Chapter Text
“Wake up, child…”
The first thing he heard was a soft whistle, whispered words that reached his ears like a sweet melody.
The second thing he heard was, in contrast to the soft words from before, a voice that was shouting at him for some reason.
Luffy yawned and stretched his arms – much further than humanly possible –, before opening his eyes and blinking in confusion at the man in front of him.
The individual swung a knife at his face, still shouting something. Was he trying to start a contest of who can scream the loudest? Are there any prizes? Could it be that the prize is meat!?
"…id… Kid!" What he said finally became audible. Luffy belatedly noticed that his hearing seemed a little blurry until that moment.
"What happened, uncle! Why are you screaming!?" The boy shouted back, not noticing how his voice seemed louder than normal.
An angry scowl appeared on the man's face. "Give me all your money!" He demanded, pointing the knife at him.
This guy is kinda stupid, right? Luffy was sleeping just now, the man could have taken advantage of that and stolen everything he has – which was nothing, but still! Even he himself wasn't that stupid.
"No!" The brunette replied instead of pointing out the stupidity, sticking out his tongue and crossing his arms. "Nami would never forgive me if I went around distributing money, especially without a good cause!" As soon as he spoke, he started to get up, before noticing that his clothes – his tunic and red boots that he wore in EggHead – were a little bigger on him.
He shrunk!?
Cool!
However, he hopes he can still use his gears – it would be harder if he couldn't, but he could handle it.
Luffy looked around, seeing giant buildings with different structures and a path on the side, ignoring what his uncle with the knife was saying. However, after a closer look – or as attentive as he could be – he noticed that his crew was nowhere to be found. And with that, a sudden realization took hold of his being.
He couldn't feel them.
The brunette tried to stifle the panic that was beginning to emerge, forcing his breathing to remain constant. This was no time to have a crisis. What does Robin say to do when you get lost?
That! Retrace your steps!
…But he doesn't remember stopping there.
What happened?
Had he been kidnapped somehow? No, he would definitely remember that. Did someone erase his memory? Or is it something else entirely?
Oh! Now he remembers!
The mysterious machine! He had jumped inside her thinking he would have plenty of flesh, but all that greeted him was a flash and, soon after, a feeling of numbness. He remembers grabbing a part of the machine to try to get back, but it felt like it was a lever and he, unfortunately, was unsuccessful.
Luffy felt himself deflate a little, but he soon cheered up. There was nothing to worry about, just find out which island he was on and return to EggHead! Simple. He just needed to politely ask the sea to guide him, since he had no idea how to navigate. He could only hope that he was still in the New World, or at the very least, on the Grand Line.
If he's not in any of those seas, well, he'll cross that bridge when he's there.
Now where would he find a boat?
Suddenly, his Observation Haki alerted him of the attack that was coming from the man in front of him. Wasting no time, Luffy dodged and punched the man in the face.
"It's not cool to attack someone while they're thinking, old man!" He shouted, huffing in irritation.
He expected the man to stagger back and start a fight, however, he just collapsed to the ground without further ado, as if he were a boiled noodle.
The brunette raised an eyebrow. He hadn't put that much force into his punch, had he? The man fell so easily!
"Hey, you!"
“Run, little bird!” – The winds whispered to him in a playful tone. The brunette found it a little strange, since they seemed different from the winds that used to surround him. However, he didn't pay attention to it.
Smiling, Luffy realized it wasn't an enemy – partly due to the fact that the winds didn't seem worried – but joking around wouldn't hurt!
"Shishishi!" He laughed, before stretching his arms to the top of the structure in front of him. "Catch me if you can! Gomu gomu no… rocket!" He shouted, throwing himself at the ceiling and starting to run, ignoring the shock that colored the person's emotions.
Although it was a bit difficult to run in the larger clothes, he was not intimidated and continued at a steady pace, only tripping over his robes a few times.
After jumping a few roofs, Luffy stopped on one that was a little higher and looked at the environment.
These metal cans on wheels tirelessly passed along the road at full speed, countless lights scattered everywhere illuminated their skin. Large signs displaying strange designs were also on display. Almost no vegetation in sight. Countless people strolling back and forth – he doesn't think he's ever seen an island so calm and, at the same time, chaotic, if he's still in the New World.
They look like those futuristic Franky comics!
“You’re new here, little one.” – The winds whispered softly, attracting his attention. “You’re the only human in centuries who can hear us.”
