Chapter Text
When it comes to having a keen eye for friends, that’s Luffy.
He, who smiles brilliantly as the sun contorts the shadow of his expression, is always joyful and always has the best people around him—drawn to his actions and the never-lacking smile he has. He was like the Sun, and everybody else were just planets and stars drawn to his laughter, tugging them along in his little dance and orbit. Maybe that phrase was too overused, sure, but he couldn’t find any term that could completely describe that charm in its fullest form.
He was like a detector for good people and "bad" people alike, bringing everyone together and placing aside their differences with his welcoming demands and ideals of freedom.
He fully understands where they were coming from though.
After all, he had been the same—haggard and wary of strangers coming into his life, too aware of the angry glances; the sharpness of words and insults hanging on the air as tension thickens. He, who was far too young to be facing such backlash, turned that fear and loneliness into anger. It drives him, pushes him forward like the waves to his small boat. But devil fruit users can’t swim, and any contact with water would solidify their fate. And so the anger swallowed him, it blocked his vision until he saw nothing but red; red like the fire licking his arms, its heat ever so consuming and life-like. It was, in some form, comforting and familiar to push himself to the brink just because of this rage, because the idea of calmness and peace felt too forgiving to the people who scorned his lineage, too forgiving for a scorned son like him.
He supposes, in some way, that his devil fruit truly expresses and compliments this anger; a rage that never quells and kills all that is loved by nature. But it did die down a little- no, that isn’t right; it never died, it grew stronger. But instead of anger, it’s the passionate feeling of protectiveness, the feeling of wanting to become stronger; strong enough so that Luffy’s fate wouldn’t turn out like the boy with blonde hair in his nightmares—haunting in every form with his top hat, rusty pipe, and a chipped tooth of a grin that was always accompanying those nightmares. No, he will grow stronger to protect what he has, just like the day he swore himself to brotherhood along with two children similar aged as he, their laughter always echoing the woods as saké burns their tongue in its comforting contradiction, far too aware that he had accepted this love despite being so wary of it to begin with.
And in the end, that love was torn in half as Dogra came, eyes too dilated and skin too sweaty for his own good, bearing bad news as he gulped for air. That torn half of his affections were swallowed by the sea as fire consumed wood and his brother. He still remembers that day like it was yesterday, the quiet realization as his world tilted from loss. (Sabo was gone. It was your fault.)
He was so angry back then, lashing out at his little brother, but Luffy continued to stay by his side, always adamant. His presence was comforting, easing the pain as an empty feeling surrounded the edges of his heart; like a balm to a wound.
So when the boy with the straw hat introduces his first mate, he didn’t question it like he thought he would, doesn’t question whether he’s trustworthy or not despite going through Thatch’s death (another brother, lost) and Blackbeard’s betrayal. And that trust was built not out of the small conversations he had here and there with the swordsman, but because of the way he stands by Luffy’s side, eyes staring at his captain with so much loyalty, so much belief and trust that he doesn’t even try threatening the green-haired boy to fiercely protect his brother to death, or else his dreams to become the strongest swordsman will be crushed to dust in a second. No, he doesn’t need to tell him that, because this swordsman Roronoa Zoro believed and trusted more than that.
In his eyes, he sees the way the first mate fully believes in Luffy’s capabilities and trusts his word, all the while adding his additional commentary from time to time to fulfill his role as the first of his crew. People like that are hard to come by, he thought with certainty. And that made him glad. When he heard of pirate hunter Roronoa Zoro, not of the first mate of the straw-hat pirates, he had been a simple rookie. His direction had always been to the Grand Line, to the strongest, so he had never thought of this three-sword-bearing boy, his name renowned to all of East Blue. Their path will never cross after all, so what was the point?
Oh how wrong he was.
Even as he continued to watch behind the fire as the boys huddled around their reindeer doctor for warmth, a mess of limbs entangled, he was fully aware of their closeness, a trust that was built from nothing and yet still so complete and absolute that no one dares question it. They act like idiots most of the time, hell, even he does too, but above all of that stupidity and recklessness are trust and a belief that needs no words, because if their captain had done something undeniably dumb, he knows that his crewmates would cover for him; will believe that he did that stupid and reckless action for a reason, because that's how Luffy is.
Truly, he was made to be pirate king, and perhaps even more than that dead man ever was.
When Nami, their navigator, had explained how the two met (he had saved Zoro, and Zoro simply stayed by his side out of repayment before it became an undying loyalty), he simply smiled. It was so Luffy-like that he fully believed her; knows she wasn't being dramatic. Well, he supposes Luffy was the dramatic one; with his actions almost comical and the way he expresses his wishes and demands in such a pronounced way, catching everybody's attention. He wouldn't trade it for the world though, that's for sure.
