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Luffy is starting to get really impatient.
After all the fiasco that happened back in Wano, Luffy felt like he was up in the clouds when Torao announced that he and his crew would continue travelling with them for quite a while. The Surgeon even listed down probably a hundred and one reasons as to why travelling together would be beneficial for both parties, but Luffy didn’t really care about that. He was ready to find yet another reason on why travelling together would be a good idea, and he’s just glad that Torao suggested it first because he was pretty sure that the ideas in his mind would never be up to Torao’s standards.
Yet, it only took them one island of staying together before Torao mentioned having to part ways.
The captain knows that there’s a strategic reason behind it—something about going under the radar of the Blackbeard pirates while they all still try to recuperate, and a little something about distracting the marines and all of their goonies. A huge part of him already understands why this is the most logical step to take, but that doesn’t mean that Luffy has to like it.
Luffy is starting to get really impatient, because it’s been two weeks since Torao’s crew has parted ways with them.
It doesn’t really help that he can’t even call Torao whenever he wants to. It doesn’t really help that he doesn’t have any idea as to what Torao is having for breakfast and for lunch, if Torao is eating as much as he should, or if sleep is still a whole lot friendlier now than compared to the past thirteen years.
Stupid den-den mushi and stupid signal or whatever for trying to get in the way of him talking to Torao.
Luffy heaves a sigh as he lays on the ground with both of his arms behind his head, his straw hat covering his face from the rays of light poking his skin with a pleasant warmth. For the past week, the lad has found himself heading towards this cliff facing the ocean. Luffy has found himself drowning in the peace and calm brought about by the sound of the waves crashing against the cliff, forming an odd melody with the wind breezing calmly. Luffy almost finds himself entranced with all of it, and he can’t help the small smile forming on his lips.
After all, it’s so easy to pretend that he’s back in Goa, waiting for his brothers on the cliff where the three of them shouted out all of their dreams.
“I’m surprised that you haven’t tried to row a boat out of this island yet,” Zoro says as he plops down beside him, earning a chuckle from the captain. Luffy moves his straw hat to let it sit on top of his chest instead, shifting his gaze towards Zoro only to see the swordsman drinking another bottle of what he can only assume as sake.
“I actually tried to! But then Nami saw me and my plans went in awry,” Luffy says with a pout before he gazes at the leaves dancing with the melody of the wind. Luffy hears Zoro laugh beside him before the swordsman ruffles his hair. “You should’ve known that you and plans never go hand in hand,” Zoro says and Luffy laughs a little before nodding in agreement as he responds, “Torao has told me that for like a thousand times!”
And as soon as the words find their way out of his lips, silence reigns over the two of them with nothing but the melodic sound of the nature as their company. Luffy heaves another sigh as he remembers the thoughts that have been plaguing his mind ever since they landed on this small island.
He knows that Torao has his own adventure to explore, his own crew to look after, his own goals to reach after everything that happened back in Wano. Yet, the bigger and selfish part of him just wants to see the Surgeon’s adventure while Luffy is standing right by his side. The selfish part of him just wants to watch Torao reach his dreams, to be with him as they both try to protect their crewmates from the people who want to take their freedom away, to overcome all the hurdles together, to fight the battles together, to sleep the night together, and to wake up every morning to the sight of Torao’s golden eyes.
Ah. He badly wants to be with him already.
“I have a good news and a bad news for you, Captain.”
Luffy’s attention immediately falls back to the swordsman beside him as he hears Zoro address him as such. He can think about what’s happening to Torao later. For now, Luffy lends his full attention to his first mate as he finally sits up and places his straw hat back on his head.
Zoro takes another sip from his bottle of sake before he places it on his side and pulls out two envelopes from the sleeves of his kimono. “Want the good or the bad first?” Zoro asks, a smirk playing on his lips which Luffy takes as a signal that things are probably not as bad as he first thought it was.
“Bad first,” Luffy immediately answers. The captain is delighted about the good news to come—maybe they can already meet up with Torao’s crew and have all of their members train together, or maybe Franky has found a den-den mushi which has a signal wide enough to reach even Torao, so he can finally talk to the Surgeon.
Yet, Luffy knows how one silly bad news can immediately dampen his mood. So, he’ll take all the bad feelings right now. He’ll face all the bad feelings and bask in whatever warmth will the good news later provide.
“Well, ‘Big News Morgans’ sent you another invitation for a small chat,” Zoro says while still wearing that smirk and Luffy’s face immediately sours. The captain crosses his arms against his chest before he exclaims, “When will that stupid bird leave me alone! I already said I don’t want an interview! And can he stop calling me the hero of Wano?! Where did he even get that idea from?! Stupid bird and stupid newspaper!!”
Luffy huffs while laughter bubbles out from his first mate’s chest. Really, he should have known that the bad news is not that bad, but it certainly is pretty annoying. He doesn’t understand what’s so fun about having to sit for so long just so he can have one stupid interview. He doesn’t even like how the newspaper is painting him as a hero for what he did back in Wano. And he certainly doesn’t like how that newspaper is treating Torao’s achievements like a mere side show when they’ve been clear about their alliance right from the very beginning. They’re partners. They’re equals.
How stupid can that bird brain even get?
