From the very beggining you knew that your time with him was short.

You were going to miss Ace much but you were happy that time allowed you to meet. You hoped that time would allow some more fateful encounters with people you careed deeply about as well.

'Although now that I think about it... I'm gonna seriously worry about those guys...'

It's been 2 month since Ace and his friends had left, and right now, you were completely focused on your job. You'd been a bit behind on sales 2 months ago due to everything that was going on but Alivia was now back in Buisness mode and wasn't having any excuses. She's been getting more trade deals for the bakery and even though you beg her to keep you low profile, you know she doesn't listen. Surprisingly, ever since the festival, more people have been coming to the bakery and ordering. So sales have risen, completely compensating for the last few months of guests and half days.

'That dance must've really put me on the map! There are so many orders for cakes and breads' you smiled.

Aside from helping Ace and Luffy, your own dream was to run a nice,sweet bakery and so far your were doing well.

"Thank you for your purchase Mr Redding! I really appreciate it!" you smiled at the man as you placed two glazed cinnabun cakes infront of him.

"It's not like I had a choice (y/n), your cakes are too addictive. I'm no longer able to control myself anymore" he laughed as he wrapped the cakes in a bag. "And keep the change (y/n)!" he yelled as he ran out the store.

'Why do they keep doing that!' you sighed as you put the money into the registor and moved onto the next customer.

"Hey (y/n)! can I get two fresh loaves to go!" "I'll need one loaf and a slice of that lemon drizzle cake!"

"Can I get a the gluten free velvet cake?!"

"Coming right up!" you called to your customers, taking out some fresh loaves and preparing the ingredients for the cake.

A two months ago you probably would've drowned in the flood of orders that customers were giving, but now you were used to it. Besides if you were gifted at anything, it was definitely your ability to multi-task. Your movements were efficient and effective.

"Two fresh loaves for you and a fresh loaf with a slice of lemon drizzle... that'll be 48 berries for you and 34 berries for you" you placed the orders on the counter and smiled.

"Thanks (y/n), you're a star" he said as he placed the money on the counter and walked out.

"The offer to marry my son still stands you know?" The man wiggles his eyebrows as he walked out the store.

"Thank you, but I'll have to decline! Too busy!" You laughed as you carried a bag of flour to the back. "Your gluten free velvet cake will be ready by tomorrow Gemma!" You informed.

"Thanks (y/n)! I'll see you tomorrow then!" She waved as she walked off.

'Phew! I think that was the last of them for now... maybe I'll get some time to myself...'

"(Y/n)!!!"

'I spoke too soon' you looked up from the counter and saw three mucky boys bounding towards you.

Each one had a twig or two sticking out of their hair and left a trail of mud behind them. You grimaced slightly at the mess they dragged in.

"(Y/N)! You'll never guess what we just did!" Isaac beamed.

"I think I can..." you shook your head "You walked into my bakery and left a trail of dirt" you gave a disapproving look.

The three boys paused for a moment. They looked at each other, then at themselves then back at you. They were all smiling nervously as they fidgeted under your gaze. After a good seven minute lecture they went outside to clean themselves off then came in to clean the mess they'd made. Each very apologetic about their actions.

"Now... what is it that's so exciting that you wanted to tell me earlier" you said as you began to make the velvet cake mix.

'The boys will probably want something to nibble on as well' you took out some doughnuts dough.

"Oh yeah! (Y/n)! We found a newspaper in town!" Liam beamed as he swept up some mud.

"Really?" you stopped rolling the dough and looked up. "Are you sure?" you sceptically asked.

News in this town was very rare because the island itself was still fairly small. News gulls didn't seem to like flying by but it didn't really bother anyone. Except Liv of course. The news itself was wishy-washy. sometimes it was important, other times... not so much.

"Of course we're sure!" Ian declared

"And you'll never guess who we saw!" Liam continued

"Shanks and Law! They got a new bounty!" Isaac cheered.

"That's incredible! I haven't heard anything about Law in so long." you smiled as the memories of him staying over slowly came back. "I'm glad to here that he's doing well but I hope he doesn't do anything too reckless. I don't think I ever want to do another bullet operation in my life." you sighed "And as for Shanks how did he bump his bounty up again?! What on earth is he doing?" you laughed.

