Two years passed in the blink of an eye.
Since the day Lucas met Ace and Sabo, his life had settled into a strange rhythm. From time to time, he would leave Windmill Village and head deep into the forest, crossing Dawn Island to reach Gray Terminal. There, together with Ace and Sabo, he trained relentlessly—fighting, surviving, and secretly saving money for their shared dream of one day going out to sea.
Lucas had grown stronger.
Faster.Sharper.More reliable.
And Luffy—
Luffy was five years old now.
"He's old enough," Lucas thought happily as he walked through the forest path. "He can come with me today."
Behind him, small footsteps followed clumsily.
"Luffy," Lucas said, turning his head slightly. "I'm taking you to meet my friends today. They're also your brothers, in a way."
Luffy's eyes sparkled.
"Really?!"
"Yes, really," Lucas said with a smile. "But listen carefully. The forest is dangerous. Don't run around, and don't wander off."
He crouched slightly, speaking gently. "I'll teach you how to hunt someday. There's lots of meat here. Whatever you want to eat, I'll get it for you."
Lucas imagined Luffy looking at him with admiration.
His nose almost started bleeding from pride.
"…Huh?"
Lucas suddenly stopped.
"No—wait."
He turned around.
There was no one behind him.
"…Luffy?"
His heart skipped.
"LUFFY?!"
Panic exploded in his chest.
"Where are you?! Big brother's here!" Lucas shouted, spinning around wildly.
Nothing.
"Damn it!"
Not far away—
Luffy was crouched in the grass, staring intently at something shiny.
"A golden beetle!" he whispered excitedly.
Without thinking, he followed it.
Step by step.
Deeper.Farther.
By the time Luffy snapped back to his senses, the beetle had flown away—and Lucas was gone.
"…Huh?"
Luffy scratched his head.
"Ah… Big brother got lost again."
He smiled innocently.
Then a colorful butterfly fluttered past.
"Oh!"
Luffy chased it into a small clearing. The butterfly rose into the air and disappeared. Luffy stopped, finally looking around properly.
Tall trees.Thick bushes.No path in sight.
Rustle.
The bushes to his right shook violently.
Before Luffy could react, a wild boar burst out, charging straight toward him.
"AHHH!"
Luffy turned and ran with everything he had.
He tripped over a root and fell hard.
Just as the boar closed in—
BANG!
A metal pipe slammed into the boar's face.
The beast screamed, staggered, then fled back into the forest.
A boy stood there.
Black hair.Sharp eyes.A cold expression.
He watched the boar disappear, then turned away without a word.
"Hey!" Luffy jumped up and ran after him. "You were amazing! Let's be friends!"
The boy ignored him.
"My name is Luffy! What's yours?"
"Don't follow me," the boy snapped. "I hate weaklings."
"I'm not weak!" Luffy shouted. "My fists are as strong as guns!"
The boy—Ace—ran faster, leaping over rocks, kicking down branches to block the path behind him.
Why won't this brat give up?! Ace thought.
After a long chase, Ace finally reached Gray Terminal.
He lost Luffy among the ruins and let out a breath.
"Finally."
Ace ambushed a group of thugs soon after, defeating them and taking their bag of treasure.
"Not bad," he muttered.
He returned to the forest and stopped beneath a familiar tree.
"Sabo!"
A blond head popped out from above.
"How was the harvest?"
Ace lifted the bag. "Big one."
Sabo's eyes lit up. "Nice!"
They quickly hid the treasure inside a hollow tree.
"How much do you think a pirate ship costs?" Sabo asked.
"Who knows," Ace replied. "Tens of millions. Maybe more."
"Pirate ship?!" a voice shouted.
Ace and Sabo froze.
They looked down.
Luffy stood under the tree, waving wildly.
"I wanna be a pirate too!"
Silence.
Then—
BAM!
Ace and Sabo jumped down and punched Luffy on the head at the same time.
"BE QUIET!"
They tied him to a tree immediately.
"You followed me here?!" Ace snarled.
"My name's Luffy!" Luffy said cheerfully. "Ace saved me!"
"…How do you know my name?!"
Sabo's expression darkened.
"This is bad," he whispered. "He knows too much."
Ace clenched his fists.
"…Kill him."
Sabo stiffened. "…Okay."
"WHAT?! NO! DON'T KILL ME!" Luffy screamed.
"I've never killed anyone!" Sabo yelled.
"Me neither!" Ace shouted.
Voices echoed through the forest.
"…Did you hear that?"
"Yeah. A kid."
"Oh no!"
Ace quickly untied Luffy. "Run!"
But it was too late.
A hand grabbed Luffy from the bushes.
"Found you."
Borjami.
Luffy struggled helplessly. "Ace! Help me!"
Ace froze in horror.
Borjami's eyes narrowed. "Ace? So you do know him."
Luffy's face stiffened.
"I—I don't know anything…"
Borjami laughed cruelly. "Worst liar I've ever seen."
He carried Luffy away.
Ace clenched his teeth. "Sabo… we're running out of time."
Luffy was tied up inside an abandoned hut.
Borjami loomed over him.
"Tell me," he said coldly, gripping Luffy's head."Where's Ace's treasure?"
Luffy trembled—but stayed silent.
Somewhere in the forest—
Lucas felt his heart seize.
"…Luffy?"