“Sorry, sorry,” Zoro finally says when he seems to have come down from his high. The swordsman puts one of the envelopes back in the sleeves of his kimono and only then did Luffy finally notice the familiarity of the other envelope. “You’ve got a letter.”
Luffy immediately feels the buzzing on his nerves as Zoro hands him the yellow envelope, a hue that he’s pretty sure he will recognize anywhere and everywhere he goes. There’s a familiar ache on his chest as bliss and excitement and warmth immediately blooms inside of him at the mere thought of who the sender could be.
“It’s from Law.”
Zoro’s words finally confirm his earlier suspicions and Luffy doesn’t lose any time in grabbing that envelope from his first mate. The captain immediately catches the hint of peppermint scent on the envelope, similar to the scented papers that Torao has used before in writing a letter to Cora-san.
“It’s from Torao!!” Luffy exclaims as if Zoro didn’t just mutter those same words a second ago. Luffy shoves his hands up in the air along with the envelope containing the letter from Torao, seeming so proud of and excited for the message from his partner after two weeks of not knowing anything about what’s happening to the Surgeon.
The sound of the waves crashing against the cliff are as loud as ever; the whizzing of the wind is starting to be more clamorous; the chirp of the birds singing is becoming more intrusive, but Luffy can’t seem to heed them any mind as the sound of his heart beating so erratically against his chest drowns out all these noises around.
“Robin said you prefer using a den-den mushi to record a video or your voice to send a reply, but it seems we can’t have that here,” Zoro starts speaking up once again, and Luffy doesn’t like the implication of not being able to send a reply to Torao when the Surgeon clearly went out of his way to send him a letter.
“I can write!” Luffy immediately answers, not even giving the swordsman a chance to finish what he’s about to say. Luffy doesn’t really like writing—it’s one of the things which is pretty much on top of his list of ‘a pain in the ass to do,’ but he can do it just this once. Stupid den-den mushi which doesn’t work on this island will not be able to stop him from sending a reply to his partner after all this time.
“I can’t believe I’d witness the day when you’d volunteer to actually write something,” Zoro says with a small laughter before he brings out yet another set of papers from the sleeves of his kimono. Luffy is starting to wonder just how much stuff those kimono sleeves can hold, but his thoughts are immediately halted as Zoro continues, “Good thing Robin made me bring you this.”
Luffy accepts the sets of paper and pen, humming a tune as he finds his sour mood immediately going away. Nami or Robin can handle sending a reply to that stupid bird brain. For now, Luffy has a letter to read and a reply to send to his partner.
“Thanks, Zoro! You guys are the best!”
The captain is about to open the envelope when he realizes that the swordsman is still sitting beside him, staring at him as Zoro’s thoughts and musings remain unuttered. Luffy halts his proceedings for a moment to look at his first mate and meet that gaze for one, two, maybe three or more seconds before realization finally dawns upon him.
“You guys don’t owe him anything,” Luffy says and Zoro only shrugs, seemingly expecting this line of conversation to eventually happen. Luffy is starting to wonder if this is the reason why his crew didn’t even bat an eye when they all eventually found out about Luffy’s feelings for the Surgeon. There’s no grand revelation about it, not something that they have all officially talked about, but Luffy knows that they all know.
And no one has said anything about it—not even one complaint, not even one question. They all seem to have accepted that Luffy has already chosen Torao and that’s it.
Yet, he still feels a pang of pain on his chest as he thinks about how this is the only reason why his crew is so accepting of his future with the Surgeon.
“Have more faith in us, why don’t you?” Zoro says, as if having an inkling on the thoughts starting to fill Luffy’s mind. The swordsman swigs another from his bottle of sake and when the bottle seems to have finally had its last drop, Zoro finally continues, “We still owe him, that’s not something that’s gonna change. We all know that we wouldn’t have been able to see you again had he not been there, had he not been able to save your life in time. We owe him for supporting you when we couldn’t, for helping you when we couldn’t.”
The captain opens his mouth to retort, but Zoro just raises his hand to stop Luffy before he continues, “But that’s not the reason why we’re so accepting of him.”
Luffy blinks repeatedly when those words finally register in his mind, a small smile playing on his lips as relief washes over him. Luffy opts to gaze back on the ocean instead and lets the silence once again reign over the two of them. Because Luffy might be getting impatient for the past few days, but now seems like the perfect time to wait for whatever Zoro still has to say.
“How can we not accept someone who makes you so happy?”
When the words are finally out, Luffy turns to shift his gaze towards his first mate, and the captain can’t help but laugh at the hint of pink dusting Zoro’s cheeks. The swordsman sends him a glare which only seems to fuel Luffy’s laughter. Yet, the captain knows just how much this means to Zoro—to give Luffy the reassurance that even Luffy didn’t know he needed, even if it means that Zoro will have to step out of his comfort zone and actually use words of affirmation.
“Sorry, sorry!” Luffy starts as he taps his tummy which is starting to ache from his laughter. The captain takes a deep breath to calm himself down before patting Zoro in the back as he says, “Thanks, Zoro.”
The swordsman just huffs before he finally stands up from his place, dusting his kimono a little as he says, “Go back to the ship after you compose that letter of yours. Robin says that she has a crow who can send your letter to Law.” Zoro proceeds to walk back to the ship (or to wherever his sense of direction will bring him), giving Luffy the time to finally be alone with the letter that Torao has sent him.
