Stolen // One Piece

chapter sixteen

Luffy had lost all track of time. Perhaps it was because of his lack of positive social interaction, or maybe because he was only fed once a day. However, another possible explanation was the fact that there were no windows in the storage area of Bluejam's newest ship, The Lost Maira. Luffy was also never really able to sleep, and so he'd drift off every now and then and be woken by the loud noises above his head. Also, another contribution. The noise never stopped, whether it be laughing or speaking, so the young boy could never tell if it was night or day.

He was incredibly bored.

There was no one to have a conversation with, no one to laugh with. No one to smile at him (other than the other pirates, but they smiled with malice, so it didn't really count) and no one to tell him funny stories. There was a guard posted near the bottom of the stairs leading upwards into the kitchen, but he never responded when Luffy would try to strike up a conversation.

And so the boy sat, bored and still chained to the wall. The candle holder on the wall held a nearly completely melted candle, and so he liked to watch its dim flame dance on the wall, creating shadows everywhere Luffy looked.

"Garrison! Get up here!" Bluejam's watery voice called. The guard, whom Luffy supposed was Garrison, cast a dark look toward the boy before rushing upstairs. After a long while, it seemed Luffy was alone again, before a short, scrawny boy was tossed down the stairs, and onto the cold wooden floor of the Lost Maria. He had messy, shaggy teal hair, and large grey eyes. He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen, but thin and malnourished.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked. The boy didn't answer, but instead sat down in the corner, crossing his legs, leaning his head against the wall and closing his eyes. Luffy sighed. "You're gonna be the same as the last guy, right? 'No talking to the prisoner. Prisoner bad.' Is that it?" Again, no answer. Luffy rolled his eyes. "Fine. Whatever."

A long silence ensued.

"What are you? Fifteen? Sixteen?" The boy opened one large eye, staring at the other in the room, before closing it again. "You look pretty young."

"Fourteen," the boy finally responded. Luffy nodded. He was getting somewhere.

"Where is this ship going? Do you know?"

"No," came the boy's simple answer.

"You still haven't told me your name," Luffy attempted to stretch, easing the ache in his bones, and several loud pops followed, along with the rattling of chains.. The boy never responded, so Luffy asked another question.

"Where were you born?" Silence. "I was born in the East Blue. You ever been?" Silence again. "Foosha Village. Somewhere on an island, probably in the forest." Luffy thought for a moment. "Most likely in the forest. I've spent most of my life in the forest," he added thoughtfully. The blue-haired boy ignored him. "You know Shanks? Red-Hair Shanks?" At the mention of the infamous captain, the boy sat up. His eyes went wide, and he nodded enthusiastically. Luffy smiled, saying, "He's kinda like my dad. Not biologically, but he acted like my dad, sorta. He was pretty over-protective of me, and he saved my life, losing his arm in the process." The boy across the room scooted closer to Luffy, but stayed a solid five feet away.