"In centuries?" Luffy echoed, frowning. "That seems kinda lonely."
The winds made a noise like laughter in his ears. “Don’t worry, child. I have my siblings. Yet, you seem alone. Where are your peers?”
The boy's gaze lowered a little. "That's what I wanted to know. Do you know where I can find the sea? Or what island are we on?"
“We can show you where the sea is. Unfortunately, we are unable to answer your second question, since we do not tend to pay much attention to human concepts.” – The winds responded, ruffling his hair and slightly moving his straw hat, as if trying to comfort him.
"That's great!" Luffy, despite not receiving all the answers he wanted, gave a huge smile, characteristic of the Ds.
“You are… special. I’ve never seen a human like that.” – The winds hummed softly. “Do you want to go find my sibling now?”
"Yes!"
As soon as he said this, the winds began to direct him in one direction. Just as he was about to jump off the building, however, a thick fabric strip circled him and pulled him back.
A strange feeling ran through his being, it was as if something was whispering some words, but they still remained unknown to his ears. What was that?
Deciding that he would leave that for later, Luffy began to struggle against the material that restricted him, soon discovering how resistant it was. Maybe if he uses Armament Haki…
"Finally, you…" The person who captured him stared at him, pausing. "Are you a child!?"
Before the brunette could tear what was holding him back, the fabric around him came loose and a middle-aged man stood in front of him with an expressionless face, although there was a touch of concern in his eyes.
Luffy tilted his head, analyzing the man. He didn't seem like a bad person and had good feelings – and the winds still didn't seem worried, if that was any indicator. Maybe he knows where to find a boat!
"What's your name, kid?" The man asked carefully, as if he were interacting with a caged animal – which was very unnecessary, by the way.
"I'm Monkey D. Luffy and I will become the King of Pirates!" The brunette exclaimed, ignoring the raised eyebrow of the man in front of him. "And you?"
"King… of pirates?" The man echoed, before sighing. "I don't want to know now. I am the pro-hero Eraserhead. Where…"
Before the man – Eraserhead – could continue, Luffy interrupted him with stars in his eyes. "Hero?! Cool!" He shouted. "But where's your cape? Ooh, do you have meat there?"
Eraserhead made a slight grimace, before looking at him. "Not all heroes wear capes, kid. And no, I don't have meat." He responded patiently. "So, Monkey-kun…" He started, only to be interrupted.
"Call me Luffy!" The brunette exclaimed with annoyance, crossing his arms. "Being called ‘Monkey’ is weird…"
The hero simply nodded. "Okay, Luffy-kun." He said. "Where are your parents?"
The boy tilted his head in confusion. "Which one? Confederation or ideological?"
"What…" The man whispered, seeming to question all his life choices, before suddenly seeming to understand. "Did you mean “consideration” and “biological”?"
"Mhmm!"
"Anyone who is taking care of you, and preferably someone I can contact."
Luffy blinked. "None of them take care of me. I didn't even know who my boblogical father was until about two years ago and I haven't seen Shanks in about ten years or more!" He replied with an even brighter smile – if that was possible –, remembering the last one.
Eraserhead's worried frown seemed to grow more prominent. "And your mother?"
"I don't know." The boy shrugged. "I never met her."
The black-haired man sighed, his gaze softening. "Where do you live?" He asked.
"On Sunny!"
"Sunny?"
"Mhmm! With my crew!" Luffy replied, smiling fondly when he thought of his family, but soon fell when he remembered that he was separated from them. "And they're not here now. Do you know where there's a boat? Ah, are we still in the New World?"
If anything, Eraserhead looked even more confused. "Crew… New world…?"
This made Luffy's stomach drop. Was he that far away that this person wouldn't know about the New World?
It would take longer than expected to return to his family. He can only hope they're patient – and he trusts they'll be, after all, they've already been apart for two years, what's a little more time?
(Luffy doesn't think he could handle it. He's alone again and he hates being alone.)
"Do you have somewhere to go back now?" Eraserhead asked finally, after a moment of silence.
The boy smiled. "No! I hadn’t thought about that..." He replied. He was honest – he planned to set sail as soon as he found a boat. However, now that he knows he must be far from the New World or even the GrandLine, he might as well get some supplies.
But… he has no money.
Well, it means he'll have to hunt again. Maybe he should ask the man where there was a forest around here.
Eraserhead sighed. "Come with me, let's go to the police station. Maybe we can find a police officer there who can help you."
