"Ptooey!"
The moment Garp set him down, Luffy felt a sudden wave of hostility behind him and instinctively leapt out of the way. A wad of spit landed right where he had been standing. If he hadn't reacted in time… well, the result would've been gross beyond words.
"Whew! That was close!" Luffy wiped the cold sweat from his brow. Just imagining being hit by that made his skin crawl.
He looked up to see a young boy sitting atop the corpse of a wild bull, glaring at him.
The boy had sharp, dark phoenix eyes and unruly black hair. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of black shorts and canvas shoes, a slender iron pipe in hand. His lean frame was deceptively muscular, his features sharp and handsome. A thick bandage was stuck across his forehead, and his entire expression radiated a deep resentment, as if the world owed him a great debt.
"Hey! What the hell's your problem?" Even though Luffy had once cried through two whole rolls of tissue over Ace's death, he couldn't just stand there and let him spit at him like that!
"Tch." Ace, a bit surprised by Luffy's quick reaction, merely clicked his tongue. With his usual cold arrogance, he didn't bother responding, he rarely spoke to anyone aside from Sabo anyway.
Hearing the commotion, Dadan and Garp turned their heads.
"Oh hey, you're back, Ace," Garp greeted casually, as if seeing an old friend.
He then gave Luffy a hearty smack on the head and added, "That's Ace. He's three years older than you. Starting today, you'll be living together, so try to get along!"
Dadan, flustered, asked, "Wait, what?! Since when was that decided!?"
Garp raised his fist, veins bulging. "You got a problem with that?"
"…Nope!"
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Mt. Colubo – Dadan's House
After Garp left, everyone gathered around a pot of stew.
Inside simmered meat from the wild bull Ace had just hunted.
"I hate bandits," Luffy said coldly, staring into the pot.
He knew it wasn't fair to lump Dadan's group in with the rest, especially since she genuinely took care of him and Ace in the original timeline.
Probably just lingering subconscious hatred from all the bandits I've been killing lately, Luffy reasoned to himself.
Dadan's face darkened, and with a snap, she broke her chopsticks in half. She stood up furiously and shouted, "You little brat! Shut your damn mouth!!
You think we wanted to take in some snot-nosed kid like you?!"
The nearby bandits rushed to hold her back, worried she might punch Luffy, though frankly, no one was sure who'd win.
Ace didn't say a word. He just kept eating.
Luffy glanced between Dadan's furious face and Ace's indifference, then stood up and announced, "I'm tired. I'm going to rest."
Without waiting for a response, he walked into the house.
"Hey!! It's still broad daylight!" Dadan shouted after him.
Luffy found a room that looked like a bedroom, shut the door, and flopped onto the bed, ignoring her yelling outside.
I'll bring Zoro over once Grandpa leaves, Luffy thought, drifting off.
To his own surprise, he was asleep in less than a minute.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Nightfall
Dadan and her crew had all gone to bed.
Ace returned home, exhausted, and collapsed onto his futon, only to suddenly roll sideways, eyes wide with alert.
"Damn, that was sharp."
Luffy emerged from the shadows of the room, wearing a faint smirk.
"What do you want?" Ace asked coldly, still on guard.
He had sensed a flicker of presence in the corner where there had been nothing before, a presence that quickly vanished.
He could tell Luffy had released it on purpose.
Luffy grinned wide, baring his teeth. "Haha, relax! I just wanted to be friends. I forgive you for spitting on me earlier."
He even extended a hand.
"…Childish." Seeing Luffy meant no harm, Ace lost interest. Even if Luffy could hide his presence, what did that have to do with him? He had bigger things to worry about.
When Ace didn't react, Luffy just laughed, retracted his hand, and walked off alone into the mountains to hunt some late-night game.
Stars twinkled and faded in waves, disappearing from the cloud-streaked sky, leaving only the pale crescent moon.
At the horizon, a hint of light bloomed, as if someone had brushed the sky with pink beneath layers of golden radiance.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Days passed.
Luffy followed the same routine as Ace: hunting wild beasts daily, while Dadan handled the cooking.
One day, Luffy figured Garp had probably left Foosha Village.
With his speed, it took him less than half an hour to dash back.
He was most worried about his injured sister figure, Makino.
When he arrived at the bar, he was surprised to find it open for business again.
The moment he walked in, he saw Makino still slightly bruised, quietly sweeping the floor.
"Makino-san! Let me help! You need to rest!" Luffy rushed forward and snatched the broom from her hands.
Makino stared at him in surprise, then let out a soft laugh.
Luffy tilted his head in confusion.
"You really haven't changed a bit, Luffy," she said fondly, eyes warm.
Luffy looked down, sweeping as he spoke with guilt.
"I'm sorry, Makino-san. I… I killed someone.
I didn't want you to see me like that."
Makino shook her head gently and said,
"No, Luffy. I was wrong to try to interfere with your choices. Do what you need to do. I'll always support you."
"…Thank you, Makino-san."
"Wait here. I'll get your milk from the back."
Even though Luffy was now living with Dadan, Makino still saved fresh milk for him every day, just in case he returned.
─────────🏴☠️─────────
Luffy stayed in Foosha Village for a short while longer.
When he left, he had Zoro slung over his back, his travel bag in hand, and waved goodbye to Makino.
Zoro has definitely grown in the past year. Even while piggybacking, his legs still dragged slightly on the ground.
Thankfully, Luffy had prepared plenty of clothes back in Loguetown, enough for both of them until adulthood.
The sky was bathed in a deep crimson hue, casting the forest in fiery red like autumn leaves.
Behind them, the sun dipped low over the horizon, leaving only the last golden glimmers of dusk.
Twilight, with its gentle steps, quietly crept over the mountains and out of the sky's edge.
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