Chapter Text
Ann was sweping for the second time that day, praying it would be the last one. Living in the middle of the woods had good things, but the little girl expected too much from a dozen of adult ruffians to try and keep the house cleaned at least the bare minimun for a proper life. With a tired sigh, she put a smile on her face and continued her duties. Ace would arrive any moment now with the dinner, and Ann prefered to have everything done before getting into the kitchen. She heard the shouts the moment she finished cleaning the floor.
With a shy aproach, she went outside. There was still some light, and the embrace of the sun filled Ann with a common yet foreign feeling : warm. The little girl look for the source of the noise. It didn’t take her long: just a couple of meters from the entrance she found the tall figures of Dadan and…
"Granpa !" she shouted before running to the adults. Garp proceed to ignore the angry woman in order to get closer to the little girl.
"Ann ! Sweet lord, you’ve grown up so much."
"Yes ! Now I’m taller than Ace" replied Ann with a proud smile. Garp just laugh louder, burying the complaints from Dadan. Ann gave her a curious look. Why did she look mad ?
"Come here, Ann, I want you to meet someone." Obedient as always, the girl followed the man towards a further part of their garden — it was a wide and empty part of the front house which led to the central path, but Ann liked to called it garden — where a little boy with a strawhat looked with cute anger at…
"Ace ! There you are. So you already met, good. Luffy, these are Ace and Ann, you are going to live with them."
Okey, that was not what Ann expected. Usually, their grandpa only brought, well, just his presence. One time he came with some presents for them for their birthday, but that was all. Ann tightened the broom between her fingers, she never thought he would come one day with a new…
A sudden movement draw her attention before she could think something she might regret later. Ace got down of the huge animal he had hunted for tonight, dragged it to the main door and disappeared towards the bathroom. Ann decided to get down to business before worrying about the new kid. She gave him one last look before taking the animal and going inside the house. Cooking was usually Dadan’s task, but Ann liked to help, one of the main reasons being the chance to get close to the food before the rest of the gang devoured it. In their household, it was the law of nature : the strong survives, the weak has to find a way to not die. After cooking the meat, Ann took her own share of food, just a singular piece, and then she and Dadan took the meat to the main room where all the men where already waiting.
And that’s when the battle began.
Ann sat down in a corner, far from the chaos and violence that always erupted during dinner time. She observed the usual : arms and legs tangled, hits, kicks and shouts to not eat all the meat. Ann had wondered for some time if Dadan realized she was taking some food before she should, but now she didn’t care anymore. She was going to give the first bite to her more than deserved meal when her eyes spoted the new kid, Luffy, battling for the last piece with Pochi. The dog won the fight, and little Luffy stayed defeated on the floor. Ann should have thought better before acting.
"Luffy," she called, trying not to shout so the others didn’t interfere "come here."
Maybe it was the fact that a gentle hand was lent to him, or just the sight of the food, but the kid ran to Ann’ side. The girl couldn’t help but laugh. "If you want, we can share mine."
"Really ? Thanks, Ann !" the kid shouted. Ann smiled at him. "It’s okey. Now, we can…" Before she could finish, the meat disappeared. Ann blinked in shock before turning to a more than satisfied Luffy. He seemed to need a couple of seconds to realize and understand what had he done. "Ah ! I’m so sorry !" he pouted.
Ann thought he was truly sorry, so she just did what she knew best: fake everything was okey. "Don’t worry, I wasn’t very hungry actually, so it’s okey. A bowl of rice is more than enough for me, I don’t like eating a lot before sleeping" she said with the most fake smile. Good for her, Luffy didn’t seemed to realize it. Bad for him, Dadan appeared just then.
"Auch !"
"If you want meat, you need to work ! Starting tomorrow, you’re helping Ann with the house chores."
"Eh ? I don’t want to."
"I don’t care what you want, you’re not going to live here for free ! And now go to sleep !"
Ann took Luffy’s hand and led him to their room, where Ace was already half-sleep. They lied down in silence. "Don’t worry, it’s not that hard. And with two people it’s going to be easier, maybe we have some time left for playing when we are done." Luffy didn’t look excited about it, but it didn’t take long before he felt asleep. Ann gave the two boys a last look before closing her eyes.
