The Strawhat Boy

'Welcome!'

'Yes, indeed. I have two ten-year-old boys,' I began, looking around the assortment of stores in one of the High Town's best thoroughfares, 'and I need a few things for them.

'Ah, boys that age...' chuckled a girl at least two decades younger than me and stepped out from behind the counter.

In the middle of the room stood three mannequins, the fourth, in the manner of a small child, was sitting. All around were nicely arranged clothes, in the next room were shoes, belts and hats and in yet another room were winter clothes. I went around it all and got some idea of the materials available there. After forty minutes of inventing, selecting, and ordering additional pieces of clothing which were not there but which came to my mind, I instructed the young lady to send it all to my address, for I had bought a house in the High Town a year and a half before winter. Sabo was particularly opposed to it, but he disliked the cold, and after a time he eagerly welcomed a fire in the fireplace, which we could not afford in the summer residence.

The time for my annual trip beyond the Grand Line was approaching. I decided to equip the boys with everything superfluous, for they had been able to change clothes perhaps three times during my absence, and that only if they wore tattered clothes. It is worth mentioning that I was only gone for a month.

My absence on the other side of the world did not have a tragic impact on my life. On the contrary, almost three years spent with my charges gave colour, joy, and indescribable feeling to myself. Ace was becoming more and more like his father every day, although I could see my own faults in him, while Sabo was growing into a thoughtful, logical teenager - they both represented extreme personalities, and yet I had never seen a more harmonious duo.

They ran around the Grey Terminal all day, claiming to have trained, able to return drenched in blood but with smiles. And you couldn't talk them out of it, neither with threats, nor with curses, nor with blackmail.

That memorable summer, they often came soaking wet because it was hot, and they spent whole days by the river to cool off. I could hide my explanations about dangerous animals in my cubbyhole - the more dangerous the better.

As for my worldly affairs - after all, I had several islands under my auspices, a considerable fortune and plenty of social obligations - I put them off until the last moment, that is, until I entered the Great Line, and then I took care of everything at once. Very prudently.

In the face of this expedition of mine, the boys became grouchy and began to ask, during breaks from eating, that I take them with me. The possibility of this was nonexistent, and I managed to repeat it a hundred and fifty times until Ace came up with the clever idea of a hunger strike in protest, because "he'd heard somewhere that it worked'. It worked enough that he got a beating and the stupid ideas ended.

Sabo approached this diplomatically and began to inquire.

'How long are you gonna be off?'

'As long as usual.'

'Are you going to visit your islands?'

'Probably.'

'And if the social service asks about our parents, what should I say?'

'That when I get back, I'll chase them to hell.'

'You know, Pebble - he sneered disgustedly - I don't think they care about such things.'

'Exactly - Ace joined in - they'll come, they'll see, and they'll take us, and then what will you do? Make war with the whole town?'

'With the whole world, if necessary,' I said, not making the slightest impression on them. 'What has got into your heads? Ten years of age and they want to go behind the Red Line.'

'Why would anyone ask us about our age at the Mountain Reverse?' Sabo shook his head at my ignorance of things. I showed a remarkable lack of understanding of their reasons, and my protégé would even go so far as to say that I did not understand my own motives for refusing! 'You are simply afraid' he concluded.

I admit, my jaw dropped, because even the powers of the world at that time did not have enough courage to throw around such platitudes.

'That's right!' agreed Ace and triumphantly crossed his arms over his chest.

I sat there between them, exposed to the hostile artillery of their words, and I could not escape admiration. Let's just specify that we were under the tree house, finishing setting up there for the next few months.

Again, it appeared that the boys had accumulated a whole bunch of unnecessary junk over the winter, but they wouldn't let even an ounce of those "treasures" be taken from them, instead willingly giving new shoes, sweatshirts or t-shirts to the ocean. Apparently, because the kids were simply trading clothes at the Gray Terminal. I admired the ingenuity, but certainly not at my expense.

No less we rested peacefully on the carefully vacuumed garden furniture and the blueberry sorbet was cooling on the table in front of us. It is worth mentioning that Ace managed to graze his hands up to the elbows with it.

'Oh, yes' I deigned to answer, and I did not really know what to do next. There was some kind of conspiracy between them that I couldn't figure out, and it had been going on for a very long time. I decided, however, that I would not question or follow, like that overprotective mother, but that I would let them come to me and, in the glow of motherly love, dispense some life wisdom that they would follow for the rest of their days. I didn't really know what wisdom had to do with this conspiracy, but I had a feeling that there was something to it.

'You have to admit, Pebble, that we are not seven years old anymore, but ten,' said Ace, as if that was a decisive point. 'We're old enough to kick ass, hunt dinner...'