"Police station… police…" Luffy echoed, placing a hand on his chin, before widening his eyes. "Like the marines!? No way!"
"Kid…"
"You'll have to catch me first!" The brunette continued, without giving the hero a chance to respond. Just as he was about to start running, a hand landed on his shoulder.
"Calm down. I'm not taking you there. Let's go somewhere else." The man spoke, hoping to reassure him and probably avoid another persecution.
As if on cue, Luffy immediately relaxed. "Oh, good! What are we waiting for?"
Eraserhead sighed for what felt like the thousandth time. "I need to call him first."
"I'll wait then." The boy said, followed by a yawn. With that, he sat down and leaned against the edge of the roof, closing his eyes.
The man's gaze softened. "It will be quick, don't worry." He said. However, Luffy didn't hear him, already lost in dreamland.
The winds or his Haki would wake him up if something was wrong.
It was supposed to be just another night on patrol. Stopping petty thieves, helping drunk people get home, guiding lost or runaway children to safe places, and then going home and having a long, well-deserved nap.
Nothing new.
And it was with this thought that he entered an alley when he noticed a man holding a knife under someone – he could barely see them due to the darkness, it was really a poorly lit street.
He just hoped to knock out the would-be thief and, after calling the police, escort the person to some safe location and do all of this as quickly as possible, after all, his patrol shift was almost over – at three in the morning.
However, contrary to his expectations, the person on the ground got up and knocked the man out faster than he could do - which in itself seemed strange, considering the person's size - and then quickly fled through the rooftops after Shouta called them.
Despite wanting to pursue them immediately, the hero needed to do his job first: he tied the man up and sent a message to the police. Once this was done, he climbed onto the roof of one of the buildings via the fire escape and began chasing the individual, although he could only vaguely see him – thanks to the distance.
For a while, Shouta thought he wouldn't be able to catch up, only for the person to stop at a building and simply stare at the scenery. Without hesitation, the hero took advantage of the opportunity and accelerated his pace until he reached the same place where the other was.
However, his body seemed to freeze as the individual leaned forward, as if he was planning to jump from the building and the man acted without thinking twice: he grabbed them with his capture weapon and pulled them to the center of the roof.
Imagine his surprise when he discovered that the person he was following was just a child. Shouta would give him 14 years at most.
As if the fact that the boy was alone on the street in the middle of the night wasn't worrying enough, apparently he also has no parents present and apparently has nowhere to return.
And the boy – Monkey D. Luffy – admitted this information so naturally that it made Shouta's heart hurt – no child should think it's normal for their parents not to take care of them.
But that wasn't all, the child also continued saying nonsense to him. According to him, he lives in “Sunny” – but what is a Sunny?
There's also the fact that he keeps mentioning pirate things, like saying he would be the King of Pirates, or that he lived with his crew. And what would be “New World”?
Perhaps this is the boy's coping mechanism to face the life of what he may have supposedly lived.
And if that isn't a sad thought, Shouta doesn't know what is.
Leaving that aside, the hero takes out his phone and starts dialing a number, since it seemed that the boy had some problem with the police – or the marines, as he says –, as he had a strong opposition to going to the police station. Anyway, this was a problem to be resolved later.
As the cell phone rang, the man looked away to look at the child. Luffy was leaning back and sleeping peacefully, even snoring a little – he must have been really tired.
Despite being beautiful, Shouta frowned at the display of confidence. The boy had just met him, and even if the man was a hero, it wasn't wise to simply let his guard down in front of a stranger like that. If it were someone of bad character, it would basically be handing a loaded gun into someone's hands and turning away.
A death sentence, in a nutshell.
The hero can only hope that Luffy isn't like that with everyone. That would be one more thing to add to the growing list of concerns for the boy.
“Shouta-san?” – A familiar voice came from the phone, breaking him out of his thoughts.
"Nezu-san." Shouta replied calmly. "Sorry for bothering you at this time, but I found a boy alone on the street and he seems to have a problem with the police. Do you think you can help me find any of his relatives? Or somewhere for him to stay?"
“Hmmm.” – The rodent seemed to ponder. – “Bring him to school and I’ll see what I can do. I’ll be waiting with Recovery Girl.”
"We'll be there in about fifteen or twenty minutes. Thanks." Shouta replied, before hanging up the call. He sighed and prepared to wake Luffy from the peaceful sleep the boy was in.
There goes his long-awaited night's sleep.