Chapter 9

Today was another day of losing sight of the boy when a bear apparently thought to attack him. Ace was hiding nearby and watched the boy facing the bear, his hands clutching his pipe tightly ready to take down the bear.

Luffy pouted at the angry animal.

"Hey!" Luffy waved his hand.

The bear seemed to have stopped to look at his possible future meal.

"Have you seen Ace?" The bear looked around, not thinking that he was the one to be asked. But he found no one, he looked at his meal again, ready to roar.

"Come on!" Luffy whined, "You can tell me that much!" The bear looked again down.

"Is he asking me?" The bear spoke.

"Silly Mr. Bear!!" Luffy giggled, "Who else is here than any of us?"

"You can listen to me?" The bear asked with wide eyes.

"Yep!" Luffy grinned, "So, have you seen Ace?" The bear shook his head and Luffy puffed his cheeks adorably and went to the other side to find Ace. Ace who was seeing all these things happen, left quickly. He ran to Sabo to tell about the mysterious kid, whose gaze feels like he is unraveling the person's truth, and who freaking talked with a bear. Sabo just took it as a joke.

.

It was almost three months of chasing after Ace when he had again lost track. He was now in the middle of a garbage dump. It stinks. But Luffy felt no problem as he kept on walking ahead, in search of Ace. Bad people stopped in his path, but Luffy didn't falter. He kept on searching for Ace. That was when he entered a forest and heard someone talking. It was Ace. He was with someone else and talking about the Pirate fund and a ship.

"You guys also want to be pirates?" Luffy beamed gaining the attention of the two boys sitting on the tree branch. They climbed down the tree and glared at the boy.

"Ace, you come out here every day?" Luffy grinned as he noticed Sabo. Sabo felt himself taking a step back. His back hit Ace's hands. He felt that Ace indeed was true about the gaze of this boy. The boy soon grinned at Sabo.

"Are you Ace's friend? Be my friend too!" Luffy chirped.

"Shut it!!" Ace yelled as they tied the little boy to the tree. But Luffy kept on grinning at them. "He found out about our secret," Ace glared at the boy, "If we leave him alone, he'll tell someone. Let's kill him."

"Yeah! Let's do it!!" Sabo said as he glared at the young boy.

Luffy's eyes widened, "Ehh?! Don't do it! I want to be your friend!!" Luffy yelled in panic. He didn't want to lose his new friends.

"Shut up!!" Ace glared. "Stop spouting nonsense!!"

Sabo placed a hand on Ace's and Luffy's mouths when he heard voices coming.

"Someone's coming!" Sabo said.

"Quick, undo the rope!! If we don't get out of here, they're gonna find our treasure!!" Ace said as he started undoing the ropes. They hid behind the bushes and saw some men who claimed themselves as Bluejam Pirates appear. They were finding Ace, coz he had stolen their treasure. Sabo scolded Ace for stealing treasure from pirates to which Ace declared he didn't know them. That was when they noticed Luffy was not beside them and was in the grasp of the big pirate.

"Lemme go!! You bastard!!!" Luffy squirmed in the hold of Porchemy. "Help me, Ace!!" Ace and Sabo further hid in the bushes.

"You know Ace?" Porchemy asked.

"He is my friend!!" Luffy said.

"Lemme ask you something, today Ace stole some of our money and ran. You know where it is?" Porchemy asked. Luffy gritted his teeth.

"This is bad. They're gonna take all our treasure!!" Sabo yelled in a whispering tone to Ace. Ace glared at the kid and spoke, "That idiot better not say anything!" Ace growled.

Luffy averted his gaze from the pirate and twisted his mouth, "I... I dunno."

'He's such a bad liar!!' Everyone who witnessed it thought.

Porchemy carried the boy away threatening him to jog his memory. Luffy struggled in the pirate's grasp, trying to free himself.

Inside the pirate's hideout, Luffy was bound to ropes and was being hammered by the pirate. But it did nothing to Luffy. Everyone saw Luffy spring up from his place and glared at the men.

"So a devil fruit?" Porchemy frowned and pulled the boy's cheek which stretched before snapping.

"Bring my gloves," Porchemy ordered his men and hanged the brat, and started using him as a punching bag. Blood spilled on the floor, and tears and snot littered Luffy's face. He could hear the winds have started howling, and he could feel a storm coming soon. His mother was raging in fury. He gritted his teeth and smirked at the bastards, knowing their end was soon.

Porchemy ordered his men to look for Ace and Sabo and continued to beat the crap out of the smirking and glaring boy. Porchemy felt something was about to happen, but ignored the feeling as he continued his torture.

On the other hand, Ace and Sabo moved their treasure from its previous position. It was evening and it was raining heavily, it felt as if a flood was bound to come and the storm would not stop soon. Sabo rushed to Ace and informed him that no one has come to their previous place and Luffy hasn't said anything.

Luffy was beaten up badly by the pirate, but his glare never left the rampaging monster. Porchemy's underlings even tried to stop Porchemy but to no avail.

"Tell me!!" Porchemy yelled for the umpteenth time. Luffy just grinned, "You... should care... about your... life..." Luffy smirked.

Porchemy felt rage envelop him as he picked up his swords. "Fine!! Then it's time to die." But before he can even lift his sword, Ace and Sabo come crashing into the wall and knocked Porchemy's sword. Luffy's face lit up. The winds have stopped howling and it seemed that the storm was returning.

