Outside the forest near the Holy Land of Mariejois, Yuni carried Iggy in her arms, running through the dense trees.
The Sea Prism Stone bullet had not only nullified Yuni's Devil Fruit powers but was slowly draining her life.
Iggy clung tightly to her back, his clothes soaked in blood, fear and sorrow clouding his young face.
He could feel it—his mother's breath was growing heavier, her steps more sluggish. They weren't running to safety… they were running toward the inevitable.
Finally, Yuni collapsed to the ground, still cradling Iggy protectively in her arms.
"Mom… we finally escaped…"
Iggy's voice cracked as he tried to smile, desperate to hold on to hope—even as the truth loomed before him.
"Iggy… I can't go any further… But you… you must live…"
Blood spilled from Yuni's mouth as she spoke, her only concern still her son.
With those last words, her eyes dulled—the same gentle eyes Iggy had known and loved all his life.
"Mom… don't leave me… No!"
---
Iggy jolted awake with a gasp, his chest heaving as sweat drenched his forehead. His body ached with pain, but nothing compared to the hole left in his heart.
"Mother…"
Sunlight streamed in through the window of a small wooden cabin. He was bandaged head to toe, lying on a rough but warm bed.
"You're finally awake, brat. Eat something already!"
The door swung open as a burly woman entered, holding a bowl of rice.
Iggy blinked. That gruff voice… that rough attitude… it had to be—
"Dadan…?"
Dadan scowled as she placed the bowl on a small table beside him. "What are you looking at me like that for? This is Mt. Colubo in the Goa Kingdom. I'm Dadan—the one taking care of this place."
"You… saved me?"
Iggy vaguely remembered drifting at sea, barely clinging to life when a ship passed by. He'd been starving, dizzy, and sure he was going to die.
Before Dadan could answer, his stomach growled loudly. He wolfed down the rice in two bites.
"It wasn't me, it was Garp. That old marine found you on some deserted island and dumped you on me. Said I had to take care of you. Hmph! Like I'm running some daycare."
Despite her grumbling, Dadan sighed when she saw how quickly Iggy devoured the food. She stepped outside, took a puff of her cigarette, and returned with a massive plate of chicken legs, stacked half a meter high.
Even through her rough exterior, Iggy could feel the warmth.
He knew this woman—Dadan, the mountain bandit who had raised Ace, Sabo, and Luffy. She always pretended not to care, but when it mattered, she'd put everything on the line for them.
"Thanks… really," he muttered, chewing hungrily.
In her eyes, he saw a hint of something—perhaps the same maternal care he had lost.
---
Suddenly, the door burst open, and three small figures sprinted inside—knocking the tall Dadan clean off her feet.
Two boys held metal pipes, and one had a straw hat tilted over his eyes.
Ace.
Sabo.
Luffy.
The three stood by the bed, eyeing Iggy with curiosity and energy.
"He made it through all that? Tough guy."
"You feelin' better now?"
"Hey, what's your name? Wanna join my pirate crew?!"
Their barrage of questions left Iggy speechless, unsure which one to answer first.
"I… I'm Iggy," he finally said.
He had spent his whole life in the shadowed basement beneath Mariejois, with no friends, no sunlight—nothing but his mother.
Now, in the face of such unfiltered honesty and warmth, he didn't know how to react.
(A/N:Yeah, you probably wondering that since he lived one life already why's he acting like that?...Well,He was in solitude for 10 years)
The three boys grinned widely, eyes squinting with joy.
Their open hearts began to chip away at the sorrow weighing on Iggy's chest.
But before things could go any further—
"He's still recovering, you little punks! Out!"
Dadan, fuming and covered in dust, hauled them all out like sacks of rice.
"Don't forget to finish your meal!" she snapped, slamming the door shut.
---
Alone again, Iggy stared at the closed door.
He wasn't sure if it was the relief of surviving… or the warmth of finding affection again…
But for the first time in a long while, he smiled.
Since arriving at Dadan's hideout, he'd been fed, bandaged, and looked after with care. His wounds healed faster than expected.
Every evening, the three boys would return with game they'd hunted—sometimes animals ten times their size—and Dadan would cook them into feasts.
Caught up in their rhythm, Iggy started eating meat again. His frail frame began to bulk up.
He laughed more, trained more, and slowly, he began to live.
But the image of his mother dying in his arms never left him. It haunted him, carved deep into his soul.
The more he remembered it, the more he hated his own weakness.
So one day, Iggy asked to join Ace, Sabo, and Luffy on their hunts.
Ace's stubborn strength, Sabo's clever tactics, Luffy's reckless courage, and Iggy's growing instincts worked in perfect sync.
Wild boars, giant crocodiles, massive jungle cats—they hunted them all.
Their battles forged them like steel under flame. Day by day, Iggy's strength and speed soared.
---
One evening, deep in the forest clearing…
"Iggy," Sabo said with a warm smile, "let's become sworn brothers."
Ace and Luffy, grinning ear to ear, held out a bowl of stolen sake between them.
"Yeah! You're one of us now!"
Iggy stared at them. Those genuine smiles, those outstretched hands…
But his mind returned once again to the moment Yuni died in his arms.
"…Thank you. But I don't want to bring trouble to you."
He turned and walked away silently, leaving the forest behind.
---