Chapter Text
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Charlotte Luffy was born 19 years ago to Charlotte Linlin and an unnamed father. He is referred as unnamed because like any other men in Big Mom’s life, he was discarded on the very same day his children were born.
For this one, his fate was no different.
Though born as the younger twin of Yuen, Luffy, as everyone in Toto Island recalled, was a peculiar child. For one he was smaller—a lot smaller than his significant twin brother. He wasn’t towering as most of his older siblings, nor have elongated arms or legs or even necks. He didn’t have third eye that could one day decipher poneglyphs or gills that could give him the ability to breath underwater.
Physically healthy, Luffy was a late talker. While he had an excellent understanding of language and speeches of others, his vocabulary was limited. In fact, Luffy didn’t talk at all. He would open his mouth, stared at the objects or person for few ticking seconds, only to close it back again and shifted his interest towards different subject.
He didn’t talk when he was three. He didn’t talk when he was four. When Luffy finally talked at the age of five, the boy was already reclusive from his siblings and mother, except for few. But this didn’t mean that Luffy could escape the harassments and teases from them.
If there was anything, it only made him a target.
He wasn’t by any means a weak child, but Luffy wasn’t strong either. He wasn’t much of a talker, but he wasn’t all that quite either. He didn’t receive any special power, but the boy had proven to be resilient. They pushed him around when he was on the verge of learning to walk until Luffy fell down to the ground. But the boy would always get back to his wobbly feet. They would throw things at him, not enough for serious injuries, but enough to bruise. They would hide his dining chair which was custom made because Luffy was small in comparison to his other siblings. So Luffy would take his plate and eat his dinner alone in his room.
These traits only unnerved his siblings more, though some eventually grew tired and opted to ignore him instead, including his own twin.
Growing up, he spent less time in the castle or Sweet City and more time in Nuts Island because Amanda was kind to him; Unique Island because Luffy loved Praline’s singing voice and the later would always sing him lullabies whenever the boy spent a night there; Cocoa Island because Lola always read him stories about places beyond Toto Land and tales on legendary events and people.
Luffy would also go to said sister for comfort whenever his other siblings picked on him and had his bruises and scratches tended by her.
Other times, Luffy would be seen playing by himself or with the homies in the Seducing Woods, with Zeus in tow.
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Luffy was six when Lola left the family. For three days, Luffy refused to leave his room, spending hours in bed, crying until he fell asleep only to wake up and cried again. The cycles continued.
On the fourth days, Chiffon went into his room with Zeus followed suit. It would have been Amanda if she hadn’t left the land days prior to collect payment from Big Mom’s territory.
Chiffon placed the tray of food on the boy’s bedside table before taking a seat on the bed, next to her brother, now hiding underneath the blanket. The mattress dipped under her weight.
“You need to eat something, Luffy.” Chiffon patted what she had assumed to be Luffy’s shoulder. “You haven’t eaten much and nothing since yesterday.”
This only made him cried harder, probably due to her voice that was similar to Lola.
She groaned internally. The approach was obviously not as constructive as many of her other siblings had thought. Lola was the reason behind his crocodile tears. Being her twin sister, she wears the same face as her, obviously. Yet, they had thought it would be a good idea to send her in.
Dimwit.
“Luffy…” Behind her, Zeus tried to coax the boy. “You’re going to get sick if you don’t eat.”
There were sniffles and hiccups coming from the lump. After a while, Luffy finally sat up and emerged from underneath the blanket. His eyes were puffy and red and his cheeks were wet with tears. There were wet patches on his night shirt and his bedsheet and with him being cooped underneath the blanket for god-knows-how-long, his short hair was now sticking into five different direction.
Chiffon didn’t want to second guess when was the last time Luffy changed his shirt.
“Where’s Sister Amande?” He sniffed.
“Sister Amande hasn’t retuned yet.” Chiffon answered him and almost panicked when his brother looked like as if the whole universe had done him wrong for three consecutive lifetimes. “I’m sure she’ll return soon.” She quickly added.
Damn you, Amande. Where is she when Luffy looks like he is going to die.
Wiping his nose with the back of his hand, the younger Charlotte sniffed again. “I told Lola I want to go too. But she didn’t want to bring me with her.”
And the crocodile tears were back. Furious and unforgiving.
Oh boy, did Luffy beg for his sister to bring him along when she secretly told him that she was going to leave Toto Land that night. He begged and he cried and he pleaded. But despite heavy heart, Lola was unyielding with her decision. She could endure and perhaps triumph her family’s hatred at her leaving and defying their mother, but Lola would never allow Luffy to be subjected to their mother’s wrath.
Chiffon knew this of course.
“Lola couldn’t bring you along because it’s too dangerous for you, Luffy.” She reasoned.
Through series of hiccups, Luffy still managed to string his words together. “I can look after myself.”
The older Charlotte swallowed. This is harder than she thought. “I know, Luffy. But she doesn’t want Mama to get angry at you too.”
“I don’t care.” Despite his shirt, his eyes and his hair, Luffy forced himself to look fierce. “I don’t like this place.”
“Then, you want to leave Sister Praline and Sister Amande too..?” Chiffon changed her tactic. “I thought you like them.”
Luffy sucked his bottom lips in contemplation and an attempt to swallow his hiccups. He nodded his head. “I do. But…” The boy paused. “Is she going to come back, Chiffon?”
Torn, Chiffon used her thumb to swipe the fresh tear away from Luffy’s cheek. “I’m sure she’ll come back.”
“… really?”
Chiffon smiled reassuringly. More to herself than Luffy actually. “Of course. This is her home, Luffy. We’re her only family.”
Her words didn’t match the uncertainty brewing inside. Lola left to avoid the arranged marriage set by their mother despite knowing the consequences of her action. Luffy didn’t understand that. At least, not for the next few years. In his mind, her sister had a falling out with the family and thus, had to leave.