Unlike most first-mate and captain relationships, this one treated one another as equals; as people who stand on the same level, standing side-by-side like it was the most natural thing in the world. They didn't diminish one another, only complimenting the other; like two peas in a pod. Of course, they were their own persons, and their big dreams were unfaltering, but even he, in this short amount of time, knew that they needed one another to achieve that dream. They would never understand betrayal (like what Blackbeard did), because, from the two's mindset alone, betrayal wasn't an option. For Zoro, betrayal was a sin and a symbol of cowardice. For Luffy, his dearest little brother, betrayal had never come to mind, simply because he attracts only the kindest people, and those who went against his selfish belief in freedom would never join his crew to begin with.
Hidden by the flame's shadows, he chuckles to himself as a smirk bloomed at the corners of his lips.
Such high standards you have, Luffy.
"It must be a real surprise for you," a voice interrupts his thoughts as her footfalls announce her approach. Out of all the people here, she was the only one who wasn't a straw-hat, but seeing the way they interacted, it spoke more than the weight of the title of a crew member could ever bring, and that was enough for him to trust her. In acknowledgment, he tilts his head towards Princess Vivi's direction, noticing the blue of her hair falling onto her shoulders as the shadows grow. It was a peculiar hair color, but he was too used to the oddities of the Grand Line to mention anything. "I mean Luffy." She further elaborates, voice carried by the cold wind, "I was surprised too, at first." At her comment, he couldn't hide the growing smile. What about Luffy that wasn't surprising, he thought to himself, careful not to voice his pride out loud. Marco had expressed far too many times regarding his annoyance towards his constant mentions of Luffy, and he didn't want to scare her away, so he simply kept his mouth shut.
Makino would've been proud.
"Maybe it's that he isn't captain-like, or that normal pirate captains are respected by their crewmates..." she continues, and for once, he disagrees.
Luffy is respected by his crewmates, more than normal pirates are, but that respect also bears affection and trust; so much so that they act more like family than a pirate crew. He doesn't voice it out loud though, and simply waits for her to continue. "But just this afternoon, a simple drink of water caused that big fight," Vivi recalls as the mentioned captain finally falls into the warm embrace of sleep, a big smile plastered on his face. Somehow that makes him smile too. "But you know, the longer I've been with them, the more I've come to understand." And again, pride swells in his heart. It was like a warm blanket above that growing hatred of his, and when he had first had that feeling; gained so long long ago during his childhood years—it didn't quite feel foreign or unwelcomed. In fact, he had accepted it, albeit a bit reluctantly, that this kid with a heart too big and a smile too wide had wormed his way into his heart, and as time passed, that feeling felt as natural as eating and sleeping.
"That's how Luffy does things." he elaborates.
Oh Sabo, if only you could see the boy he became.
"He hasn't changed a bit since he was a kid." He reminisces of tears spilling as the little boy demands him, of all people, to stay by his side; as pipes clashing one another and the smell of rubber and leaves brought a sense of comfort to him. "Despite how he seems, people always gather around him." Under that orange hat, he glances at Zoro, a living proof of what he meant, though that action goes unnoticed by the princess. "Even though he's my little brother, he has a mysterious charm to him." A charm that brought him, a child who shouldn't have been born, a devil's son, to become a brother; a role he never thought would happen, and as he separates from Luffy to fulfill a promise, he finds himself surrounded by people who call him brother, a father who, for once, placed aside his blood and stays by his side, and friends a younger him never thought as possible.
"Oh, you already knew." The princess says, surprise lining her expression.
"He and I do go way back," he mentions as the crew's doctor's hoove slips into the rubber boy's mouth. Luffy would surely chew on that later, dreaming of it to be meat. "But thanks,"
(Thank you for loving me.)
"You were worried that I was concerned, right?" He moved his attention to her instead, his smile getting bigger with every second.
"Yes, but it looks like I didn't need to worry after all." She turned her head from him, a smile blooming her features as she turned to face the stars, appreciating their glow. And despite being within her company for only a short period of time, he feels comforted. Luffy truly deserved a crew like this—their energy aligning with his chaoticness yet still being able to hold him back from doing stupid things that could get him killed, looking out for him without hesitance or reluctance. He suspects Zoro would follow him though, and not a hint of hesitance would show, regardless of how dire the situation was. That was how deep the green-haired swordsman's loyalty (was it loyalty or stupidity, he doesn't know) would go, and for that, he's endlessly grateful. After all, his younger brother had always hated being lonely.
Maybe he should express his thanks when they part later on.
(He might be a bit much for you to handle, but take good care of 'im.)