Chapter 47

"Hey!" In all this, Luffy's voice came up. "It's rude to change the ship's direction." Luffy stated with a pout.

"Y-You idiot! Shut the hell up!" Zoro and Sanji yelled at the boy, who was gaining the attention of the sea kings.

Luffy ignored his crew mates in favor of listening to the sea kings. He pouted when he heard that they really wanted to meet him in person and as compensation they were ready to guide his ship safely to the Grand Line through the Calm Belt.

"No way!" Luffy gasped. "I want to go through the cool mystery mountain! I don't need your help! But thanks for offering anyway!" He smiled at them after denying their request.

"What the hell are you even sprouting?!!!" Nami asked the boy in a begging voice.

"They are offering to take us to the Grand Line through the Calm Belt!" Luffy answered honestly as he turned towards his crew. "But I want to go through the cool mystery magic mountain!"

.

Somewhere in the Grand Line, Sabo felt that he forgot to add something but the thought went away replacing the thinking face of the blonde with a frown. Luffy looked paler than he had ever looked. He wanted to ask Luffy about it but knowing the rubber idiot, he would say that he either doesn't know or he doesn't care.

.

"Don't joke with me!" Nami cried out, her voice shivering from fear.

"Hey, Luffy! We should get out of here!" Sanji said in a panic, looking between the sea kings, who were leaning more and more toward their ship.

All the while, Zoro who was also sweating profusely like the other Strawhats was looking at Luffy. Why was the scene with a certain sea cow replaying in his mind?

"We are going, Sanji!" Luffy replied to the cook as he turned his attention back to the Sea Kings while cracking his knuckles and giving them a smile that would make Ace and Sabo proud.

"You better pull the ship back to the storm." Luffy spoke with his smile taking a feral edge, and freezing the sea kings in the place. Especially the ones who were responsible for it. It showed the sea kings that Luffy wasn't joking at all. "I'll take that as your compensation."

The poor sea kings shuddered before their Little King, and the ones who were the culprits nodded their heads violently.

The Strawhats were pinned in their own place, none of them wanting to move a single muscle, as they felt that the sea kings would eat them without a thought if they dared to move.

Luffy climbed on the figurehead of Merry as he saw the Sea Kings disappear to their home and the ones who were responsible going below Merry to guide her back to the storm.

When the ship started moving, that was when Zoro remembered why he was remembering the scene of the sea cow... pulling their ship!

"You can talk to them." Zoro said in a low voice which was only heard by Luffy, who flashed a big grin towards Zoro.

"Yep! I can." Luffy answered. "They were being jerks though."

Zoro nodded, not wanting to pester the boy anymore about it. Luffy was stronger, way stronger than anyone on the ship had ever thought of. With his puppy eyes, the strength in his small body and his ability to... talk to the sea kings, in his eyes Luffy could totally rule the World.

"H-Have they g-g-g-gone?" Nami stuttered out, trying to stand on her still-shivering legs by taking the support of the main mast.

"Yep!" Luffy responded, feeling the droplets of rainwater hit him. They were finally back in the storm, away from the Sea Kings, much to the delight of the Strawhats.

Nami took a few deep breaths, before deciding to do her job once again. That was when she realized how they were supposed to go through the Reverse Mountain.

"I got it!" Nami uttered as pieces of the puzzle started getting in their place.

"What?" Zoro asked.

"We really are going to climb up the mountain!" Nami responded.

"You still going on about that?" Zoro asked with his eyebrows raised.

"It has to be due to the sea currents." Nami murmured before she started explaining the crew, except Usopp who was daydreaming on the deck of how he had "I-can't-be-near-Sea-Kings-disease". Nami told them about how if strong currents from each of the four seas were to all head towards the mountain then they would drive the water up the waterway. And at the very top, the currents will merge and come out to the Grand Line.

"Since we're already riding the currents, all we have to worry about is steering properly." Nami concluded. "But if we fail to enter the Waterway, then we'll crash and get dragged down to the bottom of the sea. Got it?"

"Don't worry much about it, Nami." Luffy offered, already feeling his mother keeping the ship in the right direction. He wanted to do with his crew, but he was soon to realize that he had no choice in this matter. "Nothing will happen to Merry!"

