1 Piece AU Luffy Charlotte
By: FunahoMisaki
(AN: I own nothing and read last chapter)
"You have my permission to train him and keep him here…but…I will not get in the way of a promise to a loved one. If he wishes to start his journey in East Blue he will. What age will you start your journey Luffy?" Big Mom asked wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she stared at Luffy.
"Seventeen!" Luffy said brightly and Big Mom nodded.
"And do you know how old you are?" Big Mom asked making Luffy nod his head.
"Yep! I'm eight!" Luffy said holding up nine fingers until Amande reached over and gently lowered one for him.
"That gives us nine years to train him up and then get him back to this Dawn Island place. I want him trained enough to take on anything Paradise can throw at him and win with a grin on his face." Big Mom said to her children who all nodded their heads in understanding at this, although they were surprised that this boy seemed to have done something to gather their mothers interest.
"For now…find him a room and some better cloths and get him a bath. I can smell him from up here." Big Mom said making her daughters nod their heads again, exchanging smiles at having a Mama approved dress up dummy.
"But if I go into water I drown." Luffy said frowning at them confused and making Brulee huff amused.
"Trust me Luffy-kun. We wouldn't let you drown. Besides that's only sea water. Baths don't do anything but make you sleepy when you've eaten a devil fruit." Brulee said making Luffy's eyes widen at that a bit.
"Really?" Luffy asked making the devil fruit users in the room, particularly the two Charlotte daughters and Perospero, nod their heads.
"Besides, you're still little enough to bath with a sibling. I haven't eaten a devil fruit so I can be in the bath with you if it makes you feel better." Amande said since she realized most of her brothers were devil fruit users and the ones that weren't were too young to help with bathing a rambunctious little boy.
"Okay! It'll be like when Ace-nii and I have to take a bath together!" Luffy said agreeing with it easily and making Smoothie hand the boy over to her elder sister who wiped the blood off of her hand onto the boy's raggedy shirt.
"You get him all nice and clean. I'll go grab some cloths from a store or see if we still have some small enough for him to fit into." Smoothie said making Amande nod her head in agreement and adjust her grip on the child.
"Can I have a bath too, Amande-nee-chan?" Pudding asked tugging on her sisters dress and making the woman huff slightly but nod, bending over a bit to scoop her little sister into her free arm.
"I'll start making a few extra shirts and all for him just in case we don't have any hand me downs in his size." Brulee said as Amande left the room and Brulee moved towards a mirror to go to her room in the Chateau which had most of her sewing supplies. Smoothie was right behind the eighth daughter as she asked her sister to drop her out of a mirror in the storage room.
"I'll go ahead and call Morgans with the news about Garp. It should be all over tomorrow mornings paper." Perospero said taking his leave as well while Katakuri hung behind for a moment.
"Is there something wrong Katakuri?" Big Mom asked raising an eyebrow at her second, and strongest, son who nodded once.
"Luffy's age is wrong. He was kidnapped last year, presumably when he was eight. I don't know when his birthday is but he's been on that ship for a year now so he's nine and not eight. Same age as Yuen except maybe a few months difference." Katakuri said making his mother nod her head slowly.
"So we have eight years give or take a few months to get him trained to decent standards and back to East Blue. He didn't seem to realize how many fingers meant eight earlier so that might be a sign that he can't count or likely read if Garp only focused on fighting and survival. Have one of your siblings teach him how to write and read and do at least basic math." Big Mom ordered making Katakuri nod his head.
"Shall we also let him know that he's joining our crew?" Katakuri asked and Big Mom shook her head.
"No. He isn't. Not right now especially." Big Mom said making Katakuri look a bit surprised as he stared at his mother.
"He might join us in the future, and if he does after he's shown to do well on his training and be strong enough to be a New World pirate, then I'll welcome him with open arms. For right now though…no. He's not joining us and no one's going to force or trick him into doing so. Let him be a pirate for a while on his own." Big Mom said making Katakuri nod although he still didn't know what about the boy had affected his mother like this.
"Better go now and let your siblings know that we have a guest…one who I am personally invested in." Big Mom said dismissing her son and making him nod and turn towards the door, although he stopped and turned back when he saw the future enough to know she was about to call his name.
"Katakuri." Big Mom sure enough called his name and Katakuri was surprised when she lightly, well lightly for her at least, tossed him a large doughnut off of her plate.
"You love doughnuts still right?" Big Mom asked making Katakuri stare at her surprised for a moment before he silently nodded his head. He had never heard of his mother sharing food from her plate with any of his siblings before.
"Enjoy it. You've more than earned it." Big Mom said and she gave him a smile he hadn't seen since he was a little boy himself, a soft maternal one. Katakuri pulled down his scarf to show his teeth and face and gave her a small smile of his own.
"Thank you Mama." Katakuri turned and began to walk away, biting into the doughnut. It was really good.
"You're welcome son." Big Mom said softly as he finished off the doughnut before pulling his scarf back up and opening the door. Big Mom stared down at her swollen belly as he left.
Garp had used Haki on his grandson, a child…a child with a bright innocent smile and a big kind heart. A child who was happy she was born.
What…what had she been doing? What had she become over the years?