"Ace!!! Sabo!!!" Luffy yelled with tears in his eyes. Sabo freed him quickly and Luffy felt better. Porchemy grabbed Ace by his neck but was hit by Sabo with his pipe, making him lose his grip on Ace. Sabo caught Luffy and started running when he felt Ace standing there. Luffy struggled out of Sabo's grip.

"Hey, wait!" Luffy said, "Bastard, return my chain!!!" Luffy yelled at Porchemy. Porchemy ignored the boy. Luffy ran in to stand beside Ace, and to get back his gift from Dad. He can't let them open it, never. He had promised his Dad.

"Let's get out of here, Ace!!" Sabo yelled, ignoring the boy. Ace took his fighting stance and faced Porchemy, "You go on ahead!"

"Are you an idiot!!" Sabo yelled desperately trying to get Ace out of there.

"If I face a guy, I won't run away!!" Ace said as he tightened his hold on his pipe. Sabo tried to argue with Ace but to no hope. Sabo went to fight alongside Ace. Luffy stumbled on his feet and fell on the ground, and saw Ace and Sabo defeat the pirates. Sabo checked Porchemy's pocket and was shocked for a second to see the silver-colored chain with the brilliant dark red jewel, hanging from it. Sabo had never seen something this beautiful but he threw it to Luffy, who thanked him. As soon as they got out of the hut, a bolt of lightning thundered on the hut, destroying it and killing the people there.

Luffy was carried by Sabo when he felt the drops of rain finally stop. He smiled. He was thankful to his new friends who helped him out of the gruesome situation.

Luffy got out of the hold of Sabo as he saw the amounts of cuts on Sabo's face, and started running alongside them, albeit slowly. Sabo and Ace were shocked for a second as they saw the boy, who was literally covered in wounds, now running. Wasn't the kid hurt?

They didn't question anything. Sabo bandaged Ace and then himself carefully. Then he took a look at Luffy, who was harboring wounds all over his body, but was acting all tough and thanking them for helping him out.

"... Aren't you hurt?" Sabo finally asked.

Luffy started crying at that. "It hurt so much. I was so scared." Sabo chuckled softly as he grabbed the bandages and started patching him up.

"Shut up!!" Ace shouted with shark teeth. "How long are you gonna cry?!! I hate weaklings and crybabies!! You piss me off!!"

Luffy bit his lips and stopped himself from crying. "Thanks for saving me."

"Why didn't you say anything?! Those guys don't care about killing women and children!!!" Ace shouted once more.

"If I told them, you wouldn't be my friend," Luffy sniffled.

"Even if I don't, it's better than dying, wouldn't it?? Why do you want to be my friend so badly?!!" Ace yelled, "After what I did to you, why are still following me around?!!"

"Because I don't have anyone else!!" Luffy shouted. "I can't go back to Makino and I hate bandits!! If I don't follow you, I would be alone." Luffy rubbed his hands on his eyes, brushing the remaining tears. "It's worse to be alone than to be hurt!!"

"Your parents...?" Ace asked.

Luffy pouted sadly as he looked at the ground. "Mom is there, she listens to me, but I can't stay with her always. Dad visits once in a year only. He left me to Gramps so that I won't be in trouble coz of him. This is the only thing I have of him," Luffy took out the chain from his shirt and showed them, "I don't have anybody else."

"If I'm around, would it be better?" Ace asked to which Luffy nodded.

"And if I were gone, would it be worse?" Ace asked again his mind wandering to the people who told him that his existence was a sin.

"Yeah!" Luffy said. "It doesn't matter who your dad is." Ace felt his breath hitch and he glared vehemently at the boy. Sabo's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" Ace glared at the boy, his hands tightening around his pipe. Luffy grinned widely as he fell back on the ground and stared at the stars.

"Roger was an amazing man!" Ace felt himself about to beat the boy. But it was the first time he had heard someone speak positively about him.

"Shut up!!" Ace growled. Sabo watched the events with wide eyes. The boy was one heck of a mystery. "Who the heck told you about him?!"

Luffy grinned as he sat up. He rolled his eyes at Ace as if he was stating a fact, "Mom! She knows everything!" Ace glared venomously at Luffy. As much as he knew and Garp had told him it was only him and Dadan and the bandits who knew about his existence and no one else.

"Who the heck is your mom?!!!!" Ace growled. Sabo placed a hand on Ace's shoulder trying to calm down the boy. Ace glared back at Sabo.

"Do you want to meet her?" Luffy sprang up from his position and bounced to Ace and Sabo. "Come on! Let's go!! I have not met her for a long time!!!" Ace and Sabo walked reluctantly behind the jumping boy.

If glares can kill people, then Sabo was sure that Luffy would be dead until now. But he was amazed that even when Ace was glaring so hard, Luffy didn't falter, he didn't duck his head to his knees and begged for forgiveness. He didn't cower in fear. And how the hell did his Mom know a top secret?!! But something about the kid felt different. He was born as a Noble, and yet, he knew no clothes, nothing, can make a person glow. The way Luffy carried a glow with him, which was clearly visible in the dark night and the way he could even run with those freaking wounds was a mystery to him. Yeah, Ace could do that stupid thing, coz that's Ace and he is stubborn. But this little kid looked like a crybaby. So, there's no way that he can even walk with those wounds, but here he was.