"How-" Nami cut herself. "Leave it. I don't want to ask anything from you after the crazy stunt you pulled out." Nami grunted in annoyance, making Luffy pout and walk to his favorite spot.

"I can see the magic mountain!" Luffy shouted standing on the figurehead with his hands just above his eyes to let him see more clearly.

"Wait! What's that huge shadow?" Usopp hollered.

"Welcome back to the land of living, Usopp!" Zoro teased with a smug grin on his face.

"It's huge!" Luffy shouted the next. "Man, this never gets old!"

"So, that's the Red Line?" Sanji asked looking amazed at the wall, whose top couldn't even be seen because of the clouds.

"Get a grip on the rudder so we don't get dragged down!" Nami ordered Sanji and Usopp, even though the sea around the ship looked suspiciously calmer, and Luffy's words of how they don't need to worry rang in her head. But still, she couldn't let fate decide their fate. What if the sea suddenly became violent and led them to their deaths? She wasn't taking the risk.

"Leave it to us!" Sanji and Usopp shouted in agreement, already running to grab the rudder.

"I can't believe it..." Zoro whispered under his breath as he watched the water go up and up through the binoculars. "The ocean is really going up the mountain!"

"Wohoooo!!!" Luffy squealed in delight as soon as the ship got sucked with the current and started going up.

"WE DID IT!" Everyone shouted in joy.

"I am finally home!" Luffy spoke affectionately. "FULL SPEED AHEAD!"

"BUOOOOOH!"

"Did you hear something just now?" Zoro asked standing beside Luffy, who was standing on the figurehead and could fall anytime.

"Who cares! Wohoooo!!" Luffy was in his own world, enjoying the adventure of finally reaching the Grand Line through the Reverse Mountain. Ace had teased him enough times, making him want to go through this ordeal. He had even tried to escape on his own but was thrown back to Dad or Sabo by his Mom.

"BUOOOOOH!"

"What's tha...?" Usopp asked as he checked through his new googles.

"Nami! There's a mountain up ahead!" Sanji yelled through the wind, from where he was sitting above the sails.

"A mountain? That can't be. Once we pass the Twin Capes up ahead, we should reach the open sea." Nami answered Sanji back.

"BUOOOOOH!"

Luffy bit his lip, as he heard the sad crying voice, which started affecting him. The... whale was lonely.

"It's not a mountain!" Nami yelled as the clouds cleared to show what lay ahead of them. "IT'S A WHALE!"

"BUOOOOOOOHH!!!"

"What should we do? What should we do?" Usopp started running in circles around the ship in panic.

"There is an open space up left!" Zoro pointed up. "Turn portside!"

"Usopp! Sanji! The rudder right now!" Nami yelled as soon as she could bring herself to order. The said duo dashed to the control room to do as there were told as if their lives depended on it.

SNAP

"THE RUDDER JUST-!"

Sanji and Usopp got thrown back with the broken piece of rudder still in their hands. Streams of tears began pouring from Nami's eyes and Zoro started sweating.

"WE ARE GONNA CRASH!!!!"

"%$#$%#!!&&#$!" Luffy yelled out as he jumped off the ship, throwing his strawhat to Zoro who caught it at once.

Nami was done. She was done with her life. With tears running down her face she could only think of Nojiko, Bellemere and Genzo as her life was flashing before her eyes. But as she was about to give up all hope, Luffy jumped off the ship. She would have thought that the rubber idiot was abandoning them, if not for the next moment, Luffy yelled out something, which was utterly incomprehensible and turned out to be a giant.

"AGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" Nami and Usopp yelled together while Zoro and Sanji fell on their butt, as Luffy- who looked way too pale in his giant form- fucking lifted the Merry in his one palm and freaking hell jumped above the whale who was nothing but a small stone compared to his freaking giant form.

"WHAT THE HELL LUFFY?!!!!" The whole crew shouted as the Merry was placed back in the ocean waters with the giant whale behind them. Not only that, the whale was slowly going under the waters too.

"Shishishishishishi!" Luffy giggled as he deflated from his giant form like a balloon whose air is being released. That is when a hatch-type mystery door on the whale caught his eyes.

"Woah! There's a mystery door on the whale!" Luffy yelled as he was falling down and down towards the ship. "I'm gonna check it out!" Luffy yelled to his crew who deadpanned instantly seeing the rubber boy stretch his hand to get on top of the whale, which was almost going in the ocean.