Maybe having a little brother is not that bad. Ace can keep Sabo for himself, Luffy is going to be all mine.
A few days was all Ann needed to learn everything about her new little brother, mostly because Luffy was as transparent as the water and the kid couldn’t lie to save his life. And boy, how he liked to talk. After three days, Ann knew the whole story about his hat and scar, the old maior of the town and the nice lady from the tavern, a singing girl and a well-known red-haired pirate…
"I’m going to become the pirate king and give Shanks his hat back !"
"Really ? You know, Ace also wants to become a pirate."
That was Ann’s first mistake.
"Are you serious ??? And you don’t ?"
"Mmm, I don’t think so. Besides, grandpa doesn’t like it…"
"But being a pirate is the best !" complained little Luffy, letting his broom fall to the ground. After spiling two buckets of water using his elastic arm, Ann had decided to let him do the easy task of sweping while she got her hands on the laundry. She hated laundry. "You are the most free person in the world, you can do whatever you want and no one can tell you anything."
"Sounds really cool…" added the girl before taking one of the t-shirts Ace and she shared. Since they were twins, Dadan had decided they could just share clothes. When Ann used to go with Ace and Sabo, she liked to observe the ladies of the city and imagine how she would look like with a dress. "You can talk with Ace tonight about it. He even has his own treasure."
"HE HAS WHAT ?" Ann couldn’t help but laugh loudly at Luffy’s enthusiasm. Since the first day the kid arrived, she had been laughing more. With a gentle remark, she told him to go back to his task.
That was Ann’ second mistake. The next day, when Ace left for his hunt (and his not-so-secret-for-her meeting with Sabo), Luffy followed him.
"Luffy ! Come back to do your chores !" shouted Dadan. "I don’t want to" replied the child making a funny face before bolting to the forest. Ann tried not to take it personal.
"He’s a little kid." Once she was left alone to mop the floors, she tried to convince herself she wasn’t hurt. "Of course he doesn’t want to spend the whole day swepping and cleaning, he wants games and adventures."
A sudden wind hit her face, making her stop and look at the forest where those three should be having the time of their lives. She leaned on the mop. Luffy’s words came to her mind like the soft breeze that just caressed her cheek. Luffy's word echoed in her ears. You are the most free person in the world, you can do whatever you want and no one can tell you anything.
It would be nice to have such freedom…
"Ann ! Stop daydreaming and get to work !"
"Yes, sorry !" Despite being the same tasks as everyday, for some reason Ann felt them heavier.
When the night came, Ace arrived with it. Alone. That made all alarms in Ann ring like crazies. "Where’s Luffy ?" she asked, wary of his response. He couldn’t have abandoned him in the middle of the forest, right ? Ace was mean but he wasn’t bad.
"I don’t know."
"What do you mean you don’t know ?"
"I lost track of him hours ago. He probably got lost." Ace probably wasn’t expecting the hit, but he should had. "Auch ! What’s wrong with you ?"
"What’s wrong with you, idiot ! He’s only seven, why did you left him alone ? He can’t even swim ! What if something happened to him ?"
"How’s that my problem ? I’m going to take a bath."
Ann took his arm with surprising force and dragged him outside.
"We’re gonna look for him right now." She stopped for a second and turned towards the house. "We’re going out !"
"Ah ?! And what about dinner ??"
Ann left the place without a trace of guilt. They were all grown-ups, they could make their own dinner one night. Behind her and still trapped between her fingers, Ace sighed. The twins made it into the woods, Ann calling for Luffy.
"Hey, it’s late. Better to leave it for tomorrow. If we don’t come back now we’ll have nothing for dinner and it was pretty hard to hunt down that stupid boar." The boy only obtained a free arm as an answer. He watched her sister go deeper into the shadows.
"Do whatever you want" mumbled Ann. As always, it was up to her to fix her brother’s mess. It was becoming tiring. Ignoring the way Ace stopped his track, the girl continued calling for the lost boy.
"Luffy ! Where are you ?"
