Chapter Text
Luffy woke up on the ground confused. He wasn’t sure where he was, but he was outside in the dirt. He heard voices somewhere, which is what had roused him. He looked around, wanting some company and saw a few people. Mostly kids of varying ages. They seemed to be busy. Luffy sat up cris-cross-applesauce and just stared for a while. No one seemed to notice him. Until he heard footsteps stop beside him. “You okay mister?” a female voice questioned. Luffy looked up and saw a young girl frowning down at him. She had dark blue hair, just a little longer than Luffy’s. She had a similar build to him as well, lean and light. The perfect combination of speed and strength. But that wasn’t important to Luffy, really. All he saw was that she looked honest, confident, and… a little sad. “Sir?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.
“Ah? Oh- I think I got lost…” Luffy said. Then he started laughing to himself. The girl’s concerned expression slowly melted away and she giggled a little as well. “…Yeah,” she acknowledged, “that much was pretty obvious. It’s funny, you sounded just like a friend of mine just now.” “Yeah?” Luffy asked, then laughed again like he had an inside joke. They both giggled for a minute. Afterward, the girl composed herself and glanced around. “I was actually just looking for him, but it can wait. I can help you find the town or wherever you need to go if it’s nearby. I pretty much know this island like the back of my hand,” she offered kindly. “Can you help me find the port?” Luffy asked. “My ship should be around there somewhere… and uh, my crew’s probably looking for me,” he added rather unapologetically.
“Crew? Are you a… pirate?” the girl asked. She didn’t seem scared, so much as surprised. She rested a hand on the sword at her side, - she had a sword, how cool! - but made no move to draw it. It was white just like Zoro’s. “Yeah!” Luffy exclaimed gleefully, “Not just any pirate though, I’m the Captain. And I’m going to be King of the Pirates!” He grabbed his straw hat and threw his arms up to emphasize the statement. He then put his hat back on and tipped it at her, as if that meant anything to the girl. “I like your sword!” Luffy went on when she didn’t respond, quietly discerning the truth of his previous statements. He just didn’t seem like the type to be a pirate, but the mention of her sword automatically made a bit of pride swell in her chest and her mind forget doubt. She smiled and stood up taller. “It’s my most prized possession,” she revealed, wrapping her hand around the hilt. “I’m a swordswoman! But not just any swordswoman… the best!” she claimed.
“Really? How do you know?” Luffy asked. It was a genuine question, not doubtful or accusing in any way. The girl sighed and dropped her hand back down to her side. “Well… I will be the best, someday. But still, no one in this dojo can beat me. They don’t even come close.” Luffy frowned. “Then doesn’t that mean you’re the best?” he asked. The girl looked down and away for a moment. Luffy leaned over to see her face, but she quickly turned back and smiled again. “Well, I mean I want to be the best in the whole world. I’d have to go out to sea and beat everyone out there to do that. Someday I’ll be ready.” Luffy stared at her blankly. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking and it kinda bugged her. “Ahh… “ he said after a while, and stood up. “Hey, I’m serious about that,” the girl stated, her tone challenging for the first time. “I know,” Luffy replied in an even voice, and any anger or defensiveness that might’ve arose in her immediately vanished. “So… the port?” Luffy asked. She blinked. “Oh- right. It’s this way.” Luffy’s new friend nodded and lead him out towards presumably, the ocean.
It wasn’t too far and they got there pretty quickly. “Well, here we are. Do you see your ship anywhere?” the girl asked. Luffy squinted and panned his gaze around the entire area, “MMMMmmmmmm… nope.” The girl looked at him, “Oh… well, I could help you look for a while. What kind of ship is it?” Luffy grinned, “A lion! Sunny!” The girl had no idea what that meant, but Luffy didn’t give her a chance to question. He roughly tapped her on the shoulder. “Okay,” he exclaimed, “first one to find it wins! You’re it!” He took off running. The girl stood and watched him for a second, still registering what he said. Then it hit her and she gasped, “Hey! When did this become a game of tag??” as she started to run after him.
———
Brook came to and found himself on an island. It was strange to him, the last thing he remembered was going to sleep on Lion-Chan with the rest of his crew around him. Brook decided to get up and walk about. It seemed like everyone was hiding away somewhere, because the place was completely empty. As Brook walked towards the outskirts of the town, he suddenly stumbled across three kids. “Why hello,” Brook greeted pleasantly, lifting his hat off his afro. They gaped at him momentarily, then screamed in terror and ran off yelling for…a captain? Brook would be lying if he didn’t say it hurt, more than a little. He continued walking nonetheless, until he started to hear yelling again - coming towards him this time. Brook heard him saying that pirates were coming. Oh joy! His crew must be here to pick him up! He increased his pace until he actually saw the man who was yelling. He stopped, realizing it was Usopp!
“Usopp-San!” Brook yelled going after him, “You’re here!” But Usopp didn’t seem to notice him. He just kept running. Other people seemed to come out of nowhere and crowded the street. Brook couldn’t get to his crewmate amid all the ensuing commotion. He yelled and waved, but nothing worked to get his attention. Eventually, Brook lost sight of him and the people returned to their homes. Brook stumbled away, defeated. He didn’t know what to do, so he continued to walk aimlessly.
Later in the day he came across a large, fanciful estate. As Brook strolled by, he heard another voice. It was familiar. He peeked through a bush and spotted Usopp again. He was up in a tree talking to a young lady. Brook felt a flare of hope, but decided not to address him yet, due to how the last encounter had gone. He sat and listened to an elaborate story Usopp was telling the girl, and her laughing and asking questions with interest. Maybe when he was done, Usopp would come down and finally see him.