Chapter Text
“Goodnight, Luffy.”
“Goodnight, Rayleigh.”
Luffy didn’t close his eyes. He lay on the ground, staring at the dark sky above him, littered with countless stars.
He wasn’t sleepy.
Sometimes, this happened.
He thought it was because he wasn’t used to sleeping alone anymore. He missed the noisy comfort of his crew, the way their chaotic presence felt like home. Rayleigh had told him they were fine—he trusted Rayleigh, of course—but it wasn’t the same.
It reminded him of three years ago when Ace left the island. Back then, too, he had trouble falling asleep, struggling with the hollow feeling of being left alone.
Alone.
Like now.
No Ace.
No Sabo.
No Nakama.
No Gramps.
Just Rayleigh, Hancock, and the women of Amazon Lily. They were kind, and he appreciated their care. They were friends, too—but… it wasn’t the same.
He missed drawing silly shapes on Zoro’s face while he slept.
He missed Nami’s frustrated yells when he pestered her about how bored he was or how long it would take to reach the next island.
He missed Usopp’s wild, wonderful stories.
He missed Sanji’s cooking, the smells of his delicious meals filling Sunny.
He missed playing with Chopper.
He missed dozing off on Robin’s shoulder while she read from her strange books.
He missed Franky’s crazy inventions and loud exclamations of “SUPER!”
He missed Brook’s bone jokes that never got old, even when they did.
And most of all… he missed Ace. His older brother.
Luffy wondered if Ace and Sabo had already reunited up there, wherever they were. The thought made him a little jealous. How could they have a brothers’ meeting without him? That wasn’t fair.
He groaned, clutching his head. All this thinking was giving him a headache. How did smart people manage this much thinking every day?
“You can’t sleep?”
Rayleigh’s deep, calm voice cut through the stillness, making Luffy jump.
He turned toward the older man, an embarrassed smile creeping onto his face. “Uh… yeah, I guess?”
Rayleigh didn’t look at him, his eyes fixed on the stars above. But his tone was gentle, almost curious. “What’s on your mind?”
Luffy hesitated for a moment before answering honestly. “I miss my crew.”
Well, mostly honestly. He didn’t dare say Ace’s name out loud.
Rayleigh hummed in understanding. “I’m sure they feel the same way.”
Luffy didn’t reply. Instead, he closed his eyes, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Of course they missed him! They couldn’t survive without their captain, the one and only Monkey D. Luffy!
The thought filled him with warmth, and before he knew it, he was fast asleep.
It didn’t last long, though.
A sharp, violent kick to his stomach jolted him awake.
“GAH!” he groaned, rolling onto his side and clutching his midsection in pain. “Rayleigh! I’m awake! I’m awake!”
But the voice that answered wasn’t Rayleigh’s. “Oh, so you’re alive? Good. Now get off my boat. I don’t want the Marines sniffing around because of some dead body!”
The voice was gruff, annoyed, and most definitely not Rayleigh’s.
Luffy’s dark eyes snapped open, and he sat up quickly, his confusion growing as he took in his surroundings. He wasn’t on the island anymore. Instead, he was staring at a large, fat man with a scruffy brown beard, his face twisted in irritation.
“Uh… alright?” Luffy said awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. He stood up slowly, glancing around at the unfamiliar scenery. Nothing about this place looked familiar.
“What is this place?” he muttered to himself before looking back at the man. “Oi, old man! Where are we?”
The man’s face turned red with anger. “WHO ARE YOU CALLING OLD, YOU LITTLE BASTARD?!” He took a deep breath, clearly trying to calm himself. “You’re on Pearl Island. How the hell do you not know that? Idiot.”
Before Luffy could ask any more questions, the man stomped off, muttering angrily to himself.
“Pearl Island?” Luffy tilted his head, confused. He’d never heard of it before—not that he was good with geography anyway. He sighed. This was definitely a time when he needed Nami.
Thankfully, he still had Rayleigh’s Vivre Card tucked away in his hat.
Smiling, he pulled the small piece of paper out. It was moving left, quickly and steadily. That meant Rayleigh was nearby!
Luffy’s eyes widened, a grin spreading across his face. “Could it be?!”
Was this another one of Rayleigh’s training exercises? Drop him on a random island and see how he handled it?
He chuckled, amused. “Rayleigh, you’re really the best!” This was going to be fun!