'That's great but don't they normally send wanted posters in bulk' you pondered

As if all the boys read your mind they all shrugged and shook their heads.

"There were some other guys as well but they didn't seem important" Ian swiftly disregarded the topic.

"But isn't it so cool! We know these guys!" Liam did a little dance. "Doesn't that make us kinda important too!"

You chuckle left your throat as you watched his jingle "you guys are already important, you don't need them to make you special!"

You walked around the counter and gave them all a big hug, effectively covering them in flour. They all groaned and protested as they tried to wipe it off of themselves.

"(Y/n) you literally just gave us a lecture about being tidy and now your messing us up!" Isaac whined.

'Dang it I contradicted myself again'

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The boys stayed around for a bit to keep you company. Rush hour had passed so only a few customers meandered in, taking a few slices of cake from the display. For cleaning their mess and helping out with random errands the boys got well earned sugar coated doughnuts. You sent them off home before the sugar rush kicked in.

'It is definitely better to let their parents deal with that' you laughed to yourself as you put away all your equipment and locked up.

You started walking home and as you did you took in a deep breath and looked up at the sky. It was always clear sky, even when it snowed. Something to do with the water in the clouds refracting the sunlight in such a perfect way that it made the clouds seem invisible. It was a very strange phenomenon that made it very difficult to live here as you couldn't tell what the whether was gonna be like. You took in a deep breath and sighed, the well-worn track guiding your every step.

"It really has gone back to the way it was..." you whispered quietly.

'I think I got too use to the chaos' you chuckled as you approached your home.

But the chaos you've experienced would never be able to prepare you for what tomorrow's new visitor had in store.

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[A little bit extra]

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND HIM?!" You screamed.

"(Y/n) calm down! It's not like he couldn't have gone far" Ace cleared out his ear completely calm about the whole situation. "He's been in worse situations"

"That's not the problem Ace!" You yelled, completely hysterical.

"But he has a point (y/n)..." Sabo picked his nose and then flicked it at Ace "Luffy is capable of looking after himself if he needs to" he smiled.

Sure these guys have known Luffy for longer than you but you still expected them to have a bit of concern for each other.

'How can they think like that!? Luffy is still just a kid and there are so many dangers in the woods!' you clenched your fists.

"No matter how you look at it, he's still younger than you and so you should look after him! You're his brothers! He looks up to you guys!" you lectured.

"Well not anymore since Ace was the one that made him run off in the first place" Sabo sighed

"How is this my fault!? I didn't see you trying to stop me from telling him the truth!" Ace accused pointing his finger at Sabo.

"I told you to be nicer about it!" Sabo yelled back.

The two boys growled at each other getting ready to fight. You quickly ran between them and put a hand on both of their chests. You were livid at this point. Not only have they not tried to look properly for Luffy, but their the reason he's run off as well. Tears stung the corners off your eyes but you refused to let them fall. Instead you turned to look at both Ace and Sabo.

"Look! If you guys aren't gonna go and look for Luffy to bring him back then I will!" You stormed off.

Both Ace and Sabo were stunned to silence as they watched you run off into the dense wood.

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"I can't believe those guys! After everything they've been through together and they refuse to look out for each other!" you grumbled as you pushed past bushes and leaves. "Don't they know that they only have each other" you sighed.

You weren't heading in any direction in particular, just following your motherly instinct.

'Now that I think about it, I met Luffy under these circumstances... I wouldn't have known them if he wasn't lost in the wood whilst I was looking for wild fruit' a small smile graced your lips. 'Don't worry Lu! I'll find yo-'

You halted and strained your ears. Between the rustling of the trees and the sound of insects chirping you could just make out the distinct sound of Luffy wailing. You sprinted towards the sound and as you got closer his hollering got louder.

"Ace! Sabo! I wanna go back to the treehouse! I wanna see (y/n)!" He cried.

You burst into the clearing which had a lone tree in the middle. There you saw Luffy walking blindly around the field clearly struggling to find which way to get back. His hat was pulled down to cover his puffy eyes, his nose was running like a waterfall and he had bits of leaves and twigs stuck all over him. But it didn't matter what he looked like, you were just so happy you'd finally found him. The worry you burdened on your shoulder was now swiftly removed by the winds of relief.

"Luffy!" You cried as you bolted towards him.