"Hey, don’t go alone. It’s not like you can survive on your own in this forest !"
"I’m very capable of surviving here !" As if the universe wanted to prove her brother right, Ann tripped over a root a felt against the floor, scratching her face. Ace sighed and walked over her, kneeling to get closer. "Listen, it’s very dark, now it’s not possible to look for anyone." When he didn’t get a response, he sighed again and decided to try a new strategy. Gentler, he added "If tomorrow he’s not back, we’ll go search him. But let’s go back, please."
It took Ann a few seconds but finally she got up and followed her brother, dragging her foot through the hard ground. Trying to keep her worry at ease, the girl decided to think about how had Ace lost Luffy. Sure, her brother was awesome in the forest, but Luffy should have been able to follow him. Unless…
"Ace ? Where did you go today ?" The pause and the tension on her brother’ shoulders gave every answer she needed. "Why do you keep going to that stupid place ? It’s full of bad men who only say bad things." Ann has only gone once to the tavern, back when they were both little five years old and had a lot of questions. She could barely handle the hateful words those drunkards spit when Ace asked what would have happened if the infamous Roger had had a kid. Or two. Luckly, she could hold her tears until they were far enough. The only good thing about that horrendous day was that they met Sabo.
Ace said nothing, but Ann didn’t need it. She knew her brother better than anyone in the world, there why she knew exactly what was her brother looking for so desperatly: an answer. A reason that justified their right to live.
Ann sometimes wondered if their mother hated them. If, once they met again in the afterlife, she would tell them the same as the rest of the world: that it would have been better if they were never born. That they had with no right to exist. That…
"Those little monsters just make everyone’s life a living-hell."
The voices from her memories mixed with the ones from her reality, forcing her to stop her steps. Ace was also frozen, with his back facing his sister. Ann couldn’t see his face. Behind the door, the dizzy voice from Dadan spit every insult she may know against them and their situation. Nothing new.
"And Garp pretends we turn them into marines. Those brats could become almirants and not even then the world would stop seeing them as the children of the demon. You have any idea what the Navy would do to us if they found out ? For a damned life like that it would be better if…"
"Boss, you’ve drank enough, come on."
The children used that chance to run to their room upstairs. Ann wondered if they had heard them, and why it didn’t seem to bother her. She was aware about her situation better than they thought, she knew better than anyone the pity their existence was to the world. But after ten years living there, she thought that maybe, just maybe, they didn’t loathe them that much. Guess she was wrong.
For some time, Ann considered following her granpa’s orders and study to be a marine, but if what Dadan had said was true, that wasn’t enough. Apparently, nothing Ann could ever do will be enough. When they were between the sheets, Ann dared to take a quick look at her brother’s face and just with a glimpse, she knew he felt the same. A wide smile appeared in her mind, so bright it startled her.
"Ace… You know ? Luffy told me yesterday that he was scared before coming here. He feared he was going to be left alone after leaving the village. And… That he’s very happy we are here. ” She waited for her words to reach her brother’s heart the same way they have done with hers. “ I think, if you ask him… Maybe we can find the answer we’ve been looking for."
Luffy reappeared after one week, just when Ann had decided to go to Fuscha village in order to verify if Luffy had decided to return to his first home. He was bruised and dirty, but alive and with lots of energy, enough to continue the fruitless hunt for Ace. Ann tried not to take it personal, but she was starting to feel the same bitter feeling she felt the first time Ace went to meet Sabo alone. Sure, a treasure was awesome, but Ann was still the only person in the house who has not mistreated Luffy since his arrival, so she thought maybe he would like to spend some time with her. Of course she would deny if they invited her, she had a lot of chores to do, but would it really hurt that much to simply think abour her ? To consider that maybe she also wanted to go with them ? That they wanted her to go with them ? Perhaps Luffy prefered to be with a tought, brave boy like Ace and not a silly, cry-baby girl like her.
"Ah…" The sigh was louder than the little girl expected, which draw Magra’s attention. They usually did the midday work together. "Are you okey ?"
