Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Luffy can barely remember being alone. Sure he’s been lonely and been the only one around but he always knew he wasn’t alone. Not since he first heard the whispers from within the haul of Shank’s ship. Not since he ate that purple fruit. Not since he heard him . His voice hadn't been immediate, wasn’t a constant, and wasn’t too different from Luffy’s own.

Luffy doesn’t remember much from the first time he heard the voice as it came in a dream, on his tenth birthday. Sabo was gone. For the past two years it hadn’t quite clicked with Luffy. He knew what death was and that it was permanent but the grief fully settled in when two birthdays passed and Sabo wasn’t there, Luffy felt lonely. He had ended up in a tough sleep - he did not cry, Ace would have beat him up if he did - with a dreamless black void.

The thumping was Luffy’s first clue that he was not alone. A rhythmic pound like a heavy heartbeat. So deep and loud, it was almost a drum. Next came the light to bring Luffy out of the darkness. He found himself upon the clouds, a person just out of reach and much older than the child. Much older Luffy somehow knew. 

The figure seemed to be one of conflict but harmony, human and not human, old and young. It was very difficult to get a grasp on the person. Its smile seemed to reach beyond its eyes, eyes which seemed to be looking beyond one's flesh and bones and stared straight into the soul. 

It smiled and knelt to match Luffy’s height before speaking in a voice almost exactly to Luffy’s only older and distant.

“Why do you mourn?”

Luffy attempted to speak but found himself unable to form words. Not from an outside prevention but not being able to answer the question. The figure continued to stare at the young boy. Cocking its head to the side as Luffy continues to lack an answer. 

Finally seeming to find his voice, “I miss Sabo. Why did he have to leave?” This seemed to please the figure. A rumble took the clouds almost as a purr of satisfaction. Straightening its head and bouncing, literally bouncing, up to stand tall. The figure walked closer and picked the small rubber boy up. The figure began to bounce among the clouds, jumping around seemingly unafraid at the thought of falling off and hitting the earth. 

Laughter from the two began to ring about the plush land of white. The sun burned brighter as their joy grew, blazing with no heat besides a pleasant warmth. 

Laughter died as did the bouncing. The figure held the small child in its arms and just seemed to look at him.

“Sabo didn’t leave.”

“Yes he did. That's what Ace and Dadan say. They said Sabo left and he’s never coming home. Never ever!”

The figure seemed to contemplate for a moment. Then the smile grew even wider, stretching beyond the face and eyes crinkled closed. 

“Sabo is free!” It threw Luffy up towards the sky at that. Sun hitting the kids back and his shadow covered the figure below. 

Luffy was awake before he started to descend. Sun crept through the windows of the treehouse and hit his eyes. Large grin plastered on his face as he turned to where Ace slept only to find it empty. Luffy was alone in the tree house. Luffy was alone but he was not. Not while the sun shined and wrapped him in its comforting warmth. Not while the seagulls came and carried the cries of the ocean and those who sailed it. Thoughts of Shank and crew flashed across his mind. Even if they didn’t see him for his big day, he’s TEN now! He’s all grown up, he knew they were sending wishes by the way the sea crashed against the rocks miles away, by the way the air held the saltiness all the way up in the mountain and it got stuck in hair. 

Grabbing his straw hat, Luffy began to race down and out of the treehouse, determined to find his older brother. His only brother. Sabo was free. He could hear it in the flap of the bird wings, and in the thumping of his heart.

--

There was a bit until Luffy had seen the entity again. He had completely forgotten all about it in the months leading up. Luffy and Ace were at the Dadan house for once because Makino was there and brought clothes and food. Laughing with the bandits, the mayor, and the barbowner it seemed life was getting brighter. Makino had tried to teach the two young want-to-be pirates manners and Ace was doing better with them than Luffy, as the Monkey saw no point in them. 

Everyone was laughing and playing outside but Luffy tripped over his sandals, straw hat falling backwards off his head and around his neck. As he was about to get up and dust himself off he saw it. On the edge of the woods sood an entity. It seemed to be teenagers or young adult, with a smile on its face that produced light, white hair that puffed and moved like clouds, red eyes that looked into Luffy. 

Luffy was stuck staring at this thing, so familiar. All sound seemed to disappear except the quiet chuckle coming from the entity. The being turned into the forest the thumping of Luffy’s heart joined the quiet and seemed to urge the young boy to follow. He got to his feet fully now and took two steps before tugged and stopped, rubber ability seemingly gone for long enough. Ace grabbed his brother’s hand and stared at the younger. “Lu? You good? Don’t tell me you hurt yourself from one small fall, you idiot.”

Luffy took one look back at the woods but whatever trace of an entity there might have been was gone now. It seemed no one else had acknowledged the weird phenomenon. Luffy smiled up at his brother, now half a head taller, “Silly Ace, I’m fine!” Luffy excitedly joined the group again and pushed the feeling of eyes on him away. 

--

There were a few more glimpses after that. Always on the edge of the forest, or a cliff, or the path. Just barely there, but Luffy always saw it. He once tried to point it out to Ace who looked at Luffy like he was spouting normal Luffy nonsense. Ace had once made a comment about Luffy’s random spacing out episodes but the younger assured him it was fine, just thought he saw something. 

Once Ace was 17 and Luffy 15 the older packed his boat and set sail into the open, limitless sea. Luffy did not go to the dock to see his older brother off. He sat in a tree close to the cliff edge, just barely able to make out the people on the dock. He watched as Ace’s boat grew smaller in the distance, disappearing into the setting sun. 

Luffy stayed in the tree as the sun continued to set. He was alone now. No Ace or Sabo. Just Luffy and the entity that sat on the branch next to him.