Luffy moves towards the tree so he can lean on its trunk as he opens the letter. The peppermint scent is a whole lot stronger now that he has the paper on his hands, and Luffy smiles at the giddiness starting to overwhelm him. After all, it’s the same scented paper that Torao always uses to send a letter to Cora-san. It’s the same scented paper that Torao uses to express his thoughts to his adoptive father even when he doesn’t expect any reply. It’s the same scented paper where Torao always bares himself naked and without care for the prejudice of the entire world.
And somehow, receiving a letter from Torao with that same scented paper makes Luffy feel like he holds a special place in Torao’s heart.
A beam immediately flashes on his face when Luffy finally fishes out the paper from the envelope. Seeing Torao’s handwriting has always been a pleasant experience for him, and Luffy has repeatedly wondered why and how Torao can have such a neat handwriting when he is a doctor. After all, Sabo used to tell them stories about doctors having such a messy handwriting similar to that of Luffy’s.
The captain pushes the thoughts out of his head and focuses on the letter instead, and Luffy laughs out loud as he reads the first line written on the paper.
‘For the love of everything good in this world, stay right where you are and don’t come rowing your own boat just to meet us.’
If the captain even had a shred of doubt if this letter really did come from Torao, then all of those are already gone with just this one simple greeting. Not even a hi or a hello—just a reminder for Luffy not to come to the island where Torao is staying. How Torao had come to the conclusion that Luffy will row his own boat just to get to where he is (like how Luffy originally planned to) is something that Luffy brands as yet another mystery.
‘I really hope that this letter gets to you on time. After all, I don’t want to be reading the news about your apparent death in the sea because heaven knows just how much you suck at navigation.’
Luffy can’t help but smile at the words—no matter how insulting it may all seem to be. The captain knows that Torao cares, whether he wants to admit it or not. After all, Luffy has already learned not to get sidetracked by the jeering words, by the calculating smirk, and by the malicious glint reflected in those golden eyes.
‘Besides, we’re all doing fine here, even if it’s getting more and more annoying to listen to Penguin and Shachi complaining about us parting ways with your crew.’
The captain enjoys reading Torao’s stories about his crew—about Bepo’s apparent crush on the mink they accidentally met, or Shachi and Penguin’s daily protests about staying for another day on that small island, or Jean Bart starting another set of training for the whole crew, or Ikkaku’s sudden interest in writing stories about certain people that everybody in the crew knows about except for Torao himself.
Luffy smiles a little as he feels the warmth just from reading all these stories, and he promised himself that he will have to thank Penguin for apparently making sure that Torao eats not just the right amount of food, but also on time and always with the whole crew.
‘They’re really excited about meeting up with you all again, so they’re working twice as hard when it comes to searching for leads regarding the last poneglyph. With the way things are going, we’ll probably be ready to head to Elbaf in around three days.’
“Finally!” Luffy can’t help but exclaim as he reads that one small news indicated in the letter. He feels his chest swelling at the thought of seeing Torao again in probably a week’s time, or maybe even faster. After all, he’s got the best navigator and helmsman in the whole world. They can definitely make the journey a whole lot faster, right?
Ah, he should probably catch a rhinoceros beetle from this island as a gift for Torao!
‘It feels so odd, how everything’s going according to my plans recently. I’ve grown so used to you ruining every bit of my plans that a day of no trouble seems way too suspicious and out of line.’
Luffy can’t help but chuckle at that. He has long since been aware that him and plans have never been good friends, but he has never purposely ruined all of Torao’s plans. There are just some things that he has to make a captain’s call for—it just so happens that those decisions end up being way too far from their original strategy.
Well, it all works out in the end, doesn’t it?
‘Forming an alliance with you was never part of the plan. It was such a random thought that I had to deal with after you came barging into my life with no warnings whatsoever.’
Luffy smiles a little at the memories of Punk Hazard—at the odd peace that he felt blooming inside of him when he heard that voice once again, at the odd sympathy that he felt after seeing those golden eyes looking at him once again, and at the warmth that he felt when he received the offer of an alliance from the man who helped him when he was at his lowest.
‘Staying with your crew was never part of the plan. It was all supposed to end the moment that Doflamingo got his hands on me. It was all supposed to end when Doflamingo shot me and caught me to give up my life for him. It was all supposed to end when Doflamingo cut my arm off and promised me of the hell that I was about to see.’
Luffy can’t help but grit his teeth at the memory of Dressrosa—at the shots that Torao received while Luffy was still inside the colosseum, at the image of Torao laying on the ground with all those bullet holes on his back, at the sight of Torao’s arm already cut off, at the sight of Doflamingo preparing another attack to end Torao once and for all.
Never again. Never will he let that happen again.
‘Living was never part of the plan. It was all supposed to end in Dressrosa. I was prepared to give up my life if it meant having Doflamingo’s ass sent to the prison (and even better, to hell). It was all supposed to end the moment that I finally avenged Cora-san’s death. But you went and ruined that plan again.’
