After washing up and changing into comfortable clothes, the trio made their way up to the attic, the space that had gradually evolved into their shared bedroom.
Long before the Dadan Family had been roped into their current gig as a group of reluctant babysitters, the modest house had only a single bedroom, which, of course, belonged to Dadan herself, the undisputed boss of the household. That changed when Naru came into the picture. A new room had been built for her, and for several years, she had shared it with her two younger brothers. But times changed. Children grew. And when Sabo joined the fold, another bed was not going to cut it anymore. So, Dadan had the idea to convert the attic into a sleeping area for the boys.
Since then, the attic had become their territory. Naru's room was now hers alone, and the boys had their own domain, no longer needing to share their big sister's space.
That night, like so many others, the futons were spread neatly across the wooden floor beneath the large, open window. A gentle night breeze filtered in, cool and refreshing, carrying with it the distant sounds of the forest. Overhead, the sky stretched like a sea of velvet, scattered with glittering stars.
It was a calm, serene night that filled the children with a sense of contentment.
If someone listened closely, they would hear nature's lullaby.
The soft rustling of the leaves in the trees outside, the rhythmic chirping of crickets hidden in the underbrush, and the occasional whisper of the wind brushing against the house. Everything was still.
Even Luffy, who was usually a hyper ball of energy incapable of sitting still for more than sixty seconds, was lying quietly between his brothers, clearly enjoying the rare moment of serenity.
"Hey, what do you guys want to be when you grow up?" Sabo asked out of the blue, his voice soft but clear, eyes still fixed on the stars beyond the window.
His question snapped the other two out of their quiet daze.
Lying in the middle, Luffy turned his head toward Sabo, while Ace propped up his head on one hand, adjusting his position so he could see the blond more easily.
Luffy, never one to hesitate, answered first.
"I wanna be like Nee-chan! I want to sail across the sea and have my own big adventure!"
"Well, what he said," Ace chimed in with a shrug, before letting out a long, quiet sigh. "But… we've only got one year left before she sets off."
That sigh carried a weight heavier than the words themselves.
Because of the challenge Naru had set for them, an agreement that was sealed with pride and ambition, Ace and Luffy only had one year left to prove they were capable enough to be independent adventurers. The terms were simple and straightforward.
They had to defeat Naru in a sparring match. Just once. Just once, and they would be allowed to chase their own destinies early. If not, they would have to stay on the island until they turned seventeen. That was the deal.
"At this rate, since there is no way we can beat Naru in a year, I suggest from now on, you start preparing for the day you turn seventeen, Luffy. That will be, hmm, eleven years from now. Well, that is not such a big number, ya know?"
Truth to be told, Ace was long aware that Naru had no intention of letting them follow in her footsteps at sailing the treacherous seas. At least, not now. The main reason could only be that they were not as capable as her. Simply said, Naru thought that her two younger brothers were not strong and responsible enough to survive the sea on their own, which was something that the slightly matured Ace could understand and accept with humility.
It was also something that Luffy did not understand and could not accept.
Now sitting upright with his legs crossed in a huff, Luffy frowned at Ace. "Ace! You've got no determination at all!"
"Determination?" Ace let out a big yawn. "I have self-awareness."
Luffy puffed his cheeks in defiance, his tiny fists clenched on his lap. "Just you wait and see! I'll be the second one to leave this island! I'll show you!"
Ace clearly was not taking the bold declaration seriously. Instead, he turned to the chuckling Sabo and threw the question his way. "What about you?"
"Me?" Sabo blinked his eyes.
Though he was the latest addition to the Dadan Family, Sabo had already been dragged into Garp's grueling bonding sessions, aka survival training. Still, he had not been part of the original bet between the siblings, not for lack of invitation, but because he had wisely chosen not to challenge someone like Naru. He knew his limits. Unlike Luffy, who was fueled entirely by dreams and stubbornness, Sabo was more like Ace, deeply aware of his strengths and weaknesses.
Even so, he did not regret joining the insanity.
