burning ship below, it was meant to be your final act in this arc to ensure that Sabo survived somehow. You were meant to leave tonight, but you never imagined that Ace or his brothers would be so upset without saying goodbye.
You sat down at the edge of the cliff, gazing up at the night sky. 'No one else was this upset...' But no one else you met was as young as the boys.
It hit you then, you made a mistake. Little too late did you realise why leaving every other character had been so easy for you; they were all adults. People leaving your life was expected when you grew older, hell even you had memories of friendships just dying out overtime, some with no hard feelings, others…
Well, it was different with children. Kids didn’t understand complex things, but they understood that when you leave, it's better to say goodbye. You forgot that these future main characters were just bright-eyed kids, leaving them without a word sounded like something a shitty, unnamed parent would do for character development.
You weren’t going to do that, not to these boys, you cared about them too much.
The horizon was brightening from dark navy to icy blue, it wouldn't be long before the sun peaked over the canopy.
You saw Ace next to the other sleeping boys, taking a second glance at Luffy and the bandages he was wrapped in. He was splayed out like a starfish, one of his fists pressing into the cheek of an unbothered snoozing Sabo. They were alive, all three of them, so why did you feel so anxious?
Body plopping down against the cavern wall, you couldn't seem to shake off the tension in your shoulders. Did you alter the story? Have you saved one of Luffy's brothers from their fate?
You may have messed with the timeline too much. Sure, you weren't aware of the original canon to begin with, but it was carefully crafted, every event had to have a reason behind it. Consequences - both good and bad - only occurred when certain actions were taken. Mess with them too much and you might derail the timeline, making everything objectively worse.
Had you stayed here for too long? Yes. Would you have left earlier if given a second chance? Fuck no.
Your eyelids fluttered closed while you wondered how they would take the news of your departure. But before that, you had to make sure the brothers' bond was strong. As it was always planned to be.
It felt like five minutes of shut-eye before you had children yelling in your ear, 'At least I won't miss this when I go...'
Luffy was shaking you and crying his eyes out. He was the first one up and immediately after realising you were here, pounced on you and began profusely apologising. "Bwaaahaahaaaa! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get in trouble...!"
You ruffled his hair before grabbing his Strawhat and plonking it atop his head. "It's fine buddy, what matters is you're alive. All of you." You glanced at the other two boys, slowly waking up from their little brother's outburst.
Sabo was the first to recognise you were here, letting out a small gasp as he scrambled over to you. "Meshi! Ace, you found her!"
Ace was groggy as he woke up, his confusion upon seeing you was soon replaced with bitterness and distrust. "What're you doin' here...?"
”Ace, Sabo, Luffy.” You addressed them all, taking a deep breath before stating, “I’m leaving today.”
Luffy wiped his face and tilted his head, “Where you goin’?”
”Hopefully, back home.” You answered, “But that means today will be the last time we’ll ever see each other.”
Sabo realised what you're talking about, glancing at Ace, who took more interest in the ground beneath him, while Luffy grew more confused. “But… you should still visit us! Why can’t you come back after you leave?!”
”It’s... hard to explain.” You said, gaze shifting to the older brothers before landing back on Luffy, “Your dream is to be King of the Pirates, and my dream is to find a way back home. Would you tell me to give up on my dreams, Luffy?”
”NO!” Luffy shouted. You could see it click for him in that moment, he understood what was happening, and big tears threatened to stream down his face. “B-But… But why do you hafta leave…?”
You wiped his tears away, “Oi, don’t be crying now. I have a rule, y'know? 'No crying until the end.' When the sun goes down, that’s when I go, and then you can cry all you want. Got it?” You stood up, hands resting on your hips. “I want our last memories together to be fun! Let’s have one last big adventure, all four of us! How about it?”
Luffy is all for it, "Yeah!"
Sabo is quick to agree, "Let's do it!"
Ace, however, ”...You two can play pretend.” He scoffed as he exited the cave, ignoring the baffled protests of his younger brothers.