Ann took the broom and continued swepping the never-cleaned floor without much energy. "Yes, sorry. It’s just that… I’m worried about Luffy. I asked Ace last night to take it easier with him so he doesn’t get lost again but, I don’t know…"
"If you want, you can go and see how they’re doing."
Ann turned to the big man, surprised.
"But I need to finish…"
"It’s okey, I will do it. Don’t worry" added the bandit with a tender smile. If it was any other, Ann would have question the truth of his intentions, but Magra was… Different. With a huge smile, Ann hughed his leg. "Thank you, thank you, thank you !" She offered her broom to the man and bolted to the door. "You are the best !"
Without a second thought, Ann ran through the forest, dodging branches and roots, with one destiny set in her mind.
Gray Terminal is too big to find them there, so it’s better if I wait at the treasure tree. They’re going to be so shocked !
With a mischevous smile, the girl pushed her legs all she could until she arrived her destination.
Portgas D. Ann wasn’t as strong as her brother, but she wasn’t weak. She could run, and throw some punches. And jump. With some gracious movements, she climbed to the top of the tree where Ace hid his treasure and sat on a brach, legs hunging and eyes closed, moving her head to the melody a bird was singing, a smile in her face. The sun was up in the sky, until it started to go down. Sat with her knees close to her chest, Ann’s mind passed through every possible possiblity : they found no treasure that day (not possible, Ace and Sabo were so good at that), they met Luffy and became friends and went to expend the day playing (highly improbable), they were finally caught by Porchemy (gods no), they saw her at the tree and hated it so they left (she should have seen them)…
When she run out of options, she sighed and decided to climb down, a sad look on her eyes. Of course the only day she decided to break the rules and act wild would be the only day where the boys did everything good. She trembled at the thought of Dadan’s more than probable scolding for not doing her work. Maybe if she left already she could make it to prepare dinner…
"Ann ? Ann !"
The sudden yell startled her, body ready for a quick defense and flee. When she saw the blond locks, she relaxed.
"Sabo !" The boy stopped, trying to catch his breath. He must have run from far away if he was in that state. That made Ann worry. "Were have you been ? Where’s Ace ? I’ve been here the whole day and no one came. Are you two okey ? Is Luffy with you ?"
She must have said something wrong, because Sabo looked at her almost pale.
"No one as come here ?"
"Uh, no. I arrived maybe around midday, and not a single soul has come by. I was waiting for you, guys. Why didn’t you come ?"
Sabo didn’t answer her, just looked worried at the tree, mumbling something about Porchemy and the treasure and Luffy…
"Sabo, Sabo !" shouted the girl, grabbing the blond by the shoulders and shaking him "What’s going on ? What happened ?" The way he refused to meet her eyes awakened a new emotion in her. With a weak whisper, Sabo explained to her what had happened. Every word filled Ann’s heart with an unpleasant mix of feelings: worry, fear, rage.
"YOU DID WHAT ?" she could barely talk. Luffy was kidnapped, possibly being tortured by a bunch of psychopaths who wanted a stupid treasure. "Why didn’t you give them the treasure ? Why didn’t you help Luffy ?"
"We thought he would tell them so we changed the treasure’s place." Sabo at least seemed a bit guilty, reducing Ann’s wrath. "He’s a little kid. We thought they would ask, he would talk and…"
"Well not a single person has come here today so apparently, you thought wrong !" Ann was sure she had never yelled that much. It wasn’t proper of her. But she was the one who told Luffy to go with Ace.
She was also responsible.
With a confidence born from the protective feeling she held for Luffy, she turned and headed to the path leading to Gray Terminal. "I’m going to Porchemy’s lair. You go find Ace, tell him everything and then fly to join me. I will have a plan by the time you arrive."
"What ?! You can’t go there alone ! It’s dang…"
"Then don’t waste any time !" With those words, Ann raced towards the forest, pushing her short legs as much as she was able to. She couldn’t waste a single minute. If Porchemy hadn’t come to the tree then Luffy hadn’t talked, and if he hadn’t talked… Ann didn’t want to think what they could be doing to that little kid. He was so tiny, so young… She was his older sister, and since Ace refused to play his role as the big brother, she had to work twice, harder. As always.