"Damn, idiot!" Zoro barked as he dived into the water, hoping to find the rubber idiot before any more chaos arose.

"Wait for me, mosshead!" Sanji yelled as he dove in too, leaving Usopp and Nami on the ship.

"D-Did they voluntarily go towards their death?" Usopp stuttered out, seeing Sanji, Zoro and Luffy disappear with the whale.

"Seems like so." Nami stated with her eyes fixated on the place where they were last seen.

.

On the other side, Luffy landed on a metal corridor, completely amazed.

"This is..." Luffy's eyes changed into literal stars. "SO COOL!!!" With that, the little menace began running through the corridors, wondering what kind of adventures lay for him in the whale which had metal corridors!

But before he could explore everything, the corridors began rumbling, making the little gremlin bounce on the walls, as he was tossed here and there in the corridors.

"What's going on?!" Luffy asked nobody, with one hand going to his head, when he suddenly realized that his strawhat was missing.

"My strawhat!" Luffy panicked until another bout of unmanly shrieks was heard. He twisted in the air as he once again bounced on a wall to see Sanji and Zoro hurling towards him.

"My Strawhat!" Luffy exclaimed seeing his Strawhat save in Zoro's hand. "What are Zoro and Sanji doing here?" Luffy asked with a giggle seeing their frightened and pale faces.

"YOU IDIOT!" Zoro shrieked. "I swear I will kill you!"

"DAMN RUBBER BRAIN!" Sanji screamed the next to the rubber boy who just giggled.

Unknown to the trio, they were approaching at a frightening speed to two mysterious duos. One with blue hair tied in a tight ponytail, while another had orange hair with a crown on his head.

"AGGHHHHH!!!" The trio- Zoro, Sanji and Luffy- shouted at once, when they found themselves unable to stop and finally noticed the two mysterious duos with bazookas in their hands.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!" Zoro shouted at the duo who were standing before a great door.

"SUCH A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN!!!" Sanji yelled despite his situation, with hearty eyes. "I CAN DIE HAPPILY IN YOUR EMBRACE, MY LOVE!!!"

"SHISHISHISHISHI!" Luffy giggled.

The blue-haired girl and the orange-haired boy were completely crept out by now.

"AGHHHHHHH!!!" Everyone screamed in fear, except Luffy who was giggling madly.

Zoro, Luffy and Sanji collided with the mysterious persons, leading to the opening of the door and... fell into the pool of stomach acid inside the whale.

"HELP ME!" Luffy shouted as he struggled to even stay afloat. He tried kicking his legs just like Zoro had taught him, but he couldn't. His rubber limbs refused to move in the water like he wanted them to.

"KICK YOUR LEGS DUMBASS!" Zoro yelled as he started swimming as fast as possible to the drowning idiot.

"I CAN'T! IT'S NOT HAPPENING!" Luffy yelled as he was once again being pulled down by the water. His mother had always helped him in swimming. And now that his mother was nowhere, he couldn't even keep his body straight or calm. The water was entering his lungs through his mouth, his eyes were stinging, and all the energy that he had was fading at a drastic rate. A part of his mind supplied the reason, which was the giant form that he had pulled out. He still wasn't ready... but then when would he be ready? He really hopes its soon...

Just before he could lose consciousness, as his brain and body tried shutting itself down, Luffy felt himself getting lifted from the water, which made him greedily take in the air. His human body was too frail and this was the time which he realized it, as he shuddered in Zoro's arms, all energy having left his body.

"T-Thank you Zoro." Luffy mumbled out.

"You dumbass!" Zoro yelled in his face, electing a little giggle from him. "How many times have I told you to concentrate when in water? To not flail? And fucking close your mouth when underwater?! Dammit, Luffy!" Zoro cursed, as he started swimming to the shore... which was inside the whale with a house and a palm tree.

"I'll remember it, Zoro." Luffy weakly smiled.

"How did you swim in the Arlong Park, Luffy?" Sanji asked carrying the unconscious blue-haired and orange haired while swimming in the same direction. He remembered clearly that the boy was swimming like a professional there.

"'Cause mom was there." Luffy mumbled out, which wasn't even heard by Zoro.