You sighed through your nose. It was a long shot for Ace to willingly join in after last night. "Let him be, he can cope with this how he wants to."
"Why is he always like this...?" Sabo muttered under his breath.
You nudged his shoulder while walking out of the cave. "Hey, no frowning now, daylight's burning! Who wants to help me hunt down some breakfast?"
"I DO I DO I DO!" Luffy instantly raised his arm in the air, dashing forward to stick by your side.
Sabo quickly came along, "Wait for me!"
Throughout the day, you trained with Luffy, shared stories with Sabo, and subtly searched for Ace.
When the sun was high in the sky, you got to talk with the Strawhat kid while Sabo was busy looking for his missing friend. "Luffy, can I ask you a favour?"
He hopped down from the tree tops, tilting his head like a puppy. "Hm? Wassat?"
You paused for a moment, thinking of a simple way to explain the term. "It's something you can do, that you may not like, to make me happy."
Luffy nodded his head with a smile. "I can do that!"
"I want you and the others to live with the Dadan bandits."
Luffy shook his head with a frown. "I don't wanna do that!"
"Just for a little while, I know you don't like them all that much. But I know they aren't that bad, you should give them a chance at least. If not for them, then for the free food and shelter." It might've been a lame attempt to try and 'correct the canon,' but Luffy was left with the bandits for a reason. Surely later in the saga they'd help him and his brothers out on whatever the plot had in store.
He pouted, going uncharacteristically quiet before mumbling. "...can I still hang out in the base?"
Oh god bless this kid, you couldn't stop yourself from scooping him up in your arms. "Of course, if you ever feel sad that I'm gone, you can spend the night in the cave. All those stars are for you, y'know?"
"Yeah! I know!" He giggled, "Okay, I'll do that for you. Anything else?"
"Uh, well..." You didn't think he'd be eager to do you another favour. Your mind drew a blank on anything inspirational to say, so you went with your gut. "No more hugging me by the neck, anywhere else is fine."
"Okay!~" Luffy then proceeded to wrap his limbs around your head. It was... a small improvement.
When the sun dipped lower into the evening, Luffy stormed away to find his older brother, leaving the top-hat boy a chance to speak to you alone.
"Hey." He started, staring at the golden river.
"Hey." You acknowledged, patiently waiting for him to say his piece.
Sabo looked unsure of himself as he glanced towards your shoes. "...I never got to say sorry, for what happened yesterday."
"It's already forgiven."
"But I- Why did you stick up for Ace and me?" He questioned, finally meeting your eyes. "You lied to all bandits and made yourself out like the bad guy! Why didn't you point the finger at us?"
Ah, his guilty conscience was eating at him. You thought about your words for a second, then answered. "...You two were going to rescue Luffy before I came in, weren't you? You realised your mistake and went to fix it as soon as you could, that proves enough. You're good kids, you shouldn't have to deal with more hate than you deserve."
A thick silence passed before he spoke again, his voice wobbly. "...Why'd you have to leave now?"
"Do you wanna know a secret?" You crouched down to be at his eye-level. "Ever since I... I got these powers, I lost my memories. My family, my friends, my name... I have the feeling it'll all come back when I find my way back home. That's why I keep moving, and on the way I make new friends and new memories. I won't forget what we've been through. It's what keeps me going, knowing deep down I have memories of people who are waiting for me to come find them."
"Woah..." Was all a wide-eyed Sabo had to say.
You smiled, tipping his hat down playfully. "Hold onto your memories, Sabo, you don't know when they'll disappear on ya."
"I'll remember you for as long as I live, I promise!" Sabo declared with gusto, his toothy smile on full display.
The yellow afternoon soon plunged into bright orange as the sun was close to setting.
Luffy was getting worried because Ace still hadn't shown up to say goodbye before you left. "He can't miss it! I'll be angry at him forever if he misses it!"
"We've searched through the hideout and the bandits' place. Where else could he be?" Sabo wondered nervously.
