Chapter 7

Lucy threw a glare at Luffy, and without a word, Luffy walked over to thank and apologize to Shanks. Shanks just waved it off with a grin before calling for drinks, as if losing an arm was nothing.

Lucy sighed, unable to understand how someone could live so freely. Turning to Uta, he worked with her to get the full story out of Luffy. What he heard left him stunned.

Before Luffy ate the Devil Fruit, some pirates had shown up, mocking and disrespecting Shanks. But Shanks had just laughed it off, completely unfazed.

Angered by Shanks's reaction, Luffy grabbed the strange-looking fruit and took a bite, to cool his rage… but he almost threw up at the taste.

Anyway, Lucy had shown up right around the time Shanks realized Luffy had eaten the Devil Fruit. What followed was typical Luffy behavior—he stormed off to confront the pirates, trying to get revenge on Shanks's behalf… only to get his butt handed to him.

Shanks had to step in and save him. But the situation escalated when the pirate captain used a smoke bomb to escape, dragging Luffy along as a hostage. It didn't last long. That same pirate ended up being devoured by the very Sea King who took Shanks's arm.

Shanks had arrived just moments before the Sea King could swallow Luffy whole. Throughout the entire story, one thing stuck with Lucy more than anything else—what Shanks said when he stepped in to save Luffy.

"You can pour drinks on me, throw food at me… even spit on me. I'll just laugh it off," Shanks had said, his voice steady and calm. "But… good reason or not… nobody hurts a friend of mine."

Those words hit Lucy harder than he expected. For some reason, he found himself staring at Shanks like a kid looking up to his hero.

Time passed.

Shanks and his crew lingered in Foosha Village for another two months, enjoying the slow days and warm nights. But eventually, the day came when the Red Force docked, ready to set sail once more.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Uta said, standing at the edge of the pier. Her gaze shifted between Lucy and Luffy. "You sure you don't want to join the crew?"

"Nah!" Luffy grinned, puffing out his chest with unshakable confidence. "I'm gonna build my own crew!"

"That's good because I wouldn't bring you with me anyway," Shanks said with a smirk. "You'd never make it as a pirate. You can't even throw a punch."

"Will too! Just watch!" Luffy screamed, puffing out his chest. "I'll find a crew as good… no, better than yours! We'll find the world's greatest treasure, and I'll become the Pirate King!"

Lucy sighed at Luffy's loud mouth. Ever since Luffy ate that Devil Fruit, it was like someone lit a fire under him. He had more energy than Lucy could even dream of. hyper, cheerful, and unstoppable. It's been pirate king here, and pirate king there nowadays.

"Planning to outdo me, huh?" Shanks asked, his gaze fixed on Luffy. But for a moment… it didn't feel like he was looking at Luffy at all. It was like he was staring through him—at someone else entirely.

"Then, I'll leave this with you," Shanks said, removing his straw hat and placing it gently on Luffy's head. "This is my favorite hat. When you become a great pirate, return it to me."

Luffy froze, eyes wide as tears welled up. He bit his lip, trying to hold it together, but the moment the hat touched his head, the tears spilled over.

"This is goodbye," Shanks continued, his gaze shifting to both twins. "The next time we meet, I'm sure you two will be great pirates."

Luffy sobbed quietly, gripping the hat like it was the most precious treasure in the world. Lucy, on the other hand, stood calm and silent, but his eyes betrayed him. They said everything. This village was going to feel empty without them.

"Well," Uta chimed in with a confident grin, "you'll hear plenty about me. My music's going to take over the world!" Without warning, she stepped forward and hugged both Lucy and Luffy tightly.

"Don't you dare forget me," she muttered, pulling back with a smile before turning to join her father. Lucy watched quietly as Uta boarded the ship, standing beside Shanks as the crew prepared to set sail.

Moments later, the Red Force pulled away from the dock, its sails catching the wind as it slowly disappeared into the horizon.

"It's alright, boys. I'm sure you'll see them again someday," Makino said softly, her green hair swaying as she knelt beside Luffy, trying to soothe his tears.

Luffy sniffled, gripping the straw hat tightly like it was the only thing holding him together.

"Yeah… well, I should start learning," Lucy muttered, more to himself than anyone else. The past few months had flown by, and thanks to Uta constantly dragging him off to play, he'd made zero progress in learning how to read.

Makino glanced at him with a curious smile as she led them back home. "Learning what?"

"How to read," Lucy replied, rubbing the back of his head. He sighed, glancing at his twin. "Not that Luffy will ever bother. I doubt he'll ever learn to do anything besides eating and sleeping."

Luffy scowled through his tears. "I can too learn stuff!"

Lucy gave him a tired look. 'If this were Earth, I'd be terrified for his future…'

"Oh, I can teach you how to read," Makino offered with a warm smile. Lucy blinked, then nodded gratefully.

They headed back to the bar, where Makino worked, and Lucy wasted no time diving into his lessons. He quickly picked up the basics, learning how to read and write in this world's language. Time, once again, began to pass.

"Lucy! Bad news!" The bar's door burst open, slamming against the wall as Luffy rushed inside, panic written all over his face.

"What?" Lucy asked without even looking up, too focused on the paper in front of him. It had barely been a week, and he'd already learned how to read. Now, he was practicing writing the strange new characters unique to this world.

"Grandpa is here!" Luffy screamed, hands gripping his head like it might protect him from the inevitable. Lucy froze, horror gripping his heart. 

The old man's fists were like iron—no, worse than iron. Lucy had felt them before, and the memory alone was enough to send a shiver down his spine.

Slowly, he turned to look at Luffy… and instantly froze. There, standing tall and broad behind Luffy, was Monkey D. Garp—their grandpa.

"So," Garp rumbled, cracking his knuckles with a terrifying grin. "I hear you two got real cozy with those red-haired pirates while I was away."

Luffy's face drained of color. He barely had time to stammer out a word before Garp's fist came down like a hammer, slamming straight into his head.

BAM!

Luffy hit the floor, screaming in agony. And that's when Lucy realized something truly horrifying. Luffy was made of rubber now. He should be immune to blunt damage. Yet Garp's punch still hurt.

"WHY DOES IT STILL HURT?!" Luffy wailed, rolling on the floor while clutching his head.

"That's because it's the Fist of Love!" Garp bellowed with a hearty laugh. Lucy's eyes widened. Without wasting a second, he jumped off his chair and bolted for the door.

But Garp? He didn't chase. He just… appeared right beside Lucy, like some kind of nightmare teleportation.

BAM!

A fist hammered down onto Lucy's head, sending him crashing to the floor. He rolled around, clutching his skull, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes.

"Y-you! Just watch!" Luffy shouted, still nursing his own lump. "Lucy and I will become pirates and find the One Piece!"

Garp's laughter died instantly. His face twisted into pure rage. "You will become Marines!" Garp roared, cracking his knuckles.

A few minutes later, the results spoke for themselves.

Luffy dangled limply from Garp's hand, held by the face like a squishy stress ball. His rubbery body flopped around, but somehow, he didn't seem too bothered by it. In Garp's other hand, Lucy hung inside Garp's armpit, his head throbbing with fresh bumps.