"Stay awake you idiot!" Zoro yelled as he brought the rubber teen whose grip felt slack on his arms close to him.

"Mhmm." Luffy replied, his eyes dropping. He needed a nap...

"The whale seems to have calmed down now." Sanji replied as the waters or stomach acid stopped crashing onto them, which were hindering their swimming before.

"That's good." Zoro stated as he threw the rubber brat gently on the little island on the shore.

"Hey, Luffy!" Zoro yelled slapping the rubber teen's face lightly, in order to wake him up.

"Do you think he drank the stomach acid?" Sanji inquired, as he placed his haul on the ground. He didn't care about the beauty right now. All he cared was of the rubber boy who looked sickly pale and unconscious.

"Shit! We need to get him out of here! Quick!" Zoro spoke, pressing the rubber boy's stomach, which helped in getting out some water out from the teen's stomach.

"I won't let you lay even a single finger on Laboon, for as long as I live!" A voice shouted, snapping the attention of the ones present in the little island to itself. The man was odd. He had flower styled hair and was glaring hard at them without a reason.

The unconscious persons which Sanji had hauled to the shore, suddenly stood up, carrying their bazookas.

"Fufufufufu!" The mysterious duo cackled evilly.

"We are already inside the whale now, it'll be only too easy to blast a hole in its stomach!" The mysterious duo cackled, giving a tick mark to Zoro, who got up menacingly.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" He shouted, punching them to the ground, knocking them to the abyss of unconsciousness. "Luffy needs a doctor not your yelling!"

"You are doing that." Sanji muttered. He didn't like the way Zoro pounded the miss, but on the other hand the sickly face of Luffy made him not want to fight with Zoro for his actions. Not right now at least.

"Thanks for that." The old man spoke with a gruff voice, as he swam to the shore and noticed the pale boy. The boy looked as if all the blood had been sucked away from his body. "As a thank you for saving Laboon, I can treat the boy."

"N-No!" Luffy whimpered out. He couldn't break his promises. He has done that once but it won't be happening again.

Zoro and Sanji were completely at a loss here.

"Luffy." Zoro spoke the teen's names with worry laced in his voice.

Luffy pushed Zoro and Sanji from his view to look at the weird man. He sat up with difficulty even if his body was yelling at him to not do that. He didn't know how he was still able to run through the corridors without passing out already. Seriously, his Mom had told him to not use that technique at least now, and he had went and done it. But he would never regret his choices. He neither wanted to hurt the lonely whale nor did he want Merry to get hurt.

"Y-You will join m-my crew?" Luffy asked as he sat down on the ground. His head was feeling too fuzzy.

"I am too old for sailing." Crocus answered with irritation, though he was impressed that the teen was holding himself far better.

"Then you can't treat me." Luffy spoke as he leaned onto Zoro's shoulder.

"Dammit Luffy!" Zoro cursed through gritted teeth.

"At least tell us what we can do to make you feel better?" Sanji asked crouching down to the teen.

"I need to go outside, to mo- to the shore." Luffy spoke with a small smile. "And food, Sanji."

"Fine." Zoro and Sanji answered out.

"I can lead you out." Crocus suggested to which the trio agreed instantly. Zoro carried Luffy on his back, as the boy coughed once, which Crocus saw. He saw the shiny liquid which came out of the boy's mouth, before the boy hastily removed it. That was the moment Crocus realized why the teen didn't want to be near doctors.

Crocus had traveled the seas, but he had never seen anyone with golden blood. The boy was one of his kind and him going to any doctor meant his death or enslavement. Crocus respected the boy's decision, but he was worried as the boy's face was beginning to look as white as the clouds, if not more as time passed.

He watched as the teen was placed near the shore and he instantly crawled near the sea, before dipping his legs there. He saw how the green haired man with swords strapped by his sides stood by the boy placing a familiar hat on the boy's head, before sitting beside him to watch over him.

He saw how the blonde haired man called over a pirate ship, which definitely was theirs and started cooking, before throwing the knuckleheads who were dead set to kill Laboon, on the shore.

"What the hell did the idiot do this time?" Nami yelled as she ran with Usopp on tow to check on Luffy who looked way ghostly pale.

"I am fine, Nami." Luffy provided a weak smile, keeping an eye on the waters which were upset. The stomach acid of the whale was burning his windpipe. His voice was coming out too raspy. He didn't want to worry his friends or make his mother upset.

