The Dadan Family had gathered around a roaring bonfire, the flames crackling brightly while laughter and teasing echoed into the night air. Naru sat at the center of attention, animatedly recounting hilarious stories from her two-week-long adventure, her expressive gestures and lively tone making the tales even more captivating. Everyone burst into laughter when she dramatically described the moment she threw her compass into the ocean out of sheer frustration, only to watch it disappear beneath the waves like a rebellious pet running away from home.
The cheerful atmosphere worked its magic, lifting everyone's spirits and wrapping them in a sense of light-hearted camaraderie. It felt like a proper celebration, one born not only of food and firelight but also of shared memories and the bonds that tied them together.
When the laughter finally began to fade, Naru turned her head toward Ace, who sat beside her on the right. With a curious glint in her eyes, she asked, "So, tell me about this new friend of yours."
Despite Ace's usual distrust toward strangers, their first encounter with Sabo had gone surprisingly well. There was something about that boy that immediately clicked with both him and Luffy. They meshed naturally, as if they had known each other for years, and even Ace could not deny that they had hit it off right away. The very next day, the brothers had gone back to find him again, which was rare since they usually preferred to keep to themselves.
For several days afterward, the three of them met regularly at the Grey Terminal. It became their favorite meeting spot, their own secret hangout, until one day Sabo suddenly asked them to stop coming. He never gave a clear explanation, but even though Ace and Luffy could not understand the reason, they respected his wish and stopped showing up there.
Not wanting to lose touch with their new friend, they started exploring the island's forest to search for a better meeting place. That was when they stumbled upon a towering tree, so tall it looked as if it pierced the heavens themselves. Once they climbed to the very top, they were left speechless by the breathtaking view of the endless ocean stretching far and wide beneath them. In that moment, the three of them decided the tree would become their secret hideout, a place that belonged only to them. They even carved their names into the bark, marking it as their personal territory.
Lately, the trio had been full of excitement over the idea of building a treehouse there, an actual base of operations for all their future mischief. But Ace had intentionally waited for Naru to return before starting the real work. He wanted to know if she would be interested in joining the project as well.
"Building a treehouse, huh? What's this? Are you guys planning to move out already?" Naru teased, her lips curling into a playful smirk.
"No, it's our secret place!" Luffy said enthusiastically, his face glowing with excitement.
"I think Sabo wants to build it because he doesn't want to stay in the Grey Terminal anymore," Ace added, his tone growing slightly more serious.
Naru grew thoughtful at that.
The Grey Terminal. What kind of place was it exactly? How could she, who had explored almost every part of the island through her clones, know so little about it?
She had scouted nearly every corner of the island with her clones over the years, but that area had always stood out as a chaotic wasteland of junk, smoke, and danger. She had visited once, disguised to blend in, but during that trip, she had not seen a single child. The place was filled mostly with adults, rough and hardened people who were just struggling to survive. So to learn that a boy around Ace and Luffy's age had been living there on his own genuinely surprised her.
And the fact that he had no guardian? That was even more troubling.
According to Ace, he and Luffy had brought their new friend over to the house several times during the past couple of weeks, probably just to make sure he got a proper meal. That kind of initiative, especially from Ace, said a lot about how much they liked the kid.
Ace continued to talk about Sabo.
His grew livelier again as he said, "Sabo likes to show off sometimes, but he's nice about it. He doesn't mind teaching us things. He's not super strong, but he's really skilled with that metal pipe of his. He's always up for playing in the woods or going to the river. We catch fish together too. He's better than Luffy at it. Of course, not better than me, obviously."
Naru did not respond immediately. She quietly focused on roasting some meat over the fire, flipping it carefully until it was cooked to perfection. When she was satisfied, she placed a juicy piece onto Luffy's plate, earning a delighted cheer from the boy.
Ace kept speaking, though his voice softened a little. "Sabo's always laughing and smiling… but sometimes, I don't know, I get the feeling that he's lonely."
"Lonely, huh?" Naru murmured thoughtfully as she placed the last piece of meat onto Ace's plate. She reached over and affectionately ruffled his hair before asking, "Do you like having a friend like him around?"
Before Ace could reply, Luffy loudly announced, his mouth still full of food, "Happy! Sabo knows more stuff than Ace!"
"Oi!" Ace snapped, sending him an irritated glare, but Luffy only grinned wider and kept chewing as if nothing had happened.
Naru chuckled softly. "I thought you were too busy stuffing your face, but it turns out you were eavesdropping the whole time."
"Shishishishi! And guess what, Nee-chan! Sabo looks like you!"
"Oh?" she asked with one brow raised.
"Yeah! His hair's yellow, just like yours! Now we have two and two!"
"Two and two?"
"Yeah! Me and Ace have black hair. You and Sabo have yellow hair! So two and two!" Luffy declared proudly, as if he had just uncovered some great universal truth.
Naru was not exactly sure what the boy meant, but she tried her best to follow the simple logic of Luffy's mind.
"Wow! That's amazing, Luffy! You're such a genius!" she praised him with exaggerated excitement, prompting both Ace and Dadan (the latter was sitting nearby and trying very hard not to react the entire time) to throw her matching looks of disbelief.
Ace looked ready to say something sarcastic, while Dadan's expression clearly screamed, are you serious right now?
Naru blinked innocently. Well, big sisters were supposed to be supportive, weren't they?
"Sabo sounds like a nice kid. I'd really like to meet him. Oh! I have an idea! Why don't you two bring him over for lunch tomorrow? That way, I can get to know him myself."
Instead of saying "invite him" or "ask him," she said "bring him." Knowing them, they would probably march into the forest and drag poor Sabo along by the arm whether he wanted to come or not. Subtlety was definitely not one of their strengths.
The two boys lit up with excitement at the idea.
Now that the door had been opened, Ace eagerly asked, "Can we keep him for a sleepover?"
"Sure, but you should ask for his opinion first."
"Okay!"
Dadan, who had been silently following the conversation, nearly choked on her drink. Keep? These brats were talking about that poor boy as if he were a stray puppy they wanted to adopt. She grumbled inwardly, thinking, you think that boy's a pet or something?
Still, being the wise and seasoned woman that she was, Dadan kept her thoughts to herself. Instead, she stood up and started barking orders at the others to prepare more food for tomorrow.
And just like that, the evening rolled on. The fire crackled, laughter continued, and the Dadan Family enjoyed another night of warmth, food, and togetherness.