You looked up at the trees. While not certain, you had a feeling he was somewhere close by, if he didn't trust you, he wouldn't leave his brothers alone with you. 'He always liked to watch from the branches.' It was time to see if you would make an ass of yourself, "ACE!"
The two boys were startled by your sudden shout, you heard the leaves shivering against each other. He was spying all along, yet he didn't come out or call back. ”You’re not gonna let me say thanks? I did this because of you!”
“Eh?” The younger brothers were just as shocked as Ace.
”You stopped me from leaving without saying goodbye. You made me realise I was being stupid and selfish! Ace, you’re a wonderful kid! I’m so glad I got to know you!” You yelled from the bottom of your heart, you felt it beating as you waited for something, anything.
There was no reply. Luffy and Sabo seemed ready to climb up every tree themselves to drag the stubborn kid down, but you stopped them by the shoulders. "He doesn't have to do anything he doesn't want to." If the boys heard your disappointment, they didn't comment on it.
You turned to leave, there was one last spot to visit before you hopped through the timeline. One last time, you turned and shouted to the sky. “Bye, Ace! I’ll miss you!” With that, you left the Base for the final time with your two younger brothers. They continued to look up in search of their missing brother.
On the cliffside, the sun kissed the horizon. It was the place where you made your vow to the future Strawhat pirate and led you to stay for as long as you've been travelling. Now, it was time for you to go.
In all honesty, you were proud of Luffy for holding back his tears for so long. The moment you three stopped at the cliff, the sun in full view and disappearing fast, he started bawling his eyes out.
"Don't gooo...!" He begged, latching onto your leg while snot and drool ran down his face.
Sabo ripped him off before he whacked him across the head, "You can't make her stay, crybaby!" He scolded Luffy, though you could see his eyes were getting misty.
You huffed, patting both of their hats and crouched down to meet Luffy's teary gaze.
”Before I go, I want to tell you something.” You put your hands on the young boy's shoulder, “I know from the bottom of my heart… that you will be the Pirate King!”
Luffy stared at you in complete awe. He hoped you could see him again one day.
“So keep your chin up, let everyone see your smile.” You turned to the blond boy. “Sabo, go explore the world, discover things even I don’t know about. And when you publish that book, I'd better get a discount."
Sabo giggled at her joke and gave her a determined nod. He'd make sure of it if they ever met again.
The stars started appearing as the sun finally faded under the sea. You stood back up and turned towards the cliff's edge.
“Meshi…!” A voice shouted from afar, with rapid footsteps sprinting towards you.
You had just enough time to whip your head around. Ace tackled you with such force that you almost flew off the edge if Sabo and Luffy didn’t pull you back. "A-ACE!?"
”I’LL MISS YOU TOO!” Ace hugged you tighter, your shirt dampened by the tears and snot running down his face.
The second your feet were back on the ground, your two brothers joined in on the hug and all three cried their hearts out. You were astonished, it felt like your throat was choking on nothing as the realisation of how much these kids cared about you settled in. You swallowed back your sobs and wrapped your arms around the trio, holding them tightly for a proper final goodbye.
You didn't want your last memories of them to be crying, so it was time for one last song. One last lullaby.
"Let's... go in the garden... You'll find something waiting~" It took you a moment to find your voice. "Right there where you left it, lying upside-down~"
You could hear their sobbing slow down, "When you finally find it~ You'll see it's faded~ The underside is lighter, when you turn it around~"
"Everything stays, right where you left it~" You rubbed Sabo's back, "Everything stays, but it still changes~" You brushed Luffy's hair, "Ever so slightly~ Daily and nightly~" You pecked Ace's forehead.
"In little ways...~ When everything stays...~" And then you were gone, alone again, who knows where.
But the boys were with each other, left to look upon the stars, shining a little brighter than they normally do. They would all meet with you again, they promised one another that night.
Whatever the future threw at them, they would take it, because they needed to live and wait for their big sister to reunite with her little brothers.
END SAGA 1