"But you don't look like that Luffy." Usopp spoke, getting a smile from Luffy too. But the smile didn't reach up to the teen's eyes.

"Here!" Sanji appeared the next second, bringing plates and plates of meat.

"Thank you Sanji!" Luffy replied, taking two-three drumsticks in his hand and started eating. The pace with which he was eating was not his usual. He didn't even want to eat it, specially when bile was threatening to rise from his throat. He needed to get rid of the stomach acid.

Damn it! His body was weak, way too weak than he had thought! But having his mother by his side was helping him, even if it was albeit slowly. The pain was fading languidly. He can't wait to get into his mother's arms.

"Who are you old man?" Usopp asked, after trying to talk to Luffy who just kept on nibbling on his meat and kept his eyes on the water.

"Oh, yeah. Who are you?" Zoro asked with his hands crossed over his chest. His eyes never left that of Luffy's small figure. He can't risk the teen falling in the water. He needed to start training Luffy into swimming once again though.

Crocus wanted to play with the kids, but the situation right now, did not look good. "I'm Crocus, the lighthouse keeper of Twin Capes and that whale is an Island whale, normally found in West Blue. They're the largest species of whale in the World. This one's name is Laboon."

"You seemed to know them, who are they?" Sanji asked pointing to the two mysterious person.

"Those two are rouges from a nearby town. Their goal is to hunt Laboon, because the meat from Laboon can feed their town for 2-3years. But I won't allow that!" Crocus explained.

"Why was Laboon bashing its head on the Red Line?" Nami asked after providing Luffy with a glass of water, when he choked on his food after hearing Crocus's name.

Crocus started by telling them the tale of a certain pirate group who came down the mountain. On tow with them was a little baby whale, Laboon, who had accompanied the pirates in their journey in the West Blue. The pirate group's ship was damaged when they arrived in the Twin Capes, as a result they stayed for several months to fix it. Crocus told the young ones how he had became friends with them and when they were to leave, how the pirates had asked him to take care of Laboon.

"They had promised to come back no matter what, once they've sailed the World. Understanding that, Laboon waited." Crocus told the tale with a grim face. "It's been 50 years since then." Crocus spoke sadly.

"BUOOOOOOOOH!!!"

"Does he still believe that his friends will return?" Usopp asked in an unsure voice.

"You idiot, this is the Grand Line!" Sanji retorted. "They promised they'd be back in 2-3 years, yet they're still not back after 50 years... the answer's obvious. They are long dead by now. They won't come back no matter how long that whale waits."

"Why did you have to say such cold thing?!" Usopp asked angrily. "You can't say for sure. They still might come back. Can't you appreciate a moving story?!"

"The truth is far more cruel, however." Crocus butted in. "Those fellows left already. Left from the Grand Line."

"You can't be sure!" Luffy stated with a scowl. He can feel the turmoil within his friends who were beginning to hate the pirate group.

"Boy, I have gone to check myself with a pirate group." Crocus worded. "I have tried searching for them, but I didn't get any one of them."

"There are many places in the Grand Line which is mysterious. Yet unknown to common folks and many pirate groups." Luffy retorted, looking at the man. "How can you be so sure?"

"You have a point there." Crocus spoke, realizing that. "But it doesn't help. Laboon keeps on bashing his head against the Red Line, stubbornly believing that his friends are beyond the wall and that they'll return someday."

"Laboon is really amazing. Waiting here for 50 years..!" Usopp stated.

"But there can't be a point in waiting. They might have really died in the Grand Line." Sanji spoke the truth, which he felt.

"Exactly! It's because he'll lose all reason that he refuses to listen. He's afraid of losing the meaning behind his waiting above all else. His home is back in West Blue. It's too late for him to go back. That's why his only hope are the very friends he came along with, in the first place." Crocus spoke.

Luffy got up from his place. The sadness of the whale, his own weakness and the story about Laboon's friends were making him sad. And he doesn't like it when others are sad. Without being noticed by anyone, he slipped before the whale, who was staring up at the sky.

"OYE!" Luffy yelled, gaining the attention of the whale.

"What's that idiot up to now?" Sanji asked with a sweat drop. He looked worriedly at the still full plates which Luffy was eating.