'Tripping over our own feet and sulking' I added, tenderly stroking his head.

'Ten or not, we want to sail with you' decided Sabo.

'And anyway...'

'So you're dreaming of sailing beyond the Great Line and becoming pirates, right?'

I couldn't remember where I heard that voice... But it would be impossible...

'I'm going to be a pirate too! But not just any pirate...!'

'To all the shipwrecks of the New World!' I rushed forward, the boys behind me, especially Ace panicked and ran like a shot. Behind us a strange, male voice calmed the other, childish voice, and when it finally became clear who we were dealing with it didn't get any better.

'Are you a goddamn idiot?' I snarled, covering the boys. Garp took the little boy who was announcing to the world that he was going to be a pirate by his neck.

'And you, witch from hell, don't you think too much! Pirates? A cruise to the Line?!'

'You don't interfere with my upbringing methods, you fool, because if I fall into your Navy, there won't be a brick to collect!' I reserved, putting my right foot forward and supporting myself at the sides. 'And what are you doing here, to the grave plague, who invited you! This is a closed ceremony!'

'I don't care, I'm here on special...'

'I care even less, get out of here and don't you dare to spill where I am, because...'

'And I'll be the Pirate King!'

Yeah, but we haven't played that kind of stuff before.

'I'm Luffy and I'm seven years old.'

'Ace.'

'Sabo, and I'm ten.'

'Call me Pebble, darling. And where did you get that hat?'

'How old are you?'

'Garp!'

'Luffy! What did I tell you?! You can't ask a girl her age!'

'But she's an old lady, not a girl!'

'Garp...'

'Then we'll go play.'

'Me too! Me too!'

'No! We don't play with kids!'

'Ace, Sabo, Luffy has to come with you, and you have to look after him.'

'But Pebble...'

'Do you want to get dinner tonight?'

My duo, unhappy on one side only, marched gleefully toward the river, and the cheerful voice of the little one with Roger's hat on his head echoed through the woods for a long time.

'Did Shanks give it to him?' I asked, looking behind the boys with dreamy eyes. Garp, who was sitting on a wicker chair next to me, took a sorbet and only when he finished did he answer in the affirmative. 'Why did you bring him here?'

'I would like you to take care of him' he just said and I think he expected a different reaction, because he looked at me surprised.

'All right. We have plenty of room here. What is he to you?'

'A grandson.'

'Ho ho' I quickly put the facts together 'and Dragon doesn't mind the old captainess taking care of his firstborn?'

'Dragon is busy saving the world right now' Garp snarled and spat to the side. I lit a cigarette, the first one that day, and started to examine the whole thing.

'And you assure me that he won't suddenly appear and take the baby away? I get attached easily' I smiled understandingly.

Garp didn't say anything for a long time, he watched the tree house from below, walked around the whole tree, drank sorbet and even accepted a small glass of vodka. All this to prepare me for the shocking news. So once we got over the transfer of parental authority over little Monkey D. Luffy (that D in his name made me extremely happy), we moved on to more important matters.

'The Navy is going to go on Tir Na Nog.'

I was in the middle of my third glass and it was far too little to tell me such things.

'Don't you guys let yourselves go too much?' I asked, retching cheekily, which only deepened the wrinkles on Garp's forehead. 'But go ahead, go ahead. If you put up a guard in the capital, I will officially relinquish my title.'

'I know this island is important to you...'

'Not at all,' I denied 'it's safe, which are two different things,' I flashed my teeth in a smile. The fool nodded and put his glass on the table.

'So the rumour that you hid some of your possessions there is true' he said. I swallowed and sighed.

'Are you really here just for that? Yes, Tir Na Nog has my money. Not only that. As far as I remember, I hid some paintings there, a crucifix of the Great Mother...'

'And you're not afraid that someone will come in there and take it all away from you?' Oh, he was consistently pushing forward. I fell silent and looked at him carefully. The first grey hairs on his head and chin, a few more wrinkles, an enlarging wart under his right eye... But he was still as tall as an oak and could crush a walnut between two fingers of that I was sure. What was he trying to achieve with these questions?

'And who do you think! Ed? He's got his money and he doesn't mind invading my territory.'

'And besides him?'

'There's no one who can threaten me' I growled, finally annoyed.

'Shiki?' Garp suggested, somehow nervously pouring the vodka. I inhaled once, a second, a third time and wondered why the hell he was playing such a game with me. Why did he mention Shiki when...

'He's in your cursed Impel Down. He can't get out of there no matter how much he wants to.' I had a strong feeling that something wasn't right. Garp was pouring a little too much and glancing at me a little too nervously. As I finished my cigarette and was about to find out the purpose of this game, he sighed deeply, knowing he wasn't going to get away.

