Birthday fic for crispyibon! You are the loveliest of all the lovelies and this is a little late, but I hope you don't mind. Hugs and kisses and remember that I love you always!

Based heavily on the music video of 365 Fresh by Triple H.

-shira

Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or anything within the OP franchise. All rights belong to Eiichiro Oda-sensei. Neither do I own 365 Fresh by Triple H and all rights belong to their owner there, too.

The bar is rowdy and loud, just the way Luffy likes it. The thundering bass pounds into his skull and there are slick, sweaty bodies grinding against each other everywhere. He pulls the hood of his sweater down and grins in the fluctuating lights, spotting the perfect pair of targets sitting by the counter.

He pauses for a second, considering if maybe his current look would ruin his plans, but decides that ultimately, it won't matter.

Luffy slips through the crowd, occasionally getting pulled into a group of dancers. He takes it all with an easy laugh. A few rolls of his hips, hands sliding down his body, and fingers sliding into pockets later, and he's easing away from the crowd with his hoodie's hidden pockets heavy with his loot. The young man bounces off of the dance floor and heads for the bar, slamming into it and startling the two women near him.

Perfect.

He yells at the bartender for a glass of their best whiskey. The bartender looks Luffy and his ratty red hoodie and messy hair and split lip over with a suspicious eye. He laughs and slides a wad of bills across the varnished wood. She shrugs and pours him a glass from a bottle under the counter and he downs it in one, hating the burn of the alcohol but loving the buzz that came with it.

"You're a little young to be drinking that much, aren't you?"

Luffy turns to the woman next to him with a grin and he has to stifle his laugh at the muted gasp her companion makes when she spots his face.

The woman with the sleek black hair and sharp blue eyes simply raises an eyebrow and Luffy laughs for real.

"Ehh but I'm 21 though?" His tone is of shameless confusion but the signature grin he shoots them is pure mischief, one eye slipping completely closed with the force of his smile. The other eye is already forced shut by the impressive black eye he'd gotten from this morning's scuffle.

The orange-haired woman with the devious smile leans over to hiss to her friend, "Robin. Don't you dare. That one's trouble and we both know it."

Robin didn't so much as take her eyes off Luffy, just waves the bartender over and orders another drink for Luffy. The other girl just sighs in long-suffering resignation.

Luffy crows in joy, bouncing over to sit next to Robin, immediately snaking his hand out to take a sip of whatever the two girls were drinking. Orange-Hair gives a yelp of annoyance when Luffy steals hers right out of her reaching fingers and Robin laughs in quiet delight, placing a hand on the other's shoulder, murmuring softly.

Normally, no one would be able to hear something said that quietly.

But Luffy's been doing this for years and he catches the snatches of "Nami... worry... just see how this goes?" as he smacks his lips and hums in consideration. He decides he likes Nami's fruity drink a lot more than Robin's salty bitter one.

Nami glares at him when he knocks it back completely. Robin chuckles again and Nami turns to glare at her instead.

"This is really good! What's it called?" He turns to give them his full attention as the bartender comes over to refill his glass and make Nami a new drink.

Nami hesitates before reluctantly giving in. "... it's a screwdriver."

Luffy oohs and shifts a little closer to the woman in purple when she mentions that hers is called a margarita. He begins chatting with her, talking about whatever floats into his head and shifting topics faster than the spin of a roulette wheel. Robin laughs a lot and she seems to be enjoying herself which is good because Luffy's having a lot of fun too.

Nami takes a bit more coaxing, but soon she's sighing in defeated exasperation at Luffy's stories as well, a smile she keeps trying to force down tugging at her lips the whole time. Robin is really smart, and she keeps up with Luffy's distracted mind easily, not seeming to mind the boy's impossibly short attention span. Nami has a sharp tongue but always has a funny comment or story of her own to tell in exchange for Luffy's adventures.

He wishes he could stay a little longer.

But he's already spotted the door slamming open, unheard by the crowd in the heat and the noise. He recognizes them as the same people from the earlier fight and he should probably be more worried but he's too disappointed he has to leave his new friends now. But then he remembers why they're still after him anyway and he cracks a grin.

He only realizes he'd suddenly stopped in the middle of what he was saying when he feels two worried sets of eyes on him.

Whoops.

Luffy already forgot what he was saying before, so he goes with the line his Grampa always told him never fails. (Other people say it doesn't work at all, but it's worked for Luffy before, so he doesn't mind using it again.)

"You two are really pretty!"

It works. There's a startled smile on Nami's face and flattered amusement in Robin's eyes. But he can't stay any longer.

So he hops off his stool and swallows the dregs of his third glass of whiskey. He then jumps right at Nami and wraps his arms around her in a tight squeeze, letting go quickly before she can get it into her head to smack him.

Luffy backs up a couple of steps and spots Nami's murderous glare, fingers tight on her drink. Huh. She probably thought he was going to steal it for a sip again. Well, he wasn't going to but now he wants the drink so he pouts at her until she relents—which doesn't take too long—with a sigh and a crooked smile. Luffy giggles when she lets him finish it off again.

"You're leaving, then?"

The boy turns to Robin with an enthusiastic. nod. He can see the gang getting closer to where they are, slowed only by the sheer amount of people still dancing. The young man slips his arms around her silk covered skin in a quick embrace as well, except he lingers a little longer because he knows she won't hit him.

He really hopes he meets them again. He likes them a lot.

Luffy finally releases the older woman with a quick flip of his wrists, grinning as he pulls his hood up. He chirps a soft, "Thanks!" and is about to move away when a hand comes around his arm all of a sudden, grip like a vice.

Luffy tenses because he can't be caught. Not again.

But it's only Robin and somehow, Luffy isn't surprised at the strength in her hold.

"Why are those men chasing you?" Her voice is low and her eyes dark, and Luffy considers wrenching away from her. But something in her tone changes his mind when she continues, "Will you be alright?"

So instead, Luffy puts a comforting hand on her cheek and whispers back loudly, "I just gave them directions. Guess they didn't find what they were looking for."

She studies him for a bit and Luffy knows that manic grin of his is back because this is exciting as hell. He's not too worried he'll scare these two off, though.

Somewhere, Nami has already slipped off to stall a few of the more gullible members of the gang, shirt pulled lower than it was earlier. When Robin lets go of him with an understanding smile, Luffy's grin widens impossibly.

These two are special. And he'll be damn sure to find them again one day.

But for now, he needs to get out of here because he's been playing dangerous games and getting caught today would be bad for so many reasons.

It's so easy; the hooded figure Luffy makes slips easily through the shadows at the edge of the throng of bodies, taking the staff's route towards the employee parking space. From there, he scrambles through a few alleys and drops down into the customer's valet parking, landing with a soft thump. A tabby kitten passes by his foot.

He stands up, humming a tune he can never remember the lyrics of. Luffy is more than home free by now so he's in no real hurry, strolling casually down the rows of beautiful cars, spinning a small metal chain noisily between his fingers.

A keychain he'd found tucked so obviously into a purple silk pocket.

He grins like mad when he finds the car matching the keys in his hand and decides he wants to go on a little road trip.