For You To The End Of The World

Chapter 5 - Sunrise

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It was night already. Lue was on the ground with Ace in his arms. He stood up and walked to the doors. The young man glanced back at the body of Ace's mother. He wanted to say something...but he stopped himself. He only looked at the baby. Ace was sleeping peacefully in his arms. He was so small, his whole head was the size of Lue's hand or even his hand was bigger than it. He walked out of the house.

"We'll be taking her." One doctor with a mask said. Lue was looking at the sky. He had a plan...to save Ace's mother. But not knowing the full story...he only then understood that it was too late. She was already in that kind of state. If only he knew why she was staying so long on that island, maybe he would come earlier, but the fact that she was Pirate's King's wife made marines look around the whole world for her and for the unborn and unsure child.

Lue looked down at the doctor. He nodded and she went inside. He walked down the hill road. Silent.

—

"Gramps... why did Ace's mother die?" Luffy at the age of 24 asked his grandpa when he visited his house where he lived after he retired.

"Hmm...why do you want to know?" Garp was eating crackers.

"It's just that...I heard some awful things from people. I want to know who she was and when...when I meet him someday I want to tell him that he, from the very start, had someone who wanted for him to live so badly." Luffy clenched his fists while he was looking at the horizon. Garp sighed.

"Maybe Ace knew she loved him, he was thanking her, remember?" He tilted his head.

"I think that still at the end of his head, he was thinking how bad he was for her to even exist." Luffy and Garp were sitting on a near bench on the beach. He was playing with sand with his feet.

"Bahahaha!" The old man laughed. Luffy tsked. "Okay! I will tell ya!" He exclaimed. Luffy turned to him and smiled.

—

"Huh, that's it?!" Luffy exclaimed.

"You don't need to know anything more! You're too stupid! Hahahaha!" Garp laughed.

"Ghh! Gramps!" Luffy shouted with shark teeth. He knew he was dumb, but he wanted to know more.

"I told ya everything there is to know." Garp sighed and Luffy gave up.

—

He was in one of the island's docks. He stepped on the wooden bridge. The sound from walking made Ace wriggle in his sleep. Lue felt it and he stopped walking.

"You're so delicate..." Lue teased calmly. He laughed a little to himself, not wanting to wake up the sleeping baby. "I need to buy a boat...will you let me?" He whispered. Of course he would do it, but he just wanted to talk to Ace.

"Ho?" Said an old guy with a cigarette leaning from a shed. It had one little lantern hanging from the side. "What ya looking for, youngster?" He asked, not so loudly like he would normally do...maybe seeing the baby or just not wanting to disturb people living close to the port.

"Oh, old guy. Can I rent a boat or buy one?" Lue asked, caressing his neck. He was still holding Ace with his one arm...he was so small. The man eyed Lue, but gestured with his head to follow him.

"What kind of boat? If you want to go on a voyage I recommend those." He pointed at one of the big boats. Lue sweatdropped.

"Actually, I'm going to East Blue, haha..." He laughed nervously.

"East Blue? That really calm sea?" The old man's eyes widened from the little shock. Lue nodded. The man sighed.

"Then this will do." He stopped in front of some old and dusty boat. Lue inspected the ship with his eyes. It looked pretty the same as the one he lost earlier. He smiled and turned to the man.

"I will choose this one." He said. The man puffed a big cloud of smoke. Lue covered Ace's face, knowing that it's bad for baby's or anyone to smoke. Knowing from his experience, everyone who smoked had mad coughs later in their lives.

"That will be 10k bellies." The man huffed.

"Must have been a bad day..." Lue handed him a note with "10 000" written on it. The man snatched it.

"Don't even ask..." He murmured. Lue tilted his head. But then sighed and walked back to the ship. He stepped on it and it made some weird clicking noises but he was used to it. The old guy glanced at Lue with his one eye. He then walked closer. "Do you know...the World Nobles?" He suddenly asked. Lue's eyes widened and he looked back at the man with a sweat running down his side of face. The young man gulped.

"I know them." He closed his eyes, remembering all the times he encountered or heard about the things they made to other people.

"They were here..." He said. Lue flinched.

"R-really?" He asked.

"Don't worry. They were here like 10 years ago, haha!" The old guy laughed, but the laugh wasn't that kind of laugh. There was pain in it. He stopped and looked at his feet. 

"They wanted a ship...but here we don't have any good ones. So they...demanded someone for it." He started. Lue felt like the story would go the wrong way and oh he was right.

"Guess what they did?" He stopped and then looked at Lue with wide eyes full of fury. "They took my child!" He exclaimed. Lue had eyes shadowed. Ace started to wiggle and he soon woke up...but he didn't cry, he was looking at Lue's face, he had eyes wide open, like he was listening to the older males. 

"They took everything from me." He concluded. He glanced at Ace. "This guy's pretty tough. He didn't cry when I shouted or anything." He smiled while puffing the smoke. Lue glanced at Ace then back at the man.

"Old man. Why are you telling me this?" He asked.

"Cuz I felt like it." He crossed his arms. "You seem like a person that I could talk to. And...seeing you here with a child made me remember." He sighed. Lue smiled.

"Don't worry...someday the world will change, I know it." He looked into his eyes, they were wide open and the cigarette fell from his mouth. The sun started to rise. It lightened up Lue from his back and The old guy was mesmerised, the young man looked like an angel telling him everythings okay. Even though many people before him told him those words, he only believed the young man.

"Boy, what's your name?" He asked.

"I? My name is Monkey D. Luerion." Lue answered firmly.

"Monkey D.?" The old man murmured. He had heard that name before, right?

"Old guy, the sun has risen, I'll get going now!" Lue said and he untied the rope holding the boat to the bridge and he started to swim away. "Believe my words!" Lue shouted. Ace was wide awake, demanding food, but Lue had to say goodbye first.

"Oh...right. Good Luck, boy, with the kid!" He shouted back. Lue's smile widened and he was waving more and more.

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