Stuffing the Vivre Card back into his hat, Luffy turned his attention to the island in front of him. It had been so long since he’d explored a new place!
But as he took his first step, his smile faltered.
It would’ve been more fun with his crew.
Shaking his head quickly, he steeled himself. No time for negative thoughts! If he didn’t succeed in his training, he couldn’t reunite with them. He clenched his fists, determination burning in his eyes.
“Alright! Let’s do this!”
With that, he ran off toward the heart of the island, ready for whatever challenges lay ahead.
The island was… ordinary.
Nothing interesting at all.
Luffy rubbed his cheek in frustration. “What is this, Rayleigh? I don’t like it…” His stomach growled loudly, and he slapped a hand over it, grumbling, “So hungry!”
“OI! YOU!”
He ignored the voice. Maybe it wasn’t meant for him.
“HEY, STRAW HAT!”
Oh. That was definitely meant for him.
Luffy turned, blinking curiously, and stared at the guy who’d called out to him. The stranger looked about his age, with a toothy smile and narrow black eyes that felt oddly familiar. But what really caught Luffy’s attention was the straw hat perched on his head—almost identical to his own.
As if reading Luffy’s thoughts, the guy chuckled, “Right? Our hats look alike!” He tapped his hat fondly and grinned. “The moment I saw you, I yelled, ‘Hey! He stole my hat!’” He burst out laughing, jabbing a thumb at the blond man standing beside him. “But my friend here whacked me on the head and reminded me I already have one!”
Luffy laughed. “It’s weird!”
“I know!” the guy agreed, laughing just as loudly.
“Oh no,” the blond muttered, looking genuinely horrified. “There are two of him.”
“Hey!” The straw-hat-wearing stranger suddenly exclaimed, grinning widely. “Join my pirate crew!”
“No way.” The answer came out so fast it felt rehearsed.
The guy’s face fell dramatically.
“Roger!” The blondie groaned in exasperation. “You can’t just invite random people to join the crew because they have a similar dirty straw hat to yours!”
Luffy frowned. Did this blond guy even have a name? Being called “blondie” in his head was getting old.
Roger pouted and pointed accusingly at the blond. “Oi, Rayleigh! Just because you’re my first mate doesn’t mean you can insult my precious hat like that! Apologize immediately!”
As the two bickered, Luffy started to zone out. Their argument was silly. (Now, if someone insulted his hat, that’d be a different story. But it wasn’t his hat on the line, so it didn’t matter much.)
Just as he was about to wander off, Roger turned back to him, shouting again, “OI! JOIN MY CREW!”
“NO!” Luffy shouted, getting frustrated. “I don’t want to! I already have one!”
“Oh.” Roger looked momentarily crestfallen, but his expression quickly brightened. “Then what about it? Let’s be friends!”
Now that he could do.
Luffy’s face lit up as he nodded. “Sure!”
“Great!”
“Unbelievable,” the blondie muttered under his breath.
Both of them ignored him.
Roger extended his hand, his grin wide and confident. “I’m Gol D. Roger, pirate! Remember that name! I’m going to be the man who turns the world upside down!”
Roger? Luffy tilted his head. Do people name their kids after the late Pirate King? Weird.
Still, Luffy didn’t care. He smiled back and shook Roger’s hand. “I’m Monkey D. Luffy! And you’d better remember my name because I’m going to be the King of the Pirates!”
A stunned silence fell between the three of them.
Then Roger burst out laughing.
Luffy didn’t mind—it wasn’t the mocking laugh he usually got from strangers when he declared his dream. Roger’s laugh was different, filled with amazement and delight.
“King of the Pirates, huh?” Roger finally said, his laughter dying down. “Good luck with that!”
The blond rolled his eyes and offered his hand to Luffy. “I’m Silvers Rayleigh, the right-hand man of this preposterous idiot.”
Luffy furrowed his brows, staring at him. He didn’t shake the hand. “You’re not Rayleigh,” Luffy said firmly.
Rayleigh blinked, caught off guard. “Excuse me?” He pulled his hand back, clearly offended. “Do I know you?”
“You’re not Rayleigh,” Luffy repeated, crossing his arms.
The Rayleigh Luffy knew was tall, muscular, with white hair and a beard. This guy? He was young, blond, and scarless. Definitely not Rayleigh.
Roger raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “Hmm. Luffy, do you know someone named Rayleigh?”
“Yeah,” Luffy said, frowning. “But it’s not him.”