In fact, Sabo enjoyed the training, even the parts that left him sore for days. When he was first invited to a training session with Garp, he had assumed it would be like any other martial arts lesson. He could not have been more wrong. That day had opened his eyes to a whole new level of absurdity and power. Who would have thought the mountain he once overlooked harbored monsters in human skin?
Thankfully, Ace and Luffy, though obviously much stronger than him, were not as aggressive as their grandfather. Even Naru, the only person he knew capable enough to hold her ground against the old man, was actually a gentle big sister that he liked very much. And whenever he spent time with Ace and Luffy, he was just like a normal mischievous boy, who craved the fun and wonders the world could offer him. Garp, though often absent and prone to violent tendencies during training, did not place extreme expectations on the children. As for the Dadan Family, Sabo thought they were much better than most people he had encountered despite being mountain bandits.
However, what he liked the most was whenever he spent time with Naru.
Sabo admitted that he secretly liked being the one with the most resemblance to the older girl, with both having blonde hair. She was just like the big sibling he had once dreamed of a long time ago, and he really adored the attention and care he had been given, something he would never have received from his own birth parents.
Although he had only been living with them for a year, Sabo understood their characters well.
Naru was strong and independent, being able to have her own voyage despite being just a child. As the older sister, she must have realized from the very beginning that her brothers, despite being slightly stronger than other children, were not ready to leave the safety of this island and face the world yet. Hence, she schemed against her own brothers, making them abide by the rules of the promise and challenge to not leave the island until they were seventeen.
The young and childish Luffy may appear to be ignorant of his surroundings and was often misunderstood or underestimated by those older than him, but the little guy actually had his own sense of awareness to know that there was no way he could defeat his own sister when even Ace, who was much more powerful than himself, had failed. However, that did not stop him. Instead, the little guy's motivation and courage grew bigger each time he suffered a loss.
Ace, on the other hand, while he knew that he was not able to win, still remained committed to the challenge even though he was forced to eat dirt every time they had a sparring session.
The brothers' determination had ignited something within Sabo. It was something that caused the young boy to dare dreaming of something that he would not have dared to think of before he met his two fated brothers.
Especially after spending time with the Red Hair Pirates, Sabo had firmly decided on the path that he shall take in the future.
Therefore, responding to Ace's question, Sabo said, "I have decided that I want to become a pirate."
Both Luffy and Ace stared at him, stunned.
"A pirate? Like Shanks?" Ace did not expect his friend to have this kind of ambition. After all, their grandfather was a marine veteran!
"Woah!" Luffy did not think like Ace. Being a pirate sounded cool, and he immediately imagined himself as one. "Me too! I want to become a pirate too!"
After getting to know Shanks and his crew, Luffy did not think that pirates were as bad and horrible as what his grandpa described them to be. Previously, his goal was only to set sail like his sister, but it was not specified to sail the sea as a pirate.
Now, Luffy had a new modified goal. He wanted to sail the sea as a pirate, just like Shanks!
"Yeah! Just like Shanks! I mean, look at how much freedom he has. He can travel wherever he wants, have fun without any restraints, and he is also fearless!" Sabo started to become excited. "I want to be just like them! Freely roaming the sea, being able to go wherever I desire and do whatever I want without restraint!"
Luffy's excitement kicked up another notch. A wild idea struck him like lightning. "Then I will ask Shanks if I can join his crew!"
"Huh?" Ace raised a skeptical brow. "You really think they would take a tiny shrimp like you on board? I would rather believe you would join the marines than be accepted by Shanks."
"Ace! That is bad!"
"Huh? What is bad?"
"You want me to suffer under Grandpa's horrible punches! That is bad!"
Being a marine was equal to suffering from Grandpa's Fist of Love!
"And when he finds out about you wanting to become a pirate, do you really think he would let you go without a punch? Face it, you cannot escape from that old man's Fist of Love! You can keep running away, and he will still be able to catch you." Ace tried to scare him off with an evil grin. He continued to taunt him. "In the end, you will be just like those pirates that run away once they see a marine officer!"
