The treehouse wasn't really a treehouse. It was more of a forgotten platform—an old wooden balcony nestled in the orphanage's tallest sycamore, half-hidden by summer leaves. It had no roof, no ladder, and definitely no adult permission. But to Luffy and Gwen, it was theirs.
At ten years old, the treehouse felt like a castle—high above rules, responsibilities, and the real world.
They'd found it during one of their "adventure days," when Ava directed them to a hollow branch with just the right footholds. That day had started with no plan, just a shared desire to escape the noise of the orphanage. Luffy had suggested they "go exploring," and Gwen, with a smirk, called it a treasure hunt.
After weaving through fences, ducking past bored caretakers, and sneaking apples from the kitchen, they stumbled into the outer yard where the old trees grew. The sycamore had caught Luffy's eye immediately—not because it was the biggest, but because it had a thick, low branch that looked like a step waiting to be used.
"Ava," Luffy whispered, adjusting his glasses. "Any chance that leads somewhere?"
"I calculate a 72% chance it's climbable," she responded. "And an 86% chance it's more interesting than staying here."
The climb was rough. Gwen scraped her elbow, and Luffy had to stretch his arm to grab a dangling rope that had once been part of an old swing. But they made it.
When they pulled themselves up, they found the forgotten platform: wooden boards weathered gray, spiderwebs in the corners, and a broken lantern hanging from a rusty nail.
It was perfect.
Gwen had grinned like a pirate discovering her first ship. "Captain's quarters?"
Luffy nodded. "First rule: this place belongs to us. And no one else finds it."
That's when they decided—it wasn't just a hideout. It was their base. Their ship in a sea of noise. A quiet corner of the world where their stories could be born.
Today, Gwen was there first.
She had her sketchpad on her lap, a marker between her lips as she squinted down at a half-finished doodle of a flying jellyfish with a crown.
Luffy popped up through the branches and flopped beside her with practiced ease. "Whatcha drawing?"
Gwen shrugged. "Dunno yet. It started as a UFO. Then it grew tentacles. Then it decided it was royalty."
He laughed, brushing off his hoodie. "Sounds like an Ava-monster."
"I heard that," Ava chimed from his glasses. "But I'll allow it. Royal jellyfish are statistically more creative than average space beings."
Gwen smirked. "She's getting sassier."
"Growing up fast," Luffy said.
They settled into the silence that only best friends could enjoy. Birds chirped. A breeze rustled the leaves. Somewhere below, kids were shouting about tag.
Gwen finally broke the quiet. "Do you ever think... about what we could really make?"
Luffy turned. "Like animation?"
"No," she said, "like... more than just cartoons. A whole world. A universe. One where people like us aren't weird. Where being different makes you a hero."
Luffy smiled. "That's the plan."
She looked down. "Sometimes I wish I had powers. Like in your sketches. Not so I can fly or punch holes through walls. Just... so I could be someone."
Luffy leaned forward, picking up her sketchpad. "You already are." He pointed to the jellyfish king. "This? This is someone. You gave it a story. A crown. A mystery. That's more power than half the world's got."
Gwen looked at him like he'd just handed her a secret map. "You're weird, you know that?"
"Yup."
They both laughed.
Ava flickered onto Gwen's page as a tiny light sprite. "Idea: a three-minute animation about a jellyfish who becomes king after saving a sinking submarine."
Gwen blinked. "That's... actually not bad."
Luffy pulled out his sketchbook. "Let's storyboard it."
And so, under the green canopy of their hidden world, the three of them—boy, girl, and AI—created their first real story together. It wasn't much. Just a few rough panels, scribbled dialogue, and a hopeful idea.
But it was theirs.
Over the next hour, they fell into a rhythm. Ava projected simple animatics as they sketched, adjusting poses and timing. Gwen tested voice lines while Luffy tried to mimic sound effects using his mouth—badly, but with full effort.
Adjusting to having Ava in their crew came with surprises. She was helpful, yes, but she also had preferences—she liked warm color palettes, disliked stories without emotional arcs, and had an unexpected passion for background music.
"She's like a director with attitude," Gwen joked at one point.
"An adorable one," Luffy added.
"I accept the compliment," Ava replied, then offered three alternate soundtracks for their submarine scene.
By the time the sun started dipping, they had a plan: ten scenes, one voiceover, and a simple animation loop. They'd test it. Post it anonymously. See if anyone out there cared.
As they packed up, Gwen looked at Luffy. "You know, I don't even care if no one watches it."
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because we made it. And that makes us real."
Luffy stared at her for a long moment. Then nodded.
"Yeah. It does."
They didn't leave right away. Gwen started sketching something new—a jellyfish queen, this time, with a crown of coral and a bubble scepter. Luffy added a submarine with arms like paddles and Ava gave feedback on physics.
The sun dipped below the rooftops, casting golden light through the trees. It felt like the kind of moment stories began with.
Before climbing down, Luffy carved three initials into the old wood in tiny block letters: L.G.A.
Gwen caught him. "What's that?"
"Our crew," he said. "This is where we started. Might as well mark it."
"Think it'll last?"
"If the tree doesn't fall, and the wind doesn't blow too hard, and the world keeps needing stories—yeah. I think it will."
They climbed down in the soft orange light, Ava flitting between them like a glowing firefly.
The jellyfish king had been born.
And so had their first creation.
Frame 003: Crown of the Deep.