Luffy feels a pang of pain in his chest as he reads that line, unconsciously crumpling the paper on his hands at the mere thought of Torao not making it past Dressrosa. Luffy knows. Deep within him, he has always known that Torao never really planned to be with them after finally being freed from the strings which bound him for the past thirteen years. Torao never really planned to continue his journey after beating Mingo up and sending him to prison. Torao never really planned to meet up with his crew once again and get them all tangled up in this mess.
And Luffy will never be sorry for ruining that part of Torao’s plan.
‘Fighting off Kaido was never part of the plan. I was just another selfish jerk who wanted your help and your strength in defeating Doflamingo, but I never really intended to meet Kaido back in Wano. Yet, not only did we successfully reach Wano, but we also had to fight off Big Mom because of you and your crew’s antics.’
Luffy chuckles a little at that. Their journey to Wano has been nothing but such a fruitful endeavor, even if Torao did nothing but ramble about Luffy’s health and how reckless was he during all those fighting.
The captain huffs a little at that thought. Torao really has no say about being so reckless. After all, Luffy is pretty sure that he heard Chopper scolding Torao for using all those big moves during their fight with Big Mom which severely affected his health.
‘Finding the last poneglyph was never part of the plan. Spending all this time trying to look for whatever will help us get to Laugh Tale was never part of the plan, but you really just had to give me the time to find another dream. You really just had to give me another chance to live this life that Cora-san badly wanted to protect. You really just had to make me feel like there’s still a chance in life even for a sinner like me.’
Of course. Of course there is. And Luffy will fight off anyone and everyone who will dare to take that chance and freedom away from Torao.
‘I hope you know that you are absolutely ridiculous, Luffy-ya.’
Luffy can’t help but chuckle at the remark. His day is already getting better and better the more he reads Torao’s letter. Yet, Luffy suddenly feels like the entire world has stopped spinning the moment he reads the next line written on the scented paper.
‘Because falling in love with you was also never part of the plan.’
There’s still the sound of the waves crashing against the cliff in such a ferocious manner. There’s still the whirring of the wind blowing him cool amidst the sunny weather. There’s still the chirps of the bird singing a tune that makes his heart feel lighter.
Yet, none of those register in Luffy’s mind when all he can focus on is reading that one same line over and over and over again.
Because Luffy has always been sure about his own feelings for his partner. He has always been sure that this is something that is meant to last until the day he dies. He has always been sure that Torao is it for him—the only one whom he wants to lay all of his feelings with, to bare all his weaknesses with, to share all his nightmares with, to carry the weight of his sins with.
He has always been sure of his feelings for Torao, but the Surgeon’s feelings for him is an entirely different matter.
Because despite all the nights they shared together, all the little displays of intimacy that only Luffy has been privy to, and all the promises and whispers of reassurances that they will still be there when the next morning comes—Torao has never explicitly put all of his feelings into words like this.
‘Not a single bit of what happened after Dressrosa was part of the plan—sharing all these stories, talking about all my baggage and sins, running around the flower field like two stupid kids, reading a book for you, feeling so fond that smile, getting so used to those hands holding mine, sharing a cabin with you, overcoming the nightmares with you, and waking up to a peaceful morning with you.
I’ve never liked any of my plans falling into ruins, but…’
Ah. It’s so weird. Because Luffy is pretty sure that the weather is so sunny just a second ago, yet his vision is starting to get a little rainy as he continues reading Torao’s letter.
‘You’re the one and only chaos that I badly want to stay in my life.’
The captain feels like there’s a weird buzz running from his fingers down to every single nerve in his body. He knows he’s eaten his breakfast completely, yet his stomach keeps on twisting and turning in all ways unimaginable. The wind is still blowing, yet he feels the heat creeping on his cheeks and the warmth wrapping around him like an embrace.
Not for the first time this day, Luffy feels so oddly euphoric.
‘I’ve long since considered myself to be a sinner. I’ve long since been aware that I’m not deserving of any tenderness or care, of a good night of sleep, of a chance for a new dream, of a place and a person that I can call my home.
I’ve long since been aware that I’m the farthest person from being compatible with you.’
Luffy bites his lower lip at the statements, finding it absolutely ridiculous and stupid. Luffy knows that Torao can be a little dumb like that, but it’s fine. It’s fine. Because even if Torao doesn’t believe that he’s deserving of all of these things and so much more, Luffy has already sworn that he will always be there to remind him.
‘Yet, the selfish part of me just wants to stay. The selfish part of me just wants to be so impudent as to claim the position by your side to be mine. The selfish part of me just wants to be so presumptuous as to thinking that even someone like me can take your hand and walk the path that you’re trailing on. The selfish part of me just absolutely wants to do all these stupid little things and so much more.
After all, a wise man once told me to do whatever the hell I want, especially if it’s stupid.’
Luffy laughs a little at that, remembering the moment when Torao first talked about his Cora-san, the moment when Luffy has first learned that the Surgeon has been composing letters to his adoptive father. The captain wonders if the letter that Torao has been writing back in Dressrosa is related to this. He wonders if the stupid thing that Torao badly wants to have back then is this—him, Luffy.
‘And right now, I want nothing but to stay in this alliance for the rest of my life.’
Luffy pauses reading as he takes a moment to take a deep breath, as he takes a moment to blink his eyes repeatedly lest the next few words will only be garbled by the stray tears hindering his vision, as he takes a moment to gulp the imaginary lump on his throat as the words start to finally sink into his mind.