“His freedom will be hard fought. The chains placed around him at birth weigh thick and heavy.” The voice was so familiar, almost Luffy’s but not. “Tell me little Monkey, is he gone?”

Luffy stayed silent. Something was so similar, like a dream long forgotten. The thumping of his heart sounding like a drum. The sun wrapping itself around in a warm comfort. The feeling and knowledge of being alone, but not lonely. 

“No. Ace is free, just like Sabo. Just like I will be one day.”

The sun disappeared beyond the horizon.

Chapter Text

Over the next two years Luffy began to see more of the being. It never answered questions, as rare as Luffy asked them, only appeared when the sun was out, slowly began to show around groups and other people, and only when Luffy felt trapped and lonely or just needed guidance. It warned him from marching headfirst into a congregation of alligators. Finally Luffy turned 17 and was getting ready to set out to sea. Hauling his stuff down the dock he saw it sitting in the boat, waiting. 

It wasn't an emotional departure from the island for Luffy. He knew where he needed to be, needed to follow the hum, needed the sea, needed the freedom. He was off on his great adventure!

—

Luffy was in a barrel. 

Ok look. Luffy didn't want to be in the barrel but that sea king came and ate his boat! The barrel was the only way to keep himself from dying. Of course there was enough space for Luffy and Luffy only so the entity that was his travel companion was not around at the moment. Luffy was floating and didn't know where he was or how far away from land he was. Eventually the rocking of the barrel against the sea lulled the rubber boy into a slumber. 

--

Koby wanted to be free. He hated being on Alvida’s ship and serving her. He wanted to be a Marine. Koby wanted so much. 

Finally seeking a moment's peace to eat some food, he went below deck to hide. Tucking himself between cargo and barrels Koby tried not to think too much for the life he wished. If he could get away then he would but it was impossible. Koby was weak, in both spirit and strength. He wanted to be strong. He wanted. He hoped. He dreamed. He wished with the very essence of his soul.

The barrel under his plate began to shake. Not the normal shake that came from sea travel either. It began to move like something was inside it. Something that was trying to get out. Koby froze as the shaking began to increase. Eventually it stopped. Koby peered at the barrel waiting for it to move again. When it didn't, the pink-haired boy approached it with caution. Why? Not even Koby would be able to tell you. There was an energy coming from it. An energy of dreams come true, songs sung by children playing, the sun after the cold and harsh winter. 

Just as his hand was about to reach the wood casing, it exploded. Wood flew about the haul but seemed to avoid Koby. In the midst of the rubble was a boy. He seemed about Koby’s age as the unknown boy dusted himself off, but Koby could only see the back of the boy. Finally the stranger seemed to get his bearings and turned to face the pinkette. 

A breath caught in Koby’s throat as the boy with the straw hat met his gaze. The gaze held for only a moment but in those moments the world burned brighter, the sea waves no longer sounded against the ship, the noise from the crew above became all but hum. In the seconds that the two boys held each other's gaze, no world existed outside of them. 

“Hey! Do you have food? I know I smelt some.” Bells. Koby could hear bells as the boy spoke, sprinkled into his words. “Hellllooooooooo? Shesh are you deaf?”

“Oh uh, I'm sorry, what?” Koby thought it weird that he felt no fear in the presence of the stowaway. “What’s your name?”

“Huh? Where’s the food? I know you have some!”

Koby wasn’t able to think of what to say or do before the thudding of foot fall came down the stairs. Some of the crew must have heard the barrel explode and the mysterious boy yell. Weapons drawn, they dragged the two boys up onto the deck, right before Alvida. 

The next few events moved around like a bouncing ball. The unknown boy had made Alvida mad by insulting her and she ordered the crew to attack the two males. The boy had stretched his body beyond even imagination, wiping out the entire crew. The mystery boy hijacked a dingy and lowered himself down onto the sea without Koby. It took less time for Koby to realize he was the only one left standing, coming to when he heard a shout, “OI! COME ON!”, coming from the hijacked raft. 

Koby ran to the rail on the side of the ship and stared at the boy, pink hair beginning to whip in the accelerating wind amid the rising sun. The sun began to reach the boy before Koby, he began to glow amid the early dawn rays. A glow that could live among the stories told in stained glass windows. Immortalizing the radiance of his smile that seems to produce its own light like a second sun. Koby found himself freezing in place staring at that illuminating smile, nothing existing beyond him and this mystery boy.
 
Upon his delay the boy in the straw hat swung his arm back and once again let it stretch beyond all means of human comprehension to wrap around Koby. He pulled the pink haired boy down onto the dingy with a laugh akin to children at play. Landing on his butt, Koby was now forced to look up at the boy.

The sun formed a perfect halo around his straw hat and made him appear much more bewitching. Tanned skin appearing more golden in the blinding radiance, with the scar on his cheek seeming like a second smile. Deep brown eyes gaining depth from the light, a ring of red outlining their pupils. Despite his small and thin statue - much like Koby himself - he held high and strong. If this was Koby’s first time seeing the stranger, he might have mistaken him for someone important and powerful. 

“What? Why did you grab me?” Koby scrambled to the side of the dingy, already floating away from Alvida’s ship. The ship he was once prisoner on, dreaming so long for the sun’s warmth, began to grow smaller and smaller, matching Koby’s fear as the distance grew. 

“Simple! You weren’t free and wanted to be.” The black haired boy stated as if it were written in bold letters across Koby’s face. “Now you can join my pirate crew!”

“What? No. I'm going to be a marine. I can’t be a pirate!” The boy just smiled and sat down in the boat next to Koby, unfazed by the declaration. “What even is your name?”

The boy in the straw hat laughed once again. 

“I’m Monkey D. Luffy! I’m going to be the King of the Pirates!”

As the words were spoken, Koby could almost feel as if they were a prophecy foretold.