"Hmph! Then I will be the greatest pirate! I will be so great and powerful that no marine can ever catch me! Even more powerful than Shanks or your dad!"
Sabo, who had been chuckling at their usual antics, paused mid-laugh and blinked in confusion. "Wait… Dad? Whose dad?"
Luffy quickly replied, "Ace's dad! The Pirate King!"
"!"
Ace's dad was the Pirate King?!
"Wait, you guys are not related?" Sabo asked, blinking in disbelief as he glanced between the two brothers.
Ace shrugged casually, completely unfazed. "Nope. Found out about it when I was six. Believe me, I was just as shocked as you are right now."
Sabo gawked for a moment, then grinned, eyes shining with awe. "That is so cool, Ace! Your dad is the Pirate King! Did he leave you with a lot of gold? I heard that the Pirate King was a really rich man!"
Ace gave a lazy yawn and leaned back on his elbows. "Never asked the old man about it. It doesn't matter anyway. I'm not touching a single coin that belongs to him. I'll find my own treasure, and when I do, I'll be even richer than he ever was."
"I'll find more treasure than you, Ace!" Luffy chimed in enthusiastically, bouncing with energy.
Ace rolled his eyes and reached over to flick Luffy's forehead with a smirk. "Why the hell are you always trying to compete with me?"
"Huh? Compete?" Luffy tilted his head, genuinely confused. "We're competing?"
Ace did not bother to give him a response. Instead, he turned his attention to Sabo. "So, what's your plan then? Got anything in mind?"
Sabo scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Not sure yet. Maybe I could talk to Shanks sometime. He's a pirate who has been all over the Grand Line, right? I bet he knows a ton of cool crews. Or... maybe I will just start my own pirate crew? That sounds kind of fun."
"That sounds amazing!" Luffy shouted, eyes lighting up like fireworks. "Then I will start my own pirate crew too! It will be called... the Luffy Crew! And you guys can join! Ace, Sabo, you are both in! I will be the captain! Shishishishi!"
Ace did not like the idea of being ordered and led around by his own little brother. He replied, "You? The captain? Ha! Not happening. No way in hell am I going to follow orders from my kid brother."
"But I have already decided!" Luffy declared stubbornly, crossing his arms and puffing out his cheeks. "I am the captain! That is final!"
"Fine, fine. You go ahead and be the captain of your ship. And I will be the captain of my own ship as well!" Ace finally declared, before turning to Sabo. "You are free to join me too."
Sabo laughed, shaking his head. "Tempting offer, but I think I'll pass. I will be making my own crew too! I caan't let you two hog all the glory."
"That settles it then!" Luffy shouted, raising a fist to the sky. "We will all be captains of our own ships!"
If it were possible, Luffy's grin would have stretched off his face. He stood there, practically vibrating with excitement as vivid images of his future adventures filled his head. "Let's see who can build the biggest crew first!"
Sabo snorted with amusement. "And who gets the biggest bounty!"
Ace's eyes lit up with the spark of a challenge. He sat up fully and cracked his knuckles. "Biggest bounty, huh? Alright then. Let us see who can snag it first. The winner gets full bragging rights for life."
"Deal!" Luffy cheered, pumping both fists into the air and leaping to his feet. "I am totally winning this! My crew will be the strongest and the coolest!"
Sabo stood too, his expression serious now despite the laughter still lingering in his voice. "Don't count me out yet. I'm going all in!"
The three of them exchanged a look, one full of fierce determination, brotherly love, and an unshakable sense of destiny.
Eventually, they laid back down on the ground, their gazes fixed on the canopy of stars overhead. Their minds, however, were already adrift in dreams of the vast seas, incredible adventures, and the rivalries that would shape their futures.
They did not know exactly where life would take them. But one thing was clear as day. No matter how far apart their paths would diverge, they would always have each other's backs. Even if they ended up as rivals on the high seas, they would remain brothers to the very end.