Because if this isn’t a marriage proposal, then Luffy doesn’t really know what is.
‘I know that you don’t like exchanging cups of sake, or conforming to any of the world’s pre-conceived beliefs when it comes to things like this, but I hope you’d still accept what I enclosed within the envelope of this letter.’
The captain is already filled with nothing short of happiness and contentment ever since he first started reading the letter, but the prospect of receiving a gift from Torao—an actual and tangible proof that this is not something out of his own imagination or dreams—makes Luffy almost jump from his seat upon reaching the envelope that has been holding this letter early on.
When Luffy finally grabs a hold of the envelope, he fishes out Torao’s gift and a wide smile finds its way on his lips. After all, in the envelope is a small transparent frame with a pressed and dried sunflower within it. Luffy has never really grown fond of flowers, because they never last in his care no matter how much he wants them to survive.
And here comes Torao, sending him a sunflower that he’s pretty sure will never die even in the sullied hands of someone like him.
‘It’s the sunflower that I picked back in Dressrosa. Because I don’t think that I’ve ever gotten the chance to formally tell you this.
Thank you. For giving me good memories in a place where I thought only nightmares would ever reside.’
And Luffy feels like his chest will melt anytime just from the sight of that little present from his partner. Because to him, it’s not just any other gift. It’s not just any other reward for a job well done.
Because within that small frame is a pressed sunflower—an assurance, a promise, a vow.
A silent reminder that Law chose him, is choosing him, and will continue to choose him, always.
‘I’m looking forward to seeing you again, Luffy-ya.’
Now more than ever, Luffy is absolutely annoyed by the fact that there’s no den-den mushi signal on this island. He feels absolutely annoyed that even if he sends a letter back to Law today, the Surgeon will probably receive the letter tomorrow or even days later. He feels absolutely annoyed that he can’t answer Law immediately and tell him the one thing that he’s been meaning to say ever since Luffy has realized his feelings for him.
So, Luffy carefully places Law’s letter and the small frame back to the envelope. Luffy then grabs the pen and paper that Zoro has given him and starts writing his letter to Law. It doesn’t even take him five seconds to finish writing his reply—because those are the words that he’s repeatedly practiced saying over and over and over again in his mind.
As soon as Luffy is done, he immediately runs back towards the direction of the ship so he can send the letter to Law already. The captain badly wishes that whatever Robin will use to send the letter is really fast because he wants the Surgeon to know his answer already. And just as Luffy is passing by the town center, he sees Robin and Franky having coffee outside this small café.
“Robin!! You’re here!! What do I do with this letter? You’re gonna send it, right? Right? Can we send it now? Ne?” Luffy says in a rush, his hands almost trembling from the excitement of having his reply reaching Law in little to no time at all.
“Sure. The crow is waiting in the ship, Luffy. Do you want me to give it to the crow for you?” Robin asks calmly, clearly used to the excitement bubbling out of Luffy’s body. The captain just beams at them and shakes his head before he answers, “Nah! I can give it to the crow or something!”
Luffy arrives at the ship in less than half a minute, immediately searching for that crow that Robin is talking about. Just when he’s starting to feel annoyed once again by seeing no bird at all within the ship, his attention is caught by the white bird whose tip of the yellow beak is shaded in black. There’s a small red bag wrapped around its neck which Luffy assumes as the place where he can place his letter.
“There you are! Take care of my letter, ‘kay?” Luffy says as he places his letter inside the red bag. The bird then squawks in reply to which the captain just laughs at. And as the bird finally flies away from the ship, Luffy feels the bliss and contentment and relief shower over him.
I can’t wait to meet you again, Law.
It only takes a few moments before the deck is filled with his crewmates once again. Luffy makes his way towards Usopp and Chopper who recently got back from their shopping for Usopp’s fertilizers. It doesn’t take too long before Brook starts playing his violin, Zoro starts napping, Robin and Franky arrives with cakes to share with everyone, Sanji starts bringing out beverages for this afternoon, and Jimbe starts laughing at all of their stupid antics.
It doesn’t take long until Nami finally steps out of the navigation room with an envelope on hand.
“Huh? Where’s the bird?”
Nami’s words immediately catch everyone’s attention—even Zoro snaps his eye open to look at their navigator. Luffy tilts his head in confusion, and Usopp voices out the question hanging silently in the air.
“What bird?”
“News coo. I wrote the reply to Morgan, because we all know Luffy doesn’t like those stupid interviews anyway. But the bird that’s supposed to send the reply isn’t here anymore.”
Usopp just shrugs at the reply before going back to taking care of his plants as he says, “Maybe they didn’t need a reply after all.” Luffy nods in agreement, but there’s something inside of him that is bugging him—like there’s one teeny little detail that he’s clearly been missing on.
“Luffy?” The captain shifts his gaze towards Robin and notices one small black bird flying towards her before it finally sits on top of her shoulders. “I thought you already sent your reply to Torao.” Robin’s voice is as calm as ever—but the smile on her face didn’t fail to send an unfathomable chill down his spine. Luffy stares at the black bird on Robin’s shoulder as realization slowly dawns upon him.
“Luffy…” Nami starts, and the crew’s attention suddenly falls on him. “Did you send your letter to Morgans instead of sending it to Law?”
