Free Heart

Ch. 3 - I am a Pirate.

- Present Day, Luffy: 17, Emmy: 15 -

"Hey guys! We're leaving now! Don't you want to see us off?!" Luffy called from the front door.

They were dressed for their adventure. Emmy had sewn and put together Luffy's outfit with him in mind. A red vest because sleeves would only hinder his movement and the color matched the ribbon on his hat. Also, given how much her brother liked to run around, Emmy figured it wouldn't hurt to put him in a vibrant color that was easy to spot. Denim shorts so that his legs could extend without ripping anything while the fabric meant less need for washing it on Emmy's end. Even his favorite straw sandals were re-tied and refitted to his feet so that it didn't fly off with a flimsy kick. The only thing Emmy did not touch was the straw hat that hung on his back. It was perfect as it was.

Emmy did not do much for herself. Instead, the only modification she did was to sew a blue fabric over the top of the Sea Prism Stone with a large bow at the center. That way the only person the Sea Prism Stone affected was her.

Emmy bowed to the bandits, despite having Dadan's back turned to them. The woman was refusing to look at them. "It would be nice to properly say goodbye to all of you," Emmy said.

"Whatever," Dadan sniffed as she puffed on her cigarette, "How annoying. The mayor and Makino might not mind but everyone else in the village won't be happy to see us there so just go already!"

"Eh?! Just like that?" Luffy complained and Emmy shot him a helpless smile.

"Fine," Luffy grumbled but then his grin came back to his face, "Thank you for everything!"

The bandits scratched their heads and looked a bit sheepish. "Don't say that. That feels awkward!" Dogra chuckled.

"Your clothes are all folded and left on top of your beds. Dadan-san, I patched some of your old shirts so they should be good as new now. Also, I left a pot of stew simmering in the kitchen. You can just leave it until dinner time and it should be ready to eat by then," Emmy said with another bow.

"Good," Dadan grunted although Emmy could hear a slight waver in her voice, "You finished your chores before leaving."

"Shishishishi," Luffy laughed as the bandits held back their tears of gratitude, "Oh! And before I forget, Dadan!"

"WHAT?!" Dadan snapped back way too quickly for it to be out of sheer annoyance.

"I don't like mountain bandits," Luffy stated, "But I like you guys."

"Please take care of yourselves while we're gone," Emmy added.

Dadan gasped and her cigarette fell onto the floor. "Stop talking nonsense and go away, you bastards!" she blubbered as she honked her nose into a handkerchief that Emmy had embroidered with her initials, "Damn it! Why am I surrounded by such fools?!"

"Oh, are you crying?" Luffy asked bluntly and Emmy shook her head at him. Luffy frowned curiously at his sister, "Should I not have said that?"

"I'm not crying, you idiot!" Dadan yelled.

"It's best to just leave Dadan-san alone," Emmy advised her brother.

The other bandits smiled happily at the pair as they waved one final time before heading off down the mountain.

"Luffy...Should I start calling you 'Captain' now?" Emmy asked.

"Shishishishi. Naw, just call me Luffy. It took forever for me to get you to drop the 'san' that it would be such a waste for you to just go with another name now," Luffy laughed.