It was a rainy evening, the kind where the city lights blurred into streaks against the soaked windows of passing cars. Your hood was pulled up, rain pattering against the fabric as you hurried along the sidewalk, clutching your bag close. Then, beneath the glow of a flickering streetlamp, something caught your eye.

There stood a young man—Ace, if you remembered right. His messy black hair stuck out from under a red beanie, drenched but ignored as he held a little boy in his arms. The boy, no older than five, was bundled in an oversized yellow raincoat that nearly swallowed him whole, his wide, curious eyes peeking out from under the hood.

“C’mon, Luffy, you can’t eat rain,” Ace was saying, his tone exasperated but fond as the boy stuck his tongue out to catch droplets. Luffy only laughed, his tiny hands clutching Ace’s jacket like it was a lifeline.

Ace adjusted the squirming child on his hip, his grin lighting up the dreary evening. His free hand gestured animatedly, like he was telling some grand tale, and Luffy’s eyes sparkled as he giggled, soaking up every word.

For a moment, the cold rain didn’t seem to matter, not when the warmth between the two of them made the world seem a little brighter.