Silence reigns over the entire crew as the prospect of trouble in the next few days rains upon them. It takes them one, two, maybe three or more seconds of utter shock before that same silence is broken by the troublemaker himself.
Luffy just laughs out loud as he rubs his nape and utters one word to express his humble apology.
“Oops.”
—
“Gahaha! Have you seen their faces when I told them that I don’t know where my own grandson is?!”
Sengoku heaves a sigh for probably the hundredth time within this morning. It feels like it’s been forever since Sengoku is left to his own devices within his room, enjoying a peaceful morning with only a cup of coffee and his goat by his side while they bask in the early glow of the sun. Yet, that peace and serenity is immediately broken as soon as Garp enters the room heeding no mind to what little privacy is Sengoku left with within this headquarters.
“Stop talking like I wasn’t there, Garp,” Sengoku says as he rolls his eyes at the other, sipping on his cup of coffee. The past week has been pretty busy for the both of them, having been called to several meetings here and there to provide their inputs and advise for certain matters of the world—mainly Kaido being thrown out of the country that he’s been ruling over for the past two decades.
“Do you seriously not know where Monkey D. Luffy is?” Sengoku says as he places down his cup of coffee on the table. The other man only stares at him for a second before a boisterous laughter once again fills his surroundings. “Come on, Sengoku! It’s just the two of us! You’re worried for your brat, aren’t you?!”
Not for the first time in his life, Sengoku is regretting all his life choices which led to him being the closest friend of one of the most annoying and headache inducing people in the whole world.
“Well, if you would just shut up for a moment and answer my question honestly,” Sengoku says with another sigh. Seriously? His life expectancy is getting shorter and shorter with Garp around him. When his partner seems to finally have calmed down, Garp wipes out the stray tears from the corner of his eyes before he answers, “I just know they’re both laying low in separate islands. Must be a plan of that brat of yours. I know damn well that laying low wouldn’t even cross Luffy’s mind for even a second despite that huge battle back in Wano.”
Sengoku can’t help the grin forming on his lips. He knows all too well that the marines are using a whole lot of resources in order to find Law and Luffy after shocking the world with the news of dethroning Kaido, and the fact that they haven’t even had a sighting of them speaks volumes to how well both crews are carrying out this little plan.
And he’s damn well proud of his grandson for doing such a great job avoiding the marines.
“Weird pride, isn’t it?”
Sengoku’s thoughts are halted by Garp’s words, and it takes him a few more moments to sink those words into his mind before laughter finally bubbles out of his chest. Ever since he started his career as a marine, not once had he ever imagined himself feeling some sort of familiarity and camaraderie with a pirate—more so the feeling of pride and happiness for one of the most wanted pirates of the new generation.
And here he thought Garp was so weird for being so proud of the pandemonium that he calls his family.
“Weird pride, really.”
The both of them shares another round of laughter before the news coo finally arrives with the newspaper in their bags. Sengoku immediately grabs two copies and pays for it, throwing one of the copies to Garp lest the other man decides to ruin Sengoku’s copy once again. Sengoku grabs his cup of coffee and takes a sip on it as he reads the front-page news for this morning.
And it takes every bit of energy coursing through his body to keep himself from spouting that coffee back out as the huge bold letters of the headline welcomes him.
The silence of the morning which felt so warm and so welcoming just a few seconds ago is finally gone—replaced by this chilling silence which ironically reverberates through his veins with each second passing by. Sengoku closes his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath, preparing himself for the inevitable that is to come.
Really, Sengoku should have known that this would come when Monkey D. Luffy said that he’d soon be telling his grandfather about his own plans.
Sengoku slowly lowers the newspaper down and meets the gaze of the man from across the table, staring at him with such ferocity which reminds him of the days when the two of them easily prevailed over the pirates trying to bring chaos to the whole world. Garp’s hands are clenched into the newspaper, crumpling it with the intent of destroying the paper and everything that’s written on it—probably with more gusto to destroy the headline so large and so blaring in the front page of the newspaper.
“You knew, didn’t you?”
Garp says as he grits his teeth, the veins on his temple starting to become apparent as seconds of Sengoku’s silence slowly tick by. Sengoku finally lets out the breath he didn’t know he’s been holding before he shrugs at the other man.
“I may or may have not received the news from your grandson.”
The look of surprise in Garp’s face is almost too funny, if not for the fact that he can already picture out the mess waiting ahead of him after this whole fiasco. It doesn’t even take more than a second before Garp is already out of his seat and heading out of the room. Sengoku should really know better than to forget about the strength of this damn man—Garp is still the Hero of the Marines, old age or not.
“Garp!!” Sengoku shouts out as he makes his way out of his room to follow the other man, finding himself already heading to the port where Garp’s ship is anchored. “Where do you think are you going?!”
Garp doesn’t let up in his steps, already shouting out his orders to the marines around in order for him to set sail the soonest possible. “I’m gonna teach that brat of yours a lesson!!”
“Excuse me?!” Sengoku exclaims, extremely pissed off over the fact that Garp has the audacity to actually try and teach his grandson a lesson when Law is clearly the one getting caught up in all this trouble because of Monkey D. Luffy. “Whose letter do you think is published in the news today and setting up all this trouble?!”
