***Nine Years Later***
"Captain! We've received word on Hershel!" The strong voice knocks you from your memories. You blink and look over.
"It's about time the bastard reared his head, where is he?" You ask.
"Cloud Town, apparently he's holding a sale there," He informs you. You nod and jump onto the railing, facing the crew.
"We'll stop his slave run once and for all! Prepare for battle," You tell them.
So, how did you end up here? Hunting down slave runners? Well, the bandits came back for you a few days after you lost your eye. The boys had put up a hell of a fight, but in the end, you ended up sacrificing your freedom to keep them from getting killed. That day had been the last time you saw the boys. You eventually broke free, gaining a very loyal crew in the process.
You look up at the sky, still lost in thought. "Captain," Your first mate, Byron says, drawing your attention. "If you're not feeling well, I can go in your stead," He offers. You shake your head, glancing at the tattoo on your arm that you had gotten to remember the boys and smile thoughtfully.
"No, I have a personal grudge against him, I'll handle him," You tell him. He nods, and shifts.
"We need to make a stop at an island soon," He says.
"Alright, Tez! Are there any islands in view?" You call up to your navigator. He peers through his spyglass.
"To the north captain!" He informs you, tossing you the spyglass. You look through it, finding the island swiftly. You hand Byron the scope and go to the figure head, jumping onto the griffin's head.
"Open the way," You murmur, holding out your palm, making a large black portal form in front of the ship. The ship passes through the hole, instantly porting to the island. The crew drops anchor at the pier. "We'll leave for Cloud Town at dusk, so go ahead and enjoy yourselves," You tell the crew before heading to town.
You walk around the town for a bit, looking around in a slight daze. A familiar strawhat catches your eye, making you stop in your tracks. "Luffy," You say without thinking. He pauses, as if hearing his name. He looks back, eyes locking on yours as you start toward him. His eyes grow wide with realization and you're suddenly tackled to the ground. "Hehe, easy Luffy," You chuckle with a smirk. He lifts himself off of you.
"___! You're.... I..... IVE MISSED YOU!" He cheers, hugging you tightly.
"Luffy!... Can't... Breath!" You rasp. He lets go of you at that, helping you to your feet.
"I didn't think I'd see you again!" He gasps, grinning cheerfully. You laugh at his enthusiasm.
"Me too!... Look at how handsome you've become!" You comment pinching his cheeks. He chuckles sheepishly.
"Your eye," He says, touching below your scar.
"Yeah, I met an excellent doctor who gave me a new eye," You answer his unspoken question.
"That's great!" He chimes happily.
"Oi, Luffy," A green haired man calls, making you both look over.
"Oh! Come and meet my crew!" Luffy says, grabbing your wrist and leading you to where a group waited for him. They blink in surprise when they see you. "Everyone! This is ___, she's an old friend of mine!" Luffy informs them cheerfully.
"Who are you calling old?" You joke, pulling on his cheek. He chuckles.
"I didn't mean it like that!" He laughs. You smile and look over at his crew.
"Hope you guys aren't letting him get eaten by gators," You tell them.
"No, only giant snakes," The green haired man says with a smirk.
"Giant snakes? That's just like you Luffy," You chuckle.
"That was up in Skypia!" He tells you excitedly.
"Oh, you found a way up? Did you have fun?" You ask. He nods, grinning childishly.
"I wish I could've brought you with us," He tells you.
"Aw, Luffy! You're so cute!" You giggle, hugging his neck. "Shishishi!" he chuckles, hugging you back. His crew stood dumbfounded by their captain's behavior. "I have an idea! Lets have a party between our crews!" You gasp. He blinks excitedly.
"You have a crew? Youre a pirate?" He asks.
"Yes I have a crew, but we're liberators," You tell him. He tilts his head to the side, seeming unsure about the word. "We free slaves, and take down slave runners," You clarify.
He grins, "That's just like you ___!" He comments.
"Anyway, where do you want to party?" You ask. He thinks for a minute before smiling at you.
"Lets party on my ship!" He decides.
"Alright," You say, moving your hand in a circular motion and making a portal big enough to stick your head in. You reach in and tap on Byron's shoulder. He sticks his head through the portal.
"Yes captain?" He asks.
"Whoa!" Luffy gasps.
"Byron, this is Luffy, we're gonna be having a party at his ship in a bit," You tell him.
"Oh, nice to meet you Luffy! My captain often reminisces about time spent with you, Ace and Sabo," Byron says, sticking his arm through the portal to shake Luffy's hand. Luffy shakes his hand cheerfully.
"Nice to meet ya," He says.
"Oh, and Luffy, where's your ship?" You inquire.
"Right over there," He points.
"Alright, I'll get the crew," Byron says, pulling out of the portal.
"Hole-hole fruit?" Luffy echoes, tilting his head.
"Yep, it allows me make spatial holes to places I've been or seen... And I can do this," You tell him, making a hole and sticking your head through, making it come out of Luffy's stomach. "Tada!" You chime.
"That's cool!" He laughs. You pull your head out, closing the hole. "So you can go to anywhere you've been before?" He quizzes curiously. You nod and open another hole, big enough for both of you to lean through.
"Take a look for yourself," You tell him, starting to lean through it. He leans into it, and looks at the faintly familiar forest. You nudge him and point upwards. He follows your point and his jaw drops as he spots the old tree house. "Oh! Portal's closing!" You say, before leaning out. You quickly pull him out as the portal snaps shut. "The long distance ones don't last long," You tell him. He looks at you for a while, making you shift.
"What? I miss you guys sometimes... Do you know what Sabo is up to now?" You ask. He blinks, face growing solemn as he meets your questioning gaze.
"___," He begins. His tone was all you needed to hear. You look down.
"Oh... How?" You murmur, feeling a lump begin to form in your throat. He hesitantly tells you, putting a hand on your shoulder as you begin to tear up. "Sabo..." You whisper as tears trickle down your cheeks, leaning your head on Luffy's shoulder. He touches your back.
"I know," He whispers, you can hear that he was trying to stay calm so you pull back.
"Lets party, so he knows that we're both doing well," You tell him with a smile. He nods and you both spring into the party.