Roger hummed thoughtfully. “Could it be—oh, I don’t know—the similarity of names?”
Luffy blinked.
Right.
“Maybe.” He laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry!”
Fake Rayleigh opened his mouth to protest but was cut off by Luffy’s loud declaration: “I’m hungry!”
Roger perked up immediately. “I’ll invite you to dinner! Because we’re friends and all!” He slung an arm around Luffy’s shoulders, grinning ear to ear.
Luffy grinned back.
Fake Rayleigh followed behind them, muttering, “By ‘invite to dinner,’ you mean eating your fill and running before paying, right?”
Roger roared with laughter, clapping him on the back. “You know me so well, Rayleigh!”
“A few years with you would do that,” Rayleigh said, exasperated but fond.
“We do that too!” Luffy laughed. “Nami doesn’t want to spend her dear money, so we run after we’re done eating!”
“See?” Roger exclaimed, his grin widening. “No pirate worth their salt pays for their meals!”
The two Straw Hats laughed together, their energy infectious.
Pizza, steak, pasta, shrimp, meat, soup—and countless other dishes crowded the large table in front of the three young men.
For such a luxury restaurant, it hadn’t been easy to get in. The waiter had initially refused to seat them, dismissing them based on their ragged, ordinary appearance. He’d even dared to suggest they couldn’t afford a single item on the menu. But Fake Rayleigh, with a sly grin, pulled out a fat wad of money from his pocket, making the waiter bow a full 180 degrees in apology.
“Not that I’m actually paying them,” Fake Rayleigh explained to Luffy afterward with a proud smile. “It’s just a trick to get in.”
Luffy’s eyes sparkled with admiration. “Whoa, that’s so smart!”
He stuffed another mouthful of food into his face, already thinking of all the times this trick would’ve come in handy when he and Ace snuck into fancy restaurants in High Town. If only they’d known about it… Ace would’ve loved this! He couldn’t wait to tell Ace—
Luffy stopped mid-chew, his jaw tightening. His hand fell to his side as his eyes burned. Ace wasn’t here. Ace wasn’t anywhere. He shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel the ache building in his chest.
“So, Luffy!”
He grunted and glanced up at Roger, who was grinning at him from across the table.
Like Luffy, Roger’s straw hat was tilted back, revealing thick black hair and narrow eyes that gleamed with mischief. His tanned skin and sharp features made him look both rugged and oddly familiar.
Something about him nagged at Luffy’s mind, but thinking about it too hard made his head hurt. He decided to stop.
Roger, oblivious to Luffy’s inner turmoil, leaned forward with a wide grin. “Tell me about your crew! Are they strong? Is there any chance we can join forces and make one big, happy pirate crew?”
“NO!” Luffy shouted indignantly, glaring at Roger.
Roger laughed, clearly enjoying teasing him.
Swallowing a giant piece of meat, Luffy puffed out his chest. “My crew is super strong! They’re the best! Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, and Brook!”
Roger nodded thoughtfully at each name, his grin growing wider. “Are you strong?”
Luffy’s natural instinct kicked in, and he opened his mouth to declare, “Of co—”
But the words caught in his throat.
His smile faltered, and he stared at his hands, greasy and stained from the feast.
For a moment, the image shifted, and his hands weren’t covered in sauce—they were dripping with blood. Ace’s blood.
He froze, his chest tightening painfully.
Was he strong?
No. He wasn’t.
He couldn’t save Ace.
He wasn’t strong enough.
“I’m not,” Luffy said quietly, his voice calm but hollow.
The sudden shift in mood made Roger and Fake Rayleigh pause. They exchanged awkward glances, neither quite sure what to say.
“Uh, okay?” Roger said hesitantly before flashing a wide grin. “Well, I am strong!”
Luffy looked up, his curiosity piqued. “You?”
“Of course I am!” Roger boasted, leaning back with a confident smirk. “I’m a swordsman!” He unsheathed the blade at his side, holding it up proudly. “This is my sword—Ace!”
Luffy froze.
Ace?
His eyes widened.
Ace.
The name echoed in his head, crashing into his thoughts like a wave.
Roger smiled, oblivious to Luffy’s reaction, but Fake Rayleigh furrowed his brows, sensing something was off.
Luffy blinked, his mind scrambling.
Ace.
The name, the smile, the energy—it all clicked.
Oh.
Oh.
This guy reminded him of Ace, his dead brother.
A lot.