In his mind, it’s reversible.
“Okay. I’ll wait for Lola.” Luffy finally calmed down, saved for occasional hiccups. “You know, Chiffon, I think Lola didn’t want to take me with her because I’m a kid.” He scratched his head and rubbed on his eyes. Luffy was getting tired and sleepy. “I want to grow up quickly so that next time, Lola will take me with her.”
It took every ounce of Chiffon’s will to ward of the tears from her eyes. Even if Luffy was all grown up, she knew Lola would never bring him along. She would never endanger his brother’s life. Mama’s anger is well known among the siblings. Charlottes or no Charlottes, her angry has no limitation. And when Mama is angry, she is dangerous.
“Here.” Chiffon took the tray and placed the food on Luffy’s small laps. There were peanut butter and jam sandwich and a glass of warm milk. Considering that his brother hasn’t eaten anything since yesterday, Chiffon considered for Luffy to start his meal with something light first.
“Do you want me to leave?” Chiffon asked as his brother took his first bite of the sandwich.
Eyes trained on his sandwich, Luffy slowly nodded.
“Do you want Zeus to stay with you?”
Another nod.
Wanting to respect the boy’s request, Chiffon stood up, while Zeus floated passed her head. He then settled on the bed next to Luffy.
The air inside Luffy’s room when she left was still sombre, and dare she says, absence of life. The lack of homies inside didn’t help much with the atmosphere.
Luffy loves the homies, but Chiffon could never understand his brother’s reluctance to bring them to his room or to turn any of the objects inside to homies. Zeus was the only homie that has even ventured inside his room. It didn’t bother their mother much, so everything inside Luffy’s room remained unanimated.
At least, Luffy had ceased his crying. For now.
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Lola didn’t return as Luffy had hoped. She didn’t return a week later. She didn’t return two weeks later nor three weeks later. By forth week, Luffy had stopped waiting at the ship dock at Cocoa Island. The boy no longer cried, but a part of him had left with Lola. Now, Luffy had to change his visitation routine and his norms to accommodate Lola’s absence.
He stopped going to Cocoa Island.
When Amande had to leave Toto Land, Luffy would spend his time with Praline at Unique Island. If both of them were busy governing their respective island, the young Charlotte would then again occupy his days at Seducing Woods, less at the castle.
But when both sisters were busy or away, and the weather didn’t permit him to go outside, Luffy would be inside the library. He could read well for his age, thanks to Lola who thought him how to read and write despite being a late talker, though the young Charlotte still required to work on his pronunciation.
Katakuri noticed this because he did spend times in the library whenever there wasn’t much activity on Kagura Island.
There were times when his brother would read in silence and there were times when he read aloud, probably practicing his pronunciation. When he did, there were bits here and there that were wrongly expressed, but the second son remained on his seat, one table away.
Alone, Luffy would always be within his own space. There was always something about the space that made Katakuri felt like he wasn’t invited, but at the same, it wasn’t hostile either. More than anything, it made him feel like he was walking on something extremely delicate. Like eggshells for example.
How Amande, Praline and Lola, or anyone else on that matter were able to enter that space line without biting their tongue was actually beyond his comprehension.
In his defence, Luffy was a peculiar boy. At least, compare with the rest of Charlotte siblings. When most of them would crowd Katakuri for attention, eyes sparkled with awe, some would even go to the extent of doing something unnecessary just to make them shine brighter than others, his brother was like a different creature from different part of the sea.
In his presence, Luffy is aloof. Like he doesn’t want anything to do with him. Almost like a cat, in fact.
But there were also times where Luffy wasn’t interesting with his book but still spend his days in the library. Times like that, his brother would take a quick—or long—nap on the sofa. He would curl his body which made him like he was swallowed by the sofa itself. Katakuri was amazed how anyone hasn’t sat on Luffy by accident so far.
Sometimes, Luffy would simply just lay there and stared at nothing in particular, his mind in his little mind palace. During lunch or tea time, the servants would bring Luffy’s meal to him only to return later to collect the empty dishes. Other times, Luffy would go to the kitchen by himself.
On one occasion—few actually—, Luffy had his eyes fixed on a particular book. But unlike his siblings, Luffy’s size and height were those of a normal human being. And the book was located on the second shelf from the top and like most of the furniture in the castle, the shelf was built bigger than life to accommodate the Charlottes’ big physique and Mon-d’Or was an emotionally constipated bastard who didn’t bother to even put a single ladder in the library.
The disappointment reflected in Luffy’s eyes was enough to make Katakuri falter. So, he made a mental note to assist his brother with his book tomorrow.
Except that, when Katakuri returned to the library tomorrow morning, there was already a ladder inside. And it was positioned right next to the very book that Luffy was eyeing previously.
It was made from candy. Damn you, Brother Perospero.
Still, it made Luffy smiled. His little brother didn’t eat the candy ladder, but he was able to get his hands on the book he had wanted.
But words regarding a candy ladder being inside the library spread around the castle, attracting most of the young generation Charlottes who are famous for their sweet tooth. Before the dusk even settled upon the sky, it was already gone.
Luffy didn’t appear like he was bothered that he didn’t get to get a lick on the candy ladder. But he was clearly bothered at the notion that he was once again, left handicapped in his fight against the humongous piece of furniture.
The next day, another ladder made out of candy appeared at the same spot. Only this time, much fancier with all the carvings and spirals and bright colour.
Fuck you too, Perospero.
Though Luffy’s initial reaction was quite comical, like he was witness in an off-dimensional creature. Still, it served its purpose and his brother looked content throughout his search for reading materials.
Katakuri never did found out the kind of books that Luffy loves to read.
--To be Continued--