Luffy's sobbing temporarily stopped as he whipped his head up to find the owner of the voice that had called him.

"(y-y/n)?" he whimpered.

You swiftly crushed him your embrace.

"Luffy! Are you ok? You're not hurt are you? I was so worried" you verbally vomited a mountain of questions on the poor kid.

His eyes welled up as his brain slowly processed what was going on. All your questions were quickly answered when he hugged you back tightly and bawled into your chest. Even though you and Luffy were the same age you were still taller than him, so as he cried in your embrace you just hushed him and stroked his hair.

"There there Lu... You're ok now..." you soothed.

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It took a couple minutes for Luffy to stop crying, but somehow you managed to guide him towards the tree in the centre of the clearing in order to avoid the sun getting in your eyes. You both sat there for a little while in silence.

"They told me that I'm not strong enough to protect you..." Luffy muttered.

"Wait what?" You turned to look at Luffy.

"They Ace said that I'm not strong enough to protect you and Sabo agreed..." he repeated a little defeated.

'So this is why they fell out...' you sighed.

"Well do you think it's true?" You asked

"Yeah... but I already know that! That's why I'm training everyday with them! So I can be strong and be king of the pirates!" He stated boldly

'This guys confidence never fails to amaze me' you smiled.

"Then you've already gotten strong enough!" You laughed

"Eh?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion

"Luffy... if you are able to recognise your flaws and work towards fixing them, you already have the right mentality to be a strong person" you shrugged "Maybe even stronger than Ace and Sabo one day" you casually suggested.

"Do you think I'll be strong enough to protect you?" Luffy asked determination written all over his face.

"I think you already are capable of doing that Lu" you laughed

Luffy started beaming at you. He jumped up and dragged you along with him. You giggled when he ran around the tree chanting about how he'd get stronger and stronger. Unfortunately neither of you realised you were drawing the attention of a large wild boar. The boar dug it's hoof into the ground and blew steam out of it's huge hairy nostrils. It's tusks looked like they'd just been sharpened and polished for this exact occasion.

You both froze as the boar's beady eyes bored into your own.

"L-Luffy... Run!" You yelled.

You both sprinted towards the trees, if you could make it there, you'd be able to outrun the wild beast. However, fate was cruel and decided that the floor needed a hug. You yelped then face planted. Luffy skidded to a stop when he noticed you were no longer running with him.

"Ugh..." you groaned as you tried to get up.

You'd grazed your knee badly and even if you did manage to get up on time you wouldn't be able to make it to the trees. The beast charged straight towards you, and you let out a scream.

"(Y/N)! Gomu Gomu no balloon!"

In an instant Luffy expanded effectively shoving you out the way. However he basically bounced off the charging boar; which caused him to release his air and whiz around and land near you with a loud:

"Luffy!" You cried as you ran over to him, adrenaline working it's wonderful magic.

He wasn't hurt but looked very dizzy. You would've laughed if it wasn't for your circumstance. The boar was already bolting towards you for the kill. You held Luffy in a protective position and awaited impact... and awaited impact...

'How far was that boar!?' You thought as you peeked out from one of your eyes.

There stood Ace and Sabo on top of a crying boar with two large lumps on its head.

"So annoying..." Ace prodded the boar "think we'll eat it"

"Luffy, (Y/n) are you alright?" Sabo asked.

Once again your eyes welled up but you refused to cry. You nodded profusely as Luffy sat up, trying to find his centre of gravity.

"Oi Luffy!" Ace called as Luffy looked over, his head swaying slightly. "... Good job..." he grumbled

Sabo smiled as he placed a hand on Luffy's shoulder. You giggled as you attempted stand, at which point your leg said 'nope' and let you fall. Sabo ran over and took a look at your knee which was covered in blood.

In the end Ace gave you a piggyback home whilst Luffy received praise from Sabo.

"Thank you for coming for us you two... even if you just followed me" you smiled.

Both boys flinched.

"You knew!" Ace growled going all red.

"Since when?" Sabo asked hiding behind his hat, also red.

"From the beginning" you laughed "I knew you wouldn't have let me walk alone! Thank you!"

Ace smirked, Sabo smiled and Luffy giggled.

"No problem!" They all said in unison.

'My pirate heroes' you smiled hugging Ace tighter as he carried you home.

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🔥🔥🔥🙏🏽

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