👀 I see you. I’ll take any excuse to write Luffy being warmed.

But as for lore, I’m not sure what kind you want, so I think I’ll use this as an opportunity to flesh out Luffy’s background. Since I haven’t given it much thought beyond “he grew up in the woods with his brothers 🤷‍♀️”

If you ask him, Luffy would have no recollection of his life before he ended up in the Grand Woods. He has a vague idea of how his brothers arrived there (one’s a runaway, the other abandoned, left to die) but all he knows of himself is a blurry memory of someone with a gruff voice calling his name, desperate, afraid. He’ll never forget the fear and worry in that voice, or the pain of the tight hold on him, silently dragging him away. Everything went dark when he tried to call back, to who he doesn’t remember. He was so young.

When he came to, he was in the Grand Woods, not that he knew that then. The sight of bodies greeted him, and he panicked. No idea what happened, who did it, where they were— if they’d come back and kill him too.

Instinctively, he tried to move, to run, and that’s when he noticed the ropes that bound him had been torn. Shredded, left in many fraying short threads.

Taking his chance, Luffy ran as far and fast as his little legs could take him and left everything behind him. But it didn’t take long for him to get lost in the vast woods. When the terror of the situation set in, he curled up under a large tree and cried.

He doesn’t know how long he was there, but some time later, when he was still whimpering, he heard a young voice, “what’re you crying for? And what the hell is a baby like you doing out here?”

And that’s how he met the black and orange furred cat familiar Ace. Unfortunately, Ace looked unimpressed, annoyed by him, but Luffy clung to him, scared of being alone in those woods any longer. Ace reluctantly let him follow him back to where he lived with another young cat familiar named Sabo, this one with yellow fur.

Given time and a lot of effort on Luffy’s part, the three became close and called each other brother. They lived in an abandoned cabin Ace had found deep in the woods and rarely ever interacted with any other person as they had everything they thought they needed.

But as they got older, they got antsy, and all three agreed they should go and explore the world they’ve seen so little of. The problem with that is both Ace and Luffy had conquerors magic manifest, so they had the fear of evil witches trapping them in permanent contracts drilled into them.

Still, Ace claimed he wasn’t afraid and knew better anyways. So when he turned 17, he left. Luffy missed him terribly, but Sabo did whatever he could to comfort him. At least, until it was Sabo who wanted to leave.

Luffy told him to go on, that he’ll be fine on his own. He knows everything he needs to know. He’ll be okay. So with many promises of returning (just like Ace,) Sabo left home. And Luffy was alone.

The thought of leaving when he turns a couple years older crossed his mind, but he promised his brothers he’d be careful. And to be honest, he knows he trusts too easily, and that their concern isn’t without reason. He doesn’t know what he’d do if he screwed up and lost his freedom to a witch.

So he passed his days exploring the woods, deeper and deeper by the day. They became his domain. He learned them, memorized landmarks and pools and tree groves, all of it like the back of his hand.

And if anyone were to wander into the woods, he’d know. The breeze whispers in his ears if they’re trouble or harmless. Anyone who tries to doing any damage to the woods or is up to no good, he scared away, shifting into a huge horrifying monster to frighten them. If they are harmless, he only checks them out if the fancy strikes him, but usually then he just leaves them be.

That’s why the woods have the reputation of being full of monsters (his brothers were guilty of doing the same thing in the past) and only other familiars and strong witches enter it.

And why he never ran into a certain healer witch. He’d know when he crossed the river into the woods, but Luffy learned his magic and found no ill will. So he just let him do whatever and never sought him out. Now, he wishes he had found him sooner.

Long story short: little Luffy got taken by familiar traffickers while in an unknown town with his grandpa. But someone killed them and freed him. Then Ace found him and took him home like a stray. He got two whole brothers, but then they left. But it’s okay! Luffy’s gonna just explore the woods until he meets a cute witch.

Fun fact: Luffy is what might be considered a “feral familiar” until he gets more or less tamed by Law. He avoids town and people.

If there’s anything you want me to elaborate on, or if you meant for lore about something else, please ask. 🥺