"Take your eyes off him for one second and he goes to cause ruckus." Zoro groaned. He really doesn't want to take a dip.

"Maybe he likes talking to animals?" Usopp asked with uncertainty. Nami had told him about how they had escaped from the sea king nest, which he swears he thought was his graveyard.

"He's a trouble magnet for sure." Nami grumbled as she watched Luffy standing in a fighting position.

"The kid will die!" Crocus yelled, seeing the fighting stance the kid was getting into. Moreover, his paled face had not improved enough for him to do any tedious activity.

"Laboon! Let's have a duel!" Luffy yelled, tossing his hoodie to the side, revealing his tank sleeveless t-shirt with 'sun' written in kanji. The whale looked at him with confused eyes, before Luffy reeled back his fist which stretched before attacking at Laboon's latest scar.

"BUOOOOH!!!!" The poor whale cried in pain as Luffy's hand held the scar. Laboon tried getting the hand out of his scar, when he pulled the rubber boy to himself, who had just lost his balance.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING?!!!" The Strawhats yelled, each gaining sharp edges to their teeth.

"AGHHH!!!!" Luffy struggled as Laboon moved him fast from right to left and left to right. All the food which he had consumed right now, threatened to spill out from his mouth.

Laboon momentarily stopped shaking his head, as his eyes landed on the ground below.

"It's coming this way!" "AGHHHHH!!!!" "He's going to crash down here!!" "Is the idiot trying to kill himself?!"

The Strawhats shouted together as they watched Laboon come at a frightening speed towards the ground, before smashing his head in it.

"HEY! HEY KID!!" Crocus yelled as he wanted to run to the kid to inspect him. He ought to be bleeding by now. He ought to feel more sick with him being bashed to the ground literally.

"You big dummy!" Luffy stated with a grin, despite his body screaming bloody murder to him. Luffy stood up and jumped from the place he was bashed to, kicking and punching the whale, before ultimately being thrown to the lighthouse.

"What is he trying to do...?" Usopp asked as Luffy was thrown just behind them.

"IF YOU WANT TO KILL YOURSELF, THEN TELL ME! I WILL GLADLY DO THE HONORS!" Zoro shouted in a pissed off voice, as he ran to pick the teen, who was bleeding. Zoro and the others could clearly see his golden blood mixed with the red blood on his skin, before the golden blood started to seemingly evaporate in the air. This was enough to make Sanji stare at him with acknowledgment in his eyes, having not believed in the fact that anyone's blood can be golden.

"BUOOH!"

Luffy shoved Zoro aside, as he limped to the shore. "IT'S A TIE!" Luffy shouted, through his raspy throat. "I'm pretty tough, eh? Even when I am under the weather?" Luffy asked with a grin.

"Our fight has yet to be settled, so we must fight each other again. You might not know if your old friends are still out there or not, but I promise to look for them! Also, I am your new rival!"

Luffy lifted his strawhat a bit to show his eyes, which looked at Laboon, emitting hope, belief, and above all a reason to continue. "Once my crew sails around the Grand Line, we'll be sure to come back here to see you again! And then we'll duke it out again!"

Smiles erupted on everyone's face, as they finally caught on what the boy was doing all along. Giving a reason for Laboon to not bash his head on the Red Line and giving him a new promise to look forward to.

"BUOOOOOH!" Laboon cried with tears in his big eyes.

Luffy closed his eyes, happy that he could give the whale a reason to continue. He didn't mind that he stumbled on his own legs and started falling towards his mom.

"LUFFFYYYY!!!!" The Strawhats yelled, even Crocus looked ready to dive after the boy, but Zoro beat everyone to it, as he dove in right after his captain.

The cold, rough waters galloped the boy instantly as he came in contact with it. Warm hands and warm tears fell on the boy's chest and face, brushing off the wounds.

A sweet, cheery voice asked Nika to open his mouth, as water rinsed his insides, getting rid of all pain and irritation he had been feeling since the last 20 minutes. Nika snuggled in his Mom's arms, wanting to stay there for more than a minute. He wanted to stop Laboon's innocence search and Zoro's frantic dives for him. But he knew better than to make his crew and new friends upset.

"I will come tonight, Mumma." Nika mumbled seeing the Sea Goddess who gently brushed off the strands of hair from his eyes.