The words seem to fly right over the head of the other man as Garp only continues to send orders to the other marines. When all the marines are finally working to hasten up the process of setting sail, Garp finally faces Sengoku once again and says, “Luffy doesn’t even know what dating is!! And you think this is all his idea?!”
Sengoku grits his teeth as he clenches his fist. Years and years of dealing with this monster still doesn’t make him immune to feeling so annoyed at just how childish the man is acting—because not even the fact that Luffy has thrown Kaido out of Wano is enough to remind Garp that Luffy is already a grown man making grown decisions for his own grown life.
Before Sengoku can even retort, Garp is already jumping up to his ship heeding no mind to his friend trying to stop him. Sengoku closes his eyes for another moment and heaves out a sigh as he stares up at the sky, wishing and praying to all deities in the world to give him all the patience and strength that he’ll be needing in the few days to come.
“I’m coming with you, damn idiot!!” Sengoku shouts out as he follows Garp towards his ship before he knocks Garp’s head with his own fist for being such a troublemaker so early in the morning.
Seriously.
Why did his family have to always be involved with trouble inducing idiots?
—
“We just got him back and he’s preparing to set off again?” Dragon asks Koala as he watches Sabo going back and forth from one room to another, preparing whatever it is that he needs in what Dragon can only assume as another mission to infiltrate the base of their enemies.
Koala only chuckles awkwardly, rubbing her nape in the process before she hands Dragon the newspaper for the day. The man grabs the paper and reads the headline printed in a significantly larger font than any of the other news—like it’s somehow the most important news amidst all the uproars happening in the world right now.
And when the words finally click in Dragon’s mind, the man heaves out a sigh as understanding finally springs to him. So, this is the reason why Sabo is preparing to set sail again even when he’s still healing from the wounds of his previous battle.
Really, he should have known that there’s something going on behind the scenes when his son has decided to lay low once again after all the fiasco back in Wano. With what little knowledge that he has on his son, and all the other unsolicited stories that Sabo kept on telling them, he knows that Luffy is not the type to use a strategic move like this.
And he really should have known that there’s something far deeper and greater than what the world branded as a mere alliance.
“Can you distract him for an hour?” Dragon asks once again, and he almost finds it amusing how Koala’s expression changes from astounded to mad to absolutely horrified. “I can’t even distract him for a second with his mind running a mile a minute about—and I quote—how will I butcher the man who’s trying to taint Luffy’s innocence with such a thing.” Koala huffs and crosses her arms against her chest, her eyes falling back to the blonde looking for equipment like he’s getting ready to go into a battle.
Dragon can’t help but smile a little at the scene in front of him. Honestly, he feels like Sabo is overreacting—probably because it’s so easy to forget that Luffy is not the same snot-nosed kid who used to follow Sabo around when they were kids.
“Aren’t you bothered by the news?” Koala asks and Dragon immediately lets up the smile and falls back to his usual stoic expression. He shifts his gaze to the woman across him before he takes another glance at the newspaper now sitting on top of his table.
Isn’t he bothered? Well, Dragon would be lying if he says that he isn’t. He knows all too well that Luffy is already an adult the moment his son has stepped out of the borders of Goa in order to reach for his dreams across the sea. He has considered Luffy as an adult who can choose a path of his own and make his own decisions. Yet, this silly little news just reminds him once again that his son has already grown so much beyond his own recognition.
Isn’t he bothered? Well, he is.
But what right does he have to question his son’s decisions now when he wasn’t even there for Luffy back when he was still growing up?
“I know some people who might be as bothered as Sabo because of this news, if not even more. That’s why I need you to buy me an hour, or even just half an hour will do.”
Koala furrows her brows at the statement, clearly confused about what Dragon’s plans are and how it all boils down to Sabo preparing for a battle they all know he’s about to start. Yet, Dragon has decades of experience when it comes to keeping all his emotions down the drain lest his enemies get a hold of what binds him down and use it to their advantage. It takes them a few more seconds of just staring at each other before Koala’s shoulders finally deflates and she heaves a sigh of defeat.
“Fine. But I can’t promise anything else after that half an hour, Dragon-san,” Koala says as she finally follows Sabo to his room. Dragon takes one last glance at the newspaper before he gets up from his seat and steps out of the room towards his balcony. Ivankov is sitting on the chair while calmly sipping on his tea, clearly enjoying the morning dew while reading the news about Luffy.
“Mugi-boy is all grown up, Dragon,” Ivankov teases before placing the cup of tea down. “I know,” Dragon says before he sits down across one of his officers. He grabs the tea pot and starts pouring an ample amount on the cup before he continues, “And I need your help in tracking down some people.”
Ivankov’s brows furrow at the implication of those words. The Okama glances at the newspaper and back at Dragon, doing so multiple times before the officer seems to have finally found the answer. Laughter bubbles out of Ivankov’s chest before nodding in agreement.
“I’ll do my best to track that red-headed brat.”
Dragon sure wishes that Trafalgar Law is aware of the mayhem that he has subjected himself into.
—
Benn feels like all his gray hair will start to fall out in a day or so because of the news already spreading far wide in the world this morning. They’ve all been aware that the anchor that they once teased to no end is already an adult making his own name, going against the big names in the pirate world, and choosing his own path towards the freedom that he so seeks ever since he’s a young brat.