The sun was already set by the time Ann arrived to Gray Terminal. Ace and Sabo liked to make their heists as loud and violent as possible. Ann prefered to act quietly, non-seen. It was less problems for her. With the stealth of a cat, she passed through the poor excuses of houses that filled the dumpster until she reached her destination : the thieves’ lair. Slowly, she climbed to look through the window, trying to get as much information as she could to make a good rescue plan.
Every idea left her brain when a cry stabbed her ears. A childish cry. A painful, childish cry. She didn’t want to look, she couldn’t even imagine what kind of torture would cause that kind of scream. Filled with fear, she peaked through the window. And regretted it immediately.
Luffy was hunged from some chains, beaten to a pulp, silent crying. Every part of his little body was covered in blood. It must hurt, it must be hurting a lot. And he had said nothing. Ann was going to kill Ace. She forced herself to look again, she needed to plan something, she needed to get Luffy out of there now. Another punch, and Ann flinched worse than Luffy. She didn’t even want to considered the possiblity of Luffy being … No, he was not. Ace and Sabo were going to arrive then and they would save a very alive Luffy. A noise warned her to get away from the house. She just dared to go a few meters away, hidding behind a couple of giant empty boxes, facing the lair’s back. She looked around, anxious, hoping the boys would arrive any moment.
Another hit, another cry. Ann felt guilty of how relieved she felt at hearing Luffy’s voice. He was still alive. But not for any longer. One last look at the dark forest, one last pray, and the girl stood up. She managed to find a broken piece of glass and took it in her hand, ready to enter hell to save Luffy, when a voice made her stop.
"Ann !"
Despite everything, Ace was her brother. Her blood brother. They were twins. They shared a special connection no one else possesed. Ann knew. She could read her brother like an open book, and so could Ace. Their eyes met just one second, but it was enough for them to understand.
Plan: save Luffy. At all costs.
Two figures crossed her sides and broke into the wooden house. Ann gripped her glass and run after them. The fuss Ace and Sabo created was perfect for her to jump to Luffy’s hunged body and free him with a quick cut. Both fell to the ground, a sobbing Luffy trapped in Ann’s arms. A relieved smile crossed her heart.
He was safe.
"Let’s go, Ace !" Sabo wasted no time in reaching their side, ready to leave that hell. He was in front of Ann and Luffy, wielding his pipe as a sword and wearing an anxious and worried expression. Ace wasn’t going away from that giant psycho.
"Go ahead ! When I come to face someone, I won’t run."
Even with his back turned to them, Ann knew the expression her brother had at that exact moment. She didn’t even hear the laughs from Porchemy or the warnings from Sabo. She whispered to the blond boy. "Go help him." Sabo looked at her in disbelief. "I’ll take Luffy out of here. Go help Ace." Sabo took a couple of seconds to react but then he nodded and gripped his weapon. Ann retreated some steps.
"Ace ! If you two are not back in the safe place in ten minutes, I will punch you both !"
With those words, the girl flew out of the wrecked lair. A couple of thughs tried to followed them but Sabo was quick to cut their way. Ann tried not to feel guilty. She didn’t want to abandon them, but she had to be rational : Luffy was deeply hurt, he needed treatment. And even if she had stayed, she would have been of little help. She was no fighter. With all the strenght she managed to summoned, Ann and Luffy disappeared into the woods.
It took the boys around an hour to reach the safe point close to the hill where the three kids used to meet when they first met. It was a hidden spot that few creatures knew about, mostly just animals, so she knew they would be safe enough to treat their wounds. She had taken some bandages on their scape, so she succeded in cleaning and bandaging Luffy by the time the boys arrived.
They did receive their punch.
"Auch ! Why’s that ??"
"You’re late."
"It’s imposible to arrive in ten minutes, you idiot !"
"Don’t insult me ! And you also abandoned Luffy ! What the hell, Ace ??"
"Come on, it’s okey. Don’t fight." Sabo tried to calm the twins. Luffy had been crying since they left the lair, which made Ace mad, which made Ann madder.
