The box blinked.
Faint, steady pulses of blue light glowed from within the drawer as if it were breathing—waiting.
Luffy sat on the edge of his bed, knees tucked to his chest, arms wrapped around them. He'd barely slept. His mind kept drifting back to that final moment from the night before, the quiet hum and gentle glow that felt less like a dream and more like destiny.
He slid off the bed silently and padded over to the drawer. His hand hovered over the handle. A quiet moment passed.
Then he pulled it open.
Inside was a small, metallic container. Sleek. Smooth. Etched with a single emblem: a swirl, shaped like a wave spiraling into an eye.
The mark of the Archivist.
Luffy whispered, "Here goes nothing," and touched it.
The box reacted instantly. A soft chime rang out. Blue light unfolded in delicate spirals across its surface. With a hiss, the lid slid open.
Inside were two pairs of sunglasses — high-tech and curved, unlike anything from this world. As Luffy reached for the first pair, a pulse of warmth surged through his hand.
A calm, feminine voice echoed in his mind and through the room.
"Hello, Monkey D. Luffy. Companion Protocol: Online."
The air shimmered.
Lines of light gathered midair, forming into a three-dimensional projection — swirling code, soft colors, then a face. A girl's voice, bright and gentle.
"My name is Ava. I've been waiting a long time to meet you."
Luffy's lips parted.
Ava's form sharpened — a gentle holographic avatar hovering before him like a pixie made of stars. "Designation: Lifelong AI. Purpose: Assist, Protect, Grow. With you."
He took a step forward, blinking fast. "You're really here...?"
"Yes."
Something in Luffy cracked — something silent and lonely that had been there since the day he was reborn. He let out a shaky laugh.
"I'm not alone anymore."
"No," Ava said softly. "You're not."
They talked for hours, hushed and quick so the other kids wouldn't wake.
Luffy told her about the orphanage. About Gwen. About how he'd been hiding his powers and waiting for this moment. He told her about his dreams of animation — of creating entire worlds that could inspire others.
Ava listened closely, blinking every so often as if processing more than his words.
When he finished, she smiled. "Then I'll be your ship's first sail."
Luffy's throat tightened. He nodded. "And you'll be our navigator."
The box beeped again, interrupting the moment.
Ava turned. "There's a second pair."
Floating gently above the open container, the second pair of sunglasses glowed softly.
Luffy reached out but paused.
Ava said, "You'll know who to give them to. This journey wasn't meant for you alone."
He already knew. Gwen.
At recess the next day, Luffy found Gwen sitting alone near the edge of the playground, her sketchpad open. She was drawing rooftops again — simple, shaky lines, but the intent was there.
"Hey," he said.
She looked up, smiled. "Hey, Sketch King."
He sat down beside her and pulled the second pair from his hoodie pocket. It gleamed faintly in the sunlight.
"I want to show you something," he said, "but you have to promise not to tell anyone."
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Like, secret-secret?"
Luffy nodded.
She smirked. "Cross my heart."
He handed her the sunglasses.
The moment her fingers touched them, the lenses lit up, scanning her face with a soft beep.
Then Ava appeared.
Floating like a miniature star between them, Ava's form shimmered into view.
"Hi, Gwen," she said warmly. "I'm Ava. And it's really nice to meet you."
Gwen stared. Her mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again.
"...Is this magic?"
Luffy grinned. "Something like that."
The three of them sat under the tree at the far corner of the playground, huddled like co-conspirators.
Ava floated above Gwen's sketchpad, tilting her head as she observed Gwen's drawings. "Nice composition. Color balance could use work. But strong narrative sense."
Gwen blinked. "Did... a hologram just critique me?"
Luffy laughed. "She does that."
They spent the next hour talking. Ava asked Gwen questions — favorite food, dream job, worst fear. Gwen answered them all like it was a game.
Luffy watched them quietly, heart full. This was it. The beginning.
Not just of animation.
Not just of his crew.
But of family.
At one point, Gwen leaned in and whispered, "So what are we? Like a secret team?"
Luffy thought about it and replied, "No. We're a crew. Just like a pirate crew—but instead of treasure, we're hunting down dreams."
Gwen gave him a look that said she thought that was the coolest thing anyone had ever said.
That night, Luffy sat at his desk once more. Ava hovered nearby, quietly humming something cheerful.
He opened his sketchbook.
The page was blank.
He began to draw.
A scene under a tree. Gwen's astonished face as she saw Ava for the first time. The sunglasses glowing in her hands. Three figures under the leaves, united by something greater than themselves.
Beneath the drawing, he wrote:
Frame 002: The First Mate.
He closed the book, placed it beside his bed, and looked at Ava.
She floated over, tucking herself neatly onto the desk lamp like a firefly settling in for the night.
"Goodnight, Captain," she said.
Luffy smiled.
"Goodnight, Ava."
And as he drifted off to sleep, he whispered one last promise into the dark:
"Tomorrow… we start creating our world."
And this time, it didn't feel like a dream.
It felt like the prologue to something legendary.