'He isn't. He ran away a week ago.'

I remained silent, exhausting all my reserves for the next thousand years. In complete peace, I cleaned the barrel of leftover tobacco, loaded it, and fired it up, because I felt I wouldn't get through this otherwise.

I put one foot on the other one and stretched comfortably in the armchair, first noticing the surroundings, whether by any chance the children would witness our conversation. Garp's information worried me greatly, for Shiki had always been my enemy and had always wanted to destroy what was dear to me first. The sailor seemed to think the same.

'So now you're going to tell me exactly what happened, and I'll figure out what to do' I said in a squeaky voice, holding back with all my strength.

'He chopped off his legs, which were shackled together. The rest went easily. His ship was already waiting. Magellan could only watch' he gave a brief account.

I looked at him as if I were seeing him for the first time in my life. The Vice Admiral looked even more shaken than I, though we knew the nature of the Golden Lion equally. Garp was worried. He had brought Luffy because he couldn't protect the child by himself. Could I do it myself? The seven-year-old became the next owner of the straw hat. Could this be a sign?

'I always thought,' I finally began, scratching my cheek, 'that you were just a bewildered bunch of shady individuals. Admittedly, I really valued a few of you and thought that you could be relied upon, despite our past disagreements'.

I inhaled again to buy him some more peace, as if Lion's escape was his fault and his concern alone.

'But today you have proved to me that to hell with your strength and organization, that to hell with your soldiers.... Golden Lion!'

I finally couldn't stand it and got up from the chair, throwing the barrel away.

'How?! How the fuck did he chop his legs off? Didn't you realize that you've locked up the biggest madman in the world, and the dangerous one at that? What graveyard is the admiral digging his grave in?!' I was walking with swift steps around the meadow and I cursed the whole Navy to the fourth generation. I couldn't think of a way for Shiki to escape, because if Roger wasn't there, then in my mind there was no one to catch him again. True, previously it had been a storm that had allowed the pirate to be grounded because it had destroyed his fleet and its captain was on the verge of death, but that had only happened because he had declared war on us and we had met in Edd.

What was I supposed to do? Shiki was vindictive, and vindictiveness was written into his nature, he couldn't forget who he fell because of. And I was more than sure that he would show up to get even.

'He's going to attack my islands, the son of a bitch, I need to talk to Ray, he'll know...' I muttered to myself, adding a bunch of curses. Garp, meanwhile, vigorously drank the rest of the booze and started thinking about any steps that would bring him closer to Lion. Or at least locate him.

'You could find out where he is now' he began, watching me from his chair. I snorted at him, which for some reason put him in a good mood and he started laughing. That was too much for me - I threw myself at him with my fists and wanted to batter him until he got a shock of the jelly he called a brain.

'I can't believe you're laughing! This is a stalemate! Did you know, rascal, that Shiki is a mongrel who has sworn to be king? He must know where Raftel is! And all the poneglyphs! You fool!' I roared, having just enough time to smack him over the head, but I didn't continue because his snailophone rang. 'Answer it!'

'Go ahead, Admiral...'

'You're such a complete asshole!' I screamed, grabbing the receiver. 'So what now, huh? If he steals something from me, I'll kill Magellan for letting him go, and since the Navy is all about brotherhood, then I'll send all of you to hell!'

'G...Garp?!'

'I'm going. When I come back, you'd better have a solution' I said and went away with the intention of finding the kids. I marched briskly, breaking twigs with vengeful satisfaction, and imagined that this was how I would break Shiki's neck - with my foot.

When Lion had been arrested fourteen years earlier, he had growled so that everyone could hear him, "I'll never forget this, you cowards from the East!" As if it was our own damn fault that the moron ran into a storm! If he'd had a good navigator, he'd have had legs and more years of freedom, but that's the way it was. But all right, the whole thing should have been discussed calmly, because whoever comes to anything in a hurry and panic?

'...I tell you that I will gather the strongest crew, get the biggest treasures and become the king of pirates!' it came to me, and although at first I was going to wave my hand and say something like 'yes, Roger, we've heard this a million times, put the booze down', I stopped in mid-motion, because those words couldn't have belonged to my brother. I went out to the meadow by the stream where the holy trinity was playing and I could clearly see the rift between Ace and Luffy, only Sabo was standing between them because that was his nature.

Generally speaking, it was like this; Luffy was all wet and clutching his hat like it was protecting him from the world, Ace was showing signs of rage and breathing shallowly, almost marooned in the face, on top of that he was clenching his little fists angrily, so it could end up in a big beating for someone.