"Stop crying !"
"Stop shouting at him ! It’s your fault we had to go through this !"
"He was the one following me ! By the way, why did you tell him to follow me ? Look how we ended !"
Sabo sighted, unamused at the twins' fight, and went to Luffy’s side. He knew better than to interrupt the ongoing battle so the blond kid decided to focus on the little bandaged troublemaker.
"It’s okey now, you don’t need to be so upset" he only received a silent nod, so he decided to get an annoying question out of his head. "Hey, why didn’t you talk ? Porchemy doesn’t care about hurting women or children. You could have died."
"Because…" Luffy started with a sob "If I spoke, you wouldn’t want to be friends with me."
The answer was surprinsing enough to make the three older children stop and look at the youngest. Luffy had his face hidden behind his hat but they all could see the tears running through his cheeks. Ann was quick on her feet to be by his side, giving Luffy a side hug.
"Of course we want ! You are a very nice child, we are so happy you are here with us."
"I’m not." Ann once again glared at her brother. Ace had finnished treating his own wounds and now aproched the little group. “ You can do whatever you want with Ann but why do you insist so much about being my friend ?"
"Because… Ann said…"
"Do you understand the trouble you caused us ? Just because you kept following me… We almost die because of you."
"Ace !"
"Seriously, why ?"
"Because I HAVE NO ONE ELSE !" the shout made everyone freeze, even the curious animals that were trying to enter the hidden spot. Ann untangled herself from Luffy, Sabo looked at him with shocked eyes and Ace… He stood there, speechless.
"I can’t go back to Fooscha Village, I can’t see Makino and the maior anymore. I like being with Ann but I hate the bandits, I hate how they talk to me and how they steal my food and how they treat me and how they always tell me to do hard work I don’t want to. If I didn’t follow you, I would be alone, and being alone is the worst !"
Ann didn’t know how to react to those words. She already suspected Luffy didn’t have it easy, he was living in the mountains with a bunch of criminals, but still…
The question came out of her before she could stop. "And your parents ?"
"I only have my granpa."
A flash of memories hit Ann’s head. She held Luffy tight again and threw a glance at Ace, begging him to do it. She already felt they could get their long awaited answer from Luffy, but someone had to ask the question. Her eyes posed on Ace’s face, eyes hidden behind a flock of messy hair. Scared to lose their chance, she asked the first question.
"Are you happy with us ?"
"Yes ! I hate the bandits but I like you guys a lot. You always give me food and help me and are so kind. And Ace is super strong ! I have gotten stronger from following him, and you guys also want to be pirates ! I miss Fooscha but this is the best place ! Well, it could be better with more food but still."
A couple of soft chuckles came from the hearts of Ann and Sabo, as if Luffy had some magic power that made the people around him smile. In front of them, Ace had finally raised his head. His eyes were full of fire, fear and determination.
"Is it easy for you because we are alive ?" A simple, confident affirmation. "And it would be difficult for you if we weren’t." Another affirmation.
Ace made a pause. Ann brace herself.
There we go.
"Do you want us to live ?"
A loud, determinated of course resonated against the woods. Luffy was no longer crying, instead he wore a serious expression on his wounded face. Ann let the words sank in her heart before choking the little kid again with the biggest hug she had ever given to anyone.
He wants us to live. Not only that, he needs us to live. All this time, all this pain… Maybe it was meant to bring us together. Maybe all of this was so we could be strong to protect Luffy.
Tears wet her eyes. Despite the complaints, she held Luffy closer. She was just so damn happy. And she knew Ace felt the same. After all this time, they had at last their answer.
"I don’t want to be a party pooper," Sabo’s voice popped her little bubble of happiness, but the urge in his voice made them adopt a defensive state "but we need to do something. I’m glad we managed to scape from Porchemy and honestly, I don’t think we’ll have any more trouble with him. But still…"
"Bluejam may send someone for us." added Ace. Sabo nodded. "Exactly, and it’s dangerous for me to stay so close to them."
As if it was the most logical reasoning, which it probably was, Ann got up and proclaimed with a proud voice. "That’s okey, you can stay with us."