He’s also fully aware that this brat has always been an unpredictable ball of sunshine—the small scar just under his left eye being one of the biggest proofs of that. He knows that the whole crew has always been looking forward to the news of the brat’s journey, even more so when he finally entered the New World and started out this alliance which eventually ended up dethroning not just one but two emperors in a short amount of time.
Yet, none of all the time that they spent with Luffy and none of all those news about Luffy’s journey has ever prepared them for this.
Surely, there has to be some kind of limit to Luffy’s unpredictability, right?
“So… Luffy, huh?” Yasopp mutters as he sits down beside Benn with another copy of newspaper in his hands. Most of the crew are still asleep considering how they all had another full night of party with the villagers of this island. Benn notices Lucky Roux already walking towards them with a piece of meat on his mouth, reading the newspaper headline before suddenly spitting out his food and running towards Benn’s direction.
“Luffy?! Is this real?!” Lucky Roux exclaims while Yasopp only laughs out loud, immediately regretting the gesture as his headache spikes up once again because of his own noise. Benn chuckles a little while shaking his head, shrugging as an answer to Lucky Roux before he says, “Well, what I only know is that it clearly looks like Luffy’s handwriting. More than a decade of being apart from him and his handwriting still looks like a chicken scratch.”
The three of them shares another round of chuckles, careful of the headache reminding them of just how old they are getting and how a night full of alcohol is probably not the healthiest thing to do at this age. After a few more moments of just basking in the sound of the snores of their crew, Yasopp finally asks, “So, do you think he already got the news?”
Benn only heaves a sigh and shrugs at their sniper, shifting his gaze towards the newspaper once again and staring at that article along with the photo of the letter as proof of the truth behind this news.
STRAW HAT AND SURGEON OF DEATH: THE MARRIAGE
Monkey D. Luffy and Trafalgar Law are making history by starting out an alliance that already managed to dethrone three of the biggest names in the pirate world—Donquixote ‘Joker’ Doflamingo, Charlotte ‘Big Mom’ Linlin, and the man known as the Strongest Creature in the world, Kaido.
While forming an alliance has always been considered as a double-edged sword within the world of piracy, Monkey D. Luffy and Trafalgar Law are proving to be defying all odds and expectations within the short amount of time that their alliance has been formed. The height that these two pirate captains are reaching seem to be unstoppable as they ripple the waves of the current generation by besmirching the balance of the world with their actions.
These two pirate captains have been missing in action after their huge victory in the battles that transpired in the secluded country of Wano. Many have speculated that their alliance is already over despite receiving no confirmation from the two captains. Yet, not only did we have proof that their alliance is still on going even after dethroning both Big Mom and Kaido as the emperors of the sea, but we have also received a tangible proof that their relationship goes beyond a mere alliance.
In an attempt to deliver nothing but the truth behind the story of these two pirates liberating several countries trapped under tyranny, Big News Morgans has been sending an invitation to Monkey D. Luffy and Trafalgar Law for a small chat regarding the details of their journey. In response, Morgans has received a letter from Monkey D. Luffy which contains one powerful and heartwarming statement. This move from the straw hat wearing captain is sure to remind the world of the unstoppable force that the world is sure to witness in the upcoming months.
After all, we might just have received the confirmation that this alliance is never meant to be over until one of them breathes their last.
And beside the written article, Benn stares at the photo of Luffy’s letter to Law—the one and only proof that the world probably needs in order to get invested in this whole disaster.
‘Let’s get married, Law!!’
Benn laughs a little as he reads that letter over and over again. One statement. One statement. One statement from Luffy is all it takes to cause another turmoil in the whole world. Benn will bet his entire share in their pirate savings that Luffy is out there, eating his breakfast with no care in the world despite the revelation that he may or may not have purposely sent out to Big News Morgans.
Really, that brat is such an adorable pain in the ass.
“I’m gonna go see how he’s taking this news,” Benn says before he gets up from his seat and walks towards the shore where he knows his captain is spending his morning on.
The sound of the waves pushing and pulling against the shoreline almost feels like a lullaby, too enticing and too beguiling that Benn would have easily fallen asleep right then there—if not for the bits of haki slipping off of his captain as he holds the newspaper in his hands.
“You do know that this time would eventually come, right?”
Shanks seems to have finally snapped out of his thoughts as he hears Benn’s words. The redhead shifts his gaze towards his first mate, staring at him for a second before gazing back to the vast expanse of the ocean. Benn walks towards his captain and lets the silence envelope them two—because he doesn’t even need to ask to know that Shanks will soon give out his orders.
“I would have appreciated a heads up, you know?” Shanks says after a while which earns a chuckle from the first mate. Benn taps Shank’s shoulders with a little more force than necessary before he says, “Luffy wouldn’t be Luffy if he’s not as unpredictable as he is right now.”
Shanks only takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a moment before he stands up, holding on to the sword on his side as he finally speaks up.
“Benn.”
Really, more than a decade has passed and Luffy still amazes Benn in ways that have never even crossed his mind.
“Wake the whole crew up.”
One statement. One statement is all it takes for Shanks to make another move after all that he did back in the Reverie.
“We’re setting sail.”
And Benn can only silently pray for the soul of one Trafalgar Law.