'What a bullshit!' he finally shouted, ignoring Sabo, who was calming the situation down. 'A bobo like you will never become a pirate!'

'But you were once seven years old too, and I'll be ten someday!'

Argued Luffy resolutely, for which I counted him a point and stood on, listening carefully to the argument.

'And when I grow up, you'll see! I'll be the strongest of all! Although my grandfather won't let me, but I don't want to be a Marine, I want to be a pirate, like Shanks!' he continued shouting, which obviously gave my nephew a white fever. He was about to teach Luffy the ugly habit of defying his grandfather or bragging - I haven't quite figured that one out - but I stepped in.

'So you know Shanks, little one' I remarked. Sabo breathed a sigh of relief, and Ace moved on the kid with more ferocity. 'Ace come on. You don't mess around with a seven-year-old, it's a bit of an insult, you know? Sabo, please explain to me what's going on, you're the only one with any common sense.

And it started...

'Because he's stupid, Pebble, he thinks he's gonna...!'

'He's calling me names! You can't call each other names! I'll be king of the pirates, because I've decided!'

'I'll whip him so hard he'll remember...!'

'Come on, then! I'm strong now, I'm seven years old and I'll beat you!'

'Well, actually, the thing is, they're arguing over the title of king. Ace says it's stupid, and Luffy says it's not stupid at all," Sabo said, looking at both of them. I was getting a picture of the situation as such and the problem of the Golden Lion became almost a grain in the mighty mill of everyday problems. I tried diplomacy.

'I think you'll have to wait a little longer to claim the title of king, Luffy' I said as seriously as possible. The seven-year-old - reluctantly - agreed with me. 'As for you, Ace, I don't think getting the title of king is stupid. It's about freedom, tiger cub, that's something you don't understand yet.

'Stupidity' my nephew commented and turned his head away, giving evidence of his disdain.

'You are a stupidity' Luffy pointed out to him and pulled his hat over his head. I looked at it with a sentimental smile, but I didn't comment anything.

'I suggest we go back to the tree house and eat something. We need to prepare some space in your cabin as Luffy is staying with us.' I quickly realized that Ace would get upset, Luffy would start laughing and nodding, and Sabo... 'I'm afraid, dear, that you now have a second head to watch over.'

'I think I will manage. Could I add a bonus to my monthly salary?'

'How much are you talking about?'

'Four.'

'It's robbery!' I haggled as we walked to the tree house, Ace marching behind us and shouting at the seven-year-old I had developed a real affection for.

'Pebble, you're being unfair. Do you know how much it costs me to make sure Ace doesn't come up with stupid ideas?'

'He comes up with them anyway, you just have to make sure he doesn't make them real.'

'I'm risking my health and maybe life! No, I definitely won't even talk if you go below three.'

'Tough negotiation, I'll agree to two plus I'll increase the holiday limit by another three, which brings us to a total of twenty-seven books extra, per year. And let's add in the twenty-four remaining, five birthday and seven New Year's books. That's more than you can absorb.'

'Did I hear the challenge?'

'Pebble, I'm hungry! What's for dinner!' rang out behind us. Luffy was adamantly demanding the entire menu for the next week and actually thought we could eat seven lunches in one day. Who can say no to a rich man?

When the boys went to bed late at night, Garp and I sat by the fire and a bottle of strong, sweet wine. The sailor took snuff, coughed and stretched comfortably in his armchair.

'He is already used to you' he started, involuntarily looking at the dark outline of the house. - I'm glad he won't be alone. Take good care of him, Pebble.

'He is in the best hands in the world' I answered, and it flashed through my mind that I have to go shopping again, this time with a new, youngest child.

'And as for the Lion, I don't think he will come for you. There are still rumours in New World that you are dead.'

'Oh yes," I snarled, looking at him cross-eyed, "the ones that I never existed also hold good. Can't believe you have the audacity to look into my eyes' I sighed without aggression. We sat like that for a while, absorbed in our thoughts, digesting new information.

'You know, Ralagan, I never thought that we would meet under such circumstances. I thought we'd be enemies forever and I'd hear you sobbing until the end. And here we are, sitting under the same tree, guaranteeing the survival of at least two children sleeping upstairs. This Sabo...'

'I know, I'm not stupid. He's from the High City and has been granted missing status. Nobility. I don't know how come no one is looking for him, but even if' I looked at him seriously, determination written on my face 'if he ran away, he obviously had a reason. And until I hear from him that he wants to come back, I'm not going to let him take it from me.'

'I'm only a Vice Admiral' he shrugged his shoulders 'can I measure myself against the Imperator?'

'And shouldn't you report it somewhere? To some social service or orphanage?'

'Would he be better off there?'